tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post4608984790088821727..comments2023-10-21T08:10:23.445-04:00Comments on The Heart of a Pastor's Wife: Are We Defending God's Truth? Or Tolerating the Enemy's Lies . . . Esthermay Bentley-Goossenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17353385912611151311noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-1978695115857684682009-09-23T03:17:54.397-04:002009-09-23T03:17:54.397-04:00Beautifully written.
I am out blog hopping and la...Beautifully written.<br /><br />I am out blog hopping and landed here. I would like to invite you to join us for an online Bible study for MOMMAS on the book of Ephesians. We are using Jean Stockdale’s workbook called “High Stepping in Heavenly Places.” The 10-week study will begin Sept.24. A workbook is available with homework for 5 days a weeks. You will also be able to watch a 45-minute weekly video or download a podcast of the message, and then share in an online discussion with other moms. Interested. Get more details at http://highsteppinginheavenlyplaces.wordpress.com or at Jean’s blog at http://jeanstockdale.typepad.com. Blessings.Jean Stockdalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00569294115255471853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-65332512514020320832009-09-01T08:15:53.392-04:002009-09-01T08:15:53.392-04:00praying for you and shepherd today!praying for you and shepherd today!sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16558961544260341038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-14311051405887161842009-08-22T15:28:44.673-04:002009-08-22T15:28:44.673-04:00I disagree about Harry Potter, but from a complete...I disagree about Harry Potter, but from a completely personal opinion. Mine don't seem to match what's here, nor may they match what (i.e) my next door neighbor may think.<br /><br />I am an avid fan of Harry Potter. Avid. I don't read the books, but I do watch and collect the movies. But this doesn't make me less of a Christian, or proclaim the word of God less. <br /><br />I very much defend God's truth when lies abound (say, in gatherings or conversations) and although sometimes shy, I do profess what He has done for me and how He's changed my life. But to me, Harry Potter is just entertainment, I don't take it as "the Word". <br /><br />Betsy Markman.. I like what you said about 'holy anger' and leading a 'holy life'. Very profound viewpoint. Very true.<br /><br />Esthermay... Thank you for this post. It has a lot of truth and thought-provocation in it. I'm new to this site, but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.Perovskiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02288179080765960283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-4173713814797496802009-08-22T13:46:05.723-04:002009-08-22T13:46:05.723-04:00What great encouragement to read so many comments ...What great encouragement to read so many comments from like-minded sisters! CCM magazine actually called Harry Potter Christian fiction. I wrote the editor calling him on it. A sad reply indeed, justifying himself by ideas...I have also written about The Shack, "Christian Yoga", and now there is this "New Mystics" that think Christians are perfect on earth, and live in a trance-like state...eeergh!<br /><br />Thanks for posting on this! May God give us the grace to contend for the faith! Psalm 119!!Kathy Schwankehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16575973280157910643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-20651364850321184982009-08-19T22:10:45.385-04:002009-08-19T22:10:45.385-04:00Wow! You hit on a lot of stuff here but I must com...Wow! You hit on a lot of stuff here but I must comment on J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series. I just ran into someone last week [a Christian friend of mine] who totally endorses the readings of J.K. Rowling. At the same time someone else told me that she [J.K. Rowling] is a self proclaimed WITCH! Is that TRUE?<br /><br />If you don't stand for something - you stand for anything. We MUST stand ON God's Holy Word and fight these lies of the enemy WITH the TRUTH of that same holy Word of God! What ARE we thinking???<br /><br />Great post - much food for thought! Welcome back!<br /><br />Choosing JOY, Stephanie<br />[JESUS - the One I DELIGHT In]TRUTH SHARERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17069583768409534620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-57835064112263928732009-08-19T20:44:10.823-04:002009-08-19T20:44:10.823-04:00...When Christians choose to remain silent when Go......When Christians choose to remain silent when God's Word is attacked, we have effectively learned to accept and tolerate the Enemy's lies and Satan does indeed gain a foothold; and this primes the church for accepting the New Age Movement much more easily.<br /><br />What a powerful and TRUE statement, what a SAD state of affairs for the Church of Christ.<br /><br />I know I'm guilty of being silent when I watch many Christians dilute the word, read Harry Potter, Twilight, etc. Even celebrating Halloween. <br /><br />What ever happened to;<br /><br />"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;..." II Cor. 6:17).<br /><br />OK, I better stop here, for now.<br /><br />I love your heart and your boldness to proclaim the TRUTH.<br /><br />So good having you back♥Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15495342741364402414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-4521715109375298832009-08-18T21:06:07.638-04:002009-08-18T21:06:07.638-04:00Thank you so much for sharing & taking a stron...Thank you so much for sharing & taking a strong stand. I feel the same with Harry Potter - and even struggle with the Twilight series which we know so many Christian families (moms & kids) are reading. I am still working on my post - struggling with it! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-20201727585625507512009-08-18T12:22:57.209-04:002009-08-18T12:22:57.209-04:00AMEN! Great post. LOVE the comments too. I firm...AMEN! Great post. LOVE the comments too. I firmly believe that the lack of defending God’s Truth has led the Evangelical Church into the touchy-feely-love-everybody gospel and has allowed women to run everything. Women ARE the touchy-feely sex. I would get in so much trouble saying that anywhere else. Men in the church have allowed it too! <br /><br />I wholeheartedly agree with Betsy’s take on holiness. The Christian life is simple and complex at the same time. Complete surrender brings it all full circle and that’s what I love about your blog. It is holy bold!<br /><br />Jesus did much barking! Aren’t we called to be CHRIST-like??Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471905414831964545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-74602528925932622322009-08-18T12:01:17.785-04:002009-08-18T12:01:17.785-04:00Wow, what a shake-em-up post!
I greatly appreciat...Wow, what a shake-em-up post!<br /><br />I greatly appreciate what Esthermay wrote, and Tami's question as well. What does a barking Christian look like?<br /><br />Unfortunately, I've seen too many of them...too many of the kind that Esthermay is NOT talking about (I trust). There are those who use the term "holy boldness" to excuse their own fleshly rage-venting. It is for them (and for all of us when we're tempted this way) that James wrote, "The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."<br /><br />When Jesus blasted the Pharisees, it wasn't fleshly venting, though. There <i>is</i> a holy anger. How can we know when our anger is holy?<br /><br />I would venture to say that no one can have holy anger who does not have a holy life. Not a perfect life, of course, but one that is consciously and deliberately set apart for God and His glory. And holy anger burns for God's glory alone, not for my reputation or my rightness. Finally, as a mere human being who has been a recipient of God's unmerited favor, I could not dare call any anger "holy" if it were not accompanied by the desire to see the salvation of the one who has done wrong.<br /><br />Well, Esthermay, you and I have a tendency to preach on each other's blogs, don't we? I love it!<br /><br />Keep posting the great stuff!Betsy Markmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13600148899348868100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-78497707380006924452009-08-18T11:53:40.705-04:002009-08-18T11:53:40.705-04:00Awesome post! Thank you for sharing!!Awesome post! Thank you for sharing!!Allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06661075362713602399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-82594801854053931432009-08-18T11:14:31.344-04:002009-08-18T11:14:31.344-04:00II Corinthians 4 is our mandate as Christians. So...II Corinthians 4 is our mandate as Christians. So you correctly imply that the perpetration of Satan’s lies is indeed the fault of anyone who sees the Word of God attacked and remains silent. I’ve always appreciated this Calvin quote and you do an impressive job of bringing it into our current culture. <br /><br />I really appreciate also your comment about placing our Sovereign God into the humanistic box of politics. Good point, my friend. Good point.kalopoieohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17489462462733867086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-18488606613446002572009-08-18T10:24:37.764-04:002009-08-18T10:24:37.764-04:00Good morning Esthermay - I've been out of the ...Good morning Esthermay - I've been out of the loop for a few weeks, but I'm trying to get back on track. This working away from home is just not my idea of a good time! I'll be working from home full-time starting in October, so hopefully I will be able to participate more regularly.<br /><br />Thanks for you quotation and your post. Right now, especially, there seems to be so much chaos and confusion in all of the areas you spoke about. We need to hold on to the truth, no matter what, and even when things seem kind of "OK" we have to be aware of the dangers of all of the subtle messages that would draw us away from God. Thanks for the inspiration today! NinaVintage Whimsy Studiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05001220853355324444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-41006145038987657762009-08-18T10:24:22.450-04:002009-08-18T10:24:22.450-04:00Awesome post today! Thanks for hosting. You are ...Awesome post today! Thanks for hosting. You are such a gifted writer. Blessings!Chocolate and Coffeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11126829262363876630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-59954886140349042722009-08-18T09:27:43.504-04:002009-08-18T09:27:43.504-04:00This was so good. Thank you - great truth here. Bu...This was so good. Thank you - great truth here. But this is an area I struggle with too. I don't personally know you, but your blog is so full of exhorting and I read you and wish I could be like that. Mostly, I just keep quiet and carry guilt for not defending the Truth of God's Word.<br />I COMPLETELY agree with you about psychology and go a step further and include many so called "Christian counselors" in the mix. The entire industry has become a self-glorifying, blame everyone else and don't include God because that brings condemnation! The whole thing reeks of Romans 1 to me. My own family IS caught up in it and this is why I feel guilty perhaps for not "barking" more<br /><br />Thank you for your wisdom and great writing. You give much to chew on today.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03356603879020276827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-49043291551863946112009-08-18T09:13:08.532-04:002009-08-18T09:13:08.532-04:00Tami asks a good question. What does a barking Ch...Tami asks a good question. What does a barking Christian look like? But I'm reminded taht Jesus barked pretty fiercly at some folks in His Father's temple and the Apostle Paul barked pretty loud throughout all his letters. Where would we be without Paul's barking at all the early <br />Christians? His barking is how we know God's heart and will! The book of james too is very sharp. I think this is the kind of Christain we are called to be. It's our sappy culture that tells us we must be full of love and acceptance and tread softly. That's part of the twisting the enemy does.<br /><br />This was a wonderful post and I must re-read it as usual.Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18069046018983952268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-9761668804253510842009-08-18T09:01:26.972-04:002009-08-18T09:01:26.972-04:00Now that was loaded with a lot of truth. Its sad t...Now that was loaded with a lot of truth. Its sad that the twist is just as bad inside the church as it is outside. We need to start defending God's truth and stop tolerating the enemy's lies. Great quote and post. Thanks so much.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02652234142945839138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-8098110553425127652009-08-18T08:17:09.354-04:002009-08-18T08:17:09.354-04:00Thought provoking quote and post. I'll be thi...Thought provoking quote and post. I'll be thinking on this all day. Unfortunately, I'm not able to write this week but I'll look forward to reading other's reflections. Bless you!Miriam Paulinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18418972749843611051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-61943846238487059662009-08-18T07:57:42.470-04:002009-08-18T07:57:42.470-04:00I'm trying to understand what a barking Christ...I'm trying to understand what a barking Christian is. What does this look like? How can I do it without pointing fingers? How do I bark lovingly?<br /><br />This is an area I struggle with, knowing how to exhort while preserving a loving attitude. Most often, I just don't bark.Tamihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12344112481831867779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-27554668197595818392009-08-18T04:04:11.177-04:002009-08-18T04:04:11.177-04:00Thank you for choosing a such a thought-provoking ...Thank you for choosing a such a thought-provoking quote. I appreciate the courage and candor by which you speak. I especially appreciate the way your words are filled with the Word. Blessings to you today.<br />Denise Hughes :)Denise J. Hugheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17433836218417931621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-29323372425857091542009-08-18T02:53:56.875-04:002009-08-18T02:53:56.875-04:00Thank you for this post! It managed to encourage ...Thank you for this post! It managed to encourage me while simultaneously challenging me to be more strict about what I accept, as the truth ought to do.<br />I think sometimes we get tired of "barking" at the Devil's attacks, most often when we allow ourselves to forget why we are "barking." God doesn't need us to defend His good name, but that doesn't let us off the hook. Rather, He wants us to defend it because it is right, and also because it is developing in us the mind of Christ.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18289899048471322587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17856112.post-9762317045311870522009-08-18T01:26:40.891-04:002009-08-18T01:26:40.891-04:00Amen, such powerful truth spoken here my friend. B...Amen, such powerful truth spoken here my friend. Be blessed.Denisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09275456448997619944noreply@blogger.com