Let me first give you my own presuppositions: · Truth is the divine standard expressed in the written Word of God. · Scripture, the Bible in its entirety is what Francis Schaeffer called "true truth." As such, Scripture says what it means (God-breathed through the Holy Spirit) and means what it says (God- mandated for all generations). · The church is described in the New Testament as the Bride of Christ, and this body of believers is precious indeed to the Lord Christ, but I do not look to ecclesiastical authority as surpassing or even equal to biblical authority. The same is true of pastors, however godly and orthodox. With Luther I would hold to sola Scriptura.

With these guidelines, I would like to respond to Mr. Grady with Ten Truths the Bible Tells Women. In doing so, I will try to interact with Grady's Ten Lies so that the women who wish to have different viewpoints before them in wrestling with these issues can do so.

Susan is doing remarkably well. All tests came back negative. She is averaging seven hours of continuous sleep a night. Through counseling she has not had a panic attack in three months and she is able to enjoy shopping at the mall again. Susan has even resolved many of her hard questions concerning God's providence and protection. Life is back to "normal." Yet it does not seem like the process is complete. She had heard people speak of closure, but for her, life just seems to be picking up where it left off.

Late one Tuesday evening Cindy admitted to a close friend that she and Fred were separating from each other. His angry temper had become completely out of control. In the past, Cindy would compose herself and put on a happy face for everyone to see. She did this because she believed it was the “right thing to do.” Cindy was a Christian. In fact, she was quite honorable in her interactions with Fred despite his behavior toward her. She loved him. She wanted to respect him. But, she was afraid of him.

Fred’s temper was not under control. But, not totally out of control either. The doctors and nurses that Fred would interact with would never suspect him of being an angry man. The members of his Sunday School class would be shocked if they heard how he spoke to his wife. Even his parent’s were unaware. For some reason Cindy was left to bear the full brunt of Fred’s anger. Of course while he was venting he would accuse Cindy of bringing out the worst in him. He would blame his outbursts on her inattention, lack of household cleanliness, sexual distance, or on her family. Fred had never resorted to violence. His vice was a quick temper with a very sharp tongue.

This year's conference will be taking on a new format. In prior years, the conference has been a two day event with open registration. The 2006 conference will be a one day event with a limitted number of tickets. As always, there will be both plenary sessions and workshops. The single day format is designed to accomodate scheduling ease, baby sitting arrangements (child-care is not provided), and travel efficiency for out-of-towners.

Tickets will be $50.00 per person. If you or your church would like to reserve a priority place on the registration list for this year's conference please e-mail Brad Hambrick with the following information: (1) name; (2) mailing address; (3) phone number; (4) name of your church; and (5) the number of tickets you expect to reserve at the link provided below. We are excited about this year's conference and look forward to seeing you there.