On Providential Blog Posts and How I'm Mirroring Beth's

My Momma-Nan, as I think I'll begin to refer to her, is a devoted follower of Beth Moore's blog.

I like to read it too, but I'm fairly hit or miss on it.

I found it interesting that neither my husband nor Janan commented on my blog entry regarding me sharing my testimony, which you'll find here.

When I asked Shane about it, he said, "Is God leading you to share it?"

Never fails. That guy can nail just about any situation that stumps me with one sentence.

I love him dearly, and I dearly love seeing his gift of leadership at work. For me, as well as for his company.

Both of us are darn blessed to have him!

When I asked Momma-Nan if she was going to comment on it, she promptly said,
"No, I'm not going to comment on it!"

Huh?

I mean, she is my top comment gal. Why in the world would she not comment on that post?

So I asked her why...

"Because. When you're supposed to share it, you'll know it. You won't have to ask me or anyone else if you're to supposed to."

I do love having accountability in my life!

Though the next time I look for another partner, I'm considering searching for one with the soft approach.
 I like to be balanced, that's all.  ;)

Nah...God knows me too well. He knew my needs before I ever asked for them. (Matthew 6:8)


So then Momma-Nan tells me I need to read this blog post of Beth's.

Wow! Could Beth have any better said all that's been rolling around in this head of mine the past few days?

I seriously doubt it.

I'm going to break it down for you a bit. Part two will be in a few days. That will be the fun one...the one about my own grandmother.

But for now, I'll address the idea of being the Momma of this blog...

1. This is my blog. I've often considered securing a name for another one called,
 "Any Idiot Can Have A Blog," simply because I think it's a hilarious name as well as a serious truth.
But alas, I didn't want to take the title from someone who might really need it. :)

Since this is my blog, I get publishing rights. And since I get publishing rights, I don't have to allow every comment that comes through to hit my blog. I get to reject the ones I choose to.

I use this right very judiciously. I've only had to use it a few times, but use it I will as I deem necessary.

Sadly, you wouldn't believe some of the ugly stuff that gets sent to me in the form of a comment, that is clearly spam. If you have a blog of your own, and you get comments like "lovely blog you have here...please visit mine at "anyidiotcanhaveablog" and become a follower"...know almost for certain that it's either an invite for a virus, or it will be a blog you don't want to open up to your sweet eyes.

If you're unsure, just Google the comment, or the name of the "blog"...if you quickly see that the same comment is posted on other blogs, just quickly reject that comment from your own, and don't visit the site.

Also, since I get publishing rights, and since the purpose of my blog is very clearly defined in my opening intro, I don't have to publish those comments from people who have what I believe to be a false understanding of Scripture, and want to use my blog to teach their own doctrines.

You see, I grew up under a false teacher. A person who skewed God's Word so bad, that it led to the heartache of many, many people.

He taught that abortion was a woman's right to choose, and he falsely used Scripture to support this lie from satan himself.

He pounded the fact that we were under grace and that if we sinned we just needed to "confess it and move on," yet he never once talked about what it means to grieve over sin, that we might not want to return to it. Heck, he didn't even teach that there was benefit in pausing to consider the sin...which led to a sin cycle of sin, confess, same sin, confess, same sin, tired of confessing...God must be tired of hearing from me...will I ever be free of this?...doubtful...God's out to get me anyway...He's a tyrant like this "pastor" is...I can't ever walk in victory...I might as well just forget God and submit to the sin once and for all...

This is what happens when we don't stop to consider the cost of our sin...when we don't ask God to make us grieve over it, to BEG Him to help us hate it the way that He hates sin, so we won't want to return to it.

He belittled and berated people who would dare to show up to his "Bible classes" even minutes late, waiting until they were seated and then stopping his "teaching" to call them to their feet and humiliate them in front of everyone present by telling them that they were distracting others from their study of the Word by being so inconsiderate. "What time does this class start?!," he'd yell from his bully pulpit.


To this day I can't believe that someone didn't stand up and give it right back to him! That no one took him to the book of James and showed him what true wisdom looks like:  
James 3:13-18 
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.  This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,  there is disorder and every evil thing.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the  seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Or to Paul's admonition to Timothy to make sure that he taught others this way:
2 Timothy 4:1-2 
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judgethe living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

Am I the only one who sees the irony in this man's words to his congregation, and Dear Lord, to their guests?!


Can you even IMAGINE Jesus doing that? Or the Apostle Paul? Peter? James? Timothy? John?

He built his army of followers by holding nightly classes....yes, nightly! There was only one day a week off from "Bible class." All true followers were to be there the other 6.

Hmmm...just wondering what kind of impact those dedicated followers made with their lost neighbors who needed Christ?

Pretty hard to impact the lost when you don't spend any time with them.

I know how we did...we isolated from just about everyone. Especially the Baptists in our town. I remember going to church with one of my little friends from school one night, and when the invitation was given, I was pierced to the heart...I went down front and told them that I wanted to have Jesus in my heart.

Then, I bawled uncontrollably all the way home, just terrified of what my parents were going to say because I went and let myself get "emotional" about Jesus. I'd been taught and taught that conversion wasn't an emotional thing, and here I'd gone and fallen for the "deceived" Baptists' bait!

As a child, I was made to listen to his lies by tape every night, and take notes on them. If I hadn't done a good enough job on my notes, they would be returned to me and I'd have to listen to his garbage all over again.

He taught me all about the impending war with Red China. He taught me that if I were to be captured by one of these communists in the war that we'd soon be in, I needed to be prepared to give only my name, my rank, and my serial number.

Uuuuh...I was 7. I didn't even have a social security number yet!

I suppose I should be happy that the Holy Spirit has erased all the "teaching" that this false teacher poured in, other than those lies that I can easily discern as such today.

Oh, my all time favorite....and I say this in jest.

He taught me that God is done with the Jews, until the 1,000 year reign.

Can you imagine God being "done" with His chosen people? Our covenant keeping God, done?

Our God who never lies...never breaks a promise...and Who, when He says, "everlasting,"...really means it?

He taught me that there is only 1 right man for every woman, and that if I should fall into sin outside of marriage, that the person I fell into that sin with would then become my right man, and I'd miss out on the real one God had for me.

Nice.

Now that, "we're under grace" teaching just fell apart at the seams. No grace for the person who commits sexual sin.

All other sins we just "confess and move on" from....but sexual sin...we'd be bound to that one for a lifetime..in the form of a spouse that might have been a horrid pick for us.

Oh, I forgot my other favorite...

Everyone who didn't believe his interpretation of the Bible was WRONG!

He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary, but I'm told by some other DTS grads who have been my friends or pastors, that he is the black mark on the seminary.

When I tell them whose teaching I grew up under, they all get this very sad and heavy look on their face, and then they tell me oh...you were raised a "------ite. I'm so sorry! How are you doing now?"

Yes, they even have a name for his followers that some DTS people have coined. It's not Davidianites, but it's close, and the gist is certainly the same.

Seems they must discuss this man's false teaching ways at some time during the training at DTS, possibly to prepare them for how to minister to the desperately broken and hurting among the brethren who they may one day have in their own churches?

All that to say, if someone sends me a comment full of false teaching, I'm not required to post it.

I won't be posting it.

Because this is my blog for Jehovah God, and Jesus Messiah....and it will stand for truth!

I love how my friend little momma said, in her comment about whether or not to share my testimony,
"I think we must always use discretion and tell our stories in a way that is relatable and yet does not steal the innocence of our listeners..."


That's such great wisdom, and I find tonight that it also applies to how my blog is to be used. 


God forbid that I should post someone's comments that I believe to be a false interpretation of the Word of God, and find that it has stolen the innocence of my reader...or been used of the evil one to bring confusion!


Nope. It won't be happening here.


Mini rant coming...rather a FIRM REBUKE, fully rooted in God's call on a given situation in my life...most readers may want to just skip the red lettering here...


And, when someone sets up a false blogger profile, under the name of one of their friends, in the hope that they'll fly under the radar and I won't be smart enough to figure out what's going on, you can be absolutely assured that I won't be posting those comments!


And, to the aforementioned person, in the heart of Christian charity, I rebuke you...who clearly cannot honor a single boundary Shane and I have laid down for you with regard to our family...to once and for all STOP IT!


Let it go.


Put it in God's hands. 


Trust Him and His timing. 


He is sovereign. 


If you care for me or my family in even the least bit, STOP IT! The emotional energy that you steal from our lives is indescribable, inconsiderate, inexcusable!


YOU NEED TO QUIT!




Nope, I won't post false doctrine, and I won't post comments from fake blogger profiles.


Because this is my blog for Jehovah God, and Jesus Messiah...and it will stand for truth!


Can I get an "Amen?"


Seriously..."Amen" is a postable comment!


Now, I was going to move on to a lighter post about how being at the farm always brings back such sweet memories of my Grandmother...Nina Aline.


My daughter is named after her...she has her middle name. 


Brennan Aline.


I love what Aline means...beautiful.


Brennan - brave. 


Brave Beautiful Brennan.


Should've seen her out on the wave riding tube today, taking the wake of the boat in stride! She's as much of a lake girl as her Momma is! We've both agreed that we could LIVE on a boat for the REST of our LIVES!


How cool would it be to be on a houseboat in the middle of the lake, fishing off the side or skiing from behind, when the rapture happens?


Very cool!


Brave Beautiful Brennan...


In her black and white polka-dotted, pink trimmed bathing suit.


With her legs that go on for days, and days, and days....


And that curly hair with auburn highlights, just glistening in the sun..


You'd have found her to be Brave Beautiful Brennan, too!


Yes, my next post will be about my Grandmother, whose name Brennan bears....Nina Aline.


Nina has it's roots in the Hebrew language, and it means Grace.


Gracious and Beautiful.


That was definitely my grandmother!


I'll write about my gracious, beautiful grandmother soon.


Much love to you tonight in Messiah Yeshua...my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,


Jes

In Reponse to banddear

Hi bandddear,

I tried to post this as a comment in response to yours regarding my question about sharing my testimony. However, blogger told me that I had too many characters, and so I'm just posting my comments as a post.

Thank you for your opinions, and for pointing me to the Word. I love it when people exhort me through His Word. :)

I disagree with you completely when you say that for someone to share their testimony, it is a sign of a self-image problem.

I am deeply thankful that Paul shared his own with us on repeated occasions throughout Scripture.

Where might I be today without Rahab's testimony, or the woman in Luke chapter 7's testimony, or even Ruth's for that matter?

There have been countless times that I have shared what the good hand of my God has done for me, at speaking engagements or in Bible studies, only to have women come forth with tears pouring down their precious cheeks to tell me that hearing my testimony gave them HOPE...and that they wanted to be forgiven of the Lord too.

Which, of course led us straight back into the Word...and even times when I had the great gift of seeing some of them drawn to God by His Spirit at those very moments.

I don't live in my past. I don't let my past beat me up. I am fully aware that it has been forgiven, and that I am to press on toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Praise God!

Yet, we do need to hear the testimonies of others. There is overcoming power in the testimony of those snatched from the pit of sin, to serve the Risen Savior!

I remember the first time that I heard Kay's testimony. I was absolutely amazed! I'd never heard a Christian share so openly and truthfully about who they had been, or how they had lived.

Yet, here was this woman of God...a woman passionately in love with studying His Word. A woman who was not even a shadow of the one whom she described in her testimony...and she was telling us the truth about what she'd once been like!

I realized in that moment that Christians don't talk about "those things," all to often.

I believe it's why we have people sitting in our churches, hearts broken, thinking they have nowhere to turn...no one they can talk to.

We're all so busy looking good for Sunday that we can't be transparent with one another.

Our divorce rate in church is now higher than in the secular world, I'm told.

Our kids don't look any different than the kids of the world.

Our men are in bondage to lust, playing itself out in any number of ways.

Our women cluck their Christians tongues in prayer meetings asking for prayer for so-n-so, when really it's just a safe place to gossip.

Yet when we can be honest with one another, as Paul was with his audience and with us, we can begin to see people grasp Jesus as the true life changer that He is!

I think of the number of people that I meet who won't even walk into a church because of all the "good church hypocrites" they've met.

I have dear friends and family members who fall into that very category, by their own admission.

Thank you also for the reminder exhortation too see myself as God does, through the imputed righteousness of His Son. Amen and amen!

I am sorry that your experience with the one class of Kay's that you took led you to believe that she thinks we are under law.

I would be interested to know what study you took?

What I love about Precept is that it teaches me a method, which teaches me to study God's Word through the tools of that method...inductively.

Kay would be the first to say that people either love her or hate her...but she'd also want you to know that it's not HER that she wants peoples' eyes on.

She wants their eyes on the Word of God.

Period.

I grew up being taught my whole life that we are under grace. Yet that grace was used as a license for sin in my home, many times.

And right in the midst of it, out would be thrown the very words of God, used so out of context..."we're not under law, we're under grace."

Yes, we are under grace.. were we not none of us would be able to have a relationship with God the Father.

Yet that grace...that COSTLY grace, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer so beautifully shows us in "The Cost of Discipleship" is to be used to point others to Christ, and never as an excuse for our sinful behavior.

"Shall we sin all the more that grace may increase?," the apostle asked...and then answered, "May it never be!"

The baton is now being passed from Jack and Kay to their son David, who will be the spiritual leader of the ministry within the next few years.

I especially love David's heart, (not to say that I don't love Kay's).

David is so dedicated to further commissioning an army of men and women who will go forth and teach others how to discover God's Word; go deeper in their studies with those students; and then see them raised up to disciple still others  in the Truth of God's Word.

It's an exciting time in the ministry...I pray that you will consider trying inductive study again.

After all, any of us would tell you, it's the method that matters... not the messenger.

In the love of Messiah,
Jes

My Testimony

It's ugly.


The part before Jesus entered my life, that is.


It's worse than ugly.


It's hideous.


It grieves my heart when I think about my past.


But I find it often gives hope to other women.


Women who have believed the lies of the evil one. 


He's brutal. 


Hateful.


Cruel.


I've often wondered if I should share it here.


Should I have a little tab somewhere on my blog that would allow you to see who I was before Jesus...


Would you even care to read it?


Would it become fodder for gossip, or a huge opportunity for God to be glorified?


Would it make you focus on the slime pit of my sin, or stand in awe of the Savior of my soul?


Would you want more of Him, as a result of reading what He did for me?


Would He use it to draw someone else to salvation?


So many questions in my mind.


I would cherish your prayers as I consider sharing it, seeking Him and His wisdom on what to write, and what not to.


I'd also love to know  your thoughts...your exhortations...


Much love to you tonight,
Jes

The Holy Spirit

Don't know why I've never put 2 and 2 together before, but this was SO cool to learn from the Word today...

Acts 1:1-5

	The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach,
	until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.
	To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
	Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised,"Which," He said, "you heard of from Me;
	for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." The emphasis and color coding are, of course mine. Yet, for the purpose of explaining what I think the Lord showed me today, I needed to use those tools. When I did the Precept Upon Precept study of Kings & Prophets part 1, I learned how very important Jerusalem was (and I believe from Scripture, still is) to God. It was the place where He chose for His Name to dwell. It was the place where He chose for His Spirit to dwell. He told His people, Israel, to build a temple for Him, that His Spirit could dwell with them in the Holy of Holies...where the ark of the covenant was. (Forgive me if I'm paraphrasing this any, I'm going by memory here..just laying a bit of ground work that my "ah-ha" moment from this morning might make more sense.) My hope is that you're getting how precious Jerusalem was, and is, to God. I mean, think about it this way. Jesus' disciples were men from Galilee. Could He not have chosen to pour out His Spirit upon them in their own home towns? You see, Jerusalem. The place where God had first poured His Spirit out to His people Israel. The Spirit had FILLED the temple. He had been ushered in by God's people with great joy, much praising, trumpets blowing in great numbers. Yet, due to their disobedience, the temple was destroyed, and the Holy Spirit would not dwell with them permanently again, until Jesus made a way for it. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, ..through Jesus Christ's completed work on the cross, we are all, Jew and Gentile, able to be reconciled to God through Him...and now the Holy Spirit dwells within the believer. We are now the temples of the Holy Spirit. But, back to my "ah-ha"....it all started in Jerusalem! (Both times!) Jesus obeyed the Father in all that He did here on earth, and it was the Father's will that His Spirit be poured out upon the apostles, thus the first filling of the Holy Spirit in a bodily temple...in Jerusalem! I just think that's HUGE! Amazing! Beautiful! So like God, too, to make it a precept upon a precept. A truth upon a truth. Jerusalem. How I hope I get to go one day. My sweet husband has been, but oh...how I long to go! When Precept Ministries posts the pictures from their visits, I always sit in front of my computer and pour through each one of them, tears streaming down my face. Jerusalem. It just became even more precious to me. Love ya'll today, Jes

Three Important Questions, Can You Help Answer Them?

Hi Dear Friends,


I have three important questions that I need your help with. Would you please contribute? 


Pretty please. The information that you give me could really be so vital.


1. Have you used Precept materials, any form of them, for your personal family study time, and if so, would you please describe what your family's experience was?


2. If you are a homeschooling parent, would you please tell me what curriculum(s) you've used for Bible, and what you liked about each, as well as what you found to be lacking in each?


3. If you were asked to volunteer your time to help promote Precept at a given event, would you be willing to do so? 


If it meant talking with people about how using Precept materials had changed your life, what would you tell them?


Oops! I snuck a 4th question in there...it just flowed right out, couldn't stop it...


You may either leave your thoughts in the form of a comment here, on Facebook (just ask to friend me if we aren't friends already), or in an email to me at: whatilearnedfromthewordtoday@gmail.com 


Thank you so very much for your time and help!


Love ya'll tonight,
Jes

David Phelps - No More Night

Is This How You Felt a Year Ago?

It's been a year...almost to the date, since I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.


What a year it's been! 


Were it not for this blog, I don't know that I'd truly be able to remember the myriad of emotions that I felt prior to, and just after being diagnosed.


I did such a poor job of looking outside myself during it all. 


I still grieve deeply over the fact that after days in the hospital, and after having just missed their big choir performance at church that very day, my sweet children finally got to come and see me at the hospital one Sunday afternoon.


You see, each day the Doctor had been telling my husband that I'd be going home that day or the next...yet one day stretched to another, and my sweet children experienced heartache upon heartache as each day they realized I wasn't yet coming home.


I didn't know about any of this, because I'd been told from the start that it would be a 5 day stay.


So Sunday came, and my darling kiddos were finally able to come and see me. I'm sure they weren't prepared at all for what they'd find....Mommy full of wires and I.V. tubes, and pretty unlike herself.


They'd been there only minutes when other friends came in, and I devoted my time and focus to the friends, and not to my children. 


They ended up piled on the couch watching a movie on the portable dvd player while I spent my time with our friends. 


Oh, to rewind time and do it differently!


We've shed many a tear over that. I hurt them deeply. 


It was unintentional, as I was on hospitality auto-pilot, and pretty drugged up, but they were little...just children. All they knew was that they were finally able to see Mommy, and Mommy seemed to care more about spending time with everyone else.


Breaks my heart, and likely always will.


I didn't think about the impact that all of this was having on my family!


I suppose that I was just trying so hard to make it through the life changing news of a diagnosis, that I also didn't give a lot of thought to how my friends were processing the news. 


What I saw from all of them was love in action...I'm still amazed by how the precious people in our lives reached out to us and ministered to our every need!


But I never stopped to think much about how they might be feeling about what I was going through.


Until tonight.


Tonight I received "the call" from one of my closest and dearest friends. 


The call that told me that all was not well in her world.


I heard it in her voice from the moment that I picked up the phone. 


I know her.


I love her more than you could begin to imagine.


And I could tell...she had something to share with me, something that was going to deeply affect my heart, and my life.


So here I sit, my hands tied.


I can't fix it.


I can't research it enough to make it go away.


I can't offer my body as a sacrifice for hers.


I can't even love her enough to heal it all for her, although that's what my heart cries out in desire to do.


What I can do, and what I will do, is take great comfort in knowing that she knows and loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and that through Him she has been reconciled to God.


Whatever may come, she is His, and should He call her home, she is ready.


Now, I will go and cry myself to sleep, as I beg my Lord on behalf of my friend, to heal her and to restore her to health.


And through those tears, I will praise His Name for giving her to me. 


Oh, to have the love of a friend like her in my life...she's amazing!


I see Jesus in her. :)


My prayer for you tonight, sweet reader, is that you may be blessed with even ONE friend like her.


________________________________________________________________


Is this how you felt a year ago?


It's a crummy place to be...this place of helplessness.


If so, I'm sorry that any of you had to go through it, and I'm sorry that I couldn't see outside of myself enough to consider how you might have been feeling.


Would you please pray for my friend....please?


I love you tonight,
Jes

WHOO-HOO and a Quick Update

1. OUR FAMILY GETS TO GO TO BOSTON IN A FEW MONTHS! Whoo-hoo!

2. Our move to Chattanooga has helped my health improve by 80% or more. The past 3 days have shown some crippling of my hand and foot, which is terribly painful, but compared to how I'd be feeling in Phoenix right now, it's a marked difference.

3. God has placed the most precious new friend into my life. She is such an inspiration to me as I watch how lovingly and Biblically she mothers her children. She has such a tender heart, and is so very desperate for Jesus. What more could one ask for in a friend? I love her!

4. Our new church is such an answer to prayer. As you all know, I loved my church in AZ. I love the people there, the teaching, the worship, the youth, the pastor and his wife...the list goes on and on.

What's exciting is that so many of those same elements are here for us at our new church, just on a larger scale.

We have a new pastor, and I am so deeply in love with he and his wife's heart for the body, and for the lost in our community. There is scarcely a Sunday that he preaches, that he doesn't passionately remind the body of our responsibility to single mothers.

I LOVE THAT!

5. I'm happy here. We all are. The kids spend at least an hour a day just in awe of all of the bugs they have to choose from as play mates. I look out any window of my home and see GREEN. It's so pretty!

I get to see my Janan and Ed. Oh, how I love them! I could just bask in my time with Nanner!

6. I do miss my precious, amazing, breathtakingly gracious friends in AZ. Oh, how I miss them. Some days, the tears still come when I think about you all...and Brennan is known to have a good cry at least once a week, too.

Yet, we know that we are right where God has us.

If you would pray for these requests, I'd be so grateful:

1. God's hand of favor over the new Chattanooga office. That He would fling wide open the doors through which work will pour in.

2. For my health, my friend Anna's and my Facebook friend, Michelle's. We all have MS and are all battling right now.

3. For a Bible study on Forgiveness that I'm currently leading with 2 amazing young women in their very early 20s. These are amazing girls that I feel so blessed to be with, and I just want our time in God's Word to change all of us for His glory.

4. That I would know, that Shane would guide me, as to where my place of ministry within our new church is to be. And, am I to offer to lead a children's Bible Study at our local homeschool co-op?

5. For God to send some precious soul who loves to work with wallpaper, to come and rip all of this baby blue floweredie stuff OFF of my walls. (OK, I'm only joking about this one!)

Love ya'll tonight,
Jes

Andrea Bocelli Ministered to Me Tonight...

I don't profess to know why, but I seem to have some of my sweetest times in prayer when I'm in the shower. Go figure.

I think it's the water. I'm a water girl...

Anyway, tonight as I was taking a shower, my heart was pricked to write another post about abortion. 

Then I snuck into the office to do a little work, and took a break from it to hop over to Denny Burk's blog.

He shared this video with his readers, and it took my breath away.

Andrea Bocelli has long been one of my favorite artists. Listening to this man sing, reminds me afresh that God is the One who has intimately created us, and that our lives have intrinsic value...both to us, and to countless others.

Thank you, Lord, for creating Andrea Bocelli!

I Need Your Help, Please!

I fell that stirring...that precious stirring in my heart that the Lord does when He's at work writing a post on my heart. 


I love this!


I'd so cherish your answers to this question:


Who is the greatest discipler that you've known?


Tell me all that you can about him or her.


Just mind dump for me, if you will.


Everything...every observation you've made of this person's life. How they live, or lived...how they ministered, to whom they were called.


Tell me...tell me, won't you?


Please.


I sit in great excitement, waiting to read your comments.


If you are so led, link this to other followers of Christ whom you know...I need those with spiritual eyes to comment for this post.


To send this to someone else, just click the little envelope at the bottom of the post and zip it to them via email.


I love you all so much!


I just can't wait to hear from you!


(P.S. I'm writing from Precept Ministries in Chattanooga today. I might just have to pick up a book from the bookstore and offer it as a giveaway. I think I'll do just that.)


I'm depending on ya'll!


More love,
Jes

God's Wisdom

What I learned from the Word today was this:

The foolishness of God, and the weakness of God = the cross of Jesus Christ.

God's foolishness and God's weakness so far outweigh the wisdom and strength of man, that they are not even comparable.

Those who are perishing can never understand it through man's wisdom, and those who are being saved can only do so by the wisdom and grace of God, through Christ Jesus.

Jews asked for a sign, and Gentiles for wisdom, and God has given us both through the completed work of Jesus on the cross.

Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus.

I Corinthians 1

A Boy's First Exposure to Pornography

Statistics say that the average age of a boy's first exposure to pornography is 11.


I think because Caedmon is now running with a group of older boys, this has been on my mind quite a bit. 


Just today, I was talking with him about how God would desire for him to handle the situation, should another boy ever offer for him to look at pictures of a woman without her clothes on.


I talked honestly with him about how the temptation would be strong, because the devil would be behind it. We talked about escape routes, and what he'd say to the boys, should this be offered to him.


Sadly, we even talked about how there might be fathers who profess to be Christians who keep these magazines in their homes.


I shared with him how hard it can be for those images to be removed from a young man's mind, and how it's only by God's grace that they are.


He's such a fighter for truth and righteousness, that kid. He was very clear about what he'd say and how he'd run from it.


I was quite proud of him.


He's only 9, you know. :)


We then proceeded to go about our day...homeschool PE, lunch, and a quick stop by a swap shop because I'm in desperate need of new kitchen chairs. 


"New" is a relative term, you know.


We landed in this great little shop, full of fun antiques and gobs of beautiful milk glass. My sweet friend Marilena collects milk glass. I so wanted to spend every last penny I have to lavish her with some new pieces....and then I saw the prices!


I still love you, Mar, but don't be looking for a package. ;)


As we were walking out the door, Brennan just about barred herself against the entrance to the last room we'd be passing.


"Mommy! Mommy! Caedmon CAN NOT go in there!"


As I looked, I saw her...she must have been the spread for one of the original playboy magazines...spread out for all to see.


No dignity.


No modesty.


Just total and complete immorality, wearing nothing but an alluring smile.


My heart was instantly grieved that my little girl had seen this, and then quick as lightning I turned to Caedmon to tell him to walk away from that room.


"I've already seen it, Mom."


I kid you not, as I write this, I'm fighting tears.


He's only 9, you know.


I thought we had at least 2 more years!



THE STATISTICS TELL ME THAT WE DO !!!!!!!!!!


And then, the sad reminder that statistics are based on an average, and my heart breaks.


As we hurried to get out of the store, the owner stopped me...blocking my way to the exit.


"I'll sell ya that table and chairs out there for $200."


Funny how that number kept coming down, the longer I was in his store.


"No thank you. We're going to leave now," I said.


"Why, you didn't find anything?!"


"No, thank you. We're going to go now."


"There's gotta be something here you need!"


By now, I'm D-O-N-E!


"Actually, I'm quite grieved in my heart over something we just saw, and I want to leave."


"What?! What was it?"


"It was a picture of a woman without any clothes on, at eye level for my children, my son to see."


And without skipping a beat, this foul-smelling, alcohol dripping guy says to me, "Well, maybe you shouldn't bring him in her anymore."


It took all I had not to retort, "You can rest assured of that!"


"We're leaving now," I said...still trying to get to the door.


"Where is it? It's art!" says my new found enemy, without even the slightest hint of what he's referring to.


"It's the world we live in. It's everywhere. Ain't nothing wrong with it," he continues, still not moving his carcass from the doorway.


At this very minute, a woman walks through the door. She's clean and well kept and wants to know what this is all about.


"There pornography at eye level for my children, and we want to leave," I say..now raising my voice a bit in the hope that old man stinky will get out of my way so he can deal with his new customer.


Only thing is, she's not a customer...she's evidently his wife.


Now I've got 2 who are upset, but I'm finally able to work my way out the door with my precious cargo, and so I'm feeling like a caged bird who's been set free....I'm happy and we're leaving!


BUT IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT...he follows me out he door and to my van, still tossing his trash at me.


"He's gonna see worse than that on tv! That ain't pornography! Yack, yack, yack..."


"Get in the van, kids. GET IN THE VAN!"


I turn to the man, "I am done here! I am not talking about this with you! Leave us alone! I am DONE!"


I get in and shut the van door as he's still going at it. Finally, after I turn the engine on, he decides to go back into his store.


I had JUST been studying 2 Thessalonians 2 earlier in the day and so took that very moment to open up the Word with my kids, and read these verses to them...



⁷For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
 ⁸Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;
 ⁹that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
 ¹⁰and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
 ¹¹For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,
 ¹²in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.


While it grieves me still, that this happened, I praise God that I was RIGHT THERE with both of my children when it did. They were in my hip pocket, and I could IMMEDIATELY bathe the situation in the Word of Truth, and in prayer.


We all sat right there in the van and prayed for that man's salvation, and for the minds of both of my children...that God in His grace would cleanse their minds from what they'd seen.


We talked about how that man didn't have a love of the truth, and we numbered the ways in which he'd tried to call evil good.


1. it's art
2. he'll see worse than that on tv 
3. by implication, there's nothing wrong with it
4. blame...just don't bring him in here....maybe you shouldn't come back


It was quite the object lesson.


And in my haste to bathe my children in the Word and in prayer, I hadn't yet moved my van.


Imagine my surprise when the man came back out of his store and started aggressively knocking on my window, fully expecting me to roll it down and engage with him again.


Yeah, I'll get right on that!


I looked up at the man, his shoulders braced in a stance of anger, and put my van into reverse...all the while he's still knocking on the window. I used my best tractor driving technique and backed that baby up, at the same time waving one arm at the guy to let him know by my body language, "THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! I WILL NOT BE ROLLING MY WINDOW DOWN! GOOD RIDDANCE!"


Caedmon, ever the thinker, said, "Mommy, maybe he was coming out to apologize."


"Maybe son, but very doubtful. There was no stance of humility in his approach, and he's full of alcohol. Remember Joseph? What did he do when someone tried to tempt him to sin?"


"He fled."


"That's right, honey...and we're going to flee, because your Momma is ready to sin!"


"Mommy, I'm scared. I'm scared he's going to hurt us."


"Oh baby, you don't need to worry about that! Your Momma would kick that old man's butt with two hands tied behind my back! I'd take him down so fast and so hard, he'd be crying for mercy! He has NO IDEA who he's messed with!"


Gulp!


OK, so I started out strong....like I said, I was DONE!


He's only 9, you know.


Love ya'll,
Jes

Update Time....

Hi Friends,


We have landed!!!


As I write this, I'm sitting the the lovely bay window in our new kitchen, with the reflection of a whole host of beautiful trees, glimmering in my computer screen. The trees are to my back. 


What I'm looking at is a pile of things that need to be put away and an open pantry door (this time it's ME who forgot to close it...I was chomping on some honey....mmmmm).


I'm feeling easily 75% better here. Praise Jesus for that!


The humidity really does make a difference!

My children are absolutely beside themselves with excitement over being here. Last night in her prayers, Brennan said, "and God....thank You for moving us to Tennessee! We love it here! We all love it!"


Currently, there are 5 kids upstairs playing their hearts out. Who thought I'd be able to handle that?! When they get wild, I will send them to the basement. Who knew that basements were so cool?!


Hey...there they go right now. :)


Oops...change the number, now there are 6. 


All boys, except for Brennan...she really holds her own.


I had a talk with the boys yesterday about how their role will always be to protect her, and that I expect that from each of them. I explained that they were to conduct themselves as gentlemen around her, and treat her as the sweet blessing that she is.


They got it.


The boys in this neighborhood are such kind and well mannered young men. Most of them come from Christian homes, and it shows in their behavior.


I love this!

The first day we were here, 4 of the boys came over to play and as they ran into the back yard and down to the creek, I heard Caedmon say, "C'mon guys...follow me, I'm the leader of the 5 Guy Gang!"


To which one of them immediately said, "You're not the leader! You're the new kid and you're younger than me! I'm the leader!"


Whoopie!


Just what he needs. I could've hugged that boy's neck!

I'm going to try to upload a picture of my view out of my kitchen window for you...if it posts here you'll know I was successful.


If you don't see it, you'll know that I'm getting ready for my husband to come home. ;)


I love this house! It truly is my dream home. There are so many things about it that I love, that I can't even begin to list them all, but I'll share a few:


We have a dedicated music room. Caedmon was in there today playing the trumpet, and Brennan was on the piano. love it!


We have a laundry room. love it!


We can drink water straight from the tap. Wow! What a blessing that is! No more frantic midnight runs to the Circle K just to have water to drink the next day. love it!


The kids have a stream to play in, woods to explore, birds to watch, nature everywhere. 
love it!


We are only 15 minutes from Precept Ministries. love it!


My kitchen doesn't open to the family room anymore. I might be able to cook a dinner without burning it now! love it!


My bathtub is so big that the kids think it's more of a mini-swimming pool. love it!


We have plenty of room for guest to come and stay and they have their own bathroom, entrance and driveway. How cool is that for hosting people?! love it!


Much love to all of you tonight,
Jes