Have you ever found yourself wondering if you’re doing the will of God? I have. You read and hear about the great missionaries and people off doing big things for God and it makes me wonder, “Am I suppose to be doing that?” What am I doing for the kingdom of God? Who am I affecting?
I think my view of the will of God gets distorted in this multimedia world. With so many people writing books, starting organizations, becoming missionaries and holding big speaking conferences the “little guy” gets lost in all of it. At least to some degree I’ve develop the mindset that because I’m not doing something that impacts thousands of people that I’m not in God’s will. This mindset is self centered.
Blackaby makes a good point about this. We need to ask the right question concerning the will of God. “’What is God’s will for my life?’ is not the best question to ask. The better question is, ‘What is God’s will?’ Because people are naturally self-centered, we tend to view the whole world-even God’s activity- in terms of our own lives.” (p. 32). Isn’t that so true? I am amazed at how I view everything in my life with the perspective of how it affects me?
God wants to work in our lives by involving us in what He is doing in the world around us. His purpose for all of humanity involves us working in the corner of the world we are in. I know that God calls many to move to a new corner of the world or to write, or speak to thousands, but I feel sure that came after they worked in the area they were in first.
I enjoyed this chapter because it reminded me to be still and know that He is God. I needed that reminder. I need to be abiding in Christ in order for Him to work out His plans for me.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Pineapple Principle
Hey girls,
I found these two videos from Lysa that go with her Pineapple Principle. So I thought I would share them with you. (Note: the first one is tape in a coffe shop and it's noisy so you have to listen carefully to them.)
I found these two videos from Lysa that go with her Pineapple Principle. So I thought I would share them with you. (Note: the first one is tape in a coffe shop and it's noisy so you have to listen carefully to them.)
A Love Relationship
Do you remember the first day of a new job? The sights, the sounds, the chaotic feeling of the unknown? I do. I’ve held seven jobs in my lifetime and with each I felt the fear of failure on the first day.
That fear came from not knowing how to do the job I was hired for and not knowing the people I was working with and for. With each one, there was a period of training. In high school, working at McDonald’s, I had a two week training period where someone taught me everything I needed to know to serve the public their Big Mac with a smile. “Would you like fries with that?” In college, someone taught me how to run the fancy new cash register and tell every lady in the Belk’s ladies’ department if the dress she was trying on was flattering or not! Even that first year of teaching, I had someone who faithfully guided me through the procedures of teaching at FCCS. With each new job, I got to know new people and new bosses.
Blackaby tells us to take the same approach to our service for God. First, we must get to know Him before doing His will. For how do we know His will, if we don’t know Him? It would be the same as trying to do a new job without knowing how. “I think God is crying out to us: “Don’t just do something. Stand there! Enter into a love relationship with Me. Get to know Me. Adjust your life to Me. Let Me love you and teach you about Myself as I work through you. .. Your relationship with God must come first.” (p. 33) I think I missed that because I was saved at church camp at an early age. The lack of discipleship distorted my view of how service to God is suppose to work.
I hope each of you are getting something from this month's book. Until tomorrow......
That fear came from not knowing how to do the job I was hired for and not knowing the people I was working with and for. With each one, there was a period of training. In high school, working at McDonald’s, I had a two week training period where someone taught me everything I needed to know to serve the public their Big Mac with a smile. “Would you like fries with that?” In college, someone taught me how to run the fancy new cash register and tell every lady in the Belk’s ladies’ department if the dress she was trying on was flattering or not! Even that first year of teaching, I had someone who faithfully guided me through the procedures of teaching at FCCS. With each new job, I got to know new people and new bosses.
Blackaby tells us to take the same approach to our service for God. First, we must get to know Him before doing His will. For how do we know His will, if we don’t know Him? It would be the same as trying to do a new job without knowing how. “I think God is crying out to us: “Don’t just do something. Stand there! Enter into a love relationship with Me. Get to know Me. Adjust your life to Me. Let Me love you and teach you about Myself as I work through you. .. Your relationship with God must come first.” (p. 33) I think I missed that because I was saved at church camp at an early age. The lack of discipleship distorted my view of how service to God is suppose to work.
I hope each of you are getting something from this month's book. Until tomorrow......
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
God Works According to His Nature
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16
I, for one, am glad that God works according to His nature aren’t you? Can you image what this world would be like if the Lord worked in our lives like we tend to do with others? Ugh, what a mess that could be! Thankfully He doesn’t.
God operates according to His nature.
1. God is love- His will is always best.
2. God is all-knowing- His directions are always right.
3. God is all-powerful- He can enable you to accomplish His will.
These truths aren’t new to most of us, but it was good to hear them again. Blackaby reiterated them in a way that reminded me to trust God more with my life. He reminded me that God works through His love in my life with my best interest in mind. Blackaby says, “I always view my circumstances against the backdrop of the cross, where God clearly demonstrated once and for all His deep love for me.” We ought never to doubt His love for us because He showed us his love when he died on the cross for our sins.
I’ll go one step farther and say He showed us His love when He willingly left heaven and became man. In the book, A Love Worth Giving, Max Luacdo talks about all Jesus’ sacrificed for us. “Love goes the distance… and Christ traveled from limitless eternity to be confined by time in order to become one of us…. When he saw the size of the womb, he could have stopped. When he saw how tiny his hand would be, how soft his voice would be, how hungry his tummy would be, he could have stopped. At the first whiff of the stinky stable, at the first gust of cold air. The first time he scraped his knee or blew his nose or tasted burnt bagels, he could have turned and walked out. When he saw the dirt floor of his Nazareth house. When Joseph gave him a chore to do. When his fellow students were dozing off during the reading of the Torah, his Torah. When the neighbor took his name in vain. When the lazy farmer blamed his poor crop on God. At any point Jesus could have said, “That’s it! That’s enough! I’m going home.” But he didn’t. He didn’t because He is love. And “love…endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4-7) He endured the distance. What’s more, he endured the resistance.” When you think about Jesus’ love in those terms it is humbling.
I hope you’re getting a blessing from our current book. I want to encourage you to get started if you haven’t. There’s only 38 days till our next meeting!
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16
I, for one, am glad that God works according to His nature aren’t you? Can you image what this world would be like if the Lord worked in our lives like we tend to do with others? Ugh, what a mess that could be! Thankfully He doesn’t.
God operates according to His nature.
1. God is love- His will is always best.
2. God is all-knowing- His directions are always right.
3. God is all-powerful- He can enable you to accomplish His will.
These truths aren’t new to most of us, but it was good to hear them again. Blackaby reiterated them in a way that reminded me to trust God more with my life. He reminded me that God works through His love in my life with my best interest in mind. Blackaby says, “I always view my circumstances against the backdrop of the cross, where God clearly demonstrated once and for all His deep love for me.” We ought never to doubt His love for us because He showed us his love when he died on the cross for our sins.
I’ll go one step farther and say He showed us His love when He willingly left heaven and became man. In the book, A Love Worth Giving, Max Luacdo talks about all Jesus’ sacrificed for us. “Love goes the distance… and Christ traveled from limitless eternity to be confined by time in order to become one of us…. When he saw the size of the womb, he could have stopped. When he saw how tiny his hand would be, how soft his voice would be, how hungry his tummy would be, he could have stopped. At the first whiff of the stinky stable, at the first gust of cold air. The first time he scraped his knee or blew his nose or tasted burnt bagels, he could have turned and walked out. When he saw the dirt floor of his Nazareth house. When Joseph gave him a chore to do. When his fellow students were dozing off during the reading of the Torah, his Torah. When the neighbor took his name in vain. When the lazy farmer blamed his poor crop on God. At any point Jesus could have said, “That’s it! That’s enough! I’m going home.” But he didn’t. He didn’t because He is love. And “love…endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4-7) He endured the distance. What’s more, he endured the resistance.” When you think about Jesus’ love in those terms it is humbling.
I hope you’re getting a blessing from our current book. I want to encourage you to get started if you haven’t. There’s only 38 days till our next meeting!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Knowing God by Experience
Have you started our book of the month yet? I hope so. As I read and answer the questions at the end of each chapter I have discovered that this book is going to be a little more challenging as far as the blogging goes. Regardless, I’m going to give it a try.
The second quote is, “Merely knowing ABOUT God will leave you unsatisfied. Truly knowing God only comes through experience as He reveals Himself to you through His word and as you relate to Him.” Again this quote would work with the examples above.
Blackaby goes on to talk about the names of God and how we experience His character through His names. I’m currently doing a Bible study on the names of God called Knowing God by Name by Mary A. Kassian. I’ve enjoyed it immensely. With each new name I study I learn more about Him. (Here is a link to a sample of Mary's Bible study- http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_wmn_KG_week2.pdf) Blackaby’s first chapter has taught me to go beyond that and ask Him to reveal Himself to me through each name I study. I’ll leave you with this verse for today. Happy reading girls!
Psalm 89:15-16 "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. "
Chapter one was an introduction to knowing God by experience. Blackaby had a couple of quotes that I really liked. First, “There is a world of difference between knowing something to be true in your head and experiencing the reality in your life.” This one rang a bell for me. A few years ago the Clines and I took a trip to Yellowstone National Park and The Grand Tetons National Park. Now I’m a planner and a photographer, which means that I had researched the parks and all their glory months ahead of time. I had read articles about every element of the parks, but most importantly I had looked at hundreds of pictures as I studied what “shots” I wanted to take for myself. I knew the parks would be breathtakingly beautiful. What I wasn’t prepared for was how amazingly beautiful they was in person. Pictures can never do them justice.
.JPG) |
| Grand Tetons |
It’s the same with God. You can tell someone over and over about how wonderful God has been to you, but they won’t truly understand until they experience God for themselves. For example, I don’t know our Lord as the God of all comforts when it comes to the death of a close loved one. I know many people who have told me how God has comforted them through their grief, but I don’t really understand it on a personal level.
The second quote is, “Merely knowing ABOUT God will leave you unsatisfied. Truly knowing God only comes through experience as He reveals Himself to you through His word and as you relate to Him.” Again this quote would work with the examples above.
Blackaby goes on to talk about the names of God and how we experience His character through His names. I’m currently doing a Bible study on the names of God called Knowing God by Name by Mary A. Kassian. I’ve enjoyed it immensely. With each new name I study I learn more about Him. (Here is a link to a sample of Mary's Bible study- http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_wmn_KG_week2.pdf) Blackaby’s first chapter has taught me to go beyond that and ask Him to reveal Himself to me through each name I study. I’ll leave you with this verse for today. Happy reading girls!
Psalm 89:15-16 "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. "
.JPG) |
| Grand Tetons |
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Luke's Commandments
On Thusday night we talked about the "homework" on page 176. "An interesting exercise would be to survey one of the Gospels-- Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John-- and make a list of Jesus' commands. Then, to really start examining our heart in relationship to them. Were we aware of these commends? Are we willing to obey them? Which ones come naturally? Which will be the most difficult, and why?" I forgot to bring everyone a copy, so I thought I would post it here so you could see it. Remember, the list might not be perfect, but it's all the commands I found.
1. Do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God. 4:4
2. Worship and serve the Lord only. 4:8
3. Do not test the Lord. 4:12
4. Do not be afraid. 5:10
5. Rejoice in the days of your affection. 6:23
6. Love your enemies. 6:27
7. Do good to those who hate you. 6:27
8. Bless those who cure you. 6:27
9. Pray for those who mistreat you. 6:27
10. Turn the other check. 6:29
11. Give to those who take from you. 6:29
12. Give without asking for things to be returned to you. 6:30
13. Do for others as you would want them to do for you. 6:31
14. Be merciful. 6:36
15. Do not judge others. 6:37
16. Do not condemn others. 6:37
17. Forgive. 6:37 17:3-4
18. Examine yourself before finding fault in others. 6:42
19. Keep your heart clean. 6:45
20. Build your life on the solid foundation of Christ. 6:48
21. Be careful how you listen. 8:19
22. Deny yourself and take up your cross. 9:23
23. Pray for worker for the harvest. 10:2
24. Rejoice that your name is written down in heaven. 10:20
25. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. 10:27
26. Show mercy to others. 10:37
27. Pray and ask, seek and knock and it shall be given to you. 10:9-10
28. Beware of false doctrine. 12:1
29. Fear God. 12:5
30. Guard against being greedy. 12:15
31. Don’t worry about the necessities of your life. 12:22
32. Don’t be anxious. 12:29
33. Seek the kingdom of God. 12:31
34. Give to the poor. 12:33
35. Be watchful and ready for the Lord’s return. 12:40
36. Be humble. 14:11 18:14
37. Show kindness to those who cannot repay you. 12:13-14
38. Love the Lord above all others. 14:26
39. Pay your taxes. 20:25
40. Tithe 21:1-2
41. Do not follow false teachers. 21:8
42. Communion 22:19:20
1. Do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God. 4:4
2. Worship and serve the Lord only. 4:8
3. Do not test the Lord. 4:12
4. Do not be afraid. 5:10
5. Rejoice in the days of your affection. 6:23
6. Love your enemies. 6:27
7. Do good to those who hate you. 6:27
8. Bless those who cure you. 6:27
9. Pray for those who mistreat you. 6:27
10. Turn the other check. 6:29
11. Give to those who take from you. 6:29
12. Give without asking for things to be returned to you. 6:30
13. Do for others as you would want them to do for you. 6:31
14. Be merciful. 6:36
15. Do not judge others. 6:37
16. Do not condemn others. 6:37
17. Forgive. 6:37 17:3-4
18. Examine yourself before finding fault in others. 6:42
19. Keep your heart clean. 6:45
20. Build your life on the solid foundation of Christ. 6:48
21. Be careful how you listen. 8:19
22. Deny yourself and take up your cross. 9:23
23. Pray for worker for the harvest. 10:2
24. Rejoice that your name is written down in heaven. 10:20
25. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. 10:27
26. Show mercy to others. 10:37
27. Pray and ask, seek and knock and it shall be given to you. 10:9-10
28. Beware of false doctrine. 12:1
29. Fear God. 12:5
30. Guard against being greedy. 12:15
31. Don’t worry about the necessities of your life. 12:22
32. Don’t be anxious. 12:29
33. Seek the kingdom of God. 12:31
34. Give to the poor. 12:33
35. Be watchful and ready for the Lord’s return. 12:40
36. Be humble. 14:11 18:14
37. Show kindness to those who cannot repay you. 12:13-14
38. Love the Lord above all others. 14:26
39. Pay your taxes. 20:25
40. Tithe 21:1-2
41. Do not follow false teachers. 21:8
42. Communion 22:19:20
Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday Night’s Meeting
I am so excited every month when we get together to discuss our current book. I just love it! Thank you girls for honoring me with your presence! What a blast we had last night!
Last night was bitter-sweet as we finished Lysa’s book, Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl. I enjoyed the book so much. The second half of the book was just as good as the first. Lysa sure knows how to dig into God’s word to help girls in their daily walk. I’m sure we will be reading another one of her books in the future.
Speaking of the future, our next book is Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. Most of you have it already, but if you don’t there are some links on the left side of the blog to websites where you can purchase the book online. Family Christian and Lifeway Books also have a few copies. If you need me to order it for you, just bring $13.00 on Sunday and I’ll take care of it. Our next meeting is September 30th. For those who weren’t there last night, we are going to do the first half of the book (pages 1-172) in September since it’s so large. This book lends itself to more interaction so I hope everyone will take advantage of the blog as we go along.
I’ve put some fun things that will enhance our book club experience on the blog. There’s also information that you’ll find useful. On the left side of the blog there is a poll on how helpful Lysa’s book was to you. Please take a minute to cast your vote. The poll question changes every two weeks so you can cast your vote on other things too.
Some of the other fun things are video links that go with the books we are reading. I’ve put a link to the video “Lukewarm and Loving It” that we talked about last night.
Thanks again for the fun last night! See you in September! Happy Reading!
Kimberly
Last night was bitter-sweet as we finished Lysa’s book, Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl. I enjoyed the book so much. The second half of the book was just as good as the first. Lysa sure knows how to dig into God’s word to help girls in their daily walk. I’m sure we will be reading another one of her books in the future.
Speaking of the future, our next book is Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. Most of you have it already, but if you don’t there are some links on the left side of the blog to websites where you can purchase the book online. Family Christian and Lifeway Books also have a few copies. If you need me to order it for you, just bring $13.00 on Sunday and I’ll take care of it. Our next meeting is September 30th. For those who weren’t there last night, we are going to do the first half of the book (pages 1-172) in September since it’s so large. This book lends itself to more interaction so I hope everyone will take advantage of the blog as we go along.
I’ve put some fun things that will enhance our book club experience on the blog. There’s also information that you’ll find useful. On the left side of the blog there is a poll on how helpful Lysa’s book was to you. Please take a minute to cast your vote. The poll question changes every two weeks so you can cast your vote on other things too.
Some of the other fun things are video links that go with the books we are reading. I’ve put a link to the video “Lukewarm and Loving It” that we talked about last night.
Thanks again for the fun last night! See you in September! Happy Reading!
Kimberly
I just love these girls!
See Sharon, you can take a good picture!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
From Emotion to Devotion
This section seemed to rise up and jump right off the page to me. My poor book looks like a sea of underlines sentences and whole paragraphs! It’s like my little blue pen had a mind of its own!
Lysa begins by telling us about Whitney’s climb to the top of a 40-foot pole. I won’t retell the story, but congrats to Whitney for even attempting the climb. I would have been cowering behind something, to scared to watch someone else, much less tackle that height myself. In the last few feet, while attempting to reach the top, Whitney fell. Gasp! Now, not to worry, she was harnessed so she didn’t fall to her death, although, she might have felt that way the first few seconds of the fall! Just thinking of it gives me the woolies! But in that moment, before she fell, she caught a glimpse of what the view was like from the top. Later it caused her to reflect on her relationship with God. “Too many times she has stopped just shy of full-on devotion to the Lord. She realized she has little spiritual stamina, that the emotion that helped her start her journey with God would never be enough to finish. She would have to have a level of devotion she wasn’t sure she had.” (p. 174) I’ve felt that way.
Lysa ask the question, “Have you ever wanted more in your relationship with God but, for fear of failing, stopped just shy of full-on devotion?”(p. 175) YES! And as I read this I found myself realizing that I truly wanted more. I felt my heart stir.
Like Lysa, I wondered what was stopping me from that type of devotion. Lysa believes too many of us have never dared to believe the glorious possibility Jesus clearly offers when He says, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” John 14:21KJV
Lysa goes on to break down the verse, section by section, to help us see what glorious possibilities there are if we will love God with our whole hearts (pages 176-177). Again my pages are a sea of blue underlines! If your reading this blog, but don’t have the book, I encourage you to purchase it. It’s amazing.
So to boil down the explanation of the verse, “Rather Jesus is clearly explaining to us that if we love God, if we love Jesus, we will want to obey His commands. Doing so will no longer be our duty; it will be our desire. We’ll follow Him not to win His love or prove how good we are. But rather to live in His love and delight in how good He is.”
So many people fall into the trap of thinking of God as the “Big Fixer and Benevolent Giver.” I know, I’ve been there. I believe that’s why so many don’t have the relationship with God that God desires. We don’t “live in His love and delight in how good He is.” We need to move past just thinking of Him as our cure-all God and see Him as He really is. Our creator that loves and wants to spent time with us. I don’t want to be that little child that looks up to Dad and always wants something. I want to move passed that mindset to a place where just spending time with Him is enough.
I hope these blog entries have been a blessing to you. I enjoy writing them because they help me to clarify my thoughts as I consider each section of our book. Thank you to those who have posted comments. Your thoughts are a blessing and encouragement to me! I love them!
Lysa begins by telling us about Whitney’s climb to the top of a 40-foot pole. I won’t retell the story, but congrats to Whitney for even attempting the climb. I would have been cowering behind something, to scared to watch someone else, much less tackle that height myself. In the last few feet, while attempting to reach the top, Whitney fell. Gasp! Now, not to worry, she was harnessed so she didn’t fall to her death, although, she might have felt that way the first few seconds of the fall! Just thinking of it gives me the woolies! But in that moment, before she fell, she caught a glimpse of what the view was like from the top. Later it caused her to reflect on her relationship with God. “Too many times she has stopped just shy of full-on devotion to the Lord. She realized she has little spiritual stamina, that the emotion that helped her start her journey with God would never be enough to finish. She would have to have a level of devotion she wasn’t sure she had.” (p. 174) I’ve felt that way.
Lysa ask the question, “Have you ever wanted more in your relationship with God but, for fear of failing, stopped just shy of full-on devotion?”(p. 175) YES! And as I read this I found myself realizing that I truly wanted more. I felt my heart stir.
Like Lysa, I wondered what was stopping me from that type of devotion. Lysa believes too many of us have never dared to believe the glorious possibility Jesus clearly offers when He says, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” John 14:21KJV
Lysa goes on to break down the verse, section by section, to help us see what glorious possibilities there are if we will love God with our whole hearts (pages 176-177). Again my pages are a sea of blue underlines! If your reading this blog, but don’t have the book, I encourage you to purchase it. It’s amazing.
So to boil down the explanation of the verse, “Rather Jesus is clearly explaining to us that if we love God, if we love Jesus, we will want to obey His commands. Doing so will no longer be our duty; it will be our desire. We’ll follow Him not to win His love or prove how good we are. But rather to live in His love and delight in how good He is.”
So many people fall into the trap of thinking of God as the “Big Fixer and Benevolent Giver.” I know, I’ve been there. I believe that’s why so many don’t have the relationship with God that God desires. We don’t “live in His love and delight in how good He is.” We need to move past just thinking of Him as our cure-all God and see Him as He really is. Our creator that loves and wants to spent time with us. I don’t want to be that little child that looks up to Dad and always wants something. I want to move passed that mindset to a place where just spending time with Him is enough.
I hope these blog entries have been a blessing to you. I enjoy writing them because they help me to clarify my thoughts as I consider each section of our book. Thank you to those who have posted comments. Your thoughts are a blessing and encouragement to me! I love them!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Glimpses of God
“If I could give only one gift to every woman on this planet, it would be the gift of being able to glimpse God throughout their days- the miraculous mixed with the mundane. This would radically change the way we think, the way we process life, and certainly the degree to which we trust God. It would make us more than good Bible study girls. “(p. 173)
In the spirit Lysa wrote this challenge, I want to hear from you. Did you catch a glimpse of God in your day? If so, how? Tell us about it….. I’ll go first to give you the courage to post a comment yourself.
For me, it was during my doctor’s appointment yesterday. I have a mole that has changed shape and color, so kicking and screaming, I went to the doctor yesterday to have it looked at.
Now, you must know something about me to truly understand my fear of doctors and needles. When I was pregnant with Kyle my doctor had to insert, and I use the term loosely, a 12 inch needle through me and into him to drain fluid that had built up around Kyle’s organs during pregnancy. Not once but twice! No numbing me up, no knocking me out, just grin and bear it. Good night it was awful!
So you can image how my stomach tightened and fear threaten to overwhelm me when the doctor said they would have to do a biopsy on the mole yesterday. That meant needles and a knife! Lord, help me! I was prepared to have it “looked at” thinking they would schedule another appointment for the biopsy. (giving me time to prepare myself for the needles) Oh no, they wanted to do it right then. Good grief!
So you’re wondering where was God was in all of this. First, He knew how scary this was for me, so He made sure Rodney could work the appointment into his schedule. Second, He had Rodney there at the office before me, ready to hold my hand through it all. (For those who know how busy Rodney’s life is from sun up to well past sun down this was HUGE! LOL). And third, when it came right down to it God answered my prayer. I asked for the strength to get through it and I had strength come over me that was so calming. Thank you Lord! You truly are amazing!
So now it’s your turn… let us know how God is showing up in your life!
In the spirit Lysa wrote this challenge, I want to hear from you. Did you catch a glimpse of God in your day? If so, how? Tell us about it….. I’ll go first to give you the courage to post a comment yourself.
For me, it was during my doctor’s appointment yesterday. I have a mole that has changed shape and color, so kicking and screaming, I went to the doctor yesterday to have it looked at.
Now, you must know something about me to truly understand my fear of doctors and needles. When I was pregnant with Kyle my doctor had to insert, and I use the term loosely, a 12 inch needle through me and into him to drain fluid that had built up around Kyle’s organs during pregnancy. Not once but twice! No numbing me up, no knocking me out, just grin and bear it. Good night it was awful!
So you can image how my stomach tightened and fear threaten to overwhelm me when the doctor said they would have to do a biopsy on the mole yesterday. That meant needles and a knife! Lord, help me! I was prepared to have it “looked at” thinking they would schedule another appointment for the biopsy. (giving me time to prepare myself for the needles) Oh no, they wanted to do it right then. Good grief!
So you’re wondering where was God was in all of this. First, He knew how scary this was for me, so He made sure Rodney could work the appointment into his schedule. Second, He had Rodney there at the office before me, ready to hold my hand through it all. (For those who know how busy Rodney’s life is from sun up to well past sun down this was HUGE! LOL). And third, when it came right down to it God answered my prayer. I asked for the strength to get through it and I had strength come over me that was so calming. Thank you Lord! You truly are amazing!
So now it’s your turn… let us know how God is showing up in your life!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Events in Our Past
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
In the chapter, Learning to Simply Like Me, I found a nugget of truth that reminded me how the Lord has blessed me. On page 166 Lysa states, “Becoming more than a good Bible study girl requires a heart free of the entanglements of self-distraction thoughts.” I don’t consider myself one that is overly focused on myself. Selfish at times, yes, but not distracted by thoughts of all my shortcomings. I have had some very difficult things happen in my past that Satan could use against me. Thankfully the Lord has caused me to forget the pain associated with these events so that they are not the focus of my thoughts. I’ve even learned to use some of them to help others. Many times, while I was a teacher, I used my experiences during my parents’ divorce to help encourage children that they, too, can overcome this difficult time in their life.
Like Lysa’s abortion, other events are more secret and hidden. I can understand Lysa’s feeling of suffering in silence wrapped in a cloak of shame, but thankfully God has helped me work though these events so maybe one day I’ll be able to use them to help someone else.
How about you? Is there something in your past that you use to help others?
In the chapter, Learning to Simply Like Me, I found a nugget of truth that reminded me how the Lord has blessed me. On page 166 Lysa states, “Becoming more than a good Bible study girl requires a heart free of the entanglements of self-distraction thoughts.” I don’t consider myself one that is overly focused on myself. Selfish at times, yes, but not distracted by thoughts of all my shortcomings. I have had some very difficult things happen in my past that Satan could use against me. Thankfully the Lord has caused me to forget the pain associated with these events so that they are not the focus of my thoughts. I’ve even learned to use some of them to help others. Many times, while I was a teacher, I used my experiences during my parents’ divorce to help encourage children that they, too, can overcome this difficult time in their life.
Like Lysa’s abortion, other events are more secret and hidden. I can understand Lysa’s feeling of suffering in silence wrapped in a cloak of shame, but thankfully God has helped me work though these events so maybe one day I’ll be able to use them to help someone else.
How about you? Is there something in your past that you use to help others?
Monday, August 9, 2010
Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl in My Thoughts
Of all the places I get myself mired in sin, the quickest is in my thought life, but I suspect that is true for most of us. Lysa’s unit on thoughts has been a powerful one to me. Lysa begins this journey with “What do I do when I don’t feel God?” This has been a reoccurring theme in my thoughts and studies lately.
Man’s emotions verses God’s truths.
Because of this battle I’ve been having, the words of this chapter felt like daggers piercing my heart to the point I had to wake up and take real notice of what Lysa was saying. It began with the concept of being chosen. “In human terms, it seemed quite presumptuous to think God would pause to pay attention to me.” (page 154) I couldn’t agree more. But as I read the verses Colossians 3:12, Psalm 25:12 and John 15:19 I began to understand. God has chosen each of us.
“The problem is, we have been trained to process life based on the way we feel.” (page 155) This profound statement has affected me to the core. It plays over and over in my mind. And as I think about it, I have discovered Lysa is right. With so many things in life you hear people say, “I don’t feel like it.” I began looking at my life and found that I put things off because I don’t feel like doing them. Sin creeps in this way. I didn’t do my Bible study or pray because I didn’t feel like it. I ate that second piece of cake because I felt like it. I was ugly to the cashier because she upset me and I felt like being ugly back to her. I didn’t read to Johnny tonight because I was so tired and didn’t feel like it. (Oh boy! Watch your toes!)
This way of processing life has distorted how we process the truths of God. “We think we must feel love for love to exist. We think we must feel wanted to truly be chosen. We think we must feel God’s presence for Him to really be close. But God never meant for us to feel our way to Him.” (page 155) Our Lord wants us to learn to stand on the absolute truths from the Word of God no matter how we may “feel” at the time. “When I process life through my feeling, I am left deceived and disillusioned. When I process life through God’s truth, I am divinely comforted by His love and made confident in His calling on my life.” (page 155)
Lysa boils it all down to her quiet time with God. She uses running as her example. She does it each day because it’s good for her, not because she loves it. And she regrets it when she’s not able to do it. Oh, how many times I have gone to bed regretting not having spent time with God that day. Psalm 9:10 “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” Spending time with God, seeking Him, will fill the void that our “feelings” leave in us. God promises that He will not leave us empty-handed or empty-hearted.
Do you find that you have been processing life by your feelings like I have? I am working on standing firm on the truths of God’s word. How about you?
Man’s emotions verses God’s truths.
Because of this battle I’ve been having, the words of this chapter felt like daggers piercing my heart to the point I had to wake up and take real notice of what Lysa was saying. It began with the concept of being chosen. “In human terms, it seemed quite presumptuous to think God would pause to pay attention to me.” (page 154) I couldn’t agree more. But as I read the verses Colossians 3:12, Psalm 25:12 and John 15:19 I began to understand. God has chosen each of us.
“The problem is, we have been trained to process life based on the way we feel.” (page 155) This profound statement has affected me to the core. It plays over and over in my mind. And as I think about it, I have discovered Lysa is right. With so many things in life you hear people say, “I don’t feel like it.” I began looking at my life and found that I put things off because I don’t feel like doing them. Sin creeps in this way. I didn’t do my Bible study or pray because I didn’t feel like it. I ate that second piece of cake because I felt like it. I was ugly to the cashier because she upset me and I felt like being ugly back to her. I didn’t read to Johnny tonight because I was so tired and didn’t feel like it. (Oh boy! Watch your toes!)
This way of processing life has distorted how we process the truths of God. “We think we must feel love for love to exist. We think we must feel wanted to truly be chosen. We think we must feel God’s presence for Him to really be close. But God never meant for us to feel our way to Him.” (page 155) Our Lord wants us to learn to stand on the absolute truths from the Word of God no matter how we may “feel” at the time. “When I process life through my feeling, I am left deceived and disillusioned. When I process life through God’s truth, I am divinely comforted by His love and made confident in His calling on my life.” (page 155)
Lysa boils it all down to her quiet time with God. She uses running as her example. She does it each day because it’s good for her, not because she loves it. And she regrets it when she’s not able to do it. Oh, how many times I have gone to bed regretting not having spent time with God that day. Psalm 9:10 “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” Spending time with God, seeking Him, will fill the void that our “feelings” leave in us. God promises that He will not leave us empty-handed or empty-hearted.
Do you find that you have been processing life by your feelings like I have? I am working on standing firm on the truths of God’s word. How about you?
Friday, August 6, 2010
How Jesus Helps Me Get My Groove Back
I enjoyed the story from Lysa’s adventure in Ecuador. I have often thought of the women she met as I go through my day. Just to give you a quick idea of her life, she lives in a cave, literally, on the side of a mountain. She cooks over an open fire, goes to a river to wash her clothes, and goes to the market everyday for food. Up and down the path she walks daily to take her kids to school and do the rest of these things. I am still amazed that people live this way. We, as pampered Americans, truly know very little of how most of the world lives.
Our days are full of demands and everyday tasks. Just this week, I’ve had to go to Publix twice, Wal-mart, the dry cleaners, shoe shopping, the bank, the mall, back to the mall to return the shoes I bought and to work. If I had to do all of that without my car, I think I would cry. All the modern technologies we have truly are astonishing when compared to her life. Yet with as little as she had, when asked what the team could do for her, she basically answered, “Pray that my husband comes to know the Lord and that I will have the strength to carry on each day.” Wow! Lysa uses her meager life to remind us to be thankful when our bad or ungrateful attitudes take over. “The uglies cause us to lash out; an attitude funk causes us to shut down.” (page 135)
Being thankful is the secret to adjusting your attitude. Praise and thanksgiving remind us of our position in Christ, and of the promise God has made to us. Our circumstances are only temporary. “Bad attitudes breed bad attitudes. Grumpy hearts breed more grumpy hearts. Ungratefulness breeds ungratefulness. On the flip side, praising God breeds more reasons to praise God. Thankfulness breeds more thankfulness. And a person who daily practice both praising and thanking has a rare joy that very few people possess.” (page 137)
So what are you thankful for today?
Our days are full of demands and everyday tasks. Just this week, I’ve had to go to Publix twice, Wal-mart, the dry cleaners, shoe shopping, the bank, the mall, back to the mall to return the shoes I bought and to work. If I had to do all of that without my car, I think I would cry. All the modern technologies we have truly are astonishing when compared to her life. Yet with as little as she had, when asked what the team could do for her, she basically answered, “Pray that my husband comes to know the Lord and that I will have the strength to carry on each day.” Wow! Lysa uses her meager life to remind us to be thankful when our bad or ungrateful attitudes take over. “The uglies cause us to lash out; an attitude funk causes us to shut down.” (page 135)
Being thankful is the secret to adjusting your attitude. Praise and thanksgiving remind us of our position in Christ, and of the promise God has made to us. Our circumstances are only temporary. “Bad attitudes breed bad attitudes. Grumpy hearts breed more grumpy hearts. Ungratefulness breeds ungratefulness. On the flip side, praising God breeds more reasons to praise God. Thankfulness breeds more thankfulness. And a person who daily practice both praising and thanking has a rare joy that very few people possess.” (page 137)
So what are you thankful for today?
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Despite my feeling
Oh my, have I been a bad blogger lately! Life has gotten so busy that I just haven’t taken the time to jot down my thoughts on the second half of our book. I had better get going because you girls know me, I’m already reading both of the books for Sept and Oct.! Oh my!
I will have to say that so far Lysa’s book is still my favorite. Her insight and wisdom of God’s word inspires me. Part 4 is about becoming more than a good Bible Study girl in my struggles. If you’re like me, you have your own mountain of struggles. And like Lysa, my “ugly” comes out when I get stressed. How about you? I loved this chapter because it gave me a practical way to deal with my emotions when I am overwhelmed. The reality is that stress and problems will be part of our everyday lives. Like Lysa says, “Since days like this are a reality, what’s a girl to do? Especially a girl on a quest to live out the realities of Jesus in the midst of everyday life.” (page 122)
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5
These verses hold the key to getting through the “ugly” times. Praise the Lord! Now I know what I used to think when people would tell me this. How are you supposed to act all happy and joyous and praise God when you have a problem in your life that is causing you to feel sad or upset? I struggled with that question for a long time. I think it is because my definition of praising God was skewed. I like what Lysa says, “All I have to do to sense His presence is to acknowledge His presence, ask for His help, and make the choice to praise Him despite my feelings.” (page 125) Despite my feeling… that was my key. I thought praising God was something you do when you’re happy or grateful, not sad or distraught. But praising God unlocks the His character in the ugliest of situations. “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3 God inhabits our praises. He becomes active when we come to Him with praise when our hearts are confused, hurting or upset about a situation. I loved the examples Lysa gave on page 126. These really helped me to see what praising God in the hard times looks like.
Mandisa and Amy Grant have songs that talk about this. Amy’s “Better than an Hallelujah” is on the radio so hopefully you have heard it. Mandisa’s “Broken Hallelujah” is another one that talks of giving God praise in tough times.
Well, I’m on a roll again and the post is a testament to that! So I better close this one out before it becomes a book!
Thanks for reading! Please leave your comments on what you think about praise God in tough times. If you have an example I would love to hear it.
I will have to say that so far Lysa’s book is still my favorite. Her insight and wisdom of God’s word inspires me. Part 4 is about becoming more than a good Bible Study girl in my struggles. If you’re like me, you have your own mountain of struggles. And like Lysa, my “ugly” comes out when I get stressed. How about you? I loved this chapter because it gave me a practical way to deal with my emotions when I am overwhelmed. The reality is that stress and problems will be part of our everyday lives. Like Lysa says, “Since days like this are a reality, what’s a girl to do? Especially a girl on a quest to live out the realities of Jesus in the midst of everyday life.” (page 122)
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5
These verses hold the key to getting through the “ugly” times. Praise the Lord! Now I know what I used to think when people would tell me this. How are you supposed to act all happy and joyous and praise God when you have a problem in your life that is causing you to feel sad or upset? I struggled with that question for a long time. I think it is because my definition of praising God was skewed. I like what Lysa says, “All I have to do to sense His presence is to acknowledge His presence, ask for His help, and make the choice to praise Him despite my feelings.” (page 125) Despite my feeling… that was my key. I thought praising God was something you do when you’re happy or grateful, not sad or distraught. But praising God unlocks the His character in the ugliest of situations. “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3 God inhabits our praises. He becomes active when we come to Him with praise when our hearts are confused, hurting or upset about a situation. I loved the examples Lysa gave on page 126. These really helped me to see what praising God in the hard times looks like.
Mandisa and Amy Grant have songs that talk about this. Amy’s “Better than an Hallelujah” is on the radio so hopefully you have heard it. Mandisa’s “Broken Hallelujah” is another one that talks of giving God praise in tough times.
Well, I’m on a roll again and the post is a testament to that! So I better close this one out before it becomes a book!
Thanks for reading! Please leave your comments on what you think about praise God in tough times. If you have an example I would love to hear it.
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