How did we get here?

Question: How did our nation arrive at the same place as Israel did in the last chapter of Judges? "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges 21:2.

Answer: We arrived here in the same way every nation arrives here:  First comes religious apostasy in the church; then moral awfulness in the home, and finally political anarchy in the state.

At this point, in Israel, the people cried out for a king to bring some order into the chaos created when everyone did what was "right in his own eyes".  ...so God gave them a king, but "sent leanness to their souls".

You know where our world is headed. ...for the anti-Christ who will fool many by presenting himself as the one who can bring order out of the chaos created by man who is "doing that which is right in his own eyes".  Is the anti-Christ on the planet now?  I don't know. All I do know is that I am one mid-80 widow left living in the day of "moral awfulness", heading at breakneck speed into total political anarchy.

The only way the Lord could get Ted and me to Houston, Texas and Bear Valley Springs, California was by way of a pastorate. Around us in both places was "moral awfulness". The leadership in both churches was burdened about other matters; so the Lord rather abruptly escorted us out of both churches and we went to work fighting for marriages and families.

We received many couples over the next years into our hearts and into our home. Not many marriages bit the dust, but a few were beyond repair. I still hurt over the ones who separated, leaving their children to repeat the pattern set by their parents: giving up on marriage all together; becoming  a homosexual; cohabiting without that "silly piece of paper", or worse yet, marrying with the back-up plan of acceptable divorce if the marriage ran into trouble.

Since Ted is in Heaven, the burden my Lord has given me is at the level of prevention rather than repair. For this reason, He sends me teenagers who have not yet married, some of whom are already sexually involved because they honestly do not know that there is any other way to have a relationship than by way of sex.  Most of their parents have been married several times and are now sleeping with someone they probably won't marry. ...in the bedroom right next to theirs. How is a teenager supposed to deal with that?

Thursday, God brought teenage boys to my living room for Bible study. All come from a home with a mother and dad. ...a very different gathering than the Tuesday group of mostly girls. In that class, only one has a mother and dad in the home. Both sets of these beautiful teenagers deserve to have clear warning about the "iceberg syndrome".  The iceberg that hit the Titanic was mostly hidden beneath the water line. That is a perfect illustration of the reason marriages fail. The damage that has been done to the souls of young people is hidden beneath the water line. If sex has been the driving force in the relationship, neither the girl nor the boy is aware of the soul damage they have brought on themselves.  If emotional, physical, spiritual or sexual abuse has been hidden, the pain of all of that will surface in marriage.

Soul damage not addressed enough in pre-marriage counseling. That's what this book is addressing: soul damage. My teenage students and my Wednesday class of women are listening as I read what I am writing to them, preparing for publication in book form and on my website. What a welcome help they are. In l975 when I wrote my first book on this subject entitled "Four Ways to Choose a Husband" I did not have access to these teenagers or young mothers.

Writing comes easily, but I must be careful to let Him do the thinking and the writing.  The illustrations come from real life, including Ted's and mine. It took us sixty years for our marriage to become reasonably healthy. When God knew our marriage was as good as it was going to get, He took Ted home and left me here to teach and write about all that we learned about God through our struggles to come to "Oneness" in our marriage.  Had Ted been the one left, he would never have written one word about any of the above. Living and ministering as a godly man was his gift. Do I ever miss my "godly man"! Now Jesus is my teammate at the plow that is breaking ground with teenagers. I love my Teammate. ...but I miss my Ted. ...especially around 5 o'clock and into the evening. You might want to remember that about widows and widowers.

Tonight, I will juice for all its worth a break from the work He has assigned me as I bring a few hours of fun to some couples and families who will come to dine at the Apple Shed restaurant and get me in the bargain at the old piano. I get to pull up out my music box of memories whatever they want me to play for them. Some will remember the song they loved when they were romancing, some will sing, one man may whistle, a few may get up and dance. ...and I will have fun. Ted was so much fun and so was Doug. I know very well that they are having a peck of wonderful fun right now in Heaven.

I must remember to notice spring. In a couple of days the oak trees that surround me will break out into a fresh crop of bright green leaves. The daffodils will bloom all over my hillside, the lilacs will soon follow and the cherry tree will blossom. During all of this display of color, possibly another snowstorm will hit, but our plants and trees up here on this mountain are tough. They will survive.

Am I that hardy? Apparently.  I am so much better at keeping my workaholic personality under God's control than I was. ...so I may be here for some more years. I just don't want my children to have to take care of their remaining parent in a hospital bed. Lord, just take me with the rest of your kids into the cloud, or let me quietly go to sleep.  Please.

But even though I remember to play better than I used to, my bent is to work. ...but I try to remember to "Whistle while I work".

Here's an old hymn for this week: Work for the Night is Coming

Work for the night is coming; work through the morning hours
Work while the dew is sparkling; Work 'mid the springing flowers
Work when the day grows brighter; work in the glowing sun
Work, for the night is coming when man's work is done.

Love, Jo