**Siesta Celebration is January 20-21, 2012**
Hey, Darling Things!
I’m writing you from about 28,000 feet in the air, glancing out at a sunset heavy with steely thunderheads and striped in army blues. I am on my way home the long way from Columbus, Ohio. After our Living Proof Live ended and we ate lunch at the arena, we all headed to our various vans so we could make our ways to the airport. I hopped in the front seat with Rich because Ron and his darling wife Nancy had already headed home. Several of our other buddies were in the back chattering away when Rich overheard me say to my man on the phone, “Honey, I won’t be late! My fight is at 3:47 and I’ll pick back up an hour so I’ll have a nice long evening with you.” Keith was feeling poorly with a chest cold and laryngitis and I really wanted to get back to him.
(Rich) “Beth, you have a layover.”
“A what?”(Like I don’t know what that word means after nearly 30 years in thin air.)
“A layover in Denver on your way home. I think you get home kind of late.”
“But I had a nonstop flight to Columbus!”
“Well, you don’t have a nonstop flight home.”
And he was right. I hadn’t even looked at my arrival time in Houston. So, this afternoon I flew from Columbus all the way to Denver and now I’m on my Denver flight making my way to Houston. This weekend I’ve lost an hour, picked up two, then given one up again. Try to do that math.
But to say it was worth it is an understatement. We had 7000+ women in Columbus, Ohio who were in the mood to lift up some high volume praise to the God who is worthy. We knew we were going to love them within 15 seconds flat. And they were my favorite kind of group in Bible study, too, because they got involved the way a small class would. Super interactive. God so graced us in Ohio and we will remember the time we had with those believers for a long time. I knew God was up to something good when I looked at the stat sheet that K-Mac prepared for me and noticed that the six biggest groups attending the events were six different denominations. There are no words to express to you what that means to us. To God’s credit alone, that’s becoming more the rule than the exception in this season.
I’ve had a very interesting flying day. If you’re on Twitter, I tweeted that the people watching had been extraordinary. You know, I struggle a tad with eavesdropping as it is but when everyone is sharing very big feelings at a very high volume, what is a woman to do? But stare? And so, I nearly cried while a young 40 something Dad with shoulder length hair hugged his varsity baseball-type looking son goodbye as he took off for college for the first time. Both of them had tears streaming down their cheeks. It was a most moving scene and one that I had to restrain myself from joining. Of course, I don’t know if the young man was going away to college or not. I made that part up because it was the best possible scenario to fit the high EQ. The part about the long-haired dad and the varsity baseball-type son was true, however. And they were both crying. If I wouldn’t have to stop and explain when I’m making something up, my posts would go smoother. But somehow I feel an obligation toward confession.
What is indeed an absolute fact is that there was a little girl about six years old that nearly made people punch the windows out of the plane and parachute to Beulah Land while her mother chatted with a friend. Mind you, a six year-old little girl would have to work hard to push me over the edge. I love that age in the largest way. But I was nearly overwrought with the teeming desire to give that darling child a spank offering. But, of course, I wouldn’t have. Goodness knows, I have a deep commitment to all things politically correct.
Well, guess what day it is? August 15th and you know what that means! Spit out your next Scriptures, young ladies, and do it with some fervor. His words are Spirit and life to us. Let’s give them some respect and expect them to do the kinds of things He promised they would. Here’s mine:
Beth, Houston. “Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:13 The NET Bible
A loved one and I are memorizing this together as he seeks to take the next step in a victorious life that demands sobriety. For some of us, it’s all or nothing. Jesus is the only reason some of us are not passed out in an alley with a newspaper over us. If you have struggled to stay sober and the enemy is doing everything he can to suck the life out of you and steal everybody you love, one by one, don’t stay in the shadows. Get out in the light. Own up and let some people cheer you onto sobriety and victory. YOUR GOD IS ABLE TO DELIVER YOU. Do what you have to do so that you can do what you want to do. You have a calling to fulfill.
I never want to get where we’re playing church around here. The salvation of Jesus Christ is real and it has huge practical ramifications in everyday life here on this fallen planet. Let’s not just talk it. Let’s do it.
Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober.
Psalm 119: 143 (NLT)
Laura- Burbank
As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands.
Cassandra, Mars Hill, NC “Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” Hebrews 4:16 HCSB
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exod. 14:14 (NIV)
Lori
League City, TX
Janet, Lenoir, NC: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 NIV
Susan- Nashville, TN
Colossians 1:16 ESV
“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.”
Kerry, Houston
“You will teach me how to live a holy life. Being with you will fill me with joy; at your right hand I will find pleasure forever.”
Psalm 16:11 New Century Version (NCV)
James 1:4 (ESV)
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Shannon
Katy, TX
Lydia, Vicksburg, MS
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10 NIV
Monique, Elizabethtown, KY Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 ESV
Caitlin, McKinney, TX
2 Chronicles 7:14, NLT “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
AAHHH!!! I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO POST YESTERDAY!! 1st time I’ve been late the entire year! Anyway…
Dawn W — Falmouth, KY — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)
“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
Zephaniah 3:17 (KJV)
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Lori Lehrmann ~ Port Arthur, TX
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)
James 2:13 …MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGEMENT! (emphasis mine)
Chyrll, Memphis: “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Colossians 3:12, 13 NASB
Dawn – Mableton, Ga.
Sober since 4/1/2002
9 yrs: 4 mos: 16 days
Psalm 84:10 “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”
Deneen, Pittsburgh, PA
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” Romans 12:3 TNIV
Pam-Rochester, MN
One thing I asked of the LORD,
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life.
To gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple.
Ps. 27:4 ESV
Psalm 103:10 (NKJ version)
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
Jackie, Los Angeles, CA
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 NLT
Amy Storms
Santa Clarita, CA
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14, NIV)
Kristen Keeling from Covington, Ga:
“…so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.” Psalm 78:6 (NIV)
Barbara, New Orleans
“Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Don’t be excessively wicked, and don’t be foolish. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them” Eccl 7:16-18, HCSB
Make allowances for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13 (NLT)
Melissa, Locust Grove, GA
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. Galatians 6:4-5 The Message
Celeste Laguna Niguel, CA
Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for
us.
Psalm 62:8 NASB
Romans 4:7 (NIV)
Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Ann Gainesville, FL (moved home from Morocco…)
Psalm 147:12-14
Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion,
for he strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your people within you.
He grants peace to your borders
and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
Erika, San Antonio, TX:
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
(Hebrews 11:6 ESV)
Cindy Dallas, TX
In Him we live and move and have our being. Acts
Christine Lissoy, Irvine CA: “The LORD protects you;
the LORD is a shelter right by your side.” Psalm 121:5 (HCSB)
Sarah, Colorado Springs
Jeremiah 31:25 (The Message)
I’ll refresh tired bodies;
I’ll restore tired souls.
Nancy, Bridgewater, NJ
Psalm 111:10 NIV
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
All who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
***Praise GOd! This verse hit my heart!
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
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.”
II Peter 1: 3-4 (NIV)
Christy
Fayetteville, AR
“no flesh should glory in his presence.”
1 corinthians 1:29
KJV
Karyn, Elberfeld, IN – Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. Jeremiah 17:7 (NASB)
Ephesians 1:4-6 NIV
For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will – to the praise of His glorious grace which He has freely given us in the One He loves.
Shirley Barry, Mooresville, NC
Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult. Proverbs 12:16, NIV
I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for HE dwells with you and will be in you. John 145:16-17 NIV
Shannon, Birmingham, AL
‘Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
NIV Psalm 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Psalm 63 NIV
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
Don’t Panic. I’m with you. There is no need to fear for I am your God. I will give you strength. I will help you. I will hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. Isaiah 41:10 (The Message Bible)
II Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
I have been very blessed by this and by the weekly emails from Beth. I cry and laugh at the same time and find that I can relate to Beth’s life and all the stuff there in. I just love that we can be Women of God and still be real with each other. We can’t walk alone girls. We must walk with God and then gather our sisters up and bring them along. No matter what the cost. I’m in it for the long haul. Battered, bruised, loved, hated, and all the in between. I will claim victory in my life, In Jesus Name. 🙂
Traci from Lakewood, WA
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7 (NIV)
A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. Proverbs 12:16 NIV
Jeanene, League City, TX
“He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:9 (NASB)
Marsi, Santa Barbara:
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27: 13,14 (NIV).
Also have not posted (but have been memorizing), 8/1:
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19, NIV.
Marci, Amsterdam
Isaiah 40:31
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
they walk and don’t lag behind.(The Message)