abandoned to Christ.

Our family's first introduction to Dr. R.C. Sproul was in 2008 when my darling husband Jim and I were blessed to participate in a book/DVD study The Holiness of God . Our hearts were gripped by Sproul's teaching of the magnitude of God's holiness. Though we always knew that God is holy, we had, sadly, like many Christians in our time, marginalized this glorious attribute of our mighty Lord and God. Rather than see all of God's attributes (righteousness, love, grace, mercy) through the lens of His holiness, we saw His holiness as merely an addendum. But when we sat under Dr. Sproul's loving, courageous, and soundly doctrinal teaching on God's holiness, we knew we could never return to the mediocre standard of Christianity that's acceptable by many, if not most, Christians today. After our initial introduction to R.C. Sproul's teaching through The Holiness of God , we began listening to RefNet  in 2012, and have commended it to others as well as ma...

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, a day where many mother's will be honored and celebrated by her children, husbands, other family members, friends and even some online friends the Lord has allowed. It'll be a beautiful day, but is this all that it's about? Is Mother's Day, a day only to honor our earthly mothers or be honored ourselves? Or is a day, another day we get to give thanks to God for His inexpressible Gift of Christ (2 Cor 9:15)? It's a tough question even for me to answer because like everyone else, I like to be praised, applauded, honored, appreciate and noticed. I like being made to feel special. Don't we all? About four years ago when I was in the midst of nearly daily doctor's appointments and serious and painful tests, I prayed to the LORD for help and He led me to a faithful sister in Christ, Rachel Barkey . Rachel, a wife and mother of two young children, fiercely battled breast cancer for more than four years. Only a few months...

"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." (John 13:1, ESV) No matter how many times I read this verse, I'm always in awe of what it says. While Jesus was fully aware of the utter torment and anguish He was about to endure that very night, His thoughts were not on Himself and what horrors would befall Him, but His full attention and love were fixed on His beloved apostles. The original Greek for the phrase "loved them to the end" means that Jesus demonstrated God's perfect and pure (agape) love to His disciples, continually and fully; to completion, even in His darkest hour. I'm in a dark place right now as my heart aches deeply for our youngest son, our prodigal, who is no longer walking in God's truth, but walking rebelliously in the deceptive world where truth is relative rather than a...

Usually, the word “good” is associated with things that are beneficial and bring cheer and hope. Two thousand years ago on “Good Friday”, Jesus the Christ, the only begotten Son of God was betrayed, abandoned, brutally beaten, nailed to a cross, then died. Betrayal. Abandonment. Brutality. Crucifixion. Death. Nothing about that sounds “good” does it? But it is good. And here’s why—the Son of God: Suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins (Heb 2:17, 1 John 4:10); Defeated the power of Satan, sin and the sting of death (1 Cor 15:51-57); Set free all, who by faith, repent and trust in Him (Mk 1:15, Luke 13:5, Eph 2:8-9); Made us ambassadors of Christ and ministers of the Gospel of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-20); Provided a way for the Father to impute His righteousness to those who believe (2 Cor 5:21). Now that’s good news! “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though ...

71 years ago today, the Japanese executed their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. As many reflect of the events of that day, let us also reflect on some of the personal lives that were affected by World War II. From Pearl Harbor to Calvary  is about the incredible, transforming life of Jesus Christ, manifested in Captain Mitsuo Fuchida who eagerly served in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Prior to his salvation Fuchida led three successful air attacks: Pear Harbor on December 7, 1941; Darwin, Australia on February 19, 1942 and against the Royal Navy in British Ceylon (presently Sri Lanka) on April 5, 1942. After the war, Fuchida entered civilian life as a very dissatisfied farmer after being a decorated and highly honored soldier. He began to wonder why he survived so many calamities while thousands around him died. Slowly his thoughts came to something he’d never considered: A Creator God. During this time of deep contemplation about life, Fuchida...

Today, many are remembering, praying for and honoring those who lost their lives on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. More than 3,000 innocent people died because 19 wicked people reveled in their murderous plots. But their revelry was short-lived. Rather than cripple us with fear, their evil and cowardice attack on the defenseless brought greater unity among Americans. United by what? By the God-given morality each of us lives by: no one wants to be killed, no one wants to lied to, no one wants someone to steal from them, and no one wants to live without a purpose or die alone. The reason why we all rallied together when a heinous crime was wrought upon our country, is because all these desires are put in our hearts by our Creator God, whether we want to admit it or not. We’re all united and governed by the law of morality ( Ten Commandments ) for the common good; and we ought to be grateful. “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity...

Twenty years ago today, the Lord chose to unite me and my beloved husband together in holy matrimony. We were both young, naive about marriage and still a bit prideful and self-serving. Naturally our pride deceived us into believing otherwise. The first several years of our marriage were rocky as we both tried to mold one another into our own image of what we thought a husband/wife looked like. With one child, and conversations about divorce, we were nearly done. But God's plans are never thwarted. Never. The Lord decided that we would be married until death do us part and have two sons with whom He would also use for His glory. As we've learned, our marriage isn't about the two of us—it's about Christ. Out of God's great mercy and compassion for the young fools we were, He granted us the wisdom we finally asked for and committed to love one another always second to Christ. We took divorce off the table and resolved to keep Christ as our First Love; ...

“No, not me, Lord! Homeless people are lazy, smelly and violent people who deserve to be on the streets,” exclaimed Susie Jennings, just months after being widowed in 1993. Now Susie is the Founder and President of Operation Care International (OCI), formerly Operation Care - Dallas. I met Susie in the winter of 2004 when she was rallying help for what would become our nation’s largest Christmas party for the homeless. On December 18 of that year, the first of many OCI’s “Christmas Gift” was held at the Dallas Convention Center with 1,500 volunteers serving food, washing feet, cutting hair, distributing clothes, blankets and gifts, along with 10 hospital facilities providing medical care and more, for approximately 8,500 homeless men, women and children. Motivated by her devotion to her first and greatest love, Jesus Christ the Lord, Susie is a true servant-leader who works tirelessly to love the homeless with the same comfort and compassion she receives from God (2 Cor 1:3-4). Su...

I read this note on Facebook and was so touched by it, I contacted Cynthia and asked if I could share her intimate story of the grave news she received about her baby, the strong suggestion to abort him and the conclusion the Lord brought her to. Get some tissues, and get ready to experience a story you'll never forget. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My heart is heavy this morning. I feel the need to finally share this story with you, in hopes that it will reach someone who needs to hear it. April 13, 2010: A doctor brought in the images from my MRI and put them up on a big screen where we could clearly see our baby's spine had stopped forming at the 5th lumbar. She said, "Everything from here down is going to have issues. You'll need to catheterize him at a minimum of every 2 hours, and give him enemas every morning, and lifelong diapers. I can't stress to you enough the importance of catheterization. And in addition to the bowel and urinar...

As Mother's Day fast approaches, my heart is heavy for the many who cannot celebrate with the joy and festivities that are often marked by this day: a special corsage for mom, adorned with mini-flowers representing every precious babe she has born. A special dress or hat, perhaps gloves or a sash. Breakfast in bed; a splendid day at church together; then off to a deliciously prepared lunch with all her favorites. Dinner out, if she desires, at her favorite restaurant, and of course, a scrumptious dessert follows. The entire day is spent with the sweet affection of her loved ones all around her, celebrating her tender, faithful, loving, sacrificial and gentle godly character. Her children and husband rise up and call her blessed (Prov 31:28-29) for her deeds and words prove she's a woman who, above all things, loves and fears the LORD God Almighty (Prov 31:30). Ahhh...isn't this just the picture perfect day? It's brimming with love and overflowing ...

My darling husband is more than my Valentine. He is the second greatest gift to me from God; Jesus being the first and greatest of all. Just like many little girls, I used to dream about what my future husband would look like. Not just on the outside, but more importantly, on the inside. I would dream that my God would give me a husband who loved me well, more than he loved anyone. I dreamed he would work hard for our family and be the perfect father to our children. I dreamed he'd take me wherever I wanted to go and do whatever I desired. I dreamed that his every waking moments thoughts would be about me. I dreamed my perfect husband, would be more committed to me than he was to anyone or anything else. I just wanted someone all to myself, for myself. To me, that was the most perfect husband. Oh, and of course, he needed to be handsome beyond belief. That was understood. Well, one day I grew up. And found that most men were just as self-centered as I was and their dream wife w...

...the fathers & mothers, sons & daughters, brothers & sisters, uncles & aunts, cousins & grandparents, who sacrificed their lives, so that, we can celebrate this special day Memorial Day with all our family members. The cost of freedom is not free. "Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday of May, commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the American military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer...It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868..." ~ quote found on: History.com Many willingly, lovingly and proudly gave up the their lives, their hopes and dreams, so that you and your family can live out theirs. Many willingly, lovingly and proudly gave...

I'm so thankful to the LORD for providing me with my second love -- my darling husband! After listening to many women throughout my life, hearing from many of you here and also from the precious sisters from My Second Love: A Proverbs 31 Study  Bible study, I have come to realize how very rare my husband is. And I don't mean compared to men of this world, as I don't compare my husband to any of them. For what does light have to do with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:15, Galatians 6:4)? But really, I don't compare my husband with anyone else's either, as this too, is not pleasing in the sight of the Lord . I do, however, compare my husband with what God's word says about a husband and what he ought to be like: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkl...

Our Lord Jesus Christ, willingly and lovingly laid down His life to free us from the captivity of sin. His gift of life has been offered to us freely, but it cost Him everything He had. When someone you don't even know lays down their life for your benefit; believe me, you have been loved, whether or not you deserved it. May we never forget and may we always be grateful and humbled that someone would dare risk their lives for our sakes. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13) ~ Jesus the Christ

It has been 7 years since our country was attacked by terrorists. It has been 7 years since the family members of those who worked in the Twin Towers have seen their relatives, friends and co-workers. It's been 7 years since most of us have thought about how very fragile and precious life is. It has been seven years since "ordinary" men and women, risked their lives to save others they did not know. And it has been 7 years since many have remembered to keep those families in our prayers. We said we'd never forget, but somehow, we have. It has been 2,000 years since God came to earth, suffered and died for the souls of all who were once enemies of God. Who were and are the enemies of God? The entire human race. For we all have sinned and fall short of the glory (perfection) of God. We broke God's Law, but Christ paid the penalty for our crime, and He set us free. Free to do whatever we want? No, free to no longer live in a hostile relationship towards God. Free to ...