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
Deanna, Houston, As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. (Psalm 71:14 NIV)
Gretchen, Thousand Oaks, CA
Psalm 16:5 NET
Lord, You give me stability and prosperity; You make my future secure.
He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Psalm 121:3 HSBC
Tracey Richardson from Shawnee, Kansas
Psalm 51: 10, 12b (NET)
Create for me a pure heart, O God! Renew a resolute spirit in me!…Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey!
Elaine
McVeytown
Colossians 3:9 NLT
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus The Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Colossians 2:6. (NASB)
Brenda
Byhalia, MS
You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.
2 Samuel 22:29 (NIV)
Brooke from Ladson, SC
Proverbs 12:16 NLT – A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.
Michelle Bordelon Prairieville, LA
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6 ESV
Dayla, Springfield, MO
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV
Rose in Dallas
Philippians 4:6-7, The Message
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Teri in Tampa, FL
Psalm 33: 20-22
20 We wait in hope for the Lord;
  he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
  for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
  even as we put our hope in you.
ESV
Kaye,Hamburg,AR
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
Beth, Story City, IA
“The key of the house of David I lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open.”
Isaiah 22:22, NKJ
Jill E.
Export, PA
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11 NIV
Stretch out your hand with healing power: may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
Acts 4:30 NLT
Linda from Tallahassee
Isaiah 61:4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. NIV
Lori, Toledo
“…But deep in your hearts you know that The Lord has kept every promise He ever made to you. Not one of them has been broken.”
Joshua 24:14 Contemporary English Version
Debbie, Hattiesburg, MS
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.
Psalm 51:10-11 (NKJV)
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:4-6
NIV
Olda, Huntsville
” We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12b (ESV)
Ashley Fisher
Memphis (Collierville), TN
But the wisdom from above is first pure, the peaceable, gentle, reasonable full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering and without hypocrisy. James 3:17 (NLT)
and said: “ Lord , the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. (1 Kings 8:23 NIV)
JJ, Oviedo, fl
Andria from Virginia:
Psalm 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
NIV
PatC, S Burlington,VT
Agree with God and be at peace;thereby good will come to you.
Job 22:21 ESV
Candace L, Lexington Park, MD
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
Oops, the reference was actually Phil. 4:13 for my verse above, please forgive.
Wendy
Wilson,NC
Romans 15:13 (NIV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Rebecca, Louisa, Va: In His name the nations will put their hope. ~ Matthew 12:21 (NIV)
Wrentham, MA Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV) The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.
Danielle, Evansville IN
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Stormy, Lynchburg VA
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 NIV
“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
Marilyn, Mission Viejo, CA
Romans 10:10 ESV
With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation.
Lydia, Warman Canada
Proverb 3:5 NIV
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Tracy F.
Lake St. Louis, MO
You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
Mary R. Duluth, MN
Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. Psalm 16:1 NIV
Ashley from Ann Arbor, Michigan:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Micah 7:7 New American Standard
“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord,I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”
Tessa Pierce Nacogdoches TX
Psalm 92:1-2 NKJ
1) It is good to give thanks to the Lord
And sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2) To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And your faithfulness every night.
Prov 3:5-6 NLT
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
Loris, SC
Sallie Belle Howell, Tupelo, MS Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. (1 Peter 4:1 NIV)
Annette, Lee’s Summit, MO Philippians 2:1 NIV:
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion…
Deut 20:17 (NIV)
Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours but God’s.
Michelle Weihing, Frisco, TX Exodus 14:14 ESV – “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
Deut 31:6. (ESV)
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is The Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
Stephanie; Ogden; “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything., Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippian 4:6-7; NLT
When God gives any man wealth and possessions and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy with his work. This is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. Ecc 5:19-20
This verse is in honor of my husbands retirement this week from the police department after many years of service to our community.
Pamela of Shelby Township MI
He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Psalm 91:4 NIV
Dee Dee, Smyrna, GA “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” James 3:17 (NASB)