Titus Twosday! Woman to Woman Ministry

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands that the word of God may not be reviled.

This scripture is the base for Tuesday's on my blog. There is so much to be taught. I have come to realize that we will always be a student and always be a teacher. At this point in my life, I have been blessed with a group of women that I am older than (time in marriage, age of children, and life in Christ experience) and at the same time I am the younger woman with a completely different group. This text in Titus has come alive to me in recent years, as I have searched for an older woman who is wise and willing to pour into me. I understand how hard that is for younger women to find that mentor. My heart in this is to encourage women to believe no matter your age and life experience there is someone with less and another with more. So be willing to be taught and willing to teach. When you don't think you have anything to offer you’re probably wrong! We short change ourselves and others when we withhold blessed information that pertains to the scripture above.

For the sake of clarity. Titus 2 is not the verse in the bible that we should use to make every woman like us, quite the contrary! A good teacher is able to see beyond their own ability and help another achieve their personal best. I know that sounded like some self help book. But, you do understand, Right?

Here are the topics we will examine....

1. Being reverent in behavior
2. What is the process of training?
3. Loving your husband
4. Loving your children
5. Being self controlled
6. Being pure
7. Being a worker at home
8. Being Kind
9. Being Submissive to YOUR own husband
10. How our actions and being affect the Word of God

I pray you will be blessed by this time in Titus with me. Ask questions, share your thoughts. I’d like to hear from you. This is how we follow the scriptures. My opinion is the younger women need to learn how to close their mouths, listen and learn. While older woman need to be bold and share was they have learned, experienced and understand in scripture.

I am currently working on loving my husband and children, and working at home. With my husband I am taking time to understand him and his needs. Therefore being a better wife. It is work to learn a man that you know and feel like you understand but I must keep in mind that he is changing as well. If you have not been connected with the FHM being his Crown here is a clip we were assigned homework to learn about our husbands. One of the questions was what does he need from you? My husband answered that he needed me to be more open and vulnerable. Well, that my friend is HARD! I have been hurt, hurt and more hurt. The strange this is most of my hurt did not come from him, yet he has to suffer through it. CRAZY huh! We are really seeking the Lord. But it blew me away to know that he needs me to be more vulnerable, the very thing I know I can’t do in my flesh. My flesh wants to protect against every potential enemy foreign or domestic!

The loving my children is twofold. I love enough to teach them responsibility. Again, if you are just now tuning into my blog we have CHORECHARTS! Each child has a job to do. They contribute to our home and life. They are important in our house and in ministry. I don’t want to send any of my children to marry unprepared for real life. As each one of you know real life is chores and sacrifice. So the more they get now the better they will be in the future.

MAMA BEAR CLAWS!

There was a small incident in the moblie home park on Sunday. A young girl stole money from my daughters wallet that was inside my van. The amount of money was very little ($6), yet it was the principle that mattered more to me. Then a young boy threw a cookie at my daughter (cookies that my children and I made together for the people of Oakwood). While working for the Lord my daughters were abused and taken advantage of. Hummmmmmmm what do we say about these things?

My first instinct was to unleash the claws! I have had a few times of wanting to unleash my momma wrath, but the Lord held me appropriately. So I prayed and the Lord gave me insight. I drove to the mobile home park to find the mother. She wasn't there so the Lord gave me an opportunity to minister to another lady. Who said "the Lord knew I needed to talk to you". She felt encouraged and was given insight on her situation. Then the mother of the children pulled up. So I told her what took place and how that affected my children.

On Sunday this mother was upset at another child because he was throwing a frisbee and it hit her car. She went wild and profaned the child and told the mother she needed to do something with her child (implying the child was out of control and needed discipline).

I reminded her of that statement and informed her to apply that same expression with her own two children. Titus came to mind....older women teach the younger to love (philio= delight in, friendship, relational love) their husbands and children. So I proceeded to explain that her children need her to delight in them. More than anything this world can offer, they need her and ultimately Christ. They need her to care and be interested in them. So the conversation went really well.

I praise God that He allowed this opportunity so I could further build relationships and address the day to day lives of these women. The Lord allowed me to instruct younger women in righteousness (only found in Christ) and help my children to see how truly blessed they are to have parents who love and care for them. But more importantly their Heavenly Father is abundant in blessings, love, and righteousness. The $6 can be replaced and the cookie was soft! But they saw their mother address sin in a loving, caring way. So I pray that the next time the mama bear claws show, that Christ would again show Himself stronger and greater!

TIME TO TEACH!

Older women.... IT IS TIME TO TEACH! Let me clarify what I mean by older women. Rather let me explain Titus 2 in relation to older women. The older woman here is a married woman who has children. Ladies we need to effort to make time to teach younger women "what is good" Titus 2:3. The "what is good", is to love their husband, love their children, to be self controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husband. Why do we need to teach these things see Titus 2:5b "that the word of God may not be reviled."

Older ladies we have to teach the younger women, because it is through our lives that the unsaved see Christ. When women don't love their own husbands, don't love their children, lack self control, are not pure, don't concern themselves with their home, are unkind, and not submissive to their own husband...they bring reproach on the Gospel of Christ. So I encourage an "older woman" to find a younger women and TEACH what is good!


Younger women...be willing to be taught. Don't assume you know everything. Be humble and receive godly instruction and wisdom in Love. I have pick up this book by Carolyn Mahaney called Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother. The seven virtures are the "what is good" that the older women are to teach. So it was a perfect line up for me. I am very aware of my role as a wife, however there is alway more to learn that we may bring glory to Christ in all things. As the Lord speaks to my heart I will be sharing with you and I pray that the Lord will speak to your heart as well.

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.