I’ll Be Honest: False Teachers (Paul Washer)

How Long, O Lord…?

O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD–how long? Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
Psalms 6:1-6 ESV

Ahh, the Squirrel!

DSC03920, originally uploaded by Jenn T. | lifeinreturn.

I only shared this dream with a few friends earlier this week, but figured – hey, why not share it with others? It was pretty funny, and the sad part was that I wasn’t even asleep… I was daydreaming. Here is the email:

Dreamt that two squirrels came up to me holding hands and asked me what the Gospel was. So I sat down on the ground and explained it to them. As I was explaining it more creatures came – birds and bugs and other animals. When I finished they were all crying and repentant. The wasps were sorry for stinging people and vowed to not do it again. And then I was like – but guys the Gospel is for humans only. And so they got upset. And I explained to them that they were bad because we are. And that was it. Thought it was pretty funny. Even more so funny bc I wasn’t really like asleep when I imagined this scenario. I need help lololol!!!

The Burning Question

So here comes the question of all questions:

Does anyone actually read this blog? lol!

I haven’t posted in a while, but would like to add more content of a diverse nature. I’ve recently decided to go gluten free and have incorporated much more produce into my life (and am truly understanding the value of organic foods over non-organic!) so I’d like to write about that and share the info I am learning, but yes, the question remains:

Does anyone read this?

And another question – any suggestions on material that I can write about that would be beneficial to ‘the public’?

… And His Glory Appears

Absolutely love this song…

You gave me hope, You made me whole
At the cross

You took my place, You showed me grace
At the cross where You died for me

And His glory appears like the light from the sun
Age to age, He shines
Oh look to the skies, hear the angels cry,
Singing, Holy is the Lord

What are you so upset about?

Timely for me. May be timely for others too.

The Invasion

Great video, praise God for the invasion through Jesus Christ.

God’s Grasshopper

Grasshopper, originally uploaded by Jenn T. | lifeinreturn.

I totally enjoy seeing different pieces and parts of God’s creation. While I like taking pictures of things like bugs, I do not enjoy, say, interacting with them lol. This picture was taken through a glass door. It rained today quite a few times. After one of these rains, this little guy showed up on the gate. So I did what any normal person would do – I grabbed my Sony and gave the little guy a photoshoot! :0)

Pigs or Jesus?

And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
Matthew 8:28-34 ESV

They valued the loss of their pigs more than Jesus which is shown by their asking Him to leave. They didn’t want to get to know the Messiah, and if they recognized who He was, they didn’t care. The pigs would have been a source of food, yes, but this showed that they valued their food more than Jesus. I am reminded of Matthew 6:25 and Matthew 4:4.

Turning this inward, I asked myself:
* Are there things which I mourn the loss of that I value more than Jesus?
* Are there any areas where, by my actions, I’m asking Him to leave?
*Do I care more about / value other things more than I value Jesus?

Praying this encourages and challenges.

Studying the Bible

This past Saturday I had the privilege of attending a seminar taught by Matt Chandler on how to study the Bible. Sometimes I have trouble because I either try to do too much or I cram it in my mind or I fail to pause & really think on what I’ve read. This causes me to end up forgetting it and therefore, I don’t retain. And well, if you’re not retaining what you read in Scripture, how can it be useful for you?

The method that Chandler shared was:
Read
Journal the verses that stand out to you along w/questions and observations
Write out the application (no ambiguity allowed!)
And pray through what you have read

He also gave a formula that would go something like this:
5 minutes of reading
5 minutes of journaling verses, observations, and questions
5 minutes writing out the application
5 minutes of prayer

You can adjust the minutes to what will be of best benefit to your growth. He advised not to start off at 20 as it could prove to be overwhelming to start off with, so start small.

Determined to put this bad boy into play, I went out and purchased a pretty blue spiral so that I could record my notes, verses, observations, and questions. Excited and feeling prepared, I decided to follow the plan. And by God’s grace, I’m not doing it alone! A sweet sister reached out to me and we’re doing this together. I’m so grateful for the accountability. So, some upcoming blog posts will be on any observations and questions and thoughts from the day’s Text. I’m looking forward to sharing in hopes that it will be a blessing and spur others to dig in as well! Please check out the seminar and be encouraged, motivated, and challenged to spend time in God’s Word.