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The Vastness of God: Fall Beach Lesson 2021
As I sat on the beach or balcony this beach trip, my eyes continually look at the horizon. As far as I could see was water. And more water! This is one of the repeated reminders I get when we are here: the vastness of the water is like the vastness of God. At this stage of life, the older I get, the more I realize I don’t know…about life, ministry, relationships and so many things, but certainly about the Lord. I know now more than I ever have, yet I understand how very much I still don’t know. That is what keeps me coming back again and again to…
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Hearing Voices
How many voices a day do you listen to? I guess that would depend on who you live with, or work with, go to school with, or serve in ministry with. It would depend on who your neighbors are and whether or not you converse with them. Perhaps you have a co-dependent dog who doesn’t know he’s a dog (that would be our almost blind #MoDawg). If you do have a dog, you tend to listen to their barks, whines, or growls as they try to talk to you. The last 2 week’s posts, He Speaks and I Listen and When It Just Won’t End, would be a great place…
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When It Just Won’t End!
What else? How long? Have you asked that once or twice in the last couple of years, the last couple of weeks, as I have? Jut about the time things seem to be healing or changing, a variant COVID pops up. Then world events just take our breath away. Add to that personal crises, several friends who are in a health fight for their lives, on and on. Seriously? What’s next?…I guess the same thing that I wrote about so recently in He Speaks, before the last couple of “issues” mentioned above popped up. So this is how that morning a couple of days ago played out as I did…
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He Speaks…Do I Ask and Listen?
A few weeks ago, I wrote, Whispers and Shouts and How Does God Whisper to You? Feel free to read these first if you missed them. Today I have a life example of listening and hearing from the Lord when I asked from the heart. As I started my “deck time with the Lord”, I sat quietly for a few minutes. I was reminded of Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.” Today, I was especially expectant and I ASK! Then as I often do, I played a worship song. this particular one has a…
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How Does God Whisper to You?
Last week I wrote Whispers and Shouts as a way to introduce Whisper, a book I recently read by Mark Batterson. This week I want to share some thoughts about 7 of the ways God speaks to us that the author shared in his book. Here are those 7 ways along with a brief description: I believe this is a healthy list of ways to hear God speak to us, although as the author states, there are many others. Often God will use more than one at a time to get a point across to us. If we do not read Scripture daily, how do we know if what we…
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And Then There’s Ruth!
The reason we read the Bible over and over is because it’s living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and it always teaches us new things. I experienced this again recently in my chronological reading plan that I have now done multiple times. This is what we use in the D-Group I lead to study scripture. Most of my groups have never read the whole Bible chronologically so it’s very eye-opening for them…and for me! Almost all my D-Group gals begin seeing the thread of the Gospel early in our reading and almost all get bogged down once in a while as we look at laws and repeated disobedience of the Israelites…
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Discipleship Today
Last week I shared a post (read What Now? here) asking what you are hearing from women you serve and lead. Many are ready to take a deeper dive into knowing and growing in Christ. Are you ready to lead them well? I am currently leading my 4th D-Group at church since retirement in 2017. Discipleship has always been the core of women’s ministry as far as I am concerned. Of course, the first step is salvation, but that is NOT the final step in a woman’s spiritual journey. She needs women who will shepherd her through the next steps. This was not my experience as a new believer when…
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What Now?
If you lead or disciple women in any way, I want to ask you a question. What are you hearing from them regarding this past year of COVID and all the other issues we all have faced? Here’s some positive things I’ve seen or heard: Yes, there have been many negative responses and experiences as well. People have lost jobs, health, political and social unrest, finances, and the joy of being with people in person. Most of us wearied of online church and zoom meetings. But, for sure, God has been at work in so many lives. Recently, Jim Denison quoted Desmond Tutu in one of his Daily Articles: “Hope…
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In the Aftermath
I have loved serving Jesus over the years in the area of women’s ministry. There have been both highs and lows throughout the journey. Often, when I have been on a mountaintop experience or event, not long after (or even during!), there has been a huge valley to walk through. When I should be flying on wings of hope and power and joy, I have felt low and even hopeless. Well, so did Elijah! As I finished Priscilla Shirer’s Elijah this week,I can’t help but write one more post on this amazing study. You can read the first two posts here and here. Why does this happen, to us and…
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Are You Listening Now?
Right now, I feel like this is what God is asking me…in so many ways. “Are you listening to me NOW?” Perhaps it’s the end of a long year we just experienced, a year of changes, cancellations, concerns and SO much more! Maybe it’s the uncertainty of all that is happening in our nation today. We don’t have a clue what will happen tomorrow. I can’t help but wonder if it’s because God is telling us to open our ears, listen and watch Him do His work in our world. Over and over He has shown his sovereignty to me personally and I am hanging on that even as I…
