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We’re Brave Women of Integrity

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We're Brave Women of Integrity

The annoying song announcing a new text was playing early in the morning. I opened the text and to my surprise, there was a message from the insurance company saying they were sending a check for the completion of our reconstruction work after our basement flooded last Thanksgiving. Yes, I said last Thanksgiving!! What a journey it’s been for nine long months but now it was finally over! Closure.

But as I looked at the amount, there was something wrong! It was twice as much as we should receive. The reconstruction had been going on for so long that different people were now overseeing the construction, and the original insurance adjuster was long gone. Our claim was handed off to at least four other people.

Unless we pointed out the error, our claim would be closed. Forever. Filed away.

But we knew the error. God knew the error. And we knew what we needed to do.

So hubby contacted the construction company’s office and told them they needed to send the insurance company the correct final amount.

I contacted the most recent insurance claims resolution specialist I’d been working with and told her the check was not the correct amount.

Then I added,

“I’m sure you don’t receive many emails saying you paid us too much!” And signed it “Appreciate your help! Have a blessed rest of the day.”

She emailed back,

“I really appreciate your honesty! Like you mentioned, we never get emails advising we have overpaid.” And she signed, “Have a blessed day as well.”

[Tweet “We never know whose life our integrity and honesty is going to touch and influence.”]

We never know whose life our integrity and honesty is going to touch and influence. I’m sure she receives many emails and phone calls from angry disgruntled clients. And who hasn’t complained about insurance companies and the cost of insurance.

But what really impressed me the most was her telling me to also have a blessed day. In today’s politically correct environment, we might think we have to avoid a “spiritual” greeting and opt for a vanilla generic “Have a nice day.” What do we really mean when we say “nice”? It’s an overused cliché definitely better than saying nothing but a missed opportunity to say something meaningful. I’ve noticed that when I offer a blessing, people stop and take notice.

[Tweet ” I’ve noticed that when I offer a blessing, people stop and take notice.“]

As women of integrity, we stay true to who we are in Christ and Christ in us, regardless of the circumstances. I’m not saying we lead out with the Gospel, but that we live out the Gospel.

For example, you’re with a group of people you’ve just met and you sense by their conversation and actions that they’re not believers. What do you do now? Try to fit in and not make too many waves, or act the same as you would if you were with a group of fellow believers? We’ve all been there sending up a silent prayer asking God, “Help!”

[Tweet “As women of integrity, we stay true to who we are in Christ and Christ in us, regardless of the circumstances.”]

In today’s culture, it takes courage to stand up for our faith and live with integrity. The world doesn’t reward or encourage moral standards. You stand out in a crowd when you do what’s right instead of compromising or taking the easy way out. This is nothing new. Paul certainly would have had an easier life if he backed down every time someone challenged him for being a believer. But the message the Apostle Paul gave to the church at Corinth is still a source of encouragement for Christians to bravely and boldly live with integrity today: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13).

I looked up the definition of integrity and here’s what I found: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness; virtue; character; incorruptibility; goodness. It saddens me to think how hard it is for Christians today to live with integrity without being confronted and bullied in schools, college campuses, sports, jobs, social media, in business, and even with some friends and family. It’s not easy, but it is courageous.

Living with integrity is not popular, but it is possible. It’s not the world’s way, but it is God’s way! And that’s all that matters to us, right!

[Tweet “[Living with integrity is not popular, but it is possible. It’s not the world’s way, but it is God’s way! And that’s all that matters to us, right!”]

As we watch civil law go counter to God’s laws and rampant tolerance for everything except Christianity, we’re under intense pressure to comply. God says, “Stand firm in the faith” and don’t crumble. Biblical courage means obeying God’s laws and not condoning or compromising on anything that Scripture opposes.

Yes, it’s uncomfortable and difficult, but as long as we stay tethered to God, biblical truths, and each other, He will provide us the strength we need to go against the worldly secular culture when it opposes our faith. Be strong. Be courageous. Be brave. Be a woman of integrity!

We're Brave Women of Integrity

You can preorder Everyday Brave and receive it as soon as it releases! I’m excited about this book, can you tell?!

Here is an interview I gave on At The Library, where I talk about what inspired me to write this book and answer a number of questions about it. If you’ve never heard my voice, it might be fun to listen so you’ll know what I sound like when you read my blogs and books!

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August 26, 2019
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What If God Erased “Offensive” Bible History?

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What if God Erased Offensive Bible History

Every day a part of our rich American history and heritage is torn down, renamed, demolished, disintegrated, and defamed–America’s founders, past presidents, originators of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence, warriors who led battles to free America and free the slaves, or someone or something that happens to offend “someone”–erased!

[Tweet “Every day a part of our rich American history and heritage is torn down, renamed, disintegrated, or defamed”]

Even during the 4th of July a former athlete tried to defame Betsy Ross who was a Quaker, twice a widow, who never owned slaves, designed and made an American flag representing the first 13 colonies . . . just because she lived during the time of slavery. He called the flag racist?! BTW, past-President Obama, who is black, displayed the Betsy Ross flag at his 2nd inauguration, but somehow Nike didn’t do their research. They listened to one man, yes one man who identifies as the resistance.

Nike went from patriotic to idiotic!!!

[Tweet “Nike went from patriotic to idiotic!!!”]

Slavery was a horrible abomination in early America. There’s no denying or justifying it, but we can’t change the past we can only learn from it. If the same “purests” eradicating our country’s history looked into the personal lives of every president since Washington, they would need to remove all of them and no one running for president could be elected today.

[Tweet “If these same “purest” eradicating our history were to look into the personal lives of every president since Washington, they would need to remove all of them”]

Every human has flaws, failures, mistakes, and wrong decisions because we’re fallible humans. And the people leading the charge to destroy and whitewash our history, also have baggage that would disqualify them by their own standards. Who is even qualified to set those standards?

[Tweet “We don’t honor people because they were perfect. No one would qualify for a tribute.”]

We don’t honor people because they were perfect. No one would qualify.

There was, and will only be, ONE perfect man who ever walked this earth. None has ever matched Jesus’s perfection, nor will there ever be another like Him, yet the resistance didn’t honor Him, they crucified him.

[Tweet “There was, and will only be, ONE perfect man who ever walked this earth. None has ever matched Jesus’s perfection, nor will there ever be another like Him, yet the resistance crucified him”]

History is always comprised of the good times and the bad times, but today many would tell you it was all bad and we must erase every memory—good and bad—in their biased opinion. Who exactly is making the decision to eradicate history and where are those who should be pushing back?

[Tweet “The Bible is the only Book you can truly believe because it is the inspired Word of God not manipulations by men.”]

The Bible is the only “history” Book you can truly believe because it is the inspired Word of God not the manipulations of men. God shares evil and good, wrong and right, painful and joyful history since the beginning of time.

 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

A friend recently wrote on Facebook:

“This is why I believe God inspired the Bible. If men had written it, all of their sins would’ve been left out. I see some people and political leaders, and some colleges trying to erase the horrible history of slavery of our nation, but as George Santayana said, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’”

Let’s look at what the Bible might look like if God eliminated topics that might offend someone, which erroneously many churches are attempting to do today.

Adam and Eve wouldn’t be created as only two genders–male and female–and wouldn’t have married, establishing that marriage is solely between a man and woman and sex is for the confines of marriage.

The story of Moses leading the Israelite slaves to freedom couldn’t be told because his adopted mother had slaves and he was a murderer. The 10 Commandments that God spoke to Moses convicts and annoys too many people, so the Pentateuch written by Moses (the first five books of the Bible) must be erased.

Noah couldn’t keep the animals cooped up on the ark for 370 days. That offends animal rights groups

Abraham’s wife Sarah had an Egyptian slave, Hagar, so Abraham couldn’t be God’s choice to father the great nation of Israel.

Worshippers of Baal and Molech couldn’t be faulted for sacrificing their children—it was their reproductive right and choice!

David was a man after God’s own heart and a King who loved and served God. David wasn’t inclusive to other gods and he didn’t separate church and state. So gone with every book in the Bible that mentions him and most of the Psalms.

Solomon was too wealthy so exclude Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes.

Paul preached incessantly and persistently about sin, no matter how many times he was imprisoned. He was judgemental.
“Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:26-32.

So all 14 Books of the New Testament that Paul wrote must be deleted because someone will surely be offended by hearing their choices are sinful.

The Four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, tell the story of Jesus’s life and ministry. But Jesus had the audacity to say that He exclusively, not inclusively, was the only way to salvation, but everyone could be included if they believed that: “I [Jesus] am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

[Tweet “What parts of the Bible would remain if someone thought we shouldn’t know the truth about biblical history, creation, the fall of man?”]

What parts of the Bible would remain if someone thought we shouldn’t know the truth about biblical history, creation, the fall of man, the hope of salvation? The failings of some good people who God still used in mighty ways? And the death of His innocent Son so that everyone who believes in Jesus could be forgiven. The opportunity to learn from past history and the redemptive stories from the Bible help us become godly people who work at making our world a better place.

We can prevent the mistakes of the past from becoming our present and learn how to create a better future for our world and ourselves.

What if man and not God wrote the Bible? Probably the only remaining Book would be Judges where everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Ah yes, now that’s history our culture could identify with today.

Even now, just like with our American heritage, the secularists are trying to eliminate any replica of our Christian heritage. What they’ll never understand is that Jesus doesn’t live in symbols; He lives in a believer’s heart. They could take down every Cross and 10 Commandments and still they could never eliminate Jesus. They can’t erase American or biblical history as long as one generation continues to tell the next generation. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

If not, our past mistakes in the world will sadly become our future. You see it right now, with Democrat pundits trying to convince free Americans that slavery to a socialist government is a good thing. Maybe that’s really the motive behind wiping out any memory or reminder of the evils of slavery so those who want control could again enslave free people.

[Tweet “Democrat pundits try to convince free Americans that slavery to a socialist government is a good thing. Maybe that’s really the motive behind wiping out any memory or relic reminder of the evils of slavery so those who want control could enslave free people yet calling it justice.”]

As Christians, we each have a past but we’ve given our lives to Jesus to create our future. We can’t try to whitewash or erase our own life history like it never happened, but we can learn from it and let God use it to help someone else when we share our testimony. We bravely remember where we’ve been, so we can help someone else not make our past their future.

[Tweet “As Christians, we each have a past but we’ve given our lives to Jesus to create our future”]

And that’s why God doesn’t whitewash or erase “offensive” parts of the Bible. It’s all there from Genesis to Revelation. It’s ugly what men and women can do when sin rules in their life, but life is beautiful with Jesus.

You might also enjoy my blog The 4th of July is for Proud Americans.

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July 8, 2019
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10 Things You Can Do In a World Gone Mad

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__Holy Nectar from a hummingbird and God

Each morning we wake up and thank God for another new day.

10 Things You Can Do in a World Gone Mad

Then we look at the news headlines in disbelief that Satan is getting bolder and more visible. Evil seems to be winning and prevailing in a country founded on Judeo Christian values.

[Tweet “We’ve gone from most people believing in the 10 Commandments as a solid foundation for behavior to a world that’s traded evil for good”]

We’ve gone from most people believing in the 10 Commandments as a basis for behavior to a world that now finds the 10 Commandments offensive and has replaced good with evil. Truth with lies.  Moral with immoral. Like in the days of Judges, everyone does what seems right in their own eyes. There is no recognized central truth. Truth is whatever you want it to be. Your truth is all that matters.

“You can be whatever you want to be,” used to be an encouragement parents gave to their children to follow their dreams. Now it means children are “gender neutral” until “they” determine whatever sex “they” want to be regardless of their scientific biologic sex.

10 Things You Can Do in a World Gone Mad

More Madness

  • Legalized infanticide and late term abortions.
  • Gay marriage.
  • Young children who haven’t even experienced the hormonal changes of puberty are receiving hormones to change their biological sex.
  • Transgender athletes allowed to compete with their new gender identification, even in the Olympics. Yes, that means biological men are competing against biological women.
  • Political leaders stump for Socialism and Communism in America.
  • A freshmen Congresswoman suggests we eliminate air travel, cows, cars, hamburgers, and having children and seasoned legislators support this ludicrous fictional fable.
  • A Congresswoman denounces Israel and Congress doesn’t denounce her.
  • A sixteen-year old high school student is slandered and defamed by the mainstream media and celebrities for standing still and smiling while being harassed because he had participated in a pro-life rally and was wearing a MAGA hat.
  • A celebrity fabricates a hate-crime for greed, fame, and incrimination of supporters of our president, and fools the media with his lies.
  • Celebrity parents pay enormous bribes in a lying fraudulent scam to get their children into prestigious colleges.
  • A Democrat presidential contender encourages smoking marijuana to experience joy and legalizing prostitution.
  • Another inexperienced liberal Democrat throws his hat into the 2020 contenders. The newbie has no platform and his only claim to fame is that he swears a lot, has a DUI, fanaticized about killing children, was part of a hacking group, and can skateboard across a stage.
  • Media outlets no longer present news facts, but instead spew partisan opinions and biased liberal propaganda.
  • Churches of all faiths need armed guards.

I could fill this blog with cultural madness, and as soon as this blog posts, there will be even more shocking headlines.

We live in tumultuous times in the church and in the world. Confusion and fear reigns among newer believers who don’t have a solid foundation in biblical truth to help them discern evil from good, lies from truths, abnormal from normal.

How do you mentor the next generation when it seems we are in the end times?

[Tweet “How do you mentor the next generation when it seems we are in the end times?”]

How do you help young people stand bravely by the Bible when even many churches and pastors are deviating from God’s Word?

[Tweet “How do you help young people stand bravely by the Bible when even many churches and pastors are deviating from God’s Word?”]

Each generation has a predisposition to look at God as the God of the past who doesn’t understand the current culture. That’s why I’m a passionate proponent of mentoring and living out Titus 2:1-6 where spiritually older men and women receive the charge to teach, train, and model the Christian life to the next generation so they won’t be deceived and dissuaded.

Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives. Titus 2:1-6 The Message

To understand the full impact of Titus 2:1-6, we need to read the issues Paul was addressing in the previous verses. It sounds a lot like our world today:

Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.—Titus 1:15-16 NIV

[Tweet “There’s a steady increase in crime and decrease in morality in our culture because many believers are failing to take up the Titus 2 mantel”]

Today, we see a steady increase in crime and decrease in morality in our culture because many believers are failing to take up the Titus 2 mantel—one Paul and I call the job description for every Christian man and woman. A consequence of a generation not accepting the charge of Titus 2 is a liberal progressive society aggressively challenging Christianity and long-held truths governing our society for over 2,000 years.

Just as the apostle Paul saw the need for mentors in his day, we desperately need mentors today. Yet, many who should be stepping up to mentor and teach the next generation are falling away from Titus 2 just as quickly as our world is falling away from God.

[Tweet “How do we ordinary Christians make a difference in today’s confused and fallen world?”]

So how do we ordinary Christians make a difference in today’s confused and fallen world? We follow Paul’s teaching to Pastor Titus. As mentors, we speak, teach, and train the truth to the spiritually younger, straight from the Bible.

10 Things You Can Do in a World Gone Made

We read our Bibles and let God’s Word speak, teach, and train the truth to us so we can respond to life’s issues from God’s perspective. Together mentors and mentees learn spiritual wisdom and scriptural principles to help navigate the moral decline of our culture, and in some cases, the foundation of the Christian faith.

Here’s What We Can Do

We can pray for revival.

We can pray for everyone blinded by lack of faith in God!

We can pray for the victims of evil.

We can ask God what He wants His people, to do. What action does He want us to take?

We can share Jesus openly in this urgent time of uncertainty.

We can reassure our children, grandchildren, and mentees that they can make a difference in this world.

We can live as godly role models in a world that has forsaken God.

We can live by the Bible in our personal lives and share the Truth that salvation is free by the grace of God.

We can emphasize that we don’t follow God’s laws because we have to; we follow them because we have Jesus in our heart and they can too.

Here’s What We Can’t Do

We can’t lose hope.

We can’t ignore what’s happening around us.

We can’t live fearfully.

We can’t be silent.

We won’t become relics if we stay relevant.

[Tweet “Jesus didn’t come to conform to the culture; he came to reform the culture.”]

Jesus didn’t come to conform to the culture; he came to reform the culture. Now we’re to go and do likewise. Are you up for it? I pray your answer is “Yes, Lord, Yes. Here am I, use me!”

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Here’s a slide show I wrote for Crosswalk.com that also posted today. I encourage you to read it: 10 Powerful Gifts to Pass On to the Next Generation.

March 18, 2019
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Seeking A Season of Spiritual Maturity

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I recently learned that pilot whales are very social and their offspring stay in their mother’s pod for life. The young swim alongside old, knowledgeable whales and learn from them how to feed, mate, and migrate in open waters.

The species is so good at following that occasionally they follow a bad decision by one of the lead whales, and they’re all in for trouble. This is rare. Overall, the younger whales learn from the wisdom and experience of the older whales.

[Tweet “The disciples followed, watched, asked questions, listened, and gleaned from Jesus,”]

While it might be hard to relate to whales, how about Jesus leading His disciples. In The Team That Jesus Built, I describe how Jesus took fishermen, a tax collector, and eventually arrived at twelve ragtag men and told them to “Follow me.” They followed Jesus around, watched, asked questions, listened, and gleaned from Him, and slowly they matured in their faith and understanding of what it means to be a true follower of Christ.

When Paul was growing the New Testament churches, he challenged believers in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Follow me as I follow the example of Christ.” Like the disciples, Paul hadn’t lived an exemplary life, but he had turned his life around and had one incredible testimony! Still he never felt he had arrived. He was always fighting the good fight, running the race, and willing to share with others everything he learned in his seasons of spiritual growth. He begged people to follow his example, not because he was so great, but because he humbly was following and learning from Christ.

What Can We Learn From Whales, Paul, and the Disciples?

[Tweet “No one ever “achieves” or arrives at total spiritual maturity. “]

As Christians, we’re continually growing and maturing in our faith, or at least we should be . . . right? No one ever “achieves” or arrives at total spiritual maturity. We never know enough or all there is to learn about the Christian life. But do we sometimes live as if we do? Do we spend more time focusing on the world’s teachings than Jesus’s teaching? Like the 650 whales beached on New Zealand’s shoreline when they followed the wrong leader whale, our spiritual life can be beached too when we follow the wrong leader.

[Tweet “Do we spend more time focusing on the world’s teachings than Jesus’s teaching?”]

But we can get off the “spiritual beach” by seeking spiritual guidance. Maybe at a Bible study or retreat or deciding to have a consistent daily quiet time, we experience a newfound hunger to grow deeper in our walk with the Lord, but we’re not sure how. There are so many unanswered questions and portions of the Bible still confusing. We live in fear with the circumstances of the world, and yet we know our faith should sustain us, but it doesn’t seem enough right now.

[Tweet “Paul said in Titus 2:3-5 to have the women in a spiritually mature season teach and train the less spiritually mature”]

Paul had the answer when he said in Titus 2:3-5 to have the women in a spiritually mature season teach and train the less spiritually mature. Some try to interpret those verses as strictly chronological age, but in mentoring we want to learn from someone spiritually older, not necessarily older in years. A great truth the Lord revealed when I was starting the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry.

[Tweet “Many mentoring ministries fail because they match older women with younger women without looking at their seasons of spiritual maturity”]

Many mentoring ministries fail because they simply match older women with younger women without looking at their seasons of spiritual maturity. A woman might become a Christian at sixty-five and have worldly wisdom but not spiritual wisdom. Her mentor might be fifty but has walked with the Lord for many years.

We don’t know the ages of the disciples, but since Jesus was only thirty when He started His ministry, there’s a good chance they were older than Him. But they had so much to learn and only three years to spiritually mature. You and I are Christians today because Jesus mentored them to go into the world and teach what He had taught them.

Your Personal Spiritual Maturity Season

Sometimes I hear Christians say they feel spiritually dry. That saddens me because Jesus is ready and willing to give us living water from a well that never runs dry. If we drink from His well, we’ll keep growing in spiritual maturity (John 4:10-15). Many of you know this already and someone in your life needs to hear how you continue maturing in your relationship with the Lord.

I’m afraid there’s a growing epidemic among Christian women today to worry more about their own spiritual maturity than sharing what they know about Christ with a newer believer. I’m not referring to Bible study leaders, but the women sitting under their teaching in every church or Bible study group. Are they sharing what they’re learning with the many women around them who need help with their spiritual maturity?

It goes beyond just inviting them to the Bible study for the leader or facilitator to teach them; it means helping them live a godly mature life outside the groups in daily life. It means more than inviting them to church on Sunday; it means praying and studying with them during the week.

It means every believer a mentor!

In Mentoring for All Seasons: Sharing Life Experiences and God’s Faithfulness, I share stories of mentors who have met spiritually younger women at Bible studies and church and offered to mentor them. I encourage spiritually mature women to think about the role models in their life who helped them come to faith and spiritual maturity. We all have them. Women we admire who took the time to disciple us and share some of their life with us. Hebrews 13:7 tell us to: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

“Imitate their faith.” Exactly what Paul told the church and Jesus told His disciples.

Mentoring is that simple. How someone reached you with her faith is probably the way you will be the most effective in pouring into someone else who is younger in her faith.

In Mentoring for All Seasons, there are points to consider of how God could use you as a mentor and how to select a mentor. Here are just a couple.

If you’ve been a believer for a while:

  • Who challenged you and helped you grow in your faith?
  • How did she model Jesus to you?
  • Who needs you to do that for them? Consider also someone who might be a long-time believer but is going through a season of doubt.
  • Who do you need to invite to follow you and help her mature in her faith?
  • How could God enhance your spiritual maturity by mentoring and pouring into someone else?

If you’re a newer believer and eager to learn and grow in your faith, or going through a spiritually dry time, God tells us two are better than one (Ecc. 4:9-10).

  • Who do you admire for her faith and the way she lives it out in daily life?
  • What about her faith would you like to emulate in your own life?
  • What’s stopping you from asking her to mentor you?

Often, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” James 4:2

Paul the great mentor of the New Testament reminds us that mentoring is always a two-way relationship and reward.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” [a] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. Philippians 2:14-17

Mentoring for All Seasons is available for order now on Amazon or Kindle version or Signed by the Author

Author Bio

Janet Thompson is an international speaker, freelance editor, and award-winning author of 19 books. Her latest release is Mentoring for All Seasons: Sharing Life Experiences and God’s Faithfulness.

She is also the author of Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten; The Team That Jesus Built; Dear God, Why Can’t I Have a Baby?; Dear God They Say It’s Cancer; Dear God, He’s Home!; Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter; Face-to-Face Bible study Series; and Woman to Woman Mentoring: How to Start, Grow, & Maintain a Mentoring Ministry Resources.

She is the founder of Woman to Woman Mentoring and About His Work Ministries.

Visit Janet and sign up for her Monday Morning blog and online newsletter at womantowomanmentoring.com

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August 21, 2017
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Is Your Church a Hugging Church?

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I started the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, which as Pastor Rick Warren describes . . . “We’re a hugging church.” So I knew that women attending one of our Woman to Woman Mentoring Orientation Coffees would need welcoming from a “Greeter/Hugger” at the front door.

Some churches starting the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry question the need for a Greeter/Hugger, until they have an experience similar to the church who shared this story with me:

A helper offered to be the Greeter/Hugger at our Orientation Coffee, but she couldn’t hug a stranger so she would shake hands. We aren’t a hugging church, but since we were following your Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry Coordinator’s Guide where you stress the importance of having a Greeter/Hugger, we decided we would have her help in another area and find someone who would hug the women as they arrived. Then during the sharing time, one woman said she was a newlywed, and shortly after their wedding, her husband deployed overseas. The hug she received from the Greeter/Hugger was her first hug in eighteen months, and that hug assured her the mentoring ministry was just where the Lord wanted her. After the Coffee, the helper who said she couldn’t hug strangers, said she would be the Greeter/Hugger at our next Orientation Coffee.

How Did Church Members Greet Each Other in Jesus’s Day?

[Tweet “God’s design for the church was for believers to be family.”]

God’s design for the church was for believers to be family. Jesus made that clear in Mark 3:31-35:

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

We often refer to ourselves as brothers and sisters in Christ, and some churches still call each other “brother _______” and “sister _______,” but most have dropped the use of this familiar term, maybe to a detriment. Families hug each other in greeting, so it shouldn’t seem strange for brothers and sisters in Christ to greet each other with a hug.

The early church actually went a step beyond a hug and greeted fellow believers with a kiss. This wasn’t a romantic kiss, but one like Europeans or relatives give to each other, maybe on the cheek. When Paul sent letters to the churches, this is how he told them to greet each other . . .

“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.” Romans 16:16

“All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.” 1 Corinthians 16:20

“Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.” 1 Thessalonians 5:26

Peter also said, “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.” 1 Peter 5:14

Why Don’t All Churches Hug Today?

I asked several people if they had a time of greeting in their church, and if so, was it shaking hands or hugging. One man replied that there was greeting prior to the service and if you had a relationship with someone you might hug them, but if there had been some animosity or misunderstanding, you wouldn’t want to hug that person. I thought that was interesting since this is church we’re talking about! But then I had a disagreement with someone, and it was hard to hug that person until we resolved it.

When my husband and I travel and attend churches, we notice that sometimes we’re the only people hugging. One church we attend regularly, the pastor sticks out his hand to shake my husband Dave’s hand, and as Dave gives him a hug, the Pastor laughs and says, “Oh yes, you’re the hugger.”

I don’t remember that many people hugging when we first started attending our small mountain community church where we live now, unless they were already friends, but now everyone hugs! I’m so used to hugging people, I once hugged our new neighbor, and I barely knew her. It just seemed like the welcoming thing to do, although she did seem a little surprised, I did it without thinking . . . because I’m a hugger.

[Tweet “Admittedly, some people are extremely private and don’t like people invading their space with a hug.”]

Admittedly, some people are extremely private and don’t like people invading their space. They’re uncomfortable hugging, especially if they don’t know you. I’ve never had anyone take inappropriate advantage of hugging in church, but I suppose that could happen too. And it’s important to caution children to be leery of anyone they don’t know hugging them inappropriately, and be sure your church has a vetting process for everyone working in youth and children’s ministry.

[Tweet “Hugging etiquette considerations at church.”]

Here are hugging etiquette considerations if you’re a hugger like me, but not sure how the other person feels about hugging:

  1. If it’s a first meeting/greeting, shake hands, especially with the opposite sex.
  2. After several meetings, try a side hug. If you feel resistance or tenseness, return to handshakes.
  3. Be open. Explain that you’re a hugger, and ask if they’re OK with a hug in greeting and honor their wishes.

If you’re uncomfortable with hugs, that’s OK. Don’t feel badly or that you have to explain. A bright smile, and kind, friendly greeting speaks volumes.

“An honest answer is like a warm hug.” Psalm 24:26 The Message

What are your thoughts on giving hugs during greeting time at church?

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June 12, 2017
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Thompson’s B&B and Ministry Retreat

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Write for God with website

Dave and I have always had a heart for turning our home into a refuge for friends and a retreat for couples in ministry. When we lived in Southern California, we bought our cabin in the mountains for that very purpose, along with using it for my writing retreat. I did more writing there than entertaining when we lived in So Cal, even though we repeatedly invited couples and family to come visit. But now that we’ve moved away, when we go back to the cabin, we’re “booked” solid. Funny how that happens more now that we’re gone then when we lived there. We’re just glad the Lord has allowed us to keep that cabin and use it for His glory.

When we moved to Idaho, our home has a basement apartment perfect for guests. Many friends and family have accepted our open invitation to visit and let us pamper them with food, fun, field trips, and peaceful relaxation.

[Tweet “A special treat has been opening our home to fellow authors/ speakers I know through AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Association), or through networking. “]

A special treat has been opening our home to fellow authors/ speakers I know through AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Association), or through networking among those of us in the ministry of writing and speaking. Even though we might not know each other well, we know that what we have in common as Christian writers and speakers is enough for us to have a blessed time together.

The adventure for my hubby, Dave, is that he has never met any of the authors and their husbands who come to stay with us. But he knows it’s going to be a great time because we’re fellow Christians and that’s enough to build a friendship and relationship.

I was talking to a friend who is not a believer and explaining how we’ve never spent time with, or in some cases even met, some of the guests coming to our home. She said, “Well you share the same morals and values so you know they’re not going to do you any harm.” I thought to myself, she gets it. Even though she’s not a Christian herself, she understands the camaraderie Dave and I share with fellow Christians and what a testimony this is to her and others.

[Tweet “Even though she’s not a Christian herself, she understands the camaraderie Dave and I share with fellow Christians and what a testimony this is to her and others.”]

The First Time

The first time I introduced my husband to the experience of hospitality with people neither of us knew was when we took a trip to Montana. I knew author/speaker Tricia Goyer lived in Montana at the time. So I contacted her online and said we would be visiting her town and suggested we meet for coffee. When we got into town and I called her, she invited us to come to her home for dinner instead of coffee. As we walked up to her front door, Dave said, “You’ve met Tricia before, right?” Chuckling, I said, “No, we’ve never met!” My husband was shocked and replied, “This should be an interesting evening.”

We both had the best time and stayed until almost midnight. After that wonderful experience, he has never hesitated when I say, “Guess who’s coming to stay with us for a few days?”

Opening Our Home to Traveling Friends and Authors

Kathi and Al Macias

Two years ago, author and speaker Kathi Macias and her hubby Al were coming through Idaho, and I invited them to stay with us. I knew Kathi, and had met Al at an AWSA conference where we discovered that we all attended the same high school. I was in the class ahead of them. We had a wonderful time during their visit with us, and Al and Dave quickly became great friends. When we visit our So Cal cabin, which is near the Macias’s home, they come to visit, and Al and Dave have even spent a day on the golf course together.

Bill and Pam Farrel

This past week, Pam and Bill Farrel, who have love-wise marriage ministry together, were speaking in Montana, and I invited them to spend a few days with us in Idaho. You guessed it . . . Dave had never met either of them before, but by now, he already knew it would be a great time. And so it was. The Farrels were coming off a speaking weekend and going home to face a home remodel, and hopeful sale of their home. They were so ready for a break, and that’s what we hope they experienced while here. We enjoyed our first float down the river with them, a mountain walk, and hours on the deck with deep and meaningful conversation, laughs, fellowship, ministry discussions, and again, making new forever friends in Christ.

floatingPam's collage

Recently, a friend from our Couple’s Bible study said, “You really have a lot of company.” We had hosted California friends in December and January, and always savor our times when the grandkids are here for a visit. Dave and I have truly come to know the blessing of the Apostle Paul’s advice: Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. 1 Peter 4:9 NLT. We also have been the blessed recipients of cheerful hospitality from so many of our friends and family when we travel.

[Tweet “We’ve truly come to know the blessing of the Apostle Paul’s advice: Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. 1 Peter 4:9 NLT.”]

Dave and I offer our home and our hearts and invite friends, acquaintances, and fellow ministry workers for Christ to come and experience what we love about God’s beauty in our mountain paradise. Many have taken us up on that offer, and we pray that many more will enjoy what those who have visited call: “The Thompson’s 5 Star Bed and Breakfast.” But don’t worry; we’ll feed you three meals and snacks too!

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:13

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

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You can read more about how God helped me become more hospitable and balance my Martha with my Mary, in my Bible study Face-to-Face with Mary and Martha: Sisters in Christ.

MaryandMartha300dpi

May 23, 2016
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Kim Davis: A Modern-Day Paul

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Kim Davis' mug shot

If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all. Isaiah 7:9 HCSB

You’ve probably been following the case of Kim Davis, the Rowan county clerk in Kentucky imprisoned in federal jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Kim worked in the county clerk offices for 26 years as deputy for her mother, county clerk for 40 years, and then the community elected Kim last November to that position after her mother’s retirement. However the most impressive statistic about Kim Davis is that as a Christian of only four years, she was willing to go to jail to honor God.

[Tweet “the most impressive statistic about Kim Davis is that as a Christian of only four years, she was willing to go to jail to honor God.”]

When Kim took the job as county clerk, like most of us, she never imagined a day when America, a country founded on Judeo/Christian values, would legalize a moral atrocity like same-sex marriage. Kim didn’t seek notoriety or attention and she’s not the first county clerk to object to granting marriage licenses to gays, but she is the first who was willing to put her Christian faith on the line. In her statement, she wrote that her refusal to issue marriage licenses to gays  “Is not a light issue for me. It’s a Heaven or Hell decision.”

[Tweet “her refusal to issue marriage licenses to gays “Is not a light issue for me. It’s a Heaven or Hell decision.””]

She added: “I want to continue to perform my duties, but I also am requesting what our Founders envisioned — that conscience and religious freedom would be protected. That is all I am asking. I never sought to be in this position, and I would much rather not have been placed in this position.”

She also used her statement as an opportunity to give her testimony of becoming a Christian. Like the apostle Paul, and all of us, she had a past, but she’s forgiven and saved and telling others:
“In addition to my desire to serve the people of Rowan County, I owe my life to Jesus Christ who loves me and gave His life for me. Following the death of my godly mother-in-law over four years ago, I went to church to fulfill her dying wish. There I heard a message of grace and forgiveness and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. I am not perfect. No one is. But I am forgiven and I love my Lord and must be obedient to Him and to the Word of God. I never imagined a day like this would come, where I would be asked to violate a central teaching of Scripture and of Jesus Himself regarding marriage.”

Three times in the book of Jeremiah, in response to the moral sins of the people, God also said, “I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!” (Jer. 7:31, 19:5, 32:35 NLT). It never crossed most of our minds that our country would ever consider doing something so abominable and against the nature of how God created marriage and men and women.

Side Note

When people ask me: “Where in the Bible does Jesus condemn homosexuality?” I counter with “Where does He condone it?” The people of Jesus’ time knew the Old Testament and they were fully aware of what constituted moral sins and what goes against God’s ways. Something our culture has forgotten. Jesus didn’t explicitly say don’t have sex with your animal either, so does that mean it’s OK and marriage to your animal whom you “love” should be legalized? And if it was, would you expect Kim to grant those licenses too?

[Tweet “The LGBT advocates and supporters have no moral argument and they know it”]

The LGBT advocates and supporters have no moral argument and they know it. Dark chooses to stay in the dark. “The look on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom, they flaunt their sin. They do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought evil on themselves” (Isaiah 3:9).

Praise God, if you’re a believer, “He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:12:13).

[Tweet “What saddens me is the number of Christians and churches buying into the lie”]

What saddens me is the number of Christians and churches buying into the lie. Any Christian who supports gay marriage and doesn’t think it’s a sin, doesn’t know his or her Bible, cover to cover. I don’t care if they’re pastors, popes, priests, presidents, legislators, judges … they’re human, fallible, and wrong! “Your leaders mislead you, they confuse the direction of your paths” (Isaiah 3:12).

[Tweet ““Your leaders mislead you, they confuse the direction of your paths” (Isaiah 3:12)”]

They have stepped out of the light into the darkness. If you’re one of those people, I implore you to open up your Bible, start in Genesis and read all the way to Revelations. Don’t pick a verse here or there, read the whole Book of God and you will clearly know what God calls sin–immorality, idolatry, murder, lies, sexual perversion and lust, adultery and more …. It’s all in there along with what He thinks of those who support, encourage, and purposely engage in sin. You don’t want to be one of those people. Kim Davis, who has only been a Christian for four years, reminded us: “It’s a Heaven or Hell decision.”

[Tweet “There’s no right way to do the wrong or immoral thing!”]

I’ve had Christians ask me what I think Kim Davis should have done, and I answer, “Just what she did.” There’s no right way to do the wrong immoral thing no matter who tells you to do it or what immoral laws our government passes. If anything, they should grandfather her in and not expect her to abide by a “law” that changed long after she started working in the county clerk’s office. Granting gay marriage licenses isn’t the job she signed up for: compliance or quitting aren’t viable options. That sounds a lot like a dictatorship. Some have tried to use the verses about giving unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. Again, that tells me they don’t know their Bible. Those verses were talking about taxes. Don’t cheat on your taxes. But let’s look a little closer at the whole context of what Jesus said in Matthew 22:17-21 NLT:

17 Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? 19 Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin,[a] 20 he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”

21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.

“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

What’s on the back of your coins?

thatyoumightknowhim.com

thatyoumightknowhim.com

What Next?

Those who are honest and fair, who refuse to profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong— 16 these are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress. Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance. Is. 33:15-16

Those who are honest and fair,
who refuse to profit by fraud,
who stay far away from bribes,
who refuse to listen to those who plot murder,
who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—
these are the ones who will dwell on high.
The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress.
Food will be supplied to them,
and they will have water in abundance. Isaiah 33:15-16

As I write this post, Kim Davis was released from jail and we all wait for what will happen when she returns to work. Last Sunday, Kim Davis was still in jail when our pastor Brian Smith spoke on the book of Colossians. He emotionally prefaced that the Lord had him pacing in his office as he prepared this sermon, especially in light of current events. He read an introduction to us prior to the sermon. Before I share that introduction with his permission, let’s look at a few passages Paul wrote to the Colossians while he too was in prison for his faith. Remember that the Colossian believers were also bucking the Roman government who wanted everyone to recognize Caesar as Lord.

 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy… Col. 1:9-11

Christ Is Supreme

15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
    He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,[a]
16 for through him God created everything
    in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
    and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
    Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
    and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
    which is his body.
He is the beginning,
    supreme over all who rise from the dead.[b]
    So he is first in everything. Col. 1:15-18

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. Col. 1:23

 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers[a] of this world, rather than from Christ.” Col. 2:8

Marriage should be honoredPastor Brian Smith’s Opening to Sermon on Colossians:

There are voices in our world who tell us that we are to follow their authority. People who claim to know what is best for nations and individuals are hard at work to mold everyone into their image. This is not new: Rome had a plethora of gods and idols, and above all was the emperor. The people of his kingdom were to declare, “Caesar is Lord!”

China has a similar attitude, but there the government, communism, is to be recognized as the supreme ruler. To disagree is to be in jeopardy of the charge of “upsetting the social order.” Any activists can expect severe persecution or prison.

Our country is evidently following a similar secular, materialistic agenda: Federal laws are pre-eminent, government is the provider of goods for life, and to think differently brings the charge, “You are upsetting the social order!”

Christians are made to look like they missed the bus—“This is the 21st century. Get in step with the advancements of this society and culture. Life is changing and the experts are to be followed, you dummies!”

[Tweet “Christians are confident that God’s ways have not changed”]

However, we as Christians are confident that God’s ways have not changed. He is the ultimate expert; He is Creator and Sustainer of the universe and of our lives. To contradict Him is to invite disaster, personally and universally. We’re already seeing these effects.

Our spiritual education is important; learning God’s ways is a priority and following the One who holds eternity has greater consequences than trying to have peace and security apart from God. So we need to tune into God.

He is not oblivious to your needs and circumstances. He will meet you where you are, but each of us must turn to face Him, acknowledge Him, respond to what He reveals, and obey.

Janet’s Challenge to You

war-room-2Christians put an expressly Christian movie, War Room, in the #1 ranking in the box office over Labor Day weekend. Surely, we can put a Conservative, Bible-Believing-Following, Christian in the Oval Office! Let’s do it…are you with me?

Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who substitute darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who substitute bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20 HCSB

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September 14, 2015
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