MOMS...the WORD

Friday, August 31, 2007

Smile it is Friday!

I saw this on Carolyn Mahaney's Blog and thought it was to funny not to pass especially since some of us will be facing the dreaded "math help" this year!
Have a great Labor Day weekend!
P.S. Is anybody out there?

Thursday, August 30, 2007

READ ON!

The first Chapter of Carolyn Mahaney's book "Feminine Appeal" calls us to 1) Encourage one another in what is good from Titus 2:4-5. 2) To be a part of "Biblical Mentoring" . 3) And to understand how these virtues bring honor to the Gospel.
I thought of an incident in my life that illustrates these thoughts:
When the kids were still young: (I think 10, 8, 5 and 2 )David was going on his first overseas trip. He would be gone a week and he had not done that sort of trip ever. I began weeks before he left to think of what would happen to us should "something" happen to him. Day after day before the trip, I let my imagination run wild with these thoughts: "He would die in the plane crash and I have to raise the kids all alone." I imagined what my life would look like without him...what the funeral even looked like!!! I was a basket case. And on the day before he was to leave, "Miss Sally" called and noticed that I was notably upset. She asked what was wrong and no sooner did I get the first word out "David is...." that I began to cry uncontrollably. She calmed me down and let me get it all off my chest...the fear that something would happen, the anxiety of what my life would be like and the hard future I would face without David. She heard all this and then calmly told me that I was getting ahead of what God had revealed to me. She asked if I had a "special revelation" that allowed me to see what God would do. Between sobs I said "No". She then proceeded to tell me I was sinning. I was fabricating a future I knew nothing about. I was not trusting God and therefore was acting on no faith.
How hard it was to hear that, but how good it was to "know" that truth. She loved me enough to get my thoughts and actions aligned with the truth of God and His word. I repented of that sin and confessed it honestly and humbly before God. David left and he returned.
I realized I had been carried away by my imaginations and it took a Godly mentor who loved me and encouraged me to pursue what was good...God's truth.
How about you?...are there an stories you'd like to share?

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

What is good?

I remember as a young Christian wife and mother that often I was overwhelmed with my emotions and physical limitations. Not only was I a new wife with new responsibilities but I was a new Christian. I knew that because the Lord saved me, it meant that I had new life and my it needed to be different than the world's view of wife/mother/woman. But I was not sure how that was supposed to "Look" like. As David and I started attending our local church, two women in particular: "Miss Sally" and "Miss Pat" began to invest their lives in me and they became the most valuable of friends for the next 12 years! I would run to them for help when I did not know how to cook pot-roast, when our first child was born (and the next three) , when the girls would not sleep, through toddler-hood, how to discipline with love and self-control, lost jobs and so many other events in my life. At the time I did not know they were fulfilling God's mandate of Titus 2: "Older women likewise, are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husband and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their husband, so that the word of God may not be reviled."
Carolyn Mahaney's book is grounded on that same premise...Godly mentoring and how these virtues honor the gospel.

Last night the "Naples Girls" began Carolyn's book "Feminine Appeal" and we began by asking two questions. (Everyone was asked to jot the answers down in their journals ). The answer is not for now, but to look back at the end of our study. The first questions is "What do you hope to gain from this time of study? and the second is a fill-in the blank: "I long to have___"
We also discussed what is our greatest challenge at this time...Many of us saw our own motives, emotions and perceptions as the greatest challenge. We know that how we think will affect how we act. Carolyn makes note of this:

"Our conduct has a direct influence on how people think about the gospel. The world does not judge us by our theology, the world judges us by our behavior. People don't necessarily want to know what we believe about the bible. They want to see if what we believe makes a difference in our lives. Our actions either bring honor to God or misrepresent the truth...Although our daily actions might not be covered on the news, our lifestyle speaks loudly to those around us. How sobering it is to realize, that our behavior has the potential to discredit the Gospel. BUT how exciting it is to think that we can actually commend the Gospel!"

Though, good theology and sound doctrine is good...if we don't act as if they are principles for living then it is just "head knowledge".

Carolyn asks us to consider two things: In regards to Titus 2:11-14 what do these verses say about the Gospel and what does hearing the Gospel have on our pursuit of those
virtues listed in vv.4-5? And a final thought: Who are the unbelievers watching your life? How do you think you can make the Gospel attractive by modeling these virtues?

Stacey shared about her mother...how she never once heard her complain as she served her Dad joyfully over the years. What a great testimony that was for us to hear.
Thanks!

This week, lets look at those questions and seek ways to to be aware of how we are
representing the Gospel and does that attract or detract others?
Be a Blessing!

Monday, August 27, 2007

A faithful saying...

Every year in our house, David comes up with a "faithful saying" we can work on together as a family. There have been many... when the kids where little our saying for them that year was "Let (mommy's) "Yes" be yes and "no" be no" James 5:12b (Italics added). This served to begin to teach our children not to wear mommy down. That once Mommy speaks, that is what she means.

As they got older and where choosing whom to hang out with "Bad company corrupts good character" 1 Cor. 15:33 became a good one. When they where becoming independent the last sentence they would hear out of us as they left was "Remember WHOM you belong to". These are all faith-building little sayings that instructed, encouraged and directed our lives. They where short and sweet, so we could easily include them throughout the day. What a great way to learn God's word for ourselves and then teach our children.

Thought you might enjoy a couple of good "faithful sayings" that maybe you could use this year...(italics mine)

"He who guards his mouth and tongue, guards (herself) from calamity" Prov. 21:23

"A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough" Gal. 5:80 ( good one for quickly confessing sin before it takes root)

"Be imitators of God" Eph. 5:1

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" 1 Peter 5:5b

"Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger" James 1:19

Or just simply put: God gave us two ears and one mouth so we need to listen twice as much!

Obviously these are just a drop in the bucket. God's Word is full of wisdom for our lives. It instructs us how to guard ourselves, conduct ourselves and live a life that would uplift the Gospel.

As women, wives, mothers and friends God's word should be ever present in our lips.

Col 3:16 says "May the word of God dwell richly in your heart" That is my prayer and desire for us.

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Reminder: tomorrow night at my home is our first gathering for our Book Club. Hope to see many of you. If you can not be here, get ready to begin in the next two weeks a discussion on Chapter one. Wednesday morning look for a post with an overview of the chapter and our discussions will begin!

Talk to you soon!