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Business Woman Puts Family First

Mom and KidsOnce upon a time there was a young, married, successful business woman, earning a terrific salary, driving a company car and living in a nice home with servants to care for the housework and children. Behind the scenes though, she was a slave to her boss. She was more submissive to him than to her husband, because after all he could fire her! Her children were more affectionate to their nanny than to her. She was unhappy, her husband was unhappy and their family was hurting.

One day she read in God’s Word, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” (Colossians 3:18). She asked herself, “Have I been being submissive to my husband or to my boss?” God’s Word also says to teach your children when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise (Deuteronomy 6:6-10). How could she teach her children throughout the day when they are left in the care of a nanny and she is out in the world working?

Something needed to change. She made the decision to quit her well-paid job and win back the hearts of her family. She decided to follow God’s plan. Her boss was dumbfounded. Why would she want to “sacrifice” her salary and company car? Her response to him was that it was not a sacrifice but an investment. She was investing in the hearts of her husband and children.

This is a true story of a real woman I met recently here in Indonesia. When she told me her story and the change she made after reading God’s Word I asked her permission to share her story with you. I am so encouraged by her example of being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only (James 1:23-25). Her husband is happy, she is happy and the hearts of her children rest in her hands. God’s way is always the best way!

Please share this post if you found it encouraging. Thank You!

Question: What changes in your life have you made after reading God’s Word? You can leave a comment by clicking here. 

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Homeschooling in Jakarta

I have been pleasantly surprised to find several groups of Homeschooling families here in Jakarta, Indonesia. They seem to all function differently, focusing on a variety of activities. Some are more structured with educational lessons prepared for the kids to participate in. Some are more casual, allowing for the kids to run and play freely. Some are open to everyone, regardless of religious background while others are reserved for those with a “Christian” background. Still other Homeschool groups are designed for foreigners and those that can speak English well enough to participate.

Eagles Nest

One of the Homeschool groups that I met is called “Eagle’s Nest.” They asked me to be their guest speaker and share my experiences as a homeschool mom and wife trying to live God’s way. We discussed God’s plan for the family and how as parents our ultimate responsibility to train our children to love Him and follow Him all their lives. The moms had some excellent questions after my talk. They asked about practical examples of how to train our children not to complain. They asked about training them to sit still and quiet during worship. They asked about sibling rivalry and how to overcome that. They also asked about discipline and how to control our emotions in stressful situations. There were questions about the husband-wife relationship and what to do when we don’t agree with each other.

I explained, and I hope they all understood, that I am not perfect and neither is my small family. We make mistakes. We fail at times. But, we apologize to each other and to God and move on trying not to make the same mistake again.

I thank God for this opportunity to speak to these ladies! It was a growing opportunity for me as I put into words the principles that my family lives by. I learned more about Indonesian culture as well as a few more vocabulary words! I pray that each mom was able to take away something from our meeting. I pray that each of these women look to His Word to find Truth and that they, along with their husbands, train their children to serve Him all their days.

Question: What activities does your homeschool group do when they get together? You can leave a comment by clicking here. 

Please enjoy this brief video I made from our very first Homeschool activity here in Jakarta. Thank you and remember to subscribe so you can watch more interesting videos about Indonesia!

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How To Pray, Part 1 | Clothing, Location And Posture

We’re living and working in Indonesia, a nation that puts great emphasis on prayer. We are reminded of it six times a day when we hear the “call to prayer” sounded from loud speakers all around the city. In this country how, when and where one prays is important.

Prayer on Knees

In American “church” culture we can see some interesting traditions as well. Some groups pray to crucifixes, statues of Mary or other saints and kneel for certain prayers. Others seem to think praying in a ‘church’ building is more special than other places.

The Bible says that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). Prayer is definitely a good work, so lets see what the Bible has to say about it.

Obviously, this will not be a complete list, it is a blog post not a doctoral dissertation, so please add your comments in the comment section.

Proper clothing for prayer. We can observe some religious groups prescribing certain clothes for men and/or women to wear when they come to God in prayer. But, in the Bible we see people wearing a variety of clothing types when praying.

  • Dirty bloody clothing and chains (Acts 16:25)
  • Work clothes (Neh 2:4-5)
  • Sweaty military clothing (1 Chr 5:20)
  • Probably everyday clothes (Luke 6:12-13)

For a thorough study of the head covering see Kevin Moore’s five part series titled Female Head-coverings in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16.

While there is no prescribed special clothing that we must wear in prayer there are, of course, other principles found in Scripture that would govern the clothing we wear in prayer. For example, the principle of modesty should tell us that we should dress appropriate for the location we are at.

Location for prayer. For some groups a certain location and/or direction is important when praying. However, when we look at the Bible we see just about any location conceivable being used as a place of prayer. We see people praying in the following locations just to name a few.

  • Outside in a garden (Mat 26:36)
  • On the beach (Acts 21:5)
  • In a house (Acts 12:12)
  • On the battlefield (1 Chr 5:20)
  • At work (Neh 2:4-5)
  • In jail (Acts 16:25)

If we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17) then any place we find ourselves is an appropriate place to pray.

Body posture in prayer. For some groups body position is very important. They even have prescribed postures at certain points of their prayers. Others may seem to think that raising their hands is more spiritual than other body positions. In the Bible we see the following body positions used in prayer.

  • Standing (1 Sam 1:26; Matt 6:5; Mark 11:25; Luke 18:11,13)
  • Standing bowing the head, while striking the breast (Luke 18:13)
  • Hands spread out and/or lifted heavenward (1 Kings 8:22-23; Neh 8:6)
  • Bowing the head (Neh 8:6)
  • Bowing the head, with face between the knees (1 Kings 18:42)
  • Lifting eyes heavenward (John 11:41; 17:1)
  • Kneeling (Dan 6:10; Luke 22:41; Acts 9:40, 20:36, 21:5; Eph 3:14)
  • Face on ground (Matt 26:39; Mark 14:35)

Hendriksen and Kistemaker have done an interesting job of interpreting the significance of some of the various body positions found in the Bible. Get their commentary here.

Brother Kevin Moore also has an excellent article on the subject of raising hands. Read it here.

When we read the Bible and use it as our only guide, it becomes clear that there is no prescribed special clothing, location, or posture that a New Testament Christian must follow when praying.

If you found this post helpful please spread the love by sharing it!

Question: What other examples from Scripture would you include for clothing, location and posture in prayer? Leave a comment by clicking here.

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4 Ways God Answers Prayers

Prayer

As we were preparing to come to Indonesia there were many different steps we had to take to get here. For example, we had to get our visas, find a sponsoring congregation and raise the support, to name a few. As each step was accomplished it seemed like someone would say that it was an answer to prayer. It was… but what if we didn’t raise the support or get our visas, would that still be an answer to prayer?

Oftentimes it seems that if we don’t get what we request from God there is no praise given to Him. It is as if we think He either didn’t hear us or didn’t answer us. However, just because we don’t receive what we ask for when we ask for it, that doesn’t mean that God did not answer our prayers. This is because there are at least four ways God answers prayers.

1. Sometimes God says, “Yes.” This is most likely to happen when we put His kingdom and His righteousness first in our lives (Matt 6:33; cf. Pro 3:5-10), make our request according to His will (1 John 5:14) and live our lives according to the Bible (1 John 3:22; Isa 59:1-2).

Lets look at Paul as an example. While he was in custody in Rome he wrote and asked the Christians in Colossae to pray for opportunities to preach (Col 4:3) and the the Ephesians to pray for boldness (Eph 6:18-20).

Paul then stayed two years in custody in Rome preaching and teaching boldly (Acts 28:30-31) with the result that even people in Caesar’s household were converted (Phil 4:22).

That is an amazing “yes” answer to prayer. But look at Paul’s life. He definitely put the kingdom and God’s righteousness first, asked according to God’s will and lived the best he could according to the Scriptures.

2. Sometimes God says, “Yes, but wait.” A great example of this is found in John 11. There we find that Lazarus was very sick so his sisters sent for Jesus, assuming that He would heal him (John 11:1-3, 21, 32). However, Jesus didn’t come right away, instead He waited for Lazarus to die (John 11:4-16). The sisters did not know what Jesus was planning and had basically thought He had said “no” to their request (John 11:17-37). But, Jesus actually said, “Yes, but wait” (John 11:38-44). He did more than just heal Lazarus, He raised him from the dead.

Why did Jesus say, “Yes, but wait”? Because it was better for Him and His plan to save mankind (John 11:15, 41-42).

When you think God may be saying, “Yes, but wait” make sure that you are putting Him first in your life (Matt 6:33), asking according to His will (1 John 5:14) and keeping His commandments (1 John 3:22). Also remember that there may be a very good reason He is having you wait. Be patient.

3. Sometimes God says, “Yes, but not as you expect.” Take Paul as an example again. Paul planned to go and preach in Rome (Rom 1:15; 15:24-26; Acts 19:21). We know Paul was a man of prayer (Eph 6:18; Col 4:2; 1 Thes 5:17). Yet his plans to go to Rome didn’t turn out just like he had planned. Rather than dropping off the collection and heading for Rome he was arrested and spent two years in jail before he was transported to Rome as a prisoner, suffering shipwreck and a viper bite along the way (Acts 21:27-28:31).

Sometimes God answers our request differently than we may anticipate. For example, if we ask God for strength and perseverance He may give us trials to bear like He did the Philippians (Phil 1:29-30). Trials which in turn will develop the virtues we prayed for (Rom 5:3-4, James 1:2-3).

4. Sometimes God says, “No.” One last time we turn to Paul as an example. He had asked God three times to take away his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:8). Obviously, God said, “No” (2 Cor 12:9). But, like when God says “wait” there was a good reason. In Paul’s case, God said “No” because that was what was best for Paul and for God’s plan (2 Cor 12:7, 9).

So, when we don’t get what we ask for from God what should we do? Make sure we are right with Him (Matt 6:33; 1 John 5:14; 1 John 3:22; Isa 59:1-2), knowing that He wants what is best for us and that all will work together for our good (Rom 8:28).

Question: How has God has answered one of your prayers in an unexpected way? You may leave a comment by clicking here.