THIS Is The Day

It seems as though I have heard a whisper in my ear since the day both of my children were born, reminding me to live for the day, to enjoy the process, to not wish the time away, daily... minute by minute...

As I have observed and listened I have also learned a lot from things I have heard others say such as...

"I sure wish she'd learn to sleep through the night!"

"Life will be easier when he can EAT something, and he's not so dependent on ME!"

"Diapers are so expensive. It'll be nice when she's potty trained."

(TICK...TICK...TICK..TICK...)

"I wish she'd learn to walk..."

"All she knows how to say is "NO!"

"All I do is chase her around all day!"

"It'll be nice when she can talk, and tell me what she wants!"

(TICK...TICK...TICK...TICK...)

"Just think, soon she'll be in kindergarten, and I'll have some time to myself!"

"I need a break!"

"Boy is it hard getting up early and driving them to school every day!"

"I look forward to the day when I can sleep in again!"

(TICK...TICK...TICK..TICK...)

"I think we need a bigger house..."

"My husband wants another job..."

"My kids need a bigger yard..."

"These kids sure do make a mess!"

(TICK...TICK...TICK...TICK...)

"She sure does talk a lot!"

"I feel like all I do is drive my kids around! I'm exhausted!"

"It was so much easier when they were little!"

"I don't FEEL like shopping for clothes with my daughter."

(TICK...TICK...TICK...TICK...)

Recently my husband and I were helping my daughter with an essay she has to write for one of her college classes. COLLEGE?! Oh, Lord.... Have I enjoyed the process? I am reminded of a song by Nicole Nordeman that says: "I'm going to live for today, I'm going to follow in Your way, I'm going to let my little light shine like there's no tomorrow..."

How can we, as moms, be a light? By rejoicing in and enjoying the process, and living for today.


This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
~ Psalm 118:24


IT WILL PASS SO FAST... DON'T WISH IT AWAY!

The process may be hard and some details are more challenging than others, but we can rejoice in them, and even enjoy them if we choose the right perspective. GOD'S PERSPECTIVE. GOD'S CALLING. AND A WATCHING WORLD...WATCHING HOW WE WILL LIVE THE DETAILS OF OUR CALLING.

So, enjoy the process and "let that little light shine like there's no tomorrow!!"


Our guest today is Gina, a Christ follower, who desires to glorify God in all that she does. Gina became a self proclaimed "old lady" after reading and studying what the Bible says, in Titus 2, about the role of "older women." She prays that she will continue to grow into that role, and most importantly, to LIVE OUT THE GOSPEL and live life WITH you!

You can find her blogging at "Chats With An Old Lady" where she is continually growing and challenging readers to also grow in their faith.

For questions or comments, contact Gina through her website: click here

Your Marriage Problems are All in Your Head

I’m not saying you are crazy.

But I am saying that your thought patterns affect your marriage. I remember sitting at the dinner table with my daughter in her high chair and my 2-year-old son, watching the clock. Tick tock tick tock. These thoughts ran through my mind, “Why is my husband 20 minutes late? He knows the kids are hungry and can’t wait.” Tick tock tick tock. “He is 30 minutes late and hasn’t even called. If he loved me he would at least call”. Tick tock tick tock. “This is so boring just sitting here with 2 children who can’t even carry a conversation--why is he doing this to me?”

Finally, the garage door went up, and how do you think I greeted him at the door? Since I had spent 30 minutes brewing angry thoughts, guess what came out of my mouth? Angry words.



The good man brings good things out of the
good stored up in his heart, and the evil
man brings evil things out of the evil stored
up in his heart. For out of the overflow of
his heart his mouth speaks.
~ Luke 6:45
Imagine you had a cup of hot tea in your hand and your husband bumped your arm and it spilled onto the table. What came out of the cup? Hot tea. If you had coffee, then coffee would have spilled out.

In the same way, if you are filling your mind with bitter thoughts towards your husband, then when your “cup gets bumped” what’s going to spill out? Bitter words. But if your mind is filled with good thoughts, then when your “cup gets bumped” what is going to spill out? Compassion and forgiveness.

What have you stored up in your heart towards your husband? Are your thoughts of him good? They were when you were dating! Many of our marriage problems begin in our heads--in our thought patterns. If we play a recording over and over of selfish and bitter thoughts then we can expect to have a bumpy ride in marriage.

Here’s how this dinner scenario went once I matured and learned that getting into "World War III" with my husband is more miserable than eating dinner alone:

It’s dinner time, tick tock tick tock… ”He’s late again. He knows I hate this so he must have something really important to finish up. I am so blessed to have a good man who works so hard. We have food on the table and warm beds because of him. There are widows eating alone tonight. They don’t even know where their next meal will come from. I will wait peacefully for my husband to come through the door.”

And when he arrived he was greeted with warm hugs, kisses and the promises of warm intimacy in bed. Extreme, you may ask? Not at all. It’s disciplining our minds to stop evil thoughts and create good thoughts.

When a plain ordinary wife spends her day thinking thankful, loving and respectful thoughts about her plain ordinary husband, they can have an extraordinary marriage. Start today to weed out bitter thoughts in your mind and begin to plant seeds of thankfulness. In no time your marriage will be extraordinary too!

© Courtney Joseph, 2010


I'm taking a couple of days off of blogging to spend time with my husband who's on Christmas vacation this week. But while I'm away, we're blessed to have a visitor.

My guest blogger today is Courtney Joseph from Women Living Well. She has been married to her high school sweet heart for over twelve years, home schools her son and daughter and is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute. [Psssst: She's also a good friend of mine!] Courtney's passion to see women living well landed her on the Rachael Ray Show in November, 2009. Since then, she blogs regularly about marriage according to God’s Word. And that's exactly the kind of marriage we want, right ladies?!

For comments or questions, contact Courtney through her blog at: Women Living Well

Is He Looking Back At His Past?

The child support is late, but it's getting better....he is finally trying to make it up by paying a little extra on this month and the next and I hope that he continues. Our phone conversations are "of no more" these days but I have heard from him twice, to let me know about the extra on the child support.  He always ends his phone calls with an "I love you, doll" but it doesn't mean anything to me anymore. And for me to say that, well, it's a miracle because I NEVER thought I would get over him or get over loving him.....but I have moved on past this and I am doing fine. He called and made plans to come and see his daughter, and as much as she HATED waiting on him for that one long hour, it's only because he has made her wait SOOOO many times being a no-show....but this time, he came. Is is that he is FINALLY starting to see what he messed up? It's been YEARS now and I am wondering if he ever looks back to see what HE could have done to make things better, but then again, maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. I think he is still the same old man, just maybe wishing that he never got caught  cheating.

Wishing You a Blessed Christmas

Twinkling lights woven through branches of green light up our home, transforming what used to be one family's sitting room into a forest of of wonder and hope.

Every branch and every needle calls us to partake in the beauty of worship, while thoughts rest on the King of all Kings.


And the angel said unto them, Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city
of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
~ Luke 2:10-11


Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas from the Schacht Six.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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My Personal Story of Domestic Abuse

Join me on "Girl Talk" as I join host, Marlo Boux to share my personal testimony of the abuse that occurred in my first marriage.

I talk about how the abuse first started, the horrible abuse that marked our first Christmas, and how I finally broke free. Now re-married for over 22 years, I'm discovering that healing is a long journey.

It's really not my best interview by far because of nerves. Normally nerves don't get to me, but I'll admit that it was a difficult subject to discuss. It was also the first time I've spoken about this publicly other than the brief mention on this blog. Nevertheless I pray that it might bring hope to women living in situations with the occurrence of domestic abuse.

{Click here to listen}

You may also be interested in reading, "Submission Isn't Permission."

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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Thoughts on Home Church

Dear Darlene,

I have been enjoying your blog.

I read your post about communion tonight and have a question. Do you home church? Is this in addition to the communion service at church?

Thanks,

Theresa
Being Refined as Silver


Dear Theresa,

Perceptive question. We home churched for several years about a decade ago. I absolutely loved home church since I'm a firm believer that God doesn't dwell in temples.


For where two or three come together
in my name, there am I with them.
~ Matthew 18:20, NIV


When I say "home church" I'm not talking about a cell group or home Bible study like most Christians are accustomed to. It was a weekly church meeting of about 35 people in our house. We also had prayer meetings, extra Bible studies, potluck dinners and outings for the kids. Most of us were homeschooling at the time as well.

Uniting the church has been a topic heavy on my heart for years, which is where, "Christian Women Online: Uniting Women of Faith" stemmed from. It was Christ's dying wish in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed that the church would be united and that through His death we would be united to God. I'm sad over the fact that in many cases, church walls divide the body of Christ. We are so fragmented by denominations, and further divided because we let our understanding of scripture stand in the way of love.

Where home church started out to be one thing for me, in many ways it became something else. We returned to organized church about nine years ago, because I wanted my children to be connected to a larger body of believers. It was also because I came to the personal realization that it's my responsibility to love the body of Christ and look past the areas where we differ in understanding. Tolerate sin? No. Study (and live) to show myself approved unto God? Absolutely.

All this to say, that, yes, we used to home church. Now we take communion at the little chapel we attend down the street, but we still enjoy celebrating the Lord’s supper with family and friends from other congregations. I know you didn't ask for a full essay on the subject, but some days I start to write and my keyboard decides to say more than it’s asked!


My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those
who will believe in me through their message, that all
of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I
am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may
believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory
that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—
I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to
complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me
and have loved them even as you have loved me.
~ John 17:20-23


You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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Recipe for Unleavened Bread

Breaking bread with our guests in the celebration of communion holds some of the most intimate times we've shared with friends. I love it when my friends and I head into the kitchen to bake bread, while the men fellowship in the other room. I've never made it before guests arrive, because I love sharing in the entire preparation with my sisters in Christ. It takes only about five minutes to prepare and about 10 minutes to bake in the oven.

It's a beautiful way to remember the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to celebrate our faith as one body, at Easter, Christmas or any other time of the year.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of flour
1/2 t. salt
2 T. of oil
(I use cooking oil, although many recipes call for olive oil because of it's Biblical significance)
1/2 cup of warm water

Oil the surface of a cookie sheet, as well as the palms of your hands and spread the dough out into a circle or oval. No need to reach the edges of the pan. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it. You just want the edges to be slightly brown.

Notice that we have not added yeast, as yeast is always synonymous with sin in the Bible.

Remove from the oven and place it into a basket lined with a cloth napkin. Cover with a second cloth napkin. Covering the bread is representation of Christ wrapped in a linen cloth when His body was laid in the tomb.

Fill a wine goblet with grape juice or wine to accompany the bread. And place both on the table.

Before sharing in communion read this verse aloud so that both you and your guests can examine your hearts.


Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
~ 1 Corinthians 11:28-30


Bow in a moment of silence as hearts prepare for receipt of the emblems.

Read the following scripture together:


For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
~ 1 Corinthians 11:23-24


Take turns passing the bread from one guest to another, each breaking and eating their piece. This is a time of reverence and reflection of Christ's sacrificial gift to mankind.

Once everyone has eaten the bread, read this portion of scripture aloud:


After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
~ 1 Corinthians 11:25-26


Pass the cup from one guest to another, each taking a sip and then wiping the rim of the cup with the napkin before passing it on.

Close in prayer, thanking God for the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, His grace to us while we were yet sinners, and His ongoing mercy toward mankind.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

In Participation With:

A Greater Love

There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.
~ Mother Teresa
I encourage women to change themselves rather than attempting to change their husbands. On the flip side, it's only fair that our husbands change and meet us halfway, isn’t it?

Of course it is, but I'm not talking about “fairness” here, I'm talking about a love that reflects the goodness of God. Could there be any greater love?


But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
~ Romans 5:8, NIV


When a husband doesn’t feel a certain level of love and respect from his family, he may seek out other ways to find it. He may absorb himself in his work thinking that success equals respect, get involved in sports to gain the respect of his peers, or find that respect in another woman who sees him the way he desires to be seen.

When a wife stops fulfilling her husband’s need for respect, the void creates a vacuum that must--and will--be filled by other things. This is why it's so important that our attitude is one of adoration, and that our attitude stays in check.

We can start showing respect by accepting without expecting. Pressure does little more than create resentment and rebellion, while reverence and a good attitude create an atmosphere of trust.

I had a friend once with beautiful children who were a joy to watch. Even the baby was a cheerful little fellow who was content to coo and caw while I puttered around the house. I enjoyed babysitting those kids until I started to feel that my friend was pressuring me anytime I busy and had to say no.

When I sensed the pressure, I declined to test my boundaries, and sure enough the pressure built up. The more evident her pressure became, the more resentful I was, and so I started to decline all the more often. It’s not like I set out to keep score, it was more of a subconscious reaction to the fact that I was feeling unappreciated. Instead of communicating my thoughts, I rebelled with my actions until we both stepped back from the friendship.

That’s the affect that pressure often has. We either live in a constant state of guilt, we give in reluctantly, or we step back. While pressure doesn’t get us anywhere in changing a person, a good example and friendly encouragement goes a long way.

When approaching our husbands we can look to the Biblical example of Esther, a woman who used wisdom and reference when she came to the king with her burden. In Esther chapter five we see that when Esther entered the king's court she didn't burden him with her petition. She showed respect without expectation, and in doing so received her husband's respect in return.

True love is giving without expecting return. It doesn’t keep track of wrong doings. It doesn’t expect perfection, and allows room for fault. It plants gardens where brick walls have once stood. True love is painful and pleasant, while perfect in every way. It’s grace in action.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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Blessed Assurance

"Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark."
~Rabindranath Tagore
Dear Darlene,

I found your blog through my friend Gina Smith's blog “Chats With an Old Lady.” THANK YOU! For bringing a piece, a place of beauty to my desk!

I too treasure vintage things. As I walk through a very painful trial in my life right now I am finding beauty; God is bringing lovely, godly women to my life through so many different sources.

I wanted to thank you personally for the sweet treasure of your website. It's like a place for me to come and hide for a few moments--to take in the wonderful gift of being a woman--a place to seek out another example of a quiet and gentle spirit following Him.

As I give each thought and each wound to the Lord I find healing. He is mending my broken heart and using small moments of beauty and love to do this.

Again, thank you.

In His fierce grip,

Tanya



But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore
I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
~ 2 Corinthians 12:9



Tanya,

Thank you so much for your encouragement. It came on such a good day. I went to bed and woke up thinking, Why am I writing this blog? I'm not a great writer, I'm not offering anything worthwhile for women to read... And then your letter pops into my mailbox--a whisper of encouragement that continues to nudge me along.

I am praying for you right now. You aren't alone in the storm as God is always by your side.

Satan uses his tactics to defeat us, and he will continue to do so as long as we abide in the flesh. It would only take one word from the Lord to calm the storm--one word--but He stands back until His work is complete in us.


Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because
we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us
to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
~ Romans 5:3-5, NIV


I've also gone through some trials in the past couple of years. Some of them have broken me down to where I have wept more tears than I knew I had. I felt scared, alone, and confused. It's hard to see a light of hope when darkness surrounds you like a heavy cloud, but God promises joy in the morning, and His promises never fail.

When Hezekiah was defending Jerusalem he gave hope to the people by reminding them:


With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD
our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people
gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.
~ 2 Chronicles 32:8, NIV


Also thank you for that verse from 2 Corinthians 12:9. Let's rest in that
blessed assurance together, knowing that God's power is at work.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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Another Holiday Season ......

Here I sit, so close to Christmas, with Thanksgiving already passed,  now feeling  so much stronger. Long gone are the days that I have to worry about Christmas coming and him  only participating  just enough to get by...another reason for my happiness, is that I don't have to wonder how he's going to treat me or my friends for that matter...it's over, it's done and I am happy that I am on this side of that horrible journey. Going through infidelity is really one of the hardest things in life.  Now that I am on this side of it, you are probably wondering what I have learned from all of it.....well, I feel that I have learned that I really AM worth being treated good. I deserve MUCH better than what he gave me, and that not all men out there are cheaters.....We all see how our society seems to see marriage as living happily ever after and having that little house and white picket fence. Does it exist? Perhaps for some, it really does. 

Teaching Christmas to Young Hearts

Dear Darlene,

I agree with your last post about the schools (and just about everywhere else) leaving Jesus out of the celebration of Christmas.

It's a very sad indication of where we are heading when we cannot even sing Christmas songs at our "holiday" celebrations. I began to notice this trend when my children were younger. I am glad that when they were doing their Christmas concerts and shows in school they were still allowed to sing some of the more traditional hymn type songs.

It's hard to say what the parents of younger children should do about this. I think this is another reason why we need to be stronger than ever in our determination to continue educating our children at home. Their days do not end when they get home from school but in many ways they just begin.

We are the ones called to teach them the way of God and the way of the bible. Perhaps they could participate in a Christmas show at church..or even in the neighborhood with other children.

Anyway...it's not an easy thing to keep Jesus as the center of this special season...but it is so very important.

I found your blog through another blog--Fruit in Season--and I have followed your blog as well.

Kara (hip chick) at
A Collection of Days

Dear Kara,

Thank you for your letter. I appreciate your thoughts on the Christmas season and your determination to further educate children. I was scribbling in my diary the other night and the notes I made go along so well with your letter that I wanted to share them with you…

The last 45 years have taught me that I can’t change the world, but I can always work on changing myself. The way that we conquer the world is by first conquering ourselves by yielding our flesh to our spirit. We can then branch out by teaching ourselves the way of the Lord, leading our children through paths of righteousness and finally bringing that message to the world through an exemplified life.

We’ve all heard it been said, “The world is taking ‘Christ’ out of Christmas.” But when I turn my face away from the world to examine my own life and that of my family, I'm left with the question, "What am I doing to put Christ into each Christmas?"

As their earthly shepherd, it’s my responsibility to ensure that these children know who Jesus is, and that He is the reason we bring our love to the world at Christmas.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord, we have an opportunity to reflect the testimony of the Christ child in all that we do, and to weave the message of salvation into young hearts by showing them the mercy of God and His love to mankind.

Teach them that the evergreen tree is a symbol of God, who through every season of our life remains the same God He always was and always will be.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
~ Hebrews 13:8, KJV

Show them the twinkling star at the top of the tree, rejoicing together as wise men once did in search of the newborn child.

Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
~ Matthew 2:2, KJV

Trace fingers on angel wings as we recall the words of the angels...

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city
of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
~ Luke 2:10-11, KJV

Watch the twinkle of each light, reminding young hearts that we reflect the light of God to this world.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on
an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle,
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and
it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
~ Matthew 5:14-15, KJV

Notice the shimmer of light as it bounces from each shiny red bulb, and remember the blood of Christ that was shed for our sins.

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins.
~ Matthew 26:28

Enjoy the wrapping of each present, keeping in mind the gifts that were brought to Jesus.

And when they were come into the house, they saw
the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down,
and worshipped him: and when they had opened their
treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold,
and frankincense and myrrh.
~ Matthew 2:11

And most of all, we must continue to do this throughout the rest of the year.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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In participation with:

Portzelky (New Year's Cookies)

(Pronounced “portzelchya”)

Ingredients

1 Package instant yeast (2T)
½ c. milk
½ c. water
3 c flour
2T Baking Powder
½ tsp salt
1 T & 1 tsp sugar
3 eggs
½ lb raisins
½ lb prunes (cut small)
Oil for frying
Icing sugar (optional)

Procedure
Combine milk and water. Warm to a lukewarm temperature. Separate eggs. Add egg yolks to warm liquid. Combine yeast, flour, baking powder salt and sugar. Mix with egg mixture. Stir in raisons and prunes. Beat egg whites and fold into batter. Let rise until double the size.

Heat oil in pot or deep fryer to 350°F. Drop by spoonful into heated oil. Fry until insides are cooked and outsides are brown. (Cookie will usually flip in oil when one side is done.)

Optional: Lightly dust with icing sugar.

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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Where is He Born King of the Jews?

“Christmas began in the heart of God.
It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man.”
~ Author Unknown
My feet crumple the blankets, still holding some of the warmth from last night. The pillows behind me softly welcome my back, and with keys at my fingertips, I am ready to write. The sky—a solid sheet of winter white—is sprinkling flakes, turning my world into a snow globe. I am rolling a cinnamon mint around in my mouth—its taste of Christmas leads my thoughts to last night…

We piled into the car and drove to the school where we met up with a crowd of people waiting outside the large doors. Little girls were dressed in evening gowns and fur trimmed coats while little boys had their faces washed—except for Nathaniel, who still had a platter of tacos pasted to his chin. Standing in line, I wiped his face with a mitten.

My daughter lowered her head and turned into my coat to whisper, “That boy over there was yelling, ‘Graham is kissing you, Graham is kissing you,’ at recess today.”

“Was he kissing you?” I whispered back, smoothing her hair with my hand.

“Yes,” she answered, and we both looked at Graham who was trying to break-dance in the crowded snow covered walkway. I wasn’t surprised.

Seeing that other mothers were leaving the line-up to bring children to their class, I pulled Graham off the dance floor and followed suit.

The school was warm. The gymnasium was crowded with parents hoping to get front row seats that had long been taken. Walking up and down the aisle, I looked for Michael until I noticed Nathaniel standing tall upon his lap hoping to get a glimpse of the stage.

The ninth-grade art class had decorated the stage under the supervision of their teacher. Being that she is a Christian, she had designed an enormous image of the earth with people of all races holding hands around the circle. The crucifix was centered on the earth.

It would have been an amazing image, had it not been covered with latex paint the day before to remove any trace of Jesus from the program. An image of two hands embracing one another was painted, center stage, concealing the King of kings, Lord of lords, and the very reason we celebrate Christmas.

Listening to the “Christmas” celebration, I wondered where the guest of honor was. Perhaps He had sipped in, uninvited, to see His children worship him, and perhaps His heart was pierced when He saw He wasn’t welcome.

Sitting in my chair, watching the children sing winter songs filled with visions of snowflakes and candy canes, I couldn’t help but ask myself, with wounded heart, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For I have come to worship Him.


Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days
of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the
east to Jerusalem, Saying, “Where is he that is born King
of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east,
and are come to worship him.
~ Matthew 2:1-2


(Drawn from my archives)

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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In participation with:

Your People Will Be My People

Dear Darlene,

I loved the advice you gave to the young woman in yesterday's article, "Bride in Training." So great! Especially the counsel to discuss finances in detail before marriage; my husband and I did not do this very well, and it caused confusion. We finally worked through it with a lot of communication, but it would have been so much easier if we had really hashed it out beforehand.

Our pre-marriage financial talk was:

"I really don't like dealing with accounting, would you mind handling that part of the household?"

Followed by his reply, "Sure, whatever you would like."

Meanwhile, his strength is not organization (he has many other strengths), and it is a strength I had, so it did not make sense to do things this way. He really felt frustrated dealing with it, and though it isn't my favorite thing, it is something that I deal with better. So, now I do the accounting and things run smoothly.

I also liked the tip about learning from the respective mothers about cooking. I cooked with my husband’s mother for two weeks before we got married, and learned many different dishes. I was already a person that loved to cook--and cooked a lot--but there is something wonderful about bonding with a future mother-in-law in this way. And there are certain things I can make for my husband now that I would have never known how to make before (e.g., snowball cookies, brisket, sweet and sour meatballs--just like his mom). Certain recipes are particular to each family. These things make a big difference in an early marriage!

Anyway, lots of good tips. Hope you have a great weekend!

Meghann

Dear Meghann,

Thank you for your letter. Your encouragement means a lot coming from a young bride who's recently experienced all of these changes [Meghann’s written to me before].

Marriage is our biggest readjustment in life and the first few years bring us through an incredible life change unlike any other we'll ever face. Even the food we eat is different. It's a wonder that our brains can handle the shift, but I suspect that romance goes a long way in easing the stress.

God knew what He was doing when He created men and women; every detail is wonderfully and carefully thought through. Amazing!

I especially like your thoughts about bonding with your future mother-in-law, and believe that it’s something every young bride should consider. I’m reminded of Ruth who was an example to all women when she embraced her husband’s family as her own. Her devotion to Naomi is a love story all on it’s own.

Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
~ Ruth 1:16, NIV

If my blog speaks to as much as one woman and makes a difference in her marriage than I have done a part in God's work, but it hasn't been without the encouraging feedback from women like you. Thank you!

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene

For comments or questions, contact me at:
darlene[at]darleneschacht.net

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