Jael had protected her home. She was a Godly homemaker and unique warrior of sorts. She is an old testament picture of the Titus 2:3-5 woman. She had many wonderful qualities. She was a keeper at home. She was in her place where she could protect her most precious possession, her family. She was given to hospitality and Sisera knew she would open her home to him so he didn’t hesitate to hide safely in her tent.
Read MoreJust as we need to clean our homes, we need to keep our “temples” clean! The Bible says, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19.
Read MoreLadies, we’ve all been there: someone has betrayed your trust or spoken words that cut to the heart. Perhaps it was a friend or family member. It may be a church member with whom you serve. Something went wrong somewhere. It could have begun with a misunderstanding or lack of communication. It could have been rooted in jealousy or contempt.
Read MoreBees have a (mostly) good reputation—they work really hard, ensure our veggies and flowers reproduce, and honey bees provide tasty honey. Women are also known for (mostly) being hard workers, ensuring future generations, and we can provide a certain level of sweetness to our homes. However, just like a bee can sting and cause pain, so can we ladies if we do things we shouldn’t.
Read MoreTreat her like you would treat any other church members. Don't lay expectations on her to lead a group or be super involved in certain areas that you may think is "typical". Please do NOT compare her to your previous Pastor's Wife. She, just like YOU, is a work in progress. She, just like you, is uniquely created by God to serve in ways she has been gifted, and according to her season of life. Give her space to figure this out. Once she figures it out, and she will, cheer her on like crazy, and encourage her, like you would want to be encouraged! Absolutely no extra pressure.
Read MoreBut take heart! God has not forsaken you! He is there with you, and guess what! He is the only thing that never changes! Malachi 3:6 encourages us "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."
Read MoreI began to realize that in life it can become easy to turn on “cruise control” and go through life doing our routines without thought of purpose. Dishes need washed, papers stack up, laundry piles need sorted, groceries need bought, family needs cared for, Sunday School lessons need studied, etc…
Read MoreIn order for us to grow in Christ; we need to
G- Get
R- Rid
O- Of Old
W-Ways and put into practice new ways!
Read MoreThere is usually more than one reason for why we do things. These reasons can be like building blocks upon each other, but we must not misplace our motive in the wrong building block as the foundation of our decisions. Ultimately, the Bible says our purpose is to bring glory to God, and making decisions in accordance with His Word is how this is accomplished.
Read MoreDid you ever give or receive one of those gifts that were several things all in one? Perhaps you did today. Maybe it was a pocket knife of some sort that also was a screwdriver, nail file, and scissors. If you are a golfer, maybe it was one of those multi-tools with a cleat tightener, stroke counter, brush, and club groove cleaner. Remember the commercials for a kitchen gadget that “dices and slices and makes julienne fries!” with the “But wait! There’s more!”?
Read MoreBut today I challenge us to reflect on Mary. We understand she is not to be worshipped or even “put on a pedestal” as an object of attainment, as if to say, “ I wander if I am highly favored and blessed among women”. We would err to exalt her even to that degree in our minds. However, every person ever created in His image, which is all mankind, can be used as ensamples to each of us weather good or bad.
Read MoreHowever, there are some responsibilities that come with this job. Not to burst your bubble, but a real princess here on earth does not get to lounge around and be pampered all day (though that would be really nice!). Nope, an earthly princess has appointments, school, planned-out schedules, friends that must go through background checks; and above all, they have a reputation to keep. This is a reputation that needs to be protected and clean just like we all have.
Read MoreWomen in the Bible can offer us deep meaning and teach us! These women can teach us so much about-facing brokenness and hopelessness with courage even TODAY! They probably do not show up in VBS songs, or many Sunday School lessons. These women even today can teach us to live courageously, through difficult or even dangerous situations!
Read MorePatience…. My least favorite word of all time. So many “well meaning” people have tried to be an “encouragement” to me over the years by saying things like, “God will bring you just the right man, you just have to be patient” or “God will show you what He wants for your future, you just have to be patient”.
Read MoreThis year the town that I live in started a gleaning program. People could sign up to go and pick the leftover fruit and produce that was still left on the plants in the farmers’ fields. The free program allowed you to pick as much as you wanted and share with family and friends, but you were not allowed to sell what you picked. I had never heard of this kind of program before and I was a little skeptical at first, but when I went with some of my kids and a lady from our church, I was blown away by the bounty we could pick! While speaking to the farmer, he explained that the harvest was so large this year that he did not have the laborers to keep up with it. He decided to donate the rest so the harvest would not go to waste. As he walked away to answer someone else’s questions, I could only stare out at the field. There were 20 gleaners and three strawberry fields; we did not even put a dent into the harvest.
Read MoreHis name is Joseph. I first saw him walking through our quaint downtown square with a bundle of blankets tucked under his arm . He was obviously malnourished. His hair and beard were unkempt and his skin bore the marks of weathering both the physical and spiritual storms of life. In my mind’s eye I immediately saw him as someone’s son, someone’s brother, perhaps, someone’s husband or father. My heart hurt for him. It was a short and simple prayer that I prayed that day, “Lord, show me how I could help someone like that.” The light turned green and I drove on.
Read MoreHave you ever noticed that sometimes we get so consumed with our own wants and needs? This leads to praying endlessly all day because we want an answer immediately, and then we start to get upset, mad, and bitter when we don’t get a response. It feels like our prayers are hitting the ceiling and bouncing back to us. What happens next is that you’ve become so frustrated about what you are praying for that you begin arguing with the Lord. You want to wrestle with Him so that you can win. Is it wrong to be passionate about your prayer life? No, but there are often times when you try to force your way and even manipulate your answer, and then you live in misery and regret because you had to have what you wanted.
Read MoreI know that this is a familiar verse. But if you really look at this verse you will see that God's being near to us requires and action on our part. We have to first draw nigh to God. This can be done in several ways: Prayer, reading God's Word, being faithful to church, just to name a few. It is easy to let the "stuff of life" get in the way of our walk with the Lord and the devil actually prefers it that way. In this story I am about to share with you is my personal experience of the Lord working and convicting me of my walk with Him.
Read MoreThe older I get the more I realize I need His Words in my life. As a teenager, a young Bible college student, and even a young married wife and mom, I read my Bible every day; but I did it more out of “this is what I am supposed to do” rather than “this is what I need.” Oh! There were days when I would run to Him and His Word out of necessity, but more often than not it was what I did out of habit. As our family began to grow and my responsibilities in church grew, I began to go to His Word more out of need, but still I did things in my own strength unfortunately. I knew I needed God in my head, but it had not fully reached my heart.
Read MoreWhen I was younger, I loved the idea of meeting my “prince charming” and falling in LOVE, just like all of the Disney princesses did. I wanted to be somebody’s special ONE, and for them to be mine. Since I have been saved, I would say that I LOVE JESUS. But when I was younger, I would not say that I saw Him as the one to fulfill the longing of my heart. He was more distant / unseen / more like a character in a story.
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