She is a Pastor's Wife

She is a wife, a mother, a friend and sometimes an employee. She tries to live a holy life to be a living sacrifice for the Lord, a wife that will not bring shame to her husband and her children; to be an example child of God to the congregation. But she is not perfect. She also has weaknesses. She understands she cannot please everyone, no matter how hard she tries; she experienced how to be rejected and become the object of criticism. But she learned that what others think of her or speak about her, neither determines her worth nor validates it as truth. She knows that holding grudges and bitterness hurt only her and her relationship with the Lord. She understands that people are people and each person is growing in Christ on God’s timetable-not hers. That's why the warm greetings and smile she gave is genuine, for she's doing it for the Lord, for the sake of fellowship and love for the souls, because she is called along with her husband to minister. - She is a Pastor's wife.

She truly cares for the congregation. She rejoices in its victory and feels the pain when it's in the valley.

She serves with love from deep within; with a sincere heart, she listens and lends a hand. In addition to her own trials, she also carries your burdens. But nobody knows the intensity of the weight she bears. She learned to encourage herself to the Lord for she doesn't want to add for her husband's heavy load. She knows the pastor's twenty-four-seven profession and she's always there to support, to encourage and to pray for him. She is not immune from hardship, failures and discouragement, but she learned to give it to the Lord. She sometimes cries the whole night through and pours all her troubles at her Saviors feet; for she knew - her strength and help comes only from above. She knew God will see her through.

She is her husband's soul mate and confidant. She knows well that her husband is not perfect. Pastor is just an ordinary man who has a willing heart to be used by God, given with a Divine Vocation. She needs to be strong in the Lord, to grow in wisdom and in the knowledge of Gods divine words for herself, her husband, her family and for the congregations.

But before she became a pastor's wife, she was first called to be a faithful servant of the Lord; to first be a child of God - having a right relationship with her Creator, to be lead by His Holy Spirit in every step she takes. Like every children of God, she wants to follow her FATHER's will. She longs to finish the race that God set before her and to hear her Savior's words, "Well done my good and faithful servant." - She is just an ordinary woman, a sinner saved by her Saviors Amazing Grace with a willingness to be use in God's Kingdom. - She is a Pastor's wife.

By Mhel P.

A Gentle Whisper

The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, And after the fire came a gentle whisper." I Kings 19:11-12

God is not always in the loud and showy events of history. Yes, God had brought fire from the sky; He parted the sea and brought the storm to a halt. But, that is not the only way God works. Sometimes He is heard unexpectedly in the soft voice and subtle sounds of life. We must be willing to listen, intently.

In many areas of life, great victories are often followed by times of loneliness. Feeling depressed, discouraged, anxious, or feeling like "I've had enough," are not necessarily signs of spiritual relapse. Likewise, feeling good and being happy are not good measures of commitment to God. Often, these feelings are totally unrelated to our spiritual commitment. Sometimes it's due to individual personalities, physical fatigue, body chemistry, genetic makeup and other factors. They are simply the result of being human.

People committed to God are not immune to being human. Whether positive or negative, emotions are part of that humanity and are plugged into the biological and chemical parts of our bodies, which sometimes uncontrollable.

That is why using our human emotions as a yardstick for our spiritual condition is dangerous. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:8

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

He knows the intent of our heart. He hears our prayers and He is faithful to fulfill it according to His will.

"Be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10

He is devotedly waiting for you. In the stillness of the night where the clamor of worldly cares subsided and the cry of your emotions settled; after you have exhausted all your strength, when nothing left for you to do but to keep still, and humbly draw near to God who really cares for you, only then, you can know and hear His sweet voice.

Gratitude - What is it for me?

I believe it is the will of God for us to have life and have it more abundantly -and having a grateful heart has a lot to do with it.  

Gratitude is an emotion. It is not just saying thanks but it is a feeling; an expression.  Constantly set our self in a state of joy and thankfulness, develop the attitude of gratitude everyday and every moment of our life.  Study showed that people who were more grateful coped better with a life transition.

Gratitude helps our immune system. It has a tremendous positive ways in helping us with our stress. Grateful people tend to be more optimistic - a characteristic that researchers say boosts the immune system. They are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives.

"A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

Gratitude produces peace. "Exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications, prayer, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." 1 Timothy 2:1-2

If our heart is full of gratitude, there's no room for resentment and jealousy. Our understanding will be broadened and we can see positive and brighter perspective in every situation. Gratitude helps us to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into our life and into the lives of all those around us.

Gratitude connects us to God from which all the blessings come. "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you..." James 4:8 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

Grateful mind continually finds and expects good things in every situation in life. ...And that expectation produces faith; and every expression of thanksgiving increases faith.

Gratitude for the believer of Holy Scriptures is the acknowledgement of the One True God who is The Creator and The Sustainer of all things. The Lord Jesus Christ's generosity and unselfish love inspire His faithful followers to shape their own thoughts and actions with His teachings and real life examples.

As the preacher said, "He who cannot express genuine gratitude is cutting themselves to the Source of all the blessings".

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name." Psalms 100:4

"But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:19

Expressing gratitude and appreciating life, not just for its abundance but even to its scarcity, is another way of opening our self up to accept more abundance and prosperity in our life. "His lord said unto him, well done thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Matthew 25:21

Perhaps you always see this verse in most of my notes. But I, for sure, hold on to my Savior's promises. If we know and trust God that... "...all things works together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Then, for everything that happens to us, either wonderful or unpleasant, we can truly say... "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Thessalonians 5:18

By Mhel P.

SURVIVING STRESS

SURVIVING STRESS

Researchers define Stress as "Physical, mental or emotional strain or tension". It is something that causes distress -a condition or feeling when a person perceives that the demands exceed the resources that the individual is able to produce.

Effects on your thoughts and feelings:

Worry - is a restlessness of mind, a fearful apprehension concerning an impending or anticipated situation; fretting about a threatening misfortune or failure.

Anxiety - has become a psychological designation of abnormal, overwhelming apprehension; anguished uncertainty and self-doubt about one's ability to cope with the situation, to the point of becoming distressed, distraught, panicky or tormented.

Effects on your body:

When we are under stress - our mind, our senses and energy shift in a survival mode. Although stress exists in our mind, it affects every cell in our body. Most of our energy impulsively directed on activating our nervous system, endocrine, cardiovascular, and muscular- systems that are needed in combating. However, it slows down or weakens those that are not such as; our digestive, reproductive and immune system. Because of these, if we are always under stress, the more susceptible we are to illnesses.

No one can avoid stress. However we have control over it and there's a way to reduce it.

Concern is a good thing. It is a positive state of knowing the issue and be engaged to do something about it as a matter of responsibility. But “concern” becomes “worry” when we face the situation with a negative mental state, where sound mind overwhelmed with fear.

Rather than having "fear” about the circumstances, look to God in the midst of the situation. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Col. 3:15.

To worry is failing to recognize that The Almighty God is in control.

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

Looking to God in prayer should be our response. "Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Phil. 4:6

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13)

When faced with a highly stressful event in our life, these 4 steps will help us to cope:

1. Calm our mind

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14: 27

The mind makes things seem worse than they are by creating endless versions of approaching disaster. Because the body can't tell the difference between fact and fantasy, it responds with heightened physical response. And most of the time, our assumption is different than the outcome of the situation. When we are calm, we can think well and react rationally.

2. Focus on your "Now"

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." Matthew 6:34

You can calm both of your mind and body by keeping your mind in the present. Imagining future outcome or regretting the past creates more stress.

Focus on what’s at the moment. Stressful situations can make you breathe more shallowly. Exercise – helps release brain chemical that counteract stress, and eat a healthful diet – it can help stabilize your mood. Communicate with friends and family. Social ties relieve stress and contribute to positive attitude.

3. Face the stressor courageously

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Do not be afraid! Instead, carefully identify and evaluate the seriousness of the problem without magnifying it out of proportion and then, take action.

4. Take time to relax

Take a deep breath. Listen to soothing music, take time to walk and enjoy the beauty of nature. Be connected with our God and have time to take pleasure in the splendor of His creations.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." Psalms 19:1

"In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul" Psalms 94:19

Strategically controlling and dealing with stress, with positive attitude, will lead to success.

^"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair."2 Corinthians 4: 7-8

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Learn from it! Life’s struggles are not to be despised, avoided and be forgotten. They have importance. Your experiences weave to create the courageous, learned, wise and compassionate YOU! It enhances the quality of your life and has a positive influence on the lives of those around you.

By Mhel P.

She Shall Be Called Woman

“… she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Gen.2:23

There's no greater fulfillment than embracing who we are and knowing our purpose why we are created. It gives us a sense of direction and allows us to enjoy our lives as God intended.

According to Holy Scripture, even before the fall, God created woman to be the help companion to support the man. (Genesis 2:18 and 20:24). But this doesn't mean women are lesser creature than men. We are a co-care taker of God's creatures and also given same power to take control and have dominion over the earth and over every living thing of the sea, of the air and upon the earth. At the foot of the Cross-the ground is level. Men and women, as well as persons of different races are spiritually equal in the sight of God (Gal.3:28). But in role and function we are different (Eph. 5:23; 1 Timothy 2:12).

Our God created women and men, psychologically and physically different from each other -for a reason. These anatomical distinctions, lead to rather strong differences in priorities between men and women -provide functional advantages, and have survival value.

Women are quipped to produce offspring -As soon as the first tiny sign of life sparks in her womb, the woman's body and mind instinctively know what to do and will keep on nurturing the new formed life until it can survive on its own. However, with or without a child, women tend to be much more nurturing -psychologically and physically, because we see life more cooperatively. Women rely more on feelings, can focus on more than one problem and frequently prefer to solve problems through multiple activities at a time. However we are prone to become overwhelmed with complexities that "exist", or may exist, and may have difficulty separating our personal experience from problems.

Men on the other hand, rely more on rational thought. They tend to focus on one or limited number of problems at a time. They have the ability to separate themselves from it and minimize the complexity that may exist.

A man’s skull is almost always thicker and stronger. They usually have greater upper body strength, build muscle easily, have thicker skin, bruise less easily and have a lower limit of awareness of injuries to their extremities. Men are essentially built for physical confrontation and the use of force. They are competitive in nature. Due to facing more confrontations and hardship, men tend to care for sufferings of others and more willing to be self - sacrificing. They are created to lead, to conquer and to protect.

God also recognized and greatly used women in His plan down through the ages who faithfully obey Him in humility and meekness. Women can also be used of God and be a great worker in His Kingdom without disobeying the order that God placed in the family and the body of Christ.

In Deborah's time, there was no king and the people were rebellious (Judges 4:1-7). The spiritual decline was rampant. God saw her faithfulness and her obedient heart. She and Barak were supposed to work together as a team. Barak was to lead the military into battle; Deborah was to provide wise counsel and support, and express God’s will to the leader of the army. Because Barak was enslaved by fear and initially failed to provide strong leadership, Deborah had to “stand in the gap” (Ezek.22:29-30)

She led under the guidance of the Lord. People recognized her as a judge and a leader but she did not forget her priorities in life as a servant of God -a worker in the temple, as a wife and a mother who was brave enough to obey God. She encouraged the men to overcome, and inspired them to great deeds until they will be able to rise up and stand strong again.

Women are remarkable souls with quite influence in this world. A woman's power to influence can be used in many great and wonderful ways or it can be used in a negative and destructive way. A mother influences her children every single day by what she does with her own life and how she treats her husband.

Eve's power to influence Adam was used in a destructive way. Adam failed to see the selfish desire in Eve's heart and let her led instead of him when he accepted the fruit from her. She turned her back on what God had told her and did her own thing instead. Not only that, but she caused him to fall with her.

In the contrary, Deborah, with her great faith and submission to God, influenced the whole nation and was able to led them to victory.

Women have many special qualities that make them the beautiful creation.

May we be the women after God's own heart - faithfully obeying our Great Creator in humility and meekness. May God help us to be a godly influence to our love ones and the people around us.

By Mhel P.

Young People's Honest Questions

Young People's Honest Questions: A thoughtful sincere questions of a young people who brought up in a Christian home.
(Thought of sharing this article I found in the internet especially to our young people who are questioning their faith because of what the school and the university is teaching about the origin of life)

Question:

I was brought up in a Christian home and lately I’ve been thinking about whether it is all true. My question is: If the God of the bible exists then everything was created by Him and it was created in six days with man created on the sixth. How then, can the universe be billions of years old, (according to scientists believing the big bang theory) if man has only existed for millions? And how does the bible explain the different species of human that have been found? Doesn't the human tree support evolution, therefore disproving the bible?

Tim

Answer:

Dear Tim,
Thank you very much for your thoughtful questions. Let me start by saying that you are not alone in raising these issues; many young people brought up in Christian homes at one point or another start to question their parents’ faith, and do so in this sort of way. This is quite reasonable and healthy, as long as you see the process through. It is my experience, after speaking and being involved in public debates in universities up and down the UK, that there are good answers for all the problems people raise. And more than that, there are excellent sensible reasons for belief.

You raise two questions here, which I will deal with in turn. The first raises the issue of the age of the universe and the thought that science contradicts the Bible. Generally, Bible-believing Christians have responded to this in two different ways. The first approach is to say the universe is not as old as many of the current theories suggest. And the second is that the Bible is not incompatible with a very old universe. Before I briefly sketch these out, let me say that I am not here arguing for one over the other. My point here is not to prove one or the other, but simply to show that thinking Christians have got well thought out answers to the time-span question. In doing so I am trying to demonstrate to you that this is not an issue on which to reject the Christian Faith. In time you may wish to explore which standpoint you believe is the superior perspective, but that is something you can look at later.

1. The Universe is not as old as current theories suggest

When God created the universe it was by definition a miracle: the supernatural created the natural. We do not know how God did this, but it was certainly not a natural event and therefore the normal natural laws and analyses do not apply. At some point in the past the natural interfaces with the supernatural and the temporal interfaces with the eternal; time and space run out. As we look back in time by extrapolating current physical processes there is a point when this distant peering, based on natural laws, comes unstuck. The laws will begin to bend and then break. This makes such star gazing border on wishful thinking; we can’t be certain about what we guess at from current observations. Extrapolating back from what we see today does not necessarily give us a clear idea of time spans. Even current physics does not see time as a necessarily fixed entity, but that it, itself can vary under certain conditions, and so also can what we call space. Nothing is as certain or fixed as we once thought.

On top of this a large dose of humility needs to be added. We are like fleas buried in the coat of a dog trying to guess our hound’s genealogy and pedigree from a few mongrels we get a distant glimpse of in the local park. We really are gazing at things beyond our comprehension; we have insufficient evidence, crassly limited intellectual models and a bundle of more than likely false assumptions. Putting all this uncertainty together, it seems a rather wobbly basis on which to reject the Christian Faith.

Having said all this, there is the other Christians approach to the problem, which looks at it in an entirely different way.

2. The Bible is not incompatible with a very old universe

There are two different, but not necessarily incompatible, variants suggested here. The first is known as the Gap Theory, and the second as the Non-literal Day Theory.

a. The Gap Theory

This perspective holds that even with a literal view of the six days of creation, there is space for a very old universe. In essence, this view sees an unknown time gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Here, although the universe as a whole might be immensely old, our planet in its present form and possibly our solar system may well be far younger.

b. The non-literal Day Theory

This view sees Genesis chapter 1 as true, but a poetic expression of that truth. It understands that the Bible contains various literary types, or genres, including prophecy, history, poetry, parable, dreams, visions and what is often called apocalyptic. The people who hold this view say that they are uncertain as to the first chapter of Genesis’ literary style, and therefore do not wish to be pushed into a corner in feeling that it demands six literal days. They feel that Genesis is not claiming to be a scientific text book, but is answering far bigger questions.

In summarising these views, let me emphasis again that I am here deliberately not arguing their respective merits and weaknesses. My point is simply that thoughtful Christians, many who are themselves scientists, feel they have more than adequate answers for the question you raise. They feel that there is no problem relating the biblical account to the universe as we experience it. There is therefore no reason to reject the Christian Faith because of Genesis chapter 1.

The answer to your second question will be far briefer. Basically, to not put a too fine point on it, there is no sufficient evidence for the various species of human being that are proposed to have existed in the past. The history of research into so-called human evolution is a tragic tale of intrigue, plot, false evidence and lies. Some of the evidence for various ‘missing links’ has now been shown to have plainly been fabricated. And those researchers (and of course there are many) who are working with integrity, are piecing together paltry fragments, and from this making bold claims that have more to do with fairy tales and fantasy than good science. The ‘human tree’ you mention is artistic guesswork based on imaginative thinking, but no solid evidence. It is as if, having found one broken piece of a children’s jigsaw in France and another in China, they then make a guess at drawing an illustration of the history of art throughout human civilisation. This is not science. The really big problem with the missing link is quite simple: it is missing. Again, there is no reason here to reject the Christian Faith.

Jonathan

Nothing Comes From Nothing!

Can you imagine that nobody made or created our computer? It was a product of a blind mechanical accident when the tiny aluminum unintentionally collided with silicon suddenly sparked and became a microchip and from a period of time developed into a supercomputer that all of us rely on with our entire world's data.

If you do not believe that the computer doesn't just exist by itself and you insist that there was a designer and a maker of those things, how much more is the universe and our human body, it is infinitely more complex than any computers.

The more we learn about the laws and principles that govern the universe and the delicate engineering of all parts of human body, all perform incredibly complicated tasks and yet function perfectly in harmony and in order, the more we see that the creation cannot be the product of a blind mechanical accident nor it came from nothing.

"God is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." Psalm 19:1-3

Everything made has a Maker! Everything designed has a Designer!

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14