Ok, so I have been meaning to post this slide from Caswell but I kept avoiding it. It was through this post that my Sat night meltdown occurred. You see...God has been hinting to me that while I say I love him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30 my memory verse #1 for 2010)...that I am still missing out on something. If I truly loved him with all my heart then my heart would break when his breaks. I would think like Jesus and NOT at all like Kristy. You may remember my tangent about the book I read...Primal by Mark Batterson from this SCM post #1.
Well, at Caswell on Sat night Cindy Johnson sang a song that I cannot remember the beat or tune or anything for because once I saw this slide...I FROZE in astonishment. I reached for my camera knowing it would change slides by thetime I had it ready...but it hung up and waited for me to snap this picture:
Now...I am no theologist BUT two times within a few weeks the SAME basic quote...something is amiss!I didn't think much else about it until this past Monday night...a crazy thing happened at the Gardner house. Many of you know that I am an avid reader...a HUGE book nerd if the truth be told. In fact on Monday I had 3 reading projects going on…One Year Chronological Bible, So Long Insecurity, and the Renovation of the Heart. Each night I spend a little time in each book. And clearly three is PLENTY at one time for someone to read! Well Monday night Travis sat in MY chair and picked up the renovation book. Well he does not read as often so felt that I could not take it away from him and tell him to find his own book to read. So I grabbed a book my friend Val loaned to me well over 6 mths ago (The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns - no relation to Daniel and Melissa that I know of but I will ask at church) and I was going to “pretend” to read through it so Travis would put mine down and I could scoop it back up…big mistake…the Hole book is soooooo good that it hooked me right at the beginning. It is such an easy read. The theme is eerily similar to the Renovation book but it is funny and less “serious” or formal if that makes any sense so it goes much quicker.
Anyway, so now I have 4 reading projects. Well…last night (Tues) I was dying to get back to the hole book. So I read my Bible, then my Insecurity and then started the Hole…you will NEVER believe who he is...(yes it is sad that I had no clue what the book was about only that Val said it was good and she thought I would like it and remember it was my DECOY book to make Travis put mine down!!!!)…author Richard Stearns is the current president of World Vision, yes I said World Vision. This means nothing to any of you but let me tell you I had never heard of World Vision until I read Primal. You know the book that made me no longer recognize myself???? The book that made me think like a complete stranger and question everything I had every known about the church as a community of believers. And guess what Stearns quotes in around Ch 3….Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision. And guess what he quotes “Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God?” The exact same quote in Primal and the exact same reference to Bob Pierce. I almost shut the book! First Primal, then the Caswell slide, now this.
I honestly thought my heart broke for the things that break God’s heart…but now…I am guessing He’s not done with me yet. And by the time I finished “Part 1” of the book I had laughed hysterically and then was crying because our priorities as a people of God are so screwed up. I think the book is going to be dangerous to my comfort zone. But I am so thrilled to hear God speaking.
So that had no Women's Ministry point in it at all...I just was so excited I wanted to share it with anyone who is checking the blog regularly. And hopefully someone will be encouraged by the post. Please share a recent God moment you have had with us! I just feel in my bones that God has something big planned for our community of believers at WMBC. And I am so honored to be a part of it and have a 2nd pew seat =)
Love you all!
Freak Show Kristy
Ok Kristy, Did you think I would post? - Of course you did : ) I have bought Primal but have not started it. It will have to come after my current book which is "Can you not tarry one hour?" by Larry Lea This book was mentioned at Caswell and I can honestly say this is the area that God has me focused on right now. I couldn't wait to get started on this book but I got stopped in my tracks the other morning. I was reading along and actually pulled out my laptop to take notes on the book. The book has a lot of scripture references and I use my computer to look them up quickly so I can keep reading. Well I finally got to a place where he starts discussing the Lord's Prayer. Of course at the start he doesn't list the whole prayer so I looked it up and pasted it in the word file I had started. After I posted it and read a page or two more my mind kept going back to the Lord's Prayer. Finally after several urges to pray, I HAD to put the book down and hit my knees. It is one thing to read about prayer but quite another to pray. God let me know that morning to quit reading and pray. Since He was so persistent in pushing me to my knees, I decided to be persistent in staying on my knees till I got what He wanted me to know after all He put me there for a purpose. My lesson that morning was that it all goes back to the Lord's Prayer. WOW the Lord's Prayer. Am I obedient to this prayer?
ReplyDeleteBSF this year has been alot about obedience. Am I obedient to the LORD's prayer if that is an example that I am supposed to follow? I know God called me out that morning and showed me areas for improvement. Oh, I am so thankful for a LOVING, MERCIFUL GOD. One that cares for me enough to be patient with me and train me in the way that He needs me to be. I just know that one day God is gonna call me into service and every step I take is drawing me closer and preparing me more for this step. This calling is going to be different than anything I have ever done before and I really think it will be a true calling not something I do because I want to do it but something that may pull me out of my boat. I can't tell you how I know this but I feel it to my very core. Obedience - I am now sure will be a Key part in what He calls me to do. Jesus gave the example in how to pray. So I wanna pray it and live it and be obedient to Him. Hope this makes sense to you. If not it's o.k. because it make sense to God and Me and that is all that matters.
Tammy I only have one word...or is it two...I'm not sure...but it is GOOSEBUMPS!
ReplyDeleteClearly I need to borrow Primal :)
ReplyDeleteVal