"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make ALL THINGS NEW. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." ~Revelation 21:5
Well, Lindsay and I agree that it's about time to start back up our quiet time blogs. And I'm so happy about it, because I've missed it and the LORD is doing some amazing things. We'll be picking a book of the bible to study and blogging our thoughts, prayers, and insights.
But, until then, I just want to give glory to God for all the amazing new things He has done and is doing in our lives.
This summer was a time of huge transition and blessing for our family. We moved into a larger and more beautiful house on campus (5 bdrms...PRAISE GOD!!), Bart started his masters' program, we welcomed our baby boy, Sellick Joel, and Belle started kindergarten...just to name a few things.
Sooo...it's a perfect time to restart this blog. As the verse above says, He makes all things new...and directly after that the hearer is instructed to WRITE. I want to write down and remember all that God is doing in our lives, share it with the world, and save it for my children. Just as the Israelites of the old Testament often built altars of rememberance...this will be one of mine. I'm excited to see where He takes us!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Sunday, March 1, 2009
SOS 3
Wow...took another little break there. I've been reading in different places, but I wanted to get back to blogging about Song of Solomon. It's truly breathtaking poetry and I think it has great wisdom about marriage and about God's love for us.
SOS 3
"Come out, you daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced." ~SOS 3:11
I love this! I love that Solomon was royalty...this chapter clearly describes his chariot, his warriors, his majesty. And I love that he is wearing a crown that his mother placed on his head. She loved him, trusted him, approved of him. The crown was placed there on his wedding day...she was showing her approval and blessing of his marriage.
And my favorite line in all of the chapter: "the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced."
This is what marriage is supposed to be!! It's supposed to be a CELEBRATION!! I've been to so many weddings where everyone looked stressed out, or weddings where families don't get along, or weddings without the Lord. Those always make my heart a little sad.
Because a wedding is HUGE! It's two people coming before their friends and family and before a Holy God to VOW to each other and to God that they will make a life together forever.
The world sees marriage as a contract. "I'll do this, as long as you do that." But Christian marriage is a covenant. It's saying, "I will do this!" It's just like God painfully making a way of salvation for us, despite the fact that we don't deserve it. It's not based on what we've earned or what we deserve, or even how we feel...it's based on HIS immense LOVE for us, and our going into that covenant relationship with Him.
My wedding day was the BEST day of my life. The days I had my children are precious, but if I could relive any day it would def. be my wedding day. It was incredible to have everyone that I love all together to watch me seal a covenant with the man I love. I treasure that day.
It's funny...I've noticed that all fairy tales end at the wedding. I know why...it's the pinnacle, the high point. But life doesn't end there. And we short change ourselves if we don't think that our happiness can ever exceed that moment. It would be like someone dying right after they became a Christian. They would miss out on living the abundant life that Jesus paid for. It's not always easy...it's not always fun. BUT...I do learn more about the Lord and His will for me all the time.
My goal is that by the end of my life, I will have gotten so close to Him that dying will be a seamless transition. "Changing from glory to glory." And for my marriage, I forsee Bart and I once again surrounded by the people we love most, reaffirming our vows after 50 years. I believe our eyes will gleam with the same love, but be deepened by an understanding of each other and God that was not yet comprehendable on our wedding day.
From then to now to then...God, I pray they all be days our hearts rejoice!
SOS 3
"Come out, you daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced." ~SOS 3:11
I love this! I love that Solomon was royalty...this chapter clearly describes his chariot, his warriors, his majesty. And I love that he is wearing a crown that his mother placed on his head. She loved him, trusted him, approved of him. The crown was placed there on his wedding day...she was showing her approval and blessing of his marriage.
And my favorite line in all of the chapter: "the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced."
This is what marriage is supposed to be!! It's supposed to be a CELEBRATION!! I've been to so many weddings where everyone looked stressed out, or weddings where families don't get along, or weddings without the Lord. Those always make my heart a little sad.
Because a wedding is HUGE! It's two people coming before their friends and family and before a Holy God to VOW to each other and to God that they will make a life together forever.
The world sees marriage as a contract. "I'll do this, as long as you do that." But Christian marriage is a covenant. It's saying, "I will do this!" It's just like God painfully making a way of salvation for us, despite the fact that we don't deserve it. It's not based on what we've earned or what we deserve, or even how we feel...it's based on HIS immense LOVE for us, and our going into that covenant relationship with Him.
My wedding day was the BEST day of my life. The days I had my children are precious, but if I could relive any day it would def. be my wedding day. It was incredible to have everyone that I love all together to watch me seal a covenant with the man I love. I treasure that day.
It's funny...I've noticed that all fairy tales end at the wedding. I know why...it's the pinnacle, the high point. But life doesn't end there. And we short change ourselves if we don't think that our happiness can ever exceed that moment. It would be like someone dying right after they became a Christian. They would miss out on living the abundant life that Jesus paid for. It's not always easy...it's not always fun. BUT...I do learn more about the Lord and His will for me all the time.
My goal is that by the end of my life, I will have gotten so close to Him that dying will be a seamless transition. "Changing from glory to glory." And for my marriage, I forsee Bart and I once again surrounded by the people we love most, reaffirming our vows after 50 years. I believe our eyes will gleam with the same love, but be deepened by an understanding of each other and God that was not yet comprehendable on our wedding day.
From then to now to then...God, I pray they all be days our hearts rejoice!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Song of Solomon 2
Ok, now for Chapter 2!!
"His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. "
This is just such beautiful love poetry, but it also has meaning behind it. The second verse above is repeated over and over again in the SOS book by the Beloved to her court of young friends. And it's so true even today. So many people are in love with the idea of being in love. They settle, they rush things. But she says over and over "Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." This is an important warning. It reminds me of my mother always telling me never to date anyone I knew I couldn't marry. The truth is that we can fall in love with the wrong person. And that only leads to heartache. But if we wait for the one that God has created for us, then our love is like this book...a celebration.
"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."
I LOVE this part. We already know from Chapter 1 that this woman has had a rough life at times. And here is her lover, her knight in shining armor, saying, "The winter is past, the rains are over and gone....come with me!" Can't you just envision his hand extended to her? Can't you feel the thrill of that touch as she places her hand in his...knowing all she's been through, all the work she's done to be whole again, and all the waiting for her perfect one. I think all women want security and adventure, and this man is offering her both with one hand!
"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom"
THIS VERSE IS IMPORTANT! I have thought a lot about this verse many times. There is a place later in this book that talks about the husband's job, and I really think that this one verse says a lot to wives about their job. He is telling the wife, "catch for US the LITTLE foxes that ruin vineyards."
I really think he's talking about the small, daily things that over time, ruin marriages. As I read this, I think it means that wives are to be discerning about the "little things" in our marriage, and we are to tend that vineyard and to keep Satan's little foxes from trying to destroy the harvest. What could those little foxes be? Petty arguments, harsh words, thoughtlessness, not resolving issues when they arise...anything that might seem small at the time, but can grow into a marriage killer. And the Bible labels this as the job of the wife!! That's a big responsibility, and I admit that I'm not always good at it. Lord, help me to catch those little foxes and protect what you've planted in our marriage.
Amen.
"His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. "
This is just such beautiful love poetry, but it also has meaning behind it. The second verse above is repeated over and over again in the SOS book by the Beloved to her court of young friends. And it's so true even today. So many people are in love with the idea of being in love. They settle, they rush things. But she says over and over "Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." This is an important warning. It reminds me of my mother always telling me never to date anyone I knew I couldn't marry. The truth is that we can fall in love with the wrong person. And that only leads to heartache. But if we wait for the one that God has created for us, then our love is like this book...a celebration.
"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."
I LOVE this part. We already know from Chapter 1 that this woman has had a rough life at times. And here is her lover, her knight in shining armor, saying, "The winter is past, the rains are over and gone....come with me!" Can't you just envision his hand extended to her? Can't you feel the thrill of that touch as she places her hand in his...knowing all she's been through, all the work she's done to be whole again, and all the waiting for her perfect one. I think all women want security and adventure, and this man is offering her both with one hand!
"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom"
THIS VERSE IS IMPORTANT! I have thought a lot about this verse many times. There is a place later in this book that talks about the husband's job, and I really think that this one verse says a lot to wives about their job. He is telling the wife, "catch for US the LITTLE foxes that ruin vineyards."
I really think he's talking about the small, daily things that over time, ruin marriages. As I read this, I think it means that wives are to be discerning about the "little things" in our marriage, and we are to tend that vineyard and to keep Satan's little foxes from trying to destroy the harvest. What could those little foxes be? Petty arguments, harsh words, thoughtlessness, not resolving issues when they arise...anything that might seem small at the time, but can grow into a marriage killer. And the Bible labels this as the job of the wife!! That's a big responsibility, and I admit that I'm not always good at it. Lord, help me to catch those little foxes and protect what you've planted in our marriage.
Amen.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Song of Songs or Song of Solomon 1
**I LOVE this book. It's so romantic. This is seriously some of the most poetic and beautiful, and GRAPHIC love poetry there is. I love the fact that this book is in the Bible. It shows what love between a husband and wife should be like, and it shows that God created love, marriage, and sex in marriage, and that they are GOOD!
SOS 1
In the first chapter, so much happens. It is established that the Beloved and her Lover (King Solomon and his wife) are madly in love. I love it when she says that his "name is like perfume poured out."
Also, the woman tells her story. She's had a hard life. She's had to work hard, and she's been mistreated and abused by her own family. She evens says that she tended other vineyards, "my own vineyard I have neglected." I think that one statement is so powerful. It's so like women that when we go through hard things to put everyone else first, and to put ourselves on the back burner...neglect ourselves. But she is a woman who overcomes. She obviously repairs her vineyard, because later on, she talk about giving all of its choice fruits to her lover.
And lastly, I laugh out loud reading the last line spoken by the lover (husband). It says, "The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs." It cracks me up because if he's noticing the beams of their house...it means that they are just laying in bed together, enjoying the pillowtalk!
Commentary: I think that not only is this beautiful writing describing a real love story, but it's also so relevant. So many women today have been hurt in past relationships, and we have this crazy idea that it's romantic for another guy to have to pay the price for that pain and if he hangs around long enough and gets through our walls, he might get to really see us. Well, I just don't think that romantic or fair. Jesus came as our Lord and Savior so that we can be healed of emotional pains of the past when we give them to Him. Then, we can do what He planned and offer our vineyard (ourselves), whole and healed to the man that He prepared for us. Two people who make each other better, not two crutches trying to hold each other up.
Love is a powerful thing. God knows...He invented it, and He is LOVE! :)
SOS 1
In the first chapter, so much happens. It is established that the Beloved and her Lover (King Solomon and his wife) are madly in love. I love it when she says that his "name is like perfume poured out."
Also, the woman tells her story. She's had a hard life. She's had to work hard, and she's been mistreated and abused by her own family. She evens says that she tended other vineyards, "my own vineyard I have neglected." I think that one statement is so powerful. It's so like women that when we go through hard things to put everyone else first, and to put ourselves on the back burner...neglect ourselves. But she is a woman who overcomes. She obviously repairs her vineyard, because later on, she talk about giving all of its choice fruits to her lover.
And lastly, I laugh out loud reading the last line spoken by the lover (husband). It says, "The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs." It cracks me up because if he's noticing the beams of their house...it means that they are just laying in bed together, enjoying the pillowtalk!
Commentary: I think that not only is this beautiful writing describing a real love story, but it's also so relevant. So many women today have been hurt in past relationships, and we have this crazy idea that it's romantic for another guy to have to pay the price for that pain and if he hangs around long enough and gets through our walls, he might get to really see us. Well, I just don't think that romantic or fair. Jesus came as our Lord and Savior so that we can be healed of emotional pains of the past when we give them to Him. Then, we can do what He planned and offer our vineyard (ourselves), whole and healed to the man that He prepared for us. Two people who make each other better, not two crutches trying to hold each other up.
Love is a powerful thing. God knows...He invented it, and He is LOVE! :)
Sorry for the hiatus!
Hey. So sorry for the hiatus. Little computer access, illness, out of town, and just out and out distractions. But...i'm back and Lindsay and I are going to focus on one area of scripture, instead of three, which should make the blogging easier and more in depth. So, yeah!
Lindsay, what do you think about Song of Songs? Let's start back there.
Lindsay, what do you think about Song of Songs? Let's start back there.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
January 10th, 2009--Day 6
Just got back from OSL prayer meeting, and WOW! It was awesome. The Lord really showed up! Everyone got prayer, prophesy, and it was just incredible. I think I'm glowing.
1 Samuel 1 and 2: 1-11
The story of Hannah is beautiful. A woman who is barren, long for a child, and provoked by a rival wife. I think of Satan when I read about the rival wife. He's always therer provoking us, trying to keep us focused on what we don't have, or on what we're waiting for, instead of on God and seeking Him.
But Hannah goes to the temple and weeps and prays. She "pours out her heart to God." He hears her and remembers her. She has a son named Samuel, and when he is weaned, she dedicates him to the Lord.
I think it's so important to dedicate our children to God. I remember when both of our girls were born, Bart and I couldn't wait for the church service to do it...so we prayed a prayer of dedication for them as soon as they were born, and then also had them dedicated at church. Our whole family stood up at the altar and prayed as we dedicated our babies to the Lord. Those days mean so much to me. Just look at Samuel...he became a HUGE prophet!! He's the one who found King David!
Dedication in the dictionary means, "a ceremony marking the official opening or completion of something." That's perfect. With ourselves and with children it's both of those things. When we dedicate ourselves to God or our children to God, it is the opening of something NEW and by faith, the completion of that good work.
Lord, I dedicate myself and my family to you, anew today. Use us as you will, for your glory! Amen!
Psalm 5-6
"The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer." ~Psalm 6:9
John 5
I want to say a quick word about John 5 because it's just so awesome! First of all, the beginning story is incredible. There was a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda where many crippled and lame people would lay around. They did this because once a day, an angel of God would stir the water of the pool, and the first one to jump in would be HEALED!! Isn't that incredible? I mean, these people lived with that knowledge as their reality.
Jesus walked by and saw a man who'd been paralyzed for 38 years! When Jesus saw him he asked him a really important question. He said, "Do you WANT to be WELL?" That might seem like a stupid question, but actually there are a lot of people who really don't want to be WELL...they just want to feel a little better. You know, those people who like self-pity and attention for their infirmity. Anyway, this man asked Jesus to help him get to the pool, but Jesus said, "Take up your mat and walk." And the man did! He was HEALED!
I heard this once...and i think it's fascinating, that Jesus only healed that one man at the pool. We know that there were MANY cripples and lame people laying around the pool. So, why not the others? Well, I once heard an amazing explanation for this. It's because the faith of the surrounding people was for ONE healing. They were used to ONE healing a day. They expected it. So, they had faith for one, but not more than one. And other places in the Bible describe Jesus not doing many miracles in certain places because of their lack of faith.
People, we've got to get on the FAITH-train. We've got to raise our expectations, and start believing BIG! Nothing is impossible with God! Yay!
1 Samuel 1 and 2: 1-11
The story of Hannah is beautiful. A woman who is barren, long for a child, and provoked by a rival wife. I think of Satan when I read about the rival wife. He's always therer provoking us, trying to keep us focused on what we don't have, or on what we're waiting for, instead of on God and seeking Him.
But Hannah goes to the temple and weeps and prays. She "pours out her heart to God." He hears her and remembers her. She has a son named Samuel, and when he is weaned, she dedicates him to the Lord.
I think it's so important to dedicate our children to God. I remember when both of our girls were born, Bart and I couldn't wait for the church service to do it...so we prayed a prayer of dedication for them as soon as they were born, and then also had them dedicated at church. Our whole family stood up at the altar and prayed as we dedicated our babies to the Lord. Those days mean so much to me. Just look at Samuel...he became a HUGE prophet!! He's the one who found King David!
Dedication in the dictionary means, "a ceremony marking the official opening or completion of something." That's perfect. With ourselves and with children it's both of those things. When we dedicate ourselves to God or our children to God, it is the opening of something NEW and by faith, the completion of that good work.
Lord, I dedicate myself and my family to you, anew today. Use us as you will, for your glory! Amen!
Psalm 5-6
"The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer." ~Psalm 6:9
John 5
I want to say a quick word about John 5 because it's just so awesome! First of all, the beginning story is incredible. There was a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda where many crippled and lame people would lay around. They did this because once a day, an angel of God would stir the water of the pool, and the first one to jump in would be HEALED!! Isn't that incredible? I mean, these people lived with that knowledge as their reality.
Jesus walked by and saw a man who'd been paralyzed for 38 years! When Jesus saw him he asked him a really important question. He said, "Do you WANT to be WELL?" That might seem like a stupid question, but actually there are a lot of people who really don't want to be WELL...they just want to feel a little better. You know, those people who like self-pity and attention for their infirmity. Anyway, this man asked Jesus to help him get to the pool, but Jesus said, "Take up your mat and walk." And the man did! He was HEALED!
I heard this once...and i think it's fascinating, that Jesus only healed that one man at the pool. We know that there were MANY cripples and lame people laying around the pool. So, why not the others? Well, I once heard an amazing explanation for this. It's because the faith of the surrounding people was for ONE healing. They were used to ONE healing a day. They expected it. So, they had faith for one, but not more than one. And other places in the Bible describe Jesus not doing many miracles in certain places because of their lack of faith.
People, we've got to get on the FAITH-train. We've got to raise our expectations, and start believing BIG! Nothing is impossible with God! Yay!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
January 8th, 2009--Day 4
Personal note: I worked out again...feeling good! The step class was hard. It definitely had me calling on the higher power!! I could feel how much weight I've gained in that class. It was so much more difficult to make my body do the movements than it used to be. That's why I'm so glad that God is helping me get healthy again.
SO, back to...
Ruth 4
This is the beautiful, wonderful ending to the love story. Boaz checks with the man who has the first claim to Ruth as the kinsman redeemer, and after he gets him to say no, then Boaz marries Ruth and eventually they have a child.
It's a great ending for everyone...Ruth and Boaz are happy, Naomi gets a grandbaby and is happy again, and from their love and family line comes King David and Jesus Christ.
It's just amazing to me what God can do with one obedient person. Ruth was a Moabites. Hebrews weren't supposed to marry Moabites because they were pagans, but Ruth committed herself to the Lord and He brought incredible blessings into her life, and our lives (Jesus Christ) because of her decision.
Lord, help me to make those crucial RIGHT decisions at the right times. I want to live an epic life in you!
p.s. I read once that it was quite likely that when Jesus was a baby, laying in the manger in Bethlehem, that he was laid on some of the straw from Boaz's field. What a neat idea!
Psalm 4
I had a great day today, and the following verse really said it all:
"You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."
John 3
"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Jesus says these words describing people who put their faith in Christ. John 3 talks a lot about the purpose of Christ coming...the necessity of his coming and the necessity of our believing in Him for salvation. I love the idea that because I am born again of the Spirit, I am like the wind (yes, a Dirty Dancing song IS going through my head right now). :) As described, it means that being born of Spirit makes us strong, powerful, refreshing, fragrant, unpredictable, and adventurous. I think that non-Christians, and even people called Christians, who never really let God CHANGE them, really miss out on the awesomeness of this life. God is as creative and non-boring as it gets!
Lord, let me be a mighty wind for you. Let me be strong, courageous, refreshing, and fragrant. And let my wind go where you send it. Let my love for you be like the winds of a hurricane!
SO, back to...
Ruth 4
This is the beautiful, wonderful ending to the love story. Boaz checks with the man who has the first claim to Ruth as the kinsman redeemer, and after he gets him to say no, then Boaz marries Ruth and eventually they have a child.
It's a great ending for everyone...Ruth and Boaz are happy, Naomi gets a grandbaby and is happy again, and from their love and family line comes King David and Jesus Christ.
It's just amazing to me what God can do with one obedient person. Ruth was a Moabites. Hebrews weren't supposed to marry Moabites because they were pagans, but Ruth committed herself to the Lord and He brought incredible blessings into her life, and our lives (Jesus Christ) because of her decision.
Lord, help me to make those crucial RIGHT decisions at the right times. I want to live an epic life in you!
p.s. I read once that it was quite likely that when Jesus was a baby, laying in the manger in Bethlehem, that he was laid on some of the straw from Boaz's field. What a neat idea!
Psalm 4
I had a great day today, and the following verse really said it all:
"You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."
John 3
"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Jesus says these words describing people who put their faith in Christ. John 3 talks a lot about the purpose of Christ coming...the necessity of his coming and the necessity of our believing in Him for salvation. I love the idea that because I am born again of the Spirit, I am like the wind (yes, a Dirty Dancing song IS going through my head right now). :) As described, it means that being born of Spirit makes us strong, powerful, refreshing, fragrant, unpredictable, and adventurous. I think that non-Christians, and even people called Christians, who never really let God CHANGE them, really miss out on the awesomeness of this life. God is as creative and non-boring as it gets!
Lord, let me be a mighty wind for you. Let me be strong, courageous, refreshing, and fragrant. And let my wind go where you send it. Let my love for you be like the winds of a hurricane!
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