I've Fallen and I Can't Get Back Up!

I don’t know if you have noticed that as you age sitting down on the floor is not the problem. The problems incurs when it is time to rise and move from that spot. The knees ache, the back gets sore; your bones creak like the floor of an old house. As I have aged slightly (I am still a young chick; in my mind at least) I have noticed that I tend to avoid the posture of sitting on the floor. Is it because I do not enjoy sitting on the floor? I rather do enjoy sitting around on the floor, just hanging out. It is when the getting up has gotten harder that I find myself sitting less.

In the bible we see Mary sitting at Jesus feet. Now there are truly more ramifications of that moment than I tend to tear into at this time, but I am captured by her position. In her day sitting at the feet of a teacher was akin to going to college. You were not chosen by your school you were chosen by your teacher. Did I mention she was a girl?? In the time that Mary was in the world women were not chosen to learn anything other than “women’s work”. It would have been earth-shattering in that day for a woman to be at the feet of any Rabbi or teacher.

Although I am captured by the thought of how progressive this was at the time again I go back to the whole sitting posture. There she is, sitting as Jesus’ feet; leaning on every word he spoke. As though time matter not, where her whole world stopped. It wasn’t like there was a ton to do that day in her house. Obviously if God is coming over for dinner you want to make a good impression. We all know about Martha in the kitchen seething as her sister is just sitting there.

Is Mary with so much work to be done wrong in her posture? Being a Martha in my own right I used to get a little ticked off at how Mary, just sitting there, was praised. Then it hit me! BAM! That was it, right there in my own phrasing… Mary was sitting. She wasn’t distracted, she wasn’t worried, she wasn’t anxious, she wasn’t planning, and she wasn’t caught up in her own world. What she was doing however was allowing Jesus to teach her, and in that posture she was worshiping.

In her own body posture she was “doing”; doing the work of the Lord by spending time with Jesus. I have found the longer I walk with Jesus the less I have gotten down on the floor so to speak, and spent time at his feet. There is always someone to take care of, a sermon to watch, people to reach, and don’t you know it is all up to me! Somewhere in my every day comings and goings I forgot my life is about sitting at Jesus feet. If everything I do is done out of the strength that I gain in those moments then why don’t I do it more often?

That is where I am at in my life. I found myself at the end of all hope that I can do it by myself. I need Jesus so much just to be a functional human being. I have to have days of rest, nights of sleep, and long moments sitting as His feet; listening to His instructions. I am not strong in myself, I am not together in myself, and I am not capable in myself. It is only by sitting at His feet that I am strong, together, and capable.

Do you know why getting up is harder as you age? Simply because you stop using the muscles you used to use in getting up. It is a vicious cycle… Sit down more and getting up will actually get easier. Just like spending time with Jesus more makes your whole life worth living. Blessings!

Whoever Speaks it, Stinks it

I live in a house all "dudes" except for our little dog Nyla. Being the only two legged female in the house I have come to realize that I have subtly become immune to things that previously grossed me out. When I was a young woman, raised by a single mom, in a female world I held certain ideals about life. For example everyone thinks in "feeling" words, and everyone is embarrassed by the body eliminating gas from it. The reality some 20 years later is in fact "dudes" do not think in feeling words and gas is something of a spontaneous eruption of laughter from the entire company. In our house we have a game, please Ladies hang with me for just a moment, that when one passes gas they do not confess to it. When the time comes that everyone in the room is suddenly aware of the corrosive odor the task of assigning the assailant begins.

In the chaos that ensues usually the offender of the noxious odor will yell, “Whoever smelt it, dealt it!” of “Whoever speaks it, stinks it”. What should be completely offensive to me have become fun and a source of laughter!  In recent months I have been moving through a process called Humility. It has been gut wrenching and made me see the last season of my life in a different light. I have always been prideful, and have seen life through the lens of how life affects me. What should have been offensive to me became a joke, what should have sent me to the Cross kept me hidden in shadows. I had allowed myself to become immune to things that should have grossed me out. This process of desensitization happens gradually especially in the culture of church leadership.

Humility vs. Pride is a battle that our culture has become gripped with and yet many of us are rooting for the wrong side. Humility is not natural, it is not easy and it must become central to ever Believers life. Pride is natural, it is how we are born, and the lens we most often view our lives through.

Humility says, “I need God”. If you have become a Christian then you had a moment of humility when you asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life. Can you be a Christian and be prideful? Absolutely! Pride is so great at hiding itself in the mask of humility that it is often hard to see; even in one’s self. In recent years I enjoyed the first half of the book by Andrew Murray called simply, Humility. In this book written in the late 1800’s Mr. Murray speaks of how easy it is to think of oneself as humble when actually our own emotions are threaded with pride.

Jesus is the perfect picture of humility, correct? Did Jesus ever think of himself as better than anyone in scripture? Did Jesus come to be served, or did Jesus ever feel entitled to anything? Did Jesus think of himself as a door mat? Did Jesus demand the respect of others? Did Jesus do anything independent of God the Father?  Did Jesus demand anything other than the proper view and worship of God the Father?

Pride is demanding, haughty, entitled, and independent. I have found myself demanding, haughty, entitled, and independent therefore I am prideful. Pride says, “God cannot do what he said he would do therefore you must make it happen.”

Humility is aiding and quiet, unassuming, grateful, and completely dependent. Jesus was completely dependent on the Father, he was aiding of the Father, and he took nothing for himself, and died an unassuming death. Death’s desire was to hold him but the power of the resurrection raised him from the dead and he sits at the right hand of the father. Jesus is gloriously humble. How do we wrap ourselves around this concept while being held hostage in the lens of pride. So here is where I am at practically:

1.       Know who God is, and know who I am IN God.

2.       Accept that I am due nothing but a life apart from God but I accept his gift of grace

3.       Everything I have is directly from God and be grateful for everything; including suffering

4.       This is His-Story, not mine, therefore I will do what he purposes

5.       My life is not about the epic mountain top experiences, but it is about the people God places in my everyday comings and goings

 

 

There are many other lessons I am learning but let me leave you with one final thought. God doesn’t force me to grow; he invites me to know him deeper. It is my choice to stay where I am or to move closer. I can direct my attentions towards him and away from him. God is always there, always desires our attention, but will never force us. He is gentle, and gracious. He is slow to anger and abounding in love. Pride tells me walking with God is wrought with difficulties, which are seldom worth the effort, and that everything is fine just like it is. Pride is a constant pull in self-sufficiency while humility is a constant invitation to dependency.

 

Just like I can be in a “dude” dominated home and play along with the guys I know that when something “stinkith” it is most often I. That “I” in pride will tell me it is always someone else’s fault. The next time I smell the lie of independence, blame, and entitlement I will say “Whoever speaks it, stinks it” and allow God to heal my heart once again, and bring me back to the place of humility.

Enjoying Your Season

When I am sitting in the hot sun with bottles of water litered around me I often wonder why I do this to myself. On an average baseball season with my boys I will sit through around 120 games and most of them are in the heatof Summer. I dream of the days of Fall that will bring the crisp through the air. During the fall at football games I am bundled up with sweatshirts, blankets, and a thermos full of hot coffee and wonder why do I do this to myself? I dream of the days of Spring that are warm and refreshing. In the Spring as I watch yet more games I sneeze my head off and dream of the long Winter where everything dies and nothing bothers my allergies.

Winter, the season where life goes bare. The leaves have fallen from the tree and you see the entire shape of the tree. All the crooks, bends, the wounds from the year, and even the dead branches that have to come off. I am that tree when Winter comes.

I spend three seasons in my life waiting for another season to find relief from my current situtation. What if instead of always looking ahead I stop and enjoy each season for what it brings. In the Spring there is new life, growth, birth, and beautiful colors. In the Summer there is warmth, BBQ's, vacations, and family days on the water. In the Fall there is falling leaves, the return to routine, apple cider, and beautiful colors. The Winter is when I find my rest from my seasons. Instead what if I enjoyed Winter like I did the other seasons? I fine the joy of this season as well instead of viewing it as a large exhale from a long year.

What is the joy of Winter? Most of you are snow-haters but I love the snow. In my opinion if it is going to be cold it might has well snow! Winter is when we celebrate our most festive holidays. Winter is when I have two weeks of my boys gathered around. Winter is when We play no sports! That is the one I am most excited about.

I realize that I am talking about physical seasons but in my life I have spiritual seasons as well. I have seasons of hard, of love, of service, of learning, of lettting go, of rest. The largest lesson I have learned this year is to enjoy each season as it comes. Some seasons are easy, and some are not. Some are peaceful and are some crazy! But God tells us to enjoy each season we experience in our lives because our very life itself will be gone like a vapor.

God used my physical seasons to teach me about my spiritual seasons. I have a glimmer of the season to come

Martha, Martha, Martha...

   As a passionate person I find seasons in my life that I completely "spend" myself for what I am passionate about. If you know me then you know from February to August I watch countless baseball practices and sit through over a 120 games. Is baseball my passion? No~ The two boys who play are my passion. When you are passionate for something you are willing to sacrifice what ever it takes to make your passions happen. Is spending six months of my year running around two kids a sacrifice? You bet! However, if my boys decide at any point to give up baseball and pursue otherthings is that okay? Sure, I will become passionate about what they are passionate about. Passion encourages passion.
   Passion, do you have it? Do you know what it is? It will drive you to sacrifice, give, and go above and beyond what you thought was possible. I tend to be passionate about what I love. Are you like that? Maybe you love a certain coffee, then you probably tell everyone you know about it, right? Maybe you love a band that is off the hook and it is all you talk about. The thing I love the most is Jesus, and He is whom I am most passionate about. When your passionate for someone you love what they love. If you have Bieber-Fever then you love all things Justin. Well I have Jesus-Fever and I love all things Jesus. One thing Jesus loves is his church. In scripture Jesus refers to the church as his Bride, so if I love what he loves then I love the church!
   I see a trend in the American church to "slow down", "don't kill yourself", "don't be a Martha", "Even God rested"... If your a passionate person you have heard these as well. Let's look real quick at the story of Martha and see what is really going on.

 "Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 NKJV

  Martha invites Jesus and probably at least a few disciples into her home and is running around trying to get everything ready. Where Martha goes wrong is not in her serving, it is in her getting her eyes off of Jesus in her serving. You see that she gets distracted with the work and then goes to Jesus to complain about her sister who does have her eyes on Jesus.
  Let me tell you what I find interesting, first Jesus tells Martha that she is worried and troubled. Jesus himself tells us not to worry about anything but in all things with thanksgiving offer up everything in prayer. When you pursue your passions make sure that you keep your eyes on Jesus. In fact bring him right into the middle of your passion! Second, work isn't wrong! Jesus worked while he was on Earth, he served while he was on Earth but his example was to pull back from time to time and spend time with his Father. He didn't take a Sunday off, he didn't go the movies, he didn't take a vacation and all the things well meaning people tell you to do; He spent time alone with his Dad.
  Mary wasn't commended for what she was doing but how she was doing it. Martha wasn't reproved for what she was doing; it was her attitude and HOW she was doing her work. This example in scripture cannot be taken out of context with the rest of the Word. Jesus himself said he came to serve not to be served. Humility is the key!
   Humilty is a lost art in the church. Humilty isn't thinking of yourself as garbage. Scripture says that Jesus was humble, does that mean he thought of himself as junk and not worthy of love? Author Andrew Murray describes humility as, "total dependence on God". Jesus is our example, not other people, not what they do or don't do. The church has to keep Jesus as the example and the standard. Be humble because Jesus was humble, serve because Jesus served, sacrifice because Jesus sacrificed, those are the examples of how to live a life of humilty.
   Whether your passionate about coffee, your kids, Jesus or all of the above you have to keep humility as the key. I have "spent" myself in this season for Jesus but I have done so by spending time alone with him and keeping him in the middle of everything I do. I can't focus on what others do or don't do because that becomes a stumbling block. I simply can love Jesus and do all he asks of me... So while you look at me and might think, "Martha, Martha, Martha"  all I really want you to see is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...

The Roman Road

Have you ever had one of those moments that you know you are hearing the voice of God speak but your not really sure you like what your hearing?  I know, how could God speak and I not want to listen? There are times the prophets heard God speak and not want to listen, Jonah for one comes to mind. I am having one of those serious gut check moments.

God always gives you what you need but not always in a way that is easy. For most of my life the easy way has proved to be allusive. I love to communicate, and those of you who personally know me know that statement to be true.  I have always wanted to do a couple of things. First, I have always wanted to teach, as long as I can remember I have loved learning a new concept then turning around and teaching it to someone else. Second, I have always wanted to speak. I can hear the roar of laughter now coming from all of you who know that yes, I love to talk. That however is not what I am talking about; speaking to crowds is what I mean! I actually enjoying getting up in front of a crowd and speaking, weird I know.  Finally, I have always wanted to write, and that is where the gut check comes in. 

I can teach, and I can speak but writing doesn't come near as natural to me. I was always good in Engish class but then I remember that I graduated with a GED, and how absurd would it be that I would write. Yet, that is exactly what I hear God saying to me: communicate now through written words. What? Are you kidding, I write a Blog God, and isn't that enough?

So, with the tune of "I'm Diving In" by Steven Curtis Chapman playing in my head; here goes!  I am spending the Fall of this year with the Lord. I am going to try and write a devotional that will take you exegetically (from start to finish) through the book of Romans with humor (I hope) and biblical insight ( I pray). So pray for me while I am on the Roman Road with Jesus. Remind me of this moment of obedience when I faulter, and lift me up when I have no words. I will be blogging about the process and may even invite a few of you in from time to time for help. So, here I come Roman Road!!!

Where Am I? How Did I Get Here?

"What are you doing here Elijah?' This is how God opens a conversation with Prophet Elijah after he has just run for his life. One minute he is on top of Mt. Carmel calling out the prophet of Baal and the people for idol worship. He asks God to consume a great sacrifice, which God does in a miraculous way, and then with a boldness that is nothing less than shocking he starts praying for rain after a three year drought. WOW! Talk about a mountain top experience! Elijah asked God to do these awesome wonders and God found it pleasing to answer him by a consuming fire and bringing the rains. Then he runs faster than a chariot back down the mountain after it rains. Now, come on; that is some really cool stuff!

Then on his race down the mountain he comes upon Jezebel, the King's wife, who threatens to kill him. In a moment he changes courses and runs straight into a valley and asks to die. So after this huge display of God's power he gets freaked out and panics. After an angel revives him he is left alone and then God asks him this question, "What are you doing here Elijah."

Skipp, my husband, preached a sermon a couple of weeks ago and used this story at the end of his sermon. As I sat there I heard God ask me the same question, "What are you doing here Becky?" As if I could see clearly for the first time I realized that I was not at all where I was supposed to be, and how did I get here?
That question was not one of anger, or even surprise, but because He had a better place for me to be.

Now let me say this has nothing to do with a physical place, it wasn't like God was asking me why are you at Life Fellowship Church. I knew he meant, "why are you spiritually in this place of complacency?" How did I get there yet once again? I think it was too much busyness and not enough investment of my relationship with God. I was letting my life live me...

Intimacy happens over time, diving deeper and deeper into your relationship. When one person quits coming around, quits talking, and lets everything else take priority; how do you feel? It was like I was texting God for the things I needed but never went to him for what I really needed... more Jesus!

I need him every day! Every single moment of every single day I need our relationship. I need the Word of God, I need the Spirit of God, and he wants me. "What are you doing here?" Is not a question of condemnation but of invitation. It has been since February since I blogged, and I allowed life to get in the way of living. No more! I am taking God up on his invitation to intimacy and going to spend more time with him. So if you are wondering where you are and how you got there, then take God up on his invitation too!

Friend or Friendlies?

This week I have been reading the book, "Real Marriage," by Mark and Grace Driscoll and found God speaking to me about something quiet surprising. Friendship! Of course you and your spouse should be friends and Skipp and I are best friends at that. However, that was not the friendships God was talking to me about.

I am going to get a little honest with you here; I have very few friends. Most of you who read this will probably think that statement to be ludicrous. I can hear you all now, "You have me! I am your friend! You have all kinds of friends Becky." After you read this blog you will come to the same realization that I have and that you too have very few friends.

Friendship is something that is taken for granted in our culture. For example I have 503 "friends" on Facebook. Really, 503? I probably know all of those people but are they really friends? The bible says in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone may lay down his life for his friends." Of those 503 people on Facebook how many would I lay my life down for, or they for me? Very few I imagine.

True friendship is hard, time consuming, and costly. I have people in my life that I have been friendly with for 15+ years but I am coming to realize we really aren't friends. So how am I defining what a friend is? Let me show you...

"Friendship is costly in everything- time, energy, emotion and sometimes money." Mark Driscoll

"Friendship is to make conversation, to share a joke, to perform mutual acts of kindness, to read together well -written books, to share in trifling and in serious matters, to disagree though without animosity-just as a person debates with himself-and in the very rarity of disagreement to find the salt of normal harmony, to teach each other something or to learn from one another, to long with impatience for those absent, to welcome them with gladness upon their arrival" Augustine from Confessions

I have Skipp, my best friend! The one I share everything with, who I am naked both physically and emotionally in front of. I bare my life with him and sees everything and loves me anyways. If your spouse isn't your best friend then you have work to do. No one should know you better, or love you more.

I have three other women in my life that are truly, by the above statements, my friends. These women are all of differing ages, personalities and vocations. Being all different they do share some common similarities. They all share themselves, the good, the bad, the ugly- honest, raw, and totally unguarded. They all bring every conversation back to Jesus- always back to His words, His promises, and His truths. They make effort to love and be loved- they are unselfish in our friendship. Finally, even when we disagree we never have hurt feelings because there is a safety that what ever happens we have each other's best in mind.

I have many, many, many friendlies! These are the people that I live my life around whom I enjoy and they enjoy me. I have many rich and great friendlies! I am actually very blessed in my life, but I don't have the ability to love all of them the way I do the above four people. Jesus had many followers, 12 disciples, and 3 friends, and he was God!

What do you do if you don't have anyone in your life like I do? Ask yourself this question-
Am I a good friend to others? Sometimes we don't have friendships because we aren't a good friend, we are selfish, and unloving. We are in it for what it gives me not what it will cost me- this is true in marriage and in life~

I am blessed with very few friends, and many friendlies. I grieved this lesson because I would love to everyone be a friend, but I will be content with being friendly to everyone. Be blessed and have a great weekend!

Unfair Trade

It is that time of year again~ For me, it is the time of year that we transition out of our hold up of Winter and head into our busy Spring that includes cleats, running shoes, baseballs, and lots and lots of watching my kids compete. We spend the winter coming together, growing and enjoying just being a family after 9 months of track, baseball, and football. This year though I seem to not only becoming into that season with my family but also my life.

I have spent the last six years in a winter season almost like a caterpillar being transformed in a cocoon. I have spent six years being completely transformed from the inside out. In that six years I lost sixty pounds, went from having little kids to teenagers, came to appreciate who I really am and actually like her a lot, become totally captured with my husband, and fallen totally in love with Jesus. Am I saying before this time that I didn't love Jesus, or I wasn't digging my husband? No, but I couldn't love them they way they deserved until I woke up and loved the girl inside.

Did I spend those six years comfortable? Uh~ NO! Those were some of the hardest years in my life and yet that is exactly what I needed to become who God knew I was all along. You see we run from hardships, we curse God when life is tough, we yell and scream and kick at the injustice of it all. I admit I did that sometimes, but what I see looking back is I needed the pressure of those circumstances to propel me into a deep walk with Jesus.

If you have a good job, with a good life, good kids, good marriage, and a good church where is your motivation for a GREAT God? I look back and I was just a two dimensional version of who I am now. Now I feel like Dorthy coming into the land of Oz after living a black and white existence.

Usually when we are going through trouble or pressure we feel like God or life is unfair. You know what is really unfair? That the very one that created us had to take on our sins and pay for our death with his life. That is the most unfair trade in the history of mankind! So I will take my pain, my trouble, my sickness, my child with a disability, my church that is a mess, my marriage that is unkind, my rebellious kids, my old cars, my lack of income, my... whatever you choose to put in there and realize that nothing I go through will ever compare to what Jesus did for me. What I go through today shapes who I am tomorrow, so today instead of feeling sorry for yourself, and beating yourself up why don't you just ask God this question:

If you laid your life down for me then you must have a plan for my life. What lessons do I need to learn from my circumstances to teach me who you know I already am to live out the life you saved me for?

 For the record, I am now completely different six years later. If you don't like where you are today are you brave enough to let God completely change you? I am glad I let him change me, because you know... I am a pretty neat person because greater is He that is in me! Thanks Jesus for the unfair trade! I will take it any day!

My Position

Today I changed my position! No, not politically, but personally... Today after a combination of prophetic words, scriptures, and a Holy Spirit moment I have found myself in a new position; I really don't care!

Before you all go crazy, and think I have given up and must be spiraling towards depression, I must confess that this is 10+ years in the making... God spoke to me on my 24rth birthday that I needed to learn to be "abandoned" to Him. Looking back I see the steps on the path of the impossible to get me to this point but I have arrived. I am in place of holy contentment that is surrender yet I am starving for more of Him...

I thought when I got to this point of abandon that I would be floating around, you know so holy my feet don't touch the ground. Instead I see my failings, my inability to control my own destiny and I don't care, because He has very big hands. I am here in the palm of His unfailing hands, being held ever so gently, and I must confess I still crave more!

I have had a year of chaos in my own heart, a desperate fight against my own head and heart. I have for years longed to live at peace in my inner being and yet felt so chaotic. I think after today I realized that the more power I give Him, you know, through surrender, obedience, confession, and such; the more peaceful I get.

You know something? The old me, would hate the new me! This girl is just simply here to serve and love and enjoy the pleasure that he gives me. I like this, in fact, I love this! I pray that everyone could feel the tear of holy contentment and rising fire of desperation for more. What an awesome place!

Thanks for letting me share my journey with you, I really feel like today is the beginning of something big in my life. If you will join me on the journey, I think this is the beginning of something big for all of us! So, switch your position and just be....

War Cry!

Today in reading my bible I found Psalm 100.

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the Earth!" ESV

Since I am a self-proclaimed bible nerd I got out my Strong's Concordance to see what exactly scripture meant by a "Joyful noise". I found it interesting that the Hebrew word, ruwa', means something a little different than a joyful noise. When you think 'joyful noise' what do you think of? A baby cracking up is what comes to my mind when thinking of a joyful noise, or even just laughter of any kind. (The bible does say laughter is good medicine...)

Ruwa' is a Hebrew verb that actually means to shout, raise a cry, give a blast as in a war cry. So here in Psalm 100 God is telling us to shout a war cry to the Lord. To do that, you would have to have some confidence in who He is and a little bit of confidence in who you are. I think some of the lack of power in God's people comes from a lack of simple vision of who He is and who they are. I would invite you to read the whole text of Psalm 100 because it is an awesome picture of who God is and who we are.

Today when you are going about your day and you are reflecting on the Lord, do you ever intend to give a war cry to Him? It isn't like you are standing in line at Walmart and raise up a might shout to heaven, right? In line at McDonald's at lunch your not going to raise your arm and shout to the Lord in worship are you? Why not?

The bible says to raise a shout of triumph to the Lord of Hosts. Could it be that you don't see your life as a triumph, or that you don't realize who He really is? We allow our culture both in and out of the church to dictate our worship to God, but shouldn't we do what the bible says to do?

A few months ago during our worship service at church my husband Skipp led our church in a shout to the Lord. Now I will tell you that there was a power inside of him that was highly attractive, think Mel Gibson in Braveheart here Ladies. He held his shout and continued to cry aloud for awhile, and honestly I think he surprised himself. He certainly surprise the church as I am not sure they knew what to do.

What Skipp did was totally scriptural but not comfortable, it was powerful but not cultural. When are we going to realize that we are not citizens of the United States but citizens of Heaven. We are the sheep of His pasture, we are the Children of God, we are His and His alone.

So today before I go off and go about my normal daily  routine; I plan to give a shout of triumph! I am going to give a war cry, a declaration that my allegiance is to Him, to Jesus. My life is a triumph, any saved life is a triumph. Maybe the power that we are missing as a church is because we aren't feeling powerful ourselves. So today, I will raise a triumphant war cry as a declaration of my allegiance to the King of the Universe and hold nothing back, simply because the Bible tell me so...

This is WAR!

 "Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;  he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples^[a] under me." Psalm 144


In recent months our young men (16, 13, and 10) have taken to playing more war type games. Gone it seems are the days of racing, Mario, and Donkey Kong, and instead a  replacement of  Golden Eye, Modern Warfare, and Blazing Angels.. I have noticed as I walk into the rooms with their faces intently plastered to the TV screen such words as, "your dead! I killed you! So long sucker! This is war!"  I personally am not overly feminine but I have become more "girly" through the years


So at first I was uncomfortable with such strong language and still am to some degree with our 10 year old. However, through the ages of history when a boy reached 13 he was no longer a boy and instead a man. I am looking at my 13 year old, who could pass for 11 easily, and the idea of him being a man is strange. I look at my 16 year old and it is easier for me to see him as a man considering he wears what looks like a shabby Amish beard. 


Historically, boys were taught at a young age to be men. The were taught the value of hard work, that women were to be taken care of, and that they were made to fight. I look at my guys and I realize that I haven't done a very good job of showing them those things. I have done a good job of making them good boys, but good men? So like the captain of a giant ocean liner I have taken to the task of turning a ship in mid-stream. Difficult? You bet! Possible? Absolutely!


This year I want them to see the power of God in their lives, and that God can use them, even at their age for war. They too are in a war! They come into contact with the enemy everyday, and it is time I prepare them for battle. Now the idea of them wearing guns instead of ball gloves is crazy, but so is sending them into their battle unarmed. 


How do we arm this generation of young men? First we have to show them who they are in Jesus; It all begins and ends with him. Second, we have to give them something to fight FOR. Women too long have become too willing to feminize and emasculate the men in their lives. True femininity is fierce, bold, and soft... It is okay to let them know you need them, not just bark out orders to them. I need these young men, I am not strong enough to carry in the food they require! Just kidding. 


Seriously though, I have to be someone who invites their masculinity to rise up, and give them a reason to want to protect. Third, I must be submissive to the Lord and their Dad. Fourth, I have to arm them with the Word. Fifth, I must pray!   


Men will rise up and be men, when we expect them to. Women have created an adolescence that lasts much too long. You can see this by the amount of young men who live on their mother's couches playing video games at 25. I declare that I will give my sons the gift of failure and mistakes. I will not protect them so much that God can't use those lessons of doing the wrong things to make them right next time. I have less than 10 years and all my young men will be grown men, probably husbands and fathers. 


My legacy will not be in what I do, but who I raise and who I love. So, from now until they leave my roof, THIS IS WAR!  

Baby Steps (Part 2)

The awkward silence was deafening... Here we all sat ready to eat dinner and there was a new face at the table. I am not sure what I expected but this was not it. Our son so nervous he could hardly stop shaking, and me so confused about a girl who was quiet. This is not what I had expected! The conversation did eventually pick up when we took her home and met her parents. They were not near as shy as this frighten little girl was... All I could think was I know her.

Rewind about 22 years and that was me at the table meeting my boyfriends parents. They politely asked about my parents and about my interests. I remember thinking how nicely they were dressed and how they offered me dessert, a treat I thought reserved for rich people. They were proper and from the East side of town, I was a gabby 14 year old from the West side of town. We did have one thing in common though, we both loved Skipp!

So as I sat there tonight all I could think about was how much this lovely young woman must adore my son to be brave enough to come to dinner to meet his parents. I am sitting here overwhelmed that it is over and yet just beginning all at the same time. I am not ready to marry him off and recognize that there could be several of these first dates with Trevor and a girl but what I recognized in that moment was that anyone Trevor loved, I would love. Just that simple...

Love is a choice and a verb, it is finding what that person needs and giving it to them. This girl needs Jesus, and the security that only His love can bring. I know how desperately I need Jesus then and now, so how can I not love what I see. This year God has challenged Skipp and I to pray simply what we see, and I see a boy who for the first time is thinking about someone else. So, we will walk ever so gently on this road and keep Jesus in the middle.

Baby steps, baby steps to adulthood... Walking slowly away from adolescence and closer to being the man that God made. How could baby steps not make me smile!

Baby Steps (Part 1)

The first born gets the awesome privilege of being first at everything. They come into this world adored and every moment is recorded with awe. By the time you get to that second, third, and so on you have a little less awe and much more wisdom. So here we are with our first born taking another baby step to becoming an adult; the first date!

Our oldest son, Trevor, is going on his first "date" tonight. Let me start by saying that in our home we have some pretty strict rules on "dating". First, your relationship with God must come first and be evident. Second, you must have a job as girls are expensive, and I am NOT paying for your dates. Third, you must involve other people, and lastly you must ask her parents permission to take out their daughter.

So here I am writing this blog and confessing that two out of four isn't bad... Yes he did call and ask her parents for permission, and yes we are going along on this "date". So why are we allowing this when he isn't following the rules. I honestly don't know! As this relationship as developed we have seen a change him, one from selfishness to that of protector. It has me curious to say the least.

I had a long talk with him and told him that if she was the one that God has for him then we needed to know her. I explained that he had two weeks to set up a time for us to take her to dinner and get to know her. To my shock and horror he actually listened! I know, I know...

It is less than an hour and half before Skipp and I take him over to pick her up and I find myself nervous. I am sure not as nervous as he is, but nervous none the less. Is this really happening? Is my son the kind of guy who can handle this? Is this really a big deal? What is my role in all of this? There are many more questions that I don't have the answer to but this I know; I have listened to God and Skipp in this situation and I trust them both, even with my first born son.

I have prayed for this child who is fast becoming a man and I believe with my all my heart that this relationship is God's will for Trevor. What is my role in all of this? That is a question I am seeking God in daily and here is what I have come up with. First, to keep God in the center of everything! Through joy, and pain, blessing and trial, I will keep our Savior in the middle of our lives by prayer, petition, thanksgiving, and obedience. Second, I am to protect him from devastating choices not everyday brain farts! What I mean by that is I have to let him fail in things that don't matter and allow him to learn the lessons that God has for him. I am not to protect him so much that God can't use his failure to make him into the man he wants. Third, I must be kind and loving to anyone that he chooses to bring into our family no matter what! She must see Jesus in me and I have to treat her the way I want to be treated. Finally, I must surrender and trust God with him everyday and in everyway!

This is part one of what I assume will be two parts. By tonight many of my nerves will be calmed and these baby steps will be a thing of the past but the lessons I learn tonight will be for many future events! Help me Jesus with this and every baby step.... (to be continued)

Take It From Jesus!

Our family is looking at our lives different these days, and Skipp challenged us to live stress free. So here is what I am learning...

Looking behind and pressing ahead during this time of year is not only important it is imperative. In our home we have begun to do things differently this year than we have in years past. I really blame it on reading the bible. Have you ever just been going along in your life totally oblivious to whom you have become and then right in the most inopportune time the Holy Spirit whacks you in the head with the obvious?

Romans 12:2 speaks that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This doesn't mean some trans-meditational awareness, but rather allowing the words of Jesus to come into your being and cause you to become something more than you are. So, here I am, laptop open and biblegateway.com up on my screen and all I can say is how have I missed this until now? Missed what you asked? The perfect Christmas plan!

That's right, in red letters in Matthew 6; Jesus tells us exactly how to live out the craziness of the holidays. I know what you're thinking, that I am drawing some pretty big assumptions that Jesus used Matthew 6 as a road map of the holidays but hey, work with me here!

If you look at the headings that break up the chapter here is what you have; Give to the needy, pray, fast, treasures in heaven, and do not worry.... Doesn't that about sum up what Christmas should be? Let's take a quick look at what Jesus says about these.

Give to the needy in private away from public view and you will be rewarded by the Father. That is pretty clear, right? How many people do you know right now in your life that could use something you have or possess? It might be a meal, some money, or possibly even your time, but what is it that you have an abundance of that you can bless others with? Stop for a moment and look around, what do you see? Look at the lives of the people around you and ask God what you could do for them, and then simply do it!

Pray, pray, pray, and then pray some more! I am not talking about hour long devotion times I am talking about in everything keeping your heart and words open to God. The best way to go through your life is to keep a constant conversation going with God about everything. For the record a conversation is two ways so take some time to listen to what he is telling you...

Fasting is one that I am pressing into this year. You can fast from about anything from food to Facebook. The idea behind fasting is to offer yourself to God in place of what you would be doing during that time frame. If it is fasting your meals then during your meals you spend time with God. If it is fasting your iPhone then every time you would check your phone you don't, and you talk to God instead. Whatever you choose it is to honor God, diminish yourself, and draw closer relationally to Him.

The whole treasure in heaven is kind of a big deal at this time of year. So instead of buying a bunch of gifts for people that either you don't really like or won't appreciate your effort try and offer them something that is timeless. Today's treasure becomes tomorrow's garage sale so you might as well just skip the stress and strain! How many things do we really need? I am seriously thinking about buying everyone toilet paper, because we all need toilet paper! I am just kidding, don't worry!

Finally the last thing Jesus leaves us is, "Do not WORRY"... What you need to realize is if you do the above things correctly then you won't worry or stress. Christmas is about the sacrifice of Jesus leaving the perfect fellowship of the Father and Holy Spirit, coming to Earth clothed in humanity while choosing to lay down his deity, and saving mankind through the sacrifice of his flesh. Sacrifice, it wasn't just as he hung on a tree, it started the moment He became Immanuel, God with us. So in light of all of His sacrifices wouldn't it be a slap in the face or a nail in the hand if we His children and friends walk around greedy, self absorbed, grumpy, and anxious?

We live our lives out loud in front of others, so do our lives show that we have anything to offer the world during the holidays? There is enough stress, strain, and greed to go around but shouldn't we operate differently than the world? Aren't we supposed to be IN the world but not OF the world? Then join our family and take it from Jesus; live your Christmas out loud following His word!

Thank Who? Thank You!

The thirty days of Thankfulness are wrapping up and you can tell it by fewer people posting to Twitter and Facebook. I found myself pretty cynical about the whole thing, not that I am cynical about being thankful. Friends posting that they are thankful for modern conviences, hankful for all their wealth and riches, while some are thankful for family and friends. Now I know I am sounding a bit like Scrooge here, but I think we miss the point of being thankful all together.

It is not enough to be thankful for what you have; you must be thankful for who He is!

The bible is full of scripture telling us to give thanks to God as part of our worship. How many of you when going through this thirty days of thankfulness have really thought about why you have what your thankful for? A blog ago I talked about my "why" questions and how God isn't afraid of them. I choose to ask him this powerful "why" question...

"Why do you bless me beyond what I deserve?"

I have a great husband, I mean it, the kind of guy little girls dream of. I have three men-in-the-making who are going to change this world for God. I live in a country where I can worship who, where, and when I choose. I have a lovely home, plenty of food, and more than this girl can really even wrap her head around and all I can come up with is, "why God?"

"I AM, WHO I AM"

God can't help but be a great Dad! He is who is character is, which is love, peace, steadfastness, gentle, just, protective, HOLY, and I could go and on. God is... that is why we offer our thanks to him. Everything I am, are, or will ever be is because He is.

I do not want this to be a normal Christmas season focused on gifts, and stress. I want this to be a peace filled, joyful, holy, special season just like He is. Today I stand up, with hands raised in the air, to just say THANK YOU GOD! FOR YOU ARE....

Flush Away the Flesh

SWHOOOOSSSHHHH.... That would be the sound I hear quite often in my house. Yep, my toilet it seems gets much use in a home with four guys and a little ole me. Not only does it flush when in use, hopefully, but also because it flushes when it is cleaned. I clean clean those toilets all the time because as I said above I have four guys living in the house. Now this might seem strange but God and I have lots of talks while I am around that bowl scrubbing. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the only time God and talk but for some reason I seem to hear him better next to that small white throne. Maybe it is in preparation for the Great White Throne one day!

We have a small group that meets at our house every Friday night, and like most women I feel judged if everything isn't just so. In a week that is often busier than I would like the house and especially the bathrooms can get quite gross. Friday is my dedicated clean day. It is the day of the week that I try not to plan anything, and force myself to stay home. Yes I said force, but I will get to that in a minute.

This last week I had worked longer hours and had taken on some additional responsibilities at work which meant I used additional brain power. So physically I was tired and mentally I was empty. Friday rolled around and I all I wanted to do was go and have fun. Fun for me usually would mean having lunch with a friend or shopping. Even with the temptation of a friend to go lunch I knew I had to clean because of the commitment I made to host our small group. So there I am cleaning most of the morning in my "mad" cleaning mode.

Do you have a mad cleaning mode? My family usually knows when I am irritated by the fast and furious pace at which I clean and by the constant sighing as if I was a martyr. There was no family around; instead I proceeded to put on quite a show for the dogs and God. I made my way to the bathroom and as I started to clean I started to complain. Complaining loudly about how I got stuck doing this and why doesn't anyone help me more. Feeling like I deserved more I sat there and stared at the toilet and yelled, "I hate you, you stupid toilet. Why are you always so gross?" Yes, I realize how this must have looked not only to my dogs but more importantly to my God.

Here I am in a nice house, with a nice job that kept me busier than I wanted but God used to provide. I have cleaning supplies to make my job easier, and in all honesty my family did do more than they usually do to keep the house picked up. Yet here in this moment all I could focus on was.... ME. Me, me, me, me, me... I call that my "flesh" speaking. Romans 8:5, " Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."

Your flesh is that part of you that doesn't like the things of God. It is what tells you that you don't need to spend time with God, read your bible; it is what tells you that you are better than your neighbor. The flesh we have in our lives is really what hinders us more than anything else in our pursuit of a God-filled life. The Apostle Paul struggled with it and he talks about it in Romans chapter 7 verses 13-24. We all have flesh in our lives that crave to do the exact opposite of what the Spirit of God wants for us.

So I am cleaning this toilet, my flesh is crying out, and what do I hear? The sweet Spirit of God whisper in my heart, "Flush your flesh!" Yes, I needed to send the ugly that comes out of my exactly where the other ugly goes, down the toilet. I was in this position with a toilet brush in my hand because God trusted me! There are a group of people that he is entrusted to us and by providing them a warm and inviting place to meet it blesses them. God gave us this house, should I not use it for his Glory?

I might add that there is also a very practical blessing that happens as well. On Saturday the house is clean and we actually get more family time. So I have the opportunity to serve God, serve my family, and serve others. Isn't that what the Christian life is all about? It makes me more like Jesus, so of course my flesh wouldn't want me sacrifice. I am pretty sure that you will all laugh the next time you clean your toilets at the thought of me yelling at mine. I just pray that you do what I did next: FLUSH THE FLESH~ AWAY!

The "Why" Heard 'Round the World

"Why, whhyyy..." It was the "why" heard around the world on January 6th, 1994. American ice skater Nancy Kerrigen was clubbed on her right knee seven weeks before the 1994 Olympic Winter Games. News outlets played this video of her crying "why" over and over. Everyone was shocked and outraged by the brutal attack that came from the hand of the ex-husband of her rival. I actually mimic her voice when I ask "why" sometimes.

Why, it is such a powerful three letter word. It means "for what reason, for what purpose" and it is asked over and over by most two and three year olds and every child of God.

"Why, Lord?"

"For what reason, Lord?"

We all have times in our lives that we go to God and ask him why. I have had big why moments in my life like, "Why God was my son born legally blind?" To every why question we ask do we always receive an answer. I believe we do, because God does everything for a reason and purpose. Now, with that said, do we always know what the purpose is? The simple answer to that is - no.

The Children of Israel asked it, Moses asked it, Elijah asked it, Isaiah asked it, Jeremiah asked it, David asked it over and over,  and even Mary asked it: "Why Lord?" Some of those above not only asked why then took it a step further and proceeded to ask God to kill them. (I don't think my life has ever gotten quite that bad, but again, I wasn't an Old Testament Prophet either.)

I am in a season of life right now that I don't always see the value in, and I think that is why we begin to ask the question, "why?" We feel like there has to be value in what we do, that someone surely has to be getting something from my going through this valley. I remember a particularly hard period in my life when I was questioning God about why I was going through this rough patch and his answer was loud, clear, and astonishing:

"For my Glory and for your good."

God spoke that so clear to my heart, the message that there are times I am going through things that don't make sense at all. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the events that have overtaken me, yet for God's glory and my good... That kind of stops you right there in your track. What if you are going through all kinds of horrible, terrible times in your life and God tells you that it is simply for His Glory and your good; would that be enough?

What if you never know the "why" of what you're going through? What if you never see the person who gets saved because of watching your life? What if you never know that your struggles helped another person walk closer with Jesus? What if you never see your kids become the men/women of God that they were supposed to be because of what you walked through? You can tell yourself that everything is terrible, that nothing will change, it was always be this way and walk through life like Eeyore, or you can realize that everyone has something that they have to walk through that will take them to their core. God is simply not afraid of your "why" question. He will answer you, but are you prepared for His answer? That is the better question...

Nancy Kerrigan went on to skate the best two performances of her life and walk away with the Silver Medal of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. Some said if it wasn't for her experience of having to come back from her injury she might not have even placed in the medals. You see she might have missed the US Figure Skating Championships but went on to train harder, and pushed herself to a place that she would have taken for granted had she not experienced the tragedy of that day. Today's "why" is for His glory and for your good... So, ask "why" then tell yourself,

"Why NOT?"

In Sickness and in Health

When you are 17 and getting married I have to tell vows aren't really important. The dress and the honeymoon were all I really cared about, so I didn't put much thought into the vows I made to Skipp. I do remember however using the traditional words like cherish, obey, rich or poor, sickness and health, and something about until death do us part...

As I have been dealing with a lot of sickness in our house lately I have noticed a couple of things:
1. People are tired when they are sick.
2. People are grouchy when they are sick.
3. People are less tolerant of others when they are sick.
4 People are self-focused when they are sick.
5. People have to decide to take steps to get well, it doesn't often happen on it's own.

When dealing with anyone who has an illness you know that you need to have patience, and love. In the vows I took, I agreed to have patience and love with Skipp when he was sick, but I also agreed to have patience and love when he was well. How are we as a church doing with those around us who may not be physically sick, but spiritually sick?

I think those are spiritually sick exhibit the same symptoms of those who are physically sick. They are tired, grouchy, less tolerant, self-focused and trying to decide if it getting well is worth the effort. I have been sick both spiritually and physically and can attest to feeling those ways. I also know what a struggle it is to get well.

How do we take care of those around us who are spiritually sick, or how do we take care of ourselves when we get sick spiritually? Before you go on and on about how we are redeemed children of God and we never are spiritually sick let me remind you that all of us fall short of the glory of God and from time we do get sick spiritually. Sometimes it is because the disease of sin sneaks in, sometimes it is the bruises of life that beat us down, and sometimes a brother or sister in Christ will unknowingly break your leg!

The first thing that I tell my kids to do when they are sick is rest! We all require rest, and I believe God knew exactly what he was doing when he introduced the idea of resting on your Sabbath. Here is the thing though, rest is not the absence of doing rather it  is allowing yourself time with God to recharge. Jesus himself took times to go and just rest with the Father. Rest is not the absence of activity, rest is coming to Jesus because he promises to give rest to those who are weary and burdened.

The second thing I do when taking care of someone who is sick is feed them the right nutrition. If they have a stomach issue then clear soups and lots of fluids are perfect. So when you find yourself weak and needing nutrition when you're spiritually sick, dig into God's word. Not only is it honey on our lips and water to our soul, it is the whole nutrition we need. Jesus himself is the word made flesh, when we are sick we need Jesus!

Finally when treating those physically sick you might have to take them to the doctor and get them medicine. There are times in our lives when you are spiritually sick and it will run its course like a virus. You just need rest and nutrition to get over it, but there are times when you need to see someone who can give you the right medicine to cure you.

We are entering a season where stress and sickness abounds. I want to remind you that Jesus came into the darkness to be a light to all mankind, and that includes you. So whether you are called to take care of someone who is sick or you realize that maybe you're not as healthy as you want to be, call on the name of Jesus. He will answer you, he will take care of you, and he will heal you.

I will be taking sometime this season to self-care and make sure that I take care of the people around me. I will remember my vow to take care of those in sickness and health...

Answer Me When I Call

That is the title to Psalm 4 in my bible... "Answer me when I call". How many times have I said that to my husband, my children, or even my mom when I try and call them. Here I am needing to tell them something or I need some help from them and for whatever reason they don't answer. As I leave a message all I can think is, "what are they doing that they can't answer their phone!" Be honest we have all had this happen to us, right?

"Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!"

Here is King David telling God to answer him, because when he is distressed he goes to God for comfort. If you read the Psalms then you can see David telling God like it is, so to speak. He speaks to God honestly and doesn't hold much back. He shows his anger, his disappointment, his joy, his discouragement, his fear, and does it with boldness.

"O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?"

Today I can feel the discouragement in lives of many of my friends; some are Christians and some are not. Life is hard, whether your a Christian or not, the bible even warns us that it will be. Life can be hard for many reasons, but everyone endures hardships, the questions is where do you go?

"But know that the Lord has 'set apart' the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him"

David knew that even when he wasn't perfect, (remember he cheated with another man's wife then had him killed) God still loved him, and heard him. Do you know that?

"Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts, on your beds, and be silent. "

David is reminding himself that it is okay to be angry about what he's going through, but staying angry leads to bitterness. Scripture says that God was angry, so don't you think God can understand that you feel angry?It is what we do with that anger that determines where we go from here. David tells us to get on our beds and be silent. Most of us when we are angry we let the whole word know!

"Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord."

Want to get over feeling discouraged or distressed, or angry? Then give! The bible is clear that you get what you give, we Christian's call it "reaping what you sow". When your in that dark place, do you reach out and offer what you have to others? Do you put your trust in the Lord? Maybe you have prayed a prayer, or you took a walk to an altar a long time ago, but is your life different today because of it?

"Ther are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!" You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound."

I have had times of plenty and times of want, but my outward circumstances shouldn't dictate my inner strength. You can every single pleasure that this world offers and it will never compare with the joy of a relationship with Jesus.

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety"

So maybe God has you here, right here where you are to show you that you can never really be happy without Him. You can never really lie down and sleep in peace and safety without him. The great thing about God is when you call him up, he always answers! He is always there on the other end waiting for you to come to him and share your heart, honest, and open. You don't need fancy words, you just need a couple of very simple ones...

"I need you Jesus"

Today, I took up the fight for many in my life who were struggling and my prayer is that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be heard, and He will make you dwell in safety. I love that God always "Answers me when I call"...

Holding Out for a Hero

"Where have all the good men gone..." It is a line from a popular 80's song used as a thematic element for the movie Footloose. For those of us old enough to remember Bonnie Tyler raging that she needs a "Hero" and she is holding out for the right one, we might look around and ask a similar question.

After watching the remake of the move Footloose yesterday; I saw the same story line of good verses evil, righting the wrongs of injustice, with a love story as a back drop. It is the same story line of the ages, and one that somewhere in our culture we have lost. Where are the Othneil's who attacked an entire city for Caleb's daughter in the first chapter of Judges? If you were to ask me where have all the good men gone, I would tell you probably playing video games on their mother's couch.

Men like Othneil were King's Men, valiant and brave, ready to draw sword for the love a good women. The better question would be this, "where have all the daughter's of the King gone to inspire men to greatness?"
Yes, that is where the whole thing starts doesn't it? We as women raise them, we as women emasculate them, we as women complain about them, we as women rob them of greatness.

Think about the way God designed his Kingdom, there are men to fight and women to fight for. If we as women do everything for ourselves and stick out our tongue while we do it while chanting "Anything you can do I can better" then why would a good man stick out his neck and fight for us? I look around at the good men in my life and what I see are women who have raised above the lies of the enemy and called greatness into their men with God's help.

I have a Mighty man, and King's man in my life, and for that I am grateful. I knew he was a King's man before he knew it himself, and it was job to raise up that warrior inside. I have three young men in my charge, and it is my job to inspire greatness in them and raise up the warrior inside them. How do we as women accomplish this?

You begin to admit that you need them, and then you do what is the most unnatural thing to do: serve them selflessly. We must give men a reason to fight, a reason to set down Modern Warfare and pick up a sword. Men want to fight, we see this in the statistic that men ages 18 to 34 are the biggest purchasers of video games with war games being the top sales. We as women must speak words of life into them, challenge them to raise above their culture! It all starts with women, and we must not listen to the lies of the enemy that we are better than men. We are not better than men, we are better WITH men.

Men, finally a word to you if you were even brave enough to read this. We need you! We desperately need your strength, your valor, your wisdom, your protection and your leadership. I, as a women, promise to speak words of life to you, to give you a reason to fight whether you are my husband, my son, my family, or my friend; I owe you that much. So, today I instead of holding out for a hero, I am praying for one...