Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love and Blessings,
Carole, Alastair, Heather, Lydia, Natasha and Emma too!

Deborah, a prophetess.

Judges 4:4-14
 Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading a Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor.  I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”
 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”
“Very well,” Deborah said, “I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this,b the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh,  where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law,c and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, Sisera gathered together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men.
[1]

Here Deborah- also a married woman is leading all of Israel.(men and women…not just the women of Israel) She was a judge, chosen by God. God spoke through her. Men came to her for instruction from the Lord. Men acknowledged her authority over them as from God and did not want to go without her into battle. Her husband is mentioned by name which meant he was known. They seemed to trust her leadership and her relationship with God.

a Traditionally judging
b Or But on the expedition you are undertaking
c Or father-in-law
[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids

The Prophetess Huldah

2 Chronicles 34:19-33
When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah,a Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”
Hilkiah and those the king had sent with himb went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath,c the son of Hasrah,d keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.
She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me,  ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people—all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all that their hands have made,e my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. Now I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’”
So they took her answer back to the king.
Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the Lord with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.
Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.  Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their fathers.

I am always curious why we never hear much about Huldah in discussions about women’s right to preach, be in leadership positions, or be instructors or teachers of spiritual things to men. Maybe I am I missed that lesson. But here is what I see:
The King (a man) sought after the Lord and they went to Huldah ( a woman/a married woman) She is called a prophetess and not only does she give them instruction from the Lord but they take that instruction back to the King and He submits to her words “from the Lord”.
Not only does this passage of scripture support women speaking forth on the Lord’s behalf but it clearly shows women being used by God, chosen by God, to be His voice in the situation. She is clearly the one who speaks the word of God. She is the one who gives the instruction not just to an ordinary man but instructions for a King.
Is she submissive in doing so? Yes, both to God and to the King.
Do they feel their authority has been questioned or usurped by a woman? Doesn't seem so…He is still the King and she is still in submission even though God used her to instruct him.
Is her husband less of a man because they went to her instead of him? Scripture doesn’t tell us. Scripture does tell us who he is and it sounds like he was known for his own work.

Catherine Booth in her pamphlet “Women in Ministry” says:

"Women who speak in assemblies for worship under the influence of the Holy Spirit, assume thereby no personal authority over others; they simply deliver the messages of the Gospel, which imply obedience, subjection, and responsibility, rather than authority and power" (Booth, p 6).

Huldah is mentioned in the books of 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings.

a Also called Acbor son of Micaiah
b One Hebrew manuscript, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts do not have had sent with him.
c Also called Tikvah
d Also called Harhas
e Or by everything they have done
[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids

A Mother's pride

Patty and Emma in Sunday School


Commissioners Heather and Natasha :)


Emma! Those eyes!!


Lydia and Mhairi-Hot Army Babes!


Photos by my friend the wonderful Katie Maxwell!
Thanks Katie!!!

God's grace is His favor lavished upon us when we don't deserve it.
He has shown His grace to me.
I am blessed.

Acts 2:17 " In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy....."

Big day

It's a big day today. This morning was the songsters Christmas Cantata. I thought it went very well and Alastair brought a good message. Immanuel : God is with us.
This evening is our Christmas concert at the Montclair Sate University. Yogi Berra will be there. Chip Kelly and my husband helped write the speech Yogi will read. His wife Carmen is on our Advisory Board. Governor Cody will also be there to receive the "Others" award. One of his last appearances as acting Governor of New Jersey. A local school's chorus will also be there. Our advertising for this concert has been in papers, local restaurants and stores and on the Christian radio. We are expecting at the very least 200 people.
Immanuel
God is with us.
Be with us Lord.
Next week is toy shop and the last week for kettles.
Christmas is almost here!
Vacation is almost here!
Immanuel!

Update: The concert went well. VERY well around 400 or so people in attendance. Yogi got choked up on reading his speech about what the Army does in our community.

God was with us! He blessed our efforts and to HIM be all the glory!!

Debra and the Cornerstone

I met with Debra this past week. She is a resident in our Cornerstone shelter. We first met when I went to the shelter two weeks ago to share an Advent devotional. Debra was the only one who really showed interest. She asked questions and encouraged other residents to sit and join in. I enjoyed Debra’s questions and her challenges to my faith. I like it when people question. Debra has a lot of questions. We decided to meet the following week to discuss them.
Debra is an African American who was raised as a “strict” Baptist, daughter of a pastor who has converted to Islam. I would guess that she is in her late 30’s early 40’s.
We met in a corner of the Central Presbyterian church. We are sharing the space with our Presbyterian friends till our new corps building is built.
Debra brought her books and I brought mine. She gave me a book to keep and I gave her book as well. ( Case for Christ by Lee Strobel) We talked and shared and then in the end we decided we both liked the questions the other was asking. We decided to meet again this week. We decided we would give each other homework. Hoping this would keep our points of discussion more focused. It was her idea.
Part of our discussion was on how she doesn’t believe anything Paul has written in the New Testament. Most of this, she has read in the book she gave me, “What did Jesus REALLY say?” by Misha’al ibn Abdullah.
According to this book she has learned that Paul manipulated the gospel of Jesus by going to the Gentiles. How as Saul, he was known for persecuting the believers and when he became Paul it was just another way to destroy the “believers” except this time from within and by watering down the gospel. According to Debra -They believe it is Paul who has confused people into thinking Jesus was God and God’s son. She also tells me our translations of the Bible are filled with so many mistakes…( the same book apparently proves this) and she asked me “how could anyone believe everything written there with so much human error over the years?” When I asked about the translation of The Qur’an she refers again to the book mentioned and it reads that the Qur’an has been protected from mistakes, from human error. (bit too convenient if you ask me!)
The homework assignment I gave her was:
Find out why going to the Gentiles is not considered part of God’s plan. Because in the Torah, God spoke directly to Hagar (Ishmael’s mother) she was a Gentile, an Egyptian by birth. Plus, God told Abraham He would bless all nations through him.
The homework assignment she gave me:
Prove that Jesus is God/the son of God.
I imagine I will have to “prove” this without using any of the Pauline writings.
Our talks have been very respectful and friendly. We are just getting to know each other. I feel like I will learn a lot with Debra.
When she speaks of her childhood growing up in the Baptist church and singing in the choir, she always uses words like “strict”.
I asked her if she found more freedom in Islam than she did in Christianity. She looked at me with a blank stare. “Freedom?” She asked with her nose scrunched up. “No, just rules I could live with.”
She also said she enjoys the discussions. Her parting comment to me on Thursday was “My goal is to get into Heaven.”
I wondered to myself when she said this, after sixteen years as an officer, when was the last time I led someone to Christ? One on one.

If anyone has any ideas on how to answer my homework assignment…please leave a comment!
Please say a prayer for me and for Debra. Only the Holy Spirit can convict someone or reveal the Truth to someone. I am just praying I don’t get in the way of God’s purpose for this encounter.
I am open to the idea that it may not be His plan for me to lead Debra to Christ.
Regardless of how this ends, I know He is teaching me through this….more about His Word, about His Son, about His people and about myself.
He usually gives me a hunger for His word through encountering challenging relationships with His people.

1 Peter 2:4-8 “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—  you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 
For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”a
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.
But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone,b”c
 and,
“A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”d
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. "

a Isaiah 28:16
b Or cornerstone
c Psalm 118:22
d Isaiah 8:14
[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids

5 random facts about me. ( Thanks to Drew)

Instructions: Write 5 random facts about yourself, then list the names of 5 people whom you in turn infect.

1. I failed French class twice and cheated the third time so I could finally get out of the class. Now I speak Russian. ( God's joke on me and my French teacher!)

2. I don't like leading congregation songs. Leading songs...makes me insecure.

3. In second grade we had to make up a rhyme on our own, then say the sentence to our teacher to get our coat from the coat room. My teacher sent me back to my seat without my coat, for not rhyming..... 3 times!

4. When I get into a good book....everything and everyone disappears. Children go hungry, laundry gets forgotten. I have to save really good books for when I have no other responsibilities. ( so I don't read much!)

5. I invited a guy to church with me once to shock my family. He was a friend from the art institute that we attended. He was Punk ( it was the 80's) Dog collar...spikes...the whole thing. My motivation...just looking for reaction! I had him sit next to my grandmother. :)

I refuse to tag anyone! :) #6 rebellious by nature.

Blessings of restriction

In Bible study we have been learning about “blessings of restriction.”

The concept goes like this: “Both what we receive and what we don’t receive can constitute blessing for us and those around us. God is all wise. He blesses us as surely by what He does not grant us as what He does.”- B.Moore

Then our study said: “Describe a blessing of restriction in your own life.”
Hmmm….
Qualifications for this thought process:
It could be something I have asked God for but He has, at least at this time, said no.
And….according to this concept…this “no” or the “not yet”, or “not now” ( or "What! are you crazy?!!) is a blessing. (to me and somehow to others)

Apostle Paul says he asked again and again for the “thorn in his flesh” to be removed and as far as we know it never was removed. Yet, Paul says, even though it restricted him and made him “weak”…it was in that weakness that God’s strength could be seen all the more.

Has God blessed you with a blessing of restriction?
Can we say with the Psalmist that, “He has laid the boundaries in pleasant places”?
Maybe, looking back over our lives we can say, YES! Thank you Lord that you said no to that!
What about looking forward?
If he restricts us, says no….will we still trust in the goodness and the kindness of the Lord?
For God is good.
All the time.
Even His restrictions are blessings.

More Sea Monsters

Tossed about
by the waves,
Blown over
by the wind,
Up and down ,
To and fro,
The swirls
of doubt begin.

Storms
That rage,
Rise within
Pounding
Shores of thought
Tempest strong
‘tween
Right and wrong
Making all seem
Wrought!

Ocean deep
Hide beneath
sea monsters
dark and mean
one named pride
One, self will
Slithering sin
Unseen.

He who walks
Upon the seas
Knows what
lies beneath
For nothing is too
Strong or sleek
To conquer and defeat

He slays
Them all!
With one word
Oceans become still.
The winds die down.
The waves are gone.
My worries
He did kill.

He calls me,
One, who walks on water.
How can I not concede?
To believe in Him,
to walk with Him
upon The great glass sea..

Carole Jeanne Bate- 12/5/05


Is. 5:20 “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.” [1]

 James 1:5-7
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. [2]

Ephesians 4: 14-15
 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. [3]

Revelation 15:1-2
I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. [4]

[1-4]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids

Sea Monsters

"No matter what our aim may be, no matter how spiritual, no matter how intent we think we are upon the glory of God and His kingdom, greed and passion enter into our work and turn it into agitation as soon as our intention ceases to be pure. And who can swear that his intentions are pure, even down to the subconscious depths of his will, where ancient selfish motives move comfortably like forgotten sea monsters in waters where they are never seen." - T. Merton

~~ Kill my sea monsters Lord! For you alone know the depths of my soul.

Artificial intelligence

I heard that back before the written word, intelligence was measured by someone’s ability to remember facts and tell a story. These people were considered wise. After the written word, those who knew how to read and write were more impressive. They were considered intelligent. The more you read, the more you studied= the more intelligent.
I think we all know people who have always done well in school. They are the straight “A” students, who never had to work hard for a good grade. They have parents who worry they are not being challenged enough in school, even after taking all honor classes. I knew a girl like this. She was so intelligent and loved to share her knowledge with everyone. Trivial pursuit was like checkers to her and she waited to triple jump anyone who dare to challenge. Yet one day I was driving her home from a Friendly’s restaurant, we were in a 15 passenger van. I asked her to hold the two milkshakes while I drove. As we talked and talked we finally arrived home and I looked at her and asked her “Where are our milkshakes??” She said calmly, “ Oh, I didn’t want to hold them so I put them on the floor of the van.” So, as you may have guessed I look down to see both large cups lying on the floor of the van and sticky chocolate milkshake spread from the front of the van to the back! I could not comprehend how she could be so ……well, stupid. I mean, someone so smart and yet so dumb.
Intelligence can come in many different packages. Book smarts, common sense, social skills, computer knowledge, people skills, life experience and Biblical knowledge, to name only a few. I know someone who no one can match when it comes to Movies. Is this intelligence? Well, when we talk about movies…he makes me feel stupid. Is that how we measure intelligence?? By how stupid one can make us feel?
What has inspired this train of thought??? Feeling stupid/dumb has inspired this train of thought. Blogs, reading other peoples ideas, their thoughts….looking through their list of books they are currently reading. Big words…subjects way over my head. I can’t even spell…
But, in saying all this, although I may at times feel stupid…..I know that there are area’s where I may have some knowledge, some glimmer of intelligence!
I like verses in Scripture like 1 Corinthians 2:27 “ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
Or Psalm 19:7 “The Law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul. The statues of the Lord are trustworthy making wise the simple.”
I may never win a game of trivial pursuit or be able to hold my own in conversations about the many nuances of film. I may never write an intelligent blog or comment free of spelling mistakes…..but I can rest in the hope of wisdom that comes from God. It was good enough for Solomon! (1 Kings 4:29-34) “God gave Solomon wisdom and great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.”
Beth Moore’s prayer that I have recently adopted: “ Make me smarter than I am Lord! For your purposed and your Glory.” As long as I am asking for reasons more noble than wanting to have a better blog than Drew!

I’ll end with a quote that I found on my Aunt’s Xanga site :

"There are some days I practice positive thinking. The other days I'm not even positive I am thinking". ~Dr. John M. Eades

** Please note that any grammatical mistakes or errors in this blog are meant to support the point of this Blog!

Appointments

The "moves" came out in The Eastern Territory today. We didn't receive marching orders and I was actually surprised that then moves were out already. It isn't even part of my thought pattern. But, having been part of the process my whole life as an officer's kid and now as an officer, I am sensitive to the many changes of those on the "list" are feeling. Everything one must go through as they pack and unpack and settle in their new homes.
God gave me this scripture when we moved to Russia: Hosea 11:11 "They will come trembling like birds for Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes delcares the Lord."
He did! He is faithful and when we moved back "home" to the States I had to reclaim that verse again.
The following poem was written as we were moving within the Eastern Europe command. I think anyone who has ever been called by God to move or to follow him to a new destination will be able to relate to these words. That is my prayer.

WHERE YOU LEAD ME

Where are we going?
Oh! Look over there!
The grass is so green,
The valley so fair.
I want to go there, Lord,
Where the sun always shines.
I want to be where there is fruit on the vine.
Where are we going?
Did you not hear?
I said it was pleasant
Right over there.
Where do you lead me?
Did you hear what I said?
Why are we going to a place that I dread…
Why do I trust you?
Why do I go?
Why do you lead me where I don't want to go?
Now look where we're headed..
Don't you know what this means?
There! Where you lead me …
Are you blind to the scene?
The clouds are so dark;
The people unfriendly;
I won't have laughter and
my sorrow will be plenty.
The waves will crush me;
The mountains are high;
The pathway is narrow;
the river is dry .
Why do I trust you?
Why do I go?
Why do you lead me where I don't want to go?
What are you crazy?
Have you lost your aim?
Is this the plan?
Is this a game?
I tell of your love!
And I teach your Word!
I point to your promises,
To Your care of a bird!
But here you are leading
And it is obvious to me,
My needs are forgotten,
My tears are not seen.
I thought it was clear,
I thought we agreed
With the way, I planned,
The life I would lead.
Why do you lead me?
You didn't hear what I said?
Why are we going to a place I dread…
Then the words of my Lord
Answered my heart:
I know what I'm doing!
I have from the start!
I've known you and loved you
from the beginning of time.
I've carefully chosen
this pathway of mine.
Why don't you trust me?
Why do you doubt?
Why do you whine?
Why do you pout?
You say that I lead you?
But it's obvious to me
You have your own aim,
you have your own plea.
I've taken your hand
and I asked you to come,
I've given to you
my only Son.
You want the green pastures?
Then go your own way!
But they won't last forever
when the sun moves away.
I know where the fruit
grows on the vine,
I walk on water
The mountains I climb.
Are you coming with me?
Will you stay behind?
Will you trust ?
Will you risk?
Take this hand of mine?
I know what I'm doing
I know where I go.
I know when to reap,
I know when to sow.
Where shall I go?
What shall I say?
I will go where He leads me,
I will follow His way.
The grass is greener
only when He is there,
The sun is brighter
when He holds my cares.
The waves loose their power;
The mountains lay flat;
The rivers flow freely,
Who would leave all of that?
Not me! I will follow!
My aim and my plan -
I bring it to Him
On this day, take His hand.
His way, for my way,
His plan, for mine,
He will lead me and guide me
My Savior Divine.
3 August, 1999
Carole Jeanne Bate

* The picture was taken in the Caucasus Mountains when we were Regional officers in The Republic of Georgia. It was 2001 so only three girls, Emma wasn’t around yet!