pkdmom2five

2012-01-12T10:11:00.000-06:00

Came across this today during my morning Bible reading:

Less of self and more of Jesus,
More and more each day like Thee;
Just to live in full surrender
For my Lord who ransomed me. - Wonder

John 14:15-24

King James Version (KJV)

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

1.1.2012

2012-01-01T22:05:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 4:31&32
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Philippians 3:13&14
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T11:29:00.000-06:00

Today is November 11, 2011; just in case you did not know:~))

Today is the original day that my son was to wed his wonderful wife, Marina.
They just could not wait (for which I am very thankful) so they were married June 18.

On this day 12 years ago I received an absolute dream come true.
My only daughter, Victoria Paige Sanchez, was born. My heart had ached for a daughter for many years. We had already been blessed with three sons, but I wanted a precious baby girl. God answered my prayer on this day 12 years ago. Not only was she a girl, she was a V-BAC. Meaning she was born vaginally after three c-sections. It was the most awesome experience I could have ever imagined.

Victoria has blessed my life in ways unimaginable. I don't think she will truly comprehend this until she becomes a mother herself.

I love you, VICTORIA PAIGE SANCHEZ!!!!!!!!

Neglect

2011-10-21T12:57:00.000-05:00

To my faithful billion followers I must offer my humble apologies. It has been far to long since I last updated. I will offer my petty excuses here. This may sound like a pity party and.....maybe it is. But, we are are entitled now and again:~))

The past 7-8 weeks have been a basic blur. Going back to the end of August when my father-in-law suffered a terrible fall and a diabetic coma. After several days in ICU it was determined that the above mentioned things were caused by neglect. Not enough food, uncleanly ....and so on. It was at the discharging from the hospital that my husband and I made the decision to move both my father-in-law and mother-in-law into our home. We live in a modest three bedroom two bath home. We have three boys in one bedroom, our daughter has her room and then my husband and I have a room with a bath. We gave my in laws our room with easy access to a restroom. This all means that my husband and I have been camped out on the living room floor since the end of August. We both have bad backs it is really starting to talk a toll. But.......God gives strenght to move forward :~))

Yes, my husband has other siblings......No they have offered no help.
We now have a lady that comes three days a weeks for baths, two separate therapists (who are both amazing) that each come twice a week and a nurse that comes weekly. I have got them both fitted for diabetic shoes, both have had eye examinations, both have had their feet taken care of by a foot doctor, and I was able to get them a local doctor. (That in itself means that I no longer have to drive 45 minutes to take them to doctor visits, of which they have many.)

My in-laws are not able to be left alone which has been really hard.
My husband teaches Sunday School and preaches every Sunday morning, so he goes to church in the morning. I get to go the church on Sunday nights and every other Wednesday night. In laws are getting stronger and are actually able to go to church on an occasion now.

We also had family in from Mexico. So at one point we had 11 people sleeping in our humble home.
It went like this:
Me and hubby = our daughter's bed
Mom & Dad = our bed
Nick = Nick's bed
Christian = Christian's bed
Isaiah = Isaiah's bed
Victoria = mattress is boys room
Aunt Lucy & Aunt Paulina = sofa bed
Cousin Carlos = mattress in living room

Oh!! Did I mention that my right hand got cut off???
Yep, Nick had to go and get a full time job just about the time the in laws came.
You learn to adjust.

The children seem to be adjusting well with the exception of one. This is hard. We do not want bitterness or resentment to grow. We want our children to know that it is our responsibility to care for our parents as long as we can. There have been many people that do not agree with this decision and feel we should just put them in a nursing home and go on. Well......we just can't:~)) Not yet anyway. I'm not saying that this might not occur in the future but for now things will remain the same.

All of this has taken a toll on my health, and I have been battling a bad kidney infection for going on three weeks now. I'm on my third round of antibiotics. But.....God gives grace.

Christian can't have his knee operated on until he stops growing which the Dr says is an estimated two more years. Praying the pain remains manageable.

My oldest son turned 21!!! My youngest son has his first loose tooth:~))

My husband has a job and we have NEVER gone to bed hungry. God is awesome!!!!

Even when things seem to be bleak.....God reigns!!!

Speaking of rain, we finally got some:~)) And a nice cool front too. Expecting a stronger one Thursday which means more days with no a/c on = lower electric bills. God.....provides.

This has been our best school year in probably three years. I am so glad I waited to start Isaiah. With only two in school this year the load has been lighter and much smoother. God.... is faithful.

Jesse is having back problems again. I can worry about the maybes but......it will not help.

I have had many spiritual victories lately for which I give God the glory.

Got to see the premier of Courageous. WATCH THE MOVIE!!!

Taking my son and daughter to lunch tomorrow for his birthday :~))

Ok, that pretty much sums it all up. I left out a few things..........but enough already.

God is my strength. I am going to heaven when all is said and done. I have much more here and now than I will ever deserve.

More Blessings

2011-08-08T19:25:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful blessing to have our long time friends and Missionaries to Mexico at church last night.
We have known Bro Garcia and his family for about 12 years now. They have a special place in our hearts.

2011-08-02T11:38:00.000-05:00

Anyone Want to Save Some Old People?

Let me confess, up front, this is a rant about one of my persisting pet peeves with the church.

Also, let me say, I love children and teens. I believe they should know the truth about Jesus and I believe we should make every effort to help them be welcome and involved in all aspects of church life.

I came to know Jesus as a child and I was a teen-age Christian (someday, there will be a feature film of that title).

But repeatedly I’ve heard this annoying and damaging untruth spoken from the front of the church: “The youth are the future of the church!”

Usually, this is proclaimed to justify some change in music style or ministry emphasis and to silence anyone who might object, because, who wants to be the one who doesn’t want to ensure the future of the church? Right?

Have you heard this, too? “We must adapt our church to the culture of the youth because they are our future.” Maybe you’ve even said it.

Sounds true. Hard to argue against. Except it’s a lie.

Children are not the future of the church. Jesus is. Always has been, always will be.

Teens are not the future church. If they love Jesus, they’re the church NOW.

The church isn’t an institution or an organization, it’s a living organism. We don’t care for certain organs because our bodies will need them someday. We care for all our organs because our bodies need them now!

To see children as the future of the church is to see the church as a world-system, which it isn’t. In a world-system, it makes sense that there must be a continual influx of “young blood” but the church runs on the blood of Christ so even if all we had were geriatric converts, we could grow, thrive, and remain vital in building the kingdom of Christ.

Paul tells us in Colossians 1:16-17 that "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

He holds the life of the church in His hands. It doesn’t rest on the future generation. When the Pharisees told Jesus to silence His followers, "And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Luke 19:40.

Jesus can raise followers from the dust. He doesn’t rely on the next generation anymore than He relied on the one that birthed it.

So, why do I care about this? What is so damaging about this false notion?

Because there are old people in danger of dying without Jesus and this wrong-headed worldly -thinking keeps us from reaching them.

There are lost souls wandering through mid-life wondering why none of it seems worthwhile. They could find their answer in Christ if someone was there to tell them about Him.

We put major effort into child evangelism, outreach to teens and campus ministries, and rightly so. This work should never cease. To reach a young person with the truth of Christ is a marvelous thing.

I don’t want the work of the church to change focus, I want it to expand. Surely someone has a heart, a vision, a calling to reach people over the age of 40!

There are youth-heavy statistics out there that every youth minister uses when it’s budget time. Statistics like this: “Less than one out of every four born again Christians (23%) embraced Christ after their twenty-first birthday. Barna noted that these figures are consistent with similar studies it has conducted during the past twenty years.” (2004)

We read those statistics and think like CEO’s of corporations instead of disciples of Christ and put all of our efforts into fishing in the well-populated waters of childhood and adolescence. But maybe, just maybe, Jesus comes along and tells us to drop our nets off the other side of the boat.

Does anyone still have the courage for that kind of fishing?

Imagine a church that was growing all the time – not by adding only young families but also by adding newborn boomers and seniors. And then these “older” newborns reach out to their peers.

Maybe the statistic would never change. Maybe until the end of time only 1 out of 4 people will enter into relationship with Jesus after the age of 21 but thank God for every one of those “ones.”

I don’t put my faith in statistics; I put my faith in Jesus. As we hurtle, picking up speed every day, toward those last days, should we not make every effort to speak out to everyone at risk of missing the truth of Christ?

Can you see beyond the gray hair, the wrinkles, and the glasses and see a future child of God hungering and thirsting for the truth of Christ?

Stop believing that the world has the right system. Children are not the future of the church. Jesus is.

He didn’t call us to be fishers of children only but also fishers of men, women, boomers, seniors, and every generation in-between.

Anyone want to save some old people? God does.

This was taken from http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.com/2011/03/anyone-want-to-save-some-old-people.html?showComment=1312302472163#c6841126912767337945

1 Timothy 3:10-13

2011-07-28T23:12:00.001-05:00

Jesse's Deacon Ordination Service
Sunday July 31, 2011 @ 6:00 pm
First Baptist Church Clute, Texas
Fellowship Meal Following Service

1 Timothy 3:10-13 King James Version
And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

QUOTES

2011-07-26T19:30:00.000-05:00

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." George Washington

"The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world." Charles Dickens

"That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic rests." Andrew Jackson

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this book." Abraham Lincoln

"It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the ground work for human freedom." Horace Greeley

On This Day

2011-07-25T09:55:00.000-05:00

Today, July 25, is my 37 birthday!! On this day in 1974 a scared teen mom chose life, which which I am eternally grateful. This was long before 16 and Pregnant or Teen Mom. This young woman had hard decisions to make and she chose to give me life. Thanks Mom, I Love You!!!!

WHAT A WEEK

2011-07-24T21:13:00.000-05:00

WOW!! What an AWESOME week.

Arrived at San Marcus/San Antonio on Monday. Spent Monday afternoon at the outlet mall and hotel for swim time. Tuesday was tubing/glass bottom boat ride and back to the outlet mall. Tuesday was also Nick's 18th birthday so we had to have a party (which we did at the hotel). Wednesday was The Alamo and River Center Mall then Bowling in the evening. Thursday was Fiesta Texas and it was HOT!!! Drove home Thursday night. Friday was sleeping late, unpacking and laundry. Saturday was double date night with Jaime and Marina. We went to The Whisnants concerts and to dinner afterwards at El Jimador in Angleton. Sunday after church my wonderful son and daughter-in-law came over and prepared me a WONDERFUL birthday dinner.

I am a Blessed lady!!!!!!

Next Sunday is my husband's Deacon ordination service. We are both excited and nervous:-))

Oh, and I have decided that I could live in the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!!!!!!

2011-07-16T23:51:00.000-05:00

This Tuesday July 19th our second born son will turn 18!!!
We will be out of town that week so this is an early birthday post just for him.

Nicholas Ryan Sanchez was placed in my arms early Monday morning July 19, 1993. I was six days shy of being 19. He was our second born child and our second son. When Nick (as he is now called) was a baby he would not leave my side. A lot changes with time:-))

Nick has brought me an immeasurable amount of happiness. God has blessed Nick with some wonderful character traits. He is one of the kindest, caring, loving people you will ever meet. He is so optimistic that it makes me mad sometimes. He has proven to be a hard worker and a quick learner. Nick is an EXCELLENT brother. He is honest and trustworthy.

No, he is not perfect. He is my son and my friend.

It is incredible to think that these 18 years are over. Time is passing by as a raging flood.

I am not sure what the future holds for Nick but I do know that if he will continue to trust in God all things will work for good. I am eternally grateful that God allowed Nick to be in this family.

Nick,
I love you!!
I am thankful for you!!
May your birthday be tremendous:-))

Love,
Mom

2011-07-14T11:06:00.001-05:00

Forgiveness by Paul Gordon and John Caird.

You mustn't be revengeful
You have to be strong
To offer good for evil
Return right for wrong
We must not hold a grudge
And we must learn to endure
Then as God is your judge
At least your heart will be pure

Forgiveness is the mightiest sword
Forgiveness
Of those you hate
Will be your highest reward

When they bruise you with words
When they make you feel small
When it's hardest to bear
You must do nothing at all

Forgiveness is the simplest vow
Forgiveness
Of all their crimes
Is your deliverance now

Bless those souls
Who would curse your name
When the last bell tolls
You'll be free of blame

You can continue to grieve
But know the gospel is true
You must forgive those who lie
And bless them that curse you

Forgiveness is the mightiest sword
Forgiveness
Of those you fear
Will be your highest reward

The time will come when we will leave this world, and the injustice and
the pain and the sin will fall away from us, and only the spark of the
spirit will remain--returning to God who created it.

You must never lose Faith
You must never lose Heart
God will restore your trust
And I know you're afraid
I'm as scared as you are
But willing to be brave
Brave enough for love.

PKD Update

2011-07-10T19:07:00.001-05:00

I saw a new Nephrologist Tuesday at Baylor in Houston. Both my husband and I were very excited to finally get away from our small town doctor who quite frankly doesn't seem to care about her patients. She also owns the local Dialysis Clinic and seems to rush people through her doors. I should have realized this years ago while observing her treatment of a friend.

Well, I was VERY pleased with the knowledge that Dr. Raghavan had about my particular kidney disease.
I learned, after a same day Cat Scan, that my kidneys weigh 12 pounds!! No wonder I can't get ANY relief from the constant lower back pain. Also, we learned that there is a rather large cyst on the right kidney that is causing the sharp stabbing pain. We have made the decision to go ahead and drain this cyst with the hope of gaining some temporary relief. Our son, Nicholas, had the procedure done several years back and has experienced great pain reduction. Nicholas said it was extremely painful for about four days and after that....all was well!! I expect a call early this week with the appointment. Dr. Raghavan also made some adjustment to my blood pressure medicine. This will take some getting used to but I think it will be worth it in the end.

Thankful for both Spiritual and Physical healing, both of which take time :~))

The Instructions of the King

2011-07-04T19:58:00.001-05:00

Some thoughts from our recent Sunday School Lesson:

It is fair to say that over the years there has been no greater hindrance to the Lord's work than Christian people who bicker and fight among themselves. Such behavior disrupts the fellowship of Christians and presents a bad example to the lost.

Lost people often look at the fights among church members and simply walk away in disgust. Saved people who are outside the fellowship of a New Testament church see little reason to join a group of bickering, sniping, backbiting Baptists. When we misbehave, we imagine that we are defending our rights while we are really placing a stumbling block in the path of a weaker brother.

The simple answer would be for all of God's children to behave as if they knew that Jesus was watching their every action and hearing their every word. Of course, He truly is, but we are seldom aware of this spiritual scrutiny. This is why we need to learn how to live with each other and make the same things important to us that are important to Jesus.

God forgives us ONLY when we seek forgiveness from Him. God does not just issue a blanket forgiveness for every sin that has ever been committed. God also forgives us when we are willing to forgive others, Matthew 6:14,15

An unforgiving spirit will eventually turn into a sour soul. Many do not make the connection, but when you find a child of God who is sour, critical and mean spirited, you have found a person who will not forgive others. The longer we hold onto a grudge, the more bitter we become. That is why we should not even let the sun go down on our wrath.

If God has forgiven you, then by His grace, you can forgive others.

2011-07-04T19:41:00.000-05:00

I really like to blog but I've been so busy lately that my little blogspot has been neglected.

I have lots of things to blog about:
*Nick's graduation
*Jaime and Marina's wedding
*2 years of freedom from spiritual abuse
*Nick and Christian's trip to Washington D.C to the LTIA
*Health Updates (which is what this post will be about)

I saw my local Nephrologist back in April at which time she recommended removing the right kidney.
After contacting my previous Nephrologist, in Lubbock, she was able to set me up with a Nephrologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. My appointment is tomorrow. I am excited and nervous all in one.
Our local Neph owns and operates the local Dialysis Center and it seems as if she is simply pushing patients toward the dialysis machines so that the chairs are full.

2011-06-17T09:46:00.001-05:00

TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time is ticking.....

2011-06-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

10 days!!! Yep, just 10 short days until our oldest son will take a wife and start a life of their own.
I am so thankful for the path that Jaime has chosen. He bought a home the end of December yet he still lives at home. He is a God fearing, hard working, organized young man that has sought the Lord's direction for his life. For this he has been blessed. In 10 short days I will welcome a new daughter into our family. Marina is fantastic!!!! She loves my son and she too has sought God's will for her life.

I'm excited for the day to arrive!!! My dad will be making the 1,000 mile trip to be here. I don't think he knows what that means to me:-)

Y'all Come!!!

2011-05-19T09:33:00.000-05:00

Come join us this Friday, May 20th 2011, at First Baptist Church of Clute Texas to hear the wonderfully conservative gospel group, The Collingsworth Faimly. The concert starts at 7 but I would encourage you to arrive early for the best seats. You will not be disappointed and I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday evening ;~))

Camera

2011-05-17T23:18:00.000-05:00

Nick's new camera:

2011-05-16T00:49:00.000-05:00

A SHORT HISTORY OF MEDICINE:
"Doctor, I have an ear ache."
2000 BC - "Here, eat this root."
1000 BC - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."
1850 AD - "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion."
1940 AD - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."
1985 AD - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."
2000 AD - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root!"

2011-05-13T14:39:00.000-05:00

Friendship and Transparency

May 13, 2011 By toshowthemjesus

Our culture’s definition of a friend has changed significantly since the onset of social networking sites. It doesn’t seem to have the same depth of meaning anymore. As Christians, what does it mean to be a friend to another brother or sister in Christ? Should our friendships look different from those of the world? For me, a key ingredient to a Christian friendship is transparency. What does it mean to be transparent and do we as a church have transparency with one another?
Miriam Webster defines transparent as “having the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering so that bodies lying beyond are seen clearly passing light without diffusion or distortion” or in terms of a persons actions, “free from pretense or deceit.” I like both definitions, though different they both speak clearly what transparency is and isn’t.
Are you old enough to remember transparency machines? I remember my teachers laying a clear piece of plastic on the glass top and writing down their notes for us to copy. The light from under the glass reflected off the mirrors above it and was seen on the pulled down screen on the wall. Everything the teacher wrote on the clear plastic was seen on the screen. Like those machines, I believe it is important for Christians to “transmit light” so that others can see clearly who we are.
I believe true Christian friendship requires mutual transparency, don’t you? I want a friend who doesn’t hide from me who they really are but who is transparent along with me. A true friend reveals their struggles and asks for accountability. We pray for one another. We help each other walk when one stumbles. (Proverbs 18:24, James 5:16, Hebrews 10:24, Romans 12:10)
Mutual transparency creates an environment where friends feels safe and accepted. We treat each other the way Christ treated the sinner’s with whom he ate meals. Christ knew all of their weaknesses and deepest sins, yet he sat at the table with them when it was considered taboo to do so by the society at large. He spent time with those whom no one else would have even acknowledged their existence. He befriended them, healed them, strengthened them and saved them. He set an example for us in how we are to love one another in spite of our weakness and sin.
Why aren’t we more transparent in the church? Is it that we don’t want our brothers and sisters in Christ to clearly see our heart? To see the sins we struggle with, the pains in our heart, our fears? Like the definition says, when we’re not transparent, all you see is a distortion.
In reference to the second definition, when we are not transparent with one another, we are being deceitful. The masks we wear cover who we truly are. We are lying about who we are by having others get to know this masked person instead of the real person behind it. The bible tells us to bear one another’s burdens (Galations 6:2). How can we do that if we don’t know what those burdens are because of the masks that we wear?
One of the requirements of belonging to this group of misfits called “Christ followers” is that we have to be sinners. Since we’re all sinners, why do we put on an act that says we have it all together?
Each day that I sit down and press my fingers to these keys, one more piece of this mask falls off. It’s not easy to bear a naked soul to the world. The potential for being judged, for being hurt, for being rejected is great. But Jesus did all of that for us, didn’t He? Aren’t we called to be like Him?
I believe God gives us each other in the body of Christ to lift one another up, carry each others burdens, and to extend to one another the same love and grace we’ve been given. God, in his wisdom, has chosen to use the body of Christ as one of the means through which he uses to change us.
It is as we sharpen one another that we become more like Jesus. It is as we walk alongside one another, we can see Christ’s love shine in and through each other. And as we lift one another up, we too are lifted up when we see the Spirit heal and restore. Today, would you consider removing your mask? Would you become transparent with others in the body of Christ so they can see the pain in your heart?
It is there, in that moment of feeling your heart exposed and naked, that Christ uses our Christian friends to be the physical arms of Jesus as they embrace us, accept us, and walk with us along this journey of the Christian life.

Graduation 2011

2011-05-11T09:29:00.001-05:00

Our second born son, Nicholas, will be graduating on Friday.
We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to home school our children.
Nicholas has been a GREAT blessing to our family. We are grateful that God chose to place him in our family:-) Nicholas is prayerfully considering a carreer in Photography.

Wedding Shower

2011-05-05T11:01:00.001-05:00

Sunday was the wedding shower for our son and his fiancee.
Everything was absolutely beautiful:-)
Our church ladies really outdid themselves and we really appreciate
the collective efforts to make this day special.
There was a really great turnout, although there were some faces that were missed.
(Those of you who couldn't attend for whatever reason, we hope to see you at the wedding.)

2011-05-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

"When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting" Proverbs 11:10 KJV

Time is ticking.....

2011-05-02T10:17:00.000-05:00

Today is May 2st. Just 47 days until my son's wedding!!! Yesterday was the wedding shower and it was beautiful:-) God has blessed this young couple IMMENSELY!!! His dad and I are very happy for them and can't wait to watch there lives grow together.

.........

2011-04-27T00:24:00.000-05:00

Is feeling like the most blessed women alive. I cannot tell you why, exactly, I just do:-) I have a wonderful husband and five of the greatest children. I have an amazing church family. Our oldest son is marrying a wonderful young lady In June. Her bridal shower is Sunday and I am so excited!! Our second to the oldest is graduating in a few short weeks. I serve a risen Savior. I don't really feel like I have any enemies. I have a fabulous neighbor. These are just a few that come to mind.

Oh, not to fret, I have plenty of negatives things in my life. But right now, at this very moment, I'm only counting the things that I consider "good":-) When I get to heaven all the 'bad' thing won't matter anyway!!

2011-04-24T22:24:00.001-05:00

What a wonderful day!! Easter Cantata at church this morning then the Lord's Supper tonight. Could not think of a better way to spend my Sunday:-)

20/20

2011-04-21T13:53:00.001-05:00

So, a week or so back there was an episode of 20/20 that talked about the abuse situation in Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches. Let me first start by saying there is some sort of abuse in EVERY denomination. We should not focus on the 'bad apples'.

I was saved in January of 1997 as the result of a dear lady giving me a gospel tract approximately 9 months earlier. I truly believe at that particular time she cared for my soul. However, as the years passed (some quicker than others) I feel that the pride of the 'pastor' (the woman's husband) took over.

As I watched the first few minutes of that 20/20 program I wept openly. What was being said is EXACTLY what we had been living. Since we have been saved we have always been a member of an Independent Baptist Church. You did as you were told, no questions asked. You dressed the way they wanted you to or you were looked down upon. There was physical child abuse covered and kept secret. There was a registered sex offender in our mist (which we were not aware of until after we fled). And yes, I did say fled. We literally fled for our lives and the lives of our children. It was the hardest yet also one of the best decisions we ever made. To us, this church was neither physically or sexually abusive BUT they were definitely mentally and spiritually abusive.

We learned many GREAT Bible truths under this church and for that I am eternally grateful.
The 'pastor' was an excellent teacher but he became very prideful and was in no position to be a Pastor. He didn't meet the Biblical qualifications. He would take what he 'believed' and then use the Holy Scriptures to manipulate the congregation into believing that is what the Bible says when in reality it was simply his personal opinion.

The trouble started very early in our Christian walk. We were babes in Christ and we trusted (without question) the 'pastor'. There were three families involved in this trouble and we literally BEGGED for all of those parties to get together in order to get to the bottom of the problem. (Today they will lead you to believe that you must hear all sides in order to make a decision, but believe you me: THIS IS NOT WHAT THEY BELIEVE OR IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PRACTICED!!) Had these three parties been allowed to tell their stories the outcome would have been very different.

After 13 years there, we left that church and prayerfully joined another Independent Baptist Church. For the first time in our Christian life we felt true Biblical love towards us. Still today, almost two years later, I stand in awe at what our family endured. Not all Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches are abusive. Make sure the church you attend belongs to the Lord and not to the Pastor.

Family

2011-04-21T13:05:00.001-05:00

We had our pictures taken a few weeks back for our church directory and we're graciously given the opportunity to purchase some of our own. With Jaime about to get married we took advantage of the situation and had our last family picture made. I must say I could not be happier with the outcome!!!!! My husband surprised me and we got the giant 20x24. Here is the result:

Updates....

2011-03-23T17:28:00.001-05:00

On Sunday night Nick was casually walking down the hallway and abruptly fainted. We took him to the doctor Monday morning and did some blood work and an EKG. All the tests have come back normal and the doctor seems to think that his blood pressure medicine dosage may be tad much and that his blood pressure dropped rapidly thus causing him to faint. We are doing daily blood pressure checks here at home and weekly at the doctor's office.

My husband was diagnosed with Meniere's disease about four years ago and it turns out that diagnosis is wrong. He has been having much more frequent bouts of dizziness. He saw a new ENT two weeks ago and had a CT of the sinuses and a balance test done. Monday we saw the dr for the results and it turns out there is some type of lesion involving the right horizontal semicircular canal in his right ear. We are now scheduled to see a Neurotologist on April 1st.

In other news...Nicholas graduates May 13th and we are SOOOO happy for him. That means come September I'll have two children in school for at least a year before Isaiah starts;-)

Dates

2011-03-22T15:55:00.000-05:00

As all of you know my oldest son is engaged to be married this year. The original wedding date was set for November 11th. However, they were able to buy a house and have decided not to wait til the end of the year. The wedding will take place on Saturday June 18th!!! That is just three short months away but we are so excited for them both.

2011-03-15T17:51:00.001-05:00

I am glad to know that our hometown store, Baywood Foods, bought out Super S!! Baywood has much lower prices and a GREAT coupon policy.

2011-03-13T11:51:00.001-05:00

There is a famine in our land, not for food or water but, for hearing the Word of God.

Praying for earthquake/tsunami victims

2011-03-11T11:36:00.001-06:00

Psalm 43:1-3 (KJV) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear , though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled , though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah

2011-03-11T10:34:00.001-06:00

"What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth." ~Unknown

Forgiveness

2011-03-10T12:57:00.002-06:00

If you are reading this post and have not yet seen the movie Amish Grace, I would HIGHLY recommend you taking the time:-)

World Kidney Day

2011-03-10T12:39:00.000-06:00

Today, March 10, is World Kidney Day!!!

We had never given any thought to kidney disease until a dear friend of ours was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure in 2000. Then five years later it hit home as two in our home were diagnosed with PKD.
On this day, World Kidney Day, encourage someone about their kidney health!!!

National Kidney Month

2011-03-01T10:35:00.000-06:00

The month of March is the official National Kidney Month.
Our family is affected with Polycystic Kidney Disease.
There are many other types of Kidney Diseases.

NKF Urges Americans to Get Screened During National Kidney Month

More than 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and most don’t know it. Since kidney disease is often silent without any symptoms, it can sneak up on people, especially those who are not aware of the major risk factors. Anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of these conditions or kidney disease is at risk and should get his or her kidneys checked. March is National Kidney Month and March 10 is World Kidney Day, the ideal time to learn more and take action. Click here to find out about risk factors, prevention tips and free screenings in your area.

The Sissy, the Movie

2011-02-23T00:21:00.000-06:00

Tiny Shoes Cartoon

2011-02-23T00:20:00.000-06:00

2011-02-23T00:00:00.000-06:00

REDNECK MEDICAL DICTIONARY

Artery . . . . . . . . . . The study of paintings

Bacteria. . . . . . . . . Back door to cafeteria

Barium. . . . . . . . . . What doctors do when patients die

Benign. . . . . . . . . . What you be, after you be eight

Caesarean Section. . . . . A neighborhood in Rome

Cat scan. . . . . . . . . Searching for Kitty

Cauterize. . . . . . . . . Made eye contact with her

Colic. . . . . . . . . . A sheep dog

Coma. . . . . . . . . . A punctuation mark

Dilate. . . . . . . . . . To live long

Enema. . . . . . . . . . Not a friend

Fester. . . . . . . . . . Quicker than someone else

Fibula. . . . . . . . . . A small lie

Impotent. . . . . . . . . Distinguished, well known

Labour Pain. . . . . . . . Getting hurt at work

Medical Staff. . . . . . . A Doctor's cane

Morbid. . . . . . . . . . A higher offer

Nitrates. . . . . . . . . .Cheaper than day rates

Node. . . . . . . . . . .I knew it

Outpatient. . . . . . . . .Person who has fainted

Pelvis. . . . . . . . . . Second cousin to Elvis

Post Operative. . . . . . . A letter carrier

Recovery Room. . . . . . Place to do upholstery

Rectum. . . . . . . . . . Right near killed him

Secretion. . . . . . . . . Hiding something

Seizure. . . . . . . . . Roman emperor

Tablet. . . . . . . . . . A small table

Terminal Illness. . . . . . Getting sick at the airport

Tumor. . . . . . . . . . One plus one more

Urine. . . . . . . . . . . Opposite of you're out

PKD/Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T12:03:00.003-06:00

Valentine's day has always been sort of bitter sweet to me.
On this day 11 years ago a very dear friend of mine, Yolanda Cabrera, was diagnosed with complete renal failure. Yolanda fought her battle with courage and strength. Her battle on this earth ended on January 26, 2010 when she made her final trip home to see her Savior face to face.

Six years after her Valentine's Day diagnosis, both my second born son and I were both diagnosed with PKD. Yes!! On Valentine's Day 2005 we both saw our doctors for what we thought were two totally unrelated problems and were both given the same results.

Today, Valentine's day 2011, we are headed to Texas Children's Hospital for Nick's regular visit. I am praying his blood pressure is good today!!!

UPDATE: Nick's appointment went EXCELLENT!!!!!

2011-02-11T11:15:00.000-06:00

An Old Farmer's Advice:

* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

*Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

*Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.

* Every path has a few puddles.

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

* Always drink upstream from the herd.

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
--
Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight,
he'll just kill you.

Beware

2011-01-29T23:16:00.000-06:00

In Honor of Spiritual Abuse Awareness Month

Matthew 7:15 (King James Version)

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Spiritual Abuse Awareness Month

2011-01-22T12:08:00.000-06:00

http://pureprovender.blogspot.com/2011/01/january-is-spiritual-abuse-awareness.html

Family Devotions

2011-01-18T20:32:00.000-06:00

This is the book we are currently using for family devotions. Tonights lesson covered the Spirit of Jealousy.

Friends/Family

2011-01-18T20:27:00.000-06:00

What an awesome weekend!!! The only problem is that weekends just are not long enough:-(

^My new dishcloths!!! Made by Tina (Jaime's future mother-in-love)^

^These guys have become the BEST of friends!! Isaiah and Jeff (Jaime's future father-in-love)^

PKD

2011-01-12T16:39:00.000-06:00

2011-01-11T11:02:00.002-06:00

When an emotional infury takes place,
the body begins a process
as natural as the healing
of a physical wound

Let the process happen.
Trust that nature
will do the healing

Know that the pain will pass,
and, when it passes,
you will be stronger,
happier, more sensitive and aware.

~Mel Colgrove

Friday's Deals

2011-01-07T14:01:00.000-06:00

Stopped by CVS today to get the following deal:

Wisk Laundry Soap 2/$10
Palmolive Dish Soap $.88 (I got three in order to bring my total up to $15)
Colgate Total Toothpaste $ 2.99

That's a total of $15.63!

- $3 coupon received via e-mail $3 off $15 at CVS
- $.75 off Palmolive
- $2.00 off Wisk
- $2.00 off Wisk
- $1.00 off Colgate Total (CVS coupon I got from scanning my card)
-$1.00 off Colgate (stacked on top of CVS coupon)
- $1.00 ECB (got this when I scanned my card)

New Total was $4.88 plus $.40 tax equals $5.28
So basically I paid for one Wisk and all the rest was FREE!!!!!
PLUS I got $1 ECB (from the toothpaste) to spend toward my next purchase.

Winter Camp

2011-01-03T19:59:00.001-06:00

Winter Camp was a BLAST!!!! The youth of our church along, with Bro. Brad Parker's youth from Faith Baptist in Brownsboro as well as Bro. Travis Gilbert and family from Rodgers Baptist in Garland, attended Forest Glen in Huntsville for this year's Winter Camp. The fun and fellowship were awesome!! The messages were encouraging and much needed. Bro. Josh Pettijohn and his wonderful wife Susan did an AWESOME job hosting this year's camp as did Bro. Wade Wilson organizing the games!!! There were many things offered to the attendees such as: Canoeing, Sumo Wrestling, Food Football, Zip Line, Huge Ball Volleyball, Shaving Cream War, Minute to Win It Games as well as Laser Tag and the awesome game truck from Pearland's Road Gamers. Let's not forget the campfire and s'mores as we rang in the New Year with like minded people and the best youth I can think of:-)

^After shaving cream war^

^Splendid view^

^Christian in the Sumo suit^

^Miguel and Oliver Cornelio^

^Lois Cornelio and Amy Sanchez^

^Preparing for Zip Lines^

^Nicholas and Isaiah on the canoes^

^Inside the game truck^

2011-01-02T10:36:00.001-06:00

Married life, when we choose our mate according to Scriptures, offers the happiest life possible.

No matter what we are doing, small or great, it is always proper to begin with prayer.

With God there are no wasted moments and no idle times. Everything we do for the Lord is important.

2010-12-28T23:54:00.001-06:00

"You've spent far too much of your time turning yourself into something you're not: a victim. No one can make you into a victim; only you can do that...and you have. But there's another choice you can make as well-you can choose to be a survivor."

~Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater pg 207

Follow The Light: Does Being A Christian Hurt?

2010-12-28T17:14:00.000-06:00

Follow The Light: Does Being A Christian Hurt?: "And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend… Matthew 26:49, 50aIf you s..."

Quotes

2010-12-28T16:43:00.000-06:00

“ The friendship that can cease has never been real.

— Saint Jerome

“ Sometimes it is not enough to do our best; we must do what is required

— Sir Winston Churchill

“ Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune

— Jim Rohn

“ Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.

— Will Rogers

“ Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.

— Dorothea Lange

“ Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.

— H. Jackson Browne

“ You were born an original, don’t die a copy

— John Mason

“ A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion.

— Chinese Proverb

“ If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page

— Mark Houlahan

The Story of PKD

2010-12-13T22:45:00.001-06:00

Remember to mute my blog music at the very bottom of the page:-)

Concert

2010-12-04T15:58:00.000-06:00

FREE Southern Gospel concert! Featuring the Kingsmen Quartet (http://kingsmenquartet.musiccitynetworks.com/), and their INCREDIBLE pianist, Cody McVey. This group appeared last year at Second Baptist Church in Angleton, and there was standing room only! You will get a great blessing out of this, so don't miss it!

A love offering will be received on behalf of the Quartet to help cover their travel expenses.

Kingsmen Quartet

...If there's one group whose name inspires thoughts of pure, passionate, solid and true music, it's The Kingsmen. They've encouraged and uplifted listeners with their unique style since the conception of the group in 1956. With countless records and compilations sold, Grammy nominations, four Dove Awards and an induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame-class of 2000, this certainly solidifies The Kingsmen as one of gospel music’s most predominate quartets. The momentum has not stopped as the group helps define the southern gospel genre for a whole new generation of music lovers, perhaps more so than any other group.

"The key is to never lose site of what we are working towards" says Ray Reese, Kingsmen manager and bass singer.” We tour year in and year out to spread our music to people across the country. Our music has a message, the message of Christ. Every night we work to bring His message to our audience. Our goal is to see people saved through Jesus Christ whether it is indoors, outdoors, in an auditorium, church, on cd or video ".

There aren't too many groups today who can boast the kind of far-reaching legacy that comes with a 52-year career as one of gospel music's most influential artists. The Kingsmen emerged in the 1950's with their own distinct style, unleashing music that would solidify them as pioneers in the southern gospel music field. They continue to carry the legacy on today.

Awards and Recognitions:

Award Winning Quartet
Award Winning Band
Gaither Video Series
National Quartet Convention
Dove Award Winners
Singing News Fan Award
Individual Singing News Fan Awards
Numerous Band of the Year Singing News Fan Awards
SGMA Awards
Gospel Music Hall of Fame 2000 Inductees
Old Fashion Gospel Singing South Lawn the White House
Countless Number One Songs
Grand Ole Opry

2010-11-28T09:50:00.001-06:00

Real repentance means choosing a new path. Only eternity will reveal to us the power and blessing of intercessory prayer.

2010-11-09T09:29:00.003-06:00

Forgiveness is something that we do for ourselves as well as the person that is being forgiven ╬ It is not an approval of what happened but rather a release...

2010-11-08T15:32:00.000-06:00

Many people have strange and unbiblical ideas about the forgiveness of sins. Some seem to believe that confessing our sins is a kind of universal admission of guilt in all circumstances. It is asking God to make all the bad people good and all the good people better. In truth, confessing our sins involves recognizing our sins and knowing what those sins are.

2010-11-08T15:25:00.002-06:00

“Is it not enough that all the world is against us, but we must also be against one another? O happy days of persecution, which drove us together in love, whom the sunshine of liberty and prosperity crumbles into dust by our contentions!” ~ Richard Baxter, 17th century Puritan minister

Forgiveness

2010-11-02T22:15:00.000-05:00

Over the past several weeks I have had several people ask me about forgiveness.
I believe forgiveness is a two part process. It must be offered and then it must be accepted.
For example: If someone has wronged me it is my Christian duty to forgive them. Having said that I must also say the they must receive the forgiveness that I have offered. Jesus Christ forgave me of my sins but in order for me to receive that forgiveness I had to repent and accept the forgiveness that Christ offered. So, the person that has wronged me must show evidence of genuine repentance and accept the forgiveness that I have offered.

One of my favorite places to visit on line is http://momof9splace.com/ It is here that I came across the following:

Forgive to Live
Written by Karen

Does the Bible provide any means whereby we can judge ourselves as to whether or not we´re truly in the faith? (We don´t forgive in order for God to save us, please don't misunderstand the two)

Key Text: Matthew 6:12

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

When we strive against all thoughts of revenge, when we will not do our enemies mischief, but wish well to them, grieve at their calamities, pray for them, seek reconciliation with them, and show ourselves ready on all occasions to relieve them. Thomas Watson

This quote can be directly related to Romans 12

1. When we strive against all thoughts of revenge.
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

2. When we will not do our enemies mischief
Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

3. But wish well to them
Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not

4. Grieve at their calamities
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

5. Pray for them
Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer

6. Seek reconciliation with them
Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

7. And show ourselves ready on all occasions to relieve (come to their aid) them
Romans 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head

These elements of forgiveness that Watson included in his definition are deeply rooted in Scripture.

Don´t seek revenge

Don´t return evil for evil

Wish your enemies well (it can be friend, family. Etc)

Grieve at their misfortunes

Pray for them

Seek reconciliation over a matte of disagreement

Meet your enemy's need with generosity

What if this is not our definition of forgiveness?

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

Matthew 18:21-35Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

What is the message in these verses? One who is truly born again will have a spirit of forgiveness within him.

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing

The believer is in Christ, and Christ is in the believer. That which flows out of the believer is a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.It´s impossible to be truly born again and not have the spirit of forgiveness. It may not be completely developed, but it must be there. Thus, whether one has a forgiving spirit or not is a test of whether or not one is genuinely born again. This may be one of the best tests of the validity and sufficiency of our faith. We must forgive to live.

A lesson from Corrie ten Boom:
Quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IT WAS IN A CHURCH in Munich where I was speaking in 1947 that I saw him-a balding heavyset man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat, the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones.

Memories of the concentration camp came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment of skin.

Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland. This man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent.

Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: "A fine message, fraulein! How good it is to know that, as you say,, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!"

It was the first time since my release that I had been face to face with one of my captors and my blood seemed to freeze.

"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk, " he was saying. "I was a guard there. But since that time, " he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein-" again the hand came out-"will you forgive me?"

And I stood there-and could not. Betsie had died in that place- could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

For I had to do it-I knew that. The message that God forgives has has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses."

Still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling."

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this jealing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. "I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!"

For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adolph Coors IV (yes from the Coors beer name)

On February 9, 1960, Adolph Coors III was kidnapped and held for ransom. Seven months later his body was found on a remote hillside. He had been shot to death. Adolph Coors IV, then fifteen years old, lost not only his father but his best friend. For years young Coors hated Joseph Corbett, the man who was sentenced to life for the slaying. Then in 1975 Ad Coors became a Christian. While he divested himself of his interest in the family beer business, he could not divest himself of the hatred that consumed him. Resentment seethed within him and blighted his growth in faith. He prayed to God for help because he realized how his hatred for Corbett was alienating him from God and other persons. The day came, however, when claiming the Spirit's presence, Ad Coors visited the maximum security unit of Colorado's Canon City penitentiary and tried to talk with Corbett. Corbett refused to see him. Coors left a Bible inscribed with this message: I'm here to see you today and I'm sorry that we could not meet. As a Christian I am summoned by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to forgive. I do forgive you, and I ask you to forgive me for the hatred I've held in my heart for you." Later Coors confessed, "I have a love for that man that only Jesus Christ could have put in my heart."

Applications:

We are not required to feel good about bad things. If someone hurts a member of your family, you are not going to feel good. Neither should you let it destroy you by not giving it to the Lord. Vengeance is His to execute.

1Peter 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

To forgive doesn´t mean to excuse the wrong. This is a common misconception. Look at how God deals with us. On the one hand, He forgets our sin; on the other He chastens us and deals with us as children.

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Hebrews 12:6-7 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

If a man commits a crime and is caught, he will serve the time. We need to forgive him and pray for his restoration, but we can´t overlook the fact that his sin will bring judgment, and leave scars. We need to forgive even if the other person does not. Not only did God forgive us, but He forgave us despite the hurt to Himself. We say something like, “I know I should forgive him, but you don´t know how badly he´s hurt me; I just can´t forgive him.”

What is the Scriptural response:

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye

We need to forgave as we have been forgiven. At the cross, Christ paid the price with His body and blood to make possible our forgiveness. It becomes effective only when we believe, but the atonement was completed on the cross at the greatest possible hurt to the Lord Jesus-not just His physical hurt, but that of taking upon Himself the sins of all mankind. Failure to forgive often results in deep-seated anger. And anger can eat away at us like a cancer. It strips us of our ability to function as God would have us to.

In the case of Adolph Coors and Corrie ten Boom, the deeds were very bad. But they were freed from the slavery of anger and bitterness by surrendering them to God and trusting Him to make the wrongs right in His time. They could have easily become prisoners of their own hatred. Instead they learned that “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”

Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Are you and I characterized by a spirit of forgiveness in our hearts? That´s one test of the validity all sufficiency of our faith.

One short year

2010-10-28T18:13:00.000-05:00

2010-10-28T11:23:00.000-05:00

Quotes

2010-10-21T23:10:00.000-05:00

"He who cannot forgive others destroys the bridge over which he himself must pass." -George Herbert

"A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend; one human soul whom we can trust utterly; who knows the best and the worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults; who will speak the honest truth to us, while the world flatters us to our face, and laughs at us behind our back."
-Charles Kingsley

"He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day." -John Bunyan
"You can have no greater sign of confirmed pride than when you think you are humble enough."
-William Law

"One of the first things which a physician says to his patient is, 'Let me see your tongue.' A spiritual advisor might often do the same." -Nehemiah Adams

2010-10-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

20 years ago God made me a Mom!! I have not been perfect, but I have done the best I know how.

Jesus Jaime Sanhez II

October 18th 1990

Born @ 12:21 a.m.

Weighed 7lbs 4oz

20 inches long

Jaime (as we call him) has been such a wonderful blessing to our lifes.

He has been a great asset to this family and at times a much needed encouragement to his mama.

God has given him a very postive outlook on life which flows over to us.

Psalms 16:6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

Proverbs 4:3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

Proverbs 23:25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

Am I Pilate?

2010-10-18T15:19:00.001-05:00

I came across this today and thought it worthy of sharing:
Am I Pilate?

Am I Pilate,
washing my hands,
expecting someone else
to take the blame
when I walk away from what
God asks of me?

HT

I have taken the blame many times in order to uphold the reputation of someone else.....NO MORE!!

Secrets

2010-10-16T19:31:00.000-05:00

Our oldest son will turn 20 on Monday the 18th of October. For several weeks now a secret plan has been in place to get his fiance here for his birthday. And it worked!! I went Friday to meet Marina, Amber and their parents in Sealy and brought the girls home with us.

Jaime was absolutely shocked when he came home to see sweet Marina waiting for him:-)
It really was priceless to see the love in their eyes for one another.

I am so thankful that God has chosen the two of them to be husband and wife.

2010-10-09T12:36:00.000-05:00

Whatever Happened to Holiness?

In our culture today, holiness is a word that we hear very little and see in action even less. Sadly many people, including some Christians, don't take God's command to be holy seriously enough and non-Christians could care less about this vital character quality. As Christian women, we should strive daily to display holiness in our speech, attitude and conduct.

As 1 Timothy 4:12 says, Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

In Noah's day, when God saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, He was grieved in His heart that He had made man (Genesis 6:5-6). How much more is God grieved by the evil in our world today?

What is holiness?
Quote, "Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture." In other words, hating what God hates, loving what God loves and measuring everything by the standard of His Word.

A woman who desires to be holy will hate every false way and have a great fear of displeasing God
(Psalm 119:11,120).

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.

She will seek after God with her whole heart and strive to be more conformed to Christ's image
(Psalm 119:10,

With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

She will bear with and forgive others, even as God also has forgiven her
(Ephesians 4:32).

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

She will aim to be unselfish, humble, faithful and full of love and compassion for sinners, like Christ.

She will deny herself in order to minister more effectively to others, just as Dorcas did (Acts 9:36-42).

Sound impossible? Only by God's grace and the work of the Holy Spirit can we ever hope to become holy and even with our best efforts we will never be perfectly holy in this life.

Why is holiness important?
Holiness is essential because God commands it.

1 Peter 1:15-16 says, But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

Hebrews 12:14 says, Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Scripture also says,
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. (1 Thessalonians 4:7).

How much clearer does God need to be?

Another reason to be holy is that holiness shows the world whose we are.

I Peter 2:9 says, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

QUOTE:
"The only safe evidence that we are one with Christ, and Christ in us, is a holy life." We are called to be holy women that give the world proof that we love Christ.

A Christian who exhibits holiness will stand out since holiness is almost non-existent in our culture. Christian women have the opportunity to shine for Christ by choosing to be obedient to Scripture's commands to be holy.

*That means examining our hearts for sins that can keep us from holiness, like carelessness and dishonesty.

*Most of us can resist the big temptations because we fear the consequences, but do we give in to the smaller ones like TO MUCH TIME ON COMPUTER, IN FRONT OF TV, SHOPPING ETC.

What Produces Holiness?
--Holiness begins with the fear of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 7:1 states,
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Holiness is perfected or completed by obedience, which is produced by the fear of God.

"I have thought about it a great deal, and the more I think, the more certain I am that obedience is the gateway through which knowledge, yes, and love, too, enter the mind of the child. "

"My heart is singing for joy this morning! A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil's mind, and behold, all things are changed!"
Anne Sullivan 1866-1936

Let's look at four conditions that must be present in our lives in order for us to have the quality of holiness:

--There must be a hungering and thirsting after God, His righteousness and His Word (Psalm 42:1-2); As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:

--We can never experience holiness without a repentant spirit (1 John 1:9); If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

--The third condition for holiness is an abhorrence of all evil (Romans 12:9A); Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil;

--We must consciously, deliberately and purposefully cling to that which is good (Romans 12:9b cleave to that which is good

It takes time to be holy and there are no short cuts. Unlike oatmeal, there's no such thing as "instant holiness." As we seek to develop a faithful and consistent prayer life and feed on God's Word, the Holy Spirit will begin to produce Christ's holiness in us.

In 1882, William Longstaff, a wealthy Englishman, heard a sermon from 1 Peter 1:16, "Be holy, for I am holy." This prompted him to write the hymn Take Time to Be Holy. The first stanza says:

"Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord.

Abide in Him always, and feed on His word.

Make friends with God's children; help those who are weak,

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek."

Robert McCheyne was a saintly man of God, who, in his comparatively short life, won many souls to the Lord. After he died, a letter addressed to him was found on his desk. It was from a person he had led to Christ and said, "It was nothing you said that first made me wish to be a Christian. It was the beauty of holiness which I saw in your face."

May we seek to be holy women in all that we say and do. Then Jesus will be glorified and magnified in our lives and the world will see the beauty of holiness, without which no man (or woman) will see the Lord.

http://momof9splace.com/holywomen.html

The Most Important Thing

2010-10-08T10:44:00.000-05:00

I read this today on a friends blog and decided to share it with my readers:

If I teach my children to speak Spanish, French, Latin, Greek, and Japanese, but do not teach them to love God, I have nothing.

If they know how to tell time and have their times tables memorized, but do not know the God of time and all eternity, it profits me nothing.

If I teach them all about psychology, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy, but they do not love the LORD their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, I have gained nothing.

If they are well versed in William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Edgar Alan Poe, but do not delight in the Law of the LORD, their learning has come to nothing.

If they know about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln, but do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior and LORD, their knowledge is meaningless.

If they are champions at spelling bees, get perfect scores on their SATs, and get accepted into the best universities, but reject their Creator, I have accomplished nothing.

If they are successful beyond my wildest dreams, if they have huge paychecks, giant houses, and lavish lifestyles; If they gain the whole world, and yet lose their souls, I am an utter failure.

So now I see that reading, writing, and arithmetic are important, literature, languages, and history are all valuable, science and social studies have their place,but if I my children do not become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, I have merely educated them.

I must do more than educate them…I must disciple them.

I must teach them to love the LORD.

Matthew 22:36-40
Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

2010-09-30T22:52:00.001-05:00

Hey Teens!

How About Giving 5 for 50? or 10 for 50?

What A Great Deal!

by Pastor Art Kohl

February 3, 2005

If you could give up five of something and get fifty in return would you do it?

If you could give up 10 of something and get 50 in return would you do it?

That is all God is asking in most cases. What do I mean? I am talking about marriage. Something that almost every teenager will be involved in someday (Hebrews 13:4a).

Now what do I mean by giving God five or ten? From the time the average teen becomes interested in the opposite sex till the time they are married is usually five to ten years.

Example: A young man may start to be interested or intrigued by young ladies around the age of fifteen. He will probably be married sometime between 20-25 years old. I was married when I was 22.

Example: A young lady may become interested in young men by the time they are fourteen years old. She will probably be married before her 24th birthday. My wife married me when she was 21.

Now, what do I mean by fifty? The average man in America lives to be about 73 years of age. The average woman lives to be about 78 years of age. If God lets you live an average life (Psalms 90:10) and you let Him lead you to marry the right person you could have 50 years of a wonderful marriage to enjoy.

For five to ten years God requires us to go through a test. A proving grounds. A time when we are to show ourselves real men and women by exhibiting self control towards and respect for the opposite sex. He goes so far as to say we should not even touch each other during that time. (Study I Corinthians 7:1-4; See Ruth 2:9.) He will also equip us in the inner man to live out this temperance by the power of His Holy Spirit which lives us. Please ask Him to help you today! (Ephesians 3:16,20.)

You will never regret letting God help you keep yourself pure for five to ten years so you can enjoy fifty years of living together in Holy Matrimony with your mate.

On the contrary we have all seen boys and girls who did not exercise self control and have probably ruined their future fifty years. It is so sad to see that 97% of all single mothers will live in poverty the rest of their lives. Very few good men want to marry a single mother. They gave up their fifty years for the five. How sad that many of them will never have a good marriage and many will never get married. Some will have to live in loneliness and carry the consequences of their actions for a long, long time.

I know of young men in their late teen years and early twenties who have some of their wages garnished every time they get a paycheck to pay child support. This will be a financial burden they must carry (and rightfully so) for 18-21 years depending on what state they live in. Even if that young man marries another woman he will have to pay the child support which will put a burden on his marriage. Often there are legal battles over visitation rights and custody. It gets very complex and ugly.

Let me take a moment and mention disease. There are over 50 major diseases that can be transmitted by physical intimacy before marriage (fornication.) Some are incurable, a few are fatal. Some of these viruses are so small that a million of them can fit on the head of a pin. Fornication often affects the body (I Corinthians 6:18, Galatians 6:8.)

Young people, it’s not worth giving up 50 years of a good marriage for 5 or 10 years of a good time. Make this season in your life the “years of temperance.”

The “time of love” (Ezekiel 16:8) is marriage, not before. See chart on left. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: ... ; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to love, ...” Ecclesiastes 3:1,5,8.

Spend your youth concentrating on friendships not relationships. Pay attention to spirituality, service, education, music, preparation for marriage, work ethics, etc. Stay in church, in the Bible, in prayer, in love with God.

Give five or ten years of your youth to self control and you will prove yourself worthy for God to bring a good mate into your life. After you are married if you will work at it you can have fifty years of a great marriage.

Copyright © 2005
Permission granted to freely copy.
Scripture verses are from the King James Holy Bible.

Longings for times gone by

2010-09-27T21:10:00.002-05:00

Today I have had an abundance of memories fly by and it has caused me to long.
To long for days gone by.........

To have just one memory of my parents together as I was a child (I have none)

To have an older brother (I've always thought that would have been great)

To drive down and then up the 'huge' hill after Maranatha Baptist Church before you get to Ceder Grove

To run through the old barn and smell.....just smell

To sit on the back of a setter and plant tobacco

To see and smell that tobacco hanging in that barn

To see my granny sitting on the front porch drinking a Tab (I want one of those chairs SOOO bad)

To lie on the floor while my papaw watches The Price is Right, Dukes of Hazard or WWF

To ride to the store with that papaw and he will buy me a box of Fruit Loops

To go in granny's bedroom, in the top drawer and get the hymnal that she kept in there and sing with her

To go to 'the cabin' for Memorial Day/Birthday Party

To stay up all night in an old VW van and eat Atomic Fireballs with my cousin

To play and endless game of Monopoly and drink Mountain Dew with that same cousin

To ride dune buggies the the creek beds

To see the train go buy filled with coal

To sit on top of that old gas heat stove in papaw's living room

To see that mantel with the razor strap hanging there

To walk down the worn path from the front porch to the basement (the basement was scary to me but the path was really neat) down on South Main

To pick apples off that apple tree

To smell the motor oil in my uncle's garage and make him grape kool-aid

To eat frog legs with my step-mother's mom

To slip through the electric fence and spend hours wandering through the trees

To open the door to the wood room (which was just off of my room) one more time

To taste the cucumbers that my uncle's mom made

To eat a ham and cheese sandwich with a green onion at my aunt's house

To stand in front of her window unit and smell the air

To sit in that little seat in the Magnolia tree in her front yard

To gather fresh vegetables out of the various gardens (just about everybody had one) one aunt even grew strawberries and another one grew grapes

To taste my granny's chicken and dumplins

To taste my other granny's fried tators

It's amazing how as time passes you long for the things that as a child you thought of as a chore or a burden.

What does it really mean to be feminine?

2010-09-25T10:02:00.002-05:00

By Pastor Art Koh

It is absolutely wrong for a man to be feminine. It is so wrong that it is listed among other behaviors that tell us a person isn't really saved.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

If is so wrong for a man to be feminine, isn't it equally wrong for a woman to be masculine?

We live in a day where some women want to work like a man, dress like a man, curse like a man, spit like a man, drink like a man, stink like a man, play like a man, smoke like a man, chew like a man, fight like a man, boss like a man, swear like a man, etc. To be like a man is their highest goal and achievement. The pursuit of masculinity is their highest calling. Anything that man can do, they want to do. There are two problems with this:

First: Most of what man does is wrong.

Second: A woman has to stoop and lower herself to come down to a man's level. She has not achieved, she has demoted herself.

Because the world has come to this, many ladies are afraid to be feminine. After all, who wants to be different. It takes a great deal of courage for a woman today to be all God wants her to be.

The Bible is the textbook on femininity, not the feminists. The feminists are really masculinists. Women who wants to be masculine. Woman who resent being women. Women who want to be men. If you will look closely at them, the result of their pursuit is misery. Misery because their whole life is spent missing God's purpose in life. As a fish out of water or a bird with a broken wing, they cannot enjoy the intended purpose that God has made them for, and are too proud to humble themselves to find it.

Don't be afraid to be feminine, in the Bible sense of the word. These are the happiest, most fulfilled ladies on earth. Beside all that, we will be responsible for, and give an account for what the scriptures teach regarding this responsibility. As we then look forward to, and prepare to face God at the Judgement seat of Christ, ladies, consider these 34 characteristics of Biblical femininity:

1. Virtue Proverbs 31:10, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." Virtue means to be clean and pure. To be morally excellent is a good quality.

2. Loyalty Proverbs 31:11-12, "The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life." Loyalty is the opposite of treachery. Jeremiah 3:20, "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD." A feminine lady is loyal to her husband, her God, her church, her children, her Savior, etc.

3. Industry Proverbs 31:13-16, "She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard." Industry is the opposite of laziness and sloth. Her energy is given to her household. The word "household" appears four times in Proverbs 31 as the direction of her industry. Many of the other verses in this chapter speak of her industry. She is not a workaholic hiding from God, she is industrious for God.

4. Strength Proverbs 31:17, "She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms." She is not a weakling. She becomes stronger and stronger in body, intelligence, emotions, spirituality, etc.

5. Ministering Proverbs 31:18-20, "She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." She is not self-serving. The feminine woman ministers to others. She remembers the poor. She is a giver of alms.

6. Wisdom Proverbs 31:26a, "She openeth her mouth with wisdom ...." Wisdom is the ability to use and apply knowledge rightly. She fills her mind and heart with the word of God, and then uses it appropriately to every situation she faces in life.

7. Kindness Proverbs 31:26b, "... and in her tongue is the law of kindness." Feminine women are kind, in word and action. "Charity is kind," 1 Corinthians 13:4. Thus, they are filled with Charity.

8. Fear for God Proverbs 31:30 "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." Femininity fears God. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Feminine women do their duty.

9. Are Praised Proverbs 31:28, "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." Proverbs 31:30, "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." She is praised by her own husband and by her works. Her works for God are so obvious, that they cry out in praise of her. Only one other being in all of the Old Testament is praised, and that is God!

Now lets leave the Old Testament and look at more characteristics defining Femininity in the New Testament:

10. Benevolence 1 Corinthians 7:3, "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband." She receives benevolence from her husband, and also returns benevolence to her husband. Benevolence means "good will as a conjugal duty; to be well-minded towards; reconciled with."

11. Submission Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." Colossians 3:18, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord." With the type of submission that she has to the Lord, she also directs the same submission to her husband. "Submission" means "to be subordinate to, to yield under to." The same word is used in submitting to God in James 4:7 and to government in 1 Peter 2:13.

12. Reverence Ephesians 5:33, "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." She is in awe of her husband. She respects him with fear. This word is usually translated "to be afraid of, to fear." She has a holy devotion to him and fears him similar to her fear for God.

Let's look at more characteristics of Biblical Femininity from the following text:

1 Timothy 2:9-15, "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But
(which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

13. Modest in dress She hides the form of her body. Her clothes are long, loose-fitting and cover all of her nakedness. She does not dress in the "attire of an harlot" as mentioned in Proverbs 7:10, "And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart."

14. Shamefaced She has the ability to blush. Her eyes are down cast unlike a harlot whose face is bold toward impurity. (Proverbs 7:13-23)

15. Her Hair is Simple It is long (1 Corinthians 11:15) and simple. She is not trying to gain the attention of man by her appearance, but the praise of God.

16. Jewelry and Clothes Don't Mean Much to Her They are nice, simple and inexpensive.

17. Good Works She is clothed with good works. She is constantly doing good for her God, her husband, her children, her church, others, the lost, etc.

18. Learns God's Word in Silence She is not a "place seeker" in the church, but a humble student of God's word. She learns God's word and teaches the younger women (Titus 2:4) and her children. (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15-16) She doesn't seek to usurp authority over men when it comes to the public teaching of God's word in the church. She hears the preaching and teaching ministries in silence. She asks questions at home. (1 Corinthians 14:35)

19. Faith She continues in faith and in the faith. She trusts in God and believes in Him.

20. Charity She is a living example of charity as it is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:"

Let's continue to learn more of the characteristics of true femininity by looking at the text in Titus 2:4-5, "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

21. Sober She is intelligent. Being feminine does not mean she is dumb or a "dizzy broad." She is an intelligent woman. Sober means to be of a sound mind. She is ever gaining in knowledge.

22. Loves Her Husband There is a fondness in her heart toward her husband. She gives her life for him.

23. Loves Her Children There is a fondness in her heart toward her children. She does more than just put up with them. They are her life. She gives herself for them.

24. Discreet This is the opposite of being sexy. She does not carry herself about in a "sexy" way. She is modest in her dress and behavior.

25. Chaste She is sexually pure. She keeps herself for her husband and only unto him when married. She does not commit adultery or fornication.

26. Keeper at Home She is not a busybody. She loves to stay home and stays home. Home is where her heart is. She does not work out in the world unless she has no husband to care for her or he can't. If she is business-minded, she works out of her home.

27. Good Feminine women are good women. Good is the opposite of bad or evil. She is not bad in character. She does not do evil in practice.

28. Obedience She is obedient to her husband. Her desire is unto him (Genesis 3:16). He is the head of the family (1 Corinthians 11:3). Anything with two heads is a monster. She allows him to lead.

Our final text on feminine characteristics is found in 1 Peter 3:1-6, "Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement."

29. Subjection She is subject to her own husband. This word is a military term. It speaks of rank. According to 1 Corinthians 11:3, God has the highest rank, then Christ is under Him, then the husband is under Christ, then the wife is under her husband, then last the children are under the parents. The feminine woman doesn't want to be the General.

30. Fears Properly She has a proper fear for the authorities over her. A reverential and holy respect. She is not proud, rebellious or stubborn toward Divine leadership, family leadership or spiritual leadership.

31. Desire Feminine women have a desire toward their husbands. He is the hidden man of her heart. She is not a "looker". She is satisfied with the husband she has. Her desire is unto him. (Genesis 3:16)

32. Meek Spirited Meekness is the inward strength to depend on God to fight our battles, meet our needs, take care of situations, change people, etc. without taking things into our own hands. Meekness is not weakness, it is strength. The inward strength to truly let go and let God.

33. Quiet Spirited She is calm. She rules her emotions and will very well. Proverbs 25:28, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." She is able to sit still and wait on God. She lets patience have her perfect work in her life and situations, James 1:4, "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." She is not noisy and demanding.

34. Fearless She is not afraid with any amazement. Nothing amazes her. She is mentally and spiritually prepared for anything. Some things may come up unexpectedly, but she doesn't go to pieces. She doesn't lose her head. She doesn't become an emotional basket case. True feminine women are soft but strong. They have grace and beauty. They mix blue denim with lace. Don't be afraid to be feminine.

Ladies, inventory your feminine character by the Word of God. Only let the Bible be your guide in this matter, not the ways of the women of the world. The Bible will be your judge someday, not them. Notice John 12:47-48 "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."

Pray for the help of the Holy Spirit to be the lady God wants you to be. Ask for the grace of God to help you in your time of need, Hebrews 4:16. God's grace will enable you in every good work, including these 34.

Here's His promise:

2 Corinthians 9:8, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."

Do not try this on your own, ask for the help of the Holy Spirit and the Grace of God. Be feminine and be eternally rewarded!

Copyright © 2004-96
Permission granted to freely copy.
Scripture verses are from the King James Holy Bible.

IFBKJV.com Blog Directory: God is Clean. Why Shouldn't Your Music Be? The M...

2010-09-24T15:53:00.001-05:00

IFBKJV.com Blog Directory: God is Clean. Why Shouldn't Your Music Be? The M...: "THE MESSENGER There are two areas that relate to the messenger of the music. The first is the testimony of the person. The second is ho..."

2010-09-23T11:35:00.003-05:00

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND BAD MUSIC

By Alan Ives

We are going to try and nail down how to tell the difference between good and bad music, especially if the words are O.K. How can I tell if something is sensual or not, if something is spiritual or carnal? I think of a fellow that didn't know anything about music, and he said to me: "When I read my Bible, when I pray, when I listen to preaching, the Holy Spirit teaches and ministers to me and comforts me, rebukes, instructs, corrects me--whatever it is that I need. But I can tell that the Holy Spirit of God is working in me." And he said, "When somebody sings a song, I expect the Holy Spirit to do the same thing through that song."

I had sung a blues arrangement of "No One Ever Cares For Me Like Jesus," and he said, "Never sing that one in church again." This was years ago.

This man could hardly play "She'll Be Coming 'round the Mountain" on the harmonica, but he told me that, and I promised him that I would never sing that song that way again.

This young man is responsible for his whole family coming to Christ. And the entire time that I have known him, he has spent time alone with the Lord and has put the Lord ahead of any friendship that he has with another man.

When we're all done with this thing, if too much is scrambled--I will try to make it simple--but if it is scrambled, you can always just ask the Lord. Say, "Holy Spirit, teach me; is this song good or bad?" If you have a question, ask the Lord. "Try the spirits" is what 1 John 4 says, "whether they be of God." You'll be able to tell. Some songs are so bad you'll know immediately you ought not to listen to them. Others are more difficult to tell. I still have questions about certain songs I listen to. There are some songs that seem to have a good message, but something doesn't seem right. We want to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and if there is something wrong in the song, we don't want to sing it.

BE CAREFUL

Let's look at 1 Peter 5:8-9. "Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."

This is a message to Christians. We must be careful, because, though Satan cannot take a child of God to Hell--and praise God for that--he can take a child of God just about everywhere else, if we let him.

I'll never forget something that great preacher R.G. Lee said in the middle of a message in which he was preaching on the crazy devil-possessed man of the Gadarenes. He talked of how Christ cast the devils out and sent them into the swine. I remember him preaching very fervently: "The devil will live in me if I let him; the devil will live in you if you let him; but if you kick him out, he'll go and snook up to some dirty, lousy hog and feel in good company. And that shows you that the devil's second choice is a hog."

I never forgot that. I thought, if I let my body, my spirit, and my thoughts be a place that harbor things that side with Satan, what a mess I would be. I don't like the thought of that. This book says that my body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and I want that. God says I am to be holy, and I want my body to be holy. I long to be that way, and the Holy Spirit within me longs to have me be that way, longs to have you be that way.

It's a troublesome thought. When I think of devils filling up a hog and how dirty that is, I think, why would I ever want to be close to anything that would be comfortable in a hog? I thank God someday we will be delivered from the body of this death, and we won't be near anything that's dirty or unclean. You say, is that your own righteousness? No, that's the Holy Spirit within us that tells us so that we want things to be holy and pure. I never had those desires at all before I got saved, but I do now.

In the area of music, I am careful, because at one time it swallowed me up. The devil had my testimony so that no one thought I was saved. For two years they couldn't even tell. Through sin, the devil can swallow up our testimonies.

So we are to be sober and vigilant; mark it down. Someone might say, "But that sounds like a tiring thing." Well, maybe it is, but what it produces in the end is some liberty in Christ and a lot of joy. It's worth it to look out for trouble, and music is a trouble area.

MARCH MUSIC VERSUS DANCE MUSIC

The devil is our adversary. He is against us, because he is against God. This is the basis of march music. God has given us wonderful march music, so the devil says, "If that is what God is for, then I'm against it," and the devil puts the accent on a beat opposite from that of march music. Dance music and march music are direct opposites, because their basic beat is the opposite. Now there are other things involved, which we will look at, but the devil is an opponent of everything that God is for. If God is for good, the devil is for evil. If God says go to church and listen to the Bible, the devil says go somewhere else and listen to something else. I think that's obvious to folks who have gone to church for a long enough time.

There's a basic difference. A march has the beat on one and three. ONE, two, THREE, four, ONE, two, THREE, four. Dance music is one, TWO, three, FOUR, one, TWO, three, FOUR. You can hear that old snare drum playing this difference.

The march type music is the soldier's music. We're going to depict something military if we use the march rhythm. If we use the dance rhythm, we're going to depict something that is opposed to marching, something sensual. This is a basic element of music.

We are to prove all things and hold fast that which is good (1 Thess. 5:21). Once we find good music, we need to hang on to it, and we ought to abhor that which is evil. Ephesians 5:10 tells us to prove that which is acceptable to the Lord. I want my music to be acceptable to the Lord. I want Him to be pleased with it.

We are spirit, soul, and body, and God has given us music to bless us spirit, soul, and body. Here's how it fits together: There are only three parts to music, because God made music, and He made music to be a blessing to man. 1 Thessalonians 5:23--"...and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." All that we are is affected by music.

How does this work? The spirit deals with our thoughts, and particularly our thoughts toward God. If you're not saved, your spirit is dead; and you're not thinking about God. It will take someone else to talk to you about the Lord to get you even to think about Him. Jesus said to His disciples, "...the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (Jn. 6:63). In the words of God are life. That's how we get eternal life; we are born again through the incorruptible seed. That has to do with spiritual things.

MELODY, HARMONY, AND RHYTHM

How does that apply to music? Take melody, one of the parts of music. Melody is for our spirit. It is to enable us to commune with God. If I softly hum "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross," without any particular rhythm or harmony, I make praise to the Lord. That song is a prayer. I can help my spirit by humming a melody. Any piece of music that has a decent melody, though it have no harmony or rhythm, may be used to commune with God. You can think upon the Lord in your spirit. That is what melody is for.

Let's take our soul. That's where our feelings, emotions, and affections are. In our soul we have attitudes and feelings about the things we think about in our spirit. You say, "What is that?" For instance, if I say "Mom," along with that thought that's spiritual, you have a soulish feeling. You go, "Oh, Mom, that fuddy duddy thing," or you go, "Oh, Mom, that's the best thing that ever was," or something in between those two, maybe. If I say, "spinach!" or "barley green," that evokes a feeling, a taste even. "Green peas." "Circus." You have a feeling that goes along with the thought. That's what the soul is. Your ability to like or dislike things is harbored in your soul. That's what gives you your personality, basically--what you like and dislike, and how you react to all those things.

Harmony, on the other hand, is for the soul. A lot of Gospel tunes are written in major keys; they are bright and happy. As young children in grade school we are often taught that major chords are happy, and minor chords are sad. If I play a whole series of minor chords on the piano, you will soon be very weighted down and sorrowful. The minor chords depict sadness. There is nothing wrong with minor chords in and of themselves, but they must be balanced. If we are going to talk about how our Savior was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, we might want to use some minor chords--but not a steady diet of them. You need to mix and balance them with other types of chords.

If I sing "There Is A Land That Is Fairer Than Day" in a major key, Heaven sounds like a wonderful place. But if I change that to a minor key--keepingthe same rhythm and melody--all the sudden Heaven doesn't sound like such a happy, wonderful place. The only thing I have to change to effect this different mood is the harmony.

TEXT PAINTING

My grandfather had a cousin who played piano in the theater. All he did was watch the silent films and try to match the piano or organ music with what was happening on the film. There were no words; all that was going to be expressed had to be expressed from the keyboard. Sure enough, there was a guy with the moustache who wanted to marry the pretty young lady with the long, blond hair. She didn't want anything to do with him, though, so he wanted to get rid of her; and at that point along came the hero, who was the man the pretty lady was in love with anyway. The hero was big and strong, and he was a good guy. He was going to deliver the pretty lady from Oil Can Harry. Before the movie was done the bad guy always figures out what to do--if he can't have her, the train's going to get her, so he ties her up to the railroad track. The hero can't rescue the heroine until he catches the bad guy, because the bad guy is keeping him from saving the girl. All of this went on without words. Everything was built up by the accompaniment on the piano. Somewhere in the middle the bad guy is chasing after the good guy to try to throw him over the cliff, and you have the chase music. It is in a minor key because it's not a happy thing, and it moves along rapidly and grows increasingly furious as the scene progresses.

Then they show you the railroad track and the train is coming closer and closer, and the accompanist plays something called a fully diminished seventh chord; and he keeps raising the chord a half step to raise the tension. It's a scary type of chord, and it, too, is played increasingly furious. Then suddenly it's back to the chase, and the chase music starts; then back to the railroad track, and the music is higher this time and more furious; then back to the chase; then back to the railroad track. The pace of the music increases each time, building the drama in the hearts of the audience.

What this is called among musicians is text painting. It is painting a picture with melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, on purpose, to affect the way people respond to something. There are a lot of people that make money watching television shows and writing music behind them. When I was a boy, I would turn the sound down when I watched scary movies on television; and lo, and behold, they were no longer scary. Think of some guy minding his own business and walking down a dark alley (No one ever explains why he is walking down a dark alley, probably because he is stupid!) all alone at night. In the background you hear a minor chord building in intensity, and you know something is going to happen any minute because of the music. If you turn the sound off, the effect is ruined. It is the music that builds the drama, that paints the picture. These musicians are painting a picture behind that film, and that's big business.

They manipulate people's feelings through chords, melodies, and rhythms. With all pieces of music the composer, with his palate of sounds, paints pictures. He may even look at a painting and write a song. He may look at the sea and the clouds and write a song about these. He may look at a person and write "The Maid With the Flaxen Hair." He may look at the stars and write about all of the planets. The composer paints a musical picture from something he sees or feels.

The most noble thing that can be done is to take the Scriptures and set them properly in music, painting a correct and suitable picture.

THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS

We want to look at the Psalms for a moment. Psalm 29:1-2--"Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." It says to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Part of worship is praise and singing. What, then, does this Psalm mean?

I heard that even when I was back in the Methodist church, long before I was saved, and I thought, "What is that?"

First of all, our God is holy, and He said that the definition of beauty is something that is holy. No young lady, no matter how beautiful she may be thought of in her face, is beautiful if she is not holy. No thing that man ever created, no matter how skillfully it was crafted, is a beautiful work of art if it wasn't made to be holy. Beauty and holiness go together.

Now this is true when it comes to music and the playing of instruments. Every instrument was made to be played beautifully. God gave the Jews music. God gave King David the ability to make instruments, and the Jewish community today, though they are the enemies of the Gospel, still have a shred of what King David had. Many of the classical musicians are Jewish. If you want to hear how a violin should be played, listen to a Jewish man play it. If you want to hear what an oboe should sound like, listen to a Jewish man play that oboe.

The classical musicians strive to play with the most beautiful tones they can on their instruments. Now, sad to say, some of the music that is written for them is not holy music; and no matter how well they play, it comes out rather strange. But if you want to find out what a trumpet should sound like, listen to the first chair solo player in an orchestra. Those people are so picky that they are fired if they miss a note in a concert recording, and there are fifteen, twenty, seventy, seventy-five, one hundred people waiting in line to try out for that place. They dare not miss a note. As a matter of fact, some of them are fired at practices if they don't play well enough.

I wish that I could say that we could find that standard of excellence among Christians and say, "This is what a voice should sound like; this is what a baritone horn should sound like; this is what a bass clarinet should sound like; this is what a flute should sound like." I'm not sure that we can find it. Sometimes Christians forget that David was "cunning in playing," and we forget to put in the practice that David did.

Today we scarcely hear a saxophone played right. We scarcely hear people sing right. How come? Because people don't appreciate things that are holy. All appreciation for beauty goes right out the door with it. So if someone sings with a poor tone, nobody seems to care.

Things that are made beautiful are a picture of holy things. Now everything that man tries to make beautiful is not holy, but it is at least a picture of holy things. We are to praise the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

We are told that the Holy Spirit that dwells in us is holy, so this is a picture of beauty. The Holy Spirit, God, dwelling with man--that is beauty to the Lord.

The Holy Scripture, God's perfect Word, is a perfect picture of beauty. What this Book does for my soul, for my thoughts, for my life, and for all around me is amazing and wonderful. It is holy, and it is beautiful.

Holy matrimony, as we call it, is supposed to be holy. Hebrews 13:4 says "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled..." Marriage is a beautiful thing. It is a picture of holiness. The Bible says, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25). The Bible tells me that I am to be faithful to her no matter what. The Bible tells me to love, care for, and cherish her, knowing that she is the weaker vessel. And if she ever lets me down, that is just what the church does to Jesus Christ anyway; but if I love her yet, that is a beautiful picture of how Christ loves us as His bride. Also, she may be a picture of a church that is obedient to Christ, if she is obedient to her husband, and if she reverences him. That's what God intends to take place in a marriage, so that it is a beautiful picture of something far greater than just the two of us becoming one flesh--of Christ and His church. Matrimony ought to be holy.

This says something about the way we are to worship the Lord. There ought to be some beauty in our singing, in the depths of our spirit and soul, that what comes out might be pleasing unto the Lord and a beautiful picture of holy things. It is to remind us of the Lord's holiness.

I went to Pittsburgh, Michigan, (to play in an orchestra), and I was amazed at how slack I was when it came to music. They did not allow a young person to blat one bad note on an instrument. They could not pick it up and go "blah," even just for fun. They did not allow it. Every note that came out was supposed to be pure. Of course there were mistakes that we made, but Brother Rick Town send would never let a sour note be played on purpose or in jest. He said, "No, they have to come out in praise of the Lord." He was seeking to achieve some beauty in the playing to show forth the Lord's holiness.

That's part of text painting--putting the right sound in the voice or instrument to make a picture of the Lord's holiness.

Turn to Psalm 66:1-2. "Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious." Our music should be joyful. That means we can put joy into the music. We can paint a picture of joy. "Sing forth the honour of his name." The music should be honorable. Somehow we can put the Lord's honor into the music. "Make his praise glorious." It doesn't say that this is text painting, but this is what God is talking about. It is saying that when we praise God, it can be a glorious praise. It should come from the heart, first of all; and if it does, when we raise our voices and when we play our instruments, it should be our very best effort to bring glory to the Lord's name. We can paint a picture of a glorious Savior if we sing and play right.

This tells us something else. Music can be dishonorable; music can be inglorious, and that's what is going on today, largely.

GOOD RHYTHMS AND BAD RHYTHMS

I said we would talk about rhythm. There are good rhythms and bad rhythms.

I want to show you a few more things about text painting. Think of "How Firm A Foundation." "How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your Faith in His excellent Word." If I play that song with a twinkly, light, "Jingle Bell" touch, with a lot of high notes and a carefree delivery, the mood is wrong for the words. It doesn't fit. The traditional music for this song, on the other hand, is deep, heavy, forceful, and it paints the proper picture of a solid foundation. That is text painting. That is why the song is played with a full, rich, loud, undergirded type of arrangement. It is talking about His excellent Word, about unshakable things from God, so it is played with great majesty and power.

Consider "It Is Well With My Soul": "And Lord haste the day when the faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound..." This is talking about trumpets and the coming of the Lord, and at that point in the song there is actually a fanfare played with the keyboard. That's text painting. All the notes that the pianist plays have a meaning. The timing, the notes, the rhythm--all have meaning. You wouldn't want to put the fanfare at the point in the song which says, "Though Satan should buffet..."! No one wants to herald the coming of the devil. No, the fanfare is for the Lord.

We could think of so many songs to illustrate this. Consider "Crown Him With Many Crowns," which is played with a very royal, court-type, march manner because we are speaking of the Lord's kingliness. Likewise, "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" is always sung with a full, deep, stirring sound.

What if I'm going to speak of the peace of God? Consider, for instance, "Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace." You will notice that the keys are played lightly and softly, in a restful, gentle manner. Why? To depict the peace that the Lord gives. You wouldn't play that with a heavy beat; you wouldn't jazz that up; it would ruin the picture! If you know the words to any song--if it is peace, if it is meditation, if it is joy, if it is the Lord's greatness--then look for that being painted with the music.

What happens when people take the old hymns and add something to them that doesn't belong? The picture is ruined. Consider "Who can cheer the heart like Jesus ... All that thrills my soul is Jesus; He is more than life to me." The traditional music paints the picture of quiet, spiritual joy, of the lovely abiding relationship between the saint and his Savior. On the other hand, when that beautiful song is put to a modern beat the picture is ruined.

The holy relationship between the Christian and Christ cannot be depicted with the world's sensual love music. Today they are trying to put the sixties sex music into "All That Thrills My Soul Is Jesus," and it doesn't work! Somebody is painting a different picture underneath that beautiful picture of the Lord who only can cheer the soul of a man. They are thereby making light of it.

Let's face it. The things that those sixties bands sang about was having girlfriends that usually didn't last for more than a couple of weeks or months. (There is nothing in the Bible about having a girlfriend, or dating, or going steady; that's just an American fad.) By using sixties music with that grand old hymn, they put all that fickle, sensual,love-sicky, puppy-dog, worldly stuff underneath "All That Thrills My Soul Is Jesus." His love is not fickle; His love is not sensual; it's not that way! And those rhythms, as harmless as some people seem to think they are, are not harmless.

Consider the boogie, and the blues, which is just the boogie slowed down. These are very similar rhythms; only the speed is different. The blues rhythm is found in the old ballads. Hundreds of songs have been written to this "eight to the bar" rhythm. Have you ever heard "I Am Weak But Thou Art Strong" played with a boogie beat? It is the jazzy, Southern gospel style. It is the boogie. It is a dance rhythm. Southern gospel musicians have destroyed a lot of the hymns of the faith by using that jazzy rhythm.

When you put the accent on the wrong beat, it is dance music, and it appeals to your flesh; and somebody can sell more records to you because your flesh likes it! The rhythms appeal to your flesh, and the people that make the records know that. They don't want to appeal to the spiritual Christians who are walking with the Lord; they want to appeal to people that don't walk with the Lord; because they know that more people don't than do, and they want to sell more records. They make their living studying what people are doing, and if there is one thing they know, it is that most Christians are not walking with the Lord.

THE SNOWBALL EFFECT

Sooner or later Christians must get rid of the wrong kind of music, or it will take them the wrong way. There are good Christians who listen to the wrong music sometimes; but after they are instructed, if they keep on listening to that and liking it, I know something is not right. It's one way of finding out where they are at. You cannot feed yourself on carnal music, and take it into yourself, without getting carnal.

Those who try to witness to folk understand the power of rock and roll music, or the television blaring, or something else going on in the background that draws you away from that spirit of being concerned for someone's soul. It's because the appeal is to the flesh, to get you out of the Spirit and into the flesh. The Bible says, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). If you don't walk in the Spirit, you will fulfill the lusts of the flesh; and the Bible says that "when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (James 1:15).

I wouldn't care about any of these things if it didn't cause harm to me and to you, but it does. It does. It always does. It's just that it appears to be harmless when the sensual rhythms are disguised somewhat. It leads you on to desiring more sensual rhythms, just like anything else. It creates sensual appetites.

It's in every area of life. If you take one sip of beer, you will take two, three. You start drinking the wines, then the hard liquors. In the drug scene you go from the marijuana and the hash to the hard drugs. It's a progression. "Earthly, sensual, devilish." A little bit of evil to a lot more evil. The Bible warns the Christian to stay away from vain babblings because "they will increase unto more ungodliness" (2 Timothy 2:16). They increase. It's the snowball effect. You put a little snowball at the top of the hill and roll it awhile, and soon it will gather more snow and more snow, and pretty soon you have a whole snowman, or an avalanche, or something else much bigger than the snowball you started with. It's a snowball effect when it comes to your body liking certain rhythms that are meant to stir up your passions.

The devil uses a progression to draw people away from God and holiness. There was almost nobody from my sixties generation that would sing a song about devil worship. As a matter of fact, at the end of my rock and roll years, even though I was not saved, it was a difficult thing for me to even sing about songs that mentioned the devil. I could not understand what the Rolling Stones were doing singing about the devil. I thought, "What does that have to do with hamburgers and French fries and girls and beaches and Coca Cola and surfing and Woodies?" It did not compute, until after I got saved and read the Bible and found that the devil has been trying to get everybody to worship him. And he takes every generation as far as he can.

When you change the rhythm, you tend to change the style that a person sings in. If you play "I Was Sinking Deep In Sin" with a boogie blues background, you feel like singing with an Elvis Presley style. It is hard to play carnal rhythms and sing spiritually.

Of the three aspects of music, it is the rhythm that should be the least important. It is the spirit which is the most important. Dance music is primarily for the body. It's not something that appeals to the thoughts and spirit. It's not something, really, that appeals to the feelings.

SYNCOPATION

Another type of rhythm is syncopation. This is Rumba-type music with the accent just off the beat, so it swings. And when the music constantly swings and puts the accent off the beat, it is sensual. Elvis Presley used to do this in all his songs. Peter, Paul, and Mary also used the Rumba, but they played it slower and quieter. It is the same syncopated, eight-to-the- bar, boogie rhythm. It appeals to people because it is sensual. The west- coast surfing groups in the sixties used the same rhythms, only they played them louder and faster. It was the same type of syncopated dance music, and it enhanced the sexual appeal of the music. As the years have passed, the music has gotten louder, faster, and more complex in some instances; but it is the same basic type of beat.

If one has ever listened to an African drum group play, he will understand that American rock musicians are just catching up to the African rhythms.

In Africa, the heathen are able to play "poly rhythms." Poly, of course, means many. They have all these drums and other percussion instruments, rhythm instruments, that all make different sounds, and they can hear them. They can make one rhythm with their feet, another with their torso, some more with their arms, and some more with their fingers and wrists, some more in their heads; and they can dance six or seven different rhythms at one time. It is an amazing thing; however, it is all sensual; it's all for the body; and it's all created by their ability to hear and put into their bodies those dance rhythms that were created specifically to make their bodies move in ways that are not polite. They make the body move to draw attention to parts of the body in a way that is improper.

That is all that is happening in the rock scene today. They are catching up to some of these African rhythms. And, of course, the Satan worshipers have just turned the amplifiers up to the fullest degree, and many of them do not know, musically, what they are doing anymore. They are just making a lot of noise. Some of them are not even really playing chords; there is not even any harmony or melody there, just a lot of noise. There is nothing for the spirit, nothing for the soul; it is all for the body. Now we have Rap music. What happened to the melody? It is gone. What you don't know is that they have been doing this type of thing in Africa for thousands of years, and there are recordings of that. They will go on sometimes for hours. You talk about dance marathons! They dance until they drop over and are possessed by devils, and then they get back up and they dance again.

What we have in America is a bunch of young people that are so controlled by the devil that when you try to talk with them about the Lord, they can't hear or understand you because of the music which is raging within them. They are so controlled by an evil music that they can't think about their soul and their spirit.

The gospel rock groups today are not all noisy. There are variations because the devil knows what kind of music you like and he attempts to reach you with your type of music. There is some really noisy music for those who like that kind, and there is some not so noisy music for those who like it quieter.

Think of it like this: On one side you have God, and on the extreme opposite side you have the devil. The devil is opposed to everything that has to do with God and wants to draw people away from God and holiness. How does he do this? He works by degrees, by a progression. Here's what happens. Ideally, everybody would be over on God's side, singing and praising Him, seeking Him, fearing Him, finding favor with Him, pleasing and serving Him. That's where everybody ought to be. On this side we have music which is holy and pure, music which deals with man's spiritual nature.

Now let's say we add just a little bit of sensual rhythm to a song. We make it just one degree away from truly spiritual, holy music. It will appeal to a lot of Christians. Then we have some other music that really is boogie, but we call it Southern gospel; and that will appeal to a lot of Christians. They excuse it by saying it is just "down home" music. No, it isn't. It's boogie woogie, but some Christians still think it is O.K. Then there is the Contemporary Christian Music, which sounds like it is being sung in a nightclub. Of course it is big business today, and it is farther still away from painting a proper picture of our Lord.

REACH THE YOUNG PEOPLE WITH THEIR OWN MUSIC?

Then there are those who use "Christian rock" music. They say, "I believe we can reach the young people if we just play their kind of music." I don't buy that, because before I was ever saved I went to hear a rock and roll group singing dirty rock and roll songs and telling me about the Lord Jesus in the songs. You know what I said? As a rock and roll musician I said, "What are they doing playing my music? They are Christians." I had better sense than to believe that they were doing any good. Yes, I went to the concert, but I did not like it. And they all had long greasy hair. There was one fellow, a big, tall fellow, who stood up with a Bible at the end of the concert and preached. His hair was cut above his ears, and you know what? I listened to him. Afterwards I didn't want to talk to the grubby band members. I felt they were worse off than I was. I just looked at them and thought, "I don't want to be like that." I talked to the tall fellow; and though I did not get saved that night, I was impressed somewhat and I went home that night and told my mother about it. It was only a year or two later that I got saved.

I don't buy that idea that we have to look like and play our music like the world in order to reach them. If you are trying to bring somebody to Christ, you have to show them that the Lord is different than the world; and He is. He is holy, and this world is unholy. Christian rock music does not paint a proper picture of the Savior. Even that fellow, by his short hair and dress, painted a more proper picture of the Lord; and I was willing, at least, to talk with him.

Then you have music that is sung and played by supposed Christians, but it is not Christian music. Amy Grant has done some of that. They call it "cross over" music. She sang a song with one of the singers from the rock group Chicago.

Then you've got your regular country western, and rock and roll, and big band music, and boogie woogie, and rag time, and all the rest. It gets worse and worse and worse, and finally it's heavy metal music; and, lo and behold, all the sudden we are worshiping the devil. Nobody got over there with one hop. No, it is a progression. The devil wants us to plug in anywhere along that line, and the flow always moves away from God and holiness.

Where does the devil have you plugged in today? I'll listen to anything that God will allow; but if God doesn't allow it, I don't want it. I know that if I plug into music that is even one degree off, the devil will try to get me two degrees off, then three, then four, then five. The devil does not rest; he just keeps on. "Why don't you just move over here a little."

A pastor once told me, "You know, those black folks really have it; why don't you stick some of those rhythms into your music. With your voice and your talent..." I thought, "Get thee behind me." I didn't say that, but I just shook my head. The evangelist that was there said, "Brother Ives, don't change your music."

I look at my music, and sometimes I wonder, "Am I a degree off? Am I two degrees off? Am I just fooling myself, Lord?" I want to be on the button.

Some people say, "Why do you make the beat the deciding factor?" Because it controls the rest, the harmony and melody; and that's the only place I can find, in or out of the Bible, to draw the line. If someone says the beat is not the place to decide, then there is no place.

Some say, "I don't like the volume." Well, the Bible says to make a loud noise unto the Lord. You cannot use volume to decide whether the song is good or not. Some people say, "I don't like the speed of the song." There is nothing in the Bible that indicates how fast or how slow to sing a song, as long as you sing it slow enough to understand the words and be able to think what you are saying. Some say, "I don't like any drums." There are drums in a marching band. There are high cymbals and loud sounding cymbals in Psalm 150. There are timbrels in the Bible. You can't rule out percussion instruments just because wrong rhythms can be played on them. Wrong rhythms can be played on a piano, too. It is a semi- percussion instrument, and so is the guitar, because it is struck; so is a harpsichord; so are bells. The only place to draw the line is with the rhythm.

You say, "I don't like the style that they are using." It is the rhythm that causes that style. You say, "I don't like the chords they are playing." They are playing those chords because it matches the rhythm. You say, "I don't think the people ought to clap their hands." The Bible says, "Clap your hands, all ye people." It depends on how you clap your hands-on beats one and three, or two and four! It goes without saying, of course, that the words of a song must be right. Those we check up with the Bible. But beyond that, it is the rhythm in the song that determines if it is right or wrong.

I hope you understand this. When you hear sensual, worldly rhythms in a song, just cut it off. It's not going to help.

MUSIC IS A VOICE AND SHOULD GIVE A CERTAIN SOUND

In 1 Corinthians 14 the Apostle Paul makes reference to music while explaining what is right and wrong about the way we talk, and whether or not we speak in tongues.

"And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification" (1 Cor. 14:7-10).

Verse 7 says even a pipe or a harp must be played distinctly. The more wrong notes you make, the less you can tell what the song is. If I play "Jesus Loves Me" and start missing notes, you might not be able to tell what I am playing. The voice is no longer distinct. We want to hit the right note at the right time, or no one will know what we are trying to say with the music.

Verse 8 mentions the uncertain sound. If you are not sure of the right note, if you don't sing or play with the right spirit, nobody is really sure what kind of a sound you are making; and they will not rally to your cause. They will not believe what you have sung or played. They must know what you are really trying to say. When it comes to God's soldier music, nobody will rally to the cause of Christ and go win souls if you are singing a song with a soul-saving message and music underneath that says "do your own thing." Doing your own thing is the natural way of the sinner. You cannot have a mixed message.

Who would want to waste their time singing music that wouldn't rally anyone to the cause of Christ? Why sing gospel music at all if it won't count for Heaven. The only other motives are money, popularity, and fame--not good motives. God will say, "Wood, hay, and stubble, Christian."

Verse 9 says the message should be "easy to be understood." If my music gets so complicated with so many voices, pretty soon nobody will know what I am saying. If I drown out the singing, nobody will know what I am trying to say. If I play a piano arrangement and change so many notes that the hearers cannot tell what song I am playing, what good am I doing? We need to be careful that what we are trying to say is easy to be understood.

Everybody is not a musical genius. A Christian needs to be sure, first of all, that the message gets across so that people will easily understand that you are exalting the Lord Jesus and speaking of His sacrifice on Calvary being available to all that all might be saved. It needs to be plain.

Verse 10 says every voice has signification. This is true for music. Every group or band is trying to say something. Some people say, "Music doesn't say anything; it just exists by itself." The word "signification" means to signify something with signs or symbols. Every song that you hear is trying to say something. When music plays, it is indeed symbolizing something. It paints a picture. People that play the music the way they play it are saying, "This statement is what I agree with." The song always tells you to do something. It will excite you to action, either good or bad. Music will signify something; it will imply something. It doesn't come out and say, "Do bad; do evil." It will imply it. "Feel this way about it; think about it this way." It leads you a certain way without coming right out and saying it. Music is significant; it has meaning.

Don't ever let anyone tell you, "Well, it's just music." That's what all the gospel rockers say. That's what Stryper says about their music. "It's just music; it doesn't mean anything." Yes, it does. They are a voice in this world, and they are not without signification. They certainly do mean something. What they mean, if you can put it plainly, is that you can be a Christian and live just as dirty as you want. That's about as plain as you can put it. If you know the lives of these people, you would not imitate them; you would not follow them, and you will never get any spiritual help from them if you ever could find them or meet them. They are out there making money, taking your bucks and fooling you because you think there is something there that is Christian--but there isn't.

If I sang gospel rock, I would be ashamed before my university professors who taught me better than that. They knew the difference between the voices that are in the world. They knew that sounds are supposed to be pure, and that music was supposed to contain beauty. The classical composers, even the ones that were not saved, said that music was for the refreshment of the soul and to portray the ennobling things of life. Our Christian music should be understandable to the folks who hear it. The melody should be clear, and the harmony and the rhythm should paint a picture of Christ.

If we use dirty rhythms, dirty harmonies, and dirty melodies, we are not painting a proper picture of Christ. If we use the sensual rhythms and harmonies that the world uses today, instead of painting a picture of the pure, spotless Lamb of God, we will paint a perverted, fornicating Christ. What we do with our music is very important.

Let me read you a poem, and I'm done. What kind of a Christ is portrayed by the music that you hear? How and what do you think of God when you listen to the music that you listen to?

Men's portraits of Jesus are many, I've heard, But none can compare with that found in God's Word. My Savior, no artist hath justly portrayed, But great are God's verses, God's truth there displayed. 'Tis there I see Jesus on Calvary's tree, The Lamb of God once for all slaughtered for me. His stripes for my healing, His wounds for my sin, The blood there He spilled for my cleansing within.

The agony born in His body that day

Was the weight of iniquities taken away.

And taken away were transgressions of mine;

There He made me pure by God's perfect design.

God's Son without spot, without sin, without blame

On Golgotha's hill He bore the curse and the shame.

There He Who was righteous in my place was slain

To freely give righteousness I could not gain.

In paintings no cleansing for sin can I find;

No rest for my spirit, nor peace for my mind,

But there on the canvas of Scripture I see

My Savior, my Ransom, who died to save me.

May we strive to have our music to be as pure as the words of God and paint a picture of a wonderful, saving Christ who shed His blood that our awful sins could be forgiven. I love the Lord. He has completely changed me; and I want my music, and the music of all Christians, to let others know of a Christ who is very pure, very wonderful.

Child Training and Discipline

2010-09-22T10:19:00.001-05:00

Child Training and Discipline

by Pastor Art Kohl

I. The Example of the Heavenly Father

Write down your observations of God's actions toward His Children. Also look up any big words you don't completely understand and write out its definition. It's important to do this. Use a dictionary. Use King James Bible AV1611

Deuteronomy 8:5
Psalms 94:12
Proverbs 3:11-12
I Corinthians 11:31-32
Hebrews 12:5-11
Revelation 3:19

II. The Instruction of the Word of God

Write down your observations of God's direction and wisdom in parenting and disciplining children. Again write out the definitions of any words you do not know using a dictionary. The older the dictionary you find the better.

Proverbs 13:24
Proverbs 22:15
Proverbs 23:13
Proverbs 23:14
Proverbs 29:15
Proverbs 29:17

(Add to this list sometime a study on Proverbs 17:21, 17:25, 19:13 and 28:7. Write out your observations on another sheet of paper.)

III. Further Instructions & Common Sense Regarding Child Discipline

1. Child abuse and child discipline are opposites. Discipline is an act of love and concern for the long run of a child's life. Abuse is an act of anger, aggression, disdain of hate.

2. Never discipline another persons child without the express permission or instruction of the child's parents to do so.

3. Never spank a child when angry. Make sure the child knows and understands what they did that was wrong and why they are being corrected. Do not surprise the child. Make it a planned event and something you do as a parent that is intentional and well thought out. Be calm and in control of yourself and emotions.

4. Never spank a child anywhere but on the glutemus maximus muscles (buttocks, rear end). Never hit a child on the face, neck, head, back, stomach, chest, front or back of the legs. These could cause injury to internal organs, brain or developing limbs. Never shake a child or grab them by the throat. Be careful when spanking the child that you do not come near the backbone as this is also is also developing at this stage in life.

5. Use a paddle of smooth wood that is not too thick and has a handle designed to fit your hand so it won't slip. Do not us a belt or razor strap as these may cause welts of open sores. Biblically a rod is a branch or stick or twig from a tree.

6. Try not to use your hands. Reserve these as instruments of love. Only use your hand to slap the back of a child's hand after you have carefully told them not to touch something or throw food on the floor, etc. Never surprise the child with a strike. They will fear you the wrong way.

7. Proper discipline trains the mind of the child that the crime is not worth the correction. You have not disciplined the child enough or incorrectly if they keep committing the crime. When a child begins to make right decisions based on the principle: "The crime is not worth the correction", we call that character. We have been successful in our discipline. We have corrected the child. It's not corporal punishment, but corporal correction we are aiming for.

8. Parenting is more love than it is spanking (although spanking is part of love). But if you find yourself constantly spanking the child over and over again for the same crime there is something wrong in your parenting. Stop! You are doing something wrong. You are either "under-loving" the child or "over-disciplining" the child or improperly disciplining him. Proper discipline and parenting should not discourage a child or make them angry, but broken in will and spirit. They should know and be told that you love them and be told so and also told that this is why you are correcting them.

Ephesians 6:4
Colossians 3:21

9. Never permit a child to say "No" to you as a parent. This is neither cute nor funny. This is rebellion, period. Nip it in the bud. Stop it immediately. Spank them as often as is needed until their character tells them, "I'm not going to say 'no' to my parents anymore, it's not worth it." Demand and expect instant obedience. 10. Spank the child on the bare bottom if possible. At least remove the diaper if they are small. There is usually enough power in the snap of an adults wrist to administer a spank that will not be forgotten soon. You do not have to take a full swing like with a tennis racket. Make sure their hands are out of the way. Have them bend over your knee or against a table or chair. Let the number of spanks be done one at a time and deliberately, not fast and furious. Let them "soak in" one at a time. The object is to SAFELY inflict enough pain so the child will decide they will not commit the crime again.

REMEMBER: Successful child discipline is to break the child's will without destroying the child's spirit. It is training our child's mind to instinctively make the right decisions when faced with the prospect of doing wrong.

Tips

2010-09-21T15:07:00.000-05:00

Tidy Housekeeper?

The bride was anything but a tidy housekeeper. It didn't bother her much until
one evening when her husband called from the hall, somewhat dismayed:
"Honey, what happened to the dust on this table? I had a phone number written
on it."

Housekeeping Husband

My friend's husband is always telling her that housekeeping would be a snap if
only she would organize her time better. Recently he had a chance to put his
theory into practice while his wife was away.
When I popped in one evening to see how he was managing, he crowed, "I made
a cake, frosted it, washed the kitchen windows, cleaned all the cupboards,
scrubbed the kitchen floor, walls and ceiling and even had a bath."
I was about to concede that perhaps he was a better manager than his wife, when
he added sheepishly, "When I was making the chocolate frosting, I forgot to turn
off the mixer before taking the beaters out of the bowl, so I had to do all the rest."

Martha Stewart's vs. My Way

Martha's way #1: Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

My way: Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone.

Martha's way #2: Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and you'll get perfectly shaped pancakes every time.

My way: Buy the precooked kind you nuke in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Martha's way #3: To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

My way: Buy a mashed potato mix and keep it in the pantry for up to a year.

Martha's way #4: To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.

My way: Who cares if they crack, aren't you going to take the shells off anyway?

Martha's way #5: To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop.

My way: Eat out every night and avoid cooking.

Martha's way #6: Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.'

My way: Feed your garbage disposal and there won't be any leftovers.

Martha's way #7: When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

My way: Go to the bakery. They'll even decorate it for you.

Martha's way #8: If you accidentally over salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix me up".

My way: If you over salt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad. My motto: If it's cooked, you will eat it no matter how bad it tastes.

Martha's way #9: Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.

My Way: Brown sugar is supposed to be "soft"?

Martha's way #10: When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

My Way: The only kind of corn I buy comes in a can.

Martha's way #11: If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

My way: Go ask the muscular neighbor to do it.

Martha's way #12: Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

My way: Instant mashed potatoes will now be next to the anti-bacterial soap in a handy dispenser next to my sink.

Martha's way #13: Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer:

* Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.

* Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.

* Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

* Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

My way: Put your jewelry, vases, and thermos in the toilet. Add some Alka- Seltzer and you have solved a whole bunch of problems at once.

Should a Christian Mother Work Outside The Home?

2010-09-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

This is the first in a series of subjects that I will be posting about. The following was not written by me but I do agree with the viewpoint.

Should a Christian mother work outside the home? by Pastor Art Kohl

Dedicated to......

All the Christian women and mothers who throughout all ages, even today, have done right in the sight of God according to His Word, no matter what the women of the world did or are doing.

Chapter 1 - Introduction

In 1870, thirteen percent of the women of America worked outside the home. Almost without exception, these were single women working in one of two fields, secretarial or nursing. By 1970, forty percent of the women of America worked outside their homes. By 1991, it was sixty-nine percent, and in 1994, it was about seventy-one percent. They are no longer single women, but married women and mothers who have children and teenagers at home.

We have all heard these statistics till we have become immune to them—highest divorce rate of any free country in the world; 1.5 million abortions a year; only fifty percent of our children growing up in a nuclear family; teen pregnancies; crime, murder, suicide, and all types of abuses are on the rise and the list goes on and on. It does not take a rocket scientist to conclude that there is something very wrong with our society.

The blame can rightfully be placed in many directions. Included in these would be the devaluing of motherhood in America. If you are a mother, that is a full-time career and ministry, never stoop to become the President of the United States. Do not forsake motherhood for money. Do not miss motherhood for a career.

Please carefully read and ponder this booklet. Be familiar with what the scriptures teach addressing the subject, “Should A Christian Mother Work Outside The Home?”

Chapter 2 - What Saith the Scriptures?

It has been sadly said of our generation of Christians that we get our beliefs from the Bible, but our behavior from the world. This observation is certainly true of much that goes on regarding womanhood and motherhood in the church today. Grossly missing from the average woman's life is a Biblical reason and Scriptural premise for what she is doing.

The Bible is our handbook for life! 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (teaching), for reproof (exposition), for correction (changing us when we are wrong), for instruction in righteousness (instructing us how to live)..." Why? The next verse, verse 17 answers: "That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

Before you read any further, you must then ask yourself the question, "Do I want to be perfect?" and "Do I want to be right with God?" If your answer is yes, then read on, for the Scriptures are not silent about this issue, and one of the reasons the Scriptures were written are for correction.

Now dear reader, if you are like me, correction is hard to take. The reason is because of the sin of pride. Yes, pride is sin. If we are humble, correction is not hard to take. We must be humble to be all God wants us to be. Pride keeps us from admitting we're wrong and from changing. If we are kept from changing we'll never be "perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

What saith the Scriptures? My opinion doesn't matter, neither does yours. It doesn't matter one iota to God if 71% of the women of America are working outside the home, God is not on the majority's side, but on the side of righteousness. If 99% of the women of America worked outside the home, God wouldn't change His Word one jot or tittle.

Women working is not a big problem with me. It's women who are mothers working outside the home that this booklet deals with, because there I draw the line, for the Bible's clear on this matter.

We live in a day when we use the New Testament to establish our doctrine, faith, practice, and behavior. Contained in the New Testament are two doctrinal passages on the roles of mothers. It is interesting to note that they are in the book of 1 Timothy and Titus, which are 2 of the 3 Pastoral letters. By Pastoral we mean they were written by the Missionary and Apostle Paul to two men named Timothy and Titus, who were Pastors. It was instructions to them on what to teach their people regarding behavior. Even the subjects of womanhood and motherhood came up.

First, 1 Timothy 5:14 says, "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."

Note in this text there are 4 requirements stated:

•1. Get married

•2. Have children

•3. Guide the house

•4. Live a perfect testimony so not once can the adversary (Satan) say anything reproachful about you.

Now notice number 3 says, "guide the house." Does that mean that the house is going somewhere and you have to guide it? No, a house is an unmovable structure. That's the point. A mother is to stay at the house and guide it.

The word guide here comes from a Greek word that means to "rule". Thus a woman is to get married, have children, and rule the house. Now if you are thinking, you are probably saying to yourself, "I thought my husband was to rule the house?" That is just the point. Your husband is not there, he's out working while you are ruling in his place! Mothers you are to "guide (rule) the house", It is your Scriptural duty.

Second, Titus 2:4-5 says, "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed."

Note in this text there are 8 requirements stated "that the Word of God be not blasphemed":

•1. Be sober (intelligent)

•2. Love your husband

•3. Love your children

•4. Be discreet (modest)

•5. Be chaste (pure)

•6. Keepers at home

•7. Good

•8. Obedient to your husband

Certainly no Christian mother would purposely want to blaspheme the Word of God. I fear today, however, that many are doing it ignorantly. Jesus said once, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scripture."Not doing things Scripturally is error. Often destructive in nature. (Notice Matthew 7:26-27 "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.")

Notice in this list that number 6 says, "Keepers at home." The Greek word for keepers is oikouros which means a "stayer at home." It is a word with a militant meaning. When guards watched the city they were considered "keepers." They kept (guarded) the city while others slept. A Christian mother then is to stay at home and keep it, (guard it).

In our first text we learned that she is to guide the home, here she is to guard the home. It's quite simple and quite clear. If she does not guide the home she just may give occasion to the adversary (Satan) to speak reproachfully. If she does not guard the home she occasions the blasphemy of God's Word.

Mothers, when a wife works, although he might never admit it, a part of her husband's God-given manhood dies. God has put it in man, what some call instinct, the desire to provide for his family. When he fails, even in part to do this, he feels unfulfilled. He may even become resentful and bitter against his wife. He may even feel that his ability to lead is greatly diminished. Many marital problems may then follow.

On the other hand, some men are not bothered by their wives working outside the home. Perhaps they have a manhood problem. They would rather pass responsibility off on some one else. They marry a woman, not to be their wife, but to be a mother. They don't want to grow up, they want mom to care for them their whole life, so they marry a wife who will do that. The wife ends up caring for a big baby all her life. I feel so sorry for ladies who are stuck in that situation and spend their energy always bailing out their husband. As long as you keep bailing him out, he'll let you. Don't bail him out anymore. Make him be a man. You're not his mother.

I also fear that the devil has conquered so many children from "Christian" homes, because mom left her station and they had neither guide nor guard to watch over them. Our adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. He wants your children.

Stand guard dear moms! Stay home! The Bible commands it and your children need it. Even psychologically we know that if children are in school or away they benefit by knowing mom is home for them.

Now think about this dear ladies, what was the first mistake that a woman ever made? Answer: She went to the workplace.

In Genesis 2:8-9 "And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.", and Genesis 2:15-17 "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Notice in this text that God established a workplace for the man and put him in it. He gave him instructions to take care of the workplace, the Garden of Eden, "for there was not a man to till the ground." Genesis 2:5. Inside of the workplace was every kind of tree including the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That tree was in the very middle of the workplace (Genesis 2:9,3:3). It was there that Eve was tempted by the subtil one and was deceived. She sinned, brought down her husband and the whole human race by going to the workplace God had made for man.

The workplace is no place for a Christian woman. It is too hard to be spiritual there. It will wear you down. The woman is the weaker vessel, I Peter 3:7 "... giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel...", both physically and emotionally. That day in the workplace, Satan didn't go after Adam; he went after Eve, "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." 1 Timothy 2:14.

A spiritually-minded Christian mother needs to be within the safety of her home, and the church, constantly doing spiritual things. It is God's plan and refuge for her. "Dinah ...went out to see the daughters of the land and when Shechem ...saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her." Genesis 34:1-2.

Think of it, Dinah had a godly father, Jacob, and 12 older brothers. 13 men in her own family to watch over her and she still got raped. Why? She decided to leave home and go out and see what the women of the world of her day were doing.

Stay out of the world!

It's with a broken heart I write as I think of pure, holy girls that I've known in the three churches I've attended since being saved, who were allowed to go out and get a job, started dating unbelievers, got married to them or got pregnant. Mostly ignorant fathers are to blame. The Bible gives the father authority over the daughter until he decides to give her away. (See 1 Corinthians 7:37,38). He is not suppose to give her away to the workplace, but to her new husband. Until then he is to provide for her as one of his own. "But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." 1 Timothy 5:8. It is my intention, by God's grace, to allow my daughters to live with me as long as it is until I give them away to their husbands that I approve of. Even if they're in their 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, etc.

Naomi left Bethlehem (house of bread) to sojourn (pass through) through Moab (the land of scarcity). She ended up staying there for ten years. During that time she lost her husband and her two sons, they died. When she came back to Bethlehem, she said, "Call me not Naomi (pleasant), call me Mara (bitter): for the Almighty hath dealt bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?" Ruth 1:20,21. Naomi should have stayed home. Notice that God "testified against me"- it was wrong what she did in leaving home, and "afflicted me"- God chastened Naomi. God brought Naomi home!

Is something wrong right now with your health? Family? Marriage? Finances? Circumstances? It may be the chastening hand of God on your life. If that is not true, then cut the story of Naomi out of your Bible.

Consider the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42. Martha chose to work. Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His words. Mary chose the "needful" and "good" part "which shall not be taken away from her". Make the right choice moms!

Christian mothers, what kind of story will be written about you? Obey His Word. Be blessed by Him. Guard and guide your home. Stay there, don't leave your post.

Chapter 3 - When Might A Christian Mother Work Outside the Home?

As I begin to write this chapter in light of what has already been said, I feel like the Apostle Paul when he said to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 7:12, "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord ..."

Some things are judgement calls. Paul again said in 1 Corinthians 7:25, "... I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgement as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful." and in 1 Corinthians 7:40 "... after my judgement: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God." also in Romans 14:5 "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."

Please do not take my thoughts in this chapter as gospel. They are judgements I have made based on common sense and I think I have the Spirit of God. Only daily communion with the Holy Ghost can lead you for sure.

Let me give you exceptions for a Christian mother to work in the work place that I would permit, and I think more important God would allow, (Ask Him to be sure though):

1. Death, your husband has died. You are a widow. You were not left enough money to exist on through life insurance and the sale of equities. Families (relatives) should pitch in to help widows first. If she qualifies, the church should help her although the guidelines are clear in the Bible as to what the church is obligated to do. (see 1 Timothy 5:3-5;9-10)

God has many miracles for widows and He should be entreated through prayers, supplications and fastings before getting a job. He has some miracles in store for widows.

Many promises can be held up to God by the widow:

•Deuteronomy 10:18 "He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment."

•Psalms 10:14 "... thou art the helper of the fatherless."

•Psalms 68:5 "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation."

•Psalms 146:9 "... he relieveth the fatherless and widow: ... ."

•Proverbs 15:25 "The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow."

•Jeremiah 49:11 "Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me."

God should always be consulted first in these matters.

2. Divorce, your ex-husband doesn't support you. Maybe you were divorced before you were saved or maybe he is an unbeliever and left you. I have even heard of one case where a "Christian" man left his wife and children and doesn't support her, although I question his salvation.

Divorce doesn't leave one with life insurance money and alimony has many loopholes in it. Many dead beat fathers filled with resentment, bitterness, or unforgiveness refuse to pay up. This causes a tremendous hardship on the Christian mother. If she does have to go to work she should have some unchangeable prerequisites:

•She will not work on Sundays.

•She will not work on Wednesday night.

•She will have herself and her children inside the church every time the doors are open.

•Children, if baby-sat, will be in the care of other Christians.

•Work only enough to make ends meet.

•Maintain consistent family devotions and prayer with the kids and with yourself.

If these prerequisites can not be guaranteed, then accept that it is not God's will for you to work there. Continue to pray for your ex-husband to be saved and to see his Biblical responsibility of supporting you as stated in 1 Timothy 5:8 "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." God answers prayer, don't quit praying.

3. Disability, your husband is disabled and can't work. In some cases he will have disability insurance and the husband and wife will be able to live on that. She may need to get a part-time job. If he had no disability insurance she may have to work to support the family in his absence from the work place till he gets well, if he gets well.

4. Desolate, she is a single mother with neither husband nor father to care for her. Many single mothers who end up being saved are left to live with the consequences of their life-style before salvation. They are now Christian mothers but were never married. In often extreme hardship she will have to work to make ends meet with no man to help her. This is never easy and behooves the church to rear young girls to be pure.

5. Demanded, a Christian mother has an unsaved husband who demands her to work. She must obey her unsaved husband: Ephesians 5:22 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." Ephesians 5:24 "... so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." Colossians 3:18 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord." See also 1 Peter 3:1-7. Certainly no Christian man should require his wife to work contrary to the Word of God.

Now, notice in my judgements I said nothing about needing more money as a reason for a Christian mother to leave the home and enter the workplace. It would be better to lower your standard of living than to disobey God, or sell what you possibly can to make ends meet. Notice II Kings 4:7 "Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest." and, Luke 12:33 "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth."

If a husband's income is not enough to exist on for a family, then one of two things must be accepted:

•1. God is wrong. When the Lord wrote "But if any provide not for HIS own, and specially for those of HIS own house, HE hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." in 1 Timothy 5:8, He didn't mean it. If God is right, and He always is, then a man CAN provide for his family adequately.

•2. Your standard of living is too high. Keeping up with the Jones' is your standard, not the Bible. You may have to do something drastic to get right with God: Sell your home and get a less expensive one, drive an old car instead of a new one, wear less expensive clothes, quit eating out, quit going shopping, etc.

It is the devil who says today, "You can't make it on one income today!", and the devil is a liar and the father of all lies. Don't believe him, believe God and act like it.

I marvel at my grandmothers. The one is 95 years old. The other is 83. My 95 year old grandmother reared 13 children and never worked outside the home. My 83 year old grandmother reared 6 children and many foster children and never worked outside the home. They never demanded their rights. They never insisted on having a deck, new kitchen, carpet, furniture, pool, two cars, nice home, camper, fancy clothes, makeup, shoes, and all this other empty trash that so many women think will bring them happiness today. No, they weren't covetous, they were content.

They weren't proud either. They didn't go through life thinking they "deserved" better than just to be a mother and wife. They, having lived fulfilling lives, have children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren who think they are the greatest. Yet they did all this, not living in the prosperity of the 90's, but through the Great Depression and the War.

Why are we so proud today that we just can't confess that we are covetous and repent of it? Moms, let's turn our hearts away from things, money and our standard of living and back to those immortal souls that we call our children.

Chapter 4 - What's a Christian Mother To Do All Day?

Let's say that you are a Christian mother. For some reason your children are not home. They are sent to school. You are home alone, what next? Stare at the walls? Right about now comes the temptation to go out and get a job, but there are so many higher and nobler causes that a woman can pursue than to get a job and serve money.

Here are 42 things a mother can do at home. Can you think of more?

1. Read the Bible for one hour a day. Do you read the Bible everyday now? At this rate you can read through the Bible two to three times a year. Mary "sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His Word." Luke 10:39

2. Pray for at least one hour in private to God. Do you pray everyday now? See your Pastor for church prayer lists, names of members, etc. Peter and John went up to the Temple for "the hour of prayer." in Acts 3:1. Anna, the prophetess , "served God with fastings and prayers night and day." in Luke 2:37b. Jesus asked, "What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" in Matthew 26:40. David said, "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice." in Psalm 55:17. Daniel "kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God..." in Daniel 6:10. Ladies, while you are praying everyday, beg God to bless your working husband, to provide your finances, to give you miracles of provision, to meet all your needs. You will be amazed at what God will do. Some promises to use when you pray:

•Jeremiah. 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

•Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

•Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

•Psalms 37:25 "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

3. Fasting one day a week. Do you fast often? Jesus said, "When ye fast..." in Matthew 6:16, not "If ye fast...." Anna "served God with fastings ..." in Luke 2:37b. "Defraud ye not one the other (from sexual relationships), except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency (lack of self control)" 1 Corinthians 7:5.

4. Memorize Scriptures. Do you memorize Scriptures now? "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalms 119:11. Entire chapters could be memorized and prove beneficial to all aspects of your Christian life if you'll do a little each day.

5. Go out soulwinning one or two times a week with a partner for three hours at a time. Do you go out soulwinning now? "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him for the saying of the woman ..." John 4:39. It is feasible that God could use you to reach a hundred souls in one year. Remember: One soul is worth more than all the money you could earn in the world. (Mark 8:36; Job 27:8).

6. Meet at church with other ladies once a week for prayer meeting. Do you attend prayer meeting right now? "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, WITH THE WOMEN.." Acts 1:14.

7. Prepare creative and exciting devotions for your children. Do you have devotions with your children daily? "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also" 2 Timothy 1:5. "And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 3:15.

8. Serve in a ministry in the local church or several ministries. Do you serve in a ministry right now? Use time during your day to prepare so that when your ministering time comes it will be your best for Jesus. "... whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31.

9. Homeschool your children. Do you homeschool? The rearing of children is the foremost job of a mother. "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house..." I Timothy 5:14. Women are to be the guides of the house. It is quite clear in the Word. It has been our experience, after eight years of homeschooling that God knows best. It is the only way to fulfill the directive of Deuteronomy 6:5-7, "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

I am convinced that any mother who spends 20 to 40 hours a week out in the work place could use that same energy and teach her children at home successfully at about 1/8 of the cost of Christian School tuition ($240 per child per year for us for quality school curriculum). It would be a cost of about $5.00 per week per child to take the child out of the public school, plus the mother relearns all the subjects as her child learns at his or her own pace. "To teach is to learn twice." It has also been my experience as a Pastor that a child's peers are the worst group for your children to be around all the time. Your children will invariably want to live and act and dress like them and you as parents will no longer be the greatest influence in their lives. Think about it. You can homeschool if you try.

10. Read a good Christian book. Do you read good Christian books? The older Christian authors are better than modern books. Reading books for education in the things of the Lord is more important than reading books just for entertainment. All book reading should be after the reading and studying of the Word of God.

11. Minister to Senior Citizens and Shut-Ins. Do you minister to the elderly or handicapped? "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27. Can you help clean houses, mow grass, rake yards, wash windows, cook dinners? These things are important to God. Psalms 68:5 "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation."

12. Take a nap. Be refreshed physically so you can give your energy to your Lord, husband, and children. These are the priorities of a Christian mother. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take care of your body which is the Temple of the Holy Ghost. Take a nap! Get some rest!

13. Prepare yourself and the house for your husband's return each day as though a king were returning, and the children were princes and princesses.

14. Learn how to type.

15. Learn how to work with computers. Develop and update basic skills of a trade to prepare yourself in case you have to work in the event your husband dies or is disabled.

16. Learn a musical instrument. You'd be amazed at what you could do if you put your mind to it. Most of our abilities or talents have yet to be discovered because we are too busy to discover them.

17. Learn to crochet, sew, do crafts, paint, make dresses, etc.

18. Write letters to missionaries. Currently these lonely people receive almost no correspondence from our church except the check we send them each month. Your letter telling them about our church and what the Lord is doing in your life will bless their hearts. Your encouragement might be the tool God uses to keep them from quitting and cause them to stay on the field.

19. Write to people in the community inviting them to church.

20. Write to prisoners. Especially lady prisoners.

21. Write to soldiers.

22. Write letters, postcards of encouragement to those who are down.

23. Write letters, postcards to those who are up, so they'll stay up.

24. Visit the sick in hospitals.

25. Visit the nursing home.

26. Help baby-sit a few hours to give someone a break.

27. Help a new mother with her baby.

28. Exercise every other day. Get in shape.

29. Work in the church printing ministry once it's started. Much manual labor will be needed.

30. Work in the church mail distribution ministry once it's started. Millions of tracts will be sent to waiting sinners because of you. You'll meet hundreds in Heaven who will be saved because of you.

31. Set your house in order. Your finances, bills, etc. Be sure to have a written budget. It will bring peace to your home knowing how much you have, need to put in the bank, can spend, etc. With your finances in order you'll be able to have peace rather than confusion about your money. Also you'll be able to budget money for life insurance so if your husband dies you still won't have to work.

32. Clean: laundry, house, yard, car, dishes, etc. Christians should be good testimonies by cleanliness.

33. Plant a garden and flower beds.

34. Teach your children everything you are doing. The Lord is the priority of all Christian women. The husband is the priority of all Christian wives. The children are the priority of all Christian mothers, they are not a "big bother", they are a priority. Give yourself to your children. Teach them everything you are doing. Prepare them for life.

35. Start a home-based business that the children can be involved in. If you can cut hair, teach them how. If you can do crafts, teach them how. If you can pound nails, teach them how. If you can make clothes, teach them how.

36. Continue to learn more about cooking, canning, baking, etc. Never stop learning.

37. Write letters to your relatives near and far away explaining what the Lord has done for you.

38. Send cards for Birthdays, Anniversaries, Graduations to your relatives. Always enclose a carefully chosen gospel tract to sow the seed.

39. Write letters to your President, Senator, and Representative in Washington, D.C. regarding current issues that affect morality and Christianity. Keep letters brief and to the point. Express your views strongly but do not be nasty or condemning. Make phone calls to switchboards.

40. Write letters to your Governor, State Senator and State Assemblymen in Albany. Make phone calls to switchboards. Stay -at-home-moms could be one of the greatest political forces in our country in shaping political opinion if they all did this.

41. Write letters to your county executive, legislator regarding current issues. Make phone calls to switchboards.

42. Write local newspapers that run editorial letters and promote some good Christian cause or oppose sin. Write intelligently and they will print your letter.

Chapter 5 - How About a Homebased Business?

What kind of an example are we setting for the next generation of girls growing up? Is it that money making is more important than motherhood? God forbid! Your daughters will be just like you. Ezekiel 16:44, "Behold, everyone that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter."

I want to encourage you to get a firm grip on your financial picture as a family. Here are some suggestions:

1. Have a written budget that is updated at least once a year. Whenever I have worked out a budget for someone, I have proven to them, without exception, that they can make it on the net salary of the husband of the house and they didn't need to both work.

If you will get your finances in order it will bring peace to your household. Financial strain is the number one cause of divorce, separation, and marital misery, and it doesn't have to be. God is a God of order, perfect order. And we should be like the Lord. Get your finances in order. Have a budget.

When a couple doesn't have a written budget, they do not know what they have and what they need. When they begin to think they don't have enough, the first thought in their mind is often, "Mom's gonna have to work." NO! Work out a budget on paper. Stick to it. You'd be surprised!

2. Give God His tithe. The tithe is ten percent of one's income. Upon the first day of the week lay that up in store to God. Stop reading my book right now and get out your Bible and read the following passages slowly and deliberately:

Proverbs 3:9,10, Malachi 3:8-11, Luke 6:38, 1 Cor. 16:1-2.

I have learned a valuable lesson in life that I want to pass on to you: "It is better to live on 90% of your income with God's blessing than to live on 100% of your income with God's curse." God not only does miracles for those who tithe, but He rebukes the devourer and we can live on less cause we actually will have more. I hope you learn what this means.

Also, God is more prone to answer the prayers of the tither, than the one who doesn't. I John 3:22 says, "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." So tithe, it is a blessing that opens doors of blessings, it is not a curse or hardship.

3. How about a home-based business? Most women have an ability that could be turned into a profit. They can work out of their home. They can teach their children these skills while teaching their children business and financial responsibility also. This then prepares their children for life, for money is a necessary commodity for trade in our society.

When a mother works outside the home, the children receive no experience. When a mother works inside the home the child observes her industriousness and can be incorporated into the business, learning skills and valuable financial principles.

How sad to see so many teenagers today who begin to earn money at, say, sixteen years old, and by the time they are twenty they are deep in debt. How sad to see children and teens who earn money or are given money and they spend it. There is no discipline to save or tithe. This is because mom and dad have failed to teach their children fiscal responsibility.

A home based business can change that. Mom think, what do your children know right now about finances that you personally have taught them? Are they prepared, or being prepared for the rest of their lives when they will have to control money or be controlled by it? The truth will set anyone free, but money can put a person in slavery for the rest of their lives if they haven't learned how to control it.

The truth is the Bible! Although this is a booklet about New Testament womanhood, let's slip back to the Old Testament for a bit. Read Proverbs 31:10-31. Notice the word "household" is used four times in this text. This text establishes the principle of a home-based business. Notice especially verses 13, 16, 18, 24. Notice such statements as: "She works willingly with her hands." "She considers a field... buyeth it... plants a vineyard." "She perceives that her merchandise is good." "She makes fine linen and sells it." Why does she do all of this? Answer: "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Verse 27. She hasn't left the home, she is watching out for it! Her home is the base for her business. She doesn't leave the home, but looks well to the ways of her household. They are included in her business and the next generation is trained.

One note of caution, a home-based business can become a great distraction to the wonderful things that could be done for God by a mother as described in Chapter 4. It may not be needed. Your husband's income may be plenty to live on and this would just keep you from doing something better or eternal with your time.

Ask your Lord, your husband, and your Pastor first before starting a home-based business. You don't want to make the mistake of teaching your children that money making is the most important thing in life. Don't miss motherhood for money!

Chapter 6 - Summing Up

I read with interest a poll of working mothers taken in 1993. They were asked many questions, but the one that interested me was this: "What is the greatest emotion you deal with as a working mother?" The answer was almost unanimous: "GUILT!"

From the Buffalo News, dated September 30, 1994, here is part of an article written by a lady named Marie Cocco, "It sprang from my 4-year old's mouth the other day, just after his errant behavior had been punished with a week long ban on eating sweets. "I'm going to take away privileges, Mommy," he shot back. "You're going to lose your going back-to-work privilege!" That is how Matthew views my return to work after six months of maternity leave: a privilege he'd like to wrest from me as punishment. In his defiant anger, he shot a guilt-tipped dart to my heart..."

Why the guilt among working mothers? I don't know, but my personal experience with guilt is that I only feel guilt when I am guilty. That's simple, but profound! If we don't do wrong we will not have guilt.

I have never met a "stay-at-home-mother" who has felt guilty about being a wife and a mother. She maybe feels "unfulfilled," if the world has been playing with her head, but not guilty.

Often a lady feels as though "just" being a wife and mother is a waste of a life. She feels unfulfilled. She feels as though she is not contributing. Because she is worldly minded, her sense of value is in dollars and cents, not in the praise of God. She measures her worth in tangible things like a paycheck rather than intangible things like faith, obedience, and the praise of God. Dear lady, money is the cheapest of all blessings! God has already declared that your price is far above rubies. Accept that by faith. Don't sacrifice the "far above rubies" value of a wife and mother for filthy lucre.

If you still think this subject of Christian mothers working outside the home is not an important matter, then meditate on the Words of our Lord in Matthew 5:19: "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven."

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:10.

These are sobering thoughts, moms. Do right. Have a Biblical basis for everything you do, and don't do. You don't have to feel unfulfilled, God has already declared your price to be far above rubies.

Copyright © 2004-95

Permission granted to freely copy.

Scripture verses are from the King James Holy Bible

New Chuch Sign

2010-09-20T15:07:00.000-05:00

Praise God for His faithfulness!

Noble Girlhood

2010-09-20T11:45:00.000-05:00

The following is from today's reading of Noble Girlhood Becoming a Daughter of Victory & Virtue

"God is so good!' Even when we are faithless, He is faithful. Even when we forget Him, He finds us. So often we are like little lambs who continue to wander away from their Shepherd, yet He always picks us up and lovingly places us in His strong, steady, and certain arms. Though the world is not certain, though the ground around us may shift, our Savior-- our Shepherd-- is strong and steady. He protects and comforts us. What an awesome God we have! Let us praise Him for all that He does."

SolveFamilyProblems.com

2010-09-17T16:13:00.000-05:00

I recently got my latest catalog from Solve Family Problems a ministry of Dr. S.M. Davis and found the following in it's pages:

There is a confusion among many Christians about the matter of forgiveness because they do not realize that forgiveness has two sides. The first side is the side of the "forgiver." Christians must forgive fully, freely, and forever. The second side is the side of the one being forgiven. To be offered forgiveness is one thing. To be able to receive the forgiveness is something else. Even though forgiveness is offered, FORGIVENESS WON'T WORK unless the one who has done the wrong is truly repentant. In the parable of the prodigal son, both sons were forgiven. But only one of them received forgiveness because only one of them was truly repentant! Those who encourage acceptance without repentance are really encouraging indulgence and enslavement. With repentance comes cleaning, restoration, and forgiveness.

Loving God

2010-09-15T11:13:00.000-05:00

We started our 13th year of homeschooling this week. One of the books my daughter and I are doing this year is called "Noble Girlhood Becoming a Daughter of Victory & Virtue". Today we read about Loving God. As we read this chapter I thought of years past. We had been so busy in the ministry, so caught up in being a 'cookie cutter' Christian. Now after so many loveless years we are finally experiencing true Christian love. Love for the brethren and love for God.

Here is a passage from today's reading: " Are you resting, content in loving Him today? Not just serving, fearing Him, or obeying Him, but in loving Him. For by focusing on the greater, the lesser will follow naturally as fruit of a right relationship...Loving the Lord must be our primary goal as Mark 12:30 exhorts. This is the greatest commandment and the one from which everything must stem...If you are struggling, ask Him to deepen your love for Him. As your love deepens, so the joy in your dedication will multiply."

"I must offer a word of warning to believers. Often the work of the Lord itself may tempt us away from communion with Him. A full schedule of preaching, counseling, and travel can erode the strength of the mightiest servant of the Lord. Public prayer will never make up for the closet communion."
~George Mueller

Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week

2010-09-13T15:52:00.000-05:00

Jul 29, 2010 - Agreed to Senate. This is the latest version of the bill currently available on GovTrack.

SRES 592 ATS

111th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. RES. 592

Designating the week of September 13-19, 2010, as ‘Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week’, and supporting the goals and ideals of Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week to raise awareness and understanding of polycystic kidney disease and the impact the disease has on patients now and for future generations until it can be cured.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

July 22, 2010

Mr. KOHL (for himself, Mr. HATCH, and Mr. BENNETT) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

July 29, 2010

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RESOLUTION

Designating the week of September 13-19, 2010, as ‘Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week’, and supporting the goals and ideals of Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week to raise awareness and understanding of polycystic kidney disease and the impact the disease has on patients now and for future generations until it can be cured.

Whereas polycystic kidney disease (known as ‘PKD’) is one of the most prevalent life-threatening genetic diseases in the world, affecting an estimated 600,000 people in the United States, including newborn babies, children, and adults, regardless of sex, age, race, geography, income, or ethnicity;

Whereas polycystic kidney disease comes in 2 forms, autosomal dominant, which affects 1 in 500 people worldwide, and autosomal recessive, a rare form that affects 1 in 20,000 live births and frequently leads to early death;

Whereas polycystic kidney disease causes multiple cysts to form on both kidneys, leading to an increase in kidney size and weight;

Whereas the cysts caused by polycystic kidney disease can be as small as the head of a pin or as large as a grapefruit;

Whereas polycystic kidney disease is a systemic disease that damages the kidneys and the cardiovascular, endocrine, hepatic, and gastrointestinal systems;

Whereas patients with polycystic kidney disease often experience no symptoms during the early stages of the disease, and many patients do not realize they have PKD until the disease affects other organs;

Whereas the symptoms of polycystic kidney disease can include high blood pressure, chronic pain in the back, sides or abdomen, blood in the urine, urinary tract infections, heart disease, and kidney stones;

Whereas polycystic kidney disease is the leading genetic cause of kidney failure in the United States;

Whereas more than half of patients suffering from polycystic kidney disease will reach kidney failure, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive, thus placing an extra strain on dialysis and kidney transplantation resources;

Whereas polycystic kidney disease has no treatment or cure;

Whereas polycystic kidney disease instills in patients the fear of an unknown future with a life-threatening genetic disease, and of possible genetic discrimination;

Whereas polycystic kidney disease is an example of how collaboration, technological innovation, scientific momentum, and public-private partnerships can--

(1) generate therapeutic interventions that directly benefit the people suffering from polycystic kidney disease;

(2) save billions of Federal dollars paid by Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs for dialysis, kidney transplants, immunosuppressant drugs, and related therapies; and

(3) open several thousand spots on the kidney transplant waiting list;

Whereas improvements in diagnostic technology and the expansion of scientific knowledge about polycystic kidney disease have led to--

(1) the discovery of the 3 primary genes that cause polycystic kidney disease and the 3 primary protein products of the genes; and

(2) the understanding of cell structures and signaling pathways that cause cyst growth, which has produced multiple polycystic kidney disease clinical drug trials; and

Whereas thousands of volunteers throughout the United States are dedicated to expanding essential research, fostering public awareness and understanding, educating patients and their families about polycystic kidney disease to improve treatment and care, providing appropriate moral support, and encouraging people to become organ donors: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) designates the week of September 13-19, 2010, as ‘Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week’;

(2) supports the goals and ideals of a national week to raise public awareness and understanding of polycystic kidney disease;

(3) recognizes the need for additional research into a treatment and a cure for polycystic kidney disease; and

(4) encourages the people of the United States and interested groups to--

(A) support Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week through appropriate ceremonies and activities;

(B) promote public awareness of polycystic kidney disease; and

(C) foster understanding of the impact of the disease on patients and their families.

Sunday School Quarterly

2010-09-13T08:45:00.000-05:00

This weeks Sunday School Lesson was about The Creation of Adam and Eve.
The following was taken from the lesson:

God made the decision that man should have a companion. God mad man from the earth, but God made woman from man. This established a permanent relationship between the two sexes. Because woman was made from man, a man will properly find his wife the dearest person on earth to him. This love will surpass the love we might have for our parents or our children. It is only in the relationship of husband and wife that two people become one flesh.

Today, that relationship is under attack as never before,but, remember Genesis teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman.

Woman was not created as an enemy of man or as a servant to him. She was created to be a help meet for him.

Definitions

2010-09-08T23:01:00.000-05:00

I bought a small 'hillbilly' dictionary yesterday at my favorite thift store. Here are just a few of the words with their 'correct' meanings.

Aholt-What you got when you've got your hands on somethin'. (Grab aholt of somethin' and jist hang in there.)

Aig-Chickens lays hen-aigs.

Druthers- Somethin' you say 'cause it's shorter than sayin' "if I had my choosin' about it". (I'd druther have water melon than grits.)

Echo- That's where you holler at the hill and the hill hollers back at you.

Hissun- When it belongs to him it's hissun.

Plum- You say plum instedof saying "all the way". (He's plum gone.)

Yahoo- What they call somebody that's actin' smart aleckey.

You'ns- Same thing as y'all cept that people that say it is from further back in the hills. (You'ns live up in the holler?)

2010-09-03T13:50:00.003-05:00

The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List

by Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling, Issue #1, Fall 2007

1 Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?

2 Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.

3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.

4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.

5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.

6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.

7 We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.

8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.

9 Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.

10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.

11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.

12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.

13 Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.

14 Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.

15 Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.

16 Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.

17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.

18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.

19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.

20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.

21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.

22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.

23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.

24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.

25 Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!

Oh, and Bethany (Harris?) sent in these AWESOME additions:

26. Stop asking what grad would you be in if you were in real school!!

27. Remember there are “homeschoolers” (long denim skirts and braids)and homeschooled students!!! (aero postal... and converse!)

28. And remember we do miss out on a lot …getting drunk, sleeping around, teen pregnancies, diseases, etc.

29. And don’t ever get into a debate with a homeschooled student about which is better, home school or public school, because home schooled students Know how to debate!

Engaged/Compromitidos!!!

2010-09-01T18:16:00.000-05:00

This past Friday our family made a 'Surprise' trip to Lexington to see Marina and her family. On Saturday August 28th our son Jaime prosposed marriage to Marina McEntire. She said YES! With the blessing of both sets of parents this young couple will wed November 18, 2011.

This is an extremely exciting time for us as we watch the Lord do His work.

Este viernes pasado nuestra familia hizo un viaje de 'Sorpresa' a Lexington para ver marina y su familia. El sábado 28 de agosto nuestro hijo Jaime le propuso matrimonio a Marina McEntire. Ella dijo que sí! Con la bendición de ambas series de los padres esta joven pareja casaron el 18 de noviembre de 2011.

Se trata de un momento muy emocionante para nosotros como observamos el Señor hacer Su trabajo.

2010-08-26T15:47:00.001-05:00

Nick' echo was normal and he is scheduled for surgery next Wednesday. Thanks for all the prayers:-)

Bottle Tree

2010-08-25T15:11:00.000-05:00

Saw this at the Antique Rose Garden on our trip to

Brenham. This is now toward the top of my 'want' list.

IT STAGGERS THE MIND

2010-08-23T21:37:00.000-05:00

THE YEAR IS 1910

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
************

The year is 1910

One hundred years ago.

What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1910:

************

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,

A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.

Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!

Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.'

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write

and Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.
Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, Regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health' ( Shocking? DUH! )

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

I am now going to forward this to someone else without typing it myself. From there, it will be sent to others all over the WORLD - all in a matter of seconds!

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

IT STAGGERS THE MIND

Health Updates

2010-08-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

I haven't felt well for about a week and a half: dizzy spells, lightheaded, weak, tired, confused. Checked my bloodpressure and it was really high. Called my renal nurse and asked if I should go ahead and take another dose of my medications. She says "first tell me what you are taking". I told her and come to find out, even though it is clearly stated on the Rx bottles, I haven't been taking the right dosage for who nows how long!!! I feel as if I'm losing my mind. READ LABEL! Elementary right? Never even occured to me. Hopefully within the next week my body will readjust.

Nick see's the cardiologist tomorrow for his Echocardiogram. They are looking for mitral valve prolapse. This is a 'common' problem for PKD patients.

He sees the surgeon next Tuesday about the abnormality on his head.

Will update with results as they arrive.

Friends

2010-08-09T19:44:00.000-05:00

My Girlie

2010-08-03T21:49:00.000-05:00

2010-07-25T13:28:00.004-05:00

When we believe a lie for so long, it becomes impossible to believe the truth. This is the real seductive danger of false religion. It produces inertia that resists the truth even when the truth becomes obvious.

Thoughts

2010-07-22T13:34:00.000-05:00

Only the truth can be tolerant and patient. One sure sign of false religion is that it will never tolerate dissent or a difference of opinion. This was so even to the death of many innocent people whose only crime was to disagree with he falsehoods being preached and taught.

2010-07-05T13:19:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a Happy Independence Day!!!
Boy has life been busy. We spent a week at summer camp the end of June.
My daughter, Victoria, was saved on Thursday night after hearing Bro. Bagley's message titled
"Hell in a Barrel". She was baptised yesterday and became a member of First Baptist Church Clute Texas. We had a wonderful time last night watching fireworks with great friends.

God's blessings are pouring out from every direction!!!

It's been almost a year since we started attending Clute and so much has happened in that time.
In some ways it has been the longest year ever and in others, it seems to have flown by.

Our oldest son, Jaime, is officially "promised" to Ms. Marina McEntire:-)
Marina is such a special young lady and I am so excited for their future together. An engagement will be forthcoming I'm sure, and I think they are shooting for a wedding sometime next fall. They will be marrying in Clute where her parents were married. That is just so special!! And to think that all this was God's plan!!!! In one way, my heart is heavy, because of other's decisions and the emptiness that this will leave at the wedding but God WILL be glorified in all. It's over a year from now and I truly expect God to work in a MIGHTY way!!!

This Saturday is our Youth Fundraising Car wash.
The following week is Vacation Bible School. Then the week of the 26th is our trip to Rodgers Baptist for a Missions Conference. The summer is passing quickly!! Not to mention that Nick and I have birthdays this month:-)

Today is a rest day. Dh and Jaime are both off. That doesn't happen very often!!

I pray everyone of my readers is doing well.

Calling a Spade a Spade

2010-06-10T22:07:00.001-05:00

Calling A Spade A Spade
Taken from http://www.wickedshepherds.com/Callingaspadeaspade.html

Some think that it is wrong to point out false teachings and other kinds of evil and to call names, let alone to name who these false teachers are! Is this what we read in the scriptures?

In the scriptures, Jesus many, many times had serious confrontations with the religious leaders of his time. In fact it was the religious leaders who ultimately called for his death. (As mostly is the case......same is true for today) All through His life, they were waiting for the right moment.

Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. John 5:18

Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?

But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? John 7:25-26

And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. Luke 22:2

After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. Mark 14:1

Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.Matt12:14

Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. John 11:53.

Jesus called the religious leaders of His day "whited sepulchers", "fools", "blind guides", "hypocrites", "serpents", "murderers", "a generation of vipers," and many such names. Jesus spoke this way to the religious leaders throughout His ministry. He virtually had nothing nice to say about them. But yet there are many in the church today who say that Jesus never spoke this way.

Read Matthew Chapter 23 again and see what it says. Jesus’ words, in practically the entire chapter, are directed at the scribes and Pharisees. Do you think that Jesus would speak to the church leaders today in the same way? Does Jesus change? Have the church leaders changed? Yes indeed. They’ve gotten worse!

You know as well as I, that if Jesus were to return today, there is not one church on the face of the earth who would hire Him to be their “Pastor”. Not one! And why is that? Because people today do not want to hear the truth. Their church leaders are fine outstanding men who deserve to be followed, thank you!

The scriptures speak of things getting worse and worse, and if you read carefully, it’s not talking about the world, but the church and the leaders in the church!

To be sure, when it came to the common people, Jesus was the "Humble Servant.” His ministry to them was marked with compassion. He “was moved with compassion for them.”

He gave the gospel to them.
He fed them.
He healed them.
He wept with them.
He spoke gently and mildly to them. “Martha, Martha,"………"Simon, Simon."
He identified with the people and knew many were distressed,as sheep not having a shepherd.

When it came to the common people, Jesus ministered to them in meekness and gentleness, as His words showed. But when it came to those in the church; when it came to the “great ones”; when it came to the church leaders and so-called experts in the law, something changed.His ways, His mannerisms, His countenance, His words “EXPLODED.” In all of His confrontations with the church leaders, you could see the difference in His whole attitude, especially in His words. Jesus was exposing their evils. He was exposing their false teachings and hypocrisy like no one ever did before. And in so doing, many others were starting to “see the light.”

His words were as the voice of a trumpet. Likewise today, there is much evil lurking in many churches and in those in positions of “church leadership.” The unbiblical authoritarianism and spiritual abuse within the ranks of the so-called “eldership” is rampant.

The hijacking of many marriages by these wolves in sheep’s clothing resulting in the destruction of many lives is evil beyond words.

To speak of these atrocities in anything less than an angry, forceful tone would be almost impossible. Anger doesn’t have to be sin, just like God’s anger that is mentioned probably hundreds of times in the scriptures, is not sin.

Perhaps the time has come for some others to express a little anger at what is going on with these wicked shepherds who are killing and scattering God's flock for their own power and glory and ego!

Perhaps the time has come for some others to express a little anger at these spiritual monsters who deliver their poisonous and blasphemous theology to so many unsuspecting souls, parents, and innocent children.

Yes, as we speak, there are many WHO KNOW what is going on. As we speak, there are those in the church today who would readily stand up and say “NO” to the spiritual bullies and to flee from them and to deny them their control over them! Yet, for some, they also know that to do this would only invite persecution and a living death. So they remain.

But wouldn’t you rather suffer the former than to loose your soul and deny your Savior and Heavenly Father? Many choose serving their spiritual bullies, thinking all the while they are serving their Lord.

Some also think that it’s wrong to name these people. They call it “spreading evil” or "trying to restrict this evil to only certain individuals and places." As has been said over and over on this website, this is a world wide evil that is taking place.

And what do the Scriptures say of this anyway? Look through the letters of the Apostle Paul. Many times he mentions specific individuals by name.

Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.

1 Timothy 1;19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

2 Timothy 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

2 Timothy 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia

2 Timothy 4:14-15 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.

In 3 John verse 9, John named Diotrephes as one who does not receive the brothers, but throws them out of the assembly.

Jude exposes the errors of Balaam in verse 11.

In Revelation Chapter 2, twice the Nicolaitans are singled out and the warning is given concerning their works and their teaching.

And there are many from the Old Testament too.

We are living in a day when false teachers and their dastardly deeds abound. A faithful messenger will warn those in the churches. They will identify these churches by name, as well as their "leaders," calling a spade a spade. Just like the Lord Jesus did; just like the Apostle Paul did, and others as well.

People’s lives are being destroyed. Marriages are being destroyed. It’s not enough to just “generalize” a situation or play games and “hint” at what is being said. Are there any faithful messengers around anymore?

Sale of all Sales

2010-06-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

This is one sale you don't want to miss!!!

Passing the Time

2010-06-02T23:36:00.001-05:00

Boy time is really passing by quickly! This week has been really busy getting ready for this weekend's MASSIVE garage sale :-) I am right in my element though.....it is through a garage sale that I came to know my Savior. This is definitely the biggest sale I have ever handled. The gym is just about down to walking room only! The donations are still coming. People have been so generous. We should make lots of money for the youth's Mission trip to Rogers Baptist in July. Our very first Vacation Bible School will be in July as well.

I taught my first class tonight!!! I haven't taught since I had Victoria, so it's been a long while.
Tonight we learned about Zaccheus and the Sycamore Tree.

Just two and a half weeks til summer camp!! We are SO excited!! I will be teaching the 2 and 3 year olds!
This year's summer camp is being held at the Purely Gates Retreat in Mt. Vernon, Texas.

Our family is doing great and really excited about everything God is doing. The Spanish Ministry is going good as is our weekly Bible study. Staying busy serving God where He has placed us.

Amber and Marina were with us several days last week. We sorely miss them both. They are such a blessing to have in our home. I sit back in complete amazement at what God is doing.

Lots to do this summer..Kids will be doing LOTS of swimming. Glad summer has arrived but at the same time I'm ready for it to be over....CRAZY I KNOW!!!

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Fun with friends

2010-05-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday several families got to gether to do some horseback riding.
We had a wonderful time together.
A HUGE thankyou to the Grimes family for allowing us to have this oppurtunity.