Pierced by the Word - a book

Recently I started this small book as part of my morning time with Jesus.  I'm also reading (again) through the Gospel of John but this time I'm using Steve's ESV version study bible.  What a big difference to have that slight change of wording and all the extra study notes on the scriptures!

The book by John Piper is really excellent and I'm mulling over blogging it as I have other materials I've read.  I'd probably have to re-start it to make some notes, or I can just wing it.  Each 'chapter' is very short - just 3 pages or so, but the material is EXCELLENT!  I really enjoy John Piper's teaching and his easy to read style.  The book is available many places obviously, but here is the amazon link just to make life easy.

Blessings on the journey~

Reminders from Scripture

Downtown Temple, NH - photo credit: Steve Wolfe

While walking with my husband we were talking about the struggle we have had to discover the place God would have our family be to worship and become a part of the local body of Christ -namely a church home.  This has been ongoing for months now.  Steve described our disheartened state as 'being in a spiritual funk', which I (sadly) found pretty accurate.
We are slowly feeling the fog lift as God is showing us things and we are stepping seriously outside of our comfort zone in some areas to be obedient to what we believe God wants for us.  It is not easy, but nothing says that any of this life is supposed to be easy.  What we are promised is that God will be with us on the journey and give us all that is needed to take each step with Him as our guide.

I am blessed to have access to a marvelous software program for Bible study, devotional helps, etc. from Logos.com, and have just completed a 5-day reading plan about spiritual growth that has been really good.  For the 4th day, I read three pieces of scripture that struck a deep chord because they give a picture of what God's heart is for His church.

Psalm 133:1-3

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!  It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes.  It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

John 13:35

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Blessings on the journey~

Blogging Fail

   I had intended to blog through the study I'm doing of Ann's book with an amazing group of ladies on Monday mornings... but I am failing. 
   Not because I've quit the study or anything - just that I'm finding it tremendously difficult to make the time to type all the notes out and honestly - some of the reader's guide questions are hard to answer - and harder to share on the interwebs  (yes - I know that isn't a 'real' term).
   I believe that Ann's book, One Thousand Gifts, is amazing.   I did find (via a helpful friend) that it has been critically reviewed by some (just Google critique of "book title").  We discussed the critique at some length one week in our group.  Our general determination was along the lines that this - as any book- must be viewed through the lens of God's word and we must be discerning and cautious.  Only God's Word is our ultimate authority for living our lives and we must be certain to always go back to scripture to verify truth and be diligent in guarding our minds (and hearts) against any type of false teaching.
   Our group has fluctuated in size from week to week - that is the life of moms w/ children.  Some weeks all things are good and we can all be together and other weeks - life happens.  I'm learning so many new things each time we are together and then in my obsessive processing of all my insecurities and failings after each gathering.  God is so very gracious to me.  In all things.  I am very aware that I am not at all capable here and it is just grace that He is allowing me this opportunity with this group of special women.
  

Finishing Chapter 1

Sorry to have been so long getting back to finish this chapter.

Readers Guide Question: Ann describes how the death of her sister "tears a hole in the canvas of the world" (p. 16) and later writes, "I wonder... if the rent in the canvas of our life backdrop... might actually become a places to see.  To see through to God" (p. 22).  Is this a metaphor you find intriguing, comforting, or disturbing?  How do you understand it in light of your own experiences of loss?

My notes: I find the metaphor both intriguing and somewhat comforting.  I often think lately that our 'comfortable' American life has insulated us and isolated us from God.  A very dear friend, (who has served as a missionary in a very poor country), once told me that living in a third-world country makes God more real - in a way that He isn't here to us in the States.  In a place of utter lack - you trust God and see Him more clearly simply because He is all there is.  When our lives are torn open - He is the one who is real.  There in the deepest pain - even when we sometimes refuse to know that He is there.  Perhaps - it is in the torn places that we can see because God seems nearer when we don't have barriers of other comforts & distraction?

RG Question: The author's narrative is rich with vivid phrasing and evocative imagery.  What lines or descriptions stand out for you?  Why do you find them to be powerful?

My notes: p 16 "Do we ever think of this busted-up place as the result of us ingrates, unsatisfied, we who punctured it all with a bite? The fruit's poison has infected the whole of humanity.  Me. I say no to what He's given."

and

p 21 "...raw and real, stripped of any theological cliche, my exposed, serrated howl to the throne room."  snip "And I see.  At least a bit more. When we find ourselves groping along, famished for more, we can choose."

This is me... admitting honest & real.   Laying myself open to the reality of how far I fall short of the Sunday morning smile - how much I need Jesus every single day.  How I desperately need his grace pouring - thundering down on me most days.  And how I can choose - choose to live this life, choose to see the grace each day.
And the thesis of the entire book p 23 "A dare to an emptier, fuller life."  Take the dare... journey with me as I explore the truths God has given me through Ann's book.


Blessings on the journey~

Blogging a Bible Study

Today I am home from church sick with a chest-cold and B is also sick with a cold/fever.  We've done the OJ, toast and a game of monopoly so far...
Now he's under 3 blankets on the couch with a Star Wars video and I'm having coffee in front of the computer and trying to figure out a way to make this morning count for something worthwhile.
So I decided that I'll start a few posts from the new study I'm doing with a great bunch of ladies at our church.  We meet every other Monday and are going to work through Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts together.  I stumbled across a reader's guide for the book that has some questions that I'm trying to go through each time we meet.  So far I've been a flop at actually getting all the way through all the notes I take and scriptures that God has shown me in the process, so perhaps putting them here in my corner of cyber-space will make up for that failing in group.

So to begin.... Chapter 1  "an emptier, fuller life"

Page 13: But these aren't things you need to say anyways.  Like all beliefs, you simply live them.
Page 14: I look in the mirror, and if I'm fearlessly blunt  - what I have, who I am, where I am, how I am, what I've got - this simply isn't enough.
Page 15: Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren't satisfied in God and what He gives.  We hunger for something more, something other. 
Page 16: If I'm ruthlessly honest, I may have said yes to God, yes to Christianity, but really, I have lived the no.

These are just a few of the lines I high-lighted in the first pages of the chapter... words that struck a chord deep in me and I could identify.  Shamefully... but true.  I first read Ann's book when it came out early in 2011, and since that time God has taught me much and I am beyond grateful to feel that there is some small measure of progress.  If that is not too bold to admit - but I don't say that with any pride, only with humble thanksgiving that He has counted me worth the time and effort to change my heart, my mind, my life.

Readers Guide Question:  "Quote from above pg 16"  What do you think Ann means by this?  Has this ever been true for you?  If you feel comfortable doing so, describe the experience.

My notes:  I think Ann means she has lived as if God is not a good God - that he lets us down or leaves us to twist in the winds of sorrow & pain.  Even aside from the times in my life when I was living far from my faith - 'back-slidden' to use the churchy words for it - I admit that there have been times when I have struggled with holding to God's goodness in the face of difficulty.  Miscarriage, infant death, then divorce, custody struggles, serious medical issues for my oldest child and then ongoing educational struggles for him.  But on the other side of all those things... I can see how faithful God was even when I was holding Him at arms length.  I was living as if He had taken a vacation from watching over me - but I was the one moving away from Him.

How often are we willing to be so "ruthless" with ourselves?  Honesty is HARD at times ... especially when we feel we are questioning God or even act like we are pounding our fists against His chest in our frustration ... or arrogance?   Behaving like children?  Yet the grace pours - our hearts (our storms) can be calmed by the One who calmed the waves - if we make that choice - to let Him... to SEE Him.

Page 17: "His secret purpose framed from the very beginning [is] to bring us to our full glory." (1 Corinthians 2:7 NEB)
Page 21:"Just that maybe... maybe you don't want to change the story, because you don't know what a different ending holds."  snip "Maybe... I guess... it's accepting there are things we simply don't understand.  But He does."

Readers Guide Question: During their forty years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites survived on a daily diet of manna (Exodus 16).  It is a baffling substance whose name literally means, "What is it?" - but they eat it, are nourished by it, and even seem to like the taste of it (p. 22).  The author makes a connection between manna and the troubling mysteries of our own lives.  How do you respond to the idea that our questions and the things we don't yet understand may actually be sources of spiritual nourishment?  What do you think it might mean, in practical terms, to "eat the mystery."?

My notes: Ephesians 1:6-10 seemed to speak loudly here for me.  Right now - we are only seeing glimpses - we see grace - we have moments when we 'almost' grasp something that pulls us to Christ or perhaps we just cling desperate because we feel like we are blinded by a situation or circumstance - yet we know there are promises in scripture (Romans 8 - right?) that tell us we are safe in Christ.  So in Ephesians 1, verses 9-10 say: "making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth."  This is the mystery - how all this ... the brokenness of the whole world - of hearts & homes - the wounded - and the beautiful... the glorious creation, the laughter, the love - all of it, the grace of a moment and a lifetime.  We cling simply because we must at times - what is the alternative really?  Do we believe we have any more/better control if we reject Christ?  Then it really would be empty beyond redemption and hope... In Christ we have the hope and assurance that at some point - perhaps only in heaven - we will KNOW the mystery.

I'm going to stop here for now... this is way longer than I thought it'd be!  Breaking it up should make for a bit easier reading, and typing! 

Snow and other weirdness

These are photos from my front yard this morning... crazy!  I was NOT looking for a snowstorm this week, in fact, I have a catalog for garden seeds on my nightstand right now and had begun entertaining thoughts of attempting to grow things again this summer. *sigh*  In time I suppose... all this white stuff has to melt soon.. right?
It has been sort of a weird week here in a few ways - not just because of the crazy snow.
Steve and I celebrated our 16th year of wedded wonderful-ness on the 29th of February.  We only have an actual day on the calendar once in 4 years, so this was big.  Normally I would be spoiled with some amazing present from this incredible man who loves me so much, this year we have had some other family financial obligations that trumped frivolous expressions of love (like kitten leg surgery and a new car engine).  I guess this is what happens to old married people. :-)   It is all good - our family come first always and I already have more than enough of everything... I am most blessed among women.
We spent the day together as a family - made it a school holiday for the kids and enjoyed a nice day.  We even had a lovely dinner out together while the kids were at youth group.  I don't remember the last time we sat in a mostly empty restaurant and just talked for an hour after dinner.  It was really great.  Of course the fact that it was a Wednesday off of normal life, and then we had the snowstorm come through and messed up our 'normal' again on Thursday sort of has me all off-kilter now.

Most of the weirdness has been internal for me - emotional & spiritual - as I'm struggling to find some answers and direction with some heavy things in my life. I long desperately to be useful for God... to have my heart broken for the things that break His heart... to serve & love the way Jesus does (and did during his ministry).  To not just have a vertical faith - but to live my faith horizontally.  I want to be a conduit for God's grace in this broken world.

I'm reading a few books at the moment and two of them are about trusting God.  One is for my regular ladies bible study group on Monday nights and the other is part of a daily devotional series I bought through Vision Forum.  Both are excellent.
Today in the devotional book, the author shared 3 scriptures that really struck me.

"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.  He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." ~Deuteronomy 8:2-3

I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.  ~ Job 42:2

Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. ~James 5:11
 
And then during my regular prayer time and scripture reading I came across this one:
I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself,
    that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
Correct me, O Lord, but in justice;
    not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing. ~Jeremiah 10:23-24

I know God is trying to teach me some hard things... and I know that I am often slow to hear/learn.  I'm very grateful for His infinite mercy & amazing patience with me as I struggle to sort out lessons, truth and direction.  I pray from the depths of my heart for wisdom, discernment and clarity.  I trust Him and know that he has a Sovereign plan.  I long to be part of His Kingdom work in my everyday and anxiously await more and more of Him being poured into my heart/soul/mind so that I might be more like Jesus.


Blessings on the journey~

Waiting for Change & Contentment

I wait all year for scenes like this...
Fall is my favorite season.  I love the cool nights with the warmish days, the vibrant and glorious colors, the baking, the sweaters & jeans, the Deerfield Fair day with family & friends... everything.
So now we are into August and summer seems to have flown by, yet I am ready for the next thing.  J and I are pretty well ready to start school, though B refuses to consider it until after his birthday (and really who can blame him?).
Of course change is often very messy.  Such as several days of upheaval, noise, and sawdust to have a new floor put in - but it's OH so pretty!

Very worth it...don't you think?

Life and it's many changes can be hard.  Exciting. Frustrating. Nerve-wracking. Difficult. And I usually like to say I don't like change... unless it is my idea.
Yet it feels like so much in life is waiting for the next thing, the next stage, the next project to be done. 
Am I content? 
I'm reading a devotional book about contentment right now.  It's a marvelous reminder that contentment comes when I am focused on Christ and His purposes for my life.  When I hand over the reins to the One with the true plan and best ideas for my life (which is NOT me by the way!).  I find when I practice this discipline in my day-to-day life, there is less frustration and less waiting.
When I truly try to live the life each day that God allows.  The one with His priorities instead of my 'to-do' lists.  The one with people and service and love and grace flowing through and swirling around.  The days with music and smiles and sometimes tears as well.
I. am. content.
That is not all to say that life is all butterflies and rainbows and little birds singing in the tree outside my window.  In actuality the birds outside the window at 4:30 am are really dreadfully annoying, and the dog hair is threatening to take over the downstairs, the dishes and laundry always need doing, etc.  But this is all part of the music of our lives here.  It's real.  A dear friend once said it is job security. :-)
My only true security is in Christ and leaning into Him for strength and grace for each day.... even the really tough days... that is contentment.  And for this and so much more... I am thankful.

New Study

Some friends invited me to join them in a new Bible study and it is interesting and enlightening so far.

I know God has things to teach me through this study and I continue to pray that my heart & eyes are open and that I'm ready to learn, more importantly - that I'm ready to be changed.

Blessings on the journey~

Week One

 

We started the new year by cheering for Steve at his first road race of the year.  It was a crazy warm day for here in NH - I think it was in the mid-50s, hence J's t-shirt and the fact that no one has a coat in spite of the piles of snow in the background.

Monday was still semi-vacation mode as Steve had it off from work and the kids just did a small amount of school that day.  We dove back in full swing on Tuesday and have had a good week.  Much has been accomplished academically, some laundry, a new plan for memorizing more scripture in 2011, and we're back to working on our Balancing the Sword questions each morning as well as our Training Hearts, Teaching Minds devotional work.  I know it makes a HUGE difference in our days when we begin with studying words from the Lord for us and focusing on Him to start.

I've also begun reading a new book by Dr. David Jeremiah and have downloaded some awesome freebies for my new kindle (a Christmas surprise from my loving husband!).  I finished reading Mary Beth Chapman's new book Choosing to SEE during the week after Christmas and recommend it highly!  She is so honest and real telling a difficult story but her faith in God really shines I think. 

This journey is not always easy... heck, most days it's pretty tough!  But God is always faithful and never has us travel alone.  I am thankful for that gift each day.

Blessings on the journey~

New Bible Study

Last night our ladies group began a new Bible Study from a book by Sheila Walsh, Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God.  I think it will be amazing.

This morning in our reading time, the kids and I read this passage:

2 Corinthians 4:6-18

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I really love how God reminds us of His eternal love and care of us, even when we cannot see the reason behind the darkness that faces us in this moment.  He has a reason, we have to trust Him.

A prayer from Scripture

Psalm 119:65-72 (New Living Translation)

 ⁶⁵ You have done many good things for me, Lord,
      just as you promised.
 ⁶⁶ I believe in your commands;
      now teach me good judgment and knowledge.
 ⁶⁷ I used to wander off until you disciplined me;
      but now I closely follow your word.
 ⁶⁸ You are good and do only good;
      teach me your decrees.

Chapter 18 Key Players & Historical Context

1. The classical culture of ancient Rome was the historical setting into which Christ & Christianity was born.
2. Constantine I was the emperor who called for the Council of Nicea because he was trying to unite the empire and the church.  His motto included the phrase "one Lord, one faith, one church, one empire, one emperor"
3. The central issue of the controversy was the one surrounding the person and the work of Jesus Christ.
4. Arius was a priest from Alexandria who rose to fame (or notoriety) for teaching the Jesus was not God, but was a lesser creation.
5. Athanasius was a deacon who was an assistant to the Bishop Alexander of Alexandria.  He became a force through his zeal and unrelenting protection of orthodoxy in the church.
6. The men who attended the Council of Nicea were well aware of its significance.  This was the first ecumenical council since Acts 15 in the days of the apostles.  They knew this was history in the making.

Chapter 17 The Life of the World to Come

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

1. Christians live a life of hope based on the resurrection of Christ and the promise of eternal life with Him.
2. What you believe about what the future holds influences the way you live in the present.
3. The Creed connects the eternal with the present by pointing us forward, giving us a trumpet call to live a life of hope, of faith in Christ that shine optimistically in this dark world.  Not in a foolish, dreamer or Pollyanna-ish way, but in a firm belief in the promises of the One who gave Himself for us.
4. Death doesn't have a "grip" on Christians because in Christ's resurrection, death has been overcome.  There is nothing to fear, only cause for joy & hope.
5. If death is the final weapon, the enemies of Christianity are always frustrated because it has no sting for a follower of Christ.
6. Paul summarizes things perfectly in Philippians 1:21  ...to live is Christ and to die is gain.
7. Verses:
   Phil 3:7-14  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
   Rev. 20: 6  Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
   Acts 24: 14-16  However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
   1 Peter 1: 3-9  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Chapter 16 One Baptism

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

1.  Christ specifically calls out baptism in the Great Commission given to the apostles (and therefore the church) in Matthew 28.
2.  Baptism is a unique sign, given to the church, of the ongoing apostolic mission of the church.
3/4/5.  Baptism is a sign of unity among God's people, brought together in Christ.  Ephesians 4:1-6 points to the unity we all must share in Christ as the church, becoming one body of Christ - called to do His will and work in this fallen world.
6.  Baptism is NOT the cause of the forgiveness of sins.
7.  Baptism is an outward sign pointing to or proclaiming our salvation from sin through Christ Jesus.
8. Verses:
Mark 16:16 "...Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
John 3:5  Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
Acts 1:5  "...For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 2:38  Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:47-48   Then Peter said, "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
1 Cor 12:13   For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Chapter 15 One Church

**This chapter is the one where I found the word that didn't mean what I thought it meant.**

We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church...
1.  To many Protestants (term used broadly), the church is not a vital or essential part of their individual existence/experience.  They feel that the church plays a role, but it is not central and therfore would not be readily part of their gospel confession.
2.  There is a movement away from the word "church" as old fashioned and irrelevant.
3.  The word 'holy' indicates that the church is of God, set apart by Him for His people and His purpose.
4/5.  Christians are 'set apart' by the work of the Holy Spirit and are called to be part of the church.  Torrance states, "The one holy Church is thus as it were the complement of the one Holy Spirit."  We don't have a choice about this - when we become a Christian, we become a member of Christ's body - the church.
6. Even's creation as Adam's wife points to our relationship as Christians with the church.  Eve was made for a specific purpose - to be Adam's wife & help-meet.  We become Christians and are given new life, new birth into our place in the church body with our purpose.
7.  The word "catholic" in the creed simply means "universal".  It does not reference a specific denomination as we now know it.
8.  The Greek word for church ekklesia means the called out ones.
9.  We tend to see the church as reflective of our unique culture or 'tribe'.  However, God's true church is universal, not tribal or denominational.
10.  The church reverses what happened at the Tower of Babel.  People were then driven apart by language into tribes - away from each other.  After Acts 2, we are called to Christ - and the church - from every tongue, tribe & nation.
11.  Every Christian is a fellow-citizen in Christ.
12.  We are members of the household of God - the church.  This means we share in teh blessings and lives of others in Christ.  We are family.
13.  The church is apostolic since it is founded on the gospel and called to fulfill the apostolic mission given by Christ.
14.  The church has access to God & can be used by God to fulfill His purposes.  We, as the church, are to reflect God's glory & seek to be a light to lead others to Christ.
15. Verses:
Acts 20:28  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Heb 10:24-25  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Rom 12:5  so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Col 3:12-17  Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Peter 2:9  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.

Psalm 119

Teri Lynne is doing a great walk-thru of Psalm 119 over at Pleasing to You.  It is absolutely worth checking out and following. 

Chapter 14 Who Has Spoken by the Prophets

Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

1. We are told in this section of the creed that the Holy Spirit "has spoken by the prophets" and draw warm comfort and joy from that fact.
2. The words of God have come most commonly and clearly through the prophets of God to His people.
3. Prophets are referred to as "the mouthpiece of God" because by the Holy Spirit these men spoke the very words of God.
4. 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
5. Proverbs 29:18a (Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.), is often misused as a positive thinking or motivational type verse when the words used in the verse - in Hebrew - are a parallelism that restates a truth about the revelatory word of God.
6. The popular notion today of a prophet is more of a 'fortune teller' or one who only predicts future events.
7. In classical times, a prophet was used to interpret signs & dreams, like the Oracle at Delphi.
8. In pagan rituals, drugs/narcotics or frenzied activities were used to induce prophecies.
9. Pagan prophecies originate from the person who is involved, the are self-induced. 
10. For a biblical prophet there is always an intelligent discourse.  God speaks to his prophets in an intelligible exchange.  (ie Moses - Ex. 4:15-16, Jeremiah - Jer.1:6-9, and Isaiah - Is. 6:1-8)
11. God continues to speak to us today through the Holy Spirit that dwells within us as believers.  He is revealed in His holy word - the Bible.
12. Verses:
    Daniel 4:8 & 18   Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)....."This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means, for none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you."
    Ezekial 11:5  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon me, and he told me to say: "This is what the LORD says: That is what you are saying, O house of Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.
    (example of direct exchange) Numbers 27:12-18  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes." (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.) Moses said to the LORD, "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."
    So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him.
    

Chapter 13 Filioque

Who proceeds from the Father and the Son...

1. The word 'filioque' is Latin and means "and the Son."
2. The filioque was added to the creed at the Third council of Toledo in 589.
3. This addition was controversial because it was not added by a full ecumenical council, but rather by a regional one.  Something that belongs to the whole church should not be altered by a small part.
4. The regional council made the addition with good intentions to fight the false teachings that were strong in that region - the Visigoths of Spain.
5. This didn't become a really huge issue until the time of Charlemagne, when he tried to force unity within the church by forcing the word upon the Latin & Greek church.
6. The phrase became a line of division in a larger power struggle that was apparently far more about politics than true theology.
7. In 1054 there came a breaking point with a defined schism between East & West with the synod for the church of the East officially condemning the Bishop of Rome.
8. The major biblical text used to argue this point is John 15:26-27 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning."
9. These two positions are not mutually exclusive because they really seem to focus on something that is ontological versus economical.  Ontology deals with the essence of God while economy deals with the activity of God.  Each side isn't really contradictory, they are each choosing a different emphasis. 
10. Verses:
    2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
    Galatians 3:5  Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
    Ephesians 4: 4-6, 30   There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  ..... And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Chapter 12 The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, The Lord, the giver of Life...

1. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit helps us in liturgy & worship because it is truth.  We cling to the Holy Spirit - confessing this truth, we can rejoice in the life that comes to us through the Holy Spirit.
2. Two good images of the Holy Spirit can be drawn right from the beginning, from Genesis.  The Spirit of God hovering over the darkness provides a portrait of light bringing hope to darkness.  The Spirit of God also breathed life into Adam.  He is the bringer of life.  Light & Life are perfect images for the Holy Spirit.
3. The creed's section on the Holy Spirit was expanded and defined (or refined) at the Council of Constantinople in 381.
4. In ancient times, divine power was often viewed as impersonal, some 'force' outside of us or 'the gods'.  the Bible clearly identifies the Holy Spirit as personal, one who can be grieved, using the personal pronoun "He".
5. The Holy Spirit cannot be detached from God, He is permanently connected because He is God.  the Bible teaches the Trinity - Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
6. There is unity & diversity in the person of God.  An equality of essence with a distinction in function.
7. The Holy Spirit functions in what could be termed a 'self-diminishing manner'. He does not draw attention to Himself, but rather points to or reveals to us the Father & the Son.  he comes to us as a light, illuminating for us the truth of God.
8. Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit in us, making us alive in Christ.  He brings us the life of Christ even as we were dead in our sins.
9. The Holy Spirit works in our lives daily.  He loves us, teaches us, guides us, convicts us of sin, intercedes on our behalf, and testifies to us of the love of God.  He plays many roles in our lives - serving us, lovingly & personally.  he walks with us as our closest friend.
10. The Holy Spirit comes gently to open our hearts to be able to embrace the gift of salvation through Christ.  We are won to Christ by love.
11. Verses:
    Luke 11:13  "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
    John 6:63  "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life."
    1 Cor 2:9-14  However, as it is written:  "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived
       what God has prepared for those who love him"—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
    Eph 4:3-6  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
    Eph 4:30   And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Surf over - it's worth it!

I have been following a study of Esther over at Pleasing to You and Teri's post today is especially good (they've all been good!).  Check it out.
In the last 6 months or so, I've been praying and working towards a healthier me.  God has been gracious and I've been exercising fairly regularly, eating better and managed to lose 20lbs.  I didn't do it for anyone but myself (mostly) - with lots of prayer - but Teri's post reminds me that I am much more than what I look like on the outside... MUCH more.