His Grace in Removing Idols

The first Bible study I ever did was Breaking Free by Beth Moore, and I'm pretty sure that's the first time that I learned that the term "idol" meant way more than just a carved wooden statue.  When Beth defined the term to include anything that takes the place of God in our lives, my eyes were opened to see how many things in this day and age could qualify under that definition.

During Priscilla Shirer's Gideon study that I went through this summer with a friend, she showed how the Israelites initially worshiped Baal, how Gideon removed the Baal idols, and how the Israelites ultimately returned to their old ways and wanted Gideon to rule over them as king after he (with God's help) defeated the Midianites.  On p. 150 of the study guide, Priscilla asked that we list any habit, desire, person, or activity that fits the following questions:

• Do you have to compromise your convictions to indulge any person or action?
• Does anything weigh more heavily in your decision-making process than the voice of the Holy Spirit?
• Do you have difficulty being content, joyful, or grateful without something?
• Is there anything you cannot say no to, even when God is asking it of you for a season?
• Do you automatically turn to something for comfort or relief when you're unhappy?
• Does your mind immediately center on something as a solution when problems arise?

I don't know about you, but those questions are tough.  And the truth that they reveal is tough to swallow.  But my prayer at the end of that day's study was for God to help me attack and remove the idols in my life that are taking His place and His benefits.  And the Lord has been faithful to assist with this process.

The easiest victory to discuss in a public forum is my love for college football, particularly a team with burnt orange as their signature color.  After I realized how much my fall schedule revolves around their games, I tried to make some changes.  And let's just say that maybe their losing two of the first three games is God's grace in removing this idol from my life (and maybe some of the other fans' lives).

Substituting a visible alternative for the invisible but faithful One-and-Only God will always leave me empty.   The things of this world cannot compare to the benefits that our all-knowing, omnipresent, almighty God can provide.  May that give me the strength and perseverance that I need to remove anything else that I attempt to put on His throne.

My Role

[Disclaimer:  If you've ever wondered what introverts do, the following is a typical example.  We think lots.  We sometimes write down what we think.  And what we write doesn't always tie up in a neat bow because we continue to think.  So beware what you tell an introvert because he or she may think long and hard about it!]

Over lunch this weekend, a friend mentioned that she was seeking God about what her role is in a particular activity in her life.  At the time, I didn't recognize the significance of her comment.  But since then, I've been thinking about my role in life, and I've realized that I don't really know what it is.

I am not a wife or a mother.  Both of those roles have important tasks that are fairly defined that go along with them.  Namely, those roles have a particular person or persons to serve.

But because I am neither of those roles, I've felt more like a wanderer without a guide.  While I'm grateful to know some gals who are on a path similar to mine, they aren't enough years ahead of me to show me the direction for the path ahead.  So, I've kind of made up my way as I go along.  I try to listen for God's leading, but I honestly don't know if I've heard Him correctly because right now looks a whole lot like the past ten to fifteen years.  I realize this is the blink of an eye on God's clock, but it feels like an eternity according to my watch.

In my current role, I don't know who I am supposed to serve on this earth.  I know that we are called to serve "the least of these," and I attempt to do that with my finances, but is that enough?  Are there particular people that I should be using my time to reach out to?

I continue to be pointed to Matthew 6:33 to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness," but I don't know what that is supposed to look like in my life.  Seeking means to constantly pursue, but in the context here, that doesn't mean pursuing accomplishments or the things of this world.  It's more about relationship than performance.

So right now, I find myself sitting in God's school room trying not to overcomplicate this but also trying to hear what He has to say about this particular subject because I don't want to waste my life on a made-up role.  I want to play the role He made me for. 

August Recap

As I sit down to recap August, it's already Labor Day, and a full weekend of college football is already in the books.  My thoughts are still a bit confused about the first 28 minutes of the UT game during which I texted a friend, "I did not wait 8 mos for this!"  Thankfully, the ship righted itself, as did my attitude and priorities.

One of the highlights of this month was taking the train home for my mom's birthday last weekend.  It is always good to be home, and we had fun eating out (dinner in a refurbished dining car in one town and pie in another town) and becoming new converts to Duck Dynasty.

I regret that my summer reading plan stalled out, and so I have quite a few books still in my stack.  They will likely have to wait a while longer now that college football has kicked off. 

Last week, a friend and I just wrapped up Priscilla Shirer's study on Gideon, and the study could not have been timed more perfectly.  During each of the six weeks, it felt like she had written the lessons just for me.  One of the lessons from Gideon that has stuck with me is that I don't want to fail to give God the glory; I want that to be my default in every situation.

In the midst of dealing with the not-so-fun aspects of this summer--like a $3,500 broken pipe repair, headaches caused by the storms, and unexplained low-pulse issues--the Lord has blessed me with over 400 gifts that I've recorded and many more that I'm sure I failed to notice.  Looking back at His faithfulness daily has served as a wonderful reminder that even when things feel mundane and ordinary, He is a God who makes the ordinary extraordinary if I'll just take time to stop and notice.

What was your favorite thing about August?

His Grace in Expanding Time

Several years ago during a gathering of my small group, my friend Melissa prayed that God would expand the time of one particular member, who had a lot going on, in order to enable her to get everything done that she needed to get done.  That prayer has always stuck with me, and I've often prayed it for others.  And a couple of weekends ago, I saw how the Lord answered that unspoken prayer in my own life.

That particular weekend, I had big plans to start in on my to-do list on Friday as soon as I got off work.  But after I put in a load of laundry and ate dinner, my stomach didn't feel well.  I ended up in bed before 7 p.m.  Not the start that I was planning on.

But Saturday morning, I woke up feeling great.  I did a load of laundry and watered plants before I met a friend to go for a walk.  After our walk, we went to two farmers' markets, dropped off some books for a friend, and drove the car through a car wash.  When I got home, I vacuumed the car and the house, drafted a budget, paid bills, cleaned out some files in the file cabinet, cleaned the bathroom, hand-washed the pile of "hand wash only" clothing items, mopped the floors, did all the ironing, put away dishes from the dishwasher, took a load of donations to Goodwill, completed some computer work, wrote some cards, and started on my Bible study homework.

Maybe all of the above is a normal day's work for you; if so, my hat is off to you.  I'm seldom that productive in one day.  I decided to nickname this my "Responsible Saturday."  It was one of those rare days when time seemed to stand still; at different points during the day, I couldn't believe how much was already done and that there was still lots of time left in the day. 

It was obvious to me that God's fingerprints were all over this particular day--from giving me the health and energy to complete tasks (some of which had been on my list for quite a while) to orchestrating events to fit together in a timely manner to expanding the time to not make the day feel rushed or hurried.  Responsible Saturday was truly a gift.

Have you experienced God's grace in His expanding your time?

Belated July Update

What I've Learned 

Even after all these years, my mind and body are still on a school calendar, and they miss old-fashioned summers at my grandparents' house.  Before I was old enough to stay home alone during the summer, my mom would drop me off at Granny and Pa-Pa's house on her way to work, and I would spend carefree days there with nothing planned other than having lunch at the Senior Citizens' Center and watching General Hospital at 2 p.m. (The latter was a habit that Granny remained faithful to until her nineties, but which I gave up when I went to college.)  The rest of each day was spent reading, doing needlepoint or counted cross-stitch, napping, shelling peas, playing dominoes, or eating watermelon and whatever baked goodies Granny had on hand.  Those were some relaxing days with no responsibilities, and I miss that. 

Another thing I've learned over the past month is that I don't like blogging on Sundays.  I originally thought it would be a great opportunity to use my Sabbath time of rest to reflect on God's work in my life and connect with Him.  But it hasn't felt like that; it's felt like an obligation or a task to do on Sundays when I want to rest.  So, I'm going to try to figure out a better blogging day.

What I've Been Up To

My friend Ashley and I toured the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and ate lunch at Café 43.  This is a must-see visitors' stop if you are in the DFW area.  

 

 

In mid-July, James and Betty Robison celebrated their 50 years in ministry by hosting the Awaken Now conference.  This was such a steal; for $10, we were treated to incredible teaching by Dr. Mark Rutland, Dr. Tony Evans, Peter Pretorius, Christine Caine, Dr. Ben Carson, Andy Andrews, Robert Morris, Samuel Rodriguez, and many others.  (I missed Beth Moore and Mike Huckabee due to a sinus migraine.)  Such a powerful three days, which I'm still thinking through.  Mom came up for this conference, and it was such a treat to enjoy this conference with her.






(Couldn't get a good shot of Dr. Ben Carson)

Last Sunday, I attended the Longhorn Foundation Dinner and took advantage of the open seating by grabbing seats at the head table.  It's always a bit hard to attend these dinners because Mack Brown gets us all excited about the season, but it's still almost a month away.  Counting the days!



What I've Read

My avid summer reading program slowed down after I finished The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, which I loved.  I then started reading A Prayer for Owen Meany, but it's over 600 pages and is very slow going.  It has received rave reviews, but I'm still on the fence about slugging it out to finish it.

After getting stuck in that big book, I started The Memoir Project, and it has been great.  No writing exercise, just practical advice for writing memoir.  I hope to put her advice to practice one day.

Four months ago, I started reading a Psalm each night, and so I'm about 25 days away from finishing.  I've really enjoyed reading them as a group. 

This past month, a couple of friends and I started Priscilla Shirer's study on Gideon.  It has only seven video sessions, so it's perfect for finishing out the summer in the Word.

Wrap-up

So that's my July in a nutshell.  And now that I find myself four days into August, I'm taking inventory of the list I set out to accomplish at the beginning of the summer and plotting how to work in some more fun before the summer is over.  Anything I need to include before the days get shorter and my weekends fill up with college football?

His Grace in Giving To Us So We Can Give To Others

One of my favorite things to do is get rid of things.  It's a weird hobby/obsession, I know, but it fits with my minimalist tendencies and my penchant for numbers.  I utilize the former to whittle down what's in my closet, and I use the latter to throw out food and medicine that have extended their stays on my shelves beyond their expiration dates.  It's actually quite cathartic for me.

In sorting through the garage, my closet, and the pantry the past few weeks and making piles to throw away and piles to donate, I recognized that it's a blessing to have enough to give to others.  To be able to tangibly meet someone's needs for food and clothing out of my overflow is humbling. 

I usually think of giving only in terms of tithing.  But that's a little harder to visualize because I don't see where my money goes or how it is used.

Yet the Lord is so generous that He gives more than we need in so many areas of our lives.  I can give tangible goods, like those I came across in my organizing, but I can also share joy, love, encouragement, the Gospel, empathy, and an endless list of intangible gifts that the Lord has also given me.  Most importantly, pointing people back to Him and not taking the credit.  After all, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) and gives everyone life and breath and everything else. (Acts 17:25)

As Ann Voskamp says, "Blessed to be a blessing."  And it is so very true.  It's just a matter of living it out in every area of my life and not just my finances.

June Update

How is it already the end of June?  I can't make that compute, but apparently, I've read a lot since the last update.  More on that below.

What Made Me Smile

Pistachio White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce and Bing Cherries at Magnolia Cheese Company.  Wish I could say I shared this with someone, but alas there was not even a bite left because it was THAT good.

Seeing the Body of Christ come together in a trailer food park to support a family who lost their home in the Granbury tornados.

Dinner with Ally and her fifteen-month-old cutie Jude, who sat right beside her even without a booster seat.

Arranging garden roses.

Dinner with a friend before she moved to Virginia.

Brunch with one of my young friends and hearing all that God is doing in her life.

Lunches and dinners to celebrate friends' birthdays.

Dinner with my friend who was in town from England.

A Pancake Breakfast for Melissa.  It was a joint celebration of her birthday and a time of covering her in prayer as she and her family are moving to Thailand for a year.  In December 2007, we took this picture at her wedding shower.




And recreating the moment almost seven years later. 

Coffee with a friend and talking so long that we closed down Barnes and Noble on a weeknight.

What I've Learned

In addition to my post from earlier this month, I've learned that essential oils have some great healing properties.  Peppermint oil has been helpful in staving off headaches.

I've learned that waiting until the weekend after Memorial Day to plant vinca is a recipe for disaster.  Out of 18, I have 2.5 that are still alive.  There might have also been a lack of watering.

I learned from Emily Freeman's blog that the volume button on the side of the iphone can be used to take a picture, which comes in handy when you are trying to take a selfie and can't see the button on the back of the bottom of the phone's screen.

I learned that only plastic frames should be put on your head because metal frames tend to get stuck in hair, which explains why my prescription sunglasses don't rip my hair out and why my nonprescription Ray Bans do.

I learned that I'd rather have to skip vacation due to a pipe bursting before I was scheduled to leave than to have had it happen while I was away.  These were my lifesavers.

Even though my bathroom now looks like this and will have to undergo some major work in the coming weeks.

What I've Read

Gift from the Sea  by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.  I've already loaned this book to my mom; it was that good.  It's a quick read that was written in the 1950s and contains nuggets of wisdom that are still applicable today.

The Real Win by Colt McCoy and Matt Carter.  It was a given that I was going to read this book because I'm a big Colt fan and I enjoy listening to sermons from his pastor Matt Carter of The Austin Stone.  This is a great book for men and women, defining biblical manhood and what that should look like in our culture, and it contains entertaining stories from both men's lives. 

The Autobiography of George Muller.  If your prayer life needs a boost, this is a great book as it contains journal entries from a man who counted on God to provide his daily bread and every pound that came into his wallet.

A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet by Sophie Hudson.  I dedicated a whole post to this book.  Lots of funny here.

A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.  I've already loaned this book to a friend.  Shauna Niequist references this book in Bread and Wine, and it is similar in many ways.  It contains great stories and recipes, but God is completely absent from this book.

Your Beautiful Purpose by Susie Larson.  This author spoke at a women's retreat that I attended earlier this year, but I didn't pick up the book until Ann Voskamp recommended it on her blog.  I loved Larson's openness and her writing style.  Lots underlined in this book.

Quitter by Jon Acuff.  I've followed Acuff on Twitter for quite a while.  He's hilarious.  In this book, he talks about how to develop a dream while you work 40 hours a week.  Lots of food for thought here.

Anything by Jennie Allen.  Jennie and her husband Zac prayed, "God, we will do anything."  This book is a small part of following what God showed them after they prayed that prayer.  She puts into words what I've felt on numerous occasions but have been too afraid to say.  This is one courageous book, but it's also one that we're all called to live out.  Lots to process after reading this book.



Whew!  What a fast and furious month!  And with the holiday ahead, I'm hoping to process some of what I've recently read.  What books are you enjoying?