Postures

My sister, Paige, has been blogging a lot lately - both on her personal blog and as official blogger for the Calgary 40 Days for Life campaign.  She signs up for "slots" of time to pray to end abortion, and on Fridays we have been fasting and praying for family in general.

Abortion hurts families.  And the dissolution of the family is one reason abortion has increased to the incredible rate it has.  Did you know that close to a quarter of all babies conceived in Canada will be aborted?  And that the rate within the church is roughly identical to the rate of abortion for people outside the church?

These things should never be.  And my sister and I are praying Malachi 4:6 over our families, our extended families, and the families of our nation, and the world.  (nothing like setting your sights high?)

"He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."

There are some beautiful explanations of this verse (look here for a start!), but we are going with the simplest.  This says that God can (and will) restore the hearts of the fathers to their children.  Think how different our world would be if all fathers loved their children and cared for them.

Chuck Colson did prison ministry (for decades now), and he says on Mother's Day when his ministry takes in cards for men to send to their mothers, they never bring enough, but when they bring in cards for Father's Day, there are no takers.

Something went wrong between the fathers and the children. 

In a country where fathers love their children, there is no abuse, no neglect.  No verbal denigration, and needs are taken care of.  Fathers who love their children cherish their wives and make their relationship a priority.  The best gift a man can give his children is to love their mother.  And  most of all, if fathers really loved their children, they wouldn't pressure the women they are with to abort them.  Or insist, and drive them to the clinic.  They would worry less about having "enough" and more about the joy of family.

Because there is joy there!  I just read a National Geographic magazine article about the birthrate in Brazil, and how it's dropped drastically.  The headline on the cover said it was due to the "Sassy, smart women who know what they want", but the article said basically that a whole country of mothers has been swayed by daytime drama TV shows, which i'm not sure is a working measure of IQ or a great way to base a life changing decision.

If fathers valued their children, mothers would follow.  We need leaders, we need dads, we need marriages that work, and we need children who are protected, loved and cherished.

Since we started this prayer vigil, so much has happened!  And some of it is good :), and other parts are hard.  A family member's marriage is breaking down, and separation is being discussed, and it feels like Satan is upping the ante.  But God will prevail.  He is bigger, He is stronger, and He has a plan.

Anyway, i titled this blog post "Postures" because i did have a point about them.  Paige, who is my youngest sister, has had a series of posts on postures... postures of the heart.  But so many times i've found that postures of the body have influenced my heart.  The Bible uses such active language talking about our responses to the Word of God "my son, incline your heart/ open your ears/open thy mouth wide, and i will fill it/thy word was like honey on my lips"... 

And one posture i use when i pray is to just open my hands on my lap.  I don't even remember where i picked this up, but it signals to my spirit that all is open before Him.  Anything God wants to take from me, i give willingly.  All that he wants to give, I am open to His plans and ideas and ways...

What we are praying for is this same posture for families.  To be open to the will of God, and to the greatest commandment - to love...

More joy...

I wanted to keep posting here for awhile, because it seems to strange and unfamiliar to be where i am.

We are thoroughly enjoying our new church.  In ways i never would have imagined.

It's liturgical, which Travis finds reverent and thus he appreciates very much.

It's joyful, full of quick tempo praise, which i love.

It's leadership is balanced, and open, and friendly.

The people are open and accepting and kind.

Our children are so happy here.  So are we.

We were looking and hoping for so much less.  We had never heard of this denomination, although i have probably a dozen books by "leading lights" of this family of churches.  I had never really considered a Reformed church, and yet... here we are - and it fits so well...

When we moved here, i threw out a bunch of shoes i had that had never fit, but i used because finding ones that fit was impossible (i wear a size five, which is one size below what is sold in our previous town).  And T took me out and bought me some size five Dr. Marten shoes.  They fit *me* perfectly.  I don't have to wear two pairs of socks, or try sticky tape inside, or extra insoles :) - It's effortless, and comfortable, and i love to look at them, and to wear them.

I feel the same way about where we are right now.  God is so good.  I'm ready to see what He was doing in the past five years - and i know it was good.  And i am just enjoying each day, each week, here in this new chapter.

I hope if anyone is reading this who has had the same troubles as we have - that this encourages you.  That this is possible.  I was very close to thinking that maybe there just was no place for us in the Body of Christ.  That we would have to just let every Christian reject us, follow Jesus, and have fellowship in Heaven.

I'm reading a book right now called Face to Face:  Meditations on Friendship and Hospitality by Steve Wilkins.  I feel like those "muscles" have atrophied - and it was so affirming to read the beginning where he shares his convictions about the importance of relationship.

My mom once said "it hurts to be tolerated" - i felt like if i could just be tolerated, that would be enough.   But i want to pursue the image of God.  I want to *be* a friend, and to enjoy Godly friendship.  Hopefully He will grow me in this, too!