Happy Anniversary Sweetie! The Yoke’s on Us
by Barrett Vanlandingham
(June 3, 2008)

A wedding anniversary is one of those things you don’t want to miss. Mine and Lisa’s just happens to be June 3, 1989. This makes 19 wonderful years for us.
Being married to a “Proverbs 31” woman has made things quite enjoyable and entertaining over the years. Proverbs 31:10-12 says, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.”
This passage goes on to talk about all the ways the virtuous woman watches over the affairs of her household. It says, “:23 Her husband is respected at the city gate…” “:28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” :31 …let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
Lisa and I work at our marriage. Nothing good, including a good marriage, comes without determination and team work. In fact, many of the things that make a woman of noble character could also be said of a noble man. The reason a husband would be respected at the city gate is because his wife has a good reputation in the community and regarding faithfulness to the marriage. The same can be said of the woman.
When it comes to team work, the Bible has plenty to say. The apostle Paul talks about this in the book of 2 Corinthians 6:14 through 7:2. He says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
Any married couple can testify to the fact that arguments often take place over the strangest of things. It may be a big issue. But often, it’s something small or seemingly insignificant that sparks a HUGE fight. My point is that relationships are challenging enough without adding the element of religious differences. It would be worth the effort of any aspiring couple to look into their spiritual beliefs before being joined in holy matrimony. Overlooking issues of religion could result in a holy nightmare!
The picture Paul is painting in this passage is of the unity of two oxen that work well tied together under the same yoke. This would be in contrast to trying to force, let’s say, an ostrich and a kangaroo into the same yoke, and expecting them to successfully pull a plow through a field. It’s not going to happen because the partnership was doomed from the beginning.
The only way a marriage will be blessed by God is if both partners vow to put God (our Yoke) first, even above their spouse. And in doing so, the husband and wife will honor each other, and God will make sure everything else falls into place.
Lisa, thanks for being such a wonderful wife and mother to our children.
Happy Anniversary, Sweetie! Love, Barrett.

Should we shop for churches like we shop for cars?
by Barrett Vanlandingham (May 27, 2008)

My oldest daughter is now 15, and she’s had her intentions set on taking over my Jeep Grand Cherokee for quite sometime. Granted, my Jeep is 11 years old now, but I still like it and so I’m having a little trouble deciding whether to let her have my vehicle, or get a different car for her. One thing I’ve discovered lately, especially since I haven’t shopped for a vehicle in quite a while, is that there is a mind-boggling assortment of makes and models out there.
The same is true in religion. Here in Fort Gibson, there are 18 churches listed on the Chamber of Commerce website. But how can this be? I thought the Lord died for one church, not many.
Paul said, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:3-6).”
Jesus said in Matthew 16:13-18 that based upon the rock or fact that He is the Son of God, He will build His church.
Neither Jesus nor Paul ever said anything positive about there being many different kinds of churches that teach different messages from the true Gospel. However, this is not a new problem.
In Galatians 1:6-9 Paul told the Christians there “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.”
Parents, more than anyone, should understand the concept of making sacrifices for their household, and then making rules for the family to keep. Parents have that privilege of making lawful rules, and children have a responsibility to abide by what parents say. The Bible says so.
It’s the same way with Jesus. He earned the right of our respect and obedience when He came to this earth to suffer, die, and be raised from the dead so that we could have hope of eternal life in heaven.
Every denomination of the one true church most likely believes that what they are doing in the name of Jesus is right. But one thing we can all agree on is this: We owe it to ourselves, our families, our friends, our acquaintances, and most of all to Jesus to go back to the Bible. We must make sure that our beliefs are in line with Jesus Christ. Then, if we insist on being in separate buildings because of traditions, personalities, or convenience, then so be it.
Paul told a young Timothy in chapter 3:16 that “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.”
Hebrews 12:2-3 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
May God bless us all as we continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

Blown down trees: Let’s get to the ‘root cause’
by Barrett Vanlandingham (May 20, 2008)

As soon as I saw the damages in our yard, the voices in my head were singing this old song loud and clear, “Just like a tree that’s planted by the water, I shall not be moved.” My yard retains water really well, so what was the problem?
In only a week’s time, Lisa and I lost two trees, one from the front and one from the back yard. Both trees were blown over by high winds, but for very different reasons that warranted some spiritual analogies to pass on to you.
The first tree that “got it” was one of those beautiful but smelly Bradford Pears I talked about in an earlier article. This tree was HUGE for a Bradford Pear. It was obviously thriving where it was planted. But anyone who’s ever had a Bradford knows that its limbs are a little on the brittle side, and the branch angles are narrow which make them susceptible to breaking in high winds. So, you’re supposed to keep them trimmed so that won’t happen, or at least as quickly. Well, that’s a rule I didn’t exactly keep. So, when the winds came, the very large and strong-looking tree snapped like a twig.
Spiritually speaking, it is also dangerous to have narrow branches or attitudes. As Christians, we must reach out with open arms to the unsaved as well as to our Christian family. Failure to be transparent with our faith can cause us to become a little on the brittle side, and it also deprives others of much needed encouragement. We ourselves may appear to have it all together, but when troubling winds blow our way, it’s nice to have the support of our Christian family. Hebrews 10:24 tells us that meeting together helps us stay strong in love and good deeds.
That’s why James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Wider angles on your branches also helps fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus to “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)…”
The second tree was a willow. So, it had no problem bending, swaying, or reaching out. Its problem was the shallowness of its roots. There was plenty of water for the willow to drink. But when it began to grow, its roots stayed too close to the surface, never diving deep into the soil where it could be anchored strongly.
Spiritually speaking, the lesson is that it’s not hard to be planted in Christ. Romans 6:1-14 says we get into Christ by being baptized and this frees us from our sins (Acts 2:38). But when we commit to God, we must also commit to growing in Christian virtues. 2 Peter 1:3-11 tells us about the nature of God. Verse eight says, “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
So are we saved when we are planted in Christ? Yes. But unlike a tree, we have a choice as to how deep our roots grow. But just like a tree, we risk being pulled up by our roots when the winds blow if we do not increase in our knowledge and apply what we’ve learned just like the seed planted in good soil in Matthew 13:23.
God knows when we are giving Him our best, and He will reward each person according to what he has done (Matthew 16:27).

We Have A Lot To Croak About
by Barrett Vanlandingham (May 13, 2008)

Are you a frog? That’s an odd question! But the other night when I was sitting on my back porch here in Fort Gibson, my 12-year old daughter, Gracie, ran up to Lisa and I, jumping up and down, and revealed her newest treasure. It was a tree frog about as big as my thumb. Of course, it had big sticky hands and feet, and bulging eyes. But that’s not what I wanted to tell you about.
It was bedtime, so I told Gracie, “It’s a school night! Just put down the frog and go to your room.” So, with some resistance she carefully placed it on a water-covered stump in the backyard, about 7 feet from where I was sitting. I told Gracie, “Don’t worry! As soon as you go to bed, the frog will probably get its top hat and cane, and do a little jig for us.” Well, that didn’t happen. But what did happen sparked an idea for this article.
That little frog began to croak a medium high-pitch tone that was so loud I could barely carry on a conversation with my wife. What a disaster! Just one frog was making all that noise. And then I could hear what sounded like dozens of other frogs in the distance chiming in with this one. As soon as I got past the shock of how loudly one frog could croak, I thought to myself just how much like a tree frog are we as Christians supposed to be? Just think of the lessons we can learn from critters like this!
In the Bible, frogs are generally not represented in a very positive light. They are referred to as one of the plagues in the story of Moses and Pharaoh. And in Revelation, it is said that three evil spirits looked like frogs.
But I would like to submit a different view of frogs. Much like a frog that clings to a tree, we as Christians cling to a tree, also known as the cross of Jesus Christ. Remember the old song “I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.” It is the fact that Jesus hung on a tree that empowers each of us to boldly proclaim (even when it seems like no one is listening) the Gospel story of Jesus Christ, and what He did for us.
In the case of Jesus, He would voluntarily cling to a cross to give us hope. He was the perfect sacrifice, and the very reason why we as God-following people no longer cling to the Old Testament way of doing things such as animal sacrifice.
“because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).”
People who lived prior to the crucifixion of Jesus are also covered by His blood if they obeyed the Old Testament law.
You may never view yourself as a frog clinging to a tree, croaking out through the night. But that’s okay as long as you remember that Jesus hung on a tree, and that we as Christians should imitate Jesus and offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1). And just like that frog, we also have a message worth telling the world about, beginning in our own neighborhoods. Have a great day!

Mothers are Special

by Barrett Vanlandingham (May 8, 2008)



To imagine what life would have been like without my mother is almost too much to think about. I was one of those boys who would have married his mom, at least until I went to first grade and discovered there was such a thing as girls.

I remember just like it was yesterday. For the first few days of school, my mom would stand in the hallway outside my classroom door and occasionally look through the window. Eventually, I noticed she wasn’t there anymore, but that was okay because she still picked me up everyday for lunch at the city park in Tahlequah. I can still remember the giant shade trees, a gentle breeze, and the joy of opening my Hot Wheels lunch box she had packed for me which included a PBJ sandwich, grapes, and a thermos of milk. The best thing of all was just getting to look at my mom’s face for the whole lunch period before she took me back to school. Life could not have been sweeter! Then, one day I told my mom I wanted to eat lunch in the cafeteria with all the other kids. What a bitter-sweet moment that must have been for mom. But she just smiled and said, “Okay.” She had successfully completed her job of transitioning me into a school system that I would be a part of for the next twelve years.

From what I’ve observed, mothers have a difficult job. They fulfill so many needs in the family unit, I couldn’t even begin to list them all in one article. I know it might have been easier to pay the bills if mom would have worked outside the home. But there’s no amount of money that could have replaced the consistency in life, solid foundation, and confidence I received as a result of my mom choosing to be a stay at home mom at least until I was established in school.

Single mothers and wives of deadbeat husbands have even bigger challenges that I can’t even begin to adequately address here. There is one thing we can all agree on, and that’s the fact that the choices we make when we are young can follow us the rest of our lives. That’s why it is so important for mothers (and fathers) to teach their children about Christian priorities even when it appears they’re not listening. It’s just as important, if not more so, to follow through by practicing what we preach as Christian parents.

The virtuous woman is described in Proverbs 31:10-31 as being worth far more than rubies. “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” The passage goes on to teach that many women do noble things, but a “woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Once again, a lesson that teaches that when we put God first in our lives, everything else will fall into place. Successes and failures will continue to be a part of life on earth, but God rewards His faithful both in this life and the life to come.