Life as a Christian Woman

Only one life, it will soon pass; what is done for Christ is all that will last.
Found jotted on evelope in Mrs. Edna Strickland’s lockbox.

It was one year ago, on March 1, 2007, that an EF-4 tornado struck the little town of Enterprise, Alabama. Within minutes, the only high school lay in ruins with hundreds of teenagers and adults amid the rubble. The tornado also cut an 8-mile path straight through the town, leaving unbelievable destruction, leveling homes and businesses, destroying an elementary school and changing lives forever. Eight of those precious students at EHS were lost along with one senior citizen in the community.

One year later, both reminders of the tragedy and renewal can be seen. Many houses have been rebuilt or are in various stages of completion. Some were abandoned, though, still showing an empty lot where a family home used to sit. A contract was awarded to Bailey-Harris of Auburn to rebuild Hillcrest Elementary School on the same site as the old school, which was damaged beyond repair and completely razed. EHS will be rebuilt on new land where there is more available room for expansion. At this moment, there is only empty acreage and a lonely football stadium where these two schools had stood next to other for so long as symbols of an outstanding education system.

In some places, the renewal will take decades. Stands of trees that were always a part of the landscape of my life-long home are now gone. There is one hill in the middle of town that tugs at my heart strings still. As a girl, before the highway and traffic and buildings encroached upon it, my father used to take my sister and me to that hill where we would spend a Sunday afternoon sliding down it on a piece of cardboard. Now as I pass by it, there is a discernable scar across the top where the tornado took the same path I used to take, crossed the road, and continued into the houses on the other side. My childhood memories of those Sundays with Daddy are now overlaid with a new sadness.

My home town was forever changed in so many ways on that day just a year ago. Some ways are good, though. The tight community is now even closer, brought together to help and heal each other. The thousands of volunteers that poured in to help, gave donations, and supported us in prayer will never be forgotten; and “thank you” will never be enough. Schools and other public gathering places across the country were jolted into reevaluating their own disaster preparedness plans and making improvements to better response. We have seen the best and brightest in our fellow human beings, and the strength and perseverance that a community can have together.

Many services will be held over the weekend. Once again, we will gather together and remember our nine fallen loved ones. We will discuss our hopes and plans for the future as we try to build new schools for our displaced students and new homes for those families still waiting. We may even laugh as we compare stories of how we overreact now at a sudden clap of thunder, or stay glued to The Weather Channel at the first hint of storm. We will probably cry; and we will most certainly heal.

IN REMEMBRANCE:

Michael J. Bowen, age 16
Peter James Dunn, II, age 16
Andrew Joel Jackson, age 16
Ryan Andrew Mohler, age 17
Kathryn Madora Strunk, age 16
Michael D. Tompkins, age 17
Jamie Ann Vidensek, age 17
Allice Michelle Wilson, age 16
Edna Strickland, age 83

Enterprise High School, EHS memorial, Enterprise Alabama

For my regular readers, you may have noticed I have put up a new banner for the site. Let me know if you like it, hate it, indifferent, or what.

For this week’s prayer list, I would like you to pray for a little boy that our church has been supporting. He recently had to have a shunt put in his head to drain excess fluid and has faced some pretty significant medical problems. Since I don’t have his parent’s permission yet, I won’t give his name, but God knows who he is. He has numbered every hair on his precious little head and knows him better than anyone else. So please ask for the Lord’s blessing and healing.

I have been contacted pretty regularly through e-mail by Ingrid, who asked for prayers and is now seeing her request answered. She says that things are going much better for her and her family. She is learning to wait on the Lord and give Him time to work his miracles for her, and now sees His hand in her life. Thanks, Ingrid, for keeping in touch. I pray things continue to look up for you.

Lastly, pray for all of LCW’s readers this week. Many of you may have concerns or private issues that you don’t wish to share yet. That’s okay. Intercessory prayer is answered by God, so I ask Him to bless all of you and to help anyone that needs it with whatever they are facing at this moment. Keep them close to you, Lord, and bring them to the place and knowledge You wish for their lives in Your service.

As always, you can leave prayer requests or praises as a comment here, or contact me privately through the link on the sidebar. God Bless!

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Many times in the Bible God chooses to accomplish His will beginning with a special birth. The birth of a child is a both a blessing upon the mother and father, and a special bond between the child and God. One of those stories is that of Zacharias, Elisabeth and John, who will come to be known as John the Baptist.

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

Elisabeth was a descendant of Aaron, and was also a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Although Elisabeth would become pregnant six months before her cousin Mary, the birth of her child was vital to the life of Mary’s child. After Mary is visited by the Angel of God and told she will bear God’s Son, the Angel also tells her of Elisabeth’s pregnancy. Mary goes to visit her, and Elisabeth knows right away of the special child Mary carries.

Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

In that brief passage telling of Elisabeth’s words to Mary lie the foundation of the ministry of Jesus. Elisabeth’s child would be born to herald the coming of the Lord, and Elisabeth herself, with John still in her womb, begins his important work.

1. John lept in her womb at the sound of Mary’s voice. He knew from the very beginning of his life, as the Lord said he would, the true parentage and purpose of Jesus. That parentage and purpose would be the whole of John’s ministry.

2. Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, even though her husband was a priest. Jesus was coming for all people, men and women alike.

3. Elisabeth announced even before John the Baptist that Mary and her child were blessed by God.

4. Elisabeth did not feel she was special, and yet the Lord visited her through his mother Mary. Just as the Lord visits all who open the door for Him, no matter who they are.

5. “There shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Elisabeth knew from the beginning that Mary’s child, Jesus, would perform miracles.

Mary stayed with Elisabeth for three months, returning to her home just before John’s birth. The two cousins, John and Jesus, would not meet until Jesus visits John for His Baptism. Through Elisabeth, the first glimpses are given of the special child Mary carries. Elisabeth in her own way was a prophet of Jesus, and gave birth to His greatest prophet who lay down his own life for Him. John the Baptist would be imprisoned and executed before the end of Jesus’ ministry.

No mention is made again of Elisabeth after she names her son on his eighth day, according to the Jewish tradition, when he is circumcised. We do not know if she was still alive when John was killed, or if she got to see any of her foretellings come to pass. But Elisabeth believed the things told her through the Holy Ghost. As long as we believe the Lord and allow Him to use us for His work, what need have we to see the end? She passed on her work to her son as the Lord required. Like Elisabeth, we may not always see the end of our works. But if we begin them as God bade us, the end is certain whether we see it or not.

Image Source: Saint Takla Church

If you missed the first in this series, see Parenting Lessons from Mary.

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After taking some unexpected and forced time off, I will be picking up our series on women in the early Christian church again soon. The next person we will study is Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. If you want to read up on Elizabeth before the post, see Luke 1:5-80.

On to the prayer. You have surely seen the news by now that Northern Illinois University was the victim of another shooting rampage yesterday. 6 people including the gunman are dead, and another 22 wounded. Please keep these families, the University, and the students in your prayers as they begin the task of trying to make sense of this tragedy.

As more and more of these violent rampages occur, it is obvious that something must be done. I see these incidents as a reflection of America’s crumbling social conscience. There must be an answer, or answers, but the issues are so complex and hotly debated that, as yet, no one appears to have recommended any truly viable solutions. One solution is absolutely clear, though. Parenting.

The parents in the United States need to make a committment to their children and to raising the next generation to be better than this last. So my appeal to you is to pray for America’s parents. Fathers who have abandoned their children, mothers who are allowing careers to overshadow their children, the grandmothers and aunts and uncles who are raising the kids of relatives because the parents are unfit; until children become the most precious commodity in the United States, our society will continue to disintegrate into a nation of egotistical, self-centered, maladjusted individuals whose number one goal in life is money and a materialistic lifestyle. We MUST make changes. And at this point, the problems are so spread out over such a vast range of societal infrastructure, that only God is going to be able to sort this one out.

christian, prayer request, prayer chain

By now you have seen the photos of the Best and Worst Dressed of the Grammys, heard that Amy Winehouse swept the awards, and maybe even searched the entertainment sites for the “worst post-Grammy party behavior.” But a lot of people are not even aware that the Grammy Awards also have a gospel category. In case you can’t find it anywhere else, here the winners of the Grammys Gospel category:

Best Gospel Performance (Tie)

Blessed and Highly Favored The Clark Sisters (shown in photo)
Never Gonna Break My Faith Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige

Best Gospel Song

Blessed and Highly Favored Karen Clark-Sheard, songwriter (The Clark Sisters)

Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album

Before the Daylight’s Shot Ashley Cleveland

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

A Deeper Level Israel and New Breed (shown in photo: Israel Houghton)

Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album

Salt of the Earth Ricky Skaggs & The Whites

Best Traditional Gospel Album

Live - One Last Time The Clark Sisters

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Free to Worship Fred Hammond

Find all the music from the Gospel Grammy Winners and Nominees

Source: GRAMMY.com
Image Source: WireImage.com

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Announcing the newest project from published writer and award-winning poet April Gilford: Living for Christ, Serving Our Country: Christian Women in the Military.

After being contacted by a reader searching for information, it became clear that very little information is available from Christian sources specific to women serving in the military. This project hopes to fill at least part of that gap by giving military women the opportunity to tell their own stories of how faith, God, and/or other Christians helped them deal with situations particular to military service.

Have you faced temptations while stationed away from your family? Have you found strength through faith to deal with difficult situations? Has God led you through you through the healing process after engaging in combat or being wounded? Tell your story so others may be inspired to continue in service to their country while living for Christ.

Living for Christ, Serving Our Country: Christian Women in the Military is a book to uplift, sustain and inspire women in any branch of the armed services, and from any country. Tell your own story, or pass along stories of your relatives who may have served in previous wars or battlefronts. Separation, temptation, fear, doubt; pride, self-worth, determination, accomplishment; these are all emotions and situations faced by women in military service. Help others bring their best to their military service by sharing your inspiring story.

For full writer’s guidelines, please e-mail April@aprilfreelance.com or use the contact form on this site. For more information, visit Aprilfreelance.com.

Copyright 2007. April Gilford. All rights reserved. Links to this project are welcomed.

christian women, military women, christian women in military, military writers, write inspirational stories

An exploration of women in the New Testament logically begins with Mary, the mother of our Savior. She is second only to Jesus in the amount of written material and studies of her life. All Christians revere her, and she is an integral part of the worship of Catholics. So when I was thinking about what to write about her, I must admit I was a bit daunted. Many biblical scholars more knowledgeable and eloquent than I have provided wonderful studies of Mary. So, what could I possibly add to any discussion?

As I pondered the stories in the Bible of Mary and how they relate to women today, one thing came to mind — her parenting of Jesus. She was charged with raising the son of God, after all. From his birth to his death, she was his earthly mother, his early teacher and caretaker. She experienced all the same concerns and emotions that mother’s today go through, only worse. She knew the truth of his conception, his life and his death.

Mary knew that Jesus was the son of Almighty God. She had been chosen by God himself because of her devout Jewish faith and her bloodline as a descendent of David. And as a devout Jewish woman, she was intimately familiar with the prophecies of the Savior. Among those prophecies were included, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [literally "God-With-Us].” (Is. 7:14). It was also foretold that He would be born in Bethlehem and would be a Nazarite.

Just as Mary knew the scriptures of the Messiah’s birth, she also knew those of His death. There are 300 prophecies of the first coming of the Messiah, and within those 300 are details of His betrayal by the people, his torture, and his death by hanging on a tree.

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chatisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Is. 53:4-5).

In the fact that Mary knew these prophecies at the time she knew the truth of her Son, we find one of the most important lessons we can ever learn as a parent.

Trust in God’s plan for your child.

It’s that simple. And that complicated. For in those words lie the most important duties of Christian parents. Before you can trust in God’s plan for your child, you must first do these things:

1. Teach your child the truth of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. Teach your child to have a personal relationship with God and depend on His guidance.
3. Teach your child to pray not for his own desires, but for God’s will for his or her life.
4. Trust your child’s relationship with God enough to know when to step back and accept that God’s will is being carried out.

Mary absolutely trusted God’s plan for her son Jesus and accepted that He was the Savior, that He would be ridiculed for His heritage, and He would die a horrid death so that mankind would be saved. She supported His ministry, knowing what it would lead to. She encouraged Him to begin God’s work (his first miracle turning water to wine) with the certainty of how that work would end. She stood silent at the cross and watched as her son, God’s Son, was tortured, died, and pierced with a sword.

Could you be the kind of parent Mary was? Can you accept that the Lord’s plan for your child may not be an easy one? Do you trust the relationship you have nurtured between your child and God enough to accept what your son or daughter says God is leading them to do?

You want your child to be a successful doctor, or lawyer, or teacher, or even preacher. You want them to have a life of comfort, and possibly the things you couldn’t have for lack of money or love or opportunity. Maybe God wants them to visit a war-torn country to take His word to the midst of squalid refugee camps. God’s plan may lead them to work in a homeless shelter in the most dangerous neighborhood in the country. God’s plan may be for your daughter to be a stay-at-home mom where she will care for orphans or foster children with emotional and psychological traumas.

You may not know what the Lord wants for your child. But you can know this, by learning your parenting from Mary: God expects you to trust Him with even your most precious possessions.

Image courtesy of Public Domain Images, http://karenswhimsy.com.

christian parenting, Mary, Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, christian women, women of the Bible

I made the last announcement that our study of women in the New Testament would begin on Monday. But then the Internet grimlins struck.

451Press Network worked hard last week to upgrade the servers and to upgrade all the blogs to the newest WordPress release. It seemed to work fine. And then, suddenly, nobody could access their blogs. It turns out that 451Press got hit hard by scapers. These are websites that use automated bots and spiders to “scrape” or copy content from one website for use on their own. It’s a horrid practice, but the internet if full of them. The technical support worked as fast as possible to try to block all the IP’s as they were discovered, but basically the bombardment was more than the servers were up for.

So, as of today things to be going better. I decided to put off the new study series until Wednesday just to give a little extra time to make sure we wouldn’t run into any more problems.

Tomorrow, I will be posting another announcement about a project of my own I have started. I hope you will check in tomorrow and let me know what you think about it, or if you want to participate.

Please feel free to continue sending in your questions or comments about the Women in the New Testament series. If you want to read ahead, the first post will start off, of course, with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and what we can learn from her as parents.

Starting on Monday, we will begin taking a look at the women in the New Testament. There were many women who played very important parts not only in Jesus’ ministry, but also in the days of the early church following His death and resurrection.

We learn in the Bible about specific women and their deeds. We also learn about some of the prevailing views of women in general and what their place should be. At times, there seems to be contradiction in the things taught about women and the stories shared of the historical women and their deeds.

I want us to take an indepth look together at the stories and teachings in the Bible and the interpretations by Biblical scholars. There have been many theories put forth over the last 2000 years. We will also look at both the words and actions of Jesus concerning women, and how they were rather radical for His time on earth.

I am asking you to do a little homework before Monday and read back over the passages in the New Testament concerning women. You are already very familiar with Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mary and Martha. But there are many others you may not remember, such as Tabitha and Priscilla. Finally, there is the female imagery used throughout the book of Revelations.

Please share your own thoughts and comments as we go through this topic. If you have any questions you would like to look into further, feel free to let me know either by leaving a comment or using the contact link in the “About” section. I will do my best to answer them if I can or direct you to a resource. I may post some of these questions and answers from time to time, so be sure to let me know if you prefer your question to be answered privately.

I’m excited about taking this in-depth look at the Biblical teachings on women. I hope you’ll join me each day. The whole purpose of me starting this site was to help you and me discover what it means to be a Christian woman. I hope to learn from your experiences and studies as much as my own.

I have written before on women from the Old Testament. If you missed them, you may be interested in also taking a look at Shiphrah and Puah: Hebrew Midwives, Blessed Liars and What is a Jezebel?

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