Lydia Ministry Women

Jesus and Government

2010-11-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

We've just gotten through, what to many people, was an emotional election season in our country. A lot could be written on the topic of Jesus and government, but I just wanted to share a couple of thoughts and observations.

We've probably all heard the old saying, "never discuss religion or politics in polite conversation", there is a reason why this phrase is so well known. People tend to become passionate about both religion and politics. Both of these areas represent a worldview, and very often they become so intertwined that in conversation with someone who has a differing opinion in one of these areas, the listener will assume they are hearing dissent to the other as well.

Why am I writing on a topic like this on the Lydia Blog? Well, the recent election has affected relationships of some people very dear to me. As I try to understand the reason that people who otherwise truly love one another, could be so unloving in attitude and action it makes me ponder the power of religion and politics. Perhaps you have experienced something similar.

It's interesting to me that both religion and government represent the promise of provision, comfort and protection. Both also have laws that if followed will promise rewards and if not followed result in punishment. In a way both religion and politics offer us a set of rules to live by. That is very appealing to us isn't it? After all, without rules there's anarchy, right? Well, almost right.

Before Christ came there were rules. There was the Law, the Ten Commandments. That was the basis for both the religion and the government for Jewish people. They needed this to keep them from anarchy, to help them to be holy, to keep them pure....how well did it work? When we read our Bibles we can plainly see that the Law was not sufficient. The people who were given the Law either weren't satisfied with it so they added more laws (Pharisees), or others felt burdened by it and went into rebellion and began adopting other laws (idol worship). People wanted the boundaries the Law provided, but constantly crossed those boundaries.

But as God's plan continued to unfold, at the right time the Law for humans became obsolete as the Law of God was perfectly fulfilled. Jesus came, He did not add to the Law and He did not rebel from the Law. He lived the law perfectly everyday of His life. Fulfilling the law as the only Son of God and also as a human being made Him able to take on all of our rebellion and all of our attempts at our own righteousness (also sin) and become guilty FOR us -- then take the punishment of death FOR us.

When Jesus died so did the need for Law-following die. He fulfilled the Law, for us, forever! But, does that mean that if a person is a Christian he or she can live in anarchy? Actually, it means the opposite. Being a Christian is not being a Law follower, it is a Christ follower. I am not in relationship to any Law, I am in relationship to a Person! A live, real and interactive Person...who did not stay dead, but who rose from the grave and who now lives in me!

It would be very foolish for me to run to Law when I have Jesus. It is very foolish for me to run to religion or politics when I have Jesus.

So how should we live in this day and in this country? Follow Jesus in this - love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. And who is your neighbor? Jesus made it very clear from His parable of the "Good Samaritan" that our neighbor is not defined by nationality. The neighbor that we are to love is anyone...parent, immigrant, co-worker, teacher, politician from the other party or even family member who doesn't agree with you.

Jesus died to set us free from the Law... let's not run back to that bondage. It can only lead to two avenues...one is the realization that we've failed to live up to the standards that we believe we ought to and we become downcast...the other is that we believe that we are doing all the right things in keeping with our standards and we become filled with pride. Neither of these extremes glorifies God and neither leads to growing in the freedom that Jesus died to give us.

In closing I want to stress to whomever is reading this that I know that I'm just as much in need of this message as anyone else. We are all in this mess together and following Christ in His freedom is both wonderful and scary -- but this is what Christ followers are called to do. So let's help each other along as we follow the only Leader who is worth following.

Another look at the importance of your ezer role...

2010-09-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've written about our role as women and the importance of that role in the kingdom of God. Today something came to my attention that has stirred my passion to encourage you to please seek out how you may live out your calling as an ezer.

If you've have heard me teach on the topic of biblical womanhood you've no doubt heard about your role as an ezer. For those of you who don't know what that means, ezer is a Hebrew word that is found in the bible. It's used in Genesis where God says that it's not good for the man to be alone so He will create a "helpmate" suitable for him. Well, of course the book of Genesis was not written in English, it was written in Hebrew. And you guessed it, the word in Hebrew for "helpmate" is "ezer". So, what exactly was God showing us about His intention for the purpose of woman when He inspired Moses to choose that word? Well, what does the word actually mean? In ancient Hebrew the word ezer means, "strong warrior". Usually when this word appears in scripture it's the word chosen to describe Jesus role to God.

This is no wimpy, silent, ineffective role! Yes, God is the ultimate authority in the triune Godhead, but without the work of Jesus the honor of God would not have stood against Satan's accusations. Jesus fought, using the most powerful weapon in all existence to prove God's singular holiness. He used a weapon the Enemy never imagined. Jesus fought with sacrificial love.

So, how does this knowledge instruct us as women, who bear a similar role in respect to the men who are in leadership over us? Oh, maybe you were thinking that this really doesn't apply to you because you're a single woman. NO, you are an EZER. In every place, at work and especially in the church you are an ezer. It is important for the women in God's family to fulfill their role in every relationship. In order to do this in a way that honors God we need to follow the example of the Perfect Ezer, Jesus Christ. Look at how Jesus lived out His ezer role:

He always submitted to the will of His Father

He met with God often in prayer

His aim always was to bring honor to God and to show love to others and grow God's family

He did not shy away from confrontation when it was needed, but He confronted with an intent to bring change.

So, the question for you and me is, "How can we live out our role as an ezer in way that brings God glory, and in particular how can our living out that role encourage the greater health of our Church?"

I'm not going to answer this question...but I'm hoping that you will engage your thoughts as to how you can use the gifts, the insights, the wisdom that God has blessed you with to be a mirror of Christ's sacrificial love and warrior heart along side the men in leadership where you worship.

I Think That I Shall Never See a Seed as Lovely as a Tree

2010-08-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm stealing badly from an old poem, but I think this fits the point the
Apostle Paul is making in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

Paul was directing this passage of his letter to those Corinthians who
believed that there was no life after death. They did not believe in
eternal souls, they believed and taught that this life is the only reality that
people should be concerned with. Paul was trying to show this audience that
true reality is much, much more expansive than what is presently experienced on
earth. In this message, which is Christ's message, Paul was making it
clear that the Corinthians intellectual icons were just flat wrong.

Starting in verse 20 of this chapter Paul tells how someone can KNOW that
there is life after this one.

"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those
who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the
resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in
Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But, each
in his own order..."

Of course the life that we have because of Christ is contingent on how we view Him. Do we love him as our Savior, recognizing our desperate need to have our curse of death removed? If yes, then we will have the kind of LIFE after this one that Paul goes on to describe. If we don't think we need a Savior, or if we aren't sure about the Jesus thing, then the curse remains - death is our only future...but it will be a living death. Either way we will be changed into something different than what we are now.

All we know is what we know. OK, that sounds impossibly redundant, but the truth
is that our experiences in this life are all we know. But God, speaking through Paul lets us know what is beyond this world. God lets us see glimpses of life after death. In verses 35 - 46 we see
this:

"But now someone will say, 'How are the dead raised? What kind of body will
they have when they come?' Foolish one! What you sow does not come to life
unless it dies. And as for what you sow--you are not sowing the future
body, but only a seed, perhaps of wheat or another grain. But God gives it
a body as He wants, and to each of the seeds its own body. Not all flesh
is the same flesh; there is one flesh for humans, another for animals,
another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and
earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is different from
that of the earthly ones. There is a splendor of the sun, another of the
moon, and another of the stars; for star differs from star in splendor. So it is with
the resurrection of the dead:

Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in
dishonor, raised in glory; sown
in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural
body, raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is
written: The first man Adam became a living
being; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. However,
the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual."

Wow, so right now, you and I are only seeds! All the awareness, abilities, or power that we think we may have in this life still add up to us just being seeds of what we will become. What will
that be?? How different will we be in the next life from what we are now? Think of how different a tomato seed is from a tomato plant; a sunflower seed from sunflower plant; or an acorn from an oak tree??

For someone who truly believes in Christ in that personal, thankful-for-forgiveness and want-to-follow-Him, sort of way, this passage of scripture ought to make you marvel. We are only seeds of what we will become. When our seed, the physical body, dies our true self will emerge. The seed is only a promise of the living, fruit producing plant to come. In the same way we are only a promise of the eternally living, God-glorifying person we will become.

Doesn't that grab you? Do you find this amazing? If we really do it ought to change everything we think about our temporary "seed" life here. Or are we like the people Paul originally wrote this letter to? Oh, we may say "sure I believe in life after death", but do we really live like we believe it?

I wonder...if I woke up everyday as sure of my upcoming future transformation as I was say of a great vacation I was looking forward to, would my focus be different? Would I maybe not obsess so much about the same "seed-bound" things? Would I experience more joy? Would I be more excited about what God intended for me? Would I think about Him more?

Would I be more in love with Him for what is to come?

The Beauty of an Open Heart

2010-07-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

Our group is named after a real woman. As a single woman she had the daily pressures of running her business in a male dominated society. At one time she may have been married and was either widowed or abandoned by her husband. More than likely her business was begun by her husband, but when she was left without him she continued to work hard at making it thrive in order to provide a living for herself and her household. Lydia was a woman of faith and the bible introduces her to us by telling us that the Apostle Paul ("Apostle" meaning someone who was chosen by Jesus) first met her alongside a river as she was meeting for prayer with a small group of women.

What struck me so about her story today as I reviewed it in Acts chapter 16 of the Bible, is that even though Lydia had faith in God there was more that God was offering her. If Lydia had been content to keep going as she had been, content to stay where she was in her understanding of God feeling that her knowledge of Him was all she needed to know, we would never have known about her. As we first learn about Lydia she does have a belief in God, but it's a belief that left her on the other side of a barrier which separated her from really being close to Him. There was more that God had for Lydia then just an understanding of His power in creation and His greatness over things. God used Paul to bring a special message to Lydia, God extended to her an invitation to enter a sweet relationship with Himself. But, in order for Lydia to enter that relationship she'd have to have an open heart. Look at how Luke (the author of the book of Acts and traveling companion of Paul) describes the meeting with Lydia.

Acts 16:13-15
"On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira (Philippi), who worshiped God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was spoken by Paul. After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, 'if you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.' And she persuaded us."

Did you see it? "The Lord opened her heart to pay attention..." She didn't stay where she was in her understanding of God; she followed the path that God was showing her to a deeper relationship with Him. Jesus Christ is the one that cut through the barrier, a barrier made by our sin, and blazed a trail that leads to being family with God. Jesus did that when he died on the cross and took the punishment that had to be paid for (Lydia's, yours and mine), the punishment that we were being shielded from by the barrier!

If you have not taken that path yourself yet but feel that your heart is being opened, please don't hesitate to follow Christ. Tell him how you feel and that you believe in him. Then please tell someone that you know of who follows Christ so that they can pray with you. If you already are headed up the path with Christ, be aware that all along the way we continue to have wonderful opportunities for more "heart openness" and deeper intimacy with our God.

Lydia Women in Africa

2010-07-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

When I began recording my thoughts about the trip to Africa on this blog I hoped that it would fit with the purpose of our ministry. I did not realize just how appropriate it would be.

Before I arrived my African friend, Marthalene, distributed registration forms to all the women who planned on attending one of the workshops. These registration forms asked for basic information: name, address, marital status, number of children in the home, as well as church affiliation questions. The registration forms were collected by Marthalene and she made sure that we had an equal number of women plan on attending on each of the first five days of instruction. I was not given the registration forms until the end of each day.

At the end of the day, back in the guest house that I stayed at, I read over the forms in hopes of better acquainting myself with the women who attended that day. Each day, as I read over the sections on marital status, and number of children in the home, it was clearer and clearer that most of the women in these workshops, and possibly most of the women in Liberia, were "Lydia Women".

I began asking the women questions about their lives and if they had been married. Some had, most had not. It was common that for the women who had been married that after having a few children their husbands left, finding a woman who had more education or just simply left. Some women were widows, others had not been married but were hopeful that the men who fathered their children would take care of them.

As I write this I hope that it is understood that no judgment against these women is intended. Their survival through the bloody and lengthy civil war is a triumph. The damage that was done to their country is evident on the surface everywhere you look. At every turn there are empty looted homes, roads in terrible disrepair, garbage strewn about, poor medical facilities, horrible drainage or sanitary systems...and the list could go on. But, the damage that I was faced with most directly, and the damage I was hoping to address was precisely the damage done to the human heart. And that damage was evident in the eyes of each of these women.

These women have all lived through more than I can imagine. Most of them are Lydia Women. Most of them shoulder the responsibility on their own to care for their families. Quite often their families include children that are not even theirs, but who were given to them to raise.

I am sure that as the weeks go on I'll have more reflections on all that I experienced, but what I hope to communicate now is that even with the intense daily suffering, these women walk in faith. They do not merely "hope" that God hears them when they pray, they really KNOW God hears. And that solid faith is evident in their praise. Wow, how they can praise God! They love Him so much, they are excited to learn more about Him and oh how they love to sing to Him!

May we all love God with a love like theirs that does not doubt, and does not hold back our expression of joy!!

Shelly

"Want to hear God laugh? Tell Him your plans."

2010-06-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

We all know that life is unpredictable, some surprises are good, some are not so good, but it seems that the initial reaction is always a mental version of the Garmin's mechanical, "recalculating".

It's as if I need to have things unfold as I expect them to, as I've planned for them too in order for me to feel that I have a firm footing. When my plans are sidelined and the unexpected happens I feel the stress level rising.

I guess the reality of it is that trying to hold on to the expectation of "my" plan unfolding exactly as I expect it too is nutty. That would take a degree of power over the elements, other people and events that I just do not have.

I plan to leave for Liberia in just about a week and a half. (AHHHH!!) My plan was that the booklets that I wrote and got help in assembling would be more than enough for all the women who may show up at the workshops that are planned while I'm in Monrovia. Actually, I really thought I was being way overly optimistic at producing so many booklets. But, I always like to have more of anything than not enough. I hate running out of things, don't know why...I'll have to think about that one. But, anyway a couple of days ago, as my production plans were all in motion and gearing into the binding stages of assembly I got a call from my friend in Liberia.

She was very happy to let me know that it looks like we are going to have many more women coming to these workshops then she first thought, and she just can't turn anyone away. I agree with that. So, okay what was my first reaction? "Couldn't the women share?"

Really - that's what I said. I'm embarrassed to admit that. My friend on the other end of the line was sort of quiet but polite. I think my response surprised her. Here God was doing this great work of spreading excitement for this training, and I was stuck in my limited plan.

After getting off the phone it occurred to me that if I just worked a little harder, put a little more effort in, I could make the additional booklets. But, the plan was for 80 booklets, not 110!! Okay, my plan was for 80 booklets. God was changing that. Now I have the opportunity to adjust.

Yes, I'm working on cranking out 30 more booklets. I've been told the first lesson of mission work is "flexibility" (thank you Sheree) I think this is a good lesson and quite possibly useful in all of life.

Now off to glue pages together....

Preparing for the Unknown

2010-05-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

In four weeks I'll be stepping into the unknown. No, that sounds way too ominous...I'll be stepping into what is unknown to me. Of course I'm referring to my upcoming adventure of boarding a plane in Jacksonville, Florida and thirty-five hours later stepping off another plane onto African soil.

Thankfully, there are others who are travelling with me who have made this journey before and they do know how to prepare. Their experience and guidance go a long way toward making the unknown more knowable. As they share their knowledge with me I no longer feel as bewildered as I would otherwise. Even though I am headed down a road that I've never travelled before I can move forward unafraid because those I trust have alerted me to what lies ahead and how to safely traverse the terrain.

Do you see how this applies to so many areas of our lives? We all come to points in our lives where what is stretched in front of us is completely new, sometimes frightening. Perhaps you felt this way when you first realized that your marriage was ending and you had to seriously begin thinking about your life on your own. Or maybe you felt a cold terror, mingled with crushing grief at the death of your spouse. How would you go forward? What would tomorrow look like for you?

Isn't it true that in those times it was the friend who had traversed that terrain ahead of you who afforded you some of the best help? She assured you of the possibility of life on the other side of the unknown. She provided guidance born of her own experience. She let you know what was previously "unknowable" to you.

Perhaps you have been the guide a time or two for a tearful friend just coming to her own precipice of the "unknown".

Have you ever noticed that very often the kind of guidance that is truly called for may not always be the kind of news that our friend (or ourselves, for that matter) like to hear?

If, as I prepare for Africa my traveling companions told me to "take whatever was easiest, don't even bother your busy schedule about the trip until the night before" I'd be in big trouble. For one thing I'd not have my immunizations that I need, I would not be protected from malaria, and I'd probably not even be going because I wouldn't have a visa to get into the country. Being properly prepared has cost and parts of preparation is even painful.

The same is true when bringing genuine help to a friend looking down the prospect of a dreaded life altering event, genuine help first brings comfort, but must also bring reality.

For me, comfort and reality have a name...Jesus. He truly is the personification of these traits, and so many others that also bring peace. The comfort and reality that I will be clinging to in Africa is Jesus. I will need Him. This much is not unknown to me. I am so, very grateful that He is my first and best Guide.

Looking Forward to Meeting Marthalene

2010-05-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday at church I was able to talk for a little bit about the woman I'll be working with in Liberia. She is truly a hero. She has overcome the horror of learning of the murder of her brother, the horror of watching both of her parents and her sister murdered and then being separated from the only other living member of her nuclear family, her other brother. She survived 15 years of living at the whims of violent, desparate men...and somewhere in all of this ordeal she cried out to God and He heard her.

She became a Christian, she now had a Father, she had a Protector and Friend. She had a Savior who invited her into His rest. How??? Well, when I meet with Marthalene next month I'll be better able to answer that question, but for now I've got to believe that the over arching answer is that she could come into God's rest because of the new faith she had came with the practical help of a godly man to look after her. Matthew became Marthalene's friend and protector. Eventually they were married and today they work side by side in their community, Matthew is a Pastor and Marthalene, as his wife, helps with the church and with a school they run for the many orphans who were coming to them.

Faith from God coupled with practical help coming through the love and obedience of other believers. I think that God intended this marriage of "faith" and "practical help" to act in unision in order for His Kingdom to spread. If this is so than it's clear what side of the equation we all stand on. I cannot give anyone faith. God alone can do that. But when He ordains that practical help to come to the person He is blessing with faith, then that means He could be calling your number.

When you hear your number called, what will you do?

Going to Africa

2010-04-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

I was toying with the idea of creating a web page to record my up coming trip to Africa, maybe even post a few pictures if I can figure out how that's done. But, then I realized that I could just post on the Lydia site. The reason this makes sense to me is that what I'm about to embark on is a faith journey. I will be going someplace I've never been before, surrounded by the unknown, and (at least for the first week) doing this on my own. Yeah, I think that translates to some of the things many of you experience everyday.

I'll be going to a country that is no doubt, full of "Lydia Women". These women are our sisters. I am looking forward to introducing you to them. The country I'm going to is Liberia. It's located on the West Coast of Africa. While there I'll be leading several small groups of women through some basics of the Gospel, some encouragement of how God loves them and values them as women and finally I'll attempt to do a little biblical counselor training.

The need for biblical counselling in Liberia is huge! The people of Liberia have just come out of many years of civil war. The ones who survived are witnesses, victims and some perpetrators of all sorts of evil acts. Healing and restoration is so badly needed, both physically, spiritually and economically.

The need is so great the question that first comes to mind is "I'm only one person, what can I do?" But as I've learned more about the horrors suffered, and I begin to care for individuals in that suffering the more powerful question for me is, "It's so bad, how can I do nothing?"

The plan is to leave from Jacksonville on June 12th and arrive back two weeks later.

Please pray for me to keep my eyes on God for wisdom, so that I am able to see clearly what He wants you to know about your sisters in Liberia.

Shelly

What Does Communion with Us Mean to Christ?

2010-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

Last week at the close of our Sunday morning worship service we had communion. What do we really think about communion? If you go to a church like mine you are taught that communion is one of only two sacraments, the other being baptism. They are sacraments, I suppose because we have record that Jesus actually told us to do them and did them both himself. As my thoughts this week were particularly drawn to communion, that is the sacrament that I'd like to focus on.

Since I've been a little girl I've been taking communion. I have distinct memories of Pastor Bates reciting the words of Christ from the last supper as He broke the bread..."this is My body broken for you", and again as he was getting ready to distribute the trays of tiny shot glasses filled with grape juice..."this wine is a symbol of My blood poured out for you. As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup do so in remembrance of Me until my return." For me it has always been a very somber practice, filled with introspection and confession. This past week my thoughts were drawn in a direction that they had never gone before and this new perspective left me with a new sense of joy as I held onto my tiny shot glass of grape juice.

The thought was simply of Christ - now. Now, not only Christ on the cross, but Christ now, in the present. How was He communing with us as His Bride as we were "taking" communion? I know that it is important for us to come to communion seriously and with no unconfessed sin harbored in our hearts...but why? Because it's good to be clean...well yes, but even more so because we as the Bride of Christ are joining with our Groom in this beautiful act of WORSHIP!

Ah, worship that is supposed to be meaningful and enjoyed by us and by our Groom. So, that is when I found myself sitting there with a big smile on my face. The thought that my Lord, Jesus was getting enjoyment from the love of His Bride as he received our worship through communion - that thought was just so wonderful!

What are your thoughts? I'd love to discuss this with you.

New Day and Time for our Meetings!

2009-12-30T03:23:00.000-08:00

It has been strange not having our weekly meetings. I see some of you on Sunday at church and want to know how you are and wish we could spend more time with each other. I've missed you! But, the break in meetings was a good time for assessing this ministry and deciding what is the best way to proceed. I think we have our answer.

We are going to pick up our meetings on January 17th. That is a Sunday! Yes, we have gotten this idea from a couple of our members and we agree, meeting on Sunday mornings before the Cross Creek Church service makes good sense. We will meet at 9:30am and we will gather in the "Cry Room" at the back of the Auditorium. (Go ahead and insert your own joke here.)

I'm hoping that this change in meeting day and time will make us more visible to women in our church who would like to try out our group but who find coming out on a Saturday too time expensive in an already packed full life. I also see great benefit for the young children of some of our members. Your children will have great biblical instruction and be able to make friends while Mom is meeting with the Lydia ladies.

Our time will be a little shorter - one hour as opposed to the one and a half hours we used to have. But I think this will be an adjustment that we can make. We will still plan on once a month outings, either for drinks and appetizers, lunch on a Saturday, a movie...or make a suggestion.

Our first week together will be a time to regroup, catch up with one another and welcome any new visitors to the group who may join us. Please bring a friend, and ask her to stay for church!

Sunday -- January 17th -- Cross Creek Church -- 9:30am -- Cry Room (that will be ironic to me for a long time) See you there!

Shelly

A Truly Different Christmas

2009-12-13T10:51:00.001-08:00

(A couple of weeks ago I received this true story from my
cousin, Lisa. I asked her if I could post it on our blog and
she was kind enough to want to share this with us all.

Please read on and be blessed...)

It was going to be a strange Christmas that 2001. My husband of 21 years and I were separating. After a year, I would file for divorce. He was going to Florida to his mother’s for Christmas, the first Christmas my kids would not see him at this spiritual time. I knew my parents were headed out to Missouri to visit my sister who lived there, and I called them and asked if it would be possible for them to take my twin 16 yr old daughters on the trip. A trip would make it very different for them to be away from home, but maybe the strangeness of no father around for the holiday would be little less hurtful.

That left my 8 year old son and I home alone for Christmas. I decided to do something very different that year, something memorable that he would never forget. I discussed my idea with him, and he was excited and favorable towards it.

There would be small gifts on Christmas morning this year for the two of us, and very few of those. We decided to pool our money and bought ingredients to make baked confections and sweet breads, with money we could have spent on Christmas gifts for everybody and for each other. For a two week period, we made dough for cookies and refrigerated it and when the time came, on December 23 and 24^th, we baked up a storm in the kitchen. Many different kinds of cookies, mini sweet breads, brownies, cookie bars. We had ten trays with a Christmas motif we purchased for a dollar each at a local dollar store. On each tray, we arranged our confections, as to be pleasing to the eye, and late in the afternoon of December 24^th, we gently laid the trays in the cargo area of the old station wagon and headed out to make our deliveries, with my son riding shot gun in the front seat of the “tank”.

Our goal was to try to bless people with kindness, to let them know they were thought about at this special time of year. Our first delivery was to an elderly man who monitored the fenced county dumpsters in our district. My Dad had told me he was sick, and after the holiday he was to have surgery. We took a tray to him at the manned dump site, which brought tears to his eyes. My son observed this.

Our second delivery was to my son’s barber at the shop in town. He was finishing up his last few hair cuts when we walked in with the tray. Many times he had spotted my son for a hair cut (and myself) when I had no money to pay him. We wanted to thank him for his kindness to us. His wife had just had her second baby, and she wasn’t doing much in the kitchen this year, he was delighted that there would be some special home baked goods to share with her when he arrived home. To sit cuddled with her after their young son and infant were asleep, in front of the fire with a hot drink and something sweet to nibble was a perfect thing to do with his lovely wife.

We visited a woman I used to work with, divorced with three kids, living in a slum lord type home that she could barely afford on her low income. She was not the domestic baking type, and I wanted her children to have something special for Christmas Eve and morning. Ken watched her children as they hustled the tray to the kitchen, and what was common place in our house, became something special in their house. He saw their excitement as they examined what was on the tray, one telling the other they “hoxied” this cookie or that.

We delivered another tray to the parents of a friend of mine that had died a few years before from brain stem cancer. I told them that I felt Sharon had asked me to share with them, hugged them tight, accepted their tears and thanks, and left.

We kept delivering the trays to sick people, older people, lonely people. We had one tray left. I told my son this last tray was going to someone special, and this was going to be a hard delivery. He asked why, and I said you must watch and listen, I am not going to tell you.

I pulled up in front of Mabel’s house. She also was a woman who I used to work with. Before she recently retired from the plant, her husband passed away. After she retired, her daughter passed away from heart trouble, and the daughter was in her twenties. I saw Mabel’s car in the carport, but the lights were low in the house. Through the windows, I did not see the first Christmas decoration, the first blink of a tree light. Ken and I walked up to the door, I had the tray in my hands, Ken knocked on the door. No response to the knock. I said “Ken knock again, harder this time.” He did, no response. I told him to do it again. Finally, we heard footsteps coming toward the door. When the door opened and Mabel saw it was us she beckoned us inside. Closing the door behind us she looked around her house and said “I just couldn’t bear to decorate this time, she always loved Christmas and I just couldn’t do it”. I said “Mabel, Ken and I want you to have this from our kitchen. Our Christmas this year was to do something for people, and we wanted to bring these home baked goods to you, to share the love from our kitchen.” I sat the tray on her kitchen counter and turned back to Mabel. She threw her arms around me and started to cry. Tears streamed down her face and with her head on my shoulder she said, “This was always a special time of year for Jeannie, and now she is gone. She always loved Christmas, loved to bake things with me, how did you know, how did you know.”

The truth is, I really didn’t know. I just felt.

We stood there together for a bit, holding each other, Ken coming over to hold also, the three of us tightly holding like a three stranded cord, Ken and I sharing in Mabel’s grief. I like to think that the sharing of ourselves grieving with her was our real gift to her, not the tray of baked goods. I like to think she drew strength at that time, from Ken and I holding her.

We finally said tearful goodbyes, and Ken and I started back down the highway home. He said “Mom, I am glad that we did this today.” We had a short discussion on how God gave his Son to us, at Christmas we celebrate His birth and the love of God for us, through God’s Son. We can be living testimony to this fact, when we show through action to others, God’s love in us.

That night, we sat on the couch in front of the woodstove, which was stoked full of dry oak and cranked up high to keep us warm. With our home baked cookies and a cup of hot cocoa, we were silent. No conversation was needed, we just enjoyed the comfort of each other’s presence and sat thinking about the events from that afternoon, feeling blessed in our hearts from a truly different Christmas.

Written by

Lisa G. Hill

December 2001

What's Your "Family Gathering" Like?

2009-11-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving memory? Maybe you've just always imagined what the perfect Thanksgiving Day would be like and you've hoped that yours would unfold as you imagined. For most of us "family" is a big part of our holiday expectations.

This is where we can be setting a trap for ourselves. When our expectation of a great holiday is dependant on the behavior of other people we are on shaky ground. We aren't dumb about this on normal days, but it seems that on holidays we hope for a special magic niceness to come over everyone and for all our plans to work out perfectly.

Your situation may not involve a big extended family, but you may be plagued by the disappointments of a former spouse. Or you may be especially aware of someones absence from the table, someone who used to be there. With all of these things creeping into our "family gathering" how can we have a real Thanksgiving?

Let's start by changing the initial direction of our gaze. Instead of gazing at the family we have gathered around us (or not gathered). Let's begin by fixing our gaze upward toward our Father in heaven.

See what He has done for you. He's invited you to His table, He will not dissatisfy you, there will be no empty chairs at this feast, and He is in control of the whole family. We can rest in Him and know that one day all our best hopes and dreams for the perfect gathering will not only be met, but will be wildly surpassed.

And for today, while we are living in this present reality, be thankful.

Please read Colossians chapter 3 and be encouraged!

Three Generations, Two Women and One God Planning it All...

2009-11-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

The other night some friends were over and we were discussing the personality and character of God the Father. As I write that sentence I am struck by the absurdity of it, it's kind of like saying that a group of caterpillars got together to discuss the orbits of the moons around Jupiter. And it is truly absurd, except for the fact that God does intentionally reveal Himself to us, and it is possible to take notice of that revelation and know Him better. Without God first extending that revelation to us, we would be exactly like those arrogant little caterpillars; with God's revelation our hearts are humbled and our minds expanded. That is what happened the other night.

You know how it's said that you can't see the wind; you can only see the affects of it as it moves things in the breeze? Well, along this line of thinking we wanted to see what we could learn about the personality and character of God by seeing how His grace affected the lives of people that we see in scripture. We decided to look at the life of Rehab whose story is recorded in the Old Testament book of Joshua, yes - Rehab the Harlot, poor woman she never lost that moniker.

Rehab was a resident of Jericho; she lived in a doomed city. Jericho was about to be annihilated by the Israelites. The Israelites were told by God to take hold of the land of Canaan and Jericho was in the land of Canaan.

Rehab was, as we already established, a harlot. She was a prostitute who had a dwelling space in the upper part of the city wall. God, in his mercy and for wonderful reasons that we discovered later that evening, reached out and touched Rehab with the ability to believe in him. She had faith that the God of the Israelites was the God that she wanted to follow. When two spies from the army of Israel came to her door in need of safe passage out of the city she told them of her belief in their God and she worked out a deal with them. The deal was that if they would keep her and all those who were in her house safe when they attacked the city, she would secretly help the spies leave, and send the city guards, who were in search of them, off in the opposite direction.

Later when the city was taken by Joshua and the army of Israel they were faithful to the promise made between Rehab and the spies. Rehab and her family were taken into the community of Israel where they lived out their lives.

In this story we saw the love of God for a woman who was stuck in a hopeless, shameful and dangerous life. We also saw the strength and honesty of people who are touched by faith in God. This was great and if the revelation had ended there it would have been an evening well spent. But something amazing happened. One of the women mentioned how Rehab and Ruth were related. This was an interesting fact so we went to the genealogy in the beginning of the New Testament book of Matthew and sure enough it's true! Rehab was Ruth's mother-in-law from her second husband, Boaz.

WHOOOOSHHHH---------the breeze of revelation came through...

We know from reading the story of Ruth, in the Old Testament book of Ruth, that she was an outsider in the city of Bethlehem. She was a widow who came there with her mother-in-law from her first husband who had died. Ruth was from a pagan culture, but she put her faith in the God of Israel. After her husband died, she promised her loyalty to her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth also promised her loyalty to Naomi's God. Ruth followed through on her promise by refusing to abandon Naomi but instead she made an oath to do the best she could for the rest of her life to care for her.

This oath took her to the wheat fields of a man named Boaz. As an impoverished, foreign, single woman, taking care of her impoverished elderly widowed mother-in-law Ruth took on the work of gleaning. Basically this meant that she crawled about on the edges of a wheat field following after the harvesters picking up stray grains of wheat that were dropped. This was a dirty, degrading and dangerous thing for a woman to do. If you know the story, you know that Boaz, the owner of the field, saw Ruth and immediately made sure that she was protected from being abused by the male harvesters, she was given extra wheat, told to come drink the water set out for the hired workers whenever she got thirsty and she was invited to sit and have the daily meal with them.

Although I've always believed this story, I always wondered why it was that Ruth caused Boaz, a well-to-do land owner and respected businessman, to take such interest in this dirty, wretched foreign woman. BUT, now it made perfect sense. God revealed to us that this man Boaz was the son of "Rehab the Harlot". All his life he must have known of God's mercy and protection on the outcast woman. Now when Boaz looked at Ruth, he saw a woman like his own mother. His heart, or his sense of justice must have been stirred immediately and he acted. He protected her and eventually married her. You really need to read the story of Ruth and see how this all played out.

What did God reveal about himself as we looked at the lives of these two women, Rehab and Ruth? We saw how his design uses the pain and loneliness, the hard times and sadness in life to weave a beautiful masterpiece of grace, provision and redemption.

One more fact about these two women...they are both in the family lineage of King David, and in later generations...Jesus Christ.

Taking a Break...

2009-10-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Last week I wrote about a great new book that our group was planning on beginning together. The book is really great and I hope that we will go through it as a group, but I was off on my timing. We are not going to begin it now. This past week both Rita and I were sensing the same thing regarding our group. When we got together to talk it over it was decided that we would take a break from our weekly meetings until after the first of the year.

During this break we will pray about how God wants our group to change, how He wants it to stay the same and who will be in leadership. It is not an easy decision to suspend our meetings. And we are not doing this because we think the Lydia Ministry is not important...NO, we are doing this because this ministry is very important and that means it's important to do it right.

During this time of waiting and praying please let us know if you have comments or suggestions for how we may improve our ministry.

I hope to continue updating the blog. I may post some thoughts and insights I've had while reading the bible. Insights on the nature of evil; thoughts about what might happen to us when we die; thoughts about why God put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden or why He sent Satan and his fellow fallen angels to this planet in the first place. If you're wondering now if we're suspending the meetings because I'm loosing my marbles, don't worry...I haven't had any marbles for a long time.

As always please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions or thoughts.

shelly

The Rich Single Life, Abundance, Opportunity & Purpose in God

2009-10-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

Last week was a transition week for our group. We are just at the cusp of starting to go through a great book that was recommended to us by one of our members. More on that later.

Last week at our meeting we considered a very familiar passage. It's in Luke chapter 6, verses 46-49. Jesus tells a story of two men who build houses. One man builds a house by first digging down into the solid rock . This house has a firm foundation. The other man builds his house quickly on the ground without any foundation.

Okay - so you've probably heard this one before, maybe you even know the song from your days in Sunday School. (If you don't and you are very brave, I could sing it to you next week.) What's the point? Well, of course it's a better plan to build a house on a firm foundation. That fact is proven at the end of the story when a storm comes and the house with the firm foundation stands and the house built on the ground with no foundation falls apart.

We all want to be the wise person who builds our house on the firm foundation, right? But, what was Jesus really saying? As he told this story I can imagine him looking at the faces of many people who had come to hear him teach. Jesus had just finished preaching one of the most famous sermons ever preserved, The Beatitudes. People were blown away by his wisdom and the authority that he spoke with. I can imagine that they were hanging on his every word,

And, then Jesus tells the story of these two builders.

What is easy to miss about this story is that these two people start off at the same place. Jesus says that they both heard his words. They both were part of the same congregation. The difference comes with what the two men did with the words they just heard.

And why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and do not do what I say?
"Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words, and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:
he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
"But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."

Ladies, this message hits me every time. What am I doing with Jesus' words? Am I acting on them, am I letting the teaching of Jesus really shape my life? Or, do I hear the teaching and then act the same as I did before? How about you?

In the weeks ahead we'll go through the book mentioned above. It's called, The Rich Single Life. I am confident that this book is based on words of Christ that will provide you with the tools needed for good foundation building. If you would like to purchase a copy you may do so buy typing:

www.SovereignGraceStore.com

in your browser and then follow the directions. The books are only $6 per copy.

I hope you can make it to our meeting, at Cross Creek Church this Saturday at 10:30am.

If you need babysitting please let me know (there will be a boxcar rally going on this Saturday too, so if you are involved in that with your kids, we hope you'll have a great time and we'll see you the week after).

Love,
Shelly

stimbol@comcast.net

Let's Try Something New

2009-10-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last week one of our Lydia members gently nudged me to pay more attention to our blog. With the nudge came a suggestion to post our weekly reminders and info here instead of on emails. This sounds like a good idea, so let's try it out...

Do you have plans for Saturday? Would you like to have plans for Saturday? Would you like to come to the Lydia Ministry meeting at Cross Creek Church at 10:30am and meet with other single women, like you who are looking to find purpose in life and wanting to learn more about you place in God's plan?

Well, I hope you answered, "no" - "yes" and "yes".

This week I am looking forward to sharing something that I see in many of the parables of Christ. You know Jesus talked a lot about the Kingdom of Heaven, in doing so He often talked of two groups of people. I want to take some time this weekend and consider what Jesus was saying and why this theme was so important that He kept bringing it up over and over in His teaching...are you interested?

Please come -

The week following this one we will begin going through the book, The Rich Single Life, written by Andrew Farmer. We'll have a couple of copies at the meeting this week. It's really a great book, I think it will be valuable for all.

If you will need babysitting at our location during the meeting please let me know.

Love,

Shelly
stimbol@comcast.net

I Keep a Blog Like I Keep a Journal -

2009-07-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

If you are newly checking out this site because someone handed you a Lydia Ministry card - welcome. I hope that you will also send me an email if you have any questions about our group. My email address is stimbol@comcast.net or, you could send it to the address on the card, that comes to me too. Our group meets on Saturday mornings, 10:30 at Cross Creek Church in Saint Johns, FL.

This coming week (July 18) at our group we will put on our thinking caps. If you are as old as me you might remember the TV show Romper Room, if you do you might remember the "thinking caps". It's funny the things you remember. Anyway, what we will think about is what we REALLY want in life, what is REALLY the most important thing to us. Whatever that is it will take a place of such importance that it will shape our behaviors, emotions and even our relationships.

We are going to imagine our hearts as having a royal throne and we'll try to imagine what or who is on that throne. Truly we all have someone or something on the throne and whatever is there is ruling you. You may not even realize who or what that is...or you may know and want that thing or person removed, but how can you do that? What or who should be on the throne?

Please come on Saturday. We'll look at this together.

Shelly

Unlikely Invitation

2009-02-27T12:46:00.000-08:00

As I was putting together the lesson for our meeting on Saturday morning I was struck by the immensely unlikely invitation we have been given. The lesson this week will center on "Who is Jesus". So, I began scouring the biblical index in the front of my bible (that index is great) and I found 228 names for Jesus! I was floored. Here is a sampling:

Advocate, Alpha and Omega, Ancient of Days, Anointed of the Lord, Beloved of God,

Bread of Life, Bridegroom, Christ a King, Counselor, Deity, Door,

First-born of the dead, Friend of sinners, Good Teacher, Great High Priest,

Great Shepherd, Guardian of souls, Head of every man, Holy One, Husband,

Image of God, Immanuel, King of Kings, Lamb of God, Light of the world,

Man of sorrows, Mediator, Messiah, Physician, Prince of Life, Rock,

Rock of offense, Savior, Truth, Wonderful, Word

Just look at this list! This is the best effort that can be made to assign words to the Son of God who loves and leads us. What really hit me hard is that this wonderful Savior asks me to follow Him. When I took the time to really think about who he is, the invitation to follow this amazing Jesus is just too much. I am struck by how unworthy I am. How can I approach the footsteps of this leader and attempt to walk behind Him? Who am I to even try?

But in this realization of my own unworthiness I think I am beginning to better understand the intimate nature of the names written above. They are not just titles, they are descriptions of the various facets of the relationship He has drawn me into. If you are a Christian the same is true for you.

Isn't that beyond words?

Living in Today

2008-12-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the end of 2008 fast approaching or the prospect of a new year beginning, but the subject of time is on my mind. I had a conversation with someone the other day who was experiencing sadness with her current place in life. She feels that life does not fit her now. She longs for the future where she thinks things will be so much better. This hope for the future got me thinking about other conversations that I've had with others who long for the days gone by. In these conversations beliefs that the best days have already occured and there is nothing in the future but a downward slide permeate the thinking.

Both these points of view are very familiar to me. I can relate to feeling them both at different times in my life, are they familiar to you? Can you recall a time when you just could not wait for something in your life to occur? It could have been something you were hoping for, working toward or believing would be the best day(s) of your life? Perhaps you even remember a time when you were counting down the months, weeks and days until "it" happened.

Maybe you are remembering how great "it" was and wish it could be like that again. After all, "it" did not last all that long. Maybe you long for a place in your life in the past when youth was carefree, when your body was more in shape and you felt like life was more simple. Maybe there was a time in your past where money was not a worry or your family was just as you wanted it. But those days are gone. You long for them.

Wouldn't it be great to be free of these longings? I believe that we can. God does not want us to focus either in single minded anticipation for the future or single minded pining after the past. When we do this we are not experiencing joy for the day we are in, we are not being thankful or appreciative of the life we are given today. The Apostle Paul wrote the following to the church that started in Lydia's house:

"Always be joyful in the Lord! I'll say it again: Be joyful! Let everyone know how considerate you are. The Lord is near. Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God's peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus."

(Philippians 4:4-7, God's Word Translation)

Today will only last one day. This day will never come again. What opportunities to help others, or learn more about your God or thank Him might you miss today if you are either rushing this day by reaching for tomorrow, or ignoring today all together while reminiscing over the past? Think of all the things we'd miss if we live like this for a whole week, or a month. Do you think it's possible to get stuck for months at a time in this kind of time trap? Oh, I hope that we don't let this happen. There is so much to live for - TODAY.

2008-10-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

The following entry was given to me by a woman whose courageous faith has been greatly tested. Hers is a testimony of God's presence and love. The words below show her interpretation of God's love on his daughters...

I want you to discover your worth to me. I will carry you, and whatever path you take, I will never leave you or forsake you. Put aside your worries and your fears. I understand you are weary and tired. I believe you have come to a new awareness of Me, and you are making an effort to lean on Me in making wise decisions, and that is all I require.

Remember to be still, and know that I alone am God. I understand that there are many times you feel lost and alone. I know you have fears and doubts about the future. I hold your future in my hands. Nothing will ever separate my love from you. Hold on to that promise. My plans are perfect for you. As a child of mine, nothing can stop you from receiving your inheritance from Me. It's in realizing that although I am with you, you cannot sit around and just wish everything to be okay, I expect you to pray for direction before every move and then go forward with my direction.

Do not mourn over what life has dealt you, rise up in my strength. Remember not to speak words that encourage the enemy or he will keep up the attack. You don't drown by falling into the water; you drown by staying there. I am available to you at all times. Cease striving to understand reasons, and let my Spirit control you. I am at work in your life today and I am completing what I have begun in you. My mission will be accomplished in your life.

Strive to get past those feelings of insignificance - remember what you mean to me. My hand will catch you when you fall, and I will give you strength to fly again. You have never been loved by anyone the way I love you. I will never take my love back. Read the Bible until you believe it, for it is there that you will find all you need. Nothing you have ever done has changed my mind about you. My love is and will remain unconditional. The fact that I love you even when you are wrong is what gives you the power to right the wrongs. You can't change where you've been but you can change where you're going. Exhale the past and get it out of your system. Allow the pain that torments you to drive you into my arms.

I am waiting expectantly to be gracious to you and to show you the loving kindness I have for you. I am looking for opportunities to be good to you. Remember to speak about the successes you expect in your life, not the failures you've experienced, unless they've made you stronger. I will always bless you if you bless others.

Adversity has its advantages. If you are regretting your past, remember that I am looking at your future. I am a God of second chances and new horizons. Do not obsess over your past for it will rob you of the future. Forgive and love yourself. Wipe your slate clean, as I have, and move on. Let go of what's behind and press on to what is ahead. Rest in the fact that I already know everything about you - your name, your thoughts and exactly where you are and how you are feeling, at every moment. I know the balance in your checkbook, the bills you have to pay, the weariness in your soul; the anxiety in your heart and all that overshadows your soul. You are my daughter, and as you take this walk, I am with you.

Reproduced with permission from the author - Anita King

Exhausted...

2008-09-29T03:31:00.000-07:00

Life easily fills up with many necessary activities that need to be carried out. Most of us need to work, we need to attend to household finances, we need to take care of our own basic health requirements, (you know...eating, exercising and sleeping). Well, there's the necessities, but there are also many important activities that rise to the place of necessity. Spending time with family members, being present when our kids want our company - and sometimes even more so when they don't. We may be a member of a club, or support group, or have a regular meeting with a friend or two that has become a life line for you. And then there are the unexpected demands on your time, doctor appointments, car repair, household maintenance, friends who need you...and the list goes on.

What's missing?

Spending time, alone, with your One constant in this life...God. This precious time is sadly so easily pushed to the side for many of us. We think we can talk to him as we drive to work, or "maybe I'll listen to some Praise music later, that always makes me feel better". Those things aren't bad, but it really does not substitute for the relationship building that we experience between us and Christ Jesus when we go to a lonely place, away from other distractions and read what he wants to say to us in his Bible and then talk to him about it.

I am easily taken away from this time spent with him, but I know I need this. This should be at the top of my necessity list. I hope you will agree with me that it should be at the top of all of our necessity lists. If so, let's go to the lonely place and meet with Him - today.

An excerpt from the book, The Gospel of Ruth

2008-07-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Did you ever come across a passage in a book that captures your own thoughts so well that you feel as if the author had reached inside you to describe your convictions - only she did it with much better prose than you ever could? This happened as I read the following passage. It was written by Carolyn James.

"In his letters, Paul promotes earthshaking views of women that fly in the face of human culture. He speaks in radical ways of the single woman, most of whom in his day were widows. According to the apostle, a woman alone is neither incomplete nor needy, but an asset to God's people. Although she is free to remarry, he believes she will be "happier if she stays as she "is" (1 Corinthians 7:39-40). His high view of single women in no way disparaged men or marriage, but simply reflected what he found to be true in his own life - that singles are unencumbered with family concerns and can therefore live "in undivided devotion to the Lord" (1 Corinthians 7:32-35). It also conveys Paul's conviction that women are indispensable in advancing the gospel of Christ.
Instead of viewing the "lack" of a husband as a deficiency that needs to be explained (and also remedied), as many Christians think today, Paul equates singleness with greater freedom to serve God and a path to rich satisfaction. Instead of seeing a husband as a woman's salvation, he rightly points to Jesus as the true source of every women's fulfillment. It would be interesting to see how the church today, and how the church's reputation might improve with women outside the church if we actually embraced Paul's liberating teaching regarding women - if we prized, equipped, and mobilized them for the kingdom as he did.
Officially, the New Testament church at an early stage took seriously their responsibility for widows who lacked family or other resources. The office of deacon was instituted initially to address this pressing need. However, these women were not always on the receiving end, but gave of themselves in ministry to the church in a variety of ways. (emphasis added by me) Paul describes the ministering widow as "well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds" (Timothy 5:10). Some believe widows "made charitable and pastoral house calls and taught younger women 'what is good.'" Although we don't know a lot of details about the order of widows, "it is clear from the pastoral letter that an office for older women not only existed in the church but was large and active enough to require detailed regulation."

Ladies, I hope that this passage grabs you, or at least intrigues you. Let me hear from you if you have questions or comments. (If this blog is hard to log on to, you can always contact me at: stimbol@comcast.net )

Shelly

Who Do You Have on a Pedestal?

2008-04-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's meeting Rita asked us the question, "Who do you have on a pedestal?". For some of us this is not a hard question to answer. We know immediately who we look up to as a person of great wisdom or achievement. For others we may think about this for a moment and decide we have no one on a pedestal. All of our heroes have fallen. There is no one to look up to any longer. Ah, but don't think that pedestal stays empty. Is it possible that if your hero has fallen off the center stage of your affection that someone closer to you has moved into the spotlight? Is it possible that the "someone" is you?
Well, what does it matter? Doesn't everyone have to look up to someone? If others have let you down, isn't it a good thing to be proud of yourself and be the center of your own destiny? These may be things that you have heard others tell you, they may be things that sound sort of good, but this is not good thinking.
In the biblical book of Hebrews, chapter 3 and verses 3-4 we read:

"Jesus deserves more praise than Moses in same way that the builder of a house is praised more than the house. After all, every house has a builder, but the builder of everything is God."

If you and I were to plug ourselves into the analogy given above, we also are a house that was built by God. And, as such God deserves more praise than any of us, even on our best day.
Please consider if you have Him first in your life today.
Is He and He alone on your pedestal?

An Opportunity to Help

2008-03-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

For all of you who know Laurie and would like to show her your love and support in a very practical way here is how you can do that. Wednesday and Thursday evenings are especially difficult nights for this family of four. Bringing a meal to them on one of these nights would be a wonderful help. For directions to their house or to coordinate a night you may contact me or send a comment to the blog leaving your first name.
Thank you - shelly

God's Love For You

2008-03-13T03:39:00.000-07:00

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no
compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget,
I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."
Isaiah 49:15-16

If you are a mother or ever been around a nursing mother you can understand how seemingly impossible it is that a new mom could forget about the baby she has just given birth to. Not only is there overwhelming love that floods the mother's being for this child, but she will experience physical pain if she were to go too long in between feedings. And, her baby is not usually very quiet about needing to be fed either! So, for a mother to forget her little baby is almost unbelievable. But, God says it is more possible for that new mother to forget her infant than it is for Him to forget you.

God's love for you is evident even in the word picture He's painted for us. This is a description of love that is full of meaning for women. We can identify with this love, we can feel it. It grabs us in a deep place in our soul. Do you think that God doesn't know that? He is whispering in the deepest part of your understanding "I love you this much". It's almost like a message seen by all, but truly comprehended to the full by women.

But, the passage does not end with the illustration of a mother's love. It goes on to show us His hands and the Lord tells us He has our names " engraved" on them. And, indeed He does. When Jesus went to the cross His hands were pierced through for you and me. After He rose from the tomb three days after his execution He showed the wounds on His hands to His followers to prove to their incredulous minds that He was their friend who was nailed to a cross and died for them. Yes, He loves you this much. He carries with Him always, in His body the physical reminder of you. He Loves you.

Reflections of today's meeting

2008-03-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

It's always a great time when we get together. "Great" is not always full of laughter, sometimes "great" also includes some tears, but nevertheless meeting together is a blessing.
On this first blog, it is my hope to dedicate this means of communication to the women who bear the weight of leading their households by themselves. I hope that this blog will become a pathway for encouragement as well as a means of communication.
Today I was struck by the variety of life experiences that have brought our particular group together, some of you have been divorced for years, others are going through this painful experience now, some women are widows with young children, or widows whose children are grown, and a few are women whose husbands are seriously ill. What we all have in common is that the life that we thought we'd have, the one that was in the storybook...did not happen.
There is one other very important thing that we have in common. That thing is reliance on the God of the Bible for strength; for life; for today and for tomorrow.
In upcoming blogs I hope to post some of the practical needs of the women in our group. This blog is new to me and I am still learning the process, so please be patient as I bump along.
Thank you - shelly