Anticipation is building...

Can you feel it? Can you sense the anticipation building? I certainly do.

There's a prompting on my life to pounce on a new adventure. I can't avoid it. Seems like every article, blog, book, radio program, etc., that I pick up focuses on discovering what my  passions are and pursuing those passions. It's everywhere! Literally, everywhere. In the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep, I picked up a parenting book from John Maxwell from 1996 called Breakthrough Parenting. I only made it through page 33, but so far it's loud and clear that I need to keep learning. And to do that, I need to figure out what my passions are. (See the trend?)

So how does one figure out what he is passionate about? 

• Listen to what you talk about the most
• Look at your bank account to see where your money is going
• Peruse your bookshelf to see what interests you have
• Think about which websites you spend the most time
• What would you really like to do in the next 5 years
• If money was not an issue, where would you like to be

Check out this personality test: Keirsey Temperment Sorter or this career test: The MAPP Assessment

Indecency in Marriage

Something about Deuteronomy draws me in. Perhaps it's the legal side of the book - all the "you should do this", or "you need to do it". It's pretty black and white for the most part.

But this passage doesn't seem that way. Take a look.

Deut. 24:1-4

If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

At first glace it may seem very simple. But then when you dig deeper, there are some questions which arise. 

What could a woman do that is "indecent"?

Who gets to judge the "indecent" behavior?
And because I'm a modern female in a culture where divorce is so prevalent, can a woman divorce her husband for his indecent behavior?

I don't know these answers.

Malachi 2.16

"The man who hates and divorces his wife, " says the Lord, the God of Israel, "does violence to the one he should protect," says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.

Let's skip over to the new testament. These guys called "Pharisees" ask the question of our day.

Matthew 19:3-12

3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'[b]? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."

10 The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."

11 Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

Apparently men in the time of Jesus considered adultery top of the list of sins. Perhaps the men only wanted the benefits of being married and not the commitment of marriage. What does this mean, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry"? Maybe he was getting at the fact that he would prefer to live with a woman instead of marrying her. How do we know exactly what was in his heart? I think he was being honest about a real question he was struggling with in order to find the truth.

But that's not the end. Jesus goes on to tell this little story about eunuchs. Maybe you can explain what he is getting at... the part about some eunuchs were born this way, some were made that way by others, and some just choose to live like eunuchs for the kingdom's sake.

So which one am I? Can I say that I'm born this way, or was I made by others, or do I choose to live a certain way for the Kingdom's sake? I'm not sure about that answer, but I know for me specifically, I choose to be married to Troy. And I was spiritually reborn in Christ who dwells within me, causing me to actually be born into a committed relationship which hates divorce and loves reconciliation. Other relationships which have endured through decades inspire me to continue to make that decision on a daily basis. Our families support us graciously, and give us lots of babysitting so Troy and I can spend one-on-one time together. I guess I have all little of all three eunuch options within me.

planting seeds

I'm a huge Mark Batterson fan.

Quoting him: "Oh that I could pray that the Holy Spirit would come upon us and put upon us this awesome responsibility to plant a seed and remove this awesome burden to be God."

You can listen to the podcast here.

What seeds are you planting?

Same deal, five and half years later

I had to laugh at myself.

As I was reading through an old post from my blog from 2006, I found something interesting. That quote about the Lion Manifesto is the exact quote which I copied into my Evernote this morning from Mark Batterson's blog post from today. 

Think God might be trying to get me to figure that one out? Guess I should take a little more time to read through that one.

Single Mom's Gas Give-Away : May 12

Hey there,

We have an exciting opportunity for any single mom. Our church is giving out FREE gas. On May 12 from 12 - 3 PM, we'll be pumping gas at City on a Hill Church located at 7745 Main Street, Woodstock, GA  30188, next to the Woodstock Library. We'll also be offering things for kids, water, and HOPE. Sometimes when things look bleak, what we need more than anything is to have someone show us that they care. This is what we are trying to do for the single mom's in the Woodstock/Marietta/Canton area.

This is what I need from you: to tell all your friends who are single moms about this event. We are trying to spread the news by word of mouth. We've been asked to not publish any printed advertisements or radio announcements by the county officials who have given us a permit. So basically we're telling everyone we know to tell everyone they know. I believe this could be ever more effecting than printed material. You have influence into your friends' lives. Can you help us spread the word?

You can get more info at Free Gas.

And if you don't have anything going on from Noon to 3 on Saturday, May 12, we would love to see you. We have lots of people involved, but there is always room for one more helping hand. You never know how an event like this can impact someone's life. Troy and I have volunteered for this event for several years now, and each year we hear stores of women who feel hopeless. Then they come to this event, and are renewed with hope to continue living. We'd love to see you there!

Thanks in advance for spreading the word. Let's make someone's day by giving a little hope (and free gas).