Knowing God

Hidden: A Word for 2024

2 Comments / Faith, humility, Knowing God, Maturity, patience, the Bible God's Word / By teri / January 2, 2024 January 15, 2024 / declutter, early spring cleaning, good stewardship, hidden in Christ, New Word for a New Year, obedience

Happy New Year!

Many people, especially writers, chose a one-word theme each year. Do you do this? I do occasionally. But this year, a word chose me—hidden. God whispered it in my ear twice in December. First, through a devotional by Elyse Fitzpatrick. Then again, through a conversation with my mentor and friend, author Heather Holleman.

The Apostal Paul reminds us of our hiding place, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

We tend to fragment life into the sacred and secular, worship and work, when in reality, God made all of nature supernatural. The spiritual and material coexist in creation. We should never undervalue even the most menial tasks. When done with the right attitude for God’s glory, these are sacred trusts and acts of worship. Here’s an acrostic the Lord gave me for the word hidden:

Held

In
Divine

Dedication

Even

Now

Through my eight-year journey to bring you Choose Now to Grow Grand, Not Old, I’ve buried my basement. It’s the catch-all space in my house where we toss stuff because we aren’t using it and don’t know who needs it. Certainly, we don’t; if we did, we wouldn’t have put it there to begin with. Can you relate? My save-it-for-a-rainy-day storage plan devolved into a deluge.

Since my first book discusses the blessings of downsizing, instead of burdening children with junk, I’m going into hiding to practice what I preach. Abba is sending me to my room until it’s clean, lol! I’ve been meditating on this verse from Ecclesiastes, “a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together,” Ecclesiastes 3:5.

I’d like to think I’m the one wise woman King Salomon never met, but, in truth, I just teri-phrase things. My version goes a time to clutter and a time to clean. Another Terri, Terri Lynn Schump, a sister in the Wellspring Writers group I’m part of, says, “A time to expand and a time to contract.” So, I’m cleaning, contracting, and casting away stones in my basement.

If you study the context of the word hidden in Colossians 3, you will see Paul is calling us to progressive sanctification—learning to live Christ-like. The Lord entrusts all of us with material possessions. The stuff in my basement belongs to Him, and I need to manage His property better. If Bill and I aren’t using it, I must pass it on to someone who will.

So, as an obedient child, I descend the stairs to hide, not in my basement; I’m hiding in Christ.

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Therefore, I will not be blogging for a while.

Since my blah, blah blogging won’t be cluttering your inbox, you have a few extra moments a month to join me and clean out something in your home, if you want, or read something by those incredible Christian women I mentioned at the beginning of this epistle. Follow the links and see what these ladies have written.

Until my basement is tidy, Happy New Year! And Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter . . . you get the idea. I trust you’ll keep steeping in truth with me by daily reading God’s Word.

Blessings!

teri

13 Days ‘til Christmas! Are Your Gifts Wrapped?

celebrations, Faith, Family Life, Knowing God, outreach / By teri / December 12, 2023 October 24, 2023 / Christmas shopping, finding the perfect gift, gift-giving

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Ready or not,

Jesus,

and Christmas are coming!

Too often, in the celebration of Christmas, we scurry like squirrels from store to store to get gifts for those we love. We make lists and budget money and, hopefully, pray as we shop. We want to bless people with unique presents that will enhance their lives. We want to find the gift that gives joy and makes memories like a sinless babe wrapped in swaddling clothes Who brought us the first Christmas. We can never outgive God. But we can rethink gift-giving and exercise greater discernment.

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Often, what people need most is not more things. I intentionally choose perishable gifts for some people. My mom has downsized for the last time and prefers not to figure out where to put more stuff. Theater tickets, yummy treats, and shared experiences mean much more to her than nick-nacks. She appreciates “things” she doesn’t have to find a place for. Truth be told, I also enjoy giving her things I won’t have to throw away or dispose of after she passes away. Not to sound morbid, but my mom is eighty-eight; our time together is passing quickly. Spending time together means a lot to both of us. I try to visit her for her birthday each year and have her stay with us at Christmas. Yes, I’m giving her gifts we both enjoy.

Three of my four kids earn annual incomes greater than mine. “What do you want for your birthday?” I’ll ask my son-in-love. “We want you to come for a visit,” he replies. Maybe the perfect gift for someone on your list is time. Just visit them. Perhaps a plane ticket costs three times more than you budgeted—but if you can afford it—think how delighted a parent or child would be if you were the Christmas gift on their doorstep. That’s what God did when He sent His Son, Emmanuel; God came to see us and to let us see Him.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17. God benefits from everything He’s given us no matter how great His sacrifice, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

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Jesus came to give us life; good gifts promote health like the bicycles Bill and I gave our grandchildren this year. Bikes are not cheap. We combined our Christmas and birthday budgets for each child. My daughter, who hates clutter, was thrilled, and so were her kids. However, it came at the sacrifice of not receiving a gift on their birthdays and Christmas. All four kids received their bikes on their oldest sister’s birthday in mid-July so they could all ride the bikes in sunny, warm weather.

However, the two youngest girls who received bikes turned eight and six in October. So I decided to send a card and a very inexpensive gift to go on their bikes. The eight-year-old loves crafts and buttons. She received a button-bike bling kit I assembled for her. I included twisty ties so she could decorate her basket. She even shared her buttons with her sisters; all the girls received bike-basket, button, bling! Good gifts promote creativity and can be shared. The six-year-old rides fast! We call her Brave Maeve. She received streamers for her handlebars.

Teaching delayed gratification is good. Eve’s first son wasn’t the Savior she hoped for when she held up Cain and said, “Look, God gave us a man!” God gave His Son in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4), not instantly at the beginning of the world. Maybe the best thing you can give a child is a savings account. My cousin used the money our grandma sent her kids and put it in the bank. They didn’t receive Great Grandma Irene’s many years of gifts until they were eighteen. I wish I had thought of that!!

All gifts don’t need to come in pretty wrapping paper or sit under the tree. I’m not a genius when it comes to gift-giving. The secret to giving great, memory-making presents is not a secret. Pray! Jesus tells us, “Without me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Good gift-giving included.

If finding the perfect gifts and getting all that junk wrapped is stressing you out, maybe you need to drop to your knees, worship the Father of Lights, and ask Jesus, the Light of the World, to give you wisdom. Then, please take a deep breath and savor this Holy Season we call Advent. Wrapping up your Christmas shopping may not involve wrapping at all. The fact that Jesus came reminds us He’s coming again. Do your neighbors, friends, and family know? Let’s ensure everyone knows that Christ died for them, lives for them, and is returning for His people. Jesus is the perfect gift for everyone!

Merry Christmas!

One of these Names is Not Like the Others! One of these Names Doesn’t Belong!

celebrations, Faith, forgiveness, Knowing God, the Bible God's Word / By teri / November 28, 2023 October 24, 2023 / Black sheep, Christmas, genealogy of Jesus, sinners and the Savior, Who is Uriah?

So and So begat What’s His Name

The first time I ever heard a genealogy from the Bible was in grade school. “And So and So begot What’s His Name and What’s His name begot Who’s It,” read my grandpa Donaldson without batting an eye. My family laughed except for Grandma Erma. She was not amused by what she deemed irreverent.

I know a few people who get excited about genealogies, like my mom; usually, these people are genealogists. Only brave souls study and compile a family genealogy. When they do, it’s typically personal for their family.

The Apostal Matthew, however, recorded the genealogy of Jesus. Luke also took on this task from a different side of the family. While these are the only two genealogies in the New Testament, lists of who begat who saturate the Old Testament. But in the genealogies of the Bible, Matthew’s is unique.

Some argue the genealogy in Matthew is unique because it mentions women. The Old Testament genealogies rarely mentioned women. However, the patens of Israel’s kings all include women. Matthew’s Gospel establishes Jesus’ legal claim to David’s throne and exalts Him as the King of Kings. A Jewish reader would expect to see some of their queens listed. So, mentioning four women by name is not an anomaly; however, one character is. Uriah!

As I study the genealogies of Scripture, the listing of Uriah should strike us as scandalous. And it does, but not in the way the Lord intends. Our minds too quickly run to his wife, Bathsheba—but despite her blood relationship, her name is absent. The point is not that two adulterers are in the lineage of Christ. While the Lord contrasts a sinful King David with the better King David—Jesus—the sinless King of Kings, there’s more going on with the listing of Uriah.

Uriah is the only time in any Biblical genealogy that a scribe includes the name of a man who is not a relative. If God just wanted to remind us of David’s sin, He could have said, “And David begot Solomon by means of adultery.” But God mentions the name of the victim of this crime, Uriah. When we consider Uriah’s story, we discover two essential truths of the Gospel. First, Uriah exemplifies loyalty to King David. Second, Uriah the Hittite—like the three women mentioned before him—is a Gentile. God vindicated Uriah’s devotion to the King of the Jews by including him in the genealogy of the Messiah. Uriah’s inclusion reminds us Jesus was born to build a kingdom from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Jesus is not just the King of the Jews like David was. Jesus honors and welcomes every person who pledges allegiance to Him as Uriah pledged allegiance to David.

So, as we read Mathew’s Christmas story, slow down in the opening genealogy. Let’s savor every word of God and not insert a name that isn’t recorded. Better yet, let’s stop after reading his name and read Uriah’s story in 2 Samuel 11 – 12. This account reminds us that one man’s sin brings death to many, just as the birth and death of the Savior bring many to life.

The peace on earth Jesus brings is peace with God—the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of all the devastation our sins inflict upon others. Uriah’s name doesn’t belong in Christ’s genealogy any more than our names belong in the Book of Life. But praise God, we can hear the angels sing, “Peace on earth, goodwill to men.” And by God’s grace, our names are written down in glory too. Merry CHRISTmas!

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Is “Yahweh” an Okay Way to Refer to God?

Faith, Knowing God / By teri / November 14, 2023 October 10, 2023 / hollowed be Thy name, names of God, reverance

“Hollowed be Thy name.”

Deep reverence motivated ancient scribes to translate the Lord’s proper name as Lord—Adonia in Hebrew. Even when modern Messianic Jewish scholars write English translations, they often choose to translate Elohim (Genesis 1:1) G-d dropping the ‘o’ to show respect for our Creator. Consider this statement from the translators of the Tree of Life Bible Version (a Messianic Jewish translation):

Our desire to honor traditional Christian translation practices:

God’s most holy, unspeakable Name usually appears in Bibles as “Lord”, but is sometimes not recognized as especially reverenced due to the mind’s ability to disregard the use of small caps. And, sometimes translators simply add vowels to the YHVH consonants of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet and give “The Name” utterance using the “Jehovah” or Yahweh.” This can be seen as very irreverent by Jewish people who would rather use “HaShem” which literally translates as “The Name.”

Taken from page xiii of the Tree of Live Bible

Many old and modern hymns use “Jehovah” and “Yahweh.” I sang those songs without thought for most of my life in Christ. But recently—I bristle. Through the intimacy we enjoy with God through Christ, have we become too familiar with the Holy Triune One?

His Spirit dwells in us, and He is our Father; does that afford us to be on a first-name basis with the Lord, Who is life and love personified in Jesus? Do you call your biological father by his first name? I don’t. Does that make him less personal? Not at all; Dad, Daddy, Papa, and Abba are terms of endearment reserved for children in a permanently close relationship. My friends called my dad Mr. Donaldson or Dave. My cousins called him Uncle Dave. “Daddy” was reserved for me and my brother alone.

Calling the Lord Father or Abba expresses a closeness that only those He has redeemed enjoy with Him. Calling Him by His first name strikes me as irreverent. Even Jesus never did that. He always said, “my Father,” and that is how he taught us to pray.

Christ refers to Himself as our brother and the Son of God and Man. Therefore, to call our Messiah Jesus (or, more accurately, Yeshua) is appropriate. We are on a first-name basis with our siblings. Hence, “Lord” referring to Jesus is not in small caps because, though He is God, we are referencing One specific person of our Triune Lord. If God amazes and mystifies us, should our awe not be reflected in how we refer to Him?

You may think I’m being persnickety—but words and names matter. They’re powerful. And familiarity, as the cliché goes, breeds contempt. My growing conviction is born from an increasing reverence of the One Who is my all in all, my Creator, Sovereign, and Father. And I just can’t call Him by His first name anymore. So, if we happen to be singing in Church together and my “Adonia” interrupts your “Yahweh,” I hope you understand; I’m not judging you if you feel the freedom as I once did to sing the unspeakable Name. Freely expressing my awe by not speaking the Name liberates my heart. Together by faith, we hollow the Name of our Lord, God Almighty!

Drained

Faith, humility, Knowing God, prayer, Spiritual warfare, Trials / By teri / October 17, 2023 October 10, 2023 / depleted, drained

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Help, I’m going down!

Where do rhythms of grace go when life swirls like a tempest? Too many activities. Too much travel. Too much pain. Sometimes life is too much. Jesus calls out to us, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28).

Jesus’ promised rest isn’t a simple nap, coffee break, or vacation. It’s a supernatural ability to remain rested as we work. And sometimes, the work He leads us into drains us.

When I feel drained, I’m learning to let the Holy Water—the Spirit of God—carry me down. All the way. To the bottom. The end of myself.

In 1 Kings chapter 19, we find Elijah completely drained after he battled it out with the priests of Baal. Full of fear, the prophet who acted fearlessly the day before ran for his life and hid from Jezebel. Like the late great NFL coach, Vince Lombardi said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”

The Lord let Elijah sleep and sent an angel with a take-out order to feed the exhausted prophet. Then, the Lord sent him on another draining task. “Take a hike,” God told Elijah, “to Mount Hroeb,” the Mountain of God.

There, God addresses Elijah’s deep discouragement. Elijah wails pitifully, “I alone am left.” Can you relate? “No one understands.” “I’m the only one who cares about _________(fill in the blank: widows, orphans, the lost).” “No one else is doing the work or suffering like me.” We all feel defeated and alone in our faith at times.

So, the Lord washes Eijah with more overwhelming circumstances: a whirlwind, an earthquake, and a fire. You see, Elijah was still hanging onto his own effort and self-importance. The Lord needed Elijah drained so he would stop listening to the lies in his head.

I’ve traveled far more this year than usual; I’m road-weary. I thought my last trip would be the last for this year. Bill and I attended the Refresh Retreat (an annual event in Connon Beach, OR, for people in full-time ministry). We also went To Washington to see our daughter and her family. We traveled by plane or car for four out of the five days we blocked out for this trip. We drove eight hours between Washinton and Oregon.

I’m glad I could go. I’m thankful for the two nights and one day I had at the retreat to reconnect with good friends and walk the beach. However, the whole experience felt more draining than refreshing. When I returned home, I breathed a sigh of relief. It’s time to get on my face and seek the Lord. I’m empty. I’m done. I’m drained.

So, I mark a date on my calendar for fasting and prayer. Then, a rip tide pulled me under, deeper down the drain. My daughter called me; she needs me to make another trip to Arizona to help my uncle move to Houston, Texas, another state I’ve already been to in the past six months. In the emotional somersaults of my soul, I don’t even know where the bottom is. But I know if I could just settle there, it would give me time to look for the still tiny bubbles of God’s breath. Then, I will see the way up.

The way up is never our way. Jesus is the Way. When we think we’re running on empty—we may not be empty enough. The rhythm of grace draws us to the bottom and leaves us there until we listen quietly. And when we listen, we discover we were never alone. God calls others to join us in His work. He’s not finished with us; if we’re still here, it’s because we have unfinished work to complete. Elijah needed to climb down the mountain and join the other servants of God. He needed to

enlist and train his replacement, Elisha. We, too, are commissioned to “Go and make disciples.” The work doesn’t end just because we feel depleted. Depletion is part of our completion.

So, when life is too, too much, let go. Let’s fall flat on our faces. Go down the Holy Spirit’s drain. Sleep. Eat. And most importantly, listen through the noise for God’s still quiet voice.

Let’s confess our self-pity, our vain aspirations, our striving to prove ourselves. All of this misspent energy has a valuable purpose in God’s plan—to make an end of us. God wants to refill us into a channel for His love and mercy. Be encouraged; we are never alone. Let’s listen for God’s gentle call. He’s happy to be our buoyancy if we just let Him float our boat.

Drained isn’t dead. It’s a readiness for refilling.

**Vulnerabili*tea**

Community, Faith, forbearance, Knowing God, Teatime Qualities / By teri / August 8, 2023 July 25, 2023 / be gentle, fragile, vunerable

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vuln*er*a*bili*tea /ˌvəl-n(ə-)rə-ˈbi-lə-tē / noun 1. the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally while self-medicating with a cup of chamomile.

People with life-threatening injuries and illnesses are acutely aware of something that most of us forget—human frailty. Our bodies and minds are resilient and fragile, strong and weak, shielded and vulnerable—what a fantastic paradox we are—like ceramic pots.

My daughter Anna brought back gifts from Costa Rica, including some “indestructible” pots. The street merchant banged them against his table to demonstrate the strength of his merchandise. An excited Anna explained his sales pitch and struck one on a table; it cracked.

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Patsy Clairemont describes herself as a cracked pot and invites us to be honest and acknowledge that we’re broken too. Sin makes cracked pots of us all. In Scripture, we read, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7). God gets more glory working through our weaknesses than through our strengths. He wants us to hide in Him because we are so vulnerable. And our ancient foe likes knocking cracked pots off the shelf because he wants to break us and extinguish the Light.

I recently attended a large writers’ conference and found myself battling insomnia. Each night of the meeting, I slept 3 hours or less; by day three, I was well aware of my frailty.

I’m a thick-skinned, transparent extrovert, and without any filter, I can be flat-out obnoxious. My unbridled tongue kept sparking wildfires because I am not a perfect woman (James 3:2, 5 – 6). I didn’t mean to be unkind with my words. I don’t intentionally hurt people, but without enough sleep to be fully alert, Satan had a heyday with me and offend people I did.

I praise God that He knows my frame. He gets that I’m a dirt clod, and He faithfully picks me up and cleanses me off again and again. I love Psalm 103:10 – 14.

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“He has not treated us as our sins deserve or paid us back for our offenses,
His mercy toward those who fear him is as far above earth as heaven.
He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.

Just as a father has compassion on his children,
Adonai has compassion on those who fear him.
For he understands how we are made, he remembers that we are dust.” (CJB)

I’m glad He remembers I’m broken and doesn’t give up on repairing me. We must be mindful—whether we feel fragile or not—we are. Our first parents were vulnerable to Satan’s attacks in a perfect paradise even though God was a breath away. He’s still a breath away. Let’s learn to call on Him; depend on Him.

Most of all, remember that the annoying person in the room is just as vulnerable as us. Let’s be gracious to each other. In the Gospels, we learn Jesus instructed the disciples to buy swords. They told Jesus they had two, and He said that would do. Peter brought one along to the garden of Gethsemane and hacked the ear off the High Priest’s servant defending Jesus. Like Peter, we often confuse when to act and speak with when to restrain ourselves. Just like Jesus healed the soldier’s ear and told Peter to put the sword away, I trust Him to heal the ears and hearts of those I hurt.

Jesus can fix all the problems cracked pots and ailing people make. In our vulnerability, He still loves us and continues to grow and use us. I love this acronym P.B.P.G.I.F.W.M.Y. on a button I received at a Bill Gothard seminar in the 1980s. It stands for please, be patient; God isn’t finished with me yet. So, I’m drinking chamomile to be calm because Jesus will carry on!

National All or Nothing Day—July 26, 2023

Faith, forgiveness, Knowing God, the Bible God's Word / By teri / July 25, 2023 July 12, 2023 / all or nothing, forgiven, sinner or saint?

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Will you give God everything?

“Do or do not. There is no try.” ~ Yoda. The little green guy with long ears may have had a false impression of the true Force, but he was definitely on to something. When it comes to seeking God or following Jesus, it really is all or nothing. “Take up your cross (a Roman execution instrument),” “Lay down your life,” and “Give away all that you have and follow Me.” These are startling invitations, but this is the Gospel. Jesus isn’t asking us to do what He hasn’t already done.

Jesus gave up a perfect home to be born in a barn and rub shoulders with sinners. He often rubbed them the wrong way. Before He ever paid the horrific death penalty we owed to God, He called sinners to repent. I’ll paraphrase it like this, Jesus said, “Turn away from life as you know it because you’re dead men walking. You’re like zombies traipsing off a cliff. Turn around; I am the way, the truth, and the life. Everything else in this world, except the whispers from my defiled creation, are lies.”

We all come into God’s family by new birth. I’ve never seen a partial person or half a baby. People may have physical defects, but sin defiles us all. Yup, sin is another all-or-nothing concept.

All have sinned. All have come short of God’s glory; there are none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10, 23). Yet a miraculous change happens at the new birth, we get a complete blood transfusion, and the infection of spiritual death is no more. Completely G-O-N-E! And while we struggle with sin in our skin (the flesh), the penalty is paid in full. So where are you at today with Jesus?

Do you have all of His forgiveness or none of it? Personally, I’d rather die and live forever than live a drop-in-bucket life and die for all eternity paying for my sins. Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once. 1+1+1= 1 in the Kingdom of our God of the impossible. You are one dead sinner or one living saint. It really is all or nothing!

The Necessity of Delight

Faith, Family Life, Knowing God, Marriage, the Bible God's Word, wonder of creation / By teri / June 27, 2023 June 5, 2023

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The most delightful people delight!

Delight—what a delicious word; it twirls on my tongue! It lights my imagination. It radiates warmth in my soul. The Lord flecked His canvas of creation with a brush full of delights. The earth sings witness to how delightful her Creator is; if we fail to join in her chorus, we miss the point of all these pleasantries. Do we let the wonder of creation usher us into the presence of Him, Who is most delightful?

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 ESV

Recently, I visited a younger friend struggling in her marriage. As she lamented her present relationship, the Holy Spirit impressed this verse in my mind and made it clear I should speak this truth. It seemed so trite to me, like rattling off Romans 8:28. Yet, that was God’s counsel. The following morning, my insight still felt dismissive; I needed to reflect on the verse I shared with her. As I reread Psalm 37, I marveled at God’s wisdom. Most of my friend’s desires have been God-honoring. She desires to be a faithful, loving wife and mother—a delightful spouse and parent. But I fear she covets a better marriage more than she is presently delighting in her First Love.

Covetousness is a sneaky sin that perverts blessings into idols. And when we focus and bow down to what we don’t have, we fail to delight in what we do have: an eternal relationship with the Perfect Lover of our soul. When we delight in Jesus, He releases us from the fretting fearfulness our idols inflict on us. Does it really matter if our husbands fail to love us well when we’re consumed with the perfect love of God? No.

All people love imperfectly, including you and me. All people sin. We’re all selfish failures sometimes, and yet God delights in each of us, including others who let us down.

“But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” Deuteronomy 32:9-10 ESV.

The phrase “apple of my eye” comes from these verses, and it’s long been the expression of a deep, delightful love. Today I redeemed an old Stevie Wonder song for my worship to the Lord, singing to Him, “You are the sunshine of my life,” He replied, “You are the apple of my eye. That’s why I always stay around.” And He’s singing that to you today.

Maybe like my dear friend, you’re experiencing a difficult passage in your walk with God. Know He still delights in you. Reflect on this reality, “He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19 ESV, italics added). If you trusted Him for salvation from sin, how can you not trust Him again to deliver you out of this present trial? Keep trusting. Keep doing the right thing. Keep your integrity. He promises good results. This excerpt from The NET Bible refreshed my perspective on delight.

³Trust in the Lord and do what is right.
Settle in the land and maintain your integrity.^[^e^]
⁴Then you will take delight in the Lord,^[^f^]
and he will answer your prayers.^[^g^]
⁵Commit your future to the Lord.^[^h^]
Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf.” The NET Bible

Keep praying! He will answer. Our delight begins with obedience and ends with praise. Delighting in the Lord changes us. It transforms our prayers and desires.

Delighting in God opens our eyes to what He finds delightful in others. As we delight in Him, He transforms us into more delightful women.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV).

Be? Still?! A Meditation of Psalm 46:10

4 Comments / Faith, Knowing God, Spiritual warfare, the Bible God's Word / By teri / June 13, 2023 May 11, 2023 / peace, slow the pace

Are you running ragged?

Trampled under the feet of worry and hurry, the art of being died. Alga rhythms and screaming screens drive this false, frenetic pace. We no longer feel compelled to keep up with just the Jones. The picture-perfect Smiths and Wessins plague us too, and they’re killing us. Yet God calls us to be.

Psalm 46:10 begins with, “Be.” We are human beings. Being like, who? Ms. Smith or Jones? Or are we content to be God’s child created in His image? We exist as beings formed to shine the Light of the World into the darkness; have we been eclipsed?

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The moon reflects the sun unless the world gets in the way. Has it? The world’s gravitational pull tends to drag us down and spin us around, setting us off balance; we feel we must do things to be of any use.

A demanding, dark deceiver shouts, “Hurry up! You have stuff to do, places to go!! Read that old story later.” But later, we’re tired from the treadmill he pushed us onto.

“Be still,” our Abba encourages us. Still reveals His invitation; S.T.I.L.L.

Stop what you are doing and be His child.

To discover the secret of living is to know the Lord of Life well.

Inquire of the One who loves you more than anyone else and knows the answers to all questions.

Look outside at the wonders He wrought: all creation declares His glory. Keep looking into His perfect law of liberty that sets us free from the world’s folly. And . . .

Listen for His still, small voice from His holy Word, the Bible. Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . wait patiently upon the Lord, and He will grant us the answers our hearts desire if—only if—we will settle down and know Him. Intimately. Let His gentle whisper fall on our soul’s ears. Know the great I AM is God. But first, we must be. Then be still.

Stop

Inquire

Look &

Listen

**Par*Tea!**

celebrations, Community, Faith, Family Life, Knowing God, Teatime Qualities / By teri / May 16, 2023 February 21, 2023 / celebrattion, drunkeness, Love, party, Tea Party

wedding bouquet, tea party, sweet-3395313.jpg

Celebrate God’s Love!

[ˈpärdē] n. 1. a social gathering of invited guests, typically involving eating, drinking, and entertainment; 2. an event of celebration such as in retirement party or birthday party.

v. 1. to enjoy oneself at a celebration or other lively gathering, typically with drinking and music:“put on your glad rags and party!” 2. celebrating while drinking tea in the company of friends.

Are you a party animal? I am! Today is my oldest daughter’s birthday. Happy Labor day to me!

Unfortunately, when I was stupidly young, my idea of a party devolved into drunken debauchery. My love of merriment kept me from following Christ for a long time. “How do Christians have fun?” I wondered. I knew if I asked Jesus to forgive me for drug and alcohol abuse, I would have to honor that confession and stop getting stoned.

Finally, halfway through my twentieth year, I knew I deserved to go to hell for my sin. Giving up my party life seemed a small price to pay to avoid unending condemnation in hell. What amazed me as a babe in Christ is how much more fun Christians experience—without hangovers. We remember our good times without regret. I gave up nothing and gained access to the best party ever, the Kingdom celebration.

God designed people to celebrate together. I feel sorry for those trapped in a false doctrine that prohibits celebrations. From the seventh day of creation until the present, God set the example of celebration. Why else would He have taken a Sabbath? Rest and worship equal a party! God didn’t need rest. However, people do, so He celebrated by spending a relaxing day with Adam and Eve.

Taking the Lord’s day for Sabbath rest allows us to celebrate catching our breath, a change of pace. We celebrate our Creator, the Lord of Heaven and earth. We take time to enjoy His company and the company of His children. We sing and sometimes eat together. Music and laughter fill Sunday services with joy.

Later in the Law, God showed Moses the feasts He designed for Israel to celebrate together. Some of these feasts were parties. Like observing a birthday on a calendar each year, the Feasts of Israel set God’s calendar in motion; and when the last Feast, the Feast of Trumpets, is fulfilled, the Day of the Lord will come, and a forever party will commence with the Marriage Super of the Lamb. God likes parties! Music, laughter, and His children in merry fellowship bless Him as much as our quiet contemplation and worship. Revelation reveals both times of silence (Revelation 8:1 – 3) and celebration in Heaven (Revelation 19:6 – 8). We even get a sparkling new party dress for this occasion!

I love celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and my new life in Christ every Sunday. My birthday falls on Sunday this year. I intend to party hardy! For sixty-two years, God has given me breath, strength, and every good thing I have. A party is in order; I’ll bring the cupcakes!

It’s a BYOB (bring your own beverage). I’m bringing tea! What’s your non-intoxicating beverage of choice?

Knowing God

“Be still and know that I AM God.”