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Showing posts with label Thoughts From My Heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoughts From My Heart. Show all posts

The Doctrine of Modesty....


I took this Bible Study from a post I wrote on our old blog some time ago. I hope it will be a blessing to you and that you will examine yourself to see if you are following God's standards for Modesty.



I once read the following definition of modesty "...that we should not with our apparel draw undue attention to ourselves that would distract from what our real purpose in life is."

What does that mean for me? Personal dress is not simply a personal choice. Christian liberty is NOT an excuse to dress as you please.

I would be wrong if I taught you my opinions or preferences. And I would be wrong if I twisted God's Word to suit my standards. It is also wrong for any of us to correct someone else's standards by our own. Clothes do not make the woman. If we rely on clothing to judge someone's spiritual condition, well, it only shows our own lack of spiritual understanding.
God in His infinite knowledge knew that culture and fashion trends would change. And so He laid out clear standards of modesty that transcend time and culture. So what does God's Word actually say about modesty?

I would like to look at four things that together make up the Bible doctrine of modesty:
1. Nakedness
2. Gender
3. Shamefacedness
4. Sobriety




I. Nakedness
What constitutes nakedness as seen in the Bible? Of course, a complete lack of clothing is nakedness, but we all know that. But did you know that uncovering one's thigh is also considered being naked? (Num. 28:42) (Isa. 47:2,3) We used to live near to a Mennonite community in Aylmer. The women of one of these Mennonite groups wore full, pleated, knee-length skirts. Every time one of them would lean over, pastor would have to turn his eyes, because their thighs would be showing halfway up.

We've been in a lot of churches and I can't tell you how many times I've seen a pianist sit at the piano in church only to expose her thigh because her skirt rode up or her slit was too high. Or maybe you could see right past her armholes because her sleeves were too short or too wide.

Another way ladies (including myself) have fallen short is, as mothers of young children. There have been a few times when I have embarrassed myself, because I had a kid on one hip and my purse, Bible bag, and diaper bag in my free hand, when I leaned over I exposed a shoulder or worse. This is unintentional, but also, unnecessary. 

An easy way to test your clothes is to invest in a full-length mirror. Bend over, lift your arms, sit down, lift your leg as if climbing stairs or getting in the van. If these activities show nakedness, layer, lengthen your skirt, or wear a longer one, and be ever mindful of the unintended "oops" keeping a free hand on your shirt when bending over or smoothing out your skirts when sitting. Ask yourself, "Does my clothing cause me to show nakedness?"

Side note: are your clothes so snug, clinging, or sheer so as to show the form of nakedness. Its the same thing!

II. Gender
Again, I will not get into a dispute. It is my personal choice (supported by my husband) not to wear pants. I do not however pass judgment on those who do. North American culture recognizes both feminine and masculine pants. I understand that this was not always so. But, if we are to set our standards based on past cultural ideals of modesty, then I'm afraid we will condemn ourselves. In days gone by, it was considered immodest for a woman to show her ankles and in some time periods even her forearms. In the past, women wore many layers of clothes. It was also considered modest for a woman to wear a hat in church. The blousie shirts men wore in the sixteen hundreds would be considered gay today. So, please do not be guilty of hypocrisy when setting standards of modesty for you and your family.

We as Christian women should dress to please the Lord . God commands that we dress like ladies. (Deut. 22:5) Let's remember that femininity does not equal sexy nor does it mean we have to be frumpy. Be a lady. This applies to all clothing and accessories. "Is what I am wearing decidedly female?"

III. Shamefacedness
(1 Tim. 2:9) Shamefacedness is equal to bashfulness or embarrassment. That is not to say that our clothing should make us feel this way, but neither should our clothing make us feel bold and brash. One of the reasons I stopped wearing pants was because they made me feel bold, comfortable in the world's company. It led me to cutting my hair "boy-short" and spiky. I wore too much make-up and felt more confident around the world. I liked hearing the compliments it brought. Do you rely on your clothing to give you confidence? Does a certain dress give you boldness? Or does your clothing remind you that God gave you the command of submissiveness and the blessing of safety in the Biblical role of womanhood? This standard of modesty can be wrapped up in this question: "How does my clothing make me feel?"

IV. Sobriety or Moderation
Is your dress excessive? Is it bold? Is a lack of propriety causing a distraction? On the other hand, are you excessive in your modesty? What! Yes, I said it. I have known women who dress themselves and their daughters in an excessively modest, drab way on purpose to show their spiritual superiority. Do you dress in such a way as to attract attention, good or bad? It may be unintended in either case, but we should dress in such a way as to NOT attract attention. My dress simply should not be an issue. If it is then I need to make some changes.

Some of you are mothers of teen girls. Have you encouraged your daughters to be so caught up in dressing “pretty” that you have failed to teach sobriety? It is not as important how one looks as how her relationship with God is. When our relationship with God is right and we are growing in faith, we will eventually be challenged in areas of dress and appearance. We will want to draw the attention away from ourselves and draw attention to God. It will not bother us to be a little less fashionable if the fashion of the day is out of God's will. We will be content to dress within our means. We will know that being thin should not be our focus but rather, being healthy. But that is another discussion altogether.

Our purpose is to glorify and honor God. For those still under their father's authority it means honoring his standards. A girl should never dress in such a way as to bring shame or embarrassment to her father.

For those of us under our husbands authority it means honoring not only our husbands standards but also his manhood. Is the attention on me or on my husband? Does the way I dress give my husband cause to feel insecure? Is my dress standards hindering my husband's service? Keep what belongs to your husband for your husband.

Mothers, please, be careful how you dress in front of your children. Your sons ought not to see your nakedness and your daughters need a godly example. At the same time, it is our job to make sure that our daughters do not dress in such a way that would bring embarrassment or shame to their brothers.

If you have any doubts choose in favor of what is best, not what's better for you. 

AGAIN... If you have any doubts, choose in favor of what is best, not what is better for you.

To be sure that our wardrobe pleases God, we should ask these four simple questions:
1. "Is what I'm wearing causing me to show nakedness or the form of nakedness?"
2. "Is what I'm wearing decidedly feminine?"
3. "How does what I'm wearing make me feel?"
4. "Do I stand out? Am I taking attention from God and my husband/father?"

Ask God what He thinks, He'll let you know. (Ps 25:4,5)
God will bless you in your desire to serve God. Remember, none of us have "arrived", but we should all be striving to be Prov. 31 and Titus 2 women.




NOTE: If you are interested in using this as a Bible study, I have included a "fill-in-the-blanks" work sheet below. Feel free to copy and paste it and to make any changes you wish. I just ask that you stay true to God's Word.





WHAT THE BIBLE ACTUALLY SAYS ABOUT MODESTY




Introduction:
Definition of modesty: “...that we should not with our ____________ draw undue attention to _______________ that would distract from what our real ______________ in life is.”




Personal __________ is simply NOT a personal _____________.




It is wrong to teach one's own _____________ or __________________.




It is wrong to ______________ God's Word to suit one's own ________________.




It is wrong to __________________ someone's standards by one's own _____________.




List the four doctrines of modesty:
1. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
3. ____________________________
4. ____________________________




  1. Nakedness
God's Word states that uncovering one's ____________ is a form of nakedness? (Num. 28:42 Isa 47:2,3)
An easy way to test one's clothes is to ____________ in a __________ ____________.
Clothing that is too ____________, ______________, or _____________ can also show the form of nakedness.




  1. Gender
If we set our ________________ based on past ______________ ideals of modesty, then we will ______________ ourselves.
Do not be guilty of _________________ when setting ______________ of _____________.
Feminine does not mean __________________ nor does it mean ________________.
Be a ________________. (Duet. 22:5)




  1. Shamefacedness
Shamefecedness can be likened to _________________ or ____________________.
Our clothing should not make us feel or look ______________ or ________________.
Do you rely on your ____________________ to give you ________________?




  1. Sobriety or Moderation
    (1 Tim. 2:9)
Is your dress _________________?
Is a lack of propriety causing a ____________________?
Some women are excessive in their modesty in order to show their _____________ _______________.
My _____________ simply should not be an ____________. If it is then I need to ____________ some _______________.
It is not as important how one ________________ as how her ___________________ with _________ is.
When our relationship with ___________ is right and we are ________________ in ___________, we will be eventually be _______________ in areas of ____________ and _____________________.
A girl should never ____________ in such a way as to bring ____________ or _________________ to her father.
A wife's dress should honor her husband's ________________ and _______________.
Our ____________ should not see his mother's ______________ and our _______________ need a _________________ __________________.
If you have doubts, choose in favor of what is ______________, NOT what's ____________ for ____________.
Conclusion
The Measure of Biblical Modesty:
  1. Is what I'm wearing causing me to show __________________ or the ___________ of _____________________?
  2. Is what I'm wearing decidedly _____________________?
  3. How does what I'm ________________ make me _______________?
  4. Do I __________ ________? Am I taking _____________ from ___________ and/or my _________________/________________?
Remember, _____________ of us have ________________, but we should all be _______________ to be ___________________ and _________________ women.





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Where has the Holy Spirit gone?


Today, churches are so caught up in tradition, preference, and pet peeves, that I fear we are stifling the Holy Spirit. Churches who believe the same doctrinally are separating over issues of personal standards. How it must grieve the Holy Spirit. Let me give you some examples :

Woman and pants. I personally have chosen not to wear slacks, but I do wear pajama pants, and my girls wear snow pants. Now, others would say, "Shame on you! Pants on a woman defies Scripture." Others choose to wear pants that follow the Biblical standards of modesty. Still others use their Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. Call me a hypocrite if you want, but no where in the Bible does it say that a woman must always wear skirts. 

We apply principles from Scripture as the Holy Spirit leads each individual in order to arrive at a set of dress standards for ourselves and our families. But pants on a woman is NOT a doctrinal issue -- Modesty is. I did a Bible study with my ladies a few weeks ago about the Biblical Doctrine of modesty which I think I will share with you tomorrow. It will explain to you what the Bible ACTUALLY says about modesty. Have I piqued your curiosity? Come back tomorrow and give me a chance to explain.

How about the movies? For generations preachers have preached that going to the movie theater is sin. Is it sin or is it it a personal standard that the Holy Spirit may lead an individual to hold? And if one believes that going to the movies is wrong, then shouldn't that standard or reasoning apply to movie rentals or cable/satellite TV? I'm not saying whether you should or should not go to the movies or own a TV. What I am saying is that it is not a doctrinal issue (although, what you watch may be), but rather a personal standard that the Holy Spirit may lead an individual to have.

I could list one example after another, but the point I am trying to make is this... 

Why are personal standards and preferences being taught as doctrine? Keith and I have standards that others would say are too conservative, while at the same time, we have others that some would consider too liberal. The truth is that I have never met two people who hold the same, exact standards. If preferences were a doctrinal issue, then I believe God would have made them abundantly clear in Scripture. 

I wear slits in my skirts, but have the standard that they should go no higher than mid to lower calf. I have friends who believe that a skirt should have no slits. When I was a teenager, we had churches that would not fellowship with our church, because we had girls in our youth group that wore pants. Christians are so busy fussing and fighting among themselves over preferences that we can't see the forest for the trees.

1 Peter 2:1-3 could have been written to churches today. It says, "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings..." This is the result of preaching preference instead of doctrine. The funny thing about preferences is that everyone thinks their standards are the most Biblical. And if they are doctrine, then everyone who disagrees is backslidden. Let's look at verses 2 and 3, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord (is) gracious."

I always thought this was talking about baby Christians. But take a look at where the comma is located... "as newborn babes" isn't referring to a level of spiritual maturity, but rather the manner in which we are commanded to desire the sincere milk of the word. Verse 2 is a command, "desire the sincere milk of the word." The Lord has shown me grace in so many ways, shouldn't I in turn show that grace to others?

I would like to make it clear that God's Word teaches separation. If someone propagates false DOCTRINE, we are to separate! But not for reasons of personal standards. I honestly believe that the reason we do not see true revival is because we have put the Holy Spirit out of a job, in a manner of speaking. We have become our brother's holy spirit and by our actions have shown God that we in our wisdom can do a better job at leading an individuals life than He.

The answer? "...Desire the SINCERE milk of the word..." Get back to basics. Preach the Word for what it is and what it says. PRAY for one another. I have learned (although, I still do not consistently practice) this truth... when I disagree with my husband on a matter of personal standards, I pray. Sometimes, God changes his heart and we are spared a rift in our relationship; but most often it is my heart that is changed. At times we agree to disagree, sometimes we compromise, and sometimes we concede to the other's standard. 

Could you imagine what would happen if we could all get a hold of that truth? If only preacher's would simply preach the basic doctrines of God's Word! If they would teach their people to live Holy Spirit-filled lives, instead of turning out carbon copies who look to the man for direction instead of God -- I believe that we would see revival! Hypocrisy would be a rare occurrence and the Truth would bring unity to God's Church. 

Seek God with an open heart. Don't be a fool and preach preference as doctrine. Seek out the Scriptures for guidances when setting standards and rules for your home. Make sure you know why you hold to the standards you have. And never expect others to come to the same conclusion. 

One last example. A man once believed that it was sin for a Christian to go into a restaurant that sold alcohol. You see, that man was once an alcoholic and still battled temptation. For him it was right and wise to have the standard of not going into any establishment that sold alcohol. But for a man who has never tasted alcohol, the temptation to drink isn't an issue. 

The Holy Spirit leads each of us to set standards to protect the spiritual state of ourselves and our families. What is a temptation to some may not be a problem for others. Also, the Holy Spirit leads each soul one step at a time to a Christ-like heart. Some change quickly, others one step at a time. So to judge someone by what the Holy Spirit has shown you is foolhardy. 

Let's follow the Lord's admonishment in 1 Peter 2:1-3  "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord (is) gracious."



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The Blessing of Single Servants

With Valentines coming up next week, I'm sure most of you single gals are starting to get a little dreamy. From someone who really does know what it's like, I'd like to encourage you to put down that "romance" novel and consider the blessings of being a single servant. 

This is an article I wrote last year on our old blog, "It's A Loveless World." It's mostly just my own testimony, but I hope it will be an encouragement to you. If your not single, I hope it will help you see things through the eyes of a single person. 

The Blessing of Single Servants

Now, I know what all you single guys and gals are thinking... What does a couple of married people know about being single? Well, I would like to tell you our story. I turned 27 on April 28, 2003. A few weeks later in May, I arrived at the airport to meet up with the rest of the mission team I was joining. We were taking a month long trip to Quebec and Manitoba, Canada. There in the midst of the girls was a guy. Something about him struck me right away, maybe it was because he was the only guy in the group. My initial thoughts were "I wonder if this is why God wanted me on this trip?" Not too spiritual I know.

Let's back up a little. I was born into a Christian home. My dad entered the pastorate when I was seven. By the grace of God I was gloriously saved at a very young age, 5-yrs-old. You've heard it said that hind sight is 20/20. Well, looking back I can see that God was preparing me for a life in the ministry from the beginning. I knew it was in my heart as a teenager, but I put those thoughts on the back-burner and replaced them with my life's plan. My plan was to meet a handsome dark-haired man at the "mature" age of 18, then we would date until I was 20. After a year engagement, we would be married and after a few years of honeymoon we would start a family, maybe four or five kids. I figured he would probably be going into the ministry and that would solve my need to surrender myself. Well, 18 went by, then 19..., 21..., 24..., One day I woke up and found out I was almost 26 and life hadn't gone as planned. What happened next was a foolhardy thing to do and not something I am proud of.

Late one Saturday, in January 2003, I found myself at my whits end. I was empty inside, except for a nagging feeling that a relationship with God was what I was missing. You see, God never left me, but I had pushed Him out and replaced Him with shattered dreams and a broken heart. That night, I didn't sleep much. Finally, as morning dawned, I slipped out of bed and got on my knees. Mine was not a heart ready for prayer. With tears pouring down, I brazenly told God that He had my soul, but if He wanted the rest of me, HE would have to do something that day in church. If He didn't, then I would stop fighting and go on with my career, being just like most every other christian I knew, service on the outside, cold on the inside. NO feeling would be better than the conviction that was tearing me apart. When you get to that state of spirit, you are completely unaware that you are dangling over a precipice spiritually and God in His mercy is the only thing keeping you from falling. Oh, I could never lose my salvation, but as I have witnessed, a child of God who rebels to this level of a stiff-necked heart is most often taken home.

Let me say here that God is a merciful and gracious God. He wasn't willing to let me go. That morning in church a missionary arrived. Somehow there was a mix up in the schedule, and Dad wasn't expecting him until the next Sunday, but Dad had him preach anyway. Before he preached, I was scheduled to sing. And wouldn't you know it, the hymn I had chosen before this happened was, "I Wonder Have I Done My Best For Jesus." I could barely finish. After I left to hide in the restroom, my Mom met me. I told her that God wanted me, but I was so afraid that He was going to call me into missions alone. After I cried for a moment, I composed myself and went back to service.

That morning the missionary started his sermon by asking, "Do you really want to be like Christ?" Of course I'm sure most of the congregation would agree that we did. He went on to give example after example of what it meant to be like Christ. Christ was willing to leave His home, Christ was willing to be ridiculed and persecuted, Christ was willing to die so that men could be free. It was also during this sermon that he mentioned how we are so often willing to pray for God to send laborers into the field, but how many of us were willing to be the answer to that prayer?

Be careful what you ask God to do. When God does something, He does it well! When the invitation was given, I had already been broken. Yet, I still didn't understand. That is, until God showed me that the reason I couldn't give him my dreams was because I was saving my heart for someone that may not exist. That morning, I surrendered my broken dreams, my fears of serving alone, and finally, I gave God all my heart. It was then that God could show me that He was truly All I needed and that He wanted me to prepare for the mission field.

Now, I could truly understand the meaning of Psalm 37:4. We so often read it like this, "Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall "GRANT" thee the desires of thine heart." But, you see, It doesn't say "grant" it says "give." If I delight in the Lord, if He is the most important thing in my life, then He will place within me His desires and only then will He grant those desires. That day I fell in love with God.

Through a series of events, I found myself in that airport in May of 2003 wondering if the chubby guy (sorry, Honey) in the back was the reason I was there. After a month of serving together, we both knew that something was happening. Later, Keith told me that when he gave his church, (a very large church compared to what I was used to), a presentation of our trip, he showed my picture in his slide presentation. When it came up, he told Second Baptist Church of Festus, MO,"...and this is the girl I'm going to marry!" Faith or audacity?

To make a long story short... we spent the next few months courting on the telephone and by mail since I was in Ontario and Keith was in Missouri. We saw each other in June for a week, August for three days, then in October he came up for Canadian Thanksgiving. That is when Keith proposed to me. We got to spend Christmas together and that was it, until the day before our wedding. We were married April 2, 2004. Eleven months later we had our son, Jerry, then Jocelyn, then Kaylee, then deputation, and then ... well, that's up to God now. (Note: since I first wrote this post, God graciously led our family to minister in Kenora, Ontario at Victory Baptist Church.)

So, back to the beginning of this post. I was almost 28 when we got married and Keith was 35. We know very well what it is to be single and we pray that we will never forget. I know that many of you are single right now. Take it from two people who regret the wasted years, give your heart to God. Here are some things I wished I did:

1. Trusted my Heavenly Father to do what is best for me.
2. Stretched my wings and found fellowship with other singles of like faith and practice.
3. Served God while I had complete freedom to do so. -- Paul knew what he was talking about when he told single servants to be content. A single man can serve God and go anywhere without the burden of a family. A single gal can give her heart to God without thought of a husband or children. I do not regret being a wife and mother, just that I didn't give more of myself when I had more to give.
4. Finally, to spend my time becoming the person that a godly man would want to marry. I had dreams of a wonderful, surrendered servant of God, you know, the kind you find in books. But was I the kind of girl he would even consider? Are you the kind of person that the kind of person you would marry would want to marry? (Did that make sense?)

Don't let broken dreams and loneliness push God out of your heart. I didn't say life, because you can serve God without being controlled by Him. If God fills your heart, then there will be no room for loneliness. Find a place that needs you and give God all you've got. Do you realize how many small churches need a pianist, a music leader, someone to start a bus route, or someone to teach? Could you go? It takes a lot less to support one than five. If God blesses you with a spouse one day, then you will be far more prepared than I was. If you are already living a life of true contentment, then be faithful and don't let Satan wear you down.

For those of you who have never experience true singleness because you were blessed to be married young: Be careful how you treat these most valuable servants. Far too often, I felt like others didn't value me as a "real" adult. I felt incomplete. I know I'm not the only one, Keith also had these same thoughts. Single servants are taken for granted far too often. "They don't have a family, so let them do it." Or worse, they're ignored because everyone is busy with their own families.

Where would the Bible be without single men? Jesus was single. The only Apostle we know that had a wife for sure was Peter. Remember that Paul was single, would you give him the same honor if he was part of your church? Or would you think, "Who is he to give advice? He doesn't even have a family." Seriously, how many single adults are in your church? How many would be there if someone believed them to be a valuable part of the family?

If you are a woman, find time to invite a single lady over when your husband isn't around and just have some girl time. Ladies, encourage your husband to take the single guy out for coffee. Include these single servants with your family activities occasionally. 

Single servant hood can be a wonderful thing. Don't waste it. God bless. Keep on a prayin'!


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A Time to Weep...

 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Romans 12:15

The first half of this verse is generally not that hard to do. We all enjoy a good laugh together. As a pastor's wife, I delight in rejoicing with my church family. However, there is a time to laugh and a time to weep. 

It's a different thing altogether to weep with those who weep. Laughter does good, but weeping seems to bond people together. As a pastor's wife, there are times I need to weep. Today was one of those days. 

God's Word says to "Bear ye one another's burdens." I never truly understood this until I became a pastor's wife. We serve a great God. He not only uses the mountaintops; but also, the valleys to draw a church together. This week, find someone in your church who is weeping and pray for them. Better yet, if you can, pray with them. Five minutes of prayer can make a life-time of difference. 

You might even find that the other person will come away blessed too.

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Remember Lot's Wife

The New Year always brings thoughts and visions of what God has for the future. But far too often, we are still so entangled in the past, that we are of no good to God in the present. God brought a simple verse to my mind and it led to the following Bible study that I shared with my ladies last week. As we face a new year, let us each take heed and:

"Remember Lot's wife."


Luke 17:28-33

Letting go of the past does not mean forgetting, but rather, it means releasing the past to God's Sovereignty in order to follow God's will for the future. 

Introduction:
Genesis 19:15-26

Let's take a few moments to look at the challenges Lot's wife faced.

First of all, lets look at her situation:
  1. She had a self-centered fool for a husband.
    – Lot was more concerned with the luxuries of life than leading his family.
    (Gen.13:10-13; Gen. 19:18-20)
    – Lot cared more for position than protecting his family.
    (Gen. 19:4-11) 
    -- Lot lingered when he should have led his family.
    (Gen. 19:15,16)
We can see from this, that Lot wasn't much of a man to follow. (Just a thought: Maybe, it was his wife's nagging that led him to make the choices he made?) Regardless, God did not allow Lot's wife to use her husband as an excuse for disobeying His command to flee and not look back.  Keep in mind that God does not command wives to submit to their husbands IF they are worthy of submission. (I Peter 3:1-5)

One thing that stands out to me as I read this passage in Genesis is found in verse 26. Where was Lot's wife? She was standing behind her husband. She followed reluctantly. She was not being the wife God created her to be. God created the wife to be a help meet for her husband.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines “meet” as “fit, suitable, proper, qualified, convenient, adapted, as to a use or purpose." A wife is to complete her husband not the other way around. This may sound feminist, but God did not create woman to stand behind her husband, following like a sullen slave or a mindless idiot. Rather, God created the wife to submit herself to her husband's authority and to follow his lead while walking by his side. God has given us different responsibilities and varying levels of authority, but he created us equal in worth.

Lot's wife was not a submissive wife. She was too wrapped up in what lay behind, to go with her husband to a new life. God was giving them another chance to serve Him. Could it be that a little godly encouragement may have helped Lot to make a better choice?

Now, let's look at what Lot's wife was leaving behind....

  1. She had daughters, sons-in-law, perhaps grand-children, a home, friends, position, and wealth behind her.
    – How many of us would be willing to leave all that in order to follow God's command? 

    It is also my guess that she had not been a godly mother. Lot and his wife raised their daughters to serve the flesh and in doing so were loosing them to God's judgment. As a woman and a mother, I'm sure she was overwhelmed with thoughts of fear, loss, blame, and guilt. Questions of “What if...”, “How could he....” or “If only...” where most likely tearing at her, pulling on her heart-strings to take just one last look at what might have been. 
What kind of questions would you be asking if you were standing there in the gates of Zoar and behind you lay everything dear to you? What do you think was going through her mind?

“Remember Lot's wife”

How does this apply to us? It's simple. What lies behind you? We all have things in our past that we just can't seem to let go of. And for the most part the memories we hang on to the tightest are not pleasant ones.
  1. Sin.
  2. Bad decisions.
  3. Tragedy.
  4. Loss.
  5. Failed relationships.
“Remember Lot's wife”

Satan wants you to fail, he wants your family to fail, he wants your church to fail. Satan is the biggest failure of all time. Even when he succeeds in getting a person to sin against God, he fails because, God uses ALL THINGS for good (Romans 8:28). Satan cannot keep God from succeeding. And so, he attempts to make God's people fail. If he can keep you in the past, he can destroy your future, making your life a failure.

Many things keep us from relinquishing those things that lie behind us:
  1. Fear -- The past becomes a wall to protect us from more pain.
  2. A lack of forgiveness becomes a shield against our enemies and sometimes ourselves.
  3. Doubt makes us question God's wisdom in allowing things to unfold the way they did which in turns makes us question His ability to take care of our future
  4. The sense of a loss of control, as women, we crave control. Don't deny it.
Maybe it's something else. What it all boils down to is this: 

We don't want to admit that God is Sovereign and He was/is there during the good, the bad, and the ugly. God wrote each of our stories before we were born weaving in our own choices, our own strengths, and our own weaknesses. Not only ours, but also, those of each and every person that makes up our individual worlds. 

 We don't want to truly admit that God is indeed Sovereign because then we are faced with another dilemma. We now have to admit that “God is still God without me, but I am nothing without God.” Am I willing to trust that God will work it all together for His glory? Let us not forget why we were created. We do not exist for any purpose other than to bring pleasure to God (Rev. 4:11) Humbling isn't it?

“Remember Lot's wife.”

God does not ask us to forget the past, but rather to trust Him with it. Let your past, be just that – the past, a bunch of facts and memories that are a necessary part of who you were created to be. 

God is omnipresent, He lives in the past as well as the present and future. That is Who He is. We are His creation, we are meant to live in God's will TODAY, so that we will be able to live in His will tomorrow. 

God will use our lives, whether or not we live for Him. Do we want to be remembered like Lot's wife? God used her failure to unfold history. Her surviving daughters had sons who became great and wicked nations. Yet, Christ's very own lineage came from one of these nations, Moab. Would these boys have been born if Lot's wife stood by her man and obeyed God? God uses our sin as well as our surrender.

Whether we like it or not, God is in control. The question is: How do I want to be used? I for one do not want to be remembered like Lot's wife. 

Accept your past for what it is and let God use it for His glory. You cannot change it and you cannot forget it, but you can accept it (Philippians 4:13). Don't be guilty of looking back. Don't live in the past!

And never forget Lot's wife!



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There is Still Peace on Earth!

Wow, it's been awhile. First there was starting homeschooling for the first time and then God blessed our church with our very own building! Mercy! Just when I thought life couldn't possible get any busier, we moved. Our church allowed us to move into one side of the building. This has been a blessing to us and to the church.


Our building is located on the edge of town. We have five acres surrounded by forest. What a view! Our foyer has a beautiful, big bay window. This picture was taken two weeks ago while the kids were watching to see if anyone would be able to come to church after the snow storm we had the night before.




They look so peaceful. We've all heard, "a picture is worth a thousand words." When I look at this picture I forget about how crazy that morning had been. It had been snowing since Thursday and the city forgot about plowing our little road. About another eight inches had fallen during the night and Keith had been shoveling snow for three days. (Praise the Lord, we now have a snow blower!) It was our Missions Sunday and we weren't sure if we were even going to be able to have service. Needless to say, Keith was tired and sore and I was getting a little frustrated with the situation. Then I came downstairs to see this. All three children sitting quietly AT THE SAME TIME watching the snow fall.


How often do we get caught up in the little details of life and forget to take time to see the beauty God has put right in front of our eyes? God knows how crazy our days can be. Christ experienced the weakness of humanity. And so, God places around us reminders of His love and care. Visual lessons to bring us back to a place of peace. If only we would take the time to look. God wants you to see Him today; to feel the warmth of His love.


Christmas is a crazy time. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. And instead of a reminder of God's love and forgiveness, snow becomes a cold, wet nuisance. Take the time to see the beauty of the season today. Remember... We may not have world peace, but we can have peace in the world.

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