The following is an article that I have taken from my Facebook page posted by one of my friends in show business in California. It breaks my heart. (She didn't write it.) The friend that posted it does not appear to have the kingdom of God at heart but whether or not the people at Sherwood (who produced the Christian films "Flywheel," "Facing the Giants," Fireproof," and "Courageous") can write well enough to suit "real" show-business people. Please pray for these people who just don't understand that Sherwood isn't out for an Oscar but for the salvation of souls. People have spoken loudly that what they want are more films like the Kendrick brothers and Sherwood produce. I guess it's not how you write but what you write.
http://www.bren.us/courageous-yeah-kinda
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
DO I REALLY LOOK LIKE THAT?
As some of you know, I have a real heart for the lost in the media, entertainment, and celebrity world. One of my connections to people who are ministering to those dear folks that God loves is Dr. Larry Poland with Mastermedia International. I receive his quarterly newsletter, The Mediator, and am never disappointed in its contents...there is always an encouraging story about Jesus Christ's presence in those realms of society. With Dr. Poland's permission, I am using an article he wrote in the Spring, 2011, issue as this blog. I'd appreciate your comments. As usual, my request is that you be nice!
Modesty: The Naked Truth
Editor's note: In this issue of The Mediator Dr. Poland sets aside his regular series on "Wisdom for the Trenches" to deal with a subject he considers critical to the witness of Christians living in a media-saturated culture. "Wisdom for the Trenches" will return in the next issue.
INTRODUCTION
Modesty is a virtue that is all but lost in American society and that has become increasingly rare even in the Christian community. The pervasive influence of immodesty in society impacts Christian men and women through images in film, TV, videos, Internet, and in secular social settings.
Regardless of the above, the Bible condemns immodesty. Immodesty has a number of destructive effects on the immodest person, on those who view the immodest person, and on the Christian community.
Speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Jeremiah the prophet condemns Israel's immodesty by saying, "...you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush in shame." (Jer. 3:3 NIV). Again, he declared, "Are they not ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush." (Jer. 6:15 NIV). Peter exhorts women to modesty in the following words, "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety...." (1 Peter 2:9 NIV).
The Apostle Paul exhorts believers to "shine like stars" on the dark backdrop of the degenerate culture around them. Surely this includes the believer's image as well as his behavior--modesty is about both.
A simple definition of modesty is: Making sure that my external appearance accurately reflects my internal commitment to Christ and to biblical holiness--regardless of worldly fashions.
DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF IMMODESTY
While immodesty can be a problem for both sexes, it is a greater and more common problem when expressed by women. Following are some destructive elements of immodesty among believers:
1. It blurs the distinction between those who know and love Christ and those who reject God and His law. Question: "Why wouldn't I want to appear to others like one who knows and loves Christ, rather than one from 'the world?'"
2. It blurs the distinction between those who are immoral by behavior from those who are moral by behavior. Question: "If I am not an immoral person, why would I want to dress like one?"
3. It detracts from the believer's true beauty, the countenance. Question: "If the light of Christ is in countenance, and He is the source of my attractiveness, why would I want to draw attention away from His countenance and true beauty by immodest dress?"
4. It tempts others to sin. Question: "If immodesty in dress tempts others to lust after or to covet me sexually, am I willing to be responsible for their struggle?"
5. It feeds the fleshly--not the spiritual--side of the immodest believer. Question: "If I dress or act immodestly in public, will it not stir within me inappropriate fleshly or sexually seductive passions?"
6. It sends messages about the immodest person that reveal their true heart attitude toward purity. Question: "If, as Jesus said, 'from the overflow of the heart a person speaks, 'why would I want my apparel to 'speak' that my heart is impure or immoral, if it isn't?"
7. It contributes to temptations that lead to porn addiction, fornication, adultery, pregnancy out of marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, and the impairment of sexual intimacy in the God-ordained bond of marriage. Question: "If I am not soliciting sexual advances, why would I want to dress as if I were, and, thus, risk having to deal with the potentially horrific consequences of such advances--possibly even rape?"
CONCLUSION
In their best-selling book, Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time, Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey describe the plague of addiction to sexual temptation and impure images (a.k.a. pornography) in the Body of Christ. Not just a man's problem anymore, "lust addiction" is a growing issue with believing women.
Is it not time to make a renewed commitment to help each other conquer these temptations? Step one surely must be to do nothing which feeds sexual lust and moral sin in others.
Modesty: The Naked Truth
Editor's note: In this issue of The Mediator Dr. Poland sets aside his regular series on "Wisdom for the Trenches" to deal with a subject he considers critical to the witness of Christians living in a media-saturated culture. "Wisdom for the Trenches" will return in the next issue.
INTRODUCTION
Modesty is a virtue that is all but lost in American society and that has become increasingly rare even in the Christian community. The pervasive influence of immodesty in society impacts Christian men and women through images in film, TV, videos, Internet, and in secular social settings.
Regardless of the above, the Bible condemns immodesty. Immodesty has a number of destructive effects on the immodest person, on those who view the immodest person, and on the Christian community.
Speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Jeremiah the prophet condemns Israel's immodesty by saying, "...you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush in shame." (Jer. 3:3 NIV). Again, he declared, "Are they not ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush." (Jer. 6:15 NIV). Peter exhorts women to modesty in the following words, "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety...." (1 Peter 2:9 NIV).
The Apostle Paul exhorts believers to "shine like stars" on the dark backdrop of the degenerate culture around them. Surely this includes the believer's image as well as his behavior--modesty is about both.
A simple definition of modesty is: Making sure that my external appearance accurately reflects my internal commitment to Christ and to biblical holiness--regardless of worldly fashions.
DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF IMMODESTY
While immodesty can be a problem for both sexes, it is a greater and more common problem when expressed by women. Following are some destructive elements of immodesty among believers:
1. It blurs the distinction between those who know and love Christ and those who reject God and His law. Question: "Why wouldn't I want to appear to others like one who knows and loves Christ, rather than one from 'the world?'"
2. It blurs the distinction between those who are immoral by behavior from those who are moral by behavior. Question: "If I am not an immoral person, why would I want to dress like one?"
3. It detracts from the believer's true beauty, the countenance. Question: "If the light of Christ is in countenance, and He is the source of my attractiveness, why would I want to draw attention away from His countenance and true beauty by immodest dress?"
4. It tempts others to sin. Question: "If immodesty in dress tempts others to lust after or to covet me sexually, am I willing to be responsible for their struggle?"
5. It feeds the fleshly--not the spiritual--side of the immodest believer. Question: "If I dress or act immodestly in public, will it not stir within me inappropriate fleshly or sexually seductive passions?"
6. It sends messages about the immodest person that reveal their true heart attitude toward purity. Question: "If, as Jesus said, 'from the overflow of the heart a person speaks, 'why would I want my apparel to 'speak' that my heart is impure or immoral, if it isn't?"
7. It contributes to temptations that lead to porn addiction, fornication, adultery, pregnancy out of marriage, sexually transmitted diseases, and the impairment of sexual intimacy in the God-ordained bond of marriage. Question: "If I am not soliciting sexual advances, why would I want to dress as if I were, and, thus, risk having to deal with the potentially horrific consequences of such advances--possibly even rape?"
CONCLUSION
In their best-selling book, Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time, Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey describe the plague of addiction to sexual temptation and impure images (a.k.a. pornography) in the Body of Christ. Not just a man's problem anymore, "lust addiction" is a growing issue with believing women.
Is it not time to make a renewed commitment to help each other conquer these temptations? Step one surely must be to do nothing which feeds sexual lust and moral sin in others.
“Reprinted by permission, Dr. Larry Poland, Mastermedia
International, www.mastermediaintl.org”
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Live and Let Diet
People often wonder, aloud sometimes, how I've stayed so thin as I've aged. Well, I guess I owe a lot to God's grace and his gift of good genes, but honestly, it has now become awfully hard to keep the weight off. When I was younger, in fact until I was 31 years old, I could eat exactly as I pleased and barely an ounce showed up on my frame. Now, well...let's just say that I can put it on reeeeeally fast now. Several months ago I bought a dress to wear to my son's wedding coming up in September, and after only a few months, I took it from the closet and tried it on again. Um...yeah. Some of my middle had to go. Sooooooo...after trial and error, I have come up with a "diet" that, for one reason or another, works for me. Interested? Okay. Here goes:
First of all, I walk an hour about five or six mornings a week. It really does help. AND it's a really good prayer time.
Breakfast: A cup of hot tea. (Sometimes green, sometimes Earl Grey, sometimes some other flavor.) 1/2 cup of fat-free milk. (Believe it or not, depending on the brand, it really DOES have taste.) Four cubes of cheese. (From that really huge bag of cheese cubes you can buy in the cheese section at Wal-Mart.)
Several glasses of ice water until lunch. Supposedly the colder the water, the more your body has to work to keep your body at a normal temperature. That means it's burning calories.
Lunch: One can of Campbell's Soup At Hand. (They have several that are low calorie, like Chicken and Stars and Chicken and Mini Noodles. Occasionally I have the Classic Tomato. Yum.) About 1/2 to 3/4 cup of fat-free cottage cheese and one of those cute little Dole fruits cups that come four to a package. I usually get the pineapple tidbits, peaches, mandarin orange segments, or pears.
MORE ice water.
Usually I get a little hungry around 2:30 or 3:00 and have a bowl of Cheerios or some other not-so-fattening cereal, again with the fat-free milk.
Supper: Whatever I fix for the hubby. I just try not to eat too much of it.
I try not to eat as many sweets and as much bread as I used to. I still eat a sweet or two now and then. They're my weakness. I also eat some bread on occasion. If I had to be really, really strict, I might get a little loopy.
This appears to be working, I have lost about 4 1/2 pounds in about 2 weeks. :)
This may not interest a single soul out there, but here it is...just in case.
First of all, I walk an hour about five or six mornings a week. It really does help. AND it's a really good prayer time.
Breakfast: A cup of hot tea. (Sometimes green, sometimes Earl Grey, sometimes some other flavor.) 1/2 cup of fat-free milk. (Believe it or not, depending on the brand, it really DOES have taste.) Four cubes of cheese. (From that really huge bag of cheese cubes you can buy in the cheese section at Wal-Mart.)
Several glasses of ice water until lunch. Supposedly the colder the water, the more your body has to work to keep your body at a normal temperature. That means it's burning calories.
Lunch: One can of Campbell's Soup At Hand. (They have several that are low calorie, like Chicken and Stars and Chicken and Mini Noodles. Occasionally I have the Classic Tomato. Yum.) About 1/2 to 3/4 cup of fat-free cottage cheese and one of those cute little Dole fruits cups that come four to a package. I usually get the pineapple tidbits, peaches, mandarin orange segments, or pears.
MORE ice water.
Usually I get a little hungry around 2:30 or 3:00 and have a bowl of Cheerios or some other not-so-fattening cereal, again with the fat-free milk.
Supper: Whatever I fix for the hubby. I just try not to eat too much of it.
I try not to eat as many sweets and as much bread as I used to. I still eat a sweet or two now and then. They're my weakness. I also eat some bread on occasion. If I had to be really, really strict, I might get a little loopy.
This appears to be working, I have lost about 4 1/2 pounds in about 2 weeks. :)
This may not interest a single soul out there, but here it is...just in case.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Who Do You Think You Are?
Genealogy is one of my favorite pastimes. A vice, some would say. I’m so enamored with it that I pay the full membership cost of almost $300 a year to subscribe to ancestry.com! That works out to be about $25 a month. Compared to golfing, coin collecting, and a lot of other hobbies, I get off pretty cheap with it, don’t you think? Soooo…I bit pretty hard awhile back when ancestry.com introduced a new television show, Who Do You Think You Are? As the saying goes, they had me with, “Hello.” I’m totally addicted and can’t wait for each Friday’s episode. I know that it’s an hour-long, very well crafted ad aimed at enticing its viewers to subscribe to ancestry.com; however, since I’m already a very loyal member, I get to just sit back and enjoy it! The premise of the show is to follow along with the celebrity du jour, sometimes to exotic places like Barbados, as he or she talks with genealogists, archivists, and other experts about old records containing vital information regarding their ancestors, discovering along the way some pretty incredible stories of family life “back then.” The show has featured such famous folks as Lionel Richie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Susan Sarandon, Emmitt Smith, Rosie O’Donnell, Tim McGraw, and the list goes on. The featured celebrity isn’t always someone I admire or even like, but the story is always fascinating.
This past Friday’s episode featured movie star Gwyneth Paltrow. To make her long story short, she discovered, as we first visited her Aunt Fran, that there had been a great-grandmother, Ida May, who had “never cooked a meal,” had not cleaned house, had not otherwise been a good mother, and on top of all that, had also been a hoarder. This explained why Gwyneth’s grandfather didn’t talk much about his childhood and held such disdain for his mother. After more searching of records it was discovered why Ida May had been so ill suited for living: her father had died when she was young, and her mother and older brother had died within a few weeks of each other when Ida May was 13, and Ida May herself had tragically lost a three-year-old child only a couple of weeks or so before delivering the baby she was pregnant with at the time. Many of the stories this show features end much happier than this one did, but this one was a horribly sad story, to say the least.
It reminded me of my own maternal grandmother, Mama Bessie, who married a young man, Grover, had a son who died at the age of two after choking on a peanut hull and developing gangrene from its extraction, had a daughter Alice, and lost Grover when Alice was seven months old. She married Mahlon, had miscarriages, once with twins, and had five more children, one of which was my mother, Amy Rose. Grandpa Mahlon died in 1931 when my mother was 14. Mama Bessie married a third time to a man who wasn’t as kind as he could have been to her children. Fortunately, they had none together and he died.
I said all that to say this: Gwyneth’s story ended so sadly, and with no reference to God except that she found on the other side of her family that there were a number of rabbis, one of which was involved in Kabbalah. (She also proudly revealed that she studies Kabbalah. Unless you’re already well versed in Kabbalah, I will leave you to your Googling on that one.) Mama Bessie and her family, on the other hand, may have suffered many struggles and heartbreaks, but the difference in her story and Gwyneth’s ancestors’ is that Mama Bessie loved and trusted Jesus Christ as her Savior. Her children watched her life and mimicked it in many ways. She trusted Him with her life and while she didn’t die a materially wealthy woman, she passed into eternity with her Savior a very rich woman spiritually and with a loving family who to this day tells many stories of growing up at her feet.
Oh, that Gwyneth’s family could know that love. Maybe you’ll join me in praying for that.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
TRUTH
"You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32."
Anne noticed Bill's gratuitous nod. His wife, Sarah, wore thick makeup to cover a bruise, this time on her right cheek.
"What is truth? John 18:38." The pastor repeated Pilate's question. Another nod, this time from Jane whom she had seen stagger from local restaurants three times in the last month, each time with a different drunken man. Anne grieved that a few hypocrites kept people away from church.
"I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life," he quoted Jesus.
"John 14:6," Anne whispered.
This is my submission for this week's 100 Word Challenge from www.velvetverbosity.com Two hundred words wouldn't have said all I'd like to say, but the challenge is to get across what you want to say in one hundred, so here ya go. My trouble is I have waaaay too many words to say on anything you ask me about! :) I would have liked to address the never ending comments that we shouldn't be judgemental, but alas it would have taken more words because that observation isn't as biblical as people think it is. Maybe next time the word will be something I can build on. :)
Anne noticed Bill's gratuitous nod. His wife, Sarah, wore thick makeup to cover a bruise, this time on her right cheek.
"What is truth? John 18:38." The pastor repeated Pilate's question. Another nod, this time from Jane whom she had seen stagger from local restaurants three times in the last month, each time with a different drunken man. Anne grieved that a few hypocrites kept people away from church.
"I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life," he quoted Jesus.
"John 14:6," Anne whispered.
This is my submission for this week's 100 Word Challenge from www.velvetverbosity.com Two hundred words wouldn't have said all I'd like to say, but the challenge is to get across what you want to say in one hundred, so here ya go. My trouble is I have waaaay too many words to say on anything you ask me about! :) I would have liked to address the never ending comments that we shouldn't be judgemental, but alas it would have taken more words because that observation isn't as biblical as people think it is. Maybe next time the word will be something I can build on. :)
Monday, February 21, 2011
"Just the Facts, Ma'am" by June B. Anderson
I remember my family watching, or attempting to watch, Dragnet in the late 1950's. I say "attempting to watch" because unfailingly when the ominous theme song began to blare "Bom-bom-bom-bom. Bom-bom-bom-bom-BOM," I began to scream and the channel was immediately changed to something more appealing to a milquetoast. And it didn't help that a police badge the size of Rhode Island appeared on the screen, a tiny screen compared to today's monstrosities. Imagine what would happen if the thing appeared on today's tube...er...plasma. With today's cinema-esque sound system. Who could tell what frightened a four-year-old girl in the late 1950's?
This week's http://www.velvetverbosity.com/ 100 Words challenge is "frightened." This is my submission. And, yes, it really happened.
This week's http://www.velvetverbosity.com/ 100 Words challenge is "frightened." This is my submission. And, yes, it really happened.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
UNYIELDING AND UN-UNDERSTANDING
Not into a lot of television. Don't know why...just not. Most of it bores me. Not than I'm not easily amused. 's just that I prefer to be amused by books, music, people. And my computer. My computer is my obsession. Well, ONE of my obsessions. You see, there's this little two-and-a-half-year-old grandson. Then there's chocolate. And peanut butter. And milkshakes. Well, food. I have to count food as an obsession.
But I just don't understand these folks who grab the remote as soon as they walk into the house. I just don't get their obsession. Call me a weirdo.
This is my submission for this week's challenge from www.velvetverbosity.com. The prompt this week is...you guessed it...OBSESSION.
But I just don't understand these folks who grab the remote as soon as they walk into the house. I just don't get their obsession. Call me a weirdo.
This is my submission for this week's challenge from www.velvetverbosity.com. The prompt this week is...you guessed it...OBSESSION.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
IMPORTANT PHONE CALL
"No, I don't think so...what do you mean, 'Why not?' I just told you...he's a charmer...you know, the type that takes you out to a nice restaurant, engages you in a conversation that makes you think he cares who you really are, then all of a sudden it's, 'You want to come back to my place?' Once, just once, I'd like to go on a date with a guy who wants to know what I like, where I've been, what my goals are..."
Pregnant pause.
"I never thought of that...be interested in his likes and dislikes? Maybe next time..."
This is my submission for the 100 Word Challenge from www.velvetverbosity.com for this week. The prompt is "ENGAGES."
Pregnant pause.
"I never thought of that...be interested in his likes and dislikes? Maybe next time..."
This is my submission for the 100 Word Challenge from www.velvetverbosity.com for this week. The prompt is "ENGAGES."
Thursday, February 3, 2011
OLD 1910
Lara shyly entered the cheerfully decorated new barn, her hair billowing into soft pillows of yellow corn silk on her shoulders. When she first heard about the dance, she had wondered if Jim would be there. She didn't really know him but his glance toward her at the general store a month ago made her wonder if he had really noticed her. Maybe she was just dreaming. Wishing. Hoping.
Standing near the tables loaded with lemonade, cookies, cakes, pies, sandwiches, and fried chicken, her heart leaped at the voice behind her asking, "May I have the honor of this dance?"
This is my response to the 100 Word Challenge from http://www.velvetverbosity.com/ This week's challenge is to write 100 words...and ONLY 100 words...using the word "honor." I wonder if this could be the way my grandparents met.
Standing near the tables loaded with lemonade, cookies, cakes, pies, sandwiches, and fried chicken, her heart leaped at the voice behind her asking, "May I have the honor of this dance?"
This is my response to the 100 Word Challenge from http://www.velvetverbosity.com/ This week's challenge is to write 100 words...and ONLY 100 words...using the word "honor." I wonder if this could be the way my grandparents met.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Gertie and Bertie
Gertrude screamed, both fists banging on her neighbor's front door. Recognizing her voice Bertram snatched the door open. "What's wrong, Gertrude?"
"Help me!" she wailed, turning and running toward her house. Bertram loped behind her, his royal blue robe flopping wildly and shaving cream flying off his face in the breeze.
Approaching her front door she cautiously entered, ran and jumped onto a dining room chair.
Bertram stood agape as he looked from her to the trembling creature behind the trash can.
"A harmless mouse?" he marveled.
"Harmless?!" she panted. "Nothing is harmless that can give you a heart attack!"
This is my submission to this week's 100 word challenge at www.velvetverbosity.com
"Help me!" she wailed, turning and running toward her house. Bertram loped behind her, his royal blue robe flopping wildly and shaving cream flying off his face in the breeze.
Approaching her front door she cautiously entered, ran and jumped onto a dining room chair.
Bertram stood agape as he looked from her to the trembling creature behind the trash can.
"A harmless mouse?" he marveled.
"Harmless?!" she panted. "Nothing is harmless that can give you a heart attack!"
This is my submission to this week's 100 word challenge at www.velvetverbosity.com
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Confused
As a writer of Christian fiction, occasionally I am invited to speak on the subject. As part of my presentation I include my testimony, how I became a Christian. After all, if a gal is going to write Christian books, she should provide her credentials, right? Wouldn't you want to know that? I recently explained this to an inviter from a local church, and she was perplexed and asked that I just speak on myself and my writing for fear of confusing some of the people. Then I was confused. If this was a Christian-type church, what was the fear?
This is my submission to www.velvetverbosity.com Their challenge this week is to write 100 words...no more, no less...on the word "credentials." This happened to me just recently. The story is longer, this submission is not.
This is my submission to www.velvetverbosity.com Their challenge this week is to write 100 words...no more, no less...on the word "credentials." This happened to me just recently. The story is longer, this submission is not.
Friday, January 14, 2011
He Lived, Though
The perpetually robust gentleman laying in the hospital bed murmured thoughtfully, "You know...I guess...I thought I was invincible." A blood clot to the lung will make the strongest of folks take a step or two back and look hard at life, though. For over forty years he had escaped serious illness, and this was quite a shock to him...and her. "Get a pen and paper," he said with trembling lips and moist eyes.
"Oh, honey..."
"Please...just do it, okay?" His wife bit her lip and scrounged in her purse for his request. "My life insurance policy is in the safe..."
"Oh, honey..."
"Please...just do it, okay?" His wife bit her lip and scrounged in her purse for his request. "My life insurance policy is in the safe..."
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Pointy Things
Sharp objects bring out the squeamish in me. I'm probably alone when I say that as a child of the '50's and '60's watching a western with my family, my peepers slammed shut when some unsuspecting cowboy received an arrow to the chest! And when Elizabeth Turner plunged a knife into the undead chest of Captain Barbossa I was a goner. Heck, I wasn't too thrilled last week when the guy next to me at Outback stabbed his steak knife into a rare t-bone. And don't get me started on tetanus shots. Anyone got any smelling salts? I'm feeling green.
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