Cats in Racks

That’s a popular feature at Cute Overload where little bebbeh kittehs are tucked inside the shirts of women.

This has a point. Pastor Pete had a post on what men think about (sex, football, beer) based on a post at FlowerDust on modesty.

I am in agreement that men and women should behave and dress in a manner that is glorifying to God. Excessive cleavage, peeking thongs and the crotch of one’s pants at the knees don’t exactly fit. I know there are women at church wearing things they shouldn’t be wearing - no matter where they are. Why are we mature Christians who KNOW them not pulling a Titus 2 act, coming along side of them and saying “spaghetti strap tank tops that leave your girls hanging out are not church wear”? It’s easy to denounce a behavior from a blog post. It’s alot harder to put yourself out there and risk an explosion to do what is right. (Guilty as charged. My prayer of late has been ‘God make me more bold to speak Your truth in love and grace.’ We often think this has to do with reaching the lost. Talking to believers about what they are thinking about or wearing falls right in line with this prayer.)

Key phrase: you should know them. If you don’t, get someone who does to talk to them. If it is someone they trust, I believe they are more likely to consider the advice seriously as opposed to being or feeling as though they are being harassed.

What I absolutely do NOT agree with is the trend I’ve seen that puts the entire responsibility of male lust on women. That no matter what we wear short of a burka, we are going to cause a man to lust. When I saw the movie “Pussycat Preacher” recently, Heather had spent weeks working on getting a group of strippers to come to her church (she was a former stripper and soft-core porn star who had a radical encounter with Jesus. She started a ministry to reach out to strippers. The movie documents that tale.) One of the staff members at the church was violently opposed to the strippers even coming in the building because they would insight a man to lust. ‘Because everyone knows who they are. Everyone knows what they do.’

When we finally saw the group of girls in question, they were wearing nice dress shirts, jeans, and blazers. Their arms were covered. Their boobs were covered. Their legs were covered. The only thing that bothered me was excessive use of eyeshadow, but that shouldn’t lead a man astray. (And yes, I do think some of the outfits the Christians wore to church were too little, bearing too much skin. They had less clothes on than the strippers. You can see some of that in the trailer.)

Dude - that’s your problem. You need to sit down with God, confess your sin, get some accountability from your pastor or another leader. When the woman isn’t doing anything to provoke you - it’s not her fault.

In the case of the strippers at church in the movie, if they are dressed well (as they were), behaving like normal people (which they were) - show them the love of Christ. Be friendly and welcoming. There was no reason to accost them in the parking lot and forcing them to say the Sinner’s Prayer. They have enough reason to be distrustful of Christians (and people in general) without you adding to it. When they do have that encounter with Jesus, He will show them that their profession is wrong. He will do it in the light of His love for them to know Him and have a better life, filled with hope and joy - not condemnation.

Prayer

I have been a part of my church’s formal prayer ministry since the beginning. Where God was leading me with the prayer ministry was to gather sometime on Sunday morning for a time where we could pray for the church or meet with those in need of prayer while at church. There are times when a message just smacks you in the head and you need someone to pray for you right then.

Why is it that when people turn in prayer requests, the only thing they think of is to turn in ones about health? Most of the requests I see are health related. Don’t get me wrong - they are important. But the ones about ‘I’m losing my job’ or ‘pray for my marriage’ are few and far between. Or how about something where we can rejoice with you - are you pregnant? Did God open up an unexpected door for your business? Or the ones about ‘my mom’s nephew’s cousin’s neighbor’s former roommate.’

Get personal. What is happening with YOU. We can bring ALL things to Him. EVERYTHING. Nothing is too small. Pray with authority. Don’t be wishy washy. If life stinks, be honest and pray for joy to come and start thinking that way. I know that sounds like Tony Robbins, but spiritual truths work no matter who is using them. They have more power if they are connected to the Word of God as opposed to the ‘power of positive thinking.’ If it is good, give thanks. If you are feeling that you are under attack from all sides, pray for defense. He is our defense, you know.

I know over the course of this blog, I will talk alot about prayer. It is something I am absolutely passionate about. Something I am still learning alot about as well. Whatever is said for you is also for me. All believers need to know that they have tremendous power when they pray. It is our connection to God… our way to talk to Him. We can’t know Him unless we talk to Him.

Making Connections

Last night, I bounced all over Scripture. I would have to look at my notes to tell you about any central theme. Right now, I don’t recall one. But what I can tell you is that I am very excited about where these days and this study will take me. I know that by the end of 60 days, I will be so different - it will amaze even those closest to me. I believe that. You can’t spend time with God and not be changed, encouraged, and strengthened.

What I am enjoying right now is all of the connections between verses I’ve known for years but never figured out that they are related. Concepts. Doctrine. It just tickles me to see how the word is knit together so closely. According to a recent podcast on apologetics.com (Bible Version Alphabet Soup), somewhere around 22% of Christians read their Bible on a regular basis. I shouldn’t be surprised by that number. Somehow I am, though. I would read devotionals but not my Bible. They are not the same thing. No devotional or external study book can replace reading God’s word for yourself. They can help clarify things you don’t understand. They can take you in new directions.

Also, I can’t wait to learn more. Anytime I can, I have buried myself in looking up scripture on Bible Gateway. I listen to podcasts and jot down notes and verses to look up when I can. I want to know more now!

Sixty Days

Let me give you the back story in fewer than a million words. Mark’s wife is coming home. He spent 5 and a half years believing for the restoration of his family. Right now, they are just going to be roommates but he believes that it won’t be long before they return to being husband and wife.

Mark and I spent the last 3 years talking to each other on the phone… uh… probably almost every day. We would have long conversations about his wife, his kids, my job, my house, politics, Christianity and religion, sex, what makes a man, what makes a woman… you name it, we probably talked about it. From the very first conversation, it was very at ease. There are few people on this planet that know me as well as Mark. There are few people that I have learned so much from. I have learned alot about faith, believing, love, poker, healing, prosperity from him. Much of that revealed to him. But as Jerry Savelle says, you can’t stand on someone else’s revelation.

So with his wife coming back home, that means our 2, 3, sometimes 4 or 5 hour marathon phone conversations will end. They certainly won’t be every night. I felt like there will be a giant void… a hole. The night he told me she was coming home, I was overjoyed for him. But when I went to bed, my bed felt like I was asleep in the middle of a giant football stadium. It never felt so huge. I never felt so small. I cried myself to sleep that night. Who would I talk to about spiritual things? Monetary policy? How in the world would so-n-so play Doyle’s hand when the flop was… (ok, so I made that part up.. there are very few poker hands I remember. I just watch it because Daniel Negreanu is awesome.)

Mark said to me last night ‘You can receive this as prophetic. You will find your husband. You will find him soon. Our God does not take away. He is a God of blessing and increase. God is not taking you from me. He’s bringing Shanna back to me. He’s not taking me from you. He has someone better. You are one of my best friends. I can see the day where your husband and I and Shanna and I are hanging out together. He will make the transition seamless.’

“I hear you… but how? How do I believe this? I want to. It stinks that you and your sister have more faith on this than I do. I want to believe this. I want to stand in faith and know that I know I will be married. Because right now, all I see is the void. To fill that, it will need to be quick.”

“He will reveal that to you.

So I got off the phone last night. I laid there in the bed yimmer-yammering to God. I finally heard the still-small voice.

“Give me 2 hours a day for the next 60 days.”

“Huh?”

“Spend 2 hours a day in my word… in addition to your daily podcasts on the bus ride.”

“OK. I will do that. Willing and obedient.”

I believe that I will be married. The desire and the dream has been placed on my heart by God. I don’t know when, but it will happen.

Today was day one. I spent alot of time is Isaiah 54.

5 For your Maker is your Husband–the Lord of hosts is His name–and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.

10 For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.

Footnote in the Amplified version: Although this chapter is primarily intended to express Zion’s joy over redemption, it has also a very personal, long-neglected, and often overlooked message for women–the lonely, the disappointed, the childless, the widow. It has all the glorious confidence and assurance, the incentive and understanding, for which feminine hearts have longed throughout the ages! Every woman who will read it every week for a year with receptive heart and mind will find herself not only spiritually prepared for her own childlessness or widowhood, should it come, but also supplied with rich treasure with which to address the similar needs of countless other aching hearts to whom the Holy Spirit is here speaking.

I will share with you what God is teaching me along the way. By posting here regularly, I can keep accountable for the task God has directed me to do. I know by the end, I will be much stronger in my faith, healing in any number of ways, closer to Him than I’ve ever been before.

Lord, open my eyes, ears and heart to hear you.

Who am I?

I’ve been blogging for years at pink-kitty.blogspot.com. I hid behind behind a nom de plume so I could say what I wanted to say and not really worry about someone in the real world finding out who I am or what I said.

I didn’t want to be dooced.

But, over the last few months, I haven’t been blogging. One post a month with nothing really to say. Over the last couple of weeks, I realized that what I want to talk about just doesn’t fit at Pink Kitty’s anymore. It won’t go away. There are many wonderful posts there (some of which I will link to a favorite’s area here). But, I am ready to be fully transparent… well, I’m not giving you my full name or SSN. So don’t ask.

The name of this blog is Hebrew. It means “embrace” or “wrestle.” You may recognize it from the book of Habakkuk, which is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I spent months reading and re-reading this book. Habakkuk openly questions God. God answers. At the end, despite the difficult circumstances, he still praises God.

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights. Habakkuk 3:17,18