ALL CHRISTIAN LIVES MATTER!

My Dear readers.

I posted the attached article on Facebook a week ago.  It was reposted by a couple of my friends with large “friend” lists.  To date none of us has received a single comment.  Unbelievable!  If there was one issue around which I believed all Christians could unite it was this one: Christians being slaughtered solely for being Christians.  Where is the outcry about this from Christians worldwide?  (Does anyone remember Terry Schivo{sp},  the woman on life support in Florida?)  Where are the vigils, the rallies, the calls to prayer and action?  Where is the grief and sorrow?  Could it be that even in such dangerous times only certain Christian lives matter; only Christians of certain colors or ethnicities? How terrifyingly disappointing this is.

Excerpt from:

"Has the world ‘looked the other way’ while Christians are killed?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/07/has-the-world-looked-the-other-way-while-christians-are-killed/

The atmosphere in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square turned from celebratory to somber as Pope Francis devoted his address Monday to the bleak subject that has occupied most of his recent remarks.

“Our brothers and our sisters … are persecuted, exiled, slain, beheaded, solely for being Christian,” he said, his expression tense, his cadence slow but deliberate.

Speaking from a window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope said that there have been more “martyrs” for Christianity in recent years than in the early centuries of the faith.

“I hope that the international community doesn’t stand mute and inert before such unacceptable crimes, which constitute a worrisome erosion of the most elementary human rights. I truly hope that the international community doesn’t look the other way.”

The persecution of Christians is a theme that ran through most of the pope’s speeches this weekend. At a Good Friday procession, he decried the world’s “complicit silence” while members of his faith are killed. On Sunday, he devoted his Easter address to a grim accounting of global conflicts where Christians and others have been killed. His speech referenced the attack on Garissa University College in eastern Kenya last week, in which al-Shabab militants killed at least 148 people, reportedly singling out non-Muslims. It also referred to “absurd bloodshed” and “barbarous acts of violence” in Libya, where 21 Egyptian Christians were beheaded by the Islamic State in February.

“May the international community not stand by before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these countries and the drama of the numerous refugees,” he said of the conflict in Iraq and Syria.

Has the world really “looked the other way” while Christians are killed?

David Curry, president of the nonprofit Open Doors USA, which advocates for persecuted Christians worldwide, believes so.

“We see a continued pattern in many of these regions of violence and persecution against Christians,” he said in a phone interview. “But the West and Western governments, including the U.S., when they conflict-map these issues, they refuse to address the fact that Christians are being targeted.”

For complete article click below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/07/has-the-world-looked-the-other-way-while-christians-are-killed

Who Giveth This Woman?

Who Giveth This Woman?

Change is interesting to observe.  Change is one way of seeking to solve a perceived problem.  Since sustaining a healthy marriage is perceived to be a problem, some assume that the more we change or discard  symbols of traditional marriage the better off we will be.  Traditional vows are giving way to "personal" vows, composed by the couple.  The "giving of the Bride" is no longer prominent in many modern weddings.  But Scripture insists upon dragging us back to those symbols so that we can understand the position and standing of the bride and groom, and thereby understand our relationship to our Heavenly Father.

At the moment of Christ’s death, we are told, the curtain of the temple was torn apart.  This curtain, or veil, which had hidden the Holy of Holies from all but the highest priests, was now parted, granting full access to this sacred place. The beneficiary of this privilege is the Church for which Christ gave his life. 

The Church, Christ's bride, was given to Jesus by his Father but he could not claim her, have full access to her until he suffered and died.  Likewise the bride is given to the groom by her father which is signified by the lifting of her veil, granting him all access to her. But with the understanding that he is expected to suffer and die for her sake.  She on the other hand has only to submit and serve to receive all that he has to offer her. She has been given into his care.

Without being taught about the marriage in this way we cannot understand the intimacy of either our marital relationship or our relationship with Christ.

 

Biblical Wife

Wives' Work

One day, after I had been struggling with myself in the area of submission for several years, my husband was telling to me about a serious matter at work.  I listened carefully to his plan of action, and then suggested a very different course.  I was pleasantly surprised that he considered my comments and discussed them with me.  Even though I knew little about the issue compared to him, he decided to take my approach instead of his own.  He later told me the situation turned out better than he had hoped.

What was remarkable about this incident was the absence of tension - you know - that feeling of entering a combat zone.  My husband listened to me!  He apparently did not feel threatened by my suggestions.  We were facing a problem as “one flesh”.  I was immediately reminded of a prayer I have prayed often since I began to pursue becoming a biblical wife

.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her. . . (Prov. 31:11a KJV)

“Lord, let this be the gift I give to my husband each day.”

The importance of this “benefit” cannot be overstated.   As your husband’s help-meet (his suitable helper), you may be the only force standing between him and many destructive pressures.  The Holy Spirit can use you to warn him of dangers he may not see from his position as the head of the family.

True submission is s matter of the heart. A truly sibmitted wife is open to serve her husband in his area of need. She is on his side and acts on his behalf.  A prominent national bible teacher tells this story about his wife: She answered the telephone for him in their hotel room as he prepared for a major speech.  On the line their oldest son asked to speak to his father.  The husband dismissed the request, telling her to tell the boy he would call him back.  The woman gently told her husband that their son needed to speak to him and placed the telephone on the table.  After taking a few minutes to talk to the boy, her husband thanked her for not letting him confuse his priorities. 

Only a truly submitted woman could so adamantly defend her husband and her family.  Being a Biblical Wife is a practical matter, allowing you to do the work God intended for you from the Beginning.  

The Trouble With Anger III. . .

Anger is Like a Sneeze

“Be angry and yet do not sin. . .” Eph 4:26

I have spinal stenosis and seasonal allergies.  Before you scream “TOO much information” at your screen, there is a point.  When I emit one of those explosive allergy sneezes it causes a pain that sweeps across my lower back and down both legs.  But, if I get an early warning that the sneeze is coming I can sit down or slightly bend my knees to head off the discomfort this violent explosion will cause.

When we sneeze we are expected to take steps to limit its effect even when we have only a split second to respond.  No matter how brief the warning we teach children to reach for a tissue or cover the sneeze with their sleeve.  We turn away from others so that they are protected.  We are responsible for our sneeze, and even when we are careful, we usually apologize after sneezing.

Anger is like a sneeze.  Unchecked it can do damage but there is often a warning signal. Wise people recognize the signs of an impending sneeze and take action.  There are usually warning signs of impending anger.  We can learn our pattern – increased heart rate, changes in respiration, feeling ‘hot’ or tense – and respond appropriately before others are affected.  While we would never dream of exposing others to the full volcanic fury of an allergy sneeze we will unapologetically allow our anger to be fully exposed to anyone in close proximity, refusing to take responsibility for the outcome.   

Scripture admonishes us over and over to control anger.  Our creator has provided us with warning signals to allow us to take measures to minimize the damage anger can leave in its wake. It is important for us to learn our own signals before we express it in ways offend our brothers, sisters and neighbors.

“. . . for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” James1:20

Worry Works?

Soo…. Worry Works..?

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matt 6:27 (NIV)

During the recent blast of winter’s snowy, showy grandeur,  voices from TV, radio, and print carefully guided our attention to the places and times of the greatest impact of these events.  Each time, the media experts and announcers with maps and charts and graphs and computerized images, instructed us when to worry and what to worry about.  One actually said “but tomorrow you will need to worry about ice and falling tree limbs.”  Worrying, it seems, was a very important part of our preparation for the storms 

 “If worry works as protection against these dangers,” I thought to myself one evening, “just think how effective panic would be.”  Our advisors seem to know how foolish it would be to advise the listeners to panic, but they have no problem telling us to worry. 

The whole thing reminds me of Jesus’ disciples waking him up to worry about the storm approaching their boat.  They had gone past worry into full-blown panic. Jesus was surprised that they had learned so little from him. There are more than one hundred places in scripture where we are instructed not to fear or worry.

We really must be careful about whose instructions we practice.  A young friend recently had a major medical crisis, the direct result of worrying.  Those of us who prayed for his recovery could not help noting that the things he was distressed about never came to past. 

It is helpful to be informed about impending problems so that we can pray and prepare.  Worry is not required.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus   Phil 4:6-7(NLT)

Happy New Year

Checking our Habits - reposted from Jan 2013

I don't make resolutions but the New Year offers an opportunity to address anew some of the patterns or habits in our lives.  Many believe it takes thirty days to break a habit.  Assuming that is true, change first requires a recognition or realization of the need for change in order to begin the process. 

Day One is the day that we perform a moral inventory and decide that a habit is no longer acceptable in our God-centered life.  Self-justification is over.  We must discard our excuses and eliminate the belief that some intervening factor is the cause of our failings.  We have to decide that the process of change is worth the pain of losing a behavior that has served us well.  We have decided to accept the risk of failure.  These decisions require extraordinary courage and commitment.

Our communication with loved ones is one area that may require reassessment. Over the years as wives and mothers, we often allow behaviors and attitudes that are careless, ineffective, and self-serving to become part of our interactions.   We may talk too much, shout or scream, or argue over minor points.  Bickering, as my mother called it, is an unattractive communication pattern that is almost universal.  We also fall into sarcasm, criticism, cruel jokes, and indifference. (Wow! I just realized that I cannot exhaust the list of worthless communication habits in this space.) 

These patterns are not only unproductive and unbecoming but as habits they become how we deal with one another.  This may seem harmless until we need to communicate about serious matters.  Then, when we need to solve a problem or make a decision we are encumbered by the old pattern of engagement which diverts our energies and blocks our way to resolution.

So, Days Two to Thirty require not fixing ourselves but exercising a biblical principle that will not fails us – confession and repentance – which invites the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us to self-control. In thirty days we should be on our way to communicating as God intended.

A Matter of Style

A MATTER OF STYLE

My husband is working faithfully and diligently on a matter that affects our entire family.  He has taken on full responsibility for the project which has required him to make several trips out of town on the spur of the moment   As I observe him I am aware that my “critical spirit” is evaluating everything  he does.  He is not doing it the way I would do it.  I can hear my negative commentary in my ears.  Can he hear it, too?  I’m sure he knows me well enough to know that I am not in agreement with him.

Since I recently revoked my right to be negative (read:judgmental) I decided to confront myself:  1) he has not asked for my help;  2) he has not asked me to do anything that I find objectionable;  3) he is going forward whether I approve or not; 4) he is taking responsibility for what he does;  5) he is committed to seeing it through to the conclusion, no matter what happens  6) there is nothing to be gained from my negative attitude;  7) this is really a matter of style.

Just as I completed my list he walked into the room, said something to me about his progress, and turned to leave.  “Honey,” I ventured, “Thank you for working so hard to take care of our family.  I appreciate how much you care about all of us.”  As he walked toward me his eyes reddened with tears. “You’re welcome, Sweetie,” he said, smiling a smile of relief as he kissed me.

It was worth it to give up being “right” and lend him my support. After all, in the end, it is only a matter of style.