For students to be able to study the Bible in the public school would provide a balance to their learning corresponding to all other subjects especially History, Science, and English. Instead of just a mention of the Bible in other classes, it would give students actual learning time from the TRUTH. “Isolated doctrines taken out of their biblical context do not ever make sense to modern people, because they no longer have the background to supply the context on their own.” (Nancy Pearcy, Total Truth, pg 89).

The Bible is known on public school campuses as a real book, but unfortunately really only a handful of students have actually read it for themselves. Students seem intimidated by the Bible because few have been shown how to read the Bible. When students begin to know the history behind the 66 books, the authors, the reasons it was written, and the importance of the Bible – their understanding and appreciation of it will override their intimidation. To just all of a sudden pick up the Bible and begin to read it, can lead to confusion and eventually squelch the desire to want to read it again. Students need to be taught the principles this country was founded upon which will expose the real success of this nation.

We all know that the Bible is the most widely known book ever written.  And even more interestingly, it is the best-selling book of all time as well as the best selling book year after year. Bibles are placed in all hotel rooms (thanks to the Gideon’s). Presidents and other federal officials take their oath of office with their hand on the Bible. Most students have heard about the 10 Commandments, but do they know where to find them in the Bible or even list all 10? What about the Golden Rule. Most don’t even know it is biblical. Why isn’t the Bible at the top of the list for English Teachers to require students to read and learn from… even Shakespeare refers to the Bible 1,300 times.

The article, “The Case for Teaching the Bible” in Time Magazine, David Van Biema writes, “If Literature doesn’t interest you, you also need the Bible to make sense of the ideas and rhetoric that have helped drive U.S. history. “The shining city on the hill”? That’s Puritan leader John Winthrop quoting Matthew to describe his settlement’s covenantal standing with God. In his Second Inaugural Address, Abraham Lincoln noted sadly that both sides in the Civil War “read the same Bible” to bolster their opposing claims. When Martin Luther King Jr. talked of “Justice rolling down like waters” in his “I Have a Dream” speech, he was consciously enlisting the Old Testament prophet Amos, who first spoke those works. The Bible provided the argot–and theological underpinnings –of women’s suffrage and prison -reform movements.” Van Biema ends the article by writing, “And, oh yes, there should be one faith test. Faith in our country. Sure, there will be bumps along the way. But in the end, what is required in teaching about the Bible in our public schools is patriotism: a belief that we live in a nation that understands the wisdom of its Constitution clearly enough to allow the most important book in its history to remain vibrantly accessible for everyone.”

Personally, I am enjoying learning more about the benefits of today generation learning the Bible in public schools from an educator perspective, from a U.S. citizen perspective, but most importantly from being the daughter of the King perspective. I have lots more to learn. If any of you have an opinion or have actually studied the Bible as Literature in school please share your experience.

God has used Deuteronomy 6:4-9 in many different times in my life, but today it jumps off the page in a fresh, prayerful way. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

To God be the glory!

My eyes have been opened just a little bit more, and my mind has been stretched tremendously as I read Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from It’s Cultural Captivity, by Nancy Pearcy. Couldn’t put the book down, nor did I want to return it to the library. Pearcy is a scholar of Francis Schaeffer and specializes in the subject of Christian worldview. Even though I couldn’t understand about 30% of the book, I still appreciated her writing style…as I didn’t come away feeling stupid, she made me want to learn more.

What I have been anxious to share with you is a portion of her historical research and findings during the First and Second Great Awakenings concerning churches and evangelicalism. I hope you think it to be as fascinating as I did! Pearcy writes:

“So when you think of the frontier, think Dodge City. As Finke and Stark write, you should picture ‘towns filled with male drifters, gamblers, confidence tricksters, whores, and saloon keepers, and without churches, schools, or respectable women.’” 

“The question facing the Christian churches, then was how do you make an effective religious appeal to such uncivilized, rough-hewn people? How do you bring religion to Dodge City? And the answer is that you do exactly what the Methodists and Baptists did in the revival movements: You grab people by the throat with an intense emotional experience to persuade them of the power of the supernatural – then you tell them to stop drinking, stop shooting each other, and live straight.”

“This kind of intense emotional conversion experience is exactly what the camp meetings of the First and Second Great Awakenings aimed to produce. No profound teaching, no high church ceremonies, no theological subtleties, no solemn hymns. Instead the revivalists used simple, vernacular language and catchy folk tunes, delivered with lively theatrics to catch people’s attention and move their emotions. Evangelical preachers broke with the older patten of using sermons to instruct, and began to use their sermons to press hearers to a point of crisis, in order to produce a conversion experience. Instead of talking about a gradual growth in faith through participation in a church, evangelicals began to treat a one-time conversion event as the only sufficient basis for claiming to be a Christian.”

Next, Pearcy writes about the “bad news” concerning these types of camp meetings:

“First, the focus on an intense conversion experience was highly effective in bringing people to faith. But it also tended to redefine religion in terms of emotion; while contributing to a neglect of theology and doctrine and the whole cognitive element of belief. This tendency does enormous damage by reinforcing a conception of Christianity as a noncognitive upper-story experience. Second, the use of vernacular language and simple folk songs was highly effective in reaching ordinary people. But the revivalists often went much further practically wearing their ignorance on their sleeves, as though being theologically educated equated with being spiritually dead. One of their favorite themes was poking fun at the educated clergy ‘back east’. Finally, revivalism led to a new model of leadership. The pastor was no longer a teacher who instructs a covenanted congregation, but a celebrity who is able to inspire mass audiences.”

As Pearcy studied and wrote about Christian worldview, questions arose as to why this was such a difficult message to communicate. She explains, “What are the mental barriers people have against worldview thinking? Why have evangelicals accepted a largely privatized faith? I began digging into books on evangelicalism and as I identified various paradigms from the past, all the pieces fell into place. Many of the trends we confront today were characteristic of the evangelical movement right from the  beginning , and if we trace them down from colonial times, they come alive as never before. Often we do not recognize patterns even in our own thinking unless we gain some outside vantage point, just as fish can’t tell you what water is, because it is all the fish has ever known. Getting a historical perspective is like going up high for an aerial shot, and as we look down through the scope of time we can detect various trends unfolding gradually, which makes them much easier to recognize – and gives us insight into our own time as well. After all, we are heirs to more than 200 years of American history, and these inherited habits of thought shape our ideas and practices today.”

Wow!! So good…

Lord, open my spiritual eyes to see my life from Your perspective. Reveal to me ways/sins/attitudes that I have in which I don’t even recognize as being harmful to myself, my walk with You, and to my family. Open our spiritual eyes as the Body of Christ to reveal ways/programs/attitudes that would hinder the Kingdom of Light. May You be glorified!

Amen.

I am home today (not subbing) while my 3 daughters are getting even more brilliant being at school! On my days off I usually like to spend the majority of the day writing, doing research, and hearing from God as I am now in the beginning stages of writing my third Bible study. The other part of my day I like to spend exercising and cleaning! Am I not just the most fun person you have ever met?! The house has been quiet today except for the rattling of my dog’s collar as she follows me around the house or the snoring of her sleeping. Sometimes I like to listen to the radio when I write, other times it has to be quiet. Today is a quiet kind of day knowing my daughters are soon to be arriving off the bus with many a tales to be told including who wore what, who said what, who ate what, which teacher said what, and how hot the bus was!

In the middle of my what others would deem as a boring day (but never to me), I came across a cute little notebook of one of my girls. I noticed there were some lyrics written in it, but I paid no attention to it as I had my own writing to get busy doing. After lunch, and as I was doing dishes, I decided to see exactly what was in the notebook. I then burst into complete out loud laughter. Don’t you just love it when your children surprise you with something you didn’t know about them?!

I will tell you what was written. I am suspecting it was written by my youngest and middle daughter as they have a sense of humor only they share. But first, you need to be aware of the song by Bruno Marrs called “Just the Way You Are”. The song is about a guy telling a girl that she is amazing just the way she is and that he wouldn’t change a thing about her. I’m sure you all have heard it (all 5 of you who read my blogs )! It is a fabulous song!

Anyway…this is what made me burst into laughter:

“When I see your face, there’s a whole lot of things I would change. Cuz girl your soooo ugly, it comes naturally. Her laugh, her laugh, sounds like a cranky, old lady. Her smile, her smile, crooked and a whole lot of yellow. Her eyes, Her eyes, full of bags and a whole lot droopy. Your sooo ugly and I tell her everyday. When I see your face I feel like I’m in a scary place cuz girl you are sooo ugly, it comes naturally.”

I promise my girls are not the “mean girls” you read about in the magazines…they are just silly with a quirky sense of humor! I’m glad they gave me some comic relief amidst a very serious day. Thanks girls!!

Also, think about the social media…it is about making a statement regarding what you are doing or thinking at the moment. The focus is normally all about yourself. I use facebook and twitter so this post is not about bashing either one or of bashing today’s technology.

As I think about prayers, I know that most of them are consumed with “I” statements/wants/desires/needs. I, too, am guilty of consuming my prayer times with who I am and what I want.

I ran across a passage of Scripture yesterday. It is in Luke 1:46-55. Mary, the mother of Jesus, had just been told by the angel Gabriel that she had been found to have favor with God, that the Holy Spirit was going to come upon her, she would be with child, and give birth to a Son she was to name Jesus. The angel also informed her that a relative, Elizabeth, would also bear a son in her old age. Mary then hurries to the home of Elizabeth where Elizabeth blesses Mary and the baby in her womb.

I can’t help but think of what an incredible moment this was for Mary. How she could have declared to Elizabeth and anyone else she visited how amazing she,herself, was. That the God of the universe chose her! If there was a “look at me!” moment in all of history, I think this one could win hands down. She could have put as her status all the many reasons why she was the one chosen to be favored of the Lord. But do you know what she has a list of? Instead of an “I” list, she has a “He” list. Check it out:

“And Mary said: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as He said to our fathers.”

Then I found this next Scripture…which sums it all up in such a cool way…John 3:30. It says, “He must become greater; I must become less.”

Let’s consume our prayers with more “He” and less with “I“!

What if the “other world” that scientists, astrologers, and people in general are looking for- the place where life supposedly exists on another planet…is actually the deep-seated longing for heaven?

I was surprised when I would substitute in science classes in the public school what was taught. To me, it seems out of place or rather outdated to still be teaching evolution as well as the “Big Bang Theory”. The theory that the earth is millions of years old is ludicrous. I watched a science video as I subbed at the High School this past spring in a Zoology class about mammals, specifically Gorillas in Africa. The narrator was informing us about how the land and trees and the size of Africa had had a change in the environment that was possibly caused because at one time the crust in the earth shifted, therefore; causing a flood which made the landscape change and become smaller. (I think that video was called “Food for Thought”.)

I watched another video in a Physics class about “dark matter”. The whole 1 hour video was concentrated on physicists trying to capture “dark matter” to analyze in order to prove its existence. Right now physicists rely on the theory of “dark matter” to conclude why things hold together in space. To prove gravity is working against another force – scientists came up with the name “dark matter” to explain that even though they can’t see the matter- something has to be there, albeit, invisible which allows the galaxies to hold together. Millions of money and years have been spent to literally capture “dark matter” in a “jar” to prove it is real, but has yet to be obtained. In the mean time, the scientists work on their ping-pong game (no joke!).

How can the public school still teach and instruct our students to believe in something that has yet to be proven including evolution?

The existence of God has evidence everywhere! Even the hearts of man!

The scientists, zoologists, physicists, and anyone else looking for life on another planet can actually not just discover this world, but supernaturally be a citizen in the “other world” by accepting God’s Son, Jesus Christ, as his/her personal Savior!

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21

So…as I was subbing in a 5th grade class the last week of school, the teacher left a movie for us to watch. It was one I hadn’t seen before or even heard of. The movie was Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. (You can watch a trailer for it by clicking on the the hyperlink if you haven’t seen it.) Basically the movie is about a magical toy store where the toys/books come to life. Natalie Portman is the main character who inherits the store and through the character played by Jason Bateman saves the store from financial ruin. I’m not into magic, so I didn’t really like the movie although it is clean and entertaining. It is not one I would own. Personally, I believe anything magical is a counterfeit of Satan. You may say that is a little extreme and what’s so wrong with a  little childish make believe. Magical is more than a child’s imagination. To me, it involves mystery and wonder and powers. If something is magical and cannot be explained especially to a child to understand, I am not for that. I would rather spend my time pointing a child to the mystery, wonder, and powers of God Almighty as opposed to some unseen force! Never would I ever associate magical with God or even faith in God. God is supernatural as well as our faith in Him; it is of His Holy Spirit who is a person of the trinity.

Anyway…as I was watching the movie, my spiritual eyes saw something. I will try to explain. In a scene, a customer in the toy store is looking for a fire truck for her grandson, and she asks the store manager (Natalie Portman) where she can find the fire truck. The store manager then gets out an enormous book and begins to think out loud whether she wants to look in the big book under “E” for engine or “F” for fire truck. She runs her fingers along the side of the book and asks the book for a fire truck. When she opens the book smoke comes out, and on top of the pages out pops the fire truck her grandson wanted. Customer asks, “How did you do that?” Store manager replies, “I didn’t do anything. The book is magic.”  After I watched the scene unfold, my spirit within me was awakened and I saw on screen exactly the way I feel about the Bible. Actually, it isn’t just the way I “feel”…it is what the Bible is…alive, real, and relevant for today. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

I want to be like the store manager in the movie. Through the teaching of God’s Word, I want to reveal the wonders, the mysteries, and the power of God and His holy Word to others. Just like she replied that it wasn’t her…so I too know it isn’t me, but the power of God Himself speaking truth into one’s soul and spirit. I am just the vessel. The stories in the Old Testament are so far from boring and are not so familiar that they lose its power or mystery. Can’t you just see the stories come to life as you turn the pages of the Bible. You could see Noah’s ark surviving the rain and preserving those in it, Moses turning the river into blood, God writing on the tablets of stone, Jericho walls falling, David playing the harp, Naomi meeting Boaz for the first time, Nehemiah with calvary on his way to help the Jews in Jerusalem, Jonah being ejected from a big fish, and the list could go on and on!

God has so graciously given us the Holy Spirit who reveals the mysteries of God. As you and I spend time alone with God reading His Word, may it come alive and minister to you and me! Pray as David did, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”

My discussion with my Dad then turned to the church.  He mentioned the long standing disagreements with the Baby Boomers and the Generation Xers about the type and style of music being sung in worship. That’s just the beginning of many changes we have witnessed over the past 20 years. Another point my Dad brought up was the lack of theology being passed down to the Millennials. I have to totally agree with him. It seems the Word is being watered down to a form of entertainment based teaching. I have to ask myself How will the lack of good, solid, foundational teachings of pure theology affect this future generation relationally, spiritually, intellectually, and morally? Personally speaking,I believe 100% that the reason I am still in a relationship with my Creator, my Heavenly Father, is based entirely on those foundational truths taught to me in my preteen through college years!

Read what George Barna says in, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions:

“Have you noticed that these days there is little sense of spiritual heritage that gets passed from one generation of believers to the next? Select almost any section of the Old Testament and you encounter stories about what was done in the past by the person’s spiritual forefathers. These days we barely know our relatives, much less what they believed and how they lived their lives in light of God’s Word and calling. The result is that each generation feels as if it is reinventing Christianity – and a lot of spiritual wisdom and truth gets lost in the process.”

Isn’t that such a thought provoking statement…”reinvent Christianity”!

Now read an insight from David Platt in Radical Together as he is contemplating vision within churches:

“More than you and I want people to be impressed by the stuff we can manufacture, we want them to be amazed by the God they cannot fathom. More than we want to dazzle them with our production, we want to direct them to his praise. And the last thing we want to do is raise up people who are casual in the worship of God as they sit back and enjoy their lattes. Instead, we want to raise up people who are so awed, so captivated, so mesmerized by the glory of God that they will gladly lose their lattes- and their lives – to make His greatness known in the world.”

May it not be that the next generation’s “reinventing of Christianity” be one that is “casual in the worship of God”!

Last Saturday, April 2, I was given the opportunity to speak at the Cimarron Baptist Association’s Ladies Retreat near Pawnee, OK. I had never been to Pawnee before and thoroughly enjoyed the drive early Saturday morning away from the city life and off to the countryside. I absolutely love the wide open spaces of Oklahoma with the cows crazing on the horizon and ponds here and there making the view so picturesque. I like to take a drive by myself. I crave the silence. I use those times to converse with my Heavenly Father as He then becomes my Traveling Partner. He doesn’t whine about the temperature being too hot or too cold. He never nags about needing something to eat to drink. He is never in a hurry to be where we are going. He seems to just sit back, relax, and soak up the time together. I happen to believe, also, that He enjoys the music as I sing my heart out to Him.

I arrived at the campgrounds where the retreat was just beginning. The parking lot was full just as my spirit was in anticipation for my time with these ladies who had given up their usual Saturday morning routine to come together and worship God. As I walked in the room where the tables were decorated and the ladies were busy chatting and sipping coffee, the Lord spoke these words to me, “These are hard-working women”. I understood why He spoke these words to my spirit. I never told the ladies what He said about them. I regret that, but suspect they already knew it about themselves.  I needed to hear it about them because I knew I was about to challenge them in their spiritual lives. We as women can work diligently and forcefully in our academics, motherhood, as wives, domestically, professionally, and even…religiously. And yet when it comes to our spiritual lives we can unfortunately comfortably resign to a “lazy boy” mentality.

This next generation coming up on our heels desperately needs older women and men to invest not only our money, time, wisdom, and talent, but most importantly invest ourselves spiritually through prayer and being a spiritual role model. This generation, known as the Millenials, is looking for authentic, real, honest, older men and women to guide them in their decisions and to be involved in their day-to-day lives. This generation has multiple messages thrown at them to such an extent that they don’t even recognize just how confused they really are.

I believe these “hard-working women” will rise to God’s challenge over them. I could tell they were on the edge of their seats ready and willing to use their God given garments of salvation, robes of righteousness, and uniquely jeweled tiara’s to build God’s kingdom even if it meant they got a little dirty. All the women were so gracious and friendly. I enjoyed their sweet melodies, creative drama, and unbelievably delicious lunch.

One woman in particular, Doris, blessed me with her words. She looked me in the eyes and spoke with authority saying, “Jennifer, keep doing what you are doing. You are on the right path.” It didn’t really hit me until later as I drove away how meaningful those  words were to me.

God is so merciful. He may use you to speak life-giving words into someone today or this week. Don’t pass up the opportunity to bless someone with uplifting, encouraging words. Thanks, Doris, for your example.

Officially it is spring! My whole being rejoices in the newness of spring. Even though the temperatures this weekend don’t reveal the new season…the calendar does!

One day last week I got to soak up some sun by sitting on my back porch enjoying the warmth of the sun. I marveled as I took in the sights of the new grass growing, perennials blooming, and green leaves barely making their appearance on the bare tree branches. I was reminded of something I had written several years ago about spring. As I was going through the files in my computer, I found what I had written! It is very simply written, and I want to share it with you.

It is the second week of March. Spring is showing visible signs of emergence. Green blades of grass stick up among the bleak deadness of the winter grass. Daffodils have bloomed showing off their brightness of color amongst the bare tree limbs. Pear trees have begun budding. New growth of mums, daisies, and other perennial flowers have appeared still surrounded by the fall’s dead leaves. The birds are singing angelic songs as they abundantly find worms after the rain. Spring is in the air. The wind is 20 degrees warmer and with it come the spring allergies. The warmth of the sun is mightily felt especially without the distraction of the below freezing temperatures. What was once is no more. Hope is surely on the horizon. Dreams of school being out, swimming in pools, tanned skin, picnics, and long evenings playing outside are just a breath away. No more ice storms, snowmen, snow angels, drinking hot chocolate by the fire, or winter coats and scarves. The best is yet to come. I will endure the next winter months knowing days like today will come again. The green symbolizes the restored, rebuilt, made new, and even better than before person I can be in Christ and through Him alone. It is a promise that hope is not lost, that grace is found, and His love endures forever.

As Tulsa and surrounding towns of Oklahoma have come through the worst winter storm in it’s history in February with 15+ inches of snow falling in less than 24 hrs….I wonder what storm/season you are coming out of in this particular time in your life personally or corporately as the body of Christ? We can say we have survived the worst! Whatever next winter brings…we will survive. God is for us. God is on our side. God is our Commander in Chief. He is the Weatherman:)

God, You are enough! With You, I have everything I need. I have all I want and could ever wish for. You fulfill my deepest desires. You satisfy me. You cover me with your grace and sustain me. You move me. You meet me. Reveal Yourself to me! To You be the glory! Amen.

The Lord has opened the door for me to be a substitute teacher for Broken Arrow Public Schools as well as Summit Christian Academy. I began the school year subbing and have subbed everyday since. I never really saw myself back in the classroom or gym (as I have my P.E. certification), but amazingly I like it. I had envisioned the classroom full of students completely draining me and me not having the skills to maintain an orderly classroom. As both of those are still true, what I hadn’t imagined was the energy and confidence I have gained from the students. They inspire me, make me laugh, make me appreciate my own children, teach me, and give me hope. Since I have enjoyed the classroom so much more than I anticipated, I am currently studying to pass the English certification test coming up in April. This will give me the opportunity to be qualified for more than just a P.E. position in the public or private schools.

Randall House Publishers will be releasing my second Bible study, Back From Captivity, early next month. This study is for men & women college age and older. It is about rebuilding your identity in Christ. I look forward to its release and believe the Lord has ordained it for prodigals who have recently made the journey back to their Heavenly Father. My hopes is that it will be a tool for counselors to use in their counseling sessions.

I would love to write a third book as the Lord leads. My subject I would love to write on is beauty. But, for whatever reason, I am not moved to sit and write the book just yet. Actually, I haven’t moved on from my research from Back From Captivity which concentrated on the book of Jeremiah. I am going back through Jeremiah and reading/studying it in its chronological order and not in the order it is as we see it in the Bible.  The history of the book is truly fascinating. Then, the fact that it relates to God’s people even now, is even more fascinating. Just this morning, I read Jer.6:15, “Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush.” I always hate it when speakers/preachers tell us statistics and realities of the church as it relates to how the church looks like the world. I pray I be one to shine God’s light amidst the darkness and not conform to it.

My girls are doing fabulous. Growing so pretty everyday. We are about to begin a new soccer season where I will be spending my evenings as their chauffeur and juggling to get a nutritious meal on the table. As I write this, it is hard to imagine anyone playing soccer in Broken Arrow. Two days ago we got a record breaking 15 inches of snow! And it is all still on the ground as the high for the past 2 days has been 18 degrees. We have had a lot of family time since the snow and don’t really see an end to it as of yet. 

I do, however, see an end to this post! I will leave you with the truth of God’s Word as it has come alive to me as I gaze out my window onto the massive amounts of snow everywhere. “‘Come now, let us reason together’, says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’” Isaiah 1:18.