Lois' Lodge Walkathon

The Lois' Lodge Walkathon is March 28th. And boy do we need you to get involved! Just recd. notice that state funding has run out for the fiscal year. Although this is a relatively small portion of our budget it can still have an impact on our ability to offer services. Please get involved by participating as a walker. Go to www.loislodge.org to sign up. Or.... if you can't be walker please consider sponsoring me as a walker. You can sponsor me directly by going to: debbie durrell's Fundraising Page http://www.firstgiving.com/debbiedurrell
If you click on the title of this post it will take you right to my fundraising page.

Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers. Email me if you have questions. Debbie
debloislodge@aol.com

Traits Associated with Abstinence and Academic Achievement

The National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health identified eight personality and behavioral traits that were associated with both abstinence and academic achievement:


• Future orientation, with a focus on long-term goals.
• Willingness to postpone current pleasures for larger future rewards.
• Perseverance, as in the ability to stick to a task or commitment.
• A belief that current behavior can positively affect the future.
• Impulse control, including ability to control emotions and desires.
• Resistance to peer influence.
• Respect for parental and social values.
• Sense of self-worth and personal dignity.

Abstinence also is associated with better physical and mental health across socioeconomic groups, according to a summary of the study in U.S. News & World Report. Kids who make abstinence decisions do better in school, too. Abstinent teens are far more likely to attend and graduate from college than those who are sexually active.

Note from Shirley, Housemom at Lois' Lodge

This is an update from one of our housemoms. She says that this is an example of the reason she works at Lois' Lodge. Names are changed to protect confidentiality.

Hi ladies,

Joanne called yesterday. She had concerns about the salvation of a family member. She felt that this family member got baptized without knowing fully what it meant. In the course of the conversation Joanne stated her fears regarding the same issue. When she came out of jail she was encouraged to get baptized without a full understanding of it and without a change. Joanne started having concerns after going through Discipleship classes during her stay at Lois' Lodge. She said she realized that her salvation may not be secure. She has decided to give her life to Jesus. She will be baptized this Saturday. Please be in prayer during that time for Joanne's mom who will be bringing her to the church. Pray that she will be impacted by this. Pray for her salvation.

Love, Shirley

Proverbs 21:30
There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.

Lois' Lodge Prayer Concerns and Needs

2009 is off to a busy start. We currently have 5 women in our Maternity Home program, the oldest of which is 19. We also have many women who are being served through our Mom Shoppe program. Please be in prayer for our clients. These gals are so young and their lives have changed forever because of an unplanned pregnancy. We are so grateful to be able to provide these hurting women with not only shelter and support services, but also the opportunity to experience the love of Christ. Current volunteer needs: Male volunteers to provide leadership for classes for Fathers. This includes couples mentoring, marriage & fatherhood classes, job skills classes and more. Early Childhood Parenting Instructor & Lamaze Instructor needed. Bible Study leader for Mom Shoppe. Ministry Needs: Crib (good condition with all parts and hardware), Preemie baby clothing (new or like new), Pastel colored copy paper, regular copy paper, stamps. And of course prayer. Contact Dawn at 704-376-8550 if you are able to help us to address these needs.

They Will Know That we are Christians by our Love

I am going out on a limb today and sharing something that I believe the Lord has personally laid on my heart instead of news from another source. As you can tell by previous blogs posted here, Lois' Lodge is a "prolife" ministry. We believe in the sanctity of life and are opposed to the option of abortion. Today I am in Ohio, visiting with my sister. As a result I had the opportunity to visit a great church, Cuyahoga Valley Church. The pastor is preaching a series called One Month of Love.

Pastor Duncan pointed out that Christians are often known by what we are against- abortion, homosexuality, sex outside of marriage..... On the other hand, he challenged us to consider whether we are identified with those positive attributes that should be core to what we are called to be as Christians.

In John 13:34 & 35 Jesus says: this is "a new command! I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another".(NIV) Jesus tells us that our Christlike love will show that we are his disciples. What do people see when they see us? Do they only see a group of people that are very vocal about what they oppose? Or do they see people representing the positive characteristic which have come from as result of inviting Christ into our lives to be our personal Lord and Savior?

It is good to speak out in support of God's truths. But..... this must be tempered with the love that we are commanded to extend towards others. Recently I read the book: unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters (Hardcover)by David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons. Kinnaman is the president of the Barna Institute. He was inspired to write this book when Lyons (of the Fermi Project) commissioned him to do extensive research on what young Americans think about Christianity. Results of this study were very concerning. Surveyed Mosaics and Busters (the generations that include late teens to early 30-somethings) believe Christians are "judgmental, antihomosexual, hypocritical, too political and sheltered". Kinnaman suggests ways in which churches' activities in the past may actually have been "unchristian". He advocates for a return to a more biblical Christianity, "a faith that not only focuses on holiness but also loves, accepts and works to understand the world around it" (Publishers Weekly).

I want nonchristians to be drawn to the faith because they have been able to experience the love of Christ through me. This is also my desire for the ministry of Lois' Lodge. My life application Bible reminds me that love is more that a feeling. It is an attitude that reveals itself in action. How can we show others that we love as Jesus as loved us? By helping when we can think of a million other things to do (this is what our Lois' Lodge volunteers do), by giving when it is challenging to do so (like our faithful Lois' Lodge donors), and by devoting energy to the welfare of others instead of just our own (I see this everyday through the Lois' Lodge board, staff, volunteers and donors). This kind of loving is a challenge. This is why people will notice when we do this. It requires that we be empowered by a supernatural source.

It is my prayer that as Christians, people will see the positive way that our life has been influenced through our relationship with Christ. Yes, lets stand up for God's truths, but lets also be sure to let the love of Christ shine through us so that others will be drawn to Him.

debbie