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
Holly from Benton:
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[c] you were doing it to me!’
Matthew 25:40 NLT
Tammie from Ferris, TX
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
Proverbs 19:1-2 ESV
Eph. 1:19 (NASV)
And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
Gail – Tyler,TX
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
Leslie G from Warner Robins:
Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
“Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”
Keely from Hermann, MO, learning Nehemiah 9:6 “You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”
Tami, Clovis, CA
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Cherilyn, Colfax NC
“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:7-8a NIV
Kadie- Tinley Park, IL
and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
1Peter 1:4
Whitney Laramore, Ames, OK
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
Becky Scherle
Waddell, AZ
If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:17 (NIV)
Diana, Seekonk, MA
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 NIV
Rachel, Surprise, AZ
“Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” ~Psalm 112:6-7 (NIV)
Vickie, Poplar Bluff, MO. “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, have the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Philippians 2:2 NIV
Leah
Brandon, MS
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
Barbara, Birmingham,Al
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck, write them on the
tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:3 NIV
Isaiah 41:13 NIV For I am The Lord, your
God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Lisa S in Montgomery TX
Jennifer, Tomball, TX “…and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength…” Eph 1:19 (HCSB)
I was having technical difficulties last month and did not get to post my verse for the 15th. SO, here’s both:
4/15/13
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
(Matthew 7:12 ESV)
5/1/13
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)
Jenni from Birmingham, AL
“Whatever work you do, put yourself into it, as those who are serving not merely other people, but the Lord.”
Colossians 3:23 (CJB)
Mitzi from Midland, Tx
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears The Lord is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)
Tisha
Pilot Mtn, NC
A cheerful heart brings good healing,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NET)
“Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives; they’re like spring rain and sunshine.”
Proverbs 16:15(The Message) Diana Anderson, Greenville, KY
Lamentztions 3:21-13 NIV
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness.
Jane
Houston, Texas
Luke 12:15 (NLT)
Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Kristina, Duluth, MN
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV
Sally Sour Lake Texas
Galatians 5:22-25 (HCSB)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love,joy, peace, patience, kindness,goodness,
faith,
[e] 23 gentleness,self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Now
those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.
Barbara, Prospect, KY: “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you–I, whom you have redeemed.” Psalm 71:23 NIV
Cara – Fridley, MN
Guard your heart more than anything else,
because the source of your life flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23, GW
Kristin, Suwanee, GA ~
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalm 103.1, KJV
Sarah, Tacoma WA
Psalm 63:3-5 (NIV)
“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”
Georganne, Piedmont, Oklahoma II Peter 2:9 NASB
Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.
Amy from Plainfield IL
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus (Galatians 6:14 NIV)
Shelly, San Angelo, TX
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 NRSV
Cory, Las Vegas, NV
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23 NLT
Karen ~ Greer, SC
Psalm 29:2 (NIV)
“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.”
Patti, Phoenix, AZ
Psalm 16:5 [GNT] You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands.
Melissa, San Antonio, TX
John 14:26 (NLT) I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Romans 12:9 ESV
Let love be genuine, abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Candice C.
Ferris, TX
“If anyone speaks |his speech should be| like the oracles of God; if anyone serves |his services should be | from the strength God provides, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 4:11 HCSB
Phoebe, Tucson. But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. Psalm 52.8, NIV
Julia, Whidbey Island, WA: “Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.” Ps 62:8 NIV
Kim B. in Thatcher, Az
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. Is 40:28(NIV)
Deidre
Hickory, NC
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety”
Psalm 4:8
KJV
Phoebe, Tucson. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints. Psalm 52.9, NIV.
Carter, Charlotte –
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. Eph. 3:17 NLT
Donna Tyra Martinez, Ga
Phil 4:6 NIV
Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness! Lam 3:23
Nancy, Lee’s Summit, MO
He gathers the water together as a heap. He lays up the deep in storehouses. Psalm 33:7 NKJV
Pam Houston, Buena Park, CA
“If I take the wings of dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,” Psalms 139:9 NASB (memorizing the whole of Ps.139 this year)