the kingdom of God

Dr. Russell D. Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, lectures on the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom and the Future
The Kingdom and the Gospel
The Kingdom and the Church

the do's ... not don'ts

In a recent conversation with a fellow woman student, we expressed our concern over the debate regarding where women belong in Christian ministry. Debates addressing the issues of women in leadership in the Christian community are rampant in evangelical circles. A heavy line divides liberal feminists who seek to categorize Paul’s statements concerning women in the church as cultural and not valid for today’s Christian and staunch conservatives who hold tightly to the words of Paul as ageless words inspired by God, Himself. Sadly, each side often concentrates only on what women are not permitted to do in Christian gatherings. Let women instead revel in the joy of serving Christ in the ways that Scripture encourages women to serve.

Women throughout the past four decades have sought to liberate themselves from the bondage of submission to the world of men under the banner of feminism. How sad it is to have such an outlook on life and one’s calling to be a woman! However, this is not a movement that has only just now erupted. Woman’s desire to rule over man has driven women to sin ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3:16b, the Lord said to the woman, “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Paul’s admonition to the female saints of the early church was not cultural. His appeal to the women to keep silent, to dress modestly, to submit themselves to the headship of their husbands (1 Corinthians 11:3, 8-9, 11; 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:9-15; Ephesians 5:21-33; Colossians 3:18-19; and Peter in 1 Peter 3:1-7) is argued in light of the created order: “For Adam was formed first, and then Eve” (1 Timothy 2:13). This order places an immense amount of responsibility upon the shoulders of men, a responsibility that women should rest in and find comfort in, rather than fight.

Paul compares women submitting to their husbands as the church submitting to Christ. “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands” (Ephesians 5:24). Christ’s headship over the church is not that of a tyrant forcing his people into a submission akin to slavery. The opposite is true. Instead of being a tyrant, Christ is our Savior. The language of Ephesians 5 is full of love, self-sacrifice, care, and respect. Lucy Mabery-Foster in Women and the Church (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999) states, “the wife’s submission is not to be an unthinking obedience to her husband’s harsh rule but rather a grateful acceptance of his care” [emphasis hers].

Submission is not a punishment to be endured. When Paul urges the women in 1 Timothy 2:11 to “learn in quietness and full submission,” this is for the benefit of the church as a whole. When women step outside of their roles to fill those intended for men by God, chaos ensues. Women who deny the commands of Scripture and take positions as head pastors, church elders, instructors of theology to men all contribute to the confusion. Men become mere pew-warmers allowing the women to run the church. In the end there is a leadership vacuum. Men do not lead. Women attempt to fill those roles. Men leave the church. Sons are raised in churches run almost entirely by women. Finally, boys grow up not having pure examples of biblical manhood. The cycle continues to spiral down until the church struggles on the brink of death, and the women wonder why the men do nothing. Rather, women submitting themselves to the instruction and leadership of men in the church should rest in men’s pastoral care, praying for their growth in the Lord, and supporting and encouraging them in their walks with God. It is not a matter of ability, rather it is a matter of order.

So, instead of giving into the temptation of Eve, whose “desire was for her husband” (meaning, she sought to usurp his authority), what is a godly woman to do? We are blessed, in Scripture, with so many marvelous examples of godly women who served during Christ’s ministry. Mary, the humble young woman chosen by God to birth the Savior of the world, was not only Jesus’ mother but she was also his faithful disciple. Elizabeth, an older relative of Mary’s, miraculously conceived John the Baptist and testified to the Great King within Mary’s womb. Anna, a prophetess in the temple, prayed earnestly for the coming Messiah and was blessed by the sight of the Savior as an infant brought by his parents to be circumcised. Mary Magdalene had been a slave to darkness and her encounter with Christ made her a willing bondservant to the Messiah. She remained with him during his ministry even to the cross and proclaimed the resurrected Christ to the apostles. The sisters, Mary and Martha, stand out as excellent examples of discipleship and servanthood. The Samaritan woman, though broken and sinful, evangelized her village, boldly proclaiming a new life in Christ.

In the early years of the church, several women stood out as ministers of the Gospel. Dorcas, the only woman to be specifically titled a disciple in Scripture, selflessly gave of herself to the poor in her community; so much so, that when she died those she had ministered to pleaded with Peter to pray for her resurrection. Her body was wonderfully resurrected and her ministry continued. Priscilla, alongside her husband, Aquila, invited the orator Apollos into their home and instructed him further in the true knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul commends her for the use of her gifts in hospitality, service, leadership, teaching, and mercy. Paul further commends several specific women of the church in Rome for their service to the church in hospitality and hard work, and cautioned them to live holy lives in wisdom. Lydia, a prominent businesswoman in Philippi, opened her home to missionaries and the local body of Christ. Eunice, another follower of “the Way”, raised her son Timothy to be a young man “well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium” (Acts 16:2) despite her mixed marriage.

These women served their Lord and Savior in their homes, among their families, in the communities, within the local churches, and beyond. Some women today assert that Paul’s refusal to allow women to teach men was either cultural or a command bound only within the context of the local church. Thus it would be admissible for women today to serve in authoritative/instructive roles in Christian organizations outside the local church. However, para-church organizations did not exist during Paul’s lifetime. Christian life revolved around the church, whether local or universal. Christian activity was the church. It is this author’s understanding that the exhortation for women to learn in submission and not exercise authority over men refers to all Christendom. Why is it the desire of so many women to neglect their calling of service to women within the body? Why do they long to also have authority over men? Is a ministry, exclusive to women only, in any way inferior to those ministry positions Scripture reserves for men? God forbid!

Women in the New Testament served Christ in many ways. Modern disciples of Christ who seek to be leaders in the church and of women’s ministries ought to look to these examples and implement them within their own ministries. In the Gospels alone, women were found anointing Jesus, following him, waiting on him, believing in the resurrection of the Messiah, being filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesying, fasting and praying, contributing financially to ministry, sitting at the feet of Christ and learning, being admonished to take up their own crosses to follow Christ and to count the costs of discipleship. In the early church, women prayed in the gathering of other believers. They were full of good works and mercy. Many women opened their homes to the church. They were faithful mothers and wives. They even corrected male leaders privately, so as not to shame them or call into question God’s ordained order of creation. In the Epistles, women ministered as servants of the church (deaconesses), helping many, being fellow workers of the Gospel, hard workers, outstanding among the church leadership, using their spiritual gifts, coheirs of the promise in Christ, sharing the struggle of the Gospel, teaching women, and training younger women, exemplifying what it is to be godly wives and mothers.

Feminists who cry out in fury, claiming that those who will not permit them to pastor churches, preach, or lead congregations because they are "inferior" are themselves stating that the office of ministry to women is an inferior position. Women have a high calling when it comes to ministry. Not only does the Spirit gift women with the same gifts as men, but they have also been given the privilege to serve Christ as ministers to their husbands, to their families, to the church, to their communities, and to each other.

crazy

the words we never said
and the looks we never held
the silence that we kept so long
it was easier left unsaid
but there's no denying

standing at your door
and listening to our words
honesty i've never heard
and i'd stay for hours more
but with you i can't ignore
what's best and all i've learned

but there's no denying
there's no one denying

and i know it sounds crazy
but i feel so much
and i don't know what to do with myself
but i like being where you are
and i feel so certain about who i am in your eyes,
and how come with you my time flies
but i will let that time go by

and all i've ever known
is not what i know now
when i look at you
and i'm scared of being wrong
but not scared of you somehow
but there's no denying
there's no one denying

and i know it sounds crazy
but i feel so much
and i don't know what to do with myself
but i like being where you are
and i feel so certain about who i am in your eyes,
and how come with you my time flies
but i will let that time go by

but there's no denying
there's no one denying

and i know it sounds crazy
but i feel so much
and i don't know what to do with myself
but i like being where you are
and i feel so certain about who i am in your eyes,
and how come with you my time flies
but i will let that time go by

cuz there's no denying

"crazy" from Looking For Flowers Again
by Late Tuesday

i'm no liberal feminist, but ...

Last night ... or was it early this morning? ... a couple of us over at Craig's blog were scoffing at an article written by a fundamentalist preacher who was getting blue in the face about women wearing pants. According to him, a woman who wears pants

1. IDENTIFIES HERSELF WITH A ROCK N' ROLL CULTURE OF SEX PERVERSION AND IDOLATRY!
2. COMMITS IDOLATRY, AND CAUSES MEN TO COMMIT IDOLATRY!
3. COMMITS ADULTERY, AND CAUSES MEN TO COMMIT ADULTERY
4. CAUSES MEN TO COMMIT THE SIN OF COVETOUSNESS
5. SINS BY WEARING MEN'S CLOTHING
6. IS CAUSING LASCIVIOUSNESS
7. WHEN A WOMAN WEARS PANTS, SHE IS IN TROUBLE WITH GOD JUST AS THE MAN IS IN TROUBLE, TOO!

click here to read it for yourself.

It started when a couple of us read Team Pyro's excellent article on women and modesty in the church. The ladies at Girl Talk give a biblical perspective for women on dressing to glorify God.

Here's a quote from another fellow about women. I'll let you mull over your own thoughts on this one.

As I've said, women should get married and have children before going to university. (University, especially the Arts, will poison their minds with Feminist dogma.) They should marry older guys who are beginning their careers.

Women and the Church

Mabery-Foster, Lucy. Women and the Church. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999.

In Women and the Church, Lucy Mabery-Foster provides a much needed resource for local churches and para-church organizations. She recognizes the need for leaders in churches across America to minister to the needs of women, who make up a majority of their congregations. In the pages of this book, Mabery-Foster covers the topics ranging from challenges involved in women’s ministries, biblical perspectives of the role of women in the church and society, feminism and its affects on modern Christianity, the unique needs of women in the church and how to meet them, and the establishment and building of women’s ministries.

Mabery-Foster begins by convincing the reader of the need to address women’s issues in the church. Whether one is a pastor, lay-leader, or concerned Christian, one can only benefit from a better understanding of caring for the unique needs of women, particularly as times and ideologies change. She then shifts into introducing arguments concerning views of biblical womanhood, examining different interpretations of hierarchy and roles within the church, and asking the question of whether or not feminism is biblical. Once believers truly know where they stand on these issues, they can effectively minister to the needs of women in the church. These unique needs must be met by helping women take responsibility for their actions and emotions by placing them under the lordship of Christ and counseling women who are hurting. Mabery-Foster further details how one might meet the needs of single women, married women, working women, and ethnic women. Taking all of the above into consideration, it becomes obvious for the necessity of establishing a women’s ministry in the local church. The author lays out an outline of how to develop a discipleship program for women, followed by tips on how to raise up leaders for the ministry using Old Testament examples of and New Testament guidelines for godly leadership. Leaders in women’s ministries, Mabery-Foster concludes, must develop a philosophy of ministry that ministers to the whole woman: providing fellowship, discipleship, and growth in the women of the local church.

Throughout the book Mabery-Foster addresses issues involving women’s ministry that were not prevalent twenty years ago. Divorce has become the norm. More women are working outside the home. America’s transient society has displaced many women away from their families once they are on their own. Such issues cannot be ignored when working with women in the church. Rather than alienating women who do not fit the traditional mold of what evangelicals once thought Christian women ought to be, Mabery-Foster asserts that these are the very women that need to feel a part of that ministry. While the traditional family ideal appears to be crumbling, the church must provide the fellowship, encouragement, counsel, and growth that women need within the family of God.

Many modern women are confused about their roles in the home, society, and the church. Feminism has swept through our society and has permeated the church. The consequences of Eve’s sin have affected all generations following her. It does not appear, however, that Eve’s “desire” for her husband has affected society at large to such an extent as it has the past thirty years. In response to feminism, Mabery-Foster does not deny woman’s responsibility in the Fall of mankind. She masterfully works through the Scriptures to reveal God’s design in the creation order and the joy found in submitting to the authority found therein. Yet, feminists seem bent on seeing Christian faith through the lenses of their assumption that men and women are equal in all respect. Mabery-Foster points out that as a result of their presuppositions, feminists deny the doctrine of Scripture, the doctrine of God, and the doctrine of humanity. Even “evangelical feminists”, in order to maintain their position, must make such statements as “Paul was wrong.”

Below are listed three particularly relevant quotes from the book to women’s ministry:

• “[T]he wife’s submission is not to be an unthinking obedience to her husband’s harsh rule but rather a grateful acceptance of his care.” (47)

• “We must teach our women to embrace their singleness, developing themselves to the fullest of their potential in Christ, believing that God’s highest goal for them is to glorify Him—while waiting on His timing to place them in relationships of His choosing.” (165)

• “Another problem is that young couples today try to draw all their emotional support from each other, since the extended families are so far removed, and this puts more stress on their relationship. No two people can supply everything that each other needs. People need people—people whom they can depend on for maturing them in their faith, for encouragement, for advice, for support, and for accountability.” (206)

Lucy Mabery-Foster’s study in chapter five regarding the role of women according to the New Testament is stellar. While most feminists and many evangelicals tend to place a negative connotation on the term submit, Mabery-Foster shows that Paul and Peter were not demeaning women, but rather, the Apostles affirmed women as created in God’s image, co-heirs with Christ, equal in receiving the gift of salvation and spiritual gifts, and complimentary to men in their roles as women in the home and church. Women do not submit to men as one would to a tyrant. Instead, Men are commanded to love their wives as Christ loves the church. Husbands have authority over their wives, just as Christ has authority over the church … not as tyrant, but as Savior (Ephesians 5:23). Mabery-Foster asserts Christ’s headship is not characterized by his lordship, but rather by his “saviorhood.”(46) Such love! Such sacrifice! Who would not desire to submit oneself under the headship of such a One? Thus a woman submits to her husband out of “grateful acceptance of his care”(47), not out of blind, unwilling obedience to tyranny.

Throughout the text Mabery-Foster rebukes feminists for reading Scripture through the lens of how they want to perceive Scripture in light of their own views. They twist Scripture to fit their views or reject its teachings entirely when they do not match their beliefs. What is truth in Scripture? Or is it all relative? Mabery-Foster stands for the Bible in all areas, except when it comes to her own situation, it seems. A professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, as well as, a speaker at pastor conferences and seminars, Mabery-Foster justifies her having authority over men in matters of teaching the Bible by stating that Paul’s commands do not extend to organizations outside the local church.(62-63) Such an argument seems faulty when considering that at the time of Paul’s writing there were no para-church ministries. Surely, anything involving the ministry of preaching and teaching God’s Word then pertained to his exhortation regarding women’s roles not to excercise the authority of teaching Scripture to men.

Despite that one inconsistency, Mabery-Foster writes a very fine book that ought to be on the required reading list for all seminary students, on the shelves of all pastors, and in the hands of all women who desire to be leaders in their churches’ women’s ministry. Because women make up the majority of church congregations, not to mention 55% of the nation’s population, ministers of the gospel must understand the special needs women have. Women and the Church is not written with a female audience in mind but for all who desire to effectively minister to the entire body of Christ.

random home decor

Chrome Airplane from Target

I've had my eye on this beaut' for a couple of months. Now it's mine.

It's random, I know. But it makes me dream ...

shout out to Jenn Wojak

type B

You Have A Type B Personality

You're as laid back as they come... Your baseline mood is calm and level headed Creativity and philosophy tend to be your forte Like a natural sedative, you have a soothing effect on people Friends and family often turn to you first with their problems You have the personality to be a spiritual or psychological guru

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

I posted this because someone asked recently if I had a type A personality. It's sort of difficult to peg me. Perhaps it's my upbringing. I often struggle with type A reactions but I immediately recognize them as wrong and choose another course. But there have been moments where type A has been repressed for too long and I *explode*. Not pretty.

cast it on the waters

Ruth's husband, assistant pastor with the ministry Christians in the Media in Sydney, Australia, speaks about risk taking for God's glory.

Click here to listen to the audio.

what color of green are you?

You Are Mint Green

Balanced and calm, you have mastered the philosophy of living well. Your friends seek you out for support, and you are able to bring stability to chaotic situations. You're very open and cheerful - and you feel like you have a lot of freedom in life. Your future may hold any number of exciting things, and you're ready for all of them!

What Color Green Are You?

summer movies ... what are you looking forward to?

Stephen Colbert's review of movies that are destroying america ... summer blockbuster edition

Blame Humans First propaganda

Suburban Stripmalls don't spring up out of the dirt.

Instructional video for illegal immigrants

MIiii ... I'm not sure what that title means.

F-R-A-P-P-U-C-C-I-N-O

name change

How does one go about changing one's last name? No, not ... Ha, I didn't think of it like that ... not by getting married! Ha ha ... sorry ... phew! Um ... I mean, the pronunciation.

Surely there's nothing legal involved. Could it really be just as simple as telling people ... "It's pronounced ..."

I have a professor who did it. Until 10 years ago, Dr. Seifrid and her husband went by the pronunciation "Seefrid" but now they go by "Saifred" ... a good German name.

I think I'll do that. I'll test it out this summer.

Bye, Laura. We'll miss you. Write me. Call me. Etc.

final exams

Macs are ... super

Check out the new Mac ads.

Oh, and ... I went to the Grape Leaf tonight with a couple of friends. One of the guys mentioned that the 2nd Superman trailer was out. I ... I've gotta say ... I'm pretty stoked.

Hmm, didn't Superman have a Doppleganger?

Passover

There is something to be said for Christians remembering their Old Testament heritage. My parents and I have regularly celebrated the Passover in our home. When we became missionaries we brought the celebration of remembrance into the church. It became a wonderful evening of feasting, festivities, and learning of the meal the Hebrews enjoyed in their last night in Egypt and Christ's last night before His crucifixion.

Here are some pictures from last year's celebration. (My mom and I sewed my Dad's "ephod".)

Paris

"The other thing I have never understood about the French is why they are so ungrateful. I've always felt that since it was us that liberated them--because let's face it, the French Army couldn't beat a girl's hockey team--they ought to give all Allied visitors to the country a book of coupons good for free drinks in Pigalle and a ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower. But they never thank you. I have had Belgians and Dutch people hug me around the knees and let me drag them down the street in gratitude to me for liberating their country, even after I have pointed out to them that I wasn't even sperm in 1945, but this is not an experience that is ever likely to happen to anyone in France."

~Bill Bryosn, Neither Here Nor There, 42.

Although, I do remember being in an obscure little village and having a French man approach me and my friends. He was determined to use the English he had learned from watching Elvis Presley movies after the war.

indulgence

Stephen Colbert on the Vatican's disapporval of China's new Catholic Bishops.

"Don't let your values stand in the way of value. Afterall, you've done it before."

evangelism training for women in the local church

It should never be assumed that members within the local church have a thorough knowledge of the truths of the Gospel. Too many ministers take for granted that those within their flock have the head knowledge plus the ability to communicate the Gospel eloquently to their friends and neighbors. This is not the case. Thus, the need for equipping women to know and share the Good News of Jesus Christ necessitates a solid evangelism program. Within such a program, women should feel equipped in a thorough knowledge of the Gospel message, the ability to communicate it clearly, the vision for the necessity of sharing the Good News, and the wherewithal to answer difficult questions they may encounter. Four weeks of two hour weekly sessions ought to be a good springboard for ladies with the church to feel more confident in sharing their faith.


The Gospel Defined

At the beginning of a new study within her women’s ministry, Barbara Hughes gave each of the godly women involved the assignment to write a concise description of the Gospel message. One would think that it would be such a simple task. However, the difficulty of the task both surprised and humbled Hughes and the other women. Some of the women wrote multiple pages on how they came to a saving knowledge of their Lord and Savior, while others described witnessing techniques. Hughes remembers the experience by stating that the Gospel got “lost in that fog of words.” There even seemed to be confusion as to who was the focus of the message. When asked how the women knew they were Christians, the words “I” and “me” appeared to be predominant (Hughes, 21). Is the church preaching a man-centered Gospel? Is it training its members to proclaim God’s plan of redemption by using such phrases as “I accepted” or “I prayed” or “I went forward?”

The truth of God’s call for reconciliation is that the Gospel is not focused on man. Rather, the Gospel is God’s Gospel. It is focused on Him and His work. This is the message of the entire Bible: God reconciling with, redeeming, and restoring His image-bearers. Unlike other world religions, Christianity focuses on God’s saving work, revealing that man can do nothing to obtain God’s favor and salvation. “A gospel that primarily focuses on man’s needs or guilt or feelings or wants or ambitions is not God’s Gospel. God’s Gospel is amazing news about what His son Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. It is about what God has done” (Hughes, 22).

The purpose of the first session is to explain the Gospel to the women and enable them to communicate the Gospel in ordinary, everyday terms. Before the first session of evangelism training, instruct the women to come prepared with a definition of the Gospel (much like what Hughes did with her ladies group). When the women arrive have them share with the group their definitions. Each will be different. Together narrow the definitions down into one concise definition of what the Gospel means. Compare this to

1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

This is the Gospel in a nutshell. Point out the emphasis of Christ’s actions within the passage. The repeated phrase “in accordance with the Scriptures” serves to place Christ’s actions in context. This was the fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption from the beginning of time, not a random act of God. The work of Christ is the climax of all of history. The Old Testament Scriptures looked forward to fulfillment to the promises of God in the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Savior of sinners. The New Testament, and beyond, looks back at the cross as the reason for the hope of the elect.

Once the women comprehend that the focus of the Gospel is God, divide the women into groups of three. Provide each group with a God-centered presentation of the Gospel (a witnessing tract). “Two Ways to Live” by Phillip Jensen of Matthias Media and a copy of Will Metzger’s Tell the Truth “Come Home” diagram are good examples. Allow them time to study the tract, noting the portions that emphasize God. Have each group share what they have observed with the others.

Following this activity, ask the women to share some difficult, theological words they may use when sharing the Gospel. Make a list of these words on the chalkboard (or have them write them down on paper). Such a list may include terms such as

lost
saved
born again
repent
justified
atonement
righteousness
spiritual
holy
sin
salvation
saving faith
redemption
believe
God
Gospel
the finished work of Christ on the cross
inviting Christ into your heart, etc.

In the same groups of three, provide the women with dictionaries and thesauruses and give them time to work within their groups to define these terms in ways that people who have not attended church might understand. Call on the different groups to help define the terms on the board. This exercise will help the women communicate to their family, friends, and neighbors in a vocabulary they can understand.


Weekly Assignments

Following the training sessions each week, give the women in the group the assignment to conduct a Spiritual Interest Questionnaire with three people who are not believers. An example of such a questionnaire can be found in Metzger’s Tell the Truth in Appendix A. His questions are as follows.

1. What is your religious background?
2. Do you think that various good things you’ve experienced might be due to God’s love?
3. Do you think God might be a source of help for the problems you face?
4. Can you give one example of how your religion affects your behavior; that is, how it makes a practical difference in your life?
5. Do you think of yourself as a person created by God and therefore accountable to him for the way you live?
6. Do you ever think of yourself as in need of God’s forgiveness for things you’ve though, said or done?
7. In your opinion, who is Jesus Christ?
8. Summarize in one sentence what you think is the main theme of the Bible.
9. When it comes to spiritual matters, would you describe yourself as unconcerned or interested? (Metzger, 228)

Such a questionnaire allows the women to understand the mindset of those who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is particularly beneficial to the women who have grown up in the church and have taken their knowledge of God for granted. Metzger worded each question in such a way so that the interviewee does not feel manipulated. The interviewer merely asks the questions and listens as the person responds. This is not the time or place to judge people for their beliefs. They do not know Christ. At the end, the interviewer has the opportunity to ask the person being interviewed if they’d like to hear how they would answer the questions. This is a good way to create a friendly dialog. Metzger even suggests the following way to move into sharing the Truth:

“What you’ve just said interests me. I’d like to know more about why you think that way. I wonder if you’ve ever considered this as an answer (or alternative view) to the point you just made” (Metzger, 227).

At this point, the interviewer may be able to spend the next fifteen minutes laying out the Gospel using one of the Gospel presentations covered during the first week’s session, if the person is willing to listen. Leave your contact information so that they may contact you if they have any more questions or would like to talk about it more. It is important to be relational. Christians are called to make disciples, not mere converts.

For the first week’s assignment, assign the women to interview three people who they know well, i.e. family members, close friends, neighbors, etc.


Worship Is the Goal

John Piper begins his book Let the Nations Be Glad with this radical statement: “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is.” As a result worship then becomes the “fuel and goal” of missions. A passion for God’s glory in worship is the beginning and end of missions. Worship drives people to share the Gospel through missions. And the worship of the nations to God their Creator is the goal of missions. Missions is the means God has intended to bring people to worship Him (Piper, 17-18).

It is easy for women to love and show compassion on those they are close to who are not believers. However, a woman’s love for God ought to be the highest motivator to share the Gospel. This enables her to not only share those who already have a place in her heart, but also spurs her on to evangelize the lost stranger out of love and passion for her Savior. Christians often speak of “loving the lost;” however, John Dawson of Youth with a Mission suggests that this is impossible to maintain as the dominant motivator. In his book Taking Our Cities for God, Dawson writes,
“Don’t wait for a feeling of love in order to share Christ with a stranger. You already love your heavenly Father, and you know that this stranger is created by Him, but separated from Him, so take those first steps in evangelism because you love God. It is not primarily out of a compassion for humanity that we share our faith or pray for the lost; it is first of all, love for God…. Humanity does not deserve the love of God any more than you or I do. We should never be Christian humanists, taking Jesus to poor sinful people, reducing Jesus to some kind of product that will better their lot. People deserve to be damned, but Jesus, the suffering Lamb of God, deserves the reward of His suffering” (Dawson 208-209).

The purpose of the second week’s session is to make women aware of the urgent need to
share the Gospel to make worshippers out of love and passion for God and His glory. At the beginning of the allow time to discuss the encounters the women had during the week using the questionnaire. Ask the women if they noticed a difference when they shared the Gospel as God-centered, rather than man-centered. Discuss what they learned about the spiritual state of the unsaved people they interviewed.

Paul writing to the Romans stated in Romans 2:24, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles.” Discuss what it means to blaspheme God and write on the board different ways non-believers blaspheme God, giving the women the opportunity to volunteer the answers. Supplement their list with Piper’s list from page 206 in Let the Nations Be Glad.

The glory of God is not honored.
The holiness of God is not reverenced.
The greatness of God is not admired.
The power of God is not praised.
The truth of God is not sought.
The wisdom of God is not esteemed.
The beauty of God is not treasured.
The goodness of God is not savored.
The faithfulness of God is not trusted.
The commandments of God are not obeyed.
The justice of God is not trusted.
The wrath of God is not feared.
The grace of God is not cherished.
The presence of God is not prized.
The person of God is not loved. (Piper, 206)

Piper states that the opposite of this disrespect for God is worship. Share with the women this quote from Let the Nations Be Glad:

“Worship is essentially an inner stirring of the heart to treasure God above all the treasures of the world—
a valuing of God above all else that is valuable
a loving of God above all else that is lovely
a savoring of God above all else that is sweet
an admiring of God above all else that is admirable
a fearing of God above all else that is fearful
a respecting of God above all else that is respectable
a prizing of God above all else that is precious” (Piper, 206-207).

The church’s mission is not to save people from ultimate death (this is Christ’s work), our mission is to make disciples … worshippers … if you will. Christians can communicate the Gospel to the world through our own acts of worship. Essentially, Christians are called to live the Gospel.

As a group analyze the following verses that make up the three stages of worship (Piper, 207).

Matthew 15:8-9
“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

John 4:23
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 15:8-9 reveals that the essence of worship is not action. Worship comes from the heart. John 4:23 shows that worship is “right affections rising for God, rooted in right thinking about God” (Piper, 207). Finally, the third stage of worship is lifestyle. Piper says that the Lord intends for His glory to be public. “His aim is that his glory be openly reflected in the deeds of his people, whose thoughts reflect his truth and whose affections reflect his worth.”

Second, split the women up into different groups of three and give them time to look at the list. Using Piper's “Worship is” list instruct the women to brainstorm ways in which they can worship under each point in the list. At the end, allow the women to share how they can communicate the Gospel by living each of these ways of worship. Encourage them to live the Gospel during the week so that their thoughts are always on God, their speech is permeated with language praising God, and their actions show the love of God, etc.

At the conclusion of week two’s session, assign women to complete three Spiritual Interest Questionnaires of three people they work with or regularly encounter during the week but do not necessarily feel close to.


Hard Questions

Those growing up in this Post-modern world feel short-changed. They do not know where they belong. Their families are broken. Their peers tell them that there are no absolutes. They lack community. They are floating in a dark mist of uncertainty and they crave answers. Many are hostile towards their situation and will lash out at any who approach them with their own personal answers to life’s questions having fallen prey already to many false ideals. And yet, it is the author’s opinion that many more crave Truth and community. This is precisely what the church has to offer.

Emerging Hope, by Jimmy Long, is a terrific resource for understanding those living in Post-modern culture. According to Long, Post-modernism is characterized by subjective truth resulting in mere preference, community due to a lack thereof, virtual reality making what is real (or fact) different for each person, and an intense cynicism towards society. As young people mature, they are seeking their own identity and will often experiment with different realities before they form their own. It is at this stage that the church can most effectively reach them with the truth in Jesus Christ. Along the way, however, post-moderns will ask many questions. Questions that the women, most likely, have already encountered in their weekly interviews. What is the answer to these questions? John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The purpose of the third week’s session is to inform the women of the resources that are available to help them answer difficult questions. Allow time to discuss the encounters the women had during the week with the questionnaire. Ask if the women have encountered any difficult questions during their encounters during the week. Write them on the board.
You may add to the list questions that Metzger supposes might come up:

1. Is the Bible trustworthy?
2. Is Christ the only way to God?
3. What about the people who have never heard?
4. Isn’t one person’s opinion as good as another’s in religion, since no one can really know what is true?
5. I try to do my best so won’t my good efforts get me to heaven?
6. Doesn’t science contradict the Bible?
7. Why does a good God allow suffering and evil?
8. Life is meant to be meaningless; why bother trying to find answers?
9. Why do I need religion?
10. Why don’t Christians do something about the needs of people in this world?
11. Why can’t Christians agree among themselves?
12. Who am I?
13. Who can I trust?
14. Why am I so lonely? Is there a group that will accept me as is?
15. What will make a relationship work?
16. How is Jesus real in your life? (Metzger, 224)

Yes, difficult questions will come up when sharing about God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The women will not know all the answers. But that is not an excuse not to find those answers out. Christians have a responsibility as followers of Christ to know what they say they believe and be able to answer why. When confronted with difficult questions that they do not have answers to, they need to take whatever steps necessary to find those answers.

Have women list ways or resources in which they may find the answers to such questions as are listed on the board. Answers may include asking pastors, Bible teachers, theology books, concordances, Bible dictionaries, etc. Display some books that would serve as good resources for answering the difficult questions above. Also recommend websites that may answer any theological questions that they may encounter.

Split the women up into groups of two. Assign each group a difficult question from the list made and allow them time to use the resources, as well as their Bibles, to answer their question. Have the groups share at the end. Answers ought to be saturated in Scripture.

Assign women to complete three Spiritual Interest Questionnaires of three people who they have never met before. Invite three unsaved women to the luncheon on week 4 in which the women will have an open discussion of spiritual matters.


Being Missional

Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, is passionate about the missional responsibility of the church. In what he calls a “reformission,” Driscoll seeks to transform today’s churches into what Christ intended them to be.

“Reformission is ultimately about being like Jesus, through his empowering grace. One of the underlying keys to reformission is knowing that neither the freedom of Christ nor our freedom in Christ is intended to permit us to dance as close to sin as possible without crossing the line. But both are intended to permit us to dance as close to sinners as possible by crossing the lines that unnecessarily separate the people God has found from those he’s still seeking. To be a Christian literally, is to be a ‘little Christ.’ It is imperative that Christians be like Jesus, by living freely within the culture as missionaries who are as faithful to the Father and his gospel as Jesus was in his own time and place” (Driscoll, 39-40).

So, how did Jesus live? His ministry on earth was not dominated by sitting in the house of rulers and religious leaders. Rather, Christ is often portrayed as eating with tax collectors and speaking with and showing compassion to adulterous women. Christ never compromise himself. Like him, we must abstain from sin but never hide from sinners. Too many Christians retreat to the fortress of their churches, never engaging their communities. Christ’s call to believers in Acts 1:8 involved one’s own neighborhood as much as the nation’s of the earth.

The purpose of week four’s session is to wrap up the four weeks and have luncheon or party, each woman having invited three women who they know are not believers. There does not necessarily have to be a theme or an occasion. The location would preferably be in one of the women’s homes. The informal atmosphere allows the women to engage their culture and live the Gospel in front of their guests. As the leader, network among the women and encourage conversations of spiritual matters, perhaps using some of the questions from the questionnaire to prompt dialog.


Conclusion

This month long training could possibly be a yearly event that the ladies look forward to or may occur as regularly as every quarter. It is a wonderful way to encourage the women within the local church to engage their communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So many women are either afraid or perhaps merely do not know how to share their faith with others. Implementing this training within a church’s women’s ministry gives the women the confidence and moral support they need to be bold, evangelistic worshippers of the Lord.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dawson, John. Taking Our Cities for God. Lake Mary, Fla.: Creation House, 1989.

Driscoll, Mark. Radical Reformission. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.

Hughes, Barbara. Disciplines of a Godly Woman. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2001.

Hunter, George G., III. The Celtic Way of Evangelism. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000.

Long, Jimmy. Emerging Hope. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

Metzger, Will. Tell the Truth. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2002.

Piper, John. Let the Nations Be Glad. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.


WEBSITES FOR EVANGELISM AND POSTMODERNISM

http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/
http://www.fbinstitute.com/spurgeon/advice.html
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0219.htm
http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/COMPEL.TXT
http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/2731.htm
http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/1906.htm
http://www.the-highway.com/gospel_Pilgrim.html
http://www.the-highway.com/Puritans_Hulse.html
http://www.geocities.com/mnapologetics/Postmodernism.htm


[Any further suggestions on resources or ideas are welcome.]

The Adventures of Deutero-Isaianic Man

John Dekker recently made a list of terms never to be used when preaching from the Old Testament.

Here is the Borg's "understanding" of the use of these terms:

After loosing the battle at Hithpael, Deutero-Isaianic-Man escaped on his Tretragrammaton. He looked through his Pericope and believed he had spied his enemies, being swallowed by the Protevangelium. Yet he had made a Phenomenological mistake! His enemies had another Leitmotiv; and the Protevangelium was instead persuing Deutero-Isaianic-Man. The Protevangelium gained on Deutero-Isaianic-Man and unleashed its Hendiadys. Overpowered, he plummeted down into the Ante-diluvian.

As it is written in the Septuagint.

Carmen says

Carmen says,

Craigs,

i see you read my blog! I'm flattered.
Oh, i'm not being driven to the convent.
I'm rather liking it. Just kidding,christine.
She's just influential in encouraging us to
find our identity in Christ, not in our
culture's idea of what life should be like.
And she would go somewhere with a guy...

if a nice one were brave enough to ask her!




THANK YOU! Carmen. Hopefully that will set some misconceptions to right.

pools, booze, and dip

My poor New Testament professor has been ill this week but he came and taught our last lecture anyway. What a trooper! However, you could tell he was still struggling against the virus.

Here are some comments he made during class.

1. Plummers do not poop in public pools.

2. Does anyone have a small shot of whiskey?

3. This is the way you can lecture and have a little dip.

(Can you tell my Seminary is in Kentucky?)

[Update]
1. I really do not remember what he was illustrating there. We were talking about the Johannine Epistles.

2. He had phlem in his throat and had heard that whiskey would do the trick. Not that he would ever try it. But a cough-drop would do if anyone had one.

3. Sucking on a cough-drop, the professor found he had an excess of saliva and imagined that was how it would feel to teach and dip snuff at the same time.

new album

Late Tuesday has just released their new album.

Click on the player in the top right corner to hear three of their newest songs.

sunrise

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

3 to 1

This afternoon my friends took a vote. The vote was 3 against and 1 for (that was my vote) that I would or would not do something? What do you think it was?

reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The following is a prayer from The Valley of Vision.


Lord God Almighty,

Thou art beforehand with men
for thou hast reconciled thyself to the world
through the cross,
and dost beseech men to accept reconciliation.

It is my responsibility to grasp thy overtures of grace,
for if thou, the offended part, act first
with the word of appeasement,
I need not call in question thy willingness to save,
but must deplore my own foolish maliciousness;

If I do not come to thee as one who seeks thy favour,
I live in contempt, anger, malice, self-sufficiency,
and thou dost call it enmity.

Thou hast taught me the necessity of a Mediator,
a Messiah,
to be embraced in love with all my heart,
as king to rule me,
as prophet to guide me,
as priest to take away my sin and death,
and this by faith in thy beloved Son
who teaches me
not to guide myself,
not to obey myself,
not to try to rule and conquer sin,
but to cleave to the one who will do all for me.

Thou hast made known to me
that to save me is Christ’s work,
but to cleave to him by faith is my work,
and with this faith is the necessity of my
daily repentance
as a mourning for the sin which Christ
by grace has removed.

Continue, O God, to teach me
that faith apprehends Christ’s righteousness
not only for the satisfaction of justice,
but as unspotted evidence of thy love to me.

Help me to make use of his work of salvation as
the ground of peace,
and of thy favour to, and acceptance of me
the sinner,
so that I may live always near the cross.

Arthur Bennett, ed., The Valley of Vision: a Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (Edinburgh, Scotland: Banner of Truth, 1975), 294-295.

i want a ...

Jet-powered VW

bravery at its finest hour

photo taken by Storksb.

it was the feminist in the conservatory with the candlestick

Carrie Lucas, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism, thinks that feminism killed chivalry. Watch an interview here.

art and history ... kind of like strawberry and lemon ice cream ... yummy!

My favorite historian who wrote

also wrote

Yea! I can't wait to read it this summer.

for girls only

The ladies at Girl Talk have a funny story up that's for girls only.

the folks from Oz

the Borg has a new post up. What do evangelical Aussies think about the effects of pornography on their (our) society?

[UPDATE]:
Shiloh would like to know my thoughts on pornography and our culture, specifically in regards to women and their sexual desires.

Having grown up in a culture where the human body is flaunted before everyone through television, posters, magazines, and the like ... more so than in the U.S. ... I have noticed that many become numb to pornography. The negative effects are still there, however men and women trivialize it and have made it a standard part of society. Whereas, TV spots in the U.S. for shampoo and soap attempt to be tasteful by "leaving just a little to the imagination," Europeans exalt the human body and laud its bareness. If you have jet-lag and are looking for something to occupy your time and thoughts after 11 or 10 p.m. stay away from the television screen. Porn films are there for all to see on public television. I know. I mistakenly switched it on one sleepless night.

The appeal of the human body has never found root with me. Those who gaze at certain areas, nudge their buddies, or whisper to their girlfriends and giggle about someone's anatomy boggles my mind. While I am certainly one to appreciate beauty in all its forms, the male body (or female body, for that matter) doesn't evoke erotic passions within me.

However, I can understand the appeal of cheap romance novels. (Not that I endulge myself ... there is merely an understanding there.) In feasting on words or scenes in romance movies, women forsake all foolish claims of feminism and long for an ideal man who will lead them away in his arms, care for them, appreciate them, cherish them. He is tender but strong, intelligent and patient, encouraging and decisive.

THESE are the images that evoke sexual passions for me ... passions that I must turn over to Christ and seek contentment in Him.

Women who crave ideals portrayed in romance novels and chick-flicks begin to disdain any who cannot reach them. There is something to be said for maintaining standards. However, when one demands perfection and cannot find satisfaction in anything else ... she is on her way to a very lonely, bitter, disappointed life.

In my opinion, women are not stimulated as much by the visual but by touch and the heart.

contentment

HEAVENLY FATHER,

If I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty,
make my heart prize Thy love, know it, be constrained by it,
though I be denied all blessings.

It is Thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants,
for by these trials I see my sins,
and desire severance from them.

Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations,
if I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil,
and be delivered from it with gratitude to Thee,
acknowledging this as the highest testimony of Thy love.

When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul instead of sin
He became more dear to me than sin had formerly been;
His kindly rule replaced sin's tyranny.

Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin subdued
I must not only labour to overcome it,
but must invite Christ to abide in the place of it,
and He must become to me more than vile lust had been;
that His sweetness, power, life may be there.

Thus I must seek a grace from Him contrary to sin,
but must not claim it apart from Himself.

When I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me by showing me
that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch,
but in Christ I am reconciled and live;
that in myself I find insufficiency and no rest,
but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace;
that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good,
but in Christ I have ability to do all things.

Though now I have His graces in part,
I shall shortly have them perfectly
in that state where Thou wilt show Thyself fully reconciled,
and alone sufficient, efficient, loving me completely,
with sin abolished.

O Lord, hasten that day.

Arthur Bennett, ed., The Valley of Vision: a Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (Edinburgh, Scotland: Banner of Truth, 1975), 294-295.

twin?

Look closely at the chick on the left ... see the resemblance?

Carmen does.

Actually, so do I. I was doing a google image search and ... "Whoa!"

The Ditty Bops opened for Nickel Creek last night in Savannah, Georgia ... must have been good times!

Did I ever tell you about my "imaginary" twin?

Her name is Theresa.

$29.90

Yesterday I saved $29.90 on 5 or 6 bags of groceries ... without even TRYING!!!

good feeling.

Kendall's Prayer

Pray

by Kendall Payne

I will pray for you now for you have been my faithful friends
While the road we walk is difficult indeed
I couldn’t not ask for more than what you’ve already been
Only that you would say these prayers for me

May your heart break enough that compassion enters in
May your strength all be spent upon the weak
All the castles and crowns you build and place upon your head
May they all fall come crashing down around your feet

May you find every step to be harder than the last
So your character grows greater each stride
May your company be of humble insignificance
May your weakness be your only source of pride

What you do unto others may it all be done to you
May you meet the one who made us
And see him smile when life is through

May your blessings be many but not what you hoped they’d be
And when you look upon the broken
May mercy show you what you could not see

May you never be sure of any plans you desire
But you’d learn to trust the plan he has for you
May your passions be tried and tested in the holy fire
May you fight with all your life for what is true

I have prayed for you now all of my dear and faithful friends
But what I wish is more than I could ever speak
As the way wanders on I’ll long to see you once again
Until then, would you pray these prayers for me?
Oh that you would pray for me.

~listen to Kendall Payne on myspace

nice day ... except for Frank

Cultivating Beauty Film Festival

Saturday, April 29 Film Festival

Kentucky Theater on 4th St., Louisville, KY

Moving Pictures art exhibit in theater lobby.

2:00 Doors Open

2:30 Viewing of Previous Years Winners:
Wooden Man by Sean Fawbush
Hope by James R. Suthard
Transportation: The Airplane by Alex O’Nan

3-5:00 Showing 2006 Films:
1. A Wacky Look at Art Etiquette by Rubin J. Moreno (5 min 38 sec)
2. Dudes Being Awesome by Kyle Noltemeyer (12 min)
3. Christian by Stuart Hazeldine (18 min 52 sec) Non-entry
4. You Are A Conductor by Alex ONan (3 min 49 sec)
5. The Man With The Red Hat by John Russell Cring (15 min)
6. Balance by Will Hartstock (4 min 10 sec) Non-entry

4-4:15 Break

4:15-5:00 Showing 2006 Films:

7. The Pitch by Tom Holby & Nick Marrinucci** (11 min)
8. Fred Astaire's Got Nothin' On Me by Rubin J. Moreno (13 min 8 sec)
9. Glitches & Dropped Frames by Sean Fawbush (12 min)
10. I Got The Headache by William Wallace (5 min) Non-entry

5-6:00 Break

6-6:45 Lecture by Vin Morreale

6:50-8:30 Showing 2006 Films:

11. Ordinary Life by Tyler Deeb (29 min)
12. The Package by Jeffery McLeid** (8 min 30 sec)
13. Kiss A Cloud by Austin Blair & John Coulter** (6 min)
14. Moments In Motion: A Conversation on Life and Death by Ed Marcelle** (15 min)
15. Oscar's Mother by Brian Cunningham** (12 min)
16. Ninjas Are Two Sweet by Thomas Bernardin (15 min)
17. Justice Is a Blessing by William Wallace & Bryan Miller** (6 min 30 sec) Non-entry

9:00 Presentation of 2006 Sojourn Film Festival Winners

9:15 Second Showing of 2006 Winners & “Justice Is a Blessing by William Wallace & Bryan Miller

**Mature Subject films

you choose the topic

so ... what do you wanna talk about?

i dunno ... what do you wanna talk about?

i dunno.

me, neither.

So ... have at it. Ask questions. Post a link. Start a controversy. Keep it interesting.

oh ... ha ... actually I will say this ... I was looking through a small journal that I keep around just for jotting down notes as I think of them. As I flipped through the pages I noticed a single line that read,

"spread lies of terror and destruction!"

it wasn't crossed out. So if it was to do list ... i must not have gotten around to it.

p.s. - Good morning, Australia!

Duly Convicted

(Trapped in Sarcasm by Charles Degollado)

exerpts from THE SARCASM TRAP
by Randy Foncree

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love shall eat the fruit thereof.

There are many reasons why people use sarcasm. Some individuals use it as a form of intimidation or manipulation; others use as a defense mechanism to hide their true feelings. According to Webster, sarcasm is defined as: The making of agreeably worded, but harsh intended remarks. Sarcasm is a COWARDLY [emphasis added] way to get a point across without directly confronting another person of their behavior, or something done that annoys us. It’s usually laced with a rye sense of humor.

...

[example of his boss using sarcasm with him]

...

I felt anger and a sense of “belittlement” try to rise up in me. His comment made me feel about two inches tall. It didn’t propel me to change my heart. One can sometimes affect behavior with their sarcasm, but sarcasm will NEVER CHANGE ANOTHER PERSONS'S HEART [emphasis added]. I have a real strong belief in not reacting emotionally because I feel anger, so I was able to forgive him for his sarcastic comment to me....

These are the kind of individuals who use sarcasm as a defense mechanism: a person that lives with someone who has a difficult personality, doesn’t respond to their needs effectively, or that’s the way they’d always seen certain problems handled at home. In extreme cases, CONTROL [emphsis added] is the primary reason for a person’s sarcasm. Every person in this world has legitimate needs, but sarcasm will never be a legitimate way to get those needs met.

Sarcasm is a way to get a point across to another person without directly confronting their behavior, or how their behavior makes us feel. Sarcasm is usually rooted in fear. It is a way to try and eliminate the possibility of someone lashing out in anger, or even rejecting us. It is a way of having a say by belittling someone, or taking the wind out of their sails, and the sarcastic person comes out the victor in the situation. Psychologists would call sarcasm a passive-aggressive behavior. The wound from being the recipient of someone else’s sarcasm is not physical, but emotional and psychological.

...

Sarcasm doesn’t draw people, and endear them to us, it embitters and makes them want to repel from the relationship. Sarcasm builds up walls between us and the people we love. It causes others to feel like they have to walk on eggshells around us. Sarcasm is a way of telling others that they’re a fool for not doing something the way we would.

The answer to sarcasm is honesty. Be honest about how we truly feel. If someone consistently does something that annoys us, express how that behavior affects us without attacking him or her. Attacking them will never change the situation, but lovingly confronting this issue and how it affects us will.

...

Paul the Apostle said that our love must be without hypocrisy; not fake. It should not be based on our own selfish need with the way we think things should be. Remember, God created everyone different, with our own unique set of personality traits. Allow others to be who God made them, and avoid trying to change that person into our image, and we all can avoid falling into the sarcasm trap.

the warped theology of singleness

from Singled Out by God for Good

by Paige Benton, a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary. She serves on staff of the PCA's Reformed University Fellowship at Vanderbilt University.

Warped theology is at the heart of attempts to "explain" singleness:

· "As soon as you're satisfied with God alone, he'll bring someone special into your life"—as though God's blessings are ever earned by our contentment.

· "You're too picky"— as though God is frustrated by our fickle whims and needs broader parameters in which to work.

· "As a single you can commit yourself wholeheartedly to the Lord's work"— as though God requires emotional martyrs to do his work, of which marriage must be no part.

· "Before you can marry someone wonderful the Lord has to make you someone wonderful"— as though God grants marriage as a second blessing to the satisfactorily sanctified.

Accepting singleness, whether temporary or permanent, does not hinge on speculation about answers God has not given to our list of whys, but rather on celebration of the life he has given. I am not single because I am too spiritually unstable to possibly deserve a husband, nor because I am too spiritually mature to possibly need one. I am single because God is so abundantly good to me, because this is his best for me. It is a cosmic impossibility that anything could be better for me right now than being single. The psalmists confirm that I should not want, I shall not want, because no good thing will God withhold from me.

Such knowledge of God must transform subsequent knowledge of self— theological readjustment is always the catalyst for renewed self-awareness. This keeps identity right-side-up with nouns and modifiers in their correct place. Am I a Christian single or am I a single Christian? The discrepancy in grammatical construction may be somewhat subtle, but the difference in mindset is profound. Which word is determinative and which is descriptive? You see, we singles are chronic amnesiacs— we forget who we are, we forget whose we are. I am a single Christian. My identity is not found in my marital status, but in my redemptive status. I am one of the "haves," not one of the "have-nots."

Thanks, J.D.

exploding face and crocodiles

I normally do not dream. However, last night I dreamt that I was reading articles. Reading, underlining, raising eyebrows, scribbling notes in the margins, reading, looking up Scripture passages, scanning, reading ...

It was like I was awake ...

Why can't I have cool dreams where my face explodes into hundreds of floating spheres?

Maybe it's because I live such a "cool" life. Who wouldn't want to read articles out of pure enjoyment!?!

All you people out there who have gripping night visions ... I don't envy you because I don't know what I'm missing. My most captivating dream I've ever had was actually a recurring one.

My father and I had finally snuck into the castle. Knight Daddy took my hand as we ran from room to room, conquering obstacle after obstacle, my little princess feet barely touching the ground as we hurried along. We were almost to the chamber where Queen Mommy was being held. We only had to get through the room of Crocodiles and Alligators. Daddy held my hand as we made our way over the narrow, slick, slimy walls that separated the eight pools of vicious reptiles that snapped at our ankles. And then ...

Knight Daddy's foot slipped on a wet stone and down he went on one knee ... but his other leg fell into the water ... it was quickly devoured in a boiling mess of hungry crocs.

We never rescued the Queen.

I was five.

Demerits

Check out what Wikipedia has to say about the rules and demerits.