Can't or Unwilling

The average Joe says, "I wouldn't want so many children because of the financial burden. I simply can't afford it."

In the words of Martin Luther:

"Although it is very easy to marry a wife, it is very difficult to support her along with the children and the household. Accordingly, no one notices this faith of Jacob. Indeed, many hate fertility in a wife for the sole reason that the offspring must be supported and brought up. For this is what they commonly say: ‘Why should I marry a wife when I am a pauper and a beggar? I would rather bear the burden of poverty alone and not load myself with misery and want.’ But this blame is unjustly fastened on marriage and fruitfulness. Indeed, you are indicting your unbelief by distrusting God’s goodness, and you are bringing greater misery upon yourself by disparaging God’s blessing. For if you had trust in God’s grace and promises, you would undoubtedly be supported. But because you do not hope in the Lord, you will never prosper."

— Martin Luther (Sermons of Martin Luther, The)

With a fresh-off-the-lot, over-sized, gas guzzling SUV/truck parked in the garage, most people who think they can't afford more children are not "paupers" and "beggars". They are simply unwilling.

How Many Arrows?

"As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the children of youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be put to shame, When they speak with their enemies in the gate." ~Psalms 127:4-5 ASV

Today I asked my children this question and here are their answers:

"If you were going into battle, how many arrows would you want in your quiver?"
Aaron (3) - "At least 7."
Catherine (11) - "20??"
Alexey (14) - "As many as I could get."

Out of the mouths of babes!!

Only God should decide the amount of "arrows" we should have in our quivers, but it is clearly Biblical to desire many of them.

The Bible and Birth Control

I am assuming that there are not many who care to read about the topics of which I post and even fewer agree them. That is okay with me.

If there is one person who might be a little curious and is wondering what the Bible says about Birth Control, grab a cup of tea or coffee, prop up your legs and get comfy. Here is a free audio book called The Bible and Birth Control, The Classic Christian View. You will hear commentary from great theological students like Charles Spurgeon, Calvin, Luther, Wesley, the Pilgrims, Owen, Henry, Baxter and more. This is fairly comprehensive, so if you take the time to listen you are proving yourself to be serious about seeking after Biblical answers to the common practice of birth control even if you may not fully agree. Link below:
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?SpeakerOnly=true&currSection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Charles^Provan

The Joy of The Boy

I want to share a testimony of how God has used our little boy to do great things in our family. As always, I cast no judgment on the practices of others, but I do not wish to be silent about how God is working in our lives.

Today is our little boy's 3rd birthday. Aaron is our 3rd of 4 children and he is the only boy.

He is such a joy to have in our home. His energy, activity, humor, emotions, silly antics and manly nature keep the ladies in our family entertained. How we love our little boy, yet...

his Dad and I cannot celebrate his life without an underlying feeling of remorse and sorrow.

This boy is a mercy child. He is our first child born after a vasectomy reversal. We almost rejected him as we had for many years been rejecting the potential for other children in our family. When we gaze upon this boyish blessing we come face to face with the fact that we almost prevented his life and we even had to be convinced by the Holy Spirit through His Word to accept him. If left to our own plans to do what merely seemed right in our own eyes, we would have closed the door on him not accepting him into our family. This is a humbling reality.

This is the reality that leaves a bittersweet mixture of joy and regret in our hearts.

How merciful God has been to us to open our blind eyes to His Truth, His Design, His Will, His Enlightenment, His Provision?!?!



Not only do we celebrate Aaron's life today, but also, how God has used him to lift us out of the worldly rut of rejecting life and into a challenging, yet deeply rewarding place where all of His blessings will be received into our home from now on despite the cost. We will continue to give God ALL the credit for every child He delivers to us because He alone is the giver of life, not us. We destroy, prevent and waist life, but God is so merciful to send His Son to give us a new heart and to show us His Ways that lift us out of our evil destruction.



Aaron is more than just a birthday boy. He is a testament to how God is working in our household!!

Womb Is A Powerful Weapon

"Womb Is A Powerful Weapon"

I love this quote. It could easily become a one-liner for Scriptures like Psalms 127 which say, "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."

Or Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

As the Southern Baptist Convention and many other religious organizations have promoted throughout history, the womb is an evangelical tool. It is a very effective medium for spreading the good news of Christ.

Here is a great article by an unlikely source explaining the quiverful movement, and how the womb could be used as a weapon:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102005062

SBC Promoting Family as a Tool for the Great Commision Once Again

I REALLY enjoyed reading the Southern Baptist Convention's newly proposed declaration calling for a "Great Commission Reassurance".

WOW!! I'll prep with our personal experience: our mother church is a part of this denomination and we have been blessed beyond measure by this church. However, as we felt the Lord calling us to bring our children home to be educated, calling my husband to be the primary spiritual leader in our home and calling us to worship more as a family, we were shocked that our church was not supportive of this conviction. As a matter of fact, they seemed to be at work against us, keeping us separated most of the time and/or just too busy to deal with one another. We were called away from the church for other reasons, but we were not strong enough to take this discouragement so we did not return to this church when we had the opportunity. We were not the only family who experianced these same concerns.

We went to another SB church where we were met with the same challenges.

The SBC as a whole seemed to share philosophies and promote programs that, though at first glance may seem good, in reality divide Christian family fellowship.

This is why this new Great Commission declaration is so encouraging, as it already has more than 3000 signatures thus far, and not once does it mention sending your children to youth rallies or children's church. The part pertaining to the Biblical family is the most fascinating to me, and is marked as section X. Check this out!! It is incredible!!!

X. A Commitment to Distinctively Christian Families. We call upon all Southern Baptists to build gospel-saturated homes that see children as a gift from God and as our first and primary mission field. (Deut. 6:1-9; Psalm 127, 128; Eph. 6:4)

The family is the first institution ordained by God and the foundational institution in all human cultures. Unfortunately, in our own time we see the family attacked on a number of fronts. Too many Southern Baptists have embraced unbiblical notions about marriage and family. Too often we believe that children are a burden rather than a blessing and smaller families are more “responsible” than large families. Too many believe that motherhood is not valuable as a woman’s unique and primary calling and is not as “fulfilling” as other occupations. Too many believe that husbands and fathers are not uniquely called and gifted for leadership in the home and that biblical gender roles destroy authentic equality.

We believe that distinctively Christian families are characterized by a deep love of Jesus Christ above all things and a desire to honor God as a family. We believe that Biblical truth is loved, taught, and lived out in healthy Christian homes. We believe that godly families cast a vision for spiritual greatness and equip every member, including children, to live for God’s glory and pursue great things for His name’s sake. We believe that strong Christian families are characterized by an atmosphere of love, fun, service, humor, faith, and fellowship. Southern Baptists must continue to reject the cultural status quo and seek to be a counter-culture for the common good when it comes to building God-centered, gospel-driven, Great Commission-loving homes.

I practically highlighted the entire thing!!! :) Love it!! Thank you, Pastor Hunt!!

Why Pro-Lifers Should Not Take the Pill

A Clean Crib or the Strength of Oxen

I have to admit that I was approaching my quiet time with haste this morning. I thought to myself that I would search Proverbs for a quick verse to meditate on throughout the day. Well, God is merciful. Despite my hastiness, He blessed tremendously.

This is the verse I landed on:
Proverb 14:4 Where no oxen [are], the crib [is] clean: but much increase [is] by the strength of the ox.

This verse contains valuable advice to those in business and agriculture. It basically means that the cost of your tools is worth the production gained.

But how about listening to God speak through this verse to moms who are full-time, those who homeschool, even to the who have allowed the Lord to bless them with more children.

Can I tell you that right as I type these words I am surrounded with clutter. There are two hampers with clothes in them, toys scattered about and randomly situated on my coffee table is a handful of cheerios, a rock and stick, and a camouflage hat. Dare I say my crib is not clean?!?



I can sit here and reminisce on the days before we decided to have our vesectomy reversal when I had just the two daughters who are clean and organized and were old enough to take care of themselves. Yes, before our newest little blessing was born our house was usually spic and span. Those days are over, especially as I now have fourth one on the way.

But could the benefits out way the the costs or in this case mess?

The toys in the floor are a sign of new life, a curious and energetic little guy who has much more energy then I. Could God use his new young energy to help a lost one find The Way or to simply glorify and bring joy to our Maker? Maybe he will be a blessing to a young lady as he seeks to lead her spiritually and provide for her. If so, what do a few toys in the floor mean to me?!? The clutter is a clear sign that production is underway, and this is my way that I can serve the Lord by doing my part. Cheerios on the coffee table mean that life is thriving in my home.

This was his project while I was typing this post.
Ripping a paper napkin and putting it in a bowl he got
out of our pantry.

Yes, I am raising up a new generation to worship and praise the Lord for his Goodness and to share this joy with others! (I am getting the vision more clearly now.) When I think on these things the mess... well, it just seems minor.

I have been encouraged by this and I do pray that you will be too. Now, I think I will clean this place up. We will see how long it stays clean. ;)

Is there Life in Your Womb?

I was recently reading an article posted on AboveRubies.org about a teacher asking her class of about sixty child-bearing ladies if any of them had life in their womb. NO ONE raised their hand!

Why are we not disturbed by this?

As a whole married couples have bought into the lie that blessings are found in the latest automobiles, bigger houses, stuff, stuff, stuff when in reality, what are we left with is emptiness, emptiness, emptiness.



I know an elderly Christian lady who was married, but chose not to have any children. She is now dying and my heart aches for her loneliness. She is being taken care of by home-health care-- these are strangers who do not know anything about her. She has no one who rises to call her blessed like the mother of Proverbs 31. She has told me that, as far as she knew, she could have children, but she chose a career as she is very intelligent. (I am not speaking of ladies who cannot have children here.) Yet, now she does not seem to be as smart as she was once given credit as she is dying alone at the mercy of strangers with no one to love her.

Churches today rarely mention Scriptures that exhort us to view our children are blessings, and that we should receive them as such. As a matter of fact, in the house of God a women, who has let God be sovereign over her womb, is not immune to the jeers of jokers and scoffers, who pity her for her "burdens":

Don't you know what causes that?
Do you live in a shoe?
Are they ALL yours?

Unfortunately, those who criticize are unaware that it is the women who is actively receiving the blessings of the Lord under His sovereign control while their wombs are dry and bare which the Bible considers a curse.

I know this post may be hard to swallow, and if it is may I suggest that it is because we are only able to see children for the responsibility and burdens that they bring, but are blind to the immense blessings that they are and will be to the Kingdom if we raise them up to serve the Lord and share Christ.

Let us meditate on these Scriptures and receive what God is trying to share with us that we reject.

Gen 49:25 [Even] by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

Psa 127:3 Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.

To Godly Women!!

Please understand that I am not posting this as a celebration to myself or even to the female gender. Mostly, I am posting it because Gaius gives a great description of the wonderful ministry of womanhood/motherhood which is barely uttered in these times. Blessed Women, we have lost our vision.

I love this exert by John Bunyan's Pilgram's Progress part II, otherwise known as Christiana.

A Toast to Women (As spoken by Gaius)

Gaius: "Hear me as I speak these few words on behalf of women to take away their reproach, for as death and the curse came into the world by a woman, so also did life and health. God sent forth His Son made of a woman. Yea the women of the Old Testament coveted children, and why? So that they perchance might become the mother of the Savior of the world, and thus help undo the sin of their mother, Eve.

And I will say again when the Savior was come, a woman rejoiced over Him before either man or angel. I read not that a man ever gave unto Christ so much as a piece of bread, but the women followed Him and ministered to Him of their substance. Twas a woman that washed His feet with tears and annointed His body to the burial. They were women that followed Him from the cross and that sat across from the sepulchre when He was buried. They were women that were first with Him at His resurrection and women that brought tidings first to His disciples that He was risen from the dead.

Women, therefore, are highly favored and show by these things that they are sharers with men in the grace of life. Yea, in these days the mother who trains her children for Christ is as truly working for God as is the minister in the pulpit."

Christiana: "Thank you, friend Gaius. Sometimes it seems to us women that we accomplish so little."

Gaius: "Nay, it is not so. Though the results of her work are not apparent, angels of God are watching the careworn mother; noting the burden she carries from day to day.

Her name may never receive the honor and applause of the world as may that of husband and father, but it is immortalized in the book of God.

She is doing what she can, and her position in God's sight is more exalted than that of a king upon his throne. For she is dealing with character. She is fashioning minds."

TO GODLY WOMEN!!