Few in this world understand this concept and even fewer live by it. Too many harm others as harm has come to them. Or they withhold good from others as it's been withheld from them. Sadly, we've often heard parents say to their children, "I can't help it! I yelled, hit, scared, etc. you because that's what was done to me!" or "Well, I did without love and affection from my parents and I turned out fine. So don't expect to get love and affection from me." But it should not be so with the Christian. A Christian is saved from merely reacting to our environment and empowered from on high to respond to all things with the love, grace and the righteousness of Christ.

Unlike the world, we're not enslaved or overpowered by our sinful flesh; rather, we've been emancipated by the blood of Christ with renewed minds and transformed hearts! This truth should drive us to live in the new life Christ has given, and make us eager to die to the old sinful selves we once were before we repented and trusted our lives to the one and only God—Jesus Christ the Lord.

Proverbs 3:27-28 says, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, 'Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it;—when you have it with you." We must obey this Scripture and give as the LORD our God has given to us: freely and generously, without compulsion or malice. Remember, we are children of God, and He has given us all the glorious riches in Christ Jesus, so we have no excuse not to give good to others...regardless of what may have or have not been done to us (Eph 2:4-10).

As children of the Most High God, it is our great privilege to see all things as He sees them. It is our distinct honor to seek the good of others rather than seek good for ourselves. It is our immense blessing to give and love others as Christ has given and loved us. So we give as He gave and we give what and how He gave. We give truth. We give love as defined by God and not by the defiled definitions of man. Love is pure, holy and righteous; it is not lewd, immoral and self-satisfying.

Today, be determined to give what God gave you: grace and truth fully manifested in Jesus Christ. Give people the Gospel. Live it. Preach it. Defend it.

Don't look for others to treat you justly, but look only to honor God by treating others justly, no matter how well or ill they've treated you. Do not do to others as they have done to you (whether good or evil), but do to others as you would do to the Lord. After all, we are God's workmanship, created to do good works, which He prepared beforehand. And we are to continually bear good fruit in the name of our Lord Jesus, not for eye-service as to men for their approval, but with our whole hearts inclined towards God's pleasure alone.

"Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in Your ways."

All three women have succumbed to the wiles of our enemy, the devil—leading masses away from sound doctrine and luring them to follow and practice panentheism, western mystiscm (e.g., lectio divina), extra-biblical revelations and viewing our holy relationship with God Almighty in a sexual manner.

Though I will speak clearly and firmly as I ought about all three women and the dangerous effects of their writing, speaking and teaching of God's holy Word, I will refrain from making any unnecessary personal attacks about these desperately deceived souls.

The purpose of this article is not to demonize any of these women, but to carefully and lovingly warn and exhort them and other women to be more diligent in studying the Word, seeking wisdom and biblical teaching from their husbands (if they're Christians), submit to their husbands' headships whether or not they are Christians (1 Cor 7:13-16, 2 Peter 3:1-2) and imitate the faith of those who are singularly faithful to God and His Word—with no deviation or imaginations (Heb 13:7, 2 Tim 1:13-14, 2 Cor 10:4-6).

Ann Voskamp

Ann and I have very different writing styles: I shoot straight and she takes the scenic route. Nothing wrong with either. When Ann writes, she paints verbal pictures as she amasses a collage of words and symbolism. Again, nothing wrong with her writing style...many women love that kind of writing...I just don't happen to be one of them and here's why.

Throughout Ann's vastly popular book "One Thousand Gifts" she crafts and weaves a web of words that woo a person's deepest emotions of tragedy and trials—which causes a reader's heart to connect with hers. Once she's captured the reader's heart through her imagery of words and masterfully entangled mess of emotions, she transports you to a place of mystical sighs. And here, anyone, I mean anyone (men and women of all ages) can very easily lose sight of what is true in accordance with God's perfect Word and what is true to our imperfect and often, emotionally and sensory driven hearts and minds.

"And I, when I came to you, brothers [and sisters], did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

~1 Corinthians 2:1-5

In both her interviews and writings, Ann insists that a person's greatest saving grace is having a heart of gratitude, rather than repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. She employs and perpetually repeats the Greek word for thanksgiving: "eucharisteo". This is her mantra. And this (not Christ) is what she emphasizes is the key to unlocking God's gracious gift of finding joy right where you are.

Ann proclaims "thanksgiving always precedes the miracle". While this a moving and inspirational thought, it's simply not biblically accurate. Sometimes miracles were distributed by God's wisdom and grace after someone gave Him thanks, but it didn't always happen that way.

For example, when Gideon was called by God to go into battle, the miracle of the fire springing up from the rock and the miracle of the fleece happened not after or because Gideon thanked God, rather it happened because Gideon rightly feared the LORD and by faith, obeyed His commands.

In addition, there's an entire chapter in Hebrews (11) that gives account of all the miracles that were performed by God, not because people gave Him thanks, but because people feared, loved and had faith in God Almighty alone.

"Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from God of his salvation...

"Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way...Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will He instruct in the way that he should chose...The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant."

~Psalm 24:3-5; Psalm 25:8-9, 12, 14

I don't take issue with Ann's exhortation for all of us to live lives of thanksgiving to God. How can I? It's biblical (1 Thess 5:18). What's not biblical, is Ann's insistence that giving thanks is God's secret; the hidden treasure to all His miracles and the gift of a joy-filled life.

As with all things, we offer God our thanksgiving, not so that He will perform miracles or give us something that makes us feel better about ourselves, but we give to God because He is due all praise, all glory, and all worship.


Beth Moore

More than a decade ago, I took my first Beth Moore study—it was on the tabernacle. I enjoyed it and thought she was a pretty stellar teacher of the Word. I began "following" her work and even attended one of her conferences. But once I began studying the Word of God for myself, and as I listened to her teachings and read more of her work, I began to see some discrepancies between what she says God says, and what God actually says in His Word.

As time passed, I began to notice that as her popularity rose, so did her arrogance. She now presumptuously claims that God gives her extra-biblical revelations. Strangely enough, as I searched to share video clips I once saw just a few months back, I noticed that all the videos displaying the heresy straight from the horses mouth were all deleted and none but this audio clip can be found: http://youtu.be/op2121d0loE.

Why hide something if you really believe it's true?

The other danger of Beth Moore is that she not only teaches women, but she also presumes unbiblical authority over men; teaching and preaching to audiences of both genders. As a matter of fact, she was the only female who took the stage along with John Piper and many others at Louie Giglio's most recent Passion Conference in 2012 (which I also do not recommend).

Beth continues to teach more and more from a human experiential and emotional foundation rather than holy fear and true faith in Christ and His life, His experiences, His Word and His relationship with us.





Sarah Young

In 2004, Sarah Young published the first edition of her book, "Jesus Calling" which litters Christian bookstores everywhere. Young's primary influence for this book came from the "two listeners" (two women) who wrote and published a book with a similar title "God Calling" back in the 1930s.

These "two listeners" while seeking a deeper intimacy with God through other means than just reading the Bible, claim to have experienced direct revelations from the Almighty. Out of obedience to the Lord, they felt they needed to write down these revelations and share it with the world. And this is exactly what Sarah Young claims happened to her.

A quote from Sarah Young during an interview with CBN.

"My journey began with a devotional book (God Calling) written in the 1930's by two women who practiced waiting in God's Presence, writing the messages they received as they "listened." About a year after I started reading this book, I began to wonder if I too could receive messages during my times of communing with God. I had been writing in prayer journals for years, but this was one-way communication: "monologue." I knew that God communicates through the Bible (and I treasure His Word), but I wondered what He might say to me personally on a given day. So I decided to "listen" to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever I sensed He was saying. Of course, I wasn't listening for an audible voice; I was seeking the "still, small voice" of God in my mind/heart."

Unfortunately many solid Christians, including a number of my personal friends have this heretical book in their library and read it faithfully (some, even more faithfully than God's Word) because it really "speaks to my heart", said a dear friend of mine. I was grieved to have to tell her the truth about this book and that the author, Sarah Young claims that the entire book is filled with direct, extra-biblical revelations from God, spoken to her, to be shared with all.

Though Young claims that God's Word alone is infallible, she continued to write and publish a book in which she purports is also infallible by claiming that it too, is divinely inspired by Christ the Lord.

Here is a thorough and biblical review of Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling": Tim Challies Review of 'Jesus Calling'.

Conclusion On All Three Women

The cord that seems to bind a person's heart to the dangerous and heretical teachings of these women, are the stories of tragedy's, trials and the yearning every human being has to be loved, feel significant and sense true purpose in their lives.

All three women give us a sense that we can do something to be holy and to commune more intimately with God—elevating a person's sense of accomplishment rather than humbling us, and bringing us to our knees with utter gratitude and indebtedness for all the Father has given to us in His Son Jesus Christ alone.

Lovingly pray for the repentance of these ladies and warn anyone who follows their heretical teachings...no matter the cost.

...she keeps her heart "clean" for Christ so that what flows out of her mouth is most pleasing to the Lord (Matt 15:18-20; Ps 19:14, Eph 4:29-32).

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue...God shows no partiality..If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors...So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." ~Proverbs 31:26; Romans 2:11; James 2:8-9, 4:17

We women "open our mouths" not just with our physical mouths, but also with our pens and keyboards. And too often, we "show partiality" as we ought not. We pay attention only to those we think "love" us just because they serve us and make us feel good. We don't tend to care very much if what others say are from God's Word (Ps 19:7), His wisdom (James 3:17) or that the teaching of God's kindness is on our tongues (1 John 3:18). Too often, we only keep close company with those whose words soothe our flesh and boosts our already overweening egos (2 Tim 4:3-4).

So what's a girl to do? Cry out to Jesus for help!

Below are some of the questions I ask myself to test my own heart:

Often, our husbands are the ones whom God uses to do all these things. And deep down, we all know it, so what do we do? We hide things from them so they can't lead, rebuke, hold us accountable and "sharpen" us. Instead of biblically submitting under our husband's God-given headship, and openly and honestly seek their wise counsel ¹; we gossip and chatter with girlfriends who'll do nothing but feed and nurture our Eve-complex rather than encourage us to live as daughters of Sarah (1 Peter 3:6).

Since I'm guilty of having done these things (because who doesn't like to have their ego stroked?), to keep me from continuing in this sin, I tell my darling husband everything regarding my relationships with: our sons, friends, co-workers and anybody I come in contact with and especially how I'm doing with my relationship with the Lord.

For example, if someone sends me something in writing, I ask my husband to read it for himself, rather than me telling him what someone wrote or said because honestly, I'm aware that my reading may include negative voice inflections, or that my retelling may not be completely accurate and possibly skewed by how I happened to be feeling at the moment. In order to get the true, untainted, godly counsel from my husband, I confess I'm struggling with something and I'm not sure if it's me or "them" and I need his wise counsel. Then I present him with whatever is necessary for him to lead me in the Way. ²

Now that I've openly shared the depths of my heart with you, it's your turn. Ask yourselves the same questions (above) that I ask myself.

God says true friends will love us enough to give us His truth fully aware that we may lash back in anger or give them the silent treatment. Those who truly love you will always sacrifice themselves and subject themselves to your abuse—all for your eternal good. Remember that, and take time today to thank your husband (if you're married) or your friends who express God's love to you. If you've returned their kindness with unkindness, be a big girl...confess your sins and ask them for forgiveness.

 ¹ Note: None of our husbands are perfect and give wise counsel all the time. Only Christ the Lord is perfect and is able to do that. However, God commanded and has provided protection and blessing (1 Pet 3:1-2, 4. 6) for all His girls who choose to be strong and courageous enough to submit to their husbands in everything as unto the Lord (Eph 5:24).

 ² Caution: If you are married, do not engage in deep spiritual or emotional conversations with any man but your husband (whether a pastor, family member, childhood friend, co-worker, etc.). Doing this will damage the sacred intimacy God has granted only between a husband and his wife. No matter how hard you try, you will disobey God by disrespecting your husband (Eph 5:33).

(article also published at My Second Love and The Christian Post)

Walmart has pulled a toddler Halloween costume off their shelves after receiving many complaints by outraged parents who deemed the costume as inappropriately sexual for children.

The name of the costume is "Naughty Leopard", but as you can see, the actual costume itself isn't sexual or even slightly immodest. As a matter of fact, it has more material on it than most women wear, as well a what most parents dress their little girls in.

The dictionary definition and common understanding of the word naughty is "disobedient; mischievous (used especially in speaking to or about children)."

I honestly find this parental outrage quite hypocritical. Let me tell you why. Parents dress their babies, toddlers, children and even teen girls in clothes that are highly sexual, extremely provocative and yet, because the label that's on the name of the shirt, dress, skirt, etc. doesn't have a "naughty" name attached to it, it's okay.

Have we as parents really become that easily duped, or have we wrongly mirrored our overly sexualized hearts and minds onto a children's costume label?

When I think of a "naughty" leopard, the first thought that pops into my mind is that of a feline getting into a mess, tearing things up, chewing or clawing on what they ought not, etc. The thought of a naughty leopard does not however, for me, conjure any sexual imagery. Not to say my mind is purer than others, as I know for a fact it's filled with just as many evil (if not more) thoughts and ideas as all people; for only Jesus Christ the Lord has the perfect and pure heart and mind (Prov 20:9, Mk 10:18).

Sadly, skimpy bikinis, low-cut shirts, short shorts, outfits exposing the midriff and other overtly sexual clothing designs are a norm for baby, toddler, elementary-aged and teen girls and women. I intended to include photos to prove this travesty, but after considering what the benefit might be, I realized that no one reading this article needs any more convincing than what's already displayed in most stores and ads.

Where's the parental outrage against all these stores that are littered with sexually provocative clothing for their daughters? 

Disapproval of the label on a piece of clothing rather than the actual content and design proves that the problem is not with the external usage, but with the internal aspects of the human heart and mind.

In the passages above, our Lord Jesus is making it clear that our worldview and how we choose to live is not defined by external appearances (the outside of the cup and plate), but our lives are defined by what's in our hearts and minds (the inside of the cup and plate). How we chooose to live both in public and private is God's way of revealing to us and to others what it is we truly believe rather than what we merely profess to believe; for how a person daily lives is proof of what they believe (Lk 6:45, 1 John 5:3-4).

Understanding that the outrage regarding Walmar'ts "Naughty Leopard" costume proves the provocative nature of our hearts, let us consider a more superior and long-lasting resolution to this problem rather than the temporary one of merely pulling this costume off the shelves of a store.

Beloved sisters, let us not dress to impress or please ourselves, men or even to get compliments from girlfriends. Let us first dress our hearts to honor God, always seeking first His kingdom and righteousness (Matt 6:33). Then, let us dress our bodies in a manner that communicates we're daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords―well cared for, with no bells and whistles that attract attention to our physical attributes, but with a quiet inner beauty that displays the invisible and glorious attributes of God. Then, let us, in word and deed, teach our daughters to do the same.

And Christian dads, daily show your daughters God's love for them; always exemplyfing her inner beauty (share specific character qualities you see in her e.g., humilty, servant's heart, friend of the friendless, gentleness, etc.) rather than over-emphasizing her exterior beauty. Tell her she's beautiful...because God made her that way, and not because of any adornment the world has to offer her. Give her the kind of attention that pleases the Lord and don't be afraid to lovingly disapprove of any ungodly internal or external behavior. If you invest this kind of quality time with your daughter, she will be attracted to men with character and integrity rather than men who merely look good on the outside but lack any valuable attributes.

"Fathers [and mothers] do not provoke your children to anger [sin], but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." ~Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)

Early last week, I had the special blessing of attending a luncheon with Keith and Kristyn Getty at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, Texas. Then, the very next day, God increased my blessing by allowing me to interview this lovely couple.

It's always a joy when the Lord connects me with saints in Christ who love the Him and are devoted to His Kingdom work with humility and integrity.

I really can't say enough about how genuinely kind, down-to-earth and pleasant both Keith and Kristyn are.

"Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus"

~Philippians 2:3-5

Is there a Scripture or passage you'd like to share with my readers?

Yes. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." ~Colossians 3:16-17






Above is a music video of one of the songs we sang at the luncheon. I absolutely fell in love with this hymn and wanted to share it with all of you, so we, as children of the Most High God, can join together, with one voice and praise His holy and awesome name!

What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.

~Psalm 116:12-14

Below are the lyrics to the hymn "My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness" if you'd like to sing along.

The Getty's are expecting their second daughter to arrive in just a couple of months. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Keith and Kristyn will return to the Dallas, Texas area on Thursday, October 3, 2013 and will have a concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center at 8:00 p.m.

To purchase tickets for this event, click the following link: http://gettymusic.com/tour.aspx. When purchasing tickets, use the promotional code: R777 to get any seat for $20.00.

I mentioned in my last article, most of the public shaming implemented as a form of discipline have been exacted on daughters and not sons. So I want to take some time to shed light on why this is harmful to our girls and what they need to help them better understand who they are and why they exist.

First and foremost, our children, sons or daughters are not here to make up for any loss childhood dreams we’ve had. They were not created so we can boast about what great parents we are. And lastly, God never created them so that we can somehow feel “whole”.

God created every human being to know Him, His love and everlasting life through repentance and faith in His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Knowing the purpose in which they were created by our Creator, our primary goal as parents ought to be to share the Gospel with them, shower them with God’s grace and mercy and demonstrate in life and speech, what it means to live in the freedom Christ has given all who believe (Rom 6:6-7, 12-14).

God instructs us in His Word that we, the parents are to diligently disciple, that is, train up and teach our own children rather than expect the church, school curriculum or other outside influences to do it (Deut 6:5-9). While all these extra-familial sources may help guide a child, it is the parents primary responsibility to love, lead, train and protect.

When we neglect to obey God and apply the wisdom we can readily find in His Word, we exasperate our children and make them prone to anger and acts of rebellion.

God designed girls more delicately, and therefore we’re more easily bruised in every way: physically, emotionally and spiritually. God made females to be more relational than males and therefore, we require more stability and security in our lives—especially within our relationships. When someone breaks trusts with us, it’s very damaging and something very difficult to recover from.

When females are injured, we tend to react in extremes. We either completely fall apart and into depression, or we buck up and try to behave more like a man with a “take charge” attitude in order to protect ourselves since there doesn’t seem to be anyone else who’s willing to shield us from life’s pains.

Realizing this about girls, I find it disheartening that most of these abrasive, public shaming tactics have been used on precious, vulnerable and troubled girls.

Moms today seem to be so busy trying to remain looking and feeling youthful themselves, they behave more like their daughter’s competitor than their biggest cheerleader, confidant; and the older, wiser woman that every gal needs in her life...no matter her age (Titus 2:3-5).

Us moms need to remember what it was like for us when we were their age and how we felt about ourselves, the world around us, and the confusion about how exactly we fit in.

Dads neglect to spend enough quality time with their girls because they feel uncomfortable playing with dolls or doing other “girly” things. But girls aren’t one dimensional. We enjoy many other things like: dressing up and going to a play, having a nice “Daddy and Daughter Date Night”, going to the zoo while holding hands with Daddy, laughing together while having a tickle fight or enjoy snuggling with homemade popcorn and her favorite movie and so much more.

Dads need to stop making their girls feel like they need to be more like boys to get their father’s attention or approval. And mom’s need to stop making their girls feel “less than” in order to keep them in line.

Both mothers and fathers need to make sure their girls feel like a princess by treasuring them; telling her you love her at least a million times a day; daily complimenting her appearance, attitude, or whatever else you can find to encourage her...be creative!

Us parents need to aspire to have open, honest and friendly relations with our children, without ever becoming their “buddy” and wanting our kids to think we’re “cool”...that’s what their peers are for. For more on this, read, “Christian Parenting Goals 101”.

Much like our relationship with God, our children should fear us, but they shouldn’t be afraid of us. Reverent fear comes from love and respect. Being afraid comes from lack of trust and unhealthy fear that someone will do us harm. A child should never feel that way about a parent.

Loving our children doesn’t mean we always agree with them, it means we love them whether they do good or evil and we sacrificially spend ourselves to do whatever it takes, regardless of what it might cost us, to reach them for Christ. That’s what godly love looks like: it sacrifices for others and is willing to endure shame (like Christ on the Cross for our sake) for the greater benefit of others...not the other way around.

God’s powerful love is true, strong and stable like a rock. The world’s “love” is false, ooshy gooshy and has the viscosity of mud. Give your children God’s love and read your Bibles and get discipled by others who’ve gone ahead of you, so you can see what godly parenting looks like.

Loving our children means we discipline them daily in accordance with God’s Word, and not just when they do something wrong.

Bottom line: Girls need private and public security, not private and public disgrace.

Below are some good and soundly biblical resources to help parents train up their children in the Way (of Christ) they ought to go.

• Parenting Collection - This collection by Pastor-Teacher John MacArthur includes: Crucial Lessons for a Wise Father CD, The Extraordinary Mother (hardcover), Cultivating a Godly Child (booklet), and What the Bible Says About Parenting (softcover).
• Parenting God’s Way (booklet) - Alistair Begg
• Parental Priorities: God’s Design for the Family CD - Alistair Begg
• Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens - Paul David Tripp

May we all, as parents, have a healthy fear of God and remember that our children are not our own, but they were created by God; and one day, we'll have to answer to Him about how we decided to raise them.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the latest story about Utah dad, Scott Mackintosh who donned a pair of homemade Daisy Duke-like shorts while on a family outing, to convince his 19-year-old daughter Myley that her choice of immodest apparel was unacceptable.

Prior to this latest escapade of child-shaming tactics as a form of discipline, there were others.

Back in April 2012, 15-year-old Quandria Bryant of North Carolina was made to carry a sign on Highway 17 in New Bern that said, “I have a bad attitude. I disrespect [sic] people who try to help me.” Her father Donnell employed this public shaming tactic after Quandria was suspended from school for her increasingly disrespectful attitude toward her ninth grade teachers.

My question is, was her dad involved prior to her disrespectful escalation that led to her suspension? As a parent, I know schools don’t do this without some warnings to the student and parents. So what forms of discipline, if any, were incorporated prior to this public shaming?

In March of this year, 13-year-old Kayla Nickell from Crestview, Florida was forced by her parents to hold a sign on the corner of Ferdon Boulevard and U.S. Highway 90 that said, “I’m a Self-entitled teenager w/NO Respect for authority. I’m also super smart, yet I have 3 ‘D’s’ because I DON’T CARE!”

The parents admit Kayla’s increasingly disrespectful attitude along with dropping grades happened after her uncle (whom she was very close to) was killed in December 2011 while serving in Afghanistan.

The Nickells claim they had to do this to Kayla because the loss was difficult for everyone in the family, but Kayla’s the only one who behaved so badly and they felt that “she kind of gave up.” Well of course she did. Isn’t this somewhat of a normal reaction...for anyone, child or adult?

Where’s the sacrificial love and understanding? Was there a family grief counselors involved? Did her parents daily provide her with a non-judgmental and safe place for her to share what she was feeling or thinking, no matter how ugly her thoughts and feelings might’ve been?

The Nickells claim to be Christians, so the greatest confusion I have is why didn’t they search God’s Word for His wise counsel? Why did they prefer to employ a shaming technique suggested by a “parenting coach” when Kayla was seven or eight?

Shortly after this incident, in May 2013, 10-year-old Kaylee was publicly shamed by her father’s long-time companion Ally, because Kaylee was bullying another fourth grader at school for how she dressed. After one reportedly ineffective conversation with Kaylee, Ally resorted to purchasing a wardrobe that would publicly humiliate Kaylee. Ally made her wear them to school for two days so Kaylee could see what it felt like to be bullied and taunted.

My first concern here is, Ally isn’t even Kaylee’s mother...not even her step-mother (which many stories purport, though Ally is not married to Kaylee’s father). Kaylee’s father has full custody of her (a rarity), which obviously means there are painful issue with her biological mother.

My next concern is, why did the teacher email Ally regarding Kaylee’s poor behavior at school, rather than her biological father? And why after only one conversation with a 10-year-old girl that didn’t immediately produce a repentant attitude, cause Ally to decide to publicly shame her as a form of discipline?

My goodness, if these exasperated schemes to discipline, teach a lesson or get a point across were exercised by our employers when we weren’t “getting it” at our jobs, how would that affect us...as adults? I mean, when’s the last time someone corrected you, and you immediately responded with a positive and agreeable attitude? Exactly. Most of us don’t, and we’re adults; yet we expect immature children to respond to difficult situations in life in a manner we don’t even expect from ourselves.

In reality, us adults have a lot of trouble getting through this life without some outbursts of disrespect to authority, allowing our pride to get away with us, refusing help from others and altogether behaving in unacceptable ways.

Though these public shaming campaigns seem to be on the rise and well applauded by both Christians and non-Christians, the question still remains—is it right?

I say it’s not, because I can’t find an example of this in God’s Word.

As a Christian, I’m granted the beautiful comfort and serene joy of knowing that God Almighty alone is perfect, and that His Word details all that any human being needs to navigate well through this life.

I see three important things that appear to have been overlooked or purposely ignored in all the stories of public shaming (which are not exhausted in this article) as a form of discipline.

Yesterday I had the blessing of interviewing Jimmy Needham: a young, 28-year old Christian, husband, father and someone who just happens to be a singer/songwriter. I say "just happens" because unlike most, the obvious career the Lord chose for Jimmy, is not the one he foresaw for himself.

Jimmy is a graduate of Texas A & M. His plans were to remain at his alma mater and teach Philosophy. But God inspired the heart of Jimmy's loving and supportive father to encourage him with an offer to fund Jimmy's first album, originally titled, "For Freedom" in 2005.

Three months after Jimmy posted songs from this album on MySpace, he received a call from the President of InPop Records who flew to Houston, Texas to meet Jimmy. InPop signed Jimmy with their label and publicly released his debut album, "For Freedom" under the new title, "Speak" in 2006.

It was after these two events, Jimmy realized, "this doesn't happen to everybody". Jimmy adds, "I was really sort of hesitant to get into this career, though I knew I could sing and write music. I knew a career like this...to be on stage, would impact my ego . I tried to avoid this career as long as I could. I'm doing this because God opened so many doors I didn't have to open myself."

With God's provision of unique musical talent, loving and supportive parents and the quick interest of a record label, Jimmy is mindful his life is not His own. Jimmy's life was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ and therefore, he strives to honor God with all he has.

Jimmy will be releasing his seventh, and second, independently labeled album, "The Hymns Sessions V1" on Tuesday, September 10, 2013—exactly eight years (to the day) that his father offered to fund his first record, "For Freedom". How cool is that? God truly is amazing!

Included in Jimmy's "The Hymns Session V1" are the following songs:

"Dearly Loved". I wrote and recorded that when I was in high school. To my surprise, it ended up being a number one radio single. I have a real desire to preach the Gospel to folks and I love doing that poetically. "Dearly Loved" is sort of an appeal to share the Gospel.

You're clearly gifted by God with musical talent and a unique singing voice. You could be making lots of money and gain more popularity by doing what some Christian artists have done— move to mainstream music. Why not follow suit? Why continue to write and sing about Jesus?

For me, it's really not so much a choice. The reality is I'm a songwriter and songwriters write from a place of inspiration...things they're passionate about...things they wrestle with. I'm most captivated by Jesus. When I sit down to write, it's more about what I just got hit by from a sermon at church, or a conversation with a neighbor, etc. I don't feel like I have to stick with a genre, I just write what I'm passionate about...the Gospel.

I noticed your lyrics are theologically sound as opposed to the typical contemporary Christian pop that seems to woo people more to their senses than to Christ and His Word. Why do you go through the trouble of making sure your lyrics are in line with sound doctrine?

I was thinking about that recently. At the end of the day, words matter. This point is made in the Word of God in the epistle of Paul. Paul says to Timothy multiple times to retain to sound doctrine. Reality is, I think that it's important to be fidelitas to the Gospel because the Gospel is news and if we tamper with that news, we're tampering with the key that is the door to God's Kingdom. It's important that we accurately communicate God's righteousness and our sin. I always try to take that seriously.

Folks I've always admired are songwriters who have always had that conviction about them.

My responsibility is just like a pastors—to accurately interrupt text and accurately preach it. It's hard to make truth rhyme, but that's the job of an artist who loves Jesus.

If any, what struggles have you had in pursuing God's calling in your life as a singer/songwriter; externally and internally?

My external struggles highlight my internal struggles. I think in this career and all that it entails, with the inherently competitive nature, has sort of brought to the surface a lot of garbage of personal pride issues. I don't know of a more dangerous profession for a Christian than doing what I'm doing.

My college pastor once told me, "The most dangerous place for a human heart is on stage." And he's right. I feel like every season I'm forced to grapple with a new set of insecurities. When another artist's career blows up I feel insecure, when I do well I deal with my pride. Honestly, I find it fairly taxing to constantly bring myself back to, "Am I promoting the name of Jesus or promoting the name of me?"

I agree with your college pastor. And if we're all honest, whether we're on a real stage like you, or on a virtual stage like me (as a writer), we all struggle with the same insecurities and pride. Unfortunately, I think that's why so many well-meaning Christian writers I personally know have fallen off the path of righteousness by believing their own press and popularity. When challenged with God's Word, they buck up thinking everything they do is biblical because they're doing it, and not because it's found in God's Word. Very heartbreaking.

How do you regain focus when this happens?

I've found lots of solace in meditating on Scripture, and specifically on the life of John the Baptist. In  the beginning of John one, he's the man everyone comes to see. Near the end of John one, he gets to baptize Jesus. By John three, he's telling his disciples that his joy is full and that he must decrease and Christ must increase.

John the Baptist has been a role model for me. When I'm backstage, I remind myself of the same thing, "I must decrease and Christ must increase" whether the auditorium is full or near empty.

The ultimate antidote is to have a really large, robust view of Jesus in your sight. Because the larger He looms, the leveler the playing field becomes. Everyone seems petty and small compared to God's greatness. I just need to remember that He's the man, not me. If we have a large view of God, it helps to sort of put ourselves in the right place. 

Why this hymns album and how did it all come about?

When we decided to make a second record after "Clear the Stage" we were vacillating between making a hymns cover record or Motown cover record. Ultimately, we decided it would be really cool to do a soulful, Motown feel, hymns album.

It's funny because this record was never meant to see the light of day. The whole record came out of the fact that the KickStarter campaign was so successful, I made the hymns record (a year ago) as a "Thank You" gift to the 300 people who supported my "Clear the Stage" project.

I personally called all 300 fans to thank them and when I asked how they were enjoying "Clear the Stage" I was surprised when many said, "Oh, I haven't listened to that yet. I'm still enjoying the hymns record."

Very cool. Is there a verse or passage of Scripture and a word of exhortation you'd like to share with my readers?

Yes, John 6:35. It's a verse I love and has shaped a lot of what I've been doing and has inspired many of the songs in "Clear the Stage". John 6:35 says, "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.'" Jesus came that we might be fully satisfied in Him. Learning to appreciate Him helps me see that He meets my deepest soul hunger. I think it's probably the most essential and vital aspect of who God is for us; that He's not just some deity that's legally freed us from Hell, but that He's an enjoyable being that designed us to enjoy Him forever.

In a time where God's Word is watered-down and many artists and writers try so hard to make the Gospel more palatable to sinful ears and hearts, it's refreshing to know God still has His faithful soldiers out there who are fighting the good fight of faith with whatever resources He's provided them. With Jimmy Needham, it happens to be the power of song lyrics and the stage. Let's pray the Lord protect our brother Jimmy from the lure of stage lights and popularity so he can continue serving the Lord while being mindful of Who's name He represents—Jesus Christ the Lord.

I'm very grateful to God for His gift of truth that continues to prevail in a field that's saturated with sensuality rather than sensibility.