Remember my last post..."Peace and Praise. No Matter What"? Well...No Matter What has hit home directly!
Chief lost his full time job. Okay, I know what you're gonna say..."welcome to the rest of America" and "at least he has the job at the church". Both accurate statements, I agree; still...not being offered a position with the school under the new contractor (whom you worked for three years prior) is, well, not exactly confidence building. Ya know?
We know God has something in store for us. And I think it's B-I-G.
Okay...sort of from the beginning, and from my own perspective (because it's MY blog, and it's all about me). It took me almost EIGHT months to find our latest Women's Bible Study. Seriously. I received this catalog from Lifeway Press that had about 100 Bible studies in it, and I needed to choose something for the upcoming 2010 fall study...and then the 2011 winter study. So...I poured over the lists, read through the reviews, read through the excerpts, prayed and prayed some more. I finally settled on Priscilla Shirer's newest study for the fall. Then, as I went over the list...I saw a "theme", if you will, and chose our next four following. I love how God puts things together. Sometimes I don't see the bigger picture right away after choosing a particular study, and this time wasn't any different. I thought: "this is a brand new study and I am excited to do something brand new for a change! Someone in our small group of women is gonna need this."
Oh...you want to know the name of the study? Here it is: "Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted." Yeah...you read that right. Navigating a life INTERRUPTED!
Almost as soon as Chief told me the news about his job last Thursday, I thought about this study...or God had me think about this study...and how ironic it was. Although Chief and I are not being disobedient about where we are in ministry (like Jonah), or whining about our "predicament" (like Jonah), this is definately an interruption. And we are looking at it full in the face...taking it head on...finding every opportunity to find God's Hand in our situation. Will our lives be changing? Probably. Will we lose our house? Maybe. Will we question our faith and wonder "why is God doing this to us"? Absolutely not.
I am excited to see what God has in store for us as a couple. As Pastor and Pastor's wife. We covet the prayers of all who know us (and from those who don't) that we follow God's will for our family and our ministry. We trust that He will provide. He always has, and He won't stop now.
I leave you with my favorite verse (quoted from the Contemporary English Version):
"The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love." Zephaniah 3:17
Pink
8.24.2010
Peace and Praise. No Matter What.
We have been studying Jeremiah in our Sunday School class...taught by Cheerios...it's really awesome, I love his teaching style and I have learned a LOT! We just finished chapters 40-45...and something just hit me as we were going through an actually unfamiliar story to me.
In a nutshell, Judah had been taken captive by Babylon and there was a remnant of poor people left there. Gedaliah had been appointed Governor over the land there and told the people to not worry, they could work the land as they pleased and keep what they needed from the crops they produced...life would have been bearable, at least. Anyway, Gedaliah was happy with what he had done and when one of his men, Johanan, tells him that another man, Ishmael (no, not Isaac's brother) was planning on killing him, Gedaliah didn't believe him. Not wise. Ishmael and ten other men not only killed Gedaliah, but everyone in his household as well. They also killed 70 of 80 men who had come from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria. (Yeah...11 men killed 70 men...I thought that was a little weird, too.)
When Johanan hears about the killing, he sets out with a bunch of men to kill Ishmael, but Ishmael and eight of his men get away. Johanan heads to a place near Bethlehem with all the men, women and children who had come with him from Mizpah. (He was on his way to Egypt) There they find Jeremiah and ask him to pray to God to ask Him what they should do next. So...Jeremiah agrees...ten days later, he comes back with an answer.
"He said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: 'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.'
"However, if you say, 'We will not stay in this land,' and so disobey the Lord your God, and if you say, 'No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,' then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.' This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach; you will never see this place again.'
"O remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, 'Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.' I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle." Jeremiah 42:9-22 (italics, mine)
Okay...now that I have told you this lengthy story...that is not EXACTLY what this blog is about. At the end of the story, a woman from our class asks Cheerios a question. She states that she understands that the Old Testament is a foreshadow of the New Testament." Cheerios agrees. And that for us, Egypt represents sin. Cheerios agrees again.
And that's when it hit me. Ever since their freedom from their captivity in Egypt...Moses leading them out victorious...every time things get difficult or the path is unclear, or they feel God is asking too much from them, the Israelites want to flee back to Egypt. It's safe there. They are familiar with it. It's comfortable. Like an old sweater on a cool Autumn evening.
And that is exactly what we do. When we pray and ask God to help us in a particular situation and we are harboring sin in our lives...from smoking to overeating to alcohol...whatever your sin may be...we only want God to answer OUR way. If He asks us to stop the sin we are in...and we don't...we are being disobedient. And disobedience brings consequence. We want God to fix or restore or renew, but we are not willing to be obedient in even the smallest of tasks. Why hasn't He answered your prayer? Take a step back and listen. Is God asking you to release something in your life?
You may be thinking "That little thing? He wouldn't hold back His blessing from me just because He asked me to end THAT little thing and I haven't yet, would He?"
What is your Egypt? What keeps you from the full blessing God has prepared for you? Will you be obedient to His request of you?
Or will you be just like that remnant? And FYI...that band of people called Jeremiah a liar and went on to Egypt. And they kidnapped Jeremiah and took him with them. Jeremiah was right...he knew they would not obey...it was their M.O. And they died in Egypt...never having seen their beloved Judah again.
God is a loving, kind, compassionate God. Full of Mercy and Grace...more than we could ever hope for...way more than we deserve. But, He is a Just God. And just as His blessings rain on the just and unjust...so does His discipline.
The next time you want to blame God for whatever predicament you are in...when you think God does not hear you...when you feel like God has looked the other way...remember what He has asked of you. That one little thing...quit smoking...eat healthy...stop watching that program...spend more time with Me. Have you been obedient? Or do you justify your disobedience with: "it's just too difficult to stop that right now, I am under so much pressure...so much stress. I need this little habit. I'm not really hurting anyone."
Peace and Praise.
In a nutshell, Judah had been taken captive by Babylon and there was a remnant of poor people left there. Gedaliah had been appointed Governor over the land there and told the people to not worry, they could work the land as they pleased and keep what they needed from the crops they produced...life would have been bearable, at least. Anyway, Gedaliah was happy with what he had done and when one of his men, Johanan, tells him that another man, Ishmael (no, not Isaac's brother) was planning on killing him, Gedaliah didn't believe him. Not wise. Ishmael and ten other men not only killed Gedaliah, but everyone in his household as well. They also killed 70 of 80 men who had come from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria. (Yeah...11 men killed 70 men...I thought that was a little weird, too.)
When Johanan hears about the killing, he sets out with a bunch of men to kill Ishmael, but Ishmael and eight of his men get away. Johanan heads to a place near Bethlehem with all the men, women and children who had come with him from Mizpah. (He was on his way to Egypt) There they find Jeremiah and ask him to pray to God to ask Him what they should do next. So...Jeremiah agrees...ten days later, he comes back with an answer.
"He said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: 'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.'
"However, if you say, 'We will not stay in this land,' and so disobey the Lord your God, and if you say, 'No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,' then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.' This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach; you will never see this place again.'
"O remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, 'Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.' I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle." Jeremiah 42:9-22 (italics, mine)
Okay...now that I have told you this lengthy story...that is not EXACTLY what this blog is about. At the end of the story, a woman from our class asks Cheerios a question. She states that she understands that the Old Testament is a foreshadow of the New Testament." Cheerios agrees. And that for us, Egypt represents sin. Cheerios agrees again.
And that's when it hit me. Ever since their freedom from their captivity in Egypt...Moses leading them out victorious...every time things get difficult or the path is unclear, or they feel God is asking too much from them, the Israelites want to flee back to Egypt. It's safe there. They are familiar with it. It's comfortable. Like an old sweater on a cool Autumn evening.
And that is exactly what we do. When we pray and ask God to help us in a particular situation and we are harboring sin in our lives...from smoking to overeating to alcohol...whatever your sin may be...we only want God to answer OUR way. If He asks us to stop the sin we are in...and we don't...we are being disobedient. And disobedience brings consequence. We want God to fix or restore or renew, but we are not willing to be obedient in even the smallest of tasks. Why hasn't He answered your prayer? Take a step back and listen. Is God asking you to release something in your life?
You may be thinking "That little thing? He wouldn't hold back His blessing from me just because He asked me to end THAT little thing and I haven't yet, would He?"
What is your Egypt? What keeps you from the full blessing God has prepared for you? Will you be obedient to His request of you?
Or will you be just like that remnant? And FYI...that band of people called Jeremiah a liar and went on to Egypt. And they kidnapped Jeremiah and took him with them. Jeremiah was right...he knew they would not obey...it was their M.O. And they died in Egypt...never having seen their beloved Judah again.
God is a loving, kind, compassionate God. Full of Mercy and Grace...more than we could ever hope for...way more than we deserve. But, He is a Just God. And just as His blessings rain on the just and unjust...so does His discipline.
The next time you want to blame God for whatever predicament you are in...when you think God does not hear you...when you feel like God has looked the other way...remember what He has asked of you. That one little thing...quit smoking...eat healthy...stop watching that program...spend more time with Me. Have you been obedient? Or do you justify your disobedience with: "it's just too difficult to stop that right now, I am under so much pressure...so much stress. I need this little habit. I'm not really hurting anyone."
Peace and Praise.
8.17.2010
Black and White and Re(a)d All Over...
That's a line from an old joke circa 1960...something. "What's black and white and red all over?" Answer: THE NEWSPAPER...get it? Oh well...it was funny when I was...five.
Actually, the line came to me when I opened my blog and I noticed that in my tagline, I invite my readers to "...discover the deepest hues of my life." After I tell them that my life is rich in color and texture. Ironic. Because my entire blog (save one small picture of Chief and I) is Black and White. So maybe you will complete the line..."and read all over". Just sayin...
I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. Lots of "stuff" going on. Some are deep and rich is wisdom, written with words full of meaning and double entendre. And some are funny, witty...wickedly creative. I cannot seem to find any of those "things" in my writing right now. Not sure what causes that lack of "wordiness", but I'm looking for it...somewhere. Unfortunately, blog "ideas" come to me in the middle of the night...during a dream or when I simply am not willing to get back out of bed to write. "I'll remember it in the morning" is USUALLY what I say to myself. And of course, I file it away...maybe I'll remember...tomorrow. I hate laziness in my creativity...it makes me see that ugly I-don't-feel-like-it-right-now, apathetic attitude I have all too often these days. I just gotta get outta this funk I'm in.
Oh well...another day...another punch line.
Actually, the line came to me when I opened my blog and I noticed that in my tagline, I invite my readers to "...discover the deepest hues of my life." After I tell them that my life is rich in color and texture. Ironic. Because my entire blog (save one small picture of Chief and I) is Black and White. So maybe you will complete the line..."and read all over". Just sayin...
I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. Lots of "stuff" going on. Some are deep and rich is wisdom, written with words full of meaning and double entendre. And some are funny, witty...wickedly creative. I cannot seem to find any of those "things" in my writing right now. Not sure what causes that lack of "wordiness", but I'm looking for it...somewhere. Unfortunately, blog "ideas" come to me in the middle of the night...during a dream or when I simply am not willing to get back out of bed to write. "I'll remember it in the morning" is USUALLY what I say to myself. And of course, I file it away...maybe I'll remember...tomorrow. I hate laziness in my creativity...it makes me see that ugly I-don't-feel-like-it-right-now, apathetic attitude I have all too often these days. I just gotta get outta this funk I'm in.
Oh well...another day...another punch line.
7.05.2010
Is This Thing On??
I just wanted to check in. That's all. Just to make sure there is still life out there. At last blogging, I talked about the lazy days of summer...well...
I don't know where June went, but it is now July. J-U-L-Y! What!?!?!?
Yeah, lazy isn't part of the routine just yet. I'm working on it. After we finish painting the ENTIRE downstairs living areas. Yeah. I'll be lazy then.
Many birthdays...painting the dining room...Christmas in July...painting the living room...Happy is coming in one week and five days...painting the kitchen...a trip to the cottage...painting the family room...blogging...yoga...aerobics...boxing. Did I mention we're painting?
I'm tired and I'm going to bed now. Sleep sweet!
And by-the-way...I am STILL doing fine!
I don't know where June went, but it is now July. J-U-L-Y! What!?!?!?
Yeah, lazy isn't part of the routine just yet. I'm working on it. After we finish painting the ENTIRE downstairs living areas. Yeah. I'll be lazy then.
Many birthdays...painting the dining room...Christmas in July...painting the living room...Happy is coming in one week and five days...painting the kitchen...a trip to the cottage...painting the family room...blogging...yoga...aerobics...boxing. Did I mention we're painting?
I'm tired and I'm going to bed now. Sleep sweet!
And by-the-way...I am STILL doing fine!
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