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NOTES  FROM  THE  VALLEY - October 13, 2000

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil for you are with me."  Psalm 23.
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TOPIC:   IN  PRAISE  OF  WOMEN

Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your
mother's teaching.  Proverbs 1:8

A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  She
watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of
idleness.  Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he
praises her:  "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."  Charm
is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to
be praised.  Give her the reward she has earned,  and let her works bring
her praise at the city gate.  Proverbs 31:10 and 25-31

"Women who fulfill their vocation hold power even over powerful men; such
women mold public opinion and prepare future generations.  And so it is they
who would hold the power to save people from all our present and impending
evils.  Yes, women, mothers, in your hands more than in of those of anyone
else lies the salvation of the world.  Leo Tolstoy in The Lion and the
Honeycomb.

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My life has been blessed by so many women.  My Mom - Jean, my wife - Cathy,
Her Mom - Bea, Nellie Woodfill, members of our Home Group and the Prayer
Group at church, and others far too numerous to mention.  Their presence in
my life and influence on it has been no accident.  I believe that each one
came into my life as part of God's plan to shape me into the person I am
today and the person I will become tomorrow.

I have as always believed that the Bible account of God's creative act, the
forming of Adam first and then Eve out of Adam, provides us with a
revelation of how He intended for us to function as a unique species, His
offspring, His children.  Neither man nor woman is complete without the
other.  We are halves of the whole that is "the image and likeness of" God.
I think all the divisiveness the world tries to create between men and women
(i.e. who's better, who's more important, etc.) is a very deliberate effort
on the part of the devil to keep us from achieving the fullness of our
potential as God's children.  To be all He created us to be.  Every impulse
to think that either gender is somehow better than the other is all part of
that deception.  He strives daily to make us a house divided, whereas our
Father calls us together in oneness as the Body of Christ, each with our
unique roles and purposes according to His will.

As I look back over my life, I can't imagine what it would have been like
without the lessons I learned from some very special ladies.  Mom taught me
about love.  First, that I was worthy of being loved.  Second, what it meant
to give love unconditionally.  She loved me even when everyone else gave up
on me.  Cathy taught to trust love after I thought I could never love again.
She is the sweetest and gentlest soul I have ever known.  She loves and
cares so openly that she gets hurt often.  Yet, she took the risk of loving
me despite the pain in her already broken heart.  Bea taught me how love can
find the positive in each day.  She shares her "light" with all she meets,
even in the darkest of times.  Nellie taught me the unfailing strength of
love and how to give it freely out of a caring heart.   She made room for me
in her heart.  She made a stranger her son and his children her
grandchildren.

There are so many others.  Past and present, I owe them so very much.  I
thank God for placing each of them in my life.  I pray that I can share a
small measure of what they have given me with you.

Thank you Father for my sisters.

I remain a work in progress, sheltered under His wing and overwhelmed by His
love,

Steve Hall



GOD  TALKS  WITH  HIS  CREATION
(Author Unknown)

When I created the heavens and the earth, I spoke them into being.  When I
created man, I formed him and breathed life into his nostrils. But you,
woman, I fashioned after I breathed the breath of life into man because your
nostrils are too delicate.  I allowed a deep sleep to come over him so I
could patiently and perfectly fashion you. Man was put to sleep so that he
could not interfere with the creativity.

From one bone I fashioned you.  I chose the bone that protects man's life. I
chose the rib, which protects his heart and lungs and supports him, as you
are meant to do. Around this one bone I shaped you.  I modeled you. I
created you perfectly and beautifully. Your characteristics are as the rib,
strong yet delicate and fragile. You provide protection for the most
delicate organ in man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being; his
lungs hold the breath of life. The rib cage will allow itself to be broken
before it will allow damage to the heart.  Support man as the rib cage
supports the body. You were not taken from his feet, to be under him, nor
were you taken from his head, to be above him.  You were taken from his
side, to stand beside him and be held close to his side.

You are my perfect angel. You are my beautiful little girl. You have grown
to be a splendid woman of excellence, and my eyes fill when I see the
virtues in your heart. Your eyes - don't change them. Your lips how lovely
when they part in prayer. Your nose, so perfect in form, your hands so
gentle to touch. I've caressed your face in your deepest sleep; I've held
your heart close to mine.  Of all that lives and breathes, you are the most
like me. Adam walked with me in the cool of the day and yet he was lonely.
He could not see me or touch me. He could only feel me. So everything I
wanted Adam to share and experience with me, I fashioned in you: my
holiness, my strength, my purity, my love, my protection and support.  You
are special because you are the extension of me. Man represents my image -
woman, my emotions. Together, you represent the totality of God.

So man - treat woman well. Love her, respect her, for she is fragile. In
hurting her, you hurt me. What you do to her, you do to me. In crushing her,
you only damage your own heart, the heart of your Father, and the heart of
her Father.  Woman, support man. In humility, show him the power of emotion
I have given you. In gentle quietness show your strength. In love, show him
that you are the rib that protects his inner self.



WHAT  WOMEN  DO
(Received from Pauletta Johnson - Author Unknown)

WOMEN have strengths that amaze men. They carry children, they carry
hardships, they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy.  They
smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry
when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.

WOMEN wait by the phone for a "safe at home call" from a friend or relative
after a snowy drive home.

WOMEN have special qualities about them. They volunteer for good causes.
They are pink ladies in hospitals, they bring food to shut ins. They  are
childcare workers, executives, attorneys, stay-at-home moms, biker babes and
your neighbors.  They wear suits, jeans, and they wear uniforms. They fight
for what they believe in. They stand up for injustice. They are in the front
row at PTA meetings. They vote for the person that will do the best job for
family issues.

WOMEN walk and talk the extra mile to get their children in the right
schools and for getting their family the right health care.   They write to
the editor, their congressmen and to the "powers that be" for things that
make for a better life. They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe
there is a better solution.

WOMEN stick a love note in their husband's lunch box. They do without new
shoes so their children can have them. They go to the doctor with a
frightened friend. They love unconditionally.

WOMEN are honest, loyal, and forgiving. They are smart, knowing that
knowledge is power; but they still know how to use their softer side to make
a point.

WOMEN want to be the best for their family, their friends, and themselves.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.

WOMEN are happy (or cry) when they hear about a birth or a new marriage.
Their hearts break when a friend dies. They have sorrow at the loss of a
family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength
left.

A WOMAN'S touch can cure any ailment. They know that a hug and a Kiss can
heal a broken heart. She can make a romantic evening unforgettable.

WOMEN come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes. They live in homes,
apartments and cabins. They drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how
much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world spin!

WOMEN do more than just give birth. They bring joy and hope.  They give
compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends.
All they want back is a hug, a smile and for you to do the same to people
you come in contact with. Women have a lot to say and a lot to give. The
beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she
carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen
from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where
love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty
in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly
gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing
years-only grows!



WOMEN  AND  TEARS
(Received from Horace Hooper - Author Unknown)

"Why are you crying?" he asked his Mom.

"Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.

His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will..."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no
reason sometimes?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say...

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry...
Finally he spoke to GOD; and asked, "GOD, why do women cry so easily?"

GOD said... "When I made women she had to be special....... I made her
shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough
to give comfort...

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that
many times comes from her children...

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives
up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without
complaining...

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all
circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly...  This same
sensitivity helps her to make a child's boo-boo feel better and shares in
her teenagers' anxieties and fears...

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned
her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but
sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him
unfalteringly.

I gave her a tear to shed; it's hers exclusively to use whenever it is
needed. It's her only weakness...

It's a tear for mankind...



A  FEW TRUISMS  FROM  WOMEN TO  MAKE  YOU  SMILE
(Received from Kristine Key)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their
diet.

Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but
eventually you find a hair stylist you like.

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right
place, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

Time may be a great healer but it's also a lousy beautician.

Brain cells come and go but fat cells live forever.

Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

Age is important only if you're cheese or wine.

The only time a woman wishes that she were a year older is when she is
expecting a baby.

Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but she can
usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake.

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Copyright © 1998-2000 by Stephen J. Hall  -   Weekly letters of
encouragement to Christians written by Stephen J. Hall unless otherwise
indicated.  Notes from the Valley and Humor from the Valley are never
intended to offend anyone.  They're meant only to brighten your day and
encourage you along the way.  Most of "Notes" and "Humor" are a collection
of items provided to me by subscribers and friends.  Credit is given to both
the contributor and to the true author, where known.  If you are blessed by
them, please feel free to make copies and pass them along to others.  If you
have something you'd like to contribute to a future edition or would like to
ask us a question or make a comment, please contact us at:

sossteve@...
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Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it!  I'm forever telling everyone
how faithful you are.  I'll never quit telling the story of your love - how
you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it.  Your love has always
been our lives foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world.
(Psalm 89:1-3 The Message)