¤
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[ "Joyful, Joyful" begins ]
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¤
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¤
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[ Congregation singing ]
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¤
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¤
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¤
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>> ¤ When peace like a river
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attendeth my way ¤
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¤ When sorrows like sea
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billows roll ¤
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¤ Whatever my lot,
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thou hast taught me to say ¤
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¤ It is well, it is well
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with my soul ¤
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¤ It is well
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>> ¤ It is well
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>> ¤ With my soul
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>> ¤ With my soul
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¤ It is well
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¤ It is well
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¤ With my soul
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>> ¤ My sin, oh, the joy of
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this glorious thought ¤
00:05:04.80\00:05:09.74
¤ My sin, not in part,
00:05:09.84\00:05:14.21
but the whole ¤
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¤ Is nailed to the cross,
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and I bear it no more ¤
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¤ Praise the Lord,
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praise the Lord, O my soul!
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>> ¤ It is well
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>> ¤ It is well
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>> ¤ With my soul
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>> ¤ With my soul
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>> ¤ It is well
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¤ It is well
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¤ With my soul
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¤ And, Lord, haste the day when
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my faith shall be sight ¤
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¤ The clouds be rolled back
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as a scroll ¤
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¤ The trump shall resound,
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and the Lord shall descend ¤
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¤ Even so, it is well with my
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soul ¤
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>> ¤ It is well
00:07:03.25\00:07:06.82
>> ¤ It is well
00:07:06.92\00:07:10.39
>> ¤ With my soul
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>> ¤ With my soul
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>> ¤ It is well
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¤ It is well
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¤ With my soul
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¤ It is well
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>> ¤ With my soul
00:07:38.72\00:07:47.86
>> Good morning. Happy Sabbath.
00:08:08.82\00:08:11.05
Our Scripture reading today
00:08:11.15\00:08:12.52
is found in Proverbs 4:5-9.
00:08:12.62\00:08:17.33
"Get wisdom, get understanding.
00:08:21.96\00:08:25.47
Do not forget my words
00:08:25.57\00:08:27.00
or turn away from them.
00:08:27.10\00:08:28.90
Do not forsake wisdom,
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and she will protect you.
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Love her,
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and she will watch over you.
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The beginning of wisdom
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is this -- get wisdom.
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Though it costs all you have,
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get understanding.
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Cherish her,
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and she will exalt you.
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Embrace her,
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and she will honor you.
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She will give you a garland
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to grace your head
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and present you
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with a glorious crown."
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Amen.
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¤
00:09:02.37\00:09:04.07
>> Please stand.
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Does anybody in here know
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a God who can perform miracles?
00:13:08.88\00:13:11.09
Do you know a God who is strong
00:13:11.19\00:13:12.25
when we are weak?
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A God who heals us
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when we are broken?
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If you know the same God I know,
00:13:16.29\00:13:17.29
I invite you to sing with us
00:13:17.39\00:13:18.76
for our next song.
00:13:18.86\00:13:20.30
Amen.
00:13:20.40\00:13:21.40
¤
00:13:21.50\00:13:23.20
¤
00:20:02.86\00:20:04.57
>> If you have a Bible
00:21:01.39\00:21:03.59
somewhere nearby,
00:21:03.69\00:21:05.93
would you open it to Judges 5:1?
00:21:06.03\00:21:10.53
Judges 5, beginning
00:21:10.63\00:21:12.00
with verse 1, page 170,
00:21:12.10\00:21:14.07
in the red pew Bible
00:21:14.17\00:21:15.44
that's probably sitting
00:21:15.54\00:21:16.34
somewhere nearby where you are.
00:21:16.44\00:21:18.31
Page 170.
00:21:18.41\00:21:19.84
170, Judges 5,
00:21:19.94\00:21:22.01
beginning with verse 1.
00:21:22.11\00:21:25.01
We are going to read the lyrics
00:21:25.11\00:21:27.88
to a song
00:21:27.98\00:21:30.19
that was written for an event
00:21:30.29\00:21:32.05
that has already occurred,
00:21:32.15\00:21:33.79
at least in the timeline,
00:21:33.89\00:21:35.36
in context there.
00:21:35.46\00:21:37.19
And these two people that are
00:21:37.29\00:21:39.06
going to be singing this song
00:21:39.16\00:21:41.10
are going to teach us
00:21:41.20\00:21:43.47
some important lessons.
00:21:43.57\00:21:45.33
Let's take a peek here.
00:21:45.43\00:21:47.00
Judges 5:1 says, "On that day,
00:21:47.10\00:21:52.24
Deborah and Barak,
00:21:52.34\00:21:54.41
son of Abinoam, sang this song.
00:21:54.51\00:21:58.31
'When the princes in Israel
00:21:58.41\00:21:59.61
take the lead,
00:21:59.71\00:22:01.38
when the people willingly offer
00:22:01.48\00:22:03.02
themselves, praise the Lord.
00:22:03.12\00:22:06.15
Hear this, you kings!
00:22:06.25\00:22:07.29
Listen, you rulers,
00:22:07.39\00:22:08.39
I will sing to the Lord,
00:22:08.49\00:22:09.49
I will sing,
00:22:09.59\00:22:11.16
I will make music to the Lord,
00:22:11.26\00:22:13.86
the God of Israel.
00:22:13.96\00:22:16.36
Oh, Lord, when you went out
00:22:16.46\00:22:18.63
from Seir, when you marched
00:22:18.73\00:22:20.54
from the land of Edom,
00:22:20.64\00:22:22.37
the earth shook,
00:22:22.47\00:22:23.24
the heavens poured -- the clouds
00:22:23.34\00:22:24.27
poured down water.
00:22:24.37\00:22:25.81
The mountains quaked before
00:22:25.91\00:22:27.54
the Lord, the one of Sinai,
00:22:27.64\00:22:28.81
before the Lord,
00:22:28.91\00:22:29.94
the God of Israel.'"
00:22:30.05\00:22:33.05
Pause right there, please.
00:22:33.15\00:22:37.19
Do you see what Deborah
00:22:37.29\00:22:38.32
and Barak are doing?
00:22:38.42\00:22:40.19
First of all, they grab
00:22:40.29\00:22:41.46
the people's attention,
00:22:41.56\00:22:43.06
invite them to listen willingly
00:22:43.16\00:22:44.53
to what the Lord has done.
00:22:44.63\00:22:46.83
And then they begin to tell
00:22:46.93\00:22:48.13
about the great deeds
00:22:48.23\00:22:49.80
of the past that God
00:22:49.90\00:22:51.00
has done on behalf of Israel.
00:22:51.10\00:22:53.60
The references here, you know,
00:22:53.70\00:22:54.70
"When you marched out from Seir,
00:22:54.80\00:22:55.74
when you marched
00:22:55.84\00:22:56.30
from the land of Edom,"
00:22:56.40\00:22:57.41
this is probably a reference to
00:22:57.51\00:22:58.57
when they were in the
00:22:58.67\00:22:59.37
wilderness, headed
00:22:59.47\00:23:00.34
towards the Promised Land.
00:23:00.44\00:23:01.44
God made many miracles on their
00:23:01.54\00:23:03.58
behalf, providing for them
00:23:03.68\00:23:04.91
in miraculous ways.
00:23:05.01\00:23:06.45
Things went well
00:23:06.55\00:23:08.35
until Israel apostatized
00:23:08.45\00:23:12.39
and they turned from God,
00:23:12.49\00:23:14.69
and God had to turn them over
00:23:14.79\00:23:16.79
to their enemies,
00:23:16.89\00:23:18.09
the Canaanites.
00:23:18.19\00:23:20.10
And that's where we pick up
00:23:20.20\00:23:21.20
the song once again -- verse 6.
00:23:21.30\00:23:24.53
"In the days of Shamgar,
00:23:24.63\00:23:25.70
son of Anath,
00:23:25.80\00:23:27.14
in the days of Jael,
00:23:27.24\00:23:29.07
the roads were abandoned;
00:23:29.17\00:23:31.27
travelers took to winding
00:23:31.37\00:23:32.31
paths.
00:23:32.41\00:23:33.51
Village life in Israel ceased."
00:23:33.61\00:23:38.18
Pause again, please.
00:23:38.28\00:23:40.98
Things were so bad
00:23:41.08\00:23:42.15
during this particular
00:23:42.25\00:23:43.22
reign of the Canaanites
00:23:43.32\00:23:44.52
over the Israelite people
00:23:44.62\00:23:46.76
that they could not even live
00:23:46.86\00:23:48.86
in the places they had lived
00:23:48.96\00:23:50.06
for quite some time.
00:23:50.16\00:23:51.36
The villages there, it's a
00:23:51.46\00:23:52.29
reference to not walled cities.
00:23:52.39\00:23:54.76
In other words, so dangerous
00:23:54.86\00:23:55.90
were the times that if you
00:23:56.00\00:23:56.87
didn't live in a defended city,
00:23:56.97\00:23:58.53
you had to move to one.
00:23:58.63\00:23:59.90
And so village life ceased.
00:24:00.07\00:24:01.80
They went other places, and they
00:24:01.90\00:24:03.54
couldn't even use the main roads
00:24:03.64\00:24:05.37
that had been used for years
00:24:05.47\00:24:06.24
prior to that point,
00:24:06.34\00:24:07.41
because they had garrisons
00:24:07.51\00:24:08.68
of the enemy all along them.
00:24:08.78\00:24:10.65
And so if you were looking
00:24:10.75\00:24:12.41
to get from Point A to Point B,
00:24:12.51\00:24:13.98
you had to find a different
00:24:14.08\00:24:14.58
path.
00:24:14.68\00:24:15.58
You had to go through hill, over
00:24:15.68\00:24:16.25
dale, through the woods,
00:24:16.35\00:24:17.45
et cetera, hiding, staying under
00:24:17.55\00:24:18.82
cover so that you could make it
00:24:18.92\00:24:20.52
safely to your destination,
00:24:20.62\00:24:21.66
hopefully.
00:24:21.76\00:24:23.83
And this situation continues.
00:24:23.93\00:24:29.53
Well, let's keep reading.
00:24:29.63\00:24:32.00
Verse 7 again, "Village life
00:24:32.10\00:24:33.34
in Israel ceased,
00:24:33.44\00:24:34.94
ceased until I, Deborah, arose,
00:24:35.04\00:24:41.48
arose a --" what?
00:24:41.58\00:24:43.61
>> Mother.
00:24:43.71\00:24:44.41
>> Mother
00:24:44.51\00:24:45.81
"Arose a mother in Israel."
00:24:45.91\00:24:49.78
Now, even if we don't know
00:24:49.88\00:24:53.22
the entire context
00:24:53.32\00:24:54.39
of this story,
00:24:54.49\00:24:56.46
even if we don't know
00:24:56.56\00:24:57.39
the full context of this song
00:24:57.49\00:24:58.99
that Deborah and Barak
00:24:59.09\00:24:59.69
are singing,
00:24:59.79\00:25:00.50
is something strange going on.
00:25:01.66\00:25:04.20
Because think about it.
00:25:04.30\00:25:05.47
Of all the words that one
00:25:05.57\00:25:08.20
could choose to describe oneself
00:25:08.30\00:25:10.67
as a military victor -- I mean,
00:25:10.77\00:25:13.41
they could have chosen "hero,"
00:25:13.51\00:25:14.84
"leader," "champion," "warrior."
00:25:14.94\00:25:18.75
The one word that Deborah picks
00:25:18.85\00:25:21.68
is "mother."
00:25:21.78\00:25:24.92
Now, ladies,
00:25:25.02\00:25:26.32
please don't be offended here.
00:25:26.42\00:25:27.36
I'm simply going to point out
00:25:27.46\00:25:28.19
the irony of this text.
00:25:28.29\00:25:30.76
As we're going to shortly see,
00:25:30.86\00:25:31.53
the events
00:25:31.63\00:25:32.19
that Deborah and Barak
00:25:32.29\00:25:33.19
are singing about culminated
00:25:33.29\00:25:34.56
with a tremendous military
00:25:34.63\00:25:35.80
victory for God's people
00:25:35.90\00:25:36.83
in pitched battle.
00:25:36.93\00:25:38.47
It was a battle which culminated
00:25:38.57\00:25:40.07
with the destruction of
00:25:40.17\00:25:41.27
Sisera -- that was the enemy's
00:25:41.37\00:25:42.60
commanding officer -- and
00:25:42.70\00:25:44.01
over 1,000 of his soldiers.
00:25:44.11\00:25:46.01
So, you tell me,
00:25:46.11\00:25:47.44
is the first word
00:25:47.54\00:25:48.54
that comes to your mind
00:25:48.64\00:25:50.18
to describe the winner
00:25:50.28\00:25:51.45
in a military conflict "Mom."
00:25:51.55\00:25:54.62
Okay, if the answer is yes,
00:25:58.72\00:26:00.29
maybe we should chat afterwards
00:26:00.39\00:26:01.29
about your childhood.
00:26:01.39\00:26:02.19
There may be some issues
00:26:02.29\00:26:03.32
that come up
00:26:03.43\00:26:04.49
from the militaristic upbringing
00:26:04.59\00:26:05.93
that you experienced there.
00:26:06.03\00:26:07.13
I mean, what do you get
00:26:07.23\00:26:08.60
for a mother like Deborah
00:26:08.70\00:26:10.43
for Mother's Day?
00:26:10.53\00:26:12.00
I mean, maybe a new AK-47.
00:26:12.10\00:26:14.44
You know?
00:26:14.54\00:26:16.07
You know, a new flak jacket,
00:26:16.17\00:26:17.51
a rocket launcher?
00:26:17.61\00:26:18.61
You know, something to go
00:26:18.71\00:26:19.37
with her formal evening gown,
00:26:19.47\00:26:20.61
combat boots?
00:26:20.71\00:26:21.24
I don't know.
00:26:21.34\00:26:22.21
I don't know what you get
00:26:22.31\00:26:23.31
for her, right?
00:26:23.41\00:26:24.41
But we can at least begin to see
00:26:24.51\00:26:26.21
how odd it is
00:26:26.31\00:26:28.38
that Deborah says essentially
00:26:28.48\00:26:30.19
all was haywire in the land
00:26:30.29\00:26:33.22
until [Chuckles] there arose,
00:26:33.32\00:26:36.09
of all things, a mother.
00:26:36.19\00:26:39.79
A mother in Israel.
00:26:39.89\00:26:43.10
What could Deborah have
00:26:43.20\00:26:44.20
possibly meant?
00:26:44.30\00:26:46.57
How is what Deborah
00:26:46.67\00:26:48.07
did in this story
00:26:48.17\00:26:49.70
so exemplary of motherhood
00:26:49.80\00:26:51.54
that "mother" is the title
00:26:51.64\00:26:53.07
she chooses here to describe
00:26:53.17\00:26:54.51
herself and her actions?
00:26:54.61\00:26:56.08
And might she consequently
00:26:56.18\00:26:57.55
have something to offer
00:26:57.65\00:26:59.41
the mothers of our day?
00:26:59.51\00:27:03.18
Let's see
00:27:03.28\00:27:03.89
what the Bible has to say.
00:27:03.99\00:27:05.52
Turn back one chapter
00:27:05.62\00:27:07.36
and one page in your red Bible.
00:27:07.46\00:27:08.52
It's page 169, Judges 4,
00:27:08.62\00:27:11.56
beginning with verse 1.
00:27:11.66\00:27:14.20
We're going to read at least
00:27:14.30\00:27:15.30
a portion of the story
00:27:15.40\00:27:16.83
that generated the song we just
00:27:16.93\00:27:18.33
read in Judges 5.
00:27:18.43\00:27:20.67
And as we do, we are going
00:27:20.77\00:27:21.94
to discover two things
00:27:22.04\00:27:24.51
that allowed Deborah
00:27:24.61\00:27:25.91
to exemplify key traits
00:27:26.01\00:27:28.14
of motherhood -- two lessons
00:27:28.24\00:27:30.45
of biblical motherhood.
00:27:30.55\00:27:32.35
Let's begin here.
00:27:32.45\00:27:33.15
Verse 1 of Judges 4 says,
00:27:33.25\00:27:35.88
"After Ehud died, the Israelites
00:27:35.98\00:27:37.79
once again did evil
00:27:37.89\00:27:39.05
in the eyes of the Lord.
00:27:39.15\00:27:40.79
So the Lord sold them
00:27:40.89\00:27:41.96
into the hands of Jabin,
00:27:42.06\00:27:42.96
a king of Canaan,
00:27:43.06\00:27:43.93
who reigned in Hazor.
00:27:44.03\00:27:45.49
The commander of his army
00:27:45.59\00:27:46.49
was Sisera,
00:27:46.59\00:27:47.73
who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.
00:27:47.83\00:27:50.17
Because he had 900 iron chariots
00:27:50.27\00:27:52.33
and had cruelly oppressed
00:27:52.43\00:27:53.50
the Israelites for 20 years,
00:27:53.60\00:27:55.07
they cried to the Lord for help.
00:27:55.17\00:27:58.01
Deborah, a prophetess,
00:27:58.11\00:28:00.11
the wife of Lappidoth,
00:28:00.21\00:28:02.04
was leading Israel at that time.
00:28:02.14\00:28:04.31
She held court under the
00:28:04.41\00:28:05.18
Palm of Deborah,
00:28:05.28\00:28:06.05
between Ramah and Bethel,
00:28:06.15\00:28:07.48
in the hill country of Ephraim,
00:28:07.58\00:28:08.92
and the Israelites came to her
00:28:09.02\00:28:10.39
to have their disputes decided."
00:28:10.49\00:28:13.76
Pause there, please.
00:28:13.86\00:28:16.36
A couple of important things
00:28:16.46\00:28:17.26
to note here.
00:28:17.36\00:28:18.99
First of all, Deborah is one of
00:28:19.09\00:28:21.20
a very small group in Scripture
00:28:21.30\00:28:23.16
that was both a prophet
00:28:23.26\00:28:24.50
and a judge,
00:28:24.60\00:28:25.87
a prophet and a ruler.
00:28:25.97\00:28:27.27
In fact,
00:28:27.37\00:28:27.90
only only Moses and Samuel
00:28:28.97\00:28:30.61
qualify in that same category.
00:28:30.71\00:28:32.87
So Deborah is in some rare air
00:28:32.97\00:28:33.81
here.
00:28:33.91\00:28:35.58
Secondly, her name in Hebrew.
00:28:35.68\00:28:38.01
Do you know what the name in
00:28:38.11\00:28:39.41
Hebrew, Deborah, actually means?
00:28:39.51\00:28:43.02
Bee -- B-E-E, like like
00:28:43.12\00:28:46.32
honeybee, right?
00:28:46.42\00:28:47.79
What's the adjective
00:28:47.89\00:28:49.79
that we often put before that?
00:28:49.89\00:28:51.36
Blank "as a bee"?
00:28:51.46\00:28:52.73
"Busy." That's right.
00:28:52.83\00:28:54.63
You know, busy bees, right?
00:28:54.73\00:28:56.20
The idea of a bee [Buzzes]
00:28:56.30\00:28:58.33
going from flower to flower
00:28:58.43\00:28:59.50
and back to the hive and
00:28:59.60\00:29:00.40
all of these things in there.
00:29:00.50\00:29:01.00
This busyness,
00:29:01.10\00:29:02.37
and certainly that would qualify
00:29:02.47\00:29:04.31
as a descriptor for Deborah.
00:29:04.41\00:29:06.14
I mean, she didn't even have
00:29:06.24\00:29:07.28
office hours.
00:29:07.38\00:29:08.11
She didn't even have an office.
00:29:08.21\00:29:08.81
She sat under a tree
00:29:08.91\00:29:10.81
so that everybody had maximum
00:29:10.91\00:29:12.08
access to her.
00:29:12.18\00:29:13.15
Anybody that had a dispute
00:29:13.25\00:29:14.52
or that needed advice
00:29:14.62\00:29:15.75
could come and see her.
00:29:15.85\00:29:16.79
She was very, very busy,
00:29:16.89\00:29:18.99
this mother in Israel,
00:29:19.09\00:29:20.39
with her "children"
00:29:20.49\00:29:21.99
and their care.
00:29:22.09\00:29:25.89
To which I say, I am so grateful
00:29:25.99\00:29:27.60
for moms who are so busily
00:29:27.66\00:29:28.86
dedicated to their children's
00:29:28.96\00:29:29.70
needs.
00:29:29.80\00:29:30.37
Amen?
00:29:30.47\00:29:30.97
>> Amen.
00:29:31.07\00:29:32.07
>> It is not an easy job.
00:29:32.17\00:29:33.90
Now, I've never been a mother,
00:29:34.00\00:29:35.14
but I've seen one
00:29:35.24\00:29:36.24
at least in action up close
00:29:36.34\00:29:37.44
for a number of years now,
00:29:37.54\00:29:38.97
and I've seen many others,
00:29:39.07\00:29:40.08
and this is not an easy job.
00:29:40.18\00:29:41.71
It's interesting, particularly
00:29:41.81\00:29:43.78
if someone is -- if a mom
00:29:43.88\00:29:45.61
is a stay-at-home mom,
00:29:45.71\00:29:47.52
often people will joke
00:29:47.62\00:29:49.55
about their employment status.
00:29:49.65\00:29:51.82
Now, gentlemen, if it's been
00:29:51.92\00:29:53.49
a long day for the mother,
00:29:53.59\00:29:54.56
I wouldn't recommend this.
00:29:54.66\00:29:56.09
I wouldn't recommend this, okay?
00:29:56.19\00:29:57.76
In fact, let me just describe
00:29:57.86\00:29:58.93
the situation here
00:29:59.03\00:29:59.89
by reading a short poem.
00:30:00.00\00:30:01.86
Caryl Kerber, who I'm guessing
00:30:01.96\00:30:04.37
was a stay-at-home mom herself,
00:30:04.47\00:30:05.87
wrote this describing her life.
00:30:05.97\00:30:10.07
She said, "Make the beds,
00:30:10.17\00:30:11.34
bandage heads,
00:30:11.44\00:30:12.51
straighten up the room;
00:30:12.61\00:30:14.28
wash the windows, cut the grass,
00:30:14.38\00:30:15.64
see the tulips bloom.
00:30:15.74\00:30:17.45
Drive the children to school,
00:30:17.55\00:30:18.91
drive them back again.
00:30:19.01\00:30:20.05
Have the Cubs to meeting
00:30:20.15\00:30:21.88
then I clean the den.
00:30:21.98\00:30:24.25
Serve on my committee,
00:30:24.35\00:30:25.25
attend the PTA.
00:30:25.35\00:30:26.52
Forget to buy the children
00:30:26.62\00:30:27.79
shoes...can't do it today.
00:30:27.89\00:30:30.26
Pay the bills, write a note,
00:30:30.36\00:30:31.73
fill the cookie jar.
00:30:31.83\00:30:33.16
Oh, dear, I forgot to go and
00:30:33.26\00:30:34.83
have them grease the car.
00:30:34.93\00:30:36.30
Catch up on the ironing,
00:30:36.40\00:30:37.23
scrub the kitchen floor.
00:30:37.33\00:30:38.40
Answer phone and doorbell,
00:30:38.50\00:30:40.10
need I list some more?
00:30:40.20\00:30:42.47
My pet peeve I must admit,
00:30:42.57\00:30:45.04
you surely will agree, when
00:30:45.14\00:30:46.78
someone asks, 'Are you
00:30:46.88\00:30:48.74
employed?' I answer,
00:30:48.84\00:30:50.81
'No, not me.'"
00:30:50.91\00:30:53.92
[ Chuckles ]
00:30:54.02\00:30:57.15
One of the most underpaid jobs
00:30:57.25\00:30:59.15
in the world is being a mother.
00:30:59.25\00:31:01.72
And the busyness required
00:31:01.82\00:31:02.89
and the energy required,
00:31:02.99\00:31:04.23
I mean, this is, you know,
00:31:04.33\00:31:05.09
Deborah is exemplifying this
00:31:05.19\00:31:07.30
for her children in Israel.
00:31:07.40\00:31:08.86
Don't leave the sanctuary today
00:31:08.96\00:31:10.17
before you tap a mother
00:31:10.27\00:31:11.27
on the shoulder
00:31:11.37\00:31:12.03
and say, "Thank you for all
00:31:12.13\00:31:13.03
the busyness you engage in
00:31:13.13\00:31:14.40
for the sake of your children."
00:31:14.50\00:31:17.51
But, lastly, this
00:31:17.61\00:31:18.87
"busy as a bee" wordplay
00:31:18.97\00:31:20.61
doesn't stop there.
00:31:20.71\00:31:23.51
Some commentators have pointed
00:31:23.61\00:31:24.85
out that in verse 4,
00:31:24.95\00:31:27.12
where it says she was the wife
00:31:27.22\00:31:28.22
of Lappidoth,
00:31:28.32\00:31:30.79
it should instead be translated
00:31:30.89\00:31:32.59
a little bit differently.
00:31:32.69\00:31:33.86
You see, the word "Lappidoth"
00:31:33.96\00:31:35.89
literally translates as "torch,"
00:31:35.99\00:31:38.53
like a burning torch, or
00:31:38.63\00:31:40.13
"flashes" like
00:31:40.23\00:31:41.36
a flash of lightning.
00:31:41.46\00:31:43.30
And therefore, instead
00:31:43.40\00:31:44.57
of translating the phrase
00:31:44.67\00:31:45.73
as "the wife of Lappidoth,"
00:31:45.83\00:31:47.80
it should actually be translated
00:31:47.90\00:31:49.34
as "woman with a fiery spirit."
00:31:49.44\00:31:53.44
Do you know any women
00:31:53.54\00:31:54.91
with fiery spirits?
00:31:55.01\00:31:57.25
I do.
00:31:57.35\00:31:58.25
My home is ablaze
00:31:58.35\00:31:59.81
most of the time, alright?
00:31:59.91\00:32:00.98
I have three women
00:32:01.08\00:32:02.18
with fiery spirits
00:32:02.28\00:32:04.15
that are inside -- this energy,
00:32:04.25\00:32:05.85
this power, this authority.
00:32:05.95\00:32:07.66
And if this is
00:32:07.76\00:32:09.16
the correct translation,
00:32:09.26\00:32:10.33
it is a pretty good description
00:32:10.43\00:32:11.53
of Deborah, because notice
00:32:11.63\00:32:12.73
where her fieriness leads
00:32:12.83\00:32:14.93
this mother in Israel.
00:32:15.00\00:32:17.40
Verse 6.
00:32:17.50\00:32:22.64
"She --" Deborah -- "sent for
00:32:22.74\00:32:25.01
Barak, son of Abinoam,
00:32:25.11\00:32:26.74
from Kedesh in Naphtali, and
00:32:26.84\00:32:28.78
said to him, 'The Lord, the God
00:32:28.88\00:32:30.91
of Israel, commands you."
00:32:31.01\00:32:33.92
Okay, so, this is straight
00:32:34.02\00:32:34.75
from God -- straight from God
00:32:34.85\00:32:35.52
here to Barak.
00:32:35.62\00:32:37.75
"'Go take with you 10,000 men
00:32:37.85\00:32:40.66
of Naphtali and Zebulun
00:32:40.76\00:32:42.02
and lead the way to Mount Tabor.
00:32:42.12\00:32:43.63
I will lure Sisera,
00:32:43.73\00:32:45.53
the commander of Jabin's army,
00:32:45.63\00:32:47.00
with his chariots
00:32:47.10\00:32:47.76
and his troops,
00:32:47.86\00:32:48.70
to the Kishon River,
00:32:48.80\00:32:49.73
and give him into your hands.
00:32:49.83\00:32:53.57
Barak said to her,
00:32:53.67\00:32:56.10
"If you go with me, I will go;
00:32:56.20\00:33:02.01
but if you don't go with me,
00:33:02.11\00:33:04.01
I won't go.'"
00:33:04.11\00:33:09.32
Now, those of you mothers
00:33:09.42\00:33:11.19
that have children that are
00:33:11.29\00:33:12.49
of walking and talking age,
00:33:12.59\00:33:14.42
you can probably remember a
00:33:14.52\00:33:15.76
scenario similar to what Deborah
00:33:15.86\00:33:17.46
is experiencing right now.
00:33:17.56\00:33:19.59
Perhaps you've been on a camping
00:33:19.69\00:33:20.70
trip, and you're in the tent
00:33:20.80\00:33:22.63
and at last everyone is asleep.
00:33:22.73\00:33:24.43
You're dozing off yourself.
00:33:24.53\00:33:26.07
It's like 1:00 in the morning,
00:33:26.17\00:33:28.27
and you hear this sleepy,
00:33:28.37\00:33:29.90
languid voice.
00:33:30.01\00:33:31.57
"Mommy?"
00:33:31.67\00:33:34.51
And at first, you ignore it,
00:33:34.61\00:33:36.24
hoping that they'll go back
00:33:36.34\00:33:36.95
to sleep.
00:33:37.05\00:33:39.01
A few seconds later, "Mommy?"
00:33:39.11\00:33:42.48
"Yes, dear?"
00:33:42.58\00:33:45.89
"I need to go to the...
00:33:45.99\00:33:49.09
bathroom."
00:33:49.19\00:33:53.03
"But, sweetie," you say,
00:33:53.13\00:33:54.93
"we just went
00:33:55.00\00:33:56.13
before you went to bed."
00:33:56.23\00:33:57.90
"I know, but
00:33:58.00\00:33:59.60
I need to go again."
00:33:59.70\00:34:02.77
And in your mind,
00:34:02.87\00:34:03.41
you're doing calculus.
00:34:03.51\00:34:04.37
The number of bears
00:34:04.47\00:34:06.54
per square mile in the forest
00:34:06.64\00:34:08.41
where you're at, and thinking,
00:34:08.51\00:34:09.38
"Is it safe?"
00:34:09.48\00:34:09.98
And you decide
00:34:10.08\00:34:11.05
that it's safe enough.
00:34:11.15\00:34:12.08
And so you say, "It's okay.
00:34:12.18\00:34:13.98
You can go ahead
00:34:14.08\00:34:15.02
and go to the bathroom."
00:34:15.12\00:34:17.95
"But, Mommy,
00:34:18.05\00:34:19.09
I want you to go with me."
00:34:19.19\00:34:21.99
And this is what Barak
00:34:22.09\00:34:23.73
is doing with Deborah, okay?
00:34:23.83\00:34:26.73
This mother in Israel
00:34:26.83\00:34:27.83
has her "son" right here.
00:34:27.93\00:34:30.87
And he's been commanded by God
00:34:30.97\00:34:33.94
Himself -- by God Himself.
00:34:34.04\00:34:35.70
She makes this crystal clear.
00:34:35.80\00:34:36.71
And remember,
00:34:36.81\00:34:37.51
Deborah's authority was well
00:34:37.61\00:34:38.61
established by this time.
00:34:38.71\00:34:39.37
She was a prophet
00:34:39.47\00:34:40.54
and a judge in Israel
00:34:40.64\00:34:41.88
and recognized as such.
00:34:41.98\00:34:43.38
So when she said, "God has
00:34:43.48\00:34:44.81
called you," that's what it
00:34:44.91\00:34:45.41
meant.
00:34:45.51\00:34:46.92
And Barak doesn't buy it
00:34:47.02\00:34:47.85
completely.
00:34:47.95\00:34:50.42
"If you go with me, Mommy,
00:34:50.52\00:34:52.35
I'll go;
00:34:52.45\00:34:53.49
but if you don't, I won't.
00:34:53.59\00:34:54.36
I don't want to go,
00:34:54.46\00:34:55.09
I don't want to go."
00:34:55.19\00:34:59.19
And notice what Deborah does.
00:34:59.29\00:35:01.90
And please listen carefully here
00:35:02.00\00:35:03.10
in the next part of this story,
00:35:03.20\00:35:04.53
because if ever there was a
00:35:04.63\00:35:05.53
biblical message for the mothers
00:35:05.63\00:35:06.74
of our day and, frankly,
00:35:06.84\00:35:07.80
for the fathers as well --
00:35:07.90\00:35:08.77
your day is not here yet,
00:35:08.87\00:35:09.74
fathers, but you can eavesdrop
00:35:09.84\00:35:10.91
on what's coming next here --
00:35:11.01\00:35:12.14
it's right here in Judges 4.
00:35:12.24\00:35:14.61
Take a look here at verse 9.
00:35:14.71\00:35:19.55
"'Very well,' Deborah said,
00:35:19.65\00:35:22.28
'I will go with you,
00:35:22.38\00:35:24.25
but because of the way you are
00:35:24.35\00:35:26.09
going about this,
00:35:26.19\00:35:27.89
the honor will not be yours,
00:35:27.99\00:35:30.56
for the Lord will hand Sisera
00:35:30.66\00:35:32.09
over to a woman.'
00:35:32.19\00:35:34.83
So Deborah went with Barak
00:35:34.93\00:35:35.96
to Kedesh, where he summoned
00:35:36.06\00:35:37.13
Zebulun and Naphtali.
00:35:37.23\00:35:38.43
10,000 men followed him,
00:35:38.53\00:35:40.07
and Deborah also went with him."
00:35:40.17\00:35:45.87
Two lessons
00:35:45.97\00:35:47.88
that we begin to uncover here
00:35:47.98\00:35:49.24
about biblical motherhood.
00:35:49.34\00:35:51.21
And the first lesson is this.
00:35:51.31\00:35:54.62
Wise mothers
00:35:54.72\00:35:56.48
prepare their children for war.
00:35:56.58\00:36:01.16
Wise mothers prepare
00:36:01.26\00:36:02.72
their children for war.
00:36:02.82\00:36:06.63
And notice that Deborah did this
00:36:06.73\00:36:07.76
in at least three ways.
00:36:07.86\00:36:09.23
First of all, she acted
00:36:09.33\00:36:10.77
as a judge for their disputes.
00:36:10.87\00:36:13.03
Again, she was under that tree.
00:36:13.13\00:36:14.17
She could -- People could come
00:36:14.27\00:36:15.40
and ask for advice and to solve
00:36:15.50\00:36:16.54
their disputes, et cetera.
00:36:16.64\00:36:17.87
And really, this was simply
00:36:17.97\00:36:18.91
a way to convey
00:36:19.01\00:36:20.58
the teachings of God.
00:36:20.68\00:36:22.34
This was a way to be able
00:36:22.44\00:36:23.45
to show the ways of God,
00:36:23.55\00:36:24.41
the values of God,
00:36:24.51\00:36:25.71
and help to inculcate them
00:36:25.81\00:36:26.85
in her children.
00:36:26.95\00:36:28.92
She also went with them
00:36:29.02\00:36:30.39
to the site of battle.
00:36:30.49\00:36:32.42
She knew the battle was coming,
00:36:32.52\00:36:33.25
so she goes with them to the
00:36:33.36\00:36:34.59
site so that she can be there.
00:36:34.69\00:36:36.09
She shows support for them,
00:36:36.19\00:36:37.09
that she believed in them,
00:36:37.19\00:36:38.06
that she was there to give
00:36:38.16\00:36:38.79
counsel, et cetera.
00:36:38.89\00:36:40.70
And number three, she was
00:36:40.80\00:36:41.83
honest with them.
00:36:41.93\00:36:44.10
She was honest with them.
00:36:44.20\00:36:45.47
Deborah made it crystal clear.
00:36:45.57\00:36:46.90
"I will go with you," she said,
00:36:47.00\00:36:48.37
"But because you did not take
00:36:48.47\00:36:49.84
the Lord at His word, the payoff
00:36:49.94\00:36:51.94
for you will be less than it
00:36:52.04\00:36:53.24
otherwise would have been."
00:36:53.34\00:36:56.54
And all three of these were
00:36:56.64\00:36:57.41
invaluable ways that Deborah
00:36:57.51\00:36:58.68
prepared her "children"
00:36:58.78\00:37:00.15
to engage in war --
00:37:00.25\00:37:01.95
physical war, physical combat.
00:37:02.05\00:37:05.39
Now, blessedly,
00:37:05.49\00:37:06.49
for our context here,
00:37:06.59\00:37:07.59
those of us that are sitting
00:37:07.69\00:37:08.46
here in this room right now,
00:37:08.56\00:37:09.69
and probably most of the people
00:37:09.79\00:37:10.73
at least, that are listening,
00:37:10.83\00:37:11.79
we are not called to prepare
00:37:11.89\00:37:13.33
our children for physical war
00:37:13.43\00:37:15.26
in a military-like way,
00:37:15.36\00:37:17.37
but we most certainly are called
00:37:17.47\00:37:18.97
to prepare our children
00:37:19.07\00:37:20.37
for spiritual warfare.
00:37:20.47\00:37:22.40
Absolutely.
00:37:22.50\00:37:23.94
And indeed,
00:37:24.04\00:37:25.24
Deborah's three tactics here
00:37:25.34\00:37:26.68
have solid spiritual
00:37:26.78\00:37:27.91
applications
00:37:28.01\00:37:28.91
for spiritual warfare, as well.
00:37:29.01\00:37:30.78
Children, for instance, do need
00:37:30.88\00:37:32.21
moms who will act as wise,
00:37:32.31\00:37:33.68
Bible-based judges in their
00:37:33.78\00:37:34.85
disputes.
00:37:34.95\00:37:35.88
Children will, at times, need
00:37:35.98\00:37:37.32
moms who will go with them to
00:37:37.42\00:37:38.89
the scenes of spiritual warfare,
00:37:38.99\00:37:40.39
that will inevitably arise over
00:37:40.49\00:37:41.99
time, to guide and support them.
00:37:42.09\00:37:43.99
And, yes, children will need
00:37:44.09\00:37:45.29
moms who are honest with them
00:37:45.39\00:37:46.49
about the consequences
00:37:46.59\00:37:47.56
of their choices.
00:37:47.66\00:37:51.67
And with that as a foundation,
00:37:51.77\00:37:53.03
there are still more ways that
00:37:53.13\00:37:54.57
moms can prepare their children
00:37:54.67\00:37:55.90
for spiritual warfare.
00:37:56.00\00:37:58.14
And I'm going to call in
00:37:58.24\00:37:59.27
the big guns.
00:37:59.37\00:38:00.04
I'm not a mom,
00:38:00.14\00:38:01.08
but I know at least one,
00:38:01.18\00:38:02.98
and I would like to invite
00:38:03.08\00:38:04.65
another woman of fiery spirit --
00:38:04.75\00:38:06.31
my wife, Darlene -- to come
00:38:06.41\00:38:07.45
and join me here up front
00:38:07.55\00:38:09.32
and to share with us
00:38:09.42\00:38:10.69
a little bit more about
00:38:10.79\00:38:12.72
how we can prepare our children
00:38:12.82\00:38:14.32
for war.
00:38:14.42\00:38:15.09
Hi.
00:38:15.19\00:38:17.06
>> Hi.
00:38:17.16\00:38:18.09
>> Hi.
00:38:18.19\00:38:20.96
>> So, through the years
00:38:21.03\00:38:22.80
as a mom,
00:38:22.90\00:38:23.70
I have thought and prayed a lot
00:38:23.80\00:38:26.00
about my role as a mother.
00:38:26.10\00:38:28.97
And one of the keys
00:38:29.07\00:38:30.77
that I have come up with
00:38:30.87\00:38:32.94
to preparing our children
00:38:33.04\00:38:33.94
for war is realizing
00:38:34.04\00:38:35.88
that we as mothers ourselves,
00:38:35.98\00:38:38.38
we need to be prepared.
00:38:38.48\00:38:40.15
I love how Deborah
00:38:40.25\00:38:41.42
is an example of this,
00:38:41.52\00:38:42.62
in the passage that Shane
00:38:42.72\00:38:43.95
just read a few minutes ago,
00:38:44.05\00:38:45.42
verse 7.
00:38:45.52\00:38:46.79
"Village life ceased.
00:38:46.89\00:38:48.72
It ceased in Israel until I,
00:38:48.82\00:38:51.39
Deborah, arose,
00:38:51.49\00:38:53.36
arose a mother in Israel."
00:38:53.46\00:38:55.73
She could have said "arose
00:38:55.83\00:38:56.73
a leader, "arose a judge,"
00:38:56.83\00:38:58.73
"arose a woman,"
00:38:58.83\00:39:00.64
"arose a prophetess."
00:39:00.74\00:39:02.54
But she said "arose a mother."
00:39:02.64\00:39:04.64
She was not apologizing
00:39:04.74\00:39:06.41
for her role as a mother.
00:39:06.51\00:39:07.98
It was her highest honor
00:39:08.08\00:39:09.54
and her clear identity.
00:39:09.64\00:39:11.68
And she was not underestimating
00:39:11.78\00:39:13.08
the strength and power
00:39:13.18\00:39:14.18
it gave her,
00:39:14.28\00:39:15.62
not just for her own children
00:39:15.72\00:39:17.52
but for her whole nation.
00:39:17.62\00:39:19.69
In order for us, as mothers,
00:39:19.79\00:39:21.46
to prepare our children for war,
00:39:21.56\00:39:23.56
it is vital that we don't
00:39:23.66\00:39:25.09
underestimate or apologize for
00:39:25.19\00:39:27.66
our role as a mother.
00:39:27.76\00:39:29.66
In "Adventist Home," page 231,
00:39:29.76\00:39:32.03
Ellen White says, "The king upon
00:39:32.13\00:39:33.84
his throne has no higher work
00:39:33.94\00:39:36.30
than that of a mother.
00:39:36.40\00:39:38.27
The mother is queen
00:39:38.37\00:39:39.44
of her household.
00:39:39.54\00:39:41.18
She has in her power the molding
00:39:41.28\00:39:44.78
of her children's character,
00:39:44.88\00:39:46.68
that they may be fitted
00:39:46.78\00:39:48.25
for the higher, immortal life.
00:39:48.35\00:39:50.52
An angel could not ask
00:39:50.62\00:39:51.79
for a higher mission
00:39:51.89\00:39:52.92
in doing this work.
00:39:53.02\00:39:55.09
She is doing God's service
00:39:55.19\00:39:56.73
for God.
00:39:56.83\00:39:58.69
Let her only realize the
00:39:58.79\00:40:01.36
high character of her task, and
00:40:01.46\00:40:02.83
it will inspire her with
00:40:02.93\00:40:04.13
courage.
00:40:04.23\00:40:05.43
Let her realize the worth
00:40:05.53\00:40:06.80
of her work and put on
00:40:06.90\00:40:08.60
the whole armor of God,
00:40:08.70\00:40:10.04
that she may resist
00:40:10.14\00:40:11.44
the temptation to conform
00:40:11.54\00:40:12.91
to the world's standard.
00:40:13.01\00:40:14.61
Her work is for time
00:40:14.71\00:40:16.08
and for eternity."
00:40:16.18\00:40:18.48
Often, in the day-in-and-day-out
00:40:18.58\00:40:20.52
heavy load of motherhood,
00:40:20.62\00:40:22.28
we forget what an important
00:40:22.38\00:40:24.25
work that we're doing.
00:40:24.35\00:40:25.62
And then -- I'm sure you could
00:40:25.72\00:40:26.55
all share stories, too --
00:40:26.65\00:40:27.92
sometimes we get a little
00:40:28.02\00:40:28.92
glimpse of something that
00:40:29.02\00:40:31.46
our children have been learning
00:40:31.56\00:40:33.46
without us even realizing
00:40:33.56\00:40:34.83
that we were teaching it.
00:40:34.93\00:40:36.40
One day, one of our daughters,
00:40:36.50\00:40:37.97
who was maybe 4 years old,
00:40:38.07\00:40:39.87
exclaimed with joy,
00:40:39.97\00:40:41.94
"Christmas and Sabbath
00:40:42.04\00:40:43.64
are my favorite days."
00:40:43.74\00:40:45.21
And it struck me
00:40:45.31\00:40:46.84
because I hadn't even realized
00:40:46.94\00:40:48.34
the impact we were having on her
00:40:48.44\00:40:49.91
just by doing
00:40:50.01\00:40:50.95
our daily practice,
00:40:51.05\00:40:53.31
our keeping Sabbath
00:40:53.42\00:40:54.68
the way we do.
00:40:54.78\00:40:55.92
Another time,
00:40:56.02\00:40:57.19
someone from our church
00:40:57.29\00:40:58.25
asked my 3-year-old
00:40:58.35\00:41:00.29
what I say to her
00:41:00.39\00:41:01.22
in the morning.
00:41:01.32\00:41:02.82
That made me kind of nervous
00:41:02.92\00:41:04.63
because I didn't know what I say
00:41:04.73\00:41:05.66
to her
00:41:05.76\00:41:06.33
I, in my head, was thinking,
00:41:08.06\00:41:09.23
"Maybe I say, 'Go back to
00:41:09.33\00:41:11.30
sleep,' 'I'm tired,' or
00:41:11.40\00:41:13.13
something like that."
00:41:13.23\00:41:15.07
But without missing a beat,
00:41:15.17\00:41:16.94
she said, "My mommy says,
00:41:17.04\00:41:19.14
'Good morning, Sunshine.'"
00:41:19.24\00:41:20.91
And it struck me again
00:41:21.01\00:41:22.41
how important it is,
00:41:22.51\00:41:24.35
the little things that we say
00:41:24.45\00:41:25.61
and that we do.
00:41:25.71\00:41:27.55
Now, I'm not a perfect mom,
00:41:27.65\00:41:29.35
and I've done plenty of things
00:41:29.45\00:41:30.52
that have made me sad.
00:41:30.62\00:41:32.72
But when we recognize and accept
00:41:32.82\00:41:35.12
the incredible impact of our
00:41:35.22\00:41:36.76
God-given role as mothers, we
00:41:36.86\00:41:39.13
are empowered, with God's help,
00:41:39.23\00:41:41.10
to prepare our children
00:41:41.20\00:41:42.83
through their -- through
00:41:42.93\00:41:43.40
our actions,
00:41:43.50\00:41:44.73
both big and small,
00:41:44.83\00:41:46.74
for the many wars
00:41:46.84\00:41:47.70
that they will face.
00:41:47.80\00:41:50.11
Another way that we prepare our
00:41:50.21\00:41:51.54
children for spiritual warfare
00:41:51.64\00:41:52.97
is to appropriately
00:41:53.07\00:41:54.34
immerse them in God.
00:41:54.44\00:41:56.71
I homeschooled both of our girls
00:41:56.81\00:41:58.31
until fourth grade,
00:41:58.41\00:41:59.95
and I well remember the feeling
00:42:00.12\00:42:01.65
of that first day of school --
00:42:01.75\00:42:03.62
probably the same as someone
00:42:03.72\00:42:05.05
bringing their child
00:42:05.15\00:42:05.99
to kindergarten.
00:42:06.09\00:42:07.02
You just want it to go so well,
00:42:07.12\00:42:08.69
and you want your kid to fit in.
00:42:08.79\00:42:11.29
I remember watching my daughter,
00:42:11.39\00:42:13.60
and she was with a couple
00:42:13.70\00:42:14.46
of other little girls,
00:42:14.56\00:42:15.60
and one of the little girls
00:42:15.70\00:42:16.56
said, "We're hotties."
00:42:16.67\00:42:19.90
And my daughter just looked at
00:42:20.00\00:42:21.64
her with a completely blank
00:42:21.74\00:42:23.74
look on her face, with no clue
00:42:23.84\00:42:25.54
what she was talking about.
00:42:25.64\00:42:27.61
And then there was the chatter
00:42:27.71\00:42:28.78
about movies and music
00:42:28.88\00:42:30.75
when we didn't even have a TV.
00:42:30.85\00:42:32.78
We wanted so much
00:42:32.88\00:42:34.08
for our girls to fit in.
00:42:34.18\00:42:35.65
And truly,
00:42:35.75\00:42:36.82
we had a wonderful school
00:42:36.92\00:42:38.12
and they made
00:42:38.22\00:42:39.09
really wonderful friends.
00:42:39.19\00:42:41.12
But our girls did not
00:42:41.22\00:42:42.06
always fit in,
00:42:42.16\00:42:43.66
and we had to talk about it
00:42:43.76\00:42:45.79
and make a conscious decision
00:42:45.89\00:42:46.96
to accept that,
00:42:47.03\00:42:48.53
to choose that it was better
00:42:48.63\00:42:50.83
to sometimes be on the outside
00:42:50.93\00:42:53.23
than to be on an inside
00:42:53.34\00:42:54.80
that would weaken them
00:42:54.90\00:42:55.84
in their battles.
00:42:55.94\00:42:58.57
You know, the devil immerses
00:42:58.67\00:42:59.67
our kids in evil.
00:42:59.77\00:43:01.54
He finds every single avenue
00:43:01.64\00:43:03.38
possible to influence
00:43:03.48\00:43:04.78
our children.
00:43:04.88\00:43:06.45
Why would we not immerse
00:43:06.55\00:43:07.78
our children in God?
00:43:07.88\00:43:10.15
Why would we not give our child
00:43:10.25\00:43:12.32
every opportunity
00:43:12.42\00:43:13.62
to strengthen herself for battle
00:43:13.72\00:43:15.79
by immersing her in good?
00:43:15.89\00:43:18.23
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says,
00:43:18.33\00:43:21.70
"These commandments
00:43:21.80\00:43:22.90
that I give you today
00:43:23.00\00:43:24.03
are to be on your hearts.
00:43:24.13\00:43:26.10
Impress them on your children.
00:43:26.20\00:43:27.70
Talk about them
00:43:27.80\00:43:28.70
when you sit at home
00:43:28.80\00:43:30.21
and when you walk along
00:43:30.31\00:43:31.24
the road, when you lie down
00:43:31.34\00:43:32.77
and when you get up.
00:43:32.87\00:43:34.21
Tie them as symbols on your
00:43:34.31\00:43:35.88
hands and bind them on your
00:43:35.98\00:43:37.48
foreheads.
00:43:37.58\00:43:39.01
Write them on the doorframes
00:43:39.11\00:43:40.32
of your houses
00:43:40.42\00:43:41.42
and on your gates."
00:43:41.52\00:43:43.85
Another way that we, as mothers,
00:43:43.95\00:43:45.59
can prepare our children for war
00:43:45.69\00:43:47.36
is to specifically seek
00:43:47.46\00:43:48.96
to strengthen
00:43:49.06\00:43:49.89
our children's weaknesses.
00:43:49.99\00:43:52.09
As a young mom,
00:43:52.19\00:43:53.33
I read the following quote
00:43:53.43\00:43:54.56
from "Child Guidance," page 39.
00:43:54.63\00:43:56.97
"A wise instructor
00:43:57.07\00:43:58.73
will give special attention
00:43:58.83\00:44:00.80
to the development of the weaker
00:44:00.90\00:44:02.44
traits, that the child may form
00:44:02.54\00:44:04.77
a well-balanced,
00:44:04.87\00:44:05.97
harmonious character."
00:44:06.07\00:44:07.98
It struck me when I read it,
00:44:08.08\00:44:09.31
because I think, especially in
00:44:09.41\00:44:10.51
our culture right now,
00:44:10.61\00:44:11.91
we try to develop
00:44:12.01\00:44:12.75
the strong traits.
00:44:12.85\00:44:13.78
We see, "Okay, she's good
00:44:13.88\00:44:14.55
at this.
00:44:14.65\00:44:15.32
I'm going to really,
00:44:15.42\00:44:16.45
really teach her this
00:44:16.55\00:44:17.55
and she'll become a pro at it."
00:44:17.65\00:44:19.59
But instead, this counsel is to
00:44:19.69\00:44:21.82
give us -- for us to give
00:44:21.92\00:44:23.59
attention to the weaker traits.
00:44:23.69\00:44:25.49
Not only do we prepare our
00:44:25.59\00:44:27.40
child, by doing this, to face a
00:44:27.50\00:44:29.36
wide variety of situations
00:44:29.46\00:44:30.73
in life, we also give him
00:44:30.83\00:44:32.60
confidence that he can take on
00:44:32.70\00:44:34.64
new and daunting tasks.
00:44:34.74\00:44:37.34
One year, when one of our girls
00:44:37.44\00:44:39.01
was in elementary school,
00:44:39.11\00:44:40.98
she started shedding tears with
00:44:41.08\00:44:43.01
frustration when she had to
00:44:43.11\00:44:45.15
do math in the evenings
00:44:45.25\00:44:46.48
for her homework.
00:44:46.58\00:44:48.08
And she had always done well
00:44:48.18\00:44:49.18
at math, so that surprised me
00:44:49.28\00:44:51.15
and I couldn't understand
00:44:51.25\00:44:51.95
what was wrong.
00:44:52.05\00:44:53.46
But it was consistent
00:44:53.56\00:44:54.69
and it was pretty severe.
00:44:54.79\00:44:56.39
And so one day
00:44:56.49\00:44:57.16
I made the decision
00:44:57.26\00:44:58.29
that I would set aside time
00:44:58.39\00:44:59.89
each night, indefinitely,
00:45:00.06\00:45:02.53
to help her with her math.
00:45:02.63\00:45:04.83
So I sat down with her
00:45:04.93\00:45:05.77
in the evenings,
00:45:05.87\00:45:07.00
and we studied math --
00:45:07.10\00:45:08.47
the math book and the questions
00:45:08.57\00:45:09.94
and the examples
00:45:10.04\00:45:10.87
until she got it.
00:45:10.97\00:45:12.21
And she got it.
00:45:12.31\00:45:13.94
It wasn't just me feeding
00:45:14.04\00:45:14.98
her the answers.
00:45:15.08\00:45:16.11
She learned so much
00:45:16.21\00:45:17.68
in just a few nights.
00:45:17.78\00:45:19.28
She had gained
00:45:19.38\00:45:19.95
so much confidence
00:45:20.05\00:45:21.62
that she no longer needed
00:45:21.72\00:45:22.82
or even wanted my help,
00:45:22.92\00:45:25.02
and she charged forward
00:45:25.12\00:45:26.55
and has had very top grades
00:45:26.65\00:45:28.29
in math ever since.
00:45:28.39\00:45:30.06
Honestly,
00:45:30.16\00:45:30.83
I hadn't anticipated that.
00:45:30.93\00:45:32.36
I thought that I would probably
00:45:32.46\00:45:33.60
be sitting with her
00:45:33.70\00:45:34.86
for the entire school year.
00:45:34.96\00:45:36.73
But in thinking back on it,
00:45:36.83\00:45:38.87
even at the time,
00:45:38.97\00:45:40.00
I noticed -- I was like, "Wow.
00:45:40.10\00:45:41.80
This is how we equip
00:45:41.90\00:45:43.30
our children for battles.
00:45:43.41\00:45:45.07
We take the time to develop
00:45:45.17\00:45:46.57
their weakest traits,
00:45:46.68\00:45:48.38
and being prepared
00:45:48.48\00:45:50.68
in math is important."
00:45:50.78\00:45:53.35
But what about preparing
00:45:53.45\00:45:54.45
our children for eternity?
00:45:54.55\00:45:56.22
That's infinitely
00:45:56.32\00:45:57.09
more important.
00:45:57.19\00:45:59.02
>> Amen.
00:45:59.12\00:46:00.26
>> Amen.
00:46:00.36\00:46:01.76
>> And again, why do we do
00:46:01.86\00:46:02.52
all of this?
00:46:02.62\00:46:05.36
Deborah knew that her children,
00:46:05.46\00:46:07.46
the children of Israel,
00:46:07.56\00:46:08.56
would soon be headed to war,
00:46:08.66\00:46:10.93
and it was her task,
00:46:11.03\00:46:12.07
consequently,
00:46:12.17\00:46:13.00
as a loving mother in Israel,
00:46:13.10\00:46:14.30
to do all that she could to
00:46:14.40\00:46:15.47
prepare them for it.
00:46:15.57\00:46:17.57
Blessed will you be, modern-day
00:46:17.67\00:46:20.28
mothers in Israel,
00:46:20.38\00:46:21.94
if you do the same.
00:46:22.04\00:46:25.31
I wish I could say differently,
00:46:25.41\00:46:27.18
but the fact of the matter is,
00:46:27.28\00:46:28.18
is that all of our children
00:46:28.28\00:46:29.58
are headed into war.
00:46:29.68\00:46:32.49
The devil is like a roaring lion
00:46:32.59\00:46:34.42
seeking who he can devour.
00:46:34.52\00:46:36.22
And our kids are on his meal
00:46:36.32\00:46:38.56
list if he can have them.
00:46:38.66\00:46:40.50
I say we deprive him
00:46:40.60\00:46:41.60
of the meal.
00:46:41.70\00:46:43.23
Let us equip our children that
00:46:43.33\00:46:45.57
when the time for battle comes,
00:46:45.67\00:46:47.50
they will be ready.
00:46:47.60\00:46:51.21
The story of Deborah continues.
00:46:51.31\00:46:54.11
Look at verse 11, please.
00:46:54.21\00:46:55.48
And this time, let's read
00:46:55.58\00:46:56.85
up through verse 16.
00:46:56.95\00:46:58.91
Judges 4:11.
00:46:59.01\00:47:02.28
"Now Heber the Kenite had left
00:47:02.38\00:47:03.62
the other Kenites,
00:47:03.72\00:47:04.65
the descendants of Hobab,
00:47:04.75\00:47:05.85
Moses' brother-in-law,
00:47:05.95\00:47:07.32
and pitched his tent
00:47:07.42\00:47:08.49
by the great tree in Zaanannim,
00:47:08.59\00:47:09.99
near Kedesh.
00:47:10.09\00:47:11.66
When they told Sisera
00:47:11.76\00:47:13.16
that Barak, son of Abinoam,
00:47:13.26\00:47:14.50
had gathered up to Mount Tabor,
00:47:14.60\00:47:16.43
Sisera gathered together
00:47:16.53\00:47:17.73
his 900 iron chariots,
00:47:17.83\00:47:19.37
and all the men with him
00:47:19.47\00:47:20.50
from Harosheth Haggoyim
00:47:20.60\00:47:21.80
to the Kishon River.
00:47:21.90\00:47:23.77
Then Deborah said to Barak, 'Go!
00:47:23.87\00:47:26.78
This is the day the Lord has
00:47:26.88\00:47:29.01
given Sisera into your hands.
00:47:29.11\00:47:30.95
Has not the Lord
00:47:31.05\00:47:32.25
gone ahead of you?'
00:47:32.35\00:47:34.18
So Barak went down Mount Tabor,
00:47:34.28\00:47:35.58
followed by 10,000 men.
00:47:35.68\00:47:37.45
At Barak's advance,
00:47:37.55\00:47:38.65
the Lord routed Sisera
00:47:38.75\00:47:41.02
and all his chariots and army
00:47:41.12\00:47:42.52
by the sword,
00:47:42.62\00:47:43.86
and Sisera abandoned his chariot
00:47:43.96\00:47:45.49
and fled on foot.
00:47:45.59\00:47:47.60
But Barak pursued the chariots
00:47:47.73\00:47:48.83
and army as far
00:47:48.93\00:47:49.96
as Harosheth Haggoyim.
00:47:50.07\00:47:51.73
All the troops of Sisera
00:47:51.83\00:47:53.03
fell by the sword.
00:47:53.13\00:47:54.30
Not a man was left."
00:47:54.40\00:47:59.94
A second lesson that Deborah
00:48:00.11\00:48:02.04
teaches us about what healthy,
00:48:02.14\00:48:03.55
biblical motherhood looks like
00:48:03.65\00:48:05.35
is this.
00:48:05.45\00:48:07.05
Wise mothers prepare their
00:48:07.15\00:48:08.75
children for war, and then
00:48:08.85\00:48:11.69
increasingly set them free to
00:48:11.79\00:48:13.76
fight, on their own, in Christ.
00:48:13.86\00:48:17.96
It's not just the preparation,
00:48:18.06\00:48:20.23
in other words.
00:48:20.33\00:48:20.96
There is a deployment,
00:48:21.03\00:48:22.60
if I can further the analogy
00:48:22.70\00:48:24.00
here.
00:48:24.10\00:48:25.03
They increasingly, with this
00:48:25.13\00:48:26.60
training, set them free to fight
00:48:26.70\00:48:28.50
on their own, in Christ.
00:48:28.60\00:48:32.34
Did you see what Deborah did, or
00:48:32.44\00:48:33.81
rather what Deborah didn't do,
00:48:33.91\00:48:35.81
when it came time
00:48:35.91\00:48:36.98
for this battle?
00:48:37.08\00:48:38.95
Verse 14, she says to Barak,
00:48:39.05\00:48:40.68
"Go!"
00:48:40.78\00:48:42.08
In other words, "You go.
00:48:42.18\00:48:44.29
I'm going to stay here.
00:48:44.39\00:48:45.65
I'm not far away.
00:48:45.75\00:48:47.29
I'm still available for counsel.
00:48:47.39\00:48:48.79
I believe in you, but I'm not
00:48:48.89\00:48:50.29
going into this battle.
00:48:50.39\00:48:51.53
You are."
00:48:51.63\00:48:53.16
Now understand
00:48:53.26\00:48:54.50
the dynamics here.
00:48:54.60\00:48:55.90
We don't know this for certain,
00:48:56.00\00:48:57.10
but probably -- probably --
00:48:57.20\00:48:59.10
one of the reasons
00:48:59.20\00:49:00.87
that Barak wanted Deborah
00:49:00.97\00:49:02.17
to go with him
00:49:02.27\00:49:03.57
is kind of as an amulet,
00:49:03.67\00:49:05.37
a good-luck charm.
00:49:05.47\00:49:06.47
Right?
00:49:06.57\00:49:08.24
He was essentially saying,
00:49:08.34\00:49:09.38
"I'm not sure
00:49:09.48\00:49:10.78
if all the men will follow me
00:49:10.88\00:49:11.85
into battle with enthusiasm.
00:49:11.95\00:49:13.18
Maybe they don't believe
00:49:13.28\00:49:14.02
that I was called by God.
00:49:14.12\00:49:15.12
But if you come with me,
00:49:15.22\00:49:17.45
it'll show your stamp
00:49:17.55\00:49:18.52
of approval and everybody
00:49:18.62\00:49:19.59
will think, 'Ah, look, you know,
00:49:19.69\00:49:20.49
Deborah approves of him.
00:49:20.59\00:49:21.32
Therefore, the Lord will
00:49:21.42\00:49:22.39
grant us the victory.'"
00:49:22.49\00:49:23.32
Deborah was not
00:49:23.43\00:49:24.89
a good-luck charm.
00:49:24.99\00:49:25.99
Deborah had no interest
00:49:26.09\00:49:27.13
in that role.
00:49:27.23\00:49:28.10
She knew that the only person
00:49:28.20\00:49:29.86
that was going to win the battle
00:49:29.96\00:49:30.90
that day was the Lord.
00:49:31.00\00:49:32.87
And in order
00:49:32.97\00:49:33.60
for that to transpire,
00:49:33.70\00:49:35.20
Barak had to develop faith
00:49:35.30\00:49:37.21
that was his own.
00:49:37.31\00:49:39.21
And so she essentially
00:49:39.31\00:49:40.41
says to Barak
00:49:40.51\00:49:42.48
that she knows his faith in God
00:49:42.58\00:49:44.41
will not form as it should,
00:49:44.51\00:49:46.82
unless he is given
00:49:46.92\00:49:47.98
the opportunity to exercise it
00:49:48.08\00:49:49.82
without her holding his hand.
00:49:49.92\00:49:53.86
Oh, the implications
00:49:53.96\00:49:55.56
for parenting today.
00:49:55.66\00:49:57.66
But this, too, is
00:49:57.76\00:49:58.99
above my pay grade,
00:49:59.09\00:50:00.00
so I would like to invite
00:50:00.10\00:50:00.93
Darlene once again
00:50:01.00\00:50:02.33
to come and share briefly
00:50:02.43\00:50:03.47
about this particular point.
00:50:03.57\00:50:05.33
>> The point of setting
00:50:10.94\00:50:12.14
our children free
00:50:12.24\00:50:13.04
is a hard one for me.
00:50:13.14\00:50:14.71
I think it probably is
00:50:14.81\00:50:15.71
for most moms, but I like
00:50:15.81\00:50:17.75
how Deborah did it.
00:50:17.85\00:50:20.28
Barak fought his own battle,
00:50:20.38\00:50:22.55
but she stayed close to support
00:50:22.65\00:50:23.82
and to guide.
00:50:23.92\00:50:25.12
And it strikes me
00:50:25.22\00:50:26.35
as a very wise thing to not push
00:50:26.45\00:50:28.32
our kid out of the boat
00:50:28.42\00:50:29.69
and say, "Sink or swim."
00:50:29.79\00:50:32.06
Instead, we allow our child
00:50:32.16\00:50:33.93
a little bit of space
00:50:34.00\00:50:34.93
to venture out on their own,
00:50:35.03\00:50:36.80
but then pull them back
00:50:36.90\00:50:38.13
if they need help,
00:50:38.23\00:50:39.57
if they can't handle it,
00:50:39.67\00:50:41.17
then slowly, once again,
00:50:41.27\00:50:42.77
we allow them to venture out
00:50:42.87\00:50:44.81
and increase their independence
00:50:44.91\00:50:46.21
as they are able to.
00:50:46.31\00:50:48.28
They are bound to experience
00:50:48.38\00:50:49.61
hurt, mistreatment, heartbreak.
00:50:49.71\00:50:52.41
It's hard on our mamas' hearts,
00:50:52.51\00:50:54.38
but we can have -- but
00:50:54.48\00:50:55.88
we have to let them experience
00:50:55.98\00:50:57.25
the natural consequences of
00:50:57.35\00:50:59.05
their decisions and also just
00:50:59.15\00:51:00.89
the realities of life.
00:51:00.99\00:51:03.16
Still, through this process,
00:51:03.26\00:51:04.66
we are teaching them
00:51:04.76\00:51:05.93
and providing for them.
00:51:06.03\00:51:08.26
This is an example
00:51:08.36\00:51:09.73
to them of what God is for us.
00:51:09.83\00:51:12.60
Listen to Psalm 139:5-10.
00:51:12.70\00:51:15.10
"You hem me in behind and
00:51:15.20\00:51:17.27
before, you lay your hand
00:51:17.37\00:51:19.17
upon me.
00:51:19.27\00:51:20.51
Such knowledge is too wonderful
00:51:20.61\00:51:21.71
for me, too lofty
00:51:21.81\00:51:23.41
for me to attain.
00:51:23.51\00:51:25.18
Where can I go from your Spirit?
00:51:25.28\00:51:26.55
Where can I flee
00:51:26.65\00:51:27.48
from your presence?
00:51:27.58\00:51:29.02
If I go up to the heavens,
00:51:29.12\00:51:30.12
you are there;
00:51:30.22\00:51:31.29
if I make my bed in the depths,
00:51:31.39\00:51:32.92
you are there.
00:51:33.02\00:51:34.16
If I rise on the wings
00:51:34.26\00:51:35.56
of the dawn, if I settle on the
00:51:35.66\00:51:36.46
far side of the sea, even there
00:51:36.56\00:51:39.03
your hand will guide me,
00:51:39.13\00:51:41.03
your right hand
00:51:41.13\00:51:41.73
will hold me fast."
00:51:41.83\00:51:44.00
Notice that David said,
00:51:44.10\00:51:45.40
"Such knowledge is too wonderful
00:51:45.50\00:51:46.57
for me."
00:51:46.67\00:51:47.94
Done right, this is not an
00:51:48.04\00:51:50.27
oppressive or overly hover-y
00:51:50.37\00:51:52.11
type of protection.
00:51:52.21\00:51:54.04
It produces confidence and
00:51:54.14\00:51:55.71
independence in our children.
00:51:55.81\00:51:58.21
So, how do we do it right?
00:51:58.31\00:52:00.62
I can't say exactly.
00:52:00.72\00:52:02.25
Shane and I haven't done it
00:52:02.35\00:52:03.59
perfectly, but we do have
00:52:03.69\00:52:06.59
some things that we've learned
00:52:06.69\00:52:07.89
that have worked well for us.
00:52:07.99\00:52:09.29
Here's an example.
00:52:09.39\00:52:10.43
From the time our girls
00:52:10.53\00:52:12.59
were very young, we lived
00:52:12.69\00:52:14.13
and taught the importance
00:52:14.23\00:52:15.30
of service and mission,
00:52:15.40\00:52:17.03
not only locally
00:52:17.13\00:52:18.97
but also internationally.
00:52:19.07\00:52:20.74
I read the girls dozens of books
00:52:20.84\00:52:22.37
about missionaries,
00:52:22.47\00:52:23.74
and their little hearts
00:52:23.84\00:52:24.77
were drawn to mission work.
00:52:24.87\00:52:27.24
When one of our daughters
00:52:27.34\00:52:28.21
was quite young, she decided
00:52:28.31\00:52:30.01
to have a lemonade stand
00:52:30.11\00:52:31.35
by the road to sell lemonade
00:52:31.45\00:52:33.78
and raise money for ADRA.
00:52:33.88\00:52:35.88
She gathered her friends
00:52:35.98\00:52:37.09
and started a club,
00:52:37.19\00:52:39.19
and they -- and she worked hard.
00:52:39.29\00:52:41.02
It was demanding
00:52:41.12\00:52:41.96
for a little girl,
00:52:42.06\00:52:43.09
and often, she had to do
00:52:43.19\00:52:44.56
most of the work by herself.
00:52:44.66\00:52:46.70
Sometimes her friends didn't
00:52:46.80\00:52:47.86
show up or there weren't
00:52:47.96\00:52:49.86
very many customers.
00:52:49.96\00:52:51.73
Always she was tired afterwards,
00:52:51.83\00:52:54.10
and she didn't feel like
00:52:54.20\00:52:54.84
cleaning up.
00:52:54.94\00:52:56.71
Sometimes when I saw her fatigue
00:52:56.81\00:52:58.94
was to the point
00:52:59.04\00:52:59.84
of discouragement,
00:52:59.94\00:53:01.28
I would help her.
00:53:01.38\00:53:02.21
Many times,
00:53:02.31\00:53:03.88
I would keep an eye on her, but
00:53:03.98\00:53:05.78
leave her to work on her own.
00:53:05.88\00:53:07.95
By helping her with her dream
00:53:08.05\00:53:10.19
and stepping back to allow her
00:53:10.29\00:53:12.25
to learn the lessons of service,
00:53:12.35\00:53:14.26
hard work, and trust, we helped
00:53:14.36\00:53:16.29
her gain invaluable experience,
00:53:16.39\00:53:18.76
and we are watching her put that
00:53:18.86\00:53:21.26
experience into practice today.
00:53:21.36\00:53:23.70
As the mother of young adults,
00:53:23.80\00:53:25.80
I find this letting go to be
00:53:25.90\00:53:27.67
one of my greatest challenges.
00:53:27.77\00:53:29.77
A friend of mine recently said,
00:53:29.87\00:53:31.54
"My daughter is mine
00:53:31.64\00:53:32.91
to pray for, not mine to keep."
00:53:33.01\00:53:36.71
I guess that is something
00:53:36.81\00:53:37.95
that God is trying to teach me
00:53:38.05\00:53:39.21
right now, too.
00:53:39.31\00:53:40.92
And I love how he carries us
00:53:41.02\00:53:42.88
and grows us through motherhood.
00:53:42.98\00:53:45.02
He tenderly hems us moms in,
00:53:45.12\00:53:46.86
too, you know?
00:53:46.96\00:53:48.99
One last quote that I find
00:53:49.09\00:53:50.79
so encouraging and motivating,
00:53:50.89\00:53:52.93
from "Messages to Young People,"
00:53:53.03\00:53:53.96
page 330.
00:53:54.03\00:53:56.03
It says, "When the 'well done'
00:53:56.13\00:53:58.50
of the great Judge is pronounced
00:53:58.60\00:54:00.54
and the crown of immortal glory
00:54:00.64\00:54:02.34
is placed upon the brow
00:54:02.44\00:54:03.57
of the victor,
00:54:03.67\00:54:05.04
many will raise their crowns in
00:54:05.14\00:54:07.28
sight of the assembled universe,
00:54:07.38\00:54:09.04
and, pointing to their mothers,
00:54:09.14\00:54:10.88
say, 'She made me all I am
00:54:10.98\00:54:13.75
through the grace of God.
00:54:13.85\00:54:15.38
Her instruction, her prayers
00:54:15.48\00:54:17.45
have been blessed
00:54:17.55\00:54:18.59
to my eternal salvation.'"
00:54:18.69\00:54:20.46
>> Amen.
00:54:20.56\00:54:21.72
>> Amen.
00:54:21.82\00:54:23.93
You know, right now,
00:54:24.03\00:54:26.29
in the days that we live in,
00:54:26.39\00:54:28.96
there are so many important
00:54:29.06\00:54:30.53
posts that the Lord longs to be
00:54:30.63\00:54:33.10
able to send his people to.
00:54:33.20\00:54:35.77
Places where there is not
00:54:35.87\00:54:36.84
much support.
00:54:36.94\00:54:38.84
Places where difficulties
00:54:38.94\00:54:39.81
abound.
00:54:39.91\00:54:41.64
Places where we need people that
00:54:41.74\00:54:44.28
know what it means to have faith
00:54:44.38\00:54:45.85
in Jesus on a personal level.
00:54:45.95\00:54:48.22
You know, right now,
00:54:48.32\00:54:49.08
in the Adventist Church,
00:54:49.18\00:54:49.82
we have a tremendous
00:54:49.92\00:54:50.75
lack of pastors and teachers.
00:54:50.85\00:54:52.02
We don't have enough to fill
00:54:52.12\00:54:53.22
the open positions.
00:54:53.32\00:54:55.19
It's not the only answer,
00:54:55.29\00:54:56.73
but I tend to think that one of
00:54:56.83\00:54:57.69
the most foundational answers
00:54:57.79\00:54:59.29
lies with us and what we do
00:54:59.39\00:55:01.90
with our children.
00:55:02.00\00:55:03.70
And, moms in particular,
00:55:03.80\00:55:05.03
God has blessed you
00:55:05.13\00:55:06.20
with immense influence.
00:55:06.30\00:55:08.07
Be the kind of mom
00:55:08.17\00:55:09.97
that continues to gradually
00:55:10.07\00:55:11.61
increase the responsibility
00:55:11.71\00:55:13.21
of your children,
00:55:13.31\00:55:13.94
spiritually speaking,
00:55:14.04\00:55:15.04
as well as in other ways,
00:55:15.14\00:55:16.85
that they may become the kind of
00:55:16.95\00:55:18.01
person that God can send
00:55:18.11\00:55:20.42
wherever He needs them to go.
00:55:20.52\00:55:25.92
Tomorrow is Mother's Day.
00:55:26.02\00:55:27.96
Of course, every day ought to be
00:55:28.06\00:55:29.79
Mother's Day, correct?
00:55:29.89\00:55:30.59
Right.
00:55:30.69\00:55:31.23
We should honor them
00:55:31.33\00:55:32.06
all year long.
00:55:32.16\00:55:32.96
But tomorrow is, indeed,
00:55:33.06\00:55:33.93
that special day.
00:55:34.00\00:55:34.86
And as such, Darlene and I
00:55:34.96\00:55:35.96
want to encourage you,
00:55:36.06\00:55:37.73
if you're a mom listening right
00:55:37.83\00:55:38.77
now and you are seeking to
00:55:38.87\00:55:40.27
prepare your children for war,
00:55:40.37\00:55:41.74
and maybe you're discouraged,
00:55:41.84\00:55:42.87
maybe there's obstacles
00:55:42.97\00:55:43.91
that have come into your way,
00:55:44.01\00:55:45.14
we just want to say,
00:55:45.24\00:55:46.01
keep going, keep going.
00:55:46.11\00:55:47.51
God is on your side.
00:55:47.61\00:55:48.94
God is looking.
00:55:49.04\00:55:50.11
He marks every tear, every
00:55:50.21\00:55:51.55
difficulty that you're facing.
00:55:51.65\00:55:52.48
He knows all about it,
00:55:52.58\00:55:53.35
and He has power
00:55:53.45\00:55:54.65
on your behalf to give,
00:55:54.75\00:55:56.32
and He longs to give it to you.
00:55:56.42\00:55:58.42
And if you're a mother
00:55:58.52\00:55:59.65
that's seeking to to do this --
00:55:59.75\00:56:00.92
this gradual increasing
00:56:01.02\00:56:02.12
of responsibility --
00:56:02.22\00:56:03.22
and maybe you're not sure
00:56:03.32\00:56:04.03
how to make the next move,
00:56:04.13\00:56:05.23
and you're not sure
00:56:05.33\00:56:06.59
what the next step is,
00:56:06.70\00:56:07.86
understand that, again,
00:56:07.96\00:56:08.80
God is on your side.
00:56:08.90\00:56:10.53
The wisdom of the universe
00:56:10.63\00:56:11.93
is there at your disposal.
00:56:12.03\00:56:13.17
Ask for it.
00:56:13.27\00:56:14.04
We will be praying for you,
00:56:14.14\00:56:15.24
as I know many others of us
00:56:15.34\00:56:16.20
will be, too.
00:56:16.30\00:56:17.37
You are a mother ordained by God
00:56:17.47\00:56:20.08
to raise her children.
00:56:20.18\00:56:22.14
What a high calling that is.
00:56:22.24\00:56:25.71
My prayer for each of us
00:56:25.81\00:56:27.62
is that this weekend, indeed,
00:56:27.72\00:56:29.22
we will give mothers,
00:56:29.32\00:56:30.35
both ours and others,
00:56:30.45\00:56:31.79
their due this weekend
00:56:31.89\00:56:32.59
and always.
00:56:32.69\00:56:34.19
And may each mother arise
00:56:34.29\00:56:38.13
as a mother with a fiery spirit
00:56:38.23\00:56:40.86
that leads their children,
00:56:40.96\00:56:42.56
with God's power,
00:56:42.66\00:56:44.37
to fulfill God's purposes.
00:56:44.47\00:56:47.60
>> Amen.
00:56:47.70\00:56:50.77
>> I'm Shane Anderson,
00:56:50.87\00:56:53.88
the lead pastor here at
00:56:53.98\00:56:55.21
Pioneer Memorial Church.
00:56:55.31\00:56:57.45
At Pioneer Media, we have been
00:56:57.55\00:56:59.08
blessed by the financial support
00:56:59.18\00:57:01.02
that comes from our viewers
00:57:01.12\00:57:02.18
like you, that enable us
00:57:02.28\00:57:03.99
to continue this ministry.
00:57:04.09\00:57:06.42
We've made a conscious decision
00:57:06.52\00:57:07.82
not to continually appeal to you
00:57:07.92\00:57:09.26
for that support.
00:57:09.36\00:57:10.99
However, keeping this ministry
00:57:11.09\00:57:12.19
going takes money to support
00:57:12.29\00:57:14.00
our staff and technology needs.
00:57:14.10\00:57:16.63
If God has blessed you
00:57:16.73\00:57:18.27
and you would like to further
00:57:18.37\00:57:19.13
the work of this ministry,
00:57:19.23\00:57:20.80
we invite you to partner
00:57:20.90\00:57:21.77
with us.
00:57:21.87\00:57:23.44
You can donate on our website,
00:57:23.54\00:57:24.87
pmchurch.org.
00:57:24.97\00:57:27.21
Then, click Giving at the top.
00:57:27.31\00:57:29.51
Then, select Media Ministry.
00:57:29.61\00:57:32.51
Or call the number 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:32.61\00:57:36.18
Again, that number is
00:57:36.28\00:57:37.39
877, the two words "His will."
00:57:37.49\00:57:40.52
My prayer is that the God
00:57:40.62\00:57:43.09
who has blessed you will
00:57:43.19\00:57:44.76
continue to pour into your life
00:57:44.86\00:57:46.09
the gifts of His joy
00:57:46.19\00:57:47.50
and His hope.
00:57:47.60\00:57:49.13
Thank you, and I'm looking
00:57:49.23\00:57:50.83
forward to seeing you right here
00:57:50.93\00:57:52.10
again, next time.
00:57:52.20\00:57:53.94
¤
00:57:54.04\00:57:55.70
¤
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¤
00:58:09.25\00:58:17.89
¤
00:58:17.99\00:58:26.37