Sunflowers
I harvested three sunflower heads this afternoon. One is tiny, but bursting with seeds! I didn't want the birds to start plucking the seeds out ... so off the stalks they came. They were yellow behind, so ready to dry out. One of them has been attacked already, several zigzaggy rows missing seeds. It must be the House Finches, but COULD be that male Northern Cardinal that hangs around the front of the house, where the sunflowers are, and also where we have a hanging feeder full of sunflower seeds. Guess someone loves those fresh ones better.
There are plenty more sunflowers to harvest in the coming days. These all planted themselves via the birds at the bird feeder. I had the feeder on two sides of the porch at different times. Suddenly we had sunflowers growing on both sides of the enterance sidewalk. Wonderful effect it is/was! On the West side is a huge stalk, with a huge sunflower head, and at least 19 other heads coming from up and down the stalk. Most of these are squished looking heads, and they are nearly ready to pop off, but the centers have no seeds. Guess the bees and other insects didn't like these as much as the other sunflowers. Up the row there are a few more that are singles, and very nice. But on the East side, there are at least 6 beautiful sunflowers. Gorgeous, rounded out in the center -- protruding. And untouched so far. No birds have raided them. They will be beautiful in just another week, ready to take down and dry safely. They'll be lovely to hang ouside this Winter!
Well, think for yourselves, there are spiritual applications in the above. Not any nice little pat theory or anything, but segments exist, of the truth God shows us in everything surrounding us. Nature cries out with His story. :)
Christmas in July
It's mid-July, about time to take down the wreath above the fireplace. ;)
It's looking rather dingy now, not as green as it did in June. Yes, it's from December. We put a fresh wreath up and leave it until we are tired of it. Well, I am not tired of it, but I can see how someone coming in to our home might wonder about it. It will look stark and empty taking it down. But not to fret, a new one will be up in just a little over 4 months from today!
Getting older ... officially today
Today is my birthday, and I am officialy more than halfway through my 30's. I'm 36 now. :)
Covenant Children
What is SO annoying to me is how one side of the Reformed circle of Christians is saying how the "other side" disregards it's children as second-class, not "full" in the covenant, or calls them Baptist Presbyterians. This is so NOT the case.
Just because we don't give our small children admittance to the Lords Supper, which is known as paedocommunnion, does not mean we are treating our children in such a bad way.
My children are part of God's New Covenant. They were born into a Christian family, and Baptised as the New Covenant with God requires. When they are able to take the Lord's Supper, they will. The differences between some Paedocommunionists and non-paedocommunionitsts are just that the first set believes in giving small children Communion, and the other waits until a child shows readiness in understanding what it is. Some Reformed churches are guilty of setting legalist standards that a child must reach before admittance to The Table, but this is not an across the board way in the "other side".
Our church, one that is spat upon by many these days, doesn't withold the Table in such legalist ways. We catechize and teach and particularly accept the fact that are children are in the Covenant. We don't lift our children ABOVE the Covenant though.
We are accused of pushing them out of the covenant, keeping them in the dark, treating them as "children of the devil". How far fetched is THAT?!! That's a fantasy of some peoples minds, but not reality.
Sin permeates us all. But the Christian has victory over sin, so that it does not have the hold on us, as it does on the unregenerate. Our children are born with the tendancy to sin, just as we all were. Being regenerate doesn't mean we don't sin, but neither does it mean that if we beleive our children were born into Original Sin, or Totally Depraved, that they will understand sin when they are very young, and know what it is to put it to death. Understanding Christ's Atoning Work on the Cross is an important part of The Lord's Supper.
My children are being taught what the Bible says, who Christ is, what He did. When they demonstrate that they understand this, then we will go to the Elders immediately. What's so wrong with THAT?
We teach our children what truth is. We don't with-hold the truth. They aren't "starved", any more than I was when I was a regnerate child at a very early age. I wasn't baptized until I was 13. Outside of the Reformed Faith I was brought up. I have the testimony of a Covenant Believer. I was regenerate and just wansn't baptised and admitted to the Table until I was much older. I sure didn't starve or go down a rebellious road. Far from it, I search for the deeper truth, and found the Reformed faith.
Believe me when I say, if a child of mine is able to understand Christ's work, I'll recognize it.
