What I Needed to Read

I wanted to share with you all a post I read that I really needed to read. It is on a topic that I have been praying about for some time and have felt like I haven't made the progress I had hoped to, but haven't given up. I hope you enjoy this post on speaking gently.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;[a]
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

The destructive influence of foolish women. . .

The destructive influence of foolish women is readily apparent in the secular world. In recent years we have seen the power of foolish women to tear down and destroy the moral sensitivities and fiber of an entire nation. We can all think of high profile women, entertainers, politicians, wives of public figures--whose philosophies and lifestyles have wielded an enormous, negative influence on our entire culture.

However, what should trouble us even more is the extent to which foolishness among women has permeated the evangelical church. We have followed the world in redefining what it means to be a woman, as well as what is means to be a man. We have blurred, if not eradicated, the distinctions between feminine and masculine character, behavior and roles.

We have lost our moorings, our sense of what is pure and good, true and right. We have little comprehension of the meaning or importance of such old-fashioned words such as wholesome, modest, discreet and chaste.

--Nancy Leigh Demoss, Biblical Womanhood in the Home

Disciple Like Jesus For Parents

One of the blogs I follow is giving away the book Disciple Like Jesus for Parents. It sounds like a great book and a good addition to any Christian Parent's library. Head over to God Made, Home Grown to read more about the book and to enter to win a copy of the book for yourself!

Hear and Now

This devotional spoke to my heart. I have been struggling on hearing God's purpose for my life in the coming days, months, and years. We need to listen to Him in all things--even the "small" things. I hope you visit the link and are encouraged as I was.

The Frog in the Pot

I have heard before that the way to boil a frog is to put it in cold water and slowly heat it up to boiling. The frog doesn't notice the small changes in temperature and doesn't jump out. If you try to put a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will immediately jump out.

I have seen the same thing happening to America since the 60s. I was lead to a link on an article about a similar topic and wanted to share it with everyone. "[T]he church (according to Mr. Wolf's observation) is sliding into debauchery along with the world, just at a slower rate."

Are You a "Joyful Mother of Children"?

Are You a "Joyful Mother of Children"?

Never Again

Never again will I confess "I can't" for "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

Never again will I confess lack, for "my God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

Never again will I confess fear, for "God hath not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7

Never again will I confess doubt and lack of faith, for "God hath given to every man the measure of faith." Romans 12:3

Never again will I confess weakness for "The Lord is the strength of my life." Psalm 27:1

Never again will I confess defeat, for "God always causeth me to triumph in Christ Jesus." II Corinthians 2:14

Never again will I confess lack of wisdom, for "Christ Jesus is made unto me wisdom from God." I Corinthians 1:30

Never again will I confess worries and frustrations, for I am "casting all my cares upon Him who careth for me." I Peter 5;7

Never again will I confess condemnation, for "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1


--Anonymous

The African King

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.

Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"

To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they
noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off. And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad of me to do this."

"No" his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, "This is good?" How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you when you were captured."

Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the promise of God is clear. If we love Him and live our lives according to His precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God for His glory and our benefit.

-- Author Unknown

(Shared by a friend on Christian Parents Form)

The True Cost

Often, we don't think about the true cost of our decisions. We live in the moment and how things are going to affect us "now". I read a devotional today reminding me to think about those future costs before making decisions. I wanted to share it with you.

True Cost