T.V.’s Virtual Reality

This was written by a very dear friend of mine, a true Titus 2 woman. May you be as blessed by this as I am.

This is written by a woman who learned some hard lessons, and after a long while was set free, by the Lord Jesus, from the snares of daytime television.  Many women get glued to the TV  - in secret -  when husbands are not at home, and find themselves lacking in productivity and contentment, and most of all - peace.  The Television, I came to realize, was making me fat for starters, as it affected my moods.  This may sound silly, but it is true that we overeat as a result of our moods, which in turn dictate the atmosphere of our family life, and how we relate with our spouse.  And thus a cycle began.  Here is what Jesus showed me as I struggled, and wrestled in prayer, to overcome my sinful patterns that were destroying my life. TV breeds, cultivates, steals, exaggerates, and tells lies!   Today I give thanks & praise to God for delivering me from willful, defiling sin. (Mark 7:20-23)  He has helped me to remove the plank from my own eye, granting me Understanding in this matter,  that I may help others who are suffering in similar patterns.   (Matt. 7: 1-5) TV breeds disappointment TV breeds envy TV breeds unrealistic and vain imagination TV breeds dissatisfaction with our spouse, and our surroundings TV breeds laziness TV breeds ridiculing our husband and mocking men  in general TV cultivates destructive attitudes TV cultivates depression TV cultivates false expectations TV cultivates other people into our bedroom TV cultivates rebellious attitudes TV cultivates tolerance of evil behavior TV steals sexual purity from our minds TV steals motivation to be productive TV steals valuable time TV steals God's rightful request of our time TV exaggerates marital problems to seem insurmountable TV exaggerates marital infidelity and makes it look normal TV exaggerates immodesty making it look normal TV exaggerates beauty, seducing with make-up, sexy hair, and sensual clothing. TV lies to woman, thinking other men eyeing her flatters her husband TV lies to women that they need more and better things, and leisure TV lies to women giving them a false sense of comfort TV lies to women drawing them into living discontented lives. In a nutshell, TV defiles Believers.  ALL this is especially true of daytime soap operas. And yes, even Oprah steals what is rightfully God's territory -- which is biblical reasoning and time. Shows like '24' , 'Alias' , 'Desperate Housewives', “American Idol’, etc. are a rebellion against what we know the Lord would have

of us; to deny our flesh, and live for Him. Shall we test HIM by loving the world? 1Jn 2:15-16  Oh dear sisters, cry to God to show you His will. And persevere!  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:5  "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"  Have you ever realized that TV breaks every law of God  repeatedly?  How can we, His people, find pleasure in this? When we begin to view the TV as a minute-by-minute sacrifice of our spiritual health and liveliness, and as what the Apostle John said is practicing sin which leads to hell, we will begin to hate its destructive existence, and look at it as a demonic tool used to destroy.  The first thing our Lord asked of me was to confess my sin to my husband!!  Hard, yes, but Jesus wanted me to expose the darkness, that my husband would pray for me as my spiritual head.  This is a good 1st step to conquer sinful habits, especially when in serious temptation. (Eph.5:8-22) The Lord also asked me to wrap the TV with ribbon and a big bow smack in the middle, right there in my family room, to give it as a sacrificial offering to Him. The wrapping reminded me that I submitted to Him, and thus encouraged me to obey the Lord.  “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”  “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” Psalm 101:2-3.  To be faithful to Him, we must obey the Lord God in reverential fear, understanding He is impartial, and Righteous in all of His judgments. Obedience honors, pleases and glorifies God, and proves our love to Him.  In return He implants a growing assurance of salvation, and we bear the fruit of the Spirit. As I obeyed, I began to see the strengthening power of the Lord helping me conquer other sins, as TV was such a terrible stronghold.  Of course I needed to ask the Lord to remind me time and again of my desire to obey Him, but once victorious, I became one with a real-life testimony to the LORD’s power.  He desires to bless each of us in our obedience to Him.  He loves those that fear Him.    And on a note to married life...being overweight is the most influential aspect of being non-romantic.  We think it’s our hormones (it could be) but more than likely it is hidden areas of the heart. TV in part, holds you there; I know this without any doubt whatsoever, because I had to pray and ask God to make me hate it as much as He does. (A good prayer for any sin.) Satan owns TV programs.  So who do we serve when we give in?  Saying I won’t let the shows "get to me," was such a lie, as if there is any power in rebellion! Dear friend, ask the Lord to forgive you, and repent.  Then strive for the goal of purity! “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!” (emphasis, mine)   © 2005MLS/ No portion of tract may be altered.  Copy in full. Photo credit

Voddie Baucham

Our family's favorite preacher, Voddie Baucham, has written a book called What He Must Be (If He Wants to Marry My Daughter).  In this book he talks about

• The Bible and the Father's Role
• The Ministry of Marriage
• He Must be a Follower of Christ
• The 4 P's: Priest, Prophet, Provider, and Protector

Voddie has just released a DVD of the conference he did based on the book. My parents have read the book and both highly recommend it. Also, his daughter Jasmine is having a drawing for the DVD on her blog. BTW, if you haven't read her blog yet, you must. She's an incredibly intelligent and articulate young woman.

Lauren

TEA Party

"There are more instance of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."--James Madison

"It does not take a majority to prevail...but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."--Samuel Adams

This was the second year for our family to attend a TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party. We are studying Government and Economics this year and what better way to put into practice what we have learned than this? It was a great experience; there were several thousand people protesting and it was very peaceful. The best part was the reaction of people driving by reading the signs--lots of honks in agreement and thumbs-ups. We also saw quite a few people drive by with a curious and slightly perplexed look, which after reading the signs changed to an "OK-that-makes-sense" look and nods of approval. The messages of decentralized government and free-market economics really seem to resonate with a lot of people.

This year I also circulated a petition regarding a potential ballot measure in California to define personhood as existing from conception to death. Sad, but necessary. This was a really scary thing, as I am not accustomed to talking to complete strangers, but people were polite even when they disagreed. In the end, I learned a lesson in overcoming the fear of man (Mt. 10:28) and we got quite a few signatures.

Haircuts

The boys finally got so shaggy that I had to cut their hair. I really don't like cutting hair, but as you can imagine it saves a lot of money with so many of us. So I do it as often as I need to. Now, you have to understand that I've never taken a class in this.

Here's how I learned:
When Thom and I were a young couple with no children, he was in the Marine Reserves. It was about midnight and he was getting his things ready for weekend duty the next morning when he realized that he needed a haircut. Not wanting to fail inspection and have extra duty, he was in quite a bind. So he found a solution--we would go to the 24-hour Walmart, pick up a set of hair clippers and he would talk me through the process. All else fails, we could just shave his head completely (not within code, but beat the alternative). I cut his hair from that day on.

Thom and I in his Marine Corp days

When we had kids, it just made sense to cut theirs too. To be perfectly honest, sometimes the cut turns out well, sometimes not so much, so when the kids are getting their photos taken or going to visit relatives, I usually pay someone else to do it. And if you're wondering, Thom trims my hair except for twice a year when I have it cut professionally.

No More Kings

Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian." Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you."--Judges 8:22-23

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations."...And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them...."--I Sam. 8:4-7

Until the time of Saul's appointment as King, the Hebrew civil government consisted of a number of Judges (see Exodus 18). The Judges and the people looked to God as their Supreme Judge, Lawgiver and King (Isaiah 33:22). In time, the people began to desire a human king, like the nations around them. Gideon refused to be their king, and reminded them that that position belongs to God alone. The second time the people rejected God, he gave them their desire, with a firm warning of the consequences. They continued to reject God and Saul was appointed King. History has shown God's warning being fulfilled over and over again.

Moving forward 2500 years, God's people began to be persecuted for their faith by not only Kings, but by those who claimed to be serving God in the Church. These people were forced to flee to North America. The people governed themselves according to God's Word. Although they were still under the rule of kings, the physical distance provided them greater liberty. They were loyal to the king, but King George was not as loyal to his people. He violated British law in his colonies all over the world. British law, it seems, did not apply outside of Britain. He trampled on rights that were given to the people by God. The colonists in America had effectively been governing themselves by God's law for 200 years and were not willing to have their liberty trampled. So in 1776, the 13 sovereign colonies declared themselves independent of the crown.

Now, I know this is nothing new. However, it struck me the other day that this was a monumental event! For the first time since approximately 1100 BC, men once again recognized God as their King! As in the time of the Judges, men had rule by law (the law of the King, Jehovah God) rather than rule by man. This is a Republic.

What a heritage! It makes me so proud to be an American! It also grieves me to know that Americans have once again turned away from King Jehovah in search of an earthly king. We must repent, turn away from our self-serving ways and once again recognize Jehovah God as the Creator and Sustainer of life, our Judge, Lawgiver and King. We must once again become intimately familiar with the scriptures, submit every area of our lives to God, and look to Him rather than our elected representatives as the healer of our ailing nation. Only then will we be blessed. Only then will we have liberty.

Overcoming Reading Difficulties

Pierce is a great joy to us. He brings so much joy and laughter to our family. He is very intelligent, highly motivated, quite physically gifted and has a great personality. However, learning to read has been a major challenge. At 10 years old, simple Dr. Seuss books were very intimidating. We tried a variety of methods, some designed to help children with dyslexsia, with little success. Meanwhile, we kept reading quality literature to him and giving him books on CD to listen to. This has been one of his great pleasures and has helped his vocabulary and knowledge to expand without reading. Early last summer, we were told about Diane Craft, who works with kids who struggle academically. Her theory, very simplified, was that some children have trouble getting opposite sides of the brain to pass information back and forth. Through various exercises and a different method of learning, Pierce began to learn very quickly. By the time the fall semester began, he was able to read a simple chapter book, although very slowly. Last week we rejoiced (almost to tears) to see him reading a J.R.R. Tolken novel. Now it's just practice, practice, practice. Praise the Lord!

Rumplestiltskin

Pierce recently completed 20 performances of Rumplestiltskin. He has done two performances with the California Theatre Conservatory, but this was his first professional play. He played one of two woodland creatures who refuse to crown Rumplestiltskin King. We got to see the final performance and were thrilled; he did a great job! It was great to see his acting ability improve. The thing that impressed me most , however, was his maturity and humility. He was very responsible in learning the part and in the way he behaved at rehearsals and didn't let any of this go to his head at all. He's a great kid; thank you Lord.

Here are a couple of videos of Pierce (signing autographs!) and the rest of the cast, which were taken after the play.