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
Kathy Carenza
New Port Richey Fl
Hebrews 11:3 HCSB
By Faith we understand that the universe was created by God’s command, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible.
Miranda -Greenville, SC
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:14, 15 NIV)
Deb in Windsor, CT:
“Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.”
-Proverbs 28:14, NIV
Misti from Rockwall, TX
Psalm 119:68 NIV
“You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.”
Stacy Carmel, IN I Peter 5:10 ESV And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all greace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Heather from Alpharetta, GA
Hebrews 10:23 (NCV)
Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised.
Erika from McKinney, “So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.” Gen 1:27 NIV
Michele , Rockmart, GA
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Psalm 143: 8. NIV
Kristine, Welland, ON
Isaiah 45:3 (NIV)
I will give you hidden treasures,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
Jennifer from Livingston, TN: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” 2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV
Canyon L,
Purcellville, VA
…who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion, Ps 103:3 & 4 (NIV)
Kathleen D
Bernardsville, NJ
Psalm 61:2 ( version??…from an internet posting )
“when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the Rock that is higher than I”.
Lisa, Andalusia, AL
“So is My Word that goes out from My mouth:
It will not return to Me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11 NIV
Andrea, Louisville,KY. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18”
Nirma,Dighton,MA
Hebrews 12:1-2a
‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS and THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for US.
Let us FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS, the author and perfecter of our faith’
Kathy, Birmingham, AL
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 NIV
Laura, Townsend, MA
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
Charlotte, England, UK
“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” – Psalm 143:8,(ESV)
Christene from London, Canada
Romans 15:13 NET
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Lizz M.
Brick, NJ
Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sonrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those living in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1:78,79. NASB
Psalm 37:4NIV
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Lisa, New York
Betsy, Westerville, Ohio
Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Maria, from Louisville
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,…”
~Timothy 2:24
Barb, Kentwood MI:
for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name
Luke 1:49 NIV84
Ashley from Indianapolis, IN
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” -John 10:10 (NIV)
Jenny, Des Moines, IA
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:2-3 NIV
Jeanette from Springfield, Ohio –
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)
Lori from Athens, Ga.:
Heb. 10:23 (NCV)
“Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised.”
Nicole from Lewisville TX
Brothers, I do not consider my self yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 NIV
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat– for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Psalm 127:1-5 NIV
Beth Love, Warminster, PA
1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Deneen- Pittsburgh, PA
“May integrity and uprightness protect me,because my hope, Lord, is in you. ”
Psalm 25:21 – NIV
But, practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head.
Eph. 4:15 (NET)
Psalm 2:11 (NKJV)
Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
Schel, Bayou Vista, TX – “Help me O Lord my God, save me in accordance with your love”. Psalm 109:26 (NIV).
James 4:3 (NIV)
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Roxie, Jerseyville, IL Isaiah 66:8 EVS
“Who has heard such a thing? Who has see such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children.”
Elizabeth Meagher Mechanicsville VA
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10
Doris, Whiteville, NC
Psalm 121:1-2 ESV
I lift my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come from?
My help comes from The Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
keena:
festus,mo:
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law.
And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:22-26
NKJV
Scarlett Temple, Social Circle, Ga.
Psalm 120:165 NIV
“Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”
Laura, Jefferson, ME
Psalm 25:12 ESV
Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him will He instruct in the way that he should choose.
Jamie, Holly Springs, NC
Ephesians 4:29, ESV
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Sheila – Guyton, GA
“So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”
I Cor 14:12 ESV
Karen, Norfolk, VA: If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea”….. Psalm 139:9 (NIV)
D’Anna Nowack
Kilgore, Texas
2 Corinthians 5:17
New International Version (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!
Stacy – Hinckley, England
I have confidence in your strength; you are my refuge, O God.
Psalm 59v9 (GNT)
Jeri
Creston IA
Rejoice 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)
Deb Knepp in Bremen, IN
if I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
Psalms 139:9 NIV
Jesus said, “I tell you, do not worry about your life, about what you will eat, your body or about what you will wear.” Luke 12:22 NIV
Sherry Trawick
Salisbury, NC