The devastation in Alabama is heartbreaking and like most of you I want to help! Thanks to Robin, a friend of the Grace post we have the opportunity contribute. She is from Alabama and has teamed up with a church in her home state. Robin will be taking donated items to be distributed while she is there. Would you help us fill her car? They do not have stores to shop, let’s help Robin take the store to them.

We will be receiving donations tomorrow at my house. To let me know you are coming and for directions Contact me keri@thegracepost.com

Here’s what they need:

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Premixed baby formula (the liquid, not dry.)
  
• Sunscreen with bug repellent in it
• Tarps
• can openers
• feminine hygiene products
  

DEADLINE to donate is 9pm! I hope to see some of you tomorrow!

So where does this leave the wife and children who are beaten and abused? Does the Bible say anything to them?

I believe He gives some instruction through the story of Abigail.

Conflict and Chaos

Nabal was a wealthy and powerful man. He owned land, three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. David, once a lowly shepherd, is now anointed King of Israel. While he was in Nabal’s land he and his band of men had helped protect the sheep and servants. In those days there were not corner markets to get food and supplies. People were dependent on the kindness of strangers.

It was an egregious affront to David when Nabal begain to hurl insults at him and refuse to help him and his army. David is infuriated and decides to kill Nabal and all his men.  Yikes!  What David plans to do shocks us, but it would not have been shocking given his culture.

Enter Abigail. She is a beautiful and strong woman. The servants come and plead with her to do something so they are not all annihilated. Obviously, these servants and people knew what kind of man Nabal was and went directly to Abigail to make her aware of the situation. She leaps to action and gathers breads, wine, and meat to try to change the mind of this man who would kill her people. She does not ask her husband. She just protects her people.

Wait a minute!

Isn’t she supposed to be submissive in all things? Isn’t she supposed to say “lord, lord,” like Sarah? What Abigail does seems to fly in the face of that teaching.

I assure you it does not. Women I beg you. I am pleading with you. If there is a man in your life who is going to harm you or your children you must do the Biblical thing.

Stop him.

Submissive in Spirit

Here are a few reasons to think about what Abigail does and the motivation behind it.

1.       She knows her husband well. She does not doubt what the servant tells her because she knows her husband’s pattern of behavior.

2.       She leaps into action. She gathers food for David and rides down to meet him herself.

3.       She asks for protection for her family.

Abigail has done what was necessary to protect her people, but the story does not end there.

She goes back home and in the morning tells her husband what she has done. I think that is clear evidence of a submissive heart. The Bible does not tell us that she yells and screams at him. She does however communicate the details of the day.

Abigail remains in a submissive spirit even to her foolish husband. Certainly in our day and age of constant communication it would be simple enough to give an explanation of why you left and won’t come back until he gets help in a safe environment.

Protected and Blessed

God protects Abigail. As she tells her husband his heart fails and he turns to stone. Nabal would never again harm her or her family. When he dies 10 days later she is left a widow. In our culture being left a wealthy widow is sad but not financially devastating. She can go on and live in a financially comfortable state. That is not the case in this culture. All property and wealth has to be held and go through a man.

By marrying Abigail, David protects her from this most sure ruin. As much as I find myself cringing at the idea of him having more than one wife, it was an act of kindness on the part of David.

I am in no way saying that if you leave an abusive husband, the Lord will immediately punish him and you will be destined to marry a king.

I am saying that if you are forced to leave an abusive husband, God will take care of you. He will not forsake those who protect children.

Most people (I think) thought of this as cute denial.

My candle of choice...Thanks Joanna!

29 & 4/2…doesn’t have quite the adorable ring to it. It sounds more like an grown up in desperation.

So here I am.

Thirty-one.

That is a scary age for me.

When I was 24 I had my first baby, Ethan. I knew my life was changing but it was a purposeful choice to have babies in my twenties and then restart a career in my thirties.

Ethan Sweetness!

When I was 27 I had Micah and then I knew exactly when my grown-up life would start, 32.

For 6 years I’ve been home caring for small children and I have been looking ahead to 32. I have watched with some envy as many of my friends who know exactly what they were put on this earth to do.  When I was in my twenties I thought “when I’m 30 I’ll know what I’m going to do with my life.”

Wrong.

So, 31 scares me because I see 32 staring back at me and I have no idea what I’m going to do when it gets here.

Thirty-one is also a happy age because I know change is coming, and I’m excited to see what God has for me next.

So after this initial introduction their conversation continues. The wise woman goes on to tell him “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?” I find it interesting that she appeals to his sensibilities. She gives him advice to calm down and stop terrorizing peaceful people. She asks him to think of the peaceful people he is going to victimize. Isn’t that just like a man, so focused on the goal that he loses sight of the other things around him? I realize that is a generalization, but since I’ve already committed the sin, isn’t it just like a woman to be concerned with the innocent people in her town?

He in turn responds “”Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bicri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.” It is clear that Joab does not want to destroy innocent people; he just wants to capture and kill Sheba.

Without hesitation she responds “His head will be thrown to you from the wall.” She was authoritative in her response to Joab. She had brokered a deal for peace and she was happy with the arrangement.

So the wise woman instructs the people of Abel and they cut off Sheba’s head and throw it over the wall to Joab. Her wisdom is welcomed by the people of the town and they follow her instructions. I’m sure the people were happy to oblige Joab’s request and spare their city. It’s still astounding to me at their reaction to her wisdom. Apparently they willingly capture and kill Sheba, all at the voice of a woman.

This story excites me! Not only does this woman save the King, she also saves her city from the attack of Joab. The result of her wisdom was peace. The Lord could have used anyone but He chose a wise woman. I tend to think this woman provided balance to what could have been a disastrous situation. God created women to complete the man. I love the interaction between this man and woman. Both of their strengths are easily viewed by the reader.

As women, sometimes I think we hear two messages. One tells us to be submissive and meek in all areas of life. Another message is that women should rule the world and tell their husband’s what to do. Obviously both of the messages are flawed, and this wise woman is one more example from Scripture. This story just illustrates the great influence women can have among God’s people when she is wise and follows God’s Word. That means living in submission to God’s authority while being completely available for His use. God used a nameless woman to save a city and a King. Wouldn’t it be great if the Lord would use one of us to change our city? We never know when God might call on us to do something extraordinary.

Something else I want to point out, this is the third time in the Bible where we find a woman actively saving the life of David. Michal covered for him as he fled from King Saul. Abigail intervened on David’s behalf and eventually married him. This wise woman delivered the head of a man who would kill him. I realize this is a side track to the original message but when I thought of this it added to my amazement at God’s use of women.

Ultimately, the question I think of is “are you living in such a way that God can use you?” While God may not call you to save the world, are you daily living in such a way that He could? I believe God has a special plan for all of us. God is waiting to use you in a mighty way. Strive to be a wise woman so you can be ready when you are called on to serve Him.

While some religions debase women, our God does not. The opposite is true. In Scripture we see the Lord uses women in many incredible ways. Even though many heroes in the Bible remain nameless, their stories are timeless and encouraging. God loves using ordinary women to do extraordinary things. That is exactly what happened with the wise woman in 2 Samuel 20.

Let me set the stage for the story. Absalom has just caused havoc and been killed; now David has a new enemy named Sheba. The passage tells us that he was a man of Belial (Satan) and was of the tribe of Benjamin. He rallies the people of Israel to go against King David. While the rest of Israel goes against David, Judah remains firmly with their king. While this coup is going on, David sends Amasa to gather troops throughout Judah to stop Sheba. In the meantime, Joab pretends to befriend Amasa and kills him instead. Joab becomes a man on a mission. His sole focus is Sheba and he does not care what happens except that Sheba is dead.

On his tear throughout the country he comes to Abel. He and his troops decide that Sheba is in Abel and they are ready to take over the city and do anything to finish him. I can totally see this picture can’t you. A huge gang of men raising up against a city. The Bible tells us :“While they were battering the wall to bring it down, A wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.”

He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”

“I am,” he answered.

She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”

“I’m listening,” he said.

At this point in the story I’m already hooked. Can you imagine a woman doing this? Joab’s response is even more amazing, he listens to what this wise woman has to say. Her reputation among the people of Abel must have been above reproach. She requests a meeting with him and he obliges her request. The truth and wisdom from this act teaches a great lesson. The Bible tells us to ask and we shall receive, It also tells us to go to the person who has offended us and speak with them. Both of those passages were written much later than this story, yet the principle is already seen here.

I can think of times when I have felt oppressed and intimidated by people before, I’m sure you have too. I felt like there was nothing I could do, or that even if I spoke up they would not listen to me anyway. While all those feelings may turn out to be accurate, if I do not speak up and voice my objection, how can I hold the other person accountable for things I thought they would do?

So what I learn from this wise woman is to just speak calmly and clearly to the person who is offending me. If you feel intimidated, ask the Lord for wise words to say and approach the problem with humility. The Bible tells us nothing of this woman except that she is wise, and her wisdom is obvious right from the beginning of the story. Asking specifically for what we want and working toward peace with others is wisdom you and I can put into practice today.

The story does not end here, but my post today does. I will post a conclusion later on this week

This is what I encountered on my way to set up for the Women of Acts event yesterday morning.

We must be local traffic, the Inn is right around this corner.

Seriously?

Panic does not begin to describe the way I felt as I took the suggested 20 minute detour to the Inn I was only .2 miles away from when I met the sign. Panic because I had already annoyed everyone with too many e-mails with directions taking them down this exact road. Panic because I knew this detour was nuts and there was a quicker way. Frustrated that I had no idea the road was closed ahead of time.

You’re getting the picture. It was quite a trip.

There were other various and crazy road blocks to the day. Kylee described  it as “quirky” and think that is a most fitting description.

Even with the quirks that were bringing my mood lower and lower, and the stress higher and higher, something amazing happened.

An amazing event

• Photo Booth Entertainment made the night special. I think everyone had their picture made more than once. What girl doesn’t love to dress up and make pictures? David was so much fun to have at our party. I am grateful to call him and his family my friends.
• All of the coupon deal sites that sponsored us! They were so helpful to an event they could not even attend. These are women I have never met but supported us.Please check out their sites which are right on our website. They can give you all the tips, tricks, and deals to spending your money wisely.
• The week of art camp from the Bob Jones Museum and Gallery was so much fun to give away.
• Steve our accountant came and counted the receipts for us. Thank you!
• Molly and Brynn, came and helped us with serving and welcoming girls to our party. I love their servant hearts.

All these things are wonderful and had a huge impact on the evening. The part that brings the most joy and gratitude to my heart are all the women who came. Each one that came through the door added happiness and light to the event. Without each one our party would a dull and boring and quite frankly, not much of a party.

The result of this event blows my mind and some of the girls who couponed to get their food are just amazing!

Jessica Cary won our couponing contest {drum roll please} $124.04 for just $3.69!

Kylee, my partner in crime, brought $300 for $30!

Are you as amazed as I am?

Here is the photographic evidence of what we gathered. I was told that one of these giant boxes holds about 300 canned goods. 33 women filled 4 of them.

Full to the brim.

Incredible.

{I hope you enjoy the following pictures to give you a glimpse into our evening.}

Some of the Giveaways!

Goody Bags including a cookie and $25 to either Soby's or the Lazy Goat!

Thank you so much for Real Deals for this gorgeous decor!

Cupcakes

However this is one face lift I am thrilled to have happen! I just love how the Grace post looks now! I had nothing to do with it…Daniel did this redesign for me. This got me thinking about all the things he does for me. My marketing for Women of Acts would be nigh unto impossible without Daniel doing all that website work for free.

To help out with the Grace post though is more than I deserve. This is closer to a hobby and he has spent hours making my hobby more fun and pretty.

I am grateful for Daniel taking my ideas and making them a reality.

This morning my husband went downstairs to get some breakfast and he found Micah already up, dressed, and in the playroom. Two of the Mighty Beans had gone missing and he just had to find them! So later in the morning when it actually was breakfast time for Micah, we prayed that Jesus would help us find the Mighty Beans.

After breakfast he went back to work looking for his Beans. After another 20 minutes of looking he found both of them. We praised Jesus for helping him.

In the past few weeks I’ve been studying and writing about the Sovereignty of God, free will, and prayer. I often find my mind spinning in circles as I try to make sense of it all. One of the arguments against a full prayer life is that “If God knows everything that will happen why pray?” This morning the Mighty Bean incident gave me one more argument for prayer. It builds faith.

Did God know that we would find that tiny Mighty Bean? Yes.

Would Micah’s faith in the power of God been strengthened had we not prayed? No way.

This might seem like a silly example to you but it illustrates an important power of prayer. Prayer does change things. He asks us to pray without ceasing. He wants to hear us and He wants to answer us.

The gift of answered prayer is not simply getting what we want. It gives us a clear opportunity to bring glory to God and it builds our faith in Him.

Missions work is so often put into a very tight category of planting a church in another country. Missions work is far more than that. In truth, we should all be missionaries in whichever field we find ourselves working. Yet what about providing justice throughout the world for the poor and oppressed? Is not caring for people in their affliction real religion? Should we not send people to minister to “the least of these?”

The poor and oppressed in our world are often left wanting, often because a culture has just accepted slavery as a normal part of life. Other times it is our ignorance of a problem. In Southeast Asia, there is slavery going on toward the poor that is harsh and inhumane. There are very few people in their community who are able to bring this evil to justice which ultimately results in their liberty.

I’ve always been aware that the Bible tells us to care for the poor and needy around us. My mind automatically moves to physical needs like food, clothes, and shelter. While I have been doing some research on this topic I came across several verses discussion how we should treat the poor when it comes to justice.

When describing evil people Amos 2:7 says, “They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.”

“Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.”Psalms 82:3-4

We are told defend and deliver the poor and needy. Not just care for their physical needs. We need to root out the oppression keeping them poor and needy. God is just and He hates oppression. He loves mercy. It takes a heart of mercy and humility to stop oppression and fuel righteous justice.

Too often in life we hear about a need, and say to ourselves “That’s too bad.” And move on with our lives. Bothered by the cruelty someone else is enduring, but ignorant of a way in which we can work to change it.
I want to introduce two people who are not merely sympathizing with those who are hurting. They are taking action to help. Kyle and Erica leave for Southeast Asia on Valentine’s Day to work for the next year defending people who are living their lives in brutal slavery. Beaten and sexually exploited, these people have no hope for release from their bondage, unless someone comes and speaks for them in court. This is exactly what Kyle and Erica will be doing; defending the poor and oppressed and demanding justice against those who abuse them.

They are moving halfway across the world, leaving family, friends, and material comforts to minister to people through justice. Denying themselves to take up the cause of people they do not know, but people who desperately need their help. They are actively living out Scripture in one of its purest forms.

God does not call all of us across the ocean to minister, but He does call us to serve him with our talents and abilities wherever we are. We can do this by financially supporting these ministries that care for the poor. We can help a neighbor who is in need. We cannot neglect our calling to serve those around us. For in this service we show Christ’s love, and further the Gospel. The Bible says that they will see Christ through our good works. We do not work to earn salvation, we work because we live to glorify the God who saves us and to show His goodness to the lost around us.

If you would like to know more about their ministry or would like to support them, visit their website:

www.kyleanderica.net