Why I started this blog...

Some of you might wonder, "why did she name her blog 'The Opportunity"? Well, it all started with this poem and others like it.
Opportunity
By Edward R. Still
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:-
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields,
A prince’s banner wavered, then staggered backward hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle’s edge,
And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel –
That blue blade that the king’s son bears– but this
Blunt thing!”– he snapped and flung it from his hand.
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.

After I had read this I thought about how much we have changed from the way in which the Reformers and Puritans lived. How we have strayed so far from having that straight line drawn between right and wrong, godly and sinful. We, as Christians, should stand up for our faith, not run when the battle gets hard or looks like we will loose! What kind of example are we to the world if we just shrug our shoulders and say "we'll just live and let live"? Did Christ do that when He spoke to the Pharisees? No, very much the opposite. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Matthew 23:27

So what then should we do as His ambassadors? 

For myself I enjoy writing and talking about issues and at times a bit too much. So I chose to have a blog where I can share what God has put on my hear. I hope this blog is an encouragement and exhorts you in your God given roles. Please feel free to leave a note or thought. Is there something that you disagree with or something that you would like to hear my opinion on? I'd love to hear from you!

I hope you all enjoy my Opportunity. 

Lay Hold of Christ

By L. C. Bryan

 Laying down our sins at His feet

 Aiming for Christ's higher calling
 Yielding to whatever He wills us to do.
        
 Honoring His holy name all life long
 Over all things God's word is truth
 Leaving all the world's lusts behind
 Delighting always in God's glory and power.
                                         
 Offering up praise to the Holy One
 Forever laying aside wanton pleasures.
                           
 Chosen from the beginning of time
 His word we are to spread throughout the world
 Rejoicing through all adversity in Him who concord death
 Irresistible grace while still dead in sin
 Sustained by the blood of the Lamb
 Taking all our sins to the cross.

What a Godly Keeper at Home (Or Housewife) is Not

By Stacy McDonald
(An excerpt from Passionate Housewives Desperate For God)       

       A godly keeper at home is absolutely not a lesser human being, a mindless robot, or a placid doormat under submission to all men; rather, she is created in the very image of God and equal worth and value compared to man (Genesis 1:26-28). She is the crown of her husband (Proverbs12:4, a helper suitable for him (Genesis 2:18). Because she trusts God's wisdom in establishing perfect order for His creation, she willingly submits to her own husband as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22-24).

      In God's economy, the godly housewife is no man's slave or piece of personal property; for her worth is “far above rubies” Proverbs 31:10. Nonetheless, she eagerly admits to being Christ's slave, which paradoxically makes her free indeed (1 Corinthians 7:22). She laughs when she hears rumors that she is an oppressed victim of a male-dominated dictatorship, because she knows that god's will is perfect and his Word timeless. Her place in society isn't ruled by the culture, but by God's unchanging and eternal Word. By His grace, she has no desire to question His ways (Isaiah 55:8); on the contrary, she rests in them.

      Hardly childish or unintelligent, a godly keeper at home opens her mouth with wisdom (Proverbs 31:26) and her husband and children praise her (Proverbs 31:28. She has opinions and ideas, and uses them for god's glory—not her own. She takes joy in being a helpmate to her husband so that her “husband is known in the gates” Proverbs 31:23 and so that his heart “safely trusts in her” and he “has no lack of gain” Proverbs 31:11.

       Though the counterfeit lure and charm of the seductress seeks to deceive and entice the housewife's husband, the godly woman's garden is filled with fragrant spices and delicious fruits (Song of Solomon 4;16). As she ravishes her husband's heart he sings of how her love is better than wine and her scent finer than expensive perfume (Song of Solomon 4:9-10). She is a “fruitful vine” at her husband's table Psalm 128:3, and the fruit of her body is blessed (Deuteronomy 28:4).

        Far from being a household drudge chained to her stove, the godly keeper at home is “like a merchant ship; she brings her food from afar” Psalm 31:14. Proverbs 31 reveals to us how a godly housewife impacts her community in various ways—feeding the poor, making purchases for the proper running of her household, dealing in wisdom with employees, and selling her homemade hoods. She is known in the community and honors her husband by representing him well while in public, yet her hub of productivity and her primary focus is the place she most loves to be—her home.

         The godly keeper at home wisely governs the household that God places in her care so that prudence ad sound judgment rule her decisions rather than covetousness or folly. Though she may wear pearls and high heels, she realizes that “charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” Proverbs 31:30.

Dispelling the Myth

Stacy McDonald

(Excerpt from Passionate Housewives, Desperate For God)

'Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is price is far above rubies'

Proverbs 31:10

       In the 1970s, the pro-feminist bestseller Stepford Wives turned the traditional housewife into a mindless, husband-pleasing, yes-woman who was literally heartless—because, come to find out, she was actually a robot. The message was clear: a woman who faithfully serves her family, loves pleasing her husband, and joyfully takes care of her home (from home) is not a “real person,” but a contrived fantasy of her overbearing and selfish husband.

       Instead of treasuring women and properly utilizing their gifts, our culture has attempted to discard the beauty and uniqueness of biblical womanhood and create an emotionally androgynous power-woman whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, and her money-making potential. Rather than women renouncing this affront to their dignity, amazingly, the slaves are demanding their slavery!

       In place of the glorious picture painted for us in Scripture of the passionate keeper at home, a hollow counterfeit has emerged—a desperate image concocted and promoted by Hollywood stereotypes, magazine models, and women's self-help books.

      The rise of the Internet has only added to the confusion. As women have gravitated to the web en masse, they have met a flood of men and women of all backgrounds and persuasions propounding conflicting notions of what it means to be a woman. The cacophony of ideas and teachings that today's Christian women must wade through as they contemplate their rightful place in God's created order can be simply overwhelming.

      Of course, the challenge of determining the meaning of true biblical womanhood is not unique to our time. While today's women may be bombarded with more media steams than their counterparts of previous generations, biblical femininity has always been an unusual quality. This is what led king Lemuel's mother to observe, “who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10. Virtuous women have always been rare, and oh, how precious they are!

The Wicked Always Despise the Godly

'The wicked hate the godly; there is enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent Gen. 3:15. As in nature there is an antipathy between the vine and the bay tree, the elephant and the dragon. Vultures have an antipathy against sweet smells: so in the wicked there is an antipathy against the people of God; they hate the sweet perfumes of their graces. It is true the saints have their infirmities; but the wicked do not hate them for these, but for their holiness; and from this hatred ariseth open violence: the thief hates the light, therefore would blow it out.’
Thomas Watson

Books That You too Might Enjoy!

 I just noticed that it's been almost 3 years since I've posted some books that I've enjoyed reading. So here are a few that I've read and enjoyed! 

First up is Hostage Lands By Douglas Bond. Mr. Bond has done a wonderful job writing true Christian historical fiction. Not at all like those "Christian" historical fiction books that all focus around "true love" and how the guy can marry the girl. No, these books are using real times in history and bringing them to life with fictional characters. Also every book is full of Christ and His word. 

Prisoners of the Sea By Florence M. Kingsley is wonderful! I just finished this book last month and loved it. It's a fictional story of the Huguenot persecution in the 17th century. I don't want to give away the story line but a group of shipwrecked people end up on an island with mysteries around every corner. Who built the lovely château and gardens? Where did everyone go? It's a wonderful story of adventure, courage, trusting in God no matter what, and never compromising our Christian morals. 

The White Knights By W. E. Cule is another Lamplighter book that I have greatly enjoyed! It is about a young boy and his sister in England who's parents are missionaries in China. The boy, Horace was interested in knights, shining armor, and battles as most boys his age normally are. Through time he is mentored by the pastor in the town. Slowly he learns that he too can be a knight, righting human wrongs and saving the day. It's a wonderful book to read aloud to younger children as well as to just your self!

I must say this is my favorite poetry book of all time!
Worthy is the Lamb - Puritan Poetry In Honor of the Savior Edited by Dr. Don Kistler & Joel Rishel
This book has the best collection I have seen yet! Men that most have never even heard of, yet their writings are of such God honoring, praise rendering, soul humbling poems that one can't help but look to Christ through them! I have posted a few poems from this books in the past year and I hope to post more of them this year. If you don't have the book, get it! It's worth every cent!

Then there is Passionate Housewives, Desperate for  God By Stacy McDonald and Jenny Chancey. This book I'm in the middle of reading right now and enjoying it very much!  I hope to post some portions of it throughout this year. It covers many of the topics, from a true keeper at home to what women were made to be and do vs. men. All based on God's word.
It's easy to read and understand. If you're married, have children, going to have children, or even a young single women, this is a wonderful book of encouragement, reminders, and soul satisfying trues of the Christian woman's place, goals, and duties. 

I have enjoyed reading this book.  I have yet to read all of the articles that it contains. It has such a wonderful selection of subjects that anyone who wishes to grow stronger and delve deeper in the Word would enjoy it. I've posted a couple of the articles this last couple of weeks and later this year I'll make sure to add a couple more. 

       Do you have some of these books? Please feel free to comment on this post and share what you enjoyed about that book! 

Here are a few of the best places to get good true Christian books ~ 

       Lamplighter who sells only reprints of long lost Christian literature. They also just started making some of those books into dramatized audio books which I think are amazing! I have 4 of them so far and found them to be well acted, good sound, and very good in recreating the books their copied from. 

     Banner of Truth  is a wonderful resource for adding godly books to your bookshelf. You'll never see more amazing works form some of the greatest Puritans, Reformers, and men that gave their lives for spreading God's Word. 

    Vision Forum has lots of books for the whole family and individuals to read! You can find books on family health, starting a farm, raising God fearing children, what to look for in a possible spouses for your children, history from a biblical prospective, beginner books on reading, historical fiction for young and old alike, and much more!

Start your own library of good Christian books! You'll be amazed at how much you'll learn and grow as a godly man or women when you fill your mind with wonderful Christ honoring books!