Candice Watters's Page

Posted by Candice Watters on August 11th, 2008 at 3:51pm
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Posted by Candice Watters on July 29th, 2008 at 10:19am
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... specifically for us women, Peter proclaimed that unfading feminine beauty is found in the quiet and gentle spirit (1 Peter 3:4). The Christian perspective is not just a command to absorb loss and difficulties, but to meet it with love, faith and joy. Thus, a quiet, gentle spirit is not a personality issue. Boisterous women can have quiet, trusting hearts. Reserved women can have hearts seething with anger and sinful judgment. I've seen both. Appearances deceive. Only God knows the true heart.

A few years ago at Christmas, I received a card with the picture of a rural African woman on the cover. Her head is slightly bowed and her hands are together, palms up, as though she's about to receive a gift. The text reads: "I trust in you, O LORD. My times are in your hands." These are verses from Psalm 31. I've posted that card on my wall so that I can meditate on that beautifully illustrated truth. ...

In the traffic jam, in the news of a feared diagnosis, in loss and devastation — our times are in His faithful, nail-scarred hands. Our lasting defense was secured at the cross. In light of that, we need to give Him time to work on our behalf. What is swallowed now may seem bitter, but it will definitely be sweet in time.

... here's a continual churn in the hearts of those who have not learned that God is at work even in the circumstances and situations that are so disheartening to us. Enduring hardship means we find protection and assurance in God's plan for our lives. Whether in the weeks and years ahead of us in this life or in the bliss of a sin-free eternity, we can trust that God is working all things for our good.

Posted by Candice Watters on June 13th, 2008 at 7:29am
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... we recently wrapped up our latest book in my small group with Mal, Bri and Cathy. We read Get Married by Candice Watters which isn’t nearly as bad as the title makes it out to be. In fact, I fell in love with the book because she talks about that marriage is a gift God WANTS to give us (among other things: it models for us the relationship between Christ and the church and also teaches us crucial virtues like selflessness and putting others before ourselves). And so because [it's something] God wants to give us, we should be bold to ask Him for it:

Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. . . . If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 7:7–8, Matthew 21:22).

And: “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” (James 4:2)

She talks about not being ashamed of this (although of course with the caveat that to truly reap this gift you should aspire to marry not just anyone but the RIGHT person, which she then details, based on Biblical standards). It was a refreshing and encouraging look at something that people never really talk about. Which is why we are talking about it now. Along with a few other friends, we’ve started a prayer group called “Women Praying Boldly” which is something she suggests in the book, where you just make it a point to be praying for each other as we navigate these waters in our life. (Of course, life is more than just getting married, but that’s one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make so why WOULDN’T it be something that you’d invest a lot of time in and prayer and preparation for? Seriously. It’s a good thing.)

Posted by Candice Watters on June 12th, 2008 at 7:14am
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I'm a HUGE fan of Boundless. Seriously, I love it. My life is so crazy that I usually fall asleep to the Boundless podcast. Not that it puts me to sleep, it's just the only time I have to listen!

I recently read Candice Watters's article, "When to Settle." It was absolutely what I needed to read right now in my life. Candice clearly listed four non-negotiables for choosing a husband. As a woman who wants to be a wife, I want to know what the four non-negotiables for picking a wife might be. What should I be striving to become?

Posted by Candice Watters on June 6th, 2008 at 12:56pm
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We weren't surprised that our review of "Sex and the City" prompted a number of replies, especially when we gave the film 3 stars. But we'd like to again reiterate that our star ratings do NOT imply an "endorsement" or "recommendation." The star ratings have nothing to do with the film's "moral value," because such an assessment can vary widely from person to person.

In her own words, this movie and the "randy" television show it is based on, are soft-core porn with a liberal dose of materialism applied. I think we are all in agreement about that description. So the next question is why this kind of material rates three stars and a shrug in a review published by a magazine that claims to provide "news analysis and commentary from a biblical perspective," Christianity Today.

... My answer is that the pot with the proverbial frog has boiled over. The changes that have come about with the introduction of "sex positive" or "porn positive" third-wave feminism, beginning in the early 1990s, have now so thoroughly permeated our culture that even evangelicals fail to see the trend or the danger. "Sex and the City" is a showcase for these values wrapped up designer clothes and tottering on expensive shoes.

While we may have a few things in common — we're single and we like shoes — these women are hardly role models to help me to navigate my singleness. In fact, they are living their TV lives in a way that opposes God. If anything, they are a cautionary tale.

... This kind of world-friendliness carries consequences — the biggest one being is sets us in opposition to God. Dealing with an over-sexed Corinthian culture, Paul wrote: "Flee from sexual immorality." And he wasn't only instructing us to flee the actual act. After all, Jesus said: "Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."