It's Resurrection Day!!

As we celebrate Easter I am continually reminded the importance of knowing Jewish culture in order to understand the Bible. Just this week I was listening to a brief excerpt about the Garden of Gethsemane. I was unaware that the word “gethsemane” means olive press. I have always pictured in my mind the Garden of Gethsemane being a lush garden with flowers and trees, much like what we have here on the east coast. The truth is that the Garden of Gethsemane was located on the side of the Mount of Olives - good clue there for us - it wasn’t called the Mount of Olives because it was full of fig trees!

Olives, but most especially their oil, were a prized commodity in Jesus’ day. The oil of the olive was used for many purposes including cooking, medicine for wounds and anointing. It’s uses were diverse and varied so anyone who owned olives, but more importantly an olive press or “gethsemane” was typically wealthy.

Extraction was an arduous process. The olives were first cleaned and then mashed into a paste. From there, they were placed on the press. The press consisted of a circular stone basin with a flat top where the paste was spread out. Then a large stone, fashioned to look like a wheel, was rolled over the paste to press out the oil. The stone created intense pressure in order to extract the precious oil.

Jesus prayed in the garden of the “olive press” the night before He died. Do you think there was any coincidence that the most intense prayer He had ever prayed was in this place? Jesus was so pressed by the weight of the cup of God’s wrath that He poured drops of blood from His brow. When I think of how God put all of this together I realize He leaves nothing to spare. There is no randomness with our God. Even the place where Jesus prayed was named appropriately.

How much more can we draw from Jesus being poured out for us! I can’t help but think that just as olive oil is used for food, how much more is He the Bread of Life? Just as the oil is used for medicinal purposes, how much more is He our Healer? Just as olive oil is used for anointing, how much more is the anointing from the Holy Spirit of our God and King?

“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was CRUSHED for our iniquities and the WEIGHT of our sin fell upon Him and by His stripes we are HEALED” (Isaiah 53:5)! When Jesus breathed His last He had emptied Himself completely, there was nothing left He could have given. He cried, “It is finished!” and indeed it was. For thirty-three years He had given all of Himself to fulfill His Father’s perfect will and He fulfilled it perfectly! He spared no expense in pouring His entire life out for the purpose of bringing redemption to all mankind. With every miracle, every word, every step He gave His full effort and when He finally made His way to the cross there was no exception. He laid down His life to the fullest, He bore my sin with everything that was in Him and when He died He was empty. No stone left unturned, no word left unspoken, no miracle left unperformed and no energy left unspent. He gave ALL!

Thank you Jesus that you lived and died to the fullest! Thank you that you did everything in obedience to your Father’s will and that you humbled yourself even unto death so that I might live! Thank you for the “gethsemane” of Golgotha that was the sweetest oil of grace poured out for undeserving sinners such as I!

“There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again. And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me! For I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ!”

The Day Between Friday and Sunday...

As we look today at the day of transition from Good Friday to Easter Morning I can only imagine the despair that plagued the spirit of Jesus’ disciples, the victory that reigned in the hearts of the Jews that had pleaded for His death and the satisfaction of the Father knowing that His eternal plan of redemption was just hours away from total fulfillment! What a dichotomy of feelings. I can’t help but think that many of the Sanhedrin went home that night to their families feeling as if they had just solved the world’s problems all in a day’s work! I’m sure there were some that thought the hour of darkness, the earthquake and the veil being torn in two were odd but the sense of accomplishment at having silenced Jesus probably quickly overrode any meditation on these things. As they touched their doorposts, sat down to their kosher meals and followed the law to the letter, Jesus’ body lay inside a borrowed tomb.

The Jews believed that the spirit of man hovered over the body for three days but on the third day that the deceased was truly dead and could be buried. In the tombs there were two chambers, an inner and an outer chamber. The body was laid in the outer chamber and then eventually moved to the inner chamber as decomposition took place. Because of Sabbath regulations, Jesus’ disciples did not have time on Good Friday to properly prepare His body for burial so He was placed in the tomb quickly until after the Sabbath. But Jesus’ spirit did not hover there. His earthly tent, the body that He created, had proved a good home for Him as He accomplished the plan set forth from eternity past. He left that broken, bruised and crushed shell to rejoin His Father until early on Easter morning.

Can you imagine the joy of reuniting with God the Father? Joy unspeakable as the necessary separation was finally over and the wrath of God was satiated! It is almost as if Jesus took that Sabbath Himself to rest with His Father before He resurrected to fulfill the last details of the plan of redemption. Oh death, where is thy sting? O hell, where is your victory? That is what I rest in today! Knowing that on this side of the cross I have the full story so I do not sorrow as unbelievers! I know that my Savior lives and there is no despair for today!

Indeed the Jews believed they had solved the world’s problem and theirs by crucifying Jesus...they were more right than they could have ever known!

Fieldtrips are for kids..not parents!

Lausyn had a fieldtrip today to Natural Bridge. She was so excited this morning that she was ready 30 minutes before it was time to leave. She even tried to hurry Landon along which is the total opposite of most school days. Her main reason for being so excited rested on the fact that her Daddy was going with her! I was quickly kicked to the curb on this one. The day she found out about the trip she came home begging Kraig to go. At first, he didn’t think he would be able to work it out so she was willing to “settle” for me. However, a few days later Daddy came through and I was out on my ear!

So, I have to state this fact: “Fieldtrips are for kids, not for parents!” Fieldtrips are one of those things that we have idealistic dreams about until reality sets in! You always believe as a parent that you and your child will bond and you both will have fond memories of “remember when” for many years to come. Let me dispell that myth right now...WRONG! I had a good, hard laugh this morning as I was reminiscing with my sister about fieldtrips from yesteryear that we had chaperoned in our blissful ignorance. She fondly retold about her own trip to Natural Bridge with her son back in the fall. I will grace you with some of the details so that you may laugh as well:

First, if you haven’t been to Natural Bridge from here the road is almost one of comical proportions. It might as well be something right out of Looney Toons because it is so winding that you can see it almost double up on itself! Now, combine that along with the back of a school bus. Not just the back, but the very last seat, you know, the short one next to the death trap exit where there is no shock absorption and you don’t have one complete window to yourself - except for the back one of course. This is the seat that most kids love because they feel hidden, bounced around and able to stare piercingly at the cars behind them. Fast forward twenty years and that seat doesn’t hold the same level of fascination! To top it off, you are only one of two adults on this bus full of six year olds. You can imagine that the volume would be deafening! It was probably at this point that my sister was thanking Jesus he had blessed her with a hole in one of her ears, seriously!

She retells it this way, “I must have been white as a sheet because I was going to lose every bit of what I had in my stomach onto the little girl in front of me who would not sit still or be quiet for even one nano-second. I was trying to focus on one thing instead of everything that was moving around me, which was nearly impossible. The little bit of fresh air I could get was continuously blocked by another kid who was obsessed with putting his hands, head and almost half his body out of the window. To top it off, all I heard the whole trip was, ‘Mama, when are we....Mama, what are we...Mama, who are we...Mama, Mama, Mama!’” When the bus pulled in and she stumbled off the last step onto solid ground she immediately reached for her cell phone and in absolute joy found that she had a signal to which she feverishly began to text her husband: “I am never doing this again and by the way, can you come get me?”

I laughed until I cried because who can’t relate? There hasn’t been one fieldtrip that I have chaperoned that hasn’t left me totally whipped, ready for a straight jacket and some Nyquil by the time it was over! The funny thing is, I keep volunteering in hopes that this time will be different. Besides, I love having these experiences with my kids even if they don’t live up to my expectations because let’s face it, most of life doesn’t but, at least it makes for a good laugh! That’s a memory in and of itself!

So, in case you’re wondering how things faired for my sister - her husband didn’t come to get her but she did secure two seats in the front on the short bus coming home. She has another fieldtrip coming up next week and of course I encouraged her to attend. I don’t want to keep all the misery to myself!

There's a Snake In My Boot!

It looked like Green Acres around our house yesterday. Zsa Zsa in her movie star sunglasses and her gardening gloves took to the weeds like a...movie star in sunglasses. It seems that every Saturday I have planned to get things cleaned out and ready for planting it has rained or been ridiculously cold! These 80 degree Mondays don’t help me much! So, Thursday I came home and cleaned the house feverishly so that I could have Friday to do some things outside. Admittedly, I spent most of the day SITTING in the sun but who’s watching?

As I was raking out the herb garden I came to a corner that was full of leaves and other debris from the winter piled a mile high next to our deck. Our deck sits pretty low to the ground so there is only about a foot distance between the bottom and the ground - just enough for critters and small vermin, varmints and other distasteful forms of rodents and/or reptiles. As I began to rake away the leaves I was pensive, standing a good four or five feet from the pile as I held the rake by the end of the handle. I gingerly pulled one layer back at a time, sure that I would meet my demise or lose an arm in the process.

At one point, I called out to Kraig and asked for his assurance that there wasn’t anything that would slither out of the leaves unexpectedly. True to form, he laughed and took every opportunity imaginable to make fun of my phobia! Thanks honey! But, he was also quick to say that anything that would have lived under that pile was probably long gone after all of the ruckus I had made in the process! Sure enough, by the time I finished, I hadn’t come across anything more frightening than an earth worm, a few snails and several bees that weren’t too happy with me!

While I was taking all of this care with making sure I didn’t encounter a real ssssnake...there I said it, snake - which by the way, I think are the most unnatural looking things in the world. The way they move, how they eat, the way they can fit themselves into the most peculiar positions. Needless to say, they creep me out! I will do all I can to avoid the path of a snake at all costs! Okay, don’t even act like you don’t know what I’m talking about!

Anyway, as I’m raking I got tickled with myself because I can only imagine how I looked! But then, it’s like the Holy Spirit said, “When was the last time you took this much caution to avoid the Serpent, your adversary, the Devil?” You know, Satan can cause us much worse than most snakes ever could but rarely do you see anyone running from him! Most of us don’t believe there is a devil and if we do we think he’s just a cunning man in a dark suit with a pitch fork and a cigar. (Think Hugh Heffner with a devious grin.) And, if we do believe he exists, we don’t know much about him. We have even given ourselves over to blaming God for sin and evil rather than the father of lies!

Scripture says that Satan masquerades as an angel of light! He is also described as the great deceiver, the tempter and the accuser. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Let me translate - he doesn’t look like the boogey man! He isn’t walking around with a name tag on his shirt that says, “Hello, my name is the devil!” No, instead he masquerades as fun, fleshly indulgences that satisfy our desires and leave us empty. It says in James 1:13-15 that “God cannot be tempted, nor does He tempt anyone but each one is tempted when he is led away by his own desires and enticed and when desire has conceived it gives birth to sin and when sin is full grown it brings forth death!” Satan points the way for our desires and when our desires have been satisfied by sin he accuses us, shames us and condemns us over and over again!

Girls, know your adversary the devil! He “walks about as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, resist him and he will flee from you” (1 Peter 5:8; James 4:7) Be circumspect! Walk around and around those things that seem tempting for the moment before you dive in! Ask yourself, “does this glorify the Lord or does this seem right in my own eyes? How could this choice affect me tomorrow, next week, ten years from now? He is there, just beneath the surface, waiting...but he won’t jump out and say “Sin is right this way, follow me” but rather “Has God really said ‘you shall not have...?’”

What's For Dinner?? Part Two

So, what was God’s reaction in all of this? It says in v. 10 that His anger was kindled GREATLY! He wasn’t just like, “Oh, I understand you’re tired of manna after all this time! I never thought about that, let me get you something else to eat.” You see, God is never pleased when we impose upon His unmerited goodness toward us. In His controlled, deliberate anger, God determined to answer their prayer but in a way they would never forget. It says in verses 18-20 that the Lord commanded the people to consecrate themselves because He was going to give them meat, “not for a day, not for two days, not even for a week but for one month until it came out of their nostrils and become loathsome to them.” That’s no joke! And indeed, in verses 31-33 it says that God brought a wind that swept in quail that surrounded the camp all around within a days journey in any direction! Not only that but it was stacked three feet high! The circumstances were so extreme that even the laziest people gathered 60-70 bushels.

The Israelites were so excited to see something other than manna that they crossed over from need to greed! They collected manna for 36 hours! I don’t know about you, but I have never spent more than a few hours in one grocery trip and I wasn’t that excited about it to begin with! But, their fanaticism and greed displeased the Lord and while they were in the midst of taking their first, long awaited bite of meat, the bite they had salivated over while plucking and preparing, the Lord brought a severe plague to them. Don’t you imagine that this had to be some kind of stomach flu since God said it would become loathsome to them?

Let’s hit the pause button for a second while they are still chewing...do you remember the last time you had the stomach flu? Do you remember what you ate just before that made its way back up? How long did it take you to be able to eat that food again? When I was 15 I got sick after eating KFC. It has taken me 20 years to be able to eat a piece of fried chicken...and only in desperate situations like when there is nothing else to eat and I am thinking my arm might be okay with a little bit of salt! Needless to say, it is hard to find things palatable again once you have gotten sick from eating them.

However, God didn’t just take away the quail after the plague hit, they had to continue to eat this for another 29 days! The alternative: starve! There’s no biblical basis for this but it would seem highly likely that God took away the manna during this period so that even if they had wanted manna it wasn’t there for the taking. Can you imagine, approximately 5000 years prior to the Frigidare, the stench that lay over the camp? Can you imagine day 29 when you were preparing your last quail? Possibly it would take 5 - 10 decent sized birds to even fill up a grown man. At that rate, with an average of 2 meals a day, you would have cleaned and prepared a minimum of 300 birds for just one person! Get the picture?

Just because we don’t get all this detail in scripture doesn’t mean we don’t have enough information to fill in the blanks! The point to be grasped here is this: God is not okay with ungrateful people! These were His chosen people and they received stiff consequences for their disobedience! We as believers are His children and although He loves us, He will not allow us to continue in a spirit of greed, envy, jealousy and overall thanklessness. If you have read this post and you are convicted, act on that in repentance and make today the day you turn it around. Learn it off the pages of Numbers through the example of the Israelites instead of taking the field trip! God’s spankings are just and fair but they are not experiences we will soon forget! In closing, a bit of advice (for me and for you): Go fix dinner and be grateful for all of the wonderful variety that you have to work with and if your family complains, serve a little Numbers 11 for dessert!!

What's For Dinner?? Part One

I think it is safe to say that I could live out the rest of my life never having to think about what is for dinner again. Or, hearing the question, “What’s for dinner?” Followed by a myriad of responses that range from utter joy to total disdain and despair. Inevitably, I try to keep things varied, quick and nutritious but alas, nothing ever seems to rival the frozen pizza. I believe it holds top place among the members of this house. Cheese, pepperoni and a side of grease is always devoured with delight! My mother-in-law is quick to put things in perspective for me. After 53 years of marriage, which computes to roughly 55,000 meals, in case you were wondering, twelve piddly years of marriage at only one meal a day seems extremely pawtry. Here’s a woman who made a full breakfast every morning, packed everyone’s lunch and had dinner on the table promptly at 5:30p.m. complete with steam and a smile. I imagine over 53 years the smile has faded and slowly been downgraded by gravity. I’m working hard to keep mine at a consistent smirk!

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy cooking, when I have the time - which isn’t very often. I just don’t like trying to be creative, while satisfying a group of extremely diverse palates. I have the 8 year old who is the pasta queen. She could survive off of boxed mac and cheese, spaghettios and ramen noodles. Then there is the 11 year old who literally has three food groups: peanut butter, jelly and balsamic vinegar...oh and bread for the pb&j so that ups the count to four. He can eat anything as long as one of these ingredients is included. It is a good night if he gets two or more together at once. The third is a forty-something year old who likes meat, potatoes and cookies, Oreos to be precise. Although he is branching out into onions, peppers and sauteed spinach, he can still give a good huff when we have something less than his favorite. I have to say they all do love candy, candy corn, candy canes and syrup (all you “Elf” fans will know what I’m talking about). So, the perfect meal would be meat, potatoes, ramen noodles, balsamic vinegar and plenty of sugar for dessert...every night. As for me, I don’t really care as long as it is quick, contains parts of most of the five basic food groups and doesn’t wreck my diet for the entire year!

I wonder if the Lord had this issue when He was determining what to feed the people in the wilderness? Was manna the ultimate super food? It would most certainly have been to sustain them for three years! It would most likely have contained the right balance of protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals in order to keep the Israelites healthy and strong. Remember, they weren’t heading to the gym in order to keep their weight down! They weren’t training for marathons or tri-athalons, they had to exert physical energy just to stay alive! They had to collect the manna, grind it, make it into cakes and cook it. They were constantly consumed with daily tasks to keep the camp running. Sweeping out the tents, gathering wood, fetching water, maintaining the tabernacle...just to name a few. Other than observing the Sabbath day, there wasn’t much time for rest. Not to mention the fact that every few months they were pulling up camp to journey on to the next location, only to go through the whole ritual again. Glamourous lifestyle huh? I have to say that I wouldn’t have been too thrilled with it myself. Actually, I think I probably would have been a token Israelite, complete with complaints, dissatisfaction, ungratefulness and a not so favorable opinion of manna!

All of this is good for a LOL and even a “thank you Jesus that I’m living in 2011!” But truthfully, not much has changed about the human condition. We look at those people and think, “How ungrateful, how dissatisfied, how influenced and fearful and unbelieving and idolatrous they were!” Newsflash: Even Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun!” People haven’t changed just because the age of technology has made life easier. On the contrary, we are more ungrateful, dissatisfied, influenced, fearful, unbelieving and idolatrous!

I’ve been studying Numbers 11 about the Israelites complaints against God and His provision of manna. I have seen myself in these scriptures and been brought to conviction over my ungrateful attitude and lack of humility over what God has so graciously provided for me. I like to think I don’t walk around a complaining bundle of angst but in my own way, in my own heart, I have been ungrateful. I have been envious of what others seem to have over me. I have judged how my neighbor spends her time, talent and treasure. I have coveted and desired the blessings of another over my own. I have WANTED someone else’s blessing! This, girls, is dangerous territory! We are trampling on the goodness and wisdom and grace of our Lord, just as the Israelites did so many years ago.
To be continued...

Teaching our Girls How to Shop, Amen!

Shopping. Don’t you just love how the word rolls right off your tongue? I have rarely met a woman who doesn’t love to shop or at least dabble in it every once in a while. Even from toddlerhood most little girls begin to gravitate toward accessories and feminine touches. This fetish rarely subsides as we age. There is something that just feeds us as women when it comes to shopping. It appeals to all of the senses and can easily be as good as any medical cure for what ails you!

My daughter is eight. She has discovered Justice. Need I say more? What a retail paradise for little girls! I have to admit that at times it is more fun for me to go there and shop with her than it is to shop for myself! I am immediately transported back to a time when everything had to be pink, frilly and sparkly. (I still favor all of these adjectives when shopping as an adult...I just try to keep the squealing confined...to my head!) However, since our first purchase at Justice, which I think was a $6 bottle of mood changing nail polish, (yes, I have used it myself, unashamedly EEEK!) they have been automatically sending us direct mail circulars not quarterly, not even monthly but weekly! Within the last month we have gotten no less than three mini-catalogues containing coupons galore. No one can say these marketing people don’t know what they’re doing. My daughter is even sold and this is evidenced by the way she so subtly places the coupon, catalog and her “wish list” right next to the coffee pot. She knows this is the one place I will inevitably visit multiple times in one day and so she cunningly implements her plan!

Now, I have to laugh as I type this because this genetic disposition is clearly my fault! If anyone has ever seen my shoe collection there will be no doubt as to the origin of her fascination. Although I have had to learn to temper my shopping sprees as her list of expenses grows, I find that this is something we enjoy as mother and daughter. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, just time spent together, sharing our opinions, laughter and love for all things pink! I have also taken it as an opportunity to teach her about modesty, being a good steward of her money and being a wise shopper. These are all things that the word of God encourages us to do. So, even if she is just shopping for earrings the lessons will hopefully transfer over to larger purchases as she grows and shops on her own.

I feel a fabulous analogy coming on Moms! I will have to say that I have heard, more than once, over the last few months a lot of talk about allowing our children to choose for themselves. Some of us are still holding on to resentment from a strict childhood all these years later and we are making decisions based on being friends with our children instead of parents! I have to qualify, that my children are still young. We have not hit the teen years and as of now the unpopular decisions we make as parents are not causing a severe amount of backlash, at this point. However, I have no doubt that with these two being MY children that this will not last long. (This is where I have to say, thank the Lord for Daddys!) Anyway, with that being stated, I still see so much harm in this whole philosophy first and foremost because it isn’t biblical! Need I say more? But aside from that, I am face to face with many teenagers on a weekly basis through the pregnancy center that are products of parents who are still rebelling themselves! (Side note: I am not saying that this means your child will become pregnant out of wedlock!) The pregnancy is just a symptom of a greater problem. You want to know the irony? Most of them WANT their parents to be their parents! I sat across from a young lady not long ago that said, “My Mom let’s me do whatever I want. I used to have rules but not anymore. I feel like she has just given up, that she doesn’t even want to be my Mom anymore!” How’s that for “my kids don’t listen to me, don’t care what I say and don’t want me to be their parent??”

It is inherent within our sinful flesh to buck the system and rebel against authority. BUT, there is also something within our hearts that makes us feel safe when we have rules and guidelines. Without rules, without laws to protect and govern we would all be lawless. What is there to restrain people without rules? If there was no law to give us the standard of right and wrong and the judicial system to back it up then people would all do what they wanted! Can you imagine the state of our world if that occurred? Murders, theft and all kinds of debauchery would abound! Thank God for rules! Thank God for the law that keeps us safe!

Moms, if we could be eyeball to eyeball I would say this, “You are the parent for a reason!” God has given you this child for you to PARENT!” If children could decide on their own they wouldn’t need parents! Scripture uses words like “train”, “discipline”, “instruct” and “guide” when it comes to parenting. If He had not meant for you to parent He would not have given you this child nor would He have made it so that YOU would be held accountable for their upbringing. Listen, we have so many spheres of influence but none greater than with our children, use it for good! Don’t give up, don’t grow lax, don’t cower! Be courageous and stand firm in the power that the Lord has given you!

So, before you think I’m totally off on a rabbit trail, how does this apply to shopping? You’ve already been to the mall! And probably more than once! Wouldn’t it seem wise to instruct your daughter (children) where to shop? Wouldn’t you tell her what stores charged too high a price or which ones sold cheap merchandise? Wouldn’t you tell her which stores had the best deals and which ones are your favorite? Of course you would! We do this with even the most mundane things in life... “brush your teeth, eat your veggies, get a good nights rest.” So, why, pray tell, would we leave the greater things undone???? Things like relationships, marriage, motherhood, purity and above all ETERNITY? I don’t trust my children, at 8 and 11, to decide anything decent apart from my instruction. They wouldn’t know to brush their teeth by osmosis! They wouldn’t know to eat their veggies if they hadn’t been taught. If they had to choose they would stay up until 2 a.m. every night playing video games and watching t.v.! Most of us have twenty plus years of wisdom, and just plain living, up under us that can benefit our children. Why would you withhold that wisdom from them? Why wouldn’t you tell them? Why?

So, I implore you, indeed I plead with you for our children! Be honest with them. Be open with them about failures and forgiveness and God’s grace in your own life. You don’t even realize the power, the God-given power that you have as a mother to influence the life of your child - for good or for evil. Pray that the Lord would equip you with wisdom, courage, boldness and an unwavering consistency to all that is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and praiseworthy (Phillipians 4:8)!

Scripture says in Proverbs 29:15, “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to themselves brings shame to their mother.” Moms, God has given you a special relationship to your children. The world is trying to sell our daughters (and our sons) a bag of goods that are cheap and come at a price that they cannot afford to pay. We have to speak up! After all of these years, what would you have said to yourself twenty years ago, fifteen years ago, ten years ago? Say it! Speak the truth about the lies of television, movies, internet and culture as a whole. Call them on the carpet and proclaim, “This is not good for you, this is not true and this is sin!” Let’s be diligent in teaching our daughters how to shop. Let’s help them get the best deals with no buyers remorse! You have the knowledge, use it and use it wisely!

When God Breaks Your Heart, Part Two

If you are just tuning in, please read the previous blog post for clarity...thanks!

Continued from Part One:
I would like to say that after three years I am a prayer warrior and that I have all of the answers and that I have learned to pray like a champ but I can’t give you that. I can tell you that I am more consistent in prayer but the tone of my prayers are vastly different from what they were before. The Lord used those times to pull some things out of me that needed to go! He refined me in the fire of tribulation and I won’t lie, it wasn’t fun! Even the writer of Hebrews said, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). God wasn’t so much teaching me about prayer in that time as He was about Himself! Truthfully, I’d be lying if I said I have reached the pinnacle of James 1:2 where I can say that I “count it all joy when I fall into various trials.” I don’t enjoy trials. But, the Lord really used this to separate the wheat from the waste in my life.

I felt compelled to share a handful of things that I hope will be an anchor to you in the storm of a divinely broken heart:

1 - God is sovereign. This is either a comfort or a concern to you but mainly it depends on how you look at His sovereignty. Someone has to have ultimate authority. It will either be Him or Him. That isn’t a typo! Most of the control we think we have is an illusion. The reality is, HE IS IN CONTROL! But, along with that, He knows the beginning from the end. He isn’t running our lives blindly not knowing what tomorrow holds. All things that are mysteries to us are known to Him. In reality, if we are going to serve Him with any amount of trust at all we are going to have to be okay with not knowing all the answers, we just are! You know, He even knows us better than we know ourselves so we may be praying for something we think that we want so desperately and He knows it isn’t at all what we want! And, He is HOLY. Totally without sin or any evil thing. He is light and in Him is no darkness!

2 - Prayer is the means by which God accomplishes His will. Let’s face it, there are times when we pray for something and God grants us what we have requested and it builds our faith. If we had not prayed and asked then this cause/effect would not have occurred. Often times prayer is a great faith-builder. Prayer also teaches us perseverance. Think about a long delay in an answered prayer. Our perseverance is increased. Perseverance is absolutely necessary for the Christian life.

3 - Breaking our hearts makes us more like Christ. The scripture says that Jesus “was a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3) Are there any two words that paint a picture of a broken heart like sorrow and grief? God’s will for our lives is our sanctification which simply means becoming more like Christ. Because we know how the story ends, that Jesus has risen from the dead and will come again, we picture partaking in His victory without the suffering. Jesus is King but He came as a suffering servant first. In order to taste the victory we must endure the suffering that paves the road to it. Take comfort in the fact that the victory is already sure and HE IS COMING!

4 - His glory is always His motive. God does not work based on our wants, desires or needs if they are for anything other than His glory. He is totally sold out for His glory in all things. So much so, that He takes sin and ultimately uses it for His glory. And rightfully so! He is God and there is none besides Him. He alone is worthy, holy and righteous, unlike us. So you can take this to the spiritual bank - if it is not going to bring Him glory, He is not going to endorse it, girls!

5 - His ways are not our ways. God doesn’t even think like we do. Yes, we are made in His image but scripture is clear that His thoughts are higher than ours. It says in Isaiah 40:13-14 “Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?” We see things from a human, temporal perspective. God sees things from an omnipotent, eternal, kingdom perspective. His moving in our lives is for the proclamation of His gospel and the exaltation of His Son. His word has always been about redemption through Jesus Christ and His eternal kingdom. Anything aside from that is a second class request. Not to say that He doesn’t answer those requests but that is not His main concern. However, we have a tendency to make these second class requests first class for us in prayer. Rarely do we spend time in prayer consumed with His Kingdom, His Gospel and His Coming.

Lastly and simply, God commands us to pray. Plain and simple, no explanation needed. Sometimes you just have to do the thing whether you understand or not. In this world where we cannot get away from suffering we need an anchor for our souls. People are hurting and struggling in many ways that we cannot know or understand. However, often times we hope in the answer instead of the God who provides the answer. Instead of waiting on the thing, we need to wait on the Lord. I know that’s tough but true nonetheless.

So, where does this leave us when our hearts are in our hands? It leaves us asking ourselves this: Is God good? To which we should then ask, “What does His word say?” Then, “Do I believe His word?” From here, I must choose to trust even when I don’t understand, even when it hurts, even when I can’t see the end from the beginning because He does! Ultimately, God is good. Whether we choose to believe that or not doesn’t change it, although He wants us to believe Him. Because, “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Maybe right now you aren’t very interested in pleasing God. Your heart has been broken and you have more questions than answers. Ask Him to equip you with faith unto belief, to help your unbelief and then begin right now to think your way into feeling. “For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

When God Breaks Your Heart, Part One

What do you do when God breaks your heart? What a weighty question for today! I look around and I see so many people who are hurting. So many who have journeyed in prayer through many trials and tribulations, disappointments and failures, loss and betrayals, all kinds of hurts. Is there a firm foundation when we are left waiting for the answer or worse, the answer comes and it is “No?” I was thinking the other day how very important it is for us to address this issue as believers because if you serve the Lord for any length of time this will happen. You see, we often talk about the wonder of answered prayer. We are quick to broadcast when God has “come through” for us but rarely do we openly proclaim, “I’m still waiting!” Or worse yet, He said, “No”. We are ashamed of the rush of emotions that come with this kind of disappointment so we bottle it up, never daring to say, “I’m angry, I’m bitter, I don’t understand...why?”

I have admitted on more than one occasion that prayer is something that is allusive to me. What I mean by that is truly, I don’t understand much about prayer. The type-A side of me has tried on many occasions to put prayer into a box or turn it into a tried and true method but alas, it will not concede to my efforts! My own prayer life can easily be divided into a before and after sequence. I have not always had this issue with prayer. Before, I used to be very heavy on prayer and less on study. I would have to set time limits on my prayers in order to have a few minutes daily in the word. However, after, the very opposite is true.

The shift occurred a few years ago when things in life began to take on a dramatic turn of events. I would say up to this point that tribulation in my life was scant with the exception of consequences that had fallen on me because of sin I had committed. But suffering for the sake of making me more like Jesus (aka sanctification), even when I hadn’t done anything to warrant it, was not a familiar concept to me.

I felt early on that prayer was my token way of communicating with the Lord on many levels. Time spent in Thanksgiving, time spent in praises, time spent in repentance and a lot of time spent in supplication, in other words, I had a long list of requests! However, let me clarify that not all of these requests were for selfish gain, although some were. Some of my requests dealt with healing illness, saving the lost, growing ministries, providing jobs, saving marriages etc; Prayers that were for the benefit of others and the furtherance of God’s kingdom.

During this time I began praying over two very specific things: one was healing for a friend and the other was a career that I was sure the Lord had been preparing me for - He had even lined up an interview that I had not persued or prompted in any way. The desire of my heart for both of these requests was so strong that I was sure they would be answered in the affirmative. The answers came nearly within a month of one another and both were a clear, resounding, “No.” Not maybe, not wait, but No! I was devastated. I was bitter. I was angry...at God and my heart hurt! Then, to place a nice big cherry on top, Kraig lost his job. At the time, we had no way of knowing that this would take us into a long, hard 18 months of despair. We were hopeful that things would turn around quickly. Little did we know.

In that time I felt that I could not trust Him with any prayer that stretched my faith ever again. If it was out of the realm of possibility then I did not want to let Him have it. I truly felt like the little girl who has had her heart broken and cannot afford to let anyone else touch it for fear that the next time it might not be repaired. I just kept thinking, “But you COULD have! You could have done this anyway you wanted to and you didn’t! You deliberately chose to break my heart! Who can serve a God like that?” Although I knew in my Spirit that I could not turn away from the Lord completely I cut my prayer life to nil. I thanked Him for blessings and continued to ask for forgiveness but I was so bitter that I refused to ask for anything that required any faith whatsoever. I can even look back in my prayer journal and see the anger and hurt that resided just below the surface in every journal entry. Deep within me I wanted to cry out in desperation but for fear or pride or both, I refused.

What made things worse was to look around and see others praying and claiming great feats of faith through their prayer lives. It was as if they were picking up their direct line straight to the throne and dialing in whatever it was that they desired from the Lord. What was it that I was missing? Had I lacked faith? Indeed, God doesn’t need my faith to fulfill His purpose. It pleases Him but He doesn’t NEED it. I really had turned it every which way in order to find my fault for the failure, for the answers that never came but in the end I really had no other explanation than these trials were simply God’s will for our lives at that time.
To be continued...

The Diet of a Godly Woman

Well, summer time is a’comin’ and along with it comes wedding season, vacations, VBS, swim team and over all mayhem in the McBride household. In general this is a very nostalgic time of year for me because I love summer and all that it brings with it: tree frogs, long days, fresh cut grass and lots of ice cream. But, it also means that my time blogging is cut nearly in half! It is very hard to have so much to say and no time to say it! It’s like telling the birds to hush up for a few months! Needless to say, I am already missing you!

This year our church has four couples that have recently become engaged and are planning weddings all within two months of one another! If telepathy had been one of my spiritual gifts I would have taken out a “wedding” club account to save up for all of the presents I have to buy! As it is, however, I am so excited for each of them and I lurv being able to actually attend a wedding as a guest especially when I can be there with Kraig. There’s something so romantic about sitting close together, listening to wedding vows, reciting them in your own heart and committing to them all over again. The only difference is that this time you actually KNOW what you are promising! (It’s a good day when you can say that you would still do it again!) Even though marriage is hard at times there is such a sweet satisfaction in looking back over many years together and being able to say, “We made it, thank you Jesus and can I get a PRAISE THE LORD!” I love that about weddings! I also love the reception for two very important reasons: food and food! Oh, and I forgot cake and food! I will tell you that nothing excites me more than a good feast! If you know anything about me at all you will know that I am a self-professed foodie - and I am no respecter of food. Anything will do. I love everything from twinkies to the finest delicacies and everything in between.

Recently, I was thinking about food in the Bible. There are a myriad of references to food, feasts, banquets, suppers and the like. Even the Bible itself is set forth as the food for our spiritual nourishment. Jesus called Himself “The Bread of Life” and we are promised to spend eternity dwelling in a land of milk and honey! All of this got me thinking (and hungry) about how we feast on the banquet of God’s word and the different kinds of eating habits we tend to develop in regards to scripture. The rest of the post highlights these trends in hopes that we can all get the most out of our time spent at the banquet and feast wisely. Notice only one woman is eating well - is it you?

The first kind of eater is the “picky eater”. This is the woman who picks and chooses which passages appeal to her based on what her feelings are for that day. Mostly, she chooses passages that make her feel good about herself, affirm her choices and appeal to her tastes. She is quick to avoid those scriptures that might convict her of sinful patterns or encourage her to change her lifestyle. (All scripture is breathed out by God. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. 2 Timothy 3:16a; 4:3-4).

The “over-eater” is next. This woman is fat on the word. She is the bible study queen with an arsenal of workbooks and a week full of studies, small groups, counseling sessions and mentoring meetings. She is always in need of more knowledge never taking the time to pass on what she has learned to others or serving out of her plenteous reserves. (For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women..always learning but never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:6-7).

The “leftover eater” is our next culprit. She is constantly going back to the last good meal that she had in God’s word. She is reheating and microwaving from the one mountain top experience she had at the ladies’ retreat or conference she attended a few months back. The food was so good that one time that she has refused to try anything new. (Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. Hebrews 6:1)

The “skimpy eater”, otherwise known as the “dieter” is only eating enough to get by. Unfortunately, she hasn’t looked in the mirror lately or she would realize that she is slowly wasting away! She is a thin shell of what she used to be and now she is gaunt and just plain unhealthy. Her lack of nourishment has left her hungry and weak. (My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6).

Last is the “nutritious eater”. This woman feasts on a well balanced diet of the whole counsel of God! She is daily balancing her time in the word making sure that she is full enough to serve but not gorging herself so that she has some to share with others. She is sure to look for new things in scripture, examining and spending time on passages or books she is unfamiliar with knowing that ALL of the word is God breathed and profitable for her. This woman is disciplined in her pursuit of wisdom and is eager to sharpen her knife. She will always be satisfied. She will always be healthy. She will always be strong! (How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103).

I encourage you to really take the time to identify your eating habits when it comes to the word of God. This is the banquet that the Lord has left us to feast upon and gain nourishment until He comes again and we feast with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Eat well ladies, eat well!

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14

Going Camping!

Let me begin by saying a huge “Thank You!” to Ms. Melissa Young for inspiring this blog post and in her words, “Puttin’ feet on it!” I believe we have decided that we will be a Moses and Aaron pair - so you will probably have many posts in the future that are a combination of our two heads put together. It takes the two of us to make up ONE decent teacher!

So, if any of you know anything about me at all you know that I am not a camper and certainly not a happy one at that! Call me crazy but I enjoy those insane luxuries like indoor plumbing, electricity and a mattress! Not to mention the fact that there isn’t much peace of mind knowing that the only thing that separates me from the “lions and tigers and bears oh my” is a thin piece of nylon, uh, no thanks! Do you see the sweet picture of our family over to your right? Do you see the caption that graces that picture? It was a looong night! Our daughter was just learning to use the potty so the time lapse between “Mommy, I have to potty” and her bladder exploding was less than a nano-second. Translation: You don’t have time to get to the indoor bathroom on the other side of the camp ground! Foreknowledge as a parent is rare but in this case we planned for the unexpected and brought the port-a-potty. We made our own little outhouse right beside the tent for emergencies - which proved frequent at best!

Next, we failed to account for ALL of the downtime that camping brings so needless to say we were in the tent ready for bed and wide awake in the dark at 8:30p.m. We finally managed to fall asleep only to be awaken by the distinct sound of a Volkswagon bug, circa 1970, pulling in a few sites down. We assume this was probably 11p.m. or so but the people who drove in didn’t seem to mind a bit as they set up camp VERY enthusiastically, calling out to one another and banging around. Things finally died down about an hour later and we drifted off for another ten minutes or so when our daughter determined that she was cold and that my sleeping bag would be much warmer. After laying awake, drenched in sweat, wondering what was rustling around right outside our tent on the prowl for fresh humans I was more than anxious for the first trace of dawn. As soon as I could see the slightest glimpse of my hand in front of my face I roused the troops and began to cook breakfast. I don’t even think it was 5:30a.m. at this point but I was tired and feeling a little vindictive. I made sure that the “Bug” people were well aware that we could also do things enthusiastically. (Is there anything that zaps the Jesus right out of you like no sleep?) By 6:30a.m. breakfast was done, tent was packed and I had the peddle to the metal head back to civilization. Needless to say, it was the first AND it was the last camping trip for the McBride family.

All of that to bring you to question your own camping trip. When was the last time you went camping? Where did you pitch your tent? Did you make sure it was a safe place? For those of you who have never camped, although I highly recommend it at least once, what conditions would you look for in choosing a place to set up camp? Did you know that the Bible talks about camping? Yep, there are some camping stories in the word of God - and you thought the Bible was just about some really old people thousand of years ago wandering around in the desert.

As we begin let’s see how the word “tent” is used in scripture. First, the word tent is used to describe our bodies. In 2 Peter 1:13 our bodies are referred to as tents or temporary dwelling places. Our bodies house our souls but only as long as we are alive on this earth. Once we pass on our bodies die and are no longer of any use to us. So, it is a good analogy for us to be able to see how our bodies are tents. From here on out in this lesson when we talk about tents we will be talking about ourselves, our bodies.

Another word for tent in the Bible is the word “tabernacle” which also means “dwelling place”. Let’s take a moment for a brief history lesson here. When God, through Moses, led the Israelites out of Egypt he instructed them to build a “tabernacle” or special tent where His (God’s) presence could dwell among them. Are you starting to see the connection between tent, tabernacle and dwelling place? Okay, stay with me here. Once Jesus came He continued to talk about sending the Holy Spirit to believers once He ascended back to heaven so that they would always have the presence of God. However, for the believer, the Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell among us, He dwells within us! So, our bodies become His modern day tabernacle. That is why it says in 1 Corinithians 3:16-17; 6:19 that our bodies are the temple of God. Did you realize this? Did you know that when people say “God lives inside of us” it is true? What an amazing reality!

So, now that we have established our bodies as tents as well as God’s dwelling place we can get to the main point. Please read Psalm 91, for the sake of space I will not include it here. In verse one it states, “He who DWELLS in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”  Then drop down to verses nine and ten, “Because you have made the Lord your DWELLING place—the Most High, who is my refuge - no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your TENT.”

There is so much we could learn in these few verses but let’s stick to our camping theme. God is inviting us here to dwell in His shelter. In other words, He invites us to pitch our tent in His shelter, in His shadow and then He tells us what happens when we do: “Because you have pitched your tent in His shelter, no evil or plague will come near your tent. Now, does that mean that you will never be tempted, that you will never have a trial or that you will never be sick again? No! However, it does promise us two things:

First, that we are safe from the evil one. We can know that no temptation or trial will come upon us except for those that are filtered through the hand of God and if that is the case then we can rest assured those trials and temptations are for our good! As it says is James 1:2 “Count it all joy my sisters when you fall into various trials KNOWING that the testing of your faith produces patience. And let patience have it’s perfect work that you may be complete lacking nothing!”  

The second promise is not a guaranteed immunization from all sickness, but a promise to general safety and protection. It says in Proverbs 12:21, “No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.” As we set up camp near the Lord we are placing our trust in Him for our safety and protection.

So, are you ready to go camping? Are you ready to move your tent from wherever you have been to higher ground? You see, God never moves so, if we have left His presence it is because we have moved! The pull of the world can be very strong in our lives and we have to be vigilant to make sure we stay in His presence by being in His word, becoming a part of a church where you can fellowship with other believers and always communing with Him in prayer. Today is a beautiful day! It’s a great day to go camping! Don’t hesitate, pack up your bags and let’s get a move on!

Lessons from a Trumpet

I have been up for three hours already this morning stuck on one passage of scripture out of Numbers 10. I take it as a personal challenge to find relevance in books like Leviticus and Numbers. Mostly, because people are scared away by the mention of these books and I for one want to change that. Plus, I know that “ALL scripture is profitable for reproof, correction, instruction and training in righteousness” so I will hang on until I grasp it! (Sometimes it is a lot harder than others - case in point: genealogies). Anyway, I am constantly asking “Why?” all the time. Good thing that the Lord never tires of our questions because I am like the woman in the parable of the righteous judge - I can definitely “black the eye” over the number of questions I continually ask! I guess I am just not satisfied with the surface of anything, which definitely acts as a source of frustration on my part and no doubt on the part of the people around me! My parents are still not over it! You can only imagine how difficult it is to not always have answers from the Lord. He sanctifies me year after year in learning to trust even when I can’t connect all the dots. It is at these times I have to lean on His sovereignty and believe in faith that He is faithful!

So, this morning in Numbers 10:1-10 I was reading about the institution of trumpets in the nation of Israel. Seems pretty straightforward at first glance but I was drawn into the four particular events that called for the “blowing of the trumpet.” I was interested to see how and when we hear the trumpet in our own lives. First, why a trumpet of all things? Why not a harp or something more pleasant to the ear? This reminded me that in fourth grade my son had to pick an instrument for band. He was, as any fourth grade boy, drawn to the instrument that would make the most noise and quickly drive his mother to think unwholesome words! In this case that would have been the trumpet! We quickly had a meeting of the minds and he was persuaded in the more useful benefits of the violin. (I will say as a side note, that there simply isn’t a single instrument out there that doesn't sound like nails on a chalkboard that first year!) So, needless to say, the trumpet tends to have a distinct, bright sound that can bring one to attention, or tears, very quickly! The harp kind of gives the impression that maybe you can take your own sweet time getting to the matter but the trumpet can definitely tweak the ears!! On that observation, I assume this is why the trumpet and not the harp or some other more soothing instrument.

The trumpet was used in four situations. First, to summon the people, get their attention or call them to gather together. The second, to set them out to march, in other words, “MOVE!” The third instance, as an alarm in battle to “remind God to secure the victory for them.” Last, during days of gladness, feasts, the first of the month and over certain offerings. Okay, stick with me, don’t lose it before the blessing...How does this relate to us? We don’t readily hear or blow literal trumpets these days. But! God uses scripture, people and circumstances to sound trumpets in our lives. What’s the application? Let’s briefly look at each situation one by one.

The first instance was to summon the people. In Israel the only people who could blow the trumpets were the priests. Today, that can apply to us as believers since the Bible tells us we are a kingdom of priests (1 Peter 2:5,9). We can “blow our trumpets” to summon people but to what? Well, let me pose this question: “As a believer what is the one thing you would want to summon people to?” The answer is two-fold. We want to summon people to their sin (Is. 58:1) and then summon them to Christ (Is. 27:13). This is our purpose in all that we do as believers so it is appropriate that this is first. God also uses His word to summon us, to warn us, to get our attention. We are to heed the sound of His word.

Second, the trumpet blows to set us on the move! There are times when we need to get on with what the Lord has called us to do (Jer. 6:16-17). We can make many excuses, procrastinate til the cows come home or until the Lord comes back but that doesn’t bring the Lord glory! The Lord can use the trumpet of scripture or the trumpet of circumstance to jolt us into action and call us to attention. When He does, let’s get going!

Third, the trumpet sounds to “remind God to secure our victory.” In truth God doesn’t need a reminder to secure the victory for us but we do! This is more about reminding us that we serve a God who has gone before us and who continues before us! This reminds us to fight mightily against sin and the things that so easily entangle. Can you think of the most recognized story concerning trumpets in the Bible (Joshua 6)? Does seven times ring a bell? Do you think the Israelites felt totally ridiculous marching around the walls of Jericho and blowing horns the first six days? No doubt but I guarantee they didn’t feel stupid standing among the rubble on day seven! God had secured the victory before the first trumpet even blew on day one - it just took until day seven to see the fullness of the plan. Even though our eternal victory is already secured in Christ, often times we lose the daily victory because we don’t wait for it by persevering through the difficult thing. Perseverance is always about enduring patience. Wait for it, thought it tarry, it will come. Maybe not now and maybe not here on earth but it will come, rest assured!

Fourthly, the trumpet blows to signify joy and delight in our service. I like to think of this as our heart attitude before the Lord as we carry out all that He has given us to do in life (Ps. 19:14). Admittedly, there are times when my trumpet is totally out of tune and doesn’t sound like joy or delight! It is then that the Lord reminds me that I need to “tune my heart to sing His grace!”

We are divine trumpet blowers. We sound the call through our lives as we choose joy and call others to the Lord. We are affected by the sound of the trumpet from others as well. The Lord strategically places people in our lives to move us, to remind us of His victory and to summon us to do the right thing. Mostly, He does this through His word. We are commanded to test all things by scripture so that we are not easily led astray by a trumpet that isn’t following the Composer.

I think it is appropriate to end with thoughts toward the final trumpet sound. The one that will summon us, call us to move, make our victory final and give us greatest delight. It says this in 1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the LAST trumpet; for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed!” Hallelujah!

Today, let’s examine our lives and the trumpets we are sounding. Let’s be diligent to summon people to Christ, let’s get on with the thing that God has called us to do, namely glorifying Him in everything being reminded that He secures our victory through Jesus Christ which brings us unspeakable joy in the song of our hearts!

And She Shall Be Called...Quiet???

Things have been quiet for way too long but I figured after a whole week on the tongue and guarding our mouths that maybe that was appropriate. I will say that I have been increasingly aware of what, when and how I say things however, our adversary, who is good at what he does, has somehow used this to catapult me into not wanting to say anything at all! It has almost crossed the line, okay, it has crossed the line, into fear. I was reminded today that God does not give us a Spirit of fear...He gives us a powerful, Holy Spirit that guides and controls our tongues when we submit to His authority!

Is there a lesson coming?? Why, I’m glad you asked, of course there is! The lesson to be learned in all of this is two-fold: First, Satan can take anything we are attempting to do for the glory of God and distort it if we let him. As humans we just don’t know the appropriate balance between lethargy and obsession...this would be called moderation. Ah, I am the queen of extremes!! I am all or nothing, hot or cold, hit or miss - no in between! This has served me well in some capacities but not well in others. I can get a task done, now - I won’t even kid you on that, detailed down to the minutia of it all! BUT! As far as addictions in my life, and mind you, addictions don’t have to be drugs and alcohol, we can make ANYTHING an addiction (aka idolatry). As far as addictions in my life I HAVE an addictive personality! I can go completely overboard with anything if given the chance! Exercise, food (yes, I do one so that I can do the other), bible study, parenting, being a “helper” to my husband (ladies you know what I’m talkin’ about), student, gardener etc; etc; etc; So, I have to constantly realign myself with scripture, reign myself in...look at Jesus! He is the perfect balance between grace and truth, He is moderation! He was passionate with patience. (Ummm, if I learn this one my sanctification will be complete). He was and still is correction with compassion. He is loving and discerning at the same time. This is what I long to be! I pray for it daily, indeed hourly at times, to be the balance of grace and truth that brings Him glory!

Which leads me to the next point, although it has tarried for a bit: The second thing that needs to be learned out of this “fearful oppression” is that sin will never leave us in this life! We will never be perfect! We will never be able to say all things with grace and compassion. We will never be able to say everything at the right time in the right way. We will never attain perfection as long as we are on this earth. It says in James that “she who is able to bridle the tongue is perfect.” Well, that ain’t me! And, never will be! That doesn’t mean that “I sin so that grace may abound”. That means that I give myself grace, not too much, but enough to see that perfection isn’t attainable. Then, I glory in confession and repentance which draws me back to the gospel again and again! If I reached perfection in any aspect of my life then Jesus died in vain! If I am able to reach the pinnacle of sinlessness on my own then I would do it and never look to the cross. The truth is ...I can’t, so I continue to fall on the mercy of the Lord to cleanse me, convict me, pick me up, dust me off and encourage me to keep going because He is faithful to complete the good work which He started in me!

I have to remember that sin persists and grace abounds. Let me say that again, sin persists and grace abounds! I hate my sin because it sent Jesus to the cross but I love the grace that the cross brings! How I cling to that grace! Grace that drives me to repentance. Grace that grants me forgiveness. Grace that is greater than all my sin!
“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured! There where the blood of the lamb was spilt!
Grace, grace, God’s grace! Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!
Grace, grace God’s grace! Grace that is greater than ALL my sin!”

And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (The Tongue - Day Five)

Well, it is our last day together on the tongue. For any of you who missed my post on Saturday about my own “incident”, I am going to recount the whole sordid thing again. I figure this will teach the entire lesson on what our speech SHOULD NOT be. Nothing like learning it before you teach it. Here goes:

I’m going to embarassingly (I know, not a real word!) tell on myself. Just last week I commented on a blog post from a blog that I visit regularly. I will not incur any more shame by telling you which blog it was however, I got REALLY fired up about what was being said because it seemed to be mocking the word of God. Now, I am definitely a passionate person and therefore it doesn’t take much to get me fired up but I am fiercely defensive of God’s word! (Lesson number one: God’s word needs no defense, it speaks for itself!) Anyway, I posted a comment in great haste, violating the command for a timely response AND it was pretty nasty! I crossed over from using my words to edify into slander and complete condemnation - in print, mind you! Yes, out there with my name on it for the WHOLE world to see. Well, the person that responded to my comment did so with such grace and civility that I looked like even more of a complete fool than before (if that was possible!). To make things worse, they give other readers the ability to “like” or “dislike” each comment and I was racking up the “dislikes” big time. I was actively looking for a hole to crawl into, quickly! It felt like something etched into the bathroom stall in high school for all the generations to come! I was convicted, embarrassed, mortified and Kraig even agreed, “this one was a doozy!” I had just finished up my neat and tidy five-day devotional study on the tongue...yes, I said the tongue and I had fallen flat on my face in an effort to retain one iota of what I had studied!!

I quickly hit the floor in repentance and then asked God to give me some very appropriate words to admit my sin, to the whole blog world! Humble pie is not so tasty to the flesh but it is soothing to the soul. Why? Because it was the right thing to do! I hemmed and hawed over that one comment for three days! I beat myself up, swore off the spoken and written word forever and was ready to take down my blog. Kraig was excited at the possibilities...but then he said, “Honey, this is a lesson. You are learning for those you are teaching and just because you are teaching doesn’t mean you are above stumbling...Amen and ah...Amen! Oh, and by the way, next time, sleep on it or at least let someone else read it before you click ‘reply.’” Okay, I got it, believe me I GOT IT! I had just taught myself this entire series of lessons in one fell swoop! So, lest you think there will be a time when words won’t be an issue, think again!

I guess the point I want to drive home is this: When we start to stray from the facts and start to attack someone’s character we have crossed the line into sin. If I had stayed with the facts at hand, presented scripture and let it speak for itself I would have saved myself alot of trouble. It says in Ephesians 4:31-32a, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander be put away from you with all malice and be KIND one to another!” I was not kind and I had slandered with anger the character of a person I did not know who is made in the image of God. I was wrong! Lesson painfully learned! So, I want you to know that I have learned these lessons in writing them and very recently, in living them. And lastly, I want to add, I finally feel that my blog name is totally correct, I am “growing in grace” and it is DEFINITELY one inch at a time!!!

Well, there you have it! So, I will quickly list out the things that our speech should be free from and give you several references to wrap up. Here goes, our speech should be free from: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice, flattery, course jesting and anything that is unspiritual, unfitting, unkind, insensitive, unwholesome, idle, degrading, untruthful (lies), unloving and deceitful (Eph. 4:29-31; Col. 4:6; Eph 5:15; Prov. 25:1; John 12:49-50). This list is by no means exhaustive and you can certainly find many great, pithy sayings about the tongue in the book of Proverbs. Nearly every chapter has at least one reference to the tongue and most have multiple scriptures about the mouth.

I hope you have enjoyed the study. I know at times it has been long but I hope you have learned something. I hope that you will walk away from this with a greater understanding of what our talk should look like as women of God. Communicating is so important to us, even genetically predetermined for those of us with XX chromosomes. Let’s purpose in our hearts to be wise with our words and affect our world and the people around us for good when we speak! I know if I’m going to ever have to eat my words, I want them to taste good going down, don’t you?

And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (The Tongue - Day Four)

Okay, ladies, we have covered a lot of ground in the first few days of study about the tongue. I think this might be one that I read and reread to keep myself in check! I will say it has definitely taught me alot that I didn’t know. To recap where we have been, Monday we looked at the origin of the spoken word and its power. Tuesday we discovered the definition of the tongue and its ability to be as sharp as knives that wound or soothing to someone’s spirit. Wednesday we learned that our words are connected to the state of our hearts and are indicators of our spiritual “fruit bearing.”

So, let’s bring this thing full circle. When should we speak and what should we say? In other words, what does good fruit sound like? Today we will address what our speech should be then tomorrow we will wrap up with what our speech shouldn’t be. We will take our study today from Ephesians 4:29,“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

First, our words should be timely (according to the need of the moment). “A woman has joy in an apt answer and how delightful is a timely word” (Prov. 15:23). “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things” (Prov. 15:28). Sometimes the right answer is not right away. Have you ever said something and then realized it just wasn’t the right time? There are times when we can give a helpful, edifying word but if it is at the improper moment it can fall on deaf ears. Often, it is wise of us to test the suitability of the listener to hear the word we have to say. For example, when someone is upset or distraught over something they may not be at a point to receive anything. It may take wisdom on our parts to understand that listening first and talking later is the best choice. In my marriage, with my children and at times with friends I have to wait in order to be heard. This is not something that comes naturally for most of us. It is difficult to restrain myself when I have something I want to say but listen to the mental imagery of the latter part of verse 28: “the mouth of the wicked POURS OUT evil things.” How many times have I crossed the line from a disagreement to a full blown argument because I have “poured out” words without restraint? I could write a book, a series of books on this one! So, the word instructs us to PONDER, pour over instead of pour out, how we should respond. Lastly, a timely answer brings joy and delight! You know, if I’m going to take the time to say it, I want it to be received but not only that, received with joy and delight. The hearer is much more likely to heed or take in what I am saying if they receive it with joy or delight!

Second, our words are to be healing or edifying (but only such a word as is good for edification). “A healing (soothing) tongue is a tree of life” (Prov. 15:4). The term healing here gives us the picture of our words being like medicine to a wound. Think about how cool water feels on a burn or salve to a cut. The term “tree of life” is a metaphor referring to temporal and spiritual renewal and refreshment. We can renew and refresh the spirit of others when we speak soothing words. The other word here is edifying. We hear that word alot but aren’t always sure what it means. The word “edify” means “to build or lift up”. Pretty simple. We are using the power of our words for good when we build and lift people up with them rather than tearing down. AKA, no slander!

Third, our speech is to be full of grace. “Let your speech always be with grace..so that it may gives grace to those who hear” (Col 4:6a, Eph 4:29). The word grace comes from the word “charis” and is defined as “that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight or causes favorable regard.” This is pretty self-explanatory. Our speech ought to bestow pleasure, delight and cause someone to regard us in a favorable light when we talk. We can all think of someone that has the ability to say the right thing in all situations. Think about how you would characterize their speech. I bet you would say that they use their words to bestow pleasure and delight rather than pain and ruin! Enough said..no pun intended.

Fourth, our speech is to be seasoned with salt. “Let your speech always be with grace as seasoned with salt that you will know how to respond to each person” (Col 4:6). I want to focus briefly here on the purposes of salt. Salt can be used for many things. It can be used as a flavor-enhancer. It can be used as a preservative. It can heal a wound. Let’s bridge the gap from its uses to how that looks in our conversations. First, there is taste or flavor, seasoning that keeps things from being bland. Sometimes our speech can add some good “flavor” to the lives of those around us. Think humor. Think storytelling (not gossip) but just a good, true story! Second, it can preserve. Sometimes our words are used to confront (in love), instruct, guide, help and caution. This helps to preserve or protect others. As women, we have to be VERY careful that our words don’t get too salty in this area! We should approach with humility and love when we are seeking to confront, instruct, guide, help or caution! Lastly, it can heal. How many times have you had a sore throat or some kind of oral surgery, even losing a tooth where you have been instructed to rinse with salt water. Why? Not to make you gag, although that is a nice bonus but because salt has healing properties. I don’t know about you but I want my words to bring healing to those who hear.

Fifth, our speech is to be wholesome. I can make this short and sweet. Wholesome means “devoid of decay” or “the opposite of something that is putrid or rotten.” In other words, foul as in foul language. I have heard two things that have stuck with me for many years and I find them to be true over and over again. First, people use profanity out of ignorance because they can’t think of anything more intelligent to say. Second, there is nothing more unfeminine and unladylike than a foul mouth! I think of a beautiful woman with every hair in place, makeup on, pretty smile and then she lets a string of words go that would make a sailor blush. Something about that just makes her look plain rotten. The bottom line, it isn’t necessary! There are so many other words that can be used besides the five or six that are undoubtedly unwholesome!

And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (The Tongue - Day Three)

When my oldest was born the very first time he cried (in the south we sometimes say “squalled” as in “he was squallin’ his head off) which was almost immediately after he took his first good breath of air, we noticed that there was a little sliver of skin that attached the end of his tongue to the bottom of his mouth. The doctor promptly informed us he was tongue-tied. He assured us this was not a problem and as long as it didn’t affect his speech or his ability to eat then he could remain that way otherwise we could have it clipped. Well, as a first time mother I was in no hurry to cause my child any undue pain and suffering so we decided to wait it out. Eleven years later I can report with certainty that it has neither affected his speech or his ability to eat! Just like he had a connection that couldn’t be severed without some kind of intervention, we also have a connection between our hearts and our mouths that is in need of an intervention!

Yesterday, we looked at the biblical definition for the word “tongue” and discovered that it means language or speech. We also discovered that the power of our tongue or speech can be used for good or evil. Let’s venture back to scripture and pick up where we left off in Genesis 11:1-9. If you aren’t familiar with the story of the tower of Babel or even if you are, take a minute to read this passage again. Do you see in verse one it says that the whole earth used the same language and the same words? Up to this point everyone was “uni-lingual”, that’s fancy for saying they all spoke the same language, no language barrier here. So, the people used their powers of communication to make a plan to build a tower so tall that they would be known for their abilities. In other words, they would seek to usurp God’s glory and take it for themselves! We aren’t even eleven chapters into the first book of the Bible and we are already using our words to try and make a name for ourselves and we have been doing it ever since! Do you see how the power of the tongue, mixed with our sin is a toxic combination?

Let me take a minute here to encourage each of you to take an inventory of your speech as a whole. I find myself doing this more and more often especially after I have had a conversation where I have done most of the talking instead of listening. I know the truth that “where there are many words sin is unavoidable” (Prov. 10:19). So, I try to retrace when I could have listened, what wasn’t necessary for me to say and Lord help me, what I shouldn’t have said. The more I do that in my own life, the more I become “swift to hear and slow to speak” (James 1: 19)! I realize I could avoid a lot of trespass by just shutting up! One thing that I try to remind myself of often, “just because you think it, doesn’t mean you have to say it.” Just because I have something to contribute to the conversation doesn’t mean I should. I’m not talking about “if you can’t say anything nice”, I’m just talking about the need to be heard. There is humility in realizing maybe what you have to say really isn’t that important! Why? Because of one verse that ruminates in my head regularly, “I tell you on the day of judgment people will give an account for every idle word they speak” (Matt. 12:36). The word “idle” can also be translated careless or empty, UNFRUITFUL. Every one of us will stand before the Lord and give an account for our very words! When I think of all the words I have spoken, I know I will be there a VERY, VERY long time and I will have no excuse for all of the careless, empty, idle words I have spoken over a lifetime. Scripture says, “It is to your Father’s glory that you bear much fruit” (John 15:8). There is no qualifier there so I can bear fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in word OR in deed BUT I can also be unfruitful in word or in deed! The link is easily made that it is NOT to our Father’s glory when we don’t bear fruit with our words.

You may be wondering, what’s the big deal in just a little meaningless talk here and there? I mean, goodness knows, I’ve whiled away hours talking about little less than nothing with my best friend since I was 10 years old! The danger is not the length, although we have discovered that more words increase the probability of sin. The danger is in the nature of the conversation. Lengthy conversations tend to digress in benefit and increase in futility. Remember the connection I talked about in the beginning between our hearts and our mouths? Here’s the connecting analogy (hang in there with me): good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit! On occasion a good tree will produce some bad fruit but not as a rule! It is an accurate indicator of the state of our hearts when we cannot control our tongues and when we spew venom with our lips! “Out of the treasure of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). I am going to paraphrase James 3:9-12: Blessing and cursing can’t come from the same mouth just like a spring of water cannot bring forth fresh and salty water at the same time. An apple tree brings forth apples not figs! The lesson? Like produces like! So, whatever resides in your heart is what comes out in your speech that is why it says in Matthew 7:16 “you will know them (believers and unbelievers) by their fruit! Oh, the importance of examining our lives, speech included, to see if we are truly believers. Wow! Don’t you just love how God’s word affirms itself over and over?

I would be remiss if I did not give a clear message for the necessity of a change of heart in order to precipitate a change in speech. If we are trying to apply all of these truths to our lives on our own, we may succeed for a time but in the long run we will always come up short. The only permanent change for our hearts is the cleansing that comes from faith in Jesus alone by grace alone. The scripture is clear that our hearts are “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” which doesn’t make for a good outcome for us! Every single one of us has “sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and we are required to pay for that sin with our death because the “wages (payment,price) of sin is death.” This is a fatal wound that leaves us dead in our sins and unable to bring life to ourselves. Can one bring life to himself after he is dead? So, we are dead and unable to pay the price to buy back our lives from the grips of sin and hell. But God...don’t you love that statement...BUT GOD intervened! “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8). What a glorious truth! The payment is made, we are justified by the blood of Christ and then we are given a new heart and the gift of the Holy Spirit which in turn makes us alive! From death to life, from an evil heart to a heart of love, from words that wound to words that heal! I will close today with Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (The Tongue - Day Two)

I have always been fascinated by people who can touch their nose with their tongues! My husband and daughter can do this and we have appropriately named them “lizard tongue”. I also have a complex because not only can I not touch my nose with my tongue (not like this is a talent to be coveted) but I also can not roll my tongue hence the reason I took Latin instead of Spanish. I have given my children many a laugh trying to roll my r’s without spitting all over the place. I am determined to learn this trick before I die so, many times in the privacy of my car as I’m driving to and from carpool I will practice. Not at stoplights lest someone think me an idiot but if you happen to check me out in the rearview mirror it could be a good laugh!
Although we can do many things with our tongues from eating to touching our noses, primarily they are used for speech. We discovered yesterday that our tongues are powerful for good or evil. Before we proceed into the study of good speech versus bad speech we need to see how the “tongue” is used in scripture. This is establishing context for us.

After tracing back to the first spoken word, the next thing I did in my research was go straight to “Vine’s Bible Dictionary” to retrieve the most accurate biblical rendering of the word “tongue”. Since we are using the truth of scripture to intercede and take over our mouths a regular Webster’s won’t work. Why? You may or may not know that the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Well, since most of us don’t know or speak either one, hence the phrase, “It’s all Greek to me,” people have spent many years translating the Hebrew and Greek into English. From there, people have spent many more years translating the English into varying translations within our language. Some people are loyal to one particular translation whereas others are happy to study more than one, sometimes at once, which is called a “Parallel Bible” or confusing! However, the English language, as wordy as it is, does not come close to containing all of the specific words needed to describe the more detailed Hebrew and Greek languages. For example, when we use the word “love” we can mean anything that we have an affection for, from chocolate to shoes, I happen to LOVE both. We can also say we love our spouses (depending on the day of the month and his attentiveness meter), our hair (again depending on the day of the month and its obedience to the “iron of choice” that day) and any other person, place or thing that would not fall under the category of repulsive or loathsome. So, you can see the issue. We “love” just about everything. However, when the Bible was written there were multiple words that could be translated today as “love” depending on who, what and how you were talking about it. I’ll spare you the many definitions but if you get a chance sometime you should check out “love” in Vine’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible”.

In looking up “tongue” it comes from the Hebrew word “lashon” (sounds a little like “lash on”) and is defined as language or speech. This is probably where we get the phrases “lash out” or “tongue lashing” when we talk about someone who is on a verbal tirade. Interestingly enough, “tongue” is bookended between “tomorrow” and “torment”. Initially, that struck me as funny but then I thought, how poignant because when we speak, words are written in ink not pencil and they can continue to torment tomorrow and many days after. Which brings us to our second point about the tongue: our words are a matter of life and death. It says in Proverbs 18:21, “the power of life and death are in the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.” A few chapters before that in Proverbs 12:18 it says, “the words of the reckless pierce like swords but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Our words have the power of life and death behind them. It would only take a minute for many of you to think of one, just one, comment that a parent, friend or spouse said to you that you will never forget, good or bad. Indelibly printed into our minds, forever. For me, those statements are so seared into my brain that I can even remember many details about my surroundings when they were spoken. However, I can also remember, just as vividly, times when I said something to someone that brought life or death. Once those words left my lips there was no taking them back and no amount of apology would suffice for the hurt they caused!

“Even so the tongue is a little member (of our bodies) that boasts great things; but no woman can tame the tongue, it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison!” (James 3:5,8) The thing that God gave us to praise Him, to communicate with one another for encouragement, healing and exhortation we have turned into a deadly weapon. How do we progress from here? How do we move forward in being WISE with our tongues? How do we become life-givers instead of women who slay others with our words? That’s enough to make you not want to say another word but thankfully God has given us instruction through His word on how and when we ought to speak. The rest of this week will address these questions.

And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (The Tongue - Day One)

Few things are as universal to us as women like speech or more specifically the enjoyment of the “gift of gab”. Thanks to modern day technology, between the telephone, texting, tweeting, email and Facebook we can successfully be involved in constant conversation from the time our feet hit the floor in the morning until our heads hit the pillow at night! We just love to talk about anything, everything and nothing at all! My eight year old proves this genetically predisposed fact every morning. From the time her feet hit the floor she is talking. There are times when she will be talking while I am cooking dinner and I will drift off into thought only to come back to and find her STILL talking. As long as I offer a sufficient “uh-huh” every few minutes, and sometimes when I don’t, she is content to carry on. It used to be when she was little and took baths that she would ask Kraig to come “sit on the potty” to talk with her while she played in the tub because she didn’t want to be alone! It became a running joke in our house that anytime someone wanted to talk we would say, “Come sit on the potty!” But no one had to teach her this! She was only 3 or 4, just old enough to put sentences together and she wanted to share her thoughts and feelings, her WORDS, with somebody!

From a very young age we wait for babies to say their first words. We even look like speech pathologists mouthing “Mama” and “Dada” to our newborns in hopes they will be verbal over-achievers. Then, it isn’t long before we wish that there was a button we could push that would take “Mama” off the vocabulary list for at least a few hours, especially around age 2 and 3 and 4...11. But truthfully, we long to be able to have our children and others around us express what they are thinking and feeling. Perhaps this is why we get so frustrated at men for not talking because we thrive on communication. So, what do we do with all of this? Our words. When to speak, what to say, how much to say, how to say it. There is wisdom in learning to use our tongues for good and to make the most of every word we say.

It is appropriate for us to see where the first word was spoken and its context. If you go all the way back to Genesis 1:3 we have record of the very first words spoken, “And God SAID, ‘Let there be light.’” So, we see that God was the one who spoke the first words and that His words were very powerful. So powerful in fact that He created the entire universe with the spoken word! This brings us to our first point about words: words are powerful! As the creature, our words are not equal in power with God’s words however, being made in the image of God, we are privileged with the ability to communicate. Initially, our words were ultimately to praise God and communicate with other people but very soon after Genesis 1:3 things started to go awry!

In Genesis 3 God creates Adam and Eve and places them in the garden. Up to this point in scripture, God has spoken to Adam to INSTRUCT him about his responsibilities in the garden and also to WARN him about about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then, in Genesis 3:1 the serpent enters the picture and he SPEAKS to entice Eve and tempt her to sin. Then, she SPEAKS back and it is all over from there! Satan initiated the conversation and she joined in. How different would this encounter have been if there had been no words exchanged? Although we will never know the answer to that question we can clearly see the power of the spoken word. Wow, how this teaches us! Three very important points to take with us from this passage:
1 - We must realize the importance of every conversation, indeed every word. There are some people we don’t need to be having conversations with...calling out “Debbie Downer, Negative Nelly and Scoffing ??” (couldn’t think of a name that goes with that but you get the point). There are some topics we don’t need to be talking about. We have to be wise when choosing the person we go to about certain subjects. Your best friend may not be the best person to talk to about marital issues if she jumps on the bandwagon of “husband bashing” with you! In this case, Eve should have ended the conversation the minute Satan attempted to confuse what God had said.
2 - We must realize the importance of not always being involved in every conversation. Often, we feel that it is necessary to put in our “two cents”. There is a sense of validation that we get from having been heard. The Lord has really dealt with me on this because Proverbs 10:19 says, “where there is a multitude of words, sin is unavoidable. Simply put, the more you say, the more likely you are to say something you shouldn’t! We don’t always have to be heard. Case in point, Eve didn’t have to entertain the conversation, she could have remained silent choosing not to engage the serpent which ultimately led to her vulnerability. It opened up her mind to his scheming.
3 - We must realize the importance of choosing our words carefully and not using them in order to persuade others to sin. There is something inherent in us as women that gives us the ability to persuade others to do what we want them to do. The term coined for this would be “feminine wiles”. Need a mental picture? Think Delilah or Scarlett O’hara! Got it? There is a certain sway that we as women can have over men in general. It usually starts with a little girl and her Daddy. I have had a front row seat to the tugging of my daughter at her Daddy’s heartstrings. She could get just about anything she wanted from him with a word and sometimes it wouldn’t even take that much! From there, we start to see our powers of persuasion over young adolescent boys and it isn’t long before we are as silver-tongued as any snake charmer! Girls, this is flattery and it is sin! The word is very clear about flattery and the use of words for selfish gain. “A flattering mouth works ruin” (Prov. 26:28). We must guard ourselves against using our mouths to persuade people against their will! Eve persuaded her husband, enticed him to sin without a word! She was the instigator and look at the consequences. Thousands of years later we are still reeling from the results of her sin.

As we close out day one of our look at taming the tongue, let’s begin to ask the Lord to make us aware of our words. When we speak, how often we speak, what we say, to whom do we say it etc; If we were limited in what we could say how would it affect our conversations during the day? Let’s commit to bring our tongues under submission of the Holy Spirit and ask Him to be Lord over our mouths to use them for blessing instead of cursing, good instead of evil and building up instead of tearing down.

Can you say..."Dull of hearing?"

I’m going to embarassingly (I know, not a real word!) tell on myself. Just last week I commented on a blog post from a blog that I visit regularly. I will not incur any more shame by telling you which blog it was however, I got REALLY fired up about what was being said because it seemed to be mocking the word of God. Now, I am definitely a passionate person and therefore it doesn’t take much to get me fired up but I am fiercely defensive of God’s word! (Lesson number one: God’s word needs no defense, it speaks for itself!) Anyway, I posted a comment in great haste, violating the command for a timely response AND it was pretty nasty! I crossed over from using my words to edify into slander and complete condemnation - in print, mind you! Yes, out there with my name on it for the WHOLE world to see. Well, the person that responded to my comment did so with such grace and civility that I looked like even more of a complete fool than before (if that was possible!). To make things worse, they give other readers the ability to “like” or “dislike” each comment and I was racking up the “dislikes” big time. I was actively looking for a hole to crawl into, quickly! It felt like something etched into the bathroom stall in high school for all the generations to come! I was convicted, embarrassed, mortified and Kraig even agreed, “this one was a doozy!” I had just finished up my neat and tidy five-day devotional study on the tongue...yes, I said the tongue and I had fallen flat on my face in an effort to retain one iota of what I had studied!!

I quickly hit the floor in repentance and then asked God to give me some very appropriate words to admit my sin, to the whole blog world! Humble pie is not so tasty to the flesh but it is soothing to the soul. Why? Because it was the right thing to do! I hemmed and hawed over that one comment for three days! I beat myself up, swore off the spoken and written word forever and was ready to take down my blog. Kraig was excited at the possibilities...but then he said, “Honey, this is a lesson. You are learning for those you are teaching and just because you are teaching doesn’t mean you are above stumbling...Amen and ah...Amen! Oh, and by the way, next time, sleep on it or at least let someone else read it before you click ‘reply.’” Okay, I got it, believe me I GOT IT! I had just taught myself this entire series of lessons in one fell swoop! So, lest you think there will be a time when words won’t be an issue, think again!

I guess the point I want to drive home is this: When we start to stray from the facts and start to attack someone’s character we have crossed the line into sin. If I had stayed with the facts at hand, presented scripture and let it speak for itself I would have saved myself alot of trouble. It says in Ephesians 4:31-32a, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander be put away from you with all malice and be KIND one to another!” I was not kind and I had slandered with anger the character of a person I did not know, who is also made in the image of God. I was wrong! Lesson painfully learned! So, I want you to know that I have learned these lessons in writing them and very recently, in living them. And lastly, I want to add, I finally feel that my blog name is totally correct, I am “growing in grace” and it is DEFINITELY one inch at a time!!!