Have you read it? Titus 2:3-5 says "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored."
I'm part of a Monday night Bible study and I encouraged the women a few weeks ago that we should all have a Paul, a Barnabus and a Timothy in our lives. A Paul is a mentor or someone who's one step ahead of you either spiritually or in stage of life (older kids, etc.). Barnabus means "son of encouragement" so of course this friend is just an encourager. Someone that you're doing life with and they're just a good friend. A Timothy is someone younger in the faith or a step behind you in life stage (they are younger than you). As I put out this challenge, I was just reminded of the goodness of God and how God has given me so many women in each of these categories. Some of these women come and go for various reasons and others I feel like will forever be part of my life.
And so, I thought I'd dedicate a couple of Mondays to those mentor women and while I do this, I'd explain why they're so important.
So today's Mentor Monday is Kathy Klassen who is my mother's age (still very young), but is dancing with Jesus today in heaven. Mrs. Klassen went to our church and she has a daughter the same age as me. Mrs. Klassen was our Pioneer Girls leader on Wednesday nights and I remember her helping in VBS as well. We went to a smaller church (100-200 people) and there were several families that did a lot together. The Klassens being one of those families. I remember Mrs. Klassen pouring into my life at an early age. She loved Jesus and she loved people...what more could you ask for? As I was reorganizing some things tonight, I found a graduation gift that she had given me. It's a frame with a mirror behind it (hard to explain), but it's pretty and I think of her whenever I see it. As I moved it on the dresser today, I thought about all the ways she's impacted my life. She may have been one of the reasons I ever was interested in Germany....her house always reflected Germany and her mother was "Oma" (grandma in German) to so many of us. I'm so thankful that she was part of my life.
Our "Pauls" come in so many different ways...mothers, friends, aunts, grandmothers, bosses, etc. Younger women have so much to learn from older women. And older women need to be willing to pour into the younger women. Listen, God didn't have it wrong when He inspired Paul's thoughts to put Titus 2 into place. Be sure that you're doing your part. Do you have a Paul, a Barnabus and a Timothy in your life? If not, start praying for God to put them in your path and then be ready, He answers prayer!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Character--It Matters
My latest book that I finally finished reading is Louder Than Words: The Power of Uncompromised Living by Andy Stanley.
The title comes from the phrase that "actions speak louder than words". Isn't that so true? The premise of the book is all about character. Character is something that is lacking in our society, so I found the book intriguing because of that. I want to be sure that my life has character. I want to be sure that my actions are lining up with my words.
Some of my favorite quotes:
We are all, like trees, subjected to the stormy elements of life. And when the storms come, we either snap or grow stronger. What makes the difference is not the ferocity of the storm but the depth of our character.
Our feelings are wonderful followers, but they are terrible leaders.
He's (God) not just interested in your destination. He's interested in your journey as well.
And this paragraph, wow, what a challenge to men:
This past summer a guest speaker came to our church with a message that challenged my whole way of thinking. He began with a simple question: "Are you a man of character?" Yet it was the way he defined character that especially convicted me. He explained, "When you look into the face of a man's wife, you will see just what he is as a man. Whatever he has invested in or withheld from her is reflected in her countenance."
And here's the challenge...Psalm 15...who gets an inside track with God?
Here's a description of a man/woman of character based on this Psalm:
Their walk is blameless.
They do what is right.
They tell the truth.
They don't gossip.
They don't mistreat people.
They side with those who are right.
They keep their word.
They lend money to those in need without interest.
They don't take advantage of people for financial gain.
My heart's desire is to raise children who have character and it begins with me. I need to work on those areas where I am weak. One area is my prayer life. I tend to pray very selfishly. I'll leave you with this last quote:
We fail to pray for the things that will benefit us for eternity. If God answered all of our prayers, our character would suffer. For in most cases, our prayers center around the removal of the very circumstances He is using to conform us to His image.
The title comes from the phrase that "actions speak louder than words". Isn't that so true? The premise of the book is all about character. Character is something that is lacking in our society, so I found the book intriguing because of that. I want to be sure that my life has character. I want to be sure that my actions are lining up with my words.
Some of my favorite quotes:
We are all, like trees, subjected to the stormy elements of life. And when the storms come, we either snap or grow stronger. What makes the difference is not the ferocity of the storm but the depth of our character.
Our feelings are wonderful followers, but they are terrible leaders.
He's (God) not just interested in your destination. He's interested in your journey as well.
And this paragraph, wow, what a challenge to men:
This past summer a guest speaker came to our church with a message that challenged my whole way of thinking. He began with a simple question: "Are you a man of character?" Yet it was the way he defined character that especially convicted me. He explained, "When you look into the face of a man's wife, you will see just what he is as a man. Whatever he has invested in or withheld from her is reflected in her countenance."
And here's the challenge...Psalm 15...who gets an inside track with God?
Here's a description of a man/woman of character based on this Psalm:
Their walk is blameless.
They do what is right.
They tell the truth.
They don't gossip.
They don't mistreat people.
They side with those who are right.
They keep their word.
They lend money to those in need without interest.
They don't take advantage of people for financial gain.
My heart's desire is to raise children who have character and it begins with me. I need to work on those areas where I am weak. One area is my prayer life. I tend to pray very selfishly. I'll leave you with this last quote:
We fail to pray for the things that will benefit us for eternity. If God answered all of our prayers, our character would suffer. For in most cases, our prayers center around the removal of the very circumstances He is using to conform us to His image.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Email Hackers--You Are Not My Friend
If you've ever received an email from Derek or me, then you probably received an email last Saturday afternoon that was apparently not from us. (We are not selling prescription drugs on the side, seriously people!) We were sitting at Cracker Barrel having a nice family dinner when I noticed that there were a bunch of failure notices in my email. I knew immediately what this meant, that someone had hacked into our email. Our email had been compromised. So we had to get the Coca Cola Cake to go which is so unfortunate, because it's the entire reason we went to Cracker Barrel.
Derek and I were frustrated and angry...why? Well, first of all, because some of you might actually think that we're selling Viagra on the side, but more importantly we just felt violated. We came home and tried to email everyone in our address book to tell them not to click on the link. But our email doesn't allow us to do that as protection from hackers. You can only email 20 people at a time and we have over 700 contacts in our email, so it just didn't happen. Derek changed almost all of our passwords and made them so complicated that he has to sign in for me so that I can read my email because I just can't remember that complicated of a password. He informed me this morning that you're not supposed to write your password down anywhere, but if you're relying on my memory, seriously we're in trouble. I have two debit cards and I can barely remember both of the pins to two cards.
What's frustrating is that my husband works in IT (information technology aka computers). So, we have all kinds of safeguards on our computers (did you read the last paragraph about the new passwords?) And so, it is shocking that this would happen to us. Our kids don't have open access to the computer and we don't allow them to randomly sign up for things.
But there's almost always a spiritual lesson that can be learned with anything that happens in our lives and immediately God had me thinking about this. I thought about how we put up safeguards in our lives...safeguards to protect our marriages and to keep our computers free of nasty images. We have locks on our doors and smoke detectors in every room. We have a safe for important documents. Some of these are spiritual safeguards, some of them are just wise decisions. But Satan, the enemy, he looks for any spot of weakness. Somehow some person who has entirely too much time on his/her hands found a way into our email. Don't you think Satan is watching our every move looking for that weakness in our lives. The Bible tells us that he prowls about like a lion seeking someone to devour. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. I think we need to wake up and be aware. No marriage is safe. No friendship is safe. No parenting style is fool proof. Satan is looking to destroy relationships and Jesus' name in the process. We need to be on the offensive instead of the defensive. We need to be proactive instead of having to be reactive once our family is falling apart.
What steps do you need to take today to safeguard your marriage, your friendships, your relationships with family and friends? What things do you need to put in place so that you're always aware and reminded that the enemy is just around the corner ready to pounce and attack at any moment? The battle is waging...are you prepared to fight for your marriage and family?
Derek and I were frustrated and angry...why? Well, first of all, because some of you might actually think that we're selling Viagra on the side, but more importantly we just felt violated. We came home and tried to email everyone in our address book to tell them not to click on the link. But our email doesn't allow us to do that as protection from hackers. You can only email 20 people at a time and we have over 700 contacts in our email, so it just didn't happen. Derek changed almost all of our passwords and made them so complicated that he has to sign in for me so that I can read my email because I just can't remember that complicated of a password. He informed me this morning that you're not supposed to write your password down anywhere, but if you're relying on my memory, seriously we're in trouble. I have two debit cards and I can barely remember both of the pins to two cards.
What's frustrating is that my husband works in IT (information technology aka computers). So, we have all kinds of safeguards on our computers (did you read the last paragraph about the new passwords?) And so, it is shocking that this would happen to us. Our kids don't have open access to the computer and we don't allow them to randomly sign up for things.
But there's almost always a spiritual lesson that can be learned with anything that happens in our lives and immediately God had me thinking about this. I thought about how we put up safeguards in our lives...safeguards to protect our marriages and to keep our computers free of nasty images. We have locks on our doors and smoke detectors in every room. We have a safe for important documents. Some of these are spiritual safeguards, some of them are just wise decisions. But Satan, the enemy, he looks for any spot of weakness. Somehow some person who has entirely too much time on his/her hands found a way into our email. Don't you think Satan is watching our every move looking for that weakness in our lives. The Bible tells us that he prowls about like a lion seeking someone to devour. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. I think we need to wake up and be aware. No marriage is safe. No friendship is safe. No parenting style is fool proof. Satan is looking to destroy relationships and Jesus' name in the process. We need to be on the offensive instead of the defensive. We need to be proactive instead of having to be reactive once our family is falling apart.
What steps do you need to take today to safeguard your marriage, your friendships, your relationships with family and friends? What things do you need to put in place so that you're always aware and reminded that the enemy is just around the corner ready to pounce and attack at any moment? The battle is waging...are you prepared to fight for your marriage and family?
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Reevaluation
I read a recent blog recently about renewing your New Year's resolutions and ditching the ones that aren't worth keeping....at least for this year.
So here's an update for inquiring minds....
Still not on a diet...kept that resolution! :-)
Kind of training for the half marathon....at this point, it looks like Big Nanny and I will be walking/running/walking/running the half. That's more than we did last year and neither one of us like our 6 am dates in the morning!
I decided to drop the "read through the Bible in a year". I got about 20 days into it and other Bible study/devotional obligations made this a goal that probably isn't going to be attained this year.
Our family has only memorized 3 verses so far, so we're short of our once a week goal, but 3 is better than none.
We are working on manners and flushing the toilet. I wish this one was already complete, but it's not!
I have read a book at least every two weeks and I so wish that I had more time to read.
Still trying to slow down a bit although it seems that things are busier than ever. I am trying to be more sensitive to those "divine appointments" that God brings into my life.
Sabbath--I'm doing better....taking some down time on a Saturday or Sunday and disconnecting from my work email. I wish I could say every Sunday has been a huge success, but some have been work email free.
And of course, I am making small steps to deepen the consistency of my walk with the Lord. Some days are better than others.
Above all, I am thankful that His mercies are new each morning.
So here's an update for inquiring minds....
Still not on a diet...kept that resolution! :-)
Kind of training for the half marathon....at this point, it looks like Big Nanny and I will be walking/running/walking/running the half. That's more than we did last year and neither one of us like our 6 am dates in the morning!
I decided to drop the "read through the Bible in a year". I got about 20 days into it and other Bible study/devotional obligations made this a goal that probably isn't going to be attained this year.
Our family has only memorized 3 verses so far, so we're short of our once a week goal, but 3 is better than none.
We are working on manners and flushing the toilet. I wish this one was already complete, but it's not!
I have read a book at least every two weeks and I so wish that I had more time to read.
Still trying to slow down a bit although it seems that things are busier than ever. I am trying to be more sensitive to those "divine appointments" that God brings into my life.
Sabbath--I'm doing better....taking some down time on a Saturday or Sunday and disconnecting from my work email. I wish I could say every Sunday has been a huge success, but some have been work email free.
And of course, I am making small steps to deepen the consistency of my walk with the Lord. Some days are better than others.
Above all, I am thankful that His mercies are new each morning.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Gotcha Day!
It's hard to believe, but 11 years ago today, Dr. Falwell placed Stephen in our arms. For the full story and to see the video, go here.
I am absolutely amazed that we went from this
to this, so quickly. Where or where did the time go!
I am absolutely amazed that we went from this
to this, so quickly. Where or where did the time go!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Snow and Rainbows
Winter. I don't like it. The snow would be beautiful if it weren't so cold. Why can't we have snow and maybe 75 degree weather. I hope that's what we have in heaven because I truly would like to hang out in the snow and play, but I just can't stand to be cold! And the sun...the sun...where has it gone? I feel like it didn't shine yesterday or today or at least not very brightly. I need the sunshine. It affects how I feel when I don't see it for a day or two. This is one reason why I think I'm not supposed to live in Michigan. When we lived there I always felt like the sun went behind the clouds in October and didn't reappear until April or May.
I don't like the rain for many of the same reasons. Dark clouds and no sunshine. But last week as we were driving to Franklin and it was just barely raining, there was a big beautiful rainbow in the sky. We all were just fascinated by it. We talked about what the rainbow represents. It represents that God won't flood the entire earth again, but more than that it represents that God keeps His promises...all of them. He is a promise keeping God. When I read His promises, I don't have to wonder if He was making an empty promise. What He says He'll do, He'll do.
And today as I was praying for some warmer weather and some sunshine, I was reminded that even though I don't like the winter, something wonderful comes after the winter. Spring. New life. Beautiful flowers. A new beginning. I can't wait until those tiny little buds start popping out of the ground and then something beautiful will appear...beautiful colors of flowers almost as beautiful as the colors in a bright rainbow. But something's happening in the ground right now...getting them ready for when it's time for them to poke their little buds out of the ground. And in the very same way, God is working in our lives. He is working even when we can't see it. He is creating something beautiful even if we feel like we're in the winter season of our lives right now.
And I was reminded again, "never doubt in the darkness what He has shown you in the light". Springtime is coming!
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Isaiah 55:11. And how fitting that the verse just above it mentions snow and rain! Isn't God sweet that He reminded me of that verse today as I was thinking about snow and rainbows! And just like the snow and rain water the earth and bring forth fruit, so God's word will not return void. What seeds are you sowing this winter?
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11
I don't like the rain for many of the same reasons. Dark clouds and no sunshine. But last week as we were driving to Franklin and it was just barely raining, there was a big beautiful rainbow in the sky. We all were just fascinated by it. We talked about what the rainbow represents. It represents that God won't flood the entire earth again, but more than that it represents that God keeps His promises...all of them. He is a promise keeping God. When I read His promises, I don't have to wonder if He was making an empty promise. What He says He'll do, He'll do.
And today as I was praying for some warmer weather and some sunshine, I was reminded that even though I don't like the winter, something wonderful comes after the winter. Spring. New life. Beautiful flowers. A new beginning. I can't wait until those tiny little buds start popping out of the ground and then something beautiful will appear...beautiful colors of flowers almost as beautiful as the colors in a bright rainbow. But something's happening in the ground right now...getting them ready for when it's time for them to poke their little buds out of the ground. And in the very same way, God is working in our lives. He is working even when we can't see it. He is creating something beautiful even if we feel like we're in the winter season of our lives right now.
And I was reminded again, "never doubt in the darkness what He has shown you in the light". Springtime is coming!
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Isaiah 55:11. And how fitting that the verse just above it mentions snow and rain! Isn't God sweet that He reminded me of that verse today as I was thinking about snow and rainbows! And just like the snow and rain water the earth and bring forth fruit, so God's word will not return void. What seeds are you sowing this winter?
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tuesday's Takeaway
I don't think I've ever done this. I read two non-fiction books by the same author back to back. I usually take a break and find another author and then I'll go back and read the same author again. Some authors are easier to read than others and it helps when I have some variety. Anyway, I loved Wild Goose Chase and so I picked up this one by Mark Batterson and finished it in just a couple of days. It's a pretty easy read and I really liked this book. I think I might like it even more than Wild Goose Chase, but it's hard to make that call. I am buying his next book asap hoping that I'll get just as much out of that one.
The book is based on 2 Samuel 23:20-21. I am sure that I have read those verses at some point, but I will never read those verses again without being reminded of this book. The subtitle is "how to survive and thrive when opportunity roars". He talks about chasing lions and how we need to chase those dreams that God put in our hearts and not play it so safe. The Scripture is full of people who took risks and were truly willing to step out in faith. If we wait until all our ducks are neatly in a row, the opportunity might be gone.
He says, God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. God is awfully good at getting us where He wants us to go. But here's the catch: The right place often seems like the wrong place and the right time often seems like the wrong time.
God is always using past experiences to prepare us for future opportunities. But those God-given opportunities often come disguised as man-eating lions. And how we react when we encounter those lions will determine our destiny. We can cower in fear and run away from our greatest challenges. Or we can chase our God-ordained destiny by seizing the God-ordained opportunity.
Faith doesn't reduce uncertainty. Faith embraces uncertainty. We'll never have all the answers.
And I've realized after reading this book that if you're always making responsible decisions, you'll never step out in faith and take some risks. I'm not saying that we should be irresponsible, but did it really make sense for David to fight Goliath or for Peter to walk on water or for Noah to build that boat. I'm sure family and friends thought they were making irresponsible choices, but they were stepping out on faith and taking a risk. Some failed at times, but God used that failure to push them to the next opportunity.
One of the quotes from the book that penetrated my heart to its core is this one: The more you're willing to risk, the more God can use you. And if you're willing to risk everything, then there is nothing God can't do in you and through you.
May 2011 be a year of adventure and risk as we continue to pursue God with our whole hearts. I hope you'll consider joining me on the journey and be willing to obey God even when it doesn't make sense, to trust Him when life doesn't seem to be working out like we thought it would/should and to serve Him completely even when He asks us to do things that the rest of the world (including Christian friends and family) thinks is crazy. May we have crazy love for others as we serve a radical God!
The book is based on 2 Samuel 23:20-21. I am sure that I have read those verses at some point, but I will never read those verses again without being reminded of this book. The subtitle is "how to survive and thrive when opportunity roars". He talks about chasing lions and how we need to chase those dreams that God put in our hearts and not play it so safe. The Scripture is full of people who took risks and were truly willing to step out in faith. If we wait until all our ducks are neatly in a row, the opportunity might be gone.
He says, God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. God is awfully good at getting us where He wants us to go. But here's the catch: The right place often seems like the wrong place and the right time often seems like the wrong time.
God is always using past experiences to prepare us for future opportunities. But those God-given opportunities often come disguised as man-eating lions. And how we react when we encounter those lions will determine our destiny. We can cower in fear and run away from our greatest challenges. Or we can chase our God-ordained destiny by seizing the God-ordained opportunity.
Faith doesn't reduce uncertainty. Faith embraces uncertainty. We'll never have all the answers.
And I've realized after reading this book that if you're always making responsible decisions, you'll never step out in faith and take some risks. I'm not saying that we should be irresponsible, but did it really make sense for David to fight Goliath or for Peter to walk on water or for Noah to build that boat. I'm sure family and friends thought they were making irresponsible choices, but they were stepping out on faith and taking a risk. Some failed at times, but God used that failure to push them to the next opportunity.
One of the quotes from the book that penetrated my heart to its core is this one: The more you're willing to risk, the more God can use you. And if you're willing to risk everything, then there is nothing God can't do in you and through you.
May 2011 be a year of adventure and risk as we continue to pursue God with our whole hearts. I hope you'll consider joining me on the journey and be willing to obey God even when it doesn't make sense, to trust Him when life doesn't seem to be working out like we thought it would/should and to serve Him completely even when He asks us to do things that the rest of the world (including Christian friends and family) thinks is crazy. May we have crazy love for others as we serve a radical God!
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