My awesome cousin Jonathan introduced this song to me. It is called "Savior, Please" by Josh Wilson. I had never heard it before. He came up for a few weeks to lead worship at our church and sang this song. I fell in love with it! I want you to take a listen to it. This song describes how I have felt many times in my journey with Jesus. Though I try, I know that "I can't do this alone". There's been many times I've tried to be "tough" in front of others, despite the struggles I may be dealing with or the heartache I may be feeling inside. Thank you to those who I can be "weak" with or truly myself with...I appreciate your consistent friendship and support. So take a listen...I hope this song encourages you as much as it has me, and helps you depend on God just a little bit more. Thank you, God, for saving me through your Son.
Oh, and by the way Jonathan...I think you sing this better than Josh! FOR REAL J-DIZZLE!!! :)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
"But the fruit of the Spirit is...SELF CONTROL"
We have come to the last fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians. This fruit is Self Control. How many of you struggle with this one? Randomly chosen to share thoughts on this is my new friend Melissa Heim.
I had the privilege of meeting Melissa two years ago this month. This was totally a God thing that we were able to meet. Let me explain how this happened. I've written about our time at SonScape before (you can see this in my blog archives), but it was at SonScape Retreats in Colorado that I met Melissa. Matt and I had gone there for a week for ministry and marriage renewal, refreshment, and encouragement. Melissa and her husband Luke, were there as well for many of the same things. We, along with some other great couples and now friends of ours, were all basically thrown into a room together for an entire week. Luke and Melissa were two of those that were so easy for us to get to know. They are a special couple with 3 great kids and a love for God! And a little known fact: In getting to know Melissa that week, we found out that she has cousins in a small town of Tyro where my husband is from. It really is a small world! :)
I wanted to include Melissa in this fruit of the Spirit series because she has worked with youth and now with young families alongside her husband. So she brings some wisdom and years in the ministry as well. She is young, but also is mature and desires to do what God wants her to do. Please open up your heart and mind to what she has to share with you. What area of your life do you need to seek God's help in concerning "self control"?
Name: Melissa Heim
Hometown: Oakley, KS (western plains close to the Colorado border)
Married to: Luke Heim for almost 8 years now. He was a youth pastor for most of that time, and has recently been “promoted” to associate pastor with a focus on youth and young families.
Family: 2 daughters (Maryanne, 5 and Naomi, 3) and 1 son (Lucas, 1)
Current Living: Pueblo, CO
Hobbies: Reading, sewing, other crafts, playing the piano, garage saling, outdoorsy things (camping, hiking, etc), surfing the web (do people still call it that?!)
And now, some challenging words from Melissa...
"My name is Melissa and I am a garage sale-aholic. I go every weekend, sometimes hitting 25 plus per day! I have been in the rain, snow, and 100 degree heat, and I have waited in line for thirty minutes just to get into a good sale. Now, to defend myself a little, garage saling is part of my job. I am a stay-at-home mom, and to make a little extra to support our family, I run a small eBay business, buying people’s “treasures” and reselling them. Because I go to so many garage sales, I see a ridiculous amount of stuff, and because I see so much stuff, I am tempted to buy a lot of stuff! Obviously I can’t buy everything I want, so I must practice self-control constantly.
So what is self-control anyway? I asked my friends on Facebook what they thought, and here were some responses. Self-control is…
knowing you can, but deciding you won't.
biting your tongue, when you want to speak your mind.
knowing right from wrong and acting on it.
thinking before acting.
Then I did a Google search, and here is what I got from Wikipedia. “Self-control is the ability to control one's emotions, behavior and desires in order to efficiently manage one's future.”
Finally, I went to the Bible to see what the Ultimate Authority says about self-control. Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
These verses warn us that at some point, we are going to be tempted and that we must say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. Sounds easy enough, right? Just walk away and that is it? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, which is why people have done numerous studies to find out how we can best build self-control. From the results, some of the best techniques found to build self-control are self-denial, physical restraint, deprivation, distraction, medication and punishment.
None of these techniques sound very fun to me! I don’t want to tie myself down to avoid garage sales! Let’s go back to the Titus section again. It says that the “grace of God . . . teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions.” What I get out of this is that we’re not in this alone! Zechariah 4:6 states “'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” The study results mentioned above definitely seem to be by “might or power” but the LORD Almighty is saying, “Hold on! It’s by my Spirit that you are going to do good things!”
But the sinful nature is powerful. Galatians 5:17 tells us that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other” It’s a battle every day just to live upright and godly lives! But go back one verse to 5:16 and God says “live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
If you live by the Spirit, you will be able to maintain self-control. If we are not living by the Spirit, we are living under the control of our sinful nature. Living “by the Spirit” is a conscious decision to let the Holy Spirit to be in control over our every thought, word and deed.
Proverbs 25:28 states, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." Let’s not be like these vulnerable cities, unable to defend ourselves from outside attacks. Let’s live by the Spirit and have strong walls, ones that are able to protect us from the enemy!
This week focus your prayers on self-control. What situations do you place yourself in which your walls are already weak? Make a list of areas in your life that you feel a little self-control and strength are necessary, and ask the Lord to help you overcome the temptations you face. ."
Thanks Melissa, for your challenging words to stay in tune with the Spirit. It's so easy to forget that and do what we want to do. Also, thanks for your patience in posting this! And I'm thinkin' we all need a SonScape reunion...if for no other reason than a rematch in ping pong so I can beat you this time!!! :)
I had the privilege of meeting Melissa two years ago this month. This was totally a God thing that we were able to meet. Let me explain how this happened. I've written about our time at SonScape before (you can see this in my blog archives), but it was at SonScape Retreats in Colorado that I met Melissa. Matt and I had gone there for a week for ministry and marriage renewal, refreshment, and encouragement. Melissa and her husband Luke, were there as well for many of the same things. We, along with some other great couples and now friends of ours, were all basically thrown into a room together for an entire week. Luke and Melissa were two of those that were so easy for us to get to know. They are a special couple with 3 great kids and a love for God! And a little known fact: In getting to know Melissa that week, we found out that she has cousins in a small town of Tyro where my husband is from. It really is a small world! :)
I wanted to include Melissa in this fruit of the Spirit series because she has worked with youth and now with young families alongside her husband. So she brings some wisdom and years in the ministry as well. She is young, but also is mature and desires to do what God wants her to do. Please open up your heart and mind to what she has to share with you. What area of your life do you need to seek God's help in concerning "self control"?
Name: Melissa Heim
Hometown: Oakley, KS (western plains close to the Colorado border)
Married to: Luke Heim for almost 8 years now. He was a youth pastor for most of that time, and has recently been “promoted” to associate pastor with a focus on youth and young families.
Family: 2 daughters (Maryanne, 5 and Naomi, 3) and 1 son (Lucas, 1)
Current Living: Pueblo, CO
Hobbies: Reading, sewing, other crafts, playing the piano, garage saling, outdoorsy things (camping, hiking, etc), surfing the web (do people still call it that?!)
And now, some challenging words from Melissa...
"My name is Melissa and I am a garage sale-aholic. I go every weekend, sometimes hitting 25 plus per day! I have been in the rain, snow, and 100 degree heat, and I have waited in line for thirty minutes just to get into a good sale. Now, to defend myself a little, garage saling is part of my job. I am a stay-at-home mom, and to make a little extra to support our family, I run a small eBay business, buying people’s “treasures” and reselling them. Because I go to so many garage sales, I see a ridiculous amount of stuff, and because I see so much stuff, I am tempted to buy a lot of stuff! Obviously I can’t buy everything I want, so I must practice self-control constantly.
So what is self-control anyway? I asked my friends on Facebook what they thought, and here were some responses. Self-control is…
knowing you can, but deciding you won't.
biting your tongue, when you want to speak your mind.
knowing right from wrong and acting on it.
thinking before acting.
Then I did a Google search, and here is what I got from Wikipedia. “Self-control is the ability to control one's emotions, behavior and desires in order to efficiently manage one's future.”
Finally, I went to the Bible to see what the Ultimate Authority says about self-control. Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
These verses warn us that at some point, we are going to be tempted and that we must say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. Sounds easy enough, right? Just walk away and that is it? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, which is why people have done numerous studies to find out how we can best build self-control. From the results, some of the best techniques found to build self-control are self-denial, physical restraint, deprivation, distraction, medication and punishment.
None of these techniques sound very fun to me! I don’t want to tie myself down to avoid garage sales! Let’s go back to the Titus section again. It says that the “grace of God . . . teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions.” What I get out of this is that we’re not in this alone! Zechariah 4:6 states “'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” The study results mentioned above definitely seem to be by “might or power” but the LORD Almighty is saying, “Hold on! It’s by my Spirit that you are going to do good things!”
But the sinful nature is powerful. Galatians 5:17 tells us that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other” It’s a battle every day just to live upright and godly lives! But go back one verse to 5:16 and God says “live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
If you live by the Spirit, you will be able to maintain self-control. If we are not living by the Spirit, we are living under the control of our sinful nature. Living “by the Spirit” is a conscious decision to let the Holy Spirit to be in control over our every thought, word and deed.
Proverbs 25:28 states, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." Let’s not be like these vulnerable cities, unable to defend ourselves from outside attacks. Let’s live by the Spirit and have strong walls, ones that are able to protect us from the enemy!
This week focus your prayers on self-control. What situations do you place yourself in which your walls are already weak? Make a list of areas in your life that you feel a little self-control and strength are necessary, and ask the Lord to help you overcome the temptations you face. ."
Thanks Melissa, for your challenging words to stay in tune with the Spirit. It's so easy to forget that and do what we want to do. Also, thanks for your patience in posting this! And I'm thinkin' we all need a SonScape reunion...if for no other reason than a rematch in ping pong so I can beat you this time!!! :)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
"But the fruit of the Spirit is...GENTLENESS"
We have come to the 8th fruit of the Spirit, which is Gentleness. My guest writer for this one is my college friend Rebecca Kershner. Before I transferred to Ozark Christian College, I was a student at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. (We Hoosiers like to refer to Bloomington as "B-town"...it just sounds cool, doesn't it?)
I had the opportunity to live in the Christian Campus House with some other great Christian girls. We also had a weekly Bible study/fellowship time and Rebecca became involved with that. We began to get to know each other through this. I wanted to include Rebecca in this blog because she is the wife of a campus minister now. She also is very involved and works with the college girls there in that ministry.
If I had to sum up Rebecca in 3 words or phrases, it would be this:
1) FUN!!!
2) Contagious Laugh
3) Genuine
Though I'm pretty sure Rebecca could make absolutely anyone laugh (yes, including her husband Bill :)...I also know how big of a heart she has not only for her family, but for people. She is genuine and sincere to those she meets and interacts with, and her great outgoing personality just shines through. And she has FUN doing all of that! Sometimes, at least in my experience anyway, the life of full time vocational ministry isn't always fun. It doesn't always make you laugh. And we are good at saying "I'm fine", faking our way through life's troubles and not being genuine ourselves. Being two crazy college kids at one time, I had things I struggled with in college and Rebecca did too. We shared stories, trials, worries, but also laughed a ton together! There's too many to count! (Rebecca, remember how many Nike socks I brought on that mission trip that one time? I still have that picture! I've changed since then too though...I'm all about Adidas now! :)
Ok, back to our audience. Rebecca and I had the privilege of getting to know another friend of ours Jeanne. She is also a lively girl who loved to have fun and laugh. But she also was searching for something more...and that was Jesus. With God's help and leading through our friendship with her, Jeanne got to know Jesus and accepted Him through baptism. I still think of that to this day. True Christian friendships...there's really nothing better.
My family still lives in Indiana and our entire family had the chance to go to an I.U. football game last September to watch my dad be honored during halftime. I was thrilled to see Bill and Rebecca there, sitting in their high dollar seats. (Just jokin' Reba! :) We tried to talk, but security wouldn't allow for it. (Yet another funny memory). We (Rebecca, another friend of ours from C.S.F. Amy, and I) had to take the conversation outside! :) It was great seeing her and catching up and hearing the stories about my old stompin' grounds at I.U. and the campus house.
Commercial time: If anyone reading this knows of anyone wanting to attend I.U. and live in an awesome environment surrounded by other believers and encouragers, check this out: www.iucsf.com. (Indiana University Christian Student Fellowship)
Rebecca, thanks for your willingness to share your heart. I appreciate your friendship, your laughter, and your genuine caring heart. Keep up the good work there, and God bless your family!
Name: Rebecca Kershner
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Married to: Bill Kershner
Family: 2 kiddos...a son, Charlie age 6 and a daughter, Emma age 4
Current Living: Bloomington, IN
Hobbies: Playing outside!
Some thoughts on gentleness from Rebecca...
"Gentleness: acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered.
I just finished unpacking the last few boxes from our first move with 2 kids. We moved across town last weekend and are finally settled in our new home after months of packing and unpacking. I share this with you because the last word to describe how I have behaved in those last few months is anything but GENTLE. Oh how God is always teaching us and shaping us—even during those times in life when it’s just inconvenient like….let’s say……with two small kids….in the middle of the summer….when you’re trying to pack up your life and move across town.
When I think of the word gentleness the scripture that pops into my head is the scripture from Matthew 11:29
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
I have always loved this verse. I always picture working alongside Jesus. I imagine him being my work partner. What a great co-worker. I picture Jesus so chill to work with. So easy going. Enjoying every minute of my time with him. Ever had one of your best friends work with you and the time flies because you work so well together and have so much fun it doesn’t feel like work? You just enjoy it. Oh to be gentle and even-tempered like Jesus in the midst of packing a house!
Can you imagine the opposite? I’m sure you have worked with people who are not gentle and humble. I know I have and it definitely makes for an unpleasant work experience. In fact, if I’m completely honest, I know I have been the opposite of gentle: hard, unkind, aggressive, offensive, strong, sharp. Why in those stressful, overwhelming moments do I not take on his yolk?
I am so grateful for the example we have in Jesus. I love that he offers us the opportunity to come alongside him and learn. And when we do we receive the greatest gift that comes from gentleness...“rest for our souls.” I don’t know about you, but I could use some rest for my soul after unpacking a few hundred boxes!!!"
I had the opportunity to live in the Christian Campus House with some other great Christian girls. We also had a weekly Bible study/fellowship time and Rebecca became involved with that. We began to get to know each other through this. I wanted to include Rebecca in this blog because she is the wife of a campus minister now. She also is very involved and works with the college girls there in that ministry.
If I had to sum up Rebecca in 3 words or phrases, it would be this:
1) FUN!!!
2) Contagious Laugh
3) Genuine
Though I'm pretty sure Rebecca could make absolutely anyone laugh (yes, including her husband Bill :)...I also know how big of a heart she has not only for her family, but for people. She is genuine and sincere to those she meets and interacts with, and her great outgoing personality just shines through. And she has FUN doing all of that! Sometimes, at least in my experience anyway, the life of full time vocational ministry isn't always fun. It doesn't always make you laugh. And we are good at saying "I'm fine", faking our way through life's troubles and not being genuine ourselves. Being two crazy college kids at one time, I had things I struggled with in college and Rebecca did too. We shared stories, trials, worries, but also laughed a ton together! There's too many to count! (Rebecca, remember how many Nike socks I brought on that mission trip that one time? I still have that picture! I've changed since then too though...I'm all about Adidas now! :)
Ok, back to our audience. Rebecca and I had the privilege of getting to know another friend of ours Jeanne. She is also a lively girl who loved to have fun and laugh. But she also was searching for something more...and that was Jesus. With God's help and leading through our friendship with her, Jeanne got to know Jesus and accepted Him through baptism. I still think of that to this day. True Christian friendships...there's really nothing better.
My family still lives in Indiana and our entire family had the chance to go to an I.U. football game last September to watch my dad be honored during halftime. I was thrilled to see Bill and Rebecca there, sitting in their high dollar seats. (Just jokin' Reba! :) We tried to talk, but security wouldn't allow for it. (Yet another funny memory). We (Rebecca, another friend of ours from C.S.F. Amy, and I) had to take the conversation outside! :) It was great seeing her and catching up and hearing the stories about my old stompin' grounds at I.U. and the campus house.
Commercial time: If anyone reading this knows of anyone wanting to attend I.U. and live in an awesome environment surrounded by other believers and encouragers, check this out: www.iucsf.com. (Indiana University Christian Student Fellowship)
Rebecca, thanks for your willingness to share your heart. I appreciate your friendship, your laughter, and your genuine caring heart. Keep up the good work there, and God bless your family!
Name: Rebecca Kershner
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Married to: Bill Kershner
Family: 2 kiddos...a son, Charlie age 6 and a daughter, Emma age 4
Current Living: Bloomington, IN
Hobbies: Playing outside!
Some thoughts on gentleness from Rebecca...
"Gentleness: acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered.
I just finished unpacking the last few boxes from our first move with 2 kids. We moved across town last weekend and are finally settled in our new home after months of packing and unpacking. I share this with you because the last word to describe how I have behaved in those last few months is anything but GENTLE. Oh how God is always teaching us and shaping us—even during those times in life when it’s just inconvenient like….let’s say……with two small kids….in the middle of the summer….when you’re trying to pack up your life and move across town.
When I think of the word gentleness the scripture that pops into my head is the scripture from Matthew 11:29
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
I have always loved this verse. I always picture working alongside Jesus. I imagine him being my work partner. What a great co-worker. I picture Jesus so chill to work with. So easy going. Enjoying every minute of my time with him. Ever had one of your best friends work with you and the time flies because you work so well together and have so much fun it doesn’t feel like work? You just enjoy it. Oh to be gentle and even-tempered like Jesus in the midst of packing a house!
Can you imagine the opposite? I’m sure you have worked with people who are not gentle and humble. I know I have and it definitely makes for an unpleasant work experience. In fact, if I’m completely honest, I know I have been the opposite of gentle: hard, unkind, aggressive, offensive, strong, sharp. Why in those stressful, overwhelming moments do I not take on his yolk?
I am so grateful for the example we have in Jesus. I love that he offers us the opportunity to come alongside him and learn. And when we do we receive the greatest gift that comes from gentleness...“rest for our souls.” I don’t know about you, but I could use some rest for my soul after unpacking a few hundred boxes!!!"
Monday, June 14, 2010
"But the fruit of the Spirit is...FAITHFULNESS"
We are to our 7th fruit of the Spirit, which is Faithfulness. The writer of this fruit is Kathy Bycroft...my mom-in-law. If you know Kathy at all, she loves to study God's word, check out the commentaries, and do word studies of all kinds. So I knew that I had to include her in this because of the amount of wisdom that God has given to her. She is a student of the Word for sure, and loves to learn. She doesn't just stop there...she not only teaches what she has learned to young kids, but teaches adult women in leading studies for them, whether it be small groups or Bible studies for all that want to take part. She even has written some of her own material...not all can do this. This takes a lot of time, and "faithfulness" to what you think is important...and that is to reach others for Jesus.
I have known Kathy now for almost 16 years. We didn't just naturally become close right when we met. This took time and a lot of getting to know each other and what we were about. I actually was kind of scared of her when I first met her...ok, maybe the right word is "intimidated". I found out that we are different in many ways, but both committed to God. I'm glad to say that I have a good relationship with my mother-in-law. Not everyone has that. So I'm thankful. I have learned a few things from her too over the years. Anything from learning from her Biblical wisdom...to learning different ways to cook for a diabetic...to something I thought I would never do, and that is working in the garden snappin' beans! I am proud of this accomplishment since I didn't grow up a country girl. She is a very strong woman with thick skin. I can tell in the different trials or difficulties that she has gone through in her life, that she has learned to take it all to God, and not whine about it. So I think it's fitting that she was randomly chosen for this fruit of "faithfulness". Kathy has proven faithful time and time again to God, and to her family and friends.
You're in for a lesson as you read this. The words that she wrote reflect who she is. Kathy is a simple and to the point kind of girl...she pretty much tells ya like it is. It took me a while to figure this out! :) But I got it now. Throw in truth and a lot of boldness and there you have it!
And by the way Kathy, I'm not scared of you anymore! I'd like to think I helped loosen you up a little with my good sense of humor! Love ya! ;)
Name: Kathy Bycroft
Hometown: Tyro, KS
Married to: David Bycroft (they celebrated 40 years of marriage last October...see above pic!) And they've been ministering at Tyro for that long too as senior minister and wife.
Family: 1 daughter and 2 sons, all married...along with 8 grandchildren and another on the way this summer!
Current Living: Tyro, KS
Hobbies: collects Iris and herringbone depression glass; makes wedding cakes and all of the birthday cakes for all the grandkids (very creative cakes I might add!); fixes food for families with new babies, or home from the hospital, or with other needs; gardener and canner of veggies; has taught Sunday School since she was a teenager; plays the piano; loves her grandkids and possibly the biggest is this: takes care of Dave! :)
And now, a lesson from Kathy...
"FAITHFULNESS"
"We have just celebrated a special occasion within our church family. All the couples who have been married 50 years or more were invited to an evening in their honor. Over a thousand years of marriage commitment and faithfulness were represented there!
What keeps two people together that long?
It’s not an easy thing, especially in our time and society when no one seems to stick to much for very long.
Don’t like your job? Just quit and find another one. Your spouse getting old or not pleasing you in some way? Leave and find someone "better".
Not happy with your church? Go see if there’s another one that will fill your "needs". There are plenty around to choose from! God disappoint you in some way? Give up on Him!
Faithfulness (commitment) is a rare commodity these days. People don’t want to stay in for the long haul in much of anything. Why?? Because we are a selfish people. That’s the bottom line. We want things to please us, or we will take our toys and play elsewhere.
How do we overcome this? It’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, because we certainly aren’t faithful people by any natural inclination.
So we must put to death the natural and live by the Spirit.
God Himself is the ultimate example of faithfulness.
Most of the time, when asked to describe God’s nature, we say He is LOVE. But did you know He is called FAITHFUL (in both the Old and New Testaments) more times than He is called LOVE? Without the faithfulness of God...His love, grace, mercy and forgiveness would mean nothing.
Without His faithfulness, we wouldn’t know whether we could trust Him to carry through on His other promises.
And so without my being willing to be faithful to God and keeping my promise of commitment to Him, my talk of love, joy and peace; my attempts at being kind and good mean nothing.
There is no such thing as a person who is “sorta faithful”. You either are or you aren’t. Would a wife say her husband had been faithful to her if he’d only had a few affairs over the course of their marriage? Would a husband say his wife had been faithful if she took his paycheck every week but spent it on another man?
I think not!
And so neither are we faithful when we want the blessings God gives us, but don’t want the responsibility of commitment to Him that comes with the blessings.
It’s really an issue of what you believe is true. If God is the truth, then He deserves our faithfulness. And if you are not totally faithful, then maybe you don’t really believe He is THE TRUTH.
Check yourself: Your faithfulness to Him shows what you really believe about Him."
Monday, May 31, 2010
"But the fruit of the Spirit is...GOODNESS"
The sixth fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians is...Goodness. The chosen writer for this one is Lisa Witte. I met Lisa wayyyyyyyy back in our college years at Ozark Christian College. Though we didn't hang out and do a lot together, I always knew Lisa to be very kind, sweet, and a hard worker. She and her high school sweetheart, Bob, both were students at OCC during the time I was there, and now they are happily married (almost 13 years, which is the same amount of years as my husband and me! :) The ironic thing is now they both serve in full time ministry at First Christian Church in Brazil, IN...which just happens to be my homechurch. Bob is the preaching minister there. So when my family can make it back to Brazil for a visit or a holiday with my family, we get to visit with Bob and Lisa for a short time. We have reconnected a little bit more in that way, which is pretty cool.
I know Lisa is passionate about ministry, which is just one reason why I asked her to be a part of this. I hope you are as blessed and encouraged to read what's on her mind and heart as I was when I read it. Lisa, thank you. I heard you were nervous about being in such company of writers such as Pat Merold and Cindy Dagnan. Here's the cool thing...we were not created the same. We are all different with many different talents, gifts, and interests. Just like they (and other contributors to this blog) have written in their own unique way, so have you. I have been blessed and challenged by each one, yours included. I appreciate the creativity you have brought to this. I also appreciate the kind of Godly examples you and Bob are to your boys...it is evident in your writing. We can learn a lot from our kids, can't we? ;)
Name: Lisa Witte
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Married to: Bob Witte
Family: 2 cute sons...Joshua and Caleb
Current Living: Brazil, IN
Hobbies: travel, spending time with my boys and friends, eating out, playing games (that I can win), puzzles, facebooking, watching tv, exercising
And now, wisdom from Lisa...
"For the past few weeks I’ve been pondering about goodness, the sixth Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians. When Jennifer asked me to be one of her contributors for her blog I was very excited and started thinking of all the different angles I could take with each fruit and what examples I could share. Then she sends out an email that states I’ve been randomly selected for the fruit of goodness….goodness. My first thought is “What?! Goodness?! You’ve got to be kidding me! I didn’t have even ONE angle for goodness!!”
How do you even define goodness? In today’s world we use the word good to mean so many different things.
Oh my goodness gracious!!!
Now be a good boy!
This chocolate fudge cake is soooo good!
That was a pretty good movie.
How are you doing? Good.
Give the cake batter a good mixing.
Of course exercise is good for you!
It was so good of you to call!
I hope you brought home good grades this semester.
Are the leftovers still good or do we need to throw them out?
Could you please give me a good reason why you are late?
Good grief!
God is good.
When using the word good we usually mean it’s better than OK, but not quite as superior as excellent. There’s always room for improvement. But if that’s the case, then why does the Bible say God is good? No way can God improve. Obviously our definition of good and God’s definition are far different.
In Galatians the Greek word for goodness is agathosune which means uprightness of heart and life. Webster’s dictionary defines upright as “marked by a strong moral rectitude or integrity”. This makes much more sense as to why the Bible describes God as good. God’s nature exudes goodness. He is just, honorable, righteous and truthful.
But since God is good he is aggressive in his goodness, meaning that he disciplines us because we lack goodness. It is only possible to achieve goodness through the Holy Spirit. It goes back to the age old question as to whether man is inherently good or bad. The Bible uses the terms human nature and sinful nature synonymously. It is in man’s nature to sin. But Galatians 5:22 gives us hope that by possessing the Holy Spirit we too can be characterized by God’s fruitful nature.
Knowing the Holy Spirit instills goodness in me, how is that revealed in my life? I’ve been struggling to come up with a personal example. I was discussing this with my husband, there are so many times when I can stand up for what is “good” in the “real” world, but sadly in my Christian bubble I tend to take a backseat and not voice God’s truth and discipline when I see it needs to be heard. I holdback my words, not only because I’m quiet natured and shy (those that know me well, quit laughing!) but being a pastor’s wife, I know what I say has the possibility to reflect on my husband’s position. It’s ridiculous, I know! Of all people I should be one that displays goodness and protects the church from sin. But I’ve also seen too many times when one person’s good intentions and righteousness can be construed as something totally different. I have much to learn, I tell my children all the time that you can only control you, not anyone else...I need to take my own advice, huh?
Just last night, my oldest son, Josh, gave me a glimpse of what goodness is. He was invited to go see a movie with some friends. My husband and I try to monitor what movies would be appropriate for our children. We take advantage of Focus on the Family’s website, www.pluggedin.com, it gives a detailed rundown of content (language, sexual, violence, spiritual, etc.) that is in a movie. We looked up this show and I saw there was some language in it. Josh is getting older and I realize that he will be exposed more and more to these types of things, so my husband and I decided that we’ll let him go. I told him he was allowed to go, but gave him a motherly pep talk, that just because he hears bad words in a movie doesn’t mean he should say them. I also told him if there is something onscreen that is inappropriate to close his eyes. I thought giving him some tips now would help when he is faced with these situations in the future. He was excited and went on with his day. After dinner, I was in my office and Josh comes in to tell me that he’s decided he doesn’t want to see the movie now. I notice his face was red and tears were welling up in his eyes.
I asked, “Why don’t you want to see the movie now?”
“I don’t like to hear people say bad words", he answered.
At this point the tears were ready to spill over. I tried to reason with him, “Josh, you’ve seen other movies that people said bad words.”
Josh said, “Yes, but I didn’t know they were going to say them before watching the movie.”
I was trying to understand, “Why don’t you like to hear those words?” Duh…I don’t like to hear people talk like that either! He just shrugged his shoulders. “Is it you don’t like the way it makes you feel inside?”
Tears streaming down his face, he shook his head yes. All this from a 10 yr. old boy! What integrity he has! I could feel God’s goodness radiating from him! I could only guess that he was crying because he was torn between being with his friends at the movies and letting the Holy Spirit guide him to goodness.
I never thought I would envy something my child has. Making those decisions are hard and how often do we tend to close our eyes to sin, then to avoid it all together. Not only is goodness used to rebuke others, but it is used to discipline ourselves. I think we need to listen a little more closely and act upon the fruit the Holy Spirit adorns us with.
God is Good!"
I know Lisa is passionate about ministry, which is just one reason why I asked her to be a part of this. I hope you are as blessed and encouraged to read what's on her mind and heart as I was when I read it. Lisa, thank you. I heard you were nervous about being in such company of writers such as Pat Merold and Cindy Dagnan. Here's the cool thing...we were not created the same. We are all different with many different talents, gifts, and interests. Just like they (and other contributors to this blog) have written in their own unique way, so have you. I have been blessed and challenged by each one, yours included. I appreciate the creativity you have brought to this. I also appreciate the kind of Godly examples you and Bob are to your boys...it is evident in your writing. We can learn a lot from our kids, can't we? ;)
Name: Lisa Witte
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Married to: Bob Witte
Family: 2 cute sons...Joshua and Caleb
Current Living: Brazil, IN
Hobbies: travel, spending time with my boys and friends, eating out, playing games (that I can win), puzzles, facebooking, watching tv, exercising
And now, wisdom from Lisa...
"For the past few weeks I’ve been pondering about goodness, the sixth Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians. When Jennifer asked me to be one of her contributors for her blog I was very excited and started thinking of all the different angles I could take with each fruit and what examples I could share. Then she sends out an email that states I’ve been randomly selected for the fruit of goodness….goodness. My first thought is “What?! Goodness?! You’ve got to be kidding me! I didn’t have even ONE angle for goodness!!”
How do you even define goodness? In today’s world we use the word good to mean so many different things.
Oh my goodness gracious!!!
Now be a good boy!
This chocolate fudge cake is soooo good!
That was a pretty good movie.
How are you doing? Good.
Give the cake batter a good mixing.
Of course exercise is good for you!
It was so good of you to call!
I hope you brought home good grades this semester.
Are the leftovers still good or do we need to throw them out?
Could you please give me a good reason why you are late?
Good grief!
God is good.
When using the word good we usually mean it’s better than OK, but not quite as superior as excellent. There’s always room for improvement. But if that’s the case, then why does the Bible say God is good? No way can God improve. Obviously our definition of good and God’s definition are far different.
In Galatians the Greek word for goodness is agathosune which means uprightness of heart and life. Webster’s dictionary defines upright as “marked by a strong moral rectitude or integrity”. This makes much more sense as to why the Bible describes God as good. God’s nature exudes goodness. He is just, honorable, righteous and truthful.
But since God is good he is aggressive in his goodness, meaning that he disciplines us because we lack goodness. It is only possible to achieve goodness through the Holy Spirit. It goes back to the age old question as to whether man is inherently good or bad. The Bible uses the terms human nature and sinful nature synonymously. It is in man’s nature to sin. But Galatians 5:22 gives us hope that by possessing the Holy Spirit we too can be characterized by God’s fruitful nature.
Knowing the Holy Spirit instills goodness in me, how is that revealed in my life? I’ve been struggling to come up with a personal example. I was discussing this with my husband, there are so many times when I can stand up for what is “good” in the “real” world, but sadly in my Christian bubble I tend to take a backseat and not voice God’s truth and discipline when I see it needs to be heard. I holdback my words, not only because I’m quiet natured and shy (those that know me well, quit laughing!) but being a pastor’s wife, I know what I say has the possibility to reflect on my husband’s position. It’s ridiculous, I know! Of all people I should be one that displays goodness and protects the church from sin. But I’ve also seen too many times when one person’s good intentions and righteousness can be construed as something totally different. I have much to learn, I tell my children all the time that you can only control you, not anyone else...I need to take my own advice, huh?
Just last night, my oldest son, Josh, gave me a glimpse of what goodness is. He was invited to go see a movie with some friends. My husband and I try to monitor what movies would be appropriate for our children. We take advantage of Focus on the Family’s website, www.pluggedin.com, it gives a detailed rundown of content (language, sexual, violence, spiritual, etc.) that is in a movie. We looked up this show and I saw there was some language in it. Josh is getting older and I realize that he will be exposed more and more to these types of things, so my husband and I decided that we’ll let him go. I told him he was allowed to go, but gave him a motherly pep talk, that just because he hears bad words in a movie doesn’t mean he should say them. I also told him if there is something onscreen that is inappropriate to close his eyes. I thought giving him some tips now would help when he is faced with these situations in the future. He was excited and went on with his day. After dinner, I was in my office and Josh comes in to tell me that he’s decided he doesn’t want to see the movie now. I notice his face was red and tears were welling up in his eyes.
I asked, “Why don’t you want to see the movie now?”
“I don’t like to hear people say bad words", he answered.
At this point the tears were ready to spill over. I tried to reason with him, “Josh, you’ve seen other movies that people said bad words.”
Josh said, “Yes, but I didn’t know they were going to say them before watching the movie.”
I was trying to understand, “Why don’t you like to hear those words?” Duh…I don’t like to hear people talk like that either! He just shrugged his shoulders. “Is it you don’t like the way it makes you feel inside?”
Tears streaming down his face, he shook his head yes. All this from a 10 yr. old boy! What integrity he has! I could feel God’s goodness radiating from him! I could only guess that he was crying because he was torn between being with his friends at the movies and letting the Holy Spirit guide him to goodness.
I never thought I would envy something my child has. Making those decisions are hard and how often do we tend to close our eyes to sin, then to avoid it all together. Not only is goodness used to rebuke others, but it is used to discipline ourselves. I think we need to listen a little more closely and act upon the fruit the Holy Spirit adorns us with.
God is Good!"
Monday, May 10, 2010
"But the fruit of the Spirit is...KINDNESS"
The fifth fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians is...Kindness. The contributor of this week's writing is my friend Cindy Dagnan. She is my punctual one...having this done when asked to for a couple of weeks now. Sadly, I am just now getting this posted!
I met Cindy for the first time last fall at a womens' retreat in Thayer, KS. I had heard about her gifts in speaking and writing, so I was very excited to be able to go and listen to her. And even just after hearing her speak two different times, I will say she's one of the best! God truly has blessed her with this ability to be used by Him to speak to our hearts...my heart. Cindy has been through a lot in her life, but she's remained faithful to our God. She speaks with such openness, honesty, and compassion. I can tell her heart's desire is for all women everywhere to fully grasp just how much our God loves us. Her heart is good, her heart is pure. Though I just met her last fall, I have already emailed her a few times now, pricking her brain about some things. I figured with daughter #3 coming for us, who better to ask than Cindy, who is the mother of FOUR daughters? I'd say she has something to offer there! :)
Here's some more facts about Cindy that I'd like to share with you:
-besides being a Christ follower, a wife, and a mom, she's also...an author, a speaker, and a chocolate lover;
-she has spoken at national conferences, retreats, womens' functions, and marriage seminars (and I believe has even spoken with her husband concerning marriage);
-she has written articles for Today's Christian Women and Focus on the Family;
-she has written 5 books (her most recent book is Hot Chocolate for Couples...you can find the others on her website);
-she also has a newsletter that you can subscribe to.
To read and learn more about Cindy, please check out her "Wannabe Woman" blog at:
www.cindydagnan.com
Cindy, it was my privilege to go and hear you speak about what God layed on your heart to tell us that beautiful fall evening. Thank you for your willingess to be used by God in this way. Wanna know a little secret? I get just a little envious when I hear people like you speak. This has always been a passion of mine, but never feel "good enough". I guess I'm one of those "wanna-be women"! ;)
Name: Cindy Siglar Dagnan
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Married to: One amazing man, Greg Dagnan
Family: Greg and Cindy have 4 beautiful daughters
Current Living: Webb City, MO
Hobbies: "I love Krispy Kremes, books, and lightning bugs!"
And now, let's hear from Cindy...
Kindness
Cindy Sigler Dagnan
"I saw it perched on the edge of the bookshelf next to my tattered, but well-loved pink teddy bear with the navy blue paws, nearly every day of my growing up years. A thin hardcover book with a mint green cover and faintly pastel pen & ink drawings: Kindness Is…
I recall a few of its admonitions. “Kindness is letting your little brother hold the new baby first.” “Kindness is pushing the smaller ones on the swing.” “Kindness is putting others first.”
We probably don’t think much about kindness as a word these days. It’s relegated to one of the listed fruit produced in us by the Holy Spirit. It’s a lovely phrase from novels of long ago, “Would you do me the kindness of…”
We long to love. We pray reluctantly for patience. We thrive on joy; whimper about faithfulness and search for peace. Kindness gets lost in the endless list of “should bes.” Frankly, it doesn’t seem quite as important, quite as—ahem—spiritual.
There are several words in the New Testament Greek Lexicon which can be used for kindness or goodness. My favorites are agathosune [pronounced ag-ath-o-soo-nay], meaning “uprightness of heart and life, goodness, kindness” and chrestotes, meaning “moral goodness, kindness, integrity.”
Now that we’ve forayed for an entire paragraph into a baby Greek lesson, perhaps it seems a bit more relevant. :) I’m thinking it should be more than that – it’s downright daunting! Why? Because to be perfectly honest, most of us put on a respectable front, but basically, we really want what we want. [I like my favorite restaurant. I want the heat up when I’m cold and the air down when I’m hot. I want to eat the last Krispy Kreme in the sack. I really, really like chick flicks and sometimes I’d rather be left alone without anybody needing me.] We just want to look like self-sacrificing, kind “good girls.”
While raising our four daughters, I frequently find myself saying [pleading, beseeching even], “Girls! Be kind to each other.” What do we mean when we say that? I suppose we can mean, “Be nice.” And yet, that sounds so innocuous. I vote that we dig a bit more deeply. Although the verse that defines kindness in one of the simplest ways doesn’t even use the word, I think the words we’ve come to call The Golden Rule sum it up best: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Kindness then, is close cousins with compassion and it snuggles up next to goodness with a bit of basic manners swirled in, like colorful sprinkles flowing down the top of an ice cream sundae. Naturally, kindness lives in the neighborhood of love. It means putting ourselves in another’s place and truly trying to experience life from their perspective.
Having kindness as a priority means a huge shift in focus, from self-centered to others-focused. Sigh. See? Not as easy as it looked. And, having graduated from my mint green children’s book, what might kindness look like, all grown up?
Kindness means noticing another’s needs and reaching out first, sometimes at cost to ourselves.
Kindness is a Snickers bar and a bottle of water for the bell ringers at Christmas time. It’s a copy of the New Testament together with a coupon for a McDonald’s hamburger for the guy holding a cardboard sign at the intersection of grace and ordinary.
Kindness means reading one more story, extending grace and having the courage to say “no” sometimes, even if it means our kids don’t like us right then.
Kindness means not volunteering our spouse for something without first consulting them and occasionally encouraging them not to anything, but just to relax.
Kindness is a word aptly spoken, an encouraging smile, a scripture and a witty line or two arriving in the mail.
Kindness is a meal after the new baby, a casserole during recovery from surgery and an “I’m sorry you have cancer” cheesecake.
Kindness brings flowers to the widow, an offer of help to the overwhelmed mom and a speech of gratitude to our hardworking husbands.
Kindness notices what our children do right instead of endlessly harping on what they’ve forgotten to do.
Kindness is the emotional equivalent of flannel jammies and hot cocoa on a snowy morning or the sweet kiss of icy lemonade on a sweltering July afternoon.
Kindness is letting someone in line ahead of you, not laying on the horn in the face of someone’s traffic stupidity, and being genuinely nice to the woman who drives you nuts at Thursday morning Bible study.
Kindness is a way of life. It is treating people as though they are everything, since they are everything to the One who made them."
Thank you for your thoughts Cindy! Now everyone else, go check out her website:
www.cindydagnan.com
I met Cindy for the first time last fall at a womens' retreat in Thayer, KS. I had heard about her gifts in speaking and writing, so I was very excited to be able to go and listen to her. And even just after hearing her speak two different times, I will say she's one of the best! God truly has blessed her with this ability to be used by Him to speak to our hearts...my heart. Cindy has been through a lot in her life, but she's remained faithful to our God. She speaks with such openness, honesty, and compassion. I can tell her heart's desire is for all women everywhere to fully grasp just how much our God loves us. Her heart is good, her heart is pure. Though I just met her last fall, I have already emailed her a few times now, pricking her brain about some things. I figured with daughter #3 coming for us, who better to ask than Cindy, who is the mother of FOUR daughters? I'd say she has something to offer there! :)
Here's some more facts about Cindy that I'd like to share with you:
-besides being a Christ follower, a wife, and a mom, she's also...an author, a speaker, and a chocolate lover;
-she has spoken at national conferences, retreats, womens' functions, and marriage seminars (and I believe has even spoken with her husband concerning marriage);
-she has written articles for Today's Christian Women and Focus on the Family;
-she has written 5 books (her most recent book is Hot Chocolate for Couples...you can find the others on her website);
-she also has a newsletter that you can subscribe to.
To read and learn more about Cindy, please check out her "Wannabe Woman" blog at:
www.cindydagnan.com
Cindy, it was my privilege to go and hear you speak about what God layed on your heart to tell us that beautiful fall evening. Thank you for your willingess to be used by God in this way. Wanna know a little secret? I get just a little envious when I hear people like you speak. This has always been a passion of mine, but never feel "good enough". I guess I'm one of those "wanna-be women"! ;)
Name: Cindy Siglar Dagnan
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Married to: One amazing man, Greg Dagnan
Family: Greg and Cindy have 4 beautiful daughters
Current Living: Webb City, MO
Hobbies: "I love Krispy Kremes, books, and lightning bugs!"
And now, let's hear from Cindy...
Kindness
Cindy Sigler Dagnan
"I saw it perched on the edge of the bookshelf next to my tattered, but well-loved pink teddy bear with the navy blue paws, nearly every day of my growing up years. A thin hardcover book with a mint green cover and faintly pastel pen & ink drawings: Kindness Is…
I recall a few of its admonitions. “Kindness is letting your little brother hold the new baby first.” “Kindness is pushing the smaller ones on the swing.” “Kindness is putting others first.”
We probably don’t think much about kindness as a word these days. It’s relegated to one of the listed fruit produced in us by the Holy Spirit. It’s a lovely phrase from novels of long ago, “Would you do me the kindness of…”
We long to love. We pray reluctantly for patience. We thrive on joy; whimper about faithfulness and search for peace. Kindness gets lost in the endless list of “should bes.” Frankly, it doesn’t seem quite as important, quite as—ahem—spiritual.
There are several words in the New Testament Greek Lexicon which can be used for kindness or goodness. My favorites are agathosune [pronounced ag-ath-o-soo-nay], meaning “uprightness of heart and life, goodness, kindness” and chrestotes, meaning “moral goodness, kindness, integrity.”
Now that we’ve forayed for an entire paragraph into a baby Greek lesson, perhaps it seems a bit more relevant. :) I’m thinking it should be more than that – it’s downright daunting! Why? Because to be perfectly honest, most of us put on a respectable front, but basically, we really want what we want. [I like my favorite restaurant. I want the heat up when I’m cold and the air down when I’m hot. I want to eat the last Krispy Kreme in the sack. I really, really like chick flicks and sometimes I’d rather be left alone without anybody needing me.] We just want to look like self-sacrificing, kind “good girls.”
While raising our four daughters, I frequently find myself saying [pleading, beseeching even], “Girls! Be kind to each other.” What do we mean when we say that? I suppose we can mean, “Be nice.” And yet, that sounds so innocuous. I vote that we dig a bit more deeply. Although the verse that defines kindness in one of the simplest ways doesn’t even use the word, I think the words we’ve come to call The Golden Rule sum it up best: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Kindness then, is close cousins with compassion and it snuggles up next to goodness with a bit of basic manners swirled in, like colorful sprinkles flowing down the top of an ice cream sundae. Naturally, kindness lives in the neighborhood of love. It means putting ourselves in another’s place and truly trying to experience life from their perspective.
Having kindness as a priority means a huge shift in focus, from self-centered to others-focused. Sigh. See? Not as easy as it looked. And, having graduated from my mint green children’s book, what might kindness look like, all grown up?
Kindness means noticing another’s needs and reaching out first, sometimes at cost to ourselves.
Kindness is a Snickers bar and a bottle of water for the bell ringers at Christmas time. It’s a copy of the New Testament together with a coupon for a McDonald’s hamburger for the guy holding a cardboard sign at the intersection of grace and ordinary.
Kindness means reading one more story, extending grace and having the courage to say “no” sometimes, even if it means our kids don’t like us right then.
Kindness means not volunteering our spouse for something without first consulting them and occasionally encouraging them not to anything, but just to relax.
Kindness is a word aptly spoken, an encouraging smile, a scripture and a witty line or two arriving in the mail.
Kindness is a meal after the new baby, a casserole during recovery from surgery and an “I’m sorry you have cancer” cheesecake.
Kindness brings flowers to the widow, an offer of help to the overwhelmed mom and a speech of gratitude to our hardworking husbands.
Kindness notices what our children do right instead of endlessly harping on what they’ve forgotten to do.
Kindness is the emotional equivalent of flannel jammies and hot cocoa on a snowy morning or the sweet kiss of icy lemonade on a sweltering July afternoon.
Kindness is letting someone in line ahead of you, not laying on the horn in the face of someone’s traffic stupidity, and being genuinely nice to the woman who drives you nuts at Thursday morning Bible study.
Kindness is a way of life. It is treating people as though they are everything, since they are everything to the One who made them."
Thank you for your thoughts Cindy! Now everyone else, go check out her website:
www.cindydagnan.com
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
"But the fruit of the Spirit is...PATIENCE"
The next fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 is Patience. The lucky random winner of this fruit is...me. Believe me...if I could've chosen any other fruit, I would've. But God must have wanted me to be the one to be stuck with this one...I mean "blessed to be one that writes about patience". That sounds better, doesn't it? So just in case some of you reading today don't know much about me, I thought I should include a little somethin'. So here you go...
Name: Jennifer Bycroft
Hometown: Brazil, IN
Married to: Matt Bycroft...God's BEST for me!
Family: Married in December 1997 (almost 13 years now)! Blessed with 2 daughters...Macayla, age 10...and Rachel, age 8...AND another blessing on the way, due this summer. :)
Current living: Iola, KS
Hobbies: love the outdoors, tennis, photography, ministry, watching college basketball (specifically March Madness), and last but not least...being with my family. Is that a hobby? Even if it's not, I do love being with Matt and our girls.
I have been blessed that the 4 of us have healthy close relationships with each other.
And now, some thoughts...
"By nature, I am not a very patient person. I said "by nature". Anyone with me? I am so thankful that we don't have to stay in that category of "by nature" when we describe who we are. I'm not saying that I have it all figured out yet, but I have changed the "by nature" to "by the help of God"...in other words, learning to take on HIS nature. I am learning how to be more patient like He calls us to be. So those of you out there that continue to say "well, by nature, I am not..." (you fill in the blank), if you are in Christ, there are no more excuses. Because With God's help and grace, you can get where He needs you to be.
In thinking about this word "patience", I'm not just talking about:
--waiting patiently on your child to hurry up and get ready for school;
--waiting patiently in line at walmart when someone goes through the "10 items or less" lane with 100 items;
--waiting patiently in a long line of a traffic jam (it must be farmin' season around here!);
--or telling your child to "be patient" while you're on the phone.
No, I'm talking about something much harder, much more difficult to do. We call this "long-suffering", or patiently enduring wrongs or difficulties, enduring without quitting. When talking about this, I have to throw in there doing it with some sort of calmness while you try with everything that's in you to persevere. If you are one that finds this an easy task, then feel free to stop reading. But because I don't find this to be easy, I must keep typing.
Have you been there? Have you been in a place where you have had to learn how to patiently endure a wrong, trial, or difficulty in your life? I have. And let me tell you...it wasn't that much fun. God knew I needed to go through this...actually GROW through this. I, however, didn't agree with Him on this one bit, and it took me a while to finally surrender to this idea.
Every so often, my husband sends me devotionals he receives via email. A little over a month ago, he sent me the following that I held on to because it talks about the way I have felt concerning some of these difficulties I have had recently. The devotional was taken from the book of Joel. Let me refresh your memory: There was a massive locust plague and severe drought in the land of Judah. Joel calls on everyone to repent. You can read about it on your own. But I do want to highlight Joel 2:25 which says, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm-my great army that I sent among you."
We all have probably been in a time of drought in our lives. There are seasons in our lives that involve times of famine and times of restoration. It is during those times of famine that we must patiently trust God, and patiently endure and persevere...as hard as it is sometimes.
Recently, my husband and I went through "one of those times". It involved our church, and our family...two things that mean so much to us. To say it was difficult to just sit back and "patiently endure" is an understatement! My "nature" is to want to take care of it myself. Because after all, we think we can do a pretty good job with that, right? Wrong. My husband, who is the preaching minister at our church, began to be undermined by others in leadership. They turned against him, if you will. False accusations, slander, lies, gossip, mistreatment...you name it, it was done. Because of this, my husband's job was threatened. This just didn't affect the health of our church, but also our family. We just wanted to throw in the towel and quit! The hurt was too much to bear. People we thought were our friends turned into enemies. People we thought we could count on to help us through a difficult time turned out to be people that wanted to see us gone. Thank God for the Christian friends and family that prayed for us and stood by us! We appreciate those that kept reminding us to "be patient , let God work it out, and continue to do what is right no matter what".
Fast forwarding through all of the details, we continued to stand firm, fighting for the truth to be told, and "patiently endured" while not knowing what the outcome would be. This was not an easy task! But we had to trust that God knew best, and He would bring restoration. Total restoration has not come yet in some of those areas, but we have been able to sit back and witness how God has done the impossible (to us anyway) and bring us on the other side of that difficulty in our lives. God gave wisdom and truth to those that needed it at just the right time, and Matt's job was secured. After over a year now, our church family has grown...not just in numbers, but more importantly, spiritually as well. We have seen restoration happen. And Matt and I have learned all over again that we are serving Jesus, and living for Him...no matter what others might say. I was just thinking the other day how comforting it is to know that we have grown in this area. To please God must be our goal in this life. I would've never volunteered to go through something like this, but can understand a little why now. This "patient endurance" may have been just as much for me, as it has been for others to go through. I now know how to handle things God's way in times like these. My reactions and responses to the things that happened, and at times still continue to happen, are not the same as it once was. I've learned how to better turn those over to God. Not perfect by any means, but changed with His help. He is constantly teaching me to rely on Him, letting Him have His way in His own time. He doesn't need me trying to speed up His plan! Had we just left and quit because the times were tough, we would have never seen how God repayed those couple of years that the locusts had eaten.
Galatians 5:25-26 says, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Paul warns us that there must be a right atmosphere before the fruit will grow. We can't get ahead of God, impatiently doing our own thing because we "think" we know best, but to wait and endure, trusting God with all of it.
I like the reminder that Warren Wiersbe gives to us. He says, "The Christian who is long-suffering will not avenge himself or wish difficulties on those who oppose him. He will be kind and gentle..." I must admit this is not easy for me to do either. But possible, only with the "help of God". He will take care of it.
We've seen restoration in the church, now just "patiently waiting" on restoration in the family. God can do it. We can't do it alone, that's for sure. I don't have any idea when this will happen. But if you are in a similar situation, or ever have been, God wants you to know that there is a time when He will restore in order to demonstrate His gracious hand in our lives. He loves us and guides us through the most difficult places. Remember that He is the restorer of that which the locusts have eaten. Wait patiently for Him to bring this about in your life. After all, does He not constantly wait patiently for us?
"But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and have eternal life." (I Tim. 1:16)
"The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
And here's a couple more reminders that we are to demonstrate patience...
"You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." (James 5:8)
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Rom. 12:12)"
Name: Jennifer Bycroft
Hometown: Brazil, IN
Married to: Matt Bycroft...God's BEST for me!
Family: Married in December 1997 (almost 13 years now)! Blessed with 2 daughters...Macayla, age 10...and Rachel, age 8...AND another blessing on the way, due this summer. :)
Current living: Iola, KS
Hobbies: love the outdoors, tennis, photography, ministry, watching college basketball (specifically March Madness), and last but not least...being with my family. Is that a hobby? Even if it's not, I do love being with Matt and our girls.
I have been blessed that the 4 of us have healthy close relationships with each other.
And now, some thoughts...
"By nature, I am not a very patient person. I said "by nature". Anyone with me? I am so thankful that we don't have to stay in that category of "by nature" when we describe who we are. I'm not saying that I have it all figured out yet, but I have changed the "by nature" to "by the help of God"...in other words, learning to take on HIS nature. I am learning how to be more patient like He calls us to be. So those of you out there that continue to say "well, by nature, I am not..." (you fill in the blank), if you are in Christ, there are no more excuses. Because With God's help and grace, you can get where He needs you to be.
In thinking about this word "patience", I'm not just talking about:
--waiting patiently on your child to hurry up and get ready for school;
--waiting patiently in line at walmart when someone goes through the "10 items or less" lane with 100 items;
--waiting patiently in a long line of a traffic jam (it must be farmin' season around here!);
--or telling your child to "be patient" while you're on the phone.
No, I'm talking about something much harder, much more difficult to do. We call this "long-suffering", or patiently enduring wrongs or difficulties, enduring without quitting. When talking about this, I have to throw in there doing it with some sort of calmness while you try with everything that's in you to persevere. If you are one that finds this an easy task, then feel free to stop reading. But because I don't find this to be easy, I must keep typing.
Have you been there? Have you been in a place where you have had to learn how to patiently endure a wrong, trial, or difficulty in your life? I have. And let me tell you...it wasn't that much fun. God knew I needed to go through this...actually GROW through this. I, however, didn't agree with Him on this one bit, and it took me a while to finally surrender to this idea.
Every so often, my husband sends me devotionals he receives via email. A little over a month ago, he sent me the following that I held on to because it talks about the way I have felt concerning some of these difficulties I have had recently. The devotional was taken from the book of Joel. Let me refresh your memory: There was a massive locust plague and severe drought in the land of Judah. Joel calls on everyone to repent. You can read about it on your own. But I do want to highlight Joel 2:25 which says, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm-my great army that I sent among you."
We all have probably been in a time of drought in our lives. There are seasons in our lives that involve times of famine and times of restoration. It is during those times of famine that we must patiently trust God, and patiently endure and persevere...as hard as it is sometimes.
Recently, my husband and I went through "one of those times". It involved our church, and our family...two things that mean so much to us. To say it was difficult to just sit back and "patiently endure" is an understatement! My "nature" is to want to take care of it myself. Because after all, we think we can do a pretty good job with that, right? Wrong. My husband, who is the preaching minister at our church, began to be undermined by others in leadership. They turned against him, if you will. False accusations, slander, lies, gossip, mistreatment...you name it, it was done. Because of this, my husband's job was threatened. This just didn't affect the health of our church, but also our family. We just wanted to throw in the towel and quit! The hurt was too much to bear. People we thought were our friends turned into enemies. People we thought we could count on to help us through a difficult time turned out to be people that wanted to see us gone. Thank God for the Christian friends and family that prayed for us and stood by us! We appreciate those that kept reminding us to "be patient , let God work it out, and continue to do what is right no matter what".
Fast forwarding through all of the details, we continued to stand firm, fighting for the truth to be told, and "patiently endured" while not knowing what the outcome would be. This was not an easy task! But we had to trust that God knew best, and He would bring restoration. Total restoration has not come yet in some of those areas, but we have been able to sit back and witness how God has done the impossible (to us anyway) and bring us on the other side of that difficulty in our lives. God gave wisdom and truth to those that needed it at just the right time, and Matt's job was secured. After over a year now, our church family has grown...not just in numbers, but more importantly, spiritually as well. We have seen restoration happen. And Matt and I have learned all over again that we are serving Jesus, and living for Him...no matter what others might say. I was just thinking the other day how comforting it is to know that we have grown in this area. To please God must be our goal in this life. I would've never volunteered to go through something like this, but can understand a little why now. This "patient endurance" may have been just as much for me, as it has been for others to go through. I now know how to handle things God's way in times like these. My reactions and responses to the things that happened, and at times still continue to happen, are not the same as it once was. I've learned how to better turn those over to God. Not perfect by any means, but changed with His help. He is constantly teaching me to rely on Him, letting Him have His way in His own time. He doesn't need me trying to speed up His plan! Had we just left and quit because the times were tough, we would have never seen how God repayed those couple of years that the locusts had eaten.
Galatians 5:25-26 says, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Paul warns us that there must be a right atmosphere before the fruit will grow. We can't get ahead of God, impatiently doing our own thing because we "think" we know best, but to wait and endure, trusting God with all of it.
I like the reminder that Warren Wiersbe gives to us. He says, "The Christian who is long-suffering will not avenge himself or wish difficulties on those who oppose him. He will be kind and gentle..." I must admit this is not easy for me to do either. But possible, only with the "help of God". He will take care of it.
We've seen restoration in the church, now just "patiently waiting" on restoration in the family. God can do it. We can't do it alone, that's for sure. I don't have any idea when this will happen. But if you are in a similar situation, or ever have been, God wants you to know that there is a time when He will restore in order to demonstrate His gracious hand in our lives. He loves us and guides us through the most difficult places. Remember that He is the restorer of that which the locusts have eaten. Wait patiently for Him to bring this about in your life. After all, does He not constantly wait patiently for us?
"But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and have eternal life." (I Tim. 1:16)
"The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
And here's a couple more reminders that we are to demonstrate patience...
"You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." (James 5:8)
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Rom. 12:12)"
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
"But the fruit of the Spirit is..."PEACE"
The third fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians is...Peace. And I have to say the writer of today's fruit was the 1st person that came to my mind when I was dreaming up this idea of including others to write for my blog. I am privileged, blessed, and so thankful to call her my friend. Curious yet??? It is with much excitement to introduce to you Pat Merold.
I really have my husband to thank for ever meeting Pat. Years ago, my husband Matt, was an intern under Ben Merold (Pat's husband) at Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, Missouri. Matt and I were just dating at the time. Since my hometown wasn't too far from there, I would frequently visit Matt during the summer. Matt stayed with a family from that church, but I was lucky enough to stay at the Merolds when I came into town. It was so neat for me to watch how Ben and Pat interacted with each other...always showing love, always showing respect, and always always laughing together. When it was time for me to head to bed myself, I could hear the two of them just giggling in the next room. It made me smile seeing that kind of love in the two of them. If you know Ben, you will quite often see him "patting" his bride on the backside...yes, even at church in front of lots of people. This must be where my husband learned it from, because Matt does the same thing to me. :)
I was also a student at Ozark Christian College at the time, so ministry was a huge passion for me. I LOVED asking questions and picking Pat's brain over the many aspects of ministry. We talked a lot about expectations from others...from the church, from our husband (remember I was just dating at the time), and expectations we place on ourselves as well. We talked about different Bible studies (Pat has written much of her own and challenged me that the best Bible study we could ever do is...from the Bible itself). We talked about service...finding the area or areas of service and passion that God wants us to take part in and do it. We talked about being ok with the many hours it takes a minister away from family, and how to maturely deal with that. We talked a lot about always showing respect towards whoever God chooses for us to marry. One thing that has stuck with me to this day is when Pat told me that when I marry, that I am a wife first, then a preacher's wife. I think at the time, I had that backwards in my head. So in the almost 13 years of full time ministry that Matt and I have been involved in now, I have gone back to that comment again and again. I think I've truly gotten a hold of it now...and this has happened only within the past year to two. I am a Christ follower, I am a wife to Matt, I am a mom to my girls, and I am the wife of a preacher.
There have been some hardships along the way in ministry in which I have called Pat up to just seek her advice and Godly wisdom. It's nice to have someone to talk to that "has been there" before that doesn't live here. I really do feel like she knows my heart well enough that if I'm going to ask her a question, she's going to give it to me straight. And let me add, that Pat has also prayed with me on the phone many times before. A woman of the Word, and a woman of prayer. She doesn't mess around with having to hear all the details...she just takes it to God. A lesson I need to learn better. And I have to also mention her sense of humor. Pat Merold is one of the funniest people that I know! I have called her up just to hear her laugh before. She is so full of joy. She is one funny lady!
Matt and I consider Ben and Pat very good friends of ours. We both have enjoyed getting to know them, and are also extremely thankful to have wiser mentors in the ministry that we can turn to. I have asked Pat many times before when she is going to write a book to all wives in the ministry...I would LOVE it if she did!
Thanks, Pat, for being my Titus 2:4-5 woman. From the 1st day I met you, you had no problem taking me under your wing and teaching me...and on some days, helping me get back up and fly again. Every young woman either considering ministry, or that are in ministry now serving and supporting their husbands, need a Pat Merold in their life. I know I've got mine...
Name: Pat Merold
Hometown: (Pat didn't mention this in her bio, but I'm gonna take a stab at it and say Pennsylvania. Am I right Pat???)
Married to: Ben Merold. Married at age 18 and will celebrate 61 years in August.
Family: 3 sons. 2 are deceased...our youngest was murdered at age 30, and our oldest, Mike, died 2 years ago this month from a heart attack.
We have partially raised several foster children along with our own. I feel there is no greater ministry than investing your life in the lives of young people. We have 4 natural grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren, but many from our foster kids. They are all the very best and the little ones are darling. Not that I would want to boast. :)
Current Living: St. Charles, MO
Hobbies: teaching is one. Taught High School, college, young marrieds and adults. "Of course those classes and my Bible studies which I taught for 40 years, were my 1st love when it came to ministry opportunities."
More about Pat that you may not know: Pat founded and administrated the Step-Up ministry which ministered to victims of domestic violence from 1992 until Ben retired in 2008. Pat has held dozens of retreats, spoken for numerous conferences, the North American Christian Convention (she even asked me to be a part of one of her classes one year for the NACC, which I really enjoyed doing with her), and many special occasions and state conventions. She has served on the Continuation Committee for the NACC as well. She has also organized the childrens word twice and served for the National Missionary Convention's pre-school department. Pat also wrote questions for the very first Bible Bowl competition. Their years of service/ministry include:
Illinois-7 years
Indiana-over 13 years
California-nearly 23 years
Missouri (Harvester Christian Church)-18 years
And now, words from Pat...
"Hi. Jennifer invited me to share my thoughts on PEACE in her blog. So here I am, writing for her blog and I have never had one of my own or read anyone else's. That tells you something about me that I wish you didn't know. I'm behind the times. I tell myself I'm too busy.
PEACE - one of the grapes on the cluster we know of as the "fruit of the Spirit".
Every time I have a period of introspection and self-examination, I evaluate myself by looking inward to see whether or not I demonstrate and/or experience being "possessed of His Spirit" I look at this list in Gal. 5:22&23 and ask myself the hard questions.
Most often I have to pause when I come to "Peace". I am by nature a tense, hurried person. I find it difficult to relax and be what most would see being at "peace". Yet, in my heart, I do feel at peace which I define as being in right relationship and harmony with God, facing life with the confidence that I can handle it because He
has given me countless promises which give me assurance, and living well with my fellow-man because he has
poured His love (agape) into me.
Let me take these one at a time. I am at peace with God because I have fully accepted that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, that Jesus died to atone for my sins, was resurrected to sit at the right hand of God, and is now my advocate before Him. I don't have to fret over my eternal destiny. I can confess my daily sins and
know that if I truly repent, He forgives. How freeing these truths are! Life is so much simpler when you are fully persuaded that all His promises are going to be fulfilled.
However, when it comes to being at peace in all of life's difficult circumstances, I must confess, I have had to pray my way to "peace" many times. At these times peace comes as I ask God to:
1. help me actually give my problem to Him. I most often try solving it myself, become impatient while
waiting for his help in a way I recognize, or, keep snatching them back and having to give them to
him all over again.
2. fully trust that He will handle my problem in a way that is most valuable for my spiritual well-being. No
matter how impatient or confused I may be.
I know the value of having studied the Scripture over the years so that I am very familiar with all His promises. I see that storing God's Word in your heart prepares you for real life. I believe all these promises and know that He always keeps His word. It isn't all bad, this getting old (I'm 79). As we age we have a whole life-time over which to reflect and see that His grace really is sufficient for all our needs. We can see what the trials, tests, and experiences have accomplished much. He truly has been at work in me to will and to do His good pleasure. He gives the "peace that passes all understanding".
The third idea in my definition has to do with living well with other people. We all have some folks in our circle of friends and acquaintances who require our being careful in that relationship. These relationships are not as easy and as free as we would like. But Paul says that God has poured His love (the kind of love He has) into us. Therefore, I have concluded that if God loves them, so can I. The love I have from His Spirit enables me to express agape love toward all. I tell myself that God loves them enough that He died for them, so then, I can
learn to love them too. I believe if I truly desire and pray for that kind of love He will grant that request.
May God help us all to live in His spirit."
I really have my husband to thank for ever meeting Pat. Years ago, my husband Matt, was an intern under Ben Merold (Pat's husband) at Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, Missouri. Matt and I were just dating at the time. Since my hometown wasn't too far from there, I would frequently visit Matt during the summer. Matt stayed with a family from that church, but I was lucky enough to stay at the Merolds when I came into town. It was so neat for me to watch how Ben and Pat interacted with each other...always showing love, always showing respect, and always always laughing together. When it was time for me to head to bed myself, I could hear the two of them just giggling in the next room. It made me smile seeing that kind of love in the two of them. If you know Ben, you will quite often see him "patting" his bride on the backside...yes, even at church in front of lots of people. This must be where my husband learned it from, because Matt does the same thing to me. :)
I was also a student at Ozark Christian College at the time, so ministry was a huge passion for me. I LOVED asking questions and picking Pat's brain over the many aspects of ministry. We talked a lot about expectations from others...from the church, from our husband (remember I was just dating at the time), and expectations we place on ourselves as well. We talked about different Bible studies (Pat has written much of her own and challenged me that the best Bible study we could ever do is...from the Bible itself). We talked about service...finding the area or areas of service and passion that God wants us to take part in and do it. We talked about being ok with the many hours it takes a minister away from family, and how to maturely deal with that. We talked a lot about always showing respect towards whoever God chooses for us to marry. One thing that has stuck with me to this day is when Pat told me that when I marry, that I am a wife first, then a preacher's wife. I think at the time, I had that backwards in my head. So in the almost 13 years of full time ministry that Matt and I have been involved in now, I have gone back to that comment again and again. I think I've truly gotten a hold of it now...and this has happened only within the past year to two. I am a Christ follower, I am a wife to Matt, I am a mom to my girls, and I am the wife of a preacher.
There have been some hardships along the way in ministry in which I have called Pat up to just seek her advice and Godly wisdom. It's nice to have someone to talk to that "has been there" before that doesn't live here. I really do feel like she knows my heart well enough that if I'm going to ask her a question, she's going to give it to me straight. And let me add, that Pat has also prayed with me on the phone many times before. A woman of the Word, and a woman of prayer. She doesn't mess around with having to hear all the details...she just takes it to God. A lesson I need to learn better. And I have to also mention her sense of humor. Pat Merold is one of the funniest people that I know! I have called her up just to hear her laugh before. She is so full of joy. She is one funny lady!
Matt and I consider Ben and Pat very good friends of ours. We both have enjoyed getting to know them, and are also extremely thankful to have wiser mentors in the ministry that we can turn to. I have asked Pat many times before when she is going to write a book to all wives in the ministry...I would LOVE it if she did!
Thanks, Pat, for being my Titus 2:4-5 woman. From the 1st day I met you, you had no problem taking me under your wing and teaching me...and on some days, helping me get back up and fly again. Every young woman either considering ministry, or that are in ministry now serving and supporting their husbands, need a Pat Merold in their life. I know I've got mine...
Name: Pat Merold
Hometown: (Pat didn't mention this in her bio, but I'm gonna take a stab at it and say Pennsylvania. Am I right Pat???)
Married to: Ben Merold. Married at age 18 and will celebrate 61 years in August.
Family: 3 sons. 2 are deceased...our youngest was murdered at age 30, and our oldest, Mike, died 2 years ago this month from a heart attack.
We have partially raised several foster children along with our own. I feel there is no greater ministry than investing your life in the lives of young people. We have 4 natural grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren, but many from our foster kids. They are all the very best and the little ones are darling. Not that I would want to boast. :)
Current Living: St. Charles, MO
Hobbies: teaching is one. Taught High School, college, young marrieds and adults. "Of course those classes and my Bible studies which I taught for 40 years, were my 1st love when it came to ministry opportunities."
More about Pat that you may not know: Pat founded and administrated the Step-Up ministry which ministered to victims of domestic violence from 1992 until Ben retired in 2008. Pat has held dozens of retreats, spoken for numerous conferences, the North American Christian Convention (she even asked me to be a part of one of her classes one year for the NACC, which I really enjoyed doing with her), and many special occasions and state conventions. She has served on the Continuation Committee for the NACC as well. She has also organized the childrens word twice and served for the National Missionary Convention's pre-school department. Pat also wrote questions for the very first Bible Bowl competition. Their years of service/ministry include:
Illinois-7 years
Indiana-over 13 years
California-nearly 23 years
Missouri (Harvester Christian Church)-18 years
And now, words from Pat...
"Hi. Jennifer invited me to share my thoughts on PEACE in her blog. So here I am, writing for her blog and I have never had one of my own or read anyone else's. That tells you something about me that I wish you didn't know. I'm behind the times. I tell myself I'm too busy.
PEACE - one of the grapes on the cluster we know of as the "fruit of the Spirit".
Every time I have a period of introspection and self-examination, I evaluate myself by looking inward to see whether or not I demonstrate and/or experience being "possessed of His Spirit" I look at this list in Gal. 5:22&23 and ask myself the hard questions.
Most often I have to pause when I come to "Peace". I am by nature a tense, hurried person. I find it difficult to relax and be what most would see being at "peace". Yet, in my heart, I do feel at peace which I define as being in right relationship and harmony with God, facing life with the confidence that I can handle it because He
has given me countless promises which give me assurance, and living well with my fellow-man because he has
poured His love (agape) into me.
Let me take these one at a time. I am at peace with God because I have fully accepted that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, that Jesus died to atone for my sins, was resurrected to sit at the right hand of God, and is now my advocate before Him. I don't have to fret over my eternal destiny. I can confess my daily sins and
know that if I truly repent, He forgives. How freeing these truths are! Life is so much simpler when you are fully persuaded that all His promises are going to be fulfilled.
However, when it comes to being at peace in all of life's difficult circumstances, I must confess, I have had to pray my way to "peace" many times. At these times peace comes as I ask God to:
1. help me actually give my problem to Him. I most often try solving it myself, become impatient while
waiting for his help in a way I recognize, or, keep snatching them back and having to give them to
him all over again.
2. fully trust that He will handle my problem in a way that is most valuable for my spiritual well-being. No
matter how impatient or confused I may be.
I know the value of having studied the Scripture over the years so that I am very familiar with all His promises. I see that storing God's Word in your heart prepares you for real life. I believe all these promises and know that He always keeps His word. It isn't all bad, this getting old (I'm 79). As we age we have a whole life-time over which to reflect and see that His grace really is sufficient for all our needs. We can see what the trials, tests, and experiences have accomplished much. He truly has been at work in me to will and to do His good pleasure. He gives the "peace that passes all understanding".
The third idea in my definition has to do with living well with other people. We all have some folks in our circle of friends and acquaintances who require our being careful in that relationship. These relationships are not as easy and as free as we would like. But Paul says that God has poured His love (the kind of love He has) into us. Therefore, I have concluded that if God loves them, so can I. The love I have from His Spirit enables me to express agape love toward all. I tell myself that God loves them enough that He died for them, so then, I can
learn to love them too. I believe if I truly desire and pray for that kind of love He will grant that request.
May God help us all to live in His spirit."
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
"But the fruit of the Spirit is...JOY"
The second fruit of the Spirit talked about in Galatians is...JOY. I am excited to introduce to you the writer of this week's fruit...Cindy Moyers. She is not only the wife of a preacher, she also just happens to be my aunt. You can call her Cindy, but I refer to her as "Aunt Slenders". She has become very fond of that name!
I really can't say enough about Aunt Cindy. She has become one of my favorite people. I have obviously known her for as long as my husband Matt and I have been together. It seems she's always been one that I can talk to very easily. Even though Aunt Cindy is Matt's aunt, she and I are a lot alike. She is outgoing, cares deeply about people, loves to laugh, loves her family, and loves being a part of the ministry God has called her to. Oh, and she kinda likes to talk too...like me. :) I can relate to her.
Over the past few years, Matt and I have grown a lot closer to Aunt Cindy and her family. They have truly been a God-send and a blessing to our family! More specifically, Aunt Cindy has really been there for me. There have been some things over the past couple of years, that I have turned to Aunt Cindy for encouragement, support, advice, or even just a listening ear. The admirable thing about Aunt Cindy is that she gives biblical advice...not just words based on feeling, and not just words that she thinks I'd like to hear to make me feel better. Nope, it's all based on what the Bible says. We've laughed together, and we've cried together. If there was a fruit of prayer, she would definitely be the one that could write about that too. She truly is a woman of prayer. It's easy to say to someone, "prayin' for ya". It's another to pray WITH someone. She has prayed with me in person, on the phone, and through writing out prayers via email. This has brought me more encouragement than she probably realizes. More importantly though, she has challenged me to be a better Christian in many ways. I have found strength in my own life simply knowing the different things she has had to go through. She's not only my aunt, but she's become my friend and one of my mentors as well. I just really love her!
Name: Cindy Moyers
Hometown: Coffeyville, KS
Married to: Kevin Moyers
Family: 3 children. Jonathan, 23, will be marrying Shauncey on June 5th. Abbie, 21, will be marrying Logan on June 19th. Rebekah, 18, graduates from high school on May 15th, and will be attending Ozark Christian College in the fall.
Current living: Ft. Scott, KS. Kevin is the senior minister and we have been serving with Community Christian Church for 22 1/2 years now. Overall, we have been in ministry and married for 27 years. We love being in the ministry and believe this is where God wants us.
Hobbies: I love doing things with my family, reading, and flowers. With the two weddings coming up, I have been scrapbooking and being creative for the weddings.
Cindy adds, "I am very thankful for the legacy of Christianity that is in my family. My parents, Melvin and Irene Betts, raised me in a Christian home in the Tyro, Kansas area. I have three siblings who are Kathy, Karen, and Lon. All three are very involved in the church there at Tyro, as well as my parents, with Kathy being married to the Senior Minister there, David Bycroft."
And now, words from my "Aunt Slenders"...
"Joy. When I think of joy, the first verse that comes to my mind is, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” God is my strength and I find joy in knowing He is in control and not me.
I grew up enjoying life and finding joy in people and the things around me. I believe this joy is from the Lord. I find joy in the ministry. I love to serve and help others. This brings joy to my heart. I enjoy bringing a smile to someone’s face by little gifts of service: opening the door for someone, carrying a bag of groceries for an elderly person, picking up something that has dropped to the floor for someone…really seemingly small things, but things that can make a person feel like you care about them.
Joy. God can give us joy in all things. I find joy in my family. It doesn’t mean that everything that happens in my family is always how I would picture it, but God has been there to strengthen me in the sad times and heart breaking times. When I couldn’t get pregnant, I continued to find strength and joy in the Lord through the song and scripture, “You are my hiding place, You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You”; when Jonathan was diagnosed with heart problems at 4 ½ months old and we didn’t know if he would live, God brought me strength through the Psalms and I could rejoice that God had brought Jonathan into our lives and that God was in control; and when I was arrested three years ago (yes, you heard that right. That is a long story in and of itself so I will need to share that later), the stress and worry of the future was overtaken with God and I was able to allow Him to give me joy in knowing He was in control AGAIN!
As I have just shared these thoughts, I am reminded of the verses in James 1 that says, 2“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I am thankful for the joy that the Lord gives me in my church family. They have stood by me in thick and thin; they have believed in me and held my arms up when I couldn’t. That brings much joy to my heart! I am leading a women’s Bible study on Wednesday nights and we have had such a blessed time together. I find joy in these ladies. We are growing in our individual relationship with God and also growing in our relationship together as sisters in the Lord. Some verses we studied earlier in our group were from Habakkuk 3 which says, 17 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” I love those verses. We are learning in our Bible study to be intentional about our relationship with God. I truly believe that by purposely thinking about Him and dwelling in His presence every day brings much joy to my life. That doesn’t mean I have it all together, but I am working on my relationship with God every day.
JOY. It is an important part of the fruit of the spirit. God wants us to have joy in Him. He wants us to show joy to others."
I really can't say enough about Aunt Cindy. She has become one of my favorite people. I have obviously known her for as long as my husband Matt and I have been together. It seems she's always been one that I can talk to very easily. Even though Aunt Cindy is Matt's aunt, she and I are a lot alike. She is outgoing, cares deeply about people, loves to laugh, loves her family, and loves being a part of the ministry God has called her to. Oh, and she kinda likes to talk too...like me. :) I can relate to her.
Over the past few years, Matt and I have grown a lot closer to Aunt Cindy and her family. They have truly been a God-send and a blessing to our family! More specifically, Aunt Cindy has really been there for me. There have been some things over the past couple of years, that I have turned to Aunt Cindy for encouragement, support, advice, or even just a listening ear. The admirable thing about Aunt Cindy is that she gives biblical advice...not just words based on feeling, and not just words that she thinks I'd like to hear to make me feel better. Nope, it's all based on what the Bible says. We've laughed together, and we've cried together. If there was a fruit of prayer, she would definitely be the one that could write about that too. She truly is a woman of prayer. It's easy to say to someone, "prayin' for ya". It's another to pray WITH someone. She has prayed with me in person, on the phone, and through writing out prayers via email. This has brought me more encouragement than she probably realizes. More importantly though, she has challenged me to be a better Christian in many ways. I have found strength in my own life simply knowing the different things she has had to go through. She's not only my aunt, but she's become my friend and one of my mentors as well. I just really love her!
Name: Cindy Moyers
Hometown: Coffeyville, KS
Married to: Kevin Moyers
Family: 3 children. Jonathan, 23, will be marrying Shauncey on June 5th. Abbie, 21, will be marrying Logan on June 19th. Rebekah, 18, graduates from high school on May 15th, and will be attending Ozark Christian College in the fall.
Current living: Ft. Scott, KS. Kevin is the senior minister and we have been serving with Community Christian Church for 22 1/2 years now. Overall, we have been in ministry and married for 27 years. We love being in the ministry and believe this is where God wants us.
Hobbies: I love doing things with my family, reading, and flowers. With the two weddings coming up, I have been scrapbooking and being creative for the weddings.
Cindy adds, "I am very thankful for the legacy of Christianity that is in my family. My parents, Melvin and Irene Betts, raised me in a Christian home in the Tyro, Kansas area. I have three siblings who are Kathy, Karen, and Lon. All three are very involved in the church there at Tyro, as well as my parents, with Kathy being married to the Senior Minister there, David Bycroft."
And now, words from my "Aunt Slenders"...
"Joy. When I think of joy, the first verse that comes to my mind is, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” God is my strength and I find joy in knowing He is in control and not me.
I grew up enjoying life and finding joy in people and the things around me. I believe this joy is from the Lord. I find joy in the ministry. I love to serve and help others. This brings joy to my heart. I enjoy bringing a smile to someone’s face by little gifts of service: opening the door for someone, carrying a bag of groceries for an elderly person, picking up something that has dropped to the floor for someone…really seemingly small things, but things that can make a person feel like you care about them.
Joy. God can give us joy in all things. I find joy in my family. It doesn’t mean that everything that happens in my family is always how I would picture it, but God has been there to strengthen me in the sad times and heart breaking times. When I couldn’t get pregnant, I continued to find strength and joy in the Lord through the song and scripture, “You are my hiding place, You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You”; when Jonathan was diagnosed with heart problems at 4 ½ months old and we didn’t know if he would live, God brought me strength through the Psalms and I could rejoice that God had brought Jonathan into our lives and that God was in control; and when I was arrested three years ago (yes, you heard that right. That is a long story in and of itself so I will need to share that later), the stress and worry of the future was overtaken with God and I was able to allow Him to give me joy in knowing He was in control AGAIN!
As I have just shared these thoughts, I am reminded of the verses in James 1 that says, 2“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
I am thankful for the joy that the Lord gives me in my church family. They have stood by me in thick and thin; they have believed in me and held my arms up when I couldn’t. That brings much joy to my heart! I am leading a women’s Bible study on Wednesday nights and we have had such a blessed time together. I find joy in these ladies. We are growing in our individual relationship with God and also growing in our relationship together as sisters in the Lord. Some verses we studied earlier in our group were from Habakkuk 3 which says, 17 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” I love those verses. We are learning in our Bible study to be intentional about our relationship with God. I truly believe that by purposely thinking about Him and dwelling in His presence every day brings much joy to my life. That doesn’t mean I have it all together, but I am working on my relationship with God every day.
JOY. It is an important part of the fruit of the spirit. God wants us to have joy in Him. He wants us to show joy to others."
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
"But the fruit of the Spirit is...LOVE"
A few weeks ago, I thought of this idea to write on the "Fruits of the Spirit". But not just write about them or casually mention them, but really dig deeper to learn from these "fruits". And instead of just hearing from me all the time, I wanted to broaden that and include other wives in the ministry. So I made a list of 8 other friends of mine that I asked to be a part of this. My plan is to post one, possibly two, per week. Everyone was randomly assigned a fruit, and I asked each one to tell how God taught them through their particular fruit, and what they have learned in all their years of ministry and service. I love learning from others that have "been there"! My hope and prayer is that you too, will learn from them, and can see the uniqueness in each of these Godly women. They are all "doing" ministry in some capacity in their lives. I tried to get a wide range of wives in ministry...youth minister's wife, college campus minister's wife, well-known Christian writer/speaker, and the others being preaching minister's wives. I really wanted to include a missionary as well, and tried to contact my Aunt Shanthi Bycroft, who serves in Sri Lanka, to be involved in this, but checking their internet is few and far between. So I will be filling one of the spots...sorry, you'll just have to hear from me too!
You all know the first fruit talked about in Galatians 5...LOVE. I am so excited to introduce to you my friend, Shirley Liston, to talk about love today. Before I share what is on her heart, I'd like for you to get to know her a little better.
Name: Shirley Liston
Hometown: Portland, IN. I attended West Walnut Church of Christ from 3rd grade up until I went to college at Cincinnati Bible Seminary.
Married to: Glen Liston
Family: 5 sons, 5 wonderful daughters-in-law, 14 grandchildren...2 of which are married now...and we recently had 2 foster grandbabies added!
Current living: Manvel, TX (south of Houston). We live across the lake from New Hope Church where son, Tim, is minister.
Years of ministry/service: After 50 years of being the senior minister's wife, retirement is great! We enjoy attending New Hope now and are involved and volunteer in various areas.
Hobbies: I enjoy planning programs, playing the piano, singing at a local nursing home, teaching children on Sundays, having a small group in our home weekly, going on mission trips, and playing golf with Glen. When I have time, I love reading Christian novels.
I would like to add that Glen and Shirley used to minister at First Christian Church in Brazil, IN...my hometown. Even though I was still pretty young when God called them to a different ministry, I have good memories of the Liston family. They love people, and were very involved in the lives of others. It was during their time of ministry in Brazil, that I came to know and understand what Jesus did for me. I made the decision to be baptized, and was blessed to have Glen (I can call him by his first name, b/c I'm an adult now! :) baptize me when I was 9 years old. Our families have been friends for years, and I know for me, and the family God has blessed my own life with now, both Glen and Shirley have been a great encouragement to us. So thank you, Glen and Shirley, for showing us what it means to LOVE. And thank you for always being faithful...it is evident that you have not stopped "ministering". Now, words from Shirley.....
"Love.....I was so excited when I learned that the Fruit of the Spirit that I would comment on would be LOVE. There are three different kinds of love used in the Bible: 1) Philos “having affection for”, 2) Eros “a sensual or sexual love, 3) Agape’ a deep and abiding affection of God.
It set me to thinking about my first memory of the word “love.” Earlier we had been in a discussion with family members about what the first or earliest memories of child hood that they have. My earliest memory of the word “love” was when I was almost four years old. We were at church one Sunday morning. A man came running into the church building shouting, “Your church building is on fire!”
Our teacher calmly told us, “Children, pick up your chair and carry it outside because fire loves red chairs!” It’s funny...I don’t remember if the building was badly burned but we kept the red chairs safe from being burned...in spite of the fire loving them and wanting to destroy them.
As I grew up, I learned of another love that was greater than what my Sunday school teacher had spoken of: The love of God that does not want us to be hurt or destroyed by anything or anyone. For me, growing up in a family that was what would be called “dysfunctional” today, the love of God was very important in my life. I felt this love of God in the church where I attended from the teachers, youth sponsors, and the minister’s family. The encouragement and love from these so called “ normal average” Christians made a huge difference in my life. Because of this, I wanted to go on to Bible College and learn more about how I could be used of God to help others.
My husband, Glen, and I met as freshmen at the Seminary. We became friends and even sang in the same Quartet together. The friendship continued and grew into a love that was something that I had never experienced in any of my family relationships...Yes! We were married at the start of our junior year in college and began our part time ministry together in a little church in Southern Indiana, going out on Saturday and Sunday.
Ahhhh...Ministry is a great time to put love into practice! Immediately as I saw the children in the church and began working with them, the love that I had experienced as a child just came flowing out. Loving them in spite of how they misbehaved or what side of the tracks they came from was kind of hard at first. The children seemed to flourish in their ability to act better with compliments and encouragement from me...Yes, I was remembering those precious teachers and youth leaders that I had growing up! Our family was poor and “mixed up” but those Christians just loved me anyway and seemed to know that I needed that “extra” love and encouragement. I was determined to do that for the children in the churches where we ministered. Throughout 50 years of local ministry, helping children to become their very best for the Lord has been one of my goals.
With our own house full of boys, reading I Corinthians 13 was almost a daily requirement for me! “Love is patient” yes, Lord, I’m trying! “Love is kind”...Yes, I’m trying to be in all circumstances...even when the mess becomes mountain high! “Love keeps no record of wrongs”...but it’s hard not to remember that he did that yesterday and the day before too! Shouldn’t he learn from experience???? “Love always protects” yes, I could be like a mother bear if anyone attacks my child or my husband unfairly! As a mother, hope was always there, and trust that God would pull us through anything that came our way. One of my verses was Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus!” I sure needed all the characteristics of Love every day!
In addition to raising boys, I loved working with women in the churches and leading a Bible study weekly. Loving these ladies and wanting them to grow as Christian women was challenging. It was so neat to see them filling out their weekly lessons, beginning to pray aloud in a group, and to see them stretching to memorize verses each week. But...true to life, not all tried their hardest. Some whom I had thought would really grow, just didn’t do it. Yes, there came “love” into action again! In John 14:34 Jesus said, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Yes, Lord. I will love each woman and encourage her. It was my plan! I learned to accept the fact that all the ladies were growing and that all could be at different levels of maturity as a Christian and that was all right!
John the apostle summed Love up in his book, 1 John 4:19 “We love because God first loved us.” And verse 21 “And He has given us this command; Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Remember that fire that loved little red chairs and wanted to destroy them? There is someone in this world that wants to destroy everyone that he can. That is the devil and he tries to push out LOVE and then he tries to destroy Christians. We need to remember God’s love for us and how He wants us to go to heaven and also to take as many people with us as we can! Just remember: “You, dear Children, are from God and have overcome them, (evil spirits) because the one who is in you is greater than the one (satan) who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Love will win!"
--Shirley Liston
***Thanks, Shirley! Please check back soon...JOY is next!
You all know the first fruit talked about in Galatians 5...LOVE. I am so excited to introduce to you my friend, Shirley Liston, to talk about love today. Before I share what is on her heart, I'd like for you to get to know her a little better.
Name: Shirley Liston
Hometown: Portland, IN. I attended West Walnut Church of Christ from 3rd grade up until I went to college at Cincinnati Bible Seminary.
Married to: Glen Liston
Family: 5 sons, 5 wonderful daughters-in-law, 14 grandchildren...2 of which are married now...and we recently had 2 foster grandbabies added!
Current living: Manvel, TX (south of Houston). We live across the lake from New Hope Church where son, Tim, is minister.
Years of ministry/service: After 50 years of being the senior minister's wife, retirement is great! We enjoy attending New Hope now and are involved and volunteer in various areas.
Hobbies: I enjoy planning programs, playing the piano, singing at a local nursing home, teaching children on Sundays, having a small group in our home weekly, going on mission trips, and playing golf with Glen. When I have time, I love reading Christian novels.
I would like to add that Glen and Shirley used to minister at First Christian Church in Brazil, IN...my hometown. Even though I was still pretty young when God called them to a different ministry, I have good memories of the Liston family. They love people, and were very involved in the lives of others. It was during their time of ministry in Brazil, that I came to know and understand what Jesus did for me. I made the decision to be baptized, and was blessed to have Glen (I can call him by his first name, b/c I'm an adult now! :) baptize me when I was 9 years old. Our families have been friends for years, and I know for me, and the family God has blessed my own life with now, both Glen and Shirley have been a great encouragement to us. So thank you, Glen and Shirley, for showing us what it means to LOVE. And thank you for always being faithful...it is evident that you have not stopped "ministering". Now, words from Shirley.....
"Love.....I was so excited when I learned that the Fruit of the Spirit that I would comment on would be LOVE. There are three different kinds of love used in the Bible: 1) Philos “having affection for”, 2) Eros “a sensual or sexual love, 3) Agape’ a deep and abiding affection of God.
It set me to thinking about my first memory of the word “love.” Earlier we had been in a discussion with family members about what the first or earliest memories of child hood that they have. My earliest memory of the word “love” was when I was almost four years old. We were at church one Sunday morning. A man came running into the church building shouting, “Your church building is on fire!”
Our teacher calmly told us, “Children, pick up your chair and carry it outside because fire loves red chairs!” It’s funny...I don’t remember if the building was badly burned but we kept the red chairs safe from being burned...in spite of the fire loving them and wanting to destroy them.
As I grew up, I learned of another love that was greater than what my Sunday school teacher had spoken of: The love of God that does not want us to be hurt or destroyed by anything or anyone. For me, growing up in a family that was what would be called “dysfunctional” today, the love of God was very important in my life. I felt this love of God in the church where I attended from the teachers, youth sponsors, and the minister’s family. The encouragement and love from these so called “ normal average” Christians made a huge difference in my life. Because of this, I wanted to go on to Bible College and learn more about how I could be used of God to help others.
My husband, Glen, and I met as freshmen at the Seminary. We became friends and even sang in the same Quartet together. The friendship continued and grew into a love that was something that I had never experienced in any of my family relationships...Yes! We were married at the start of our junior year in college and began our part time ministry together in a little church in Southern Indiana, going out on Saturday and Sunday.
Ahhhh...Ministry is a great time to put love into practice! Immediately as I saw the children in the church and began working with them, the love that I had experienced as a child just came flowing out. Loving them in spite of how they misbehaved or what side of the tracks they came from was kind of hard at first. The children seemed to flourish in their ability to act better with compliments and encouragement from me...Yes, I was remembering those precious teachers and youth leaders that I had growing up! Our family was poor and “mixed up” but those Christians just loved me anyway and seemed to know that I needed that “extra” love and encouragement. I was determined to do that for the children in the churches where we ministered. Throughout 50 years of local ministry, helping children to become their very best for the Lord has been one of my goals.
With our own house full of boys, reading I Corinthians 13 was almost a daily requirement for me! “Love is patient” yes, Lord, I’m trying! “Love is kind”...Yes, I’m trying to be in all circumstances...even when the mess becomes mountain high! “Love keeps no record of wrongs”...but it’s hard not to remember that he did that yesterday and the day before too! Shouldn’t he learn from experience???? “Love always protects” yes, I could be like a mother bear if anyone attacks my child or my husband unfairly! As a mother, hope was always there, and trust that God would pull us through anything that came our way. One of my verses was Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus!” I sure needed all the characteristics of Love every day!
In addition to raising boys, I loved working with women in the churches and leading a Bible study weekly. Loving these ladies and wanting them to grow as Christian women was challenging. It was so neat to see them filling out their weekly lessons, beginning to pray aloud in a group, and to see them stretching to memorize verses each week. But...true to life, not all tried their hardest. Some whom I had thought would really grow, just didn’t do it. Yes, there came “love” into action again! In John 14:34 Jesus said, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Yes, Lord. I will love each woman and encourage her. It was my plan! I learned to accept the fact that all the ladies were growing and that all could be at different levels of maturity as a Christian and that was all right!
John the apostle summed Love up in his book, 1 John 4:19 “We love because God first loved us.” And verse 21 “And He has given us this command; Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Remember that fire that loved little red chairs and wanted to destroy them? There is someone in this world that wants to destroy everyone that he can. That is the devil and he tries to push out LOVE and then he tries to destroy Christians. We need to remember God’s love for us and how He wants us to go to heaven and also to take as many people with us as we can! Just remember: “You, dear Children, are from God and have overcome them, (evil spirits) because the one who is in you is greater than the one (satan) who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Love will win!"
--Shirley Liston
***Thanks, Shirley! Please check back soon...JOY is next!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Real Girls
The end of this past summer, my girls and I went through a bible study called, Real Girls of the Bible. It's a devotional. In the book, you will find 16 Old Testament girls to study and learn from, and 14 New Testament girls. As I said, we started this at the end of the summer, so when school time came around, time for this particular study was limited. Plus, our family does daily devotions before school. So I definitely didn't want to "overload" them.
Last night, I wasn't feeling well so couldn't go to Bible study at church. Anytime we have to miss for sickness, I try and have some kind of lesson or devotion with the girls so we're not skipping out. So I decided to go ahead and finish out the O.T. girls...we only had 2 left to study. Our girls are 10 and 7. After I read the story, and we talk about it for a little bit, both girls are to jot down something in their notebooks that they learned from this particular girl of the Bible. Because Macayla is older, I ask for her to think of ways she can apply it to her own life, based on what the story is talking about. Some of their answers are longer, some are short, some are to the point, some tend to be on the "rambling" side...and some are confessions or ways they want to live their lives better for Jesus. That's what it's all about anyway, isn't it? Being REAL, not fake. Being open, not hiding things from others or God. Being honest, not deceitful. Being a REAL CHRISTIAN, not just saying you are but your actions show otherwise. Being a devoted follower, not just a fan of Jesus. Being REAL.
I hope and pray they have learned something from this. Pretty soon, we will start taking a look at the girls of the New Testament. One of my life goals is to raise my girls to love, to trust, to serve, to follow and obey Jesus with everything they have. After all, they are on their way to becoming a "real girl" too! I have included what they wrote in their notebooks below. Just maybe you will learn something too.
EVE
Macayla: Satan wants to attack us. Stay away from Satan.
Rachel: Don't disobey God.
SARAH
Macayla: Don't sleep with another spouse. Don't sleep with another person you're not married with. Don't start families you're not married with. Don't doubt God!
Rachel: Don't marry 2 people.
HAGAR
Macayla: Listen to God. Don't just leave your kids in the desert (I had to laugh at that one!:), pray to God instead. God's watching over us.
Rachel: Don't make fun of other kids.
LEAH (& RACHEL) (this was my Rachel's favorite one...I wonder why? ;)
Macayla: Leah wasn't pretty, but Rachel was. Don't judge a person by their outside.
Rachel: It's not good to judge other people.
JOCHEBED
Macayla: That you can always trust God. Jochebed wanted her baby to be safe. So she hid him in some weeds, and God allowed her to be with her baby even longer.
Rachel: She wanted to keep her baby safe. Ask before you ask to have her take care of the baby. :)
MIRIAM
Macayla: She trusted in the Lord. Miriam was very brave. Later she became a worship leader. She saved her little brother. She was smart.
Rachel: She helped her baby brother.
RAHAB
Macayla: She trusted God. She took a very big risk to keep those spies safe. She saw her town destroyed, but she had her heart in God still.
Rachel: She kept them safe.
DEBORAH
Macayla: Deborah was a good leader. She was an only female judge. I would love to be a great leader to my friends and lead like Jesus. I would like it if Dalton joined a church because he said they might. (Mac is a good little inviter)
Rachel: She was a leader. A good leader.
JAEL
Macayla: Jael chose to kill God's enemy, instead of keeping him safe. She chose to do something right, but I mostly do wrong because it's easier. I don't want to do wrong any more. I want to be a better Christian.
Rachel: Don't follow the crowd.
NAOMI
Macayla: Naomi had a lot of bad things happen to her in her life sort of like mine. I think I'm very mean to Rach but I don't mean to most of the time. My anger gets control over me sometimes, but I'll ALWAYS worship the one true Lord. Naomi had people die, and I've had pets die. So I can try to not be so sad that I'm bitter like her.
Rachel: She praised God. But then she was sad.
RUTH
Macayla: Ruth left her hometown. Ruth was faithful to Naomi. I want to be faithful with my family too. And also be a great friend too like the verse said.
Rachel: She went with Naomi and cared for her.
HANNAH
Macayla: Hannah had a pure heart. Peninnah made fun of Hannah for not being able to have children, but she did. Later, God blessed her with 4 boys and 2 girls. I gave my life to the Lord by getting baptized, like Hannah kind of did to her son.
Rachel: She "telled" the truth. ;)
ABIGAIL
Macayla: Abigail saved her husband from being killed by David. After she made it right, she went home and found her husband drunk. I want to be like Abigail and do the right thing. (She also wrote...I have a cousin named Abigail or Abby!) :)
Rachel: Stepped in and it's good that Abigail does the right thing.
HULDAH
Macayla: Huldah was a prophet and had courage. I could listen with my ears and heart like Huldah. Huldah means weasel which fits her very well. (An example Macayla gave in her own life is she gave back a Russell Stovers coupon b/c she already had one. Her teacher gave her one, but Macayla was honest and told her teacher she already had one, so she gave it back.)
Rachel: Huldah was a prophet that knows what God wanted to say. King Josiah was eight when he was the king.
VASHTI
Macayla: Vashti means lovely. Vashti is a Queen too. Vashti got her crown, home, and all her privileges taken away because she took a stand for what was right. Sometimes I don't do what I'm told, then I get my privileges taken away. Ex.'s: DS, Computer, T.V.
Rachel: Vashtis name meant lovely. Vashti was a Queen.
ESTHER
Macayla: Esther means star. Esther took a BIG risk of being killed when she went to talk to the King without being invited. Esther told the truth when it was the right thing to do. When I tell the truth, I won't care if it's painful to tell.
Rachel: Esther's Hebrew family had been captured and exiled to a foreign country. Esther means star.
So which "Real Girl" are you? Which of these can you learn from the most right now in your life? I would love some feedback! :)
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