Who Do You Think You Are??

Taught by Annie H. 9/28/10
Notes by Linda G.

Today Annie taught on Ezra, chapter 2. This portion of scripture is a genealogy of those Israelites who returned to Jerusalem from the captivity in Babylon.There was a general consensus of those present that genealogies are a challenge to study. Annie posed some rhetorical questions to the class: Why is this list included in the Word? What does God want us to learn from this? She began by pointing out that God has a purpose for everything found in the bible. It is important to Him, so it should be important to us.

She listed three reasons why God could have wanted the genealogy of the returning Babylonian captives listed in His Word. They are as follows: 1) It would legitimize land rights – that those who would be re-claiming the land were actually Israelites, 2) It would prove that those returning were truly in the family line of Abraham, and 3) It was a list of the remnant that God prophesied would return. This is proof that God’s plan will come to pass despite the obstacles along the way.

Next Annie focused on the following statement:

God is faithful to His chosen people to discipline them for their sins and to restore them in His time.

She spoke for a while of the relevancy of genealogies in our lives today. As an example she recounted a personal situation in her life where she had studied the genealogies of her own family, making the point that this was a family line connection of her own heritage and roots. She then spoke of her daughter who had been adopted into her own family. There was then a discussion of what adoption means in the natural world. This idea was then brought around to what adoption means in the spiritual realm. The question being: how do we fit in as we are adopted into God’s family? What does this mean?

In the New Testament the following verse speaks of this idea: Luke 3:8 "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham". The point of this is that God can even raise up stones as His children – not just from the physical blood of Abraham, as the Jewish people believed.

Annie taught that the following verses show what it takes for us to be adopted in to the line of Abraham. It is a spiritual conversion that is based on our faith through the work of the Spirit. John 3:5 "Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit", and John 3:15 "that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life".

An addition verse is in Romans 4:16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. Annie pointed out that we are not ‘like’ His own children but we ‘are’ His children. We are daughters of the King. Jesus died on the cross so we could take our place in His ancestry. We now have a heritage of faith. We are now written in the Lamb’s book of life. This point is made in the following verse, Gal 3:29 "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise". We can walk in confidence, not shame. We are His chosen!!

The next point Annie touched on was God’s discipline. See the following two verses:

Heb 12:8 "If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons."

Heb 12:10 "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."

Going back to our lesson on holiness, He wants us to live holy lives. As we had discussed, to live a holy life is to live a life ‘set apart’. This makes Christ recognizable to those around us.

The next point Annie made was that God will restore us in His time. He wants us to be able to come back to Him with soft hearts. She taught that when we return to Him, He will not only restore but in double or triple. We will have to deal with the consequences of our sins. God wants us to work with Him on this. He will not do all the work. We should rebuild…He will restore.

The final point Annie made was ‘Our response to His faithfulness is to life faithfully to His covenant.’

God is a God of order, structure and covenant. We have personally been brought back from captivity…we leave Babylon when we are saved.

How do we live faithfully to His covenant? 1) Community – the culture in which we life is highly competitive and individualistic. We need to live differently, 2) Commitment - It is not going to be easy, we have to be willing to do whatever it takes. Sometimes that means doing the right thing even when we don’t feel like it, and 3) Consistency – Passing on a legacy of faith.

Annie left us with three questions to ponder: 1) Am I one of His chosen ones? Is my life truly in the trust of the Lord? Does my life reflect this? 2) Am I submitting to His discipline? And 3) Am I living by His covenant of community, commitment, and consistency?

Easy Kindness Testimonies

Hello Everyone;

Today marks the beginning of our 40 days of consecration through prayer and fasting as a church. We are believing that God has prepared great things for Monmouth Worship Center and this is a time to make ourselves ready.

The last few weeks in Women's Bible Study we have been talking about a call to holiness. We learned that the word holy means to be 'set apart'. We are called to live set apart lives to the watching world. It is the way that we make our God recognizable. Instead of unforgiveness we forgive, instead of cursing we bless, instead of being critical we encourage and instead of being mean we are kind.

Last week I gave a devotional on kindness and I posted it on this blog. I was thinking this would be a fun thing to do on Tuesday in that first half hour we meet from 9:30-10. I thought that we would share any opportunites that the Lord initiated where we were able to pour out kindness in a very difficult situation. I am talking about the kindness that you have to do on purpose. I know that you will have stories since God doesn't deposit such a powerful word in our hearts without giving us an to opportuinity to apply it. I will definitely be starting us out with a testimony that I am sure you will be able to relate to.

Now if you are soley a blog follower, please tell us here on the blog. If you don't know how to leave a comment. Read the directions on the side panel. It really is very easy. We want to hear from you.

Thanks guys! Annie will be teaching on Tuesday and I look forward to what the word will bring. See you then!

People Mover

I wonder if you are familiar with the ‘Peoplemover’. The ‘Peoplemover’ was an attraction located in the Tomorrowland section of Disneyland. Its allure was found in the opportunity to sit down, relax, take a ride around Tomorrowland and get a break from the congestion and crowds while enjoying a bird’s eye view of the park.

Sadly, the ‘Peoplemover’ was shut down in 1995. Apparently, the management at Disneyland felt people didn’t want to be moved anymore. But as these things go there was deep unrest about this decision. A group of ‘Peoplemover’ fans actually came together and formed a website called ‘People for the Peoplemover’. There you can sign a petition to restore this attraction as well as learn all kinds of interesting facts.

In studying the first chapter of Ezra, I came to understand this burning desire for the ‘peoplemover’ crowd to achieve their goal. There is a genuine appeal, in this time that we live in filled with stresses and pressures, to just sit back and let someone else do the driving. I propose to you today that our God is the original ‘Peoplemover’ and maybe now would be a good time for us to let Him take the wheel of this ride we are on called life.

In Ezra 1 we see three examples of God’s people moving skills. In verse 1:1 we read;

“In the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus King of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it into writing.”

Did you notice that God moved a heart of a worldly king? This tells me that God is a people mover with authorities that govern us whether it be in our country, our workplaces, our homes. God can move the hearts of Kings even if they aren’t following Him.

We also see;
“Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites – everyone whose heart God had moved – prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem” Ezra 1:5

It would seem that God is the one who stirs His people as well. Not only can God move the hearts of Kings but He is perfectly capable of stirring the hearts of His people to action also.

Lastly;

“All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.” Ezra 1:6

God can direct peoples hearts to want to help you whether they are within the faith or not (some commentaries aren’t clear who the neighbors were). If your cause is His cause, there isn’t anything to prevent the supply that you need.

We see by looking at Ezra that God is the sovereign people mover. He is able to move the heart of a king, stir the hearts of His people and call on neighbors to assist you. I wonder if anyone is in dire need of a skilled people mover.

Maybe you have been seeking employment for what seems like forever and you need God to move the heart of an employer to your benefit. Or perhaps, you are in a situation where you could use a little help. Maybe you are currently overworked and can use for God to stir some hearts to come along side and assist you. Or maybe you are just sitting there wondering where the money is going to come from for the pile of bills that you are faced with for no other reason then a downturned economy. According to Ezra, God can change all of these situations by moving people.

So then you ask, why hasn’t He? My heart is deeply encouraged as I look at how God relates with His people. He is ever watchful of their need and is mindful of what He has in store for them. All three of these situations revealed to us in the first chapter of Ezra came about because God said it was time. What transpired in this chapter was a fulfillment of prophecy. God is all about timing in our lives as well. Read Ephesians 1:11-12;

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”

Whether it be a King, His people, or provision, God is working it out and we can trust that He will show up at the perfect time. Maybe He isn’t overlooking your estate but it just isn’t time yet. In this fast paced world we live in we always think the time should be now when God is saying not yet. Trust Him. He is working it out.

In case you were in despair about the close of the ‘Peoplemover’ in Disneyland, you will be happy to know its return is imminent. I have just received information that a formal announcement will be made next week regarding the return of this attraction. It seems that the powers that be at Disneyland realized that there is a real need for people to be moved after all. Hmmm.

This Isn't What I Signed Up For

Tuesday Morning Bible Study (taught by Toby)

Ezra – Intro and Chapter One

A story of one man exiled to Babylon

Daniel 1:1-7

Before we can begin to understand the state of mind of the Jewish people in the book of Ezra, we must turn the clock back a bit so that we can learn where they came from, and what they have been through. They were still Jews, but how they had changed!

Sometimes it is easier to understand a great move of human history by focusing on one person’s story. Let’s look at Daniel 1:1-7 and read part of his story in the court of Nebuchadnezzar, the conqueror. Daniel was among the first group of captives to be taken to Babylon. What do we learn about him in vs. 2-7?

Some characteristics which stand out to me are these: he is the cream of the crop, good looking (yes!), upper, upper class, brainy (which was good because he had to learn a new language and a new body of literature). He had some good friends, he ate from the king’s table, and he had to forget his own name of Daniel, and submit to being called Belteshazzar. This means something like Bel protect my life. Unfortunately, Bel was the chief god of the Babylonians. Imagine what a sore point that would be in your daily life.

If we continue to read, we learn that Daniel was a man who believed in the God of Abraham, and had strong faith in God. Yet how could he not have his identity shaken after being pulled from his own land, and now almost everything about you screams, “Babylon”, not “Devout Jewish Man”? He must have been asking himself, “Who am I? What will happen to me? One of the fascinating elements of Daniel’s story is watching how he balanced pleasing God and serving Nebuchadnezzar.

If we read Psalm 137 we have people dealing with the same circumstances, but packed with emotional power. “My captors don’t have any idea of who I am. I am going to have to change to survive – who will I be if I ever get out of this?”

Now, as we start to study Ezra, it is time for the Jewish people to return to their homeland, a place they have not lived in. A ruin. It means leaving a comfortable, urban, sophisticated existence in Babylon They survived because they were treated well and allowed to settle in towns and villages along the Chebar River – an irrigation channel. They lived together in communities, were allowed to farm and work to earn income. Many eventually became wealthy. They were encouraged to settle down through Jeremiah’s prophecy. Please read Jer. 29:4-11 now. What are God’s instructions to the Jews who were living in exile in Babylon?

After seventy years, they have adjusted, and Babylon is home. Yet Ezra says that God stirred up some of the people to return. Let’s look at where they are going….Jerusalem, a guarantee of identity crisis coming on.

Understanding Calamity- what actually happened when the Babylonians conquered Israel and Jerusalem?

Destruction of the temple, all the important buildings in Jerusalem and the city walls
The end of the Davidic monarchy – Judah is now a Babylonian Province
End of Israel as an independent state
Deportation of all the people to exile in Babylon, except for some of the poorest people to work the land.

Radical Reassessment – Israel’s identity and relationship to God during the time of the exile in Babylon was shaken.

How to understand what had happened to them
Had God sent them into exile or had the gods of Babylon been victorious?
Were they still the chosen people? Had God abandoned them?
What had gone wrong?
Was God able or willing to deliver them?
Would God remember his promises to Abraham and David?
Even though they were in exile as a result of disobedience and God’s judgment, and had suffered a terrible loss, they did benefit in some ways, crucial to Jewish survival in the future.

Cured of idolatry. They never worshipped idols again
Because they were separated from the Temple, a new order called the “Scribes” came into being. They taught, guarded and preserved the scriptures. They wrote volumes which later became the Talmud, the most important Jewish writing – a commentary.
Synagogues or places of assembly were instituted for formal Jewish worship and schooling. Without the synagogues, the national spirit of the Jewish people would not have been kept alive after the fall of the Second Temple in 70 AD by the Romans.
The teaching of the scriptures – They compiled and studied the scriptures intensely, realizing the reason for the Captivity and taught it to their children.
Unification – common hardship and isolation brought common sympathy and closer relationship within the community. They returned united and purified


Please read Ezra 1: 1-4

In the past, God had frequently used foreign nations to chastise Israel, yet God stirred up Cyrus to intend that Israel should return to its land and build a temple for worship. He is now using a foreign power to help redeem Israel, not chastise her. Jeremiah’s prophecy (above) must be fulfilled. It is God who stirred Cyrus to make this proclamation. The same God who who raised up Israel’s enemies for judgment has now enabled a return through this foreign emperor. God is in control of the ruler’s might and power, both before the exile and now.

God was with them in exile, and he never abandoned them.

Please read Ezra 1:5-11

Did you notice that they received a lot of gifts for the journey – what were they? Does this remind you of any past event – any huge event – in the history of Israel? If you said the Exodus, you are correct!

However, even though the people returning to Israel had a lot of evidence that they were in God’s plan, they still must have been worried about some big issues. The place is in ruins and the neighbors are hostile, to say the least. Will God inhabit the new temple they are going to build? Would they be legitimate once again, after all that had happened?

Yet hope was again taking hold. The temple could be rebuilt, and anyone who wanted to could go “home”. They had emerged from the crucible of exile, but they were changed. They were not the same nation they had been before.We learned that they had lost autonomy, but had gained spiritually. They had gained solidarity with each other, a new respect and study of Scripture, an abhorrence of idolatry, and an understanding of why the exile happened.

They came to the old yet new country to settle and build. They were the same yet not the same people.

I want you to think about an experience in your life which changed you. Maybe it’s a trial – a long illness, a financial catastrophe, a death. It could be a move to another country, or even a fundamental change like motherhood, or divorce. Maybe learning a new job, or taking on ministry in a church. You enter the changing experience one way, and you come out the other side of it changed. You are the same person, yet different.

When you are going through this metamorphosis, you may wonder – who will I be when this is finally over? How will I know how to live? Everything will be different because I have changed…

Maybe you are in one of these changing experiences right now, or have come out of one. Do you realize, like the people of Israel, that God is equipping you with everything you will need for when you come out the other side? Just like the people in Babylon learned a deeper walk while they were deprived of the Temple and the sacrificial system, and were even given valuable gifts for their new home, if you reflect on it, you will also realize that your experience of change, as hard as it might have been, as disruptive as it might have been, has yielded a deeper walk, and greater gifts on the other side.

Who are we? Who are we going to be? Who were we once? We will always find that answer in the Lord, because like ancient Israel for whom he stirred up Cyrus, and stirred up those who decided to leave, the Lord is the same God of ancient Israel. He lives in our hearts today. He controls our circumstances. His plans for us are good.

Earlier, we read Jeremiah’s prophecy in Jer. 29:10:

10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.

Here is the next verse:

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Wherever you may be in the experience of change, know that there is a time limit appointed by God, and that his plans for your future are good.

Easy Kindness

I few years ago, there was a saying that became rather popular and went something like this “What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas“. Are you familiar with it? Then let me ask you, do you think what happens in Women’s Bible Study stays in Women’s Bible Study?

My answer to you would be yes and no. Yes, because whatever is of a personal nature shared among us as a group would certainly fall into the first category. But also no, in that what we learn is not meant to just stay with us in that room. It is meant to spill over into our everyday lives. What we learn is meant to change us so that Christ might be radically obvious in everything we do.

Last week, I taught about holiness and we defined this rather deep theological term very simply as being 'set apart'. We learned that the purpose of the law as it was given to the Israelite’s while they roamed the desert was to teach them and prepare them for living lives 'set apart' on to God.

Over the last several months God has been encouraging me to live the kind of life that He can pour Himself though. To live a life that one would characterize as 'set apart' for His use. In my pursuit to live the kind of life that is a reflection of His character, I confess, I just got worn out. Has anyone ever got just plain old tired from wanting to do the right thing? That was my estate as I ventured out this past weekend to the Beth Moore Simulcast (we had a blast by the way).

The teaching we were under was based on the law of kindness. Beth pointed out that it was important for us to be purposeful about our level of kindness because we live in a mean world. If we are going to exercise kindness we are going to have to do it with intention. Have you ever tried to walk in the Spirit and exhibit kindness only to be knocked back or misunderstood at every attempt? Have you ever been discouraged to the point where you are worn out from it?

One of the points (there were eight) that she taught was that “kindness wears down when we do”. She pointed out that the surest way that you can know if you are worn out is when you start to exhibit any manner of unhealthy emotions like resentment, hatred or jealousy. The remedy that the word brought us that day is that if you are worn down, quite simply, you need to be built up.

So how do we get built up? Two ways, the first is to know that Jesus is kind to you. She quoted Matthew 11:30 , “my yoke is easy, my burden is light.” The word used in the Greek for 'easy' is the same word translated elsewhere as 'kind'. The yoke Christ has given you is kind. If you are feeling over worked and stressed out maybe you need to wonder if Jesus gave you that yoke or it is one of your own choosing. The second sure fire way to get built up is through other believers. Ephesians 4:12,16,29, speak of building each other up through the body of the church. When we meet and greet each other we want to give and receive all manner of kindnesses.

Are you feeling worn out in your pursuit to live a holy life, then I suggest you take some time apart with Jesus and allow Him to do ministry to your heart. Ask Him to show how kind He is to you and receive it into your spirit. You can’t pour out what you don’t possess. Find a quiet place to think about how much He loves you and allow that love to saturate your inner being.

This morning in getting ready for Women’s Bible Study, I was blowing out my hair and talking to the Lord. When I am finished styling my hair, I like to cover it with hair spray with the highest hold factor available. Today’s case was a number five hold. I just don’t like to have to revisit the process during the day. As I was pressing the button to let out the spray the nozzle got stuck and I couldn’t get it to stop shooting out the sticky stuff. So instead of throwing it in the sink (the smart option), I reacted by running around the bathroom in circles (not the smart option). When I finally loosed the nozzle there was hairspray all over everything. Nothing escaped.

My prayer is that we would be like that hairspray as we go out today. That we would spray kindness wherever our foot lands...and it would stick with a super hold factor of five. Amen?!

Beth Moore Simulcast

Good Morning all!

Tomorrow I will be joining a couple of the women from Monmouth Worship Center who will be heading out to the Beth Moore Simulcast at Ocean Grove NJ. I have been to two prior events like this and I can't tell you what a blessed and anointed time I had. It is a day filled with spiritual renewal and a great time to get out with some girlfriends. I don't know about you but a day out with the girls spent around the Word of God is a set up for a great time. Partner that with a beautiful beach, a walk on the boardwalk and of course the manditory ice cream cone in town.

If you can get away tomorrow, you should try to get there. It will be a great time of spirtual renewal. You can go on the website http://www.oceangrove.org/ to find out more details. The doors open at 9:30 with the event starting at 10:30.


Look for us there!

Bible Trivia Time

Good morning everyone!!

This past Tuesday, we spent a bit of time studying the Biblical history of the Jewish people. We began in Genesis, traveled through the Old Testament culminating our journey with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. This leaves us at the perfect launching pad for our study of Ezra. We had alot of fun as we waded though the scriptures together and discovered how much we already knew regarding the history of the Jewish people.

Well, as promised, here is our first of several Bible Trivia posts. Now you don't have to have been in class to get the answers to these questions so don't sign off just yet. Give it a try. Submit your answers by leaving a comment. Instructions on how to leave a comment can be found on the side of the blog. Good luck!!

1) THIS man (a) was never born; (b) never had a birthday; (c) owned a great estate (d) was perfect physically; (e) was a great zoologist, gave every animal a name.

2) THIS man was akin to a covered wagon pioneer: (a) he left a great city of culture at God's request and traveled across a trackless desert; (b) he left a beautiful home and lived in a tent for 100 years; (c) he was called "a friend of God", (d) he was the father of a great nation; (e) his son was born after he was a hundred years old; (f) angels visited him.

Too easy? Keep returning, the questions could get more challenging.

Praying you have a glorious day in Him!

Let's Not Get Carried Away?!

(taught by Arlene 9/14/10)

The book of Ezra marks a significant milestone in the life of the nation of Israel. As prophesied, Israel had been divided into two kingdoms after the reign of King Solomon. Centuries later, the southern kingdom of Judah had been carried away to Babylon for 70 years of captivity. Ezra marks the beginning of the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple.

Today Arlene covered three theological issues that relate to being carried away to captivity. She gave us the definition of theology. Theology is ‘the art and science of knowing what we can know about God in a systematic way'. She pointed out that Ezra is not a history lesson. Ezra was written to remind us. Her aim was to take the theological issues of the book and make it practical to our everyday lives. Arlene emphasized that her lesson is not something we hear and apply to those around us. We need to hear it for ourselves and make it personal to our own walk and relationship with the Lord.

Theological Issue #1: Holiness
Ezra (the man) returned with the second wave of exiles to Jerusalem. He came to bring revival to the inhabitants and lead these people in holy living. The temple had been rebuilt and now they had to live a life set apart. This is very relevant to our lives. The question is – ‘what exactly is holiness?’. In Hebrew the word is qādôš. It means sacred, consecrated, set apart as dedicated to God.

God gave the law to the Israelites, primarily to teach them how to live distinct and set apart lives onto God. When they obeyed they walked in His protection. When they disobeyed He lifted that same hand of protections and allowed their enemies access.

Holiness is not just an Old Testament concept. You can see a call for believers to live holy lives throughout the New Testament (1 Peter 1:15, 2 Tim 2:20-21). Although God promises us that He will never leave us or forsake us, when we live lives that are not holy (or set apart) we will lose out on the fullness of his power. This is called quenching the Spirit.

We learned that the Northern Kingdom (Israel) was carried away by the Assyrians because of their disobedience.

We learned that the Southern Kingdom (Judah) was carried away for their protection.

We learned that like the Northern Kingdom we can be carried away when we refuse to live Gods way.

There are some very practical things that can carry us away in our lives as well: unbelief, disappointment with God, prolonged trials, offenses, failure, shame,etc. All of things can cause us to stop living a set apart life unto God.

We don’t have to try to be holy – God has made us holy. We live in holiness when we are able to take these situations and allow God to be recognizable in them. We choose to believe God rather then doubt. We chose to trust Him even when it doesn’t seem like He is going to show up. We live as “prisoners of hope” when face with prolonged trials. We forgive rather then carry an offense. We don’t allow failures and past mistakes to rule the way we live our lives. When faced with the current economic climate, we bring hope.

Judah was carried into captivity for a different reason. They were carried away for their own protection (Jer 24). If we feel we are in a period of captivity and we don’t know why this may be it ( Psalm 44). We shouldn’t automatically assume we are doing something wrong. Sometimes it is because we are doing something right.

The question we need to ask ourselves – ‘Am I an Israel or am I a Judah?' If I am a Judah - wait on the Lord (Jer 29:4-14). If I am a Israel I need to repent, repent, repent! In the book of Amos he says ‘repent and live’ three times. There is life after repentance. It is a new beginning and the opportunity for a new start. Repentance leads to restoration.

Theological Issue #2: Restoration
We learned that God does the restoring (Ezra 2:1, Jer 32:37-41, 2 Chron 36:22-23). Our part is to repent and then wait. Physical restoration should not be confused with spiritual restoration. Sometimes God does not bring a physical restoration but he may restore creativity, joy and laughter(Psalm 126).

Theological Issue #3: Providence of God
Lastly, we learned that God was ordering every incident in their restoration. (Ezra 1:1 & 7:27, Neh 2:6, Psalm 126).

“What is equally apparent is the divine sovereignty. There are no overt miracles, but one imperial decision after another is quietly initiated by the Lord, who stirred up the spirit of Cyrus’ put a certain thing into the heart of Artaxerxes, and again saw to it that it pleased the king to send; Nehemiah to reverse policy” (Ezra and Nehemiah, Kidner, p24).

Arlene pointed out that it was the providence of God that cause the restoration of Judah to Jerusalem. She also pointed out that we weren’t in Bible Study today because we thought it was a good idea but God was quietly initiating events to get us here. That it wasn’t the bulletin or the blog or the emails or a friend asking us but it was God. God has ordered each one of us to be here today and He is glad that we came.

As you probably know, the Jewish people just celebrated Rosh Hashanah which is the celebration of their New Year. There is a popular practice associated with this holiday, it is Tashlikh ("casting off"). The celebrators walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty their pockets into the river, symbolically casting off their sins. It is a day of fresh beginnings. What a wonderful picture of leaving our past failures behind and starting a new.

God’s timing is perfect. His word and the traditions of the Jewish people remind me that there is always opportunity to start again.

Note: If you are interested in learning a little more about Rosh Hashanah, click on the following link: http://gardenofthelordis51.blogspot.com/2010/09/happy-new-year.html . It will bring you to Arlene’s personal blog where she has written a post entitled ‘Happy New Year’.

And finally a question for you – How did God speak to you today?? Let us know!

Bible Study Opening Day

Hello, my Bible study scholars. I just got home from Women's Bible study and wanted you to know how you blessed my socks off this morning. It was great to see how well everyone knew their Bible as we reviewed the history of Israel. I learned a ton preparing that part of the message as I hope you did hearing it.

I couldn't let the day go by without letting you know how much I appreciate you guys. Your thirst for the word truly motivates me during my study time. Thank you for the hunger and enthusiasm you bring to us as teachers. You make Bible study a thrilling adventure.

I want to send out an apology to all those I didn't get to greet and talk to today. You were not overlooked and I am so glad you were there.

To those of you who couldn't make it today, check back later when Linda posts the notes from today. We are really glad you are joining us. I will also be posting some Bible History trivia over the next several days.

Have a Blessed Jesus filled week. See you next Tuesday!

Just Do It!

When Debbie had asked me if I would take over leading Women’s Bible Study, I confess to you I was speechless. If any of you have heard me teach, that would probably seem a tough nut to swallow. But it was true. Sometimes God just shows up out of the blue.

With as much mental acuity as I could muster, I blurted out something like “well let me pray about it”. Boy did I pray. One thing I have learned in my walk with Christ these past 14 years is that I am not going where He hasn’t asked me to go. My zeal to serve God has clouded sound judgment in the past and I have paid sorely for it. I wanted to make certain.

Over the next several weeks, I sought the Lord in the matter and He was certainly encouraging me in His direction. But there is another thing I know about stepping out in faith to serve Him, you can be certain what will follow...warfare. The enemy has been relentless since my husband came to Christ, and to be honest, I could really use the break. So as God was nudging me on, my heels were sinking deeper and deeper into safer ground.

There is a constant battle that resides in the heart of every follower of Christ. Am I or am I not in the will of God? It is always a frustrating dilemma for us particularly when things don’t seem so crystal clear. Truth be told, there were several solid reasons on both sides of this answer that were cause for hesitation. So I did what I often do when I know that emotions are driving my decisions rather then Godly discernment. First, I enlisted some counsel. Curiously as I asked each person what they thought God had for me the answer was invariably something like “Duh!” It would seem that my counselors are more in tune to what God has intended for my life then me.

The second thing was to enlist my secret weapon, faithful prayer warriors. Now mind you, God had repeatedly given me answers already through scripture, counselors, and coincidences and then, of course, there is the odds of someone like me even being asked to serve this group of women in such a privileged way. But I needed major convincing. My desire to serve Him with integrity of heart and purpose with the sole motivation of glorifying His name is so important to me that I don’t take these kinds of decisions likely. I feel His reputation is at stake. Not sure He really knew what He was doing to be honest.

Well one day I was leaving church and was feeling the weight of self imposed pressure to give a reply. I ran into a friend in this fellowship in whom I enlisted to a day of urgent intercession on my behalf. I can be so dramatic but I knew she wouldn’t mind and in fact she was all “over it”. I was believing God for an expeditious answer.

After service I went for a walk in the woods and sat at my favorite spot where I often meet with God. At that moment, I prayed out loud (I wasn’t even caring if anyone heard me at this point). “Lord, I am believing you for an answer before I leave here today. In fact, I believe that within 5 minutes someone is going to come down that trail with an answer. In Jesus’ name. Amen” For the next five minutes, with a mixture of trembling nerves (from the Holy fear) and an unprecedented boldness (my desperation for a response), I kept thanking Him that an answer was coming.

Within those five minutes a man came running down the trail wearing a Nike t-shirt and with big brazen letters across his chest it read “JUST DO IT!”. God has a sense of humor.

Perhaps you have been wondering if you should come out to Women’s Bible study or to become active on this blog. Maybe you just need to hear the same response God gave to me, “JUST DO IT!”

Love you guys!

Women's Health Panel and Breakfast

Hi everyone!

Right now, I am up to my neck in commentaries and notes and I can't tell you how excited I am at what God has prepared for us this Tuesday morning in Women's Bible Study. God has a powerful and timely encouraging word for us as we embark on our journey through Ezra. My heart pounds even as I write this to you. You won't want to miss this.

I had to take a break because I also wanted to remind you that Women's Ministries will be launching it's first breakfast of the season this Saturday September 11th at 9 am. Its focus will be on Women's health issues. There will be a whole host of presentations by various specialiaties with a question and answer session to follow. It sounds like a great opportunity to fellowship with one another while learning how to live healthier and thus more productive lives.

If you have never been to a Women's breakfast, why not check it out this saturday!

Ok, back to studying.......hmm now where was I?

His joy

Fill Her Up

The most bizarre thing happened the other night. On our way out to meet some family members for dinner we stopped at a gas station to fill our tank. What made this weird was no one could get the cap to the tank off. Not the gas attendant, not my husband, not even me (big surprise). We labored for quite a while and rather then be late for our dinner we decided to chance it and take care of this calamity the next day. We kept thinking how fortunate we were that we didn’t wait until the gauge was on E before we stopped. Notice that I said “we”, and not me. I am not nearly as careful about these details. I guess you might say I like living on the edge, at least where my gas tank is concerned. Note to those who don’t know me that well …getting gas is one of my least favorite things.

After service the following day, I was in the foyer talking to a sister in the Lord and we were commenting on how much we have missed Women’s Bible Study since we have broken for the summer. I was mentioning my longing for the love and fellowship that we enjoy during that time and I felt somewhat drained spiritually without it. We were commiserating about how we were both looking forward to starting up again.

Leave it to me to take a practical daily event in my life and find a spiritual application. These two un-seemingly related events turned exactly into one of those teachable experiences. Since starting to blog, I have a new eye on life. Where the bizarre and peculiar set backs on any given day used to cause me all manner of frustrations, I now embrace them with a fresh enthusiasm as “cool, a bloggable moment”. My broken gas cap became one of those moments.

As I thought about my quarter filled tank in my car I couldn’t help but be reminded about the very words that I had spoken that morning regarding my feeling spiritually empty. I was so glad that we found out about our gas cap situation before we were empty of gas. Wouldn’t that have been wise if I had done that spiritually rather then allow myself to go to E ? Wouldn’t it be cool if we had some kind of gauge that would tell us when we were getting low spiritually before it was too late? Then we would know right away when it was time to “fill her up”. I would lean towards a loud screaming siren then a little flashing light on my dashboard though. But that’s just me.

So I ask you today is anyone running on fumes and looking for the next gas station, I mean Women’s Bible Study.

If you are as ready as we are, why not leave a comment with your name saying “I am ready” and we will start praying for you. We are looking forward to seeing you either in class or on the blog starting next Tuesday!