Happy Father's Day

Dear Daddy,

I want to wish you a very Happy Father's Day early because I could go into labor tonight and then I wouldn't be able to write this tomorrow. It's wishful thinking I know...seriously wishful thinking ;)

I love you and am so thankful you're my dad! I've learned so much from you. Thank you for sacrificing to provide everything for your family.

You gave us happy memories, modeled a dedication to the Lord and His church, and took us on many special vacations and trips, and so much more. You gave me braces, extra curricular activities, a college education, and a wedding! You gave me a song and your blessing over my life! I cherish these things as gifts from you.

Thank you.

I am very blessed to have you in my life and am very excited about this new season where I get to see you be a grandad!

I love you very very much!

Katherine

Dross

[I know that if there is anything I'm not is short and to the point with most of posts. I should be more apologetic about that...in the future I'll try to work on brevity.]

Various times through the Bible we are taught that God refines His people. Refinement is a part of sanctification. My vocabulary is ALWAYS lacking, so praise the Lord for dictionaries and books. I need them more than most people. ;) I learned about something new recently in regard to refinement: dross. Dross is in the Old Testament at least 8 times. God lists the sins of Israel and says that their sins are dross (Ez. 22:18 "...the House of Israel has become dross to Me.").

I looked online for a description of dross. (Disclaimer...I don't know the level of credibility of the website quoted) I found the information below helpful in understanding what God meant when He described Israel as what should be a precious, pure metal

but instead is dross ("...the house of Israel has become dross to Me" v.18):

In the original sense, people used "dross" to refer to impurities which arise during the smelting process. As metal is melted, it oxidizes, forming a layer of scum and impurities which float to the surface as the metal heats up. This dross can be skimmed from the metal so that the refined product will be more pure, ensuring a reliable performance when it is cast or worked. With some metals, the amount of dross generated can be very high, as much as 50% of the metal, and this can drive the cost of the metal up significantly.

In addition to containing the products of oxidation, the dross can contain a variety of unwanted impurities which have gotten into the metal. In some cases, these impurities can be dangerous in addition to unwanted, explaining the occasional usage of the word to describe something which is potentially toxic. This type of dross needs to be handled and processed with special care so that it does not pose a risk to human health, and it can sometimes cause problems in refineries and forges, as it may off gas dangerously when heated.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-dross.htm

Dross is a metaphor for sin in Scripture (again mentioned at least 8 times). Here are a few references:

Proverbs 25:4-5 "Take away the dross from the silver, And there comes out a vessel for the smith; Take away the wicked before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness."

 

Isaiah 1:22-26 "Your silver has become dross, Your drink diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels

And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe, And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them. Therefore the Lord God of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, “Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries, And avenge Myself on My foes. “I will also turn My hand against you, And will smelt away your dross as with lye And will remove all your alloy. “Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city.”

 

Ezekiel 22:17-22(Note: dross is mentioned after a LONG list of Israel's sins) “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are the dross of silver.“Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because all of you have become dross, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.‘As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath and I will lay you there and melt you.‘I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it.‘As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out My wrath on you.’

So what do I do with this information? The Holy Spirit is teaching me about His refinement as a part of sanctification. The Christian life/walk looks something like this:

Justification ------ Sanctification ------- Glorification

Justification: the point at which we receive salvation through trusting Christ as Lord and Savior. Through the grace by faith in Jesus Christ, we are made right with Him (Rom. 3:24; Eph.2:8)

Sanctification: the process through which God is continually transforming His people to be more and more like Jesus Christ.

Glorification: "The final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead the bodies of all believers for all time who have died, and reunites them with their souls, and changes the bodies of all believers who remain alive, thereby giving all believers at the same time perfect resurrection bodies like His own." (Wayne Grudem Systematic Theology, 1243)

I long for the day when Jesus returns. For now, however, I'm being sanctified. The Holy Spirit does this sanctifying work in so many ways...teaching me (Jn14), reminding me (Jn14), disciplining me (Heb.12) , refining me (Mal.3). The last two are pretty painful...but so worth the pain. I'm so grateful that He doesn't just throw me away.

As He refines me, He convicts me of sin (dross) in my life.

So really, all that to say, Scripture is such an important part of the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work. And if God has blessed me with the gift of literacy and as much access to the Bible as I could ever want or imagine, then how dare I not hunger after God's Word.

And if I'm not hungering for His Word, then IT IS because I have become dross to Him (Ez.22). I have allowed destractions (sin) to consume my time. I have to say, I have experienced Him take something away that was a distraction (and I'm sure it will happen again in my sanctifying journey). It can be something like the electricity going out when I was consumed with "needing" to use the internet. That's a mild example...there are many more...many more that perhaps will be shared another day. But studying the Word is vital to God's purifying work in me. 

And what I'm about to share is an EXCELLENT resource for really delving into God's Word:

The New Inductive Study Series (Big Picture Studies for Every Book of the Bible

Please take some time to find out about this resource. These study guides help us to learn how to study the Bible for ourselves. We are guided through observing what the text says, interpreting what the text means, and applying it to our lives. Again, EXCELLENT  resource. I consider it a treasured find. The series breaks down studying Scripture into 30 minute study sessions (which is perfect for my daily quiet time). God has really opened my eyes and heart as I've used these guides to study through the prophets. I would like to go through the Bible using them.

Nevertheless, regardless of how you or I systematically study through Scripture, my life long prayer is that we will hunger to know God through what learning and obeying what He says. I pray that we will surrender to His lovingly and painfully removing dross and purifying our hearts.

Early, EARLY Morning Random Thoughts

It's 2:48 am and I'm wide awake with more BH contractions. Last night I started having them pretty consistently again. A bath and some Tylenol calmed them down enough to go to sleep. I guess the Tylenol has worn off. I had my weekly check up yesterday and hadn't made any more progress so I'm pretty sure I'm just still in the beginning phases of everything. Honestly, I'm in some pain, but I'm so thankful that I can sleep a little later if I need to tomorrow.

Last night Nathan and I had an infant care class. We made a fun evening out of it. We went out to eat. Every time another "one" would hit me I just excused myself from the table and walked the bathroom (sitting through them hurts so much worse than walking). We sat close to the back door of the conference room where the class was held. When "one" hit, I'd just walk out and listen from outside. With these practice contractions as long as I can move I'm okay. Nathan feels pretty helpless, but he DOES help! He's very calm (now that my bags are packed ;) and sympathetic. I think his excitement is contagious as well.

Since they've been on my mind lately...I've been thinking about how birth pains are mentioned throughout the Bible. The first is in the beginning (Genesis 3:16). Increased birth pains are the result of sin. How gracious God is! I'm a sinner, and though I ONLY deserve pain, He uses the pain to bring one of life's sweetest blessings...a child.

Birth pains are also spoken of symbolically. During Jesus' intimate teaching time with his disciples in the second half of the Gospel of John, the disciples' grief is compared to birth pains. They're grieved because Jesus tells them that He will leave, but He tells them that their grief will turn to joy because His crucifixion is NOT the end!

John 16:20-22
"I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

There is no joy compared to knowing Jesus...knowing He is in control...knowing that He has covered my sin.

Even these early contractions are mentioned.

Matthew 24:3-8

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

I remember, when Nathan and I went to Israel, taking a picture of the sky just above the Mount of Olives and thinking "this literally is where Jesus will return one day." We CANNOT know the day or hour of His return (the Bible is very clear...Matthew 24:36), but we can recognize these painful events as signs that His return is imminent.

I'm finding this interesting too (as I'm standing here typing and swaying from side to side), the rest of Matthew 24 and 25 is Jesus' warning to ready ourselves. Just like Nathan kept warning me with each little pain to pack and get ready, Jesus warns that we must be ready for His return.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2024&version=NIV

Maybe I'm awake right now because I need to be reminded not to just wait. I need to be readying my heart. Baby Joshua IS coming, but most importantly, Jesus will return. May I constantly be reminded.

 

Countdown Time

Baby Boy's birthday is on my mind these days. That's what we're up to...waiting with great anticipation. His due date is 23 days away. Joshua is scheduled to arrive June 27th. In the mean time I'm becoming quite familiar with the labor and delivery staff and facilities at Piedmont Fayette (lol).

Two weeks ago I went in for monitering. I became concerned because I wasn't feeling him...at all. Usually when I lay down at night he rolls around, and I can feel him nudging me from one side to the other. But that particular night he didn't move...and didn't move...and didn't move. Every time I woke up I wouldn't feel him. Finally by noon the next day I called the doctor and went in. He sent me to labor and delivery so that they could check Joshua extensively. Of course as soon as I got out of the car, Joshua woke up and danced around all the way into the hospital. I can't describe the relief! So I was able to relax and just listen to his heart beat. I guess he just needed some extra sleep. :)

Last Thursday I went in because my Braxton Hicks were strong. I know everyone says that when you have a contraction...a real contraction...you'll know it. However, on this side of delivery as a first time mama, I just couldn't tell. All I knew is that the pain wrapped around and I couldn't stand up straight. They were also coming regularly. Well on top of that I knew that the hospital is 35 minutes away without traffic, and I want to deliver there...at the hospital. So we drove in. I was having contractions (I guess they were BH), but they weren't causing me to dilate. So again, we went home.

I'm not complaining though. I wouldn't take back having gone to the hospital:

• I feel slightly more confident when I do feel pain and a little more aware of what I should be experiencing.
• Now those beds and curtains in the prep. area and the monitering equipment are so much less intimidating.
• I have confidence in the nurses. The ones I've met have been so extremely gentle and kind.
• Because of last Thursday, my bags are packed. This one is HUGE.

Nathan has been telling me for three weeks now to pack my bags. I don't know why...I really don't...but packing my bags for the hospital was too overwhelming for me to start. I found a packing list on the hospital website. I still couldn't make myself pack. I made a personal list that included EVERYTHING I could possibly want at the hospital. I still couldn't pack. Finally one morning last week when Nathan and I prayed, he actually started praying that I would pack my bags for the hospital (poor guy!). That is what finally got me to start pulling things out. I laid everything I need on the loveseat in our bedroom, but still didn't pack things. SO, when we had our little false alarm last Thursday I kicked it into high gear and loaded the car.

So now we wait. I love to ask people to guess his birthday. We've gotten everything from June 14th to June 28th. Time will tell. What we do no is that he's coming, I'm 37 weeks, so the official countdown has begun. :)