"No one goes to church more than the devil does..."

Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: Keep A Quiet Heart
Scripture Reference:

Spiritual Opposition
When Lars and I returned from a fortnight in Scotland and England there was the expected pile-up of work awaiting us, and the usual temptation to feel overwhelmed by it. The suitcase had to be unpacked, clothes washed, mail opened, read, and answered. The house had been partially cleaned by the student who lives with us, but upstairs I had to deal with the dust. There were phone messages waiting, and phone calls we needed to make to family members. Do you know the feeling of utter inadequacy to cope? I'm sure you do. But I believe the enemy of our souls is specially alert at such times, seeking to use them to turn us in on ourselves rather than upwards to the One who stands ready to be our Refuge and Helper.
Laying all the work before the Lord on the first morning after our return, I asked for His help to do it faithfully, carefully, and in an orderly way. I believe He answered that prayer--I'm sure He did. Everything that had to be done in those first three days was done, and I couldn't possibly have done it on my own. Then there was the lovely respite of Sunday, with time to read and think. I looked forward to tackling Monday's work (radio talks, scheduling of speaking) at a clean desk.
Monday came. The day was committed to God as always. But I felt like the wheels of the Egyptian chariots which "drave heavily." There were interruptions, distractions. I could not get on as expected. My mind was dull, confused. At the end of the day I could not see what I had done with my time.
Tuesday was a continuation of the day before. Where had those hours gone? I took my usual walk after lunch around Ocean Drive--a cloudless sky, a glittering sea. I walked alone, talking to God about my failures, asking Him to clarify things. When I got back home, such an unexpected source of help came to hand--a letter written to my father thirty years ago by an old missionary. Things were not going well at that time with the paper, THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TIMES, of which my father was editor, and he was on the verge of what was then called a nervous breakdown. He had asked counsel of this old veteran, E.L. Langston, in Africa.
"The devil does not like that paper nor its articles, and is evidently attacking you in your inmost heart, not causing you to doubt so much as causing a spirit of discontent. Fortunately we both know that temptation is not sin, it is yielding to temptation that causes us to sin and I feel that you must count it joy that you are passing through these times of difficulty, for they are sure signs that the Lord is blessing you....
"There is another reason, I think, for the cause of the feeling within us. It comes from the flesh and self-introspection. It is good for us to look at self and know how loathsome it is, but with one look at self we must take ten looks at Christ....
"No one goes to church more than the devil does, and no one appears as an angel of light as he does. We are in the thick of facing powers of darkness who are determined to rob us of Him and rob God of us, and you and I, my brother, have just got to hope in Christ and rely on Him for His Spirit to direct our thoughts, our ways, and our works so that it is not us but Christ in us."
Wasn't it wonderful that that letter had been preserved so that I "chanced upon it" in the hour of my need? But that is so like the Lord, for it is through the tender austerity of our very troubles that the Son of Man comes knocking. In every event He seeks an entrance to my heart, yes, even in my most helpless, futile, fruitless moments. The very cracks and empty crannies of my life, my perplexities and hurts and botched-up jobs, He wants to fill with Himself, His joy, His life. The more unsatisfactory my "performance," the more He calls me to share His yoke. I should know by now that mine makes me tired and overburdened. He urges me to learn of Him: "I am gentle and humble in heart."

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle: Crafting Domes with Newspapers!

What fun! Using old newspapers, we crafted a geodesic dome using the creative idea of one of our favorite magazines: Family Fun To see the directions simply click the link.
Here are some pics of James and my rendition of it:



It all started when this handsome guy turned seven. He mentioned he wanted to try out the geodome and James and I thought "Ding! What a great idea to surprise him with it the morning of his birthday!" So off we went...


You will need quite a bit of newspaper. We used 4 Sunday papers. Family Fun says use four full sheets of newspaper (the double page layouts take out the single page inserts) and lay them flat one on top of the other to create your newspaper rod. *Note: Just because we are cheap we did end up using half sheets which we stuck next to each other to create a full. We just made sure we had a full sheet for a base to make the rolling much easier.* Total rods needed will be 25 so you will need 100 sheets. We used a pen to start the rolling by placing it horizontally in one of the corners and rolling it up. Don't make your rod too tight or you won't be able to get your pen out!Tape the middle to keep the paper together.
Then we trimmed all the logs to 30" and stapled them together to form triangles. Make 5 triangles. Then staple the triangles together at their bottom corners like you see James doing here. (One up one down, etc) Pick up your row of triangles and staple the ends together so it forms a standing pentagon. Family Fun said to make the remaining rods into a star but we just went around and stapled them along the top then stapled them altogether in the middle to form the roof.


The kids enjoyed playing with it. I hope yours do too!!

Cling to the Cross

It is well to remember, friends, that we live in an imperfect world. We are surrounded by cascades of imperfect people.
When darkness falls upon your shoulders and clutches it's spiny fingers around your warm beating heart, it seems the only thing to do, sometimes, is fight it. And so you do. Strong at first you fight refusing to be defeated. Sometimes you catch on early to what needs to be done. And you win. But sometimes it doesn't stop punching. You fight and you fight but the fists of your enemy keep flying. Bruised and broken, you fight until you just can't anymore. The comfort of a small corner calls to you and you climb into it. Tired. Worn out. Sleep depraved. Emotionally empty. But it doesn't stop. Soon the darkness blankets your cold toes but not in an effort to warm them. The hairs on your neck raise, your mouth cries out, "Please, I can't take it anymore!" Pain, like birth pangs, shoots out from every orfic of your body and it isn't listening to your cries. Soon that cold blanket stretches itself out and you find yourself crushed under the weight of it. Tight. Empty and black. Like cold concrete walls. It takes all your strength to raise your hands in an effort to block those walls from closing in giving you enough room to breathe.
Just breathe.
You are not alone. Come with me as I introduce you to a man who walked through great darkness. But he isn't Jesus. He's a lawyer. Wealthy I am sure who dabbles in real estate. A blessed man, married with five children. He knew darkness once. It loomed over his shoulder in the form of a large fire which consumed most of his real estate. Still dealing from the death of his son and now the consumption of his provisions he thought it best to spend time away with friends. Business which needed his attention came up and instead of canceling his vacation he sent his wife and four daughters ahead of him. He had every intention of following his family out to sea shortly but he was stopped short when terrible news in the form of a telegram was sent to him. Wrinkled and wrought with his tears it spoke only two words, "Saved Alone."
The ship carrying his family collided with another leaving 47 survivors. One of which was his wife. None of which were his four daughters. Pain greater than the pangs of birth knows no other like the death of a child, much less all of them. He left right away to comfort his grieving wife and on a ship over the very place of this tragic accident he penned this breathtaking hymn:

Imperfection is a weak wall with cracks big enough for sin and evil to seep in. Only the enemy will lead you to believe a Perfect God, The Strong Wall, is to blame for it... because he doesn't want you to know He is your relief from it. You are drenched in the blood of a Perfect man who sacrificed Himself for you, who fought greater darkness than you will ever fathom for a cause you will never fully understand. You don't think you can fight this battle anymore? Of course you can't because YOU are the one fighting it. There is One out there stronger than you who cried out to you, "Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. ..for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30) Climb out of your corner and cling to the cross.

Summer Fun with Paper Fans

Here is a great craft to make with restless kids on a hot summer day: fans! My kids love those cheapy paper fans at the dollar store; however, no sooner do we get home those pretty fans are broken and littered all over my mini van. These gems I found in Family Fun magazine. They are sturdier than the dollar store fans (a duh!) AND the kids get to design them themselves! So massive kudos for kid kreativity!! Yay for us!Materials needed:
1 piece of cardstock 6x12
double sided tape or glue
stapler
2 craft sticks
tiny rubber band (we used the baby's rubber hair ties)
To get started the first thing you need is a piece of cardstock cut to 6x12 size
Begin an accordion fold on the top at about a width of 1" Do not fold the way I did in the picture or you will get a white fan. Start your fold with the design side face down on the table. Then make your fold so that you see a one inch strip of design paper against a white backdrop.
Continue with the accordian fold until the entire paper has been folded (So simple seriously. It hurts to write this knowing you are probably already all over this by now)
Bring the accordian fold together and staple the middle. I used two staples next to each other.
With your glue, adhere the top fold together. You can use regular tape to seal the edge so it won't split.
Take your double sided tape (preferred but we used scrapbook glue.) With the stapled side facing up place the tape or glue one half of the craft stick then adhere to the bottom flaps of both sides. Wrap your rubber band around the bottom of the craft sticks to hold the fan together until the glue dries.
Wallah! Instant Southern air conditioning. All we need is the sweet tea. Woo-hoo! Yay for fun!

Sweet Boys

Thinking About Changing Things...

I want to get your take on some changes I have been mulling over in my head as of late. My walk as a believer has been amazing to say the least. We believers tend to have experiences quite the opposite from the rest of the world. Duh, Celi, no news here...LOL. Obviously. What I mean is, I have come to realize that the further along I go in my walk, the less I know. Finding a niche for this blog compared to all the millions of millions of blogs out there is getting harder for me the longer I have it. What is my purpose for placing my thoughts on this page and is it truly beneficial for anyone to read other than myself over and over again in the darkness of the night...sob...weep...sigh?

I'd like to expand Profits of Silver further than just my spiritual ramblings. I'd like to ask, how many of us ramble spiritually inside of our heads, talking to God, throughout the day? I do constantly. While I'm washing dishes, changing diapers, picking up toys and sorting clothes...all day long. And every now and then I get this thought that says, "ooh, that's good I need to blog about that," but the day passes into the evening then the next day comes and that little rambling is now archived somewhere in the dusty vacant lot of my brain. It's a scary place. Then this evening I realized, what is so special about my ramblings compared to yours? There is so much wisdom out there and I read it in YOUR blogs. I hear it in my ears when I talk to fellow believers or listen to amazing sermons, and obviously when I read the Scriptures.

What I would like to do when I talk expansion is include some fun activities I do with the family. Things like creative cooking ideas for kids, involving kids, sneaky ways to get them to eat healthier, fun crafts, KONOS projects we did that could be beneficial to anyone to do, inexpensive outdoor and indoor games we do using everyday items...etc, etc. I don't know much that most women don't already do in regards to most departments but I do know that I need to spend more time with my family. And instead of abandoning all outside communication with the world, why can't I pick up the fantastic experiences we have after we are done and share them with my friends in the off chance you might want to try them too?

Obviously, every now and then when I am robbed of sleep in the deep of the night with a yearning to post some spiritual rambling of some sort, I would still like to do that too but I am worried that this blog is becoming a bit, well, heavy. Heavy is good every now and then. It's prolific but is it the direction for THIS blog? Is it me?

Anyway, I come to you, my reader, because honestly, I probably have only one. Hahaha. And I ask you,faithful friend, what are your thoughts?

Nothing is Everything

Too often do I open up a blog to see someone, especially myself, post of nothing going on, "no news here" but yet here I am wrapping my mind around several events of absolutely nothing that in all honesty actually mean everything. A friend of mine who is wrapped in a world of chaos tells me quite often how she prays for normal again for days filled with nothing. How full those days really are! Small events that may not be as monumental as a child's first steps or the day one has come into salvation are important nonetheless. I had five minutes to sit on my couch today and when I did I thought of the days events, the close of B's Apple Camp, housework, schoolwork, my frequent talks with God trying to figure out so many monumental little things. Now, here come my children, dancing on their miniature feet, laughing and playing with each other, "Mommy can I's?" fill my ears and again my head is no longer pondering over "nothing." A Titus 2 woman once told me to savor my time, "The days are long," She said, "but the years are short." Wise words to echo in the nautilus of an ear that experiences so much more than nothing.

Called to Be a Mother

"You mean that’s all you do?”

That’s all? As a mother, your life is given to taking care of people –
small ones, to begin with, whose wants never seem to cease. Sometimes when
your days seem to be wholly taken up with wiping things – dishes and sinks,
little runny noses and big slow tears – you wonder about what “fulfillment”
is supposed to mean for you. You wonder about being (besides the perfect
wife and mother) the hostess-with-the-mostest, creative, intellec-tually
productive, beautiful….and slowly your dreams seem to evaporate.
You’ve been listening to what they’re telling us nowadays about how
important it is to find yourself, express yourself and assert yourself.
Maybe you’re thinking that you’re nothing more than somebody’s wife and
some-body else’s mother. And what kind of life is that?
There is a tribe in the Southern Sudan called “Nuers” where a woman’s
name is changed not when she become a wife, but when she be-comes a mother.
She is “ManPuk” – “Mother of Puka.” Among the Nuers, being someone’s mother
is what makes a woman’s life meaningful. Two thousand years ago there was
another young woman, of the Jewish tribe of Judah, who understood that
truth. The world has never forgotten her – Mary, the mother of Jesus –
because she was willing to be known as, simply, Someone’s mother.
Motherhood is a calling. It is a womanly calling…..and let’s not be
cowed by those who extinguish the light and joy of sexuality by trying to
persuade us to forget words like manly and womanly. At the beginning of
time when God made the first man and the first woman in His image He put
both under the divine command to be fruitful. The woman’s obedience to that
command meant self-giving. First she gave herself to her husband – he
initiated, she responded – then she gave herself for the life of her child.
A woman knows, in the deepest regions of her being, that it is this very
self-giving for which she was made. Single or married, her level of
maturity is measured by how much she gives to others. If she’s married, she
gives herself to her husband and she receives. If she’s a mother, she loses
her life in her child and – mysteriously – she finds it.
A woman knows that no one can really say where the giving ends and the
receiving starts. It is no wonder we are confused when urged to look for
some “better” or “higher” vocation in which to “prove our personhood.” No
wonder we are distressed to be subjected to male standards, or told that the
notions of femininity and masculinity are obsolete.
Old fashioned notions they are indeed, but they weren’t our own to begin
with. They were God’s. He planned the whole system, and it’s God Himself
who calls. He calls some to be single, some married people to be childless,
but He calls most women to be mothers. There are, the Bible tells us,
“differences of gifts,” and they’re all given to us according to God’s
grace. None of the gifts of my own life – not my “career” or my work or any
other gift – is higher or more precious to me than that of being some-one’s
mother.
If our calling is to be mothers, let’s be mothers with all our hearts –
gladly, simply, and humbly – like that little peasant girl Mary who spoke
for all women for all time when she said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord;
be it unto me according to Thy word” (Luke 1:38).

~~~~~Elisabeth Elliot~~~~~

Moved in and My Little Guy

Ahhh, yes! We are officially moved in! Most of the boxes are unpacked, paintings are hung and we are all getting acclimated to our new surroundings. Therefore, there will be more opportunities for me to get back to blogging! Woo-hoo!
Here is a picture of my little guy. Obviously, he likes the taste of the pads of his fingers OR he's super excited about losing his second tooth! He's six so what can I say? Anyway, this handsome boy has been having migraines about twice a week for around six months. They have gone up to about one a day (they did this in December also.) After a visit to the neurologist it was determined that my son has something called pseudotumor cerebri. Basically something outside his brain is causing pressure on his brain and his eyes. Which explains why he normally holds his eyes during a migraine and tells me it feels like lava oozing out. This Friday he is scheduled for a lumbar puncture, similar to a spinal tap, where they will be removing some excess brain fluid to test and see what is causing this pressure and also to alleviate some of the brain fluid in the hopes that this might cure his migraines as well. Would you mind saying a little prayer for my handsome little guy? I have heard a few testimonies about lumbar punctures and they weren't very favorable. However, I am comforted that his MRI has pinpointed a cause for his pain and it is being treated. Praise the King!

Isn't She Lovely?

(cue Stevie Wonder's "Isn't she lovely" harmonica solo) Yes, I've been singing this song ever since this little gem landed in my kitchen. Look at her? My new Vitamix. Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? She comes equipped with a 64 oz BPA free container, the 32 oz smaller counterpart, the dry blade for grains, some cutting boards, a whole foods cookbook, a waterless stainless steele pot and so on and so on. BUT the best part is the actual star of the show, the one the only all star best blender in the world ever... (drum roll please) the HERcules of all turbo blenders...the Vitamix itself!
I've been having fun concocting green smoothies, soups, purees and today we are making ice cream. (Big smile)
I know I may be a little over dramatic but after burning through 9 blenders anywhere from three weeks to eight weeks after original purchase you have to understand my enthusiasm. So turn it up DJ and sing with me!!! "Isn't she looovellllyyyyy? Isn't she won-der-ful. Isn't she precious?..." fade and out.

Be Still

It's 10pm right now and I am knee deep in searching for our new home. A friend of mine checked in on me via email and when I responded back with a brief summary of what has been going on in my head (and I say this because in all actuality my world is still very secure) she sent me this. What encouragement! Thank you Jesus! Thank you my Beautiful Friend!

Drop the Reins -

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the
nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10

This has always been one of my favorite verses. The image of
being still before God, resting in Him and knowing that He is in
control gives me great comfort. I recently discovered that the
Hebrew word for be still, "raphah", has another meaning.
Raphah means not only to be quiet, but it can also mean to let
drop or let go, especially the hand. It is the picture of a
horseback rider dropping the reins and letting the horse be
totally in control.

When I was young, I dreamed of having my own horse. My favorite
books were the "Black Stallion" series and I read every one of
them. When I grew up and actually had the opportunity to ride a
horse, I have to admit to being afraid! Suddenly that beautiful
horse became a powerful horse. What if he didn't listen to my
commands? What if he decided to go where he wanted? What if I
lost control? The problem was - it wasn't my horse. I didn't
know him. Didn't know how he'd respond to circumstances we might
encounter. Didn't know if I could trust him. Didn't have faith
in him.

It's not that way with God. When we have a personal relationship
with the Lord through Jesus, we can trust Him. The more we
develop that intimate relationship, the more we come to know Him
and the more we know that we can place our faith in Him
completely. No matter the circumstances, He is right there to
help us through them.

Do you see the application? Be still. Drop the reins. Let God
be in control. Quiet your heart to the extent that there is no
striving, no worry, no fear. It's not easy at first to do this
but it's an amazing way to gain God's peace. Lately, if one of
those little "what if" thoughts comes into my mind or if I feel
myself trying too hard to control a situation, I literally drop
my hands to my side and recite Psalm 46:10 as a prayer back to
God. "Lord," I say, "You tell me to be still and to know that
you are God. I drop the reins and I choose to let You be in
control. You already have the situation under control. You work
all things together for good because I love You and You have a
purpose for my life."

The word raphah is also used to speak of God and His promises.

For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or
destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which
he confirmed to them by oath. Deuteronomy 4:31

The word abandon, or forsake in the KJV, is also the word
raphah. Here it says that God will NOT let go or drop the
reins. He is merciful and will not forget His promises! While
we continually give Him the control, He faithfully promises not
to abandon us.

"Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD
your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor
forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

The word fail in this verse also means abandon or forsake.
It's like God wants this point very clear. He will neither
abandon nor forsake (which also means leave or abandon) us!

Whatever circumstances you're facing today, no matter how hard or
heart breaking they may be, know that God will never, never leave
you. Turn to Him, drop the reins and let Him work the situation
out for your good and His glory! Be exalted O Lord!

God Bless,
Teri standing in MN
"Rejoice Marriage Ministries"

Caution: Delays

It seems there is yet another adventure awaiting the Back Pack: moving. I am finally at the tail end of prepping our current home for the market. So things here have been busy, busy, busy. I have posts running through my head that I WILL get out but I need to get past Monday first. So please be patient with your Sister and please keep checking back!! There have been fun times afoot at Castle Back and I can't wait to share them with you!!

{{{HUGS!}}}
Your friend,
Celi

Learning Contentment by Charles H. Spurgeon

"I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content."
--Philippians 4:11

These words show us that contentment is not a natural propensity of man. "Ill weeds grow apace." Covetousness, discontent, and murmuring are as natural to man as thorns are to the soil. We need not sow thistles and brambles; they come up naturally enough, because they are indigenous to earth: and so, we need not teach men to complain; they complain fast enough without any education. But the precious things of the earth must be cultivated. If we would have wheat, we must plough and sow; if we want flowers, there must be the garden, and all the gardener's care. Now, contentment is one of the flowers of heaven, and if we would have it, it must be cultivated; it will not grow in us by nature; it is the new nature alone that can produce it, and even then we must be specially careful and watchful that we maintain and cultivate the grace which God has sown in us. Paul says, "I have learned...to be content;" as much as to say, he did not know how at one time. It cost him some pains to attain to the mystery of that great truth. No doubt he sometimes thought he had learned, and then broke down. And when at last he had attained unto it, and could say, "I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content," he was an old, grey-headed man, upon the borders of the grave--a poor prisoner shut up in Nero's dungeon at Rome. We might well be willing to endure Paul's infirmities, and share the cold dungeon with him, if we too might by any means attain unto his good degree.
Do not indulge the notion that you can be contented with learning, or learn without discipline. It is not a power that may be exercised naturally, but a science to be acquired gradually. We know this from experience. Brother, hush that murmur, natural though it be, and continue a diligent pupil in the College of Content.

Blessing the Marriage

Many years ago when my marriage was much younger than it is now, I distinctly remember being convicted in the form of a compliment. It was after church when I was cleaning up from fellowship a well regarded gentleman who was watching me and another woman said this: "May God bless James, Blank and Blank. They've received a special blessing by being married to such strong assertive women."
What? I screamed in my heart. I don't remember what I did to be called out but the horror that I felt at that moment spread across my face like butter on hot toast. My friend, whose husband was one of those named by this man, turned to me and said, "Don't be so rigid Celi, it was a compliment!" She laughed, flipped her hair and walked off. My heart dropped. Is this how those outside my own home see me?
Later on, I was introduced to a great book called Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl. Since then I have read it several times and I always am confronted with something new. Doug Phillips has a great sermon in regards to those of us "strong and assertive" women entitled "A Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing Her Husband's Vision" Another must for any wife to have in her CD collection.
Since then James has assured me that I have taken great strides and he is thankful for it. I am thankful for that gentleman to point out something obvious to others but oblivious to me.
Marriage is so much more than anything anyone can ever see, hear or gasp! even feel. It is far greater than any intention or hope or dream or dance that anybody can ever anticipate. A few days ago while on a walk I was listening to a great sermon by Voddie Baucham called Gospel Healing for Hurting Marriages. It was amazing. I would like to share it with you. This sermon is a must for anyone married regardless of the state of it. It is a great reminder of the tending a marriage needs in order to fulfill its purpose as the perfect example of Christ and His Church.
Here is a link. Please listen. You won't regret it:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=5409160500