The recent reported moral failure by Christianity Today within the Southern Baptist Convention’s former leadership is absolutely heart wrenching. The National Center for Victims of Crime reports that approximately 1 in 5 girls are subjected to childhood sexual abuse. The number is based on cases that are disclosed. Many cases go undisclosed so this statistic is bound to be on the low side. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center states that an astounding 81% of women report experiencing some sort of sexual abuse, assault or harassment. Eighty-one percent is mind boggling. A list of effects of sexual abuse include depression, isolation, hyper-independence, substance abuse, mental illness,…
A Name to Be Thankful For
I will thank the LORD for his righteousness. I will sing about the name of the LORD Most High. Psalms 7:17 Recently, as I was reading my Bible, my attention was drawn to the way God was introducing Himself to people by using various names. The names He chose to introduce Himself were characteristic of both His nature and His activity in their lives at that moment. The story of Hagar in Genesis 16 particularly stood out to me. She was a slave of Abram and Sarai and pregnant with Abram’s child because they got impatient concerning God’s promise to give them a child of their own. Sarai had been…
A Woman Who Rises is One Who is Engaged, Pt. 4
FREE DOWNLOAD: Teaching Outline Several times I have read or heard the story of the woman who watched the silversmith as he was refining silver. It goes something like this: As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the fire to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ‘He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’ (Malachi 3:3) She asked the silversmith if it was true…
MAKE The Most of Life!
Maybe 2020 kicked you in the teeth a couple times. I know it did most people. Many challenges in 2020 created new seasons in life that don’t necessarily coincide with the changing of the calendar. In the midst of the challenging circumstances of 2021 or whatever new season you are walking into, life is full of potential. Whether the New Year brought you a truly new season of life or something else did, there are four strategic things you can do to MAKE the most out of it. Make Peace With Your Past. Take time to allow yourself to feel and express your emotions about the difficult things you have endured…
