"A Pair of Silk Stockings" by Kate Chopin (Hunter, 2009)

Mrs. Sommers, having come into possession of an unexpected windfall, chooses to temporarily escape from the dreary responsibilities of a rather common, penny-pinching existence to enjoy some of the finer things in life for a fleeting moment of lightness, free from the usual shackles of conscientiousness expected of a wife and mother. We are given no reason to believe that Mrs. Sommers had ever previously neglected the necessities of her family in order to selfishly enjoy such a fleeting pleasure as any woman would be entitled to by virtue of her gender. I see her purchase of the silk stockings and subsequent indulgences as inevitable temptations given the sudden circumstances of unexpected cash in lieu of the regular obligations being as satisfied as they ever were. This momentous event of hedonism could hardly tip the scales of justice when weighed against a lifetime of abstention, temperance, and moderation for the sake of honoring the unwritten contract to satisfy matrimonial obligation and motherly pride. Hence, the theme of escapism herein is universal. We often consider subservience as a key issue addressed by the women’s movement and feminism. However, in “A Pair of Silk Stockings,” the issue of economics is brought into focus with both gender and class taking center stage. I do sympathize with Mrs. Sommers.

This short story makes clear the fact that to be a wife and mother one has to be an excellent bookkeeper and administrator in order to meet the ever-changing and abundant needs of her family. I would imagine that rare was the occasion when time, opportunity, and disposable income would be available to any one of the lower or working class, whether they be male or female, in order to enjoy such a mildly opulent day as Mrs. Sommers had on the day described in this story. She was a victim of circumstances and to call her selfish is to ignore the greater contexts of class, gender, precedence, and economics indicated by the author. I am convinced that Mrs. Sommers betrayed neither Christian ethics nor her family by her actions. No amount of Scripture considered in context could dissuade my conclusion that this woman had consistently practiced self-sacrifice for her family and also suffered unfathomable indignities as a "have not" in American society up until that day.

There is also no reason to believe that she will not return to her selfless and dutiful life as thrifty wife and mother at the story's end. From the standpoint of developments and movements in American society and how they are reflected in the Literature written throughout our history, taking into consideration the setting of this tale, I am trying to have an open mind to the complexities of Mrs. Sommers’ dilemma and not take the easy route of pointing my finger at an act of sin. The point I am trying to make is that there is more to this story than that. Mrs. Sommers usually shopped for her family’s needs at the expense of her own. She usually never treated herself to anything nice, not even an occasional luncheon or the theater. She would usually fight tooth and nail to secure the necessities of life at a bargain for her family’s sake. This story does not paint her as a terrible sinner, but rather as a woman usually inclined towards sainthood.

This story is about a very unusual day in the life of an extraordinarily virtuous woman who, having otherwise sacrificed life and limb for her family for years, had enough self respect and self esteem left to take advantage of a fleeting fortuitous circumstance and temporarily break out of the box of her usually studious and exemplary way of life. Her thriftiness had perhaps saved her family fifteen dollars a thousand times over throughout the years of her marriage. I am not so quick as others to cast a stone at her for one single, documented, isolated incident of non-puritan action in the 1890s when women were beginning to be thought of as more than chattel in a male-dominated society. Consider that Mrs. Sommers had likely been ordered by her husband occasionally to bring home a thirty dollar box of cigars or some other frivolity for him to enjoy with his buddies. I am moved, not to condemn, but to defend the honor of this heroine.


© 2009 Brian L Hunter 

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Abuse

“"I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel. "I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife." 17 You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, "How have we tired him?" By saying, "The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them." Or by asking, "Where is the God who is supp

osed to be just?" (Malachi 2:16-17 Good News Translation)

Too many of us have been abused thoroughly and severely over incredibly long periods of time by the very people who claimed to love us the most. We know bondage and we are well acquainted with sorrow. However, please let us resist the temptation to become subtle abusers of others in our defensive attempts to avoid repeating the victimization of our past. Oh yes, it is quite possible to abuse without lifting a hand or saying a word. In fact there is a spiritually clandestine type of abuse which requires the complete silence of the abuser. Lord, please heal us from the pain which threatens to make us a cancer in God’s Body, the Body of Christ our Savior. In Jesus’ mighty and holy name I pray believing wholly that it is done unto us, your beloved, according to the Word of your power (Hebrews 1:3). Amen and amen.

© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Food for Thought (Not for the sensitive...)

Please allow me to ponder out loud. Mormonism doctrine has historically promoted hatred for the decedents of Ham (Genesis 9:18). What of the English word ‘black’ and its etymology? Part of the Merriam Webster definition: “indicative of condemnation or discredit ” Has this contributed to the systemic brainwashing of Americans generation after generation? So many powerless evangelicals in 2012 who proclaim to be disciples of Christ seem to be completely unaware of their inbred racism and the offensiveness of their seemingly inherent if not merely institutionalized and learned hatred for the first American President of obvious African descent. I think a little sensitivity training may be  in order for the church at large. Corporations have realized the benefits of diversity training for employees. Why is the church so far behind? For further cogitation see: 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black 

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=black 

 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30F17FB385E15738DDDAE0894DF405B8984F0D3 

© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Imagination

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Corinthians 10:6 ) I know it seemed as though that friend’s attitude was directed towards you. However, you do well not to accept the offense personally. Yes, they may have had an awful attitude when they answered your call, responded to your question, or reacted to your statement. No, you are not obligated to let your imagination run wild with the idea that the other person’s attitude is all about you, Marsha. Perhaps your phone call, question, or comment, after a long series of disappointments and mishaps within a short span of time, just happened to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. That makes you today’s grand prize winner in the attitude sweepstakes or lottery. Viola! Congratulations! God obviously knew you could handle it with flying colors, make lemonade out of this sour fruit, offer a Word of encouragement, and allow love, rather than your emotions, rule in the situation and thereby be a peacemaker. This is how you keep friends, share the love which is God, and avoid the bait of Satan that seeks to trap you in the snare of the fowler and keep you bound, upset, unsettled, and bitter. Remember that God is your peace. If you form the habit of taking a deep breath and thinking of the goodness of the Lord in those times of offense, betrayal, and ugliness in your face, you will be better able to bless the Lord at all times and let His praise continually be in your mouth (Psalm 34:1). Hallelujah! “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” (Psalm 103:1) Oh, we who live and move and have our being in Christ are too blessed to concentrate on any such evil mess or misunderstanding. Praise God Almighty! Hallelujah! The joy, the joy, the joy of the Lord is our strength. Rise up in righteousness and give negativity and strife a mortal beat down today in Jesus’ mighty name. As they say in Jamaica; seen? Irie, mon. I and I will bless the Lord! Hallelujah! Bless His most high holy name and smile as though you have heard the good news of His virgin birth, sinless life, death, burial, resurrection, and promise to come again for His bride! Hallelujah! I should just shut up and play my drums, however…


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Danger, The Will

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NASB) You can listen to Oprah, Dr. Phil, and the NY Times best-selling authors and take medication to cope with the delusions of this world, or, you can belly up to the truth. Anyone who has read the Book of Romans recently knows what we can expect from mankind, even our closest family, confidants, and friends. The depravity of man is a given, not a surprise. Did the twelve disciples follow through with their resolution not to leave Jesus’ side once the Roman soldiers came and took Him by force to be crucified? Did Peter not deny that he even knew Jesus once the persecution foretold became a reality (Matthew 26:34, Mark 14:72, Luke 22:61)? I have no misconceptions about my own friends denying me thrice when the weight of tolerating me has become too much for mortal men. But, hey; hallelujah! There is one… Ha ha! Oh, there are three in heaven who agree as one (1 John 5:7) – His name is El Olam (Genesis 21:33), The Everlasting God, Faithful, True, and Eternal Lord - Jehovah. He alone is the friend that sticketh closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). There are friends who, because they filter reality through carnal, flesh-colored spectacles as all men are subject to, cannot purely receive and see what I am saying here. My every word will be filtered and imperfectly interpreted to mean something other than what I am communicating. Some will even rebuke me (in the flesh), accusing me of committing evil on Facebook with posts such as these, when, in reality, I write with malice toward none but the enemies of truth. This creates space between us men which cannot be filled again except by the Holy Spirit if and when we are occasionally of one accord in that Spirit which is the Lord. “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) How much more could we accomplish together for the Kingdom if we could walk consistently together in the Spirit without making every word and every situation about us? That would be a God-centered worldview rather than one that is self-centered. That would be a healthy, living, breathing, revived, and unified church worthy to be called the Body of Christ in the last days. If I am guilty of anything in posts such as these, I am guilty of thinking out loud and making myself, the good, the bad, and the ugly, completely transparent. The only communication that can ever be perfect is that between God and man. As little children, we are weak but God is strong. “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26, 27 NASB) My thoughts, being imperfect and infinitely lower than God’s, are often random, incomplete, or seemingly meaningless. However, I consider that I am not necessarily called to minister to my circle of friends, my nation, or even my generation. God can use a gift revealed today to benefit none other than a solitary youth in Vietnam three centuries in the future. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8) Postmodern thinkers and intellectuals, puffed up with pride and impressed with their own self-sufficiency, are so great and mighty in their own minds that they find it impossible to admit that God exists. Well, if I stand before any traffic court judge in America, having overlooked or ignored a stop sign and rolled on through the intersection, I will learn that my ignorance of the law will in no wise nullify a guilty verdict and the subsequent consequences. God is not some equation you can figure out, Poindexter. “O how deep are God's riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways!” (Romans 11:33) You may refuse to believe it until you are forced by the circumstances of a situation to believe it – for, in such an hour, if you believe not, there shall exist no longer in your carnal mind, your only mind, any hope at all for you. Many men suddenly discovered faith in Jesus and eternal life while pinned down in a foxhole under enemy fire on the battlefield or while plummeting speedily from the sky in a jetliner with a failed engine. You can tell me anything, Mr. Atheist. However, life has a way of bringing us to a point in time when we must put our money where our mouths are. I will lay down my life for this gospel which has saved me from self, the bondage of sin, and eternal separation from all that is good and perfect. Expecting the atheist to understand or accept rationally the peace which comes with placing all of my hope in God’s eternal promises in Jesus Christ would be like expecting my dog to understand why we dress and season a turkey before roasting it. I have said all of this merely to make this point: I do not have a great mind. However, what little mind I have is on Christ, on letting His mind be in me, in living and moving and having my being in Him, and, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, and whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, I endeavor as much as possible at my feeble age nearing senility, to think on these things (Philippians 4:8).


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Free Indeed

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) Of course the little girl wants to dress up like her mommy and as a teenager she will desire to do the same thing. She has no idea that grown men will lust after her and pay undue attention to her frame. She has no idea that, while old and young men alike will befriend her and seem to genuinely adore her personhood, they only do so with the ulterior motive of deflowering and robbing her of the purity and innocence of God’s glory that He placed deep within her as a precious flower intended to bloom in its season. It is God who is therefore violated. Woe be unto men who lust with evil eyes and scrape together the wrath of God whom they have not yet learned to fear, though Hurricanes and Tsunamis alike bear His signature alone. Hallelujah! “God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.” (Psalm 7:11) Those who are evil are deluding themselves if they think for one second that they shall escape judgment in the end. A red hot needle through both eyes at this moment would be preferable to the wrath of God they heap up for themselves which shall most definitely be executed in His time. Consider the power of just one tornado or lightning bolt as you reflect on the fact that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) Think about it, Poindexter; “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.” ― Albert Einstein Thank you for calling me friend, oh God. Thank you for reminding me that Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a girl (Job 31:1). Hallelujah! We thank you that by your grace alone through the sanctifying power of your Holy Spirit, Word (Ephesians 5:26-27), and eternal fatherhood, we take great pains to humbly extend our hand rather than to lustfully grab for the sisters, mothers, and daughters of your holy assembly as we greet one another with or without witnesses. We thank you, Heavenly Father, that through your Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, you have bestowed upon us integrity quite foreign to our carnal nature. We are, in Christ, new men, new husbands, and new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Hallelujah! Because, by your grace through faith alone we live and move and have our being in Jesus Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin and our carnal nature. Hallelujah! Lord, let the weak say that we are strong today because of what you have done for us through your perfect sacrifice upon the Cross. Oh Lord, protect us from ourselves, from our selfish carnal natures, and lead us by your Spirit each day so that we ascend up out of the miry clay with our feet set upon a rock (Psalm 40:2). Establish our goings, Lord God Almighty. Anoint our heads with oil so that we can look with your eyes upon the Rock from whence we were hewn (Isaiah 51:1). Hallelujah! Help us, Lord, even when we fall, fail, and mess up royally, to rise up by the power of your grace to pursue righteousness and seek you even unto our last breath. Thank you, Lord, for entrusting your precious daughters to us. May we remain conscious of the responsibility of care for which you shall hold each of us accountable. Help us to spend sufficient time in your Word and presence in order to be changed from dead, wormy, carnal, stagnant harbors of evil concupiscence to the joyous righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Because of who you are, since only you can do what you can do, we magnify your holy name and give you glory, honor, and praise. Thank you for being on my mind and resting on my heart today. I could have been concentrating on a million other things during the time it has taken to think about your goodness, mercy, and grace today. Thank you for giving me the desires of my heart. Help me to be ready to lay it all down at the Cross. I am determined to go all the way. The joy has been set before me. Thank you, Lord. You and you alone are The most High God who was and is and is to come. Hallelujah! There is none like you. Thank you, oh God of Jacob, King of Glory, and Everlasting God. You are worthy of all praise. Come quickly, Lord. Maranatha!


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Devotional For Daughters Entry 5

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” (Proverbs 31:10)

A woman never needs to flaunt her physical attributes to get a man's attention if her ultimate goal is to own his heart forever. But let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus and, if the man is walking uprightly before God Almighty, romance, among other virtues, will spring forth like the morning dew rests upon parched earth in the sweet morning air and choice honey shall continually drip willingly from the relational honeycomb.

The virtuous woman possesses qualities of high moral character which are the trademark of leadership and great indicators of spiritual maturity. She keeps the attention upon Christ in her presence and points man ever in the direction of life's Royal Diadem, the eternal jewel whose light her eyes reflect in the darkness of this world.


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Devotional For Daughters Entry 4

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

You expect too much, my friend. You desire, quite cerebrally, the love of some who are wholly yet incapable of the reality, for they know not God. Forget the romantic notion that assumes even all who are related to you naturally by blood will love you by default, though we all dream of such a utopia. No, the truth is that there are some, in even your own family, who delight in the idea of misfortune in your life. They can only see lack in your life because it’s all about what they have and what you have not attained. They are spiritual parasites and differ not from other pimps and opportunists in this world. However, having quite foolishly said in their hearts that there is no God, such self-sufficient thinkers are powerless to love anyone outside of themselves with anything but mere affection or the kind of love brought to mind by the great city of Philadelphia. No, agape, the very concept of the God kind of love, does not register upon the scale of knowledge such worldly geniuses, their friends, or their neighbors could possibly comprehend in their present unregenerate state. But, regardless of what is directed at you, you are called to a higher level of virtuosity and commanded to love even as you are loved of God. Neither sticks nor stones nor hateful attitudes nor outright betrayal, shall give us justification to cease bearing all such people, faithfully believing in all such people, hoping in all such people, and enduring all such people. Love never faileth. (1Corinthians 13:4-8) Hath Christ not loved us enough to lay down His life for us when we could not have been more unlovable than we were? “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6) Considering the fullness of grace we have all received in Christ, shouldn’t we be more longsuffering with those whose hearts are yet darkened by the natural tendencies which once plagued us also? Love, after all, is neither a type of song nor something to be manufactured in a bedroom. Love serves (Galatians 5:13), covers (1Peter 4:8), and is born only of God (1 John 4:7-8). Although the counterfeit thereof feels good and satisfies the flesh, its only purpose is deceit. Lord, as you are love, shape us and mold us into a more perfect image of you. In Jesus’ name, “who being the brightness of your glory, and the express image of your person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” (Hebrews 1:3, 4) Be love, beloved daughters, and you shall know the love of your Father who art in Heaven. Amen and amen.


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Devotional For Daughters Entry 3

“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a virtuous woman, having been fearfully and wonderfully made in the very image of the ultimate desirableness (Psalm 139:14), making the most of her God given glamour and physical grace, adorned with the refinement of a gentle and quiet spirit as well as the fervent fires of faith and prayer. Such stewardship is to be commended and applauded by all who love righteousness. If the daughter of the Most High God maintains an awareness of who she represents and who has made her as she is, she will in no way act uncomely and shall seek always to glorify her Father which art in Heaven. It is at the center, the mind of Christ within her, that Boaz shall find and cover her virtuosity with his robe. It is her character and not her looks that induce such devotion and welcomes sanctity home. It is the righteous man who is blessed in his search and the righteous woman who is thereby found waiting upon the Lord. My brethren, the Lord saith, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” (Psalm 32:8) To both brother and sister I therefore admonish you to “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14) God is the master builder, the composer that shall join together the intended themes into a symphony most pleasing to His ear.


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Devotional For Daughters Entry 2

“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22)

On the original Mickey Mouse Club, Annette Funicello sang a song entitled “How Will I Know My Love?” The question is an important one; how does a woman know “when” she has been found? If she waits for the man with the money, the house, and the big paycheck, she could be wrong. If she requires a certain look, body type, or je ne sais quoi – her own self determined ideal which must be met by any suitor, then she has defied Scripture and done the finding herself rather than trusting God to deliver Boaz to her doorstep. Don't rush into an Ishmael; wait on the promised Isaac!

So, how can a woman recognize Boaz “when” he shows up in her life? Well, we can learn a lesson from the Book of 1 Samuel. The older, stronger, more handsome sons of Jesse would have appeared to be more suitable choices to be anointed as king. “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Now, let’s make the connection to Proverbs 18:22. God makes it clear that men are to do the finding (find= acquire, attain, earn, gain, get, obtain, procure). When women do the searching, are they not in error? Now, on to the question of how she can know Boaz and thus know when she has been found. This will require some prayer. Ps. 43:4 says “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.” The story of how Nehemiah rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem indicates that the joy of the Lord is to be our strength (Neh. 8:10)

When a man indicates a godly interest in a woman and meets certain spiritual requirements (i.e. single, growing in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ {2 Peter 3:18}, faithful and accountable to church leadership, able to support a household {1 Tim 5:8}, willing to love like Christ and sacrifice himself for his bride {Ephesians 5:25} -- ), then there is an indication that this man may just be Boaz. However, instead of relying on the opinions of her friends and family, any discerning woman would do well to bring the issue to the altar first, and then seek the prayerful council of a senior leader such as her pastor or a seasoned mother in the church. “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)

Most importantly, the prospective bride would want confirmation that the Holy Spirit is leading this man in his choice. The best way to know a man’s heart is not by what he says to you, but rather by what he says to God. Therefore, pray together often with the man and ask God to reveal the truth to you. Then, if he asks for your hand and wants to put a diamond on it, your spirit should bear witness with the Holy Spirit, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) Brothers and sisters, when you enter into marriage you enter into an agreement with God. Do not take it lightly and trample the blood of Christ under foot just to satisfy the lust of the flesh for a season. Do your due diligence and not only check the man out yourself, but have him thoroughly checked out. A background check is not very expensive. What has he not told you? You need to “know” this man before you allow him to know you.

Be more concerned about living, and moving, and having your being in Christ your Savior than you are concerned with the man’s smooth words, constant smile, and dreamy eyes. FOCUS, sister. Do you see the fruit of the Spirit in this man? If not, then he is not Boaz. “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22) Do yourself a big favor and please God at the same time by making it a point to not only read, but study (2 Timothy 2:15) the entire Book of Proverbs before you even get serious about dating Mr. Right. Let God show you the difference between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now. Too many women are finding themselves being taken for granted, abused, misused, used up and left for dead, etc. because they mistook Bobo for Boaz. Who you are in Christ and who you marry need to converge and take each of you higher in the Lord. Don’t get clowned, wait upon the Lord and be found with renewed strength. Hallelujah! The joy of the Lord, not a big bank account and a smile, is your strength, Woman of God! You are a precious daughter of The Most High God and He has prepared the way before you. Let your steps be ordered in His Word in regards to all things and you shall be prosperous and have good success (Joshua 1:8).


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Devotional For Daughters Entry 1

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:12-14)

Fallen man is particularly susceptible to the power of influence and this weakness is greatly exacerbated by the bestowing of titles and authority over others. Authority gives license to the deepest prejudices and hidden agendas, wings to the haughtiest indifference, and increased avenues of operation to the total depravity inherent in the human heart. Odd is the politician who is not corrupt and so-called good men have been an anomaly historically. Perhaps the most abused position of leadership in our society is marital husbandry. Women are often subjected to the most horrific atrocities of violence and abuse at the hands of those in this world that were designed and designated to love, serve, cover, and protect them. This ought not to be so in the Body of Christ.
It is no secret that we condition children to accept gender roles at an early age by giving dolls to our daughters so that they can learn to be docile caretakers and submissive playmates. Simultaneously, in our kindergartens, nursery schools, and living rooms, militaristic action figures and toy guns encourage our sons to compete, dominate, and assert their most violent tendencies upon a universe viewed as hostile. These messages are then reinforced by the media advertising of gender specific products and the subtle enculturation that seeps into the psyche through sitcoms, movies, and reality programming on television that perpetrates the message that it is a man’s world and women had better be as sexy as a supermodel if she wants to win the prize of man’s attention. Whether the attention won thereby is positive or negative, lustful or loving, godly or demonic seems irrelevant.

Demand honor and respect from the opposite sex, my daughters and sisters. Demand it and do not ever settle for anything less than the level of dignity and reverence reserved for daughters of The Most High God for whom Jesus Christ died. You may have been a prostitute like Gomer (Book of Hosea). Yet, since you are now in Christ, old things are passed away and all things regarding you have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). With the blood of God’s Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, you, Woman of God, have been redeemed. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Therefore, there should be no disparaging comments on your Facebook page about how sexy your pictures are, Women of God. You should not allow men to be slack or flip in the way they address you, approach you, or “holler at” you. The Word of God admonishes us to overcome our sinful nature and to “Mortify therefore our members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience” (Colossians 3:5, 6) Modest dress for women, as instructed in 1 Timothy 2:9, aids in keeping the pornographic subconscious bull’s-eye from being subtly painted upon the body of every woman by the salacious minds of unregenerate men. If the pornography industry does not prove this point, then we may as well also believe that the earth is flat and that man evolved from apes contrary to the Word of God. If you desire to be a boy toy or a sex object, then I continue to pray for God to anoint your eyes and draw you ever closer to spiritual consciousness by His loving kindness and longsuffering. No sermon can open your eyes to your own self-worth, sister. Only God can change your heart and impress upon you the love and glory and peace you deserve and shall possess in Him.


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Turn My Eyes

“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” (Hosea 6:3)

Help me, oh Lord, to number my days aright and to bring my heart to wisdom (Psalm 90:12). Whether the report points to cancer, betrayal, or bankruptcy, help me to keep my mind stayed on Thee that I not turn not aside to the right or left (Deuteronomy 5:32). Help me to focus rather on the author and finisher of my faith as the joy set before me so that I, like my Savior, may endure this cross (Hebrews 12:2) looking unto the Father in whose presence there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).

Do not let me waste my trials by refusing to trust you wholly and give you glory for what you have already done. Make me a better witness, Precious Savior, of your glorious perfection and sovereignty in all things. Hallelujah! Oh yes, because in death I cannot give you praise, let every breath that I take therefore glorify thy most excellent name among the nations. How majestic is thy name in all the earth (Psalm 8:9)! Help me to trust you all the more no matter what evil seems to befall me at any given moment. Help me to fear no evil, for thou, oh Lord, are with me. You are bringing me to an expected end, and, no calamity, disease, or disaster shall cause me to stop seeking your face. Hallelujah!

In your presence, cancer or no cancer, is where I want to be, oh God. No affliction shall rob me of it and no unholy mess shall deter me from being more and more desirous of your countenance. Hallelujah! I shall worship you desperately whether it be in the temple or the fiery furnace, my Lord. Yet will I trust you! To live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21-23). Help me to abide in you and to have your Word abide in me, oh Lord. Help me to be a witness to your glory and grace no matter what comes or goes in my life. Giving honor to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit always - since these three agree in Heaven as one, in Jesus’ holy and precious name I pray. Amen.


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

God, The Only Frontier

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33)

Some say that space is the final frontier. And yet, space is merely a box of sorts that God created out of necessity in order that our experience of His infinite continuum of possibility, what we call reality, could be fleshed out in our finite minds. Reality is merely the individual mind’s recognition of the boundaries of space and time. Our reaction to the multifarious potentialities afforded by such a framework provides us with rich imaginations despite man’s inherent depravity (Ecclesiastes 7:29, Romans 5:12, 19, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 53:6, Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19, et al). The existence of an actual infinitude cannot, of course, be proven or disproven. Science, therefore, being ultimately concerned with measureable absolutes and the derivatives thereof, will never adequately explain even the existence of God. It is not completely unlike a computer trying to exhaustively reason every intricacy of human emotion. The insurmountable problem with realist, absolutist, rationalist, relativistic, and conventionalist theories is, first and foremost, the fact that God exists outside the circumference of man’s possible experience, beyond the borders of time and space, having created all things.

In conclusion, considerations of time’s direction, thermodynamics, presentism, eternalism, quantum mechanics, and string theory are beyond my complete comprehension personally. However, this one thing I know without any incertitude – The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the everlasting God (El Olam) without beginning and without end. Hallelujah! You alone have framed the worlds by the Word of your power (Hebrews 11:3, 1:3)

Heavenly Father, just overwhelm me continually with your steadfast love and indisputable omnipresence. “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Thou shewest loving-kindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is His name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 32:17-19). I know, of a surety that God is great far beyond even the way Tony the Tiger once declared that Frosted Flakes were great, God is good beyond the benevolence of any earthly father, and God is wonderful, exceeding the wonder of even the proof of Fermat's last mathematical theorem or the fascinating musings of Stephen Hawking. Lord, continue to overwhelm me with the wondrous works you have left me to ponder. From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, you, oh Lord, are worthy to be praised. Hallelujah!

In prayer, I cover my eyes like the seraphim and contemplate the infinite expanse of your glory. Draw me ever closer in relationship to you, Lord. Help me not to look neither to the right nor the left as I keep my mind stayed on Thee in perfect peace. Be Thou my vision, oh God of my heart. Let me forever be foolish enough and peculiar enough to worship the invisible Holy One of Israel who was and is and is to come, God the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth who is God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – for these three agree in Heaven as one, The only living God who alone is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Thank you, Lord, for your mercies which are new every morning, no matter how undeserving I may be. Thank you for causing the rain to fall upon the just and the unjust alike. Thank you for being no respecter of persons, oh God. You alone are faithful and just beyond reproach or measure. I worship and adore you, Almighty God! Thou hast not dealt with me according to my sins, but has justified me and given me life eternal through the substitutionary death of Christ, The Passover Lamb who was bruised for my iniquities, wounded for my transgressions, and raised from the dead as a first fruit of resurrection. Hallelujah! I thank you for allowing me the wonderful blessing of hearing and hearkening to your splendiferous voice. As you provided a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night in the wilderness, Thou art leading me by your Spirit, having first ordered my steps in your Word. Hallelujah! “Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.” (Psalm 63:3) Glory to your Holy name, El Elyon! Glory! Holy and Righteous are Thee alone.


© 2012 Brian L Hunter

Prayer For Light

Lord, crucify the pride in me. Permeate my soul, I pray, with light and let not one crevice in me continue in darkness. Renew, I beseech thee, your covenant in me today so that the only remaining desire that burns in me is the hope of your all satisfying glory and the never-ending bliss your grace affords.

© 2007-2010 Brian L Hunter

Incredible Lightness

The world says to give the offender the silent treatment, shun their Facebook page, and conspire with any sympathizers against him or her. God says to bless and to pray. The reactionary path I take defines whose servant I am and in whom I place all of my hope. Am I a new creation? Or, will I act just like I did way back when it was all about me, my vindication, and my feelings? Lord, wash me with the truth of your Word today and do surgery on my heart with your two-edged sword. Let no root of bitterness spring up and defile me today. Let me be so completely satisfied in you and in your goodness that I scarcely notice when evil is directed my way. I trust in the angels encamped round about me, in your faithfulness, and in your benevolence. You take delight in the prosperity of your servants, oh God, and I thank you. Let it be done in me and unto me according to your perfect will and according to the Word which you have spoken. Amen.


© 2007-2010 Brian L Hunter

Got Hurt?

If you have hurt my feelings or insulted me, my reaction proves my spiritual character and the maturity of my relationship with God. Vengeance is not mine and perhaps it is by your insult that God will make me holier than I was before the affront. "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." (Luke 6:28)


© 2007-2010 Brian L Hunter

Blessed To Be

I am indebted, in covenant with The Most High God, united to and in Christ alone, and forsaking all others... Cleaving to Jesus, my only hope, I joyfully contemplate the mystery of being baptized into His death and, having been planted together in the likeness of His death, I shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Glory!


© 2007-2010 Brian L Hunter

Utility

“And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?” (Mark 3:33)

As the prodigal son soon learned, people love you so long as you never require anything of them. When you make it known that you have a need, whether it be emotional, spiritual, financial, or otherwise, your so-called friends will prove to be false. Oh, they partied often to the break of dawn, most often at your expense. Greed loves a fool almost as much as misery loves company. Oh, when they needed you, you were there for them. Yet, they will never remember how you sacrificed to comfort and console them in the middle of the night when it seemed that no one else cared. They will not remember how welcome they were in your family’s home when you were young though, when you went to their parent’s house, you were never offered so much as a glass of water. They won’t remember how they called your mother to bail them out of jail instead of calling their own mother.

As soon as your utility has been exhausted in their lives, those folks who were once always at your side will scarcely give you a second thought. Such is the way of the world. However, I am called to be that friend which sticketh closer than a brother, who loves you unconditionally, who rejoices with you and mourns with you. When I have nothing to profit and yet I still keep in touch, then, my friend, you can come to certain educated conclusions about my character and my motives. I come to do the will of my Lord Jesus Christ even as He came to do the will of the Father. Jesus, “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:21)

Am I believe that you love me when, clearly, faith without works is dead? The carnal mind cannot be expected to understand these things, and so, with loving hearts we pray for blind eyes to be opened until we all come into the fullness of understanding that is available in Christ our Lord. Does the sun not shine yet on the just and the unjust alike? Likewise is the blood of the Son of God available to all who will call upon His name in hope. Cain and Abel were, despite the atrocities of jealousy and murder, brothers by birth. We cannot erase the reality of our relationships as siblings, believers, countrymen, or human beings. Let those who have an ear hear what the Spirit is saying. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35) Let’s get it together, after all. We are all a part of God’s family, a family for which He gave His only begotten Son’s life to save and redeem.

“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesian 4:16)

As they say in Jamaica, one love… Lord, make us one (John 17:21) even as you intend for husband and wife to become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Let us be the body, the church, the love. In Jesus’ precious and matchless name, amen. Contact somebody now, and, if you really mean it, tell them that you love and appreciate them.



© 2011 Brian L Hunter