Happy Birthday Bronte!!

May 3, 2009 at 2:56 am (Stories of His Grace)

Tomorrow (May 3rd) is Bronte’s 16th birthday! There are 6 people that have graciously written Bronte encouraging words as she enters this milestone age. You will get just a small glimpse of God’s grace that radiates in her.

Dear Bronte- Happy birthday!! It is so exciting to see you turn 16…it is a great age! The reason why is not only because you are older but, because each year brings more growth in godliness and I cannot wait to continue to see this happen in your life! You are a HUGE example to me with your gentle and quiet spirit, your love for the Lord, your kindness to others, your heart to serve others, and countless other ways. God has used you when I fail and struggle and you encourage me with truth from the word. I could not ask for a better friend and dear sister in Christ. I love you very much! Grace and Peace to you!

Love, Becca (B :)

Happy Birthday Bronte! You are such a wonderful Godly young woman and I have been blessed as I have been getting to know you so much over the years! Thanks for your friendship and prayers! Love you!

~Lily Fluharty

Bronte, You are one of the most mature and godly girls I know. I love talking to you, because you’re willing to talk about things that really matter. Thanks for putting up with me for all these years! I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

-Stephanie Alderton (The Gatekeeper)

Happy Birthday Bronte!!! You are such a great friend and your always encouraging people in the Lord! THanks for being a great Godly influence! Love you!

-Jessa

Bronte it has been a joy to be your brother these past years, and now you’re 16!!! I can hardly believe it! Though sometimes it’s been rough at the end of the day you are great to be around, you are a great sister, and I cannot imagine life without you.

-Thaxton (Bronte’s brother)

Bronte–  I have known you for a long time now…about ten years I would guess and it has been a joy to watch you grow from a little girl into the young woman that you are now.  I have watched you play Pretty Pretty Princess with Mr. Whipple when we babysat you to watching you play games with my kids as you babysit them.  When I leave my children with you I know and trust that they are on very capable and loving hands, thank-you.  There are too many ways to count the ways you have serves and blessed me and my family but none the less I want to thank-you!!!!
You have grown and matured into a beautiful young woman and I love having you as a role model for my girls.
Turning 16 is a big deal…you are on the cusp of two eras…leaving childhood and entering womanhood… it’s a truly beautiful time.. make sure to stop and enjoy it over the next year.
May God grant you grace and wisdom as you mature showering His blessings upon you while causing His face to shine on you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BRONTE!!!
You are indeed a gift of God and an evidence of His unending grace!

blessings– Mrs. Whipple

Dear Bronte,
Happy Birthday! You are a beautiful Godly young woman. I am so blessed to have a friend like you! I really admire your walk with the Lord and you are such a wonderful example! The last part of this verse reminds me of you.  ”Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”  You shine with the love of Jesus every day! You are a beautiful woman, inside and out! Have a fantastic birthday!! Love you!


Your sister in Christ,
Lindsey


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Worldliness: God, My Heart, and Stuff

May 1, 2009 at 8:48 pm (Posts by Becca, Worldliness: A book study)

imagesWelcome to the discussion on the fourth chapter of Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World. To learn more about what this group is, click HERE. We also recently started a FACEBOOK page! Click HERE to visit this site. It is NEVER to late to join!! To join, send an email to innominables@gmail.com

I want to encourage all of you to not just read these questions and move on. Please take the time to answer them on paper and to prayerfully consider whether any of these things can apply to your life. So without further ado, here are the questions.

For Your Mind:

Q: Covetousness is a word we don’t often use in normal conversation. What does it mean?

A: Mr. Harvey describes covetousness as the following:

“Covetousness as a glutton for stuff. Through covetous attractions and distractions within the heart, our stuff takes on meaning in our lives far beyond what God intends. Covetousness is choosing earthly trinkets over eternal treasure.” -Dave Harvey

Q: How is it that we can be covetous whether we’re rich, poor, or anywhere in between?

A: It is humbling because no matter our financial status, we are always desiring more. I have seen this all too many times in my own life. When I don’t have any money, I covet. When I do have money, I covet as well. We will never be truly satisfied in life until we realize that we must be completely satisfied in Jesus Christ alone. When we are covetous, we are saying that Jesus is not enough to satisfy us. True to be told…He is enough, He is more than enough. We must seek to be satisfied in Him before we see a decreasing desire for things of this world.

Q: How does the gospel specifically speak to the bondage of covetousness and materialism?

A: When we have the truth of the Gospel, there is no room for condemnation, or guilt over sin. If you have been convicted over sin in ths area, don’t let you response be one of condemnation. The only right response is to worship God and glorify His name because we have been set free from sin’s power over us (Galatians 5:1).

For your Heart:

Q: Christ died to free you from loving stuff too much. What excites you about this truth? How should it influence our daily lives?

A: Knowing that even after confessing sin I will mess up again, it excites me to know that Jesus Christ shed His blood because I am sinful. So not only are my sins covered and paid for but, when the HOLY God of the universe looks at me, He sees the perfection of His Son. This is amazing truth. I am so unworthy of His critic let alone His love! It should influence my life if I daily die to myself, my desires, and my cravings and when I mess up I look and see my Savior who died for me. This will bring true and satisfying joy.

For the most of the rest of the questions, you guys can answer them on your own and remember to apply them and not just let it rest. Don’t be content with knowing…ACT!

Q: Describe a person you know who is regularly generous. How does this person reflect the eternal perspective of the gospel as he or she lets go of treasured possessions to benefit someone else? When was teh last time God was so big for you that you let go of tresured possessions?

Q: Are you giving regularly and generously to your local church? Describe why this is important to you, or what it is not your practice at present.

For Your Life:

Q: This chapter notes that when the gospel gets bigger, covetouness becomes weak. Reread John Owen’s quote on page 108. What does it mean to fill your affections with the cross and love of Christ?

A: I am going to put the quote below:

“When someone sets his affections upon the cross and love of Christ, he crucifies the world as a dead and undesirable thing. The baits of sin lose their attaction and disappear. Fill your affections with teh cross of Christ and you will find no room for sin.”

Q: When this chapter points out that embracing covetousness can be a private sin, but casting it off should be a group project project. Who will you enlist to cast off covetousness?

A: It is SOOOO important to have someone that will hold you accountable to sin and help you bring it into the light. If you are a teen, I highly suggest asking your parents to help you in this area. They see a us sin often and know us better than we sometimes know ourselves (Sin is deceptive!). Bronte and I just started our own accountablility time last month and this has already helped me.

Q: Parents, what steps can you take to train your children to share geneously with others?

A: Well, I don’t think we have many readers that are parents but, for those of you who are parents…I have no ideas for you! :) I am sure that in your wisdom you can consult others for the answer.

Join us JUNE 5TH for a timely dicussion on the area of Modesty! Thanks for reading guys!

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Desires and Conflict

April 21, 2009 at 10:05 pm (Conflict and Cravings, Cravings, Fighting Sin, Posts by Becca, The Gospel, Uncategorized)

Today, as conflict was present in our home again I was led to read the word as tears were filling my eyes. Why? This question was going through my head. Why is there conflict? I had to remind myself again, because we live in a fallen world and that is why we need a Savior!! BUT, God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2: 4-5). In search for the source (or root) or all conflict, the Lord led me to these verses.

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ” -James 4: 1-5 (ESV)

“Ouch”…..very convicting!! Our passions and cravings that are at war with in us. We want something but, do not have it so we murder (hatred is considered murder in the eyes of our Savior). This is the root of all fighting.

This afternoon, my sister and I experienced this very thing.”BUT, I”. This very sentence reveals so much selfishness and pride! It comes out of my mouth so often. “But, I want to do this”, “But, I want it this way”, “But, I was in the middle of doing something”, to name a few.

Every single day, we all have a chance to lay down our wants and our desires and glorify God by serving others. How quickly I fail, how quickly I speak before I think about what I am going to say, how quickly I become moody when don’t get my way.

As, all of this sin was revealed in my heart today, I was quickly tempted to despair. I love the words to the song, “Before the Throne of God Above”. The 2nd verse particularly speaks against despair.

When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see him there who made an end of all my sin! Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free, for God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me, to look on Him and pardon me. -Before the Throne of God Above (Vicki Cook-Sovereign Grace Music)

images-1Remember the gospel!! The gospel is the the only antidote to discouragement. Remember when the Savior died, and how He died for all of our sins!! Absolutely NOTHING is outside of His mercy for those who are His. Nothing can keep you from the love and grace waiting for you in the arms of the Savior. Run to His side, dear saints. Don’t walk and fall away from the path of mercy, RUN to HIM!

Lastly remember that when in humility (James 4:6) we acknowledge our sin and weakness before the Lord, HIS sustaining grace is ever-present!!

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I’m found
Was blind but now I see so clearly
Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

-Grace Like Rain (Todd Agnew)

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Bronte’s Picks

April 16, 2009 at 9:37 pm (Uncategorized)

Besides the Bible I love the following;

Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis:

I love Narnia! Besides the Bible there is no book I have read that affects me so deeply. I feel God has brought me closer narnia_booksto Him through reading these books. They beautifully portray real life truths in a graceful, imaginative way. They are wonderful and a dear part of my growing up. And I’m not ashamed to say I actually cried as I read The Last Battle. “Further up and further in!”

 

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien:

Another fantastic seriese! In LOTR Tolkien clearly shows the difference between good and evil. It shows even in the 0395193958_01_lzzzzzzz1darkest of times there is still a glimmer of hope. Oh, and the movies are fantastic too!

 

Why Pro-Life by Randy Alcorn:

x88301I was definitly pro-life before I read this book but now I feel like I’m even more pro-life. Alcorn does a great job of defending the pro-life stand in short, easy to read chapters. Even thought I’m only 16, I found this book understandable. This book is for everyone, whether or not their pro-life.

 

The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul:

God is holy. How often in our day to day life we forget this. It should not be forgotten! God’s holliness is nothing to be the_holiness_of_godtrifled with. It is awe-inspiring and powerful. It should take our breath away. This book is a worshipful expirience. As it takes us deeper into God’s holliness it inspires worship to our awesome Creature. This book is worth it’s weight in gold.

 

Other favorites include, Chosen by God (by R.C. Sproul), Leepike Ridge and 100 Cupboards (by N.D. Wilson), The Penderwicks (by Jeanne Birdsall), Pride and Prejudice (by Jane Austen), Little Women (by Louisa May Alcott), and anything written by Kate DiCamillo

Read away!

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Worldliness: God, My Heart, and Music

April 11, 2009 at 2:21 pm (Post by all of us, Worldliness: A book study)

Discussion Questions: (taken from the book Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World)

For Your Mind:

1. What indications do we have from the Bible that God likes music?

2. Why can’t we create a list of artists or music styles that every Christian should listen to or avoid.

3. What do we mean when we say that music carries content, context, and culture?

For your Heart:

1. How important is music to you? Are you easily irritated when you aren’t hearing the music you prefer? Are you more passionate about a concert than participation in your local church? More excited about the latest album than about the truth that Christ has saves you?

2. Does the music you listen to lead you to love the Savior more, or does it cause your affection for Christ to diminish.

3. Whose musical tastes are you most tempted to critique or look down on?

For your Life:

1. Do you own music that you’ll listen to only if you backslide? If so, what reasons do you give for holding onto it?

2. As Harold Best points out, “There is no single chosen language or artistic or musical style that, better than all the others, can capture and repeat back the fullness of the glory of God.” What is one thing you can do to broaden your musical taste?

3. Next Saturday night or Sunday morning, prepare for your church’s Sunday meeting by taking time to thank the Lord for his gift of music and for those he’s provided to lead your church in worship. What are some ways you can prepare your heart and join wholeheartedly when your church gathers for worship?

Three weeks from now we will post the discussion questions from Chapter 4.

Thanks everyone!

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Updates and Book Recommendations

March 30, 2009 at 5:32 pm (Book Recommendations, Posts by Becca, Worldliness: A book study)

I believe that we need to slow down the book study and take it even slower. This is for two reasons. I think that we need more time to read and study each chapter. Life is very busy and two weeks go by very fast!! The other reason is because all three of us girls have been very busy. We all manage at least one other blog in addition to this one. We need to make school work and helping in our home and in our church the highest priority. So please bear with us during this busy stage of life.

Two ways you can help us are below:

  1. PRAY. Pray for wisdom for us as we discern what to blog about and that the Lord would give us words to speak what He is calling us to say.
  2. We need you to get involved! Would you please consider sharing how the Lord has saved you? When I read other blogs, I love to read stories of others and how they were saved. They encourage me in my faith. We love our readers input!!!!! Please, PLEASE take the time to share any ideas or posts that you would like to see on our blog. You can do this via commenting or sending an email to innominables@gmail.com

That being said, I thought that it would be fun to each of us to share our favorite books and then for you to share your favorite ones with us. So today, I (Becca) am going to give you my book recommendations.

41i9dgebtcl_sl500_aa240_Keeping The Heart: By John Flavel

I just started reading this wonderful puritan book a week or so ago. It is SO, SO, SO good!!! I highly recommend it! I am six pages into it and already I have been convicted by my sin and encouraged by the Gospel. Our hearts are at the bottom of every sin that we face and give into. What comes out of our mouths, reveals what is in our heart. Wow! John Flavel takes time to share how we can preserve the heart from sin only by the grace of God (we will mess up a lot-Praise God for the Gospel!).

“It is observes of an eminent saint, that when he was confessing sin, he would never give over confessing until he had felt brokeness of heart over that sin; and when praying for any spiritual mercy, would never give over that suit till he had obtained some relish of that mercy” -John Flavel

41k5f190ghl_sl500_aa240_The Mortification of Sin: By John Owen

I finished this book just last week. It is VERY good!!! I also highly suggest getting and reading this one! John Owen brings a seriousness to sin that I often don’t experience. It is to be dealt with. Know what circumstances tempt you and avoid them! We must slay sin so that we may become less and Christ more! This is the amazing work of Sanctification! The Gospel was spoken clearly in this book and that is very needed in a book that revealed so much sin in my life. If not for the grace of God, I would have no hope. Praise the Lord that we do have hope! What a Savior!

“It is to be feared that many Christians have little knowledge of the main enemy that they carry about them in their hearts” “Be killing sin or it will be killing you” -John Owen

images1Respectable Sins: By Jerry Bridges

I read this book around a year ago. It is very good and definatly worth buying and reading. Mr. Bridges takes about the sins that we easily excuse such as Anxiety, Ungodliness, Unthankfulness, Pride, Selfishness, Discontentment to name a few. It was so convicting! I read it with our parent-youth small group last year and so we did the discussion questions as well. In fact, buy the disscussion book!

“The primary purpose of this book is to help us face the presence of many of these subtle sins in our lives and to recognize the fact that, to a large degree, they have become acceptable to us. We tolerate them in our lives with hardly a second thought. That makes them more dangerous because, in addition to the basic sin itself, they can open the door of our hearts to greater sin. Discontentment, for example can easily lead to resentment or bitterness toward God or other people. – Jerry Bridges”

Well, that is three books of many more that I love! In the near future, Bronte and Grace will both be posting their favorite books. Thank you for your extreme patience!

We will be posting in between each discussion of Worldliness each month. By the grace of God, Lord willing we will post about some topics that you (our readers) share with us via email or comments.

Join us on this coming Friday (April 3rd) as we discuss together the questions from the 3rd chapter of Worldliness: God, My Heart, and Music.

In His amazing grace,

Becca for the Innominables

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Worldliness: God, My Heart, and the Media

March 6, 2009 at 11:17 pm (Fighting Sin, Post by all of us, Worldliness: A book study)

Discussion Question taken from “Worldliness” on chapter two:

For your Mind:

1. Why is no one immune to the media today?

2. As this chapter notes, hardly any discussion of media standards gets far before someone cries “Legalism!” What is legalism? What is the only possible solution to legalism?

3. What does it mean to live coram Deo?

For your Heart:

1. How are you tempted to watch passively or with a sense of immunity as you serf the Internet or watch TV or films?

2. In what way can you cultivate a greater awareness that every film, TV show, and Internet page you see is “before the face of God”?

3.  When you “need a break,” are you more likely to reach for the remote? Fellowship with God and other believers? Something else?

For your Life:

1. This chapter explains that God-pleasing discernment involves remembering his grace to us in the death and resurrection of our Savior, and responding to his grace with a heart eager to please him bt taking pleasure in what is good and right and true. How will this truth effect your decision about the next movie you watch?

2. If you limited your media choices to what was actually benificial (as opposed to just permissable, would your viewing habbits change? If so, how?

3. Does anyone know what you watch, how much you watch, and specific areas in which you are tempted? If not, whom ca you seek biblical accountability from?

Now we want to point out that  it’s not  inherintly wrong to watch TV or movies, entertainment and leasure are gifts from God. But the danger is when we watch or listen or read thoughtlessly. Are we considering whether the content is appropriate? Are we considering what worldview is being presented? Are we considering how much time we’re spending on the media? Are we considering it’s effect on us? Are we watching in a worshipful way that expresses gratatude and appriciation to God for His good gifts? 

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Worldiness: Is This Verse in Your Bible?

February 20, 2009 at 8:00 am (Posts by Becca, Worldliness: A book study)

imagesWelcome to the very first discussion on the first chapter of Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World. To learn more about what this group is, click HERE. We also recently started a FACEBOOK page! Click HERE to visit this site. It is NEVER to late to join!! To join, send an email to innominables@gmail.com

Well guys, it is February 20th. I applaud all of you for the grace that is evident in your life by taking this step to learn about resisting worldliness! Not many people would join a group like this.

I want to encourage all of you to not just read these questions and move on. Please take the time to answer them on paper and to prayerfully consider whether any of these things can apply to your life. So without further ado, here are the questions.

For Your Mind:

1: When the apostle John warns us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world” (1 John 2:15 NIV), what does he mean by “the world”?

2: Why is this warning relevant for every Christian?

3: How does 1 John 2:15-16 turn our focus away for externals to the matters of the heart?

For Your Heart:

4: Can you relate to any of these reasons for neglecting Scripture’s command not to love the world?

  • “Resisting worldliness” is just another way to say “out of touch.”
  • I can’t evangelize the world if I don’t relate to the world
  • No one has the right to tell me how much of the world I can take.
  • My friends need this book more than I do.
  • I’m not tempted to worldliness because I go to church-in fact, I attend Sunday meetings and a small group every week.
  • If I think too seriously about it, I might have to let go some things that I enjoy. (My biggest reason!)

5: Is your Christian life marked by increasing love for the Savior? Or was there a time when you were consistently more passionate for God, and more characterized by extravagant devotion and love for the church, then you are now? If the latter, why do you think this has happened?

6: What are you passionate about? What preoccupies you when your time and thoughts are your own?

For Your Life:

7: Is there something in the world you’re presently attracted to or pursuing? It’s probably whatever you have been thinking about as you read this chapter. If, so, how can you seek accountability and help from a godly friend, parent, or pastor?

8: As this chapter points out, the antidote to worldliness is the cross of Jesus Christ. This is why Charles Spurgeon’s counsel to “dwell where the cries of calvary can be heard” is so valuable. What does Spurgeon man by this? What is one way that you can begin to follow his advice?

*These questions are taken from the back of the book, Worldliness in the discussion questions section*

Throughout the next two weeks leading up to the discussion of the second chapter (God, My Heart, and Media) we will be posting more ways that we have been convicted and how we can put to practice what we are being taught.

Join us on MARCH 6TH for the discussion questions for chapter two: God, My Heart, and Media by Craig Cabaniss.

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Website to Purchese Worldliness

February 4, 2009 at 10:09 pm (Worldliness: A book study)

Alright! You all may begin reading Worldliness at anytime now. For those of you who do not own a book, click here to buy the book for $7!

Your assignment is to read the 1st chapter by February 20th. On that day we will post some dicussion questions and dicuss them together! If you get behind, don’t worry about it! Do as much of the first chapter as you can!

We are so excited to start this book study with all of you!

The Innominables (Becca, Bronte, and Grace)

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And the winner is….

February 4, 2009 at 6:59 pm (Worldliness: A book study)

THAXTON GAMACHE!!

Congratulations on winning the copy of Worldliness! We are so happy that you won and are so thankful that you had the courage to stand up and be the only guy (at present) to be in the book club! THANK YOU!

We thought that we would take a few minutes to have Bronte share an evidence of grace that she sees in her brother!

An evidence of grace I see in Thaxton is his diligence. These past two years in school our homework level has been bumped up considerably and the material is a lot harder. But through is all Thaxton has remained diligent and he has tried really hard to meet all the requirements and to do well. And he has! By God’s grace he has been getting good grades and doing well in all his subjects (I wish I could say as much. I hate math! :) )

Thaxton, It really is amazing to watch you do your work. You are diligent and you are good at doing your work until it’s done. Even if it means putting aside what you want to do. Praise God for His work in you life. I don’t know what I would do without you. Love ya little brother!

More details on the book club will be coming soon!




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