Psalm 105:4

When I started out writing for this blog about 10 weeks ago I made up my mind that I was going to be completely honest and transparent with anyone who was willing to read it.  It's time to fess up to all of you.  I've been completely consumed by Christmas.  The shopping, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, planning, and partying that makes this season so festive, have completely consumed me.    I've been so busy with my holiday preparations that I have spent little to no time in the Word the past couple weeks.  I love this time of year.  I really do.  The music and the lights make my heart flutter.  I don't think I've ever grown up when it comes to Christmas.  Is that really such a bad thing?  Well....I wonder what Jesus thinks of me getting so busy with all the holiday fun that I don't have time to spend with Him.  I've been avoiding writing this post because I haven't been spending time with Him like I usually do.  So I figured I'd better just confess.  Also, if I own up to it like this, chances are I'll get myself back on the right track. 

Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.

Psalm 105:4

Now I know I'm not alone here.  I know at least one other person reading this loves this time of year even more than I do.  I also know there are probably more than a few of you who are reading this who don't love this time of year.  Maybe it brings up memories that you don't care to think about, or maybe you aren't close to the family you so long to be with.  Either way this time of year can be the most joyful for some and the most painful for others.   Whichever end of the spectrum you find yourself on,  Jesus is there and He never changes.  Psalm 105 tells us to seek the Lord and His strength.  The most obvious ways we can seek His strength is by reading His Word and by praying.   This sounds very trite and simple but it's through these things that we gain intimate fellowship with The Almighty.  Through prayer and reading, He imparts His wisdom to us.  He feeds our souls and nurtures our spirits, teaching and correcting us gently.  So why do we avoid it?  Well, maybe that's not a fair question.  I don't know that I avoid it necessarily.  Right now, I'm just not making time for it.  As I type that, I'm sad.  That's usually my favorite time of day!   

Our lives are so busy.  We allow them to be.  We glorify busy.  Most of the time we are busy doing good things.  But we are busy all the same.  Personally I let the day to day activities consume my mind and my time.  As I think about it in comparison to this scripture, if I were seeking the Lord continually throughout my day, from start to finish, wouldn't my day go much smoother?  Well, it might not go smoother but perhaps my reactions to things would be different.  Maybe my perspective on things would be more godly?  My thoughts, my words, and my actions might be different, even if my day wasn't going as planned.  If I am seeking the Lord and His strength and seeking his face continually surely He would give me some wisdom along the way.   Honestly, I could really use that. I make bad decisions on a daily basis.  It's a gift.  I'm really good at making a mess of my life when I go my own way and do my own thing.  After a few days I can convince myself that I'm right in what I'm doing or how I'm thinking.  The path gets rather wide pretty quickly and before I know it I'm dancing my way down it.  

I want to start a new habit.  I want to make this my new normal.  Seeking His strength and face continually, before anything else and during everything else.  I'm sure there are some of you that have this spiritual discipline.  I really hope to be like you some day.  I can be really good at it for a long time but then life seems to always get the better of me.  Lord help us all to seek your face and your strength every moment of every day for the rest of our lives.  

John 14:15

Well the most hectic, I mean joyful, time of the year is upon us.  I'm officially behind on blog posting.  The Thanksgiving leftovers have been purged from my refrigerator and there is an 8 foot twinkling, glittery, pine scented symbol of the season in my living room.  Company has come and gone and I'm finally getting back into my everyday routine.  I've consumed 5 pieces of Christmas candy and 1 large mug of coffee, so let's talk about this scripture.  I had to laugh because the last blog post ended up centering around obedience, so when I got the next card out, and it was John 14:15, I just smiled and shook my head.

If you love me, obey my commandments.  John 14:15

Let's be honest, obedience is hard.  Ok, it's not always hard, it really just depends on the situation.  As a mother of 4, this is a topic that is discussed at length rather frequently in my home.   I guess I hadn't considered that perhaps my children should obey me because they love me.  Mostly I think they should obey me because I'm in authority over them.  Does Jesus want us to obey out of love or out of the authority that He has over us?  In honestly sitting here searching my heart right now, rarely do I obey out of love.  Most times I'm motivated by guilt, fear, or a plain ol' sense of duty.  Not love.  When Jesus tells the disciples and us to obey his commandments he's talking about all of the

instructions that He has given us in the Gospels and in the rest of the New Testament.  Let's find some examples.   Wow, I just googled (don't you just love google?) New Testament commandments.  One website says there are 1,050 of them.  If you want the website let me know and I'll give you the link.   I'm going to fish out a few that are a struggle for me.

• Bless those who curse you  Matt 5:44
• Cast all your cares upon God 1Peter 5:7
• Think on what is true, lovely, just, pure..... Phil 4:8
• Do not worry about tomorrow Matt 6:25-34
• Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth  Eph 4:29

Ok, this is my short list of things that I struggle to obey in.  I'm a worrier.  I let my mind run away and way over think and over analyze things.  As a people pleaser, I struggle when people "curse me" or don't like me.  I also have trouble controlling my mouth, the things I say, the way I say them and with the color in which I say them.  God is working on me.  Honestly though, I hadn't thought of this as an obedience issue.  I hadn't thought of the obedience issue as a motivation of my heart.  Obeying out of love is foreign to me.  BUT....I want to learn this.  If God is my Father, and He is telling me if I love him then I will obey, He most certainly is telling me this because He loves me and obeying is going to produce something really awesome in my life!  I know some of you are probably reading this and thinking I must be either dumb or really slow.  The answer to that is yes and yes, most of the time.  I shouldn't obey because I feel like I have to, but because I LOVE Jesus.  I do love Jesus.  I just never thought of obedience as an act of love.  THIS IS EXCITING TO ME!

Now that I've thought through this and worked it out in my head and my heart, I want to apply it.  I want to live this out in my walk with Jesus, obeying out of love.  I want to teach this to my children, obeying because they love me, not because I'm the boss of them.  I really think this is a game changer for me!  Where are you struggling to obey?  What things are you doing, or not doing, simply out of duty?  Where you can you add a heart of love to your obedience to your Lord and Savior?  I'll pray you find those spots in your life.  

Isaiah 59:1

I am a chronic complainer.   Rarely does a day go by that I don't find something to complain about.  I also don't really care if my complaining is offensive to those around me.  Most times my griping is legitimate, I mean, in my own mind it is anyway.  I've also realized lately that my complaining flows with my hormones, lack of sleep, and busy schedule.   Is complaining a sin?  Usually when I write, I try to avoid over using the same word.  If that is something that bothers you as a reader, you might want to skip this one.  I've been contemplating this verse all week.  Putting it in context and trying to figure out the application for myself.  Then this morning WHAM...complaining.  I'm a complainer just like the people of Israel.  Probably even as bad as the people griping their way through the desert in Exodus.  I read through that book and think.....WOW,  People!  God was right there raining down food from heaven for you and you still complained about it!   I would never have complained like they did.  Or would I?  Do I complain about the people, places, and situations God has brought me to now?  Ahem....that's a RHETORICAL question.

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save nor His ear too dull to hear.  Isaiah 59:1

So anyway, I was reading over chapter 59 this morning trying to get my head around what was going on here.   The people (Israel) were complaining that the Lord wasn't able to rescue them.  The true problem though was that they hadn't repented or turned away from their sin.  God wasn't delaying their rescue because He wasn't strong enough to save them.  He wasn't waiting because they were not shouting loud enough for Him to hear them.  He was offended by a very long list of sins that the people were steeping themselves in.  Read the chapter.  This list goes on and on.   Sin had cut the people off from God and that was why He would not listen to them.  Can God rescue us from the problems we face?   Can He break the power of our sin and help us deal with its consequences?   

So how often do we go through our day complaining about the things we have going on?  I know I fall into this trap most days.  Monday, to be exact.  I had fallen into an attitude grumbling about my schedule, feeling overwhelmed, feeling like I couldn't keep on top of things, feeling like my mind wasn't working.  What I wasn't realizing was that my attitude was offensive to God.  I was trying to work out some things for next year's retreat.  I was reading and sorting through some scripture and I couldn't make sense of any of it.  I went to our meeting that night and tried to share some ideas and it just wouldn't come out right.  I was so frustrated.  So since I'm a slow learner, I had to process through this thing the whole rest of the week.  Now it's Friday and I finally get it.  I started complaining (in my head at least) last Wednesday.  That snowballed into me having a yucky heart in church on Sunday and not being able to worship.  I wonder if God was like....Hey Penny, just stop singing, you're offending me.  It carried over into Monday and spilled out at that meeting on Monday night.  Turns out, God has been asking me to do one simple thing and I was dragging my feet on it.  That my friends, is disobedience.  Delayed obedience is disobedience.  Disobedience is sin.  My disobedience led me to complaining which led me to feeling like I wasn't close to God which led me to feel like I wasn't hearing Him and he wasn't hearing me.  YUCK!  I don't like feeling like that.  

I am happy to report that I have since obeyed and gotten some stuff straightened out.  My heart is joyful again and I can hear God again and I am confident that He hears me.  This morning I am really thankful that this was short lived.  I see a lot of my sisters struggle along in sin and disobedience for years.  Sadly, our enemy feeds on this.  He'll whisper in your ear and help you build your case as to why you are right and why you don't need to do this that or the other thing.  Do yourself a favor, obey now and ask questions later.  You'll be much better off.  I wish I had.

James 4:8

It was 5:41 when I looked at the clock this morning.  It's Friday.  I laid there awake for a least 15 minutes before that, the Holy Spirit speaking to my soul.  Today is a brand new day without any mistakes in it.  I have 2 friends who have signs hanging in their homes bearing those words.  I believe it's an Anne of Green Gables quote.  I've never seen that movie but those words were ringing in my ears this morning.  God's word tells us in Lamentations that His mercies are new every morning.  Yesterday I bought the lie.  Yesterday I let Satan tell me a lie and I believed it.  Yesterday it took me all day to realize what I was believing!  Yesterday it was 5:30 in the evening when I finally said to myself.....WHO TOLD YOU THAT?????  Today is a brand new day without any mistakes in it.

Come close to God and He will come close to you.  James 4:8

This morning as I seek the Lord and ask forgiveness for the sins of yesterday I am reminded of the grace and mercy bestowed upon me that I do not deserve.  I don't want to confess my sins here but the prompt is there.  If we are not honest, open and transparent with one another,  can we truly grow and bear fruit?  So here goes, I hope you'll all still love me when it's done.  I have 4 girlfriends who are incredibly precious to me.  The 5 of us make up what we loving refer to ourselves as, the Retreat Vultures.  We were given that name by the sweetest lady ever, who by the way, keeps asking forgiveness for calling us that.  You know who you are, STOP!  We love it, we've embraced it and it's a pretty perfect summation of us.  Anyway, yesterday I had a completely different blog post done.  A really emotional one.  I was sitting in a coffee shop editing it and I got a text regarding the blog post.  I made a phone call.  Something went over me wrong.  I can't even put my finger on what exactly.  I got in my car and drove to Freeport to run an errand.  All the way there I let the enemy build his case for my offense.  The accuser.  By the time I got to Freeport I was good and offended, yet I couldn't figure out precisely WHY I was offended.  So I contacted one of the vultures.  I could tell she was a little baffled by what I was complaining about.  She tried to correct me, I was having none of it.  The day carried on this way, my offended heart getting heavier and heavier.  If Satan can keep us offended with each other he renders us ineffective to do the work of the Savior.  At abut 4:30 that afternoon I realized what was happening.  The devil would love nothing more than to cause division among the vultures.  The fact that he was working so hard on it with me yesterday is proof in my mind that we are effective.  I cannot share the specific offense here because there wasn't one, only a big fat lie.  I will not let that snake drive a wedge between these precious friends and myself.  I won't.  I love these ladies, we know each other really well, second only to our spouses.  We hold each other accountable and we hold each other up.  NOT TODAY SATAN!   THERE IS THE DOOR!  

Monday I was reading my InTouch magazine.  There was a devotional for that day that caught my attention.  It was titled "The Breaking of Peter".  Peter is described as prideful, clever, strong, and impulsive.  He was so bold as to say that he would die for Jesus, yet when push came to shove he denied him...3 times.  If that wasn't humiliating I don't know what would be.   When Peter's opinions differed from Jesus' he even tried to rebuke Him.   Jesus' response was to to correct Peter and to teach him, and Jesus did this in front of Peter's buddies on several occasions.  So after reading this devotional, I thought wow, I kind of resemble Peter.  I felt really bad about that, guilty and maybe a little ashamed.  Then I got into my Bible and was reminded that Jesus wasn't done with Peter!  He was molding him and shaping him into something that God could use in a mighty way!  But how did Peter get that training and teaching?  Duh Penny.  By spending as much time as possible with Jesus.  Well my immediate thought was well yeah, he was with him all the time.  He had Jesus at his disposal until he was crucified.  But that's when Peter really became what God had intended him to be!  After Jesus physically left this world.  Read Acts chapters 2 and 3 to see just a little of what Peter was up to after the crucifixion. 

In all honesty I wish my quiet time was longer, more intense, more in depth.  I wish my prayer time was longer and less distracted than what it is most times.  To tell the truth,  I do get time with the Lord most every day.    This time has proved invaluable because it helps me to respond how Jesus would want me to respond in sticky situations.  It helps me reign in my inner Peter, that part of me that is impulsive and shoots off her mouth and says things that she later regrets. Yeah her, I'm sure I can't be the only one that lives with her.  But if I weren't spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer He wouldn't have had the opportunity to do that.  I need to take the time to come close to God so I can know the difference between truth and lies.  The scripture doesn't say God comes close to you and then you come close to Him.  Jesus is a gentleman,  He won't beat your door down.  He'll knock but you have to answer His call.

Ok I'll get to the point now.  When we come close to God by spending time with Him in prayer and reading His word He can change our hearts and our perspectives on things.  He can give us His eyes to see the right response in hard situations.  If you don't have a time and a place in your life where you can come close to God I encourage you to do it.  Make a place in your home.  Put your bible and pens and paper there.  Grab a hot cup of coffee or whatever you like to sip on and spend some time with the Savior.   Let him teach your Peter (if you have one) and He'll grow you and give you opportunities to glorify Him.  When He gives you those opportunities you'll be excited to be part of His magnificent plan.    The song below has really touched me this week, give it a listen.

Colossians 3:15

So I'm studying this verse and here comes that pesky L word again.  It keeps coming up.  I have to wonder if I'm missing something.   It's no secret that I'm a slow learner when it comes to life application of God's word.  I have been following Jesus for over 10 years and there are still some things I struggle to apply to my walk.  I didn't think I had a problem with love.  Obviously, since it's come up the past few weeks, either I'm missing something or I haven't reached a full understanding of the concept.  Or maybe one of you readers hasn't fully grasped it?  Who knows.  Either way we can't go wrong learning more about love and how to love each other can we?  Take a look around you.  This world could definitely do with more love.   That word is used in the 2 greatest commands Jesus gives us.....Love God and Love others.  Everything else hinges on these things.  So let's talk about our memory verse for this week.  Even though it doesn't contain the word love the verses  before it have a lot to say about it.  It's only fair that we put it in context of the passage.  Context is king.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts....

Colossians 3:15

I enjoy memorizing these shorter versions, it's easier to catalog them in my very busy brain.  While I try to keep them in the forefront sometimes they get lost between the swim practice category and the what's for dinner category.  Studying them more in depth helps me keep them up front, where they belong.  This verse is part of a passage that talks about relationships and how the peace of Christ is supposed to sit as judge or umpire or referee in those relationships.  So let's start at verse 12, remember I'm using my NLT translation.  

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.  Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.  For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.  And always be thankful.

Tenderhearted mercy?  Make allowance for other's faults?  Clothe myself with love?  I read down that  list and see a list of things that I personally fail miserably at every single day.  But what I'm realizing is that is wrong thinking.  I shouldn't think about how much I miss the mark but I should look at these virtues as things to strive for.  Things that I should work on little by little.  Like tending flowers planted in a garden.....LOLOLOLOL  oh I just cracked myself up there.  See, I'm horrible at growing anything.  I hate house plants almost as much as I hate birds.  I think the feeling is mutual because every time I touch a plant it up and dies on me.  So I need another metaphor here.  These virtues are like a beautifully knitted sock, every row adds a lovely stripe or fair isle pattern adding to the beauty of the garment.  When my goal is to grow these virtues more in my own life they start to crowd out other things that are less desirable.  Like selfishness, anger, unforgiveness, pride, and jealousy.  I like it when others apply the virtues Paul talks about to me and my shortcomings.  I like when people are gently and patient with me.  It makes me feel good when people are kind and forgiving to me.  All these things listed here I'm quite happy to accept from others.  So, why is it so difficult for me to give them?

I'm sure I can't be the only person ever to wish someone would get what they deserve.  I'm being honest here.  Sometimes we call in accountability or throw it in the responsibility category.  I mean if the offending party had just done this, or said that, or wouldn't have had that attitude or would just grow up or whatever the case may be.  We are told to relate to these situations with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, gentleness and patience.  And then Paul throws in that word.....REMEMBER....God forgave you so you must forgive others.  Yeah, thanks for the reminder Paul.  I love you Paul, I really do but you're killing me smalls!  Ok ok I'm over my little temper tantrum.

So this is where the peace of Christ comes in.  My life application commentary says it so perfectly.  Paul tells us to let Christ's peace be umpire or referee in our heart.  Our heart is the center of conflict because there our feelings and desires clash - our fears and hopes, distrust and trust, jealousy and love.  How can we deal with these constant conflicts and live as God wants?  Paul explains that we must decide between conflicting elements by using the rule of peace.  Which choice will promote peace in our souls and in our churches?  I like the sound of that.  I want to promote peace.  Don't you?  I want to promote peace in my heart, in my home, in my church, in all of my relationships.  When your relationships are all in order and at peace don't you feel good?  I know I do.  That's why God tells us to do these things.  That's why He tells us to love and to cultivate these virtues in our lives.  He wants us to be at peace, to promote peace and to have peace in our churches because it's for our good and for His glory.  Always for HIS GLORY.  

John 15:16

It's very early in the morning, I don't usually rise this early.  Do you ever have those mornings where you just know that God wants you to be up before the sun?  Most times when I am awakened at an unwelcome hour its when God really wants to speak to my heart about something.  The house is quiet, my husband has gone to work, the kids are sleeping soundly as well as my houseguests.  My devotional (Experiencing God) this morning reminded me once again of the battle that we are in and it also reminded me of who our enemy is.  Satan, the one who came to steal, kill and destroy.  I am reminded of how subtle he is and how slick his plan is.  What I'm bothered by this morning is how quickly I give myself over.  You see, I have company this week.  My Mom and my nephew are visiting.  I love having company, it's fun.  We do lots of fun stuff, go out to eat, shop, talk and hang out.  I get busy and forget what I'm supposed to be doing though.  I'm not talking about the dishes and the laundry and all that, that stuff can wait when I have company.  My relationship with Jesus can't.  That's what he wanted to remind me of at this horrible hour.  It's like he was gently stirring me so I'd get up and spend some time with him before the day's action begins.  So let's get at it.

I chose you!  I appointed you to go and produce lovely fruit.  John 15:16

This passage in John are Jesus' actual words.  This is where He calls us friends, where He tells us He loves us as God loves Him.  In my version (I'm an NLT girl these days) the passage from verse 9 through 17 the word LOVE is used 9 times.  So that's what I'm going with here, the emphasis on love.  We could talk about being chosen and how awesome it is but clearly that isn't the main message of this section of scripture.  Yes we are chosen and that is amazing, that He would pick me, want me to be His friend with all my faults and shortcomings is truly humbling.  But....what about LOVE?  I wonder can we produce "LOVEly" fruit without LOVE?  Galatians 5:22-23  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!  Take note girls which fruit comes first, LOVE.  I wonder can we have joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control without LOVE?  I'm willing to take a stab in the dark here and say no.  

I think what Jesus is trying to tell us here is to go and tell people about Him.   Share the good news, win souls and all that jazz.  I had to ask myself while looking over this verse this week, can I really do that without growing the fruit of the Spirit in my own life?  How can I share the LOVE of the Lord with people that make me nuts?  We get so caught up in LOVE as a feeling that we forget that it's a choice.  It's more than a warm fuzzy emotion it's more than butterflies, puppies, rainbows and unicorns.  I'm starting to gross myself out.  I've been thinking a lot lately about the choices I make in regards to my walk with the Lord and my interactions with His people.  Mostly the choices I make in my attitude.  If I'm going to produce lovely fruit like Jesus tells me to I'm going to have to choose to have an attitude of LOVE even if I don't feel like it.  Even when it's hard or when I'm tired or when I've allowed my schedule to get overextended.  I have to choose to extend grace in situations where people don't deserve it.  That's why it's grace.  If I choose to give people a break it makes it easier to LOVE them.  When it's easier to LOVE them my fruit grows a little bit more.

I've used the fruit of the Spirit with my children on many occasions.  I've asked them to recite the fruit listed in the verse and asked them if they are growing that kind of fruit.  I've used them as examples for Sunday school lessons and Awana lessons.  But what I haven't done is taken those simple lessons and applied them to my own life.  What kind of fruit am I growing?  Is my tree barren?  Is it just starting to produce fruit?  Is any of the fruit ripe and ready for harvest?  I don't know.  I think it's time to check out my tree.  What kind of fruit are you growing?  

There's another part of this verse that's not listed on our scripture card.  It gives us a glimpse at why Jesus tells us to go and produce lovely fruit.  So that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.  When we aren't focused on LOVE and producing fruit (sharing the good news) our prayers are hindered.  I notice a big difference in my prayer life when it's focused on others needs rather than my own needs.  When I have an attitude of LOVE and am making an effort to reach out to others who need LOVE I find myself praying a lot more.  I like praying more.  When prayer becomes a habit you have a close connection to Jesus.  I don't know about you but I LOVE feeling like he's right next to me all day.  

Romans 12:9

Ok, I won't lie to you.  I have been looking over this scripture for an entire week and I've been dragging my feet in writing this.  I wasn't quite sure why I was avoiding it but I was nonetheless.  It dawned on me tonight though at Awana drop off.  I was visiting with my dear friend Helen.  She's always full of wisdom and one of the people I turn to when I'm just not quite sure how to handle what's going on in my life.  She asked how I was.  She has a way of asking that question that makes you know that she's not just looking for the quick answer, the trite response.....fine, good, ok, run me over with a bus.  You get the idea.  It took me a minute to respond.  After a pause I said "I'm growing in Jesus this week Helen."   She laughed.  I laughed.  It's true, I was having a week full of growth opportunities.  Or when it comes to my kids I like to call them "teachable moments".   So let's get on with it and talk about this memory verse.

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 

This is a translation from The Message.  I'm not usually a fan of this particular translation.  I don't have a good reason why, it's my own personal issue.  If you are willing to continue on this journey with me, you'll find out I have a lot of those.  So when I compared this verse to my translation and a few others (because honestly this one is just a bit too touchy feely for me) I found some interesting differences.  My New Living says "Don't just pretend to love others".  NIV says "Love must be sincere".  A few other translations say to let your love be genuine and without hypocrisy.  Well that's easy right?  

I'll give you the honest, sincere answer to that.  No it isn't.  It's hard.  Really hard, probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do.  It's easy for me to love people who are easy to love.  It's easy for me to love people who I know would do for me what I would do for them.  It's easy for me to love people who are living in a way that I find worthy of my love.  What keeps me from loving from the center of who I am?  Why do I struggle to love in a sincere, genuine way, without hypocrisy?  The honest answer is because I am selfish.  Sometimes I'm even self righteous.  

A couple of opportunities came up to love people this week that I was not super excited about.  These growth opportunities were going to cost me.  The were going to cost me time, money, comfort, and some of the luxuries that I have come to look forward to at the end of the day.  We'll call them television and knitting.  Anyway, the cost isn't what concerned me so much.  If I am completely transparent here, what really bothered me, is that there was very little chance that I was going to see any payback or fruit from loving in these situations.  These were the kind of opportunities where you just know that you are scattering seeds across hard soil and the birds are lining up on the power lines to eat them up.  But this verse doesn't tell us to love so we can see the fruit does it?

Run for dear life from evil, hold for dear life to good.  Another thing I struggle with.  I am pretty sure I'm not the only one here.  Our hearts are desperately wicked.  We are bent towards the ugly stuff this world has to offer.  I'm thankful that I can spend time in God's word daily and that it helps to remind me of what I should be chasing after.  Loving  sacrificially is a good thing.  It is worthy of striving for and worth doing when we don't feel like it.  I don't always run from evil, I usually like to roll around in it a little first.  Not a lot, just enough to get a little stinky.  And I'm sure that is what reflected in my attitude this week.  I'm a slow learner.  

I would encourage you all to read this entire chapter in the book of Romans, whichever translation you prefer is just fine.  Touchy feely or not.  This chapter is about us being living sacrifices to God.    Verse 10 in the message says Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.  I want to be that kind of friend, even to people who don't deserve it and won't be that kind of friend to me.  I want love to be my default.  When I was complaining to a friend about these teachable moments I asked her if I would ever get to a point where my automatic response would come from a place of "yes" and a place of the love of Jesus.  Where I wouldn't grumble and complain or kick and scream about doing something that was going to cost me.  If love were our natural response God wouldn't have to spend so much time telling us how important it is.  It's a choice.  I'm convinced it's some kind of spiritual discipline.  I want to love sacrificially without complaining.  Lord, please continue to grow me in this area no matter how painful it is.

We're all in this together girls!

Philippians 1:6

The week following the retreat I was on a spiritual high.  I was really excited to get started with the memory verses and my quiet time was intense.  Towards the end of the week however it started to slide a little.  As the daily responsibilities started to creep in and the commitments of the weekend were approaching I could feel myself gaining momentum as I descended from the mountain top.  The pressures of life and the BUSY-ness I was feeling was taking me to a place I didn't like.  The things that were coming out of my mouth were not as kind as I would like, I had let some words fly that I shouldn't have, I wasn't getting enough sleep, my heart was overflowing ugliness.  So, imagine my surprise when I flipped up the next card and saw this weeks memory verse.

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Phil 1:6

So in order for me to get the full gist of what this verse was saying I had to look at the backstory first.  Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians from prison after receiving a gift from them.  The first few verses of the chapter overflow with his joy and thankfulness for this church.   The verses following our memory verse talk about how special this church is to Paul and how much he loves them and wants them to continue to grow in love and understanding.  He's urging them to continue to grow so that they will be able to fix their eyes on what really matters, what's really important. 

How often do we get ourselves stuck somewhere because it's just too hard to climb back up that mountain?  The church at Philippi was experiencing persecution.  Most likely this was making it difficult to live out their faith. Paul starts out this letter with words of encouragement.  When's the last time you felt discouraged because you felt like you were either unwilling or unable to live out your faith?  I think sometimes it just happens, a situation comes and goes and afterwards we are often left wondering, what just happened?  Why did I let the opportunity to share Jesus pass me by?  Am I afraid?  Am I unwilling?  Am I embarrassed because the things I've just said or done are a poor testimony?  For the record that last one would be me.  

So when I read this memory verse I was encouraged.  I think mostly because I needed to be reminded that I'm not the one who started the work in me, therefore I do not need to be the one to finish it.  I was also encouraged that the work won't be finished until the moment I leave this earth.  After things got a little sideways this past weekend I needed to be reminded that I AM NOT A LOST CAUSE!  That Jesus will continue to work in me helping me to live a pure and blameless life until the day of Christ's return or until he calls me home.  

So whatever is holding you back, whatever has you discouraged, whatever is putting you in that cell of shame, whatever mistakes you have made, take it to the throne.  We can be confident that He who started this work in us will finish it.  But there are things we let get in the way and make the process harder, longer and more painful than it needs to be. Take whatever those things are to Jesus, repent and ask for forgiveness so He can get back to work.  I'll be taking my sassy mouth, my ugly attitude towards people and my poor time management to Him.  I'm confident He can help me.
  

DON'T BUY THE LIE LADIES!

Psalm 34:8

It’s early Tuesday morning and I’m challenged.  After the weekend retreat I got sick.  Like can’t get out of the recliner sick.  Am I surprised?  Not really.  Is it an enemy attack?  I’m not sure.  Is it the consequences of burning the candle at both ends?  Bingo.  We all received these scripture cards this weekend and were encouraged to memorize a verse each week for the next year.  Yesterday I took the first card out of the beautiful mug that we were also given.  The verse reads...

TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD;  BLESSED IN THE MAN WHO TAKES REFUGE IN HIM.

PSALM 34:8

It’s one thing to memorize a verse, it’s quite another to jump into it with both feet and really take to heart what it means.  It starts out with TASTE AND SEE, this is clearly an invitation.  It makes me think of when I try to get my kids to try a new food.  There is always a hesitation, doubt if you will, that what I am offering them may just end their little lives.  When I offer up the new treat it is usually met with groans of disgust if it’s green or twinkling eyes if it has chocolate in it.  Of course they would prefer anything sweet and fattening to something green and healthy.  Are both good?  Yes both are good one would reason.  Everything in moderation (when it comes to the sweet treat) and you can’t get enough veggies (when it comes to the brussels sprouts).  Both are good, but we don’t always see them as good.

The next part of the verse says.....THAT THE LORD IS GOOD;  Over the weekend, a sweet sister in Christ talked to me about having trouble believing that God is good.  The things that had happened in her life and the things that were currently happening had her in a place where she couldn’t see His goodness.  Her tears clung to me and her question keep echoing in my heart.  God, are you good?  What does that mean?  What does it mean that God is good?  As grown ups, especially women, we tend to way over think things.  So this morning over breakfast I asked the kids.  God is good, I said, what does that mean?  I was met with blank stares over their dinosaur egg oatmeal.  My oldest, who is usually quite full of information looked at me for a moment and then replied....it means He’s perfect and He doesn’t make any mistakes.  Out of the mouths of babes.  I looked over my coffee cup at him trying not to cough on the sandwiches I was preparing for their lunch because school spaghetti is apparently disgusting.  Ok I said, if God is perfect and He doesn’t make any mistakes, why does Grandpa have cancer?  There was a long pause and I hoped beyond hope that I had taught him the right thing and that he wasn’t standing there questioning God.  He responded with....because there’s sin in the world Mom.  The tone implied that I was asking a dumb question.  I was relieved.  I gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead and sent him to school with the reassurance that he had answered my question correctly.   God is perfect, He makes no mistakes.  I looked up the word Good in my Webster’s 1828 dictionary, the definition goes on and on and on.  At first I was discouraged by this.  All I wanted was a simple definition.  But, when I look over these pages (yes pages) and apply all the bullet point in this definition to God, I am in awe.  Valid, sound, not weak, complete, conformable to the moral law, proper, honorable, fair, unblemished, benevolent, to

supply deficiency, I could go on and on.   So I google (don’t judge me I know you do it too) good by definition comes up as of high quality, of favorable character, suitable, fit, agreeable, and pleasant.  We want good to mean what we see good as.  In other words, I can see God is good as long as He doesn’t let anything I see as bad happen to me.  I’m guilty of this.  When things come along that I don’t see as good I shake my fist at God and say....Why does my father-in-law have cancer?  Why would you let my husband lose his job?  Why does my friend have to have all these things happen to her family?  Why does another friend have to live with the scars that her messed up family left on her?  I thought you were good God?!?!?!?!  If you are good, why? WHY?  It’s not fair.  IT HURTS!  My heart is broken.  The simple words of a 10 year old resound.....because there is sin in the world Mom.

Blessed in the man who takes refuge in Him.  When I think of the word refuge I think run and hide.  Things are hard, life is ugly, these circumstances stink but I can run hard and fast and hide in Christ.  My strength, my peace, my worth, my hope and my rest can only come from one place, CHRIST.  When I can’t see beyond the circumstances I can trust  that what is happening is for MY good.  For my growth.  His word tells us when we are overwhelmed with life, we can take refuge in the one true God and we will be blessed.  Try to step away from the American view of “blessed” here for a second.  Are we not blessed when He holds us in His arms and whispers in our ears that He loves us and that we are valuable to Him?  Are we not blessed because he sees each tear that falls?  Are we not blessed because he knows every hair on our heads?  This is true blessing, to be known and loved by God.  His eye is on the sparrow, are you not much more valuable than a sparrow?  God, I AM, the God of Heaven’s Armies, sees you and knows your pain and your circumstances.  Even though it doesn’t feel good and we don't like it,

we can trust that it is for our good, for our training in righteousness, and for His glory.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  

Don’t buy the lie ladies.  

Unshakeable Faith: 8 Traits for Rock-Solid Living

Women’s Bible Study ~ Wednesday Nights

Start date: October 8th - End date: December 10th

Time: 6:15 - 7:40 pm

(at Monroe Bible Church ~ follows the Awana schedule)

Women are usually prepared for everything from patching scraped knees to managing a huge work load to whipping up dinner at a moment’s notice. We keep ourselves and our families together and running smoothly. But is our faith prepared to withstand difficult circumstances and trials?

Unshakeable Faith, an 8-week Bible study for women, explores the life of Peter to help you build a rock-solid faith that is strong enough to weather the harshest storms of life. Here are a few highlights:

• Each week focuses on one “faith trait” found in Peter’s life and writings.

• Each week includes purposeful life examination and application.

• Each week includes a “Faith Shaker,” that introduces a real woman and her story of trial and faith.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

We are more than conquerers!

October 3rd-5th

Inspiration Ministries 

Walworth, Wisconsin

Sunflowers are unique for their constant pursuit of sunlight. So sunflowers have the meaning of loyalty, that is to keep unchanged. Sunflowers’ faces head towards the sun and the flowers themselves look like the warm and shiny sun! ... Sunflowers give people a sense of optimism and the gift of looking forward to the brightness of tomorrow. We, like sunflowers, should also be constantly facing and turning to the the SON. We must daily choose to face the SON, our savior, and fight the good fight. When our focus is on Jesus, we can’t help but reflect the love and warmth he bestows upon us. 

We look forward to seeing you at Inspiration Ministries this fall! This facility was such a blessing last year, we will be holding our retreat there again. The Retreat Center offers a quiet, private, natural setting that will provide you with many opportunities to connect and grow.
Delicious, home-cooked meals, warm inviting meeting rooms and a cozy quilt topped bed are a few of the special things awaiting you.
Beautiful hiking trails, a nature center, and a thrift store are also on the grounds for you to explore and
enjoy.

REGISTER NOW THROUGH
SEPTEMBER 22
CHILDREN: We respectfully request that infants and children do not attend this retreat.
SCHOLARSHIPS: Partial scholarships are available to cover cost. Contact Jane Thoman at dickjane@tds.net
Mail registration forms &payment to: Vicki Mortimer
2242 4th Ave West Monroe WI 53566

The ladies ministry team invites you to be a part of this ry special time of fellowship, love and growth.
 As we set aside this special time each year to grow closer God and to one another, our prayer is that each lady will come away encouraged and refreshed. Come and learn how Romans 8 encourages us to be more than conquerors.
Check in is at 5:30 Friday evening and we will wrap up at 12:15 on Sunday. You will be served 3 meals Saturday as well as breakfast on Sunday. Dinner will not be served on Friday night. Please feel free to bring snacks to share. 

Lysa Loves Missing Pieces

Summer is busy  AND
Summer is a wonderful time to get together with your friends and do a Bible Study.

Lysa Terkherst,  a well known author and speaker, AND
mom of 5 children , also wrestles at times with those honest questions we all want to ask of God.

The "Missing Pieces" Bible Study continues registration Sunday morning AND
this video review by Lysa may just help you decide to sign up.

"Missing Pieces" by Jennifer Rothschild

Monroe Bible Church

Wednesday mornings - 9:15

Wednesday evenings - 6:30

June 11-July 30

Meet our Summer Bible Study Teacher - Jennifer Rothschild

Registration for the Summer Bible Study 

 Missing Pieces

has begun and will continue through May 25
Register Sunday Mornings or by
calling Deb Hurlbert at 325-3430

About

My name is Jennifer Rothschild – with a silent “s”.  I am an author, speaker, Bible study teacher, wife and Mom.

And, I happen to be blind.

I’m just like you. I just do things a little differently.

I write about real life and share what I’m learning from a real God. My goal is to create inspiring, relevant, and practical content that will empower you to

live beyond limits.

When it comes to faith, I don’t like fake, shallow or irrelevant; so you won’t get that here! I do like to laugh, think and be happy; so, you will get a Venti Size of that from me! The best gift I can give you is my most honest self. So, not everything I write is tied with a neat Christian bow, but it will always be tied to my deep trust in the God I love.

Some people think I’m poised, polished, graceful, and have it all together. You can thank my mother for all that! Anything that suggests I have it all together is not telling the whole story. By the grace of God I am what I am.  I live my life with a little bit of grit and a whole lot of God’s grace.

I can teach you something about having grit – because I must have it to survive my world. But, I’ll also point you to God’s grace more often (because we all need that to survive our world).

If you’re a woman who wants to know God more; live life better; think more deeply; get practical tips for practically everything, then this blog is for you.

When you visit me here, I want you to feel like you just walked into a warm cozy coffee shop where you can hang out and feel loved and welcome! We can share our perspectives about life and faith to help us think, grow and stay encouraged.

And, I’ll always ‘Spill the Beans’ if you ask me a question!

My Biography

Growing up, I lived in Clearwater, Florida, Costa Rica, and Miami. I graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University (home of the fighting Sailfish) in 1986 with a BA in Psychology, and minor in Communication. I married my college sweetheart when I graduated, and now, for the past 26 years I call him my own personal Dr. Phil (since he has his PhD!) We have 2 sons. Clayton was born in 1989 and Connor was born in 1998 — yes, they’re almost ten years apart! In May of 2012, we finally got a daughter—Clayton married his college sweetheart recently and our whole family is so grateful. Caroline Gear Rothschild is a delightful addition to the family.

Phil, Connor, and I live in Springfield Missouri; Clayton and Caroline are in Texas. The actual head of our home, so she thinks, is our very prissy Shih-tzu, Lucy. She usually wears pink bows on her well-trimmed ears and eats from shiny food bowls with crowns embossed on them! She refuses to place her paws on wet grass and has never met a stranger.

I love thin crust veggie pizza, dark chocolate, coffee, interesting conversations, and reading books by dead authors… I’m most crazy about CS Lewis, but Henry James and Jane Austen are close seconds! Joni Eareckson Tada totally inspires me to keep walking by faith. And Michael O’Brien’s music uplifts me and brings me joy. I’ve been known to get a little over zealous about The Antique Road Show, American Idol and Georgia Bulldog football.

I’ve written 10 books and Bible studies and recorded several CD’s.  Lessons I Learned in the Dark has been a best seller along with the popular Self Talk, Soul Talk: What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, and the newly released, God is Just Not Fair: Finding Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense.

I’ve had the privilege of appearing on Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, Life Today, and the Billy Graham Television Special. I travel between 25-30 times each year to speak to groups — mostly women. I also love to bring Fresh Grounded Faith to different parts of the country about 10 times a year.

These are my own conferences where local churches come together and bring a kingdom minded event to their community. It’s always a time of refreshment and healing for women.

My Dr. Phil and I founded womensministry.net in 1998. It’s an on-line magazine for women in leadership with over 25,000 subscribers.

And, did I mention I’m blind?

I lost most of my sight as a 15-year-old girl due to a rare form of the disease Retinitis Pigmentosa.  I have now lived longer in physical darkness than I ever did in physical light. Blindness is hard, but it’s been a place where God has shown Himself to be so kind, strong and faithful. That’s why I do what I do — Because God has made it well with my soul, and I want others to experience the same kind of peace.

This may not be a typical part of a bio, but I just must include this last fact. Ministry for me has been received, not achieved. Where I am is where God placed me. What I apparently have accomplished is just what God has provided and brought to fruition. So, my bio is just a few chapters of His story. And, I hope He’ll keep writing it for years to come because I want to be a centenarian! (Okay, I like big words, but I’ll keep them to a minimum in the blog. But, “centenarian” was just too good to pass up!)

Thanks for stopping by– As you get to know me better, I hope you’ll let me get to know you too as you leave comments and ask questions.

May it always be well with your soul.

The Formal Biography

It is well with my soul.

For Jennifer Rothschild, these words are much more than the lyrics from a familiar hymn; they represent a foundation upon which many life lessons have been learned…in the dark.

At the young age of fifteen, Jennifer was diagnosed with a rare, degenerative eye disease that would eventually steal her sight. It was more than a turning point for the Miami, Fl, native. Her dreams of becoming a commercial artist and cartoonist faded. Words and music have replaced her canvas and palette for more than 25 years.

Known for her substance, and a down-to-earth style, Jennifer weaves together colorful illustrations, universal principles, and music to help audiences find contentment, walk with endurance, and celebrate the ordinary. Through her signature wit and poignant story-telling, audiences are prompted to look beyond their circumstances to find unique “gifts,” in unusual packaging.

Jennifer has taken her message of encouragement across the country speaking at national and regional gatherings of busy professionals, dedicated volunteers, and overwhelmed moms and dads. Jennifer has been a featured speaker for the nation’s largest conference for women, Women of Faith, and has teamed up with Beth Moore and others to lead national women’s conferences. Thousands have come away with a new vision for their work, their family, and their future.

Jennifer’s newest curriculum resource is the DVD-based Bible study Missing Pieces: Real Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense. She is the author of 10 books with combined sales of over a half-million units, including the newly released God Is Just Not Fair: Finding Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense, best-selling Lessons I Learned in the Dark and Self Talk, Soul Talk, and the popular DVD-enhanced curriculum products entitled Walking by Faithand Me, Myself and Lies. In addition to her writing and speaking, Jennifer is an accomplished songwriter and recording artist, with six albums to her credit – includingWalking by Faith: The Music Captured Live, Along the Way, and others.

Jennifer has been featured on Dr. Phil, ABC’s Good Morning America, and the Billy Graham Television Special, and on other national TV and radio programs including Hour of Power, Life Today, Family Life Radio, TBN, and others. Her life story and message has been the cover story of numerous national publications including Today’s Christian Woman, Virtue magazine, Becoming Family magazine, HomeLife magazine, and others.

Jennifer is also founder and publisher of the popular online magazine, womensministry.net. She resides in Springfield, Missouri with her husband of 21 years, Dr. Philip Rothschild, and their two sons Clayton and Connor. She enjoys nature walks, visits to theme parks, and riding a bicycle built for two. She got a real charge singing the national anthem for the Atlanta Braves and bungee-jumping from seven and a half stories. In addition to collecting Depression glass and enjoying movies, she loves classical music, dark chocolate, and the smell of a hazelnut-coffee candle.

Dear Friend,

Have you ever asked these questions? Does God care? Is He fair? Is He even there? Although you may think you know all the right answers, sometimes they don’t always feel right.

Quick Sunday School answers were not enough for me.

As a woman who has lived with blindness all of my adult life, I’ve also asked, God, do you hear my prayer for healing? Did you make a mistake?

Here’s what I know.

God’s ways don’t always make sense, but He is trustworthy.

If you go through this study with me, dear sister, you will become closer to Him. My prayer is that you will trust Him more than your feelings.

Here’s what I promise.

God will reveal Himself and fill in your missing pieces.
I hope you’ll join me.