Children Need a Bible and a Belt

Have you noticed that the more politically correct this culture gets, the worse off it gets for everybody? Many believe that we need to get rid of guns since they are the cause of so many violent deaths. No, guns aren't the cause of all the violent deaths we are seeing today with people going into classrooms and murdering children. People have owned guns in America since it began over 200 years ago and nothing like this has been seen until the past ten years.

The causes of so many unnatural deaths we are seeing today is because we live in a culture of death. Millions of babies are being murdered in the womb. Feminism has caused the death of many marriages; wives have left their homes for careers and no longer have time to be help meets to their husbands or raise their children. Our entitlement mentality and lifetime welfare culture has caused the death of hard-working men who provide for their families, get married and raise their children. Getting rid of the Bible in our society has caused the death of morality and living by what is good and right. Parents raising their children without proper discipline and boundaries has led to the death of obedient and self-controlled children.

Children used to be obedient, had self-control and knew right from wrong. Now, they have no moral compass and have no clue what is right from wrong. They need to be taught to be obedient, respect authority and the value of life from conception through old age. They need to be taught to work hard and be responsible. They need to be taught God's ordained role for them as  a male or female. They need to be taught to be covenant keepers until "death do they part."

Joey and Rory sang a song called A Bible and a Belt. We raised our children with a Bible and a belt. We believed in teaching them God's Word from the time they were little. We also believed in the rod that the Bible exhorts parents to use. He who withholds his rod hates his son; But he who loves him disciplines him diligently {Proverbs 13:24}.

They were both made of leather

 Both black and frayed and worn

And I was brought up to respect them

Since the day that I was born

One came here from England

And it's been handed down for years

The other one was ordered from

A catalog at Sears

One my mama read to me

Till I was well into my teens

And I thought all the other one was for

Was to hold up daddy’s jeans

Till I told a lie and learned

It had another purpose too

And out behind the shed, my daddy said

This'll hurt me more than you

‘Cause one had my daddy’s name on it

The other said King James

With love they taught us lessons

But we feared them both the same

One led us to heaven

And the other left a whelp

Those were the days when kids were raised

With a bible and a belt

I remember when I was twelve

I stole a dime store comic book

And how mama read where the scripture said

To take back what I took

When I refused my daddy grabbed

My arm and said “come on”

I needed more, he knew than just Matthew,

Mark, Luke and John

Sometimes it made me cry

Sometimes it made me fightin' mad

And I wish I'd been raised without them

Like some other children had

But now I’m grown with kids of my own

And I know just how they felt

You know it seems to me what the world still needs

Is a bible and a belt

‘Cause one had my daddy’s name on it

The other said King James

With love they taught us lessons

But we feared them both the same

One led us to heaven

And the other hurt like hell

But those were the days when kids were raised

With a bible and a belt

 A bible and a belt.

You'd have to be blind to see how out-of-control and rebellious children are today and the destruction that is coming from it. These same children turn out to be out-of-control and rebellious adults. It's time to go back to the Word of God and obey it!

For further guidance on raising children to be obedient and trained in the ways of the Lord, I highly recommend the Pearl's book To Train Up a Child. If you've read my posts for very long, you know I have no desire to be politically correct. My only desire is to be biblically correct in everything. 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.

Colossians 3:16

***There is a prayer vigil for Joey tonight at 5:00 CT.  "But please, one thing I ask, don't pray that Joey is healed. Yes, pray for a miracle, but also pray for peace in her heart, and ours, if God chooses not to let this cup pass from her sweet lips. His will, not ours." {From her husband Rory}

Overcoming Evil {Even Halloween} with Good!

The Gospel story is about good overcoming evil. Jesus overcame death, sin and eternal damnation on the cross. We are commanded to overcome evil with good; to be salt and light in a dark and decaying world. I have one friend who takes this very seriously and used Halloween as an opportunity to turn evil into good. She isn't about to stand still and allow Satan to win!

On Halloween night, they had this sign lit up in their yard. "Okay, I used to love Halloween as a kid. I also dressed my kids up like many of you, but I had limits. 'NO death or dark stuff.' Ten years ago, I decided to be the 'house of light.' I turned ALL lights ON and lit fragrant smelling candles everywhere. I nailed this sign to my front tree with a spot light on it! Three years ago, I decided to start giving out $1 for anyone who knew a Bible verse. I had only two. I said, 'Come next year and I'll give you $5.' Last year, I had about five who came back and got $5. This year, I was blown away. I had about 15; they were older kids between 8-16. I wasn't prepared!!! I grabbed my 'oatmeal' box with lots of change. One group of about 10 all had a memorized verse!"

She enjoyed doing this so much that her husband even got involved in the action! Michael said, "Next year, I'm giving you a pile of cash!!" Two teens came back for the third year with several verses and I gave them $10 each. Next year they promised me a "whole chapter" for $20!! One little eight year old said, "Wow, I love this house. It's just {she looked around at everything}, it's just GREAT"! I'm going to start saving!!!

Rebecca and Michael understand what is at stake. They know they are called to preach the Gospel and use every single opportunity to do it! They love people more than their money and choose to use their money to lead these precious children to the Lord, if that's what it takes to get the Word of God into their hearts. After all, Halloween is celebrated by children and children have soft, teachable hearts. Why not use this holiday to open wide your doors and spread the Gospel of the Good News?

Thank you, Rebecca and Michael, for giving us a clear example of overcoming evil with good. Another neighbor of mine used it for "Truth or Treat." When the children came to her door, she had a bowl full of Bible verses along with treats. 

Brandi, from the chat room, wrote this about her Halloween, "Our son is dressing up as a mailman. He is passing out mail to the neighbors. It's envelopes with candy and a Bible verse that resembles the address." They made a "mail truck" for him to deliver them in!

Be creative! Use this holiday to minister to the precious children who willingly come to your door and bring light into the darkness! This culture NEEDS Christians who stand out boldly for Christ. As Rebecca stated, "I'm just sick of complaining about the darkness instead of overcoming it!!! Can I get an 'Amen' sister?"

Neither do men light a candle, 
and put it under a bushel,
but on a candlestick;
 and it gives light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, 
and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:15, 16

A Godly Woman Teaches What is Good

This culture has lost its moral compass. It explains "good" as anything that feels good, brings pleasure, and entertains. Feminism defines "good" as anything that doesn't inconvenience {an unplanned pregnancy and children}, higher education, careers, fast-food and equal rights. Many believe "good" is getting something for doing nothing, making government bigger and more intrusive, and getting policemen out of the way so they can act as rebellious as they please. It is leaving a legacy of death and destruction.

This is not our home. We don't define "good" the way our culture does. We define good the way God defines it. God defines it has having self-control, working hard, husbands providing and women child-bearing and being keepers at home. It is being generous and helping those in need; respecting our leaders and obeying the laws of the land; respecting ALL life from the womb until death and avoiding any pleasure or entertainment that isn't true, honest, just, pure and lovely. 

"Eve means 'life-giver.' God's purpose is that every women - married, or single, fertile or infertile - will bring forth life...a woman's greatest aim ought to be to glorify God and further His kingdom by reproducing - bearing spiritual fruit."* Godly women are to be life givers. We are to be teachers of what is good for only God's definition of goodness brings life. He is the Author of goodness and He commands His children pursue godliness and goodness. It is our responsibility to teach goodness; it you are single, teach goodness to those in your circle of friends; if you are married, teach goodness to your children; if you are older, teach what is good to the younger women. It takes a sisterhood to grow girls up into true womanhood - a godly sisterhood in which every woman learns from the older and mentors the younger. That's God's plan for preserving the language of biblical womanhood.*

Teaching God's ways lead to goodness. What our society defines as good is ugly and the consequences of all of their "good" things produce bad fruit. The Bible tells us that we are known by the fruit we produce. We are all called to produce good fruit. The best fruit comes from investing our lives into other human beings. They are the ONLY ones who are eternal and who Jesus died to save.

We raised four children. We were consistently teaching our children what is good and what God required of them. We wanted to raise children who were hard workers and lights in this decaying culture.

Yes, there were many sleepless night rocking them when they were sick; cleaning up after them; feeding them over and over again; running them to AWANA to learn about the Lord; disciplining, training and teaching them; watching hundreds of their games; worrying about them when they were "hanging out" with someone I wasn't thrilled about: joy when they said "I do" to spouses that I loved, yet there is no greater joy than knowing they are all walking in Truth!

Ryan, Cassi, Alyssa and Steven

Many women yearn for older women to mentor them, since most of them were not raised by a godly mother who trained them in the ways of godliness and goodness. They were influenced by the feminist movement instead of the Bible. Marriages and families have fallen apart in the past 50 or so years and it has had a dramatic effect on the children. There is no one left at home to teach, train and hand down a godly legacy to them. Now, it is affecting young women; there are few older women available to teach them what is good and what God requires of them. They stumble along in the darkness trying to hold their marriage together, while having a career, raising children and keeping their home. It's a disaster!

Let's begin a "sisterhood" that mentors and teaches true womanhood the way God defines it and NOT the culture. Study God's word so when you are teaching others, your children or young women, you will have words of wisdom on your lips, instead of the foolishness the culture wants to impart to them. May a new generation of believers leave a legacy of walking in Truth, teaching goodness to others and spreading the Gospel to a lost and hurting world.

I have no greater joy than to hear 
that my children walk in truth.
3 John 1:14

Watch the accompanying video on Legacy HERE.

*True Woman 201: Interior Design—Ten Elements of Biblical Womanhood, ©2015 by Mary A. Kassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Used with permission of Moody Publishers. You can buy the book HERE.

What's Important to You?

What’s important to you? An education? A career? Having nice fancy stuff, going on vacations and storing your treasures here on earth? I stumbled upon Joey and Rory's Blog this past weekend. Wow! They love Jesus deeply and their story is difficult to hear but very inspiring. May it bless you today.

Rory, the husband, wrote these words, “When Joey and I got married in 2002, she made it very clear that she was never going to be having a baby. She had never wanted to be a mama; never liked holding babies or had any kind of yearning to be a mom. It’s not that she didn’t like kids, she just never saw herself having any. My guess is that she had her musical dreams and having babies was fine for most women, but it just wasn’t for her. I often wondered if someday she would change her mind, but she never did.

When she married me though, she became a mother to my two girls, Heidi and Hopie. That was something she adopted and embraced and has gotten better at being year by year. The girls and Joey are very close now. But the lack of desire to have a baby of her own never came. But what did come was a stronger desire to trust God with her fears. So one day, about a year and a half ago, she gave it to Him, and said, 'If you want us to have a baby, Lord, I want what You want.' And that was it. She went off birth control and almost a year went by and though she’d have her moments of wanting to 'take it back' from God, she remained faithful and trusting. This past June, on Father’s day to be exact, she and we found out she was pregnant.

They sing a song together that is heart-warming and what many of you, women, have decided is important to you. Please listen to That's Important to Me which will touch you deeply. Here are a few of the lyrics to whet your appetite!

Not planning our day around a TV set
Paying our bills and staying out of debt
That's important to me

Holding hands when we're saying a prayer
That's important to me
Yea, that's important to me
Having somebody to share my life
Loving my husband, and being a wife
And the very best mother I can be
That's important to me

Telling the truth, and being real
Feeding my family a home cooked meal
That's important to me
That's important to me
Planting a garden and watching it grow
Keeping it country on the radio
That's important to me
Yea, that's important to me
Always having you to hold,
Being beside you when we grow old

Joey had her baby at home with a midwife. She never went to the doctor, had tests, or did ultrasounds. She didn’t want any interference with her pregnancy. She had godly midwives who prayed with her while she delivered a breech baby without any drugs. Her baby has Downs Syndrome but they love this baby immensely. They said that even if they knew she had Downs before they delivered her, they would not have done anything differently.

Their baby is one and a half years old and Joey is dying of cancer. It seems so unfair!!! I have wept for this woman I don’t know but I know I will have the privilege of spending eternity with her as well as with Kara Tippets and many others who are in the Lord’s presence. We can’t understand the Lord’s ways but we know that He is good and we can trust Him. Joey and Rory trust Him. They love Him and have no anger towards Him at all; they are simply heart broken and the Lord promises to be with the brokenhearted. No, this is NOT our home. We have an eternal home that will be more than we can ever hope for or imagine. We rest in Him.

In Rory's last post titled For Better or Worse, he writes these precious words about his dying wife, "But please, one thing I ask...don't pray that Joey is healed. Yes, pray for a miracle. But also pray for peace in her heart and ours if God chooses not to let this cup pass from her sweet lips." Not my will but Thine be done. Trust Him whom all blessings flow.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Psalm 34:18

***On Rory's "about page" on his blog, he writes this about his wife, "I want to out-love and out-serve her, but it is impossible." Do you try to out-love and out-serve your husband?