For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, Deuteronomy 10.17.

Moses was reminding the Israelites of their history. God did not favor the Israelites because they were the most numerous nation in existence. Actually, they were the least numerous of all. God brought them out of Egypt because of his love for them and his faithfulness to the promise he had vowed to their ancestors. God had promised their ancestors that if they would obey him, he would love and bless them. Indeed, they would be blessed beyond all peoples, Deuteronomy 7.14.

Moses reminded them of the provisions that God provided for them while they were wandering in the desert. He gave them food to eat; their clothing did not wear out; their feet did not swell. Moses told them to remember how God disciplined them, just as a parent disciplines his child, Deuteronomy 8.3-5.

Moses warned them of forgetting the Lord by not keeping his commandments. He warned them about feeling self-important and saying that their own abilities had gotten their wealth. He also advised them of what would happen if they were to worship other gods bowing before them, Deuteronomy 8.17-19.

God is faithful to those who remain faithful to him. He is not swayed by bribes. Bargaining is not an option for his followers. God alone is worthy of all adoration.

by Vicki Matheny

Hey there everyone! If you read this article you know that we’re smack dab in the middle of Bible marking the plan of salvation. Normally I would try to make sense of it for you guys who are just tuning in… but if we’re being completely honest, this will be of absolutely no use to you if you didn’t read Part 1. It’s too practical/hands on. So please. Read Part 1. 🙂

We left off at 1 Thessalonians 4:16 with the question, “How do we get into Christ?” Draw your arrow at the end to John 8:24.

In John, underline “believe.” Draw your arrow to 14:6. (I know it sounds like we’re going out of order, which may be freaking some of you out, but it’s okay. We’ll get to hear.)

In 14:6, underline/circle “the” in “THE way, THE truth, and THE life” and also underline “but through Me.” In my margin I wrote “the ONLY!” Draw your arrow to Hebrews 11:6.

In Hebrews, underline “believe.” Draw your arrow to Romans 10:17.

In Romans, underline “faith,” “hearing,” and “by the word.” (See, I told you we’d get to hearing. We just backtracked.) Draw your arrow to James 1:21.

This is actually going to be a long passage starting at James 1:21. Underline “putting aside” and “word implanted” in verse 21, “doers” in 22, and “intently” and “perfect law” in 25. Draw your arrow to Luke 13:3.

In Luke, underline “repent.” In the margin, write “repent = turn.” Draw your arrow to Acts 26:18.

In Acts, underline “to open their eyes” and “turn.” Over or next to “turn”, write “repent.” Draw your arrow to 17:30.

In 17:30, underline “everywhere” and “repent.” Draw your arrow to 2 Peter 3:9.

In 2 Peter, underline “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” At this point in the study, you would start focusing on what kinds of things constitute the need for repentance. A lot of people don’t even realize that they’re living in sin, so I think this is an important step. Draw your arrow to Galatians 5:19.

This is actually Galatians 5:19-25. In verse 21, underline “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” You could underline all the sins listed too, but I personally feel that’s a little superfluous since they’re all in a list anyway. At the end of verse 25, draw your arrow to Romans 10:10.

In Romans, underline “with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” In your margin, write “Not confessing sin, but Jesus as the Son of God” (or some condensed version of that). Draw your arrow to Acts 8:37.

In Acts, underline “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” This is the proof that we’re confessing Jesus here, not our sins. Draw your arrow to Romans 6:1-5.

In Romans, underline “baptized into Christ Jesus” and circle “into.” I also have “buried” circled in verse 4… can you bury somebody by sprinkling dirt over ‘em? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. Draw your arrow to Galatians 3:27.

In Galatians, underline “baptized into Christ” and circle “into.” Draw your arrow to Mark 16:16.

In Mark, underline “believed and has been baptized shall be saved.” I have “and has been baptized” double underlined. Draw your arrow to Acts 2:38.

In Acts, underline “be baptized” and “for the forgiveness of your sins.” Circle the “for.” Draw your arrow to 22:16.

In 22:16, underline “why do you delay?” and “wash away your sins.” Above/next to that, write “what baptism does.”

Congratulations! You’re done with your first Bible marking! Yay! 🙂

Like I said before, this is an excellent reference tool for Bible studies where you’re actually trying to convert someone. You can even mark it into a Bible and give the Bible to somebody if you so desire. The plan of salvation isn’t the only thing you can Bible mark, either.  You can make your own Bible markings on all kinds of topics if you make good use of your concordance. For example, I have studies on prayer, homosexuality, humility, gossip, and several other subjects. It’s a great way to dig in and find out what the Bible says about something, especially if it’s a controversial subject or something you’re struggling with yourself.
I challenge you to share this with someone! Make use of the tool! Thanks for reading! 🙂

Other posts in this series:
“Crash Course in Bible Marking” (Part One)

Full Bible Marking Series

By Melissa Hite
Melissa Hite is a sophomore studying English at Harding University. While she may live in Arkansas, her heart has stayed in Colorado with her family at Bear Valley Church of Christ. She hopes someday to be not only a mom, but also a Christian writer.

By Melissa Hite

Acts 12:2-3 “Then he (Herod) killed James the brother of John with the sword.  And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also.”  NKJV

The growth of the first-century church was unsettling for King Herod. He was not accustomed to sharing the spotlight and this Christ-movement proved a threat. So, with no regard for justice, Herod ordered James, a Christ-follower, put to death. This delighted the Jews and reaffirmed Herod’s rightful position of power, popularity, and prestige. Once Herod got a taste of popularity, he craved it even more and “proceeded further” in his quest by ordering the arrest of Peter.

Yes, Herod loved the accolades of the people and craved the cheers of the crowd. If he lived today, he would be constantly checking the number of “likes” on his Facebook page to sustain his euphoric high.

Years ago, as a middle school teacher I encountered first-hand the euphoria that comes from popularity.  My classroom was two doors from the constant activity of the middle school office. Each fall as school began, I looked forward to the masses of faculty, staff, administrators, and parents sticking their head in my door to say, “Hello.”  It was so much fun being popular!

However, reality set in a few years later when my classroom was moved to the far end of the upstairs hallway. As the school year began, my popularity-bubble burst as I worked alone in my room all day. No one stopped by and stuck their head in. No one passed my door to wave. My popularity turned out to be bogus. As I made my long trek to the office, I observed many visitors stopping by my old classroom to chat with the new teacher. Suddenly it dawned on me: I was never popular. I was merely convenient! In addition, I had allowed my bogus- popularity to dictate my happiness.

Like me, Herod found delight in power, popularity, and prestige. But the reality is these are fleeting pleasure-highs. “Proceeding further” becomes imperative in sustaining them. Pleasing the Jews, no matter the cost, became Herod’s quest, leaving no regard to pleasing God.

Unfortunately, we can do this today. We can utilize most of our energy in pursuing the approval of others instead of God. We can disregard what is right and seek to please others in our quest of power, popularity, and prestige. Truth is, these are not sustainable. Psalm 103:5 says it is God who fills us. So, Sisters, we must choose: Will it be God or man we “proceed further” to please?

Father God, may we please You. Please take priority over our friends, our jobs, and our families. 

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane

A couple of years ago, I started going to Bear Valley’s Higher Ground Encampment (a Bible camp for teen girls). It’s an awesome experience all around, but by far my favorite part is Kathy Pollard’s Bible Marking class, where we learn about chain reference Bible studies. It’s pretty easy, and I’m going to teach you how to do it! (In case you couldn’t tell, this article is going to be very informal– there’s just no way to make this sound pretty. It will, however, be very hands on, which I think is a good tradeoff.)

First, I have to tell you about the pens. They are called Micron Pigma pens and you can get them at most art supply stores (if you have Guiry’s, that’s where I get mine). Unlike other pens and highlighters, they won’t bleed through the thin Bible paper! They come in a plethora of lovely colors and a few different widths– I personally prefer the “01” width because it’s not so fat that you can’t write small, but it’s not so skinny that you can barely read it. You’ll want a lot of colors for various and sundry marking purposes.

I’m going to jump right into the study– today we’re going to do the plan of salvation. This study comes in particularly handy when you’re actually having a Bible study with someone trying to convert them (especially if that person is already religious/denominational). Again, thanks to Kathy Pollard— I’m pretty much giving you word for word her Bible marking class. I just pass along information. (Also, I’m using the New American Standard when I tell you what to underline.)

Alright. If you have blank pages in the front/back of your Bible, turn there and write “Plan of Salvation” in the color of your choice. In parentheses next to it write “PS” and then write “Isaiah 62:2.”

Now go to Isaiah 62:2. (I’m not going to write out the verses… because this is going to be a long article as is.)

Circle the verse and write (PS) next to it, so you’ll know which study it’s part of (sometimes they overlap).  Underline “called by a new name.” In your margin, with your lovely Bible marking pen, write “That name is Christian.” Now, at the end of that verse draw an arrow and write “Acts 11:26.” That’s where we’re going next.

Ok. Flip to Acts 11:26, circle, write (PS). Underline “Christians” because that’s the new name Isaiah was talking about. Draw your arrow at the end to Ephesians 1:3.

(click on picture for a closer look)

Circle Ephesians 1:3 and write (PS). This is the last time I’ll tell you to do that because I know you’re all old pros now. Underline “every spiritual blessing” and “in Christ.” Your arrow this time goes to verse 7 of the same chapter.

At this point we’re going to start listing the spiritual blessings that are found in Christ. It might even be useful, if you’re in a study, to start making a two-column list on paper: “In Christ” and “Outside of Christ.”

In verse 7, underline “In Him,” “redemption,” and “forgiveness.”  In your margin, write, “These are the spiritual blessings.” Draw your arrow to Ephesians 2:6.

In 2:6, underline “raised up with Him.” Draw your arrow to 2:10.

In 2:10, underline “created in Christ Jesus for good works” and circle the “for.” In the margin, write “for = purpose.” Draw your arrow to 2:12-13.

This is where we also start highlighting what happens if you’re NOT in Christ. In verse 12, underline “separate from Christ” and “no hope and without God.” Of course, there’s still an upside, so in 13 underline “brought near.” Alright, we’re finally leaving Ephesians. Draw your arrow to 2 Timothy 2:1.

In 2 Timothy, underline “grace” and “in Christ Jesus.” (By the way, just because I underline doesn’t mean you have to. You can box it or circle it or whatever you want.) Draw your arrow to 2 Corinthians 5:17.

In 2 Corinthians, underline “in Christ” and both occurrences of “new.” Draw your arrow to Romans 3:24.

In Romans, underline “justify,” “gift,” “through the redemption,” and “in Christ Jesus.” I have kind of a lot written in my margin for this one, so feel free to condense somehow if you don’t have as much space as me. I wrote “gift = freely” and “justified = just as if I never sinned.” Draw your arrow to 8:1 of the same book.

In 8:1, underline “no condemnation” and (you guessed it!) “in Christ Jesus.” Draw your arrow to 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

In Thessalonians, underline “the dead in Christ will rise first” (I even have a double underline under “in Christ”).

At this point in the study, you’ve completely established that you want to be in Christ! We’ve underlined twelve spiritual blessings that those in Christ receive, and we haven’t even begun to look at all the passages that talk about it. When you add in the negative implications that come with being outside of Christ, the conclusion is obvious: in Christ is the place to be.

In the second half of the study, we’ll be asking how to receive those spiritual blessings– how to get into Christ. Tune in next week to get the second half!

By Melissa Hite

One day recently a Christian woman that I know was in the office of a materially successful  businesswoman. The  businesswoman, not a member of the church of Christ, said to my friend “I have never known anyone who could find solutions to the problems in her world quicker than you can. You suddenly needed a home and ‘Bam!” …you had a place to live. You needed a job and ‘Bam!’ …you had a job. You needed an educational plan and ‘Bam!’…there it was. I have never seen anyone like this.”

My friend responded, “It is not me, at all. It is the church. It is Christians who hear about needs and seek to fill them. The church is wonderful!”

The businesswoman then responded “I have noticed that about your church. It seems like your church is all about serving needs. It seems like the whole thing is just honestly about humble service, as opposed to any selfish agendas. As an outsider, that is what I see.”

We should all give the credit and glory for anything good to the Giver of all good and perfect gifts (James 1:17) and the kingdom whose mission it is to glorify Him. I want to be better at this simple, conversational glorying in the Lord. “He that glories, let him glory in the Lord,” (1 Corinthians 1:33).

As I was thinking on this conversation, I received the following correspondence from Kastin Carroll, my friend in the Fort Worth area. I want to be like Kastin, when I grow up. She’s been studying David and Saul. From the perspective of the reputation of David, in the tough times, she writes these words. They are full of comfort.

I recently finished the David-and-Saul saga in my OT reading.  Just a few things I saw shining out of David’s upright conduct in that miserable, manipulative relationship that I thought were beautiful:

1. Even the far-removed saw and loved David’s heart (1 Kings 5:1, Acts 13:22).

2. Even Saul’s family and soldiers saw David’s righteousness (1 Samuel 19:4-5, 2 Samuel 3:8-10).

3. Even the Philistines came to love David and know Israel’s God (1 Samuel 29:6-9, 2 Samuel 15:19-21).

I love the combined blessing, anthem, and prayer of the mighty men who rallied behind David at the stronghold, a fugitive from his own home: “We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you” (1 Chronicles 12:18).  And God did help.  Even and especially “when vain [was] the help of man” (Psalm 108:12).

I thought “Wow. David represented the future of a kingdom.” It was a kingdom being threatened by a ruthless, reckless King Saul, who had abandoned principles of righteousness. Though secure in the Providence of God, this kingdom was hurting because its leadership was corrupt. The influence of the kingdom was diminished because of prominent voices which had once been true to the oracles of God, but, because of personal sins of pride and disobedience, were now seeking the destruction of the God-appointed future king of Israel.

In the midst of the darkest moments of David’s life, I love the awareness of those even outside the kingdom, who looked in and saw David’s good character. I love the anthem that Kastin found in 1 Chronicles 12. I pray that you and I can be women who, not because of any personal merit, but because of our allegiance to God’s kingdom, His only vehicle of salvation for the lost—for us— can know His true peace.

I pray, as was the case with my friend in that office that day, that those who are outsiders can look in and see a kingdom that reflects the John 3:16 compassion that put our perfect King on the cross.

PS. I love friends who share the Word with me. We should do that more. I did not even have to take the time to ask permission of Kastin to share her words with you. I know her encouraging heart. She’d say “Yes!”–with humility and grace.  We should all encourage with the Word more often. There are profound blessings in sharing our study.

Cindy Colley

If you have never had the challenge of forgiving someone, you must be living in a vacuum. I can’t imagine that anyone would not have experienced the challenge of forgiving someone. It is one of those inevitable situations that occurs to each of us,  just because we are alive. You can’t avoid it.

For some, forgiveness comes easier than for others. My sweet husband is one of the most forgiving people I have ever known. His philosophy is that they probably didn’t mean to do it, or there were unusual circumstances that caused the problem. I am afraid I don’t always look at things (or people) that way, but he keeps me humble as he lives this daily. I have learned to deal with my hurt and anger in a very different way because of his example.

Sometimes, anger, hurt, and frustration permeate our feelings.  We find ourselves holding a grudge or harboring feelings that are simply not characteristic of a Christian. These feelings accumulate on our hearts like dust on furniture. They won’t go away without some “cleaning.”

When we are really hurt by someone, especially if it is someone we love and have trusted, we start questioning God. We contend that it doesn’t make sense why someone would want to hurt us in such a way. We get stuck in anger and hurt feelings, and things don’t make sense. When that happens, you know the devil is at work. For women, in particular, the devil finds this a suitable situation to test our love for the Lord and our fellowman. Paul writes, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27). See, anger gives the devil opportunity to destroy! In verses 31-32, Paul tells us exactly what we need to do to clean the accumulation of these ungodly feelings from our lives. He says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Towards the end of the prayer Jesus used to teach His disciples to pray, the Lord said, “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Teaching this to children is not as difficult as teaching it to adults. Why is that? It’s because children, by nature, forgive one another. Adults, by nature, do not. Yet this plainly says, we will be forgiven as we forgive.

I think adults struggle with this because we carry our feelings on our shoulders; we expect more of people than they are capable of giving, and we forget we are all human.

I have learned I need to forgive for my own sake as well as the sake of others. If I don’t, I have a terrible build-up of anger and hurt; it accumulates on my mind and heart like nothing else. It settles like dust.  The longer it stays there, the deeper those feelings are.

It takes more than a dust rag or a feather duster to rid ourselves of the feelings we feel from being hurt. It takes prayer, Bible study, and a desire to do the right thing.

In the story of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, Jesus ended the parable by saying, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” You can’t just say you forgive. You must forgive from the heart. Forgiveness is most certainly a heart issue. That’s why forgiveness is a struggle. It has to come from the heart.

If forgiveness is a struggle for you, read the story in Matthew 18. Then pray diligently for that peace which comes from total and complete forgiveness from the heart. With God’s help, forgiveness will no longer be a struggle.

Sandra Oliver

Three young, Hebrew men were brought in before King Nebuchadnezzar for refusing to pay homage to the golden idol that the king had set up on display for all to bow down in worship of it. Consequently, the monarch of Babylon angrily addressed them with the threat of being burnt to death if they dared to resist again. Daniel 3:16-18 gives us their response to that prideful king.

…O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. (NKJV)

Notice the faith of these Jews in the phrase of verse 18, “but if not.” In the face of imminent death, they not only informed the mighty king of the most powerful empire at the time that the God of Israel could deliver them from the fire, but also, that since their God is All-Powerful and All-Knowing, He may allow their lives on this earth to end in that furnace. Either way, they would not bow down to false gods, and the One, True God would be glorified!

We must ask ourselves if we have faith as displayed by these Israelites. The world is still full of idolatry to which many succumb (Romans 1:18-25; Colossians 3:5). As Christians, we must realize that our allegiance to the True God is being pulled in every way further from Him by the influences of this world. Therefore, we must continually fight against evil, striving every day to keep the faith and encourage our brethren in their walk (Ephesians 6:10-12; Hebrews 10:25; Revelation 14:12).

The Christian life is not an easy one, and certain circumstances in our individual lives may make life even harder to bear. We may pray for and expect certain things in this life: a faithful spouse, healthy children, a good job, etc., but in all reality, we may not be given such blessings. Is our faith such that when loss, hardship and disappointment happen in this life, we trust fully in God and lean on His understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6)?

Knowing that without faith, we cannot please our Lord (Hebrews 11:6), may we resolve to fortify our commitment to Him. May our prayers of petition to our Father include, “But if not, I will praise and glorify You.”

Emily Fisher

Through my recent studies of God’s Word, I’ve come to a fuller understanding of how God views marriage. Unfortunately, I think the church has failed to understand this concept, at least during my lifetime. Churches are filled with divorce, cohabitation and unlawful marriages. Yet, many, including some elderships, believe this is okay. However, does God believe it is okay? “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4 NKJV).

God created marriage in the very beginning. Now, here is what many miss; from the beginning, marriage was a foreshadow of God’s relationship with man. Adam was put to sleep, his side was opened, and he woke up with a bride (Genesis 2:21-25; 3:12). Sound familiar? Maybe not. Think about how Jesus went to sleep, had His side opened up, and then he woke up to obtain a bride – His church.

The world tells us that marriage should be happy and perfect. God tells us marriage should be holy and complete us in our service to Him. People are so concerned with being happy that they honestly believe it is a commandment from God! If this were the case, the church never would have grown. Think about all that Paul endured for the bride of Christ. He was abused to the point of death and was then later put to death. I don’t think I would be “happy” according to worldly standards going through those difficulties. Based on extra-biblical church history, all but one apostle was murdered for Christ’s bride. This is a beautiful and perfect example of the love we need in our marriages.

While Christians have gotten wrapped up in this idea of being happy, we have neglected what makes our marriages holy. This has created unions between believers and unbelievers wherein they frequently are “unequally yoked” (2 Corinthians 6:14). This more often than not causes the believer to abandon the faith for a happy marriage. Further, the pseudo, manmade doctrine of happy marriage has also been the catalyst for many unbiblical divorces. We hear, “God wouldn’t want me to remain married because I’m not happy” or “My spouse doesn’t meet my needs.”

The church also faces the plague of cohabitation. Some churches ignore or fail to address couples who shack up while they decide if they would be good fits in marriage. Usually, the only discipline the church does in these cases is not hosting a shower, but plenty of individuals still give lots of gifts and blessings for these individuals who have never repented of their sins. Lastly, we have unlawful remarriages. Some churches don’t expect a confession of sin for unlawful divorces and also have no issue with subsequent new marriages. Nevertheless, the words of Jesus Christ remain. “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery” (Matthew 19:9). Contrary to contentions otherwise, the apostle Paul did not alter or dismiss our Lord’s directive. “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:10-11).

If the church actually saw marriage as God does, these would not be issues. The problem is, one learns more about how God views marriage primarily through the lens of the Old Testament, but Christians today refuse to learn from these books because “We are not under the old law.” God unites Himself in marriage with those He has called to be His chosen people. God fully understands what it means to be cheated on. His people were constantly committing spiritual adultery against Him by practicing idolatry.

“Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord. Then the Lord said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord. “Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” (Jeremiah 3:8-14)

This is why many believe God allows the innocent party to remain when a spouse is unfaithful. God knows and understands that feeling.

Our marriages need to mirror what Christ set forward for us. Husbands are to love their wives to the point that they would die for them (Ephesians 5:25). They should be willing to sacrifice for their wives. Wives should be willing to submit to the will of “their own husbands” (Ephesians 5:24). Even when we do not want to submit, just the same as when Jesus submitted to the will of the Father in the Garden, wives need to submit to their husbands (Colossians 3:18). We must deny ourselves and follow the authority of the husbands we chose (Titus 2:5). This is where many argue that we can leave our husbands if they are unfaithful to God or are not Christians. This is contrary to God’s Word. According to Peter, we are to continue to live our lives pleasing to God and in this set the example for our husbands. This is how we bring them to a faithful relationship with Christ (1 Peter 3:1-6).

Elderships need to ensure that husbands, as wells as teenage and adult men generally – who may become husbands in the future – hear in the classroom and from the pulpit the biblical responsibility – what God expects – of husbands. Likewise, wives, as well as teenage and adult women – who may become wives in the future – need to hear in the classroom and from the pulpit the biblical responsibility – what God expects – of wives. If elders become aware of troubled marriages within the local congregation, they ought to express their concern and offer to convey biblical and helpful teachings about marriage openly for all and privately as needed. “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. …Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:7, 17).

We must stop seeing marriage through the eyes of our culture and see it through the eyes of God! Persons in marriages that are not pleasing to God are lost. Anyone failing to repent of sins, including divorces for unbiblical reasons, remain lost in sin. Church, we need to do better! God has called us to do so.

Jenny Choate

I’ve known Terica for about 18 years. Through those years I have come to love her deeply.  I have hurt with her as she’s traveled some difficult paths and endured some heartbreaking losses. In the midst of loss and pain, she suffered through some manifestations of mental illness that I could neither understand nor help to alleviate. I did not know how to help, but I knew I loved her, that her potential was great and that it was also buried beneath the torture of several severe results of deep depression and anxiety.

But Terica, as she relates in her book “Tackling the Taboo” not only successfully navigated, over a period of several years, her own mental illness to become the salt, light and leaven that God intends for his people to be, but she’s now also successfully helping others who struggle with depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses to overcome and be fruitful in the kingdom of God.

“Tackling the Taboo” is raw, open and honest. Terica doesn’t hold back about the deep and tormented struggles of those dark days. Rather, she uses her own journey as a catalyst of hope for those who are dealing with mental illness, and maybe even more importantly, as a motivator for God’s people to educate ourselves about mental illnesses and prepare ourselves to help those who struggle.

Using Biblical principles and examples, Terica helps us see the power that Christians can have in helping family members and those in the family of God to manage the symptoms  and even overcome the stigma that mental illness has carried through the years. Free of medical terminology that could bog us down in such a study, Terica just walks us through a subject (and life reality) that many have been hesitant to acknowledge or address. She does it from the honest perspective of someone who traveled to a very tortured spot in her life and then relied, first on God and then on the therapeutic and medical resources He has provided. It’s easy to read, but very practical for our personal lives and our sisterhood.

This book’s an easy read. A couple of hours and you’ll be good to go…good to go with understanding and a better clarity, to help someone out of a deep depression…good to go help someone understand the value of medication in improving mental health, while working to implement a holistic plan, too…good to go find help when you potentially encounter mental illness in your own life. It’s an overview—a jumpstart motivator for anyone who needs to plunge deeper into finding help for schizophrenia, agoraphobia, paranoia or any number of mental illnesses.

Tackling the Taboo is the story of a personal victory for eternity for Terica. I love that. I mean I love that on a very personal level. But, better yet, it’s a resource every woman living for Him will need at some point in this sojourn we are making together! I  think it can help lots of women to the throne.

You can order from kachelmanpublications.com or you can find it on Amazon.            

Cindy Colley