God – Page 7 – The Bless Your Heart Blog

How in the World Did We Get Here: Part 2

We tossed the sheets in the wash, locked the doors and headed eight hours south to Booker, Texas. One of our good friends from college worked as the head cattle buyer at the plant and had told the owners about Wrex. With the drought hitting so hard in Texas, they knew cow numbers would soon be short and that they’d need to expand their buying circle. They wanted to get a northern buyer trained and in place, but weren’t in just a huge hurry to do so; they wanted it to be the right kind of person. Unfortunately, the cow buying business has it’s fair share of crooks and traders and this company had worked been working for a few years on cleaning up their buyer staff.

There are several owners and shareholders and only a few of them live around the Booker area. As the Lord would have it, Wrex got to meet several out of staters, including a fellow Nebraskan. That pretty much sealed the deal! HA! Kidding…but I’m sure it didn’t hurt. Those Huskers gotta stick together… It wasn’t a formal interview, but he was there most of the morning; a good four hours or so. We ate lunch, said our goodbyes and then continued on to visit my side of the family.

For years, we’d talked about the possibility of him buying cows for an outfit; it’s a job that he’d been groomed for his entire life. We didn’t have any doubts that he’d enjoy the work and he felt like things went well, but we left not knowing exactly what they were thinking.

We had a good time seeing my parents and brother and then traveled further south to see my mom’s extended family. We don’t get down there often enough just because of time, money and distance, so it was nice to be able to have a few extra days with them. It’s hard to have “time off” when you help run a farming/ranching operation so this was, by far, the longest visit we’d had with them since we’d been married.

They were all so sweet and were scurrying around trying to find Wrex a job down there, which would’ve been a-ok with me, bearing I could hack that heat and humidity. I have gobs of incredible memories tied to their little area of Texas. At the time, my grandma had already been moved into an assisted living facility and her house was on the market, as she wouldn’t be going back. We got to stay there for what would be the last time – an incredibly bittersweet thing for me. Talk about memories being bound to a place…we spent every Christmas and summer there since I was born and Wrex and I were married on their acreage. It was hard to leave and at the time, every fiber of my being was just screaming for a job there so we could buy the house and keep the place alive, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’ll always cherish that piece of our trip and I most definitely view it as a sweet little gift that the Lord gave me in the midst of an erratic time in our lives.

Once in Oklahoma, the Lord was so faithful! We were really beginning to wonder what our next move was. We knew we had to go back to Colorado for a few days, but then what? He just showed us time and time again that He wasn’t absent from the process. From people calling with words (rhemas) for us or the message at church we felt led to attend one Sunday morning that was titled, “What to do in the time of transition.” Yeah. That was us…and He was with us.

That Monday, Wrex got a phone call that ended in a job offer from the packing plant in Booker; they wanted him to come on as their northern cattle buyer. He’d train in Texas for three months and then move up north and establish himself…somewhere. They would give him a set of barns he was to buy in on a weekly basis, but he would be able to determine the specific community in which to settle.

After a day’s worth of prayer, we felt full release for him to take the job! It felt so right and like a huge, heavy weight had been lifted off of our shoulders. They settled on a start date, we hit the road back to Colorado to tie up a few more loose ends and grabbed a few little necessities out of storage – like a crib and a bed and a kitchen table – so that we could make ourselves at home in Texas….again.

****Part 3 is my favorite – stay tuned!****

DIY: Hair Bow

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a lover of big hair…and big hair bows. Haven’t you heard the old adage, “the higher the hair, the closer to God?” It’s also true that “the bigger the bow, the better the mom.” I kid, I kid… 😉

Sawyer was in need of a grey bow for an outfit the other day and can you believe we didn’t have one?! The horror! So, I found some ribbon and whipped one up. I’ve made 90% of her bows 1.) because I’m cheap and 2.) because they’re super easy to make. I’ll show you!

There are a ton of styles out there; I’ve done two simple versions here, both with the same basic steps.

For the simpler, single stack bow you’ll need:

24 inches of ribbon
lighter
hot glue gun
scissors
alligator clip (or your barrette of choice)

Step 1: Sear the ends so they won’t fray.

Step 2: Fold your ribbon in half and press the end to make a crease. The crease will act as a marker for step 3.

Step 3: Open the ribbon back up and bring one end back to the middle crease, making a cancer awareness sign. Hold it secure with your finger while you do step 4.

Step 4: Do the same to the other end, making a figure eight. Secure with hot glue.

Step 5: Bring in each end and secure with hot glue.

Step 6: Take a 6 inch piece of ribbon and tie a knot it the center.

Step 7: Wrap the knot around the center of the bow and secure with hot glue on the backside.

Step 8: Secure your alligator clip to the back of the bow with hot glue.

Step 9: Get a cute little girl to model your bow!

Just don't ask her during her 30 minutes of TV of watching - ha! — Just don’t ask her during her 30 minutes of TV of watching – ha!

For the double stack bow, you’ll need:

24 inches of ribbon
18 inches of ribbon
lighter
hot glue gun
scissors
alligator clip (or your barrette of choice)

Step 1: Follow steps 1-5 from above on your 24 inch ribbon.

Step 2: Do the same 5 steps for your 18 inch ribbon. You’ll now have two, identical bows in different sizes.

Step 3: Stack your smaller bow on top of the larger one and secure with hot glue.

I finished this bow with a simple loop instead of a knot. You could also use a button or a jewel or something else funky!

Step 4: Secure your alligator clip to the back of the bow using hot glue.

Step 5: Get a cute girl to model your bow!

See? Super cute and super simple! If you’re wanting to make a bow collection, it’s a good idea to get a few friends together. Have each person buy different colors of ribbon than everyone else and then share your designs and colors, as one spool will make quite a few bows. Shoot me a picture of what you make!

How in the World Did We Get Here: Part 1

Our little, ole farm house is all tucked snuggly under a blanket of snow this morning as fresh flakes are starting to fall again. Let it be known that I don’t mind that one bit. In my book, if it’s gonna be cold it might as well snow.

Not a creature was stirring... — Not a creature was stirring…

We’ve lived here two and a half years although it doesn’t feel near that long. Earlier this morning, I was reflecting on how exactly we got here. It was all Him, friends.

Wrex worked for a family company in Denver that had their fingers (successfully) in quite a few niches; ear tags, farming, purebred cattle, show goats, horses. He had an active role in each of those endeavors and thus worked A LOT. The situation wasn’t ideal and became less so after Sawyer was born. A lot of mornings, Wrexy left before she was awake and came home after she was in bed and that was definitely not how we wanted to raise our family. It would’ve been different if it was our land or our cattle or our company and we were investing this time and energy into something for our future generations, but that wasn’t the case.

So after lots of intense prayer and discussion, we knew that the Lord was calling us away from there. On his 29th birthday, he gave his one month notice and we stepped out in faith…no job lined up, no place to live (as we were living in company supplied housing), no idea where to go…we just knew that working there was no longer obedience, but that stepping away was.

We spent our evenings together praying and job hunting and packing. Our house was nothing fancy but we had made a lot of special memories there. It was the place we celebrated our first five anniversaries…the place we brought our first baby home to…the place where we hosted friends who became our roommates for a season…the place where we threw card parties and goat dehorning work days and family get togethers. Even though we knew that our leaving was the right thing to do and that it was what the Lord was asking of us, it still stung a little. Obedience isn’t always easy…

W spent his days tying up as many loose ends as possible. By the end of the month, the contents of our home were moved into a storage container and we? We were jobless and homeless…but not hopeless.

The job part never really concerned me for several reasons. One, I knew that we were walking in obedience so I had no doubt that the Lord had something lined up for us; He wouldn’t call us away and then hang us out to dry. Two, Wrexy has more skills in more different areas than any person I’ve ever met. I often tell him that he’s handicapped me as a do-er. If something breaks or isn’t quite right or needs a little finesse, I don’t even try anymore – I just wait for him to get home because he’ll fix it in a jiffy and in a way better manner than I ever could. Plus, he’s the most loyal, hardest working, social genius on the planet. And three, I knew that if he had to, he would work two jobs slopping hogs or serving french fries before we ever went hungry. Before we ever left, he was offered two different jobs, but neither of them had the stamp of the Lord and as hard as it was to say ‘no’ to them, knowing that if we said yes we could stay in the same area, ‘no’ was what we said.

During that first week of our new found homelessness, some of our favorite friends were on vacation and they allowed us to stay in their home. This was such a huge blessing to us as we finished taking care of last minute business things and fully getting a plan in place for what was next.

We spent a lot of time in the quiet together that week. It’s a weird feeling, especially for a type A planner to not have a plan…but to know that THE plan was to be obedient to the Lord. There is blessing in obedience – I’ve experienced that richly! I’ve also experienced the consequences of disobedience and I didn’t want to venture there again.

We prayed continually that the Lord would make our schedule for us and that He would provide us with the job that Wrex needed to say ‘yes’ to…wherever that may be. We knew that He knew our hearts in wanting more family time and He knew our hearts in wanting Wrex to have a job that was rooted in agriculture; a job that wouldn’t find him stuck behind a desk and a job that he enjoyed. This whole process had happened so fast and was so outside of ourselves that we had no other option but to have hope; confident expectancy in the goodness of God.

As the week was coming to a close, we made plans to visit my family in several parts of Texas and then Wrex’s sister and grandma in Oklahoma and Kansas before heading back to Colorado to finish out a ministry event we were a part of. We had cleaned up behind ourselves and packed what we needed for a few weeks on the road with a 10 month old, when Wrex got a call that we needed to stop at the tip-top of Texas before we ventured further south; a meat packing plant wanted to meet him and see if he was a fit for their company. Maybe, just maybe, this was it?

Knocking it Out of the Park

I cleaned out my desk this morning and I made it out alive!! Phew. It had gotten a little out of control and I’m proud to report that my laptop can fit on it’s surface again. Ahem.

In that process, I was organizing some preschool stuff and some Bible study materials and I forgot that I had gotten out two old journals the other day, searching for some notes on a study we’d done a few years back. I was browsing through them…which can be quite humbling, mind you. It’s a little gut wrenching when you’re still struggling with some of the same thing you were struggling with in 2011. Keep pressing in, Lord.

One of those journals was Wrexy’s and I was browsing through it and I came across a list he made in May of 2011 titled “Top 15 Goals for My Marriage/Family.” I was gonna just skip right over it but I felt the Lord asking me to dwell there for a minute, so I read through them.

Create a loving, God-fearing environment.
To be someone Stef trusts and relies on.
To be an example to others of Christian marriage.
To be an involved dad, teaching my kids to do things/gain skills.
To be a good provider.
To teach my kids to hear from the Lord and leave a legacy of the fear of the Lord.
To be a dad/husband that my family will be proud of.
To instil self-worth and the truth about who they are in my kids; build each other up.
To grow together as a family through acts of service/giving.
To be an example of a loyal, honest, hard-working man.
To grow closer to Stef with each day and year through oneness with Christ.
To help nurture Stef’s gifts.
To remain best friends with Stef.
To communicate well with Stef, not just say what I think she wants to hear.
To not grow complacent in my role as the spiritual leader of my home.

Be. Still. My. Heart. I was absolutely speechless and so incredibly humbled reading this list. Talk about selfless and God-centered; he gets it and we are blessed because of it.

Let me just say, you are doing a darn fine job, handsome. I am so proud to be your wife. You are the glue that holds this ship together and keeps us afloat and you are knocking it out of the park in the husband/dad department!

Thank you for showing us on a daily basis how Christ loved the church.

Thank you for wanting the best for us.

Thank you for dying to yourself over and over again.

Thank you for leading us and guiding us and providing for us.

Thank you for being the most gracious, forgiving, patient, honest, loyal, generous, gentle, determined, enthusiastic, unflappable, God-fearing man I’ve ever known.

****Note to readers, W and I are that couple that shares everything (as I believe all married couples should) – passwords, prayers, bank accounts, spit. 😉 He was not at all concerned that I read his journal or that I shared it here. His main concern was that women would be stumbling in covetousness. Ahem. Notice I didn’t list ‘humble’ in my description of him. 🙂 ****

A Biggie and a Boy Baby

Sawyer has always had a pretty intimate prayer life, especially given her age. She is always quick to pray if she knows someone is sick or needs help or if she’s feeling really grateful. As a parent, it’s been an incredibly cool thing to watch and foster.

This past week, she’s gotten to witness the Lord answer two prayers – how cool is that?!

The first was a biggie…a friend of ours from church was on a missions trip in Africa and had a pretty major health complication while he was there. The church sent out an email and our family prayed loyally for him, Sawyer included. He had a small procedure when he was there, came home early and has had follow up appointments with specialists in the area. His wife reported yesterday that yet another doctor was stumped as to why he didn’t die while he was gone. We all know why…because he had a multitude of people storming the gates of heaven for his health…and the Lord heard and acted.

On an incredibly (no really, a waaaaaaaaay smaller, less significant note) we’ve had a missing person around our house. Sawyer got a dollhouse for Christmas and it came with two infants, which she named “Girl Baby” and “Boy Baby.”

Last week, Wryder had “Daddy” in one hand and “Boy Baby” in the other and was scooting all over the house…and then…Boy Baby went missing! Sawyer had been quite distraught as we had looked for him EVERYWHERE; trashcan(s), diaper genie, wipes container, toy box, under the TV stand, under the chair, in the couch cushions, in the laundry – seriously, EVERYWHERE, with no luck.

Today, after searching some more, she declared that Boy Baby must be in heaven with Jesus and that we should pray for him. Wrex told her that the Lord knew where he was and that we would pray indeed. So we offered up a prayer of protection over Boy Baby and we asked the Lord to help us find him. (Why didn’t we do this sooner?!)

I was laying on the floor playing with Wryder during this whole scene and, I kid you not, about 20 seconds later, I rolled over and looked under the TV stand, as I really felt like that’s the only place he could be (even though we’d already looked) and guess who I saw? BOY BABY!

A lot of hollering and jumping and praising of the Lord commenced from all of us! Not because Boy Baby was just that precious or important, but the lesson learned was. He cares…even about the small things…and He will come to our aid when we petition Him.

These two things have resonated with her greatly and I know they have increased her faith, just as they have mine. Talk to Him today, friend. He IS Jehovah Shama…the God who hears.

How to Study the Bible: Topical Study

Do you ever find yourself thinking about something someone did or said (or something you did or said) and you wonder, “What does the Bible say about ________?” I feel like I do this a lot, depending on the subject (love, sin, shame, forgiveness, etc.) As a whole, I think we tend to know a little bit about a lot of things or we may know the gist of it, but not the full spectrum of the Lord’s heart on a specific issue…and that’s where topical studies come in.

On our quest to know the Lord more intimately through Biblical study, we’ve looked at inductive studies and personalization. Today, let’s look at topical studies.

Topical study – a study about a specific topic…love, grace, prayer, forgiveness, humility, sin, etc.

It involves the same three basic steps that we saw in the inductive study…

Observation – what does the passage say?
Interpretation – what does the passage mean?
Application – how does the meaning apply to me?

Observation

Choose a topic. Choose something you’re interested in or something you’d like to know more about…or something you need to know more about. Because the Bible is so rich and vast, it’s often best to specify these even more, for example: Jesus’ love for others while on earth (instead of just trying to study love) or intercessory prayer (instead of just trying to study prayer).
Make a list of related words. Since there are so many different version out there, sometimes it’s best to write down synonyms for the topic you’re studying so that you can get a full explanation of the topic. If you’re studying prayer, jot down ask, call, intercession, supplication, etc.
Look up Bible references for your topic. Start with a concordance to look up references to your original word and your synonymous words. Online Bible tools (Bible Gateway, Bible Hub) have made this a lot simpler and faster, as you can do keyword searches and switch from translation to translation with the click of a mouse.
Read each passage and read them in context, meaning the verses preceding and following, so that you get a full picture of what the Lord is truly saying.

Interpretation

Study each reference. Use the inductive method of the 5 w’s and h to get the full effect and meaning of the scripture. If you feel like topics are mentioned that need further cross-referencing, then by all means, research some more!
Write down your observations. What did you learn broadly? What is the Lord’s heart regarding your topic? What did you see brought up consistently throughout Scripture?

Application

Apply what you’ve learned. How did the Lord speak to you during this study? in what ways were you convicted? In what ways do you feel like He’s asking you to make a change or application? Write down several ways that you can apply what you have learned to your self and do just that.

Topical studies can be quite vast but OH SO RICH. We have so much Biblical information right at our fingertips thanks to Bible search engines and study materials available online, that this should be an easy-peasy way to learn more about the Lord. So….hop to it! What topic is calling your name?!

How to Study the Bible: Personalization

One of my favorite types of Bible study is the personalization of Scripture. It takes the message of the written word of God from a epistle for everyone (which it is) to an epistle for me (which it is). For me, personalization really makes Scripture come alive and it helps me take ownership of the truth in His word. Part of the personalization process involves reading other translations and breaking down the verbage, so for a lover of words and their meanings, that part appeals to me, too.

How to personalize Scripture (for this example, we’ll look at Ephesians 6:10-18)

1. Pray and ask the Lord to teach you and to show you HIs perfect and personal word for you.

2. Read a passage of Scripture to yourself.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

3. Read it aloud.

4. Underline words or phrases that really catch your attention.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

5. Read some different versions and use them to gain deeper understanding of the text.

¹⁰In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. ¹¹Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. ¹²For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. ¹³Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. ¹⁴Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God, ¹⁵And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the ^[a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness ^[b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. ¹⁶Lift up over all the [covering] shield of ^[c]saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit ^[d]wields, which is the Word of God. ¹⁸Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

6. Copy the text as written.

7. Re-write the text in first person.

I must be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. I will put on all of His armor so that I will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. I am not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, I will put on every piece of God’s armor so I will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle I will still be standing firm. I will stand my ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, I will put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that I will be fully prepared.In addition to all of these, I will hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. I will put on salvation as my helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

I will pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. I will stay alert and be persistent in my prayers for all believers everywhere.

8. Expand the text.

Write alternate meanings for words/phrases
Write it out in your own words
Write it as a personal prayer

I must be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. There is no one stronger than Him! All He possess, I possess through His Spirit. I will put on all of His armor so that I will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. It is possible to stand firm! That’s what His word is saying – it is possible! I am not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. I am fighting the devil himself.

Therefore, I will put on every piece of God’s armor so I will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. I WILL be able to resist his schemes. Then after the battle I will still be standing firm. I will succeed! I will triumph victorious! I will stand my ground; I will not waiver; I will not be moved. I will put on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, I will put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that I will be fully prepared.In addition to all of these, I will hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil, because they WILL come…but can be prepared. I will put on salvation as my helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Is there a more powerful weapon than He?

I will pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. I will stay alert and be persistent in my prayers for all believers everywhere.

9. Pray through the passage.

Oh, you guys…even just taking these few minutes to run through this passage simply and quickly has sooooo ministered to my heart. Reading and re-reading and expanding and making it my own just brings so much understanding – and not just regarding the text – but about the Author of the text…and isn’t that the point? Intimate fellowship with Him as we study His word and apply it to our life = the key to Biblical study, and personalization does just that.

How to Study the Bible: Inductive Study

In college, I had extraordinary study skills; I was the girl that made money selling her notes to the other ~~slackers~~ less studious types. (I had a killer wardrobe several of those years. Maybe I should try that again…)

Fast forward 10 years…

When we lived in Denver, we were so incredibly fortunate to have a deep source of great Bible teachers and mentors that propelled us forward in our understanding of the Word, and thus, THE Word. I remember sitting at a weekend Bible intensive and the light bulb FINALLY flicked on in my head – study the Bible like you studied in college. What a novel idea! This is the most important material we will ever cover, so why not treat it the same way? Over the next week or so, I’ll share several different methods for doing so. Plus, what’s better than a hot cup of coffee and some Bible action when it’s -2 outside?! YIKES!

Today, let’s look at an inductive study. An inductive Bible study uses the Bible as the main source of information about the Bible. Essentially, it uses the Bible to prove or validate itself. (If you’ve ever done a Precepts Bible study, this is the method you’ve used.) It’s a way of study that has you extract, or draw out, information from the text to understand its meaning.

The inductive method uses three basic steps…

Observation – what does the passage say?
Interpretation – what does the passage mean?
Application – how does the meaning apply to me?

Observation – the 5 W’s and H

Pray and ask the Lord to teach you.
Select and read a passage of Scripture.
Note the obvious and answer the 5 W’s and H: who, what, when, where, why and how…

Who wrote it?
Who are they writing to?
Who are they writing about?
What are they writing about?
What is the purpose in writing this?
What are these people like?
What were they doing during this time?
What was their reaction?
When was it written?
When did the event happen or when will it take place?
Where was this done?
Where was this written?
Why was this written?
Why did God want me to know this?
Why did the author say so much about this?
Why did the author say so little about this?
Why should they do ____?
How did it happen?
How did they do it?
How did they react?

Interpretation

Interpretation is not necessarily a separate step from observation. As you carefully observe the text and answer all of those questions, you often begin to see what it means.
Be objective in your reading and let the Scripture speak for itself. Don’t try to make it say what you’ve always thought it said. Ask God to make His truth obvious to you.
Let Scripture interpret Scripture. Use the Bible as a cross-reference tool to make sure your interpretation isn’t contradictory to the entire Word of God. The Bible will not contradict itself.

Application

Application is putting the truths you’ve discovered through observation and interpretation to use in your life. Bible study is meant not merely to enlighten or inform, but to transform us and renew our minds.

Application happens when we are confronted with truth and we decide to respond in obedience to that truth. When you know what God says, what He means, and how to put His truths into practice, you will be equipped for every circumstance of life. To be equipped for every good work of life—totally prepared to handle every situation in a way that honors God—is the will of God.

I will admit that this was never my first choice for study types but OH MY GOODNESS, I have changed my mind! I always learn so incredibly much when I take the time to go through a passage of Scripture in this way. The inductive study is leaping it’s way into my top three faves. Fickle, fickle me.

If you’ve never tried this method of study, I highly encourage you to give it a whirl. I guarantee you’ll be blessed and fed and emboldened and convicted and drawn closer to the heart of God. Let me know what ya think, k?

The Storehouse

We woke up to a beautiful, snowy masterpiece this morning. Everything is covered in a thick, soft blanket of white, as if all tucked in comfy cozy. I love that snow makes everything look clean and crisp and pristine. It has the ability to brighten even the most rundown/filthy/decrepit of places and makes you forget their original state, as it covers the dirt and grime with its cleansing grace.

Since the roads were supposed to be a little nasty up this way, Wrex left after his evening sale last night to head to his Friday sale in Wyoming. We watched the radar and it looked like he could beat the snow and be safe and sound in town and not have to rush in the morning, so I sent him off at 10:00 last night – not my favorite thing on so many levels – but it was the wise choice.

A dear, dear friend of mine called to pray over me since I’m not the biggest of fan of being out here in the sticks without my protector/snuggle bunny here with me at night. As she was praying, she acknowledged the Lord as the “One in control of the storehouses of snow” and that just brought such immediate peace to me. I got such a vivid image of these big, long, white sheds with little fasteners on them and then Him excitedly opening them as beautiful, fluffy flakes fall out as blessings. Little, crystalline drops of His love and His mercy and His grace and His goodness falling straight from the sky.

In those moments, I forgot my fears and worries; His sovereignty and favor covered them, much like the snow outside covered the ground. My thoughts shifted to the Giver (Him) of these gifts (snow, hubby and kids) instead of my feeble attempt at controlling their well being. Just as He controls the falling of each flake and dispenses it upon the earth, He dispenses all I need…and in that moment, it was peace…and peace He brought.

I am so thankful that He brings gentle conviction so that I can open my hands and give Him back the things He has so graciously bestowed upon me. I am so thankful for sweet friends who are filled with the Holy Spirit, who are unafraid to pray and who bless me by doing so. I am most thankful that He has chosen to cover my rundown, filthy, decrepit, ramshackle, haggard attempts at righteousness with His perfection and holiness so that I can appear spotless before the Father…as white as snow, in fact.

Today, I find myself going back to the storehouse, back into His presence, back to the foot of the cross for more of His provision. Fridays usually find me tired and a little weary and in need of more of what He has to pour out, so I can pour it out, too. Lucky for me, the shelves are never empty.

I do hope you take the time to revel in His splendor today…

and take freely from the storehouse…there’s good stuff there.

Not Where We Store the Lawn Mowers

Dora the Explorer and I have a love/hate relationship. Sawyer used to really, really like watching her and it brought me joy because it brought her joy, but she has slowly grown out of that phase.

281459_10152216277720335_1496654890_n — Halloween 2012 – Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora!

29822_10152216277990335_534593912_n — She’s that super cool exploradora…

I mean, it’s sort of a cute little show; Map is adorable, as is Boots…they always have a goal, a place in mind that they have to get to…but I’ve noticed an increase in the number of times I have to get up and shut it off because of witches or wizards or other crazy characters casting spells. As a Bible believing family, we’re just not going to support that kind of stuff, especially in children’s programming. Same for the overly dramatic, whiny, disrespectful characters that are in way too many shows. Aint nobody got time for that!

As a parent, it is my God appointed responsibility to act as a gatekeeper for my kiddos. Our eyes and ears are two huge camps of infiltration and our babies don’t have the full capacity or discernment yet to know when something is trying to come in and inflict warfare on their hearts and minds.

Even though she only gets to watch a (heavily regulated) show a day, there is still sooooooo much stuff all around us that she’s exposed to – radio commercials, stories from other kids, loud phone conversations, pictures that pop up in Google search results (when only searching for “silly kitties”), attitudes and words from neighboring diners in restaurants, magazine racks at the checkout line, spending time with other peoples’ children – the list could go on and on.

At this young and impressionable age, if other peoples’ kids are treating each children disrespectfully (including yours) or don’t get disciplined (or get disciplined poorly or not in love) or have issues with physicality – don’t subject your kids to that! This can be so hard, especially if you really enjoy spending time with the parents of said children, but it’s just not worth it. One, they need to be in a place that feel safe and secure and if they’re getting beat up or verbally assaulted every time they “play” together, then they aren’t safe and secure. Two, they’re gonna bring that stuff home and we can’t be (or at least I’m not) willing to let that happen.

It’s my job to protect my babies from some of the things they’re just absolutely too young to think on, and to talk through and counter the rest with the Truth – the Word of God. I’m not saying you need to shelter them their entire lives and then just throw them to the wolves one day when it’s time to leave the nest, but I am saying that we have to be intentional about what and who they surround themselves with, even at age three.

We have to act with purpose by planting the wisdom and truth of the Lord into their hearts. Unfortunately, it’s not just going to happen on it’s own. We have to take an active stance and it’s going to take some (more) of our precious, dedicated time. (Have you ever had to die to yourself so much in your entire life?!? Yeah, me either…)

But? They will be better for it (and so will we). They will be well equipped with truth to combat the hundreds of lies thrown at them by the world every day. They will have a firm foundation of the Word of the Lord so that they can begin to navigate these things for themselves. They will be filled with the wisdom and discernment that comes from being saturated in Him…and they will begin to see themselves and others through the lens of the Lord and not the the lens of the world. Their hearts and words and actions and thoughts will bear the fruit of the Spirit – it will have no other option!

Guess what all of that means for us as parents? We have to do those same things for ourselves, too. We have to be cognizant of what we’re seeing and hearing and thinking on. We have to be led by the Spirit…we have to be full of wisdom and discernment…we have to be basking in His Word or else we won’t be able to give it away to the littles.

This post comes on the heels of 1.) the Grammy’s, which I did not watch but too many of my friends and their kids did (and I wished they wouldn’t have…see above) and 2.) an overly embarrassing episode in our home last night. As I was putting a spoon in the sink, our glass, dish soap holder fell (loudly) in the sink and scared the daylights out of me! (Me? Jumpy and high strung? Never. Ahem.) Before I had even uttered anything except a small scream, Sawyer said, “Oh, shed.” Yeah. Isn’t that nice. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t referring to the little building where we store the lawn mowers. Apparently, ahem, I have a habit of saying a semblance of that lovely phrase often enough for her to notice. I mean, we don’t go too many places for her to pick this language up, so I’m gonna have to call dibs on this one.

I turned around and asked what she said and she replied, “Oh, shed. That’s what we say when we drop something.” Nice one, mom. Dora should be the least of my worries, eh?

So, we then got to have a talk about how imperfect mommy is and how I don’t always say things that honor Jesus, but that I need to work on that. We talked about how out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks and that I need to do some work on my heart so that my reactions when I get flustered or scared are more righteous.

So now that I’ve completely outed myself (embarrassed, flustered, red face, queasy stomach and all), I hope to practice more of what I’ve preached here. Lord, help me. And I’m hoping you’ll still let your kids come over – I really try to make a point not to use curse words, really, I do.

The point is, evil/vile/sinful things, thoughts and words are all around us vying for a piece of our allegiance. We have to do our best to protect the gates of our homes and the gates of the homes of our souls – our hearts. Let us love righteousness and hate sin…and watch less Dora…because that’s probably good for everyone.