Another Summer of Devotionals

This morning on my Facebook memories there was a quote from my then 12 old daughter over morning devotionals.

Me: Why do we fold our hands when we pray?

Daughter: Because the grown-ups don’t want us to do anything naughty while their eyes are closed.

Me: (Crickets chirp in the stunned silence)

I laughed, hit the share button, and remembered that summer is almost here and it's time that we start summer devos again.  

We’ve been doing this every summer since my younger daughter was four (read about our faltering start).  It’s more than just a habit, it’s a pleasure. When school is in, we study Bible as an academic subject, but when school is out, it would be easy for Bible study to fall behind.  

This summer my girls will turn 10 and 17.  And every morning, as soon as breakfast is over, even before we clear the plates and do the dishes, we recite whatever verses we are working on memorizing, read a short passage of scripture together and talk about what comes up.  Our school year Bible study focuses on learning; our summers focus on becoming.

We’ve done Daniel and worked through Colossians (both of which are available to you free online Daniel / Colossians).  This summer we are focusing on what it means to be a woman of God. We’ll be looking at Deborah, Hannah, Jael, Miriam, Huldah, Ruth and Esther.  Then turning to the New Testament we will talk about Mary, Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene, Lydia, Phoebe, and Priscilla.

This isn’t spiritually easy ground.  We’ll discuss the ethics of violence in Jael’s story and our own ethics as we progress in Tae Keon Do.  We’ll work on when it is right to lead and when we should submit with Deborah, Huldah, and Miriam. We’ll talk about courage from the perspective of Mary and Mary Magdalene.  And what it means to be both a female evangelist with Priscilla’s story. We’ll talk about loyalty, God’s and ours with Ruth and Esther. And we are going to learn about prayer, poetry and “reversal of fortune” with Hannah and Mary.  I hope to share some insights with you as we go along.

It’s going to be a wonderful summer.  This is my last full summer to have my eldest home.  Soon after her 17th birthday, she’ll head off to the University of Wyoming.  But for these last precious days, the three of us girls will take that 10 minutes in the morning to have devotionals.  Take the chance to listen to my girls, to hear their hearts and know their minds. To recite God’s word with them and think about His story together.  Time goes so fast and for us summer devos are priceless.

If you are looking for Bible study material for your own kids, you are welcome to use our online material on Daniel or Colossians or we have an entire semester's worth of FREE curriculum just for our subscribers!  Subscribe here!

Mary's Manifesto

Mary was amazing.  We remember her heavy with child traveling to Bethlehem; we imagine her cradling her infant son in a stable, and we see her fleeing slaughter with her husband to Egypt.  But sometimes we forget she wasn’t just a mom, she was a poet.

We call her song the Magnificat.  But at its heart, it is Mary’s manifesto, her doctoral thesis in theology.  Her statement of what it means to be the maidservant of the Lord.  

Hello, My Name is Jonah: A Book Review

I've been making weird food again lately.  My favorite was a rice, sausage and chickpea casserole from Peru.  I just can't stand eating the same food all the time.  Frankly I don't like reading and reviewing the same kind of book all the time either.  Recently at a Ladies Day, I ran into the author of a strikingly unusual book. Lynette Gray introduced her book on Jonah to me based on the things that were unusual about it and I found that those were the 5 things I like best about it. 

Answering God

Nebuchadnezzar needed a miracle.  The dream was beyond disturbing; it was also beyond the ability of his army of sycophants to interpret.  He needed someone who could see into the darkness, into his nightmares and reveal the truth.   His wise men thought he was crazy; only a man possessed by the gods could help him.  He thought they were a bunch of cheats and declared either one of their number would tell him his dream or he'd kill them all. 

Where Does My Help Come From?

The whole idea of Whatsoever Wednesday was to focus our minds on better things.  During a recent vacation in SouthEast Asia, I saw so many scenes that reminded me of the words of the Psalms.  I hope you enjoy the pictures and poem inspired by God's amazing creation and his wonderful word. 

The Outsiders: A Guest Post

I believe we can all relate to today's poem by Netagene Kirkpatrick.  If we have never been alone at church, we surely know someone who has.  May this reminder spur us on to make the extra effort to include the outsiders.

THE OUTSIDER

Everywhere there's always a personwho is almost always alone.
It's especially sad when it's at church,
though usually not TOO bad when at home.

Could be a man, but more likely, a lady.
She may even have been there for years,
but because of cliques, she's an outsider,
and that causes her heartbreaking tears.

Maybe she's shy, or a widow,
or maybe single all of her life,
but to be excluded is hurtful,
and you know that God condemns strife.

Invite her to a party or luncheon,
but don't leave her alone on the wall.
What if Jesus came there by Himself?
Would He feel welcome at all?

Don't YOU want to be treated kindly,
rather than ignored, and almost cruel?
Remember to follow the Bible,
and what we call the "Golden Rule".

You may find you have things in common
when you reach to her with compassionate love.
God bless you as you work to serve others.
Remember ALL blessings come from above.

One day, you may be where she is -
feeling unloved, in the cold.
So PLEASE, if you're in the "in" crowd,
include this lonely soul.

You can read more of Netagene's poetry at http://blindedbyinsight.blogspot.com/

The Outsiders: A Guest Post

I believe we can all relate to today's poem by Netagene Kirkpatrick.  If we have never been alone at church, we surely know someone who has.  May this reminder spur us on to make the extra effort to include the outsiders.

 

THE OUTSIDER

Everywhere there's always a personwho is almost always alone.
It's especially sad when it's at church,
though usually not TOO bad when at home.

Sing Me Home

There are all kinds of  female bloggers out there.  Yet it sometimes seems they all fit in a little box.  Young moms with a niche-special needs, homeschoolers, work from home, home-making, crafting, decorating. We're in there too-young moms of faith.  But if you keep looking into the blogosphere you'll find more women. Women like Netagene Kirkpatrick.  She is a poet, a devoted Christian and a good bit older than we are. Having her for a friend-through blogging-has been almost as much a joy to me as enjoying her poetry.  This Friday we wanted to share a favorite.  To peruse more lovely poems visit her at Blinded by Insight. ~Helene

Sing Me Home

When I am close to dying,

don't put me in a dark room.

Open the curtains to creation ��" 

God's sun or the light of the moon.

Though temporary, while I'm alive,

don't hide me away from my friends.

Let me talk on the phone to the callers.

If visitors, let them come in.

I know that God made music.

I really want to hear

the songs and psalms of the Bible.

Sing them loud and clear.

If the nurses and doctors don't like it,

I'm telling you now really straight:

I want phone calls and visits and music

while I'm alive, not when it's too late.

So when I'm about to cross over,

don't hide me away, all alone.

Hold my hands and pray and love me, and

Sing me home.

- by Netagene. I wrote this in about 15 minutes on September 25, 2011. I found it today. Mother had passed from this life on August 11, 2011. -

Someone Needs What You Have to Say

I am having trouble writing today's blog.  I feel that there is something that needs said, but what is alluding me.  I have started writing several times and nothing seems right today.  I looked back over at Psalms 139 and thought about how even when we feel so lost and alone that God knows us.  In a recent comment related to another Psalms post, Helene pointed out all of the verbs in the Psalm.  I thought about doing this here:  He has searched me, He knows when I do everything, He understands my thoughts, He scrutinizes my path, He is acquainted with my ways, He knows the words on my tongue, He encloses me behind and before, He lays His hand upon me, His hand leads me, His right hand lays hold of me, He formed me, He skillfully wrought me, His eyes have seen even my unformed substance.  I thought about talking about how we are never alone.  He is intimately acquainted with us.  I thought about pointing out how we might feel misunderstood by others, but God knows everything about us.  He knows us even better than we know ourselves.  

The God Who Avenges

I have said before that the Psalms aren't my favorite reading; however, I have gotten more out of reading them this time than ever before.  As I have read this time, I have really been trying to keep in mind David's life.  This was particularly helpful when reading the 94th Psalm.  This is a prayer of David asking for the God of vengeance to shine forth.