The President's Message
May 2008Matthew C. Manning- President, LHWE, Inc.
Message Archives
May
A Month to Honor Mothers
When I was studying Romans 16 in Bible College, Paul's letter did not do much for me. It struck me as being boring nothing more than a long presentation of people’s names, most of whom I could not pronounce; I usually skimmed over that part so I could get to what I considered to be the real Gospel. Over the years however, I have changed my attitude about this particular chapter and I have discovered that there is much more to it than I had first imagined. For example, it is interesting to note that of the twenty-six people who Paul singles out for his personal greeting, six were women. That strikes me as being rather interesting, since Paul has frequently gotten a bum rap for being a male chauvinist. I think it also shows us the tremendous influence that women had in the early church. In the male oriented first century Palestine, it is telling that Paul could not describe the church without mentioning the significant role of women.
Verse 13 is very interesting and it is one that scholars have struggled with over the centuries. Paul writes: "Give my greetings to Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine." Now this statement could be taken two ways. It could mean that Paul had two distinct women in mind, the mother of Rufus and his own personal mother. Or, he could be saying: "I salute Rufus and his mother, who is like a mother to me." If that is what he meant, and most Biblical scholars agree that that is indeed what he meant, then it raises some interesting speculation. When and where did Paul meet Rufus’ mother? Did she nurse him through some serious illness? Did she receive him into her home for an extended stay during his missionary journeys? How did this woman and Paul form such a close bond that he refers to her fondly as being like his mother? Mark tells us that Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried Jesus cross, had two sons: Alexander and Rufus. Was this the same Rufus to whom Paul was speaking? If that is true, his mother would be Simon of Syrene’s wife. No one knows for sure who this remarkable woman was who served as a mother figure for Paul. But it really makes no difference, because what he writes makes an excellent springboard for a Mother’s Day discussion.
Some people ridicule Mother’s Day as a lot of sentimental foolishness. They say that it is nothing more than the creation of the greeting card companies and the florists. And, to be perfectly candid, there are many ministers who shun this day because, they say, it is not a religious holiday. Furthermore, they preach from the lectionary, which has an assigned scriptural reading each week, and therefore mother’s day is left out.
Well, of course, we must admit that there is sentiment to this day, but what is wrong with that. Seems to me that a little bit of sentiment is healthy. True enough, there are some women in the Bible, such as Jezebel and the vindictive Herodias, who had John the Baptist beheaded, who tarnish the institution of motherhood. There are women today who abandon, abuse, and corrupt their children and who create a poor model, but I like to think that these are the exceptions. Most mothers do the right thing and deserve recognition. So this month I would like to join Paul and honor all of the mothers who are reading this.
First, mothers should be honored for their persistent love.
Secondly, mothers should be honored for their tremendous impact.
Third, mothers should be honored because where they are at, that is where home is.
The Bible recognizes women in positions of power - women who contributed to making the world a better place. Here are a few:
- Miriam who led the people in praising God after the
crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 15:21),
- Ruth who put God first and became the ancestress of King David (Ruth 1:16;4:17),
- Deborah, a judge in Israel (Judges 5),
- Hannah who 'lent to the Lord' the child of her prayers
(1Sam 1:28),
- Esther who took her life in her hands to plead for her
doomed people,
- The widow whose obedience sustained the prophet Elijah (1Kings 17:9-16),
- A little captive maid who told Naaman's wife of the man of
God who could cure Naaman of his leprosy (2Kings 5:2-4),
- The woman who anointed Jesus with the expensive
ointment (Mk14:3),
- The poor widow's gift of two mites which won Jesus' praise (Mk 12:43),
- Mary who gave birth to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Luke 1:28),
- Martha who served and Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:38-42),
- Mary Magdalene who brought spices to anoint Jesus,
who first greeted the risen Lord and who received the first commission -'Go tell' (Jn 20:17-18; Mk 16:9),
- Lydia one of the first converts in Macedonia (Acts 16:14),
- Dorcas - full of good works (Acts 9:36),
- Phebe & Priscilla - servants of the church (Ro 16:1-4),
- Lois and Eunice who had sincere faith (2Tim 1:5),
- Persis 'the beloved' and Tryphena and Tryphosa who
laboured for the Lord (Romans 16:12).
In 1963 Betty Friedan wrote a book called 'The Feminine Mystique' in which she claimed that women are trapped in an unwanted life of domesticity. Translated into English that means that most women don't really want to be 'stay at home mums'. Three years later the same woman founded The National Organization For Women, a radical political organization designed to promote the cause now known as feminism. Radical feminism assaults the self-esteem of women who make motherhood a priority. To them the work of child raising is better done in a day care setting, while women find their place in the world by competing with men for all that the world of business and commerce can offer. Most people in our community don't want to be identified with the agenda of that radical movement, but the extremists have moved people in the middle toward the belief that it is not personally fulfilling just to stay at home and be a mother. The structure of our society is such that the woman who has worth and value is one who runs a business, serves in a political office or is the nightly T V newsreader. It's not for me to say women shouldn't do these things, but can't we do something to let the mothers of the world know that preparing meals, running the kids to dental appointments and to basketball practice, and putting a Band-Aid in a child's skinned knee are all valuable acts of service and even essential to the development of children.
The message continues HERE
A Word From Christa
While in prayer time with Jesus, I received the following word for those who come across
this website
LightHouse World Evangelism, Inc.
www.lhwe.org
Why we call ourselves LightHouse World Evangelism (LHWE)
To really understand why God chose the name LightHouse World Evangelism, we need to understand what a LightHouse is. Below are some answers to frequently asked questions regarding what a Christian perspective is on a LightHouse. We as an organization believe that being a LightHouse that shines the Light of Jesus Christ to the Lost and hurting around the world, is in essence, to rise up and build LightHouses all over the world. So let’s answer the who, what, when, where and how of the purpose behind God’s LightHouses to the world:
New Full-Length DVD Documentary: "my eyes see You "
Matthew grew up feeling very different from other boys. Christa lived a life of rebellion and substance abuse.
- Two seperate lives...
- Two seperate paths...
- Both headed towards destruction...
- But God had different plans...
Now one heart, one path and both on the road of redemption, Pastor Matthew C. Manning and his wife Christa, are the founders of LightHouse World Evangelism, Inc., a multi-faceted ministry located north of San Francisco.
- Can God set one free from homosexuality?
- Can God deliver one from alcohol and drugs?
- Can God completely heal from HIV and AIDS?
- Can God heal one's deepest emotions and mend a battered and bruised heart?
- Does God care about you?
This brand-new DVD from LightHouse World Evangelism and Safe Harbor Productions tells the true story of redemption, healing and deliverance in the lives of two people who were transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.
Invite Pastor Matthew to Speak
Because of his testimony, Pastor Matthew is able to speak effectively to congregations and groups about hard issues facing the body of Christ.
To learn more about speaking topics or to invite pastor Matthew to come and speak please click here.
A Word From The Media Director
Thank you for visiting. My name is Christopher Shawn Shaw. God has placed inside me the desire to minister to people through the artistic expression of film and video. Though I attended college to study acting, it was there I truly began to find myself more and more behind the camera and in the editing room. Acting is still something I enjoy, however, my ministry calling and direction is directing and editing. One of the biggest and definitely the longest projects I’ve worked on (post-production was a doozy!) was the “my eyes see You” documentary. I learned a lot on that project.
There are many more projects on the horizon - movie shorts, documentaries, and more. The next documentary I believe God is leading me on is yet untitled, but deals with the “nameless” people we pass daily, some of us not even giving a second thought to – the homeless. There are so many productive and efficient ways we as Christians can minister the love and hope of Jesus Christ to those who walk around every day without any hope or tangible love.
I would appreciate your prayers regarding this and other projects on the horizon. Thank you and God bless you richly.
Christopher Shawn Shaw,
Media Director
Visit the Media Center to find updated video and audio of Pastor Matthew's speaking engagements, television and radio station appearances and other creations from LightHouse World Evangelism's media director, Christopher Shawn Shaw.
