Repost: Shame, Shame, Shame

I stumbled on this old post this morning and wanted to repost it.  I've talked to several young mothers recently, moms living in that stage of constant chaos, just trying to keep their little ones fed and clothed.  Don't worry about that perfect life.  Live with love and the rest will take care of itself.

Through the years I have purchased the Sisterchicks series by Robin Jones Gunn. "Sisterchicks on the Loose," "Sisterchicks in Sombreros," "Sisterchicks do the Hula" and many others. They are fun reading, but usually have a little more to them than you would expect at first glance. The definition of a Sisterchick is : n.: a friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you’re being a brat.


With our upcoming trip, I decided to reread "Sisterchicks in Gondolas." This book is about two sisters-in-law on a trip to Venice. I won't spoil it for you if you want to read it, but here's what the back cover says:

Jenna and Sue have been sisters-in-law for nearly thirty years but inseparable friends for only the last five. When Jenna is invited to a week’s stay at a fifteenth century restored palace on a quiet canal in Venice, Sue is her travel companion of choice. The catch? They must cook for a group that is staying at the palace for a retreat. It’s the first time Sue has been this far from home, and both women are coming out of a valley season of life where they operated each day in long shadows of fear. Entering into the lilting gondola-paced Italian lifestyle and discovering corners of Venice most tourists never see, they welcome a new time of refreshing. And over boiling pots of pasta, they dare each other to dream again.

During one heartfelt conversation, Sue apologizes to Jenna and Jenna utters three simple but profound words, "Shame OFF you."

I think women, especially moms, need that message. We can be so hard on ourselves. If our house isn't spotless, with magazine perfect meals on the table, not a single speck of dust in sight, we start feeling like failures. I've read blogs by young mothers who confess to all the things they aren't perfect at. I want to say, "Shame off you."

I'm not talking about being lazy and sitting around eating chocolate covered cherries all day while your children run around like hooligans and your husband searches for clean socks. I'm talking about the times when LIFE happens. A sick child takes precedence over a clean kitchen - I can't tell you how many times Mom stopped whatever she was doing to take care of Rod. A single phone call can change the course of your week. When you rush out the door to the hospital or funeral home, no one is looking under the bed for dust bunnies.

So the next time you're beating yourself up because of your shortcomings, take a lesson from Sue and Jenna. Later in the book, the phrase is repeated with another, "Shame off you and Grace on you." Extend the same grace to yourself that you willingly extend to others.

Woman of the Week - Sapphira

Verses:  Acts 5:1-11

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Jehosheba ~ Woman of the Week

Let's play the "Would You Rather?" game for a minute.  Would you rather - have a lengthy post written about your evil life and how it ended, or a short post about one single act of bravery that you performed on behalf of your God and your nation?  It's a silly question, but it fits with today's post.  It's short, but so much sweeter than last week's post.

Verses: 2 Kings 11:1-21, 2 Chronicles 22:10-12 

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings
Jehosheba (called Jehoshabeath in 2 Chronicles) was the daughter of King Joram but not the daughter of Athaliah.  She was the granddaughter of Jehoshaphat, but not of Ahab.   She was married to Jehoiada the high priest.  Her half brother was king Ahaziah.  We don't read of her having any children of her own.

"Not by Athaliah, but another woman; for an high priest, as her husband was, would not have married the daughter of such an idolatrous woman, nor would she have married her to him."  (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

I couldn't find the meaning of Athaliah's name, but The Pulpit Commentary said Jehosheba's name meant "Jehovah is the oath." 

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?

I'll cover what she is known for in the next section, but there is one important aspect that made the difference in Jehosheba's life - who she married.  I wonder if Athaliah had a hand in this.  If she could marry her step-daughter to a priest, she would have one less person with whom to compete.  Jehosheba's marriage to the high priest took her from the king's house to God's house.  "The husband neutralized the evil influences of his wife’s upbringing."  (A Devotional Commentary by F. B. Meyer, B.A.)

"It was a special providence that Joram, though a king, a wicked king, married his daughter to Jehoiada a priest, a godly priest. Some perhaps thought it a disparagement to the royal family to marry a daughter to a clergyman, but it proved a happy marriage, and the saving of the royal family from ruin; for Jehoiada's interest in the temple gave her an opportunity to preserve the child, and her interest in the royal family gave him an opportunity to set him on the throne."  (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible)

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?
Everything we know about Jehosheba can be found in that place of reset.  She didn't have time to plan.  She couldn't call her friends to help her fast and pray.  She had to act and she had to act immediately.  "When Jehosheba rushes into the nursery of the king and picks up Joash, what shall she do with him? Shall she take him to some room in the palace? No; for the official desperadoes will hunt through every nook and corner of that building. Would God that we were all as wise as Jehosheba, and knew that the Church of God is the best hiding-place."  (The Biblical Illustrator)

"As aunt of the royal children, Jehosheba would have free entrance into the palace, and liberty to visit all the apartments. She did not dare openly to oppose Athaliah’s will, but contrived secretly to save one of the intended victims, the smallest of them, an infant of a year old."  (The Pulpit Commentary)

"The person that delivered him was his own aunt, the daughter of wicked Joram; for God will raise up protectors for those whom he will have protected. The place of his safety was the house of the Lord, one of the chambers belonging to the temple, a place Athaliah seldom troubled. His aunt, by bringing him hither, put him under God's special protection, and so hid him by faith, as Moses was hidden." (Matthew Henry)

A beautiful summary of Jehosheba and Athaliah is, "a woman’s ruthlessness was outwitted by a woman’s cunning."  (Expositor's Bible Commentary)

His Word Is Enough

Along with studying women of the Bible, I am reading one chapter in the Bible each day.  I read Proverbs with its 31 chapters in January.  This month I'm reading Matthew which has 28 chapters.

While reading Matthew chapter 8 on Friday, I was amazed at the many times Jesus healed or delivered with just His Word.  He touched people, but He also just spoke.

Verse 3 He touched a leper and healed him
Verse 13 He spoke the word to the Centurion and his servant was healed.
Verse 15 He touched Peter's mother-in-law and healed her.
Verse 16 He cast out spirits with His word.
Verse 26 He rebuked the winds and sea and there was a great calm.
Verse 32 He spoke the word and evil spirits came out of two men.

It continues in chapter 9:
Verse 2 He spoke to the one sick of palsy and he arose.
Verse 20 The woman with the issue of blood touched Him and in verse 22 Jesus told her that her faith had made her whole.
Verse 25 He took Jairus' daughter by the hand and she arose
Verse 29 He touched the eyes of two blind men and their eyes were opened

I've been thinking on this and wondering why Jesus chose to touch some and not others.  I think it's a beautiful example of what happens in our lives today.  Sometimes we can feel His presence so strongly.  It's a beautiful, almost indescribable feeling.  It mends broken places in us.  But there are other times we can't feel a thing.  We may see others being touched, but our own spirit feels dry and empty.  It's in those times that we need to turn to His Word.  We need to search the scriptures for the answer to our problem.  We can't rely solely on feelings.

The last couple of days we were in Hawaii it was very rainy.  But after the rain out comes the sun and with it rainbows.  We don't see rainbows often in California, but they are in abundance in Hawaii.  I am always awed when I see them.  They are a reminder of God's promise.  Others may use them for different purposes, but rainbows will always be God's reminder that He keeps His Word.

Just as we were taxiing down the runway on January 31st, I snapped shots of this beauty.  I'm thankful that even when I can't feel it, God is always faithful and His Word is true.

Standing on the Promises

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
 Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I shall not fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

Woman of the Week ~ Jehosheba

Spending a week studying Athaliah was enlightening, but I'm so thankful for godly women in the Bible!  I'll be looking at the one who kept Athaliah from accomplishing her ultimate goal.

Verses: 2 Kings 11:1-21, 2 Chronicles 22:10-12

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Athaliah ~ Woman of the Week

You might need to pour yourself a cup of coffee before you read this, it's a long one!

I've always considered Jezebel the most wicked woman in the Bible.  Athaliah comes a very close second and I think she would have outdone Jezebel if she had lived longer.

Verses: 2 Kings 8:18, 26, 2 Kings 11:1-20, 2 Chronicles 22:1-12, 2 Chronicles 23:12-21

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings
The family tree of Athaliah got a little confusing, but this visual is helpful:

She was married to Jehoram (also known as Joram), the son of Jehoshaphat, who was the king of Judah.  Her father was Ahab, the king of Israel.  She had a brother (or at least half brother) named Ahaziah who was king of Israel and she had a son with the same name who was king of Judah!  Here's another chart, as you can see there is more than one king that shared a name with another.

One of the most interesting things in the family tree is that her husband was a descendant of David, which made her children of the line of David as well.  Matthew's account of the genealogy of Christ includes Joram but skips three generations.

"And Joram (Jehoram) begat Ozias; called Uzziah and Azariah. He was not the immediate son of Joram; there were three kings between them, Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah, which are here omitted; either because of the curse denounced on Ahab's family, into which Joram married, whose idolatry was punished to the third or fourth generation; or because these were princes of no good character; or because their names were not in the Jewish registers."  (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

"The reason why these, rather than other names, are omitted, must be sought in religious considerations - either in the connection of those kings with the house of Ahab (as Lightfoot, Ebrard, and Alford view it); in their slender right to be regarded as true links in the theocratic chain (as Lange takes it); or in some similar disqualification." (A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown {JFB})

God made two promises regarding these families:
To David, 2 Samuel 7:16, "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever."
To Ahab, 2 Kings 21:21-22, "Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,  And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin."

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her?  How can I avoid being like her?
Athaliah was the one who linked the evil house of Ahab to the house of David.  Her marriage to Jehoram brought Baal worship to the nation of Judah, just as Jezebel's marriage to Ahab had introduced Baal worship to the nation of Israel.

We are briefly introduced to Athaliah in 2 Kings chapter 8.  She reappears in 2 Kings chapter 11.  A very significant event occurred between these chapters - Jezebel was killed, her wicked life finally coming to its expected end.

The Expositor's Bible Commentary sums up Athaliah perfectly:

"Athaliah, who, as queen-mother, was more powerful than the queen-consort (malekkah), was the true daughter of Jezebel. She exhibits:
the same undaunted fierceness, 
the same idolatrous fanaticism, 
the same swift resolution, 
the same cruel and unscrupulous wickedness.

It continues:
It might have been supposed that the miserable disease of her husband Jehoram, followed so speedily by the murder, after one year’s reign, of her son Ahaziah, might have exercised over her character the softening influence of misfortune. On the contrary, she only saw in these events a short path to the consummation of her ambition.
Under Jehoram she had been queen: under Ahaziah she had exercised still more powerful influence as Gebirah, and had asserted her sway alike over her husband and over her son, whose counselor she was to do wickedly. It was far from her intention tamely to sink from her commanding position into the abject nullity of an aged and despised dowager in a dull provincial seraglio."  A seraglio or serail is the sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines - Athaliah had no intention of disappearing.

2 Kings 11:1 says, "She arose and destroyed all the seed royal."  It's interesting that she did this, especially since she seemed to have great power over her sons.  2 Chronicles 24:7 says, "For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim."

"Athaliah, as wife of Joram and mother of Ahaziah, had guided both the internal and the external policy of the Jewish kingdom; she had procured the establishment of the worship of Baal in Judah  and had maintained a close alliance with the sister kingdom of Israel. The revolution effected by Jehu touched her nearly. It struck away from her the support of her relatives; it isolated her religious system, severing the communication with Phoenicia; and the death of Ahaziah deprived her of her legal status in Judah, which was that of queen-mother, and transferred that position to the chief wife of her deceased son. Athaliah, instead of yielding to the storm, or merely standing on the defensive, resolved to become the assailant, and strike before any plans could be formed against her. In the absence of her son, hers was probably the chief authority at Jerusalem. She used it to command the immediate destruction of all the family of David, already thinned by previous massacres, and then seized the throne." (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

For six years Athaliah ruled in Jerusalem.  "Athaliah used her power to establish the exclusive worship of BaaI through the kingdom of Judah, and to crush that of Yahweh. She stopped the temple service, gave over the sacred vessels of the sanctuary to the use of the Baal priests, and employed the temple itself as a quarry from which materials might be taken for the construction of a great temple to Baal, which rose in the immediate neighborhood." (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible) 

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Athaliah was just like her mother.  Although there was no direct prophesy concerning her death, she must have known her deeds would not go unpunished.  She was married to Jehoram when Jezebel was killed. She was the daughter of Ahab and God would not allow her to continue indefinitely.

I'll be studying Jehosheba next week, so I don't want to go too deeply in to who she was, but this brave woman saved one child from Athaliah's massacre.  2 Kings 11:4 tells that in the seventh year of Athaliah's reign, Jehosheba's husband, the high priest, brought forth this young child and anointed him king of Judah.

2 Kings 11:13-14 says, "And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the LORD.  And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason."

Matthew Henry's commentary says, "We may suppose it was designed when they had finished the solemnity of the king's inauguration, to pay a visit to Athaliah, and call her to an account for her murders, usurpation, and tyranny; but, like her mother Jezebel, she saved them the labor, went out to meet them, and hastened her own destruction.  Seeing what was done she cried out for help. She saw the king's place by the pillar possessed by one to whom the princes and people did homage and had reason to conclude her power at an end, which she knew was usurped; this made her rend her clothes, like one distracted, and cry, “Treason! treason! Come and help against the traitors.” Josephus adds that she cried to have him killed that possessed the king's place. What was now doing was the highest justice, yet it was branded as the highest crime; she herself was the greatest traitor, and yet was first and loudest in crying Treason! treason!"

2 Kings 11:15-16 tells of Athaliah's end, "But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD.  And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king's house: and there was she slain."  Verse 20 says, "And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king's house."

The final summary of Athaliah is simple, "There the sword of vengeance fell. Athaliah disappears from history, and with her the dark race of Jezebel." (Expositor's Bible Commentary) 

Repost: Jezebel ~ Woman of the Week

While working on my woman of the week, Athaliah, I realized for the first time that she was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.  I'll post about Athaliah tomorrow, but I thought this piece about Jezebel was worth a re-read.

When I think of a wicked woman, I think of Jezebel.

Verses:  1 Kings 16:31, 1 Kings 18:4-19, 1 Kings 19:1-2, 1 Kings 21:5-25, 2 Kings 9:7-37

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

We are first introduced to Jezebel in 1 Kings 16:31, speaking of her husband Ahab, "he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him."  Jezebel's father, whose name means "with him is Baal," conspired against the Tyrian king, Pheles, killed him, and seized the throne. His reign lasted 32 years, and he established a dynasty which continued on the throne at least 62 years longer.

We don't know how many children Ahab and Jezebel had.  2 Kings chapter 10 says Ahab had 70 sons, but that number probably included sons from other wives and grandsons.  They had at least two sons Ahaziah (1 Kings 22:51-53) who reined after Ahab's death and Joram (2 Kings 9:22) who also reigned.

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?

In 1 Kings chapter 18 we read that Jezebel "cut off the prophets of the LORD."  "Being an idolater, she was a persecutor, and made Ahab one. Even in those bad times, when the calves were worshipped and the temple at Jerusalem deserted, yet there were some good people that feared God and served him, and some good prophets that instructed them in the knowledge of him and assisted them in their devotions. These Jezebel aimed to extirpate, and put many of them to death."  (Matthew Henry)  Not only did she set out to destroy the prophets of the true God, she had 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the groves who ate at her table.  

The rest of chapter 18 tells of the meeting on Mount Carmel, how the false prophets tried to get Baal's attention, leaping on the altar, cutting themselves, and yelling, all to a god that did not hear.  Elijah didn't waste anytime when it was his turn, but repaired the altar and with just a short prayer, God, the true God, answered by fire.  The people "fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God,"  and all the prophets of Baal were slain.

It doesn't appear that Jezebel was at Mount Carmel, because "Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword."  "Ahab's conscience would not let him persecute Elijah (some remains he had in him of the blood and spirit of an Israelite, which tied his hands), but he told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, not to convince, but to exasperate her.  It is not said he told her what God had done, but what Elijah had done, as if he, by some spell or charm, had brought fire from heaven, and the hand of the Lord had not been in it."  There is not an ounce of repentance or fear in Jezebel. Her reply was a threat to the man of God.  "Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time."

We jump a couple of chapters before Jezebel rears her ugly head again.  In chapter 21 we find a very pathetic Ahab.  If ever a man was deserving of disrespect, it was Ahab.  He pouted like a baby when he couldn't get his way.  Jezebel tries to find out the problem.  Matthew Henry put it perfectly, "Nothing but mischief is to be expected when Jezebel enters into the story - that cursed woman."  While Ahab is pouting on his bed, Jezebel is plotting for the destruction of an innocent man.  

I Kings 21:7 says, "And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."  "The meaning is, “Art thou king, and yet sufferest thyself to be thwarted in this way by a mere subject? I, the queen, the weak woman, will give thee the vineyard, if thou, the king, the strong man, wilt do nothing.”" (Albert Barnes)

With Ahab's own seal, Jezebel sent orders to have Naboth convicted of blaspheming God and the king.  "When, instead of a help meet, a man has an agent for Satan, in the form of an artful, unprincipled, yet beloved wife, fatal effects may be expected. Never were more wicked orders given by any prince, than those Jezebel sent to the rulers of Jezreel. Naboth must be murdered under color of religion." (Matthew Henry)

After Jezebel's orders are obeyed, she hands the vineyard over to Ahab.  This time, God had had enough.  He sent Elijah to meet Ahab in the vineyard.  There is a curse upon both Ahab and Jezebel.  Ahab humbled himself, he still had a small measure of the fear of God in him and God said, "I will not bring the evil in his days."  What a merciful God!

"And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel."  There is no word from Jezebel at this time.  I assume she just shrugged it off, believing that Baal would save her.

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Ahab had been dead and gone for almost fourteen years.  Elijah had been taken up to Heaven in a chariot of fire.  And there was Jezebel, continuing in her worship of Baal.  I can only imagine that if she had any fear, it was gone once Elijah was gone from the scene.  But Jehu came riding furiously on the scene.

"And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. " (2 Kings 9:30)  "Jezebel did this that she might present an imposing appearance to Jehu and die as a queen; not to allure him by her charms."  (Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament) 

Matthew Henry gives an excellent final summary, "The greatest delinquent in the house of Ahab was Jezebel: it was she that introduced Baal, slew the Lord's prophets, contrived the murder of Naboth, stirred up her husband first, and then her sons, to do wickedly; a cursed woman she is here called (2Kings 9:34), a curse to the country, and whom all that wished well to their country had a curse for. Three reigns her reign had lasted, but now, at length, her day had come to fall.  Instead of hiding herself, as one afraid of divine vengeance, she exposed herself to it and scorned to flee, mocked at fear and was not affrighted."

2 Kings 9:33 says, "And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot."  "When Jehu had taken some refreshment in the palace, he bethought himself of showing so much respect to Jezebel's sex and quality as to bury her. As bad as she was, she was a daughter, a king's daughter, a king's wife, a king's mother: Go and bury her. But, though he had forgotten what the prophet said, God had not forgotten it. While he was eating and drinking, the dogs had devoured her dead body, the dogs that went about the city  and fed upon the carrion, so that there was nothing left but her bare skull (the painted face gone) and her feet and hands. The hungry dogs had no respect to the dignity of her extraction; a king's daughter was no more to them than a common person." (Matthew Henry)

While studying Jezebel, I remembered a book I read "Evicting Jezebel."  I did a review here.  I think this chart is something we all need to pay close attention to in order to keep the Jezebel spirit out of our lives.

The final mention of Jezebel is found in Revelation 2:20.  "Who the individual here referred to by the name Jezebel was, is not known. It is by no means probable that this was her real name, but seems to have been given to her as expressive of her character and influence. Jezebel was the wife of Ahab; a woman of vast influence over her husband - an influence which was uniformly exerted for evil. She was a daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre and Sidon, and lived about 918 years before Christ. She was an idolater, and induced her weak husband not only to connive at her introducing the worship of her native idols, but to become an idolater himself, and to use all the means in his power to establish the worship of idols instead of the worship of the true God. She was highly gifted, persuasive, and artful; was resolute in the accomplishment of her purposes; ambitious of extending and perpetuating her power, and unscrupulous in the means which she employed to execute her designs." (Albert Barnes)

Bigger Than the Pain

Pastor White preached a great message yesterday about God being bigger than our pain.  His text was from 2 Kings chapter 5.  My ears perked up when I heard that since it was a chapter I studied just a few weeks ago.  Naaman's servant girl was the main character in Pastor White's message - it was her pain that he talked about.  Although Naaman was a leper, he actually had no physical pain since leprosy kills nerve endings.

Something I completely missed in my studying was how the maid was taken captive.  2 Kings 5:2 says, "And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid."  The going out by companies was not an act of war, but, "Not regular troops, but a sort of banditti of robbers, which made excursions into the land of Israel, to plunder and carry off what booty they could: for boys and girls were a part of the booty of such robbers, whom they could sell for money."  (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

We don't know how long she was held captive, but during that time she must have had tremendous emotional pain.  But God was bigger than that pain.  God helped her and used her to bring Him glory.

Near the end of the message Pastor White said something I had not considered.  When the king of Syria sent Naaman to Elisha he sent "ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment."  This was equivalent to about three million dollars.  When Naaman was healed he offered all that to Elisha.  Elisha refused it. 

Pastor White said it's not in the Bible, but he imagined that when Naaman returned with all the king's goods, the next thing that should have happened was the young maid being returned to her family.  Surely her freedom would have cost less than three million dollars!  He said imagine the difference - she was taken from her home and family, bound and gagged, but returned with celebration!  I don't know if that happened either, but I sure do love the idea!

Either way, this young lady was a testimony to the power of God to be with her (and with us) during the toughest circumstances.

Woman of the Week ~ Athaliah

All the women I studied in January had a positive ending to their story.  As much as I enjoy reading about those who did right, I know there is also value in studying those who chose a darker path.  Athaliah fits that second description.

Verses: 2 Kings 8:26, 2 Kings 11:1-20, 2 Chronicles 22:1-12, 2 Chronicles 23:12-21

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Mother Rewarded by Solomon ~ Woman of the Week

This story is the first example of the wisdom of Solomon.  Even greater than Solomon's wisdom in this story is the example of a mother's love.

Verses:  1 Kings 3:16-28

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings
We don't know anything of this woman's background, only that she had a son.  I was surprised that many commentaries said the word "harlot" actually meant inn keeper or a seller of food, not prostitute.  "These women, according to the Targum, were victuallers or inn keepers; and so Ben Gersom thinks they were sellers of food, as Rahab; though he observes it is possible they might, prostitute themselves: this may be said in their favour, that common prostitutes do not usually bear children, or, when they do, take no care of them, have no affection for them, and much less are fond of them, as these seem to be; but, on the other hand, no mention being made of their husbands, and living together in one house, and alone, and being impudent, brawling, and litigious, give great suspicion of the truth of the character they bear in our version and others."  (John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)
"Though there is no mention of their husbands, it is probable they might have been at this time in other parts, following their necessary occupations."  (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible) 

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?

This is the only story of this woman in the Bible.  She shared a home with another woman and they each had a son, born three days apart.  We don't know exactly how old these babies were, it seemed they could have been as young as a week when one of the sons died in his sleep.  The mother of the dead son tried to cover her tragedy by switching babies in the night.

"When the other woman looked the next morning at the child lying in her bosom, she saw that it was not her own but the other woman's child, whereas the latter maintained the opposite. As they eventually referred the matter in dispute to the king, and each one declared that the living child was her own, the king ordered a sword to be brought, and the living child to be cut in two, and a half given to each."   (Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament) 

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

No matter how she came to be a mother, her mother's heart would not let her child suffer.  She was willing to fight her roommate for her son, but the moment Solomon spoke of splitting him in half, she was willing to give him up completely to let him live.

"To find out the true mother, he could not try which the child loved best, and therefore tried which loved the child best: the mother's sincerity will be tried, when the child is in danger."  (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible)

"She that knew the child was her own, rather than the child should be butchered, gives it up to her adversary. How feelingly does she cry out, O, my lord! give her the living child. “Let me see it hers, rather than not see it at all.” By this tenderness towards the child it appeared that she was not the careless mother that had overlaid the dead child, but was the true mother of the living one, that could not endure to see its death, having compassion on the son of her womb. “The case is plain,” says Solomon; “what need of witnesses? Give her the living child; for you all see, by this compassion, she is the mother of it.”"  (Matthew Henry)

Because she was willing to sacrifice her own desires for the life of her son, this mother was rewarded and able to keep him for herself.

January Photo Dump, AKA Almost Wordless Wednesday

We have spent the past 18 days in Hawaii.  Les celebrated six years on the job here this month.  It's been quite an adventure.  We found a great rental in Discovery Bay and it was nice to be back in the building where we spent most of 2013.  We have great sunset views:

Along with glimpses of the ocean

and the mountains!

The full moon was spectacular here...

I watched the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade from the 19th floor. 

There was one very impressive group on unicycles!

Les rode his bike to the North Shore on Saturday.  I drove over and we enjoyed some much needed down time.  Les works really hard when he is here and the town of Haleiwa has such a different feel from the noise and congestion of Waikiki.

We had lunch at the Big Wave Shrimp truck.  Coconut shrimp for Les, garlic shrimp for me...

Followed up with coffee and a big dose of Polynesian Paralysis...

and some silliness!

We finished the afternoon in a Ukulele shop.  Les found an electric bass ukulele to play around with. 
 

We now have a Sunday morning breakfast/brunch tradition.  Cinnamon's at the Ilikai.  They have the best coffee and their weekly pancake specials are always amazing.  This week was blueberry with blueberry cream cheese topping - off the charts!

We're packing up to head home tomorrow.

Woman of the Week ~ Mother Rewarded by Solomon

Verses:  1 Kings 3:16-28

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

The Syrophoenician Woman ~ Woman of the Week

A key theme to this story is getting our prayers answered.  We need to understand that any mercy God shows us is more than we deserve.  For more on that subject, click here. 

Verses: Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30 

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings 
We don't know much about this woman's family - only that she had at least one daughter.  Where was her husband?  Had he left because of the state of her daughter?  Were there other children, siblings who were afraid of their sister?  We just don't know the answer to these questions.

This woman's background is an important part of the story.  Mark 7:26 says, "The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation."  The first part, "The Jews called all persons “Greeks” who were not of their nation. The whole world was considered as divided into Jews and Greeks." (Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible)  The second part, "a Syrophoenician by nation — so called as inhabiting the Phoenician tract of Syria. Matthew calls her “a woman of Canaan” - a more intelligible description to his Jewish readers."  (A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown {JFB})  What Matthew and Mark both wanted the readers to know was she was most definitely NOT a Jew.

What is she most known for?  Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her? 
We don't know her name.  We don't know her daughter's name.  But this woman, who was not a Jew, showed us the power of persistence.  The story played out like this:

"Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil."
But he answered her not a word. 
And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
Jesus said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

She didn't stop when she didn't get the answer the first time.  Her request changed to worship, even as Jesus said He wasn't sent to an outsider like her.  Even after Jesus called her a dog, she humbly kept asking.

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset? If so, did she? For good or evil?
I wonder if when she first came she was expecting a quick fix.   She had to have heard of Jesus.  Her story takes place in Matthew chapter 15, in previous chapters Jesus had healed a leper, cast out demons, raised the sick of the palsy, healed the woman with the issue of blood, raised Jairus' daughter and fed five thousand.  There was no radio or internet, but word was spreading about this Miracle Worker.

Maybe she thought she could just slip in among the crowd, cry out her request, and happily be on her way.  But Jesus didn't immediately respond and now she had a choice to make.  Should she keep asking or go home to a tormented daughter.  I don't know if she first came believing the she "deserved" this miracle, but her reset happened when she decided that no matter how low she had to stoop, even crumbs where going to be enough.

"First, Her humility and necessity made her glad of crumbs. Those who are conscious to themselves that they deserve nothing, will be thankful for any thing; and then we are prepared for the greatest of God's mercies, when we see ourselves less than the least of them. The least of Christ is precious to a believer, and the very crumbs of the bread of life.
Secondly, Her faith encouraged her to expect these crumbs. Why should it not be at Christ's table as at a great man's, where the dogs are fed as sure as the children? Observe, She calls it their master's table; if she were a dog, she was HIS dog, and it cannot be ill with us, if we stand but in the meanest relation to Christ."  (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible)

"The little dogs share with the children, for they eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. I do not desire what is provided for these highly favored children, only what they leave: a single exertion of thy almighty power, in the healing of my afflicted daughter, is all that I wish for." (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible)

Of course we know the end of the story.  Her life must have completely reset when her daughter was made whole.  Jesus told her "great is thy faith." "The hinderances thrown in this woman’s way only tended to increase her faith. Her faith resembles a river, which becomes enlarged by the dykes opposed to it, till at last it sweeps them entirely away with it.  Persevering faith and prayer are next to omnipotent. No person can thus pray and believe, without receiving all his soul requires. This is one of the finest lessons in the book of God for a penitent, or for a discouraged believer. Look to Jesus! As sure as God is in heaven, so surely will he hear and answer thee to the eternal salvation of thy soul! Be not discouraged at a little delay: when thou art properly prepared to receive the blessing, then thou shalt have it. Look up; thy salvation is at hand. Jesus admires this faith, to the end that we may admire and imitate it, and may reap the same fruits and advantages from it." (Adam Clarke)

The key to getting prayers answered is perseverance, humility and knowing that what you receive will be what your soul requires.  As I said earlier this week, God is not a vending machine, so asking for a million dollars, no matter how long you ask, probably does not fall under the category of "what your soul requires."  Believe that your needs will be met and like this great woman of faith keep asking!

Things I Know About Prayer

As I've been reading and pondering the story of the Syrophenician woman, I've taken a look at Jesus' response.  It seemed He was unusually unkind to this woman.  First He ignored her, then insulted her.  Even after she worshiped Him, He didn't grant her request.  It's a story that we can learn a lot from.  I don't have all the answers but here are some things I DO know about prayer:

1.  God is Sovereign
He sees the whole picture.  He knows that answering your prayer in the way YOU want, may not be the best for you.  The Apostle Paul writes about a thorn in his flesh in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9.  Paul prayed and God said "No."  Along with that no came a promise, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

2.  God is Able
Les is a living, walking, breathing, cycling example of God's healing power.   A little boy with Muscular Dystrophy who was losing the use of his legs, was healed one Sunday morning.

3.  Your Sincerity May Not Change the Outcome
No one has ever prayed more earnestly than Les and I did when Rod was near the end of this life.  We sought God for healing, we fasted for seven days, we prayed and cried.  But God, because He is sovereign, still allowed Rod to die.  Was there something greater behind the scenes at work?  I absolutely believe there was.

4.  God is NOT a Vending Machine
We don't get to put in our 2 cents worth of prayer and expect God to answer according to our will.

As I said, I don't have all the answers.  But I do know that if you never prayer, you will never see a single prayer get answered.  Prayers absolutely get heard and they get answered according to the will of the One Who hears them.

Woman of the Week ~ Syrophoenician Woman

I'm moving to the New Testament this week and will be looking at another nameless woman in the Bible. 

Verses:  Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Naaman's Servant Girl ~ Woman of the Week

An unnamed girl is chosen as my woman of the week this week.  She is only talked about in four verses, but her testimony of the power of the God of Israel changed the life of a powerful man!

Verses: 2 Kings 5:1-4

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings
There is nothing written about this young girl's family.  One only commentary estimated her age to be about eight to ten years old.  Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible said this about her parents, "A little maid - Who, it appears, had pious parents, who brought her up in the knowledge of the true God. Affectionate parents are deprived of their promising daughter by a set of lawless freebooters, without the smallest prospect that she should have any lot in life but that of misery, infamy, and woe.  If God permitted the parents to be deprived of their pious child by the hands of ruffians, he did not permit the child to be without a guardian."

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?
This young girl will always be remembered for her outspoken faith.  She didn't hesitate at all in her belief of what God could do through His prophet.  "Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy." (2 Kings 5:3)

"We see here the permanent results of early religious training. This captive maiden, because she had been taught to know and trust God, was so strong in faith that she was the means of bringing salvation to the house of her captivity, and of raising up a testimony for God which rang through the whole land of Syria." (The Biblical Illustrator By Joseph S. Exell, M.A.) 

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

I can only imagine how scared this young girl must have been as she was carried away captive.  I wonder if her father was killed in battle, leaving the family unprotected.  She was alone and put to work. The people of Israel were then desperately wicked. It was the time of Jezebel; and thousands had forsaken Jehovah for idols. But her parents were obedient to the teachings of Deuteronomy chapter 6, "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."  She was taught the ways of God and carried that in her heart to the place of her captivity.

She could have easily ignored her master's disease.  Naaman was stricken with leprosy.  There was no cure.  "This little maid was a captive in Naaman’s household. It would, therefore, have not been at all unnatural had she hated him. But, instead of that, she pitied him as a leper, and manifested her kindly feelings toward him by telling her mistress where he could obtain deliverance from his sad condition."  (The Biblical Illustrator By Joseph S. Exell, M.A.)

"Helpless as she was, the little maid of the story helped her master to the recovery of health, and the knowledge of God. Now the basis of her helpfulness was her religious training. She could help man, because she knew God. When they carried her away captive she could sing them the Lord’s song in a strange land." (The Biblical Illustrator By Joseph S. Exell, M.A.)

There is a lot said about the healing of Naaman, especially the unusual manner that Elisha used (dipping seven times in the muddy Jordan river.)  But greater than physical healing was the spiritual transformation that took place.  2 Kings 5:15 says, "And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel."

I assume that most of my readers are no longer children, so our days of being a witness as a child are behind us.  But there are a couple of lessons for all of us.  1) No matter the situation, on the job, at home, the store or school, we can be a witness.  2)  Keep teaching children the ways of God!  As you make a difference in their life, you never know how God may use them to change a life.

Woman of the Week ~ Naaman's Servant Girl

As I completed my study of Anna last week, I thought it would be fitting to study a young woman this week.

Verses: 2 Kings 5:1-4

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Anna the Prophetess ~ Woman of the Week

At Victory Tabernacle we start the year one of two ways - with special revival services or with "Anna Week."  Pastor White calls it "Anna Week" in reference to Anna the prophetess who "departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day."  For our church family it is a time dedicated to prayer and fasting, so it seemed fitting that I would kick off my second year of studying women of the Bible with Anna.

Verses: Luke 2:36-38

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings
We know very little about Anna, "she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;  And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years."  There are differing views on her age.  Some commentaries said she was 84 (fourscore and four years) while others thought she had been a widow for 84 years.  If she had been widowed that long and only married for seven years, she would have been well over 100 years of age.  Either way, she was a woman well up in years.  Although she was married for seven years, it doesn't appear that she had any children.

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?
In three verses we find a woman who had been faithful to her husband, faithful to God, and was rewarded to see Jesus as an infant.  Jesus would have been 40 days old when He was brought by Joseph and Mary to the temple.

What is not written in the Bible, but what we do know is that Anna was born and lived during the 400 Years of Silence.  This was the time between the Old and New Testaments when God did not speak to His people through any prophets.  A lot happened to the nation of Israel in that time (you can read about it here and here.) It was at the end of those years that Gabriel appeared to Zacharias in Luke chapter one.  Anna would most likely have been with those who waited while Zacharias tarried so long in the temple. Jesus was born approximately six months after John the Baptist, so it would have been approximately 16 months later when Anna would finally see the Christ.

The Biblical Illustrator, by Joseph S. Exell, M.A. had this to say:
A very beautiful completion of a very beautiful picture. Simeon standing there alone as the representative of humanity is isolated; is there nowhere a companion who may share the riches of this new joy? The other side of human nature must be represented, and that deficiency is made up by the presence of the venerable prophetess. There they stand as father and mother of the whole race, giving hospitality and welcome to Him who came to save the world. They stood, as it were, at the front door of the world’s house, and spake to the young King in the name of the captives He came to deliver. There are some womanly characteristics in this passage which should be noted.
1.  She departed not from the Temple—persistent, faithful, constant.
2.  She served God with fastings and prayers night and day—self-denial, profound devotion, continual watching.
3.  Where Simeon prayed, Anna gave thanks. It would seem as if there was just the faintest touch of self-consideration in the prayer of Simeon, as he wished to be gone from scenes that wearied him; but the prophetess, eighty and four years old, constant through all changes, hopeful through all fears, was willing to linger longer, for she spoke nothing of her own release, but thanked God for His mercy, and comforted many that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Blessed are they who can sing in their old age, and turn all their own experience into comfort for those who mourn.

"Inspired of God, she recognized the long looked-for Messiah, and immediately she broke into praise, and forthwith began to communicate the joyful fact to all whom she could reach." (The Pulpit Commentary)

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?
Anna certainly reached a crossroad when her husband died.  She could have been as young as 19 since 12 1/2 was marriageable age at that time.  She was within the law to remarry, but for reasons we do not know, she remained a widow.  But she was not called Anna the widow, but Anna the prophetess.  She didn't allow her widowhood to define her.  She was known as a woman devoted to prayer and fasting.

More from The Biblical Illustrator, by Joseph S. Exell, M.A:

While still very young the maiden was wedded, and for seven happy years youth and love filled her heart with gladness. But at the end of that time the shadow of death passed over the Jewish home and hid the light, and stilled the song, and filled the house with mourning. What was she to do, that young widow with her life before her? She had surely some excuse for joining that innumerable company of disappointed women who talk of blighted lives, and are themselves a blight upon everything that comes near them. But she let “the useful trouble” of her life soften and sanctify her.

She put her trust in the God of Israel, and received with meekness the chastening of His hand. She took herself and her sorrow to the Temple. And there a new longing and a new love took possession of her;. for were they not all looking for the Messiah, and might not the time of His coming be near? She would consecrate herself to God and to His service in the Temple. Other women could not do it; the sweet clamour of the children, and the wishes of their husbands kept them at home; but she would have her pleasures too, and the joy of the Lord should be her strength.

And so the young widow took her place, and day by day, and year by year, returned to it. The sun touched Olivet with golden beams and left it again in shadow more times than she could count. The fig trees blossomed and shed their fruit, the valleys drank up the early and the latter rain, the tender grapes became ripe and were gathered, the corn showed first the green blade, and then the full ears; the feasts came round with their joyous assemblings; and, year after year, Anna was in the Temple, neither wretched nor useless.

God gave to her the gift of prophecy. She saw what some eyes could not see, and she had power to utter the Divine revelations which were made to her. Complacently and tranquilly she saw the years pass away until eighty-four had seamed her face, and bent her form.

But He whom she had served with such fidelity and devotion had a wonderful joy in reserve for her yet. Coming into the Temple one day, as usual, she heard an unusual sound. Simeon, with tremulous voice, was singing that new song, which has been continued by the Church ever since. In his arms he held the Child Jesus; and, seeing Him, what could Anna do but take up the strain of thanksgiving, and pour out her soul in praise? And then she found that, after all, her work was not over. She had known what it was to wait long, and others were waiting still. She could not keep the good news to herself. She became the first evangelist of His advent in the city of her King, and “spake of Him to all them.

More important than her years in the temple is what Anna did after she saw Jesus.  She "gave thanks and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem."  "It is probable she went about from house to house, testifying the grace of God. At all events, it appears that this widow was one of the first publishers of the Gospel of Christ, and it is likely that she traveled with it from house to house through the city of Jerusalem, where she knew they dwelt who were expecting the salvation of God."  (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible)

What a great woman of God!  She proved that we are never too old to praise Him and share the good news of Jesus.

Woman of the Week ~ Anna the Prophetess

As I did in 2015, I plan to publish the name of my Woman of the Week on Monday and follow up with a complete post about her on Friday.

 

Verses: Luke 2:36-38

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Woman of the Week ~ Mom

My Mom would have turned 79 today.  In honor of her birthday, I thought I would write her in as my first Woman of the Week for 2019.

Verses: 
Obviously, there aren't any verses in the Bible with her story, but oh how her Bible has blessed me!  I have blogged from it and about it for over ten years.  It is my dearest earthly treasure.

Background
She was born on January 1, 1940 to Hogan and Luella Pearson.  She was the first baby born in Tulare county that year.  She was the second of four children - she had an older brother, Dean, a younger sister, Joyce, and a younger brother, Don.
She married Robert Fultz on October 3, 1958.  They produced four offspring - Kim, Rick, Rod and Kathy.  They celebrated their 40th anniversary one week before she passed away.

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her? 
Oh my!  There are so many things I can list, here are a few:

Baking - Mom was not a great cook, she would have told you that.  She was rather picky and didn't enjoy trying new foods.  But when it came to baked goods, especially chocolate, she couldn't be beat!  She definitely passed that gift on to me.  What I didn't get was her decorating ability.  She was a master at beautiful cakes, but she could also make beautiful cookies.  I remember her using a paintbrush to get food coloring on turkey cookies before they were baked.  They came out with a glaze of beautiful feathers.  I also knew that Les had received her silent approval when I told her how much he liked brownies and the next time he came for a visit that is what she made!

Kids - Mom loved kids.  She was able to stay home with all of us because she babysat little ones in our home.  For years she preferred newborns, then she seemed to switch and really enjoy the two to four year old age range.  She taught Sunday school for decades and Pre-K at the Christian school for several years.  She loved her own four kids and was ecstatic when she became Grandma!

Nursing - Mom didn't have a nursing degree, but with Rod's health issues she became a pro in her own right.  Rod broke his femur two different times in less than 12 months.  Because of his hemophilia the healing process was a little more complicated.  He spent about 6 weeks in the hospital in traction so the bones could start mending.  He then came home in a body cast.  Mom tended to his needs daily.  Mom and Dad both knew how to mix Rod's medicine and give him injections.  Her experiences allowed her to become the youth camp nurse for many years.  She loved going to camp and taking care of all the kids there.

Animals - We nicknamed our home "Fultz's Funny Farm" for a reason!  Mom loved every type of animal and our home was never without at least one dog. I wrote about it in detail in this post, but there is one story I have to share here.  Just as she did with children, Mom nourished and nurtured every animal that came her way. Dad was very patient, but every once in a while he put his foot down. One peaceful Saturday afternoon, we kids were playing at home, Dad was trying to relax, maybe even take a nap on the couch, when Mom came home:

Mom (rushing in the house): Bob, I need a box
Dad: Huh? A box? What for?
Mom: There's a little animal I need to rescue.
Dad: Where?
Mom: Around the corner.
Dad (knowing it is now useless to argue): I'll go with you, let me get my shoes on.
Mom: Well hurry!
Dad (when they get to the animal): It's a mole! We're not taking that thing home!

Friends - Mom had some very close friends in our church family.  Friends that she could talk to for hours!  She loved talking on the phone as much as any teenager.  I know there was laughter, but I also know she shared tears and prayers with these dear friends of hers.

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?
I'm sure there were many times Mom needed to reset, but the most significant happened when she was about 20 years old.  She was raised going to church, but after Kim was born our family moved away from Visalia.  I believed they lived in Selma for a time, then they moved to Fresno.  Some time after their move, Irene Wilkinson asked Mom if they could pick her up for church.  Kenneth and Irene took Mom to church for many years (she didn't get her driver's license until she was 23 or 24.)

By the time I was born, Mom was firmly planted in Truth Tabernacle.  It was her church home for about 38 years.  I can never remember a time when Mom chose to stay home from church if she was not sick.  I know there were times that she was tired, but going to church was not optional.  She loved God and His Word.  I flipped through her Bible and found so many quotes.  I tried to find a couple to use, but there were just too many.  I finally settled on this one, written in large all caps letters:

HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT

That is the key that she found to go through whatever joys or sorrows life brought.  Trials and victories, hurts and hopes, Mom knew that HIS grace was sufficient.

Happy Birthday, Mom!