Vessels unto Honour Volume 1 Number 4

Warm greetings to you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour! I pray that you all are well and are rejoicing in the Lord! Can you believe that it fall has arrived already? The summer just seemed to fly by.

This issue of the newsletter deals mainly with priorities. Now, trust me when I say that I didn't do this on purpose! I believe that the Lord clearly worked this out and I pray that whoever is in need of guidance concerning priorities will be blessed by the reading of this publication.

Please, if you ever have anything to contribute, I would love to consider it for publication. Recipes, articles, tips, poetry! Anything that would serve to edify us.

Many of you have asked if there is a charge for this publication when you receive it via regular mail. Until now I had never considered asking for payment and the reason is that I have not yet gotten organized enough to publish this paper on a regular basis. With this issue, however, I plan on making this newsletter a bi-monthly publication. The are two reasons for going bi-monthly. This first is to keep it interesting. I am afraid that if I did indeed make it monthly as I planned in the beginning, I would run out of material! I like to collect things over a period of time to share with you. The second reason is the amount of time that I have (or don't have as it may be!) to devote to typing it all in and getting my husband to run it through the publishing program we have. I need a little down time between issues to regroup and avoid burnout.

Beginning with the next issue, we will be accepting love offerings. I would like to suggest an amount of $12.00 for 6 bi-monthly issues. But whatever you choose to send will be accepted.

I will continue to provide Vessels Unto Honour free of charge to those who wish to receive it but cannot send anything for it. Also, missionary and pastor's wives will continue to receive this free of charge. Because it is such a blessing to me to be able to share with you all that is in this publication, I want you to be able to still receive this newsletter. The love offerings go solely to pay for paper, copy charges, and postage. By making a love offering you are also entitled to receive any study books that I publish during the year. To send an offering, simply fill out the enclosed form and return to us with your gift. Be sure to contact us via email if you are requesting the newsletter over the Internet, so that we can be on the lookout for your gift. If you feel more comfortable sending it return receipt requested, that will be fine. We will promptly send you a receipt or an email notice once we have received your love offering. Again, if you cannot send an offering, PLEASE do not be embarrassed about it! To be honest, I will not be making any money off of this newsletter, but many have offered to pay for what they receive.

Now! I guess I need to stop my rambling and get on with it! One last note: many, many thanks to those of you who write to me! I am encouraged, blessed, and touched by your kind comments. Actually, I am convicted also because I know that I do not spend enough time in this ministry that the Lord has given me. Thank you for making me more accountable to this work.

Missionary News & Updates . . .

I do not have a specific missionary to share with you this month, but I do want to tell you about the missions conference we had in August and share an urgent prayer request with you. Please continue to remember the O'Brien family and the Bove's.

In August our church hosted a Missions Conference and I was truly blessed and honoured to have met all of the missionaries present. Some were already established in their field while others are on deputation, trying to raise the necessary support to get to theirs. All were from Macedonia World Baptist Missions in Lawrenceville, Georgia. If your church is currently seeking a Mission's Board in order that you might find missionaries to support, I recommend that you contact Bro. Thurman Wade at Macedonia.

Brother Wade brought the following missionary families to the conference: The Ewing's - Indonesia; The Couch's - Chile, S.A.; The Lane Family - Mexico; The Davis' - Australia; The Moore Family - Brazil. We also had the good pleasure of hearing brother David Weeks preach once more! I wish you all could hear this good brother preach.

During the conference, I collected several prayer cards for these precious families. In addition to financial needs, these folks also have spiritual needs. Even if you cannot provide for them financially, they do covet your prayers.

Urgent prayers sought. . .

On a very serious matter I request your prayer. In January of 1993, three missionaries by the name of Mark Rich, Dave Mankins, Rick Tenenoff were all taken hostage in Columbia by guerillas. All three of these missionaries are with New Tribes Missions. I visited their web page to get an update. Since the time that the men were taken hostage over four years ago, they have had NO contact with their families. However, the wives have met with the president of Costa Rica and he has promised to do what he can to allow an exchange of letters between the men and their wives. I cannot imagine having no contact with my husband in four years. Not only do the men need your prayers, but their families as well. Can you imagine being content in this situation? How selfish I feel and I realize that I take my life and it's luxuries for granted when I read of situations like this. It truly makes me examine my heart to see where it's treasure lies.

Please spread the word to all those who will faithfully pray for these precious people. May God have His perfect will.

Christian Growth

Godly Womanhood

Priorities! I have to admit that sometimes my priority is perfection instead of just loving my family through the things that I do for them. To be perfectly honest, I believe in my quest to keep an organized household that I have become a perfectionist! And I hate it! There is definitely a fine line between organization and perfectionism. I pray that the Lord will help me keep my priorities straight!

Here is an article that I found on the Internet that addresses the Proverbs 31 issue perfectly. Even if you do not home school, there is much to be gleaned from Tamara Eaton's examination of what a true Proverbs 31 woman is and of God's expectation for keepers at home.

Proverbs 31 Home School Moms

Sometimes we just need to take time to do a "reality check" in our homes. We have to remind ourselves, "What does the LORD require of me?" Perfection, in this season of life, in our houses, in our home schools, and in ourselves, is not going to occur!

Some home schooling moms have this idealistic vision of a Proverbs 31 home schooling mother who rises while it is yet early and prepares a large, nutritious hot breakfast for her family, (complete with homemade bread, she never buys "store-bought!") then has time to devote an hour to the Lord in prayer and Bible Study (whoops! Make that two hours, an hour for each!) and then has the house all sparkling clean by 8:00 to start home school!

Her energy level and sunshiny disposition remains steadfast all day, never letting up for even a second. She runs an "one-room-schoolhouse" atmosphere in her kitchen or family room. She lectures brilliantly, reads entire books in one sitting just for fun, all HER children know all their multiplication tables by the second grade. She teaches them all to copy her flawlessly beautiful old-fashioned penmanship. Her children are enthusiastic learners all the time and never are reluctant to have school, but actually beg for more on the weekends! They are all well advanced in all subjects. They are also finished by noon so that she can devote the rest of her day to other meaningful, important activities.

Lunch is gourmet, and so is dinner. The kitchen literally sparkles, the sink and floor areas in particular. She makes everything from scratch, even her own soap. Yet, she does it all in her "spare" time, so as to not take precious moments away from the time she could be spending with her husband and children.

She is always available to answer the phone and the door, to encourage others and just provide entertaining chit chat to the lonely. She is never more than a load of laundry behind...and all of her family's socks match. She has a policy of mending clothes the second they are brought to her...this is simple, she always has matching thread and materials because she makes all of their clothing, too!

But who is the Proverbs 31 home schooling mother? One who loves the Lord with all her heart and does her work as unto the Lord...serves her family as she would serve the Lord. She's not perfect, but she has a steadfast love for her family and it shows. She takes time to examine priorities and prayerfully consider what just HAS to be done, so that she can eliminate the unnecessary. She takes time to rest herself and provide for her own needs, too. She understands that this helps her be a better mom and wife and servant of the Lord!

She doesn't carry around a large burden which the Lord never intended...a burden of "perfection" as she perceives it. Instead, she lets the Lord carry that burden, and she joyfully yields herself to His Holy Spirit to be lead, used and encouraged in her daily walk with Him. While she admires other godly Christian women, she doesn't constantly compare herself with them. She knows that God has created her uniquely and that there is no one on the face of the earth that will be just like her, nor have her unique gifts and ministry.

When she wakes up in the morning, her first thought is not, "What must I do to be a Proverbs 31 wife and mother and woman today?", but instead she lifts praises up to the Lord, "For this is the day that the Lord has made, and I will be glad and rejoice in it!" She lets the love and joy of the Lord flow through her...those "Living Waters!" It just naturally reaches out to embrace her family and others that she has contact with throughout the day.

Let us all yield ourselves to His Holy Spirit today and allow the Lord to work through us and in us!

Permission is given to reprint any of Tamara's articles in non-profit publications as long as the article is reprinted in full and contains the copyright information and website address. Please send a copy of the publication to:Deeper Life Family Ministries, P.O. Box 909, Killen, AL 35645. (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/eaton/prov31ho.htm)

Mother's Corner

The day had been a long, hard one. It seemed like I had been up forever and that the day would never end. 6:00 a.m. comes so early, especially when you don't retire until late in the evening. Plus, I had been playing "catch up" with laundry and various other things for about two weeks. That day I had washed and vacuumed the van, bathed three children BEFORE lunch because they had gotten in the dirt pile, then cleaned out a few boxes of shoes and clothing in the garage that had gotten wet during a big rain storm a few weeks prior and were now covered with black mold.

First I looked through the shoes, tossing those that were ruined, washing those that were molded but machine washable, and wiped off by hand those that could not be tossed in the washer. Then came the box of socks, tiny bow ties, and pantyhose. I moaned to myself. . . why do I do things like this I thought to myself. I separated the things into three piles: ruined, bleachable, and dark colors. Well, I thought again to myself, that's two more loads of laundry above what I already have to do. In the midst of all this, I had to fix dinner and get the children ready for their karate class.

Needless to say, I was quite irritated by the time the children's bedtime rolled around. I had been so cranky and short with the children all day. Fussing, ranting, snappy orders, and barely speaking a kind word to them. Had I even hugged them? kissed them? told them I loved them and really meant it? Sometimes we are guilty of mumbling the words but with little or no feeling or sentiment.

At 9:00 p.m. I hopped in the shower, having not even eaten dinner. A good Tuesday night movie was coming on and I thought I might watch the movie, allowing myself to relax for a bit before I got my Bible and notebook out to study.

The movie was called "The Other Woman" and was about a divorced mother of two girls who was dying of cancer. When she died, her husband and his new wife would be the ones caring for the girls.

"Oh wow", I thought. Considering the day I had had, this movie made me stop and examine my life and my relationship with my children. If this was me minus the divorced part, what would my children remember about me? Would they remember the clean, neat house I tried to keep or the irritable mother who worked hard to keep it neat and clean? And what about what I had tried to teach them about God and Christ and salvation? Would I have instilled in them faith enough in God so that they would not become so angry at their loss that they would begin to hate God? Would my children, when they remembered me, call me blessed? What of tenderness, kindness, gentleness?

For the day that lay behind me, spent, never to be used again, had I made a difference in the lives of my children? What had I taught them? Had I shown them a mother's love? What did I teach them of importance? Oh, I felt that the day had been a disaster even though I had accomplished much.

I really started to think hard on these things. For a long while now I had been aware that in my dealings with my children I did not exercise very much fruit of the Spirit. I am sure that most of you moms are aware of how frustrating being a wife, mother, keeper at home, and all the other roles you fulfill can be. I had let my frustration interfere with how I interact with my children throughout the day. My housework had become an idol, my children taking a backseat to the a spotless van and dust computer hutch. There is need of improvement in the area of my mothering and this movie had really got my attention.

Man is not promised tomorrow. Not even the next hour or minute. We never know when the Lord will call us to our eternal home. Isaiah 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. Just as grass springs forth from the ground and it's life is spent, so is the life of the people. Psalm 102:11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. Our days are like a shadow that draws to a close.

Now Diana, Princess of Wales is gone, leaving two handsome, young sons behind. I am wondering if the Lord is trying to reach me with a message. The Holy Spirit brings to my remembrance Jesus' teaching on where our heart and treasure lay. Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Oh my! My children are treasures! Gifts given to me by a loving Heavenly Father. He could have given them to anyone, but He chose my husband and me. I can't take this house, my van, the dozen's of boxes of tiny socks and shoes in my attic to Heaven when I die. But I can teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to my children and hopefully one day the treasure of their souls will live forever with me, their dad, and a loving Saviour in Heaven. A family circle that will go unbroken.

How long do we have? We never know. Psalm 103:15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. Flowers and grasses are with us but for a season and then they are gone. My life is but for a season and how much work I have before me! We never know when our season will come to a close. How I must train my children, raising them in the fear and admonition of the Lord, for there may not be anyone, when my season has passed, to take on this task.

God, you have given me 5 precious treasures and I pray for your guidance. Help me, I pray, to teach them of faith and salvation. Help me to fill their hearts with your truth.

The Mother's Beatitudes

Homemaker's Place

Recipes

In light of my thoughts in the Mother's Corner column, I thought this "recipe" appropriate this month. God help me follow these directions!

Hugs, kisses, smiles, a listening ear... it will only take a moment to give these to a child. Combine this with your love, prayer, and knowledge of the Lord above. You shall soon see that this recipe was surely meant to be. It doesn't take long for those sweet, childhood days to be gone. Then this recipe of love can be passed on.

Busy Hands. . .

Fun things for the children to do!

With fall fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to include a few ideas for you to do with your children using the beautiful colored leaves. The project is really quite simple. All you will need will be, for each child: several fall colored leaves (NOT dried out!!); a piece of sturdy paper or poster board the measures about 10 x 13; a glue stick; clear contact paper.

After collecting your leaves, place them between the pages of a heavy book for a day or so to flatten them out. When you are ready to begin the project, place a little glue on the back side of each leaf and attach them to the paper. The next step is to peel the paper backing from the clear contact paper and cover BOTH sides of the place mat. To help the contact paper stick a little better, place a towel over the place mat and carefully run a warm iron over the project. Now your child has a new, inexpensive place mat. These would be great to use for Thanksgiving dinner also. The mats can be personalized (partly to avoid arguments!) by carefully writing the owners name on the paper before covering with the contact paper.

As a companion to the place mat, another idea would be to cut 4 x 6 pieces of paper for name cards. If you cannot find any leaves small enough, trace and cut out your own from appropriately colored construction paper. Follow the same procedure for constructing the place mats. When the name cards are ready, fold in half so that you have the shape of a tent.

To make a "stained glass" window hanging using fall leaves, simply tear off a piece of wax paper and allow it to relax and lie flat over night. Fold it in half and open it back up. Place the leaves that have been collected on one side of the wax paper and when all have been arranged, fold over the other side of the paper. Lay a kitchen or paper towel over the creation and iron lightly. Punch holes at the top, string with yarn and hang where the picture will catch the light!

Fun things for mom to do!

Here is something very useful that you can make. It is not really a crafting sort of item, but you can use your imagination and create something very beautiful and useful that you will treasure always.

Make a Missionary Album!

Maybe you, like myself, have a hard time keeping up with the prayer cards, and have an even harder time remembering to pray for them! I have come up with an idea that I hope will help me remember these folks in prayer.

All you simply need to do is purchase a photo album with individual pockets or magnetic pages. You could even use a scrap book to make your Missionary Prayer Book. Scrapbooks are all the rage these days.

Now, divide the album equally into seven sections and mark each section with a day of the week. You'll need to divide up any prayer cards you currently have into seven groups and place each group under a different section in the album. Along with the prayer card you can place an index card with it that contains important and helpful information about the family (i.e. addresses, birthdays, anniversary date, clothing sizes, or whatever you need to know about them). If you have purchased an album with pockets, you could also keep prayer letters and the like along with the prayer cards.

Now you are all set! Each day of the week you will pray for designated families and you will never have to worry if you have missed someone. Just look at the section for that particular day before you pray so that you can call each family by name. Think of the treasure you will have in your missionary album after many years!

Rest and Relaxation

Internet Interests

Online Christian Bookstores

Christian Books On the Web (some downloadable)

Bible Study

Who Is Our God?

Listed are some verses from Psalms 86. I believe it is one of the most beautiful Psalms in that it talks of the wonderful God we serve. Fill in the blanks.

Our Lord is unique. There is _ _ _ _ like unto Him and no other _ _ _ _ _ like unto His.

He shows _ _ _ _ _ mercy towards us and is a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of souls from _ _ _ _.

Memorization

Each month I would like to encourage you to memorize some scripture that goes along with the "theme" of each issue of this newsletter.

As you can discern, we have talked about priorities this month. I believe that for us to keep our focus on the eternal and not the temporal, it is necessary to set our hearts on those things that will either last forever or that will have an eternal effect. Think of it as it's eternal value.

If your daily cares are hindering you from making choices with eternal value, then memorize 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.

Maybe it is your heart that needs "sweeping" to remove the clutter there. I hate how that my heart often becomes filled with love for things that will soon pass away and that I cannot take with me to Heaven. Do we really realize what a waste of time it is to gain so much in material things? I pray that I can concentrate more on eternal treasures.

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The ABC's of the God-head

You're assignment is to take your King James Bible and find the scripture references for the above descriptions of the God-head. I know you'll get a blessing from this exercise.

(1 John 2:15 KJV) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.