Dementia for 2

While I must admit I don't keep up with any pageants , I think what Nancy Leigh DeMoss has said should apply to every woman in the church.

This article speaks volumes about women in the church. We have allowed ourselves to become separated from one another and this has lead to many young women not having proper biblical mentor ship from older women in the church. We should not be apart because we are a certain age or married or not or have toddlers or not. How can we strengthen the Body if we sit and soak and sour in our little niche? Who are we helping by doing this? Young men and women need strong God loving leadership. It is our job as Christians to "lift up the weaker brother" and to encourage one another with songs,psalms, and exhortations. How can we do that if we are in a Sunday School Class/Bible Study with only ourselves?

This is all part of meeting the needs of the Body. Steve Brown once said, "If you have 1 single mom in your church and you don't see after her, you aren't meeting the needs of your church." This is a very convicting statement. How many women in church do you know that go once a month to a single mom's house and bring groceries or clothing on some men to fix her car or her house? What about the widows in church? How many widows are taken care of in this manner by the church? What about young women that need guidance in choosing whether to date or not? The list is endless.

We have become so caught up in ourselves and what we want and what makes us happy, that we have lost sight of the message. Christ was clear. "31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"( Matt. 25:31-40)

We seem to think that we have to entertain the young men and women in our churches. This is not true. What we have to do, what we are commanded to do is teach them, bring them up to love the Lord and encourage them along the way. Young people today want what they have always wanted; sound direction and wise advice. They want someone who has "been there done that" and is not afraid to say so and to help them make decisions that will lead them down the narrow path.

I encourage you to take a younger woman under your wing. Exchange phone numbers with her. Make an effort to be a part of her life. While she may not talk or act or dress in an appropriate manner or what you deem to be an appropriate manner, is that really a sound reason not to try and mentor her? She possibly is the way she is because no one has stepped up to the plate. You can do it. It won't be easy but it will be very rewarding for both of you. Think of how your walks with the Lord can be strengthened and how you can both grow together in the Lord. Isn't that the goal?


From Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I’ve been asked numerous times for my take on the firestorm surrounding Carrie Prejean—the reigning Miss California who lost her bid for Miss USA after
publicly affirming her belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Those who hold to the biblical concept of marriage couldn’t help but be glad that this young woman courageously stood for the Truth, knowing that to do so could be costly.

Yet, for those who affirm and cherish the biblical perspective of femininity and sexuality, this story has an important subtext and raises a number of issues that should be of great concern to us as followers of Christ.

Carrie has made a strong public profession of her faith in Christ. As Christians, we are called to live as redeemed men and women and to reflect to the world the beauty and holiness of God. I’m not in a position to judge Carrie’s motives or her heart. But while I applaud her courage, I also believe some of her choices and public actions, past and present, are representative of many women who consider themselves Christians, but who lack clear biblical thinking and conviction on such matters as virtue, womanhood, beauty, modesty, and discretion.

In my mind, Carrie Prejean’s story is symptomatic of deeper root issues in the evangelical world—issues that in my opinion outweigh most of what is being debated in the secular press.

Sadly, Carrie is the product of a Christian sub-culture that has lost a sense of what it means to be citizens of the kingdom of God and has embraced the values and thinking of this world.

By and large, young adults who have grown up in our evangelical homes, churches, and schools, are buying into a message that they have seen modeled by those around them who call themselves Christians—namely, that Christianity can be divorced from Christ-likeness, and that practical holiness in everyday life is out-dated, irrelevant, or optional.

Carrie Prejean’s situation highlights the desperate need for Titus 2 “older women”—mothers, youth workers, mentors—to take an active role in the training and discipleship of younger women—teaching them to live out the implications of the gospel in every area of their lives.

So many young women in the Christian world have little understanding or discernment when it comes to modesty and personal purity. And can you blame them when they are following in the footsteps of a generation of so-called believers who tolerate, justify, and flaunt immodesty, sensuality, and immorality of every form, along with serial divorce and remarriage?

That’s why as women we need to be asking ourselves questions like:

• How does my life measure up to the Word of God?
• Am I modeling Christ-like, Gospel-drenched virtue, modesty, femininity, beauty, and discretion to the next generation?
• What kind of impact am I having on the younger women in my sphere of influence?
• What I am doing to invest in their lives, to point them to Christ, and to mentor them in godliness?

Carrie Pejean’s story should cause us to be on our faces crying out to God over the extent to which the church today has accommodated to the world. It should cause us to plead with God on behalf of our children and grandchildren, and then to get up off our knees and go out and engage this younger generation with love and grace and truth and to become agents of redemption in their lives.