Life as a Christian Woman

TRANSFORM: 1) to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose.  2) to change in condition, nature, or character; convert.    From Dictionary.com

A popular movie is called “Transformers.” There is also a very popular line of toys, based on the comic books and movie. The premise is that the items change into different shapes, from cars to robots.

In everyday life, we are always trying to transform our own lives. Whether we are trying to lose weight, quit smoking, or study hard to learn something new, it seems like life is one search to transform ourselves after another.

But while many of these transformations may improve our life in the short-term, or make us happy briefly, only one transformation is permanent and life-altering. A life transformed by God is a life changed forever, for eternity. And a life transformed by God shines to all others.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.  Acts 4:13

The Holy Spirit took the disciples and transformed them from their simple ways. Some were uneducated. Others were poor speakers or from parts of society that engendered fear, such as tax collectors.  Hardly the material on which to build a kingdom. But never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit! They were gifted with boldness and knowledge, as well as discernment and wisdom. Even the enemies of the followers of Christ noticed the change in these men.

Don’t focus on the small changes you may, or may not, notice in yourself. Instead, allow your daily walk with Jesus to shine. The changes taking place in you daily will be noticed by those around you, and will serve as a witness to the powerful transformation that has occurred in you.

I love the Olympics, I love everything about them. If my family wants to find me anytime over the next two weeks, they know that I will be parked in front of the nearest television, watching everything from fencing to equestrian to basketball to swimming.

In fact, sports I would never dream of watching any other time take on a life of their own during the Olympics!

This Olympics takes on a bit of a different meaning, though. The host, China, has one of the world’s worst records in human rights and oppression of it’s people. And religion is a very touchy subject in the Middle Kingdom.

In China, those over the age of 18 are allowed be be involved with officially sanctioned Christian meetings through the “Three-Self Patriotic Movement” (TSPM) or the “Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association” (CCPA).

The TSPM is non-denominational, and preachers receive instruction at one of 13 sanctioned seminaries, which are Marxist-oriented. The TSPM is widely viewed as a wing of Communism.

Lest you think the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is a branch of the Catholic Church, read on. The CCPA is an association of Chinese established in 1957 by the People’s Republic of China’s Religious Affairs Bureau to maintain state supervision over mainland China’s Catholics. In July of 1958, Pope Pius XII declared the bishops who participated in consecrating new bishops selected by the Association to be excommunicated. Pope Benedict XVI called agents of the CCPA “persons who are not ‘ordained’, and sometimes not even baptized”, who “control and take decisions concerning important ecclesial questions, including the appointment of Bishops.

But many Chinese Christians also meet in unregistered house church meetings, despite the reports of sporadic persecution. In fact, while the government estimates there are four million Roman Catholics and 10 million Protestants, independent estimates range from 40 to 54 million Christians in China. Most of the growth has taken place in the House Church movement.

The House Church movement began in 1949, following a Communist edict that all religions must register. The registry forces groups to join one of the state-mandated religious organizations, which opens the door to government interference and control. Risking jail and persecution, these groups meet in homes, often in secret, to protect those involved.

On Sunday, President George Bush and his wife Laura attended church in Beijing. They attended the Beijing Kuanjie Protestant Christian church, one of the “official churches” under Communist control. Afterwards, the President made a statement in support of religious freedom in China, a sentiment he has shared with Chinese President Hu Jintao on numerous occasions.

China is at a crossroads. It wants to be a major player in today’s world, and is well on it’s way. Many American companies have set up manufacturing plants in China (General Motors, for instance). With this influx of “foreign” workers, China will have to make decisions very soon about it’s future.

As you watch the festivities and competition, say a prayer today that the leaders of that far away land will have their eyes opened, that Christianity will continue to grow and be able to move out of the shadows and into the bright light of God’s world.

We are bombarded with images of perceived beauty daily, virtually by the minute. “Use this cream and your skin will look younger,” the ads scream at us. “That man will love you more if you use this haircolor,” the ads insinuate. We get the message that whatever we are born with is not good enough. We need to look like the movie star of the day, buy the right clothes, fit the right size mold, and then our lives will be fulfilled.

Ouch!

These messages are aimed at our kids, too. So now, it isn’t just enough that adult women feel the pressure to fit society’s mold of beauty, but our five year olds are trying to fit the mold, too.

I recently picked up a book called, The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young GIrls and What We Can Do About It, by M. Gigi Durham, Ph.D., (Overlook, 2008). I am just at the start, but the premise is obvious. Girls are inundated from an early age to sexualize themselves. Teeny bikinis. Booty-shaking dancing. It’s all there.

What we all need to remember… study, learn, repeat to ourselves, whatever it takes, are the old adages that our moms used to tell us: Beauty comes from within. Beauty is as beauty does.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve spent a small fortune attempting to attain that elusive “beauty.” (OK, maybe not so small of a fortune!). Physical beauty is wonderful, but it can’t be our goal. In I Peter, we read:

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
I Peter 3:1-7

Real beauty, inner beauty, can change the world. It sheds light where there is darkness. It brings joy in the midst of sadness. And it effects everyone around. Peter goes on to instruct Christian wives to develop their inner beauty, as their husbands will be won by their loving spirit, rather than their looks. If we live our lives developing our inner beauty, our families and friends will see Christ in us.

When we focus on the outward appearance, we become self-centered and can become vain.

For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.
I Timothy 2:10

It does not go against scripture for a woman to want to look pretty. But inner beauty must be the goal. I’ve often used the Christmas present analogy. If you have two presents that are side-by-side, one wrapped in the shiniest paper and the other in plain brown, most people will quickly open the beautifully wrapped gift. But if what is inside is ugly, or the wrong size, the gift will be meaningless. If the plain package is opened to reveal something beautiful, it will be treasured for years to come. The outside is meaningless in the long run, it’s the inside that is the treasure!

And to reference an earlier blog, having the heart of a servant will increase your beauty ten-fold (The Heart of a Servant). Nothing shines brighter to our Heavenly Father as one who humbly serves…

Talk about true beauty!

This is probably going to be a pretty random blog today… kind of my rant against the world. Hang in there with me!

Non-believers, and those who would love to portray Christians in a negative light, are always on the lookout for examples to prove that we are all hypocrites.

Most recently, I have seen subtle comments made regarding the photos of Miley Cyrus, particularly the one taken by Annie Leibovitz that appeared in Vanity Fair.

In case you haven’t seen it, the photo shows Cyrus with what appears to be a satin sheet held over her chest, bare-backed, looking over her shoulder. Somewhat of a “come hither” photo, as my mom would say. There is no nudity, but it is implied.

Now, since Cyrus is a stalwart of the Disney Family (”Hannah Montana”on the Disney Channel), the media were quick to jump on the story. Oh, Disney’s sweetheart and current top-money maker is going down the Britney/Lindsay path to destruction.

Fair enough comparison, considering that path is pretty well-worn by now. And inappropriate photos which appeared online, where Cyrus is shown showing off her bra (while wearing it) added fuel to the fire, as it were.

People Magazine covered the “scandal,” alluding to the Cyrus family’s strong Christian faith… breathlessly wondering what went wrong… could she and her faith be phony? This is the same magazine that applauded the Cyrus family and their values a few short months ago.

Parents of her fans are being quoted as being “disappointed,” “saddened,” and worried about how this will effect their daughters

OK, I have a few problems with this whole thing.

First of all… we should all know by now that if we are allowing “personalities” to serve as the primary influence in our children’s lives, then we aren’t doing our jobs as parents. Sure, they will naturally want to imitate and emulate these “stars,” but our duty is to keep it in perspective for our children, and not let them become so involved that they are willing to give up their character to copy a “character.”

Second, if we want to raise morally-responsible, strong Christian children, we need to give them less Hannah Montana and more of Christ. When was the last time you had a devotional with your child? Knelt at the side of their bed at night and prayed? Went as a family to church? Those are the difference makers. Hannah Montana is here today, gone tomorrow. Christ is forever, and our children need to know that!

But here is the kicker, at least for me. I agree that the photos are inappropriate. I agree 100% that they should have never been taken, much less published. But I have seen worse. And not in Hollywood.

This past weekend my four year old daughter and I went to a dance competition. My friend had a four year old in the competition, which was for all ages and included all types of dance (ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, show as well as solo, group, and duet and trio). Emilee was so excited, and we had a blast. But my friend warned me when one category was about to start that it might not be appropriate. I poo-pooed her. Heck, they were four and five year olds, how bad could it be?

Bad.

Very Bad.

Moves that strippers would be proud to do, in fact. We headed out of the auditorium pretty quickly, coming back when that category was over. But it turned out that creative dance instructors and parents can work questionable dance moves into any type of routine (ok, ballet seemed immune). Even tap. TAP, for goodness sake!

Now, here is the amazing part (to me, at least… and I promise I wasn’t raised in a cave).

I didn’t see very much of this suggestive kind of dance out of the older kids or young adults. In fact, it was almost entirely performed by the 4-8 year old dancers. And when they would “bust a move” the moms and dads in the audience would go wild. These children were performing very sexually suggestive moves.

I wondered how many of these same moms and dads would have their children in church the next day. If so, talk about a mixed message. If not, are these the same parents who were so “disturbed” by the Miley Cyrus photos?

Here we are, as Christians, with the greatest example of parenthood in the world, and we forget to use Him. That’s right, God. He is our Father. Our relationship with Him should be the one we use to model our relationship with our children.

A comment you hear a lot in this world is how children don’t come with an instruction book. Yes, they do… The Bible. God’s word. You may have to study it, pray over it. But can you think of a better book to lead you in parenting?

Who is setting an example for your children? And is it the right example?

For wonderful insights into Christian parenting, visit Parenting and Religion

As I’ve mentioned before, I love Christian music. It seems to take me to a higher plane of worship. One of my favorites is the worship song “Trading My Sorrows (Yes Lord),” written by Darrell Evans.

I’m trading my sorrow
I’m trading my shame
I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord

I’m trading my sickness
I’m trading my pain
I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord

Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

I’m pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I’m blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy’s gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning

The words are taken directly from 2 Corinthians 4. Many believe 2 Corinthians to be Paul’s most personal letter. It was written to a young, immature church, which was questioning his motives and authority. Throughout the letter, he relates his experiences of pain, suffering, and overwhelming odds. But he reminds the readers that all this is temporary, that we are working for a greater good.

Paul exhorts the Christians in Corinth: “(17) For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! (18) So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”

Some originally mistook the worship song as a “prosperity piece.” You know, if you honor God, you won’t suffer anymore. But that is not what the words are telling us; in fact, they are telling us the exact opposite!

We, as Christians, face persecutions both large and small. But we get up. We are struck down for our beliefs, belittled even by those close to us for our faith, but we get up. We are cursed on this side of Heaven, but we get up.

Why?

Because we are promised Christ’s joy. We are promised that at the end of the long night we call life on earth, we will have morning in Heaven, in Christ’s eternal peace and joy. Nothing this world can throw at us can take those truths away from us.

The chorus of “Trading My Sorrows” is so affirming: “Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes, Lord.” If we only say “yes” to our Lord and Saviour, our sorrows will indeed be traded for the joy that only He can bring into our lives.

Listen to this music by clicking on: Trading My Sorrows (Yes Lord), by Darrell Evans

(all scripture is quoted from the New Living Translation)

Perhaps you have heard of the new Ben Stein movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. A friend of mine emailed me about it several weeks ago, and Christian radio had been promoting it, so my husband and I decided to check it out last weekend.

The movie, which is actually a pseudo-documentary, follows Stein as he travels the world interviewing educators and scientists who have been denied tenure, or perhaps even been fired, over their views that the universe might not be random, but could have been created by design. In short, these scientists appear to be questioning Darwinism. As you can imagine, this isn’t the most popular idea in the scientific community.According to Walt Ruloff, co-executive producer and co-founder of Premise Media (which is producing the film), “People will be stunned to actually find out what elitist scientists proclaim, which is that a large majority of Americans are simpletons who believe in a fairy tale.”And that is what came across. University spokespersons and department heads who were interviewed seemed to have an air of “let them eat cake,” never quite calling the masses that believe in one god or another foolish followers of a fairy tale, but the interpretation was there. And those who were fired were sympathetic characters, telling their tales of how colleagues told them to just let it go, stick with the party line.I’m not sure what I went to the movie expecting. Maybe I thought it was going to be a “rah rah, our side is right, your side is wrong” kind of victory for those of us that believe that God created the heavens and the earth, as it is written the Bible. Ben Stein is an intelligent man, perhaps I thought that finally those who deny God in the creation of the world would have met their match. And, indeed, Stein did succeed in making many in academia look foolish, close-minded and egotistical. But something just didn’t hit me right.The movie took too much at face value for me. There wasn’t much investigating into why some of the professors were let go. The universities themselves couldn’t comment (privacy issues), and usually in these cases the truth lies somewhere in the middle. It felt like I was only getting half the story. And later, I found out that those who agreed to be interviewed had been told it was for a movie called Crossroads: The Intersection of Science and Religion, and only later found out the movie’s intentions in relation to ID.Towards the end of the movie, a connection is made between Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Darwinism. Indeed, much of Mein Kampf speaks of the strong defeating the weak and of “lower” races of humans. There is much footage of Jews in concentration camps, and Stein himself makes a trip to a camp where Jews were put to death.I think I know where Stein and the producers wanted to go with this movie. I believe that initially their intent was to show that the halls of academia aren’t as open to oppositional thinking as many would have us believe. But I think the movie lost it’s focus at some point, and instead of delving deeply and giving us the meat of the issue, it was more of a touch and go process, spread out to thin. And I think they didn’t give the audience enough credit, stooping to attempts to entertain rather than thoroughly flesh out the topic.The movie made some wonderful, eye-opening points. I think that many would enjoy it, and can learn from it. I just wish that there had been less “infotainment” and more plain old information.