Becoming a New Creation (pt 2)

Today is a part two the lesson from yesterday. Enjoy! 
_____________________________________________________________________
Caterpillar Background continued:

Eat and Grow
The butterfly’s next stage of life after the egg is a larva, which we also know as a caterpillar. In this stage, the caterpillar can grow to 5 times its original size and is constantly shedding skin to accommodate its new body. Its main purpose in this stage is to eat and grow. The little caterpillar stores energy that prepares it for the transformation. We must do the same.

Scripture Breakdown of Isaiah 55:1-3

Becoming a new creation is NOT self help or self improvement. It’s allowing God to recreate you and bring you into union with himself. What does that require of you? First, simply “Come.” Go to him, “give ear,” “listen.” Read his word and put it into practice, get to know him. The imagery is beautiful! He says “you who have no money, come buy and eat” That’s the real God. Constantly beckoning us though he knows who we really are and what we have to offer. Not much.

The promise is, if you go to him, your soul will live! Deep down inside, a full meaningful life is what we all really want. We just don’t know how to get it. If Satan can have you constantly recalculating from relationship, to job, to new fad diet in search of fulfillment, you miss out on the true answer. Going to God.

My Personal Story -

It’s important for me to share that there will be obstacles. It may be other people and what they think of you, your schedule, or maybe your very own feelings. As women, our emotions can influence us powerfully. Something I “eat” to help me push past this is a scripture in Jeremiah that says “the heart is deceitful above ALL things and without cure who can comprehend it?" This verse helps me to realize that DESPITE my feelings, which God says lie to my face, I can pursue him. Make this decision.

We’ve always viewed the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly as a beautiful thing yet if we view it on a biological level, it’s actually quite gross and uncomfortable. Some organs are growing, others disappearing. Tissue and exoskeleton are being broken down. Let's face it, change can be uncomfortable but don’t mistake comfort for peace. Comfort often fights against peace. None of us here would support a caterpillars decision to stay a caterpillar because it was too afraid, lazy, busy, or uninformed to take steps to becoming a butterfly. Let's not accept that from ourselves or each other. God has a beautiful plan for your life. Allow him to transform you.

A Practical? Get to know God through prayer and studying your bible. If you need help, ask someone you trust. God rewards humility!

Becoming a New Creation (pt 1)

I've asked some young women who are learning amazing lessons in their walk with God if they would be guest bloggers sometimes for Silver Trumpets. As is the case today, every once and awhile you'll read thoughts from someone besides me. Prayerfully this will create an even richer experience! Below is a story from a very inspiring and faithful sister in Christ who shared at a recent "Women's Day" celebration. 

_______________________________________________________________________

The butterfly was chosen as the visual representation of our theme “A New Creation” because it undergoes a very famous transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. I believe we can learn a few things from its life as we explore the question, “How do we take steps towards becoming a new creation?”

Examine Your Foundation:

A Caterpillar's Background 
The butterfly’s first stage of life is an egg implanted on a leaf by its mother. The mother takes great care in choosing where to lay her eggs because once they’ve hatched the caterpillars begin to eat the leaf. Certain species can only eat specific leaves, so if the mother puts the eggs on the wrong foundation this could result in malnourishment and even death. I believe it’s the same for us spiritually so our first step in becoming a new creation is examining our foundation.

My own story - I never went to church growing up and only occasionally read the bible. My image of God was based on here-say and insecurities. I viewed him like a judge; pleased with me when I was good, disappointed and angry when I was bad. I needed to have people think well of me so I could think well of myself. This attitude lead me into a lot of lying and manipulation. Even when people did love me, it rarely felt real, because I believed I MADE them love me by creating someone they would love instead of being myself. I didn't know if they loved the real me. One day I was met by a young woman named Savanah. We studied the bible and with God’s word, plus her example making it real, I realized my life was built on:

1. A god I created that could be manipulated into loving me through my good works
2. Upholding my image
3. Maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain

Scripture Breakdown of Matthew 7:24-27

The two individuals in these verses chose different foundations and it made ALL the difference in their lives. They had more in common than not. Both heard Jesus’ words, both were building houses, and both encounter storms. I used to think this scripture was about a person who believed in Jesus and one who did not. Not so. What made one wise and one foolish is that one “put his [Jesus] words into practice” while the other did not.

We are building something whether we realize it or not. "Sand" can come in many forms not just disbelief. Other examples are laziness, fear of change, fear of being exposed, ignorance of the truth, holding onto comfort, “too busy” to get to know God, self reliance etc...

Two great questions to ask yourself is, “Does God’s word guide my life? Am I lead by my relationship with him?”

God’s desire is to give you a full, meaningful, and inspiring life which is free from sin. Becoming a new creation begins when YOU acknowledge that you have been building on the wrong foundation; which is any other foundation besides Jesus and his teachings.

to be continued...tomorrow's post will be part 2!

Speaking God's Word

Today, since it's Good Friday, I desired a simple post. Because repetition works well to secure something deeply in our hearts and minds, I thought I'd encourage you with a simple repetition I do. Based on Deuteronomy 23:5, speak this sentence out loud, with conviction, and repeat while each time stressing a different word.

The Lord, my God, loves me.

The Lord, my God, loves me.

The Lord, my God, loves me.

The Lord, my God, loves me.

The Lord, my God, loves me.

The Lord, my God, loves me!

May today be filled with joy for you as you hold onto this scripture with conviction. I hope you'll look for other verses to speak today as well. :)

Praying Blessings All Around

I was reading the other day about the practice of blessing and it was inspiring! For many years, I have prayed silent blessings over people (especially children). Here are some other ideas...

Bless Strangers Quietly: "Another practice invites us to bless strangers quietly, secretly. Offer it to people you notice on the street, in the market, on the bus. 'May you be happy. May you be at peace.' Feel the blessing move through your body as you offer it. Notice how you both receive some benefit from the blessing. Gently, almost without effort, each and every blessing becomes a Sabbath." by Wayne Muller

Bless food: Pray for blessings that the food you eat nourish you, sustain you, and energize you! Also, "Blessings around food gently remind us that we are fragile, dependent human beings who cannot create our own sustenance." by Howard Cooper

Say Bless You: "Very often now, instead of saying 'Thank you,' I say, 'Bless you,' and people appreciate it much, much more. Last week, for instance, someone responded, 'I could use a blessing.' " by Toinette Lippe

Bless a Child: Mine are never this elaborate but this was beautiful.  "Welcome, dearest child, welcome to your two families, rich heritages converging in you. There never has been, there never will be anyone like you. You are unique! Welcome to this world — so finely formed and fragile yet amazingly tenacious and abundant...Freely and gladly accept the bounty it offers. Welcome to the marvelous era in which you were born. It promises wondrous possibilities. You have before you unimaginable frontiers, great discoveries, and new meanings. Seize your days!" by Edward Searl

Bless Your Job: Pray spiritual blessings, financial responsibility, growth and success to your job (company) and those you work with during the day.

A Poem: Make Me a Blessing
"Lord,
Make me a blessing to those that I meet
Make me a blessing as I walk down the street
Make me a blessing this day, even this hour
Make me a blessing. It lies in your power.
Make me a blessing at work and at home
Make me a blessing wherever I roam
Make me a blessing that people may see
I am a blessing for you are with me."

Bless God: You read right. The KJV has many scriptures with the phrase "bless the Lord." Nowadays newer versions write it as "praise the Lord" but in a scripture like Psalm 115:18 (http://biblos.com/psalms/115-18.htm) the words in Hebrew for these two phrases are different. In a sense, when applied to God, it's like you are saying "may that which is good be given back to You. (adapted from Richard Roper) I've found myself talking to God and giving him praise, telling Him that I hope He has a good day today, and that He's happy.

These are just a few ideas...the options are endless...but please share if you have more ideas! May the rest of the day be full of prayers focused on blessings for others.

Going Barefoot

Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
~Exodus 3:5

"Elsie is 96 years old. The Band-Aid-pink lipstick defines pencil-thin lips that are upward at the corners when she sees me. She rarely leaves Morningside Retirement Center, but still dresses in handsomely coordinated separates and pearl earrings. Her hair is softly coiffed, unlike the tightly curled and sprayed styles of her peers. She exudes contentment. I try to sit close to her, thinking it might be contagious. Elsie has never been married and has lived all of her life in Nashville. She went to high school barely two miles from where she lives now. And she tells me about what used to be on the corner before Vanderbilt University mowed it down and put up brick buildings on it. It seems funny to me that, at 96, she doesn't tell me about all of her accomplishments or what she did for a living. In fact, after all of the times I've visited with her, I still don't know where she worked or what things made her feel significant. But when I asked her if, upon reflection, she would do anything differently in her life, she says,

'Yes. I would laugh and go barefoot more.'

I'm not 96, only 44. Maybe there is still time for me.

I wonder why I hadn't thought of this myself. But I have been very busy trying to be very busy in pursuit of fulfillment and contentment. Too busy to go barefoot on purpose, I have been busy trying to be a grown-up, doing things and making lists of things to do, hoping that at the end of all this doing there would be a reward of some sort, one that said, 'You are a really good person, and by the way, good job being busy.'

....God modeled rest for us. Genesis chapter two tells us that he laboured for six days, and on the seventh he rested. God balanced work with rest in a healthy rhythm. He created for six days, then guiltlessly ceased from his labor. He stepped back from all of it and enjoyed, or feasted, on what he had done. It wasn't that God was so exhausted that he needed a nap. He is not vulnerable to a tiring body. But he did model for us a pattern, called Sabbath, of ceasing from our labors in order to rest.

...God spoke to Moses through a bush that was burning. 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is hold ground.' ...Let's remember that Sabbath was the first thing God declared to be holy. He declared his work of the first six days 'good,' but he named the day of rest 'holy.' In sabbath moments, when we take the time to catch our breath, God reveals himself. And these moments are holy. So we must take off our sandals. It seems that Elsie is right - we must go barefoot more often. Make no mistake, learning to practice sabbath is a discipline. It requires a reordering of priorities to achieve rest...So I am learning to reorder priorities and schedule in sabbath time...I am taking permission to pause and rest. I am laughing more easily, and now I only buy shoes I can slip out of quickly."

I highly recommend this book by Kim Thomas called, "Even God Rested." In this book, she provides her personal story of learning about sabbath rest and also gives great 'bite-sized' tips on what to 'cease' from and what to 'feast' on.

I've literally read the book about 10 times over. In fact, I read it so much that I had to purchase two new copies! (one to lend out) The above quotes are an excerpt from the introduction.

Dearest reader, if you can relate at all to these words of Bilbo Baggins from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings..."Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread..." ...then it's time for some sabbath rest.

Journal Ideas

This is a simple subject but since there are so many invigorating benefits to using a journal it seems appropriate to give this topic its own little post. Do you have a journal? Do you have tons? HA. There are so many different kinds of journals you can keep. Some ideas are:

• one of lessons you've heard or bible studies you have done
• a journal about all the things you are grateful for from day to day
• one with just your prayers for others (I knew a woman once who did this and would write the date next to answered prayers. She'd look back on it when her faith was a little low)
• a journal of your thoughts and recording the day
• a journal without words; if you are extremely visual, have a journal of pictures, articles you've cut out of magazines, or drawings to inspire you

Personally, mine tend to be words with pictures thrown in them and some doodles. I purchase small ones so they fit in my purse and I can write or paste in a picture whenever inspiration strikes. Mostly, I journal and talk to God...sometimes to spice things up I read a psalm and rewrite it in my own words and situations. Options are bountiful! For me, the best aspect of keeping a journal has been to be able to pick one up when times are hard and get refreshed.

I did research and found other approaches for getting your mind flowing when using a journal:

1. Summarize your day in 20 words or less.
2. Write out, print, or paste the lyrics to your favorite songs into your journal. (maybe see if you can find any scriptures that might match that theme)
3. Every day write the best thing that happened that day.
4. Write one thing you should really stop doing then find motivating quotes, scriptures, or write prayers about it. On other days write about all the positive changes you've made and how far you've come!
5. Include quotations by your favorite famous person, or someone you admire.
6. Record important news from the day and journal prayers about it.
7. Write down 3 things that you’re thankful for each day and why.
8. Record ideas for a bible subject you'd like to teach about and then study it out.
9. Going through a rough time? Every once and awhile, go ahead and journal about it. Be real! King David was when writing his psalms. Just try to get back to the positive when you can.
10. Look at something around you and describe it thoroughly. Don't just talk about the way it looks. How does it smell, taste and feel?
11. Make lists of people that have inspired you and pray for them.
12. If you could tell your younger self positive things, what would they be? Journal about it.

Want more thoughts on how journaling helps? Check this out: 100 Benefits of Journaling written by: John Robson and Patrice Steen

The Word that Changed Me

Many things happened in 1998 that changed my life. I said "yes" to going to church for the first time in a long time and "yes" to letting Christian women into my life to teach me the bible. I would say "hit the road" to my boyfriend of two years who decided not to follow God and "goodbye" to my old way of living. It was a whirlwind of change...and though the above descriptions sound simple it was HARD change.

I have deep convictions now about God's word. Looking back over my years as a Christian, the bible has been the BEST foundation. A lovely woman named Simone studied the bible with me and during our first bible study she shared scriptures about the Word of God. At the end, she asked me a question, "If you read scriptures in the bible that tell you to live your life differently than how you are now, will you try to change and follow what God says?"

My simple answer of "yes" to that question was the first step toward a brand new life. For example, during a following study we read 1 Cor. 13: 4-8a and I was challenged on if my boyfriend really loved me. How could I say that he did when it was so obvious that nothing in our immoral relationship reflected what God says love is?  But how dare anyone say he didn't love me? In fact I was so mad, I contemplated throwing her out of my house! But as we sat there together silently, I came to realize that the fact was she wasn't saying it...God was saying it and she was only showing me the scriptures. So God brought me back in that very moment to my own spoken word. Would I change my life if I saw it didn't match the bible? Was I going to be a woman of my word? I had to be! I had to change! Dear reader, this continues to make all the difference - no matter what has come up in my life.

Clinging to God's word is what has helped me come to convictions about all kinds of things from: what a true follower of Jesus is, or why we must get baptized and understand what we are doing, to how powerfully God brings us near him through Jesus' death on the cross and what a true church of believers looks like in God's eyes.

In a world full of pride and religious confusion, only clinging to what God's word says, (ALL of his word and not just picking or choosing scriptures that make me feel good) has kept me faithful and grounded. So I have a few verses below for you to read and consider, no matter where you are in your walk with God. I pray your heart will be open to soaking them all in deeply. :)

Luke 11:27-29: As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Word of God Study

1.    2 Tim 3:16-17 Usefulness even today.

2.    Hebrews 4:12-13 (2 Peter 1:20-21) Relevant to your life.

3.    James 1: 19-25 "Do what it says!"

4.    Mark 7:1-13 Human traditions vs. obeying God's word.

5.    1 Tim 4:16 We must have both right life & doctrine.

6.    John 12: 44-48 God's word will be our judge in the last day.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV84)

This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.