Are You a Rooster, Owl, Chicken or Eagle?

Our pastor gave a great sermon on 2 Peter 3. To introduce the sermon, he explained four types of people and their attitudes towards the world's condition. The first one is the Pessimistic Rooster. They think the apocalypse is just around the corner so they need to do everything they can to be prepared. The world is bleak and getting bleaker by the day so begin storing water and going off grid. 

The second type of people are the Optimistic Owl.They believe utopia is coming and society is just getting better and better. They believe that man can out think all of their problems and will be able to solve everything the world is presently facing. With new energy sources, lifestyles being redefined, and governments growing, life will definitely become better in their minds.

The third type are the Pragmatic Chickens. They are simply too busy to think about it. They are busy working, making money, raising children, etc. to concern themselves with the world around them. They just stay focused on the task at hand and never listen to the news. They'd just rather focus on their own problems than concern themselves with the world's.

The last type are the Fearless Eagles. They see the clear, long range vision of heaven. They know that we are "strangers and pilgrims on the earth" {Hebrews 11:13} and that this earth is not our home. They realize it will be all burned up someday {2 Peter 3:10}. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint {Isaiah 40:31}. 

I don't believe we should go around with a doomsday attitude.  We should be the most joyful people around since we have a hope and a future! Yes, we can prepare but we must NEVER worry. Our trust must be in the Lord Most High and His plan for the world. He is our Provider. To think that our world is getting better is to be in lala land. We see crime and immorality increasing by the years. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold {Matthew 24:12}.  You'd have to be blind to not see the deterioration of the world around us. Man's thinking cannot and will never solve the world's problems!  It doesn't mean we need to fret about it, but we must use our time wisely.

The days are short, my friends. We must be wise with our time. We must love those God puts in our path in hopes that they see Jesus living inside of us. We should be living our lives serving those around us; our families, our neighbors, our friends, and our church. This is what God requires of us; not that we try to solve the world's problem or fret about them but to be doing His will.

Choosing Careers Over Children

"Do not be self-centered. You will regret it one day. Will your children want to spend time with you when you are old if you did not spend enough time with them when they were young? How strong will the bond be? Why should they come around as often as you would like? Your example was one of living your life for yourself and not others. Why should they be any different? If you spend time with them and listen to their silly little stories now, they will reciprocate when they are adults. Will you be lonely and neglected? Your career and colleagues will not be there for you when you are too old to work any longer. Who will be there? Look at all the old and neglected people sitting in nursing homes not even getting visits from their family. I wonder why?" 

This comment was made by Trudy on one of my posts about being a keeper at home and all the questions you should ask yourself if you are choosing to have a career over being with your children full-time. {I realize there are some of you who have no choice. God's grace is large enough to cover you and your children in this case.} The rest of this post is a comment in response to Trudy's comment that I thought you all should read and consider carefully ~

It sort of chilled me to read this. I'm my mother's sole child, all grown up, and I rarely see her. In the past few years, I've realized our distant relationship has a lot to do with how I was brought up. She was divorced twice when I was a baby and worked my whole life. She told me she chose not to remarry again, despite many good offers, because she didn't want to have to "compromise" with a man; she wanted to call all her own shots. I was mostly left with my grandmother, who did not like children, or home alone when I got old enough. 

It was always important to my mom that I be as "independent" as possible and not need her for anything {she hated "neediness"!}, so that is how I learned to be and how I have remained {in regard to her, anyway; I am extremely close with my husband}. I do feel guilty for not having a desire to spend time with my mother, so I do, sometimes, out of obligation, but I know if I ever had a child I wouldn't want them to feel this way about me. After all the reading and learning I've done, I think I would do everything possible to be a stay-at-home mom! Anyway, just a cautionary tale, I guess. This stuff does happen. 

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said,  I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin' home son
I don't know when, but we'll get together then, Dad
We're gonna have a good time then
{Cat's in the Cradle}

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home...

Titus 2:5

photo source

Their Divorce was NOT God's Will

The day that I heard Amy Grant was divorcing her husband was a day I'll never forget. It was in 1999. I was 41 years old with four children still in my home. I couldn't imagine divorcing my husband and destroying the lives of my children like she did. I didn't know all the details of her divorce, but I knew she was with another man shortly after.

Elspeth shared an article recently about the details concerning their divorce from Amy's ex-husband's perspective. It was written a long time ago but it still reveals some troubling things. 

"Marriage," he continues, "is like any other situation in life. If you’re trying to walk it out and honor God, you’ve got to surrender your will and lean into what you know His will is. It was not God’s will that we divorced. It wasn’t. That was not His plan. Can He take what has happened and through His miracle of grace do great things for me and for her and for everybody else involved? Yes. And He is. But that doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t. It will never make it right."

Chapman says that while his and Grant’s marriage had its share of rough waters, they had "a pretty good run" from the fall of 1986—following his admission of and subsequent recovery from drug use—until late 1994. "Our marriage has been painted as a very dark kind of thing, [that we] had trouble all along. That is not the truth. I’ve got way too many home videos and photographs and memories and laughs that bounce through my head occasionally."

But, according to Chapman, Grant came to him in late 1994 and made a declaration that took him by surprise: "I don't love you anymore. You're the biggest mistake I've ever made… I've given my heart to another man." In the November cover story, Grant told CCM MAGAZINE that she did not have an affair with Vince Gill, whom she met in 1993 at the taping of a network Christmas special. Chapman says he "chose to believe [Grant]" when she told him that the relationship with Gill was not sexual. In an interview in the Oct. 9, 1999, issue of Nashville’s daily paper, The Tennessean, Grant noted that while her relationship with Gill may have hastened the end of her marriage, she believes the final result was inevitable.

Chapman disagrees, indicating that he believes the relationship was the primary cause of the divorce. "I am torn between relying on the mathematical ability of intelligent people and the stark reality that a lot of people just don’t want to believe the obvious."

It breaks my heart to think of all the other Christian marriages that have been destroyed due to the same thinking, "I don't love you anymore." They don't understand that love is a commitment; a vow they took on their wedding day. Amy did not have one valid biblical reason to divorce her husband but somehow, this doesn't seem to matter much to some women anymore.

What therefore God hath joined together, 

let not man put asunder.

Mark 10:9

***For all of you who are divorced because you didn't "love" your husband, there is forgiveness at the cross. I don't write posts like these to judge those who have done what Amy did but to encourage any of you who are thinking of divorcing your husband for this reason to PLEASE consider changing your mind.

Should a Mother Lead Devotions?

Women ask me if they should lead devotions since their husbands don't seem interested. My reply is always, “Yes!” Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:5, “When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that is in you also.” Timothy’s mother and grandmother taught Timothy God’s Word!

Tim Scott was on Focus on the Family this week. He is the first African-American elected in a post-reconstruction South to the Senate; the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King who cared much more about the inside of a person and their character than the color of someone’s skin. Senator Scott said a few things that were very interesting and will be a HUGE encouragement to all single mothers or women who are married to unbelievers.

My mother, once she became a Christian, didn’t encourage faith, she demanded faith and my grandmother prayed for us as well. So, I think I started off with a solid foundation of faith from my grandmother as it says in 2 Timothy, first chapter “Lois and Eunice.” Well, I had Lorita and Francis. So those two women helped me to see the right path.

Tim’s father left the family when he was seven years old. His mother worked full-time as a nurse’s aide and wanted her two sons to understand hard work and not expect hand outs. He also said, “It was a blessing to be raised by my mom, who spent so much time encouraging me with a switch. That could get us in trouble. Well, it can today. It didn’t then and it got me out of trouble, by the way. I always say that the switch is the southern apparatus of encouragement. My mama encouraged me a lot!”

He ended up going through a rebellious period for a few years but spoke these words of encouragement to mothers who have prodigals, “I found myself on the wrong track. My mother never gave up. And if I ever had the opportunity to talk to single moms with hard-headed boys, I will tell you that without question, the Word of the Lord works. And if you don’t quit, most often amazing things in a positive way will happen, unfortunately years down the road.”

At 18 years old, he rededicated his life to the Lord and dove into Scripture. His mother’s and grandmother’s prayers were heard. His mother raised him with a switch and the Word of God. They are two powerful tools for raising children. {I know it is so politically incorrect to speak about a switch today, but this has only been in the past 20 years. I was “switched” and everyone I knew growing up was "switched" and we all turned out pretty good!}

So, dear single mothers or mothers with unbelieving husbands, you can raise godly offspring. Ben Carson, another great African-American man, was raised by a godly, single mother and grew up to be a pediatric heart surgeon and is running for president! With God ALL things are possible! His grace is sufficient in our weakness.