Saturday, February 7, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
Support on the Hill
I have been reading the Book of Exodus with the Good Morning Girls. at Women Living Well. My other Exodus posts may be found here.
In Exodus 17: 8-16, we read of a mighty battle. While Joshua was in the valley fighting a battle, Moses, Aaron, and Hur were up on the hill providing support. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses arms became too tired to hold up the staff, Aaron and Hur held up his arms for him.
That passage is often used to show that we need to support our pastors and our leadership by shouldering some responsibility, lending a word of encouragement or in some way offering them refreshment. I don't disagree with that. However, I think it is can be more than that. It also shows the support our leadership needs to have for the people below them. For example, pastors to congregation, parents to children, bosses to employees. Moses was the leader of the Israelites. He was supported by the second-in-command, Aaron and Hur. Together, they supported the Israelites. To do otherwise would have been to hurt themselves. Our leaders need to be out on that hill, holding up their hands.
We first meet Joshua in this passage. At the time of the battle against the Amalekites, Joshua was far below Moses in the hierarchy. Joshua was on the ground, in the battle. Joshua could have thought, "Look at those guys doing nothing on top of the hill, while I'm down here about to get killed. Why do I have to do all of the work?" But Joshua was obedient to Moses and faithful to God. Joshua succeeded Moses as Israel's leader and became one of only two people who had left Egypt as an adult to actually enter the Promised Land.
God was showing me a larger truth. As Christians living in this world, we are in a battle. Everyday we battle temptation, pressure, and the influences of this world that want us to rebel against God. Our spouses need to know that we are in their corner. Our children need to know it, too. We all go through valleys in our lives and we need support and fellowship to get us through.
Who are the people that you need to provide support to? Think about the arenas in your life, home, church, school, work, or community. Like Moses, we need to lift up holy hands to the throne of the Lord, because the battle is won because of the support on the hill, not necessarily because of the skill of the warriors in the valley.
- Exodus 1-5 The Burning Bush
- Exodus 6-10 Great Lengths
- Exodus 11-16 Brave Grace
In Exodus 17: 8-16, we read of a mighty battle. While Joshua was in the valley fighting a battle, Moses, Aaron, and Hur were up on the hill providing support. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses arms became too tired to hold up the staff, Aaron and Hur held up his arms for him.
That passage is often used to show that we need to support our pastors and our leadership by shouldering some responsibility, lending a word of encouragement or in some way offering them refreshment. I don't disagree with that. However, I think it is can be more than that. It also shows the support our leadership needs to have for the people below them. For example, pastors to congregation, parents to children, bosses to employees. Moses was the leader of the Israelites. He was supported by the second-in-command, Aaron and Hur. Together, they supported the Israelites. To do otherwise would have been to hurt themselves. Our leaders need to be out on that hill, holding up their hands.
We first meet Joshua in this passage. At the time of the battle against the Amalekites, Joshua was far below Moses in the hierarchy. Joshua was on the ground, in the battle. Joshua could have thought, "Look at those guys doing nothing on top of the hill, while I'm down here about to get killed. Why do I have to do all of the work?" But Joshua was obedient to Moses and faithful to God. Joshua succeeded Moses as Israel's leader and became one of only two people who had left Egypt as an adult to actually enter the Promised Land.
God was showing me a larger truth. As Christians living in this world, we are in a battle. Everyday we battle temptation, pressure, and the influences of this world that want us to rebel against God. Our spouses need to know that we are in their corner. Our children need to know it, too. We all go through valleys in our lives and we need support and fellowship to get us through.
Who are the people that you need to provide support to? Think about the arenas in your life, home, church, school, work, or community. Like Moses, we need to lift up holy hands to the throne of the Lord, because the battle is won because of the support on the hill, not necessarily because of the skill of the warriors in the valley.
This is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's... The Lord will be with you. ~2 Chronicles 20:15
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Four Things I Learned in January
1. I love my husband and would marry him all over again. We celebrated 35 years of marriage this month.
2. In the United States 1 out of 3 woman and 1 out of 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. Autism, learning disabilities, and fertility issues are increasing. Serious illnesses are impacting our children.
Did you know that the United States has not passed a federal law to regulate the ingredients used in personal care products, shampoo, lotion, and cosmetics since 1938. The European Union has spent the past two decades banning or restricting more than 1,300 ingredients, the US has only banned 11 to date. Companies are allowed to use known toxins, ingredients that have been linked to cancer, reproductive issues,and hormone disruption, without telling us, and can legally say they are following the regulations!
As a breast cancer survivor, I was appalled to learn this. It is time for a change. As wives and mothers, we need to be better informed so that we can make healthier choices for our families.
Two things you can do right now:
Two things you can do right now:
a. Download the FREE Skin Deep app to your phone. You can scan the barcode of a product and receive its safety rating. For those with allergies, the database will let you know what products contain it, other names for it, and alternatives. I have been scanning the products on the counters in my house. Some real surprises. The video below is an Overview of the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The EWG sponsors Skin Deep.
b. Read Little Changes:Tales of a Reluctant Home Eco-Momics Pioneer (affiliate link). Kristi Marsh is a breast cancer survivor who shows how making little changes in choices of products and foods that you bring into your home can help to ease the toxic load on ourselves and our families.
3. My daughter, Patty made these awesome Minion Cupcakes for a church social. They were the cutest things. You could add little footballs and green icing to serve them for Super Bowl Sunday. So cute!
4. I loved How 936 Pennies Will Forever Change How You Parent, by Eryn Lynum. A wonderful post about the time we are privileged to have raising our children. Eryn was given a mason jar containing 936 pennies. One penny for each week that she has to raise her son. She tells of investing those pennies wisely. How heavy the weight of responsibility represented by the jar and how quickly it empties. Her post is beautiful. It is well worth the time it takes to visit.
What did you learn?
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
What I'm Reading
I was the kid who got excited when the teacher announced it was time for Drop Everything And Read. Here are two books I just finished that I think you will fall into.
September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries…and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she’s made. Will what she learns devastate her or free her?
September 2011. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, widow Taryn Michaels has convinced herself that she is living fully, working in a charming specialty fabric store and raising her daughter alone. Then a long-lost photograph appears in a national magazine, and she is forced to relive the terrible day her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers…the same day a stranger reached out and saved her. Will a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf open Taryn’s eyes to the larger forces at work in her life?
This was my first experience with Susan Meissner. She is an author I will be reading again.
Annie Downs also wrote, Speak Love: Making Our Words Matter. A book of encouragement to use your words to build people up, not tear them down. To speak love, healing, and hope into peoples lives. It was a blessing to read. It makes you aware that what you say and how you say it are truly important.
Name the last great book you read in the comments. I would love to see your recommendations.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Brave Grace
God uses people to accomplish His purposes. Plain, old, ordinary people. Like you and me. Isn't that amazingly scary?
The idea of being used by God was so astounding to Moses that he suggested that God use someone else. Moses thought that his story was one of failure and shame. He hesitated to let God use him. Of course, Pharaoh was reluctant to listen to Moses to let the Israelites go. And now that the Israelites were free, Moses was leading them into even more peril. What did God expect? Moses had killed an Egyptian and then spent forty years on the back side of the desert. God could have picked someone else.
Moses knew that rescuing the people of God was an undertaking fraught with difficulty.
The Lord occasionally does the same with us, leading us into hardship, bringing us to a particular point or allowing us to be in a circumstance not of our choosing. Our initial reaction may be panic and alarm. (When I was diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago, I lay on the couch for three days.) God gently reveals the depth of our faith to us. He teaches us wisdom and shows us His ways. And then we learn to lean into Him. To rest securely on the only One who could ever save us anyway. The One who holds us gently in His arms.
Moses and the Israelites learned that the same God who led them in, would lead them out. The problem was not left to Moses. It was God’s dilemma to solve which He chose to do through Moses inadequate hands. Moses stretched out his arm over the sea. The waters parted and the Israelites were brought through to safety.
Sometimes, like Moses, we think that our story is one of shame, failure, and inadequacy. But you know, it doesn’t have to be. Our story can be a story of grace.
It is a brave grace that saves. A grace that fixes broken lives. A grace that heals broken hearts and restores sinners. It is a brave grace that looks beyond what we have done and sees what we can be. God does not count our sin against us.
God exhibits grace and mercy so that we might experience forgiveness and healing. So that, like Moses, we can see that we are capable of being used to further His glory. Thank God for His brave grace.
This post is part of a series on Exodus. I have been joining the Good Morning Girls at Women Living Well. My other Exodus posts may be found here.
Exodus 1-5 The Burning Bush
Exodus 6-10 Great Lengths
This weeks assignment Exodus, chapters 16-20.
The idea of being used by God was so astounding to Moses that he suggested that God use someone else. Moses thought that his story was one of failure and shame. He hesitated to let God use him. Of course, Pharaoh was reluctant to listen to Moses to let the Israelites go. And now that the Israelites were free, Moses was leading them into even more peril. What did God expect? Moses had killed an Egyptian and then spent forty years on the back side of the desert. God could have picked someone else.
Moses knew that rescuing the people of God was an undertaking fraught with difficulty.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this. ~Exodus 14:1-4God deliberately placed the Israelites between the sea and the Egyptian army. Through Moses, God gave them specific, step-by-step instructions. Instructions that were leading them down a path to apparent ruin. Turn around and camp. Camp there. On that particular spot of sand. Right there, before the entrapping sea. Yes, right there in that impossible place.
Moses and the Israelites learned that the same God who led them in, would lead them out. The problem was not left to Moses. It was God’s dilemma to solve which He chose to do through Moses inadequate hands. Moses stretched out his arm over the sea. The waters parted and the Israelites were brought through to safety.
Sometimes, like Moses, we think that our story is one of shame, failure, and inadequacy. But you know, it doesn’t have to be. Our story can be a story of grace.
It is a brave grace that saves. A grace that fixes broken lives. A grace that heals broken hearts and restores sinners. It is a brave grace that looks beyond what we have done and sees what we can be. God does not count our sin against us.
God exhibits grace and mercy so that we might experience forgiveness and healing. So that, like Moses, we can see that we are capable of being used to further His glory. Thank God for His brave grace.
This post is part of a series on Exodus. I have been joining the Good Morning Girls at Women Living Well. My other Exodus posts may be found here.
Exodus 1-5 The Burning Bush
Exodus 6-10 Great Lengths
This weeks assignment Exodus, chapters 16-20.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Read Books
So far in January, I have read:
All the Light We cannot See, by Anthony Doerr : I really enjoyed the way Doerr shared this story through a blind Parisian girl and a German orphan. The writing is beautiful and the characters are memorable.
Sweet Water, by Christina Baker Kline: Reading this with our libraries Book Club. Sweet Water was a first novel. It was good, but wasn't as satisfying a read as Orphan Train, which was excellent.
What are you reading?
This post contains affiliate links. The opinions are my own.
Minion Cupcakes
Patty made these adorable Minion Cupcakes! So cute and easy. Proud Mama moment.
Patty used a box mix, frosting which she colored blue and black, and Twinkies! She had some edible google eyes left over from another baking project, so she incorporated them, too. The Twinkies were cut in half and set on the blue frosting.
We brought these to a church potluck and they were really a hit, especially with the younger crowd!
Patty used a box mix, frosting which she colored blue and black, and Twinkies! She had some edible google eyes left over from another baking project, so she incorporated them, too. The Twinkies were cut in half and set on the blue frosting.
We brought these to a church potluck and they were really a hit, especially with the younger crowd!
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