When the Law's came to town.

Last month we had the privilege to spend time with our dear friends, the Law family. Here are some pictures from their visit which went by way too fast.

Lydia, Miriam, Nathan, Bro. Jim, Gwynne, Daniel & Naomi

Laura, Evin, Sable, Naomi, Lydia, Anna, Grace and Miriam

Sable and Naomi

Evin and Lydia

Miriam and Grace

Me and Gwynne

Speaking of the Marriage

Over the last several weeks our pastor has been doing a series on the marriage relationship. The messages have been such a blessing. These messages are available on our church website or by following the links below. I will post the rest of the "husband series" as they become available.

For the wives:

1 Peter 3:1-4 The Believing Wife"s Calling

1 Peter 3:1-4 The Wife's Mode of Submission

1 Peter 3:1-6 The Wife's Model of Submission

For the husbands:

1 Peter 3:7 The Husband's Role in Submission

Our Anniversary

Yesterday Jimmy and I were blessed to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. Like any marriage, they have not all been easy years. As a matter of fact, there have been some really difficult times. But, our God has been so good to us. I can look back now at those trials and see God's hand. We rejoice that God not only saved our marriage, but is continuing to work in us so our marriage may glorify Him.

Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 1 Peter 3:1-2

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 1Co 13:4-8

So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." Matthew 19:6

For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you." Ruth 1:16-17

Review: The State of Parental Rights in America

Review of the DVD, "The State of Parental Rights in America" by Don Hart. This video provides very insightful information concerning the state of parental rights. Don presents information concerning contemporary and historical court cases involving children being taken from their parents by Child Protective Services and other state agencies. These agencies have been given such power and absolute authority in these issues that parent's rights are being trampled in the name of 'the government knows what's best for your children'. Don does an excellent job of delineating what Scripture clearly demands of parents and what the courts in America now allow these various agencies to get away with under the guise of "protection of the children". A startling, eye-opening presentation of information that all parents should be aware of.

THE FIVE SCARIEST THINGS YOU CAN DO THIS HALLOWEEN

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13)

BY DOUG PHILLIPS

"Our country is in the grip of a fear crisis. The tension because of this fear is almost palpable. There is fear over the election, fear over the economy, and fear over hundreds of other issues ranging from the environment to terrorism.

The one fear that America is missing is a fear of the Lord. As a people, we no longer fear God. Because we do not fear God, we no longer hate evil (Proverbs 8:13).

Instead of hating evil, Americans toy with it. We toy with holidays like Halloween that were conceived in evil and that promote the “cute-ification” of evil, whether that evil takes the form of witchcraft, sorcery, ghoulishness, or some other form of malevolent imagery paraded before our children. We laugh at the very things that the Lord describes as “abominations”, and we find ourselves obsessively fascinated by, and attracted to, all things dark.

Yet we do not fear the Lord.

Those who “hate evil” are very scary to a secular society that fears man more than God. They are scary because, they dare to declare that there are absolute standards by which society must be governed. They are scary because if they are successful, industries like Hollywood that make billions off an industry promoting ungodly fear will lose their influence. They are scary because such people will not be swayed by political candidates who use fear as a tool for manipulation.

With this in mind, I offer you the five ”scariest” things you can do this Halloween:

1. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not make light of evil. Halloween was conceived in evil and has remained a celebration that uses children to promote a fascination with darkness and superstitious fear. Simultaneously, it makes light of things that the Bible describes as evil. Stand against such things, and the world will find you very scary indeed. The fear of the Lord makes men turn from evil (Proverbs 16:6).

2. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not be fearful. The media wants you to be afraid of everything from overpopulation to global warming. The politicians want you to be afraid of the economy and the election. God wants you to do what is morally right, trust Him completely, and never be gripped by an ungodly spirit of fear. That is why one of the scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to reject the spirit of fear overcoming many Christians pertaining to next Tuesday’s national election and wholeheartedly purpose to vote your conscience and act with principled conviction, placing your trust and hope for this

nation in the King of Kings, not the presidential candidates. Jesus said: “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4-5). Believe this, and you will be light to the world.

3. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to completely skip Halloween and remember Reformation Day. It was 491 years ago today that Martin Luther nailed his world-changing 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. These theses included rebukes to ungodly fear and superstition. Five hundred years ago, sometime near October 31, a baby named John Calvin was conceived who would dedicate his life to eradicating an ungodly fear of superstitious beliefs and proclaiming the gospel of grace. His emphasis on reformation, revival, and the sufficiency of Scripture had such far-reaching implications for nations like the United States that he has been described by Christian and secular scholars alike as the true founding father of America. The Reformers did something that was very scary to the world of their day. They stood against all forms of dark superstitions which grip the minds and souls of men. It was their emphasis on the fear of the Lord and the wisdom of Holy Scripture that was used of God to liberate untold numbers of men and women. But, to remember the Reformers instead of Halloween is very scary to the world. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).

4. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to refuse to watch or allow your children to watch any of the toxic Halloween and Horror films emerging from Hollywood. America’s fascination with ungodly fear has made Horror the most popular and fastest-growing film genre amoung youth. When parents allow their children to toy with this genre, they promote ungodly fear, and they contribute to the fear-factories in Hollywood that prey upon the youth of our culture. Say “no” to Hollywood horror and you

will be dangerously scary to the media elite. “Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence....?” (Jeremiah 5:22).

5. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to get on your knees as a mother and father and pray that the Lord will send you many, many children who will fear God, not man — children who will especially shun the glorification of witchcraft, the bondage of ungodly fear, and the “cute-ification” of evil that is promoted through holidays like Halloween. Cultures that toy with evil end up being cultures of death. The Christian response is to be a people of life. That means babies. Lots of them. It means fearing God by honoring His command to “be fruitful and multiply.”

It means remembering that the Scripture describes children as a “blessing” and a “reward.” Raise children that fear God more than man, and that will be answer enough to our Halloween- and darkness-obsessed culture; for if you trust God over your womb and commit your children to a holy education, you will be very, very scary to the modern world “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:11)."

Picture of a Godly Woman

I found this quote on Mary Kassian's website and thought it was such a beautiful picture of a Godly woman.

"

How beautiful are the arms, which have embraced Christ-the eyes which have gazed upon Christ, the lips which have spoken with Christ, the feet which have followed Christ. How beautiful are the hands which have worked the works of Christ, the feet which are treading in His footsteps have gone about doing good, the lips which have spread abroad His Name, the lives which have been counted for Him."

Christina Rosetti 1880

God is Bigger Than Bananas

Nancy Leigh DeMoss has been doing a wonderful series on the 23rd Psalm. I found this part of the message particularly encouraging. May it encourage you as well.

Some of you may have read a wonderful book called Evidence Not Seen. It’s the story of a woman named Darlene Deebler Rose who spent four years in a Japanese prison camp during World War II.

During that time she faced threats and torture and sickness and every conceivable type of torment at the hands of her captors. In that book she shares an account at one point when she was extremely weak. She had been very sick. She had just come through that, but she could hardly stand up when the guards came to the door, and they were required to stand up and bow as the guards came to their cells.

She was just so weak and in that weakness she began to crave a banana. She wanted a banana. Here’s what she says,

Everything in me wanted one. I could see them. I could smell them. I could taste them. I got down on my knees and said, "Lord, I’m not asking You for a whole bunch. I just want one banana." I looked up and pleaded, "Lord, just one banana."

Then I began to rationalize—how could God possibly get a banana to me through these prison walls? I would never ask the guard. If he helped me and was discovered it would mean reprisals. There was more chance of the moon falling out of the sky than of someone bringing me a banana.

Then she describes the next day after she prayed that prayer and a whole series of events that led to a guard coming to her door. She said,

I heard the guard coming back and knew he was coming for me.

She says how she was expecting that he was going to take her and beat her.

Struggling to my feet, I stood ready to go. He opened the door, walked in, and with a sweeping gesture laid at my feet bananas. "They’re yours," he said, "and they’re all from Mr. Yamaji."

Now in the story Mr. Yamaji was the commander of another camp where Darlene had previously been held. This man had a fierce temper. He was a vicious, cruel, angry man and incredibly this ruthless commander had been softened through Darlene’s witness to him in that previous camp.

Now here he shows up at this camp and gives a messenger bananas to take to Darlene. She said,

I sat down in stunned silence and counted them. There were 92 bananas. I pushed the bananas into a corner and wept. "Lord, forgive me. I’m so ashamed. I couldn’t trust You enough to get even one banana for me. Just look at them—there are almost a hundred." I knew in those moments that nothing is impossible to my God. "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies."

Are you looking at the enemies or at your Host? He has conquered every enemy and ultimately all of those enemies will bow before Him. You see the 23rd Psalm squarely faces the reality of death and darkness and evil and enemies. It doesn’t pretend like they don’t exist. God’s not offering us an escape from our enemies but triumph over our enemies.

Yes, the valley of death and deep darkness exists, but I can walk through it, and He will be with me. Yes, there is evil, but I don’t have to fear it. I don’t have to have dread. I can have His comfort. Yes, there are enemies, but He hosts me in their presence. And right in that context we read these two phrases: “You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.” In the presence of my enemies.

You see what God does for us? Sometimes we work so hard to escape from pressures and problems, to manipulate and connive our way out of them that I think we miss some of the greatest blessings God has in store for us. Some of us never experience what our Shepherd or our gracious Host could and would do for us if we’d give Him the chance.

A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23