Summer Projects

OK. It's time. I have a list of summer projects running around in my head. Recaulk that mildewy shower. Finish painting the office. Clean out closets.... My house needs some of those undone projects done.

I'm stalled, though. My regular chores still need done, and I have boys home for the summer. They're not so interested in my projects! Any ideas on how to get unstuck? What are your summer projects?

We're Back!

About this time last year, Barry and I started talking about "one more summer". Anson, our oldest, is 15 this summer. That's significant, because NEXT summer he'll be 16 and holding down a summer job. Barry and I knew that each subsequent summer would be more and more difficult to have a family vacation with all 4 of us.

So we decided. We'd save for a biggy. Most summers in the past, we've vacationed with extended family, and we love it! This time, though, we wanted to focus on making memories with just the four of us.

We just got back from a cruise to Key West and Nassau. Fun, fun, fun!!! We spent hours in the car driving to Miami during which we had some awesome conversations. On the ship we played, sunned, ATE and generally had a blast together. It was a safe place for Anson to exercise his wings a little, but mostly it was amazing family time.

Here are a few pics that hold happy memories.

That Miami skyline is spectacular.

Laid back!

Goofin' off in Key West...

Swimming with the fish...

God's incredible handi-work!!

What kind of memories is your family making this summer? I'd love to hear about it!

3 Step Tool

In encouraging you to study scripture on your own, I want to give you a tool that has helped me gain greater understanding and has given me more personal application than my past study. I picked up this tool at an Anne Graham Lotz crusade, but it is also used by Bible Study Fellowship. It’s very simple and contains just three questions. Divide your paper into three columns with the following headings:

What does it say?
What does it mean?
How do I apply this?

Begin by praying and asking God to show you where to start and what verses He’d like for you to study. Pick a short passage so you can slow down, spend some time, and really work on understanding. You will complete one question/column at a time for the whole passage.
Depending on the passage, I sometimes answer the questions for each verse individually, but sometimes I group verses together. Organize your study in a way that makes sense to you.

Use the tips below as guidelines for answering the questions. The rule of thumb is to begin by looking at exactly what God says in the passage without our own interpretation. Act like a reporter in this section, and just write the facts and major details.

The next step is to find the lesson in the passage. The Bible is meant to be interpreted as a whole, so sometimes single verses are confusing or seem contradictory. If that happens, look at the verse in the context of the whole chapter or entire book.

The final step is applying God’s Word to your own life. This is where something very exciting happens. If you are studying with a group, the group’s first column would be very close to identical. The second column might vary a little, but many would come to the same conclusions. On the application column, though, every member of the group might have a different application. That’s God speaking directly and personally to you! Completely amazing! Use the following tips to guide you as you study.

What does it say?
Put the number of the verse beside each fact.
Write down facts. This includes answers to the “w”s (who, what, when, where).
Write each fact in a brief summary sentence. Remember, this is your short-hand, so use abbreviations, symbols or anything that you’ll remember later.
Do not paraphrase. Use significant words straight from scripture. ( i.e. holiness, redeemed)

What does it mean?
What are the spiritual truths or principles in this verse?
Look for keys like these:
S—Is there a sin to confess?
P—Is there a promise to keep?
A—Is there an action to take?
C—Is there a command I need to heed?
E—Is there an example to follow or to avoid?

How do I apply this?
How will I act on this lesson?
Write open ended questions — ones that can’t be answered with “yes” or “no”
Take time to pray and listen. Write a response to each question.

I hope this is helpful as you teach those new Christians!

I'll be missing next week to take time with my family. Have a happy summer week!!

Foundations--Time with God

In our last Foundations class, we answered the question "How do I grow as a Christian?"

My own growth started with a Bible study that I started attending when I was in high school. Joseph Sasser, one of the group leaders, was living a more vibrant Christian life than I had ever experienced. I didn't know what was so different about him, but I knew I wanted it! He challenged our group to have 28 straight days of spending time with God. It was 28 days that started a lifetime of pursuing God.

Now, I have to be honest. I wish (I really, truly wish) that I jumped out of bed every morning chomping at the bit to have quiet time with God. Lots of mornings I do, but many days the time starts as an act of obedience. It's amazing how God transforms my sometimes-cold heart into a heart of peace and passion after time with Him.

Here are some tips for time with God. Many of these I've stolen--I mean borrowed--from my friend Tara.

• Have a time and a place. Make an appointment with God.
• Have a basket with all your supplies. Some suggestions: pens, highlighters, notebook, Bible, concordance, dictionary, prayer journal. This seems like such a simple solution, doesn't it? Even though I LOVE organizational tips, I had never thought of this. I often spent my time running around trying to collect all these things. I now LOVE my basket of supplies right beside my "quiet time chair".
• Try journaling. I'm not a consistent journaler, but Tara's prayer journal has helped me so much. It not only helps me to focus as I write instead of making lists in my head, but God has used it over and over to remind me of His Word and work in my life as I reread. It's cute, too, right? If you'd like more info, click on the pic.

Finally, I gave the group two simple Bible study tools.

3-Step Tool:

• What does it say?
• What does it mean?
• How do I apply this?

If you're interested in more detail, I'll finish this series on Thursday with an explanation of this tool.

One Word a Day Tool:

Details about this method can be found in Louie Giglio's book i am not but i know I AM. (Have I mentioned that I love this book?) It's really very simple. Choose a verse and meditate on it one word at a time. Each word gets a whole day. If you think this is impossible, you have to read Louie's Day 1 on the word "and" and Day 2 of the word "the". Incredible!!!

That's it. Foundations. Pretty simple and yet completely profound. These are the truths that the rest of our faith must be built on. No foundation--shaky house. Firm foundation--rock solid house. Isn't there a scripture about that? :)

Foundations--Part III

I'm a voracious reader and have been since I could first read a book by myself. As a little girl, I'd come home from the library with arm-fulls of books and couldn't wait for the time to select a new stack. If I ran out of things to read before our next trip to the library, I read anything I could get my hands on.

On one of those days when I was in fourth grade, I picked up a little pink book that had come in the mail. To this day, I can't remember where this book came from or when it arrived, but it was a book that changed my life. It was a book that told me of my need for salvation. It explained that every human life falls short of God's perfection and that no one can reach God by themselves. It described Jesus' death on a cross and return to life. It told me that if I would believe and ask God for forgiveness that I would be saved.

I grew up going to church. My parents did family devotions and had taught me all about the love of God and service for Him. They were an amazing example. On that day, though, reading that book, God reached my heart. I remember laying in bed that night crying because I knew that I was lost. I remember closing my eyes that night, praying for forgiveness and feeling an incredible peace filling me. The next day I told my friends of my new life as I walked home from school.

I couldn't have quoted Romans 10:9-10 or even led anyone through the steps of salvation, nevertheless it was fulfilled in my life that day. "...if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

In our third foundations class, we talked about "What is salvation and baptism?" We covered why we need salvation, what we're being saved from and how we can know we're saved. We talked about baptism as a symbol, an act of obedience and a supernatural event.

With both the adult group and teen groups I shared an awesome blog post. My friend Melissa's son Blake has a Disney blog. On Easter, he took a break from all things Disney and shared the message of salvation. He's 15! What an awesome kid!! Whether you're searching for some answers about salvation or just would like to get some tips on presenting salvation in a simple but complete way, I hope you'll visit Blake's blog.

If you have experienced salvation through Jesus, I hope you'll stop right now and thank Him. If you've been drawn but haven't decided to make the leap of faith, today is the day. His arms are wide open. He will answer you as soon as you pray. Don't wait another minute. The adventure of a lifetime is available to you. Choose Life today!