Welcome to my MicroBlog. I don’t write full blog posts as often anymore. Instead, you can find brief, “micro blog” posts on Instagram! They are short reads. These are my most recent posts. To view the entire post on Instagram, simply click on the image. I window will open with the post!
Let’s be honest with each other. Sometimes this verse:
*JOY COMES IN THE MORNING*
falls a little flat when you are in the middle of what comes just before that:
*WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT*
(Psalm 30:5)
Our weeping may endure for many nights (even countless nights) & the hope of dawn seems distant.
I’m living this right now. My family lost my brother suddenly last week. We are swimming in grief as we manage the details of our final farewell. We know that James is with the Lord! He is experiencing perfect joy, perfect healing, right now. Meanwhile, my family and I are experiencing acute grief.
We find ourselves “instructing our hearts” as we grieve our loss. We don’t grieve as unbelievers grieve. Because of Jesus, we have hope beyond the grave. We *will* see him again!
I’ve lost many loved ones before. All of my grandparents. Some aunts, uncles, and dear friends. But none have cut my heart as deeply as this loss. I’m re-reading everything I’ve written about brokenness. All of it—yes, every word—is still true.
GOD IS NEAR THE BROKENHEARTED
Because of His presence, because Our Shepherd carries us—we can endure this season of weeping.
We catch glimpses of joy as we read the letters James wrote us, recalling our conversations with him, sharing pictures of him. Knowing he is safe with Jesus.
❓But where is the joy when grief crushes us so hard we can barely breathe?
Honestly? Right now, the only place I experience joy is in worshiping our Savior!
Death was never meant to be joyful. Death is from the enemy of our souls.
LIFE is in Jesus. True JOY is in Him.
So for now, I'll plug in my earbuds & listen to some Kari Jobe.
We can find joy joy in mourning.
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Still mulling over the theme of brokenness from my IGTV on Monday. (again, sorry it's sideways!!)
God sees everything that brings us to our place of brokenness. To Him, it is the most beautiful part of who we are. He is ready to use our brokenness to point others to Himself. He is ready to bring healing.
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Have you heard of the “Shema”? (pronounced sheh-mah)
I knew it was a Hebrew prayer taken from Deuteronomy 6. But that’s about it. Recently, I read a devotional that discussed it briefly. The Shema is taken from 3 passages: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21; and Numbers 15:37-41.
The first verse:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
The first word, *hear* is “shema,” and means to listen and to obey. It’s not passive, it is active. And sets the stage for all that follows.
God calls Israel to love Him whole-heartedly and to obey Him fully. He calls them to fix their eyes on Him and keep His commands close to their hearts. And to teach their children His commands at every opportunity. When they walk, when they sit, when they lie down and when they rise.
I'm reminded of James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” This is the essence of "shema." Actively listening to God's Word and following in obedience.
This isn't a "difficult obedience," like a child doing what his parents say because he doesn't want to be punished. The shema tells us that our obedience is motivated from love, within every part of our being. We honor God by doing what He says. And we love Him and this obedience so much that we share it with our children all the time. (If you're a parent, you know the broken record. "Mom, do I have to listen to that *again*?!?")
The result of loving God and obeying Him? We have the same benefit that God gave Israel -- His blessing. Not a perfect life, to be sure. But one that pleases God and fully satisfying.
Read more on the blog! Check the linkin.bio.
How do you put this into practice with your children?
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But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
The apostle Paul saw visions he described as “surpassingly great.” They must have been, because to keep Paul from becoming arrogant, God gave him some sort of physical ailment. The Greek describes this as “pointed or sharp,” thus Paul’s moniker, “thorn in the flesh.”
Ever had a thorn or a splinter you couldn't remove? Some are more painful than others. They annoy and distract. With annoyance and distraction come irritability and short tempers. (I’m not implying Paul had a short temper. Just considering where he may have been mentally and emotionally as a result of his thorn.) It’s clear this wasn’t a mild annoyance—it was extremely painful.
Paul begged God to remove it—3 times. But instead of healing, this physical pain became Paul’s constant companion.
When we read God’s answer, we may think God said, “No.” But God said a greater, “Yes.”
NO, to physical healing from intense pain.
YES, to Christ’s power
YES, to God’s grace.
When I read these verses, I tend to think more about the NO. I realize God will provide everything I need to endure whatever I’m asking God to remove. In reality, power and grace are God's greater YES.
May we, as Paul did, embrace God’s greater YES as we endure weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties. For when we are weak, then we know God’s strength.
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What comes to mind when you think of meditation? The first image that pops into my head is of a Buddhist or Hindu man sitting cross-legged, palms up on his knees. The next word that comes to my mind is, hard. Because I tend to think meditation takes work.
But I don't think "work" is what God had in mind for biblical meditation.
New post on the blog about how God uses meditation to transform our lives into the image of Christ!
Plus, you can download the PSALMS Method Scripture Meditation Worksheets that will guide your meditation process so your mind doesn't wander. Just click on the link in my bio and you'll go right to it.
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Biblical meditation can be confusing. And it can be difficult, especially for those who are easily distracted. Uhm ... that's me! 🙋♀️Anyone else?
Do you meditate as a regular part of your devotional or Bible study time? Do you have a plan that you follow? Share your thoughts in the comments!
A new resource to help you with this is coming in a few days. Stay tuned!
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Last week when I cleaned my bathroom I forgot to bring up paper towels for the mirror. After I cleaned everything else, I intended to bring some upstairs so I could take care of it. Except I didn't.
As the week wore on, my mirror continued to collect more toothpaste splatter, extra super duper hold hair spray, dust, and who knows what else.
Today, all that changed. When I cleaned my bathroom, I cleaned my mirror, too! What a difference a clean mirror makes! (Or maybe I didn't really want to see every blemish!)
Before I took this picture, I quickly removed the unmentionables I didn't want seen. How like us humans. We try to hide certain activities in our lives. But you know what? God sees it all.
James 1:22-25 tells us that God's Word is a mirror that shows us our true selves. It shows us who God is, who we really are, and how God wants us to live. The key is obedience. It's not a word not many of us like.
But obedience is what allows us to reflect God back to the world.
The mirror of God's Word shows us how we need to change. When we obey, we mirror God's character to a watching world.
"We can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him." (2 Cor. 3:18)
Check Linkin.Bio for how we mirror God's glory!!
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Valentine’s Day is approaching and hearts are a flutter with expectations of chocolate and special dinners. Yes, we have a dish of Dove chocolate on our sideboard. Yes, I'm planning a special dinner for the Tim-Man!
While some focus on a fairy tale Valentine’s experience, others dismiss it as a “fake holiday.” Either way, focusing on true love is always a good idea. Expressing our love for others honors the God who set the example of Perfect Love. No matter what day it is.
Lately I've been mulling over the differences between false love (or lust) and true love. God gives us a clear view of true love in His Word. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
False love is impatient. It wants what it wants, when it wants it. It says, “Now!”
→❤️But true love waits. It says, “Later. In God's time.”❤️←
False love demands. It sets limits and conditions.
→❤️True love serves without limits.❤️←
False love is self-centered.
→❤️True love is self-less. It says, “Your needs are more important than my needs.”❤️←
False love satisfies self.
→❤️True love sacrifices self.❤️←
False love uses others.
→❤️True love takes responsibility for others.❤️←
False love runs away and gets angry when it doesn't get its way. But true loves perseveres.
The actions behind both hold more resolve as the motives intensify. When lust is strong, the demand (or pressure) for satisfaction is strong.
→❤️But when love runs deep, demands disappear.❤️←
Instead of asking, “What do I want for Valentine’s Day?” ask these questions:
❤️ How can I serve the one I love?
❤️ How can I put their needs before my own?
❤️ What is God's best for the one I love?
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I've been enjoying Jennifer Kennedy Dean's advent devotional--Pursuing the Christ: 31 Morning and Evening Prayers for Christmastime.
🎄
DAY 29 Isaiah 9:6 "He will be named ... Eternal Father." The evening portion focuses on the Father's role as the potter and how He carefully shapes us into His image.
🎄
"When You have molded some part of me so that it has the shape of You, then I am passed through the fire. Your fire sets the shape so that it is stable. Your fire does not consume; Your fire purifies and strengthens."
🎄
How encouraging to know that when we are "in the fire," God is strengthening His character in us.
🎄
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