Be Fruity - part 2

As promised here is the next part of what I like to call the "Be Fruity" series. I'm not sure how many parts there will be; I hope several. However, time will tell.: ) Okay, first things first. After reading my initial introduction from the previous post, you have a general overview of each subsequent post. There is so much in this one passage of Scripture that one broad sweep of an explanation just simply will not do. This post I will focus primarily on the first verse.

Galatians 5:16 (ESV), "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

This verse seems incredibly simple, and I believe this essentially has two points for my purpose. The first is in order to "walk by the Spirit" one must first know, and be known by, the Spirit. The second is the command to "walk by the Spirit" in order to live a life worthy of our calling as children of the most High God.

So, number one - in order to "walk by the Spirit" one must first know, and be known by, the Spirit (that is God). I've heard several people claim to know God only to discover later in life that they did not in fact truly know Him, or believe in Him. This is what I mean by also being known by God. One can maybe have a legitimate belief that there is a God without ever accepting it as Truth. If a person thinks that there must be a "higher power" but does not accept Jesus as Lord, that person does not receive eternal life from the Creator. Matthew 7:21-23 says, " 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."' " (ESV) In order to have eternal life, in order for God to "know" you, you must accept that there is only one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit, and that Jesus the Christ is the Son of God. That He did come to the Earth in a miraculous way, live a perfect life, died for our sins, and on the third day rose again to life. You must then confess that you are a sinner, that you need a Savior, and ask Jesus to save you.

That is essentially the only way any of these posts will work in your life. If you do not believe in Christ, you may certainly learn from His word, but it will not save you or give you eternal life.

Now, the second part is the command to "walk by the Spirit" in order to live a life worthy of our calling as children of the most High God. To "walk by the Spirit" is basically to follow His teachings from His word, weighing everything by Scripture and prayer. The fruits of the Spirit are a wonderful guideline to begin with. If all Christians (including myself) lived in this way, the world would be a better place. The verse says that when (not if) we "walk by the Spirit" then "you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." It is a command, not a suggestion.

All of that being said, when we come to know Christ as Lord, we are commanded to live by the Spirit. If we rebel against this command, there is no reason for us to call on God as our Father. Maybe it seems kind of harsh, but for goodness sake, He created us, He provides for us, He offers us eternal life through the horrific death and resurrection of His only Son. I think living by His rules is greatly in our favor! He deserves nothing less.

Why Me? or Be Fruity - part 1

Through all of life's adventures and pitfalls, every human - in my opinion - has a place inside them that desires all the attention, pity, accolades, and self-martyr encouragement. More to the point, I believe that every human has either a tiny or huge desire for the spotlight. Hubby and I were driving today, and as we made our way on the interstate we fell behind a dump truck with the words "Why Me?" stenciled on the back. Our first reaction was to express a confusion over that sentiment's presence on that particular vehicle. Our second reaction was to continue an on-going discussion we've had for many nights lately - the consistent, primary focus on the love and promotion of self above any and all else.

I don't know why, but this past Sunday I began to consider this and the connection with living a holy life. It seems to me that many Christians consider holiness a by-product of Salvation. Granted, Christ begins a good work in us and continues it until the day of completion. But the idea that we automatically conquer former sins, temptations, strongholds without responding to the spiritual battle that does in fact rage around us in a real, practical, and faith-filled way, is slightly ludicrous. Life is not all peaches and cream. Christ promised hardship as well as love, trials as well as joys, tribulations as well as peace. Holiness should be something we strive for with every fiber of our physical and spiritual being. Christ's sacrifice demands it.

With that, I think we, as the body of Christ should re-examine the fruits of the Spirit, not forgetting the fruits of the sinful nature (also referred to as the "flesh"). Galatians is an awesome book of the Bible. Here is Galatians 5:16-26 (ESV):

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

2 Timothy 3:16 says that all scripture is God-breathed, meaning inspired directly by God Himself. I think that could mean also that the way the scriptures are put together is not an accident. I believe Paul mentions the fruit of the flesh first for a reason. That is what is there first. We are born into sinful nature. Once we understand right from wrong, and especially when we come to faith in Jesus as the one true God and the only way to the Father, we are obligated to work out that sinful nature with the Holy Spirit living inside us.

Now, due to this thought, I found myself examining how I live out my faith, and it occurred to me that faith is MEANT to be lived out or acted upon. (Very astute finding, huh? My mom always said I was pretty smart.; ) So if faith is meant to be acted upon, then any time we do not act out our lives in faithfulness, like with the fruits of the Spirit, we could be in fact acting out our lives in the fruit of the sinful nature. In fact, it is very probable that we could be living a sinful life as opposed to a holy life.

So, here is my conclusion ... we should "Be Fruity".

I plan on expounding more on this in the coming weeks, and I would love to see some comments!! I know this one was a little wordy, but I didn't have much time; ) Have a blessed week!

Thanking Our Troops

Being Lucy, A Cruise to No-where, Who Dat?!, and A Beautiful Slave

New Orleans is definitely an interesting place to live. Two of our very dear friends were married on Halloween and had the reception later that night at Mardi Gras World. For those of you unfamiliar with New Orleans, we love to leave monuments for anything our city might be known for. In this case, we have a warehouse which used to house Mardi Gras floats still under construction. Now it houses old floats and a museum dedicated to the history of New Orleans Mardi Gras rituals. Of course, with it being Halloween, it was also a costume/masquerade party. Thomas and I went as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo - it was awesome. Thomas's blue eyes are the only things that give him away as not fully Latino. Other than that, he totally pulled it off. I, of course, was a fabulous Lucy. : ) (For those of you that know me, you know how fantastic it was for me to pretend to be the star of I Love Lucy.) In these few weeks after the party, we have been quite busy.

For one thing, we were getting ready for our cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. Unfortunately, we did not know of Hurricane Ida brewing in the Gulf. By the time it neared the coast, New Orleans closed its port. Carnival, being the awesome company it is, offered a total refund for anyone wanting to cancel or 50% refund for a shortened cruise to the Gulf without a stop in Mexico. Hubby and I chose the latter and had a fabulous "cruise to no-where" - the actual quote from the company: ). Probably the coolest thing about going on this cruise were the awesome Saints games that flanked the trip. 'Who Dat Nation' rejoice!!! We are 9 and 0!!! The best we've ever done was 7 and 0 - and that was in this millineaum. In other words, we've never played better. Who Dat indeed???!!?!!??!??!?!!??!!

Now, on to business. I watched the movie Taken for the first time tonight. The ending is awesome, of course, with the father recovering his daughter before she is tortured to the extreme, before she drops off the face of the earth. In reality, very few of these young women are ever rescued or ever get the chance to escape. The movie revealed the actual situations many women, girls, and even young boys face. They are drugged and beaten into submission. As I speak out about this disgusting evil, we need never forget one thing. God loves. God sees. God knows. God controls. Those who are "enemies of God" do not understand this. Even we, His children, sometimes do not understand or grasp why our beautiful, gracious, and loving God allows evil to linger.

The fact is, God is working out everything to His glory and the good of those who call Him Father. Brothers and sisters in Christ, please do not turn your head away and think it is impossible to see an end to this because it is not. We can end it. We can at least put a dent in it. Please, do not forget these victims. Please do not stop praying for their captors. Pray like you have never prayed before.

As I write this I am listening to a song I just discovered by a group called Take No Glory. The song is called A Beautiful Slave. The song begins hard, edgy, forlorn, melancholy, abrasive. It ends in a glorious, beautiful, soft, strong and praise-worthy chorus of Jesus Loves the Little Children and He's got the Whole World in His Hands. These "musicianaries" offer their music free-of-charge on their website www.takenoglory.com.

God hears their cries, and they will not go unanswered. God will have retribution. He will pass out judgement. The world will be redeemed, to the praise of God the Father, Jesus the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Going through "The Change"

I hope you got a laugh from that title. No I am not going through THE change (thank goodness), but my life is definitely going through some changes. I would like to ask that you please pray for me as God refines and brings my mind, soul, and body through a process of maturing.

I'm beginning to recognize when it is best to keep my mouth shut. (Some of you are laughing at this moment. Stop that.)

I'm learning what it means to truly respect my husband the way he deserves to be respected.

I've experienced victories in areas of my life I never thought possible.

I've gained weight. (No, I'm not pregnant.)

I'm beginning to think more before acting on something.

I'm doing more housework without being asked.

I can recognize complaining for what it is, and some times stop.

I have started realizing what friends to allow access in my life, what friends to speak to occasionally, and what "friends" to remove. (Not just in facebook.)

I'm becoming a fighter, instead of a by-stander (or a run-away-er).

There are other changes, but it's so difficult to think through all of them. For those of you that know me best, I hope you know what a challenge these things are for me and will pray for me at least once. I'm definitely having issues in some of these areas. I just want to be a better daughter for our King. I am certainly not living up to my potential.

Recognition

I just found out tonight that a dear friend of our family went home last month. She suffered for years from cancer. When I read the email from her mother, a charming lady - an alumna of Judson, I recognized that many things I have struggled with recently can not compare to the pain of losing a child. Even when that child is no longer in pain, and even though her mother is older than my grandmother and has experienced loss in so many areas of her life.

If you think about it, please pray for this wonderful, graceful Southern woman, who befriended me just because we went to the same school - albeit many years apart. Her daughter was, in many ways, her life-line and helped her with many everyday tasks. I am grieved at her passing.

Revelation 21:4 (ESV)

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

A wonderful verse and "5 things"

Psalm 77:19, "Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen."

Our God can walk through the sea like we would walk through a puddle, except He would probably be more graceful. How great is our God!

The five things are something I learned from John Maxwell. At a work conference where he was the featured speaker, he talked about how to reach your goals and dreams. For the most part it is consistency and loyalty to a schedule of (lack of a better description) good things. For Maxwell these are his 5 things:

1. Everyday he reads

2. Everyday he files

3. Everyday he thinks

4. Everyday he asks questions

5. Everyday he writes

These five things happen literally every day. It doesn't always happen at the same times everyday, but the point is that he knows these five things will make him a better speaker and author, not to mention husband, father, friend, pastor, etc, etc. I think one of the biggest problem I've had in attaining certain goals is the lack of a consistent, albeit flexible, schedule. Have you tried reading for one hour every single day of something that would improve your business - whether you are an entrepreneur or employee? It really does make a difference in how you think about everything. And it makes you think! Why is reading such a chore to us? Goodness knows I spent way too much time in school (and thinking about going back for yet another degree, but that's besides the point). But I was reading books then that were not necessarily for personal growth - it was for the pursuit and growth of knowledge and critical / analytical thinking. Now that I have the choice to read what I want, I realized that Jane Austen entertains me for just so long before I have to read something that actually matters.

Filing is basically just taking notes on what you read and filing it away. Thinking is self-explanatory. Ask questions!! This is huge. How many of us stop asking questions because we think we pretty much know all we need to know, or that we can figure everything out on our own? This is a problem that I have had for some time, and when I started asking questions again I realized how much I do not know. People, don't let your ego get in the way of you growing and maturing as a person. On the flip side of that, if you are asking the same question over and over again, evaluate why you are doing that. Is it because you are seeking the answer YOU want to hear, or is it because you need to seek BETTER council? Don't ask questions of just any random person, or your friend of ten years who is in no better position than you are in life. Seek the council of those mature and wise in the way you want to grow and run with it.

Writing is Maxwell's thing, and it may not be yours. Here's the thing, keeping some sort of record of your thoughts, questions, notes from reading, etc, can actually help you in the future and can help you think through situations along the way. It also is a great tool for your descendants to help them grow and not make some of the same mistakes you made. (The historian in me seems to come out frequently when talking about things that could become primary sources!!) So even if you are not an author, keeping a blog, writing in a journal, taking notes in the margins of the books you read (make sure you buy them first!) can help hundreds of others, but first, it can help you grow as a person which will lead to success.

Thank you for letting me share.

My Vision

Hey Folks! Okay, so as I was sitting in church today, I suddenly began to think that it is completely possible for me to begin speaking without invitations to speak. Novel idea, huh? I don't mean that I will walk in a church or school some where and just start yelling at everyone. I mean that I can begin speaking at my home church and other places that know and trust me, and while doing that I can ask the people that come to tell their pastors, friends, neighbors, and any other contacts they have about me going to speak in other places.

So here's my vision. I want to speak in at least two places a month before the end of this year. Then next year, I want to enlarge my base and speak at maybe three places a month. In doing this, hundreds of people can hear about modern-day slavery and hopefully join me in the fight against it. Also, my husband had an awesome idea for Southern Baptists.

As a Southern Baptist, there are some things in our history that bothers me. One major problem is that S.B.'s actually joined together as such over the issue of keeping slavery in the United States back in the 1800s. That saddens me. So his idea was that we as a denomination can in fact unite as one in the fight against slavery, reversing the prejudices and original ideas of some who started our denomination.

You know, we don't have much time left on earth. I certainly don't believe that I know when Christ shall return, and honestly, it could be another 200 years from now. However, time doesn't really make much difference to the eternal God. So I see the redemption of our world as coming soon, even if it's not in my lifetime. As I believe this, I see how humanity is really just wasting away, and slavery is truly a tool of satan to prevent the spread of the Gospel, the spread of hope. We have to fight it. If not us, who? If not the church, who? We, as the bride of Christ, enjoy our freedom in Him - why shouldn't we offer the same freedom to those in physical as well as spiritual bondage? We should. We will. We can offer the safe haven so many are desperately longing for. We've got to unite on this, spread the word, and make a difference in our world.

Slavery

Did y'all know that somewhere around 27 million people are enslaved right now? That makes me cringe. Even here in the US people are forced to work and have sex with people who paid as little as $90 for them. The captors threaten the victims' families and everything else the victims hold dear.

How dare we allow that in our country. How dare we allow that in our world. How dare we turn away from them. How dare we rely on others to make this "problem" go away.

I don't have the answers, but I'm ticked. I'm ticked because I want to help but don't really know how. I read a little on the A21 Campaign website about ways we can help. One said to use your talents. If you know me, you know that I have the gift of gab. (No pun on my name intended.) I can speak and speak well when in front of people -- especially when I am passionate about something and folks are willing to listen.

So if any of you out there want to get the word out about modern-day slavery, let me know. I'm ready, willing, and able to come. Let's get the word out, folks. 27 million men, women, and children are waiting.

They need us.

I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I'm thinking..... I'm thinking

If you have seen the 2nd Night at the Museum movie, you totally understand the title. I was reading some John Maxwell again, in Dare to Dream Maxwell quotes Emerson.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet."

This quote intrigues me for a number of reasons. The most basic is that when people begin to think, change happens - be it for the better or for the worst. In going along with my last post, I have recently learned a fundamental truth about human behavior. What you think produces feelings. What you feel produces actions, and what you act upon produces results.

Have you ever met someone and after listening to them you wonder how his or her mind works? My husband is a deep thinker. He ponders over life questions, theology, sin and sanctification, the actions of men, life situations, etc. When he speaks, he truly amazes people. I know I am a little biased, but his professors have all bragged about him to me and others. When I read the Emerson quote, I immediately thought of my husband.

I wonder what kind of change would take place in our fallen world if everyone would take time to stop and think - weighing every option with the scales of wisdom. If we did that, our feelings probably wouldn't get hurt as quickly, we wouldn't lash out at others as often, and we wouldn't hurt others so deeply.

Just a thought I figured I should share.: )

Thoughts=Feelings=Actions=Results: What do you think about?

It seems like forever since I last blogged. A lot of changes have been happening in the W household - all for the better. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to fall into a desperately negative outlook? As I was telling a friend earlier, just think about your thoughts, and you'll see how many of them are not in any way edifying, uplifting, or encouraging to anyone. Something I've really been convicted over are my daydreams. Are you a daydreamer? I can spend over an hour imagining things. (It's my "nothing" box.) When I feel overwhelmed, lazy, or just bored with what's going on around me, I start to daydream about random things (like my preferred endings to fairy tales and movies). You know what I found out? That's why sometimes it is very difficult for me to pay attention and concentrate when people start talking to me. Scripture admonishes us to only think on things that are wholly and pleasing to God. When I daydream, I'm wasting time and precious energy on things that are not in existence.

Making changes as little as these can cause more messes than I care to admit. It's like a battle raging in my mind. The desire to just go into my "nothing" box and not think about anything worth while is so very tempting for me. Yet, when I achieve small victories over these tiny character flaws, I notice a change that is more beautiful than a new outfit or haircut. I grow and become more like the One who created me. How messy, and how beautiful was the crucifixion of our God. He shed his flesh and blood to cover our sins forever. His love conquered all hate, death, and misery.

Change can be messy, but changing into Christ makes us more beautiful for it.

As Truvy (played by the great Dolly Parton) said in the movie Steel Magnolias, "Just look at me, Annelle. It takes some effort to look like this!" Let's make the effort to look like Christ and get a little messy in the process.

What a world...

You know, when I think about modern-day slavery, political corruption, murder, credit card fraud, identity theft... I sometimes feel overwhelmed. Do you ever get that feeling of just, I don't know, "fed-up-ness" with everybody outside your inner circle of trusted friends, family, and advisors? Sometimes I just beg God for answers and for His return out of frustration with the state of the world, and my own heart at times.

Yet today I listened to the day's Bible readings from the English Standard Version. Psalm 37:1-2, "Fret not yourself because of evildoers, be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb." This came right after the portion of Esther in which the Jews are saved.

It's promises like these that the Christ reiterates during his time with the apostles. While it may seem like it is taking forever for the world to be redeemed, it is actually right on God's perfect time-table. God was faithful in the Old Testament and redeemed Israel over and over again. He was faithful in the New Testament to provide us with the atoning sacrifice in Christ so that we might have eternal life with Him. God can not go against His character. His character shows consistent faithfulness! If He has promised something that has not come to fruition, that's okay. It soon will.

Thanks for letting me share. : )

Cafe au Lait

Well, I have finally succumbed to another popular trend (blogging being the first). I am now a coffee drinker. However, I am still a baby coffee consumer, so drinking it black or any where close to that is completely out of the question. I have found that cafe au lait (with about six little packets of sugar) is just my style.

I have to say this has opened a whole new world for me. I feel like a cool person now!

So, tell me. How do you like your coffee?

Success and Christianity, do they mix?

My hubby and I have begun a new business, my dream business, while he has just become an insurance agent. One of the reasons he became an insurance agent is because insurance is, supposedly, one of only a few recession-proof careers. The other reason is, as a church planter he may not receive a paycheck that can cover any of our costs as a family. Thus we need jobs to provide for us and our ministry!

That being said, as we joined this insurance marketing company, we noticed how everybody there talks only about two things. Helping other families and helping their families. When people get up to talk, they tell about how they made $20,000 in one week or more. The crazy thing is, they are not kidding. That is their actual paycheck on a regular basis. As we have continued on with the company, our managers expect us to read consistently. Mostly motivational and leadership books, of course. Anyway, hubby and I began to search the Scriptures about what we were reading in these books. There's a lot in our reading list that just promote selfish ambition and give wealth-seeking advice, but surprisingly, there are many that are just meant to encourage folks to do the best at what they do and get compensated for their time.

I want everybody's opinion on this one. We all know that the most mis-quoted verse in the Bible is 1 Timothy 6:10, "For the LOVE of money is the root of ALL KINDS of evils..." So, I began to wonder, is money itself bad? My immediate reaction was to chide myself for even giving any sort of positive thought to that green paper that you have to have in order to live. How dare I even consider thinking of money in a positive light.

However, I then thought of Abraham, David, Joseph, and another Bible figure who incredibly obscure, Lydia - the dealer in purple cloth. All these people had wealth beyond measure, and God gave it to them.

Wow.

Now everyone knows that I abhor the so-called "health, wealth, and prosperity gospel." I think it is stupid and completely degrading to say that God is basically our servant and will give us whatever we want if we say or do the "right" things. However, it is from God where we receive both the good and the bad. Take a look at Job. God allowed Satan to take everything from this very righteous man, and then God gave it back to him twice over. Why would God do that if money, wealth, financial freedom, etc, were bad?

We are of course to be good stewards of all our assets and to give back to the Lord what is rightfully His to begin with. So I have come to the conclusion that it is okay to ask God for more than financial freedom, to even ask for wealth. It is then up to His great judgement and His great glory and honor if He decides to give what we have asked for. With all blessings, however, they have their proper place - not above the Giver of the blessings.

Thanks for letting me share, and I look forward to seeing what you all have to say about this!

Wow, what a shmuck.

I'm talking about me. Not long after publishing the last post I realized how incredibly ungrateful and hard hearted I can be. What a shmuck. God has only commanded a few things of His children, and one of those is to love unconditionally. I shouldn't have shouted my complaints and frustrations to the world. I wanted to delete the last post, but I figured that would be a little dishonest. So, here I am in all my unworthiness. I hope you can forgive the past rantings. I commit myself to refrain from airing out stupid comments to the world on my blog from this point on...unless they're poignant to an argument. : )

Well, let me give you an update on what's going on over here. As per my last post, VBS was actually cancelled. There was no victory for me in that decision. I feel truly horrible that our little congregation can not fulfill their hearts' desire to be with little children. God is grateful, however, and in His word He reminds us that if we are seeking and delighting ourselves in Him, He will grant us the desires of our hearts. So, maybe we will see that happen soon.

My business is now up and going. Yea!! I have all the proper documentation and am now hoping to get the word out! I joined the National Association of Professional Women to assist me in this endeavor. Hopefully I will be able to get a website up and going soon too.

My hubby leaves for Annual Training soon. : ( It will be hard to have him gone for so long, but he's doing his duty. I'm very proud of him. He also sells mortgage protection, life insurance, and annuities and that business is picking up remarkably.

Well, that's pretty much it for now!! If you get a chance, please pray for Lady Di (aka Diane Nix my mentor). There are a lot of fantastic things going on, and some not-so-fantastic things. She would appreciate all prayers.

Y'all have a great week!

"I need to Complain" or "Life Happens"

This week has been incredibly challenging.  I started my new job with high hopes and expectations of a low stress environment and easy-going people.  I'm sure once I get the hang of things the stress will diminish.

Let me begin by telling you my schedule for the week.  The other store needed managers this past week on three days - two of which were my days off.  I was asked to work both those days.  So beginning on Monday I worked the closing shift every day and all day today, Sunday.   I have made a lot of mistakes, which is somewhat to be expected when you're new at something, but that knowledge doesn't make me feel any better.  There are only two associates I like to work with out of the 8 or 9 sales associates, and I like working with both my managers.   However, as a manager I don't really get to work with the other managers, and I have to work with all the other people that I don't particularly care for - again, this is to be expected, but it does not make me feel any better!!  Especially when I am still in the learning process, and closing the store takes me twice as long as the other managers with complaining sales associates asking when am I going to be finished.  

Dealing with this work week was quite enough for me to handle, but as Vacation Bible School director I got another little surprise.  On Wednesday at 9 pm, my husband receives a call from the church that is supposed to send a team to help us with VBS.  They are unable to procure transportation, and they have cancelled - less than two weeks before the event is to take place. I totally understand that stuff like this happens, and I do not blame anyone for circumstances beyond their control.  However, it is very frustrating that we did not find out about their troubles until they decided to cancel.  Now I have less than two weeks to figure something out. We've come up with a couple different ideas, but the only one that makes sense to me is to cancel the whole thing.  Our elderly congregation + me are not able to properly execute VBS on our own.  For one thing, only about 3 of them have volunteered to help with the major portion of the curriculum.  The other 4 people (yes that's 7 in all if one does not have to go out of town) volunteered to help in the kitchen.  

Again, I do not blame the congregation for not volunteering to help with something like recreation.  For goodness sakes, some of them can barely walk!  However, making a craft requires sitting in one spot and gluing things together.  Being a family leader requires sitting in one spot talking to the children.  Why is it that a visitor to our church offered to help with VBS before over half of them consented to help in the kitchen?  Why is it that when someone mentions not doing VBS they get all up in arms, but then do NEXT-to-NOTHING to help besides providing a few refreshments? 

To top off these annoyances, there are a few people (one in particular) who constantly complain about me and the work we are trying to do with VBS. There are snide comments made in front of a lot of people, and low murmurs made right in front of me.  I have done everything possible to include our folks and to make this the best VBS possible in light of the circumstances.  But I don't do things the way the former VBS director did, and that lady is moving this week to Mississippi, so our hardest worker won't be here.  Almost every time I try to get input or help, they refuse me.

I am ready to throw in the towel. I honestly don't know how to rise above this.  I feel beaten and broken, and I'm tired.  My mom told me that all this was helping to strengthen my character.  I know she's right, but that doesn't make things any easier.  Yet, as Job said, can we not accept the bad things as well as the good?  God is loving, and He does care more for our character than making us happy and making everything run smoothly.  

God be praised for not giving up on the likes of me.  He is more gracious, kind, and merciful than we can fathom.  He is deserving of the highest honor and praise!  He conquered death, so He can conquer this VBS, amen.

Blog Wars, Part Deux... and Freedom

Alright, so last time you heard of the "Blog Wars" I was in the heat of battle with a good friend who thought she could beat me with a better blog.  (poor dear.)  Anyway, as life took over, the battle entered a stale-mate - well, at least on her side.  (*sigh*)  And now, as she has moved to a most unfortunate place with no friends and a 4 year old living for each time she may test her parents, my friend I believe has given up.

Could this be the end of the long (6 month) fought battle for the best blog?!  Could I have won?!  Methinks I should not declare victory too soon.  

Or maybe I should.

My dear friend, if you are reading this, you know who you are; I have a question for you.  I am battle ready.  [tough Clint Eastwood whisper]  Are you? (Anyone else reading this is more than welcome to join our friendly competition, but be warned.  It could get ugly.  It could get brutal.  One day, I WILL have music.  Oh yeah.)

In other news, I have recently been in contact with my alma mater, Judson College.  In another post I will share why this institution means so much to me, but for now just know the school was vital in my development spiritually and emotionally.  I praise God for giving me Judson College during a critical three years of my life.  So, the head honcho over chapel sent me an email asking if I would be in Alabama some time and could I speak in chapel.  The honor of being asked to speak, especially by my Judson, is incredibly overwhelming.  I know that while I am completely undeserving of any attention, my God will give me words and speak through me. My hope is that I will listen with open ears and an open heart as He directs me during the preparation time.  As of right now, I think I am going to focus on slavery vs. freedom.  

As an historian, of course I will have to give some historical background on slavery from the beginning of time, and then as I move forward in time discuss our modern understanding of slavery and the connection to our spiritual lives.  My heart is absolutely broken over the state of modern-day slavery, especially those little ones subjected to the most horrific state of prostitution at ages as young as seven.  God sees them and hears their cries.  There will be healing.  Oh that Christ would return and redeem our barren and corrupt world!  But the time will come soon when that will happen.  It is not for me to know or concentrate on that, but on serving Him with whole heart, mind, soul, and body - to live in the FREEDOM of Christ, no longer a slave to sin.  

God be praised for His ever lasting mercy and grace!

1 Peter 2:16

"Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God."

James 2:12

"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom..."

Hebrews 2:14-15

"Since the children have flesh and blood, [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

1 Peter 1:13

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed."

2 Timothy 4:2

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction."

So I got a job

Well, from the last post you saw that we opened our business. You know what? That takes time and moo-lah, so I went out job hunting. I am so stoked to be working part time at cache LUXE in the mall. It's always a good thing to have retail in your background! (It makes people think you are good with money, I guess.) I have now developed a stunning wardrobe at less than half the original prices!! Yea! If you are in the area and want some beautifully made clothes at not-cheap, but not too expensive prices, come see me!! Besides, I could use the sales: )

We are in BUSINESS!

That's right!  For His Name's Sake, L.L.C. has officially, and legally, opened for business!!  My hubby and I are now entrepreneurs!  We received the certification and license in the mail yesterday, and today I received our EIN.  I am WAY stoked.  My personal small business "guru" from the Louisiana Small Business Division Center is going to hook us up with a graphic designer to help us out with a logo and website soon!  

Stay tuned for updates!

The week of sighs...

Many of you probably already know my employment dilemma, but in the words of Ricky Ricardo, let me 'splain.  My whole life I've been taught that getting an education is the way to get a good job.  I know that's true, for the most part, but what people don't tell you is that during a recession, it doesn't matter how much education you have if the money ain't there!  (I'm out of school less than a month and I'm already going back to slang.)  So, I have been desperately searching for employment because I need to help pay the bills, which keep piling, and so I don't become bored completely out of my MIND!  I was pretty bummed out this week before God brought me to my knees and reminded me of something.

He is totally in charge.

He reminded me that He is the one who created the stars, the sun, the oceans...me.  And when He brought me peace, I still didn't have a job, but I had the reassurance that He will never leave me nor forsake me.  He loves me.  I am His, and no matter what, He will provide.  Isn't that lovely?!

When I got to that point, I was looking over Lake Pontchartrain when the tide was in.  I suddenly was overwhelmed to the point of hysteria with ideas about what I need to do next.  (Hysteria may be too strong of a word, but it was motivating to say the least!)  I left and went to the restaurant my hubby works at, sat down, and started to write.  I barely stopped for over two hours.  God gave me a speech that has been in my heart to give to young women for so long, but never wrote down.  He gave me an idea for a book that many people have encouraged me to write.  He gave me the information I needed for starting my business.  There was so much giving I could hardly write or think fast enough!  I don't know what will become of any of this, but I'm going to share with you what God gave to me so that you may share in my joy and prayers.

First let me tell you about the book idea.  My thesis was written about a group that was established in 1881.  We know of only two other people that wrote about this group in any detail.  One book was written over 20 years ago, and the other is not devoted to the group but only mentions it a few times.  So, I want to write a biography of the group with the intention of starting a book series on New Orleans history through the eyes of women.  I think it will be pretty cool, and I already know of publishers that would more than likely publish it.

The speech God gave me is one that is near and dear to me.  I want to call it Girl Talk with an "It" Girl.  It's about dressing, speaking, and acting modestly and in purity in order to honor our Lord.  Some times, and I was guilty of this, girls just don't listen to their mothers about clothes and how to act around guys.  I was a beauty queen, fashion model, and "Miss" everything in high school and college, and I believe God used me in those capacities to reach out to other women in this way.

And finally, let me tell you about my business.  For His Name's Sake, L.L.C. will be legal in about 2 weeks.  This business will be mostly an oral history business.  I will use my training and passion to record and preserve individual, family, corporate, or institution histories from the memories of those involved.  I also will offer my transcribing abilities, as well as my and my hubby's speaking availabilities.  This is the realization of a dream that God gave me some time ago, and I am so excited that it is here.  It may take some time, but I am stoked!

To end, let me say that as recently as this afternoon, God has opened many doors for employment, and I think that I will have a job very soon.  Praise our Creator God for watching over His own!!

Pomp and Circumstance

As Jerry Seinfield said in Bee Movie, last night there was "quite a bit of pomp ... under the circumstances."  That's right, folks.   I am officially graduated.  

'Nuff said.

(I'll add more with some pics later!)

Did you miss me?

This is what they did to my room on my b-day!


Alright... are you ready for this? That's right. I am now, as of 4pm Friday afternoon, done and done with my THESIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I figured that now I have all this free time I should get on here and let you know what's going on in my life. : )

So, the thesis turned out to be 24 pages. (I know a little short, but it's mostly primary research from the nineteenth century. Don't judge me!) The title we finally decided on is, Behind the Fan: Conservative Activists in the New Orleans Christian Woman's Exchange, 1881-1891. Pretty cool, huh? I thought so. So now, I really am "Master G"! But, I actually was given a new nickname from Diane and her friend, Carol. I amactually Master GiGi. Oh yeah.

Anyway, I've been working on it all week while I've been traveling with Diane in Texas. Ya'll, I have had the BEST time here. She really is a great mentor and friend. When she heard that my birthday was on Thursday, she has not stopped with the birthday greetings and surprises, something I was trying to avoid! Every day when we eat we get some sort of desert and the happy birthday song. Then, she bought me a COOKIE cake!!! I was way stoked, not that you can tell.

Okay, so why are we in Texas, you may be asking. I shall explain. Diane just had her first book published When God's Woman Wants to Give Up!, and this is her book tour. (If you want a copy, go to the Barnes & Noble web site - if she gets over 25o buys, she'll get a Reader's Choice designation and more publicity!) But I digress. Diane is also a woman's ministry speaker and teacher. She really has a heart for young minister's wives like me. So we have been at two churches this week, and then God opened a door for her to speak at First Baptist Euless, where they are hosting an Encourager conference for tired ministers and their tired wives. They asked if she would be willing to speak on Monday morning, so we called our husbands and prayed. Both were very encouraging for us to stay, so we did.

I tell you what, God is so gracious. I have learned and laughed so much while on this trip. I am so grateful for Diane and her wisdom. Her personality is a lot like mine, so life is never dull around us. (We both are "Lucy's".) But what is even greater about this trip is that I was able to meet up with Sarah, my team mate from my missionary journey to Southeast Asia! I had dinner with her and her fiance. They are getting married at the end of May, and I really hope I get to go. If you think about it, please lift her and her soon-to-be hubby Jason up in prayer. He has been called to the ministry and looking for what God wants him to do.

This is a slightly shorter post than I thought it would be, but I am T.I.R.E.D. You know, I am half way to 50 now. : ) Thanks to everyone who sent cards and greetings! I love you guys!

Lolly is Exhausted!

I can't even begin to describe how incredibly exhausted I am!  But, just for you, I am going to push through to write this blog post so all may know about my exciting life. : )

Okay, Friday's defense comes first.  So the night before my advisor gives me a call to encourage me and to let me know what questions he is going to begin the defense with.  (That isn't cheating, is it?)  Anyway, I think it made me more nervous than anything else!  I arrived early the next morning and sat in the room waiting for impending judgement and feeling hopeless.  Then, I remembered something.  It's totally not about me or what degree I may or may not have.  My friend called me that morning to pray with me, and as I sat in the room waiting, I remembered some of what we prayed for - that God would be glorified even in my thesis defense.  I immediately had peace.  I was, in fact, quite over joyed to be alive!  I began writing out the verses to my favorite hymn (How Great Thou Art) and Scripture that deals directly with worry and anxiety.  By the time my advisor showed up, I was like a surfer I was so laid back!  Then, the rest of the committee arrived, but still I had such a beautiful peace!  When the defense officially began I was pumped.  And you want to know something?  I didn't really have to defend anything.

Come again?  That's right.  I answered maybe three questions before it became a discussion on what my title should be.  (Blast that darn elusive title!)  We did talk about other things, but mostly we just sat around throwing out words and corny catch phrases that we thought might work!  We finally decided on this - "Behind the Fan: Conservative Activists in the New Orleans Christian Woman's Exchange, 1881-1891."  For those of you Southern ladies out there, you probably totally get the first part, but for those of you who may not get it, ladies (especially Southern ladies) formerly used fans as a means of keeping cool, communicating, and freshening the air.  (Many times fans were made from the vertivert root which smells divine!)  Anyway, the point is that these women successfully held up the ideal image of the proper Southern lady while "behind the fan" they created some fairly radical reform efforts for the improvement and encouragement of destitute women.  Pretty cool, huh?

Moving on.  After the "defense" I spent another 2 1/2 hours working on completing the legal requirements for submitting my paper, but mostly, I was able to slightly share my faith with my advisor.  This professor is probably one of the best at UNO, but sadly, I do not think he is a Christian.  While we are commanded to share our faith with everyone, I do feel as if this is one person God has placed in my path with whom to share my faith.  I was able to share with him my purpose for pursuing a Master's in history and why I exist - to be a reflection of the One who created me.  To shine in the darkness, even with a history degree.  He tried to change the subject a couple of times, but he brought the conversation back around to my faith more than once!  (Totally not of my doing.)  He even encouraged me to combine my faith with my history training (that's right, he finally started to get what I've been trying to tell him for over a year now).  I'm really excited because I can see this being an open door.  Please pray for him and for my husband and I as we work to share our faith with this lost man.

Now, on to the rest of the weekend!

Saturday I worked with a neighbor we've recently begun witnessing to at her garage sale.  It was interesting to say the least.: )  I then went to lunch with a friend and his fiancee.  This couple decided to get married last Wednesday...they planned the wedding to take place this past Saturday.  That's right, ladies, less than one week of wedding planning!  This friend asked me to talk to his now wife about what it is like being the wife of a small church pastor.  (Poor thing.  She had never met me in my life, and he wanted me to introduce her to "pastor wife" life!)  I did the best that I could do, but come on.  Thomas and I have been married for three years, but I've only had one year as a "pastor's wife"!  I feel so bad for her.  The great thing is, God has been working in this woman's life for a long time.  She is going to be an excellent pastor's wife.  We then went shopping for "earrings" - we had to tell him something to let us go.:)  Just kidding, we actually bought earrings as her "something new."  The wedding was just gorgeous.  There were two other women besides myself and the bride at the wedding, and of course, all of us are running around trying to make everything as 'perfect' as we possibly can, and the guys (who out numbered us like 2-1) were sitting around, hanging out, congratulating the groom.

Men. : )

Anyway, everything went beautifully.  I was even able to videotape the whole thing in order to make it into a documentary for them.  I wanted to do it because the groom had a big to-do on Sunday!  He went through his ordination council (passed with flying colors by the way), and he was ordained Sunday evening!  Yea!  We had a very busy weekend, to say the least.  But we can't slow down because the end of the semester is drawing near!

I think the best thing to happen in the past few days happened today when I went grocery shopping with a friend.  Her daughter (age 2) was trying to say Gabrielle, but it just wasn't working.  So, I told my friend that her daughter could call me Bel, because that is my family's nickname for me and it's much easier for kids.  She doesn't call me Bel.

She calls me "Lolly."  That's the coolest nickname I've ever had.  Now, Lolly has to dash again. Please keep us in your prayers as we finish this semester!!!

De-Fense! D, D, D - Defense!!

Okay ya'll. Only 6 - that's right - 6 more days until I defend the thesis. And get this, the title I mentioned in a way earlier post, yeah, can't use it. My advisor shot down like five titles so far.

But...the defense is coming! And that's what matters. Keep me in your prayers!

Scooter's first hair cut

Well, his first hair cut from ME that is!!

My poor, sweet Ewok-looking dog had to suffer through about 20-25 minutes of me trying to cut his hair with a set of clippers. Then, I took the scissors to clip the hair around his ears. Poor guy. When I got finished, there was so much hair that it looked like there was a dead animal laying on the counter.

But you know, I think I did a pretty good job!! (He's a lot skinnier than I realized!) I'll post pictures soon!

Back to Jerusalem

My husband read a book for class a few semesters ago, I'm sure the title was Back to Jerusalem. Although, I may be getting that wrong. However, what he told me about it really stuck with me. I placed China as next on the country prayer concern, and I remembered this book.

Basically, Christ's Kingdom is expanding in China. (Praise God!) The movement among the believers in China is to go back to Jerusalem. To take the Gospel message back to where it began. These people - in their "basic training" as Christians - are learning to get out of very intense and dangerous situations. Their mission is so beautiful, and I find myself desiring to be more like them. New Christians are amazing in their faith; it seems like nothing can stop them. You would think that people who have known Christ their entire lives would live like these Chinese Christians.

I'm one of those people who grew up in a loving, Christian home, and accepted Christ as Savior at a very young age. Yet, there are so many times I deny His power in my life. (2 Timothy 3:1-5) My hope and prayer is that God will challenge my faith and get me to where I resemble people like the Chinese Christians, unwavering in my faith, devotion, loyalty, and bravery.

Please pray for me as I prepare to talk to four people I know about Jesus. All of them are high intellectuals that see their intelligence as the place for answers. I know for a fact that one of them does not believe in God, but in fact - in his words - "worships himself." One of them was brought up to believe that God exists, but does not believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came, lived, died, and raised Himself from the dead as a propitiation for our sins. She rejects the truth of the Gospel. The other two, I have no idea where they are. However, the fruit they produce in their lives is not good and holy.

I don't want to rely on my strength or my words. I need my Heavenly Father to overtake me as I talk with them, so that I may have the courage and ability to speak exactly what He desires them to hear. I don't want to ever deny, or not fully use His power again. Let this be the beginning of a revival in New Orleans. My God can not fail, and I believe He will answer my prayer. These four people may all reject Him (oh I hope they don't), but He is the one who brings them to Himself - not me, I'm just the vessel. And who knows what God will do with me and my hubby as we partake in a new evangelistic endeavor?! Exciting!

A new friend and a New Perspective

I have been so excited recently about a new friend and mentor, Diane. She is one of the most Godly women I know, and I am so glad that I get to know her. She's been a minister's wife for over 20 years, and she and her husband have been through it all. I won't tell her testimony for her; if you'd like to listen to it, go to her site - http://www.dianenix.com/.

She and I talked last week about some things going on in the church and how to face them as a minister's wife. If any of you know me, you've definitely heard me complain about the congregation. After I explained my frustration with the sheep, she very lovingly said, "You don't have a lot of grace for the body of Christ, do you?"

Ouch. She picks up quick. But I needed to hear it, and what's more, I needed to admit it. I am so gracious and loving to people who don't know the Lord, but for the church, I'm ready to point out where they are lacking spiritually. Well, I admitted that she was right, and we went on to talk about what it means to love. We also spoke about how I, as a young woman, can be a positive role model and spiritual leader for women more than twice my age.

She went on to remind me that God loves His bride, and He will protect His bride, giving her 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 500th chances! Another friend pointed out that this congregation, like the Israelites, may be getting towards the end of a 40 year stint in the desert. They're weary, and they're human.

After hearing Diane's testimony, I realized how much I have to be thankful for. Through the trials we face at this church, God is continually refining us to be like Him. He loves us that much. My assignments for this week (yep, she gave me homework) was to pray earnestly for the congregation and that God would give me His eyes and His heart for these people, and then I was to pray that God would reveal any sin in my heart that might be keeping me from loving God's people. Would you join me as I pray for these things? I could use the help!!

Are you ever in need of a Broom Tree?

1Kings 19:2-8

Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers." And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, "Arise and eat." And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, "Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you." And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.


Elijah is one of those dudes I never thought would ask for his life to be taken. I think God inspired some stories like these to appear in Scripture to show us that even the prophets were - like us - human. They grew weary and frustrated. Some, like Jonah, didn't want to commit themselves to what God asked them to do because they didn't like the command.

This passage stuck out in my mind as I went over all the events of this year. I know, it's only March. However, it has been a tough year so far. The hardest part of this year, and last, has sadly been our congregation.

I won't go into great detail, but let's just say that God used this congregation to teach us perseverance and joy through trial and suffering. However, through the good, bad, and ugly times, we thought we reached a point of deliverance. We thought the congregation was moving forward and showing great promise for the work God set them apart to do.

We were mistaken.

Thomas came home from the church council meeting and told me what happened. In a nutshell, the group looked at him and said, "We shouldn't have to do anything to grow the church. The pastor is the one who does that."

This may not seem like a lot to some, but these people openly stated that the Great Commission does not apply to them, or any congregation, just the pastors.

That makes no sense. Jesus did not specify certain people of the church to fulfill the Great Commission. He looked at everyone and commanded them all to "go and make disciples of all nations." How is it that so many of our churches want to put off the work of God on those with a title? A church, in my husband's words, is a training place and a place of encouragement. It is a place where we go to get the tools we need to continue the good work Christ commands us to complete. How dare we look at Almighty God and say, "I'm not the pastor so that does not apply to me."

Pardon the expression, but that's a load of crap. I'm not always the best Christian, and I certainly am NOT perfect. I don't mean to demean anyone who honestly wants to physically serve God, but can't for one reason or another. There have been plenty of times when I have not wanted and refused to do what God called me to do for one reason or another, and those memories cause me grief and pain.

All that being said, my spirit has simply been down-trodden from their response and their hearts of stone. My husband and I need a broom tree. This is our first church, and we have made so many mistakes. But through it all, we have earnestly tried to remain true to God's calling and commands. We've now come to a point where we want to see God's hand pointing which way we should go. Stay or leave? We've received counsel on both sides, and now we wait. We wait and we pray for a broom tree to be provided in order for us to be refreshed and revived for the journey ahead.

20 pages

Yeah!! The first draft of the dreaded Thesis is finished!!!!

I now have 20 pages, and the finished version has to be at least 30. It's so short because they expect the majority of your sources to be primary, not secondary. I am so stoked. I had a minor kanip-shun this week when my advisor dropped a deadline bomb on me, but things are starting to look up!!

And by the way, he totally was not into the title. Can you believe that? I now have no title. All my hard work and creativity for nothing...

BREAK-THROUGH!

A Court of Two Sisters: How Two Women Established the Christian Woman's Exchange as one of the Leading New Orleans Woman's Groups, 1881-1891

What do you think?

It's my THESIS title!!!!

I can't tell you how incredibly stoked I am. (Not that you can't already tell that.) Seriously, those of you that know me, completely know what forming a thesis statement and good title means to me - and to UNO since they won't let me graduate without these.

Okay, so here's the story.

The CWE began in 1881, modeled after the New York Exchange for Woman's Work. In a decade, two women - Mrs. Bartlett and Mrs. Walmsley - were able to establish the first free circulating library in New Orleans, a day nursery for working mothers, a consignment shop for women to earn an honest living, and a boardinghouse for women. The best part is...those are only the biggest things this group accomplished in just one decade. So I got to thinking about it, and I realized that this is my thesis - that getting through the first decade set the CWE up as THE standard for almost all other successful woman's organizations in New Orleans. Know what's even better? The CWE is still in existence - known now as The Woman's Exchange. Unfortunately they have changed their mission to historic preservation instead of charity, but the fact that they are still around is HUGE!

Okay, I want feedback. I can take criticism or compliments or anything at this point!

There's Something About Mary

Not the movie - Jesus' mom.

On the way home from school tonight, I have no idea why or how I began thinking about this, but I thought about women in the Bible. I suddenly realized that Mary, the woman who gave birth to our Lord and Savior, does not have her own book in the Bible.

There are not that many books in the Bible devoted to women. I think that Mary does not have her own book because God knew that humans might look to her with the same sort of reverence and worship that we look to God with. When I was serving as a missionary in Southeast Asia, a statue of Mary in front of the Catholic church began "crying". The people gathered around it with flowers, candles, singing, and fruit. They offered prayers to the statue of Jesus' mom instead of Him.

I think it would have been awesome (and horrible) to have been the woman chosen to be the Messiah's mother. However, I think it took a very humble and God-fearing woman to give birth and rear God. I don't know how Mary ever looked at herself - except from when Gabriel speaks to her about her being the one chosen as the virgin mother of God. When Gabriel speaks to her, she's like, "really? me? I haven't slept with anyone. But let it be done to me as you have said." She's totally willing to be in God's will, probably knowing what it would cost her in reputation and everything else.

Yet, being this great, wonderful woman did not set her apart as having her own book in the Bible! Why?

Because it was never, is not now, nor will it ever be about her.

History, as I always say, is His Story - not ours. Mary was an important part of the plan in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled, but she is not the focal point. Jesus the Christ is. And when Christ taught His disciples to pray, he never mentions praying to anyone but Him.

Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV) The Lord's Prayer:

"Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen."

Need a laugh?

I can think of no better way to begin a new month than with a laugh. I wish I had a funny story to tell, but I don't.

I DO, however, have a two links you should go to that will get you rolling!! I was crying I was laughing so hard!

The first is a Youtube video from the Comedy Barn. It's totally clean and fantastically funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4Y4keqTV6w

The second is a woman who jokes about everything relating to womanhood. She is a wonderful Christian woman, and it did my heart good to watch some of her clips.
http://www.anitarenfroe.com/

Enjoy!!

Growing Pains

Do you remember as a kid when your leg would hurt terribly for no reason at all? My parents called them growing pains. I guess they were right; I mean, I am kind of tall for a girl.

Anyway, I am undergoing some serious spiritual growing pains right now. I've always heard the phrase, be careful what you wish or ask for because you just might get it. Well, I've prayed for the Lord Almighty to grow me, and He is answering that prayer. I won't go into details, but an acquaintance of mine put me in my place the other day. I was so embarrassed and ashamed that this person who does not know me very well was able to point out a sin in my life.

Nobody likes to hear the bad things about themselves, but I think it's worse when you realize the bad things about yourself in your own heart. Then you realize how utterly disgusting you are and how phenominally gracious God is to love one such as yourself.

This reminds me of a plan that I've wanted to put into action for some time now. I want to start a speaking ministry called Pearls. My friend Danielle came up with the name. The reason for the name is the connection to the text above. Pearls basically start off as nasty bedsores inside an oyster's mouth. The constantly move the muscle around the grit of sand that has lodged in its mouth until a pearl forms. That is kind of what God does with us. We are like disgusting bedsores until God begins to refine us into something way more beautiful - into Christ's likeness.

Please pray for me as I grow. It hurts, and I could use the encouragement. Also please be in prayer for me and my friends as we consider becoming "Pearls" together to reach out to women.

Thank you for letting me share.

Loving Your City

I was so blessed to attend a conference at the Seminary called Church on Fire led by Dr. Steven Gaines. And by now you should totally know that I can't stand wimpy leaders - women or men, and let me tell you, this guy is no wimp. (Neither is his wife, but she didn't get to talk that much!) He gave us all a good kick in the teeth about a lot of things, and we all needed it. What a blessing.

I felt compelled to share with all my peeps in the Church one of the things he shared.

Jeremiah 29:4-7 (ESV translation)

"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem into Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

Living in and around New Orleans can be so frustrating at times. I love this city and all its quirks, and yet, even I sometimes feel like I'm in a Babylonian exile. Yet GOD exorted His people to establish themselves in the land of their captivity, and to PRAY for it.

Wow.

How many of us do not pray for the city, region, state, or country we live in because we don't like it? I hated living in Alabama - did I pray for it? I don't remember. That must mean that I didn't, or if I did, I did so half-heartedly. How many people do I know that complain and rant about New Orleans, the tourists, the occult, the sin and vice, the strippers, and the lack of passion amongst God's people? Too many. Myself included.

Shame on us. If we don't pray for our city and region, who will? Who better to pray for New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, Algiers, Chalmette, Gretna, LaPlace, Houma, Belle Chase, etc, etc, than US??? No one, that's who.

We share a common ground with the poor, the strippers, the politicians - we share a community.

You know, last year I prayed off and on that God would bring thousands of Southeast Louisiana folks unto Himself before the year's end. Did you catch that? I prayed off and on for it.

God forgive me of my laziness and unbelief. You are the God of miracles and second chances. You saved Nineveh even when Jonah, the prophet, ran from You and became angry when You had mercy on them after he did go. God grant me the grace, power, determination, and unwavering faith as I pray for New Orleans and the cities that surround it. And God lead others to pray too.

Back to What I Do Best

At least, I think history is what I do best. I'm getting a Master's degree for it, so I must be decent. (That's right, I said Master's. So you can call me Master Gabrielle beginning on May 15.) What was I blogging about?

Oh yeah, history...it's what I do best. :)

Okay, so my hubby and I were reading some Scripture tonight that again pointed out to me why I enjoy history so much.

In 2 Kings, beginning in chapter 18, you will find the story of Hezekiah. He became king of Judah when he was 25, and "he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD...he removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it." Vs. 2-4 (NIV) This was one of the few good kings of Judah. He wasn't perfect, but he did his best to live for God. Later he became incredibly sick, but he prayed and wept. God took mercy on him, and He allowed Hezekiah to live and reign for 15 more years.

2 Kings 20:20 (NIV)

"As for the other events of Hezekiah's reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?"

You know what? That is not the first time in the Old Testament, or the last for that matter, where the "annals of the kings of Judah" are mentioned. You know what else? Nobody knows where the annals are. There are miles and miles of land in what was Isreal and Judah that have never been properly excavated. One of my dreams is that one day someone (maybe me?) will find the annals of the kings of Judah and many other Biblical relics. Part of my reasoning is to give a big "what you got now, fools?!" to those who would disregard the Scriptures. However, we are not to call people fools, nor should I be thinking in terms of vengence for all the flack I've taken as a Christian and historian. The other part of me just wants to see something of our past. What a marvelous way to commemorate God's fantastic mercy.

You see, history is not simply looking at old stuff and keeping it safe for other people to look at. That is only one tiny smidgen of history. There are so many things that we still don't know or can't find! As I say all the time, history is ever changing and ever moving. It is HIS story, not ours. The story of God's grace, mercy, and glory is not boring or mundane. It is exquisite.

Also, how cool would it be if I could be a female (Christian) version of Indiana Jones?

Easier Day

So...thanks for all the encouragement and prayers. Today was sooooo much better than I thought it would be. As I told some of my friends, I was ready to give up last night. Today, I felt only a smidgen better, and I was NOT looking forward to the tasks ahead.

But you know what? I was able to finish all my assignments except one, and that one is almost done. I'm still waiting to hear back from the Col., but again, what can you do with a Colonel except wait? So anyway, I'm doing much better. I even got to wash some clothes and pick up some in the house before giving Scooter a bath!

So again, thanks to all who prayed for me and offered encouraging comments. You are a blessing.

Hard Week

I've kind of neglected my blog for a little while because of numerous things that I could totally use some prayer for! The 1st draft of my thesis is due before the end of Carnival, and I am so not finished with the research. I feel like I have to wear hip-waders in order for me to be able to get through some of the information. Have you ever sat for three hours straight trying to decipher faded nineteenth century handwriting? It's fun, like, the first time you do it.

I have another class I'm taking on the methodology of Oral History. My project is on my husband's National Guard unit. There are four other students participating in this project, so who automatically got chosen to be project coordinator? That's right, yours truly. So now, I'm having to communicate with the Colonel about getting soldiers to interview. Have you ever needed the help of an Army Colonel? Let me tell you something, you don't take long in your request, you make it as clear and concise as possible, you thank him/her profusely, and then you don't ask for anything else. Dude is busy. Okay, the people in my group don't seem to get that. It's understandable as they weren't raised in the military like me nor did they marry into the military like I did. However, even when I try to explain it, they just expect me to ask him to do everything and get answers like...now! (Starting to sense some of my frustration?)

In this same class I have one take home test to complete, journals to write, three homework assignments I'm behind on, one book and ten articles to read, arrange a class meeting with the unit chaplain, find a soldier to interview, and the transcription of the interview to finish. (Transciptions usually take 10-15 hours for every one hour of interview conducted.) I'm still working 5 hours a week and spending a little over 20 hours a week in the archive for my thesis. (which technically is so not enough) Then when we get home, hubby and I have to budget out time for school work, sermon writing, family time, etc.

On top of all this, my house is an absolute wreck. Not the normal "oh my goodness, I'm sorry my house is a mess!" kind of wreck either. There are piles of dirty clothes, stacks of dishes, papers every where, a pet stain from Scooter (just happened this morning), dust covering every surface, and random electronic devices scattered here and there. Now, my hubby and I tend to slightly be clutter-ers. He hates for the house to be a mess - me...I can live with it for a short while. We have surpassed that time limit, and I have no idea when it is going to get done. If we were to take one day off just to clean, we would put ourselves behind in school work and church stuff.

Obviously typing on my blog is not any sort of work that needs to be done, but it is definitely therapeutic as I wait for Thomas to get out of class. I don't think I spelled that right. Anyway, there is a lot that needs to be done, and there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day or night. It's been a hard week. Thank you for letting me share.

What I Value Most

There is a web site, http://www.whativaluemost.com/, which shares individual's testimonies about what they valued before meeting our Christ and after. I've just uploaded mine, and it should be ready to view in a few days!

I highly encourage anyone who wants to share their testimony to go to this site - especially those who feel they are not well-spoken enough to share their story in person. You never know who may see it and begin their journey with Christ because of something you have to share.

Weekly Prayer Concerns

1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray Continuously." (NIV translation)

You know what this verse means? PRAY...all the time. I've been lacking in my prayer life for too long, and I have a heart for other countries, as well as my own. So every week I am going to post a different country and different US state for us to pray for. Every day, every week, let's pray for the Christians, politicians, missionaries, teachers, children, the lost, anybody and everybody.

I chose to start this week with Iraq. Please, please do not forget to pray for the troops - ours, our allies, and our enemies. We all are in need of Christ.

I also chose Washington D.C. No matter how you feel about our new president, please pray for him, his administration, Congress, and all decisions that are currently underway - not to mention everyone else living there!

God has always been and still is in complete control. Let's give Him great glory and honor through our prayers for the saints and for the redemption of the lost.

John Piper Book Club

I've discovered a new blog in my blogger wanders, and this one is truly a blessing. It is http://thepreachers-wife.blogspot.com/. There are so many fabulous things I could say about this lady's blog, but there is one aspect that I like the most. The encouragement of deep, meaningful theological discussion. One way she is accomplishing this right now, is the John Piper Spectacular Sins Book Club.

By now you should know of my affinity for the teachings of John Piper. I've been wanting the read this book for some time now (ever since the True Woman conference to be exact), but I haven't picked it up due to my present student circumstances. After finding this "book club" I realized that God is sovereign even over graduate school, and I want to share all my extra time with Him. If you would like to join this book club, click on the banner and join in! I was a few weeks late, but that's totally okay. To give you an idea of what this book is about, I figured I would insert a couple of paragraphs from the Introduction, full citatation listed below. I hope you are blessed with God's grace today, and I hope to see you as a member of the club soon!

Piper wrote:

"Jesus Christ, who was in the beginning with God, and was God (John 1:1), created the universe. He did this as God the Father's equal and as his agent. 'All things were made through him' (John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Heb.1:2). And he did it to display his glory. 'By him all things were created ...and for him' (Col.1:16). By him and for him. All things were created by Christ and for Christ. The Son of God, who has become a human being - the God-man, Jesus of Nazareth - in perfect concert with his Father, created the universe for the display of his all-satisfying glory.

Not only that, he holds it all together with total authority. 'He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power' (Heb. 1:3). How this massive power - to create and uphold the universe - is weilded to display the glory of Christ is the great issue of our time, and of all time.

THE GREATEST DISPLAY OF THE GLORY OF CHRIST

The apex of the glory of Christ is the glory of his grace - treating people infinitely better than they deserve - giving himself for the everlasting joy of the worst of sinners who will have him as their highest Treasure. And the apex of this grace is the murder of the God-man outside Jerusalem around A.D. 33. The death of Jesus Christ was murder. It was the most spectacular sin ever committed.

At the all-important pivot of human history, the worst sin ever committed served to show the greatest glory of Christ and obtain the sin-conquering gift of God's grace. God did not just overcome evil at the cross. He made evil serve the overcoming of evil. He made evil commit suicide in doing its worst evil.

Evil is anything and everything opposed to the fullest display of the glory of Christ. That's the meaning of evil. In the death of Christ, the powers of darkness did their best to destroy the glory of the Son of God. This is the apex of evil. But instead they found themselves quoting the script of ancient prophecy and acting the part assigned by God. Precisely in putting Christ to death, they put his glory on display - the very glory that they aimed to destroy. The apex of evil achieved the apex of the glory of Christ. The glory of grace."



John Piper, Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008), 11-12.

To Youth Group, or Not to Youth Group?

If you grew up in church, or joined as a teenager, what was your youth group experience? Was it good, bad, not worth the time you spent there? Sometimes I feel like the last one. While I was in the youth group I thought it was the best thing ever, but as I look back on my time spent in the youth group, all I can think about are the trips I took, games I played, and songs I sang.

Youth pastors have a hard job. Anyone who has dealt with teens knows that, and I appreciate what my home church attempted to accomplish with my youth group. They brought kids in from the outside and taught them just enough to make sure they were saved and not committing the "big" sins, like drugs, sex, or suicide. (I know there is no difference in the severity of sins - I'm just trying to get a point across.) However, looking back I see that getting kids in the fold and keeping them there is not enough.

I recently heard a pastor from TX talking about his youth group, or his so-called "youth group". His church, in fact, did not endorse "youth groups", but family gatherings that focused on the teenagers. You see, this pastor saw many kids going through a normal youth group with mission trips, concerts, game nights, etc, and he found that the parents were completely not involved. He decided to step out on a limb and create a new sort of youth group, in which the teens go with their parents to church to learn God's Word - in the teen's language - and talk over what is going on in their lives and hearts with their families. (Novel idea, huh? Families talking to each other.)

This pastor from TX found that in the home, parents did not feel like they could teach the Word and just relyed on the church to take care of that. When parents step out of the picture, especially with teenagers, a huge problem can develop. So instead of having an outragous party with a cool Christian band, 4 square, and ice cream bar, this pastor invited the parents to come talk to their kids about Christ. The parents learned just as much as the kids, and the families (thus the entire church) became stronger.

And let me be very clear. Mission trips, concerts, games, etc are not bad things. Youth groups are fantastic, but if there is no deep theological teaching and sharing going on, there is a problem. If the parents are not involved and have no idea about how to communicate and relate to the teenager in Christ's love and fellowship, there is a problem. Let me share one final story.

I worked in the French Quarter for some time, and while there I met Johnny Balloons. Johnny is a sinner saved by grace who lives his life as a street evangelist in the Quarter. This guy has had quite the life. He was a homosexual drug and pornography addict and attempted to take his life (I think more than once.) He almost died more than once when he wasn't attempting suicide. In 1984, God opened his heart, and Johnny gave his life over to Christ. He is a good friend of the seminary and works with the mission lab there. As we talked one day, he told me of his intense frustration with the youth that come down to do missions.

He said, "You've got all these kids coming down here without any idea of what they're getting into! These cute little girls are going up to strange men, holding hands with them to pray, and they have no idea that he's just doing that so he can touch them!" This was not his most shocking phrase, but one that definitely hit home with me, being a woman and former "cute little girl" who wanted to do great things in the church. Johnny saw what so many others have seen, America's Christian youth are not being prepared for fighting the spiritual forces which we constantly battle.

So is the answer going to a program like the one in TX? I don't know. To Youth Group, or Not to Youth Group? I think we can totally youth group, as long the youth are being prepared for the kingdom and NOT brought into the church just to be entertained. Youth pastors should not be reduced to baby-sitters.

Who Do We Listen To?

You know I recently discovered that I've had an issue for a while now with women publically teaching the Word. I was driving down the road listening to a Christian radio station, and a woman came on with "an inspiring word." I immediately turned the station. Why did I do that, I thought to myself. I began to analyze my background and found that I am probably one of the biggest hypocrites known to man on this subject. Without going into a lot of detail, suffice it to say that culturally I was taught that women speaking on theological issues in a public sphere was wrong. Then I went to a Christian, all-women's college that showed me my value in Christ. Soon a constant conflict raged within my very being as I realized that God has called me to speak and teach women, but yet I didn't see women as having enough valuable things to say.

Back to the other night. I wanted to figure out for myself once and for all what my problem was with women speaking publically about theological issues and how to overcome it. The following is a conclusion to my thoughts. One reason I felt I didn't like listening to some women is because some of them seem so wimpy. (See my earlier post on wimpy women for a full background on why this annoys me.) The second reason is that for whatever reason, as I explained earlier, I sometimes catch myself thinking that they can't possibly be teaching the right things.

WHAT?!! How could I come to that conclusion?! Where did this thought ever come from? The historian in me wanted to find out the origin, but the student in me said "just think about it for a little while and get on with writing your thesis." So here are my thoughts.: )


One thought is that in our teaching, we sometimes harken too much to the verse in which Paul writes about women not being allowed to teach men - not taking the historical context into account. The other thought is that our cultural and societal trends move us towards thinking that a man absolutely has to be the full authority.


Okay, don't spaz out on me. My husband is the head of my household, and he has the final say here. I don't agree with women being ordained as pastors. The fall of man messed up the equality we had in Eden, thus women are under the authority of their husbands, and in the church, under the authority of a male shepherd. However, there is nothing in Scripture that tells us that women are not capable of teaching the Word. So my conclusion to my thoughts - who do we listen to?


We can't listen to someone just because that person is a man or woman. We must always go back to God's Word. He is the ultimate authority in Heaven and earth; no one and nothing surpasses Him. If someone has been gifted to teach His Word, they defy and rebel against God when they do not use that gift in His service, man or woman. Recognize the folks in the photos? Our beloved American preacher Billy Graham and his daughter Anne - both some of the finest teachers of the Word I've ever heard.