Laines Letters...Revisited!

Dear Sisters, "So The King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your LORD, worship Him." Psalm 45:11 The LORD is so beautiful. So beautiful! I was in the beginning of Revelation this morning just marveling at His Beauty as I read of His Throne Room and all His Majesty. Before I knew it I was in Psalm 45, the beginning of Ezekiel 16, the book of Ruth, and winding up in Proverbs 31 as I realized all over again what it means to be part of The Bride of Christ. There is nothing, nothing like knowing Him and belonging to Him. One with Christ as His Bride...awesome, awesome love!  Over and over again as I read the above passages I kept reflecting on my own marriage and how it symbolizes to a fallen world what is soon coming for His Bride, His Chosen One. We are His forever and ever! Bought by the Blood of the Lamb. Our marriage should reflect a picture of Christ and His Church, a symbol of hope and love an...

Dear Sisters, "Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you." Proverbs 22:26-27 I have received a few letters since I wrote on bankruptcy. I knew that I would and truly would have liked to avoid the subject. But I felt led to write it, so I did. I received some letters where women felt that God led them and their husbands to declare bankruptcy. I understand their frustration at my letter. But no one based any of their claims on The Word. I read their painful situations. I have prayed for them in their pain. But I did not read in their letters how His Word defends bankruptcy; or that He can do anything--even pay back an enormous debt. I read defense of bankruptcy. A defense that does not wish to prayerfully consider paying back what was borrowed. A defense that could lead others to think it is okay and that they can do likewise. A defens...

Dear Sisters, Hi! I hope you are all doing fine. I had to write and thank you all for the many beautiful letters I have received over the weeks since I wrote about critical spirits. Oh, how I wish I could write personally to all of you! I am so thankful for some of the sweetest women on our list who took the time to write to me. Many of you wrote who had never written before. I really needed your kind words of encouragement. Again, I thank you and wish so much that I could respond individually to each one of you. I surely read each letter and felt so edified by your uplifting words of encouragement. The LORD met me in His Word concerning the critical spirits that come at us every now and then, especially so it seems when we are pouring ourselves out for Him. Do you remember the woman who anointed Jesus with the costly oil of spikenard before his death on the cross? "And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a ...

Dear Sisters, The LORD is so good. I just love Him! And I just love His ways. Oh, to be sure, His ways are not what you will see practiced over and over in this world. No wonder He tells us that if "we cease listening to Instruction, we will stray away from the Words of Knowledge." Oh, but if we are saturating ourselves in that Instruction, the Words of Knowledge begin to be practiced through us. That is an incredible thing. Weakness bound up in strength! This week I have seen more of His strength in my home. As I have told you before, I am still suffering from years of "household debt." But I can see more and more of this debt being paid off, and it is getting easier and easier to manage my home these days. God is so good! What has it cost me? Oh, discipline. Blessed discipline. "Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of our spirits, and ...

Dear Sisters, It was a beautiful evening. I was so thankful to be going to church. I prayed on the way that I might learn so much and that I might worship my Savior. I also prayed that I might be of help to those who come to me in the library after the service. Then I saw that we were having communion. Oh, I thanked the LORD. How I needed to go to His table, to talk to Him, to worship Him, and to thank Him for His forgiveness and love poured out for me at the cross. I could hardly sing the song toward the end of communion as the tears were welling up in my eyes at the profound truth of the words we sung: Child of God Your life laid down, crucified Your arms stretched out and open wide To rescue me so I could be a child of God. > From nail-pierced hands to thorn-pierced brow Your blood flows down to me somehow And cleanses me so I could be a child of God. Praise to the Lamb that was slain Praise to the Father Who gave His Son away The proo...

Dear Sisters, Hi! I hope you are enjoying your summer so much. I am "beating the heat". Presently we have a June gloom, which means I have a little time before the heat sets in to get some serious work done. So I've been hiring my two younger kids. This is one of the ways I taught my older boys to work when they were younger. I hired them. Not only did they learn how to work, but I got so much done in the process; plus I taught them the things I wanted them to learn during the summer. I guess you could call them good old-fashioned "Mother's Helpers". So far Gabe and Abbie have cleaned out my pantry; organized and cleaned out a hall closet turning it into a linen closet; weeded my back patio up to the clothesline; weeded four other areas; stripped an old chair; built three water troughs around three fruit trees; cut out new fabric and reupholstered an old chair; washed some windows; varnished two bamboo lawn chairs; washed a rug; washed the car; orga...

Dear Sisters, I have some major messes that consistently crop up. Sometimes it is an area of my flower garden, sometimes it is the baking corner in my kitchen, and sometimes it is on a bigger scale and is an entire room that has been neglected. Here is what I have taught my kids in battling the messies. First, I'll go in their room, for example, and tell them that I only want them to clean one square section of their room. I will walk the perimeter of the square to show them. I'll tell them not to worry about the rest of the room, but to just concentrate on their one square and then to come and get me when it's done. They'll come and get me, then I will rave over their work. Sometimes I will send them out to play (depending on the age) and have them come back later to do another "square" of their room. If they are older, I will get them started on their next square immediately and return upon its completion. And so on and so...

Dear Sisters, "The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously." Psalm 37:21 "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed." Psalm 37:25-26 It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter. For I have seen many fall into the trap of bankruptcy and think that they can walk away unscathed. What we think affects what we do. That is why it is so very important that we are in the Word of God daily. We need His Words. The absorbtion of His Words in our minds will affect what we do. The world teaches that a man can declare bankruptcy and be free from his debts. The Bible teaches, "Let no debt remain outstanding." The world teaches to buy all you want when you need it at another's expense. The Bible teaches, "Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipli...

Dear Beth, You are a sweetheart, like so many of the women on this loop. I can see your gentle heart through your posts. ~Smile~ You asked about setting up a baking center. I did that a few years ago. It helps so much because I can cook something up from scratch as fast as I use to do with a mix. The key is having everything right at hand. Here is my baking center: It is in a corner of my kitchen with a light overhead. (My husband did that for me. It sure is a big help.) To the left of my corner is my kitchenaid mixer all ready to go, and my grain grinder all ready to go as well. (I don't share as much about grain grinding as I am still in the learning stages, so I tend to be a "gleaner" here. I enjoyed Grace's post on grinding grain. I love to read how much healthier it is for you. I am easing my family into whole wheat baked goods, and getting excited about all that I'm learning.) In the cupboard up on my left is where I keep...

Dear Sisters in Christ, "And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." Luke 24:27 Two men were walking soon after the death of Jesus. They were discussing between themselves, as they walked seven miles to Emmaus from Jerusalem, the extraordinary news that some women had brought to their company today. The news was that Jesus was alive! As they were talking and reasoning this incredible news, Jesus drew alongside them and began walking with them. " But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him." Luke 24:15 Jesus began to explain to these men, one of whose name was Cleopas, everything from the Old Testament about Himself beginning at Moses and including all the Prophets. A marvelous seven miles of terrific revelation! The Beloved Word revealing Himself to His Beloved Chosen Children. And the Children were sponges soaking in every Word. The men probably couldn't belie...

Dear Chosen Mothers, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God." Titus 2:3-5 There are seasons in a mother's life. There are seasons of nursing and changing diapers. And seasons of correction and answering questions and more correction. Then there are seasons of teaching and training and gearing up for adulthood. Lastly is the season of slowly letting go. Each season has its ups and its downs and its beauties and its flaws just as each of the four seasons of the year. But you wouldn't want to miss one season of the year, and you wouldn't want to miss one season of a child's life. Spring is the season when new th...