by Mike Whitney, The Unz Review: In a clear rejection of US policies and leadership in the Middle East, the UN general assembly voted overwhelmingly to back the Palestinian bid for full UN membership. The western media have mostly ignored Friday’s balloting since the widely-anticipated results represent another black eye for Washington. But the outcome […]

  Julius Caesar, one of the most famous historical figures, was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March (15th March) of 44 BC. The senators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, feared Caesar’s absolute power and the return of the monarchy. Believing they were saving the Roman Republic, the conspirators attacked Caesar with their daggers, with Brutus dealing the first blow. Instead, Caesar’s murder plunged Rome into two bloody civil wars, toppling down the Republic and ushering in the Roman Empire.   Julius Caesar was Assassinated in the Senatorial Conspiracy Death of Caesar, by Vicenzo Camuccini, 1806. Source: Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Milano   In early 44 BC, Julius Caesar was the most powerful man in Rome. Fresh of his victory at Munda, where he eliminated the last military opposition, Caesar declared himself a dictator for life. Such a move, however, caused alarm in the Senate of Rome. For centuries, Rome prided itself on being a Republic, and now Caesar threatened to topple down traditional values by bringing back the hated monarchy. The Senate feared losing power and influence, with one man taking complete control over the Roman world. The conspirators believed that by eliminating Caesar, they could save the Roman Republic from tyranny.   Thus, on March 15th, 44 BC – the infamous “Ides of March”, the senators assassinated Julius Caesar, stabbing him repeatedly – 32 times – with their daggers. The brutal and symbolic act removed the tyrant, saving the Republic. Or so the assailants believed.   Brutus Made a First Blow Julius Caesar’, Act III, Scene 1, the Assassination, William Holmes Sullivan, 1888, Royal Shakespeare Company Collection. Source: ArtUK   One of the conspiracy leaders was Marcus Junius Brutus, who, despite being an ally of Pompey during the Civil War, was pardoned by Caesar and became his staunch ally and protégé. Brutus, himself a descendant of an illustrious founder of the Roman Republic (also named Brutus), feared Caesar’s growing power. Thus, when Caesar’s enemies approached the young man, Brutus joined the senatorial conspiracy. According to the sources, Brutus was the first to attack Caesar during the Senate meeting.    This act of betrayal was later immortalized in a famous phrase, “Et tu, Brute?” by William Shakespeare in his play “Julius Caesar.” However, Caesar probably expressed his disbelief in Greek: “And you, my son?”   Longinus Was Also Caesar’s Former Ally The Curia of the Theatre of Pompey, 62 BC, a common Senate meeting place in the late Republic and the site of Julius Caesar’s assassination   The second leader of the conspiracy was also Caesar’s former ally. Gaius Cassius Longinus was a senator with a storied military career who joined Crassus’ ill-fated expedition against Parthia. Longinus not only managed to bring the remnants of the legions to the Roman territory. He also repelled the Parthia’s attacks on Syria, saving the eastern province. When civil war erupted in 49 BC, Cassius Longinus sided with Pompey the Great, attacking and defeating Caesar’s navy. However, like in Brutus’ case, Julius Caesar pardoned Longinus after the Battle of Pharsalus, making his enemy a close ally.    Longinus, too, feared Caesar’s accumulation of power, and as a defender of traditional values, he was willing to sacrifice friendship to save the Republic. He became “the moving spirit” in the plot against Caesar and the principal advocate of tyrannicide. On the Ides of March, Cassius was one of the leading assassins, striking Caesar in the chest.   The Assassins Met a Violent End Brutus “Eid Mar” Denarius, ca. 42 BC. Source: The British Museum, London   With Caesar’s body lying cold on the Senate floor, the assassins – who styled themselves “Liberators” – celebrated, believing that they saved the Republic. The famed “EID MAR” denarius proudly proclaims a tyrant’s assassination and praises the saviors of the Republic. The reality, however, was different. The “EID MAR” coin was minted to pay the troops, the Liberators badly needed. Caesar’s assassination deeply divided the Roman people. In addition, Mark Antony, whom the conspirators spared, allied with Lepidus and Octavian. Brutus and Longinus left for the eastern provinces, where they amassed the army.   Caesar’s assassination, intended to save the Republic, sparked another civil war, which ended with defeat at the Battle of Phillipi. Brutus’ and Longinus’ suicide brought an end to the Liberator’s cause. And the fall of the Roman Republic.   Julius Caesar’s Assassination Led to the Roman Empire Detail from the larger-than-life statue of Augustus of Prima Porta, early 1st century CE. Source: Musei Vaticani, Rome   The defeat of the Liberators avenged Caesar’s murder, but it did not save the Republic. Soon, another conflict broke out between former Caesar’s general and friend, Mark Antony and Caesar’s nephew and adopted son, Octavian. The bloody Civil War ended after Octavian’s navy, led by his friend Agrippa, defeated the combined Roman-Egyptian fleet at Actium in 31 BC. The subsequent suicide of Antony and Cleopatra removed all opposition, leaving Octavian the sole master of the Roman world.   A few years later, in 27 BC, Octavian became Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. The Roman Republic ceased to exist, replaced by the very thing the Liberators tried to prevent – a monarchy. Caesar’s assassination backfired, only delaying the inevitable – the birth of the Roman Empire and the first imperial dynasty.

  The Maccabees were Jewish rebels who rose in the 2nd century BCE to overthrow the anti-Jewish Seleucid leader Antiochus IV. The Maccabees are seen as Jewish heroes who helped gain independence for Judea and who defeated the enemies of the Jewish people. Their reconquest of the Temple in Jerusalem is still celebrated today during the festival of Hannukah.   A Hero Emerges as the Jewish People Suffer  Eleazar Maccabee sacrifices himself to topple the king, engraving by Jan de Broen from design by Bernard Picart, 1673-1733, Source: Merrimackvalleyhavurah   In the 2nd Century BCE, Jews in what is now Israel were ruled by the Syrian-Greek run Seleucid Empire. It had taken over from the previous much more tolerant Ptolemaic Empire and was determined to wipe out any trace of Jewish beliefs and traditions.   Practicing the Jewish religion, including kosher laws and circumcision became illegal, and Jews were effectively second-class citizens to the ruling elites, who often murdered and executed them for the smallest infraction. Jews were given the death penalty for refusing to eat pork, for example. Attacks against Jews were often carried out on the Sabbath so they would not be prepared to defend themselves.   Hellenism was forcefully imposed on Jews and the Seleucid king Antiochus IV pushed worship of gods like Zeus once he took power in 175 BCE. Though Syrian, Antiochus venerated the Greek gods and their culture. Laws against Jews continued to tighten, with the death penalty for any practice of the religion. Judaism was being erased from its ancient lands and brought under the heel of the conquering empire and its pagan beliefs.   This forcing of non-Jewish beliefs on Jews was initially done with the collaboration of a section of the Jewish aristocracy. This cadre of officials felt it would be more advantageous and safe to side with the Seleucids and to Hellenize Jews so that they stopped having a unique religious or ethnic identity.   The Seleucid Empire at its height in 281 BCE, by Cattette, Source: Wikimedia Commons   The Maccabean Revolt of 167-160 BCE was a Jewish uprising in Judea against the repression of the Seleucid Empire. The revolt was led by a priest called Mattathias, and his military followers became known as the Maccabees. The revolt was successful, Jerusalem was captured and the Temple of Jerusalem reconsecrated, an act still commemorated today in the Jewish Hanukkah festival.   It was at the height of the persecution that a man named Judas began leading a guerilla revolt against the Seleucids. Judas, the son of Mattathias, was a key figure in the Jewish fight against the Greeks from 168 to 164 BCE, and he and his four brothers Simon, John, Eleazar, and Jonathan all received the honorary title “Maccabee.”   The Fight for Jewish Independence Begins  Initial “A” with the Battle of the Maccabees, ca. 1360–70, Source: MET Museum   Sporadic fighting and guerilla resistance to Greek rule began with Antiochus’ 168 BCE expulsion of many Jews from Jerusalem and the ramping up of persecution and executions. However, the entrance of the Maccabees took it to the next level and led to a significant period of independence.   Judas’ father Mattathias was a Jewish priest who left Jerusalem to get away from the worst of the Seleucid persecution. However, a royal official demanded that he sacrifice to the Greek gods in his new location in Modin. Mattathias declined to do so. Instead, Mattathias killed a Jew coming to make a pagan sacrifice at the altar as well as the official who’d made the request and then smashed the altar itself.   Mattathias, Judas, and his brothers then ran away to the mountains along with a large contingent of fellow rebels. Thus began their campaign to rid Judea of Greek religion and customs, which they did by wrecking altars across the land, kicking non-observant Jews off their land, recruiting new members, and organizing circumcision and Jewish worship wherever possible.   When Mattathias died in 166 BCE, Judas took over as the leader of the group and his four brothers helped as well. He led the assault of traditional Jews in rural Judea against the more Hellenized and liberal Jews in Jerusalem who wanted to assimilate. It morphed into a war of independence, with the Maccabees using bold and stunning guerilla tactics to surround Seleucid fighters and strike them down.   The Maccabees Win Relics of the Maccabees displayed at St. Andrews Church in Cologne, Germany, photo by Hans Peter Schaefer, Source: Wikimedia Commons   The Maccabees experienced a major victory against the Seleucids, after heading to Jerusalem, kicking out any signs of pagan worship and putting Jonathan Maccabee in place as the new high priest in 165 BCE. However, Antiochus wasn’t done yet, and he sent his replenished new army to destroy the upstarts. The new forces that came to Jerusalem under the Seleucid military commander Lysias were also unsuccessful. Furthermore, the death of Antiochus in 164 BCE led to a deal with Lysias, who agreed to allow Jews to worship and live by their customs once again.   Fighting continued, however, as the tensions were still in place between the remaining Seleucids and traditionalist Jews. Judas was killed in action in 160 BCE and leadership of the army passed to Jonathan, who was now high priest and supreme commander of the Jewish forces. Jonathan was eventually killed by a jealous rival, but was succeeded by his surviving brother Simon Maccabee. Simon went on to found the Hasmonean kingdom after assuming leadership of the country’s military and religious authorities in 140 BCE.   By 130 BCE, the Maccabees had gained independence for the Jewish people, which lasted until 63 BCE when the Roman Senate designated Herod the Great to be the leader of Judea, taking over rulership of the troubled land as a client state of the Roman Empire.   The Battle of Beth Zechariah  Death of Eleazer, by Gustave Doré, 1866, Source: Wikimedia Commons   One particularly colorful and intense chapter of the Maccabean revolt comes from the martyrdom of Judas’ brother Eleazar, who died in the spring of 162 BCE at Beth Zechariah.   The story of what happened is told by reputed historian Josephus as well as by 1 Maccabees, a piece of scripture which is believed by many historians to have been written by an eyewitness to the combat. This battle was a defeat for the Maccabees, but it is notable for the sacrifice of Eleazar, who died going up against a massive Seleucid war elephant.   Judas besieged the Seleucid-held area of Jerusalem called Acra in April of 162 BCE. This was the last major outpost of Seleucid power in Judea, and the Maccabees wanted it gone.  They easily took it over, but the Seleucids responded via Lysias and a massive army. It was also hard to keep the army supplied with enough to eat, something that Lysias and his forces also struggled with.   Josephus estimates the Seleucid forces at around 55,000 soldiers, including 5,000 cavalry and 80 elephants. The Maccabean forces are estimated to have been around 10,000 to 20,000 strong — vastly outnumbered but in a stronger position due to holding the high ground.   During intense fighting at Beth Zechariah near Jerusalem, Jewish fighters became afraid of the massive war elephants. Demonstrating that the large beasts were nothing to fear, Eleazar attacked an elephant with his sword and stabbed it in the stomach. The elephant reared up and killed him, although it died as well.   Although the Seleucids eventually won this battle and forced the Maccabees to retreat back up into the mountains, Lysias eventually struck a peace deal as noted earlier, leading to the continued power of the Maccabees until Herod eventually took power.   What Does “Maccabee” Really Mean? The Triumph of Judas Maccabeus, by Peter Paul Rubens, 1635, Source: Fine Art America   There is continuing debate about the exact meaning of the word “maccabee.” The Hebrew word “machabi” means “hammer” or “the extinguisher.” This is the most common explanation, that Judas and his brothers’ combat heroism led to the honorary title.   Other theories posit that Maccabee is an acronym for a piece of Torah scripture shouted out by Judas and his brothers in combat, namely “mi chamocha baelim yahweh” or “who is equal to you among the heavenly powers, my God!”   The Maccabees continue to be an inspiration for Jewish people, including during the festival of Hannukah. Maccabi Tel Aviv is also one of the most popular and successful football teams in Israel and was founded in 1906, well before Israel was created. The team’s logo uses a Star of David design, referencing both the Jewish religion and the Jewish national story which heralds back to the Maccabean revolt and beyond.

A Prayer for Freedom from Mom Guilt This Mother’s DayBy Kristine Brown "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care." (Matthew 10:29 NIV) On Mother's Day, my young adult son gave me the sweetest card. He wrote a message expressing how much he appreciated everything I'd done for him growing up. I couldn't help but get emotional. Seeing his gratitude etched on the page in his own handwriting was a priceless gift for this momma. But right in the midst of that special moment, my mind began wandering back to mistakes I'd made, regrets, and times I felt incapable as a mom. Raising a child is by far the most difficult thing I've ever done. Everything I did impacted this little person God put under my care. Yet often I felt like I was doing this mothering-thing all wrong. So many times throughout the years I fumbled through, questioning my decisions and second-guessing my choices. Then, the second-guessing would lead to mom guilt. I convinced myself that my mistakes would eventually have a negative effect on my child. "Mom guilt" can be a destructive thing if we let it. We want to do our best to bring up our kids in a healthy, loving, and God-honoring environment. But when we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves, self-condemnation can surface, which is not God's will for us. His Word says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) God wants us to bring our cares and concerns as moms to him. He also wants us to walk confidently with the Holy Spirit in the work he appointed us to do. Matthew 10:29 reveals Jesus' own words to the disciples. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care." In the context of this verse, Jesus was giving his twelve disciples the authority to do the work he called them to do. Yet he didn't sugarcoat the intensity of what they would face. He laid it all out before them, then reminded them of their worth in the eyes of God. "So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:31)  Like the disciples, moms are called to important work. Yes, it will be hard. Many days, we will be afraid to make the wrong decision and agonize over every little thing. But we will press on, anyway. Even when we feel like we're failing, we can choose courage instead of fear. Jesus' reminder about our Father's care provides a much-needed pep talk for times when mom guilt makes us question our abilities to raise our children well. This Mother's Day, let me encourage you to find freedom from mom guilt. Jesus awaits with love, understanding, and grace. Let's take our mistakes to Jesus and trust in the Holy Spirit to continue leading the way. Let's pray: Dear God,Thank you for motherhood. The journey is a hard one, but you are always faithful. This Mother's Day, help me reflect on your goodness and grace in my life. Help me let go of mom guilt and find the freedom to enjoy this beautiful work you have called me to do. Lord, most days, I feel like I'm making one mistake after another. I try to pray and do the right things for my child, but I worry about messing up. As moms, we want the best for them. I also know you love my child even more than I do. You are the ultimate Protector and Guide. May your Holy Spirit direct my thoughts, actions, and decisions as a mom. Forgive me for past mistakes and help me live free from guilt and fear of making the wrong choices where my child is concerned. Your Word tells me that we are never outside of your care. Thank you for being the greatest example of a loving parent.In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen. Image credit: Image generated using AI technology with Dall.E2024/ChatGPT For more spiritual growth resources, check out the 5-day email study Walking with Rahab by today's devotion writer, Kristine Brown. You'll find weekly encouragement to help you "become more than yourself through God's Word" at her website, kristinebrown.net. Kristine is the author of the book Cinched: Living with Unwavering Trust in an Unfailing God and its companion workbook. Teach Us to Pray is a FREE prayer podcast hosted by iBelieve writer Christina Patterson. Each week, she gives you practical, real-life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. To listen to her episode on What to Pray in the Morning for a Worry-Free Day, click below! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer for Freedom from Mom Guilt This Mother’s Day – Your Daily Prayer – May 12 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer for Freedom from Mom Guilt This Mother’s DayBy Kristine Brown "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care." (Matthew 10:29 NIV) On Mother's Day, my young adult son gave me the sweetest card. He wrote a message expressing how much he appreciated everything I'd done for him growing up. I couldn't help but get emotional. Seeing his gratitude etched on the page in his own handwriting was a priceless gift for this momma. But right in the midst of that special moment, my mind began wandering back to mistakes I'd made, regrets, and times I felt incapable as a mom. Raising a child is by far the most difficult thing I've ever done. Everything I did impacted this little person God put under my care. Yet often I felt like I was doing this mothering-thing all wrong. So many times throughout the years I fumbled through, questioning my decisions and second-guessing my choices. Then, the second-guessing would lead to mom guilt. I convinced myself that my mistakes would eventually have a negative effect on my child. "Mom guilt" can be a destructive thing if we let it. We want to do our best to bring up our kids in a healthy, loving, and God-honoring environment. But when we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves, self-condemnation can surface, which is not God's will for us. His Word says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) God wants us to bring our cares and concerns as moms to him. He also wants us to walk confidently with the Holy Spirit in the work he appointed us to do. Matthew 10:29 reveals Jesus' own words to the disciples. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care." In the context of this verse, Jesus was giving his twelve disciples the authority to do the work he called them to do. Yet he didn't sugarcoat the intensity of what they would face. He laid it all out before them, then reminded them of their worth in the eyes of God. "So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:31)  Like the disciples, moms are called to important work. Yes, it will be hard. Many days, we will be afraid to make the wrong decision and agonize over every little thing. But we will press on, anyway. Even when we feel like we're failing, we can choose courage instead of fear. Jesus' reminder about our Father's care provides a much-needed pep talk for times when mom guilt makes us question our abilities to raise our children well. This Mother's Day, let me encourage you to find freedom from mom guilt. Jesus awaits with love, understanding, and grace. Let's take our mistakes to Jesus and trust in the Holy Spirit to continue leading the way. Let's pray: Dear God,Thank you for motherhood. The journey is a hard one, but you are always faithful. This Mother's Day, help me reflect on your goodness and grace in my life. Help me let go of mom guilt and find the freedom to enjoy this beautiful work you have called me to do. Lord, most days, I feel like I'm making one mistake after another. I try to pray and do the right things for my child, but I worry about messing up. As moms, we want the best for them. I also know you love my child even more than I do. You are the ultimate Protector and Guide. May your Holy Spirit direct my thoughts, actions, and decisions as a mom. Forgive me for past mistakes and help me live free from guilt and fear of making the wrong choices where my child is concerned. Your Word tells me that we are never outside of your care. Thank you for being the greatest example of a loving parent.In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen. Image credit: Image generated using AI technology with Dall.E2024/ChatGPT For more spiritual growth resources, check out the 5-day email study Walking with Rahab by today's devotion writer, Kristine Brown. You'll find weekly encouragement to help you "become more than yourself through God's Word" at her website, kristinebrown.net. Kristine is the author of the book Cinched: Living with Unwavering Trust in an Unfailing God and its companion workbook. Teach Us to Pray is a FREE prayer podcast hosted by iBelieve writer Christina Patterson. Each week, she gives you practical, real-life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. To listen to her episode on What to Pray in the Morning for a Worry-Free Day, click below! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer for Freedom from Mom Guilt This Mother’s Day – Your Daily Prayer – May 12 appeared first on GodUpdates.

This Mother’s Day, let me encourage you to find freedom from mom guilt. Jesus awaits with love, understanding, and grace.

My mother was a university professor, ran the family business after my father’s untimely death, and was at various times a local radio and television personality. She taught piano and voice, coached and chaperoned pageant contestants, and played in orchestras. Mom presided over, served on the boards of, volunteered for, and performed in local, state, and national arts and musical organizations. She edited academic journals, and historical and theological books, hosted world-renowned classical musicians in our home, as well as noted Reformed and evangelical theologians. She aided in public worship services as a church musician her whole life, directing choirs, singing solos, and playing the piano for area churches well into her eighties. She led vacation Bible schools, taught Sunday school, and women’s Bible studies, and gave leadership to the women’s ministry in our presbytery and denomination. She spoke and sang at various conferences and conventions, and at the 43rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America, she was recognized as a founding mother of the PCA. I’ve never written all those things down about my mom in one place before. I’m not even sure I’ve ever fully taken in all the things she did in her life. I’m certain I didn’t fully realize or appreciate all she was doing while I was growing up. I’ve never written all those things down about my mom in one place before. I’m not even sure I’ve ever fully taken in all the things she did in her life. To me, she was just my mom. If in my pre-teen or teen years, you asked me to tell you about her, I’d have highlighted that she was a great mother, a wonderful wife, a faithful Christian, and a dedicated church musician. I knew some of her accomplishments and accolades. I was very proud of her, and proud to be hers. But what I was most aware of was the life and the home she made for us, and who she was in herself (smart, godly, studious, articulate, confident, hardworking, talented, persevering, and more). During all my years growing up, and until my youngest brother started school, she was mostly what we call a stay-at-home mom today. She never made me feel like I was being squeezed in around the schedule of more important things. She trusted in Christ, served his church, loved her husband, and her three boys, and gladly and generously gave herself to us. She was fully engaged in our lives, facilitating all our endeavors whether academic, athletic, musical, or vocational. Mom was a constant encourager, but when her sons needed correction, she was fearsome as John the Baptist, and the correction came with Scripture references. Mom was a constant encourager, but when her sons needed correction, she was fearsome as John the Baptist, and the correction came with Scripture references. Mom died on September 25, 2022, at the age of 89, thirty years to the month after my father passed away. This is my second Mother’s Day without her. I’ve lost count of the times I wanted to pick up the phone and tell her something or ask her a question. I do want to “rise up and call her blessed” (Prov. 31:28), but I also want to be an encouragement to every Christian mother, and indeed to all my sisters in Christ. I’ve been profoundly blessed by the godly women the Lord has put in my life, and my mother deeply influenced me in the simple but important ways every good Christian mother influences her children. Mom encouraged me by her life and example as a believer, a wife, a mother, and a church member and worshiper. Her faith and practice left an indelible impression on me. Believer Shirley Anne Ledford Duncan (1932–2022) was born on a chilly Saturday in December 1932 in the little town of Athens, Tennessee. She was born to godly Southern Baptist parents who reared her in the nurture and admonition of the Lord at the First Baptist Church. Mom was enrolled in elementary school at age 3; all her friends were 6, and she was inconsolable when they got to start school without her. The school principal devised a plan to humor her. Let her come to school a few days, and then she wouldn’t be able to keep up, or would get bored and want to go home. The plan backfired. She loved school, excelled, and consequently finished college while still a teenager. Mom then studied church music at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky (cataloging the music school’s library for accreditation, while a student) before pursuing postgraduate work at Northwestern in Chicago. After her formal studies ended, she directed church music in congregations in North Carolina and Georgia, before joining the music faculty of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. All along the way, Mom’s desire to serve the church was undergirded by a life of devotion to Christ. Mom walked with the Lord her whole life, and she taught and showed us how to as well. As a teenager, she led missions into coal-mining country, putting on vacation Bible schools for the children. I loved hearing stories about that when I was growing up. Mom believed the gospel and wanted to share it. She was also a serious student of Scripture and sound theological literature. I can remember as a young boy, watching her read Lloyd-Jones’ expositions of The Sermon on the Mount. She was a great spiritual conversation partner. When I wrestled with the matters of faith and repentance, she patiently listened, and then clearly, simply, and faithfully explained biblical truth. She was theologically steady and solid as a rock. I remember reading Ned Stonehouse’s description of J. Gresham Machen’s mother, and it occurred to me what a gift I’d been given in my own. I once asked John Piper why he believed in the inerrancy of Scripture, he retorted immediately “Because my momma told me to.” That completely resonated with me. Mother had studied the objections to the infallibility of the Bible at the undergraduate and seminary level, and she came through it with a profound trust in Scripture. She had a high view of God’s sovereignty and embraced the doctrines of grace. I loved talking about the Scriptures and the things of God with her. I’m so thankful for a mother who put her trust in Christ as he is offered in the gospel, who read and knew her Bible, who taught it to us, and who lived it out. Do not underestimate the profound effect of simply trusting in Christ and believing the Bible. Little eyes are watching. Little hearts are taking it in. When they are grown, they won’t forget. Even the apostles remembered: “I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well” (2 Tim. 1:5). Wife Mom married Dad on May 21, 1959, and I was born in November of the next year. I grew up in the wake of the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and in the era of the “battle of the sexes,” Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs, the Equal Rights Amendment, and “I am woman, hear me roar.” Even in Greenville, South Carolina, there was a segment of society experimenting with fashionable infidelity; I can remember overhearing my parents speaking in hushed tones about acquaintances who were wife-swapping. Thankfully I did not understand what that was. In those days, a new form of feminism began to influence views of marriage, family, and women’s roles. Even though I didn’t know the term “second-wave feminism,” and I hadn’t read Betty Friedan, I picked up what it was from television, radio, and the news. I saw it working out in friends’ families, too. Precisely because of that cultural context, and because of Mom’s capabilities and credentials, I particularly noticed and loved how she treated my Dad. The way she spoke to and about him. The way she respected and supported him. The way she showed she was proud to be his wife. That was huge to me. I loved to see them together. I loved watching their affection. She made it easy for him to love her. She respected him, and enjoyed his leadership. She didn’t merely acquiesce; she championed him. I remember once in a season when he—a small business owner in a changing industry and challenging times—was discouraged by financial worries, she looked him in the eye and said, “Lig Duncan, I’d live with you in a pup tent.” A man could conquer almost anything with encouragement like that. Of course, it was also true that he adored her, and showed us how a man should treat a woman. But my memories here are focused on the security she gave us by showing us that she loved to be our Dad’s wife, that she loved being married, and that marriage is a good thing. We knew of unhappy marriages around us. Mom would regularly take time to listen to the heartaches of friends in hard places. But her testimony in word and deed was that marriage was a good gift from the Lord, that it required deliberate commitment especially in difficult times, but that it held unique joys. The way she was a wife made our home. Who would have thought that a Christian wife, simply by loving and respecting her husband (Eph. 5:33), could be such an enormous witness, blessing, and encouragement to her children? All these years later, it’s one of the favorite things I remember about my upbringing. Mother Mom also made it clear to us that she didn’t begrudge motherhood. It didn’t clip her wings. We knew Mom was capable of doing many things, and that she did many things, but she always let us know she loved being our mom. My brothers and I often attended musical performances in which she was a featured soloist. My younger brother John accompanied her to Jackson, Mississippi, on one occasion when she sang the alto solos for Handel’s Messiah, and we all went to Furman every year when she sang them. I vividly remember sitting in Rodeheaver Auditorium at Bob Jones University when she sang in their presentation of Verdi’s opera Macbeth. Who would have thought that a Christian wife, simply by loving and respecting her husband, could be such an enormous witness, blessing, and encouragement to her children? Mother sat on boards and committees. She volunteered and led organizations, but she remained a great boy mom. She let us know that she delighted in being our mom. She was attentive, nurturing, formidable, and inspirational to her three sons, and she could throw a perfect spiral. Our home was always the place where all the neighborhood friends assembled, and Sunday dinners are probably my happiest memory from my years at home. Therein lies a tale. Mom was not a great cook. Indeed, upon her election as president of Women in Church, the ladies informed her that her appointment was conditioned on her staying out of the church’s kitchen! Which, let me say, she did not mind. When she was a little girl, Mom would often get out of working in the kitchen with her mom by saying she had to practice her piano. Her mother let her get by with it, and consequently her sister Carla became the best cook in the family, and Mom became a great pianist. Shirley Anne Ledford Duncan (1932–2022) I share all this to say, we all knew that Mom didn’t love the kitchen and didn’t love to cook, but that also meant we knew every meal was a labor of love. She wasn’t cooking because she loved it. She was cooking because she loved us. That mattered, and we felt it. Really Mom had one good menu, and we had it every Sunday. We would sit and talk and laugh until our sides hurt; we’d discuss the deep things of the Lord, and enjoy one another’s company. If I could go back to any place in my past, it would be there. Mother could’ve done just about anything, and she did so much, but she made us feel as though being our mom gave her the deepest joy. Her love to us as our mother, and her joy in us as our mother, made us all feel close. We wouldn’t have traded that closeness for anything. And that desire to enjoy the closeness she created was often a great weapon in our fight against sin. We didn’t want to do anything that would compromise the closeness we enjoyed. Yes, I’m proud of Mom’s abilities and accomplishments. Those are parts of what God made her to be. But it’s her delight to be our mother, and her Christian example as our mother, that fills my heart with gratitude to her and to God. No wonder Isaiah compares God’s care for and comfort of his people to a mother’s care and comfort (Isa. 66:13). Christian mothers show us something of the love and character of God. Church Member and Worshiper Mom and Dad gave us a Christian life built around the rhythms of the church. Dad was an elder. Mom was the church choir director. During all my years at home, the family schedule was rooted in the church’s weekly calendar, its services and its choirs. We knew Wednesday night was prayer meeting and choir rehearsal, and Sunday mornings and evenings were for Lord’s Day worship. We knew we’d be the last ones leaving, and about the first ones to arrive. The church was like another home to us. The most natural thing in the world. She was attentive, nurturing, formidable, and inspirational to her three sons, and she could throw a perfect spiral. Dad couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, but Mother did not give us an option as to whether or not we were going to sing. From our earliest days, we sang at home, school, and church. Another favorite memory of mine is singing hymns and other popular songs around the family piano. We sang in the church’s children’s choirs, and when we were old enough, we joined the adult choir. Mom and Dad made it clear that to be a Christian was to be committed to the local church, to the assembly of the saints. That meant “supporting the work and worship of the church to the best of our ability.” We were in our church 50 weeks a year, and on the two weeks we were away on vacation, we were at another church. Even though she was a church staff member, Mom emphasized that we were not in church because of her job but out of devotion to Christ. Christians gather with fellow believers on the Lord’s Day to worship God in the reading and preaching of the Word, in the singing and praying of the Word, and in the administration of the sacraments (which visibly represent the promises of the Word). Mom was a lifelong church musician, but she didn’t view church music as a performance for the congregation. She saw it as a sacrifice of praise to God and an aid to the congregation’s worship. Mom read Calvin, the Scottish Reformers, the English Puritans, the Westminster Directory, Horton Davies, Robert G. Rayburn, and Hughes Oliphant Old on worship. She wanted us all to understand we were created and redeemed to worship, to give God the glory due his name, to glorify and enjoy him forever. This is our highest end, because he is our highest good. I loved to hear Mom sing. Especially sacred music. This too is a memory I can’t forget. Singing with Mom in church. Singing with her in the choir. Singing with her at home. I never took it for granted, but I’ll never sing with her here again. For that, I must await the reunion. Be encouraged, Christian mothers. Just being a good, faithful, church member—being with your children in church (Heb. 10:25) and emphasizing the importance of public worship (Ps. 95:6–7)—forms spiritual impressions that last a lifetime, habits that shape a generation. I Will Not Omit a Word There was never a time I didn’t think my mother was amazing, but I had to grow up to appreciate just how extraordinary she was. In my childhood I knew her as a loving and supportive wife to my father, a wonderful mother to her sons, a faithful, serious, involved Christian committed to the life and ministry of the church, an accomplished educator and musician, and a ubiquitous volunteer. It’s those things that still stand out. I’ve always loved Augustine’s words about his mother, Monica. My tears flowed freely when I first read them, even as they do now: There are many things which I do not set down in this book, since I am pressed for time. My God, I pray you to accept my confessions and also the gratitude I bear you for all the many things which I pass over in silence. But I will omit not a word that my mind can bring to birth concerning your servant, my mother. In the flesh she brought me to birth in this world: in her heart she brought me to birth in your eternal light. It is not of her gifts that I shall speak, but of the gifts you gave to her. For she was neither her own maker nor her own teacher. It was you who made her, and neither her father nor her mother knew what kind of woman their daughter would grow up to be. It was by Christ’s teaching, by the guidance of your only Son, that she was brought up to honour and obey you in one of those good Christian families which form the body of your Church. (Confessions 9.8) I could write the very same words in tribute to my mom. My mom loved God, trusted in Jesus, and believed the Scriptures. My mom loved Dad and loved being his wife. My mom loved us and loved being a mother. My mom loved and served the church, and relished its worship. What a gift those loves were to me, to us. What a gift she was. What a gift are the mothers of the church to us all.

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