The Wise Old Owl

Whether correctly spelling the word
T-U-E-S-D-A-Y, or explaining to Eeyore that Fall and Autumn were the same season, Winnie the Pooh's friend Owl was known for being the oldest and wisest of all the friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. While Owl's friends didn't always want to listen to his loooong attempts at storytelling, they always went to him for advice. Why? Because he was considered wise, meaning: full of knowledge.

But the Bible talks about wisdom in a different light in the book of James.

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

The Jewish audience James was writing to understood this kind of wisdom not as lofty knowledge or philosophical ideas about life. They understood the word wisdom to mean understanding how to live life for God's glory. They understood wisdom as understanding how to align themselves with God's will and live by His standards. This type of wisdom didn't come from studying scrolls or watching jeopardy. The audience knew this type of wisdom James was speaking of is a divine wisdom that only comes from God.

One of the ways we know this to be true is the context of this verse 5. In the verses leading up to this one, James writes about trials;

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

Consider it joy when you face trials? That goes against every bit of logic we've got in us! I believe that's why God inspired James to write verse 5 next. To paraphrase, James was saying that if that doesn't make sense to you, if you're lacking the divine wisdom to understand being joyful in the midst of trials, that's okay! Just ask God who can help you understand that through divine wisdom!

You see, it's only through this divine wisdom that we can understand what it means to allow God to make us perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, through enduring trials on earth. But we can only receive this wisdom as we ask God for it, as we spend time with Him, begging Him to help us see as He sees. It won't be found flipping through "O Magazine", or watching "The View" or "Doctor Oz" and learning the latest tips for how to juggle the things you go through in life. There aren't enough great tips or home remedies to help you fight through struggles with joy and not become depressed, it's only through a divine gift granted by God. The good news is, this verse says that He gives generously to all who ask! This isn't something He is keeping from us. God is waiting to pour out this divine wisdom on us as we let our trials move us toward Him to ask Him to fill us up where we are lacking.

And just like the wise old owl, when we possess this wisdom, people will see it. They will want to come to us for an explanation as to why we are able to act joyfully through trouble. We will be someone others can come to for advice. And when we're living life this way, we, like the owl, will be full of stories to tell of the amazing things God has done in our lives because we possess the divine wisdom of God.

It's Been a While...

August 2011, the last date posted on my blog. I had to take some much needed time off from blogging for a while. I've been writing it all down in my journal though, and hopefully I'll be sharing some of those moments/lessons over the coming weeks now that I'm back to blogging! For the last 17 months, God has completely flipped mine and my husband's world by calling us to do something we never had on our radar: church planting. We went from not even knowing what church planting was to being assessed, trained, planning, meeting with a core team, fundraising, hosting interest meetings, helping start small groups, and a host of other things as God burdened our heart to start a new church body in Pearl, Mississippi. The last 8 months have been even more intense on this journey as we sold a house, bought a new house in a new city, Bryant transitioned from his full-time job at our church, and we stepped into this thing full fledge ahead! While it's without a doubt been the most chaotic season of our lives, we have been able to see God do more miraculous things in our life than ever before! You can find out more about our journey on our blog.

Check out a video and info on our website!

And watch a short video with an update on The Exchange!

First Things Weekend

This weekend was full of FIRST things!

My FIRST time to attend a Pearl football game cheering for the Pearl Pirates...



Moved my FIRST baby sister into college...

(She's the one on the right with the long hair.)

The FIRST time to not have my grandmother here to wish her happy birthday on August 20th...

(She would have been 69)

and...

My FIRST time to buy Cheerios! I stumbled upon a new favorite - Banana Nut Cheerios.

(I'm not usually a fan of Cheerios in any form, but these are great!)

First things can be fun, scary, sad, or just weird. But that's the way of first things. You take them as they come, and make the best of them!

Encouragement

Have you ever encountered harsh opposition at a time in your life that you were passionately following God and being obedient to His commands? It's sometimes enough to stop you dead in your tracks and that's exactly satan's intent. I want to provide you some encouragement straight from Scripture today. These new testament writers new this feeling all too well, and this is what they had to say about it. I hope it encourages you to keep pursuing righteousness no matter what people say about you.

So how am I to respond? I've decided that I really don't care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on! And I'm going to keep that celebration going because I know how it's going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don't expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn't shut me up; they gave me a pulpit! Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose. Philippians 1:21 MSG

If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:13-18 MSG

On the iPod

If you're looking for some new music then you should check this out on iTunes. I can't seem to turn it off.

And this one's not new, but it's so good! I'm going back and forth between the songs on these albums constantly!

Enjoy!

From Contentious to Contentment - Step 2

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30

Blinkers. No, not the mechanism in my car used when changing lanes or making a turn that makes my car sound like the wooden percussion instruments children beat with a stick to make music. I'm talking about the kind used on horses to limit their range of sight. Blinkers, also known as winkers or blinders, are pieces of horse tack that prevent the horse from seeing to the rear or to the side of them. Many racehorse trainers believe that these keep the horse focused on what's in front of them, encouraging them to pay attention to the race, rather than distractions, such as crowds. They are even used on driving horses to keep them from being distracted or spooked on crowded streets.

Step 2 - Stop looking around at what others have-look instead at how God has uniquely created & blessed you!

What I would give for a pair of blinkers for my own eyes most days! I'm a racehorse in a race, yet I start out of the gate most days without my blinkers on. I eventually lose focus of the race as my eyes look beside me at the other horses in the race. Next, my eyes drift up toward the crowd. The only things I notice are those more talented than me, more important than me, and the ones God seems to be blessing more than me! These distractions only lead to one thing...discontentment. Before I know it, I no longer like anything about being a racehorse and running a race is the last thing I want to do! These feelings stop me in my tracks and I sit down in the middle of the racetrack complaining to anyone who will listen (including God!) about how much better everyone has it than me. It leaves me miserable.

But on those days when I remember to put my blinkers on my eyes, I start out of the gate confident in the race I'm running and sure there's a prize to be won at the finish line. I'm focused on the goal. I'm excited about how my unique training has equipped me to succeed. I know there are other horses running beside me, but because I can't see them, their footsteps only encourage me to run faster. I know there is a crowd watching, but their collective cheers make me feel like they are all cheering for me. After all, the only thing I can see is the race I'm running. I'm focused on the finish line and I know I can reach it. It feels so good, so right.

It's amazing how true and practical the words from Proverbs are. When you have peace you have life. When you are envious, it brings destruction. When you find yourself constantly looking at everyone around you, you're going to always find someone taller, shorter, skinner, fatter, more wealthy, more intelligent, etc. So get out your blinkers and let's get focused.

From Contentious to Contentment - Step 1

It's better to live on the corner of the roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman. Proverbs 25:24

"It's no use crying over spilled milk!" At least that's what I've always heard. So why does it seem I'm always crying over the spilled milk in my life? Of course the "spilled milk" in my life takes the form of a situation I can't control, a decision I don't understand, expectations I've placed on others not met, and a number of other things! The moment things begin to not go as planned is the moment I begin to lose my contentment. I instantly feel my joy depleting! It's so easy to let these circumstances steal my joy and before I know it, I've become this "contentious woman" Proverbs is speaking so boldly of! So how do we keep this from happening?

Step 1 - Count Your Blessings!

Yes, we're going back to the basics here, but think about it. It's impossible to gripe about the things you are busy thanking God for. If it's a situation at work that you're allowing to bother you and steal your joy, what about thanking God that you have a job and how He has provided for you? I know it seems simple, but it can make a world of difference. It can be the difference in going from contentious to contentment in your life.

I suppose the moral of this story is when you're tempted to cry over spilled milk, instead try thanking God that you have the milk in the first place!

"...I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13