My friend, Debra, over at The Morel Family tagged me for a blogger game today. The rules for this game of tag are as follows: list six random or weird facts about yourself, and then tag six others.
The truth is I've told so many weird things about myself that I don't know if there is anything else to tell. Here it goes though...
1. I hate the feeling of paper. When paper grocery bags went out and plastic came in, I sang the Hallelujah Chorus at full volume. Now I use fabric bags so I don't have to touch paper, and I'm not assaulting the environment.
2. I have churned butter with a stick plunger in one of those ceramic butter churns, scrubbed clothes on a scrub board, rinsed them through a ringer, and hung them on a clothes line because that is how life at my grandma's worked when I was little.
3. I have peformed/ministered on stage in Times Square (corner of Broadway and 44th) twice as part of Project Dance.
4. I had a pet raccoon for many years.
5. I met my husband while I was on a date with a friend of his.
6. I save turtles. If I see a turtle on the road, I will turn around to go back and get it safely off the road.
Who do I tag? Hmm....
I tag
Jan
Linda
Tonya
Natalie
Amelia
And who else? Whoever wants to play!!!! Just let us know you are in!!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Major Lessons from the Minor Prophets--Obadiah
The Lord has begun this calendar year by taking me into a section of the Bible referred to as "The Minor Prophets". This generally includes the books of Daniel to the end of the New Testament in the Protestant version of the Bible. This is not an area most Christians venture into on a regular basis. We tend to stick to the Psalms, Proverbs, and the New Testament. However, there is a wealth of knowledge in this short little books.
I thought I would take some time and share some of the nuggets I've been gleaning. This is not a theological or heavy academic survey, just a bit of general information and some personal thoughts.
Today I start with Obadiah.
Obadiah
General info: 1 chapter
Overview: Esau is in serious trouble, and God has said He is going to bring on some serious punishment.
Personal thoughts: This is not the first or only place God has let His anger be known. This is not the only time He has threatened to unleash His anger. That wasn't what stuck in my thoughts. What stuck in my thoughts was verse 11.
"On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them."
I don't know all the historical details here, but I know Esau, or the nation thereof, stood by and did nothing. And it wasn't like they couldn't do anything. The Lord used the word "aloof". Aloof means having not interest, not caring. They didn't even care that other people of the Lord were being ransacked and destroyed.
As I read that, I asked the Lord, "Is there a point where I am or have been aloof?" I like to think there isn't, but in reality, it is easy to be deceived in this area because to care means to be invested, and sometimes that requires sacrifice, and sacrifice isn't comfortable. Is there a place where I am so comfortable or complacent that I am aloof? If so, I need to know. I want to know.
Could Esau have stopped what happened? I don't know. I don't think that is the point. I think the point is they didn't care enough to try.
Have you ever noticed Jesus was accused of hanging out with whores, getting drunk with partiers, eating with tax collectors and other lawless people, and healing at godless times, but never once did anyone accuse Him of being aloof. Aren't you glad? I am.
I thought I would take some time and share some of the nuggets I've been gleaning. This is not a theological or heavy academic survey, just a bit of general information and some personal thoughts.
Today I start with Obadiah.
Obadiah
General info: 1 chapter
Overview: Esau is in serious trouble, and God has said He is going to bring on some serious punishment.
Personal thoughts: This is not the first or only place God has let His anger be known. This is not the only time He has threatened to unleash His anger. That wasn't what stuck in my thoughts. What stuck in my thoughts was verse 11.
"On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them."
I don't know all the historical details here, but I know Esau, or the nation thereof, stood by and did nothing. And it wasn't like they couldn't do anything. The Lord used the word "aloof". Aloof means having not interest, not caring. They didn't even care that other people of the Lord were being ransacked and destroyed.
As I read that, I asked the Lord, "Is there a point where I am or have been aloof?" I like to think there isn't, but in reality, it is easy to be deceived in this area because to care means to be invested, and sometimes that requires sacrifice, and sacrifice isn't comfortable. Is there a place where I am so comfortable or complacent that I am aloof? If so, I need to know. I want to know.
Could Esau have stopped what happened? I don't know. I don't think that is the point. I think the point is they didn't care enough to try.
Have you ever noticed Jesus was accused of hanging out with whores, getting drunk with partiers, eating with tax collectors and other lawless people, and healing at godless times, but never once did anyone accuse Him of being aloof. Aren't you glad? I am.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Gratitude 11--Miracle on the Hudson
Today an airliner crashed into Hudson Bay. The plane miraculously landed intact and sat emmersed to the windows until all the people were removed safely. It seems obvious to the me and those in my household that such an act could only be done by God. Yes, the pilot obviously executed the proper actions with great wisdom, but only the hand of God could sit it so carefully and hold it there until the passengers and crew were safe.
Thus, 155 reasons to be thankful. All 155 people on board are safe and sound tonight. Praise be the name of the Lord Most High!
Thus, 155 reasons to be thankful. All 155 people on board are safe and sound tonight. Praise be the name of the Lord Most High!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Warfare--Sword of the Spirit, memorization
One of the things the Lord has really impressed on me for this year is the importance of memorizing scripture. I have heard many excuses for avoiding this Christian discipline. However, the reality is excuses are just that--excuses. They are a justification for our not wanting to take responsibility for doing the right thing--the thing that feeds our soul, attacks a situation, brings down mountains, and breaks forth life. The Word says the Sword of Spirit is the Word of God. Why do we make excuses for refusing to pick up a weapon so powerful that it brought for the universe in six days?
If you have chosen to pick up your sword, one way you learn to wield is by memorizing scripture. I want to share a few methods for memorizing scripture.
1. Repeating aloud. Simply read the verse aloud repeated. For people who learn by hearing, this is great.
2. Technology aided. You can record it on an iPod or MP3 player and let it play back to you. Say it as it plays. This is great if you use your iPod for exercise or copy it to a CD to play in your car on the way to work or run errands. Hit the repeat button and let it go. Listen to it and repeat aloud. After awhile, you should be able to turn off the voice or CD and simply say it alone. Again, this is great for those who learn by hearing.
3. Write it down...over and over and over. I use this method because I remember what I see or read. One of the blessings of a photographic memory. There are 3 tactics for this. I use different ones at different time.
a. Break the verse or passage up into pieces, such as sentences or phrases.
Example: My children learned this in one day.
I command you to brave and courageous.
Do not be terrified.
Do not lose hope.
I am the Lord your God.
I will be with you
in everything you do. (Joshua 1:9 NIrV)
I wrote it on the white board that way. We read it several times. Then I started erasing words.
I command you to be brave and
Do not be
Do not
I am the Lord your God.
I will be with you
in everything you do.
More words were erased.
I command you to be
Do not
Do not
I am
I will
At that point, they had it memorized. Then we simply went through it a few times each day.
By the way, they each have their own journals, and they write down the verses they memorize and the date. We are building a foundation for them, and these are part of the bricks we use.
b. I write the scripture over and over. Each time I try to write more without having to look at the text. Usually, I have to write it four or five times to make it stick, and I try to keep my focus text under five written lines. If I am doing a long passage, I do it in sections. Today I worked on James 1:2-4. I worked on verses 2 and 3 by themselves.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Then I worked on verse 4.
Perserverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Then I put the whole section together and wrote it several times. I use a simple spiral to write these in.
c. The last method incorporate color coding. An example is:
This is what I am commanding you to do.
Be strong and brave.
Do not be terrified.
Do not lose hope.
I am the Lord your God.
I will be with you
everywhere you go.
I use this with the children a lot. I make multiple copies on the computer and put them around the house. I put one in the bathroom, by their beds, on the wall so everyone can see it from the kitchen table. You get the idea.
Our goal is one sentence at a time. Breaking them up in colors makes the bites edible and not overwhelming.
Don't forget!!!
And that brings us to my final suggestion, put it everywhere so you can review it.
My friend Debra has verses on the wall in front of her toilet.
She has them on the cabinets in her kitchen.
She puts them like posters and post cards all around her bedroom.
If you walk in the door and turn to the side, there are verses.
You cannot walk into her house or move from room to room without seeing the verses.
She also has a packet in her purse at all times.
She takes them out and read them when she is waiting for her children.
She hands them to her girls to read while they are in the car driving from place to place.
Standing Together
Find an accountability partner or two. Tell them what you are memorizing and give them (or every other day) updates. Memorization really is a daily exercise. It takes about 27 days for something to become a habit, so try to make a goal of reviewing a verse everyday for a month. You can work on multiple verses at once. Write them all down in an email to your Accountability Warrior every day. If you are doing a whole section, and it takes two weeks to memorize, then write the whole thing you have memorized each day from the time you start that passage until a month after the last part is memorized. Does that makes sense?
After a month, the passage should be concreted in your brain.
So tell me, what scripture are you memorizing? Why? What is the Lord speaking to you through the verse(s)? You can email me through my profile if you want it private or share on the comments. Make it as long as you like. You never how much a fellow warrior may need what the Father is speaking into you, so share.
Blessings, Warriors and Warriors-in-the-Making!
Remember:
This is what I command.
Be strong and brave.
Do not be terrified.
Do not lose hope.
I will be with you
everywhere you go.
If you have chosen to pick up your sword, one way you learn to wield is by memorizing scripture. I want to share a few methods for memorizing scripture.
1. Repeating aloud. Simply read the verse aloud repeated. For people who learn by hearing, this is great.
2. Technology aided. You can record it on an iPod or MP3 player and let it play back to you. Say it as it plays. This is great if you use your iPod for exercise or copy it to a CD to play in your car on the way to work or run errands. Hit the repeat button and let it go. Listen to it and repeat aloud. After awhile, you should be able to turn off the voice or CD and simply say it alone. Again, this is great for those who learn by hearing.
3. Write it down...over and over and over. I use this method because I remember what I see or read. One of the blessings of a photographic memory. There are 3 tactics for this. I use different ones at different time.
a. Break the verse or passage up into pieces, such as sentences or phrases.
Example: My children learned this in one day.
I command you to brave and courageous.
Do not be terrified.
Do not lose hope.
I am the Lord your God.
I will be with you
in everything you do. (Joshua 1:9 NIrV)
I wrote it on the white board that way. We read it several times. Then I started erasing words.
I command you to be brave and
Do not be
Do not
I am the Lord your God.
I will be with you
in everything you do.
More words were erased.
I command you to be
Do not
Do not
I am
I will
At that point, they had it memorized. Then we simply went through it a few times each day.
By the way, they each have their own journals, and they write down the verses they memorize and the date. We are building a foundation for them, and these are part of the bricks we use.
b. I write the scripture over and over. Each time I try to write more without having to look at the text. Usually, I have to write it four or five times to make it stick, and I try to keep my focus text under five written lines. If I am doing a long passage, I do it in sections. Today I worked on James 1:2-4. I worked on verses 2 and 3 by themselves.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Then I worked on verse 4.
Perserverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Then I put the whole section together and wrote it several times. I use a simple spiral to write these in.
c. The last method incorporate color coding. An example is:
This is what I am commanding you to do.
Be strong and brave.
Do not be terrified.
Do not lose hope.
I am the Lord your God.
I will be with you
everywhere you go.
I use this with the children a lot. I make multiple copies on the computer and put them around the house. I put one in the bathroom, by their beds, on the wall so everyone can see it from the kitchen table. You get the idea.
Our goal is one sentence at a time. Breaking them up in colors makes the bites edible and not overwhelming.
Don't forget!!!
And that brings us to my final suggestion, put it everywhere so you can review it.
My friend Debra has verses on the wall in front of her toilet.
She has them on the cabinets in her kitchen.
She puts them like posters and post cards all around her bedroom.
If you walk in the door and turn to the side, there are verses.
You cannot walk into her house or move from room to room without seeing the verses.
She also has a packet in her purse at all times.
She takes them out and read them when she is waiting for her children.
She hands them to her girls to read while they are in the car driving from place to place.
Standing Together
Find an accountability partner or two. Tell them what you are memorizing and give them (or every other day) updates. Memorization really is a daily exercise. It takes about 27 days for something to become a habit, so try to make a goal of reviewing a verse everyday for a month. You can work on multiple verses at once. Write them all down in an email to your Accountability Warrior every day. If you are doing a whole section, and it takes two weeks to memorize, then write the whole thing you have memorized each day from the time you start that passage until a month after the last part is memorized. Does that makes sense?
After a month, the passage should be concreted in your brain.
So tell me, what scripture are you memorizing? Why? What is the Lord speaking to you through the verse(s)? You can email me through my profile if you want it private or share on the comments. Make it as long as you like. You never how much a fellow warrior may need what the Father is speaking into you, so share.
Blessings, Warriors and Warriors-in-the-Making!
Remember:
This is what I command.
Be strong and brave.
Do not be terrified.
Do not lose hope.
I will be with you
everywhere you go.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Prayer for our Soldiers
Two years ago our family started supporting soldiers through Any Soldier, a soldier support organization. That year we were blessed to support some very fine soldiers, and we have been honored to keep contact with some of them. One such soldier is SGT Kevin Zuniga.
SGT Zuniga returned to Iraq in December, and we have again committed to supporting him. The requests of him and his squad are simple: letters, cookies, but most of all, prayer.
Prayer comforts their hearts, protects their bodies, and refreshes their spirits. They cannot do their job and return to "normal" life without the power of God to help them.
You do not have to visit Any Soldier or find a specific soldier who needs prayer. They all do. Please remember them in your quiet time, family prayers, and corporate prayer. And please don't forget their families as well.
Thank you.
SGT Zuniga returned to Iraq in December, and we have again committed to supporting him. The requests of him and his squad are simple: letters, cookies, but most of all, prayer.
Prayer comforts their hearts, protects their bodies, and refreshes their spirits. They cannot do their job and return to "normal" life without the power of God to help them.
You do not have to visit Any Soldier or find a specific soldier who needs prayer. They all do. Please remember them in your quiet time, family prayers, and corporate prayer. And please don't forget their families as well.
Thank you.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Minutes
Every minute counts.
Minutes make up hours.
Hours make up days.
Days make up weeks.
Weeks make up months.
Months make up years.
Yearts make up a lifetime.
And every lifetime counts.
YOUR lifetime counts.
Minutes make up hours.
Hours make up days.
Days make up weeks.
Weeks make up months.
Months make up years.
Yearts make up a lifetime.
And every lifetime counts.
YOUR lifetime counts.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Still Understanding
At the end of each year, I ask the Lord for a "word for the next year". What does He have to say that I can be in agreement with in mind, body, and spirit? Sort of an overriding direction, if you will. This year's word was so simple it has been a bit hard to wrap my mind around.
He said simply, "Be still and know that I am God."
This is a foreign concept to me.
I grew up on a farm. I was an athlete. I am a mother of two, homeschooler, church volunteer, "Type A", has to be doing something with my hands while I watch TV kind of person. Be still? Frankly, I didn't even have a working knowledge of what that means. So, I do what I always do. I looked it up.
My Hebrew Keyword Bible didn't help much. It simply said "still". Huh.
So I pulled out my dictionary. "Still" has a number of meanings, but simply put it means without motion, noise, or distraction. In other words:
"Quit focusing on what you can or can't do or what is happening around you. Understand I AM God, and it is all about what I can and will do."
I don't know about your year, what kind of year your coming out of or the things you face right now. I don't know the mental, emotional, or spiritual details. I do know most everyone I know, including myself, has something they would like to see changed, something that hurts them, overwhelms them--things much bigger than they are. And we've all done all we know to do to change things, to fix things. And what do you do when nothing you do makes a difference? Be still. After all He's God.
Understand?
He said simply, "Be still and know that I am God."
This is a foreign concept to me.
I grew up on a farm. I was an athlete. I am a mother of two, homeschooler, church volunteer, "Type A", has to be doing something with my hands while I watch TV kind of person. Be still? Frankly, I didn't even have a working knowledge of what that means. So, I do what I always do. I looked it up.
My Hebrew Keyword Bible didn't help much. It simply said "still". Huh.
So I pulled out my dictionary. "Still" has a number of meanings, but simply put it means without motion, noise, or distraction. In other words:
"Quit focusing on what you can or can't do or what is happening around you. Understand I AM God, and it is all about what I can and will do."
I don't know about your year, what kind of year your coming out of or the things you face right now. I don't know the mental, emotional, or spiritual details. I do know most everyone I know, including myself, has something they would like to see changed, something that hurts them, overwhelms them--things much bigger than they are. And we've all done all we know to do to change things, to fix things. And what do you do when nothing you do makes a difference? Be still. After all He's God.
Understand?
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