May 14, 2018

"Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,  coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his handover the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,   and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left."  Exodus 14:19-21

It would be nice if leadership was always full speed ahead! If a leader could start at point A and get his people to point B on a straight line, everyone would sign up for duty.

But, as Moses demonstrated, there are times in leadership when you have to wait on God or wait on your people. Then there are times when you watch for signs or trends to see where God is moving, And then there are those wonderful times when you get to walk and lead your people forward.

A good leader, a godly leader, knows when to wait, how to watch, and when to walk. And, he understands that each situation is a part of the leadership experience and is at peace with it.

Moses refused to move until he had a clear direction from God. Waiting times are some of the best times to develop faith because during those times you are asked to believe God is working in your behalf despite obvious proof to substantiate it. In the case of Moses and the Israelites, the period of waiting was the time God used to set up the Egyptians for their ultimate defeat. And so, you could also say that He was setting them up for victory.

While he was waiting, Moses was watching for evidence of God's movement. When he saw the pillar of cloud and fire move from before the Israelites to behind them, that was his sign God was moving for them. Good leaders are always watching for the hand of God to know when it is time to stop waiting and start walking.

Finally, a good leader is ready and has his people ready when it is time to start walking! After some anxious waiting and astute watching the moment came to walk to their deliverance. Moses led them through the sea to the safety of the other shore some 10 miles across.

Walking too soon can disqualify a leader. Waiting too long can cost a leader his opportunity. And watching when he should be walking will cost a leader the confidence of his followers.

Leadership is a science and it is an art. Good leaders know each.

If you are a leader, study this lesson closely and consider it carefully. 

Which time is it in your leadership? 

Is it waiting time? Is it watching time? 

Is it time to walk?

May 13, 2018 - MOTHER"S DAY

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Several years ago I did a series during May entitled "Games People Play". This is the message I preached on Mother's Day.

The game I chose for this day was “Aggravation”. Why did I pick this particular game to speak about on Mother’s Day? Because this game requires the players to move four marbles around a game board from their home base to a home on the other side of the board.

That reminds me of motherhood! Mothers have a lot of marbles that there are trying to move from one home to the next – while trying not to lose their marbles in the process! What marbles am I talking about?

THE ME MARBLE - THE MARRIAGE MARBLE - THE MOTHERHOOD MARBLE AND - THE MAKING A LIVING MARBLE

How do you move those marbles, get them all home and not lose your marbles?

They will all fit if you put them in the proper order. To do that you must add one more marble – THE MASTER MARBLE

THE MASTER MARBLE – “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…

COMMIT TO HIS WILL – For You, For Marriage, For Motherhood, For Career

COMMIT TO HIS WORD – Let it be a lamp and a light

COMMIT TO HIS WAY – Live Out His Will And His Word

COMMIT TO HIS WISDOM – For Marriage, For Motherhood

THE ME MARBLE – PLAY THE MASTER MARBLE FIRST….

ELIZABETH CORCORAN shares this experience: Four – year old Sara, had asked to pray before our breakfast this morning. That is quite typical of her. I think it's more her penchant to take charge than her avid spiritual growth as of yet. But I happily obliged as it still does something to my heart to hear that little girl of mine talk to our Heavenly Father. She started off per usual. Thank You for mommy, thank You for daddy, thank You for Jack. Then she added, and thank You for me.She has yet to come across that place in life where you feel silly or full of yourself in bringing any sort of attention to who you are as a person. As adults, we'd probably be a bit taken aback to hear a fellow pray-er at our Bible study thank God for herself. But if you think about…I think the situation is less that she hasn't quite learned prayer etiquette, and more that she may know more than we as grown-ups do. Why not thank God for ourselves? He made us as much as He made the other people we thank Him for. We have as much value as those other people do. And I bet, if we began to sprinkle our prayers every now and then with a small "thank you for me," I just bet we'd start to see our value though His eyes. And that wouldn't be such a bad thing.She then moved on to the rest of her list of thanks. Sara has not yet progressed much past the thanksgiving kind of prayers. She doesn't ask God for anything. She doesn't confess much either. (That will need to come…) She just thanks Him. And today, I noticed exactly what she was thanking Him for. She went through her routine of thanking Him for breakfast and her pretty clothes, saying, "Thank You that I'm beautiful again today" (no self-esteem issues with this little girl). Now, I'm sure she wasn't hoping to teach me some huge theological lesson in that moment…but wow, did she ever. What if I stopped, just for a day even, asking God for stuff? Asking Him to fix things in my life? Asking Him to change this or that circumstance? What if--what if I just thanked Him for all of my situations as is? How might my life be different? How might I see God and my current status differently…if instead of complaining to Him or asking Him for a quick-fix, I just rested where I was at that moment…searching for His hand and for any lesson I could glean…and thanked Him for it? Maybe I'll just have to find out. – TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF

THE MARRIAGE MARBLE – Next Play The Marriage Marble

I heard of a couple who, as they were paying for groceries in the check-out line, were discussing their soon to be 50th wedding anniversary, when the young cashier interjected by saying, "I can’t imagine being married to same man for 50 years!" The wife wisely replied, teaching the young girl a lesson at the same time, "Well, Honey, don’t get married until you can."

"Rules of Male-Female Relationships" 1. The Female always makes the Rules. 2. The Rules are subject to change at any time without prior notification. 3. No Male can possibly know all the Rules. 4. If the Female suspects the Male knows all the Rules, she must immediately change some or all of the Rules. 5. The Female is never wrong. 6. If the Female is wrong, it is because of a flagrant Misunderstanding, which was a direct result of something the Male did or said wrong. 7. If Rule 6 applies, the Male must apologize IMMEDIATELY for causing the Misunderstanding. 8. The Female can change her mind at any given point in time. 9. The Male must never change his mind without express written consent from the Female. 10. The Female has every right to be angry or upset at any time. 11. The Male must remain calm at all times, unless the Female wants him to be angry or upset. 12. The Female must under no circumstances let the Male know whether or not she wants him to be angry or upset. 13. Any attempt to document these Rules could result in bodily harm to the Male.

Recently, a survey was made of 200 married adults in regards to forgiveness The researchers were wondering how one’s ability to forgive others would affect their marital satisfaction and personal well-being. The results were astounding! This research suggests that there is a huge relationship between marriage satisfaction and forgiveness. In fact, it appears that as much as one third of marriage satisfaction is related to forgiveness. Not only does the ability to forgive impact the marriage relationship, it was significantly related to personal emotional distress. As forgiveness ability went up, individuals reported fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue! These results are powerful and suggest that all counselors, both secular and faith-based, should be helping people develop the skill of forgiveness.

Gary Thomas commented, "I don’t believe couples fall out of love—they fall out of repentance."

The secret of successful marriage is to strive for the perfect 16 – 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer…..

MOTHERHOOD MARBLE – Best Thing To Do For You Kids Is Love Their Dad

My mother taught me RELIGION: When I spilled grape juice on the carpet, she instructed, "You better pray the stain will come out of the carpet." My mother taught me LOGIC: From her decisive words, "Because I said so, that’s why." My mother taught me FORESIGHT: "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident." My mother taught me IRONY: "Keep laughing, and I’ll give you something to cry about." My mother taught me about STAMINA: "You’ll sit there ’til all that spinach is finished." My mother taught me about WEATHER: "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room." My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out." My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: "Stop acting like your father!"

One of my favorite columns by Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, "Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one." The Lord turned and said, "Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart. She is to have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. She is to be able to function on coffee & leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands."Six pairs of hands," said the angel, "that’s impossible." "It’s not the six pairs of hands that bother me." said the Lord, "It’s the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, `What are you kids doing in there?’ she already knows what they’re doing in there." "She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed and communicate love and understanding without saying a word.""That’s too much." said the angel, "You can’t put that much in one model. Why don’t you rest for a while and resume your creating tomorrow?""No, I can’t," said the Lord. "I’m close to creating someone very much like myself. I’ve already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick - who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger - and; who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower.""Can she think?" asked the angel. "Not only can she think," said the Lord, "but she can reason and; compromise and; persuade."Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely and said, "She’s too soft." "Oh, but she is tough," said the Lord. "You’d be surprised at how much this mother can do."Then the angel reached over and touched her cheek. "This one has a leak," he said. "I told you that you couldn’t put that much in one model." "That’s not a leak," said the Lord. "That’s a tear.""What’s a tear for?" asked the angel. "Well it’s for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride." "You’re a genius," said the angel. And the Lord said, "Oh, but I didn’t put it there.

"MAKING A LIVING MARBLE 

Organize and Plan: Make the most of your time 

Delegate: Share the load Develop a Support System: Family, Friends, Church 

Set Realistic Expectations: Big Rocks First!

Take Care of Yourself: Sharpen The Axe!

You CAN move all your marbles and get them home - without losing your marbles! But you must know which marbles to move and the order in which to move them!

May 12, 2018

I found this thought today and wanted to share Mother's Day "by the Book".

What does the Bible say about moms? Here are some Bible quotes you can use for inspirational greeting cards, personal devotions, or preparing a Bible study/sermon about Mother’s Day. Each of these scriptures about mothers are quoted from the ESV translation.

Motherhood Before the Fall

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.". (Genesis 2:24-25 ESV)

Sons Should Follow their Mother’s Teaching

"My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you." (Proverbs 6:20-22 ESV)

Mother’s Must Correct their Children

The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. (Proverbs 29:15 ESV)

Children Must Honor their Mother (and Father)

“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:2-4 ESV)

Timothy’s Mother as Faith Example

"I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well."  (2 Timothy 1:5 ESV)

Jesus Provided for His Mother Before He Died

"When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home." (John 19:26-27 ESV)

Warning to Provide for Your Aged Mother

"Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:3-7; 1 Timothy 5:8 ESV)

Women Who Believe are Like Mothers to Jesus

While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50 ESV)

God bless our mothers who do it by the Book!

Hedge Builders

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:27

A Proverbs 31 woman makes guarding her family a top priority. She watches over her family like a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings. And, she builds hedges of protection around each family member.

Over the past two days we have been examining several of those hedges virtuous women build around their family members. They are:

1) Hedges of Prayer

2) Hedges of Personal Relationships

3) Hedges of Principles

4) Hedges of Patterns

5) Hedges of Partnership

6) Hedges of Penalties

7) Hedges of Privileges.

Please allow me to share three more.

Hedges of Pictures

What do I mean by "hedges of pictures"?

I am talking about creating memories that will last in the heart and mind of each child raised by a Virtuous woman. If a child grows up with fond memories and many happy mental images he will not only be healthier but harder to tempt with evil.

Memories and mental images are great but it is also good to document every important event with pictures. You just can't have too many pictures!

Hedges of Pals

A mother who guards her family diligently and closely will be very interested in what sort of people her baby is spending time with. "Watching over the affairs of her household" includes screening the friends of your kids. A virtuous woman will know about the friends of her children.

Looking back on the friends that my mother didn't care for, in retrospect, she was right on every one of them.

Hedges of Pride

I know what you're thinking, but there is a good type of pride!

A friend of mine played football for a high school that had a storied tradition for winning football championships. He recalls that when he first made the team and they gave him his jersey they said something like this, "This the the #5 jersey. And they proceeded to remind him of all the great players in the past who had worn that jersey and what honors they had won."

That is an example of what I am talking about. Build a tradition and a heritage around your family. I remind my children and grandchildren what it means to be a Snyder and what Snyders believe. I want my family to be strong on their identity and embrace it.

So, here are three more hedges that godly mothers build around the hearts and minds and souls of their children.

If you have a mother or wife who is a hedge builder, honor her well!

May 10, 2018

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

Several years ago I was given the opportunity to have prayer with a man who was getting ready to pull his wife of more than 40 years off life-support. They don't teach you how to do that in school. Only through the Holy Spirit and great empathy can you have a clue how to pray.

In those milliseconds while I was trying to gather my thoughts my mind went to the precious women in my life and how much they mean to me. Trying to imagine how hard it would be to lose one of them is all I needed to inspire the prayer.

Proverbs 31 lauds the virtues of a godly woman. Verse 27 praises her for the way she guards the spiritual and emotional welfare of her family. She builds a hedge around them and I have been highlighting some of those hedges.

There was the prayer hedge and the personal relationship hedge and the principles hedge. In this post I want to share several more hedges a godly mother can build.

The Pattern Hedge

A godly mother not only teaches good principles but she lives them out daily to demonstrate a pattern for living. Teaching is instructing but it is also illustrating.

The Partnership Hedge

A woman of virtue understands the importance of partnering with God in shaping the hearts and minds of her children. She also teams with her spouse in building the hedge of safety around their kids.

The Penalty Hedge

In an era when most are trying to escape responsibility and avoid the consequences of their actions, godly mothers enforce penalties for wrong behavior. People who are loving punish those they love when they do wrong.

The Privileges Hedge

Equally important as punishing bad behavior is the practice of rewarding good behavior by extending privileges. Reinforce what is right by catching them being good.

What hedges are you building around your family?

Hedges A Mother Can Build

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

When I think of all the safety devices and equipment available for our infants and children nowadays it amazes me. Cars are much safer than in my day or even in the time my children were small. And in addition to the airbags, shoulder harnesses, and electronic warnings built into cars there are infant seats to add increased protection for our little ones. We do everything we can think of to make our kids safe. That is a good thing every parent understands well.

Keeping our children safe has always been a top priority of every culture in every age. I am sure it will be that way as long as people have children.You spend as much as you can afford to assure the safety of your children and so would I. So no wonder the writer of the Proverbs lauds a woman who "builds hedges of thorns" around her children to protect them.

What ARE some of those hedges a mother can build to protect their loved ones? I want to share three of those in this post.

The Prayer Hedge

When you have children your prayer life immediately ratchets up! When those children become teens you get a crash course on intercessory prayer.

Forget the lame disclaimer, "All I could do is pray." Prayer is the BEST thing you can do! Through prayer you activate and marshal all the extensive and powerful resources of Heaven! Angels rush to guard them. The Holy Spirit hovers over them. God's blessing and favor comes to rest on them!

I remember when my oldest son went off for basic training in the Army. He had been struggling through several difficult years prior to his enlistment, so I had already been praying hard for him. But after he left for Fort Jackson, I began to pray for three specific things; that he would be safe, that he would be successful and that God would surround him with good people.

Three months later, when I went to his graduation from basic training, it was obvious he had not only safely survived the training, he had excelled in it. After the ceremony when we met up with me and began to introduce me to his buddies, I remarked to Barbara how impressed I was with each of those young men. Later, as we were driving back to Illinois and discussing the experience it dawned on me that God had answered all three parts of my prayers for him!

Pray a hedge around your children!

The Personal Relationship Hedge

By all means, make sure your children find a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Sing to them about Jesus and show them pictures of Jesus and tell them Bible stories from the moment they are born. Let them never remember a time they weren't aware of Jesus. And as soon as they are old enough to understand the difference between good and evil, point them to a personal relationship with Jesus.

I was seven years old when I accepted Jesus and I knew what I was doing. I am very thankful for a watchful mother who made sure I knew about a personal relationship.

The Principles Hedge

Make sure your children receive a foundation of truth by teaching them the foundational principles of the Word of God. They need to know about all the great Bible characters and their stories. They need to know about the Ten Commandments and the Parables and the Sermon on the Mount, for example.

When God brought His people out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses to form them into a great nation, what was one of the first things He did? He gave them the Ten Commandments - the principles He wanted them to build upon.

If it was important for God's people, shouldn't it matter to yours?

Of course a mother knows she can't protect her loved ones from everything, but through faith she can put up a strong hedge. And if she can build a hedge of safety, why wouldn't she?

May 8, 2018

"In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine." "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." I Samuel 1:10-17

The second godly woman we will honor is Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel. Her name means "favored by God".

Initially that was not the case, however. She was the favored wife of Elkanah despite the fact she was barren. There was no greater shame for a married woman in that culture than being unable to bear children. It was a burden that nearly crushed her and certainly tested her faith.

One day during an annual feast she went to the tabernacle and was crying out to God with such earnestness that she was thought to be drunk by Eli, the priest. He began to chastise her for her totally inappropriate behavior. When she explained herself and her woeful situation, Eli blessed her and assured he that her prayer would be answered.

Indeed it was! She became pregnant and had a son she named "Samuel" - which meant "heard by God". Samuel went on to serve Eli and later became one of the great priests and prophets of Israel. He would be the one God used to choose David and later anoint him as king.

I want to focus on three things that are admirable about Hannah that modern women can emulate:

1) She called upon God in her time of trouble. She turned to prayer rather than despair.

2) She promised God to consecrate the son to God if God would honor her with a child. If God would deliver her from her shame she would dedicate the child to Him.

3) When God answered her prayer and gave her the long-desired child she kept her word. God delivered on His promise and so did she.

Modern mothers would benefit from being women of prayer like Hannah. Peter reminds you to "cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you." Turn to prayer and don't despair.

Recognize that your child (children) as gift(s) from God. Like Hannah, you are a mother by virtue of a sacred contract with God. He gives life and you are to nurture and shape it.

Dedicate your child(ren) to the Lord. Give back to Him what He has trusted to you.

Hannah is a model for modern motherhood. 

Read the story. 

Learn the lessons. 

Live it out!