I feel like I have been learning a lot the last couple of weeks. I am really enjoying my time in the Word and God has been so faithful to teach me through the Scriptures. He is also teaching me through other people, which is always fun to see how God is working in other's lives. As I sit here this morning fretting slightly about all the things I still need to accomplish during my ever-shortening break, I still know there is no place I'd rather be or other way I would want to start my day than with my King.
Leviticus 16:28-18:30
The Lord is giving laws about the place of sacrifice, eating blood, and unlawful sexual relations. When He talks about these things He is speaking to "you or the strangers who sojourn among you." It makes me wonder if they were picking up "strays" as they wandered in the dessert. Were they evangelizing in a way and teaching people about God and their ways of serving Him? Just an interesting thought.
Mark 7:24-8:10
A woman approached Jesus and asked Him to heal hear daughter who was possessed by a demon. He gives her an answer about feeding children first and not giving their food to the dogs. I have never fully understood this remark, but I think He was saying that because she was a Gentile, she did not have first "dibs" on His time. Her answer back to him, though, was that even the dogs eat the crumbs from the children's table. Jesus saw incredible faith in this statement (which I also do not fully understand) and healed her daughter. I guess maybe her faith was just that she realized she didn't need the full meal, or Jesus full attention, but rather she knew that even just a scrap of His power would be enough to heal her daughter. Thank you, Lord, for making your Word clear!
Psalm 41
This psalm talks about protection from enemies and ends with "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen."
Proverbs 10:15-16
About wealth and wages. The righteous leads to life.
Pray- Operation World
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Routine
When I am not at home I can never seem to keep my usual routine. For Christmas, I was at my parents' house, which was great, but which also meant that I never did my reading first thing in the morning. I did keep up with it, just in the evening. But now I am back home and have gotten back to my morning reading and finally today, back to my blog. The reading has been going well, and I have gotten to the end of the countries in Operation World. I am now going through the appendixes at the end and they are full of great information!
Leviticus 15-16:28
Brief recap: There have been more gory details of offerings, two of Aaron's sons have died, and there were detailed instructions for those with leprosy. The first part of today's reading was about bodily discharge. It was nice and specific just like the rest of the book, but I think the thing that struck me the most is the fact that something that is just a natural part of a woman's life made her unclean. There was nothing she could do to stop it, but it made her unclean for at least seven days. What is it that I have in my life now that "naturally" makes me unclean? What in my flesh causes me to not be presentable to the Lord? I know that there is not one answer to this question, but many. Lord, make me aware of the things in my life that are unclean before You.
The second part of today's reading was about the day of atonement. This is the first time the concept of a scapegoat is introduced. Aaron had to place the sins of the Israelites on a goat that was then sent out into the wilderness to carry them away. It is overwhelming to think that Jesus did that for me. That all the things in my flesh that cause me to sin have been removed from me and I am made righteous and pure. Praise God!
Mark 7:1-23
I have really been enjoying Mark a lot. There have been several lessons that I have needed to hear as I have read through the book. The first was when Jesus' family came after Him because they thought He was out of His mind. Not that my family really thinks I'm crazy, or that they treat me any differently, but sometimes I wonder how much of what I do they really understand. Then Jesus calms a storm while in a boat with the disciples. When He does so He questions them and says, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" This was really convicting for me because I had been worrying about certain aspects of my life and it was good to have the Lord put me in check. He has always provided abundantly for me, so why am I fearful? Why do I still not trust Him? I do trust Him, I just loose perspective sometimes.
Today Mark wrote about traditions in the church and how sometimes they can make the Word of God void. Jesus tells the Pharisees, "This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me." verse 6 May that never be me! I desire nothing more than for my heart to honor the Lord. Jesus then goes on and explains that nothing that goes into a person, physically, can make him unclean, but only the things that come out of a person are able to defile him. The things that come out are what is in your heart. It is interesting to read this now because just a couple of days ago in Leviticus, the Israelites had been given laws about what they could eat that was clean and unclean. I'm so thankful for the new covenant!
Psalm 40:11-17
A psalm of praise and pleading. David is asking for deliverance from his enemies but also recognizing the greatness and steadfast love of the Lord.
Proverbs 10:13-14
These and the last few verses have had many references to what we speak. The wise man speaks life and understanding, but the foolish man babbles and brings ruin. I also liked verse 12 which says, "love covers all offenses."
Pray- World Leaders
Leviticus 15-16:28
Brief recap: There have been more gory details of offerings, two of Aaron's sons have died, and there were detailed instructions for those with leprosy. The first part of today's reading was about bodily discharge. It was nice and specific just like the rest of the book, but I think the thing that struck me the most is the fact that something that is just a natural part of a woman's life made her unclean. There was nothing she could do to stop it, but it made her unclean for at least seven days. What is it that I have in my life now that "naturally" makes me unclean? What in my flesh causes me to not be presentable to the Lord? I know that there is not one answer to this question, but many. Lord, make me aware of the things in my life that are unclean before You.
The second part of today's reading was about the day of atonement. This is the first time the concept of a scapegoat is introduced. Aaron had to place the sins of the Israelites on a goat that was then sent out into the wilderness to carry them away. It is overwhelming to think that Jesus did that for me. That all the things in my flesh that cause me to sin have been removed from me and I am made righteous and pure. Praise God!
Mark 7:1-23
I have really been enjoying Mark a lot. There have been several lessons that I have needed to hear as I have read through the book. The first was when Jesus' family came after Him because they thought He was out of His mind. Not that my family really thinks I'm crazy, or that they treat me any differently, but sometimes I wonder how much of what I do they really understand. Then Jesus calms a storm while in a boat with the disciples. When He does so He questions them and says, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" This was really convicting for me because I had been worrying about certain aspects of my life and it was good to have the Lord put me in check. He has always provided abundantly for me, so why am I fearful? Why do I still not trust Him? I do trust Him, I just loose perspective sometimes.
Today Mark wrote about traditions in the church and how sometimes they can make the Word of God void. Jesus tells the Pharisees, "This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me." verse 6 May that never be me! I desire nothing more than for my heart to honor the Lord. Jesus then goes on and explains that nothing that goes into a person, physically, can make him unclean, but only the things that come out of a person are able to defile him. The things that come out are what is in your heart. It is interesting to read this now because just a couple of days ago in Leviticus, the Israelites had been given laws about what they could eat that was clean and unclean. I'm so thankful for the new covenant!
Psalm 40:11-17
A psalm of praise and pleading. David is asking for deliverance from his enemies but also recognizing the greatness and steadfast love of the Lord.
Proverbs 10:13-14
These and the last few verses have had many references to what we speak. The wise man speaks life and understanding, but the foolish man babbles and brings ruin. I also liked verse 12 which says, "love covers all offenses."
Pray- World Leaders
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Christmas Day
Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. I love getting to spend time with my family and remembering all the wonderful blessings I have in my life. I'm so thankful that the Lord has chosen me to know Him. I have done nothing to deserve it and I fail so many times. Today, I celebrate His coming to live a sinless life on my behalf. Praise Jesus!
Leviticus 9:7-10:20
Aaron and his sons are still learning about the offerings and how to perform them. They have now been consecrated and given all their instructions. Two of his sons make an incorrect offering and are consumed by the fire. And following that, Moses questions some of the things they have done with the offerings. I suppose I can relate to their failings. How many times do I not follow the instructions given me in God's word? I don't trust Him enough, or listen to Him enough, or believe Him enough... "but He gives more grace." James 4:6
Mark 4:26-5:20
Jesus is teaching in parables. I still do not always understand the things He says or was trying to get across. One of the stories (not a parable) is about Jesus and the disciples taking a boat across the lake when a storm came up and really scared the disciples. Jesus was asleep in the boat and when the woke Him he calmed the storm and then said, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" verse 40 This is really hitting home with me today. The Lord has provided for me over and over again in my life. Why would I think He will be any less eager to come to my aid and guide me in a new situation? I'm sorry my faith is so small. Please teach me to trust in You!
Psalm 37:30-40
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. verses 30-31
Proverbs 10:6-7
Blessings to the righteous.
Pray- Zimbabwe
This country has very fertile farm land but because of government seizure of the land they have become food-import dependent. Pray that the land would be redistributed so that this country may recover and those who have moved away will be able to return. Pray also for the young people who do not see much hope due to the actions of the government.
How sweet it was to be the the Word today!! Merry Christmas!
Leviticus 9:7-10:20
Aaron and his sons are still learning about the offerings and how to perform them. They have now been consecrated and given all their instructions. Two of his sons make an incorrect offering and are consumed by the fire. And following that, Moses questions some of the things they have done with the offerings. I suppose I can relate to their failings. How many times do I not follow the instructions given me in God's word? I don't trust Him enough, or listen to Him enough, or believe Him enough... "but He gives more grace." James 4:6
Mark 4:26-5:20
Jesus is teaching in parables. I still do not always understand the things He says or was trying to get across. One of the stories (not a parable) is about Jesus and the disciples taking a boat across the lake when a storm came up and really scared the disciples. Jesus was asleep in the boat and when the woke Him he calmed the storm and then said, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" verse 40 This is really hitting home with me today. The Lord has provided for me over and over again in my life. Why would I think He will be any less eager to come to my aid and guide me in a new situation? I'm sorry my faith is so small. Please teach me to trust in You!
Psalm 37:30-40
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. verses 30-31
Proverbs 10:6-7
Blessings to the righteous.
Pray- Zimbabwe
This country has very fertile farm land but because of government seizure of the land they have become food-import dependent. Pray that the land would be redistributed so that this country may recover and those who have moved away will be able to return. Pray also for the young people who do not see much hope due to the actions of the government.
How sweet it was to be the the Word today!! Merry Christmas!
Zimbabwe
It's Christmas Eve and I have made it to my parents' house! I love getting to spend time with the fam, especially on holidays.
Pray-
Zimbabwe
My heart is breaking while reading about this nation. Nothing seems to be going right there. The economy is ridiculously bad, which means education and health systems are basically nonexistent. There is a 90% unemployment rate and those who do work are not paid in useful currency. There is religious freedom, but politics still get in the way. It is overwhelming when trying to pray. Pray for leaders, for courage, for resilience, for change.
**I did actually finish the reading for today, but forgot to blog it. I will catch up with tomorrow's reading.
Pray-
Zimbabwe
My heart is breaking while reading about this nation. Nothing seems to be going right there. The economy is ridiculously bad, which means education and health systems are basically nonexistent. There is a 90% unemployment rate and those who do work are not paid in useful currency. There is religious freedom, but politics still get in the way. It is overwhelming when trying to pray. Pray for leaders, for courage, for resilience, for change.
**I did actually finish the reading for today, but forgot to blog it. I will catch up with tomorrow's reading.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Sin Offering
Leviticus 4-5
These are instructions for sin offerings. If anyone sinned unintentionally there were certain rules to follow and offerings to be made. As I read through this, I was struck by how simple things are for us now. When Jesus became our offering so that we no longer had to give these sacrifices, He made a way for us to be connected to God even when we struggle with our sins. All we must do is ask for forgiveness. I know I take that for granted and don't even realized my sin sometimes. Lord, open my eyes to see the things I need to bring before You remove from my life.
Mark 2:13-3:6
Jesus is teaching and healing. The scribes want to know why He would eat with sinners and tax collectors and Jesus explains that those are the people He has come to save. How many who don't know Jesus sit at my table regularly? I hope there are many who might be able to see Christ in me and be healed by Him.
Psalm 36
Steadfast love- how I need to be reminded of this and choose to believe it!
Proverbs 10:1-2
This chapter begins the proverbs of Solomon. They are like one-liners of wisdom. Today's are about a wise son and righteousness.
Pray-
Yemen. I have been very humbled today in my time of reading about and praying for this country. It is such a dark place to live and they face very hard situations and here I am concerned only about myself and what I want to do with my holiday break time that will serve me best. Thank you, Lord, for some perspective this morning. So in Yemen, there is lots of fighting. There are at least 3 guns for every person in the country. Also, their agriculture is dominated by the growing of qat, which is a mild narcotic. Crazy statistics- 40% of national economy, 55% of the country's water usage, 20 million working hours a day, negative effects on productivity, social, and family life. Another issue is openly believing in Jesus. The worst persecution comes from their own families. Pray for softened hearts and restored families.
These are instructions for sin offerings. If anyone sinned unintentionally there were certain rules to follow and offerings to be made. As I read through this, I was struck by how simple things are for us now. When Jesus became our offering so that we no longer had to give these sacrifices, He made a way for us to be connected to God even when we struggle with our sins. All we must do is ask for forgiveness. I know I take that for granted and don't even realized my sin sometimes. Lord, open my eyes to see the things I need to bring before You remove from my life.
Mark 2:13-3:6
Jesus is teaching and healing. The scribes want to know why He would eat with sinners and tax collectors and Jesus explains that those are the people He has come to save. How many who don't know Jesus sit at my table regularly? I hope there are many who might be able to see Christ in me and be healed by Him.
Psalm 36
Steadfast love- how I need to be reminded of this and choose to believe it!
Proverbs 10:1-2
This chapter begins the proverbs of Solomon. They are like one-liners of wisdom. Today's are about a wise son and righteousness.
Pray-
Yemen. I have been very humbled today in my time of reading about and praying for this country. It is such a dark place to live and they face very hard situations and here I am concerned only about myself and what I want to do with my holiday break time that will serve me best. Thank you, Lord, for some perspective this morning. So in Yemen, there is lots of fighting. There are at least 3 guns for every person in the country. Also, their agriculture is dominated by the growing of qat, which is a mild narcotic. Crazy statistics- 40% of national economy, 55% of the country's water usage, 20 million working hours a day, negative effects on productivity, social, and family life. Another issue is openly believing in Jesus. The worst persecution comes from their own families. Pray for softened hearts and restored families.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Yemen Yemen Yemen
I decided this morning that the word Yemen is particularly funny if you say it several times very quickly. (That was for free.)
Pray-
Yemen
Poorest Arab country in the world. They have oil, but it doesn't account for much. There is very high unemployment. They have a history of wars and unstable politics. The official religion is Islam. It is very conservative with little religious freedom. Praise the Lord that there have been increasing numbers who are learning about Jesus!
Leviticus 1-3:17
Right from the get-go this book is full of laws. The first 3 chapters tell the laws for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and peace offerings. I sure how Aaron and his sons had strong stomachs. The descriptions of what they had to do to the animals and what parts of them to use are very graphic and specific. Let's just say I would have passed out if it had been me.
Mark 1:29-2:12
Jesus is healing many people and drawing large crowds. They are amazed by Him. The first time someone questions Him in this book is after he tells a man his sins are forgiven. They do not openly question, but Jesus knows what they have in their hearts and addresses it... then he heals the man who was paralyzed. His friends had lowered him down from the roof.
Psalm 35:17-28
In this psalm, David is talking about the ways his enemies treat him and is asking the Lord to rescue him from them.
Proverbs 9:13-18
These verses personify Folly as another woman who calls to the simple and tries to persuade those who lack sense.
Pray-
Yemen
Poorest Arab country in the world. They have oil, but it doesn't account for much. There is very high unemployment. They have a history of wars and unstable politics. The official religion is Islam. It is very conservative with little religious freedom. Praise the Lord that there have been increasing numbers who are learning about Jesus!
Leviticus 1-3:17
Right from the get-go this book is full of laws. The first 3 chapters tell the laws for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and peace offerings. I sure how Aaron and his sons had strong stomachs. The descriptions of what they had to do to the animals and what parts of them to use are very graphic and specific. Let's just say I would have passed out if it had been me.
Mark 1:29-2:12
Jesus is healing many people and drawing large crowds. They are amazed by Him. The first time someone questions Him in this book is after he tells a man his sins are forgiven. They do not openly question, but Jesus knows what they have in their hearts and addresses it... then he heals the man who was paralyzed. His friends had lowered him down from the roof.
Psalm 35:17-28
In this psalm, David is talking about the ways his enemies treat him and is asking the Lord to rescue him from them.
Proverbs 9:13-18
These verses personify Folly as another woman who calls to the simple and tries to persuade those who lack sense.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Day 44
Yesterday was the last day of school for the fall semester. It is hard to believe how fast it went! And now I have two weeks for Christmas break. Lord, help me to be smart with the use of my time so that is may glorify You in all ways.
Pray:
Vietnam
I am loving learning about this country because I have a student from Vietnam. She is actually going to visit next month, so I will know what to pray for while she is there! This is a communist county with strong authoritarian rule. They have a constitutional guarantee of religious freedom, but there are Religion Police and churches are required to register but are often denied. Praise the Lord that the church is growing in spite of persecution. Also, there have been increased numbers of Bibles printed in Vietnamese with permission from the government. That is so important!!
Exodus 35:10-36:38
The Israelites bring their offerings of supplies for the tabernacle and construction is begun. Bezalel and Oholiab are the two main craftsmen for construction.
Matthew 27:32-66
Jesus is crucified. This is such an awful death and hard to read about, but thankfully there is so much hope in His act of sacrifice. When He died the curtain of the temple was torn in two, meaning that we no longer need anyone to go to God on our behalf. Jesus made a way for us to go directly to God ourselves. Such good news!!
Psalm 34:1-10
So much good in these few verses! Here are some highlights:
"I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord...
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him...
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
... those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."
Proverbs 9:7-8
These verses say that if you try to teach a scoffer, or wicked man, that he will only hate you, but if you teach a wise and righteous man, his wisdom will increase. How I long to be one who increases in wisdom and knowledge rather than one who scoffs at it!
Pray:
Vietnam
I am loving learning about this country because I have a student from Vietnam. She is actually going to visit next month, so I will know what to pray for while she is there! This is a communist county with strong authoritarian rule. They have a constitutional guarantee of religious freedom, but there are Religion Police and churches are required to register but are often denied. Praise the Lord that the church is growing in spite of persecution. Also, there have been increased numbers of Bibles printed in Vietnamese with permission from the government. That is so important!!
Exodus 35:10-36:38
The Israelites bring their offerings of supplies for the tabernacle and construction is begun. Bezalel and Oholiab are the two main craftsmen for construction.
Matthew 27:32-66
Jesus is crucified. This is such an awful death and hard to read about, but thankfully there is so much hope in His act of sacrifice. When He died the curtain of the temple was torn in two, meaning that we no longer need anyone to go to God on our behalf. Jesus made a way for us to go directly to God ourselves. Such good news!!
Psalm 34:1-10
So much good in these few verses! Here are some highlights:
"I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord...
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him...
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
... those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."
Proverbs 9:7-8
These verses say that if you try to teach a scoffer, or wicked man, that he will only hate you, but if you teach a wise and righteous man, his wisdom will increase. How I long to be one who increases in wisdom and knowledge rather than one who scoffs at it!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Blinding powers be bound
Pray-
Venezuela
They are the worlds 4th largest oil producers, which accounts for most of their economy. There are a few elite rich, and mostly everyone else struggles financially. The people are largely secular and strongly influenced by Spiritism. "Pray that the powers blinding Venezuelans to the truth might be bound."
Exodus 34-35:9
When Moses came down off the mountain to find the people worshipping a golden calf, he threw down the stone tablets the Lord had written on and they were broken. So now, he has taken new tablets back up the mountain and the Lord is retelling him what to write. When Moses goes back up the mountain, God says of Himself, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty..." verses 6-7 I love this statement of His character. Moses stays another 40 days and nights and when he finally comes down off the mountain his face is glowing... literally.
Matthew 27:15-31
These are some intense parts of the gospel. Pilate offers two men to the crowd to be released, but they choose Barabbas and yell for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate's wife tells him to have nothing to do with Jesus' death because He is innocent. Then it begins- Jesus is scourged (beaten), stripped, given a crown of thorns, mocked, spat upon, and finally led away to be crucified.
Psalm 33:12-22
I love the idea of God's steadfast love for us. That is what this whole chapter is about.
"Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you." verse 22
Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom is referred to as a "she" and is calling those who lack sense to herself.
Venezuela
They are the worlds 4th largest oil producers, which accounts for most of their economy. There are a few elite rich, and mostly everyone else struggles financially. The people are largely secular and strongly influenced by Spiritism. "Pray that the powers blinding Venezuelans to the truth might be bound."
Exodus 34-35:9
When Moses came down off the mountain to find the people worshipping a golden calf, he threw down the stone tablets the Lord had written on and they were broken. So now, he has taken new tablets back up the mountain and the Lord is retelling him what to write. When Moses goes back up the mountain, God says of Himself, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty..." verses 6-7 I love this statement of His character. Moses stays another 40 days and nights and when he finally comes down off the mountain his face is glowing... literally.
Matthew 27:15-31
These are some intense parts of the gospel. Pilate offers two men to the crowd to be released, but they choose Barabbas and yell for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate's wife tells him to have nothing to do with Jesus' death because He is innocent. Then it begins- Jesus is scourged (beaten), stripped, given a crown of thorns, mocked, spat upon, and finally led away to be crucified.
Psalm 33:12-22
I love the idea of God's steadfast love for us. That is what this whole chapter is about.
"Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you." verse 22
Proverbs 9:1-6
Wisdom is referred to as a "she" and is calling those who lack sense to herself.
Amazing
Yesterday, I, along with my friend Tim, auditioned for The Amazing Race. The whole experience was crazy and spontaneous and exciting and so much fun!!! I could not ask for a better partner and I really hope we get to continue. :) Because of our little adventure, though, I am a little behind in blogging and a lot behind in praying for the world.
I would like to report a renewed sense of purpose in this Radical process. Last night at Bible study we discussed James 5 and the Lord really spoke to me through verse 8. It says to be patient and establish your heart. This whole process of living radically for a year takes patience, but is establishing my heart, or building a foundation in me to be the woman God has called me to be. And the result of this patience and establishing my heart will be steadfastness, which I have come to realize in the last couple of days is really what I long for. I want and need to be steadfast as life changes. When changes happen around me at work, at home, at church, with friends, with family, with anything... I want my foundation to be so firm that nothing changes it.
Exodus 32-33
The Israelites make a golden calf because Moses is gone for a while. They actually make it so they can say it brought them out of Egypt. That blows my mind. How can they even rationalize that something they have made in the wilderness brought them there? I guess I trust in myself too much sometimes as well, though. Then God tells Moses that the people can leave Sinai but He isn't going along. But Moses pleads with the Lord saying, "If your presence will not go with me, do no bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is is not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?" That has been a prayer of mine many times, and continues to be- Lord, do not send me from here if you will not go with me!
Matthew 26:69-27:14
Judas betrays Jesus and His questioning begins. He says very little.
Psalm 33:1-11
I love this verse and how it expresses the bigness of God:
"He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses." verse 7
Proverbs 8:33-36
This is still Wisdom speaking as in the first person. In the last couple of verses it concludes with "for whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord." verse 35
Pray
Vanuatu- In the Pacific. A group of islands with at least 108 languages. Here is a crazy statistic: more than 60 languages are spoken by less than 1,000 people. There is religious freedom. Many are followers of Christ and the country itself has been dedicated to the Lord. But they still must battle ethnic religions, an influx of other faiths, and a lack of Bible understanding.
I would like to report a renewed sense of purpose in this Radical process. Last night at Bible study we discussed James 5 and the Lord really spoke to me through verse 8. It says to be patient and establish your heart. This whole process of living radically for a year takes patience, but is establishing my heart, or building a foundation in me to be the woman God has called me to be. And the result of this patience and establishing my heart will be steadfastness, which I have come to realize in the last couple of days is really what I long for. I want and need to be steadfast as life changes. When changes happen around me at work, at home, at church, with friends, with family, with anything... I want my foundation to be so firm that nothing changes it.
Exodus 32-33
The Israelites make a golden calf because Moses is gone for a while. They actually make it so they can say it brought them out of Egypt. That blows my mind. How can they even rationalize that something they have made in the wilderness brought them there? I guess I trust in myself too much sometimes as well, though. Then God tells Moses that the people can leave Sinai but He isn't going along. But Moses pleads with the Lord saying, "If your presence will not go with me, do no bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is is not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?" That has been a prayer of mine many times, and continues to be- Lord, do not send me from here if you will not go with me!
Matthew 26:69-27:14
Judas betrays Jesus and His questioning begins. He says very little.
Psalm 33:1-11
I love this verse and how it expresses the bigness of God:
"He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses." verse 7
Proverbs 8:33-36
This is still Wisdom speaking as in the first person. In the last couple of verses it concludes with "for whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord." verse 35
Pray
Vanuatu- In the Pacific. A group of islands with at least 108 languages. Here is a crazy statistic: more than 60 languages are spoken by less than 1,000 people. There is religious freedom. Many are followers of Christ and the country itself has been dedicated to the Lord. But they still must battle ethnic religions, an influx of other faiths, and a lack of Bible understanding.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Oops!
*So apparently I never finished this post and left it to be edited later, but here's what I wrote on Saturday.*
'Tis the season... for parties and baking and presents, oh my! Not to mention work, and sickness, and service projects, and, and, and... Lord, find me faithful in this season that is all about You!
Matthew 24
I really liked this chapter. It's not one that we look to often for "advice." It's all about the end times and signs of the coming age. Basically, things are going to get really bad, and false teachers and prophets will come saying that they are the Christ, but Jesus tells us there will be no missing Him when He does show up. Also of note is the fact that after the time of tribulations, "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven..." I hadn't realized that before! We must be on our guard and be ready because no one knows the day or hour of the coming of the Son of God. I hope I'm ready and caught doing something valuable with my time, rather than wasting my time. Probably the most exciting verse of this chapter is verse 14- "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Psalm 29-30
Oh man, I am loving the Word today! I'm so thankful it is living and active, and able to speak to me no matter what might be going on in my head and heart. 29 is all about the power in the voice of the Lord. How His voice breaks cedars and flashes forth flames of fire. 30 is about the joy that He brings. He is able to turn our mourning into dancing. I love it!!!
Proverbs 7
Warning Against the Adulteress. There has been much warning against adultery in the last couple of chapters, but this is specifically about the woman who would entice a man to commit adultery and how she seems so appealing and the ways she would lure him in. I wonder if Solomon as much as he did about this because of personal experiences. Or it could just be because he knew how much we struggle with sexual sin in our flesh. Either way, he is adamant that we should avoid it.
Exodus 23:14-25:40
'Tis the season... for parties and baking and presents, oh my! Not to mention work, and sickness, and service projects, and, and, and... Lord, find me faithful in this season that is all about You!
Matthew 24
I really liked this chapter. It's not one that we look to often for "advice." It's all about the end times and signs of the coming age. Basically, things are going to get really bad, and false teachers and prophets will come saying that they are the Christ, but Jesus tells us there will be no missing Him when He does show up. Also of note is the fact that after the time of tribulations, "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven..." I hadn't realized that before! We must be on our guard and be ready because no one knows the day or hour of the coming of the Son of God. I hope I'm ready and caught doing something valuable with my time, rather than wasting my time. Probably the most exciting verse of this chapter is verse 14- "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Psalm 29-30
Oh man, I am loving the Word today! I'm so thankful it is living and active, and able to speak to me no matter what might be going on in my head and heart. 29 is all about the power in the voice of the Lord. How His voice breaks cedars and flashes forth flames of fire. 30 is about the joy that He brings. He is able to turn our mourning into dancing. I love it!!!
Proverbs 7
Warning Against the Adulteress. There has been much warning against adultery in the last couple of chapters, but this is specifically about the woman who would entice a man to commit adultery and how she seems so appealing and the ways she would lure him in. I wonder if Solomon as much as he did about this because of personal experiences. Or it could just be because he knew how much we struggle with sexual sin in our flesh. Either way, he is adamant that we should avoid it.
Exodus 23:14-25:40
Three Trees
Every year at our church we host an event called Three Trees where we help out needy families with Christmas gifts. That event was yesterday, and it was fantastic! We had tons of volunteers and plenty of toys left over. Usually when it gets down to the end, most of the toys are picked over and parents don't have much to choose from. I heard someone say that the toys were kind of like the loaves and fish that just kept multiplying so that there were many basketfuls left over. It was a wonderful day of serving with friends and loving on people who need it.
Exodus 28
This chapter sets out the specifications for the priests' garments.
Matthew 25:31-26:13
Jesus talks about people who did and did not feed him when he was hungry, or clothe him when he was naked, or minister to him when he was in prison. The people cannot recall having done or not done any of these things for Jesus, but He explains that if we do this for anyone, we are doing it for Him. May I not pass up an opportunity to minister because of my selfishness!
Then a woman pours her very expensive ointment on Jesus to honor Him. The disciples think this is a waste, but Jesus corrects them and honors her sacrifice. Am I willing to give my material possessions in the same way this woman did? The answer should be yes, and I want it to be yes, but if I am honest I would hesitate with some things.
Exodus 28
This chapter sets out the specifications for the priests' garments.
Matthew 25:31-26:13
Jesus talks about people who did and did not feed him when he was hungry, or clothe him when he was naked, or minister to him when he was in prison. The people cannot recall having done or not done any of these things for Jesus, but He explains that if we do this for anyone, we are doing it for Him. May I not pass up an opportunity to minister because of my selfishness!
Then a woman pours her very expensive ointment on Jesus to honor Him. The disciples think this is a waste, but Jesus corrects them and honors her sacrifice. Am I willing to give my material possessions in the same way this woman did? The answer should be yes, and I want it to be yes, but if I am honest I would hesitate with some things.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Uruguay
Today I am praying for Uruguay. I love this statistic: the effort to double the number of congregations between 1998 and 2005 was completed- also doubling the number of believers in the process!!! How great is that?! Even with the number doubled, though, Uruguay still faces some major godlessness in society. There are other types of "religious" groups that are springing up, so pray for religious deceptions to be exposed. Also pray that the written Word would be a powerful tool in this highly literate country.
Exodus 26-27
It is no wonder that Moses stayed up on the mountain so long when you consider how much stuff he had to write down!! These chapters are outlining how the temple is to be built. God gives them such great detail! He tells them what color threads to use, how many poles for each side, the type of metal to use for each pillar, exact construction of the altar, and on and on. It is pretty amazing to me that He took such care with the details.
Matthew 25:1-30
Jesus is speaking about the kingdom of heaven in parables. The first one is about ten virgins who are waiting for the wedding party to go to the feast. Five of them were not prepared with oil for their lamps so they had to go back and get more, but the party came and them missed getting to go in with them. The next parable is about servants who were given different amounts of money from their master. The two receiving the most money doubled what they had been given, but the one receiving the least hid the money and it did not increase at all. The one who hid is money was chastised and then thrown out because he did no work with what he was given.
Psalm 31:1-8
"I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place." verse 8
Proverbs 8:1-11
About Wisdom:
"All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them." verse 8
"Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her."
Exodus 26-27
It is no wonder that Moses stayed up on the mountain so long when you consider how much stuff he had to write down!! These chapters are outlining how the temple is to be built. God gives them such great detail! He tells them what color threads to use, how many poles for each side, the type of metal to use for each pillar, exact construction of the altar, and on and on. It is pretty amazing to me that He took such care with the details.
Matthew 25:1-30
Jesus is speaking about the kingdom of heaven in parables. The first one is about ten virgins who are waiting for the wedding party to go to the feast. Five of them were not prepared with oil for their lamps so they had to go back and get more, but the party came and them missed getting to go in with them. The next parable is about servants who were given different amounts of money from their master. The two receiving the most money doubled what they had been given, but the one receiving the least hid the money and it did not increase at all. The one who hid is money was chastised and then thrown out because he did no work with what he was given.
Psalm 31:1-8
"I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place." verse 8
Proverbs 8:1-11
About Wisdom:
"All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them." verse 8
"Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her."
Thursday, December 9, 2010
...not what they do.
Exodus 17:8-19:15
Moses' father-in-law helps him to delegate, and then Moses meets with the Lord on Mount Sinai. The Lord has told Moses to prepare the people because in three days He will come to the mountain in a cloud and the people will hear His voice so they will believe Him forever.
Matthew 22:34-23:12
Now the Pharisees and Sadducees are working together to try to catch Jesus in His words, but He answers them so well that "from that day no one dared to ask him any more questions." verse 46 Then He tells the crowds and His disciples to be careful to not be like the ones who kept asking Him questions. Jesus said to do what they tell you, but not what they do because their actions are not only for show. My prayer is that I would not only serve Him with my words, but that my actions would be consistent with what I say.
Psalm 27:7-14
Asking the Lord for protection.
Proverbs 6:27-35
There are consequences for our actions. We cannot hold fire and not get burned. In other words, we should not expect for our sins to not effect us in some negative way.
Moses' father-in-law helps him to delegate, and then Moses meets with the Lord on Mount Sinai. The Lord has told Moses to prepare the people because in three days He will come to the mountain in a cloud and the people will hear His voice so they will believe Him forever.
Matthew 22:34-23:12
Now the Pharisees and Sadducees are working together to try to catch Jesus in His words, but He answers them so well that "from that day no one dared to ask him any more questions." verse 46 Then He tells the crowds and His disciples to be careful to not be like the ones who kept asking Him questions. Jesus said to do what they tell you, but not what they do because their actions are not only for show. My prayer is that I would not only serve Him with my words, but that my actions would be consistent with what I say.
Psalm 27:7-14
Asking the Lord for protection.
Proverbs 6:27-35
There are consequences for our actions. We cannot hold fire and not get burned. In other words, we should not expect for our sins to not effect us in some negative way.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
So Good
I read but didn't blog yesterday. But some of the reading was just so good that I had to come back and write about it! I will be praying for the USA over the next few days and will include info about that later.
Exodus 15:19-17:7
There were a couple of things that struck me about this passage. First, God is revealing His nature to His people. It's almost like they are having to get reacquainted after all those years of slavery. At the end of chapter 15, God tells the people to listen to Him and do what's right in His eyes and in return He will not afflict them with the diseases the Egyptians had to endure. ..."for I am the Lord, your healer." verse 26 He also becomes their provider when they are lacking food. He sends manna and quail every day to sustain them.
The other thing that got my attention was the fact that the Israelites were less than two months into their journey when their grumbling began. They complain to Moses and Aaron and say that things were better in Egypt. Less than two months... almost the same amount of time I have been on this journey of trying to live my life in a radical way. Moses told the people, "Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord." 16:8 How I hope that I have not been grumbling! Maybe not even out loud, but what is it that is truly in my heart?
Matthew 22:1-33
Jesus speaks the parable of the wedding feast, then the Pharisees and Sadducees are trying to trap Him in His words.
Psalm 27
So many good things in this psalm, but here's my fav:
"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."
verse 4
Proverbs 6:20-26
More warnings about adultery, and the thought-provoking verse of the day:
"but a man's wife hunts down a precious life." verse 26
Exodus 15:19-17:7
There were a couple of things that struck me about this passage. First, God is revealing His nature to His people. It's almost like they are having to get reacquainted after all those years of slavery. At the end of chapter 15, God tells the people to listen to Him and do what's right in His eyes and in return He will not afflict them with the diseases the Egyptians had to endure. ..."for I am the Lord, your healer." verse 26 He also becomes their provider when they are lacking food. He sends manna and quail every day to sustain them.
The other thing that got my attention was the fact that the Israelites were less than two months into their journey when their grumbling began. They complain to Moses and Aaron and say that things were better in Egypt. Less than two months... almost the same amount of time I have been on this journey of trying to live my life in a radical way. Moses told the people, "Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord." 16:8 How I hope that I have not been grumbling! Maybe not even out loud, but what is it that is truly in my heart?
Matthew 22:1-33
Jesus speaks the parable of the wedding feast, then the Pharisees and Sadducees are trying to trap Him in His words.
Psalm 27
So many good things in this psalm, but here's my fav:
"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."
verse 4
Proverbs 6:20-26
More warnings about adultery, and the thought-provoking verse of the day:
"but a man's wife hunts down a precious life." verse 26
Monday, December 6, 2010
One Month Down
I have officially made it through one month of this experiment. It has been great so far. The Bible reading is going really well. I love getting to spend time reading through large sections of the Word. Praying for the world is really cool! I have learned a lot about several countries I didn't even know existed. I will admit, though, that my prayer for them has become a bit stagnant. I will read about a country because I need to do it to keep on schedule, but my prayers have not been as diligent for the countries I am reading about. This needs to be fixed. I also need to continue working on spending my money for a specific purpose. With the holidays, there have been several opportunities to give and bless people, but I'm not sure what spending my extra money will look like after they are over. And I need to spend ALL my extra money. Give sacrificially, not just a little bit. So this one is still a learning process for sure. Spending time in a different context actually came up yesterday and I got some advice on how to go about rocking babies here in the states. Hopefully I will pursue looking into this and will not just put it on the back burner until I am "less busy." And I'm thinking that I will just travel around my country this summer instead of going out of the country again. But who knows... the Lord may have bigger plans for me! I heart my multiplying community!!!!! The church I attend is in the midst of a big service project and my Sunday school class and small group and both helping to grow me in many ways. Not to mention, I will be taking on more commitment in a leadership role for the next year.
So, all things considered, I like the way my thoughts are being pulled by trying to live out this radical experiment. Obviously I am not there by any means. But I am still excited about what the Lord will teach me throughout this process. I listened to a sermon by David Platt about his whole challenge and he was adamant at the end that the whole point of this is to know Christ. That's it. Not to see how good we can be. Not to check things off of a list. Not even to see what can be accomplished in or through us. It is simply to know Christ. To know the Savior. To know Him. If after 11 more months I can say I know Him much better than I did today, this will have been a success.
Pray: United Kingdom
England- most secular of the four countries. Only 6% are church goers. London might be the most international city in the world, making it a place of global impact. Pray for church life in London and ethnic minorities.
Northern Ireland- experiencing a time of fragile peace. Church attendance is in decline.
Scotland- lots of moral issues: 1/2 of children are born out of wedlock, drugs, alcohol... Pray for transformation through the gospel. Pray also for the church to return to Biblical teaching.
Wales- economic changes are causing a decline in population and church attendance. They are known for revival, but the most recent one was in 1904. Pray for revival and the return of the people singing God's praise.
Isle of Man- completely self-governing, but dependent on England for certain things. They have a long Christian tradition, but like the other countries in the UK, they are moving away from this. Pray that they would return to their roots.
Channel Islands- another independently ruled nation that relies on Britain for defensive protection and international representation. Materialism is prevalent. Pray for awakening.
Genesis 13:17-15:18
Pharaoh let the Israelites go. They followed a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. Sometimes I wish I had one of those pillars showing me where to go. Then they walk across the dry ground in the middle of the Red Sea, and when the Egyptians follow them, the Lord causes the water to wash them away basically. After they have been saved, they sing a song of praise!
Matthew 21:23-46
I am having more difficulty with the meaning of some of what Jesus says lately. I know He talks in parables, but I don't always understand how the lesson goes with the story. For instance, today I read the parable of the tenants who killed servants and even the owner's son thinking that they would receive the inheritance instead, but Jesus asks what the master will do when he arrives and says "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone..." verse 42. I don't really understand the connection. Another thing going on in this part of the book is that the Pharisees are wanting to arrest Him, but they feared the crowds.
Psalm 26
"...I will bless the Lord." verse 12 In my midweek Bible study we questioned whether we bless the Lord enough or not. Obviously, most of us do not. I want to bless Him, though, with my words and actions and money and time management and labor...
Proverbs 6:16-19
Seven things the Lord hates.
So, all things considered, I like the way my thoughts are being pulled by trying to live out this radical experiment. Obviously I am not there by any means. But I am still excited about what the Lord will teach me throughout this process. I listened to a sermon by David Platt about his whole challenge and he was adamant at the end that the whole point of this is to know Christ. That's it. Not to see how good we can be. Not to check things off of a list. Not even to see what can be accomplished in or through us. It is simply to know Christ. To know the Savior. To know Him. If after 11 more months I can say I know Him much better than I did today, this will have been a success.
Pray: United Kingdom
England- most secular of the four countries. Only 6% are church goers. London might be the most international city in the world, making it a place of global impact. Pray for church life in London and ethnic minorities.
Northern Ireland- experiencing a time of fragile peace. Church attendance is in decline.
Scotland- lots of moral issues: 1/2 of children are born out of wedlock, drugs, alcohol... Pray for transformation through the gospel. Pray also for the church to return to Biblical teaching.
Wales- economic changes are causing a decline in population and church attendance. They are known for revival, but the most recent one was in 1904. Pray for revival and the return of the people singing God's praise.
Isle of Man- completely self-governing, but dependent on England for certain things. They have a long Christian tradition, but like the other countries in the UK, they are moving away from this. Pray that they would return to their roots.
Channel Islands- another independently ruled nation that relies on Britain for defensive protection and international representation. Materialism is prevalent. Pray for awakening.
Genesis 13:17-15:18
Pharaoh let the Israelites go. They followed a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. Sometimes I wish I had one of those pillars showing me where to go. Then they walk across the dry ground in the middle of the Red Sea, and when the Egyptians follow them, the Lord causes the water to wash them away basically. After they have been saved, they sing a song of praise!
Matthew 21:23-46
I am having more difficulty with the meaning of some of what Jesus says lately. I know He talks in parables, but I don't always understand how the lesson goes with the story. For instance, today I read the parable of the tenants who killed servants and even the owner's son thinking that they would receive the inheritance instead, but Jesus asks what the master will do when he arrives and says "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone..." verse 42. I don't really understand the connection. Another thing going on in this part of the book is that the Pharisees are wanting to arrest Him, but they feared the crowds.
Psalm 26
"...I will bless the Lord." verse 12 In my midweek Bible study we questioned whether we bless the Lord enough or not. Obviously, most of us do not. I want to bless Him, though, with my words and actions and money and time management and labor...
Proverbs 6:16-19
Seven things the Lord hates.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Moving Mountains
Back on schedule! :)
Pray:
United Kingdom
Christian leadership is facing a lot of pressure- discipleship and new leaders are both needed.
Students are greatly influenced by society- Christian students have an opportunity to witness.
The world has come to the UK- pray for local churches to open their hearts to these people.
There is a huge Muslim population who "see the conversion of England to Islam as a key strategy for winning the West."
Proverbs 6:12-15
Traits of a worthless, wicked man.
Psalm 25:16-22
A plea for help.
Matthew 20:29-21:22
Two blind men have such faith in hearing that Jesus is passing by that they cry out for Him until He comes and heals them. Then Jesus goes into the temple and drives out the money changers and others who are selling things. After that, upon coming to a tree that has no fruit on it, Jesus causes it to wither immediately. The disciples apparently are still not used to this type of thing and marvel at Him, wondering how He has done this. He explains that if they have faith, even they will be able to do what they saw Him do. Not only that, but "if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen." verse 21 He also tells them that "whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." verse 22
Exodus 12:14-13:16
After 430 years, the Israelites are free from Egypt!! The Lord brought them up out of the land as He said. Pharaoh decided the death of his firstborn was finally enough and let the people go.
Pray:
United Kingdom
Christian leadership is facing a lot of pressure- discipleship and new leaders are both needed.
Students are greatly influenced by society- Christian students have an opportunity to witness.
The world has come to the UK- pray for local churches to open their hearts to these people.
There is a huge Muslim population who "see the conversion of England to Islam as a key strategy for winning the West."
Proverbs 6:12-15
Traits of a worthless, wicked man.
Psalm 25:16-22
A plea for help.
Matthew 20:29-21:22
Two blind men have such faith in hearing that Jesus is passing by that they cry out for Him until He comes and heals them. Then Jesus goes into the temple and drives out the money changers and others who are selling things. After that, upon coming to a tree that has no fruit on it, Jesus causes it to wither immediately. The disciples apparently are still not used to this type of thing and marvel at Him, wondering how He has done this. He explains that if they have faith, even they will be able to do what they saw Him do. Not only that, but "if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen." verse 21 He also tells them that "whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." verse 22
Exodus 12:14-13:16
After 430 years, the Israelites are free from Egypt!! The Lord brought them up out of the land as He said. Pharaoh decided the death of his firstborn was finally enough and let the people go.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Catching Up
Oh boy have I fallen behind in some of the reading... especially the Old Testament. But I am catching up today and it really was pretty cool to read several chapters of Exodus all together. I read all the way from when the Lord tells Moses to go back to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of captivity, through most of the plagues sent because of Pharaoh's hard heart, to the instructions for the Passover. The plagues that happened really were terrible. I can't imagine being just an average Egyptian who had no clue why all these crazy things were happening: frogs, flies, boils, darkness, etc. There must have been no doubt in the minds of those who heard Moses speak, though, that his God was the only true God.
Matthew 19:13-20:28
Jesus tells a young man that to truly become His follower he must sell everything and give to the poor because "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven." 19:24 This is a bit of a scary thought in our society. We all have in abundance. We may not see ourselves as "rich," but we have more than most. Then Jesus tells about laborers who worked all day, and some who worked only in the last hour but all got paid the same amount. He used this story to illustrate "the last will be first, and the first last." 20:16 I must confess the connection between the story and the lesson are not perfectly clear for me.
Psalm 24, 25:1-15
"Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory!" 24:10
"Make known to me your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long." 25:4-5
"All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep to his covenant and his testimonies." 25:10
Proverbs 6:1-11
This portion of the Scriptures has the title "Practical Warnings." Not only are they practical, they are convicting. First he says if your words have gotten you in trouble to not sleep until you have fixed it. Then he talks about being a sluggard:
"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man." verse 11
Pray:
United Arab Emirates
I had to look up what emirate means. It is the area that an emir rules. So then I had to look up emir. This is a person who is a ruler in an Islamic country. One definition even said a descendent of Mohammed. This country went from a poor economy to a "playground of the ultra-rich." As you can imagine, there are all sorts of issues that arise from that. There is religious freedom, but many don't know about Christ. There are many expatriates in the country who could potentially be shared with.
United Kingdom
The UK has a strong Christian history but is becoming more and more diversified in its faith. There are minority groups that get more and more attention from the media and government and Christianity is increasingly frowned upon in the public realm. Pray for confidence in the gospel and boldness and passion to share it.
Matthew 19:13-20:28
Jesus tells a young man that to truly become His follower he must sell everything and give to the poor because "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven." 19:24 This is a bit of a scary thought in our society. We all have in abundance. We may not see ourselves as "rich," but we have more than most. Then Jesus tells about laborers who worked all day, and some who worked only in the last hour but all got paid the same amount. He used this story to illustrate "the last will be first, and the first last." 20:16 I must confess the connection between the story and the lesson are not perfectly clear for me.
Psalm 24, 25:1-15
"Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory!" 24:10
"Make known to me your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long." 25:4-5
"All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep to his covenant and his testimonies." 25:10
Proverbs 6:1-11
This portion of the Scriptures has the title "Practical Warnings." Not only are they practical, they are convicting. First he says if your words have gotten you in trouble to not sleep until you have fixed it. Then he talks about being a sluggard:
"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man." verse 11
Pray:
United Arab Emirates
I had to look up what emirate means. It is the area that an emir rules. So then I had to look up emir. This is a person who is a ruler in an Islamic country. One definition even said a descendent of Mohammed. This country went from a poor economy to a "playground of the ultra-rich." As you can imagine, there are all sorts of issues that arise from that. There is religious freedom, but many don't know about Christ. There are many expatriates in the country who could potentially be shared with.
United Kingdom
The UK has a strong Christian history but is becoming more and more diversified in its faith. There are minority groups that get more and more attention from the media and government and Christianity is increasingly frowned upon in the public realm. Pray for confidence in the gospel and boldness and passion to share it.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Just Keeps Going and Going and Going...
Life simply never stops. Some weeks are slower than others, but this is definitely not a slow week. It is December, and in the music education world, that automatically means your schedule is going to be jam-packed with lots of stuff. With this being the case, I have fallen behind in my reading and prayers. That being said, I find myself with a few extra minutes this morning and am hoping that it will be a sweet time of "catching up" with the Lord. I'm not giving in, yet!
Pray: Ukraine
In Eastern Europe with an unstable economy, but potential for growth. They are dealing with the aftermath of communism having only gained political freedom in 1991. There is a strong Christian heritage, but the Church faced much persecution during communist times. I prayed for righteousness, justice, and compassion in dealing with the effects of communism. I prayed for reconciliation and unity in the Church after the divisions caused by the era of communism. And I prayed for the tens of thousands of street children and over 100,000 orphans of this country.
Proverbs 5:15-23
These verses are a warning against adultery, a warning about that "forbidden woman" that was mentioned earlier. He is instructed to rejoice in his wife and "be intoxicated always in her love." verse 19 A lack of discipline in this area will lead to death.
Psalm 22:19-31, Psalm 23
The end of 22 basically talks about how the Lord rescues us from those we consider enemies.
23 is very well known and just speaks peace to me. It is a beautiful image of the Lord leading us and providing for us.
Matthew 18-19:12
So many great things in these chapters! First, the disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest. And far from the answer they expected, I'm sure, Jesus tells them it is the one who humbles himself like a child. Then He is very adamant about not causing a child to sin, or to even be tempted to sin. He uses such strong language when talking about these subjects- He even tells us to get rid of a part of the body if it causes you to sin. Next, He talks about a shepherd who will leave the entire flock to go after just one sheep. I saw real life shepherds on a mountain in Romania this past summer, and this absolutely is true. There were two shepherds with a giant flock of sheep and one of them literally left the flock and went back for a couple of sheep that had not followed and were left behind. He then tells us how to deal with those who sin against us by speaking with the instead of passing judgement, and follows that by explaining that we should forgive those who sin against us over and over and over again. Finally, Jesus addresses the issue of divorce and how it was never intended to have any part in marriage. He also says that only certain people can receive the saying that it is better not to marry. "Let the one who is able to receive this, receive it." verse 9:12
Pray: Ukraine
In Eastern Europe with an unstable economy, but potential for growth. They are dealing with the aftermath of communism having only gained political freedom in 1991. There is a strong Christian heritage, but the Church faced much persecution during communist times. I prayed for righteousness, justice, and compassion in dealing with the effects of communism. I prayed for reconciliation and unity in the Church after the divisions caused by the era of communism. And I prayed for the tens of thousands of street children and over 100,000 orphans of this country.
Proverbs 5:15-23
These verses are a warning against adultery, a warning about that "forbidden woman" that was mentioned earlier. He is instructed to rejoice in his wife and "be intoxicated always in her love." verse 19 A lack of discipline in this area will lead to death.
Psalm 22:19-31, Psalm 23
The end of 22 basically talks about how the Lord rescues us from those we consider enemies.
23 is very well known and just speaks peace to me. It is a beautiful image of the Lord leading us and providing for us.
Matthew 18-19:12
So many great things in these chapters! First, the disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest. And far from the answer they expected, I'm sure, Jesus tells them it is the one who humbles himself like a child. Then He is very adamant about not causing a child to sin, or to even be tempted to sin. He uses such strong language when talking about these subjects- He even tells us to get rid of a part of the body if it causes you to sin. Next, He talks about a shepherd who will leave the entire flock to go after just one sheep. I saw real life shepherds on a mountain in Romania this past summer, and this absolutely is true. There were two shepherds with a giant flock of sheep and one of them literally left the flock and went back for a couple of sheep that had not followed and were left behind. He then tells us how to deal with those who sin against us by speaking with the instead of passing judgement, and follows that by explaining that we should forgive those who sin against us over and over and over again. Finally, Jesus addresses the issue of divorce and how it was never intended to have any part in marriage. He also says that only certain people can receive the saying that it is better not to marry. "Let the one who is able to receive this, receive it." verse 9:12
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Short on Time
Today is the first day back to work after the Thanksgiving holiday. We have three weeks until Christmas holiday (not that I'm counting). I have been so slow in getting everything together today! Maybe I ate too much turkey?! Anyways, I just wanted to note that I'm aware of the shortness of my time this morning, so I will get to what I can, but will finish later today so that I'm not rushing anything. I very much want these times to be meaningful.
Genesis 50- Exodus 2:10
Joseph dies at the end of Genesis and by the beginning of Exodus the Israelites are so numerous in Egypt that the Pharaoh of that time feared their multitude and made them all slaves. He also decreed that all males babies were to be killed. BUT, there was a Levite couple who had a baby boy whom the mother hid as long as she could. Then she placed him in a basket in the reeds and he was found by none other than the Pharaoh's daughter. That's right. It's Moses!
Matthew 16:13-17:9
Jesus begins explaining to His disciples that He will die and rise again. They do not like to hear Him speak of His death. He tells them that they must lose their lives in order to find them, or to gain their souls. Then a couple of the disciples go up on a mountain with Jesus and see him talking with Elijah and Moses. Can you imagine? What must have been going through their heads? Well, at least one of them thought he needed to make tents for the men. But he was put in his place pretty quickly when a voice from the clouds started speaking! Oh, and then Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had seen. Talk about a secret.
Psalm 21
This is a psalm of rejoicing. The king is acclaiming the power of the Lord.
Proverbs 5:1
These verses give a warning against listening to a "strange woman" and says that "her ways wander, and she does not know it." verse 6 That is a scary thought for me. Anytime a woman is referred to, even if it is just metaphorical, I still think of myself to a certain extent. What's scary is to think that I could be a strange woman who does not know when her ways wander. The only way to combat this, according to these verses is to listen to understanding, discretion, and knowledge.
Pray: Uganda
Genesis 50- Exodus 2:10
Joseph dies at the end of Genesis and by the beginning of Exodus the Israelites are so numerous in Egypt that the Pharaoh of that time feared their multitude and made them all slaves. He also decreed that all males babies were to be killed. BUT, there was a Levite couple who had a baby boy whom the mother hid as long as she could. Then she placed him in a basket in the reeds and he was found by none other than the Pharaoh's daughter. That's right. It's Moses!
Matthew 16:13-17:9
Jesus begins explaining to His disciples that He will die and rise again. They do not like to hear Him speak of His death. He tells them that they must lose their lives in order to find them, or to gain their souls. Then a couple of the disciples go up on a mountain with Jesus and see him talking with Elijah and Moses. Can you imagine? What must have been going through their heads? Well, at least one of them thought he needed to make tents for the men. But he was put in his place pretty quickly when a voice from the clouds started speaking! Oh, and then Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had seen. Talk about a secret.
Psalm 21
This is a psalm of rejoicing. The king is acclaiming the power of the Lord.
Proverbs 5:1
These verses give a warning against listening to a "strange woman" and says that "her ways wander, and she does not know it." verse 6 That is a scary thought for me. Anytime a woman is referred to, even if it is just metaphorical, I still think of myself to a certain extent. What's scary is to think that I could be a strange woman who does not know when her ways wander. The only way to combat this, according to these verses is to listen to understanding, discretion, and knowledge.
Pray: Uganda
Monday, November 29, 2010
Where is That?!
Pray:
Turks and Caicos Islands- in the Caribbean. The islands have a history of drug trade and money laundering. 25% live below the poverty line.
Tuvalu- In the Pacific, east of Australia. Only encompassing 24 km worth of coral atolls. They are strongly Protestant and very traditional, but some of the traditions are challenged by outside society. Pray for wisdom to preserve the nation and culture.
Proverbs 4:20-27
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." verse 23
Psalm 20
We must put our trust in God. I cannot imagine how those who do not know him are able to function. How do you live without hope? "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." verse 7
Matthew 15:29-16:12
Jesus feeds a large crowd again with a few loaves and fish. I didn't realized the two occurrences were so close together. He also warns the disciples about listening to the teaching of the Pharisees.
Genesis 48-49
Jacob (Israel) is giving blessings to his sons and grandsons. After he blesses, he then tells them what to do with him once he dies. Then, he basically lays down in bed and that's it.
Turks and Caicos Islands- in the Caribbean. The islands have a history of drug trade and money laundering. 25% live below the poverty line.
Tuvalu- In the Pacific, east of Australia. Only encompassing 24 km worth of coral atolls. They are strongly Protestant and very traditional, but some of the traditions are challenged by outside society. Pray for wisdom to preserve the nation and culture.
Proverbs 4:20-27
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." verse 23
Psalm 20
We must put our trust in God. I cannot imagine how those who do not know him are able to function. How do you live without hope? "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." verse 7
Matthew 15:29-16:12
Jesus feeds a large crowd again with a few loaves and fish. I didn't realized the two occurrences were so close together. He also warns the disciples about listening to the teaching of the Pharisees.
Genesis 48-49
Jacob (Israel) is giving blessings to his sons and grandsons. After he blesses, he then tells them what to do with him once he dies. Then, he basically lays down in bed and that's it.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Day 23- Prone To Wander
If anyone out there is actually reading this, I am about to get pretty honest and transparent. My family has been in my home for the last couple of days for Thanksgiving. It has been wonderful! We are not all together very often, so we take advantage of the times that we are together and have lots of fun. But in this short time that they have been here, I have found that I am easily distracted and have not been spending meaningful time in prayer or in the Word. Sure, I have kept up with the daily readings and I have made sure I know which country I'm supposed to be praying for each day, but these things have taken a backseat to other stuff going on and I have rushed through it. Why? My family loves the Lord, too, so it's not like they are critical of me spending time with Him. Somehow, it just seems less important, and that scares me. My greatest desire in life is to know the Lord and bring Him glory, but I do have other desires as well. I dream of a husband and family of my own someday, but don't see how I will ever keep my priorities in the right order if I have them. I am so easily distracted, I just can't imagine how it will work. I'm so thankful for the grace and mercy that come from Steadfast Love.
"O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above."
Lord, meet with me as I read your Word this morning.
Genesis 46-47So I'm pretty sure when Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery they never realized he would save them by having them move to Egypt and that they would multiply in numbers to the point of the Egyptians fearing them and making them slaves. That didn't all happen in these two chapters, but Israel did move his family to Egypt in the reading today. When they moved his family numbered 70. (And they ended up in the millions!)
Matthew 15:1-28In this passage we see the danger of thinking like a Pharisee. These men questioned Jesus about things they saw Him doing that they considered to be against the laws of their tradition. Jesus But He called them hypocrites because they weren't keeping other parts of the law. Then he says to them,"This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me;in vain do they worship me..." verse 8-9Jesus expresses much better than me the concerns I was having this morning. I am fearful that my heart is not in the right place sometimes. That other things take more priority and that my worship is in vain. May it not be so! Jesus goes on to say that it is not what goes into a person physically that makes them unclean, but what comes out from the overflow of the heart that truly defiles a person.
Psalm 19"The law of the Lord is perfect" verse 7 This is the same law the Pharisees were trying to call into question in the reading from Matthew today. And again, speaking to my heart:"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." verse 14
Proverbs 4:14-19A warning against following the path of the wicked. The wicked will have trouble, "but the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." verse 18
Pray: Turkmenistan
This country is in the middle east part of Asia. They are recovering from a leader who basically was crazy and are trying to figure out what to do now. Believers of Christianity are persecuted, but their numbers have grown in spite of it. Pray for the current leaders and for believers to share their faith.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Turkey on Thanksgiving
Turkey on Thanksgiving. And I don't mean to eat! Funnily enough, prayer for the country Turkey falls on the same day we Americans will all be eating turkey. Here are some things I prayed for today:
prejudice, mistrust, and dislike of Christianity- media spreads untruths
decline of the church- from 22% Christian to 0.21%
the loss of close family ties for those who do choose Christianity
persecution- besides being socially unaccepted, harassed, and disrupted church services, persecution is becoming increasingly more violent
Genesis 42:18-43
Joseph gives his brothers tasks to do because they do not yet know who he is. He is gracious to them and had compassion on them.
Matthew 13:47-14:12
A couple more parable, then Jesus returns to His hometown. The people there do not have faith in Him. Then, John the Baptist is beheaded by Herod who was wrapped up in all kinds of sin.
Psalm 18:16-36
"he rescued me, because he delighted in me." verse 19
I'm still loving the language of this psalm.
Proverbs 4:7-10
Still speaking as a father he says to get wisdom and insight so that the years of your life may be long.
My family is here and I love it! We will also be joined by several others who didn't have plans for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to have a houseful of friends and family! My blessings are too numerous. May all the glory go to God!
prejudice, mistrust, and dislike of Christianity- media spreads untruths
decline of the church- from 22% Christian to 0.21%
the loss of close family ties for those who do choose Christianity
persecution- besides being socially unaccepted, harassed, and disrupted church services, persecution is becoming increasingly more violent
Genesis 42:18-43
Joseph gives his brothers tasks to do because they do not yet know who he is. He is gracious to them and had compassion on them.
Matthew 13:47-14:12
A couple more parable, then Jesus returns to His hometown. The people there do not have faith in Him. Then, John the Baptist is beheaded by Herod who was wrapped up in all kinds of sin.
Psalm 18:16-36
"he rescued me, because he delighted in me." verse 19
I'm still loving the language of this psalm.
Proverbs 4:7-10
Still speaking as a father he says to get wisdom and insight so that the years of your life may be long.
My family is here and I love it! We will also be joined by several others who didn't have plans for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to have a houseful of friends and family! My blessings are too numerous. May all the glory go to God!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
How Sweet It Is
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and because of the holiday several of us in Wednesday night Bible study would not have been able to make it. But those girls are so committed to spending time in the Word and knowing Christ that they chose to meet on Monday night so we wouldn't miss a week. I cannot express how sweet it is, or how much good it does my heart to hear the conversations that come about from spending time in the Word together. God is truly blessing these times and I look forward to learning more each week. I'm so thankful for the girls in that group and the ladies who lead it. They truly are Titus 2 women, training younger women to live according to the Word.
Pray:
Yesterday I prayed for Tunisia. I hadn't heard of it before. It's on the northern coast of Africa and 99% Muslim. Pray hard.
Today I prayed for Turkey. The country itself is 3% in Europe and 97% in Asia. Based on their geography, they have great potential to be a positive political influence in an area of unrest. There are major issues between Islam and Nationalism. The country's religion is officially a secular state, but religious freedom has not been completely upheld.
Genesis 41:17-42:17
Joseph is blessed no matter where he lands- as a servant, in jail, in the Pharaoh's house. He interprets dreams and Pharaoh gives him the job of storing food for seven years so that in times of drought Egypt will be prepared. When the famine comes, so do Joseph's brothers, but they don't recognize him.
Matthew 13:24-46
Jesus is speaking in parables to the crowd. The parable of the weeds, of leaven, of hidden treasure, of the pearl of great value. And He tells his reasoning for speaking this way: to fulfill prophesy. "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world." verse 35 (Psalm 78:2)
Psalm 18:1-15
What powerful words! David wrote this psalm after being rescued from his enemies, including Saul. The language used to describe how the Lord came powerfully and swiftly on behalf of His servant is absolutely beautiful.
Proverbs 4:1-6
Solomon wrote the whole opening of this book as if writing to sons. In these verses he is reminding us to listen to him as a father instructing his son. He tells us to "be attentive, that you may gain insight." verse 1
Pray:
Yesterday I prayed for Tunisia. I hadn't heard of it before. It's on the northern coast of Africa and 99% Muslim. Pray hard.
Today I prayed for Turkey. The country itself is 3% in Europe and 97% in Asia. Based on their geography, they have great potential to be a positive political influence in an area of unrest. There are major issues between Islam and Nationalism. The country's religion is officially a secular state, but religious freedom has not been completely upheld.
Genesis 41:17-42:17
Joseph is blessed no matter where he lands- as a servant, in jail, in the Pharaoh's house. He interprets dreams and Pharaoh gives him the job of storing food for seven years so that in times of drought Egypt will be prepared. When the famine comes, so do Joseph's brothers, but they don't recognize him.
Matthew 13:24-46
Jesus is speaking in parables to the crowd. The parable of the weeds, of leaven, of hidden treasure, of the pearl of great value. And He tells his reasoning for speaking this way: to fulfill prophesy. "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world." verse 35 (Psalm 78:2)
Psalm 18:1-15
What powerful words! David wrote this psalm after being rescued from his enemies, including Saul. The language used to describe how the Lord came powerfully and swiftly on behalf of His servant is absolutely beautiful.
Proverbs 4:1-6
Solomon wrote the whole opening of this book as if writing to sons. In these verses he is reminding us to listen to him as a father instructing his son. He tells us to "be attentive, that you may gain insight." verse 1
Monday, November 22, 2010
Rose and Roy
Yesterday, my Sunday school class met Roy and Rose. Instead of making ourselves a Thanksgiving meal and sitting at my house thinking about ourselves, we took at meal to our new friends and then pulled a stump out of their front yard. I hope we will continue our relationship with them.
Pray:
Tonga- islands in the South Pacific
There is a strong Christian presence in this country, but there has been a spiritual decline over the last century.
Trinidad & Tobago- island in the Caribbean just north of Venezuela
Very diverse population resulting in many social challenges and division in the Church that is there.
Read:
Proverbs 3:27-32
How not to treat those around us. "...the devious person is an abomination to the Lord," verse 31
Psalm 16
"I have a beautiful inheritance." verse 6
"...in the night also my heart instructs me." verse 7 Heart can also be translated as kidneys. I always chuckle at the thought of kidneys instructing us during the night. :)
"in your presence there is fullness of joy;" verse 11
Matthew 12:22-45
Jesus disputes that he is the prince of demons and says that a tree will be known by its fruits.
Genesis 37-38
Joseph's brothers sell him.
Pray:
Tonga- islands in the South Pacific
There is a strong Christian presence in this country, but there has been a spiritual decline over the last century.
Trinidad & Tobago- island in the Caribbean just north of Venezuela
Very diverse population resulting in many social challenges and division in the Church that is there.
Read:
Proverbs 3:27-32
How not to treat those around us. "...the devious person is an abomination to the Lord," verse 31
Psalm 16
"I have a beautiful inheritance." verse 6
"...in the night also my heart instructs me." verse 7 Heart can also be translated as kidneys. I always chuckle at the thought of kidneys instructing us during the night. :)
"in your presence there is fullness of joy;" verse 11
Matthew 12:22-45
Jesus disputes that he is the prince of demons and says that a tree will be known by its fruits.
Genesis 37-38
Joseph's brothers sell him.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Yucatan Taco Stand
Last night I got to meet one of my best friends for dinner and it was wonderful. She is such an encourager and we always have fun together. We have resolved to get together more often. I can't wait for the next time!
Pray:
Togo- Small country in Africa. They have had a rough political history, with fixed elections and uprisings that have led to many deaths. There was also a period in the 70's of anti-Christian thinking. Since then, the church has been allowed, but there is a need for unity and leaders. Some Christians still practice animism and voodoo. There is also lots of prayer needed for the children and orphans of the country who get swallowed up into human trafficking.
Genesis 35-36
God officially renamed Jacob as Israel. Esau's descendants are listed- I have to be really careful to actually read this type of passage and not just skim over it.
Matthew 12:1-21
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. But He still did work on those days. He was not caught up in the law of it like those who questioned Him. He said, "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." I am still working through the meaning of some of the things Jesus says. Sometimes I feel like it's so cryptic. I want to honor the Lord with the way I spend my Sabbath. It has been high priority for a while for this to be a day of rest for me. But it has been filled up with things that are good, so these verses are reassuring to me.
Psalm 15
"He who does these things shall never be moved." verse 5
This psalm tells the characteristics of a person who will dwell on the Lord's holy hill.
Proverbs 3:21-26
When we keep sound wisdom and discretion we will walk securely, not stumble, not be afraid, and the Lord will be our confidence. I am thankful for the Lord's confidence, for I have none of my own.
Pray:
Togo- Small country in Africa. They have had a rough political history, with fixed elections and uprisings that have led to many deaths. There was also a period in the 70's of anti-Christian thinking. Since then, the church has been allowed, but there is a need for unity and leaders. Some Christians still practice animism and voodoo. There is also lots of prayer needed for the children and orphans of the country who get swallowed up into human trafficking.
Genesis 35-36
God officially renamed Jacob as Israel. Esau's descendants are listed- I have to be really careful to actually read this type of passage and not just skim over it.
Matthew 12:1-21
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. But He still did work on those days. He was not caught up in the law of it like those who questioned Him. He said, "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." I am still working through the meaning of some of the things Jesus says. Sometimes I feel like it's so cryptic. I want to honor the Lord with the way I spend my Sabbath. It has been high priority for a while for this to be a day of rest for me. But it has been filled up with things that are good, so these verses are reassuring to me.
Psalm 15
"He who does these things shall never be moved." verse 5
This psalm tells the characteristics of a person who will dwell on the Lord's holy hill.
Proverbs 3:21-26
When we keep sound wisdom and discretion we will walk securely, not stumble, not be afraid, and the Lord will be our confidence. I am thankful for the Lord's confidence, for I have none of my own.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Multiplying Community
"Commit yourself to a multiplying community." This is one of the five things I am working on over the next year. Thankfully I am already a member of a great church, so for me this has meant really investing my time in my specific smaller group of twenty-somethings. There are so many wonderful people in this group and I am excited to see all the things that have been going on that are growing us and bringing us closer to the Lord. It was with this group that I initially started Radical. Just a couple of things that I'm really excited about right now are our Wednesday night small groups and Secret Church. We have gone from one Bible study to three small groups Bible studies on Wednesday nights, and speaking personally, the group I'm involved in is really challenging us to know and learn from God. It's wonderful. Secret Church just happened last night for the first time. We met at a house with the intention of simply spending time exploring what God's word tells us about certain topics. We studied for several hours and I walked away feeling blessed by the other people in this group who are committing themselves to the Lord. It says a lot for someone when they will give up a Friday night to simply study the Bible.
So now, on to my reading and prayer. :)
Genesis 31:17-34 (brief overview!)
Jacob is ready to leave his father-in-law's land and return with his family and possession to the land of his father. After twenty years, no less! Jacob sneaks off, Laban pursues, but everything works out. Then Jacob gets really nervous about going back and seeing his brother. You know, Esau, the one he cheated out of everything. So he sends word ahead that he is coming and also sends many gifts as well. Esau welcomes him with open arms and their relationship is restored. In the midst of all these happenings, Jacob is left alone one night and wrestles with a man who turns out to be God. At the end of the wrestling match God changes Jacob's name to Israel. How had I missed this before? Israel- the 12 tribes, the wandering Israelites- was Jacob! Somehow I'd never solidified that connection in my brain.
Matthew 10:26-11
Jesus is still instructing the 12 disciples. He told them to have to fear- to bring light into the darkness and to proclaim from the rooftops the things they hear. We have nothing to worry about because we belong to Him. He knows every detail, down to the number of hairs on our heads. (Which is constantly changing when it comes to my head.) And right after telling them to not be afraid He says that He has come to bring a sword, and not peace. That we will be set against our household because we are to love Him more than we love our families. He says that when we lose our life, we will find it.
Then He travels to other cities and talks with the people about John the Baptist, judgement for the unrepentant and finally, the rest that can be found when we yoke ourselves to Him.
Psalm 13 & 14
13- The writer is obviously going through a period of trial and basically asking how long it's going to last. But in the end he recognizes that God's love and salvation bring rejoicing. "I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me." verse 6 I love vocabulary, and therefore love the word bountifully in that verse. :)
14- "there is no one who does good. ...Oh, that salvation for Israel would come..." verse 1, 7
Proverbs 3:16-20
"She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed." verse 18 The Lord has wisdom and knowledge, so I would think when we seek for them and gain them we are made more like Him.
Pray:
Timor Leste- Southeast Asia
This country is part of an island that is shared by Indonesia.
So now, on to my reading and prayer. :)
Genesis 31:17-34 (brief overview!)
Jacob is ready to leave his father-in-law's land and return with his family and possession to the land of his father. After twenty years, no less! Jacob sneaks off, Laban pursues, but everything works out. Then Jacob gets really nervous about going back and seeing his brother. You know, Esau, the one he cheated out of everything. So he sends word ahead that he is coming and also sends many gifts as well. Esau welcomes him with open arms and their relationship is restored. In the midst of all these happenings, Jacob is left alone one night and wrestles with a man who turns out to be God. At the end of the wrestling match God changes Jacob's name to Israel. How had I missed this before? Israel- the 12 tribes, the wandering Israelites- was Jacob! Somehow I'd never solidified that connection in my brain.
Matthew 10:26-11
Jesus is still instructing the 12 disciples. He told them to have to fear- to bring light into the darkness and to proclaim from the rooftops the things they hear. We have nothing to worry about because we belong to Him. He knows every detail, down to the number of hairs on our heads. (Which is constantly changing when it comes to my head.) And right after telling them to not be afraid He says that He has come to bring a sword, and not peace. That we will be set against our household because we are to love Him more than we love our families. He says that when we lose our life, we will find it.
Then He travels to other cities and talks with the people about John the Baptist, judgement for the unrepentant and finally, the rest that can be found when we yoke ourselves to Him.
Psalm 13 & 14
13- The writer is obviously going through a period of trial and basically asking how long it's going to last. But in the end he recognizes that God's love and salvation bring rejoicing. "I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me." verse 6 I love vocabulary, and therefore love the word bountifully in that verse. :)
14- "there is no one who does good. ...Oh, that salvation for Israel would come..." verse 1, 7
Proverbs 3:16-20
"She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed." verse 18 The Lord has wisdom and knowledge, so I would think when we seek for them and gain them we are made more like Him.
Pray:
Timor Leste- Southeast Asia
This country is part of an island that is shared by Indonesia.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Dare #3
The third thing in my list of five that I am trying to do over the next year is give my money for a specific purpose. To me, this means I need to give until I don't have anything left to give. Before you label me as completely crazy, hear me say that this doesn't mean I will deplete my savings, or even that I will stop saving for this year. It means that whatever extra I have will not just remain in my bank account because it makes me feel better. I have been praying about how the Lord would have me spend my money. Some day soon I will get into my spending habits, but for today I want to focus on a new project.
At work we received an email giving us the opportunity to adopt an "angel" from the Salvation Army. The idea is that a class or school could do this together. Well, I decided to adopt on behalf of my choir, so I will have 1 boy and 1 girl about the same age as the kids in my group. I will talk to them about the whole process and then have them give me ideas for gifts. I want to take pictures of the whole process, have the kids make a card, and hopefully this will be a life lesson about giving to those who are less fortunate than us. I'm excited about it!!
Pray:
Thailand. Did you know Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice and that they have the world's longest-reigning monarch? Religious freedom is also guaranteed in their constitution, but still 85% of the people are Buddhist.
Answers to prayer- The Church in Thailand is growing! There has been a noticeably more rapid increase in numbers. There has also been emerging indigenous leadership that are setting ambitious goals. Missionaries have also learned to be more effective by understanding the culture and using it, instead of trying to fit their foreign ideas into the Church.
Genesis 30-31:16
What mama drama! Jacob has two wives: Leah can have children, but Rachel is barren. So Rachel gives Jacob her servant as a wife to increase his sons, so Leah does the same. Then Leah bears more sons and Rachel finally has one of her own. This just seems crazy to me! Next, the Lord tells Jacob it is time to leave and return to the land of his fathers. He does not leave on good terms, but he gets ready to go.
Matthew 10:1-23
Jesus sends out the twelve disciples. He tells them specifically where to go, and where not to go. I know He still directs us today. Then he tells them there will be persecution, but He also assures them that they will be given the words to say. I desperately need those words.
Psalm 12
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a fire" verse 6
Proverbs 3:13-15
Wisdom is better gain than silver, gold, or jewels and is beyond comparison for things that are desirable. Those who find wisdom are blessed.
Jesus sends out the twelve disciples. He tells them specifically where to go, and where not to go. I know He still directs us today. Then he tells them there will be persecution, but He also assures them that they will be given the words to say. I desperately need those words.
Psalm 12
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a fire" verse 6
Proverbs 3:13-15
Wisdom is better gain than silver, gold, or jewels and is beyond comparison for things that are desirable. Those who find wisdom are blessed.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Day 13
Prayer:
2nd day praying for Tanzania. My wonderful friend, Liz, lived in Tanzania for six months so I have been thinking about her a lot as I read through this one.
Proverbs 3:11-12
The Lord disciplines us because He loves us. Since I have no children of my own, I did not fully understand this until I became a teacher. In fact, just today I was trying my best to convince a class of 5th graders that the reason I insist they do things the right way is because I love them and see their true potential, and it is disappointing to see them not living up to it. I wonder what potential the Lord sees in me... and if I even remotely come close to living up to it?
Psalm 11
"The Lord is in his holy temple; ... his eyes see" verse 4
Matthew 9:18-38
People began coming to Jesus for healing, but others were already mocking Him. In a span of three verses, we see a woman who knew that if she was just able to touch the hem of His garment she would be made well, and then a mourning crowd who laughed at Jesus when He told them the girl was not dead. What faith! And what blindness! Jesus traveled and healed and preached and had compassion on the crowds. At the end of this chapter, He tells the disciples that "the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." And the instructions that follow are to PRAY for the Lord to send out laborers.
Genesis 28-29
Jacob has a dream, involving angels ascending and descending a ladder reaching to heaven, in which God promises to bless him and make his offspring very numerous. Then he proceeds to Haran to find a wife and is tricked into marrying Leah, but the also wins Rachel as a wife. I almost want to say "Now he know what it feels like," regarding his earlier trickery, but I least of all need to be judging someone else.
2nd day praying for Tanzania. My wonderful friend, Liz, lived in Tanzania for six months so I have been thinking about her a lot as I read through this one.
Proverbs 3:11-12
The Lord disciplines us because He loves us. Since I have no children of my own, I did not fully understand this until I became a teacher. In fact, just today I was trying my best to convince a class of 5th graders that the reason I insist they do things the right way is because I love them and see their true potential, and it is disappointing to see them not living up to it. I wonder what potential the Lord sees in me... and if I even remotely come close to living up to it?
Psalm 11
"The Lord is in his holy temple; ... his eyes see" verse 4
Matthew 9:18-38
People began coming to Jesus for healing, but others were already mocking Him. In a span of three verses, we see a woman who knew that if she was just able to touch the hem of His garment she would be made well, and then a mourning crowd who laughed at Jesus when He told them the girl was not dead. What faith! And what blindness! Jesus traveled and healed and preached and had compassion on the crowds. At the end of this chapter, He tells the disciples that "the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." And the instructions that follow are to PRAY for the Lord to send out laborers.
Genesis 28-29
Jacob has a dream, involving angels ascending and descending a ladder reaching to heaven, in which God promises to bless him and make his offspring very numerous. Then he proceeds to Haran to find a wife and is tricked into marrying Leah, but the also wins Rachel as a wife. I almost want to say "Now he know what it feels like," regarding his earlier trickery, but I least of all need to be judging someone else.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Worth Fighting For
Spicing things up a bit today... reading first, then praying. :)
Genesis 26:17-27:46
Talk about the original family drama. Isaac's two sons, Esau and Jacob, did not get along to say the least. Jacob took Esau's birthright and blessing from his father. He was very sneaky. But he didn't act alone. His mother (Isaac's wife!) was orchestrating all of this. I don't understand why! Isaac was still faithful, though. Men from the land he settled in came to him to form an alliance because they said, "We plainly see that the Lord has been with you." I hope the evidence of God in my life is plain to see.
Matthew 9:1-17
Jesus has started performing miracles. This means that some start questioning Him. I wonder if I had lived in that time and saw the miraculous things He did, would I believe in Him as the Son of God? Or would I be too skeptical? I'm thankful that Truth has always been part of my life. Jesus has also started answering questions in ways that don't seem to make perfect sense. Sometimes I'm not sure what He's saying.
Psalm 10:16-18
"O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart..." verse 17
Proverbs 3:9-10
When we honor the Lord with the first and best of our material possessions, He will provide greatly for us.
Prayer: Tanzania
The following scriptures have been on my mind and heart as my days get longer and fuller, my nights get shorter, and my time with the Lord in the morning is very sleepy and seemingly too short, but of upmost importance:
"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ... and having done all, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:10-20
This is absolutely worth fighting for.
Genesis 26:17-27:46
Talk about the original family drama. Isaac's two sons, Esau and Jacob, did not get along to say the least. Jacob took Esau's birthright and blessing from his father. He was very sneaky. But he didn't act alone. His mother (Isaac's wife!) was orchestrating all of this. I don't understand why! Isaac was still faithful, though. Men from the land he settled in came to him to form an alliance because they said, "We plainly see that the Lord has been with you." I hope the evidence of God in my life is plain to see.
Matthew 9:1-17
Jesus has started performing miracles. This means that some start questioning Him. I wonder if I had lived in that time and saw the miraculous things He did, would I believe in Him as the Son of God? Or would I be too skeptical? I'm thankful that Truth has always been part of my life. Jesus has also started answering questions in ways that don't seem to make perfect sense. Sometimes I'm not sure what He's saying.
Psalm 10:16-18
"O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart..." verse 17
Proverbs 3:9-10
When we honor the Lord with the first and best of our material possessions, He will provide greatly for us.
Prayer: Tanzania
The following scriptures have been on my mind and heart as my days get longer and fuller, my nights get shorter, and my time with the Lord in the morning is very sleepy and seemingly too short, but of upmost importance:
"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ... and having done all, to stand firm." Ephesians 6:10-20
This is absolutely worth fighting for.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Pinky Swear.
Pray:
My country today is Syria. In the Middle East. The capital is Damascus, the one from the Bible. Islam is recognized as the religion of the majority (90%), but other minorities have rights and privileges with a measure of religious freedom. A measure of freedom. Can you imagine? There are several unreached people groups in the country. Christian media comes in the form of literature, radio, tv, and films throughout the country and has potential to be very effective.
Genesis 23-24:51
Sarah dies and Abraham mourns and weeps for her. Then he makes one of his servants swear to find a wife for Isaac from among his people and not the people of the land where they live now. When I was growing up, we used to say "Pinky swear?" to each other. That meant you really, really promised something. Well Abraham's version of that was, "put your hand under my thigh and swear..." That's almost the same, right?! This servant was faithful and followed the Lord to find Rebekah for Isaac.
Matthew 8:1-17
A man came to Jesus and asked Him to heal a servant that was at his house. Jesus marveled at his faith. He marveled at him. What would it take in my life to cause Jesus to marvel at me? Oh, that my faith would be great enough to work miracles on behalf of those in my "house."
Psalm 9:13-20
"Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men!" verse 20
Proverbs 3:1-6
"Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart." verse 3 I'm so thankful for the promise of paths made straight for me if I will only trust in the Lord and not my own understanding.
My country today is Syria. In the Middle East. The capital is Damascus, the one from the Bible. Islam is recognized as the religion of the majority (90%), but other minorities have rights and privileges with a measure of religious freedom. A measure of freedom. Can you imagine? There are several unreached people groups in the country. Christian media comes in the form of literature, radio, tv, and films throughout the country and has potential to be very effective.
Genesis 23-24:51
Sarah dies and Abraham mourns and weeps for her. Then he makes one of his servants swear to find a wife for Isaac from among his people and not the people of the land where they live now. When I was growing up, we used to say "Pinky swear?" to each other. That meant you really, really promised something. Well Abraham's version of that was, "put your hand under my thigh and swear..." That's almost the same, right?! This servant was faithful and followed the Lord to find Rebekah for Isaac.
Matthew 8:1-17
A man came to Jesus and asked Him to heal a servant that was at his house. Jesus marveled at his faith. He marveled at him. What would it take in my life to cause Jesus to marvel at me? Oh, that my faith would be great enough to work miracles on behalf of those in my "house."
Psalm 9:13-20
"Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men!" verse 20
Proverbs 3:1-6
"Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart." verse 3 I'm so thankful for the promise of paths made straight for me if I will only trust in the Lord and not my own understanding.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Panic
You know the feeling you get when you suddenly realize you've slept longer than you need to? How about the one when you wake up at 8:03 and school started at 8:00? If you've never experienced it and are unable to relate, let me just explain what happens- panic.
That's how my day started on Thursday and I sort of feel like I've been running to catch up ever since then. At least where the blog is concerned. I have not followed behind in reading or praying, though, which I am very grateful for. I have been learning a lot. So here is a quick list of the things I've covered in the last couple of days.
Pray for the entire world: Suriname (South America), Swaziland (Africa), Sweden (Europe)
Read through the Bible: Genesis 16-20, Matthew 6, Psalms 7-8, Proverbs 2:1-15
On Wednesday night I attended a new ladies small group Bible study and have fallen in love with the women leading it. What wisdom and insight they possess! This first week we talked about the "how to" of really spending time in the Word and how to hear God in the Scriptures. The process we talked about includes three things- read, hear, heed. There were so many things said that really resonated with me:
1. circumstances around us can effect the tone that we hear from the Word.
2. we have to spend enough time listening to let the Holy Spirit breathe life into the Words.
3. there is no need to search for answers through the whole Bible, meaning the Lord will speak to us from where ever we happen to be studying.
This last point was proven to me just yesterday as I went through this process in the book of James that we are all going through together. My concerns from the week were address in the first couple of verses I read. How amazing is the Lord?!
So that brings me to today. One of the things I am praying through right now is how to be spending my money. At this point, the only thing I have really changed is using my resources to strengthen relationships. Basically, taking friends out for meals, coffee, a movie, or whatever it may be so I can spend time with them. I am loving it! I know there needs to be more in the way of monetary sacrifice, though.
Prayed For:
Switzerland- This nation is struggling with stagnation where the church is concerned. There has been a large decline in those attending church, or who even consider themselves religious. I was able to pray for renewal. I have been to Switzerland, so it was cool to pray for a place I can picture. This place is so beautiful! I also attended a mass while I was there and saw for myself a huge, old church with just a few people scattered here and there in the pews.
Read (and recap):
Genesis 21-22
Sarai takes matters into her own hands and gives her servant to Abram to produce an heir. As you can imagine, this only creates problems! God changes their names to Abraham and Sarah, and promises that Sarah will bear a song in a year's time. Sodom is corrupt and Abraham prays for it, but there are not enough righteous people for God to save it. He does rescue Lot, but Lot's wife is turned into a pillar of salt. Sarah must have been really stinkin' beautiful because she was taken again by a king, even in her old age. God avenges her again and she is returned to Abraham. Then, true to God's word, Sarah gives birth to Isaac. God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but provides a ram for the sacrifice instead because Abraham was faithful and feared the Lord.
Matthew 7
Do not be anxious or worry- God will provide. When we seek the Lord, we will find Him! A tree will be recognized by it's fruit. Those who listen and do what Jesus was teaching will be wise. This is the end of His sermon that started in chapter 5.
Psalm 9:1-12
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" 8:1
"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart." 9:1
"But the Lord sits enthroned forever." 9:7
Proverbs 2:16-22
The Lord gives wisdom so we will be delivered from those who speak smooth words but lead to death.
That's how my day started on Thursday and I sort of feel like I've been running to catch up ever since then. At least where the blog is concerned. I have not followed behind in reading or praying, though, which I am very grateful for. I have been learning a lot. So here is a quick list of the things I've covered in the last couple of days.
Pray for the entire world: Suriname (South America), Swaziland (Africa), Sweden (Europe)
Read through the Bible: Genesis 16-20, Matthew 6, Psalms 7-8, Proverbs 2:1-15
On Wednesday night I attended a new ladies small group Bible study and have fallen in love with the women leading it. What wisdom and insight they possess! This first week we talked about the "how to" of really spending time in the Word and how to hear God in the Scriptures. The process we talked about includes three things- read, hear, heed. There were so many things said that really resonated with me:
1. circumstances around us can effect the tone that we hear from the Word.
2. we have to spend enough time listening to let the Holy Spirit breathe life into the Words.
3. there is no need to search for answers through the whole Bible, meaning the Lord will speak to us from where ever we happen to be studying.
This last point was proven to me just yesterday as I went through this process in the book of James that we are all going through together. My concerns from the week were address in the first couple of verses I read. How amazing is the Lord?!
So that brings me to today. One of the things I am praying through right now is how to be spending my money. At this point, the only thing I have really changed is using my resources to strengthen relationships. Basically, taking friends out for meals, coffee, a movie, or whatever it may be so I can spend time with them. I am loving it! I know there needs to be more in the way of monetary sacrifice, though.
Prayed For:
Switzerland- This nation is struggling with stagnation where the church is concerned. There has been a large decline in those attending church, or who even consider themselves religious. I was able to pray for renewal. I have been to Switzerland, so it was cool to pray for a place I can picture. This place is so beautiful! I also attended a mass while I was there and saw for myself a huge, old church with just a few people scattered here and there in the pews.
Read (and recap):
Genesis 21-22
Sarai takes matters into her own hands and gives her servant to Abram to produce an heir. As you can imagine, this only creates problems! God changes their names to Abraham and Sarah, and promises that Sarah will bear a song in a year's time. Sodom is corrupt and Abraham prays for it, but there are not enough righteous people for God to save it. He does rescue Lot, but Lot's wife is turned into a pillar of salt. Sarah must have been really stinkin' beautiful because she was taken again by a king, even in her old age. God avenges her again and she is returned to Abraham. Then, true to God's word, Sarah gives birth to Isaac. God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but provides a ram for the sacrifice instead because Abraham was faithful and feared the Lord.
Matthew 7
Do not be anxious or worry- God will provide. When we seek the Lord, we will find Him! A tree will be recognized by it's fruit. Those who listen and do what Jesus was teaching will be wise. This is the end of His sermon that started in chapter 5.
Psalm 9:1-12
"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" 8:1
"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart." 9:1
"But the Lord sits enthroned forever." 9:7
Proverbs 2:16-22
The Lord gives wisdom so we will be delivered from those who speak smooth words but lead to death.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Almost
This is the first day so far that I have not completed the blog. I'm sure there will be many more to come. I did pray and read today, I just ran out of time when it came to writing about the Scriptures. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do the five challenges and will be rearranging a few more things soon. :)
Last day for Sudan:
South Sudan has experienced peace since the agreement of 2005 and may eventually break away to form their own independent nation. There has also been much church growth in the south.
There is a great need for training of Christian leaders, as they are unequipped to deal with the struggles of their people.
The Darfur province contains some of the least-reached peoples in Africa.
Genesis 13:5-15:21
Matthew 5:27-48
Psalm 6
Proverbs 1:29-33
Last day for Sudan:
South Sudan has experienced peace since the agreement of 2005 and may eventually break away to form their own independent nation. There has also been much church growth in the south.
There is a great need for training of Christian leaders, as they are unequipped to deal with the struggles of their people.
The Darfur province contains some of the least-reached peoples in Africa.
Genesis 13:5-15:21
Matthew 5:27-48
Psalm 6
Proverbs 1:29-33
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
I Must
How the days do fill up. I needed to get to work early today, because I was behind, but knew that meant I would have to find time somewhere else in my day to spend with the Lord. And although I still have tons to do at work, I could not help but take a break so I could pray and read. I love that I am only five days in and already this process has become a must in my day. I am thinking about it throughout the day, when in the past I have gotten to the end of a day and realized that I spared not even one thought for my God. This is not to highlight what I am accomplishing, but to recognize that the Lord is at work in me!
Praying for Sudan:
Justice- what a lofty thing to pray for, but how wonderful to know God hears my plea.
The end of slavery.
For the persecuted. "Pray that Christians may bear good witness to their persecutors..." Suddenly the things I arrived at work early for don't seem so important.
Recovery of the Church.
Genesis 11-13:4
God disperses the people of the earth and causes them to all speak different languages. Then the genealogy of Abram is traced back to Noah. God tells Abram to go to another land, so he does. That simple. Along the way, to avoid famine, he and his wife, Sarai, go to Egypt. Sarai was very beautiful so the Pharaoh took her into his house, but God sent great plagues on her behalf so that she would be returned to her husband. I love that God was her defender!!!!
Matthew 5:1-26
Jesus' sermon on the mount. Maybe my imagination is a little to vivid, but I wonder at the greatness of being a disciple sitting at Jesus' feet as He taught these things. I also really enjoy reading these lessons together, rather than taking just a small section as we so often do when in a Bible study setting. Nothing wrong with that, it's just nice for a change. verse 14- I hope my lamp is giving light to all in the house.
Psalm 5
This is the first psalm that uses the words steadfast love. Steadfast love is probably my favorite phrase in the Bible.
Proverbs 1:24-28
A warning that if we ignore wisdom, it will not be found when we call for it.
Praying for Sudan:
Justice- what a lofty thing to pray for, but how wonderful to know God hears my plea.
The end of slavery.
For the persecuted. "Pray that Christians may bear good witness to their persecutors..." Suddenly the things I arrived at work early for don't seem so important.
Recovery of the Church.
Genesis 11-13:4
God disperses the people of the earth and causes them to all speak different languages. Then the genealogy of Abram is traced back to Noah. God tells Abram to go to another land, so he does. That simple. Along the way, to avoid famine, he and his wife, Sarai, go to Egypt. Sarai was very beautiful so the Pharaoh took her into his house, but God sent great plagues on her behalf so that she would be returned to her husband. I love that God was her defender!!!!
Matthew 5:1-26
Jesus' sermon on the mount. Maybe my imagination is a little to vivid, but I wonder at the greatness of being a disciple sitting at Jesus' feet as He taught these things. I also really enjoy reading these lessons together, rather than taking just a small section as we so often do when in a Bible study setting. Nothing wrong with that, it's just nice for a change. verse 14- I hope my lamp is giving light to all in the house.
Psalm 5
This is the first psalm that uses the words steadfast love. Steadfast love is probably my favorite phrase in the Bible.
Proverbs 1:24-28
A warning that if we ignore wisdom, it will not be found when we call for it.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Land, ho!
Sudan:
This is the largest country in Africa and ranges from dessert to tropical bush, with mountains in between. The Nile runs through it. The North and South have long been at war, but are currently under a peace agreement. The government of Sudan has fought against, killed and displaced its own people, largely in Darfur. They have taken it to the point of genocide.
There are some answers to prayer, though! Because of all the war, Christians have dispersed throughout the country and planted churches throughout the nation. Christianity, in fact, has seen large growth and the crisis in Darfur has allowed for Christian relief workers to come in and share the gospel.
Genesis 8-10
After the flood, God promised to not flood the earth again and gave the rainbow as a sign of this promise. He also told Noah to repopulate the earth, and he did with a bunch of guys with crazy names. :)
Matthew 4:12-25
Jesus begins His ministry. He started preaching and healing people, but He also called the first disciples. What faith Simon Peter and Andrew must have had to just immediately leave their livelihood and follow after this man. And then James and John walked away from not only their profession, but their father as well. I pray that I will be found faithful, leaving all things behind...
Psalm 4
This one was to be sung with stringed instruments. (I love knowing that!) "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound."
Proverbs 1:20-23
Wisdom cries out to us that we may know it's words.
This is the largest country in Africa and ranges from dessert to tropical bush, with mountains in between. The Nile runs through it. The North and South have long been at war, but are currently under a peace agreement. The government of Sudan has fought against, killed and displaced its own people, largely in Darfur. They have taken it to the point of genocide.
There are some answers to prayer, though! Because of all the war, Christians have dispersed throughout the country and planted churches throughout the nation. Christianity, in fact, has seen large growth and the crisis in Darfur has allowed for Christian relief workers to come in and share the gospel.
Genesis 8-10
After the flood, God promised to not flood the earth again and gave the rainbow as a sign of this promise. He also told Noah to repopulate the earth, and he did with a bunch of guys with crazy names. :)
Matthew 4:12-25
Jesus begins His ministry. He started preaching and healing people, but He also called the first disciples. What faith Simon Peter and Andrew must have had to just immediately leave their livelihood and follow after this man. And then James and John walked away from not only their profession, but their father as well. I pray that I will be found faithful, leaving all things behind...
Psalm 4
This one was to be sung with stringed instruments. (I love knowing that!) "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound."
Proverbs 1:20-23
Wisdom cries out to us that we may know it's words.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Older Than Methuselah
Today I prayed for St. Martin, St Pierre and Miquelon, and St. Vincent. These are all small islands spread across the world like the places I prayed for yesterday. Of the seven islands that I read about and prayed for, only one of them had an "Answers to Prayer" section in the reading. Already, only three days in, I feel so oblivious to the world around me, but I am gaining a global perspective. We, the church, must find a sense of urgency to go to the world.
Genesis 5-7
Methuselah lived 969 years! He was also Noah's grandfather. Noah was the one who built the ark as instructed by God to save his family and the creatures of the earth from the flood God was going to send to get rid of the corruption of people. Today when I read this story that seems so familiar to me, I could not stop thinking about the series Planet Earth that has come out fairly recently. I watch those movies in amazement at how vast a number and how varied are the creatures that live on this planet. What an experience to be in a really big boat with them all!
Matthew 3:7-4:11
John the Baptist is preparing the way for Jesus, and Jesus himself shows up to be baptized by John. What would I do if Jesus wanted me to do something like that? Oh, wait... He does call me to be involved in His ministry every day.
Psalm 3
verse 3- "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me. my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Proverbs 1:10-19
The world will try to entice us, but their destruction is only their own.
What a great day of the Lord this has been! At Sunday school this morning we heard from a servant who has spent the past five years of her life as a missionary in North Africa and Southeast Asia. She is young and single and is simply following after the Lord with her whole life. So much of what she said resonated with me. Then our pastor spoke about going where God sends us from Matthew chapter 14 when Peter walks on the water to Jesus. Jesus sent the disciples into the storm (literally) not to sink them, but to save them. After church I got to have lunch with two precious friends that I don't get to see often enough, but who will listen to me pour out my heart and get excited with me. It was great to hear what's going on with them as well. And very soon my house will be full of wonderful people gathering to fellowship and eat dinner. Chicken spaghetti tonight- mom's recipe! :)
Genesis 5-7
Methuselah lived 969 years! He was also Noah's grandfather. Noah was the one who built the ark as instructed by God to save his family and the creatures of the earth from the flood God was going to send to get rid of the corruption of people. Today when I read this story that seems so familiar to me, I could not stop thinking about the series Planet Earth that has come out fairly recently. I watch those movies in amazement at how vast a number and how varied are the creatures that live on this planet. What an experience to be in a really big boat with them all!
Matthew 3:7-4:11
John the Baptist is preparing the way for Jesus, and Jesus himself shows up to be baptized by John. What would I do if Jesus wanted me to do something like that? Oh, wait... He does call me to be involved in His ministry every day.
Psalm 3
verse 3- "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me. my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Proverbs 1:10-19
The world will try to entice us, but their destruction is only their own.
What a great day of the Lord this has been! At Sunday school this morning we heard from a servant who has spent the past five years of her life as a missionary in North Africa and Southeast Asia. She is young and single and is simply following after the Lord with her whole life. So much of what she said resonated with me. Then our pastor spoke about going where God sends us from Matthew chapter 14 when Peter walks on the water to Jesus. Jesus sent the disciples into the storm (literally) not to sink them, but to save them. After church I got to have lunch with two precious friends that I don't get to see often enough, but who will listen to me pour out my heart and get excited with me. It was great to hear what's going on with them as well. And very soon my house will be full of wonderful people gathering to fellowship and eat dinner. Chicken spaghetti tonight- mom's recipe! :)
Slippery Saturday
It is Saturday, and one of the things I like most about the weekend is having a day without a schedule or agenda. However, this meant that I did not follow my routine today and almost let the day slip away without spending any time in prayer or in the Word. I'm so thankful for the mercy and grace that are extended to me by my Savior.
Today (tonight) I prayed for St. Barthelemy, St. Helena, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia. These are all tiny islands both in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa. Learning about them reminded me that the Lord sees everything, even these small places in the world that offer an escape for the wealthy or are in danger of being abandoned because of a lack of jobs. There is no place that He does not see.
Genesis 3-4
I love the story of creation and am in awe of the way God spoke everything out of nothing. I have so many questions to ask when I finally get to see Him face to face! In chapter four is the story of Cain and Abel. God said to Cain, "sin is crouching at your door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." Good reminder.
Matthew 2:13-3:6
How faithful Joseph and Mary were. I wonder if they knew of the prophesies written about the Messiah.
Psalm 2
From yesterday- I love this: "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season." The verse is speaking about someone who delights in the law of the Lord instead of the folly of man.
Today- "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage..." This has such great meaning behind it as I pray for the world!
Proverbs 1:7-9
How to become wise. I want so badly to be wise, and "the fear of the Lord is the beginning..."
And now for bed.
Today (tonight) I prayed for St. Barthelemy, St. Helena, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia. These are all tiny islands both in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa. Learning about them reminded me that the Lord sees everything, even these small places in the world that offer an escape for the wealthy or are in danger of being abandoned because of a lack of jobs. There is no place that He does not see.
Genesis 3-4
I love the story of creation and am in awe of the way God spoke everything out of nothing. I have so many questions to ask when I finally get to see Him face to face! In chapter four is the story of Cain and Abel. God said to Cain, "sin is crouching at your door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." Good reminder.
Matthew 2:13-3:6
How faithful Joseph and Mary were. I wonder if they knew of the prophesies written about the Messiah.
Psalm 2
From yesterday- I love this: "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season." The verse is speaking about someone who delights in the law of the Lord instead of the folly of man.
Today- "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage..." This has such great meaning behind it as I pray for the world!
Proverbs 1:7-9
How to become wise. I want so badly to be wise, and "the fear of the Lord is the beginning..."
And now for bed.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Day 1
Well, I'm off to a good start I'd say. I like to spend time in the Word in the morning before I head off to work, which means I have to get up pretty early. And sometimes I don't quite have all the time I would hope for, but today I was able to start my prayer for the world and begin my trek through the Bible and still make it to work on time and without forgetting anything at home. I'm really excited to start this process!
Challenge One: pray for the entire world.
But how does one do that? Platt suggested using a book called Operation World. He explained it as a resource that gives information about countries throughout the world that you can use to pray with over the course of a year. This sounded like a good solution to me, so I decided I would get the book. Little did I know how awesome it would be!
Written by Jason Mandryk, it is subtitled as "The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation." And it truly is just that. The 978 pages are filled with alphabetical listings of all the countries and include statistical and background information, followed by answered prayers and ways to currently pray for the country. When I say currently, I really do mean currently. The book is in it's 7th edition of printing and was just finished in August of this year. So when I prayed for Sri Lanka today, I was able to read about the recent end to their civil war and how the country is reeling from it. I prayed for God to raise up wise and truthful political leaders and for the children of the country who are suffering from malnutrition, abuse, and child prostitution.
It is a humbling experience spending time praying through the pages of this book. Knowing that I am so small in this vast world. Realizing that my blessings are far too abundant.
Challenge Two: read through the Bible in a year.
There are several online reading plans, so I have chosen one that gives me a portion of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs to read each day. Today I read Genesis 1:1-2:15, Matthew 1:1-2:12, Psalm 1, and Proverbs 1:1-6. It was great! Since I wrote so much about prayer today I will save my musings on the Word for another time.
Obviously, all five challenges will not be met immediately, but as I said, I am off to a good start. :)
Challenge One: pray for the entire world.
But how does one do that? Platt suggested using a book called Operation World. He explained it as a resource that gives information about countries throughout the world that you can use to pray with over the course of a year. This sounded like a good solution to me, so I decided I would get the book. Little did I know how awesome it would be!
Written by Jason Mandryk, it is subtitled as "The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation." And it truly is just that. The 978 pages are filled with alphabetical listings of all the countries and include statistical and background information, followed by answered prayers and ways to currently pray for the country. When I say currently, I really do mean currently. The book is in it's 7th edition of printing and was just finished in August of this year. So when I prayed for Sri Lanka today, I was able to read about the recent end to their civil war and how the country is reeling from it. I prayed for God to raise up wise and truthful political leaders and for the children of the country who are suffering from malnutrition, abuse, and child prostitution.
It is a humbling experience spending time praying through the pages of this book. Knowing that I am so small in this vast world. Realizing that my blessings are far too abundant.
Challenge Two: read through the Bible in a year.
There are several online reading plans, so I have chosen one that gives me a portion of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs to read each day. Today I read Genesis 1:1-2:15, Matthew 1:1-2:12, Psalm 1, and Proverbs 1:1-6. It was great! Since I wrote so much about prayer today I will save my musings on the Word for another time.
Obviously, all five challenges will not be met immediately, but as I said, I am off to a good start. :)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Radical Experiment
To be honest, I have no idea where to even start. And if I did have the perfect beginning, I don't know what would come after it. I wish I had clever and witty words to use, but they just aren't there. I have come to a point in my life where I need simple truth. So here is mine- I need to change.
My desire in life is to glorify God, and in order to do that, I must be different.
The Sunday school class I belong to is finishing up a study of the book Radical by David Platt. The whole premiss of the book is "taking back your faith from the American dream." It is challenging and convicting- easy to read, but not to live out. As I read the book I found myself wanting to live my life differently than I do now but having no idea how to do so. Then I read the last chapter. It's called "The Radical Experiment: One year to a life turned upside down." It is a challenge issued by Platt in which he says,
"I dare you over the next year to...
1. pray for the entire world;
2. read through the entire Word;
3. sacrifice your money for a specific purpose;
4. spend your time in another context;
5. commit your life to a multiplying community."
So I'm going to. Starting tomorrow morning I will begin praying my way through a book called Operation World, which I will give more info about later, and will start a reading plan that will allow me to read the Bible in one year. I will be using my blog as a source of accountability to help keep me on track. If you are currently following my blog and don't necessarily want daily updates on my life I will not be offended if you "un-follow" me. :) I'm really excited (and a little nervous) to get started!
My desire in life is to glorify God, and in order to do that, I must be different.
The Sunday school class I belong to is finishing up a study of the book Radical by David Platt. The whole premiss of the book is "taking back your faith from the American dream." It is challenging and convicting- easy to read, but not to live out. As I read the book I found myself wanting to live my life differently than I do now but having no idea how to do so. Then I read the last chapter. It's called "The Radical Experiment: One year to a life turned upside down." It is a challenge issued by Platt in which he says,
"I dare you over the next year to...
1. pray for the entire world;
2. read through the entire Word;
3. sacrifice your money for a specific purpose;
4. spend your time in another context;
5. commit your life to a multiplying community."
So I'm going to. Starting tomorrow morning I will begin praying my way through a book called Operation World, which I will give more info about later, and will start a reading plan that will allow me to read the Bible in one year. I will be using my blog as a source of accountability to help keep me on track. If you are currently following my blog and don't necessarily want daily updates on my life I will not be offended if you "un-follow" me. :) I'm really excited (and a little nervous) to get started!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Cotton Eyed Joe
Well, it's taken me about a week and a half, but I've finally settled back in at home enough to think about blogging again. I've got several stories to write about that I just didn't have time to share while I was gone. This one is just fun, and fingers crossed, I hopefully will be able to include some video with it!
On my orientation day at the beginning of my trip I went to the Projects Abroad office and met the staff who work there. There is Alex who is the desk officer and generally makes sure all of the volunteers have what they need while in Brasov. Daniela is the supervisor of the care and teaching projects. Alexandra is the supervisor of journalism and drama. Razvan supervises something (?) and works in the office. And then Mircea (pronounced meer-cha) is the Country Director for Romanian Projects Abroad. They are all great and really fun-loving. When I was introduced to Mircea and told him I was from Texas his response was, "You're from Texas? That means you can line dance. You can lead the next workshop!" To which I replied, "The next what?!"
Once a week all the Projects Abroad volunteers that were available would get together for a workshop that was presented by one of the volunteers. It was really a fun time because there were people from all over the world and people who did all sorts of neat things. Kay, from Australia told us all about traveling through her entire country by RV. Crystal, from Canada told us all about the way the brain works and some of the research she has done in grad school. Eloise, who lives in New York but has a Romanian father and French mother, had her dad come a tell us about escaping from Romania during the Communist era. (He tried five times and finally made it across the Danube!) And then there was me, the Texan, who was supposed to teach everyone how to line dance.
So I did! I also decided it would be fun to teach the Cotton Eyed Joe. Everybody caught on really quickly, and even though we didn't have the biggest space or best sound system, we had lots of fun! I also spoke a little bit about what I do as a music teacher and some of the things I know about child development and music. All in all, it was a very fun afternoon. But don't take my word for it... see for yourself. :)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Religion
On more than one occasion over the last few weeks I have been in a conversation with someone who told me how much they dislike religion. "Religion causes problems," is what I would hear. And I agree. So many people are put off by religion, and so was Jesus. He was constantly trying to teach the religious leaders of His day that they had things all wrong. They were so concerned with following rules and criticizing people who didn't live up to their expectations- including Jesus. The religious people were the ones who ultimately killed Jesus.
I hope that this trip was not seen as a "religious" thing to do. I went because I know the Truth of salvation and to share the Love I have that comes only from Jesus. It's not about religion, it's about relationship. Jesus asks us to love Him and to love others. He doesn't ask us to be perfect, or to be something we are not. He takes us just as we are and as we get to know Him, spend time with Him, develop a relationship with Him, we become more like Him. Not more religious.
The religious leaders of Jesus' day were called Pharisees and they were always trying to challenge Him or catch Him doing something wrong. But Jesus warned against this type of living. Here are a few things He said about religious people from the book of Matthew:
"they preach, but they do not practice"
"they do all of their deeds to be seen by others"
"hypocrites"
"blind guides"
"they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others"
So what should religion look like? There are instructions in Romans 12:
"Let love be genuine
abhor what is evil
outdo one another in showing honor
rejoice in hope
be patient in tribulation
show hospitality
bless those who persecute you
do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly
never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God"
I know this may just seem like rambling, but there is a difference between being religious and being a follower of Christ. As I mentioned earlier, Jesus takes us just as we are and that makes His gift extraordinary. "I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." 1 Timothy 1:12-15 He came to save the sinners, not the religious. I know I'm grateful!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A Few Pictures
I have officially made it home! I got in around 7:00 last night and was back at my house by 8:00. I was so ready to be home! From door to door it was about a 25 hour travel experience. As promised, I am putting up a few pictures so you can get a little taste of what I have been doing for the last five weeks. Enjoy!
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