It really bugs me that this scripture says this but it does:
2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Ever try doing something in your own strength?
1. You get some things accomplished, but not all
2. You always feel disappointed in yourself
3. You think you are a failure because you can’t bring yourself to do somethings, (even if you’ve done them with ease before.)
4. You can’t seem to get to the place or places you’ve planned and just don’t know why…
These are some sure signs that you may be operating in your own strength.
If you are like me then you may be:
1. A doer!
2. Always on to the next thing you need to accomplish
3. “check, it’s done!” are words that excite you
4. “that’s off the to do list too! woo hoo!” make you feel more accomplished than any other thing in the world
5. You are an “I can do all things and then some!” kinda person…
6. And you love it!
Boy, do I hope that I am describing someone else reading this as well!
I want to say that Paul might of been on the side I’m describing here too. Having a fixer mentality, wanting to get this or that thing done and over with as well. Like, 3 times I prayed and pleaded with the Lord about this.
Ex.
He probably said:
“I know You can do it, Lord!”
And to no avail…
“But! I did get this. I did hear Him say this…”
“Hey you! Hey Paul! I will not do what you are asking me to do but I will let you know this…
I know you are strong, and determined and all; but I’m asking you to rely on something else in this season. To rely on something else in this moment. I’m asking you to abandon the way you’ve approached getting results from Me for a moment. Abandon the way you are used to Me answering in certain cases, lean in and process this with Me. I am asking you to grab ahold of the way My strength works, because this is when it is at its best, displayed perfectly and at work in not only you but in onlookers as well. My strength, oh there is nothing like it! My strength, IS made perfect in your weakness and not in your strength.”
“Do you see how that works?
Yes:
I’ve equipped you with everything you need to accomplish the task I have set before you.(Hebrews 13:21)
I have given you every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3) …
I have made you a joint heir with my Son. (Romans 8:17)
You have access to everything He does,
and will do greater things than He has done. (John 14:12)
But think with me for a moment…
When was my Son exalted the greatest?
At His weakest and lowest moments”
“When was He given the name above every name?
After He was mocked about not being able to save His own self…”
“My sweet child! You see, the way this world glories is not the way I do.
When He had His worst testimony with the world is when He had His greatest glory in Me.
When He was obedient unto death is when I gave Him a seat at My right hand.
He could have summoned legions of angels to His aid but became a spectacle, out of obedience to Me and I received glory through Him. Not only did I strengthen Him at His weakest moment but I exalted Him when He said “it is finished.” ”
Strength perfected
Weakness displayed
To the full and most glory and honor of God.
“It is finished, but I am not!”
God’s not done with you. He isn’t finished with your story. The way that He receives glory may differ depending on where you are in your story; but take heart He’s gonna get the glory!
I want to prefix this blog with saying we shouldn’t apologize for someone not having access to us or for them having your attention if they aren’t bringing healthiness to the table.
If everything about them is toxic, and this goes to say that there are absolutely toxic things|traits about you too. But because there is doesn’t mean you have what it takes to take on someone else’s toxicity. You can’t change them and neither can they change you. You both are in need of a touch from Jesus, so what do I have the right to?
You have the right to choose. To choose the toxicity you’ll be around and what you won’t. You can choose who you associate with and who you do not associate yourself with, who you are around and who you are not around.
You can choose; not in a way that says, “im better than you” but you can choose who and what you want to be surrounded by. Especially if you are putting in the work in your own life. Trying to heal deep wounds, trying to process and progress, trying to be better than you were yesterday.
Yes, yes you are allowed to choose who you will allow to have an influence in your life, world, mind, thoughts, thinking , what you keep and what you throw out of your thinking. You can not afford to be surrounded by or to be influenced by certain things.
Especially when you want to go somewhere in life, especially when you believe in the plan and purposes God has for you. You can’t afford it. Walking in the plan of God for your life is costly, not walking in the plan of God for your life is also just as costly. Choose what you’ll pay.
A quick story:
Something I believe to be extremely profound is – an encounter with God changes you perspective on purpose. This is one of the first longings I had and vividly remember after coming to Christ, salvation, and my conversion. I remember waiting up late; really late, sitting at my fathers kitchen table just drafting up purpose. Putting a pen to a paper and drawing, writing and envisioning on paper what I believe God had for me in life. I’d sit at that table and cry. I’d close my eyes and say, “God, show me in my own eyes what you have for me. Show me what you want me to do.” “Give me wisdom, give me vision!”
Its something that immediately gets awaken in you. Your pursuit for|of purpose is ignited. If there is anything that I want to leave my son here on the earth with is, a sense of purpose. Purpose is definitely a key and driving factor|force in the life of every believer.
Again, based on the response of the Apostle Paul and the 12 disciples response to their own calls, I believe it to be one of the most important things a believer should pursue God for.
My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Hosea 4:6
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!
1 Corinthians 9:16
But if I say I’ll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!
Jeremiah 20:9
Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.
Acts 1:4
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors. But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him”
Galatians 1:1-10
“to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus. Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother.”
Galatians 1:16-19
Sadly, not everyone has the same convictions concerning their own worth and value in the eyes of God. Nor do they have the same convictions concerning their God given purpose and the plans that God has for them.
Given these truths and the work it takes for one to actually see themselves the way God sees them, renew their mind and to walk in the direction where Jesus is leading daily is harder than anyone will ever get credit for. Not that we need it but it is nice to know and be reminded that there is a reward for going the right way.
Doing all that I’ve listed above comes with a cost. It cost to keep the right attitude and it costs to be an example. Living loosely will cost too.
It’s like working out. If you go to the gym regularly, drink the right amount of water for your weight and eat healthy; you will be mindful of what you take in or expose your body to.
The same goes for us mentally, emotionally and relationally. We have to put in, in order to get out. The relationships we entertain are ultimately what we are allowing to be programmed in our lives. I once heard that we are or become the relationships we keep, the books we read and the habits we make.
Relationships are crucial, existentially speaking. We were designed by God to live in relation to|with others. There are so many references in the Bible where God instructs His own people not to take up the ways, habits and customs of a specific group of people and the purpose of Him saying this would always lean towards their own relationships with Him. He would forbid them to marry the people in that land and the purpose was in order not to hinder what God had begun, the work He was doing or what He planned to do in them in the future.
We are instructed by God in the Bible on the importance of like mindedness, actually one mindedness and it is for a reason.
So much goes into relationship building, it would be a shame to build with those God never intended for you to build with in the first place.
The health of a relationship matters. We shouldn’t have them just for the sake of having them. If I am ultimately MADE by my relationships I want to put my best foot forward in cultivating the right ones.
The elimination of being respectful, cordial, courteous and kind doesn’t have to happen in relationships we choose not to have
But we also cannot jeopardize all that God is doing in us in order to forward and cultivate relationships that were never meant to be, that are immature, that are less than life giving and harmful.
We were made for more and our relationships help shape our environment, can hinder or limit this more; and impact our lives way more than we’d like to give them credit for.
Prayer:
God, as much as it depends on me help me to choose my relationships wisely. Help me to grow in my own mental, physical and emotional health so that I can be a better friend, mother, daughter, person, believer and neighbor. Give me discernment for the season and times others are supposed to occupy and take up space in my life and heart as well as me in theirs. Let me know when a relationship is meant to end and cue me in on those that are meant to last a lifetime. Help me to work on me and may I never stop growing.
Christian fellowship is the act of meeting with those who are converted and who possess the same general beliefs. It entails the sharing of Biblical knowledge and building lasting relationships among those who are called by God. Such meetings amongst those who are like-minded are an essential element in a Christian’s spiritual growth and development.
(taken from biblestudy.org)
In my mind I would say that fellowship is communing, it’s doing life with, it’s living in constant relationship with like minded others.
Fellowship isn’t always the easiest, especially for the naturally private or the marginalized and generally misunderstood.
Cultivating fellowship with God, helps us cultivate fellowship with others. A growing relationship with God helps us to discern the right or healthy relationships; the ones worth investing in and the ones that aren’t worth it or that we should tread lightly in or even ones to steer clear of altogether.
Fellowship was made to matter.
The Bible speaks of the beginning of Christianity being a beautiful thing. A time where believers would meet together regularly, live in unity and share everything to the point where no one was ever in lack.
Acts 2:42
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
Acts 2:44
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Acts 2:46
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
Acts 2:47
all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
The Bible also tells us:
Psalm 133:1
How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!
It speaks of believers being of one Spirit and mind:
Phillipians 2:2
Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
We live in a world that is constantly “improving” and by “improving” we mean that we are constantly and consistently removing the need for people and others. We live in a world where people are being replaced by machines everywhere we turn. The need of the human mind is being replaced with the human need to acquire. “I don’t need you because I have…”. “My life is more important than yours because…”. The life’s of the unborn being devalued and the need to be alone becoming the norm due to convenience. We have less empathy and value being in less fellowship and community with others because, at times it makes things easier.
The later definitely isn’t hard for me to comprehend because I enjoy my time and moments alone, probably a little more than most.
fellow means:
fel·low
/ˈfelō/
.
a person in the same position, involved in the same activity, or otherwise associated with another.
“he was learning with a rapidity unique among his fellows”
Phillipians 2:1
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?
This post Is meant to remind you of the fellowship of believers.
The Bible teaches us that we shouldn’t forsake it:
Hebrews 10:25
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
and that:
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
I can definitely speak for myself when I say that after having conversations about the Word with a fellow believer I have always left refreshed and revived. I consider it a sort of sparring with words that allow us (those speaking and listening) all to be built up and edified.
This blog post is also meant to be a reminder of how loved you are and that in this holiday season, you are desperately needed and valued by God.
Don’t forget that people, including you and I struggle with battles others may not ever know about. Don’t take the distance of others personal. If you feel far removed from someone in this season, first try reaching out before you assume the worst.
Feeling lonely during the holidays isn’t abnormal. We all go through seasons of incubation and sometimes isolation, and this might be one of yours. Being self aware is key in this season. Create rescue plans for your emotions by being the first to reach
out, reassuring yourself that you are not alone and by believing the best. Schedule dates with your brothers and sisters in the faith; ones who lift your Spirit, make you smile and bring out the best in you, and you in them.
Believing God’s best over you this holiday season!
Even the strongest of us do. No matter how hard we try to deny it, we do:
we need accountability
we need validation
we need reassuring
we need someone in our corner
we need those that know us
we need someone, a person we can be vulnerable with
we need to be able to tell someone how we really feel
we need to vent
we need to know that someone truly has our back and wants the best for us
we need the honesty of another
we need friendship
we need family, whether biological, chosen or both
we need others
we need to be able to be the same thing for others
I’ll be transparent in this post and go ahead and say that I don’t really like to need these things. Why, you ask?! :
Because it’s makes you have to have a kind of openness that I’d personally rather not have.
That, and maybe a few other reasons why but mainly that.
If the list I named above doesn’t get you thinking about our need for community maybe these verses will. From the beginning God let’s us know that it isn’t good for us to be alone.
The Bible says:
it isn’t good for us to be alone
two are better than one
woe to the one who falls alone
speaks on the benefit of the counsel of believers
that it’s better to have more advisers
Genesis 2:18
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
Proverbs 18:24
There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 19:20
Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.
Proverbs 15:22
Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.
The book of wisdom mentions it and soo much more…
Ultimately community and companionship are keys to a life well lived. Whether you are like me and struggle with wanting to need community or you have the greatest group of confidants, friends, family , comrades, team, tribe, village and the like…
This blog is made to remind us:
1. that we need them,
2. that they are out there even if things feel extra lonely around this time of the year for you and
3. that you are someone else’s community, confidant, friend, comrade, village and the like
It’s important for you to know that you matter, that God sees you that He’s designed you to fit perfectly in what the role|s He has for you. You are really never alone.
God has promised,
…”For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?””
no matter who we are or where we come from we have a reason to say “thank you”.
It doesn’t always feel that way but we do. life and seasons can change, causing us to sometimes have to search out the reasons for our thank you’s.
God has called us to meditate on what is praiseworthy .
praise·wor·thy
/ˈprāzˌwərT͟Hē/
:deserving approval and admiration.
: worthy of praise
tip:
defining the word or words we study or apply to our lives from the Bible helps us to see and cultivate better examples of it in our own lives
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Phillipians 4:8
I’ve tested this time and time again, intentionally and I’m not afraid say unintentionally as well.
If we think on good thoughts or praiseworthy thoughts our minds, life and everything thing else goes in that direction.
We all know that whatever we focus on is magnified. It gets bigger and bigger even if it was never really that big to begin with.
Thinking the right thoughts not only honors God but it is also an act of worship. We honor God when we honor ourselves. When our thoughts are good or admirable we honor our bodies, minds and souls by thinking them. We edify those around us when we think and rethink the right things.
Here are 5 ways to work on your thoughts:
1. Meditate on scripture: but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:2 NIV
2. Renew your mind: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV
3. Think about what you are thinking about: This isn’t always easy because our minds can wonder without us even realizing it, but it’s important for us to wonder what we ponder so that we can question and discard the wrong thoughts and replace them with the right ones. …and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
4. Pray often and about everything: pray continually, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV | Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
5. Put your hope and trust in God through it all: Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5 NIV
Here’s a reminder that before the foundation of the earth God knew you. He knew everything you’d be, your genetic makeup, your future mistakes and He still thought that you were good.
In fact when He made man, He thought that we were “very good”. (Genesis 1:31)
The Bible teaches that we should meditate on what is noble.
When someone speaks of the word noble the first thing that comes to mind for me is a noble character.
A character worthy of praise.
Sometimes we can look at our performance and judge ourselves by that. saying “I didn’t do that good in…” this or that, or “I could have done better in” xyz.
Have you ever scolded a child or told them how bad they are|were? Did this help their behavior or did it hurt it. In my experience with Eli and in teaching, this doesn’t help much with bad behavior.
If anything it fuels the same behavior you scolded them for. Whenever I scold Eli or tell him “you aren’t listening to me!”, he behaves worse.
If I am gentle with him, correcting him in love, things work out better and play over smoother than if I yell or holler.
I’ve tried both ways and one works towards the building up and the other for the tearing down. I may not be that great at it but it definitely works better.
Correcting in love and with the proper tone and behavior produces better results.
This is why I think Gods declaration over us at the point of creation is just genius. It’s a precursor of what He wanted or planned for us.
He didn’t start with our mistakes, problems, mess up etc. He started with His plan, what He planned for us.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
The declaration of our identity, and what God sees, “very good” was the forerunner of the outcome to our actual existence.
God already had a plan. Him, Jesus and the Holy Spirit always already were before we arrived. They were at the beginning and they are at the end. (Revelations 22:13, John 1:1)
Waiting for our lives to fall into place, the way it’s supposed to, the way it’s been predestined to.
God has already predestined our lives for noble living.
a life that possesses outstanding qualities
a life of good
a life operated in excellence
a grand and impressive life
(everyone’s life is impressive to someone, somewhere)
a life lived out loud for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.
it’s already been predestined, a plan from the beginning, meant for us to walk in.
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
The words “your truth” and “my truth” have been bouncing around among cultures, conversations, religion and politics excessively for approximately 3 years now.
The thing with truth is that there is only one complete and total truth. You might get offended by those words but there is.
Jesus Christ is, as referred to in scripture “the way, the truth and the life”
John 14:6
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
This is truth.
The best way that I can describe this to a person is by using another example from scripture. The Bible teaches us that “God is Love”, it doesn’t tell us that He shows love or that He tries to give us love. It tells us that He IS love, that pretty much a part from Him there can be no love. He isn’t trying a new thing when He expresses Love towards us, It’s who He already is. He is not only the source of love, but also it’s origin, He is also where it love starts and ends. Love can’t be found outside of God because He created and exemplifies the concept completely. God IS love …
The word of God says that JC is the same, yesterday, today and forever
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
This also means that He’ll never stop being the way, the truth and the light – not now or ever.
The same goes for truth. In the beginning was the word the word was God and the word was with God.
John 1:1-4
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God
God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
The “our” referred to in the Bible when God says “let us” make man in “our” image is :
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is God, and He is also the truth.
Not a portion of truth but the entire picture of it.
There is no “your truth” and “my truth”, there is only THE truth
Just like there is not multiple ways to define God’s love, or love, He is love and His word defines what love is, clearly what it is and what it is not.
Now, there can be facts, feelings and experiences when it comes to truth:
Expressed as:
These can all be valid, understood and relatable –
These facts , feelings and experiences can have all actually taken place and in the same breath I can say that there is only one truth, and that is the word of God
It is what we hold above what has been rendered “your truth” and “my truth”
John 8:32
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
1 john 4:6
But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
Ephesians 6:14
Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
James 1:18
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
I’ve been the bearer in bad news, or even the bearer of it.
I’ve been the first to know the news and the first to have to share it, and so on.
No one likes bad news, nor would anyone prefer it over good.
Bad news stinks, causes us to feel really icky inside and doesn’t help to cheer anyone up.
Bad news isn’t always bad; sometimes is serves as a tool used to correct or fix something in us.
The Bible instructs us to meditate on the things that are of a good report.
To not be negative Nancy’s so to speak
To dwell on the good and positive in life
This is suppose to make for a more positive life, a life of|with a good outlook produces that fruit.
A good report:
is something favorable
it isn’t necessarily always all good but;
in my opinion it is evidence of the sifting out of good
good:
: of a favorable character or tendency
:bountiful, fertile
:handsome, attractive
:suitable, fit
:not depreciated
:that can be relied on
:profitable, advantageous
:agreeable, pleasant
:salutary, wholesome
there’s a story in the Bible
that goes like this
God was giving, practically handing a land over to a group of people.
He already told them what to expect and what that land would consist of.
His report of the land and gift was a sure thing.
It was completely accurate!
You guessed it, of course it would be, He’s God.
He didn’t lie about a thing.
Now 10 or 12 spies were sent to spy out this said land and bring back a report.
Some came back with a negative and some came back with the positive
Although God had already said what that land would be to these people and all that it would produce.
It mykind of reminds me of the story in the Bible where King David took a census of the people under His governing to determine his own victory rather than believing God in spite of the facts.
You see the report can be factual but God’s decision making is final.
The report can be factual but God’s plan is final.
The report can be negative and factual but God’s word is final.
You see, the report can be factual, but only God’s purposes stand true, will prevail and are final.
The spies went into that land, and scouted it out.
Some came back with a good report and some didn’t.
Neither reports really mattered much, but only the ones who came back with the good report were able to see, possess and take hold of the promise.
Perspective matters, but not more than what God says.
The right perspective can serve as an aide to what God has already planned and wants to accomplish throughout the earth.
The wrong perspective can disqualify one from the taking or possessing of the promises of God all together.
Each day we get to choose, the lens we’ll get to view things through.
The theme of “i wonder” is a great one for kids. It starts with wondering, and questions – something kids love to do, which is ask questions.
They want to know why a thing is the way it is, the mystery behind that thing and anything else that they can find out about their questions.
They wonder everyday, sometimes without even realizing it. They regularly get to pick our brains and ask about whatever comes to mind.
The thing that I love about the “i wonder” theme is that it takes away the stigma about asking God questions. It lets the (our) children know that it is ok to wonder and get things wrong and to wonder and get things right (or almost right). It’s serves as a reminder that God isn’t upset at their wonder. He actually, invites them to.
The platform that the VBS lesson plan is on is a great one also!
Things it comes with:
programming guide
planning timeline
suggested schedule
shop prep list
volunteer roles
communication tools
style guides
social distance hacks
graphics
daily videos
a spotify playlist
and so much more
It’s so easy to organize because of how detailed the overall curriculum is.
I wanted to attach a sample of Day 1’s Lesson Plan for you to attempt at home:
Possibly to review with your little one on a rainy day indoors or a weekend|weeknight where you don’t have much planned.
I came up with the idea of hosting this VBS and here’s the “why” behind it:
We understand that there is a need
Searching for child care leading up to back to school can be a doozy
Most summer camps have ended, extracurricular programs closed for a week or two in order to regroup and return in the fall
We understand that having a bunch of cousins together at the home of that one family member who just happens to be off isn’t the ideal situation
We also understand the need of a safe space for your child to just “be” and to be before school starts and the search not being worth the added stress
I plan on hosting one each year right before the start of school. You know, that time where most extracurricular activities, sports clubs and the like are closed to prepare for the fall season. Yes, that week! Hoping it would bring some support and serve as a stress reliever to the families preparing for the coming school year and the ones who need it.
Be sure to look out for more details closer to the 2023 back to school season!
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Genesis 1:16
God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars.
1 Corinthians 15:41
The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
The Bible is filled with scriptures that speak about light.
Light illuminates:
to illuminate means to
1. make (something) visible or bright by shining light on it; light up.
2. help to clarify or explain.
David spoke of in Psalms 119 of hiding the word of God in his heart so that he wouldn’t sin against God. The word is meant to get in us and meant to illuminate our insides.
It is supposed to act like an epidemic once on the inside of us. It plants seeds in our heart, which the takes root and begins to bud plants and flowers of truth, the word, right living and the like in, through and in proximity of our entire lives.
epidemic:
1. characterized by very widespread growth or extent : of, relating to, or constituting an epidemic
the word of God is the light, meant to light up the pathway of our lives. How I envision this scripture is that in every step i|you take, just by one foot being put in front of the other, God’s light, the light of His word, His presence begins to shine in the steps; leading us through the pathway of this thing called life.
I see it clearing the pathway to difficulties, lighting up the areas of our lives that seem grey and clouded. I imagine the presence of the word of God in our live leading us down paths that only God’s glory and favor could take us.
Just every moment of our existence being lit up by the all consuming presence of the word of God.
Jesus, describes himself as the way, the truth and the life.
John 14:6
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Light gives life to what is dark. It brightens up a room that wasn’t well lit just moments before. It signifies the beginning of a new day, each and everyday. Light shines on what is uncertain and makes it clear. Light is needed and has been needed since the beginning of time. It’s what helps us to see, it’s a part of what a plant needs in order to be healthily nourished.
There are prayers in the Bible that ask God to cause His face to shine on us|me. Which is another reference in the Bible of our need of God’s light.
Numbers 6:25
the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
Later on in scripture we see that the Word of God describes us (believers) as the light of the world.
Matthew 5:14
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
We were meant to first be consumed with the light of God so much so that containing it or keeping it to ourselves would no longer be something we were capable of. And, we’d have to illuminate and impact what|those around us through and by the light that first caused us to be ones who shine.
We light up according to the light within. We are hidden and shown off based on this light. Walk in the light so that you can be sure to fulfill the plan that God has for you. The one He prepared for you to do before the beginning of time.
Keep Reading…
you are the light:
Genesis 1:17-18
God set these lights in the sky to light the earth,
to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
His strength is made perfect in your brokenness:
1 corinthians 15:42-43
It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.
Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.
TrulyArielleA 