All posts by Mary Walker

Juliana von Stolberg – “Dr. Oma”

Juliana von Stolberg lived in Holland from1506 to 1580. Readers may remember that this was the time of the Reformation. There were many changes taking place in the world. Usually when we think of the Reformation we recall Martin Luther or John Calvin. These men preached in Germany, France, and Switzerland. But the Protestant faith had spread to Holland, too.

Unfortunately, many from the Catholic faith were not accepting of the changes. Some rulers even started persecutions and wars to punish the “heretics”. Everyone has heard of “Bloody Mary” who ruled in England during this time. She put many thousands of Protestants to death. Perhaps you have heard of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre which occurred in France. The French rulers gave the Catholic people absolute freedom to murder as many Protestants as they wished. There were wars all over Europe between Protestants and Catholics. Today, we find this hard to understand. We believe that everyone should be able to worship as their consciences dictate.

In the 1500’s, the Catholic ruler of Spain, King Philip, had conquered the Netherlands. He tried to force everyone there to become Catholic. The people in Holland not only wanted their freedom from a foreign ruler, but they wished to be allowed to worship God as they believed. God raised up a man to lead the people in Holland to independence. His name was William of Orange. He was a strong man, but no stronger than his amazing mother, Juliana von Stolberg.

Juliana taught her sons that it is not right to hurt or kill someone because they believe differently than you do. All five of her sons were faithful believers in the Lord, but all were peaceful. None wished for the war with Spain, but all went to fight the evil Duke of Alva, the hated Spanish overlord. Eventually, Juliana’s son, William was able to free the Dutch people and they formed their own independent state. William is viewed as the “Father” of the Netherlands. Juliana has been remembered by the Dutch people affectionately as the “Queen Mother” of the Netherlands.

Juliana was also remembered as Dr. Oma. “Oma” is Dutch for Grandmother. She was called “Dr. Oma” because of the many people she healed. Juliana had her own herb garden and prepared all of her own herbal medicines. She administered these to the villagers and her household including all of her servants. She taught this wisdom to her granddaughter who carried on after her death.

She raised seventeen children without modern medicine or prepared food or paper diapers. She also ran her entire household. She and her husband founded and ran a school together. When he died, she ran it for another twenty years by herself until she died at the age of 74. Juliana had 168 grandchildren when she died.

One of the things that struck me the most was her incredible courage. Of her five sons, four were killed in the fighting against Spain. They died in the cause of freedom. This was a sore trial for her, but her faith remained unshakable. Three were killed while she was living, and her beloved son, William was under threat of death for the rest of his life. Some years after her death, he was assassinated by a wicked man who was seeking the bounty that had been placed on his head by the wicked Duke of Alva. Throughout the tragedies of her life, Juliana’s favorite verses of the Bible were the ones that promised God’s protection. She shared a favorite verse with her granddaughter often, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.”

The Dutch people have given Juliana a special place of reverence in their hearts for centuries. Her convictions about faith set the pattern for the Netherlands, and indeed the western world.  Many years later, the Pilgrims would leave England searching for religious freedom. They would go to live in Holland first, before leaving for the New World. They would find the freedom of conscience that they desired. They would also find a government that had toleration for people of different faiths. They would bring these principles with them to New England when they helped to found our great country.

Priscilla – First Century Entrepreneur

“Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks..” (Romans 16:3,4a)

When the apostle Paul came to the great city of Corinth, he went looking for a job. He found a couple who had set up business as tentmakers. He was happy about this since that was his occupation, too.  This husband-wife team was Aquila and his wife Priscilla. It is interesting that in all but one of the other references in the Bible to this couple, Priscilla is named first. And so, the Bible refers to them as a wife-husband team!

We usually think that in Bible times women had to be silent and stay in the background. Yet the apostle Paul gives great honor to Priscilla. Let’s see why. First, here is what we know about her.

Priscilla (or sometimes called more formally, Prisca) and her husband had apparently met and married in Rome. She had come from a noble Roman family. Aquila was a Jew from Pontus. They had a flourishing tent making business.

In 49 A.D., the emperor Claudius expelled all of the Jews from Rome. So, Priscilla and Aquila moved their business to Corinth. Corinth was the New York City of the first century. It was a major port with a very long history. The people there were as wealthy as anyone could be in those times. They were living there when Paul came around the spring of AD 51.

The three of them worked very hard at their trade. We are not sure if Priscilla and Aquila were converted to Christianity when Paul first met them, but they surely were converted very soon while he stayed in Corinth. Paul founded a church there and after eighteen months of ministry with his new team, the three of them left and went to Ephesus.

Because of their great wealth, Priscilla and Aquila were able to open their home for church meetings. They did this while living in Corinth, Ephesus and later in Rome.

Paul trusted Priscilla and Aquila enough to leave them in Ephesus while he went to Antioch. They opened another branch of their tent making business. They took complete charge of the mission in Ephesus.

A gifted man, named Apollos, came soon after. He was very knowledgeable in the Hebrew Scriptures (the only ones the New Testament believers had!) and he was an eloquent speaker. He was not completely up to date on the Gospel message however. Priscilla and Aquila taught him “the way of God more accurately.” (Acts 18:26) With their help, Apollos went on to be a powerful preacher. The Bible says that Priscilla and Aquila took him aside. We can see from this that Priscilla played an active role in instructing him. She was not just in the background quietly serving refreshments. She was helping to teach Apollos.

She was very successful at her business and there were other successful businesswomen mentioned by Paul as well. There was Lydia, whom Paul had already met in Philippi. (see the posting about Lydia on this Blog.) There was also Chloe, who ran a business in Ephesus. These women all became zealous helpers for Paul. God used them mightily in this way to help spread the Gospel.

Eventually Priscilla and Aquila would end up in Rome. We know this, because Paul sent them affectionate greetings when he wrote a letter to the Roman Christians. There, he also greets the church which is in their house.

Paul tells us that Prisca and Aquila “risked their own necks” to save his life. We do not know the details of that story, but Priscilla is surely to be admired for her courage.

According to tradition, Priscilla and Aquila ended their lives as martyrs.

It is truly wonderful to see this example of a husband and wife team working together, not only at their business, but also in their mission. What a privilege it is for a woman when her husband has a business that she can be a partner in. In a day when women are wondering about whether or not they should be working outside of the home, perhaps they should be considering starting home businesses with their husbands. Or even just starting a home business themselves. There are many, many clever women with an entrepreneurial spirit who have started home businesses. Of course, if the children are small, that is the wife’s first business. But, when the children are older or out of the nest, it is wonderful for women to be able to do something worthwhile.

We should be serving the Lord with the gifts He has given us. Priscilla certainly did!

The Courage to Trust God With Life

Pro-choice?!! I say let’s GIVE THE CHOICE TO THE BABY! Let’s ask the baby what she wants and let her choose. Will she choose life, or will she choose a horrible death by dismemberment or burning by saline solution and eventual suction of her body parts out of her mother’s womb. What do you think she might choose if you asked her?

The women who call themselves ‘pro-choice’ are really hypocrites. They are not the ones whose lives are at stake. They are not the ones who are living helpless in a supposed place of safety – a mother’s womb- hoping that that person who created their life will nurture and care for them. These women are really playing ‘God’.

But only God really gets to choose. He is the author of all of life and He does not allow human beings to murder other human beings.

And that is what abortion is – it’s murder. It is not a ‘choice’.

Here are the stories of two special people who were not killed, because their mothers knew that God had given them a baby and they would accept that baby as from His hand.  These mothers did not know that their children would grow up to be international stars. These mothers simply knew that it was the right thing to do to let their babies live. These mothers knew that only God has the choice. They acted out of love for their babies.

This Blog is about courageous women, but we will include one man here because his story is really about his mother.

“What would the world have been like without Andrea Bocelli, Italian pop, opera, and classical singer? With millions of infants having been victim to abortion, the blind international music sensation has revealed that he too could have been one more abortion statistic,” states Peter J. Smith of LifeSiteNews. (Rome, June 4, 2010)
Andrea Bocelli has been active in a project known as the Whole Life Initiative, which is dedicated to promoting “a respect for the intrinsic dignity of the human person regardless of ability, age, status, ethnicity or sex.”

His own story is very special. He tells it this way:

A young woman was hospitalized and treated for a simple attack of appendicitis. The doctors suggested to his mother that she abort the child because the  child would be born with a disability. “But the young brave wife decided not ot abort,and the child was born,” recounts Bocelli. “That woman was my mother, and I was the child.” Bocelli was born in 1958 to Alessandro and Edi Bocelli. At his birth, doctors diagnosed him as having congenital glaucoma, and by age 12 he was completely blind. 
“Maybe I am partisan, but I can say it was the right choice,” said Bocelli.

Millions of Bocelli’s fans worldwide would agree. In spite of this disability, Bocelli developed a passion for music, that would lead to a career of international hit singles, eight operas, and 70 million copies of his albums.  For years Bocelli used to be an agnostic, but returned to his Christian Catholic faith in 1994 in part due to reading the works of Leo Tolstoy, which are said to have convinced him that life was not random chance, but had a purpose. 
Bocelli said he hoped that the story of his brave mother “could encourage many mothers that find themselves in difficult situations in those moments when life is complicated, but want to save the life of their baby.” (see LifeSiteNews.com for the complete article)

Andrea Bocelli is devoting much time to encouraging other young mothers to carry their babies to birth. He has a video on YouTube and there are other inspiring stories on at the website – IamWholeLife.com.

Another amazing star who has recently told the public that she almost did not live to see the light of day is the singing phenomenon Susan Boyle.

In an article in LifeSiteNews.com, Susan tells her story:

The 49-year-old native of Blackburn, a village in West Lothian, Scotland would never have dreamed the dream of singing on the international stage, if her mother had agreed to abort her on the advice of doctors. In her autobiography, The Woman I Was Born To Be, Susan reveals that doctors recommended a “termination” to her mother, Bridget Boyle, who already was a mother of eight children, because they feared physical complications. Susan said that her mother rejected this advice as “unthinkable” since she was a “devout Catholic.”

When she was born by emergency c-section, doctors did not tell her mother the usual “Congratulations, Mrs. Boyle! A beautiful baby girl.” Susan wrote that doctors took a dismissive view of her life – especially when they suspected brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.

“‘It’s probably best to accept Susan will never be anything,” Susan recounted the doctors telling her mother. “‘Susan will never come to anything so don’t expect too much of her.’”

“I’m sure they had the best of intentions,” she continued, “but I don’t think they should have said that, because nobody can foretell the future.” “What they didn’t know was that I am a bit of a fighter, and I’ve been trying all my life to prove them wrong.” (You can read the rest of her story on LifeSiteNews.com. I encourage you to check in to their site daily and read how many people are fighting for the rights of the unborn.)

No baby is a “mistake”. It may seem that way to the doctors sometimes, but God has created these little ones and he will give the mothers and fathers the courage to care for them. No doctor has the right to tell a mother to kill her child just because the child may be less than perfect. No woman has the right to ‘choose’ to kill her child for the sake of her convenience.

And God has blessed us with the gifts and talents He has given these amazing people whose mothers were brave enough to let them live. What would our world be like without them?

Darlene Deibler Rose, Witness for Christ

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

“The evidence of things not seen.” That is what Darlene Deibler put her trust in when she was interred in a Japanese prison camp during World War II. Things went from horrible to nightmarish when she was sent to Kempeitai, a prison known for torture and murder of prisoners. Expecting to be beaten or killed at any minute, she could still say that faith was “what I put my trust in. . . . in the unchanging Person of Jesus Christ.”  Suddenly she realized that she was singing:

When darkness veils His lovely face,          
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high ad stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

Darlene and her husband Russell had been called by the Lord to serve as missionaries in New Guinea. She was the first white woman that many of the natives had ever seen. They had been working with the Dyaks for only a short time when they heard the announcement over a primitive radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed by the Japanese.

The Japanese quickly took over many of the islands in the Pacific. The missionaries had a very short time to decide if they wanted to stay or leave. After much prayer, they decided to stay. This decision turned out to be the correct one, since the ship they would have left on was torpedoed and sunk only three days later. Darlene said, “It is imperative that we know the voice of the Shepherd and learn to follow Him when He speaks.” She would lean on His voice over the next four years of hardship and heartache. The men and women were eventually separated and sent to different prison camps. Her husband, Russell, would die of disease less than two years later.

At first Darlene was in a women’s prison camp called ‘Kampili’. The Japanese commander made her a barracks leader. Life was hard, but she showed respect to those in charge and avoided trouble.

One day, a spy maliciously gave a false report about her and she was hauled off to Kempeitai, a place of terror, where many were never heard from again. Here, her trust in God would be severely tested. She would go through a dark time, but ultimately remember that Christ is her solid Rock. God graciously spared her, and when you read her story your faith in God’s goodness will increase.

Darlene would be miraculously released from Kempeitai and sent back to the main women’s prison camp. There she would minister to others. Though she was ill all of the time, she actually praised God for His goodness. It is hard for us to imagine here in our comfortable homes how anyone could be thankful for the misery that she underwent. But, Darlene listened as the still, small voice promised her, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (IICorinthians 12:9)

She really needed this comfort when the Allies started bombing the prison camp (the prisoners were not sure why) and the women and children had to hide in knee deep mud in trenches or in wild forests.

I am not going to tell any more of the story. If you really want a boost to your faith, please read the book. Evidence Not Seen: A Woman’s Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II, by Darlene Deibler Rose. (Harper Collins Publishers, originally published in 1988. The newer book has an update written in 2003, which tells how this faithful woman has continued to serve Christ even into old age.) Darlene went to be with the Lord in 2004.

At the beginning of the War, the Lord had given Darlene this verse; Deuteronomy 33:12, “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him; and the Lord shall cover (overshadow) him all the day long and he shall dwell between His shoulders”. This promise of God was not only the cornerstone of her faith during her internment, but demonstrated that God is able to do abundantly exceedingly above all that she could ask or think as this promise remained the firm foundation of her faith all her days on this earth.

Darlene’s story has been a great encouragement to me. It has shown how God loves His children and takes care of them. He does not always give us an easy life. When He allows trials into our lives, He is there to comfort and to teach us to grow. When things are going right for us, we tend to forget God. When we are put into perilous situations, that is when we see His might and power. Reading Darlene’s story will boost your faith!

More Good Books on Women

From time to time I am asked where I hear about all of the women that I write about. It is difficult to find a whole book written about lesser known women, but there are some great works by a woman who has dedicated much time to telling the stories of women in history.

These books by Ruth Tucker are well researched and very interesting to read. I highly recommend them. She has written many other books about Missions as well, if that is a subject you are interested in. One, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, includes the stories of single women missionaries.

—  Tucker, Ruth A., Guardians of the Great Commission: The Story of Women in Modern Missions, (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, 1988)

BACK COVER: “In the early years of the modern missionary movement, women were denied the right to function as bona fide missionaries. However, as wives of missionaries many of them served with distinction. On the home front women zealously supported the cause of missions through fund-raising, publicity campaigns, and prayer circles.
It did not take long before the barriers that kept women from serving as missionaries were broken down. Needs overseas were overwhelming, and missionary wives appealed to their single sisters back home to come and join them. During the last half of the nineteenth century women took up the challenge and went to the mission fields of the world. They soon became a majority – as is still true today.”

This book includes the stories of over 40 women. The role that women have played in missions in the last 200 years is phenomenal, but most people could probably not name more than a few. Ruth Tucker has remedied that situation by writing this book. It is the fascinating story of how women have helped to bring the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the lost all over the entire world.

—  Tucker, Ruth A., Liefeld, Walter, Daughters of the Church: Women and Ministry From New Testament Times to the Present, (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, 1987)

BACK COVER: “Rich in historical events and colorfully written, this fascinating account of women in the church spans nearly two thousand years of church history. It tells of events and aspirations, determination and disappointment, patience and achievement that mark the history of daughters of the church from the time of Jesus to the present.”

Whether you want to read the entire history of how God has used women in the last 2000 years, or focus in on a certain time period, you will find well-researched and documented stories of these women. This volume also has many wonderful pictures, appendixes, and a great 30-page bibliography for further research.

Other books containing multiple stories of women in history are:

—  Zahl, Paul F. M., Five Women of the English Reformation, (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, 2001)

SYNOPSIS:  This book contains the stories of five very courageous women who lived in the sixteenth century. You will find a short account of the lives of several of them on this Blog under “Historical Women”. The book covers:
—  Anne Boleyn (1507 – 1536)
—  Katharine Parr (1514 – 1548)
—  Jane Grey (1537 – 1554)
—  Anne Askew (1521 – 1546)
—  Catherine Willoughby (1520 – 1580)

—  Anderson, James, Memorable Women of he Puritan Times, (General Books, Great Britain, 2009)

SYNOPSIS: In this book you will find the stories of Mary Cromwell, Lucy Apsley, Katharine Boyle, Elizabeth Bunyan (Mrs. John Bunyan of Pilgrim’s Progress), Rachel Wriothesley, Elizabeth Gaunt, Bridget Ireton, and many others who were married to famous Puritans.

This book is copied from an original manuscript and is difficult to read in places. Once you get used to the style, it is not too bad. But the stories are will worth your time and effort. (The publisher has made available digital copies on their website which you can get.)

—  MacArthur,  John, Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You, (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 2005)

BACK COVER: “Celebrated for their courage, vision, hospitality, and spiritual giftedness, it’s no wonder women were so important to God’s plan revealed in the Old and New Testaments. It wasn’t their natural qualities that made these women extraordinary but the power of the one true God whom they worshipped and served.”

The twelve women are: Eve, Sarah, Rahab, Ruth, Hannah, Mary the Mother of Jesus, Anna, the Samaritan Women, Martha and Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Lydia. I am sure that the stories of these women will be as inspiring to you as they are to me. John MacArthur has researched their lives and given us many interesting details that we may not have known before. He tells their stories in such a way that you can relate to these women. They are not just ‘super-spiritual’ beings. They are real flesh and blood women, many of them poor. But they all had one thing in common – they courageously followed the Lord.

My most recent post was about Gianna Jessen. Here is a book you can get to find out more about this remarkable woman. An updated book is coming out in January, 2011.

—  Shaver, Jessica, Gianna: Aborted . .  and Lived to Tell About It, (Focus on the Family Publishing, Colorado Springs, 1995)

BACK COVER: “God is using Gianna Jessen to remind the world that each human being is precious to Him. It is beautiful to see the strength of the love of Jesus which He has poured into her heart. My prayer for Gianna, and for all who listen to her, is that this message of God’s love will put an end to abortion. Let us fight abortion with the power of love.”   Mother Teresa

This book traces the miraculous story of Gianna’s life beginning with the time her mother has made the decision to abort her. The most amazing thing that comes shining through in Gianna’s testimony is her faith in Christ.

In January, 2011, an updated version of   —  Gianna: Aborted . . and Lived to Tell About It, will be available. Here is the review from Amazon.com.

“Gianna Jessen picks up her life story where the book Gianna originally left off. She details her incredible experiences since then, including meeting George Bush and Tony Blair and opposing abortion before legislatures across the globe. (Excerpts from some of her addresses are included). She describes her life mission and desire to not live an ordinary life. Some personal achievements are mentioned such as participating in a marathon. She concludes by addressing a series of FAQs. Over 203,000 copies sold in previous editions.”

 

Gianna Jessen – Witness for Hope and Truth

“My son (or daughter) . . . keep sound wisdom and discretion, so they will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck. Then you will walk in your way securely and your foot will not stumble.” Proverbs 3:21-23

A beautiful picture of one of Christ’s daughters is Gianna Jessen. Her wisdom is truly an adornment around her neck. God has blessed her and given her a secure walk with Christ. Certainly, her foot does not stumble as she goes through life telling her amazing story of God’s love and grace.

If you want to see what a woman of courage looks like, watch the video of Gianna’s speech before the government officials at Queens Hall, Parliament House, in Victoria, Australia. She had been invited there by the Ad Hoc Interfaith Committee to speak out against abortion.

You see, Gianna is a survivor of a saline abortion. She should have been born dead. Instead, after 18 hours of burning up in her mother’s womb in the saline solution, she was born alive. Due to oxygen deprivation during the abortion, she was born with Cerebral Palsy. What is so amazing is that instead of being bitter against God, she is thankful for the opportunity to know Christ and depend on Him.

Faithful followers of Christ are also told that they will “stand before kings”. Gianna did not stay home and feel sorry for herself. She has praised God publicly for the chance to use her affliction and He has given her opportunities to “stand before kings.” This speech at Queens Hall was given on the eve of the debate to decriminalize abortion in Victoria. (September 10, 2008) You can watch this fearless woman of faith bravely stand before the civil representatives and testify for the right to life on”youtube.com”.  Just go to Google and search for her name. There are a number of other amazing videos that you can see as well.

Another group of “kings” which Gianna had the opportunity to stand before was the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, July 20, 2000. On this occasion she was giving testimony for the passage of H.R. 4292, the “Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2000”. I am happy to say that this act did pass.

I am going to copy this entire speech for you, since it contains her story in her own words. (Credit for this copy goes to Evidence For God at godandscience.org)

My name is Gianna Jessen. I would like to say thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I count it no small thing to speak the truth. I depend solely on the grace of God to do this. I am 23 years old. I was aborted and I did not die. My biological mother was 7 months pregnant when she went to Planned Parenthood in Southern California and they advised her to have a late-term saline abortion.

A saline abortion is a solution of salt saline that is injected into the mothers womb. The baby then gulps the solution, it burns the baby inside and out and then the mother is to deliver a dead baby within 24 hours.

This happened to me! I remained in the solution for approximately 18 hours and was delivered ALIVE on April 6, 1977 at 6:00 am in a California abortion clinic. There were young women in the room who had already been given their injections and were waiting to deliver dead babies. When they saw me they experienced the horror of murder. A nurse called an ambulance, while the abortionist was not yet on duty, and had me transferred to the hospital. I weighed a mere two pounds. I was saved by the sheer power of Jesus Christ.

Ladies and gentleman I should be blind, burned…..I should be dead! And yet, I live! Due to a lack of oxygen supply during the abortion I live with cerebral palsy.

When I was diagnosed with this, all I could do was lie there. “They” said that was all I would ever do! Through prayer and hard work by my foster mother, I was walking at age 31/2 with the help of a walker and leg braces. At that time I was also adopted into my wonderful family. Today I am left only with a slight limp. I no longer have need of a walker or leg braces.

I am so thankful for my Cerebral Palsy. It allows me to really depend on Jesus for everything.

When the freedoms of one group of helpless citizens are infringed upon, such as the unborn, the newborn, the disabled and so called “imperfect,” what we do not realize is that our freedoms as a NATION and Individuals are in great peril.

I come today in favor of this Bill, in favor of the Protection of Life. I come to speak on behalf of the infants who have died and for those appointed to death. Learned Hand, a well respected American Jurist (within our own century) said: ” The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias; the spirit of liberty remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded; the spirit of liberty is the spirit of Him who, near 2000 years ago, taught mankind that lesson it has never learned, but has never quite forgotten; that there is a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side by side with the greatest.”

Where is the soul of America?! Members of this committee: where is YOUR heart? How can you deal with the issues of a nation without examining her soul? A murderous spirit will stop at nothing until it has devoured a nation. Psalm 53:1-3 says: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’; they are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.”

Adolph Hitler once said: “The receptive ability of the great masses is only very limited, their understanding is small; on the other hand their forgetfulness is great. This being so, all effective propaganda should be limited to a very few points which in turn, should be used as slogans until the very last man is able to imagine what is meant by such words.” Today’s slogans are: “a woman’s right to choose” and “freedom of choice,” et cetera.

There was once a man speaking from hell (recorded in Luke 16) who said “I am tormented in this flame.” Hell is real. So is Satan, and the same hatred that crucified Jesus 2000 years ago, still resides in the hearts of sinful people today. Why do you think this whole room trembles when I mention the name Jesus Christ? It is because He is REAL! He is able to give grace for repentance and forgiveness to you and to America. We are under the judgment of God – but we can be saved through Christ.

Romans 5:8-10 “But God demonstrates his own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For when we were ENEMIES we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Death did not prevail over me….and I am so Thankful!!

Praise God for this amazing young woman. Please pray for her and pray for the woman who bore her.
If you would like to read more about her, see the book review in the Review Postings on this Blog. There is an updated book coming in January, 2011.

Lydia, Faithful in Hospitality

Lydia fills a remarkable place in the history of the expansion of the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus told His followers to proclaim the Gospel into all the world. In the Old Testament, God had been mostly dealing with His Jewish children. But now, God wants His story of love and salvation to go to everyone, even Gentiles. God’s dealing with Lydia is just one story that illustrates God’s plan for the ages.

Our story is told in the Bible in the book of Acts, chapter 16.  We see at the beginning of our story that Paul had wanted to go to Asia to tell the good news of the Gospel, but the Holy Spirit had forbidden him. Paul then had a vision in the night of a man appealing to him to, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And so, Paul, with Luke joining him, went to Philippi. Here he would make his very first convert –a woman! Her name was Lydia.

Paul and Luke stayed in Philippi for some days, and on the Sabbath they went outside of the city to a riverside looking for the place of prayer that they supposed would be there. It was Paul’s practice to preach in the synagogues first, but in God’s providence, there wasn’t one in Philippi. God led Paul, Luke and the others to speak to the women who were gathered by the riverside.

“A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening: and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” (Acts 16:14).

A woman named Lydia was listening. One of the most exciting things about our story is to see God’s sovereignty in how He brought Lydia to salvation. She was actually from Thyatira, which was located in that area in Asia where Paul originally wanted to go to preach. But now, here she was in Philippi on business. The irony is that, the Gospel has come to Macedonia, and the first European convert is an Asian woman! If Lydia had remained in Asia, she would not have heard the Gospel at this time. How remarkable and amazing God is in arranging things for our lives.

Lydia was a “seller of purple fabrics.” She was a businesswoman, and a very successful one at that. We are also told that she was a “worshiper of God.” Another irony in our story is that Lydia was not a Jewish woman. As we mentioned, Paul usually tried to go to the “Jew first” (Romans 1:16). In Philippi, he was seeking the prayer meeting of the Jews, but his first convert was a Gentile who was seeking God.

“The Lord opened her heart.”  How gracious and wonderful God was to bring Paul into Lydia’s life so she could hear the Gospel and respond with faith in Jesus Christ. She had been worshiping God in the best way she knew how all of these years, and now God graciously brought the Gospel to her. She must have been very loved by God Who changed all of Paul’s plans to make sure that she could be the very first convert in Europe.

“And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.’ And she prevailed upon us. . . . . . . . They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.”

Lydia and her household were baptized. Lydia’s new faith produced instant actions. This meeting was taking place next to a river, so she took advantage of it and was baptized and all of her family and servants with her. In those days, when the head of a household became a believer and was baptized, all of the household was baptized.

“Come into my house and stay.”  Lydia was so thankful for her salvation that she immediately responded with an offer of hospitality. We know since this verse says, “her house” that she was probably a widow. But she apparently decided to keep on running the family business by herself anyway. She must have been doing a good job, because she owned a large enough house to invite Paul and Luke and all of the other disciples who were with them to stay at her house.

Lydia must have been a very courageous woman. She was exposing herself to trouble. Later in this story in the book of Acts, we will see that Paul and Silas would be beaten and imprisoned in Philippi. She took the risk of opening her home to the disciples willingly. Even while Paul and Silas were in prison, she continued to use her home for the place of meeting for the new little church where all of the new believers met for fellowship and prayer.

That is where Paul and Silas went when they left the prison. By this time, many others were coming to Christ. The first church in Europe started inLydia’s home. In a few years, Paul would write an epistle to these Christians who continued to do well in love and service to God.

Lydia is a remarkable example of a courageous woman. She was an exceptional woman who showed amazing courage, thankful for the work of God in her heart. As women, we can all be encouraged by her graciousness, hospitality, sacrificial love for the brethren, servant attitude, and especially her love for her Savior, Jesus Christ.

Women of Courage in the Movies

There have actually been a few good movies made about courageous women. In today’s posting, I will discuss six movies along with a review of each one. I would highly recommend all of these. There are really great companion books for these movies. I will list them at the end of the reviews. As is often the case, the book may be better than the movie.

There have been some movies made that are so inaccurate, that it is not worth wasting your time to watch them, unless you only seek entertainment. There are also some stories on DVD that are somewhat accurate and worth watching if you keep in mind that the director/producers took a lot of liberties with the story. In a future posting, I would like to review some movies that I could recommend with caution.

If you have some suggestions for movie reviews, please list them in the response area at the end of this posting.

“The Inn of the Sixth Happiness”, starring Ingrid Bergman, Curt Jurgens, and Robert Donat.
This is the true story of the missionary, Gladys Aylward and centers around what happened to her after she became a missionary and went to China. It is set during the time that the Japanese invaded China. The Japanese destroyed the town in which she was living and Gladys will have to lead nearly 100 homeless orphans to safety through the enemy lines. This is a very exciting movie, and fairly true to her real life. You can read her own story in:
Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman, by Gladys Aylward.

“Lady Jane”, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Cary Elwes.
I have already posted a story about Lady Jane Gray elsewhere on this Blog. I can hardly imagine a braver teen-ager who ever lived. Imagine standing up to the Queen of England and the top leaders of the Church. It takes incredible courage to stand for your faith in the face of execution. This DVD is historically accurate. I have only one caution. There is a scene with nudity. True, they are married. But if you don’t care for those kind of scenes any more than I do, have your remote handy after Lady Jane is married with your finger on the fast forward button. I think the producers could have left that out of a very stunning movie and not lost anything. There are many books about Lady Jane; the one I like best is:
Lady Jane Gray: Nine Days Queen, by Alison Plowden

“The End of the Spear”, starring many in the cast.
This film is based on the true story of a group of missionaries who went to serve in the Amazon jungle. Five of the missionary men paid the ultimate price of love for their fellow men with their lives when they were killed by the tribesman. The martyrs’ brave widows and families decide to stay among the natives in Ecuador and continue to serve God as they had planned. Because of their faithfulness, some of the tribes people come to know the Lord. This is a really touching story of forgiveness, sacrifice, courage, and redemption. One of the wives of the original martyrs, Elisabeth Elliot, has gone on the serve the Lord all of her life. She has written an excellent book which tells the original story that the movie is based on.
Through Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot.

“The Hiding Place”, starring Jeannette Clift and Julie Harris.
This movie has been seen by literally millions of people. It is the story of Corrie ten Boom, her sister, and her father. They work with the underground in Holland to rescue the Jews from the horrible persecution of the Nazis. Corrie and her sister risk arrest and execution for doing this; nevertheless they help to save the lives of countless Jewish families. Corrie and her sister, Betsie do get caught and sent to a concentration camp. What happens there is miraculous. This is a thrilling movie of faith, courage, and love.
There are many, many books written about the ten Booms, including some excellent children’s books. The original book has been read by over 8,000,000 people and deserves to be read by everyone.
The Hiding Place, by John and Elizabeth Sherrill and Corrie ten Boom

“Sophie Scholl: The Final Days”, starring a young woman who won an award for best actress, Julia Jentsch.
I have already posted a story about Sophie Scholl on this Blog. You can go there to read more details about this incredibly brave young woman who faced execution for her stance against injustice. I highly recommend the DVD. Her trial as she faces the Gestapo is awe-inspiring to say the least. Those who remained silent while Hitler was committing his atrocities against the Jews would certainly have felt very uncomfortable as Sophie called the German people to take personal responsibility for their loss of freedoms. She is a shining example of courage.
A good book to get that will explain more about her life and her experiences in the underground is:
Sophie Scholl and the White Rose, by Jud Newborn and Annette Dumbach

“The Sound of Music”, starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and others.
You might be surprised that I included this movie. It is a good story, and though the actors are very “Hollywood-ish”, the DVD is worth watching again and again just to listen to the music if nothing else.

The story is about a real woman however, who did marry an Austrian widower and then have to escape with her family from Austria to come eventually to the United States. They were a very talented, and devout family. (I saw the real Von Trapp Family Singers on TV – probably the Ed Sullivan show – when I was a youngster. In this picture you can see the real Maria playing her guitar and singing with some children in Austria. Two great books that I highly recommend are:
Maria: My Own Story, by Maria Von Trapp
The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, by Maria Augusta Trapp

Mary, the Mother of John Mark

It did not take long after Jesus’ disciples began to spread the Gospel that they suffered persecution. The Jewish leaders who put Jesus to death wanted to stop Peter and John from spreading what they thought of as a “rebellion”. The leaders could not answer Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God. Jesus backed up His claim with many miracles, including the raising of Lazarus from the dead. They thought the best way to stop Jesus was to put Him to death. After the crucifixion, they thought they had won, but now, here came Jesus’ disciples, Peter and John, doing miracles in His name.

Yes, this is the same Peter and John who were so frightened when Jesus was arrested that they ran away and hid. They feared arrest and death.
After His resurrection, Jesus forgave Peter. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came and gave the apostles the courage and power to go out and preach the Gospel in spite of the dangerous opposition that they would face.

Soon in their ministry, Peter and John healed a lame beggar at the temple. They said, “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene – walk!”  (Acts 3:6) Then Peter explained to the Jewish people who were watching this miracle that the One Whom they had put to death recently was none other than Jesus Christ, “the Prince of life, the One Whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:15).  The bible tells us that thousands believed because of the miraculous healing of the lame man and Peter’s testimony.

Again, the religious leaders had no answer to this miracle. They knew that too many people had witnessed the healing and they began to wonder what to do about it. They warned the apostles to stop, but the disciples continued to heal people and preach the Gospel and many thousands believed in Jesus.

The Jewish leaders became angry and impatient at this and began to persecute Christians with a vengeance. Many were tortured, imprisoned, and put to death.
One day, King Herod decided to please the Jewish leaders by arresting some Christians. He had James, the brother of the apostle John, put to death. The Jews were happy about this, so Herod proceeded to arrest Peter also. Herod put Peter in a prison with four squadrons of soldiers to watch over him, but an angel of the Lord helped Peter escape. (This exciting story is in Acts 12.)

At this point, Peter went to the home of someone whom he thought would shelter and protect him. He went to the home of Mary, the mother of his friend, John Mark.

Mary must have been a very courageous woman. She was aware of the persecution of the Christians, and had no doubt heard about the martyrdomof James. She knew that she risked arrest and imprisonment for helping the followers of Christ. In spite of possible grave danger to herself, she opened her home as a place for believers to meet and encourage one another. The Christians were gathered there praying, when Peter knocked on her door.

Mary is one of those remarkable women in the New Testament who are mentioned only once. But just as in the story of Anna the prophetess, Luke, the author of Acts, gives us enough details in this one verse to know and understand much about this courageous woman.

Since the house is referred to as her house, and not her husband’s, she was probably a widow. She was also wise enough to run her own household.

We know from Colossians 4:10 (where Paul sends greetings from other brethren, including “Barnabas’s cousin Mark”) that Barnabas was John Mark’s cousin. Therefore, Mary was this famous disciple’s aunt.

Her work in the support of the early church must have been well known. Peter knows right where to go after his miraculous escape from prison. Not only was he well guarded, but he gets by two different guard stations and finally outside an iron gate. The angel leads him for a while along a street and then departs from him. Peter is left alone but he knows that he can go to the home of Mary for help and protection.

Mary must have been a truly devoted follower of Jesus to have raised such a faithful son as John Mark. He was a young man at the time of our story, but he continued steadfast in faith and was used as a fellow worker in the Gospel along with his cousin Barnabas, the apostle Paul, and even Peter.  He eventually wrote the Gospel that is called after his name. Much of this can be attributed to the faith-filled influence of his extraordinary mother, Mary.

Mary is a wonderful example of courage for us. She must have known about the defection of all of the disciples when Jesus was arrested. They feared a very real danger. She knew of the persecution going on all around her. But, she trusted God to take care of her as she served Him by aiding the believers in the early church. She knew what was the right thing to do and she bravely faced whatever might come her way to follow the Lord.

Abigail, Godly Wife

The story of Abigail and David is often told as an Old Testament romance. God does reward them with a happy marriage at the end of the story, but there is much more about the life of Abigail that is remarkable.

At the time our story takes place, (which you can read about in ISamuel, chapter 25), Saul is the king of Israel. You may remember that the Israelites were at war with the Philistines during these times. When David was a lad, he fought the champion of the Philistines, the giant Goliath. After that he went to work at the palace for Saul. As Saul grew older, he became jealous of David. He even threatened to kill him, so David had to go away and hide from Saul. He was on the run. He had a large following of men who stayed with him, living in the wilderness of Paran. There he was not only safe from Saul, but he was able to be of real service to his countrymen by protecting the large flocks which pastured far and wide from the predatory raids of the wild tribes of the desert.

One of the people that David protected was Nabal, a wealthy land owner. Nabal had many flocks of sheep. A special time for sheep farmers was when they did the shearing. It was a time of rejoicing, for when the fleeces were sold, there would be much money and a big celebration. Nabal had sold his wool and was throwing a huge party. Because David and his men had protected Nabal’s sheep, they felt that they should be invited to the celebration. David sent a delegation of ten men to greet Nabal and ask for something in return for his service.

Nabal answered David’s men roughly and sent them away empty handed. He had insulted them by acting as if he didn’t even know who they were. They went back to tell David about Nabal’s rejection, and when David heard this, he was very angry. He had four hundred men put on their swords and follow him back to Nabal’s place.

In the meantime, one of Nabal’s servants had heard how he mistreated David’s emissaries. This servant ran and told Abigail, Nabal’s wife. He told her all about how David and his men had protected them all those months that they tended the sheep. Abigail immediately resolved to take action.

The Bible tells us that Abigail was not only beautiful, but intelligent. She knew what needed to be done, and that it had to be done quickly. She had the servants load up some food and beverages and put them on donkeys. She told them to go on ahead of her to meet David. She herself followed on her donkey as soon as she could.

Imagine what courage she must have had. She had heard that David and four hundred armed soldiers were coming after her husband. She had no way of knowing what the outcome would be. She did not know if he was so angry that he would punish everyone before she had a chance to talk to him. She may have been trembling when she saw David, but she met him bravely. She got down off of her donkey and bowed to the ground and begged him to listen to her.

She asked him to put all of the blame on her. She told him to treat her as his maidservant. She apologized for not knowing sooner about the young men that David had sent to see Nabal.  She begged him to accept the gift of food that she had brought.

Now, the Bible tells us that Nabal was a worthless and foolish man. He was harsh and evil in all his doings. In spite of this, Abigail was a loyal wife. Some have criticized her because she took the very large quantity of food to David without telling her husband. She did not try to tell Nabal until the next morning. Some have said that she is not a good example of a submissive wife. But, consider:
–  The midwives lied to Pharoah. (to save the baby boys.)
–  Rahab lied to her king. (to preserve the Israelite spies.)
–  Jonathan lied to Saul about David’s whereabouts.
–  Peter and John disobeyed the religious rulers. They said, “We must obey God rather than men.”

We are not advocating rebellion here, only a closer look at what the Bible actually says about people’s actions. They knew something that we do not always know – what was in God’s will. We know that it was in God’s providence that Nabal’s servant overheard what was happening and ran to tell Abigail. We know that God used Abigail to prevent David from taking vengeance, because the Scriptures record her actions and her words to David.  We know that God’s Spirit put those wise words in Abigail’s mouth and that the Spirit caused David to listen. Abigail reminded David that when he became king, he would regret his actions. She did not want David to have, “grief or a troubled heart,…both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself.” After all, it is up to God to punish evildoers.

David listened to the words of this very wise woman. Then he gave thanks to God for her, and he thanked her.

“Then David said to Abigail, ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who has kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.’” (ISamuel 25:32,33).

Later, God would punish Nabal. In only a few days time, God struck Nabal and he died, probably from some kind of stroke. Abigail was now a widow.

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he was thankful that God had kept him from committing the serious crime of murder. He had also been impressed with the wisdom and courage of Abigail. What a fitting wife she would make for a king. She would be a companion and advisor to him.

So David sent a proposal to Abigail. When his servants arrived at her home, she quickly accepted. She rode on her donkey again to meet him, this time to become his wife.