Influences

Okay, so I have posted just above nothing for the month of July. Sorry girls. Here are a few of my influences.

People

My Mom
Jamie has often said that is hard to overcome what your parents are, so I have thought to myself before what was my mother that I have become? As I have considered this her faithfulness came to my mind. When I was growing up she took me to church, and it wasn't optional, we didn't skip if we were tired, we just went, and she has continued in that. So she has been a great example of faithfulness for me.

Jamie
I don't even know what to say to convey the emmense amount of life knowledge I have gained from him. There are no words, he has been a great role model and a constant friend, faithful to the Lord and faithful in his friendship with me.

Melanie Bond
She has been a spiritual mother to me, discipled me, and loved me since I was in high school. She has constantly invested her life and prayers into mine and only know that I have my own spiritual children do I realize just how much she loves me.

My Bible Study Girls
By teaching them the Lord has taught me so much. He really has blessed those relationships more than I could ask or imagine. I have got to share and pour my life into theirs for five years! I have such different relationships with each of them, but they all have such a depth of the love that I can only say the Lord has knit our hearts together.

You girls
I can't imagine going through college and not having friends that loved the Lord. I prayed that the Lord would give me godly friends before I went to college and again He gave me more than I could ask or think. You encouraged me and spurred me on so often. I love you all so deeply.

So as I reflect on what I have written here I am amazed at how the Lord has blessed my life with relationships!

Scripture
The one that is coming to my mind is the book of Ruth. I studied it several years ago with my girls and I can remember reading about Ruth and the beauty of her devotion to the Lord and Naomi, and I realized I wanted to be a woman of integrity like that.

Also the beatittudes. I want my life to be characterized by those qualities.

Books
I think John MacArthur's book The Keys to Spiritual Growth. This book taught me so many practical ways to pursue growth in my relationship with the Lord. One thing that especially stood out to me was his recommendation to study the bible by reading a book for 30 days. I didn't realize what depth there was in God's word until I did that and there was still so much left in the book of Ephesians I didn't grasp.

There are other books, but that will suffice for now.

Truths/Learning moments

One of the most important truths I learned in my life is when I began to understand grace. The Lord is so good to me that while I was yet a sinner (not seeking Him and with no desire to do so) Christ died for me because he had chosen me before the foundation of the world!

Last, learning about the supremacy of Christ. He is not a wimp and His people should not walk around living defeated lives because He has defeated sin and death and they are no longer our master. So that is all.

Influences....

Okay... so we were doing really good for a while weren't we.... let's see if we can start back up....

People:
-My father, he was always the leader of house and always set a great example, he is such an amazing man! He set a great example of what I knew I should look for when it came time to finding a Godly husband!

-Jeremy, he amazes me more everyday! He love me so much and really wants to be a Godly husband and shows me this everyday.

-Kara, Telitha, Victoria, and Justin.... the four of you were the first people ever to show me what it was like to have a passion for God and be on fire for him. You have always pushed me to grow in my relationship with God and for that I will forever be thankful

Life Changing Lessons:
-I'm having trouble thinking of Lessons so I'll go with Life Changing moments....
-When I quit softball, that is someting I often think about, if I had kept playing I think my life would have been different (and not in a good way), so I priase God for giving me the strength to quit.
-God reminds me every day of his love for me by how he forgives me for every thing I've done and still continues to Bless me!

Scripture:
-The books of Hebrews has always been amazing to me and showing me how Faith is such an important aspect of being a Christian.

Books:
-Well you know how I am about reading, I tend not to remember the books that I have read, I know they've impacted my life but I still don't remember much about them....
-Books I've enjoyed: The Five Love Languages, Blue Like Jazz, Narnia (I know it's fiction, but the parallels are incredible)

Kara's Most Influential

Where to start...

Most influential people:
- My friend Cindy from home. She is the one who invited me to go to church. I often went with her and am so thankful for her friendship and her return to the Lord.

- My Mentor/Sunday School Teacher Becky Fields. She took us through books of the Bible and rightly divided the Word of Truth. She also helped me understand the doctrines of Grace.

- My mother. She always gave me a balanced answer to my questions and always reminded me not tarnish my testimony by doing something stupid.

- Justin. There are so many way that he has influenced me, he is passionate and convinced. He also is the one who introduced me to Calvinism (the doctrines of grace)and told me to search the scripture.

- Dan Lewis, my youth minister. He taught me that there is an absolute truth and God's word is it! He laid a solid foundation which everything else is built on!

Lessons that were life changing:
- When I learned that I did not have to performed to be loved and that my true identity is found in Christ I found such freedom.

- That as a Christian all I have to do is Love God and do what I want because God has given me the desires he wants me to have. So love God and do what you want!

- That God is sovereign.

Scripture that was life changing:
- The book of Romans. When I read it the summer after my freshman year of college I saw all things differently. I realized God is sovereign over all His creation and we are created to worship him! It was amazing to see that God has chosen a people for Himself and His death on the cross was to redeem those people. He took the wrath I deserve upon himself! This was life changing and I never tire learning these things.

- The book of Ephesians. To learn who I am in Christ and who He is in me! It is amazing!!

Books that were life changing:- The Search for Significance (workbook)
- Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado
Neither are deep but nonetheless they impacted me!
- The Cross Centered Life by C.J Maheny (excellent!!!!!!! points me to the Cross!)

I thank God for all these things!

Most Influential

I have been thinking a lot lately about has influenced me in my walk with the Lord! Lets share some of the most influential things in our lives. Scripture passages, lessons, and people!

5 Things I Dig...

Okay... sorry it took me so long to reply to this...

5 Things I Dig about Jesus....

1. I dig Jesus because he followed His Father's will and died for me on the cross!
2. I dig Jesus because he overcame death by rising three days later and is waiting for me in Heaven!
3. I dig Jesus because he doesn't show favoritism and loves everyone the same!
4. I dig Jesus because he gives me the strength to do anything for His will and God's Glory!
5. I dig Jesus because after everything I've done in my life, he will be there with open arms!

5 Things You Dig About Jesus

Hey Girls! I tagged you both and sinc eyou don't have your own blogs you must each write 5 things you dig about Jesus in your own post!!!

:) Enjoy pondering this!

Unwavering

Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

Romans 4: 19-21

This to me is profound! I have read this passage many times but lastnight this jumped off the page! Abraham did not waver in unbelief in regard to God's promise! He was fully assured that God would fulfill his promise! God is faithful in so many ways it is amazing!

I think something we fail to remember as Christians is God's promises to us. They are plentiful! If you come across a promise of God to His people while you are reading and studying lets share it with one another and encourage one another. One I often remind myself of is that we are to cast our cares on God. I know this but do I do it? NO! May I learn to live in a life of freedom by living in God's promises rather than bondage by my own ways!

Not only was Abraham steadfast... he gave the glory to God!
Let us be more the Abraham!

Bad Week

Okay, so this week has been not so good when it comes to reading my Bible, and this is a time when I should be drawing closer to the Lord and listening to what he has planned for us! It's been interesting having Jeremy home during the day, I've loved spending time with him, but I guess I just didn't realize that sometimes it is nice to just hang out by yourself to get refreshed, if you are together all the time you can't always talk about how your day went... anyway, maybe that's crazy.
So ladies... just continue to pray for us, I think we might start seriously thinking about moving back to Indiana after May next year... so we are going to start praying about that and see if that's where the Lord wants us to move.... Jeremy told me something today that was really comforting, he said one of the reasons he would like to move there is because it is closer to my parents and he likes my family and would like to be able to see them more often! :) I love my husband....
Anyway... that's all I have for you now...

Meditation

I came across this tonight and thought I would share it with you! I think this is what I am lacking is meditation. Tell me what part stood out too you?

Suck out the sweetness

(Thomas Watson, "The Christian Soldier" 1669)

Meditation is a holy exercise of the mind; whereby we
bring the truths of God to remembrance--and seriously
ponder upon them and apply them to ourselves. It is a
work which cannot be done in a crowd. A Christian must
retire from the world, to have serious thinking upon God.
It is not a few transient thoughts that are quickly gone;
but a fixing and staying of the mind upon heavenly
objects.

As the bee sucks the honey from the flower--so by
meditation we suck out the sweetness of a truth.
It is not the receiving of food into the mouth, but the
digesting of it, which makes it nutritious. Just so, it is
not the receiving of the most excellent truths in the
ear, which nourishes our souls--but the digesting of
them by meditation.

Satan does what he can to hinder this duty. He is an
enemy of meditation. The devil does not care not how
much we read--so long as we do not meditate on what
we read. Reading begets knowledge--but meditation
begets devotion. "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate
on it all day long." Psalm 119:97

Holy meditation quickens the affections. The reason
why our affections are so cold to heavenly things--is
because we do not warm them at the fire of holy
meditation. As the musing on worldly objects makes
the fire of lust burn; and as the musing on injuries
makes the fire of revenge burn; just so, meditating
on the transcendent beauties of Christ, would make
our love to Christ flame forth.

Meditation has a transforming power in it. The reading
of the Word may affect us--but the meditating upon it
transforms us. Meditation stamps the impression of divine
truths upon our hearts. By meditating on God's holiness,
we grow holy. While by meditation we look upon God's
purity--we are changed into His likeness.

Meditation produces reformation. "I have considered
my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes."
Psalm 119:59. If we would spend but one quarter of
an hour every day in contemplating heavenly objects,
it would leave a mighty impression upon us!

Church Discipline and the Power of Fellowship

Last week and this week I have been listening to John MacArthur on my way to work speak about church discipline and how we as the church are called to go to a brother that we know is sinning that we may win him back. I am sure that we all know about this, but I am doubtful that we have done it many times, or ever . He also quoted Dietrich Bonhoeffer as saying:

“Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him. And the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed it poisons the whole being of a person. This can happen even in the midst of a pious community. In confession, the light of the gospel breaks into the darkness and seclusion of the heart. The sin is brought into the light. The unexpressed is openly spoken and acknowledged. All that is secret and hidden is made manifest. It is a hard struggle until the sin is openly admitted, but God breaks gates of brass and bars of iron”

He also discussed the importance of fellowship/membership to a body. I am blessed to be able to say that within Woodland Hills I have a great body of believers with whom I have fellowship. But also consider my fellowship with you all as an important part of my life and this is yet another reason that I am excited about this blog. Who better to come to me in love for the purpose of restoring me to fellowship than you, and what better way to break the bonds of sin than to confess it to someone who loves you as I love you and you love me. I am thankful for you both.

PASSION

So wow, I am loving Sunday School more every time we go! I am learning more from that hour than I am from the sermon... my mind is usually reflecting on class during the sermon, but I'm trying to focus... This week our focus was on Passion and what are our passions are as individuals and what they should be as married couples. We are in the book of Nehimiah and we are learning about three attributes he had when we found out about the Wall and wanted to rebuild it, Passion, Pray, and Planning. Last week we kind of talked about those things, but I think Todd (the leader), wanted to get back into it.
It is very important to have a passion in your life, to fully enjoy something. Nehimiah's passion was for the wall and the city it protected. Todd asked us what some of our passions were, I mentioned Sandy Cove and then Todd's wife Michele asked me a question... Now, imagine if you found out that Sandy Cove was falling apart, that they were building adult bookstores on the property, or one of the buildings burned down and they didn't want to rebuild... how would I feel? Well ladies, I would be devastated!
Planning was also talked about in class, you have to plan for your passion! If you have a passion and do nothing to contribute to the passion what good is it? And you must pray! God is the one in control of your passions and if you seek his guidance than he will allow you to accomplish your passion!

So ladies.... what is your Passion?
Here are some of mine:
Seeking God
Jeremy
Sandy Cove
Being healthy and active (I'm working on this one :)
Physical Education
My family and friends

Some things...

I wanted to point out one thing on the blog.. make sure you check the comments. I am responding to your post there!

I love you guys so much!

Now to my question... In Ephesians 6, the armor of God section, are we told to put on the armor of God as more of a defensive or should we fight spiritual warfare? Paul tells us we have the sword of the Spirit but is it a defensive tool or offensive tool?

The reason I ask this is because the passage tells us to STAND multiple times... so that would make me think it is defensive. Justin and I were talking about it and he said we should remember the battle has already been won and we are to stand in Victory.

What do you think?

Here I am, I finally made it

I have read up on your blogging of late and I am very excited and challenged by your honesty, so as we blog I will try to be as transparent. I have been reading through the book of Isaiah lately. I am often convicted about how little of the bible I have actually read (especially the old testament). The last verse of Chapter two says "Stop regarding man, in whose nostrils are breath, for of what account is he?"

Far too often I am concerned about what man will think of me if I speak the truth of who Christ is and what I believe about Him. But why should I care? Who is man anyway and what importance does he have in my life compared to that of Christ in my life. When I was in sunday school last week Steve Varner said that we often don't speak because we don't believe that Christ will be victorious. What do you girls think?

I am praying for you both and am very excited about this blog.

Why Hello Friend

Hi... wonder where the other two ladies are... well I imagine Victoria is awefully busy with wedding stuff....

Yes... I was able to read Mon-Thurs (I skipped this morning, I had to be at work at 8 and my body would not get up when I wanted it to)... I started reading in Romans, and I am up to chapter 8 now! I can't believe how powerful His Word is.... Pastor Shada (at our church) stresses Life Journaling, basically writing down one or two verses that really pop out at your during your reading and then reflecting on those verses. Doing that really helps me in my reading because I am then focuses on the Word and looking at the verses and how they speak to me.... the other morning, I forget which verse cause I don't have it with me, I read a verse on judging other and how it is judging yourself... so true! I don't know how many times I judge others without even knowing them, I take one look at them and automatically my mind just puts out an opionion... that's something I would really like to focus on this next week is not judging others!

Well.... continue to pray for Jeremy and I... I wanted to be an honoring, respective, and submissive wife and I blew it Tuesday night.. I won't go into details, but I'm still feeling pretty bad about what I said... and how I went about saying it, and the results of my actions....

Anyway... I hope that you have a great weekend!

How's it going?

Annie, How's it going. We are almost to Friday did ya make your goal of getting in the word?

I did a few days... not like I wanted to. What has been awesome though is I am finding myself spending more time in prayer which is great.

Wanted to check in with you!

been thinking about..

the fear of God?

What exactly does it mean to fear God and the fear of God?

Is it respect or is it truly fear like we would experience when something scares us?

What do you all think?

A Challenge

It's funny that you mention that Kara... a week ago in Sunday School I was really challenged by the leaders about getting in the Word. It was an incredible lesson. John (the guy who led Sunday School) started with Revelation 1:3... Blessed is the one who READS! The verse goes on to say... the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. That verse can be taken two ways... the one who reads the prophecy of the book of Revelation or the one who reads the Word of God and who hear it and take to heart what is written in it. Rebecca (John's wife) gave a huge to both the husbands and wives of the class. The challenge to the husbands was to be the spiritual leader, that wives need to see them studying the Word and living the Word. And to the wives she gave the challenge of just being in the Word and learning from it. John then went on to talk about how we shouldn't just read the Word because we feel obligated to, but we should love the Word of God so much that we just want to read it all the time. Now I've heard that so many times before, but it struck me more that day than it ever has. So I left Sunday School feeling challenged and renewed and I couldn't wait to wake up Monday morning to read the Word. Jeremy and I woke up Monday morning and ran at 6am, and when we got back I just sat outside and read, it was so nice and refreshing.... and I thought hey this is nice, I can do this! But ladies... that's all I did for the rest of the week.... I slept til 8 almost every morning and then got up to watch TV.... I felt aweful everyday... I knew that something was missing.... So here I am again, ready to get up tomorrow (Monday) morning hoping to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to dive into the Word... so pray for me... you all know what a struggle reading is for me, but I really do want to learn what God has in store for me and for Jeremy....

Which leads me to one other thing... pray for Jeremy and I.... I would love to say that God is the number 1 priority in our marriage... but there is so much more we could do... pray that Jeremy would learn how to be the spiritual leader of this family... pray for me that I will encourage him to be the leader... We are both taking baby steps in this... the first step was by getting up and going to this Young Married's Sunday School class which has been such a blessing... Jeremy meets with the Youth Pastor and a couple other guys from the church for breakfast on Tuesday mornings and he's reading a book called The Man in the Mirror... reading is a struggle for him too... pray that we would both seek God in our marriage, and that these baby steps would turn into giant leaps of faith....

I love you all!

Where are we now?!?

It seems life gets very busy and we often forget or neglect the things most important to us. The past 5 weeks I have been reading through the book of Acts. It has taken me 5 weeks! I often found myself watching TV, reading a book or just wasting time online rather than spending it in the word! I have really been challenged lately to seek God anew. Does that make sense? I mean many time I think we get in a rut, I know I do. So to remedy this I am going to do a Bible survey that i found on biblegateway.com it is a 61 day plan that hits the key themes and main ideas throughout scripture! Wish me luck!!

What are you doing to keep your relationship with the Lord fresh? What are you learning during this season of your life?

Part II - It could be true faith or not

Well, I just lost everything that I wrote on this section as well. MAN!

Okay, here I go again. This section was a struggle for me, but it is okay, because it is Jonathan Edwards, and some things are probably going to be a struggle.

This section explains evidences and outward expressions that neither prove nor disprove true faith. He begins with 1) strong affections/emotions and 2) physical responses (ie groaning, fainting, trembling, etc...).

Now, I have had to evaluate myself as we have read through this and come to terms with the fact that I have built up a prejudice against showing strong emotions in my faith. It began as an aversion to letting my faith be controlled by my emotions (which I think is good) since they are constantly changing, but God is always steadfast in His promises and character. However, Edwards has made a convincing case that the expression of strong emotions is not only good, but it is required:

"The scripture often requires us to exercise very high affections: thus in the first and great commandment of the law, there is an accumulation of expressions, as though words were wanting to express the degree in which we ought to love God: 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.'"

So may the Lord continue to teach us as we continue on to the next section.

Religious Affections: True or Not True?

I believe Edwards is setting out to determine what and if all religious affections have validity.

I must admit that I had a difficult time working through these two sections! So forgive me if my thoughts sound jumbled! (although this is the second time I am writing this because my computer messed up while ago! grrrrrr!!!)

A few things I came away with:

AS TRUE BELIEVERS WE SHOULD...

• Not be satisfied where we are but seek to increase in our affections! (If we do not increase in our affections it is evidence that our heart has grown cold toward God!!)
• Experience and express high degrees of joy!
• Experience and express high degrees of gratitude!
• Express a high degree of sorrow for our sin and the sin of the world in which we live!
• Seek spiritual things!!

Love this. "The saints and angels in heaven, that have religion in its highest perfection, are exceedingly affected with what they behold and contemplate of God's perfections and works ... Now the only reason why their affections are so much higher than the holy affections of saints on earth is, they see the things they are affected by more according to their truth, and have their affections more conformed to the nature of things. (favorite part) And therefore, if religious affections in men here below are but of the same nature and kind with theirs, the higher they are, and the nearer they are to theirs in degree,the better, because therein they will be so much the more conformed to truth, as theirs are." Is our affections not suppose to be that great, that we are becoming conformed more to the image of the Truth, the Christ? I think so!

Sidenote: Since beginning the reading of religious Affections I have began to see certain scriptures in a new light? For example 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see that earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what seal, what punishment!" Telitha, have you came across any scriptures in your personal study that as made you think of religious affections?