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I love Thanksgiving! Everyone in my family considers it my holiday. My sister visits every year and always brings games and prizes. This year no exception... the games were Christmas Trivia and Bible Trivia. I felt sure I would win the Bible Trivia... Not.
Okay, check yourselves. Here were our 10 questions:
1. What did Mary ride on her trip to Bethlehem?
2. How many days did it take God to make the earth?
3. What sign did God use to show he would never destroy the earth by flood again?
4. What was rolled away when the tomb was discovered empty?
5. God told Abraham he would have more children than _____ and _____.
6. What bird flew from Noah's ark to find land?
7. Who is considered the strongest man in the Bible?
8. What were the names of Adam's first two sons?
9. How many disciples were there?
10. What animal tempted Eve in the garden?
And our bonus question: Name any book in the Bible named after a woman.
Answers:
1. donkey, everyone got this one, thank goodness
2. 6, you can imagine the discussion from all the Bible scholars in the room
3. rainbow
4. stone
5. stars in the sky and grains of sand, since I was the only one to get this I thought for sure I'd win
6. ugh raven, not dove
7. Sampson
8. Cain and Abel
9. 12
10. serpent - Steph was relentless and would not take 'snake' as an answer
And here is where we all fell out... the bonus question. Of course we all cried out 'Ruth' and 'Esther'. Several of the men in our group looked completely dumbfounded, so I just happened to ask my son what book he had put down with a woman's name. He answered... Bathsheba! Are you kidding me! We all roared! I'm signing him up for Men's BSF right away!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Blog Exercise #9 and #10
Join a forum and start participating. And set up alerts for your blog.
Do you think we will ever finish with the series, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog? We will. It will give me something to write about all winter.
This week I want to think about, so that means write about, Thanksgiving... things I am thankful for. And there's more I want to tell you that will have to wait... like my studio decision, Christmas gift lists, and announcing a new ministry.
Here, let's knock out two more creative ideas that support a fantastic blog.
#9 Join a forum.
Find out where your potential readers are already gathering online. When you know your blog niche and keep up with what is happening in your genre, your blog is automatically strengthened. Don't try to be all things to all people. It never works in any situation. To get a good overview of forums, read this article: How to Use Forums to Drive Hundreds of Thousands of Readers to Your Blog.
#10 Monitor what is happening in your niche.
This keeps your posts current, keeps you on the crest of any breaking news, gives you ideas for new posts and sometimes you hear what others are saying about you. Set up a variety of alerts or watchlists for your blog’s niche. A few services are: Technorati Watchlists, Twitter Alerts and Google Alerts.
Setting up alerts is fairly simple:
List keywords that are relevant to your blog.
Once you have the list, start typing them into the alert tool that you’re using to see the results.
If you’re unsure what alert tool to use, start with Google Alerts.
Do you think we will ever finish with the series, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog? We will. It will give me something to write about all winter.
This week I want to think about, so that means write about, Thanksgiving... things I am thankful for. And there's more I want to tell you that will have to wait... like my studio decision, Christmas gift lists, and announcing a new ministry.
Here, let's knock out two more creative ideas that support a fantastic blog.
#9 Join a forum.
Find out where your potential readers are already gathering online. When you know your blog niche and keep up with what is happening in your genre, your blog is automatically strengthened. Don't try to be all things to all people. It never works in any situation. To get a good overview of forums, read this article: How to Use Forums to Drive Hundreds of Thousands of Readers to Your Blog.
#10 Monitor what is happening in your niche.
This keeps your posts current, keeps you on the crest of any breaking news, gives you ideas for new posts and sometimes you hear what others are saying about you. Set up a variety of alerts or watchlists for your blog’s niche. A few services are: Technorati Watchlists, Twitter Alerts and Google Alerts.
Setting up alerts is fairly simple:
List keywords that are relevant to your blog.
Once you have the list, start typing them into the alert tool that you’re using to see the results.
If you’re unsure what alert tool to use, start with Google Alerts.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Going Deeper
I am still getting email comments about our time spent in Hosea. I readily admit - Hosea is a powerful book and just when I think I've 'got it' someone takes me deeper.
One blog reader sent me a poem she wrote a while back. God continues to take her to Hosea 2: 14-15, and her poem is a work in progress. She so gets it. Her honesty and vulnerability have incredibly blessed me. I pass the blessing on to you.
No Longer Called a Harlot
free. free. i've been set free.
my life has been redeemed
from death to life, pain and strife,
i enter whole and new
despite my constant prostitution
the Father desired not my retribution
i thought His love would fade
instead, down His life He laid
i ran away and caused Him grief
but then turned over a new leaf
He continued loving me just the same
He even knew my name
yet once more i took on other lovers
i slept beneath another god's covers
i turned my back again
he kept being there--forgiving all my sin
i should have been condemned
i should have been killed for my sin
but i enter in and we begin again
His grace for me will never end
One blog reader sent me a poem she wrote a while back. God continues to take her to Hosea 2: 14-15, and her poem is a work in progress. She so gets it. Her honesty and vulnerability have incredibly blessed me. I pass the blessing on to you.
No Longer Called a Harlot
free. free. i've been set free.
my life has been redeemed
from death to life, pain and strife,
i enter whole and new
despite my constant prostitution
the Father desired not my retribution
i thought His love would fade
instead, down His life He laid
i ran away and caused Him grief
but then turned over a new leaf
He continued loving me just the same
He even knew my name
yet once more i took on other lovers
i slept beneath another god's covers
i turned my back again
he kept being there--forgiving all my sin
i should have been condemned
i should have been killed for my sin
but i enter in and we begin again
His grace for me will never end
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Guarding Marriages
Over the last few weeks I have become increasingly burdened over marriages. It started with a heavy conversation, followed by another sad conversation, tears and heartbreak. As I was writing the Nourishment devotional, I included a section on guarding our bodies, the temples of God's Holy Spirit. 'Guarding' has been on my mind. Finally, through a God-led sequence of thoughts, I was led to review my 2011 prayer journal. I was shocked at how many marriages I've been praying for - including my own and those of my children.
The reason I am burdened is because I believe marriages are exposed. Sitting targets. Our unguarded flank. Think about it: we guard everything! Millions of dollars are spent on guarding things... our bank accounts, our computer files, our cars and houses and belongings, our children. I can hardly think of anything that is not guarded... except my marriage. I came to the conclusion that we are attempting to guard our family from a variety of potential future occurrences such as natural disasters, terrorism, or the collapse of America - but are leaving our marriage wide open for attack!
Here's my question... How are you guarding your marriage? Please let me know - let us all know. And if guarding your marriage is a new thought, like it is for me, well then... What do you believe would guard your marriage?
Ask your friends, co-workers, parents, couples with great marriages, couples you are praying for, and see what they say. I'm making a list of what people tell me and I am learning so much. I'll post the list later, but ladies, this is one hot topic!
The reason I am burdened is because I believe marriages are exposed. Sitting targets. Our unguarded flank. Think about it: we guard everything! Millions of dollars are spent on guarding things... our bank accounts, our computer files, our cars and houses and belongings, our children. I can hardly think of anything that is not guarded... except my marriage. I came to the conclusion that we are attempting to guard our family from a variety of potential future occurrences such as natural disasters, terrorism, or the collapse of America - but are leaving our marriage wide open for attack!
Here's my question... How are you guarding your marriage? Please let me know - let us all know. And if guarding your marriage is a new thought, like it is for me, well then... What do you believe would guard your marriage?
Ask your friends, co-workers, parents, couples with great marriages, couples you are praying for, and see what they say. I'm making a list of what people tell me and I am learning so much. I'll post the list later, but ladies, this is one hot topic!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
All Day Nourishment
My burning first question... Is there anyone who still has their envelope sealed? One friend opened hers in front of me today and I had a time of sweet thanks that the things so in the forefront two weeks ago were no longer. With me, my envelope was full of schedules and 'worries of the day'. I am sorry to admit that my 'To Do' list rules my life! Sealed away with God is where it needs to stay a lot more than I let it. Lesson #1 for me.
One of you wrote this... Haven't opened up my envelope. I can't really even remember each thing I put down. Maybe that's good! But I do know that I'm not pretending that those issues aren't there. They are. But I don't have to think about them 24/7. Especially if I will in faith believe that He can actually carry my envelope and carry my burdens at least for a little while before I "force" Him to give them back to me to carry! Ha! How foolish of me. I would much rather He be the one to carry the "envelope" for me. I'm weary of carrying it.
Isn't that so true. If we learned anything two weeks ago, it surely is that we're tired of carrying around all our own stuff!
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11: 28
Next question... Where in Hosea have you camped out? Or maybe another Scripture. Where has God kept you in His Word and what have you learned?
Hosea 6:1-3 really spoke to me about being torn into many pieces but put back with His refreshing and restoring and the REWARD of forgiveness. That part of the retreat spoke to my heart that the hard work of confession was ultimately the completeness I can enjoy in Him and was/is so worth it.
Jeremiah 15:19: Serving Him with a repentant heart and He will bring fruit. Rewards of confession/repentance/forgiveness. That's truly what my heart desires to do. Confession, repentance and forgiveness. Such a fruitful cycle!
I've been pondering Hosea 12:6 for the last 2 weeks:"But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always." I'm a list person so I'm drawn to the simplicity of this verse. I love the instruction and encouragement found here. The part of this verse that I have trouble embracing is the waiting. I strive to live my life to the fullest, but I've always been waiting for something...a better job, a sign from God, a raise, a husband, a vacation, the next tragedy...waiting for both the mundane and the miraculous. I am grateful I'm aware of the Lord's presence in every area of my life, but the waiting is draining me. I guess my question for the ladies who've been on this journey longer than I have is, how do I balance contentment with waiting on the Lord?
Ladies, we are going to stop here for a bit. This is a profound question. Would you care to comment and encourage this sweet seeker?
See you in a bit... more comments and emails please!
10:00 am
Where are you, friends?
Another question for you... What sins have been revealed to you?
One of the key points in asking God to develop in us a repentant heart, is asking Him to reveal our sins to us. Here's a partial list of mine. Mind you, this is not my full list - some things are just between God and me.
self sufficiency - thinking I can handle it
hating interruptions - loving my 'list'
love of money
wanting to be well thought of
stubborness
favoritism
judging
envy and jealousy
a shallow love and
a shallow view of sin
hard heartedness
Yours?
2:00 pm
I told you I was stuck in Daniel 9. Here's a good recap of what Daniel confessed as sin:
rebellion
scorn for the prophets and God's Word
refusal to listen
disloyalty
disobedience
turning away from God
refusing to listen to His voice (Daniel mentions this several times)
refusal to seek mercy
not recognizing His truth
In Lesson 3 Digging: Weeping Over our Sin the last thing we are asked to do is pray over each of our family members and ask God to give each one a heart of repentance. Can you imagine the fruit in your family and in your life when God answers this one prayer?
I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God... Daniel 9: 20
4:00 pm
Another comment... No- I didn't open my envelope. The Lord can handle it better than I can!
And one more... LOVED the Daniel 9 passage in session three. Well, loved might be too strong since I'm weeping over my sin! Or realizing that I do NOT weep enough. I certainly have prayed for family members and their relationship with the Lord. But never have I thought I should/could be in the role of asking God to forgive, confessing THEIR sins, and asking Him to turn their hearts to repentance. If I weep over my sin, then it will be a natural overflow to weep over the sin of others--especially those that I love.
last thought for the day...
One of you wrote this... My extended family situation is in shambles. The cycle of unconfessed sin and actions are beginning to catch up with this generation. It's almost as if the sins have come from generations before us. That may sound a little farfetched but I sense that maybe there are some sins that we are experiencing the consequences of generations later. The cycle has to be broken. Possibly I am part of breaking this cycle as I stand in the gap for extended family members and ask God to have mercy of them and turn their hearts back to Him in repentance.
This is articulated so well, and I wholeheartedly agree. At times in the past, when my family has experienced an outpouring of unexpected blessing and favor, it has crossed my mind that we may be the recipients of prayers from the faithful in our family that have gone to Glory ahead of us, like my mother and Ben's grandfather. Not that they are praying now, but that God is still honoring their prayers from then. I also believe the opposite is true. Sometimes in those seasons of hard hits, we may be the recipients of generational sin. Friends, let's not just pray for our own repentant hearts; let's pray for our children, grandchildren, and generations ahead of us!
One of you wrote this... Haven't opened up my envelope. I can't really even remember each thing I put down. Maybe that's good! But I do know that I'm not pretending that those issues aren't there. They are. But I don't have to think about them 24/7. Especially if I will in faith believe that He can actually carry my envelope and carry my burdens at least for a little while before I "force" Him to give them back to me to carry! Ha! How foolish of me. I would much rather He be the one to carry the "envelope" for me. I'm weary of carrying it.
Isn't that so true. If we learned anything two weeks ago, it surely is that we're tired of carrying around all our own stuff!
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11: 28
Next question... Where in Hosea have you camped out? Or maybe another Scripture. Where has God kept you in His Word and what have you learned?
Hosea 6:1-3 really spoke to me about being torn into many pieces but put back with His refreshing and restoring and the REWARD of forgiveness. That part of the retreat spoke to my heart that the hard work of confession was ultimately the completeness I can enjoy in Him and was/is so worth it.
Jeremiah 15:19: Serving Him with a repentant heart and He will bring fruit. Rewards of confession/repentance/forgiveness. That's truly what my heart desires to do. Confession, repentance and forgiveness. Such a fruitful cycle!
I've been pondering Hosea 12:6 for the last 2 weeks:"But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always." I'm a list person so I'm drawn to the simplicity of this verse. I love the instruction and encouragement found here. The part of this verse that I have trouble embracing is the waiting. I strive to live my life to the fullest, but I've always been waiting for something...a better job, a sign from God, a raise, a husband, a vacation, the next tragedy...waiting for both the mundane and the miraculous. I am grateful I'm aware of the Lord's presence in every area of my life, but the waiting is draining me. I guess my question for the ladies who've been on this journey longer than I have is, how do I balance contentment with waiting on the Lord?
Ladies, we are going to stop here for a bit. This is a profound question. Would you care to comment and encourage this sweet seeker?
See you in a bit... more comments and emails please!
10:00 am
Where are you, friends?
Another question for you... What sins have been revealed to you?
One of the key points in asking God to develop in us a repentant heart, is asking Him to reveal our sins to us. Here's a partial list of mine. Mind you, this is not my full list - some things are just between God and me.
self sufficiency - thinking I can handle it
hating interruptions - loving my 'list'
love of money
wanting to be well thought of
stubborness
favoritism
judging
envy and jealousy
a shallow love and
a shallow view of sin
hard heartedness
Yours?
2:00 pm
I told you I was stuck in Daniel 9. Here's a good recap of what Daniel confessed as sin:
rebellion
scorn for the prophets and God's Word
refusal to listen
disloyalty
disobedience
turning away from God
refusing to listen to His voice (Daniel mentions this several times)
refusal to seek mercy
not recognizing His truth
In Lesson 3 Digging: Weeping Over our Sin the last thing we are asked to do is pray over each of our family members and ask God to give each one a heart of repentance. Can you imagine the fruit in your family and in your life when God answers this one prayer?
I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God... Daniel 9: 20
4:00 pm
Another comment... No- I didn't open my envelope. The Lord can handle it better than I can!
And one more... LOVED the Daniel 9 passage in session three. Well, loved might be too strong since I'm weeping over my sin! Or realizing that I do NOT weep enough. I certainly have prayed for family members and their relationship with the Lord. But never have I thought I should/could be in the role of asking God to forgive, confessing THEIR sins, and asking Him to turn their hearts to repentance. If I weep over my sin, then it will be a natural overflow to weep over the sin of others--especially those that I love.
last thought for the day...
One of you wrote this... My extended family situation is in shambles. The cycle of unconfessed sin and actions are beginning to catch up with this generation. It's almost as if the sins have come from generations before us. That may sound a little farfetched but I sense that maybe there are some sins that we are experiencing the consequences of generations later. The cycle has to be broken. Possibly I am part of breaking this cycle as I stand in the gap for extended family members and ask God to have mercy of them and turn their hearts back to Him in repentance.
This is articulated so well, and I wholeheartedly agree. At times in the past, when my family has experienced an outpouring of unexpected blessing and favor, it has crossed my mind that we may be the recipients of prayers from the faithful in our family that have gone to Glory ahead of us, like my mother and Ben's grandfather. Not that they are praying now, but that God is still honoring their prayers from then. I also believe the opposite is true. Sometimes in those seasons of hard hits, we may be the recipients of generational sin. Friends, let's not just pray for our own repentant hearts; let's pray for our children, grandchildren, and generations ahead of us!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Saturday on the blog
This Saturday Coffee Tea and Thee will host an all-day ongoing blog post as a wrap-up to the For It Is Time retreat at Asbury two weeks ago. Here's how it will work...
Wherever you are with the Nourishment devotional, email me a few of your comments... swm0804@bellsouth.net
Along with some of my ponderings, I will post comments by topic, and throw out a few questions of my own. You may comment straight to the blog or again, email me, and I will edit and post your comments during the day.
You do not have to sit at the computer all day. I won't either. But I will be responding to the dialog, and hopefully some of our hard work the last two weeks will give us closure, as well as focus our commitment to go the distance for repentant hearts. It is so worth it!
You may be on lesson 1 or have finished all 5. I have to admit I've gotten stuck in Daniel 9 and I'm not finished with lessons 4 and 5. But I still have plenty to share and plenty of questions I'd like to ask.
Remember it's all confidential unless you choose otherwise. Thank you for your wonderful responses and ladies, let's finish this thing!
Wherever you are with the Nourishment devotional, email me a few of your comments... swm0804@bellsouth.net
Along with some of my ponderings, I will post comments by topic, and throw out a few questions of my own. You may comment straight to the blog or again, email me, and I will edit and post your comments during the day.
You do not have to sit at the computer all day. I won't either. But I will be responding to the dialog, and hopefully some of our hard work the last two weeks will give us closure, as well as focus our commitment to go the distance for repentant hearts. It is so worth it!
You may be on lesson 1 or have finished all 5. I have to admit I've gotten stuck in Daniel 9 and I'm not finished with lessons 4 and 5. But I still have plenty to share and plenty of questions I'd like to ask.
Remember it's all confidential unless you choose otherwise. Thank you for your wonderful responses and ladies, let's finish this thing!
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