Most of us
want to
be-
lieve
that
we live
our lives
in a fairly
self-aware, consciously
chosen fashion. Unfortu-
nately, in the busyness and
noise of our culture, that is
often not the case. Self-
awareness is a particular
challenge for many
women. With our nurtur-
ing nature, we can proba-
bly tell you what every
person in the room (or at
least in our family) needs
and perhaps even what
they want, where they
excel, and what they
might be struggling with,
but we usually cannot an-
swer those questions for
ourselves.
If you relate to that as-
sertion, you may not be
surprised when I say that
many women live fairly
miserable lives and never
even notice! They are liv-
ing the only life they have
imagined. Though some
in the church may call a
lack of self-awareness a
moral success, I don't
think such oblivion is
God's idea of wisdom,
and have rarely seen it
produce anything akin to
the fruit of God's Spirit
(see Galatians 5:22-23).
It seems that such a
gap between perception
and reality may have been
the case with Lot's wife.
She seemed to be at-
tached to a life and a city
that she may not have
thought much about, or at
least not evaluated with
much wisdom. God's as-
sessment was such that
He sent angels to destroy
it (Genesis 19:13). No won-
der the angel said, "Flee
for your lives!"
Yet, she seemed quite
attached to her life there...
understandably attached.
Home. The idea of home
is a powerfully magnetic
force in women. For many,
it is our center. We love
the familiarity, even if it
becomes a harmful place
for our souls. We so want
to define whatever we
experience at home--the
good, the bad, the ugly--
as normal.
Accepting the truth
that our home may actu-
ally be a place from which
we should "run for our
lives" can be a first step
toward new growth. We
know that the alternative
unknown life might be
even more frightening.
On the other hand, it may
also be our salvation.
5
The War Cry of The Salvation Army
Essence
The First Dysfunctional
Family--Bible families are just
like ours�loving, caring, and
as out of control and dys-
functional. Like them, we
continue to complicate our
lives by making unfair com-
parisons, showing conditional
love, blaming and shaming
and exhibiting perfectionism, compulsive and ad-
dictive behavior and denial. Sin--repeated, studied
and mastered--continues to make the world a
dangerous and unholy place. In this book, author
Kenneth Wilson explores where our ancestors
went wrong, and where we continue to go wrong
today. In tracing the generations from the time of
Creation, we may learn how to avoid their mis-
takes in our own family relationships.
TO ORDER call your nearest Salvation Army Supplies and Purchas-
ing department: Des Plaines, IL 800�937�8896; West Nyack, NY
888�488�4882; Atlanta, GA 800�786�7372; Long Beach, CA
800�937�8896 or visit.
www.shop.salvationarmy.org.
Upside: Surprising Good
News About the State of the
World--It's easy to get dis-
couraged or feel paralyzed by
what you hear about the ter-
rible state of the world. But
what if the media and other
prophets of doom have mis-
led us? Could the world actu-
ally be getting better? In
Upside: Surprising Good News About the State of
Our World, sociologist Brad Wright uses the best
available data to uncover the truth about the
world's most important issues, including poverty,
sickness, education, morality, and the environment.
While admitting there is still work to be done, he
shines a light on why so many things are improv-
ing and why no one is talking about it.
TO ORDER call BethanyHouse at 800�877�2665 or visit:
www.bethanyhouse.com. Suggested retail price $14.99 ea.
RESOURCES
The number
of languages
spoken in
Salvation
Army work,
including
some tribal
languages.
175
BOOK NOTES
Janet Davis
in My Own Worst Enemy
Bethany House
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