I love this picture. It is a little volunteer snap dragon that showed up in my retaining wall, and it is happily doing what God has called it to do in the toughest of places. And it keeps blooming! This is what good works are all about.

The short book of Titus has quite a bit to say to us about good works, and I think we women need to be encouraged that so much of what we do in our homes for our families, as well as what we do for the broader Christian community, falls under this category of “good works.” We are all capable and qualified for everyday good works, works that flow out of our calling, whatever that might be. We don’t have to look for “designer” good works, but rather we should be content to offer our talents and time and energy to God to give ourselves away to the people who need us. The people here, right now. Not the imaginary people who live far away, but the ones in our lives now. That means the little people, the old people, the hungry people, even the grouchy people who don’t say thanks.
God has set us apart as “His own special people, zealous for good works” (2:14). He gave Himself for us, redeemed us, purified us for Himself, and now He has given us good things to do. We are to be eager, enthusiastic, and passionate about this business of good works. Not half-hearted, not willy-nilly, but seriously devoted.
In chapter three he tells us to “be ready for every good work” (verse 1). We are to be on our toes, looking out for Read More

With each new video of the Planned Parenthood atrocities, though I find myself stricken speechless, I thank God that I have a greater sense of the tremendous guilt that rests on this country. The blood guilt stretches from sea to shining sea. And I wonder about all those millions of individuals who are living under this load of personal guilt. You know, they are everywhere. “Another boy” (you know, the one on the petri dish) has a mother somewhere, and God knows her name. And she is guilty. And that little dismembered child has a father as well. And God knows his name and will hold him accountable.

You can’t have millions upon millions of abortions without there being millions upon millions of the guilty. And I wonder if that might be one of the reasons (maybe) that so many Christians haven’t yet spoken up. Is it because they have had some share in this sometime, some way? Maybe you are one of those. Maybe you have had an abortion. Or two. Maybe you encouraged a friend or a sister or a daughter to abort their child. Maybe you even paid the bill, made the appointment, promised not to tell.

Each time we see more of the carnage on the videos, the more real the Read More

Given the surprising (and apparently sudden) changes in what our country is now considering to be “moral” government-approved behavior, I thought it was time for a pep talk. Most of you all are probably a lot like me. It hasn’t been difficult to live like a Christian woman even in a culture that has been gradually drifting away from its Christian foundation. But the sudden lurch of this past week’s Supreme Court decision has certainly been a wake-up call.

It may be tempting to worry or fret about what kind of place our grandchildren are going to inherit. This is no longer the country my parents and grandparents grew up in. Far from it! I don’t think I even knew sodomy existed until I was in high-school, and then I could hardly believe it. Seriously?

It’s crucial that Christian women, no matter what our calling, process these things faithfully, with a godly courage. So I’ve come up with a short list of things to keep us focused. And it turns out, these are all the things we are already supposed to be doing. God is always looking for faithfulness, not some new idea of our own.

1. First of all, the Lord God is our Maker and He absolutely controls all His creation. Even the decisions of court justices. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Prov. 21:1). So we can be confident that He is doing this for us, not to us. Read More