The Art of Lively Discussions

Jesus was a rabbi.  A spiritual teacher.  In the society He lived in young men who showed promise in learning the Torah would follow the rabbi.  This meant that they would eat, sleep, pray, talk, and think like the rabbi.  They were learning to eventually BE Him. 

Another thing that these men would do is that they would talk about various scriptures from the books of our Old Testament.  Not only would they simply have a discussion, but they would hold lively debates over issues often by pointing to other scriptures that apply and using their learning to help them make their point. These debates helped solidify their understanding of the scriptures and gave them further insights as they learned from each other.

God has given us many mysteries in the Word.  In fact, I kind of like to think He is a mystery writer.  I want to read it more to know how it ends and figure out things that are not very clear.  Last Sunday our pastor, Joe, was talking about how God created us to be searchers and discoverers of His mysteries.  I like thinking of that.  It makes perfect sense.

As people we are always learning and searching for answers.  How does the human body work? How does the universe work?  How did people in ancient history live?  I find myself continually amazed by simple things such as petals on a flower or how different plants have different species of insects that pollinate them.  Such small but complex things that are part of God's creativeness. 

Do I approach His word in the same way?  Noticing the complexities in such small things and being amazed by them?  Some things we really can't know for sure.  But He wants us to ponder them, think on them further, ask Him about it and learn more about Him.  I can only imagine at this point in my life that perhaps all of eternity will be spent just learning and discovering Him and His greatness because He is infinite. 

I also think however, that we have missed the boat on lively discussion as Christ followers.  If we are to follow the rabbi as the scripture intends and become more like Him each day.  We also need to engage each other more in lively debate over the scriptures.  I am not talking about arguing each other down in some shouting match over who is right or wrong.  But talking to one another about what we think about scripture, what God has shown us about a passage.  Listening intently to each other.  Thinking together about it and how it applies to our lives.  Then go back to the Word and look it up again and think on it some more.

I had the privilege of a couple of lively discussions this past week.  It felt like a breath of fresh air in a stale dry landscape of personal quiet time.  It enriched my thinking and drove me further into the Word to understand more and think and pursue Him.  Did we agree in everything we talked about?  No.  Did we know all the answers to the mysteries?  No.  Did we get into an argument over who was right or wrong?  No.  It was  lively interesting discussion.  It made us think. 

We are rabbis in training.  How can we train if we don't look at the Rabbi and what He says?

We need to slow down in life.  Take time with each other to meet and talk about Him and what He is doing in our lives, what He is teaching us from His Word, what we think about the mysteries that aren't finished in the Word.  How do they apply to our lives?

Mysteries to ponder that I have been thinking on this week:

1) The Book of Life -  How does one get in there?  When are folks blotted out?  What does it mean and how does what I know it says about it apply to my life?
2)  Did Jesus preach in hell?  Hint:  begin in 1 Peter 3.  If so who did He preach to?  Why?  Does Abraham's bosom apply to this issue?  (this one is what I am looking into now)

Feel free to comment back with other scriptural mysteries to ponder or thoughts you have on these mysteries above.    I would love more things to think on further!
 

Alive

Sawdust I am

Living water added to me

Clay for the Potter

Shaped by His hand

Not a puppet on strings but

A vessel I become

To pour out His greatness

To give Him glory and honor

Part of His plan

Time marches on

Little by little

I disintegrate for Him

And return to a pile of sawdust

Then

Blown by the Holy Spirit

Borne away to the splendor of my Eternal Home

I will be

Reformed and perfect forever

Tracy Whipple ©2011

Lessons From This Summers Garden

I planted a vegetable garden this year.  It is interesting the lessons I learned and how they apply to my spiritual life. 

Water is essential for things to grow.  It was very hot and dry this summer here in Kansas.  Daily watering was necessary and even then it wasn’t enough for some of the plants.  When it rained the plants always did better than when I watered them by hand.

John 4:10  Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.  

Jesus always waters us best like the rain waters the garden.

Weeds will come up everywhere and keep coming back no matter how much you  pull them up.  It was amazing to me that no matter how hot and dry it was, the weeds always grew better than the vegetables. 

We can never get rid of the weeds of sin on our own.  Only God can uproot them out of our lives. They will come up over and over especially when we are the driest and least watered.  

John 1:29  The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Sometimes seeds  get planted where you didn’t intend on it.  In the Spring, I planted bean, carrot, watermelon, cucumber and cantaloupe seeds.  It was a breezy day and the seed packets blew around on the patio.   A while later, I had carrots growing in the strawberry bed where I did not intentionally plant them.  Yet I am looking forward to how good those carrots God saw fit to plant for me will taste!

Luke 8:11  Now the parable is this:  the seed is the word of God

Jesus is the Living Word.  As Christians He is in each of our hearts.  We will sow Him wherever we go as He shines in our life. He will grow seeds even where you did not think to sow them.

Sometimes the plants you grow, don’t always survive to produce fruit.  I had beautiful yellow squash plants.  They had huge flowers, each time fruit came on from the flowers, they withered and shriveled up.  I think we may have gotten two tiny (I mean really tiny) squash off the plants.  One day I came outside and the plant was withered and no amount of watering helped it.  Some insect had infected it and it died. 

John 15: 2  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.

I pray that you and I will be fruitful for Him.

Taking a plant and transplanting it to a new place I want it to grow isn’t always a good thing.  When I planted a new raspberry vine, I wasn’t sure where I wanted it to ultimately be.  Later on in the summertime, I had decided so I dug it up and moved it.  I watered it faithfully and still it withered and died.  I am hoping it will come back next season, but can’t be sure til then.

God needs to be the one in charge of moving people He has planted.  We can’t be the ones to decide for them and take over.  We come alongside of them and pray for them and let Him move them to where He wants them to grow and be fruitful for Him.

These are just a few of the things I learned and I pray that they will be of some benefit for you in your own walk with the Lord!

Love Your Neighbor

I just returned from the wonderful weekend for women conference! What a great time of fellowship and teaching!

One thing that reached me in particular is "Starting Something New".

There are so many people in the United States today that will not walk into your church. They are so turned off to organized religion that they will not come. But they are hungry and thirsty for the Only One who can satisfy. He desires that all come to him.

So why not reach your neighbor. I have them on all sides of where I live. I am sure you do too. Invite them over for coffee. Organize a cookout in your backyard and ask them to come. Start a bookclub. Invite them for dinner.

Get to know them. Don't start out with your Bible in hand spouting the Roman  road to salvation and turn them off. Just love them as Jesus loved people. Share in their lives. Pray for them. Ask them what you can pray for them. The more time you invest in loving them, the more Jesus will shine through you into their life. Let Him be the guide in your relationship. He knows their needs and heart.

You can also simply shine Him where ever you go. In the store, smile and make eye contact with people. It is so hard for them not to smile back. It is contagious.

So many people today feel so lonely or busy that a simple smile, or holding the door open for them, or letting them go ahead of you in line will lift their heart. God will use the simplest of things to touch someones heart.

It's all about compassion and loving your neighbor.  Jesus did it, why not start right now?

What's Your Handicap?

We all have handicaps.   We don’t like to think we do but we have them nontheless.

There are lots of things I can’t do.

                                                     Many I can’t do well at all.

                                                                                               Some I am afraid to do.

They are my handicaps. 

Isaiah 41:10  “ Do not fear, for I am with you;

                                                 Do not anxiously look about you,

for I am your God.

                                     I will strengthen you,

                                                                       surely I will help you,

                                 Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

God likes to use handicaps. 

                                                 In them HE gets the glory and credit, not us.

He used Moses to lead millions to a new land.  He could not speak well.

            He used Esther to save her people.   She was a Jew in a foreign land.

He used Jonah to preach to Ninevah.    He was terrified to go and hated them.

            He used Mary to give birth to His Son.       She was not married.

He used a demoniac to spread His gospel.             He was demon possessed.

            He used Peter to preach the word.       He was impulsive.

He used Paul to reach the gentiles.   He hated Christians and had a physical handicap.

            He used Zaccheus to reach the lost.        He was short and a tax collector.

He used a Samaritan woman to reach the lost.         She was an adulteress.

            He used a blind man to preach to Pharisees.          He was blind from birth.

2 Corinthians 12:9   “ And He has said to me,

                                                MY grace is sufficient for you

                                                                        For power is perfected in weakness

                               Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast

                                                                        About my weaknesses

                                    So that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

We are afraid to be weak

The world wants us to be strong in ourselves and hide our weaknesses.

               It wants us to fit in and go with the crowd doing their thing, choosing their path.

The crowd shuns handicaps.  

                God sees them as useful, beautiful, a way to give Him glory and honor.

What are your handicaps?

                                          We all have them.

                                                                        Turn them over freely to God

And let Him use them for His glory.

           

           

God Is......

                  We spend a lot of time talking about attributes of God.

                                      Things like redeemer, healer, provider, shelter, savior, friend…..

                  Lately, I have been thinking of….

Painter

    Vibrant sunsets

Wildflower meadows

                     Sparkling daylilies

               Faraway galaxies

                                                                                           Butterfly wings       

                                                                                                           The  iris of our eye

 

 

         Engineer

     Solar systems

                       Mitochondria

                                         The Great Barrier Reef

                                                                    A bird’s feather

                                                                                              Tides

                                                                                                        Seashells

                                                                                    

                                        

Musician

     Gentle breezes

                        Thunderstorms

                                        Bees buzzing in the garden

                    Children’s laughter

                                             Ocean Waves

Knitter

     Tree leaves

                  Human bodies

                                   Kelp forests

                                                   Rain forests

                                                              Food Chains

                                                                               Puppies

                                                                                                                                                            

Sculptor

            The Grand Canyon

                                 Sand Dunes
                                                             Glaciers
                                                                        Volcanoes
                                                                                     Infant Fingers and Toes

Psalm 104

                                                                               God Is…..  An Artist

                            

                       

Tied Up In Knots?

As an avid crocheter,   I often get really irritated by the fact that a lot of yarn has poor quality control. Not long ago while making a shawl, I had a huge tangled mess come out of the center of a pull skein.  Through it, God gave me some interesting insights to share with you.

Sometimes we are like that skein of yarn.  On the outside we look all nice and neat and orderly.  But on the inside we may be tangled up.  We may be harboring unforgiveness, anger, frustration, feelings of inferiority, disappointments, stress, or a myriad of other things that keep us feeling tied up in knots.

Some days in pulling the yarn from the skein, a small looped knot will come out.  Work on the finished project has to stop and the knot pulled loose.  Usually this is easily done if the knot hasn’t been pulled too tightly.  Then work can begin again on the project. 

We often have these looped knots in our life.  It may be just some simple crummy event in our day, but God has to stop our forward progress and remind us of His word and presence in our life and He gently untangles the knot and gets our attitude back on track moving us forward.

Other times, pulling the yarn from the skein results in a huge tangled up mess with lots of knots and loops that look like a pile of spaghetti on a plate.  Once again, the finished project must go on hold, needle put down and lots of untangling removing one knot after another gently and slowly so as not to make it worse. 

Sometimes there is a huge mess inside of us that builds and builds till we are a tied up tangle of knots.  God has to stop our forward progress and slowly, patiently one by one untangle all the things that have built up inside of us.  Removing them one by one, gently showing us that we need to let go of them, until all of them are untangled, before we can begin to move forward on the path He has for us.

Then there are times the mess comes out so tangled up that no amount of working on the pile can remove all the knots or tangles.  After many patient minutes, I realize that the yarn isn’t going to untangle and if I could untangle it, it will be so out of shape that it won’t crochet properly.  It is time to take the scissors to it, cut it, retie it beyond the tangle and move on back to the project.  Trash the mess and continue forward.

Sometimes we have such a bad thing in our life that it is impossible to untangle all the feelings, frustrations and pain and move forward.  Only God can move in and help you cut out that mess and begin anew so that you can move forward.  Only He can enable you to get rid of it totally. But even then there will still be a small scar left behind but He can work it into His finished project of your life.

Notice too though in all of this, the skein of yarn could not fix itself.  So often, we try in vain to fix all our problems that are mixing us up and we want to not admit it to God and let Him do the repair.  But to really be fixed, we need to stop and be still, talk to Him and let Him take us in His able hands and untangle us and not fight Him while He does it. 

Are you looking good on the outside but inside are you balled up, tied in knots?   Let go and let God take hold of the mess and let Him fix it for you guiding you through His Word, showing you the way to go.  Ask Him to help you get untied.  Only then can He finish His work in you to the end allowing you to become a beautiful work of art for Him.