Debbie Maken: The truth, the whole truth and nothing but!

Captain Sensible writes: It saddens me that the important discussion that we need to be having regarding the excellent piece of work that is, "Getting Serious About Getting Married: Rethinking the gift of singleness", is getting sidetracked by just a handful of people with their own personal agendas.
I wonder how many people that own or prolifically comment on blogs will hear the words "Well done, my good and faithful servant" for their work?
So -- I think it's time we went back to basics!
I intend to highlight some of the wisdom that can be found in the actual book, and you may find that either I, or my dear sister Frieda, will comment on it.
I hope you will find it informative, entertaining, but above all, truthful to Debbie's own words, rather than a distorted misrepresentation which would shame even those that don't identify themselves as Christians.
Stay tuned!

Debbie Maken: Raised up "for such a time as this"

Captain Sensible writes: Since coming across Debbie Maken's book, "Getting Serious About Getting Married: Rethinking the gift of singleness", I have believed that God has raised her up "for such a time as this". It is really now that the full effects of the devil's "gift of singleness" and all its associated wrong teaching regarding singleness and marriage, are having the devil's desired effects.
We really must stop the spiritual abuse that Christian women are suffering: chastised and scolded for wanting to be the very creation that God made them to be -- wives and mothers. (And we must stop harming the Body of Christ and our ability to impact our culture in the process.)
But it seems that in the US (hasn't caught on here I don't think, and I hope and pray it doesn't), women are also being chastised and scolded for being "feminists".
And what is their definition of a "feminist"? A women who dares to have a "career". Apparently, because some women are blessed with intelligence, work hard at school and college, and go on to get a good job, this means that they have somehow become unmarriable.
Now even in the world, women who have jobs or "careers" still want to be wives and mothers! But the idea that because a Christian woman has to work to support herself, and maybe just happens to be using the talents God has given her, she deserves to be left single and childless, is beyond belief.
Increasingly with this whole discussion regarding singleness and marriage, I simply cannot believe what I am coming across. You really couldn't make it up. I can't help envisaging the devil rubbing his hands in glee. Never in a million years could he have anticipated the impact he is having on the Christian church with his late 20th Century/early 21st Century tactic has been. I bet he wishes he used it a thousand years ago!
We need to open our eyes.
No excuses. No bleating and whining from Christian men about how horrible women are and how they are being emasculated by their successes. No politically-correct fawning that "both genders are equally to blame". No more scolding women for not being "content with singleness" and "making an idol out of marriage", at the same time as preferring to pursue a career over marriage! (The contradiction seems to be lost on them.) And absolutely no more thinly-veiled misogyny.
Men, you need to grow some b*lls!
Until some strong Christian men take this issue and determine to put it right, the devil is going to go on having a field day.
Let's not forget, God holds men accountable for the leadership they have provided.
I only raise this issue over "feminism" because Debbie Maken's latest blog post addresses it, and you can read it here.
She ends her post like this:

I am going to conclude with Hosea 4:14. It reflects not only God’s scheme of accountability, but also from which sex the redemption must come

The NIV puts it like this:

"I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes—
a people without understanding will come to ruin!"

And the ESV has this:

"I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore,
nor your brides when they commit adultery;
for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes
and sacrifice with cult prostitutes,
and a people without understanding shall come to ruin."

Undoubtedly, that entire book is not only about Hosea’s personal marital problems, but the general infidelity of Israel. We all know what Hosea’s wife was like. To say she had some issues is to put it mildly. But this letter reminds us that God expects men with “great compassion” to redeem this situation, as the Lord God himself has often redeemed His people when they have strayed. The issue ultimately is not going to be decided by the alleged impact of Feminism on Christian women, or the role that women and men have played in our current mess. Men are going to be held accountable when women go astray. They have failed in their leadership and have led women into sin because of it. So, we can keep blaming the Feminists, vilifying single women for daring to be gainfully employed, accusing women of genuinely desiring single parenthood, or we can begin the redemption.

Are there any strong Christian men willing to step up and sort this mess out?
Does this idea of a great reward in heaven not appeal at all? At the moment, it seems to apply only to Debbie Maken, with regard to this pressing issue.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5: 11-12)

Good GCSE results! Cause for girls to celebrate, or have they somehow kissed marriage goodbye?

Captain Sensible writes: Praise God that the girls that did well in their GCSE exams, announced today, do not live in some parts of America!
There, no doubt, the likes of the now infamous "Farmer Tom" would be harshly scolding them for studying and working hard at school.
Unbeknown to them, this apparently makes some (some!) Christian "men" think they are not marriable, because if they go on to get a degree and a good job, they are obviously then a "feminist" (and that actually means a very extreme form of man-hating, marriage-rejecting feminism that barely even exists outside our churches!) and so will not make good wives and mothers.
Shameful.

Just wondering...

...how the following comment would sound, if it was applied to work instead of marriage?

"So many well meaning blogs are more focused on the societal decay of family than on the idea of God's timing and sovereignty. God knows both who and when I am to marry. I can do absolutely NOTHING to change that plan. I love my life now, God has given me SO many amazing opportunities that are best accomplished as a single woman. I am so excited about the day when I'll be a wife and mother and I'll relish in those opportunities then. But those aren't for me now, and I intend to enjoy it!"
Christian woman on A.N.Other blog (different one this time!)


"So many well meaning blogs are more focused on the societal decay of the work ethic than on the idea of God's timing and sovereignty. God knows both what at and when I am to be employed. I can do absolutely NOTHING to change that plan. I love my life now, God has given me SO many amazing opportunities that are best accomplished while I am unemployed. I am so excited about the day when I'll have a job and I'll relish in those opportunities then. But those aren't for me now, and I intend to enjoy it!"

We need more men in church...like this one!

"If some congregations are overly effeminate, it is not because the women have too much influence but because the men are not exerting a masculine influence as well. Men hate going to church because it is too feminine? It is feminine because the average church has more women than men faithfully attending and serving, because so many men are copping out of their responsibilities...If the Church is in trouble because it lacks the balance brought in by the masculine, then the answer is to encourage more men to step up."
Christian man on A.N.Other blog

AMEN!!!

Q: Does God want us to "be content" with a bad situation, that has arisen WITHIN the church, and which we have the ability to change?

The 11th Commandment: Do Not Make An Idol Out Of Marriage!

Thou shalt not maketh an idol out of marriage.

Frieda Fruitcake writes: This New Commandment applies only to women, and was added in the late 20th/early 21st Century. Prior to this time, it wasn't necessary for the Lord to reveal this previously hidden Commandment, as marriage used to be viewed as a natural progression in becoming a mature adult.
However, since the revelation of a "gift of singleness" in the beginning of this period, it became increasingly necessary for the Lord to clarify that his command to be fruitful and multiply had ceased, and that He required Christian women in huge numbers to sacrifice their desires to be a wife and mother, for some reason which is currently unfathomable. Praise the Lord!
Hence the temptation arose for these women to "make an idol" out of these God-given natural desires, and hence the requirement to introduce this new 11th Commandment.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!

A love poem, sent to a single Christian woman by a believing man who had stopped going to church.

Captain Sensible writes: I just feel it is important to share this. Unlike some Christian men, this believing man feels "blessed" by the love of a Christian woman. This blessing is available to Christian men, but it appears some of them want to reject this blessing (and not for Kingdom purposes that necessitate a life of celibacy either!).
Are they insane???
Christian women, please look outside "church" and inside the Body of Christ!

Inside Of Me

If you could see inside my soul
see inside my heart
you would know how I long for you
whenever we're apart

If you could see inside my head
if thoughts were things to see
you would know how I cherish you
how much you mean to me

In all the ways you comfort me
the way you hold me near
the way you know just what to do
to chase away my fear

The sparkle in your beautiful eyes
your smile, laugh, your touch
are just a few of many reasons
I love you oh so much

Knowing I can talk to you
about any and everything
and knowing together we will get
through whatever life may bring

I could search the whole world over
and this I know is true
I would never find another love
like the love I found with you

Though with each new day, each sunrise
we can't know what's in store
there is one thing I know for sure
each day I love you more

So if you could see inside my head
if thoughts were things to see
you would know I blessed I feel
to have you here with me.


Captain Sensible writes: Having searched on the internet, I believe this poem is by Jay Scott. Nice work!

"Marriage Mandate": Count Me In!

Captain Sensible writes: There seems to be a new term that has been coined, with a derogatory tone about it, and that's "Marriage Mandate".
I think it's time, for me anyway, to clarify what I view as a "Marriage Mandate", and why I am proud to be a part of any such movement (if only it truly existed!).
Marriage is worth standing up for, and it saddens me that some Christians -- that would no doubt be very happy to be described as "pro-marriage" -- seem to be wriggling and squirming and trying to find all sorts of ways to distance themselves from taking a clear, firm stance.
Whatever happened to not being ashamed of the Gospel?
Let's begin by saying what, in my opinion, a "Marriage Mandate" is not:
A Marriage Mandate is not saying that everyone must get married. The Bible is clear that there are exceptions: Those that are "eunuchs" or have been made "eunuchs", which I regard as those that are unable to marry due to some very serious disablement that would make marriage impossible. There are also those that have "made themselves eunuchs" by renouncing marriage, which I regard as those that have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord in a manner or situation that would be incompatible with a spouse and family - risking their lives to smuggle Bibles for example.
It is these "eunuchs" that I believe will have a great reward in heaven: a "...name better than of sons or of daughters..." (Isaiah 56:5). God knows the sacrifice that they have made, or had no choice but to make, and in love and justice will reward them accordingly.
There are also times when the Apostle Paul indicates that, in his opinion, marriage would not necessarily be advisable: Times of a "present crisis", where life would be difficult enough as it is, without the burden of responsibility of yet more mouths to feed and putting more lives at risk. This does not apply to us living here in the west today, thank God, but perhaps in some parts of the world today it does?
I think Paul also outlines a general principle that for those who are able to live lives of "undivided devotion" to the Lord, it is a good thing to remain single. We should all have Kingdom matters closest to our hearts, and if we, like Paul, have a supernaturally high degree of control over our sex drives (and I think included in that is an enablement to live without the love, affection and help of a spouse), then that's a good thing. We will have more time and energy to devote to a ministry that God has placed on our hearts, and which is totally all-encompassing.
Okay, so that is why any "Marriage Mandate" does not apply to absolutely everyone.
However, and here's the rub, it does apply to probably 99.9% of single Christians! In fact, living a life of "undivided devotion" to the Lord, probably does include having a spouse and family. The vast majority of us need it in order to live full and fruitful lives for the Kingdom, and here's why.
God ordained marriage as the central building block of his creation.
He commanded it at the beginning, and nothing has changed!
We are made in His image, male and female joined together. How are male and female joined together? Marriage! And God in His generous love and grace, actually made us in such a way that we would enjoy it and each other! We have a sex drive to propel us towards marriage, we have a heart that soars when we are in love. We have a love for our children that defies description and makes other earthly things pale in comparison.
Why else does God consistently use -- in both the Old and New Testaments -- the analogy of marriage to enable us to get a glimpse of His relationship with us?
Is anything else on earth anywhere near close?
So does this mean that all single Christians should just marry the first available single member of the opposite sex, regardless of any attraction or compatibility, other than being in the Lord? By no means, noooooo! Men are not obliged to marry the first available single Christian woman they set eyes upon, and women are not obliged to accept every single man that approaches them! Yes, in Biblical times this probably did happen, but things weren't perfect then either! In the Garden of Eden, we know that Adam was attracted to Eve, and I think it's safe to assume that she felt likewise.
But ever since then, there has been trouble! (Besides, let's be frank here, the attraction enables the conception of Godly children. I am labouring this point slightly because of certain other discussions on the necessity or otherwise of sexual attraction. But assuming we are all adults reading this, what's the alternative to sexual attraction within sexual intercourse? An on-going prescription for Viagra and an endless supply of KJ jelly??? NOOOOoooooo!!!!! Read Song of Songs people! Sexual attraction is important -- it just shouldn't be the only consideration!)
God created man and woman to be joined together in holy matrimony, to enjoy serving God together, to enjoy Kingdom expansion through Godly children to fill the earth, and for the whole family to love and enjoy each other and be salt and light to a world that is desperately seeking this love in a never-ending quest, fuelled by binge-drinking, drugs and one-night stands.
God has showed us a better way!
It is His will.
He commanded it and blesses us in its fulfillment.
Why would anyone voluntarily eschew it?
But here's another rub. Christian women are being forced to eschew it. And then scolded when they express their heartfelt desire, even I would say need, for it.
They are being forced to remain single.
Which, in this rather hastily put together and rambling post, brings us onto another point that had come up on other blogs.
Is "singleness" a sin?
Yes and no, is my slightly politician-style answer!
Let's for a moment liken it to unemployment: Is "unemployment" a sin?
Yes and no, right? If someone is desperately trying to find a job but there is a worldwide recession and shortage of jobs, and if they are trying to do everything they can to improve their skills and make themselves more attractive to the job market, and if they are making every effort that they can to find work, then no, unemployment is not a sin. They are doing all they can do in a difficult climate to remedy the situation, and I would say they deserve all the support and encouragement they can get.
But what if someone is voluntarily unemployed? They are lazy, they feel no compulsion or desire to earn their keep, they sponge off others, they find work boring and would prefer to spend their time doing what they please, then yes, unemployment under those circumstances is a sin. It is rebelling against God's plan and God's design for creation, and they should be challenged over it and held accountable.
And actually, the Government does try to do this!
I would say the same applies to singleness.
Unless they are in the tiny percentage of exceptions outlined earlier, I would say there is a "Marriage Mandate" in the same way as there is an "Employment Mandate".
Christian men that are delaying marriage should be held accountable in the same way, and yes, politically incorrect as it is currently to say that this is primarily the fault of one gender, I would say it is definitely with the male gender that this holds most true of! Rare is the woman, regardless of "career" or anything else, that is making the personal choice not to marry. Ask just about any woman (even in the world, never mind a Christian!) if she had to choose between marriage and a family, or a job, that would say they would prefer to be single and childless!(Assuming she had no other personal issues affecting this i.e. a homosexual orientation, childhood abuse etc)
Which leaves Christian women in a very difficult situation.
There are not enough Christian men to go around (not God's doing, but our "church" failings!), and of the men that there are, a number of them are opting for a life without the responsibilities of a wife and family.
We really need to bless these men as they grow further and further away from their youth. They are like lost puppies, living in a world that they find difficult and bewildering, shying away from responsibility, vulnerable to all manner of temptations, allowing Satan to sow seeds of unrighteousness, seeking refuge and security in further and further "education", and taking their pleasures from scraps of life instead of grasping and embracing it with two strong arms.
For Christian women, particularly in countries such as the UK where the unequal ratio between men and women is very stark, I would say they need to look outside of "church" for a believing man to marry. The men are out there, believe me! Scratch the surface of many an apparently worldly man, and you will see an admission of yes, they know there is a God, but they just haven't been introduced properly yet. They are believers that haven't been "churched" or they have been "churched" as a child or at school, and the reflection of Christ that they have seen has, quite justifiably in many cases, put them off. Caution: I would strongly argue against Christian women getting involved with an unbeliever! It is unbiblical which is reason enough, but even in any case there is absolutely no excuse to do so, when there are so many believing men in the world that are effectively excluded from our churches.You will then bless a man in the world, and actually, you will be indirectly blessing the Christian men, as a little bit of competition for the women will soon wake them up from their Satanically-induced slumber, and it would be good for the Body as a whole, making it more reflective of the bride of Christ that it should be and was planned to be from the beginning.
So, that is why I believe in a "Marriage Mandate" and am only too happy to be called a "Marriage Mandator". If only more Christian men, especially in prominent positions, had the courage to say they are pro-marriage, and not just for those already in marriages but for the masses of singles too!
Please note, I am only speaking for myself in all this, and this is how I personally view a "Marriage Mandate" and why I am totally unashamed to say "Count me in"!

Do our actions have ANY bearing on the age at which we get married or not?

"Justin assumes that the age at which he marries is his decision, and not God's entirely. :)"
Comment by "DT" on A.N.Other blog

Protracted singleness and church decline: Yes, there is a connection!

Captain Sensible writes: Great article by Steve Watters on Boundless (read it now before they start posting comments that help to spread wrong teaching and destroy the impact of the post!) and also on the blog of Albert Mohler (who doesn't actually allow comments on his blog, possibly for this very reason!).
As Steve Watters writes: "I think one of the most counterintuitive 'theological innovations' churches have made along these lines over the past couple of decades has been to shift their energies from helping young adults marry well to just helping them find fulfillment in their singleness. While this shift may have helped some single women feel a little less anxious about not experiencing marriage yet, it has had the adverse effect of allowing men to persist in pseudo-relationships and not take initiative towards marriage."
But since when has offering false teaching in order to make "some single women feel a little less anxious about not experiencing marriage yet" been a good idea anyway? The "gift of singleness" and all its associated false doctrines that are based around helping singles "find fulfillment in their singleness", are nothing more than placebo drugs.
But as the report shows, unlike other placebo drugs, they are by no means harmless; not for single women, not for single men, and not for the Body as a whole.

"Shout To The Top!": A message from God via...Paul Weller!

Captain Sensible writes (somewhat sheepishly): OK, I have taken massive liberties with the title here, but I really think it's true! [Being a massive Paul Weller fan for, oh, only about 25 years, just may be skewing my perspective slightly! But I don't think I have completely lost my marbles - yet! ;-)]
But anyway, after reaching a point where I felt near despair (thanks Christianity magazine, amongst other things, for not printing my letter in response to the Liz Speed and Diane-Louise Jordan article "Getting married in no-man's land", and instead printing two letters that completely undermine their vitally important message!), I was queuing up in the bank and heard one of my favourite songs, "Shout to the top" by The Style Council.
How could I have missed the significance of these lyrics these past 20 years?
Get down on your knees and "shout to The Top" in prayer!
God bless you, Paul Weller!

Enjoy Shout To The Top on YouTube and see lyrics below.

Shout To The Top
I was half in mind - I was half in need,
And as the rain came down - I dropped to my knees and prayed
I said oh heavenly thing - please cleanse my soul,
I’ve seen all on offer and I’m not impressed at all.
I was halfway home - I was half insane,
And every shop window I looked in just looked the same
I said send me a sign to save my life
cause at this moment in time there is nothing certain in
These days of mine

Y’see it’s a frightening thing when it dawns upon you
That I know as much as the day I was born
And though I wasn’t asked (I might as well stay)
And promise myself each and every day - that -

When you’re knocked on your back – an’ your life’s a flop
And when you’re down on the bottom there’s nothing else
But to shout to the top - shout!

Madeleine McCann: "Don't you forget about me"

100 days on, we haven't forgotten to pray for you Madeleine, and we haven't forgotten to pray for your devout Catholic parents.

Don't you forget about me video on YouTube

Compassion, the rain, and an apology to the British Tourism Authority!

Captain Sensible writes: Rain, rain, rain!
Apart from a brief respite this week, it seems to have been raining for almost the entire summer this year. (Sorry, British Tourism Authority! Sorry, English Tourist Board! Sorry, Visit London!)
Looking through my window, I can see how thoroughly drenched everything is. We need to be drenched in compassion. Compassion from above. Compassion for each other.
Please God, show us Your compassion, and let us have a heart of compassion for each other.
Our hearts have been hardened.
We need an outpouring of compassion.

Lack of compassion - A necessary accompaniment to the gift of singleness?

"How, then, does a lack of kindness and compassion turn people into devils? When they see a need, they shut their eyes to it and thus misrepresent the heart of God to those people."
(Discover the Word)

Captain Sensible writes: It is coming to my attention that there is a very real lack of compassion in Christian circles for the childless, single woman who desires marriage and a family.
She is almost universally scolded and chastised; made to feel guilty for imaginary sins; mocked as a figure of fun; and then told it's all her own fault for having a career, as if unbeknown to her, she at some point in her life renounced marriage because she needed to work to support herself.
People, let's be clear about this:
A lack of compassion for someone in pain is the work of the devil.
And if you think about it, it was a necessary component for the devil's "gift of singleness" to work.
As well as dressing up singleness to be a "gift" from God, the devil had to also destroy the natural compassion that men and women would normally feel, and indeed do actually feel for these women, in the world.
Although I haven't listened to the audio broadcast, I was interested to read this summary of the demonic nature of a lack of compassion, from Discover the Word, the publishers of the devotional "Our Daily Bread".
Titled "A lack of compassion reflects negatively on God", you can hear the broadcast by clicking on the above link, but here is their outline of this message:

Our failure to show love to those who are hurting puts us in league with the devil.

"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:31-46).

When you hear of people who worship the devil, what kind of picture do you have in your mind?

Do you think there are many people in our country who consider themselves devil worshipers?

We're often confused about what it means to be in league with the devil.

In Matthew 25, those who are goats are sent into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. It is clear that the goats have a common faith with demonic forces.

The word used in Matthew 25:41 is diabolos, which means "slanderer."

What is the nature of a slanderer?

How did Satan/the devil in Matthew 4 show himself to be a slanderer? A slanderer is marked by the fact that he or she misrepresents the truth. In the temptations we see this twisting of truth.

Why or in what way does the behavior of the goats demonstrate something devilish?

Who would be the prime candidates for goats in the gospel of Matthew? The religious leaders.

What was it that the religious leaders did that Jesus condemned?

How, then, does a lack of kindness and compassion turn people into devils? When they see a need, they shut their eyes to it and thus misrepresent the heart of God to those people.

Captain Sensible continues: Isn't this exactly what we are seeing today? And misrepresenting the heart of God has to be one of the most serious sins there is, surely?
I feel I need to stress again to any single women that are reading this, that although they are in a desperate position, there is no need for they themselves to feel desperate. Our God is a great and mighty God, and I firmly believe He is working with us for His good purposes. (I like how the Amplified Bible explains this Romans 8:28 verse.)
Does God want single Christian women -- the precious daughters of the living God -- to reach out to the believing men in the world that also make up the Body of Christ, but currently feel alienated by "the church"?
I think so.
And suddenly, even the position that single Christian women are in doesn't seem so desperate any more, but rather full of exciting potential -- both individually and for the Body as a whole...

Out With The Old Wisdom -- In With The New!

"(O)ne of my favorites is that there aren't enough good prospects for marriage where I live, so my odds aren't very good. Since when did God have to worry about odds?"
(Comment left by Christian man on A.N.Other blog, well Boundless -- again!)

Frieda Fruitcake writes: Praise the Lord for the New Wisdom that can be found in contemporary Christianity! (As opposed to the old wisdom that can be found in the Bible, and which is now hopelessly outdated!)
All of God's "fellow workers" (1 Corinthians 3:9) have been sacked and there is no longer any such thing as putting God to the test!
Rejoice single Christian women that know there are not enough single men in the church to go around!
It's just a matter of waiting on the Lord!
Shout and sing hallelujah if there are no good prospects for marriage in your church!
It's an opportunity to show how much you trust God!
Thanks be to God for the super-spiritual New Wisdom that is spreading like wildfire. (And thanks to Boundless for fanning the flames!)

Just wondering...

Remind me again why churches virtually shut down over the school summer holidays? (Barring "urgent pastoral matters" and the weekly service. How good of them!)
There has got to be a good reason.
After all, the Christian faith itself is an "urgent" matter here in the UK. It's not a time to take a month or two off, is it?
Let's revisit that analogy with the terrorist threat. The situation is regarded as critical. Therefore the Police and Intelligence Service decide they are going to follow the example of school children, and give themselves a nice extended summer break?
Is the spiritual crisis affecting the UK not even more serious?
Something like 6.5% of the population only go to church.
Nearly 70% of them are women, and most of them probably fairly elderly.
The church is widely regarded as a laughing stock, or full of hypocrites or a social club for little old ladies.
So what are we doing about it?
All together now:
"We're all going on a summer holiday/No more worries for a week or two..."
(Ooops, better make that "a month or two".)

"We've made marriage into an idol." But wait...

"We've made marriage into an idol, not to be worshipped, but to be sacrificed, like Issac to Abraham. Too many Christian singles have somehow gotten the message that they must relinquish their desire to marry as a test of their devotion to God (and perhaps as a condition to have that desire fulfilled), something that very few people can really do. And I'm doubtful that those who have preached this kind of message really put it into practice, as evidenced by how many married so young. And because it goes so much against the grain of our God-given nature, it is truly toxic and 'sex-negative' at its core. Anyone who pits the sincere desire of young people to please God against their desire for marriage does a terrible, terrible thing."

(Comment by Jennifer on Boundless's "You probably don't have the 'gift of singleness'" thread)

"Everlasting God": It's not wrong to "wait on the Lord"! (But it IS wrong to wait when God tells us to act!)

Captain Sensible writes: I thank God for my accountability and prayer partner, "E", who has reminded me about the need for waiting on the Lord and being patient.
And God has kindly drummed the message home several times since then!
One way He has done this is through this beautiful worship song (see link below) so I now have no choice but listen to the words: "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord" going round and round in my head!
This is not an excuse for inaction. But the correct order is to wait on the Lord to see what He wants you to do, do it, and then trust that He is orchestrating things behind the scenes -- which He is!

Everlasting God by Chris Tomlin