What does Lent have to do with me?

As a child I never heard people talk about Lent – except maybe when Mom instructed me to clean the fuzz out of the clothes dryer (“Lint” and “Lent” are two very different things, but they sure do sound the same down here in the south, especially to a 3^rd grader).

As I grew older, I saw Lent as a 2^nd try on your New Year’s Resolution.  Did you fail at giving up sugar in January?  You can always try it again in March!

When I finally discovered that Lent is in fact a 40-day season Christians set aside to prepare for Easter, I assumed it was for someone else.  All I had ever done to prepare for Easter was pick out a frilly dress and ask my mom to make green bean casserole for lunch.

I do not think I even knew an evangelical Christian who observed the season of Lent. 

And yet, as I've explored more, I've grown to appreciate the season of Lent, not for the external actions with which we often associate it, but instead for how it helps me refocus on what truly matters – the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Instead of seeing Lent as an opportunity to lose a few pounds, impress my friends with my self-discipline, or re-start a failed New Year’s resolution, I've learned that Lent can be a wonderful time to intentionally spend 40 days reflecting upon the glory of the Gospel. 

Starting today I’ll be fasting from something I enjoy, but what I fast from is definitely not the point of Lent: Jesus is!

I’ll also be reading through the Passion Week recorded in the Gospel of John, meditating on one chapter per day.  I’ll start today in John 12, read through John 21, and then begin again until we celebrate the Resurrection together on April 20^th. 

Not only this, but I’ll be praying for opportunities to talk about what I’m learning with those around me. What a wonderful opportunity to start a spiritual conversation and share with someone about what Christ has done for us!

Here are my questions for you:  Would you be willing to try Lent this year?  What could you do to intentionally focus on magnifying Christ and His sacrifice over the next 40 days?  How can you use this season of reflection to talk with others about the One who has made all the difference for you?

Emily Anthony loves collecting polish pottery, hiking in the mountains, helping teenagers with their algebra homework, and talking with women about what God is doing in and through their lives.  After spending six years serving as a missionary teacher to third culture kids in Budapest, Hungary, Emily returned to the United States to pursue Masters of Divinity in Women's Studies here at Southeastern. She recently began serving as a ministry assistant for Embrace Women's Missions and Ministry at the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

The new year is here!  Every January, many of us make resolutions to read the Bible more consistently.  This year, we wanted to help you carry through with that resolution.  Today’s post comes from the Summit Church.  They have given us a few tips for how to get the most out of your Bible reading.  We pray that you will each follow the Lord as He continues to guide your steps this year!

Photo from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1339714

Setting the Stage:

o    Set a time to meet with God each day.

o    Get alone in a quiet place to read and pray.

o    Focus on relationship and interaction with God.

o    Make sure you have a journal and a pen, along with your Bible.

Spending the Time:

o    Begin by praying. Ask God to make you receptive to his Word. Pray for wisdom and understanding.

o    Read the passage for the day. Read it slowly, noting any particular verses that stand out to you

o    Look back over the chapter and consider the following:

o    Is there something specific that you believe God is saying to you in this passage?

o    What is the general theme or central truth in this passage?

o    Write the central truth or re-write the key verse in your own words

o    What do I learn about God from this passage?

o    What can I learn about myself?

o    How does this passage help you have greater understanding of the gospel?

o    Consider how you can pray out of this passage

o    What do learn about the character of God, his purposes, and his deeds from this passage? Use those to adore and praise God.

o    Does this passage expose sin that you need to confess?

o    What promises do you see that you can hold back up to God in prayer? What purposes of God can you ask him to fulfill? What truths can you, by faith, claim as your own?

o    Make a plan for action. What steps do you need to take to put into action whatever God has spoken to you out of this passage?

Sharing the Impact:

o    Commit to this with a few others. Twice a week (Tuesday and Friday), email each other. Share something significant from the Scripture you read and a single prayer request. This will not only help you to be accountable for the reading, you will also strengthen and encourage other.

o    Consider making a weekly "date" with your husband or wife to share what God is teaching you. Share your favorite verse and why it is meaningful to you. Let this be a springboard for deeper conversations.

o    Plan a weekly family time where parents and kids can share favorite verses. If your children are too young to do the reading, you can simply share from the reading each week and have a time of prayer. This is an awesome time for you model with your kids a daily commitment to God’s Word.

o    Choose a verse to memorize each week. This can be an individual or family practice. Write the verse out on several index cards and place them strategically around the house, in the car, or at work. Repeat the verse several times a day. As a family, say the verse together at mealtime.

For some great options for Bible reading plans for this year, check out this incredible list compiled by Collierville First Baptist Church: click here.

What about you? How do you make sure that you get the most out of your Bible reading? What plan do you prefer to use? Let us know if you have any tips in the comments!

I turned 43 this summer! 

In many ways I still feel 23 BUT the spattering of grey hairs and the fine wrinkles that are slowly appearing remind me that I AM getting older J  So why would I reveal my age in a public environment when it is something, as women, that we generally don’t speak of past the age of 30-something?  Revealing my age ties in with the purpose of this article – to show how we can be enslaved to different behaviors for large periods of our lives without realizing how long it has been or even at what initial age we began exhibiting the behavior. 

Ok, slow down, you might be thinking.  What in the world are you talking about?  I am talking about a subject that, I do believe, is a major issue in the lives of many women – eating disorders.

In the summer of 2010 – 3 years ago to date – God began an incredible work in my life which he completed this summer on Wednesday 31^st of July.  The journey began while I was teaching a Bible Study entitled Embracing the Uncluttered Life at the local church we were attending.  The third week was an in-depth look at the physical clutter in our lives, with specific emphasis on diet and exercise.  I commented to my husband during the week of preparation that I was expecting it to be the easiest of the sessions. I had been involved in competitive sport from the young age of 5 and always had an interest in diet and how it affects the human body in terms of health and strength.  Well, was I in for an awakening – it was the toughest session to prepare AND to teach because God revealed to me a very deep obsession with my physical appearance (specifically in the area of my weight) and an even deeper obsession with competition (in the area of sport) because of a deep-rooted insecurity to prove my worth as a person.   As I spent time searching His Word for material to teach the ladies, he brought to the surface an unwillingness on my part to admit that I had been enslaved to various forms of weight control – bingeing, purging, fat burners, and heavy strength training.  All of these things had given me a strong, slim body BUT had left me with an emptiness and heaviness within my spirit that He began to peel away.  It was an exhausting time, but, as He is faithful in finishing what He begins in our lives, it was also the beginning of a journey to freedom.

Jump with me to this summer.  Recently, God sovereignly acted in my life so that I “stumbled upon” Beth Moore’s Breaking Free Bible Study.  In this study, Beth asks the reader to identify any strongholds that need tearing down.  Needless to say, God showed me how dieting and body image had been in my life as a stronghold for over 20 years, and that it finally needed to be laid to rest. 

This is my journal entry from the day that I believe God finally set me free from the insecurities that led to a lifetime of mistreating my body through excessive exercise and eating disorders . . . 

“Father, I am not sure when I began overeating but I do remember the nickname that I was given as a child:  “FATS”.  I hated being called this.  It was and still is a derogatory remark that did nothing to encourage me or to allow me to see myself as beautiful.  It hurt me terribly.  Father, right now I want to offer up forgiveness to those who gave this name to me and I want to ask Your forgiveness for believing this lie.  This image of being fat has infiltrated my mind and been the root cause of so many struggles with my weight over the years.”

It is hard to admit that we have ANY form of eating disorder, for they come in various forms and disguises.  But my heart’s cry is that if you are reading this article and your heart is stirred because of it, that you will seriously ask God to show You if there is anything within your eating or exercise that could be seen as obsessive or destructive.  If He shows you anything that needs dealing with, don’t wait 20 years as I did.  Deal with it today and then believe His Word when he says,

“For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, I know that full well.”  (Psalm 139:13-14)

And then remember, EXTERNAL beauty will fade with age but INTERNAL beauty remains forever!

Expectations. We all have them.  We expect ourselves to make perfect grades.  We expect others to treat us right.  We expect God to act on our behalf.  Our professors expect things of us.  Our churches expect us to serve.  We expect ourselves to serve.  Our culture expects us to look a certain way.  On and on the list goes.  Now don’t get me wrong, expectations are not a bad thing.  We should have them.  

But what happens when these expectations don’t turn out the way we want them to?  Are our expectations realistic?  Or are we demanding things of ourselves and others that Christ doesn’t expect?

In Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NIV), Moses asks the Israelites,

“What does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”  

Even though this was directed at Israel, I don’t believe the command has changed.  Jesus even confirms this in the New Testament.  He sums up the law as, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;’ and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27, NIV)  Yes, we are required to serve, but first we are required to love God with all that we are.  When we do this well, then we will love others well.  When we give our time to expectations¾to things or people that God hasn’t asked us to commit to, we get tired, burnt out, and frustrated.  We are left without energy to do the tasks He has called us to do.  Jesus tells us, “. . . My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30, NIV).  His tasks are not burdensome.  We may get tired, but He is our strength. 

In Luke 10:38-42 (NIV), we read about Martha and Mary.  The Scripture says, “Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made . . .” Did these really have to be made?  Was Jesus really concerned about the meal they would have?  I don’t think so.  In fact, He was God, so He could have created an extravagant meal out of nothing.  I think Martha put expectations on herself that Jesus never put on her.  When she complains about her sister, Jesus responds, “Mary has chosen what is better . . .” 

Our sinful tendency is to try and do everything.  At least I do!  Saying no is so hard for me.  But, we must learn to step back, ask the Lord if this is something He wants us to do, and then be willing to say no, if He asks us too.  We can be sure when we say no to something “good” that He will give us all the strength we need to do what is “better.”

Ladies, what expectations have you put on yourselves that Jesus hasn’t required of you? 

Oh, Abba, transform and renew our minds so that we may learn your will for our lives.  Your will is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2, NIV) God, there is no one who needs to heed this message more than me!!  Give us the strength to say no to things that are not your best! 

Today's post is written by our dear friend, Andrea Allard.  We are so thankful to have her share some words of encouragement on loving even when it's difficult!

I know that this may be hard to believe, but sometimes people are difficult. We are told to love all people in the Bible and that is where it gets tricky. Loving the difficult means stepping outside of your comfort zone and meeting the person where they are at. It is humbling and many times uncomfortable, but our example is Jesus. He went to the sick and hurting, so we must not be afraid to put ourselves out for others. Often it costs us more than we want to pay in emotional turmoil, but what is a little struggle on this planet when we have eternity to spend with the Lord?

Ministry is a life calling and never ends. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing is ministry. The church is filled with people who are hurting - even if they do not admit it. Just think, most people do not meet with the pastor and his wife because all things are going splendidly. It is pain and hurt that usually drives them to seek spiritual solace. At this point in their lives, they can be difficult due to their life circumstances. This is when it is crucial to bring openness and a listening heart to provide the one thing that most people need when they are suffering: Hope.

Loving the difficult is a choice and it must be made every day. All encounters we have with others can be viewed as opportunities to grow and stretch ourselves more into the likeness of Christ. With this positive attitude and an open, approachable spirit, we can reach out to the difficult in the power of Christ to make an eternal impact on their lives as well as experience a deepening commitment of love and obedience to our Lord.

Today, we have the pleasure of hearing from Allison.  Allison and her husband, J. currently live overseas in Central Asia.  Get ready to be convicted by the true words that Allison shares with us today.  

Before we moved overseas, J and I had both counted the cost and knew that Christ and His glory were unbelievably more valuable than everything we were leaving behind in America. We decided that sharing the truth of Christ, the Son of God was more important than raising our own son at home (even though at the time his existence was only hypothetical). We decided that seeing people from every tribe, tongue, people and nation join the family of God was more important than being able to spend weekends with our own family. We decided that we would move to a country where we would speak like a child for years so that people here could have the chance to come to the Father with the faith of a child. We knew what we were giving up to come here and we were totally willing to make the sacrifice. 

Fast forward…1 year, 11 months and 15 days to our second Christmas in a foreign country. As I make my 6th batch of cookies for yet another party that I would rather not go to where I will have to force myself not to be a wallflower, I'm sulking and complaining to myself about how silly these things are. Why are we having another Christmas gathering for the local believers? Why do we have to provide the food every time? Why can't they just leave Christmas alone and let us celebrate with the other Americans? Don't they know this is our holiday? 

But, as I throw myself a pity party and cry over burnt cookies, I realized that, while I had "counted the cost" and was willing to give up a lot of things, I was still holding so much back.  I laid down a lot of things before the Lord, yes, but I was holding back more than I realized. I was willing to spend my life here to share the Truth with these people, as long as I could still keep certain days to myself. But that's not what we were called to.

His Spirit gently reminded me why we came here. He spoke to me and helped me remember how much more He gave up to come to this foreign earth and leave His heavenly home behind. How much He sacrificed to live as man, perfectly, and die in my place… and in the place of my friends here. For His glory, He came as a baby. For His glory, He lived 33 years on this earth. For His glory, He carried His cross up the hill and died. For His glory, He rose and defeated sin and death. For His glory, He ascended to heaven and is sitting at God's right hand. For His glory, He will return. 

And when He does return, the judgment will be real. Those who do not pick up their cross and follow Him will spend eternity separated from Him. But those who do will be with him forever, praising Him in a place with no more sin and sadness. We came to this country so that these people may have the chance to know Him and choose to follow Him. We didn't come here to transplant our American life to another place. We came here to "become all things to all people, that by all means [we] might save some." That doesn't mean just sacrificing the things we were willing to give up, that means sacrificing everything so that He might be glorified in every nation.

Allison and her husband were both part of the International Church Planting program at SEBTS. They moved to Central Asia in early 2011, where she spends her days playing with her baby boy and trying to learn the local language. Which basically means, she spends most of her time speaking like a 2 year old.  Catch up with Allison on their family blog, www.29stwaterfall.wordpress.com. 

 

 When you became a leader, did you think it would be easy? I am not sure I thought it would be easy, but I sure didn’t’ think it would be as hard as it’s been!  I mean, we’re serving God, as His calling…why would that be anything but blessed all the time? Truly, leadership has been more blessed than I dreamed it would be, but also more difficult than I ever thought.

If you scan the book of Joshua, you see so many incredible leadership principles. Let’s look at 3.

1. Leadership Takes Courage: Take a quick look at Joshua 1. You see several times God tells Joshua to “be courageous and strong.” Why does he tell him that? Must have been something scary going on…a difficult task. (You even see these words from Moses to Joshua if you back up one book and read Deut. 31:6-7.) Moses was commissioning Joshua to go take the Promised Land. He and the Israelites would finally face those giants that had scared them off 40 years before. This time they would make it, but it wouldn’t be easy. So, Moses encourages Joshua with those words. Don’t you imagine those under Joshua’s leadership were saying, “you want us to do what? Pack up and move in 3 days?  How? There’s a big river and big giants over there.”  But, the command was to go, and go they did. What “giants” in ministry are you facing right now?

2. Leadership Takes Obedience: It’s hard to be obedient in difficult assignments unless we have courage. In Joshua 1:16-17, the Israelites said they would do all that Joshua had commanded them to do.  They even repeat the words, “be strong and courageous.” Maybe they are learning! In Chapter 3, they reach that first main obstacle, the Jordan River, in flood stage no less! Ok, how are we going to do this one, Joshua? God instructs the priests to go in front and step into the water. What happens when they do? (hint: Joshua 3:15-16) God provided as they obeyed, not before the priests put their toes in the water but AS they did. What is river is God asking you to put your foot in? Trust Him to part the waters as you walk in obedience to whatever He has already told you. I love the comment T. W. Hunt makes in his study, From Heaven's View, “When God gives us a command, we don’t need to understand His directive, we need to understand His authority!”

3. Leadership Takes Remembrance: In  Joshua 4:1-7 we see what the people do after they all cross the Jordan safely. They build a memorial so that all who saw it would ask what it means. The people, and subsequent generations, would recount the story of God’s faithfulness and provision. They would remember from now on the wonderful works of the Lord. As leaders, we must tell the stories of God’s faithfulness in our lives, through the good and bad times. How else will others see through us how God uses all things for our good and His glory? Romans 8:28

Learn from Joshua about courage, obedience and remembrance. Teach it to others!

Chris Adams is the Senior Lead Women's Ministry Specialist in Training and Events, LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention where she recently received the Career of Excellence Award.  Chris has been a consultant, speaker and conference leader in a variety of church and denominational roles. She is consultant, contributor and guest editor of Journey, a women's devotional magazine with monthly circulation of over 214,000 that deals with real issues women face daily.
She has compiled two books, Women Reaching Women: Beginning and Building a Growing Women's Ministry and Transformed Lives: Taking Women's Ministry to the Next Level, contributed to the books Leading Women to the Heart of God and HeartCall: The Call to Prayer, and has written for various publications including Home Life and Journey magazines.
She has been married since 1971 to Pat, her most vital ministry supporter. They live in Hendersonville, Tennessee and are active members at Long Hollow Baptist. They are the parents of grown twin daughters, Amanda (and Dan) Dugger and Alycia (and Brian) Neighbours, and are grandparents of seven: Alex, Baylee, Lauryn, Braden, Annie, Isabella, and Emily Grace.
For fun, Chris likes to spend time at the beach, exercising, watching ice skating, playing with grandchildren, traveling with Pat, and spending time alone with God.

Web site: www.lifeway.com/women

Blog:   www.lifeway.com/womenreachingwomen

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