Witty Wednesday

This video made me laugh out loud! Enjoy!

Go Wayne Grudem!

Is It Ok for Moms to Work Outside The Home?

In this video, John Piper answers the question: Is it okay for moms to have jobs outside the home?

I think he is worth listening to. I think even challenging to the mom who is able to stay home. Are we using our homes as a place to raise up godly, Christ loving children? Are we using Homemaking as an opportunity to be a place of rest and peace to those hurting? Do we role up our sleeves and serve the body of Christ with the time we have not working outside the home?

I think it will also encourage any that have been made to feel that if you don't work outside the home you can't possibly be missional.


John Piper is calling for full-time ministry:

"So, I'm calling for ministry full-time when I say "don't work full-time if you have a family." Turn your family into ministry. Turn your family into a global dream for what this family might become, or what this man might be, or what we might be together as we are home.

Those are the kind of dreams I want to offer the younger women that are coming along so that they don't think, "If I don't get a career and make lots of money and be equal with men in pay and time and everything, I've somehow sold out to something small or something that doesn't require intellectual capabilities.

It is a great and glorious calling to be a mother and a homemaker and a wife and a neighborhood make-it-happen kind of person and a church minister. Who knows what God might be pleased to do."

May God transform our hearts, and minds, and homes and give us greater eternal vision for them.

Shout to the King

Shout to the King
Matt Maher - Alive Again

You're not like man that You should lie
You do not falter or change Your mind
All that You say is what You do
All that You've promised You're seeing through

So we wait on You, Lord
And we rise to Your voice

The shout of the King, the son of God
Your presence now here with us
The sound of praise all in a name
Jesus Christ, the one who saves
All you people rise to the shout of the King

There is no power, no scheme of man
That separates us from Your hand
We will not move far from Your gaze
Here in Your presence we will remain

So we stand on Your word
And we run to Your voice

The shout of the King, the son of God
Your presence now here with us
The sound of praise all in a name
Jesus Christ, the one who saves

The shout of the King, the son of God
Your presence now here with us
The sound of praise all in a name
Jesus Christ, the one who saves

Its the sound that breaks down strongholds
It's the sound that makes a sinner whole
It's the sound of freedom falling on the earth
The sound of victory

The shout of the King, the son of God
Your presence now here with us
The sound of praise all in a name
Jesus Christ, the one who saves
All you people rise, all you people rise
To the shout of the King, to the shout of the King

Witty Wednesday

Sitting on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a Police Officer sees a car puttering along at 22 KPH. Says he to himself: "This driver is just as dangerous as a speeder!" So he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over. Approaching the car, he notices that there are five old ladies - two in the front seat and three in the back - wide eyed and white as ghosts.

The driver, obviously confused, says to him "Officer, I don't understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?"

"Ma'am," the officer replies, "you weren't speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers."

"Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly...Twenty-two kilometres an hour!" the old woman says a bit proudly.

The Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle explains to her that 22 is the highway number, not the speed limit.

A bit embarrassed, the woman grins and thanks the officer for pointing out her error.

"But before I let you go, Ma'am, I have to ask..Is everyone in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken, and they haven't made a peep this whole time," the officer asks.

"Oh, they'll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off Highway 189."

I talk with both married and single young ladies on a regular basis, and some of the same things come up in both groups. Sex, singleness,and biblical femininity(women's roles) are all subjects that most women have questions about. Much of the time when speaking to the those who are single, purity and what that looks like is very often a hot topic. Often what is appropriate and inappropriate within marriage when it comes to sexual intimacy is a big subject that is often discussed among married women. I know, I talk to these ladies, and have had and questions myself, and still ask plenty!

I have found some things that Mary Kassian has written to be quite helpful. She is doing a video series on the True Woman website right now, that some may find helpful in helping others and themselves. I am posting two video blogs in particular that I found helpful with some of the conversations I have had lately, but I recommend the whole series.

Girls Gone Wise 8:Flirt to Convert

Girls Gone Wise 10:How Far is Too Far?

By the way, Mary Kassian is going to speaking at the next True Woman Conference in Indianapolis.

God is good

The King of Love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His,
And He is mine forever.

Sir Henry Williams Baker

Witty Wednesday

A man was telling his neighbor, 'I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art.. It's perfect.'
'Really,' answered the neighbor . 'What kind is it?'

'Twelve thirty..'

I have been reading A Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper. I have read through the book of Ruth once a year since I was a kid. I can't remember a time when I wasn't pretty familiar with the story. This book by Piper has caused me to look at this little book of the Bible in a completely different way then I have ever seen it before. I have received more instruction and rebuke from it then I ever have. I have received more encouragement from it then I ever have before. This little book has enlarged my love for my God, and increased my faith more then I imagined the book of Ruth could. I highly recommend reading this book.

I want to share with you this excerpt from the book that I keep rereading because of how it struck me:
The book of Ruth wants to teach us that God's purpose for His people is to connect us to something greater than ourselves. God wants us to know that when we follow him, our lives always mean more than we think they do. Naomi had no idea in the land of Moab that God was making her a the ancestor of the Messiah. For the Christian there is always a connection between the ordinary events of life and the stupendous work of God in history.

Everything we do in obedience to God, no matter how small, is significant. It is a part of a cosmic mosaic that God is painting to display the greatness of his power and wisdom to the world and to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places ( Ephesians 3:10). A deep satisfaction of the christian life is that we are not given over to trifles. Serving a widowed mother-in-law, gleaning in a field, falling in love, having a baby-for the Christian these are all connected to eternity. They are part of something so much bigger than they seem.

Piper goes on to point out that the best is yet to come for the man and woman who follow Jesus in faith. God is at work! And God uses the darkest times in our lives to get us there!

God will not be mocked!

In 2 Chronicles 32:1-22 there is an interesting story. Hezekiah became king of Judah after the death of king Ahaz. He was a godly king and commanded that the people go back to the worshiping the One true God. He destroyed all of the idols and re-opened the Temple in Jerusalem and had it repaired. He reinstated the celebration of Passover and that year the feast lasted for 2 whole weeks.

One day the king of Assyria, Sennacherib, decided to lay siege to Jerusalem. The people were very afraid because the Assyrian army was strong and had taken over many cities. But, king Hezekiah told them to trust God to fight for them.

King Sennecherib sent one of his servants over to the wall of Jerusalem and told him to brag about how powerful he was. He also told them that since the gods of the other nations couldn't save them, why should they think that their God could do a better job?

Instead of just giving up, king Hezekiah and Isaiah both cried out to the Lord about this. The next morning, the entire Assyrian army was found dead in their camp because the Lord had sent an angel to destroy them! Sennecherib ended up going home in shame.

This is an example of what happens when people mock God. They may get away with it for a while since He is slow to anger, but as the saying goes; "you can run but you can not hide". God will not allow His name to be "dragged through the mud" so to speak. He is all powerful and He always wins.

In today's culture, mocking God is nothing strange. Everyday, I see on TV or in the newspaper, people voluntarily going against God's laws. People take His name in vain and think nothing of it. Laws are passed that give people free reign to go against God's instructions. I even saw a promo for a new fall TV show that is about a demon from Hell and his wife and how they interact with their neighbors! It is even animated and sold as a comedy!

There will be a day of reckoning. No one is going to be mocking God when they stand trembling before Him to give an account of their actions. He will one day make all things right.

Most Bible scholars are of the opinion that we are living in the last days. If we truly are, then believers need to be busy about speaking the gospel to everyone they come in contact with. It should be our top priority to be "missional" like Pastor Matt tells us, while there is still time.

Praying for Leaders

I spend a lot of time in prayer for the leadership of Missio Dei. It helps a lot that my dad is one of the leaders and that I am close friends with a couple of our elders' wives. It also helps that I have an extremely informed knowledge of the amount of time that these men spend shepherding the members of Missio and of what is involved in the shepherding. And it is good for me to pray for the leadership of my church. It is good for everyone to pray for their leaders.

I spend almost no time in prayer for the leaders of other churches or for Christian leaders in general. If I read on a blog that Desiring God or Sovereign Grace or some other ministry is putting on a conference, I will say a quick prayer that God be glorified through it. If I read on a blog that a leader is going to travel for a speaking engagement, I will say a quick prayer that the Lord keep him safe and bless his time. But this is all.

I was convicted by my lack of prayer for Christian leaders around the world earlier today while reading a post by Mark Driscoll where he was offering up advice to pastors/leaders on how to deal with people who are spreading gossip and slander about them. I read down the list, interested because this is something that my family has experienced time and time again and I was curious about Driscoll's advice. I was struck by his fourth point.

Driscoll wrote, "Protect your family. Your wife and family should not read any of this garbage. If you have to screen her emails to ensure no one is forwarding links to her, then do it so she’s not getting shot in the heart every time she opens her inbox"

"A shot in the heart." Wow. I know how that feels, the extreme and sudden pain that comes from hearing your father (or husband's) name dragged through the mud. I understand the ache when someone that you care about is criticizing your father/husband. I can empathize with the anger that makes your entire body shake as you briefly allow yourself to imagine all the things you would say if the person dared to make the comment to your face. I have felt the sadness and discouragement.

Here is a women whose husband has been criticized far more publicly than my father ever has. I can empathize with her, but as a daughter for her father rather than a wife for her husband. I know, to a smaller degree, what this man and wife are going through. And yet I have never prayed for them.

Never.

I read his blog every day and have read one of his books. I am aware that he is my brother in Christ and that he is faithfully proclaiming the gospel to people that I will probably never come in contact with. This man's ministry has had influence over my life. Not massive influence, but influence none the less. And I have never once prayed for him or his church or his family.

Shame on me.

Please do not misunderstand me. It is right to pray for the leadership of your own church. It is right that the majority of your time in prayer for the leadership in your life should be by those who are shepherding you specifically. If you had to choose between praying for your own church's leadership and the leaders of influential Christian ministries across the world (which, of course, is not a choice that would ever need to be made), I would say to pray for your own church's leadership. But we do not have to choose. We can pray for both.

Consider joining with me to grow in our faithfulness in keeping our own church leadership bathed in prayer. And consider also those influential ministry leaders across the world that you can be in prayer for as well.

Witty Wednesday

Three old guys are out walking.
First one says, 'Windy, isn't it?'
Second one says, 'No, it's Thursday!'

Third one says, 'So am I. Let's go get a beer..'

They disappeared and you could hear their faint cries as they disappeared under the ice!

Pride. Arrogance. Foolishness. The young family that we read about toward the end of the book, Call of the Wild, manifest these character traits quite clearly. Clearly enough that my nine year old sobbing son said, "Mom they were so foolish! They didn't listen to anybody." He was right in his assessment.

I began to say that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. It is bound up in us all. Those who stiffen their necks and harden there hearts, do not do themselves any good, but much harm. I looked Jackson directly in the eyes and asked him why he thought there were verses in the Bible ( Proverbs) that start with, "Now then, my sons, listen to me." and "My son, give attention to my words." or "My son, give attention to my wisdom." " Hear o my sons, the instruction of a father."

We were able to briefly discuss how we must learn to heed those who are godly and wise. We spoke of how we must guard against arrogance that says, "I know best."

Verses came to my mind as we discussed the demise of this small family. It was such a devastating picture of what a foolish person's end can be. The opportunity was right to discuss with my children, Jackson in particular the importance of listening to their parents. How God in his goodness has given us to them to help them grow in wisdom and protect them. We discussed that God has graciously given us godly older men and women who we can trust and ask for counsel (if we are humble and wise) and listen to.

We were able to look at or quote verses like:
Proverbs 15:5 A fool rejects his father's discipline,But he who regards reproof is sensible.
Proverbs 13:10 Through insolence comes nothing but strife,But wisdom is with those who receive counsel.
Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.
Proverbs 10:17 He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes astray.

We talked about how over and over this family was warned and given sound counsel, but they refused it because they were wise in their own eyes.
Proverbs 26:12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

It led to more about how we were all guilty of foolishness and going our own way, because we reject God and each of are going astray. We talked, with Noelle and Jackson leading much of the discussion, about God (the one whom we reject and sin against) and laying our sins and foolishness on Jesus. We were heading to our ultimate and eternal death, but God in His mercy sent His only Son, who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. Oh what a savior! He rescued us! He did not allow all of us to continue to go our own way!

Please pray with me that we would know and love our savior more! Please pray for my little ones, that they may see the Gospel of God and turn to Jesus. Oh how I pray that Calvin, Silas and Gabe heed the call of the gospel and do not harden their hearts against it. And how truly grateful I am for His gracious work in so many of my family members, including my son Jackson and daughter Noelle!

Lord, grant me more passion to call others to Jesus, Who rescues us from death.

Thank God for "normal days"

I read an interesting quote by Gloria Gaither yesterday: "Thank God for normal days - there are far to few of them"

For me lately, my days have been busy and stressful. It seemed like I didn't have a moment to think. Those kinds of days are filled with prayer. But, on a rare occasion, I do have days that are relaxing and I have time to think and read and putter around the house.

I have realized that when I am having one of those rare "normal days" my thoughts are not on God as much as they are on hard days.

I encourage you to thank God for normal days and chaotic days. Either way, God is in control and He only allows what is best for us to happen.

Application of Knowledge

Today is the last day of hermeneutics class. I spent far more time on the lessons each week than I had thought I would and far less time than I should have. I've been considering how best to put in a plan to continue to use what I have learned because I don't want to walk away from this with the attitude that the class is over and I don't have to think about Bible study any more. I got to know the book of Philippians and the book of Philemon far better than any other books in the Bible and I am excited to expand my range.

As we began approaching the end of the class, we started to discuss application. We spent weeks and weeks pouring over the text, dissecting the details, understanding the original intent and the themes, and now we knew the text. But none of this knowledge was worth anything without application.

We all know of people who can talk really well. They use all the right words, read all the right authors, visit all the right blogs. They can pull out Jonathan Edwards quotes in the middle of conversation and speak with much authority. But, when their lives are examined, you cannot see very well how all of their knowledge has impacted their lives. Ladies, we have been well taught. We have a vast array of resources at our disposal. Reading and studying are critical to the Christian life but only if that which is read and studied is put into actual practice in our lives!

Next week I am going to share some of the application that I took from our Philippians class. I encourage you all to consider what you have been reading lately, be it the Bible, a book, or a blog, and decide what practical and physical ways you can put your knowledge into practice in the upcoming weeks.

Witty Wednesday

A senior citizen said to his eighty-year old buddy:
'So I hear you're getting married?'
'Yep!'
'Do I know her?'
'Nope!'
'This woman, is she good looking?'
'Not really.'
'Is she a good cook?'
'Naw, she can't cook too well.'
'Does she have lots of money?'
'Nope! Poor as a church mouse.'
'Well, then, is she good in bed?'
'I don't know.'
'Why in the world do you want to marry her then?'

'Because she can still drive!'