Hey, Sweet Things!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you and, if you’ve got a romantic interest or a lifelong love, I hope he pays very special attention to you today. If he doesn’t, may he be stricken with a serious case of athlete’s foot before Tuesday morning. (I started to say chafing but then got scared it might mean something that I don’t.)  If you’re not in love, well, maybe you can at least have a laugh on Siestaville today. Keith and I watched one of the Rocky movies for the gillionth time a couple of days ago. They somehow have a hypnotic effect, don’t they? It’s like you really want to turn them off but you can’t. It’s like Rocky won’t win this time if he loses you. It was the one where Apollo Creed goads Rocky into a rematch but Adrian refuses to give him her blessing and thereby smothers the heart of a champion right out of him. Just when it looks as though things could not get worse, Adrian collapses at the pet store where she works and is rushed to the hospital where she gives birth to their first child (with more hair than me) and then falls promptly into unconsciousness.

Of course, Rocky refuses to leave her side and, in a particularly poignant moment, unfolds a piece of paper upon which he has crafted a poem. He leans over her and reads as only he can:

“Remember when we was on ice skates

And I thought you were supposed to be great

But I kept giving you lip

And you kept trying to slip

So I could catch you

That was our first date

And after that, every day was great

So now I want you to know

That wherever you go

Atlantic City or in the snow

Don’t worry about a thing

Cause as long as I got this ring

I’ll always be there to catch you.”

And in no time at all, she wakes up and tells him to whip that scoundrel Apollo Creed. And up thumps the heart of a lion and he sprints to the gym with the eye of a tiger.

A classic.

The Jones and the Fitzpatricks and I had lunch together today after church and Amanda told us that, when she picked Jackson up from Sunday School, she saw a little girl give him a side hug (I loved that part) and hand him a Valentine. A mother to the bone, she could hardly wait to get the Valentine to the car and see what this darling girl-child had penned to her son. I mean, what would a five year-old have to say? Amanda tore off the envelope and, lo and behold, the child had written her ABC’s. It made me impossibly happy.

OK, tell us some funny Valentine stories. If you don’t have one, tell us about the worst date you ever had (if it’s funny in hindsight) but don’t you even think about giving his whole name…unless you married him. That’s game.

I heart every single one of you.

PS. For you in the Houston area, I am so jazzed to have Travis and Angela Cottrell and a big part of our Living Proof Live band with us on Tuesday night at HFBC to lead worship. Trav and Ang are coming in a day early and we’re having Valentine’s dinner together. Can’t wait to lay eyes on them. We’ll see some of you Tuesday night!

Hey, Sweet Things! God prompted me to throw a Monday challenge out on Twitter early this morning and on my way to work it occurred to me that I should extend it to my dear fellow Siestas. Here’s the challenge: to go through this entire day (starting now, in case it’s a little late) until shutting our eyes on our pillows tonight without a single criticism or complaint. Consider it a deliberate exercise in Philippians 2:14-15. What prompted the challenge was my own feeling that I could get cranky today if I let myself. (I didn’t have room to explain it on Twitter.) I’ve told you before about my sleep issue (it runs in my family of origin and, no, I don’t drink caffeine later in the day) and a lot of days I just shrug it off but somehow, when Monday morning follows a short Sunday night, I feel fussier about it. This morning I could see the handwriting on the wall. I made up my mind to choose joy in the power of Jesus’ Name. While turning those pedals on my exercise bike, I told the Lord out loud that I wanted to make it all day long without voicing one single complaint. I could not believe how quickly my mood improved and I feel as happy as one who’s had 10 solid hours of sleep.

Now, let me quickly say this. I’m not a fan of living in denial. Some complaints are legitimate and NEED VOICING! I already had one of those this morning on a good friend’s behalf who is in rough situation. So, what do you do then? Voice it to God! Lord have mercy, don’t think I’m posing as some huge example here this morning. I’m just asking you if you want to join me in being very deliberate about our mouths and our attitudes today. If you have a valid complaint, take it to God and, if possible, say it to Him out loud. It increases the sense that you really did get it off your chest. Sometimes a silent prayer doesn’t carry the same power as one spoken with passion and holy intent. Make some declarations today so even your enemy knows you mean business.

What do we do if we get to noon having already blown it? START OVER!!! How many times we have to start over helps us see how habitual our complaints may be. We may have no idea that some of the people around us think we’re habitual complainers and perpetual nay sayers. We are also part of a culture that shouts from every corner of social media, “If you think it, say it!” and the discipline of self-restraint is circling the drain. Lastly, it just doesn’t help. Murmuring and complaining and dwelling on how much something or someone annoys us only adds to the bad mood.

Think up, Siestas! Let’s choose joy! And let’s choose it out loud. No time to proof this post and write it well. Lots of work to do but I’m doing it with joy. I’m crazy about you guys and think of you every day.

Jesus loves you. This I know.

Greetings, Siestas!

I am cold.

How are you?

I will have you know that Houstonians have been notified that we have a 70% chance of snow flurries over the next twenty four hours. We are all nestled at home by the fire, awaiting the likes of the Chicago blizzard. The doors of schools and workplaces have been locked and abandoned. Food stuffs have long since been purchased. Shelves are practically empty. In short, we are all certifiably insane.

In other news, on Tuesday night at Bible Study my Mom read out of Philippians 1.19:

For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (NASB)

Every time I hear this verse, a bell starts ringing in my head and it drives me crazy because I can never identify it. But, at last, the other night I finally discovered that the echo is coming from Job 13.16. We can see that the phrase “this shall turn out for my deliverance” in Philippians 1.19 (τοῦτό μοι ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν) finds a word for word correspondence in the Greek version of Job 13.16:

Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him! (NIV)

For those interested, you can see the correspondence in the Greek below:

Philippians 1.19 οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι τοῦτό μοι ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν δεήσεως καὶ ἐπιχορηγίας τοῦ πνεύματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

Job 13.16 καὶ τοῦτό μοι ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν οὐ γὰρ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ δόλος εἰσελεύσεται.

The Greek versions of the Hebrew Bible are known collectively as the Septuagint (commonly abbreviated LXX). The LXX is overwhelmingly the Bible that Paul uses in his letters. What is fascinating about this instance in Philippians 1.19 is that Paul does not use any introductory formula (for example, something like, “the Scripture says”) to introduce his allusion or echo of Job 13.16.  This discussion is a conversation in intertextuality.  Intertextuality, in simplest terms, is the relationship between texts. So what I am getting at with this particular discussion is, how is Paul using Job 13.16 in Philippians 1.19? If that question does not make sense, think of it this way: what is the relationship between Philippians 1.19 and Job 13.16?

There are several explanations as to what may be going on but here are just a couple of general options:

1) In spite of the verbatim verbal correspondence, Paul has not consciously invoked Job 13.16. It is sheer coincidence and no implications should be drawn about the relationship between these two texts.

2) Paul has uttered the words “this will turn out for my deliverance” in passing, without too much thought. It is noteworthy that we do this all the time, not because we are trying to invoke entire contexts of biblical passages, but because of our familiarization with a certain verse. For example, when we have a friend who has suffered a loss, we might say, “All things work for the good of those who love him” without even realizing we just quoted half of Romans 8.28. Our intention was not to point our friend to the entirety of Romans 8 but simply to quickly apply a very familiar verse to a new and relevant situation.

3) In Philippians 1.19, Paul has intentionally echoed the language and context of Job 13.16 because he is identifying himself and his circumstances with Job, the paradigmatic righteous sufferer who, in his suffering and affliction, hoped in God for ultimate vindication and redemption.

Discussions of intertextuality, like this one, can be quite fascinating and complex since the line between option two and option three is often difficult to discern. If you wish to do so, take a look at the pertinent verses and let me know what you think. First, look at Philippians 1.19 and its surrounding context. Second, check out Job 13.16 (read all of Job 13 if you really want to make the most of the discussion). Finally, go back to Philippians 1.19 and try to discern the nature of the relationship between the two texts.

As a side note, today I forgot my Bible, so I am using one of my Mom’s old ones and it is dated to approximately 1990. The marginal notes are full of stars, exclamation marks, and observations in curly little cursive handwriting and it is making me so happy.

Have a great evening, dear ladies.  Whatever you do, do not make your way to Houston; Chicago, Antarctica, the North Pole, anywhere would be safer than Houston.

Love,

Melis



Hey, Sweet Things! I’m sorry I’m not able to check in more often during this season! It’s mostly just me on here with you these days and the balancing act of a heavy writing and work schedule with a very busy family imposes some sizable limitations. To say that we all miss AJ is a vast understatement! I’m still so proud of her for the decision she made on behalf of her family. It was the right thing but we surely do have a gap around Siestaville. Thankfully, I don’t have a gap in my heart and home where she’s concerned. We all live life in pretty close community. Her little family is unending delight to me. We have LOVED having Melissa and Colin back! Their apartment is just darling and we so hope they stick around a while. Something really fun happened last night. Melissa and I knew we were going to be out much later than usual because we were hosting guests after Bible study so she asked Colin if she could just spend the night at our house. She lives much further out than Keith and I do and, after dropping me off at my house, she would have been super late getting back to her apartment. Colin blessed her to do that then called back a little while later and said he’d just come, too. So he packed a bag and they both stayed at our house. That is one reason why we love him to no end. He is a family man to the bone. Hopefully Melissa will be able to say hi a little more often on here in the near future. We are keeping her hands full but she has a soft spot for Siestas. That’s a fact.

I’m just sitting out on my back porch having a few minutes to myself. I’ve been throwing the ball to Star and watching her and Geli chase birds and reflecting on the last day or two. God brought us another astounding group of women last night. I have never seen a larger group with a smaller feel. What I mean by that is, they participate like they’re all on the front row. If I ask them to repeat something, they do it LOUD. They stay right on point and they’re happy to tell me if I miss a blank on their handout. (I love that. That means they’re paying attention.) Honestly, I think this is one of my favorite Tuesday night groups ever. I know, I know. I say that a lot. I fall in love easy. But my worst nightmare is that I’d just keep “teaching” the same people the same thing year after year after year after year and nobody’s heard a fresh word in five years but everybody’s too fast asleep to realize it. O Lord, deliver us. This is one reason why we have to study under many teachers and why teachers have to serve different groups. Sometimes we need to shake it up. It’s so easy to grow dull of hearing even a voice we dearly love. Sometimes all it takes is a break. Other times we need a change. Knowing the difference is critical.

I am so relieved and grateful to our merciful God that, for now, He’s bringing numbers of people we’ve never seen before and even their presence there stirs up the ones who have been around a long time. I love the familiar ones and the new ones alike. My concern is that women be in the best environment for learning and living the Scriptures. When we’ve ceased hearing or changing, we need a new environment. I am also mindful that, as I beg Him to keep me fresh and thrilled in His Word, that He often uses difficulty to answer that prayer. About the time I’m feeling a little lifeless or dull, something happens to make those words jump off the page again. Most of my revivals come from survivals. I still need Him so much. I need His Word. I need His Presence. I  need His help. I need His deliverance. It’s weird to realize that sometimes our desperation for Him is an answer to our very own prayers to love Him like nothing else. He is so faithful. I shake my head at the wonder of Him again today.

Last night we had a treat that many of us are still talking about today. Kari Jobe and her band led us in worship. Many of us were first introduced to her through “Revelation Song” and are familiar with her through the Gateway worship projects. She is tremendously gifted, blatantly anointed, and absolutely delightful. Amanda had the joy of hosting Lysa TerKeurst at Bible study last night and afterward for a quick bite while Melissa, Michelle, and I hosted Kari, her mom, her sister, her coworker and several lifelong friends. By the way, you guys, Lysa TerKeurt’s book Made To Crave is flying off the shelves and into the hands of women who are being deeply effected by the power of Christ. It is one of two books I plan to read next. Made To Crave recently hit the NY Times Best Seller list and we praise God for drawing attention to this powerful message and messenger. I noticed that a number of you were reading it in your comments to the last post. We got to have Lysa at Bible study last night because she was in town for interviews all day today on our local contemporary Christian radio station, KSBJ. (89.3 FM – find it on line. You will love it.)

Here are a couple of pictures we snapped with our iPhones last night after dinner with Kari. We took several of the whole group with a regular camera but those haven’t made it to me yet. Is she the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?? (Yes, single, but not presently interested in everybody fixing her up with their best single guy friend. It is a shame though, isn’t it?) I was so glad that I changed my mind at the last minute and didn’t wear my tutu. She might not be ready for us to dress alike yet. I am going to get me one of those headbands, however. Just think what a poof I could get going with one of those.

This is Kari with Michelle who did indeed wear her tutu. You just can’t see it in this picture.

Well, my man is acting like he’s hungry and I’m supposed to do something about it. I am especially taken with him right now so I’m going to hop off of here and tend to him.Keith and I ride a roller coaster…and it’s sort of on the upside right now. Thank You, Lord. I don’t know why but I’m laughing out loud.

I’m so happy to touch base with you today! I love you guys like crazy! You know what I’d like to hear this week? One thing God is teaching you right now. Just one. Do tell.

Your Mama loves you.

Hey, Darling Things!

I’m working from home today and thought I’d take a little break and let my study-brain relax a minute and tune my heart into Siestaville. Let me tell you how proud I am of you for clocking in with the same general number of 2nd verses as you did your first verses. The hard part is not the start. It’s pressing on all the way through the year to the finish. But, then, like all runners that make it across that beautiful line, we get to celebrate a huge victory that only comes to those who sweat it out. We give all praise and glory to our empowering, sustaining God and sit back for a reflective moment, take a deep breath, and feel His glorious good pleasure. Community will become more and more essential as we realize that, without making a public commitment and running the race beside a host of others in this Scripture memory marathon, we’ll probably fizzle out. There is no doubt in my mind that we’re more successful at this together than we are separately. It’s God’s way.

Yesterday was a really fun day at LPM. I already put this on Twitter but it took about a half a dozen of our staff members to put together additional shelves for the books Melissa has acquired since she last worked within the ministry office.

I have promised Melissa my library when God takes me Home, but if she keeps this up at this rate for the next fifteen years, she’s going to pass me by and I’m going to leave mine to Curtis. (That threat won’t mean much to you but it will get Melissa and her dear brother-in-law  sparring again over who gets the books which, in turn, gives me a great laugh.) Amanda has been promised other things like what sits on my left hand. But I might spite them all and live a really long time…with colored hair and firm foundations (and I don’t mean the latter in the religious sense. Or the former for that matter. I cannot find hair color in the Scriptures unless I get to count head coverings which, to me, is not unreasonable. In that way and others like unto it, I am a very submissive woman).We’ll see how that pans out. (The timing of my demise not my hair color.)

The other really cool thing we did yesterday at LPM was preview the movie Courageous. It’s the new movie by the people that gave us “Face the Giants” and it comes out in September. (www.courageousthemovie.com) I will remind you guys about it when the release day gets closer but I can’t wait till then to tell you about it. Sisters, it was so good. I don’t want to give away the story line but I can’t quit thinking about it. They have done such a magnificent job with it. We honestly laughed out loud and cried and cheered. I can hardly wait until it comes out. I think God has something far beyond good, solid family entertainment for this film. I’ve told you guys before that, after retiring from the Army, my daddy ran movie theaters so I love few things on this earth more than good movies and great popcorn. (Yes, we popped corn yesterday. And I ate mine with a Starbucks instead of a coke which was an odd pairing and one I might not venture to combine next time.) The primary message of Courageous is targeted to our men who we all know are also targeted by our very vicious enemy. I really believe I can tell you in advance that the guys in your life will love the movie. Mine will and he’s not easy to please. Courageous scores very low on the cheese factor which we know drives most guys crazy about any form of Christian entertainment or encouragement. I dare say that we may be a tad cheesy in Siestaville but we try to keep our Velveeta loaded with jalapenos.

Lastly, I’ll tell you that we started our January Bible study on Tuesday night with one of the best groups God has ever brought our way. We were flabbergasted. May He be greatly praised and glorified in that sweet sanctuary where He’s met with some of His people so many times. We’ll be talking on here about meeting on Tuesdays but we won’t be talking on here about the material because I’ve established a gag order. Laughing. The on-site participants are previewing a (very little) bit of homework so that their experience will be richer but, for copyright’s sake and for future publishing, we’re going to keep it and the session materials low key. It’s not that we’re hiding something. It’s that it’s just a long way from being finished. I also don’t want hype. Ick. Even well meaning hype from those who are sweetly biased. I just want to study Scripture as God presents it to us in His own good time and His own good way. I won’t actually do the LifeWay taping for this series until late April when we do it with a studio audience and I’ll still write through most of the summer. I am reluctant to keep bringing up the series on here because I don’t want to build it all up in anybody’s mind. A curriculum that speaks to one person can hit another person cold. How this turns out is all up to the Holy Spirit but what I can tell you in advance is that, God willing, we will do our best to know that brief Book of the Bible by the time we’re done.  Whether anybody will actually “like” it or not is up for grabs. James isn’t necessarily a party bus.

Well, I’ve had about as much of a break as I can afford today. You’re on my mind every day and I pray for you often.

Oh, and this is one reason I got on here today! You know what we’re doing to stay in the Word this early 2011 but what are each of you doing? (Besides memorizing!) Tell me what you’re studying right now!

I love you guys.