B4J Introduction
So, how did I come up with the title for my blog? I am glad you asked. Each “b” word has significance to me and they represent categories of things I want to write about.
Boats - Amy Carmichael, a missionary to Japan and more notably, India, was waiting on the docks to leave Japan for a different destination. The boat had been scheduled for a certain day and time but they waited for at least a week before they embarked, true to the culture. A colleague tried to encourage the weary, frustrated and increasingly impatient Amy with these words, “God knows about the boats.” Over the last several years God has taught me a lot through the slow-going, plan/dream shifting, patience-testing, sometimes painful “boats” of life. So under this category I want to share the things that God has taught me through this voyage which has yet to find port. I’ve encountered rough seas, of course, but I find it well worth it given the blessings Christ has bestowed on me along the way. I hope that you will be encouraged by the things that God has taught me. He does know about the boats. He has made me very well aware of it. In this I rejoice. Yes, and I rejoice!
Barnacles - You know these, the hard crusty animals that live on the sides of boats that seem to be a permanent fixture. Sometimes these critters on the sides of water craft make great photographs but generally they are a nuisance and detract from the intrinsic beauty of the vessel. It takes a lot of work to get them off and they leave spots behind. Barnacles are to me analogous to my nasty flesh left behind from the old nasty habits before I met Christ that God has been chipping away since I met Him. This process is often painful but also relieving. Many times chipping away one “barnacle” reveals 10 more but what is encouraging to me is that underneath these clingy critters there is a beautiful boat that God created to do good works as a result of my salvation by faith. So, you will find blog entries dealing with these ugly barnacles as He teaches me and continues to scrape them off.
Books - Oh glorious books!!!! If you know me at all, you know I love books and generally have a stack of 5 or 6 that I am reading at a time. Undoubtedly I will have to write about the books I read. But this category is not just about books. it is about anything that makes us think and stretches my brain - issues of the day, articles I’ve read, missions, history, etc. I absolutely love learning! I have a passion and heart’s desire to not be an ignorant believer. I believe we need to be aware of the world around us and be able to engage an intelligent world in intelligent oral and in written communication. This will be the outpouring of what I’m learning. And I want to be an encourager to wives and moms that we don’t have to or need to “check our brain at the door.” By having solid foundations in our faith and key areas of knowledge we can have a huge impact on our families, communities, nation and world.
Bungalows - I love bungalows. But I am not really going to write specifically about bungalows. This is just another way to mean things of the home. One thing I have always wanted to do (and am doing now) is be a house wife among a thousand other things. I want my home to be one of peace and rest. God has been teaching me so much about living a simple life lately, less clutter and clamor all around. I want to share these thoughts with you. Also, I love the challenge of eating frugally and more and more I have been trying to adopt eating whole foods, completely unprocessed. So, I want to share recipes and tips and ideas with you.
B4J - This is part of the URL for this blog site taken from the 4 b’s and the J stands for Jesus. B4Jesus! I want my life to be lived out for Jesus in action and in words and through that see others come to know Him and grow in Him. I don’t want this blog to be about me, pointing back to me, tooting my own horn or any such thing like that. I want God to use these b’s in my life to bring about the glory of Jesus Christ.
Enjoy! I hope you find this not just jargon and rhetoric but beneficial to you.
