My Church Face

I receive a daily e-newsletter from Daughters of Promise...here's today's.  Interesting topic...the face we wear to church.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Romans 12:9
Our God is an awesome God...yet I continue to be amazed at how He ties all the pieces I am reading together...all written at different times by different people in different situations: my daily Bible readings, my Sunday school lessons and the curriculum for our discipleship training class, our Made to Crave study on Wednesday evenings, Journey:  A Woman's Guide to Intimacy with God (a monthly mini-magazine, compliments of our church), such newsletters as the one above.

When the Lord wants us to learn a lesson, He certainly can immerse in just the right places in His Word.

Last night, our church had a "discussion," and I was so proud of all the sides that came together in just the right spirit.  As with any division, there are usually three sides:  right and left...and those in the middle who just did not realize that a division was occurring.  Everyone that wanted to speak spoke, and two sides left chatting.

I like to believe that others in my church are immersing themselves in God's Word, and because of that, His Spirit hovered there with us, for "real" church faces were present there...during and afterwards.  May we continue to stay close to His leading.

I encourage you to take some time to immerse yourself in various Godly readings and see if God just might have an answer, a leading there for you.  He does work in all kinds of ways His wonders to perform...

One by One

Last night as I prepared for class church, I was just a bit disappointed at the number in attendance.  With five minutes until starting time, only five people sat, waiting, chatting.    Please do not get me wrong...I firmly believe that where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is with us (Matthew 18:20).  Truly, it is not about the number but about the Holy Spirit that is there.  But still...we usually average 15 or so.

Then, they began to arrive.  One. Two. Three at at time.  My last count = 23.  (Plus, we were missing several that are normally there.)  I wish you could have been there!  Some of my final words:  "I so love this sweet spirit I feel here.  I sure hope you can feel it, too."  From their expressions, they were feeling it, too! The Lord met us during our concluding study on the three of the ancient disciplines in the Bible:  meditating, fasting, and having quiet time.  Blessed we were.  Blessed we are.

I shared earlier that our theme song for this unit has been Casting Crown's song "Spirit Wind," and that as the song encourages, God is raising an army in our church.  I believe it...and I plan to testify about it right here...so please keeping visiting me as I share our growth.

These past two months have been about each member and God...getting closer, being selfish.  Now, we begin a study of The Controversial Jesus.  As I shared with the group last night, the Lord has a plan, I believe, to activate.  This may have already started...for before our class, several gathered to write notes to church members who need to hear from us.  Seven ladies doing a work for the Lord...with such a sweet, sweet spirit.

God is good...all the time, and all the time, God is good.  How is God blessing you?  Please leave a comment.  I would so appreciate hearing your testimonies!

Craving Fish Oil?

Our weekly study and previewing of the Made to Crave video series continued last Wednesday night (just had short thirty minute meetings due to business meeting and WMU nights).  One focused discussion on the video was the very many benefits of fish oil.

As I prepared the night before for this class, I became motivated...so the next morning following breakfast, I swallowed two vitamins and a fish oil capsule.  Ugh...yes, that's right...ugh!  Within an hour, I was so nauseated!  Thanks to the input from a student-teacher observer in my classroom, I soon learned that fish oil pills should be taken at night, for the often cause indigestion.  Oh, my! 


Learned a few lessons:

 

1. One cannot get fit in three pills. I was disgustingly reminded how quickly medicine can also make me sick!  Double ugh!
2. Moderation is the key.  Steady is the pace.
3. I wish I had this same "get-it-done-right-now" attitude in all areas of my life.  (Yes, that includes dusting that furniture that this morning's sunlight is proudly displaying!  Praying, meditating on the Lord...in so many areas!)

Now, unfortunately, I have still have yet to recover from my day spent with the Fish Oil Capsule and have yet to take another one.  Tonight, I will.  I think I can.  I think I can...for the benefits of this supplement are tremendous (my husband does not like fish; therefore, I will never cook enough to not need this supplement.)

The oil in certain kinds of fish is highly enriched with cardio-protective and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.  This is one instance when consuming large amounts of fat is equated to dramatic benefits in health.

Unless you're going to eat a serving of oily fish every day, or a lot of oily fish every other day, you probably need a supplement.   It's very difficult to eat a Western diet - like we have in North America - and get enough omega-3s from food alone.

If every American consumed sufficient omega-3s, the research indicates we would cut the rate of cardiovascular disease by about 40%.

I want to be a part of that 40%!  Heart disease is so prevalent in my family.  This is definitely one of the messages that God wants me to take from this week's study.  Take fish oil; just remember, though, that all things good for me are not always pleasant to the spiritual palette.

Staying healthy, getting healthy, maintaining a healthy state of being takes work and a committed frame of mind, just as staying spiritually healthy also demands such stamina.  Reading the Bible.  Praying.  Listening to the Lord.

The scripture from this week's book study of Made to Crave (chapter 9, page 91, "But Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry") comes from 1 Corinthians 6:19:  "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body."

Oh, my!  Much too often I do not measure up to this ideal, this expectation, this request.  My body...Tammy's body...is a temple of the Holy Spirit.  I am blessed that God placed this study of Made to Crave in my life, for it has been much too long since I meditated on what a "temple of the Holy Spirit" means to me, what it means to this physical body of mine.  This humbles me, to that state of being where I should always stay.

If fish oil helps me take care of this temple, then I will take it...at night, though!

I encourage you to roam around Lysa TerKeurst's website, watch her video clips.  You will be blessed...and inspired.

The Walk Continues

With the encouragement of the hubby, I am again walking the walk...down the drive, up a very steep hill, and down the road and back.  We both need this for the cardio, our health.  This evening for the first time, I finally began to enjoy this endeavor to exercise.  I just do not enjoy sweating, pushing muscles to their max.  Yes, I would rather be blogging, reading!

As I type this, though, I am reminding myself of the another reason I began this walk (thus, this blog) last summer...to pray, to meditate, to have time with my Lord.  Even though I am walking with the hubby, time still abounds for that...during all that time when I am breathing, quite quickly breathing.  I am amazed at how many people, homes, families that God has placed right here on this walk...just for me to pray for!

I encourage you...yes, YOU...to walk and pray.  The Lord will place those who need your prayers in your walk. Try it out!

Concerning another walk...

I am attempting to read the Bible through this year (three days behind...my mother eased into Heaven last week...just got behind during her final days and the following few days).

As I read this year, I am praying, asking the Lord to speak to me directly through His word.  What is it that I need to internalize for myself?

• I appreciate Joseph's 20/20 vision when he can honestly, spiritually say to his brothers when he reveals his true identity to them:  "And now, do not  be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you...So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God." - Genesis 45:5, 8
• Now, let's slow these events down...into slow-motion:  Joseph probably did not have this perfect vision, this perfect understanding of God's will while in the cistern, when sold for twenty shekels, then sold to Potiphar, when falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, then later when he spent years in jail...all that time without his family.  I suspect he had many "human" days, don't you?  Yet the revelation came.  All this happened because God allowed it to happen so that Joseph would be in just the right place, so that Joseph would be placed in charge of Egypt to save all these people during the years of famine to come.
• Personal Insight:  When things do not go the way  I want them to (all those unanswered prayers...), yes, that is God saying, "Tammy, all these circumstances are not the fault of you or others.  I am delaying because the time is not right."  
• That's right, I should not get mad or disappointed in others or discouraged, mad, sad, depressed with myself when my career does not progress as I had planned and worked so hard to obtain.  God has a plan.
• I also appreciate Moses' faith and his continued verbal support of the children of Israel when they were terrified as Pharaoh and Egyptians gained on them.  Listen to these words:  "The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still." - Exodus 14:14.
• Beautiful words...especially the first part. "The Lord will fight for you." They had just witnessed all the plagues that God brought upon Pharaoh and his people.
• Hard-to-accomplish words...the last part.  "...you need only be still."  The enemy was coming!
• Personal Insight:  Being still is soooo hard, especially for a hard-headed, very verbal red-head (myself!).  That lesson took me nearly six years to learn!  I really thought I was more intelligent than that, but obviously not.  This year, I am trying to sit still.  I still fail at this, but I am trying.

I encourage you to take this walk also...read your Bible and ask the Lord to speak to you through His own words.  Get ready to listen...the Lord is ready to speak.

__________________________

BTW:  Richard Paul Evan's next installment in his The Walk series (The Walk, Miles to Go, and now The Road to Grace) will be released on May 8, 2012.  Awesome series...awesome!    Get started!  You have three months to read the first two novels...you will be blessed!

Made to Crave...and Crave

Tomorrow evening, a group of ladies and I are beginning a new journey entitled Made to Crave.

I really did not intend to begin anything else (I am really trying to have more Tammy Time).  Anyway, I mentioned it at church because I had just read in the Made to Crave book (that I purchased a year ago...yes, a year ago!) that having friends take the journey is such a rewarding experience. AND...they began to commit.  

Then, Mrs. Dawn and I began to chat. You see...Mrs. Dawn inspires us all!  She lost weight last year and looks absolutely wonderful.  When I asked if she would assist or lead, she said yes!  

I have been attempting to cut back since New Year's...and the cravings are horrible.  Yuck!  Tomorrow is Wednesday, though.  The first day I "have" to weigh in.  So the journey truly begins.

This journey differs, though, from the many previous times I have attempted this journey.  This one is Bible-based, sister-led, and God-inspired.  Please check out Lysa Terkeurst's website and consider learning to crave God instead of food.

Yes, that salad and orange I had for dinner, without the piece of German-chocolate cake, filled me up just fine!

A Fresh Start

Last night, I led the first session in our new Discipleship Training study...oh, my!  I was so blessed!  I felt led to choose Kerry Shook's study Fresh:  Reviving Stale Faith (part of Lifeway's Platform series),which focuses on old spiritual disciplines (meditation, fasting, and silence) to create a revived, newer faith.  Truly amazing!  One of the ladies later sent me a text and said, "It was exhilarating!" and my pastor text today and asked what I thought about having a huge banner made, entitled "Fresh Start in 2012"...absolutely!

For our theme song, I chose...no, the song chose me..."Spirit Wind" by Casting Crowns.  So powerful!  So timely!  The song centers on Ezekiel and the Valley of the Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37: 1-14).  The song is on their new CD Come to the Well (I also ordered lead singer Mark Hall's book The Well:  Why Are So Many Still Thirsty?).  Ever hear a song. and you just have to hear it again...and again...and again? That was what "Spirit Wind" did for/to me.  Again, so powerful!

I have finally found my niche at church.  Over the years, I have taught/led, as the need arose, several children's programs (CIA, AWANA) and two tours of duty with the youth.  There, for a while, I felt my "gift" or calling was to fill in wherever needed. Never, though, did I feel this excitement, this anticipation about teaching/leading at church.  I love it!  The reality?  I am being so much more blessed than the attendees are!

I also shared Made to Crave with the ladies, and we will now be meeting on Wednesday evenings to take off the pounds as we lean on the Lord for strength and cravings in this area of our lives.  I did not want to stretch myself too far (I also teach high school English, have a family, and...well, you know, life!), but then I read the next chapter in the book, and Lysa TerKeurst encouraged finding a friend(s) with whom to share the experience. So I said, "Okay, God, I will put the word out.  If they come, it's your will. From the responses yesterday, several of the ladies will be joining me on this journey, also!

As I have meditated on the above, I believe the Lord is leading me to assist in two other areas in our church, as well...

1. A ladies' retreat:  This retreat will focus on the relationship between Naomi and Ruth and the new song by Nichole Nordeman and Amy Grant "I'm with You" from the album Music Inspired by the Story.  Based on the emphasis of mentoring, I would like to see our own ladies lead small sessions, all based on this theme.  To assist in creating this curriculum, I have also ordered The Story of Ruth:  Twelve Moments in Every Woman's Life, Ruth:  The Bridegroom's Love for the Church Revealed, and Face-to-Face with Naomi and Ruth:  Together for the Journey.  Doesn't this sound exciting?  A group of Christian ladies learning, committing to mentoring each other for the kingdom of God.
2. Easter Cantata:  I have been reading about The Story, and I would like for our small music department to focus on some of these songs, maybe an emphasis on Mary's part of the story, as she watches prophecy fulfilling in the loss, yet eternal gain of her son, her baby, her Lord, her Saviour. To further my thinking on this, I ordered The Story and Music Inspired by the Story.

As you can see, I have purchased several resources, which does not help my goal to NOT purchase an many books.  The Lord understands, and He will provide.

How is the Lord working in your life?  I encourage you to read and study His Word, to meditate on Him and with Him.

Blessings!

The Double Whammy

Today, I am still reflecting on my yesterday's Bible reading in Genesis 4 where God says to Cain, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

Then below in the study notes, the commentator states, "For Cain to master the sin lurking at the entrance to his desires, he would have to give up his jealous anger so that sin would not find a foothold in his life.  Sin is still crouching at our doors today.  Like Cain, we will be victims of sin if we do not master it."

Jealous anger = the double whammy.  Or is it the triple threat...his coveting led to jealous anger?

A personal application:  I have coveted positions within my school district (positions for which I was more qualified than those who obtained the positions...not bragging, just a fact), yet God has consistently said, "No, Tammy, the timing is not right." 

Yet I rebelled and spent several years in "jealous anger."  Jealous of those who had the spotlights I so coveted, spotlights under which I just knew I could have accomplished so much more...yes, the anger part.  Maybe I was also angry with God?  I voiced this a bit more gently in the hundreds of times I questioned, "Why, Lord?  Why me?  Why not?"  Instead of "why," I am sure to the Lord it sounded more like whining!  Unfortunately, I think I mastered that tone!

Then, came the climax of all that I could handle at school.  Then and only then, did I finally and truly begin to turn all this over to the Lord.  Then my answer began to be revealed. This, too, though, came in steps.  No, few of the lessons I have learned in this Christian walk have been handed to me on a silver platter!

First,  I FINALLY realized that if God does not want a door opened, I could literally nearly beat myself mentally to death and never would that door open. Never.  No one should conquer the age of 40+ and not have a revelation of this!  If a door is sealed shut, I do not have the power to open it!

Second, I attribute my signing up for the My One Word Challenge as part of the healing and acceptance that then followed.  Last year, about this time, on KLOVE radio I heard about this challenge and immediately knew my word...peace.  I needed it so badly, and the Lord gave it to be, sometimes in small doses, sometimes in large amounts.  Thank you, Lord. 

I am not the person I was a year ago...thank you, Lord.

I can sit and peacefully write that I do not covet positions in my school district right now. The jealousy and the anger are gone.  Thanks to the peace that passeth all understanding.  Not thanks to anything I did, but thanks to a gift from my Lord and Saviour, for He truly saved me from that trial in which He placed me, for I have had several opportunities to leave, several job offers, and could never take any of them, for I truly did not believe leaving was the Lord's will.

This year, my chosen word for the My One Word Challenge is quiet.  I need ever more of the quietness of His Spirit.   I want to be totally immersed in His Quietness.

I shared some of this with the ladies in my Sunday School class this past weekend, and teacher Peggy then noted...prepared us for...that as we accept such a goal, then we have to prepare ourselves for what we might encounter as our words are tested.

True.  Last year, my mother nearly died, my daughter had major-open heart surgery, my husband had a severe attack of kidney stones, and then there was that thing called life, all that we just normally encounter.  Through all this, though, I cannot tell you the number of times, I embraced my troubled mind in that, oh, so powerful word...peace.

Yes, I agree with Mrs. Peggy, yet I know that God gave me this year's word of "quiet," and He will meet me there in the quietness of my soul.

Again, I encourage you to take the My One Word Challenge.  Please visit their site for more information, then listen for that still, quiet voice...hear Him?...He will give you the gift of your word...and then prepare yourself for a testimony that you will have one year from today! 

God bless.