Know the Word

(I actually wrote this 2.5 years ago for a newspaper article, but it still rings true today, with an even greater urgency)

I recently read where some well-known news talk show hosts were bashing the Bible.  MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell recently went on a rant that no one believes “that book” anymore, no one.  “There are no literal followers of the Word of God as presented in the Bible left on earth.” O’Donnell claimed. Then he went on to bash its contents and give his opinion of “one of our most absurdist traditions” of placing the hand on the Bible during inauguration. CNN’s Piers Morgan suggests that the Bible is flawed and needs to be amended to foster acceptance of homosexuality. He then went on to try to prove his theory by bringing up Old Testament laws and punishments. (Of course, he failed to mention the fact that this sin along with many others are referred to in the New Testament as well.) While Pastor Rick Warren (his guest) tried to explain the background of the text he was referring to, it was clear that Morgan had no desire to understand anything but his own opinion.

While these statements angered me, they did not surprise me. People who live in darkness as these two men obviously do, do not know God’s word, believe it, or respect it. We as Christians have a job to do. We have to get God’s word in our hearts and spirits now. We need to value God’s word. As much as these men and many like them devalue it, we need to cherish it and devour it. We need to know the truth and teach it to our children before the likes of these men turn our children from the truth of God’s word. Deuteronomy 6:7 says to “impress them (God’s commandments) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” It is the most important thing we can do for our children.

God’s word is not just a book. It is Truth and it is alive. “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Many people like Morgan are completely wrong in their understanding of the Old Testament and use this to discredit the entire Bible. I understand how lost people could do that. How can we expect those who do not know the one that the Bible points to, Jesus Christ, to understand if they have not studied its contents, background or history? Even then, it would be the Holy Spirit who would reveal the Truth of its pages to them. 

The problem is that many Christians really don’t know either. Many Christians do not take the time to learn the Bible and probably would not have been able to answer the accusations of Morgan. We as Christians need to be able to give a reason for what we believe. "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15) 

While I don’t believe in arguing Christianity,("The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14) I do believe in standing up for Christ and the Word of God. Does that mean we all have to be Bible scholars? No. However, it should be our desire to know as much about God and His Word as we can. We spend far too much time and energy on non-essential things and not enough on what is eternally important, not only for us, but for our children and the lost people all around us. We need to redirect our energies to knowing and living out God’s word.
 
Yes, we as Christians have a job to do. We need to know the Bible, live it, teach it and share it in love and with wisdom.

While He Was Sleeping

Last night while my husband drifted off to sleep, my arm draped across him, I felt the rise and fall of his breathing as sleep took over. I felt the warmth of him and realized how blessed I am every night to lie next to the love of my life. Is that something I take for granted? 

I thought about my widowed mother, who would give anything to feel my dad's warmth next to her one more time. Sharing a bed for 49 years is a long time. I thought about my 3 uncles and aunt who are all widowed and sleep alone every night. How each one would love to kiss their spouse good-night one more time. 

Then my mind turned to my new friend, Ashley, and the many other wives of servicemen who sleep alone while their husbands are away serving their country, or bunk with a child just to have someone next to them. I thought about how much they must miss their husbands every night as they lay their heads on their pillows. I imagined how that military wife must long for the day when her husband comes home and she can fall asleep securely in his arms. Or how she may want to lie there and watch him sleep not wanting to take her eyes off him. What sacrifices these families make.

Then I though about the woman who longs for the right man to share her love and life with, but he hasn't come along yet. Or the distraught married woman who doesn’t know where her husband is because he's late coming home again. 

It's so easy to take the day to day things for granted. It's often easier to see what we don't have instead of the things we do. The simplest things can be the sweetest. If you have a good husband, thank God for him as you lie next to him tonight.

God is Working it Out

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. Romans 8:28

This verse has been going over and over in my mind the past few weeks. God has done amazing things for Steve and me and we feel so blessed. We have experienced the truth of this verse in our lives on multiple occasions and thank God for his love and faithfulness. The following are just a few of the big ones!

Before our life together began, Steve and I experienced other heartbreaking relationships. When God brought us together, he gave us double blessings for our trouble. Because of our former experiences, we vowed to never take each other for granted and have always tried to treat one another with respect and honesty. Having never really felt loved in my former relationship, God blessed me with a man who makes me feel loved and cherished. I know he always has my best interest, and that of our family, at heart. God worked out our past pain for good when he blessed us with each other.

Three years into our marriage, when our son was 6 months old, we were in a terrible car accident on I-75. My back was broken, one of Steve’s hands was broken, and his other was cut up very badly. Thankfully our sweet Nathan was completely unharmed. I had always dreamed of staying home with my children while they were babies, but I had to work part-time to help pay some bills from my past. I do not believe God caused the wreck; Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that “the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy…” What Satan meant for harm, God worked out for our good. We were able to pay off those bills with the insurance money, and I became a stay-at-home mom. After 3 months, my back had mended and we got our lives back. Sixteen months after the accident, we added a baby girl to our family.

Most recently, Steve and I felt the need to change churches. To some this may not be a big deal, but to us it was huge. Church has always been a very important part of our lives. This decision did not come easily nor did it come without tears, lots of prayer and careful consideration. Our church was going through some trials and our hearts were burdened for it. We were active in many different areas. Steve was a lifetime member, and our children were 4^th generation Shaws. It was there that our children were dedicated to the Lord as babies and baptized as new Christians, and we had friends whom we loved. For months we struggled with the decision, but we resisted. We didn’t want to hurt anyone or let anyone down. But the time came when we both knew we had to let go. It was one of the hardest things we have ever had to do.

God lead us to our current church. In fact, looking back, it seems he was leading us there all along. We loved it immediately! After visiting for about five months, Steve was offered the position as church administrator. We felt honored (and shocked). Since Steve had been at his job 23 years, it was definitely a leap of faith. We prayed fervently for the answer in whether he should take the position or not. We were riddled with nervousness about making the right decision. Proverbs 3:5-6 kept coming before me. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” There was no doubt that we wanted God’s will to be done. There is no greater peace than being in the center of God’s will.

Over the next couple of weeks, it became very evident this was God's plan. Excitement began to take over. We were overwhelmed with gratitude and amazed at how God worked this all out. We felt so blessed to be given this opportunity to be part of what God was doing in and through this church. Again, God worked things out for our good. He had a plan all along; we just had to trust him.

So, whenever things arise that seem out of your control or it seems like God isn’t working in your circumstances, trust him. Romans 8:28 says God works things out for those who love him and are called for his purpose. God has a plan for you. (Ephesians 2:10, Jeremiah 29:11) Love Him. Trust Him. Seek Him. 

“’Cause you stay the same through the ages

Your love never changes,

There may be pain in the night

But joy comes in the morning….

‘Cause you make all things work together for my good….”

From “Your Love Never Fails” - Jesus Culture

No Paybacks

“Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

My son, Nathan, and I have been reading through the Chronicles of Narnia books together. After we read the second, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” we watched the movie. That was probably my fourth time watching it, and every time I do, I see a new aspect of it that I have never noticed before. (If you have never watched it, you should)

The symbolism between Aslan, the Lion- King of Narnia, and Jesus Christ, is unmistakable. After young Edmund betrays his family and returns showing remorse, Aslan speaks to him privately and then tells the others, “we shall speak of it no more.” However, the only way to appease the law of Narnia for treason is by the shedding of the guilty party’s blood. Aslan sacrifices his own innocent life to save Edmund. To watch him take the beating and mocking without saying a word and lie there while the witch laughs as she kills him breaks my heart. But to see him alive again in all His glory makes me want to shout!

There was something else that I noticed this time though. At the end of the battle when Edmund is healed of his wound and is embracing his family, he sees Aslan. Edmund’s smile fades. It’s a look of fear and uncertainty. He doesn't know what to say or think. When the camera turned to Aslan, his huge brown eyes were implying compassion and complete forgiveness. “It’s alright,” They seem to say. I could not hold back the tears while watching this touching seen. There was absolutely nothing Edmund could do to repay Aslan for the sacrifice he had made for him. 

This was such an amazing depiction of Christ, our Savior. Though sinless, he gave his own life for ours. He forgives us completely, and there is nothing we can do to repay him. He gave it freely. This makes me want to give him my own life even more. It makes me want to serve him out of love, not necessity or guilt. When Edmund fixed his eyes on the one who had saved him, it made me long for the day when I can see the face of my Savior and look into his eyes full of mercy and compassion. How amazing that will be!

“This is amazing grace
This is unfailing love
That You would take my place
That You would bear my cross
You'd lay down Your life
That I would be set free
Oh, Jesus, I sing for
All that You've done for me “ 

The Real War on Women

I don't usually write posts this intense. I try to be encouraging and helpful.  Sometimes, however, one gets tired of nonsense and the truth just needs to be laid out there. Even Jesus called out the pharisees in Matthew 23 when he called them  "hypocrites and vipers".

I have heard the term “War on Women” used a lot lately. I’ve heard it used mostly concerning the abortion issue. Apparently, pro-abortionists think that those of us who are pro-life are somehow anti-woman. That’s funny considering how many of the ones fighting the battle to save the unborn are, in fact, women. But there is more to it than abortion.

I recently read a couple of articles that left me fuming. The first one was where Scout Willis and several other young, well-known women are protesting for the right to show their bare chests in public. They say it is discrimination for a man to be able to do so and not a woman. Now, I know this is absurd in every sense of the word. There is a reason why the industry of promoting nude women is so lucrative (although morally wrong). Women and men are not the same. However indecent this idea is, it is the mindset behind it that bothers me more. Here are publicly known women with more wealth than most, who could use their celebratory status and monetary means for good and this is how they use it?

If they want to fight for women's rights, why not be productive in areas that are actually important? Human trafficking is at an all-time high and the majority of these enslaved people are women and girls. The ratio of sexually abused children is 1 in 5 girls vs. 1 in 20 boys (both are way too high). Girls are purposely aborted or abandoned in China (and other countries) and put out on the streets of India like they are dogs. 90% of the millions of homeless children in India are girls. Many of these girls are then abducted and forced into awful, unmentionable labor. Because of the terrible conditions and abuse they endure, the average life expectancy of these girls is 15.(“Child Labor” via “No Longer a Slumdog”) In many countries, girls are victims of child marriages, sometimes as young as 8 and 9 years old, married off to older men. In our own country, statistically, 1 in 4 women are victims of domestic abuse. These are valid issues against women. These women and girls have real problems. Having to wear a shirt is not a problem.

Then I saw another article where Linda Rosenthal, a state assembly woman in New York, is trying to pass a law to ban having cats declawed. If this weren’t so ironic, it would be laughable. This same woman is pro-abortion, even for late-term abortions. She applauded former senator Wendy Davis of Texas for her 13 hour filibuster (which failed) to try to stop the ban on abortion after 20 weeks along with measures to make abortion clinics safer for women. (Though passed by a wide majority, the ban is being challenged by the Supreme Court) 

Ms. Rosenthal says that declawing cats is like having a limb amputated. At the same time, she’s ok with babies being dismembered in the womb. I am sure she calls herself a feminist. Why doesn’t she stand up against gender-selective abortion where the majority of these aborted babies are girls? These precious babies are not wanted and not allowed to live simply because they are girls. How much more anti-woman can you be? There are 62,500 girls aborted every day. But it’s more important that a cat not feel pain. The cat will heal and live. The baby will not.

If these women really want to be “pro-woman” and fight for women’s rights, they will begin to actually care about the issues that are suppressing women and girls, not only in this country, but world-wide. They could use their influence and wealth for worthy causes instead of for ridiculous things that don’t really matter.

Immanuel, God With Us

Immanuel. Even the sound of this name has a beautiful ring to it. The Bible tells us that the blessed son of a virgin would be called, Immanuel, which means God with us. When you take the time to actually consider that fact, that God is with us, it truly is humbling and brings such comfort at the same time.

Last fall was a very difficult time for our family. The deterioration of my Dad’s body due to ALS had left him completely paralyzed and unable to communicate. Even though he was paralyzed, he was still in constant pain. My mom was his primary caretaker and she was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. My heart had become so weighed down with sadness. It was heartbreaking to see my parents in so much pain, emotional and physical. Not only that, but my brothers and sisters were feeling helpless and sad too.

Sunday morning, on the 8^th of December, I sat in church in a broken state. The message that day was Immanuel, God with us. As my pastor spoke, I could feel the words going straight to my heart. As I listened to how God is with us even through the deepest pain and times of trials, I couldn’t keep the tears from forming in my eyes. It’s not that I didn’t know this already, but that day it was specifically what I needed to hear. I felt like it was meant just for me.

Sometimes we feel like God has turned a deaf ear to us, but we know, according to his word, that isn’t true. He does hear us. (John 9:31) Sometimes, we feel like he has simply forgotten about us and left us to deal with our pain on our own. That’s how I was feeling that day. That isn’t true either. Hebrew 13:5b says “For He himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Even when we don’t feel Him, He is there.

At the end of the message, my heart was pounding. I knew I had to talk to God right then. As I knelt at the altar, the tears I had tried to hold back became a flood. When I stood and prayed with my pastor, I told him that I felt like God had forgotten my family. Even though I knew it wasn’t true, the pain was still present. I needed to feel God’s peace more than anything.

Five days later, my dad passed away. What a long day that was. My family and I stayed with my mom that night. As I lay in my childhood bed, I began to dread the next few days, days of planning a funeral and saying a final goodbye to my dad. I prayed that God would be with us over the next few days. Before I even finished my thought, I felt him speak to my spirit, “I never left you.” It was so strong and clear, there was no mistaking it was God. It gave me such peace and comfort. He had seen my anguish and consoled me. I knew God was not only with me but with my mom and the rest of my family as well. 

Immanuel, God with us. We think of this name at Christmas because it goes along with the Christmas story. But this is a truth we can hold on to all throughout the year. I’m so glad He is with me, even when it doesn’t feel like it. He never leaves His children alone.

Quiet My Soul

“The Lord your God is in your midst, The Mighty One will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

I absolutely love this verse! One morning I was feeling exceptionally overwhelmed and really needed some encouragement. I took the kids to school and came back home to steel a moment with the Lord before work. (Something I should have already done) Normally I don’t do the open your Bible and read where it falls technique, but this particular morning, I had no idea where to go. I asked God to speak to me through his word and desperately just opened my Bible. 

It fell to this passage. As I read it carefully, I began to weep as I saw the Lord trying to tell me how much he not only loved me, but that he rejoices over me. I can be so hard on myself, and every time I mess up, I feel like I have disappointed God in some way. What a blessing to see that he is so glad when He looks at me that he sings joyfully! Can you just imagine that? It’s a little hard to picture. Despite my faults and sins, God still loves me so much that he rejoices over me. How cool is that?!

Not only does he rejoice over me, but he quiets me with his love. Oh how my soul needed calming that morning (and so many other times). Another translation reads “With His love, he calms your fears.” How many times have my anxious thoughts caused a battle in my mind and heart? The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6 to “Be anxious for nothing,..” What a great truth to know that he calms us by his very own love. To me, it is truly amazing that the one true, powerful, holy God loves me like that, affectionately and personally. 

So now, when my heart is racing, I tell myself that God quiets me with his love. When I feel lonely and low, I remind myself that my Heavenly Father is rejoicing over me with joyful songs. How can I remain sad and anxious with knowledge of this truth?  The next time you feel anxious and alone, meditate on this verse and allow God’s love to calm your fears and quiet your soul.