2009 | Paula Wiseman

So 2009…

I missed posting Tuesday, but I have learned that I don’t have to “do” everything. This is the time of year when we write the Christmas letter and consider all that’s happened in our lives. This morning I read a great piece by Brandilyn Collins in her Forensics & Faith newsletter on what she learned in 2009. I couldn’t help considering what 2009 meant for me and my family.

Some things never change- God is still good. Grace is still superabundant. My husband still loves me more than I understand. My children are still a precious, sweet gift and blessing. God’s word still has the answers. My friends are still treasures.

Some things, however, do change or grow or are added to our life experiences-

God is working in amazing ways in the lives of my children. Seeing their faith grow and become more real to them is an amazing thing to watch.

The words I write can reach the heart of another person. That gives me chills. What a humbling privilege.

I have more in common with my son than I knew. And parenting is a difficult mix of helping and not helping… and knowing which to do.

I am not a bad shot. I’m not great yet, but I’m not bad.

I do have enough self-discipline to run. Unless it’s cold.

I am a techie-nerd. I knew that before, but I have even more evidence now that I have a website, and a newsletter and Facebook and Twitter, etc.

Writing is fun. Editing is hard. Failure is worse. Quitting is impossible.

I can live without my computer (as long as its preplanned

and there is a beach involved).

“Good enough”

I get frustrated more easily than I like to acknowledge.

I’m less patient than I previously believed. However, I can still outwait my kids.

Some answers I can’t handle yet.

People in publishing are refreshingly approachable.

There is more good information out there than I can possibly absorb.

Sometimes you just have to call it a day.

I’m not the only one who thinks my characters are real.

Heroes are not always who you think they are.

What about you? What have you learned, experienced or changed?

Some things never change- God is still good. Grace is still superabundant. My husband still loves me

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more than I understand. My children are still a precious, sweet gift and blessing. God’s word still has the answers. My friends are still treasures.

Some things, however, do change or grow or are added to our life experiences-

God is working in amazing ways in the lives of my children. Seeing their faith grow and become more real to them is an amazing thing to watch.

The words I write can reach the heart of another person. That gives me chills. What a humbling privilege.

I have more in common with my son than I knew. And parenting is a difficult mix of helping and not helping… and knowing which to do.

I am not a bad shot. I’m not great yet, but I’m not bad.

I do have enough self-discipline to run. Unless it’s cold.

I am a techie-nerd. I knew that before, but I have even more evidence now that I have a website, and a newsletter and Facebook and Twitter, etc.

Writing is fun. Editing is hard. Failure is worse. Quitting is impossible.

I can live without my computer (as long as its preplanned and there is a beach involved).

“Good enough”

I get frustrated more easily than I like to acknowledge.

I’m less patient than I previously believed. However, I can still outwait my kids.

Some answers I can’t handle yet.

People in publishing are refreshingly approachable.

There is more good information out there than I can possibly absorb.

Sometimes you just have to call it a day.

I’m not the only one who thinks my characters are real.

Heroes are not always who you think they are.

What about you? What have you learned, experienced or changed?

Filed Under: Living

Study Tip: Behold

By Paula

CB058387 There are times in Scripture where God helps us out, highlighting His word for us. The highlighter used most often is ‘behold’.

Behold!

I don’t typically use that word in my everyday conversation, and except for Phineas and Ferb, I don’t even hear it on a regular basis. In Scripture, when God uses it, He’s drawing special attention to what He’s saying or doing and that deserves a closer look.

In Luke 2:10, the angel says, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” Behold. Get this. Pay attention. The shepherds probably needed a little focus after the whole miraculous, angelic appearance thing. (Just guessing, but I figure they were a little freaked out.)

In Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and will call His name Immanuel.”
Behold. Watch for this.

Psalm 33:18 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy.” Behold. You can count on this. I’m telling you…

As you study, watch for the ‘pre-highlighted’ verses, slow down and catch what God has for you in them.

Study Tip: Topical Study Resources

By Paula

I am a “verse by verse, chapter by chapter, keep it in context” type when I study, but not everyone is. You may prefer topical study. For that, try using the concordance or subject index in the back of your Bible.

A concordance lists each occurrence of a key word in Scripture. Some ‘back of the Bible’ ones are more complete than others. If you want complete, try Strong’s, Young’s or Cruden’s.

Strong’s is very complete, exhaustive even and has become the standard. There are a few things that make it difficult to use. It is arranged by the Greek or Hebrew word, so you need to know those to look words up. Also, we read in English. The word hesed in Hebrew is translated lovingkindess, mercy, love and several other ways. Then there are other words translated mercy. If you wanted to study mercy, you’d need to know all those Hebrew or Greek words.

Young’s is arranged by the English word. If you looked up mercy, it would list all the occurrences original language words translated mercy. It’s more practical for people not wanting to get into Hebrew or Greek.

Cruden’s is based off the KJV, so if you’re not familiar with its wording, this one may not help much. I use it in situations where you know the words, but don’t know where they’re found. You know, something about mercies new every morning… Oh yeah. Lamentations 3:23.

A subject index covers a limited number of topics, so it is less complete but great for a quick study.

Topical Bibles are arranged similarly but are more complete.

A Bible Dictionary can also be a great tool for a topical study. Here’s the entry from the Holman Bible Dictionary for thanksgiving.

THANKSGIVING 1. Gratitude directed towards God …, generally in response to God’s concrete acts in history. Thanksgiving was central to Old Testament worship. Sacrifice and offerings were to be made not grudgingly but with thanksgiving (Ps. 54:6; Jonah 2:9). The psalmist valued a song of thanksgiving more than sacrifice (Ps. 69:30-31). David employed Levites “to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord” (1 Chron. 16:4; also 23:30; Neh. 12:46). Pilgrimage to the Temple and Temple worship were characterized by thanksgiving (Pss. 42:4; 95:2; 100:4; 122:4). Thankfulness was expressed: for personal (Ps. 35:18) and national deliverance (Ps. 44:7-8); for God’s faithfulness to the covenant (Ps. 100:5); and for forgiveness (Ps. 30:4-5; Isa. 12:1). All creation joins in offering thanks to God (Ps. 145:10). See Psalms. Thanksgiving is a natural element of Christian worship (1 Cor. 14:16-17) and is to characterize all of Christian life (Col. 2:7; 4:2). Early Christians expressed thanks: for Christ’s healing ministry (Luke 17:16); for Christ’s deliverance of the believer from sin (Rom. 6:17-18; 7:25); for God’s indescribable gift of grace in Christ (2 Cor. 9:14-15; 1 Cor. 15:57; compare Rom. 1:21); and for the faith of fellow Christians (Rom. 1:8).

2. Epistolary thanksgiving: An element in the opening of a typical Greek letter. All of the Pauline Letters with the exception of Galatians begin with a thanksgiving. See Letters.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: Study Tip Tuesday Tagged With: Bible study, mercy, Strong's, thanksgiving

Allergies in the Body of Christ

By Paula

I was sick all last week during my semi-annual battle with my immune responses. 42-16820864 We have a spring skirmish and a fall assault each year. The fall one was late- very tricky. However, as I was giving my body a chance to recuperate, sleeping off the antihistamines, I began to wonder if we, as the body of Christ ever suffer from an allergy attack.

An allergic response occurs when the body misidentifies something as an invader and rallies a full immune system response to get rid of it. Do we ever incorrectly identify threats, or invaders? Is our ‘body’ tired, achy or ineffective because we’ve being fighting the wrong things? This is not to say that the body of Christ isn’t threatened from within as well as from the outside. John’s and Peter’s epistle say a great deal about heresy and false teachers. However, we do need some discernment to ensure we’re not at war with something harmless or worse, fighting our own body.

I’m not going to name what I believe have become ‘allergies’ for the church. Our best strategy is to look at Jesus Christ. He had three short years of ministry, so He didn’t waste any time on anything that wasn’t helping fulfill His purpose. How did He minister? What did He address? How did He touch lives?

Go, and do likewise, He said.

Filed Under: Living Tagged With: allergies, church, John, Peter

Study Tip: Make It Personal

By Paula

Scripture written by folks long ago and far away can sometimes seem detached from us in the here and now. However, God is timeless and His word reaches across the years and speaks to our situations. With some passages, it takes a little personalization during your quiet time to see it. The Psalms are a great place to start. Many of them are written in first person. My son has had a rough year in school and has latched on to Psalm 56. It’s a great first person psalm about being hassled by enemies all day long. It includes “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Other Psalms can be converted- I read Psalm 66 recently, and changed the ‘our’ pronouns to ‘my’ pronouns in my mind.
Who keeps [my] soul among the living,
And does not allow [my] feet to be moved.
For You, O God, have tested [me];
You have refined [me] as silver is refined…
[I] went through fire and through water;
But You brought [me] out to rich fulfillment.

In the New Testament, any passage that refers to believers can be personalized. One of my favorites is Ephesians 2:4-10.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved [me],
5 Even when [I was] dead in trespasses, made [me] alive together with Christ (by grace [I] have been saved),
6 And raised [me] up together, and made [me] sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward [me] in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace [I] have been saved through faith, and that not of [myself]; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For [I am] His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that [I] should walk in them.

We are not just a number or a name in a book to God. He knows us intimately and individually. Reading His word as His personal message may help us grasp that.

Filed Under: Study Tip Tuesday Tagged With: Bible study, Ephesians, Psalms