Becoming A Stream

“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:16, 18-19)

So I know this is supposed to be about Jesus (aren't all versus in the Bible? lol) but today I wanted to let this verse speak into my life by itself, without commentary, without researching the author's original intent or elaborating on the historical context.

Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past.

Yowzers. I SO do not do this well. There are times I will lay awake at night reinventing a conversation I had with someone over 15 years ago - simply because I don't like the first take. Or when I will imagine how making a different choice than I did (like not leaving MHC, or dating that other guy instead, or treating a certain girl with more kindness) would have "improved" my life or at least made it different.

And why do I do this? Especially when the next sentence of this verse sends electric-excitement through my soul - "See, I am doing a new thing!" THAT is so much more appealing that these dumb mental re-writes of my past I waste time on. A NEW THING. I LOVE new things! Change is GREAT! Bring it on!

I think... Unless the new thing is yucky. Unless I won't like it. Unless it means changing the relationships I've grown comfortable in. Unless it means more stress. Unless it means freaking out my son and husband who DON'T like change very much at all...

Ah, to heck with it. Today, of all days, seems the perfect day to forget about the past and anticipate the new things God is making in my life. (You KNOW my brain just went to "maybe it will be a baby" - when will I EVER get past that one??!!) Maybe the new thing He is making isn't something extraneous. Maybe it isn't someTHING at all, but rather, someone... Ha! I just looked back at the verse and realized it doesn't say he is MAKING anything new, but DOING something new. Hmm... that really changes my line of thinking. The Lord doing something new in my life? What would that look like? Maybe, instead of being stuck in the same spiritual rut I find myself in over and over and over I will get to move on and get rolling - or at least hang out in a different rut! But God doesn't say He is making a new desert or different rut, He promises "streams in the wasteland." Boy, have I felt like a wasteland lately... it sure would be nice to be a stream instead. May that be the new thing God does in my life today, next week... this year... may He he take my dirt and replace it with his Living Water.

Have Peace, Take Heart

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

The IVP Commentary has this to say regarding the above passage:

[Jesus’] conquest, in turn, enables the disciples themselves to conquer the evil one…

Until death itself becomes a revelation of God the disciples can be troubled in the world, the place of death. Their joy cannot be stable and secure until they see him again and he sees them.. Then will they reap the benefits of his conquest by becoming one with him as he pours out the Spirit. They will not ask him, but rather they will be one with him, asking the Father in his name. So their joy will be full--the joy of union with God in Christ by the Spirit. They will know God's glory and will manifest his glory as they, in union with the living Christ by the Spirit, bear fruit as Jesus did, asking for what Jesus did. Their focus and source will be God, and thus they will have peace no matter what the world may throw at them.

IVP New Testament Commentaries

What does it look like to take heart and live with peace? If I understand it correctly, the commentator is saying that the disciples would be troubled until Jesus saw them again, after the resurrection and after he poured his Spirit out on them. My take on this is that, with the Spirit, they (and WE) are ONE with Christ NOW – therefore our joy is full and we know God’s glory and we will manifest his glory as we bear fruit as Jesus did. If my focus is on God, I will have peace no matter what.

I am one with Christ. My joy is Full. I know God’s glory. I not only can, but WILL manifest his glory as I bear fruit. Seriously? Grrr! When I read stuff like this I want to smack myself! Why do I ever complain? Why do I ever get depressed? I know God’s Glory! I can manifest his glory – Today! I love and hate that this actually is up to me. I have the choice today to bear fruit or not. To live "just another day" or to Live Today – looking for the Divine – looking for opportunities to be kind, gentle, faithful, peaceful, loving... I am also to “ask for what Jesus asked for.” In Jesus’ prayers recorded in the gospels, He asked for God’s kingdom to come, to be on earth as it is in heaven (Mt 6); the dead to rise (John 11); forgiveness for his enemies (Luke 23); and for oneness of His Church that the world would believe (John 17).

Lord, Show me your Glory today. Send down your presence. Fill me with your Spirit that I might bear your fruit today. Lord, I ask for your kingdom to come – for your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Hasten your return, Father – that we may enjoy the wedding of all weddings with you in Heaven. Raise up those are spiritually dead – fill them with your breath of Life. Feel free to raise up those physically dead, too, Lord, if it might bring anyone to a saving knowledge of you as it did for those around Lazarus. God – forgive your enemies… especially me for the times when I commit treason against you (so many more times than I care to admit) Forgive me Father. Give me the Spirit that I might in turn forgive my own enemies completely – letting go of resentments, hurts, and negative thoughts about them. Give me a love for them that is inexplicable but through the Power of You. Above all else, Lord, let me not partake in anything that contributes to the divisiveness of your Church. Let me be a unifying factor in my own small way. I pray against any denominational differences that keep us from acting as one body and ask Father that you would cause your Church to rise up and unite – that the world might know we are one with each other and we are one with you – in the same way Jesus and the Father are one. Praise be to God and to our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Waiting for the Wedding

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3)

I lucked out for my first entry because I recently read about it in a book by Rob Bell where he gave this exact verse a greater context which added so much more meaning for me. Jesus is speaking to his disciples and, according to Bell, they aren't hearing anything new in what he is saying. In the Jewish culture at this time, an engagement (betrothal) was initiated with the groom going to the bride's home and, among other things, giving a speech, which told her "In my father's house are many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you with me that you also may be were I am." And that is exactly what he would do. He would go back to the home of his parents and build a room or rooms off of their house that would be his and his wife's new home. Then, when it was done, he would come for his bride and they would be married.

So when Jesus said this to the disciples, they totally recognized it as the "groom's speech." I don't know what this would have meant to a group of guys, and that's not the point of this blog - but I offer this additional information from Bell because of what it meant to me - I think more about the young woman of that day who was more than likely so consumed with wondering who she would marry, when, would he be a good man from a good family, etc... imagine her thoughts once the speech had been given and the offer accepted. Imagine the sense of worth, the sense of security. This isn't to argue about a woman's sense of worth or security coming from a man, that's not my point and if you think it is, you obviously don't know me well. But in that day, a woman was so much safer in a family, with the protection and care of a husband. This must have meant the world to a young woman, scared about her future. The change in her from before the betrothal must have been pronounced. No more worries - just lots and lots of joyful preparations and excited anticipation!

Once I think on this, the logical place to go is to realize Jesus is saying this to me. I am the bride and he is the one building a place for me. I wonder what my room will look like? I wonder who will have rooms next to mine? I wonder how much longer it will take for him to finish? I wonder what preparations I need to do? And... I wonder how in the world Jesus could love me so much to want me. Me.

And then I can't help but wonder why do I worry, where are my "joyful preparations" and why is trusting Him so darn hard?

I don't expect an answer... this is just me, being me - full of more questions than answers and more wonder than knowledge...

My Turn at 40-Days

A dear friend of mine just completed the challenge to blog for 40 consecutive days as a way of being mindful everyday of the work she is doing on growing into a more complete version of herself. I was truly inspired by the work she did and promised her, when she was getting discouraged around day 20, that if she completed the task, I would take it on myself.

Thus begins 40 days of blogging - Erin-style. Each day I receive a "verse of the day" which I typically read and dismiss rather quickly. For the next 40 days however I am going to take these verses and respond to them via this blog.

I welcome your comments and contributions and appreciate your participation in my life!

Marriage Inspiration

Just in case you need it!

Scripture

Genesis 2
18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman, [j] '
for she was taken out of man."
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

1 Corinthians 13
Love
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Ephesians
22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Other Sources

“Marriage isn’t about making you happy, it is about making you holy.” - adapted from the book Sacred Marriage

Men marry women hoping they will never change. Women marry men hoping they will. – unknown.

Please add some of your own!

Week 3: Marriage & Singleness

NOTE: DO YOUR BEST TO COMPLETE HERITAGE PAGES BEFORE NEXT THURSDAY SO YOU DON'T FALL BEHIND!!

Keep in mind as you go over the prompts below that you don't have to answer all the questions, but you can do more than one layout. I suggest focusing on one or two key topics. For example: One layout for our "how we met" story - with a strong emphasis on the ways God worked in that regard. One layout for the struggles/victories. Next week we will focus on children. For those of you who are single - you can focus on singleness this week, and your legacy next week. (See prompts below)

MARRIAGE
1. Recall your Love Story: courtship, engagement & wedding. Share how God brought you together, lessons learned, things you want for your own children and grandchildren as they look to find a mate, etc. Record how God and His word have changed your perspectives in this area.

2. What are some of your marriage struggles and victories? Special Anniversaries?

SINGLENESS
1. Explore your response to your singleness – joy, peace, turmoil, lonliness, or what have you. How do you approach dating and how does your faith play a role in this aspect of your life? Explore both the positive things about being single and the negative.


2. What are some of your struggles and victories in dating/singleness?


ALL
Focus on Proverbs 31 and journal about an area(s) you have seen growth in and an area(s) where God wants to grow you as a wife and mother or home manager (note most of the ideas presented in this chapter are applicable to singles with no kids).

I will chime in later this week with some Scripture and quotes to help inspire you. Happy Faithbooking!

A Word About Audience

Who are you writing for and who are you writing to? This is an important question to consider as we begin developing our faithbooks. We discussed this at our first meeting, but as I have sat down to actually begin our first assignment, something has occurred to me.

Different pages will have different audiences.

And that is okay.

As I am working through my "Spiritual Family Tree" I feel it is less for my benefit and more for those who have come and will continue to come after me. So my audience in this "chapter" is the generations of the Heppe-Phillips-Dauphinais family to come.

But I know as we get into our own personal spiritual journey, there will be pages where I am my own audience and the faithbook will take on much more of a diary or journal feel.

I just wanted to share this with you, in case you needed permission from outside yourself to change it up and have different audiences in mind for different sections. Something I love about this project are that there are VERY few (if any) RULES!

Happy processing!

Week 2: Spiritual Heritage

Inspirational Ideas / Thoughts to add to your journey(please add more via comments!):

SCRIPTURE RE. SPIRITUAL HERITAGE

Deut 6: 5-9
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Genesis 17:6-8
6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

Exodus 20:5-7
5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

IDEAS

Interview a family member (the older the better) about their spiritual upbringing.

Make a Spiritual Family Tree - tracking the believers in your family as far back as you can.

Journal about any of these questions. Consider what visual images come to mind and make note of that:

What is your Spiritual legacy? What was the faith of your forefathers and how has that impacted you. This may require some interviewing of relatives – by all means, do so!

Growing up in Christ
Were you raised in a Christian home? How were you taught or not taught about God? How was your faith or lack of faith, incorporated into your childhood? Did anything memorable happen in your childhood that stands out, and how did faith play a part in it? After high school, did you keep developing your faith on your own or was this where you first discovered God as part of your life? Who was the person who influenced your life the most in your belief in God when you were growing up?

Religious Holidays
What were the spiritual holiday traditions you experienced growing up? Consider Advent & Christmas, Lent, Holy Week & Easter, etc.

Offer a tribute to a parent, in-law, relative or other person who has been influential in your spiritual life.

Record the spiritual meaning of the names of your predecessors. Was anyone named after someone else to honor them? Tell each family member’s story. Proverbs 22:1 or Ecclesiastes. 16:3 would be good verses to include on a Name page.

Faithbooks: Supplies List

Materials List - Check out Jill's Creative Memories website to the left of this post to order materials. Be sure to get your supplies as soon as possible so you are ready to dive in NEXT WEEK!!!!

An Album

A CM Coverset with pages and page protectors OR An Album with Pages from other source

Personalization & Embellishments

Paper, stickers, die cuts, brads, ribbon, etc.

Tools

*Personal Trimmer

*Scissors

*Tape Runner

*Pens

Photos, images, quotes, etc

Faithbooks: Schedule

Faithbook Schedule

1^st Week – Sept. 11 – Agenda: Go over outline. Discuss Christian Heritage. Pay homage to our fallen heroes from 09/11.

Homework: Gather materials; order photos, etc.

Prep for Christian Heritage

2^nd Week – Sept 18 – Layout: Heritage pages.

Homework: Prep for Marriage and Family Part One

3^rd Week – Sept 25 – Layout: Marriage and Family Part One

Homework: Prep for Marriage and Family Part Two

4^th Week – Oct 2: Layout: Marriage and Family Part Two

Homework: Prep for Spiritual Journey Part One

5^th Week – Oct 9: Layout for Spiritual Journey Part One

Homework: Prep for Spiritual Journey Part Two

6^th Week – Oct 16: Layout for Spiritual Journey Part Two

Homework: Prep for Spiritual Journey Part Three

7^th Week – Oct 23: Layout for Spiritual Journey Part Three

Homework: Prep for People & Things

8^th Week – Oct 30: Layout for People & Things

Homework: Prep for Community

9^th Week – Nov 6: Layout for Community

Homework: Prep for Where You Are

10^th Week – Nov 13: Layout for Where You Are

Homework: Prep for Where You’re Headed

11^th Week – Nov 20: Layout for Where You’re Headed

Homework: Add finishing touches

Nov 27: THANKSGIVING - NO MEETING

12^th Week – Dec 4: Celebration meal with “completed” projects.

A Fresh Start

I love this time of year. I love how the air changes to a something akin to a Honey Crisp apple - tart and sweet. I love the vibrant colors the trees take on, just before they surrender to the dull gray of winter. And, even though I haven't participated in years, I love "back to school" - the brand new box of pointy crayons in perfect rainbow order, the newly sharpened pencils with no sign of mistakes-made-right on the erasures, having to once again remember how to make a brown paper bag transform into the perfect-fit book cover. It is so exciting.

So much more so than the change into a new calendar, this is the time of year when I find myself setting goals, making changes, planning ahead. Making the cocoon ready for another year of transformation.

Here's a sampling of things I have been mulling over as we enter this season:

• Homeschooling - Bo would have gone to his first day of Kindergarten today. This has been quite the kick in the pants for me to start exploring my educational philosophies, approaches to learning and carefully observing my children to see how and what they learn.
• Church - This one still stumps me. What does it really look like to be the Body of Christ? I am pretty convinced we have it mostly wrong. But our family needs to experience Fellowship, so where does that leave us?
• Community - Oh how I still long to live in a Christian Co-Housing Community! Recently I have discovered this desire is really about longing for Heaven. So what do I do in the mean time to find and live in as close of an approximation to "on Earth as it is in Heaven" as I can?
  

This year, I hope to write more about this cocoon and the transformations that are taking place within. I look forward to keeping you posted.