reflecting on 2011

friends,
I've been thinking a lot about how much I've changed in the last year. I changed jobs, Andy changed jobs, we lived apart, we almost moved... it's been quite a roller-coaster. But my relationship with God has been a firm foundation - something I might not have said a few years ago. Each change that I've endured this year has brought me into more of an understanding of God's providence and of His love for me. Yet my flesh is still weak, and I often am disappointed and embarrassed by my sinful thoughts and actions.

Maybe you've had amazing year, maybe you haven't. Maybe your relationship with God is solid, maybe it isn't. But if you're reading this blog post, chances are you desire to grow and mature in your faith.

So, friends, take some time to answer these questions and reflect on this past year. I'll come back in a day or two and share my answers. Feel free to answer in your mind or in your journal, or you can comment on this post (either with your name or anonymously).
-L

1. What event(s) have happened this year that made you feel far from God?

2. What event(s) have happened this year that brought you closer to God?

3. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being far from God and 5 being near to God, where would you say you are now? Why do you think that is?

4. What did you learn from church/devotions this year that you either didn't know before or didn't "get" before?

5. Is spending time with God a daily priority of yours?

6. What do you think you're doing right when it comes to growing? What do you think you're doing wrong?

7. Have you taken anything away from church/devotions and actually applied it to your life? What was it?

8. What changes do you need to make to grow more spiritually?

9. What are your goals for growth in 2012?

10. In one word, describe what you want your relationship with God to look like.

choosing to love this Christmas

friends,
Sometimes the hardest thing about the holidays is also the happiest - and that is being around our loved ones. I thought this quote from Elisabeth Elliot perfectly paraphrased the type of love that we should embrace.

“This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience - it looks for a way of being constructive. Love is not possessive. Love is not anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own ideas. Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. Love is not touchy. Love does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.
Love knows no limits to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that stands when all else has fallen.”
― Elisabeth Elliot, Let Me Be a Woman

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas tomorrow. Don't forget to take time to praise God for His many blessings, particularly the blessing of Jesus Christ.

love,
L

a trip around the corner

friends,
you may have stumbled across my other blog, The Blog Around The Corner. Instead of writing a new post today, I'm going to let my other blog do all the work! My latest post is on a shameful experience from last week - read it here.

Click here for more posts on God, and here for more posts on scripture (some of them are tagged for both).

and I'll leave you with this thought -

from here

a commitment to prayer

friends,

did you know that you are prayed for? Heather and I pray for you individually throughout the week, but we also pray over each of your specific requests when we meet to chat about Bible study. I've shared before that I use my drive to work to pray for Andy and for our future children. Well, 5 p.m. every day is the time I pray for YOU!

prayer is so powerful.

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?  Corrie Ten Boom

Is the Son of God praying in me, or am I dictating to Him?....Prayer is not simply getting things from God, that is a most initial form of prayer; prayer is getting into perfect communion with God. If the Son of God is formed in us by regeneration, He will press forward in front of our common sense and change our attitude to the things about which we pray.  Oswald Chambers

The shortening of devotions starves the soul, it grows lean and faint.  William Wilberforce

have you been praying for one another?

love you girls,
L

Casey's testimony

friends,

for those of you who missed it, here is Casey's testimony. Casey, we love your heart for the Lord!

     Growing up in the church doesn’t solidify having a relationship with the Lord, I’m a living example. I grew up in a very traditional Methodist church going to Sunday school every week and attending vacation bible school for the majority of my childhood. I didn’t get the point; I thought it was what you were supposed to do. When I was 12 I went to my first Christian “camp” for a week with my youth group. I was the youngest one in the group and felt completely out of the loop. All week I heard the speakers talk about this God we supposedly live for and I was completely confused. I had never heard the gospel painted the way they presented it that week. I actually understood it. God worked in my heart all week, each day revealing more about my sinful state and even more about His sacrificial love and grace. The last night of camp, they had what Christians call an “altar call” or an “invitation”. I didn’t want to go in fear of being made fun of by the rest of my youth group. But while sitting in my seat, debating on standing up or not, I literally felt someone push on my shoulder. That’s all it took. I stood up, walked to the front and prayed. I asked God to forgive me of the horrible person I was and to accept me as His child. That was the beginning of the very long journey God had in store for me to win over my heart completely.
     High school came before I knew it and there I was surrounded by sports, friends, boyfriends and grades. My need for God left rather quickly. The need to impress and gain my parents approval had always been a desire of mine, and once I got to high school, there were so many areas that I had to maintain that approval. I got involved in softball at a young age and quickly found a love for it. Softball was an area of my life that I tried incredibly hard to win approval. I put everything I had into it; I practiced outside of practice, had private pitching lessons, and always looked for ways to improve my game. It became my life. The life of softball began around 7-8th grade and then once I got into high school, life escalated that much more. I found grades as a way to win approval as well as other sports (basketball and volleyball). At this point, I wasn’t just trying to impress my parents, but everyone else as well (friends, teachers, family). My talent in softball had produced in me a pridefulness that carried into other sports and into my social life as well. I started hanging out with the “popular crowd” my freshman year and was exposed to parties, drinking, and unhealthy relationships.
     I loved it all. I loved the attention, I loved the praise and I loved the fun. This was me freshman and sophomore year. I was on top of the world. I had a great name for myself, I was an A student, I was dating the “stud” of the class and my parents loved my accomplishments. Then God decided it was time to start breaking me down and take me off my throne. That “stud” breaking up with me was the start of it all. I fell hard and I took it out on everyone. I was miserable and my friends were tired of hearing me complain. Junior year I decided to just focus on softball and try to mend friendships. That seemed to work for a while, until I met a guy…an awesome guy. He wasn’t the popular one, he wasn’t the “hottest” but there was something that he had that I loved…God. I started going to church with him and seeing what it looked like to “live” like a Christian. This I believe is when God really started hacking away at my throne. This relationship taught me so much. I started reading and studying my bible, I started praying and I was surrounded by other Christians who I loved.
     Granted, this was a slow process, and this relationship was in no way “biblical”. But this guy helped me get my foot in the door and for God to seriously do some work in my heart. Over the next year, I realized that softball couldn’t satisfy me the way I was thinking it would. So I made one of the hardest decisions of my life and quit. 6 different colleges were waiting on my response to accept their scholarship and I said no to each one. After graduation, I looked at my life. Softball wasn’t in my life, my parents were not pleased with me, and I was going to a university where I knew no one but my current boyfriend. Knowing JMU’s reputation, I knew I could quickly fall back into the drinking and partying scene I had in high school…but for some reason, I didn’t want to. I had no desire. So the summer before coming to college, I told God that I was living for Him. I wanted Him to be all I needed. I wanted to understand and experience complete satisfaction that only He could give me.
     The first week at JMU I got plugged into a ministry called Campus Crusade for Christ and never looked back. I immediately felt welcomed and loved and had already made friends. In the first month I had also found a church that captured me as well. God had lead me to the places He knew I needed most. Freshman year was wonderful. I grew so much in the Lord and began having quality quiet times with Him. I thought that I had finally made it. I thought I was where (and who) the Lord wanted me to be. Not quite.
Spring semester of my freshman year, the Lord decided to take away that 2 ½ year relationship I had been in. He saw that I was still dependent on someone/something more than I was Him. At this point in my life, I could’ve either turned and ran from God or I could’ve drawn closer to Him than I never have before. Only because of Him, I chose the latter option.
     Life since then has had its ups and downs. I’ve faced numerous trials and difficulties, but thankfully I’ve had the Lord with me in it all. I have learned so much about God’s sovereignty and grace in the last 2 years that I ever thought possible. He has turned this broken piece of pottery into a beautiful piece of artwork. Losing, sacrificing, being disappointed, suffering…it’s all worth it knowing that Jesus Christ came and died for me to experience this abundant life. Jesus was forsaken so I could be forgiven. This sacrificial love that I will never fully understand saved me, and to Him, I owe my life.

Chippy's Pumpkin Dessert

I'm ready for us to have this at small group again. Thanks for sharing, Heather!

2 cans (15 ounces each) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (12 ounces0 evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package yellow cakes mix
1 c. butter or margarine, melted
1-1/2 c. chopped pecans
FROSTING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen cool whip, thawed (-I whipped whipping cream instead with a little sugar and vanilla)

Line a 13x9 inch baking pan with waxed paper and coat the paper with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, milk and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix and drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Invert onto a large serving platter; carefully remove waxed paper. IN a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Frost dessert. Store in refrigerator.

Casey's Sweet Potato Casserole

thanks for sharing this recipe, Casey!
4 cups sweet potatoes, cubed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup pecans

Preheat oven to 325. Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Cook until tender; drain and mash.

In a large bowl, mix sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Put in a greased casserole dish.

In another bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and butter. Then stir in pecans. Spread on top of potato mixture and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy :)

resting in forgiveness

friends,
I felt very unworthy of love this weekend.

I harbored negative thoughts, bitterness and resentment in my heart. I spoke out in anger. I pouted. I burrowed my brow and squeezed my eyes shut, thinking proud thoughts about myself and untrue thoughts about my husband. (This was all over something incredibly ridiculous and of little importance, mind you.)

I was in the middle of complaining to God when the Holy Spirit slapped me upside the head and said LAURA, those thoughts are NOT of the Lord! I stopped, and considered the hurtful lies that I was allowing myself to believe. God was right. Satan was tempting me to think less of Andy, to disrespect him, to hold him in contempt. Satan saw an opportunity to tempt me, and I had given in.

I was so ashamed of myself. After all the progress I had made to be the kind of wife who sees the best in her husband, I fell back into my old ways. What did God think of me? What did Andy think of me? They must have been so disappointed, so frustrated. I let them down.

Thankfully, my husband is a loving man, and he accepted my apology with tender mercy. He rubbed my back as I clung to him, and we eventually fell asleep.

But before I made things right with Andy, I repented to my Father. Sometimes I imagine him shaking his head at me in a "I know you can do better, why must you fight it" type of way. I can't snuggle up to my Heavenly Father, but I can rest in his love, in his mercy, and in his forgiveness.

I can trust that God has loved me since the very beginning - since before I was even in my mother's womb. I can trust that He rejoices over me, even though I am a sinner.

The best part of being forgiven is that it's over. When God forgives us, He doesn't hold our sin against us. Hopefully our Christian family/friends will forgive us in the same way. When you're forgiven, you should be able to rest in the knowledge that you've righted yourself with God.

Is there anything going on in your life that you need to ask God's forgiveness for?

love you,
L

sample quiet time

friends,

Remember when Heather explained her method of studying the Bible? Here's what she studied today:

(thanks for sharing, girl!)

---------

Today I was reading this passage in 1 Timothy:

1 Timothy 4:1-5 "[1] Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, [2] speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, [3] forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. [4] For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; [5] for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

There is so much in here, but there are a few things I was thinking hard about.  This passage is so relevant today, we are surrounded by teaching that is not based on truth, but on feelings or wisdom from the world.  We need to make sure that we know the truth that we stick to the doctrine of the Bible and know it so that we aren’t deceived (just like we were talking about in our Spiritual Growth study).

In verse 2 Paul talks about what the false teaching looks like, that it’s hypocritical and that the teachers have repressed their conscience so much that they can no longer feel right from wrong (a very dangerous place to be). 

Verse 3 Paul talks about some of the legalistic requirements that these false teachers will burden people with.  There are probably denominations that you can think of where people are required to eat according to Mosaic principles and are considered to be more holy if they are single.  The holy spirit condemns this.  We are allowed to eat all food as long as we are thankful and marriage is permissible. Here is a quote from the commentary I read on this passage:

“We often think that if we sacrifice something for God (such as the right to marry or to eat certain foods), then He owes us something. This is legalism at its worst; trying to manipulate God into giving us something. The idea is that we can make God indebted to us, make Him our servant and make ourselves His master. In this we fulfill the original doctrine of demons - that we should be gods.” -David Guzik

I think it is important to remember that Paul (and the Holy Spirit speaking through him) was not against marriage. He was shown by the Holy Spirit that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church. And he pointed out that marriage helps us control our passions so we do not fall into sexual immorality. He highlighted the blessings of singleness which would have been foreign as a positive concept in Jewish and Gentile cultures, but he never said that believers cannot marry.

This passage reminds me that I need to be aware of what the Bible teaches so that I am not deceived.

That if I ever think I can curry favor with God by living more strictly than the Bible tells me to, I have fallen into pride and have missed the mark.  That I need to listen to my conscience so that it remains sensitive to God, because I want it to help protect me from sin and the accompanying guilt.  It’s a scary thought, but if we repress our consciences enough this can happen.  When you feel your conscience prompt you listen to it!  God put it inside every human being for a reason.  This passage (especially verses 4-5) was also a good reminder that I need to be more thankful to the Lord for food and drink and not take it for granted.  I encourage you to make tomorrow a day where you not only give God thanks for food, but for everything He has blessed you with.  It is so easy to think that we have a right to certain things (food, drink, clothing, housing, money, etc.) but these are all gifts from God.  We only get to be a steward of these things for the time being so let’s have an attitude of gratitude and remember what Christ has done in our lives.

-Heather

change in quiet time

friends,
What do you do when you finish your current study?
At the beginning of this year I started at Genesis and worked my way into Nehemiah. Then I spent about a month reading a few specific Psalms over and over, trying to drill them into my brain. Then I decided to re-read Philippians through Jude. Last night I finished Jude, and when I shut my Bible I thought, "now what?"

I love Romans, but I'm also intimidated by it. It's so jam-packed with crucial information. I'm dedicating the rest of 2011 to Romans (let's be honest, I could spend a whole year learning Romans) and I'm so excited to see God teach me and stretch me during my quiet times.

I just ordered this study guide and I'm SO pumped to get started. Anyone want to go through the book with me, or borrow it when I'm done?

What are you studying right now? I'd love to know!
If you're nervous about keeping up w/ reading the Word over Thanksgiving break... girl, I feel ya. I *always* struggle with reading by Bible when I'm surrounded by the extra distractions that vacations bring.   At home, I read the Word in the evening. But I know my family will probably watch movies or play games at night, so I'll strive to do my quiet time in the morning while people are waking up and taking showers. So my advice to you is - anticipate distractions and plan ahead.

love,
Laura


p.s. remember our study on identity? this song is such a good reminder!

notes on nobility + Thanksgiving challenge

friends,

Our current study is on "becoming a woman of noble character."
If you weren't at Bible study a couple nights ago, we looked at Proverbs 31:10-31 and we studied eight characteristics that the "Proverbs 31 woman" has and discussed practical applications for each characteristic. On 11/28 we'll look at ten more characteristics.

Here's what we've covered so far: this woman was dependable, loving, hard-working, energetic, sacrificial, contemplative, resourceful  and charitable.


She wasn't flaky, hateful, lethargic, selfish, impulsive, lazy  or self-absorbed.


Starting tomorrow, I'm going to embrace one characteristic a day. I'm thinking about what's coming up in the next week and basing the characteristic I choose on the activities I'll be doing that day.

Thursday- energetic (lots of chores)
Friday- resourceful
Saturday- sacrificial
Sunday- dependable
Monday- loving
Tuesday- contemplative
Wednesday- charitable
Thursday- hard-working (I have to work on Thanksgiving! bummer)

Will you join in this challenge? You can start it any day of the week. Some of you students might choose to start on Saturday because you'll likely be around family around the holidays.

lots of love!
L

dear friends,

as Paul wrote to his brothers and sisters in Christ, I write to you to encourage you in your faith.
I desire for each one of you to grow closer to Christ and to become more like Him. I pray that you will find conviction and hope in His teachings.

"I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words."
Psalm 119:147

I will use this blog to write you letters - to share thoughts on our Bible studies, remind you of our memory verse, share what I'm learning in my quiet times and alert you to any events/opportunities that might be coming up.

This blog is meant to be interactive - please post comments and questions (feel free to do so anonymously), and contact me if you're interested in writing a guest post.

Let's continue to be in prayer for one another.

don't forget this week's memory verse - which is also an awesome close to this post!

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ."
Philippians 1:9-10

with love,
Laura