Living life with steps of faith

Augustine: "Evil people make evil use of all the good creations of God. Good people, on the other hand, make good use of the evil actions of the wicked. And who is as good as the one and only God?" he later writes... "For as the wicked turn the good works of God to an evil use, so inversely God turns the evil works of human beings to good.  What can be worse than what Judas did? He was chosen as the treasurer among the Twelve who would dispense gifts to the poor. But instead of being thankful for so great an honor and favor, he took the money and lost righteousness.  Being dead, he betrayed life.  The one he followed as a disciple he betrayed as an enemy.  Yet our Lord made a good use of his wickedness, allowing himself to be betrayed so that he might redeem us... If God employs the evil works of the devil himself for good, whatever the evil person does my making bad use of God's good gifts only hurts himself. It in no way contradicts the goodness ...

Sometimes I think we Christian women over-spiritualize our problems.  And if we don't over-spiritualize them we over-emotionalize the spiritual. I was at a Christian women's conference today.  It seemed as though the answer to all the difficulties in life was to get closer to Jesus.  I know that wasn't the speaker's intent.  In fact, I think the speaker's intent was just the opposite - to cherish the unearned love that God shows towards us.  But in her story she pointed out how her darkest time in life was when she pushed God away.  I think that time in her life still would have been difficult even if she kept Jesus close - because we are human.  She would have just found more comfort, hope, and joy during that time because of her awareness of God's nearness.  But God was near, even when she was unaware.  She just missed out on some of that comfort and those periodic glimpses into the bigger picture of how God was taking her lemons and mak...

Chapter 5 - "Fading Strength But Standing Strong" 1.  Please share about a time you felt physically weak. 2. How do you recognize God's voice? 3. Aging is irreversible.  As such, what are ways we can embrace it?  What are some aspects of aging that we feel it is okay to fight?  Why? 4. How have you earned your scars and wrinkles? (p. 80) 5. What is the fountain of life? 6.  What is your pace of life?  How has it changed over the years?  How do you see it changing as you get older? 7.  Which of the following perils do you think you are most susceptible to and why:  fear, depression, anger, intense loneliness, being self-absorbed? 8.  "How do we overcome the perils that steal our zest for life?" (p. 89) 9.  What are some of the special joys of old age? 10.  How is God calling you to depend upon Him?

My husband and I shared with each other last night how we have been both told numerous times that we are too busy to become parents.  More specifically, I am too busy to become a mother.  This is an interesting statement, because this is part of our personalities. We will always be "too busy" no matter our stage or status in life because that is how we work.  God has blessed me with so many hours in a day and I am going to use those hours to the fullest.  As my husband says, "you aren't going to not be busy even into your 70s." What changes is where that busyness is focused.  Some would say that becoming a mother would distract me from ministry.  But what I suspect is that it will add to my ministry.  Being a mother will change me and how I do ministry for the better.  Kind of like how becoming a wife has done this in my life.  Meeting, dating, being engaged, and then being married to my husband has added a sense of balance to my life. ...