Media, Homemaking & Making Disciples of All Nations

For the last few weeks I've been participating in Media Monday's talking about how media affects our life and relationships. I have seen the Lord use media in incredible ways to glorify Himself and expand His kingdom so I feel like an advocate of intentionally using media for the glory of God. When I meet bloggers, film writers and producers, photographers and web designers who see media as an avenue to reach and disciple people for Christ it lights me up.

I am in awe of the reality that God put me in this very time period with resources, the internet to tell people about Him from my living room! What a privledge to get to brag on God to more people I could ever in person, right here online.

I know media has a lot of avenues used for evil, so do a lot of things. I know there are many temptations, so are a lot of things. But I also know that when we "walk by the Spirit you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Gal. 5:16 We need to be careful of blaming our sin on other outlets, and not to think that abstaining from things other people use for evil will make us holy. Our source of holiness, our empowerment to live godly is the Holy Spirit. Admitting that we can't live the Christian life in our own self-sufficiency and surrendering to Him living His life through us is the only way to not give in our flesh. This world needs yielded to and empowered by Him people who use their resources to dive into the hard places for the glory of God. People who will be intentional to get in the battle, not run from it. (But, here you are reading this... using media. So I'm preaching to the choir, so I'll move on.) Back to homemaking, media and making disciples of all nations.

I have a sweet friend from church who made a comment one time that stuck with me. "Home decorating magazines are like homemakers porn." Woah! Pornography are images designed to make you lust after something you don't have. I can see the comparison. Since we are beings created to worship, we make idols out of anything, even homemaking. I don't think beautiful pictures of homes are in an of themselves evil. They can beautifully glorify God, but perhaps for some people it could be an area prone to idolatry, an area to trust God with.

One of my favorite things is to be in beautiful places. God has blessed me many times through getting to sit and write in beautiful surroundings. I love it. I also love a clean home and love everything to be in order (if only it was). I crave perfection, lack of mess. But that's why I desperately need to fix my eyes on the hope to come, when things will be perfectly in order and will stay that way. That's when my longing will be fulfilled and I will get to have a beautiful, unmessy home. But for now, when it comes right down to it, by God's grace I choose the messiness of ministry over the luxury of clean. Yet the longing remains. 

Oh Lord, please help me keep perspective. I crave a perfectly ordered and clean home. I know you put that desire in me to get me to long for heaven. And I do Lord. But help me not long for it so much that I say no to making disciples of all nations to keep my house clean. Lord, as students come in and out and dirty dishes mount, let me see it as a privledge to live in the mess for Your glory. Lord remind me of the lizards and dirty floors in houses in Cambodia. Remind me of the homes on the trash heap in Mexico with kids playing with the trash as toys. Oh Lord, help me lay down the idol of order. Help me not bow to the idol of convience. Help me love the beautiful mess just as You did. Oh Lord, help me give the best of my time, talents and treasure to make You known, not toward making a nice home for myself and my family. Oh Lord, give my smart, wild kids passion for Your glory. Through me, let them see You as more valuable than order. Give them a heart to make you known and a passion for the world. Oh Lord, I am desperate for  You. Take this heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh.

In my journey toward 1,000 thanks to God. I want to praise the Creator for the ways He uses media to keep me from idolizing homemaking.

#108 - Prayer requests from AIM, reminding me of what God is doing and what to ask Him to do for the young girls in Cambodia.
#109- Joshua Project reminding me of the mission.
#110- David Platt's church site (who btw, the new admin. pastor came from my church. Pretty cool!)
#111- Our friends Nate and Erin's blog which continually reminds me to take initative to share the gospel.
#112- Kristie Stephens and Julie who want to be about ministering globally.
#113- For Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking and Ann Dunagan at Harvest Ministry who have such a great understandingof homemaking but not at the expense of the mission. They are an inspiration to me.

I'm linked up with the amazing Anne Voskamp who I wish I could spend 1,000 days with.