Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

We started our new study last night, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World." The discussion was great. I am hoping this will be the first of weekly updates on our study for those who couldn't be there and for those who may be following along with us, but not able to attend. We discussed preconceived ideas about Mary and Martha, primarily that Mary was right and Martha was wrong. Then we looked at Luke 10:38-42 to discover what scripture said. We talked about whether we could change or if "once a Martha, always a Martha" was true. We all agreed that it is possible to change, though with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We looked at the following scriptures to back this up: I Samuel 10:6, Psalm 51:10-12, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Philippians 1:6.

Several ladies shared their experiences of being transformed. The question raised by the author is how can we tell if someone's transformation is permanent versus temporary. We read Galations 5:16-25 for some answers (walking by the spirit, getting rid of sin and putting on the fruit of the Spirit, to name a few.)

We spent a few minutes walking through the familar passage in Matthew 11:28-30 where Jesus invites all who are weary to come to Him and take His yoke.

There was a quote we looked at from page 9 on our books, "while the world applauds achievement, God desires companionship." We discussed some of the things the world applauds and even expects and also what companionship with God means.

When I first read chapter one and as I prepared to lead this session, the ladder illustration, on page 2, kept coming to my mind. We listed the various "rungs" on our spiritual ladder (devotional time, prayer, giving, serving, encouraging, teaching, etc.). We then listed reasons for not moving up the next rung (fear, distraction, discouragement, loss of focus, etc.). We returned to our ladder illustration at the end of the study. I believe the first rung is salvation, a relationship with Christ which is the start of our spiritual journey. I also believe that the various rungs are different and perhaps in a different order for each of us - that God works with us individually. We may go up a step and then go back down. I also believe that in this illustration, we have a safety belt, the Holy Spirit.

The challenge for us is to consider what that next "rung" is for ourselves and I encouraged the ladies to write it in the front of their books. As we work through this study and pursue a more intimate walk with God we'll see how he helps us move up our ladder.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Harmony

Well, harmony has come to stay in our home, though not the harmony you may think. Those of you who have followed my blog, know that we've had some MAJOR issues with washing machines. It all started with a little, no really a lot of mold and FOUR machines later, I think we may have found the right one. I do reserve the right to change my mind and Best Buy gives me 30 days.

This matching washer and dryer are called the Harmony series made by GE. The washer communicates to the dryer to tell it what type of clothes have been washed and how to dry them. I still have to read the owners manuals for both machines, but it sounds interesting and is supposed to help save electricity.

I just have to draw some spiritual parallels here (perhaps this is why I've had to endure 5 months, numerous phone calls, 2 repair visits and 4 machines.) If you'll indulge me here...God is like my washer...He washes me clean by offering forgiveness. He desires to communicate with me...wants to tell me the best options, tell me the most efficient way to get things done. The Bible in this scenario is like my owners manual...it contains information on all the benefits and functions of the machines.

In the spin cycle of life, I have to stop and answer a few questions: Am I listening to God communicating with me? Have I taken the time to read through the owners manual to fully understand the benefits God has to offer me? I guess I'll have time to ponder these questions every time I'm in my laundry room. How about you?

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Blooms Abound

It's been several days since we've returned from our annual women's retreat. What a beautiful time it was...seeing women worship, develop friendships, and hear the Lord speak all in a beautiful, flowerful setting! The ladies that led our sessions, activities and discussions around the tables did a fabulous job! What an honor it is to serve beside such wonderful women who seek to serve God! I know we will see the impact of the retreat for months and years to come - we have to because God promised that time spent in His word would never return void.

One of the things I read over and over in the retreat evaluations is that God was drawing the ladies into a closer relationship with Him. I can't think of a greater lession and I encourage everyone to seek God with all their heart.

I wish every lady at LCC would have been able to attend, but God can work on your heart if you were there or not and I pray that He is doing just that. Our next ladies Bible study will begin on Monday, March 24. We'll be looking at the life of Mary and Martha in the book "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver. The focus of the book is developing an intimate relationship with God. If you are not currently part of this group, we'd love for you to join us.

I love the signs of spring popping up around me. I have a few crocuses and daffodils that have bloomed in the past week and see many more coming up through the ground. The birds are actively building their nests - Maryn loves to hear the birds chirping when we go outside. The days are getting warmer and longer. I pray that as we see these beautiful signs of spring that we also see the blossoms God has for our spiritual lives as well.

"Put your hope in the LORD, for with he LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption." Psalm 130:7

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Treasure

Back in December, I was working through a book to enhance my devotional time by Catherine Martin. One of the things she suggested was to ask God to give me a theme or focus verse for the year. I just love God's timing. I thought of a couple of words, but the one that came to the forefront was "treasure," very specifically the treasure of God's Word. You see, I was struggling with my devotional times, they became stale, predictable and I often did it so I could check it off my list or sometimes not at all. So, I prayed about it and God was quick to answer with a resounding Yes! You know, the more we are in the Word, the more we come to know God, the more we grow in our faith and the list of benefits from being in the Word go on.

On my to-do list (sometime this year) is to do a word study on the word "treasure" to see how often it is used in the Bible. Well I haven't started this task yet, but God decided to show me one passage this morning...Isaiah 33:6: "He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure." I just love this verse and though I should have read it sometime in the past, it isn't a verse that was familiar to me.

At this time in my life (and really all the times of my life) I need a sure foundation, I don't have time for shifting sand, am certain I'd pull a muscle if I fell and am just a bit too busy to have to sure up my footing...can you relate? I also love shopping so going to God's "rich store" is appealing. No, I realize I can't buy new clothes or shoes there. I'm thankful that on a previous trip to God's "store" I found salvation. Today I need a fresh purchase of wisdom and knowledge. I guess I really need to shop here every day for I need wisdom and knowledge every day (wow, how knew God's Word had imagery of shopping and no cash or credit cards are needed!) The key to this treasure is the fear of God...which takes me back to needing to be in the Word, the more I know Him the more I respect and fear Him.

So today my greatest treasure won't be the best sale find of the day, but his rich passage of scripture. I hope you my fellow shopping friends visit God's store soon! You'll find the best prices and they always have your size!

Monday, March 3, 2008

The Small Things

As many of you who read this blog know, our annual women's retreat is this coming weekend. The two weeks leading up to the retreat seem to be the busiest. Those who know me well, know I love working out and planning all the little details, sometimes obsessively down to the height of the flowers in the vases. This year is unique for me as I have Maryn in the mix. There have been times when she doesn't want me to work on retreat things. Like the times she has sat on the blanket fabric so I couldn't line it up, or the times she tried to grab the scissors while I was cutting as she said "no" to me! She has walked around the house with flowers, gathered trash (that was meant to distract her) but this blog post is not supposed to be about Maryn, oops!

Today is a busy day for me and I wasn't sure how I would do everything, but in God's amazing provision, Maryn has slept until 10:30 which allowed me to get lots of things done and as I spent time in the Word and in prayer, God showed me how I can can accomplish my to-do list. This is just another example of God showing me His love for me and that He does really care about the little details in my life. So, since God cares about the little details, maybe it isn't so bad that I care about them too! I hope all who read this will have a blessed day and see God working in their lives. Gotta run, Maryn is calling and she's hungry!