Chismville

I think sometimes, we Christians are scared to keep God’s Law today because we feel we are being legalistic. I hear the word “legalism” a lot in the church. People say things like, “Well, I want to do better at reading my Bible, but I really don’t want to be legalistic about it.”

The other thing I’ve been hearing a lot in the church today is the proclaiming of God’s Grace. Now this is one that I cannot find a lot of criticism. We must proclaim God’s grace and preach the Gospel of Christ to ourselves daily so that we do not fall into legalism. However, sometimes the preaching of grace and the overlooking of God’s law will cause us to fall into the trap of a false view of Christian liberty. The liberal church describes Christian liberty this way: “It is the freedom to do whatever we like because we are not under the law but under grace!”

This morning, read from Revelation 12 and 13 and was struck by a few verses that helped me understand the importance of God’s Law to all Christians and mankind. Towards the end of chapter 12, right after Satan was defeated by Michael and his angels, the text says this about Satan and the Christian Church:

“Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:17).

Satan made war and tempted those who do two things: keep God’s Word and hold fast to the testimony of Jesus. It made me begin to think of just how important it is even today to have God’s Word and Law written on our minds and to be obedient to the Lord while relying on God’s grace.

Lastly, I then read from the Westminister Larger Catechism to give me clarity on God’s Law:

Question 97: What special use is there of the moral law to the regenerate?

Answer: Although they that are regenerate, and believe in Christ, be delivered from the moral law as a covenant of works, so as thereby they are neither justified nor condemned; yet, besides the general uses thereof common to them with all men, it is of special use, to show them: How much they are bound to Christ for his fulfilling it, and enduring the curse thereof in their stead, and for their good; and thereby to provoke them to more thankfulness, and to express the same in their greater care to conform themselves thereunto as the rule of their obedience.

The next question explains that the Law of God is expressed in the 10 Commandments. We are to keep God’s Law today not so that we earn our salvation but to show “more thankfulness.” It is God’s Law that points us to the cross and says, “you can’t keep these commandments without the righteousness of Christ.”

We are not condemned because of what Christ did for us. This is our hope. This is the Gospel, “Christ died for sinners!” It is this hope that causes us to obey His Word daily in all areas of our lives. Instead of saying, “Oh! I don’t want to be legalistic about it” in the near future, I hope we can begin to think of the positive benefits of obeying the Lord. We should be able to say, “Oh how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day (Psalm 119:97).

We will be sending all of our friends our new address soon unless you are reading this post! Our family will be moving from our condo to our new home on May 6th of this year. We have found a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home that we are excited about! We plan on renting this home until we can find a house in the area we can purchase. We are not in a rush and will enjoy renting for the time being.

Our new address will be:

The Chism Family
8580 Verlane Dr.
San Diego, CA 92119

A co-worker shared this funny story today that she heard on the radio.

A caller called in and said that she was thinking about becoming a vegetarian. She was concerned about switching to that lifestyle and had a very troubling question for the radio host. She asked, “Does this mean I have to give up eating Animal Crackers?”

Some people are just plain weird! She was serious too!

It’s beginning to look as though we really are moving, with a nice high stack of labeled boxes piled in the side bedroom. Little Chalice has pink eye and ear infections. She greeted me with a hoarse cough, happy giggle and little otter dive in her crib when I went to get her up this morning. She complied with my administration of eye drops and antibiotic with little protest. The only thing to rumple her good-natured spirits was parting with her daddy and big brother as they marched out the door to church and she was left to wave good-bye in her pajama shirt, diaper and slippers.

This peculiar Sunday morning I’m reminded of one of the reasons I have 2 1/2 small children and have been busily working on my degree. With some of the uncharacteristic extra time I had this morning, I flipped through the pages of a scrapbook Heidi and Eden made for me two Christmases ago. I read their touching letters and my eyes scanned the pictures of happy memories and fun-filled outings with and without me. It didn’t take long for the effects of such nostalgia-producing activity to fill my eyes with tears and my heart with longings to make more memories with these dear loved ones. The comfort of thinking of Seth’s upcoming first visit out here and Eden’s visit (the middle of next month–during baby time) only made the tears come more freely.

I was reminded of a time in our first year of marriage when David came home from work to a tearful wife. He soon saw the quilt of wedding pictures arrayed on the floor near my partially completed wedding scrapbook and practically forbade me to work on such activities alone. Of late, I am never alone. Joel chatters on about all sorts of things, especially Thomas the train, Grammy and Michael, Chalice and Daddy. Joel is making less sense to me as he tries to string many more words together and much faster than before. Even when both kids are down for their naps, I am accompanied by Chemistry studies, which keep my mind quite occupied in a realm outside my comfort zone. My normal days afford me no time to feel homesick. But this morning is a good reminder. Each time a stranger tells me, “YOU have your hands full!” I can be quite grateful for full hands and a full plate as I plod through life. My little companions and my husband are a joy and blessing each day.

I am a lady in waiting, taxing my virtues in patience with each new day. I am waiting for boxes to begin packing while drumming up all sorts of organization schemes for our new abode. I am waiting to get moved in and begin the process of feeling settled as I also wait to have this baby. I am waiting to learn whether the latest Chism will be a boy or a girl. I am waiting to finish this Chemistry course and amass nearly the last few credits toward my much sought-after degree. Gosh! I even find myself waiting to get up in the morning. I am by nature a morning person, but third trimester with two toddlers necessitates a certain number of hours of sleep. Though I wake up before I need to get up, I force myself to rest a bit longer so I won’t be miserable through the day. I find my days busy and dragging at the same time. I am constantly reading children’s books to eager little ears, cleaning up the consistent accumulations of crumbs and spills from our tile floor, fixing snacks and little meals, bribing little people to get in and out of the car, and to march in to the house, and to leave the neighbors’ hose, flowers, cat and dog alone. I’m completing my lists, but they aren’t packed with my agenda because this season of life necessitates my agenda being partially consumed with meeting little people needs.

Two special delights of this day included a conversation with a dear, encouraging friend, and a new book I ordered from the library for MYSELF. Oh, it has been far too long since I’ve found myself lost in another world, or looking forward to a free moment to find out what happens next, or narrating my own life as I vicariously live the life of an individual who is far more interesting than myself. For the past few years it seems I have read nothing but educational material, personal growth and theology, and other such edification literature. What a frivolous pleasure it is to absorb something that is not even partially necessary! Maybe in the days to come I will be able to prove this particular delight is somehow necessary to my existence. The Spy Wore Red is all about the secretive, alluring life of Countess of Romanones, Aline. The vote is out as to whether this exciting tale is truly autobiographical, as it claims to be. Nevertheless, I am finding that reading of Aline’s life is highly complementary to my own life at this particular juncture. My chemistry studies certainly don’t afford me the same thrill that I’ve gained from studying other subject matter.

Meanwhile, I’m refreshing long-lost favorite children’s literature to read to my two-year-old. Blueberries for Sal, Curious George Goes to the Hospital, The Biggest Bear, Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose, The Foot Book, and the like. I work out deals with Joel so that I get to pick certain books in between stories of Thomas the Train. Joel especially likes to be nestled up in my lap when we are reading. I find my lap to be rather extraordinarily full these days!!

I just received a call from my brother in law, Andy Weld, who shared the exciting news that my sister, Emily had a baby girl! Her name is Catherine Jean Weld. The ladies, including my wife, asked me the same question next: “How much did she weigh?” All I know is that she is a healthy baby girl born around 6:45 this evening! We hope to run by tonight to meet the new arrival and congratulate the parents!

We’ll post more news soon!

The past couple of weeks sure have been busy. It was amazing to think just 3 weeks ago, Joli and I purposed to take our home off the market before June (the original date) because we were content staying in our condo. The day we decided to learn contentment and stay put was the very day a family was writing an offer to buy our condo! Amazing how the Lord works!

Our condo has been a wonderful place for our growing family, and I’m going to miss it. I’ve put a lot of time into selecting the perfect colors, installing windows, a skylight (with Daniel Wolds Help), flooring, carpet, countertops, new texture, new plumbing and a little landscaping in the back. It is rather discouraging to look at single family homes after living in my condo in our price range, because they are in terrible condition. It is a little easier to fix up a condo and quite a bit more of a project to fix up a house with a yard.

At this point, I believe it is the best option to rent for awhile. I think this will serve Joli well too. I would love to get a house, but the Lord knows my thoughts and plans. We need to be settled before baby #3 entires our lives full time in mid to late May, and looking for a home we plan on living in long term takes awhile. So, we have spent the last 2-3 weeks looking at homes to buy and rent and have narrowed it down to a nice little 4 bed/2 bath home about 7 minutes from our current home. The family that is renting it out lives in Colorado and is a Christian family, which is an added blessing. They are excited to rent to a Christian family too. I randomly found them on Craigslist and did not know they were a fellow Christian family. There are ALOT of things I would change about the home if it were my place, and I was quite picky with my request with the landlord after I saw the home. I guess I was trying to find a place that matched my condo, but that is not going to happen. Last night, I was at some dear friend’s home nearby who lived in an apartment complex with two kids and were quite content. The place was smaller than my condo but very well organized. They of course would love their own home at some point, but it was a blessing to see how content they were living in an apartment. I then realized how selfish and prideful I can get in wanting the perfect home. I ended up telling my future landlord that I’ll accept the place the way it is and am happy to accept their offer. I can’t sign papers till later this week as my home’s escrow is still in contingency stage. Everything seems to be going well with escrow and the landlord has agreed to wait for us!

Today, our family is taking a break from social events. It has been exciting and a little stressful the past few weeks the second we found out our home was possibly sold. However, it is good to see how the Lord is working in my family and in my own life teaching me to be the leader of my home. Once we move out, I’ll shoot some photos of our new dwelling place. We are excited to have a 4bed place so that Joli’s family can come and visit more often. We are also blessed with an attached garage too!

Our condo is in escrow. I had just told David that there was no way our house would sell with the sparse number of walk-throughs we’d had. I was feeling very pleased at the prospect of staying put in our place for a while and not moving so close to having a baby. The next day we discovered that someone had made an offer on our place. So far everything has gone smoothly. This past week we have been house-hunting in earnest. We are planning to rent for a time, though we’ve looked at both homes for sale and rentals.

Joel and Chalice are funny little rascals. I appreciate the comic relief they provide throughout the day. Chalice has been full of spunk and smiles. She’s been showing off her eight new teeth which have finally quit plaguing her so that she’s not so grumpy. Joel is utterly smitten with trains and Thomas. I never would have thought I’d have a 2-year-old so enamored with Thomas the Train and Percy. He sleep-talks about them! Potty-training has entered a slightly more relaxed stage in the past couple weeks. Joel responds to my inquiry as to whether he has to go potty, “No, no sank you, go potty.” The first time he said it I said, “Huh!!!?” “No, sank you go potty.” He is very definitive with his Yes’s and just as clear about his dislikes.