Reading Daniel

Yes, I realize Daniel is not a woman of the Bible. But I need to read his story right now in preparation for an upcomming sermon series at my church ... just to be clear, I don't preach the sermons at my church, I just work with a team that helps our pastor brainstorm and researach upcomming series.

So since I can only focus on maybe 24 things at a time and I have 28 on my plate, we're going to look at Daniel togther in lieu of another NT woman. That's OK with you, right? Great - you're so flexible!

The chapters I most need to focus on are the early chapters in the book of Daniel. We'll start with Daniel chapters One and Two, which are linked here. Let's pray:

"Lord, thank you for this day. Forgive us and cleanse our hearts and minds of anything that would prevent us from focusing on Your Word as we read. Holy Spirit of God, fill us with insight and understanding. Make this Word a light for our path - teach us how we should live from Daniel today. In Jesus' Name."

So go read it now and this time I'm going to deviate from tradition and let you go ahead and post your thoughts, reactions and questions. Some of you may have studied Daniel recently through a Beth Moore study ... if so, please summarize for us what you learned through it.

Happy reading - can't wait to hear your thoughts!

I'm back and I'm a Sanguine/Otter

Hey All. The retreat this past weekend in the NC mountains went great - thank you for praying. Really, truly, thank you so much for praying for me and these events. This was their 10th annual retreat, but my first with them. Our theme for the weekend was: "How to Have a Well-Ordered Heart."

I also led us in a humorous activity where the women learned which of the 4 main personality types they are. Have you ever taken a personality test? Do you know what your dominant type is? If so, tell us. It will be fun to see.

• The Sanguine/Otter is the "popular person" who wants to have fun in every situation. She's not the most dependable person when it comes to details and schedules, but she is the life of the party. Sanguines love to talk.
  
• 
  The Choleric/Lion is the "powerful person" who wants to take control of every situation and make decisions for others. She can be too bossy sometimes and step on people, but she is a natural born leader. Cholerics love to work.
  
• 
  The Melancholy/beaver is the "perfection person" who wants everything done in order and properly. and who appreciates art and music. She can't make decisions quickly - without doing tons of research first - but she is the one to go to when you need something done right the first time. Melancholies love to analyze.
  
• 
  The Phlegmatic/Golden Retriever is the "peaceful person" who wants to stay out of trouble, keep life on an even keel, and get along with everybody. She can't handle drama or change very well, but she will be a loyal friend for life. Phlegmatics love to rest.
  

This was another enjoyable bunch of women. On Saturday night after my session and after the bonfire that got postponed from Friday night, a group of about ten of us (jacked up on too many s'mores) stayed up past midnight playing some crazy fun board games. Each time another woman would walk by us and announce she was heading to bed, we'd insist she join us for just one round. Two rounds later she'd be laughing too hard to go to bed. Hey, that's what girlfriend retreats are for!

So are you ready to do some more Bible reading together? The next woman of the Bible we are going to read is ... drum roll please... Daniel. Wait, Daniel isn't a woman's name. No, but you're willing to read it with me anyway aren't you? Good, I'm about to post the reading for us.

Thankful

Thanks so much for praying for my friend's family in this time of great and unexpected loss. I'm really thankful for this group of women who pray for one another here!

I leave today for a retreat in the NC mountains. This weekend's theme is "Extreme Makeover: Heart Edition." Any prayers for safe travel and a God-soaked event would be much appreciated.

I'm not sure if I will have Internet access over the weekend but, I'll be back soon and we'll read another woman of the Bible together next week.

Sweet Blessings ...

Discussing the Crippled Woman

For a long time when I read this woman's story, I zeroed in on the "healing on the Sabbath" issue. I saw this mainly as a story of the Pharisees in their never-ending quest to trap Jesus and discredit Him by proving that He had violated a religious law. And I saw Jesus on His never-ending quest to get people to see that His agenda was so much larger than just ensuring that we follow a list of rules.

The head of the synagogue where Jesus was teaching that Sabbath apparantly was outraged that Jesus healed someone on the day of rest. (But he doesn't think teaching is work? - I beg to differ!) Interestingly enough, he didn't (have the guts to?) confront Jesus over performing the healing. Instead, he tells the congregation, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."

Jesus' response seems to ask, are religious leaders exempt from having mercy or compassion towards people on the Sabbath day? Freeing an ox from its yoke or from its pen is an appropriate way to spend the Sabbath, but freeing a person from their afflictions is not?

Once again, this man laid the burden of always following the rules, as he has interpreted them, on the people. You see, the Mosaic law did not forbid healing on the Sabbath, but the "Tradition of the Elders" did. But God is in their midst now showing them another way to live - a way that trusts in Him to do the right thing, even when it doesn't make sense to us or the Elders ... a way that brings deliverance, not oppression.

So, for a long time I read her story and yet nearly missed the woman. She seemed simply an object lesson to me for Jesus to use to set the religious rulers straight -- but of course a person is never just an object lesson to God.

Now, I notice the woman. I notice that despite her situation, her disability, she is in "church." She is continuing to press into God. She is not staying away in isolation. She is there to hear and obey Jesus' teaching. Jesus sees her in the crowd - no doubt knows every detail of her situation - and calls her over. If she said anything at this point, it goes unrecorded.

She follows Jesus' command to come to Him. And then He gives the command for her body to be healed. It is instantaneous. She stands up straight for the first time in 18 years. She feels the glorious release. At this point, her reaction is recorded - it says "how she praised and thanked God!"

I imagine she felt forever indebted to this Jesus for providing that deliverance. Daily she must've praised God for overcoming for her what she could not.

We too have been healed and delivered by Jesus when He died on the cross. When we call out to Him, or ask for forgiveness in Jesus' name, our souls straighten up. They regain the ability to walk unencumbered with God.

Hum, do I feel any indebtedness to Jesus for that today? How often do I feel grateful for that? That's where her story lead me this time around. How about you? What are your thoughts? Post them and let's talk about it.

*******

Girls, I'd like to ask you to pray for a friend of mine and his two young children. Dan and his wife Angie were in a tragic car accident this past weekend - Angie did not survive. I can honestly say this man loved his wife, through thick and thin. So too, of course, do her two elementary school-aged children. Please pray for Dan, and Brendon and Alyssa. Pray for God's comfort to envelop them. Pray for God's wisdom to guide them. Pray for their hearts to be guarded from any bitterness. Pray for their souls to be lifted up, and for them to walk through this exceedingly difficult time with Jesus. Post your prayers if you wish, but please do pause and pray.

Thanks, friends.