Godly masculinity update!

After a move, a rush to get the semester school done, and numerous family activities, I am now getting back to blogging. The direction of the next blog post will be, what I think, is my greatest enemy as I strive to imitate Christ and His holiness.  It will be written from my perspective and will include the struggles of Godly men throughout bible times.

Hint: This adversary is an extremely formidable foe. It came upon Adam before he allowed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, it came upon Samson before he seriously compromised his nazarite vow, David before he committed the despicable with Bathsheba, and Solomon before he was drawn astray by his many foreign wives. Its inanimate nature expresses itself quite animately in my life everyday.

An extensive biblical analysis on my greatest enemy is coming up next...

Genesis 1-3 Femininity and Masculinity

I recently have been challenged by a couple good friends of mine to defend biblical femininity as commanded by God in his Word.

As I go through this biblical analysis I want to say that my position on biblical femininity has changed over the past few years. I would have aligned more with feminist teaching but God has since reformed my position.

I would like to first state my presuppositions:

1. I believe that God's word (both OT and NT) is fully sufficient to govern the totality of life.
2. I believe that God's word is inerrant.
3. I believe that God is sovereign, immutable, and eternally faithful.

If we can't agree with these three presuppositions, than this analysis will be of little value.

Genesis 1:26-28

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. 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.”

The first few things to notice are the whole purpose of man and woman in God’s creation. This has been called the dominion mandate and explains that man is superior to all the other creation because he is made in God’s image. It also is the first command to propagate even before God created man or woman.

Genesis 2:16-17

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

God established the first moral law with clear consequences for disobedience. This command was given exclusively to Adam before The woman was formed. I will explain later why this is significant.

Genesis 2:18-25

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature,that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.

But for Adam there was not found 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.

Many things can be noted about this passage of scripture regarding biblical femininity. This is the first time God was dissatisfied with His creation. Everything else was good or, in the case of mankind, very good. However, God knew man was not complete without woman. Another important feature is that woman was made from man. Thus, the two together form one complete being or one flesh.

Isn't is amazing that man broke into song when he saw his beautiful bride? This was, however, before the fall and before standards of modesty were necessary. This is because nakedness was shameless even glorious. God’s creation was the epitome of perfection.

If this were the end of the story then we would not need to study biblical femininity. Sadly, it is not.

Genesis 3:1-7

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

I mentioned earlier that God commanded Adam and not the woman regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is important because it shows that there was a communication gap between Adam and the woman. Notice the woman’s words and compare it to the command given to Adam.

The woman allowed Satan to sow seeds of doubt and dissatisfaction in her heart. She added “neither shall you touch it” which was not included within the command. And where was Adam during this discourse that would change the course of humanity? God tells us that he “was with her”. Wow!

Genesis 3:8-10

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

We also need to notice that after the fall, shame came along with the sin tainted creation. Adam and the woman were still together as before but now nakedness was shameful. This is the first principle behind the necessity of modesty for both sexes.

The second thing about these few verses is the call by God. Whom did he call? If God knew that the woman had sinned first, since He is omniscient, why didn’t He call her? Or did Adam sin first? The reason is because Adam was supposed to be her spiritual and physical protector and was ultimately responsible for her fall and his failure to protect her from satan. (This conclusion is not clear here but later is proven from other passages) We all know what happens next…

The curse:

Genesis 3:16-19

To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

The curse on the woman and the curse on the man drastically changed the relationship between men and women. Now, women will have a strong desire for their husband and to be married.

Second, God proclaimed a curse on both men and women that would greatly increase pain and suffering fulfilling their dominion purpose.

Third, as Ephesians echoes, the husband is the head of the wife. The other thing to notice is how God introduces the curse on men. “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife…” It is clear that Adam was supposed to be her spiritual protector but instead listened and also ate the forbidden fruit.

I think it is important to take inventory of what we have gleaned from Genesis regarding biblical femininity.

1. God created man and woman to have dominion over the created order

2. God created and designed men and women for the very purpose of propagation

3. Woman was created from man and to be a helper for man

4. God designed men to be incomplete and lonely without woman

5. Modesty standards were not applicable and purposeless before the fall

6. Woman was deceived first but God went straight to the man

7. Women will strongly desire their husband and he is ruler over her

8. The curse on woman greatly increased pain fulfilling her dominion purpose

9. God emphasized man’s irresponsibility and pathetic protection over his wife

10. God Himself introduced modesty through the act of clothing the man and woman

If God had only given us the first three chapters of Genesis, we shouldn’t have any problem understanding biblical femininity and masculinity. However, God chose to provide us with additional examples of Godly and ungodly image bearers throughout scripture.

By measuring these examples with God’s purposes for creating men and women, we can ascertain which examples exhibit true biblical femininity and masculinity.

An Inspiring Psalm

Psalm 18

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, [2]
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27 For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

43 You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.

46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.

49 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50 Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

Finding Joy among the Unexpected

If you will forgive me. This is the second post about our trip to Michigan almost 2 months ago!

I want to begin by thanking my wonderful Mother and amazing sister, Kayla, for their tremendous cheerfulness and forbearance modeled this 23rd of June 2010.

After a delicious feast and a sad farewell, we left Lansing, Michigan very near 1 p.m. Glancing at the gas tank, we decided to begin with a full tank. While at the station, I also performed a quick fluid and tire checkup and made sure "Old Charley" was in tip top shape!

The next couple hours was spent reading Prince Caspian to Kayla, substantial discourse, and finishing up a message by Paul Washer entitled The Glory of God in Ministering to the Lord.

Some discussion topics included:

•  The state of the Union
•  The battle for the sanctity of life and marriage
•  The growing neglect of the Bible as sufficient for all life
•  Biblical parenthood responsibilities
•  Time management
•  Cultivating biblical manhood and womanhood
•  Avoiding common snares that distract Godly growth
•  Responsibilities and qualities of Godly Husbands and Wives
•  Finding biblical life direction among cultural lies

What fun! :)

Granted, not all of these topics were covered in the first couple hours. Many happened later.

Later that afternoon I called an upright man who has been my prayer partner and mentor for almost a year now. I was driving at the time and noticed a guy in a grey suburban yelling at us. I didn't know what he was saying. My first thought was that he was just another one of those "crazy Michigan" drivers. Then, Mom exclaimed that we had taken a wrong turn. I quickly hung up with Floyd and attempted to relocate my senses.

The situation was pretty funny in hindsight. This guy was still yelling at us, mom was telling me that we had made a wrong turn, and I was surrounded by traffic. Kayla somehow remained calm for some unknown reason. God bless her.

I sped up and passed the guy in the suburban with the passenger window open. Seeing us, he again yells at us, this time we understood clearly. "You have a flat tire!!"

If I wasn't startled before, I was very frightened now. From the time I talked to Floyd, we had driven at least a couple miles. I have seen tire debris littering highways before and I knew that traveling at interstate speeds should transform our tire into an expensive mess! I tried to remain as calm as possible and quickly stopped by the roadside.

If you have read previous posts, you would know that I have had extensive experience changing one tire in particular. After turning the hazards on, we hurried to survey the damage with a distraught heart. Seeing the tire, I could hardly believe my eyes! It was indeed flat, but the tread was still there and appeared to be unscathed.

Being the good mother that she is, Mom was frightened for my safety because the tire was on the side with oncoming traffic. I pulled over a little more in the ditch and consoled her that I had done this before. With traffic blazing past, we extracted the donut and I proceeded with the process.

In the past, I had trouble with the car jack, but this time it performed beautifully. I got the car all jacked up and had about half the bolts taken off when another motorist kindly stopped and offered some assistance. With two, it was done very quickly and probably helped alleviate mother's fears.

After the donut was on and the flat tire stowed in the trunk, we had a consultation concerning our situation. I had purchased the tires with a warranty at Big O in Nebraska and according to my Blackberry, the closest location was an hours drive in Indiana. We concluded that a free repair was the best option.

It was time to get back on the road! Only, we stayed in the right lane and barely traveled the minimum speed. At this rate, we wouldn't be going anywhere quickly. We soon stopped for a restroom break and to switch drivers because we were now exclusively following the directions to Big O on my blackberry. Mom hasn't quite been sold on the whole "smart phone" technology and would rather I operate the device. :)


As we poked along, Mom, in her wisdom, made a brilliant suggestion! It was based upon the tried and true cost/benefit analysis. Gasoline cost alone would be at least $25 by the time we got there and returned back to our original route. The time lost would be more than two hours. Why not find a local tire shop and at least get a diagnosis before adding two hours to the trip? I didn't right away see the wisdom, but then realized that Mom had a great point.

About that time, we were passing through Schoolcraft, MI. It was a nice little town with a population of 8,220.



View Larger Map

Again, I utilized the power of the "smart phone" and quickly located the nearest tire repair shop. In God's providence, Schoolcraft just happened to have such a place. After we exited the vehicle at Mark's Towing and Tires, I explained the story at the front desk and was assured someone would perform a diagnosis within fifteen minutes.

While we waited outside on a picnic table, Mom and I considered the maximum price we would be willing to pay before a trip to Big O Tires in Mishawaka, IN would be justified. We determined that $30 was about the limit. After praying to our Father in heaven for His guidance and protection, a young man came up to us and introduced himself. I procured our suspect tire and watched his thorough examination.

I can picture it in my mind now. That gentlemen was very precise and sprayed multiple times around the circumference of the tire with a spray bottle. He then carefully scrutinized every inch of the tire for signs of leakage but finally announced that a leak was not found. Strange... I retold our story with a little more background information about that tire. I was very hesitant to continue on our journey without more assurance the tire was in perfectly running order. So, he offered to remount the tire on the rim, replace the tire stem and extension.

With all that work done, I was beginning to doubt it could be accomplished within our budget. Including labor, the price at a major tire dealer should easily exceed $20. Imagine my shock when he quoted a price of only $12 for everything! Just another way God carefully provides for His children.

Fascinated, I watched as his dexterous hands unmounted, sanded the rim, and remounted the tire on the rim. It was during this process that we discovered the reason for the leak. I had previously installed metal, tire, stem extensions and this particular one had a rusted valve partway open.

The mechanic reasoned that when I checked my tires back in Lansing I had mistakenly left the valve barely open. For the next few hours, the tire had slowly leaked air until it consummated into our little episode.

With the answer finally within our grasp, we prepared to get back on the road. The nice gentleman cordially offered to install our tire again and didn't hesitate assisting us with placing the donut back in the trunk. After a warm handshake, mom paid our bill and we were off again!

Considering the adventures we already experienced, I couldn't wait to find out what God had in store for us the rest of the day! It wouldn't be long before I was given my answer...

The trip itinerary was as follows:

- Drive from Lansing to Marengo, Illinois (5 hours and 8 minutes)
- Stay the night in Marengo
- Drive the rest of the way home on Thursday (8 hours and 19 minutes)

Doing some quick calculations we originally estimated we would arrive in Marengo around 6:30 p.m. After our adventures it was now already past three in the afternoon. The new ETA was about 7:00 p.m.

With renewed vigor, we continued the journey. Next stop, Marengo, Illinois!

Mom took the wheel for awhile as we prepared to enter the windy city. I don't say prepare lightly either. With what God had planned, we needed all the preparation time we could get!

The next hour or so went by fairly quickly. Kayla and I slept for a little while and Mom faithfully drove. I was awakened again when mom announced a toll was up ahead. Being it was my job to find the necessary coins, I  quickly awoke to my surroundings.

Up ahead was the toll way with a large sign that read "Chicago Skyway". It was cause for groaning. From past experience, I knew that Chicago valued their visitors highly and rewarded them with heavy toll roads around the city. One has to be an map extraordinare or know Chicago, like the back of their hand, before there is any hope avoiding the toll ways.

Since neither description fits us, we sighed deeply and watched as our lunch money dwindled... The clouds around us looked mighty ominous. The thunderheads towered above the Chicago skyscrapers. It was an impressive sight! I wish I had captured it with my camera, but there wasn't any stopping. Traffic around Chicago is not light to say the least.

I queried a radar map on my blackberry and found out a massive storm was coming straight for us! As the rain began slowly at first and then came in a downpour we knew God was testing our patience and trust in Him. It reduced visibility drastically and my wind shield wipers struggled clearing the windshield. It was about this time that I called Benjamin (the professional weatherman) and inquired about the storm. He and his family were at prayer meeting but assured me (through his mother) that he had looked at the storm on radar and wasn't in the least concerned.

Again, I must say how I admired Kayla's faith and fearlessness. She didn't panic, but calmly prayed for God's protection in the midst of the chaos. We all remained relatively calm and our spirits remained high as mom battled the rain. The lightning around us was truly majestic. I would see lightning bolts less than a mile away strike the ground and then hear the thunderous response.

As the rain descended, the on and off ramps on the interstate began to funnel water to their base causing flooding along the interstate and especially in the viaducts. Passing exits became steadily more risky and the water level continued to rise even more. Finally, after moving at a maximum speed of 25 mph. for at least an hour we came to a dead halt.

For the next hour and a half we inched along less than 500 feet! This is not a 'normal' Chicago traffic jam in our experience. After about half an hour discussing the situation and contacting our destination, I decided that walking would be faster. After exiting, people probably thought I was nuts, but I walked for about a 1/4 mile and found the cause of the traffic jam.

I conversed with a couple city officials and discovered that three vehicles had ridiculously attempted plowing through three foot of water and had gotten stuck thus impeding traffic. Their plan was to redirect traffic the opposite direction. I was dismayed for two reasons.

1. I didn't particularly relish driving in Chicago
2. I especially didn't want to backtrack and waste more time.

Needless to say, I ran back to our vehicle at a good pace. I could have easily become a traffic reporter and gone from vehicle to vehicle explaining the situation, but I only had the opportunity to explain it to the driver just ahead of us.

Returning to the vehicle, we waited for traffic to proceed again. It would be another 40 minutes at least before the viaduct was cleared and traffic could proceed 'normally'. In a way, it was a blessing to avoid the busiest Chicago rush hours being stuck in traffic. God was definitely in control.

The final two hours of driving was slow, but we finally arrived at our destination close to 10 p.m. We were exhausted and had our belated supper together with Dana's husband's parents. Our sleep that night was especially necessary and all of us had a good night's rest.

The next morning, we left at about eight and found a place to stop for gas and a tire/fluid checkup. This time, I made sure all the tires were holding air. This final day on the road was practically uneventful. The fellowship in the car was very edifying to all and I enjoyed it immensely. We managed to use the remainder of Grandma's money to get us lunch at Subway. The previous day's tolls had cost us nearly $8! Just think about the hundred's, perhaps thousands, of out of state vehicles that graciously donate to the 'windy city' each day!

On the way back, we stopped at a gas station in Iowa for a restroom break and I snapped the following, very curious, picture. If you bothered to read this far, you could leave a comment in the section below. :)

The way I understand it is perhaps a way to escape the reality of life and step into a world of chance that will hopefully fulfill every desire of the heart. How else could the word redemption be used with a gambling machine?

We arrived home very close to supper time after making a couple stops including Kayla's 4-H garden. Thus ends the long tale of the Brauning Michigan Excursion of 2010. :)

Christian Spam?

I received the following spam message in my special spam Gmail. Not only is it one of the more clever spam specimens I have seen, it could also be targeted at gullible Christians. :)

Dear Beloved ,

It is by the grace of God that I received Christ,having known the
truth,I had no choice than to do what is lawful and right
in the sight of God for eternal life and in the sight of man for
witness of God & his mercies and glory upon my life.
I am Mrs.Sheila Johnson the wife of Mr Harold Johnson,my husband worked
with the Chevron/Texaco in Kenya for twenty
years before he died in the year 2001.We were married for ten years
without a child. My Husband died after a brief illness that
lasted for only four days.

Before his death we were both born again Christians.
Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my
matrimonial home which the Bible is against.When my late
husband was alive he deposited the sum of  £9,000,000.00Million Great
Britain Pound.
with a bank company in Asia .

Presently,this money is still with the Bank and the management just
wrote me as the beneficiary to come forward to sign for the
release of this money or rather issue a letter of authorization to
somebody to receive it on my behalf if I can not come over.

Presently,I'm in a hospital in Kenya where I have been undergoing
treatment for esophageal cancer.I have since lost my ability
to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few weeks to
live.It is my last wish to see this money distributed to charity
organizations anywhere in the World.Because relatives and friends have
plundered so much of my wealth since my illness,I
cannot live with the agony of entrusting this huge responsibility to
any of them.

Please,I beg you in the name of God to help me Stand and collect the
Funds from the Bank.

I want a person that is God fearing that will use this money to fund
churches,orphanages and widows propagating the word of
God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained.
The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth.I
took this decision because I don't have any child that will
inherit this money and my husband's relatives are not Good  and I
don't want my husband's hard earned money to be misused
by them.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of my
attorney who is in Asia as he will be the one to assist you in laying
claims for this funds.

Kindly send your reply to my private email address which is as follows:

mrs.sheilajohnson61@gmail.com

Your Sister in Christ,
Mrs.sheila Johnson.

Only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ...

“Even a child makes himself known by his acts,

by whether his conduct is pure and upright.”

-                 Proverbs 20:11

“The way of the guilty is crooked, but
the conduct of the pure is upright.”

-                 Proverbs 21:8

Brothers, God has given us life and breathe and precious little time on this earth. Let us redeem these days as followers of Christ building each other up daily in the Lord.

“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”                   -                 1 Timothy 4:12.

How are we to treat our brothers and sisters with “all purity”?

God has commanded us to be men and women seeking His kingdom first. (Matthew 6:33) We are supposed to be the unified body of Christ                 (1 Corinthians 12:12-31) fighting for purity within ourselves, our family, and our churches. Let us please not distract each other on our quest towards Godliness. (1 Timothy 4:7, 6:11, 2 Timothy 2:22) The following is a couple things I have learned from gossip and its effects.

Gossip

•      Violates the 8^th commandment (Ex. 20:16)
•      Breeds bitterness (Prov. 25:18)
•      Harbors deceit (Proverbs 24:28)
•      Destroys friendships (Proverbs 16:28)

I could add more, but I know from personal experience that gossip can be painful emotionally. That last one was contributed by Kristin. (See comments) I hope and pray that our focus will be shifted wholly towards the One who gave us life and breath and redeemed us from sin and death.


Praise the Lord!  :)

Michigan Excursion

Good day to you all! Here is the first post about my trip to Michigan. It was an amazing trip. The main reason for driving the 14 hours was my aunt. She had been sick for over a month and needed help catching up with household necessities. Her husband also desired assistance with many outdoor chores. Before we went, I made the special request that our to-do list would be long and posted prominently! :)

First, here are some photos from the trip there.

Doesn't that look like I have a spoiled rotten little sister with heaven in the back seat? hehe... Nah, it is because we love Kayla and allowed her to have all the blankets and pillows for her tent construction project. I must say, she was very creative!

When we arrived, the list had been written on a marker board halfway from floor to cealing and written in about 24 point font. We set to work after a good night sleep and a nourishing breaking of the fast. :)

It is time to introduce the family and my excellent helpers!

Of course, we have to introduce Kayla my dear younger sister!

The oldest child in the family. His name is Joel and he is 12. Let's see how can I describe Joel? He is very talkative and works very hard when not under the influence of his younger brother Austin. ;)

Then we have the before mentioned Austin. He can be a little rambunctious and is the one that would greet you with a pile of stuffed animals being thrown in your face. ;)

This is Nathan and he is also a very hard worker. Kayla and Nathan were almost inseparable at times during the vacation. The loved working and playing with each other.

Lastly, but not least. We have my adorable cousin Calvin. Calvin is a very unique child. When he is told by an authority to do something he will obey and continue obeying until he is told he may quit. He is one that will not quit until the job is done!

I wish I had time to write in more extensive detail everything we did, but here is my general work schedule.

Wednesday
- Tore out fence from the forest and made tree cages to deprive the deer of their delicious snack

Thursday
- Power washed caulk and rust from pole barn window frames. (I was soaked from head to toe!)
- Joel and I moved several hundred pounds of industrial strength electrical boxes in the barn
- Played capture the flag with my four cousins and Kayla (A favorite tradition among the cousins)

Friday
- Primed the barn window frames with oil based primer and a couple very enthusiastic helpers! :)
- Swam in their mosquito infested pond in the afternoon with the cousins

Saturday
- Painted the final coat of latex paint on the barn window frames
- Caulked the window panes in the barn on the South side of the building (Caulking is an art in which I am not yet proficient!) Yes, there is a story here...

Sunday
- Attended a wonderful Father's Day church service straight from Psalm 127 and 128

One can tell that reformed church was alive and well. One of the more recent characteristics of a church body  fully committed to the Lord is the attendance of young people and college students. The statistics are frightening how many people my age leave the church and never return. This is a testament of the families that
make up this segment of the body of Christ.

- Had a family picnic at a local park and played tag and capture the flag with the cousins again!
- Attended the evening service at the same church building

Monday
- Dug a trench around the perimeter of the north side of the barn. This would later be used for adding some steel siding.

- Went to a neat thrift store in town called Hidden Treasures where I found some slacks and shorts
- All the work and activities had finally worn me out, I developed a whopper of a headache and needed rest.

I was asked to make a funny face. :)

Do you trust them to do your banking??

Tuesday
-  Cleaned bathrooms really well or until my aunt begged me to stop! (Another story here) :)
- Watched children while my aunt had a doctor's visit
- Played capture the flag and had a water balloon fight
- Went to Nathan's baseball game
- Grandparents arrived from northern MI

Wednesday
- Researched how to send HTML code with Thunderbird
- Attempted setting up a scanner to communicate with the computer properly
- Departed for home after lunch about 1:00 p.m.

Before we departed though, we had a stowaway! :D

Before I conclude, I must add a few more pictures of my adorable cousin Calvin. :D

The excursion back was quite an adventure! I will try to include more detail in that post. Stay tuned!

New Post coming soon...

Some of you know that I have been in Michigan the last week and had some exciting adventures... Stay tuned for a more complete report in the next few days! :)

Marooning and Exhileration

*newspaper warning* hehe... First one this summer.

It is a good thing someone has time to write a blog post every once in a long while. hehe... ;)

Yeah, I thought K did a great job with the door. I still don't know exactly what "modge podge" looks like beforehand, but it seems the possibilities are endless.

The last couple days for me have been rather exhilarating!

Monday, the TCS team, minus me, went storm chasing in western Nebraska. They left around noon and left Mrs. T, Heidi, and me at the office.

About 10 minutes to five, Mrs. T looked at me and asked me whether I had a key to lock up the office. Umm... no... Then it dawned on us that Michael and Ben had taken the only two keys with them and they were 3 hours away.

hehe... So, we tried contacting the leasor but was unsuccessful reaching him to bail us out.

As 5:00 loomed, Mrs. T and Heidi went back to the house and fixed some supper and brought it down to the marooned one at the office.

Mrs. T called Michael and found out that he had lost his phone but would return as soon as it was found.

About this time, I just couldn't keep from laughing at how God had worked things out. :D

As you already know, God miraculously showed the team where Michael had lost his phone.

I was at the office that day until about 10 p.m. when Michael returned with a key to lock up. Before he came I was tempted to use whatever I could find and make a bed for the night. lol

The next day brought even more excitement!

The boys decided at about 4:00 p.m. that they were going on their first bike trip of the year. The evening's events were planned like this.

Josiah: We should go biking to the Platte again.

Ben: Let's go tonight!

Josiah: Great!!

Everyone returned back to the house at about 5:10 and with only a couple minutes warning, Heidi had an impressive array of delicious food packed in a cooler ready to go! You can tell she has had some practice in the past... ;)

Michael had previously arranged to visit a foreclosed house that had some old computer junk the realtors wanted to discard. We picked up Rance, and the three of us went in this house that had previously been owned by a cat lover and still wreaked!

We found an old mac computer that, if it worked, would sell for four grand! It was in pieces though and the chances were too slim that we didn’t bother rescuing it. Most of it, was just as it was advertised – junk!

After picking up Peter to come along on our bike ride and dropping off Rance, we drove to Josiah and Micah’s house and got ready to begin what would become a very memorable evening…

The bike ride began innocently enough. The only exception was that Peter’s bike was made specifically for BMX racing and was very low profile compared with the mountain bikes everyone else was riding. Consequently, Peter had a hard time keeping up. I was also lagging farther and farther behind.

I thought my recent 2.7 mile morning runs had given me the strength necessary to ride the 10.5 miles to the Platte River. I managed to keep up with Peter most of the time and appreciated everyone else who waited at stop signs for us that lagged behind.

After crossing 25^th in Kearney, Michael declared that he wanted Peter to ride his bike and Michael was going to suffer on Peter’s tiny bike for the remainder of the trip. After a handle bar fell off while crossing the tracks, Michael handed me the water bottle and we were off again! Upon reaching Coal Chute Rd, I just really struggled keeping up with the crew and kept falling farther and farther behind.

It got to the point where I could barely see Michael’s bike ahead of me. I was crawling along as fast as my legs could peddle in the wind, yet I was gaining very little ground. Convinced I was just weak in the legs, I kept going and finally got to the Platte at least 10 minutes after everyone else.

The other guys had already shed their shirts and were swimming in the Platte when I got through the weeds and across the half submerged railroad tie bridge. Michael soon returned and declared it was supper time! After a nice dinner of apples, granola bars, peanut butter sandwiches, nuts, carrots, and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies everyone except me swam for at least 20 more minutes.

I put the food away and just relaxed after the long hard ride. I knew that I would have a difficult time riding back if I tired myself out swimming. About 8:05, Michael announced we had better begin our return trip. Knowing I would quickly fall behind again, I decided to start back while they were packing up.

Before I left, another interesting group of people came hauling flotation devices and a large 12 pack of beer. I was not disappointed we were leaving. J I got back to my bike and made sure it was in working order for the trip back. Feeling the rear tire, I found it was completely flat! No wonder I had such a hard time keeping up with everyone!

Micah also discovered that his front tire was flat. Great…. Unless we put two people on two bikes, a couple of us would need to find some alternate transportation. Michael resolutely decided he was going to run Micah’s bike all the way back. (Yes, the whole 10.5 miles.) I knew that I would not have the energy to run such a long distance, so Peter’s dad came and picked up Micah’s and my bike and Peter and me. We drove past Michael huffing and puffing down the road but he refused to ride along.

Michael continued running and Micah road Michael’s bike beside him all the 10.5 miles back to the starting place. Benjamin and Josiah rode leisurely back since they both still had fully functioning bikes.

After being dropped off at the T’s, I received a call at about 9:30 asking where Michael and Micah went. Oops! I told Ben that Michael was still running back. Ben wisely decided to pick them up in the van. By the time, they found Michael running, he was less than a mile away and said that he would persist and go the rest of the way.

Needless to say, Michael’s g-chat status the next day was the following: “I feel weird”. LOL!      

ChatVille - Red flags anyone?

I thought a recent email I received about a new Facebook game was absolutely ridiculous yet representative of the present post-modern culture.

We're excited to announce the launch of ChatVille, a brand new Facebook game for discovering cool new people! ChatVille lets you video chat with random Facebook users in a safe environment while earning compliments, unlocking badges, and leveling up in a race to become ChatVille Champion!

You can even video chat with all your Facebook friends for the first time ever right from the Facebook website. Take screenshots of your adventures, make classy filmstrips, and meet fun new people in this addicting and engaging Facebook game.

(Emphasis added and subtracted)

So now, people around the world are connected in one place via Facebook video chat! While that can reap some benefits, I think the negative possibilities are alarming! What do you think?

So, you need a piano hauled?

This morning I had the day all planned out. But then God through some rather interesting twists in the day. It is further proof that life around the Tillotson's is hardly ever boring! lol

After finding another antique piano for K's studio at a garage sale, Michael got on the phone and the conversation went something like this...

Michael: Hey! Do you like hauling Pianos??

Victim: Uh, umm... yeah... SURE!!

So  that is how it went and off we went to round up a truck or trailer and a bunch of guys.

We hauled the piano and hired a couple human tie downs. :) Luke and me signed up for the job.

I felt like I was riding one of those convertibles in a parade waving at everyone. Most people whizzed past us wanting desperately to lose us. They weren't the only ones... ;) Some were kind enough to wave back.

We got the piano all delivered.

There it is, all secured in the back of the trailer.

The ordeal required much contemplation and careful consideration from many brilliant minds! :)

After it was all said and done, a suggestion was made to manually pull the trailer a couple miles back to its owner. Sadly, it didn't happen. It would have been fun!