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
Liz Hood, Ruston, Louisiana
May 2nd Ecclesiastes 12:13 NKJV
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.
I am memorizing this verse in memory of my pastor and friend, Dr. Rick Byargeon.
Diane, Harker Heights, TX: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25
Amy in Eagle, Idaho
God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power
Job 37:5 NLT
Psalm 27:5 NKJV
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
Marie, from Post Falls, Idaho –
“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” – Proverbs 12:22 (NKJV)
“She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,and happy are all who retain her.”~Proverbs 3:18 NKJV
Stephanie Kilper, Stow, Ohio
”I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.”
Isaiah 44:22 NLT
Bonaire, GA
“Evening and morning and at noon (all times of day) will I pray and cry aloud and he WILL hear my voice!”
Psalm 55:17 KJV
Brea B. – Gardendale, AL
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your path. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
Proverbs 3:5-8 (ESV)
Lacey Katy, Tx
“But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children.” Psalm 103:17 NIV
Lori, Owasso, OK
Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.
Proverbs 31:10-11 NLT
Kathy, Liverpool, NY
Habakkuk 2:3 (CEV)
“At the time I have decided,
my words will come true.
You can trust what I say
about the future.
It may take a long time,
but keep on waiting—
it will happen!”
Carol from Billings, MT.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 (NIV)
Jamie, Coupeville
My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest;the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:5-8, NASB
Tami,Decatur,Tx.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45 (NIV)
Jackie UK
Ephesians 4 verse 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.
Gina from Ruston, LA
Then 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)
Charlotte in Mims, FL
Proverbs 3:3-4 (NASB)
Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
Ashley Edwards, Dallas, Ga
Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”
John 1:19-20 (NIV)
Peggy
Schertz, Texas
“wait for the Lord, Be strong, and let your heart courage in waiting for the Lord!” Psm 27:14 ESV
Careese in Amarillo,TX
Matthew 5:48 NLT
You are to be perfect, even as your father in heaven is perfect.
Jeri, Stillwater, Ok. How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you. Psalm 31:19 (NIV)
Brandie, Kearney NE:
“Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be a [person] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects].” James 1:2, AMP
MaryJo, Indianapolis
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1 (NIV)
Christina, Nashville, TN
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:26
NIV
Sandy from Vienna, Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Matthew 6:34 NIV
Eph 1:5 NIV In love He predestined us to be adopted as His son through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will.
MacKenzie, St Louis.
I’m actually working on all of James 3 but I’ll just list the last verse: And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Marlise – Ponte Vedra Beach FL
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28 (NET Bible)
Michelle, Walland TN
People are trapped by their fear of others; those who trust the Lord are secure. Prov 29:25 (CEB)
Becky, Fairfax, VA:
I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you.
2 Timothy 1:6a
Hi Beth and Team!
I had a question about the Eugene event. Is there a way to get the printed version of the declaration Beth had us face each other and say!? It was so powerful and I know many of my friends would LOVE a copy. If possible could you post it? Thanks so much again for being here and bringing the word that you did! It is our TIME! 🙂 Many Blessings!
Amherst, VA
Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place ~ Psalm 28:2
Taylor, Temple, TX
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Habakkuk 3:17-18
Knoxville, IA
Philippians 4:8-9
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Monica, FL. “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, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV
Mendy
Cary,NC
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
Amanda E
Rockwall, TX
“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:25 (ESV)
Deanna, Frisco
Psalm 73:26 (NIV)
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
John 10:10 “Christ came that we may have life and have it abundantly.”
For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. Isaiah 54:5 NASB
Beth,just a note to tell you how I love your spirit,especially your spirit for the Lord. I only know you through you tube videos mostly but you are the one who took me to find Jesus. And you know what, I FOUND HIM. It’s all beginning to make sense now. I really love it when I see His spirit fill you so much sometimes you put your face in your hands and murmur ohhhhhhh! That same spirit seems to leap out of the screen and consumes me too. I so Love That! Keep up the good work, and please Beth for me, give us more ohhhhhhh! Love you, Kathy
Sandy, Lexington, KY
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7 (NIV)
Meghan C. Sisters, OR
In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:6 NIV)
Kendall- Tulsa, OK
“Return to your rest, my soul, for The Lord has been good to you.” Psalm 116:7 (NIV)
Lynne J., Gainesville VA
“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Psalm 34:13 KJV
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord my strength and redeemer.
Psalm 19:14
KJV
Laura Decatur, Illinois
“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”
Isaiah 42:16 NIV
Debbie, Fort Thomas, KY
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.
Isaiah 44:3 NIV
Rebecca R., Raleigh,NC “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1 NIV