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, Athens, GA
“Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Isaiah 64:8
Susie – Garland, TX
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.
Psalms 143:8
you will make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence
Psa 16:11
heather g
charlotte nc
Christina, Decatur, TX
Charm is deceptive, and beauty if fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Proverbs 31:30-31 NIV
When I saw this I got goosebumps. I attended the conference in Eugene, and on Saturday, the very day that we were studying Ecclesiastes 3, a piece of art was being dedicated near my home in Central Oregon. Art that is directly Christian just does not happen in Oregon.
http://www.ktvz.com/news/Redmond-celebrates-new-public-artwork/-/413192/16792362/-/hiwfq8/-/index.html
I have been able to pass on some of the truths that were “gleaned in Eugene” to my friends here (we call ourselves “the Jesus girls!”) We were all so encouraged.
Eva in Wichita, KS
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:11 NIV
Sylvia Georgetown TX
This is what the Lord says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths; ask where the good way is and walk on it, and you will find rest for your soul.
Jer 6:16 NIV
Thanks for this. It is perfect for my journey right now.
“But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God and made Him my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.” Psalm 73:28 Amplified
Margo, Laramie, WY
Psalm 19:1,2 NIV
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
Lanny, Inverness, MS
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace, the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and will clap their hands.”
Isaiah 55:12
from New Orleans,
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (NIV)
Mary, VB, VA
Psalms 91:11 NLT
“For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.”
Lynn, Lake Villa, IL
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Exodus 14:14 NIV
Kristin, Austin, TX
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2 NIV
1 Corinthians 2:14
New International Version (NIV)
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
Linda, Richmond, VA
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4
Christa, Memphis TN
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 NIV)
Sarah, Elkhart, IN. 1 Corinthians 14:33. For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.
Jude 7-8 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (8)In the very same way on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.
Carol Wiglesworth
Olathe KS
I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36, 37 NET)
This spoke to me for I am prone to “worthless words”. cw
Ecclesiastes 7:13 KJV
Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?
Cottonwood, CA
But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand.
Psalm 31:14-15a (ESV)
Thank YOU, mama Beth, for Eugene, OR! I love you & your team.
Kathy Hazlehurst,Ms
Eph 3:20 NIV
Now to him who is able to do more
than all we can ask or imagine, according to
his power that is at work within us.
PRAISE GOD…….
Dawn, Ozark-MO
“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” Hebrews 12:11 (NLT)
Kelly, Greer, SC
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” -Romans 11:36 (NASB)
Terra from Owasso, Oklahoma
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 NLT
Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there
with you. Matthew 18:20 CEV
Tanya, Lorton, VA
and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)
Anne, Mansfield, TX
Philippians 2:3 NIV
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
Anne from Glen Allen, VA
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
Val from Snohomish, Wa
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” Psalm 16:11 ESV
Laurin, Harrisburg, NC “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 NIV
Jeri, Salt Lake City
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12 NIV
Susan, Knoxville
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NIV
Cheryl
Pensacola, FL:
Acts 28:31 NIV
He (PAUL) proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
Amber, Huntington, IN: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22 ESV
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV
Jennifer, Denham Springs, LA
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3, NIV
Kellie, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him.” 1 John 2:15
“The Lord said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you waht to say” Exodus 4:11-12 NIV
“Keep your eyes open for GOD, watch for His works; be alert for signs of His presence.” Psalm 105:4 Message
Rosie Cincinnati, OH
Thous ast thrust sore at me that I might fall; but the Lord helped me.
Ps. 118:13 (KJV)
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Is. 53:10 (KJV)
Tracy Allison Park: From “once upon a time” to “kingdom come” – you are God. Psalm 90:2b (Message)
Anita, Big River, Saskatchewan, Canada
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
NIV1984
Desta, Trinchera, CO ~ For we are a fragance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing… 2 Corinthians 2:15 NAS
Judy, Beaumont, California
There I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the nations and I will sing praises in Your name.
2 Samuel 22:50 NAS
Obviously 😉 should be Therefore….
Christine, Atlanta, GA – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NIV
Kathy S, New Albany Ohio
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
NASB
Deedi
Kodak, TN
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.””
Romans 8:15