Picker Point
  • Spiritual

  • June19th

    Who’s in Control?

    Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Spiritual

    Mary Beth and I have been praying about and discussing the issue of birth control a lot lately. I’m ashamed to admit that we’ve been married for five years and this is the first time that we’ve really spent much time on this issue. I don’t know why we didn’t have these conversations before we got married except that birth control has really become a non-issue in our fellowship. In fact, neither of us can remember ever hearing anyone talk about the biblical arguments for or against birth control and we both went to a Christian college. But, over the last few years, we have been reading Touchstone Magazine, which we highly recommend by the way, and this is a subject that they write about frequently.

    The article “Children of the Reformation” appeared in a recent issue of the magazine and has really given us more to think about. I didn’t realize that Protestant churches only began accepting birth control within the last 75 years or so. After reading the article, we are beginning to fear that pro-abortion arguments are not a far jump from pro-birth control arguments.

    Mary Beth and I are serious about seeking the heart of God on this issue. We are desperate for input from any and all followers of Christ. If you are single or married, if you’ve commented before or if this is your first time, please read the linked article and share your thoughts on this issue with us. We are seeking biblical arguments for or against birth control. Here are some questions we are seeking to answer:

    1. Why do we not discuss this issue in our churches?
    2. Are Christians using birth control because we are seeking to control this huge part of our lives and we are afraid to allow God full reign?
    3. Does the story of Onan in Genesis 38 apply or not? We’ve heard arguments that Onan’s story is really about his heart, but how are our hearts different when we use birth control?
    4. How has the use of birth control changed our lives, besides reducing the number of children we have?
    5. Is there a difference between using a contraceptive and “natural family planning“? If birth control is wrong, does that include “natural family planning“?
    6. Are we really pro-life in all areas of our life? Are children a reward from God always, or only when they are convenient to us?

    Again, we are still seeking answers to this issue, it is not our wish to offend or judge anyone. Please share with us your views. We realize that reading this article could be slightly time consuming, but we feel that this issue is worth the time. Thanks.

    UPDATE

    Mary Beth and I have found these radio broadcasts by Family Life very helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of this issue…

  • June14th

    The Divine Conspiracy

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Literature, Spiritual

    divineconspiracy1.jpgFor Christmas, my dad gave me a copy of The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. He had been telling me about it for months, so I was anxious to read it. I finally finished it last week. I want to recommend it to anyone who is serious about becoming a disciple of Christ. It is such a rich and inspiring read that I will be digesting it for months. It is certainly one of those books that can be read over and over again.
    It has given me so much to think about and has encouraged me to examine my life for ways that I have strayed from following Jesus. I want to be sure that I am committing every part of my life to Christ. As Willard states, “I am learning from Jesus to live my life as he would live my life if he were I” (283). Wow! That could take a lifetime.

  • May29th

    Big Families

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Parenthood, Spiritual

    Picker Family Thanksgiving 2006Casey and I are often asked how many kids we plan on having. The truth is that we aren’t quite sure; we plan on having as many kids as God gives us. But I do hope that we will have a big family someday. I love big families; I love being around them and being a part of them.

    While I believe that my family is somewhat “big”, I don’t really consider my family to be huge. My parents adopted Mihaela (#4) the summer before I left for college; so most of my childhood was spent with just three kids in our family. But I know lots of people that consider a family with three kids to be a big family and a family of four to be outrageous. I guess everyone has their own idea of what is big and what is crazy. But I wish that more people would consider having big families, for several reasons: Read More | Comments

  • April9th

    Choc-o-lack

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Spiritual

    chocolate-cake2.jpgThis year Casey and I observed Lent for the first time. Neither of us come from church traditions that observe Lent, so we weren’t really sure what to expect, but we hoped that it would be a way to prepare our hearts for Easter. I reluctantly decided to give up chocolate. If you know me, you know that I love just about any kind of chocolate. When I was nursing Caleb I consumed immeasurable quantities of M&Ms, and had only recently weaned myself off of them, so I knew that going almost two months without chocolate was going to be a challenge. I had no idea.

    The first morning I got out of bed and went into the kitchen to make myself my usual morning meal: Carnation Instant Breakfast. My heart dropped as I held the canister in my hand; it was, of course, chocolate. “Does no chocolate mean no chocolate milk?” I asked Casey, hoping he would give me an excuse to go ahead and drink it. Instead he raised his eyebrows and gave me his silent “Are you kidding me?” look. “Oh,” I said as I disappointedly returned the canister to the pantry and shuffled back to the bedroom with no breakfast.
    Read More | Comments

  • March22nd

    Springtime

    Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Spiritual

    DaffodilsA few weekends ago we went with some of our friends to a nearby field that blooms with daffodils every spring. It was great fun getting to see Caleb’s reaction to all of the blooming flowers. We also had the opportunity to take some pictures of the kids, as well as some family photos.

    Yesterday was the first official day of spring and all of the plants are now beginning to come back to life. Mary Beth and I were talking about how much we love springtime and how awesome God is for creating it. Spring and fall are my favorite times of year because they are the “in between” seasons. Growing up in southeast Texas didn’t allow me to fully experience all four seasons, so my experience was pretty much confined to summer and winter. Now I live in a place where all four seasons are on full display and I love it!

    There are so many metaphors for how we go through different seasons in our spiritual walk with the Lord. Sometimes we can’t avoid the harsh, bleak winters of our life, but praise God that He always brings new life in the Springtime!

    » See more of our daffodil photos

  • March1st

    Healer of My Soul

    Author: Casey | Posted in: Spiritual

    I bought Matt Redman’s new CD, Beautiful News, last night. I really like his other CDs, but I bought this one because of one of the songs I heard: Thank You for Healing Me.

    When I first heard this song, I was shocked by how much it related to my journey with the Lord. I know this sounds crazy, but it was almost as if the song had been written about me. I was raised in the church and I’ve always known about God and believed in Him, but I always held Him at arms length. I never allowed Him to take control of my life and heal all of the junk that was in my soul.

    Listening to this song and reflecting on the ways that God is healing me reminded me of this verse:

    “
    Isaiah 53:5: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

    In a lot of ways, I always thought that God called me to live a perfect life, but over the past few months I’ve come to realize that He calls me to live a perfectly transparent life that is submissive to the changes He wants to make in me.

    I pray that more and more people in the Church will come to the realization that we don’t have to “have it all together” to be a Christian. As a matter fact, realizing that you don’t have it all together is a basic requirement…

    Thank You for Healing Me
    Artist: Matt Redman
    Album: Beautiful News

    Press Play to Listen:

    The disease of my soul was spreading,
    Eating me up on the inside,
    Keeping my heart from your new life.
    And I see now where I was headed
    For there is no cure that can save us,
    Outside of Your mercy Lord Jesus.

    Yes, You stepped in with Your power to save,
    Let forgiveness reign,
    Worked a miracle within.

    Thank you for healing me;
    I was dying beneath my shame
    But You brought me to life again, and I will sing:
    Thank you for freeing me
    I was dead to the truth of You,
    But my healing was in Your wounds, and now I sing:
    Thank you for healing me.

    Though outwardly I may waste away,
    On the inside I’ll be more alive every day.
    As I walk through times of pain and grief
    There’s a deeper truth inside of me…
    You have placed Your life inside of me.

    I’m alive, I’m alive.
    I’m alive, I’m alive in You.
    Thank you for healing me.

  • February25th

    A New Heart

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Literature, Spiritual

    Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you
    As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
    That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
    Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
    I, like an usurped town, to another due,
    Labor to admit you, but O, to no end;
    Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
    But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
    Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
    But am betrothed unto your enemy.
    Divorce me, untie or break that knot again;
    Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
    Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
    Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

    -John Donne, 1633

    This is one of my favorite of Donne’s Holy Sonnets. I love the marriage imagery that Donne uses to describe his relationship with God. We are the bride of Christ, but too often we are unfaithful and find ourselves pledged to another. Donne notes that only intimacy with God makes us pure.

    This sonnet reminds me of a verse that God placed on my heart last year. God answers Donne’s prayer in Ezekiel 36:26; He says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” I need to be constantly reminded that I am incapable of changing myself; I am dependent on God to change me and give me a new heart. I need God to overthrow and conquer me because otherwise I become captive to myself and to sin. I am always so amazed and grateful when I find that a part of my heart that used to be as hard as stone has been made soft and fleshy by God. I am immensely thankful that my God is committed to daily working and reworking His transformation in my life.

  • December3rd

    Celebrating Advent

    Author: Casey | Posted in: Home Life & Family, Spiritual

    Advent WreathOur family has decided to celebrate the season of Advent this year. I had heard of Advent before, but we didn’t officially celebrate it when I was a child.

    For those of you who aren’t familiar with Advent, I found a brief description on Wikipedia:

    “Advent (from the Latin Adventus, sc. Redemptoris, “the coming of the Saviour”) is a holy season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, also known as the season of Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western Christian year.””

    Mary Beth was the one who actually suggested that we celebrate Advent as a family this year. I thought this would give us a good family tradition to continue throughout the years as Caleb gets older.

    Tonight we lit the first candle which symbolizes the hope that Jesus gave us when He was born. I know that too many times I have let the busyness of the Christmas season distract me from what this time of year is all about: Jesus.

    So this year, let us all remind our family and friends about the true meaning of Christmas.

    On an unrelated note, I have completely redesigned my website. It’s a modified version of Jetpacked’s Shooter blue theme. Let me know what you think of it in the comments…

  • October31st

    Why I’m Voting

    Author: Mary Beth | Posted in: Parenthood, Spiritual

    VotingFor the record, I’ve always voted, but this year I will be voting for different reasons. I have a little boy now, and that leaves me with a lot to think about. I suddenly have a lot more invested in the future of this world. And while I find that my values and beliefs about this country haven’t changed, the depth of my conviction has.

    Being a parent is such a huge responsibility, and it has caused me to look about with a renewed sense of innocence. I do not know how I will someday explain evil to my son, and I dread the moment when he discovers that we are living in a sinful world. And while I realize that government and politics are not what save the world, I sometimes wonder if God would use both more often if we gave Him the chance.

    I have many Christian friends who are so disgusted with politics and politicians that they want nothing to do with either. They think it quite a strange hobby that my husband and I put signs in our yard and watch debates on television. I agree with them that politics can be revolting, and the things that politicians will do can make your stomach turn. Yet isn’t this all the more reason for godly men and women to become involved?

    When I look at my little son, I wonder what our country will be like when he is grown. How could I possibly explain to him that, even with his future at stake, I couldn’t take the time to vote?

    So I’ll be voting next week, even if I have to wait in line in the rain like I did last time. Maybe I’ll see you there.

  • October20th

    Giving Wisely

    Author: Casey | Posted in: Cool Sites, Spiritual

    Charity NavigatorI recently ran across a very cool site called Charity Navigator. This site gives you TONS of information about charities from all over the U.S. One of the more important factors our family considers when giving to a charity, is the percentage of donations that actually go to help the cause. I believe that God calls us to give generously and be good stewards of His money. If I come across a charity that squanders donations, then I believe I should give my money elsewhere.

    Our family has been extremely blessed by being involved with Compassion International. We have two adopted children: a boy in Haiti and a girl in Mexico. Compassion makes it very easy to send messages to our children from their website. They also send us regular letters from our kids. We started giving to Compassion before I had discovered Charity Navigator, but after reviewing Compassion’s rating I was even more impressed with them.

    If you are looking to be blessed by giving to others, then I would suggest that you check out Charity Navigator to aid you in your decision.

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