Prom 2009

Yes, those are tiaras in front of the punch bowl!

No, I didn’t go to prom this year – I think I’m just a little past the age limit!

However, I did stay up until 12:30 am, and I did have a date, and I did have a fun time with high school girls!

We love having our teenage friends to our house, and when we heard that a couple of them would not be attending their prom, I just had to do a little something.

A big cookie!

I’m sure that some folks might wonder why we try to give some of our time to these kids.  We don’t have kids in the youth group, and Chris isn’t a youth or student minister. 

We do it because we hope that, someday when these girls are grown and have homes of their own, they will remember that wacky minister of education and his wife who let them come over at all hours and play games and talk and eat and drink hot chocolate.

We also do it because that’s what was done for us by this lady.

Debi V.

She opened the parsonage door anytime we came knocking.  We were always welcome in her home, and we knew it.

I realize I keep coming back to this question, but I think it’s an important one:  Who have you been investing your time in lately?  What kind of memories are you making with others so that they will want to “pay it forward” some day?

 

My Favorite Christmas Letter

Yesterday’s mail brought the one Christmas card that I really anticipate every year … and yet I have never received it before Christmas!  Oh, well – it’s worth the wait!

We have several friends who keep up the ritual of sending an annual Christmas letter.  I do read most of them…  This letter, though, I set aside until I have time to really enjoy it.

Dr. M was my mentor in college.  I would love to be half the writer/teacher/scholar that she is.  She taught me many things about King Arthur (the subject of my honors thesis), the Middle Ages, good scholarship, the English language, and many other wonderful subjects (wonderful to me, at least!).

But she also taught me about hospitality, through the way that we were always welcome in her home; being friends with your husband, through her relationship with Michael; a love of books, through her own; and the best way to approach a big project – don’t worry about the end result, take one little piece at a time.

Dr. M’s Christmas letter this year was full of news about the presidential debate that was held at Belmont University, their garden (which sounds absolutely marvelous!), travels, and projects at work.  She and her husband do more in a year than many of us do in a decade!

I don’t get to see Dr. M nearly often enough, so I look forward to this yearly glimpse into her life.  I don’t know that I have ever thanked her for keeping us on her Christmas list – so Dr. M, if you are reading this, we thank you very much!

 

Chit-Chat Cafe and Your Passion

 

What is one thing or cause that you are passionate about? (More specifically, something you feel that the Lord has burdened your heart with)

Like many of the others who answered this week’s question, I could probably come up with a whole list of things for which I am burdened.  Narrowing myself down to just one takes a bit of work, but here goes…

I believe that we who teach women in the church must emphasize the importance of women learning to study the Scriptures for themselves.

I know that there is a place for pre-packaged Bible studies that can be bought through your local Christian bookstore.  I have actually taught a number of these myself.  When a church does not have a strong teacher for women, or when a group of new believers begin to study the Bible together, having a model to follow can be beneficial.  Many of these studies are written on topics that women find interesting, and like-minded women can gather around a study for a limited period of time for fellowship, encouragement, and learning.  These studies can be helpful, when used properly.

However, nothing can substitute for daily opening the Word of God and reading it for ourselves.

…they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11, ESV)

In this passage, Paul commends the Bereans for being willing to study for themselves and to test what Paul and Silas were saying against the revealed Word of God.

I believe that we are doing a disservice to the women in our churches if we do not teach them how to interpret and apply the Bible for themselves.  While we may get a measure of this from a Bible study workbook, most of the hard work is still being done for us by the author.

Just as the Bereans, we live in a world where not all “Bible teachers” are interested in an accurate interpretation of the Word.  Preachers and teachers are available to us 24/7, thanks to the television, radio, and the Internet.  We must teach our women to examine the Scriptures for themselves so that they can know whether or not what they are hearing and reading is actually what the Bible says.

By teaching them to “feed” themselves with the Word of God, we are protecting them from the subtle influence of the world around them, a world that is not interested in their spiritual growth.  New Age spirituality, watered-down Christianity, and the world of cults are common in our media, through celebrities, and on talk shows.  Women must learn to identify these influences and to warn others against them.

To my friends at LifeWay and Moody … I am not out to eliminate your jobs!  There is a time and place for the studies that you work so hard to publish.  Many of them are very good and helpful, and provide useful resources for women’s ministries.

I would just remind us to be Bereans, studying the Word for ourselves first, and then using these wonderful Bible studies to fill in the gaps.

 

Titus 2 and the Weekend

Yesterday I met a friend for lunch at the Olive Garden (one of my favorite restaurants!) to discuss a new ministry possibility.  Let me just say … we had a blast!

I have long believed that I need to get to know this woman better … and I was right!  We think alike about so many things, but the best thing is that she has more life experiences than I do, and has so much that she can teach me.

If things work out like we hope, we will be working together a lot this next church year, and I’m thrilled!  I believe that this has the possibility be a real Titus 2:3-5 experience.

Today is a very low-key Saturday, which is great when you are in the ministry.  Tomorrow will be a busy day, starting with band practice at 7:30 tomorrow morning at YCBC!  I am not a morning person AT ALL, so pray for me … and for the other band members!

Tomorrow night, Chris is leading the second lesson of a great study called Sunday School Done Right.  The study was written by Allan Taylor, Minister of Education at First Baptist Church, Woodstock.

If anyone’s in Owensboro, we’d love to see you in church tomorrow!