Katie Davis on Adoption

Catalyst Atlanta 2011 from Catalyst on Vimeo.

 
In a word, this is phenomenal!  The more I see & hear Katie Davis, the more I love her!

10 Weeks

Last December, I had just finished up my yearly GYN appointment when I heard the most beautiful sound through the wall.  It was a sound that, even though it had nothing to do with me, made me tear up.  It was the sound of a baby's heartbeat in utero.  As I usually do when I'm really touched, I put my hand to my nose & breathed out my longing to God to one day give Michael & me this gift.  Yesterday, less than a year later, He did.  As I lay on the table at our new OB's office, the ultrasound tech placed the machine to my abdomen, & all of a sudden, we heard our M&M's heartbeat!  Of course, I cried - as I'm doing now!  We got to see our little one, too, & he/she was very active!  M&M jumped, wiggled, & even waved!  I suppose I came across as a little dorky (not that I care) when I waved back & said - through tears, of course - "Hi, baby!"  I pray I never lose this wonder & joy over the miracle that God has wrought in our lives!

Our Urgent Mission

I wanted to write a post today, but my brain is more than a little sluggish, so I'm having a hard time coming up with something to actually say.  Then, I went to one of my favorite blogs - A Glimpse of Our Vapor - & read what my sweet friend, Katie, wrote.  And I just have to share it!  I'm going to share the video that she posted below, as well as another one of my favorite missionary videos, but make sure you read her post as well.  It's convicting.  And we need that.  Desperately.

Insight From the Smoky Mountains

The road was dark & curvy, with only the light from our car fleetingly illuminating our immediate surroundings in grey patches.  All we saw was the black road, bordered on both sides by black trees bedecked with shadowy leaves.  Our view of the path ahead was more often than not obscured by the bend in the road.  The black night enveloping us made what lay ahead & what lay beside impossible to discern.

Then, as the sun woke from her slumber, we began to behold the beauty that truly surrounded us.  What the night had hidden, the light revealed in magnificent detail.  The land rose up, up, up to our right while it rolled down in cascading hills to our left.  The ground was strewn deeply with amber leaves, while the myriad of trees marching up & down those hills were still stubbornly clinging to an array of their sunshiney gold, fiery red, & vibrant orange siblings.  Mingled amongst this riot of color were the evergreens with their springy & dark forest green leaves giving just the right backdrop.  We found ourselves suddenly surrounded by God's breathtaking creation!  Only, it wasn't so "sudden" after all.  God's beautiful masterpiece had been there all along in the darkness, we just couldn't see it.  We needed the light from the sun to reveal to us the reality that the black of night had blinded us to.

So it is with God.  God is breathtakingly beautiful, awesomely majestic, & infinitely worthy of our worship.  He is merciful, kind, loving, forgiving, just, & holy.  But the darkness hides Him from men.  Just as darkness is the essence of night, so it is with men's unregenerate hearts.  In the same way that the beauty of God's creation was hidden behind the darkness of the night, so is the beauty of God hidden behind the darkness of our sinful nature.  Only when the rays of light shine forth in our hearts by the Spirit of God are we no longer blind to reality.  Our eyes are opened & we can see God for who He really is . . . & who we really are - creatures in desperate need of a merciful Savior.  And we realize it's always been this way.  The light doesn't create God's infinite beauty, it simply illuminates it.

My prayer today is that the Spirit of God would shine His light in the hearts of men everywhere, revealing to them the splendor of God & their need for His mercy.  To God be the glory!

9 Weeks

Our M&M is growing so fast!  I love looking at these pictures & being able to see the shape of our baby.  We even got to see the little heart beating today!  I'm so overwhelmed with thanksgiving to God & love for Him, Michael, & this little one!  This is a Happy Thanksgiving, indeed!  And aren't the little captions cute?  Our OB asked me, "Auburn or 'Bama?" & laughed when I said in a "duh" tone of voice, "'Bama."  It obviously said, "Do you even need to ask?"  Then I saw the above picture & laughed out loud!  Sooo cute!  Roll Tide!

Funny Pet Videos

Okay, these are beyond hilarious!!!

Christmas Music

Lots of people are already getting in the Christmas spirit!  Just yesterday morning, I played my first Christmas songs.  I'm hoping that we can get our decorations up in the next week.  In that spirit of Christmas cheer, I want to recommend a couple of CDs to y'all filled with the absolute best Christmas music!  If this doesn't put you in the mood to worship our Savior & celebrate His birth, I don't know what will!  I can't praise these songs highly enough, & of course, you don't have to just play them at Christmas, because it's never the wrong season to celebrate Christ's birth!  Enjoy!

Oh, my goodness, what a wonderful CD this is!  I love each & every song, but I have to say that my absolute favorite song is "Glory Be To God".  Every single time I listen to it, without fail, I start crying at the same point.  When they sing, "Hosanna!  Hosanna!  The Lamb of God has come!  Hosanna!  Hosanna!  He is the Promised One!" over & over, I'm overcome with emotion at this stunning fact.  God promised the Messiah, & He kept that promise!!!  I'm transported back to the manger & am in awe that this Child is the fulfillment of God's promise to us.  He didn't forget us!  He sent His Lamb, just as He said He would!  I'm tearing up even now.  And let me tell you what SGM has done:  you can even download this very song for free on their site!  Get yourself a taste of this incredible CD & stand in awe at what God has done!

Seriously, there is not a bad song in this whole CD!  I have a hard time even picking out a favorite!  "Behold the Lamb of God" takes you through the redemptive history of man, beginning with a song of worship for "the brave little boy who was God, but He made Himself nothing", leads you through Moses & Israel's longing for the Messiah, all the way up to the birth of Jesus.  And Andrew Peterson takes his time singing about Jesus' birth; less than half of the CD is devoted to showing the need & longing for the Savior, while the rest focuses on His arrival.  It's a beautiful journey through the Scriptures in song.  If I have one suggestion, it's to buy the live version if you can.  I normally don't prefer live versions over studio versions, but in this one, I definitely do.  The "Begats", which is already so much fun, is even more so, & the way they do the very last song will give you chills.  And you know what will make you like Andrew even more (& definitely tempt you even greater than I already have to buy the CD)?  You can listen to the entire CD on his site!

Buy, listen, enjoy, praise God!

The Platts' Adoption Journey

I've been following the Platt family's adoption journey through the Brook Hills blog, & it has been such a blessing!  They aren't just sharing about their adoption of their daughter, but also of how God brought their sons into their lives.  All of the stories are wonderful, filled with humor, warmth, & love.  And they've all left me with a renewed adoration of God's plan & timing, which He works out with absolute perfection.  May you be blessed & moved to praise God through their story as well!  Soli Deo Gloria!

For These Things, I'm Thankful

Dread.  That's what I felt going into this day.  And it turned out to be just as I feared.  I didn't want to experience this day, not in the least.  As a matter of fact, I vowed from the moment we knew it was coming that I wouldn't.  I put my foot down so often & so hard in opposition to it that I have blisters!  But, Michael insisted - insisted, even, that it would be good for us to experience it.  I didn't believe him, & I still wish that we hadn't gone through it.  But, you can't undo the past, even when it's as recent as this morning.  See, our beloved pastor is preaching in Uganda.  So, someone thought it would be nice to have a "Homecoming" for the former pastor.  One in which he preached.  Now, Michael used to be a member of our church during this former pastor's reign, so I've been regaled with stories of "the glory days", as some have called it (Michael not being one of them).  Thus, my trepidation over this morning's service.  What I haven't mentioned is that this former pastor is a revivalist, complete with all the trappings that word conjures up.  And we got to witness every gory detail, of which I could say a lot - a lot - but I truly don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  Instead, I'd like to focus on the one good thing that did come out of this morning's service:  a renewed sense of thankfulness over what we have at our precious church.  Fitting, as this is the week of Thanksgiving, don't you think?

Father, thank You for:
     *Pastors - & pastors' wives - who focus on You & Your glory;
     *Pastors who are filled with humility & grace;
     *Pastors who feed us the meat of Your Word;
     *Pastors who rely on the Spirit working in the hearts of men to bring about conviction & salvation;
     *Pastors who study Your Word & bring us correct interpretations of it;
     *Genuine, loving believers who surround us each Sunday;
     *A praise team whose sole ambition is to glorify & worship You through song;
     *Pastors who trust You to bring forth fruit, even if they can't see it;
     *Pastors who are faithful both in the pulpit & in their daily lives;

And last, but not least, thank You, Father, for bringing us to this church.  May Your glory be done in & through us!

The Trouble With Altar Calls

A friend & I had a brief discussion the other day regarding altar calls.  Coming from a Lutheran background, I simply don't understand them.  Calls to repentance & faith in Christ, I get, & I've been in churches that do just that with offers of someone to talk to after the service & assurances that leaving your seat isn't a requirement for salvation.  Having been surrounded in my youth by revivalistic Baptist churches as the only models for the practice of altar calls, I usually find them to be irksome, not the least of which is because they are often emotionally manipulative & lead to false professions of faith.  There are entire churches, rather than just an invitation here or there, where this manipulation is not the norm - mine being one - but this is nonetheless a common pitfall for altar calls.  And then I have the problem of not being able to find the precedence of altar calls anywhere in Scripture.  The fine people over at The Gospel Coalition were asked, in short, how to call people to Christ without relying on altar calls.  Jonathan Leeman - editorial director at 9Marks & a PhD candidate researching ecclesiology - gave quite an astute response, one that I agree with wholeheartedly.  Not everyone will agree with Jonathan's assessment, or my assent to it; however, I still ask that any readers of this post will not rely on their own feelings & opinions, but give careful thought to his words & check them - & the institution of altar calls - against the Word of God.  This, not the traditions of man, must be the final arbiter of truth & the guide for all our practices & beliefs.  So, without further ado, here's Jonathan's answer to this query.

Before I had arrived, the previous pastors had always given altar calls. I was now one month into an interim pastorate, and people were beginning to ask whether I would ever give them. I remember a long, meandering car ride with one sweet brother---a good friend to this day---devoted to the question.

I told this brother and the rest of the elders that I wouldn't do an altar call. Why not?

Because I think altar calls are wrong? No, I think a pastor is free to give one. It's not a sin.

Because I don't believe that people must make a decision for Christ? No, I think people must decide to repent and believe in order to be saved.

Because I don't think Jesus calls us to make a public profession? No, people must publicly profess their faith, which is why Jesus instituted baptism. (Emphasis mine)

Because I think inviting sinners to repent is inherently manipulative? No, I believe preachers should invite non-Christians to repent and believe throughout their sermons. I did this during the interim pastorate, and I did it just last Sunday when guest preaching at another church. I very clearly invited non-Christians to repent and believe in the middle of my sermon, and then told them to speak with me afterwards, or the pastor, or the Christian friend who brought them.

So why wouldn't I give an altar call? In short, I believe that this particular man-made practice, this 19th-century innovation, has produced more bad than good for Christian churches in the West. The altar call relies on the powers of emotion, rhetorical persuasion, and social pressure to induce people to make a hasty and premature decision. And producing professions is not the same thing as making disciples. Surely a number of factors are responsible for the many nominal Christians that typify Christianity in the West, but I believe that the altar call is one of them.

How many people in the last century walked an aisle, and spent the rest of their days convinced that they were a Christian, never considering how they lived!

The alternative to giving altar calls is sticking with the practices we see modeled in Scripture:

     *Invite people throughout your sermon to "repent and be baptized" like Peter did in Jerusalem (Acts 2:38). But when you do, don't just stand there waiting with emotionally charged music playing, staring them down until they relent. Rather, make several suggestions about how and where to discuss the matter further.

     *Ask people what they believe when they present themselves for baptism, just like Jesus made sure the disciples knew who he was (Matt. 16:13-17; also, 1 John 4:1-3).

     *Make sure they understand what following Jesus entails (Matt. 16:24f; John 6:53-60).

     *Explain that the fruit of their lives and persevering to the end will indicate whether or not they really believe (Matt. 7:24f; 10:22).

     *You might even explain that Jesus has commanded your church to remove them from its fellowship if their life moving forward does not match their profession (Matt. 18:15-17).

Yes, let's pray hard for conversions. But then let's do everything that Scripture requires of us in the long work of making disciples---a work that generally requires lots of teaching, lots of time, lots of invitations, lots of meals together, and finally the commitment of an entire church body.

The Most Terrifying Truth in the Scriptures ~ Paul Washer

Oh, so very good!

The Gathering ~ Sovereign Grace Music

Are you ready for one of the best CDs you'll ever listen to?  Seriously, this one is incredible!  But don't take my word for it - scroll through & listen.  You won't regret it!  You can download it, buy it, & look at the lyrics simply by clicking on the link below.  Enjoy!

Our Little Peanut . . . M&M

According to the measurements, we are 7 weeks along!  It's incredible to me that I had no idea that I was pregnant for 6 whole weeks!  We went in to the doctor for bloodwork & an ultrasound this past week, & so far, everything looks great!  My numbers were healthy, as was our little one's heartbeat & placement.  We're still in such awe over this whole surprise!  I'm trying to think of a cute little nickname for him/her, because it can sometimes become a bit of a tongue twister to say "him or her" everytime I want to talk about him or her.  (See what I mean?)  Come to think of it, Michael might have hit on a nickname this morning, quite by accident.  I was ravenous before breakfast, & I patted my belly & said, "It's okay, baby, I'm fixing to feed you."  Michael chuckled & said, "A peanut M&M is bigger than our baby right now!  I don't think he/she's eating that much!"  I've heard people say "peanut" a lot, but "M&M" is new to me!  I think it might work!  ;-)  What say you?

Blessed Be the Name of the Lord!

I was 18 years old when the doctor diagnosed me with PCOS & laid down the news that it would be difficult if not impossible for me to one day conceive without medical intervention.  Being an 18-year-old with no prospects for marriage in the immediate future, I didn't shrug it off, but I wasn't overly concerned.

I married Michael when I was 29, & we were full of hope for our future.  We knew we had a hard road ahead of us in the children department.  And thus has been our experience.  In the course of our marriage, we've had grief over a disrupted adoption process & childlessness.  I'm ashamed to say that I even railed at God a few short months ago, momentarily questioning the most basic truths of His love & goodness like a child throwing a temper tantrum because she's denied something she wants.  I've had my medical diagnosis against me & neither Michael nor I are what you'd call slender, if you know what I mean!  ;-)  With PCOS, this is a definite strike against conception.  Almost 4 1/2 years have come & gone since our wedding, & we've done pretty good at beginning a healthy, active lifestyle . . . but not so great at maintaining it.

Almost 2 months ago, something just clicked, & Michael & I not only began eating healthy & exercising, we kept it up.  We trekked down to the bike trail that winds along the river 4 days a week, I worked out on the weekends while Michael went to his job, & we completely eschewed eating out, opting instead for home-cooked meals & homemade smoothies.  No more ice cream, fries, or deep-fried chicken for us!  Now we focused on farm-fresh eggs & dairy, coconut oil, fruits & veggies, & smaller portions.  When I was hungry, I would picture my stomach & try to eat enough to cover the bottom instead of filling the whole thing.  We ate just until we didn't feel hungry anymore; no more stuffing ourselves.  And we felt great!  Even on our camping trip, we strove not to undo all our hard work & maintain these principles.

Three days ago, Michael came home with a pregnancy test in hand.  I looked at him sideways & initally refused to take it.  Yes, I was late, but that had happened not so long ago as well, so I had decided that my body was simply rebelling against me.  Yes, I'd had a little nausea the last 4 evenings, but that was just the food I'd eaten.  Again, apparently, my body just hated me.  But, I can't look into those beautiful blue eyes & deny him anything for long.  So, I took the test, all the while lamenting that I didn't know why on earth we were doing this.  "I'm never going to get a positive!", said I.  He asked me to check to make sure the line in the test window showed up, indicating that we had done the test properly.  I picked it up.  "Ummmm . . . I think you need to come in here & turn on the light, because I think my eyes are playing tricks on me!"  There it was - a bold, blue plus sign.  But, that just can't be.  My brain shut down.  We snapped a picture on the cell phone & sent it to Beth, because I thought she would know what this meant.  I just couldn't accept what I was seeing.  She squealed with delight, "YOU'RE PREGNANT!!!"  Michael raced out to get a digital test while I peppered her with the same questions repeatedly:  "Can you get a false positive?"; "Can I trust this?";  "Is this for real?"  Three days later, I'm still stunned.  I keep looking at Michael & dreamily saying, "We're having a baby."

We're having a baby!!!

Love the Brethren

"By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." No words can be plainer; & the consequence is equally plain, however hard it may bear upon any professors, that though they could speak with the tongues of angels, had the knowledge of all mysteries, a power of working miracles, & a zeal prompting them to give their bodies to be burned in defence of the truth; yet if they love not the brethren, they are but as sounding brass or tinkling cymbals: they may make a great noise in the church & in the world; they may be wise & able men, as the words are now frequently understood; they may pray or preach with great fluency; but in the sight of God their faith is dead, & their religion is vain.

~John Newton, A Pen Dipped in Love

10 Reasons Why the New NIV Bible is Bad for Women ~ Mary Kassian

I'm so sorry for my long absence!  Trust me, it's not by choice.  Our desktop computer died all of a sudden a couple of Thursdays ago.  We're able to get online with our laptop, but for some weird reason, the laptop isn't all that fond of letting me access this blog.  Thankfully, it seems to be in a good mood on that front today!  I have no idea when our desktop will be fixed, but hopefully it will be soon, because I have lots I want to share with y'all!

Today, it's an article by Mary Kassian on Girls Gone Wise.  Have you visited this site yet?  You really, really should!  The articles & resources are incredible!  Case in point, this one on the new gender-inclusive NIV Bible.  John Piper even brings it to everyone's attention on Facebook.  Mary's conclusion?

"So ladies, please don’t jump on the gender-inclusive Bible bandwagon. Be hip. Be courageous. Be politically incorrect. Insist on a Bible that accurately translates gender language – like the ESV, Holman Christian Standard, or New America Standard. Because in the end, inclusive language, and inclusive language Bibles, are bad for women."  (emphasis mine)

Please read the whole post; her 10 reasons why gender-inclusive Bibles are bad for women are excellent & well worth pondering.

See & Be "Courageous"!

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the newest Sherwood Pictures' film "Courageous" is sweeping through the Christian community.  A few months ago, I shared the trailer with you & enthused about our anticipation for its release.  Well, Michael & I saw it last night, & let me just say that my anticipation for it was nothing to its realization!  We both thought the movie was phenomenal!  So much so that at the end of it, I actually clapped!  (There were only 3 other people in the theater at that late hour, so it wasn't too embarrassing for Michael.  hehehe)  The film is overflowing with emotion, drama, & even humor.  (I thought I was going to "bust a gut", as they say, from laughing so hard during the "Snake King" part!!!)  The presentation of the Gospel is excellent, & the call for men to be responsible, godly, & faithful is unmatched.  Michael & I both give our wholehearted recommendation for this movie & strongly encourage everyone to go see it, maybe even more than once!  And, don't just see the movie, but take its message to heart.  Stand up & shout, "I WILL!" . . . & then follow through.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Family Movies

I've got 4 movies to recommend to y'all today.  These are all excellent films for the whole family!  If you've got Netflix, you can even watch some of them instantly right now!  I hope you love them as much as we do!




"Ociee Nash" is a sweet, fanciful movie that we saw when we kept the kids last year.  It's fun & adorable!




"Jonathan Sperry" may very well be my favorite Christian film of all time.  It's not forced or trite, & the way that this older man disciples these young men is incredible!




"Noah Dearborn" is a film that Michael picked out, & we both fell in love with it!  It makes me long for a simpler life.



I was skeptical of "Alabama Moon" even after I watched the trailer, but only a few minutes into it had me sold!  It's really a wonderful story!

Watch them, love them, add them to your collection.  That's our plan, anyways!

Bloodlines ~ John Piper

A couple of weeks ago, I posted the teaser for John Piper's "Bloodlines" documentary; here it is now in full.  If the teaser left me almost speechless - & seriously jonesing for the book - that's nothing compared to the full version!  It's extraordinary!  Thank goodness we already got the book in!


Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper from Crossway on Vimeo.

Mission Accomplished ~ Shai Linne

"So if we can agree that the election of the Father is not universal, & the regeneration of the Holy Spirit is not universal, why would the atonement of the Son be universal?"

Quotable Christians

“The rejoicing is not in the trial but in what God is doing in it & through it. We need to snap out of the delusion that God made us in order to make us happy. God made us to make us holy. ’Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me’, was Jesus’ command; and He was headed straight for the cross.”

~David Kizziah, preaching on James 1:2,

as quoted on A Glimpse of Our Vapor

"True holiness, we surely ought to remember, does not consist merely of inward sensations & impressions.  It is much more than tears & sighs & bodily excitement & a quickened pulse . . . .  It is something of 'the image of Christ', which can be seen & observed by others in our private life & habits & character & doings (Rom. 8:29)."

~J.C. Ryle, Holiness, introduction pg. xx

"If God's love for His children is to be measured by our health, wealth, and comfort in this life, God hated the apostle Paul."

~John Piper

John Piper & Kevin DeYoung on Holiness

I have been sharing a lot of 3rd party articles & videos, I know, but I hope you've settled down to it, because I'm going to be sharing a lot more!  I've been reading & watching a plethora of truly excellent material that I just know you'll want to know about, if you don't already.  To kick off my continued sharing, let me begin with these 2 stellar videos featuring John Piper & Kevin DeYoung discussing holiness.  Seriously good stuff!

Happy News for Beloved Friends!

photo courtesy of Vinh Duong Photography

I have such an exciting story to share with y'all!  Michael & I have a couple of friends from our former church whom we simply adore.  Jennifer is infectiously bubbly, loving, & genuine; Josh is a jokester who loves the Lord & his family; their beautiful daughter Erin is smart, witty, & growing in her faith in Jesus.  In other words, they are a super family that we're so fortunate to know & love.  And they have one incredible, God-glorifying, obstacles-overcoming story to share!  Hop on over to The Believer's Rest to read it!  It'll put a smile on your face!

Did You Marry the Wrong Person?

Did you marry the wrong person?  Stephen Altrogge & Tim Challies both tackle this question on their blogs.  Looking at the divorce rate, even among those who call themselves Christians, I would say this is a pretty pertinent question.  I would expect that when you boil it down, the only way one can walk away from their vows "for better or worse . . . 'til death do us part" is that they believe they have married the wrong person.  Tim's answer to this question, at first glance, was not what I expected:

"I guarantee that you have married the wrong person. We all marry the wrong person. Perhaps I should say it like this: we all marry the “wrong” person. We all marry a person who sins against us, who sometimes exasperates us by helping us worship our idols and at other times irritates us by smashing them to pieces. We all marry a person who has stinky breath and physical blemishes and bad moods. We all marry a person who is apparently incompatible with us on all kinds of levels."

Stephen's is good, too:

"The husband is neat, the wife is messy. The wife is talkative, the husband is quiet. The husband is always on time, the wife lives more in the moment. The wife is social, the husband is a homebody. These differences, which were initially just an irritant, have grown into something massive. What was once a tiny gap has become a great divide."

I can see how that can happen.  I laughed when I read the paragraph above, because the description, with a few alterations, is exactly Michael & me.  We have so many similarities, especially on the important things, but there are a lot of little differences that can drive us crazy.  I can see how if you focus on those differences, they can drive a wedge.  When we feel this happening, we need a reminder to alter our skewed view, one that I was happy to see Tim give.

"But here is what we need to see: The wrongness of our spouse is one of the great formative influences on us. The wrongness and the apparent incompatibilities are the very things God uses to mold and shape us. A few years down the road you will look back on all of that wrongness, all you declared to be wrong about your husband or wife, and find that God was not wrong at all. He knew exactly what you needed.

What I have found is that often times, when someone fears that he has married the wrong person, or when he fears that he is about to marry the wrong person, he is looking at the differences between himself and this other person and lamenting that this other person is not more like him. He may describe her personality or preferences or passions, but what he is really doing is showing that he wants this woman, this potential wife, to be more like him. If only she was…me! Too many men, too many women, truly want to marry an image of themselves. And why not? You tend to like your preferences, to like your idols, to like your likes.

But ask any married person what his life would be like if he had married someone who was just like himself and you’ll see the folly of it. Her talkativeness was just the antidote to your quiet nature, drawing you out, filling your home with godly words. Your sexual freedom was just what she needed to release her fears and teach her how to express love in a whole new way. Her constant lateness taught you to be patient and showed you that she wasn’t late because she was selfish, but because she cared, just like Jesus when he showed up “too late” to save his friend Lazarus. In all these ways and so many more, God uses incompatibilities to produce godliness. These differences are truly glorious, the means by which God helps us put our own sin to death." (emphasis mine)

I wholeheartedly concur with Tim!  It is exactly our differences that God uses to sanctify us.  I am an impatient, quick-to-anger person; Michael is the exact opposite.  If he had my temperament, this would be a very unhappy household indeed!  As it stands, his patient, forgiving personality is showing some evidence of tempering mine, & it makes for a much more peaceful marriage.  I've heard it said that marriage is God's greatest sanctifying tool, & I think that's true.  Nowhere else will you have two clashing personalities in such close communion filing away the rough edges.  And, what I have already discovered in our marriage is that as our edges are smoothed, we grow closer to each other & more like God.  Which, of course, is His perfect plan.  So, bottom line, if you fear you married the wrong person, fear no more.  God doesn't make mistakes & works all things for the good of His children.  He will certainly do so in your marriage.

Secret Church!

"Family, Marriage, Sex, & the Gospel"!  These are the intertwining topics that David Platt will be covering with us in the next Secret Church on November 4.  If you haven't been to a Secret Church yet, I strongly encourage you to come to this one!  Secret Church is 6 hours of intensive teaching from Scripture.  It's incredible, & it's well worth those 6 hours!  After all, what is there in this life more worthy of such concentrated time & attention than God's Word & its application?

Tickets are already sold out to attend Secret Church at The Church at Brook Hills, but churches all over the nation are simulcasting the event.  Some are even hosting Secret Church in homes & backyards!  If your church hasn't signed up yet, encourage your leadership to do so now!  And if you've missed previous Secret Church events, don't fret.  All of the resources - including study guides - are online for you to watch, listen, & study!

Out of the Depths ~ Sovereign Grace

I like to listen to music while I work around the house.  Last night I was listening to the Psalms CD by Sovereign Grace, & in the midst of folding clothes, the following song came on.  I sat on the bed, closed my eyes, & drank it in.  It was glorious.

Moore on Robertson

If you, like me, thought that Russell Moore's written refutation of Pat Robertson's "divorce your Alzheimer's-stricken wife" comments were incredible, hold on to your hats!  It doesn't get any better than this!

Our Nephew, the Gentleman

 He'll probably kill me, but this is one of my favorite pictures of Bradley!  And just for the record, no, he is most assuredly not an Auburn fan!

Have I ever told y'all about our nephew, Bradley?  He is one smart fella, let me tell you!  But even better than that - much better than that - he's a gentleman.  Already, at the ripe old age of 16, this young man puts a lot of older men to shame when it comes to treating women - even his younger sisters - with respect.  Rarely have I seen him not open a door for us females, & it's usually because his father or uncle get there first.  Michael & I spent a good portion of yesterday up in the big city with this side of our family, & one thing really struck me when we were all leaving.  Before getting into the car himself, Bradley made sure his mother was settled in the driver's seat first!  "Did you see that?!", I crooned to Michael, "He's such a gentleman!"  A while back, I met the family at a gas station for a milk exchange, & when I set out to pump my own gas (Michael wasn't there), Bradley was having none of it.  He told me that wasn't my place & did it for me!  These are just a few examples.  Is he great, or what?!

1 Peter 3:7 exhorts men to "[show] honor to the woman as the weaker vessel".  I've heard Mark Driscoll explain that men are like Thermoses & women are like crystal goblets.  Personally, I'm rather partial to being treated more like crystal than a Thermos!  ;-)  I'm pleased that Bradley's already being shown how to treat women respectfully & look forward to the day when his wife will reap the benefits of his early training.  For now, I'm just enjoying an opportunity to brag on our gentlemanly nephew!  We love you, Bradley!

'Til Alzheimer's Do We Part?

Standing before untold numbers of people claiming to be a representative of Christ, Pat Robertson spit in the face of Scripture's teaching this week & said that a man had grounds to divorce his Alzheimer's-stricken wife in order to remarry, claiming that she's "not there" anymore.  There's so much that I could say, but I would never be able to say it as well as Russell Moore does in his confrontation of this heretic.

"Marriage, the Scripture tells us, is an icon of something deeper, more ancient, more mysterious. The marriage union is a sign, the Apostle Paul announces, of the mystery of Christ and his church (Eph. 5). The husband, then, is to love his wife “as Christ loved the church” (Eph. 5:25). This love is defined not as the hormonal surge of romance but as a self-sacrificial crucifixion of self. The husband pictures Christ when he loves his wife by giving himself up for her.

At the arrest of Christ, his Bride, the church, forgot who she was, and denied who he was. He didn’t divorce her. He didn’t leave.

The Bride of Christ fled his side, and went back to their old ways of life. When Jesus came to them after the resurrection, the church was about the very thing they were doing when Jesus found them in the first place: out on the boats with their nets. Jesus didn’t leave. He stood by his words, stood by his Bride, even to the Place of the Skull, and beyond."

Beautifully said!  Rather than giving any credence whatsoever to such a load of tosh as what Pat Robertson doled out, let's hear what a true man of God has to say.  Robert McQuilken lived out Ephesians 5:25-32 when he retired to spend his days caring for his wife of over 40 years.



It's not hard to see which view of marriage brings glory to God.  And it's definitely not Pat Robertson's!

Status Quo or Ron Paul

For those who keep complaining about the status quo, I have one thing to say:  Stop voting for the status quo or stop complaining!  If you, like we, are sick of such, sick of pandering candidates who renege on their word, sick of candidates getting drunk on their own power trips, sick of candidates who vow to uphold the Constitution & then spend all of their term ripping it to shreds, then you have one choice before you.  Ron Paul.

Parenting Resources

Since I mentioned parenting in my "Marriage Works!" posts, I thought it might be helpful to point out just a few of my favorite parenting resources.  Even if you're not a parent yet, like me, it's never too early to get started because there's so much to learn!  And even if you are already a parent, it's never too late to infuse some practical, godly wisdom into your life!

The Duties of Parents is an excellent little book!  One of the things that makes Bishop Ryle one of my favorite authors is that he doesn't mince words.  He's a straight shooter & makes no apologies for laying out God's Word as the foundation for any area of life, including parenting.

Parenting is not about modifying behavior to meet social norms.  It's about reaching your child's heart.  True salvation is not found in outward conformity but in heart-change.  And what we want more than anything is for our children's hearts to be altered so that they love God supremely.  Shepherding a Child's Heart gives you the tools for godly parenting.  I will say that if you're anything like me, this approach to parenting is so different from your natural mind-set that you'll have to read it multiple times!  ;-)

I cannot give a personal recommendation for Gospel-Powered Parenting, because I haven't read it yet.  However, I have heard good things about it.  So, my advice is, as in all things, read it with discernment.

Bloodlines ~ John Piper

John Piper: Bloodlines Documentary Trailer from Crossway on Vimeo.

This almost leaves me speechless.  All I can say is, I love this man, & I'm looking forward to this book!

Special Offer for Men

Men, listen up!  Ladies, you, too, because you're bound to know a man who could use this!  Here's a special offer from Family Life Today to download the electronic version of Stepping Up: A Call to Courageous Manhood by Dennis Rainey for just $1.99!  This offer is available now through October 15.  Here's what Dennis has to say about the book & the offer.  Michael jumped on this one, & you should, too!

Recipe of the "Week"

It seems that everywhere you look, people are talking about how to increase our fruit & vegetable intake.  A while back, Michael & I found what has turned out to be the perfect way for us . . . smoothies!  We bought a Vitamix & started mixing it up!  I thought I would share one of our favorites with you today.  Enjoy!

Smoothies Galore!

Look at that beautiful color!  Chock-full of berry goodness!

Ingredients (for a single serving):

     -1/2 c. water or milk (water if you want fewer calories)

     -1/4 c. yogurt (optional; we've started leaving it out because it contains so much sugar)

     -honey (~1 T; I just pour it in)

     -coconut oil (~1 T; this is my fat source, but 1/2 an avocado will work, too, & will give you a creamier smoothie)

     -flax seed (again, I just pour it in, but I would guesstimate ~2 T)

     -almonds (a couple of handfuls for protein, or you can use an organic, farm-fresh egg, which will also make it creamy; do not use a store-bought egg)

     -1 banana

     -strawberries (~1 c., or a bit more)

     -blueberries (same as strawberries)

     -spinach (1 handful; other greens such as kale will work as well)

It helps to have at least one frozen fruit; both our strawberries & blueberries are frozen in this smoothie made for 2.

Always make sure to layer your ingredients with liquids first.  Blend until it reaches the desired consistency, using the tamper to push ingredients into the blades.  I let mine run until it's flowing smoothly, like a fruity whirlpool.  The single serving is somewhere around 20 ounces, or a little more than 2 cups, & it's easy to increase or even double that amount.  Play with it & have fun!

See those lovely flecks?!  Mmmm-Mmmm good!

One Thing the 9/11 Terrorists Got Right ~ John Piper

The basis of our behavior is what we believe about our future. “Your reward will be great.” But this reward is fellowship with the sovereign, self-sacrificing Christ. And that hope makes us joyfully endure persecution. Murdering infidels is not the door to this reward. Suffering for the sake of their salvation is. . . . Learn from the terrorists: Don’t throw your life away pursuing their future. And don’t throw it away on the American dream. Fall in love with the final future glory. “Rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).  (Read the rest here.)

A Heart of Repentance

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!

~Psalm 139:23-24

Marriage Works!

The story of the Bible revolves around God's redemption of mankind through Christ's atonement.  From the moment of the Fall, after pronouncing curses on the serpent, Adam, & Eve respectively, God gives a life-giving promise of the coming child who will be their salvation.  As the Israelites wandered & sinned in the desert, God gave them the sacrificial system as a reminder that not only were they in bondage to sin, but that their sin deserved death.  Embedded in that system, though, there was also the repeated promise of the Lamb who would one day take away the sin of the world.  With the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, the Son of God took on human flesh & walked the earth, healing infirmities & giving life to the lifeless.  His mission carried Him to the cross, where the innocent One bore the guilt of sinners & paid the punishment we deserve.  But the story doesn't end there, for being pleased with His sacrifice, the Father raised Jesus from the dead, securing once & for all victory over sin & death!  Upon His ascension, He left His disciples with the charge to spread His Gospel to the ends of the earth.  So, the rest of the Bible is given over to our "already/not yet" lives, the lives we live in between Christ's first & second comings.  Pick any letter in the New Testament & you will see a pattern of Gospel followed by response.  Repeatedly, we see that "because this Gospel is true, here is how we should respond".  So, any time we see a command given in Scripture, we must always, always, always view it through a Gospel lens.  To do anything else will lead us either to self-righteousness or despair.  So, with this firmly in mind, let us look at the commands in Scripture that are either specific to or can be applied to marriage.  This list is by no means exhaustive, but is a good starting place.

Pray for one another  (James 5:16)

Wives - Respect your husband  (Eph. 5:33)

Wives - Submit to your husband  (Eph. 5:22-24; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:3-5)

Husbands - Love your wife  (Eph. 5:25-33; Col. 3:19)

Forgive one another (Heb. 12:14-15; Matt. 6:9-15; Luke 17:3-4)

Repent to God & one another (Matt. 5:23-24; Luke 13:1-5; Acts 3:19-21)

Prefer & Serve one another  (Rom. 12:10; John 13:1-17; Phil. 2:1-8)

Romance each other  (Song of Solomon)

Communicate with love & understanding  (Prov. 20:5; Eph. 4:29; Col. 4:6)

Put your spouse ahead of parents, children, & others  (Genesis 2:24)

Be faithful  (1 Cor. 6:15-20; Matt. 5:27-28)

Encourage one another  (1 Thess. 5:11)

Make love  (Prov. 5:15-19; 1 Cor. 7:3-5)

Some other things to remember:

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

~Prov. 4:23

"Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, & let him make her sorry to see him leave."  ~Martin Luther

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.  ~Col. 3:8-17

Finally, let me recommend a few books for you.  If you're not a reader, let me encourage you to become one, because there really is no better way to learn & grow.  These are incredible books full of godly wisdom & simply bursting with Scriptural application!

Becoming the Woman of His Dreams by Sharon Jaynes is a highly practical book with 25 applications after each section, plus a study guide & prayers in the back.  This book has been so helpful in giving me new ideas & re-centering me when I get a little off.  I simply adore it!

 

Oh, me, oh, my!  What an amazing book!  We are inundated every day with all sorts of lies about God, about ourselves, about sin, about men - you name it, Satan (the father of lies) has led us into wrong thinking regarding it.  Nancy does a superb job tackling these lies & using God's Word to show them as the twisting of truth that they really are.  Seriously, you need this book!

 

Because this is a post for men & women, I would be remiss if I failed to include books that help husbands!  I haven't read either of the following books, but I asked my beloved, & these were his first suggestions.  I hope they're as helpful to you as the ones above will be to your wife.

 

My prayer is that you, your spouse, & your marriage are blessed by this post.  The state of marriage in the church seems to be almost as bad off as outside the church, & it just should not be so.  We have God's Word - the only foundation for truth to be had in this crazy, sinful world - to guide our thoughts, words, & deeds.  Please, let's run to God rather than "Cosmo", "Desperate Housewives", or Katy Perry for wisdom & truth.  Our marriages aren't the only thing at stake here.  So is our witness for Christ to this dying world.  May our marriages reflect the love of Christ & bring our Savior glory!  Amen!

Ask A Calvinist ~ Justin Taylor

Wow!  This is an excellent post by Justin Taylor!  He gives really straightforward, Scripture-laden responses to some incredibly tough questions regarding Calvinism.  I don't know anything about Rachel Held Evans' blog (where this post is written), so I can't recommend it, but I unreservedly exhort you to read this post!

Marriage Works!

Have you ever thought about how much of our lives are spent in preparation & study?  I've been reflecting on this lately, & it occurs to me that we honestly spend the majority of our lives preparing for one thing or another.  Consider:  from the time we begin our formal education (sometimes even before), we are studying for exams or working hard to perfect some skill, be it sports, music, or any other discipline.  We put a lot of effort into making sure that we have all of the information to excel in our studies & athletic/artistic pursuits.  This hard-working mentality even carries on through our post-secondary education to whatever arena we choose to employ our knowledge & abilities, both in our jobs & in our leisure activities.  We simply take it for granted that excelling in life will require a deep knowledge base & a honing of abilities, so we work very hard at acquiring these necessities in almost every area of our lives.  Almost.

The one area that seems to be most neglected here is relationships.  We live in a sinful world full of sinful people.  Sinful people commit sin against each other.  There is not a single relationship that will remain untainted by sin.  And that makes relationships hard.  Two relationships are the most difficult:  relationships between spouses & relationships between parent & child.  So, I've been thinking - why is it that we just expect to excel in these relationships without study & hard work?  We will almost kill ourselves to perfect our knowledge so that we are good at our job or our passion, but we think that marriage & parenting will just come naturally.  Therefore, we put little to no effort into gaining godly wisdom about how to be a good spouse or a good parent.  And then we wonder why our families are falling apart.  Forgive me, but this disparity just makes no sense.

Last week, I became aware of no less than 3 marriages that are now defunct.  One lasted less than a year.  All 3 of these marriages were entered into - & dissolved by - people who grew up in the church & still claim Christ as their Savior.  One of them lamented about searching for God's will.  Can I be honest here?  I wanted to scream.  As a matter of fact, if memory serves, I believe I did.  Why is it that even believers will look to any other source than God's Word for wisdom, or even for His will?  Is it because we don't believe His Word to be the final authority in all matters of our lives?  Or is it because we don't like that His Word won't allow us to wallow in our sin, so we ignore it?  We need a reality check.

We love to sing, "What a friend we have in Jesus"!  And we truly do have the ultimate friend in Him.  John 15:13 reminds us of this truth because Jesus Christ is its fulfillment:

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

We rightly revel in the truth that Jesus Christ willingly died for us on the cross!  The problem is that we tend to stop here & ignore what comes next:

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

The proof that we are saved by Christ's sacrifice is that we obey His commands.  It follows that if we choose to ignore His commands, this is proof that we are not friends for whom Jesus died.  So, what commands found in His Word are either specific to or can be applied to marriage?  We'll explore that next time.

Gospel-Light "Christian" Music

I just read an article - two articles, in fact - on the topic of CCM (Contemporary Christian Music).  One was from a woman who grew up in the church, an avid consumer of CCM as a young teenager, who became aware of a truth that's not even on a lot of believers' radars.  She discovered that the majority of CCM is more focused on keeping up with the Jones' (i.e., secular music) than with Gospel content.  This is an insightful woman, for she further saw how CCM's intense desire for "relevance" mirrored the church's striving after the same.  In her longing for authenticity & truth, she saw through the vacuous nature of what she was being fed &, unfortunately, abandoned her faith.  Her words - both truthful & heartbreaking - should be heeded by believers, for statistics show that she's not alone.

"In trying to compete in this market, the church has forfeited the one advantage it had in the game to attract disillusioned youth: authenticity. When it comes to intransigent values, the profit-driven world has zilch to offer. If Christian leaders weren’t so ashamed of those unvarnished values, they might have something more attractive than anything on today’s bleak moral market. In the meantime, they’ve lost one more kid to the competition."

~Meghan O’Gieblyn

The second article was actually the one I read first, the one that led me to Meghan's aforementioned piece.  In citing it, Denny introduces his audience to Meghan's struggles & - accurately, I think - describes her as "a girl who becomes increasingly disillusioned with a vapid, degraded church culture".  From her experience, Denny draws some very important conclusions that - just like Meghan's words - should be given careful consideration.

"In any case, there is a lesson here for all of us. You cannot market the gospel like you market a Big Mac. I have seen lots of Big Macs in my lifetime, but I’ve never seen one that looks as good as the picture on the billboard. That’s because marketers are in the business of taking something ordinary and making it to look better than it really is.

This is the opposite of the ministry of the gospel. We are not in the business of making the gospel to look better than it is. It is already far more glorious and weighty and substantial than we could ever describe. The gospel doesn’t need to be photoshopped to make it effective, nor does it need an extreme makeover “Madison Avenue Edition.” It just needs to be preached plainly and faithfully. And where that simple proclamation occurs, people find it to be the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 4:20; 1 Thessalonians 1:5)."

Early on in our relationship, Michael tried to show me the shallowness in CCM.  At that point, I had listened exclusively to CCM for around 15 years.  I loved it!  So, I took his negative evaluation quite personally, & it made me angry.  Then, when he exposed me to Sovereign Grace Music, I thought it was "too churchy".  But, as I listened to the words in SGM & compared them to many CCM songs, I became aware of a vast difference between them.  The Scripture- & Gospel-saturated lyrics that flowed from SGM songs were riveting, while CCM was almost devoid of that which would make it truly Christian.  Now, that being said, not every song classified as CCM bears these characteristics; however, far too many sadly do.

A clear distinction needs to be made here between that which calls itself Christian - be it media, church, or individual - & that which truly is.  Just as not all that glitters is gold, not all that claims to be Christian actually is.  I wonder where Meghan would be now if she had seen this distinction.  If she had been in a church that unashamedly, unapologetically, unreservedly preached God's Word, that was faithful to God's Word, whose practices were informed by God's Word, would she have walked away from the faith that she was taught in her youth?  Because, when all is distilled down, this is not mainly an issue with music; it's an issue with the church.  And in the case of CCM, music is just a symptom of the underlying illness.

Harry Potter's Redemptive Theme

It's no secret that I adore the Harry Potter book series.  I know a lot of Christians do not feel the same way, & in fact believe the books to be wicked.  Perhaps this lovely little video will help to change their minds.  It certainly is validation for what those of us who love both Christ & Harry Potter (in quite different ways) have always been able to see, even if we haven't been able to articulate it quite as beautifully as Professor Barrs has done here.