Posted by Trudy
Hey Ms. Team!
If you have been with us from the beginning on Facebook (January 2011) you might be on your 16th verse today. If you joined us mid-way you might be on your 4th. Either way you are miles richer than when you started!
My verse this week was inspired through a message Brad gave at BCC several Sundays ago. I knew as soon as it came out of his mouth that it needed to land on my list of memory verses. Like a tired runner on a long incline I was ready to reach the crest and get a little victory in this area.
Here it is:
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)
I am memorizing it in this version too:
The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that. Proverbs 29:25 (The Message).
This one needs to invade my heart & mind over and over and over until I finally just give up and invite it to take up residence.
How about you? What are you working on? (And if you want to share why, feel free to add that too)
You are so loved here!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Ms. Team (Memorizing Scripture): Third Post
Posted by Trudy
Yesterday I drove past the Asheville Airport and saw a dad and his 2 young boys in a parking lot watching the planes take off and land. With necks craned back I watched the excitement on their faces as the powerful roar of jet engines passed over them. It immediately took me back to my own childhood when my mother would take my brother and sister and I to the landing strip and we’d watch the jets come in, waiting for that extra special one that was piloted by my dad.
I’ll never forget the awe of it.
Or the simplicity of it.
In today’s fast moving culture where i-phones, i-pads and laptops are king and information drips into our minds like a constant leaky faucet, I find myself longing for quiet interludes of simple things.
A card game around the kitchen table with my family, a trip to cool off in the nearest waterfall, a backyard pickup game of volleyball.
Nothing fancy, complicated or expensive. Just simple things that have the capacity to enliven and renew.
I think that’s one reason why I treasure memorizing Scripture so much. It doesn’t take a commentary, the latest Bible software or any long complicated "how to" steps. You need no special devices dependent on charged batteries. Its just you and the Word and the simple act of repeating a passage over and over and over until it finally becomes a part of you.
Simple.
Yet profoundly deep.
And I know in my heart this one simple act opens the way to the unplumbed depths of God.
Nothing can be more invigorating than that.
Thanks for joining me in this journey!
PS Some of you have had some problems posting here. After you press post a comment you need to select a profile and the easiest way if you don't have a google account is to press anonymous then you can sign your post at the end if you like. Don't give up girls! We'll get this worked out.
Yesterday I drove past the Asheville Airport and saw a dad and his 2 young boys in a parking lot watching the planes take off and land. With necks craned back I watched the excitement on their faces as the powerful roar of jet engines passed over them. It immediately took me back to my own childhood when my mother would take my brother and sister and I to the landing strip and we’d watch the jets come in, waiting for that extra special one that was piloted by my dad.
I’ll never forget the awe of it.
Or the simplicity of it.
In today’s fast moving culture where i-phones, i-pads and laptops are king and information drips into our minds like a constant leaky faucet, I find myself longing for quiet interludes of simple things.
A card game around the kitchen table with my family, a trip to cool off in the nearest waterfall, a backyard pickup game of volleyball.
Nothing fancy, complicated or expensive. Just simple things that have the capacity to enliven and renew.
I think that’s one reason why I treasure memorizing Scripture so much. It doesn’t take a commentary, the latest Bible software or any long complicated "how to" steps. You need no special devices dependent on charged batteries. Its just you and the Word and the simple act of repeating a passage over and over and over until it finally becomes a part of you.
Simple.
Yet profoundly deep.
And I know in my heart this one simple act opens the way to the unplumbed depths of God.
Nothing can be more invigorating than that.
Thanks for joining me in this journey!
PS Some of you have had some problems posting here. After you press post a comment you need to select a profile and the easiest way if you don't have a google account is to press anonymous then you can sign your post at the end if you like. Don't give up girls! We'll get this worked out.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Today has been rough
Today has been rough. I won’t sugarcoat it…it’s been the kind of day when you ponder (no, question would be more appropriately stated) God’s work in your life. You know…the “why did that happen to me?” kind of day.
So as I was “pondering” (i.e. complaining) to God, I asked what difference it made if I was following His will instead of my own. And what was God trying to teach me through the circumstances of my life anyway?
The answer was simple. “My will shall be done on earth, as it is in heaven. I am teaching you obedience, because in heaven, your will won’t matter. Only mine will be done. And I need to know that you will do it….now….on earth.”
Now for those of you who don’t believe God speaks to you, I regret to say I cannot apologize. He does speak. The question lies in whether or not we are willing to listen to His voice.
If we are saved by the blood of Jesus, then we have the Holy Spirit living in us. And that Spirit reminds us of everything that Jesus has said to us. So when I “hear” things like “My will shall be done on earth, as it is in heaven”, then I know God is speaking to me loud and clear, because He said this to me in His word. (see Matthew 6:10).
Back to the question at hand…What difference does it make it I am following Your will instead of my own?
Think about it for a minute.
My will gets me into financial difficulty. My will might bring me momentary pleasure, but it will surely be fraught with anxiety and worry after the pleasure ceases. My will has me turn back from taking that job that is out of my comfort zone. My will causes me to never reach out to that hurting teenager who is pregnant, but can’t tell her parents.
But God’s will, now that is something altogether different. God’s will directs me to stay out of the stores when the paycheck is slow in coming. God’s will keeps me from the bars and the enticements of promises never kept. God’s will puts me in a job where I have to depend on Him to help me overcome my fear of failure. God’s will causes me to drive to the Crisis Pregnancy Center to volunteer on a Saturday when I would rather be home in my garden.
I read this morning in 2 Thessalonians 3:3: Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. And I pondered on that all day long.
I dare say that God – in the wee early hours of the morning – was directing me to remember that Christ, in His patience, waited for me to acknowledge and accept His love for me.
So now – at the close of this day - may the Lord direct my heart into the love of God.
And as my heart is directed into the love of God, I am confident that I will desire nothing less than to do His will on earth, as I will one day do in heaven. Oh God, unite my heart to fear Your Name. (Ps. 86:11)
Oh, how He loves you and me.
So as I was “pondering” (i.e. complaining) to God, I asked what difference it made if I was following His will instead of my own. And what was God trying to teach me through the circumstances of my life anyway?
The answer was simple. “My will shall be done on earth, as it is in heaven. I am teaching you obedience, because in heaven, your will won’t matter. Only mine will be done. And I need to know that you will do it….now….on earth.”
Now for those of you who don’t believe God speaks to you, I regret to say I cannot apologize. He does speak. The question lies in whether or not we are willing to listen to His voice.
If we are saved by the blood of Jesus, then we have the Holy Spirit living in us. And that Spirit reminds us of everything that Jesus has said to us. So when I “hear” things like “My will shall be done on earth, as it is in heaven”, then I know God is speaking to me loud and clear, because He said this to me in His word. (see Matthew 6:10).
Back to the question at hand…What difference does it make it I am following Your will instead of my own?
Think about it for a minute.
My will gets me into financial difficulty. My will might bring me momentary pleasure, but it will surely be fraught with anxiety and worry after the pleasure ceases. My will has me turn back from taking that job that is out of my comfort zone. My will causes me to never reach out to that hurting teenager who is pregnant, but can’t tell her parents.
But God’s will, now that is something altogether different. God’s will directs me to stay out of the stores when the paycheck is slow in coming. God’s will keeps me from the bars and the enticements of promises never kept. God’s will puts me in a job where I have to depend on Him to help me overcome my fear of failure. God’s will causes me to drive to the Crisis Pregnancy Center to volunteer on a Saturday when I would rather be home in my garden.
I read this morning in 2 Thessalonians 3:3: Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. And I pondered on that all day long.
I dare say that God – in the wee early hours of the morning – was directing me to remember that Christ, in His patience, waited for me to acknowledge and accept His love for me.
So now – at the close of this day - may the Lord direct my heart into the love of God.
And as my heart is directed into the love of God, I am confident that I will desire nothing less than to do His will on earth, as I will one day do in heaven. Oh God, unite my heart to fear Your Name. (Ps. 86:11)
Oh, how He loves you and me.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Breathe on me breath of God
Sometimes an old hymn springs up in the forefront of my mind and though I may try, it will not be pushed back. This morning is such a time, and the voice of my mother singing next to me seated in the old wooden pews of my childhood church still echoes delight to my soul….
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
That is my prayer this morning….that I would be filled with new life, and that I would love and do what God loves, and what God does. Jesus said that He did what He saw His Father doing. It is possible…
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will one will,
to do and to endure.
Endurance. Wow, I’ve been here before. By definition, endurance is to possess the ability or power to bear prolonged exertion, pain or hardship. Childbirth comes to mind. But so does losing my husband. And later in life my job. And what about caring for that aging parent who may not even remember you some days? I’ll wager you have known the exertion, pain and hardship as have I. But have you endured? Have I? That is my prayer…that I will.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
till I am wholly thine,
till all this earthly part of me
glows with thy fire divine.
Being wholly God’s…it is possible. It’s called surrender, and the word has been used so often that we let it pass over our lips without much pondering anymore. Surrendering involves a certain giving up, and giving in. Giving up our rights and giving in to God’s will. But the end result is that our inner fighting and conflict will cease. Why wouldn’t I want that? Make me wholly Yours, God. Make me willing to be made willing.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.
And that’s the end result. Life eternal with God, not apart from Him. Life eternal is a sure thing whether it is with God, or apart from Him. May we choose life in God’s presence, even while we are here on this earth.
Amen (so be it).
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
That is my prayer this morning….that I would be filled with new life, and that I would love and do what God loves, and what God does. Jesus said that He did what He saw His Father doing. It is possible…
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will one will,
to do and to endure.
Endurance. Wow, I’ve been here before. By definition, endurance is to possess the ability or power to bear prolonged exertion, pain or hardship. Childbirth comes to mind. But so does losing my husband. And later in life my job. And what about caring for that aging parent who may not even remember you some days? I’ll wager you have known the exertion, pain and hardship as have I. But have you endured? Have I? That is my prayer…that I will.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
till I am wholly thine,
till all this earthly part of me
glows with thy fire divine.
Being wholly God’s…it is possible. It’s called surrender, and the word has been used so often that we let it pass over our lips without much pondering anymore. Surrendering involves a certain giving up, and giving in. Giving up our rights and giving in to God’s will. But the end result is that our inner fighting and conflict will cease. Why wouldn’t I want that? Make me wholly Yours, God. Make me willing to be made willing.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.
And that’s the end result. Life eternal with God, not apart from Him. Life eternal is a sure thing whether it is with God, or apart from Him. May we choose life in God’s presence, even while we are here on this earth.
Amen (so be it).
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