The Real Woman's Liberation Movement

The Real Woman's Liberation Movement

Leading An Army To Battle

"You are as much serving God in looking after your own children,
and training them up in God's fear,
and minding the house,
and making your household a church for God,

as you would be if you had been called
to lead an army to battle
for the Lord of hosts."


~Charles Spurgeon

Do We Know How to Pray

Do We Know How to Pray

Housecleaning

HOUSECLEANING
by Dorothy Elizabeth Walker

There's one room upstairs that no one sees
Where during the year things have collected;
Good things, others too, that just take up room,
To be shared or thrown away, but I neglected.

So I cleaned out the clutter and cobwebs,
Swept and scrubbed everything in sight;
Covered up the ugly marks with fresh paint,
Washed windows -- in came sun and light.

Order out of chaos; oh what a change!
Now that it's done, it's a real joy to me;
All the time as I worked, I thought again
Of the cleansing I, myself, need daily.

There's a room in my heart no one sees;
During the day some things collect there -
The dust of gloom, envy, thoughtless words,
Even wondering, "Does Jesus care?"

So I cleaned out a secret grudge, cobwebs
Of jealousy, washed walls of prejudice too;
Then covered up a lot of things with love -
Yet the Lord had some cleaning to do.

My hurting heart He calmed and healed,
Washed my eyes with tears, many bitter too.
That I might see the brightness of His love.
Yet it's not because of what I could do

That makes me joyously happy and clean -
'Tis the cleansing blood of God's Son -
For when looking into the mirror of His Word
I was only willing to let it be done.

Moms...we are not invisible!

Moms...we are not invisible!
By Nicole Johnson

It started to happen gradually …

One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?"

"Nobody," he shrugged.

Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?"

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking.

That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me.

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going … she's going … she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Blessed by God!

My family was immensely blessed by God on New Year's Eve! Hava Helen Johanna was born at 7:16 pm on New Year's Eve. She was 8 lbs 4 oz and 21" long.

Satan the Woodpecker

Satan works against us by using schemes, plans, and other ways that will separate us from the Lord. He is like a woodpecker searching for a bug on a tree. The woodpecker does not hammer away at the tough area of bark, but rather he pecks away until he finds a weak area and then drills it, because he knows there is bug underneath. So too, Satan does not waste time on our strong points, but finds our weaknesses because he wants to devour us.--Kelly J. Townsend.

I love this illustration! It helps me understand why I struggle with the same thing over and over even though I pray about it almost every day (if not every day). Satan knows that if he can wear me down in the couple of areas that I already struggle with, that I will let my guard down in my stronger areas and then he can attack there before I know what is going on.

It is because of this that I need to make sure to put on my FULL armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and be ready to battle Satan no matter where he attacks. I need to enroll other prayer warriors to help me pray for my weaknesses. This must be why God's Word tells us to share our burdens with one another--to confess to one another. How can someone else pray for us if they don't know we are struggling.

As hard as it is to humble ourselves and admit our weaknesses to others, that is exactly what we need to do. It is through this humbling of ourselves that we truly encounter the opportunity to be strengthened.

Take some time to talk to a prayer warrior (or two) in your life. Humble yourself not only before God, but before them and ask for prayers for His strength to battle Satan. Contact your friends and see if you can be a prayer warrior for them. It is by banding together that we can fight the attacks of Satan. Read Nehemiah 4 to see how the Israelites defended themselves against the attacks of their enemies. It is a great picture of how we need to live.

Links to Share

I often come across good posts by other people and want to share them. Here are some recent ones.

30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge for Wives

Love Covers it All

Petitions with Thanksgiving

The Most Important Thing

ABC'S OF BEING A HELP MEET

ABC'S OF BEING A HELP MEET
http://www.heart4home.net/blessings/alphabet_help_meet.htm

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:18

Admit when you are wrong
Be positive
Cuddle
Do it his way
Encourage him
Fix his breakfast
Give back rubs
Hug often
"I love you" should be said many times daily
Joke around in a playful manner
Know his needs
Listen to him
Manage your home well
Never hold grudges
Open your eyes in the morning and smile
Pray for him
Quit nagging him
Reminisce about good times
Show respect and honor
Trust, and earn his trust
Understand his need for reverence
Vulnerability is a feminine trait; cultivate it
Wink at him!
X is for private times
Yearn to please him
Zealously guard him with your love

The Ten Commandments and Living in the Grace of Christ

Romans 7:7-12

⁷What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

⁸But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

⁹For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

¹⁰And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

¹¹For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

¹²Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

I have heard many people say that they no longer have to abide by the Old Testament because Christ fulfilled the law and it is no longer relevant. My first question to them was always, "What about the 10 Commandments?" I was surprised to find that some people said they didn't need to follow the 10 Commandments anymore. Some said that those are now just "guidelines" not law. And others agreed that we should live by them, but just because they were good enough for God's people once and they are still good ideas.

I always knew in my heart that we are to still follow the 10 Commandments. I had heard that the law is a "mirror" of the heart. But I never knew where in scripture to point people when we had this "debate". God led me to what I needed to know this morning!

We do not know sin until we know the law. I'm not saying that before we know the 10 Commandments that it isn't sin to commit adultery, murder, etc., but that without the standards to know what is right or what is wrong, there can be no judgment. Knowing the law shed light on our actions (and the actions of others).

Some people are put off by preachers who talk of hell. They think we should only witness to people telling them about God's love and grace. While those are both very important aspects of who Christ is, we also need to warn them about the danger of living eternity in hell.

What is the best way to do that? Why teaching them the "law". The law will open their eyes to why they need a savior; it points to life-eternal life. Without knowing why they need saved, they will not seek Him. Without knowing that what they are doing is wrong, they will keep on doing it. Without realizing what their eternity could be, they will keep living in ignorant bliss.

It is our job to reveal Christ to them. What better way to reveal Christ than to reveal why Christ came--to save us from our sins!

The Way of the Master is a great program that teaches you how to bypass debate on Christ and who He is and get right to the logical mind. You will speak to a person's conscious and heart instead of debating the intellectual.

Don't throw away the Old Testament. God gave it to us for a reason (actually many reasons). The law is still relevant today. Study it. Know it. Live by it. Share it. The law leads to the Life Giver--Jesus Christ!