HT: Jeff Atherstone (American pictured above in giant hat). Love you, Jeff!

http://crossonmyback.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/rejoice-o-nations/

A woman I used to work with was studying to become a nurse. She told me of an incident that happened to her; she was sent to bathe and dress an old gentleman in the hospital and she proceeded to give him a sponge bath, and then rub lotion gently but firmly into his skin. She saw he had tears in his eyes and she exclaimed”oh no, have I hurt you?” His answer was “no, I’m crying because no one has touched me in any caring way in years.” He missed the touch the most.

When we hug, we pull others right into our intimate personal space. I have hugged people that I don’t know really well, but at a time in their life when they are grieving the loss of their beloved pets.

A hug conveys more sympathy than I can voice, usually because of the tears in my own eyes and the huge lump in my throat. Our receptionist, Julie, is the biggest hugger I know. She leaps up from behind the desk to hug all of us at work, and to hug clients hello, hug them good bye and hug them in sympathy and sharing. I go to church expecting to hug-we are a hugging church. That’s the comment made to me last week that started all this. One of our congregants had fallen on the ice and hurt her shoulder. She didn’t come in to church because she was afraid someone would hug her too tightly before she could stop them! “We are a really hugging church!” she told me. Miss Polly, one of our lovely saints who has gone on to be with Jesus, used to hug me each week I saw her. I can still feel her hugs as she wrapped me up in her soft arms and held me to her. Miss Margie, also a saint gone on before us, used to love to share a bear hug with my husband, because of his “teddy bear” physique. Miss Katherine and I would always share hugs regularly and end them with a sort of forehead bump, our version of an Eskimo kiss, I guess.

Some people aren’t as into hugging, and that’s OK, too. As a church family, we take each member into account and don’t make anyone do something they aren’t comfortable doing. But however we show care and affection for each other, I thank God that we are a church that tries to show our love. There are a lot worse things to be known for. Accepting each other into our personal spaces keeps us connected, and fulfilling our mission- Growing in Christ, Sharing God’s love! Hope to see you Sunday. I can always use a hug.

[Devotionals, blog posts, and commentary by members or friends of City Road Chapel will appear, Lord willing, on this blog on a daily basis. Please visit us here again or subscribe through the RSS feed to be sure you do not miss these devotionals. There are also posts on news and events and opinions and observations. Please comment if led to do so. (We will remove malicious comments, but welcome those that disagree with us if done co without resorting to personal attacks or terminology that is generally considered unacceptable on a church blog.)

Should you wish to come see us, City Road Chapel, UMC is located in Madison, TN, in the northern section of Nashville, within easy distance of Opryland (see map.) Most Sundays we have a small, early church service at 8:00a.m., Sunday School at 8:45, and another, larger worship at 10:00. We also have The Foundry, an informal, “conversational” worship in the welcome center at 5:00 P.M.

We have Sunday bus service to pick up those who cannot make it themselves. (Call 615-868-1673 for inquiries regarding this.)

All are welcome. We will try to post any changes in worship time due to special events here or on the official site.  (Map) If you wish to find out more about us, visit our official Website.]

http://cityroadchapelumc.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/hugs-2/

Spiritual Training.  Just as a solider training for war should go where he can be BEST trained, so we – training our kids for the spiritual war they will engage in as they grow – want to train them in the BEST possible place. In our opinion, this is not a school setting.  Why?  Because:

1. We want to create an atmosphere where prayer, Bible study and general Biblical principles are a central part of their learning process, not just an after thought.(Deut 6:6-8)
2. We want to be able to frequently and consistently show them the Biblical principals behind every thought and behaviour, and train them to make this a personal habit for life.  (Proverbs 22:6)
3. We want to teach them Biblical truths in regard to academic learning (the reality of God’s existence, His creation, what pleases and displeases Him, etc.)
4. We want them to be totally immersed in an atmosphere of love, acceptance, affirmation of who they are in God, and (loving) discipline, since we see this as a foundation for building Godly characters. At school we perceive that they will be too exposed to anger, bullying, discouragement and lack of discipline which may hinder this character development.
5. We want them to regularly observe adults who model the characteristics and qualities we feel they should be aspiring too. Kids imitate what (and who) they see the most.
6. We want them to be comparatively free from the long and daily peer pressure of kids who may not be behaving, talking and thinking the way we want our kids to behave, talk & think.

Academic excellence.  With ratio at almost always close to 1:1, we believe that education at home is far more likely to be of good quality than education at school. Even without formal teacher training we believe this is achievable. How?  Because:

1. We can work hard at developing and maintaining a love for learning in our children. This (which is so easily and quickly lost in school settings) will ideally help them to be life-long learners, and people who  are diligent to search out whatever they need to know in the future.
2. We are able to be very in tune with what subjects and topics each child enjoys, finds easy, or struggles with in some way. We can tailor their education to these strengths and weaknesses, moving ahead quickly when they excel, and taking the time needed when they would otherwise have struggled. There is not usually time at school for spending, perhaps, years on something when the schedule dictates that one term is sufficient.
3. With the responsibility on our shoulders of educating our children, we tend to learn alongside them. This means that we are able to keep up with what they are learning and need to know, and since we find it enjoyable, it continues to inspire them to enjoy learning. It thus becomes a shared process of enjoyment and mutual encouragement. Also, when we perceive it to be our responsibility, we aim for the highest standards.

Personal development.  There is no need to fear a lack of socialisation in homeschooled children – in fact the opposite may be true. Homeschooled kids are constantly around a variety of ages, and learn how to interact in everyday life, rather than the artificial situation which a class, year or grade makes up at school. With homeschool co-ops, clubs, music, art, swimming, church, camps, etc, there are no shortages of opportunities to socialise. But apart from this, there are other personal developmental benefits to homeschoolng:

1. Self-discipline.  Opportunities to learn by ones own initiative come up frequently in home educuation, and this promotes self-discipline, a huge benefit for life in the adult world.
2. Problem solving.  While this can certainly be learnt at school, it may not be taught as specifically as we would like. We want to be around to teach the right, kind, peaceful and Godly ways to solve both interpersonal and situational problems.  (I.e.  NOT with screaming, fighting, selfishness and frustration!)
3. Strength to stand up for what is right.  While it may seem that this is best taught by putting kids in school, we disagree. In order to be strong enough to stand up for what is right, children first need to be taught with conviction and passion what is right, in an atmosphere which is absent of doubt, apathy and incessant teasing. This is not to say we will only teach them one view (we will certainly introduce them to ideas of evolution, atheism, and other religions), but rather that we will present the cases in what we believe to be a fair and just way, and teach that when one believes in something, it should be whole-heartedly and based on an accurate interpretation of the available evidence.

In summary, we feel that God has given us (not teachers, day-care providers, babysitters or anyone else) the responsibility to bring our children up “in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph 6:4), and feel that we will best carry out that responsibility by educating our kids at home.

http://writingonthedoorposts.com/2012/04/17/why-we-homeschool/

Photo Credit: gismodo.com

It’s the end of an era in American history, and I’m sad.

The space shuttle program has come to a halt and Discovery, the oldest shuttle in the fleet, has landed for the last time in Washington D.C. where she will stand proudly on display at the Smithsonian Institute. One Fox News commentator said she was wearing her wrinkles well, and I agree. She was the third shuttle built and said to be the most reliable of them all.

I’ve been watching her final flight remembering the many times I stood with my homeschooled children in the middle of our street waiting to see the shuttle clear the trees. I never tired of it even after my children were no longer home to watch it with me.  It amazed me how on a clear day we could see the twin rocket boosters disengage from the shuttle and fall burning to the earth below. Many times we drove to the coast to see the launch live in order to feel the rumble as we watched the shuttle lift off. I often prayed for the men and women aboard, especially after witnessing the Challenger explode in the sky in 1986, or seeing Columbia break into pieces as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere in 2003.

Cagle Cartoons

As a native Floridian, the space program has always been a part of my life; we felt the joys and mourned the losses. One thing is certain, there would have been no space program without the ingenuity of the men and women who made it happen. They worked hard to help make America’s Space Program the best in the world. So a big thanks goes to them today.

I don’t know what the future will look like without a space program for America. Will we lose our standing in the world as a leader in space? Most likely, we will. It feels as if we’ve lost a good friend. In fact, watching the news this morning reminded of the many presidents I’ve seen laid to rest. It was like a funeral procession took place in the sky. This is a time of transition for our country. A time to say goodbye to one way of life and embrace a new way. But the new way isn’t yet known, so it is hard.

What does this have to do with marriage? Nothing really, except maybe to inspire us to keep working hard at making our marriage the best it can be. Like those who worked faithfully year after year to make NASA great, we have no idea of the places we can go, the things we can learn, or what we can become unless we try. Let’s resolve until we take our last breath to be intentional about our relationship so when it’s all said and done, those who know us best will remember our marriage and marvel at what God did in and through us.

May we wear our wrinkles well.

http://theromanticvineyard.com/2012/04/17/the-dismounting-of-discovery/

http://steveamiller.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/strengthening-marriages/

http://thebiblicalmarriage.com/2012/04/16/restored-marriage-after-both-spouses-have-affair/

I’ve been reading John Piper’s book on marriage and it is just full of truth and grace about what being married really means.  During my run this morning my best friend (non-christian) asked how my marriage was going, and I told her.  But I have trouble talking about it without mentioning Christ, so she said it’s okay if I talk about Christ around her, she’s used to religious people.  I told her how my hope isn’t in myself or in my husband, it is in Christ.  Only Christ can change us into who we need to become to stay married and only Christ can give us the love that we need to be able to give to each other. (BTW, things are going really well in our marriage, definitely at a mountaintop period)

She’s been married 18 years, and I’ve only been married about 10 years.  I think her early years were a struggle for them (she had a rough childhood), but she says she is stronger now and if her husband ever decided to give her crap, we only live once and it just isn’t worth it to put up with a broken marriage.  She deserves to be happy because life is short.

It made me think about how sometimes it takes endurance through the hard times to truly become happy in your marriage and grow love.  You need to get God and His priorities right with your marriage first, and then happiness, blessings and love will follow.  Life is short and we do only live once, are we living for ourselves and our personal joy or are we living to please our maker and Lord?  Because, sometimes God knows how to bring us to joy better than we do.  Sometimes he has to burn the forest to get rid of the dead branches and leaves so that new plants can grow abundantly.  Can we trust him during the fires?

Related articles

• Marriage or Die (passionatechristianmarriage.wordpress.com)
• This Momentary Marriage by John Piper (free ebook) (compasschurchamman.wordpress.com)
• State Lawmakers Study Covenant Marriage Bill (whnt.com)
• Sex and the Mystery of Marriage (challies.com)

http://passionatechristianmarriage.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/covenant-marriage/

It could be the man sitting in the pew behind you on Sunday. It might be the preacher or the guy in the cubicle next to you. There’s a good chance it could be the neighbor woman starved for some attention from her unattentive and unresponsive husband. It could be the guy on Facebook posting all of his profound thoughts about the Bible. It could be the husband sitting next to you on the couch.

“We have countless churches filled with countless men encumbered by sexual sin, weakened by low-grade fevers — men happy enough to go to Promise Keepers but too sickly to be promise keepers.”

-Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, Every Man’s Battle

Pornography is a filthy beast. It looks so alluring to the eyes, but its after-effects are sickening. God made the human body to be alluring and beautiful, but it was designed to be beautiful and fulfilling only in the context of the covenant relationship of a marriage, where a husband and wife can enjoy the fruit of physical, emotional, and spiritual intimacy. Sex is so beautiful when kept in proper perspective. There, sex can be indulged in and enjoyed. It is, however, important to acknowledge that sexual intimacy should never be idolized inside or outside of the marriage.

This idolizing of sex has been happening since the beginning of time. Recorded in the scriptures are hosts of men and women who misunderstood its design and purpose and who made wrecks of their own lives and the lives of those around them. That’s exactly what’s happening today with pornography. It is a cancer and it is killing and destroying more and more people who have easier access than ever before.

“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

-I Corinthians 6:13

Unfortunately, the effects of pornography’s long-armed reach are still being discovered as it continues to wreck homes all over the world. The way it affects the mind, the sexual intimacy of the marriage, and the heart of those who are consuming it is treacherous. It is an ugly beast.

Here are a few startling pornography statistics from 2006 I found on the Family Safe Media site :

• Every second – 28,258 Internet users are viewing pornography
• Every second – 372 Internet users are typing adult search terms into search engines
• Daily pornographic search engine requests: 68 million (25% of total search engine requests)
• Percentage of internet users who view porn: 42.7%
• 1 of 3 of visitors to adult websites are women
• Average age of first internet exposure to pornography is 11 yrs old
• 8-16 year olds having viewed porn online 90%
• Largest consumers of Internet pornography are 35-49 yr olds
• 47% of Christians said pornography is a major problem in their home

As you can see, the problem is not small. Unfortunately, too many people are naïve and others are just plain foolish for not acknowledging the problem for what it actually is. It’s a monster.

We want to draw some attention to the beast of pornography over the next couple of weeks. Weeks ago, Lisa and I were contacted by a preacher and his wife about how pornography had wrecked their home. They asked us if we would be willing and interested in sharing their story anonymously with our readers and we jumped at the chance to have some help for so many marriages who we know are struggling with the effects of porn.

We’ve gone through their story and divided it into several posts. For some of you, their story will feel completely foreign. But for others, it will seem all too familiar. In either case, there are some important truths to be realized from their fall and from their reconciliation. I think you’ll find it horrifying, but uplifting, in so many ways.

You may know someone who needs this series of posts and a kick in the pants in a very bad way, and I encourage you to help us raise awareness without making people feel stupid. The statistics say this is a problem that touches the majority of American homes and for that reason people who struggle with it should not feel like they are alone. We want to awaken, educate, challenge, and encourage those who are struggling. No amount of nagging and annoying people will solve this problem. Surrendering to Jesus Christ and to the freedom He’s offered is the answer. We must let Him bring us from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light.

Please join us for the next couple of weeks as we try to shed some light on pornography and its devastating effects. We’ll be adding links to our Desperate for Help page and in the posts to help those who are in serious need of help and working hard to educate the masses. Feel free to follow our blog via email on the right side of page by entering your email or by adding it to your RSS feed if that makes it easier than trying to remember to come back on your own. You may also want to join our Rise of the Home group on Facebook and post the stories and articles on your own Facebook and Twitter feeds as we strive to shed some light on the subject for people around you.

Mark April 18th, 2012 on your calendar and check back as we unveil the beast of pornography. In the meantime, consider sharing your story with us as well. We’d love to be able to help husbands, wives, sons, and daughters everywhere who could be saved, educated, and even protected from the sting of pornography. If you’re interested in sharing, contact us.

http://riseofthehome.com/2012/04/16/pornography-removing-the-veil-shining-the-light-on-the-beast/

What if you could pick the brains of the top thinkers, writers, and speakers on Christian marriage, and share their best ideas on your blog?

For the next several posts, that’s exactly what I will do!

I just returned from the first annual Marriage America Conference.  It was sponsored by the American Association of Christian Counselors (50,000 Christian therapists and counselors). The top speakers, authors, and thinkers on Christian marriage were there.

For me, it was a feast.

We heard from Dr. Gary Chapman, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, and Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, to name a few. I met with Dr. Les Parrott, Sarah Eggerichs, and many other amazing leaders in the field.  The AACC leadership and staff is incredible.  Each person was warm and welcoming, despite having probably spoken for one thousand hours straight.

Here’s what was reaffirmed strikingly for me during this meeting:

1. Relationships are why we are here on this earth.  And for those of us who are married, our marriages, after God, are relationship Number One.
2. There is a deep need for information on the “What”, “Why”, and “How” of marriage.
3. Many of us are ill-prepared for marriage when we start out.(understatement!)  Getting equipped is absolutely achievable, but we’ve got to go after it intentionally.

Question: What will do you do to start “going after” your marriage intentionally? 

With that in mind, over the next several posts, I will share my top take-aways from this awesome meeting.

Stay tuned!

Warmly,

*                    *                    *

I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.  You can share in the comment box! (just below or upper left)

Dr. Ann is a Christian M.D., wife to a fantastic husband, and mom to a lively gang of three.  At The Marriage Checklist Ann blogs about marriage, motherhood, and more!  She helps women build better life balance and grow great marriages.  Ann blogs on Crosswalk.com, and has been featured on BlogHer.com, MichaelHyatt.com, Fox news, and Good Morning America.  She loves that we can choose to take our best steps forward – for God, for the people in our lives, and for ourselves. 

You can read more from Dr. Ann at TheMarriageChecklist.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

For the easiest way to get her latest posts, sign-up here and get them sent directly to your mailbox.

Are you ready then?  Let’s go!

Copyright Dr. Ann 2012

(photo credit: winnond)

http://themarriagechecklist.com/2012/04/16/my-top-take-home-tips-from-the-marriage-america-conference/

A Little Redneck Theology: A Diary of Verse

A Spiritual Journey of Poetry

Authored by Sis. Kimberly M Hartfield

A Little Redneck Theology in Verse is a companion volume to A Little Redneck Theology and Other Stuff from a Southern Baptist Ordained Evangelical Female Minister, written by Kimberly M. Hartfield. It is a book of Christian based inspirational verse written during a three year time frame, a record of Kimberly’s spiritual journey, spoken of in the latter title. Many of the poems in this volume are based on Scripture and many have cultural and political inspiration and messages. A Little Redneck Theology in Verse is not a book of ordinary poetry, but poetry that will convict, challenge, and inspire you to greater spiritual growth.

Related articles

• A Little Redneck Theology – On Sale Now (gofishministries.wordpress.com)
• December 2011 Newsletter (gofishministries.wordpress.com)
• Go Fish Ministries, Inc. News Letter Jan.1, 2012 (gofishministries.wordpress.com)
• Go Fish Ministries, Inc. News Letter Feb.1, 2012 (gofishministries.wordpress.com)
• 5 Poetry Websites You Can Go To Catch The Best Of Verse (makeuseof.com)

http://gofishministries.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/a-little-redneck-theology-a-diary-of-verse/