As part of the second step in my husband’s encouragement to make me write I have signed up with the Christian Writer's Guild for a two year writing course! In this apprentice program I was assigned a mentor to guide me during the course. I recently was honored to meet her and learn a little about her. Judy Bodmer is a writer and teacher and I want to pass along her excellent article, The Myth of a Christian Marriage. I can't recommend it enough, please read it carefully.

This summer I taught 1st and 2nd grade at our Vacation Bible School and it was another amazing year. I  thoroughly appreciated the metaphor of my students as Olympians in the Race of Life. As usual in a teaching role, it seemed that I was the one who did the most learning!  

Towards the end of the week our Race of Life became the Race of Faith. We learned about the path to faith and then we moved on to study life as a believer or "member of God's team."  We used a picture of a pathway leading to Heaven to illustrate the lesson. On the pathway were various obstacles, rocks on the path with the word greed on them, a tree branch across the way with the word pride on it, a rickety old bridge of fear and a dark cave of peer pressure.  Along the path could be found a river of peace, a tree of joy and various verses corresponding to contentment, humility, courage and Godliness. Also along the path was a fountain representing the Bible and the word church inscribed on a bench.

In class we talked about the blessings God gives us. The children seemed to fully understand that God gives them many blessings including church, a place for fellowship and rest and His word found in the Bible. We discussed how God gives us peace and joy and we even related how sometimes we neglect to take advantage of His blessings. It was later that I realized that we often neglect to exhort one another to be the blessing.

We so quickly look to the church to be our bench, to fulfill our needs, to be the place where we find encouragement, rest and renewal. However, God desires us to do so much more than look for a bench, He also desires for us to be the bench. Not only do we run in the race of faith, we also are the fans on the sidelines cheering and encouraging the other runners (1 Thess 5:11); praying for fellow believers (James 5:16). We are the supporters providing fresh water to the runners, sharing God's word and loving them (John 13:34). We are the bench that bears one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2) and the bench that rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

We frequently get so caught up in our own race of faith that we forget that God is calling each of us to be used in others' lives. Sometimes an integral part of our own race is the opportunity to be another believer's bench.

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

I didn't plan on leaving this much time between Part 1 and Part 2! To be honest, I found this a very difficult book to get through.  Since I prefer to get the information and do what I want with it, I struggled with Edith Schaffer's  long personal examples and somewhat disorganized writing style. While I can not recommend the time needed to read this book in entirety I can comment on some of Mrs. Schaffer's points.

Mrs. Schaffer's emphasis is on expressing creativity and beauty in everyday life. Specifically, she discusses, music, painting, sketching, interior decorating, and gardening, just to name a few.  She gives many examples and lots of encouragement on how to go about this. She states specifically that this, "doesn't mean that we should drop everything to concentrate on trying to develop into great artists. But it does mean that we should consciously do something about it."  It is too easy to get caught up in our day to day tasks and not only forget to be thankful for them but forgot to see God and His beauty in them.  Expressing His beauty in our lives must involve "discipline in time and energy." It takes a conscious effort to take an extra step in preparing something new for dinner or in writing a handwritten card to an old friend.

After looking into Mrs. Schaffer I was surprised at the narrow focus of this book. The foundation she began with her husband, called L'Abri had a much more complete explanation.

One of their four main emphases in teaching states:

Because Christianity is true it speaks to all of life and not to some narrowly religious sphere and much of the material produced by L'Abri has been aimed at helping develop a Christian perspective on the arts, politics and the social sciences etc.

We are as concerned for living as we are for thinking and from the beginning the concern has been that the truth is as much exhibited in everyday life as it is defended in discussion.

As Mrs. Schaffer affirms, we should be looking to reveal God, but as L'Abri states, this should be in EVERYTHING. I reveal God's glory in ALL that I do and say, in the manner by which I live, in the warmth(or lack there of) in my home and in the love I show to others. I appreciate Mrs. Schaffer's reminder to look for those 'hidden' ways to express beauty but I believe that we must take it much further. "For we are His workmanship, created  in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

Recently, my 7 year old son told my 4 year old daughter that he didn’t want to play right now,  he said he wanted his alone time. She was obviously hurt and disappointed as she walked slowly away with her head down(I have dramatic children). Jessica went into her room and sat forlornly on her bed. After a little while in deep thought, she jumped up and got to work in her kitchen. She finished up her creation, a little yellow structure of Legos, and marched proudly off to her big brother's room, with a big smile on her face, she said, “Zachary, I made you a muffin!”

Where did she get the idea that, if he doesn’t want to be with me, giving him a present, making him something will change everything? Was she simply born with the idea of working to make people like her or make others happy!? I remember laughing at the time but later, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. It bothered me. How often did I do the same thing with God?

I’d been a Christian long enough to know, at least academically, that God would never turn away from me or want His alone time! He "will never leave you nor forsake you." Heb 13:5 

God desires to spend time with us and He is never busy or tired or thinking about something else. In fact, it was God who invited each one of us into a relationship to begin with, He loved us even when we were unlovable. Romans 5:8 states, that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

There is nothing we need to do to get His attention, for it is truly by grace we have been saved through faith and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works (Eph 2:8-9 modified).  It is by grace that He keeps us with an unending love so why do we continue to work so hard when "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags!" Is 64:6

God can not save us anymore than He already has; Jesus can not die on the cross any more than He already did; He can not rise from the dead anymore than he already rose; what He has done for us is already done.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are fully forgiven; there is no justifying to be done. There is nothing we need to do to earn God's approval. He loves us on the basis of what Jesus did, not on the basis of what we do. God desires that we respond to Him out of love and devotion not because we think we have to do certain good works to please Him. People in love are quick to look for things they can do for one another - out of love. This is very different from doing things to earn ones love or approval.  Our role should be one of receiving, of thanksgiving, of loving God with all our heart, soul and strength. Living in response to God's grace should not lead to muffins made to earn His favor but huge delicious muffins made from a sincere devotion to Him.

Years later, I'm taking another look at this book. I'll continue with this soon. In the mean time, Mrs. Schaeffer states:

Whatever form art takes, it gives outward expression to what otherwise would remain locked in the mind, unshared.

What are your thoughts on her statement?

This is a poem I have saved on my desktop as a reminder of a perspective I would like to have a little more often. It seemed especially appropriate today.
Happy Mothers Day!

To My Child,
Just for this morning, I am going to smile when I see your face and laugh
when I feel like crying.
Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear, and smile
and say how perfect it is.
Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up
and take you to the park to play.
Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me
how to put that puzzle of yours together.
Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off,
and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when
you grow up, or second guess every decision I have ever made where you
are concerned.
Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand
over you trying to fix them.
Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal
so you can have both toys.
Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were
born and how much I love you.
Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.
Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and
count all the stars.
Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite
TV shows.
Just for this evening, when I run my finger through your hair as you pray,
I will simply be grateful that God has given me such a precious gift.
I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children,
the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms,
and the mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly,
and screaming inside they can't handle it anymore.
And when I kiss you goodnight I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. . .  It is is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day. . . .
-anonymous

I have to admit that this is quite intimidating! Sharing anything at all with a countless number of people around the world simply goes against everything I have ever been! However, with the strong encouragement, almost nagging of my husband, here I am. Despite his methods as well as through his methods, he has given me a great gift. I have wanted to write for most of 15 years and this blog is the result of his persistence.  Xavier, thank you for encouraging me and giving me the means to take a first step.