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Sunday, October 7, 2007
"At the time appointed I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son" Genesis 18:14 That's another way of saying, "This is going to be a full-term baby." This means a little bit more waiting, doesn't it? And that's not the answer we're looking for! We don't want nine months of carrying a child...nine months of bearing a promise until it comes to the moment of delivery. We want to wake up in the tent one morning and have a crib in the corner with a baby crying in it. For that matter, we'd prefer that the baby be smiling and cooing. Or maybe standing up and walking and talking with a full vocabulary. We don't want to wait! We want roses, but we don't want to weed or prune or water or wait until they bloom in all their fullness. Nor do we want to acknowledge that God might be maturing those roses and bringing fragrance into our lives through some dark, rainy, overcast days. Can you remember the days when you actually had to dial a number with a rotary dial and stand within a few feet of the wall because you were attached to it? We need one-button, pre-programmed auto-dial. Speed! No Waiting! Immediate fulfillment! We are all schooled to instant gratification. We pray, "Lord, give me patience and I want it right now!" Yet the Lord said to that dear elderly couple, "At the time appointed I will return to you, according to the time of life." It was going to be a regular baby on a regular schedule born in the regular way. There is an "appointed time" for me as well. God has been faithful to His word, and He will respond to the heart's desire of His children. What He delivers may not be the very thing I ask for, but it will be the very thing I need. There is much about my life that I did not ask or that I did not plan. But I can see that He has brought fruitfulness to that place where emptiness has reigned, and He has caused my desert to blossom like a rose. Are you waiting for your "appointed time". It may not take as long as it did for Sarah, but however long it takes, it will be worth the waiting. In fact, while you go through the test of waiting, you will learn more about the Lord's miracle-working grace in your life than you would have learned if you had received a next-day delivery. The Lord said to Abraham and Sarah. "The miracle for which you have waited will come. But it will be something that grows in your life and comes forth in the fullness of time." (this post was taken from personal notes and quotes written from a study on The Life of Abraham by Jack Hayford) In Him...Chris Chris can also be found at her personal blog Come to the Table Labels: Chris's Articles, Faith, Hope Leave a comment... 5 Comments Links to this post Have you forgotten how to greet the day? The knowledge is all but lost to many that a new day is sacred: a gift from God, a rare and precious gift. A new day brings with it a fresh start, to lift your head from the pillow with joy and to observe the clouds peeking through the dark sky and welcome a gift from the Lord. As a mother of five children from toddler to teen, my days are very full. Often times I am overwhelmed with the list of things that need to be accomplished before the day even begins. If I am given the gift of awakening before one of my children, I quietly head to my place at the table with the glimmering light and my cup of warmth in great appreciation for the new day and an opportunity to sit at the feet of Jesus. I open up my bible and begin reading, studying, and praying. I ask God to speak to me, to change me from within, to wash me in His word. I pray for my husband, my children, and for others who I have committed to pray for. My heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness for this time. Often times I don't want it to end. But I am aware of something else. There have been many many seasons in which stopping and sitting at the feet of Jesus was NOT the first thing I did. I have had seasons in which it worked best for me to meet with my Savior later in the morning due to nursing a newborn or a baby who napped consistently at the same time. But I have also experienced seasons in which I allowed my busyness to prevent me from meeting with my Savior on a regular basis. I somehow had determined that it was "OK". I reasoned that my children were small and it would be easier when they were older. But my own experience has shown me that as my children have grown it does not become easier. Busyness doesn't go away, it just changes or looks different. So, no matter what season you are in, I encourage you to begin today sitting at the feet of Jesus and welcome each new day with great joy and anticipation. This is the Day!
Labels: Chris's Articles, Christian walk, Motherhood Leave a comment... 8 Comments Links to this post A friend’s daughter just had a life altering surgery with two more needed in the next year while other girls at the age of fourteen are going to school, visiting with friends, and enjoying their youth. A Pastor who we have recently been acquainted with collapsed and died suddenly not only leaving a church in shock but a wife and two young children. A blogging friend just received news of the tragic death of her twenty year old nephew who loved the Lord. A friend lost her husband of eighteen years suddenly and without warning leaving her to the care of two young children. My favorite aunt heard those terrifying words, “cancer” and left us to meet her Savior much earlier than we had ever hoped. A few nights ago, my husband and I sat and listened to a couple who were living in New York City on 9/11 /2001, and who were both employed as flight attendants on one of the airlines whose plane went into the World Trade Center. His wife was working on board a flight that morning heading to the West Coast and he carefully described the moment by moment agony he experienced as he watched and waited to discover his wife's fate. Joy does not describe his relief when he discovered that her flight was still taxiing at the time of the first impact, but was mixed with great grief. They shared that for weeks following the tragedy they were completely numb only able to do nothing but sit and watch the smoke rise from the tip of Manhattan. Since then, they have chosen to walk by faith and not fear, but the scars remain. Tragedy, loss, suffering and death have impacted my life as I am sure it has yours as well. Often times it occurs suddenly and without warning or preparation. We all know we are not guaranteed tomorrow. The question then and still today often times is, “why?” Why such evil? Why such loss? Why such suffering? Why do so many innocent people have to die? I am not going to try and answer the “why?” question, but could certainly point you in the direction of scripture and others who have looked at the tragedies in our country in recent years and who offer some biblical answers as to “why?” If you haven’t figured it out already I am just an ordinary woman, wife, and mother. I am a sinner who has been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ shed on a cross. I live in a fallen world corrupted by sin since the garden. God’s plan of redemption was laid before the foundation of the earth. No where in scripture am I or anyone else promised a life without tragedy, loss, suffering and death. And when I wrap my arms around a sister in Christ who is in the midst of deep sorrow and grief, everything in me wants to provide answers and immediately address the question, “why?” But the only hope that I or anyone else can offer is in Christ. He came, lived among us, and suffered a horrific and tragic death, so that I whether given many years on this earth or not, could have life rather than the death that I most certainly deserve. Nothing in this life or on this earth compares to Christ. We take nothing with us and leave only the impact we have on the lives of others. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:7-11 In Him...Chris You may visit Chris at her personal blog Come to the Table Labels: Chris's Articles, Suffering Leave a comment... 5 Comments Links to this post Too often I find myself relating to the mother in this cute yet smelly story.
Oh, I have been the mother in this story more times than I would like to admit. I have reacted to a situation with a scream or harsh voice and caused such a stink that sometimes it takes days or weeks to rid itself. The smell of skunk is all too familiar after living in the foothills for five years. Most often my children receive the worst of my reactions when I am tired, preoccupied, or in a hurry. Yesterday afternoon I had one of those moments. I was tired. My decision to rise early had caught up with me. I was preoccupied with all that needed to happen at the same time. Dinner prepared, two kids to sporting practice, another to a musical audition, my seven year old son's one missing cleat (which I knew had been played with and worn by a two year old) and to top things off the realization that the last time we saw his brand new soccer ball was on Saturday at his brother’s football game in another town. So, here I was like the mother in this story ranting and raving through the house when suddenly I got a whiff, it wasn’t pleasant but I could smell the stink. I imagined each of my children running for cover and the stink of my words lingering with them not only for days, but weeks and even years. I stopped (this time), "Lord please help me," took a deep breath and said to myself, “what does it matter if we don’t eat dinner until later, or if someone is late, or if he wears tennis shoes to practice and honestly who cares about a silly ball which is so easily replaced. My kids are not. And would you believe that we found the lone ranger cleat, everyone made it to practice and auditions in one piece, my kids did not go hungry and Wal-mart sells soccer balls. Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18 In Him...Chris Please visit Chris at her personal blog Come to the table Labels: Chris's Articles, Motherhood Leave a comment... 12 Comments Links to this post I love books! Recently I was straightening up and organizing my bookshelves so that I could find things a little more easily when I came across a little book I read about five years ago. It was Stormie Omartian's book, Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On - Trusting God in the Tough Times. Just as sights, sounds, and even smells can stimulate memories of days gone by, books I have read remind me of seasons and places I have walked with the Lord. This book was no different. I quickly thumbed through hi-lighted pages and markings I had made in the columns. I wrote verses to memorize inside the cover and stapled some notes to the back cover describing the place I had traveled while reading through this book. In Chapter ten, Stormie describes a wilderness experience she had in her own life which almost perfectly paralleled the place that I was currently walking in. Below is what she had shared (in italics) and my own notes I had written about this season of my own life. "When God is taking us to a place we've never been before, we envision that it's going to be better than where we are. And ultimately, that's true. But often we have to go through a wilderness to get there. God has a purpose for the wilderness, but it's hard to see it when we're in it. It can be frightening if we don't know what to expect. The most frightening thing about it is the thought that this may be our final destination." When God called my husband and I to leave Orange County and move to the foothills of Northern California, it was one of the most difficult things I had ever done in my life. I had to leave what I loved and what was familiar to me to go where everything seemed foreign. Not that one culture was better or worse than the other, but they were so extremely different from each other. I can distinctly remember the first time I drove down a dirt road. At the age of thirty seven I had never driven on dirt, blacktops yes, dirt no! There were so many new things to learn and even a vocabulary that was totally foreign. I had to become familiar with a wood burning stove and what it meant to have well water and a septic tank. There were lots of new discoveries like the sight of deer crossing through our front yard, squirrels everywhere and even the stars and darkness of the night was new. I was a city girl. I felt like I was in the middle of a foreign land. It was as though I had left Egypt and arrived in the wilderness. Even though there was a lot I did not miss about Orange County, there were many things that I still held on to. And even though the foothills were probably one of the most beautiful places in the world, so much was missing for me. I felt like an alien. And, just like the Israelites did when God led them out of Egypt, I grumbled and complained. "Oh, for some fish and a new pair of shoes like we had back home!" they complained. "Oh, for the restaurants, amusement parks, and beaches I used to go to!" I moaned. I didn't know then that although the wilderness may seem like nowhere at the time, it is somewhere if that's where God wants you. For it's there He will prepare you for the good thing He is about to do in your life. It's there you will be thoroughly convinced that you won't get anywhere or accomplish anything lasting without Him. At the time I did not know how long I would live in this place. All I knew is that I was somewhere. I was to leave behind the familiar, the comfortable, the past successes and accomplishments. The foothills is where God took me to get Egypt out of my heart. He wanted to separate me from all that I craved, so that all I craved was Him. God aimed me in a new direction. I had to let go of what I had always known, be willing to embrace the unfamiliar and trust that He will sustain me on the journey. God took the Israelites through the wilderness because taking them the direct route meant they would have to fight the Philistines. "Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, 'Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt'" (Exodus 13:17) God knew that the Israelites would have been too afraid at that point to trust Him to fight their battles for them, so He took them on a different route. He took them and me somewhere. Is your nowhere leading you to God's somewhere? It's not where we are in life that matters, but Who is with us. Stormie Omartian In Him...Chris visit Chris at her personal blog Come to the Table Labels: Chris's Articles, Christian walk, Faith Leave a comment... 7 Comments Links to this post  A few weeks ago my husband, myself, five very excited children and one happy dog headed out not too far from our home to go camping. We hadn’t “tent” camped since my oldest three were five, three and one. From that experience, I had told myself it would be a long time before we attempted to go camping without a roof over our head. We have been several places in which either a cabin or RV was our dwelling, but our kids wanted to camp with tents and sleeping bags. So we traded our carpeting and wood floors for green grass and our Serta pillow top mattress for the comforts of a leaky air mattress and sleeping bags. I gave up stainless steel appliances for two ice chests, a lovely camp stove and several plastic tubs for washing dishes. The lighting was sunshine and stars amidst seven chairs arranged nicely around the campfire ring and well let’s just say it was a lovely stroll through the trees to the nearest bathrooms with running water. But I loved it! Yes, you read right “I loved it!” I chose to spend the four days HAPPILY camping. We have all heard the phrase, "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31 Often times in my home or campsite, my attitude determines the atmosphere. As I sat quietly one afternoon with a slight breeze brushing across my face, I decided to be more intentional in doing "all to the glory of God" not only here camping but also in my home. If someone could see inside my home, like they could see inside our campsite, I would want them to see a mother who knows her limitations and the visual imprint left in the floor from all the time spent on her knees. I would hope they notice the chips in all the dishes because of the many uses day after day serving others. I would hope they notice the table with all its scratches and markings from the many hours spent there gathering together to eat, talk, laugh and pray. I would hope they see people saved by the grace of God living to bring Him glory. My heart was convicted of some things in those few short days of camping. I recognized that I need to be more patient with my children. I have children in different stages and with different needs and I have overlooked some things in my busyness. I recognized I need to make some adjustments in my time and how I spend it. Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." This verse requires that we take an honest look at what we are doing and how we do it. I began to make a list of how I spend my days. There are only two ways to spend them, wise or unwise. There is no other choice. How will you choose to spend today! In Him...Chris Visit Chris at her personal blog Come to the Table Labels: choices, Chris's Articles, glorifying God Leave a comment... 6 Comments Links to this post We have just returned from an adventurous week of camping and fishing to the news that my grandmother has passed away. My brother is trying to get home from Iraq to attend services. We are trying to arrange flights today for my husband and I to be a part of the service. Life is full of unexpected twists and events. No matter what I am facing I seem to always find comfort in Psalm 27. I hope you do today as well.
In Him...Chris Chris can also be found at Come to the Table Labels: Chris's Articles, Encouragement, Scripture Leave a comment... 6 Comments Links to this post As she approached me from across the room, my heart was filled with expectation and excitement at the thought that she seemed genuinely interested for a moment in my seemingly small life. She warmly greeted me with a hug and a huge smile. She quickly asked me a few questions and before I could finish my answers the eyes which once seemed focused on mine, were now wondering about the room at who would be her next target. I quickly realized her greeting was part of what she did, rather than who she was. I was young, insecure, and in need of the genuine love and care of an older Christian woman. I just needed a little encouragement. A few words would have gone miles for me. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 The body of Christ needs encouragers for today. Some face marital difficulties, have heartaches over rebellious or spiritually indifferent children. Some face financial hardships and their future seems uncertain. And others have such hurt and pain over relationships that life seems unbearable at times. Many are wondering if God truly cares for them, and they certainly don't believe that any other person cares. We must not depend solely on our pastors and other spiritual leaders to do this. We must also do it ourselves. But we must remember that to encourage is to fortify one another with the strength to endure. It does not mean to commiserate with one another over our respective trials and difficulties. As Paul said, "we are to speak only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs." (Ephesians 4:29) So as we care for one another, we must demonstrate care and compassion, but not pity. The other person must know we care, but more importantly, he or she must know that God cares. That is the objective of encouragement. The next time you are in a room filled with other women, look for the one you can encourage, keep your eyes focused on theirs and remind them of the uplifting truths of God's Word. In Him....Chris Chris can also be found at her personal blog Come to the Table Labels: Chris's Articles, Encouragement Leave a comment... 9 Comments Links to this post I am late getting this post published for today because I am sitting on a flight heading west to a conference for several days with my husband. My children are at home being well taken care of by their grandparents. I had tried to post something last night in our hotel room, but I was having trouble with the wireless connection in our room. It was getting late so I decided to go to bed since we had an early morning flight to catch. I have been looking forward to this time away for several weeks. We have only been gone for twenty four hours at this point and have already enjoyed the quiet moments of talking and sharing with one another. Over the next several days between meetings and other events, we hope to spend time resting, reading and reflecting on our life. I just finished re-reading a small book by John Piper titled, “When the Darkness Will Not Lift”. The words he shares in chapter two page 35 spoke to my heart so powerfully as I sit here high above the earth looking out at the beautiful skies and the soft puffy clouds which seem to be carrying us through the air. I have pondered his words and the scripture he shares as I reflect on those places in my heart where I am waiting for the darkness to lift. So, I thought I would share them with you today: “Then comes the king’s cry: “I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.” One of the reasons God loved David so much was that he cried so much. (Have you ever been there) “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.” (Psalm 6:6) “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” ( Psalm 56:8) Indeed they are! “Blessed are those who mourn” (yes, it says “blessed”) Matthew 5:4. It is a beautiful thing when a broken man genuinely cries out to God. What comfort I found in these words in confronting those places in my own life in which I am struggling in my fight for joy! I pray that they would bring comfort to you as well. In Him...Chris Visit Chris at her personal blog Come to the Table
Labels: Chris's Articles, Joy, Suffering Leave a comment... 7 Comments Links to this post This is a letter my husband shared with our congregation a few months ago that he had written to a dear man and his wife who had influenced his life and lead him into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at a very young age. Never underestimate the influence you can have on the life of a young child. The love that this man and his wife gave to a young boy not only impacted his life for Christ, but has now gone on to impact everyone who he shares the gospel with weekly as a Pastor. Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." And he laid his hands on them and went away. Matthew 19:13-15 (ESV) Dear Papa Kiemel, You probably don’t remember me. I was 4 or 5 when we met. You were the Pastor of the Nazarene Church in Hayward, California. My family had recently moved to this community and began attending your church. I remember one sunny Sunday afternoon when you invited our family to come to your home for lunch. You had a globe and so many interesting items and pieces of artwork from all over the world. They were from places where you and or your daughters had shared the Gospel. As a very young boy, I had no idea what that really meant at the time. I did know that it must be something special and important. I have another memory of you and Mama Kiemel. I remember that you did not have a TV that worked well, toys or other kids to play with. I realize now that it was because you both were older at the time and that you had no grandchildren yet. Well toys or no toys, playtime buddies or not, TV or no TV, I always longed to come to your home. I longed to come to your home because it was one of the few places I could go, outside of being with my own family where I felt so loved and where I did not stand out as the white kid in a brown family. You see Papa and Mama Kiemel, I was adopted as a baby, yet you never treated me as the scarlet-letter child. The genuine love you gave to a scared and confused little boy opened the door for me to trust in the love of my Heavenly Father that my Dad and Mom so wanted me to personally know and love. I asked Jesus into my heart shortly after we moved from Hayward at a VBS my Mom and her friend put together because I wanted what you had and what you gave me. As a pastor, I am sure you wondered at times if the two of you made a difference in the lives of the people you shared your life with. How many of your prayers for other people actually stuck and resulted in fruit for the Kingdom. Well, I just wanted you to know it made a difference in my life. For 35 years I have anchored my heart on the same Jesus that shined and radiated out of both of you. I regret that I did not get a chance to say thank you to you in person before you both went on to be with Jesus. Please accept this belated gratitude from the kid you allowed to call you Papa and Mama. In Him...Chris Visit Chris at her personal blog Come to the Table Labels: Children, Chris's Articles Leave a comment... 8 Comments Links to this post I want to share a wonderful principle with you that my dear friend Carrie gave me. At a point when she was trying to carry a very heavy personal burden, God showed her what she was to do. And He spoke from the story of the children of Israel bringing down the walls of Jericho. In Joshua 6 we read this remarkable story where the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." Joshua 6:2-5 ... So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there. Joshua 6:11 Here was a problem facing God's people, and it looked like a total impossibility. How would this group of Israelites destroy the walls of Jericho and conquer the land God had promised them? Well, God gave them the directions: March around the walls with the ark of the Lord once each day. Then go back to the camp and do what you have to do that day. Here's our own marching orders: When you've got a burden that is heavy for you to carry and your heart is breaking and you don't know what to do, you need to march around your burden - your problem, your walls of Jericho - once each day with the ark of the Lord, the Word of God. Every morning march around that problem and tell God everything that's on your heart. Take the Word of God and find promises and comfort for yourself for the day and mentally march around that problem with the Word that God has given you. Some days I march on my knees in my mind praying and speaking the promises God has given me in His Word, and other days I literally march around my house speaking forth His Words loudly. Then, once you've marched around it once, go out and do whatever it is you must do for that day and let the burden go. When the problem crops up in your mind, say, "No, sorry, but I marched around you once this morning and that's all for today. One time per day and I've left it with the Lord. It's His problem for the rest of the day." I don't know how many days (or months, or years) you'll have to march around your problem before those walls come down, but I do know that God has a future plan for you that is good, and that you can trust Him. Remember, Jesus never intended for us to carry heavy burdens. When you try to carry them all day long, you can't think of anything else, you can't get anything else done, and you're no good to anyone else. The burden you're carrying starts to have drastic effects in other areas of your life, which eventually increases the burden you are carrying. It's a lose-lose situation. But if you will follow your marching orders and turn the heavy burden over to the Lord once a day, releasing it to Him for the rest of the day, you'll discover freedom from that impossible burden you've been trying to carry. In Him...Chris Chris can also be found at her personal blog Come to the Table Labels: Chris's Articles, Prayer, Spiritual Warfare, The Word Leave a comment... 12 Comments Links to this post  In just over two weeks my husband and I will celebrate twenty one years of marriage. With each passing year I become more and more grateful for God’s redeeming work not only in my life but in my marriage. Let me explain.In June of 1986 a young bride-to-be prepared for her special day like many young women her age. She put forth all her dreams into the wedding making sure every detail was exactly as she had hoped. The day came and her prayer was “If the flowers are dead, the cake rotten, the music bad, and if no one shows up, but if the Lord is there, it will be the perfect day.” It was a great day and the Lord’s presence was there in the midst of it all. This young bride with her new groom at her side set off on this new journey of marriage and service to the Lord. But, little did she know beneath the beauty of new love, hopes, and dreams crept a huge crack in her foundation and understanding of a biblical marriage. No one had ever explained the biblical role she just took as a wife. She viewed marriage as a partnership, one in which they would love each other, take care of each other, and share life together. It all sounded good. Her needs and desires were equally as important as his. If she chose or needed to continue working after their children were born, they would equally share in the duties of the home and children. And it all seemed right in the eyes of this young Christian woman who had a strong desire to please God. When there is a crack in the foundation of a home it would take enormous skill and effort to repair. Walls and flooring would have to be ripped up in order to repair the damage. This would prove to be very difficult if a family had to continue living in the house while the work was being done. This is exactly what had to take place in my life. I can’t say that at one given moment I realized that my thinking was wrong, but rather God in his gracious and loving way slowly began to do the work in my heart and thoughts in the midst of living life with my husband and a growing family. When you remove the beautiful flooring that you have laid, remove any padding, get down to the foundation and finally uncover what is wrong, it is liberating. I was completely liberated in my thinking when I could see for the first time how my view of the marriage relationship was somewhat flawed. I am so thankful to God today for doing His great work in my life and heart while although not perfect and without rough spots along the way, keeping my marriage and home in tact. It was one simple verse that spoke to me so deeply, Genesis 2:18 says, Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." (ESV version) As I studied this verse my eyes were opened and I began to gain a clear picture of God's purpose in creating woman. The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9, "For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man." For too long like so many others I had accepted Satan's lies that I needed to stand my ground for position against my husband. No, it was blatant but very subtle. Lies had seeped into my thinking out of ignorance and let's face it what do we hear constantly from every direction but the ultimate lie being that my own worth would be determined if I could do everything he could do and still be a wife and mom. When I accepted God's truth that I was created to be his helper and I began to live my life with this understanding and slowly function completely in my God created role, my life and thinking was slowly transformed. It didn't mean I couldn't have a job or a career or that he wouldn't help with cleaning, cooking, laundry, diaper changing and so on. So why does our blood pressure rise at the mention of the word HELPER? If you went about your life and told others you were here to be a helper to your husband, most people (including some Christians) would look at you as weak. Eve, created a “helper”, was to assist Adam in caring out God’s order to rule and subdue the earth. The role has not changed. We are to assist our husbands in fulfilling God’s will for their lives. The more I walk in this role, even with an imperfect man, the more God has fulfilled me as a woman. I am viewed by God with the same dignity and value as my husband, but my role and design is distinctly different. Men and women, though equal in essence, were designed for different roles. Women are in no sense intellectually or spiritually inferior to men, but they were quite clearly created for a distinctive purpose. (excerpt from “Twelve Extraordinary Women” by John MacArthur pg. 8) In sharing this type of post I am fully aware that for many women the role they have taken on in their marriage has resulted from years and years of doing things a certain way and the thought of viewing it any different seems next to impossible. Or their relationship with their husband at this time is not where they would hope it to be and so viewing themselves as a "helper" to a man who may not be fully committed to the Lord himself does not seem possible or even realistic. Yet I know the Holy Spirit can work in hearts and change lives if we will allow His word to transform us. Invite Him today to begin a new work in your own heart and thoughts towards a biblical understanding of a woman's role as "helper". In Him...Chris Visit my personal blog at www.cometothetable.blogspot.com Note: previous comments were lost for this post ~ sorry. Labels: Chris's Articles, Marriage, Purpose Leave a comment... 5 Comments Links to this post  I sat at the edge of the lake while my children played happily in the water nearby. Suddenly a shadow fell across my face. I looked up just in time to see the sun disappearing behind a big dark cloud. High in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I had been told that often times a sudden down pour of rain could occur in the middle of a beautiful sunny afternoon. Before I could collect my three oldest children and run for shelter, the heavens opened and a down pour of rain came hard and very heavy. I was amazed how quickly the storm had gathered. Thinking back to that day with all of us huddled together in the shelter wrapped in our wet towels with the clouds moving over us, my mind shouting the name, "Jesus!" always reminds me of another storm. On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?" ( Mark 4:35-41 ESV) Storms arise unexpectedly in our lives, too. A telephone call brings sudden jolting news. A letter brings disappointment. A child has an accident. A small pain develops into a serious illness. Or maybe the source of distress is just the everyday pressures and tensions that build and build until the dark cloud erupts into a storm. I, too, have had my share of storms. Some have been brief afternoon showers. Others have been caused by tensions that have built up, threatening my serenity and peace. Still others have burst upon my life suddenly, hitting hard and leaving in their wake damage and debris. Like the disciples I have been afraid and have cried out, “Lord, don’t you care?” And later, when all is calm again, I hear Him say, “Chris, why do you have so little faith?” He has never promised a life free from storms, but he has promised to be with us in the midst of them and to bring us safely to the other side. Psalm 91 is a triumphant song of faith. In it we learn that God is our dwelling place. It’s under His shelter that we are to abide. Join me now and read through Psalm 91. Read it again and again over the next several days. Your life and even the storm will not look the same. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91 :1 (you can continue reading here) In Him...Chris Labels: Chris's Articles, Comfort, Faith Leave a comment... 11 Comments Links to this post A few months ago a friend asked me, "have you ever experienced loneliness?" Without hesitation I immediately responded, "yes". I know my response surprised her, in fact at times with five kids and a busy ministry life it even surprises me, but only in the last several years have I been able to recognize it or even understand how it creeps into my life. I have yet to meet a woman who doesn't desire "alone" time. But this wasn't what my friend was referring to. She was talking about what Harold Rupp quotes in the book, "A Woman in her Home", "loneliness is not so much a matter of isolation as of insulation." There are many circumstances in which I have found myself insulated from others. I have felt the deep loneliness of location - often separated from family. I have felt the loneliness of being alone - in a strange land, pressed on every side by many people. I have felt the loneliness of wife hood - when my husband's tasks took him away, often and long. I have felt the loneliness of motherhood - when no one understood or could lend a helping hand or just the sheer demands with young kids. I have felt the loneliness of friendship - when the phone doesn't ring and my inbox is empty. I have felt the loneliness of standing up for what is right - while others mocked, laughed, and looked on with pity. I have felt the loneliness of deeply involved decisions - which no one else could solve. At times I still experience loneliness. The hardest thing to do during intense struggles, change, disappointments, pain, weariness, all of which can take place in the day to day life of a wife, mother, employee etc. is to continually reach out to others. It is during these times that we sometimes insulate our hearts in a defensive nature assuming that we will be protected. When in actuality we are allowing the disease of loneliness to have its perfect breeding ground. One of the distinct characteristics I noticed in experiencing loneliness in my own life was my focus had slowly shifted from pleasing God to looking at myself and allowing my circumstances to dictate how I felt rather than God and His word. I needed more than ever to reach out to others, stay committed to regular church attendance (yes, I am a Pastor's wife, but you would be surprised how easily it would be to have an excuse to miss a church service or two in an effort to insulate myself from others), attend a weekly bible study, mom's fellowship group or invite someone over for coffee or tea and yet during these times I have every excuse in the world not to go, not to reach out, not to risk the possibility of feeling worse. Dee Brestin in her book, "The Friendships of Women" states, "Intimacy is risky. No doubt about it. If I reach out to a woman to whom I am drawn, she may reject me. If I tell a woman that I love her, that I cherish her as a friend, she may respond little (or not at all). If I open my soul to another, trusting her with my dark side of failure, she may draw back in shocked silence (or she may tell others). If I love out of the overflow of my heart, promise another unfailing love until the day I die, then I have bound myself before God( and I bring upon myself His wrath if I break my vow) Risky. Risky. Risky." It is risky, but as I shared with my friend, "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Deut. 31:6 I encouraged her to begin attending the ladies bible study in her church. I told her, "It will take courage to fight through the walls that have been built up in her heart, but God will be waiting at the door." I prayed with her and reminded her that "she is not alone!" Today is Sunday. It is my prayer that each of you will attend or have attended a worship service wherever you are and reached out your arms to another and bring forth an encouraging word. We never know when our hands and feet will be what ministers to the heart of a lonely person. Go now, get dressed and deliver the promise that "He will never leave us or forsake us." In Him...Chris Labels: Chris's Articles, Friendship, Loneliness Leave a comment... 11 Comments Links to this post  I once attended an afternoon spring wedding at a Yacht club in the Marina wearing a new tea length soft green dress with subtle lavender flowers in the pattern. As I stood at the door waiting to be greeted by the ushers, I noticed the woman in front of me with a black knee length dress with thin spaghetti straps. I casually turned around and noticed another woman walking up behind me wearing a long black sleeveless dress with a beautiful silver shawl wrapped around her shoulders. I quickly fumbled through my purse to see if I had missed something on the invitation about a specific dress code. I hadn’t, but I still felt completely out of place in that moment. On another occasion I arrived at a minister’s conference in my black blazer and dress pants with a pink blouse and my favorite pearls, only to discover all the other wives seemed to be wearing their best sweat outfits or casual wear. Again, I wondered did I miss something. I have had many occasions in which I did not receive the dress code memo. After many years of fumbling through this and too often wishing I had access to a dressing room in which I could slip behind a curtain and change clothes, I have learned to wear what seems to be the most appropriate and what seems practical for the occasion and if I didn’t get the memo, oh well. In many social settings the message is very clear. To be accepted, you must be clothed according to the “standard”...whatever that is. God also has a standard. But thankfully His is one in which when you come out of the dressing room it’s perfect every time. He makes it possible for you to be acceptable to Him at all times and on every occasion. According to Job 29:14, He gives us “righteousness as [your] clothing”. The word righteous means acquitted, vindicated or free from sin and guilt. Your faith in Christ enables God to regard you as righteous. He doesn’t see your sin any longer, but he sees you as clothed with the righteousness of Christ. If you have struggled with feeling unworthy to be called “the righteousness of God”, 2 Corinthians 5:21 reminds us, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. This “clothing” we are given is like a uniform. Whenever a police officer, fireman, or anyone else in a uniform walks into the room we take notice. The uniform regardless of its purpose has undeniable authority. At the moment of conversion you were issued a righteous uniform. The Lord not only covered your past but also gave you authority over your future. Ephesians 6:14 reminds us, … and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. He has done all the work; we just have to get dressed according to His Standard. As a child of God, you have the righteousness of God. You have the power that backs the badge. Labels: Chris's Articles, Righteousness Leave a comment... 14 Comments Links to this post  I stood at the kitchen sink moving one dish at a time from the soapy dishwater to the running water to the towel on my counter. Tears began to fill my eyes as I peered out the back door at my two young daughters (I only had two children at the time) playing on the Little Tike toys in our backyard. “Guilty!” cried the thoughts that ran through my head. Like the woman in John chapter 8, I sensed an overwhelming amount of worthlessness and shame as I began to take up stones in my own mind of what I knew I deserved. The harsh words that I had spoken to my husband that morning only forced the tears to stream heavily down my face.As I stood there broken and empty wishing someone would throw a blanket or cloak over my body to hide my shame, I thought of how she too must have wished, “if only I could run and hide”. I was not standing before a crowd, but my own heart was condemning me and screaming the word, “Guilty!” A sharp stab of pain cut to the core of who I was and I could no longer see the dishes before me through the layers of tears that filled my eyes. My legs became weak and I soon found myself on the floor of my living room weeping. I no longer wanted to live with the regret of unfulfilled expectations I had placed on myself. I no longer wanted to walk around with the anger I had towards past mistakes and choices I had made. I no longer wanted to throw the heap of stones I carried against myself at the one person God had brought into my life to love and cherish. My thoughts quietly went to the woman heaped over on the ground as the crowd accused her and pointed out to everyone her guilt. What was she thinking as Jesus spoke to the crowd with a voice sure and steady? He drew a line in the dirt for her. My thoughts quickly went to, “He died on a cross for me”. Jesus spoke the words, “…Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." There was silence. A long silence. Now their heads were bowed. Thud. A hard rock hits the ground. Thud. Another, then another. Again, I turned my thoughts to, “He died a painful death for me, washing every difficult place, every decision I had made, all of my sorrows and pain completely away with his own blood”. One by one her accusers walked away. "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 She was left alone with Jesus. I stood to my feet as the afternoon sun peered through the windows of my living room. I heard the same words Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." (John 8:10-11) It no longer mattered how I got to this place. The truth was I was there and my sin and shame no different than the woman dragged from her bedroom. But just as the woman, I was to walk in obedience and “sin no more”. It began with asking my husband to forgive me (which at this point I need to chuckle as I think of all the times over the past almost 21 years I have said those five words, “will you please forgive me”). The next thing was I knew that it would only be through the washing by the word of God daily that my life and thoughts would continue to be transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. I also held on to the promise that "as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12 There is no greater love than what He demonstrated on the cross, “that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 In Him...Chris Labels: Chris's Articles, Forgiveness, Shame Leave a comment... 14 Comments Links to this post  Throughout her twenty years as a Pastor’s wife, Chris identifies with the challenges most women face in today’s world and meets them with the wisdom and understanding of God’s Word. She has a passion to study God’s word and enjoys the many opportunities to teach women in her church through bible studies, moms groups and conferences. She considers her role as wife, mother, and homemaker a most high and holy calling. It is in this role that she finds her greatest fulfillment as a woman of God. She has been married to her husband for almost twenty-one years and they have been blessed with five children, two girls ages 15 and 12 and three boys ages 10, 6, and 2. Chris and her husband were both born and raised in southern California and spent their early years of ministry serving in a local church. They went on to spend five years of ministry in the foothills of northern California and then in 2005 her husband accepted his current position as Senior Pastor of a church in the mid-west. Her love of all things written began as a young girl. Chris began writing in diaries and had several pen-pals with girls her own age in Italy and France. As a young wife and mother, Chris devoured books on marriage and parenting as well as kept journals of what God was showing her through the beauty of her life experiences and His word. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 Chris enjoys sharing her own ponderings at her personal blog Come to the table and desires that God would be glorified in and through her life. Labels: Chris's Articles, The Blog Team Leave a comment... 1 Comments Links to this post
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