by jot and tittle

Today is Sunday. I LOVE Sundays. On Sundays I get to spend the whole day in fellowship with other believers as we worship our gracious God and Saviour. God's command to worship Him on  Sundays is not generally difficult for me. But some of His commands are difficult.   Like having a quiet and gentle spirit.   In the craziness of everyday life between work, house chores, music teaching, laundry, dinner making, talking to my neighbours, church involvement, emails, keeping up with family and friends, and unexpected trouble (like the battery dying on my car) how am I supposed to have a quiet and gentle spirit? When the world around me is filled with noise and chaos how can my heart be still?   But then I remember the Israelites. No, I don't think of them as an example of being quiet and gentle. Hold on, I'll explain. When God told them to leave Egypt I'm sure some of them thought "how are we going to get to the Promised Land? That's really...

Heavenly Father,  I love you. Thank you for placing me in a Christian home, for saving me, and most of all for Jesus, who made all that possible.  Thank you for this season of singleness. You have used it in a mighty way to draw my heart close to yours and to make me love you more. The lessons I have learned through this are very precious. My heart overflows. I don't know if you have a husband out there for me or not so my first pray is that he would exist. If he does not exist may I not ever grow bitter but instead help me to always give thanks to you for all your goodness to me. Give me always your Spirit of joy. If he does exist let him never take your place on the throne of my heart. Father, if this man does exist I ask that you would be working on him even now. Please be the love of his life, first and foremost. May he treasure time alone with you and participate in individual worship every day.  May he be a faithful member of a faithful church, ...

Happy Birthday Dad! Thank you for being involved in my life, for knowing my friends, listening to my struggles, for answering my questions, and for the example you set through your words and actions! You are my hero.  Here's a list of 100 things you've taught me...though I'm sure it's just skimming the top of the barrel.  1. Ask good questions 2. Find the answers you can.  3. Some things won't have answers and that's okay.  4. Hugs and kisses are essential, even when you're a adult 5. Say "I love you" and say it often 6. Sing in church, regardless of how talented you are (though you are a tallented singer)  7. What you believe about the Bible and God counts, so find out what that is 8. Bible reading and prayer are essential, individually and as a family  9. Stick to your word and follow through with your commitments   10. Sometimes it's better to walk away than to say what's on your mind  11. The difference b...

"Please be with the marriages in this church. Be with the men. Make them fathers who selflessly lead their families with wisdom and love. And be with the mothers as they teach their children. Bless their patience and help them as they serve in their homes. Bless the children, keep them in your care that they will grow to love you. And be with the singles and give them the desires of their hearts. Amen." The desires of their hearts.  Hmmm. What does that even mean? I hear people pray like this often and I always wonder what that prayer translates into. Has anyone ever stopped and asked a single person what the desires of his/her heart are? Or do we simply assume that the only desire a single person has is to be married and have a family? I can't speak for all singles but I wouldn't be surprised if for many that doesn't make it into the list of "top five desires". I'm sure, just as we are all made different but equal, that our desires vary ...

A wife of noble character who can find? ~Proverbs 31:10 In the midst of this sex-driven culture finding a woman of noble character can be hard and being a woman of noble character is even harder. It is true that what we wear on the outside reflects who we are on the inside; businessmen wear ties and the Amish men living down the road wear suspenders and bushy beards. Looking around at the grocery store I wonder about the woman in front of me with her sloppy clothes and harsh words. I'm sure you've seen others like her; women who live for the approval of others and personal enjoyment. What boggles my mind is that these women are not only at the grocery store but also sitting in our churches. Who are they? What's inside that makes them present themselves so? I submit to you that is fear . We fear we will be lusted after so we try to hide our femininity as much as possible via baggy clothes and lack of make-up. We fear we will be alone so we dress in the opposite extr...

"I don't know why some women are feminists. I like being a woman. I like being the "weaker" sex and being taken care of. There are things I can do that men can't and things men can do that I can't. I can't really explain why  but I really like being a girl." ~Girl Ever since the sexual revolution in the 1960s women have come up with this idea that they are freer than ever to do and live however they please. We are free to live our sexuality,  to take care of ourselves, to work at whatever job we want, to sleep with whoever we want,  to wear whatever we want, and to let no one (especially not men) get in our way. We are free!   Two hundred years ago women were escorted everywhere they went to protect their reputations and ensure their safety, men stood when they entered rooms, and they were spoken to with respect. A hundred years ago a woman could not board the Titanic alone and if she did a man was assigned to watch over her...

A knock sounded, the door opened, and we were welcomed in out of the rain by a beautiful blonde with a baby on her hip. Boots pulled off, jackets removed, toys dumped out on the floor and we were ready. The kettle whistled, signaling that tea could be made, and while my hostess asked about sugar and milk I looked around with a smile. Creativity and Practicality had joined together in this art-form we call "home making" and they had done well.  Practicality had joined Perseverance by make this home clean . I did not worry that my wondering toddler would choke on food or small toys left on the floor because there were none. Clean is hard. Clean means being the bad guy and making small hands come back to clean up play dough under the table and books on the couch. Clean means wiping down counters and having a place for all the dishes, towels, and canned goods. Clean means finding the broom, vacuum, vinegar, rags, laundry detergent, dish soap, or whatever you use and...

When I started this list I thought I should do 25 things that Mom has taught me . But then I started going and I just couldn't stop. I'd be about to publish this and then I'd think of something else. This post is not only for my own mother but for all women who play important roles in raising children, from moms to grandmothers to aunts to friends to whoever. You are important and do make a difference. On behalf of strong-willed, some-how-turned-out-okay children everywhere; thank you!  Here are 100 things that my mother taught me, either purposefully or by example. 1. Laugh 2. Share stories (except dreams. No one wants to hear what you dreamed last night unless it's exceptionally hilarious, which it probably isn't and you won't remember half of it anyway so you should keep it to yourself as a general rule) 3. Comb your hair 4. Be clean and smell good when you go out 5. Hugs make hurts feel better 6. The great outdoors is a wonderful place 7. Rea...

Many years ago I had the pleasure of attending a youth camp with a bunch of other church kids. Besides sports, lectures, swimming, and campfires we also had workshops. I love workshops. Small groups of people getting to know each other by discussing faith and life and whatever else comes to mind. In my personal opinion, girls-only workshops are the best of the best because when it's just girls we tend to get a lot more personal (sorry guys, that's just the way it is). In one such workshop my leader said something that I have pondered ever since. "I think being single is a curse."                       My seventeen-year-old self did not know what to do with this information. Blink. Blink again. Did she really just say that? Is that true? Are all of us single ladies doomed? If singleness is a curse and curses are bad how could Paul do so much for Jesus? Maybe it's only a curse for women... It didn't make sense that any stage ...