If God is spirit, why refer to Him with masculine pronouns?

I believe the main reason God is addressed in the masculine gender is precisely because of the gender distinction at creation. God designed that the men should lead, provide, protect which would be a picture of what God is like to us. He is like a father who protects, provides, leads; submission, honor, respect are due to him because of that position. The Bible is speaking to us in language and pictures that we can understand. He has to use images that we are familiar with and therefore the man's role is the closest picture of what God is like.

If women were given the lead role in the marriage partnership then you would probably find God described for us in the female gender.

How can you survive with one income?

I've been in a lively sermon series on roles of men and women called, "Male and Female He Created Them" and spoke two weeks ago on the topic of "Caretaker." The big idea of the message was that God has designed the woman in the partnership of equals to be the caretaker of the home - loving their husbands and loving their children, thus "helping" her husband to fulfill God's command to fill the earth and subdue it. He is primarily the provider, protector, leader and she is primarily the helper, nurturer, caretaker which is focused on the domestic area.

One of the statements I made in the sermon which caused a bit of controversy was this: "It is almost impossible to raise your children to hope in God when both parents are pursuing separate careers, all coming home at the same time (dad, mom, kids). The home becomes a frantic factory of activity to prepare dinner, help with homework, finish domestic chores that call for attention, converse as a married couple, and to have some meaningful time with the children, all from 6 - 9 PM. Normally, the parents are in no mood to deal with the kids and the urge is to get them in bed as soon as possible. In that environment, either the marriage suffers or the children suffer, and many times it is both." My point is that the mom needs to be home to provide a loving sanctuary to raise the next generation to hope in God.

One question that may arise from this statement might be: How is it possible to survive in this day and age with one income?

The first step towards change is being convinced that you need to. If you sense the Lord's promptings to stay home with your child during these crucial years then you are half-way there because 'where there is a will there is a way." It may take awhile to arrive at if you've made financial choices that lock you in (house, car, education, etc.), but over time you can make the changes.

The bottomline is: Either your husband gets a better paying job or you down-size. If you decide to downsize, consider the following...

• Rent instead of own a home
• Find an older or cheaper car
• Eat at home rather than going out to dinner ("brown bag it" for lunch)
• Unplug the cable or be more disciplined with cell phones

Does that sound too radical? Just remember something: you get your kids at home for only short time and then they grow up and leave. Make the most of it while you can...

Home Is Where the Heart Is . . . Exposed!

The home can be a remarkable place. It is where we experience life’s most intimate moments, share uncontrolled laughter over the most comedic events, endure seasons of deepest sorrow, celebrate our highest achievements, and twiddle our thumbs in absolute boredom – all of this with those we love most.

Our homes are usually where we feel most comfortable and relaxed, where we’re able to unwind and catch our breath.  They’re where we let our guard down and make ourselves vulnerable.  There are things we do at home which we don’t usually do elsewhere, and appropriately so.  We might wear old, worn-out clothing around the house that we’d never sport before the general public, but that’s not all we confine to the home and conceal from the public.  There are also thoughts, attitudes, actions, words, and habits that are only fully revealed in the comfort of our own home.  For this reason I’m arguing that a home is a remarkable place because it has the unique ability to expose what is truly in our hearts, whether that be love, anger, lust, humility, or whatever.

Let’s consider in greater detail how the home exposes what is truly in our hearts so that we’re better equipped to recognize our sin, run to the Cross, and repent of it instead of writing it off as something less serious.

First, remember what Jesus says about the source of ALL our behavior, namely, that if flows out of our hearts, that is, it is the outward expression of who we really are on the inside: “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure [of the heart] produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). This principle is important because it forces us to recognize that, although we are influenced by our environment and circumstances, our actions are the direct result of what is in our heart.

Let this truth be the lens through which you view all that goes on in your home. Your attitude toward food, sleep, and relaxation in your home reveal your heart. Your habits with TV and Internet both in content and quantity of time spent, disclose what is in your heart. Whether or not your hobbies around the house and your use of free time crowd out time for fellowship with God through Scripture and prayer unveils the values of your heart. In the context of our homes we see if we have a heart for the lost, if we’re storing up treasures in heaven, if our service to others in public is matched by service to others in private.

Furthermore, consider how James elaborates on this truth in the context of conflict.  James says that the source of all interpersonal conflict is our hearts.  More specifically he says it is our passions and pleasures, which come from our hearts, that cause quarrels and fights (see James 4:1).

Do you ever experience conflict in your home?  I know, dumb question! Did you ever stop to think that God uses that conflict to expose what is truly in your heart? Think about it for a moment. After a long day’s work you probably desire to enjoy a relaxing, stress-free evening – sounds reasonable.  But what happens when a spouse or child interferes with your plans by way of requesting your assistance on a project, asking for help with homework, or by requiring your intervention due to sibling warfare? Does your heart treasure your relaxation such that you get demonstrably angry with whomever jeopardizes your enjoyment of it, or do you treasure Christ such that you’ll continue to humbly and selflessly serve Him in your home even when temporal pleasures are withheld?

Watch over your heart in that remarkable place called “home,” for whether in comfort or in conflict home is where the heart is exposed!

Post Election Thoughts

I have mixed thoughts and feelings today after staying up late watching the election results and I'm sure many of you have the same. I voted for John McCain because of his wisdom in foreign affairs - a pretty important topic given the fact that our troups are in Afghanistan and Iraq and the reality of global connectivity at almost every level among nations.

Another reason that I voted for John McCain is because of his Pro-Life postion (Barack Obama is radically Pro-Choice). Abortion is a dark evil in our land and this issue should be a deciding factor for Christians going to the polls. I also think of the Supreme Court Judges soon to retire which Barack will be able to replace with people with his ideology. This concerns me a great deal.

On the other hand, I cannot help smiling with joy that an Africa-American is going to be president of the United States when 45 years ago Barak Obama would have had to sit in the back of public transit, drink water from a different fountain, and be excluded from certain establishments. This moment in history has given hope to an oppressed people, people whose dreams have been suffocated for so many years. The sybolism of this moment is huge for them and for our country as illustrated in Barack's speech when he mentioned the 106 year old African-American woman who voted. When she was born, stories of the Civil War were still told by eyewitnesses, a woman could not vote and certainly not a black woman. This change is monumental and to be celebrated.

So, I'm sorrowful and rejoicing. Is that possible? I think so because we live in a fallen world. I am ultimately a citizen of heaven waiting for the true King to arrive to take me to a place where righteousness rules and the tension no longer exists. Until then we work and pray...