Tuesday, August 30, 2011

21st Women and the Bible, con't

Sexuality, what did it mean then? What does it mean now? What does it mean for me?

God’s idea in Gen. 1:26 , is that humans are either male or female, “made after His likeness.”

What we are comes from Who He is. We have God’s attributes, which are divided between us as male and female.
Our sexuality is who we are from the moment of conception!
What we were born as, is what God has called us to be. Everything is determined from that point.

Things have changed in our culture to where many people don’t want to admit they are male or female. They teach that we’re not just a person only!
Our sexual differences, they say, should be obscured.
There is an effort to obliterate “he” and “she.”

The compass is totally wrong today in our culture, as there’s no “right” or “wrong” given to our young people.
We are reaping the consequences!

How do we know the definition of “woman?” We need to start with the One Who created us! Our feelings and experiences can’t run us!
We’re to submit to God’s Word as to just who we are. We need to know how and what we were created for.
We’re to take pride in that God created us!
We’re to discipline our abilities that we’ve been entrusted with by Him.

Being a woman makes us a different woman from other women. Each of us is unique, making us different, one of kind! We’re to learn that there’s a purpose for us in life.
To embrace submission to obedience to God, we will have to refuse the “humanness” idea.
Freedom to become all that He intends for us, will come from our obedience to His Word.

How far reaching is my sexuality?
Our womanhood affects every part of life.
Every culture shows differences in the sexes.
God’s Love made me a woman.
We have responsibilities, privileges and limitations.

We have the opportunity to be an example that God’s our Creator.
We’re to live to His honor!

Catherine Marshall quoted her father, Peter Marshal as having said:

“The average woman, if she gives her full time to her home, her husband, her children… will be engaged in a life work that will demand every ounce of her strength, every bit of her patience, every talent God has given her, the utmost sacrifice of her love. It will demand everything she has and more. And she will find that for which she was created. She will know that she is carrying out the will of God. She will be a partner with the Sovereign ruler of the universe.”



Any comments?


Sunday, August 28, 2011

21st Women and the Bible

The following are notes taken from several Sunday School classes given by our Danica Dunphey, and Liz Daniels and our pastor’s wife, Darlene Sinclair:

 Our culture has really gotten off track. The influences of the world have given impressions that have caused a great lack in women’s perspectives, as to what God says about them.

Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (NKJV)

People are forgetting God and worshipping the creatures He created.
Many come into Christianity with bad training, and find that the Word of God is where our anchor is!
We need to receive God’s Truth and live it! How am I to glorify God? We’re to start with the Bible, as to what it is we’re to believe.
We need to cling to that which is good and hold tight to it! We can trust the Word of God! We are to be willing to receive what Scriptures say. We’re to make choices on the Word of God!
What is being taught today is that we’re not different from men; that the fact that we’re to bare children is resented; and it is not accepted that God is the One Who created us that way!
Some women are trying to change our view of men, and have an aggressive approach against God’s plan. They are actually speaking from very broken experiences!

  I Cor. 11:3, 7-9 tells us woman was created for man. And Gen. 1:18  tells us we were created to be a man’s helper (one who aids, assists, comes along side.)
God means for us to be strong, creative, wise, and intelligent.
The Word of God is our guide, not what others do! We can’t base our lives on experiences other’s have, without considering the consequences!

 This the first installment of notes from these very enlightening classes. More is to come…

(Any comments?)


Friday, August 26, 2011

Problems Have a Purpose




“Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
            (Psalm 50:15 NLT)

            "God will use whatever he wants to display his glory. Heavens and stars. History and nations. People and problems. My dying dad in West Texas.

            The last three years of his life were scarred by ALS. The disease took him from a healthy mechanic to a bedbound paralytic. He lost his voice and his muscles, but he never lost his faith. Visitors noticed. Not so much in what he said but more in what he didn’t say. Never outwardly angry or bitter, Jack Lucado suffered stately.

            His faith led one man to seek a like faith. After the funeral this man sought me out and told me. Because of my dad’s example, he became a Jesus follower.

            Did God orchestrate my father’s illness for that very reason? Knowing the value he places on one soul, I wouldn’t be surprised. And imagining the splendor of heaven, I know my father’s not complaining.

            A season of suffering is a small assignment when compared to the reward.

            Rather than begrudge your problem, explore it. Ponder it. And most of all, use it. Use it to the glory of God. . . .
            Your pain has a purpose. Your problems, struggles, heartaches, and hassles cooperate toward one end—the glory of God.

—from "It’s Not About Me"

     Heavenly Father, when problems and pain come my way, help me to remember that nothing comes into my life without your approval. Rather than complain and cry about the challenges I face, help me consider them as opportunities to bring glory to you. Give me the strength and patience to bear my burdens in a way that will honor you. I will lift my eyes off the trials and keep them fixed firmly on you, amen.

From Lived Loved: Experiencing God’s Presence in Every Day Life

Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado
Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us.”
          (Daniel 3:17)

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
            (Psalm 34:19)



Tuesday, August 23, 2011

What is meant by "The Secret Place of Prayer?



The following is taken from Oswald Chamber’s Devotions for MORNING and EVENING:

“When thou prayest, enter into thy close, and…pray to thy Father in secret” (Matt. 6:6)

Jesus did not say—Dream about thy Father in secret, but pray to thy Father in secret. 
(Google image. Prayer room)

Prayer is an effort of will.

After we have entered our secret place and have shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray; we cannot get our minds into working order, and the first thing that conflicts is wandering of mental wool-gathering.

We have to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful prayer.


We must have a selected place for prayer and when we get there the plague of flies begins—This must be done, and that. "shut thy door.” a secret silence means to shut the door deliberately on emotions and remember God.

God is in secret, and He see us, or as we see ourselves. When we live in the secret place it becomes impossible for us to doubt God, we become more sure of Him than of anything else. 

Your Father, Jesus says, is in secret and nowhere else. Enter the secret place, and right in the center of the common round you find God there all the time.

Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything.

Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day; but swing the door wide open and pray to your Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God.” (pg.486 for August 23rd)

(Please share your experience with others when you find this to be true.)

Monday, August 22, 2011

Step #3 in Reclaiming the Family Table

Direct the Family Table

Nancy Campbell, editor of Above Rubies (http://aboverubies.org), has
several articles with practical suggestions for directing conversation at
the table. Here are a few lines from two of those articles:

“No One Left Out!

            When our children were growing up we would frequently ask
questions at the table. Some of the favorites were, “What was
the most exciting thing you did today?” Or, “What was the most
interesting thing you learned today?” Each child, from youngest
to oldest had to answer.

Dinner Time Conversations

--If you were given a million dollars, how would you spend it?
This was a favorite of our children. They never tired of
answering this question.

--If you were able to travel to another country, which one would
you choose, and why?

--Why do you think abortion is wrong

--if abortion is murder, what should we be doing about it?
Can you give some ideas?

--John Adams the second President of the United States said
”But a constitution of government once changed from freedom,
can never be restored. Liberty once lost is lost forever.” Do you
think this is true. If so, why?

--What are you most thankful for in life?—What new thing would
you like to learn to do? Why?

Direct the table conversation towards edifying speech

            --Positive, not negative
            --Affirming, not critical
            --Sincere, not sarcastic
            --Draws in guests and honors them
            --Meaningful toward strengthening the family identity
            --Celebrates the family history
         --Multi-generational (involves all ages)
            --Honors God
            --Celebrates the work of God
            --Applies biblical truth to personal experiences and current events


(Do you have any comments that affirm this approach to strengthening family table time?)

Corrections have been made in the links on "Building Stronger Families through the Family Table"

Steps in Reclaiming the Family Table

Step 1: Value and Teach on the Family Table

      Acts 1:1: “Jesus began both to do and to teach…”
                  It’s important that we do, but we must also
                  teach what we are doing.

      A great example of Jesus “doing” and then “teaching”:
                  “When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His
                  clothes and returned to His place. ‘Do you understand
                  what I have done for you?’ He asked them. “You call
me “Teacher” and “Lord,” and rightly so, for that Is what
 I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have
washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s
feet. I have set you an example that you should do as
I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is
greater that his master, nor is a messenger greater
than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things,
you will be blessed if you do them.” Jn 13:12-17, NIV
Step 2:  Establish the Pattern of the Family Table

            --Get to the Table together! have meals together on purpose.
            --Establish a structure to create a healthy environment for meals.
Mealtime rules:
1.     Eat at the table, not the counter or the TV tray
2.     Turn off the TV
3.     Turn on the telephone answering machine
4.     Come to the table when you are called
5.     Give thanks to God together
6.     Pass the food in a quiet and orderly manner
7.     Do not begin eating until EVERYONE has been served
8.     Eat slowly
9.     Take time to talk
10.  Do not remove plates or begin a new course until everyone is finished eating
11.  No one leaves the table until they are excused
12.  No one is excused until every has finished their meal
                       Very important: establish Mealtime rules that are important to you.

“Any pig can go to a trough and satisfy himself.
You’re not raising pigs but people.”

-Anne Ortlund


Step 3: Direct the Family Table will be in the next post…

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Building Strong Families through the Family Table




“Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.”
                                                                     Acts 2:46

The Problem:

1.      Families are spending less time together

USA Today, 6-15-2009:

--People are spending less and less time with their families even though they are spending more and more time with friends on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.

--During the first half of the decade, people reported spending an average of 26 hours per month with their families.

--By 2008, however, that shared time had dropped by more than 30%, to about 18 hours.”

2.      Families are not sharing meals together

“For many American families, shared mealtimes have become less and less common. Regular family dinners have been described as one of the chief casualties of over scheduling. Perhaps dual earner families and single parents who work know better than anyone the struggles in finding time to eat together in a relaxed way.”

Angela Wiley, Ph.D.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2005

http//parenting247.org/article.cfm?ContentID=597&strategy=2&AgeGroup=4 

3.      Often, the meals families do share together are not “healthy”

“The food-court mentality—Johnny eats a burrito, Dad has a burger, and Mom picks pasta—comes at a cost. Little humans often resist new tastes; they need some nudging away from the salt and fat and toward the fruits and fiber. A study in the Archives of Family Medicine found that more family meals tends to mean less soda and fried food and far more fruits and vegetables.”   
                                                                                      
The Magic of the Family Meal
Nancy Gibbs; Sunday, Jun 04,                                                                        2006 Time.com
 
Do we understand the times in which we live?
I Chr. 12:32: “…the sons of Issachar who had
understanding of the times…”

How have the trends in society affected us and our family?

These notes are of Pastor Rick Sinclair’s message on Building Strong Families through the Family Table. In other posts, we will find out the “Steps in Reclaiming the Family Table.”

  

Thursday, August 18, 2011

1st e-book to Editor!

  I’ve sent my manuscript for So You Plan to Marry a Man to my editor today. She is a conference speaker and author of many books. www.marshahubler.com

  I’ll share two of the endorsements that I’ve received so far for the e-book manuscript:

     "I was flabbergasted to open Jean Oathout’s volume and read these instructive devotional poems. What a variety of topics! What practical counsel! I hope these poems will bless many as they have impressed me."
                                  Bob Hostetler, speaker, and author of 27 books

    "Most books of poetry are tiresome, with trite phrasing and no central theme. Jean Oathout’s work is a refreshing difference, with a clear, thematic devotional structure and wording that is original without being obscure. Best of all, she infuses her verses with strong biblical teaching, which makes for a rewarding devotional experience. Take a look --- you’ll be hooked!"                                                                 
                                                           David E. Fessenden Senior editor, CLC Publications
                                Author of Writing the Christian Nonfiction Book: Concept to Contract

  I do hope that many of you will check out the devotional book when it is released, and recommend it to friends and family. There will be many thoughts that will be of help to women contemplating marriage.

  There are to be two more e-books to follow: When Women Do Marry a Man and To Raise a Child Can Be a Joy.

  As soon as Marsha and I are satisfied with the manuscript in question, it will be forwarded to Eddie Jones of Christiandevotions.us. I’ll keep you informed of the progress!

  I’d appreciate your becoming one of my followers, so please sign in. Thanks for any comments that you may make.

REPENTANCE, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?



Mary Southerland: "What does it mean to repent? The woman in the book of Luke knew. She models repentance for us and illustrates beautifully the truth that if we want to experience worship we must come to God, seeking forgiveness and being willing to repent of our sin.

Forgiveness is our greatest need and God’s highest accomplishment, always resulting in worship.

 “As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.”  Luke 7:38

This woman stood behind Jesus like a “caught” child who was ashamed to look her Father in the eyes. I am certain that her guilt and sense of unworthiness prevented her from facing Him.  Just being in His presence made her doubt everything about herself but nothing about Him.  

Standing so close to Him simply transformed her and she began to weep. Jesus was as pure as she was sinful. Every ugly thought, word or deed of her past must have flooded her heart and shattered it.

 Tears of sorrow and joy spilled down her face onto the feet of the One – the only One who truly loved her. Those tears were the first prayer of her life. She then let her hair down in total submission, dropped to her feet and began to dry the feet of Jesus with her hair. 

The social custom of the day demanded that women keep their hair bound up. To let it down was considered a brazen act and could even be grounds for divorce. But this woman was beyond caring about social custom and earthly rules. She was conducting eternal business. 

She found what she had been searching for in every wrong relationship, every failure and every dead-end choice. She found Jesus!

She began kissing the feet of Jesus while pouring perfume over them, totally oblivious to those watching. The word “kissed” literally means “to kiss again and again.” 

Standing in His presence, she somehow knew that He understood everything she could not say and loved her in spite of her sin. 

It is very important to notice that Jesus did not move away from her. He did not condemn her or stop her. He knew exactly why she was there and He was thrilled! He saw her heart and received her humble action as an acceptable gift of worship.

Jesus looked past her sin and saw her heart crying out for forgiveness. Notice His response in Luke 7:48: “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.” Wow! God always majors in grace and forgiveness. 

The tense of the verb “forgiven” indicates that this forgiveness of sin was completed in the past, continues through the present and will keep working in the future. 

The forgiveness of God is complete and eternal.”

God has already "charged" our sins to His Son and has paid the debt in full. Powerful worship flows from a heart that has repented from every known sin and received the gift of forgiveness that God offers.

"He (God) is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven" (Ephesians 1:7, NLT).

“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 

Let’s Pray:
                  Father, I want to truly worship You and am ready to confess and turn away from my sin. Please search my heart and life. Reveal every wrong attitude and action that is keeping me from truly worshipping You. Lord, I am tired of trying to live life on my own. I am desperate for You. Right now, I surrender everything I am and ever hope to be to You.

                  In Jesus’ name,  Amen.

Mary Southerland August 18, 2011


Monday, August 15, 2011

Sanctification




   Our interpretation of what this means, may not be what God intends for us to have! 

Let’s examine the reasons He wants to accomplish sanctification in the born-again Christian’s life.  (I Cor. 1:2,30;  6:11; I Thess. 4:4)

Oswald Chambers has this to say in his book entitled Devotions for MORNING AND EVENING:


  “Sanctification is God’s idea of what He wants to do for me, and He has to get me into the attitude of mind and spirit where at any cost I will let Him sanctify me wholly.”(p.468)

   Other quotes from his book that may help us understand what God is doing in us, to change us into His likeness:

  “God has to hurt the thing that must go”. (p. 466)

   “It should work out into rest in God which means oneness with God, a oneness which will make us not only blameless in His sight, but a deep joy to Him”. (p. 464)

   “Every power of mind and heart should go into the strenuousness of turning the natural into the spiritual by obeying the word of God regarding it. If we do not make the natural spiritual, it will become sordid; but when we become spiritual the natural is shot through with the glory of God.” (p. 461)

   “The one marvelous secret of a holy life lies not in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfections of Jesus manifest themselves in my mortal flesh . . . Sanctification means the impartation of the holy qualities of Jesus Christ (p.422)

   By some it is said that this is the “working out of our salvation”. Our salvation is found in and through our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God alone.

   A quote from AllaboutFollowingJesus.org on sanctification:

  “. . . when a person is sanctified he or she is being set apart by God for a specific divine purpose. The very moment we are saved in Christ we are also immediately sanctified and begin the process of being conformed to the image of Christ.

   As God's children we are "set apart" from that moment to carry out His divine purposes unto eternity. Hebrews 10:14 says, "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified."

   I trust this helps you understand sanctification.


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Oswald Chambers' Words of Wisdom

    

   The following random quotes of wisdom are from Oswald Chamber’s  book, Devotions for Morning and Evening:


   “By the resurrection and Ascension power of Jesus, by the sentdown Holy Ghost, we can be lifted into such a relationship with the Father that we are at one with the perfect sovereign will of God by our free choice as Jesus was.


    The mature saint is just like a little child, absolutely simple and joyful and gay. Go on living the life that God would have you live and you will grow younger instead of older. This is a marvelous rejuvenescence when once you let God have His way.


   The one mark of a saint is the moral originality which springs from abandonment to Jesus Christ. In the life of a saint there is this amazing wellspring of original life all the time: the Spirit of God is a well of water springing up, perennially fresh. Never make a principle out your experience: let God be as original with other people as He is with you.


   If I do my duty, not for duty’s sake, but because God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience the whole superb grace of God is mine through the Atonement.


   My attitude as a saint to sorrow and difficulty is not to ask that they may be prevented, but to ask that I may preserve the self God created me to be through every fire of furrow. The way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. If you receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.”




Monday, August 8, 2011

PRAYING FOR PASTORS



  There are two lists of prayers that I use daily in praying for my pastors. One is from Revive Our Hearts ministry, entitled 31 Days of Praying for Your Pastor. I use their pamphlet from years ago, but the listing of prayers can be obtained through their web sight www.ReviveOurHeartrs.com . The one for Day 4 is the one I’m sharing today:


        “Pray that your pastor will counsel and teach with discernment through the wise use of Scripture and faith in God’s power to work. Pray that he will be protected from the effects of sinful or negative attitudes that he encounters as he counsels. (Mal.2:7; James 1:5-6; John 17:15)

The other one that I’ve used for years, is SCRIPTURE-BASED PRAYERS to pray for your pastor” by Terry Teykl, and was published in the Pray! Magazine (issue #2), and can be found at www.praymag.com . I have chosen Day 7 to share today:


        “I pray that the eyes of my pastor may be enlightened to know the hope to which we are called and know the riches of our glorious inheritance in the saints. Let my pastor know the incomparable great power which is in us who believe (Eph.1:1819). Let _________ see the full revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:12). Place in him/her a desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection (Phil.3:10).”


   Saying these prayers in first person, makes them our prayers. May God bless you, as you are involved with the move of the Holy Spirit in your church, through daily praying for your pastor and leaders!

Friday, August 5, 2011

devotional e-books

   I have written three e-book devotionals, with words of wisdom for single and married women, titled
So You Plan to Marry a Man, When a Woman Marries a Man, and To Raise a Child Can Be a Joy! They will be in the form of easy-to-read poetry, with 31 pages of  poems, Scriptures, and short prayers for applications, in each e-book. These are to be published soon, by www.Christiandevotions.us and offered for $2.99 as e-books.
   I've been writing and going over the poems since '86, when the Lord commissioned me to use my journal for a book someday, that would help women cope with their own situations. It is my desire to share what God enabled me to learn from my experiences.
   The following is a poem that isn't going to be published by this company, to give you a taste of what the Lord is helping me to accomplish with the poetry:


If You Should Feel the Need to Pray
If you should feel the need to pray
but find you don’t know how,
 Be honest in all that you say.
 God’s listening right now.

He knows already what you need
 and longs to have you ask.
In His Word He wants you to read
 He’ll help you with each task.

Do thank the Lord for everything
and trust in His judgment.
In time you’ll see your heart will sing,  
as prayers to Him are sent.

Complaints are not to come from you
as on them God does frown.
It will become a hindrance too
 for by your words you’re bound. 

When you’re sad and frustrated
 and you can hardly see,
Ask God for truths that will relate
  to give you victory.

In your learning to watch and wait,
be sure to seek God’s Light.
It’s hoped that you won’t hesitate,
to see His way is right! 

Is. 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not
dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen
you, yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with
 the right hand of My righteousness.”

Father, help me believe You’re with me! Amen