Tag Archives: bible

Bibles in September

07 Friday Sep 2018

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September is one of my favorite months, and yet also one of my saddest.  My beautiful momma, Helen Marie,  passed away five years ago, this September 19th. This month has always been so full of new beginnings, fresh fall air, pumpkins and fairs. And I love them all!   But deep in the recesses of my mind and heart, there is always this twinge of pain, beauty, nostalgia and want.  I truly miss her every single day. And I don’t think there is a time when I am not thinking of her, her laugh, her beauty and her love of God.  She taught me how to read, study and love the Bible, and I have several of her bibles filled with notes and journaling.

This week, I decided to buy a new Bible. Not that I needed one, but I wanted the one I gave to someone so that when we read together, we are reading the same version.  And I realized that I didn’t have NIV.  I probably have every other version, haha, but not NIV.

So while I was reading yesterday morning, and turned to the front of the Bible and put my name and date in and then stopped.  I heard God say look at the date again. September 2018.  Then look at the bible you bought last year. September 2017. Now go to the next one. Guess what it said? September 2016.   I realized that every September I had been buying a new bible.  The same month my mom passed away.  Then I felt the Spirit tell me ever so sweetly that it is honoring of my mom. That every September as I have been buying a bible, it was building on the foundation of my mom’s love of the Word and my love of the Word. She would love the bible I just bought, filled with flowers, colors and study notes

I sometimes have felt so guilty for not getting to her graveside much, or putting flowers on for every occasion, But this was so much better.  A bible that keeps us connected through God’s word. A Bible that is the Living Word that she now sees everyday, and I read everyday. Instead of empty vases, I now have Bibles that are marked and highlighted, just like hers.

I hope I am explaining this correctly.  It was such a powerful AHA moment for me, and I wanted to share so that maybe, just maybe it would bless someone.

This is the Bible I purchased. The NIV Women’s Study Bible. Isn’t it a beaut!

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Art in the Word

02 Sunday Sep 2018

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Lately I have been experimenting with being creative. I always say I can’t do something – but I met a sweet friend Wendy that showed me, to just be you! Let your own creativity come out!

So – I am sharing with you!

What I have learned is washi tape is awesome!

Gesso and a napkin, and watercolors are awesome!

And, anyone can do this!!

Washi and Stickers
Washi and Stickers
washi & emblesh
Washi and Vellum
Washi & Vellum
Washi and coloring Bible
simple easy crosses
the cross says it all
napkin, gesso and watercolor
napkin, gesso and watercolor

How many times?

02 Friday Mar 2018

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Forgiveness.

Such a hard topic because we all think we walk in forgiveness, but then we still have this twinge of ….something when we see that person. Am I right?

I have walked many seasons in my life, and in each of them I have learned much about forgiveness. Not that I am an expert, but I have really been pondering it lately.

I had a really hard situation several years back and really wanted to not have the noose of unforgiveness binding me or the other person.

When I ran into this person that really hurt me several months ago {not having seen or talked to her since ‘the hurting’} I genuinely smiled, asked how she was, didn’t have any of that white-hot ugly in my heart, and wished her a great day. As I walked away, God told me {yes Joy Behar, God does talk to us, and only His sheep hear His voice} “that is what forgiveness feels like, this is what is feels like to be at peace with someone”. Not that the situation was right, or we will ever be best pals again, but I was free of the bond of unforgivness.

How do you know when you have forgiven someone?

I get asked this all the time. In the past, I would answer, until you don’t hurt anymore, or until you can bless the person who hurt you. But now, I answer until it’s complete in you and you have peace.

Many times we rotely quote “seventy times seven”, and offer it a very unsticky band-aid. It is in the bible, but what does it mean? Do we multiply the numbers? Do we look into the Greek or Hebrew and have a discussion on it?

I would like to suggest something I think God has shown me.

Peter asks Jesus, do I need to forgive seven times? And then Jesus responds, seventy times seven.  So here is what I think it could mean.

Seven in the bible is the year of Jubilee, completion, the year debts are forgiven. What if Jesus is saying I want you to forgive until it is complete in you. That you are totally completely forgiving and at peace. Not that what was done to you was right, but you deserve to live free, at peace, complete. Completely at peace with them.

Not a multiplication problem, but a numbers game if you will. Forgive until your heart is totally in jubilee, until the forgiveness is complete and you can look at that person and feel nothing but peace, compassion and completeness.

So, is it possible Jesus is saying, forgive until it has been completed in your heart and that my peace completes you.  That forgiveness has been completed in me.

How many times? until it is complete.

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Peace isn’t listed.

02 Wednesday Aug 2017

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Did you ever get stuck on a word? Like an easy word that is common to us and we use it all the time? We even quote it like a band-aid, but what does it really mean.

I have been studying the book of Ephesians for a beautiful group of women that I am teaching, and I came to the word peace. Verse 1, Grace and Peace to you. How many times do we say “I’m praying for peace, or I need peace”. As I read and stopped, I asked, what really is peace? How do you describe it?

I was able to easily look it up in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, and in my Keyword Study Bible:

1515 eirḗnē (from eirō, “to join, tie together into a whole“) – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace(God’s gift of wholeness).

Thayer’s Greek Definitions defines peace as: exemption from the rage and havoc of war

Holman Bible Dictionary defines peace as reconciliation with God and salvation in the fullest sense.

So when we are saying or asking for peace, we are saying or praying God’s wholeness. Doesn’t this put peace in a whole new level for you? It isn’t about a warm feeling or being happy all the time. It is about wholeness. Peace to you is reconciliation with God to you, and stop warring within.

Wouldn’t you like to have the war within you to stop?

Paul was praying for the church in Ephesus to be in God’s wholeness. To hae the fullest sense of salvation! What a great prayer we can be praying for our family, spouses, leaders. etc.

But it made me think and ask, what does it mean in English?

I looked it up in my new favorite book: A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. But on page 336 where the word should be defined, it says – Peace: see Pact.

The word peace isn’t in our English Language. Let that sink in for a bit.

Peace began with God, not in our English Language.

So we had to find a word that meant similar; Pact.

Guess what the word “Pact” is defined as?

It has Latin origin meaning a contract. an agreement, to agree, to fasten, fix; to bind

Hold it! Did you see that?

Let it sink deep into your spirit and heart.

When Jesus is telling us “My peace I give to you”, He is saying “I am making a contract and binding my “peace”, my wholeness, my completeness, my salvation in the fullest sense to you. My reconciliation with My Father to you. Peace.

My prayer for you today is that you experience His wholeness, completeness, that you feel the binding, the fastening of His salvation to you.

how-bad-do-you-want-it_pic5_jam_4.14.16

 

 

 

unglued.

13 Thursday Jul 2017

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Have you ever felt like you are coming unglued? unhinged? In other words, becoming broken. Again. I use the word unglued because God has glued my brokenness many, many times, but for some reason it feels like maybe the glue isn’t holding.

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Now I know that sounds bad. Like what God has fixed isn’t holding. But in truth, God fixes and it is finished. Unless.

Unless we begin to pick at the glue.

The enemy is such a sly little bugger that before you know it, your glue starts to lose its effectiveness and you feel the effects.

Jennie Allen in her latest books Nothing to Prove talks about “If I were the enemy, I would” and then she list many things. Good things, but things that slowly over time cause us to feel unloved, alone or distract you with good things, social media or even ministry.

Then little by little you begin to feel and long for the times when you felt accepted, important or loved. Every photo that pops up on your feed causes you pain and confirms that “they like them more than you”, or “you will never be as good as her”, or “you have nothing to say”

A piece of glue begins to peel away leaving an exposed crack.

The enemy is very good at seeing that peel and he begins to rip away at it.

And we let him.

He is such a jerk!

But this is me.

Over time when we neglect any relationship, it will go away.  I remember an old poster in the dentist office “ignore your teeth and they will go away”.  It’s the same for our relationship with people, family and most importantly God.

When we try to keep the glue holding by ourselves and not allow our relationship to turn the glue into a sold adhesive that will never crumble, we begin to feel the same issues that cracked us in the first place.

It’s always hard to admit or to even realize that it all comes down to “In the beginning God…”. God spoke and it was finished. God breathed and it was created. God fixed His gaze on you and said I will complete what I started in you. But we have to let him. We have to take our vessel and all its cracks and broken pieces and let Him glue us.

How? The only way I know to have relationship is to be with someone. We have to be with God. Intentionally spending time with Him so he can reveal and heal at the same time.

How? Being honest. Admitting that we are lonely or we have used Facebook as our God.

We find time for everything else that is important to us, but we neglect the One that is omnipresent in us. Who alone can only heal and bring wholeness to us.

For most of us, it isn’t even a sin issue that causes the glue to dry and peel. It’s those little distractions that the enemy tricks us into believing so easily, and we convince ourselves and others that we are fine. Nothing is wrong. We are just fine. But we aren’t. Deep inside we are hurting.

Today I feel a little unglued.

But I know who holds the bottle of glue.

 

 

 

Impossible Possible Peace

07 Friday Jul 2017

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If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. This is the words of Paul in Romans 12:18.

Sometimes  it feels that it isn’t possible doesn’t it?

It feels impossible. If it says, “IF possible”, that to me is saying that it can also be impossible.

Before you begin getting mad at me, be at peace and let me finish.

I have learned this the hard way, that the next part of the verse it critical to my understanding of possible.

“As it depends on you”.

It is up to me, the possible it up to me, to live at peace.

There are times (and I have experienced them) that we try to make peace happen with someone, and it doesn’t seem like there is peace in the relationship. Why? Because relationships are hard, messy and very risky. And sometimes there are seasons and friendships come to an end of the season, or the break is too wide to mend.

Sometimes reconciliation looks like a separation, or a ‘break in the relationship’.

But, in the midst of this, you can be at peace.

How? How is it possible to “be at peace” when it looks like there is no peace?

Being a Pastor and a ministry leader, I have learned this the hard way. I thought to be at peace meant I had to jump through hoops to make the other person like me.

Almost like I was (or did) try with all my strength to get them to approve me, approval meant peace. Or to get them to like me, as if that would give me peace. I was in a constant state of rejection because of this. It was killing me, and those around me because I was never really at peace. Within myself or with anyone.

So I started to really look at the verse, and focused on the next words; as far as it depends on me.

A new revelation began to take shape.

I can be at peace with someone, even if they are mad at me, or there is a break in relationship. As much as it depends on me, I can be at peace.  How? because my peace comes from God. Our peace comes directly from God, and that depends on me.

The word peace in the Strong’s Concordance is the word Shalom and NAS Extensive Concordance means: completeness, soundness, welfare, ease, peace.  In the Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language the word peace is described as a pact.

If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at ease, at soundness, live in completeness with everyone.

I can be complete only because my wort, value, approval and identity come from God. I don’t have to chase people and force relationship or force peace to happen.

I have learned that when I am at peace, “complete in Him”, He brings peace to the relationship.

There will be people who have no idea they hurt you, or even care that they hurt you, but you can live in a place of peace, because of  the One who is your peace.

It is possible to do the impossible and live at peace with everyone, because my peace doesn’t rely on them.

Jesus tells us in  John 14:27 “My peace I give to you”. He is telling us that He gives us our completeness, our soundness, our ease, our peace. He give us this pact – that He becomes our peace.   In one of my situations, talking and reconciling is not possible, but I am at peace. I know that my peace comes from God and I can extend that peace into the situation, not of my strength, but by depending on the One who is my peace.

“As far as it depends on you”, you can be at peace. The impossible is now possible.

 

 

 

 

 

STumbLing

30 Friday Jun 2017

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First, my apologies for not writing much lately. I have been in a season of rest and restore. Spending time with my new little love Owen Davis. My first grandchild! And I have just been contemplating the Love of God in my life, nature and through the Word.   It was much-needed and I feel a sense of peace that I have never felt before.

I have been reading Romans this summer. Really reading and letting it sink in deep to my heart. But I’m stuck on Romans 9:32b

They stumbled over the stumbling stone. (NIV)

I think I have stumbled,  or am stumbling.

How many have stumbled over God? Over Jesus?

Because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their “God projects” that they didn’t notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road. And so they stumbled into him and went sprawling. (MSG)

 

How many times are we going to go sprawling, tripping over Jesus to do good projects?

Look at these definitions of Stumbling:

Verb (used without object), stumbled, stumbling.
1.to strike the foot against something, as in walking or running, so as to stagger or fall; trip.
2. to walk or go unsteadily: to stumble down a dark passage.

3. to make a slip, mistake, or blunder, especially a sinful one:

to stumble over a question; to stumble and fall from grace.
4. to proceed in a hesitating or blundering manner, as in action or speech(often followed by along).

5. to discover or meet with accidentally or unexpectedly (usually followed by on, upon, or across):

They stumbled on a little village.
6. to falter or hesitate, as at an obstacle to progress or belief.
verb (used with object), stumbled, stumbling.
7. to cause to stumble; trip.

8. to give pause to; puzzle or perplex.

Noun:
9. the act of stumbling.
10. a moral lapse or error.
11. a slip or blunder.

Now,  read them again and use the verse and think of Jesus.

They (we) struck our foot against something, in our efforts to do something, we proceeded in a blundering manner.  stumbling-block

How often have we not looked to or at Jesus, stumbling over our own projects, ideas or thoughts?

Maybe it is just me. But I don’t want to be so busy or focused on doing, that I literally stumble over the One I think I am doing something for.

Maybe we need, or I need to slow down enough to see what Jesus IS doing and join Him there, not look for what He HAS done and try to repeat it.

Maybe we need to spend more time with Him as our Cornerstone, so that we don’t stumble over Him in our hurry to be famous.

Maybe we just need to stumble into Him and not over Him.

Today, I am stumbling.

Take & Eat

04 Friday Nov 2016

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I am learning to be thankful.

To give thanks and offer thanks. It seems it is a lost art in our culture, especially with our political world and an election on the horizon.

Just a simple thank you.

But let’s go a little deeper.

When was the last time you just thanked God for being God. Not for what He does for you, or did or is doing. But just thanking him for being Him.

I have been doing this great praying and writing the scriptures of Thanksgiving that my friend Candance at http://www.mercyisnew.com compiled. I am writing, praying then actually digging into the original Greek or Hebrew of words in the scripture.

Today, was Matthew 26:26. “And as they were eating Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said “take, eat, this is my body”

We normally take this verse as part of our communion, where we drink the ‘blood’ and eat the ‘body’ of Christ.

But I think this was to be a daily time of thanksgiving and remembrance, not just an Easter or Christmas thing we do.

The word body in the text is the word Soma (so-mah). It means as a sound whole, substance, different from flesh, but soul or spirit, the whole man.

So think of this as you daily ask – to take and eat the entireness of Jesus, (not his flesh) but his spirit, his soul, the wholeness of him.

It really puts our thankfulness in a different place since now we aren’t asking for the bread as in the flesh (which really has been hard to understand or explain right?), but for the entireness of Jesus to be what we partake of.

God, as I take this bread (the word) that you have given me, I ask that you bless it with all that you are, and want for me, I take and eat of your wholeness, your substance, soul, spirit, I take and eat of your whole being, so that I can in turn offer thanks to you, because you are God.

 

One Day Legacy | Song of Solomon

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

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I am so excited to share with you the first book in the One Day Legacy series!

Song of Solomon!

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My passion is to help people learn to love and pray the Word, and begin to seek God first. God showed me that what I read in the bible is prayer.  So I wrote a little bible reading journal to help you discover and journey like I did. Document your spiritual journey as you learn about our Father God, His Son and The Holy Spirit.

Reading the bible is like reading a relationship in prayer with our Father. But let’s face it we all struggle to find time to read or keep up with journaling and praying. Where do we start? How do we enter into a praying life with the Word? So, I wrote combining study and reading of the word with personal journal reflections as prayer, using the acrostic P.R.A.Y. It’s called One Day Legacy, because each day we are creating a legacy for ourselves and for others. My prayer is Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…(Colossians 3:16)

This book has been on my heart for quite some time, and Song of Solomon is one of my life’s teachings that I share often.  I really pray that as you read, write and pray through the books of the bible that your relationship with God and His Word deepens.

 

You can purchase at:

 

 

 

Something has to change….

24 Sunday Jul 2016

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something has to changeSomething has to change.

I think we can all agree that something has to change. We can’t live any longer the way things have been going. Something has to change.

I, with all conviction of the Holy Spirit and God my Father, believe what needs to change is me. You. Us.

There is something to the fact that my husband and I are pastors, lead a 24/7 prayer ministry called City Gate, and oversee several other ministries, and then God telling you, something has to change. This isn’t a sin issue that needs addressing. I promise there isn’t sin in the camp. But there is a tension. A holy pulling or tugging, that started at the beginning of 2016.

So I did what everyone else probably does, and thought about it. Then pretty much ignored it. But the tension in my spirit kept growing to the point that I could barely function in my roles because I felt like such a fraud and failure. Again, please hear me! This isn’t a sin issue. It became a Son issue.

I surrendered.

For those who know me, I am an avid reader. Books, the Bible, commentaries, stories, it really doesn’t matter. The best gift in the world to me is an amazon gift card. God usually uses books and specific authors who I trust and value to mentor me. So it wasn’t by chance that the books I was planning to read in July were all different titles, but the same message.

Something has to change.

Seriously, I started with “Operating in the Courts of Heaven” by Robert Henderson and it confirmed how prayer needs to change.

I read “Rooted” by Banning Leibscher and again, we need to go back to our original root system of living in the secret place, prayer and intimacy with God. Change is needed in our approach of life to be rooted in Christ.

Then I read “The Intercessors Handbook” by Jennifer Eivaz and it just confirmed what the other books I read were telling me. Change is needed.

“Angel Armies” by Tim Sheets. I thought this was going to give me a break in my reading about something new. But no. Change is needed. Movement it needed. We can want all the change in the world, but if we don’t move, nothing happens. Something new is needed. And Change is needed to move.

Finally “The Jesus Fast” By Lou Engle & Dean Briggs, put the seal on the change.

I knew God was telling me for quite some time that “This doesn’t happen but by prayer and fasting”. Lou’s book, along with several others just confirmed to my spirit, that the change that is needed, is us changing.

In order to do what Jesus did, we have to do what Jesus did.

If we do not do what Jesus did, then we wont’ do what Jesus did.

We will have lots of meetings and events, hype and great worship. But no change.

The change is personal in that is has to be me and you making the change.

Something has to change if we want to see Thy Kingdom Come.

Acts 2 happened and the world as they knew it began to change, but they had to start in Acts 1.

What did they do?

Prayed. Fasted.

What happened?

The Holy Spirit happened.

When I say we need to change in our prayers, I am suggesting that we begin to pray what God already told us to pray – His Word.

When I say we need to fast, it isn’t to get something, it’s to give something. Our time. We need to change how we spend our time.

For so many, and for so long, we think that if we attend a big event with big names, then we have done our part. But we come home and are the same on Monday.

Something has to change.

God is pulling us in a new (yet ancient) direction. A new movement, a change. And for any movement to work, it takes movement.

What are we willing to change in our life, our structure, our agenda to allow God to move?

The something that needs to change is us. If what we are doing is working so great why are we still so thirsty?

Here is my suggestion. Get in the Word. Read your bible like you read Facebook. Spend as much time in the Word as you do Sports Illustrated. Pray prayers from the Word like Ephesians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians. Fast.  Give up one meal a day, and spend it reading and praying. Give up something that you love to show you love God more.

We cannot keep doing the same things we are doing and expect a new thing to happen.

Something has to change.

Are you with me?