“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV) These familiar words are comforting and give perspective to a lot of situations, many of which are listed in the verses that follow. For example, verse 7 mentions that there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. How true is that? That wisdom can save us a lot of trouble. I have found that wisdom practically helpful in the work of apologetics. [...]
Can you imagine what it was like to be one of the authors of the books of the Bible, sitting there as an instrument of Almighty God, bringing his word to the world, writing about the power of God or about the promise of eternal life or the incarnation? Is it any wonder that they sometimes erupted in praise? As you read through the scriptures you will find verses that seem to be flow out of the author's saturation with the goodness and glory of God. They are known as doxologies. [...]
Since submission in marriage is a main topic of on my site, I thought it might be a good idea to set down a definition. I have read plenty and would like the opportunity to pen my own. Before I do that, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t first report what I found in the Greek and English dictionaries. There are six verses in the New Testament that mention submission in marriage. They are Ephesians 5:22&24, Colossians 3:18, Titus 2:5, and 1 Peter 3:1&5. The concept of submission mostly appears as submit, subject, or submissive. It comes from the Greek word hupotassō. [...]
How important is it to you that your Bible is an accurate translation of the manuscript copies of the Old and New Testament texts? Very? Good. The collective books of the Bible, accurately translated from the manuscript copies of the original inspired texts, are a special revelation from God. In them we learn things we cannot learn from within ourselves or from nature. Though creation reveals aspects of God’s power and nature (Romans 1:20), it does not tell us that there is only one God and that he is triune. [...]
When I started this website I did not intend to write about my health situation. Though it does deeply impact my life every day, it was not what I wished to focus on. Recently my husband Butch suggested that it would be ok to write about it every now and then. I’ve thought about it, and I’ve become more comfortable with the idea. Sharing some of my experiences about this trial will allow me to testify to God’s mercy and grace. Through all my suffering, he has been my rock and my shield. He has provided for me in many ways. I am happy to share the details about that to his glory. [...]
Easter Sunday is tomorrow! Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus fills my heart with joy. Believing in the resurrection of Jesus is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. The apostle Paul put it this way: “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (Romans 10:9) Jesus is my Lord, and I believe that God raised him from the dead. I rejoice in this every day of the year. There was a time when I did not believe in the resurrection or in God for that matter. I spent many Easters simply celebrating a holiday. [...]
Does your church have one of those rooms that are designated for parents to bring their children to when their little ones get a bit rowdy during the service? The church we attended when our children were small had one. My husband and I took turns bringing our little ones there whenever it was necessary. Though we did have many successful Sundays due to consistently laying out our expectations and having practice sessions at home, there were those times when they simply wouldn’t settle down. [...]
I’m a skeptic. Always have been. I’ve long had the habit of asking “Where did you hear that?” when someone shares “a fact” that seems suspect. My skepticism sometimes makes me wonder how I ever became a Christian. Well, I know the answer to that question actually. God did it. It wasn’t easy, at least from my perspective; but that’s a story for another time. Right now I’d like to share how my skepticism is valuable in my life as a Christian. [...]
I love the glimpse into God’s heart that we see in 1 Peter 3:4. We read that a gentle and quiet spirit is precious in his sight. I love being able to know how he feels about this. Knowing that he so highly values a gentle and quiet spirit has made me value it too. It also fosters a great desire in my heart to pursue it. […]
In my last blog post I wrote about meekness in marriage. I drew from 1 Peter 3: 3-4. In those verses we read that a gentle (meek) and quiet spirit is precious in the side of God. Before and after those verses Peter writes about submission. He directs his comments to Christian wives and instructs them to adorn themselves with godly submission and behavior just as Sarah and the holy women did in the past. Appearing within these verses is a very important phrase. I believe it has a lot to do with why Sarah and the women of old were able to live as they did. [...]
If you have been a Christian for even a little while, there is a good chance that you are familiar with the teaching that Eve was created to be Adam’s helper. Many churches still teach this from Genesis 2:18. Christian wives are rightly encouraged to take this role in their marriages. While there is understandable emphasis given to the second half of this verse, I have noticed that the first half of this verse does not often receive the same attention. Have you considered how it might relate to your marriage? […]
It’s been four months since I began working on the Chapter 3 Ministry website! I’m happy with the progress that has been made and with the direction things are going in. This work is a delight for me. I thank God for this opportunity. I love computers, software, writing, the Lord, and his people! It’s wonderful to combine them all together. [...]
Years ago while heading to church on a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning I was mulling over the expression What if. I don’t remember why, but I imagine I was doing so because I had probably just asked it. Those two words can come off my lips all too easily when I anticipate a negative outcome. Thankfully, I have gotten better at not asking that question as often as I used to. God has worked in my heart in many different ways including through something that occurred to me during that ride. [...]
There is an endless stream of voices in the world. For better or worse, our modern technology allows us to hear those voices like never before. It has given us access to countless people and opinions. Regardless of the topic, we can find experts or self-proclaimed experts who are more than happy to enlighten us. Question is – who do we listen to? [...]
We are three days into National Marriage Week. It started on February 7 and runs to Valentine’s Day. Marriage Week originated in the United Kingdom in 1996 and made its way to the United States in 2002. Today it is observed in countries all over the world. The aim of the week is to highlight the importance and benefits of marriage and to offer encouragement and assistance for married and engaged couples. [...]
When I was growing up, I made a list of four things that I thought were essential for a good relationship. They all started with the letter C. I can’t remember how old I was when I made it or why I made it or even what the four things were! They say the memory is the first thing to go. I must be well on my way. At least I do remember one of them. It was communication. [...]
Today I took down the “Coming Soon” sign on my English Bible Quest page. I’m excited that it is ready! Beginning in the fourth century and ending in modern times, the quest highlights some of the important people and events that played a part in the process of God’s word becoming available to English speaking people in their native language. [...]
I recently came across a very interesting website. I was doing some online reading and ended up on Openbible.info. This site has all sorts of Bible data presented in clever and colorful ways. The tagline for the site appears to be “Remix Bible data”. I think it is very appropriate. If you like data collections and creative charts you will like this site. Bible data and related subjects are the source for the output. [...]
The Christian wife’s biblical submission is a subject that I will be writing about on a regular basis. It is one of the main reasons why Chapter 3 Ministries exists. I have seen the blessing of living according to God’s will in marriage, and it is a delight for me to encourage other women to see it too. Though there are blessings, it does not mean that submission is easy. It can be quite difficult. In my writings I will address both the blessings and the challenges of and to submission. I do not believe that it does anyone any good to ignore or cover-up the challenges. [...]
This New Year’s Eve was the twenty-eighth that my husband and I have spent together. Starting with the first year we met, we’ve never missed a year; even the year I had the flu and he took care of me. I remember details from other New Year’s Eves as well. Remember Y2K? So much hype. So little consequences. We did try to have some fun at our house that night. At midnight we shut the main power off. The house went black! Well, none of our party guests fell for it; but we did all have a good laugh. [...]
