Hey, Everybody!
I’m so happy to spend these next few minutes with you. I like to remind you in a writing season like this that I am thinking about you constantly even when it appears from your side of the screen as if we’re less in touch. As I study and write workday in and workday out, you are the first group that comes to my mind. Teacher’s pets if I’ve ever had any. I’m chatting to you constantly right now as I peck away at the keyboard. You just can’t hear me. I’m smiling thinking about how those tables may turn in a little over a year for any of you that end up doing the Bible study. You’ll be talking back to me as we discuss various passages in your homework but I won’t be able to hear you either. What a weird and beautiful dynamic.
I had the biggest blast getting to see a whole bunch of you Siestas at our Eugene, Oregon Living Proof Live. I was shocked when I walked in that room right after the event and David Lowe (our good friend who subs for Rich when he’s out) already had you split into two groups for our picture-taking. It would be hard to over-blow how much I loved being in Oregon for our event. God brought together one of the most wonderful, enthusiastic, Jesus-seeking, gonna-get-a-word-or-else groups ever. One of my top ten favorite groups in all fifteen LPL years. I could have cried when it was over.
(I just happened to remember that I have a few pictures on my iPhone of various shots from this trip so I’ll pitch a few in here for those of you like me who love visuals.)
(In the above picture, we took that State-famous “O” for Oregon and made it into a few divine adjectives for an “Omnipotent,” and “Overflowing,” “Overcoming” and “Out-breaking” God.)
Try to wrap your mind around the fact that God incited 7300 women by His Spirit to attend that event. That was nearly twice what we would have expected in that part of the United States for a gathering of this kind. Travis, the praise team, and I knew within about 2 minutes that Jesus was planning to be there whether we came or not. We felt completely incidental to the whole thing. He has something huge stirring in the Northwest. I can’t quit thinking about it. I got a DM from my good friend, Louie Giglio, last Friday saying that he and Chris Tomlin and their team had just been to that part of the country and were blown away by what God was doing. We left feeling the same astonishment.
I got to spend a little more time in the area than I usually do because I couldn’t get a flight out on Saturday night. That meant several walks in several different parks.
This scene was walking distance from the Holiday Express where we stayed in Eugene. Your blog mama is in there but it’s kind of like “Where’s Waldo?”
Most of our team went to Mount Pisgah Arboretum on Saturday afternoon and, honestly, it was like we were caught in the hobbits’ glen in Lord of the Rings. If Frodo Baggins had stepped out from behind a tree with his short legs and long hairy feet, the whole scene would have been complete. The trees looked just like the ones that talked in the trilogy and they groaned and creaked in the wind like old men trying to get out of a low chair. It was crazy. I didn’t even bother taking pictures with my iPhone because it would have been a travesty but our friend David got some great ones with his grown-up camera. This one doesn’t even give a hint of the gorgeousness that was surrounding us in that park but I think it is especially gorgeous because I love this group of women so much. These are some of the hardest working girls you’ll ever find on earth. They are part of the LifeWay women’s event team that actually puts on Living Proof Live events. (As well as Priscilla Shirer Live and many others.) They don’t often come to the platform but trust me when I tell you that no one would serve on that platform if not for these women doing all the front work, sight inspections, training, praying, and city coordinating. Then, once the weekend arrives, they are busy behind every scene, down every hall, and all over the arena. I am nuts about them. There are at least a dozen others who weren’t assigned to our Oregon event over the weekend. I wish you could see them, too. They are all stellar women.
I could have stayed a solid week in Oregon. Or, if all my people had been there, a month. But Bibby gets cranky for the grandbabies after too many days away. I saw them right before I left for Oregon and the day after I got back. Thank you, thank you, thank you to my beloved Amanda and Curtis, who always make room for the grandparents in their hyper-busy pastoring lives. I happen to be typing this post about five feet away from this picture right here. Now, I ask you, who could stand to be far from those two for very long?? My point exactly.
Oh, one more thing about the trip. On the rare occasions when much of the team gets to stay an extra night after the event, there is considerable foolishness. With God-fearing people, especially of mixed company, off-color humor is out so we have to go with just plain stupid and it works for me every time. This is Travis with his good friends Clay (who played the mandolin for us at this LPL! We loved him!) and Seth (who we always love and get to have on the team most of the time).
I bet Travis wore those glasses for 15 minutes in the drugstore. (Yep, that’s where all this stuff was.) Long enough to where I found myself talking to him normally as if he didn’t look like an idiot. Of course, it might be a tad hypocritical for me to say he looked like such a thing since…
Tragically, that’s not plastic you’re seeing there below the glasses. That’s my real nose. (I made myself laugh.)
Well, I could talk on and on but, the fact is, we have Scriptures to do today, Sisters! I love mine this time around. Remember how we talked about the importance of choosing one to memorize that really means something to us personally? This one’s really speaking to me right now. Lately I’ve been especially aware of the contrasts in the Christian public square between those who build up the Body of Christ and those who tear it down. If we’re going to be builders in a world tearing apart, we’re going to have to be deliberate. We’ll also have to accept the materials we’re working with. We’ll never have a flawless body of believers to edify. Not this side of our completed state. As my friend Carlos Whittaker says, we’re all crazier than we think we are. It’s a mess out there. Oh, for crying out loud, I’m a mess in here. But we do have a flawless Savior and we are indeed God’s chosen people, loved and planned for and accounted for in the Kingdom agenda. We’ve got to decide how we want to treat one another on this thorny journey. This verse says it well.
Beth, Houston. So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. 1 Corinthians 14:12 ESV
There He says it: don’t just take a stab at it. Strive to excel in it.
Oh, Sisters, I love you so much. I truly do. I’ll talk to you soon!
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Sarah, Dallas, TX
“I am filled with trouble and anxiety, but your commandments bring me joy.” – Psalm 119:143, GNT
Susan, Birmingham AL
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 NIV
Jen K (Prosper, TX)
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King over all the earth.
Praise Him with a psalm.
Psalm 47:6-7 (NLT)
Norka, Mississauga, ON Canada
Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:8-9 (ESV)
Amy Adams
Middletown, DE
2 Peter 1:3 (NIV) – His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
Jackie, Covington, IN: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:13-NIV
For God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT
Emily Strate
El Dorado, AR
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3 NIV)
Maureen, Pascoag, RI
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will
protect those who know my name.
Psalm 91:14 NRSV
Jean – Lebanon, Tennessee
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
Psalms 139:23, 24 NLT
Stacey, Houston, TX
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. (Ephesians 3:17, 18 NLT)
Kim from Mansfield, TX And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colossians 3:15 NLT)
Margo from Littleton, CO
“The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
Hebrews 9:13-14 (NIV)
Angie, Markham
For every kind of animal, bird , reptile
and sea creature is subdued and had been
subdued by humankind. But no human being
can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil,
full of deadly poison.
James 3:7-8 NET
Terri from Mechanicsville, VA
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age.
Titus 2:11-12 (NIV)
Kim from Mansfield, TX Colossians 3:15 NLT And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. (Colossians 3:15 NLT)
Sarah Spencer, Marion, KS, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, NIV
However, as it is written:
What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” –
the things God has prepared for thsoe who love him-
These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Elisabeth
Modesto, Ca
For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. (Psalms 91:3, 4 NLT)
Amy, Houston TX:
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
– Proverbs 29:11 ESV
Vickie, Baytown, Texas
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5 ESV
Debbie, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
“Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'”
John 6:35 (NIV)
Lynda, Monterey:
“The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.”
Proverbs 20:7 (NLT)
Yvonne
Fresno, CA
Continuing Psalm 18 NIV
vs. 21-22 “For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.
Vicki, Surprise AZ
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV
Luke 12:7 – Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (NIV)
Jill from Houma, LA
The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.
Exodus 14:14 NIV
Psalm 34:4 ESV
“I sought the LORD and He answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.”
13) I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14) I am under obligation both to the Greeks and the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. Romans 1:13,14 ESV
Suzann Benson
Kingwood, WV
Alyssa, Dallas, TX
Romans 6:21-22 (ESV)
But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Linda W. from Tomball, TX
“Make me to know Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long.”
Psalm 25:4&5 (ESV)
Kristi, Scottsdale, AZ
He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. (2 Corinthians 1:4MSG)
Alison from Southport, NC. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:1-3. NKJV.
Brenda Kelley, Taylors, SC
“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” Psalm 105:4 NIV
Lisa, Wichita, KS
“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.”
2 Samuel 22:33, NIV
Suzy, Wheelersburg,Oh – Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19 NIV
Ashley B – Richmond, Va
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105 (NASB)
Eva, Knoxville – (cont) But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. James 1:10 (NIV)
Niv psalms 27. The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?
Ohio
For the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof.
1 Cor. 10:26
Emily from Birmingham, AL … “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6 ESV
Heika-Texas,
“Praise the Lord O’ my soul and forget not all His benefits; Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion” Psalm 103:2-4 (NIV) THANK YOU LORD!
Christine ~Flagstaff, AZ
Jesus said to him: “‘Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”‘ Luke 22:31-32 (NKJV)
Janae – Riverside,PA Psalm 121:3-4 “He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Lila, Salem, OR
“to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:21 HCSB
Marilyn, Amarillo, TX ” For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
jenny
white hall, ar
“dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.”
1 john 5:21 (nlt)
anything.
Troy, OH
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 NIV
Mollyanne, Athens, GA
“If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:8-10
Sally, Columbus, OH
“Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution, He will come to save you.'”
Isaiah 35:3-4