the red words! {repost}

Place these words on your hearts.
Get them deep inside you.
Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder.
Teach them to your children.
Talk about them wherever you are,
sitting at home or walking in the street;
talk about them from the time you get up in the
morning until you fall into bed at night.
Deuteronomy 11:18-19 {The Message}

Hunter was with me in the church bookstore last Wednesday night, when she fell in love with a bible and begged asked to have it.  As you can see in the photo I gave in bought it for her.  But seriously, can you really turn your child down when they’re asking for a bible?

Anyway.

She proceeded to walk around church for the next 20 minutes “reading” her new bible.  And when she so-very-excitedly told me she “found the red words!” my heart went to mush.  I asked if she knew what the red words were and she replied “they’re God’s words.”  The red words in the bible are indeed the words that Jesus spoke while on earth.  Be-still-my-heart.

Sometimes I so worry that I’m not sharing enough, I’m not being intentional enough, we’re not in scripture enough, we’re not doing devotions enough, I’m not teaching enough.  Do you ever feel the same?

And then they surprise you with something you had no idea they understood … “the red words.”

Recently, we had a long drive in the car and the girls brought Apples to Apples {bible edition} along.  The girls would get to bigger words “prodigal, martyr, obedience” and they’d ask me questions about them.  We talked about the Red Sea, Passover and the story of the Prodigal Son … I was amazed as I would start to tell the story or meaning, they’d excitedly take over and finish the story.

All this to say, if we can stay steadfast in our teachings and talkings and bringing them to church … these words, stories and their meanings will grow deep into the hearts of our children.  And then into their children’s children …

Posted in bible, hunter, parenting, repost

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focused15 :: intentional bible studies

I’m excited to share this resource with you today! Be sure to watch the video below for my specific thoughts … but I’d like to quickly mention … for anyone looking to not only dive deeper into God’s Word, but also have a focused Bible study … this is the one for you!

From the author:

You may be thinking you don’t have time to dig into the Bible the way you want to—or the way you think you should. You may think that a deep study of scripture is only for the pastor, the seminary student, or the uber-spiritual.

You’re wrong—the “ordinary” Christian can learn to to study the Bible on his own.

The every-day believer can train her eye to discover the life-changing truths held in scripture.

You can dig into the Bible and find truths for yourself-all it takes is fifteen focused minutes.

In Focused15, I’ll show you how to look at scripture through a different lens each day. We’ll use tools already at our fingertips, with methods proven through history, with a structure that is easy to follow…

…all in fifteen minutes day.

If you are ready to take your personal Bible study to the next level, but not sure how, Focused15 is for you.

Trust me! I know you’ll love it! Focus15 is available for Kindle and Nook and you can purchase the PDF download from the Focused15 website. Let me know what you think …

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Posted in bible, bible study, movie, resources

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i’m not okay with that!

I’ll be honest, I was a bit leery speaking out about this … “this” being Bible poverty. Bible? Poverty? It didn’t make sense to me. There are millions of people without food, water, homes, clothes, education … isn’t that poverty? I couldn’t wrap my head around the meaning of Bible poverty.

So I decided to dig a little deeper …

Bible poverty is a big deal! And I want to do something about it. Not only have I committed to having five verses translated each month, but I’ve also signed up with the OneVerse blogging team to help spread awareness to end Bible poverty.

What does it take to translate the Bible? There are six steps:

1. First draft: translators analyze what a passage says and produce a first draft.
2. Team Check: translators check each verse for accuracy and clarity.
3. Community Testing: translators share drafted Scripture with community members to test how well it communicates.
4. Back Translation: translators translate the draft “back” into a major language for a non-native consultant.
5. Consultant Check: a consultant checks the translation with the team to make sure expected standards are met.
6. Proofread: translators rigorously proofread the final draft for errors before publication.

Here’s a note we received from one of the translators:

“They are very happy now days reading their language. This is how the Word of God
works in them. Let all of us enjoy the good work, for serving the people.

There are some churches who are reading it aloud.  Many Vidunda people have
received copies of the portions of Mark and John and are using it.
Even school children are happy to receive copies because
they have been given out at some schools.”

I think about some of my favorite scriptures. The scriptures my girls memorize each week. Their yearly verses. Their life verses. The promises of God’s Word that I can share with them when they’re worried, anxious, fearful, or upset.

I can look up a scripture on my computer, my phone, my ipad, or the 15-plus Bibles I have at home. My girls get a piece of candy at Sunday school when they bring their Bibles into church.

Yet millions … millions of people … children and adults alike … don’t have access to a single verse!

People are dying each day without Jesus and the promises of God’s Word. But you have the power to change that! For just $26/month you can sponsor the translation of a verse. You’ll even get a monthly notice of which verse you helped translate.

Can I ask you to pray about this? Talk it over with your family … your spouses, your children. Let God stir your hearts for these people. Don’t you believe everyone has a right to read God’s Word?

I’m linking up with this incredible community of OneVerse bloggers committed to spreading awareness of the millions of people in the world without a Bible in their language … because we are not okay with that!

Posted in bible, oneverse

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the golden rule …

We have this print hanging in our main hallway.  We don’t look at it enough.  People don’t remember it enough.

Wikipedia defines these words as The Golden Rule.  But do you know …

{source}

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Luke 6:31 {NIV}

Jesus spoke those words while on earth?

I don’t know ’bout you, but I think it’s cooler-than-cool that something Jesus said. on earth. in scripture. is classified on Wikipedia as “The Golden Rule.”  #justsayin

As we’re moving into the Christmas {and giving} season, this week I’ll be celebrating here on the blog … with gifts, blessings, giveaways and love.  Today let’s walk a journey of love.  God’s love.

Since September, I’ve been studying 1 John with my Good Morning Girls group.  So much truth.  Well … I mean, all of God’s Word is truth … but as we’re dissecting it verse by verse, it all comes alive!

If you have a few minutes and can dive into just a few verses, I urge you to read 1 John 4:7-21.  For the purpose of this post, let’s look at:

Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters,
are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen,
cannot love God whom they have not seen.
The commandment we have from him is this: those who love
God must love their brothers and sisters also.
1 John 4:20-21 {NRSV}

Those some strong words right there!  Take a moment to digest them.  Pretty much, “how in the world can you claim to love God … know God … if you have hatred for someone else.”

Oswald Chambers says, “If what we call love doesn’t take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love.”

Love, forgiveness, grace … for me, it all goes hand-in-hand.  But what I’d like to share with you is my personal experience of having God’s love, overflow … to love someone else.  Someone I didn’t think … someone many still don’t think … deserves any kind of love.  Let alone a love filled with grace and forgiveness.

There I was.  Filled with anger and hate.  Anger.  And hate.  Ready for a divorce.  And the very next hour … literally … after prayer with my pastor and receiving an indwelling, overflow of God’s love … I was able to love.  Not only did I not want a divorce … but I was able to forgive and to love.

I need to make it abundantly clear … it wasn’t … and dare I say, most times still isn’t … my love.  I’m human.  I hurt, I feel, I anger … and I even hate.

But Jesus.  Jesus changed all that.

Jesus laid down His life for us.  He hung on a cross so that I might be loved … and forgiven.  I take freely of this gift … every. single. day.

The Bible also tells us it’s better to give than to receive {Act 20:35}.  Not easier.  When it come to love and forgiveness … definitely not easier.  But if I can so freely receive His gift of forgiveness and love, then isn’t it my responsibility … haven’t I been commanded … to give it?

In January of 1951, C.S. Lewis {in reference to Luke 6:27-31} wrote in a letter … “In praying for people one dislikes I find it helpful to remember what one is joining in His prayer for them.”

God is love.  He always was.  Always is.  And always will be.

I love God.  I want to honor Him.  I want to make Him proud of me.

In Matthew 7:13, we’re told to “enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.”

Oswald Chambers asks this, “Have you ever created what Mary of Bethany created in the heart of the Lord Jesus?  “She has done a good work for me.”  In The Message it reads this way, “She has just done something wonderfully significant for me.” {Mark 14:6}

I want to live my life … Jesus wants us to live our lives … following, always following The Golden Rule.

We need to get off our high horses … believers and non-believers alike … humble ourselves, see outside of ourselves, and start treating other people the way we want to be treated.  The way we’ve been commanded to treat each other.

#thereisaidit

Posted in bible, inspiration, jesus

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philippians 4:8

{source}

Posted in bible

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