The Bible tells me that I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), that I received it when I accepted Christ as my Savior, as the only One who could free me from my enslavement to sin (including the sin of worry).  However, I do not claim that promise often enough and instead of thinking of “whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8), I am often tempted to think of whatever is scary, worrisome, uncertain, out of my control, unlikely to happen, and harmful to my body and spirit.

Pastor John MacArthur has said, “Worry is needless because of God’s bounty, senseless because of God’s promise, useless because of its impotence to do anything productive, and faithless because it is characteristic of unbelievers.”

Ouch!  But true.  Does this mean that, along with engaging in something needless, senseless, and useless, I’m also weakening my witness to unbelievers because of my worry?  I believe so!  Are they drawn to the awesomeness of God when they see me exhibiting such a lack of trust in my Creator, Provider, and Heavenly Father?  I’m showing (contrary to what I actually believe) that I don’t rest in God’s promises to love and not condemn (Romans 8:1), to work everything for my good (Romans 8:28), and to take care of me even more than He cares for the birds of the air (Matthew 6:25-34).  Will He “supply all my needs according to His riches in glory” (Philippians 4:19)?  Will His grace be sufficient for anything I need and His power “perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9)?   Is He “able to guard what I have entrusted to Him” (2 Timothy 1:12)?  Will I take care of my body which is the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19)?

I’d really like to just get over myself already (isn’t worry just a whole lot of self-focus?), stop excusing it with “well, worry is just what mother’s do,” and put my mind’s focus solely on loving and worshipping God. . .because He is worthy of my whole mind and the list of praiseworthy things about God that I could think on, instead of the endless list of earthly things that I concern myself with, is eternally long.  And I know He’s already given me enough grace to get there–but as many before me have pointed out, we are in a battle for our mind and the arsenal we need to take our mind back from the Enemy in this battleground is found in reading, memorizing and meditating on the Word of God and hiding it in our heart (Psalm 119:11) and MIND.  Hopefully, by God’s grace and enablement, I can chip away at my undisciplined mind a little bit more and more so that my life will draw unbelievers to the God that saves, provides, and is fully and completely trustworthy.

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Many of us think of idols as those bronze statues that we bow down to, but if only that were the only kinds of idols we make.  A definition for idolatry from my Webster’s Dictionary says it is “excessive admiration or devotion” and calls an idol “a person or thing devotedly or excessively admired; a false notion.”  The way that I understand it, this includes the material (money, gold, people) and the non-material (fame, love, comfort) idols that we can create; the people, things or ideals that we place in direct competition to God for our focus and attention.

For myself, I have made an idol–a false god–out of my health. . .and my god will fail me.

It began innocently enough.  I developed an interest in health in my early 20’s and decided that before starting a family, I would become as knowledgeable as possible on how to take care of myself and my family from a nutritional standpoint.  I went back to school and ate up those textbooks on enzymatic therapy and power food antioxidants!  I finished a master’s program in holistic nutrition and began implementing many of the principles that I read about and studied into my family’s diet and routine.  Sometime after this, good health changed from a passion to something I felt that I needed in order to feel in control.  Health became my god.

And then I started to feel tired all the time and I developed food sensitivities that left me often guessing what was wrong.  That’s the thing about being overly focused on your health–you then start to notice each and every sign of your body being out of balance, and if that is your measure of security, your mind and body can be your worst enemy.  Yes, I have a gluten-free and dairy-free diet that I am supposed to follow in order to feel at my best.  And yes, I can get incredibly cranky with too much sugar.  But the more my need for perfect health took over (and who has perfect health?!), the more I began to obsess about it.  And the more that I began to need my health more than I needed my God, the more God lovingly showed me that any god we put in place of Him will fail us.  My health can never comfort me and love me and protect me like my Savior can.  All gods will fail except the One True God that has proven Himself over and over again to be trustworthy, capable, and personally interested in each one of us.

So I gave up my idol–with my words of surrender which I often have to repeat daily and in the way I try to live “by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7); living by what I know to be true about God and His love and protection over me rather than what signs of health or lack thereof I see in my body.  Health is a great blessing from God.  It is something for which I continue to strive and always will as my body is a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  But my motivation is different, my intensity is different, and my need to have control over it is different–because any control I try to obtain is just an illusion anyway.

I remember well what Pastor Jack Graham said one time as he battled prostate cancer, and this may be a paraphrase of what he said, “My power in this life is not in my strong constitution–it’s by God’s Spirit.”  It is this truth from Zechariah 4:6 that I remind myself of often.

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Should the Rich Be Condemned?

This column by ACRU Policy Board Member and Professor of Economics Dr. Walter E. Williams was published November 23, 2011 on Townhall.com.

Thomas Edison invented the incandescent bulb, the phonograph, the DC motor and other items in everyday use and became wealthy by doing so. Thomas Watson founded IBM and became rich through his company’s contribution to the computation revolution. Lloyd Conover, while in the employ of Pfizer, created the antibiotic tetracycline. Though Edison, Watson, Conover and Pfizer became wealthy, whatever wealth they received pales in comparison with the extraordinary benefits received by ordinary people. Billions of people benefited from safe and efficient lighting. Billions more were the ultimate beneficiaries of the computer, and untold billions benefited from healthier lives gained from access to tetracycline.

President Barack Obama, in stoking up class warfare, said, “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money.” This is lunacy.

Read the rest of the article here.

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Please understand that this is not an attack on the medical community nor cesarean sections as a whole.  I believe that there are numerous labors and deliveries that require such drastic medical intervention and thank God that He has placed those skills in talented and caring individuals to help in that time.  I am also fully aware that doctors today, because of our insanely litigious society, have to be very sensitive to anything at all that might (no matter how slim the chance) go wrong.

This is more of a blog about the emotions of a mom. . .the feelings of helplessness after a cesarean that many moms experience and the regrets that plague us, even when we did all that we could do.  This is also about what I see as a hidden epidemic, if you will.  Some of society seem to present cesarean sections as no big deal. . .as just another birthing option. . .the easier choice because you can bypass all the labor, schedule it on your time-table, and be more in control of your labor and delivery.  I resent this inaccurate presentation.  Listening to Mary, reliving my own experience, and reading others accounts makes me realize just how deep these wounds can go, and they are anything but easy to mend.

So I wonder, for those of you who had c-sections with the birth of your first child (or subsequent children), what was your experience and did you (or do you still) experience any of these same emotions?   If these statistics are true (see International Cesarean Awareness Network here), that “32.9% of births result in major abdominal surgery” and that 2009, when this study was conducted, was the “13th consecutive year to show increase,” there are plenty of us out there that have gone through this surgery.  How many of you have felt as Mary and I did, and still do?  Let’s have the discussion. . .

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1.  Evil exists.

My son loves good guy/bad guy scenarios–whether in movies, books, or his own vivid imagination.  He pits good against evil every day with his army guys, matchbox cars or detailed drawings in his sketchbook.  And although, in real life, none of us are “good” of our own accord (Romans 3:23), the underlying principle of a battle being waged in the unseen world in which we are all players, is very real (Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”).  Unfortunately, not only does evil exist in partnership with free will to commit that evil, but not one of us is immune–apart from God, we are a slave to our sin nature which is at work tempting us to all sorts of evil, and September 11th reminds us of that.  It reminds us that we need a Savior.

2.  Death is certain.

This life is but a blip on the screen of eternity.  My heart breaks for those who lost a loved on in the terrorist attacks 10 years ago.  My heart also breaks for those who have lost loved ones by other means.  We all have, or will face that sorrow, unfortunately.  And we all must face death ourselves one day.  Are you certain, without any doubt, that you are going to spend eternity in heaven with God?  If not, do you know how you can be?

3.  What’s the Point?

My family is in the middle of a painful trial right now and I can tell you with certainty that the Lord God is the only thing fully sustaining us.  I also know that I never want to face a single trial without Him.  Furthermore, what’s the point of going through a trial if it doesn’t bring us more to the end of ourselves and fully surrendered at the feet of our Savior?  Self-help books may say, “trials make you stronger,” and maybe in the short-term that could be true, but sooner or later our own resources will run out, and it is only in our weakness that Christ’s strength abounds (2 Corinthians 12:9).  It’s only as we become less central to our lives that He becomes more in us (John 3:30).  I see trials as totally futile unless they bring us to Jesus.  Otherwise, what’s the point?  They would just be terribly difficult things that have no lasting purpose!  September 11th, 2001 brought many to Jesus.  I pray for our nation, and us individually, to turn to Him again, as our Sustainer, Savior, and Friend.

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Our time together began with a bang.  Patsy Clairmont took her signature style, including sparkling jacket and bright red shoes, and her quick wit, to the stage and without delay won the audience’s attention and affection. 

“The things that break your heart, God will use for your refinement.”

“We are willful people.  Sometimes we have habits that need to be broken by God because they are not good for us.”

“Sometimes we just want God to fix us while we are resting in the night–instead, we have to take responsibility.”

“Begin your day with ‘Yes, God.’”

She spoke of her past struggle with agoraphobia and how fear made her a prisoner and a slave. 

“Put boundaries on your emotions.  Don’t just make everyone take cover when you come.”

“Your will is stronger than your emotions.  Feelings don’t have brains for a reason–they were not designed to do our thinking!”

“Imagination is a gift when controlled by a holy God.”

She reminded us of 2 Corinthians 10:5 which says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ,” and also Proverbs 29:11, “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.”   Patsy challenged us to “Refuse.  Replace.  Repeat” when it comes to our toxic thoughts and emotions, and assured us that if she could survive herself, as she called it, we could too.

Later in the weekend, she also shared her heartbreaking family struggle of when her eldest son Marty was in a 21-day coma and nearly died, and he now lives in pain 24 hours a day with no end in sight.  And after all her family has been through recently, her faith shined through when she challenged us to “wake up with a ‘yes’ in your heart for what God wants for you.”  She is truly a gem being used mightily by God.

* * *

Andy Andrews convinced all of us early on that he had missed his morning dose of ADHD medication, but he kept us laughing and on the edge of our seats with his energetic storytelling and ability to connect.  After losing both of his parents at age 19 and becoming homeless for a time, he learned some valuable lessons, which he writes about in his books. 

“Realize that you have choices and many of your choices lead you to good or to bad.” 

“Nobody cares how you feel as much as they care how you act.  We are a culture that cares too much about feelings,” as if we elevate them above all else.

“There is an answer for what to do when you don’t know what to do–do something!”

Andy encouraged us to take responsibility for our lives and pursue God’s will as He shows us His plan.

* * *

Friday evening we were brought back in time as Lisa Whelchel reminded us of the 1980’s when life was simpler and Blair from “The Facts of Life” was learning life’s lessons and building friendships.  She shared her own struggle with trying to make friends in her 40’s and warned of the dangers of isolation. 

                “There is a difference between being transparent and vulnerable.”

                “I invited people into my home but not into my heart”

We all have a desire to know and be known, she said, and while no one is perfect, we need each other, and building deep friendships, no matter what age we are, is valuable and rewarding.

* * *

Mandisa, from American Idol fame, who has now built quite a name for herself in the Christian music world, brought emotion and vulnerability through her songs “Stronger,” “Lifeline,” and “A Broken Hallelujah,” reminding us of the power of praising and worshiping God in the midst of any and every trial.  She also asked us to consider, “What if we were real,” instead of “hiding what’s going on inside.”  She had energy and heart, and was clearly a favorite with the crowd.

* * *

The newest member to the Women of Faith team is Brenda Warner, and although she is known as Kurt Warner’s wife in some circles, or “mother of 7!”, to those of us listening to her story and experiencing her warm heart, we now know she has quite the testimony even apart from her famous husband.  After marrying young and experiencing the pain of infidelity and divorce, she also had to face the devastating news that her baby boy, Zach, at 4 months old, had a terrible accident, became legally blind, and would be “lucky to ever sit up again.”  If this wasn’t enough to break her heart, both of her parents died in a tornado that killed 7 in an Arkansas town.  Realizing that she could either choose to rise above and over her circumstances, or be buried by them, she chose to go to school and become a nurse as a single mom.  She met a football player named Kurt Warner who immediately came to love and accept her and her children.

“My circumstances did not determine God’s love for me!  Your circumstances don’t determine who you are–God does!”

Zach is now 22 and doing well (and is cute as a button!).  Brenda Warner is making an impact with her story–those terrible circumstances no one should have to go through–because of her faith in the Lord.

* * *

Sandi Patty, a Women of Faith alum, shared her struggles with always wanting and striving to be “good enough.”  How many times do we say, “If only I had been good enough. . .” this or that wouldn’t have happened?  But Sandi reminds us that God says, over and over again to our broken hearts, “My child, you are enough for Me, and I am enough for you.”

* * *

Katharine Everett, Baylor University graduate and actress, performed three inspiring and encouraging dramas throughout the weekend, written by Women of Faith favorite Nicole Johnson, and moved the audience to tears.  One sketch in particular spoke to me personally, as a mother.  Some days we can feel invisible, as if what we are building in our children and our families is not being noticed, appreciated, or showing the results for which we hope.  Katharine reminded me that “my invisibility is the cure to my self-centeredness . . . the antidote to pride.”  Our prayers should be, “O Lord, help me to be more invisible.”  And just as the builders of the greatest cathedrals all over the world are often not known by name, Katharine reminded us through her skit that they have built something long-lasting and grand even while being “invisible.”

* * *

For those of us like myself who grew up with Amy Grant in our boom boxes and walkmans, Saturday afternoon was a real treat.  She took the stage for nearly an hour (and I’m fairly certain she was barefoot–her signature) and sang favorites old and new, such as “My Father’s Eyes,” “Lead Me On,” and “Better Than a Hallelujah,” to name a few.

* * *

Another Women of Faith alum, Marilyn Meberg, gave unarguably the most life-changing message of all.  She presented the gospel in clear and compelling detail, saying that each one of us has a craving for more in our life and until that “more” is filled with Jesus, we will still be left wanting.  I pray that those who felt the Lord tugging on their hearts as Marilyn spoke will answer Him and receive Jesus to fill their want.

* * *

The talented Women of Faith Worship Team led us in a weekend of contemporary worship music and helped to prepare our hearts for life-changing messages. 

For the woman needing hope, I pray that she found Immanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

For the woman needing rest, I pray that she met the One who takes our weary souls and renews our strength; who makes us “soar on wings like eagles” and “walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

For the woman needing faith, I pray that she encountered the most trustworthy and faithful Servant of all.

For the woman needing a big hug, I pray that she fell into the arms of the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

For the woman needing something powerful to happen in her life, I pray that she experienced the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient Creator of the universe.

It was a weekend of “over the top” talent and heart from very gifted speakers and musicians, and “over the top” love from a God who created us in His image, loves us beyond human understanding, and wants a personal relationship with each and every one of us. 

For more information on how to attend a Women of Faith conference in your area, click here.

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Post tags: Christianity, women of faith

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Couldn’t you use a weekend away with your friends, your mom, your sister, your grandmother, and a few thousand of your neighbors?  The stock market is volatile, relationships are hurting, people are suffering and lost, and the heat throughout much of the nation is unbearable.  The perfect answer to what ails you could very well be found at this year’s “Over the Top” Women of Faith conference!  I have no doubt that it is God’s desire to meet you there, where you are, and show you His infinite, perfect, unfailing, “over the top” love for you and His plan for your life.  He’s met me there before and as the Spirit moves in that stadium full of spiritual seekers, lifelong faith warriors, and every woman in between, whether you are flying high in life or battle-weary, you will be changed.  Count on it, because God loves showing us His strength in our weakness, and when I listen to the speakers at Women of Faith tell their stories, I see women being used by God in powerful and dramatic ways, and it all began for them when they were weakest. 

Check out this preview video of Women of Faith and consider attending a conference near you!  For details, go here.

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It began for me in 2008–my first Women of Faith conference.  I laughed and I cried.  I relaxed and I was challenged.  And when Anita Renfroe took the stage with her clean and yet still hilarious comedy, I nearly peed my pants!

Over the next month, I will be showcasing a few of my favorite moments from the Women of Faith conferences I’ve attended–moments I will not soon forget.  Whether it was personal stories and testimonies from any of the great speakers–Patsy Clairmont, Marilyn Meberg, Sandi Patty, Luci Swindoll, or Sheila Walsh–or drama by Nicole Johnson–or worship with Natalie Grant, Mandisa, Amy Grant, or the Women of Faith worship team who are outstanding–my life has been touched by Women of Faith. 

I look forward to this year’s “Over the Top” tour.  The theme this year, as stated on the Women of Faith website, is “God loves us more than we know. He gives us more than we can ask or dream. He’s unrestrained… excessive… outrageous… Over the Top.”

Check out this comedy by Anita Renfroe, enjoy your Monday, and consider attending a Women of Faith conference!  For details, go here. 

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In the middle of my yelling at the television, which I then had to explain to my son who observed me, a spiritual truth hit me. 

The same rage, disbelief, and disgust that many of us feel as we watch someone we believe to have gotten away with murder. . .

The same injustice we feel has been done as little Caylee suffered and died and no one will pay. . .

The same judgment we feel towards Casey as we watched her party and dance on her daughter’s grave, so to speak. . .

Isn’t this the same rage, disbelief, disgust, injustice, and judgment we should feel towards ourselves as sinners condemned to die, but whom Jesus declares NOT GUILTY?!

Casey received GRACE.

Casey received MERCY perhaps.

And in no way do I mean to imply that she is innocent (I personally do not believe that for a second), nor that she shouldn’t have had to pay for her crimes if she committed them (and I personally believe she did).  I’m simply illustrating a spiritual truth by way of a real life example. 

The Bible says that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  We all have sin in us, and as repulsive as the alleged sin of Casey Anthony is, God sees all sin as the same, and I am just as separated from a holy God for any number of my sins as a murderer (or “worse”) would be. 

Not only that, but the Bible also says that we are all capable of murder.  “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.  Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9)  If 1 John 3:15 is to be taken literally, and I believe that it is, “anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer.”  Did we catch that?  I am a murderer (and here, “brother or sister” is generic for anyone).   

But we have been offered grace and mercy by Jesus dying on the cross for us, bearing the weight of all our sin, so that we might be presented to God, “holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault” (Colossians 1:22).

GRACE

MERCY

Casey Anthony was offered a “Not Guilty” verdict, and it angers many of us, but she would by crazy if she refused it.

We know we are guilty of sin.  We are offered a “Not Guilty” verdict.  Will we refuse it, and instead, point fingers at other’s sin while rotting inside with our own?

To be declared “Not Guilty,” click here.

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Post tags: casey anthony, Christianity

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