God…who are you? Why my belief in who God is means I can still let God plan our family after a near-death experience

February 8, 2010 in Quiverfull by Lisa (Lively)Metzger | 1 comment

Join us in this great Bible study At The Well!

DISCUSSION QUESTION FOR TODAY…

Who is God to You?

Since my life-changing loss of my 7th miscarried child accompanied with my own near-death experience when losing our little 4 month old (preborn) Levi Samuel (more here) most might think that I would be angry at God for taking him away so soon or that I might even reconsider my beliefs that God should have complete control of my womb. It is BECAUSE of our belief of Who God is that Mark and I both hold fast to our beliefs about family planning. God has numbered each of our days (including mine and Levi’s) and He would not create a child in my womb that was to cause my death without His foreknowledge and planning! God would not create a soul that we "should have prevented," just to take my life away to prove to the rest of the world that He needs our help in family planning. The fact is that He needs no one’s assistance in the creation or prevention of life. The Creator can handle it all without our finite wisdom and help. He does not need our assistance in family planning in the least. Why do we worry so? Because…we are human.

My view of God is a view that He is all-powerful and all knowing. He is our protector; our shield. He is our comforter. He loves us with a love unspeakable. He holds us all in the palms of His hand. He numbers the very hairs on our heads, therefore He will not let anything happen to me in childbirth that He didn’t have planned from before my own birth…He does not curse us (take away our lives needlessly) because we did not limit the blessings of children – His creations.

If I were or am to die in childbearing, that was planned from before the beginning of time! This life is but a vapor (James 4:14 "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."). Because my life is a mist, I will choose to let God watch out for my well-being while He takes over the creations within me. After all, who could know what’s better for me and my babes, but the all-knowing God; Creator of Heaven and earth!

I trust in God – and God alone. I trust NOT in my limited human understanding. I have a peace that goes beyond understanding, knowing that in following His plan for our family that He will continue to watch out for us, whether I am here to mother or not; whether He chooses to bless us with more children or not. I TRUST IN GOD’S Wisdom, as only HE can see down the road ahead! I rest in His hand! Humans cannot fathom His love. We should not attempt to second-guess His decisions (although it is okay to tell God about our human feelings…He wants to listen to His children).

Because I trust so in my Creator…and the Creator of my children, present and yet to come…I will keep my vow to let HIM plan our family! "I will fulfill my vows to You, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for Your help. For you have rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in Your presence, O God, in Your life-giving light." Psalm 56:12-13

I will continue to worship Him and love Him forever! No matter what storm may come, I will praise Him!

"I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121

~ Lisa Metzger

Legalism – a succinct definition

February 8, 2010 in The Way Less Traveled by Lisa (Lively)Metzger | Permalink

"I always say there are three ways the word legalism is used. The first and most deadly is when we add works to the ground of our salvation, as the Judaizers did. The second, and merely petty, is when we add rules to God’s rules. The third, and by far the most common, is this- you are guilty of legalism when you call on me to submit to the Word of God. May we all never fall into the first. May we be quick to repent of the second. And may we all be boldly guilty of the third."

R.C. Sproul Jr.

Levi Samuel is with Jesus! Thanking God that I survived!

February 7, 2010 in Quiverfull by Lisa (Lively)Metzger | 1 comment

January 26, 2010 at 9:00, I was rushed by ambulance after sudden, unexpected, heavy hemorrhaging in a matter of 5 minutes. I miscarried (and delivered at home) our precious 4 month old little boy. After going into shock at home in under 10 minutes, I was rushed to the hospital, where I continued to lose massive amounts of blood that led to a blood transfusion of 4 units of blood. After trying my "favorite" drugs for hemorrhaging, I ended up needing an emergency D&E. They said that if it had been another hour with the bleeding I was having I would have died. Honestly, I can believe that. I am no wimp, but I have never felt that close to death. I was (and still am) beyond exhausted from it all.

We named our little guy Levi Samuel which means, "united/ answer to prayer". He was PERFECTLY formed (the ER nurses and EMT’s were amazed at how perfect he was). Our other children saw the ambulance and Mommy being wheeled out. They knew at that time that Levi was already in Heaven. After the hysteria subsided, Annalise (17) led all the children in praise songs, while Grandma listened in. They UNITED in PRAYER for Mommy’s recovery and saw their prayers ANSWERED! God spared my life miraculously. I was so close to joining Levi in Glory. Thank God for doctors, surgery and the 4 people who donated the blood used in the transfusions! We are all grateful that I am here to raise my 8 children. We are grateful for UNITED PRAYER warriors (yes, even our own children)!

We were able to bury precious Levi On February 3rd (two days before my 33rd birthday, for which I am happy to have been able to celebrate). Photos HERE. It was a small service -with only grandparents and or pastor and his family. Such peace has been brought by being able to lay him to rest! Thank you, Jesus, for that, as well!

Again, thank you to all of you who prayed. We still covet your prayers for my recovery (I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck) and for our emotional healing. Through it ALL, we still praise Jesus and remember these verses, as we heal emotionally and try to figure out what happened and why (pray for doctors to run appropriate tests and to have wisdom!).

"I will fulfill my vows to You, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for Your help. For you have rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in Your presence, O God, in Your life-giving light." Psalm 56:12-13

"And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world…" ~ 1 Corinthians 15:19

"Heaven is not here, it’s There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for." —Elisabeth Elliot

~ Lisa

Are you a Whitewashed Feminist?

January 20, 2010 in Keeper of the Home by Lisa (Lively)Metzger | Permalink

There are so many whitewashed feminists in the Church today. Are you one of them? Click here to find out…

Why are Worldviews important?

January 20, 2010 in Raising Godly Children by Lisa (Lively)Metzger | Permalink

On Wednesday nights we have been studying Worldviews. How different people view the world. And most importantly how an unbeliever’s Worldview is inadequate to explain the life we live. For example if you have an evolutionistic, athiest Worldview (you believe we came from apes and evolved and there is no God), then you cannot answer any questions regarding morality. For you there can be no right or wrong just survival of the fittest. For you there cannot be a discussion over beauty or something being good or bad. If, and that’s a big if, we are just higher animals.

A bigger problem, however, is not unbeliever’s Worldviews but the Worldview of those who claim to be Christians. For far too long Christians have lived compartmentalized lives and haven’t understood a complete Biblical Worldview. It’s easy for Christians in America to be “Sunday Christians” and consider all other issues as “secular”.

C.S. Lewis said, “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by satan.” We as Christians have falsely thought and believed that there is neutral ground in our world today. That isn’t so. If this truly is our Father’s World and He created it everything is sacred and we need to have Christian Worldview for everything. Read the rest HERE…

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