Two Upcoming Holidays that Baffle Me

By Donna Faughn       We are in the hap-hap-happiest time of the year, or so they say. Some of the people I’ve seen lately don’t appear to have gotten the memo.     I’m a huge fan of Thanksgiving because families gather and spend time together and just enjoy good food and one another’s company, but Thanksgiving is not one of the holidays I’m writing about.     The two holidays that baffle me are Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas with our family. We exchange gifts, eat too much, sing, and play games together. That isn’t the topic for this post.     What baffles me is that, all over the place, mention is being made that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” While I don’t believe that Jesus was born in December (and history proves this to be true), I am forever grateful that He was born, lived a perfect life, and was willing to sacrifice His life for all of mankind. What baffles me is that people who don’t follow His teachings or worship Him any other time of the year are comfortable saying, “Jesus, is the reason for the season.” Do they really know who He is and what He stands for? Are they aware that He sacrificed His life for them? Do they even think about Him the other 364 days of the year?     I’m also baffled by the fact that one week later many of them will attend parties celebrating the New Year. Many of those parties will involve dressing immodestly, dancing, and drinking alcohol until you can’t even remember what you did the night before – or the week before when you were celebrating the birth of Jesus.     I don’t mean to be negative about the holidays, but I pray for all people to think about their words and their actions all year long. Think about Jesus every day of your life, because without Him your life is without hope.     Jesus is the reason for every day of my life. Won’t you consider honoring and following Him in your life?

- Donna Faughn is the wife and mother of preachers and is a frequent speaker at women’s events. She is a member of the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY.  She may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org

The Song of Songs

By Donna Faughn       We have known it was coming. As our Tuesday afternoon Ladies’ class has traveled through the Bible in chronological order for the last 14 years, we have known that the Song of Solomon was coming up. Last Tuesday was the day that I introduced the book, and we began a study of it on Tuesday of this week.     There have been comments made over the years about dreading to get to this book and how hard it will be to teach. We have even joked about feeling like illness was coming on the closer we got to the Song of Songs.     As I have devoted more time to study, I almost feel ashamed of how I dreaded teaching a portion of the Bible. It’s hard, and it takes lots of time and effort to understand what God wants us to know when we study this book.     May I share with you some of the thoughts I have had as I studied?     Our world has and continues to present to us a skewed view of the beautiful relationship that God intended for us to have as man and woman. Part of the reason we dread reading and studying the Song of Solomon is because we have fallen under the influence of how our world views men and women. Often when the world thinks about a woman’s beauty, it only considers what she looks like on the outside and how much of that she can display to all who want to see it. Not much thought is given to what is on the inside – her thoughts and feelings.     This book is contained in the Holy Bible and has a purpose. In Paul’s letter to the Romans he gives us the reason that the Song of Solomon is important for us to read and understand: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). Paul also wrote in his second letter to Timothy these words: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” (2 Tim. 3:16). While the book may be hard to understand, it has a purpose and God intended for it to be instruction for us today.     That leads me to my final thought. There is an enormous need for those of us who are married and have children, to protect them from the world’s view of sexuality, and teach them the beauty of God’s intended plan for a man and a woman. There is no better textbook than the Song of Solomon.     Is the book difficult? Yes. Is it sometimes hard to understand? Yes. Is it sometimes embarrassing? Only if you fail to see the beauty of what God intended for a loving relationship to be between a man and a woman as they court one another and later marry.     How many marriages would last for a lifetime if this teaching had been hidden in the hearts of our young adults?     Take time to read this beautiful song.

- Donna Faughn is the wife and mother of preachers and is a frequent speaker at women’s events. She is a member of the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY.  She may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org

It Was Only a Nickel

By Donna Faughn       When I was growing up as a little girl, we lived next door to my paternal grandparents. Those were much simpler times and life seemed easier. We lived within one block of a small ice cream stand that could actually be seen from my grandparent’s porch. A small ice cream cone cost 5 cents – one nickel! (I know some of you are thinking of just how old I am!)     On one particularly hot summer day, my grandpa was sitting out on the front porch and I decided to ask him if I could have a nickel to get an ice cream cone. He reached into his pocket and held out a nickel to me, but before he let me take it from him, he said these words: “Don’t ride your bicycle to the ice cream stand.” No explanation, just don’t do it.     Well, as children are prone to do, I thought I knew better than he did. I thought if I rode my bike I could get back home more quickly before the ice cream melted. So I disobeyed him and rode my bike, never giving a thought to the fact that he could see me disobeying.     I rode to the stand. I got my ice cream cone. I started riding home on the sidewalk, but when I came to the curb to cross the street, my bike went off the curb…and you guessed it…my ice cream bounced out of the cone and onto the concrete.     Never being one who gives up easily on what she wants, I went back to grandpa and asked for another nickel. I can still hear his answer inside my head. “You disobeyed me, and you cannot have another nickel.” I cried and pleaded that it was only a nickel, but the answer was still no.     Many years have come and gone, but I still remember the lesson I learned that day about obeying your parents and grandparents. He knew more than I did because he had lived more of life. In my childlike wisdom I couldn’t see what might happen if I disobeyed. I thought I knew an easier way, a better way, a quicker way. I was wrong.     I tell you this story today as a reminder to parents and grandparents to stand up for teaching obedience to your children and grandchildren. We live in a world which has placed children in charge in many instances, even though they have not had the experience to know how to handle certain things in life.     Teach them to respect you and your word. Let them know that you always have their best interest at heart even if they can’t understand it at the moment. Don’t try to meet their every desire. That just isn’t realistic in life and the sooner they learn that, the better off they will be.     It was only a nickel, but it taught me a great lesson in life.   “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you…” Deut. 5:16

- Donna Faughn is the wife and mother of preachers and is a frequent speaker at women’s events. She is a member of the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY.  She may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org

Taste Your Talk; Tame Your Tone

By Donna Faughn       Many years ago I developed a lesson to present at a Ladies’ Day entitled “Ten Commandments for Christian Women.” I used it multiple times at different places and it was almost always well received.  Obviously, it was not all-inclusive because the Bible contains many commandments for both men and women.  I simply selected 10 that I thought would be most helpful to women in particular.     The title of this post contains two of those commandments given by God. Oh, He doesn’t say them exactly like that, but he does teach the principle. I selected these two to write about in this post because of what I’m hearing (or reading) from Christian women. Election season is not known for being a time when people taste their talk or tame their tone!     I also am NOT saying that we should sit quietly by and never express our opinions concerning those running for public offices whether it be local, state, or national in scope. As citizens of this country, we should be concerned with who our leaders will be. However, we need to realize that how we say what we say can damage our influence on others.     Concerning talking to others vocally, we need to think about how our words taste as they exit our mouths. Would they be considered bitter, or sour, or foul tasting, or would they be sweet, mellow, or pleasant?     Colossians 4 is a great place to learn about tasting our talk. It begins with verse two, but for my emphasis, I want to zero in on verse 6: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (emphasis added).     James 3 has another interesting lesson about our tongues. It teaches us that the tongue can direct (vs 3,4); it can destroy (vs 5,6); and it can delight (vs.9a, 10a). The text continues with these words: “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”     We really need to learn how to taste our talk, especially when we are discussing current events.     But what about how we say certain things? I’m talking about the tone in which we say things. Do we really realize that the tone we use when speaking can change the way it is taken? We’ve all heard examples of the same words being said in different tones of voice, and depending on the tone, an entirely different message is received.     I often think of Jesus when He was tempted by the devil following Jesus’ lengthy fast. I imagine Satan using a condescending tone as he tempts our Lord, but I doubt that the answers Jesus gave were said with any tone but quiet “matter of factness “ (if that’s a word). He depended on the word of God when he said “it is written…” Even in Matthew’s account (Matt. 4:1-11), when Jesus told Satan to “Be gone,” I doubt that those words were spoken harshly. I can hear a calm answer clearly spoken. His tone would not cause a dispute.     Now when I think of the tone I sometimes use, I wonder what message I am sending.     We need to learn to tame our tone.     But we need to consider one last line of communication which we deal with on a daily basis. Our words go out over the internet daily, and because the recipients can’t hear how we are saying those words, or see our facial expressions, or see our body language, we must be extremely careful about the words we use online. Derogatory pictures or memes, accompanied by our comments, can be very damaging to our example as Christians. We simply must taste our talk and tame our tone!     When you express your opinion face to face or online, be sure you check your words and your tone. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” (Prov. 25:11)

- Donna Faughn is the wife and mother of preachers and is a frequent speaker at women’s events. She is a member of the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY.  She may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org

A Beautiful Marriage

By Donna Faughn       After more than fifty-four years of marriage, it only makes sense that we did something right in selecting a mate for life. Now, granted, I have known several people who have remained married for many years who really don’t seem to like each other, but remain married for a variety of reasons. This, however, is not usually the norm in marriages with longevity.     Sadly, in today’s world people spend more time looking at the outside of a person and make that their deciding factor in whether or not they want to spend time with them. And even more sadly, they often use those people for their own gratification. This is far removed from what God’s word teaches about relationships in life.     I believe there are two main ingredients in a marriage that lasts a lifetime and I was reminded of them the other day in my Bible study. I’m going to talk about them in reverse order of how they appeared in that text.     The first is friendship. A good healthy relationship with someone of the opposite sex should always begin with friendship. Spending time with the person you consider to be your friend is a great way to grow a relationship. You begin by enjoying talking with this person and learning about them and their life. You look forward to spending time with them, and most importantly, you learn that you can depend on them and share your joys and your sorrows. This is the foundation for a beautiful marriage.     From this comes the second ingredient for a beautiful marriage – love. You begin to develop a deeper feeling for that person, and you begin to look at each other in a different way. You find yourself wanting to be with him/her as often as you can. There is an attraction that is different, as God intended for it to be. In God’s word this is described as agape love – that self giving sacrificial kind of love. You want what is best for him/her and he/she wants what is best for you. When both friends feel this attraction, your conversations deepen and love begins to grow into a different type of relationship. This lays the groundwork for a successful marriage. I love him/her enough that I always want what is best for him/her, including purity in the relationship. On your wedding day you want to present yourself to your mate as one who wants to spend a lifetime together.     I love the lyrics to an old song: Grow old along with me/ The best is yet to be./ When our time has come/ We will be as one – God bless our love/ God bless our love. Verse 3 of this song has these beautiful lyrics: Grow old along with me/ Whatever fate decrees/ We will see it through/ For our love is true – God bless our love, God bless our love.     Oh, the passage I was studying comes from the Song of Solomon. We skim over it in our study sometimes, or get embarrassed when we have to teach it, but a deep dive into this book gives us a clearer understanding of what marriage should look like.     “This is my beloved and this is my friend” (Song 5:16c)     This post came from this beautiful line and the margin of my Bible now has this formula: (Agape) Love + Friendship (companionship, loyalty, commitment, trust) = great marriage     I know many of our readers are already married or single, so a post like this may not seem as important to you.  May I say that you couldn’t be more wrong. You know young people who need to be taught this formula found in God’s word. It is a great source for teaching young women and young men what courting and marriage should be like. It is invaluable for those who are considering marriage. Take time to read it, study it, and enjoy what God intended to be the beauty of courtship and marriage.

- Donna Faughn is the wife and mother of preachers and is a frequent speaker at women’s events. She is a member of the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY.  She may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org

A Man Called of God

By Ronald Bartanen     “By faith Abraham, when he was called obeyed; and he went out” (Hebrews 11:8). No Old Testament person is more significant than faithful Abraham, a man honored by the adherents to the world’s three most prominent religions”” Christian, Jewish and Islam.     He is the one Old Testament saint most often referred to in the New Testament. Paul spoke of him as “the father of all them that believe who walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham” (Romans 4:11-12). Verses 17 and 18 thus speak of him as “a father of many nations.” He was truly a man called of God, who was willing to step out in faith and obey God.     Among the promises God gave to Abraham was, “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18). That promised seed or descendant is Jesus (Galatians 3:16). Only in Christ do we obtain the blessing conferred upon this man of faith. When called by the gospel of Christ (2 Thess. 2:14), would you show the same type of faith exhibited by Abraham to obey that call

- Ronald Bartanen is a retired minister who for many years served the Lord's church in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. After the passing of his beloved wife, Doris, Ron has relocated from Illinois to Florida where he is near family. He may be contacted at: ron33dor@yahoo.com

Grace Has Appeared

By Ronald Bartanen
“The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13).    To a world enveloped in spiritual darkness grace appeared for all to see two thousand years ago.  That grace was embodied in Christ, the prophesied “Sun of righteousness” that would “arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2).  Malachi’s promise for His appearing was “to them that look for Him.”  There were those in Judea, at the coming of Christ, who “looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 3:8).  They were those who were spiritually awake, even in the world of darkness, knowledgeable of the messianic prophecies of His coming, awaiting the rising “Sun of righteousness.”  The world had the natural law, with some inherent knowledge of right and wrong, and the Jews were further blessed with God’s Law through Moses, but law only exposed the fact that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  What was needed was grace—the unmerited favor of God, secured for man by Christ, As Malachi said, He would arise “with healing in His wings.”  His righteousness would be imputed to the unrighteous through His sacrifice at Calvary.  The apostle Paul spoke of his grace: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God” (Rom. 3:24-25).  The full realization of this righteousness came as penitent believers were “buried with him by baptism into death: that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3-4).     The word grace speaks of the unmerited favor of God, as bestowed through Christ alone.  The most unworthy among us, has access to the worthiness of Christ, the sinless Son of God.  There is no quality even in the best of men and women that would lay claim to heaven.  In Rom. 3:19 Paul declared “all the world” to be “guilty before God”.  Before the bar of justice, all stand condemned if it were not for the grace of God through Christ. This grace “appeared.”  It was not man’s doing, but God’s.  The grace appeared in God sending Christ His Son to be man’s redeemer.  “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).     Paul, in writing to Titus, reminded him that not only did grace appear in the coming of Christ, but also that the redeemed can look again with expectation for “the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”  He who came once will come again.  That is the believer’s “blessed hope.”  As iniquity abounds and the love of many waxes cold (Matt. 24:12),,Christ’s true followers shall, by His grace, “endure unto the end (v. 13),” looking for His glorious appearing.”  The fruit of this faith is the denial in our lives of “ungodliness and worldly lusts,” as the passage in Titus indicates.  The appearing of the grace of God establishes not only a new relationship with God, but also a new life, characterized by the words “soberly, righteously and godly.”  In this spiritually darkened world of ungodliness, are you looking for and preparing for His appearing—the second arising of “the Sun of righteousness”? 

- Ronald Bartanen is a retired minister who for many years served the Lord's church in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. After the passing of his beloved wife, Doris, Ron has relocated from Illinois to Florida where he is near family. He may be contacted at: ron33dor@yahoo.com