New Braunfels Bible Church Women's Ministry

Our daughter Evie teaches at an elementary school east of Dallas. This school has had its share of challenges, but interestingly the Lord has gathered a good number of Christians to teach and work in administration there. They have done a good job of meeting various challenges. This past Tuesday this school lay in the path of the largest of many tornados that ripped through north Texas. This was a God-sized challenge, and He—no surprise—met it well.

School had just been dismissed, and Evie and her friends were preparing to leave when they received the tornado warning. They quickly decided that they were safer there than on the road. They gathered in the library along with a number of students. Then the principal opened the back door of the school and saw the huge tornado close by coming straight at them. He flew toward the library yelling and frantically ushering everyone to a safe windowless room next to the library. One mother ran into the school barefoot just before the tornado arrived. Her car was tossed...

This week we remember the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His death should never be too far from our minds. But glory, we also celebrate His resurrection! Have you thought lately through the reasons why His resurrection is such an important foundational truth? You might want to take time to enumerate some reasons before you read on. This can make them more personally yours.

As I thought about my reasons, the first thing that came to mind was “He’s alive, and I’m forgiven!” This is from a powerful song written by Don Francisco in the early 80’s. It’s about the crucifixion and resurrection from Peter’s perspective. But just the refrain is a great truth that we can claim personally.

Jesus died for our sins, and His resurrection sealed the deal. In other words, when the Father raised Jesus from the dead, He agreed with His Son that, “It is finished!” The sinless, perfect life of Jesus was the acceptable, once-for-all sacrifice for our sins. When we receive by faith the gift of His sacrifice...

Years ago when I was working with MOPS, we had a speaker on genealogy. She did not lack enthusiasm for her topic, but somehow her enthusiasm was not contagious. Eyes glazed over, heads drooped; thankfully no one snored. While much of this type of research can be done on-line today, our speaker definitely lost her audience in old cemeteries and dusty courthouse record rooms.

Young moms generally do not have the time and energy for such digging. But I told the group that at some stage their children would be likely to show a surprising amount of interest in their roots. Our daughters would spend hours in old family photo albums when they visited their grandparents.

Children also like early photos of themselves. Our younger daughter was sad because she thought we had never taken photos of her. We did, but on slide film, and we never got around to ordering prints and putting them in an album. One day, we pulled out an old forgotten suitcase full of slides. Both our girls were very happy.

I encourage...

We had a chaotic, crazy Christmas this year. Our house was full of family, and at times family of family. Our grandchildren range in age from 18-months to five years. I am still finding objects out of place on a high shelf, where a parent put them after rescuing them.

One memory we cherish is that of Pippa, age 2-and-a-half, opening gifts. Everyone’s gifts. She would deliver them to the intended recipient, but she still thought it was her job to unwrap the gift for them. If a gift was for her, her eyes would light up, and hugging it, she would exclaim, “For me? Oh my!” It was delightful, even after several repetitions.

When I sat in our communion service this past Sunday, and heard an elder read the words, “This is my body which is broken for you,” (I Cor 11:24) Pippa’s words came to mind. “For me?” Broken for me? “Oh my!” I swallowed some tears. Somehow God’s indescribable gift was especially personal to me at that moment.

Do you suppose that when Jesus endured the cross for the joy set...

Change and mobility are very much the warp and woof of our times.  Do you have an adventuresome spirit that welcomes all things new?  Or do you sometime wish things were more stable and predictable?  Maybe sometimes one, sometimes the other?

My husband and I have moved many times.  Some moves involved a whole new culture and language.  A couple times we didn’t know where we were going next.  Once we sat a table in our apartment in France feeling a bit homeless.  We had just been told that we weren’t getting the visas we’d been assured, and that we had about five weeks to get out of the country.  My eyes fell upon a bookmark we’d just received at church.  It said in French, “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  (Joshua 1:9)  How very good of our Lord to place it there!

We are now retired and hope to stay put, but we are not supposed to feel too settled and cozy in this world.  Hebrews chapter...

“Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

The prophet Isaiah penned this prophecy approximately seven hundred years before Christ.  The apostle Matthew quoted the prophecy, and added that Immanuel means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

What a wonderful name for our Savior!  Because He came in human flesh, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died for our sins, God can abide with us.  Holy God with sinful man.

Midst the frazzle and flurry of this season, it is hard to keep this focus.  Faced with tempting trappings, I ask myself again and again, “What does this have to do with the Incarnation of God’s Son, our Immanuel?”

A Sunday school teacher once told us about two prisoners of war.  They were tied back-to-back in the dirt.  One of them remembered that it was Christmas day.  He reached his hand to the side and began to write in the dirt, “Immanuel.”  A guard saw what he was doing and kicked him, erasing the word with his...

The Apostle Paul wrote from prison, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every circumstance, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”  (Philippians 4:12-13)

Many in this country are currently facing serious financial need for the first time.  Some are angry.  They want to blame someone.  They haven’t learned Paul’s secret.  Have we?  It’s definitely a challenge.

We’re rather spoiled.  At least some of us are.  My husband and I have faced some lean times, but we have never experienced the kind of poverty that much of the world knows.  We’re now living in the realm of plenty rather than need.  God’s Word warns us that spiritually this is a more dangerous place. 

It’s good for us to remember that in those lean times the Lord faithfully provided.  Friends prayed and gave.  One couple told us when they gave us very large financial...

We know that the holidays are especially hard on some.  Those who are grieving, battling depression, or facing serious need may be aggravated to read the above title.  However, if you know the Lord and have received His gift of salvation there is always much reason to give thanks.

My husband and I recently took on the task of reorganizing, purging, and shredding about 20-years of paperwork.  One thing that surfaced was the following poem.  I wrote it approximately 18-years ago after the death of my father.

In Everything Give Thanks   

In sorrow, give thanks for: the Father of mercies and God of all comfort    , His perfect love and righteousness, the sure hope of the resurrection, the prayers and comfort of friends, grace and peace

In times of need, give thanks for: Jehovah Jireh, our faithful provider, His every provision and promise, the challenge to be better stewards, every friend who cares and gives, God’s perfect timing.

In weary times,...

This blog is called “Good Things”, and today it is about one of the best things: thanking the Lord.

“It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord.”  Psalm 92:1

We should thank the Lord every day, all day, but the day our nation set aside for thanking Him is just around the corner.  In the process of writing this, I googled the history of Thanksgiving in this land.  I found it extremely interesting and somewhat checkered.  

Here are two tidbits of interest to Texans:

1) Texas is one of four states claiming the first feast of thanksgiving and praise.  In 1541 Francisco Vasquez de Coronado held a feast with the Teya Indians in the Palo Dura canyon near Amarillo.  This predates the Plymouth feast of 1621, but it was not at a permanent European settlement. 

2) In 1939, following a stressful decade, American retailers asked FDR to move Thanksgiving back a week (from the last Thursday in November) to provide more shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  President Roosevelt...

It’s very interesting to me that in God’s word, there are no perfect families.  There are a few men  that have nothing recorded to their discredit.  That’s not to say they were without sin.  That is only true of Jesus.  But some, like Joseph and Daniel, trusted the Lord and honored Him through thick and thin.

But families, no way.  Every family has a skeleton or two.  So does ours.  In fact when our younger daughter had an assignment to make a family tree for a sociology class in college, she used a double layer of poster-board and made doors that opened, some revealing a skeleton.  She got an “A.”  She and her sister both used to play my-family-is-weirder-than-your-family with college friends, and they usually won.

But both our girls called home as college freshmen to tell us how thankful they were for us, for our immediate family.  With the Lord’s help, we have been able to break the mold.  We have a great marriage and a close relationship with our girls.  They are very close also.

Some...

I really like this expression.  We tend to say, “God is good” when He answers our prayers, but in truth, He is good all the time.  He may not answer our prayers the way we want, but He always hears, and answers with our good in mind.  Sometimes He seems to be telling me, “This is not about you.  There is something else I need to deal with here.  Just trust me.”

Some are quick to say there is no God or certainly not a good and powerful one, or He would not have let some tragedy occur.  I would say that they have missed a few basics. 

First of all, from the beginning God gave man and woman free will.  This was a very courageous gift.  Man could either choose to obey, love and trust God or he could go his own way.  If he chose his own way, he would forfeit the blessing of God. 

Of course God could have created us without free will, but then we would have been puppets.  There is a huge dynamic missing from any relationship that lacks choice. 

God chose to graciously extend His love...

Some of us seem to lack the gene for order and tidiness.  It doesn’t come naturally for us to pick up, put away, stack in tidy piles, or close cupboard doors and drawers.  We may have an abundance of creativity and fun ideas, but some of these result in more mess.

This can easily reach the point of chaos.  It becomes difficult to find things.  We forget an important date–because the date book was buried. That’s why the operative phrase in our house is always, “Oh, it’s under...”  The thought of friends dropping in, not to mention one’s mother-in-law, nearly brings on an anxiety attack. 

But “God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.”  I Corinthians 14:33  Yes, I confess that I yanked this verse out of context, but it’s true and applicable here.  I have experienced the connection between peace and order in our home.

I struggle with order, but I long ago decided that it’s a desirable and worthy goal.  I bought The Messie Manual, a book of tips for confirmed but repentant “messies.”  I applied...

A friend who had recently become a grandma related to me a conversation that I love.  A friend’s little girl had said to her mom, “But Auntie Mona can’t be a grandma yet.  She doesn’t have any ruffles.”  What a delightful error in word choice.  Ruffles are always decorative.

I didn’t yet have “ruffles”, but I knew they were coming.  I remembered from Proverbs 16:31 that “the silver-haired head is a crown of glory” found in the way of righteousness.  I concluded that growing old in the Lord could be okay.  I thought about some elderly Christian women with twinkles and ruffles.  No bitter lines on their lovely old faces.

You may not experience ruffles or silver hair for many years, but tuck away the concept, and concentrate on righteousness, good relationships, and a spirit that pleases the Lord.  That’s the best way to insure that your wrinkles will be ruffles.

Tips:    Cotton knits and denim are easy care.  You can eliminate most wrinkles by throwing them in the dryer with a wet wash cloth...

I imagine that we all have interesting memories of family meals, especially those with small children present.  Our younger daughter was usually well-mannered, but she had a tendency to choke and then propel the offending article across the table.  My husband was usually across from her, and he developed a quick reflex of pulling his plate toward him.  Her range wasn’t really quite that good, but it was a natural defense maneuver.

Sandwiched between such unappetizing episodes, many good things can happen at family meals.  I can think of no better training ground for children in regard to social interaction.  They learn: to thank God for their food, to wait, to chew with their mouth closed, to say “no thank you” instead of “I don’t like...” or “I don’t want...”, to not interrupt,  to share their day and eventually their ideas, to listen to their parents share about the Lord and His ways, and to appreciate “the whole family all together”as a safe and supportive place.

With so much potential for good,...