A LIFE-CHANGING STUDY

I think I can safely say, this is the best book study I have ever done. I also think it's safe to say each and every person that went through this with me, was challenged in many ways to re-think the way we have always thought about God. The important thing is to be sure we are worshipping the God of Scripture, not creating one in the image WE want Him to look and calling it "Jesus".

Every lesson takes you through Scripture and gives many thought-provoking quotes and challenges. The goal of the entire study is to see "God's name lifted high above all else." It takes you through the true gospel and our response to it regarding holiness, worship, evangelism, Christian service and teaches how to avoid the lies of beholding a lesser God and Pragmatism. It ends with showing the importance of seeking the One True God that we behold. POWERFUL. I am thankful to have gone through this, and actually don't plan to put it down anytime soon.

My own personal testimony is that God used this as a tool to cause me to see the Lord more clearly again after a time of confusion for me regarding many things. I had been praying for clarity and God used it to help restore my focus, point out things that were wrong and cause me to see what truly matters in my walk with Him. It was the beginning of an answer to a prayer, "Lord, I want to know You! Take me deeper...." that I have been praying for a long time now... I still pray that prayer, but am blessed to know He is answering it.

If you are looking for something to do as a family, small group, or church, I would HIGHLY recommend this.

"Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically"

by John Snyder

 

 

A Time to Reflect

Early in the month of December, I had a tremendous privilege of teaching at a women's brunch at Calvary Chapel in Billings. I was asked to share a bit of what God has been doing in Hardin at Big Horn Calvary and gave a bit of a personal testimony as well as an update on the church plant and how it has come to be. The Lord brought me to Joshua where they are commanded to set up stones of remembrance, so that was my text for the morning.

I share this here for the sole purpose of giving God all the glory and wanting to proclaim what He has done and continues to do. I also want to challenge others to look back on their lives and see where God has been faithful... it's so encouraging.

Many blessings.

 

 

Click to hear "A Time to Reflect"

HABAKUK 3:2

 

"LORD, I have heard of Your fame,

I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.

Renew them in our day,

in our time make them known;

in wrath remember mercy."

 

Contemplating all that God is doing. I am overwhelmed by Who God is, and all that He has done and all He continues to teach me.

Today, I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for grace and mercy and His unfailing love. I am thankful that God is my Father, and will not let me go. I am thankful that He is my salvation, and my salvation is not dependent upon me.

 

This has been my favorite song for a while now, because I am truly overwhelmed by Him.

 

Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave

A RENEWED JOY IN CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS!

The past two mornings, I woke up with that burning urge to write again. Seasons of silence sometimes last a while on this blog, but I always know when I'm being prompted to write, even if it's just for my own thoughts, and no one comes back to read here.

While this title may seem strange, it has great meaning in my own heart. I feel God has opened my eyes and given me a renewed sense of joy this Christmas season, something I have been greatly lacking the past several years. My desire is to honor the Lord in all things, and I had heard and read and become confused by this debate over whether Christians should or should not celebrate Christmas. Fear of doing something that didn't honor God crept in, and the past couple of years, I have not had peace. Joy was lacking in every aspect of the holiday for me, because the enemy had brought great confusion. I now realize, however, that I had taken my eyes off the gospel and put them on my own ability to please the Lord in my own efforts and attempted righteousness. Anytime I do this, my joy is quickly gone.

I didn't have joy in purchasing gifts for others, because giving gifts was participating in the methods of the culture. Cutting a tree and decorating it with all the memorable ornaments from years past was a struggle as well, because I had heard Christmas trees called an "idol" on multiple occasions. I have so many joy-filled memories of Christmastime in the past, but I had fear that I was somehow offending God in the process of celebrating this holiday, so I fearfully did them with drudgery because I knew God hadn't asked me to stop, but was uncertain how to move forward. My attitude and focus was wrong.

So, I asked the Lord for clarity. I shared my heart with Him, letting Him know how I longed to please Him, but was uncertain during this season what blessed Him and what didn't. I feel this year He has answered me.

It's all about HIM. Every day is about HIM! In recognizing that, I also realized that there are days that we set aside to celebrate individuals and other accomplishments -- birthdays, graduations, etc. Christmas is simply a time that we set aside to reflect on and celebrate the birth of Christ, which is completely intertwined with the cross and our salvation. Yes, I rejoice everyday in the gift of salvation, but there is nothing wrong with having a specific celebration time for celebrating the birth of Christ, regardless of whatever else was celebrated in the pagan world on this same day.

A story involving my youngest daughter will bring better clarity. We were around some children one evening, when one young child came up to her and asked her if we were getting a Christmas tree. She responded by saying that we were planning to get one. This child's response to her was, "Christmas trees are idols".... what she later told me her reply was blew me away and spoke volumes to my own heart. I saw wisdom beyond her 9 years of age coming out of her. She said, "Christmas trees COULD be an idol, but they are not in our home. We simply use it as a beautiful decoration to celebrate Jesus' birthday." She got it! Just like any other thing in this world can quickly become an idol, so can any aspect of Christmas, OR, we can use the joys of the Christmas season to draw our eyes more clearly to Christ and deepen our love and walk with Him! Depending on which angle we take, and where our focus lies, determines whether or not we bring glory to God or grieve Him in the process. It's not about what we do, it's all about WHO we do it for.

This conversation my nine year old had happened before the Christmas season was truly upon us, and I feel the Lord used it to give me a new focus this year. Cutting our tree down was, as always is, a great adventure for our family! For as long as I can remember, we take our kids to the mountains, trudge through the snow and pick a usually rather ugly tree to take home and decorate. This year, I saw it with a whole new perspective. The memories we make on those adventures, the relationships we are building, and the conversations we have with our children will be there for a life-time. Our desire and focus is to use every activity with our children as an opportunity to point them to the love of Jesus and His great and glorious gospel.

Pointing out the one at the TOP!

 

ALWAYS an adventure! :)

My precious family....

God created Christmas trees. Trees, made by HIM, were used to hold His tiny body in the manger, carry Him on a boat as He did ministry, and ultimately hold Him as He bore God's wrath for my sin. These are the types of conversations we have when decorating and talking about a Christmas tree. We desire to always point to Christ. While we love to celebrate any birthday, celebrating Jesus' birthday is an extra special occasion that we go through weeks of preparing for! He is the most worthy to be celebrated, and as I heard and have meditated on over and over again this Christmas season, celebrating the birth of Christ is celebrating the "beginning of the rescue!" It is the start of God's plan to rescue us from sin, hell and the grave. What a wonderful reason to celebrate and find joy!

Of all people, we as believers, have the most reason to have JOY in celebrating Christmas. Yes, many others have wrong motives in celebrating this holiday, but I have determined not to let what Satan has tried to use to remove the focus off Christ to destroy my joy in celebrating! Even if others do it wrong, I can have the right focus, which is gratefulness to God for sending Jesus! Was Christ actually born on Dec. 25th? Most likely not, but does that mean that we cannot still celebrate His birth? Absolutely not! No one knows the exact day. I am so grateful God sent Jesus, and I choose to celebrate with JOY, knowing this is the day believers set aside to do just that!

I enjoyed purchasing gifts this year. It was fun!! As believers, we are called to GIVE! If it takes a holiday to cause me to pause from the normal busyness of life and think about the preciousness and uniqueness of my nieces and nephews that I rarely get to see, and bless them because I love them, then I am thankful for the prompting of a holiday to do that! As long as I am not overspending, or walking in greed or jealousy, then I will find joy in giving gifts to others!

Our Christmas cards this year were birth announcements for a KING!

I love the inside verse...

"She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

The purpose of the birth is the salvation of His people.

"Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are You a King then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a King. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37

I celebrate Christmas with joy this year! The rescue for our souls could not have happened without the birth of this King! What a reason we have to celebrate! I thank God with every fiber within me that Jesus came to this earth to rescue me. What a reason to take a season aside to celebrate in special ways. I also thank Him for answering my prayers...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Emmanuel! God has come to rescue us!

ISAIAH 40:3-8

 

"A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD:

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

 

Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

 

And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 

A voice says, 'Cry!' And I said, 'What shall I cry?'

All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

 

The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it;

surely the people are grass.

 

The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of our God will stand forever."

Pain & Peace

How long it has been since I have written my thoughts anywhere but my private journal! It's challenging to open oneself up to the "world". Many things have gone on in my life these past several months. I have traveled for a funeral of a very close friend's husband. I have traveled to sit with my grandfather, watching him receive a chemo treatment for his cancer. I have had sweet moments of crying and praying together with both my friend and my grandfather. Painful moments, but such peaceful moments that I will cherish forever. Moments that I thank God for... 

Here at home, I have taken in 4 children for a season, only to watch them go back to a life-style of pain and hardship surrounding them. I have seen the enemy have some success in dividing the body of Christ. All of these things have ripped my heart out to some degree, but, I am realizing that any hardship I face cannot silence truth. Even when I am up to my elbows in "stuff" and my heart aches more than I thought possible, the Spirit gently, lovingly pulls me along, faithfully teaching me and granting me His sweet peace in the midst of the storms. He faithfully guides and is the closest friend I could ever ask for. 

It is in the seasons of pain that I truly believe we grow the most in our walk with the Lord if we allow them to. The pain in my heart has tempted me to pull back and be silent, but His gentle nudging keeps me pressing on to share this gospel of peace that we have been given.  How can I not speak it? How can I not share truth with the lost and dying? How can I not encourage others with the words that God encourages me with? Others need to experience this same peace that I have been blessed to have through the grace of Jesus Christ.

The verses I have gone back to over and over this week are in Romans 5:1-2. "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

The benefits of justification:
1) Peace with God.
2) A standing in grace.

Is there anything greater? Peace with God and a standing in grace... this has a present continuing mindset! Grace is the beginning principle of the Christian life, but it is also the continuing principle that we stand in every single day.

Guzik said, "Remember that the Bible doesn't say we have peace with the devil, peace with the world, peace with the flesh, or peace with sin. Life is still a battle for the Christian, but it is no longer a battle against God -- it is fighting for Him."

Romans 5 goes on to say, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

What a beautiful promise.

In the midst of hardship, I rest in having peace with God because of Christ's finished work on the cross, and I rest in the fact that I stand in the beautiful gift of grace every single day. I can fully trust Him! I rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, and am so thankful He is at work in me producing these wonderful things! I will receive these seasons of hardship, trusting that He is making me more like Him in the process!