The church collectively mourns this week. As a great leader in the body of Christ suffers the unfathomable loss of a child, we pause to mourn and pray and encourage. As Beth and Ann both said, we all have suffered or are suffering. My suffering may be different from yours but that doesn't mean yours is tidier, or messier. We can not assume we understand the cause of another's pain. May we be quick to love each other through all situations and may criticism of our fellow brothers and sisters have no place among us. God is for us.
This from Beth Moore.
And this from Ann Voskamp.
Part II of "Catharsis" tomorrow.
My Fab Fam
Photo by Thousand Hills Photography. Click on photo to visit their site.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Catharsis
As I told a friend recently, this blogging is a complex thing for me. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by an event or something that God is teaching me that I couldn't possibly write about it. Other times, in order to process my emotions and/or wrap my head around something God is teaching me, I feel like I have to write about it! Tonight is one of those times. Today has been quite cathartic for me, from start to finish.
We are privileged to have at our church a man who is incredibly gifted by the Spirit for teaching. He delivered our message this morning and, if God used him for no one else, He used him to speak to me. And, just to be sure I was listening, God reiterated His message again tonight through a man I greatly respect. I had already heard the same message this week, loud and clear. And I had started to journal it then but I just didn't have time. So, let me back up...
I believe it was Friday. I had a bit of quiet time in Deuteronomy.
Aside: Some of you may remember I am reading through the Bible, and the goal is to read through it this year. I am obviously behind. Don't give up on me! Some of you that have been reading this blog for a while also know that God has been allowing some sifting to take place in me. Although it's always a bit painful, okay, a lot painful, I know that what comes out on the other side of the fire is something that has been refined. I do not like sifting. I do not like seeing all my junk. I do not like brokenness. But I do like the promise of what lies ahead. I'll keep clinging to Him through the sifting and through the fires, even if just by a finger, because I know in my heart that my God is faithful. Back to Deuteronomy...
So, the first couple of chapters of Deuteronomy are basically a recap of what Israel has been through since their exodus from Egypt. (And, I'm just going to be honest: I am so painfully like Israel.) They came to Mt. Sinai, or Horeb, shortly after leaving Egypt. And this is God's word to them in Deuteronomy 1:
The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”
God tells them to pack up and go. "I have given the land to you; just go in and take possession of it." Given. Past tense. It was done. The gift had already been given, unwrapped, and laid before them; they just had to grab it with both hands.
And then the Israelites went in to scope out the land. They saw the fruit and it was GOOD. To give you an idea of how the land flourished, it took two men to carry a single cluster of grapes (Numbers 13). But they also saw their enemies--literally giants--and they were overcome with fear. And they returned to the camp and spread their fear-filled reports like wildfire:
"All the people we saw there are of great size...We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13
And before the night was over, all of Israel began to cry out:
"Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” Numbers 14
God had just told them He had GIVEN that land to them! It was theirs! And now they are accusing Him of bringing them into the desert to die! And they are refusing to move forward in faith. They were focused on their enemies, not their God; so, their enemies seemed larger than their God. How quickly we forget His promises.
Their lack of faith angered God and He swore an oath that not one adult would live to see the land He had given them, but that their children, whom the Israelites feared would be taken as plunder, would take possession of the land after every one of the adults had fallen dead in the desert.
Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea,[a] as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.
For a long time? Yes! 40 long years! So, the time God intended for them to be in the desert, 11 days (See Deuteronomy 1:2), was painfully stretched into 40 years, thanks to lack of faith and disobedience.
Ouch. This stepped all over my toes. God obviously intends to take us into the desert sometimes. The way to our promises is often through the desert. But the amount of time we spend there may depend on us. How quickly are we willing to learn our lessons and let our faith increase to the point that we are willing and able to slay our enemies and claim our promises?
Those enemies that look like giants? They are already defeated! God has already "blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing" (Ephesians 1). Blessed. Past tense. Given, unwrapped, and laid before us. When will we quit looking at the enemy who wants to keep us from our promised blessings? And when will we focus on God and His gifts, and grab on with both hands?
I, for one, am tired of wandering in the desert. I know God brought me here, but I think I have wandered a bit too long. Here's why. Reading on in Deuteronomy, I came to this passage and the repetition struck my soul. Note the similarity to Deuteronomy 1!
Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.
Can you hear the intensity? He is commanding them once again to move out of the desert, out of their fears, and into the promises! You know what I love about this? He had already said this to them once: You have been here long enough. And that was 40 years ago! Now, He is saying it again, almost exactly the same way: You have been here long enough. (Uh, yeah. 40 years TOO long.) And I wondered how much longer I have stretched my stay in the desert than He intended it to be.
And I just wonder if some of you, like me, have spent a little time in the desert recently. Perhaps you've already heard God say, "You have been here long enough." But perhaps fear of your enemy has kept you from moving forward in faith. He is the God of second chances. If we stumble, He will always give us the chance to respond in obedience to the same situation.
Hear Him today. He longs to be gracious to us. (Isaiah 30:18). Can we just imagine Him saying, "You have been here long enough, child. Now turn! Take up your weapons and fight. Do not be afraid or discouraged. The LORD your God is with you. You are about to lay claim to some promises!"
And, furthermore, those enemies who have caused so much fear (our enemy who has caused so much fear), this is what God says of them (him):
They [He] will be afraid of you. (v.4)
My dear friends, and my dear daughters (if one day you read this), for the sake of the cross and what Christ did for us there, it is high time we moved outta the desert! Oh the enemy is real and he will do his best to stand in the way of our promised blessings. But his best is literally nothing compared to the "incomparably great power for us who believe" Christ. "That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above every rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet..." (Ephesians 1) All things. Our enemy is defeated. He knows that; he just doesn't want us to know it. And he is very afraid when he hears us singing praises to the One Who has already secured our victory, "I know Who goes before me; I know Who stands behind; the God of angel armies is always by my side!" ("Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin)
You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light
Whom shall I fear?
You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though trouble linger still
Whom shall I fear?
I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies is always by my side
My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I'm holding on to Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful
p.s. i realize that i never got to my cathartic day. stay tuned for part two of this story. right now i'm just gonna go get my praise on.
p.s.s. i know that's not a real thing, p.s.s, but roll with it...
do you see how much God is using Ephesians 1 for me right now?! i love it. i love Him. thank you, Lord, for Scripture in my memory. You alone give me the ability to do that.
p.s.s.s. i have verse one of chapter 2..."as for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world, and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."
that is not you and me, sister. not you and me. and that is exactly why we praise and fight. He is so worth it.
We are privileged to have at our church a man who is incredibly gifted by the Spirit for teaching. He delivered our message this morning and, if God used him for no one else, He used him to speak to me. And, just to be sure I was listening, God reiterated His message again tonight through a man I greatly respect. I had already heard the same message this week, loud and clear. And I had started to journal it then but I just didn't have time. So, let me back up...
I believe it was Friday. I had a bit of quiet time in Deuteronomy.
Aside: Some of you may remember I am reading through the Bible, and the goal is to read through it this year. I am obviously behind. Don't give up on me! Some of you that have been reading this blog for a while also know that God has been allowing some sifting to take place in me. Although it's always a bit painful, okay, a lot painful, I know that what comes out on the other side of the fire is something that has been refined. I do not like sifting. I do not like seeing all my junk. I do not like brokenness. But I do like the promise of what lies ahead. I'll keep clinging to Him through the sifting and through the fires, even if just by a finger, because I know in my heart that my God is faithful. Back to Deuteronomy...
So, the first couple of chapters of Deuteronomy are basically a recap of what Israel has been through since their exodus from Egypt. (And, I'm just going to be honest: I am so painfully like Israel.) They came to Mt. Sinai, or Horeb, shortly after leaving Egypt. And this is God's word to them in Deuteronomy 1:
The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”
God tells them to pack up and go. "I have given the land to you; just go in and take possession of it." Given. Past tense. It was done. The gift had already been given, unwrapped, and laid before them; they just had to grab it with both hands.
And then the Israelites went in to scope out the land. They saw the fruit and it was GOOD. To give you an idea of how the land flourished, it took two men to carry a single cluster of grapes (Numbers 13). But they also saw their enemies--literally giants--and they were overcome with fear. And they returned to the camp and spread their fear-filled reports like wildfire:
"All the people we saw there are of great size...We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13
And before the night was over, all of Israel began to cry out:
"Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” Numbers 14
God had just told them He had GIVEN that land to them! It was theirs! And now they are accusing Him of bringing them into the desert to die! And they are refusing to move forward in faith. They were focused on their enemies, not their God; so, their enemies seemed larger than their God. How quickly we forget His promises.
Their lack of faith angered God and He swore an oath that not one adult would live to see the land He had given them, but that their children, whom the Israelites feared would be taken as plunder, would take possession of the land after every one of the adults had fallen dead in the desert.
Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea,[a] as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.
For a long time? Yes! 40 long years! So, the time God intended for them to be in the desert, 11 days (See Deuteronomy 1:2), was painfully stretched into 40 years, thanks to lack of faith and disobedience.
Ouch. This stepped all over my toes. God obviously intends to take us into the desert sometimes. The way to our promises is often through the desert. But the amount of time we spend there may depend on us. How quickly are we willing to learn our lessons and let our faith increase to the point that we are willing and able to slay our enemies and claim our promises?
Those enemies that look like giants? They are already defeated! God has already "blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing" (Ephesians 1). Blessed. Past tense. Given, unwrapped, and laid before us. When will we quit looking at the enemy who wants to keep us from our promised blessings? And when will we focus on God and His gifts, and grab on with both hands?
I, for one, am tired of wandering in the desert. I know God brought me here, but I think I have wandered a bit too long. Here's why. Reading on in Deuteronomy, I came to this passage and the repetition struck my soul. Note the similarity to Deuteronomy 1!
Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.
Can you hear the intensity? He is commanding them once again to move out of the desert, out of their fears, and into the promises! You know what I love about this? He had already said this to them once: You have been here long enough. And that was 40 years ago! Now, He is saying it again, almost exactly the same way: You have been here long enough. (Uh, yeah. 40 years TOO long.) And I wondered how much longer I have stretched my stay in the desert than He intended it to be.
And I just wonder if some of you, like me, have spent a little time in the desert recently. Perhaps you've already heard God say, "You have been here long enough." But perhaps fear of your enemy has kept you from moving forward in faith. He is the God of second chances. If we stumble, He will always give us the chance to respond in obedience to the same situation.
Hear Him today. He longs to be gracious to us. (Isaiah 30:18). Can we just imagine Him saying, "You have been here long enough, child. Now turn! Take up your weapons and fight. Do not be afraid or discouraged. The LORD your God is with you. You are about to lay claim to some promises!"
And, furthermore, those enemies who have caused so much fear (our enemy who has caused so much fear), this is what God says of them (him):
They [He] will be afraid of you. (v.4)
My dear friends, and my dear daughters (if one day you read this), for the sake of the cross and what Christ did for us there, it is high time we moved outta the desert! Oh the enemy is real and he will do his best to stand in the way of our promised blessings. But his best is literally nothing compared to the "incomparably great power for us who believe" Christ. "That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above every rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet..." (Ephesians 1) All things. Our enemy is defeated. He knows that; he just doesn't want us to know it. And he is very afraid when he hears us singing praises to the One Who has already secured our victory, "I know Who goes before me; I know Who stands behind; the God of angel armies is always by my side!" ("Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin)
You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light
Whom shall I fear?
You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though trouble linger still
Whom shall I fear?
I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine
The God of angel armies is always by my side
My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in Your hands
I'm holding on to Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful
p.s. i realize that i never got to my cathartic day. stay tuned for part two of this story. right now i'm just gonna go get my praise on.
p.s.s. i know that's not a real thing, p.s.s, but roll with it...
do you see how much God is using Ephesians 1 for me right now?! i love it. i love Him. thank you, Lord, for Scripture in my memory. You alone give me the ability to do that.
p.s.s.s. i have verse one of chapter 2..."as for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world, and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."
that is not you and me, sister. not you and me. and that is exactly why we praise and fight. He is so worth it.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Tulips, Cabbage, and Quinoa
So, the tulips bloomed and proved me wrong. And they were beautiful!
And now I can save the bulbs and plant them and enjoy them again next year! If you're interested in having some of these beauties, here's their web address:
http://www.bloomaker.com/home
And caring for them is really nothing at all. You have to make sure water covers the bulbs half-way throughout the life of the tulips. And keep them out of direct sun light. That is all!
And here are the after-care instructions:
After flowering, clip the dead flower off the stem, and let the foliage die off while maintaining water level. When the foliage has completed drying out, you may see new little bulbs beginning to form, leave these. Cut the foliage, and store the bulbs dry, and as cool as possible until early November. Then plant them in your garden, using a good mix of soil and compost. Thoroughly water them at planting.
So simple and pretty!
In other news...
I am one of those shoppers that goes into the store and buys whatever is in season in the produce department. Right now it is cabbage! Since I am not a huge fan of cabbage, I had to get creative this week. I made an Asian dressing for a variation on coleslaw.
I actually googled "Asian sesame dressing," and my socks were blown off! Panera shares their Asian sesame salad dressing on their website. I love them even more now! Here it is:
I, of course, did not have everything on hand, so, OF COURSE, I had to improvise. I will be buying sesame oil and rice vinegar, but for now, here's what I did and it produced something surprisingly yummy.
Mix:
1 part soy sauce
2 parts sugar
2 parts white wine vinegar
3 parts veg oil
So, for those of you who are not math majors (like I am not), if you use 1/4 c. soy sauce, you'd use 1/2 c. sugar and vinegar, and 3/4 c. oil. I'm not giving exact numbers because I don't know how much cabbage you'll be using. Just toss it together and get your grub on. I have eaten it for lunch and supper just about every day this week. Yum! Just don't add the dressing until you are ready to eat because the cabbage will get soggy. (I made the dressing in a handy mixing bottle so I could just pour out a little on the portion I was going to eat. If you want one of these handy bottles (pic below), you can order it from Pampered Chef.
And one last thing...
At our most recent MOPS meeting, one of our mentor mommas brought a yummy quinoa dish that I want to share...
2 cups chicken stock
1 c. quinoa
olive oil
1 diced onion
a couple of garlic cloves
2 chopped tomatoes
2 diced squash (or spinach or veggie of choice)
fresh basil
lime juice
Feta cheese
Bring stock to boil, add quinoa. Turn to low and cook, covered, for 15 mins. Stir. Let sit with lid on for 15 more mins.
Saute onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Add tomatoes, squash (or spinach or veggie of choice), fresh basil, and lime juice. Cook just until warmed through and veggies are tender. Toss with quinoa and top with Feta cheese.
YUM!
And now I can save the bulbs and plant them and enjoy them again next year! If you're interested in having some of these beauties, here's their web address:
http://www.bloomaker.com/home
And caring for them is really nothing at all. You have to make sure water covers the bulbs half-way throughout the life of the tulips. And keep them out of direct sun light. That is all!
And here are the after-care instructions:
After flowering, clip the dead flower off the stem, and let the foliage die off while maintaining water level. When the foliage has completed drying out, you may see new little bulbs beginning to form, leave these. Cut the foliage, and store the bulbs dry, and as cool as possible until early November. Then plant them in your garden, using a good mix of soil and compost. Thoroughly water them at planting.
So simple and pretty!
In other news...
I am one of those shoppers that goes into the store and buys whatever is in season in the produce department. Right now it is cabbage! Since I am not a huge fan of cabbage, I had to get creative this week. I made an Asian dressing for a variation on coleslaw.
I actually googled "Asian sesame dressing," and my socks were blown off! Panera shares their Asian sesame salad dressing on their website. I love them even more now! Here it is:
- Panera Bread Asian Sesame Dressing
- Makes 1 ¼ cups
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup canola or vegetable oil
I, of course, did not have everything on hand, so, OF COURSE, I had to improvise. I will be buying sesame oil and rice vinegar, but for now, here's what I did and it produced something surprisingly yummy.
Mix:
1 part soy sauce
2 parts sugar
2 parts white wine vinegar
3 parts veg oil
So, for those of you who are not math majors (like I am not), if you use 1/4 c. soy sauce, you'd use 1/2 c. sugar and vinegar, and 3/4 c. oil. I'm not giving exact numbers because I don't know how much cabbage you'll be using. Just toss it together and get your grub on. I have eaten it for lunch and supper just about every day this week. Yum! Just don't add the dressing until you are ready to eat because the cabbage will get soggy. (I made the dressing in a handy mixing bottle so I could just pour out a little on the portion I was going to eat. If you want one of these handy bottles (pic below), you can order it from Pampered Chef.
And one last thing...
At our most recent MOPS meeting, one of our mentor mommas brought a yummy quinoa dish that I want to share...
2 cups chicken stock
1 c. quinoa
olive oil
1 diced onion
a couple of garlic cloves
2 chopped tomatoes
2 diced squash (or spinach or veggie of choice)
fresh basil
lime juice
Feta cheese
Bring stock to boil, add quinoa. Turn to low and cook, covered, for 15 mins. Stir. Let sit with lid on for 15 more mins.
Saute onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Add tomatoes, squash (or spinach or veggie of choice), fresh basil, and lime juice. Cook just until warmed through and veggies are tender. Toss with quinoa and top with Feta cheese.
YUM!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
My Favorite Chapter
I've been reading in Zephaniah 3 this morning. I know for many of us that book of the Bible is rarely, if ever, opened. But over the last few years, chapter three of this obscure book has become my favorite passage of Scripture. I'm sure you are wondering why. My first instinct is to say, "Go read it!" But I know that what is deeply meaningful to me right now may or may not be apparent to you just by reading the passage. So, let's just start from the beginning and I'll break it down.
"Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God." (v. 1-2)
This verse has two meanings for me. But before I go there, please know this: I have read NO commentaries on this passage. I am certainly NO scholar. True scholars, if they ever heard my thoughts, would probably disagree with me whole-heartedly! This is just what this means for me, right now. Not necessarily what the LORD meant when He spoke these words through Zephaniah. Okay, that out of the way, the two meanings for me are:
1) The city of oppressors reminds me of...me. I am rebellious and defiled. I often refuse to obey God and turn a deaf ear to His correction. I greatly lack in trust and often let other things get in the way of my relationship with my God.
2) The city of oppressors reminds me of Satan. I can not think about oppression and rebellion without thinking of the one who spends all his energy trying to oppress and encouraging rebellion. He is everything defiled and he is about the business of defiling. He wants us to refuse correction and causes us to doubt the Lord. He will do anything to keep us from drawing near to our God.
Don't misunderstand me and freak out. Satan is the epitome of all things evil. He is everything opposite of God. I am not drawing parallels between myself and Satan! But on two very different scales, I can see how verse one and two can loosely be a description of both me and my enemy. Though I know it was originally written to describe rebellious Jerusalem, it just has this meaning for me at this time in my life.
Theses analogies can loosely be applied through the next several verses. For example, verse three speaks of roaring lions, which exact phraseology is used to describe our enemy in 1 Peter 5:8. Also, verse four speaks of arrogance, which we can most readily use to describe Satan, and, unfortunately, it can also be descriptive of me.
But I LOVE verse 5! "The LORD within her is righteous; He does no wrong. Morning by morning He dispenses His justice, and every new day He does not fail..."
No matter the depth of our depravity, God is always righteous and just and steadfast. Whether we are in a right relationship with Him, no relationship with Him, or an inconsistent relationship with Him, He is ever the same in our ebb and flow.
Please remember as I go through these verses, I am VERY loosely applying meaning here. Some Scriptures just speak to us in a season of life. I do not necessarily think that anyone else will interpret this passage the same way, or even that anyone else should! This passage was written about Jerusalem and prophesied her coming Savior. I'm loosely applying theses Scriptures to my rebellious self, all the while looking to Jesus as my once-and-for-all Savior.
God goes on to describe (v. 6-8) how His wrath will be poured out on His people. Thankfully, as those who live on the other side of the cross, we do not have to fear God's wrath. However, what these passages mean to me is that God will use whatever means are necessary to get us in a right relationship with Him. Sometimes that even means allowing us to fall into captivity. For Jerusalem it was literal captivity to the Babylonians and Assyrians, but for us today it is most often spiritual captivity--the chains of sin. If we wander, He loves us too much to leave us wandering in the desert forever. He will continue to woo us until we come home. If we become slaves to sin, He stands ready to remove the chains. He will continue to offer the key to freedom until we stop running and accept His help. And, for some of us, there is a lot of tripping and falling along the way, because, for some of us, the only way we'll look up is if we first fall flat down.
In verses 9 and 10 we see the returning of God's people to Him. After wandering, after captivity, after God finally secures our attention, we see the first glimmer of purification: "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings." We receive freedom and purification and we praise Him! But you know what may be my favorite part of this verse? We "serve Him shoulder to shoulder." His church becomes united. Differences no longer dominate. Denominations diminish. Divisions disappear. We stand shoulder to shoulder and we serve Him as one united body. I literally tingle with anticipation!
And the passage only gets better from here!
"On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust int he name of the LORD." (v. 11-12)
Amen! Let it be, let it be.
In verses 1-4 we saw an arrogant, rebellious Jerusalem that did not trust in the LORD. But after a good deal of sifting, there was not one ounce of pride or arrogance. God's city was filled with the meek and the humble who fully trusted in Him. And that is the promise I am clinging to today--that after a good deal of sifting there will not be one ounce of pride or arrogance in me, that "never again will [I] be haughty on [His] holy hill."
He goes on to describe his post-sifting, purified people: "The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."
Not only is He sifting out pride, but fear as well. I think about the verse that says, "There is no fear in love because perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). As we are consumed with His love, as our eyes focus on Him Who Is Love, there is no room for fear. He is sifting out the fear. No one, not even our enemy who prowls about like a roaring lion, will make us afraid.
In appreciation for all that God had done for them, Zephaniah says Israel will sing, shout, be glad and rejoice. Today, in anticipation of all God is going to do for us, He says,
"Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!" (v. 14)
I have written in a cross-reference here to 2 Samuel 6:14. It says, "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might." And I thought about all the parallels between this verse and Zephaniah 3:14. In Samuel, David was bringing the ark back to its rightful place in Jerusalem; He was welcoming the presence of God back into the heart of the city, back into the hearts of the people. In Zephaniah, God was once again taking His rightful place as King of His people. And today, He is promising the same thing to us who are His; He will be King in our lives. We who desire Him to be our all-in-all will one day see that as a reality. We will welcome Him into the center of our lives and we will be rid of our pride and our fear as we come to the full realization of what the LORD has done for us...
"The LORD has taken away your punishment [on the cross], He has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm."
I'm going to back up and take a detour here. Zephaniah says "rejoice with all your heart." Samuel says David "danced with all his might." Who remembers what happened when David publicly and profusely worshiped His Lord? His wife, Michal, despised him in her heart (2 Samuel 6:16). Perhaps we should be prepared for the same. As we rejoice with all our heart, there may be some people who haven't experienced abundant freedom in Christ, perhaps even some of the very ones who profess Christ, who will despise the public spectacle we make of ourselves in our total abandonment to worship. Worship on, warriors, and remember that our struggles are not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms...With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people (Ephesians 6). One day we will all worship in total abandonment. I pray it is this side of heaven, but if not, be assured all our brothers and sisters will experience "all-your-heart" worship someday and it will be a beautiful thing!
Okay, back on track with verse 16..."On that day they will say to Jerusalem, 'Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
Can there be any better promise in Scripture? The LORD, the very One Who tells us to sing and rejoice for all He has done, is doing, and will do for us, the same One says He will rejoice over US with singing! Can you picture that? A dancing, singing God? If Michal thought it was undignified of her king-husband to dance for his LORD, can you imagine what she would think if she could see that his King-LORD was dancing over her husband?!
If it is proper for the King of the universe to dance and sing and praise over us, then what in heaven's name is to keep us from giving Him the worship that He deserves? Verse 16 says, "Do not let your hands hang limp!" Lift holy hands to God in whole-hearted praise. Our God is mighty to save! Our God delivers us from our enemy! Our God has taken away our punishment and turned back our enemy! Our God purifies us! And--imagine it--our God rejoices over us! So, let's rejoice in Him with all our heart!
I'm saying this to me today. Forget what others think. Forget that others see the black spots of pride and fear in my heart. It is for that very reason that I need to praise! There is still junk in my heart that needs purification, but God has taken away my punishment! While others may see all the yuck, He sees me as holy and blameless (Eph 1). While I am dismayed at my junk, He is rejoicing over me. He sees me for what I will be (meek, humble, fearless), not what I am (prideful, arrogant, fear-driven). He will leave within me the meek and the humble. Never again will I fear any harm. He has turned back my enemy! Even as there is still blackness in me, and others see it and wonder at the authenticity of praise from such a sinner as me, I will praise Him with all my heart.
"Oh, bless the Lord, oh my soul! Oh, my soul, worship His holy name. Sing like never before! Oh, my soul! And worship His holy name!" ("10,000 Reasons"--Matt Redman)
May no one make us afraid to rejoice.
-------------------------------
Attitude of Gratitude
#224. music that says exactly what my heart feels
#225. that we can worship anywhere, anytime
#226. instant access to worship music through the internet
#227. the perfect placement of the sun, moon, planets, and stars to sustain life
#228. fresh air through the screen door
#229. forgiveness
#230. the physical ability to raise my hands
#231. freedom
-------------------------
Post script: A couple hours after writing the above, I read Ann Voskamp's blog (of which I haven't been reading much lately). Always amazed to see how God reiterates an idea for me. If you have it in you, read this.
"Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God." (v. 1-2)
This verse has two meanings for me. But before I go there, please know this: I have read NO commentaries on this passage. I am certainly NO scholar. True scholars, if they ever heard my thoughts, would probably disagree with me whole-heartedly! This is just what this means for me, right now. Not necessarily what the LORD meant when He spoke these words through Zephaniah. Okay, that out of the way, the two meanings for me are:
1) The city of oppressors reminds me of...me. I am rebellious and defiled. I often refuse to obey God and turn a deaf ear to His correction. I greatly lack in trust and often let other things get in the way of my relationship with my God.
2) The city of oppressors reminds me of Satan. I can not think about oppression and rebellion without thinking of the one who spends all his energy trying to oppress and encouraging rebellion. He is everything defiled and he is about the business of defiling. He wants us to refuse correction and causes us to doubt the Lord. He will do anything to keep us from drawing near to our God.
Don't misunderstand me and freak out. Satan is the epitome of all things evil. He is everything opposite of God. I am not drawing parallels between myself and Satan! But on two very different scales, I can see how verse one and two can loosely be a description of both me and my enemy. Though I know it was originally written to describe rebellious Jerusalem, it just has this meaning for me at this time in my life.
Theses analogies can loosely be applied through the next several verses. For example, verse three speaks of roaring lions, which exact phraseology is used to describe our enemy in 1 Peter 5:8. Also, verse four speaks of arrogance, which we can most readily use to describe Satan, and, unfortunately, it can also be descriptive of me.
But I LOVE verse 5! "The LORD within her is righteous; He does no wrong. Morning by morning He dispenses His justice, and every new day He does not fail..."
No matter the depth of our depravity, God is always righteous and just and steadfast. Whether we are in a right relationship with Him, no relationship with Him, or an inconsistent relationship with Him, He is ever the same in our ebb and flow.
Please remember as I go through these verses, I am VERY loosely applying meaning here. Some Scriptures just speak to us in a season of life. I do not necessarily think that anyone else will interpret this passage the same way, or even that anyone else should! This passage was written about Jerusalem and prophesied her coming Savior. I'm loosely applying theses Scriptures to my rebellious self, all the while looking to Jesus as my once-and-for-all Savior.
God goes on to describe (v. 6-8) how His wrath will be poured out on His people. Thankfully, as those who live on the other side of the cross, we do not have to fear God's wrath. However, what these passages mean to me is that God will use whatever means are necessary to get us in a right relationship with Him. Sometimes that even means allowing us to fall into captivity. For Jerusalem it was literal captivity to the Babylonians and Assyrians, but for us today it is most often spiritual captivity--the chains of sin. If we wander, He loves us too much to leave us wandering in the desert forever. He will continue to woo us until we come home. If we become slaves to sin, He stands ready to remove the chains. He will continue to offer the key to freedom until we stop running and accept His help. And, for some of us, there is a lot of tripping and falling along the way, because, for some of us, the only way we'll look up is if we first fall flat down.
In verses 9 and 10 we see the returning of God's people to Him. After wandering, after captivity, after God finally secures our attention, we see the first glimmer of purification: "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings." We receive freedom and purification and we praise Him! But you know what may be my favorite part of this verse? We "serve Him shoulder to shoulder." His church becomes united. Differences no longer dominate. Denominations diminish. Divisions disappear. We stand shoulder to shoulder and we serve Him as one united body. I literally tingle with anticipation!
And the passage only gets better from here!
"On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust int he name of the LORD." (v. 11-12)
Amen! Let it be, let it be.
In verses 1-4 we saw an arrogant, rebellious Jerusalem that did not trust in the LORD. But after a good deal of sifting, there was not one ounce of pride or arrogance. God's city was filled with the meek and the humble who fully trusted in Him. And that is the promise I am clinging to today--that after a good deal of sifting there will not be one ounce of pride or arrogance in me, that "never again will [I] be haughty on [His] holy hill."
He goes on to describe his post-sifting, purified people: "The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."
Not only is He sifting out pride, but fear as well. I think about the verse that says, "There is no fear in love because perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). As we are consumed with His love, as our eyes focus on Him Who Is Love, there is no room for fear. He is sifting out the fear. No one, not even our enemy who prowls about like a roaring lion, will make us afraid.
In appreciation for all that God had done for them, Zephaniah says Israel will sing, shout, be glad and rejoice. Today, in anticipation of all God is going to do for us, He says,
"Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!" (v. 14)
I have written in a cross-reference here to 2 Samuel 6:14. It says, "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might." And I thought about all the parallels between this verse and Zephaniah 3:14. In Samuel, David was bringing the ark back to its rightful place in Jerusalem; He was welcoming the presence of God back into the heart of the city, back into the hearts of the people. In Zephaniah, God was once again taking His rightful place as King of His people. And today, He is promising the same thing to us who are His; He will be King in our lives. We who desire Him to be our all-in-all will one day see that as a reality. We will welcome Him into the center of our lives and we will be rid of our pride and our fear as we come to the full realization of what the LORD has done for us...
"The LORD has taken away your punishment [on the cross], He has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm."
I'm going to back up and take a detour here. Zephaniah says "rejoice with all your heart." Samuel says David "danced with all his might." Who remembers what happened when David publicly and profusely worshiped His Lord? His wife, Michal, despised him in her heart (2 Samuel 6:16). Perhaps we should be prepared for the same. As we rejoice with all our heart, there may be some people who haven't experienced abundant freedom in Christ, perhaps even some of the very ones who profess Christ, who will despise the public spectacle we make of ourselves in our total abandonment to worship. Worship on, warriors, and remember that our struggles are not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms...With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people (Ephesians 6). One day we will all worship in total abandonment. I pray it is this side of heaven, but if not, be assured all our brothers and sisters will experience "all-your-heart" worship someday and it will be a beautiful thing!
Okay, back on track with verse 16..."On that day they will say to Jerusalem, 'Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
Can there be any better promise in Scripture? The LORD, the very One Who tells us to sing and rejoice for all He has done, is doing, and will do for us, the same One says He will rejoice over US with singing! Can you picture that? A dancing, singing God? If Michal thought it was undignified of her king-husband to dance for his LORD, can you imagine what she would think if she could see that his King-LORD was dancing over her husband?!
If it is proper for the King of the universe to dance and sing and praise over us, then what in heaven's name is to keep us from giving Him the worship that He deserves? Verse 16 says, "Do not let your hands hang limp!" Lift holy hands to God in whole-hearted praise. Our God is mighty to save! Our God delivers us from our enemy! Our God has taken away our punishment and turned back our enemy! Our God purifies us! And--imagine it--our God rejoices over us! So, let's rejoice in Him with all our heart!
I'm saying this to me today. Forget what others think. Forget that others see the black spots of pride and fear in my heart. It is for that very reason that I need to praise! There is still junk in my heart that needs purification, but God has taken away my punishment! While others may see all the yuck, He sees me as holy and blameless (Eph 1). While I am dismayed at my junk, He is rejoicing over me. He sees me for what I will be (meek, humble, fearless), not what I am (prideful, arrogant, fear-driven). He will leave within me the meek and the humble. Never again will I fear any harm. He has turned back my enemy! Even as there is still blackness in me, and others see it and wonder at the authenticity of praise from such a sinner as me, I will praise Him with all my heart.
"Oh, bless the Lord, oh my soul! Oh, my soul, worship His holy name. Sing like never before! Oh, my soul! And worship His holy name!" ("10,000 Reasons"--Matt Redman)
May no one make us afraid to rejoice.
-------------------------------
Attitude of Gratitude
#224. music that says exactly what my heart feels
#225. that we can worship anywhere, anytime
#226. instant access to worship music through the internet
#227. the perfect placement of the sun, moon, planets, and stars to sustain life
#228. fresh air through the screen door
#229. forgiveness
#230. the physical ability to raise my hands
#231. freedom
-------------------------
Post script: A couple hours after writing the above, I read Ann Voskamp's blog (of which I haven't been reading much lately). Always amazed to see how God reiterates an idea for me. If you have it in you, read this.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Easter Weekend & Spring Break Week
Before this week ever rolled around I had declared it a No-, um, make that Low-work Fun Week! Because, let's be honest, there's really no way to do no work. But my time with my babies is ticking by and I wanted to spend this spring break making memories.
Yesterday was spent playing baby dolls, taking a loooooong bubble bath, reading books, and flying kites, with a few other things sprinkled in. Today, I'm a bit sad to let them go but...they are going to their Nana's because their cousin is in town and those girls love each other. But, there are many things on our to-do list this week...
Making Resurrection Cookies...
Making an Empty Tomb Cake...
Baking in their Easy-Bake oven...
Making more Cloud Dough...
Playing outside...
Gardening...
Reading, reading, reading...
A trip to the Children's Museum...
And whatever else we can get into!
A few items on the above list are repeats from this past weekend. Here's why:
When we were at my mom's last weekend, she made Cloud Dough using flour and baby oil (at an 8:1 ratio). The girls had fun making it and playing with it. I can only imagine how much more fun they could have with a huge container of the dough and various tools for shaping it. We are going to make a lot more to keep in an airtight container and take out to on the deck for a good we-can-be-outside-while-mom-cooks activity. I've recently moved their wooden table up on the deck so they can do more activities outside even if I'm inside. (Not to worry, friends, my kitchen door and windows open to the deck. We can be chatting while they play ten feet away.)
Also, while we were there, my oldest sister brought a basket-full of ingredients over to make Resurrection Cookies. Unfortunately, my momma's hand-held mixer got hot, and we had to cut the required mixing time in half; so, the cookies didn't turn out. The girls want to give it another go. (The recipe is at the bottom if you'd like it.)
And, lastly, we will be doing a repeat of the Empty Tomb cake because...well, just because we want more chocolate cake! The chocolate fast is over and I, unlike Jaime Nato, was happy to reintroduce the sugary treat into my diet. I think the girls were happy that I welcomed chocolate back into my world, too, since they have asked if we can make this cake again. We each got one piece and that just wasn't quite enough to satisfy our prolonged cravings.
Bake a chocolate bundt cake. (I used a box mix.) Cut it in two pieces, one half slightly larger than the other half. Place on their ends (cut sides down) and put the flat sides (what is usually the bottom of the bundt cake) back-to-back to create a hill. Spread choc icing over all. Cover the hole with a York peppermint patty. The recipe calls for sprinkling green colored coconut around the bottom for grass, but I used crushed Oreos for dirt because I'm not a fan of dried coconut.
Here's my big girl "rolling away the stone," to discover the linens (paper towel shreds) in the empty tomb.
Thanks to my friend, Jennifer, for the Empty Tomb cake recipe!
Resurrection Cookie recipe:
Take from http://www.iccreligiouseducation.com/easter.cfm?subpage=309406.
Yesterday was spent playing baby dolls, taking a loooooong bubble bath, reading books, and flying kites, with a few other things sprinkled in. Today, I'm a bit sad to let them go but...they are going to their Nana's because their cousin is in town and those girls love each other. But, there are many things on our to-do list this week...
Making Resurrection Cookies...
Making an Empty Tomb Cake...
Baking in their Easy-Bake oven...
Making more Cloud Dough...
Playing outside...
Gardening...
Reading, reading, reading...
A trip to the Children's Museum...
And whatever else we can get into!
A few items on the above list are repeats from this past weekend. Here's why:
When we were at my mom's last weekend, she made Cloud Dough using flour and baby oil (at an 8:1 ratio). The girls had fun making it and playing with it. I can only imagine how much more fun they could have with a huge container of the dough and various tools for shaping it. We are going to make a lot more to keep in an airtight container and take out to on the deck for a good we-can-be-outside-while-mom-cooks activity. I've recently moved their wooden table up on the deck so they can do more activities outside even if I'm inside. (Not to worry, friends, my kitchen door and windows open to the deck. We can be chatting while they play ten feet away.)
Also, while we were there, my oldest sister brought a basket-full of ingredients over to make Resurrection Cookies. Unfortunately, my momma's hand-held mixer got hot, and we had to cut the required mixing time in half; so, the cookies didn't turn out. The girls want to give it another go. (The recipe is at the bottom if you'd like it.)
And, lastly, we will be doing a repeat of the Empty Tomb cake because...well, just because we want more chocolate cake! The chocolate fast is over and I, unlike Jaime Nato, was happy to reintroduce the sugary treat into my diet. I think the girls were happy that I welcomed chocolate back into my world, too, since they have asked if we can make this cake again. We each got one piece and that just wasn't quite enough to satisfy our prolonged cravings.
Bake a chocolate bundt cake. (I used a box mix.) Cut it in two pieces, one half slightly larger than the other half. Place on their ends (cut sides down) and put the flat sides (what is usually the bottom of the bundt cake) back-to-back to create a hill. Spread choc icing over all. Cover the hole with a York peppermint patty. The recipe calls for sprinkling green colored coconut around the bottom for grass, but I used crushed Oreos for dirt because I'm not a fan of dried coconut.
Here's my big girl "rolling away the stone," to discover the linens (paper towel shreds) in the empty tomb.
Thanks to my friend, Jennifer, for the Empty Tomb cake recipe!
Resurrection Cookie recipe:
You will need:
1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch salt
1 cup sugar
a zipper baggy
1 wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible
1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch salt
1 cup sugar
a zipper baggy
1 wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible
Instructions:
These are to be made the evening before Easter. Preheat oven to 300F.
*** (this is very important --- don't wait until you are half done with the recipe).
These are to be made the evening before Easter. Preheat oven to 300F.
*** (this is very important --- don't wait until you are half done with the recipe).
Place pecans in zipper baggy and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested. He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read: John 19:1-3
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink.
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink.
Read: John 19:28-30
Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life
to give us life.
Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life
to give us life.
Read: John 10:10-11
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read: Luke 23:27
So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
and John 3:16
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
and John 3:1-3
Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.
Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.
Read: Matthew 27:57-60
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus tomb was sealed.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus tomb was sealed.
Read: Matthew 27:65-66
GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Read: John 16:20,22
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
Take from http://www.iccreligiouseducation.com/easter.cfm?subpage=309406.
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