A Lesson for Teacher...

Tomorrow is our first day back to school. Yes, I know some of you have been in school for nearly a month already, but since we school lightly during the summer with a few week-long breaks here and there (like going to Hawaii, going to see family in Texas, VBS, etc.) we start a little later in the summer than most public schools do. Call me sentimental, but I am glad to get a little more use out of our pool before we hit the new year.

So we usually start somewhere around the 1st of September. And that would be tomorrow.

Just as a little sidebar here, this is the first year that we have a middle-schooler in our family. I've told you before that the church we love to attend is rather large, so we have a separate building, affectionately called "The Warehouse," for Middle School and High School students to attend Sunday School.

We've never been to The Warehouse. Until This past Sunday.

We got to go because we now have a student out there. Apparently we are to not refer to him as a child anymore, but as a student. Pastor Rick (the middle school pastor) had a kind of open house for parents of all Middle Schoolers. He's a smart man, because he has volunteers cooking pancakes and serving cinnamon rolls, fruit and juice to lure the students into the main assembly.

Smart man, indeed. I'd say he knows a thing or two about this age group.

Anyway, I'm still trying to get over the shock of having a "middle school student." I started teaching Mini me kindergarten when we first moved into this house. It really wasn't that long ago.

Okay, reeling myself back in...

Mini me starts 6th grade tomorrow, Brown Eyes (who is still a child) will be in 3rd, and then there's Lil'bit, who will begin an official preschool curriculum tomorrow. This will be my first time teaching all three at once. Wow.

As is true with all teachers, God has seen fit to teach me a thing or two before letting me loose on His kids to teach them.

And I'm not talking about academics.

My last post about week 6 from the Believing God study mentioned quoting Scripture to combat negative words and attitudes. Beth Moore had discussed the power of our tongue...for both good and bad...and when we find ourselves with negative fleshly words, we can and should purposefully use the Word of God to change our hearts and minds.

Well.

How many of you know that when you learn something, or are even reminded of a life lesson, you will be tested on it.

The day after I wrote that post, I became an emotional train wreck. I mean to say that I was a royal grump, and I'm not even sure why that was. I just know that from the very beginning of my day, everything and its dog got on my nerves. Irritation, frustration, and hypersensitivity were my constant companions. From the eating noises of a careless youth of mine (I won't say which one) to the occasional bickering and whining that wafted from their bedroom, I mean I was annoyed by everything.




The thought (or shall I say still, quiet voice inside) kept bringing up in my mind that I needed to wield my Sword, I should stop and utilize the very tools that have been given to me to battle my own flesh.

Do you know I never did? That whole day, I would have that thought and think, "Okay, I will in a minute. I've gotta get done with...." And I never would get around to it. The biggest problem was that I didn't have any Scriptures ready in my mind or immediately available to employ. I was putting it off because I knew it would take time for me to sit down and find what I needed to apply to the situation, and my spirit was willing but my flesh was weak.

So I never did what I had just written about being the best thing to do in such a situation. And because of it, I was viewed by my children to be just a notch below Hitler himself. Okay, maybe not that bad, but a serious grouch anyway. And they got to witness some of the yucky flesh of their momma because I was unwilling to do what I knew I should do.

The very next day, I got up feeling better in attitude, but felt horrible for the attitude I had the day before.

Normally, when I am dealing with regret, and even repentance, I am rather harsh on myself. And I have a hard time letting it go and moving on in the freedom I really do have in Christ. I usually choose to punish myself with it for a little while. I think I shouldn't get off so easy as just claiming the forgiveness and the relief of the load that comes with it. I should "hang onto it a while."

And that normally would consume any kind of a quiet time with the Lord I'd try to have. I would spend my time with Him telling Him how horrible I was and how I just don't understand how He could pour out His lavish grace on one such as me. I still wonder that, but I don't think the self-loathing is what He's after.

That "morning after," I sat down to tell the Creator of the Universe what a sad spectacle I had been (as if He didn't already know). I repented of my behavior and asked Him to help me with this new day. Then I opened up His Word together with "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. Here's what the devotional said for that day:

"Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you." John 12:35

"Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mount with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness."

Can I just interject here that I was in darkness, so to speak, all day that day. He goes on:

"Continually bring the truth out into actuality; work it out in every domain, or the very light you have will prove a curse. The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the smug satisfaction of an experience to which he can refer back, but who is not working it out in practical life. If you say you are sanctified, show it.The experience must be so genuine that it is shown in the life."

Ouch.

Then the Holy Spirit brought to my mind the lesson I learned the day before, during my Bible study time on my day of wrath. I had watched the video for Believing God week 8, which I will expound on more later, but I have to include this one thing here: Beth said in the video that with most believers, we have a tendency to lose spiritual battles in our mind before we ever begin to fight them spiritually.

In other words, when we say things like "It's not fair" or "it's his/her fault," or we wallow in our own bitterness over a subject, or we beat ourselves up over our mistakes and failures, we are fighting and losing the battle in our minds before we ever actually fight the good fight with the true enemy...we're fighting ourselves more than anything!

That last one, the "beating ourselves up" one, Beth calls it the "how stupid I am!" factor. When we do that, which is what I was tempted to do on the "morning after," is the same as self-loathing.

And then here's where she dropped the bomb: self-loathing is the same as self-worship, because worship is all about focus.

In that still time before the Lord in my repentance and sorrowful countenance, I confessed my sin of self-centeredness to Him, and then told Him that I refuse to worship myself, even in the negative sense of self-loathing.

Well do I believe Him or not? Didn't He die for that sin too? Didn't He throw that self-centeredness into the sea of forgetfulness along with all the others I have yet to commit?

Yes, yes He did. And I refuse to hang onto that anchor anymore beyond giving it to Him.

And I'm glad for this lesson now, at the beginning of a brand new school year, when things start out full of energy and excitement, but can quickly break down into a challenge. I have since written some very applicable Scriptures on some index cards that I am keeping handy so that when I feel overwhelmed by annoyances and irritations, I will listen the very first time I hear that still, small voice whisper, "Wield your Sword, child."

Yes, Lord.

Thank you, Father, for your unending forgiveness and grace...call me into obedience for today.

Believing God -- Week 6

So I finally decided to finish this Bible study.

Did you notice the year on this button? No? Take a look.

Yeah. 2008. Sad, isn't it?



Now I have been in the Word since then, of course, I just haven't been in this study.

But I will say that this past year is probably the longest I've gone without being involved in a specific Bible study per se. I've been doing different things that I had around the house, or just simple personal studies on my own. But I'm telling you, there's just something special about going through the Bible with Beth Moore. Her enthusiasm and zeal are truly contagious!

And I'm actually a bit further in the study than week 6, but I figure I need to pick up where I left off.

So, in week 6 of the Believing God study, Beth opens with this word: "The Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]" Heb. 4:12 amplified.

She goes on to say that we, created in His Image to be instruments in God's hands, are equipped with an implement powerful enough to both build a road straight to our proverbial promised land, or to tear that road completely apart.





James 3:2-12 tells us that our words can keep our whole body in check; the use of our mouth can defile, or if bridled and directed, it can bring a lack of sin. If set on fire by hell, it can set our whole body on a course of natural sin.

Do you ever notice how contagious negative words are? Even when I am saying averse words only to myself, under my breath, it's only a matter of time before I hear that same vile attitude spew from my mouth. And before I know it, one of (or two of) my boys are getting into trouble for their attitude.

On the other hand, most of the time I'm in a pretty good mood, but I'm not so quick to notice when they emulate that attitude. I'm not sure who's really lacking here. But I digress.

Of course, the best way to defeat this grievous cycle is to fight fire with fire...Beth suggests quoting Scripture, the living Word, in place of negativity.

I have to say, it works.

I also have to say I wish I fought the spiritual fight that way more often.

Later in the week Beth states, "The tongue has staggering potential to wreak havoc; yet not coincidentally it also has the potential to reap the stuff of heaven on earth. We can be sure that God and Satan are both vying over our mouths. Nothing threatens the enemy more than a believer with the Word of God living and active on her tongue, ready to apply it to any and every situation."

No wonder we are supposed to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (see Romans 12:2)...saturation is the only way to have the Word ready at any given moment. Constantly pouring over His Word will create a godly response instead of an ungodly reaction.

It is soooo much easier to type than it is to do. But if we will be diligent, He will be faithful.





By the way, if you're interested in doing this study, you can go to the Lifeway website and register to do the study yourself! You can watch the videos online and print the homework out if you don't already have a book.

You really won't regret it.

Believing God -- Weeks 4 & 5

I was going to go ahead and skip week 4 since I didn't post it during the proper week, but I just can't seem to get over the fact that my post list would have weeks 1, 2, 3, and 5. I just can't do it.


So I have just a few thoughts from weeks 4 and 5 that I'll share, and then next week (I believe, and Lord willin') we'll be on week 6. All of us. Will be on the same week. Won't that be nice? :-)


For those who haven't been here before or didn't know about the "Believing God" study we're doing: we take turns posting our comments on either 2nd cup of coffee or on Meyers on the Hood. Many of us also post on our own blog, too, just to keep our weeks straight. eh hem.


Week 4 took us through the Hall of Faith found in Hebrews 11. We read the faith-filled stories of Enoch, who walked with and pleased God; Noah, who feared and obeyed God; Abraham, who trusted and followed God; and Isaac, who blessed and believed God.


It was a remarkable journey, to say the least. Probably the most profound thing I was reminded of from this week was found in the story of Abraham. Beth said, "One of Abraham's monumental tests painstakingly challenges us: time. Between 'go' and 'receive' is more often than not the faith test of time." She affectionately renames this condition the "Later Syndrome." *grin*


I have seen, over and over again, situations where God gives a Word, a promise, or a calling, and then says no more for a time. Sometimes a loooooong time. During that time is when we have the opportunity to trust Him and obey. We must depend on His promise and Word and literally live by that trust until we see it come to fruition.


I have been there, done that, and I've watched many people struggle during this time. During most of these circumstances, things appear to get worse before they get better! Beth poignantly points out that sometimes that's just part of the test. It's not until later that things start to come together and make sense.


Well, Amen to that. And again, I say Amen!


I've seen one who was promised that a loved one would be saved. It finally came some years later. How much prayer was spent on that person's salvation? One could never measure it, but you can believe that God was glorified when that person was justified!


I've seen marriages suffer immense pain and heartache. One marriage partner was promised healing if they stuck it out. Over a decade and a half later, the healing process finally begins.


I've seen job circumstances waver, hang in the balance, only to come crashing down. And then more waiting. How long can a family wait to receive an income? In this day and time, not long before panic can set in.


I've seen a calling given on the heart of a believer, and it not come to fulfillment for years.


Why? Why must we go through this period of waiting, wanting, and wondering? What good can come from it?


Change within the heart of the believer. God is preparing us for something that we cannot understand fully in this lifetime, but one Day we will smile in the realization that He really does know what He's doing. And He knows the time frames we're in...and can bust them wide open if He chooses to.


Week 5 continued on the same journey through the Hall of Fame. Beth used the stories of Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the falling walls of Jericho, and the Prostitute Rahab to share with us that we can do all things through Christ.


It's an incredible week of study, but I'd like to close with just this one quote from week 5:


"Our tendency is to think that if He loves us all the same and has a corporate plan as important as the individual, He must be spread pretty thin. God's love is measureless. His plans are infinite. He loves each of us and plans for us with limitless extravagance."


I think that statement sums up the two weeks for me. Everything we wait for, and everything we long to do or be for Him, has been thoughtfully planned out and provided for in His infinite wisdom. So that even if we don't get the exact answer we thought we wanted, we will be astonished at how He works everything for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Believing God -- Week 3 -- Miracles

WOW. What else can I say, but WOW. This week in "Believing God" has been in.cre.di.ble. I don't know about you, but I need to give the Lord a shout today for all He's done!


I love the phrase Beth gave in the video this week: "We believe little because we've seen little. We've seen little, therefore we believe little."


And the cycle goes on and on, doesn't it?


I'll bet, if we would all be honest, that each of us could say that we forget the wonders we've seen God do from time to time. Not immediately, mind you, but certainly as the dust settles from the sheer adventure of it, and we get going again on the hum-drum of life, we...forget. I like the phrase "forget to remember." Because we don't actually forget; it's still in there. We just don't remember. That's why God's commandments to the Israelites in the Old Testament, and to us today, are always accompanied with "remember..."


For example, the Lord told Joshua in the book of, um, Joshua, that he was to erect memorial stones at all the places where they met God so they could tell their kids what happened there...and pass it on. And I love how He ends Chapter 4: "...that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever."


Shouldn't we do the same?


So if you will indulge me here, I'd like to share just one of the many miracles I've seen God do in my life. I would love to say that I've seen several in the past week, but unfortunately my faith is just not that big...yet.


But my God is, though.


When Mini me was a wee bit over three, I was large-and-in-charge pregnant with our second child, Brown Eyes. You think I'm kidding, but I'm telling you I looked like I was shoplifting a Pilates fitness ball under my dress.


I was still working (you know, like for a paycheck) at that time, so one morning while attempting to drop Mini me off with the sitter, I planted my foot (that I hadn't seen in at least 4 months) in a deep hole in the sitter's yard. I was carrying Mini me on the protrusion that was the residence of my second son.


I promise you've never seen a girl and her two kids fall so hard. Because once I started to go...


TIMBER!!!!


There was just no stopping us. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, so as we were going down, I could see the concrete slab in the way of our fall. I was furiously calculating exactly how to fall to keep us from hitting it. Really, I was just throwing my massive body weight as far away from it as I could.


I almost got far enough.


I managed to land on my side instead of my belly, which spared my youngest. I managed to keep Mini me from hitting the concrete with his whole body. I did not manage to get him away enough to keep his head from hitting the pavement. Ouch.


I eventually left him with the sitter and advised her to keep a close eye on him and call me if anything didn't look right. About 30 minutes after I got to work, she called.


He wasn't out cold or anything, but he had thrown up once and was extremely lethargic. And he wouldn't eat. WHAT??!! I'm coming right over.


When I buckled him in his seat and headed toward the children's hospital, I kept trying to keep him awake. I was afraid if he fell asleep that I wouldn't be able to wake him back up. I was not in the condition to handle that kind of anguish.


The problem was that he wouldn't talk back. Those of you that know Mini me...you know he's a chatterbox. He always has been. No one knows where he got it, either. eh hem.


So anyway...he wouldn't tell me his name or my name, big trucks, nuthin. When his eyes started rolling in the back of his head, I just about came unglued. I worked about 45 minutes from the Children's hospital, but I'm quite sure we made it in 20. I kept thinking, "If a cop tries to pull me over, he can just follow me there."


As we were approaching our exit, he started to close his eyes and not open them back up! I was reaching to the back seat, screaming at my child to please, please wake up!! I could no longer keep him aroused.


As we took the exit, at the top of the hill, I literally, audibly cried out to God. Of course, I had been talking to Him between trying to keep Mini me awake, but this was different. This was a mother's desperate cry for her child.


Now, I am acutely aware that there could be someone reading this who's cried out just like I did, but got a different response from our God. He is sovereign over everything, and He alone knows why He answers the same prayer two different ways. But that's where faith and trust in Him comes in.


This time, He chose to perform a miracle. By the time I got to the bottom of the exit ramp, I heard my child say in the sweetest voice the most precious thing he'd ever said to me: "Look, mommy, a ambilance!"


I whirled my head around and saw my bright-eyed, smiling baby pointing his finger to the ambulance sitting next to us waiting for the light to turn green.


It was that fast. I can still see his face in my mind.


By the time we got to the hospital, the Dr. didn't even want to take an MRI because he said, "There's nothing wrong with this boy." Oh no, huh-uh, you are not walking out of this room without writing orders for an MRI -- STAT!!


He was finally persuaded to run the test even though my then three year old was playing and talking as if nothing had ever happened!


And of course, the test was clear.


Join the rest of us over at Meyers on the Hood for some more commentary from our lesson!

Believing God -- Week 2

Well here we are, having completed our second week of this awesome study! I am so anxious to see what others are pulling from the Word and this lesson!


A special thank you to Lidna Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee for hosting this week's discussion on her blog. Be sure and stop by and post a comment about this study, too (you know, like after you post one here!) :-)


Many of the things discussed in this week's homework are some of the very things that excite me the most when I consider the wondrous works of God...and therefore consider the wonder of Him!


In offering us a sliver of understanding as to who God is as He first introduces Himself in Scripture, Beth had us focus for a bit on the aspect of Creator God. She shared with us what she learned about the "improbability of the Earth's possessing all of the necessary conditions to support life by chance." From the book The Source, she quoted the "Estimated Odds of Selected Variables Vital to an Earth-like Planet Occurring by Chance."


Translation: An educated guess regarding whether it would even be possible for a planet like ours to haphazardly support life...based on just a few variables that would be absolutely necessary for said life. In other words, there are still other conditions that would need to be met; we're just looking at a few. Whew. Clear as mud, right?


So before our heads explode...the probability was 1 in 150 (and insert 15 zeros behind it!) that a planet with those qualifications could possibly come about! I don't even know what you call a number like that!! For the sake of apologetics, let's all keep in mind that probability in itself is a scientific measurement....hmmm. You mean Science actually supports the belief that the world was probably created? Hmmmm...


Beth also shared with us how complex and intricate a single cell with a nucleus actually is...as opposed to Darwin's limited understanding of the cell to be a simple, protoplastic cream-filled donut. Or something like that.


Well when I read about the cell and how much we now know to be true about the little machines that are inside every single cell, it reminded me of a program that I just went through called The Truth Project.


Some of you may have heard of it before, and I could easily write six months' worth of posts just from what I learned from it, so I won't go into a lot of detail about it here. But I do want to share one thing that Dr. Del Tackett taught that falls right in line with who God is as Creator.


He challenges the students to examine a chicken egg. Yes, you read that right. Stay with me on this, because this is good stuff.


He said that the eggshell has 10,000 pores in it. Just inside the shell is a membrane, and inside the membrane are four vessels. Two of the vessels connect the chick to the yolk for food and waste; and the other two connect the chick to the membrane. One of the vessels allows air to get from the outside to the chick, the other allows the CO2 gases to escape so the chick doesn't die.


Basically, if the egg had any less than 10,000 pores, then the chick would not receive enough air and would die. If it had any more, then the shell would be too brittle and would not survive incubation. Imagine that...the egg shell has exactly the right amount of holes in it! I wonder exactly how long an egg would have to experiment, under Darwin's theory of evolution, to get the right amount of pores so the chicks would quit dying?? Hmmm...


Wait, it gets better!


Around Day 19 of incubation, the chick becomes large enough that the amount of air it is receiving is no longer sufficient. So it begins to peck. Oh, but it can't get out right away, so do you know what our Creator God did? He's such a genius.

Have you ever boiled an egg, and when you went to peel it found an air pocket at the top (or bottom, depending on how you look at it)? I used to think that happened as a result of the boiling. Oh, no, sweet thang, our God is so thoughtful....

That little chick somehow knows that that pocket of air is there. Yep. And that's what it goes for at first. In fact, our God even provided each little chick with it's own pecking tool on its beak! It's called an "egg tooth" and it falls off after about two weeks.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

So our little chick gets to that little pocket of air, which, by the way, has about six hours' worth of air in it. Just enough time for the very cramped baby to work its way out of the hard shell. Hmmmmm...I wonder how many chicks would die trying to get out because, under Darwin's theory, they didn't have enough air. How would the species have even survived that many takes? Just a thought.

See? I told you it was worth hanging in there for. And friend, that's just a chicken egg. One species of untold bazillions on this giant planet, in this huge solar system, which is in an enormous galaxy, which is part of an unfathomable universe. Wow.

Here's what it all boils down to:

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:20-21)

I am so thankful that our God not only created the earth and all that is in it, but He is able to do a new work any time...in the heart of the human. As Beth points out in Day 4, He doesn't take our old heart and our acts of self-righteousness and self-discipline to form a clean heart in us, He creates a clean heart from nothing (bara). A whole new work. Thank God for that.

Believing God -- Week 1

"I've been over at Meyer's On the Hood this morning after finishing the first week of the Believing God Bible study by Beth Moore. It's not too late to sign up and get started on this remarkable study!"

Okay, so that's as far as I got yesterday morning. This post sat there like that all day long yesterday waiting to be written...it was after midnight before I could sit down to finish this post.

Can I ask you a question? Do you believe in coincidences? You know, flukes? Luck? Because I don't. Not since I met the Son of God!

Allow me to explain the sudden transition here: I have sat down at this computer an untold amount of times wanting to write this post. Something always got in the way. I think it was purposed that way because there was a small test for me coming...and it needed to be included here.

One of the biggest things I have gotten from this first week of study is that God, being who He says He is, loves and cares for me -- and I really am who He says I am: joint heir with Christ, and the seed of Abraham! So what am I so worried about all the time? Is He going to care for me or not? Is He good even when I don't feel worthy of receiving His goodness? Is He good even when things around me look hopeless?

These are rhetorical questions; of course He is. His plan always has His best interest in mind, which is also my best interest. And yours. He's that good.

This is what's been on my heart and mind all day. Since I've been acknowledging it all day, isn't it fitting that my belief in that statement would be tested at the end of the day?

Last night as I sat down to work on this post again, I got an email from a lady asking for urgent prayer for a mutual friend. A family that we know quite well was watching their house burn to the ground. The firemen had just arrived and were still connecting the hose to start to battle the raging fire as she wrote the email.

They have five children; the two older ones were out, as were the parents. A babysitter (family member) was at the house with the younger three children. Praise GOD they all got out in time and no one was hurt! The house was apparently struck by lightening, and the fire ensued in the garage. They have since extinguished the fire, leaving absolute devastation behind.

While I was praying for this family after I read the email, I was led to ask the Father for one very specific thing. I am always so careful about asking anything too specific because if it's not God's will, I don't want it to "look" like He isn't listening. Duh. Am I believing God or not? See, I struggle not with can He, but will He?

So I finally exercised my belief that God was leading me in this prayer, and I specifically asked God to pull something out of the ashes, something that was meaningful and could be salvaged.

My husband went to their house (what was left of it) just to be there for them. He called a bit ago and explained what he saw. He said the flames engulfed the whole house, coming out at the roof and through the windows. The family and neighbors just stood and watched as almost 20 years of their lives together billowed up in a wretched cloud of smoke.

But then he said something I had to ask him to repeat: he said that a fireman just came out with a jewelry box and handed it to Evangeline. She began to cry.

Today is Evangeline's 16th birthday.

They also came out with the hard drive off their computer...containing all their family pictures.

Lord, in your infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, You have asked me to pray for something You had already determined to do. I believe you did that to show me that I can trust You when You lead me to pray for something, even when it's something that seems insignificant. How can I forget how you have everything in mind, you know what we need before we even know it, and you never, ever forget even the small things about us? Forgive me for my forgetfulness and my unbelief.

Believing God

Do you believe in God? Or do you believe God?

If you read my testimony from Saturday's post, one thing you know about me is how I believed in God but didn't really believe anything He said. I didn't believe Him. That would be because I didn't know Him.

I have a hunch there are a lot of people out there like that. Even people who know that they know they belong to Christ, but haven't yet gotten to know Him, and therefore haven't gotten to a point of really believing Him.

Then I think there are others who have walked with Him and have gotten to know Him intimately, but have either forgotten how trustworthy He is, or are so blinded by the day-to-day stuff or by the huge circumstance in front of them that they simply can't see His reliability.

I am convinced that most, if not all, believers find ourselves in both of those spiritual places at certain points in our walk. I know I've been there.

And I know I could use a refresher, a study that will help me understand more deeply who my God is and how much He wants for me as His child. That's why I'm going to be joining Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee and Diane at Meyers on the Hood and many others through a 10-week Beth Moore Bible Study called "Believing God."

Linda and Diane are going to be taking turns posting about the lesson each week starting this Thursday, and I'm sure about a million others of us or so will be leaving comments in our little "discussion group." Grab yourself another cup of coffee this afternoon, sign up at the Bible study website, and watch your first video.

See you there!