Family Culture

Christian parents all want their children to become adults who serve God, but it's not something we can make them do. They have to make that choice for themselves, just like we did.  

Joshua was leading the Israelites. He wanted them to serve God, too, but he couldn't make them do it, either. Instead, he challenged them to serve God rather than the gods the nations around them were serving. He told them to choose who they would serve, then ended by saying, “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14-15).

Joshua couldn’t force his family to serve God any more than we can. He could maybe demand outward obedience, but he couldn’t make his family love God. He could make serving God a foundational part of their family life, though, which would have a profound impact on them.

This verse always makes me think of a little story I read years ago, of a conversation between a mother and a teenage daughter who didn’t share her mother’s taste in music.

Daughter: “Mom, how did you come to enjoy listening to show tunes?”

Mom: “My mother listened to them all the time when I was growing up.”

Daughter: “That’s what I was afraid you’d say.”

The music we listen to, the foods we eat and our enjoyment of activities like hiking (or snowshoeing!) and reading are often influenced by the environment we grew up in. I've referred to it before as the family culture, for lack of a better term. We have the opportunity to use that influence or family culture to steer those who enter our homes in the direction of God, whether that’s by the music playing in the background, the artwork on our walls or the conversations around the table. This applies not only to children or grandchildren, but also to friends and family members who visit.

No, we can’t make others believe, but we can show them a life in which serving God is the norm and then pray that lifestyle takes root in their hearts, too.

East to West

As you probably already know, I live on Canada’s east coast. The most easterly point in Canada (and North America, actually) is Cape Spear, here in Newfoundland. The most westerly point in Canada is the Yukon/Alaska border, which is 5,514 km (3,426 miles) away from Cape Spear. That’s far away! That distance is what I picture when I read Psalm 103-10-12:

“He does not punish us for all our sins;

    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him

    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us

    as the east is from the west.”

When we believe in Jesus, God doesn’t just cover up our sins, hoping no one will notice them under a veneer of goodness. Instead, ‘He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.’ Those sins are completely gone – far, far away from us.

There will often still be consequences of those sins that we have to deal with, whatever they might be, but there is nothing on our permanent record with God, so to speak.

I see that as meaning two things for us. First, it means God isn’t keeping a record of past sins, just waiting to punish us for them sometime in the future. They’re gone, never to be brought up again. No matter how bad the sins were, God removes them completely and throws them far away. Because of Jesus, we can trust that we are free from the fear of divine judgement.

Second, if those sins have been so far removed from us, we shouldn’t be beating ourselves up about them, either. We have a bad habit of clinging to the shame and guilt of our past sins, even though God has taken those sins away. If we have trusted in Jesus, then we can let go of shame over our sins. They’re gone - as far away as the east is from the west!

Add Grace Quilt Top and Registration is Open!

I am so excited to say that registration is now open for the Add Grace quilt along and devotional journey!! We'll be focusing on the wonder of grace through 40 daily devotions sent directly to your inbox, beginning on March 2, while also making an Add Grace quilt together. Quilting and time with God - what a wonderful way to prepare to celebrate Easter!

A QAL and devotions? I'm in!

I finished my first Add Grace quilt top and I so love how it looks! Even though it looks the same as the EQ8 image on my computer, somehow it also looks different when I get to see it at full size. It's going to be hard to wait until the start of the QAL to start my second version, lol.

I made this version with prints from the Pietra and Spectrastic fabric lines, both designed by Giuseppe Ribaudo (AKA Giucy Giuce) for Andover, with Century Solid Cottonball for the background. I can't decide if I prefer the speckles of Spectrastic or the marbled look of Pietra - they're both beautiful and make the perfect blender fabrics.

Add Grace finishes at 72" square and it's mostly traditional piecing, with a bit of foundation piecing. If you're new to foundation piecing, don't let that intimidate you! It's only one of the blocks, with just a few seams, so it's definitely doable even for newbies. Plus, the QAL will include a video showing how I use freezer paper for foundation piecing - no more ripping out the paper when you finish making your blocks!

I love when points come together nicely!

I know that sometimes it's just not possible to add another QAL to your schedule, no matter how tempting it is. If that's the case for you right now, but you still want to focus on grace as we approach Easter, I've got you covered! This year, for the first time, you can register for just the devotions. You'll receive the same 40 daily devotions focusing on grace, but without the Add Grace pattern.

I can't do the QAL, but I want the daily devotions!

I hope you'll join me for Add Grace! I'd love to share this quilt and devotional journey with you 😊 Here are those registration links again:

Register for the QAL and daily devotions.

Register for just the daily devotions.

I'm linking up with TGIFF, Beauties Pageant, Finished (or Not) Friday and NTT.