Author Archives:
Cravings (and another giveaway!)
With infants and toddlers in the house, life gets crazy. Interruptions become the routine, and fitting in consistent quiet time with God can be nearly impossible. So many of my early blog posts wrestled with this reality. If you’re used to spending regular time with Him, the shift can be felt physically. It’s painful. Itchy. Restless.
My life has changed a lot over the past few years. Both my kids are now in school full-time. My days have definitely taken on a sort of rhythm, a semblence of predictability. I have much more flexibility during the morning and afternoon hours, but now my evenings are crazy. Trying to fit in family Bible time among homework, dinner, sports schedules, piano lessons, church and community activities has become the new challenge.
Whether you’re in Stage 1 Motherhood with preschoolers constantly vying for your attention or your a Stage 2 mom juggling a full plate of social and educational commitments, I’ve got something for you. New author, Carey Bailey, has created a devotional tool that can fit into any schedule. Truly.
“When I became a mom I lost my God time,” says Carey Bailey. “I couldn’t figure out how to fit it in, since everything but that time was a priority. So I made note cards that I set around my house with scriptures written on them. Even when my arms were too full of babies, laundry, and diapers to pick up a Bible, I could easily read God’s words of encouragement that I was starving for.”
And Cravings–The Devotional was born.
Cravings is a collection of card-size devotionals based on the Psalms. Written to help mothers develop their relationship with God in the midst of motherhood, each card contains a scripture for the day, a “thoughtlet,” and an action idea.
As moms crave the sweet morsels from God’s Word, they can draw a card from a cute Cravings holder—a pink cupcake!—that also displays the daily card for hands-free viewing. The set of 40 cards offers over a month’s worth of inspiration.
I have to admit: the holder is a little too cutesy for me. I don’t like pink and I don’t really do nicknacks in our house. Nevertheless, we’ve put Cravings in the kitchen (tucked behind a picture frame, so the verse pokes out the top).
Each morning while the kids eat breakfast, I read the card, then share the verse with them. While I digest the personal devotion she has written for me as a mom, Ellie and Zach talk about what they think the verse means for them. It’s an easy, accessible way to do devotions that feeds all of us.
And it’s great having it out where we can see the cards! Books close. Kindles turn off. But this is visible. A constant reminder to keep our thoughts tuned to God’s Word and our eyes open to His will for us.
You can get it here.
About the author: Carey Bailey is a recovering perfectionist, wife, proud mama and Family Life director for her church in Surprise, Ariz. On the side she loves party planning, crafting, and pursuing her dream of writing. She has a degree in religion from Westminster College and writes at her blog at www.carebaileyonline.com.
Celebrate with Carey by entering her Minute-for-Mom Giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- $50 gift card to Erin Condren Shop (Your one-stop-shop for all things awesome!)
- $50 gift card to Victoria’s Secret® (For something pretty.)
- $25 gift card to Bath & Body Works® (For a little spa treatment.)
- 2 Sets of Cravings – The Devotional (For you and a friend.)
- Scentsy Plug In and 2 Bars (A lovely scent for your space.)
Hurry, the giveaway ends on 5/12/12. The winner will be announced 5/14/12 on Carey’s blog!
Just click one of the icons below to enter! Tell your friends about Carey’s giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.
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How to Know When You’ve Found a REALLY Good Book (and a Kindle giveaway!)
Not sure if you’ve found a great book? If so, you may find yourself employing rationalization techniques (like these). If the book is really, really good, however, the signs may be far less obvious. Here are some clues.
- You bring your book with you while walking the kids to school … even if the school is only three short blocks away.
- Your solo lunch break between errands turns into a three-hour afternoon lost in the roaring ’20s.
- Your audible gasps attract the attention of people two tables away during your lunch-break-turned-three-hour-afternoon-lost-in-the-roaring-’20s.
- Your neck is red from clutching it while reading.
- Your husband wakes at 1am to find you wide awake, nestled with you favorite blanket, your book and a healthy mountain of tear-filled tissues.
It’s no secret: Susan May Warren is one of my very, very favorite authors. Her latest series — Daughters of Fortune — tackles a different genre than most of her spunky, chick-lit contemporary romances. I reviewed the first book last fall. Today I’m going to share with you Book 2: Baroness.
This title takes place six years after the first. Heiress followed sisters Esme and Jinx; Baroness follows their daughters, Lilly and Rosie. These girls definitely come from their mothers’ stock. I recognized so much of their mothers in them, yet they had their own mountains to climb, their own lessons to learn. Rather than being in the Gilded Age of Titanic fame, these girls come of age during the roaring 20s. While tangling themselves both in culture and society from Paris to the mob underworld in New York and Chicago and even to the dangerous heights of early aviation, they challenge the roles of women and the fine lines of propriety. As always, Warren’s characters are fabulous. They’re complexities absorb readers, seamlessly investing our hearts in their successes and mistakes.
Throughout all of this, one question resonates: What are the limits of God’s love?
If you read Heiress, you know these girls were born into baggage. They’ve enough drama within their bloodlines to fuel stage and tabloids. Can God’s love reach even them? At what point will He give up and refuse to forgive? Can they be loved and free at the same time? At what cost?
This book hit every one of those clues listed above. I loved it! As with most series, I do recommend starting at the beginning, but I believe one could still thoroughly enjoy both this and its prequel if read out of order.
Now for a bit more from the author and publicists.
About the book:
Lilly and Rose, daughters of an empire coming of age in the roaring twenties, can have anything they want … except freedom.
Expected to marry well and to take the reins of the empire, they have their lives planned out for them. But, Lilly, Esme’s daughter longs to return home to Montana, to adventure outside the confines of New York City. And Jinx’s daughter Rosie dreams of the bright lights of the newly emerging silver screen. But following their dreams – from avant garde France, to Broadway, to the skies in the world of barnstormers and wing-walkers will take all their courage.
And if they find love, will they choose freedom or happily ever after?
Find out more from Behind the Pages.
Find out what the reviewers are saying here!
Click here to purchase the book from Amazon.com.
About the Author:
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.
A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!.
She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. You can find her online at www.susanmaywarren.com.
About the Giveaway and Party:
Celebrate with Susan by entering her Roaring 20′s Giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire
- Signed copies of Baroness and Heiress by Susan May Warren
But hurry, the giveaway ends on 5/7/12. The winner will be announced on 5/9/12 on Susan’s blog, Scribbles!
Just click one of the icons below to enter! Tell your friends about Susan’s giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.
Your Turn: What are clues that you’ve found lost yourself in an absolutely delicious book?
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When David Met Samuel, Saul and then Goliath (BIG WORD: 1 Samuel 16-17)
If you know me in real life or have followed this blog for any length of time, you know that my family comes first. ALWAYS. I make lots of personal and professional goals; I set my deadlines, but when family interrupts, all those well-intentioned plans fall by the wayside in favor of my most important pursuits.
Part of me wants to apologize for this extremely late re-cap of last week’s Bible study. Most of me, however, shrugs and affirms that life happens. For the past week I have been knee-deep in life. And I’ll not ask forgiveness for that.
We had a great discussion last week! While diving into 1 Samuel 16-17, most people want to talk about the giant. Books and studies urge readers to identify their giants and then slaughter them with their own smooth stones. That’s a good angle, but BIG WORD took a slightly different approach. Instead of focusing on the battle, we focused on the relationships. We talked about Samuel’s relationship with Saul and his response to God rejecting Saul as king. We talked a lot about fear vs. trust and then about Saul’s relationship with David. You can dive deeper into the passage with the help of the homework.
Click here for the homework on Chapters 16-17.
As always, I’ll not touch on every question, just the points we discussed most in group. If I miss something important or if you have a question about anything, be sure to comment! I want to know what you think and what you’re getting out of this study of Scripture.
Samuel Mourns Saul’s Failure
Why did Samuel take Saul’s failure so personally. On more than one occasion the prophet verbalized his disapproval of the monarchy and here, when he is finally proven right, he mourns. Why?
Well, consider the situation. Samuel had worked very closely with Saul for years. He loved him and wanted him to succeed! It’s never easy to watch a friend suffer consequences, especially when those consequences could have been avoided. Something else: Samuel very likely took ownership of the Saul’s success … or failure. He was his adviser. In a way, he was his mentor. If Saul failed, wouldn’t Samuel have blamed himself for not properly training him?
Fear vs. Trust
Once again we find the Israelites forgetting the power of their God and fearing the strength of their enemies. Does this sound like anyone you know? It sounds an awful lot like me … and just about everyone I know. We can so easily focus on what’s in front of us rather than remembering the Power that is behind us and in us.
Samuel feared Saul.
The people of Bethlehem feared Samuel.
Saul feared the Philistines and the opinions of his men.
The Israelites feared Goliath.
Because of all this fear, trust was misplaced.
Samuel placed his trust in a less-than-forthcoming excuse.
The Philistines placed their trust in Goliath.
Saul placed his trust in the strength of men and the enticing bribe he offered them. (The incentive for fighting Goliath included riches, a life free from taxes, and the hand of Saul’s daughter.)
The Israelites, led by Saul, placed their trust in a courageous kid named David.
David, in contrast, placed his trust in God. He staked his life and the future of his people on his conviction that his God was greater and would defend them.
So the question begs: In whom do we place our trust?
If we, like David, place our trust in the only One worthy of being trusted, then we have nothing to fear. Fear dissipates in the face of faith. And faith in anything other than the one true and living God is misplaced. God has given us many promises — Romans 8:31; Ephesians 3:20-21; Psalm 118:6; Isaiah 41:10; 1 John 4:4 — upon which we may courageously stand. This doesn’t mean we’ll never be afraid. Only that, if God is for us, those against us have more to fear.
Meeting David
After the battle against Goliath, Saul inquires about David’s identity. This seems odd since David had previously been hired by the king to play the harp and sooth his evil spirits. They had worked together for some time and yet, at the end of chapter 17, he seems clueless. Why didn’t Saul know who David was?
We have a few theories on this.
Theory 1: These chapters may not be written chronologically. The fact that David’s family line is mentioned twice gives credence to this thought. Some scholars have rearranged the chapters to provide flashbacks to the narrative. They believe David fighting Goliath was the first encounter between he and King Saul and that after this, David was appointed the court musician.
There are a couple problems with this. First, none of the rest of First Samuel is told out of order, so how are we to ever be confident of an accurate timeline? Secondly, chapter 18, which we’ll dive into next time, states that David was immediately given a ranked position in the army. It just doesn’t jive that Saul would have a military commander audition as a palace harpist. In makes more sense to conclude that David was already the harpist and continued those duties even after being promoted.
Theory 2: Saul knew who David was, but needed to affirm his family line. Part of the champion’s reward was tax exemption for the warrior’s whole family. Saul needed to make sure it was possible and done. He may also have wondered if there were any more like David hiding somewhere back home.
Theory 3: Saul is simply a self-absorbed man who didn’t notice or care who was playing the harp for him. The Israelites had already been on the battlefield for at least 40 days. It is possible that much time had passed between the battle and the king’s last episode with the evil spirit.
Theory 4: David was only called to play for King Saul when the evil spirit assaulted him. It is possible and quite likely that Saul was not mentally present during those times and would not have recognized the boy soothing him.
We don’t know exactly why Saul nor Abner recognized David (my favorite theories, however, are #3 and #4). We do know that someone did recognize him: his brother, Eliab.
Eliab was the firstborn of Jesse. His response to David here may seem extreme, but consider what he has faced and lost. As the firstborn he was entitled to a double portion of his father’s land and inheritance, but all that – and even the future of his people – could be in jeopardy since his snotty-nosed kid brother was anointed by the prophet. Eliab was passed over and now that same little brother wants to prove himself even greater by fighting a giant.
Here, again, we see misplaced trust. Eliab trusted in his birthright to provide for him — to provide status and honor. He wasn’t willing to surrender that to his little brother, even if God told him to.
How old was David?
The question of David’s age rose more than once. According to Numbers 1:3 men must be 20 years old to enter the Israelite army. David was the last of eight sons, only the three eldest of whom had entered the battle. This seems to put David in his early to mid-teens. We know they had two sisters, as well, but are not informed of their birth order. They could have been older or younger than Dave.
Your Turn:
In what do you most often place your trust? When in a frightening situation, how can you change your perspective from fear of what is before you to trust in What is behind you?
The Wedding Dress
Sometimes a book’s storytelling is so deliciously enchanting that a glance at the back of the book seems scandalous. I can’t risk diminishing the pleasure of discovering the story as it unfolds. I don’t want to be told what the book is about; I want to experience it as the characters do. No preludes. No synopsis. No back cover blurbs or enthusiastic reader reviews. Just the story pure and unspoiled.
Rachel Hauck’s latest novel — The Wedding Dress — is one such book. In fact, loving and trusting Rachel as I do, I signed up for this blog tour knowing absolutely nothing about the book. I knew she wrote it and I wanted to read it. If I were you, I would stop reading this post right now. I would get the book immediately and refuse to read anything else about it, including the back cover. Start with chapter one. You’ll love it. I promise.
If, however, you need a little more than my glowing endorsement and rationalization tips — or if you want to a chance to win $200, a free copy of the book and possibly a skype date with the author — keep reading. Read the rest of this entry
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What’s the right price for faith?
It’s been almost two years since we bought this house. It’s a beautiful house. Spacious. Traditional. Inviting. It enchanted us then and charms us still. And yet we watch as other homes enter the ever-dropping market. Bigger homes with sprawling properties, all now listed at much lower prices, seem to shine a light on the flaws of our place. Our eyes wander and we wonder if we made the right choice. Should we have waited? Should we have offered less? How much could we get for how little?
Everybody loves a bargain. We want to get as much as we can for as little as possible. Faith seems no exception. As I sat in church on Sunday reading through John 12, I questioned my stinginess.
We often glaze over the first eight verses of this chapter. Being all caught up in Holy Week and looking forward to the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, we diminish Mary’s offering.
James Pauls • photographer
Yeah, she poured out perfume on Jesus’ feet and his head. Yup, the disciples complained that it was a waste of resources, especially Judas, but everyone knew he was a thief anyway. Yadda, yadda, we know, we know.
One little bit of this passage, however, caught me this week and refuses to let go. Judas says that the pure nard — Think the “real” stuff, no imitations here. This was Grade A, imported, expensive product. — could have been sold for three hundred denarii. Okay. So what?
Well, that’s equal to a year’s wages.
When was the last time you poured out a year’s wages for Christ?
I can’t think of a single time in my twenty years as a believer that I have made such a sacrifice.
Some may protest claiming that, well, that was a day-laborer’s wages and so it really didn’t account for that much. Perhaps. Today that might translate to $26K, more or less. To some that’s not a lot. To others, it’s a trove of riches! Regardless, it was a lot to her. It was a lot to the disciples witnessing its “waste.” By attempting to quantify the value, we’re once again trying to see how much we can get for how little. If we know the exact amount, we can make sure we’re not giving too much – right? What’s the best bargain we can get for full faith?
I don’t want to skimp on my devotion to God. I want to give Him all that I have.
Worship is never a waste. We can never give too much. And we can never give too early.
Another part of this story hit me this week. Mary had saved this for Jesus’ burial. In Sunday’s sermon our pastor questioned why she didn’t use it for her brother’s burial just prior. She clearly loved Lazarus, but she saved her best for Jesus. The plan was to honor Him at His death, but that night she chose not to wait any longer. A week later would have poured out her treasure on a corpse. That night she was able to pour it out on Life.
I don’t want to wait to until the “right time” to give everything to God. By doing so, I might miss my chance and forfeit even greater treasure.
Your Turn: What are you pouring out for God? It doesn’t have to be a year’s worth of time or money, but it should be your best. How do you offer Him pure, top-notch, Grade-A worship?
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Can God change His mind?
Most of us can quote the passages that say God is the same yesterday, today and forever. We believe in His immutability and consider a constant comfort. While everything else in the world perpetually changes, He is our One Thing that is always the same. God never changes.
But does the fact that His character never changes apply to His decisions as well? And if it doesn’t, if God can change His mind, then doesn’t that imply that He can and does make mistakes? If He makes mistakes, then what is the basis of our eternal hope?
These are some of the questions we talked about this week at BIG WORD. I’ll not review the answers to every question in the homework. If I skip over something you thought was important, or an area that you questioned, bring it up in the comments section. Let’s absolutely discuss it!
In 1 Samuel 13–15 we covered a lot of ground, most of which is introductory for the chapters to follow. We met Jonathan for the first time and saw an interesting relationship between him and his father, King Saul. We also saw the end of Saul’s relationship with Samuel. This came after yet another failure on the part of Israel’s first king, a biggie.
Saul was told to wait in Gilgal, a city with a significant history, for Samuel before launching another attack on the Philistines. Saul waited seven days and, seeing his army quickly diminish, decided to take matters into his own hands. By so doing he sinned. How?
- He offered a sacrifice to God without the authority to do so. Only priests could offer sacrifices. Not only was Saul not a priest, he wasn’t even from the right tribe! This was a bad thing.
- He didn’t wait for Samuel as instructed.
- He didn’t seek God’s direction before acting. He acted out of fear, not faith. Furthermore, he sought God as a good luck charm and not a Sovereign Power. (We talked a lot about Lucky Charms Faith in chapters 4–7.)
Samuel confronted Saul, but it didn’t make any difference. Saul continued to align himself with men (14:52) rather than God. He perpetually made terrible decisions, even sentencing his son, heir to his throne, to the death simply for eating some honey (14:43-44). After the people rescue Jonathan, their valiant champion, from Saul’s hand, Saul presses on toward the last straw.
In chapter 15 God commanded Saul to annihilate the Amalekites. (See the homework for the background and reasons.) Saul didn’t obey fully. Worse: he lied about it! In dramatic fashion, Samuel, a very, very old man at this point, took Saul’s sword and deftly beheaded Agag, king of the Amalekites, thereby completed the job God ordered Saul to do. He assures Saul that this is it. His kingdom will not endure; God will take it from him and give it to his neighbor. Samuel and Saul never spoke again.
Let’s get back to our initial question. God appointed Saul as king. Then he takes it from him while claiming to “regret” making him king in the first place. Can God change His mind?
Now, one could argue that Saul’s kingdom was granted conditionally. We all read Samuel’s sermons on the importance of obeying God and keeping His laws (chapters 10 and 12). Maybe that was an understood “if you obey …” coronation.
Looking back at Genesis 49:8–10, one could also say Saul never even had a chance. Any kingdom that would be for the nation of Israel had to come from Judah. Saul was a Benjaminite. He didn’t qualify. God anointed him king simply to offer a ready contrast between what they wanted (Saul) and what He wanted (David).
Another argument is that God never changes His character, but that He can change His mind when it is for our good. I’m sure Saul never thought this “change of mind” was good. It wasn’t for him, though one could argue it was a just punishment for his disobedience. God’s change, however, was very, very good for Israel. Removing Saul from the throne made room for David, a king who not only ruled the nation well, but led with passionate abandon for God. He set the standard for intimate communion with our Creator and Eternal King.
Over the next few chapters and weeks we’ll be comparing Saul with his son Jonathan and his successor, David. It’s very interesting stuff!
If you would like to study this question a bit more, I recommend God Behaving Badly. Written by David T. Lamb, this book tackles a number of seemingly contradictory truths about God. One entire chapter is devoted to this question: Is God rigid or flexible? In other words, can He change? Can He change His mind?
One last thing I’ll leave with you:
“Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams.” ~ 1 Samuel 15:22 (NET)
Just as God didn’t want Saul offering empty sacrifices, He doesn’t want us being “Christian” just on the outside. He wants us to seek Him and follow Him fully, from the inside out. It doesn’t matter what we do, if the deepest parts of us miss the point of who He is. Seek Him first and foremost. He’ll take care of the rest.
Your Turn: Of the characters we studied this week — Samuel, Saul, Jonathan –, which is most like you? What does God’s immutability mean to you?
Get the homework for our next batch of homework on the BIG WORD Bible Study page.
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How to Rationalize a Good Book
One of the great pleasures of being a stay-at-home work-at-home mom is that I get to make my own schedule. If I want to spend Mondays catching up on housework or writing my next Bible study, great! If I would rather spend that time visiting with friends, praying with a group at church or shopping for new sneaks for the ever-growing boy, that works, too! I have deadlines (usually self-imposed) and I have concrete responsibilities, but the how and when of meeting those standards is totally up to me. If I have to run back and forth to the school several times in the day (thanks to forgotten library books, lunch money or sick tummies), I can stay up late that night to finish whatever task may have been originally planned for that day.
One problem with this type of free and flexible schedule, however, is the temptation to do nothing at all. Well, not nothing … just nothing that really needs to be done now.
Today, for example, I would LOVE — L.O.V.E. — to spend all day curled up in a sunny corner of my kitchen reading a book. I have an advanced readers’ copy of Rachel Hauck’s newest offering - (The official release date is April 3rd, but you can order it HERE.) - and I cannot put it down. Oh, I want to tell you all about it, but I can’t yet. Soon! Today I should be folding laundry and writing the next bit of homework for Big Word. Instead I’m finding all sorts of delightful ways to rationalize reading Rachel’s book instead.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, wanting to lose yourself in a delicious story, but feeling a tad guilty for doing so, here are a few tips to employ.
- Eat a bigger than usual breakfast. I tend to drink my breakfasts (Read: lots and lots of coffee) or grab a quick granola bar on my way to the computer where I’ll spend hours writing or researching. This morning I made two pieces of toast and scrambled eggs. They, of course, cannot be eaten while typing. So I filled my “free” time with reading a few more chapters. Bonus tip: Chew slowly.
- Take lots of bathroom breaks. We call our bathroom the Reading Room. I realize this may be more information that you expected to receive when you visited this blog. I am sorry about that. I am also slightly sorry that my family feared I had a serious bowel condition before they realized I simply wanted to finish a few more chapters. Let’s be real, now: Moms only get so much quiet time and the bathroom offers a rare and treasured sanctuary.
- Claim overload or inspiration necessity. Sometimes solutions only come when you stop thinking about the problem. If I get stuck in my mental organization, I retreat to a completely different time or task, like solving a mysterious love triangle from 1912, and suddenly everything on my plate rights itself.
- Complete chores that require waiting. Coincidentally, today I remembered that I need to renew my drivers’ license. They always have healthy lines that can help me. Let’s see … what else? I wonder if the gynecologist takes walk-ins? Maybe I’ll just run over there and wait around until they have an appointment for me. (Both of these tasks, of course, pair beautifully with the shower I forgot to take this morning because I woke early to read and then lost track of time and nearly forgot to pack the kids’ lunches before dropping them off late to school. I was going to take a shower when I got home, but that just seemed like a waste of time, what with so many important things on my to-do list.)
- Go out for lunch. Eating provides a lovely conduit for multi-tasking. And maybe a change of scenery will give me that extra fortitude to focus. Again, chew slowly.
- Surrender. Let’s face it. I’ll not be able to focus on anything else until I finish this book! The only rational thing to do is sit down, read it, and then get on with my life.
And this is exactly why stay-at-home moms are frequently accused of eating bon-bons and wasting away their days. Oh, but it’s a wonderful life!
Your Turn: How do you squeeze good books into your day?
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He never lets go.
“Oh, my soul overflows! Oh, what love … perfect love that never lets go.”
Today I am consumed with gratitude that, even in the face of all my failures, all my flaws, all my arrogance and weaknesses, God has never stopped loving me. How absolutely amazing is that?
Amazing. Awesome. Tremendous … No one word is sufficient.
A few weeks ago I shared my testimony at a Ladies Tea at Hawthorne Gospel Church in New Jersey. There I shared the verses that led me to surrender my life to God.
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38-39 (NET)
Reading those verses at age fifteen I realized that if none of those things, all of which are more powerful than me, can separate me from God’s love, than who am I to even try?
I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the past twenty years, but you know what? The same God who loved me then, still loves me now. The ferocity with which He pursues me strikes me with awe. I don’t get it. But I accept it. And am so very, very grateful.
That same love extends to you. Have you accepted it? Truly, sincerely let it sink into your soul? If not, I pray you will.
Your turn: What truth of God consistently overwhelms you? How does God’s love for you affect your everyday life?
The Victories of Saul (BIG WORD)
Once again I must apologize and ask forgiveness for being late with our Bible study post. It’s been a full, somewhat tumultuous week for me. A number of friends are going through tough times … like, Really. Tough. Times. And I just can’t seem to wrap my head around certain issues that may not directly affect me but still feel so painfully personal. On top of that, my mom has been in the hospital for two days. She’s okay and should be discharged this afternoon, but living 800 miles away can truly be the pits.
All that to say I have excuses, but no excuse.
1 Samuel 11–12
We had great discussion on Wednesday night! This week we talked about the 11th and 12th chapters of First Samuel.
If you’re not yet following along, go ahead and grab the “homework” notes from the Big Word tab. You can start at the beginning or just jump in right where we are now. Read the rest of this entry
The Value of Life
Last week I mentioned an upcoming post on after-birth abortion. Life happened, and I didn’t get to publish my thoughts. I’m glad. A major case was decided last week that plays a part in this discussion.
An Oregon couple filed a “wrongful birth” suit … and won. Parents, whose daughter is now four years old, were assured that prenatal testing showed no signs of Downs Syndrome. Their child, however, does have that extra chromosome. They assert that, had the tests been accurately performed, had the doctors properly communicated the results of those tests, they would have aborted their child. On Friday, the jury, after deliberating for only six hours, voted unanimously in favor of their case, thereby granting them $2.9M to cover the additional costs of raising this unwanted child. You can read the story here.
Originally I wanted to talk about this article, a contribution to the Journal of Medical Ethics, in which doctors assert the moral acceptance of after-birth abortions. As the overlap of premature births and permissible abortions increases, the identity and person-hood of infants and fetuses becomes synonymous. Logically speaking, if fetuses are not “people” and therefore without rights, then the same applies to infants.
This is terrifying stuff.
The more I think about these related cases, the less I know what to say. How does one respond to the dehumanizing of children? Where can a standard, resolute line be drawn? If killing a newborn, say 2-3 days old, isn’t murder, simply because killing a child in utero isn’t murder, how long until it is no longer murder to “terminate” the life of someone with Alzheimer’s or … Down Syndrome?
Changing the words — murder to abortion or termination — doesn’t change the essence of what is being done. A life is being ended. Regardless of the circumstances, we should stand in moral objection to this!
I want to hear from you. First, remember the rules. (I will delete your comments, if you are disrespectful or vulgar in any way.) Second, consider these things.
- What is the value of life? Who defines it? Who governs it? What lines should be drawn?
- If we are headed down the wrong path, what steps can be made to “right” our course?
- What role does or should adoption play in this issue? How can we make it a more attractive alternative to abortion?
