Why This Word Girl Loves Her Concordance

I'll confess. I'm a Word Nerd.

I am fascinated by words, not only in my own language, but in others.

One of my favorite bible study tools is my gigant-o-rama Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (which I occasionally and affectionately refer to as my Exhausting Concordance... that thing is heavy!)

I'm over at Do Not Depart today chatting about why I use a concordance, and how to navigate through the thousands of pages to find what you need...

Bible Concordances: Study Tools for Word Lovers

I Once Was Lost

Last week I shared a wee story at Do Not Depart about Nibbles.  You remember Nibbles? Our orphaned tub-dwelling bottle-baby turned adoptee kid goat?

Well, the very first night that sweet Nibbles was left in the field with his brand new mama, things went awry. In the morning when my fabulous hubby, aka The Bard, went to check on the goats, Nibbles was missing. Gone.

The edge of the sun is just peeking over the horizon when the back door slams.

“I can’t find him,” my husband reports. Happily sleeping with the herd last night, one tiny goat has wandered off and is nowhere to be found.

I pull on my boots and a jacket and head out into the chilly morn. Walking the goat field, I carefully check every hollow and corner. Baby goats frolic near their mothers. It has been a good year for kidding.

But there is no sign of our missing baby. The lump in my throat grows as I open the gate to leave the field.

... read the rest of the story here...

Memorizing Romans 8... Join Us?

I am really excited to be joining the newest scripture memorization challenge at Do Not Depart.

Romans 8 is one of my favorite chapters in the bible. One that I just want to read out loud, it gets me so stirred up. So sometimes I do, maybe with a splash of Romans 7 in there for a little build up. My Grandpa's preachin' blood sometimes shows.

The amazing Katie Orr has pulled together some great resources to help us learn Romans 8, and designed a schedule that has a gentle pace. Just two verses a week... I can do that! Yes, even in the fog of sleep deprivation.

Oh, and? There are recordings to help us practice, and guess who got to read four verses out loud for the recordings? Woohoo!

So what do you say?

Trust me, if I can memorize scripture you can!

Won't you join us?

Abiding in Crisis (via Do Not Depart)

Sunday afternoon. We had kissed my husband goodbye after church as he headed off on a trip. Feeling in need of a lift, I told the kids we’d swing by the store for pizza and ice cream, and watch a movie that night.

Our van loaded down with frozen groceries, we headed up piney Highway 21, the road that made me fall in love with our area when we were looking to move from the city. At a stop light, we noticed a large column of smoke.

“Mama, is that near our house?”

“Oh no, no, that is west of us. We live that way,” and I pointed ahead to the right.

We drove on and the road began to curve to the left. How could I have forgotten this part of the road?

We continued to curve, until straight ahead of us, right between the pines towering on left and right, a ferocious column of smoke billowed high in the air. The road was taking us straight toward the fire...

A few weeks ago I wrote a little about our experience during the fire at Do Not Depart. And silly me, I neglected to tell you friends here about it. Won't you come over and read for a spell?...

photo by Patti Brown

Resisting Temptation ~ The Sword of the Spirit

 I'm blessed to be contributing again at Do Not Depart today!  

Photo Credit :: Sherry White

You get up early. You pray, you study, you are inspired.

You know that today, this day, you will do it, you will walk that narrow path.

And then the sun comes up, and the kitchen gets messy with breakfast, the clock keeps ticking, the bills still need to be paid, the people you love are still sinners... and it turns out that so are you.

Perhaps you are more self-controlled or spiritually mature than I am, but I can tell you that my faith is much easier to live in my quiet time than it is to walk out in the messiness of real life.

Daily I find myself tempted to be impatient, to complain, even sometimes to despair.

Temptation was no stranger to Jesus. Early in His earthly ministry He experienced far greater temptation than any of us will ever face.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread along, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’"

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning you’;
and
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Matthew 4:1-11 nasb

Did you notice how Jesus responded every single time? With the Word of God! Each of Jesus' answers is a passage from Deuteronomy.

Jesus set the example for us. He knew that the scriptures held all that He needed to respond to temptation.

And note that He didn’t grab a temple scroll and say, “Wait, um, hang on, where was that verse, uh...” Jesus knew the scriptures. We too will be better equipped to handle temptation if we have hidden God’s Word in our hearts. It is hard for scriptures to come to mind that aren’t there in our minds to access! And I don't know about you, but many of my most challenging moments occur when I am nowhere near a bible.

Is there an area in which you find yourself consistently tempted? Focus on memorizing scriptures that address your temptation. If you are in need of ideas for specific scriptures, leave a comment and I will search some out for you. Odds are good I face the same temptation and have already had to find them for myself!

Did you know that God has also provided us with spiritual armor against temptation? Ephesians 6:10-17 outlines the pieces of our God-given armor:

• belt of truth
• breastplate of righteousness
• boots of peace
• shield of faith
• helmet of salvation
• sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

Of all six pieces, the only piece which is offensive (as opposed to defensive) is the sword of the Spirit... God's Word. We abide in Christ's truth, righteousness, peace, faith and salvation, but we are called to actively use His Word, His sword.

I find it helpful to speak scripture aloud when I am in a difficult moment, even if it is a whisper. There is nothing wrong with extemporaneous prayer, but praying scripture is an especially effective way to pray when you are in crisis.

God’s Word has a power that is inexplicable. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that...

...the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Miraculously, God has granted us free access to this powerful gift!

Do Not Be Anxious About Anything

This was written as part of the Philippians bible study at Do Not Depart and posted there on July 22, 2011. I encourage you to check out this wonderful site for encouragement and tools for your quiet time, scripture memorization, and much more.

Ever since I was a child I have wondered what it would be like to be a bird, soaring high above the earth. I’ve dreamed of the remarkable view of God’s world I would have, of the freedom to fly at will and unhindered.

But not long ago, I remembered my fear of heights. I was sitting on a mountain top watching a bird flying over a canyon, periodically diving for bugs, and as I imagined myself looking down from the bird’s vantage point, I had that sudden lurch of fear that I get when I peer over railings. For the first time in my life the idea of soaring like a bird sounded unpleasant.

Worry. Fear. Anxiety.

Most of us have struggled with these peace-crushing emotions at one time or another. For some, anxiety is an ongoing, life-sucking burden.

I have grappled with anxiety and fear throughout my life. Even now I find it lurking around the corners at times, waiting to trap me emotionally.

As I have spent time in Philippians 4:1-9 this week, I have been overwhelmed by the richness of the passage.  Philippians 4:8 alone is worthy of its own book… a veritable treatise on the thought life.

But my eye and heart keep being drawn back to Philippians 4:6-7…

 … do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God’s word is clear. There is nothing, nothing, about which I need be anxious. Do not be anxious about anything.

Instead, in everything (no exceptions!) I am to turn to God in prayer. With a thankful heart, I must offer all my requests and worries to Him. The remarkable promised result is Gods’ peace… the very opposite of anxiety. When I offer every bit of worry and fear to God, I am living the truth that I can trust Him to always have my best interests at heart.

God’s peace is not just a gift for my heart, it is also for my mind. His peace guards my heart and mind. God desires to protect and soothe not only my emotions, but also my thoughts. This is a supernatural peace, found only in Christ Jesus, and not dependent on circumstance.

God created each of us for a unique purpose in His world. Just as He created that soaring, diving bird I watched over the canyon. The bird had no fear, because it was equipped for the very thing it was doing. It was not afraid to fall, because God had given it wings and the knowledge to use them to preserve its life.

Like the bird, I have been equipped, and so have you. The bird was given wings that not only helped it soar to higher heights, but also brought it safely to the ground. You and I have been gifted prayer not only to lift us up, but also to guard and guide us to a safe landing, in peace, through Jesus Christ.


Photos by Carol Carpenter

When the Prayers Just Won't Come

Photo Credit

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

We all have seasons in life... times of peace and calm, and times when the wind blows hard. Sometimes life becomes so stormy it is hard to find the words to pray.

These are times when we turn to other believers to ask for help, for sustenance through prayers lifted up on our behalf.  God has also graciously equipped us directly through His Word.

Come to Him... come to His Word... and rest.

Years ago, a wise woman taught me to pray scripture word-for-word. One morning, in a bible study with other young mothers, she asked us to open our bibles to a particular scripture. She told us to pray it aloud together, personalizing it as we went...

I am sharing my thoughts on praying scripture at Do Not Depart today. To read the rest of this post please join us...

Philippians :: Week 2 :: God’s Purpose in Paul’s Imprisonment

I am sharing my thoughts on Philippians 1:12-18 at Do Not Depart today...

 

I am thrilled that Katie and Lara chose Philippians for this summer’s Maximize Your Mornings bible study, and I am privileged to be able to share a few thoughts with you here.

It seems to be my year for Philippians. I started meditating and journaling on Philippians in May of 2010. In August, my children and I decided to memorize Philippians. In September our church began a study of Philippians. And now, a year later, I am still reading this little book, and still discovering new gems!

How true it is that…

…the Word of God is living and active…
~ Hebrews 4:12 ~

God’s Word meets us where we are and reveals fresh truths to us every time!

... please join us at Do Not Depart to read more...