Favorite Links

I wanted to share a few things I came across today.  


A good friend sent me the link for the 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge for Wives from Revive Our Hearts on Facebook.  I am excited to do this in the month of September. (Hal-if you are reading this post, please pretend you didn't see this. Ha!)


Revive our Hearts is also doing a series on their daily broadcast with Elisabeth Elliot.  You can download it in several different formats including podcasts.  I think Elisabeth Elliot was probably the first Christian writer/author/speaker I was introduced to by reading her book Passion and Purity.  I am pretty sure I have since read everything she has written. :)  This is a great series on several different topics including raising children, quiet times, and just Biblical Womanhood in general.


Are you joining us in the 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge?

Authority of Scripture Part 1 of 2

All of us have had questions or doubts about different areas of our faith.  Some may question creation and how it could have all been done in 7 days, whether the earth was really flooded, or if the events in the Book of Revelation will really come to pass. In today’s culture where the fact that there is even an absolute truth is questioned at every turn, people often doubt that the Bible is actually the Word of God and the standard of truth.  

As with most doctrines, there is really no limit to how far you want to dig and how much you want to know.  To attack this doctrine, I decided to look at questions that I have always been curious about.  As I said yesterday, this isn’t meant to be a place where I cover every aspect of these doctrines.  There are books with hundreds and thousands of pages that do that!  I will make sure I include the references I have used and will do a post with complete information so you can dig deeper.

Question #1: 

How was it determined what books would be in the Bible?

Biblical scholars refer to the Bible as the canon of sacred Scripture.  The word canon comes from the Greek word “norm,” “standard,” or “measuring rod.”  Since the formation of the church, the Bible has been used as the standard or authority.  

Old Testament

The books that are included in the Old Testament are characterized by Biblical historians as the “Jewish Scriptures.”  These books are often referred to as the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings or Psalms.  We can go back to the explanation of “canon” to understand why they included what they did.  The Council of Laodicea in ad 363 stated: “No psalms of private authorship can be read in the churches, nor uncanonical books, but only the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments.”

The Jewish canon had 24 books: beginning with Genesis and ending with 2 Chronicles.  What we use today as the Old Testament is in line with the Greek translation called the Septuagint beginning with Genesis and ending with Malachi.

Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel (1/2), Kings (1/2), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 

The Minor Prophets ( Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,     Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)

Writings: Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles (1/2)

In the New Testament Jesus speaks of this composition of books, “This is what I have told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fufilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” Luke 24:44

Roman Catholics and Protestants fully agree on what books are in included in the New Testament, but they differ on the books to be included in the Old Testament.  The Roman Catholic Bible includes the Apocrypha.  These books were written after the Old Testament was completed and before the New Testament was begun.

According to Roger Nicole, the New Testament quotes various parts of the Old Testament as divinely authoritative over 295 times, but not once do they cite any statement from the books of the Apocrypha or any other writings as having divine authority. (“New Testament Use of the Old Testament” in Revelation and the Bible, ed. Carl Henry [London: Tyndale Press, 1959], pp. 137-141)

New Testament

In order for a book to be included in the New Testament, the book had to meet certain criteria: to be authored by one of the apostles, to be considered as authoritative within the early church, and be in line or harmony with the books that were already included in the Canon.  The New Testament contains: five books of narrative (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts), 21 Letters, and a book of visions (Revelation).

A lot of those who doubt the authority of Scripture may say that humans decided what books were to be included, but that is not the case. To determine what books were included in the New Testament the early church leaders ensured that the books met the criteria mentioned above.  R.C. Sproul explains it this way, “the church did not create the Canon but merely recognized the books the bore the marks of canonicity and were therefore authoritative with the church.” (Essential Truths of the Christian Faith p.23)

Wow...that is a lot of historical info, but it is important for us to know a little of how we got to where we are.  Later this week, I will include links to information on where you can learn MUCH more.

4:59 PM

Love these chubby baby legs!

Bible Doctrine

Bible Doctrine. I know ... you are thinking it sounds stuffy and boring. There was a time when I would have agreed with you, but it has come to mean so much more to me.  Sometimes I think reading your Bible without knowing about Bible doctrine is like starting out to bake a chocolate ganache cake with the recipe in front of you but not having any idea what the measurements mean. I am not taking out the work that the Holy Spirit does in interpreting and explaining Scripture to a believer, but as believers we can have a much more thorough understanding of Scripture if we know some of the basics behind it. Wayne Grudem gives this simple definition of doctrine: “Doctrine is what the whole Bible teaches us today about some particular topic.”

If we know what the Bible says about topics like the authority of the Bible, the Trinity, Justification, etc., then we can have a fuller understanding of Scripture which will allow us to grow in our relationship with Christ. It will allow us to teach our children more effectively and to share our faith with others more boldly.

So don’t skip out on the doctrine posts. Learn with me and keep studying. I do feel like I need to offer a little disclaimer. There is no way that we can do an exhaustive study of these doctrines through a blog post, so my prayer is that this will get you started. Take what you read here and dig deeper! 

Tomorrow we will take a look at the “Authority of Scripture.” I definitely learned a lot as I dug into why the Bible is composed they way it is and how we can know that it is God’s Word. 

Questions to Ponder...

• How would I explain to a nonbeliever why I believe the Bible is the Word of God?

• Do I know how the Bible was put together?

• Can I explain what the qualifications are for a book to be included?

• Do I truly believe that the Bible is the ultimate authority and standard of truth? Does my life reflect this belief?

3:24 PM

Folding is never the fun part for me.

Beauty for Ashes

Two of my best friends brought home babies this past week.  At the stage of life I am in having a friend bring home a baby is a regular event, but there was something extra special about both of these babies coming home to their families.  One sweet girl (who happens to be betrothed to B) came home with her parents almost exactly a year after her momma went through a miscarriage.  One sweet boy was carried through the door of his parents home after 3 years of infertility and almost a year of working on adoption paperwork and waiting to get the phone call that a family had chosen them.  

I have thought a lot about these babies and their mommas over the last week.  Both of these women went through battles and struggles before bringing their new little ones home.  I was challenged to grow stronger in my relationship with the Lord as I watched them.  Perhaps the thing that sticks out most in my mind is how honest they both were through their grieving process; one grieving the loss of a specific child and the other grieving the loss of the inability to have a child.  They didn’t try to put on a “spiritual happy face” and pretend that they felt something they didn’t.  They were honest about their hurt and honest that they didn’t necessarily understand why God had chosen this particular path, but yet they both in their own ways showed a complete trust in who God is.  They were unwavering in their resolve that God was in control.  I guess that is what having a true relationship with Jesus Christ is about.  He wants us to be honest.  He wants us to pour out our hurt, our fear, and our disappointment, but it can’t stop there.  We have to give it to Him to handle and watch Him change us, refine us in the process.  And in the middle of all of it we have to know and hang on to who we know God to be: sovereign, all wise, all knowing, loving, and kind.

“a crown of beauty instead of ashes.” Isaiah 61:3

10:21 AM

Loving the aquarium in New Orleans

Little Eyes

Last week I was going through older pictures on my computer so I could compare the boys and see how they were the same or different at 3 months. As I was scrolling through pictures, I found this video of D.  I must admit that I became the blubbering mother as I watched it.  I couldn’t hold back the tears as I thought about two things: how much D has changed and how much he watches and observes.  

D has changed so much in a year.  Some days I feel like he isn’t talking enough or doing enough for his age, but then I see things like this and remember just what a big boy he is becoming. I have a hard time even remembering this stage!  The days may be long but they go way too fast!  The video also reminded me that even at this young age, they are watching our every move.  He was modeling this prayer after what he saw us do before every meal.  Which got me thinking ...what else is he modeling?  Are my actions and attitudes something I would want him to imitate?  I must admit, this precious video of my little man was a much needed reality check and reminder for this momma!

Have a great weekend!

Go to God

"When you are longing for something more ... it is always God.  Go to God." 

Kay Arthur from Israel Precept Study

Encouraging your Husband

I heard one of my friends say recently that she just thought her cheerleading days were over!  She was referring to the important role we play as encouragers in our husbands lives.  We should be our husband’s biggest supporter.  Here a few ideas of simple, inexpensive things I have tried to encourage Hal.  

52 Reasons I love you.: I totally stole this one off of Pinterest. :)   The picture I saw took a deck of cards, hole punched them, and wrote a note on each card.  I took the easy way out and just put them back in the box.  I filled the cards with my favorite parts of his character, things that we do together, things that he does for me, etc.  He loved them! :)

Suit case notes: Keep notecards on hand and write him a note and seal the envelope.  Put a note for every day he is out of town in his suitcase.

Happy Calls: Some days I feel like all I do is complain about how fussy B was or how many times I had to discipline D.  Lately I have been trying to call him during the middle of the day and tell him what a great day I am having with the kids.  Sometimes I just call and tell him thank you for letting me stay home and take care of them.

Text It: On days that I know are going to be challenging for him, I text him scripture during the day.

Sometimes I do better than others at remembering to do these little things.  Putting this post together was a great reminder.  Maybe I will put a reminder on my calendar every week or so.  Now, if I can just remember to do that! 

What are some things you have done to encourage your husband?

7:59 AM

Yesterday was D's first day of Mother's Morning Out.  He was so excited to see his friends and was a chatterbox of stories when we picked him up.  And most importantly, he used the "big potty." :)

Good Girl Syndrome

Senior Year of High School

As we begin this blog journey together, I wanted to share with you a very important step in my journey. In some silly way, I think I have been jealous or envious of others who had these great testimonies to share (or at least they seemed great to me). You hear testimonies of radical conversions where people are delivered from sin and bondage like drug addictions, broken homes, etc. Mine always seemed much less dramatic.

Most of my life, I have been known as a “good girl.” You know what I mean ... I didn't go to parties in high school. I never got in trouble with my parents for staying out too late or breaking a curfew. As a matter of fact, I don't think I even had a curfew! I didn't even taste alcohol until college when I had a stretch of a couple of weeks that I decided I wanted to be wild, which wasn't even that wild! I have never had the urge to do drugs—I wouldn't even know what marijuana smelled like if it was right in front of me. I have never used foul language as a part of my vocabulary. I saved myself for marriage. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. I have been the "good girl" in my mind, to those in my circle of influence and according to the world's standard. The “good girl,” that is, until God began to show me otherwise. Several events in my life combined with a study of the book of Romans sent that "good girl" facade crashing down around me like a ton of bricks.

Junior year of College

Romans 3:10-18 says, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and they way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes." 

Four times in that passage it is says that no one is good! It doesn't say that no one is good except for those that have been a "good girl" according to the world's standards. It says that according to the only standard that matters, God's, no one is good. Which means that Lindsay Ramsey is not a "good girl." According to God's standards, I am the chief of sinners I am "full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderous, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless" (Romans 1:29-31). 

On my own and apart from the Lord Jesus, I am all those horrible things mentioned in that passage, or I am capable of being them. When I look past the "big things" and look at my depraved nature ... I have hurt a friend, I have desperately wanted what someone else had, I have been prideful, I have not trusted God, I have not been submissive to my husband, I have desired my own will about His, I have lied. My nature is depraved ... having no good in it.

If that was bad enough, then comes the sucker punch to the stomach: "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things" (Romans 2:1). 

This is when it all came together, not only have I wrongly put myself on a pedestal thinking I am a "good girl,” but I have sometimes silently, sometimes verbally, judged others and their sin while not recognizing the sin in my own life. Instead of the judgment that I wanted to hand down in my "good girl" facade, I should have been driven to my knees in repentance for my own sin and then praised the Lord Jesus that by His grace even as a depraved sinner I have responded to the gospel in faith, and I am able to stand before Him clothed in His righteousness. "This righteousness comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe" (Romans 3:23).

And to think, I have lived most of my life as a Christian thinking that I didn’t have much of a testimony because my story didn’t include a drug addiction, broken home, abuse, or some other “awful” thing. 

Homemaking 101: Cooking with Kathy

I need a new picture.  Scary to say this one is 5 years old! :)

My sweet mother is a Godly woman who is gifted in many areas but cooking is not one of them!  The running joke in our family is that when we have a get together, she brings the veggie tray.  So, while she has taught me a lot, my quest to be a better homemaker in matters of the kitchen and hospitality has been greatly influenced by my Aunt Kathy.  One of my first memories of being in her home was when my entire youth group from Arkansas was headed to Wyoming for a mission trip.  When our van broke down in Kansas and we weren’t able to stay where we had originally planned,  she and my uncle welcomed us into their Denver home well past midnight with smiles on their faces.  The next morning there was a yummy breakfast waiting on us!  I will always remember how willing she was to open her home and serve others.  This left a lasting impression with me about how to use your home as a ministry tool. 

As I have gotten older, the lessons have continued.  After I had D, she came and cooked for almost three solid days, filling my freezer with all kinds of goodies.  She has shared recipes and tips along the way and I have been known to call her in the middle of cooking dinner and ask for her help or opinion.  

Two of my favorite recipes she has shared are her Chicken Salad and Meatballs.  I usually make a double batch of the meatballs and freeze them.  Then we can just pull out what we need for that meal and reheat them in the oven.   

I thought I would share a little of my aunt with you today.  I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do!

Who has taught you the most in the kitchen?  What lessons have you learned about using your home for ministry?

Chicken Salad

5 Chicken breasts cooked and shredded

6 pineapple rings cut into pieces

3 celery stalks chopped

1 cup graves quartered

1 apple chopped

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2-3 Tbsp pineapple juice

Mayonnaise (enough to make smooth consistency/start with 1/2 cup and add more as needed)

Mix all ingredients and.  Chill before serving

Meatballs

3lbs. ground beef

2 cups oatmeal

1 small can evaporated milk

2 eggs- beaten

2 tsp. chili powder

1 cup chopped onion

1tsp garlic

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all meatball ingredients and make into balls.  This recipe will fill three 9X13 pans. 

Sauce: 

4 cups ketchup

2 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 tbsp liquid smoke

1 cup chopped onnion

1 tsp garlic powder

Heat all until sugar dissolves

Pour sauce over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  When freezing, omit the sauce, cook, and freeze them after they cool.

9:37 AM

Alisha's post combined with a note in our church bulletin yesterday mentioning that the food pantry was getting low, caused me to consider how blessed I am to have a full pantry!  This week, I am going to see what I can donate from my pantry and look for what might be on sale at the grocery store that I could stock up on and donate as well.

Meet My Friends: Why be Frugal?

I mentioned in one of my early posts that I am so blessed to have an amazing group of women that I call friends. God has gifted each of them in different ways. I am excited to share them with you ... but only for a day! :)

I probably would define my friendship with Alisha as a “blog friendship.” Although she lives in my hometown, we have gotten to know each other through our blogs and Facebook. We have kiddos about the same age, so we have gone through similar experiences at the same time. Alisha is an awesome manager of her home. She often writes about recipes she is making or activities she does with her kiddos, but her ability to spend frugally and wisely in regard to groceries, home products, and personal products is a huge challenge to me. She blogs at “Save More—Give More,” where she mentions her goal of spending $200 a month on groceries and $0 a month on toiletries and household items. That’s right, I said $0!!! In this post, she is sharing why it is important for us to be frugal, and she will be sharing more tips and tricks in the months to come.

Why Be Frugal?

People have asked me why they should try to save money, especially if they’re in a place where they don’t need to save money. To me, the answer is because it isn’t their money to begin with. Consider what God says in Psalm 50:9-10: “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.”

Often times as Christians we think we’re suppose to give God 10% and then the remaining 90% is ours to spend as we please. This self-centered (and many times legalistic) mindset causes us to lobby, justify, and even fight over how the 90% is spent in our marriages. With over 2,300 verses in the Bible about money, it’s clear that God wants to be involved with 100% not just 10% of our money. God doesn’t need that 10%, just as the other 90% isn’t ours that we’ve earned and deserve.

Once we see ourselves as simply stewards of whatever amount God chooses to give us each month, we need to seek the Lord’s guidance on what He would have us do with that money and how we should spend it. We are given what we have to meet the needs of our families and the needs of others. When you consider that a mere $.25 can provide a meal for a child overseas (quite possibly the only meal they will get that day) or that $5 is considered a good daily salary for someone providing for their family in a third-world country, you quickly realize that the money we “waste” on seemingly little things isn’t such a small amount. All of a sudden, a candy bar at checkout is three meals in Uganda; and more practically, paying $2 for a pound of strawberries (instead of price matching for $.88) becomes four meals you can provide for someone else, all while giving your family the same item you had planned to.

When we think of our money as God’s money given to us to glorify God, we have an entirely new perspective on what we spend money on as well as how we buy the things we do. This is true for big items like housing and transportation, as well as the smallest things, like the above mentioned strawberries. Saving money changes from something only poor people do because they have to, to something we should all do as wise managers of our households as well as managers of the money God gives us.

Giveaway Winners

Congrats to Carla Campbell and Rebekah Martin!  I assigned numbers to each Google follower and then Hal and D picked random 2 numbers.  Send me your address and I will get the CD's to you.  Enjoy this great worship CD.  The song "Immortal, Invisible" is one of my favorites. I will be sharing more about that in a post in October.

Have a great weekend!

Potty Training

I have decided that as mom (at least what I have experienced so far) there are two reasons you spend most of your time on the bathroom floor: morning sickness and potty training.  The last week has been potty training boot camp at our house.  I honestly started on a whim last Tuesday night because I knew my parents would be in town for a few days to help with B.  I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised how well D has done!  I had built up in my mind just how horrible it was going to be, but fortunately it has not been bad at all.  Yes, we have had our accidents and frustrations.  There have been multiple moments when potty training D was a lesson in perseverance for his momma!  I got a little weepy this morning when I realized how much D has changed in the 3 short months since his brother was born.  He is now sleeping in a big boy bed and well on his way to being potty trained.

The big boy!  I have honestly loved the extra time I have spent with him over the last week.

The setup: Potty, puzzles, and stool for momma

Puzzles to keep us busy while we try!

The ever important Thomas big boy underwear

Perhaps the most important of all ... the jelly beans.

Hopefully we will keep up the good progress over the weekend!  Have a great weekend!

7:28 AM

Good Morning Little Brother

The Notebook

The Notebook ... no I am not referring to the movie that makes me boohoo every time I watch it.  I am referring to what has essentially become my brain on paper!

In my effort to get more organized and stay on task during the day, I started using this notebook.  Each morning, I write a list of the things I need to do that day including calls I need to make, what needs to be cleaned around the house, what I need to do to get ready for dinner, etc.  If I don’t get something done, I leave it on there to write down for the next day.  I am amazed at how much it has helped me accomplish.  BL (or before the list), some days I would just get busy with the boys and forget about phone calls I need to make or bills I need to pay.  It has also helped keep me accountable to make sure that I get something done that day.  I must admit that I love to look at my list at the end of the day and see everything I have accomplished!

As much as it as helped plan my day, it has also been a challenge not to be a “slave” to my notebook.  I heard myself say, “D, wait until momma finishes _____ and then I will read the book” one too many times.  Yes, he needs to learn to wait and let me do something, but I want to never me too busy to sit down and play trains or read a book.

What helps keep you organized?  How do you plan your days?

No Excuses

You have heard a little about why I started this project.  I truly did want a place where I could go and find some “spiritual meat.”  You know what I mean.  I am tired of fluff.  Tired of being babied.  Tired of being told we don’t have to study and that we don’t have time to keep our houses in order.  Yes, we are moms and wives and we are busy to the max, but in my own life I feel like I often just used that as an excuse.  I allowed that perception that mom’s don’t have time to cover over my laziness.  The truth is: I can get up 30 minutes earlier, I can turn off the TV, I can limit my time on the Internet (oh..Pinterest how I love you), I can listen to a Bible Study on a podcast while I clean.  The time is there, but what do I chose to do with it?  The truth is my husband and my kids NEED me to take the time to read the Bible, to pray, and to grow spiritually.  They NEED me to learn about being a better homemaker.  Those NEEDS are as important as a roof over their heads and food in their tummies!

Okay, don’t stop reading now and think I am a drill sergeant!  What I have found is that when I let go of the excuse that because I have young children, I am too busy to grow spiritually and to excel at being a homemaker, there was an incredible amount of grace waiting on the other side.  I felt such JOY at looking at my house and not seeing dust, clutter, and dirty laundry.  I felt such JOY at getting to the end of the day and knowing that I spent time studying God’s word.  I felt such PEACE knowing I had worked all day to take care of my family in the best way I knew how.

Will you join me?  Will you get up and get moving?