So I usually get in bed with Teddy at 10pm so he can go to sleep...but I typically stay up until at least 11pm laying in bed on my computer. I follow the village blog frequently & ran across a series of post that I missed a couple months ago. I found it VERY interesting & totally applicable to married & non-married. I wanted to wake up Teddy to read with me :)
This is the series: http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/pastors/?tag=biblical-sex
The one that caught my attention the most is Part 4: Procreation. So much so that i'm going to post it here & hope you read. :)
THEIR BLOG:
I have asked Carl Brower, our Director of Preschool Ministries, to write this post. He is a frequent contributor to the preschool blog which is a great resource for parents of little ones. Carl is a faithful pastor who takes the call to commend the works of the Lord to the next generation seriously.
Trying to determine the purpose of sex without consulting its Creator is like trying to figure out how to operate a bulldozer without consulting the manual: You’re not going to use it correctly, and somebody’s probably going to get hurt. As we consult the scriptures, the purpose of sex is revealed and can be summarized by three words: Procreation, Pleasure, and Picture. It is the first of these that will be covered in this post.
Sex is everywhere. Billboards, TV, radio, the Internet, books, magazines, even casual conversation. You only need to stand in line at the grocery store for 45 seconds to see our culture’s obsession with it. The mantra, “If it feels good, do it” is plastered on every conceivable surface where advertising space can be sold. Contrary to popular culture, however, the primary purpose for sex is procreation – the creation of children. There is no denying that God designed it to be pleasurable, but let us look at the first command God issues to Adam and his wife. In Genesis 1:27-28, He commands them to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” It is the design and plan of the Creator for His people, within the protection of marriage, to have children. It is God’s first command to His people.
Obedience to this command means we will have children. As with the purpose of sex, we must push against the culture here and look to the Creator for clarity on this subject. Our culture typically views children as a burden, something that must be tolerated and dealt with in a ‘P.C.’ manner until they can be a contributing member of the family or, indeed, society. We must, as in all things, heed the words of Paul: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
As we turn to scripture we find a different view about children. Psalm 127:3-5 says this: “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Clearly God has designated children as a blessing, not a burden. They are to be our primary focus of discipleship (Deuteronomy 6:4-9), and they will be a conduit of sanctification for us.
For clarification, procreation is not the sole purpose of sex. Women who are unable to conceive are still able to enjoy the pleasures of sex with their husbands, as are men who are infertile able to enjoy it with their wives. This is right and good. Often the blessing of adoption is found to be the vehicle by which these families, by God’s grace, can redeem children who have been born outside of God’s first command. While God’s primary purpose for sex is procreation, the pleasure and the picture He chooses to bless the covenant of marriage with are not lost without the ability to procreate.
I am in a unique position to bear witness to the joys of procreation. As the director of Preschool Ministries for The Village Church, I am able to see the faces of the beautiful children that the Lord blesses the families of our church with. Every weekend, I see hundreds of children, from small infants to kindergartners whom God has fortified with more energy than they know what to do with. It is my hope that these children are constant reminders of both God’s love for us, and the truth that we will find joy in our obedience to Him – even in the first of His commands.
MY THOUGHTS:
I have actually been wondering this question for a while & haven't really searched for an answer. "Is it biblical to NOT want children?" I kind of was brought up thinking that it's your own choice, but that most women say YES to this. I'm a woman who says YES. I can't wait to have kids (we want 4 kiddos & 1 adopted kiddo) But what do you do when you have a friend who says no? Because I always thought it was your own choice it was whatever. But now that I was pointed to scripture I see that it's not biblical & doesn't align with what God wants. It can be a sensitive subject for people who don't want kids for whatever reason. And I know that Christ isn't wanting to just walk on egg shells in our lives...He stinkin steps on toes. I have a feeling that if people read this & are not wanting kids (married or not married) they will have a SERIOUS confrontation with the Lord.
What do you think?
Check out the rest of the post. I really enjoyed the series. They originally taught this to their junior high & high school ministry. I love that they are bringing the truths of the Word to these students. I had NO idea "be fruitful & multiply" was the first command to US. How neat to learn at a young age & to start wrapping their minds around...oh & how it's perfect for marriage ONLY.
I can't WAIT to be a mom. It will be scary, but so fun to teach & disciple our kids.
-Kells
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
just another day...
this summer has flown by. I can hardly believe that it's July 21st. This means a couple things:
1) My support has to be finished in 10 days
2) One of my best friends is getting married in 10 days.
3) Working with a team/meetings start back up 19 days
I'm looking forward to having a schedule. Instead of waking up between 8am-9:30am and wondering what I'm going to do for the day. It's hard to do much support raising during the day because most people are at work. Plus, Teddy is at work. I feel like I've watched WAYYYY to much Dr. Phil, Ellen, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud...yea enough. I can honestly say i've wasted a lot of time this summer...unfortunately.
Oh and you read that last paragraph correct...Teddy is now working during the day. He moved to that shift not this past monday but the one before that. So, we've been on this schedule for a week & half. We are enjoying it so far for multiple reasons:
1) He is home every night with me=we get to sleep together in the same bed
2) I feel safer for obvious reasons. I hated when he left at night & there were people outside who could see him leave his apt in work gear. Of course I think everyone is out to endanger me. :)
3) We don't have to rush home if we want to hang out with friends at night. Sure, he probably needs to be in bed between 10pm-11pm every night. But during a week day, I don't see us hanging out late anyways
4) He has weekends completely off. That's right...Monday-Friday 7am-3:30pm. Can you say NORMAL? He is finally on a consistent schedule. Better for his body & our relationship!
5) It makes me go to bed earlier & wake up earlier. I'm hoping this will allow me to spend time with the Lord in the morning now....instead of random times or not at all.
6) Last but not least: We get to pray together every night before we fall asleep & I get a goodnight kiss. :) i cherish this!
I guess I'm into list currently.
Support support support...i'm getting closer and closer. Still have at least $5,000 to raise. And 10 days to do it....really less than that considering wedding week is fast approaching. I've actually had one person increase from $100/m to $150/m this week AND a new person come on at $100/m. YAY!...plus $15/m and a one time gift of $100. That's quite a bit in one week (14.25%). If you read this PLEASE pray that the last bit of the money will come in. If you personally want to give holla at me. If you know someone who might be interested holla at me. If you want to pray for the ministry monthy holla at me. There are many ways for you to be apart of the wonderful things the Lord does on campus around the world.
So i blogged about our snowball effect for debt we are doing. I'm excited to say that my ring will officially be paid off in August...only a short 11 months after he purchased it. Sure, most people would prefer paying that off before you get into marriage...but ehh whatever. We got it taken care of & it's worth it for my bling of a ring that i love DEARLY. Next is the truck. We are taking ANY extra money that we didn't budget for (Teddy's overtime & selling stuff on craigs list) and putting it towards debt. Plus, after the ring is paid for we take that entire payment & add it to the already payment of the truck. It seems NUTS to be paying over $800 a month towards a debt...but heck we are gonna pay off that truck by next June...then be DEBT FREE a little after our first year of marriage. Gosh, we will be able to save tons each month after it's paid off & maybe even allow some breathing room in our budget for more fun dates etc. I will keep you updated on this massive accomplishment as the months continue on.
Oh & p.s. we've been married over 4 months now. HOLY MOLY. Time just flies. Before I know it I will be at the 6 month mark of car insurance (since its on a 6 month bases)...life.
Oh I was trying another 2 recipes this week. One is chicken & stuffing skillet and the other is Beef Taco Bake. I make the 2nd one last night & it was YUMMY. Really it tasted just like a enchilada, but yum. I found both recipes off Campbell Kitchen Recipes. Soup is key :) We both had it for lunch the next day (today) and it was just as great re-heated.
We are still getting our apartment together. We hung curtains & mirror squares in our bedroom this week. I'm working on painting from picture frames brown and hanging up some of our wedding pictures. I'm using white shelves too that the frames will be resting on & hanging above. I'm excited to get it up & going. We also sold our over sized white chair that is in our bedroom & are buying a desk. We are thrilled to get all my work crap out of the living room & organized on the desk. I want a wood desk & a cute wood chair. I've had TONS of luck finding different types on Craigs List & even at Walmart. My problem is finding a wood chair. Everyone sales the black fancy computer chairs...i don't want that big thing in my bedroom. Any ideas? Plus, I'm weird about matching woods. I mean currently we have all sorts of woods in our apartment because that is just how it has to be. I'm just hoping to land something with a desk & chair...for CHEAP.
Oh and i found out the other flatware that we received as a wedding gift is from JcPenney's. It's a 101 piece set....orginally $200 and on sale currently for $89.99. WOWIE! What a lovely little blessing 4 months in. We are going to take it back & hopefully buy some pretty curtains for our living room...mostly to help block the heat that comes in every afternoon-night. We still have some more money there too because of another wedding gift from there. We bought our big mirror in my living room & still have more. I still don't understand why people go off registries & not only that spend ALOT on the gift. i mean, it's working out in the end for us...and they are still contributing to our house. It's helpful.
you know why my husband is cool? He has passed out the past two nights on the couch at 8pm and 7pm. I just let him sleep & will wake him up soon for him to shower and go to bed. He has been tired from work lately. Hopefully it won't be like that always. :)
I hope to be back on the blog before another month passes. HOPEFULLY.
-Kells
1) My support has to be finished in 10 days
2) One of my best friends is getting married in 10 days.
3) Working with a team/meetings start back up 19 days
I'm looking forward to having a schedule. Instead of waking up between 8am-9:30am and wondering what I'm going to do for the day. It's hard to do much support raising during the day because most people are at work. Plus, Teddy is at work. I feel like I've watched WAYYYY to much Dr. Phil, Ellen, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud...yea enough. I can honestly say i've wasted a lot of time this summer...unfortunately.
Oh and you read that last paragraph correct...Teddy is now working during the day. He moved to that shift not this past monday but the one before that. So, we've been on this schedule for a week & half. We are enjoying it so far for multiple reasons:
1) He is home every night with me=we get to sleep together in the same bed
2) I feel safer for obvious reasons. I hated when he left at night & there were people outside who could see him leave his apt in work gear. Of course I think everyone is out to endanger me. :)
3) We don't have to rush home if we want to hang out with friends at night. Sure, he probably needs to be in bed between 10pm-11pm every night. But during a week day, I don't see us hanging out late anyways
4) He has weekends completely off. That's right...Monday-Friday 7am-3:30pm. Can you say NORMAL? He is finally on a consistent schedule. Better for his body & our relationship!
5) It makes me go to bed earlier & wake up earlier. I'm hoping this will allow me to spend time with the Lord in the morning now....instead of random times or not at all.
6) Last but not least: We get to pray together every night before we fall asleep & I get a goodnight kiss. :) i cherish this!
I guess I'm into list currently.
Support support support...i'm getting closer and closer. Still have at least $5,000 to raise. And 10 days to do it....really less than that considering wedding week is fast approaching. I've actually had one person increase from $100/m to $150/m this week AND a new person come on at $100/m. YAY!...plus $15/m and a one time gift of $100. That's quite a bit in one week (14.25%). If you read this PLEASE pray that the last bit of the money will come in. If you personally want to give holla at me. If you know someone who might be interested holla at me. If you want to pray for the ministry monthy holla at me. There are many ways for you to be apart of the wonderful things the Lord does on campus around the world.
So i blogged about our snowball effect for debt we are doing. I'm excited to say that my ring will officially be paid off in August...only a short 11 months after he purchased it. Sure, most people would prefer paying that off before you get into marriage...but ehh whatever. We got it taken care of & it's worth it for my bling of a ring that i love DEARLY. Next is the truck. We are taking ANY extra money that we didn't budget for (Teddy's overtime & selling stuff on craigs list) and putting it towards debt. Plus, after the ring is paid for we take that entire payment & add it to the already payment of the truck. It seems NUTS to be paying over $800 a month towards a debt...but heck we are gonna pay off that truck by next June...then be DEBT FREE a little after our first year of marriage. Gosh, we will be able to save tons each month after it's paid off & maybe even allow some breathing room in our budget for more fun dates etc. I will keep you updated on this massive accomplishment as the months continue on.
Oh & p.s. we've been married over 4 months now. HOLY MOLY. Time just flies. Before I know it I will be at the 6 month mark of car insurance (since its on a 6 month bases)...life.
Oh I was trying another 2 recipes this week. One is chicken & stuffing skillet and the other is Beef Taco Bake. I make the 2nd one last night & it was YUMMY. Really it tasted just like a enchilada, but yum. I found both recipes off Campbell Kitchen Recipes. Soup is key :) We both had it for lunch the next day (today) and it was just as great re-heated.
We are still getting our apartment together. We hung curtains & mirror squares in our bedroom this week. I'm working on painting from picture frames brown and hanging up some of our wedding pictures. I'm using white shelves too that the frames will be resting on & hanging above. I'm excited to get it up & going. We also sold our over sized white chair that is in our bedroom & are buying a desk. We are thrilled to get all my work crap out of the living room & organized on the desk. I want a wood desk & a cute wood chair. I've had TONS of luck finding different types on Craigs List & even at Walmart. My problem is finding a wood chair. Everyone sales the black fancy computer chairs...i don't want that big thing in my bedroom. Any ideas? Plus, I'm weird about matching woods. I mean currently we have all sorts of woods in our apartment because that is just how it has to be. I'm just hoping to land something with a desk & chair...for CHEAP.
Oh and i found out the other flatware that we received as a wedding gift is from JcPenney's. It's a 101 piece set....orginally $200 and on sale currently for $89.99. WOWIE! What a lovely little blessing 4 months in. We are going to take it back & hopefully buy some pretty curtains for our living room...mostly to help block the heat that comes in every afternoon-night. We still have some more money there too because of another wedding gift from there. We bought our big mirror in my living room & still have more. I still don't understand why people go off registries & not only that spend ALOT on the gift. i mean, it's working out in the end for us...and they are still contributing to our house. It's helpful.
you know why my husband is cool? He has passed out the past two nights on the couch at 8pm and 7pm. I just let him sleep & will wake him up soon for him to shower and go to bed. He has been tired from work lately. Hopefully it won't be like that always. :)
I hope to be back on the blog before another month passes. HOPEFULLY.
-Kells
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