What's Really Going On Anyway?

There are lots of "going’s on" this week for me.

I have to go and see the doctor.

I have to go and meet with someone for lunch.

I have to go and buy some groceries.

I have to go and watch several basketball games.

I have to go and return some library books.

I have to go and run some errands.

I have to go and….you get the picture. 

It seems our days can get so filled with just doing life.  The list of our “go and’s” seem to have far more staying power then there is daylight. I invariably find myself rolling into bed at night with still unattended “go and’s” left to fulfill.  I awake not only with the residual list from the day before glaring at me from the counter where I left it the night before but with a fresh one just begging to pounce on my day.  I run from one “go and” to the next never really doing it well with a nagging sense of frustration that I am missing something.  Gnawing in the back of my mind is that one “go and” that I know I must do but I am beside myself how I am ever going to accomplish it.  I can’t handle one more “go and”.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” 

                        Matt 28:19 (emphasis mine)

Anyone but me feeling a pain of guilt blanketed with frustration?  How does one “go and” this commandment?  Since the Lord of heaven and earth is the one authorizing the “go and” shouldn’t I be making that the priority on my already over packed list?  How am I supposed to do this?  Jesus didn’t you say that “your yoke is easy and your burden is light”?  So how exactly does one navigate this God ordained mandate to “go and” with my way lesser “go and’s” of a more temporal nature. 

The problem lies with the list.  I am not saying to never make a list and in fact I am a huge supporter of list makers everywhere.  Without them every important appointment and deadline would be lost forever in the recesses of my middle aged mind.  The problem is that the “go and” was never meant to be on the list.  This “go and” is actually what is driving the list.  Could it even be what is actually inspiring the list?

These past few months I have had the privilege to be a part of a Bible study on the book of Jonah written by Priscilla Shirer.  She points out that the word “go” in Matthew 28 in the Greek language is an aorist participle “which means it takes on the mood of the command – making disciples.  It could more accurately be translated as going.   In other words, the command to make disciples should be accomplished while believers are going about their business.  ‘As you are going make disciples in all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.’” (Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted, p106-107)

Did you catch this?  The “go and” is really like going.  It isn’t just one more item on my list of things to do but is the underlying driving force that propels me as “I am going about my business”.  It is the one common denominator that links all my “go and’s” together.

I have to go and make disciples while I am seeing the doctor.

I have to go and make disciples while I meet my friend for lunch.

I have to go and make disciples as I buy some groceries.

I have to go and make disciples as I watch several basketball games.

I have to go and make disciples as I return those library books.

I have to go and make disciples as I run some errands.

Perhaps you are wondering how is that going to make a difference.  Wouldn’t a more focused planned opportunity make for a better chance that someone might be saved?   Perhaps a rousing church service or more articulate speaker with a gift of evangelism or I know how about if I just pray that other people would be anointed to make disciples.  That ought to do it!

While in theory that might seem practical, I would like to present to you the person of Andrew.  Take a moment.  Do you know who Andrew was in scripture?  I did but only vaguely.  Did you know that he is credited for one of the most profound evangelical accomplishments in all scripture?

“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.”

                                       John 1:41-42

This Simon is our very same Peter.  Surely if you haven’t heard of Andrew you must know Peter.  You know the walk on water Peter, the rooster crowing convicted Peter, the cut off an ear defending Jesus Peter.  The powerful evangelical Peter whose first sermon added 3000 followers to the church in one day, the Peter who heals the crippled beggar, the Peter whose handkerchiefs became a hot commodity for healing.  The Peter who penned two books of the Bible and when brought to be crucified by Nero requested to be hung upside down as he saw himself unworthy to be crucified in the same way as Jesus Christ.  Oh and then of course there is the whole “rock that I will build my church on” thing.

“And he brought him to Jesus”

So simple but so extraordinarily profound.  One simple act in the midst of Andrews “and going” led to such a cataclysmic change in not only one mans life but in the generations to come.   What seemed to Andrew a humble invitation became the spark that would set the world on edge.  I wonder what would happen if we had the mind of Andrew.  What if we could put our self imposed agenda’s and ideas aside and just simply tell people that we encounter in the midst of our “and going” about Jesus?  What if we took our eyes off of the spectacular and the drama that we think are the earmarks of a good witnessing opportunity?  What if we made it as simple as this?  “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him.”

So simple, so powerful, so profound.  I would like to be more like Andrew.  Perhaps I don’t need to make it as complicated as I do.  Maybe a fresh perspective towards those nagging lists of “go and’s” will not only energize me for the task but produce the fruit of salvation for others that I so desperately desire.  Maybe God doesn’t want it to be a separate item on my list but the guiding force behind it.  Maybe in reality all those things aren’t really my agenda in the first place, maybe they are God’s.  Maybe God has someone waiting at the end of that “go and” who He has prepared for someone to tell them.  Maybe there is a much bigger purpose, maybe its time for me to change my perspective, maybe it’s just time to “go and…”.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

                                         Theodore Roosevelt

“What’s the Scoop on…..Rachel?”

This week in WBS Janet’s lesson was on Rachel.  Many of us are familiar with Rachel but Janet gave us a perspective that was something we might not have considered before. It was both thought provoking and encouraging.  Because there is so much to Rachel’s story I don’t have room to cover the complete account.  Please read Genesis 29 through 31 for all of the details.

Rachel’s life story is intertwined with that of Jacob, grandson of Abraham. You might remember that Jacob was forced to leave his home after deceiving both his father Isaac and his brother Esau. Isaac tells Jacob to flee to the home of his mother Rebekah’s family in Haran.  Through a God-appointed series of events Jacob finds himself in the home of his uncle, Laban, brother of Rebekah. There he meets Rachel.  “Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you (Laban) seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel. So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her” (Gen. 29:18, 20 emphasis mine).

In the course of events, Jacob is deceived by Laban into marrying Leah, Rachel’s older sister.  Jacob agrees to work an additional seven years in order to acquire Rachel as a wife, in addition to Leah.  It goes without saying that this situation was not God’s best for any of those involved.  Rachel had the heart of her husband yet was initially unable to bear him children while Leah was exceeding fruitful.  Their home was not a place of peace and unity.

Reading through her life, some negative character traits of Rachel emerge.  She was a bitter woman because of her barrenness. She was a schemer. She was also a jealous woman and used her children as weapons against her sister Leah. Despite all that scripture tells us about Rachel, Jacob was willing to work 14 years for this woman.  Janet asked the question…’was Rachel really a woman worth working for??’.

Janet pointed out that God always has a greater plan for our lives.  Rachel was a part of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. “Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever” (Ex. 32:13). The Lord used Rachel’s son Joseph to rescue the nation of Egypt from famine as well as preserving the lives of his father, brothers and all their families.  A further testimony of Rachel’s worth in the eyes of the Lord is found in the blessing from the Book of Ruth:  “May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel” (Ruth 4:11b).

Janet concluded her lesson by encouraging us that God not only sees who we are but He sees whose  we are.  We are His!! He knows the plan He has for our lives.  Just as Rachel was precious in God’s eyes, He knows our heart and sees our faults.  He loves us and wants the best for us, in spite of what we’ve done. God worked on our behalf by sending His Son, Jesus, to suffer and die for our sins.  And through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God is still working on our behalf. Yes!! Rachel was a woman worth working for and so are we!!

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you” (Jer. 31:3b, HCB)

Bible Memorization Project - The Sequel - Verse Two

Hello Everyone;

As the post title suggests, it’s that time again.  Today is the day we post our second verse that we are committing to memory for the Bible memorization project.  Do you have yours yet?

This past week I came across a scripture in my reading that caused me to sit and think on a bit. 

“The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endure forever”                                               Psalm 119:60

What the Psalmist is saying is not only is God’s Word true as a whole but it is also true individually.  That each singular verse that we read has a wealth of truth all to itself.  For some reason that grabbed me.  As we commit to memorizing scripture take time to meditate on the truth of what it says.  Let the beauty of the Word overwhelm you until it meshes with your belief system. 

As you memorize I want to encourage you to dialogue with the Lord about your verse and ask Him to give you revelatory understanding.  The kind that sticks with you for a lifetime and stays with you far beyond the scope of this project.   That ladies is a prayer that God will most definitely answer.  

Ok it is time for us to list our verses.  If you are new to the blog or to this group and missed the start date, jump on in.  You can still participate.  The more the merrier.  I will start us off.

“If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.”                        1 Corinthians 13:2

Love doing this with you guys!  

It’s time for you to leave your verses in the comments.  Let’s do it!

What's the Scoop on Hannah?

On Tuesday, Annie recounted the story of Hannah. Like Elizabeth, who we studied before Christmas, Hannah was not able to bear children. As you would imagine, this was the source of deep personal pain. In addition, society viewed these women as ‘less than’. Please read 1 Samuel 1 for Hannah’s full story.

Unlike Elizabeth, Hannah’s husband had married a second wife who bore him many children. “And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat” (1 Sam. 1:6-7). Even if we haven’t been in Hannah’s circumstances our hearts go out to her. How much pain can a heart bare? To be constantly provoked in your area of greatest weakness….so cruel.

It was customary to go up to Jerusalem once a year to offer sacrifices to the Lord. One year as Hannah went, along with her husband and his other wife and their children, she had come to the breaking point. She entered the temple and poured out her heart to the Lord in total vulnerability and brokenness. She laid her pain, her burden at His feet. She trusted God with her need.

Have you ever felt like Hannah – wanting something so badly, for so long, that your spirit is crushed? You may have prayed about it and done everything humanly possible to change the circumstance but to no avail. God will bring us to a point where there is only one thing to do. Surrender!

What ‘surrender’ is not…. it is not bargaining with God. I think that sometimes when we try to do this, in the back of our minds we think, ‘if I surrender this thing then God will give it to me’. That isn’t what God wants. We might fear that by surrendering it to God we will be left with a void in our hearts. A wise friend has pointed out to me that you know you have truly surrendered something to God when you have peace with the outcome, whatever it may be, even if it isn’t what you had wanted. No thing, no matter how good, can fill the spot in our heart that was only meant for God.

We see this surrender in Hannah’s words: “And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head” (1 Sam. 1:11). Hannah had come to a place where she could freely offer to God what He would give to her. “She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast” (1 Sam. 1:18).

Hannah was able to leave the presence of the Lord with joy and peace despite that there was no change in her circumstance. This is evidence of her surrender. As we read at the end of chapter 1, there is even more compelling evidence of the condition of Hannah’s heart. In the course of time she had a son named Samuel. After Samuel had been weaned she presented him to Eli the priest as she had promised so her son could serve the Lord all of his days. “So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there” (1 Sam 1:28).

Hannah’s attitude towards the Lord is reflected in her prayer. As she later prays we see the powerful testimony of her words. “Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” (1 Sam. 2:1-2).

This year in Women’s Bible Study we are supplementing each week’s teaching with a bible study book. As we have gone through the year we have focused on becoming women of positive influence. As I close, I would like to leave you with a quote from the author regarding Hannah. I pray that we, like Hannah, will come to a place where we will be fully surrendered to the Lord.

“Hannah is not a woman of faith simply because she bore a child; she is a woman of faith because she sought God when she was in her deepest distress, because she realized that only He could answer her questions and that only he could provide the consolation and purpose in life she so desperately sought”, (from Women of the Bible by Jean E. Syswerda, pg. 84).

“What’s the Scoop on……Bathsheba”

Today in bible study we sat in the jury box of an intriguing court case.  The accused - Bathsheba.  The charge – was she a vixen or a victim in her fateful encounter with King David.  Arlene presented the arguments in the case. After her presentation we, the jury, were charged with pronouncing her ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’.  Before getting into the evidence of the case please read 2 Samuel 11.

Arlene explained that there were four elements we needed to consider: 1) Means, 2)Motive, 3) Opportunity, and 4) Precedents. 

Arguments for the Prosecution - Vixen

1) Means – David was in the castle and Bathsheba’s husband was away.  It should be noted that David was very good looking.  Bathsheba was a very beautiful woman.   

2) Motive – The bathing itself may have been for the purpose of ritual purification. This could have showcased Bathsheba’s physical charms. It would also serve as notice that she was ‘available’. If she had been a careful, modest woman she would have first checked to make sure she was unobserved. 

3) Opportunity – Time: According to the biblical account, Bathsheba was bathing in the evening, which began at 3pm. David wasn’t sleeping, he was taking an afternoon nap . Place: David could have been going out on the balcony to enjoy the cool afternoon breezes.  Bathsheba would have known how close the palace was she could have been harboring ulterior motives towards the king.  (As a side note,  David’s submission to her charms is inexcusable.)

4) Precedents: Bathsheba could have refused David – after all she was a married woman. In the book of Est
h
er, Queen Vashti refused the king.  Bathsheba’s refusal would have  protected David’s reputation as a man of God.  It seems she went willingly.

The question is, if Bathsheba was guilty as charged, why was her behavior wrong? Why is it wrong to be labeled a vixen? Isn't that what our culture advertises from every billboard and underwear commercial on T.V. Because, Bathsheba was allowing man to define who she was, not God.  If we allow a man to define who we are, we change to fit the expectations of the person from whom we are seeking approval. We lose our strength and as we do this, we relinquish our God-given positive influence.   Allowing other women to define us is also not God’s way. We do this sometimes by competing with one another in order that we might grasp their acceptance and admiration.  If they like me and admire me then I must have value.  Sometimes we flaunt what we have so that we will feel better about ourselves but often at someone else's expense. Arlene pointed out from The Message Bible in 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, “Love doesn't strut”.  Because we love our sisters we have to be careful that we don’t hurt one another by boasting of what we have when it may be a place of insecurity or pain in the heart of another.

Arguments for the Defense - Victim

1) Means – David should have been away at war with his troops. His position of wealth and power led to laziness.  Because Bathsheba was beautiful doesn’t mean she was inviting ‘trouble’.  David should have been able to turn away and respect Bathsheba’s privacy.

2) Motive – Bathsheba was a godly woman who was obeying the law of purification in bathing. It’s possible she did look around and didn’t know she was being observed.

3) Opportunity – Because of the wording of the bible, its unclear whether it really was afternoon or evening.  If it was night, Bathsheba would have expected others to be sleeping.  She also was on her own property – a back courtyard or the roof – where she expected privacy. 

4) Precedents – David had to do research to find out who Bathsheba was.  She was a woman alone, with her husband off to war. David was a powerful king. She was unable to refuse His command.

If Bathsheba was found to be a victim, why would it be wrong for her to live out this label the rest of her days?

God defines us, not our circumstances.  According to Webster’s Dictionary, to be victimized means that you are acted upon adversely by a force or an agent.  Examples of a force could be: cancer, a car crash or a financial setback.   Examples of an agent would be oppression or mistreatment by a parent, boss, or even a coach.  Victimization could also occur when you are rejected or betrayed by someone you trusted.  

Arlene explained that even though victimization may have happened in the past it is possible that a person could still live like a victim in their heart.  If you feel like a victim, your actions will flow from that mindset.  She explained that you might have a fear that you will be rejected, that someone will hurt you, or that someone is taking advantage of you. But there is hope in Jesus! It says in Isaiah 1:5, “Why should you be beaten anymore?   Why do you persist in rebellion?  Your whole head is injured,   your whole heart afflicted” but then the bible goes on to say in Isaiah 61:1, “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted”.  That is what Jesus will do for you!

It is important that we allow the Lord to heal us! Arlene gave us three reasons why we need to be free:

 

1. We can then fulfill the call on of God on our lives. 

2. We won’t make decisions based on a victim mentality.  

3. We will not make ourselves  a target for Satan. He will exploit our weakness. 

After hearing all the evidence, Arlene asked us, “what is the verdict….guilty or not guilty”?

The verdict….she was a victor!  Bathsheba allowed God to define who she was.  Arlene jumped ahead to the end of David’s life.  David had made a promise to Bathsheba, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne” (1 Kings 1:17).  Despite this promise, another son of David wad conspired to take the throne.  Bathsheba went to David with Nathan and reminded him of his promise.  David needed to take action in order to save her own life and the life of Solomon.  David acted on Bathsheba’s request and anointed Solomon king.  If Bathsheba had a victim mentality she would never have been able to do what she did.

Arlene then brought us to Proverbs 31. Jewish tradition tells us that there verses were written by Bathsheba as instructions to Solomon for selecting his wife or the words of Solomon about his mother.  Please read Proverbs 31 from this perspective.  If Bathsheba was a vixen this would not have been her testimony.

So  what can we hold on to and apply to our own lives? That when the curtain closes at the end of your life, in god's perspective, it  doesn’t matter what you were but who you have become!!

“A woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 30b).

 

Bible Memorization Project - The Sequel - Week One

On your mark, get set, go! 

Today we launch the start of our twenty week journey in memorizing God’s Word together.  We are calling this the Bible Memorization Project – The Sequel.  I can’t wait to get started and from the enthusiasm I witnessed in women’s Bible study today, I suspect that you are just as ready as I am.

If you are new to the blog and don’t know what this is all about, you can read about it here. 

As I was preparing to write this post and to get started with my new list of ten scriptures, I thought I would revisit my first verse from last year. 

Forget about what has happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Isaiah 43:18-19 Message

I am tickled, because God, indeed, has fulfilled the substance of this verse over this past year.  As I allowed the truth of what is contained in this scripture to permeate my mind and heart (forgetting) and looking for what God was doing in my life presently (being alert), I could actually see the path that He had laid for me.  It was been pure refreshment and He has been undeniably faithful. 

Since today marks day one of week one of the project, it is time to start posting our scriptures.  Let’s see those verses ladies!  I will put mine here and you can leave yours in the comment below.

“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.”  1 Corinthians 13:1 (Message)

Thanks so much for joining me in this project.  There is nothing I love more then studying God’s word with you.  I am blessed!

My Prayer for You - 2012

Hello Everyone;

As you know, this past week we have been in a season of concentrated and consecrated prayer and fasting.  I had written out a prayer to pray over the women on Thursday night and I thought I would put it here for you to read and pray over each other or yourself.  Thank you so much for being who you are, a group of women who love God and His word.  It is a privalege to serve you in His name. 

God Bless you with His Grace

Arlene

    

Lord we thank You that the entrance of Your word brings light and life into our lives.  We thank You that it is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.  Father we pray that You would illuminate our lives with the brilliance of Your word.  We pray that it would seep into every crevice of our being and make us more like Your son.  Father we ask through the power of the spirit that You would make us not only hearers of Your word but doers as well.  Lord You have said in Your word that nothing is exalted above Your name or Your word.  How I pray that we would do the same.  That we would not allow anything to crowd out You or Your word in our lives.  Father give us a passion for it.  Let everything else pale in comparison to our time spent alone with You.  Speak to us personally and specifically as we read.  I pray that you would give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You, that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened so that we may the hope to which You have called us, the glorious riches of the inheritance in the saints and the exceedingly great power to those that believe.  Father I pray that You increase our faith as we set our hearts on Your word because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  Lord I ask that this time next year we as women, would see You more clearly, love You more dearly and follow you more nearly each and every day.  We love You Lord.  Overturn some tables in our lives and make us radically head over heals in love with You.  Enthrall us with Your personality through Your word.  In the mighty name of Jesus.

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.....God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him."  Psalm 67:1-2,7

"What's the Scoop on........Tamar"

Tuesday in bible study Annie’s lesson was on Tamar, the daughter of King David.  There is no way to get around it…..Tamar’s story is a hard one.  As Annie went through the tragic events of Tamar’s life she was able to bring a thought provoking perspective and words of encouragement.

Here’s her story: Tamar’s mother was a princess from a land neighboring Israel. She was also a daughter of King David, making her a princess of Israel, where she lived in her father’s household. Tamar had a half-brother named Amnon who lived in the palace as well. His father was also King David.  Amnon manipulated circumstances in order to get Tamar alone where he raped her.  Tamar pleaded with Amnon to marry her to alleviate her shame yet he cast her out in disgrace.  Her full brother Absalom took Tamar into his own home where she lived as a desolate woman.  Scripture tells us that although King David was very angry at Amnon for what he had done, he took no action.

Tamar was a princess who was defiled.  Based on what we read in scripture it seems like Tamar lived out her life in shame. She saw herself  through the filter of her victimization.

We may also see ourselves in a similar fashion.  Like Tamar, we may have suffered abuse, and wear that label.  The world also puts unrealistic expectations upon us.   Perfection is the ideal – not just our outward appearance but in all our roles as women.  We may measure ourselves against this standard, falling far short.  But is this who we truly are?

If we belong to God, we too are princess of our King.  What does it mean to be a princess? We may have visions of beauty, grace, and privilege but it means so much more than that.  Annie quoted from John and Staci Eldredge’s book Captivating, “A woman is a warrior too. But she is meant to be a warrior in a uniquely feminine way. Sometime before the sorrows of life did their best to kill it in us, most young women wanted to be a part of something grand, something important.”

How God  sees us, no matter what the world will bring upon us,  as a cherished, beautiful woman.  Annie gave a great analogy: you might be called a chair and someone might actually sit on you but that does not make you a chair. Who we are as women is who God says we are. No one else has that power. 

God has quite a bit to say about shame:

“Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs” (Isaiah 61:7).

“As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame”” (Romans 10:11).

“For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6).

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship (‘daughtership)’. Because you are his sons (daughters), God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave (to abuse, rape, statistics, the world), but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” (Galatians 4:4-8, Annie’s emphasis).

I want to mention something else, my dear sisters.  The abuse Tamar suffered was terrible and she was forever changed by this.  Annie spoke with compassion for those of us who may have suffered in a similar way.  There is no easy formula for healing.  God’s power, His love and His Word can do amazing miracles in people’s lives. On Tuesday mornings Arlene has been speaking on ‘The Bible Memorization Project – the Sequel’.  God’s Word is powerful and as we hide it in our hearts we are better able to stand against the onslaughts of the enemy.  Annie gave us some great verses on shame.  If this is something you struggle with – hold on to what God has to say and take it in your heart.

“Those who look to Him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame” (Psalm 34:5).