Hope for Single Moms

– Paul Schlehlein

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As the family goes, so goes society. As the father goes, so goes the family. God made fathers the leaders of the home. They lead, provide and protect.

God chose Abraham, not his wife Sarah, to command his children to obey the Bible and do right (Gn. 18:19). The Psalmist urges fathers not to hide the truth from their children (Ps. 78:3-6). Ephesians 6:4 implores fathers to teach their children early and often.

So what are mothers to do when they have children but no father at home? This is not unusual. Almost a quarter of children under the age of 18 in the US live with one parent. Nearly a third of women in Sub-Sahara Africa between the ages of 18-60 are single with children in the household. 

Maybe her husband died, or took off, or is gone all the time for work? What hope do single mothers have that their children will end up godly? Where can they go for confidence that their children can thrive in adulthood?

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Responding to Cancel Culture

–– Paul Schlehlein

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The Egyptian pyramids have yet to be cancelled. If Cancel Culture has its way, the Great Sphinx may be next. 

Thousands of years ago, the Egyptians believed Pharaoh was a living god. The people spent centuries making elaborate tombs to comfort their king in the afterlife. Architects used millions of limestone blocks to construct the massive pyramids. Khufu’s Great Pyramid alone contains 2.3 million blocks of stone, each piece weighing more than a ton. The Great Pyramid stands as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and remained the tallest structure in the world for 38 centuries. 

Ramses II, father of more than fifty sons and Pharaoh of Egypt for sixty-seven years, inscribed these words on his throne: “I am [Ramses II], King of Kings. If anyone would seek to know how great I am and where I lie, let him surpass one of my works.”

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Three Words for Husbands Whose Wives Won’t Escort Them to the Mission Field

– Paul Schlehlein

Listen to podcast edition and subscribe here: Youtube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Imagine this. Simon hears a Sunday sermon from a missionary who works in northern Africa. The preaching cuts him deeply. His eyes water. He gets to dreaming. He senses God is calling him into missions. He tells his wife. She smiles politely. He goes to seminary. He reads missionary bios. He tacks maps on his bedroom wall. He takes survey trips. He’s all in.

Years later he’s ready to go. As he pulls up the tent spikes at home, he discovers his wife’s roots have only run deeper. She can’t leave her parents. She can’t homeschool in a foreign land. She can’t take the heat. She’s not going. Simon is crushed. What should he do?

This is a difficult matter that is not all that unusual in missions. It’s happened more than one might expect. Here are three words that Simon should embrace.

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