Author: Carolyn

I am a Christian, a sinner saved by God's amazing grace. Much like my life, my blog is a work in progress. The main objective I have for this blog is to "proclaim the praises" of the One who called me out of darkness and into His marvelous light! (1 Peter 2:9)
Prayers for a New School Year

Prayers for a New School Year

Carolyn

This week marked the start of a new school year for my children. I wondered about what prayers and verses I should pray for them. Last year I had a verse for the year for them from Psalm 86:

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may walk in your truth;
    unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

The first day of this year, I was drawn to Psalm 121 and the Lord keeping them, protecting them, with them looking to Him.

As the week went on, I continued to consider prayers for my children. Then yesterday while I was in Walmart looking for school supplies, I ran across this box for index cards and decided to start a prayer box for the year for the kids.

prayer cards
Not exactly Pinterest-worthy, but it’s practical & works!

Each day on the front of the card, I can put the date and a verse. On the back, I can tell what is happening that day (i.e., first day of school or first football game, etc.). Also on the back I can include a short prayer based on the verse(s) for the day. In this way I can hope to have focused, intentional, deliberate, biblical prayer for my children. I also made a list of my children’s friends so I can remember to pray for them, too.

Last night I went to see the movie The War Room with my mom and another couple. It was excellent and surely a motivation to pray.

What are you praying for your family?

Lessons from Gideon #4

Lessons from Gideon #4

Carolyn

Our summer Bible study on Gideon by Priscilla Shirer ended last week. I’ve previously written some of the “Lessons from Gideon” that I’ve taken away from this study here:

As we conclude, I wanted to gather some final thoughts.

Gideon became the valiant warrior God called him to be. We see early in the study in Judges 6 and 7 how he and the 300 men chosen by God routed the enemy in God’s strength alone. We see how Gideon was in conversation with God, in communion with Him during this time, even if it was just receiving assurance or confirmation of the plan. God was patient with Gideon, and Gideon obeyed God and believed Him.

Yet as the story nears the end, we don’t see Gideon talking with the LORD anymore. I suppose it could mean that it just wasn’t recorded, but we also see in his actions that he may have started to do what the Israelites were so famous for doing — what was right in their own eyes, but evil in the sight of the Lord (Judges 2:11, 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1).

It’s not conclusively clear, but we see things such as:

A.  When the Israelites asked Gideon to rule over them because he had delivered them from the hand of Midian (Judges 8:22), though Gideon refused to rule over them (Judges 8:23), he did not give the credit to the LORD for defeating the Midianites.

Though this may seem subtle, it’s important. The very reason the LORD had reduced the number of men who would do battle to only 300 (from 32,000) was so that Israel might not become boastful, saying their own power had delivered them (Judges 7:2-3).

B.  Following that exchange, Gideon asked the Israelites to each give him an earring from the spoil (Judges 8:24). With this collection, Gideon made an ephod and “placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household” (Judges 8:25-27).

An ephod was a specially designed garment for the priests to wear, intended to give them God’s guidance and instruction. Shiloh (35 miles from Ophrah) was the designated religious center for the people. So Gideon had set up in his city something intended for the priest at Shiloh. Perhaps this was for convenience, something he thought might be good, but it led to devastating consequences as it became a snare to the people.

Though Gideon previously, at the LORD’s instruction, had taken down the altar of Baal that belonged to his father, and the Asherah beside it, and built an altar to the LORD (Judges 6:25-28), it’s as though he has forgotten that they were not to worship other gods or make for themselves something that would be an idol. Could the story of Aaron making the golden calf (Exodus 32), collecting gold and earrings to make a “god” to worship, have been so far removed from his mind? It’s as though history repeats itself, and it is perhaps a picture of generational sin that will continue time and again unless we are in relationship with God, following Him, and allowing Him to break strongholds.

C.  In Judges 8:30-31, we see Gideon had many wives and 70 sons. He named his son, born to him by his concubine, Abimelech, which means “my Father, a king,” perhaps indicating how Gideon saw himself, even if he had refused to be ruler.

Priscilla outlines other things in the week previous to this last one where we first see Gideon perhaps begin to move away from God: taking vengeance on the men at Succoth, anger and violence at Penuel, and disgracing the Midianite kings (Judges 8:15-21). Though we can’t conclusively say this wasn’t what God wanted Gideon to do, we do see that Gideon doesn’t seem to be communicating with God as before and seems to be led by his passion and desire for vengeance. Priscilla describes these things as a domino effect, and it ultimately then seems to lead to taking credit for what God had done, the building of the ephod, many wives, and more.

In the end, as soon as Gideon died, “the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon), in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel” (Judges 8:33-35).

It’s a sad ending.

We thought about what our idols might be, how we might be on a slippery slope headed in a way that doesn’t please God, sometimes without even realizing it. It’s so vital that we stay in God’s Word and in prayer, asking Him to reveal these things to us.

Even as I type this morning, I do so on a new computer that arrived yesterday evening. I prayed about whether we should make this purchase, concerned that what starts out good could become a snare to us. I prayed this morning to ask God to make this of use for His glory and to be of good. But I do see how easily these things can become other than what they were originally intended. So we must remain watchful, prayerful, seeking the Lord, reading His Word, following His Spirit’s leading, hearing His voice, obeying Him.

I’ve loved this summer study. I’ve loved the focus it’s given me on my home as my first calling before I move out to other things. I’m thankful for a slow summer with time off work to be able to build on some of these things God has revealed. I’m thankful for the cautions God puts before us as we see how Gideon’s life ended. I’m thankful that we have a God who is strong and who gives us His strength in our weakness. And I pray that we who studied together will continue to walk in God’s way, knowing Him more, and doing what pleases Him.

Progress, Not Perfection

Carolyn

This summer has provided more free time than I can ever remember, and it’s been a wonderful blessing. I’ve been able to make progress in several ways.

  • We’ve been eating better — more eating at home, less eating out.
  • I’ve been exercising, trying to walk every other day.
  • I’ve been enjoying time reading and updating the blog, writing a little more here or just in my journal.
  • Along with my mom, we’ve hosted a summer Bible study and daily benefited from studying the life of Gideon (Judges 6-8) together with a group of women of all ages.
  • I’ve been working less and doing a lot to prepare for a busy fall when school begins later this month.
  • We’ve taken care of dental visits and well checks for the kids.
  • We’ve started college visits!
  • We’ve done some traveling, seen extended family, and celebrated the life of my beloved uncle who went to be with the Lord.
  • We also celebrated birthdays and life in meaningful ways.

All in all, it’s been not only a good summer, but one in which I can see progress. You know the defeating saying, “two steps forward, three steps back”? I feel like for us, it’s been “three steps forward, two steps back” or some variation on that where we’ve moved forward and made progress, not perfectly, sometimes going back a little, but then surging ahead again. For this, I am thankful.

The ongoing process of sanctification (our ongoing growth in the Lord, being set apart for His use) is a good one, where the Lord is continuing His good work in us until its completion at the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

But it’s sometimes also a hard process! It seems to require our active participation, that we continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, trusting and waiting on God to do all that He has planned (Philippians 2:12-13). We don’t trust in the seen, but the unseen. We hope in God, resting in His promises revealed to us in His Word.  Sometimes we must wait to see how it will all work itself out.

So we trust Him, walk by faith, without sight, hoping and waiting in confident expectation that God will act on our behalf and finish the good work.

All of this, this sanctification is ongoing. We won’t be perfect here on earth, but we can make progress. And I am filled with hope that God will finish what He has started, and I look to him and find Him near on the journey as we walk by faith.

Speak Up

Carolyn

Psalm 39:2: “I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, And my sorrow grew worse.”

Keeping Quiet

We’ve probably all heard there are some things we shouldn’t talk about in polite company, including religion and politics. We’ve all been around (or maybe even been at times!) people who are rash, argumentative, and offensive with their thoughts and opinions. So this rule of etiquette helps keep conversations polite and respects the thoughts and opinions of others who may differ.

Particularly now in our world of social media, it’s very easy for people to “tweet” their minds, and everyone can have a voice. We witness people disagreeing in sometimes ugly, even slanderous ways. It makes me wonder if in our society we are losing, to some extent, the ability to engage thoughtfully and logically, to think and discuss ideas, to value the dialogue and hear and consider other sides, without attacking the person who holds to a different way of thinking.

It’s for these reasons that I find myself rarely ever speaking publicly about many things that really matter — because undoubtedly, some will disagree. If I am silent, I don’t risk accidentally offending someone or being misunderstood. And rather than becoming engaged in the clamor of voices, opening myself up to attack or risking offense, it’s easier just to be quiet.

But I’m wondering — in keeping silent, have I kept the peace, but ceased to do good? Has my silence about most anything that matters been a way of giving up ground? Since I won’t speak of it, does it cause me to ignore it, thereby giving me less reason to do good for it (whatever this truth or value is)?

And if we adhere to respectfully being quiet, those with false and even harmful ideas push them forward. And when wrong ideas aren’t met with truth, the voices of error or harm will become the ones that are most heard and have the potential then to become the ones that are believed.

Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” In keeping silent, we do nothing. And in our silence, it’s possible we might cease to do good.

A Case in Point

You have likely seen the Planned Parenthood story and videos about selling aborted baby parts for profit (or perhaps even intact babies, we are now coming to learn). This has caused many of us who might have previously become dull to the horrors of abortion itself, or even some who have previously defended abortion, to be shocked and enraged.

It’s a key time to step back and take a look again at what abortion really is. Should we not all have been enraged before when a baby was mercilessly killed under the cover of the womb? Perhaps because it was a dark, hidden place — not visible — people have not reacted to what would have horrified them if it were happening in an open, light place before the eyes of many.

And isn’t that a picture of how sin works and the enemy acts — in the darkness. But when the light shines in, as is happening now, the truth is clearly seen.

And in this case, it has reached a different level in our consciences, many of which have heretofore been numbed by the sheer magnitude of the problem, the law, the difficulty of challenging such a big organization, and the uncertainty about what we could do.

But people are now rising up, at first because it has become known the body parts are being sold for profit, but now even more because we all are realizing the extent of how these abortions are actually being performed.

Senior Bible Class

In my high school, we studied abortion as part of our senior Bible class. I have to admit that going into that class as a 17-year old, I had heard the word “abortion” and was told it was wrong, but a part of me wondered if it really was that big of a deal. Wasn’t this just a tiny little thing in its earliest stages that wouldn’t hurt? And didn’t “choice” sound like a really good thing?

But what happens when you study something is you begin to learn the facts, the truth, and then that inescapable truth informs you and drives you to believe differently than you would have without the truth.

We watched a video of an abortion. We learned how the baby develops in the womb and when the baby likely begins to feel pain. We heard from a counselor whose expertise was in helping women who had had abortions, and we even listened to a recording of a woman in severe grief over her abortion. We learned that this wasn’t just an exception; it was more the rule. We realized that the women having abortions were just as much victims as the babies, being told lies; in fact, an abortion can be dangerous to a woman’s health. It might even be possible that the women most defending abortion have experienced one themselves, such that defending it somehow eases the pain, reassuring them that if it’s legal, can it really be wrong?

This class was not only very convincing, but as Christians, we believe life begins at conception and that all people are made in the image of God and have value before Him. We know Psalm 139 is true – that we are fearfully and wonderfully made and that God knew us before we were skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.

During Senior Bible, we learned truth and knew where we stood on this issue long before we might ever face a decision about it.

Premature Birth

Years later, the day did come for me when I thought again about abortion and those who grapple with the decision. I faced an extremely rare and life-threatening pregnancy. Though abortion was never a consideration or suggested by my doctors, it did cause me to wonder what other women in a life-threatening situation would do. The perinatologist told me he would do his best to save my life first and the life of my baby. I remember saying to consider my baby and me as equal, but the reality is they would save the mother’s life first. I told him then to save us both.

What I knew about life had been shaped through my Bible class. But what I also knew as a mother was that I wanted this baby to have life, even if it should cost me my own. Her value in my mind was the same as mine — made in the image of God. Would the fact that I had lived longer – 30 years or so at the time – give me more value than her and what God might do through her in her lifetime?

Thankfully it didn’t come to that point. After a tumultuous pregnancy and a month-long hospital stay, she was delivered at the end of the second trimester, at 27 weeks, 2 pounds, 3 ounces. I remember looking at her in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and being struck with the reality that if someone came in there and tried to dismember and kill her, we would all cry out! But if she were still under the cover of the womb, it would be permissible. How can this be?

Here’s a 27 week baby, perfectly formed, human as you and me, different only by time and growth. She turned 15 this week, a beautiful and healthy girl.

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A Voice for the Voiceless

So what can we do? Today, it’s easy to know where to begin. We can contact Congress to urge our representatives to support S.1881: Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood.

We can pray. Don’t you wonder whose prayers are being answered even now?

Pray for the women who have had abortions who might be struggling with regret or grief. Pray for the people involved in this industry to be convicted of this and to see it from a new and right perspective. Pray for those in our government who will vote and make decisions on this issue. Pray for our own hearts to be led with wisdom by God to do what He would call us to do — love others, tell the truth in love for the good of another, give and support pro-life causes, and be a voice for the voiceless.

There are many other issues in our culture today besides abortion where we might need to lift our voices. And that will start in prayer.

Our Only Hope

In this and in all things, we have one hope. His name is Jesus. We do indeed live in a world broken by sin, and all things will not be made right until heaven. But He is a God of abundant, plentiful, and full redemption. For the one broken in pain, loss, and guilt over sin, there is forgiveness through Christ. His death on a cross and His resurrection from the dead offers us forgiveness through faith in Him. He who knew no sin became sin for us. All of Scripture tells us this story. We can be set free from sin to live with Him and for Him with joy.

Jesus is the One who stooped in humility, even to the point of death, to reach us, those who are weak and needy. And when we experience His grace, we will follow His example to truly love and protect the weak and needy around us, and to lead others to Christ who will give them abundant life both here and for all eternity.

It might mean that we will need to open our mouths to tell this good news, to speak the truth in love, to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. And in opening our mouths, we might be led to do good, to seek His good in this world, to be a light reflecting the true Light who came into the world for our sake.

Lessons from Gideon #3

Carolyn

GideonThis summer I’ve been tracking here some of the things we’ve been learning in our summer Bible study on Gideon. Priscilla Shirer, the author of the study, suggested using social media and the hashtag #lessonsfromGideon to do this. My “Lessons from Gideon” #1 and #2 are here and here.

At the end of the “Lessons from Gideon #1” after offering 6 lessons at the midway point of our study, it seemed like I should close that entry with some kind of concluding point, which as I thought about it was this: “7. God seems to be patient with Gideon as he makes him the mighty warrior that He called him to be.”

In fact, though I didn’t know it then, the patience of God was the theme for the next video session and the start of our Week 4 lessons. We discussed it last night.

One friend pointed out how amazing it was that the angel of the LORD would wait for Gideon while Gideon went to prepare his offering.

We saw how God was patient with Gideon as he questioned the angel of the LORD, then as he laid out his fleece twice, and as God Himself offered for Gideon to go down to the enemy camp to receive encouragement and confirmation before the battle. God is a God of patience.

That God should wait for us! How incredible is this?! If we have the notion of a God who is removed or uncaring, we need to think again. He is patient toward us to draw us to Himself, to salvation.

As I reflected more on this, it reminded me of this post on “The Patience of God” from Christmas 2013.

One other highlight from last night’s study: As we looked at Gideon’s assistant Purah who went with him into the enemy camp — perhaps so that if Gideon were to forget what he heard, Purah could remind him and help strengthen Gideon — we talked about our own friendships like Purah and how we can encourage one another and help hold each other accountable in various ways as we pursue God’s call.

At the end of the study, it seemed like we were all offering encouragement to one another, not necessarily completely intentionally, but as an overflow from our discussion. How beautiful it was to speak words of encouragement to friends, to come alongside them in their journey and say, “I see God in you through _____” or “I love the way God uses you to _____” etc. and to hear it back, “You are gifted in _______” etc.

One woman said something to me that I had never thought about in quite that way, though when she said it, I could remember immediately something even from childhood that evidenced it was true. But I’d never seen it as a gift, and in fact, recently had begun to diminish the whole idea of using it. To have it re-identified as a gift and consider how God might use it was something unexpected, but that sparked all sorts of ideas.

So these conversations allowed us to offer encouragement, receive encouragement, support one another in our giftings, and spark a little flame inside of what God could use, maybe something we’d long forgotten about or never known. I think we all left excited to look for ways to encourage others this week in things we see God doing in their lives.

I loved how Priscilla ended the video mentioning two parts — the part we do, but much bigger than that, the part God does. We cooperate in what He is doing, and He gives us His strength and the power of His Spirit to accomplish it for His glory. It is exciting to see what He is doing and be a part of His work in the world. (Ephesians 2:10)

Again, I only capture a few points here, but this is an excellent study. I continue to be grateful for it, for the women God has brought together this summer, and the enriching discussion we have each week centered around God’s Word.