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Purchased with a Price

I’ve been watching a program titled ‘Lessons in Faith’ and am so excited by what I am learning. The program author Reverend Ray Vander Laan has spent an enormous time in Israel learning about the people and the culture in Jesus’ time. How much more exciting the Bible is when you understand the culture of the people to which Jesus spoke.
One such insight is that families built their houses as an addition to their fathers. In other words, when the son found his bride, both fathers would negotiate the bride price to compensate the bride-to-be’s family. After this engagement, the bridegroom would leave and begin building his house onto the original one of this fathers’. This tradition carried on for generations.
This engagement could carry on for months and sometimes even years. What is also interesting is that the young man could not marry his bride until his father set the time.

The bride-to-be would then spend her time preparing for the wedding and was often called “one who had been bought with a price.”
This insight helps me to understand heaven and my eternal relationship with God. When Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven, He compared Himself to a bridegroom and us (His Church) as His Bride.
Now is the preparation time for the wedding.
I would encourage anyone interested in this study to go to Rev. Vander Laan’s website http://www.followtherabbi.com

a child in church

I remember Daniel at age 4 years running up one isle and down another during the sermon at church. I was frantically trying to stop him without disrupting the pastor. Daniel, of course was enjoying me chasing after him. What some might have termed, "little boys will be little boys" was nothing more than a nightmare and total embarrassment for me. I learned a couple of things at this point:
1) I did not have a handle on my child, and
2) not one other adult stepped in to help.
The idea of someone not helping me used to make me angry, but through the years, I have mellowed on this passionate thought. Perhaps, it would have made it worse should anyone try to stop Daniel when he did not know him or her. We will never know.
Looking back on raising my children, I could become very critical of myself if I were to focus on the many times when I did not have a ‘handle’ on them. So I’m not going to. Besides anyone who knows me will make their own judgments of my parenting skills.
What I did learn from this scenario is that when a young mother needs help in church, or anywhere in public, we as a society should step in and at least offer. Many women are raising children without the father, whether there is no father available or the father is perhaps in the military, or working out of town to support his family.
Sunday, I had the opportunity to meet a young mother with three small boys at church. She and her husband had just moved here from California and her husband was working in Arizona for a time with his business. Her boys were 5 years old, 18 months old, and 2 months old. This is important because, two were in diapers, and all three had to be buckled in car seats in order to just leave their home (I probably would just stay home).
This young woman was small in frame and when she walked into our church, she was packing two of the boys, while keeping track of a very mature 5 year old.
It was very different in our church than the many years ago with Daniel. Many members made it a point to meet this woman and pray for her, and her little boys, and for her husband. The two oldest had a great time in the nursery, so the little mother could focus well on services. It was an incredible day and my heart remembered my own children and now my grandchildren. It’s funny how turning our focus on someone else can give us joy. It was a great Sunday.
Please know that I am not critisizing the members in that service so long ago.

Oh,,,,,, and I am no longer running down the isles for Daniel. All said and done, even with our trials, Daniel is a wonderful young man.

~mom

Feb. 3 marked the 16th anniversary of the death of my mother. So long ago, but still so fresh in my mind. Mom had suffered a stroke and came to live for a while with me and my children. Courtnie gave up her room and roomed with me so mom could have her room. Daniel would spend most of the day in her room watching 'Inspector Gadget' with a bottle propped in his mouth. Nick spent time with me during this. He was my helper. Mom loved to watch my children and I can look back now and am so grateful for that time with her, even though it was not always easy. I believe that time with mom in our home taught my children the value of family and of sacrifice. Once I started the nursing program, mom lived in the West Millard Care Center. I had started nursing school in Richfield and was traveling back and forth each day. Usually I would get home and just as though mom had radar, she would call and ask me to come by and help with something. I can't tell you how guilty I felt at times when I wanted to be home with my children and mom wanted me with her. If any of you know the geography of Delta, you would know that if I just headed west on main street, I could hit highway 6 and straight to Nevada. So many times that is just what I wanted to do. There was definitely a battle for my time during this period.The night prior to her death, she and I had gotten into an argument (something we did very little of) and I left her there to go home to my kids.The next morning something inside of me told me not to go to Richfield without stopping by and talking with mom. Both of us were so glad to see each other. I was sorry, mom was sorry, and after we both shed tears, I left knowing we were on the best of terms. Three hours later, she was gone.I'm trying to keep this short, because I could probably go on and on about the many things that occurred after mom's stroke. Some great memories and some not so great.So I will end with this; mom would be turning 85 this coming Feb. 6th. As I stated in my first blog, memories of her come and go. I am so very thankful for having had that time with my mom. She was an incredible woman and I miss her.

Words of 'wisdom'

Make each day a day to be grateful. Especially at the small things. It's amazing how well the day goes when you share something