About two years ago I had to do a presentation at a networking meeting and one of the aspects of our business that Martyn wanted me to describe was the web log, more commonly known as the blog. At the time I had little experience of blogs and neither did the audience, so persuading them that we could create this wonder of modern technology, to help their businesses, was a challenge.

In the summer, I decided that it was not enough for me to tell others about blogs and blogging; it was now my turn to actually start my own blog. Once I started I sensed that there was much potential to challenge women to at least consider life from a Biblical perspective. Increasingly in the US fewer people seem to see Jesus’ words as relevant. This has been the case in the UK for a while. I want to challenge women to reconsider their values and their world view.

Suddenly, I progressed from being a promoter of blogs to a blogger. A blog is different from a letter or an email in that it is potentially much easier for others to enter into the discussion. Clicking “reply all” to an email can create a feeble conversation but very quickly it becomes difficult to follow who has made what remark.

My hope is that some people receiving my blog regularly will want to respond or comment to add their own perspective, either agreeing or disagreeing with me. If you are receiving this as an email, you will not see the invitation at the bottom of each post to make a comment. On the website www.WomenRespond.com it says: Please leave a comment. We would love to get your insight. If you click on this you have the opportunity to add a comment that others can enjoy and respond to. I will approve all of these before anything is published to avoid anything rude or unpleasant. Commenting on comments should be more exciting than just hearing from me! These comments are published at the bottom of the appropriate pages on the website.

I have received a few comments but it would be great if more of you could go to the website occasionally, when you are motivated to reply, and make a comment that will get others thinking. It is also possible to send me a personal email. Either reply to the email version of the blog, if you have subscribed to this, or email me at sian@womenrespond.com.

The purpose of this blog “post” is to invite you to progress from being a blog reader to become a blog contributer. My goal for WomenRespond.com is to encourage an increasing number of people to care about the world we live in and to respond appropriately. Anyone who has read a few of my posts understands that my world view is shaped by the Bible. I do believe that Jesus is God and that He cares about the issues that women face today and can help us. I do want women who do not yet have a strong faith in Jesus to have access to this blog, as well as those who are already committed to Jesus. Many Americans were brought up in church going families but no longer go to church. It would be great if these women could be encouraged to consider a Biblical perspective on handling issues such as awkward teenagers, marriage or abortion. You might like to scroll back and find an appropriate blog to send to a friend. There are also an increasing number of women who have no idea what Christians believe. Hopefully some of these posts will help them.

The parable of the sower and the seeds in the Bible is a bit like emailing an appropriate post to a friend. The seeds are dropped on all types of soil, which represent different human hearts. The seeds represent the good news about Jesus, the Word of God. The sower cannot be sure which seeds will be eaten by the birds or strangled by weeds. God knows but we don’t. Similarly if you pass on good blog posts or other challenging information, that you receive from elsewhere, you can’t be sure how they will be received, but they may play a part in directing your friends towards Jesus.

In Matthew 13: 23 we are told that “the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” If my blog changes one life around in such a way that she (or he!) becomes an on fire Christian, making a difference and impacting others for eternity, my efforts will be worthwhile. As I offer the opportunity for people to respond to Jesus, I don’t know who will respond, but I trust that God will speak to some people’s hearts.

www.WomenRespond.com

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

Blogging

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I can click my phone and see whether Tom is online. If there is a green circle with a tick or a check in it he has been using the internet recently and there is a possibility that he is in his room and will answer. A green circle with a moon suggests that he has been away from his computer for a while: it’s dormant. Of course as a mother, recently separated from her eldest son, I am interested to see the signs of life communicated by his computer. It’s very vague and it is possible that Tom has abandoned his sloppy high school study habits and is now able to study without being repeatedly distracted by the internet!

It struck me that my trying to work out what Tom is up to by clicking a button on my Skype phone is a bit like the way many people respond to God. They have a vague understanding of who He is and they make some efforts to find out about Him based on hearsay, a TV program or the occasional Bible verse that a well meaning friend or relative sends their way. Conclusions that are drawn from this sort of information are very sketchy and are often wrong.

I do not want to call my son too often as he may soon learn to resent the interference. Similarly, many people do not want to bother God. Perhaps they feel that their problems are too small or that He is too busy.

My concern is that many people’s understanding of God and Christianity is based on a few inaccurate assumptions. One of my purposes in writing this blog www.WomenRespond.com is to make it clear how Jesus can affect every part of life and how the Bible can show us so much about Him, giving us a clear picture of who He is and how He can help us.

When I was small we used to dream of having phones with pictures.

Talking to Tom on Skype

Tom’s phone has a built in video camera so when I actually get through to him I can see him as well as hear him. This is, of course much more gratifying than looking at the little green circle, indicating whether he is online or not!

It is also possible to have a clear picture of God too. He is not a strange old man who criticizes us as he watches from Heaven. Rather, He came to earth in human form as Jesus. Although we have no portraits of Him, we can read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Bible and we can read eyewitness accounts about how He made the sick well, how He showed deep sorrow, weeping when his friend Lazarus died, even though Jesus was about to raise him to life. We can find out how Jesus showed compassion to a woman with a bad reputation and the way in which He spent time with those that others avoided. His teaching was not boring or politically correct: it was bold and radical. If it wasn’t for the fact that He returned from the dead three days after he had died, hanging on two pieces of wood, in the shape of a cross, we may have reason to forget Him. However, Christians for the last two thousand years have given their lives to Jesus. He proved by His words and actions that He really is God.

It is important that we move to the next level regarding our understanding of Jesus. A sketchy awareness of God is inadequate, in the same way that checking whether my son has been using the internet does not enhance our relationship! This morning Martyn and I wished Tom a happy 18th birthday on Skype and this was the next best thing to being with him. One day Jesus’s followers will be with Him in Heaven and this will be incredible. Until then, let’s draw close to Him through reading the Bible, meeting with Christians and through prayer.

There are times when a phone call is ended abruptly because one of the speakers is being unpleasant. It is typical of us to assume that we are generally right and if a conversation ends in this way we are inclined to blame the other person. When the relationship is with God and when the conversation is prayer, it is essential that we do not self righteously cling to our rights and justify ourselves. Reading the Bible helps us understand when we are proud or faithless or disobedient. We need to come before Jesus with humility asking Him to reveal to us where we need to change, yielding to His authority and asking Him to forgive us. If we do not come before Jesus with the right attitude, He warns us that He will end the conversation until we change. If we are experiencing a temporary distance in our relationship with Jesus, we must not blame Jesus, as unlike us He is incapable of wrongdoing. Instead we need to get right with Him. If you have never been close to Jesus, He is calling out to you to confess your sins and to believe in Him. He is like a wonderful, loving father who is ready to welcome His children home if we come on His terms rather than hanging on to our own agendas!

To finish, I will quote some Bible verses to show the consequences of a wrong attitude to Jesus as well as a right one. James 4:3 warns: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Another problem is illustrated in Isaiah 59:2 : “But your iniquities (bad thoughts, words and actions) have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

The great news is that “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) The consequences of responding in the right way towards God will impact our land as well as our own lives. Let’s communicate with Jesus on His terms and receive His blessing!

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

Attitudes towards God

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