P.R.A.Y.

It seems blogs are hard to fit into my schedule these days.
In truth, they've always been hard to fit into my schedule.  But I do like to write when there's time.  I wonder if that will be in 10 years...when little boys are gone and I'm trying to fill hours previously occupied by book reading, math teaching, history devouring, and just kid learning in general.  It's ok.  I have many ambitions.  But am learning that I must prioritize those ambitions alongside the things I am obligated to, and maybe the extras will fit in later.

So, I've had these thoughts jotted down on my to-do list for at least two months.  Oh well.  Sooner or later it hits the old blog.

I enjoyed the pleasure of dancing at The Rock in San Diego in December for an event their women's ministry was putting on.  A woman spoke and, though I can't remember her name, I do remember her heart.  One of the many valuable nuggets she mentioned was a very practical tool that she suggested to us.

P.R.A.Y.

Sometimes we get so busy and so overwhelmed but it only takes a couple of minutes to P.R.A.Y.

And, though I do usually have the chance to study the Bible most mornings, I have decided to apply P.R.A.Y. to my almost-daily clothes-hanging time.

Jamie got me a cute clothesline a few months ago and boy, do I love it!!  I feel like I'm channelling my darling Grandma.  Weird, I know.  But really I do love it.  It forces me outside for at least 10-15 minutes a day (and usually motivates me to be out there more) where I can listen to the birds sing, the wind blow, the few words of walkers and bike-riders as they pass by, the dogs barking, today it was the unpleasant yelling of a distant neighbor (not my fave), but overall it is a pleasant-to-the-ear time.  I love, in this season, that I can immerse myself in the smell of the orange and grapefruit blossoms...absolutely my favorite aroma on earth.  And I love that for a few minutes a day, I can breathe and slow down...because hanging clothes and folding them takes time and can't be rushed and must be done.  So I allow myself... no, I force myself to pause.  And during that pause I P.R.A.Y. -  just like that darling lady at The Rock suggested.

Praise God for His goodness.
Repent of my recent sins and misbehaviors.
Ask those things which my heart desires.
Yield to His will even if it's not what I thought I wanted; knowing that He is good always.

This only takes a few minutes and I have enjoyed this (somewhat) regularly scheduled time where I converse with God.

You know what I've noticed, though?
Every day I have to repent of something.  Every.single.day.  Really?  I realized this after about a week or so of daily repenting.  I went out there one day and I thought, "Maybe today I have nothing to repent of." And about 1.5 seconds later I realized I did have something to repent of.  And it's pretty much been like that every day.  ...except now I'm not surprised.  I always say something I shouldn't have.  Or had a bad attitude toward a member of my family.  Or should have exerted more energy and attention into this or that. Or, or, or.  Ho hum.  "The heart is deceitfully wicked.  Who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9)  "For we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23)
Don't I know it?  I fall short every single day.

"Purify me from my sins, 

and I will be clean; 

Wash me, and I will be

whiter than snow.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

and make me willing to obey You."

~Psalm 51:7,12

It's such a bummer to be convicted.  All I want is to feel free, clean, and not bear the weight of even my smallest and most unintentional sin.  And so we lay these at His feet.  He takes it.  We may have to make it right within our own earthly relationships, but He is faithful and just to forgive us of ours ins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Anyway, I thought that maybe I might not be the only one who has something to repent of every day.  And thought I'd mention the easy practice of P.R.A.Y.ing.

God bless you,

Lord,
How discontent have I been these last couple of days?  Wickedly discontent.

Good timing for a lesson today about Psalm 90 and the importance of numbering my days and not wasting my life.

Nothing surprises You.  You are sovereign.  (I love the word "sovereign.")

You know the wickedness of our hearts, the secret darkness lurking in thoughts we would never willingly allow to escape.

The heart is deceitfully wicked.  Who can know it?
Answer: You.  You know it.  I try to mask and pretend even around You that I'm not as awful as I am, but then I realize that I'm vainly striving to convince You of anything other than reality.  And it is so much better, so much more freeing to just honestly and humbly confess the depravity of my thoughts and beg You to change me, to cause me to be grateful because in everything You have a great purpose: to cause me to be better and more like You, to help and comfort others who will later walk this same path, and for me to desire heaven more.

Change, comfort, fill me.  You know me so well.  I am so glad.

prayer

Sovereign, Almighty Creator, Daddy God,

Thank You for showing Yourself real and true.  In a place where reality is a carnal, ridiculous t.v show and truth is redefined as null, nonexistent, or relative and arbitrary.

So few cling to You anymore.  Even those who seemed to be Your own are turning away to satisfy their itching ears.  I think that's the most disappointing: when those who claim Your truth, love, and salvation pursue the world's version of it...which is a lie and nothing at all, yet the consequences are eternally devastating.

Redeeming Hero of the universe, allow failure to come so that a greater miracle can be done ...to widen our faith and to show Yourself sovereign and worthy of glory.

Come rescue us in this epic life we participate in.  We need our Hero to redeem us from the hand of the enemy and cause us to live happily ever after in Your holy and perfect presence.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

returning to the yoke of bondage?

Precious friends of ours fled to the U.S. from Russia in 1991 because they had seen horrors of communism and were concerned that the future of Russia would not be good.  Tonight, I engaged in conversation with them about World War II, Russia, etc... and the husband brought up the current GOP political candidates.  He became incredibly impassioned about the route America is heading down and how totally horrendous it is.  He was angry that he had fled from the oppressions of communism in Russia only to find that it is chasing him and breathing down his neck here in "free" America.  And he asked, "Where do we go if we can't be free here?!"

If an ex-Russian American who survived the horrors of communism during the Cold War is fearful and angry over what this present administration is doing to our country, then we all ought to be gravely concerned; and we all ought to speak and act.  

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery." ~Galatians 5:1

This man has vowed to continue to speak against communism and the direction many leaders of this country wish to take us.  He has vowed to share his own experiences.  Will we listen and heed?

We must.

"If we lose freedom here,

there is no place to escape to.

This is the last stand on earth."

~Ronald Reagan

childlike faith

Last Monday night, I received a mysterious text from my darling Aunt asking if we had time for a visitor the following day.  Umm, yeah!

She arrived by 9am on Tuesday morning.

In our preparation to welcome her, Brandon asked me, "Mommy, Great Aunt Toby doesn't know Jesus, does she?"
"No, she doesn't, sweetie," I said.
"Well then, we need to tell her."
"Yes, we do.  Knowing Jesus is the most important thing we do in our whole life."

I didn't know if Brandon really had anything planned and so we continued cleaning up the house (it had gotten neglected...nothing like a surprise visitor to whip us/it into shape in light speed!).

She arrived and the boys were so excited that I'm pretty sure they pulled every toy they own out of their room to show to her.  Silas dragged out this gun and that gun.  LOL.  Eventually we sat down at the table for some pancakes and pears.

Brandon: "Great Aunt Toby?  I want to read something to you."  He proceeded to pull out and read from his Bible various memory verses he had collected from church in recent weeks.  "I'll be right back, Great Aunt Toby, there's something I have to get from my room."  He returned a few seconds later with a neon green bracelet with the words "Jesus made me special" stitched onto it.  "Great Aunt Toby, do you know why I am wearing this bracelet?"

After breakfast, she and I collected the dishes, cleaned up, and chatted.  Brandon entered the kitchen and said, "Great Aunt Toby, I want to read my Bible to you."  Me: "Brandon, can you wait a minute until we finish talking?"  So, Brandon with his Bible sat on the bench in the dining room and patiently waited for us to finish.  Finally, I realized (yes, some of us are slower than others) his motive.  He wanted to share God's Word, God's love and Jesus with my Aunt whom we all love so dearly and pray for so often and desperately plea with the Lord for her salvation and that of her entire family.  I asked him to read to Aunt Toby in the living room while I finished cleaning up.  He read the most random passage from 1 Samuel....all I could hear was something about boiled meat. LOL.  And she helped him with all the hard words...and it blessed my heart.  (All the while, Silas was blasting into the living room with this weapon and that.  Bahahaha!)  It was certainly a sight!  So funny and sweet.  But later as I pondered the morning and really let Brandon's actions settle into my core, I realized that it wasn't just sweet or cute, it was all that I desire as a mother: to raise children who understand the most precious thing in life is Jesus and to introduce others to Him.  It is EVERYTHING.  My 7-year-old, more bold than I, did what I should have done many times over.  And he did it without considering rejection, ridicule, embarrassment.  What a sweet gift he desired to give to my Aunt.  And what a blessing he is to my own heart.

My Aunt is so beautiful and dear to me.  I love her life and her attitude about things.  I see in her so much of what I want to be.  Her first grandchild will arrive in another month...and I am a little jealous of this precious one soon to be born because I have coveted and loved her attention and affection imparted to my own boys.  Soon, she will have her own grandson to embrace, snuggle, chase and have fun with.  Really, I am glad.  Everyone should have a grandma like the one she is going to be.

Share Jesus with your children and with all --- in love, in word, in deed, and in truth.  Raise disciples of Him who gave everything for you and for me and do not hinder them to share.

Have childlike faith.

"Whoever receives one of these little children in My name, receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me." ~Mark 9:37

More on SB48 - Don't give up your precious kids to the system!

This is a continuation of my previous post regarding the passage of SB48.  I can not stress enough the importance of standing up against this unwanted legislation.  I urge you, if at all possible, to withdraw your child from the public school system.

"The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." ~Abraham Lincoln

Do you have a child in the government school system?  What are you to do?  School administrators believe that you hand your children over to the government and that you relinquish your rights as a parent the second your children darken the school door.  People have been imprisoned for defying this.  There is nothing you can do about what is fed into the mind of your precious child once they are on school grounds.  Your child is being brainwashed to think that there is no truth, no good or evil, no morality.  A generation hypnotized into this kind of thinking will destroy themselves.  We reap what we sow.  Forget the threat of terrorist attacks and economic devastation - we'll implode morally by becoming apathetic and totally lacking in ideals and standards.

We are losing our freedoms: chief is the ability to raise our children according to what we (not the government) believe is best.  When we have no say in the curricular content of our children's education, yet are mandated to send our kids to such an institution; freedom is squelched.  We are in bondage to the system...unless we will take great efforts to fight against it.  Thankfully, we are still free to home or privately educate our children.  This is what must be done so we don't end up with a generation hurtling toward bondage.  

I recently wrote about willful ignorance: the idea that just because something is unpleasant, we intentionally refuse to acknowledge or do anything about it, falsely thinking it will just go away.  Well, this (SB48) is a prime example.  We may ignore SB48 while in the house, then the senate, then on the governor's desk.  Now, it is too late...and it affects you.  This destructive, immoral, worthless curriculum will be forced upon your child...and other than pulling them out of the public school system, there is nothing that can be done about it.  Are you willing to hand your child (whom God has made you a steward of) to an atheistic, anti-God, anti-moral, socialist, government-indoctrinated education system?  We are accountable to God for the things He has made us responsible for.  What will you say to Him when asked what you did with the impressionable mind and heart placed solely in your hands?  He chose you.  He didn't choose the school teacher you barely know who spends more time per week with your child than you do.

I know this sounds harsh and perhaps it is.  I'm not sure how to communicate the urgency of the situation without being unapologetically honest.  We can't throw up our hands and give our children up!!!  We can not quit!

I understand that not everyone can home school...but perhaps it isn't as difficult as you may think.  The great thing about home schooling is that it is an incredibly flexible option.  Even if you work, you can educate your child.  

What's the cost?  

-Time.  

-Commitment.  

What's the cost if you give your child up to the government system?  

-Peer influence (=foolishness).  

-Twisted & untrue history.  

-A child that follows culture rather than righteousness.  

-Immoral brainwashing.  

-The possible loss of their eternal soul (as a result of worldly immersion and failing to counter it at home).  

In addition, your child will be better educated at home than in the school system.  I know home schooling is difficult for some.  Isn't your child's future worth tightening the financial belt of your household (by having one parent stay home or work only part-time; and living within your means)?  I know it is hard to find your niche in the education of your own child, but the resources are limitless and the approach that fits your family is totally attainable.  A few stumbles along the way shouldn't hinder us.  Try something different.  There is a way.  And there is a community of homeschool-minded people who are anxious to help, counsel, and guide.  (Visit http://RescueYourChild.com/)

So, what's my problem?  Why do I care?  Why should this bother me as a homeschooling mom whose children will never (God-willing) be under the influence of the government indoctrination system?

Here is my concern:  Even though I am making painstaking efforts to raise godly men.  The overwhelming amount of peers surrounding them do not share their upbringing and are, in reality, being educated in opposition to their own worldview (even if their parents are moral or Christian).  [I do want to recognize that many public-schooled children turn out absolutely fantastic - thanks to the committed involvement of loving, godly parents and this fact: "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."]  Yes, we are in the world and not of it; but I want freedom for my kids.  What kind of a future are we ensuring for the next generation if we are making the special treatment of homosexuals a priority over actual academics (among other worthwhile things)?  We are teaching our children that pleasure matters more than self-control.  We are telling our children that God is not the author of life which in effect devalues life - resulting in abortion, suicide, euthanasia, ridiculously low personal expectations, and an animalistic perception of ourselves.  And don't we see this?  ---since so much of culture literally acts according to their ever changing desires instead of engaging their incredibly capable decision-making mind to practice wisdom and self-control.  We are not monkeys.  We are not animals.  We were created to reason.  We were created to do good works.  We were created in the very image of GOD HIMSELF.  But we choose to debase ourselves for the sake of doing "what we want." 

I know this can be utterly infuriating, but please remember that LGBT people are so dearly beloved by the same God who loves you and me.  Love the sinner, hate the sin.  Offer a heart of love to these people in your life.  Not all of them are agenda-driven activists, and those that are are "in the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." (2 Tim 2:23-26)  It is a battle "not against flesh and blood but against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places."  Our greatest hope is prayer.  

Father, thank You for this great nation.

We are concerned about so much and discouraged over the

victories in favor of wickedness and to the harm of our children.

But You are absolutely sovereign.  You are not surprised.

You will have Your perfect will done.  Please deliver these

who are so deceived by the enemy of our souls.

Deliver them into eternal salvation in Your presence.

Freedom from their lifestyle of bondage and darkness.

Give us such tender hearts of love for these.

Help us to love not just in word only but in deed and in truth

...not letting politics or morality or self-righteousness reign,

but only genuine concern and passion for their hearts.

Bless these, our brothers and sisters in the human race,

who even though they do not know You

are created in Your beautiful image.

May we always perceive them through Jesus-colored glasses.

Amen.

Withdraw your kids from CA public schools - response to SB48

I write this because it is vitally important that parents be informed of what their children are being taught in school.  So take this as a very serious FYI:

"The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." ~Abraham Lincoln

CA SB 48 was signed into law on Friday.  Look again at the above quote.

This is destructive legislation.

If you live in California and your child is enrolled in the public school, the LGBT contributions to history/society simply based on these people's sexual choice is REQUIRED to be taught in school...and nothing negative can be said about such people (even if they are not the upstanding citizens schools will claim them to be) or their unhealthy lifestyle. Likewise, if you are a teacher in California, you are MANDATED to teach this offensive material.  This is not unlike forcing a pro-life doctor to perform abortions.  In an effort to be "tolerant" and create "safe schools", legislators and the governor of California have marginalized (and not "tolerated") the majority of Californians who have twice voted to define marriage as between one man and one woman.  They have ignored the plea of the people they claim to represent...instead pushing forth their own will and opinion...and at no small cost.  Children will pay dearly,  families will pay dearly, and ultimately our country will be held accountable for its God-less and abominable agenda.  Truly men love darkness more than the light.  Why?  Because they don't want their own evil deeds exposed for the wickedness they truly are.  Let's face it, that's what this is really about.

A few facts about SB48:

• requires that homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality be talked about only positively; and the unhealthiness of these lifestyles or anything that "reflects adversely" would be prohibited.
• the terms "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender" will be added to all textbooks and instructional material.
• replaces the term "sex" with "gender" in the education code including "a person's gender identity and gender related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's assigned sex at birth" including a third sex that can only be defined as "other."
• for every heterosexual person covered in the curriculum there must be an equal number of LGBT people covered as well including homosexual parents.  Stating "both sexes should be portrayed in nurturing roles in their families" and as "desirable." (Have I ever told you about the gay men in my cruise ship cast that were stalking an 11-year-old young boy passenger? ...yeah, that's "desirable.") 
• This new curriculum applies to all school aged children K-12.
• It is mentioned that charter and "alternative schools" "take notice."  (Yeah, we noticed.  Thanks.)

"It's unfortunate and sad that - at a time when many students are struggling just to graduate and read at grade level - California has allowed history classes to be politicized by adult identity politics like this.  We should be teaching our children that people are deserving of celebration in history books because of their outstanding, worthy accomplishments, regardless of how they identify sexually or otherwise.  After all Benjamin Franklin is in history because he demonstrated that lightning was electricity---not because of his sexual choices." ~Candi Cushman

This website is addressing this issue specifically:  http://RescueYourChild.com/
Read this excellent article here: Social/Sexual Indoctrination?

I've already been contacted by a mom who has withdrawn her children from the public school system.  She wanted home schooling advice.  I pray there are thousands more who make a similar move.

"As California goes, so goes the nation."

(More on this issue in the following post.)

The New Calamity - by John Piper

A post by John Piper on his blog, June 30th.  Sobering and sad.
Recently New York legalized same-sex marriage.  These are his thoughts.

_________________________

"My Eyes Shed Streams of Tears - Thoughts on the New Calamity"

Jesus died so that  heterosexual and homosexual sinners might be saved. Jesus created sexuality, and has a clear will for how it is to be experienced in holiness and joy.

His will is that a man might leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and that the two become one flesh (Mark 10:6-9). In this union, sexuality finds its God-appointed meaning, whether in personal-physical unification, symbolic representation, sensual jubilation, or fruitful procreation.

For those who have forsaken God’s path of sexual fulfillment, and walked into homosexual intercourse or heterosexual extramarital fornication or adultery, Jesus offers astonishing mercy.

Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11).

But last weekend this salvation from sinful sexual acts was not embraced. Instead there was massive celebration of sin.

One estimate said that 400,000 people celebrated gay pride in Minneapolis. That’s more than the population of the city. The number is probably inflated, but for the first time in history, it did include the governor of the state, Mark Dayton.

The Bible is not silent about such parades. Alongside its clearest explanation of the sin of homosexual intercourse (Romans 1:24-27) stands the indictment of the celebration of it. Though people know intuitively that homosexual acts (along with gossip, slander, insolence, haughtiness, boasting, faithlessness, heartlessness, ruthlessness) are sin, “they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them” (Romans 1:29-32). “I tell you even with tears, that many glory in their shame” (Philippians 3:18–19).

This is what our governor was doing on Sunday along with millions of others across the country—knowing these deeds are wrong, “yet approving those who practice them.”

Not only that, we are moving from celebration to institutionalization. On June 24 the New York legislature approved a Marriage Equality Act. This makes New York the sixth state where so-called homosexual marriages will be institutionalized: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, (and the District of Columbia).

My sense is that we do not realize what a calamity is happening around us. The new thing—new for America, and new for history—is not homosexuality. That brokenness has been here since we were all broken in the fall of man. (And there is a great distinction between the orientation and the act—just like there is a great difference between my orientation to pride and the act of boasting.)

What’s new is not even the celebration of homosexual sin. Homosexual behavior has been exploited, and reveled in, and celebrated in art, for millennia. What’s new is normalization and institutionalization. This is the new calamity.

My main reason for writing is not to mount a political counter-assault. I don’t think that is the calling of the church as such. My reason for writing is to help the church feel the sorrow of these days. And the magnitude of the assault on God and his image in man.

Christians, more clearly than others can see the tidal wave of pain that is on the way. Sin carries in it its own misery: “Men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1:27).

And on top of sin’s self-destructive power comes, eventually, the wrath of God: “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5–6).

Christians know what is coming, not only because we see it in the Bible, but because we have tasted the sorrowful fruit of our own sins. We do not escape the truth that we reap what we sow. Our marriages, our children, our churches, our institutions—they are all troubled because of our sins.

The difference is: We weep over our sins. We don’t celebrate them. We turn to Jesus for forgiveness and help. We cry to Jesus, “who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

And in our best moments, we weep for the world. In the days of Ezekiel God put a mark of hope “on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in Jerusalem” (Ezekiel 9:4).

This is what I am writing for. Not political action, but love for the name of God and compassion for the city of destruction.

“My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” (Psalm 119:136)

While He may be found. A prayer.

"Father, we know that Your hand is gracious to all who seek You, but that Your anger is against all who abandon You.  May we...seek You while You may be found and call on You while You are near." (Beth Moore)

__________________

Yes, Lord.  ...While You may be found.
Society views You as an impotent fairy tale.  Nothing is further from the truth!

You are abundantly sovereign; the Creator of every enormous and ferocious thing, and every intricate and microscopic thing.  We are surrounded by Your fingerprints and yet blind to the obviousness of them, or worse - we intentionally refuse to see because we want our own way...our own absurd and foolish way.  We elevate ourselves above the star-breathing Creator of the billions-of-galaxies universe.  We are arrogant and stupid.  And You are patient with us --- not willing that any should perish but that all would come to eternal salvation.  Professing to be wise, we become total fools.

O God!  Help us to see the truth and to let truth matter more to us than our own selfish and foolish desires.

drive and pray

I love You, Jesus.  I deeply love Your word.  You are the Word!  Hallelujah!  I love that I can come to You at any given moment.  Thank You for being my Healer.  Thank You for being my everything! 

Driving home tonight over the mountains and listening to Casting Crowns, Cindy Morgan, Toby Mac, the Gaither Vocal Band...  I was completely overwhelmed with love for Jesus that I was brought to tears.  He is too wonderful for words and so this post falls so desperately short.

taught to pray by an unbeliever

An unbelieving woman taught me the priority of prayer.

My fondest memories of bedtime were in the upstairs bedroom of my grandparent's house.  Two twin beds with white bedspreads and clean, crisp, cool sheets.  Walls papered in pink and white with large, happy sunflowers.  Collections of playful nick-nacks in the shelved headboard.  Grandma tucked my sister and I each tightly in our beds so we could barely move "cozy, ozy, ozy," she would say.  She then sat on the edge of one of our beds and led us in prayer.  One I imagine she prayed as a little girl and took the liberty of altering.

"Now I lay me down to sleep.  I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  God bless (and here the long list from the hearts little girls could go on forever) Mommy, Aunt Toby, Uncle Troy, Uncle Todd, Gramma, Grandpa, Ingrid (their dog), my teacher, my best friend... (until Gramma finally decided, 'Honey, let's just say, "God bless everybody,"' probably so she wouldn't be trapped in the sunflower bedroom for an hour while we listed every person we ever knew that we wanted God to bless.) Amen."

And so an unsaved woman (hopefully not so today as I trust her to have been safely welcomed into the arms of Jesus from her deathbed) taught me to always, always pray before bed and before mealtimes.  And I am thankful for this lesson in what's important.


The other night I saw an interview with Andrew Breitbart and he said that our culture by default is liberal.  Though this is definitely true today, it wasn't always so.  My Grandmother, not a Christian in reality, was a morally conservative by default...because the culture in which she was raised was a God-fearing one.  I often sarcastically joke that if you're born in America or eat a hamburger, then you must be a Christian...as this was the mentality of many Americans for so long.  This is not wholly true any longer.  Now, if you are born American, you are an immoral liberal by default.  That is the setting for which we fall into.  Which is indeed what scripture says of those who do not follow Jesus.  You are either for Him or against Him.  There is no complacent or neutral place in the middle. (Rev. 3:16)  I have quoted it many times and here it comes again: "In the absence of Biblical conviction, people will go the way of culture." (Sally Clarkson)
To the credit of those previous generations who claimed to be Christian but in actuality were not, at least they deeply desired goodness, truth, and morality which resulted in a blessed society.   Why did they have this foundation?  Because prayer and Bible were a regular part of their day as they were growing up.  Removing these two pillars has only resulted in a culture of relativism (everyone doing what is right in their own eyes), destruction (a million unborn per year murdered), irresponsibility and passing the blame, an entitlement mentality, and a rampantly bold flaunting of the most horrific sins of men...and pride therein.

"Pride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall."  

~Proverbs 16:18

I recently read that, though people aren't turning to God in droves, there is becoming a greater contrast between light and darkness in our culture. This means that those following righteousness and truth are following it boldly and not lukewarmly.  I think this is incredibly encouraging that people of Jesus aren't just getting in by the skin of their teeth, but are committing with full devotion with their heart, soul, mind, and strength.  This is what changes a generation for real.

Let us not settle for mediocre.  We have a greater purpose in Him!  We must influence others toward righteousness and eternal bliss by lovingly exposing them to the deep, deep love of Jesus.

"All great change in America and (if I may add) the world begins at the dinner table." ~Ronald Reagan (...and a teeny bit of me)

Bless you,

seeing the promise afar off

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Heb. 11:13)

Reading through the "Hall of Faith" this morning and taken captive by this verse as I often have tried to express this thought myself, but of course scripture says it most concisely.  It speaks of Abraham and Moses and so many who longed for the Promised Land and never saw it for themselves but trusted the promise of God that it would come to their posterity.

And so it was for the Pilgrims who called themselves "stepping stones," yearning and pursuing freedom to worship God in a free country...most never seeing it for themselves, but knwoing that it wasn't for themselves that they were pursuing it, but for their children and their children's children.  And America's founding heroes: Nathan Hale, the 7 minutemen who perished at the Lexington Battle Green, and multiple others who sacrificed and died that a nation might be free.  They never saw it for themselves, but their children, grandchildren, and great-great-great-great grandchildren embrace the freedom (albeit not with enough appreciation) their ancestors pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for.  Thank you to those who can't hear the words from me.  They are long gone from this earth but so many reside in the eternal city where I will one day join them and offer my inadequate thanks and appreciation.

Not mentioned are the brave slaves who risked their lives and families for freedom as they fled through the underground railroad, or Martin Luther King who sought equal rights for all, yet never saw it for himself.  Freedom came.  Freedom lives.  And we must continue to hold onto it tightly and never give up the fight.

And so, we who fight for the lives of the unborn may never see it in our day, but we keep on so that our children's children's children may have life and not be snuffed out of earthly existence.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:9)  

We may be the stepping stones for the millions of unborn that will live to see the light of day.  To God be the glory.  It is God who gives freedom, who gives life.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now, choose life so that you and your children may live.  (Dt. 30:19)  

Thank you, Ronald Reagan, for fighting for righteousness.

Happy 100th birthday.  You are treasured, loved, and deeply missed.

Is your name written in Heaven?

2 Peter 3:3-7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth are held in store for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.  

The Greek word for destruction is apoleia which means "losing, loss, the state after death wherein exclusion from salvation is a realized fact."  That definition sends chills up my spine.  A moment will come, at the ushering in of eternity, when every lost man and woman will be confronted with the staggering loss of his or her salvation. Remember, Philippians 2:10 says that "every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."  The lost will suffer a horrible threefold realization:  they will realize that He is LORD, that they are LOST, and that it's too LATE.  Another definition of the word apoleia is just one sobering word: waste.  Their lives will have been a total waste.  A life without Christ is a wasted life.  All the energy, all the pain - for absolutely nothing.  Praise God, with reverence, that your name is written in the "book of life."  (Beth Moore, Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit)

This has stunned me today.  And brought to mind many names of people I love dearly who do not know God and are not saved.  Beth goes on with the reminder that our life is a vapor, here for a moment and vanishing quickly.  But eternity....  How long is eternity?  From our death to forever.  Where will you be?  You will not just cease to exist.  You will exist and it can either be in the lake of fire or in the presence of God.  Please, know that I do not say this so matter-of-fact-ly with no emotion.  I am deeply grateful that mine and my children's names are written in that book, but I know of dear family who are not in that book and it is devastating me right now.  How can I reach them?  How can I communicate to them the severity of an eternity apart from God where they will suffer endlessly?  How my heart breaks at the thought.

Perfect through sufferings

Yesterday, we received news that a dear friend, Gene, had an accident and lost his finger.  He is a true servant of the Lord and a pillar in our body of believers here in Borrego.  He and his wife have been struggling recently with the economy, his hip (he needs a replacement), and now this.  He works in construction and is a guitar player, so fingers are essential.  I understand his biggest concern is not being able to play his guitar since he loves to worship.  Please pray for Gene and his wife, Susie.  We know that God works everything together for good for those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
If you would like to help support his business, check out his cool porch swings: http://www.sevenfootporchswing.com/Home.html.

(The following is taken from Streams in the Desert, December 2)

Steel is iron plus fire.  Soil is rock, plus heat, or glacier crushing.  Linen is flax plus the bath that cleans, the comb that separates, and the flail that pounds, and the shuttle that weaves.  Human character must have a plus attached to it.  The world does not forget great characters.  But great characters are not made of luxuries, they are made by suffering.

I heard of a mother who brought into her home as a companion to her own son, a crippled boy who was also a hunchback.  She had warned her boy to be very careful in his relations to him, and not to touch the sensitive part of his life but go right on playing with him as if he were an ordinary boy.  She listened to her sonas they were playing; and after a few minutes he said to his companion: "Do you know what you have got on your back?"  The little hunchback was embarrassed, and he hesitated a moment.  The boy said : "It is the box in which your wings are; and someday God is going to cut it open, and then you will fly away and be an angel."

Someday, God is going to reveal the fact to every Christian, that the very principles they now rebel against, have been the instruments which He used in perfecting their characters and molding them into perfection, polished stones for His great building yonder. (Cortland Myers)

Suffering is a wonderful feritlizer to the roots of character.  The great object of this life is character.  This is the only thing we can carry with us into eternity... To gain the most of it and the best of it is the object of probation. (Austin Phelps)

By the thorn in the road and no other is the mount of vision won.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

Instead of posting about voting (which I guess I am sort-of doing right now), I have created a "VOTE!!" page.  Click on the tab at the top of this page, or go here and start figuring out who and what is and isn't worthy of your vote.

"These are the times that try men's souls."  

Can't remember who said that...but it is true of today.

Not that I want to tell you how to vote, but MAKE SURE YOU GIVE BARBARA BOXER THE BOOT!  Gosh!  Have I said that before?  And tell her not to let the door hit her on the patootie on the way out...

...well, actually a little tap won't hurt.

Pray for the USA, week of October 3

"Act as though it's all up to you; 

Pray as though it's all up to HIM."

SPENDING REVOLT (1 hour) webcast Sunday, October 3rd at 7pm Eastern.  www.spendingrevolt.com (via CWA)


REGISTER TO VOTE.  Only 50% of church attendees are registered.  Make sure the 2 people sitting next to you this Sunday plan to vote...stats say 1 of them isn't planning to.  Encourage them otherwise.  You can register online here.


CHIEF JUDGE VAUGHN R. WALKER wrote a letter to President Obama saying that he will leave in February 2011.  He is the judge involved in the last Proposition 8 (California) ruling.  Prayer matters.  Keep it up. (via Mario Diaz of CWA)

SAN FRANCISCO ---- The United States District Court for the Northern District of California announces today that Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker will step down as chief judge effective December 31, 2010.  Also, Chief Judge Walker notified President Obama by letter today that he will leave the court in February 2011.  

Chief Judge Walker has been a United States District Judge since February 5, 1990 and has served as chief judge of the court since September 1, 2004.  Before becoming a federal judge, Chief Judge Walker was a litigation partner at the firm now known as Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.  Upon leaving the federal bench, Chief Judge Walker plans to return to the private sector.  

In his letter to the President, Chief Judge Walker said: “Concluding twenty-one years of judicial service, I leave the bench with the highest respect and regard for the federal judiciary, its judges and their staff and the essential role they fulfill in our constitutional system.”

By statute, United States district chief judges are selected based on a combination of age, seniority and experience and may serve in the post for a maximum of seven years. 28 USC § 136. By application of this statute, District Judge James Ware will assume the post of chief judge of the Northern District on January 1, 2011.  

JUDGE ROBERT CHATIGNY's vote was held over last week.  Chatigny is an Obama nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, and has a record of going easy on sexual predators. The vote has to come up, so please take action. (via CWA)

Warning:  These videos and the letter are graphic.  Absolutely do not have your children present if you view these.

also:  CWA's letter of opposition

• Pray.  What can the Lord not do?
• Contact Senator Feinstein and urge her to oppose Judge Chatigny. 
• Not from CA?  Contact your senator on the judiciary committee.  Go to www.govtrack.us and punch in the name.  The committee members are: 
• Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont
• Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin
• Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama
• Dianne Feinstein, D-California
• Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah
• Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin
• Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa
• Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania
• Jon Kyl, R-Arizona
• Chuck Schumer, D-New York
• Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina
• Dick Durbin, D-Illinois
• John Cornyn, R-Texas
• Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Maryland
• Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma
• Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island
• Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota
• Ted Kaufman, D-Delaware
• Al Franken, D-Minnesota

Pray for the USA, week of August 15th

Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would ensure parents the right to bring up and educate their own children as they see fit without the U.S. government or international law being able to infringe upon that right. (via www.parentalrights.org)

Congressmen are needed to co-sponsor the Amendment to the Constitution.  So far, 141 are on board.

·         Pray.

·         Spread the word.  Tell everyone you know to sign the Parental Rights petition.  

·         Contact your and any Representative (after all this affects each of us) and urge them to co-sponsor the Parental Rights Amendment (H.J. Res. 42).   If he/she has already agreed to co-sponsor, thank them.  The list of co-sponsors can be found here.

o        In Borrego, contact Congressman Duncan Hunter at (202) 225-5672.  (Congressman Hunter has already agreed to co-sponsor.)

U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child gives the U.N. the authority to intervene if they deem you are not raising your children according to their standards. (via www.citizenlink.com, www.parentalrights.org)

This will endanger parents’ rights over the upbringing of their own children and will allow 3^rd parties and international law to determine how children are raised.  This effects education, religion, sexual education, discipline, etc.

4 more Senators are needed to co-sponsor SR519 which will kill the CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child) in the U.N. 

·         Pray.

·         Call your 2 Senators and urge them to vote against the UNCRC, and to co-sponsor SR519. 

o        In California, call:

§         Barbara Boxer – (202) 224-3553, fax: (202) 228-3865

§         Dianne Feinstein - (202) 224-3841, fax: (202) 228-3954

Proposition 8 is a majority-voted amendment to the California Constitution that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. 

Prop 8 was overturned last week by a left activist, gay judge.  It is now on it’s way to the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals and then to the Supreme Court. (via www.citizenlink.com, Focus on the Family Aug. 13 episode, Professor Robert George, www.boston.com - Judge Vaughn Walker op-ed)

The concern is:

1.  the homosexual agenda (to stop, silence, and punish anyone who disagrees with them) ultimately having its way in society.  The dangers include: education, special rights vs. equal rights for homosexuals, loss of rights for those who disagree (i.e. a photographer declined to shoot a same-sex wedding because of her faith and she was taken to court and punished.), the deterioration of God-ordained marriage, the intentional denial of allowing children both a mom and a dad, and the incredulous deception that men and women are not different.

2.  the blatant defiance of activist judges invalidating the will of the majority of the American people. 

·         Pray for judges, homosexuals/activists, our children.

·         Show love to homosexuals.  They are dealing with sin…like all of us.

·         Keep your own marriage healthy and strong, and within God’s design.

__________________________

*To find your congressmen, go to www.govtrack.us.  Once you find your congressman, click on their website and there should be a contact tab on the home page.    

Stand

Intense.

Yeah, that was the right title for this time I have spent with Sally and 50+ of the most wonderful women on the face of the earth.  I have been so overwhelmed, refreshed, encouraged, humbled, convicted, and elated this weekend.  Jamie has texted me more than once and asked, "Are you having a good time?"  Such a difficult question to answer.  Fun isn't really the right word.

Divine,

Inspired,

Exhaustive,

Abundant,

Insightful,

Ponderous

...those would more properly describe my time here.

(Lisa Wachs, Sally Clarkson, and I)

Sally, her team, and the fascinating ladies that have learned alongside me in the past 48 hours have brought out the very best and most lovely traits in each of us.  It is so refreshing to be with women who will not judge, are passionate about Biblical motherhood, and share a common burden to change the world through truth and family.

A dream Sally envisioned that ignited her call to this ministry goes as follows:

Sally stood on a street side.  As she gazed across she noticed a tiny baby desperate and alone and abandoned on the steps leading to a judicial building.  The needy infant was naked, sobbing hysterically in its utter helplessness.  Nearby a group of men stood arrayed in darkness as they shot arrow after arrow at the steps taking aim at the child. Laughing.  Each arrow had a word - pornography, abortion, divorce, sexual immorality...  Sally pleaded, "God what do you want me to do?!  Someone has to help that baby!"  And God said, "Stand before the child."  And so she did, and other women joined her and took the arrows aimed at the infant.

I stand on the stairs with her and there I will remain until moms realize what treasures they have that must be kept safe and secure.  Motherhood is the greatest call for you. Will you join us?  Dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles?  Our children are in grave danger.  If we don't defend and stand for them, who will?

Can you see that this picture is the exact reality of what is going on with our children?

We must spread the message of true Biblical motherhood and counter the incredible feminist breeding that has perverted and invaded our culture.  We must start in our own homes.  I will raise my children according to God's ways and not the ways of this upside-down world.   What will you choose?  Look at those precious faces and hands and hearts that hold your own heart.  You have a vitally important decision to make.

Please comment if you would like to know if there is a Biblical mom's group near you.  And please read Mission to Motherhood.  It is an absolutely perspective- and life-changing book.  Let's take the first step toward being the families God created us to be.

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

I 

I just finished reading Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala.  Overall, this book is about the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit in our lives and our churches.  I will just include some quotes that stood out to me...and very little commentary...

As Samuel Chadwick said long ago, the greatest answer to prayer is more prayer. (p. 29)

The format of a prayer meeting is not nearly as important as its essence--touching the Almighty, crying out with one's whole being. (p. 30) 

On Sunday mornings, changing the whole direction of the meeting was not unusual.  After all, why should we hang onto some order of service if people were willing to get saved?  God could use the choir, or anyone else, to turn the whole service into a prayer meeting if he wished. (p. 39-40)

Early in the dance ministry, it was not unusual for our rehearsals to go this direction.  I remember one night, after many of us had driven to Poway from Orange County (an hour and a half drive), we began praying at the start of our rehearsal and didn't stop until it was time to go home.  It was right.  No one danced that night, except in our dialog with the Lord.  I treasure it in my heart as a very special, Spirit-led evening.

Am I the only one who gets embarrassed when religious leaders in America talk about having prayer in public schools?  We don't even have that much prayer in many churches?  Out of humility, you would think we would keep quiet on that particular subject until we practice what we preach in our own congregations. (p. 72)  (Ouch!)

In the New Testament we don't see Peter or John wringing their hands and saying, "Oh, what are we going to do?  Caligula's bisexual...he wants to appoint his horse to the Roman Senate...what a terrible model of leadership!  How are we going to respond to this outrage?"  --Let's not play games with ourselves.  Let's not divert attention away from the weak prayer life of our own churches.  In Acts 4, when the apostles were unjustly arrested, imprisoned, threatened, they didn't call for a protest; they didn't reach for some political leverage.  Instead, they headed to a prayer meeting.  Soon the place was vibrating with the power of the Holy Spirit (vv. 23-31).  --The apostles had this instinct: When in trouble, pray.  When intimidated, pray.  When challenged, pray.  When persecuted, pray. (p. 72-73)

This one is tough for me to swallow.  I absolutely agree and know that the number one thing we are to do is to pray about everything.  God is far more influential and powerful.  He is in control.  I, also, understand that the time this was written was during the oppressive Roman rule and the government was Caesar.  In America today, "we the people" are the government and so we have a job to do.  We must pray, but we must also do what we should to influence righteousness, justice and truth in our nation.  The president is not a king (even if he may think he is).  He is subject to us and we must understand that.  My husband is a police man.  When he sees someone breaking the law, he doesn't pray that they will stop, he pulls them over and writes them a ticket.  He has a job to do.  Prayer is certainly beneficial, but he still must act as well.  In the same way, you and I are the government (according to the Constitution) which means our job is to help govern.  We do this by voting, lobbying, contacting our elected leaders, etc.  Yes, we should first pray.  And we should not put aside our responsibility to do the work we are responsible to do.  Do not allow yourself to be walked all over.  I don't say this out of pride, I say this out of truth.  It is the intent of the founding of our nation, of our Constitution.  Will we uphold the laws of our land (the Constitution)...or the made-up laws that political leaders dictate?  Know the difference, and above all, pray.  Don't hide and pray, just pray!  And be righteously (not pridefully) deliberate in all you do.  Our most powerful offensive and defensive weapon is prayer.  There is a responsibility to do both: pray and act.  Prayer is most important.  Action is also important, though not nearly as effective as prayer.  When we pray, we bring the incomparable, victorious force of God and his angels on our side.  Nothing we can do compares to the work that God and his angels can do.  That being said, we shouldn't sit idly by and do nothing.  Our Founders obviously didn't just wait for a free nation to magically appear.  They sought out the truth of government in scripture and made it happen.  "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." (Jas. 4:17) (Ironically, as I finished this book, this subject of "action" was addressed in the last chapter.  Continue on below.  Also, The Five Thousand Year Leap addresses the power of the government within the people.)

"Act as though it's all up to you; Pray as though it's all up to Him." ~Glenn Beck

"These men (of the Acts church)...did not 'say their prayers,' they really prayed." -J.B.Phillips (p.  73)

Oh, what peace we often forfeit,Oh what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry every thing to God in prayer. (hymn: What A Friend We Have in Jesus) (p. 85)

These Christians (Hudson Taylor, the Moravians, American Frontier revivalists, etc.) were not bulls in a china shop, but they did speak the truth in love---fearlessly. (p. 98)

As a minister I firmly believe that I am not allowed to preach what is not in the Bible.  It is an exciting enough book as it stands.  It is not something dull that we need to spice up.  If we do and teach all that Jesus did and taught--and no more--we will have plenty of thrills.  Otherwise, let us be silent where the Bible is silent. (p. 166 Sort of a keep-it-simple message, huh?) 

 "We are measuring everything by the Word.  Every experience must be measured up with the Bible.  Some say that is going too far, but if we have lived too close to the Word, we will settle that with the Lord when we meet Him in the air." -William J. Seymour, 1906 (p. 117)

The things of God have a circumference.  They are a preserved written body of truth.  It is like a well---and no one has ever fathomed the depth o f God's truth.  ~To go into the power of the gospel, or of prayer, or the Holy Spirit, or divine love is to plunge ever deeper and deeper into God's well.  ~The tendency today, however, is merely to splash around in truth for a while...and then jump outside the well to the surrounding soil.  "Look at this---God is doing a new thing!" people proclaim.  In six months or so, of course, the novelty wears off, and they jump again to a new patch of grass.  They spend their whole lives hopscotching from one side of God's well to another, never really probing the depth of the living waters inside.  ~Inside the well there is no cause for leaving or jumping our.  Who will ever fathom the fullness of the love of God?  Who will ever exhaust the richness of his mercy to fallen human beings?  Who will ever understand the real power of prayer.  ~Leonard Ravenhill told me..., "People say the church today is 'growing and expanding.'  Yes, it's ten miles wide now---and about a quarter-inch deep." (p. 117-118)

"If you have only the Word, you dry up.  If you have only the Spirit, you blow up.  But if you have both, you grow up." (p. 152)

The Bible teaches that we are always either drawing nearer to God or falling away.  There is not holding pattern. (p. 164)

These heroes (of the Bible) did not just sit back, as many do today, saying, "Well, God promised, and I'm sure he'll fulfill His word."  They stepped up and took action to make the promise become a reality.  They understood that God's work in the world is usually a joint project; He works with us as we yield ourselves to work with Him. (p. 170)  (I guess this sort of addresses my political ramblings above.)

Apathetic churches across the land will be revived only by the people of deep spirituality who refuse to accept the status quo.  (p. 170)

I thought the above quote very interesting.  Since I know that I, and probably most Christians, when we look for a church, are looking for something that's not stagnant and when we find an "apathetic" church we move on to something non-apathetic, never considering that maybe we are the ones that can make a difference and inspire such a church to go deeper.
When I first started to work at Disneyland, I was pleasantly surprised to find a handful of Christians within the Lion King cast.  Most were lukewarm in their walk.  I, freshly saved and healed from my own incredible sin, was deeply passionate about the Word of God and prayer and the effectiveness of both, as well as our ability to act immediately in response to God's direction in various situations.  It was incredibly exciting to see others around me, who before were just hanging out as Christians, start stepping up to the plate and be bold, purposeful and deliberate in their faith.  We can make a difference.  I often talk about how influential we are to our children in regard to politics, history, and Jesus.  But do we extend that influence to others?  What about your "status quo" church?  I think it's time to dive into that fathomless well and stop bonking our heads in 1/4-inch deep puddles.  You (and I) can make a difference!  I think that is incredibly inspiring.

When it comes to spiritual matters, you and I will never know our potential under God until we bond with our King and go out in His name and establish His kingdom.  Sitting safely in the shelter of Bible discussions among ourselves, or complaining to one another about the horrible state of today's society, does nothing to unleash the power of God.  He meets us in the moment of battle. He energizes us when there is an enemy to be pushed back. (p. 173 - emphasis mine)

Cool book...with many great truths.