"Lent" Gets Politically Correct?

I grew up in the Catholic church. As a little girl, I was taught about the liturgical practice of "Lent".

From Wiki:

Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, he endured temptation by Satan. Different churches will calculate the forty days differently.

The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial—for the annual commemoration of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, as celebrated during Holy Week, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Lent was to help remind us of the great sacrifice the Lord Jesus paid for our sins, and helped prepare our hearts to truly celebrate His resurrection. I am no longer in the Catholic faith, and I don't practice Lent, per se, but I do respect this practice.

Just today I was reading in our little local newspaper that many Evangelical Lutheran (ELCA) churches will be turning Lent from the focus on Christ to the focus on the created... planet earth.

"The ash of Ash Wednesday is to remind us that we are from the earth and that in some way return, not in a woe-is-me way but in a cyclical way," said Andrew Genszler, director of advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "We're part of a greater cycle."

Genszler, based in Washington, D.C., is helping put out "Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on Our Relationship with God's Creation." The e-mail series, which you can sign up for at http://elca.org/advocacy, will span the 40 days of Lent, beginning Wednesday.

It looks at environmental issues like urban sprawl, buying local and disappearing fish, and offers questions and thoughts for reflection and resources to learn more.

Genszler hopes the series brings more reflection to the public discussion of global warming and other environmental issues.

Humans "essentially have added to what is a broken ecosystem," he said. "What Lent affords us the opportunity to do is reflect on our position in that to the extent that we're responsible for it, and not to wallow in that but to see ourselves as agents of change for the good."

The e-mail series blends the ancient ritual of Lent, a preparation for Easter, with a modern mode of communication.

I read a while back that some people feel that many aspects of the ecological movement have almost religious undertones and adherents. I just find it a shame that Lent has been replaced, at least in this particular denomination, with such a global focus that Christ seems to be relegated to an afterthought, and protection and nurturing of the planet is now in the forefront. I know these things aren't mutually exclusive, however, shouldn't Lent be about Lent?

Pardon my vent.

Mohler: Christianity and the Dark Side

Well, Happy Reformation Day to all of you! Oh wait - there's another thing celebrated on this date.

Ever since I crossed the line of faith as a 19 year old, I have not celebrated Halloween. For me, it just has never made sense to celebrate an occultic holiday. I don't fear evil things, for greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. I know of the pagan origins of some of our Christmas and Easter traditions, but in those cases the focal points are life and light, not death, fear and darkness. I figure that every day is the day that the Lord has made. I'm pretty non-emotional about the whole Halloween thing.

When the children came along, of course the "What are you going to be for Halloween?" questions came along, too. My kids have found that Halloween is a great season for them, since I grab the half price candy the day after. Hehehe. We've had a dress up box for many years in which costumes are stored and used year-round. Ninjas, cowboys, princesses, Batman. My kids get the joy of being "in costume" whenever they wish.

Halloween is an area of conscience for many Christians. I don't sit in judgment if you do dive into the whole Halloween spectacle... it's between you and God. I do get frustrated that because I don't celebrate it, I have to not only defend my choice to those outside of the Church, but also those within. But that's another post.

All this to say that Albert Mohler has again posted a fabulous article on his blog entitled, Christianity and the Dark Side - What About Halloween? What I found interesting about Mohler's article was that he explored not only the spiritual side of Halloween, but also the economic side of it. Did you know that Halloween is only surpassed by Christmas in terms of economic activity in our nation? That's right. According to historian Nicholas Rogers, "Halloween is currently the second most important party night in North America. In terms of its retail potential, it is second only to Christmas. This commercialism fortifies its significance as a time of public license, a custom-designed opportunity to have a blast. Regardless of its spiritual complications, Halloween is big business."

Mohler's main point: "The complications of Halloween go far beyond its pagan roots, however. In modern culture, Halloween has become not only a commercial holiday, but a season of cultural fascination with evil and the demonic. Even as the society has pressed the limits on issues such as sexuality, the culture's confrontation with the "dark side" has also pushed far beyond boundaries honored in the past."

Check out the rest of this thought-provoking article here.

We need to go beyond how fun Halloween was for us as kids, and how cute the baby looks in the pumpkin outfit, and take a hard look at why we give Halloween a spiritual pass in what we allow as believers in our own families.

Are You Easily Provoked?

A few years ago I was asked to speak at a small women's retreat. I came to the retreat a bit early to take part in some casual activities - if I remember correctly it was scrap-booking or some other crafty thing. You can really learn a lot during those activities because people tend to just chat away about pretty much anything.

During our craft chat time, one wife commented to her friend, "I FINALLY got my husband trained to not put a dirty fork in the sink, but to put it directly in the dishwasher. Sheesh - what does he think I am? His maid?"

This woman had no idea what my topic was for the day's teaching time. My topic? Taking things personally that are not meant to be personal. Consider these verses from the Bible:

Proverbs 17:9
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Colossians 3:12-14
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Why is it that when we read these verses, our minds tend to only think of application of the concepts to neighbors, strangers, or unbelievers? What an amazing world we'd have if we applied Colossians 3 to our marriages and family lives.

Are you easily offended? We all know about some Christian fringe groups who take offense at everything from Disney to sugar. We've probably also heard about tiffs in churches between congregants over the color of the carpeting or whether to have pews or chairs, hymns or choruses, etc. I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about how we react in our own marriages to things that irritate us.

When you see dirty socks on the floor, what is your first thought? That your husband doesn't respect you enough to get them in the hamper? Or that there's a practical opportunity to serve the man you love? (Whom, by the way, you chose, and for whom, more than likely, you begged God?)

The concept of serving others seems to be relegated in our minds only to the realm of church or neighborhood/community. Yet we should be serving each other also in our homes, with gentleness and patience.

There's something I learned from a Beth Moore study a few years ago that revolutionized my thinking. She wrote in "Praying God's Word" about controlling our thought lives, and said something like, "Just because a thought pops into your head doesn't mean it has to stay there." I know it might seem very basic to many of you, but for me it was an epiphany of sorts, with immense amounts of practical application. I have said her phrase to myself many times when I've been easily provoked by little things... when picking up wet towels, or finding a fork in a bathroom (ick!), or tripping over someone's shoes. I can choose how to respond and how to think about the situation. I could think martyr-style, "No one cares how much I DO around here!" or I could pause, and thank God that I have those in my home and family whom I can serve, thereby showing them love in a practical way.

I'm not talking here about not training your kids to put things away - that's a different post. I'm talking here about one of the toughest questions any Christian wife can ask herself - Are you easily provoked? If so, then you have a sin issue in your heart. Anger doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God:

James 1:19-20
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

May the Holy Spirit give you the strength and wisdom to truly walk in your home as someone with a joyful heart and who has self control in her thought life. Cover offenses with love, which does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful (1 Corinthians 13:5). You will be amazed at how much more peaceful life can be once you stop being easily provoked.

Jabez's Prayer, Parts C, D, and E

A dear friend of mine is one of those super encouraging types of gals who loves to send greeting cards. She always ministers joy and faith to my soul. I had recently talked to her about some trying times I have been going through, and she sent a beautiful card in which the famous "Prayer of Jabez" quote from the bible was printed along the inside cover.

"And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.' So God granted him what he requested." 1 Chronicles 4:10

Breaking it down, for what things did Jabez ask?
A) That God would bless him.
B) That God would enlarge his territory.
C) That God's hand would be with him.
D) That God would keep him from evil
E) That he (Jabez) would not cause pain.

I didn't jump on the Prayer of Jabez book bandwagon a few years ago. I am not a trendy believer. Because of my natural bend toward skepticism with those kinds of things, I am somewhat ashamed to say that I never really thought about what Jabez was asking of God, yet I know that all scripture is beneficial to me as a believer.

Now that I have really looked at the verse, it is inspiring! Everyone focuses on the blessing and enlarging of territory (which in Old Testament times seemed to be a sign to all that the hand of God was indeed blessing you - think Job, Abraham, etc.). But to me the real treasures within the verse encompass the other things Jabez asked for:
- That God's hand would be with him
- That God would keep him from evil, that he would not cause pain

Those points remind me of the new testament verses in Jude 24, 25:
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Isn't it a comforting thought that we can daily call upon the Lord to keep us from evil? Even more-so, what a faith-building concept it is to know that our God can keep us from stumbling. He is not limited - He cannot fail. The question is, will we call upon Him? I don't know about you, but I tend to try to walk the life of Christ by sheer obedience, kind of like saying, "You have other things to deal with, God, I'll handle this on my own." The end result for me is typically failure, aka "sin".

Pray today and ask for the Lord's hand to be upon you, to keep you from evil, that you may not cause pain. See what happens!

Excellent Post Over at Girltalk: "When Someone Else Gets What We Want"

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, penned the writer of Proverbs 13:12. Something we rarely talk about these days is envy, yet it's something I've seen not only in myself but in many of my friends, male and female.

Nicole Whitacre has an excellent post on this over at the Girltalk blog. Nicole wrote:

One sure indicator as to whether or not a good desire has morphed into an idol is how we respond when someone else gets the very thing that we want but don’t have. When a close friend—who was perfectly happy to be single—up and gets married, and we are, literally, left behind. Or when, as is the case for a friend of mine, we know five other girls who are pregnant and we are not.

And what about the woman who gets married younger than us, whose job is more glamorous than ours, whose house is bigger than ours, whose marriage is better than ours, whose life is easier than ours, whose children are more well-behaved than ours, whose popularity is brighter than ours, whose intelligence is greater than ours? Need I go on?

Head on over and check out the entire post. Then check out what Tomorrow Mom had to say about a battle plan for fighting envy.

Guard your hearts!

Must We Love/ Like Ourselves Before We Can Love Others?

I was chatting recently on one of my very favorite homeschool mom discussion boards over at Teaching Mom and the subject came up about loving oneself. The question was actually twofold:

1.) "Are you allowed to 'love' yourself? To be happy and pleased with your physical appearance/state of health/etc? You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and God loves us just the way we are...but, is to be happy with your looks pride?"

Some people feel that in order to love others and God you must first love yourself. I happen to disagree. Here's part of my response on the board-
To love oneself and to be happy/pleased with one's appearance are 2 different things, imo. When the scriptures talk about loving someone as you love yourself, it's assumed that loving yourself is what? Caring for yourself in terms of eating, living... survival. God assumes we will love ourselves in the sense that we care for our bodies so we may survive. Ephesians 5:29 says "For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,".

When Jesus spoke of loving your neighbor as yourself, a lawyer asked him in particular how to do this by saying, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus' response? The parable of the good samaritan. The good samaritan showed love for his neighbor by what? Caring for his physical needs. You can read about this in Luke 10.

It seems to me that the phrase of loving one's neighbor as loving oneself in the many instances where it appears in the Bible isn't about how much we love ourselves... rather, the focus is what it looks like to love a neighbor. It's assumed we love ourselves enough to attempt to ensure our continued living, 'know what I mean? The entirety of Old Testament law is based on loving God, and loving your neighbor as yourself. Just look at all the admonitions in the Bible about how we are to treat each other. The focus in on the neighbor.

What I see in the scriptures is that physical appearance is fleeting (Pv. 31:30), that exercise has some benefit but godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Tim. 4:8), and that focus on outward beauty is of lesser value than inner beauty of a meek and gentle spirit toward God.

Your question - are we allowed to love ourselves - I would say that it is assumed we will love ourselves. It's not about not being allowed to do so. However to take pride in one's appearance or abilities is to take pride in something that could quickly change. It's all about what our hearts are set on, in my opinion... God or myself?



2.) "Are you allowed by God to be confident in your ability? This is something that I REALLY struggle with and is probably why I have so much problems with anxiety. You are to rely on God for everything....but I can do all things through Christ who strenghteneth me.... Do I have to wait around for God to make me feel confident? Or can I feel confident because God has already made me strong?"

My response to this-
Let me ask you this - what abilities do you have that weren't ultimately given to you by God (as Paul said, "What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?"- 1 Cor. 4:7) We know we have different giftings (spiritual and otherwise), and we know we are to walk in these giftings so the Body can function well. It is not prideful to walk in those things for which you've been gifted by the Lord.

I say for this question, look to what Paul boasted in. 1 Cor. 1:31 says “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Paul also said that he did boast about something in himself... his weaknesses! 2 Cor. 12:9 says, after Paul asked God to take away the thorn in his flesh, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.'

You can and should always feel confident in God. He never fails. Often times in our weaknesses is where He is made strong.

So walk in what you sense He is calling you to do. Be strong in Him, not in yourself. Immerse yourself (heart, mind, soul) in the Word and just rest in His faithfulness.

Sounds simple - but I'm a simple gal.



Commentary

I often see people advising others to make sure their self esteem is healthy. However, I don't find evidence for this line of thinking in the scriptures. I'm not saying a person should hate his/herself, but rather the focus is on loving God and others. The "gospel" of self esteem seems to have creeped into the church. How did this happen?

More later...

Church Growth - Spurgeon Style

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today, Pyromaniacs. When I read today's entry, I wanted to stand up and shout "Amen!" right here in my computer room.

Take a look at Pyromaniacs: A Recipe For Church Growth

Here's one of my favorite sections:
How shall souls be caught? They shall be caught by preaching Christ. Just preach a sermon that is full of Christ, and throw it unto your congregation, as you throw a net into the sea—you need not look where they are, nor try to fit your sermon to different cases; but, throw it in, and as sure as God’s Word is what it is, it shall not return to him void; it shall accomplish that which he pleases, and prosper in the thing whereto he hath sent it.

The gospel never was unsuccessful yet, when it was preached with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. It is not fine orations upon the death of princes, or the movements of politics which will save souls. If we wish to have sinners saved and to have our churches increased; if we desire the spread of God’s kingdom, the only thing whereby we can hope to accomplish the end, is the lifting up of Christ; for, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me."

Charles Spurgeon


What's your church growth strategy?

'Couldn't Have Said It Better - "No More Fears"

There's a really neat blog which I love to visit called The Purple Cellar, by Lydia Brownback. Today's devotional is entitled "No More Fears" and boy, does it ever hit home for those of us who lean toward fear.

I won't try to reinvent the wheel here, so-to-speak. Just hop over to Lydia's blog and read the entry. The Purple Cellar: Daily Devotional: No More Fears

The most painful comment she wrote was this:

If we are chronic worriers, chances are it’s because we are set on structuring our lives our own way. In many cases, it’s not that we doubt that God can do something; it’s that we fear he may not do exactly what we want.

Laine's Letters

I had to take a moment and let you all know about a fabulous godly woman named Laine. I have been receiving her emails for a couple of years now, and I am always encouraged by her meek and gentle spirit. She is gracious and kind, and shines the love of Christ. Not only that, she also has LOTS of great tips for wives and mothers on how to have true hospitality, not only to strangers but toward our own precious families. She is incredibly practical, and offers tips on housekeeping, matters of faith, frugality, submission, health and soforth. I have not read all her letters, and there may be a few things on which we don't agree (I haven't found any yet), but I think her website is a veritable treasure trove of practical godly wisdom.

Take a peek at Laine's Letters. You will be blessed.

Proverbs 31 thoughts on Guy Land, Good, and Evil

As I was making my coffee this morning, the Holy Spirit brought to remembrance a verse in Proverbs 31 which describes one aspect of a virtuous woman. As I opened my Bible to refresh my memory, something that caught my eye again was the fact the words written describing this kind of woman were not some guy's ideal dream girl. They were words given to King Lemuel from his MOMMA about what to look for in a woman.

No offense to men or anything, but they can sometimes be clueless about women. Perhaps that's why Paul advised the young pastor Timothy that older women needed to teach the younger women? We know how we think. After almost twenty-two years of marriage, I am STILL learning new things about "guy land", much to my husband's delight and disbelief. He finds it funny how mortified I have been when finding out, for instance, that the guys actually talk to each other while standing next to each other in a public restroom... there are no privacy barriers at the giant urinals. Ick! He also finds it hysterically funny that I am puzzled by the daily routine of our younger two sons, ages 12 and 7, who at precisely 11:00AM and 6:30PM start chasing each other with plastic weapons, wrestle each other, and laugh until they are red-faced (or angry). I am fairly certain that if they didn't do this daily, they would spontaneously combust. Guy land. Man-laws. I find it all still to be a bit of a mystery to me, but I love watching it in action.

Back to Proverbs 31 - advice from a mother about what is important in a wife.

She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:12 ESV

What are the ways in which we can do good to our husbands? What I find in most Christian circles is that women equate good housekeeping with being good wives. No doubt this does bless our men. But are there other ways in which we can do good to our husbands? Of course there are, IF we have the energy to do so after doing everything else.

Proverbs 31 goes on to mention all the things the ideal woman should be, not the least of which is to not be idle. Verses 13-24 outline a very industrious woman. But I think we tend to focus on the works aspect so much so at times that the heart aspect can be diminished. If your husband and children are to rise up and call you blessed, then there must be more to it than keeping a clean house and having a tight routine. Your husband and children need you to also do them good, and not evil. It's hard to do good when one is stressed, as Jesus Himelf noted when being served by Martha. Martha was great at hostessing, but according to Jesus she was also anxious and troubled about many things
Luke 10:41. Her sister Mary, about whom Martha was tattling to Jesus, had chosen what Jesus called "the good portion".


I've found over the years that the best way to find out how I'm doing in certain marital endeavors is to simply ask my honey how I'm doing. He knows me well enough to not answer those trick questions, like, "Do I look fat in this?" (For what it's worth, his trademark answer is either "You always look beautiful to me." or "Well, I like the red outfit better." Smooth, huh? lol) I have sometimes been quite shocked by what has blessed my husband, like for instance, coming grocery shopping with me, or hearing me laugh at our teen son's antics. Yes, my hubby likes a clean home, and likes to have good food and clean clothes, but he LOVES having a joyful wife who is glad to see him when he comes home, who kisses him goodbye every morning, and who laughs at his jokes. I have found that my being a joyful wife is of critical importance to my husband, and when you really think about it, what kind of person do you like to be with? Become that person for your family's sake. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you joy unspeakable, and clear vision for what is "the good portion" in your life and home. Smile at your husband... and see what happens.

Ask your husband today ways in which you can do him good. Ask him what things you can do or be like that speak to his heart that you love him. Assure him that he won't get into trouble by answering honestly. You might be surprised at his answers!

Do You Obey The Law Of Kindness?

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 31:26

I was looking back at a brief article I wrote for Jesus Cafe entitled, " The Law of Kindness: A Standard for Christian Mothers." I wrote this piece way back in April of the year 2000. At that time, my kids were quite small. I had an 8 month old baby, a 3 yr. old, a 5 yr. old, a 7 yr. old and and almost 10 yr. old. Even back then I pondered whether or not I was the kind of mother and wife who would bring honor to God, even in my exhaustion.

The first question I asked in the article was, "Are You Kind to Your Family? I know that may seem like a silly question to some of you. But, seriously, take a look at how you treat your kids, your spouse, your friends. Are you more kind to your friends than your family?"

I had the opportunity a couple years ago to speak to the women at our former church as they hosted a mother / daughter breakfast. When the senior pastor asked me what I'd be talking about, I responded that my topic was for mothers to treat their children as enemies. He laughed, then asked me to explain. Here's a brief synopsis, spoken not as one who has achieved, but as one who aspires to walk in this way.

Jesus said, "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil." Luke 6:35.

I don't know about your family, but certainly there are times when I see unthankful and even evil behavior from my children. If God is kind even when this behavior is displayed, would not His daughter also be well-advised to do so, too?

I figure if we are to love, bless, do good to, and pray for our enemies... those who hate us and use us, then wouldn't it also be preferable to treat our families this way, even if they are occasionally acting like our enemies?

Oh yeah, and we, too, were once enemies of God. (Colossians 1:21)

No doubt it takes a great deal of self control to act like the adult and do the right thing even when our kids are having issues, or our marriages are struggling. But, I have noticed that when it really counts, like when I get pulled over by a police officer, or when a friend calls in the middle of some conflict here, I can have extreme self control and behave in a way that is courteous and even-tempered.

Is the law of kindness on your tongue? Do you tend to be kind? Don't know? Then sit down with 1 Corinthians 13, and replace in your mind your name with the word love.

Mom is patient.
Mom is kind.
Mom isn't envious.

You get the idea. If you cannot say these things about yourself, or better yet, if your kids or husband cannot truthfully say these things about you, then it's time to hit the prayer closet. It seems to me that this work must first be done in one's heart before it can come out of one's mouth, or be evident by one's attitude, tone of voice, or facial expressions. Pray and ask the Lord to help you. Ask Him to give you a heart of love and gratitude for those whom He's given you for this brief season of time called "life". Ask the Holy Spirit to show you ways in which you can show the law of kindness to your kids, and your spouse.

Periodically check these things: your tone of voice, your facial expressions, your attitude, your timing. Ask your husband for some ideas on ways in which you can show kindness to him. He will think you're crazy at first, but be persistent. Ask your kids for ideas, too, individually. You may be surprised at what they interpret as kindness. Ask God to help you be a living testimony of His kindness in your own mission field - your home. It is not impossible to be a joyful mother of children (Psalm 113:9)

Kindness - it's the law! Are you obeying the law?

When Migraine Can Be A Blessing

I awakened this morning at 7:00AM with a massive migraine headache. Instead of being smart and taking my favorite medicine, Excedrin Migraine, I decided to try to sleep it off. Those of you who have ever suffered with migraines know this was a BIG mistake.

OK fine. At 9:30AM I decided to try an Imitrex. By 11:30AM I was literally weeping at my kitchen island from the pain, and trying to hide it from everyone. I did manage to get the kids' school assignments for the week posted for them, helped two kids with math and english, scrambled a dozen eggs, and got a load of laundry going.

My sweet husband understands when I get like this. He just corralled all the kids away from me, and left me alone. Finally I did get some relief after I didn't care any more how I got rid of the pain, and took the Excedrin. I wasn't sure if I could do this after taking the Imitrex. Fifty minutes later, I was a new woman. It is amazing how much the lack of pain feels like heaven after a seven hour migraine attack.

During my time in my darkened room, with ice pack on my head and jabbing, throbbing head pain, I found it interesting where my mind wandered. I thanked God that my husband's only day off was today. I thanked Him, too, for five kids who know how to study independently, and who know how to occupy themselves when their chores and schoolwork are done. I thanked Him for the many dear people He's brought across my path over the past two and a half years at our church. I thanked Him repeatedly for the genius who created the aspirin - acetametaphin - caffeine combo medicine.

As I listened to my kids playing with each other, and laughing, I thanked God for the tremendous blessing each one of them has been to me. And even after twenty one years of marriage, I thanked God most of all for my dear husband.

It really seemed strange to me that I would have an attitude of thankfulness during this most miserable attack. Oh well. Regardless, it has caused me to remember all the amazing blessings God has poured out on me.

Typically I like to run through grocery lists, theological debates, physics theories and such in my down-time just for the fun of it. I'm not kidding! But when migraine hits, I usually just beg God for relief. Today was different. Today I ended up thanking God for the blessing of this migraine.

Hey - maybe He is doing a work in me!

When "How are you?" Can Be A Tricky Question To Answer

This has been a very rough week. I won't go into detail, but any of you who happen to be married to a pastor can probably relate to my Job's wife attitude.

As I sat in the proverbial stew of my anger and disappointment, I still had to continue on with daily life, of course. Laundry, school, meal prep., child rearing, marriage and other aspects of real life don't "pause" like a TiVo when someone is having a rough week or month or year.

My sweetie was studying 2nd Corinthians during the week. He's preaching through the Bible, one book per Sunday, as a sort-of overview. He started what he calls his "Route 66 Series" in January of 2006. As the weeks have gone by, he and I have both been quite amazed at what we've learned of the Word.

Well, one of the over-arching themes of 2nd Corinthians is suffering.

Then, as I was scanning some of my favorite blogs, one of them had a link to a brief biography of David Brainerd. There it was... suffering again of one called to minister.

Then I clicked on the brief biography of Charles Simeon Simeon was the pastor of Trinity Church, Cambridge, England, for 49 years. If you get a chance, read what this guy had to go through with his congregation! This is recommended reading for anyone who is in the ministry, in my opinion.

A small excerpt from the link:
The first thing the congregation did in rebellion against Simeon was to refuse to let him be the Sunday afternoon lecturer. This was in their charge. It was like a second Sunday service. For five years they assigned the lecture to Mr. Hammond. Then when he left, instead of turning it over to their pastor of five years they gave it to another independent man for seven more years! Finally, in 1794, Simeon was chosen lecturer. Imagine serving for 12 years a church who were so resistant to your leadership they would not let you preach Sunday evenings, but hired as assistant to keep you out.

Simeon tried to start a later Sunday evening service and many townspeople came. But the churchwardens locked the doors while the people stood waiting in the street. Once Simeon had the doors opened by a locksmith, but when it happened again he pulled back and dropped the service.

The second thing the church did was to lock the pew doors on Sunday mornings. The pewholders refused to come and refused to let others sit in their personal pews. Simeon set up seats in the aisles and nooks and corners at his own expense. But the churchwardens took them out and threw them in the churchyard. When he tried to visit from house to house, hardly a door would open to him. This situation lasted at least ten years. The records show that in 1792 Simeon got a legal decision that the pewholders could not lock their pews and stay away indefinitely. But he didn't use it. He let his steady, relentless ministry of the word and prayer and community witness gradually overcome the resistance.

WOW.

As I reflected on the lives of these two preachers, I was struck by the selfishness of my own thoughts, and how light my affliction was, not only when compared to what these men endured, but also, and more importantly, in light of eternity.

If someone asks me today, "How are you?" I must truthfully answer "Much better than I deserve."

Praise be to God for His immeasurable grace!

What Should Women's Ministry Be?

There's a lot of talk in most churches about having a "Women's Ministry". I think what most people mean by this is that churches should provide bible studies for women. This is a good thing! Can we ever study the Word enough?

That being said, I wonder what women's ministry should be, as opposed to what it has become.

I like what John Piper had to say about this in his book, "When I Don't Desire God"

It is a great advantage to be wise. Wisdom is different from the mere knowledge of facts. Some very wise people have little formal education. And some very educated people, who know many facts, are not wise. Wisdom is the insight and sense of how to live in a way that accomplishes the goals for which we were made: the glory of God and the good of man. And since glorifying God involves delighting in God, and the good of man involves sharing our joy in God, therefore wisdom is the only path to deep and lasting joy.

It won't surprise us that this joy-producing wisdom comes through the Word of God..."Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom."The Word of Christ brings "all wisdom" into our lives so that we can help each other know it and live in it.

One of the challenges I repeatedly hold out to the people of our church - especially the women- is that they make it one of their aims to age into a sage. I love the vision of older women full of seasoned spiritual fruit that comes only with long life and much affliction and deep meditation on the Word of God. So many younger women yearn for older women, who are deeply wise, to share the wisdom God has taught them over the years. The joy of giving and receiving this kind of gift is great. It is a joy that comes by the Word of God. There is no better joy than what comes through wisdom. Therefore, the Word of God is more valuable than anything on earth.

Long life and much affliction, and deep meditation on the Word of God.

Reminds me of Titus 2!

Sometimes it seems to me that our greatest weakness as older women (ok, not old but older... like over 40) is that we are not comfortable trying to minister to our younger sisters. We lack confidence, courage, and sometimes knowledge of the Word. I think it's sad that we step back from opportunities to encourage and admonish our sisters. However, the blame doesn't rest solely on our age group. I have met many younger women who give you "the look", broadcasting nonverbally that they are not interested in hearing what an older woman might have to say. Then there are older women who give unsolicited advice ALL the TIME. Can you say annoying? Toss in some drama and hormones, and it's no wonder most churches opt to have nice and tidy book studies ;-)

I guess flesh is flesh, and everyone has it. My heart is that women's ministry wouldn't be a title of a program, but rather a lifestyle of mutual affirmation and encouragement in this Christian walk.

More on this later.

Crummy Church Signs

Our small church recently celebrated the fact that we now have an actual, real, light-up sign. My hubby is the chief sign-changer. In honor of my beloved, I give to you Crummy Church Signs

This is NOT our church sign, by the way!

Of Driscoll / Piper, Cliff Claven, and Titus 2

Something about being the wife of a solo pastor in a small growing church, combined with being the mother of five kids (ages 7 to 16) who are all homeschooled lends itself to infrequent blogging. I really didn't think my husband's switch from being a youth pastor of a large youth group in a huge church to being the solo pastor of a tiny church would be that much of a change for me. After all, my role as wife and mother stays pretty much the same all the time. Get those 3 loads of laundry done each day, teach the kids, clean the house, cook, answer a lot of email and phone calls related to the church, and squeeze out a little time to read favorite blogs and websites, well... it makes for little time to blog.

As I have been thinking about the blogosphere lately, I have wondered how much of a benefit it truly is in the lives of real people. What do I mean by that? Sure, it's entertaining to peek in on others' thoughts and day-to-day lives, but what I tend to do is gravitate toward the controversial. An example follows:

Recently I've been reading a lot about the Emerging Church, Missional ideology, and the Emergent Village, etc. There was a little flap between John Piper and Mark Driscoll (er... at least some took it to be a "flap") after the Desiring God conference, but the two men cleared the air rather eloquently, bathed in grace. Quite impressive. Extremely rare. Fantastic to see godly guys acting like godly guys. But why was I drawn to the bruhaha?

I have to admit that I love to research things. I feel like I'm the Cliff Claven of my family, loaded with little-known (and little cared-about) facts. As I think on this, I am coming to the realization that it isn't necessarily my quest for information which drives me, or my intellect, but rather my flesh.

I'm still in the pondering mode about this. It is somewhat troubling. I'm one of those women who find it really difficult to turn my mind off at bed time. My sweet husband falls asleep in moments, and I lay there trying to remind myself that the grocery list and Christian Ed. committee agenda in my head can wait until morning. It frustrates me that I have to actually think about not thinking about things in order to relax enough to fall asleep. I suspect I am not alone in this, and being in my mid-forties doesn't help either (can you say premenopause weirdness????). With my tendencies, is it wise for me to be scouring the blogosphere, loading even more information and debate into my head?

In the spirit of Proverbs 10:19, In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise., I will say that in my experience, "in the multitude of blogs, sin is not lacking" could apply. I point the finger at myself, primarily because in my mild obsession with blogs, I have the tendency to subconsciously allow them to get me riled up about things that in the normal course of a day wouldn't have crossed my mind.

It's my issue. Moderation in some things just doesn't come easy to me. Especially when it comes to chocolate, or coffee, or reformed blogs.

I think what I need to do is do what I'm supposed to be doing at this stage of my life. Titus 2 talks abut older women and what their ministry should be, especially toward the younger women of the church. This "older woman" thing is a bit troubling to one's vanity, so I tend to use the phrase "seasoned woman" in my head. The fact is, though, that my childbearing years are over, my eyesight is failing, gravity is my enemy, and I feel a whole lot better about a whole lot of things. Like my faith, my walk, my childrearing, my personality.

So, what I will try to do on a somewhat regular basis is produce posts here that are encouraging to young women. Specifically, young women who want to live their lives for the glory of God. Much easier said than done.

I know I will still hop around the blogosphere a bit, but I will try harder to not be drawn into theological or political debates. I suspect it will be easier to do than not go for that milk chocolate in the treat cupboard!

Blessings, dear ones!

Are Your Prayers Lopsided?

Paul told us to “pray without ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. I think many of us have a hard time praying all the time, and when we do pray, it is common to focus on one of a few things: healing, finances, or safety. When I look at the weekly prayer list at our own small church, it is quite long with many requests, primarily for healing. This is in accordance with James 5:13-16… we ARE to pray for the sick and suffering, and after we confess our sins one to another. But why is it that the average evangelical Christian prays primarily for healing? Are there other things about which we are to pray?


I took a look at what Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus (a commercial and religious center of Asia Minor), written during his first two-year imprisonment. He prayed:

-That God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

-That they would know what is the hope of His calling

-That they would know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints

-That they would know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe

(Ephesians 1:16-19)

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For the believers in Philippi (a town established by the father of Alexander the Great), he prayed:

-That their love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that they might approve the things that are excellent

-That they would be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ

-That they would be filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God

(Philippians 1:9)

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For the believers in Corinth (a cosmopolitan center which thrived on commerce, entertainment, vice and corruption), he prayed to God:

-That they would do no evil (2 Cor. 13:7).

He also instructed them that if they spoke in tongues, that they also pray for the interpretation (1 Cor. 14:13)

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For the believers in Thessolonica (a prosperous city within sight of Mount Olympus), he prayed:

-That God would count them worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power

-That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be gloirified in them, and they in Him, according to the grace of our God in the Lord Jesus Christ

(2 Thess. 1:11)

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For the believers in Colosse (a city about 100 miles east of Ephesus), he prayed:

-That they would be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding

-That they would have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him

-That they would be fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God

-That they would be strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy

-That they would be giving thanks to the Father who had qualified them to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of light

(Colossians 1:9-12)

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Paul told Timothy to instruct the church to pray for those in authority. Why? So that they would be able to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. (1 Tim. 2:1)


Jesus prayed in John 17:15 that the Father would keep those given to Him, and those who would believe, from the evil one.

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What if we dared to start praying as Paul prayed? What if we prayed for our brothers, sisters, and ourselves, that we would have walks worthy of Him… that we would KNOW the hope of His calling… that we would be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ, and so-forth?

The next time you have a quiet moment with God, take a peek at some of the passages I mentioned. Insert your name or the name of someone for whom you’re praying into some of those verses, in place of the word “you” or “they”. Personalize your prayers, and pray as Paul prayed, and see what the Holy Spirit does.

If you pray like this in a more public setting, you may want to be prepared for some surprised looks. That’s ok! We need to inspire each other to pray boldly and biblically.

Manna and the Red Sea - a Perspective on Miracles

I had an epiphany of sorts today. I was on my way to church, for the second time (forgot something... it is good to live only a mile and a half from the church)... and I was chatting to the Lord about how LONG it seems between times of big miracles in our lives. You know, those Red Sea Parting moments that we look back upon and say, "Surely only God could have done that!"

Well, I've been in a season of life when it seems like those huge miracles are so far off in the past. Usually it helps for me to reflect upon the goodness of the Lord in the past, to help me make it through a difficult time in the present. We're taught all over in the Word to not forget His blessings, His miracles.

During my little jaunt in the car, I said to the Lord, "God, it sure seems like a LONG time since I've had a Red Sea miracle from you, and it's getting harder to stay positive and reflect on the past when I don't see much happening right now."

In the twinkling of the eye, I sensed the Holy Spirit speak to my heart, and He asked me a question - Was the daily manna I provided for my people any less miraculous than My parting of the Red Sea?"

Oooohhh. Ouch.

You see, I had been looking and waiting so long for a Red Sea miracle that I neglected to see the daily miracle of God's provision in my life. Not just in the physical sense of having enough food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to live, but also His provision of a loving family, peace and love in my marriage, and a real and living relationship with Almighty God.

Wow!

Lord, teach us to see Your daily manna, and not despise it but be grateful to You for providing it.

Miracles are miracles!

Is Your Church Spirit-Led or Curriculum-Led?

Lots of us in the evangelical world pride ourselves on not being "bound by traditions of men". No siree. We don't have those legalistic trappings associated with mere tradition, or do we?

I think the biggest surprise for my husband and me over our years of ministry is that many people in our local churches don't have a sense of community amongst themselves. We assume that in small churches everyone knows each other well, and get along well. Larger churches usually have small groups, and we assume most people know each other well and make connections outside of church. What we've discovered is often times folks tend to know each other on an acquaintance level, but they don't necessarily have contact with each other outside of Sunday worship or an evening Bible study. If a meeting starts at 7:00PM, people tend to show up at 6:55PM and hit the door about 5 minutes after the end of the meeting.

Someone once said to us that you can tell how healthy a church is by how quickly people leave after the service.

We've found that our people really want to go deeper with God - they want to grow and learn. How many pastors ever hear that from their congregation? For that we are very thankful! However, what we're finding over our 20+ years in ministry is that many people are so accustomed to living parallel lives without intertwining, that our greatest weakness (as Christians) is not in knowledge of the Bible, but in application of its principles within the church body.

For example, a few years back at a Bible study one week, a woman shared something about her life which resulted in her having an emotional breakdown right in front of everyone. The others in the group acted like they didn't know how to respond, and the group's facilitator seemed a bit agitated that my husband and another older lady stopped to lay hands on the woman and prayed for her. What about keeping on schedule? What about the list of things we must do during the Bible study time? What if we don't get through all the questions in the lesson for the night?

What indeed?

Are we not called as the Body of Christ to minister life to each other? How can we bear one another's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) if we never take the time to actually find out what burdens a person might be bearing? When did we go from being Spirit led to being curriculum-led?

Why is the average church so preoccupied with church growth, programs, schedules, strategies while her members struggle to keep the faith in their individual lives? How can iron sharpen iron if we don't know each other well enough to hold each other accountable to live godly in this present age? How can we put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if we are too busy trying to stick to the assigned times and assigned lessons?

What I've found is that we evangelicals do, in fact, have many traditions of men. That's not to say they are bad, but we have elevated them almost to the authority level of Scripture itself in our churches. What do I mean? How about the tradition of having a Sunday morning service, a Sunday evening service, and a mid-week Bible study? You say, "What on earth is wrong with that?" Nothing. But if that's all we're doing, and not being sensitive to the Holy Spirit when He prompts us to minister to a brother or sister in the Lord, then something is missing in our lives... and in our churches.

We need each other. We need to love on each other, serve each other. Sometimes this will mean disregarding the time and helping someone when it's inconvenient. Sometimes it will mean doubling a meal, and sending half of it to a family whose momma is sick. Sometimes it will mean staying late after church to try to meet that person who sat all alone during service. Why is this important? Jesus Himself said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34,35)

My heart's cry for the Body of Christ around the state, nation, and globe is that all of us will learn to relax a bit and be more like Mary than Martha (see Luke 10:38-42). We're really good at forming committees and scheduling meetings. We're good at creating new ministries, drafting mission statements, and formulating church growth strategies. Now it's time for us to get on to the messy part of Christianity - really getting to know and love each other. When that happens, watch out!

Go ahead, ask the Holy Spirit to prompt you when He needs you to reach out to a brother or sister in Christ. Your mind will fight against it - "He'll think I'm crazy!" or "I don't have time for this!" Don't be fooled - when you reach out and try to love on another person, God is using you to plant seeds of hope in their heart. What a wonderful way to spend your time.

Oh, and don't forget your Pastor. He needs those seeds, too!

God Sends Amazing Messengers of Encouragement!

As I was driving to the home into which we hope to be moving soon, I was really struggling in heart with many concerns.  There are some days when a person just needs encouragement.  I miss my honey - he's putting in long hours at work and at our new home.  I worry that we won't sell our other home quickly.  I'm tired of open houses, construction messes, and even the bickerings of some in our little flock.  I can know with my understanding that I'm just in a hard season of life, but there are times when a person just feels weak in heart and mind and body.  I was in that mode yesterday.

 

  I prayed as I drove, asking my Heavenly Father to please send someone to me to help lift my spirit.  I got to the house, picked on my sweetie a little, then had to do some hardware store errand running for him.  When I came back, a man from church and his lady friend unexpectedly stopped by the house.  The lady, Bobbie Jean, is one of those types of women who are so full of the Holy Spirit that she can't help but minister life.  We sat and talked for over an hour.  She encouraged me so much!  The Scriptures flowed out of her.

 

The Bible says in Matthew 10 that not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from our Father's will, and that the very hairs of our heads are numbered (by Him).  We serve a God who is into the details of life.  Because of His lovingkindness, I believe he sent Bobbie Jean to me, all the way from Houston Texas, to encourage me.  Had she not been visiting a friend in this area, I most likely never would have met this wonderful woman this side of heaven.  There are no coincidences in life - we plan our lives, but God guides our steps (Proverbs 20:24).

 

Go ahead, ask God to help you.  He hears what you're thinking, you know, but I believe that much glory comes to Him when we humble ourselves and ask Him for His help, His blessing, His reassurance. 

 

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. 

Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

 

(Psalm 63:3-5)

 

May our mouths praise Him today, with joyful lips.  When you do this, you will also be encouraging many others who are crying out to Him.

 

Thank You, Lord!