Moanhood Or Motherhood? Part 1

“Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies.”Proverbs 31:10I am often drawn to this text as I pray for God to mold me into the woman He desires me to be, no matter how much against the stream of normalcy it seems. My Interlinear Bible, which is translated directly from the Hebrew, inspires me when I read, “Who can find an able woman? For her value is far above jewels.” The word “able” hit me with a giant thud. “Able” means to have power.


As mothers and wives we often spend wasted brain space mulling over just the opposite. Do these words sound familiar? “I can’t do it anymore!” “I don’t have the energy!” “I’m drained! I have nothing more to give.” “I’m too tired! I’m completely exhausted and wasted. I can’t do one more thing!” We talk ourselves out of any last vestige of energy, and by the power of our minds we feel even more tired than we really are! “Honey, not tonight! Actually I’ve got a headache. No, it’s a migraine.” “Oh, I just need some time for myself.” “I feel so used. Nobody appreciates what I do around here.” “I’ve got to get out. I’ve got cabin fever.” “I didn’t get a good sleep last night. Come to think of it, I never get a good sleep. It’s all making me old before my time. I found a new wrinkle this morning.”


Ugh! This is putting me in the doldrums just writing about it!


How can our husband value us more than jewels when our lives are one big complaint?


It is true that we talk ourselves into more than half of our problems. How can we be “able” women and how can our husbands and children truly value us above jewels when our lives are one big complaint? I believe the key to being “able” is more about being positive in Christ on the word than it is about all the talent and intellect we can possess.


How can we be positive mothers when we have made a career of being professional moaners?

Have we embraced moanhood instead of motherhood? Just as negativity is a habit, so is a positive and happy heart. The more we think on the good things, the more they become naturally part of our nature. The negative muscles become floppy, weak and slowly deteriorate when we don’t use them. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on things that are pure and lovely. If we make a habit of thinking about the lovely things, in turn, our lives will be a lot lovelier.


We can become negative by worrying about the future. We may dwell today on all the work we have to do tomorrow or even in the months to come. Again, the wisdom of the Bible frees our minds and makes for a happy mother when it says, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

God is very interested in our thought-life and in the confessions of our lips. Here are just a few quotes:

“A merry heart does good like medicine.” (Proverbs 17:22)

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21)

“Gird up the loins of your mind.” (1 Peter 1:13)

A positive mind set in Christ breathes life into our souls and bodies and gives us energy. Satan is too eager to plant seeds of negativity into our minds because he knows they are seeds of death and make us unable. Negativity is based upon fear, which chokes the very life out of its victims and renders them practically immobile. Negativity holds us captive in a prison of gloom. Being positive frees us to succeed and thrive. Some people see their negative outlook as being realistic. This is another trap of the enemy; a smoke screen to blind us to the truth that will set us free to really live and enjoy life.

To Be Continued...
-Edith Osterbauer

Where are you at with Jesus?

Seems like a very simplistic question, doesn’t it? But in the days we live in, it’s a vital question; one that deserves our attention on a daily basis.
Why? Several reasons.
First, and most importantly, where we are at with Jesus determines whether we get into heaven according to John 3:16, perhaps the most famous and widely used of all scripture.
Second, no matter where we are with Jesus he always desires a deeper relationship with us.
We recently asked this question during a Bible study at the New River Valley Detention Home. As part of that message we looked at three Bible characters with different relationships with Jesus.
The first was the Roman centurion. He knew of Jesus. He’d heard of Jesus. Being in authority himself he knew and recognized, to a large degree, the authority that Jesus demonstrated through word and deed.
Yet, the centurion only came to Jesus when he had a need. In many respects he kept Jesus at a distance until he needed him.
Are you like the centurion?
Or perhaps you’re like Judas? Strange question? Well, consider this. Judas started out as one of Jesus’ closest friends. He was part of the inner circle, if you will, that surrounded Jesus.
But then, greed got in the way and it eventually led to his death at his own hand. Think about this. If Judas had truly repented and gone to Jesus after the fact, would he have been forgiven? For the answer to that we need only turn to scripture.
Are you like Judas? If so, Jesus is waiting. It’s never too late.
Or maybe you’re like John the beloved, the one who the scripture says leaned on the very heart of Jesus during his last supper with his inner circle.
John also was one of Jesus’ best friends, according to scripture. He knew everything about Jesus. He knew how he liked his fish. He knew the sandals he wore. He knew what pleased him. He also knew what made him sad. He knew all of that because of the time they spent together.
It was about relationship.
And because of that relationship that God poured out so many important words into John’s heart. Those words came out through his pen and we can read them in many portions of the New Testament.
Are you like John? Even if you are and everything appears wonderful, miraculous and perfect in your life Jesus still desires a deeper walk, a deeper relationship with you.
Where are you at with Jesus?

-Ben Hanneman

Take Care of Your Temple

Let me just start by saying that I am not a fitness expert. I have never considered myself athletic. In fact, for most of my life I avoided any activities that even closely resembled a sport! Lots of us have tried exercising for the wrong reasons: to look like a superstar, to gain someone’s inappropriate attention, to reach an unrealistic goal weight, etc. However, God wants us to be fit and healthy because that is what is best for us, that is how He created our bodies to function. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) When God gives us a task to do, He wants us to have enough energy and strength to do it and do it well. I will not bore you with the ever-so-long list of the benefits of exercise that you’ve probably heard before. Let me just share my fitness journey with you and hopefully encourage you in an area where I have needed encouragement.



Three months after I gave birth to my first child, a friend who was also a new mom invited me to try out a weight training class at the Radford Recreation Center. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect or if I would actually stick with it. I was just tired of wearing the same old maternity clothes. It was a little intimidating at first. I did my fair share of tripping all over myself as I tried to learn the moves. There were days when I didn’t feel like going (Let’s face it, lying on the couch is definitely easier and there will always be something else on that to-do list!), but I made myself go anyway and was glad I did. I enjoyed building relationships with the other people in the class; was proud of myself for doing something healthy; and loved how relaxed I felt after I burned up all the stress from my day. I went to that class for over 5 years and have actually been teaching it for the past year.



You have to start with where you’re at right now. You can’t wait until you get into shape to go to the gym, or you may never get there. You have to experiment a little bit to figure out what type of exercise you enjoy (or can at least stand). You have to find what motivates you to stick with it. For me, I had to pay to take a class. Then I would make myself go (to get my money’s worth). Once I was there, I would try really hard and not give up during a tough exercise because all of the other people in the class were not giving up either (that’s the good kind of peer pressure). Believe it our not, hard work actually feels great! “But I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27) Find what works for you and go for it! Take care of your temple!

-Anna Spraker

To serve or not to serve

I blame my parents, but not like you might be thinking. Many blame their parents for anxieties and hang-ups…me I gladly blame them for serving. They worshiped God through a lifetime of serving others. They dragged, forced, demanded that their children be involved with serving others.


I remember our family being the first ones there and the last ones out; if there was something that had to be done the priest just had to ask; the answer was always “yes we can do that”. It didn’t matter what needed to be done we did it: nursing homes, mowing the church, painting, remodeling, and yes feeding people. My mother (Marge) often said her idea of heaven on earth would be to run a soup kitchen…constantly feeding people. We were taught early and often that the best way to serve God was to serve others. My dad would tell us boys that while we were mowing the cemetery that we were walking on the graves of saints and that it was an honor and privilege to take care of their grave sites. Plain and simple your life was meant to serve and to be a blessing to others.


The above serves as a backdrop for His Provision food ministry of which we are honored to be a part. His Provision food ministry does several things: 1st it meets the immediate physical needs of the people we serve. 2nd it provides service for the saints to do in a practical manner.


It is humbling to sit across the table with a family of 5 or a precious elderly saint on fixed income, the young mother with several children, the disabled - all in need, all looking for help. To me one of the real blessings is for those who help. Not all of the saints are called to preach but all are called to serve. His Provision provides a place where the saints can meet the physical needs of people in the community. Come and serve, you might be filling plastic bags with food, tearing down cardboard, running food to the cars that pull up, or maybe just holding hands with someone that needs comfort. Believe me we will find something for you to do.


Please join us this Thursday night at 5pm. Come and serve God by serving others


-Dr. David Osterbauer
Director His Provision Food Ministries

Seeking Glory

Psalm 27.4, “(GW) I have asked one thing from the Lord. This I will seek: to remain in the Lord’s house all the days of my life in order to gaze at the Lord’s beauty and to search for an answer in His temple.” King David here belies a truth in his understanding that we should all heed. The one overriding purpose in our hearts should be the presence of our Lord: His Glory. His gift is indeed eternal life-to live in His presence for eternity indeed the purpose for which we were made. I remember a time earlier in my life when my quest for truth led down many paths of deception under the guise of religious truth. The truth is that the absence of real Truth in your life will lead you to believe anything and everything that comes your way. The very idea that we may discern right and wrong is based on the premise that the truth is established in our hearts (Especially, in a world where the “idea” of truth becomes ever more subjective). Our very ability to hear Him speaking to our hearts is directly related to His presence in our lives. The wonderful part is this- my search for truth has always been overshadowed by His everlasting, faithful and loving search for the very fellowship of my heart. His nature and character are planted in us at the time we receive Christ for the reason that we may seek Him and establish His kingdom in our hearts. So we find that in the seeking He has sought us all along. Luke 19.10, “(GW) Indeed the Son of Man has come to seek and to save people who are lost.”

Ravi Zacharias said something to which this nation should well listen and learn, and I close with it, “Where the Glory of God dwells, the voice of God is heard.”

II Corinthians 3.18, “(NASB) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Pastor Chris Farmer
A Minister of His Provision at
the Radford Worship Center

Want a Blessing? Be a Blessing!

One look at the title and a person may think that I am going to talk about sowing and reaping. Well, not today.

The term blessing is thrown around in Christendom like it is the ultimate achievement. With that being said, many times I think believers are being put on a social scale within the church. A scale that does nothing more than feed their flesh and reveal immaturity. The bottom line is as a believer in Christ and having Him dwell in us is the ultimate blessing anyone can have. However, we must also realize that we have already been blessed.

Ephes. 1:3 (GW)
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer.

So, what is all the fuss about with Christians trying to get a blessing, they already have it. The focus for the believer must shift into another area. The Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:35 to remember the words of Christ. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This phrase is a dominical saying, meaning supreme authority. Therefore, there is no higher form of blessing than to give. This means the blessing isn’t in receiving or what is received, the blessing is in the participation of obedience revealing what Christ has done in our hearts.

- Pastor Mike Laster
Senior Associate Pastor
Pastor LifeChange Ministries

Images...

From movies, music videos, magazines, and television, media is bombarding children with images they deem perfect. Children in turn are believing these deceptions and comparing themselves to them. They do not know of the surgeries, constant unhealthy diets, and even photo touch ups used to make these "superstars" look unblemished.


While studying this topic for Missionettes, I found these scriptures to try and combat the attack of these lies. Some are celebrating our differences and remind us of who created us.

So God created humans in His image. In the image of God He created them, male and female. (Gen. 1:27)

Each person has a special gift from God and these gifts vary from person to person. (1 Cor. 7:7)

You are
Light for the world. (Matt. 5:14)

Beauty doesn't come
From hairstyles, gold jewelry, or clothes. Rather, beauty is something internal that can't be destroyed. (1 Pet. 3:3-4)

I will give thanks to You because I have been amazingly and miraculously made. (Ps. 139:14)

God has
Made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do. (Eph. 2:10)

Do not be
Afraid,... I have called you by name and you are mine. (Is. 43:1)

God saw everything He had made and that is was good. (Gen. 1:31)

Even one star differs in splendor from another star. (1 Cor. 15:41b)


The Children's Ministry team at Radford Worship Center has agreed to help encourage our young ladies in this area by hosting a "SPA Day" for school age girls, kindergarten to sixth grade. We have not set a date other than after school is out for the summer. If there are any women that can style hair? Wash feet? Paint fingernails? Fix salads? How about lead aerobics? Encourage these young ladies? Read the Bible? Pray? Or maybe you have a special talent not mentioned that you want to share? Please contact Susie Hickman or Pastor Tina Blackburn.

- Susie Hickman
Missionette Director
A Ministry to Girls

CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS

1Kings 18 tells of the prophet Elijah in a face-off with the prophets of Baal. Elijah confronts all of Israel and puts before them a choice. “How long will you try to have it both ways? If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal is God, follow him.” (1Kings 18:21 GW) Elijah proposes that he and the Baal prophets each get a bull,prepare it, set it on wood, but not on fire. They will call on the name of Baal and Elijah will call on the name of the Lord and whoever answers by fire is the true God.

This is a bold move by Elijah. He is putting his life on the line because if the Lord doesn’t answer by fire then he will most likely be killed. Elijah builds an altar, saturates it with water, and calls down fire from Heaven. God answers and His fire consumes the sacrifice, the wood, the water, and the dirt. Baal’s prophets get nothing from their god. Elijah has them killed at the Kishon River.

Why does God answer by fire? Is it because He sees that Elijah would be in big trouble if He doesn’t do something? Does God think to Himself, “What has Elijah gotten Me into now? I’d better go and bail him out (get it, bail like Baal… insert crickets chirping here).” God answers by fire because it is more than just Elijah’s name on the line, it is also His. Elijah steps out in faith that God honors His name and God does.

Go through your Bible and find every time that God’s people were up against impossible circumstances and see how God intervenes in a way that only He can do. God’s people will never be put to shame because He honors His name. Where is this kind of trust today? If it is out there I feel it is in short supply. Do we not firmly stand on the name of the Lord because like Israel in 1Kings 18 we are trying to have it both ways? Is one foot on the rock and the other on the sand? This Elijah kind of faith only operates in people who have forsaken everything to follow Him. These people know that the name of the Lord is all they need.

I am asking God to search my heart and reveal to me anything that shows I am trying to have it both ways. I don’t want to be half-hearted in my relationship with Him. I want the Lord Jesus Christ to by my all in all. He is worthy and His name is holy.

-John Spraker
Director Rock Club

See It Through...

Acts 20:24 “But I don't place any value on my own life. I want to finish the race I'm running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus-the mission of testifying to the Good News of God's kindness.


Over the last year all eyes have been on America with the election and the economic crunch that we as a nation have found ourselves in. While politicians point fingers and the “world” worries themselves sick, the church should be focused on Christ with great joy in our hearts because those who talk often with the Lord know that He is coming soon for His bride (Revelation 4:1).


As Americans, we were worthy stewards of this nation with a willingness to see it through first and foremost with Jesus Christ, and then our ministries, marriages, families, jobs, mortgages, car payments, etc. Oh, but how far we have gone in the wrong direction since the first immigrants left everything behind to freely worship God. America now wants to give up on anything that poses as a challenge.


During Desert Storm I risked my life for this country in a war that I did not fully understand. I saw quite a few of my fellow soldiers, my friends, get injured or die because of landmines and yet I felt that what we were doing was the right thing. That was because I would look at the Kurdish children whose parents had been killed or the ones who had been abused and we were their protection. But then in July, 1991 we packed up and headed down the main road in Dahook, Iraq with dozens of those Kurdish children running after the convoy with tears rolling down their faces. I knew America did not see things through.

At that time I was saved but very immature in Christ and on that day my sadness encouraged me to ask a question within myself: what is true freedom? Of course there is no true freedom without Jesus Christ. John 8:34-46 says, “Jesus responded, ‘I assure you everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in the household forever. Therefore if the Son sets you free, you really will be free!’”


Of all the authors of the Old and New Testaments, Paul speaks most often about freedom. Christ, he says, brings freedom from sin, (Romans 6:18-22), and freedom from death, (Romans 7:24-25). Second Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Therefore anything that kills our spirit is not freedom and is not of the Lord. Freedom doesn’t come through a country, a flag or a president. Even though a citizen can choose certain paths for himself he is not necessarily free. Jesus Christ is our example of freedom! Thank God that He saw it through and by His blood afforded every man and woman the opportunity for true freedom.


In Luke 22:42 Jesus prays in the garden and says, “Father, if it is your will, take this cup of suffering away from me. However, your will must be done, not mine." In my opinion, that is one of the most powerful sentences ever spoken. Here is Jesus in the garden, praying, knowing what is about to take place and He is willing to see it through for not only our sake but for the perfect will of God! Oh how glorious it would be if the American people would say, “Not my will, Lord, but yours be done!” But generations of Godless men and women have abandoned the truth for many lies. The children have not learned to fear God, value relationships or live a life of virtue.


Everyone has an individual God given purpose in life. If we seek to find it, God is more than willing to reveal it by calling us to it. It is in that purpose where we find the most peace, joy and contentment because it is a place God chose specifically for each of us. It is in this place where, through faith and grace, we will be able to see it through.

-Blake Nelson