Jan
12
52home
Filed under Biblical Womanhood | 52home 10:38 a.m. Snow Today
Did you know that Don’t Waste Your Sports is for moms too? So one woman discovered and wrote to tell my dad about it:
Dear Mr. Mahaney,
As I read the girltalk blog this week, I found your sermon titled, Don’t
Waste Your Sports. I want to thank you for sharing what God has taught you
about the ways parents, coaches and children can glorify God in their
sports.
I was struck by the opportunity I have wasted as a wife and mother. My
husband coaches soccer and our children both participate in club soccer, in
our area. Coaching and playing soccer have been an area of contention in our
marriage for many years. In fact, in my pride and arrogance, I had sent a
link to this exact sermon to my husband a few months ago. Yesterday, I had a
good listen for myself. The Lord used your teaching to humble me.
I had wasted the opportunity to honor God by gladly submitting to my husband
in this area. I had wasted countless drives to games and practices
complaining, rather than giving all glory and honor to the Lord. This is an
opportunity to shepherd my own heart, and the hearts of my children. This is
an opportunity for our family to talk about and make much of God on way to
the field, on the field, and on the way home from the field!
I am so thankful for God’s grace, through your teaching and the opportunity
we have to not waste our sports, but instead do all for the glory of God!
Sincerely,
Erica
To purchase the book, check out the website. Or, read a recent review here.
Last Thursday, Nicole encouraged us to enlist our friends as allies in our fight against fear. Great advice. I have benefited more times than I can remember from friends speaking truth into my life.
But sometimes those trusted friends may not be available or maybe they are getting a little tired of saying the same things to us over and over. That’s probably how my friends feel! There is another group of friends that should be consulted daily in our fight for faith—books and sermons!
Books that are rich in truth of who God is, and sermons that faithfully declare God’s Word should be among our best friends. And hey, and the great thing is, they are never busy or unavailable! I have a few books and messages that I have read and listened to dozens of times in my battle against fear and unbelief. A few of our favorites are:
Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd Jones,
Running Scared by Ed Welch
Trusting God by Jerry Bridges
Beside Still Waters by Charles Spurgeon (you can look up fear or anxiety in the index)
Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper
A Shelter in the Time of Storm by Paul Tripp
“Be Humble, Be Alert” sermon by Rick Gamache
“Antidote to Unbelief” sermon by Mike Bullmore
“The Troubled Soul” sermon by CJ Mahaney
So if you find yourself battling fear today, pick up a book or listen to a sermon. Your soul is sure to be strengthened!
We were at Mom’s house last night, and Steve went to put his feet on the coffee table (totally allowed in a Mahaney house), only it wasn’t there! Mom and Janelle had been reorganizing and moved the coffee table to another room (a new one is on the way). It never fails—January always inspires us girltalkers to rearrange and reorganize everything, and we want you to join us.
That means it’s time for our third annual “Pick One Spot” contest. Ok, the first one was actually in 2007, but we brought it back last year and it was such fun that we’re officially making it an annual thing. The transformations have been incredible—you can check them out here and here.
To enter the contest:
1. PICK ONE SPOT in your house that is in dire need of some TLC (closet, drawer, room)
2. Take a “before” picture
3. Proceed to give said spot some TLC
4. Take an “after” picture, and
5. Send your pics to us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for a chance to win some prizes.
The deadline is next Monday—that way you have a whole weekend if you need it. We can’t wait to see what spots you transform this year!
Sometimes, when battling fear, I am unable to effectively speak truth to myself. I try, but it just doesn’t stick. In such cases, I need others to talk to me. So I tell them about my fears and ask them to speak appropriate biblical truth to those fears.
God anticipates our need for community in fighting unbelief: “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Heb 3:13-14).
I need those who “have come to share in Christ” to help me “hold [my] original confidence firm to the end.”
It isn’t always easy to confess fear. We might fear what others will think of our fear! We might not want to appear weak. But in the very act of asking for help, we are opening the door of humility through which God promises His grace will always come rushing in (James 4:6).
So if you feel as if you are losing your battle against fear today, enlist an ally in the fight. Ask a friend who “shares in Christ” to help you hold fast to gospel truth.
