The SEEing Feast Project: Entry #1

The perfect point of a paint brush. . .the life and bane of my right hand and the right side of my brain. It's sitting here in front of me because i have 10 little birdies i have to paint before Wednesday. Professionally, i am an artist and/or designer. i wouldn't necessarily consider myself a painter, but i do love to paint – so much so that the fear of not being successful at it often time paralyzes me from even attempting to begin. The projects that require it of me usually are the projects i procrastinate with the most (like the 10 birds i am to paint before Wednesday). i don't want to fail at it.

When i finally do get beyond what i call the procrastinating "dread", i'm absorbed by the process. . . i love the feel of the perfect amount of paint being applied to the perfect surface, the glide of the line that appears every time i start at one point and follow it to completion in my mind's eye and in reality in front of me. i can hear music swelling in my heart when i paint. It's almost like i love it so much that i am afraid that if i am not successful at it that i will be confronted with the hard truth that maybe i am not exactly who i want to be, who i hope i am, who i've dreamed i was created to be. . . a painter?

These days i have discovered a new place within me that embodies the same exhilarations and much of the same fears. God has been asking me to "step out" and be who He keeps showing me i am to be – the one who He SEEs when He sees me. The one who He created me to be. Surprisingly, this girl has little to do with paintbrushes creating visible moments captured on a page, but more to do with being captivated by the invisible and acting out in faith to further a purpose outside of herself in situations and moments that are created by Him.

The few times that i have recently closed my eyes and just done "the thing", whatever it is that i feel He is leading me to do, the blessing overflowing is breathtaking. It's like, for a brief moment i've discovered who i am, who i am to become, who i have always been, who He truly is. The prospect of another opportunity to experience it again and perhaps even more completely or fully is almost too exciting to bear. . . and sometimes, the fear of failure stops me in my tracks. BUT. . .

The difference between the girl with a paintbrush and the girl that is living her life out in faith, as i have SEEn in today's exercise, is that faithful girl can succeed and fail at living out these moments and she's still who she was created to be – eternally His. Either way, i am brought closer to SEEing and BEing more of who i was created to be from the beginning of time. Failures won't make me less of who she is – i've always been her, now i just need to be brave, be available, be obedient and just BE her, and i will undoubtedly SEE more of who i am, more of who He is, and more of what He is working to accomplish – more than i could have ever imagined.

Lord, God, help me to SEE You. Teach me to SEE and be who You created me to be. Help me to SEE the moments You have created for me to live out – and live out to my fullest potential for Your purposes. Give me the will and the strength to live out those moments for Your glory. Create in me new sight and renew my spirit within me.

Fruitfulness...is it just about being "nice"?

my thoughts on the idea of "fruitfulness..." in response to an original post at BFCCJOURNEY.

The man I married is someone that I wish I was more like every day. He is more Christ-like than any person I have ever known. I've seen him get "mad" at me once - and even in that situation his anger was enveloped in self-control, yet I knew, without a shadow-of-a-doubt, that I never wanted to put him in that kind of situation again. I've heard a story of him getting "mad" once in college. He was having to protect his home and friend and I imagine it was a fierce anger but one that looked much like Jesus over-turning the tables in the temple – I can honestly say that in almost every situation I have ever observed him in, he has responded with the fruits of the spirit, yet I have never questioned his masculinity. Gentle? yes. Kind? yes. Loving? yes. Self-controlled? yes. A man with a capital "M"? definitely.

I think about the old testament where you are reading about God's wrath, it's not "nice". I remember struggling with that when I was frantically reading the OT in Bib Lit freshman year. My mother, after a distraught call home, used my then living grandfather as an example. My grandpa was good, kind, loving, even-tempered. In college I even wrote a comparison paper between him and Jesus, he was much like what my husband is now. He was also tall, strong, a hard-laboring farmer with grit under his nails and at 70 his heart was as healthy as a 30 year old...a gentle giant – yet, you knew when you were in trouble with him. As a grandchild you worked your absolute hardest to never get him to raise his eyebrows in a way that you were certain he was disappointed. BUT, had there ever been anyone or anything threatening me or my life, he would have gone after them and broken them in two with his own bare hands – a wrath much like God's when He was protecting his children (from sin) or like Jesus in the temple, protecting His Father's house. But did God or Jesus have any less the fruits of the spirit at work in them during these times? I don't think so.

Neither of these two living examples I've had in my own life of men bearing fruit and being Christ-like were ever men (little "m") but more mighty (with a big "M" for Messiah shining through). Both of them humble, obedient, and more conscious about representing God in the situation and less of themselves - even when it required them to not be so "nice".

Things I am pondering. . .what's my eternal story?

In what ways am I allowing God to show me what may be acting as an obstacle to what He is working to accomplish in my life?

What areas of my life do I need to ask Him to continue encouraging me in my obedience?

Do I truly believe that when I ask God to do amazing things beyond anything I could ever imagine that He is working to do and will do that very thing – the unimaginable?

How will this chapter in my life play out as part of my eternal story?

Summer Siesta Gathering III

Beth has four discussion questions for our third gathering. The first two are from Week 3.

1. On p.62, Kelly quoted Michael Wells: “Satan will tell us what’s true, but he never tells us the truth.” Let’s have some examples of that.

How has Satan ever told you something that was true but wasn’t the truth?

2. Kelly’s discussion about King Hezekiah and the attack on his faith on p.66 reminded me of a quote that I’d recently seen in the devotional classic, Streams in the Desert. “Genuine faith puts its letter in the mailbox and lets go. Distrust, however, holds on to a corner of the envelope and then wonders why the answer never arrives.” (p.168)

What envelope have you been most prone to hold the edge of?

The last two are based on Week 4.

3. Reread the first couple of paragraphs from Kelly’s intro to Week Four on p.76 concerning people-gods. Then, look up Phil. 1:9-10 and read it.

How can these two Scriptures become a huge help to us in finding the balance between loving people and idolizing them?

Beth says on her blog, "This came after I did the video: We did something in our small group that I found very encouraging. We shared some examples from our personal lives of idolatrous relationships that, with God’s intervention, actually transitioned into healthy relationships. These transitions are often rare because the relationship was fed by the idolatry and often can’t exist without it."

Have any of you experienced one of those wonderful occasions when a relationship endured that positive transition? If so, share it!

4. Lastly, review p.87 and reflect on the whole Leah and Rachel madness. Reread the bold-print section at the top of the page.

What are a few costs of desperation that you yourself have paid? And what is the solution?

Session 4: The Problem with Idols

Days 1-5
GOD Wasn't Their Ultimate Thing. . .

Why has this week's lesson been the most difficult for me to get through? Perhaps because it hits a little too close to home for my own comfort? But, I am working through it and hope you have been patient with me.

The Discussion questions for this week are not my own – I've pulled them out of the back of the book in the Leader's Guide because I didn't want my personal struggles with this week to interfere with posing the driving questions that needed to be asked and discussed. So, here they are. . . choose the ones that impact you the most when sharing.

• Have you ever created scenarios in your head that allowed you to believe lies about yourself? If so, what lies do you believe because of this inclination?

• Why do you think GOD often tells us what to do and then shows us why? Where do you see examples of this in the Bible? in your life?

• Did you answer yes or no to the following question from page 81 – "...are the cravings that often cause us pain or get us into trouble necessarily desires for wrong or evil things? Share examples to explain your answer.

• After reviewing the question and last two paragraphs on page 83, how do you feel about James' use of the word "adulteress" in this passage?

• If you feel comfortable, share responses to the writing prompt on the bottom of page 84 that challenges, "write about an area of your life where you have been double-minded."

• In regards to the names of Leah's children, what do you think of the meaning of Judah's name? Keep in mind that Jesus is from the line of Judah. Based on what you know of the rest of the story, do you think Leah was truly healed and rid of her idol when she had Judah?

• As you are willing, discuss your response to the prompt from page 87 that reads, "Write about a time where you were willing to give yourself to someone for merely crumbs in return."

• Share your response to the question posed on page 89: "Describe a time when you finally got the very thing/person you had longed for and it didn't make you as happy as you thought it would."

• On page 93 your read, "People will do far crazier things when something threatens their ultimate thing." Can you think of examples from the Bible or from current news?

• From day five, discuss what you found insightful from each reading of Colossians 3:1-17. Discuss what stands out to you from each translation and what new insights God has given you.

Session 3 ~ LIES: Days 1-5

Lizards, Dr. Pepper, and Lies. . .
I could totally appreciate Kelly's take on the lizard stuck in the Dr. Pepper can in her intro to this week's lesson. I think back over the last 10 years. . . How many times did we as a couple see the drip, drip of what looked like liquid gold dangling from a "something" that we wanted – and wanted right then and right there – only to find out six, seven years later we were still paying for it? Such a deadly trap! I am so thankful for this last year of learning to discern the lies from reality, and pray that we hold tight to what we have learned – not letting an ounce of our instruction and learning be in vain.

Her story also made me think of what we are going through right now. Waiting for an opportunity to come to fruition. An opportunity that, from down here, looks like the perfect answer. Yet, also knowing that God has the true perspective. I prayed at the end of day 1 this last week for God to give us clear and complete understanding of exactly what it is that He is offering and what may just be sugary drops of deception that in the end would just end up being a suffocating snare – I know that we don't want any part of that.

Who else was surprised to realize that all that Satan tempted Eve with in the garden, were true statements? How did the realization that Satan's deceptive statements are often true yet lack truth impact your idea of the effectiveness of Satan's tactics that are used to deceive us all the time?

Personally, on day 3: Behind Every False God is Intimidation, I related most to the statement on the bottom of page 65 where Kelly's friend Carrie admitted that her primary issue she deals with in regards to the enemy's lies is, "Did I really hear God right when He said. . .?"

Over the past month we have endured over 13 hours of interviewing, presenting and days of waiting in regards to this job opportunity about which we are still waiting to hear. I have woken up countless times these past few weeks knowing just what I was to pray – specific prayers that in the following days revealed the "why did I pray that?" with answers and open doors. I would wake up and just to settle my nervous thoughts, would sit to read the Bible or work out one of our lessons and would be lead to encouraging, faith-building passages that in the morning when I would get up for the day would fill me with such hope and boosterism that I would walk away from the day fully knowing that it was God who led me to those particular verses. Yet, in the waiting (there's that "silence" issue again), I honestly can say that I have been having to pray off Satan and his attempts to thwart any deepening of my faith regarding this particular situation with his venomous lies that whisper, "Seriously, do you really think you heard God right when He said 'I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.' and that He really intended for you to claim those in this situation?" Lies. . .that distract me from the truth and what God is working to accomplish in us. Oh! I renounce you Satan and your lies!

I know I am merging all five days of session 3 into one post, but I just wanted to pull out the key things I, personally, held onto this last week and give you an opportunity to share what key things popped out at you as well. I would love to know what struck you the most this last week?

What about on day 4? What are your thoughts on the things about society and the lies our culture works to feed us each day? Did you find there are every day things that God may be wanting you to be open to removing from your life?

I particularly was struck with Kelly's statement on page 70, day 4, where she states, ". . .if true conviction is present, we will begin to look at that thing as something that was taking the place of God, something that was stealing from us. As we rid it from our lives we will be hopeful with anticipation, anxious to see what God will do in this newly-created space. We will not look for loopholes. We will be resolved. We will know that we are in a position to gain, not to be stolen from any longer." (Oh, how I could write a whole book about this and how I've learned this the hard way this past year. . .)

Let me close this comprehensive post with one last statement that I want to claim as my own – a statement from the top of page 73, day 5:
"I am reminded of my need to vigilantly know God's truth while being able to identify the deception of the Enemy."

Lord, God, I love you and I want to be so bathed in You and Your truth that I have no problem identifying and dealing with Satan's lies. Lord, I pray that you would reveal to me in Your Word and in a supernatural way, the ability to discern Your voice and guidance – Your truth for my life for every and in every situation. Expose and remove any lies and deception my heart, for so long, has clung to as well as any new tactics Satan is working to employ on me and my heart. Keep me free from the bondage of lies in my life. Lord I pray that You would make Your truth in me so vital, active, influential, and effective that I am able to live out my full purpose for my life that is for your ultimate glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Siesta Summer Bible Study Gathering II

Every two weeks there will be a video session with Beth Moore. This gathering is to be viewed after completing sessions 1&2. I'm sure some of you are already beyond these two studies, but I wanted to give you all an opportunity to tune into the video and answer the questions posed by Beth and her team for our group, possibly giving us an opportunity to share and connect in regards to the subject of idols that we have been studying. Be sure to view the questions and share your thoughts.



1. Based on Week One, discuss what a functional god is and how an idol has functioned for you. In other words, what made it work?

The remaining three are based on Week Two:
2. Turn to p.39 of your workbook. Kelly had us read 1 Peter 2:9-12 and reminded us that we were meant to be peculiar people. Reread her words.

~Now, in class today do an acrostic of the word "peculiar" based on various ways Christ has set us apart. In other words, come up with one word that begins with a "p," then another that begins with an "e," "c," and so on.~

3. Turn to p. 41. Recall our reading out of Genesis 21:1-6. Listen to verse 6. I especially love the New English Translation: "God has made me laugh." Share something today with the group that God has done for you that brought you such joy or such a turnaround that it was laughable.

4. Lastly, turn to p. 49 for what I thought was one of the most powerful moments of the entire second week. Kelly said "Fear protects our idols"! How? Discuss that!

Session 2 ~ Day 5: Why Idols?

Fear

What has been most effective in combating your own personal fears?

Session 2 ~ Day 4: Why Idols?

Silence
As I am finishing up today's lesson about the quietness of God and how often I have allowed times of God's silence to convince me that God was not hearing me, listening to me, answering me in the ways that I thought would be best or in the time-frame that I thought would be most effective – how many times I, like the Israelites, have quickly turned to take action on my own behalf and say to myself, "Well, I guess it's all up to me now."

We are coming up on our 10 year wedding anniversary. We've been together for over 17 years and I am so very thankful for the man that God brought into my life so many years ago, then a boy, now my husband. A man who loves God, our family and me more than anything on this planet. What an amazing gift. So why have I tarried in allowing God to use my husband to be all that He created him to be? I can think of countless times over the past 10 years that I have refused to step aside and let my husband lead based solely on God's silence and my unwillingness to submit to God wanting my husband to be the protector and provider of our family.

This past year has been and continues to be a year we have enlisted ourselves in God's boot camp. A year of allowing God to discipline us in the areas we didn't trust in the past. In areas where we allowed our foolish impatience with God to get us into faithless traps. Traps that we have had to let God teach and reteach us how to climb out of with a death grip on Him and Him alone who saves. Yet, even now, I am finding it difficult and scary to step aside and fully and wholly trust God to have the power to provide and protect us and our family and use my husband as the conduit to do just that – protect and provide. Thanks be to God that my body is forcing me to do what is and has been God's will and just step aside, rest and let God shine in the gift He gave to me – my friend, my spiritual partner, my faith-filled example, my more-than-able to do all that God has prepared in advance for him to do – my husband.

Please pray that God will give me the strength to trust Him, even in His silence. That He will continue to be glorified in our lives and our faith in Him to provide and protect us. That He will be given the obedience, the space, the ground in both of us to raise us up to be all that He created us to be and live out all the potential He is more than willing and able to equip us to do in Christ.

Session 2 ~ Day 3: Why Idols?

Pain
After reading how it was the Lord who had closed Hannah's womb, would any of you be willing to share your answer to the question on the bottom of page 44 of today's study?

Why do you think there are times when God purposely brings pain into our lives?

Just Isaac

To wrap up Day 2's lesson, click HERE to be transported to the site where you can simply click on the "play music" button to listen to Margaret Becker's and Kelly Minter's song. . .
Just Isaac

Session 2 ~ Day 2: Why Idols?

Need
On page 41 it states that Sarah was looking to an Egyptian slave girl to save her life. Think of the times when you have depended on someone or the thought of someone, other than God, to save you from your current situation or to build a life through.

Today's time of personal reflection was very revealing to me. There were specific people that I could point to in my life and in my past that I know I've depended on terribly too much to be the answer to that with which I was struggling. . .

For me, the most impacting statement of the today's lesson was also on page 41:
"God had this beautiful plan for Sarah in spite of how bleak things looked. Definitely she was in a bind. She had genuine cause for concern. But that's always going to be the place where our faith is tested. If it all looks easy and doable, it doesn't require faith."

What part of today's lesson was the most revealing or impacting to you?

Session 2 ~ Day 1: Why Idols?

Identity
On page 36 of the study Kelly says, ". . .it seems that women everywhere are caught in an endless pursuit to discover their identity."

In what ways have you noticed, in yourself or the women around you, how the pursuit of discovering a personal identity has effected their lives and relationships?

What do you think it means to find your identity in Christ?

Like the people of Israel in 1 Samuel 8:1-22, have you ever experienced a time in your life that you lost sight of what you had and who you were? How did effect your decision making in regards to your life, family, jobs, ministry?

After reading Deuteronomy 7:6 and 14:2, which part of the description of who we are in Christ means the most to you?

What insights did you gain from the word "peculiar" in today's study?

Session 1 – Day 5: Where Our Heart Is

Out of the three verses given in today's lesson, which struck you as most profound and why?

Matthew 6:21
21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Isaiah 44:9
⁹ All who make idols are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.
Those who would speak up for them are blind;
they are ignorant, to their own shame.

2 Kings 17:15
¹⁵ They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.

Session 1 – Day 4: Creating Pharaohs

In today's study, I was struck by the word "creating" in the subtitle, Creating Pharaohs. Mostly because so much of what I do each day is "create".

Most days, because the deadlines are so tight, the pressure to "create" and be "original" requires me to start the project and/or the day with a prayer that I've prayed countless times. . .that God would be my eyes and hands and imagination, ideas, efficiency and productivity. A prayer of trust that God knows my client's mind and wants and can direct me to help meet their needs. I figure that a God who could, with His breath and spoken Word, create all that is our everything in 6 days. . .that same God will have no problem helping me come up with a logo or design by day's end, yes?

Yet, when the study asked the question: "How do we specialize in and use our resources on modern forms of idolatry?" I was reminded of the times that I finish a project, look back and think "Wow, look at how much God was able to help me accomplish this week!" – which is a complete blessing that I work hard not to take for granted. BUT, I was also reminded of, in regards to those same projects, the times I catch myself daydreaming about my client saying to someone, anyone, it doesn't matter who: "Wow! Look at all that Jodi was able to do and accomplish!".

I think I am coming to realize that much of what I do is out of a desire to be admired for what God can and does help me do. I know it's only because of Him that I am able to do what I do, but somewhere deep inside of me, I want the admiration from others for that work as well.

My sincere prayer today is that I will give God ALL the glory in ALL that I do (1 Cor. 10:31) and seek not the praise of men, women, my clients, my family, the viewing public, but His praise and His praise alone. To God be the glory, honor and praise, Amen.

Session 1 – Day 3: Purposeful Pharaohs

This is what stood out to me in today's study. . .

. . .having freedom from our idols begins by recognizing our own powerlessness against them. Apart from the power of Christ, we are unable to extricate ourselves from their hold. This is good news if we can accept the truth of our own weakness while accepting the gift of His strength. (pg.21)

What has stood out the most to you so far or particularly in today's study?

Session 1 – Day 2: Naming our Pharaohs

Personal reflection:

Were there any specific realizations you made about any false gods you've had to deal with in the past and/or presently that yesterday's and today's study helped you discover? Yes or no.

Are there any specific prayer requests you may have this week, related to the study or not related to the study, that our group can lift up for you?

Session 1 – Day 1: Personal Pharaohs

Defining Our Terms:

Ponder this definition by Ken Sande:
Most of us think of an idol as a statue of wood, stone, or metal worshiped by pagan people. . .in biblical terms, it is something other than God that we set our heart on, that motivates us, that masters and rules us, or that we trust, fear, or serve. . .An idol can also be referred to as a "false god" or a "functional god". (pg. 13)

Based on this definition, what new thoughts does it bring to your understanding of a false god or idol?

Can you recognize any functional gods in your life that you are willing to share? If so, explain:

A professed god is who or what we say our god is; a functional god is who or what actually operates as our god. (pg.15)

List a few examples of functional gods in our society:

As John Calvin put it, "The evil in our desire typically does not lie in what we want, but that we want it too much." (pg.15)

Can you think of anything in your life that is inherently good and right, but that has become detrimental simply because you desire it too much?

In Exodus 20:1-6 God uses the word "jealous"
to describe Himself in verse 5. (pg.16)

According to verse 2, do you think there is a reason – apart from God's pure power and sovereignty – for Him to be jealous? If so, explain.

Day One conclusion:

Note any penetrating or new realizations you've had about "false gods" and/or "functioning gods".

Bible Study Workbook Update. . .

I contacted Lifeway about the books after ordering mine and here was there reply. . . So, we should be good and maybe only a little behind.

Jodi, thanks for contacting us. Those are scheduled to arrive in the
warehouse this week, at present only the first chapter is available for
download. As soon as those come in the back orders will be processed and
the orders shipped out.
Sincerely,

Sidney Wallace
E-Commerce
LifeWay Christian Stores
http://www.lifewaystores.com

Summer Siesta Bible Study! (Part II)

Comment in this post or the one below to let me know if you would like to be part of creating a group with me who will be meeting here every other Tuesday in this Summer Siesta Bible study and be sure to watch the kick off video posted below!

Also:
Please share what you perceive to be your biggest challenge toward walking victoriously with God this summer. Heavy work load? House full of children? Difficult season emotionally? Just had your heart broken? Just feel far from God? Whatever it may be, share it with our Summer Siesta group and take some time to pray for one another today.

love,
*jodi

Summer Siesta Bible Study! (Part I)

It's still not too late if you want to be involved in the online Bible study with Beth Moore and her Living Proof team!



Here is the link to the first two weeks of instruction that Ms. Beth is speaking about on her video launch. . .

Let me know by commenting at the end of this post if you are planning to be involved and we'll be sure to hook up via this blog to do the discussion questions together every other Tuesday! (Next Siesta Hook-up Time will be on Tuesday, July 1st!)

Also, the workbooks are back-ordered, so get your order in now and in the meantime, you can download a copy of the first week's lessons HERE as well as direction to order the workbook!


Hope to hear from you soon!
*jodi

Speak Your Truth. . .

If you would be willing to SPEAK your favorite verse from your studies this week and have it be available for everyone to listen to reply to my email or in the comments portion of this post and we'll get it set up!