One of my favorite bloggers is dear Jacque Dixon.  Like many of us, Jacque has more than one blog (http://www.homeschoolblogge.com/Jacquedixonsoulrestes and http://dixonhomestead.com/Jacque/?p=215) and sometimes puts the same thing on each...and sometimes doesn't.  If you go to the "dixonhomestead" link, PLEASE read her post "Who Do We Christians Think We Are?"  It will really give you some food for thought...and something to pray about.  

Well, you know me, I can't resist a good chance to leave a comment!    So, below is the comment I left.  I would be interested in your thoughts - either on Jacque's post or on the thoughts in my comment alone.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Well said...heartbreakingly said.  If anyone doesn't recognize themselves in everything you said, they are lying to themselves.

I'm wondering at the age of your friend...it seems to me that a portion of the teens and 20-somethings who are professing Christians find themselves living with a love for the Lord - but - are standing ankle deep in the very dangerous pond of the world.  They are trying to live some sort of moral limbo.  JUST THIS YEAR 3 unmarried couples of our 20yodd's friends (2 from our own church!) have become pregnant.  It is staggering.  One couple just got married 2 weekends ago (she's almost 4 months along), one couple are trying to decide whether they love each other enough to get married or will adopt out the baby (she's 5 months along) and one couple has ALREADY moved in together and will marry after the baby gets here in August.

I have to be honest here and say that even though my heart goes out to these young people, it frightens me.  One of these couples, in particular, profess to be Christians but see nothing wrong w/the way they are living...it's just sort of hiccup in their plans.  My dd's are trying to be good witnesses to these couples, but my whole family is finding it hard to love and support them and NOT appear approving (although 2 couples are utterly repentant and have drawn closer to the Lord through this).  There are times when I'm afraid that THEY might not see the difference. 

My prayer is that our dd's are storing all of this in their hearts and seeing for themselves the hardship and the hard lessons learned - no matter how their friends might try to "romaniticize" it - and see and understand that the Lord's ways are just and true.  That what 'the world' sees as God's ways being a lists of 'don't's', our dd's will see God's ways as a protective hedge that will give you blessing and freedom INSIDE the hedge.  That stepping outside of God's hedge of protection ALWAYS leads to grief and hardship...no matter what the sin. 

They have walking, talking, living, breathing examples of the consequences of the arrogance of sin...even in anyone, any of us, that they love.  My prayer is that while they are watching others learn the hard way that they will not only store those lessons up in their hearts, but that they will be compassionate and forgiving.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

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Posted by JacqueDixonSoulRestES

You are so sweet to me. And too generous!

I will go ahead and add my reply here too, to your comment on my post:
Hi Kim-
Thanks for your comment. I am sure many of us know many like you do. And, we feel the same way…. “What do I do? How do I react?”.

Well, my friend is actually 40-something. I think the key here is that we Believers KNOW BETTER.
And, my friend did read my post. She imed me last night, so I went ahead and told her I blogged it. She cried. She was convicted. She said she was going to print it off and show it to her fiance. I am so very glad, because that was my intent in writing this… that we ALL look at ourselves.

We ARE kidding ourselves. Deceiving ourselves.

Moral limbo. What a timely term. When I said that these Christians are sinning against me, against the Body, I think that is a key. It actually only came in as an after-thought, but, seriously, what are we supposed to do?
What would Jesus do? He presented their sin to them as sin and told them to repent. but, what if they don’t? What is protocol for those Believers who are already blood-bought who refuse to recognize and repent of their sins?
Matthew 18 spells it out, telling us to bring them before other witnesses and then the Church. If they do not repent, we are to treat them as an infidel.
I don’t want to do that. And, if we do, then what? We are labeled as just being legalistic, judgmental and hypocritical, because, everybody knows we all sin daily.
Not in the case of my friend, but in other cases, I am mad that I have to keep Believers’ sins secret.

We have listened to the world’s version of the Gospel for far too long. Seen too many Hollywood productions and felt superior to those who have fallen and been mocked in the public eye. We have heard too many watered-down sermons or not listened at all.

We treat the Bible as a good reference book, but not one to live our lives by daily.

Are we hearers and not doers only? I don’t know. To some extent, I think.

The Apostate Church is on the rise, and Believers are at critical mass as far as where we stand on things. It is time to decide.

Paul said, “I am the chiefest of sinners.” We each have to have that same attitude or we are in danger of being everything we abhor about ‘those hypocrites’.

I, too, am thankful that our children can live real life and see the consequences of sin. We have a very real-life examples that sin *does* catch you, even when you think you are getting away with it.
God said that sin will not be hidden. It will be brought out into the light. Why do we think we are master sin-hiders? God loves us enough to show us our sin and even expose it to bring us to Him. Ouch.

“God help us,” is all I find myself saying.

Blessings my friend!
Love, J

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Posted by momto4beauties

Kim,
I and my husband were once one of those 'christian' couples practicing sin before marriage. He was my first and only boyfriend and I was quite naive. I thought for sure that I wouldn't get caught up in all that 'physical stuff' before marriage. However, I became pregnant with our eldest when I was nearly 21. We didn't marry until she was 8 weeks old, due to him living a state away at the time. Let me tell you, it can bring you to your knees with both shame and repentance. I remember crying every night for at least the first four months of my pregnancy. Not out of fear, because I had a lot of family help. It was out of utter shame for what I knew I had done. I had not only let God down, but I knew the example I had now given my little brother who was entering high school and my future sis-in-laws that were younger still. I also had a friend that was a new christian that I had let down. It was aweful. Although I knew God forgave me as soon as I had asked, it took a long time for me to come to terms and accept that forgiveness myself. My husband and I's sin has had to been explained by us to our eldest as well in recent years, in a way that will not make her feel guilty for being born, but also to know the danger of permarital sex. I would never change the fact that we have her...I love her with my life, but we struggled a long time because of our sin.
The hardest part though, is when I've wanted to return to my old church AFTER we married (I wasnt in church during the 2-3 years up to my pregnancy), I was held at arms length and still am by some that I used to be very close to. I have repented for my transgression and wish to move on, but many are unforgiving even still. The people that welcomed me the most are people I knew from co-op this year. I know that I am not perfect, nor are any of the people that attend ANY church. I so wish that many more christains were more forgiving though. So many of us are caught up with the whole walking in the church door and putting on the 'good person face' and then leaving and 'being themselves', which leaves much to be desired in our christian walks. I have seen and done it myself. All of us sin, and we all need to continually ask for forgiveness. We also need to accept people in our flocks that refuse to put on the perfect face for the sake of walking in the building. God sees us inside and outside of those doors. A person shouldn't have to be perfect to walk into a church to get clean. Many of us are in different stages of refinement...some needing much more work than others. Many of us still struggle with some things that others do not. He is still working on us all. God saved us, but He did not perfect our human nature overnight.
Kim, I hope your daughters do learn the dangers from seeing their friends' pain/struggle. But I also hope they learn compassion and forgiveness as well and show it to these friends. They will need it.

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Posted by Buckeyeblog

Bless your precious heart! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your wonderful testimony! It was just the answer we all needed.

Let me encourage you, too, that I am (we are) not judging...I am no saint, myself, and didn't become a Christian until I was 23...and I am NOT the same person. Repentance and a real relationship w/the Lord will change our hearts, won't it? :-)

Also, let me tell you that your story is very similar to our best friends, who were also expecting when they married. But...the Lord is SO GOOD and He used that circumstance to bring them back to Himself. This family is such an example and such a blessing to so many of us. The husband of the family happens to be the elder over our young adults and he is counseling a couple of them through this. They could never have ANYONE better!

Thanks again for your wonderful comment. I treasure your blog-friendship all the more.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

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Posted by momto4beauties

Kim,
I know you were not being judgemental at all. I'm also glad that my story could be of some help. The couples in your church are lucky to have a mentor such as the man that is leading them...someone that has been in their shoes and can truly guide them through it. It's a very tough road. If your daughters are anything like you, I know they will have forgiveness and compassion for their friends. Also, I hope your daughters get a good perspective why God desires purity in His children. Not just because of the possible consequences of their sin, but also the loss they will experience....the loss of sharing that 'first intimate moment' with their husband on their wedding night. Though Shaun and I have only been with each other it is still not the same. How I wish I would have waited for my wedding. It is something so very special that many teens today take for granted and give away to anyone. Let your daughters read this and know that it's not just something their youth leader or mother is just telling them as a leader/parent...it's most certainly true and from a stranger they don't know. They should wait. It is something to be valued and only given to the man God gives to them AFTER they are married. I pray my daughters take these words seriously as well. God bless.

Edited by momto4beauties on Jun. 28, 2008 at 8:38 PM

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