|
|
Volume 01 Number 03 ~ Sep, 2006 |
Welcome
Much has happened since I last wrote to you all. Life moves on, and it is hard to ensure ‘busy-ness’ does not take over. This is one of the challenges which comes from being ‘in’ the world. Since we, as followers of Christ, are not ‘of’ this world then we are to resist the temptations which cause ‘busy-ness’ and to focus on those things which are important: living godly lives in accordance with the Scriptures, and tending to our families.
Discipline – particularly self-discipline – is something with which I struggle on a daily basis. Little things can be bigger stumbling blocks than major things. It is my hope that by sharing my thoughts and failings that somehow it will help others.
I pray this edition of “Women of Faith” will be a blessing to all, and that God would use this to bring all glory to Him.
God bless,
Your sister-in-Christ,
Veronica
Discere - learn
Disciple n. a follower or adherent of a leader, teacher, etc.; one of Christ’s original followers.
Discipline n. 1. Training or a way of life aimed at self-control and obedience; order maintained or observed among pupils, soldiers, and others under control; control exercised over the members of an organisation. 2. punishment given to correct a person or enforce obedience. 3. a branch of instruction or learning. — v.t. to train to obedience and order; to punish.
So says The Oxford Reference Dictionary.
What do we say? How do we view discipline? When I was in the Army Reserves we were taught there were different forms of discipline. The most important being self-discipline as otherwise how could we achieve anything?
We are not in a physical war, but a spiritual one. Our self-discipline needs to focus upon our spiritual lives and to bring glory to God as we strive to be Christ-like for the short time we are upon this fallen earth.
God bless,
Veronica
"Community in Paraguay" - Bob & Shirley Wagoner
This is an excellent and thought provoking read which gives a wonderful peek into life at the Bruderhof in Paraguay in the 1950's.
It is well worth the read. It isn't available in Australia, however you can find copies through this link.
Sadly the Bruderhof was closed many years ago: a sound reminder that no matter how closely we strive to live godly lives that we can suffer temptation and start walking alone again.
Worth checking out!
Sewing Patterns
Finding modest clothes on the rack is a challenging task, and nigh impossible at times. I have found that sewing clothes is a cheaper alternative, and is wonderful in that I KNOW the clothes will fit! Here are some patterns I have found helpful:
McCall’s 4534 – maternity set. Blouse is very generous. Pinafore style dress can be adjusted so as to be a pull-on dress.
Jewel's Apron - "The King's Daughters" pattern. I purchased it from Candle on the Hill (www.candleonthehill.net)
Kwik Sew 2227 – unisex shorts/pants (boys’ pants, girls’ pantaloons). Beginner level, elastic casing.
Kwik Sew 2805 – two piece skirt. Beginner level, elastic casing.
Kwik Sew 2989 – Tunic style blouse for women. I use style B without the elastic at the back. Very comfy.
Kwik Sew 2956 - 6 panel skirt. Beginner level. Elastic casing.
Disciple? Discipline?
Isaiah 8:16 is the only book in the Old Testament to mention the word “disciples”, and the word “disciple” does not appear at all. “Discipline” occurs in Job 36:10 once and that is it for the entire Bible.
“Disciple” and “disciples” occurs in the New Testament, mainly in the first four books, too many times to count.
As Christians, we are disciples of Christ. We are told, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:34-36
Here we can see that love is to be shown. Our conduct is to be loving so that all men will know we are disciples of Jesus. Love is a form of discipline. We aren’t told to ‘feel’ love, but to ‘show’ love.
I know that before I gave my life to Christ that I was NOT showing love! Giving my life to Jesus showed me how I needed to change my whole mindset. It really didn't matter if I 'felt' loving: I was to 'show' love. This meant disciplining myself to do that which I knew was right.
In reading “Community in Paraguay: A Visit to the Bruderhof” (Bob & Shirley Wagoner) I have seen just how un-disciplined I am, and how I am not living out my life fully as a disciple of Jesus, either.
“What I had thought were “callings” and noble Christian motives were merely mean little efforts on my part to somehow accommodate the radical, life-demanding call of Christ to my own comfortable ambitions.” (p. 251)
Does this hit a chord with you, too? It certainly was like a slap in the face of recognition to me. How selfish have I lived my life? How un-disciplined and un-discipled have I been?
We talk about disciplining our children, but are we discipling them, too? Are we disciplining ourselves to live godly lives? Are we listening to the call of the Holy Spirit upon our lives?
God bless,
Veronica
|
Volume 01 Number 02 ~ Jun, 2006 |
Welcome!
Thank you to those who gave such lovely, positive feedback. I pray that God will use this to His glory and that we can encourage each other.
Please send in your introduction as I would like to introduce us two at a time so that we get a feel for who we are sharing with.
Prayer requests and praise reports are very welcome. It is a blessing to pray for those in need, and very encouraging to hear how God is working in people’s lives.
There is an amazing variety of backgrounds represented by the women who are receiving this newsletter. It is encouraging that I am coming across more women who are striving to follow the teachings of the Bible rather than accepting the teaching of men. It is challenging to do this, and I know that whilst God has taught me much so far that there is still so much for me to learn.
It is my hope that another edition will be sent out in September with the theme of discipline.
I look forward to learning with you as we journey together.
God bless,
Your sister-in-Christ,
Veronica
Where to now?
There is a lack of male leadership in this dry country of ours. Men have been emasculated and women mostly rule the home to the detriment of society as a whole.
Sadly this overflows into the Christian world as well. I do not have an article written by an Australian man to contribute this edition. So I have written out some of my thoughts on the subject of submission.
There is a revival occurring in this land, and those who are babes in Christ need guidance. The Bible provides us with all we need, however we also need to start somewhere.
Having an older, godly woman as an example is the ideal, however we have not all been blessed in this way.
Being able to go to a husband or father is also ideal, however again we have not all been blessed in this way.
This is a small work, and it is my prayer that God will use it to His glory, and that the Holy Spirit will guide all who read it.
In His name,
Veronica
Submission
Submission is a much misunderstood and misapplied word in today’s world. Being submissive does not mean laying down and asking everyone to walk over you. It is an act of loving obedience to those in godly authority over us.
Submission is important in many areas of life, and not only applicable in marital relations. There is much to be said about submission in the Bible, and I urge you to take out a concordance and to look through God’s Word for yourself.
The word “submit” first appears in Genesis 16:9 in relation to Hagar. The next time it appears is in 2 Samuel 22:45. It appears three times in Psalms (18:44, 66:3, 68:30), and the word “submitted” appears in 1 Chronicles 29:24, and Psalms 81:15. These words also appear in the New Testament in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, Hebrews, James, and 1 Peter.
We can see that submitting to our husbands is only one part of submission. We are to submit ourselves to our employers if we work. We are to submit to the government of the country in which we live. We are to submit to our Lord Jesus. We are also to submit ourselves to God.
In all of this we must remember that we submit to others as unto the Lord. We are not to go against God in submitting to others. This is where we can be challenged.
An example of this is home education. I bring this up as Neil and I took Cassandra out of school in September, 2000, as we were not happy with her education at the public school she was attending.
In Queensland the government has ruled that you must ask their permission to teach your child/ren at home. The form they have designed is worded in such a way that when you fill this out and sign it, then you are agreeing that they (ie: the government) have the authority to have your child/ren put back into a school.
Neil and I understand that God has given us the responsibility for raising our children which includes teaching them. We are the ones who will stand before God and be judged for how we have raised our children, and not the premier or the minister for education. So we have not asked permission and are therefore breaking Queensland law.
We have been reported (for the second time – last time was in 2003) and a police officer came around yesterday. Next we will receive a letter from Education Queensland. As you can see, we are not submitting to man’s law as we believe it is going against God’s law.
We are trusting in God and praying for His will to be done in this instance. Some would say that we are violating God’s law as we are breaking the law of man.
Situations such as this can be ‘grey’ in man’s eyes. Justifications can be made, and arguments can be presented. But if we are justifying what we are doing, then are we really following God’s will?
So there are my thoughts, such as they are. I pray that God will bless you as you seek out and strive to fulfil His will in your life.
Your sister-in-Christ,
Veronica
|
Volume 01 Number 01 ~ Feb, 2006 |
Welcome!
Welcome to the inaugural issue of “Women of Faith”! The purpose of this newsletter is to teach, share, uplift, and encourage each other to the glory of God, and in the love of Holy Spirit. I am unsure how God will use this, however I humbly ask that He bless the work begun here and that many of my fellow Australian sisters-in-Christ shall be blessed through the reading of it.
For some time now I have felt that there was a gap which needed filling for Australian women who are being led to live a plainer, more Christian, lifestyle. I am coming across women who are being led to change, however have no older, godly women to teach them. I have struggled to learn what I have, and much of my support has come from likeminded ladies mainly from the US, but also some from other countries including a few from Australia.
I am a novice at newsletter design, so this will be very plain, and nothing fancy. J Though that is a good thing to have! I hope that you enjoy this, and look forward to hearing your responses.
God bless,
Your sister-in-Christ,
Veronica
References to faith
The book of Romans has by far the most references to faith in the Bible of both the Old Testament and New Testament.
What is so important about faith?
In Matthew 17:20 Jesus talks about the power of faith.
Over and over again it is emphasised that we must be grounded in our faith, we must stand in our faith, we are to have a spirit of faith, our faith must be unwavering…. and so it goes.
This newsletter is based on the premise that we are women of faith – that we have complete faith in God, in His Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord bless us with His presence as we contemplate what faith is and share, uplift, and encourage one another on our walk of faith.
God bless,
Your sister-in-Christ,
Veronica
Veronica's Introduction
I was born in Yallourn, Victoria, but was raised in Beaudesert, Queensland. I have also lived in Armidale and Auburn, New South Wales; and in Ashgrove, Queensland. We now live at Beachmere which overlooks Moreton Bay.
I was brought up in the Anglican Church and was baptised and confirmed there, however turned away from God when I was about 13 or 14yo.
It was only in 1996 that I started going back to church again, and it wasn’t until 2001 that I gave my life to Christ and asked Him to be my Saviour.
What I didn’t understand then was that He was to be LORD as well! That decision didn’t come until July, 2002. That was when I fully gave my life to God and found peace.
Since that time I have learnt much, and have been humbled much. The Holy Spirit has been leading me and I have been trying to listen.
I pray that this will be a time of learning for me as well!
God bless,
Veronica
"The Power of a Praying Wife" - Stormie Omartian
Stormie Omartian has given us a weapon which we can use to our advantage. She is not a conservative Christian, however this book is inspired by the Holy Spirit. It has changed my marriage so I can personally testify that it is a blessing.
There are thirty chapters with each chapter focussing on a different area of our husbands’ lives. These include scripture references, anecdotes from Stormie’s own marriage as well as of other people’s marriages, and end with a prayer and more scriptural references.
The introduction and chapter one are the most challenging! It took me some time to read through these as it involves examining “His Wife”!
It was truly painful to have to look into my own soul and to examine my own heart.
There is also a prayer and study guide which I highly recommend, as it contains further questions so that you can go more in depth as you examine yourself, your marriage, your husband, and the spiritual condition of you both. It is a valuable resource.
Prayer is our greatest weapon as women of faith. We are to be prayer warriors over our husbands, our children, our family, our friends, and for all those whose lives cross our paths.
Veronica Barrett
Carolynn's Introduction
Greetings to each sister in Christ,
When Veronica asked me to write something about myself to share with others, my first thoughts were “What could I possibly share that would be interesting and also encouraging?”
After prayerfully considering this before the Lord, I realised that I have been very blessed in my life, this is not to say that my life has been easy. But through trials and temptations I am slowly, and hopefully getting to where the Lord would have me be. It doesn't matter how old one gets (I have just turned 65), there are always areas in our lives that need to be changed if we truly desire a closer walk with our Saviour. We cannot hide from Jesus, He sees into our hearts.
My beloved husband and I have been married nearly 43 years. We have one daughter and one son. We are very blessed to have seven grandchildren. We also have quite a few spiritual sons and daughters and grandchildren.
I was raised by a Christian grandmother, so I knew something about Jesus from an early age, and my grandmother was always, as I remember her, singing Christian hymns.
As a teenager and a young woman, I thought I was a Christian, I had asked Jesus into my heart on my 12th birthday, but I now know that I was not really a Christian... I actually was not born again until I was 43. I have had an incredible journey so far with the Lord, my Saviour, but that is another story.
My husband and I are trying with the help of the Holy Spirit to walk on a plain and righteous path. We try to live by scriptural standards (sometimes, of course, we stumble). If it is in the New Testament we follow those teachings, (e.g. 2 Corinthians 11 - about submission and head coverings for women.) That is not say that we ignore the Old Testament teachings as many of them are reinforced in the New Testament. None of this happened all at once, it was over a period of years that the Holy Spirit has guided us into Biblical truths and I must be truthful, some of the areas in my life that needed changing were and can be painful and difficult and hurt my worldly flesh, but we are overcomers in all this and can have the victory in and through Christ, and it is true "that we can do all things in Christ.” He strengthens me, but I give all the glory to God. There is one special verse in the Bible that states: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Our hearts and minds are so limited that we cannot imagine or comprehend fully what God has prepared for those that love Him, but I know that I do not want to miss heaven.
Sisters, as we begin another year which the Lord is permitted to come to us in His love, let us endeavour to walk closely with our Saviour. May God grant us the grace to be faithful, that we all may be counted as His chosen ones, redeemed and saved only through the precious blood of our dear Saviour and Redeemer. God will take care of us if we faithfully serve Him. It is my desire to remain faithful to Him, as I pray it is yours also.
In Christian love.
Carolynn Van Loon
Faith or Trust?
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This particular verse of scripture is one that many professing Christians are able to quote when asked what faith means to them. I wonder sometimes if it used merely to avoid the deeper issue of what it means to have and exhibit faith in the scriptural sense.
Let us look at what this scripture verse is saying through the eyes of someone who does not know what the meaning is when we speak the word faith. Most would see the verse as follows: we trust that something we hope for will happen, even though we have not seen the results as yet – for sports fans it could be their team winning the grand final, for someone with stock market investments – a dramatic gain in the value of their shares. You can probably see where I am heading with those sort of statements, there is a basis for people trusting that their hopes will be realised, that their dreams will come true – even though they have not yet seen the evidence, their trust may very well be based on factors that in human reasoning seem solidly grounded on the available facts. There is a saying that although we know all the facts there is always one we do not know about and that unknown fact is always the one that changes the outcome of our expectations.
Let us now look at the difference between the worldly version of our text verse and the scripture quotation. The main difference is the word ‘trust’ – Christians use the word ‘faith’ – this amongst other things also implies ‘trust’ – but it means more than that.
It is a word translated from the Greek that means we are persuaded, have a moral conviction of the truthfulness of God but especially a reliance upon Christ for salvation, an absolute assurance or belief in the truth of the Gospel itself. I see faith as being something one can only have in God. He, and only He, is able to keep ALL the promises He makes.
What mortal being is capable of that? Scripture indeed tells us in Psalm 146 “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help ……...
happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:”
Those that have come to Christ and have accepted Him as their Lord and Saviour, which means obedience to all His requirements as shown in scriptures, (John 14:15, 23 and John 15:10) can have that faith that is spoken of in our text verse. It is a faith which convinces us that if we are obedient to His ways then we will see (obtain) the substance of the things hoped for – that is eternal life in heaven.
The whole of Hebrews chapter 11 is taken up with a description of how important faith is and in particular verse 6: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
May you, dear reader, may you seek Him and live and walk in the faith that our scripture text refers to.
J.v.L. - Tasmania, Australia |
|