Teaching and Training My Girls

I have begun a character study of women in the scripture with my girls. My daughters are 6 and 7 years old. If you meet them you might suggest their ages to be more like 25 for the 7 year old and 32 for the 6 year old. Anyway, we have studied Eve, Hagar, and Sarah. We read scripture about these women usually on Sunday nights...our gender segregated discipleship time. Two weeks ago we reviewed these ladies. The purpose was and is to see these women of faith and learn from them. I believe I learned as much if not more than the girls during our review.

"What do we remember about Eve?" I asked. "I can tell you about Adam!" Najee' exclaims. "He did not protect his wife from the serpent. He just sat there and watched his wife in sin and did nothing." From this comment it is clear that this is my child."Okay, good Najee'. But what can you as girls who will become women learn from Eve?" I said. "We need to do what God says." she replied. With that we all agreed. "What else can we learn Nichelle?" Her response was, "We can walk away from the devil, when he tells us to sin."

Okay now what about Sarah? I said. Their thoughts were as follows...."She laughed at the Lord when he told her she was going to have child. Then it got a little stirred in the room because the girls remembered Hagar. Nichelle had been stuck on this for some time now..."Why would she give her husband to that woman? Yeah and then she went all crazy and got mad at him for doing what she said. Then she kicked her out and was mean to her. What was all that about?" Najee stated, "Because she didn't believe God was going to do what He said because it is hard for old people to have babies. It would really hurt! Especially if you are old. She just needed to believe the Lord and listen to what He said, not what she felt or what things looked like." All of that came from their mouths... which again is amazing but to be expected if you know my girls...well my son too.

Anyway from that I took away that we need to believe God at His word. At times it seems a little more difficult today because we don't frequently hear or see angels or the Lord Himself come to give us a specific message. However He does give His word that has an answer for everything. We simply need to look. So this is a simple reminder of our need to trust and depend on the Lord in everything.

Song Of Songs

I have been listening to Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church preach through the Song of Songs. This message addressed some very familiar concerns within our Christian community. So I posted the full sermon that you may hear and view this message. Feel free to comment and create a dialogue about what was spoken.

ADAM WHERE ARE YOU?

This past Sunday, my husband preached a sermon about Adam. He very specifically stated that the intent of this message was for the male. It's not very often that men are truly called to the carpet. Well, I must say the Lord used him to really bring light to the subject of men in our Christian culture. He dealt with the first Adam and finished with the second Adam our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He pulled no punches in regard to Adam's lack of leadership in his home (the Garden of Eden). God gave man the responsibility to work the ground, manage his home and not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God saw fit to create a helper for Adam, in Eve. All wonderful things, yet Adam was unwilling to love his wife by teaching and instructing her. He basically left her to manage and handle the serpent while he watched. How many men today are simply watching their wives be responsible to work the ground, manage the home, and fight the serpent? I'd have to say far too many.

Praise God that what was lacking in the first Adam was brought to completion in the second Adam. Phil (husband) made this awesome comparison one I hadn't heard before. God gave the first Adam a wife, by putting him to sleep and pulling her from his side! God gave the second Adam a bride, by putting Him to death (sleep). I just thought that was the coolest thing. God gave Christ a bride (the church) like Adam. However the Lord will not leave his bride to content with life or the serpent alone. In fact He deals with the serpent and encourages His bride the trust in Him, walk with Him, believe in Him.. and He will deliver. Now that was just a micro version of what was shared on Sunday.

Often there is an imbalance between men and women. More often then not men want to rule and dominate without being servants themselves. I hear a lot of man say "don't the Bible say the woman needs to obey the husband". Yes it does sir, but did you also read that the husband is to sacrifice even to his very life for the wife? Or that the husband is to love the wife as his own flesh? What man hates his own flesh or is unwilling to give the best to himself? Maybe not, that doesn't sound so cool! Christ demonstrated this perfectly. As a result man has no excuse! He laid out the example. So I would encourage the men of Faith to serve their families in loving leadership. Please do not call yourself a man of God and leave your wife and children to deal with the concerns and cares of the this life alone. Or worse, the man like the first Adam who does not lead, but follows into sin and then points a finger at the woman when called to account. Now that is a shame!

So I post this blog to say WHERE ARE YOU ADAM? Men have the responsibility to lead as a servant. I want to encourage men born like the first Adam to be born again and look like the Second ADAM!

STAND IN THE RAIN!

My daughter Najee’ often waits for her daddy to come home from work at the end of the driveway. She will often call him wanting to know exactly where he is on his route home. Today I watched God use my 7 year old to speak loud and clear to me. It was about 6:00P.M. Phil’s ETA was between 5 and 20 minutes. It was raining pretty hard at this point. Najee’ gets the umbrella and stands in the rain at the end of the driveway waiting for her dad. She remained there until he arrived about 10 minutes later. She was confident that her daddy was coming and he would meet her…so she was willing to wait.
Then it hit me. Many of us believe in Christ but are unwilling to wait on Him. She stood in the rain longing for her dad and confident he would come.

Are we that faithful? Will we stand in the rain (through hard trials and tribulation)? Can we endure hardships and still stand confident that our Heavenly Father will meet us? I am challenged by this. Are you? I am challenged to stand in the rain and wait on my Glorious Savior to meet me!