Lies Women Believe

A couple of years ago Brooke (St. Amour) Franklin told me about an excellent book that she was reading entitled, "Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free." The book is written by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Because I enjoy reading, I immediately went looking for it. Believe it or not, I found it at Aldi Food Store.

DeMoss discusses several lies that women in our culture believe, even though we don't realize we do when we pick up the book. Each chapter describes a specific area in which women swallow certain lies. According to DeMoss, women believe lies about God, themselves, marriage, children, and emotions to name a few. The following are some of the lies that are mentioned:
"I can't control my emotions" (Boy do I hear this one a lot)
"God should fix my problems"
"I need to learn to love myself" (I think the problem with our society is that we love ourselves too much!)
"I can't help the way I am"
"Physical beauty matters more than inner beauty" (most of us would agree with this - but it doesn't hurt to be reminded)
"My sin isn't really that bad"
"I don't have time to do everything I'm supposed to do" (I have bought into this one!)
"I can make it without consistent time in the Word and prayer" (this one too unfortunately)
"A career outside the home is more valuable and fulfilling than being a wife and a mother."
"I have to have a husband to be happy"
"Sometimes divorce is a better option that staying in a bad marriage" (This has become all too acceptable in the church!)
"My husband is supposed to serve me"
"It's up to us to determine the size of our family" (does that have you wondering?)
"Children need to get exposed to the real world so they can function in it"
"If I feel something, it must be true"
"If my circumstances were different, I would be different"

I can go on, but here is a taste of what topics this book dives into.

I firmly believe that one of the reasons why our society and culture have become so corrupt is because women have lost the clear picture that God has provided concerning our role. Christian women ought to be proactive about seeking God's will for their life and becoming the kind of women God desires us to be. It is so easy to buy into the philosophies of this world. Just tonight, while working with the youth group, each of us were asked to mention somebody who has authority over us. When it was my turn, I said, "my husband." You should have seen the look on the faces of some of our church girls! When did the older women quit teaching the younger women? I for one, want to be taught! Therefore, I am challenged myself - and challenge all other women - to dig in and study to see what God intends for us as women. Without even realizing it, many Christian women are whole heartedly accepting the values of the world. We have to purposely guard against this, or we too will view women and their role like our culture does.
If anybody has any good books they would like to recommend, I am always interested!

The Franklins

Here's the picture of Ben, Brooke, Emma, and Ryan Franklin that I promised to post a while back. We visited them up in Munising, Michigan, over Christmas break, and had a great time. Emma turned 2 in December, and Ryan was born last Fall. Ben is currently the youth pastor and school administrator at Munising Baptist, while Brooke is a stay-at-home mom.

The Lord Provides!

Right before I gradutated from Northland in 2002, I began looking for a car to buy. I didn't come from a home where you were automatically given a car when you turned 16. No, rather, I had to purchase my own car. Because I worked my way through college, and all of my hard earned money went toward school bills, I was not able to purchase a car until I was 22. At that time I purchased a 1995 Lumina for $1,000. Granted it had 187,000 miles on it, but it was cheap! I still drive that car - it now has 245,000 miles on it, but I have had to put no money into it over the last four years.
This week, we purchased another car - a 1993 Saturn, again for $1,000. This time it only has 98,000 miles! It also is in great condition. What a blessing! My father-in-law says that you should be able to get 20,000 miles out of a car for every $1,000 you spend. For us, this rules out purchasing a brand new car. We certainly have been able to find good deals and make our dollar stretch, I am so thankful! I can't imagine having a car payment every month - the Lord is so good!

FINALLY!

After several attempts to post a picture, here it is! Lest you think I am stupid for not being able to post a picture, I will have you know that my computer would NOT upload any pictures. In fact, anytime I got ready to post, my computer would just shut down. Very irritating!

This picture was taken last year at a banquet our school had.

Created to Be His Help Meet

I have recently heard that a few of you out there are currently reading, or have read, "Created to Be His Help Meet" by Debi Pearl.
I read this book last November and thoroughly enjoyed it. Debi Pearl has a very unique way of explaining the scriptures and challenging women to be the wives God created them to be. I highly recommend it! You can order a copy at www.nogreatjoy.org. My copy is currently in Munising, Michigan with Brooke Franklin.
Being a man's wife is a high calling! I have seen far too many women destroy their homes and make their husbands miserable because they do not fulfill their role the way God intended. It is prudent for us as women to prepare now to be good wives and mothers. It is never too early to begin. As Elisabeth George said "Success is when preparation meets opportunity." Whether you are married or not, prepare to be a wife. Whether you are a mother or not, prepare to be a mother.
Speaking of motherhood, the Pearls have a ministry called "No Greater Joy." This ministry is based upon the verse that says "there is not greater joy than to see that your children walk in truth." They specialize, if you will, on child training. Their most famous book is "To Train Up a Child" by Mike and Debi Pearl. It has been a contoversial book, so as with any reading material, compare it with scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in your decision making. I visit their website often. I find it to be very enlightening as well as challenging. They also have a free bi-monthly newsletter that you can sign up for.
As a teacher I speak with parents often. You would be amazed at how little preparation and planning people go through to raise their kids. We go to college to have a career, we go through training at the work place to do our job well, we take a driving test to get a license, but so often we don't prepare to be wives and mothers. This is by far the highest calling or "career" a woman can have. I strongly urge all women to prepare for that role, master it, and do your best in it. I believe it is true that a virtuous woman is hard to find. I also believe that working to be that kind of woman has eternal value. "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." (Proverbs 31:28)What an amazing thought!
If you have not yet memorized Proverbs 31:10-31 - I challenge you to do so. My first year of teaching I had all my female students memorize it. It was quite a growing time as we dialogued about the passage. Surround yourself with God's Word and other great pieces of writing that will steer you in the direction God wants you to be in. Allow the older women to teach us "younger women" to love our husbands and children.
I have other great books that I have read and plan to comment on them later.
Any thoughts?