For the word of God is living and active . . .  Hebrews 4:12a

I love to study the Bible.  It is one of the joys of my life.   There are 6 different women’s Bible study groups going on now each Tuesday morning and evening at Dogwood Church.  This is the very best way to get to know your God and His people.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.  He has revealed Himself through His Word – the Bible.  Get to know Him through it!

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. –Hebrews 11:6

Lately, I have been running to keep up with my life. I actually am out of breath. When God creates an adventure for us…designed especially for us…we should be worn out … “for His sake.” Certainly I have been living no ordinary life. There is nothing ordinary about me right now. And the funny thing is, I think (know) that God created this in me long ago; this kind of non-conformist, unconventional, opinionated attitude. And I genuinely think the things I got whippings for as a child…God needed. God knew. God knew me. God knew the tools He would need to increase my faith. God knew the exact man I would need for an adventure we would be assigned…an adventure that had ‘lifetime’ attached to it. And I have seen His wondrous hand so much in the last 3 months…that I just trust Him in my life. Somehow…knowing that He knows…makes me able to walk in this adoption process. Knowing that He loves those three little Guyanese beauties more than I…is reassuring when I fumble things. Knowing that He created this desire in our hearts is comforting…when I have not seen their little faces since July 17th. Knowing that He walks them through each day is reassuring …since I cannot hold them or hug them or hear their laughter. I just have to keep walking into what He told me. What He promised…I can’t afford myself the weakness of looking back, of questioning the adventure. I remember who He sent. He sent Mary Michael. He sent Meg. He sent Jake. He sent Mallory. And He sent Mike and me… Certainly this resilience was the same resilience that drove my mother to her knees as I challenged her while I was growing up. But God would use it for His glory. God would need it for my current mission. God knew when He made me exactly what He would need for His greater good. And so I walk into His voice, His provision, His path. I have faith in His right arm. I am growing a Hannah faith. I have read her story a lot this week. Hannah was no ordinary woman…and I want to have Hannah faith. I want God to use me up for His glory, His purpose, His mission. So…I find myself busy. Busy about His business.

… “The Lord remembered her plea”… -1 Samuel 1:19

When was the last time you were accused of being drunk in church? I mean so grieved that the preacher thought you were intoxicated. That is what happened to Hannah. She wanted a child so desperately that she was aching out loud for God to hear her prayer. She made a promise to GOD that she would dedicate her firstborn child to the temple…if only GOD would hear and answer her prayer. Eli must have been taken aback. He had thought Hannah “impaired” by her spirit. How about us? Are we impaired for Him to move and have HIS way in us? Are we groaning for HIS PRESENCE? That was Hannah faith. Hannah seemed to find ultimate peace in the presence of God. She felt Him. She believed in Him. She waited on Him. Hannah went back home and GOD REMEMBERED her. It is biblically recorded…GOD remembered Hannah’s prayer!! Do we get before God and pray anything that is memorable? Do we carve out time that He hears and that pleases Him? Hannah knew how to pray because she knew Him. She felt comforted by His capabilities and she understood His resources. She anguished for His answer to her prayers. And GOD was moved. Hannah went home and became pregnant. And when Samuel was weaned…she left him in the temple to live with Eli, the ‘not so perfect’ father and priest. Hannah remembered that GOD had provided…and she trusted Him with her future. And God gave her 6 more children. So…what was the walk home from the temple like for Hannah? Hannah had to have heard Samuel crying…and yet she walked. Hannah had to have heard Satan’s taunting of “barrenness” and would there really be more children…and yet she walked. Hannah did not put her faith in her circumstances. Hannah put all of her faith in God…like Abraham; Hannah felt ultimate peace before God. And Samuel grew up to be a high priest for Israel because of the faith of his mother. Hannah is not counted as one of the ones of great faith in the biblical recordings of Hebrews; but her son Samuel is, Hebrews 11:32. Hannah prayed prayers that caused the Lord God to remember her….I want Hannah faith.

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. -1 John 5:14

So I find myself in need of resilience these days. I find that I need to be able to “sift through the naysayers” and stand on what God has revealed. I find that my skin has to be oiled in His salve to endure the negativity of people who don’t understand how God works and moves. I have to keep walking when I hear the cries of comfort…or impossibilities…I think of God. I think of how He made me…I think of how He has refined me…I think of what He has shown me…and I just keep walking. Finding that the only peace I have is in His presence. He is sufficient. He loves me and I love Him. He has proved faithful thus far. He knows me. He knows my weaknesses and He knows my strengths. He knows my heart. He knows the three children I pine for in my spirit. He knows their weaknesses and strengths and He knows just what they need. I am walking in faith that He will provide a great collision of my family’s needs and the needs of Brian, Amy, and Davi’s needs. He knows the height and breadth of the undertaking…and I choose to have Hannah faith that He will see me through. Join me. Let’s pray like we are impaired. Let’s be intoxicated for His sake. Let’s have Him remember our prayers…

Hannah’s Prayer of Praise

Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.
No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

“Stop acting so proud and haughty!
Don’t speak with such arrogance!
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done;
he will judge your actions.
The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.
Those who were well fed are now starving,
and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
and the woman with many children wastes away.
The Lord gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.
The Lord makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.
He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord’s,
and he has set the world in order.

“He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.
Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
the Lord judges throughout the earth.
He gives power to his king;
he increases the strength of his anointed one.”

– 2 Samuel (New Living Translation)

Friday, November 5, 2010

Doors Open at 6:30 for the Display of Tables

Dogwood Church Worship Center

With International Guest Speaker, Donna Otto

Author of:

Youniquely Woman

Secrets to Getting More Done in Less Time

Finding Your Purpose as a Mom

Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor

Between Women of God

Friends of the Heart

Would you like to be a Table Hostess for this event?   Please email us at radiance@dogwoodchurch.org.

Keep watching for ticket sales information!

“Hold on to your innocence, stand your ground when everybody’s giving in.”

- Martina McBride

This week I have been thinking about girls… big girls, young girls, college girls and little girls. And I have decided it ain’t easy being a girl. We have to look good, feel good, act good, and be good. The temperature rises to a haunting inferno. All this…and everyone is watching…friends, boyfriends, husbands, and families. No wonder we give up. No wonder we snap. No wonder we cry. No wonder we collapse. The pressure is untenable. Who can withstand the scrutiny? Who can understand the melting pot? Who can keep us from slipping off the tightrope? Who can make the mountain edges easy? As we retreat from the flames of the fiery furnace let us renew our strength and vision. “Lord, illuminate our hearts with your splendor. Give us wisdom to rest our noisy souls in your holy silence. We pray for guidance to let go, to hold on, or to nothing…but wait. Give us courage to hit pause…and STAND OUR GROUND…in you.  Oh Lord, equip us to withstand the inferno of being “Miss Everything.” Help us drop the plastic smile, the plastered pieces, and the wounded mess. Forgive our ignorance and renew our efforts on your behalf. Guide us to your truth. We love you, now and always. Amen.” Now let’s look at a few notable women of the Bible. The deceived ones. The inspiring ones. The gutsy ones.  The ‘reconnaissance women’ that went before us. What can they teach us right now?

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed.  “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. –Genesis 2:22-24

Sometimes the trouble with families is they idolize their children. They live their unfulfilled football, baseball, or desire for “better things” through their children. Marriages are dysfunctional. Husbands are unfaithful…either with another woman or with their greedy consumption for MORE stuff. And “the children” become the driving force, the motivation, the holy altar of existence. I think Eve taught us a thing or two about family. Maybe we should read and study her predicament. John MacArthur says some wonderful things about Eve in his book, ‘Twelve Extraordinary Women’- “No other woman could possibly surpass Eve’s grace, charm, virtue, ingenuity, intelligence, wit and innocence. She was a wonderful illustration of the goodness of God’s grace and the perfect wisdom of His will. She was God’s special gift to man. She was the necessary partner and she complemented Adam perfectly and she enhanced everything in his existence. Eden was now truly paradise.” So…what happened? Eve was created as the perfect partner for Adam. Imagine the intimacy, the closeness, the strong love they shared…because it was a gift from God. Eve was not made the same as Adam. She was made from “a part” of him. Wow… Eve blew it. The Bible clearly says Eve was “deceived.” We don’t know exactly what that means…did she love Adam so much that she was ‘not on guard’ or was she simply distracted? All we know is that Eve plunged humanity into the toilet forever. Because of her…sin crept in our families, homes, and loved ones. It causes us to worship our children over Christ. It causes men to look on another woman with lust. It causes child abuse. It created pornography. It causes all of us to live, love, and be a part of a “fallen family.” There is not one family that is perfect…none; because Eve lost her focus. Eve was tempted…even tricked. Eve was deceived. Are we deceived? This perfect woman for Adam slipped. Don’t we slip? I do. I can feel for Eve. On a day when Eve wasn’t on guard…the snake slithered in. And the cost was catastrophic. Take a good look at Eve and gain perspective. Don’t idolize your children. Idolize Him. Don’t run so fast you lose the race and the journey. Don’t be deceived by your children, your husband, or your circumstances…for  the results can be just as catastrophic for you as they were for Eve. I cannot imagine the degree of regret Eve experienced. To have God in the garden with you. To have his presence. To have his love and wisdom. And then to be stripped of everything and ‘put out’ of His sacred place…there must have been some staggering lessons for Adam and Eve. Consider the cost…

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. –John 3:16 (The Message)

So, this week I have had girls on my mind. My niece is in New York…going to school. My youngest daughter is peeking over the fence for her God sized adventure. My oldest daughter is praying and sorting…waiting on a new group God sends to impact. My little girls in Guyana…wait for a Christmas only God could orchestrate. My sister and my mom are letting go. And me? I just had to stop. I had to remember His promises, His stories, and His plans.  I have to believe pastor Terry Covey, “Before Genesis 1:1, there was John 3:16. Before there was ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’, there was ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. ‘The decision had already been made for how God would save the world from its sin and the plan had already been established that the Savior would come – ‘born of a woman.’ God used Eve as the perfect helpmate to Adam. And God used Mary to restore a broken chasm. Nothing catches the Master off guard. But girls…we need to dig in. We need to give up. We need to let go. We need to quit worrying about ‘looking good’ on the outside when we are breaking on the inside. “Miss Everything” took a tumble in the garden… dig those feet into The Rock. Although you wobble, limp, and bleed…He sets your course for victory. Look at the cross… “Stand your ground when everybody else is giving in.” This hope is for you. Next week we will look at another woman for inspiration…until then…be silent in His presence. He heals from the inside out.

The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree;

he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Planted in the house of the LORD,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still yield fruit in old age;

they will be full of sap and very green,

to declare that the LORD is upright;

He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Psalm 92:11-15 (emphasis mine)

On August 12^th, we moved my 3^rd (and last) child into an ancient dorm on the campus of the University of Georgia.  It was so exciting.  She had been working toward this moment for years and to see it realized was wonderful.  The next day (Friday) was another story.  It was kinda lonely around our once busy and noisy house.

Adjustments.

The older we get the more adjustments we have to make.  However, I’m here to say that one adjustment I’m NOT going to make is to stop living my life and doing what God has called me to do.  I feel like I’ve entered the “fall” season of my life (Am I being too melodramatic?)  I love the above verse.  It encourages me on in the righteous path.  Using the analogy of a tree it says that I’ll still be green – full of sap.  Even in my “old age” (which I am certainly not admitting to yet) I will still be useful to Him.  Did you see why?  “To declare that the LORD is upright.” There is no retirement for this job.  Every day til we draw our last breath will be a declaration of Him and His attributes.  Maybe old age isn’t so bad after all.

I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. – Genesis 9:13-15

This week we discussed Noah in our Bible time. The one lesson that resonates is the one of obedience. Noah was obedient…extremely obedient. His obedience caused his friends to scratch their heads. His obedience was long suffering. His obedience rallied his own 3 sons. His extreme obedience saved his family from disaster. Noah was impressive. There are all sorts of guesses as to the time it took to build the ark. Some I researched said over 100 years…100 years of mocking, teasing, and humiliation. Wow…some of us cannot even withstand one day of scrutiny; much less an ongoing assault of criticism. No one likes to be examined. No one wants to be under the microscope. No one likes for others to evaluate them. We all want to ‘do our own thing’ and wrestle with our own decisions. We let God follow but few of us allow Him to speak, to lead, to direct our lives. We have been so busy leading that we never stop…until there is a flood. Then we stop. Then we surrender. Then we send out an S.O.S. for God to do something. And He reaches down and soothes our souls, He catches our tears, He restores our boat…and we wave goodbye to Him as we set our sails for our new destination.

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. –Psalm 37:4

Often times we treat God like a genie in a bottle. We feel good about our spirituality, and we look to God to bless our feeble attempts at loving Him. When we encounter hard times we look for him to perform, to rescue, to do what we want. When He doesn’t answer like a genie…we collapse. We struggle with our faith. We ask, “Where was God?” Our faith grows cold and we give up on God. We continue to go through the motions of life. We think we can “handle” everything. And we can’t. We don’t even come close. We abuse the verse in Psalms claiming, “God does not give us the desires of our heart.” And you’re right; He doesn’t. Because you did not interpret the verse as it is written. The verse says, “Delight yourself in HIM and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Yeah, pretty shocking how far we have taken this verse out of context. First, it asks us to “Delight in the Lord.” Delight in the Lord…think about Him, think about His character, think about His Omnipotence, think about Him being Omniscient, think about Him being unchanging. Think about Him filling the great divide between us and Him … with His very own Son. Think on the magnitude of that kind of love. Yesterday, tomorrow, and forever His love will remain. He set the sun in the sky by morning and He gives light by the moon in the evening. He lit up the sky with glittering stars and only He knows exactly the hairs on your head. Only He knows the silhouette of your heart, and only He has the plan that can complete you. Oh, how He wishes to give you the desires that make your heart sing and dance. His desires…the One that made you.

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. –Matthew 6:19-21 (The Message)

Noah was an impressive man. One who delighted himself with God. Not much else mattered to Noah. I wonder how Noah tuned out all that noise. All that noise that drowned under the massive flood. How did he do it? How do we become so in-tuned to God that we are impervious to the people that tease, and examine, and summarize our faith? I think Noah was an incredible listener. I am convinced that Noah knew how to “be still” before God. I want to be like Noah…or try and be like him. I want to be found obedient more than I want anything else. I think God created us to communicate with Him. He desires a relationship of intimacy and covenant.  When we approach Him with heartfelt awe and appreciation…He meets us with all the resources of Heaven…not earth…not things that will rust and fade. In Guyana I was alone with God. He was my sustaining power. All I did and accomplished was not in my own strength. He showed me what He looked like…and I want Him ‘out front’, not me. There was a flood that swallowed the earth. And there are floods that swallow us. We wrestle in the tsunamis of life until He comes…but then we quickly forget His strength when the waters recede. Noah’s obedience was not inconsistent. Noah persevered through years of commitment and God provided for Noah, and his family. When we give God our devotion, our commitment, our circumstances…He sends a promise. A promise that He will prepare a place for us. A promise that He will give us a spirit of power and self control. A promise that we will be with Him and He with us. Our treasure becomes Him. And no amount of taunting, teasing, hardship, or hell can separate us from His love. He signed His name in technicolor prisms of light to seal the deal. God made a promise with a rainbow after the flood. God made a promise with a cross on Calvary. Examine your heart. Fix your eye on His love. Be like Noah…build your life in obedience. And watch for God to provide beyond the genie in the bottle. Infinity and beyond…

And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. –Galatians 3:27

I have always loved cute clothes. Bright colors, cute patterns, animal prints…I am guilty for loving them all. We spend time in the department stores, dressing rooms, and shopping malls. We are searching for that perfect outfit, color, designer that completes us. We buy magazines, read articles, watch the fashion updates because we want to be fashionable. Heaven forbid if we had on last year’s jeans, or pant cut, or designer purse. We are all trying to look our best, hide the wrinkles, and squeeze the bulge. For some of us this entire process is our crutch, our security, our strength. And somehow in the midst of the “newest” trend we forget our most important garment. …we forget to put on “Jesus.” We spend more time worrying about the outside and we neglect the heart of ultimate fashion…Christ the Savior, Christ the Redeemer, Christ the hope of Glory. We leave Him for another day…

When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.-John 14:20

When we accept Christ into our lives…we are in Him and He is in us. I just like the way that sounds…He unites with us, for us, and in us! It is an intimate and beautiful moment when we are joined to Him. He is our Lord and Savior and we are forever joined together. So why do we leave Him at home? Why are we searching for fulfillment in the shopping mall dressing room at 9:00pm? Why do we spend more time planning our outerwear than we do with our “royal wear?” Is our memory so short, our desires so shallow…that we neglect the most important garment of all? In putting on Him we put on righteousness, humility, and protection. He is our protector and we leave Him in the closet of our heart. Whatever goes through us must first go through Him! So when we leave the royal wear hanging…we are vulnerable, weakened, and unfit for the elements of life. We deprive ourselves of His supreme love and union. We are susceptible to illness and disease. Our appearance is ordinary and plain. Our faces forlorn and troubled…there is no glory in our smile, no twinkle in our eye…and no make-up, no skincare, no designer, no plastic surgeon can give us what we neglect to “put on”… our royal wear in Christ Jesus.

What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. –Galatians 2:19-20 (The Message)

I have always admired Paul’s passion. He truly had a vision and heard God’s voice and he was completely changed. He forever dressed himself in the fellowship and obedience of Christ. He searched and prayed and bowed His will. He spent the rest of his life on a mission. He never got up and left God hanging unused at home. Paul withstood beatings; he was shipwrecked, imprisoned, and almost drowned. And His royal attire protected and comforted him in all situations…until Paul was called home. Paul dressed himself in the mighty wardrobe of the King. And we must do the same.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.-Ephesians 1:4

In Guyana there were no malls, no department stores, and no designer duds. There was only a crowd of beautiful faces and sparse belongings. And yet God never looked so magnificent. His glory burst through our team in adornment and majesty. We spent time and preparation dressing ourselves in the royal attire of the throne room. And in doing that He joined us, He united with us; He went with us in every moment and every circumstance. I don’t want to forget His Holy garments of armor. Fashions may come and go….but the beauty of the Lord remains forever. Do yourself a favor…the next time Satan whispers, “You need something better”…just head to a quiet place with your Bible. There is no therapy or treatment, or designer outfit that compares to those who seek His royal garments first. And even though His protection cannot isolate us from the bitter winds of life; His love clothes and protects us against Satan.  I am hidden in Christ and He is in me. His royal wardrobe is our under armour against Satan. Dress yourself in the throne room of heaven not the dressing room of this world. And His love will shine forth in you in glorious fashion…changing you, and those that meet you. He makes all things beautiful.

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there;

and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

John 2:1-2

invite

1) to call

a) to call aloud, utter in a loud voice

b) to invite

2) to call i.e. to name, by name, to give a name to

(Greek definition using Strong’s Concordance)

Invitations indicate at least some level of familiarity.  You don’t send strangers invitations to your party.  Especially your wedding party.  That would be a social faux pas.  Jesus went to parties.  That might shatter the pious, reverent, boring picture of the Son of God for you but the truth is that Jesus loved being with people while He was here on earth.  He was a guest at weddings, dinner parties, funerals and religious events.  People invited Him.  He was welcomed.  They called Him and He came.  His Name was uttered.  It’s really the same today.

Call on Me and I will answer you,

and I will tell you great and mighty things,

which you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3

This made me wonder how much we call out to God.  Do we?  I mean really.  Is He invited, called out to come to your party?  Is He welcome in the deepest parts of your soul?  Do you call Him when things are going great for you or is He a “crisis only” God?  He was invited to a wedding.  Someone wanted Him there.  To celebrate and dance and drink wine (oops!  Sorry all of you Southern Baptists out there!).  And then there’s the verse in Jeremiah.  I have to wonder what we miss simply because we don’t call out to Him.  He says He’ll answer us!  Imagine that – the God of the Universe answers us.

Who gets your invitations?  Who do you call?  Who comes to your parties?