It should be an important lesson. As values shift, our thinking shifts and the whole movement causes a shift in our lives, our families, our communities and our country. Some would call it a “good and necessary movement”. I can’t seem to see that our families, in general, are faring better this day than they once did.

That’s not to deny that trials and difficulties have always existed in homes where people live! But that once there seemed to be a stronger chord that held folks together and a sweeter unity that spoke better of home as a place where living really happened.

Miller spoke things that were logical, sensible and fairly accepted in his day. The same words today are hated and rejected.

Is it just an outdated set of ideals? Or did he teach something valuable that would benefit us if we paid attention?

Every word of this section was delectable, and it saddened me to have to cut it at all.

“The good wife is a good housekeeper.

The mere mention of such things as cooking, baking, sweeping, dusting, mending, ironing, jars upon the poetic rhythm of the lofty themes of conversation. It never enters the brains of these happy lovers that it can make any difference in the world in their home life whether the bread is sweet or sour, whether the oatmeal is well cooked or scorched, whether the meals are punctual or tardy. The mere thought that such sublunary matters could affect the tone of their wedded life seems a desecration.

Love may build its palace of noble sentiments and tender affections and sweet charities, rising into the very clouds, and in this splendid home two souls may dwell in the enjoyment of the highest possibilities of wedded life; but his palace, too, must stand on the ground, with unpoetic and unsentimental stones for its foundation. That foundation is good housekeeping.

In other words, good breakfasts, dinners and suppers, a well kept house, order, system, promptness, punctuality, good cheer – far more than any young lovers dream does happiness in married life depend upon such commonplace things as these. Love is very patient, very kind, and very gentle; and where there is love no doubt the plainest fare is ambrosia and the homeliest surroundings are charming.

I know the wise man said: “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox (i.e., a good roast beef dinner), with hatred therewith;” but herbs as a constant diet will pall on the taste, especially if poorly served, even if love is ever present to season them. In this day of advanced civilization it is ought to be possible to have both the stalled ox and love. Husbands are not angels in this mundane state, and not being such they need a substantial basis of good housekeeping for the realization of their dreams of blissful homemaking.

Where a strengthful womanhood keeps the house wisely and well, in prudent care and orderly comfort and cheerful peace, there, in the daily duties, trying and tasting, her character issues in loveliness of bloom and blessedness of privilege, softly shadowing the household beneath its gracious power and unselfish gentleness; so that the heart of her husband rejoiceth in her, and the love which was planted within those walls strikes down its roots through all the thin soiled fancy and passion into the rich ground of manly reverence and honor, from which to draw a sustenance and life which shall keep it fresh and green in the midst of the years as those that are planted in the house of the Lord.” -JR Miller

By: Generation Cedar.

So, I took the Monvee Test. This is a unique personality test that will give your insight as to how you learn and connect with God and what Biblical character you are most like. Mine: David! I was in tears as I read my results…when I first become a Christian, I was crying to God one night, asking Him to forgive me and I asked why did He choose me? Why me out of billions in this world. His reply…you have the heart of David. I had no idea what that meant at the time…now I know. A heart that He gave me. Thankful He chose me, redeemed me and is now sanctifying me for His glory. If you want to take the test go to Monvee.com.

My learning style…

The verbal style involves both the written and spoken word. If you use this style, you find it easy to express yourself, both in writing

and verbally. You love reading and writing. You like playing on the meaning or sound of words, such as in tongue twisters, rhymes,

limericks, and the like. You like reading, and do it regularly. You know the meaning of many words, and regularly make an effort to find

the meaning of new words. You use these words, as well as phrases you have picked up recently, when talking to others. Pursuits that

use the verbal style include public speaking, debating, politics, writing, and journalism.

You may use phrases like these:

Tell me word for word…

Let’s talk later.

The word you’re looking for is…

I hear you but I’m not sure I agree.

Let me spell it out for you.

In other words…

You are a reader, try the techniques that involve reading and writing. Find ways to incorporate more speaking and writing in these

techniques like storytelling, teaching, and journaling.

How I connect with God…

People on the Creation Pathway have a passionate ability to connect with God when they are experiencing the world He made.

Being outdoors replenishes and energizes them. If they are cooped up inside too long their soul starts to feel stale. They see God in the

spectacular but also in the everyday outside world. People on this pathway need to spend large chunks of time outdoors, often

praying or meditating. These people need to guard against using this pathway as an escape when people disappoint. They also need

to guard against thinking that they don’t need the church because they can worship God alone in nature.

David’s personality.

David was passionate, strong, creative, and loved. He was the king of Israel for forty years, and the Bible describes David as a man

after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). David was promised that the Savior of the world would be his descendant. David was a

shepherd, musician, worshipper, and courageous warrior. He trusted in the sovereignty of God, evident by his decision to face a giant as

a kid. He survived the chase of a mad king, defended his people against many nations, and prevailed against an attempted

coup from one of his own sons. He wrote poems and songs of worship that fill the book of Psalms in the Bible. Despite lapses in his

judgment and moral behavior, David pursued godliness and faithfulness throughout his life. He left a lasting legacy of bold faith

and obedience. If you have a David personality, you are warm, compassionate, intuitive, and expressive. You love the stillness and

quiet. Creativity is your lifeblood and you have the ability to feel things deeply. However, you can be plagued with self-doubt. You are

motivated to search and to find your identity in order to express who you are and find meaning and significance. You surround yourself

with things that you think are compelling and beautiful. For you, to create is to live! Establishing a true, honest, and unique persona is

important to you. Because you have the capacity to see what others miss, you sometimes feel out of the mainstream and mistakenly feel

less competent socially. Sometimes this power to empathize and see the uncommon thread in things can lead you to see yourself as one

of a kind. You are abundantly and intuitively creative, expressing the personal and the universal, possibly in a work of art. You are

inspired, self-renewing, and regenerating. You have an uncanny ability to turn ordinary life experiences into something profound and

valuable. At your best, you are honest with yourself and those around you. You can address an issue, problem, or feeling without

overreacting and without others feeling like you are being patronizing. You love to discover the truth in each experience. When

you are at your best, you are looking for God and His creative power even in tough situations, conflicts, and mistakes. You are

able to heighten reality through passionate feelings and imagination. Harnessing your feelings can be hard for you and when you

cannot control them, you are prone to blame and hold grudges. In these times, it is wise to trust God in your hurts and to allow him to

make things right. Try to separate godly conviction from undue anger at yourself. Move toward right thinking and wise living by

reading Psalms and Proverbs and refuse to get stuck in the past. If you become attached to longing and disappointment, you may not be

able to recognize the many treasures in your life. You have the tendency to become envious of another person’s talent,

success, good fortune, wealth, recognition, honor, or advantages. You can become preoccupied with a sense of discontent that is

primarily based on what others have. Unlike covetousness or greed, envy is fundamentally comparative in nature. If you are like David,

here are some thoughts for you:

 - Because you are a creative at heart, find ways to make some of the things you must do in your

everyday life fun, creative, and playful.

- If the work you do for an income is not particularly creative, be sure to take regular portions of your free time for ideas that you have

to take hold.

- It is very important for you to develop a good habit of sleep, eating, exercise, and work. Be disciplined in these four areas.

They will make a huge difference in your life.

- Remind yourself of this truth: God has made you perfectly and has given you everything you need. You are capable and loveable—just

as you are.

- You must address your tendency to be envious head-on! First, make a list of things that you are grateful for. Write it big, then post

that list where you see it every day. Next, list some things you admire in someone else around you. Over the next year, work to develop

those same qualities in yourself.

- For more about your personality type take a look at Chapter 9 of Frequency by Monvee co-founders Eric Parks and Casey Bankord

Job, Sarah, Hagar, Leah, and Eve.

You tend to be more serious, reserved, and withdrawn. You are insightful, idealistic, and often more interested in the world

of imagination than in everyday life.

You tend to be analytical and objective.

You are focused and you persevere.

]]> http://lightnercrew.com/2012/01/26/desiring-to-be-a-woman-after-gods-own-heart/feed/ 0 lightnercrew godsheart http://lightnercrew.com/2012/01/25/obedience-change-your-beliefs-or-change-your-name/ http://lightnercrew.com/2012/01/25/obedience-change-your-beliefs-or-change-your-name/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:12:46 +0000 Disciple of Christ, Wife and Mommy of 4 blessings! http://lightnercrew.com/?p=938 ]]> God has a lot to say in His word about obedience. Pick a topic. Homeschooling, birth control, modesty…it’s all in the bible either by implication or plainly stated. Why is it then that so many believers (I believe genuine, born again believers) give God so much lip service? I trust you Lord, yet I am going to control how many children I am going to have. Doesn’t the bible say that GOD is the one who closes and opens the womb? Why then, if we truly believe the Bible IS the word of God do we dictate when we open or close our womb? Why do we play God in some matters, the ones that require selflessness, the ones that require full confidence and trust in his provision. We don’t trust Him, to say we do and turn around no control our own lives is not to trust Him at all. I trust you Lord, but you will just give me way too many kids, how will I support them? Do you not know how bad the economy is? Surely you wrote the bible for another time period. In today’s world it takes two parents working in order to live, God you missed that when you wrote it.

The number one objection to allow God to be God in our lives concerning how many children He desires to give us is that “well, we are a fallen world, so nothing is perfect.” I have heard this time and time again. If you use that excuse may I ask you…since when living in a fallen world give us the excuse NOT to obey God? I mean, after all wasn’t the Bible written IN the fallen world? The bible wasn;t written in the garden of Eden folks. God didn’t underestimate the economy. It was written IN an imperfect world for a bunch of rejects and misfits (like me, like all of us), for the ones Jesus had to come. The bible is God’s BEST plan for our lives. How do our lives work best? If we stay close to the Lord daily, we depend on His strength, His provision and His guidance. If we obey what we are commanded, God will give us the life we were always meant to have. I think the problem is that we don’t truly, in our hearts believe that God DOES open and close the womb. After all we see all the abused children because God has opened and closed the womb of parents that should have never been parents to begin with. So in that aspect of our lives we don’t honestly believe that God is in control, we believe science is in control…everything but God. Why? Because after all if God were in control of child-bearing then A LOT of people who are having children wouldn’t be having them, right? Well, that’s why God states in His word that His ways are higher than ours. We simply can’t understand why, and He never asked us to. He simply asked us to obey Him. God makes the rain fall on both the just and the unjust. That is God’s grace upon humanity. We aren’t called to question why things happen, we are called to live by the Word as children of God. There is nowhere in scripture that specifically or by implication suggests that God is ok with His children using birth control to limit the blessings (as He calls them) God gives them. If I tell you I am going to bless you with one million dollars every year, would you object? Of course not. Why? Because we see it as a blessing! What if God says I am going to bless you with a new blessing, a precious little child every year for the next 10 years. What would you say? Hmmmm. Yeah. That’s how wrong our perspective of children is in this post-modern, westernized, feminist society we live. We have been brain washed and God is calling us out, out of the boat in order to experience the FULL life He had intended for us to have. You can fight it all you want dear friend, but you can’t fight it with biblical support because there is none. A born again believe will submit to the Lord and His word because we love Him.

Further reading on the subject:

Is Birth Control Biblical?

The Lord commands us to train/raise our own children. This can be seen throughout the entire Bible both in specific and by implication. God gives us children to raise godly offspring. The responsibility to train up a child has been given to the parents of that child, not to the government, not to the church, not to anyone else. I trust you Lord, but I need to send my children to someone else to train/teach/raise them because I am not equipped to do so. They need much more than I can give them. Once again we have trouble obeying the Lord because we simply don’t believe He has ANY clue on what He has commanded us, after all we are uneducated and unable to give our children the “proper” education. That command MUST have been to schooled parents….like Mary the mother if Jesus, right? Ummm. Let’s think about that for a second. The Savior of the world, the KING of the Universe, the very one that created knowledge and possesses ALL wisdom was entrusted to Mary…Mary, a nobody from a little village in the middle of nowhere to train/raise the creator. Mary, uneducated, unschooled! WHY would the King entrust Mary with the Savior? After all did He not know she was unqualified? Mary, WAS qualified, more qualified than anyone else in history to raise the Savior. How? She LOVED the Lord. She was a woman who feared God and taught Jesus to love, honor and obey the Father. Even though Jesus never needed to be corrected. He still had to learn and there was no one more qualified to teach Him than someone who was walking with God. Someone who wanted NOTHING MORE than to honor the Father. She was chosen because her heart’s desire was to bring glory to God. YOU were chosen to raise godly offspring, your motive should be to bring glory to God. So what if your children aren’t the smartest in the world? Our priority should be to train them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord as we live and walk with them hand in hand everyday. Sharing the journey together. A child was never created to sit in a classroom for 8 hours a day. THAT is not the way God created a child to learn. We say we trust God but our priorities are backwards. We care more about math than we do about bible stories. We care more about good grades than good scripture memorization. We care more about raising a good “moral” child than to teach them to love Christ with reckless abandonment and out of that flows obedience, leading to a moral lifestyle. My goodness, do we have this all wrong!

Further reading on the subject:

To Train a child: Who’s responsibility is it anyway?

But…I’m not qualified to teach…

What the Bible says about training a child. The case against the Public School system.

Let’s see what God says about obedience. I pray that the Holy Spirit convicts you as you read to obey the Lord out of your love for Him, to give you the desire NOT to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. To go back to biblical, NT christianity.

Obedience…

Rom 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,

1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Love in obedience

Romans 2:13 (NIV) For it is not those who hear the law that are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.

Psalm 25:10 (NIV) All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of the covenant.

John 8:32 (TEB) “If you obey my teaching you are really my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

John 15:10 (NIV) “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

Deuteronomy 11:26-27 (NIV) “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse–the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.”

Exodus 19:5 (NIV) “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of the nations you will be my treasured possession.”

Numbers 24:7 (NIV) “…Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land…” (Read context in Numbers 14.)

Hebrews 4:6 (NIV) It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience.

1 John 3:21-22 (NIV) Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

Matt 28:20 (TEB) “…Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

1 John 3:23 (NIV) And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commands us.

John 14:23-24 (NIV) Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he willobey my teaching… He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.”

1 John 2:4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

Obedience, Not Religious Game-Playing

Proverbs 21:3 (NIV) To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

1 Samuel 15:13-14 (NIV) When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is the lowing of cattle that I hear?” [See what God ordered in 1 Sam 15:2-3.]

Here, Saul discovers that man does not live by live mutton sandwiches, alone, “but by every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NIV) ..”Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”

Matthew Henry: “Obedience was the law of innocency, but sacrifice supposes sin come into the world and is but a feeble attempt to take away that which obedience would have prevented. It is much easier to bring a bullock or lamb to be burnt upon the altar than to bring every high thought into obedience to God and the will subject to his will.”

The Obedience of Christ

Psalm 40:6-8 (NAS) Sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; my ears Thou hast opened; burnt offering and sin offering Thou hast not required. Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart.”

Isaiah 50:5-6 (NAS) “The Lord God has opened my ear; and I was not disobedient, nor did I turn back. I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard.”

Hebrews 5:8 (RSV) Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered…

Hebrews 5:8 (NEB) Son though he was, he learned obedience in the school of suffering, and once perfected became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Philippians 2:8 (Phi) …Plainly seen as a human being, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, to the point of death, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal.

Galatians 1:4 (TEB) In order to set us free from this present evil age, Christ gave himself for our sins, in obedience to the will of our God and Father.

Lip Service Is No Service

Luke 6:46 (Phi) “And what is the point of calling me ‘Lord, Lord’, without doing what I tell you to do.”

Luke 6:46-49 (NEB) “Why do you keep calling me, “Lord, Lord”–and never do what I tell you?.. But, he who hears and does not act is like a man who built his house on the soil without foundations. As soon as the rivers burst upon it, the house collapsed and fell with a great crash.”

Luke 11:28 (NIV) “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

One More Thing…

Matthew 19:16-22 (NEB) …Now a man came up and asked him, “Master, what good must I do to obtain eternal life?” “Good?” said Jesus. “Why do you ask me about that. One alone is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments… If you wish to go the whole way, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and then you will have riches in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away with a heavy heart, for he was a man of great wealth.

How often do we seek the counsel of God only to receive a response which confronts us with the mandate to change and submit to the Lord. When we try to justify ourselves, and God’s will is made plain, frustrating our self-righteousness, do we turn away to avoid God’s voice? We say we love God… but do we resent it when he gives a clear directive?

Revelation 3:1-2 (NIV) ..”I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up!..”

Matthew 7:21 (Jer) “It is not those who say unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

1 John 5:3 (KJV) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Obedience Training

Romans 6:17 (NIV) But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.

1 Peter 1:14 (Jer) Do not behave in the way you liked to before you learned the truth; make a habit of obedience.

1 Peter 1:22 (Phi) Now that you have, by obeying the truth, made your souls clean enough for a genuine love, see that you do love each other.

2 John 6 (NIV) And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in his love.

1 Corinthians 2:16 (TEB) …We, however, have the mind of Christ.

The Reward Of Disobedience

2 Thes 3:14 (NIV) If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him.

A.W. Tozer: “To escape the error of salvation by works we have fallen into the opposite error of salvation without obedience.”

Romans 2:8 (NEB) …for those who are governed by selfish ambition, who refuse obedience to the truth and take the wrong for their guide, there will be the fury of retribution.

Deuteronomy 30:17-18 (NIV) “If your heart turns away and you are not obedient… I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.”

In 1 Kings 13 a prophet of God had been given strict instructions not to eat or drink until returning to his home in Judah. Having been first deceived and then prophesied to by a “certain old prophet”, he was mauled and killed by a lion as his punishment for disobeying the “command of the Lord”. Clearly, he had known the will of God; but choosing to hearken to man resulted in his doom.

Breaking Out Into Obedience

Proverbs 19:16 (NIV) He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of [God's] ways will die.

Hebrews 3:15 (TEB) …”If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn…”

Hebrews 4:11 (Jer) We must therefore do everything we can to reach this place of rest, or some of you might copy this example of disobedience and be lost.

Romans 6:12 (Jer) That is why you must not let sin reign in your mortal bodies or command your obedience to bodily passions.

2 Corinthians 10:5-6 (NIV) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

The Miracle Of Obedience

2 Corinthians 9:13 (NIV) Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ…

H.A. Ironside: “Where God has wrought the miracle of regeneration in the soul of a man, he [the man] finds within himself a love springing up for the will of God. He delights to walk in obedience to His Word, and thus he has corroborative evidence that he is a child of God.”

1 John 2:3 (NIV) We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.

Oswald Chambers: “The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience.”

John 7:17 (NIV) “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”

Revelation 22:7 (TEB) “Listen!” says Jesus. “I am coming soon. Happy are those who obey the prophetic words in this book!”

1 Pet 1:2 (Phi) whom God the Father knew and chose long ago to be made holy by His Spirit, that they might obey Jesus Christ and be cleansed by his blood, may you know more and more of God’s grace and peace.

John 14:23 (NIV) Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

We can’t call ourselves christians, born again believers and continue to disobey God. We need to either change our beliefs or change our name!!! He knows you know right from wrong and refuse to obey out of fear, lack of trust or simply because your life is “just fine” the way it is so you follow Christ at a distance so He doesn’t “mess up” the plans you have already made for your life. After all, your plans are much better than His, right? I am afraid we have bought the lie Eve was told in the Garden. Hold is holding out and He doesn’t have our best interest in mind. He surely doesn’t if He wants us to have a bunch of kids we have to care for, feed, teach and clothe. If we want to wholeheartedly live for God, we must start by changing our perspective. We need to stop seeing the world through post-modern eye glasses and start seeing the world as God sees it.

Obedience is better than sacrifice!

“I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classrooms by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the new proselytizers of a new faith, a religion of humanity. These teachers must embody the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preacher. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new―the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith (humanism), resplendent in its promise.”

“Education is thus a most powerful ally of Humanism, and every American public school is a school of Humanism. What can theistic Sunday-schools, meeting for an hour once a week and teaching only a fraction of the children, do to stem the tide of a five—day program of humanistic teaching.”

Charles Francis Potter “Humanism: A New Religion”

“What the Church has been for medieval man, the public school must become for democratic and rational man. God would be replaced by the concept of the public good.”

Horace Mann, Father of public education

“The schools cannot allow parents to influence the kind of values-education their children receive in school; that is what is wrong with those who say there is a universal system of values. Our (humanistic) goals are incompatible with theirs. We must change their values.”

Paul Haubner, specialist for the NEA

“The major function of the school is the social orientation of the individual. It must seek to give him understanding of the transition to a new social order.”

Willard Givens, Executive Secretary, NEA

“Dramatic changes in the way we will raise our children in the year 2000 are indicated, particularly in terms of schooling…We will need to recognize that the so-called basic skills, which currently represent nearly the total effort in elementary schools, will be taught in one-quarter of the present school day…When this happens- and it’s near- the teacher can rise to his true calling. More than a dispenser of information, the teacher will be a conveyor of values…We will be agents of change.”

Catherine Barrett , former NEA president

“Every child in America who enters school at the age of five is mentally ill, because he comes to school with allegiance toward our elected officials, toward our founding fathers, toward our institutions, toward the preservation of this form of government. . .patriotism, nationalism, sovereignty… . All of that proves the children are sick, because the truly well individual is one who has rejected all of those things and is what I would call the true international child of the future.”

Dr. William Pierce (Harvard University) in a Lecture to 200 teachers 1987

“The educational philosophy of today becomes the political policy of tomorrow.”

Abraham Lincoln

After reading these quotes I dare you to tell me the Lord is ok with a christian sending a child to a public school or ANY other institution for that matter?! You can’t! He is not ok with it. HE WOULD NEVER be ok with sending our children to be brainwahsed. YOU better wake up church!

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  Luke 6:40

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NKJV)

“Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born” (Judges 13:8). Manoah was the father of Samson, who was a mighty judge over Israel. Before Samson was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and told her that she would conceive and bear a son who would begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. When Manoah’s wife came to him and told him what the angel of God had told her, he prayed to God and said, “teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.” Manoah did not go to the world or the philosophers and psychologists of his day to find out how to raise his son. He went to God, the One who is the source of all truth and wisdom. May we as Christians follow Manoah’s example and seek to be taught of God as to how to raise and teach our children. It is no secret that recent generations have become increasingly wicked against God. This is true not only of the world, but of God’s own people. Many professing believers have forsaken God’s ways and followed after the ways of the world. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” This passage applies today just as much as it did in the days of Hosea. We are witnessing the destruction of God’s people because of their rejection of knowledge and truth. This did not happen overnight, but slowly from one generation to the next. Christian parents are failing to instill in their children the ways and precepts of God, and we are seeing the result of it. Home education is an important subject because it is one area where there is a great lack of knowledge among God’s people, yet it is the means whereby future generations can be preserved in righteousness. Proverbs 22:6 teaches us to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 29:17 says, “Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.” There are clearly great blessings that result from the scriptural training and education of children. It is not only a great blessing to parents who train their children properly, but to others as well, including churches and society in general. However, it is not an easy task to train children, and in this important work we must search the scriptures for guidance. We must seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit and look to God for understanding as did Manoah. Let me also say here that our subject is the education of children, not the education of adults. There is a fundamental difference between public schools where children go to receive training and instruction, and colleges or schools of higher learning where adults (who should already be trained) go to be taught a trade or a skill whereby they may adequately provide for the needs of the home. Christian home educators are not against education, but the indoctrination and bad influences of the public and private school systems. The Authority and Responsibility of Parents The first reason that I believe in home schooling is because God has placed children under the authority of their parents, and therefore it is the parent’s responsibility to educate them. Parents should seek to guide their children to a life pleasing to God. This entails teaching their children what their purpose for existence is, what their relationship to God is, and what their relationship to their fellow man is. Ephesians 6:4 reads, “ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Notice who is addressed here, it’s “ye fathers.” It is not “ye schools,” “ye daycares,” or “ye babysitters,” but “ye fathers.” It is the father’s responsibility to “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Authority comes from God. Proverbs 6:20 says, “My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother.” Similarly we read in Colossians 3:20, “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Children are to be obedient to their parents because God has placed them under the parent’s authority. The parent’s word is law to the children. This point is critical and must be taken seriously because the parent’s authority comes from God. Nobody has any authority whatsoever unless God gives it to them (John 19:11), and God specifically gave authority to parents to train and educate their children (Proverbs 22:6). This is why Manoah wanted to know how to raise his son. He understood it was his responsibility to do so and took it seriously. He did not want to dishonor or belittle the law of God. The authority that God gives is non-transferable. If God tells us to do something, then we cannot tell someone else to do it in our place. Could the members of a church decide to hire professionals to do all or part of their evangelism? Certainly not! God told the church to go into all the world and make disciples. There is no institution that can do the church’s work for them. The same is true of the home. There is no institution that can adequately do the parent’s work for them. In addition, when God gives authority He requires accountability. Thus parents are accountable to God for what they allow their children to do. A good example of this concerns Eli the priest. He learned that his sons were committing terrible sins against God. I Samuel 2:22 says, “Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” Eli found out what his sons were doing and told them to stop (I Samuel 2:23-25), but in verse 25 we see that his sons did not obey him. The Lord ended up punishing Eli for the sins of his children because he did not make them stop. “For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” (I Samuel 3:13). Eli told his children to cease their wickedness; but he did not exercise his authority to restrain them, and consequently God held Eli accountable for this. Likewise, God will hold us accountable if we fail to exercise our authority over our children. If we send them to public or private schools we will be held accountable for everything that they see, hear, and learn there because we are responsible for their training. If our children are taught evolution or humanism in school, God will hold us accountable for it, just as if we taught them these things ourselves. If our children are exposed to pornography, drugs, profanity, homosexuality, etc. at school or other places, we as parents will give an account as to why we sent our children into such an environment. Furthermore in a school setting, teachers must be given a certain authority over their pupils in order to teach them. This means that children who are sent to schools are taken from under the authority of their parents (where God placed them) and placed under the authority of a teacher. This is confusing to children. No matter how good the teacher may be, it is inevitable that the teacher and the parents will contradict each other in many areas. This is especially true since the teacher works for the school and not for the parents. It is dangerous for parents to surrender control over their children’s education this way. The school teacher is not the authority that God ordained to be over our children. Moreover, the education of children is not the government’s responsibility. God never gave this authority to the government. The mandate that God gave to civil government is summed up in Romans 13:3-4, “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” The government has no business in social programs such as welfare, social security, or education. The government’s purpose is to simply enforce God’s law and be a terror to evildoers. The education of children is not the church’s responsibility either. The commission that God gave to churches is found in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” We certainly ought to take our children to church and our children ought to see us faithfully serving the Lord in church, but the mandate to educate our children does not belong to the church but to parents in the home. When God gives authority, He gives it for a specific purpose, and the authority that God gives to men has a limited jurisdiction. No one has all authority except for God. According to His word, the education of children falls under the jurisdiction of the home; not the jurisdiction of the government, the church, or any school. The Perpetuity and Propagation of the Truth The second reason that I believe in home schooling is because it is God’s first plan for the perpetuity and propagation of the truth. In the New Testament, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) was given to the church and is God’s plan for the propagation of the truth, yet the home was instituted before the church (this does not diminish the Great Commission in any way). God’s word tells us in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” We note that it is our responsibility as parents to make sure that we teach our children God’s word so that future generations do not forget God and forsake His law. “Beware lest thou forget the LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:12). God puts children in homes for this very reason. As far as children are concerned, all education should be subjective to the scriptures. In other words, as we teach our children things that are secular in nature; it should be from the viewpoint of God’s word and in a Christian light. Secular education that is not overshadowed by God’s word will not be good for any child, but will simply teach them to be humanistic in their thinking. Biblical Separation The third reason that I believe in home schooling is because of the Bible doctrine of separation. II Corinthians 6:14-18 says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” God’s word plainly teaches that we have nothing in common with the world and that we should not have fellowship with unbelievers. I John 2:15 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” God’s people are not of this world. We should not think or act like the world, and we certainly should not train up our children in the ways of the world. It’s not that we should isolate ourselves from the world, for we are placed here for a reason. We are the salt and light of the earth. But we are the salt and light of the earth only if we are separate from the world by living according to God’s word. We have influence on the people of the world if we do things God’s way. Therefore we should be governed by His word alone and not the vain philosophies of men. If we are doing what the Bible teaches, we will be hated of the world. Christ said in John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” The public school system has now come to represent gross immorality and humanism. God’s people should be peculiar and separate from such institutions that openly oppose the things of God and come out from among them. Would we support other institutions that oppose God, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, National Organization for Women, Planned Parenthood, etc? I would hope not, for it would violate the Scriptural principles of separation. Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.” The word ‘counsel’ has to do with teaching. We should not walk in the teachings of the ungodly. Jeremiah 10:2 reads, “Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen.” This is easy to understand. Learning has to do with education, does it not? In Proverbs 19:27 we read, “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.” We should not heed instruction that is contrary to God’s word. The bottom line is our children should not be educated by the world. Separation from the world will also protect our children from evil influences. I Corinthians 15:47 says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” It’s no wonder that most children today have no manners. They have been corrupted by evil communications. James 4:4 reads, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” God’s people have no business being friends with the world. Take note also that Christian schools can have just as many bad influences as public schools. Even though they may not teach atheism and liberalism, they are full of children who are worldly. In many cases, the children who get expelled from public schools for being a problem end up in Christian schools. It is the responsibility of parents to guard their children against these evil associations. There is nothing wrong with our children having friends; however it is foolish for parents to allow their children to make friends of the world. Failure to separate from the world will lead to future problems for both parents and children alike. Galatians 6:8 reads, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Modern secular education in schools is at best, fleshly, and at worst, Satanic. There is nothing spiritual about it. This is the problem. How can we think that as Christian parents we are going to “un-teach” all the worldly things our children are being taught for thirty to forty hours each week in school? If parents spent an hour a day in Bible study with their children (and most don’t do this), it would still be insufficient to counter everything their children are hearing in school. Having to un-teach children what they are learning is also counter productive and a waste of precious time and energy. The best thing to do is to have our children at home under our guidance until they leave home. This is the way God intended for children to learn. God Instituted the Home The fourth reason that I believe in home schooling is because God instituted the home (Genesis 2:18-24), but He did not institute schools for children. Many parents think that public schools ought to be a fundamental part of society, but the Scriptures do not teach this. The home and family are a fundamental part of society because God is the one who instituted the home and family. Civil government is a fundamental part of society because God instituted civil government. But did God institute the public school system? Did God tell us to send our children there to receive an education? By no means! Schools for children are neither necessary nor good for society. Although schools for adults have been around for some time, the public education of children is a relatively new invention. Society has been brainwashed into thinking that public education is the only way, though it is not according to God’s word. Home school is the only scriptural way for a child to be educated. Any institutions, public or private, that substitute for the home are contrary to God’s revealed will. If we think about it, we can see that public and private schools exist only because there is a demand for them with modern day parents. Even many Christian parents are living for worldly success and material gain rather than for God. They are too busy to bother training their children and are happy for someone else to educate them. But we as Christians should never be guilty of placing material gain or personal success before our spiritual duty (Matthew 16:26). I realize that not all Christian parents who send their children to schools are trying to avoid their responsibility. Many are simply ignorant as to what their responsibility is, and they think that they are supposed to send their children to public school because that is what society has taught them. It can be difficult to accept God’s word when it contradicts what one has previously been taught, however “let God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). Common Objections to Home Schooling In conclusion, I’d like to deal with some common arguments against home schooling. First, I have heard it stated that home schooling does not prepare children for the “real world.” Many people think that children must be placed in a public school so that they learn how to deal with public society. What they do not realize is that schools maintain a synthetic environment. Where else in society do you find thirty people who are nearly the same age sitting in a classroom together and listening to a teacher? Public schools do not prepare children for the “real world.” Why is it that so many high school graduates cannot make it through college? They have not been prepared! Why is it that so many of them cannot hold down a job? A large part of them cannot even read nor do basic math. They are simply not prepared for the “real world.” According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), home educated children do not generally encounter these problems. The truth is that home schooled children are the ones who are best prepared for society. NHERI has found that home schooled students do well in college, on the job, and in society in general. In a 2003 report their research showed that 71% of adults, who were home schooled as children, were active in some ongoing community service, compared to only 37% of similarly aged U.S. adults. They also found that for all civic activities (such as voting or supporting a political cause), and at all age groups, the home educated adults were more civically involved than the general population. Another NHERI survey of adults who were home educated found that none of them were unemployed or on welfare. This shows that parents, not schools, are the ones who are effectively able to prepare future generations for society. The second argument that I’ve heard is that it is not good for children to be at home so much of the time. They say that children need more social influences than what they get in the home. However home educators do not stay locked up behind closed doors all the time (although this is how some would like to portray us). The answer to this is simple. Where were Adam’s social needs met? When God created Adam and said that it was not good for man to be alone, what did God do? He gave Adam a wife. Our social needs are met in the home, as well as our physical, mental, and spiritual needs. Besides this, our children can have plenty of friends at church and among other Christian families. They will go places and do things with their parents, and they will have just as much exposure to the world as is necessary. Perhaps the real reason for this argument is that parents do not want their children to be different from the world. Perhaps they want their children to fit in and be popular. Perhaps they want their children to be sports stars and great achievers in school. Yet if we live godly, we will be hated of the world. We cannot serve God and mammon both. The third argument I’ve heard is that we need to send our children to school so they can let their light shine. My question is how are they letting their light shine by attending school? Are they standing before the class and giving their testimony? In addition, how many first, second, or third graders are even saved? For that matter, how many high school age children are saved? We have to be saved before our light will shine or before we can witness to others. And if this argument is valid, should we then only send saved children to schools? Why don’t we send our saved children into bars or other places in the world to let their light shine there? The fact is that God never told us to send our children into the world to let their light shine. They are still in training and not emotionally equipped to do this. And though it is many times unwittingly, once we compromise God’s standard, our light is no longer shining for the world to see it. We must do things God’s way, and then our light will shine as a testimony before men. The fourth argument that I’ve often heard is that parents do not feel qualified to home school their children. This argument is largely based on the constant propaganda of the media, school officials, and government officials who contend that parents are not qualified to teach their own children, however this assumption is not based on truth. According to a 1997 report by Dr. Brian Ray of NHERI, home educated students excelled in national standardized achievement exams. This research showed that home school students outscored public school students by 30 to 37 percentile points across all subjects in the K-12 grades. He also found that the education level of the parents had very little impact on the scores of their children. Out of all the home school children surveyed, the children whose parents did not finish high school scored nearly as well as the children whose parents were college graduates. Regardless of the educational achievement of parents, home school children receive a better education than their public school peers. If parents are not qualified to teach their children, then why did God give them children? Why did God then assign the responsibility of education to the parents? This argument is a direct insult to God’s sovereignty. According to this logic, we need something beyond what God has provided in the home. This is wrong. Teaching children is not easy, but the tools that we need are made available to us from God’s word. If He has given us a command, then He is the One we must look to for the strength to fulfill the command. “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17). If parents want to be obedient to God and educate their children at home, then God will give them the means to do so if they trust in Him. Home school is God’s plan for educating children. It was His design from the beginning. May God grant us the grace to return to the “old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16).

I was in gymnastics since I can remember. I was probably 4 when I started. I moved on to cheerleading when I was in middle school. Cheered through middle school and some of high school. I was a member of one of the best cheering squads in Miami. Miami Elite Top Gun. I was very serious about cheering. It was my life…practice, practice, practice! I had the shirts and shorts…pom poms and uniforms to prove it. I also got a scholarship to cheer at UM….Those are my credentials concerning cheerleading. I am not an outsider to the trade. I know the game very well. That is why it bothers me immensely to see Christian parents allowing their little girls to wear miniature shorts and skirts and prance around for all to see. I mean really? The Bible calls us to be modest, discrete, humble and discerning in our appearance so that we have uphold our testimony for Christ and not be a stumbling block for others. WHY in world would a christian parent allow this kind of self-absorbed, self centered…me me me kind of behavior if their main goal is to train a child up to fear and love God?

It baffles me! I have heard, “well she loves it and there’s nothing wrong with it…the bible doesn’t tell you “thou shalt not cheer.” Those people are the ones looking for an excuse in order to promote self in spite of what the biblical principles have taught. The bible doesn’t mention bestiality or brutality by name either, so does that mean we are free to do those things? Certainly not. Then why do we approach SOME things in life from a biblical standpoint and other according to convenience and preference? Friends, when reading the Bible I simply can not believe that God would be ok with cheering. What is the point of it? No, don’t tell me it’s just fun…or it’s just to cheer for a team…NO really…what’s behind the reason 100% of girls cheer? LOOK AT ME syndrome. These are girls that love being the center of attention. How do I know? I was around MANY of them, I was one of them for YEARS. I know because THAT’S the reason behind it. Self esteem issues, broken hearts from a messed up childhood…most of them had a distant father who did not make them feel like the princesses they should be to him. That’s the exact same reason we have so many young girls sleeping around. Christian girls. We as parents are not equipping our children to be able to deal with disappointments, unmet expectations, failure and heartbreak. So what do they do? They self medicate. Cheerleading is one way to get the attention a girl craves…that she isn’t getting at home.

Instead of allowing them to flaunt their bodies around for all to see, as christian parents we should be leading them to the cross. The only one that can heal a broken heart and along with it all unmet expectations and disappointments. We should be training them up to be young ladies of purity, integrity and modesty. Cheerleading is not modest, it does nothing for their integrity (quite the contrary) and definitively does not promote purity. So why are we training our children to be professional “acceptable” little hookers? Yes I said it. I could have used whore…the bible uses that word. Isn’t that what hookers do? They dress inappropriately to get attention, don’t they?

I never went through with my cheering scholarship. My “dream” was to cheer for the Dallas, Cowboys. I am thankful the Lord had different plans for my life. Now,  I am a mom of 4 beautiful children, two are girls. I in good conscience can not permit my girls to bring shame to the name of Christ by prancing around in a tiny skirt. I am diligently training my girls to be young ladies of virtue. To be pure, sensible and to uphold the utmost integrity in their lives as they live to honor Christ. Cheerleading is not God honoring. God focuses on the heart and wants us to as well. In order to teach our little girls to be a God-fearing, God honoring woman, we MUST be ourselves in order to lead them by example. The problem with this is that a lot of christian women are themselves dressing and behaving in a manner that shames the Gospel.

1 Tim 2:9 “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,”

Titus 2:3 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved too much wine, teaching what is good, 4so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

1 Pet 3:3,4 “Your adornment must not be merely external– braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

What do these passages have anything to do with a little girl? That little girl is supposed to be in training, that little girl will not be little anymore very soon and she will be a wife and mother one day. Your duty as a mother is to train her up to be what God has called her to be. Molding her character as she sees you live for the Lord.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

1 John. 2:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.   16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.   17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

A modest, pure, godly Christian young lady should not be cheering. It accomplishes the complete opposite of the kind of character the Lord is trying to develop in them. God says be pure, cheering promotes promiscuity, God says be modest, cheering promotes immodesty and screams flaunt it!, God says not to look to be the center of attention but have a quiet and gentle spirit, cheering teaches them to not only boisterous but demands attention, ,me, me, me, look at me! The antithesis of a godly young lady.

This is a private Christian School’s cheering squad. See nothing wrong with this picture?

For further reading : What a lot of Christian Women are Missing.

There are days in which I would be lying if I said I didn’t lose perspective on what’s important in my life. As a perfectionist I cringe at the thought of a messy home or dishes piled. God showed me today how much my perspective needs a tune up now and then….

It’s been a while since I’ve worn Kenny.  I used to do it when he was a tiny baby at 5.10 lbs. I loved it. I decided to take him in my sling to the park. The moment was surreal. He snuggled up and enjoyed just being with mommy. I realized how much I missed holding him so close for more than 10 mins at a time. I realized how blessed I am to be his mommy. How merciful God is in allowing me to raise these little ones. He trusted me to mold them and shape them into the men/women they will become one day. How amazing and terrifying at the same time. Me? I have to teach them everything they know? Ohh goodness. I can do nothing more than fall on my knees at the thought of being accountable for 4 little lives (4 so far, we pray God will bless us with more). I think sometimes (more than we wish to admit) we focus on the temporal instead of the eternal. Especially if you have multiple children in the home…it can be described as serene chaos. It is much easier for a mom of 3-4 to focus on the temporal than it is to step back and look at the big picture. I mean after all how can we? Our heads are so buried in the NOW, how do I get through today to worry about the big picture. When we do step back and see the big picture, only regret and guilt set in, so we just stop revising our parenting all together. We decide we are going to get through today and that’s all we can do. At some point we lowered our expectations, and kissed good-bye all the plans we had for training our little ones when they were born and settled for “getting through.”  We set sail through life on our boats (as damaged as it may be) because we don’t see any other way of doing it. Despair and depression set in and now we are far from land…with no map, our boat taking in water…knwoing we need help we cry out to God but the task (changing us, the way we do things) is so gigantic we crawl back on our boat of mediocrity because that’s what we know to do. God is trying to give us His perspective, He is trying to teach us a better way to be a mother. To be the kind of mom who happens to LIVE instead of the one who let’s life happen to her. We (I included) have been caught in the crashing waves of life. Dishes, laundry, cleaning, meals…etc. We end up not living a beautiful, full and glorious life God intended us to live but something we settled for. If that is you beloved, I have news for you…you don’t need to settle for anything LESS than what God said you can be. Changing our perspective is step one in changing the course of our journey. One step at a time. We need to have perspective when we parent…or we will just be parents who react instead of parents who act. Let me explain…if you are waiting around for your children to do something and then react to it that is allowing your child to be in control of what happens. If we are actively parenting (by a daily schedule) then we are in control and we wont be parents who react but who are actively leading their children in this journey called LIFE. I am very guilty of being at times a reactive parent rather than an active one, but God uses those times in my life to show me His way of parenting is a much better way. We need to have perspective as women as well. We are beautiful, every single one of us. Fearfully and wonderfully made. Captivating and adventurous…don’t settle for the lies you have been told on who you are. Let nothing you have done define you. Let who Christ says you ARE permiate your being until’ it reached your very core. THEN, and only then can you find fullness of life. Our identity as women and moms isn’t what we do or what we think we aren’t (beautiful enough, thin enough…rich enough) but who we are in Christ. You are a princess, captivating, beautiful, adventurous…fierce in nature. Dwell on that for a while my sweet friend…

Here’s some perspective…in the midst of the daily grind we can be so overwhelmed we don’t see our little ones as the blessings they truly are. Sometimes it takes something tragic to makes us realize how much we need to cherish each moment with them. What if your child got cancer? Would you change the way you interact with them on a daily basis? Would you do anything different? What if you know he/she only had months to live? Would you say you are parenting with your heart and soul? So many times we take for granted our little ones, we see all the work that they require and fail to see what blessings they truly are.

Bringing joy and beauty to our years. Children are the crown of a godly woman. They rise up and call her blessed as Prov 31 states. But in order for that to happen we must life a life that actively seeks to lead them to God and fully live all the adventures God has for us as a family together. Yes it is work, Yes it is tiring and YES it is even more rewarding. I encourage you to pray the Lord restores to you the Joy of being blessed with little ones if you are just tired and worn out…run to Him who gives rest to the weary. In order to change the next generation we must begin with changing ourselves and that includes our perspective. The way we see things will determine the way we live life. You have the most important job in the world mama. You get to raise the next generation of New Testament Christians. True followers of God, true worshippers right in your very home. God did not entrust those little ones to anyone else. He entrusted them to us and we simply can;t shirk that responsibility to someone else. We ARE accountable for the way we parent. We are accountable for what we inject in them. We are accountable for our attitude toward them.

I say, let’s look around and count our blessings…women and children are dying on the other side of the world due to starvation and abuse. How hard do we really have it? Perspective. Thousands of little girls are sold each year as a sex slave. How hard do you have it? Perspective.  Have you gained perspective yet? However much or little we have, we are blessed. We are blessed to be children of God and to be right where we are at.

As mothers, our home is our mission field and our children are the harvest. We need to gain perspective, jump out of the boat and start living the life God intended you to live. A beautiful life of hope, full of adventures and overflowing with love. Our children are such miracles. Our task so important…the way they are raised will determine who they become. You have an opportunity to impact the next generation and it starts with US. We MUST change ourselves in order to be effective parents to our children. As role models of God’s mercy, grace and love always imparting Truth and showing them how to live a life of integrity, honor and excellence.

Life is but a breath…are you breathing well? Are your breaths short and fast or are they long and slow…are you just getting through or are you enjoying the journey. We all get there…the difference is in the HOW…the journey itself.

Our family motto: “Service before self and excellence in all we do.”

Family scripture: ” As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

A woman may well pause before she gives her hand in marriage, and inquire whether he is worthy to whom she is asked to surrender so much; whether he can bring true happiness to her life; whether he can meet the cravings of her nature for love and for companionship; whether he is worthy to be lifted to the highest place in her heart and honored as a husband should be honored. She must ask these questions for her own sake, else the dream may fade with the bridal wreath, and she may learn, when too late, that he for whom she has left all and to whom she has given all is not worthy of the sacred trust, and has no power to fill her life with happiness, to wake her heart’s chords to touch her soul’s depths.

But the question should be turned and asked from the other side. Can she be a true wife to win who asks for her hand? Is she worthy of the love that is laid at her feet? Can she be a blessing to the life of him who would lift her to the throne of his heart? Will he find in her all the beauty, all the tender loveliness, all the rich qualities of nature, all the deep sympathy and companionship, all the strengthful, uplifting love, all the sources of joy and help, which he seems now to see in her?

Surely it is proper for her to question her own soul for him while she bids him question his soul for her.” -JR Miller

Nope! This is not another blog post to guilt trip you. Not another blog post to make you feel like a failure…I know the feeling, trust me. This IS a blog post on what Proverbs 31 really means. Anyone can read through it and tell you what the Prov 31 woman DID but few can tell you what it means. For instance…does it mean that we aren’t virtuous women if we don’t wake up at the crack of dawn to cook everything from scratch as she did? Or go far away to buy the ingredients? Hmmm. Maybe we need to hire some maid servants? Yeah…i’m pretty sure that whole thing doesn’t mean what it literally says. Most of scripture is to be interpreted literally by proper interpretation methods (exegesis & hermeneutics), some of scripture is allegorical like the parable of the sower. That is the case of Prov 31. Who is a virtuous woman? Is there a formula? I am going to humbly attempt to answer that for you. I will also give you some practical ideas to live out Prov 31 in our modern society.

There is NO formula! There! There’s your long awaited answer. Prov 31 is NOT a list of things you ought to do but of a heart attitude. The heart attitude of a virtuous woman is to die to self and serve, serve humbly, serve those whom she loves the most; her family. When you read prov 31, please understand that this is not a list of things you ought to do (that would be ludicrous! I mean really, we all need to go out and buy a field and plant a vineyard and if we don’t we are not virtuous??? yeah! not so!) instead it shows you the heart, passion and devotion that characterize an extraordinary woman. Virtue, character, devotion, generosity, integrity, faithfulness, submissive, discerning…THIS beautiful ladies is WHAT prov 31 is about. THAT is the heart of the passage. It’s not about a field, or a meal…it’s about what’s most important. THE HEART!

1 Peter 3:3 Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

After all wasn’t martha being a virtuous woman? She was running around doing all the chores, cooking a fantastic meal and yet Jesus said Mary chose what was BEST. Jesus could see her heart…her heart wasn’t on the eternal (spending time with the Lord), it was in the temporal (chores). Not that we don’t want to keep a clean home for we are to be good homemakers (Titus 2), but our focus, the reason that drives us should always be the right one. LOVE! Love for God and love for our family.

If I can summarize what a virtuous wife is it would be someone who is a woman of integrity, devoted to being a homemaker, generous to neighbors, she is a great influence as a teacher to her children…she is an effective mother & an excellent disciple.

What a wife must understand is that she has the ability to influence her husband for good or for evil (Prov 12:4). How do we do this? Not by harping. 1 Peter 3:1 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Are you playing the Harp or are you plain harping???

Prov 31:11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain.

Can your husband trust you? Does he know you will never harm his personal gain? Can your husband leave the checkbook with you and KNOW that the family’s best interest will be done? A virtuous wife will never do anything to threaten what her husband has so diligently worked for. She carefully plans the budget to ensure she protects the money he has brought home. This verse shows they have a relationship completely based on trust. The husband can go away with absolute confidence of her integrity, wisdom and discretion. His comfort is her concern. THAT is an outstanding foundation  for an excellent marriage. He will never have to go out wondering how he will have to make up for the money she spent that should have gone to pay bills. He will never have to work extra in order to cover her indulgences for lack of self control and abundance of selfishness. This is an indication the wife is in charge of all domestic matters. She is in charge of using and accounting for the resources in the home. He is free to give himself to his work, knowing she will be a good steward of all he has provided. In Titus 2 we see the woman also as the ruler of the house. She helps him to profit, not loss. He has enough because she is devoted to his best interest, seeking to do him good because she loves him!

Prov 31:12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.

A virtuous woman always has her husband’s best interest at heart. She always seeks to build her husband up. Her desire is to make him the man God created him to be in every area of his life. Through good, bad, sickness, health, having plenty or having little…she is devoted to his well being all the days of her life. Her love and devotion are always set on her husband’s success! A virtuous wife seeks to serve her husband, not to be served. A perfect example of this is found in 1 Peter 3:6 Sarah served Abraham & called him lord. She is committed to her husband and she reveals her virtuous character by her consistent service to him. Her priority is always his comfort, his success, his reputation…this is where she finds delight. Living for him, brings her the utmost joy and happiness.

Spiritually: Because she has his best interest in mind she will confront his sin and his weakness. Lovingly she will be a conscience, she will necessarily be the voice of God, never unkind, always in submission, always coming from a heart that seeks to see him walk closer to the Savior. Confronting his sin and failure is an intricate part of him becoming the man God created him to be. His highest good is her greatest desire. <3

Prov 31:13 She looks for wool and flax And works with her hands in delight.

She is a devoted homemaker! She is careful to use her time wisely to manage her home accordingly. There is no place for laziness, no place for inactivity. She is full of energy in the duties of her home. Now let me stop here for a minute. This is not to say you just had a c-section, a newborn baby at home and you are up running around doing chores because if not you aren’t being a prov 31 woman. What this is speaking of is a lifestyle. There are reasons, like at risk pregnancy, sickness…etc when you simply can’t manage your home the way you would when the situation changed. If your lifestyle would be classified as lazy, just getting through then I encourage you to examine your heart and change your ways. Whatever the home requires, that is what she does. The modern day homemaker doesn’t have to craft anything by hand anymore. We can conveniently go to the store and buy clothing. Modern day application of this verse: Go shopping for winter clothing (for the upcoming year)  right after winter, when everything is on sale! The same applies for summer time outfits. If you like decorating your home for holidays (harvest, christmas…etc), buy decoration throughout the year when you find them on sale, save them for future use.  If you need furniture check your local craigslist or pay a visit to second hand stores. Buy used and SAVE the difference. God certainly blesses us so that we bless others, there’s nothing wrong with having nice things we just need to be smarter about the way we shop ladies.  Use coupons and try NOT to pay retail price for anything as much as you can. The prov 31 woman would never give her husband added pressure to provide “nice things”. This verse also shows the CORE of this woman’s being…she does it in delight. She is delighted in the work of her hands because she loves the people she serves. The value of what she does is connected in who she does it for. She denies herself and takes up the most mundane tasks with a great amount of pleasure knowing they come from an overflow of her deep love for her family.

Prov 31:14 She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.

She goes as far as she needs to go to buy the best food for her family. She doesn’t just throw something together, she considers variety and what they would enjoy. Finding the best food at the best prices to bring benefit to her family without breaking her husband’s pocket. She indeed is a careful planner. Modern day application: Create a weekly or bi weekly meal plan! We know that organic food is much better because of all the pesticides and harsh chemicals added to non-organic foods. If you can’t buy all organic meals then research what foods are higher in pesticides and preservatives and try to purchase those in an organic market. Other ways to save would be to check for a local farmers market or grow your own fruits and veggies. Check for sales in your local organic market so you can benefit from the savings. I personally plan a biweekly menu using foodonthetable.com. You can have your grocery list emailed to you, ready to print!

Prov 31:15 She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household And portions to her maidens.

Fortunately for us sweet friends, we don’t have to wake up at dawn in order to START preparing meals. We have the advantage of pre made bread for instance. She didn’t have everything pre-made…she had to make everything from scratch and allow it time to cook. That doesn’t mean we get to sleep in everyday! We still ought to wake up early to care for our family. Her husband and children have breakfast ready when they get up. She puts thought and care into the meals she plans for her family. She gets up early in order to unsure everything planned for the day is accomplished. Her household is above her own comfort, above her own rest.

Prov 31:16 She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She is an entrepanuer! She assesses the price, the value of the purchase (the field) & the benefit it could bring to her family. She decided it’s an appropriate thing to do so she purchases it. She bought this with her own earning as verse 24 states (She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen.). She is an entrepenuer right from her home where God put her. It’s wonderful when a woman is entreprising if she has the time, the inclination & the talents to do things in her home that can benefit the family…that is a glorious thing!  Modern day application: What talents and abilities do you have that will generate an extra income for your family? Maybe you can knit? Knit some headbands…carfs to sell? If you are a good organizer maybe you can help others put an organizational plan together? There are just some ideas…not a requirement for a proverbs 31 woman. Some of us may have the time, others simply don’t. And that’s OK!

Prov 31:17 She girds herself with strength And makes her arms strong.

She has become strong as a result of her effort, as a result of the strength exerted in the daily routine of the home. She doesn’t call in sick or is out of commission because of a headache. Her dedication is carrying out the daily tasks with excellence has given her both strength and confidence. To be quite frank we are a generation of weak women. We don’t do 5% of what women used to do in biblical times (don’t even go so far back, 100 years ago) and we are the weakest. The simplest tasks are tiring, simply too hard to be woman. The less you do the less you want to do…THAT is the modern woman. WE need to change this ladies. If we are going to impact the next generation for the Lord we need to recapture what biblical womanhood and strength IS…recapture it and LIVE IT OUT! OR our daughters will go around wanting to have a robot server because it’s too much work to go to the fridge!

Prov 31:18 She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night.

She does what is beneficial to everyone in her family. Her motivation and what she lives for is to be a blessing to them. Her motivation is not self-fulfillment, not self indulgence, but the inherent goodness in what she is doing in the lives of those she deems precious. The family is not organized in a way that everyone has to attend to her, but rather in that she is committed to give herself away for the goodness of everyone else.

Prov31:20 She extends her hand to the poor, And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

She demonstrate not only special devotion to her family but to those not unfortunate enough to be in her home. Modern day application: See my article on the right “Homeless but Evangelized” for some ideas of what you can do for your local homeless friends.

Prov 31:22 She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

She appreciates her beauty. You may be thinking…WHAT time does this lady have to take care of herself? My goodness!!! The answer: she finds it! She doesn’t dress in pj’s all day…and doesn’t have crazy hair when her husband comes home everyday. She loves looking beautiful for her husband. She knows how to take care of herself in order to express her beauty & loveliness to her husband.

Prov 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.

She is clothed with spiritual character. She has dignity. She is above common and trivial things. She has true class, true virtue. She has godly character. The proverbs 31 woman is concerned about noble issues. The power of true character can be seen in the fact that she smiles at the future. Her life is right with God and THAT secures her blessings!

Prov 31:26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She is the epitome of wisdom and kindness. She guides her family daily, including her husband, with words of wisdom (the Word). Her home is a classroom all day long as she imparts the love of God and His law to her children.

Prov 31:27 She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.

She manages the children & home. She is not eating the bread of idleness but the bread of loving hard work. She doesn’t lounge around because she doesn’t “feel” like doing anything.

Prov 31:28 Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: 29 Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.”

She poured out her life, her everything into her family (her heart attitude). What does she get in return? True sanctification.

Prov 31:30 & 31 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.

What is the product of her hands? All the good she has done to others, comes back to her. All the sacrifice, everything she did in private will come back in public as they praise her at the gates. Her husband raves about her. He is knows as the husband of ________ so and so. She will be famous for her godly womanhood, thats her earthly reward. Her heavenly reward is “well done my good and faithful servant. Enter to the joy of your Master!”

Praise God for His grace and mercy. We can do this!!!! He wouldn’t have said we can if He didn’t plan to equipp us. God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called. If you have a husband and even have been blessed with children then God HAS equipped you to do the job He has called you to do. We will NEVER get all this perfect, we weren’t made to. If we would then we wouldn’t need neither Jesus  or Grace. We need both because we will never be perfect until’ we see Him. Take courage sweet friends…we are all in this together! As sisters who share a marvelous journey into becoming godly woman of character, virtue and FAITH. Perfection doesn’t exist what does exist is sanctification and God promised that he would continue to work in us until’ the return of Christ. Hallelujah!

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