The other day I was playing around with some sketches for a painting, and a few familiar but nearly forgotten friends appeared. Fond memories often contribute to my ideas and drawings.

One of the most memorable stories from our early homeschool days is “The Josephina Story Quilt”. Its a story about a girl named Faith who begs her parents to bring her pet chicken Josephina out West.

The old chicken never laid eggs and was too tough to eat, and no one would take her, so Josephina was allowed to come on the condition she made no trouble. During the journey West, Faith records the story and adventures of Josephina in a patch work quilt.

{Mice. In perfect Beatrix style. Being hospitable.}

- Town and Country Mouse know how to make it simple yet charming!-

How often do you minister to others in your home?

What are some hospitality tips you’ve found helpful in preparing for guests?

Do you cook way before hand? Do you make the house sparkly-clean or keep casual?

I’d love to hear from your experience!

{A Spring requiem ditty by yours truly}

Rain, rain, go away.
Come again another day.
The ground has drowned and soaked all through,
Just let the sun come out and play!

Rain, rain, disappear.
Come again another year.
Don’t you think your work is done?
Everything is bleak and drear!

Child, child, quiet please,
The grass is growing, and the weeds.
And if you’re patient, flowers, too,
And then the trees’ll be full of leaves!

{I wrote this piece to read aloud after our family dinner at Granny’s today.}

“God’s Glorious Sky” – Photo by Emily Rose.

The prophecies of His coming spanned over hundreds of years, saying that He would come. They said the Son of God would actually come to earth, and that He would die for a reason. Some who heard believed, and they all looked, waited, and longed for the day when He would appear.

The very first prophecy was spoken in the Garden of Eden. When God made Adam and Eve, He placed them in the garden and would visit them in the cool in the evening and talk with them.

But one day, they used their will to rebel against the order God set up for their happiness. God told them to completely avoid the Tree, and even though they had a whole garden to reap from, they were tempted by Satan and chose to actually eat of this Tree. It was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And as soon as they ate, they knew they had done wrong. Shame and horror filled them as they realized they had committed a crime in a prefect world. And for the very first time, the birds stopped singing.

A deadly hush crept through the branches as guilt snuck up behind them. It laid hold of their shoulders and its vile stench would not let them go. They searched for a place to hide and cover themselves, and bitter, angry whispers rasped between them, and before they could even realize what their choice entailed, they saw Him enter the Garden. And God could see their guilt.

While they frantically blamed each other for their fall, God told them of the consequences - labor pains, envy for power, cursing of the ground with sweat and thistles, and a death of returning to dust. And even though the pain and death of their bodies would come, more terrifying than that was the separation. They had been severed from their relationship with God.

Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden forever, but God in His love for mankind had a plan for rescuing them (and all mankind) from eternal death and cleansing them from their guilt. But it would take Blood. Perfect blood. Thus came the first prophecy when He said His Son would come and destroy the tempter (Satan) and eternal death. “He shall bruise [Satan's] head, and [Satan] shall bruise His heal.”

We can move forward into history and see just how God began to work His plan. He chose a nation named Israel, to whom He gave His law. He also gave them His temple where, where through a holy priest and the offering of sacrifices (spotless sheep or cattle, with no blemish), they could receive forgiveness for their sins. When Israel lived by His law and rejoiced in it, God richly blessed them and it grew into a strong nation. But after awhile the people turned away from God, and followed the practices of the heathen nations around them.

The pictures of sacrifice they saw year by year was just that - a picture. The ultimate sacrifice was Jesus, the One prophesied to come. God, in His overwhelming love for mankind, made a way for His children to be permanently redeemed from their sin and guilt - bought back and rescued from the consequences. But to buy us back it would take Perfect Blood. And so He chose to send His Son Jesus to earth as a man so that He might suffer and die on our behalf.

While He was on earth, He lived a life free from sin. When He was handed over to be tried and executed for claiming to be God, they refused to believe Him - His very own people, the Jews who had been told so many times and had been given so many signs that He was The One - and so killed Him like a criminal. His execution was gruesome as He was stripped and beaten with fists and whips until He bled.

With His body nailed to the wood, His perfect Blood flowed from His punctured wrists and feet, while the ugliness and weight of our guilt covered Him. And while Jesus never once disobeyed any of God’s commands, God could not look at His Son any more. He could not look upon even one “little” sin with approval, and so He turned away. He had to turn His back on His only Son with whom He shared the greatest fellowship. Jesus’ lasts moments were spent in the torment of knowing that His Father had rejected Him. This was the final sacrifice for our sins, Spotless Lamb of God.

The prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before He was born, foretold His suffering and sacrifice:

“He was wounded for our transgressions;
He was crushed for our iniquities;
upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all.

…like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
…although He had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in His mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him;
He has put Him to grief;
when His soul makes an offering for guilt,…
He poured out His soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet He bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.”
(Portions from Isaiah 53:5-12)

All this for for love. Because He loved His people so much, He took on this suffering so that we might be with Him in everlasting life and eternal joy. But this would be such a sad, pathetic story if this was the end. “God came to earth and died. The end.” But its not the end!

The Sunday morning after He died, He rose from the dead and left an empty tomb. And that is why we are celebrating Easter Sunday today. God was pleased with the sacrifice of His Son’s perfect Blood, and now He reigns victorious over death.

2 Timothy 1:10 “…And which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Romans 6:4 “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

.:. .:. .:.

Revelation 5:11-13 “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’”

{For photos of the Father Daughter Retreat, visit my sister’s blog here and scroll down.}

I deeply appreciated Scott Brown’s talk on “Nurturing a Daughter’s Vision of Home”. In the introduction he stated, “The father is to teach the Biblical doctrine of Family, Home, and Church, and fan these affections to a white heat.” He presented a definition, example and illustration of what the Home is to be.

Definition: The home is to be. . .

• The foundation of culture (Genesis 1:28).
• A conduit (a passage) of the Gospel, and a microcosm of the Church whereby leaders of the Church are qualified (Titus 1:5-9).
• A fountain of life (Gen. 12:1-3) and a refuge to those in need (Rom. 12:13). God has been so hospitable to us in this world - we should reflect its beauty and delight.
• It is also to have an economy for provision (Prov. 31). Entertainment has replaced industry in the home, destroying home economics.
• A school for instruction (Deut. 6 and Eph. 6:1-4). As daughters, we need to acquire wisdom and knowledge so that we may teach our children.
• A place for reaping rewards from the Lord - children! (Psalm 127-128) The devil wants to destroy the home, making it a picture of the world rather than the City of God, using means such as drawing women out of the homes into the workforce, public education, welfare, feminizing men, and a myriad of other temptations akin to our fleshly bent.

.:.

Example: The Biblical Illustration of Family Life is described in Ephesians 5-6. There is. . .

• A loving, guiding Husband (5:25-33)
• A submissive and reverent Wife (5:22-24, 33)
• Honoring Children (6:1-4)
• A productive servant (6:5-8)

.:.

Do we have dishonoring thoughts toward our fathers? Do we resist them? Or are we gracious, pure and obedient in our thoughts? Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Keep: to adhere strictly; not to neglect or deviate from. . . to continue to advance. . . not to cease. Vigilance: watchfulness; circumspection; attention of the mind in discovering and guarding against danger, or providing for safety.) It is hard to keep our hearts and thoughts pure, so we need the help of our parents to guard them.

.:.

Illustration: Mr. Brown showed us the Jonathan Edwards family as an illustration for what ultimate devotion to Christ in a family looks like. They had their quirks and issues like every one else, but even as an earthly example, the Edwards family has left us with much to ponder and imitate. Here, in 15 points, is what Mr. Brown shared with us:

• The “uncommon union” and whole family was born out of love and admiration of God.
• Their home was full of children.
• It produced highly educated women.
• The daughters were spunky!
• Biblical womanhood was central.
• There was a unified, loving marriage - Sarah ordered her life and cleared the way for her husband’s success.
• There was happy home life - In their letters to each other, the daughters referred to their father as “my honored father”. Constant joyful fellowship existed between them all.
• The children grew up during a time of revival. Mr. Brown encouraged us to “Get all the awakening you can in your family!”
• They were industrious and rode out hard economic times.
• There were principled marriages.
• There was Beautiful Sisterhood - the sisters wrote wonderful letters to each other, and were discouraged at the lack of other young ladies who could discuss anything deep or theological.
• Mentoring and accountability was crucial to their relationships with each other.
• Love for music - Sarah said that music is, “the purest way to communicate between human beings.”
• They were disciplined - It was said that they rose early in the morning because Christ rose from the grave early.
• They were a real family with real tastes and real problems - Mr. Edwards especially liked his chocolates and fancy wigs. One time he bought for Sarah an expensive locket that the congregation thought too elaborate. She proudly wore it in public as much as she could.

.:.

Can you imagine what legacy Jonathan Edwards would have left if he had an unsupportive wife or rebellious daughters? What a beautiful picture they instead have left for us!

How can you help in your father’s house? Ask your father if there are projects he’d like you to do or books he’d like you to read. Are there more responsibilities you could help your mother with? God specifically designed us all to fit into our families. Use these young energetic years to help further your father’s vision, study the Biblical doctrine of Family, Home, and Church, and fan your love for the Lord to a white heat!

What a whirlwind adventure we’ve had traveling to and fro to conferences! So here I sit, finally landed back in my nest and out of breath, wondering how I’ll ever share with you all the wisdom I’ve been gleaning.

First of all, God has been so good in keeping us safe. With two trips down to Georgia and two to Indy, our car has run smoothly, and no one became terribly ill. We’ve met so many like-minded families, and enjoyed many hours of beautiful fellowship.

Our first trip to GA was for the Crossroads conference with the Botkins (I’ve already posted a few conference notes). Three weeks after that, Dad attended the Men’s Leadership Summit in Indy. All of the messages were excellent, and I’m so glad we have the recordings (I plan on listening to them again and taking lots of notes). Then just two weeks ago we headed back down to the Callaway Gardens in GA for the Father Daughter Retreat, and last weekend was spent at the IAHE convention!

So in the past two months we’ve heard from the whole Botkin family, Doug Phillips, Voddie Baucham, Kevin Swanson, Ken Ham, Chris Klicka, Scott Brown, Dr. Brian Ray, and a few others. The Father Daughter Retreat was the most applicable at this point in my life, so I’ll share the bits of wisdom I’ve gleaned that may encourage you as well.

“Be hardy girls and live a full life for Jesus,” Doug Phillips said. “Devote your life to the cultivation of your love for Jesus and your family. Your spiritual legacy will initially manifest itself in those relationships, especially in that of honoring and serving your father as you are training to be help-meets and raise godly children. Faithful, well-trained daughters are ornaments of glory to Christian fathers.”

Have you noticed that when God speaks of young women, they are not autonomous “girls” independent of legacy and history? They are “daughters” of fathers, families and heritage, instrumental and vital persons of great potential and worth in their families and the Kingdom of God. We are the daughters of Zion!

“No matter our age, Gods commands that we have godly relationships, not emancipation to autonomy.” Mr. Phillips listed five commitments a father needs to make to his daughter, and three points for the daughter in response to his leadership.

The Father’s commitments to his daughter: I will faithfully pray for you and your future. I will walk beside you. I will provide you with godly opportunities to encourage your success as a virtuous woman of God. I will relentlessly protect you, provide for you and prophesy before you, and I will offer my blessing to you.

The Daughter’s commitments to her father: I will give you my heart and trust you with it until you entrust it to another. I will serve you as unto the Lord, recognizing that I have a high calling to ultimately do the will of our Heavenly Father, and I will honor and reverence you as my head.

So what is honor, anyway? A good description is “a deep-seated and abiding reverence.” Also, the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary states it is, “to revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission, and perform relative duties to. . . to manifest the highest veneration for, in words and actions; to entertain the the most exalted thoughts of. . . to adore” (emphasis mine).

As I listened to all of the talks that weekend, conviction was an understatement, as I am definitely still a work in progress. I would encourage all of you daughters to examine your hearts as well - have you found your heart irreverent or let your thoughts wander away from home? Have you avoided talking with your father and sharing your heart with him? Correcting these issues will be hard, but as we seek the Lord and our fathers’ council, we will see the furtherance of God’s Kingdom as He turns the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children’s hearts to their fathers.