Daily Prayer

For the last four months I've started using Daily Prayer from the Church of England as a way to start out my mornings.  You might ask, "What is someone who grew up in an Evangelical church doing using Liturgical prayer?"  This is a question I've asked myself at times, but the beauty and enjoyment it has brought to my faith has practically erased the question. I will share with you the pieces from my journey that have led into Liturgical Prayer.

A couple years ago, I read Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas.  The book was profound for me on so many levels.  The one thing that Dietrich Bonhoeffer had integrated into his life was Daily Prayer, three times a day: morning, noon and night.  He also said that he daily prayed the Psalms.  After reading his book, I started praying through the Psalms and it really did open new doors in my faith.

Then last year, I read Our Favorite Sins by Todd Hunter and he would end each chapter with a prayer from Daily Prayers.  The prayers started to intrigue me and it got me interested in exploring Daily Prayer.  I would return to his book periodically and grab one of the prayers he wrote to use it as a springboard for prayer.  Then one night I typed "Daily Prayer" into Google and I came across Daily Prayer from the Church of England and I've been doing it ever since.

Finally, I read Monk Habits for Everyday People by Dennis Okholm and it solidified the purpose and the reasoning's behind the rhythm of Daily Prayers.  As he discussed his faith journey, he infused the beauty of how participating in Daily Prayer affected his spiritual walk.

So why do I love Daily Prayer?

1. The connection to the larger body of Christ: It amazes me that people all over the world are reading the exact same prayers and Scriptures on the same day, during the same time slots.  I find it encouraging to be reminded that there are other Christians out there being encouraged and strengthened by the exact same Scriptures as I am.  It helps me to tangibly feel a part of the body of Christ.

2. It connects me to the history of the Church: The Church of England celebrates the saints and the history that their individual lives have given to the Church.  I have learned so much about Church History since I've started doing Daily Prayer.  At the beginning of each day, they list the saint or the holiday being celebrated.  If and when I have time, I look up the saints on Wikipedia (I almost always find the time when it is a woman).  I have been utterly amazed at the women of the church and the movements that they have started, which have literally changed their cultures.  Starting my day with the thoughts and inspirations that these saints bring once again, reminds me that today really does matter.  It may seem like I am making, small insignificant choices but the Lord truly does move through our everydayness and it does impact history in tangible ways.

3. Praying through the Psalms:  Daily prayer always includes Psalms.  The thing that stood out to me from what Dietrich Bonhoeffer said about praying the Psalms was that Jesus himself used the Psalms as prayers.  That thought reminds me of the humanity that Jesus carried along with His divinity that He used His physical mouth and His physical mind to celebrate and praise God.  To have the privilege and opportunity to do the same, daily is a huge blessing.  Also, using Scripture as a platform for prayer instead of just filling my mind with information has helped me to interact with Scripture differently.

4. The connection of Scripture:  The majority of Daily Prayer, is straight Scripture.  In the morning, there is always a Psalm, an Old Testament Passage and a New Testament passage.  As I read through all three of these at the same time, I continue to be amazed at the continuity of Scripture and the themes that seem to jump out at me even more clearly through Daily Prayer. 

5. The repetition:  There are a few Scriptures that are a) either repeated daily or b) repeated on a weekly basis.  These Scriptures contain the foundational truths of God's daily love for us and His plan of salvation.  Having them before me daily helps keep me oriented to the truth of God.  John Eldredge discussed in one of his books - our amnesia of God.  How easy it can be to lose sight of the reality of God when we get bogged down in life.  For me, Daily Prayer, has kept God and his purposes at the forefront of my mind.

6. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.  

Throughout Daily Prayer, these words are repeated several times.  I am still reading through Practice Resurrection by Eugene Peterson and now he is covering the Trinity.  Being confronted with these words multiple times on a daily basis keeps me keenly aware of the Trinity and how I can allow the Trinity to shape my life this day.

7. It gives order, purpose and direction to my prayer: After reading and praying through all the Scriptures there comes a point towards the end which states, "Pause and pray for : the day and its tasks,  the world and its needs, the Church and her life."  The reason I love this is because by this point in time, my troubles, worries and fears have been greatly minimized from when I first entered my time of prayer.  The glory of God and what He is up to has reshaped my mind and helped bring perspective to my day.  It also helps me to take time to look outwards to the people in my life that might need prayer, and to have concern for the greater issues that may be affecting our world, at this moment.

So these are the things that I love about Daily Prayer.  Growing up, I always thought liturgical prayer was so boring, so restrictive and so unnecessary but I had never delved into it because I allowed my preconceived biases to block my path.  However, now that I've experienced it, I've discovered that rather than constricting my faith it has helped to direct it, strengthen it and encourage it. 

Daily Prayer does have a morning, noon and night prayer - all different Scriptures, directions and focuses.  I have yet to fully venture into doing all three prayers on a daily basis, but I love that it is there and I love that when I need a middle of the day refocus, or a night-ending wrap up, Daily Prayer provides that for me.

In Christ,



All thoughts in this post are from me and have come from my personal interaction with Daily Prayer from the Church of England.

Psalm 103

As I've talked to young moms over the years, they've often shared the common concern that they have a hard time squeezing in quiet times.  Being in this season myself, I understand the struggle.  I've learned, however, that I am a much happier Mom and wife when I do find the time to sit before the Lord.

One of the residuals I've carried from reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's works is the value of the Psalms.  Bonhoeffer encouraged believers to read one Psalm a day as a prayer.  In Visible Fellowship, took it one step further and encouraged believers to stop and pause three times a day in prayer and reflection.  While I haven't squeezed in three times a day, I have begun to occasionally pause in the afternoon to read/pray a Psalm.  It has been a wonderful mid-afternoon reminder and refresher to my day.  I've been revolving around only one Psalm for the last month.  It is so rich and full that it has provided a wonderful diving board into prayer and meditation.  Below is Psalm 103 in the Amplified version.  I will share some of my thoughts throughout.

1BLESS (AFFECTIONATELY, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!

I love the Amplified's explanation of the word bless, to be honest throughout the years I've had no idea how to "bless the Lord" so the words in the parentheses have helped guide me into blessing Him.

All that is "deepest" within me.  There are places, thoughts, ideas in my heart that I've wanted to hide from the Lord.  This Psalm has encouraged me to "bless" Him from every place.  During my quiet prayers I'm learning to praise Him with all areas.

2Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits-

I love the idea "to forget not one of all His benefits."  Again, in my daily prayers through this Psalm it has been fun to pause and reflect on a singular benefit of loving the Lord.  There are so many, thus another reason why I've been able to sit so long in this Psalm.

3Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases,

This particular line is a wonderful reminder of the truth of the gospel and the beauty of what Jesus' death and resurrection purchased for us.

4Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;

I once wrote a post called Spiritual Wardrobe, which lists some of the clothes God offers to dress us with.  I didn't include this one.  I absolutely love the imagery in it - beautifies, dignifies and crowns - to have His loving-kindness and tender mercy on top of your head flowing down!!!

5Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle's [strong, overcoming, soaring]!

I again love the Amp here, because it shows the personalization of our great God; that He satisfies us right where we are at, so that we can be strengthened and renewed!

6The Lord executes righteousness and justice [not for me only, but] for all who are oppressed.

This is a beautiful reminder again of the beauty, power and strength of our God!  He is a champion for those who are oppressed.

7He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

The Bible says God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  What a beautiful reminder that God did show His ways to Moses and He continues to make Himself and His ways known to us.

8The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and loving-kindness.

9He will not always chide or be contending, neither will He keep His anger forever or hold a grudge.

10He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

This is a Psalm, so at the time of the writing David was being prophetic.  We have the great blessing of being full recipients of the truths David was prophesying about.  We are now in the place where God's anger is no longer against us and we get to live lives of freedom because our sin is not being held against us!  Also, do you see that God is pleanteous in His mercy and loving-kindness.  He is not going to run out!

11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.

12As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

What a beautiful reminder for us today!  If you have fears about the depths of God's love for you, or the power of Jesus' death had to pay for your sins, you only have to sit and visualize the truths found here!  Your sins have been removed!

13As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe].

14For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust.

I love the imagery that the frailty of our lives is imprinted on His heart.

15As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

16For the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place shall know it no more.

17But the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children's children--

18To such as keep His covenant [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it] and to those who [earnestly] remember His commandments to do them [imprinting them on their hearts].

As many of us know all to well, this life we live is so brief, but what a beautiful and precious reminder of the weight of who God is for all eternity.  For me personally, it is a precious reminder that His love will never fade away and that He has promised to carry the message and benefit of His love to my children and my grandchildren.

19The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.

20Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word.

The end brings us back to the beginning.  If you didn't have a reason to bless the Lord at the start, you have numerous reasons to now!

21Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, all you His hosts, you His ministers who do His pleasure.

I love this - you who do His pleasure.  As children of God, we have the opportunity to carry on the message contained in the Psalm of His love, mercy and grace to those around us!

22Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion; bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul!

Amen!

Oh! I've got goosebumps.  I just love this Psalm. By the time I'm done reading it,  I always want to start this Psalm over again.  For me, it wraps up the beauty of our salvation into one prayer!  It has been a great way for me to stay immersed in His Truth throughout my day!

So here it is one more time, without my interruptions:

1BLESS (AFFECTIONATELY, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!

2Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits--

3Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases,

4Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;

5Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle's [strong, overcoming, soaring]!

6The Lord executes righteousness and justice [not for me only, but] for all who are oppressed.

7He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

8The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and loving-kindness.

9He will not always chide or be contending, neither will He keep His anger forever or hold a grudge.

10He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

11For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.

12As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe].

14For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust.

15As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

16For the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place shall know it no more.

17But the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children's children--

18To such as keep His covenant [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it] and to those who [earnestly] remember His commandments to do them [imprinting them on their hearts].

19The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.

20Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word.

21Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, all you His hosts, you His ministers who do His pleasure.

22Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion; bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul!

In Christ,

Have you found something worth dying for?

My husband and I were listening to a sermon the other day by Todd Hunter and he was talking about how polls show that the majority of Americans claim they are Christians, however many "lifestyles" do not reflect this as true.  He then made the statement, "Many people have found something to live for, but have you found something worth dying for?"  Todd Hunter stated how people are willing to invite Christian morals into their lives, but they often are not willing to die to themselves to follow Christ.

What is Jesus' Call?

As we look at the call of Christ and throughout Christian history we can see that death, both spiritual and at times physical is a part of following the Lord.  Below are several examples of individuals whose understanding of who Jesus Christ is, was something worth physically dying for:

• When Jesus presented Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus, He also presented Paul with the kind of life he would soon be living:
• Acts 9:16, "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
• When Paul accepted the invitation to follow Jesus as Lord of His life, Paul understood what he was getting himself into.  His understanding of Jesus Christ convinced Paul that Jesus was someone worth dying for. 
• In John 21:18, Jesus informs Peter of the cost following Jesus would entail:
• "Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, chose to return to Germany, knowing very well that his decision could lead to his death, and he ended up walking to his death saying, "This is the end - for me the beginning of life."

But as we also see in John 21 (which Erwin McManus discusses in Unleashed), not every follower's life, will lead to a physical martyrdom:

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved

was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against

 Jesus at the supper and had said,

“Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 

 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return,

what is that to you?

You must follow me.”

Because of the country we currently live in, our faith rarely requires us to give up our physical life for the sake of Christ.  However, if we hear the words of Jesus, His invitation to us still requires a death:

Luke 9:23

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves

and take up their cross daily

and follow me.

Have you encountered Jesus in such a way that you are willing to die to follow Him?

How Deep is the Love of Christ?

God has been opening my eyes to the depths of His love for others. He has been showing me that if we as His people, want to meet people in their depths then we need to be willing to go to the depths to meet them there.  Entering into those depths may at times very well feel like a type of death, but Jesus is willing to encounter us in a way that we can willing follow Him wherever He leads.

Marriage is one practical area where we have to die to ourselves in order to follow Jesus' path.  As I think about my marriage, I realize that there has been phases where I have not wanted to follow Jesus' leading, particularly, in the area of submission.  I'd love to say, that I've been a great Christian wife always ready to follow my husband's lead.  But there have been many times where I was cringing inside, or defiant to his lead.  I wanted him to prove beforehand that he was worthy of being followed before I would follow.  As a result, frustration and disappointment began to dominate my marriage.  Thankfully, the Lord stepped in to change me.  In my process, the Lord began to ask me to trust Him first and that part of that trust would at times entail dying to my "rights" to have my own way and to instead submit to my husband's leadership.  It was not an easy process and at times it was quite painful.  But in the midst of that "death" God has brought about such life.  I emerged from my spiritual death and awoke to find a husband, who is an incredible man of God and leader.

Another place in my own life where I have experienced a type of "death" in order to follow Christ has been in ministry to others.  One particular time of ministry, was extremely difficult for me and in the process, I thought to myself, "I am going to have to die to myself in order for this thing to work."  I felt like the Lord smiled and said, "Exactly."  I then asked Him, "Is this really how deep your love goes - that a death is needed in order to bring life?"  And He said, "Yes."  You see sometimes for us to be able to serve others in a life-giving way, we are going to have to die to ourselves as we follow Jesus: 

Hebrew 12:1b-2

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 

 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

For the joy set before him he endured the cross,

 scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The primary way we walk out our Christianity is through love.  In order to love and serve others well we may very well need to die to ourselves to follow Christ's lead.  The good news is that He has gone that way before us and He has overcome it with a new and better life.  So my question remains, "Have you found something worth dying for?"

I pray your answer is, "Yes."

I haven't encountered Christ in a way that I am willing to die.

However, if your answer to this question is no, I would like to share some thoughts.  I know that it would be very easy to read this post and come up with 10 different ways you haven't died to yourself and then begin to come up with strategies on "how to do better tomorrow."  You could beat yourself up and say, "I don't really love Jesus."  If that is your reaction, then you've missed the point.  The "key" to this is to FOLLOW Jesus' lead, and He knows how to speak to you.  However, so many of us have never been taught to listen for His voice because we have been taught to be on a mission of self-improvement.

If your immediate reaction is self-improvement, I believe it is due to one of the greatest misunderstandings of the church today - the idea that a Holy God cannot be in the presence of sin.  In my series entitled, Journey to Understand Grace: Part 3, I address this misunderstanding in depth.  But very simply, Jesus Christ could not have been fully God here on earth if that concept is true.  Because of our obsession with the "problem of our sin" we end up total ignoring the beauty of the cross and what Jesus did.  God states in Psalm 103:12 that He has removed our sin as far as the east is from the west.  So what does this have to do with trusting Jesus?  If you still think your sin is an issue between the two of you, then you will not come to Him to listen nor trust His leading and guidance.  Instead, you will be spending all your time, trying to figure out how to get yourself better in order to spend time with Him.  However, it will be a fruitless cycle of despair and desperation because apart from Christ you cannot be righteous.  So if you don't feel like you can come to Him because of your failures and you try to get better in order to come to Him, you will fail over and over and over again.  Or Beloved, you can embrace the truth.  Jesus Christ came to set you free from the curse of sin and death and you have full access to Him 24/7 no matter what you have done.  This kind of love is profound and can be found in no other place. 

Jesus invitation to Peter provides a perfect scenario of the difference between self-improvement and following Jesus' lead.  Peter had declared that He would follow Jesus to the death but ended up denying Him 3 times!  Then, Jesus came to Peter and asked Peter 3 times if Peter loved Him.  After the third time, Peter finally said, "Lord you know all things..."  Jesus replied, "Follow me."  And that is where the truth lies.  Jesus knew Peter's heart the whole time, but before Peter understood this, Peter thought it was his duty to prove his love to Jesus by the things he did.  Jesus instead showed His great love for Peter that NOTHING could get in the way of Jesus' love for him, including failure, and that Jesus is the One that will lead us the way we should go.  We just have to follow Him.

So I don't know what lies have gotten in the way to prevent you from a desire to follow Jesus with all your heart even unto death.  However, I do know that He is a faithful, True and loving God and He will meet you right where you are at.  In addition, I hope that you understand this "death" to yourself is not so that you can live a miserable existence.  Rather Jesus says, "he who gives up his life for me, will find it (Matthew  10:39)."  This death, is an exchanging of the lies and the masks that we carry around and hide behind.  The result of this "death" is life and life abundant.


In Christ,

Book Review: In Visible Fellowship

If you've been around my blog for a while you know that I admire the life and writing of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Last year, I had the opportunity to do a book review of Costly Grace: A Contemporary view of The Cost of Discipleship by Jon Walker.  Jon Walker has now done another modern re-write of Bonhoeffer's book Life Together called In Visible Fellowship.



In Visible Fellowship is a very light but beautiful read.  Each chapter is only 2-3 pages long.  The format includes a quote by Bonhoeffer, some thoughts to ponder, Scripture verses and a few follow up questions.  The main theme discusses how we should live together as the body of Christ in fellowship (which you know is one of my favorite things to think about these days). 

I believe this book is a valuable resource and would be a great book for a fellowship group to dive into together.  It is a simple and short read, but the thoughts and concepts presented have an important conversational depth to them.

Another reason why I especially like this book is that it allows us to think about Christianity outside of our contemporary biases.  God's truth expands cultures and time periods and Bonhoeffer lived in a different culture and in a different time period.  I believe it is important to grasp a hold of Christianity with a fuller and deeper understanding by considering thoughts and aspects from those who came and lived before us.  This book provides a wonderful opportunity for that to happen.

In Christ,


I received a complimentary edition of this book from Leafwood Publishers.  I was not paid for my opinion and all thoughts expressed are mine and mine alone.

Meditation on Psalm 85

Since I mentioned Bonhoeffer yesterday, I thought I'd let you know the biggest thing I took away from reading about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He emphasized the importance of reading and literally praying the Psalms EVERYDAY.  It really struck me as I read the book and it is something I have been doing since I read the book.

I've been meditating on Psalm 85 for the last week and a half.  I wanted to share it with you.  I've read it in several different versions so I'm going to share the passage with two versions combined.

Psalm 85:8-13 (NCV & Amplified)

I will listen [with expectancy] to God the Lord.

He has ordered peace for those who worship him.

Don't let them go back to [self-confident] folly.

God will soon save those who respect him,

and his glory will be seen in our land.

 Love and truth belong to God's people;

goodness and peace will be theirs.

 On earth people will be loyal to God,

and God's goodness will shine down from heaven.

 The Lord will give his goodness,

and the land will give its crops.

Righteousness shall go before God 

and shall make His footsteps a way in which to walk.

I will share the things that have stood out to me in these verses; first of all, the listening with expectancy to hear the Lord.  The idea that the Lord speaks into our lives and wants to direct the paths of our individual lives is an idea that is debated in the Christian community and within myself at times.  Meditating on this Psalm has confirmed in my heart that He does speak and I need and want to take the time to listen.

God has ordered peace for those who worship Him.  This has been powerful.  I want to be on the receiving end of something that God has ORDERED, especially when the order is for peace.  This verse shows the safest place to be is in the place of worship.  I am often tempted to do what the next verse says not to do, return to self-confident folly to fix my problems.  These two verses are reminding me to go back to the place of worshipping the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and to wait on His plans instead of doing it my own way.

Love and truth belong to God's people.  This concept has blown me away too.  My husband and I watch American Pickers a show where two guys travel around America going into people's barns and buying their treasures from them.  Sometimes, it is astounding to see the treasures people own and you would never believe it by the outside of their lives.  Often times, the people live in small run down houses and they look very poor but then you open up their garages and they have treasures worth thousands and thousands of dollars stuffed in their garages.  They will literally have garbage and treasure sitting side by side.  This verse showed me that I own two treasures in my life, love and truth belong to me.  Yet so often I walk around like I don't even possess them. I allow the garbage in my life to overwhelm and hide the fact that I own these two treasures.  The beauty of American Pickers is that it shows the value of an item is still there even if it is hidden beneath garbage.  It just needs to be pulled out and shown for what it is worth.  If people would look at your life would they know you posses these two great treasures or would they only see the junk?  It is time to go pull out what you own and display it for people to see.

Righteousness shall go before God and make HIS footsteps a path to walk in.  The final part on my series about grace talked about how we have been given the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Christ.  This verse states that concept in one incredible sentence.  Jesus says I AM THE WAY (John 14:6).  He goes before us showing us the way to walk in.  The question is, are we looking to follow?

My prayer is that you too will be blessed through meditating on Psalm 85.  It is a beautiful reminder that God wants to lead and guide you in your life and that Love, Truth, peace and goodness are all part of the package.

In Christ,

Working Out: The Spiritual Parallels

You will be glad to know that even after finishing Get Healthy for Hope I am still exercising.  I realized in the process of getting healthy that I have come to the age that the only way to maintain my weight, and hopefully still get it down a few pounds is through exercise. 

My age + No exercise = an ever expanding pant size.  

But I have also realized that through exercise I actually get the results I'm looking for!  There was a time I didn't think it was making any difference, but slowly and surely I am beginning to see the differences.  On my physical journey to weight loss there has been the ever faithful, kick your butt companion Jillian Michaels. 

I need to workout with someone.  If I'm left to myself, I get tired after 5 minutes and think I've done  enough.  When you have Jillian Michaels telling you, "You can do more" well you have to do more because she'll "come through the TV and grab you" if you don't (and with her personality you believe she really could).  She provides the encouragement I need to take it many steps further and to go for it.  She has a lot of catch phrases throughout her workouts that I not only apply to my physical working out but also to my spiritual walk.

For instance, today she said,

"You can do it.  I won't give you more than you can handle."  

Her comment also came to me  like a kick in the butt from God.  It reminded me of God's very own words; that He has promised in times of temptation not to give us more than we can handle.  He will bring us through.  I'm in a frustrating season right now and today those words rang clear to me that I can keep going and He will help me through.

"If you want to see a difference you've got to put in the effort.  Everyone wants to see a six-pack but no one wants to put in the effort to get one." 

I used to look at Jillian and think, "It must be nature not effort that she looks like that."  Well after 1 year of doing her workouts, I still have trouble breathing and talking through her workouts.  She is able to do the workouts and she is able to talk during them without huffing and puffing.  It is clear to me that she does put in a lot of time and effort.  Some may be nature but some of it is just plain old hard work. 

If we want to see a difference in our Christian lives it does take effort and discipline. We often admire the spiritually strong and think God must have gifted them to be that way, but I think a lot has to do with discipline.  As you know, I have admired Bonhoeffer's faith but after studying his life it is very clear that spiritual discipline was important to him.  One of the main reasons I believe he was able to walk the path to death with such great faith is that during his life he had poured himself daily over God's Word and let those Words be Words that he lived by.  Sometimes we cower from the word discipline because it sounds like a lot of work; but it is very clear to me that spiritual discipline has many rewards that follow it.  Just like in the physical world exercise produces very predictable physical results so in the spiritual world God has set it up that spiritual discipline will result in a healthy spiritual life.  Here are some verses that show that spiritual discipline produces benefits in the spiritual life:

• Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
• James 4:8-10 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
• Psalm 25:14 14 The Lord tells his secrets to those who respect him; he tells them about his agreement.
• I Timothy 6:11-13 But you, man of God, run away from all those things. Instead, live in the right way, serve God, have faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, grabbing hold of the life that continues forever.
• Galatians 6:8-9 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Finally, I've learned through my working out that I need the encouragement of others.  As I said in the beginning, I would never push myself as far as I do if I didn't have Jillian's encouragement and my sister as a workout companion.  If you don't have a "Jillian Michaels" in your life I encourage you to find one.  I am blessed to have several special ladies in my life who encourage me when the going gets tough and vice-versa.  To have someone by your side who can say, "Get up, keep going, you can do this," is priceless.


In Christ,

Book Review: Bonhoeffer

As my regular readers know, I have been reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas for a book review on behalf of Thomas Nelson Publishing. When I first received this 548 page book my husband laughed at me and said, "this book will be the end of your book reviews." I knew he was going to be either very right or very wrong; I would either love this book or it would become a great paperweight. I LOVED the book and I was riveted on page one and honestly loved every single page of it.

Eric Metaxas did an excellent job weaving a seamless story of Dietrich's life. This book gives you an in depth look not only of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer but also an in depth view of the worldwide church at this time in history, an inside view of Nazism and its horrors, and how the church at large really sat on its hands at a critical time. Dietrich's early life was fascinating and theologically informative and I would have enjoyed reading just about this. The events from 1930 until his death in the 1940's showed a man who had not only "theories" about God but a man who was willing to walk out what he believed even to his death.

Two thing I wished I had done while reading:

1. I wish I had my journal with me, so I could have taken notes while reading. I was often completely absorbed and couldn't set it down. So I plan on going through the book again more studiously.
2. I realized when I finished the the book that there was an index containing everyones' name and the pages they were found on. There were so many people mentioned in a book, I would often have a hard time remembering who was who and it would take awhile to figure it out. The index would have proved helpful to me while I was reading.

I highly recommend this book. As a current homeschooling mom, it has made my children's senior reading list:) In fact, they will be reading it whether or not I am still homeschooling at that point.


Hebrews 11:13-16 is a perfect description of the life of Bonhoeffer:

All these great people died in faith.

They did not get the things that God promised his people,

but they saw them coming far in the future and were glad.

They said they were like visitors and strangers on earth.

When people say such things, they show they are looking for a country

that will be their own. If they had been thinking about the country

they had left, they could have gone back.

But they were waiting for a better country—a heavenly country.

So God is not ashamed to be called their God,

because he has prepared a city for them.

In Christ,

For more thoughts on and quotes by Dietrich Bonhoeffer click on this link.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Christ our All in All

Before I start my post today I wanted to preface it with the following quote:

I do not write entirely alone. As Pascal

reminds us in Pensees, "Some authors, when

talking of their works say, my book,

my commentary, my history, etc. I recommend them

to say, our book, because in general they contain much more

of what belongs to other people than to themselves."

(from Journey of Desire by John Eldredge pg vii)

The following post has been inspired once again by the life and words of Bonhoeffer as expressed by Eric Metaxas. I went back to find the quote I wanted to use and I reread much of what Bonhoeffer said and the explanations by Eric and I began to realize many of "my thoughts" for this post were direct out workings of what was written. The line became very blurred that I could no longer distinguish my own ideas from theirs. The good news is that I hope it has transferred from merely head knowledge to something I am living out of the heart. The hard part, however, is to write and give correct acknowledgements. Hence the need for the quote above, the following post is "our commentary."

_________________________________

The religion of Christ is not a tidbit after one's bread, on the contrary,

it is the bread or it is nothing. People should at least

understand and concede this if they call themselves Christians.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (69)

I have been reflecting on this concept ever since I read it a month ago. The following is what I wrote in my journal on Sunday:

God is not an additive.

Religion adds God to life; fits Him in.

Christ, however, is the all in all,

the Beginning and the End (Revelation 1:8).

He is in everything (Acts 17:27-29).

Our acts of faith are not

to repay God for Jesus' death

but rather they should be

an outward expression

of an inner existence.

He, Christ, causes a strengthening and solidifying of our heart and faith,

and a drawing closer to Him which in turn makes us whole

and connects us to others.

If you've been around Christianity for awhile you will see a lot of "religion;" people being driven by guilt of never doing enough for God. People frustrated of never being holy enough for God. I think this is a result of a fundamental misunderstanding of who Christ is and what it means to have Him in our lives.

How do you become holy?

Did you say by you trying not sin, by you trying to become like Jesus?

Or did you say through Jesus?

Hebrews 2:11

Jesus, who makes people holy.

I understand that it is confusing because the end goal, to be holy, is the same in both methods. But the starting point is entirely different. Is your Christianity driven by you and your efforts or is it Jesus living through you in everything?

Hebrews 2:10

God is the One who made all things, and all things are for his glory.

He wanted to have many children share His glory,

so he made the One who leads people to salvation perfect through suffering.

The Father wants to share His glory with us. He wants to do this through our daily lives. He didn't ask us to do it by our own strength or efforts but instead He invited us to follow Jesus Christ. Finally, He invites us to walk it out through Him in joy not guilt (Philippians 4:12).

I can doubtless live with or without Jesus as a religious genius,

as an ethicist, as a gentleman... Should, however, there be something in Christ

that claims my life entirely... then Christ has not only relative but absolute

urgent significance with me.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (83)

In Christ,

Death in the light of the goodness of God

I wrote in my journal the other day,

What you believe about God, effects how you fight.

On Monday, April 26, 2010 it will be exactly one year since Nevaeh passed away. Her life was something that I fought for in the place of prayer for 19 months. Her death was not what I prayed for, believed for or fought for. This past year has given many moments to reflect and consider if what I believed about God was true. The temptation has often been to change what I believe about God in order to make sense of what happened to Nevaeh. But no matter how hard I try, I can't do that and I won't. Even though I now know the outcome of her life I wouldn't change one prayer that I prayed or one tear that I shed in asking for her life. She was worth the fight, and I fought the way I did because of what I believed and still believe about God.

I have heard many peoples' thoughts and conclusions, including my own, of what it means about God because she is gone. I often walk away completely frustrated because in ones' conclusion there is often a complete denial of another aspect/attribute of God. Last night I read something that for me brought together the conflict in my heart and mind to a place where I believe truth is accurately being represented. The following is from Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas; it is from a letter Bonhoeffer wrote to members of the Confessing Church as he announced yet another death of the pastoral community:

To be sure, God shall call you, and us, only at the hour that God has chosen.

Until that hour, which lies in God's hand alone, we shall all be protected even

in greatest danger; and from our gratitude for such protection ever new readiness surely arises for the final call.

Who can comprehend how those whom God takes so early are chosen? Does

not the early death of young Christians appear to us as if God were

plundering his own best instruments in a time in which they are most needed?

Yet the Lord makes no mistakes. Might God need our brothers for some

hidden service on our behalf in the heavenly world? We should put

an end to our human thoughts, which always wish to know more than they

can, and cling to that which is certain. Whomever God calls home is someone

God has loved. "For their souls were pleasing to the Lord, therefore he took them

quickly from the midst of wickedness" (Wisdom of Solomon 4).

We know, of course, that God and the devil are engaged in battle in the world and that the devil also has a say in death. In the face of death we cannot simply speak in some fatalistic way, "God wills it"; but we must juxtapose it with the other reality, "God does not will it." Death reveals that the world is not as it should be but that it stands in need of redemption. Christ alone is the conquering of death. Here the sharp antitheses between "God wills it" and "God does not will it" comes to head and also finds its resolution. God accedes to that which God does not will, and from now on death itself must serve God. From now on, the "God wills it" encompasses even the "God does not will it." God wills the conquering of death through the death of Jesus Christ. Only in the cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ has death been drawn into God's power, and it must serve God's own aims. It is not some fatalistic surrender but rather a living faith in Jesus Christ, who died and rose for us, that is able to cope profoundly with death. (pg 383-384)

Amen,

Christian Maturity

I have been thinking about “maturity” in Christ lately; the concept has been coming up in my Bible readings, a sermon and conversation with a friend. I think one of the traps that Christian maturity can produce is the idea that works will earn you greater love from God. The measurement we often use to determine the "mature in Christ" is

1. The mature in Christ have their lives all together
2. They do a greater quantity of "holy things "than you

If they meet this measurement we then believe that because of these things God must love them more than He loves you. This idea that their works earned them a place of greater love from God can have 2 possible effects on your walk with Christ: One effect is that you increase your works to the Lord because you believe that it will make Him love you more. If you choose this route and operate out of works as your motivation to be holy you will burn out. Another possible effect it can have is that it causes you to sit on your hands and do nothing. If you have to earn His favor by works, then you'd rather not do anything at all.

For me, the Lord has been stripping away this misconception about maturity in Christ. God does call us to grow in greater maturity in Him but the motivation for our growth should be because we understand His great love for us not the idea that we are trying to earn His love through the things we do. Here are some thoughts I have about Christian maturity:

God's love is our only foundation and it will lead us to places of greater maturity:

Ephesians 3:17-19

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp

how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

When I read these verses I always think of an ocean. God's love is like a vast ocean. His love is available to everyone, the exact same amount. We will never be able to grasp all of it at one time, we will never “arrive” and we will all experience different aspects of it depending on how we engage with it. Sometimes we can sit on the shore and just observe it, or we can go in and play around in it. Finally, as we fall more in love with the ocean we begin to go scuba diving and exploring it even more. In regards to God's love: He loves you PERIOD. As you grow in Christian maturity you will have the opportunity to explore the depth and meaning of that love more and more.


We are ALL children of God, so like children we will ALL go through a process of growth.

One of my favorite quotes is by John Eldredge and it states:

What father would be displeased by the first steps of a teetering baby, and what father would be satisfied with anything less than the strong, sure steps of a full grown man?

For me this quote captures the picture of what Christian maturity should be all about. The Father does not remove His love from you in your journey of faith and the times you trip and fall. He enjoys watching you grow and mature, just as a parent enjoys watching their children grow through the process of maturity. However, we as parents do want our children to grow and be all that they can be and so does God. It doesn't mean He loves us less now, and will love us more when we finally “arrive.” He loves us each step of the way and when we fall down and trip, He want us to allow Him to pick us back up, kiss us and tell us to try again.

Christian maturity should lead you to a place of humility and accessibility to others

As you grow in your faith, love should always come first. Knowledge has the potential of puffing you up and producing a gap between you and others. If your knowledge of God is causing you to set yourself above others then there is an error in it. As I said last time, I am reading Bonehoeffer's biography. One of the things that stands out to me is that Dietrich Bonhoeffer truly lived out the fact that God's love in us was for others and that this held more importance than his knowledge of God. He was a great theologian, who diligently studied the Word of God with the best theologians of his time. He, however, loved children and he believed that if he was not able to bring his knowledge to a place where children could understand God then all his knowledge was in vain. As you become more mature in Christ it should cause you to want to love and serve others more not to sit in judgment of them and their weaknesses.

Our comparison of our “maturity”in Christ should be in comparison to ourselves and not in comparison to our neighbor

Galatians 6:3-4
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing,

he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions.

Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,

for each one should carry his own load.

When you measure your growth in comparison to where you've been it gets rid of the picture of viewing Christian maturity as an idea where the “mature” are closer to God and the less mature are farther away. When you are measuring the growth of your child you don't mark his line and then say, “Look at where your brother was at this age, why aren't you this tall?” We all grow and mature in our faith at different rates. One person's maturity level isn't better than the others. Be who God created you to be and grow in that because He loves you!

To conclude I hope this post encourages you to continue exploring the depth of God's love. May this exploration lead you to greater depths and knowledge of His great love for you and for others. Finally, may we learn to love others right where they are at and never get to the place where we think “we've arrived” in comparison to others.

Truth of God

I currently am reading Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas for a book review. I haven't finished the book yet (since it is 542 pages long) but I'm having a hard time being quiet about it until I reach the end of the book!

It is an excellent book full of beautiful nuggets for our Christian faith. I read the following quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer last night and I had to share it today:

Do not try to make the Bible relevant.

Its relevance is axiomatic (self-evident)....

Do not defend God's word, but testify to it...

Trust to the Word. (pg 261)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Be reminded this day of the foundational strength of God's Word. Our society has tried to shame us for being Christians and make us out to be fools for our beliefs. We do not need to cower or hold our heads down in embarrassment for what we believe. Testify to the Word, Jesus Christ:

He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation.

For by him all things were created:

things in heaven and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;

all things were created by him and for him.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

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.

(Colossians 1:15-18)