I've chosen to talk this morning about the wonderful counselor, the wonderful counselor. I love what A. W. Toser said. There is scarcely

anything so dull and meaningless as Bible doctrine taught for its own sake.

Truth divorced from life is not truth in its biblical sense, but something else and less.

I wish I had time to read the whole thing.

I have to pick out bits and pieces from this.

Theological truth is useless until it is obeyed and it is always my hope and my prayer

that there will be those with ears to hear and hearts to obey.

Theological truth is useless until it is obeyed.

The purpose behind all doctrine is to secure moral action.

As long as people can hear Orthodox truth divorced from life, they will attend and support

churches and institutions without objections.

But as soon as we start talking about how these truths apply down where we live, in our homes,

in our bedrooms, in our bathrooms, in our living rooms we're probably not really getting the

message I'm grateful for the introduction that Valerie gave me because I do feel it very strongly incumbent upon me as an older

woman to teach the younger women and I'm very grateful for the privilege that the Lord has

given me but I also want to remind you single women, you're meant to be spiritual mothers just as much as the rest of us.

And there are many younger women. And if you're 19 years old, you might want to say to me, well, Elizabeth, where can I find that older woman?

My answer to you is, be one.

Every one of us can be an older woman.

When I was about nine years old, we moved from Pennsylvania to New Jersey,

and I was very lonely and I didn't have any friends in the new place.

But there was a 15-year-old girl up the street who was very sweet to this

...