Archive for August, 2013

2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 17!

I cannot believe my eyes! Verse 17! And you, my dear sisters, have outdone yourselves. You are still numbering 2000+ this far into the year so it looks like our hard-working team is going to finish 2013 STRONG. I pray that even today you would feel a great rush of God’s sublime pleasure over you.

You’ll notice by the date on this post that I published it late Saturday night. Our handsome nephew is spending the night with us and he’s sleeping in the area of our house where we get the best internet connection. I thought maybe he might be a bit more blessed if I did not wake him up first thing Sunday morning and need in his room with my laptop.

My selection this time around comes from my morning devotional yesterday. I have loved this verse for so long and, this many years from the first time I saw it, the tears still burned in my eyes over the beauty of it.

Few things strike awe in our wondering, wandering hearts like waking up all the sudden to a fresh revelation that God is right there in that place. And has been all along.

To shake up the look of our SSMT post this time around, I believe I’ll share my verse with you in pictures. This should be an extremely familiar sight to you at this point:

In case you need to see the verse a little closer up:

 

I love to look up a verse in a number of different translations. I was touched by each one I found for Genesis 28:16 and I’m memorizing it out of the NET. But I was completely captivated by how The Message worded what Jacob whispered. Isn’t it beautiful?

 

Incredible. Wonderful. Holy.

God, we love You. We long for You. We want to see you revealed and perhaps most of all in the places we least expect to find You. Awaken us to Your Presence. Hear the song of our souls even when our lives betray it.

 

Awake, my soul, and sing

Of Him who died for thee,

And hail Him as thy matchless King

Through all eternity.*

 

OK, Sisters, I’ve shared my verse with you. Now you share your verses with me!

 

 

*Lyrics from the great hymn, Crown Him with Many Crowns

 

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A Bit of an Obit

Boy, do I ever have an assignment for you who are in the mood to take a challenge. I’ve been fixated in my quiet time this morning on Romans 6:6. Here it is in the NIV:

For we know that our old self was crucified with [Christ] so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

Some of us have heard that Scripture hundreds of times. Others may not have known the exact place it resided in the Bible but you are more than familiar with the concept of being buried with Christ through His death on the Cross and being raised in His resurrection to walk in newness of life. Others among us (and I hope there are many) may have no familiarity with the concept at all. Raised in church, I’ve heard it since childhood but I’m not sure I have the strongest grasp of it half a century later. Anyway, one thing we all love about the living words of Scripture is that the Holy Spirit can illuminate a different phrase or word within a verse that captures our attention in an altogether fresh way. That’s what happened to me this morning. I got stuck on the first half:

For we know that our old self was crucified with [Christ]…

What washed over me was how many of us may not know that. Not the kind of authentic knowing that changes the way the soles of our feet slap the pavement. We know it on the sacred page and we know it as a doctrine of our faith, but I’m not sure the knowing in Romans 6:6 has invaded our lymph-nodes and gone viral in our major organs, spreading from the lobes of our brains to the bones of our feet. Take a look at the second half of the verse again and I’ll tell you why I think that.

…so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

Notice the verse doesn’t say we will no longer sin but that we “should no longer be slaves to sin.” Sister, you can forget perfection here on this planet but do not let anything on this earth convince you that you cannot be free from the mastery of sin. Some of us are giving up and giving way again to an area of bondage that has no right whatsoever to take authority over us.

Dissect the verse again. The full victory in the second half of the verse seems dependent on the first half of the verse. See it? The “we know” leads straight to a “so that.”

We know_____________________ so that _________________…

So, it seems to me there could be a bit of a break down in the system when we actually do not know to the marrow of our bones the very principle that ushers in the living reality of our gloriously powerful and victorious “so that.”

SO, here’s what I thought I’d throw out at those of you who are game this fine day for a challenge. I want you to write a paragraph-long obituary announcing the death of your old self. Get creative with it. Think up a name for your old self. You don’t have to necessarily use dates of birth and death but you can. You can do anything you want with it. Get as descriptive as you want or be as general as you like. Too many rules and too much structure could quench your creativity. Just go at it, Sister.

Glance at some obituaries on the Web to stir up the kinds of metaphors you might want to implement into yours. We’re not going to compare entries to one another. We’re not looking to applaud the ones that sound most spiritual. This is not a writing contest. This is an interactive with one primary goal: to get some Biblical “knowing” a little deeper into our belief system where it merges with our everyday walk.

Listen, there shouldn’t be anything morbid about this exercise. That old person of ours was out to kill us. It is murderous. These obituaries should be some of the best pieces of news we’ve ever heard. It is the Gospel springing to life through death.

Let’s allow the comments to this post to be entirely limited to these Romans 6:6 obituaries. No other verbiage. No other explanation. No other conversation. I will be on the edge of my seat waiting to see what spins from your soul to this page. I am anticipating that the comments will be slower than usual in coming because you’ll need time to think. Take all the time you need! If you’re like me, some of you will want to write yours on a Word document then copy and paste it into a comment. Do it however you like.

But do it, if you’re willing. And may it be healing.

I’m crazy about you guys. Thanks for jumping in!

 

 

 

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LPL Bossier City – A Recap and a Place To Testify!

Hi Girls! It’s a rainy Monday here in Houston and I can’t decide if the wicked headache I’m trying to cure is from the rain, tiredness or just the fact that it’s Monday, but either way, I’m really loving it. We need the rain! Also around these parts is the first day of school! I realize some of you have been in school for a couple weeks now, but our school calendar is set to start a bit later these days. I can’t believe summer vacation is officially over. (Not that I had one, but I like to live vicariously  through those that do since I planned on being a school teacher growing up, and actually was an education major in college. True story.)

Anyway, David Lowe, our photographer for the Bossier City LPL (he and Rich swap out turns when necessary) sent the recap our way today just in time for me to share it with you! It was so fun meeting some of you face to face. What a powerful, anointed weekend. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around so much. My journal will most likely be my best friend this week.

To shake things up a bit for our recap post, I thought it would be neat to testify. If you were at the event this weekend, this exercise will be really familiar to you, but if not, we welcome you to participate!

The last session, Beth had each of us write at the top of a blank page, “If the Lord had not been on my side…”

One of our greatest tools in being a witness is telling others what the Lord has done for us. What He brought us out of. What pit He pulled us from. To share what only He could have redeemed and made beautiful. We got to hear a few participants share at the conference, but if you feel led, by all means, make the comments a place to share yours! I’m so glad I was at the conference to witness this personally. God showed up, didn’t he?

I’ll start by sharing mine, because we need to know that we’re not alone. Amen?

If the Lord had not been on my side, I’d be a prideful, judgmental “elder brother” that seeks only the approval of men, pretends perfection and would be wasting away in secret sin. But oh, how He loves and redeems. Praise God.”

Y’all don’t leave me hanging now! Deal? Only joking. But I have no doubt today is a good day to testify to God’s goodness and redemption.

“If the Lord had not been on my side…”

We love y’all so much.

Living Proof Live | Bossier City from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

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Siesta Scholarship Tickets – LPL Bossier City

Hey ladies! This post is a little different this time around as we have actually already designated our 20 tickets for this event to a special group attending. However, I do know that tickets are still being sold if you’re still interested in attending. You can purchase them here.

The LPL team is headed towards Bossier City today, so as always, prayer for the weekend is needed and received!

Also, I (Lindsee) will be attending LPL this weekend and am looking so forward to running into some of you and meeting you face to face. That’s always so fun since I see you on the other side of the computer screen every single day!

We love y’all. Have a wonderful Thursday!

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Want to Wrap a Little Skin around a Scriptural Concept?

Hey, Dear Sisters! Well, surely after all these years I don’t have to tell you that you are my go-to group and all-time favorite resource for surveys or insights into various Scriptural concepts.  God started pressing a topic on my heart about a week and a half ago out of the blue during my quiet time and, since then, I have been all over both Testaments searching every spot where it rears up its head. Now I’d love to add some layers of examples and insights from life experience on top of it. The topic is accusation and it ultimately centers on the enemy as our accuser but I feel like God is leading me to gain some understanding of ways it weaves itself into our human relationships.

If you’d like to help wrap some human skin around an anatomy of accusation, so to speak, I would love to hear your responses to any or all of the 3 questions below. Your really honest answers would help me so much. At the same time, please don’t share anything that would be injurious to another person or that you’d mind being read in the newspaper of a small town because that’s roughly the population of readers we have on this blog. This is not the spot to whisper a secret and I write those words with a grin. I want this to be a candid place and a safe place all at the same time if possible. So, here are the questions:

1. In the course of your adult life, have you ever been painfully accused of something by another person (as opposed to being accused by Satan himself)? If your answer is yes, was the accusation a twisting/distorting of the facts or was it completely fabricated out of thin air? I’m looking into how often the most painful accusations are distortions or perversions of the truth (making them more believable and frustratingly less refutable) versus an outright lie with utterly no tie to the truth.

 

2. In the course of your adult life, have you ever accused someone else of something? If your answer is yes (and for most of us in a candid mood, it will be), did you turn out to be 100% right? (By all means, say so if you did. I’m just trying to look at the concept from several different perspectives.) Whether or not you were wrong, right, or partially right, do you have any regrets about making the accusation? If so, what are they and why?

 

3. In your opinion (and without the benefit of a dictionary), what is the difference between confrontation and accusation?

 

I am so grateful for your insight! You are welcome to leave your comment anonymously if you’d feel more comfortable answering candidly but, again, just make sure you don’t use someone’s name derogatorily or make his/her identity obvious in a negative light. You need not copy and paste the question you’ve chosen to answer but please do identify your response by number: 1, 2, or 3. Limit your answers to brief paragraphs because I’d really like to read as many as possible.

 

You are wonderful! Thank you so much! Pray for me as I continue to listen to God and see how He means for me to serve women in Bible study through this difficult topic. A heap of love to every single one of you!

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Unwanted

Unwanted.

That was the word that ran through my mind last week.

Now, before I keep writing I want you to hear that I am okay. I do not despise being single. I’m not pinning wedding ideas, dresses and rings on a secret Pinterest board. (But no judgment to those of you that do have a secret wedding board. Grin.) I don’t believe I’m one that has put off living my life until marriage. I don’t do single life perfectly, but I do try to spend an appropriate amount of my time serving and doing exciting things. (If I cease to live my life while waiting for marriage, someone please smack me upside the head to snap out of it.) But while being single has its perks, it also has its setbacks. Lonely days come. (And for those of you married and lonely, know that my heart hurts for you. I’m praying and believing that God would do a restoration and redemption that only He can.) Just like we all have good and bad weeks as parents, or friends, singles also have good and bad weeks. Good and bad days.

Typically when I have a week like that, I hate to burden anyone around me so I keep it to myself. Part of how I walk in pride is that I compare my situation to others around me, and to the onlooker if my trials are seemingly small and trivial, I tend to play down my emotions and feelings. So yes, the truth is, I am very blessed, loved and wanted, however, on the flip side, what matters to me, matters to God. Even the seemingly trivial that may seem ridiculous to someone else. But for me to act like I’m okay all the time doesn’t do me or anyone else any good. Because for me to compare my situations to those around me and not deal with what’s going on inside of me? Well, that’s just seems ridiculous and unwise. How can I minister to others when I fail to minister to my own heart?

Last week was just one of those weeks. I could not get past that daunting word. Unwanted. It just felt like blow after blow. I couldn’t ever come up from the undertow. I’d fall, get up again, only to fall right back down. And everything, and I mean everything, reminded me of my singleness. And what sometimes feels like chronic singleness.

A text message from a friend.
Some sad news about a friend.
Some exciting news about a friend.
The need to get an oil change. (These are the things I need a husband for. Of course, I hope you can hear me laughing.)
Celebrations.
Ministry.

Just to name a few.

I mean let’s be honest, sometimes a girl just needs (and wants) a male perspective to talk everything out with. Not to be needy. Not to be clingy. And certainly not for everything to be fixed and happy, but I think it’s healthy to long for a mate to do life with. The Lord created us male and female so that we would compliment each other. Be a helpmate to each other. (Granted, I know most males aren’t the chatty type, and I don’t imagine my future husband and I chatting for three hours at the end of every day, but on occasion? Well, sure. A girl can dream.)

I know this post sounds so depressing, but it is just true. Sometimes I don’t want to sugarcoat singleness. Because sometimes it’s just hard. And no fun.

I’m trying to become a more honest version of myself (something we talk about a lot around here) and one thing I have been confessing to the Lord lately was that although I know He’s chosen to protect me for 28 years from all the hurt and pain that relationships can bring, to a girl who desires to be a wife and mother one day, it feels a lot like rejection.

Yes, the Lord’s protection feels a lot like rejection to me. A different form of rejection, sure, but rejection nonetheless.

And let me tell you one thing, rejection isn’t pretty or easy.

This I know, no relationship can shrink that deep longing inside each of us to know and be known. In fact, I think the deeper our relationships grow and the longer we have them, the more we realize how crafty God was in leaving that hole that only he can fill. Our longing has been, and always will be, Him.

But it’s when I start to spiral into a thought process of pity and lies that I’m so gently reminded of the Lord’s promises.

The scary thing about being human flesh and blood is that I can be so stubborn. Even when He gently wants to woo me back to Him, sometimes I want to sit in my self-pity. Gross. So, I can choose to be stubborn, or I can let God deal with me. The choice really is my own.

Can I tell you one thing I know to be true? One thing that I’ve been working out with the Lord? If I can’t believe what the Internet says, and if I can’t believe what I’m thinking half of the time, then the only and one sure thing I can believe is what God’s word says about Him, about me, and about His promises.

God’s promises to me and to you reveal more about Him to us than us to Him. Does that make sense? He knows us inside and out, but He’s given us His promises so that we can know and trust Him. They reveal His glory. His character. His trustworthiness.

I can trust His word by faith because in 2 Timothy 3:16 He’s told us that “all scripture is God breathed…”, so when I need to correct my thinking, I can rest on the promises in His word. The Word He has spoken.

“So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:17

He doesn’t speak truth to my heart just to hear His own voice, He speaks truth so that I’m complete and equipped for every good work. There is purpose in His Word. There is purpose in His promises. There is purpose in His goodness.

How do I know He’s good?

Because I know the character of God. Listen, I know those of us who have heard these characteristics and promises time and time again tend to skip over them, but hear them today. Bring each of your circumstances and situations to these scriptures today and let them mold your thinking. No, the Word may not bring immediate clarity or all the answers to your situation, but the Word of God can bring peace and clarity to your heart and mind in the midst of restlessness.

He’s not out to harm me, or spite me. Jeremiah 29:10 – 14

Discipline me? Yes, He tells us he disciplines His children, and although it’s not fun at the time, it makes me more like Him. Hebrews 12:1-13

He’s kind. His heart is warm towards us. Sympathetic towards us. It’s His kindness that leads us to repentance. Not his harshness. Ephesians 2:7. Isaiah 63:7.

He’s gracious. He’s generous to our poor and needy selves. He doesn’t look down upon those who are of “lower social status” than Him. Isaiah 30:18

He’s loving. I don’t have to beg for His love. He gives it freely. His actions speak far louder than His words. He took His love to the cross for us. Psalm 62:11-12. Psalm 145:17

He’s faithful. His affections toward us never run out. He’s faithful forever. Psalm 33:4. Psalm 145:13. Psalm 146:6.

Nothing can separate me from His love. Nothing. Romans 8:37-39

He’s always with me. Deuteronomy 31:8

He meets all of my needs. Not my wants, my needs. Philippians 4:19

I’m never more thankful for Jesus than when He stoops down to meet me in my place of poverty. My place of unbelief. That place where I’ll undoubtedly return to at some point in my moments of weakness. I recently read a quote by a preacher that has not left me the past month or so, it said, “God invites us to come as we are, not stay as we are.” So that lie I kept repeating to myself last week? That ugly word, unwanted? I bring it to the Lord, I bring Him my honest self and over time, it’s exchanged for the truth of being wanted, pursued and delighted in by a very good God.

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We’re Working on Blog Issues!

Hi friends! I just wanted to let you all know that we are currently working out some blog quirks. If you’ve visited the blog today and it’s been down (as in crashed), or running very slow, do not fret!  We are aware and working on it, hopefully to resolve it very soon. Thank you so much for you patience with us! We love y’all and will see you tomorrow. Happy Monday!

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2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Verse 16!

Hey Y’all!

Before I fool anyone, each of you should know that this is Lindsee posing as Beth for this particular SSMT post. She and her girls on a little girl’s getaway that is much deserved. So when she mentioned that she might not be able to work this post out, I told her not to even think of it and enjoy her time away!

Side note: She was telling me yesterday she’s not sure when her last actual vacation was because our siesta mama has spent the last two scheduled vacations either being Bibby for a week (her grandma name), or writing for a week! So! Needless to say, this girl’s getaway is earned and joyfully welcomed! We blessed them as they walked out the doors yesterday and promised them they didn’t need to worry about one detail here. She also assured me she’d hopefully have some fun pictures for you guys when she gets back!

SSMT is a big detail. So here I am. I realize that was a much more detailed description as to why I’m taking over SSMT this time than you  probably cared to know, but now it’s in official wording and I’m leaving it.

Beth gave me the option to share my verse with you guys along with the one she’s memorizing this go around, so I decided to take her up on that. The more the merrier, right?

My verse is actually probably very familiar to y’all, but it hit me fresh a couple of weeks ago and knew it needed to be put into my memory for good. It’s one of those verses I know, and I could quote it, but not verbatim and I really wanted to be intentional with it this go around, especially since I really mixed up the version I’m memorizing it in this time which really makes it pop in my mind.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (Amplified)

This I know to be so true, I need Jesus. And I need Him to steady my heart, because He alone can do that. Want to hear some synonyms of steadfast? Steady, firm, stable, constant, staunch, and immovable. Each of these descriptions are things I want to be said and true of me. I think it’s so fitting that persevering and steadfast follow each other because it’s in my persevering that He makes my spirit steadfast, but I tend to get really distracted and unsteady pretty quick. Which I guess is why we’re told to persevere in the first place. Maybe it’s just me, but so many times I allow my circumstances to determine my steadfastness. When things are going good (translation: the way I want them too), persevering comes easy, as well as a firm and steady devotion to the Lord, but it’s when the going gets tough, that the tough get going. That’s when it’s time to wrestle that hard thing out with Him. For me, an example that comes to mind is singleness. Some days I love the freedom it brings, while other days I’m wrestling my  way through this season. Very quickly I can go from steadfast to discouraged. Steadfast to lazy. Steadfast to frustrated. I want so badly to be faithful in each season of my life, and to truly live in an “undivided devotion” to the Lord that Paul talks about, but we can all admit it’s not always easy. If it were easy, the vast majority would be doing just that.

I don’t always want to do the work it takes to have a clean heart, and a persevering Spirit, but I know all too well that when I’m not yearning for it is the perfect time to ask for it. So I’m asking for a clean heart! That God would renew me from top to bottom.

You’re more than welcome to join me this go around.

Or for those of you curious what our Siesta Mama has chosen, you can join her. This time she is memorizing Colossians 1:16 in the ESV version:

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” Colossians 1:16 (ESV)

Amen. He sees everything. He knows everything. He created everything. If you stop and take that verse a part line by line and dwell on that, it’s really mind blowing.

ALL things were created BY Him. (Things we cannot even lay our human eyes on.)
THROUGH Him.
And FOR Him.
ALL things.

I have no doubt our Siesta Mama would have more to say about that, but I’m just going to leave you with wow. So, if that scripture stirs something up in you, tag on with her.

(And now I’m going to make this really slick transition to close out the post. Could this be any more awkward? I’m kind of gifted in that. You know, making things awkward.)

Well, ladies! Time to persevere to the end! We’re so close. If you got through summer, you can certainly make it through the fall. Oh, and because I’ve been getting some emails and phone calls, I’ll go ahead and let you know that we’re planning on having all things SSMT celebration and details up SOON. Like, hopefully as in the next SSMT post or two. We’re so pumped and we love y’all dearly.

Let’s hear your scriptures!

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The Difference Between Attending and Attaching

Well, I feel safe saying that I feel like I have run a marathon the past week and a half.

This was my office last week.

Now, before you get any ideas that I may have been relaxing in the Caribbean and wondering why I feel as though I’ve run a marathon after getting such sweet R&R, that is really a picture of Galveston, Texas. Yes, many filters were used in the making of that photo. (And by many I mean one.) Galveston, to put it lightly, is not very easy on the eyes. To be fair, however, the brown sand is pretty accurate. I was actually in Galveston for Beach Week with the student ministry at my church. That’s right! After taking a year off of traveling for all things summer trips, I decided I really missed hanging with the students for a solid week, so I signed myself up to be a leader.

And I was placed with the middle school girls.

Lord bless them. And bless any of you that are currently raising middle school girls.

Let’s be honest, they became an anomoly to me and I to them. I loved my time with them, but I learned a lot about that age. (Side note: I spend the majority of my time with high school girls, hence the middle school lessons.)

1. They do not understand sarcasm. They are very literal.

2. They are allergic to cleaning up after themselves. Grin. (I was happy to serve them by washing their dishes, and other unmentionable service.)

3. They all want or own iPhones, have facebook, tweet and thrive on Instagram. I learned how thankful I was that I did not have any of those distractions at that age. Lord, help us.

4. They like to have dance parties when no one is watching.

5. The majority at that age still think boys are gross. I think the major shift happens their freshman year. (I pray they stay that way for a long time. Laughing.)

6. They all want a best friend that they can cling to.

7. They’re growing (physically) so fast, so they tend to be clumsy. It’s kind of endearing. And cute. Just like them.

When it came to the end of the week, I realized I had lost my middle school mojo. Bless my heart. Any and all tips on how to connect with middle school girls are appreciated. Smile. (I know, I say that too much.)

Anyway, we had such a fun week, minus the 12 jelly fish stings that happened the first day. Ouch. I now plan on adding jelly fish sting nurse to my resume. Vinegar and meat tenderizer is where it’s at, y’all.

This is me and Debra. Deb is our youth pastor’s wife. (Just a side note: Deb and I met years ago on the world wide web of blogging. Who knew that five years later we’d be serving together at the same church. Jesus is really so fun when He weaves lives and hearts together.) We bonded over a late night Walmart run that may or may not have included a drive through Whataburger. Only in Texas. No camp is legit until you have to go to Walmart for water and toilet paper towards the midnight hour. Don’t judge our hair in this picture. It’s what we call aunatural. Also, we were getting ready to head home at this point. Can you say tired? I loved serving alongside her this week. She and Ernest, our student pastor, do a wonderful job of shepherding our students at Bayou City Fellowship.

It’s really fun to go from serving with middle school girls all week long, to attending a woman’s ministry event. Two completely different things, but both warm my heart. Last night our church hosted an evening with our dear sweet Beth, and we had a really special visitor, Christine Caine, that also shared a bit of her story and the gospel presentation if you’ve ever heard one. We are blessed! And we welcomed many new faces into the Kingdom. So, when I say I feel like I’ve run a marathon, what I’m trying to say is that I am spent and exhausted in the best way possible. I really wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thanks to the very strong Word last night, I realized that’s the difference between just attending church and being attached to the church. If we are believers a part of a church, we need to do more than just attend, we need to attach ourselves and serve. Work hard for the Kingdom! Being connected is more than just attending. Being connected means you attach yourselves to the community God has placed you in. Isn’t that a good Word? So I would encourage you, if you’re just attending your church, and have been for the past ten years, nows the time to move! To work! Don’t miss out on the blessing of serving and pouring out. I have no doubt you’ll be blessed beyond measure.

Even if it means attaching yourself to a group of middle school girls. Yes and amen. Our young folks need us attaching to the church! Let’s lead by example!

She may be tiny, but she is mighty in the Lord, that sweet Beth. Thankful for her example of pouring out and attaching herself to the church. I’m better for it, and I’m sure you are, too.

A marathon. It’s the difference between attending and attaching. And it’s so good.

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Living Proof Live South Dakota Recap

A huge thanks to our friend Rich for another great recap!

Living Proof Live | Sioux Falls from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

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