101 Wednesdays, Week 5

This week in 101 Wednesdays, we studied the life of King David. From his childhood, to his encounter with Goliath, to his prolific song writing.

In answering the first homework question, my mind went straight to the election. The prophet Samuel goes on God's direction to find the new king. He assumes one of David's older, more handsome brothers is the choice God has made. But God tells Samuel, "I have rejected him. Man looks at the outside appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." The question read: How do you observe this same truth at work in our world today?

It made me think of how we evaluate those who are vying to be our nation's leaders. We often judge their outward appearance, perhaps because it is so hard to evaluate their hearts. We have become skeptical of all politicians, haven't we? Dishonesty is so rampant that we are left to resort to more superficial criteria when making a choice.

I was also reminded that even though we cannot see their hearts, the Lord most certainly can. And does. I'm SO THANKFUL for that, aren't you? I trust that God knows what He's doing in the upcoming election, and while I will step in and cast my votes, I can pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven regardless of my limited understanding of what's best for our country.

Did you get a chance to flip through the book of Psalms and notice how many David has written? (It says "A Psalm of David" at the top of those he wrote.) And they are not just poems, you know. They are songs. He was a great musician. I love how his songs speak to so many different emotions and experiences. So many were clearly written in his pain and questioning, and yet so many were written full of joy in his victories. There may be a Psalm for every occasion to encourage us on our journeys too.

Well, this week, we wrap up the Old Testament in the Jesus Storybook Bible. I'm so excited about these next stories. The first one, on Namaan's healing, was the story on which Beth Moore spent our whole weekend teaching when I saw her a couple weeks ago in Long Beach. (I still need to share with you some more goodness about that weekend!)

For now, here is the homework for the week. Sorry I'm a few days late getting it up!


Week 5


Chapters 17-21, to page 175

Jesus Storybook Bible
1. Read 2 Kings 5:10. What EXACTLY did Elisha the prophet tell Namaan to do? Think about that. Now, WHY would God require this seemingly unnecessary repetition when we know He could have healed Namaan with one dip in the water? As a reader of this story hundreds of years later, what does this tell you about the relationship between repetition and healing?

2. The next chapter we learn about talks about Isaiah the prophet. There were many prophets, but Isaiah is my favorite. Some of the chapters contain my favorite passages in the whole Bible. Read Isaiah chapters 40 and 41 in your spare time on a quiet morning or evening. You may recognize many famous verses in those chapters. Write down a few that speak to you personally.
3. Daniel is another very long and complex book of prophecy. But it also includes the wonderful story of his time in the lions’ den. What is one lesson we can learn from this story when we are persecuted for our faith?
4. Next we come to poor, rebellious little Jonah. Share at least one of the following:

• A time when you knew the obedient choice, but went the other way

• A time when you felt angry and unforgiving to someone who didn’t deserve forgiveness

• A time when God saved you from worse consequences than you deserved
5. Knowing God’s standards is meant to bring conviction which leads to repentance and receiving forgiveness. But often, we take it a step further and let in guilt. Guilt is NEVER God’s plan for us. Guilt keeps us stuck and sorry, instead of joyful and hopeful that we are forgiven and have the power to change. Take a minute to pray, like God’s people did in Nehemiah chapter 9. Confess your tendency to wallow in guilt and forget about God’s huge love and forgiveness. Ask Him to teach you the healthy way to deal with your mistakes, and tell Him about your desire to follow Him.

 

Jesus and Adele

I was thinking about something Jessi said on Instagram the other day: "In order to influence, you have to be influenced." And she posted a photo of her open Bible. I know this truth, and I appreciated the reminder. I have nothing to offer anyone else unless I'm filled up first. And I so know that I have nothing to blog about when I'm not spending time in His word. I just feel....speechless. No inspiration.

So I was wondering what I've been inspired by lately, feeling a bit convicted for neglecting my time in the Word. Pandora was playing in the background. And then this Adele song came on. Which, I was reminded, is actually not an Adele song, it's a Bob Dylan song, sung by Adele.

But the words were not from Bob Dylan or Adele this time I heard it, though I've heard the song a hundred times before. I heard Jesus speaking them...not in my ears, in my heart. He brought a lump to my throat, and I was reminded that the Gospel is everywhere.


When the rain is blowin' in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love.

 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

He will cover you with his feathers.

He will shelter you with his wings.

His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Psalm 91:1,4

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love.

You keep track of all my sorrows.

You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

You have recorded each one in your book.

Psalm 56:8

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong.

But you are a chosen people,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,

a people belonging to God,

that you may declare the praises of him who called you

out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Pet 2:9

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawlin' down the avenue
No, there's nothin' that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love.

But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.

He was beaten so we could be whole.

He was whipped so we could be healed.

Isaiah 53:5

Though storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regrets
Though winds of change are throwing wild and free
You ain't seen nothin' like me yet.

No one is holy like the Lord!

There is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

1 Sam 2:2

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love.

 This is how we know what love is:

Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

1 John 3:16

He is so good to us, isn't He?

{lyrics from "Make You Feel My Love", by Bob Dylan, 1997}

 

A pumpkin patch trip (I think fall is finally here!)

I look forward to a trip to the pumpkin patch with my family all October. But I secretly boycott it until the weather here feels fallish. The heat, in the 90's all September and off and on for the last few weeks this October, has been tormenting me. I refuse to go to the p-patch in a tank top and shorts. It's like eating watermelon at Christmas. Just wrong.

Finally, this past weekend, the temp dropped somewhere in the 70's. The sun even hid for a few hours. Phew.

While some of us put on some slightly warmer clothes for an overcast late afternoon at the p-patch, a 7-year-old in my company was very unhappy. The idea of long sleeves and pants was so offensive to him that there was door slamming and loud stomping throughout the house. A compromise was found when he was allowed to wear a short sleeved Star Wars tee in case he was "sweating to death," and the long-sleeved one could just be tied around his waist. We are spoiled by the sunshine here, it's true.

The afternoon was really fun. No one sweated to death. There were actual leaves on the ground that were brown.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from our time.

Now if only the "gold" she panned for and collected in that little sack could have paid for that ginormous pumpkin.

{it's on}

{the new stuff is here}

{announcing a salvage517 shop update on Monday}

New things arrive in the shop Monday!

Introducing salvage517 earrings.

And here's a glimpse of one of my favorite new creations.

Vintage Thanksgiving postcard displays.

More necklaces made with my recent finds and such will be in there too.

{excited.}



Have a blessed Sunday.

Mentoring #4: I am not in charge.

(For those of you who are new here, I am a long-distance mentor to my friend Casey Wiegand. And every so often, I write mentoring posts that appear on her blog. This one appeared a few months ago. I like to post them here later, so that I have a record of it in my own space. And for those of you who haven't seen it yet, well then it's new to you!)

I run a pretty tight ship in my house. In fact, I feel like a captain, most days, barking orders, and managing my crew. I can actually get so involved in managing my kids, my kitchen, and my calendar that I convince myself that I am the one in charge. That I am in total control. But the other day, a friend asked me a question that reminded me of the time in my life that truly taught me how NOT in charge I really am.

She asked me, “How did you decide to have only two kids?”

It was in an email. Right away, I smiled at the assumption: that I decided. I'm not faulting her; it's common language among mommies.

"So. Are you guys gonna have more?"

"So. Is this baby your last?"

"So. When are you going to start a family?"

It is all very common language we use with the underlying presumption that we are so in charge. Well, in regards to that email, I knew mine would be a long reply, and not quite what my friend expected. I told her something like this.

My first pregnancy came easily. A couple tries and boom. Pregnant. Which equalled a lot of false reinforcement that I was indeed in charge of myself. So about a year after I had my daughter, we started trying for another. Thinking I was the boss, I decided I wanted my babies to be two years apart.

But it didn’t happen. A few months later, it still didn’t happen. My belief that I was the one in charge started showing cracks, so I powered up. Several months later with no baby, I began to live in 2 week increments: two weeks of anxiety trying to determine when I was fertile, and two weeks of anxiety until I could discover whether or not it “took.” I’m sure some of you have been there. I read books. I feverishly prayed for God to buy into my plans. I went so far as to begin logging my daily waking temperatures in an Excel spreadsheet, and I stressed out if some circumstance messed up the science I had made out of getting pregnant. Still nothing. Nothing, of course, except a crazy, emotional roller coaster and a strain on my marriage.

The structure of belief about my own sovereignty was slowly starting to crumble. It was what needed to happen, but it was also terrifying. What in the world did that mean if I was not in charge? Twelve whole months passed, and so I went to my OBGYN. Unaffected by my shock that I couldn't get pregnant, she wrote me a prescription for a fertility drug and I wanted to dissolve into tears. In retrospect, I think it was less upsetting that I wasn’t pregnant and more upsetting that this season totally blindsided me. I was SO not in charge.

At home, I waved my white flag. I cried out to God and let go of my plans. OK, God. I get it. This is not about me. It is all about you and what you know is best for my family. I only think I know what's best. But you really know. I....trust you.

I think God then, perhaps, smiled and said, "Well, it's about time."

You knew it was coming, didn't you? I never had to fill that prescription. Without all the feverish planning and stress, I was suddenly, surprisingly, pregnant. It totally snuck up on me. We named our son Nathan, meaning "gift," knowing full well that he was exactly that. Not a result from our careful planning. He was God's gift. 

For reasons only He knows, up until now, God hasn't chosen to give us any more. And we are content with our two.

Just yesterday, I watched a friend face something unexpected. It was a small, everyday thing, but nonetheless, not what she planned. It was hard to watch because she was completely overwhelmed by it. She had no peace, no trust that someone else was holding her and all her circumstances together. And later that day, I realized her problem. She lives in all-out bondage to the lie that she is the one in charge. Most would call her an overachiever or a little high-strung. I observe that she is regularly stressed, usually exhausted, and void of true joy. Her hands are tightly shut around everything in her life.

This lie of being in control is insidious.

It sounds like, "If I don't make it happen, it won't."

And, "This is all on me."

And, "I don't need help; I can handle it."

It feels like a risky circus act of keeping twenty spinning plates in the air, perfectly balanced. 

Every single day, it feels terrifying, like everything might just come crashing down.

It also feels very, very lonely.

I know because I've been there. I thought I was in charge until God gently broke that lie, and then healed me up with the truth. The power of this lie certainly requires a breaking, and it hurts. But the Lord's correction is always in love. Always. And always with my best interest in mind.

The truth is that He is in charge. He knows what's best. I really, truly do not. I must hold every single thing in my life with open hands. Every plan, wish, relationship, job, goal, talent, possession...everything. None of us can know what tomorrow brings. But all of us can know a supernatural peace, despite our blindness. 

What is holding you back from fully trusting God with your plans? Your dreams? Your babies?

Whatever it is, let it go. Drop the plates. Open your hands. You can do it.

My frequent prayer is,

"Lord, you are God and I am not. May your will, not mine, be done."

He who holds all things together is so worthy of our trust.  

101 Wednesdays, Week 4

Well, after a few days of having a heavy heart for an unexplainable reason, today I woke up joyful. In the words of Rapunzel and the song that keeps going through my head this morning, "At last I've seen the liiiiight, and it's like the fog has lifted..." Sing it, ladies. You know you love it too.

So are you following along in our study here? What do you think so far? Did you love reading about Moses and freeing the Israelites from Egypt? Exodus is one of my favorite books of the Bible.

This past Wednesday, when I met with the ladies in our face-to-face study, we agreed to slow up the pace a bit and go deeper into the stories instead of moving so quickly. So we will have fewer chapters to read in the JSB so we can turn more to our regular Bibles. That way, you also get practice in using it, finding things, and becoming more familiar with it in general.

I really want you to grow not only in knowledge, but also in comfort with using God's word as a tool. If you're learning to sew, using a sewing machine seems difficult and overwhelming at first. But over time as you practice and learn how all the parts work together, it becomes an indispensable tool. It's no wonder so many of us have left our sewing machines as well as our Bibles in a closet to collect dust. They are both complex, but unlike a sewing machine, the words in your Bible really do have the power to change your life.   


Week 4
Chapters 14-16, through p. 135
Jesus Storybook Bible

1. This week, we'll look at the person of King David. He is the only person in the Bible to earn the description "a man after God's own heart." He was loved by the Lord, used by the Lord, and stood as a forerunner of Jesus in many ways. Yet, at times, David's life was a total mess. He was a man of great faith and great failures.

Our first story is about how he was chosen by God to be King. Look up 1 Samuel 16 in your Bible. The prophet Samuel was supposed to find the king among many brothers in one family. Naturally, he went to the oldest, strongest brother and asked the Lord if this was to be he. Read verses 6-7. What does it say God uses as his criteria? What about man's criteria? How do you observe this same truth at work in our world today?

2. It is a surprise that David is chosen because he is only a boy and the youngest in a long line of brothers. The next glimpse we see of David is on the battlefield with Goliath. He was not a soldier, and the Philistines were Israel's greatest enemy. Look up 1 Samuel chapter 17 in your Bible to find the whole story. Read verses 45-49. In verse 48, what was David's reaction when Goliath started to advance at him? Now think about the giants in your life. What is your typical response to them? What would that kind of courageous faith look like for you?

3. Finally, the JSB takes us to the Psalms, which is another word for songs. David was a prolific songwriter and a great musician, did you know that? Go to your Bible and flip through the Psalms. You'll notice that many Psalms have the words "A Psalm of David" at the start of it. Find one that particularly speaks to your heart and write it out (or the portion that means most to you) in your notebook. Briefly share why you chose the one that you did.

4. If you want to learn more about David and his biggest failures, read 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 in your Bible. Among being an unbelievable warrior, leader, loving king, and man of faith, he was also an adulterer, murderer, and liar. Because of his great sin, God took the life of his child born through his adultery. But in amazing grace, God brought redemption to David's mistakes by blessing his later marriage to the same woman, Bathsheba (he had killed her husband, after all), and giving them Solomon for a son. Solomon came to be known as the wisest man who ever lived, and succeeded David on the throne. If you look in your Bible's table of contents, you'll see that after the Psalms comes Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. All three of these books were written by King Solomon. What does this legacy tell you about what God can do with, and in spite of, a person's shameful past?


Have a great weekend, friends!

Tomorrow, I'm posting something I realized I never put up on my own blog but appeared on Casey's a few months back for my mentoring series. It can be a little weekend read. Next week, I hope to share more of what I learned from Beth Moore last weekend. You all had such an amazing response to my first post on the weekend. It makes me so thankful for teachers like Beth, anointed to bring us God's living, active words that cut through our hearts right to what matters most. I hope and pray I have one ounce of her influence and her gift of teaching in my life. It is truly such a gift and I'm in awe every time I hear her. I think because I know it's so not her. I have no temptation to idolize Beth Moore because it's so clear to me that she is just a mouthpiece, just a willing and humble tool being used by God for mighty and powerful work.

He is such a generous God to speak to His children as He does.