A married woman soon realizes her husband doesn’t think like she does, and that difference may create tension. A man tends to be goal-oriented and less comfortable expressing emotion. Whereas women are nurturers and long for safety and security to raise our offspring. We can multi-task. He must focus, and when he does, he won’t hear the kids fighting. The distinctions can make it hard to work together.
Let’s go back in history to learn how the creator made us. We know the story of creation. God showed Adam the animals and asked him to name them. I can imagine that. God had the male and female of every species march past him. It probably took all day for him to finish his job. Doubtless, by the time his chore was over, he came to realize he was missing his counterpart. Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18) The words ‘helper fit’ means corresponding to . We are the other half. We are opposites.
Because of our design, male and female responses vary. For instance, if we women face a new and difficult challenge, often we want hugs and encouragement. Maybe we’ll need some sympathy if the transition gets tough. Compare that to King David. He was about to die and hand the kingdom over to his son, Solomon. He said, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man.” Men don’t like sympathy. They prefer someone express confidence they can handle hard times. We don’t quite understand that.
A frustrated woman wants to vent her frustrations. If we talk to another woman, we’ll get a listening ear and comfort. Husbands will appear unconcerned about our emotions while they try to fix the problem.
Today Deane Groseclose is my guest. She is the founder of Cross Purpose Ministries and counsels people who have issues in their relationships.
How can we take our role as parents very seriously and prepare our children for the future? We should always make our priorities the same as God’s. Let’s look at the Bible to see what God has to say. He gave us two mandates. The first was the creation mandate when he established marriage. Genesis one says, “And God blessed them [man and woman], And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'” That verse has two commands. The first is to have children and the second is to exercise authority over creation. God wanted a world filled with people, just as we have today. Plus he wanted people to learn the laws of nature and utilize the world’s resources for our good. In a time when many choose not to have offspring, that’s good to know.
The second mandate is to the church in Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The command is to make disciples, a process of teaching a biblical mindset. In both the Old and New Testaments, God said he wanted a people of his own. Look at 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
How exciting to be chosen by God, to be a royal priesthood, to be part of a holy nation. Our role as Christian parents is to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus, to share the sweetness of his love.
Let’s talk about how we can fulfill that that second mandate with our children: making them disciples of Jesus.
Today I have Jeremy Lee. He’s founder of Parent Ministry and also the co-author of Pass It On, who teaches building a legacy of faith in your children.
Christmas is a time of joy, and it should be. As believers we celebrate because we understand the hope we have. Jesus died to give us eternal life. When we come to know him we have a reason to live for something bigger than ourselves.
But it also important to realize that because our world is messed up, not everyone will be happy.
For instance, men who serve in the military often struggle with PTSD, which is post traumatic stress. It’s so important for us to understand this disorder so we can offer help.
There’s also a disorder for children called Attachment disorder. A child who has this is fearful of bonding with an adult. They crave it, yet they fear it too. They don’t have appropriate social behavior with others.
Kathi Macias wrote about PTSD and Attachment Syndrome in her latest book. She shares more about both and how we can minister to our solders who struggle to adjust to life after the horrors of battle.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
The holidays are approaching fast, and it’s such a busy time. Many of us will see relatives we love and a few relatives we don’t like. For some of us, Thanksgiving and Christmas bring stress as we consider interacting with that difficult person. Today we’re here to offer some thoughts to make those times easier.
I remember what Paul said in Romans. He advised us strongly to make our bodies a living sacrifice. I don’t know if you’ve noticed the change in language these days. But you’ll hear people talk about freedom of worship rather than freedom of religion. I think that’s deliberate. People who don’t understand our faith assume everything happens inside a church, but it doesn’t. A living sacrifice doesn’t crawl off the altar. In fact, that phrase is an oxymoron. That’s like saying that’s a hot ice cube. The word sacrifice entailed death. In our case, however, we are to live all the time through Christ as if the old nature is dead. That’s or service of worship. In that same passage in Romans Paul says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Hebrews 12:14) What a huge assignment, especially with the history we bring to our families.
Today we have Counselor Judy Herman to share ideas about demonstrating God’s love to those hardest to enjoy.
How much is an individual worth? What about a woman? A child? The present administration has set up criteria to measure the worth of the individual to society. Obviously, the older you get, the more money your health care will take, which they dislike. They planned on having a board to decide who got health care and who didn’t. Elderly won’t receive care past a certain age. Based on the evolutionary standard, survival of the fittest, a person isn’t worth much. Evolutionists would view each of us as an accident of nature.
You determine worth by how much someone is willing to pay. Jesus gave his life to redeem us from sin. That makes each of us priceless.
Today we have the nightmare of human trafficking in which men entrap girls and women and enslave them for sexual pleasure. What a horror. As mothers and wives, we want our families protected and we long to see the captors freed.
Susan Coggins Norris speaks out for those in slavery, and she gives safety advice to keep us all free.
Learn more about her ministry here. Her personal page is here.
We have a strong inborn sense of justice that comes from God. You’ll hear young children say, “That’s not fair.” Or “You’re wrong.”
I’ve heard Christian leaders say we have no rights, and I strongly disagree. The OT makes it clear that we do. The Ten Commandments state that someone should not steal our possessions or speak against us. I cannot steal your money or your watch. And much of the OT laws taught proportional justice. When someone harmed you, or violated your rights, the punishment should match the crime.
For instance, if you borrowed someone’s ax and broke it, you had to replace it. Or if you borrowed a horse that died while you cared for it, you had to buy another horse for that person.
The punishment matched the crime.
Now when someone violates one of those rights, you feel harmed and want that made right. Sometimes, an apology is enough. In others restitution needs to take place. There are times when someone hurts you and the outcome is not up to you`. For instance a pastor hurt my husband once and never humbled himself to say he was sorry. It was hard to forgive that man, but it was important that I do that.
Laurie Coombs tells the story of her father’s murder and her journey toward forgiveness.
