Moved to Gilgal

I think I’ve told you that I’m well aware of my new land. I just don’t want to talk about it yet. It’s ‘under construction’. And I think I told you that when I crossed into my new land I was so tired and afraid and unsure that I quickly pitched my tent at first footfall. A very dangerous place to camp. Why? Because it is so easy to cross back over! And that is just what I’ve contemplated many times – crossing back to my comfort zone and what I know best.

But now I’ve picked up my stakes and moved to Gilgal. Gilgal was the first place Joshua stopped and camped after miraculously crossing the Jordan. Gilgal was the place where Israel celebrated their first Passover in the Promised Land. Gilgal is the place from which the victory at Jericho was staged. Gilgal is where the Ark of the Covenant (the Presence of God) was kept. Gilgal became home base.

The word ‘Gilgal’ means ‘circle’ and God brought His children full circle. They were getting a second chance, a do-over, a chance to make it right. Isn’t that so like God? This new land is a Gilgal in my life – a chance given by God to have a second try and try to get it right. God is here. It’s safe. It’s home base.

I’ve been know to always be in a hurry, rush into things, say ‘yes’ too many times and ‘no’ not often enough. But, this time, for the moment, I’m where I’m supposed to be – my Gilgal.

The Greatest Crossing

Hey girls, this is Judy and I feel so blessed to be a contributor to your blog and reconnect with many of you in the Wednesday morning Crossings Bible Study. Many of you know that I am not gifted in writing, more so with talking (some of you are laughing) about the LORD, but today I am stretching myself. While I have been studying the Book of John in Bible Study Fellowship with my grandson John Randall, I have certainly kept up with what you are doing and studying. Missing you, but know that this is a season for me to pull into my family and a season for you to be blessed by my sister Suzanne. Must admit blog spots are not a part of my normal day, but even sixty year olds can still learn. Glory to the Lord!!!!!
As I prayed about what to share with you, the LORD impressed my thoughts to think about the ”Crossing” that is truly amazing. God, through the Holy Spirit, imparted His Seed into Mary and Jesus Christ crossed over from the heavenly realm to the earthly realm, Luke 1:28-35. Love that is so amazing and so divine. We know from scripture Jesus existed before the foundation of the world and that all things were created by Him, through Him, and for Him. Someday perhaps we will have a greater understanding of all Jesus possessed in His Heavenly realm and all He was willing to set aside until His obedience to His Father for thirty three years was perfectly carried out. His “Crossing” involved great suffering for Him physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Yet all the while in the greatest agony on the Cross, our sweet Jesus followed perfectly all the details to fulfill all scripture concerning Him. I have to admit I can not understand His total focus, yet I am so grateful for all He accomplished for all who believe in Him. When He crossed over again at His Ascension (Luke 24:50-53) He won a victory that sometimes I believe His bride, that is us, can not grasp. Psalm 103:1-6 says” Praise the LORD O my soul, and all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name. Praise the LORD O my soul and forget not all His benefits, He forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. He satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed”. Isaiah 61 tells us Jesus was anointed to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the broken hearted, to free us from the effect of the sins of others and to release us from darkness from our own sins. Therefore, we have been given back the authority in His Name to do works as God calls and empowers His believers- to represent Christ to our lost and suffering world.
Let me share a story of how this is played out by the help of the Holy Spirit. As parents and grandparents, our prayers for our children and grandchildren should be that our ceiling of faith is their foundation. Last week a group of people consisting of several generations, went to visit the homeless folks that live under the overpasses of 565 in tents here in Huntsville. The children who attended were obviously the most excited and prepared. They had colored pictures with hand written Bible verses on each one and had purchased silly bands to share, and share they did with their new friends. The morning was profound- these little ones with adults “crossed-over” into new territory with the love of Christ, and many residents were so touched, tears came into their eyes and one lady stated “This has been my wake up call”. Hands were laid on residents and prayers were raised and everyone was blessed. God was present for He inhabits the praises of His people and He had ordained praise from the infants and children that morning. It was so powerful that after an invitation from the residents, this group returned the next weekend to check on newfound friends and take breakfast again. A worship service under the overpass is now in the planning stage. God loves the homeless, and loves to love them through His children. Holy Spirit, you are AWESOME!!!!! Come in such a way that that You will enable the Body of Christ in Huntsville for fulfill their calling so that our City “crosses over” back to you as we all fulfill our purposes and calling in Christ Jesus. Obedience was the heart desire of Jesus and it is to be our desire as well. Help us LORD!!!!

So Long, Insecurity!

Two friends. Friday. Weather forecast. Three cell phones. Woodstock, Georgia. Beth Moore. Non-stop conversation. Laughing. Winding roads. Memories. Catching up. Loving the Lord. BSF. Hungry. Microtel. Family. The Word. Prayer. Sleep. Saturday. Thunder. Rain. Tornado predictions. Bad hair day. 9,500 people. Over 300,000 by simulcast. 3,200 parking places.
Rain stopped. Great seats. Travis Cottrell. Jesus Saves Live. Worship. Tears. Open my ears. Insecurity is unbelief. Stories. If a heart does not heal, it hardens. Salvation. Letters. We are incapable of running God off. Commissioning. A girl named Lynn. Traffic. Headed home. I-75 north. Pouring rain. Silence. Processing. Grateful. Secure. Three cell phones. Through the weather. Safe. Home. Two friends.

Off to Atlanta

I’m headed out the door to go to Atlanta to hear Beth Moore. She’s doing a simulcast on Saturday from Woodstock, Georgia and teaching on her recent book, So Long, Insecurity. When I get home, I’ll let you know all about it. Maybe I’ll take a picture for the blog!

Have blessed weekends!

Survey Results

Hi Wednesday girls! Thank you so much for your survey comments. Here’s what you thought…

About the homework… You said the length is fine and the depth is okay too. You don’t want as many fill-in-the blank questions, although several of you admitted they had been more helpful than you thought. Right here and now, I need to announce again that I use the NIV translation when teaching. I’ve already reduced the number of fill-in-the-blanks - hope you’ve noticed. You actually overwhelmingly like the what-do-you-think questions. I am so glad; I do too! You would like a map that you can mark up to go along with our study; great idea - I’ll try to find one. You want more space between questions and a larger font, so Lesson 4 has one size larger font - see if that helps. Lots of you want more word definitions and a few of you want more personal questions and more commentary and/or my thoughts on the passage. I think in Lesson 4 I did just that. Hands down, almost all of you do your homework all through the week. You are most exceptional – you actually do all of your homework!!!

About the blog… The posts could be slightly shorter, but the depth is perfect. Almost everyone likes the blog as is, but some want me to teach more through the blog and would like it to be a little more personal. Only a few have problems when printing, and most of you read the blog every few days.

On commenting… For those of you who want to read the comments but don’t know how… you simply click on the word ‘comments’ at the bottom of the post and they should come up. A few of you might comment if you knew how, but for the most part, you don’t want to comment at all. We all feel too exposed, and iffy about comments that are permanent and out there for all the world to see. One simple way is to comment anonymously… click into ‘comment’ at the bottom of the post and write your comment. Then, verify the word (that’s to reduce spammers) and sign on as anonymous. You can be completely anonymous or leave your first name or initials.

And, finally… I regret that at the moment there is no way for the lectures to be on the blog. And for now I’ve made a decision to keep prayer requests private to those attending class. However, the one thing you all want to see are more pictures! I laughed out loud! Molly, if you are reading this, next weekend bring me your old camera. Yes, ladies, I don’t even own a camera. And what do you want pictures of?? I might take a picture of Ben so you can see my sweet husband, and I thought I might take a picture of my own little private den where I pray for all of you… you are too precious!

All in all, it appears the homework is working and the blog is working and it is all working. I am beside myself. I praise God from start to finish! This is His class and everything has been His idea. I am having a blast!

A New Land for the Gospel

For the last few weeks, we have all been contemplating our "new land". Our study in Crossings is helping us prepare for our new land, see our new land, and take possession of our new land. The possibilities of new land are endless! How exciting that our God has planned a unique possession for each one of us.

Could I suggest that your new land could be used by God as a new land for the gospel? As believers, we have been entrusted with the precious gift of the message of salvation. We know this gift, we experience it daily, and we have the privilege of sharing this gift with others. The good news of the gospel is woven throughout our lives. Just as God told His redemption story from Genesis to Revelation, His redemption plan for us is first to receive the work of His Son on the cross by faith and then to tell others that they also can have a personal, eternal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe God clearly had His redemption plan in mind when He graciously promised Abram a new land all the way back in Genesis 12: "...go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you...and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." God promised His Messiah through Abraham's family. And the land that Messiah would be born in and His race and culture would be in Canaan--eventually called Israel! God gave the land to the Israelites for many reasons. But to me, I think the main reason He gave the land was for the sake of the gospel. We get a "pre-picture" of this in Joshua 2. What happened at the first entrance to the Promise Land by the two spies?? A conversion experience! Rahab, the prostitute, clearly indicates that she has put her faith in the God of Israel, the one true God. ..."for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below." (Joshua 2:11) The gospel is launched in the new land! Great and wonderful things would eventually happen in the land God was giving the Israelites. Messiah would be born. Christ would suffer and die on the cross for our sins. The Lord Jesus would be triumphant over death in His resurrection. And from this land of Israel, the first missionary journeys would begin.

Think about the new land that you are in or the land that God might be taking you to. How could God use your land for the sake of the gospel? A job change could expose you to new people to share the gospel with. An empty nest could energize you to serve in your church or to lead a small group Bible study. A new land that is a season of waiting or "holding down the fort" could allow time for you to pray for other nations to bow and worship the true God. A breakthrough in a relationship could free you from worry or bitterness and put you on a path to new ministry for Him. And "defeating fear by building up faith" might result in a call to the mission field in another culture and land. Any new land that God is bringing us to has to be about the gospel! Because the gospel is all about the Lord Jesus. And our lives and our new land are all about Him.

Obsessive Blog Disorder

For those of you who know me, I've told you that I have this disease... OBD, Obsessive Blog Disorder. And today, when our study is approaching the two most monumental weeks, I can't think of one thing to write about. This happens in blog world I'm told. So I decided to surf through all my favorite blogs. At the top of my list...

Of course my all-time favorite is Molly's blog, Sweet Mondays. I get to keep up with our precious Anna and have been known to laugh out loud in front of the computer!

Then there is this blog about a young mom and her family, Fly Through Our Window. She has gobs of blog stalkers, of which I am one. Don't ask me why it is so compelling to read about someone's day and kids and life and hurdles, when I don't even know her, but it is an honest read about real life things. She is a Christian, a mother and wife just trying to do it right. Aren't we all? And she posts all these yummy recipes and fun projects...

And my precious goddaughter, who also has OBD, sent me one I love, Little Green Notebook. It's this girl who is handling a decorating business along with her family and the rest of her life. I can't decorate a stick, so this one totally stretches me. And it is just plain fun to look at her projects. Those of you who have been so gracious to listen to my teaching, know I've surrendered a house... but that does not mean I don't love house projects!

Oh dear, I sure hope I haven't given you my disease! But, if you also have OBD, I want to know you are out there. Share some of your favorites!
Enjoy!

For One Woman

I should be working on next week’s lesson, but I can’t quite let go of this past Wednesday. If you are one of the ‘Wednesday girls’, I love you! I love sharing every Wednesday morning with you. I could have stayed after for hours talking more about Rahab and our Stones of Remembrance. I wish we could have one whole morning of nothing but talking about our lifelines. You are the best! Thank you for being good sports and changing tables each week and making new friends.

If you are one of the ‘Blog girls’ – I love you too! Thank you for reading the blog, even doing the study and following from afar. This post is really for you. There’s something from Wednesday’s teaching talk about Rahab that has meant so much to me, I want to share it with you. I mean it – it has been hard to leave Joshua 2!

Here’s what I want to say one more time about Rahab. It may have seemed to us that Joshua sent the spies in to Jericho to get military information, but really God sent them in to get Rahab. Joshua didn’t have to have a lot more information in order to attack Jericho. He was going no matter what. The whole reason for the mission was for one woman. God had been preparing her heart. She had heard of Him and she had believed in Him. Now he rescues her from death. He gives her confirmation to her faith, safety, a home with His people, and best of all; He gives her a place of honor in the ancestry of Jesus Christ. Don’t miss Matthew 1 – Rahab married one of the Israelites, a man named Salmon from the tribe of Judah. They had a son, Boaz, who married Ruth and Ruth and Boaz had Obed. Obed had Jesse, who was the father of King David.

Rahab reminds us of the Samaritan woman. Jesus went into Samaria and took that route that day for one reason – one woman. I keep thinking of when I came to Christ my junior year in college. The ways Jesus went out of His way just for me. I’d love to hear how He went out of His way just for you. I know He did.

Understanding about Moses

Warning: This is a long one but well worth the read.

We can't leave the desert and cross the Jordan until we answer the #1 question: Why didn't Moses get to lead the people into the Promised Land? What did he do that was so bad? In classes and retreats this has been asked of me countless times. Let's shed some light on it and get it straight in our hearts.

The quick answer is in Numbers 20. The people were complaining (again) about the lack of water and 'this terrible place'. They had been in the desert 38 years, most of the older generation had died, and the new generation was continuing the rebellion against God by complaining. God told Moses to go with Aaron, take the staff and "Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water." So Moses gathered the people together and said, "Listen you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. The people were granted their water, but Moses and Aaron were given a stern rebuke from the Lord. God then said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

There it is. The reason. Moses struck the rock twice when he was supposed to speak to the rock. He was to show reverence to the rock. Fed up with the people and grieving over his sister's death, Moses exploded in anger. To sum up his sin, Moses disobeyed God's clear instruction, he did not fully trust God, and he took God's Glory to himself.

Yet, I many of us still feel dissatisfied, as if there is more to the reason, or more to understanding what God meant when He said, "you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy"...

The complicated answer satisfies my heart. Yes, this could easily have been 40 years of accumulated frustration over the continued rebellion of the people. The lack of trust could mean that Moses did not believe a simple word would do it - the rock needed a good strike. Or, *it has been suggested that Moses was disappointed in God's failure to bring wrath on these people and he took it upon himself to act as God.

But here's the real reason as best as we can understand our Holy God. **I Cor. 10:4 tells us that the rock was the Lord Jesus Christ and that in the desert the children of Israel all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual water. In other words, they all ate manna and drank water from the rock in order to live. God was clearly making the point that we all live by Christ and Christ alone. He is our Bread and Water of Life.

God was using Moses' treatment to the rock to teach about His Son. At the beginning of their journey, God told Moses to strike the rock for water. And he did. This was a picture of Christ struck (crucified). But Christ only needed to be struck once - He does not have to die again and again for us to be saved. The Bible tells us He died once and for all.

And about God's instruction to Moses the second time, to speak to the rock for life giving water... this was to be a picture that, as believer's in Christ's death, we have the unbelievable privilege of being able to speak to Christ and ask Him our own request for life, eternal life. When Moses struck the rock he spoiled the picture. Together, all these facets of Moses' disobedience resulted in both he and Aaron not being able to enter the Promised Land in their lifetime.

One more quick note: Oh my goodness, Moses was certainly able to enter the Promised Land after his earthly lifetime. You will remember that it was Moses with Elijah who stood with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and spoke with Him about the cross. Moses. Living. In the Promised Land. With the Lord. Now that is worth thinking about!


* from Expositor's Bible Commentary
** from Warren Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament

Guest Post by: Molly

Hey everyone!
I'm so excited mom asked me to be a "guest blogger" today! For those of you who have NO clue who I am.. I'm Molly, I write my own blog over at SweetMondays!! I'm Suzanne's youngest daughter (technically.. I'm 16 minutes younger than my twin sister, Sarah). I'm a mother of one (and a half). I have a 16 month old little sweetie, Anna.. and a Peanut on the way! I love my life, I love my family, and I love the Lord!


(This is my sweet little Anna.. and because I'm always behind the camera I can't show you me.. maybe next time)

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When Mom asked me if I would be interested in posting a "guest post" on her blog I was thrilled to do so... and flattered to get to be a part of something I think is so great!
Isn't this Bible Study Blog such a great idea?! I can't wait to see all that God is going to do with/through it!!
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I have given a lot of thought to what I should write today and... the more I think about it the more I feel compelled to just open up the can and pour out all the worms... eeeek!

Mom asked in her last post how we were feeling about our personal "Crossings".. well, whenever I'm faced with a "crossing" in my life..my immediate answer is... "I have my track shoes on and I'd like to sprint across the finish line... hurdling over every little possible barrier in my way.. nothing can stop me... let's GO!" Well, that's not quite the way God has meant for my latest CROSSING to go!

For those of you who don't know me from Adam then you don't know what in the world I'm talking about.. let me back track some:

My husband and I have been called to move. For a year and a half now we've been patiently (and impatiently) waiting to "go"! We've gone back and forth on every decision we've had to make: do we put the house on the market or wait until we know for sure when we're going? now that the house has sold where should we live? should we go ahead and get an apartment in our "new land"? should we buy a house up there? should we rent a house up there? should we buy land and build? should we stay here until after the baby comes? ... decisions, decisions, decisions.

And... if you know me.. you know that I don't make decisions easily! On any given day my closet is stripped of it's entirety because I can't decide what to wear.. and even worse.. my one year old's closet is the same because I'm just as indecisive as in what she should wear! Yes... these decisions were WAY too difficult for me. For the first few major decisions I exhausted every emotion I had... then it dawned on me: God has made this move clear to us and He has taken the path and will lead us the right way.. TRUST! So that is just what I did...Trusted God... and Casey too.. he's much better at all this than me so I knew he was allowing God to take the lead!
I sat back and waited (for months and months) not understanding why we were doing the things we were doing.. but knowing we were suppose to. Then we got the official word.. MAY 1...

May 1st seemed so close... we needed to get a place!!! (Remember... I'm a "jump on in" type.. rush, rush, rush...that was my immediate reaction... let's go NOW). That was not God's intention!

Through this entire process I'm quickly learning that God's timing is the best timing!
My timing probably would have rushed us into a house we didn't love in a neighborhood that wasn't our favorite for 40 years or something (aka.. the dessert). I'm glad my husband doesn't listen to me.. (sometimes..ha!) This time for sure!! After looking at all sorts of options (more options that I even knew were available)... we decided to rent! The one thing I knew I did NOT want to do!! But, after much prayer and consideration.. (and once again stepping back and letting God take the lead).. I realized renting is the best place for us!
I'm excited about our rent house. It's a HOUSE .. with a yard and plenty of room for little ones!

I can still see "our promised land" at the end of the tunnel (and now I know that tunnel will be at least 15 months longer)... but now I'm excited to take off my track shoes put my rainbows back on and enjoy the slow paced race in getting there... because I know that is God's time!

All this to say that whenever God gives me a new "crossing" I'm so eager to jump into it (and so many times I do) that I miss all that He had planned for me in "the waiting stage". We are going to learn SO much from Joshua's journey.. it's going to be so great! The timing couldn't be more perfect for me. And, even though I know not all of you are wading across the river over to your "promised land", I'm sure God is going to teach us all something great through this study.


Okay.. well, now that I've left you with a 1,978 page novel of my "two year move".. I'm sure you're all very eager to get back to work..ha! I hope to be back again soon. Maybe with pictures of Anna in our great new rent house!

Y'all take care and happy crossings to you all!!

Shakin' in Our Boots

I'm not quite ready to get you to share your 'land'. Too many of us are just beginning to get our heads wrapped around the concept of new territory. We still need time for those seeds from lecture to germinate.

But I am ready to ask you how you feel about crossing? Let's have some comments today! Are you ready to go - bags packed, making those last preparations? Are you holding back? Are you scared out of your wits? Are you the perpetual crosser - just in your motor boat crossing back and forth with every change of the wind? I want to hear.

May I tell you that a few months ago God clearly showed me that I had crossed into new land. I had made it across, and landed in brand new territory for me (I'm not quite ready to share either). But He also showed me that when I crossed over into new land I promptly stopped there and pitched my tent right on the tip of the shore. One of the most dangerous places to pitch your tent is just inside new land. You know why? Because it is so easy to cross back over! And that's just what I've almost done... several times. How easy it would be to cross back over to what I know best, my comfort zone. Am I scared and terrified in this new land? You bet! I'm holding on to God's promises to Joshua in chapter 1 like crazy! While my legs are wobbling, I'm repacking my bags to head for what I know will be my first battle. My goodness! Just thinking of it makes me want to go back!

Give me a little encouragement here. Is there anyone else out there scared to death about crossing? I have never quite realized how much we need each other on this journey. I love you already!

Meeting our Man

If you are following the Crossings homework, you are beginning to get to know Joshua. I like to visualize him as Moses' aide. Can you imagine! Numbers 11:28 tells us that he was Moses' aide from his youth. Well, how old was that? I've done a little investigating and here's what I've found... some things we know for sure and some are a good guess.

Going forward from his birth, we know these facts: Joshua was born in Egypt as a slave and was the son of Nun from the tribe of Ephraim. Joshua experienced the Exodus and with all Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. We know he was Moses' aide and military man for forty years in the desert. We know he was God's assigned leader in charge of crossing Israel over the Jordan River. Joshua died at age 110 in Canaan, the Promised Land.

Going backward from his death, here's what we speculate: Joshua died at age 110 after living in the Promised Land for 25 years, so he was 85 years old when he led the crossing over the Jordan. He spent 40 years in the desert as Moses' aide, from ages 45 to 85. Two months into the desert, at around age 45, Joshua fought and gained a major victory at Rephidim while Aaron and Hur held up Moses' arms. A few months earlier, also at age 45, he watched the plagues, God's miracles, the hardening of Pharaoh, the deaths of the firstborn, and experienced the first Passover as he walked with his clan across the Red Sea. 45 was a big year for him. Living until age 110, 45 was just the beginning of the prime of his life.

And one more speculation: if Joshua was Moses' aide since his youth, that means he must have known Moses quite well and for quite some time back in Egypt.

Brand new thought for me.

I Can't Resist!

Before I get started on some topics that have to do with crossings and our studies of Joshua I can't resist letting you see what I had at my house Easter Sunday. Rejoicing for lots of reasons!


At our Easter service our minister reminded us that we had not said the word 'Alleluia' for the entire season of Lent. It was so good yesterday to scream it out. He Is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!!

Good Friday

Today we come to the darkest day, the hardest day of the year in our Christian heritage. And it's called 'Good'? I always think the day should stormy and black and thunderous.

For those of us who have just completed Beth Moore's study, The Patriarchs, I want to revisit a point she makes in the last several lessons and again in her closing lecture. She has been teaching us that God can take our worst and, through Christ, redeem it and make it good. We've learned that amidst the rubble in our lives, God has buried some treasures, and in seeking Him we will find them. Treasures in rubble. I know this is not verbatim, but I wrote this down from her last lecture... 'God can take one string of something terrible and tie it with something wonderful, and once connected, He redeems the whole strand'. What a Biblical principle! Thank you, Beth Moore, for this lesson.

At the cross, our very worst meets God's very best. At the cross God took a string of all things terrible (all of our sins) and tied them to something wonderful (a sinless perfect Savior willing to become our sin and die with our sin), and once those two strings were connected (at the cross as Jesus said, "It is finished.") the whole strand becomes good. Those who believe are redeemed, saved, connected, made righteous, granted eternal life!

'Good' Friday? Oh yes, it's good alright! It's almost too good to be true. But it is true. Amidst the rubble of the cross we find the buried treasure of salvation. And so much more. Oh, Glory! We can never out-learn the cross.

I wonder if you, like me, are doing this today - off and on all day in the sanctuary of your heart reflecing on the cross. It's hard, but it's good. I want us to find every treasure buried there.