I’m caught up (3/31)
What’s on your nightstand?—March ’12 (3/27)
Rip out the carpets (3/26)
“Courageous”…to touch Him (3/23)
Ready for a new Bible memory challenge? (3/22)
15-minute Bible study guide (3/22)
Spiritual vertigo (3/20)
Spring Reading List 2012 (3/19)
Don’t water the weeds (3/19)
“Women’s Bible Commentary”—Book review (3/17)
I owe God an apology (3/15)
Giving or receiving? It gets blurry (3/14)
Why use a Bible dictionary? (3/14)
Where do you sit? (3/12)
The good news is still good news (3/11)
Hit the pause button (3/7)
Church, where are we? (3/6)
I need a miracle (3/5)
A day in March (3/3)
One Pure and Holy Passion (3/2)
MARCH 2012 Posts
I’m caught up
I like to think I work hard. But it’s usually so I can rest sooner. Because I like to rest.
Actually, I love to rest.
Before a vacation, I work hard so I can better enjoy my rest later. Somehow, miraculously, I finished my work early on Tuesday afternoon before we left for New York on Wednesday. I was fully packed, the house was clean, and all e-mail was answered.
I was caught up.
So I walked down by the lake to watch the water. I came in to finish reading The Hunger Games as I took a bath. I ate supper and laughed at old home videos with Jenna (she was caught up, too).
I like being caught up.
But for years I didn’t feel caught up in my spiritual life. There was work to be done. Salvation to be ensured. Pleasing efforts to be made.
I didn’t understand, “It is finished.”
Now I do. (Or at least I’m getting there—I’m still prone to slip.)
I got a refresher course in it the past four months through memorizing Romans 8.
Spending day after day, week after week, going over and over the same words, did something in me. It drilled in a little deeper that the work is finished, and not because of me:
- I’m not condemned—not now, not later—not because my work is judged sufficient, but because I’m in Christ (vs 1)
- Righteousness is fulfilled in me, not because I did anything, but because God did (vs 3)
- I’m pleasing to God, not because my flesh is so obedient, but because Christ lives in me (vs 8-9)
- I have received, not earned, the privilege of saying, “Abba, Father” (vs 15)
- My prayers are heard, not because I’m eloquent, but because the Spirit speaks for me (vs 26)
- I won’t be accused, not because I’m blameless, but because God has declared me not guilty (vs 33)
- I won’t be separated from Christ’s love, not because I’m so lovable, but because Christ has defeated all hindrances (vs 35, 37)
The work has already been done. Completed. It is finished.
No more striving to gain approval. No more doubting my destination. No more worrying if I’ve done enough. I’m fully packed and my house is cleaned up. God did the work.
I’m all caught up.
And I can rest.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2
* * *
Want to soak in more of Jesus for 50 days between Easter and Pentecost?
We’re memorizing John 1:1-14 at Do Not Depart beginning April 8th. We’d love to have you join us.
What’s on your nightstand?—March ‘12
Here’s what I’m reading and a quote where I am:
Just started
By Suzanne Collins
Okay, I caved. I want to see what the hype is all about. (Sigh. One week in, and I’m already adding to my Spring ‘12 Reading List.)
“Unexpectedly, Rue throws her arms around me. I only hesitate a moment before I hug her back. “You be careful,” she says to me. “You, too,” I say.
by Tony Reinke
“Honestly, I think we read our Bibles poorly because we read all of our nonfiction books poorly. To better read our Bibles, or any nonfiction book, we must work to improve our reading skills.”
by Jerry Bridges
“In my discouragement I blurted out, ‘God, You would be perfectly just in sending me to hell.’ Immediately on the heel of those words, though, came this thought: No, You wouldn’t because Jesus satisfied Your justice for me.”
by John Bunyan
“Sometimes he had half a thought to go back; then again he thought he might be half way through the valley; he remembered also how he had already vanquished many a danger, and that the danger of going back might be much more than for to go forward; so he resolved to go on.”
by Donald Miller
“The very scary thing about religion, to me, is that people actually believe God is who they think He is. By that I mean they have Him all figured out, mapped out, and as my pastor, Rick, says, ‘dissected and put into jars on a shelf.’”
Finished
by Gaston Leroux
Not the best piece of literature I’ve ever read, but entertaining enough.
by Tullian Tchividjian
If you can’t get enough grace ( I can’t!), read this one!
by Sheila Walsh
Jenna and I finished this one last week. I recommend it. It’s a heart-warming book of authentic personal stories and Bible stories, one promise at a time.
* * *
What book are you reading?
Rip out the carpets
Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept.
We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.
Matthew 5:14 (Msg)
Every Christian we meet is a person in whom Jesus lives;
every lost soul we meet is a person for whom Jesus died.
- Warren Wiersbe
White on Black
They were desperate.
Their drugs were all that mattered.
They didn’t want to waste a single rock.
So the contrast had to be sharp. They ripped all the carpets out of the room. And painted the floor black.
When they dropped the white, it’d show up best on black.
...to men and women who understood—the homeless, the hopeless, the drug addicts—the ones trying to break free.
...and to men and women who wanted to understand more—the sheltered, the filled, the employed—the ones wanting to live even more free.
What contrast?
I felt the outward contrast. Even though I was in blue jeans like many others, I knew I still stood out. My clothes weren’t dirty. My hair was washed. I drove up in a car; I would leave in one.
I didn’t know all that Bobby was talking about.
- I’d never been a rock star in L.A.
- I’d never looked for fresh veins to shoot heroine in. (Sugar is my self-medicating drug of choice, through the mouth.)
- I’d never spent even one night in a cardboard box, and certainly not ten years.
There’s a depth of darkness I’ve never seen.
But I do know the light Bobby talked about.
Dead or alive
I wondered if the man on the third pew knew. I watched him as Bobby spoke. He was a stone statue. His head was shrouded in a black hoodie. His heart was covered in a dingy flannel shirt.
He didn’t sing “I’ll Fly Away” when the others did. He didn’t lift a hand in praise. He didn’t sit close to friends.
He seemed dead.
Yet he’s the one. One that Jesus died for, still lives for. Jesus wants this man to see the contrast between dark and light.
As we say, Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live.
He came to turn corpses of stone into breathers of life.
Light on dark
I’ve spent the last 4 months living in Romans 8. Day after day I’ve noted the contrasts: Flesh and Spirit. Death and life. Debt and freedom. Slavery and adoption. Against us and for us.
I know which side I’m on. Yet I want to breathe deeper still. I don’t want to be another suit and tie on a Sunday morning pew, sitting quietly by another suit and tie.
I don’t want to settle comfortably between good and better.
I want to rip out the carpets so I’ll be a bright light to a dark world.
Alive. Not dead. That’s the biggest contrast. That’s the one Bobby discovered in Jesus. That’s the one he was testifying about.
That’s the one he was preaching to the man in the black hoodie. And to the woman in the silver necklace.
Jesus is the light on dark. Rip out the carpets and see.
* * *
As a baby cried in the back of the chapel, and a mother put in a pacifier, I wondered if it was one our girls gave months earlier. And so it goes...
When have you seen Jesus the brightest?
RELATED:
“Courageous”...to touch Him
She already had two major strikes against her before she even touched Jesus: culturally, she was not to be in public as an unaccompanied female; and religiously, she was considered unclean and thus prohibited from milling about the general public.
But what she did next was also daring—she reached out to touch a man without his implied consent. And not just any man—the God-man.
Her courageous initiative paid off.
Jesus’s power not only healed her, he affirmed her faith, called her “Daughter”, and sent her off in peace (Luke 8:48).
One lesson?
(There are many.) Jesus is ready for us—he rewards us for reaching out for him. Even if all we dare is connecting a fingertip to the edge of his clothes. His power is more than enough to take it from there.
This song is from the movie Courageous. While the outer message is primarily for men, the implied message is for everyone:
You were made for so much more
Let the pounding of our hearts cry
We will serve the Lord
...
The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord make us courageous
May we all use courage to lift our hands to touch the Savior, however that works for each of us.
We have his consent; he is more than available.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
Courageous
Casting Crowns
LYRICS
We were made to be courageous
We were made to lead the way
We could be the generation
That finally breaks the chains
We were made to be courageous
We were made to be courageous
We were warriors on the front lines
Standing unafraid
But now we're watchers on the sidelines
While our families slip away
Where are you men of courage?
You were made for so much more
Let the pounding of our hearts cry
We will serve the Lord
CHORUS:
We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight
The only way we'll ever stand
Is on our knees with lifted hands
Make us courageous
Lord make us courageous
This is our resolution
Our answer to the call
We will love our wives and children
And refuse to let them fall
We will reignite the passion
That we buried deep inside
May the watchers become warriors
Let the men of God arise
CHORUS
Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God
Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God
In the war of the mind I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart and the battle of the hand
In the war of the mind I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart, in the battle of the hands
CHORUS
* * *
RELATED:
Ready for a new Bible memory challenge?
Quick Details
- Text: John 1:1-14
- Start date: April 8, Easter Sunday
- Finish date: May 27, Pentecost Sunday
- Suggested pace: 2 verses a week
- Resources: Cards, audio, more
Want to connect more with Jesus during the 50 days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday?
Join us for a short, low-pressure memory challenge at Do Not Depart. For seven weeks, we’ll learn two new verses a week, getting to the heart of who Jesus is and what He came to do.
We’ll provide resources from the English Standard Version, but you’re free to memorize in your favorite version.
Memory resources
Sign up here so you’ll stay up-to-date with our schedule, memorization tips, and helpful links in our e-mail newsletter.
If you’re on Facebook, join our NEW Hide His Word group. It’s open to anyone memorizing ANY scripture at any time. We’ll provide tools and ongoing support for all who are on a lifelong journey of hiding God’s Word in their hearts.
If you tweet, use #HideHisWord to help us spread the word.
I benefited so much from memorizing Romans 8. If you participated, I hope you did too. We’re hosting a link-up at Do Not Depart on April 3 for wrap-up posts and vlogs. Get something ready to tell us about your experience.
May God be glorified through His Word in us!
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
John 1:1
* * *
If this interests you, I pray you’ll join us. We’ll start on April 8, 2012. If you have any questions, please ask.
15-minute Bible study guide
Or do you know how, but just have trouble staying on track?
My friend Katie has come to the rescue.
She’s put together a 15-minute-a-day eBible study that is beneficial for both new and mature Christians alike.
The first of the Focused15 series is being released digitally today on 1 Corinthians 13. (Available for the Kindle, Nook, and as a PDF download. Get the first chapter free.)
Reasons I like Focused15:
- It doesn’t tell you what to think—it’s a guide, not an answer key
- It links you to ample resources to dig through on your own
- It gives you a 5-day plan to meditate on the text
- It repeats the same few verses all week so you can drink deeply
- It’s short
- It’s cheap (just being honest!)
- It’s from Katie (originator of Do Not Depart), who is passionate about rightly dividing the Word
But my favorite reason?
It’s the goal:
“Remember, the goal of studying the Bible is not to get the right answer, but to connect with Him.”
Amen, Katie.
So if you want to work Katie out of a job of writing studies (she recommends you do), you can learn to be self-feeder through Focused15. I’d also encourage you to get Katie and Lara’s book Savoring Living Water: How to have an effective quiet time.
* * *
Spiritual vertigo
I knew something was very wrong when he stumbled crazily back to bed.
Jeff had gotten up to take his shower, like he does every work day. But instead of next hearing him shave and brush his teeth, I heard the bathroom door open back up. And watched him sway.
“I feel so dizzy!” he said. Abnormally so. And it wasn’t going away. He felt nauseous. Sweaty.
With no sense of balance, the whole room was spinning uncontrollably in his head, even though there was no movement at all in reality.
I’ve felt like that lately, too, in my soul. Like a big part of my world is spinning uncontrollably around me, even though on the outside, there appears to be no motion at all. My vision is limited and my nerves are super-sensitive. I feel off-balance and wobbly.
But like Jeff, I have to remember that my spiritual dizziness is not reality either. When I get still (Psalm 46:10) and look straight ahead, the whirling motion stops.
Focus on Jesus, I preach to myself. Not on the outer edges.
By staying centered on him (Matthew 6:33), I bypass the blur.
It’s not a self-help strategy. It’s gospel truth (Colossians 1:22-23). By looking to the Lord, I can stand firm. I find balance.
Jeff was later diagnosed with damage to the inner ear caused by a virus. He’s since made an almost full recovery, praise God.
I’m recovering, too. Spiritual vertigo can be corrected by a change of perspective. Trading my vision for God’s. He sees the big picture.
And when I lean into him, he’s got me. He can keep me from stumbling (Jude 1:24-25).
* * *
I’m still learning the lesson of “one thing at a time” for Lent.
When you feel life is spinning out of control, do you have a favorite scripture or truth you turn to?
RELATED:
Don’t water the weeds
~ Pastor Rusty
Every Monday, I pour the plant food into my water jug. I go around to each of my houseplants and drench them with nutrients. They respond with green leaves and healthy growth (most of the time).
But when I walk around my yard, I don’t water the weeds. I don’t want them to grow; I want them to die.
What am I watering throughout the week?
How do I feed a love for Jesus so it will grow?
And how do I starve a love for self so it will die?
In Sunday’s sermon I was reminded that God wants me to grow. In Him. He gives me gifts to ensure it will happen. Am I open to accepting them? Gifts such as wisdom, knowledge, discernment (1 Corinthians 12:8).
Then through His Spirit I will bear fruit. Of love, joy, peace. Patience, kindness, goodness. Faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
So today—and everyday—I want to pour Spirit food into my soul. To be drenched with His Love. So I can glorify Him with healthy growth.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
2 Peter 3:18
Lord,
Please help me grow in grace and in knowledge...of You.
* * *
How do you feed your soul?
Feeding today with Barbara at The Week in Words, Michelle at Hear it on Sunday, Laura at The Wellspring, and L.L. at Seedlings in Stone.
“Women’s Bible Commentary”—Book review
The good
The good things are the cultural facts it summarizes for each book of the Bible. Because it deals specifically with the female characters in the Bible, it has space to contain interesting tidbits you don’t necessarily get in full in other commentaries.
It explains things such as the conditions of women’s legal status for each time period, their position in the family, how religion affected their relationships inside and outside the home, etc.
It’s been of special interest to me since I’m currently studying women and their encounters with Jesus in the gospels.
Here’s a sample paragraph with some interesting insights about the healing of the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years from Mark 5:
In contrast to her earlier boldness, she comes forward at Jesus’ word, falling at his feet “in fear and trembling,” to confess her act.
The shift from audacity to timidity in her behavior begs for an explanation. Her earlier “shameful” boldness in approaching Jesus was acceptable from one who was already banished from honorable society; but with her healing she may be reinstated in the religious and social community.
Consequently, her timorous deference reflects her renewed conventional status as a woman in the male world of honor and shame. Jesus confirms her reincorporation by providing her with what she lacked at the opening of the episode, kinship with a male: “Daughter, your faith has made you well” (5:34). Jesus now becomes her kinsman, and her subordinate behavior signals her return to reputable society.
I also found the special sections valuable: “Everyday Life: Women in the Period of the Hebrew Bible” and “Women in the Period of the New Testament.”
The bad
But what I don’t like about this book is the pro-feminist, anti-male attitude I pick up occasionally. Now and again it implies intentions from the biblical authors that I don’t agree with.
For instance, it insinuates from how Luke relays his stories that he is intentionally trying to undermine women. I find no evidence to prove such an opinion.
The commentary also contains summaries on the books of the Apocrypha. While I find those books interesting to read, I don’t approach them with equal value as the sixty-six books contained in the established canon.
Recommend?
Would I recommend you get this commentary? Only if you would approach it very discerningly. I personally find it challenging and healthy to listen to differing views to help me hone my own, as long as I constantly weigh those views against the ones found to be true in God’s written word.
So while this commentary does have value, remember: as with any book other than the Bible, don’t believe everything you read.
* * *
My thanks to Edelweiss for the review copy of this book.
I owe God an apology
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
Dear God,
I owe you an apology.
I owe you an apology.
I know I fussed at You all the way to the hospital about why You let some people go through the trials of Job when we clearly have been crying out to You for help on their behalf.
Not only do I not see the help, but I see even more struggles.
But when I got to the ER waiting room, I discovered there was something else You wanted me to do there. A different reason besides just accusing You of not helping.
It was because You had more work for me to do. And it wasn’t what I thought.
I’ve been thinking lately about Jesus being The Way. And since He travels in me, where I go, He goes.
So when I showed up in the waiting room, You showed up too.
Nobody else knew it. But You knew. You knew where You wanted to go.
- So I prayed for my friend and her pain.
- And for the abnormally skinny girl that looked so unhealthy and so alone.
- And for the teen girl in cleats with a broken arm from a softball game.
- And for the older couple on the phone getting backup help for the flowers they were supposed to provide for a wedding on Friday but not now.
- And for the well-dressed man from out of town with his daughter who had fallen ill on their trip.
- And for the poor-looking young couple with their 2-year-old daughter, who I couldn’t imagine having insurance.
And for the middle-aged white woman who had been fussing at you 30 minutes earlier.
We all need You.
On my drive home (as I prayed for the driver of the truck weaving in front of me), I knew You still loved me. You weren’t upset that I had been upset. Because You know I still have to trust You, even when I don’t understand.
What choice do I have? You’re it. I know that.
You know what You’re doing. You do give help. I apologize for whining when I can’t see it.
But I thank You for giving me the courage to keep talking to You anyway about what You’re doing and what You’re not doing. And for letting me always expect more.
Trusting You—especially when I can’t see You—is the most fearless thing I ever do.
Your grace has me so covered that I can’t see past You. May it always be so.
I walk in You. You are my path. You are enough, when I see You, and even when I don’t.
I love you, Father,
Lisa
Notice, he doesn’t say, “walk to him”—as if we were on our own, separated from him and needing somehow to get to him by way of our own obedience.
He says we’re to walk in him—to walk in Christ, in his strength.
Christ is big enough, wide enough, long enough, solid enough to be your path for now and eternity—your lifelong road and everlasting highway.
~ TULLIAN TCHIVIDJIAN, Jesus + Nothing = Everything
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk in him.
Colossians 2:6
* * *
Giving or receiving? It gets blurry
It’s more blessed to give than to receive, right (Acts 20:35)?
So I volunteered to help distribute boxes of food at our Downtown Rescue Mission.
This is how it was to work: the ones receiving a free box of food are in one line. The rest of us form another line to carry the box of food to the recipient’s car.
Simple enough.
Except when the line between giving and receiving gets blurred.
* * *
I’m guest-posting at Caroline’s today.
Is it hard for you to receive?
Is it easier if you remember the gift is from God?
Why use a Bible dictionary?
You barely have time to just read your Bible. Why would you add reference books on top of that?
Would you if the rewards outweighed your effort?
While there’s no guarantee that acquiring more knowledge will translate to greater insights or to spiritual transformation (it takes a work of the Spirit to do that), you can position yourself to be more open to growth.
That’s one reason I love Bible dictionaries. For a small investment of time, you can reap big benefits.
What is a Bible dictionary? And how do you use one?
Read it all here
(including Quick Links for Bible Dictionaries)
* * *
I’m at Do Not Depart today.
Do you have a favorite Bible dictionary? How do you use it?
Where do you sit?
Where’s your place at the table?
Mine is on the east side of my kitchen, facing the afternoon sun. At certain times of the year I can’t eat there without first closing the blinds because the sun is so bright.
Last week in Nashville, I sat in a different spot.
It was Tuesday, Day 2 of Nurture 2012, a conference on spiritual formation led by the Institute for Christian Spirituality (ICS) at Lipscomb University. I had already dined on delicacies of art from Mark 5 by Rolando Diaz and been led through Psalm 139 in contemplative prayer by Jackie Halstead and had thoughts stirred by Glandion Carney on cultivating a creative heart.
A unique invitation
For lunch on Tuesday, I sat at a round table beside an old friend from years ago on one side and a new friend of one day on the other side.
But as we ate our salads and chicken (and a most delicious chocolate cake!),
we were invited to sit somewhere else.
At another table. As a guest of the Trinity.
The night before we had looked at this icon from medieval Russia. Andrei Rublev (1360-1430) used such intricacy in his design, each detail significant.
One such detail was the open space at the table.
So on Tuesday, after leading us through thoughts on discerning God’s voice, Gary Moon invited us to sit at the table with the Trinity. And listen to their answer to this question, “What do you think of me?”
I closed my eyes as the music of Sherri Youngward played in the background.
Hearing from God
And I listened.
What was the Lord saying to me?
- That I am loved
- That my friendship is desired
- That there is joy and peace for me in the Kingdom
And to remain intentional. To be present. To not withdraw from actively seeking Him.
Seating arrangements
So I continue now to sit at the table with the Trinity, which may mean sitting in metal chairs eating a barbeque sandwich to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Or standing to chat in Amber’s kitchen with a plate of potluck in hand. Or eating a biscuit in a booth at Hardee’s on Saturday mornings with the women of my family.
It honors the Lord when I enjoy dining in His presence.
At all those tables, I am loved. And I can love.
My friendship is desired. And my friendship is given.
There is joy. And there is peace.
That’s my place at the table...where the Son is bright in my eyes...at all the Kingdom feasts.
* * *
Do you have a standard seat at your kitchen table?
Do you feast often with the Trinity?
Dining in community with Laura at The Wellspring, L.L. at Seedlings in Stone, Michelle at Graceful, and Jen at Finding Heaven.
2012: My year to...
The good news is still good news
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16
Have you messed up today?
If you’re breathing, you have. I know—because I have, too.
But the good news is that there is still good news.
The gospel doesn’t become null once we cross the line from dead to alive. It’s still good news that God continues to rescue us, every day, from our messes, from our sin.
Tullian Tchividjian says it well in Jesus + Nothing = Everything:
Once God rescues sinners, his plan isn’t to steer them beyond the gospel but to move them more deeply into it.
That’s because the gospel isn’t the first step in a stairway of truths but more like the hub in a wheel of truth.
After all, the only antidote to sin is the gospel—always has been, always will be.
* * *
Hit the pause button
Dr. Willis will open Jenna’s mouth tomorrow morning and dig in. He’ll hopefully resurface with her only two wisdom teeth.
Next comes the healing.
As soon as the injury ends, so starts the healing. Dr. Willis will stitch up the now empty sockets, place gauze there to slow the bleeding, and put her on antibiotics to prevent infection.
The rest of the day we’ll hit the pause button.
Pause is a quiet place.
It’s that space where you’re still too hurt to run back into life full-force. You slow down (or totally stop) for breathing room, to respect the injury incurred, and to allow a decent head start toward recovery.
Where are you bleeding? Have you been cut by a sharp word or attitude or behavior from someone else? Or maybe your own? Does your wound need space to heal?
Jesus invites you to pause.
There is healing in the pause.
There is grace in the pause.
In the pause, quietly open your awareness to the Lord's presence, to his good plan for your future, to his loving embrace of your pain.
It may be only ten minutes here and there. It may be longer as your situation allows. But the Lord awaits you in it.
The pause may not eliminate your pain or restore you to complete healing (yet), but Jesus can fill your empty place with grace. With love. His love. The One who not only wants your recovery the most, but who also has the most power to transform your brokenness into a sacred scar of beauty.
Just be willing to pause. Let his grace fill the space full.
And let the healing begin.
* * *
I’m entering week three of my fast from multitasking. I’m failing often, but the Lord is faithful to reveal more openings to pause.
But first I’m off to make vanilla pudding and blue Jell-O (by request) for Jenna to eat during her pause.
Church, where are we?
Two arrested in the last meth bust. Back page news.
The 20-something-man slits his wrist. He fails to die.
Lord, I need You, I cry aloud
My heart is low, my head is bowed
The teen girl feels unloved. She awaits 18 to leave it behind.
The mom has a death wish. Her plans are mounting.
Please come find me, I am here
I need to know that You are near
A wife stays jailed in her own home. She can’t leave her man.
The girl says this cut will ease the ache. No pain this time.
The sin is harsh and tries to stay
Kick it off, I plead, I pray
And the church in the city
keeps its doors locked at night and
its hearts busy by day and
its rules binding ever tighter.
Where is the Light?
Where is the Love?
Where is their Jesus?
Who has time for coddling slippery slopes when
souls are ripping and
marriages are breaking and
kids are wondering why mommy cries all the time.
Church, where are we?
Church, where are we?
Church, where are we?
I’m here, I’m here, My grip is strong
My grace is deep, My reach is long
Who will hear Him...
Can they tell another...
Won’t someone shine a Light on the dark?
* * *
When things bubble up, and I can’t catch the overflow, I lay them out in words. Sometimes words only in prayer. Sometimes there and here. Today, both.
What are you trying to say? Katie and Stacey say put your hearts on the page and offer them to the One who gave them to you in the first place. Link up here.
I need a miracle
You recognize them. The signs of the homeless. Those needing help.
But this sign was different. Jeff saw it last week. Driving under the overpass of E470 in Denver, he spotted the man in dirty clothes and a cap.
And his sign.
It said:
“I need a miracle.”
That was all.
I need a miracle.
Yes.
I do.
You, too?
If you’re in Christ, you’ve already received a huge one.
The miracle of life. A rescue straight from the mouth of destruction. A deliverance that never ends.
But God doesn’t stop there.
He brings fresh miracles every morning. Maybe we don’t recognize them as such, but how many unexplained and supernatural gifts have we unwrapped by nightfall?
- The sarcastic outburst I had last night?
Washed away. Miracle. - The friend I meant to check on but ‘forgot’?
Second chance. Miracle. - The attitude I harbored that “I would never do that!”?
Forgiven. Miracle.
Miracles of grace.
Recognize them. They’re the signs of the saved. Those receiving help.
I need them. Every day.
He gives them. Every day.
So I thank him. Every day. You, too?
We are still alive because the LORD'S faithful love never ends.
Every morning he shows it in new ways!
You are so very true and loyal!
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ERV)
* * *
How have you experienced a miracle today?
A day in March
I am thinking...how much sweeter the world would be if we Christians would love more
I am wondering...who should play Jesus for our VBS skit
I am thankful for...Christian sisters who love Jesus above all else
I am memorizing...Romans 8:36-37
I am gathering...tax information (finally)
I am hoping...that Jenna’s wisdom teeth extraction goes well this coming week
I am reading...Jesus + Nothing = Everything
I am pondering these words...“It was so freeing to finally realize that, because of Christ’s work for me, I didn’t have anything to prove or any reputation to protect.” ~ Tullian Tchividjian
I am going...to Nashville for Nurture 2012
I am looking forward...to learning new ways there that others pursue Jesus and new ways I can, too
I am studying...Luke 7:36-50—to love more, understand grace more
I am hearing...“Healer” by Kari Jobe
I am realizing...(again) that I always need to be more humble; always
I am praying...that God will be glorified through a quick and peaceful resolution of a problem
A plan for the week...going to Selwyn’s wonderful Wednesday gathering of ladies pursuing Jesus through his “I AM” statements
A picture to share...I love forsythia in bloom
* * *
What are you doing today?
the simple woman's daybook
...where every day is a blank page
Past Daybooks
One Pure and Holy Passion
This is one of the songs I’ve been listening to hard this week. It fits perfectly with my focus for Lent.
As I try to do one thing at a time—even though I’m failing a lot—I’m reminded to focus on the One I’m doing it for. Jesus is the One I seek to know and follow hard after.
One Pure and Holy Passion
Sung by Candi Pearson
LYRICS
Give me one pure and holy passion
Give me one magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after You
[Repeat]
To know and follow hard after You
To grow as Your disciple in Your truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing You, my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after You
Lead me on and I will run after You
* * *
Thanks for those who prayed for my sweet home Alabama again today as more tornadoes rolled through. I had no damage, but just a few miles from my house was much loss. My heart cries for those who lost homes that were barely rebuilt from the tornado damage last April.
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