New Hope

The Wisdom of God

“Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways!” Romans 11:33

God has the ability to contrive and obtain perfect ends to His plans. With His wisdom, God makes no mistakes. He knows best and His guidance and instructions are the best.

Knowing this, why do I not consult with Him about everything?

Proverbs 2:6 tells me that "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

I can gain much earthly knowledge on my own, but if I want wise guidance it must come from the Lord God. Since I can't see the end results of His plans, I should ask His advice about everything - before I write a post on my blog, discipline my children, talk to my husband about a disagreement, volunteer for a ministry at church, give money to a Christian organization.

Even though I have the head knowledge about what seems to be right, I should still talk to God about it first. He may be leading me to do something else or to do nothing at all.

I'm beginning to realize that I need to be seeking God's will on a daily basis - not just once a day, but through out the day as situations arise. Sometimes, at the end of the day or even a few weeks later, I realize that I should have consulted with God first before diving right on in. His wisdom is necessary if I want to live in His will and be used by Him.

Shoes for Orphans

Shoes for Orphan Souls is a Christian ministry program of Buckner International. They distribute new shoes to orphans and at-risk children throughout the world. One of the greatest and most immediate needs of these children is a pair of shoes - the ministry has an ongoing need for donations.

Your family can help by sending in a new pair of shoes or hosting a shoe drive for this Christian ministry.

Do You Feel Like Giving Up?

Do you ever have one of those days, or months, where you just feel like giving up?

I have those - when my mind and spirit feels weak and I just don't feel like fighting. When I feel like I've gone through something for years and I've had enough of it. But I know that it is important to hang on. The Bible tells us to persevere. It's important to keep trusting God, even when we feel like things won't really work out. He can strengthen us and keep us going.

When I feel really down, I like to listen to songs that get my mind more focused on the Lord and what the truth is. These following video songs are great to listen to when you feel beaten down and weak. God can give us the strength we need to press on. Please don't give up.

Press On by Selah

Faith in You by Jami Smith

Everlasting God by Chris Tomlin

You Never Let Go by Matt Redman

Cry Out to Jesus by Third Day

Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns

You're Not Alone by Meredith Andrews

The Importance of Herman Who?

"As Christian women, we must repudiate the worlds agenda for women and seek to understand the Words agenda for women... we must determine to be obedient to the the Word of God no matter what is says, with no compromises. This is what is means to be a woman of the Word. We must find out what the Bible teaches about marriage, about children, about men and women and their roles, and then we must be obedient with no apologies, no matter what the cost. Is this radical Christianity? No. This is basic Christianity."

-from The Fruit of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson.

Most definitely, Christian women should find out what the Bible teaches and obey it, even if it goes against our popular culture. However, I'm realizing that many Christians don't really understand what the Bible is instructing them to do. They read a section of the Bible and make it fit their situation. Some Christians interpret the Bible based on our modern culture, our current meaning of words, and even the policies of our church.

One of my pastors, Pastor Doug, loaned my husband and I a DVD called Herman Who? It is a hermeneutics primer - about the importance of interpreting the Bible properly. Oh boy, did that open my eyes. I realized that I was guilty of misinterpreting the Bible.

That DVD was one of the things that motivated me to start digging into the Bible and really studying it. The other motivator was my head pastor - Pastor Rick. He told us in a sermon that if we really are wanting to get to know the Lord better and to grow closer to Him, then we should be wanting to read His Bible more than anything else. That would be more than the latest Christian best seller or listening to what a pastor on the radio or TV has to say. He wasn't discrediting these resources, because they are important. However, a lot of times Christians skip over or skim through the Bible and give greater amounts of time to the other Christian things.

So, with the proper motivation and conviction, I started studying the Bible. Even though I've been a Christian since I was a pup and I even went to a Bible college for a year, it's like I'm discovering the Bible for the first time. I'm understanding what many of these ancient stories really mean and how their lessons apply to us today.

I like to listen to the commentary of J. Vernon McGee of Thru the Bible. He has a 5 year Bible study plan. Then I like to read that section of the Bible and compare the text in some of the different versions at BibleGateway. For even more detailed insight, I read the online notes or listen to the audio sermons of David Guzik. Understanding what the Bible really means is something that we all can do. It doesn't even require that we buy materials. All of the ones that I use are online for free.

In order to obey what God has called us Christian women to do, we need to read the message of the Bible correctly. It doesn't please God if we live our Christian lives based upon misunderstandings. I don't think that our ignorance impresses Him one bit. He expects us do dive in and find out what His Word is really calling us to do.

Married to an Unbeliever

My heart goes out to the many Christian women who are disappointed in their marriage because their husband is not a Christian. I've read some of your blogs and emails and I've learned about the daily frustration that you face. Please don't give up. Your situation isn't hopeless.

Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or can imagine.

While you're waiting on your husband there are things that you can do:

practice scriptural marriage principles
pray for your husband
trust God to work in your husband's life
get Jesus centered, instead of being self-centered

Scriptural marriage principles are for all Christian women - those in Christian marriages and those married to unbelievers.

Ephesians 5:33 tells us that men are to love their wives and women are to respect their husbands. I heard Dr. Emerson Eggerichs talk about this verse on a radio show. He pointed out that the verse doesn't say anything about respecting your husband only if he deserves it. We are to show respect to our husband despite his spiritual condition and lack of spiritual leadership.

1 Peter 3:1 tells us that wives should accept the authority of a husband. A woman's godly life can speak to him without any words as a Christian witness. A husband will notice if his wife is respecting him, honoring his family leadership, and if she is growing as a Christian.

31 Days of Praying for Your Husband is a prayer calendar that many Christian women are using right now. It can be useful to you as you pray for your non-christian husband. Prayer is so powerful and I've seen God do dramatic things because I prayed for my husband.

I really enjoy the radio ministry Revive Our Hearts. Nancy Leigh DeMoss talks to women about many different subjects, including being married to an unbeliever. You can listen to her past programs online:

When He Doesn't Believe Series -
Choosing Love
Demolition Queen No More
The Lip Zip Principle
How to Pray for Him
Hope in God
An Obnoxious Christian Wife
He's Still a Guy
Staying Commited to an Unbeliever

Love and Respect Series with Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
The Crazy Cycle
The Energizing Cycle
Unconditional Respect
When He Won't Respond

Spiritually Unequal Marriage is a blog for women who are married to unbelievers. The blog offers help and encouragement so women can thrive in an unequally yoked marriage.

I hope these resources are helpful to you as you wait and pray for your husband's salvation. Please remember - even if you don't see any evidence of it, God may be working in your husband's life. Keep trusting the Lord and drawing close to Him.

Help Send Bibles to Asia

Donate to Send Bibles through Gospel for Asia $3 Each

Temptations Can Mess Up God's Will

We can learn a lot from Samson. Last week, I read some stories about him in Judges 13-16. God had big plans for Samson. An angel even announced to his mother that he would be born. However, Samson made some decisions that keep him from fulfilling God's will for his life. Although he didn't save the Israelites from the Philistines, we can still learn lessons from Samson.

If Samson had realized his temptations and protected himself against them, I think things would have turned out much different for him and the Israelites. His temptation seems to have been women. Though my big struggles aren't with lust or seduction - I have other temptations that could get in the way of God's will. We all do. Right?

So, I need to admit to myself where I am easily tempted and stay on guard. Because that is what the enemy is going to probably use to get at me. I'm really excited about living in God's will and doing what He wants me to do. I've been learning about how God likes to strengthen weak people and use them to do His work. Here I am, weak and poor in the eyes of the world. But I feel so honored that I am valuable to God. I just have to stand strong, with His strength, against any temptation that comes my way.

I don't want people to say of me - Oh, what she might have been.

I want people to say - She made the best of the abilities God gave her.

2 Milestones This Week

There are 2 milestones being celebrated right now - Revive Our Hearts ministry turns 7 and Nancy Leigh DeMoss turns 50. For the past 3 days, Bob Lepine has been interviewing Nancy about herself, the Revive Our Hearts ministry, and plans for the future.

If you haven't been listening to these past 3 shows, you can listen to them online. If fact, many of the past shows are available online at the Revive Our Hearts site. Nancy talks about many subjects that will help Christian women grow spiritually. Here are some of the topics that are available to still listen to:

marriage
a non-christian husband
mentoring
forgiveness
biblical womanhood
Christian living
modesty
parenting
revival
suffering
relationships
singleness

You may also be interested in Nancy's challenges:

31 Days of Praying for Your Husband

30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge

Are You Good Enough for Heaven?

Interview with Kirk Cameron

Unplanned Pregnancies

Unplanned pregnancies can be very inconvenient and stressful.

There are different reasons why a baby may be unwanted:

a premarital pregnancy
an extra-marital pregnancy
a crisis pregnancy - financial stress, health problems for the mother or baby, rape and incest
an inconvenient pregnancy - due to the woman's age, college plans, career, marriage, family size

However, babies can be a wonderful blessing. We have no idea what God has in mind for every human being, even unplanned babies. God has plans for each human that He has formed in the womb.
Maybe you know a woman who had an unplanned pregnancy.
I've known of a few women in this situation:

A young woman who was raped during her college years. She kept the baby and that baby was a special blessing and helped her to heal.
A woman who was told that she had to have an operation and the baby wouldn't survive. If she didn't have the operation, she would die. Well, she kept her baby and had the operation after she gave birth. Both the mother and child are just fine today.
A woman who had no health insurance or way of taking care of a baby financially. But, she found community and government resources that were available and God provided for her and the baby.
An unmarried Christian woman became pregnant and was worried about what her family would think. Her parents ended up inviting her to live with them and they helped her take care of the baby.

Some women believe the lie that a human fetus isn't a baby until it is born. But, once she has an Ultra Sound, she will see that the baby is fully alive. Very early in the pregnancy, she can hear the baby's heart beating. Here are some places that can help you, or a woman you know, that is pregnant with an unplanned baby.

Unplanned Pregnancy Website
Your Local Pregnancy Care Centers (they offer free services, counseling, pregnancy tests, and Ultrasounds
Book: I'm Pregnant...Now What?
Unplanned Pregnancy Resources by Hope for the Heart
Baby Center Site - The Everything Site about Pregnancy and Babies

John 16:21 It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world.

Thankful Thursday: Modern-Day Christian Heroes

Thankful Thursday Meme

For this Thankful Thursday, I want to express my appreciation to some modern-day Christian heroes - those Christians who are so serious about living out their faith that they are willing to sacrifice their comforts or safety to serve the Lord.

I appreciate what you Christian heroes are doing to help people. You aren't doing it for fame or for an earthly rewards. You are doing it to serve Jesus, and with a sincere compassion for others.

I am thankful for:

Native Christian missionaries witnessing in their own countries - living on low incomes, using bicycles and their own feet for transportation, risking ridicule and physical abuse in countries where Christianity is not the norm. Gospel for Asia

Christians who go to places like Sudan - to bring comfort and relief aid to persecuted Christians, and to help them rebuild after their villages were attacked by Muslim soldiers. They go despite The Department of State warning them that it is too dangerous to travel in Sudan.
Voice of the Martyrs

Christian students working as modern-day abolitionists to end slavery - raising awareness, motivating students to do their part, and participating in activism. Yes. Slavery still exists. There are 27 million slaves worldwide - more people are in slavery now than during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Zach Hunter author of Be the Change

Christians who dedicate themselves to helping orphans by preparing them for adulthood - providing academic opportunities, life training skills, mentoring, career placement, and health programs. When orphans turn 16 many of them are kicked out of orphanages and state institutions. They are expected to fend for themselves. An estimated 60% of orphan girls turn to prostitution and 70% of orphan boys to crime. Orphan's Promise

13 Easy Recipes

I like meals that are quick and easy. Then, I have more time with the kids and for blogging. If it isn't easy, then I probably won't make it. My husband will agree to that. He ends up making the time consuming recipes like fettuccine or Chinese food.

These recipes really are easy and they don't use many ingredients. All 5 of my kids enjoy eating the recipes that I have listed.

Free Online Bible Study Materials

Thru the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee
This is a complete 5-year audio Bible study. You can join in any time. He usually rotates between an Old Testament book and a New Testament book.

Searchable Online Bibles at Bible Gateway
There are over 50 versions and 35 languages available to use. Search by keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.

Online Audio Bibles at Bible Gateway
Listen to the entire Bible online. Choose from 7 translations and 4 languages. Pick the book and chapter you want to listen to.

Classic Bible Commentaries at Bible Gateway
Choose from famous commentary writers: Calvin, Darby, Geneva, Gill, Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown, Lightfoot, Johnson, Luther, Mathew Henry, Spurgeon, McGarvey and Pendleton, McGee, and Wesley

I Am - So You Don't Have to Be online Bible study at The Preacher's Wife Blog You can begin this online Bible study anytime and work at your own pace.

When Mama Prayed

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

My 11 year old loves this song and so do I.

Over the last year, I've been trying to pray consistently for my husband. Now it's time for me to get busy praying for my kids. I just love how Randy Travis expresses the importance of a mother's prayer in this song. Prayer does change things.

31 Ways to Pray for Your Children

Lyrics:
Daddy never went to church on Sunday
He said that's one thing I'll never do
But mama never gave up she said one day
He'll be sitting here beside of me and you
I can still hear mama softly talking
With her tears falling on her folded hands
So that Easter Sunday Daddy walked in
That's when I began to understand

When mama prayed, good things happen
When mama prayed, lives were changed
Not much more than five foot tall
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
When mama prayed

Seventeen and wild I hit the bottle
Doing anything I dang well please
Burning down life's highway at full throttle
While mama burned a candle on her knees
Then one night I came home half sober
I saw mama kneeling in the den
As I listened she and Jesus talked it over
And I knew my restless days were 'bout to end

When mama prayed, good things happen
When mama prayed, lives were changed
Not much more than five foot tall
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
When mama prayed

It isn't like every one of them got answered
But the times they weren't it seems to me were rare
You almost felt sorry for the devil
'Cause heaven knows he didn't have a prayer
When mama prayed

Not much more than five foot tall
But mountains big and small crumbled all away
When mama prayed
They crumbled all away
When mama prayed