Family Fountain

The Married Couple

2012-02-08T13:11:00.005-06:00

The Married Couple

Two modern-day perceptions about life and marriage pose a challenge to the health and vitality of marriage. Perception one is that “the moral ideal of our society has been the autonomous, self-sufficient, free person” (Stanley Hauerwas, A Community of Character, 171). That statement simply means that we like our freedom.

One of the great benefits of a democracy is that the freedom and value of the individual is upheld against any large, imposing organization, such as government itself. Every citizen gets to vote, participate in society, and enjoy the benefits of a free land. He is a free individual. But, even in a democracy there are relationships or institutions that limit our freedom. Marriage is one of them.

When we marry we don’t pledge our individuality, freedom and exercise of personal choice to our spouse; we pledge faithfulness and loyalty over the long haul, even in the face of illness, old age, and any another debilitating condition. With the vows we denounce our individuality and freedom in the formation and continuance of the relationship. We are a married couple, not a married individual.

Photo compliments of Amy Free Photography.

But very subtly, over time, life in a free society can work against the intent of the vows. It is hard to completely abandon the free-spiritedness we experienced before marriage, and voluntarily curtail the choices and behaviors that made us happy. In fact, we take those earlier experiences and expectations into our marriage and expect that our spouse will now be another one of those choices we made that should make us happy! Rather than the altar being the place where we abandon our freedom in the interest of the marital union, it becomes but another affirmation of our free and individual choice to do what pleases us.

This leads to the second modern-day perception of marriage: we expect marriage to be fulfilling for us (172). No doubt, God did intend the marital union to be fulfilling and make us happy. After his mother’s death, Isaac married Rebekah and her love and companionship comforted him (Genesis 24:67). Solomon hoped that his son’s marriage would be blessed, and that he would be able to “rejoice in the wife of his youth” (Proverbs 5:18). Since this statement appears in a larger context of marital fidelity, it is likely Solomon envisioned a lifetime of happiness and fulfillment between the son and his wife.

But even theses verse have to be considered against the larger scriptural witness about marriage. Even though Hosea’s wife, Gomer, was a perpetual adulteress, God did not give him permission to divorce her. Instead, he told Hosea to “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods ...” (Hosea 3:1). So, Hosea paid about 6 ounces of silver and ten bushels of barley for Gomer’s release from bondage, perhaps some form of concubinage or temple prostitution, and brought her home again to be his wife.

I can’t imagine this marriage provided Hosea with a great sense of happiness and self-fulfillment. In fact, I imagine it felt downright oppressive, disappointing, and painful at times. Even when she was at home, Hosea knew Gomer’s heart yearned for another man. But, God told Hosea the marital relationship was bigger than his individual choice, his freedom and even his happiness.

I’m certainly not against marital happiness, and God is not either! I am thankful to be in a marriage where I experience immense happiness, fulfillment, and support. But I also have to realize that those factors are not what makes a marriage. Commitment does. And fidelity, faithfulness and loyalty over the long haul, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health. While freedom and self-fulfillment are glorified in the age of The Individual, they must be suppressed in the interests of The Married Couple. Rather than exercising our freedom when the times get tough, and leaving, if we stay in there and stick it out, we may just find the happiness and fulfillment we have been looking for.

Warren Baldwin

Belief in God: Something Exists of Necessity

2012-02-07T05:21:00.001-06:00

“Something Exists of Necessity”

Where is God? What is he like? How can we know him?

These are perennial questions that may never be answered fully to everyone’s satisfaction until Jesus returns. Until then, we have to question, search and do our best to come to grips with the question of God.

For most of us, that is not a problem. We are convinced of God. Our belief and conviction rest on several foundations. One, we were taught about him as a child, so the awareness of him has been planted deeply into our consciousness. Removing an awareness and conviction of God from us would be like removing the awareness and conviction of the existence of our own parents.

Two, our early and life-long experience of worshiping with God and fellowshiping with other believers feeds our awareness and conviction of God’s existence and presence in our lives. I remember worship services where my parents and siblings helped lead the worship service. Their active involvement was a definite reinforcement for belief in God.

Three, as experiences in life are sifted through the filter of faith in God, they further confirm the validity of belief in him. Early on Christian parents teach their children that God is the barometer of whether things that we do are right or wrong. He also influences our thoughts about whether things that happen to us are good or bad. These three influences are incredibly important in instilling a God-sense in people.

But that doesn’t mean that even children raised in a Christian home won’t be faced with some of the questions that raise their heads in our lives at times: Where is God? What is he like? How can we know him?

Some of the most brilliant philosophers in history have given their attention to demonstrating that belief in God is reasonable, even wise. One philosopher who used his brilliance to argue for the existence of God was the Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas. He actually had five tenets to his argument, one of them being, “something exists of necessity.”

Here is what he says about that. “If there once had been nothing in existence, it would have been impossible for anything to come into existence, and there would be nothing now.” In other words, if there had never been a cow, there couldn’t today be a calf. Or to work in the other direction, if you see a calf, you know there had to be a cow. The cow exists of necessity, otherwise there could never be a calf. Something is caused by something else, and in this case, the calf is caused by the cow.

Aquinas uses this to say that everything in existence today has to be explained by something producing it. Something had to have initial existence for there to be anything in existence today. Something had to be here first. If there wasn’t something here to begin with, there wouldn’t be anything here now. So, something exists of necessity. We call that something God.

This argument may be more convincing to some than to others. I personally like it. And, it seems to be something of the position of the Bible. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). What the Bible present here is something of what Thomas Aquinas argued so long ago: “If there once had been nothing in existence, it would have been impossible for anything to come into existence, and there would be nothing now.” Something exists of necessity.

That something is God.

Warren Baldwin

Why I'm Glad Thomas Jefferson Isn't Running For President

2012-02-03T12:24:00.004-06:00

Why I’m Glad Thomas Jefferson Isn’t Running For President

A Thomas Jefferson presidency would be disastrous for our current American system. It would run counter to everything we have grown to accept as normal over the last century. There are several reasons why a Thomas Jefferson campaign and presidency would not be good for us.

One, his debating style would be boring. Rather than mud-slinging with his fellow campaigners, Jefferson would be clearly articulating his positions. That’s not to say he wouldn’t point out discrepancies in his opponents positions, or identify how their personal ambitions were cloaked in noble sounding political double-talk, but his greatest energies would be spent making sure the voters knew the issues at stake. In short, Jefferson would seek to educate the voting public, not just on the publicized and sensational issues of the moment, but on the larger issues that span generations and are critical for the healthy functioning of a society, such as debt and finance, genuine wealth production, republicanism (not the party, but populist principles), and the dangers of foreign entanglements. Jefferson would bog the debates down in education, leaving little time or energy for the more exciting stuff.

Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800 (Wikipedia)

Two, Jefferson would be the dog that bites the hand of the master that feeds it: Big Government. Jefferson made it abundantly clear that Big Government was and is the enemy of a free and prosperous people. Big Government centralizes power, limiting freedom for the citizens. A populist government decentralizes power, meaning it disperses it to the people, limiting the freedom of the government to exert it’s own will. Jefferson’s theory was that government should be dependent on the people rather than the people being dependent on the government.

Three, as a specific measure related to the second point, Jefferson would weaken the central power (federal government) and would empower the states more. Since 1860 America has operated on the perspective that the federal government has authority to impose it’s will on the states. That perspective became authoritative after a costly war (in financial and human terms, with 1,000,000 casualties), and state government was relegated to secondary status. As a consequence, decisions about abortion, prayer in schools, income taxes, borrowing money in our names and a host of other measures are made by men and women far removed from us, geographically, politically, socially, economically, theologically and morally. Jefferson felt that county and state leaders were closer to the concerns felt by their constituents, and were better positioned to legislate wisely on them.

Four, Jefferson would pay off, or at least pay down, the national debt, while simultaneously not only lessening, but eliminating, a direct income tax on the people. That is so ridiculous I won’t even comment on it more, except to say that when he was president, Jefferson actually did just that. To believe we have to have higher taxes to pay down the debt is simply not true, but it is a position most Americans hold today because it has been told to us so many times by the presidential candidates (other than Jefferson).

Finally, in a day and time when money is being reduced for education, Thomas Jefferson would insist that we provide adequately for the education of America’s youth. I think he would say, “If we can send billions of dollars every month to foreign countries, money that many times is raided by the elite and never reaches the people, then we can surely afford to keep good teachers in our classrooms.” Further, he would make sure that the curriculum included intense instruction in the original principles of the Founders, principles enunciated in such books as Jefferson: Magnificent Populist. Jefferson’s educational policies would have provisions for students who struggled and excelled, so that both would be equally challenged to progress academically and intellectually.

Surely you can see why I’m glad Thomas Jefferson is not running for president. The good news is, even if he was a presidential contender, several factors would combine to guarantee he wouldn’t win. One, the press would simply ignore him, marginalizing him with silence. Or, when they did speak of him, it would be in disparaging, ridiculing tones, thus character assassinating him. “He’s a nut. He’s so out of tune with how America is today. He’d turn back the clock.” Two, the other candidates would do the same as the press, treating him with silence, ridiculing him, and treating his positions with disdain. If the American people didn’t study on their own, they would conclude that the tv heads that did the most yapping must be right, so Jefferson would be summarily dismissed in their minds as a viable candidate.

Even if he was indeed the best candidate, we would opt to not vote for him, thinking he couldn’t win anyway. Thus, the candidate espousing genuine populist principles, the candidate who could indeed set the economic situation right, would be edged out of the campaign. A centrist would get elected, foreign entanglements would continue to consume us, debt would deepen, taxes would rise, education would be cut more, and we’d all be happy that we got the lesser of two evils. Good bye, Thomas.

Warren Baldwin

Jefferson's Revolution

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

Jefferson’s Revolution

(Note: Why a historical article on a family blog? Because it deals with issues that are at the heart of every family: money and fairness. A little history can teach us some things about how a family-friendly government can and should operate today. WB)

When Thomas Jefferson became president he inherited a government from the Federalists that advocated the centralization of power (in the hands of the federal government), an economic system that favored the wealthy over the middle or working class, and that took steps to silence dissent (largely through the Alien and Sedition Laws). Jefferson considered these measures as a move toward despotism, the very thing the nation had fought against in the Revolutionary War.

Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800 (Wikipedia)

When Jefferson assumed office he also inherited a national debt of $83 million, a huge sum for then. The Federalists under the influence of Alexander Hamilton believed that a national debt would actually enhance the national economy by making it more attractive to investors and speculators. Jefferson countered with the view that a national debt would require taxing the American people to make interest payments to the stockholders in the American debt system. The new president considered these creditors as leeches who contribute nothing to the economic health of the nation, but instead suck it dry for their own benefit. Jefferson wanted a debt free nation so the backbone of the country, the farmers and other hard workers, could keep the fruit of their labor for their own benefit. It was the farmers and workers who produced the actual and usable wealth of the nation: food, clothing, shelter and other such items that provided for the care and sustenance of the people. Why rob the backbone of the nation for the benefit of the elitists who contributed nothing to the health of the system but rather drain it, while amassing huge fortunes for themselves?

In reaction to, and rebellion against, Federalist policies, Jefferson and his Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, embarked upon an ambitious plan to put the nation’s economy and political power back into the hands of the middle class. Here are some of the steps they took to save money so they could eliminate taxes upon the workers and restore to them their freedom.

One, they closed many of the overseas embassies, sending ambassadors to just Britain, France and Spain, the principal nations America would have to deal with. Why incur the expense of sending political ministers to other nations of the world where we had little or no interest?

Two, they reduced the military from 14,000 to 3,287. Jefferson was leery of a large standing army, fearing that a corrupt political establishment could use the military against their own fellow Americans should the people ever rise up in anger against Washington. He preferred to trust the state militias, where each state was free to raise and train its own military units. Jefferson was not against a national military, and advocated measures to train men should an emergency arise. But, from having observed military affairs in Europe and other nations, he knew the dangers to the people should a corrupt cadre of politicians ever gain control of the military for their own selfish purposes.

Three, they repealed many taxes. In summarizing Jefferson’s economic revolution one writer said, “One of his first actions upon assuming office in 1801 was to abolish internal taxes; he fired an army of tax collectors; reduced the federal income by 50 percent, and yet, in eight years, paid off one-half of the original national debt.” As incredible as this seems, don’t forget that during this time Jefferson also doubled the size of the U.S. by the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson proved that a government does not need to directly tax its people to fund the expenses of government and service the national debt. By trimming the size of government and raising money through import or border taxes, he was able to eliminate many internal taxes levied directly upon the people, reduce the money the government received, buy more land, and still pay of one half of the national debt! The only people who hated him were those at the top who lost power and interest payments.

All of these measures were an attempt to put the federal government on a starvation diet. Jefferson stated his purpose was to, “Reform the waste of public money, and thus drive away the vultures who prey upon it” (Magnificent Populist, 207).

Secretary of State Gallatin believed that if subsequent administrations continued to follow these polices, the national debt could be paid off in only 16 years. Can you imagine living under an administration (of either party) that didn’t just talk about the national debt, all the while adding to it, but that actually envisioned, planned and took definite action for a debt-free / tax-free economy?

Warren Baldwin

Ideas for this article are from The Enduring Vision, 223-4; Unto a Good Land, 245; Magnificent Populist, 207 and Plutocracy vs. Populism, 10.

Marriage is a Process

2012-01-29T05:04:00.007-06:00

Marriage is a Process

Getting to know someone is a process, not a product. A product is something that can be delivered in a final form and is not subject to change. If it could talk it would say, “I’m happy being just what I am. Stop all this talk about growth and change.”

Think of a table saw, for instance. It is a finished product. It has a job it was specifically designed for, and when used as intended, accomplishes its purpose admirably well. But it will never be a piano or a commercial jet. Since it is a finished product it will forever remain a table saw.

People, however, are not finished products. Our lives our dynamic, alive, vibrant. We can dream, make plans, alter our route, try a new job and meet new people. We are never tied to a set course and programmed life, unless we choose so, and even that demonstrates that we are alive and dynamic, because we made the choice. We can just as easily choose something different.

Because our lives are dynamic and changing, our relationships are, too. They never stay exactly the same as when we first formed them. That is certainly true of our marriages.

Photo compliments of Jhen Stark Photography

As children, we relate to our parents as heroes. As teenagers, we may see them as oppressors against which we must rebel. In our twenties we realize again how smart they are. In our thirties and forties we covet their wisdom to apply to our own families. In our fifties and sixties we worry about their health and safety. Our relationship changes with them through the years.

The same thing happens with our children. As babies we provide for their every care. As toddlers we encourage their first steps in independence. As teens we monitor the degree of freedom they are mature enough to handle. As twenty and thirty year olds we honor their independence, but still provide the nurture and direction they are willing to receive. And when they are forty and fifty year olds, we hope they call us.

Relationships are never finished products. They are always subject to change, revision, refocusing. That is true of our relationships with our parents and children, and it is especially true of our most intimate relationship, our marriage.

The dynamic quality of relationships means that if we nourish them properly, they can grow deeper and more enriching, fulfilling our need for intimacy and connection. Conversely, their dynamic quality means that if we don’t nurture and care for them, they can slip into destructive attitudes and patterns, depriving us of intimacy and connection, leaving us frustrated and unfulfilled. It is important to realize that at whatever state our marriages may be in right now, they can grow and improve if we give them the proper attention.

How do we work to ensure, or at least improve the odds, that our marriages can grow healthier and more satisfying? That will be the theme for the next several lesson/chapters. For now, here are a couple of things to keep in mind.

One, remember that, individually, we are all growing and changing. Our likes and dislikes, goals and aspirations, and perspectives and values are all subject to revision. As we study, and learn, our outlook on life and the people around us will change as well. Since we are changing, we are affecting everything and everyone around us, either positively or negatively. They have to change to adjust to us.

Two, our spouses are changing as well. Their lives are as dynamic as ours, and their life-perspectives are also in flux. To stay connected, we have to embrace not only the changes in ourselves but also in our spouse, and accept them as they are.

Three, change inevitably produces some level of conflict, but it can be a healthy if we maintain our connection through communication and understanding. If we try to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of change and upheaval through fighting to keep things static, that will produce conflict of a much more destructive nature.

Photo compliments of Jhen Stark Photography

Remember, relationships are a process, not a finished product. We can never say, “We’re here! We have arrived! Ultimate happiness is ours!” There will be daily challenges to our contentment. The good news is, if today we are unhappy and discontented in our marriage, positive and hopeful change can begin right away if we take the appropriate steps. The marriage we are ready to give up on today may be the relationships that provides our greatest joy in just a few months.

What positive steps have you taken to promote marriage as a process?

Warren Baldwin

Link to Marriage Mondays.

Texting and Lying

2012-01-27T15:00:00.003-06:00

Texting and Lying

Almost everyone knows lying is wrong, yet that doesn’t prevent a lot of lying from taking place.

Much of the lying around us is what we call “little white lies.” They are lies that likely will not create much of a ripple in the flow of life because they concern matters that are relatively insignificant, or if exposed the negative consequences to follow would be relatively negligible. Lying about where we ate lunch, a grade we made on a report, or how well we did in a game is not going to change the world or cause many people to hate us.

None-the-less, they are lies, and telling them does make an impact on our character. Over time, as we become more and more accustomed to lying, we also grow comfortable with it. In time, we will lie even when telling the truth is so much easier.

The idea of growing comfortable with lies should unnerve us just a bit. It means that our morals are corrupted and our conscience has become seared. It means that we don’t mind betraying the trust our parents, spouse, children, fellow church members or friends have placed in us. Growing comfortable with lying means that we have virtually lost all respect for other people, and we don’t even have much respect for ourselves.

People eventually identify those who are prone to lie. When they do, word seems to seep out to everyone in fairly short order, and the general consensus becomes you can’t believe anything that particular person says. Lying does eventually catch up to us and, when it does, it can be incredibly embarrassing when we lose our standing in the communities that are important to us: home, church, work.

Sadly, modern technology seems to make it even easier to lie. A recent article by Athima Chansanchai says that people are more prone to lie through text messaging than through any other medium of communication.

Athima’s article was based on research done by the Saunder School of Business. In the study, 170 college students were given roles as salesmen or customers. They were allowed to communicate through various mediums to either sell a product or buy one. The type of communication with the most lying being committed was with texting. “Researchers found deception in 83 percent of those who received text messages; audio chats were close behind at 71 percent. Then came face-to-face in-person contact, with 63.6 percent, and finally video chats, with 43 percent.”

Researchers believe video chats had a lower rate of lying because the awareness that it was being recorded gave it a sense of permanence, and perhaps made the college students a bit more cautious. But, at a 43% rate of lying, even video chats have a pretty sad record.

The test does not mean that 83 percent of text messages are lies or contain lies. What it does seem to indicate though is that if someone is going to tell a lie, the preferred method among younger people is through a text. Perhaps the impersonal nature of it makes it seem more innocent. (http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/21/9606853-liars-likely-to-use-texts-to-deceive)

But, lying is never innocent. Even if modern technology makes lying easier, it doesn’t make it any less sinful. And the damage to our reputations and character are every bit as real if we lie in a text message or in a face-to-face conversation.

Whether communicating with old fashioned methods, such as face-to-face talks, or with some new way, the truth of Leviticus 19:11 still bears upon us: “Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.” Proverbs 19:22 puts an interesting spin on this: “Better to be poor than a liar.” So, no matter how much it hurts today, give your character a fair chance. Tell the truth.

Warren Baldwin

Marriage: "I Wish I'd Said ..."

2012-01-26T14:21:00.007-06:00

“I Wish I’d Said ...”

We nodded and said, “Hello.” He went back to his family and I went back to mine. That was the last I saw of him And ever after, I wish I’d said more.

Will and I were both sophomores in high school. Our dads had been business partners and even though Will and I were in separate school districts, we spent a fair amount of time together due to our father’s partnerships. But things fell apart for Will and his family. His dad left the family for another woman, got out of the business partnership, and began drinking heavily. Will and I rarely saw each other after that.

But then, we had the chance meeting at a family park. “Hi.” “Hello.” A smile, a nod. And a week later Will was gone. He was riding on a motorcycle with his dad when they sideswiped a vehicle and Will lost his life.

I can’t think of Will without remembering our last encounter and wishing I’d said more. “Will, I’m sorry for what has gone on in your family, I know it must be hard.” “Call sometime and let’s chat.” Anything. Anything. Just to let him know I cared and valued the friendship we had enjoyed in better times.

Business meetings, chance encounters, and class discussions provide opportunities for us to look back on and think of what we wish we had said. One more sentence might have successfully closed the deal; a few more words might have turned a chance encounter into a budding or even reinvigorated friendship; sharing one more detail in class might have earned the A. We’ll never know.

Friends sometimes tell me of conversational regrets they have, and one of them is frequently, “I wish I’d said.” Often it has to do with a discussion they were having with a parent, child, or even their spouse. It is sad to hear, “I wish I told her I loved her more. Maybe she’d still be around.”

There is only one thing I can suggest to rectify the “Wish I’d Said” syndrome: go back and say it. Unless a situation is so strained that it is inappropriate to go approach the other person (such as after a break up), what’s wrong with giving someone a call and saying, “There’s something I wish I’d said the last time we talked, so I’d like to say it now. Thank you. Or, your friendship has meant a lot to me. Or, you helped me at a critical time in my life. Or, you have done a lot of good in peoples’ lives, and I’m one of them. I appreciate it.”

One of the crucial “I wish I’d said” areas is that of marriage. Husbands and wives withhold saying important things to each other for fear of hurting the other’s feelings. One of the partners may have a habit that is very grating, even offensive to the spouse, but the offended party won’t say anything out of concern for the other’s feelings. That is admirable, but it is also problematic. If you can grow accustomed to the offending practice, and learn to live with it, fine. But if you can’t, it is better to deal with it frankly within the first year or two of marriage then twenty-five years later when it and other problems have the marriage on the breaking point. Honesty and gentleness in communication early on can keep many irritants from becoming explosive problems. But if you waited, and the offending problem is still an issue, don’t dismiss it with, “I wish I’d said.” Say it now, kindly and honestly.

Photo compliments of Amy Free Photography

Willard F. Harley writes about a husband who held onto his “I wish I’d said” for decades. Finally, on their fiftieth wedding anniversary, the husband gave his wife a caustic note about her behavior. He wrote out of anger and frustration and it hurt her. But she loved her husband, addressed the issue, and together they experienced exciting new romance and refreshment (Love Busters, 165-7). How much better it would have been to have shared his feelings in his twenties or thirties instead of waiting until his seventies, so they could have enjoyed an even greater level of companionship for all those years. Perhaps he feared rejection as much as he feared hurting his wife’s feelings. But, at least he got over the “Wish I’d Said,” syndrome and finally opened up his heart.

Maybe your "I wish I’d said" issue is not one of sharing a painful issue between you and your spouse. It may be you wish you’d expressed appreciation for something your husband or wife did. You may regret not expressing the depth of your love and commitment. Why did you hold back? Was it hard to open up? Were you afraid you would become too emotional? Did you fear rejection? Whatever the cause, the fact that you are now reliving the conversation and yearning for another opportunity to express yourself means it is time to sit down with the one you love and say, "Let’s talk."

Warren Baldwin

Click here to read My Husband Can't Communitcate

Articles Worth Reading

2012-01-24T05:23:00.000-06:00

Articles Worth Reading

The pictures here have nothing to do with the post, really. I just like wintery shots. The first two I took in front of our house. The third picture is from Alicia's Photography. Alicia does amazing photograpy, and if you like taking pictures, you may want to check out her blog.

Here are some good articles I would like to commend to your consideration.

Kids Are Resilient, by Richard and Jeannalyn May. Richard and Jeannalyn minister to couples. This article is about sparing children from the pain of divorce.

Worship and Justice Must Dance Together, by Chris Blair. Chris is a campus minister in Texas and a fellow classmate of mine in a graduate program we are currently enrolled in.

Sometimes it's Time to go Home, by Denise Hughes. What do Aaron Rodgers and Jacob-the-son-of-Isaac have in common? You'll have to read this post to find out, and it is worth reading.

What I Learned From My Father's Death by Mia Davies. In this touching story Mia recalls her father's suicide and shares how faith has helped her in life.

Hope you enjoy and learn from this reading!

Photo from Alicia Photography.

Warren Balwin

Meaning and Religion

2012-01-21T19:29:00.004-06:00

Meaning and Religion

Socrates watched his contemporaries in 400 B.C. frantically pursue wealth, social position and political power. He thought such attainments to be vain and dishonest, and he eschewed them in favor of honesty, goodness and wisdom. Socrates believed the attainment of these higher values required constant and penetrating examination of our beliefs and purposes in life. The problem is, when we are enjoying the pleasures that money can buy, or the popularity that social and political position afford us, we are not too inclined to examine our beliefs or motives.

But, there are three potential situations that can rock our world severely enough to derail our pursuit of wealth and pleasure and cause us to ask the deeper questions about meaning, value and purpose for life. All three situations “entail a fundamental negation of our life, existence, and ideals, that undermine the roothold of our existence and bring the meaning of life into question.”

This last statement is from a Japanese philosopher named Keiji Nishitani, who also identified the three things that can shake us from our pleasure-induced stupor to probe more deeply into the meaning of life. The first of these three is death. Perhaps it is the death of a loved one, or an illness that forces us to face our own mortality. In either case, an impending sense of death “robs one of what had made life worth living ...”

The second thing that forces us to examine our lives is sin. Sin is to act in violation of God’s will. It is the sense of our own failure and inadequacy. Even more, it produces the overwhelming sense that something about life isn’t right. Sin has damaged everything, including our personal sense of worth and our relations with others. We have been hurt by the sin of others and have damaged others ourselves. A sense of sin is a sense that something of great value has been lost.

The third situation that promotes personal examination is what Nishitani calls nihility, or meaninglessness. Meaninglessness is the sense that nothing about this life really matters any more, since it can’t satisfy. Corporate promotions, financial gains and social standing no longer provide satisfaction when a sense of nihility creeps in. We sense that our successes serve only to mask the deeper pain of an unidentified yearning deep inside. (The quotes and points from Nishitani are from Robert C. Solomon, Introducing Philosophy, 127-9).

Prior to a sense of our own impending death, an awareness of our sin, and a feeling of nihility (or meaninglessness), if people do contemplate things of deeper value, they may ask, “What is the meaning of religion? What purpose does it serve?” These questions betray a self-satisfied attitude about life. Things are going well, our needs our being met, our relationships are basically happy and fulfilling. What else do we need? In such a satisfied state, there is no reason to probe the deeper issues, such as ultimate meaning or fulfillment. If there is any validity to religious claims, if there is a god, there is not much cause to investigate him since whatever he is doing it seems to be working out pretty good for our lives!

But when death, sin or meaninglessness invade our senses, contentment and self-satisfaction can melt away, leaving us struggling. Despair, even panic, can overwhelm us. In such a state our questions change. We no longer ask, “What is the meaning of religion?” or “What purpose does it serve?” Instead, we ask questions like, “What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose? Am I missing something bigger?” The questions are much more personal, penetrating, even painful.

These questions are actually part of a religious quest, a quest to move beyond the physical and material realm to the unseen and spiritual. They invariably lead to other questions, such as, “What is life really about? What am I here for? Is there a God? And if there is, what is he doing?”

This is a painful transition, but it can be a good one. There is a chance we can move beyond counting our possessions and the other popular quests for significance, and probe the issues of deeper spiritual yearning. In the process, we might find God. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, God has “set eternity in the hearts of men.” Could dissatisfaction with our material lot in life be a hint of that eternity? It’s possible. Just another example of God’s mystery and power for today.

Warren Baldwin

Steve Jobs and Starbucks

2012-01-20T05:03:00.001-06:00

Steve Jobs and Starbucks

One of the things that made Steve Jobs successful was his sense of humor. Though he was often hard-driven and even overbearing to his employees, his humorous side was able to show itself at times. The episode below is one such time. Steve was demonstrating some iPhone features during one of his presentations to thousands of Apple stockholders. Hence the following call to Starbucks.

Humor. It is God's gift to you. Enjoy some with your Starbucks coffee today! WB

Homelessness in America

2012-01-18T18:28:00.004-06:00

Homelessness in America

Homelessness is rising in America. For Christians in America, this is both a grim reality but also a promising opportunity to serve.

The facts are harsh. One millions, six hundred thousand American children are homeless. That is a 38% increase over the last three years. These figures were released in December 2011 by the National Center on Family Homelessness. The report is entitled, “America’s Youngest Outcasts 2011.”

The National Center on Family Homelessness was started in 1988, according to Dr. Ellen Bassuk, the president and founder of the organization, to address the emerging problem of family homelessness taking place across America. In 1988, families comprised only 1% of the homeless population. But today, family homelessness accounts for up to 38% of Americans who do not live in a house, but live in a homeless shelter or even on the street.

Dr. Bassuk said that family homeless has been a problem for only a few brief periods over the last 100 years, such as during the Great Depression or severe recessions. But today, it is an epidemic. Part of the problem is Wall Street speculation, otherwise known as greed, and Washington complicity.

Dr. Bassuk continued, “We are seeing more dads who are out there with their kids alone, and more two-parent families. And we’re also seeing more families who are living in shelters and going to work from the shelter. If you have a minium-wage job and work full time, there is nowhere in the country where you can afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair-market value.”

She said the hardest hit by homelessness are the young children. As many as half of the homeless children are under six years of age. “A lot of these children are living in cars and abandoned buildings,” she added.

The hardest hit states are California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois (particularly in Chicago) and Arizona. Los Angels alone has an estimated 335,000 homeless children. Dr. Bassuk said, “We’re an affluent nation, and this is an emerging third world.” (Interview with Dave Gahary, American Free Press, Jan. 23, 2012, p.3. cf. http://www.americanfreepress.net/).

Reading this makes me wish that we had followed Thomas Jefferson’s economic and political advice for the last fifty years. Two hundred years ago he spoke about this sort of abuse, and the consequences to follow, if we became complacent. ("The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a alarge scale." "It [paper currency] is liable to be abused, has been, is, and forever will be abused, in every country where it is permitted.") His warnings, sadly, have proven true.

And Christians in America can’t remain complacent. I mentioned at the beginning that the current homeless crisis in America is a grim reality, but I also suggested that it is a promising opportunity. It is a promising opportunity because it is an avenue for us to show the compassion and love of Christ that is so desperately needed in all sectors of our society and culture.

“Religion (or spirituality) that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” This verse in James 1:27 speaks to both problems addressed in this article. One, the problem of greed and avarice that leaves people financially broken, and families horribly stressed. Two, the problem of people without homes and adequate food. Christians need to distance themselves from the lust for more, and be grateful for what we have. And we need to be moved to reach out and help others.

While there might not be many, or any, homeless in an area where many of us live, that does not absolve us of any responsibility to help. There are church ministries in America’s major cities that we can support even if we don’t live there. Who knows, the homeless ministry we support today may be the very organization that grants us relief tomorrow should the economic crisis strike that close to home. We can’t stop the crisis, but we can alleviate it’s devastating affects if we will be faithful and strike out in confidence in God’s power to work through us.

Warren Baldwin

Our Daughter's Wedding

2012-01-16T23:47:00.005-06:00

Our Daughter’s Wedding

Cheryl and I have been involved in several dozen weddings, but the one I performed on Jan. 7 was a new experience for both of us: it was the first wedding of one of our children. We’ve been to innumerable rehearsals and dinners, but they didn’t really prepare us for when it was for our daughter. “What is my role here,” I wondered numerous times. “Am I the minister performing this wedding, or am I the father?” The answer, of course, was, “Yes.”

From the moment our kids are born we prepare them for this day. All the years spent in our home watching us serve each other, argue, reconcile, worship, take vacations, go to work, pray at the table and a host of other activities frames their concept of what a marriage and family should be. They are in training the moment they enter our family. That’s how God arranged it.

Then the day comes when they want to experience for themselves what they did in the homes of their parents. And we pray that what they experienced will have them prepared for that Big Day and the many days to follow.

It takes some major mental overhauling for us parents to accept that our kids are now adults, and even more to accept (at least for our daughters) that they are now Mrs., with someone else’s last name. It’s a transition, but a good transition, one that keeps the cycle of life progressing ever forward. Family-building is the greatest testament to our trust in God’s sovereignty.

Cheryl and I look at these pictures today.

But, there are still some other pictures that stand out in my memory, like this one.

To Matt and Jenny: we wish you a lifetime of happiness and companionship. And God bless your union!

Warren Baldwin

Some Wedding Pics

2012-01-10T22:15:00.006-06:00

Some Wedding Pics

Congratulations to Matt Tipton and our daughter, Jenny, on their wedding Jan. 7, 2012.

Below: Jenny, her sister, and her aunt, my sister. She is letting Jenny wear a ring belonging to her grandmother (now deceased). My sister, Carol, made the groom's cake which is in the picture below this one. You can probably tell that he is from Arkansas!

I only have a few pics to post right now.

Warren

Wedding Bells

2012-01-05T00:33:00.002-06:00

Wedding Bells

“But for Adam there was not a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” Genesis 2:20-25

I have presided over dozens and dozens of weddings. I’m not even sure how many. I’ve been preaching for 30 years this month, and if I’ve averaged about 3 a year, that would make 90 weddings. That’s probably fairly close, maybe a few less.

But there is something unique about a wedding I will be conducting on Saturday: it will be one of my own kids.

This Saturday Jenny and Matt Tipton will be getting married at 2 p.m. I will have the privilege of walking her down the aisle. Wes, my son and Jenny’s brother, will receive us and ask the question, “Who gives this woman in marriage?” After I say, “Her mother and I,” I’ll take Wes’ place and he’ll stand beside the groomsmen. Jenny’s sister Kristin will be the maid of honor. Cheryl will have the seat of honor as the mother of the bride.

This is new to all of us. A transition.

And it is a good transition. From the beginning of time God planned for a man and woman to complete each other’s lives. It is a testament to the wisdom of God’s plan when a young couple finds each other, makes the commitment, and takes the walk of life together.

People ask me if it is hard. I really don’t know. Sometimes it is, especially when I am in a reflective mood and thinking about when she was two years old and the Florida humidity made her hair curly. Or when she was seven and gave me a serious look and said, “Dad, we need to talk.” So we sat on the front porch, with me wondering what serious issue was plaguing this young girl’s heart and with her asking about something as serious as if we would be able to give all the kittens away. That conversation led to a number of other, “Dad, we need to talk” conversations. Yes, in those reflective moments, when I want to reverse the flow of time, it is difficult.

But at other times, when I’m thinking about God’s purpose for our lives, and his provision for us to find a life partner and enjoy intimate companionship, it’s not so hard. The fact that she has brought home a fine young man with strong Christian character makes it a whole lot easier. We know she is going to be honored and cared for in her new home. That’s what we raised her for.

So let the wedding bells ring. I’m sure Cheryl and I will have some moments that will be a bit tough emotionally, but that is part of the experience. We pray for God’s hand in Matt and Jenny’s life, and that he blesses them with his presence in their lives.

Warren Baldwin

Review of Steve Jobs

2012-01-02T16:40:00.010-06:00

Review of Steve Jobs
by Walter Isaacson

I never caught the Apple craze because I went the PC route. PCs were more affordable and more people seemed to be using them when I entered the computer field in 1983. But, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a number of people trying to convert me to Apple, including my dad.

Steve Jobs was simply a name associated with a computer to me. I read a few stories about him and admired his spunk and drive, but didn’t know much about him. I didn’t follow his products in the computer magazines and didn’t read the articles about his business savvy in the journals. He was really just another name.

I did, however, read about his ouster from Apple and thought it was pretty unfair. I celebrated for him (quite low key, since I wasn’t a close follower of Apple affairs) when he returned years later.

My interest in Steve Jobs reached a new level with a book I happened upon on amazon.com, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo (This is a great book, too, and I'll be reviewing it later). That led me to Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, the book I am reviewing here.

(from www.amazon.com)

I look for three things in a biography. It has to be interesting. What sets this man or woman apart from the crowd? What makes their lives worthy of a 571 page treatment? If those questions don’t get answered in a chapter or two, I’ll close the book and move to another one.

Secondly, I look for something practical that I can apply to my life. What did the subject of the biography do to make them successful, and is there anything I can learn and apply to enhance my family or career?

Thirdly, I appreciate great biographical stories that move my spirit. I like a good laugh at the humorous experiences of their life. But I appreciate biographies that plunge the depths of despair a subject may have experienced, too. Finally, a mark of a great biography is if the stories and details of the person’s life occasionally make me pause, put the book down, and just reflect. What would it have been like to have walked in this guy’s shoes? How would I have responded differently had I been in his/her situation? Good biographies do more than entertain: they stir and motivate the reader.

Isaacson’s Steve Jobs met and exceeded all three criteria for me. Steve is a worthy subject of a lengthy biography! His early journey could have filled him with enough bitterness to choke any life or creativity out of him. But he didn’t allow that to happen. Instead of feeling anger toward the biological father that didn’t want him and the mother that gave him up, he embraced his adoptive father and mother with lasting gratitude. In an amazing show of compassion, Steve even comforted his biographical mother on her decision when he met her years later. (I wrote a post about that, Thanks For Not Aborting Me.)

Steve’s drive is especially noteworthy. Some of us think we work hard. Steve did. In the early days of Apple he and other employees of the company would work days on end. They did the same upon his return to Apple. He was dedicated to excellence, and no amount of energy or effort would be deprived the product or project he was working on. His example motivates me to rethink levels of dedication I expend on projects I am working on.

For the third criteria, there is plenty in this book to move my spirit. I laughed uproariously at several stories, especially his elementary school pranks. My spirit was moved with sadness when he lost his company and especially so when he was repeatedly victimized by cancer. I was also moved to reflect numerous times in accounts of his treatment of employees, and even his own family.

Isaacson showed Steve in all of his complex and multi-faceted nature. Sometimes he was kind and understanding; at other times he was as hard as steel, even to close and loyal friends. My attitude toward Steve moved between admiration, dislike, respect and pity. But, in the end, the one attitude that prevailed above the others is admiration. You have to admire a guy that takes an idea, begins working on it in a garage, and develops it into a billion-dollar enterprise.

Reading Steve Jobs did two other things for me, too. It has made me an Apple consumer. I just purchased my first Apple product, an iPod. I actually bought it from my daughter so she could put that money toward an iPhone. Ironically, my kids discussed buying me an iPod for Christmas but I said, “I don’t want one of those things.” Then, I started reading Steve Jobs, a Christmas gift, and decided I wanted “1,000 songs in my pocket.”

Secondly, it has made me a bigger fan of Walter Isaacon’s writing. I’m also reading his Benjamin Franklin, and it, too, is a compelling read. I’ll read more of his books.

If you have any interest in the life and work of Steve Jobs, you won’t be disappointed in this book that bears his name.

Warren Baldwin

"Thanks for Not Aborting Me"

2011-12-28T21:18:00.006-06:00

“Thanks for Not Aborting Me”

Abdulfattah Jandali cared nothing for the son born to him and his American girl friend, Joanne Schieble. Joanne was left with the decision of what to do with an unplanned pregnancy and an unwanted child.

Marriage at the time was out. Jandali, from Syria, was attending graduate school at the University of Wisconsin. Joanne’s father strongly objected to her dating someone outside of the Christian faith. He further threatened to disown her if she married him. Joanne didn’t heed her parents concerns and now found herself with a child from a man who didn’t share her spiritual convictions, she couldn’t marry, and who didn’t care about the child, anyway. What was she to do?

An abortion was not an option for Joanne. Her Catholic upbringing outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin instilled a strong pro-life ethic in her. But, as a single woman with no immediate prospects for marriage, and with a father who was on his death bed and would not be around to help her, Joanne knew her options were limited. So, she put her child up for adoption.

A World War 2 vet named Paul and his wife Clara were the lucky couple privileged to adopt the new baby, which they named Steve. Paul and Clara did their best to provide their son with the best they had to offer. They were open with Steve about his adoption, and never discouraged him from seeking out his biological parents should ever want to know about them. But, Steve was content with his adopted parents and showed little interest in tracking down the man and woman who conceived him. In fact, he didn’t like having Paul and Clara referred to as his adopted parents; they were his parents, period.

Steve was extremely talented and smart, so much so that his teachers had a hard time keeping him occupied in school. Steve was able to do his work and still have ample time for pranks, like the time he and his buddies posted signs around school announcing the next day as “Bring Your Pets Day.” When dogs started chasing cats around the hallway, school officials did not see much humor in Steve’s prank. Another time he convinced a bunch of classmates to give him the number to the padlocks on their bicycles. He then switched all the locks on the bicycles. At the end of the school day there was pandemonium when many of the kids could not get home.

Steve graduated high school and went to college, but dropped out. He was looking for an outlet to develop his creative side. He found it in electronics. With a couple of friends he started a business that went on to become quite successful. In fact, by the time he was only 25 years old, this college drop out was worth 100 million dollars.

Perhaps it was inevitable, but in time Steve did begin wonder about his birth parents. He tracked his birth mother down but did not initiate contact with her for fear of offending his parents. But, when his mom, Clara, died in 1986, Steve thought the timing might be right. He talked to his dad, Paul, and Paul said he had no problems with it at all.

So, in 1986, thirty-one year old Steve called Joanne who was now living not far from him in California, and said, “Hello, this is your son.” Joanne met with her son and apologized profusely for giving him up for adoption. “I had no choice. I was pressured into it. And I have wondered and worried about you ever since,” she said.

“It’s ok,” Steve assured her. I’ve had a good life. Things have turned out well.” Later Steve said, “I wanted to meet my biological mother mostly to see if she was okay and to thank her, because I’m glad I didn’t end up as an abortion.” And we can all be glad of that, because every baby, whether planned by us or not, is a child of God.

Also because, the young man who visited Joanne that day to thank her for the gift of life happened to be the developer of the Macintosh computer, the iPhone, iPad and iPod. For the Steve that was given up by Jandali and Joanne and was adopted by Paul and Clara was none other than, Steve Jobs. Thank you for the gift of life, indeed, since all life is granted by God’s grace and power. (Information about Steve Jobs in this article is from the book, Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson).

Warren Baldwin

The First Noel

2011-12-23T18:25:00.005-06:00

The First Noel

The first Noel, the angel did say, Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep, On a cold winters night that was so deep.

They looked up and saw a star, Shining in the east, beyond them far;
And to the earth it gave great light, And so it continued both day and night.

And by the light of that same star, Three wise men came from country far;
To seek for a king was their intent, And to follow the star wherever it went.

This star drew nigh to the northwest, O’er Bethlehem it took its rest,
And there it did both stop and stay, Right over the place where Jesus lay.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

The First Noel is a classic in western civilization as a musical tribute to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It was likely composed in the 18th century. It was published in 1823 in Carols Ancient and Modern and was published again in 1833 in Hymns and Carols of God.

Have you ever wondered what “Noel” means? It means birthday and comes from the French word Noël meaning birthday.

This song, like O Come, All Ye Faithful, is rooted in scripture. Some places show evidence of tradition, such as numbering the wise men at three, but in the main this song beautifully portrays details of the savior’s birth.

The first Noel, the first announcement of Jesus’ birth, was to the fringe elements of society. Shepherds occupied one of the lower rungs in Israel’s social ladder. They were out of the mainstream, literally out on their own, keeping sheep on a lonely night. Perhaps it is more than just a little ironic that God announces the most significant birth of all time to those numbered among the most insignificant.

The phrases, “They looked up and saw a star ... And by the light of that same star” connect the Luke and Matthew birth accounts. The shepherds saw the angel and the glory of the Lord shining brightly around them (Luke 2:9) while the Magi, or Wise Men, saw the star (Matt. 2:2).

The Magi followed the star right to Jerusalem where they asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2). These men, foreigners, strangers to the covenant of Israel, are the first to proclaim the awesome status of the new born: the king of the Jews. Jesus is the one in whom prophecies of old will find their fulfillment: King on the Davidic throne, Suffering Servant, Mighty Prince, Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace.

The shepherds came seeking the savior, when Jesus was yet a baby. The Wise Men came seeking the king, when he was still a little boy. Even before his ministry of teaching and healing, God was summoning people to his Son. And those who had eyes to see and ears to hear followed the leading of God. They looked for Jesus.

“Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.” It is through the death of Jesus that sin is conquered, death is striped of its finality, and God secures our salvation. That will come.

But it is in the birth of Jesus that God reveals “the King of Israel.” Matthew 2 and Luke 2 both capture a sense of the wonder and awe of this birth, and the incredible impact it made on people then. Gifted writers like those who composed O Come, All Ye Faithful and The First Noel hope to keep some of that wonder and awe alive in our hearts through the beauty of their songs. Our age could use a fresh infusion of the amazement felt by the shepherds and Wise Men of long ago who saw the angels and star and followed them to Jesus.

Warren Baldwin

The Failure of Divorce

2011-12-18T05:38:00.004-06:00

THE FAILURE OF DIVORCE

Why do people divorce?

There are two explanations for why we do what we do: to run from pain and/or to run to pleasure. Aren’t these our basic motivations and reasons for why we do things? We either want to avoid pain and discomfort or we want to experience happiness and pleasure.

So, why do people divorce? It is because they are attempting to flee from painful circumstances they are living in (their marriage) and/or they are trying to experience pleasure and happiness (which they aren’t experiencing at home). We could list specific reasons why people divorce, but all those reasons would generally fall under the two motivations mentioned above. People who divorce are fleeing from something and/or are running to something (or someone) else.

I got this photo from blogger Joanne Kraft

The expectation of divorce is that when I leave this unhappy, unfulfilling marriage, my next state, either singleness or remarriage, is going to make me happier than I am now. Divorce is seen as the avenue to a better life. But is that expectation true?

Norman Wright, a marriage counselor, says that, “Divorce has failed to deliver on its promises of happiness” (One Marriage Under God, p.107). Divorce may be a way out of a stagnant and disappointing marriage, but it is not a sure-fire entry into happiness and fulfillment either. Instead, the newly divorced person frequently finds out that the divorced life is fraught with so many more problems than they imagined.

Norman Wright identifies some of these disappointing “surprises.” Loneliness is a frequent companion to the divorced person. Even if the ex-spouse was a dud at communicating, at least he was there! There are financial woes. “How do we divide up the bills and debts?” is a fun problem to work with! In law relations become complicated. Special celebrations of family members, such as birthdays, anniversaries and weddings, become a social nightmare. Custody rights become the grounds for fierce battles, with each parent trying to prove they are the best parent. These are just some of the problems that plague the divorced couple. Does this sound like happiness?

Divorce is one of the highest stress-inducing experiences in life. In fact, psychologists and counselors rank divorce higher on the stress scale than losing a spouse to death. When a spouse dies you feel the loss, hurt and loneliness. When you are divorced you often feel the same sense of loss, hurt and loneliness as with a death, but you can throw rejection into the mix as well. A loved one who died has left us but has not rejected us. Rejection is an additional pain we experience with divorce.

Divorce promises much but delivers little. If your marriage is strained and stressed, please seek help. Today. Don’t wait. Begin working on the problems as soon as possible, while they are still relatively small. Don’t give them time to grow. And this article is not meant to minimize whatever problems we are experiencing now and the pain they may be causing (such as addiction, abuse, etc.). But, it is meant to encourage us to rethink divorce as a solution.
Photo compliments of Jenny Ann Photography

God wants our marriages to be happy and fulfilling. More importantly, God wants us to be faithful. He wants us to stick it out for the long haul, even through trials and tribulations. God said, “I hate divorce” (Malachi 2:16). That doesn’t mean God hates the divorced person, but he does hate to see a marriage unravel.

God is present in your marriage. Malachi 2:15 says, “Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his.” Your marriage belongs to God. He has honored the sanctity of your union. It is holy ground. So, care for it with all of the love and devotion you can summon. Over time, he can make your marriage the fulfilling relationship it is meant to be.

Warren Baldwin

A Father, A Son, And A Grizzly

2011-12-13T19:34:00.006-06:00

A Father, A Son, And A Grizzly

Ron Leming Sr. was hunting with his son, Ron Jr., hoping to harvest a big bull elk with his bow. On this day Ron Sr. would get a shot off, but not at an elk. The prize for hitting his target wouldn’t be a freezer full of meat; it would be his son’s life. And the shot wouldn’t be one where he was able to take his time to make sure it was well placed; it would a desperate, rapid-fire operation.

The father and son were hunting in the Shoshone National Forest, a vast expanse of wild, untamed land, not far out of Cody, Wyoming. Ron Jr. was in high hopes that on this day he would be successful in calling in the big bull elk his dad was diligently seeking.

A big bull elk did show himself, but stood about 60 or 70 yards out. Ron wanted it to come in to at least 30 to 40 yards. But, just when Ron Jr. thought his buggling efforts were going to pay off, the big elk jolted and took off into the forest. After more than 30 minutes of work calling him in, Ron Jr. was frustrated.

Ron stood up and turned around. Instantly he realized what scared the elk away. Ron was looking at a grizzly - “a dark-brown, 500-pound avalanche of teeth, claws, and muscle.” It came straight for Ron and reached him in seconds. Ron’s only defense was to shoot him with an arrow, but he didn’t have time. He dodged the bear’s first attack, then took off running downhill.

“Get outta here!” Ron Jr. yelled to his dad. Ron Sr. Looked up to see his son literally running for his life only a few steps ahead of the angry griz. Ron Sr. said there was a split second when he saw his son as a baby again, and his natural paternal instincts to protect his son swept over him. Ron Sr. raised his bow, took aim at the charging grizzly, and let fly with an arrow.

Ron Jr. saw the arrow zip past his leg but was too preoccupied to turn around and see where it struck. Right after he saw the arrow he felt the bear; on top of him. He used his arms to protect his face. “The force of its bite was just tremendous,” Ron Jr. says, “and he was tossing me all around. But there was no pain at all.” At least there wasn’t any during the trauma of the attack.

On one toss by the bear Ron actually landed on his feet and then ran for a tree. But, the bear was on to him again. Meanwhile, Ron Sr. attempted to get another arrow, but when he saw the bear on top of his son, he decided to attack head on. Ron Sr. took his bow and used it like a club to beat the bear on the head. It worked, for the grizzly turned and ran away from them.

But it didn’t run far. After a short distance the bear stumbled and fell. The single arrow Ron Sr. shot severed a blood vessel in the bear’s heart. He stumbled and died, but not until he had done damage to Ron Jr.

The father and son were 15 miles into the wilderness, and they had no cell phone reception. It was a long, six-hour ride out for the injured man and his father. Fortunately, Ron, Jr. was kept only one night in the hospital and was released the next day. The father and son plan to go after that big bull elk again one day, but I’ll bet they’ll never forget when the father intervened on behalf of his son. (http://www.rd.com/family/father-kills-bear-to-save-son/)

(www.bing.com/images)

I can think of one time when a father didn’t intervene to help his son when he was being horribly abused. His body was pummeled, tortured and abused even more than Ron Jr.’s had been during the grizzly attack. But in this other story, the father remained silent. Finally, the son broke out with a cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”

All the protective instincts of a father had to be present in God, just as it was in Ron Lemming, Sr. But, God held back, knowing what it would take to save mankind. That was fortunate for us. But the son trusted the father’s wisdom, and with good cause. Three days later the father said, “Rise up, Son.”

Why would God let his son suffer such abuse? Because of his protective, paternal instinct for us. He doesn’t want to lose any of us to the ravages of the evil one, so he saved us through his son.

Warren Baldwin

Note: I am hosting a two-book give-away on another post. You can link here to leave a comment to sign up for it.

Two-Book Drawing

2011-12-12T00:29:00.009-06:00

Two-Book Drawing

Update: The winner of the two-book drawing is TV's Take. Congratulations! You will receive a copy of You Can Have a Happy Family and Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks.

Author Amanda Beth is having a great give-away on her blog. She has several books included in her promotion, including her book, You Can Have a Happy Family. To enter all you have to do is mention the promotion on one of your social networks.

I have read Amanda's book and will be doing a review of it in the future. For now I can tell you that You Can Have a Happy Family is interesting, practical, and biblically based. Amanda draws from her own family experiences to show how God can work in a marriage and family to produce trust, closeness and happiness. So, link over to here and read more about the details.

Also, while you are here leave a comment and I'll enter you to win a copy of her book here. I'll include a copy of Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks and Other Gems from Proverbs with it (pictured below) as well. The drawing will run until Dec. 20th.

I'm also running a special on Roaring Lions for the rest of December. Order one copy of the book here and received two copies for the price of one. You just pay the shipping for one copy as well. I hope that extra copy will help you with one of your Christmas presents.

So, here are two opportunities to win some reading material for yourself or as a gift for someone this season.

Warren

Marriage and Boomerangs

2011-12-08T18:02:00.011-06:00

Marriage and Boomerangs

Minister and marriage coach Chip Ingram says, “Hurting your spouse is like a boomerang - it hurts them, but it comes back to hurt you, too.”

Photos from Wikipedia

The Mills Brothers, a musical group from years ago, used to sing, “You always hurt, the one you love, the one you shouldn’t hurt at all. You always take the sweetest rose and crush till the petals fall. You always break the kindest heart with a hasty word you can’t recall.”

Why is it that we often reserve verbal slings and arrows for those we love the most and care the most about? Why would we hurt those who care the most for us?

It could be because they have hurt us, and we feel the pain most deeply from those we care about most intensely. It could also be that we feel safe hurting those we love. Though they may grimace from the barbs of our verbal shots, we trust they will recover, forgive, and continue to esteem us.

But we still need to be careful. Chip’s warning is right: if we hurt those closest to us, especially our spouse, the pain we have sown may come back to afflict us as well.
King David was not acting very “kingly,” at least in his wife’s eyes, when he returned to Jerusalem with the ark. He was dancing and leaping with joy before the ark, dressed only in a ephod, an ancient style of undergarment or apron. Dancing with him were many from Israel, including a number of young maidens.

Watching critically from a window was David’s wife, Michal (What is it about David’s household and windows?). 2 Samuel says, “When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart” (v.16).

David had sacrifices offered for the occasion, including burnt offerings for cleansing and fellowship offerings for communal celebration and eating. He gave everyone bread, a cake of dates and one of raisins, and he blessed all the people before sending them home.

Next, he went to his own home to bless his family, but his good intentions were interrupted by a hurt and angry woman who greeted him: his wife Michal. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” (V.20). What was the source of Michal’s bitter spirit? The Bible doesn’t say. Perhaps she was comparing her husband to her father, Saul, who had also been a king of Israel. Maybe she really thought David acted inappropriately. Maybe she was jealous that she wasn’t down there dancing with the crowd and her husband. What ever the source of her hurt and anger, she unleashed it with scathing rebuke and accusation.

For his part, David defended his behavior as worshiping before the Lord, and that if his own wife wouldn’t hold him in honor, other people would.

Then verse 23 ends with a sad note: “And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.” The Bible doesn’t say why she never had children. It may be been because God prevented it, or because at that moment David decided he would never function as a husband to Michal, and he never went to see her. Michal remained in David’s extended household, but she never again functioned as a wife. She was alone. As one writer summarized it, “Michal has no future, no claim on Israel, no prospect for life.” (Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Samuel, 252). Very sad.

Michal threw a boomerang. It struck her husband, but it also came back and struck her. Interestingly, the Mills Brothers song ends with a boomerang-type note: “So if I broke your heart last night, it’s because I love you most of all.” I’d prefer they ended their song with, “So if I broke your heart last night, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Because husbands and wives should honor, rather than hurt, each other. Please forgive me.” It is through forgiveness and breaking the flight of the boomerang that we preserve our relationships and marriages.

Warren Baldwin

Note: I have a two-book give-away going on until Dec. 20. Click here to go enter.

Link to Marriage Mondays.

Pearl Harbor

2011-12-07T05:24:00.000-06:00

Pearl Harbor

Six a.m. 184 fighter planes take off from their carrier for a most unusual mission. They head toward Hawaii.

One hour and two minutes later Army operators identify the planes on the radar. They notify an officer who disregards the report, thinking the planes on the radar screen are American B-17 planes arriving from the American coast.

Thirteen minutes later, at 7:15 a.m., 167 more planes take off from the carriers, also heading toward Hawaii.

Naval officers at Hawaii are not on high alert. Senior commanders who studied the intelligence reports saw no reason to conclude the naval base was in serious danger. So, anti-aircraft guns were left unmanned, with ammunition boxes locked up. Aircraft are tightly parked on the airfields. Officers and crewmen enjoyed a leisurely morning, since it was Sunday.

Then they arrive. At 7:53 a.m. 51 dive bombers, 40 torpedo bombers, 50 high level bombers, and 43 Zero fighters attack the unsuspecting base.

As planned, the attack is a surprise. Airfields, battleships, shipyard facilities are bombarded until 9:45 a.m. Five battleships are sunk and three more are damaged. Three destroyers, three light cruisers, three other vessels and 188 aircraft are destroyed in the attack. The attackers suffer minimal damage.

(Photos from MSN)

The greatest loss, however, was not that of equipment and materiel. The greatest loss was the human life. America lost 68 civilians and 2,335 servicemen in the attack, with another 1,178 wounded. On one ship alone, the USS Arizona, 1,104 men were killed when a 1,760 pound bomb penetrated the ship and caused massive explosions. (http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/pearl.htm).

This event, the attack on Pearl Harbor, took place 70 years ago today. It is a day we have not forgotten, nor should we.

My great uncle, my grandfather’s brother, was there. Uncle George was one of the lucky ones to survive. But he said good-bye to many of his friends that day. Uncle George then spent the next four years avenging their deaths.

There are occasional events that are so big they define a generation. The attack on Pearl Harbor certainly did that for the Americans of the mid-twentieth century. Millions of lives were changed irrevocably by that attack and the series of events that unfolded in the years to follow. America was changed, and, in many respects, we are still grappling with some of those changes two-generations later.

If that were the only major event we had to recognize in December we could become a calloused people, calloused due to the scheming and violent inclinations of certain ones in power. We could also become fearful, fearful of other attacks that could come. Finally, we could also become self-satisfied, self-satisfied that we can handle any problem or evil that comes our way.

But, there is another great event that we recognize in December that takes away any reason to be calloused, fearful, or self-satisfied. “We bring you tidings of great joy! A baby is born - the savior!” ... “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth to men.” (Luke 2:6-14)

Let’s never forget the first story. But let’s always actively remember the second story, allowing it to burn indelibly in our hearts, for that is where we find our hope, and our power for today.

A Thriving Marriage

2011-12-04T16:24:00.005-06:00

A Thriving Marriage

Genesis 2:23 says, “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

God is the author of marriage, and he wants to see every marriage be successful. Successful means more than just that the marriage survives. It means it thrives.

A thriving marriage is one where we love each other, serve one another’s needs, and provide an atmosphere where the husband, wife, and children feel connected to God and each other. What does it take to create such a marriage?

Photo compliment of Jenny Ann Photography

One, commitment. God intended marriage to be for life. He didn’t want an environment where we easily sever the ties to the one we pledge our lives to. God lives in community. He abides in the communities of the church and family. He brings a husband and wife together and is actually a part of the relationship. Jesus said that what God has brought together man should not separate. Understand that God wants this union and every marital union to span the test of time.

Two, love. We often think of love as having a good feeling for something or someone. If we have a good feeling for western movies, we say we love them. If we have a good feeling for football, we say we love it. We judge the value of the item by how it makes us feel. We do the same thing with people. If we have a good feeling for someone we say we love them. What we actually mean is, if that person makes us feel good we love them. But let’s think about love in a different light. One definition of love is “an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person.” That means we are not judging the nature of our love by how that person makes us feel. Sometimes they may not make us feel very good, but we still love them, and we are still committed to them. Love and commitment are very much related.

Another definition says that “love is to nurture one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.” That means we help the person we love become a better person. Instead of criticizing and finding fault, we recognize the good and encourage. Instead of demanding that our spouse does everything we want, we serve their needs. This definition is in line with the biblical witness to love:

Three, a thriving marriage will practice open and honest communication. It is important early in a marriage to express the content of our heart in gentle and caring ways. Sometimes that will mean expressing gratitude, positive emotions, and offering lavish praise upon the one we love. At other times it means we will be honest about hurt, disappointment and even anger that we feel. As much as possible, we will express these feelings with gentleness, knowing that even when we speak the truth in love it can hurt. So we express those concerns with tenderness. Remember that words harshly spoken in a rash moment can burn for many years afterwards. Carelessly spoken workds can cripple great relationships.

Fourthly, a thriving marriage will be generous with forgiveness. None of us are perfect. We are sinners, and we marry sinners. Even though we may be saved in Christ, we are still imperfect and will stumble. We still need grace for our flaws. That also means our spouse is imperfect and in equal need of grace. Jesus said “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). If that applies to people in general, it certainly applies to our spouse in particular. Loving hearts give and receive forgiveness graciously.

Photo Compliments of Jenny Ann Photography

Finally, a successful marriage, one that thrives, is rooted in God and Jesus Christ. In Jesus we find not only commitment, love, service, honest communication and forgiveness, but find our inspiration for these qualities as well. Christ empowers us to develop all of these special qualities in our lives. God is the author of marriage, and he is also the inspiration for our marriage to not just survive, but thrive.

Warren Baldwin

Treasuring Her Heart

2011-11-30T13:33:00.001-06:00

Treasuring Her Heart

“I know how young men are. They want to win your heart but they don’t know how to treasure it.”

Winning is what guys like to do, on the basketball court, on the ball diamond or on the football field. It is the triumph of athletic prowess, determination, and even ego. It sets us apart from the defeated, from the spectators, and from wannabees. At least for the moment, winning makes us men. It doesn’t matter if we are 30, 20 or just 10 years old, if we have ever faced the glare of the competition, and met the threats and challenges with a bold courage that carried us to victory, we know the glory of the winners circle.

That is the idea behind the statement about a boy winning a girl’s heart but not treasuring it. It comes from the movie, Courageous, and is spoken from a father to his fifteen year old daughter.

Photo compliments of Jhen Stark Photography

In the movie an innocent fifteen year old girl is being pursued by a seventeen year old boy. Due to a combination of factors, including he boy’s size, older age, and suave personna, she is mesmerized by him. But one thing stands in the way of the girl entering a relationship with him: her parents. Mom and dad have ruled that she can not see boys until she is seventeen years old.

This edict of the parents is challenged when the boy arrives unannounced at the family home. The girl answers the door and steps out side to visit with her caller. He invites her out for something to eat, an invitation she is dying to accept. But the girl’s father is a bit more conscientious than she wishes he would be, and he steps outside to monitor the situation.

“Get back inside,” he tells her. Then, turning to the young man he asks, “What is your interest in my daughter?” Of course, we all know, but this courageous dad mans up and tells the would-be-suitor, “It’s not going to happen. Not on my watch.” The scene ends with an angry young man mouthing off to the dad as he stomps off. “You should let her make her own decisions!” he yells. This is not a very intelligent way to impress the father of the girl he is interested in.

Later in the movie the dad has taken his daughter out to a nice restaurant. “I want to treat you as the young lady you are,” he tells her. He puts a ring on her finger and tells her she is to wear it until a worthy young man replaces it with a wedding ring. Though there has been tension between the father and daughter because he has not allowed her to start dating at age 15, the girl still has respect for him because he has been a strong male figure in the home. He has stood up to her demands for more freedom and has stood up to the impestuous young man who came knocking at the door. So the dad has built a foundation of trust and respect that sustains the relationship even when it is strained. It is at this point that the dad looks at his daughter and says, ““I know how young men are. They want to win your heart but they don’t know how to treasure it.”

This is not a condemnation of boys. This father also has two sons, so he is not against boys. It is just a recognition that in their youth and immaturity, teenage boys understand winning more than they understand treasuring. The spirit of competition and victory that prevail in the sports arena works wonderfully there, but it doesn’t transfer well to dating relationships. Dating triumphs invariably lead to broken hearts, broken spirits, and sometimes broken bodies. Too many young men simply don’t understand that, either because they haven’t been taught that by their own fathers, or because they are still immature.

Photo Compliments of Jhen Stark Photography

That is where strong dads have to step in, dads like this one in the movie, dads who vow to protect the lives and bodies of the daughters God has entrusted to their care. And hopefully, one day when she is older, a young man who has been trained by his dad in how to love, cherish and honor a girl, will knock on her door. And if he has a godly spirit, respects her moral convictions, and shows interest to last a life time, she might even open her heart to him.

Warren Baldwin

1948 Video on Freedom

2011-11-16T12:55:00.004-06:00

1948 Video on Freedom

The following video was made in 1948 by Harding College. I am teaching an American History course right now and it is amazing how some of the things we study about the philosophy of America's founders come out in this little clip.

As you watch it, remember that it was made in 1948.

The middle class has always been the backbone of this country. The middle class produces the workers that plow the fields, build the houses, stitch the clothing, etc. If we ever lose the middle class (through taxing them out of business, outsourcing their jobs, controlling their production, or subjecting them to state-financed foreign competition), we lost the country to the elitists, the very people whom Thomas Jefferson warned us about.

The issue in America is less about Democrat vs. Republican. It is much more about working man (with freedom and property rights) vs. elitist (the super wealthy and powerful who want to control everything). Isn't that the same issue that plagued Israel during the time of Isaiah, Amos and Hosea?

Warren

2011-11-09T14:17:00.005-06:00

Bear Attack in Home

It’s happened again, another black bear attack. But this one is different from some of the others we’ve heard about this year. This one didn’t happen on a mountain trail. It happened in someone’s living room.

“It was a typical morning Monday at the home of Rich and Angie Moyer in Newport, Pa. Rich was getting ready for work and let the family’s dog Bindy out for a run. But the dog came running in through the back door minutes later, with a black bear in hot pursuit. The bear quickly changed its target from the dog to Rich. “All I saw was a bunch of black hair,” Moyer said.

Angie Moyer heard the commotion downstairs and went to investigate. But the bear went from wrestling with Rich to attacking Angie. “(The bear) knocked me down,” she said. “I was down on the ground wrestling with it in front of the door.” The bear then dragged Angie outside onto the patio. “(Then) my husband, my hero, came and jumped and knocked the bear off of me,” she said. And that’s when Rich — a formidable 6-foot-6 inches and 300 pounds — suffered a brutal mauling at the paws of the attacking bruin. “I kept my head down the whole time, so the bear wouldn’t rip my face up,” he said. “It literally ripped the back of my head instead… (I was) feeling the hair pull. I thought it was the end.

But the bear ceased its attack, leaving Rich Moyer alive but severely worse for wear. It took 37 sutures to close the wound on the back of his head, and he was treated for numerous scratches and 20 puncture wounds from the bear’s bites. Angie likewise didn’t emerge unscathed; the bear took out a chunk of her buttock and she also suffered other bites on her body. “Part of me thinks we saved each other ... Rich. “If you love each other, you are just going to jump in.”

“A lot of times men aren’t as caring, especially over the years. I think that is going to change.”Angie said. “He’s more my hero than I’m his.” She added that she is looking at her husband in a whole new way. “I have to admit I take him for granted sometimes,” she said. “I have to change a little bit in light of this. It made me see the light, too.”

The couple is still faced with some heavy fallout from the bear invasion. Rich and Angie racked up high medical bills from their injuries. And get a load of this — homeowners’ insurance doesn’t cover bear attacks inside the house. This to me is one of the most interesting aspects of this whole story. Can you imagine that when some insurance guys were figuring out the policy they would offer the public someone said, “Ok, we will cover bear attacks, but not if they occur inside the house.” That is amazing. Like, how many of them actually happen? “Sorry folks, if the bear attacks you in your yard, you are covered. But if it happens inside the house, too bad.

The Moyers have new fears for their 10-year-old son Josh, who surprisingly slept through the attack upstairs in the home. Mom told her son he was never going outside again. I’m sure that will change.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44783872/ns/today-today_people/t/couple-attacked-bear-home-we-saved-each-other?gt1=43001#

I’ve done a couple of bear attack stories this year. There has been many of them, and, since I’m interested in bears and big cats, I gravitate to stories about them.

There are three things we can learn from this story of the bear attack in the home of Rich and Angie Moyer. One, if you live in Pennsylvania, buy a bear tag this hunting season. I would.

Two, God can work through any circumstance to produce good. Rom.8:28 says that. As horrible as the bear attack was, it has brought Rich and Angie closer together.

Three, if your marriage needs rejuvenation, you have another option to spruce it up. You can go to a counselor or marriage retreat. Or, just rent a cabin in Pennsylvania ... and leave the front door open. Some black bear may visit and bring you much closer together!

Warren Baldwin

Guest Marriage Post: Joanne Kraft

2011-11-06T13:55:00.011-06:00

Are You a Burden or a Blessing?

The ref blew the final whistle and parents on our sideline cheered our victory—Paul and I cheered for a much different reason. The last day of soccer season is a joyous day for my husband and I, and that Saturday was no exception.

But, before we could get too excited, there was still the team party to attend. I’d printed off a coupon that would give us two large pizza’s for $20.00.

Unfortunately, when my husband made his way through the long line of families at the pizza parlor, he was told by the gal at the register, “You’re total is $38.00.”

“What?” Paul was taken aback, and I was beckoned with a head nod and a fast wave of his hand.

“I thought you said this was going to be only $20.00?”

“Oh no. I left the coupon in the car,” I told him, already trying to head toward the parking lot.

“Don’t bother getting it. Do you see how long this line is? I am not about to make all of these people wait for us,” He replied angrily.

It didn’t help matters when five hours later we were at the grocery store where I’d thought we were eligible for a free turkey. When the clerk charged us for the turkey and explained how I’d confused the deal they were having, my husband was fit to be tied.

As you can imagine, I was not having a very good day and neither was he. When we discussed the incidents later, I apologized and he shared, “I’m having a hard time seeing where you helped me today. You are making mistakes that create a financial burden for me. I know you didn’t do anything intentionally, but these kinds of things are happening a lot.”

He was right. Lately I wasn’t focused on ways I could help him. Sure, I kept the house picked up and made his lunch from time to time, but how was I intentionally trying to make his life easier?

The truth was, I wasn’t.

And the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make a companion who will help him."
Genesis 2:18 NLT

God’s Word tells me I was created to be not only Paul's friend, but that I was designed to be a help to him as well. When Paul shared how I had created a burden for him, I felt terrible. And, I admit…there were a few tears. He is my best friend. I want his life to be easier when I’m a part of it, not more difficult.

It got me to thinking, how can I be a help to him? As his wife, I shouldn't be his burden-maker, I should be a bearer of his blessings.

I thought I’d share a few ways I’ve learned to be a blessing instead of a burden to the man God intentionally created me for.

· Follow-Thru. I have quite a few to-do's on my housework list. Many of which I've shared with my husband; organize our closet, clean out our pantry, clean the bonus room, go through the kids old clothes. It's time I became a woman of my word and began to tackle a few of those tasks. After all, he was thrilled when I organized our silverware drawer. I'm sure he'd be elated to discover his socks all in one place again.

· Focus. Quite often I give my husband only one ear when he's talking to me. It's frustrating for him to share a story when I ask him to repeat himself over and over again. Focusing on what I'm doing also helps me to remember coupons in the car and read the fine print about turkey sales at the grocery store.

· Find. Find ways to help. Now, each morning I try to ask, "What can I do to help you today?" You'll be amazed to discover how your husband appreciates being asked this question.

· Fill. My words can be life-giving when I fill my mouth with inspiration and encouragement. There is nothing more taxing on a man than a woman who nitpicks and complains. I need to fill my husband’s ears with those life-giving words.

· Fun. When Paul wants to relax and have fun—I want to be who he thinks of first. For fun I take him out for a coffee date, walk up and surprise him with a kiss and a cuddle, or leave a sticky-note somewhere on his office desk at home. I’ve even surprised him with ice cream and a movie in bed.

So many families today are struggling to keep their financial heads above the rising economical tide. It is no surprise that it's one of the biggest stressors in a marriage. Whether your husband is sensitive to finances in your home, a new job situation, or is just over-worked and stretched to his limit, you are his helper, the one God created to stand shoulder to shoulder and carry the load together.

How about you? Is there a way you can bless your spouse today?

Joanne Kraft

Joanne is passionate about encouraging women, especially moms; encouraging them through her gift of transparency and humor. Her nonfiction book, The Radical Sabbatical – How to Journey From Busy to Blessing, Beacon Hill Press, came out in June 2011. Joanne has been published by In Touch, Today's Christian Woman, ParentLife, Kyria, and P31 Woman magazines. She has four children and is married to an amazing man who shares her love of coffee shops and bookstores. You can find her hiding from her kids and housework over at her blogs Blessed and Grace and Truth Living.

Click here to order Joanne's book on Amazon.com.

As The Deer

2011-11-02T05:00:00.004-05:00

As The Deer

“As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after you, you alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you. You alone are my strength, my shield, to you alone may my spirit yield. You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you.”

This is the first stanza and chorus of one of my favorite songs. It is called As The Deer, and the first stanza is based on Psalm 42:1&2. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God, when can I go and meet with God?”

Panting is not attractive, but it’s not meant to be. Panting is a body’s desperate cry for water to quench thirst. Left unquenched, the deer, or a human, could die.

Photo Compliments of Oz Girl's Photo Shop

We don’t know what emotional or physical assault beats against the life of the writer of this Psalm. He even asks in v. 5, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

He also says he is oppressed by an enemy, and he feels forgotten. “I say to God my Rock, Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me.” (V.9-10)

The writer may have been under attack from enemies to his kingdom, from his own family, or even from himself. Many times it is our own decisions that cause our greatest stress and problems. The Psalmist may simply be overwhelmed by a string of relationship strains and bad decisions that have left him feeling depressed and worthless.

The song based on this passage captures the spirit so well. It is beautiful when sung and resonates with the human spirit. Even though the psalmist is suffering in his spirit, and maybe even in his body, he remembers his relationship with God, and based upon that relationship he appeals to him for help. The following verses of the song build upon that relationship.

I was hunting with a friend in Jackson Hole, WY when we saw a mist moving along the edge of a forest. It looked like some kind of a ghost. “What is that?” I asked my friend. “It’s elk,” he said.” I had never seen elk that looked like that.

This was a relatively small area of several hundred acres. It was opening day, and an army of hunters had the elk blocked in. They were running from one end of the wooded area to another. In short order they were overheated, gasping for air, and panting for water. The air was cold and their bodies hot; that is what produced the steam. So thick was the steam that I could not identify the elk in the great mist; I could only watch the cloud move along the forested area. It was amazing.

Photo Compliments of Oz Girl's Photo Shop

That is the story I think of when I read Psalm 42:1 or sing the song based on this verse. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you.” Like the deer or the elk in my hunting story, we sometimes pant desperately for relief from pain, sorrow, loneliness, guilt, and shame. Panting is not attractive. It the soul’s desperate cry for living water to quench spiritual thirst. Left unquenched, the soul could die. Fortunately, the Psalmist knows where that refreshment may be found - in God.

Fittingly, the next verse of the song reads, “You’re my friend and you are my brother, even though you are a king.” The king of the universe does not sit on a distant throne unmoved by human travail. No, while he does occupy a lofty position, he also moves freely about, ready to provide the water we cry for.

Warren Baldwin

God's Amazing Creatures: Cat and Owl Video

2011-10-31T21:51:00.002-05:00

God's Amazing Creatures: Cat and Owl Video

It would be interesting to know the story behind how these two became such good friends. Notice the trust and safe playfulness between them.

This makes me think of Isaiah 11:6: "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat." Unlikely creatures, natural enemies, will be friends in the great redemption. Even among people.

I'm ready for that Great Day.

Warren

Love (Eros) as Attachment #2

2011-10-31T05:32:00.000-05:00

Love (Eros) as Attachment #2

Three things make it difficult for churches today to practice the kind of love that binds us together as Peter hoped the Christians in his day would be. One, many of us have an institutional rather than relational view of the church. Though we understand the church to be the people that Jesus died for and we are to love with deep sincerity; in actual practice the church is an institution that follows proper protocol and to which we may become members if we practice that protocol as the church teaches it.

Love, eros, is not as easily tested and defined as the practice or protocol because it cannot be determined by a structure or pattern. Love as attachment or commitment to another responds as the needs dictate in specific contexts. A moral failure in one context may require a soft and sympathetic response (as perhaps to a new Christian sincerely struggling to overcome years of abuse and self-denegrating living) while in another context it may require severe reprimand and even discipline (as with a person in authority using his/her position to exploit vulnerable subordinates).

Secondly, our individualism makes it difficult for a Christian in America to enter so completely into union with another. We want to handle problems ourselves. The concept of autonomy is often implied to exclude reciprocal responsibility, an interconnectedness. If we are in a problem-solving or need-serving relationship, we want to be the ones solving the problems or serving needs; we do not want to be on the receiving end of these functions. Our individualism sets us over-and-against our own brethren, making the union described by 1 Peter an elusive goal.

Thirdly, we are not persecuted for our faith today. At least, I am not in my context. There are social pressures against churches and Christians today, but we are not concerned about the government knocking our doors down at 2 a.m. and hauling our family to prison. We don’t think we need the deep attachment to another believer; we can function fine without it, and our faith will prevail. In reality we function in isolation from one another, alienated from those who share both a like faith and a like need.

Even if the third point is true, we miss a very important purpose for the church to function in a Trinitarian-type manner, practicing agape and eros (attachment) with each other: in our healthy attachment to each other, we reflect the Trinity to the community, living good lives that bless and enhance their existence, and leading them to glorify God.

Have you ever experienced love-as-attachment, either sharing it with another or receiving it from someone? How has it impacted your life?

Warren Baldwin

Seven-Book Give-Away

2011-10-30T15:24:00.014-05:00

Seven-Book Give-Away

To celebrate a year of blogging Author Amanda Beth is sponsoring the give-away of seven books on her Family Blog.

Click on the links below to enter each giveaway. Just comment on the blog of the book/books you want to enter to win.

Click here to go to Monday's giveaway : TWO for ONE winner – My book “You Can Have a Happy Family,” and Warren Baldwin’s book “Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and Other Gems from Proverbs”

Click here to go to Tuesday 's giveaway: Chuck Balsamo’s book “Make Me A Legend”

Click here to go to Wednesday's giveaway: Penny Zeller’s book “Hailee”

Click here to go to Thursday's giveaway: Dr. Gary & Norma Smalley’s book “4 Days to a Forever Marriage”
Click here to go to Friday's giveaway: Deborah Bateman’s book “The Book of Ruth – A Story of Love and Redemption”

Click here to go to Saturday's giveaway: Dave Moore's book “The Father's Love”

All of the drawings will be tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 31, so there is still time to enter for any of the books you would like if you do so by early tomorrow morning.

Hope some of you get to enter and win!

Warren

Love (Eros) as Attachment

2011-10-29T00:27:00.003-05:00

Love (Eros) as Attachment #1

There is a general understanding among Christians that the different Greek words for love address different facets or dimensions of love, and they should not be confused or misapplied. Agape love is understood to be a selfless, giving type of love, such as manifested by Jesus on the cross toward sinners. It is to invest one’s self in the wellbeing of another. The lowest expression of love is eros, which, according to the common understanding, is really not love, but the selfish use of another for one’s own wellbeing or satisfaction. Eros, or erotic, would include sexual activity for one’s own benefit or pleasure, and not for relationship building. In this understanding, agape is the love used for the ultimate relationship building, as between a husband and wife, and sexual expression in this relationship is for mutual enjoyment and benefit.

Nicholas Wolterstorff credits this understanding of agape and eros to a publication by Anders Nygren in the 1930s entitled, Agape and Eros. He also disagrees with him. Wolterstorff says, “eros is love as attachment.” * Working from this definition, he argues that the contrast between agape and eros is not between love as serving another or love as serving one’s self, but between love as serving another and love as attachment. This attachment he describes as “an intrinsic good, as are the experiences that ensue from the attachment: delight in the presence of the person or thing loved, and so forth ... Love as attachment to the other and love as investment in the wellbeing of the other often come together, inextricably intertwined.” (Pp.185-6)

Wolterstorff discusses the implication of these two terms when applied to the Trinity. Can the love between the members of the Trinity be understood as investing in each other’s wellbeing (agape) or as promoting their own benefit or wellbeing (one understanding of eros)? He says, “no.” But, the relationship of the members of the Trinity toward each other can be understood by the other definition of eros, attachment: “delight in being in the presence of the other.” (p.187)

Integral to this love relationship is primary justice, the fair and proper treatment of others. God’s concern for primary justice between people is reflective of the relationship that exists among the members of the Trinity. “When we treat each other justly, we neither merely obey God’s injunction to act justly nor merely imitate God’s doing of justice within creation. We mirror the inner life of the Trinity.” (p.187)

Though words other than eros are used in the New Testament for our love for one another, this idea of attachment can be detected in a number of passages. The Christians addressed by Peter were facing persecution. Though the persecution may have been relatively mild at the time the epistles were written, it was significant enough to shake the foundations of their faith. Peter writes to encourage them in the Christian walk, assuring them that their new birth was “not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” With this assurance that their lives are now imperishable and eternal (as are the members of the Trinity), the believers are now to live in a way that reflects this Trinitarian nature: they are to love one another sincerely and deeply (1 Peter 1:22-23).

This love can be investing in the lives of each other. But more, it means that the members are to be attached to one another. In their attachment to each another they will find mutual strength to resist the threats to their faith and remain strong. Peter develops this sense of community when he describes the nature of their relationship to each other as being a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belong to God (2:9). In their attachment to each other, they can not only resist the temptations that come at them from the world, they will be able to reflect the love and justice of God to the world (2:11,12).

How has the presence of other believers given you hope or strengthened your spiritual life?

* Nicholas Wolterstorff, God’s Life in Trinity, Miroslav Volf and Michael Welker, eds (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006), 185.

Warren Baldwin

(Part 2 in a few days)

Gianna's Story of Survival

2011-10-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

Gianna's Story of Survival

I like how Gianna paid such tribute to God and Jesus in her testimony. She surely rejoices in her life and her salvation!

I was also struck by some of her comments at the end, particularly this:

"Ladies and gentlemen, you have an opportunity ... Men, you are made for greatness. You are made to stand up and be men. You are made to defend women and children, not stand by and turn your head when you know murder is occurring and do nothing about it. You are not made to use women and leave us alone. You are made to be kind and great and gracious and strong and stand for something. Because men, listen to me, I am too tired to do your job.

Women, you are not made for abuse. You are not made to sit and not know your worth and your value. You are made to be fought for, forever." Gianna Jessen

These two paragraphs alone are enough to chew on for quite a while.

Thanks, Gianna, for your testimony and your challenge.

Warren Baldwin
Note: I got this video from Amy's blog, Everyday Blessings.

Guest Marriage Post: Jen Voight

2011-10-23T05:01:00.003-05:00

The Secret of Surrender: Loving Like Jesus Does

All marriages experience conflict. When we join together in marriage, we bring both our good qualities and our emotional baggage. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a strong marriage or a floundering one, a marriage will always experience some amount of conflict because both spouses are human. As human beings, we are prone to selfishness and demanding our own way.

Why is conflict the kiss of death for some marriages, while other marriages weather conflict and come out stronger in the end?

At the heart of any conflict is fear. It may be fear of losing control, fear of insecurity or instability, or fear of losing face. Once we begin a conflict, every ounce of our being may try to win at all costs. Our nastiest qualities can come to the surface as we fight to maintain whatever it is that we fear losing the most. To make matters worse, we all have “hot buttons” of insecurity that can trigger overreactions to matters that may appear trivial to others.

Occasionally, marriages will face issues that are very large. The well-being of the children may possibly be at stake, or a move across the country can require one partner to give up a satisfying career. How do couples resolve these types of conflicts?

Surrender.

It may not be popular, but it is effective. Also known as submission, surrender can be a very effective tool at solving conflict. When we are willing to step out in faith and bend in the breeze like trees in a storm, God can bless our obedience to Him. After all, God tells us in Ephesians 5:21 to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Personally, this has been one of the most effective tools I know for resolving conflict in my marriage. I could even say that surrendering on both small and large issues has transformed my marriage.

The best example of this in my own marriage is when we were living in a family-oriented neighborhood with excellent schools and a wonderful church nearby. My husband only had to drive twelve minutes to work. We had a beautiful home that I had finally decorated and landscaped exactly the way I wanted it.

When my husband informed me he felt we should sell our house and move an hour away to a new community where his brother was senior pastor of a church, I was hesitant about leaving my happy life for a town with schools that had a less than stellar reputation, high unemployment, and fewer amenities than we were accustomed. Although the lower cost of living was attractive, I knew that moving there would mean my husband would have to commute 55 minutes each way to work each day. To offset the price of gas we would be paying each month, we had to buy a smaller, less expensive home.

I prayed about it, but God was silent. It was clear that God was speaking to my husband, and not me.

Submitting on this issue was one of the most difficult times of my life; it was also one of the most rewarding. Whether or not my husband made the right decision was irrelevant. I still feel God rewarded my willingness to bend in the breeze.

After all, Christ willingly chose to submit to His father’s will and gave up His power during His time on earth. It’s not that He lacked power or authority, He simply chose not to use it in order to serve a much greater purpose.

While I don’t think we need to give up at every sign of conflict, surrender can be an effective tool when prayer doesn’t yield an answer or when an issue is at a point where there seems to be no other resolution. Surrender gives us rest and peace. When we surrender our rights, we put our full trust in God for the results. Even better, we know that even if the situation may not work out exactly as planned, God can make good come out of a bad situation and even bless us from another direction.

Jen Voight

Jen Voight has been married for nearly 20 years to Eric. They have three boys. She is Director of Adult Ed at Lancaster United Brethren Church in Lancaster, Ohio, and is a writer and decorative artist.

You can follow Jen's writing at her blog, Spejory.

Note: Jen's great article continues the guest post series I have been running this year on the subject of marriage. I posted consistently until my daughter's illness in April, and since then it has been a bit spasmodic. But, I still have some good articles I want to share that author's submitted, and this is one of them.

Thank you to Jen for sharing these insights into her family's experiences, and for encouraging us all to take a more biblical and spiritual approach to our marriages. WB

Isaiah's Call

2011-10-21T05:05:00.002-05:00

Isaiah's Call

Isaiah saw some amazing things when God called him to preach, such as heavenly creatures flying above the throne singing, "holy, holy, holy." If we compare our call to Isaiah's, we might be disapponted that ours did not come with such drama. We might even wonder if this story has anything to do with our lives.

But the significant part of the call for us may not be what Isaiah saw, but how he responded. And we can share in that part of the drama with Isaiah. That story is told in the video below.

Thanks for listening,

Warren

(Note: this is my first MP3 conversion to a "movie." I'd appreciate any feedback on what you think about it. Thanks, wb)

Did We Really "Just Happen"?

2011-10-18T21:20:00.001-05:00

Did We Really "Just Happen"?

You are walking in the country far from the "noise" of civilization. There are no cars, no telephone poles, no houses ... nothing to indicate that any human being is around you, nothing to indicate that a human has even been here for some time.

As you are walking along a reflection from something on the ground strikes your eye. You wonder what that could be out here in the country so you bend down and see a watch lying there. Mmmm, you wonder, how in the world did this get here? You have two options. One, sometime in history, many years ago, maybe even millions of years ago, a bunch of dust somehow settled in this very spot. Then some pollen settled on it. Then some more dust. Then a light drizzle of rain. And then it happened, during a storm lightening struck this very spot and "Poof!", here was the watch. Somehow, the right particles collected on this spot, the temperature was just right, the moisture content was just right, and then lightening struck just right, and a watch was produced.

You would conclude that, wouldn’t you?

But, of course, there is another option. You turn the watch over and read the back. There you see, "Made in China." The watch even provides the name of the watchmaker. So now you conclude, someone, somewhere, made this watch. A designer meticulously and deliberately measured the amounts of metals to be used, made forms to pour the metals into, gauged the temperature, and in other ways supervised the whole operation. And after a carefully crafted process, a watch was produced. Later, that watch was shipped to the U.S. where a person bought it, wore it, and lost it when they were walking out here in the country.

Here are two possible explanations for how that watch got out here, way out here, in the middle of the country. Which one makes more sense to you?

Here is another scenario. You wake up early one morning, look outside, and see a BEAUTIFUL sunrise. It takes your breath away! The beautiful bright colors streaming across the sky. The vividness and contrast of the colors. It is amazing. And you wonder, how could that beauty get there in the sky? Again, you have two options. Somehow, somewhere, millions of years ago, maybe tens of millions of years ago, lightening struck some dust in the sky ... anyway ... you now how that one concludes. Your other option is, just like there is a grand designer for the watch, is it at least possible there is another grand designer who planned that sunrise?

One more scenario. Your wife says, "Honey, its time, lets go!" Nervously you grab your bags and head for the car. The hospital is 30 minutes away, and you fret and worry the whole time. But everything goes well, and four hours later the doctor places your baby son or your baby daughter in your arms and says, "Congratulations, dad." "Unbelievable!" you whisper to your wife, your baby, and yourself. "I can see your chin and your eyebrows on her. I can see my nose and forehead. Can you believe how beautiful she is!"

And two possible explanations for how this beautiful baby got into your arms come into your head. One time, many years ago, even tens of millions of years ago, a collection of dust, pollen and moisture were struck by lightening ... But something doesn’t seem right about that explanation. If a watch requires a watchmaker, a designer, does your baby require any less? Is he or she really nothing more than a chance of nature,

a freak occurrence of eons of time? Is the ape or gorilla really the ancestor of your child? Do you put pictures of monkeys in your family album?

As you look at that beautiful baby boy or girl another possible explanation cries for recognition: God said, "Let us make man and woman in our image."

Warren Baldwin

Eight Reasons Why People Splurge

2011-10-06T17:32:00.002-05:00

Eight Reasons Why People Splurge

It’s that time of year again ... fall, and soon to follow, Christmas. Money is tight, and shopping for the holidays can be a real challenge for people. How can we be more financially responsible when we hit the stores this year? MSN Money News recently had an article about eight reasons people splurge their shopping decisions. Here they are:

One, shopping while hungry. Something kicks off in your brain and says, “Buy that, buy that!” The solution is to have several Big Macs, bags of chips and chocolate shakes in your vehicle when you shop, so when you are feeling hungry you can run out to the car and chow down, and not buy as much in the store. No wait, that part wasn’t it in the article, that’s just what I do. But it probably is a good idea to have some healthy snack in the car. And watch out for stores that have cinnamon and vanilla smells. They trigger the hunger urges.

Two, shopping with a partner, such as a friend or spouse. Now, a partner that is fiscally responsible can be good, because they’ll tell you, “No, no, no, no. You don’t need that stuff.” But, a partner that is a buyer, ah, beware. They can induce you to spend more.

Number three, lack of religion or faith. Gavan Fitzsimons, professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University, says religious people are less likely to make purchases as a means of expressing their identity. Thus, they can be content with generic versions rather than name brand items.

Your mood is number four. A study entitled “Misery is not Miserly” by researchers at Harvard, Standford and other Ivy League schools confirmed what we all know: our emotions have a lot to do with how we spend money. I’ve seen that in my life. When I’m sad and down, I want to buy books or hunting equipment. When I’m happy, I want to buy books or hunting equipment. When I don’t know what to do with my life, I visit a book store or hunting store. It’s true every time. So, if you are feeling down, take a jog or a brisk walk instead of pulling out the Visa.

Five, moving counter-clockwise through the store. Supposedly stores lay their merchandise out to subtly induce us to stay longer, and they use a counter-clockwise direction to do that. Break the habit by first going to the consumer section and returning an item you bought last time, then go straight through the center of the store, turn around and head straight out. You may not get what you want or need, but you will spend less.

Number six is the size of your shopping cart. That’s a given. The bigger the container the more you can put in it, so go smaller.

Number seven kind of stumps me. The article says where your name falls in the alphabet has a lot to do with how much you spend in a store. The theory goes like this: the farther back in the alphabet you are, the last you get picked for things. B, as in the last name Baldwin, comes before T, as in Thompson. So, Baldwin always gets picked for things before Thompson. The theory then says that Thompson gets angry with that all through life, so when he gets older, he compensates for always being last by being the first to buy something new that comes out. And, when things first come out, they cost more. So, Thompson buys the first handheld calculator for 80 bucks, but Baldwin waits and buys one for $8.00. Do you believe that? My dad’s last name is Baldwin, and he bought a handheld calculator for the nifty sum of $80 when they first appeared. That shoots that theory. But then, Warren Buffet - a B - has a handsome sum of money, so maybe the theory is true. The solution: if your name begins with a P or anything after, send a friend to shop for you.

Finally, your genes. Some people are genetically predisposed to spend more money. I want to meet some of those people, because I have some items I want to sell.

In the Bible the Apostle Paul wrote, “Godliness with contentment is great gain ... if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Tim. 6:6-8). There is the greatest inducement to spend our money wisely - thankfulness to God for all he has already given us.

WB

Guest Post: Anthony Warnes

2011-10-02T00:29:00.004-05:00

Children and Marriage

Guest Post by Anthony Warnes

Looking back at the Old Testament, all the way back to the first chapter of the Bible, we see that God had a special purpose for marriage. Of course marriage was put in place by God to give the man a “helper” (Genesis 2:18). Yet we also see that as soon as man and women were created they were commanded to, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth….” Children were a major reason for the creation of both man and women and the institution of marriage.

Further on in the Scriptures, we find that David gives us this statement on the importance of Children, “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them…” Psalm 127:3-5. God obviously believed from the very beginning of creation and through the Bible, that children are a blessing to any marriage.

Any Christian couple would agree in principle with everything that has been written thus far. The problem arises in the participation of these statements. Many will say, “Children are a gift from the Lord!” and will agree that they can be a huge blessing and asset in any marriage. However, if we look at the current state of the church and our nation, do we find that couples truly believe that children are a blessing? Or that children are more of a burden? Unfortunately, it is my observation that the latter would be more accurate.

If you look at the current birthrate in America, you will see that a high estimate is that each couple is having 2.1 children. This very small number is one that would fit not just for the country, but for many in the church as well. Also think about the way we talk about children, “A boy for me, and a girl for you…Praise the Lord we are THROUGH!” This statement and many others that come from the mouths of Christian couples remind me more of a husband and wife that look at their children as burdens, rather than blessings.

When thinking of any other type of blessing, would one want much of the blessing, or just a minimal portion? If you were given a material blessing such as money, would you take it? Most everyone would. In fact, we would allow the Lord to bless us with that blessing as often as He wanted us to. Yet it would appear that with the blessing of children, we come to a number such as “a boy for me, and a girl for you” and we ask God to stop giving us these blessings. Are we missing something?

Maybe it is time for Christian couples to stop looking at children as burdens and start looking at them as blessings. I am not saying that we should all go out and have a family the size of the Duggars, rather that we need to look at them for what they are, blessings from the Lord.

When a Christian couple allows the Lord to bless them with children, that couple may not have the nicest car on the block or eat at the most expensive restaurants, yet they will be able to reap the benefits of enjoying quality time with the children that the Lord gave them and help these children get to heaven. Children are a Blessing from the Lord.

Anthony Warnes

Note: Anthony is a good friend of mine. He is a very talented young minister, great writer, and wonderful family man. His parents are wonderful people who have given their lives to raising a Christian family. Anthony's father, brother, and brother-in-law are all preachers. Anthony, pictured above with his own family, is now dedicating his life Christian ministry and family.

You can follow Anthony's writing at : Morality Check.

Stoop, Young Man

2011-09-30T16:51:00.004-05:00

Stoop, Young Man

He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble. Proverbs 3:34

Benjamin Franklin was visiting the old Puritan preacher, Cotton Mather, in Boston. Cotton took a liking to the young printer even though he could be quite critical of established religion. Both men liked books, so it was natural for them to visit in Mather’s extensive library, a collection of some 3,000 books. That would be a substantial library today; it was quite amazing for 1724.

Benjamin Franklin

Cotton Mather had been the target of a few barbs in the newspaper Franklin worked for, the Courant. Cotton demonstrated his high level of character by informing Benjamin that he held no animosity or resentment for the pointed remarks.

As they were walking out of the library Mather said to Franklin, “Stoop! Stoop!”

Franklin wasn’t sure what Mather meant so he kept on walking. But when he rapped his head on a low beam, he knew.

Cotton Mather

The preacher in Mather couldn’t let the teachable moment pass, so he said to Ben Franklin, “Let this be a caution to you not always to hold your head so high. Stoop young man, stoop - as you go through this world - and you’ll miss many hard thumps.”

The proud hold their head high. In their over-assessment of themselves, they move easily to assessing others, often in a negative light, even taking on a condescending, mocking tone. Their humor and their comments have a denigrating tone to them. Mockers hold themselves above other people, regarding them as not quite as sharp, insightful or humorous.

Sometimes it is hard to tell if the mocker is operating from a feeling of genuine superiority, or if he is compensating for low self-esteem. The bully on the playground who pushes little kids around is not tough; he is more afraid than most of the kids he pushes around. He has just learned how to use his size to advantage by intimidating others. Stand up to the bully one time and he’ll usually back down and leave you alone. The mocker is just a bully with words. He pushes and shoves verbally. Don’t engage him at his game. The best means of derailing the mocker is by staying calm in his presence. Sometimes the mocker can be reached simply by asking him/her, "Why do you do that to others?" If they are carrying around a lot of hurt in their hearts, they may be seeking attention in the only way they know how.

God usually has a way of humbling us when elevate ourselves over others and treat them in a condescending and humiliating manner. God mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.

That is the lesson Cotton Mather was teaching Benjamin Franklin. “Stoop young man, stoop - as you go through this world - and you’ll miss many hard thumps.” In other words, don’t live with the pride of a mocker, be humble.

Years later Ben Franklin told Mather’s son, “This advice, thus beat into my head, has frequently been of use to me, and I often think of it when I see pride mortified and misfortunes brought upon people by carrying their heads too high.”

With all of his accomplishments and achievements on both sides of the Atlantic, Franklin knew the importance of keeping it all in proper perspective. As another proverb says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).

Life is full of low beams. Remember to stoop.

Warren Baldwin

Five Things to Help Someone Who is Hurting

2011-09-28T04:57:00.000-05:00

Five Things to Help Someone Who is Hurting

Our list of prayer requests continues to grow. We have folks with serious illnesses and others grieving the loss of loved ones. It is natural and good for people to turn to the church for prayer and comfort. We are called upon to bear each other’s burdens (Gal. 6:2) and mourn with those who mourn (Rom. 12:15). How can we do that in a way we know is encouraging and uplifting?

1) Be Aware

As Christians, we need the sensitivity that attunes us to the cares and needs of others. Sometimes the self-confident exterior masks a deeply sensitive and hurting heart. Many people will boldly let others know when they need help and prayer. Others are not so open. So, we need to be on alert for those whose cries for help are more muffled, even hidden.

2) Listen

Our minds naturally go to our own situations of pain and suffering when we hear someone else speak of theirs. It is tempting to interject with our story. If we do so we must wait until we have listened and given the other person plenty of opportunity to speak. Then, if we share our experience, it should be with the perspective of showing we understand, can relate, and care. It should never be with the angle of showing that our experience was so much worse than theirs. I’ve actually seen people respond to others sharing painful incidents with, “Oh, that’s nothing. Let me tell you what happened to me.” That doesn’t comfort someone who just heard they have cancer, that their military spouse is being deployed, or a loved one passed away.

3) Ask

“I am so sorry to hear that. How are you doing now?”
“Do you know what you are going to do yet?”
“Is there anything we can do to help?”

There is no set list of questions to ask someone who is hurting, but these are a few examples. If we have been aware others’ hurts and have listened to their story with interest and concern, appropriate questions to ask will come to us. Someone suffering and hurting generally does not need to be asked difficult or penetrating questions. Any “I told you so’s” can usually wait until later. At the moment, they need someone identifying with their situation.

4) Help

There may not be much you can do right then, but asking will help determine that. Then, help in anyway you can. A person in great distress may not even be aware of their needs at the time. So, offer suggestions. Providing transportation, watching children, cleaning the house and doing laundry are a few things that almost anyone can use during a time of illness or crisis. During one of our stays at the hospital I was dreading coming home to a virtual forest in my front yard. But, I came home to someone having mowed the grass, and someone else having fixed the gate to the fence (much to my joy, but chagrin to Fudge and Seminole :).

Janet Smith shared with me that the visits and prayers meant so much to her and Vanessa. “It was the contact from the people,” she said. “That communicated that everyone loved us. When the crisis was going I had people coming over, and that is what I needed, especially after I had to sit with Carl day after day.”

5) Follow up

What often happens after the crisis or period of illness passes? We go back to our normal routines. But, the suffering often continue to suffer, especially after a painful injury or death of a loved one. It is important that we continue to show love and concern, for weeks, months, and sometimes, even years after suffering, especially after a crippling injury or death.

One year after friends of ours lost their eleven year old son someone at church asked them, “Are you still not over him? It’s been a year.” Thirty-six years after losing his son Benjamin Franklin wrote, “To this day I cannot think of (him) without a sigh.” Healing may take a long time, so follow up.

This is not a set of rules; it is a list of suggestions to help us communicate the care to others they need during times of distress.

Warren Baldwin

Anatomy of An Affair

2011-09-25T05:02:00.000-05:00

Anatomy of an Affair

The lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil ... Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house ... Proverbs 5:3 & 8

Affairs occur because husbands and wives grow apart from each other and grow closer to someone else. It is that simple. Their obedience to God, the strength of their love for each other and the moral commitment that sustained the vow wanes, and they fall.

Hollywood frequently portrays affairs as sudden, passionate exchanges between handsome men and beautiful women that reach an intensity their marriages never can. And, sometimes that is true. Emotions often intensify in forbidden pleasures. Every kid knows the stolen cookie tastes sweeter than the one served openly on a platter (cf. Proverbs 9:17). While some affairs may occur suddenly and without warning, I don’t believe that is the norm. In most cases, affairs are the result of a gradual decline in positive affection and behavior towards one’s spouse, and the gradual development of those feelings and actions toward a third party.

Photo compliments of Amy Free Photography

Jerry and Lynn Jones identify six stages of development in the anatomy of an affair. The first is attraction. Attraction is the pull we feel toward the pleasantness of another’s personality or beauty of their appearance. It is the same dynamic we experienced when we were drawn to the sweetness and good looks of our future spouse. Getting married doesn’t suppress the natural inclination we have to recognize such appealing features in other people. It may lie dormant for a while after our marriage while still in the throes of new love, but it can and will surface again. There is nothing inherently wrong with feeling an attraction. But, it becomes wrong, and dangerous, if we pursue it.

The second stage in the sequence of events in the anatomy of an affair is proximity. That is, being close to the person we are attracted to. Sometimes we can’t help it. Our work desk might be close to the handsome guy or beautiful girl. Can we just shove our desk across the office and position it against another wall? What if they live next door or go to church with us? If we are creating opportunities for physical closeness, we have to stop. If we have no control over the situation, such as at work, we must control our hearts and minds.

Interaction is the third step. If we are close to the one we are attracted to, we have opportunity for interact with them. It may be small talk and sharing a cup of coffee, something innocent in the absence of attraction. But, if we are nurturing a secret desire, then our conversation is devious.

Jerry and Lynn say there are three red flags at this stage in the development of an affair. One, are you excited at the prospect of seeing that person today? Two, do you give extra effort to look nice for them? Three, do you create opportunities to see them? Answering yes to anyone of these is a red flag. Answering yes to all three means sirens are going off. Beware!

Fourthly, self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is opening up your heart and sharing deeper, more personal feelings. “My wife and I aren’t talking much now. When I get home she gripes about how long I work, or I don’t make enough money. I just want someone to talk to sometimes.” If the other person responds with warmth and understanding, and even shares personal thoughts, this is the fifth step: equity. Equity means the other person has accepted your disclosure and is now offering her own. “Oh, I understand. My husband has no idea of all the work I do around the house. I wish one time he would just ask me how my day was.”

At the equity level an emotional bond is being formed. One becomes vulnerable, crossing boundary lines of appropriateness. The other perceives the depth of emotions, accepts the tender disclosure, and responds in kind. Attraction, physical closeness and heart-felt bonding are combining to create an emotional firestorm that must be extinguished immediately, if it still can, or it will lead to the sixth and final stage in the anatomy of an affair: adultery.

The man forgets his vows, his wife, his kids. The woman forgets her vows, her husband, her kids. They make arrangements, they meet, they fall. It’s not a sudden fall. It is the final act in a series of events that has progressed for weeks, months, sometimes even years. At any juncture in the process the husband or wife could have followed Solomon’s advice: “Keep to a path far from her/him, do not go near the door of her/his house (or office or motel room).”

God promises that “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). We need to claim that promise when any temptation assails our heart, including the attraction of another person. Remember the warning of the Sage from many years ago, “The lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil ... Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house ...”

(Jerry and Lynn Jones, Marriage Matters Seminars. Available on CDs and DVDs).

Warren Baldwin

Humility: How to Get an 80ft Boat Under a 65ft Bridge

2011-09-23T11:08:00.001-05:00

Humility: How to Get an 80 ft Boat Under a 65 ft Bridge

How to get an 80' rig through the 65' bridges of the Intracoastal Waterway using two tons of water. The balls get swung out with an initial turn to port or starboard. The tendency then is for the roll to continue by itself, but is controlled by letting the bags out slowly with a line made off to each bag and running through necessary tackle to a cockpit winch. (from Youtube)

Humility works for boat and people. Bow your head. Humble your spirit.

I am gentle and humble in heart (Jesus). Matt. 11:29

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled. Matt. 23:12

He (Jesus) humbled himself. Philippians 2:8

Be completely humble and gentle. Eph. 4:2

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. James 4:10.

Warren

Brick in a Washing Machine

2011-09-21T05:26:00.001-05:00

Brick in a Washing Machine

Ok, I admit it, this video has no redeeming value.

But, it is funny.

At least to a guy.

It was sent to me by a deacon in my congregation who thought it was funny, and I thought it was, too, in a crazy kind of way. I can just see this guy wondering, "What would happen if I threw a brick into a washing machine?" And once the question was asked, he had to find out.

All I can say is, enjoy!

And if you are a wife reading this, you don't have to understand your husband. Just love him.

So, what do you think?

Warren

Guest Marriage Post: Erin MacPherson

2011-09-18T05:02:00.012-05:00

Guest Marriage Post: Erin MacPherson
No One Told Us Marriage Was Hard.

So, when my 21-year-old husband and I found ourselves on the road back from our honeymoon and with $3.56 to our names, we weren't concerned. We'd live on love. We had no problem knocking on my parent's door and lugging our honeymoon suitcases back up the stairs into my old bedroom less than two weeks into our married lives. We didn't need money or a house or new clothes. We loved each other fiercely. What else did we need?

It turns out a lot. A year later we were still searching for the right jobs (apparently businesses look for more than youthful ambition when hiring… who knew?) and while we had managed to scrape together rent for an apartment, it was nothing to write home about. I remember pulling up a folding chair to the old card table we were using in our dining room and wondering what I had gotten myself into. I had wanted to do something with my life—to have a career and a family and a loving husband who made me laugh. And there I was barely making rent in a dumpy apartment with no furniture and fighting non-stop with the man that just a year before I had pledged to love for the rest of my life.

I'd like to tell you that at that point we hit rock bottom, found a church, met with a good pastor, got hooked in with a community group and bounced back, falling madly in love again, completely oblivious to our humble surroundings. But that would be too easy and I think I've made it clear that my husband and I rarely do things the easy way. So, instead we sold the few valuables that we owned (read: our seven-year-old Nissan Sentra), bought plane tickets and moved to Costa Rica, figuring that living on the beach and sipping Pina Coladas, we'd have no problem sorting out our problems and getting our lives in order. I'm sure you can imagine how that went.

On September 11th, 2001, we were roaming the beach, fighting as usual when an American working at a beachfront bar ran out to us and pulled us in to watch the news. We watched in horror as the towers fell again and again, feeling lost and alone and totally in shock. Minutes later, a small piece of paper flew up to our feet. On it, it said "English language prayer meeting on the beach. 3:00 pm". God finally had our attention. We went.

There, we met a wonderful pair of American missionaries who had come to Costa Rica to build a childrens' ministry but ended up building so much more. They invited us to move into their house. They fed us. They prayed with us. They coached us. And they showed us that we would never be happy if we chose to look to each other for happiness. Love wasn't enough. Money wasn't enough. Success wasn't enough. God is the only One who can bring happiness and hope. We had gotten it all wrong.

We flew home a month later and (again) knocked on my parent's door and lugged our suitcases up the stairs to my old bedroom. We were broke and lonely and disillusioned, but this time, we had the tools to get it right. We got involved in a church. We spoke with the pastor. We met some other young couples and started a Bible study. We even went back to school.

It's been almost ten years since we hit rock bottom—and we're still married and we are (at least a little) wiser than we were back then. We've added two (almost three) kids, a Golden Retriever, a house and even a real dining room table to the mix—that like I pointed out, those things do little to guarantee a successful marriage. But we've also added God into the mix—and we now know the secret that eluded us all those years ago: Marriage is hard. But God loves marriage and without him, there is no chance of success. But with him, that's a different story.

Erin MacPherson

Erin blogs at Christian Mama's Guide. She is also the author of The Christian Mama's Guide, pictured at the right. You can read a review of her book Holly wrote on my blog several months ago.

Riding Donkeys and Criticism

2011-09-16T08:45:00.004-05:00

Riding Donkeys and Criticism

A father and son were on a journey. As a show of respect the son walked while the father rode on a donkey. Along the way they met a man who thought it totally inappropriate of a healthy man to force his son to walk as he rode. “Don’t you think any more of your son than that?” the stranger asked.

The father and son thought about it for a bit and decided the stranger just might be right. So the father got off the donkey and allowed the son to ride. They were both doing just fine with the arrangement when they met another stranger along the road. “Young man, what are you thinking of?” the stranger demanded to know. “Here you are a strapping young man riding upon the beast, and your poor, aged father must walk. Is that any way to show respect?”

Again the father and son mulled the situation over and allowed their critic to influence their thinking and behavior. The only way to please everyone, they decided, was for both of them to ride. So they did, and for awhile enjoyed each other’s company and pleasant conversation. They felt comfortable when a third stranger approached. But this traveler had a whole different perspective from the first two. “How can you guys place such a burden upon this poor animal? Your combined weight is too much for the animal. Besides, you both look healthy. Why not walk and give the beast a rest?”

So the father and son both walked and led the donkey. “Surely no one can criticize us now,” they thought. But when the fourth stranger said, “How foolish of you men to have a perfectly healthy donkey and not use it. Donkeys are made for work. One of you should be riding him,” they threw the poor donkey off a bridge.

Benjamin Franklin printed this neat little fable in defense of his work as a printer and publisher. Franklin wanted to publish stuff that was just controversial enough to get attention and sell papers. But he also wanted to make sure he didn’t unjustly defame someone, so at times he refused to run certain articles. But even though he tried to achieve some degree of fairness and respectability as a printer, Franklin knew he could never please everybody. No matter what he did, no matter what he said or wrote, there would always be someone to criticize him. Franklin’s point with this parable seems to be, “I can’t please everybody, so I’m not going to try. I’ll just do what I think is right or best.”

That is excellent advice. It amazes me how there is always someone who has some comment or critique to make about our decisions, our behavior, and even our lives. Expectations for how we should act are varied and even contradictory. There really is no way we can make decisions and act in ways that will win approval from everyone.

So how do we know what to do? How can we figure out what is best and right for us? Even Jesus wrestled with that problem. He seemed to resolve it by considering what God would want him to do. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said. “The son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19).

Ultimately there is only one being whose judgment we need to be concerned about, and that is God. Everyone else will have an opinion about what we should think or say, whether we should ride the donkey or walk, how we should use our gifts in service to God. We might learn from some of their suggestions and even their criticisms. But it is the judgment of God that only need concern us.

If through Bible study, prayer, spiritual discernment, and the advice of more mature spiritual advisors we reach our decision, then we can say along the lines of Jesus, “We can do nothing by ourselves, but only what God wants us to do.”

Warren Baldwin

Daring Rescue From a Burning Car

2011-09-15T05:38:00.001-05:00

Daring Rescue From a Burning Car

Once again people of character and integrity prove there are many great people in this world. Risking their own saftey, they move into harms way to save a stranger from danger.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A crisis situation in Utah has revealed once again that there are many good people in this world. Risking their own safety, they moved into a high-danger situation to rescue a stranger.

A young man named Cade Lungreen was the first to notice a motorcycle on fire after a collision with a car. He was intrigued because he couldn’t see the rider of the motorcycle. He then saw him underneath the car, and said he felt sick.

Mike Johnson happened upon the car as well, and said he didn’t think anyone could survive such a wreck. Then a lady got down on the pavement, looked under the car, and saw that the young man trapped under there was still alive. Mike knew then that something had to be done. At that point, more people converged on the car, and they were able effect the rescue.

A reporter said rescuer Derrick Harper, “I have to ask you, were you thinking this is a pretty scary situation. we ourselves could be hurt?” Derrick replied, “You know, it really didn't pop in my head about that. It just didn't come. They needed some help, so I just ran around to kind of help out.”

These are only three of probably a dozen or so people who converged on the car and literally lifted it up so someone could grab the victim by the foot and drag him out from under the vehicle. They lifted the vehicle while right in front of it the motorcycle was burning out of control.

The victim of the accident trapped under the car was twenty-one year old college student Brandon Wright. He says he remembers everything that happened. Brandon suffered fractures to his leg and pelvis, but should recover completely.

Wat is as amazing as the actual high-risk rescue, is the humble and servant-minded attitudes of the rescuers. None of them see themselves as heroes. Rescuer Matt Barney says extending yourself for others is just something you do. “It's second nature. If you see someone in trouble, you help them.” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=44515316?

That spirit of reaching out and helping others is what makes a great family, church, community, even nation.

That is the Spirit of Jesus who said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Most of us won’t be called upon to literally lay our lives down in death for others. For most of us, laying down our lives for others will mean foregoing some of our own wants and desires for the benefit of others. Think of preparing a meal for a homeless person, or giving him one of your best pairs of shoes. Forgiving someone who hurt you deeply so the relationship has some chance for recovery. Spending time with a troubled teen. Donating a day of labor at a children’s home. These are just some of the ways we lay down our lives for others.

But on occasion, a situation arises that calls for us to dig really deep and ask, “Am I willing to die today, right now, for that person?” On a recent day in Utah, Carl, Mike, Derrick and Matt, along with several more people, said, “Yes, we are ready to die today to save this young man.” Fortunately they didn’t have to. But don’t you know God saw the intent of their hearts, and he will honor the offering of their lives with his power for today.

Warren Baldwin

City Elk

2011-09-13T05:46:00.001-05:00

City Elk

How would you like to live here? I would love it!!

When we lived in Wyoming our family would sometimes just take a drive and watch the elk. They are beautiful and majestic creatures.

Warren

Football Heroes: Two Players Save Infants Life

2011-09-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

Football Heroes: Two Players Save Infants Life

If you’ve heard the names Jack Long and Shane Simpson it’s probably not because of some great football accomplishment, although they both may have several of them. Jack and Shane are both defensive backs with the Missouri Western State University Griffons.

On Aug. 23 they finished practice and were driving together back to their home. For some reason they decided to take an alternative route to the one they normally take. Good decision. It was a good decision for a 17-month old boy named Liam Snook.

Liam was inside the car, having been accidentally locked in there by his grandmother. Grandma had set the keys in the car and closed the door to say good-bye to her sister. When she turned back to open the door, she realized the awful mistake she had made.

Locked inside was her grandson.

With the heat at 95 degrees it didn’t take long for Liam to quickly overheat. He began crying and vomiting.

The grandmother, Teresa Gall, sent her sister into a store to get something to break into the car. She returned with a hammer, and both women began beating frantically on the windows. The grandmother later said, “I was panicked, and horrified. He was crying and getting sick, and I couldn’t get to him.”

This is the pont at which the two football players, Long and Simpson, happened by in their vehicle. “We just saw this woman beating on the car with a bat,” said Long. “We thought she maybe had locked her keys in the car, but then thought that was kind of an extreme thing to do for keys.”

Meanwhile, the grandmother kept beating on the car window. “I couldn’t believe it…We were hitting the glass as hard as we could and nothing,” Gall said. “All I could think was ‘God please send somebody’.”

Jack Long grabbed the hammer from Gall and smashed in the window with one swing of the hammer. He then rescued Liam, who was suffering from dehydration.

As you can imagine, Teresa Gall is extremely grateful for the thoughtfulness of these two young men having enough concern to stop and help save the life of her grandson. Even though she has not been a football fan, and knows nothing of the game, she took her grandson and other family members to a Griffons team practice last week.

In a video of the meeting, Shane Simpson can be seen putting his helmet on young Liam. Teresa also says that, even though she knows nothing of the game, she is now a fan of the Missouri Western State University Griffons.

(http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/msn/two_missouri_western_football_players_save_toddler_locked_inside_hot_car/6597532?gt1=39002)

Jesus said, “Anyone who gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward” (Matthew 19:42). Something as simple as giving someone a cup of cool water, or stopping to help someone get into their car, can lead to something so much larger, like saving a life.

Warren Baldwin

Below is a video of Teresa Gall meeting her two heroes.

Benjamin Franklin on the Death of a Child

2011-09-06T10:44:00.005-05:00

The Death of a Child

Many have written of the pain that gripped their heart at the loss of a loved one, especially a child. In a piece entitled, “The Death of Infants,”Benjamin Franklin expressed his pain at the death of a friend’s child. Over 200 years ago he mused:

“What curious joints and hinges on which limbs are moved to and fro! What an inconceivable variety of nerves, veins, arteries, fibers, and little invisible parts are found in every member!...What endless contrivances to secure life, to nourish nature, and to propagate the same to future animals!”

Picture credit: The Eclectic Franklin

His marvel at the wonder of such beautiful creatures, tiny babies, led him to ponder how “‘a good and merciful Creator should produce myriads of such exquisite machines to no other end or purpose but to be deposited in the dark chambers of the grave’ before they were old enough to know good from evil or to serve their fellow man and their God? The answer, he admitted, was ‘beyond our mortal ken’ to understand. ‘When nature gave us tears, she gave us leave to weep.’”

The pain and poignancy of Benjamin’s thoughts about the death of an infant would take on even deeper meaning for him when, sometime after penning these words, he lost his own four-year old son, Franky, to smallpox.

His loss may have been compounded by a sense of guilt because he intended to have Franky vaccinated, but waited because the boy has ill. Vaccinations were pretty rare at the time, but Benjamin thought they were worth the risk since so many people died from outbreaks.

The loss of Franky left a hole in Benjamin’s heart that not even time could fill. Benjamin had grandchildren through another son. He wrote to his sister that reflecting upon them “brings often afresh to my mind the idea of my son Franky, though now dead thirty-six years, whom I have seldom since seen equaled in everything, and whom to this day I cannot think of without a sigh.” (Walter Isaacson, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, 2003, 83-84)

My understanding of God and redemption is such that I don’t believe babies who die are permanently “deposited in the dark chambers of the grave.” The same Jesus who said, “Let the little children come to me” while on earth is also welcoming the arrival of children on the other side.

But the pain caused by the loss of a child is still beyond words to explain. It’s still beyond our ability to understand. Even Benjamin Franklin, one of the first great thinkers and writers in America, at times could only sigh when he reflected upon the experience. There weren’t words.

If you know someone who grieves the loss of a child, pause a moment after reading this and offer a prayer on their behalf. May the God of all comfort give them peace.

Warren Baldwin

If There Were No Heaven or Hell

2011-09-02T12:08:00.011-05:00

If There Were No Heaven or Hell ...

Amber of Amber's Articles posed the following question to several bloggers and asked us to respond with one of the answers that follows:

"If there were no Heaven or Hell would you still be a Christian in 350 words or less. Your answer should begin with one of the four choices below.

1.I absolutely would still be a Christian....
2.I think I would still be a Christian....
3.I'm not so sure....
4.I definitely would not still be a Christian...."

I said, in part,

"For many, the fear of hell and hope of heaven is what propels early faith in Christ. But, as we mature, we learn that following Jesus isn’t just about pursuing heaven to escape hell. Following Jesus means embracing his life and ethics and inculcating them into our own lives. It means bringing a bit of heaven to earth."

Note: Photo is from Amber's Articles

The rest of my answer and that of other guest bloggers can be found at If There Were No Heaven ... Warren's Response. Please link over there for some interesting posts.

Warren

Blogposts Worth Reading

2011-08-31T11:06:00.017-05:00

Some posts worth reading

Here are a few posts I've read recently that you might enjoy.

Firefighter/Paramedic Stories has an article about the rescurers at the World Trade Towers being denied participation at the upcoming 9-11 ceremonies. The story is here: 9-11 First Responders Told To Stay Home . I linked to this story from Fire Wife Katie where she had this picture and a link to her firefighter husband's story. ((Photo by finalcutproguru)

Six Leadership Functions for Preachers/Church Leaders. I hope this one is worth reading :), I wrote it and it is on my other blog, Bible Fountain.

The picture below is by Amber of Amber's Articles (used by permission) and appears in my article on the other blog.
Amber is running a series right now on "If there were no heaven or hell, would I still be a Christian?" She has ten writers answering this question for her, and the responses are very interesting. They are appearing in Aug-Sept on Amber's Articles.

Paula Greene has some excellent thoughts on whether we should forgive others even though they haven't expressed sorry or forgiveness on her blog, Gradual Transformation.

Author Amanda Beth has a good post about missed opportunities on her blog, Sharing the Truths.

Happy reading!

Warren

Baby Moose in Sprinkler

2011-08-29T18:01:00.002-05:00

Baby Moose in Sprinkler

Sometimes you just have to cut loose and enjoy yourselves. And this is a good way to do it in the hot weather we've been having.

WB

Three-Legged Stool of Spiritual Growth

2011-08-24T05:13:00.001-05:00

Three-Legged Stool of a Spiritual Life

You’ll never sit on a three-legged stool that wobbles. If the legs are disproportionate lengths you may sit a little sideways, but you will still sit securely. A four-legged stool might wobble on you, though, because if one leg is short, it won’t touch the floor until you lean that way. Then, as you shift your weight and the stool leans with you, you may fall right off the seat.

A vibrant spiritual life rests on a three-legged stool of spiritual disciplines. Roy Oswald and Barry Johnson describe such a stool in their book, Managing Polarities in Congregations: Eight Keys for Thriving Faith Communities.

The first leg of the stool is home rituals. Such rituals would include praying, observing seasonal religious dates, and being free to discuss biblical issues around the dinner table (with an emphasis on positive, not negative, discussions!)

The second leg is membership and active participation in a small group. The function of the small group is to study and discuss biblical issues, pray, and share faith stories. Faith stories are simply the experiences of people that have impacted their faith and their life journey in someway.

Corporate worship is the third leg of a healthy spiritual life. People of all ages, theological perspectives and faith development will be able to function together in a church if they can “come together to worship God, united in their common offering of praise and thanksgiving” (57).

Too often churches rely on only the third leg, corporate worship, to develop the faith and spiritual vitality of young Christians. That is only one-third of what a new believer needs to root him in deeply.

Churches can’t make anyone participate in these three activities, but they can teach about the importance of faithful involvement. They can also offer basic training in home devotionals and small group leadership. The goal of this three-legged stool is to encourage the faith and growth of everyone in the orbit of the church, from the seeker just beginning to explore faith, to the mature Christian still seeking to grow in the grace and favor of God.

Note: You can view the full length article on Bible Fountain.

Warren Baldwin

The Human Stain

2011-08-22T16:28:00.005-05:00

The Human Stain

Psalm 8:5 says, “You made man a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” What an incredible statement about the worth and value of mankind.

I don’t think any of us understand our true worth. We use things like athletic ability, intelligence and good looks to assign value to people. But what does that do for folks who never make the sports team, struggle to make a C, and think they are ugly?

Photo compliment of Alicia Photography

Our human standards of assigning value are understandable for the competitive and worldly nature of our culture today, but they are also destructive and wrong. They are destructive because those who don’t make the grade feel unworthy and useless, and wrong because God says our true value comes from the creation: we are made only a little lower than the heavenly beings. Genesis adds to this idea by saying we are created in the image of God.

The worth of human beings is under attack in other ways, too. Some of our own kind - other people - view us as unworthy intruders on planet earth. We destroy the landscape, pollute the waters and air, and destroy the natural environment. And, painfully, I must admit that there is truth to those charges. God has made us the stewards of planet earth, and we haven’t always done a good job. Nuclear waste or fallout has damaged the earth in Russia, Japan, the U.S. and who knows where else. Instead of using some of the poorest land to build factories and plants, we have used some of the richest and more easily accessible farmland. We have used the oceans as garbage dumps. No, we haven’t always been good stewards of the earth God has entrusted to us.

But to realize that is far different than to regard man as an unwelcome intruder on the planet. In his book The Human Stain, Philip Roth describes a beautiful nature scene. A frozen lake is surrounded by trees, and snow blankets the whole setting. The only blight in this beautiful setting is ... a human being. A man is on the lake fishing through the ice. Roth writes that the man is “like the X of an illiterate’s signature on a piece of paper.” That is the human stain. (What Good is God?, 110)

Photo Compliment of Alicia Photography

The Bible depicts man as the epitome of God’s created order. We were placed here to manage the earthy, marry, have children, and populate the planet. The water, trees, prairies, mountains and animals were for our management and use. It is a travesty, I believe, to intentionally pollute waterways with toxic runoff. God gave us nature to use, not abuse.

But that doesn’t mean we are a blight or a stain on nature. Judging from Roth’s low view of man, I’ll bet he also has low view of God and scripture. Anyone who reads that God made man only a little lower than the angels, and in his own image, cannot then judge man to be lower than a mosquito, a slug, or an armadillo.

I would like for us to do a better job of managing nature. I think this country has really tried hard over the last few decades. We have more controls on business and construction than probably any other nation on earth. We offer college degrees on waste management and cleanup, and American companies pay good salaries to people trained in these areas. That doesn’t meant there aren’t some corrupt individuals who try to get around these rules and controls, and who do pollute, but I think it does meant this system, the U.S., is trying to do better. And that’s good. Because we want a healthy earth to pass on to our children and grand children.

And we have to look at the Philip Roth’s of our society and say, “Hey, you guys are wrong. We are not a mere stain on a perfect canvas. We are as integral to that canvas as anything else on it. In fact, we are stewards of it, because we have value and purpose. And that value and purpose was given to us by God himself, with his power for today.”

Warren Baldwin

Off to College

2011-08-16T22:55:00.007-05:00

Off to College

Every parent knows this time is going to come ... when their youngest graduates high school and a few months later makes the big move. For us, that time is today (Wednesday). We are taking Kristin to a Christian college in the south, over ten hours from home.

For 18 years we pour ourselves into the lives of our kids, bandaging their wounds, drying their tears, instructing about life, bending the twig, and getting them ready, ready for life on their own. We know the inevitably is coming, and we brace ourselves for it, but when the last night finally comes, we still experience the sinking heart. My dad calls it "weird." "You just get this weird feeling when one of your kids is about to leave." He and mom experienced it four times.

It is weird. Something about it just doesn't seem right! Did we birth these kids? Spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on them? Pour our blood, sweat, and tears (often times literal tears) in them? Didn't we drive them to ball games, fix their lunches, and prep them for their first speech in high school? And now they are laving us!?!

Yes. And as hard as it is, that is the way it is supposed to be. We did all this for our kids, yes, but we also did it for God. He has entrusted us, for 18 years, to prepare this child of HIS to make their way in the world, and ultimately, to make their way to HIM. Our kids are a trust from God, a trust we receive and embrace with joy, and a trust we release with prayer and dedication to God.

Hard? yes. But when it comes time for our children to leave, and they are excited and ready for the next phase in their lives, we know God's purpose and plan is still working. And we can rejoice that we have been a part of it.

So, for the next few days we will be out of pocket as we enjoy our last few days with our youngest daughter, and, as an added blessing, with our oldest daughter as well. They will be together at the same school for one semester.

How about you? Is that big day looming anytime in your family's future? How are you preparing for it?

Warren

Note:

I've recently been blessed by two great bloggers with reviews of Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks and Other Gems from Proverbs.

Kerry Johnson has a review of Roaring Lions on her blog A Lamp. A Light. And a Writer. Kerry enjoys writing and has one book nearly finished. She is a believer and wants her writing to reveal the love of Jesus.

Next, Amanda Beth has a review of Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks on her blog Sharing Truths. In addition, to the review, Amanda is giving away two copies of Roaring Lions to someone who posts their favorite proverb in the comments section.

Amanda's first book, You Can Have a Happy Family is being published this month. You can read a brief pre-publication review of it at this link. Amanda writes about faith and family.

Please link to Kerry and Amanda's blogs to get acquainted with them and to enter the drawing. And thank, Kerry and Amanda!

VBS Fun Night!

2011-08-11T09:54:00.031-05:00

VBS Fun Night!
Our last night of VBS ... a FUN NIGHT.

She's stepping on the moon!

Our theme was Nazareth: When Jesus Was a Boy. Our fellowship hall was set up to look like a small village, hopefully like the village of Nazareth where Jesus was a boy. It was a very “hands on” VBS, with children being able to sit in tents much like people in the first century would have. We had Bible lessons, games, snacks, and activities.

One lesson included studying and eating the food Jesus likely would have had as a boy. There was fruit, cheese and various beans. Creating experiences like this for the kids not only teaches them, but helps put them into a different mind set, one that will hopefully impress them for life. In time we hope that the children, and all of us, will expand this to think more about all aspects of Jesus’ life: his values, morals, convictions, and behavior.

They also learned about carpentry and dying clothes as people might have done in ancient times. They used beet juice to dye clothing.

VBS was held on six successive Wednesday Nights. It was a hit!

The games were from Martin Entertainment: www.martinee.com

Warren Baldwin

(Note: I have no idea how these pictures will line up when they are posted. I've been having a terrible time with big gaps between pictures. May not be able to prevent that).

Review of You Can Have a Happy Family

2011-08-08T00:03:00.016-05:00

Review of

YOU CAN HAVE A HAPPY FAMILY:

Steps to Enjoying Your Marriage and Children
by Amanda Beth

Amanda is the author of a popular blog, Sharing the Truth Behind the Truths, and the author of a forthcoming book on marriage and family, You can Have a Happy Family.

I've read Amanda's blog for about a year now and have been impressed with her knowledge of the scriptures and practical approach to applying spiritual truths to our lives. She is currently writing a series of blog articles on The Armor of God based on Ephesians 6.

Writing about marriage and family is Amanda's real passion. I've read several chapters of her manuscript You Can Have a Happy Family. Amanda has a unique ability to use Bible knowledge, personal experience and godly insight to address the challenges and difficulties of marriage with frankness and compassion. She is also very open about her own family experiences, which makes her writing interesting and compelling.

I'll also add that Amanda writes with humility. In a chapter entitled, "The Real Enemy - Out to Destroy Your Family" Amanda says, "I thank God my husband didn't give up on me, because through those tough years God was working on me." I like to read the work of an author who has genuinely wrestled with the issues and concerns they are writing about. Amanda has

I sent four questions to Amanda which she graciously answered. My questions are in bold, and her responses follow.

1) What gave you the idea for this book?

Amanda: While I was leading Bible studies in my home, I felt a strong leading from God to attend a publishing class. The morning after the class God put the title of the book and the chapters on my heart. It’s really an amazing story. You’ll have to read more about it on my website. www.amandabeth.net

2) I know that writing a book can take a long time and can be discouraging. What was your inspiration to keep going?

Amanda: God put Hebrews 10:35-36 on my heart from the start. He told me not to give up. He would bring this book to completion. I admit I had my hand on that “delete” key more than a few times. But God was faithful and He didn’t let me give up.

3) What is one thing you would like for your readers to take from the book?

Amanda: Don’t give up on your marriage because God won’t. God didn’t give up on me. And my husband didn’t give up on me. I don’t believe I would be here talking to you today if my husband had given up on me. His unconditional love for me is what made me eager to seek change. My husband’s love helped me respond to God’s love when He was reaching out to me.

(pictured: Jason and Amanda)

4) When do you anticipate the book will be ready for the public?

Amanda: I anticipate August 31st. I will announce it on my Facebook page when it’s released. www.facebook.com/author.amandabeth
Thanks Amanda for this interview. I have enjoyed reading your manuscript and look forward to seeing the book when it is published. You have done a good job on it!

Readers, you can follow Amanda's writing on her blog Blog: http://www.sharingtruths.com/ and
web site: http://www.amandabeth.net/

Thanks.

Warren Baldwin

Link to Marriage Mondays

Unlocking the One Sentence Proverbs

2011-08-05T05:06:00.002-05:00

How To Preach Proverbs
One Sentence Proverb Sermons

The one-sentence proverbs from chapters 10:1 to 29:27 offer challenges to preaching because of their brevity and succinctness. They seem to lack sufficient material from which to develop a full length lesson. But, there are a couple of approaches to these proverbs that make them valuable material for sermons.

Behind every proverb is a story, and the single-statement is simply a summation of a drama lived out in real life. For example, the Sage provides the background story to the numerous sluggard proverbs. In 24:30-34 he describes an experience of observing the unattended farm of the sluggard. Weeds had overtaken the crops and the protective wall was crumbling. The Sage wrote, “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - and poverty will come on you like a bandit, and scarcity like an armed man” (vv.32-34). This brief statement of financial and social doom for the lazy man is a summation statement of a larger story that the wise man has studied with keen observation.

Photo Compliments of Jennifer Blair Photography

The approach of the Sage is to study the attitudes and behaviors of people and the eventual outcomes of their actions. He pays attention to cause and effect, noting how certain actions produce discernible results. He then summarizes what he observes in brief, tightly worded phrases that capture the essence of what he has observed and reflected upon. The result is a compact statement encapsulating a vital truth distilled from a much larger and complicated drama. The proverbs thus provoke our thinking, luring us into their story, and challenging us to imagine their application in the drama of our own lives.

There are several steps I have found helpful in using the sentence proverbs for sermons or classes. Even if we don’t know the original context for a proverbial statement, we can catch the essence of it and imagine situations where it would apply. The steps are as follows:

1) Read, reflect and pray upon a particular proverb.

2) Think of an Old Testament story that illustrates the truth of the proverb you are studying.

3) Think of a New Testament text or story that illustrates this truth as well.

4) Finally, think of a situation in your own life that exemplifies the message or statement you are studying.

Just for fun, try using this approach the one-sentence proverb, 11:24: “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”

Note: for the full length article, with more detail about the four points, please link to Bible Fountain. Thank you.

Warren

Wives Who Bless the Fountain #2

2011-08-02T05:00:00.002-05:00

Wives Who Bless the Fountain #2

(Note: See the previous post for part one)

A wife has tremendous power to nurture refreshment in the home to help prevent it from deteriorating to the point of either partner seeking affection elsewhere. She can use initiative and creativity to ensure that the springs and fountain of the home continually attract the attention of her husband.

Proverbs 7 presents us with a sexually aggressive married woman who, unfortunately, is unfaithful to her husband, and is directing her energy toward an unsuspecting young male visiting the big city. She spots the aimlessly wandering boy and accosts all of his senses with her feminine appeal. She wears alluring apparel (v.10), envelops him in a passionate embrace, kisses him energetically (v.13), speaks temptingly (v.14-18), and perfumes her private chamber (and likely herself, v.17). Everything she does inflames the young man’s mind and body! Yet, everything she does is so wrong because she is not married to this young man. Her drive and ambition is completely misdirected because such affection is meant for her husband.

Why the woman acts this way Proverbs doesn’t say. It just warns young men to avoid such volatile, moral situations. God gives men five senses to experience pleasure. When all five of them are under sensual attack at one time, it will be difficult for even the strongest, most centered of men to resist for long. The immediate response in a family-oriented man must be to just run!

But let’s look at Proverbs 7 from another perspective. What makes the woman of Proverbs 7 so dangerous to a man? The fact that she is offering what every male craves: a healthy, inviting, and energetic romantic encounter. And while the approach of the Proverbs 7 woman is so wrong when exercised outside of her marriage, it is so right when directed toward her husband.

Tell me, what man wouldn’t double time it home if he knew ready to embrace him was the love of his life acting out Proverbs 7 toward him!? Wives, the greatest weapon your husband has in his arsenal to ward off the overtures of the seductress is you. At least occasionally, show him the same level of excitement and interest that the immoral woman may have already tempted him with earlier in the day.

Jobs, demands of the home, and caring for energetic kids often leaves a wife and mom so exhausted she simply doesn’t have the strength to give an energetic and sensuous greeting to her husband. It’s unfair to expect her to. At least all of the time. There are years when the children are little when romance seems to take a back burner. While that is understandable and sometimes unavoidable, it is also very dangerous. The sizzle in a marriage may falter and die, but the need for love, acceptance, embrace, and sex does not. And if a husband and wife don’t find them in each other, they become easy pickings for any aggressor on the prowl. Don’t let exhaustion give room to a Proverbs 7 woman claiming what is yours. And, yes, while all the adultery chapters in Proverbs hold the man accountable for his moral offenses, even when he is under assault by an aggressive woman, a loving wife who is equally aggressive at home can do so much to assure the faithfulness of her man.

Wives, be the spark plug sometimes. Your romantic aggression means more to your husband than he will ever tell you, largely because men don’t like to talk about their feelings. But if you notice your husband smiling more, being kind and gracious in the home, telling you to go shopping while he watches the kids, and taking out the trash without being asked, you’ll know why. Your initiation of a sexual encounter will make your husband feel valued, proud (in a healthy sense), wanted, and deeply, deeply thankful to you. Conversely, never initiating can leave your guy feeling bruised in his self-esteem, unwanted, and hurt. Pride will keep him from saying, “I’m hurt,” so he will likely mask his bruise in anger, speaking and acting in ways that will hurt you back. Eventually, he may even begin to withdraw from you.

Men want to know that their wives do more than tolerate their advances; they want to know that they are wanted, sexual needs and all. You can communicate that by occasionally being the aggressor. If you don’t, the Proverbs 7 woman is ready to.

Don’t leave sensual allurement for your husband to women who shouldn’t be offering it. Your husband picked you because you were the most beautiful and alluring of women to him. He loved you. You are the one he wants to knock his socks off, and if you do, the Proverbs 7 woman doesn’t stand a chance.

Photo from Amy Free Photography

God wants a husband’s fountain to be blessed. That means you share in that blessing. You are that blessing! Keep the cistern cool and refreshing, and you guarantee where he will be coming to drink.

Click here for part 1 on this blog

Note: These two parts are posted as one article on Bible Fountain.

Warren Baldwin

Wives Who Bless the Fountain #1

2011-07-31T05:02:00.002-05:00

Wives Who Bless the Fountain #1

Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be your alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. Proverbs 5:16-18

While these verses speaks primarily to husbands, there are implications for wives as well. For example, even though a husband may be unfaithful, the wife doesn’t have to be. This passage acknowledges that if a husband doesn’t avail himself of the thirst quenching water he has at home (a satisfying sexual relationship with his wife), he may seek it elsewhere. When he does so, he leaves his wife emotionally starved and unsatisfied. Solomon acknowledges that some women in this situation may become springs that overflow in the streets; that is, they seek love and romance else where.

But, they don’t have to. They shouldn’t. Since Proverbs is addressed primarily to young men, most of the moral instructions are directed to male temptations: the lure of attractive women, voluptuous kisses and sensuous perfume (cf. Prov. 7:10-18). But Proverbs is concerned about developing wisdom and a moral consciousness in everyone, male and female. Proverbs warns against the wiles of the immoral woman who draws men from the moral path (chapters 2, 5,6,7) and who seeks pleasure in stolen water (a likely metaphor for immoral sexual behavior). But it also honors the moral woman for building a healthy home (14:1). Also, the Wise Wife of Proverbs 31 is extolled for the selfless attention she showers upon her husband and children, something she likely would not do if her energies were spent upon a secret lover.

Photo compliments Amy Free Photography

While Proverbs enjoins moral behavior for the male, it clearly assumes it for the female as well. So, if a husband is unfaithful, seeking sources of sensual refreshment from a woman other than his wife, that doesn’t mean the wife has to do the same. She can exercise her moral fiber and rededicate her efforts to do all she can to preserve her home.

A wife has tremendous power to nurture refreshment in the home to help prevent it from deteriorating to the point of either partner seeking affection elsewhere. She can use initiative and creativity to ensure that the springs and fountain of the home continually attract the attention of her husband.

Note: Part 2 will be posted on Wednesday, August 3. Please check back.

Warren Baldwin

Link to Marriage Mondays

Human Trafficking

2011-07-29T05:00:00.001-05:00

Human Trafficking

China’s one-child law is having disastrous affects on the population balance in that country, and is resulting in some horrifying attempts to correct it. Because families tend to prefer to have a boy, girls are being selectively aborted or deserted. Young men who are ready to begin their own families are finding there are not enough girls available for them for marriage. So desperate measures are being attempted to find them wives.

Recently, police in China rescued 89 infants who had been kidnaped and were being sold by two different trafficking rings. In one case, children in Vietnam were kidnaped and taken to China for sale. In this operation eight infants, ranging from ten days old to seven months, were rescued. Thirty-nine suspects were captured.

In another case, 81 children were rescued, with 330 people being arrested. Again, the children were very young, ranging in age from ten days to four months old.

These kidnaping operations are only part of the massive trafficking taking place in China. Most of the kidnaped victims are women or girls. They are being sold in China to compensate for the one child policy that is reducing the population of women in the country. Young men in China are buying girls from Viet Nam and other countries because they can’t find girls of marriageable age in China.

According to one news report, “Police have uncovered 39,194 cases of human trafficking in China since April 2009, the majority of the cases involving women or children.” (The quote and many of the details in this article are from:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43906187/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/?gt1=43001)

As horrible as this report is, the situation is actually much worse, because human trafficking is not limited to China and Viet Nam. Hundreds of thousands of young girls have been trafficked from the former Iron Curtain Countries, such as Ukraine, Latvia, Russia, Lithuania and Estonia. The depressed economies of these countries have offered little hope for young people to have the kind of a future youth in America take for granted. Enterprising criminals have offered young girls in these countries opportunity to travel to foreign countries and work as waitresses, nannies and secretaries. Trusting in the bogus promises of these flesh dealers, the young girls leave home. But instead of becoming gainfully employed in safe and reputable work, they find themselves sold in the market place. Many of them are literally forced to stand as prospective buyers walk down the line, selecting the purchase they wish to make.

What countries provide the largest market for these hapless victims? This is what is most distressful. Some of the countries won’t surprise you, such as Turkey and other Middle East countries. But how about some of our closes allies, such as Saudi Arabia and Israel, and even our own country, the United States? These last three countries are actually some of the most profitable markets for the traffickers to sell their female slaves.

Fortunately, this horrible business is finally getting attention in the media, and there have even been a few movies calling attention to it. Unfortunately, it is still relatively unknown to many people.

Godly justice demands that we treat all people with respect and dignity. In the OT, Israelite farmers were to leave some crops in the field for economically disadvantaged people to harvest them. The poor people were to be given an opportunity, they were not to be taken advantage of, as the human trafficking industry does today.

Can you believe that even here, in what we consider the Christian United States, there is a market for the immoral sale of girls? It is a blight upon our land. In unison we must lift our voices to God in prayer, and to Washington in demand that greater efforts be given to free the hostages and set the captives free. Perhaps few ministries today so complement the very work of Jesus himself (Luke 4:18-19).

One other thing we can all do is simply discuss the problem and inform others. The hearts of the women and children cry out for us to do something on their behalf.

Warren Baldwin

Links for further reading:

New York Times Article: Girls from the Ukraine

MSNBC report: Human Trafficking in America

On the Texas border: City of Lost Girls (Note: this article is particularly gruesome).

ABC News interview with a Trafficker: Girls for Sale

Bible Camps and Other Stuff

2011-07-27T16:59:00.015-05:00

Bible Camps and Other Stuff

Just finished a week of Youth Bible Camp. It was outstanding!! Besides a lot of fun and activity, there was great spiritual emphasis, too, with singing, Bible classes, evening sermons and devotionals. We also had 15 baptisms in a lake on the property. I'm pictured below with a high school student, Keith, who was baptized about 11 pm Thursday night.

After I wrote about Red River Family Encampment a few weeks ago, someone asked me about the different kinds of Bible and family camps available, so I'll explain a little about it.

Bible (or Youth) Camp: A regular Bible camp, also called a youth camp, is for kids or teenagers. Camps with a large enough population of attendees will often break the age groups down by 3-4 grades, 5-6th, middle school and high school. All of the lessons and activities are geared for these particular ages. The camp I just attended was a youth Bible camp for students in the middle and high school grades. Here is a link with more information for this camp: Silver Maple Camp. Pictured below: yes, that's me, and old guys can still play the sports activities at youth camp, even though not as well :) But, staff did beat the campers in the yearly competition between them.

Family Camp: A family camp is for everyone in the family. There are no age restrictions. Attendees do not have responsibilities for other peoples' children, such as you would likely have at a youth or children's camp. Exceptions would be those who teach classes or lead activities. Most attendees, however, are only responsible for their own families.

Youth camps usually schedule events for the entire day, making sure the teens always have something to do. Family camps usually have the afternoons free for families to do things together.

My family has been attending one youth camp every year (Silver Maple), and then taking in one or two family camps a year. Family camps we attend are (with links):

Yellowstone Bible Camp (Also has youth camps)

Red River Family Encampment

Wyoming Bible Camp (Wyoming Bible camp is actually a mix of youth and family, but is closer to a youth camp).

Silver Maple Camp has also recently added a week of family camp.

Camps are a marvelous way of getting away from the hustle and bustle of civilization to slow down and refocus. I highly recommend for everyone in the family. My daughter and I attended RRFE and had a wonderful time. She also spend one day at Silver Maple, and is now at Wyoming Bible Camp with her brother. I can't think of a much better way to help orient our children and families down spiritual paths.

___________

Note: Because I've been out of town I haven't been able to be on the blog much. Let me say "Thank you" to Sam and Amber Cullum for a great article on preparing for marriage. I think their guest post is the #1 most read article on the day of publication in the 2 1/2 years of my blog. Sam and Amber - care to write another guest post for me? You can check out their blog Amber's Articles.

Jeff Hughes also has a guest post on marriage on Family Fountain about the Proverbs 31 Wife. Jeff is an occasional contributor to his wife's great blog, The Quiet Quill. If you get a chance, check it out.

You'll also notice that I have several photography blogs that allow me to use photographs to illustrate my posts. Most recently I have used one from Project Alicia Photography. Alicia takes some amazing photographs, and I appreciate her generosity in allowing me to use them. This Sunday I'll be using two of Amy Free's photographs. You can look at the labels to the right to see some of the other great photography blogs that have allowed me to use some of their work.

Upcoming articles: This Sunday I'll begin a tw0-part series on "Wives Who Bless the Fountain (Proverbs 5)", and on this Friday I'll have one on human trafficking. When I get ready for the weekend, I'll be visiting blogs again.

Thanks, and have a great rest of the week.

Warren

Guest Marriage Post: Jeff Hughes

2011-07-24T05:00:00.003-05:00

Proverbs 31:23

"Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land." - Proverbs 31:23

Several years ago, when our children were still very young, I received a “disturbing” message at work on my office voice-mail. I remember it well because it was the middle of the day, the call was clearly dialed from my home, and it was forty-five straight seconds of our two small screaming children completely “losing-it” into the receiver.

Musically there was crescendo and dissonance and plenty of staccato, as the crying would seem to slow down and fade and then build steam to forte for the repeat and the bridge and the chorus. It was pretty incredible . . . mostly because I didn’t hear them take a breath for the entire message and partly because Denise didn’t say anything on that message.

As you may know, the disturbing part for a husband with a stay-at-home-wife is that this call can only be summed up with the two word phrase “uh-oh”.

Sure, we can laugh about this now, (and when I say “we” I mean “me” and when I say “laugh” I mean “laugh” as in nervously-twitching-while-watching-her-eyes-kind-of-laugh), but this was a moment of real clarity for us.

It helped me to understand that her ‘job’ is demanding, thankless, joyful, tearful, stifling, freeing, up and down, over and under just as much of a job as my own job. And it is because of her dedication and hard work for the benefit of our family that I can be dedicated and hard working for the benefit of our family, as well.

Now I know that traditional husband-and-wife roles are not very cut and dry in our culture. Denise says that women have far more opportunities for education and career than ever before, while husbands are commended for their at-home involvement. Still, a husband and a wife have found a ‘good thing’ (Prov. 18:22) if they have found a symbiotic relationship where she promotes his success and he promotes hers, irrespective of the personal cost.

Going a little bit deeper, a husband who is “seated” at the gate is one who is not only a citizen of that city, but is also one charged with making judgments in legal and civil matters on behalf of the citizenry. It is a trusted position arrived by way of key moments with the people of the community. Becoming an elder is certainly not a short-haul activity, hence the name "elder". This standing takes time and begins with many communal judgments about how well this man has managed his own home.

A Proverbs 31 wife helps to make his name known to the citizens, and she is a credit to him in his work. Her words have caused the people to know her husband as a good man. Her actions have caused the people to respect her husband’s judgments. Ultimately, her household has caused the people to trust her husband.

Similarly, he is able to work hard, knowing that she is so very capable in matters to which he cannot simultaneously attend. I am reminded of the verse in Ecclesiastes 4:9.

“Two are better than one
because they have a good return for their labor.”

On a wholly personal note, I am a very fortunate man. As you can tell, Denise is super-smart with a heart of gold. She is wise. She studies hard. She is humorous, but self-deprecating. She is serious, but softhearted. She tends to her family so well. We have found a great treasure here and in our marriage, we thoroughly enjoy promoting the other person.

For instance, she is continually finding ways to make our home comforting and pleasing and peaceful for the entire family. It is our private sanctuary, when necessary, from the world. Likewise, I enjoy trying to make our family smile all the time. We have found a good return for that labor.

Finally, as a Christian person, I see one other application, which could be made. Really, it is more of a self-reflective non-discriminatory question: As I am part of the church, known as the Bride of Christ, how am I doing at promoting the One at the city gate, Jesus Christ?

Do my words promote His honor and my actions His glory?

Do I make His name great in the community so that others will trust Him as well?

In all honesty, I hope to be found a Proverbs 31:23 “wife”, in the most masculine-did-you-see-that-sporting-event kind of way.

Thanks for listening.

Jeff Hughes

__________

Note: Jeff is an accountant and elder in his church. His wife, who has guest written on this blog before, has the great blog The Quiet Quill, where Jeff sometimes guest writes. I'm honored to have him author this guest post for the marriage series!

Thanks Jeff.

Earlier articles in the guest post series:

Sam & Amber Cullum: Preparing for Marriage
Cindy Colley: Submission
Terry Laudett: The Challenge of Infertility
Bobby Lawson: The Strength of a Wife
Sandy Cooper: Wiser Me Speaks to Younger Me
Andrew Philips: Building a Lasting Marriage
Bill Bowman: Five C's for a Successful Marriage
Amanda Daubenmeyer, Be Still. Amanda's blog: Sharing the Truth
Wayland and Millie Whitlow, Dealing with the Loss of Children.
Cheryl Gansner, Surviving Marriage Under Challenging Circumstances.
Nichole Akao, Married Again.

And I had a couple of posts: What Makes Your Marriage Special and A Wife From the Lord

Please go back and visit these posts if you'd like. And if you have an idea for a guest post, please let me know! wb

Balanced Lives

2011-07-21T05:37:00.001-05:00

Balanced Lives

A reader asked me, “How do you balance work, children, chores and the spousal relationship? How do you and your spouse continue to connect when there is constant activity?

Good question! When I was in my early years of marriage a preacher told me that Cheryl and I needed to get away by ourselves for a weekend at least once or twice a year. I liked his advice, but finances, my work with a church and three little kids kept that from happening! When we did have time we didn’t have money, and when we had a little extra money, there was always a bill or need crying for attention.

Looking back, we probably could have arranged to enjoy a get-away on more occasions than we did. But, even if we can’t get away for a few nights, there are still some things young couples with children can do to balance their time and schedule and enjoy some quality time together.

First, see if you need to realign your priorities. Look at everything in your life that is demanding attention and ask, “What will I care about forty years from now?” Your job? House? Wife/husband? Kids? When you figure that question out, then plan how you can give most of your time and attention to what matters most.

Second, take some time for yourself and your family. Get away if you can afford it. If not, be creative with your time at home. Very likely your local community has attractions that tourists drive in to enjoy. Avail yourself of those local opportunities. Something that is affordable and allows my family to get away together is family Bible camps. We rotate years and spend time at some great camps in Montana (Yellowstone Bible Camp), Wyoming (Wyoming Bible Camp), New Mexico (Red River Family Encampment) and Kansas (Silver Maple). Mornings are spent in Bible classes and afternoons are spent as family time. The week is relaxing and refreshing.

Three, schedule in little breaks throughout the year. They don’t have to be anything big or elaborate, just little things that alter the schedule and allow a break from the routine. When I got home from work early one evening Cheryl announced, “We are having a picnic.” She had dinner boxed and ready for me to load into the vehicle. We drove about 30 miles to a parking area in Shoshoni National Forest south of Cody, Wyoming. After we ate the kids played in a small brook while Cheryl and I sat and enjoyed watching them. Planning and preparing was simple and easy, but the family time was relaxing and refreshing.

Photo from Project Alicia Photography

Four, enjoy an occasional evening with just the two of you. If you live close to family see if they will keep your children for a night or two. If you are away from family, establish close friendships through your church. Older couples at church can be surrogate grandparents to your children and other young couples can function as siblings. If any of these folks also live a long ways from their families, they, too, will appreciate developing close relations with you. As trust develops between the families, you can take turns caring for each others’ kids, allowing time for the husbands and wives to enjoy time together.

We live in a fast-paced age. It is wise and healthy to slow down sometimes and allow our bodies, spirits and families to rest and recover.

Warren Baldwin

Note: I like questions! If you have anything you'd like me to take a stab at, feel free to email me!

Guest Marriage Post: Sam & Amber Cullum

2011-07-17T05:00:00.007-05:00

Preparing for Marriage While Single

Are you single? Are you tired of being single? Does it often seem like it would be easier to date the next person you see and marry them, because you are tired of the wait? In case someone else hasn't told you, let us.........DON'T DO IT!! We were in our late 20's when we met, began dating, and eventually married. While we realize many of you may be older than us and still single we would still say, begin or continue to prepare for the one God may or may not have in store for you by living your life now.

Here are a few of the ways we tried to live our lives as single individuals hoping and waiting for our future spouse.

I, Amber, have been blessed to be a part of a family (immediate and extended) that has experienced little divorce, but with that said I have not always been exposed to the healthiest of marriages. Up until my sophomore year of college I did little to prepare for a healthy marriage. I was involved in a few long term relationships that were filled with lying, cheating, manipulation, and sexual impurity. I was doing very little to prepare for anything except a marriage filled with those same things. Once I surrendered my life to Christ I began to search for the answers I needed to change my calloused heart into one that would one day belong to a man I respected, loved, and desired to submit to.

I wish I could say from that point forward every battle I fought was victorious, but we all know a changed life still has mountains that must be climbed, attitudes that must be fought, and long standing thought processes that must be renewed. Despite the numerous times I slid back down the mountain, acted with the ungrateful attitude, and chose the old thought processes there were more times that I climbed a little higher, acted a little more Christ-like, and chose a healthier thought process. This was particularly true during my years as a single 20 something. If you are single here are a few things I focused on when I was standing in your shoes:

1. During times of intense loneliness (I was 27 when I met Sam) I always reminded myself that there are worse things than be single. Imagine being in a marriage with a partner that is self absorbed caring more about his needs than yours. Imagine being in a marriage where you are a Christ-follower and he wants absolutely nothing to do with your "Jesus." Being in a dating or marriage relationship does not abolish feelings of loneliness. Only Jesus can do that, so I always had to ask myself why am I feeling lonely? Then I would go on a search of the Scripture, fall on my knees, and talk to people I respected to reset my mind on the truth.

2. Several years before Sam and I met I decided to start writing letters to my future spouse. "I decided to begin [a] journal, if for no other reason, to help me stay focused on what and who I was waiting for. I wanted to wait for God to provide me a husband that loved Him and this journal would keep me focused on that fact when I wanted to settle." I wrote letters that involved everything from how I was feeling to new job experiences to mistakes I had made. "Some years I went months without writing. Other years I wrote frequently. Regardless of how often I wrote, the journal served its purpose. During times of frustration, times of loneliness, times of failed relationships I could look back on these letters and be reminded of God's faithfulness and reasons why the wait was worth it" (You can read more about it HERE.)

3. Don't spend your life trying to find the spouse God has for you. It is so easy (especially as a woman) to spend the majority of your free time looking for your spouse. The saying, "When you stop looking you will find he/she" is true more often than not. I know it seems impossible (trust me, I've been there), but you are wasting so much precious time that you will one day want back when you are married. During seasons of my life when I began to get overly focused on "finding" my spouse I would re-focus my time (ie. volunteering in a new ministry, lead/participate in a new Bible Study/book club, begin training for a race, begin mentoring a young girl/boy, go visit old friends, etc.) Re-focusing your time does not mean staying busy, busy, busy. It means as a single individual you have MORE time than you will ever have as a married adult and especially as a parent, so use it wisely.

I could go on and on, but my husband has excellent advice that I fully agree with, so I will hand it over to him.

I, Sam, am blessed to come from a family where the right thing for its own sake was reward enough. This was not always an easy thing for me to believe. There were many times when I thought I should just trash my morals and prior decisions, but was always restrained from doing so because I couldn't be intellectually honest and choose to go in ways that I knew took me places I didn't want to go. For guys, I would encourage you to grow up into a man as early as possible when it comes to being the person you want to be. This means having a strong grasp on who you are, what you're about, and why. Knowing these things will help you weather many storms. Additionally, I humbly present some other thoughts I had that I thought helped me as a single man.

1. You're never going to become the person you want to become down the road unless you're willing to make the decisions to be that person now. Let me explain a little bit of what I mean. Many of us like to convince ourselves that it's acceptable for us to make what we know are poor decisions now because we will change later and get better. While this is a great thought, it's not backed up with much reality. We all have good desires and evil desires. The ones that get stronger are the ones we feed more consistently with action. This is not to say that there is no healing or redemption, simply that your life will be defined largely by your choices. Hence, choose to make decisions now as if you were the person you want to be down the road. If you want a good woman, you should probably be a good man, because a good woman isn't going to be that attracted to someone who makes excuses for their poor decisions.

2. Don't date for the sake of dating (or because you're lonely). Amber and I were actually introduced to each other by our friends who both said that we "Never gave anybody a chance." Oddly enough, we both always had the same response to that. "I know what I want, and he/she isn't it." If you have the least bit of self-confidence and a bit of experience, it shouldn't take you long to figure out whether a person is someone with whom you may want to spend the rest of your life. If they're not it, move on. Everyone saves a lot of wasted time. You will save yourself countless hours of heartache by knowing what you want in a mate, and sticking to your guns.

3. Think for yourself, but listen to wise people. As we mentioned earlier, there are so many messages sent today through various channels that have no basis in reality, much less from the perspective of a healthy relationship. If you need advice, seek out people who you respect.

We realize it is often easy for married people to give single people advice; however, we have spent more of our adult lives single than married (at this point). We have only been married three years and believe that many of the choices we made, the challenges we faced, the opportunities we embraced, and the God we sought gave us an excellent foundation for our past, present, and future married years.

Thanks for reading along and a big thanks to Warren for allowing us to share a little of our story.

Sam and Amber Cullum

Amber blogs at Amber's Articles with the occasional guest post from Sam.

_________

Thank you Sam and Amber for this excellent article! Amber is a great writer and photographer. She also does some creative photograhy with verse in them, which I like. I appreciate Same and Amber joining the other great guest authors who have contributed to this series!

About the guest marriage posts: I started doing a series of guest marriage posts (with a couple thrown in by me) at the beginning of the year. My daughter's illness that extended for 6 weeks and then my being away all of June got me out of the routine. I'm starting it up again today, and hope to continue it throught the end of the year or until I run out of guest writers.

I appreciate everyone who has contributed to this series, and encourage you to check some of the previous articles out:

Cindy Colley: Submission
Terry Laudett: The Challenge of Infertility
Bobby Lawson: The Strength of a Wife
Sandy Cooper: Wiser Me Speaks to Younger Me
Andrew Philips: Building a Lasting Marriage
Bill Bowman: Five C's for a Successful Marriage
Amanda Daubenmeyer, Be Still. Amanda's blog: Sharing the Truth
Wayland and Millie Whitlow, Dealing with the Loss of Children.
Cheryl Gansner, Surviving Marriage Under Challenging Circumstances.
Nichole Akao, Married Again.

And I had a couple of posts: What Makes Your Marriage Special and A Wife From the Lord

Please go back and visit these posts if you'd like. And if you have an idea for a guest post, please let me know! wb

VBS, Patty Bultman & Relay for Life

2011-07-14T16:13:00.018-05:00

VBS, Patty Bultman & Relay for Life

This summer we are conducting VBS on Wednesday nights for five weeks. Instead of the usual one hour for classes, we extended the children's program to 1 1/2 hours. Our theme this year is Hometown Nazareth - Where Jesus Was a Boy. The kids are loving it! The program is for 3 year olds through 5th grade. Middle and high school students are helpers.

A helper with some "snazzy" socks!

Attentive kids

Me high-fiving a little friend
A spread of food like Jesus might have eaten

Three more weeks of VBS!!!!

PATTY BULTMAN

Local author Patty Bultman was in town promoting her new book, Common Threads. Patty spoke at our local library and then signed books.

Patty describes her book in this way: “Three women from a small Bible belt town connect over a mysterious box and painful secrets from their past. Judging by outward appearance, Ruthie, Abigail, and Mimsey are nothing alike, but on the inside they are one in the same, hiding dark sins, guilt and shame. When Ruthie discovers an unexplained box full of personal letters, past secrets are revealed and friendships form. As the women set out to find the owner of the box, they begin to see the common threads that tie them together - hope, faith, and the incredible grace of their Savior.”

Patty is a good speaker, and I'm looking forward to reading her book. I will be having a review and author interview with her in the future.

Patty with our local library board

Signing a copy of her book for Cheryl

You can read more about Patty's book and ministry at Peace House Ministries

RELAY FOR LIFE

We had our local Relay for Life walk on Friday night. Below the two youngest survivors in our county begin their first lap. The girl on the left is a 3rd grader and the boy on the right (both in purple) is a kindergartner.

Local people donate canned food to hold down the luminary bags along the track. Later, the cans are collected and taken to the local food pantry. Different churches in town take turns working the pantry each month. Here, I'm stocking shelves with members of the Catholic Church. This is a wonderful community-wide effort.

This is proving to be a busy summer, but it is a good busy!

This Sunday I will resume the guest post series on marriage, with Sam and Amber Cullum contributing an article.

Warren

Vacation Bible School

2011-07-13T13:51:00.010-05:00

Vacation Bible School

Hometown Nazareth - When Jesus Was a Boy. You can't go wrong with a theme like that for VBS!

This year we are running our VBS on Wednesday nights for five weeks. The first night we had 50 kids. We usually pick up more as the weeks go by, so it promises to be a well-attended event for us this year.

Look below for what Nazareth might have looked like (in our fellowship hall :)

And finally ... healthy snacks.

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Warren

Red River Family Encampment

2011-07-06T16:00:00.007-05:00

Red River Family Encampment

Kristin and I have been back for about a week from Red River Family Encampment in Red River, N. M.

The tent where everyone meets. That is Kristin in front of it.

It was wonderful! About 1,300 people were present. I was blessed to teach 3 classes on Proverbs. The titles were:
1) Wise Men Say
2) Only Fools Rush In
3) But I Can't Help Falling In Love With You

Thanks to Elvis Presley for a great theme and titles! Lesson one was about wisdom in Proverbs; lesson two about foolish behavior; and lesson three was about what Proverbs says about marraige (in Proverbs 5). The lessons went well.

Me visiting with Mr. McCoy of the McCoy Family Singers.

I was blessed to see many old friends and make many new ones. Among the old friends are two of my favorite teachers, Evertt Huffard (L) of Harding Graduate School and Jerry Rushford (R) of Pepperdine) (Below).

If you ever get a chance, attend a family camp in the summer. I'd especially like to invite you to attend Red River next summer. It is a great camp.

Tearing up the local go-carts.

Almost falling into the Red River! Man, that was close :)

Hope everyone's summer is going well!

Independence Day

2011-07-04T18:02:00.004-05:00

Independence Day

One key of America’s early economic success was the laborer’s ownership of his own produce. A farmer who raised corn, a seamstress who sewed clothing, a construction worker who built houses, and a salesman who sold what others made or grew were all able to keep the fruit of their labor. No one had a hand in the laborer’s pockets, lifting from him the profits generated by his time and sweat.

America’s early economic experience is quite unique in the annals of history. Workers in most countries are accustomed to their governments, under the guise of seeking the good of the people, lifting from their hands and bank accounts the due reward of their hard work: their money. Whether in the form of taxation or government generated inflation due to excessive debt, working men have always seen their wealth stream out of their possession and into the hands of those who run their country.

This system has always resulted in central government getting stronger, and the people getting weaker. And poorer. Until the formation of the United States of America.

The founders of America envisioned a land free from government tentacles overextending their reach and robbing the people. They knew that a citizenry allowed to keep the fruit of their labor would be economically stable, could afford to raise large families, and would be at peace in their own homeland. Their knowledge and experience of European government and banking affairs convinced them that debt, taxes and other forms of government intrusions into the health and goodwill of the people would frustrate the populace and derail the great American experiment.

So there would be no central bank. There would be no be internal, or federal, income taxes. Government would exist on a self-imposed starvation economic diet. Money would be raised chiefly through printing additional money to meet the demands of a growing population and a border tax levied upon foreign goods entering the country. American citizens would not have to endure the fear and indignity of government agents knocking on their door, inquiring about their money, and then lifting it from them.

There have been some deviations from this plan, one occurring before Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. Upon entering office Jefferson dedicated himself to purging government of its fat and excess and returning it to is original function. He terminated the central bank, the army of tax collectors, and abolished the federal income tax.

So successful was Jefferson’s efforts that upon his second inaugural address in 1805 he was able to declare, “The suppression of unnecessary offices, of useless establishments and expenses, enabled us to discontinue our internal (i.e., federal income) taxes. These, covering our land with officers, and opening our doors to their intrusions, had already begun the process of domiciliary vexation which, once entered, is scarcely to be restrained from reaching successively every article of produce and property.

The remaining revenue on the consumption of foreign articles, is paid cheerfully by those who can afford to add foreign luxuries to domestic comforts, being collected on our seaboards and frontiers only; and, incorporated with the transactions of our mercantile citizens, it may be the pleasure and pride of an American to ask, what farmer, what mechanic, what laborer, ever sees a tax-gatherer of the United States?” (Martin Larson, Thomas Jefferson: Magnificent Populist, 49-50)

America has been blessed, and these blessings have not been accidental. They are the result of the goodness of God, and of the wise and capable leadership of our early founders. They are also the result of countless men and women through the years who risked their lives in the line of duty. We thank them, and celebrate their service, on this day, July 4. Independence Day.

Warren Baldwin

Leaving, Cleaving, Weaving

2011-06-26T07:46:00.000-05:00

LEAVING, CLEAVING, WEAVING

“The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Genesis 2:23-24

No human relationship is as exclusive as that of marriage. We share parents with other siblings; we share friends with other friends; we even share our children with another parent, but we share our spouses with no one else. We share an intimate connection with our spouse that includes emotional, spiritual and physical dimensions.

The emotional need for feeling cherished, connected and fulfilled is met by our partner who greets us with a kiss and warm embrace. A l

oving gaze and approving smile received from our mate communicates appreciation. A beating or defeat received in the marketplace is more easily processed when we have a spouse to listen to our hurt with understanding and concern.

Spiritually we share a bond with our spouse that was formed in the presence and with the approval of God himself. He made man and woman for partnership so neither would be alone (Gen. 2:18). It is God who made the woman and “brought her to the man” (Gen. 2:22). When we stand before the minister at our wedding and say “I do,” we reenact this great moment when God was the officiant at the first marriage ceremony.

Photo compliments of Ashley Sisk Photograph

and Lynette Mittendorf (http://lynettemittendorf.com/

Our physical connection is fulfilled by having someone to share the passion of our heart and body. While some Christians have held a dark view of sexuality, the biblical witness is that God is the author of our bodies and passions, so they are not dirty or unholy. They can be expressed in ways that are impure and wrong, but that is our misdeed, not God’s. The full expression of love in marriage is a beautiful thing. In 1 Cor. 7 the Bible urges men and women to marry to express their passions for each other (vs.2-9).

The marital relationship is so exclusive because in no other human relationship can these emotional, spiritual and physical needs be met so fully. Friends can confirm our value, pray with us, and enrich our lives in many ways, but only in marriage can we say, with Adam “Ah, flesh of my flesh, my one and only, my true companion.”

This exclusiveness is described by three concepts we can find in Genesis 2:23-24. The first is leaving. God said a man will leave his father and mother. This doesn’t mean the relationship with our parents is severed at marriage. Parents can continue to exert a healthy presence and influence in our lives after our marriages, but, they now take second place. My grandfather emphasized this point to me when I was a teenager. “Before a man marries, his mother is the most important woman in his life. After he marries, his wife is the most important woman in his life and always will be. He’ll always honor his mother, but his wife comes first now.” While a healthy mom and dad will still be involved in their kids lives, they will exercise restraint when it comes to offering unsolicited advice and making what they regard as helpful intrusions. If they don’t exercise such restraint, the young husband and wife will have to respectfully teach them to!

Photo Compliments of Ashley Sisk Photography

The next concept is cleaving; “and be united to his wife.” Cleaving to his wife means more than a man embracing his wife in a literal hug, although it certainly involves that. He embraces her values, her thoughts, her goals, and she embraces his. Together they form a new union and family. From their embrace of each others’ lives will issue new life into the family unit.

Finally, there is weaving. “They will become one flesh.” Before the “I do” a young woman walks down the aisle with her father. After the “I do” she returns arm-in-arm with her husband, their entangled arms a metaphor for the journey that will weave their separate identities into one. All their thinking, planning and dreaming now involves two. Their joy and sadness, anger and love will be shared. They weave a new oneness with a new set of photo albums, coffee mugs and family legacy.

Warren Baldwin

What is Your Church Style?

2011-06-22T07:28:00.000-05:00

What is Your Church Style?

There are five styles of church, and any number of them might be going on in your congregation at any given time. They are ...

1) Institutional
We might not like to think that our church is institutional. But, if it has a budget, a building and staff, it is institutional. Being institutional is not a matter of name or title, but of church practice, such as what it does or doesn’t do. Institutional basically says, “Do you have an entity about which you are concerned to sustain? Do you want to remain in existence or not?”

2) Mystical
A mystical church is one that names spiritual formation as its guiding principle. People who like small groups fit into the mystical concept. Small groups develop relationships that are close, provide fellowship and are supportive. These are all important elements for spiritual formation.

3) Sacramental
Sacrament focuses on worship, the Word, and the Lord’s Supper. The sacramental model clashes with a view that worship is contemporary praise. I heard about one church that had a service that lasted for 1 ½ hrs, with 20 straight songs by the praise team. I had a friend who had lost a son who was a member there. He went to the worship leaders and asked, “When are we going to have a lament team and sing songs of lament?” This friend fell in the sacramental category.

4) Church as Herald
This model emphasizes preaching. Many years ago churches had revivals or Gospel meetings that lasted one to two weeks, with one or two hour sermons each night. The herald style of church wants to preach the good news.

5) Church as Servant
Servant churches work for social justice and community service. Some promote their members getting involved in political action for social change and justice. A servant church is big on benevolence. In Dallas one minister left preaching to develop a huge non-profit organization to provide benevolent care to the needy of the city. It operates a 12 million dollar budget.

The point about models is that very likely all five of them exist in your church and are active all the time. One or two styles may be the dominant ones, but the others are present in at least some members. Not everyone in your church comes from the same model. They are not all assessing worship or church activities from the same perspective. This can cause some dissatisfaction among members if their style isn’t honored at least occasionally, and it can cause distress for church leaders as they try to develop church worship and programming that will meet all the expectations of the members. Truth is, it can’t be done. We just have to recognize that God works through all these different styles, and the proper approach may be to incorporate elements of all of them into our worship and work.

Because people do prefer different styles of church, some congregations provide various activities on a given night. On a Sunday or Wednesday evening their members can select from several options, such as having a class or worship service, meeting with a small group, or working on a service project in the community or for a member. In this way, everyone has an opportunity to worship and serve God in a way that will resonate with their particular take on how to honor God. And hopefully, and in all the things we do, God is praised. (Note: This article is based on class notes from Dr. Charles Siburt).

Warren Baldwin

Two Types of Leadership

2011-06-20T23:13:00.000-05:00

Two Types of Leadership

Leadership isn’t demanding, coercing, manipulating, tricking, or lying to get people to do what we want them to do. No, those behaviors are better understood as demanding, coercing, manipulating, tricking or lying.

Yet, these approaches to leadership are used in every sphere of our lives. Parents often treat their children to these abuses to effect obedience. Some employers use them. I’ve even seen husbands and wives mistreat each other with these behaviors.

But, these aren’t genuine forms of leadership. True leadership demonstrates a level of respect and cooperation between the leader and the ones being led.

One form of leadership is known as the Transactional approach. Transactional leadership is “When one person takes the initiative in making contact with others for the purpose of an exchange of valued things.”

Transactional leadership says, “I’ll do something for you if you’ll do something for me.” This approach is popular in government circles where one politician will tell another, “If you vote for my bill I’ll vote for yours.” It is a trade off or a swap, value for value, favor for favor. It is not a very high level of leadership, but it does show more respect for the other party than demanding, coercing, manipulating, tricking, or lying does.

The highest approach is Transformational Leadership. The transformational approach is “When one or more persons engage with others in such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to higher evels of motivation and morality.” (The definitions of Transactional and Transformational leadership are by James MacGregor Burns)

The transformational approach is the highest form of leadership because it requires something of both the leader and the led, not in the form of swap or trade-off, but in the form of mutual growth and development.

Think for example, of a good athletic coach. The coach spends his or her time training the athletes, honing their skills, and developing their thinking. They help the athletes perform at a higher level than they ever could on their own. The coach isn’t trading time for talent; he is developing the athletic ability, and hopefully, the character of his players. And the process requires something of the coach, too: that he continues to develop his own skills, communication and character. He becomes a better person by helping his athletes become better people.

Transformational leadership can even occur among those who are on equal playing fields. Larry Bird and Kevin McHale both played for the Boston Celtics as equals. But Larry had some amazing leadership qualities. He not only pushed himself on the court to do better, he pushed his teammates. Kevin McHale once said, “Larry Bird makes us all play better.”

Politicians can resort to transactional leadership. But there are some areas of life where the only appropriate means of leadership is transformational. Think of parenting. We don’t make swaps with our children to make them obey. We develop their character by training them and modeling appropriate behavior for them. The Christian realm always requires the transformational approach. We don’t trade or barter people more completely into the image of Christ. No, we lead them into the presence of Christ, and as we do, we draw closer to him as well. That is transformational.

Warren Baldwin

Old and New Testaments

2011-06-18T07:37:00.000-05:00

Old and New Testaments

Look closely at your Bible and you’ll notice there are two sections to it, one called the Old Testament and one called the New Testament. That raises some questions for Christians who wonder what to do with this big book they carry to Bible class and church every Sunday.

What does old mean? For that matter, what does new mean? The newest part of the New Testament was written about 95 AD, making it about 2,000 years old. In a day when a computer is old at 6 months, 2,000 years seems pretty ancient, doesn’t it?

So what is the difference between the Old and the New Testaments if they are both old? I might answer that by saying I prefer the terms First Testament and Second Testament instead of the Old and New Testaments. The First Testament, or the Old one, is the story of God’s relationship with his people Israel. The Second Testament, or the New one, is the story of how his relationship with Israel was further developed in and through Jesus Christ.

So, there is a relationship between the Old and New Testaments that is deep and intimately connected. It is not a sharp break. A friend, Mark Hamilton, describes the relationship in these three ways:

One, the NT fulfills the promises of the Old, but not in a way that shuts it down. Instead, it keeps it going.

Two, there is a type and anti-type relationship. A type is something that symbolizes something else that is to come. For example, the bull that is sacrificed in the Old Testament is a type of Jesus Christ who is later sacrificed for us, Jesus thus being the anti-type, or the fulfilment, of the OT symbol. There are many things are types for Jesus.

Thirdly, there are matters of law and Gospel. But, even here, the lines of distinction are not as sharp as we have sometimes drawn them. Certainly there is law and judgment in the OT, but when God forgives David’s sin with Bathsheba, isn’t that gospel? Gospel means “good news,” and the good news is always associated with God’s forgiveness and empowering presence, and we can certainly see that in the First Testament.

To help in seeing the closeness of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, think of the ways the Old Testament shows up in the New Testament. This list certainly isn’t exhaustive, but it does show some of the ways the two testaments are in sync with each other.

1) The birth of Jesus (Isaiah 7:14).
2) The revelation of Jesus, including in the Transfiguration where Moses and Elijah appeared.
3) In a number of crisis and transition situations.
4) In the validation of Jesus’ ministry. Think of Luke 4 where Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah.
5) The vindication of his suffering. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53.
6) One more example. Adam, the first man, ushered in sin. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the second Adam, the one who brings life to all. That’s in Romans 5 and 1 Cor. 15.

This is not about law and gospel. Both the First and Second Testaments, or the Old and New Testaments, are a pattern of being that is marked by sin and redemption. The testaments are not really opposites.

Certainly what we know about Jesus Christ is revealed in the New Testament, and this document also informs what we know about responding to him, the Lord’s Supper, and how the church functions. But how richer our understanding and appreciation of all this is because also included in the Bible is a section we know as the Old Testament. (Much of this material is from the class Theological Foundations for Ministry with Mark Hamilton).

Warren Baldwin

Missional Church

2011-06-15T22:46:00.000-05:00

Missional Church

Everyone wants to know the best way to “do” church. How can we honor the current members, preserve the traditions that are important to us and even define our identity, and provide a welcoming environment to visitors and new members? Those are some tough challenges.

One approach some ministers and teachers currently advocate is something called the Missional Church approach. The missional church advocates want to revive and renew churches by connecting to the best of their identities and proclaiming the gospel. They are not in favor of simple formulas for church growth, such as mass marketing techniques, significantly altering the worship (such as, having shorter sermons), and paying undue attention to insignificant matters, such as the color of the carpet. There is a lot I don’t know about the missional church approach yet, but here are some aspects of it.

1) God needs to be the subject of our life. How much is God really a part of our lives? Let’s try paying attention to some of our conversations. How often is God the subject of our conversations? How often is he even the subject of one of our sentences? Our speech may reveal just how much of a role God really plays in our lives.

2) The missional approach places emphasis on the traditions of a church, encouraging it to work within its tradition. Tradition is not a problem to be solved but something to work with. What is so valuable about tradition? Some possibilities are: high regard for Bible, the conviction that people should work (Eph. 3:10), and the church doesn’t have the final word on what the church is - the Bible does. Traditions such as these should be honored.

3) The congregation is very important. God works in and through local churches. Our aim becomes equipping the congregation to do the work.

4) Worship is about God. Does worship also encourage Christians? Of course. So, in a sense, it is both for God and us. But in worship we do uphold the sovereignty of God and praise his name.

5) Scripture is vital. We study it and proclaim it. But, we also listen to it to bring people into the presence of God. We listen to scripture and follow where it leads us; we also listen to our brothers and sisters to discern how to bring the Word to their lives.

6) Renewal of baptism and Lord Supper is important. Baptism is our part of our response to God, following our confession of faith. Baptism into Christ unites us with our Savior and with God. It cleanses and renews us. The Lord’s Supper is a regular recognition of Christ’s sacrifice for us and a celebration of the life we enjoy in him.

7) Mission is central to a missional church. The church is about mission: serving God and leading others to him. We do that through benevolence, care and proclamation.

8) A missional church asks, “What is God doing here?” A church dedicated to God and seeking to serve him lives under the conviction that God is up to something. He is at work in the church and in our lives. Our conversation is not just, “What must I do,” or “What must I do to solve this problem,” but “What is God doing and how can I be part of that?”

Warren Baldwin

Note: These comments are notes from a D. Min. Class I am in with Dr. Mark Hamilton (pictured above on the far left), Theological Foundations for Ministry.

Types of Scripture

2011-06-13T19:25:00.000-05:00

I haven't been on the blog lately, either my own or anyone else's. I'm in the first of two 1-week seminars in Bible and ministry. This week's class is "Theological Foundations for Ministry." Below is an overview of some of today's lecture/discussion.

Types of Scripture or
Parts of the Bible

Anyone who reads the Bible will notice that not all scripture is the same. Some parts of the Bible, or scripture, tells a story. These parts are the easiest and most fun to read. “Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’” When you read that you know a story is going to follow. The first time you read it you may not know how the episode will end, but you know it will have something to do with how these two brothers interact with each other. And if you know the story, you know it isn’t good.

Other parts of the Bible read like something you might hear read in church. Think of this from Psalm 9: “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1,2). If that sounds like a little worship speech or prayer, it is.

Then there are parts of the Bible that read like insightful little sayings. “Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin” (Prov. 10:14) or “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise” (Prov. 19:20). If you guessed that these verses come from Proverbs, the book of wisdom, you are correct.

Then there are parts of the Bible that sound like they are commands: “Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight (Lev. 19:13). If these verses sound like legal edicts, they are. They commands from the OT book of Leviticus.

One more example. “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place” (Jeremiah 7:2-3). These verses are from Jeremiah, and it is a part of the Bible we call prophecy.

There are five basic types of writings in the Bible. They are,
Number one, Narrative. Another word for narrative is story. There are lots of stories in the Bible. Much of the OT and almost all of Matthew through John, the life of Jesus, is in story form. In fact, it is estimated that 40% of the Bible is story. Maybe that is one reason why the Bible is so interesting, and maybe more preaching would be interesting if we followed the scriptures and made at least 40% of our preaching be stories of the Bible.

Number 2 is Ritual. If ritual sounds like worship, it is. These parts of the Bible, like Psalms, and some of the statements in Paul’s letters, were specifically designed for worship.

The third type of scripture is Wisdom. Wisdom is instruction on how to live. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, much of James and other parts of the Old and New Testaments give statements on how to live our lives to be fruitful and productive.

The forth type of scripture is very similar to Wisdom, except that it is worded more as a command, and that is Torah or law.

Finally, there is Prophecy. We often think of prophecy as telling the future. Actually, it has more to do with the ability to critique how our lives are not in line with God, and reimagining, or preaching, about how to get back on track.

Five types of scripture. When you read the Bible later and notice how some books or passages differ from others, remember that God did that on purpose. Different types of scripture speak to different situations in our lives. The Bible is rich, and as we pour ourselves into it, and pour the Word into our own lives, we will experience some of that richness.

Warren Baldwin

Note: My blogging will continue to be spasmodic for the next month.

Next Note: Thanks to ALL OF YOU who graciously prayed for Kristin's health. She missed her last 6 weeks of high school, but still graduated with honors, and bounced back in time to go on a trip to Greece with other Fall 2011 freshman of Harding University. Her college group is visiting ancient sites, including Biblical sites, and studying the history of the area. They are also studying biblical texts connected to the sites they are visiting. Below are a couple of pics she sent back. Your prayers on her behalf last month are greatly appreciated! wb

WB