Happy New Year!

So what do you think of scripture memorization? Mike thinks Baptists tend to over-emphasize scripture memorization for the sake of "works". Mainly that it's something people do for points and is therefore, legalistic and overbearing. Easy for him to say - He lives in the Bible and just speaks in verses that he's "memorized" without even trying.

I do see his point though. Memorizing scripture for the purpose of feathering your cap is not fruitful, but worthless. Spouting out memory verses to impress people with your knowledge or shame them with their ignorance - also not cool. But focusing on God's Word, internalizing it, holding it in your heart - what untold blessings can come from that?

I bring this up because I'm starting a year long scripture memory effort. Beth Moore is doing something through her blog (Siesta Scripture Memory Team) to encourage people to memorize scripture and help with accountability. Basically the idea is to memorize two verses a month. She uses her blog to have people sign in and log their new verse every couple of weeks. I did this a couple of years ago and didn't get but about halfway through the year before I bailed. Ack! Anyway, I'm also big on FREEDOM and not getting hung up on the rules, so I cut myself lots of slack over things like this. But this time, maybe I'll make it all the way through.

So everyone picks their own verses because they have to mean something to you and your particular situation at the moment or they don't matter. I may use my blog to explore my verse of the day (or week or part month or whatever). Or I may not - who knows what I will do?

However, here's my first verse of the year:

"But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere." - James 3:17 (NLT)

It's kind of long but sets the tone I'm wanting to maintain for the year - seeking God's wisdom and not getting hung up on other people's business. At least that's what I get from this verse. Maybe as I meditate on these words for the next couple of weeks, I'll get more.

Happy New Year!

New Revelation Perspective

I love when someone shows me something from a different perspective; seeing with new eyes. It's a wow moment.

For example, as we studied Revelation, still in chapter 1, Beth was focusing us in on John's description of Christ in verses 12 - 16. It's a very descriptive paragraph, and we went through most of it in detail. But what really got me was the part in vs. 16, "...and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth." I mean, really, what is up with that? It is so weird that I have always shut that out and moved on when I read it. I can't even visualize what he's saying.

So Beth didn't blow past it. What does it mean "two-edged sword"? OK, so I've heard that phrase before somewhere else. It's Hebrews 4:12 - "The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword." So it seems this is not a difficult concept at all. What comes from his mouth? A sharp two-edged sword aka the word of God. Well, duh!

Then I was thinking there's somewhere else where the word of God is described as a sword. I found it in Ephesians 6:17 where Paul is talking about putting on the whole armor of God. He says "take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

What better weapon for Christ to wield than the word of God? At God's word, the universe came into being, so I'm pretty sure that Christ doesn't need anything more than God's word against the enemy.

Anyway, I thought that was cool.

Slow Revelation

Tuesday night was the last session of Beth Moore's Fall Bible Study. I was pretty good at getting to the study every week. I think I only missed one week when I was working. The study was on Revelation. And, in a nutshell, it was awesome. If you get a chance to do it (it will be released the first of the year as "Here and Now, There and Then"), I highly recommend it.

I've listened to some sermons on end times; I've read the "Left Behind" series; I've watched "The Hal Lindsey Report"; and I've read Revelation several times. Mostly I'm a "pan"-theist; I believe it will all pan out in the end. It's fascinating how many different interpretations there are out there. But it is definitely intriguing material.

Beth decided to stick to her 11-week structure which meant we really didn't do detailed and in-depth, more of an overview. But I have to admit, this was my first time through the book where my eyes didn't roll back in my head about halfway in. And as intense as it got, Beth is great at getting in those "lighter" moments. She even worked in some good stories about her grandkids and her dogs, if you can believe it. And she was adamant about letting us know that she was sharing several views and interpretations without saying any were right or wrong (though, she does say toward which ones she leans). So I really feel much more knowledgeable about the subject without really having any clearer idea about what is coming!

One of the highlights for me was on the first day. I've always struggled with why we take the Bible completely literally (which I do), except for Revelation. So, she read from the NKJV that says in Revelation 1:1; And He [Jesus] sent and signified if by His angel to His servant John...
So apparently the actual word for "signified" in the Greek is "semaino" which "carries the idea of figurative representation. Strictly speaking, it means to make known by some kind of sign." The reason we read into Revelation all these signs and symbols is that it says from the very start that that is the intent. Neat, huh?

Anyway, I'm still digesting the whole thing. And I've about got a hold on Session 1. I'll probably write more after I let it mull around in my head for a while. We'll see. Good times.

What Happened?

Where did August go?

Well, regardless, it is gone! So, happy September! I always have thought of September as the beginning of autumn. But around here? Not so much. Maybe October.

The good news is it's the start of football! Today, the first season game - Titans at Pittsburgh. And finally, after a half hour waste of television time with some weird musical tribute to the NFL, we have reached game time. I am a resolute non-Steeler fan. And I'm fond of the Titans, inasmuch as they once were the Oilers. So, bring it on!

I don't actually have any fantasy players in tonight's game. I benched Chris Johnson in favor of Ray Rice for the weekend, so I just get to watch "for fun". My first opponent is my brother, and he has a couple players in tonight, but I'm not really worried. :)

Other good news about September is it's time for a new fall Bible study with Beth Moore. This study is on Revelation, and it's going to be a wild ride. I'm excited. We've also started some new things at our church that I'll probably go into more at another time.

Oh, did you know that "apocalypsis" is Greek for "unveiling, uncovering, disclosing" - in other words - "revelation"? It really has no negative connotation at all. It does not mean anything like "devastating end-of-the-world disaster". Hmm.

Skewered Again

Wow, Beth Moore sure can inspire some good old-fashioned conviction. So this week it was "Do you believe, really deep down, that God is a giver or a taker?" OK, so we all know that the right answer is "Giver". But I know, for me, I really have a hard time believing that "deep down." Honestly, as we struggle and pray and seek to live every day more and more for Him and less for us, I often find myself holding back, afraid to take that next step, wondering what He's going to take next? How much is it going to hurt? In my head I know God is a giver - it's His very nature. So where does this come from? Miz Beth nails it again - Satan! What was the very first thing he used to cause Eve to stumble? Satan told her that God was holding out on her; that God didn't want her to have the best. And she bought it! And I'm still buying it! Dang! I just have to say, that sucks! Now, where do I go from here? So I recognize the problem, can I get over it? I sure hope so.

It's neat to see the Bible application, too, of course. What we're looking at is the story of Abraham (that's where all the inheritance talk starts in the scriptures) and we read about Isaac. God told Abraham to take his son, his only son, the one whom he loves, Isaac, up the mountain, and to sacrifice him to God. So Abraham does - except that God stops him right at the last minute and provides a ram for the sacrifice instead. But Abraham believed God when He told him that he would have many descendants through Isaac. So Abraham also believes that if God wants Isaac to be sacrificed, God must be planning to raise him from the dead. Now that's some faith! All of this is a foretelling of the Gospel, as well.

Anyway, even though we see God "take" sometimes (like with Job), God always gives back a thousandfold (like with Job). So yes, God gives and God takes away AND God gives back again. Nope - it's never boring.

Tuesday night Bible study

I'm attending another Living Proof Bible Study with Beth Moore at First Baptist Church. Once again it's overwhelming to be in a study with near to 4000 people, but at the same time it's fascinating to see so many hungry for God's Word. The topic is "The Inheritance" - which is an expansion of her message at the Living Proof Live event which I went to in San Antonio last summer. I really got a lot out of that weekend, so I'm excited to get a more in depth look at what she was talking about back then.

My Killeen ladies where not there for week one. I met them at the first Bible Study I went to (Esther) and they were there in San Antonio, as well. It was fun to have buddies. Of course, I went to the first Bible Study by myself (and then met my new friends there), so why does it seem daunting to go by myself this time?

Anyway, week one was great, as expected. Favorite declaration from week one - "If you're bored or boring, you aren't in the will of God."

LPL Report

We got back last night from San Antonio. I attended a Living Proof Live event led by Beth Moore. It's hard to explain what this is - kind of a rally - but more like a Christian retreat. It's an in-depth Bible study crammed into two days. If you look past the 10,000 attendees and the rockin' worship music (although that really sets the mood), it's just a sitdown study with Beth.

The topic was "Inheritance". And we looked at God's promises from Old Covenant to New that reference an inheritance. It's a real big deal - God promises not some kind of ethereal, spiritual eternal existence, but a real tangible physical life that we will live with him and others in a real physical kingdom with real property and real relationships. As Christians, we are co-heirs with Christ. True story! We are heirs of God. So, back and forth we went from scripture to scripture seeing what God had revealed for Beth to teach us. It was awesome.

Afterward, I got to go with 1000 of my closest friends to an area backstage to rub elbows with other readers of Beth's blog and attend a Q&A with Beth and her daughters. It was really neat. I also hooked up with my friends Phyllis and Carolyn with whom I sat for the Fall Bible Study I did at First Baptist. It was nice to see them and catch up a little bit.

While I was at LPL, Mike was taking in the sites - his first trip to San Antonio. He spent a good five hours walking around the river walk (dining and drinking coffee and checking out the shops). We met up Saturday afternoon to take a river tour. It was really fun. Mike wants to be a river boat tour guide when he grows up. We had a great dinner on the river and got back to the hotel in time to watch a movie on the Hallmark Channel (we've been without cable since we got to Texas). Sunday, our plan to go to Six Flags was nixed because we were just too tired. So we took the long way home through Fredericksburg and Austin and called it good.

Done!

I actually finished the entire Bible study I was doing this summer ("No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter)! It's not that I usually quit, I just get distracted (yeah, that's it!). Or I find myself just going through the thing to get to the end without getting anything out of it. But not this time! This time I was diligent, thoughtful, intentional -- and it wasn't easy. I got behind a couple of times, but managed to pull back. I highly recommend this study, but I have to say there was a lot it showed me that I didn't like.

What made it the most fun, and what really kept me going, is that I did it with a group online. Being a follower of Beth Moore's blog, I signed up for doing this study via the web. Every other week Beth would post a video, encouraging us along and throwing out discussion questions from the book (some people actually met together). Then we could post our comments after we'd met (although there were a great many people like me who went single). There were literally hundreds of us doing this study together. It was way cool. Today, the writer of the study posted a message on Beth's blog and it was cool to read her encouragement and some "after the book" revelations. This was such a strange and wonderful way to encounter God and learn about myself. I thought it was weird at first, but it really seemed to work. It was accountability without the legalism.

Anyway, this weekend is the Living Proof Live event that I get to go to in San Antonio. And as a bonus afterward, Beth Moore and her daughters have coordinated a little get together for people who are readers of her blog. So we get to meet each other and hang out for a bit. I'm really looking forward to the whole weekend. And Mike is going with me to SA (not to LPL, he'll hang out at the River Walk or the Alamo during the conference). We will get to spend a good amount of time together still. I'm so excited!

Living Proof Live in San Antonio

I just wanted to gush a little bit because I am getting to go to the Living Proof Live event in August! It's not that the tickets are hugely expensive, but we are really counting our pennies, and some of the little extras are having to be passed on. Anyway, I'm an avid reader of the Living Proof Ministries Blog. One day Amanda was writing about the event coming in San Antonio where they are holding a get-together afterward with people who read the blog. She mentioned that someone had an extra ticket. I responded, and she's giving it to me! (I almost missed it because her email telling me I could have the ticket got sent to my junk mail ARRGH!) I can't believe it! I'm so excited. And I'll be able to go to the get-together, too (or the Siesta Fiesta, as they call it)!

I still have to find a way to get there and a place to stay, but I think I know a couple of ladies who are going, so I may be able to bunk with them. Who knows how it will all work out, but I'm thrilled!

Anybody else want to go?

Waiting Gives You Time to Count Your Blessings

Now that we've officially been here a couple of months, I must admit that the shine is starting to wear thin. The heat and humidity is no longer "a nice change"; the long drive to everything is no longer "an adventure"; and the time spent with my brother and his kids is not so "precious" anymore. I have not landed that perfect job and we're starting to get a little nervous about our finances. God has us in a holding pattern, and nobody likes to sit still for this long.

And yet, while we're cooling our heels, we've had some time to remember all that He has done and how He's working through this and blessing us immensely.
1. We've joined a fantastic church - http://www.fotw.org
2. Our apartment has a great layout to accomodate Mike's ministry - http://www.actofgraceradio.net
3. Whataburger
4. Every other restaurant is a Mexican place!
5. We've already had opportunity to hear in-person some great Christian speakers - Nick Vujicic, Dr. Charles Lowery, Anne Graham-Lotz, Beth Moore (I'm actually attending her Bible study led by her - unbelievable!), and in a couple of weeks - Lee Strobel! (These have all been free events to boot!)
6. Getting to participate in my brother's 40th birthday party (and taking him to lunch on the big day).

Actually, the list is much longer, but it just starts to sound like bragging, so I'll cut it off here. And although we cannot deny our anxiety, we do know without a doubt that God's got some cool stuff ahead for us. Please pray for our sanity, as always.