Words of the Wise

Lately my 11 year old daughter and I have been talking about biblical femininity on our date time. This week we made a list of the things in our domains. This was a totally new concept to her and a needed "refresher" for me.

We looked at our relationships, time, body, finances, words and a few other areas. My dear daughter said she did not realize she had a domain since she is not a property owner. What a great understanding to know you are responsible and can have influence! It can be liberating or convicting.

For myself, I felt the Holy Spirit nudge about one area specifically. Words. I am fluent in another language other than English: sarcasm. Yup. Lately it has hit me that not everyone is fluent in sarcasm and often it is misunderstood by those not familiar with the nuances. I should have clued into this 16 years ago shortly after getting married. I'm a slow learner.

So today I looked at Proverbs specifically addressing words and their use.

Proverbs 12:18 There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 13:3 The one who guards his mouth protects hi life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

Proverbs 14:29 A patient person shows great understanding, but a quick tempered one promotes foolishness.

Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away anger but a harsh word stirs up wrath.

Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness.

Proverbs 15:4 The tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue breaks the spirit.

Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge, but not so the hearts of fools.

Proverbs 15:28 The mind of the righteous person thinks before answering, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil things.

Obviously there are a lot more I could have referred to, but is also clear from these that the tongue is a powerful tool and there is a wise and foolish way to use it. I'd have to do more searching but I don't believe Jesus was ever sarcastic though his words were harsh at times.

All this made me resolve to be slow to speak and not to use any sarcasm for 1 month! Maybe longer, but for now I'll focus on breaking the habit. I will rule my domain for Him.

When I told my daughter about what I had learned and my resolution she commented how sometimes sarcasm comes easily to her. Yes, I think all my kids learned it from me. How convicting! Better to set the example and stop it now than later. I think this is one reason God gave us kids, to humble ourselves.

I should add it is Thrusday and therefore a Thankful Thursday post is in order. I am profoundly thankful for this daughter and her desire for God. I am humbled that God trusts me to raise her.

The picture is her holding her cousin.

Orphan in Eastern Europe

A dear friend of mine adopted their daughter (who has some health needs) from Eastern Europe. However, their daughter has a biological brother in the same orphanage who is currently 6 years old and has some mental special needs. They were unable to adopt him at that time. Very soon (infact the state is already pushing for yesterday) the boy will age out of the orphanage and be moved to an institution where he will no longer be available for adoption nor will he receive the special care his condition requires for him to thrive. There is plenty of money and grants to help pay for this adoption if someone is willing and able to move ahead immediately. If you or someone you know is interested in adopting this beautiful child of God, please contact me!

Adrian Rogers Quote

"You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."** Adrian Rogers

Christian: Wake Up!

Obama has appointed Kevin Jennings, founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), to the position of Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

First of all, let me point out I am not against gay people holding office. This is not a "gay-hate" tirade. What I am concerned about is President Obama's choice in appointments and what it means for children in America.

Mr. Jennings has said "F--k 'em" speaking of the religious right while in a church. If anyone in the religious right had made the same comment about gays it would be called "hate speech" and that person would certainly not have any public respect let alone office. But Mr. Jennings is demonstrating the new norm he wants to push into all schools. Hetero is out and homo is in. Say anything derogatory about Christians but respect gays.

Keeping the above in mind as you prepare your children for school this year, read this lesson from history quoted from my husband's latest book.

"In the 1400s a weakened Christian culture found itself under constant attack by a growing Muslim culture. As Amurath I, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, conquered more and more territory, he decided that if one-fifth of the spoils of battle were the Emperor's share, he should also have a right to one-fifth of the captives.

Amurath instructed his troops to choose the smartest and strongest of the sons of Christian families he had captured. These boys-as young as seven years of age-underwent training in everything from agriculture to statesmanship.

Many Christian parents voluntarily turned their sons over, treating such slavery as a "scholarship" that would guarantee food, supervision, and education to their children. What they didn't seem to realize -or just ignored-was that the young men were being indoctrinated into a fanatical ideology and shaped into a brutal fighting force. They were called the Janizaries.

Over time, the power of the Ottoman Empire grew, while that of eastern Christianity declined. In 1453, hordes of Muslim Ottoman Turks surrounded Constantinople, the seat of the Eastern church. Sultan Mehmet II, a ruthless and shred commander just 23 years old, led the siege with 100,000 troops, including 70,000 trained infantry and cavalry, 20,000 skirmishers known for their love of raping and looting, and 10,000 Janizaries.

A mere 7,000 troops rallied to the defense of Constantinople. They were well trained and desperate to protect their families, but weeks of pounding attacks made Mehment's victory inevitable.

Just as the exhausted defenders steeled themselves for Mehmet's final onslaught, they were frozen by the blood-curdling screams of thousands of young voices: Mehmet had unleashed the elite Janizaries. These young warriors swarmed against the walls, found a breach and charged through, wreaking havoc and slaughter.

The Janizaries had no idea-or didn't care-that their swords were drenched with the blood of their own families.

Someone will train the next generation. The question is who and for what purposes." (Handoff by Jeff Myers, 2008) http://www.passingthebaton.org/order.html

Marriage - Part 5

I wasn't going to write a "Part 5" unless it was really necessary per comments. But....I decided this quick addition would help with clarification.

Considering the previous 4 posts on marriage this may not come as a surprise. I am not in favor of the state granting homosexual marriage. That said, I don't think the state should have ever gotten into the business of validating marriage in the first place. The state should back out of deciding who can marry or granting marriage license. It is an area where the state has overstepped the bounds of the church.

Marriage- Part 4

There is a lot here today.

Rules are only meaningful if they come from the correct authority. For instance, if I wrote on a piece of paper "brown haired people may only drive 35 miles per hour." Would anyone follow my rule? Okay, okay, enough laughing. I'm not vain enough be believe anyone would even care about my rule because I don't have the authority to give nor enforce such a rule. If the U.S. Congress passed legislation that said "brown haired people may only drive 35 miles per hour" then most of you would take notice. The Congress has the authority to make laws for the land of these United States and the Supreme Court has the authority to enforce them.

Since this is my Father's world, He has complete authority to govern, which is why the first 3 blogs on marriage were used to clarify God's original creation of marriage. There are things such as marriage and murder which God has made strong statements on regarding how we should live. There are areas God has given much freedom, too, such as what we eat.

Some would say "Jesus didn't say much about marriage and if it was so important don't you think he would have said something?" Jesus didn't say much about rape or incest but I don't hear anyone fighting to make those legal. However, Jesus did very often say "I come to do the will of my Father...", "I always do the will of my Father...", and even before the cross saying "not what I will, but what You will." He was under the authority of the Heavenly Father as we are today.

Jesus' life did not negate the teachings of the Old Testament, but rather fulfilled it's prophecies and teachings.

If marriage is based merely on the constructs of society, the is no reason to keep the state from permitting virtually any marital union. Two brothers could get married, a parent and child, a grandfather and granddaughter, and possibly a person and their favorite pet. However, is marriage is based on something outside of society, there must be truths outside of ones preferences that dictate actions.

I can almost hear it now. Someone saying "that is all nice for you, Danielle. But who are you to judge?"

First I will point out that it is not my judgment because I am most certainly not the moral standard. It is the Word of God in the Bible that I am pointing toward as the standard.

However, I think the real statement behind that question is "you have no right to make moral judgments about individuals because every person has different convictions and we should each be allowed to live according to our own convictions. Morals are individual."

My answer to that is in the words of Francis Beckwith, "I most certainly do have the right to make moral judgments. I am a rational human person who is aware of certain fundamental principles of logic and moral reasoning. I think I am qualified. Your claim that I have no right to make judgements is itself a judgment about me. Your claim, therefore, is self-refuting."

"If there are no objective moral rules, however, there can be no rule that requires tolerance as a moral principle that applies equally to all. In fact, if there are no moral absolutes, why be tolerant at all? Why not force my morality on others if it's in my self-interest and my personal ethics allow it?"(Beckwith, Koukl)


In the movie, The Quarrel, main characters Hersh and Chiam are childhood friends who are reunited after WWII. Hersh says to Chiam, "if there's nothing in the universe that's higher than human beings, then what's morality? Well, it's a matter of opinion. I like milk; you like meat. Hitler likes to kill people; I like to save them. Who's to say which is better.

"Do you begin to see the horror of this? If there is no Master of the universe, then who's to say that Hitler did anything wrong? If there is no God, then the people that murdered your wife and kids did nothing wrong."

Without God, there can be no evil, no tolerance, no praise.

I believe the individualism that has grown in America has found it's downfall. The rights of the individual have been promoted so ardently that we, as a country have forgotten there are greater goods, laws and ultimately God that are bigger than our individual desires.

I look forward to more as this dialogue continues.