Time For A Change

After much thought on the subject, I have decided to combine The Trysting Place and Must Share... I love The Trysting Place, but Must Share... has so much more potential and I'm thinking of doing a Tuesday's Tryst Post or something along those lines... I look forward to seeing you over there!

Fear

Oh where to start, friends? Where to start?

I didn't know it until recently, but I have been battling fear for quite some time. Maybe my whole life. I've heard others share about their battle with fear, and have often thought - I'm so thankful that I don't struggle with it.

That sound you hear is me laughing hysterically. At myself. And my pride.

What's not funny is the enemy's ability to sneak in and set up shop without you even knowing about it.

How about this for a giggle? Last year the church I attend put on a women's conference called Fearless. For various reasons, I didn't want to go. A friend said to me, "Really? Fearless? That doesn't grab you?" (Or something to that effect, anyway.) I do remember exactly what I said.... "No, not really. I don't really struggle with fear."

There's the laughing again.

Sigh.

I really believed it, too. There were so many things that I probably should have had a healthy dose of fear for and I didn't. I worked in a very rough neighborhood for a couple of years and I know many of my friends and family lost sleep over my safety. I never felt fear. I even said, "I'm too dumb to be scared." I kid, but I truly never worried about it.

So, you can imagine my horror when, through the work and study I have been doing in multiple areas, God blows the lid off of my fear issues. That I didn't even know I had. He's been working up to it, really. Like He does. Never would He blow the lid off of anything unless He knew it would be beneficial for me and bring glory to Himself. So He started with a peek here, and a glimpse there. He put the right people in my life before He started up the wind machine. People that could lead the way because they've been there. People who have the wisdom and knowledge to encourage me on my journey. People who I trust and know have only my best interest at heart. People that are hearing and trusting in God alone. People whose advice is firmly planted in the Word of God. Oh, hallelujah for that!

I've gotten a look at the problem and let me tell you - it ain't pretty. I seriously don't even know how it happened, but it sure did. I'll also tell you that a LOT of things make a LOT more sense now that I understand what was going on.

I know that I know that I know that I have not been given a spirit of fear. (2 Timothy 1:7) Apparently there was a bin of it marked "FREE" somewhere along the line, because I stocked up and didn't even know what I was getting.

One thing I've learned recently that has made a lot of sense is this: Whatever we feed gets strong. And I have fed the spirit of fear more than anything else. The choices I've made and the things I have done in the name of self protection and preservation have compounded fear in my life.

Our Pastor once said that fear is to the devil what worship is to God. Fear, worry, fretting, stress.... Glorifies the devil. If that isn't reason enough to get it figured out, I don't know what would be.

The good news is, now I DO know and you better believe I'm going to do something about it. I feel like God has been preparing me all my life for this moment. I'm fairly certain I will be unrecognizable once it's all figured out, but as long as I look A LOT more like Jesus than I do now, I'm totally fine with it.

I've never been more "confident of this, that he who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

Glory!

In Christ...

I'm doing the Beth Moore Breaking Free study with my women's group at church. Every week as we watch the video of Beth teaching, I'm blown away by the wisdom and insight she has in the Word. It also blows me away to hear how she always hits on something I've talked with a certain friend about that very week. God has been blowing my mind with His Awesomeness lately. I doubt He's doing anything different, I must just have my eyes open, lately...

One of the things that Beth touched on yesterday reminded me that the enemy is a master of deception. Some how we are always very quick to buy into the lies of who he says we are or are not.

God has written us the most beautiful love letter ever written. In it, He tells us who we are and whose. Let me challenge you to read through what He has to say about you.

*The following was copied from a paper that I got a few years ago. The source is not listed, so I can't give any credit - but you'll note that it is simply the Truth of God's Word. So, mad props to God. :)

God says that in Christ you are:

A New Creation

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! I Corinthians 5:17

²²You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

Adequate In Christ

⁵Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. ⁶He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

Totally Forgiven

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14

Of Great Worth and Value

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:30-31

⁸For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. I Peter 1:18-19

God's Child

²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:12

¹How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ²Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. I John 3:1-2

God's Co-worker

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. I Corinthians 3:9

As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2 Corinthians 6:1

God's Masterpiece

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Jesus' Friend

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15

One Spirit With Him

¹⁷But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. I Corinthians 6:17

Perfect And Complete

and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority Colossians 2:10

because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:14

Free From Condemnation

¹Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Romans 8:1

Holy And Blameless

But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— Colossians 1:22

⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4

Completely Accepted

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7

Partaker Of His Divine Nature

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4

Empowered With His Strength

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,²⁰which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, Ephesians 1:18-20

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Unconditionally Loved

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. John 15:9

No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. John 16:27

Dead To Sin

¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11

²because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

Being Transformed

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

Joint Heir With Christ

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17

Reconciled To God

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. I Corinthians 6:11

¹Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1

Never Alone Or Forsaken

God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5b

Indwelt By God's Spirit

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? I Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; I Corinthians 6:19

No Longer Under The Law

For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galatians 2:19-21

Precious In His Sight

Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life. Isaiah 43:4

Eternally Saved

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— Ephesians 2:8

¹¹And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. I John 5:11-13

Safe And Secure

You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah Psalm 32:7

Psalm 91

But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

³ For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead. Isaiah 43:1-3

Chosen By God

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. I Peter 2:9

Absolutely Righteous

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. Romans 8:10

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Uniquely Gifted By God

I Corinthians 12

⁴Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:4-8

A Victorious Overcomer

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 2 Corinthians 2:14

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. I John 4:4

Blessed With Every Spiritual Blessing

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

Soak in that, dear friend. Do not listen to the one who has come to kill and steal and destroy. Listen to the one Who came to give you life. Abundant Life.

Delight

I love Psalm 37:4.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

I once had a conversation with a friend where this verse came up.  We talked about how it's highly unlikely that this verse is meant to be taken literally.  More than likely God will not just give you the desires of your heart.  If by that it's meant that we will get whatever we want.  My friend suggested that maybe what this verse is actually saying is that He will put His desires in our hearts, so that our desires will be what He desires for us to desire.  

Does this make any sense?  I hope so.

A few years later, another friend and I had a conversation which referenced this verse.  This time, it was the beginning of the verse that was the focus of discussion.  "I wonder what is meant by 'delight'?" she asked.

Well, I have a concordance and I'm not afraid to use it.

This is what I found. The word that is translated to delight is Anag or anawg.  The definition of that word is to be soft or pliable.  

Pliable:

1. Easily bent or shaped. See Synonyms at malleable.

2. Receptive to change; adaptable: pliable attitudes.

3. Easily influenced, persuaded, or swayed; tractable.

Soak that one in for a second...

Be easily bent or shaped

Be receptive to change

Be adaptable

Be easily influenced

 (by) the Lord and He will give you the desires that He wants you to have in your hearts.

Wow.

So. 

The moral of the story, as always,  is surrender.  Surrender and He will work it out. He'll even make it so you are totally fine with how He works it out.  Overnight?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

But He does work all things out for the good of those who are called by Him. I've seen it over and over and over. 

Is He awesome or what?

Hope. Now.

I love the song by Addison Road called Hope Now.  I usually don't love a song the first time I hear it, but when I do, I know it's a good one.

My favorite line is:  I'm not my own, I've been carried by you all my life.  I'm physically incapable of hearing it without getting choked up.

Because it's. so. true.

So true.

When I look back at my life, there is no mistaking the fact that there IS a God and He is madly in love with me.  No other logical explanation for any of it.

My computer is not letting me copy and paste certain things for some supremely annoying reason, so I guess you'll have to click over there to hear it...

Balance

Balance has been on my mind a lot lately.  I'm kind of an ALL or NOTHING kinda gal, so balance is tricky for me.

Tricky or not, I think it's important.  In all things.  In health, in Spiritual matters and especially parenting.  I read this fantastic post today, and I think what makes it fantastic is balance.

I want what I want and I want it now.  Can you relate?  When I ask someone to do something, I want them to do it right now.  Please tell me I'm not the only one.  So, when I tell Chloe to come here, sit down, eat your chicken, give me that, leave that on, don't stand on that, give me a kiss....  I want it now.  I'm all about the first time obedience, yo. 

Ha!  Because I'm such a jedi master in obedience myself, right?  

Please.  

I read Grace Based Parenting and realized that first time obedience (and the efforts that go into training for it) and grace based parenting don't exactly go hand in hand.  Ultimately, I want to have the relationship that God wants with me with Chloe.  I'm pretty sure that if God's number one priority was first time obedience, he'd have no doubt given up on me years ago...

So, with Chloe, I seek balance.  I'm not giving up hope of an obedient child.  I'm not even giving up hope for first time obedience.  I'm still me and still want what I want.  But I also know that our relationship is more important than what I want, what I think I need.  So how I'll go about it will be different based on that conclusion.  My expectations will be different.  Balanced, hopefully.

In my spiritual life...  Balance.  I desire to be holy because I know it's what He desires for me.  I try.  I fail.  I try.  I fail.  In most things, if I try that much and continue to fail, I quit.  I want perfection from myself, even if no one else cares.  I'm so thankful that God has given us His Word.  Filled with people who loved him, like I love him.  People who fail.  Miserably.  But they continue.  They don't quit.  They keep on keeping on.  And He blesses them every time.

I have questions.  There is so much of it that I don't get.  I keep trudging along and I continually remind myself:  Balance!  It's a process.  I'm not likely to understand it all until I meet Jesus face to face.  I can overthink a trip to the grocery store or cleaning my toilet, so trust me when  I say - I need balance when it comes to understanding scripture and not overthinking my questions and those things that seem to contradict themselves in scripture. Even though I know that they don't, with enough overthinking - they sure seem to.

Balance in my relationships.  For many years I carried the torch in almost all of my personal relationships.  If I didn't come visit, we didn't visit.  If I didn't call, we didn't chat. Balance has brought a lot of painful realizations, the worst of which is that a one sided relationship isn't a relationship at all.  I mourn the loss of friends that I loved dearly.  It saddens me that when I stopped doing all of the work, the friendships died.  When we begin to value balance and a healthy order of things, it's not always easy, but I believe it's always right.

I will continue to seek God and His version of balance.  I pray that with it comes peace, contentment and joy.  I think that would be a sure sign that I was on the right track, wouldn't you agree?

I Don't Get It

There is so much in Scripture that I don't understand.  It really kind of bugs me.  It almost seems like the more I seek to understand it, the more confusing it becomes.

I recently started reading Genesis.  When Pastors say that the Bible is as interesting and engaging as anything else you could want to read, I'd say, I have to agree.  Scandal, love, deceit, twists, turns, you name it.  One story that I have always found especially perplexing is the story of Jacob and Esau.

When Rebekah is carrying this set of twins, the Lord tells her that two nations are warring inside her and that the older one will serve the younger one.

Pause.

I've mentioned before that I struggle with understanding God's Will, haven't I?  This is a classic case.

Unpause.

Esau is born first, and Jacob is born second.  Isaac favors Esau and Rebekah favors Jacob. When the boys are grown, Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew.

That must of been some good stew.

When Isaac has gotten very old and is about to die, he tells Esau that he wants to give him his blessing.  Isaac likes stew too, so he asks Esau to go hunting and whip up a batch.  Rebekah overhears this and hatches a plan to trick Isaac into blessing Jacob instead.

Question.

Does Rebekah do this because the Lord told her this is how it was going to  be?  Or does the Lord know that this was the choice she would make, and therefore he prophesied what he already knew was going to take place, even though it wasn't necessarily His will for Isaac to be deceived?

Are you following me at all?  I hope so.  Because sometimes I have a hard time following myself.

Do you read the Bible?  Do you have questions like this when you do?  Is there one specific issue that comes up for you?

I am consistently scratching my head when it comes to free choice versus God's Will.  So often, when awful wretched things happen, I hear good people that love the Lord say this must have been His plan.  

I don't get it.

When I read the gospels and Jesus came against every form of disease, sickness, disfunction, imperfection or whathaveyou, he rebuked it.  He made it right.  So I find it hard to believe that many of those same things today are in God's Will.

How about this one?  What about salvation?  What about who's name is on the roster?  Do we put our names on it, or does God choose?  I know there are many people that believe God chose an elite group.  There are even several places in Scripture where Paul seems to refer to this very idea.  I don't doubt that there is a specific group of people that will be with Jesus for eternity.  Not for a second.  But when it is referred to as the "elect".  It makes it sound like we ain't the ones deciding.  It sounds a lot more like it's been decided for us.

It's a head scratcher in my book.

The good news is, we don't have to understand every aspect of the Christian faith.  Anyone else relieved by that?  I want to, but I also believe that it's highly unlikely any of us will this side of Heaven.  

So until that day, I will continue to seek God.  Not for understanding, but for relationship.  

And I know understanding will come. Even if I don't get it.

If Only It Were A Golden Calf

Oh, the idolatry...  

Biggest sigh ever.

Jesus is tracking me down wherever I go these days.  Or he's having my mail forwarded to a number of different people.  Either way, the slow process of breaking me down so HE can rebuild?

Uh, yeah.  I'd say that's underway, officially, now.

Brick by brick.

This oughta be fun.

He is taking the things that I've set up as idols in my life, and reminding me that He is the one I'm to worship.

He is literally destroying relationships, in an effort to show that the one with Him is the ONLY one that matters.

He is revealing the Pride and Selfishness that exist in my life.  And unfortunately, He can't get close to me when that disgusting debris is littering the path.

I just wish we lived in the days of the golden calves.  

Because then I could pay someone else to take that worthless thing to the edge of town, to the LANDFILL where it belongs.

But these days, our idols are our own flesh and bone.  They are our misconceptions about ourselves and others.  

And the process of breaking it up and hauling it to the landfill is a long and painful one.

But it's a necessary one, and I am onboard.  I'm even a little bit excited.  Ready to get my hands dirty.

And I know I will be better on the other side.

Open Hands

Our MOPS group started back up today.  I'm excited for my second year and trusting that God has great things in store...  This year I feel able to get more involved, so I've volunteered to be part of the steering committee.  I'm not sure what that looks like, yet.  But I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

God never ceases to amaze me, in His ability to speak truth directly to my heart in the midst of a group.  Our Mentor Mom is truly fabulous and I don't know how she does it, but she manages to speak directly to me almost every week.  How can she possibly know what I need?  She doesn't.  He does.  It's a beautiful thing...

Today, she was talking about relationships and how things can change, even when you don't want them to.  Word.  She talked about holding things with open hands, so it's a lot easier to not only let go, when it's time, but also to receive whatever God is going to put in it's place.

I needed to hear that.  Oh, how I needed to hear that.  The sticky buns?  I didn't need those.  The silly (and fun) game, that made me regret wearing heels?  Didn't need that.  But those words, that reminder?  That was worth the price of admission times 10.  Easily.

I knew I needed to bring myself back to a place of surrender.  Especially regarding a specific situation that I don't understand and I don't like.  Not one bit.  It makes absolutely no sense to me and I feel like it should be different.  But like most things in my life, it is outside of my control.  I've done all I can do to bring about a happy ending, and it's just not happening.  So what's my next step?

Surrender.

Even though I don't wanna.

I will, because I know there is always a lesson.  There is always good in there somewhere, even when all I can see is the dysfunction, the ugly and the enemy's wretched, wretched scheming.

So, I will surrender.  I will say goodbye to my plan.  And I will open my hands and wait for what God will place in them.  And this time, I will not close my hand around whatever that is. He gives and takes away, and it's a lot easier when it's not a tug of war.

Wisdom

I long to understand the heart of God.  I want to wade out past the confusing arguments of men and swim out into the vast deep knowledge of God.  I want the disagreements of this group and that church and those people to matter not, because God told me what he thinks about all of it.

All those things that seem like contradictions, but I know they can't be?  I want to understand and be able to help others understand, too.  

The questions keep coming like rain that overwhelms.  Rain that shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.

The rain, it can be good.

I guess it's like anything.  It can be good or bad.  Just depends on how you look at it.

The questions have the power to separate or draw in.

I'm leaning in.

The Power of Praying

A couple of years ago, I bought the book The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian.  I read through the book, praying each prayer at the end.  I underlined a lot of stuff, like I do.  It went on the shelf for the next several months.  Probably six months or so ago, I got it back out and thought I'd read it again.  

I didn't.

What I did do, has really worked for me.  Instead of rereading the whole book, I scanned over the underlined portions throughout each chapter and then prayed through the prayers at the end of each chapter.  I began doing one chapter/prayer each night and dating it.  I just completed the 5th time through.  I decided this time that I will make a list of the most important things from each section and craft my own specific prayer.  As I pray through each chapter this time around, I'll be jotting notes in a journal every night and when I'm done, I'll create my extra special personalized prayer to pray over my husband every night.

Knowing that I'm covering my husband in prayer means a lot to me.  What has really been incredible, is watching as, over time, some of these prayers are answered.  

We have been married for ten years, and while I would characterize them as wonderful years, I would definitely not lie to you and say that any one of them has been easy.  Though as time goes by, it does get easier, so hang on newlyweds.  I can tell you one thing for sure, some of the things I have desired to change about my husband for years, have come to pass even in the last few months.  Not because I've finally convinced him.  Not because I was right all along.  But because when I surrendered it to the Lord and allowed Him to work in my husbands heart, my husband came to some of my same conclusions.  The excellent thing about surrender is that when I let go of it, it lets go of me - whether or not things change.

If you are married and you haven't read the book, you should.  If you're not married, get The Power of a Praying Woman (or Man). Consider praying the prayers consistently, too.  It has really worked for me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday, visit We Are THAT Family.

Well, so much for every day, right?

Oh well.  What can you do?  

I just finished the Beth Moore study I've been working on for, well, ever.  I've mentioned it before and I highly recommend it.

To Live Is Christ, is definitely one of my favorites!  I loved learning more about Paul and following him along on all of his missionary travels.  If you've ever done a Beth Moore study, you know that she goes deep and digs up historical references that would be the envy of your local librarian.  One of the absolute best tid bits I've ever come across was included in the final study of Paul's life.  

She is talking about 2 Timothy 4:7-8

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Apparently, his reason for using this analogy was one final jab at the Roman Emperor, Nero, who was responsible for his execution.  Beth mentions Nero "competing" in the Olympic games, and here's what I found when I googled it.  Gotta love google.... Oh, and Wikipedia, of course!

Nero was convinced to participate in the Olympic Games of 67 in order to improve relations with Greece and display Roman dominance.^[102] As a competitor, Nero raced a ten-horse chariot and nearly died after being thrown from it.^[103] He also performed as an actor and a singer.^[104] Though Nero faltered in his racing (in one case, dropping out entirely before the end) and acting competitions,^[103] he won these crowns nevertheless and paraded them when he returned to Rome.^[103] The victories are attributed to Nero bribing the judges and his status as emperor.^[105]

So then Paul says, I have finished the race!  Then makes reference to the crown that waits for him in Heaven.

I don't know about you, but I think that's awesome.  Sadly, his boldness, could have been the final nail in his coffin, but if I learned anything about Paul, it's that that boy did not dance around the truth. 

Regardless of the consequences.

Some Times It's Easier When It's Hard

Can you relate?  

I find myself running to my Savior more often, more passionately and more desperately when times are tough.

When I was teaching, not a day went by that I didn't spend at least part of my day with the Lord.  Sometimes it was Shane and Shane and Jesus and I on the way to school or on the way home.  Honestly, I don't think  many days went by when those boys weren't serenading me over that two year period.  Sometimes, it was Beth Moore and I studying together at lunch.  Many a time, when I had 5 sections of rowdy 7th grades IN A ROW, followed by a 6th hour conference hour, I would literally fall on my face and cry out to the Lord to rapture me the heck out of there....

I'm not even gonna pretty it up for ya, IT SUCKED.

But I was running hard after the Lord.

Fast forward to being what I want to be, where I want to be - a stay at home mom - at, well, home...  Don't get me wrong, it's hard as often as it's not, but I just don't have that "the devil's on my heels and I must get to Jesus" mentality that so quickly and consistently put me on my knees.

That's why I just love this quote from Hinds Feet on High Places...

It had been easier to accept the hard path and to be patient when the sea was grey and dull than now when the sun shone and everything else around looked bright and happy and satisfied. 

I love that book.  I've read it twice, and I couldn't recommend it any more highly than I do.  It's such a beautiful allegory.  If you haven't read it, you should.  If you have read it, you should do it again.

Either way - remember this:

You will seek me and find when you seek me with all of your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13

I have an idea...

I've been going through some of my favorite books, looking for inspiring quotes and nuggets of wisdom.  Whenever I read a book, I keep a pen handy, and underline things that:

• Speak to me.
• Inspire me.
• I want to implement in my life.
• I want to remember.
• I want to share with others.

You get the idea...  

I also always take notes at church or conferences, anywhere that I may have some wisdom imparted upon me...  When I was pregnant, I went through all of my church notes and journals, and typed out a list of things I wanted to remember while in labor.  

Have I ever mentioned that I had my daughter at home?  Since pain meds aren't an option here, smack dab in the Middle of Nowhere, MI - I wanted to have some truth to meditate on in the event I started cursing the day I ever hatched the plan to stay home to birth my baby.  That moment never came and I was much too busy pushing a stubborn little (if you can call a 9 lb. girl little...) girl out for FIVE HOURS to have time for reading or anything else.  But I'm happy to have gone back through the years of teaching, study and whathaveyou, nonetheless...  Plus it kept me occupied while I waited for a week past my due date for the little darling to make her grand entrance...

I digress.  

It occurred to me as I came across quote after quote that I want to remember, that it might be beneficial to select some of my favorites and share them with you.  Then I can seem all smart and wise when I then expound on it and add my own commentary.

Or not.

But at least I'll have something to write about.

I would really like to start writing every day, or at least most days, and I thought this might be a good way to get the juices flowing.

I'll start on Monday.  See you then!

Compassion India Blogger Trip...

I've been following just about everything written by the India bloggers...

I'll tell you what, I have been changed by this trip, and I didn't even go.

I've been moved to get serious about my relationship with Linda, the precious girl we've been sponsoring for years from Tanzania.

I've been moved to sponsor more children.  I can't wait to get my info packet!

But this - if I can hold onto this? (Read the rest of the post by Melissa, daughter of Beth Moore, here.)

The Scriptures are too profound just to read in isolation of the real world. They must be read and lived.  To be interpreted correctly, they must be performed.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is too big, too cataclysmic, to be left on the page.  They should burst forth from our reality.

I don't even know what might happen.

Beth Moore on Marriage....

I've been diligently working through Beth Moore's To Live Is Christ, The Life and Ministry of Paul.  Like any study I've ever done by Beth, I HIGHLY recommend it.

This study has taken me through the book of Acts, which upon reading it for the first time (I know!?!?!?) last year, has quickly become one of my favorites.  The last week or two of the study covers some of the epistles, written by Paul.  

This morning we were in Ephesians, which is another one of my top favorite books of the Bible. Is there any better prayer than this?

 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  Ephesians 1:17-19

So, when Beth said we were going to Ephesians, I was pretty stoked. (Yes, Mr. Red Squiggle, Ephesians is a word!  Ever heard of a little book called the Bible?)

I was surprised, though I don't know why, when she landed in chapter 5, and chose marriage. This has been a much discussed topic with a friend, as of late, and while I was interested to hear Beth's take on the whole submission business, it wasn't where I had expected her to go, based on the study up to this point.

Again, like anything Beth does, it was good.  Real good.

Come along for the ride.

I love how she started it.  She says, "Stop and pray for an open mind and freedom from the hinderances of negative preconceptions."  Good idea.  I prayed that God would show me what He wanted me to know about marriage.  Not Beth, not me, not any church that has ever added their 2 cents.

She started off by talking about the role of Christian wives.  She draws from her own experience, and says this: "When I'm not in agreement with Keith, I usually speak up, and we pray and work it out - at times less easily than others!  This spirit of praying things through until we can come to consensus on important issues is the essence of mutual respect and the opposite of "lording it over one another."

She lists 4 things that submission is not.

1.  Submission does not mean women are under the authority of men in general.  She references the King James Version of Ephesians 5:22.  "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands."

2.  Submission does not mean inequality.  She references Galations 3:28.  "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."  She also says, "Spiros Zodhiates' definition of the original Greek word hupotasso explains that submission 'is not due to her being inferior to her husband, for they are both equal before God.'"

3.  Submission does not mean wives are to treat their husbands like God.  She says this, "The Bible Knowledge Commentary explains, 'As to the Lord' does not mean that a wife is to submit to her husband in the same way she submits to the Lord, but rather that her submission to her husband is her service rendered 'to the Lord.'"

4. Submission does not mean slavery. She says, "Paul uses an entirely different word in Ehpesians 6:5 when he instructs slaves to obey their masters.  This Greek word for obey, hupakous, embraces more of the meaning people often mistakenly associate with marital submission.  Hupokuo means 'to obey, to yield to a superior command or force (without necessarily being willing).' The term draws a picture of a soldier saluting his officer, not a wife submitting to her husband!

Now that we have a better understanding of what submission isn't, let's look at what it is.

Beth says this:

"The Greek word for submit is hupotasso.  Hupo means "under" and tasso means "to place in order."  The compound word hupotasso means "to place under or in an orderly fashion." Paul didn't dislike women, he liked ORDER!  He advocated order in the church, order in government, order in business, and, yes, order in the home....  Paul regarded husbands and wives as spiritual equals but with functional differences."

Is anyone else relieved?  I was brought up in more of a "lord it over" atmosphere, so I found this take rather quite refreshing.  Don't misread.  I'm down with WHATEVER God says.  I just want to have a correct view of what that actually is.  And when God seems to endorse (or is said to, by someone else) something that conflicts with a lot of other scripture, and quite frankly, His character?  Well, that's a smidgie difficult to reconcile....  That's why I love what she said next....

"Any misuse of submission by either the husband or the wife is sin."

Amen, sister.

Now onto the men.

The Role of Christian Husbands:

"The original Greek word for love agapo meaning "to esteem, love, indicating a direction of the will and finding one's joy in something or someone." Notice the phrase indicating a direction of the will.  A husband is called by God to exercise his will to love his wife.  Love is not simply an emotion or a feeling.  Love is a willingness to continue in devotion and goodness toward the spouse."

Her main points:

1.  Husbands should love their wives sacrificially "as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."  She says this, "Just as a husband must be careful not to abuse his wife's exhortation to submission, a wife must not abuse her husband's exhortation to sacrifice.

Good word, Beth.

2.  Husbands should love their wives in ways that encourage purity.  She says this, "Christ encourages purity in His bride, the church, desiring for her to be holy and without stain.  God calls upon husbands to treat their wives as pure vessels even in physical intimacy."

3.  Husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies.  

Then she gives an excellent analogy.  Excellent.

"Think of marriage as a three legged stool.  The legs are a submissive wife, a loving husband, and Christ.  All three legs must be in place for marriage to work as God intended.  A wife submitting to an unloving husband is as lopsided as a husband sacrificing for a domineering wife.  When Christ is not the head of the marriage relationship, the stool falls indeed.  Paul pictures for us God's ideal marriage relationship.  Sadly, many Christian women are trying to keep their stools balanced with only one leg in place - their submission."  

Do you know any women like that?  I do.  How unfortunate.

Her last point is on the role of Christ in marriage.  It can be summed up with one verse. "For by him all things were created....and in him all things hold together."  Colossians 1:16-17  Okay make that parts of two verses.  Math isn't my thing...

Beth says, "Only God created marriage, and only He can hold it together."

If you're married you have felt the truth of that statement.  If you're not and you ever do get married, you will feel the truth of that statement.  Because if I know anything in this life, it's that that is a true statement.

While I know that God is not finished with us, I'm thankful to have a lot of the learning and pain and frustration that comes with marriage in the rear view mirror. I'm not delusional, I know there is more to come, but it is so much easier to trust that God will complete that which He began in us, when I've seen him do it time and time again.  If you're in the middle of a trial - believe me when I say He can and will do way way more than you could ever think to ask or imagine. I've seen it happen in my own house.  My mind has been blown, I tell ya. 

I guess that's all for today.  See?  Just when I think I have nothing to share?  I'm right, again.  I just stole every smart thing Beth Moore ever thought about writing on pages 184-188 of To Live Is Christ.  

I hope I don't get arrested.  I don't think I'd be singing in my jail cell.

 

I'm deep in thought, ya'll....

I've been having a hard time coming up with something to say over here. I've been pondering a lot of things, but nothing I really want to share at this moment. Hopefully, it's just a phase.... I feel out of place, disconnected, misunderstood and a smidgie confused.

For now, I think I'll just keep seeking the Lord, even though I'm not writing about it.


Thanks for understanding.

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Proverb to Ponder

I've never been so excited to see the end of a month.  This has been challenging.  I'm really glad to be finishing it up.

Okay - I can't resist this one. Many times as I read about the Proverbs 31 woman, I feel inadequate, less than and just all around not good enough. Tonight as I read, verse after verse I had thoughts like - I wish, or working on that, or maybe someday. Of course, if God wills - someone might rise up and call me blessed. Only by God's grace and mercy. But as I read this verse:

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

I can't help but think - this has been the headliner of my resume for the past year. A certain member of my family finds herself thirsty often, and sometimes it is dark. I provide her food and deliver it (mostly) with a smile on my face, whenever she needs it.

I'm hoping for this one tomorrow. Please Lord, I need this.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

This is one of my life goals:

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

And if I only get one wish - It would probably be this:

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

Thanks for enduring my ponderings. From here on out, I'll try to be more deep and focused. Beth and I are working hard, so I'm sure I'll have something to share from the life of Paul sooner than later.

Till then - Think about this one. As Resurrection Sunday draws near - Biblegateway.com is really pulling out the good stuff.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”- Isaiah 53:5-6

Studying Scripture

If I had unlimited time and funds, I would go to seminary.  Not because I wanna be a preacher, but because I love God's Word and would love to understand it at that level. 

Since time and funds are an issue, I would love your suggestions for studying Scripture.  Is there a commentary that you love?  Some other tip or resource that would help me to really dig in, in the comfort of my own home?

I love Beth Moore and her fantastic in depth studies.  I think I'm on my 5th, right now.  She does exactly what I would do, if I knew where and how to do it.  There are certain verses that I would like to be able to understand in the original language, compare key words with how they are used elsewhere, and have a better understanding of the original cultural climate they were written in.

Acts 17:11
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

I was in a church, many years ago, that tweaked things to suit their (his - the pastor's) liking.  I would really like to have the capability to do what the Bereans did.  If you have any suggestions for examining the Scriptures, I would greatly appreciate them!  Thanks.

If you have a problem you need help solving, head on over to We Are THAT Family for the reverse edition of Works For Me Wednesday .