Thursday, August 31, 2006

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huh? you must be married to have a life!?! I love games. I always have. Board games, card games, word games, dice games are all ok by me. One of the most popular classic American board games--besides Monopoly--is the Game of Life. But, did you know that in order to play the game of life you must get married? Genevieve A. Longley wrote a beautiful article inspired after laughing about this game rule and saddened by the fact that many singles live in a holding pattern waiting for life to begin (aka waiting for marriage). In the article, she tells about how she was waiting for a missionary husband to come along until "finally, one day, God was able to show [her] that He hadn't called [her] at that point to marry a missionary but to be one." After this "wake up to life call," Genevieve was able to serve the Lord in Argentina for over 12 years in unique ways only someone unmarried could. She died at the young age of 43 from cancer. Six months before she died, she wrote these words: "No one is guaranteed a tomorrow; we each live by the grace of God. Is ours a temporary Dixie Cup® of life or an elegant crystal goblet from which we can drink deeply? Will we as Christian singles buy into the thinking that says we must first be married before starting The Game of Life® or will we choose to say, 'This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.' (Psalm 118:24)" As unmarried women, we must start life before we are given a marriage partner. In fact, one is never promised us, nor is it our greatest need (however, a Savior is). Nonetheless, we can still hope that one day we will be interrupted by a God given husband. We are able to do so because we can trust God with a hope deferred--we can say with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (aka Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego): the God we serve is able to . . . and even if he does not we still choose to worship Him alone (Daniel 3:16-18). Not as easy as it sounds, right? Only by the grace of God are we able to do it. Go read Genevieve A. Longley's story. You'll be glad you did.
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they chose life . . . or did they? After 13 days of harrowing captivity, FOX newsman Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig were released by terrorists…unharmed…emotional and grateful. Images of them falling tearfully into the arms of loving family graced the television Sunday from morning ‘til night. Who of us didn’t rejoice? Only those of us, perhaps, who understood the terms of their release. Dressed in Islamic garb, Steve and Olaf, cameras rolling, bowed their heads and converted to Islam. It was convert or be killed and they chose life. Wouldn’t you? After all, everyone knows “conversions” are just performances required by deranged hostage takers to somehow advance their cause. No one means it when they renounce their government, their homeland….their God. You can believe something in your heart and say another, can’t you? You can read the rest of Sandy Rios' commentary on the Persecution Blog. But, I find my answer in the Old Testament in the Daniel chapter 3. I agree with Sandy when she says: It grieves me, not that Olaf and Steve converted, because I don’t know if they have a personal relationship with Christ. I don’t fault them for their choice and have nothing but empathy and grief for them for making it….my grief comes from the lack of understanding by Christians of what this means…the unwillingness up front to pay the ultimate price and the lack of faith demonstrated by thinking that saving your physical life supersedes securing your eternal soul.

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