Resources

Some Helpful Possibilities

Here are a number of websites which I believe may offer material to spark thought, discussion, and possibly prayer or other meditation. The first set of sites is a general list for reference; the 2nd set are books, video series,or other sources which are categorized in groups.

As with other links on this website, I may or may not agree with everything found on each of these sites, but I have found something of value there at some point, enough to bookmark it for future visitation. The wonderful thing about living in the world is that we can benefit from the perspectives of others and respectfully offer another side (not THE ONLY side) of a topic, and perhaps change a mind or a life by the way we disagree. I am no “arbiter of TRUTH” but I am intimately acquainted with TRUTH embodied. It’s like having a Big Brother no one wants to mess with—don’t argue with me, argue with HIM.

I don’t have to prove anything to anyone; but I am expected to live as if…

Isa 22:22 “Then I will set the key of the house of David on His shoulder. What He opens no one will shut. What He shuts no one will open.”

Matt 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

APOLOGETICS [defending the Truth]

Apologetics is the theological study of the defense of the gospel, through logical discourse. Men like C.S. Lewis, R. C. Sproul, and Josh McDowell, are excellent resources for this branch of study. My favorites are represented here.

Why We Act the Way We Do [Gender Quirks]

As many women (and men) will tell you, the difference between the genders is striking sometimes from before birth! Effective parenting is not about treating every child the “same” but giving each child what they need–sometimes gender plays a part in exploring and understanding those needs. Our gender quirks don’t disappear after puberty…in fact, the adventure gets even more challenging as we age and (hopefully) mature.

Getting To Know the Person of GOD

Many people wander through life thinking if they live a “good life” and go to church, give a dollar to the poor soul on the corner once a week, that’s all the “religion” they need in their lives. They are missing the single most vital part of Christian living–getting to really KNOW the PERSON of Christ–the three Persons who together, make up the unified deity we call “God.”

The truth is that to form a real relationship with the entity to whom we pray–the “REAL thing”, we have to go where He is, spend time with Him on HIS terms, as He meets us right where we are. Studying His love letter to us and exploring His nature and expectations, as well as His grace and mercies, offers us a daily renewal of relationship with the One from whom all things flow. Knowing the PERSON requires spending time with “the REAL thing.” Then a counterfeit will stand out like a sore thumb.

Women and GOD

Marriage & Relationship Development

So a couple falls “in love” (whatever that means) and decide to marry. The easy part is planning a big celebration of their decision to spend “forever” together (again, whatever that means). Frequently, the cracks begin to appear at the edges like a tight smile that means nothing really, but it’s plastered on because, by golly, this is going to WORK! and it is… work. Every single day, it’s reminding yourself just exactly what drew the two of you together and how to keep that first in your mind as you find lots of reasons to wonder, “did I marry the wrong person?” Did you? or are you failing to BE the kind of person you, yourself, would like to marry? Falling in love doesn’t bring guarantees that you’ll stay “in love” but you can guarantee that every day you will remember just what made you decide to take the hand of this other person and leap into the future.

Sex & Relational Intimacy: A Litmus test for marital health?

Many couples find that when things “go south” between them in the friendship department, their sex life also begins to deteriorate. Some find that the bedroom is the only place they manage to get along. This may seem contradictory, yet the research reveals that both can be true. Since a good sexual relationship within marriage depends upon both partners being willing and able to put their differences aside and to devote themselves to the pleasure and well-being of their partner, it is a small leap to assume that if a couple is actually able to maintain an attitude to humility, sacrifice, and flexibility (ahem), there is a good possibility that they can find middle ground where they struggle outside the bedroom. Sexual compatibility is not simple a “test” for the quality of the “dance”, but it is a foray into the ridiculous generosity that marital sex requires. There is simply no room in a marriage for selfish ambition and self-absorption. Nowhere is this clearer than the gift of sexual intimacy between partners.

Parenting {*sissies need not apply}

Ah, Parenthood…is there any more humbling circumstance than to have a part of your heart parading around outside your body, quite beyond your control? I believe God makes them little and cute so they live past age three…yes, being a parent stretches every intention, breeches every wall, destroys any assumption of prowess that unsuspecting newly-marrieds consider under their belts. No matter what you believe about your capabilities regarding parenthood, it’s never as easy, or as hard, as you think it will be.

The first step to success is to remember your role and that of your spouse, to be worthy of the privilege, and to never lose sight of the ultimate goal–to raise individuals unafraid to ask questions of themselves and of the world they inhabit, to learn to think for themselves and to follow NO ONE down a road to disaster. Having children does not equip you to raise them “right”, with morals, values, priorities, and certainly a level of civic responsibility that offers hope to each new generation to come. It is work that matters eternally. There is no more important job on the planet than parenthood–the stakes are too high to fail.

Step-Families: Blended & Spendid

Entering into a 2nd or 3rd marriage is a daunting exercise and is not for the faint of heart. Re-entering a marital covenant when prior relationships ended unsuccessfully for whatever reasons, is made more complex when it includes the addition of minor (sometimes even adult) children. There is a LOT to consider before taking that step. Dating when you’ve been “out of the loop” and having no idea what to do to meet someone again, learn to trust again, and to pull your children into a new arrangement, creates an imperative that you discover where you went wrong in the prior relationships so that you don’t have to repeat those errors again.

Discipleship

The foundations of discipleship are devoted modeling, guidance, encouragement, and correction, with one end in mind: to command the self, the appetites, the distractions, and the failures such that all is considered joy. Christ invested the eternities of all who came after Him in the hearts and motivations of the Twelve, even knowing one would betray, and the others would scatter like rats from a sinking vessel. This is the same vessel He calmed in the storm, beckoning us to get out of the boat and keep our eyes on Him. Our eternal place with Him depended upon it the first moment of our belief and every day to follow. Discipleship is discipline of the flesh to the obedience to the Spirit. It is walking toward Him on rough waters and leaping into His arms with abandon. It is trust, it is hard, and it is necessary.

When Faith Falters: Day to Day struggles when God Feels Distant

There are times in the lives of all believers when God simply appears to have disappeared from sight. Christ, Himself, experienced this on the cross, when the sins of the world clung to Him like a filth that could not be cleansed…yet it was. By His obedience and certainty that in the darkness, an edge of Presence stood waiting for the debt to be paid, for the gloom to recede, and for a moment of reconciliation between the Father and His children.

If you are in a season of shadows, don’t let go of His hand. He cannot fail you–it is not His nature to abandon His own, despite the depravity that clings to our hearts and drips from our spiritual rags, waiting for clean garments to be given, and a hand to clothe us in His Righteousness. Seek Him, cry out to Him, wait on Him. He’s coming.