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By: Albert Robbins,
on 3/31/2014
Microsoft is discontinuing support & security updates for both the XP operating system and XP applications (Internet Explorer, Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc) ... effective April 8th.
In the...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 1/20/2014
Confessions of a Wingnut and Science Fiction Junkie (RJ Palmer): There Is No Hell: There is something that’s been on my mind for longer than I care to think about and that usually means that I need to write it out. It’s p...
By: Albert Robbins,
on 1/20/2014
Confessions of a Wingnut and Science Fiction Junkie (RJ Palmer): There Is No Hell: There is something that’s been on my mind for longer than I care to think about and that usually means that I need...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 1/4/2014
Check out this Awesomesauce Healing Company on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Healing-Field/109466769108606
About
Why Choose Complementary Wellness rather than Medicine?
As Complementary Practitioners we know that wellness is natural. We care for the whole person: body, mind and spirit.
Description
Using the innate resonance we are born with to heal those who come to us. We teach out method to anyone who feels called to help heal themselves and others.
Watch for announcements of classes and seminars coming soon. Contact us to speak to your group, we are happy to share information.
General Information
We are conveniently located with The Lee's Summit Chiropractic office.The One thing this Planet desperately needs NOW, is healing inside and out. If you would like to be an Instrument of Peace, contact us today.
Email - [email protected]
Phone - (816) 322-2644
By: Albert Robbins,
on 1/4/2014
Check out this Awesomesauce Healing Company on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Healing-Field/109466769108606
About
Why Choose Complementary Wellness rather than Medicine?
As...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 11/26/2013
Over the last year I have been trying to see if I really have the heart to continue this blog. I did not know if I could keep going or if I had it in me to continue going. A lot of work is put into what I do here and I do have a family, a job and a life to live outside the blogosphere. After a long time of inner-looking and back and forth arguements with my brain and heart, I have decided to keep blogging about books and every once in a while sharing my faith. I will st a review and interview at least once a wekk maybe more if I can keep up. It may be slow going at first but I am back and I will try to keep this blog running smoothly. Thank you to all those that remained loyal and thank you to those that still arrive daily to see what I may have to say. Your support is awesomesauce.
Now back to reading for readers and writing for writers. 
By: Albert Robbins,
on 11/26/2013
Over the last year I have been trying to see if I really have the heart to continue this blog. I did not know if I could keep going or if I had it in me to continue going. A lot of work is put into...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 11/26/2013
About Your Book Paths to Divinity
"My first outing is a collection of horror/dark fantasy tales that are heavily inspired by classical writers and masterful storytellers.
Here is a brief synopsis: An archaeologist gone mad describes the unearthed secrets that drove him to insanity. The tables turn on a ‘tender-hearted’ serial killer who truly loves his victims. A mortally wounded German soldier contemplates the futility of war and love lost in the company of a tennis-obsessed Grim Reaper. A slain Spartan king is awakened by The Furies and finds his vengeance. A little girl stumbles upon a mythical garden and finds within herself the world’s salvation. Paths to Divinity offers tales grotesque and wonderful."
Free Book Reviews
What do you think readers will find most notable about this book?
Joseph DiCristofano
The diversity in the narrative, and the esoteric and philosophical tones each tale calls into question.
Free Book Reviews
Have you acquired any good anecdotes surrounding this book? If so, could you share one?
Joseph DiCristofano
Recently, while promoting my book at Flashback Weekend, a Chicago area horror convention, a gentleman was undecided as to whether he should buy my book. My sales associate happened to be drinking a beer from a cooler he brought. During our bartering, the guy inquired about the beer because, of course, the hotel bar was charging ridiculous prices for a drink. Well, to make a long story short, for the sake of cerebral entertainment and storytellers everywhere, and to my associate's dismay, I offered the gent a free beer if he made the purchase. He did, and I salute him for it (pun very much intended).
Free Book Reviews
Did researching and writing this book teach you anything or influence your thinking in any way?
Joseph DiCristofano
Thoreau’s quote sums it up better than I can: ʺHow vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.ʺThe best way to describe an environment is to visually experience it, to absorb the sounds, colors and effects upon the human experience, and then translate it to paper.
Free Book Reviews
What would you most like readers to tell others about this book?
Joseph DiCristofano
Hopefully that the stories are imaginative, engaging and touch upon what it means to be human.
Free Book Reviews
Can you suggest one question readers might find interesting to discuss, concerning you, your writing in general, or this book?
Joseph DiCristofano
What does divinity truly mean?
Free Book Reviews
How can readers help you promote this book?
Joseph DiCristofano
By reading and sincerely expressing their feelings about it to others.
About You: Joseph DiCristofano
Joseph lives in Chicago, Illinois, with his dogs Loki and Odie. By day, he is an electrician for the CTA, and by night he writes about horrible angels and wonderful monsters and terrifying metaphors beneath the context of reality and whatever else he sits and contemplates. Besides writing, he enjoys beating on his drums, weightlifting, spending time with good people, PC games, MMA, not watching reality television, ineptly strumming his classical guitar and not doing his dishes.
Free Book Reviews
Why do you write?
Joseph DiCristofano
I write to make sense of the world, exorcise demons and because I love creativity.
Free Book Reviews
What is your greatest strength as a writer?
Joseph DiCristofano
If neuroscienctists were to explore the inner workings of my brain, there would definitely be a spot on the image map, somewhere along the fringe, that would read, ʺHere be monsters.ʺ
Free Book Reviews
What quality do you most value in yourself?
Joseph DiCristofano
Hmmm... Prosaic vanity is one of the lesser sins I would rather not cater to. I guess if I were to choose, I would say my loyalty.
Free BOok Reviews
In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?
Joseph DiCristofano
I enjoy music -- both listening to it and creating it -- and pizza.
Free Book Reviews
What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?
Joseph DiCristofano
Having the courage to put a book out there. It takes guts to express yourself creatively. You are potentially opening yourself up to a flood of harsh criticism. Overcoming that fear, that vehicle, which devours your creativity and aspirations while sending you back into the arms of an ordinary, safe and uninspired existence, that is what I'm most proud of.
Free Book Reviews
Is there any new or established author whom you feel deserves more attention, and what is it that strikes you about his or her work?
Joseph DiCristofano
I recently met Jeff Busch, creator of Zombie Universe. I'm not a huge zombie fiction fan, but his Zombie High, Class of '64 yearbook is awesome. It's the quintessential coffee table book for the zombie enthusiast.
Intrigued by this interview? Then hop on over to Joseph's Amazon Author Page to find out more or grabv his book at the following:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
By: Albert Robbins,
on 11/26/2013
About Your Book Paths to Divinity
"My first outing is a collection of horror/dark fantasy tales that are heavily inspired by classical writers and masterful storytellers.
Here is a brief synopsis:...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 11/26/2013
Description From Amazon
The Darkness Continues . . .
Three years after Daniel and the other survivors escaped the terrorizing, blood-thirsty shifters in Pittsburgh, his friends have moved forward with their lives, but Daniel cannot. He believes the conspiracies within TransGenCorp have not ended and more shifters exist.
Then Daniel receives a phone call from Lucas that bolsters his paranoia.
Lucas is being charged with murders he insists his clone committed.
Daniel soon discovers darker atrocities are emerging, which not only place his life in immense danger, but all his friends as well.
Review
Overall: Picking up three years after the first book in this series the reader is taken on another thrill-filled ride. As a word of warning I ask that anyone reading this review go pick up and read the first in this series so that they can nd will understand the development and progression of both the plot and characters. This action-packed followup is a perfect followup to the first and caused me to go right into the third of the series because I just had to know where it was going. This author is full of talent and has a very long career in entetaining the brain of this reader.
Point of View: We welcome back Daniel and many others from the first book in the series. The author does a fantastical job in telling his story and making the reader fell like they are part of it.
Voice: Not all things are as they seem. Sometimes bad is not bad and good is not good, it is all in the intentions.
Character Development: The author excels in the development of hi characters and flawlessly hints around to their back story to keep you up to speed.
Plot: Dynamic and action-filled. This plot keeps your eyes shifting to the next event.
Dialogue: I really felt the dialogue in this one grew and expounded the world the author was trying to draw me into.
Pacing: From start to finish, you just cannot quit.
Setting: A world that we can all relate to and imagine will come to pass.
Continuity: Again the author is perfect in hinting at events from the past that tie the first book to the second and he leaves just enough loose ends to cause the reader to want the next in the series. Flawless execution.
Where to Find
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Google Books
By: Albert Robbins,
on 11/26/2013
Description From Amazon
The Darkness Continues . . .
Three years after Daniel and the other survivors escaped the terrorizing, blood-thirsty shifters in Pittsburgh, his friends have moved forward...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 7/8/2013
Description From Amazon:
Fear What Lurks In The Shadows
The desolate streets of downtown Pittsburgh in 2073 are a reminder of the missile attack that forever changed the lives of the surviving scientists and students hidden in the fallout shelter of Helmsby's Genetic Research Center. Believing themselves to be the only survivors, they station themselves inside the center until food supplies near depletion. Thinking the fallout has lessened, they emerge three years later to discover strange creatures patrolling the streets in search of human flesh and blood. The creatures possess the ability to shift their genomes and alter their appearances by realigning their genetic sequences. Daniel Hutchinson, their leader, teams with Lucas Ridale and together they set out to scavenge the area for food and supplies with the hope to find other survivors. But Daniel's most recent journey uncovers mysteries more frightening than the shifters. He discovers the tip of Pittsburgh has been fenced off from the rest of the area. Low-flying helicopters observe the streets, making him ponder the question: Were the shifters released as simply part of a military experiment with humans being their prey?
Review:
Overall Feedback: From the start I was enthralled by this book. This is a definitive twist on what at first seems like a recycled plot. I promise you that you will not be disappointed about picking up this gem. Read on.
Point of View: Although we are introduced to many characters the main event lies with Daniel. A strong, caring individual who seems to really want to escape the current events.
Voice: This book is full of darkness, thrills and eroticsm. If any of these are not your cup of tea then this author will not ever fit your reading need. He has some darkness to him and it comes through his writing.
Character Development: Although I agree and some of the things that happen are corny, I also believe that corny things really do happen in real life. It is my opinion that the author was able to capture real life in each character. Bravo!
Plot: The pace is at a breakneck speed but you can easily keep up and you already know that there are more books to the series. Yay!
Dialogue: This is where the author really grasps real life and allows his characters to shine. The dialogue was very real to me and brought me closer to the character's heads that I was invading.
Pacing: When most of your novel happens in a night you must do your very best at making the pace keep up with the timeline. This author did it in superb style.
Setting: No issues in this area.
Continuity: I want more so off to the next in the series...
Where to Find:
Amazon
Amazon UK
GoodReads
By: Albert Robbins,
on 7/8/2013
Description From Amazon:
Fear What Lurks In The Shadows
The desolate streets of downtown Pittsburgh in 2073 are a reminder of the missile attack that forever changed the lives of the surviving scientists and students hidden in the fallout shelter of Helmsby's Genetic Research Center. Believing themselves to be the only survivors, they station themselves inside the center until food supplies near depletion. Thinking the fallout has lessened, they emerge three years later to discover strange creatures patrolling the streets in search of human flesh and blood. The creatures possess the ability to shift their genomes and alter their appearances by realigning their genetic sequences. Daniel Hutchinson, their leader, teams with Lucas Ridale and together they set out to scavenge the area for food and supplies with the hope to find other survivors. But Daniel's most recent journey uncovers mysteries more frightening than the shifters. He discovers the tip of Pittsburgh has been fenced off from the rest of the area. Low-flying helicopters observe the streets, making him ponder the question: Were the shifters released as simply part of a military experiment with humans being their prey?
Review:
Overall Feedback: From the start I was enthralled by this book. This is a definitive twist on what at first seems like a recycled plot. I promise you that you will not be disappointed about picking up this gem. Read on.
Point of View: Although we are introduced to many characters the main event lies with Daniel. A strong, caring individual who seems to really want to escape the current events.
Voice: This book is full of darkness, thrills and eroticsm. If any of these are not your cup of tea then this author will not ever fit your reading need. He has some darkness to him and it comes through his writing.
Character Development: Although I agree and some of the things that happen are corny, I also believe that corny things really do happen in real life. It is my opinion that the author was able to capture real life in each character. Bravo!
Plot: The pace is at a breakneck speed but you can easily keep up and you already know that there are more books to the series. Yay!
Dialogue: This is where the author really grasps real life and allows his characters to shine. The dialogue was very real to me and brought me closer to the character's heads that I was invading.
Pacing: When most of your novel happens in a night you must do your very best at making the pace keep up with the timeline. This author did it in superb style.
Setting: No issues in this area.
Continuity: I want more so off to the next in the series...
Where to Find:
Amazon
Amazon UK
GoodReads
By: Albert Robbins,
on 7/8/2013
Description From Amazon:
Fear What Lurks In The Shadows
The desolate streets of downtown Pittsburgh in 2073 are a reminder of the missile attack that forever changed the lives of the surviving...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 6/13/2013
Normally, I try to keep my posts from being dramatic or discouraging. Although this may seem to be discouraging at first please finish the entire post before you conclude that it is.
I started a new...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 6/13/2013
By: Albert Robbins,
on 6/13/2013
By: Albert Robbins,
on 5/12/2013
Today is Mother’s Day. It is the one day each year that we men put aside to honor our mothers and the mothers of our children. And they happen to be the one person we will generally buy a gift for, and we will still anguish over what to buy. If you have not yet purchased a gift for your mother or your wife, let me give you a couple of quick hints on what not to buy.
Do not buy her anything that plugs in. If something needs to be plugged in, she will only see it as a tool. Also, do not get her any exercise equipment or videos, as this will lead to six months of her asking you why you think she needs to exercise in the first place. And I guarantee you that you will never have the right answer.
My suggestion is for you to buy her something that is only for her, and that shows that you are thinking about her happiness. If you follow that rule, then whatever you get her will be appreciated and loved.
Of course, becoming a mother changes things for you, doesn’t it? And, becoming a mother more than once changes things also. When a woman becomes pregnant for the first time, she will start wearing maternity clothes the day the doctor says she is pregnant.
On her second pregnancy, she will wear her normal clothes for as long as she can, and by her third or fourth pregnancy, she will wear anything because she doesn’t have any more money to go out and start buying new maternity clothes.
Mothers are many things to their children, aren’t they? Mothers teach us most of what we know in our early years.
We have all heard the expression that it takes a village to raise a child. Today, more than ever before, babysitters and nurseries are raising our children. The tragedy in that is more and more children are being taught outside the home, and what they are taught is most-often worldly rather than Godly.
Here are some of the things our small children are learning today.
They learn the world’s morality -
‘If it feels right, it is right.’
They learn Humanism -
‘God doesn’t exist and we are fully capable of everything ourselves’
We live in the society Jeremiah spoke of – a society that “does not know how to blush.” So, with these things in mind, I think it is better for a mother to raise her kids than a village to raise them.
We need Godly mothers and fathers who will stand and say, “I will teach my children to walk in the way of the Lord.” We cannot let the most important thing in our children’s lives be left up to chance, or up to somebody else’s false teachings. We must stand up and be accountable as parents for our children’s spiritual safety.
In PROVERBS 22:6, we are given some clear advice.
‘Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.’ We know that being a good mother is helpful to our children as far as their physical well-being goes, but is it really that important to a child to be brought up spiritually sound in Jesus Christ?
In 2 TIMOTHY 1:5, Paul reminds us of Timothy’s parental influence.
‘I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois, and in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded, now lives in you also.’
Timothy had sincere faith, and he had that faith because of his grandmother and mother. Surely a mother helps form our spirit, and if she is a Godly mother, she will be the first introduction we have to our Lord.
Mothers are also protectors of their children, no matter how old her children may get. Mrs. Zebedee was the mother of James and John, and like any mother, she wanted only the very best for her sons.
Jesus gave us an illustration in MATTHEW about a landowner, who hired some helpers, and no matter how long they worked for him, they all got paid the same wages. This may have caused Mrs. Zebedee to worry about what kind of reward her sons were going to get in Heaven, so she found a time to ask Jesus about it.
In MATTHEW 20:20-23 we read,
‘Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of Him. “What is it you want?” He asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right and the other at Your left in Your kingdom.”
“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from My cup, but to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by My Father.”
Mrs. Zebedee was certain that when the Lord formed His kingdom, her boys would have positions of responsibility and authority. After all, the human way is to reward the best worker with the highest reward.
Jesus did not grant her request, but He did not deny it either. He simply reminded her of the cost of being seated on the right or left, and then told her that only the Father knows such things.
This morning, let’s look at what Mrs. Zebedee did for her sons, and compare that with what you, as a mother, might be doing (or have done) for your children.
The first thing we will see is she prayed for her sons to be …
1. PART OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
I think she was a very good mother. I can think of no more important task of motherhood than to want your children to be a part of God’s Kingdom.
I know that many mothers pray. Sometimes they pray out of necessity and sometimes they pray because motherhood is sometimes very difficult. I have heard it said that the reason women are mothers is because men couldn’t take the pressure. I fully agree with that statement.
I am reminded of the story where a man came home after work and his wife started telling him just how hard a day it had been. She said that both of their small children had taken turns throwing tantrums and that both had even taken turns getting sick during the day. She said she had not had one moment of peace all day, and as she was saying this, both babies got sick at the same time. She looked at her husband and in deep frustration said, “Is this in my contract?”
Certainly, mothers do get frustrated, don’t they? Perhaps one of the most frustrating times is when we are trying to communicate with the smaller ones.
A friend of mind had two kids; a three year old boy and a 5 month old daughter. He was watching them so his wife could get out of the house and relax for the day and he said the infant was lying on the couch and the son was sitting next to her.
My friend said he wanted to go into the kitchen for a second and told his little boy to watch his sister. He had not been gone for more than 20 seconds when he heard a thump and then the daughter started to wail. He ran back in there to see the daughter had rolled off the couch onto the floor and the son still sitting on the couch, just looking at her.
As he picked up his daughter, he said to his son, “I thought I told you to watch her!” The boy replied, “I did! I watched her roll off the couch and fall on the floor!” Well, at least he followed directions, didn’t he?
Being a parent is not always an easy job. There are times when your joy and pride cannot be contained, and there are other times when the sadness is so great your eyes can’t hold all the tears.
What good have we done by teaching our kids how to be successful in life if we have not also taught them how to be responsible?
I think Jesus said it best in MATTHEW 16:26:
‘What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?…. “
Being a parent is not always easy. It is a job full of deep responsibilities and I think Mrs. Zebedee carried her responsibilities well. She prayed that her sons would be a part of God’s Heavenly kingdom. I think all parents should pray the same prayer for their children – and this includes the fathers as well as the mothers. And we should do this for our children no matter what their ages.
I hope that in the heart of every mother and father here this morning, there is a burden to go before the throne of God in prayer for your children - to pray they will be saved for eternal life.
Mrs. Zebedee prayed that her sons would be a part of God’s kingdom, and she prayed that they would be …
2. INVOLVED IN THE WORK OF GOD’S KINGDOM
I have heard many people say that they want to enter Heaven running for the very middle, while others say they would be content to just step foot inside and stay close to where they came in.
One little boy kept falling out of bed one night, and his father finally asked the child why he kept falling. The boy said, “I guess I just stayed too close to where I got in.” Staying too close to the edge is not always a wise thing to do.
We must remember that we are all called to be of service to the Lord, and I think that service should begin in the home. It should begin with moms and dads going in prayer, and then including the children in those prayers, too.
It begins with parents setting the Godly example of how to live and how to serve the Lord. It begins when parents pray that their sons and daughters might be involved in the work of the kingdom.
It begins when parents pray that their children are not only a part of the kingdom, but are involved in the work of the kingdom.
Mrs. Zebedee prayed that her children would be actively involved in the work of His kingdom. And, as parents today, we need to walk in her footsteps. We need to follow her example in …
3. HAVING GODLY EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR CHILDREN
Mrs. Zebedee had big expectations, can’t we?. She didn’t just pray that her children would be doorkeepers or such. She wanted them to sit on the throne, on either side of Jesus.
Too often, we have a tendency to settle for mediocrity in our lives and in the church. Too often, we settle for aiming just about two feet inside the door. Too many Christians have been content to just sit back and let things happen around us instead of our getting up and making things happen for us.
As a good mother, she was looking out for her children’s best interest. She wanted her boys to be the most they could be.
I think we should start looking for more in our Christian walks, too. Jesus called us to be doers of the word, not just hearers only. And one of the best ways to do God’s holy and righteous word is to be a person of humble prayer.
Erma Bombeck said that when mothers were being created, they were created with enough hands to handle many jobs at once; they had enough eyes to see all that was going on around them; and they were created with the ability to heal nearly everything with nothing but a loving kiss. She went on to say that God had created someone very much like Himself.
Maybe she was right. Certainly a Godly mother cares for her children much in the same way as our Lord cares about His children, wouldn’t you say? The mother loves her children enough to go into the Valley of the Shadow of Death and bring life into it; a love that sacrifices much for her young.
I remember when I was young and we did not have much.
Mom never let any of us kids know about it, but during this period of time, we were very poor. I remember several times when my mother would say she wasn’t really hungry and only ate a little bit for dinner.
I realized later in life that she made that sacrifice just so her kids could have more to eat. That is what mothers do, isn’t it? A mother’s love is so special, she would lay down her very life for her children.
During World War II, Solomon Rosenberg and his family were sent to a concentration camp. There several members of the family, including a very frail and sickly son named David. The rules were simple: You will live as long as you are strong enough to work.”
Each day, after work, his family would come back to the barracks and hug each other. Once day, they all came back and Solomon could not find his son David or his wife.
A friend said that when the soldiers came to take young David to the furnaces, he cried out for his mother and said he was scared. The mother could not let her son go alone to that horrible fate, so the friend said she stood up, smiled, and said, “Let me go with you so you won’t be afraid.”
That is a true story. And that story shows how a mother love is a Godly love. It shows how a mother will sacrifice everything she has for her children, just like the Lord did for us. And it is all born out of love; a true and Godly love.
This is Mother’s Day. In EXODUS 20:12, we are given a commandment.
‘Honor you father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.’
It says to honor your mother. You might say that your mother doesn’t deserve to be honored. Well, the commandment from God didn’t say anything about your mother’s qualifications to be honored, it just says you are to honor her.
There was a young lady in her early 20’s who came from a very dysfunctional home. She had no idea who her dad was, and her mother was a mean lady who had no use or time for her own daughter. This young lady could have treated her mother with disrespect and hatred, and the world would have said she had every right to do so.
But this young lady became a Christian and began to love her mother. She would say and do things that showed her love for her mother. She began to honor her mother.
At first, it made no difference, she could do no right in her mom’s eyes. But over a period of an entire year, it started working on her mother’s heart. It had been almost a year, and it was two days before Christmas. The daughter had purchased some very expensive perfume for her mother and was giving it to her for Christmas. The mother got mad, flew off the handle, and threw it on the floor, breaking it.
The daughter told me later that as her mother stood there, seeing the mess she had made of her daughter’s gift, it dawned on her that she had done the same thing with her daughter’s life. And that is when the mother dropped to her knees, tears in her eyes, and begged her daughter to forgive her for the life of torment she had put the girl through.
To cut a long story short, they now sit side by side in church every Sunday morning – all of them; the mother, the daughter, the son-in-law, and their kids.
The Lord gave us a commandment to honor our mothers. When this girl applied God’s word directly into her life, Godly things happened.
This is a day in which we are to honor our Mothers. We do not put parameters on that. We simply follow directions.
Little David was afraid, but he found a loving hand reaching out to him. A hand that guaranteed he would not be left alone. A hand he could love and depend on. A hand that said, “Here, let me go with you.”
In no other country do parents spend less time with their children than in America. God did not intend for our children to grow without spiritual discipline in their lives, yet too many of our children today have none. And when we have no spiritual and moral codes to live by, we end up in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, where we seem to spend most of our lives.
If you have been raised by a Godly mother, or if you are a mother raising your kids in a Godly way, our hats are off to you this morning, and we want you to know you are truly loved and respected.
But, if you have been raised without that Godly influence, and you feel that your life has been spent mostly in that Valley of the Shadow of Death, let me encourage you to recognize that there is a hand reaching out to you, too.
It is God’s hand, and He is telling you that He loves you and that you can depend on Him. He is saying He will go with you – no matter where that is.
In ISAIAH 41:10, God gives us a promise.
‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Someone has already gone through that Valley of the Shadow of Death. As a matter of fact, He went through it for you; so you would be able to live forever. And He is extending His hand out to you once again, this morning, hoping that you would just trust Him enough to take it; to trust Him enough to let Him lead you through your valley.
I would like to do two things in closing. I would like to take this opportunity to tell all the mothers, and mothers-to-be in the future that you are loved and honored by Godly men who truly treasure you. And you are loved and honored by God Almighty. And secondly I would like to encourage all the men here today to hug and thank all the mothers and mothers to be for the Godly love they provide for our children.
By: Albert Robbins,
on 5/12/2013
Today is Mother’s Day. It is the one day each year that we men put aside to honor our mothers and the mothers of our children. And they happen to be the one person we will generally buy a gift for, and we will still anguish over what to buy. If you have not yet purchased a gift for your mother or your wife, let me give you a couple of quick hints on what not to buy.
Do not buy her anything that plugs in. If something needs to be plugged in, she will only see it as a tool. Also, do not get her any exercise equipment or videos, as this will lead to six months of her asking you why you think she needs to exercise in the first place. And I guarantee you that you will never have the right answer.
My suggestion is for you to buy her something that is only for her, and that shows that you are thinking about her happiness. If you follow that rule, then whatever you get her will be appreciated and loved.
Of course, becoming a mother changes things for you, doesn’t it? And, becoming a mother more than once changes things also. When a woman becomes pregnant for the first time, she will start wearing maternity clothes the day the doctor says she is pregnant.
On her second pregnancy, she will wear her normal clothes for as long as she can, and by her third or fourth pregnancy, she will wear anything because she doesn’t have any more money to go out and start buying new maternity clothes.
Mothers are many things to their children, aren’t they? Mothers teach us most of what we know in our early years.
We have all heard the expression that it takes a village to raise a child. Today, more than ever before, babysitters and nurseries are raising our children. The tragedy in that is more and more children are being taught outside the home, and what they are taught is most-often worldly rather than Godly.
Here are some of the things our small children are learning today.
They learn the world’s morality -
‘If it feels right, it is right.’
They learn Humanism -
‘God doesn’t exist and we are fully capable of everything ourselves’
We live in the society Jeremiah spoke of – a society that “does not know how to blush.” So, with these things in mind, I think it is better for a mother to raise her kids than a village to raise them.
We need Godly mothers and fathers who will stand and say, “I will teach my children to walk in the way of the Lord.” We cannot let the most important thing in our children’s lives be left up to chance, or up to somebody else’s false teachings. We must stand up and be accountable as parents for our children’s spiritual safety.
In PROVERBS 22:6, we are given some clear advice.
‘Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.’ We know that being a good mother is helpful to our children as far as their physical well-being goes, but is it really that important to a child to be brought up spiritually sound in Jesus Christ?
In 2 TIMOTHY 1:5, Paul reminds us of Timothy’s parental influence.
‘I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois, and in your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded, now lives in you also.’
Timothy had sincere faith, and he had that faith because of his grandmother and mother. Surely a mother helps form our spirit, and if she is a Godly mother, she will be the first introduction we have to our Lord.
Mothers are also protectors of their children, no matter how old her children may get. Mrs. Zebedee was the mother of James and John, and like any mother, she wanted only the very best for her sons.
Jesus gave us an illustration in MATTHEW about a landowner, who hired some helpers, and no matter how long they worked for him, they all got paid the same wages. This may have caused Mrs. Zebedee to worry about what kind of reward her sons were going to get in Heaven, so she found a time to ask Jesus about it.
In MATTHEW 20:20-23 we read,
‘Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of Him. “What is it you want?” He asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right and the other at Your left in Your kingdom.”
“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from My cup, but to sit at My right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by My Father.”
Mrs. Zebedee was certain that when the Lord formed His kingdom, her boys would have positions of responsibility and authority. After all, the human way is to reward the best worker with the highest reward.
Jesus did not grant her request, but He did not deny it either. He simply reminded her of the cost of being seated on the right or left, and then told her that only the Father knows such things.
This morning, let’s look at what Mrs. Zebedee did for her sons, and compare that with what you, as a mother, might be doing (or have done) for your children.
The first thing we will see is she prayed for her sons to be …
1. PART OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
I think she was a very good mother. I can think of no more important task of motherhood than to want your children to be a part of God’s Kingdom.
I know that many mothers pray. Sometimes they pray out of necessity and sometimes they pray because motherhood is sometimes very difficult. I have heard it said that the reason women are mothers is because men couldn’t take the pressure. I fully agree with that statement.
I am reminded of the story where a man came home after work and his wife started telling him just how hard a day it had been. She said that both of their small children had taken turns throwing tantrums and that both had even taken turns getting sick during the day. She said she had not had one moment of peace all day, and as she was saying this, both babies got sick at the same time. She looked at her husband and in deep frustration said, “Is this in my contract?”
Certainly, mothers do get frustrated, don’t they? Perhaps one of the most frustrating times is when we are trying to communicate with the smaller ones.
A friend of mind had two kids; a three year old boy and a 5 month old daughter. He was watching them so his wife could get out of the house and relax for the day and he said the infant was lying on the couch and the son was sitting next to her.
My friend said he wanted to go into the kitchen for a second and told his little boy to watch his sister. He had not been gone for more than 20 seconds when he heard a thump and then the daughter started to wail. He ran back in there to see the daughter had rolled off the couch onto the floor and the son still sitting on the couch, just looking at her.
As he picked up his daughter, he said to his son, “I thought I told you to watch her!” The boy replied, “I did! I watched her roll off the couch and fall on the floor!” Well, at least he followed directions, didn’t he?
Being a parent is not always an easy job. There are times when your joy and pride cannot be contained, and there are other times when the sadness is so great your eyes can’t hold all the tears.
What good have we done by teaching our kids how to be successful in life if we have not also taught them how to be responsible?
I think Jesus said it best in MATTHEW 16:26:
‘What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?…. “
Being a parent is not always easy. It is a job full of deep responsibilities and I think Mrs. Zebedee carried her responsibilities well. She prayed that her sons would be a part of God’s Heavenly kingdom. I think all parents should pray the same prayer for their children – and this includes the fathers as well as the mothers. And we should do this for our children no matter what their ages.
I hope that in the heart of every mother and father here this morning, there is a burden to go before the throne of God in prayer for your children - to pray they will be saved for eternal life.
Mrs. Zebedee prayed that her sons would be a part of God’s kingdom, and she prayed that they would be …
2. INVOLVED IN THE WORK OF GOD’S KINGDOM
I have heard many people say that they want to enter Heaven running for the very middle, while others say they would be content to just step foot inside and stay close to where they came in.
One little boy kept falling out of bed one night, and his father finally asked the child why he kept falling. The boy said, “I guess I just stayed too close to where I got in.” Staying too close to the edge is not always a wise thing to do.
We must remember that we are all called to be of service to the Lord, and I think that service should begin in the home. It should begin with moms and dads going in prayer, and then including the children in those prayers, too.
It begins with parents setting the Godly example of how to live and how to serve the Lord. It begins when parents pray that their sons and daughters might be involved in the work of the kingdom.
It begins when parents pray that their children are not only a part of the kingdom, but are involved in the work of the kingdom.
Mrs. Zebedee prayed that her children would be actively involved in the work of His kingdom. And, as parents today, we need to walk in her footsteps. We need to follow her example in …
3. HAVING GODLY EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR CHILDREN
Mrs. Zebedee had big expectations, can’t we?. She didn’t just pray that her children would be doorkeepers or such. She wanted them to sit on the throne, on either side of Jesus.
Too often, we have a tendency to settle for mediocrity in our lives and in the church. Too often, we settle for aiming just about two feet inside the door. Too many Christians have been content to just sit back and let things happen around us instead of our getting up and making things happen for us.
As a good mother, she was looking out for her children’s best interest. She wanted her boys to be the most they could be.
I think we should start looking for more in our Christian walks, too. Jesus called us to be doers of the word, not just hearers only. And one of the best ways to do God’s holy and righteous word is to be a person of humble prayer.
Erma Bombeck said that when mothers were being created, they were created with enough hands to handle many jobs at once; they had enough eyes to see all that was going on around them; and they were created with the ability to heal nearly everything with nothing but a loving kiss. She went on to say that God had created someone very much like Himself.
Maybe she was right. Certainly a Godly mother cares for her children much in the same way as our Lord cares about His children, wouldn’t you say? The mother loves her children enough to go into the Valley of the Shadow of Death and bring life into it; a love that sacrifices much for her young.
I remember when I was young and we did not have much.
Mom never let any of us kids know about it, but during this period of time, we were very poor. I remember several times when my mother would say she wasn’t really hungry and only ate a little bit for dinner.
I realized later in life that she made that sacrifice just so her kids could have more to eat. That is what mothers do, isn’t it? A mother’s love is so special, she would lay down her very life for her children.
During World War II, Solomon Rosenberg and his family were sent to a concentration camp. There several members of the family, including a very frail and sickly son named David. The rules were simple: You will live as long as you are strong enough to work.”
Each day, after work, his family would come back to the barracks and hug each other. Once day, they all came back and Solomon could not find his son David or his wife.
A friend said that when the soldiers came to take young David to the furnaces, he cried out for his mother and said he was scared. The mother could not let her son go alone to that horrible fate, so the friend said she stood up, smiled, and said, “Let me go with you so you won’t be afraid.”
That is a true story. And that story shows how a mother love is a Godly love. It shows how a mother will sacrifice everything she has for her children, just like the Lord did for us. And it is all born out of love; a true and Godly love.
This is Mother’s Day. In EXODUS 20:12, we are given a commandment.
‘Honor you father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.’
It says to honor your mother. You might say that your mother doesn’t deserve to be honored. Well, the commandment from God didn’t say anything about your mother’s qualifications to be honored, it just says you are to honor her.
There was a young lady in her early 20’s who came from a very dysfunctional home. She had no idea who her dad was, and her mother was a mean lady who had no use or time for her own daughter. This young lady could have treated her mother with disrespect and hatred, and the world would have said she had every right to do so.
But this young lady became a Christian and began to love her mother. She would say and do things that showed her love for her mother. She began to honor her mother.
At first, it made no difference, she could do no right in her mom’s eyes. But over a period of an entire year, it started working on her mother’s heart. It had been almost a year, and it was two days before Christmas. The daughter had purchased some very expensive perfume for her mother and was giving it to her for Christmas. The mother got mad, flew off the handle, and threw it on the floor, breaking it.
The daughter told me later that as her mother stood there, seeing the mess she had made of her daughter’s gift, it dawned on her that she had done the same thing with her daughter’s life. And that is when the mother dropped to her knees, tears in her eyes, and begged her daughter to forgive her for the life of torment she had put the girl through.
To cut a long story short, they now sit side by side in church every Sunday morning – all of them; the mother, the daughter, the son-in-law, and their kids.
The Lord gave us a commandment to honor our mothers. When this girl applied God’s word directly into her life, Godly things happened.
This is a day in which we are to honor our Mothers. We do not put parameters on that. We simply follow directions.
Little David was afraid, but he found a loving hand reaching out to him. A hand that guaranteed he would not be left alone. A hand he could love and depend on. A hand that said, “Here, let me go with you.”
In no other country do parents spend less time with their children than in America. God did not intend for our children to grow without spiritual discipline in their lives, yet too many of our children today have none. And when we have no spiritual and moral codes to live by, we end up in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, where we seem to spend most of our lives.
If you have been raised by a Godly mother, or if you are a mother raising your kids in a Godly way, our hats are off to you this morning, and we want you to know you are truly loved and respected.
But, if you have been raised without that Godly influence, and you feel that your life has been spent mostly in that Valley of the Shadow of Death, let me encourage you to recognize that there is a hand reaching out to you, too.
It is God’s hand, and He is telling you that He loves you and that you can depend on Him. He is saying He will go with you – no matter where that is.
In ISAIAH 41:10, God gives us a promise.
‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Someone has already gone through that Valley of the Shadow of Death. As a matter of fact, He went through it for you; so you would be able to live forever. And He is extending His hand out to you once again, this morning, hoping that you would just trust Him enough to take it; to trust Him enough to let Him lead you through your valley.
I would like to do two things in closing. I would like to take this opportunity to tell all the mothers, and mothers-to-be in the future that you are loved and honored by Godly men who truly treasure you. And you are loved and honored by God Almighty. And secondly I would like to encourage all the men here today to hug and thank all the mothers and mothers to be for the Godly love they provide for our children.
By: Albert Robbins,
on 5/12/2013
Today is Mother’s Day. It is the one day each year that we men put aside to honor our mothers and the mothers of our children. And they happen to be the one person we will generally buy a gift for,...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 5/12/2013
“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”
I find it interesting and very revealing that of all the people to whom Jesus could have appeared first, He chose to reveal Himself to the women in His following. I am going to begin today a short series that will deal with women and what the Bible teaches about them in the church. It is my intent to demonstrate that Jesus placed a very high value on women through His life and teachings.
The place of women in the first-century Roman world and in the Jewish culture is well known. Most frequently, women were regarded as second class citizens: property even. Both Old and New Testaments present situations where women were demoralized and depersonalized, but I want you to know that these presentations of women in the Scripture don’t mean that God endorsed that treatment. Just because you find something in the Bible doesn’t mean God endorses it. He never authorized or approved of behavior that put a woman down, just as He doesn’t condone other practices in the Scriptures like child sacrifice, polygamy, the sex cults and other such things.
Jesus’ regard for women was much different from that of His contemporaries. He treated them with high regard, and there are at least three ways He did it.
Jesus Demonstrated the High Value He Placed on Women by Recognizing Their Value as Persons
Did you know women are people too? It took me a long time to realize that my mom wasn’t always my mother! She had a life before I came along, wanted to enjoy one while she was raising me that didn’t revolve around me, and would enjoy one after I left. When you think of the women in your life, you probably think of them in terms of the roles they play. She is your wife, your mother, your daughter, or whatever, but what we very often fail to recognize is that they are people with great value without any of those roles.
Jesus recognized the value of women first by making them equal with men before God. Jesus quoted Genesis 1:27 when He said in Matthew 19:4 that God made them male and female. Women are created in the image of god just as men are. They have free will, self-awareness, conscience, personal responsibility, and all the other traits of humanity that any man has.
Think about it: Jesus didn’t come to earth primarily as a man, but as a person. He didn’t treat women as females so much as He treated them as human beings. I can assure you that when you hear the word disciple you think of a man. You may think of Peter, James or John. You may think of any one of the twelve, but listen, according to Jesus disciples come in two sexes: male and female. What is a disciple? It is someone who learns and follows the teachings of another.
Examples of the even handed treatment of Christ are found throughout the Gospels. He regularly addressed women in public. Men didn’t do this in Jesus’ day. Remember how the men were amazed at the Samaritan well? He was in public and He was speaking to a woman. He spoke freely with the woman caught in adultery, with the widow of Nain, the woman with the bleeding disorder, and many others.
Not only did Jesus speak with these women, He spoke to them in a thoughtful, caring manner. When He spoke to the woman with the bleeding disorder He called her “daughter.” He referred to another as the daughter of Abraham, again giving this woman equal spiritual status as the men who called themselves the sons of Abraham.
He showed their value as persons in the way He held them responsible for their sins. Not once did He condone the sins of any woman. He confronted them as people with personal freedom and personal responsibility. He didn’t go soft on them, nor did He treat them too harshly.
He showed a woman’s value in His treatment of divorce and lust. Remember that Jesus said a woman is not just a sex object, someone to use and discard. He said that to even think lustfully about a woman was to commit adultery. He taught that women had rights as individuals and that they were to be respected. They weren’t to be avoided, they weren’t to be shunned either. Instead of avoiding women, Jesus taught His followers to discipline their thoughts, and in doing so created an environment where men and women were allowed to work in harmony with one another in the church setting.
Jesus Demonstrated the High Value He Placed on Women by Ministering to Women
Jesus showed the high value He placed on women by ministering to them in a vital and practical manner, both physically and spiritually. He healed many women and cast demons out of others displaying His care for them. Some are only briefly recorded; others are given in more detail.
He healed Peter’s mother-in-law. He met a widow lady who was burying her only son, and He raised that son for her. He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and in front of the religious leaders He defended and helped a woman who was hopelessly bent over for 18 years. He spoke to her, put His hands on her and caused her to stand erect.
On another occasion He met a poor woman who had been ceremonially unclean for 12 long years by a bleeding disorder. This woman came up and touched Jesus in a large crowd, making Him unclean as well. He didn’t rebuke her, but bragged about her great faith, addressing her as daughter, then publicly strengthened her faith which had healed her. He then went on to the house of Jairus, who, with his wife had just lost a 12 year old daughter to death. In addition to being ceremonially unclean from the woman, He went in and touched the young dead girl and restored her to life.
There are several others, but not only did He minister to their physical needs, He addressed their spiritual needs: something unheard of in a day when only boys were allowed to be schooled. Remember His meeting with the woman at the well. He gave her as much or more attention in John 4 as He did to Nicodemus, a highly respected man and ruler among the Pharisees. Remember His occasion with Mary and Martha as He ministered to them at the tomb of Lazarus?
Over and over Jesus placed high value on women as people, and there is a third way He did it…
Jesus Demonstrated the High Value He Placed on Women by According Them Dignity in His Ministry
Jesus did this in three ways. First, Jesus used women frequently in His illustrations. This may not mean much to you, but it was a big thing in His day. He talked about the queen of the south to teach how a foreign queen traveled so far to find the truth. He compared the kingdom of heaven to the leaven worked into bread dough by a woman. He talked about how when He returned there would be two women working in the field. He mentioned a widow to teach a lesson about receiving God’s blessings, and Jesus told a parable about a woman who lost a coin.
We can only wonder how the women of Jesus’ day must have responded to His teachings. They took notice of them, because living in a male-dominated culture as they were here was a refreshing message that appealed to them also.
Jesus didn’t just choose to use women as illustrations, but He was also concerned that women sit under His teachings. Women weren’t allowed to do so in His day. We impose our culture on the Bible, where women and men sit together and hear the teaching and preaching of the Word of God, but it just wasn’t so in that day.
The third way Jesus accorded women dignity in His ministry was by allowing them not only to be used as illustrations, and not only as pupils or disciples, but also by engaging them in their very own places of ministry. Over and over in the gospels the women are mentioned as being active in the life of the church as Jesus traveled from place to place. They were present at the wedding of Cana, when He went to Capernaum, when He was on the cross, and everywhere in between.
It was a woman who anointed Jesus’ feet. It was a woman who anointed His head. Martha is often thought of as a woman who helped to provide meals for the church group, as though that was her ministry. In Luke 8 there are women who supported Jesus financially. When you think of names like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome, you should think about women who followed and labored right along side of Jesus and the disciples. I’m not saying that their ministries were the same; they were not, but they each had places of service nonetheless.
A final look at the women during the personal ministry of Jesus was at the tomb, going to prepare His body with spices, and then in His appearing to them first after the resurrection.
Conclusion
As we close, there are two thoughts I want to leave you with: two challenges I want to issue. The first is particularly to the women, but it is really for anyone.
Jesus cares about you this morning. Many of you who are mothers know more than anyone here what it means to be underappreciated, unthanked, and undervalued. You know what it means to be overlooked and taken for granted, and while women in America aren’t treated as property or even as second-class citizens, I know that too often you are just not seen as a real person with real individual needs. I want you to know today that Jesus not only knows you have needs; He knows what your needs are. Even better yet Jesus can and will meet your needs.
In the eyes of a loving Savior you have real worth. God sees you as a real person and He wants to have a personal relationship with you. But as I said earlier, you have a free will and are personally responsible to respond to Christ’s invitation today to accept Him as your Savior. No one will ever love and accept you the way He will, and no relationship on this earth will fulfill you the way one with Christ can and will; but you must make the choice.
There is a second challenge I want to give, and it is for our men. The Bible teaches that as disciples we are to be like Christ: we are to be Christ followers. I’m going to ask you to make a special commitment today, but not just for today. Jesus placed a high value on women. He did it by treating them as real people. He treated them as real people who were equal before God with men. He spoke to them tenderly and with loving concern. Jesus gave them high value by ministering to their physical and spiritual needs, by recognizing their need to be taught, and by encouraging them to fulfill their respective places of ministry.
Men, we need to do the same today. Are you treating the women in your life like real people with individual needs? Or are you treating them as women who are only there to meet your needs? Your wife isn’t just your wife and the mother of your children. She is a real person apart from you and them. Do you treat her that way? Do you speak to the women in your life with care and concern? Do you minister to them? Or do you expect them to minister to you? Jesus didn’t come to be served by those women, He came to serve them. Are you allowing them the time they need to get involved in ministry? Are you encouraging it?
A wife had a husband who was encouraging her to get involved in ministry. He had his places of ministry, enjoyed men’s fellowship, working around the church, but although he was encouraging her to do the same, it was in word only. He wouldn’t watch the kids, wouldn’t help her, wouldn’t attend with her, and was just not understanding how hard he was making it for her to get involved, so she just stayed at home and didn’t participate.
Men, I am asking you to love the women in your life like Jesus does. Would you make that commitment today?
By: Albert Robbins,
on 5/12/2013
“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”
I find it interesting and very revealing that of all the people to whom Jesus could have appeared first, He chose to reveal Himself to the women in His following. I am going to begin today a short series that will deal with women and what the Bible teaches about them in the church. It is my intent to demonstrate that Jesus placed a very high value on women through His life and teachings.
The place of women in the first-century Roman world and in the Jewish culture is well known. Most frequently, women were regarded as second class citizens: property even. Both Old and New Testaments present situations where women were demoralized and depersonalized, but I want you to know that these presentations of women in the Scripture don’t mean that God endorsed that treatment. Just because you find something in the Bible doesn’t mean God endorses it. He never authorized or approved of behavior that put a woman down, just as He doesn’t condone other practices in the Scriptures like child sacrifice, polygamy, the sex cults and other such things.
Jesus’ regard for women was much different from that of His contemporaries. He treated them with high regard, and there are at least three ways He did it.
Jesus Demonstrated the High Value He Placed on Women by Recognizing Their Value as Persons
Did you know women are people too? It took me a long time to realize that my mom wasn’t always my mother! She had a life before I came along, wanted to enjoy one while she was raising me that didn’t revolve around me, and would enjoy one after I left. When you think of the women in your life, you probably think of them in terms of the roles they play. She is your wife, your mother, your daughter, or whatever, but what we very often fail to recognize is that they are people with great value without any of those roles.
Jesus recognized the value of women first by making them equal with men before God. Jesus quoted Genesis 1:27 when He said in Matthew 19:4 that God made them male and female. Women are created in the image of god just as men are. They have free will, self-awareness, conscience, personal responsibility, and all the other traits of humanity that any man has.
Think about it: Jesus didn’t come to earth primarily as a man, but as a person. He didn’t treat women as females so much as He treated them as human beings. I can assure you that when you hear the word disciple you think of a man. You may think of Peter, James or John. You may think of any one of the twelve, but listen, according to Jesus disciples come in two sexes: male and female. What is a disciple? It is someone who learns and follows the teachings of another.
Examples of the even handed treatment of Christ are found throughout the Gospels. He regularly addressed women in public. Men didn’t do this in Jesus’ day. Remember how the men were amazed at the Samaritan well? He was in public and He was speaking to a woman. He spoke freely with the woman caught in adultery, with the widow of Nain, the woman with the bleeding disorder, and many others.
Not only did Jesus speak with these women, He spoke to them in a thoughtful, caring manner. When He spoke to the woman with the bleeding disorder He called her “daughter.” He referred to another as the daughter of Abraham, again giving this woman equal spiritual status as the men who called themselves the sons of Abraham.
He showed their value as persons in the way He held them responsible for their sins. Not once did He condone the sins of any woman. He confronted them as people with personal freedom and personal responsibility. He didn’t go soft on them, nor did He treat them too harshly.
He showed a woman’s value in His treatment of divorce and lust. Remember that Jesus said a woman is not just a sex object, someone to use and discard. He said that to even think lustfully about a woman was to commit adultery. He taught that women had rights as individuals and that they were to be respected. They weren’t to be avoided, they weren’t to be shunned either. Instead of avoiding women, Jesus taught His followers to discipline their thoughts, and in doing so created an environment where men and women were allowed to work in harmony with one another in the church setting.
Jesus Demonstrated the High Value He Placed on Women by Ministering to Women
Jesus showed the high value He placed on women by ministering to them in a vital and practical manner, both physically and spiritually. He healed many women and cast demons out of others displaying His care for them. Some are only briefly recorded; others are given in more detail.
He healed Peter’s mother-in-law. He met a widow lady who was burying her only son, and He raised that son for her. He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and in front of the religious leaders He defended and helped a woman who was hopelessly bent over for 18 years. He spoke to her, put His hands on her and caused her to stand erect.
On another occasion He met a poor woman who had been ceremonially unclean for 12 long years by a bleeding disorder. This woman came up and touched Jesus in a large crowd, making Him unclean as well. He didn’t rebuke her, but bragged about her great faith, addressing her as daughter, then publicly strengthened her faith which had healed her. He then went on to the house of Jairus, who, with his wife had just lost a 12 year old daughter to death. In addition to being ceremonially unclean from the woman, He went in and touched the young dead girl and restored her to life.
There are several others, but not only did He minister to their physical needs, He addressed their spiritual needs: something unheard of in a day when only boys were allowed to be schooled. Remember His meeting with the woman at the well. He gave her as much or more attention in John 4 as He did to Nicodemus, a highly respected man and ruler among the Pharisees. Remember His occasion with Mary and Martha as He ministered to them at the tomb of Lazarus?
Over and over Jesus placed high value on women as people, and there is a third way He did it…
Jesus Demonstrated the High Value He Placed on Women by According Them Dignity in His Ministry
Jesus did this in three ways. First, Jesus used women frequently in His illustrations. This may not mean much to you, but it was a big thing in His day. He talked about the queen of the south to teach how a foreign queen traveled so far to find the truth. He compared the kingdom of heaven to the leaven worked into bread dough by a woman. He talked about how when He returned there would be two women working in the field. He mentioned a widow to teach a lesson about receiving God’s blessings, and Jesus told a parable about a woman who lost a coin.
We can only wonder how the women of Jesus’ day must have responded to His teachings. They took notice of them, because living in a male-dominated culture as they were here was a refreshing message that appealed to them also.
Jesus didn’t just choose to use women as illustrations, but He was also concerned that women sit under His teachings. Women weren’t allowed to do so in His day. We impose our culture on the Bible, where women and men sit together and hear the teaching and preaching of the Word of God, but it just wasn’t so in that day.
The third way Jesus accorded women dignity in His ministry was by allowing them not only to be used as illustrations, and not only as pupils or disciples, but also by engaging them in their very own places of ministry. Over and over in the gospels the women are mentioned as being active in the life of the church as Jesus traveled from place to place. They were present at the wedding of Cana, when He went to Capernaum, when He was on the cross, and everywhere in between.
It was a woman who anointed Jesus’ feet. It was a woman who anointed His head. Martha is often thought of as a woman who helped to provide meals for the church group, as though that was her ministry. In Luke 8 there are women who supported Jesus financially. When you think of names like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome, you should think about women who followed and labored right along side of Jesus and the disciples. I’m not saying that their ministries were the same; they were not, but they each had places of service nonetheless.
A final look at the women during the personal ministry of Jesus was at the tomb, going to prepare His body with spices, and then in His appearing to them first after the resurrection.
Conclusion
As we close, there are two thoughts I want to leave you with: two challenges I want to issue. The first is particularly to the women, but it is really for anyone.
Jesus cares about you this morning. Many of you who are mothers know more than anyone here what it means to be underappreciated, unthanked, and undervalued. You know what it means to be overlooked and taken for granted, and while women in America aren’t treated as property or even as second-class citizens, I know that too often you are just not seen as a real person with real individual needs. I want you to know today that Jesus not only knows you have needs; He knows what your needs are. Even better yet Jesus can and will meet your needs.
In the eyes of a loving Savior you have real worth. God sees you as a real person and He wants to have a personal relationship with you. But as I said earlier, you have a free will and are personally responsible to respond to Christ’s invitation today to accept Him as your Savior. No one will ever love and accept you the way He will, and no relationship on this earth will fulfill you the way one with Christ can and will; but you must make the choice.
There is a second challenge I want to give, and it is for our men. The Bible teaches that as disciples we are to be like Christ: we are to be Christ followers. I’m going to ask you to make a special commitment today, but not just for today. Jesus placed a high value on women. He did it by treating them as real people. He treated them as real people who were equal before God with men. He spoke to them tenderly and with loving concern. Jesus gave them high value by ministering to their physical and spiritual needs, by recognizing their need to be taught, and by encouraging them to fulfill their respective places of ministry.
Men, we need to do the same today. Are you treating the women in your life like real people with individual needs? Or are you treating them as women who are only there to meet your needs? Your wife isn’t just your wife and the mother of your children. She is a real person apart from you and them. Do you treat her that way? Do you speak to the women in your life with care and concern? Do you minister to them? Or do you expect them to minister to you? Jesus didn’t come to be served by those women, He came to serve them. Are you allowing them the time they need to get involved in ministry? Are you encouraging it?
A wife had a husband who was encouraging her to get involved in ministry. He had his places of ministry, enjoyed men’s fellowship, working around the church, but although he was encouraging her to do the same, it was in word only. He wouldn’t watch the kids, wouldn’t help her, wouldn’t attend with her, and was just not understanding how hard he was making it for her to get involved, so she just stayed at home and didn’t participate.
Men, I am asking you to love the women in your life like Jesus does. Would you make that commitment today?
By: Albert Robbins,
on 5/12/2013
“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”
I find it interesting and very revealing that of all the people...
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By: Albert Robbins,
on 4/18/2013
About Your Book One Day in 2056 & Other Stories
My book, which is a short story collection, is titled "One Day in 2056 & Other Stories." While the title story is, in fact, set in the future, this isn't strictly a science fiction collection of stories. It's a collection of stories about people thrown into impossible situations.
The six stories compiled into this collection span the genres of science fiction, mystery, thriller, while tackling themes such as: fate, destiny, futurism, time travel, love, loss, and revenge.
The Blurb for ONE DAY IN 2056 & OTHER STORIES:
“People just can’t die. There has to be consequences,” a grief-stricken Alex Pine says to Dr. Hailey Madison in “Come What May,” the first of six short stories. After his mother’s suicide, Alex’s life starts to spin out of control. Alone and desperate for answers, Alex pays his mother’s psychiatrist a visit, gun in hand.
The collection’s title story, “One Day in 2056”, revolves around 14 year old Harold George Wells. In 2050, five billion people were mysteriously abducted and it may have something to do with the “UFO-looking ships” occupying the earth’s skies. However, out of the five billion that were taken, Harold only cares about two: his parents.
In “Nineteen,” aspiring writer and Hemingway enthusiast Jacob Fisher drops out of college to pursue his dream of becoming a novelist. But, after he’s disowned by his parents and kidnapped by a group of scientists, whose sole intention is to send him back in time to make a different choice, he begins to question his fate and destiny and whether or not everything’s not already written in stone.
Free Book Reviews
What do you think readers will find most notable about this book?
K.L. Dillon
I think that, ultimately, readers will appreciate that each story stands alone. There's no filler. Each story from "Come What May", in which a twenty-something tries to comes to grips with the death of his mother by exacting revenge on her psychiatrist, to "Nineteen", where a secret organization is sending people back into the past, is succinctly different and original
Free Book Reviews
Did researching and writing this book teach you anything or influence your thinking in any way?
K.L. Dillon
In "Moving On," the second short story in this collection, I did research on the topic of 'Time.' I researched several different theories on the basis of whether time actually exists.
Free Book Reviews
What would you most like readers to tell others about this book?
K.L. Dillon
I would love readers to recommend this short story collection to their friends and say, "You want to get sucked in? Do you want to escape for a day? Read this book!"
Free Book Reviews
Can you suggest one question readers might find interesting to discuss, concerning you, your writing in general, or this book?
K.L. Dillon
My influences.
Free Book Reviews
How can readers help you promote this book?
K.L. Dillon
Read it and review it. Regardless if you liked it or not, all I can ask of you is to give a chance.
About You: K.L. Dillon
My name is Kevin Lyle Dillon (hence K. L. Dillon). I'm a lifelong Philadelphia native. Besides drinking red bull non-stop and obsessing over the latest J.J. Abrams show, I'm usually either a) working b) reading or c) writing. That's me in a nutshell. Oh, and go Phillies!
Free Book Reviews
Why do you write?
K.L. Dillon
I write mainly because it's the only thing I'm good at :) That, and I'd like to create something that people can not only relate to but something they can escape to. A release
Free Book Reviews
What is your greatest strength as a writer?
K.L. Dillon
Soaking up what other writers are doing and trying to apply their methods, structure to my own writing.
Free Book Reviews
What quality do you most value in yourself?
K.L. Dillon
Dedication. I won't stop until it's right. I won't stop until I have everyone talking about my work!
Free Book Reviews
In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?
K.L. Dillon
Reading and eating. Notable mentions: filmmaking. I'd like to write a screenplay one day.
Free Book Reviews
What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?
K.L. Dillon
The publication of One Day in 2056 & Other Stories, of course.
Free Book Reviews
Is there any new or established author whom you feel deserves more attention, and what is it that strikes you about his or her work?
K.L. Dillon
S. J. Watson. Have you read 'Before I Go To Sleep?' Incredible. Best book I've read in a long, long time
Intrigued by this interview? Then hop on over to K.L. Dillon's website or find his books at the following:
Amazon
Amazon UK
GoodReads
By: Albert Robbins,
on 4/18/2013
About Your Book One Day in 2056 & Other Stories
My book, which is a short story collection, is titled "One Day in 2056 & Other Stories." While the title story is, in fact, set in the future, this isn't strictly a science fiction collection of stories. It's a collection of stories about people thrown into impossible situations.
The six stories compiled into this collection span the genres of science fiction, mystery, thriller, while tackling themes such as: fate, destiny, futurism, time travel, love, loss, and revenge.
The Blurb for ONE DAY IN 2056 & OTHER STORIES:
“People just can’t die. There has to be consequences,” a grief-stricken Alex Pine says to Dr. Hailey Madison in “Come What May,” the first of six short stories. After his mother’s suicide, Alex’s life starts to spin out of control. Alone and desperate for answers, Alex pays his mother’s psychiatrist a visit, gun in hand.
The collection’s title story, “One Day in 2056”, revolves around 14 year old Harold George Wells. In 2050, five billion people were mysteriously abducted and it may have something to do with the “UFO-looking ships” occupying the earth’s skies. However, out of the five billion that were taken, Harold only cares about two: his parents.
In “Nineteen,” aspiring writer and Hemingway enthusiast Jacob Fisher drops out of college to pursue his dream of becoming a novelist. But, after he’s disowned by his parents and kidnapped by a group of scientists, whose sole intention is to send him back in time to make a different choice, he begins to question his fate and destiny and whether or not everything’s not already written in stone.
Free Book Reviews
What do you think readers will find most notable about this book?
K.L. Dillon
I think that, ultimately, readers will appreciate that each story stands alone. There's no filler. Each story from "Come What May", in which a twenty-something tries to comes to grips with the death of his mother by exacting revenge on her psychiatrist, to "Nineteen", where a secret organization is sending people back into the past, is succinctly different and original
Free Book Reviews
Did researching and writing this book teach you anything or influence your thinking in any way?
K.L. Dillon
In "Moving On," the second short story in this collection, I did research on the topic of 'Time.' I researched several different theories on the basis of whether time actually exists.
Free Book Reviews
What would you most like readers to tell others about this book?
K.L. Dillon
I would love readers to recommend this short story collection to their friends and say, "You want to get sucked in? Do you want to escape for a day? Read this book!"
Free Book Reviews
Can you suggest one question readers might find interesting to discuss, concerning you, your writing in general, or this book?
K.L. Dillon
My influences.
Free Book Reviews
How can readers help you promote this book?
K.L. Dillon
Read it and review it. Regardless if you liked it or not, all I can ask of you is to give a chance.
About You: K.L. Dillon
My name is Kevin Lyle Dillon (hence K. L. Dillon). I'm a lifelong Philadelphia native. Besides drinking red bull non-stop and obsessing over the latest J.J. Abrams show, I'm usually either a) working b) reading or c) writing. That's me in a nutshell. Oh, and go Phillies!
Free Book Reviews
Why do you write?
K.L. Dillon
I write mainly because it's the only thing I'm good at :) That, and I'd like to create something that people can not only relate to but something they can escape to. A release
Free Book Reviews
What is your greatest strength as a writer?
K.L. Dillon
Soaking up what other writers are doing and trying to apply their methods, structure to my own writing.
Free Book Reviews
What quality do you most value in yourself?
K.L. Dillon
Dedication. I won't stop until it's right. I won't stop until I have everyone talking about my work!
Free Book Reviews
In addition to writing, what else are you passionate about?
K.L. Dillon
Reading and eating. Notable mentions: filmmaking. I'd like to write a screenplay one day.
Free Book Reviews
What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life?
K.L. Dillon
The publication of One Day in 2056 & Other Stories, of course.
Free Book Reviews
Is there any new or established author whom you feel deserves more attention, and what is it that strikes you about his or her work?
K.L. Dillon
S. J. Watson. Have you read 'Before I Go To Sleep?' Incredible. Best book I've read in a long, long time
Intrigued by this interview? Then hop on over to K.L. Dillon's website or find his books at the following:
Amazon
Amazon UK
GoodReads
