The story of Ruth

This past week we looked at the book of Ruth in Bible study. Much of our discussion centered on Ruth's humility, her commitment to Naomi and her tenacity in serving.

As one member noted, Ruth seemed to embody Philippians 2:5 which says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Although she faced the heartbreak of losing her husband and leaving her family, Ruth's resolve never wavered. She remained faithful. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if we as believers had that same kind of dedication in our marriages.

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1: 16) These words are often read as part of marriage ceremonies and were read at my wedding almost 15 years ago. But do we really take them to heart? As the story of Ruth invades my everyday life, I'm praying for God to remind me that humility, service and commitment are the attitudes that reflect Him in my marriage. What about you? Will you join me?

Trophies

This week I experienced one of the greatest moments of my life. I had the honor and privilege to lead several ladies in a Bible study that God allowed me to write! The study is the name sake of this blog, Every Day Faith. Basically the study takes you on an inductive journey through the lives of Old and New Testament Saints looking for how their stories apply to your everyday life.

A few days ago, someone asked me how I got the idea, what prompted me to write it? For a moment I didn't have a real answer, but for God, of course! Then God, of course, reminded me...it all started with trophies. I grew up in a very rural part of South Carolina and attended a very small country church with wooden pews. Once a year, the church would attend an event called "The Sunday School Convention." The convention would take place on a Saturday and last all day. Part of the day was a Bible contest that the children participated in for the member churches. I always went along with another girl. We would study together and practice for weeks. At the convention, each team would take turns answering questions about the Bible. If you missed a question you were out of the game until the last group was left. We always did quite well. Still today there are trophies sitting in my home church that we won for answering all the questions right. Unfortunately it was all about the trophies then. But God, of course, had planted the stories in my heart.

Now as a believer and a tad bit more mature, I know that these Biblical stories are part of God's message to me. They're part of God's instruction for me, they're part of God's direction for me, and they're part of His plan for me. And they're part of God's message, instruction, direction and plan for YOU! How do I know? God, of course, told me so through the stories of the ladies this week. The greatest trophy I've ever received was hearing how the story of Naaman related to their lives. And this was only the first story and the first week of our study!

If you don't know the story of Naaman, look it up in 2 Kings, chapter 5. Send me a note and tell me how it speaks to your everyday life.

Revival

I read this article today. The title was "Why We Don't Have Revival" and it rattled my cage a little, in a good way!

You see I'm a person who thrives on routine. I like to have a plan and follow it. I like to make decisions and work them out. Change doesn't upset me so long as I know about it and can fit it into the plans. (That last statement almost sounds ludicrous, but it's the truth for me.) When I think about my spiritual life and how I want my faith to grow and become more and more a part of my everyday life, then change is inevitable. And well I already told you how I feel about change, so what's a girl to do?

In his article, Mr. McKeever, says "By "revival," we mean an across-the-board movement of the Holy Spirit as He touches hearts, changes minds, melts pride, and transforms sinners. In a revival, the hearts of God's people are broken in repentance and humility, the Lord's people come together in love and service, and the Lord's work of ministry and giving and witnessing and missions moves forward at warp speed."

If you ask me if I want that "revival" I'm going to say a big ole Yes! But do I really? Certainly that kind of revival means my cage is going to be rattled, my life unsettled and CHANGE is going to happen. I think what this girl is going to do is pray to want it…ask God to help me want revival. Amen.

Do you want revival? You can read Mr. McKeever's full article here.

Happy Fall!

I love the Fall...the crisp air, the beautiful colors, football, light jackets, fairs, more football, soups, and the smell of pumpkin. Recently I read here that there was a pumpkin shortage! How would we survive all things Fall and holiday-ish without some pumpkin? Then it occurred to me that I hadn't been able to find my favorite can of pumpkin in the local grocery stores. No one seemed to have it on their holiday "all things bakery" displays. I kept telling myself it was too early, ignoring the Christmas decor that was already out and on sale.

So I decided to take one more look at my local grocery store and found this huge can of pumpkin...one of only two in the store. So this week I made my favorite pumpkin muffins for my Bible Study group.

These are made with chocolate chips and I add some walnuts in too. They are so good and the kitchen smells wonderful when you bake them. You can get the recipe here.

If you can find some pumpkin, try them; you'll like them!

Bible Study

Bible Study-it's the thing I do, the thing I am very passionate about. This week I asked myself a question…Why? Why am I doing this? Why am I passionate about it?

The main reason for me is that I believe the Bible is God's Word and it is the primary way He speaks to me. As a believer, I want to know all about God and how He desires for me to live my life. 2 Timothy 3:16 and 17 says:

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (NIV)

I believe this is the truth. Do you? Do you study the Bible? If so, why do you study it? Please share.

Despair or Discipline

Do you remember what it was like when you were discplined as a kid? I do. I am the middle child, the overachiever and the baby girl in my family. When I got into trouble, it was easy to pout, fake cry or somehow manipulate my way out of punishment...sometimes! The point is I failed to reap the benefits of the discipline. I spent my time despairing over what I couldn't have or do and finding a way out.

Today many of us are facing our own discplines or challenges. Some of them major, some of them minor. The question is do we see the benefits of the discipline or are we just despairing? God's word has amazing promises for those who are trained by His discipline. Last week I "unpacked" Hebrews 12:10-11 in my Bible study. (I recently heard or read the phrase "unpack the verse". It's not mine, but I loved the visual so I'm borrowing it!!) Here's what the verse says:

"Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." NIV

God's discipline according to these verses is:

• for our good
• to share in His holiness
• to produce a harvest of righteousness
• to produce peace

As Christians, I believe we would all say we want these things. We also probably agree with verse 11 that discipline is not pleasant and sometimes is painful. The challenge for us is to not seep into despair but to be trained by the discipline.

Take some time to identify where God may be discplining you. Determine to not be despairing, but rather focused on the goodness, holiness, righteousness and peace of God that will come as you are trained by Him. Your faith will be stronger.

Interrupted!

Check this out...a new bible study!

Interrupted: An Adventure in Relearning the Essentials of Faith, by Jen Hatmaker, is a new short-term Bible study from Threads.

If you go over to All Access you can win a free copy.

I'm going to check it out myself. Love me some Bible study.