Women of Promise

     Are you familiar with the story of Nehemiah? What an amazing story! It is easily overlooked, yet it is in the Bible for a reason.  God has lessons to teach us from this book.   The book of Nehemiah is full of fascinating information and lessons for us today.  It is easy to get bogged down reading this little book, because some chapters are simply lists of names or details about rebuilding a wall around Jerusalem. Let's look at a few highlights of this special section of the Old Testament. 1. The passion of Nehemiah for God and his people.      Nehemiah 1:4 tells us that Nehemiah wept and mourned for days  after hearing about the state of the people and the wall in Jerusalem. Are we burdened for our families, our church, our community, our nation with a passion like Nehemiah? The rest of chapter one is Nehemiah's beautiful prayer where he begs the Lord to forgive the nation for turning their back on God. I pray for a passion lik...

 "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."  This quote always brings me to the brink of tears.  It was made by a man who gave all, literally, for the cause of the gospel.  If you are not familiar with Jim Elliot's story, here is a very brief synopsis.   Jim was a missionary to Ecuador in the 1950's.  He and his co-workers spent years learning the language and ministering to the people. One day they flew to an area that had not been reached by the gospel.  In fact, these Auca Indians had not even seen white men prior to these missionaries' arrival in Ecuador.  Jim and the others had spent months dropping gifts by plane into this area in an effort to gain the trust of these violent tribes.  There had been signs that these people would be willing to meet them in person.   However, something went wrong and the five missionary men were killed that day in January of 1956.  They gave all....

       I have been looking back at the topic of child training in the light of Scripture. I have found that the Lord does have a lot to say on the matter.  I was saddened to see that I have not always implemented Scripture very effectively during child training and have been challenged to dig into the Bible for guidance on this all-important issue. Parents, grandparents, extended family, children's church leaders and more could benefit from looking at Scripture as a guide for impacting our children for the Kingdom.     First, the Bible teaches us that each child is a blessing from the Heavenly Father.  Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."  Psalm 139:13-16 is a beautiful description of the how EVERY life is handformed by our Creator with a purpose.  From the very beginning, God has a plan and design for each one.  As a parent, my view of my child is impacted when I realize that I ...