The Filing Cabinet

Coram Deo

Lindsay — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:13:37 +0000

Biblical counseling is helping fellow sinners in this fallen world to live coram Deo.

“To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God…

“To live all of life coram Deo is to live a life of integrity…Integrity is found where men and women live their lives in a pattern of consistency. It is a pattern that functions the same basic way in church and out of church. It is a life that is open before God. It is a life in which all that is done is done as to the Lord. It is a life lived by principle, not expediency; by humility before God, not defiance. It is a life lived under the tutelage of conscience that is held captive by the Word of God.” (R.C. Sproul, What Does coram Deo Mean?)

We take that broad, overarching theme for our lives and get specific with the nitty gritty of life’s circumstances in light of spiritual realities using the tools God Himself gives – His Word, His Spirit, His People.

Never Enough

Lindsay — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:40:34 +0000

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money,

nor he who loves wealth with his income“ (Ecclesiastes 5:10)

Money will not satisfy and pursuit of “more stuff” derails your pursuit of Christ (1 Tim. 6:10). So what is real gain? How about “godliness with contentment” (1 Tim. 6:6)? Once again it’s about looking beyond the temporal (1 Tim. 6:7) toward what counts for eternity (1 Tim. 6:12).

Instead of loving money and pursuing wealth, let’s love Christ and pursue Christlikeness (1 Tim. 6:11)!

Upcycling

Lindsay — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:18:34 +0000

Last year I showed you the first piece of wall art I created for the boys’ room (Impress Your Kids). I never loved how it turned out so now that we’re moving Katy in with the boys I decided to decorate her corner and repaint the canvas. I used cheapo (59 cent) acrylic paint, scrapbook paper I had on hand, and my handy dandy cricut to make a tree to match her bedding. This is our third child and having a corner to decorate is the closest I’ve ever come to having a nursery. Maybe it’s pathetic, but I’m thankful!

Who Do You Trust?

Lindsay — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:08:10 +0000

For anyone who might be thinking about God and what it means to be a Christian, whether you are a believer or not, I invite you to listen to this message by our church’s youth pastor last Sunday. A year ago Patrick McGoldrick was in excellent physical health and now his body is rapidly degenerating, yet his “inner man” (2 Cor 4:16) is more vibrant than ever. God used His Word through Patrick’s mouth and life to speak to me and address the exact issues I had on my heart that morning. Maybe God has something for you too. His Word is powerful (Heb. 4:12) and accomplishes what He purposes (Is. 55:11), and after all, you reading this blog entry may be part of what Paul describes in Acts 17 about God orchestrating the details of your life to draw you to Him (Acts 17:22-34 – LOVE this). Seek Him while He may be found! (Is. 55:6-7)

Patrick McGoldrick Sunday AM 4/22/2012 “The Sovereignty of God” from DWK on Vimeo.

Prepared Spontaneity in Parenting

Lindsay — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:19:36 +0000

I hung on every word Paul Tripp spoke at the parenting conference our church hosted last month. I was convicted and encouraged and humbled and equipped. An overarching theme I’ve sought to apply is purposefully but naturally incorporating God and His involvement in the world and with us personally into conversations throughout the day. Another challenge has been to not think I get to take my parenting hat off and on as it’s convenient for me. When Dr. Tripp called us out on wanting to be done for the day (“It’s 10pm! I’m off duty!”) he was talkin’ to me! Especially with a newborn who invades “my” schedule ’round the clock, it is easy to get possessive of my time and attention. But Dr. Tripp reminds us -

Parenting is all about living by the principle of prepared spontaneity. You don’t really know what’s going to happen next. You don’t really know when you’ll have enforce a command, intervene in an argument, confront a wrong, holdout for a better way, remind someone of a truth, call for forgiveness, lead someone to confession, point to Jesus, restore peace, hold someone accountable, explain a wisdom principle, give a hug of love, laugh in the face of adversity, help someone complete a task, mediate an argument, stop with someone and pray, assist someone to see their heart, or talk once again about what it means to live together in a community of love.

What you do know is that Scripture gives you the wisdom that you need and your always-present Messiah gives you the grace that you need to be ready to respond to the moments of opportunity he will give you. Along with this, you and I must remember that our Lord loves our children more than we ever could and his commitment to their growth and change is more faithful and persevering than ours could ever be. Because of this, in his grace and love, he will manufacture moments that expose the needy hearts of our children to us. He will faithfully employ the little moments of everyday life to expose to us and our children their need of rescuing and forgiving grace. And he will not do this only at the moments which you feel are appropriate and when you feel most prepared.

Read the rest here: Parenting: It’s Never an Interruption and consider those interruptions as opportunities to redeem for the Kingdom’s sake!

P.S. Providentially, I had the same concepts on my mind exactly a year ago! (Prioritizing Your Priorities) I am obviously a work in progress!

Autoimmunity Run Amok

Lindsay — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:01:15 +0000

Less than a year ago Zachary broke out in a strange rash that started on his scalp and had us and his pediatrician totally mystified. Our dermatologist took one look, however, and recognized it as guttate psoriasis. Uncommon, but since (plaque) psoriasis runs on Jason’s side of the family it wasn’t totally left-field. Now fast-forward 10 months later and here I am with the same type of pink, scaly marks on my arms and sure enough, doc diagnoses me with guttate psoriasis too. This means it has been in my genetic makeup for 30+ years without surfacing and the culprit who tainted my son with the affliction is me! In general, it is a condition that is cyclical and can remain dormant for prolonged periods, and doesn’t pose any real threat other than being unattractive. Here’s the part that has me curious, though. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. So just like food allergies, there is a trigger set off in the body to overreact to substances it thinks are harmful (but are not) and treats the body as if it’s under attack when it’s actually not. So I’m just curious about the connection and how it all works in the body. I doubt we will have answers in our generation, at least not enough to keep up with the complexity of the human body. Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made, designed from the start by God (Psalm 139:14-16) yet experiencing the effects of a sin-cursed world.

Not a real upbeat post here, huh? Well, no, not if our hope is in this life only! How about woohoo for those glorified bodies God is preparing??? And in case you’re wondering what will our glorified bodies look like, Randy Alcorn would like to answer that for you here. He concludes with, “Inside your body, even if it is failing, is the blueprint for your resurrection body. You may not be satisfied with your current body or mind—but you’ll be thrilled with your resurrection upgrades. With them you’ll be better able to serve and glorify God and enjoy an eternity of wonders he has prepared for you.” Now that’s where our hope is – as a new creation in Christ!

Entrusted with These Three

Lindsay — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 02:39:47 +0000

I found this inscription on the inside cover of a book I cracked open today, presumably for the first time in seven years, from the pastor of the church where I first heard the gospel and where I was baptized, and where Jason and I were members the first year we were married. (Zachary was born seven years later, and that was seven years ago.)

“bring up” = ”Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).

“children are a gift” = “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3).

Truly the favorite thing God has given me to take care of are not things at all, but three precious children who bring more joy and more chaos to my life than I could’ve imagined! I love them!!! Yet I love the Giver oh so much more than the gift, and He is the one who supplies the love ~ and patience ~ and wisdom ~ to make this role so so fun and rewarding.

Dying Body, Living Lord

Lindsay — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:32:23 +0000

Over the last month I was made aware that a particular health condition I’ve been dealing with could be an aggressive, systemic cancer. While the odds are very unlikely and the initial biopsy came back negative, I do not know how to describe to you how profound an impact looking death in the eye has had on me. Lord willing, more posts will follow, but for now I have 2 Corinthians 4 & 5 on the brain and will share it here. I tried to cut it down to make it more blog-friendly but all of it is so pertinent to me that I didn’t know where to chop! I tried to throw in some bold-font but truly every word bears such weight. Such a rich passage. Such an amazing God. Maybe this will met you where you are today too.

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

(2 Corinthians 4 & 5 ESV)

Can I get an amen?!

For My Wife

Jason — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:25:05 +0000

This clip is dedicated to Linds because of all she does as a Mom!

Black Friday Goodness

Jason — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:29:25 +0000

Here’s a clip that made me laugh out loud. Enjoy!