SS24: A Quick Prayer

In this month's Sister Circle study, we talked about chapter 3 from Celebration of Discipline and it was all about prayer.

I want to offer a couple of quick encouragements to you during what is for many people a challenging season (no matter how much you love Christmas). And when I say "quick encouragements," I mean suggestions you can implement that don't take much time! (Phew! Good news, right?!?)

Photo by David Beale on Unsplash

In the book, Richard Foster talked about "Flash Prayers." A Flash Prayer is a prayer on someone's behalf, inspired in the moment, as you see someone in need or think of someone and how they might need God's help. These prayers of intercession can cover anything from "Lord, help Susie with her test today!" to "Lord, help the people in that car accident and the officers and medical personnel helping them." They are a way to invite God's power to move in a person or situation, and it doesn't have to take a lot of time. You can even ask God how to pray for strangers. When you're driving or in line at the store, ask God how to pray for the people around you. You may be surprised at how specific the Holy Spirit is in response!

If "Flash Prayers" are quick prayers for others, "Flare Prayers" are quick prayers for ourselves! "Lord, help me________!" or "Lord, what next?" "Lord, I need your peace (or wisdom, or strength, or comfort) right now." When we pray quick prayers asking for help, we are acknowledging that God is with us and listening to us. He is always ready to help us and is FULL OF GRACE AND COMPASSION TOWARD US.

God has so much more grace and compassion for us than we have for ourselves. When we are upset at ourselves for failing, God sees us with love and longs to comfort us. He is slow to anger and rich in love and we can always cry out to Him when we need help. (And, um, we always need help!) He isn't standing with his arms folded saying, "Finally! It's about time!" He sees us as little children and He adores us the way so many grandparents adore their grandkids.

I guess this is my final encouragement. Maybe you have trouble with prayer because you are impatient with yourself and you think God is impatient with you, too. Or maybe your parents were impatient and angry (and tired, let's be honest!), so it's hard for you to imagine God any other way. If that's the case, is there a grandparent, or a neighbor, or an aunt or uncle or special teacher who loved you in a way that let you know you were accepted and forgiven even when you really did screw up? Or is there a child that you love that way? When we love and were/are loved that way, it is a reflection of God's love for us!

Maybe this year God wants to do a makeover of how you see Him in your heart. So here's my prayer for each of us as we continue through the Christmas season and into a new year.

Holy God, thank You for revealing Yourself to us in so many different ways. Throughout the Bible You are the God who sees, our shepherd, our protector and refuge, the suffering Savior, the King of kings, the prodigal's father, the one seated on the throne of grace, even as a mother gathering her children in her arms. We tear down every idea that would stand in the way of our knowledge of You and pray You would renew our minds with truth, that we would know You more and know how deep and long and wide and high is Your unfailing love for us, so that nothing would keep us from running to your throne of grace, because we know we are welcome there. We belong there. May our prayers - long and short - flow from our hearts easily and frequently as we grow more and more aware of your constant, faithful presence and your never changing love. In Jesus' name, Amen.

SISTER CIRCLES NOTE:

Next month we'll be discussing Chapter 4 (about Fasting). I encourage you, though, to stick with our current topic of PRAYER for the rest of the month and don't start moving ahead to the next chapter until January. Let's keep practicing what we're learning first.

Our next Sister Circles gatherings will be:
Sunday, January 12 @ 9:00am;
Wednesday, January 15 @ 10:00am; and
Friday, January 17 @ 7:00pm

Leave a comment or send a message to me if you need more info!

SS23: Celebrating the Gift of Prayer (Sister Circles - Chapter 3)

Hello, Sisters! It is such a joy for me to share with you some stories and encouragement about PRAYER! The study guide is right here and the video is here! To review the video slides, click here.

If you're in Fresno, we hope that you can join one of our Sister Circles meetings this week!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, mark your calendars! 

January 4, 2020, we're having a special Women's Brunch! We'll be enjoying some fun fellowship, encouragement, and having a special guest! Mikaela Ens is home from college for winter break and she'll be giving us a lettering art lesson! Whether you choose a word for the year each January or not, you'll leave with something lovely. 😉 We hope you can join us!

SS22: Final Thoughts on Meditation & Some Updates

An Invitation to Sit in His Presence

Our Sister Circles topic and spiritual practice for this month is meditation. I have spent time reflecting on the idea of meditation and practicing meditation more than my usual, and I am noticing the concept more often in scripture as well as in conversations and media around me.

Meditation is teaching me to slow down and listen, to my own heart and to God.

It never feels like there are enough hours in the week to take care of all my responsibilities AND take care of my soul. Last Sunday night, already feeling pressure as I anticipated the coming week, I decided to try listening to a peaceful podcast while I washed dishes. Instead of feeling more peaceful, however, I grew more and more stressed and annoyed as my son kept trying to talk to me. I finally recognized God wanted me to stop what I was doing. Though I was tempted to finish what I had started, I needed to leave the dishes undone and retreat to my room for a while and let God restore my soul before I caused damage to my son’s heart with a stress-filled, impatient response to his simple desire for my attention. I turned off the water and walked back to my room. A minute later, there was a knock on the door. (Of course.) I told my son I needed to stay back there alone for a little while and would be out eventually. He may not have appreciated it, but I have no doubt that when I came out later with a fresh attitude, our relationship was in better shape than it would have been if I hadn’t stopped and retreated when I did. A few minutes of meditation and quiet prayer gave me the victory as I resisted the enemy’s lies that I couldn’t quit.

The next morning I was reminded of Psalm 23. Verse 5 says, “You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full.” Do you see? The enemy pays attention to us when we sit at the feast God has prepared for us. Satan does not want us refreshed, anointed, and filled by the Holy Spirit, so if he can get us to stop before we sit, he will do just that! But he is too smart to intimidate us outright. He doesn’t jump out and yell, “BOO!” to scare us away like a neighborhood bully. Instead, he sneaks up behind us and reminds us of all the things we haven’t done or the tasks we are doing later. He reminds us that we need to be worried about this, that, and the other thing. He disguises his whispers as our own ideas so we won’t notice when we think, “Oh, I’ll just quickly check Instagram (or facebook or my email) first…” The rest of the day, if he can, he will weigh us down with worry and inspire us to wear ourselves out with activity so by evening, we don’t even think we can concentrate on prayer because we just want to collapse.

James 4:7-8b “So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”

Like we are taught in James 4:7-8, I am finding I have to actively resist the enemy and reject the lies that I don’t have enough time to sit and be still before God. If I think I don’t have time to meditate – sitting in God’s presence, drawing near to Him – I am believing the same lie Martha believed in Luke 10. God gives me enough time to sit in His presence, but I admit I too often spend that time doing other things. If the Lord is my shepherd and has provided all I need, that means He has provided the time I need to sit with Him. I just need to let Him lead me to the green pastures and still waters of His presence. Work can wait. Chores can wait. Social media can wait. Netflix can wait. Even the kids and the hubby can wait!

Time spent abiding in the love of Christ, listening to the Spirit’s wisdom, seeking the Father’s strength, reading the Word and receiving the Lord’s peace is an investment that will we will not regret. And thankfully, unlike many earthly investments, time spent in the Lord’s presence often offers an immediate payoff in addition to an eternal one. What a gift!

Sisters (and brothers), may our ears hear the Spirit when He calls and may we rejoice and grow as we learn more and more to sit quietly and meditate in His presence.
Amen.

&&&&&&&

RESOURCES:

A friend shared this podcast with me and I have really loved it! It's called The Presence Project and the host shares about the same kind of ancient, soulful practices we are discussing in Celebration of Discipline while connecting the practices with modern brain science. (I love how modern science is proving that spiritual disciplines have been good for humans all along!) She teaches a bit and then leads listeners in a quiet, meditative practice of prayer, meditation, or other reflection. I encourage you to try it out if you can.
https://thepresenceproject.libsyn.com/ (all episodes)
https://thepresenceproject.libsyn.com/trust-in-god-built-one-gratitude-after-another (Especially perfect as we reflect on Thanksgiving and move into December)

BIBLE READING PLAN UPDATE:

Back in January, some of us began working together on reading through the New Testament chronologically. We haven't gotten through the whole thing, but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the books in order based on when they were written. It's been fascinating to me. If you are interested in reading along, here's what we've read so far:

• Luke
• Matthew
• Acts 1-15
• Galatians
• James
• Acts 16-18:17
• 1 & 2 Thessalonians
• Acts 18:18-19:22
• 1 Corinthians
• Acts 19:23-20:1
• 2 Corinthians

In order to allow time for anyone who needs to catch up AND to allow some extra time to reflect on the Advent season (the weeks leading up to Christmas) I'm taking a break from the NT reading plan and will resume in January with the book of Romans. For now I'll personally be reading along with the (in)courage website's Advent reading plan, focusing on 25 Christmas Promises. YouVersion has  many Advent reading plans to choose from as well. I hope you will take time to sit with God's Word, allowing God to speak to you as you meditate on His truth this month.

DECEMBER SISTER CIRCLE GATHERINGS:

Our December gatherings will take place on December 8, 11, & 13. We'll be discussing PRAYER. If you have the book Celebration of Discipline and would like to read chapter 3 before we gather, please feel free to do so! I'll share the video and study guide soon, as well.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey! I learn so much more when I'm not learning alone. May God bless you all this Advent season with a renewed sense of wonder at the coming of Jesus Christ.

Blessings to You!
Melissa

SS21: Meditation (for Sister Circles)

Hello, everyone!

I am looking forward to gathering together this coming week. It is so lovely to be able to talk and laugh and pray together in person.

We'll be discussing Celebration of Discipline's Chapter 2 on the Discipline of Meditation. It has been very interesting for me to study this chapter and to practice meditating more than I have in the past. I'm not an expert AT ALL, but I'm enjoying learning and I hope you do, too.

Whether you are meeting with a Sister Circle group or not, you can watch the videos and look at the study guide (links below) if you'd like to follow along. (You can also watch the video with your group if you attend the Sunday morning or Wednesday morning group.) Send me your questions or comments by email and maybe I'll share a follow up post in a week or two.

Here is a link to the video for November's Sister Circles gatherings, which will be taking place in the coming week and here is a link to the November Study Guide.  If you'd like to view the slides from the video, click here.

For more information about Sister Circles, including how to sign up, visit http://www.butlerchurch.org/sister-circles/.

Have a Blessed Week,
Melissa

SS20: Intro/Chapter One - Celebration of Discipline (for Sister Circles)

Hello, sisters! I'm so excited to share with you the first video for Sister Circles! And I am excited to meet tomorrow for the first Sunday morning circle.

No matter which circle you'll be meeting with, if you would like to watch the video ahead of time, please feel free to do so! You can find it right here:

If you are able to join one of the Sister Circles meeting in person this month, we will have copies of the study guide printed for you to take home. If you would like to print a copy for yourself, it's right here.

If you aren't able to meet with a group and would like to share your thoughts, feel free to share in the comments on the post or by sending me an email.

May the Lord open your eyes this week and month to all He wants you to see and may He lead you on the path that leads to blessings.

Much Love,
Melissa

You're Invited! (Sister Circles are starting this month!)

Hello, sisters!

Here is a quick video to tell you about the newest way for women to connect at Butler Church.

We hope you'll join a Sister Circle!

Sister Circles are small groups for women that will meet monthly at a variety of meeting times, so hopefully there will be one that works for YOU!

You can get more information here and sign up here!  (By signing up we'll be able to send you updates regarding meeting times/locations, etc.)

Have questions? Email the Butler office, call the church office (number and email on the church website).

We really hope you'll join us!

SS19: Proceed to the Route

Hey, Sisters! Today's video is a little bit longer than usual (oops!) but there was a lot I wanted to go over. It has been such a different experience for me tracking along with the journey of Paul through Acts. In the video I review his second missionary journey and three things that stood out to me as I read the end of Acts 15 through the middle of chapter 18. I'll share them here in case you don't have time to watch the video! (click here)

1. Paul (almost) never works alone. 

Except for when he is in Athens, we don't see Paul on his own. He always has someone with him. Either Silas or Timothy, or Priscilla and Aquilla... whether we realize it or not, Paul is not a lone ranger off conquering the world for Christ on his own. I think we (ahem, I!) can learn something from that.

2. Women are recognized and acknowledged more than I expected - often by name!

"Quite a few prominent women..." "He began to speak to the women..." "A woman named Lydia... a God-fearing woman..." "Quite a few prominent Greek women..." "A woman named Damaris..." "with his wife Priscilla..."
There is no shortage of references to the women who were part of the faith communities started on Paul's second missionary journey. The women were important in their cities and in the churches just as they are today. Maybe I was surprised by this because when we think of women and Paul, we (I?) often think of the places where he advises head coverings and for women to be silent in some settings. If we don't realize there's more to Paul's perspective on women, we are missing out.

3. Paul was wrong several times about where he was going, and about who he was going with.

At first, at the end of Acts 15, Paul thought he and Barnabas should go visit the churches they had started to see how they were doing. He was right about it being time for another journey, but he was wrong about traveling with Barnabas. It seems God had other plans for Barnabas and this time Paul ended up traveling with Silas. Then on the way he met Timothy and took him, too. But not to visit the churches he had already started. They headed to new territory. Along the way, Paul thought they would preach in Asia, but the Holy Spirit didn't let them. Then they tried to enter Bythinia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn't let them. It wasn't until they got quite a bit further that they received the confirmation they hoped for and ended up on Macedonia.  It encourages me to see that even the apostle Paul didn't get all of the instructions in advance. He, too, had to rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide and open the right doors and keep closed the wrong ones. I believe when we are seeking guidance from God, He will do the same for us.

By the way, we have some exciting announcements coming soon about Butler women's ministry this fall, so stay tuned! 😉

In the meantime, if you are reading along on our New Testament journey, we'll be reading a bit more in Acts before we read the book of 1 Corinthians, written to the church in Corinth that Paul started during his 1.5 year stay there toward the end of his 2nd missionary journey.

9/16-9/20	Acts 18:18-19:22; 1 Corinthians 1 & 2
9/23-9/27	1 Corinthians 3-5
9/30-10/4	1 Corinthians 6-8
10/7-10/11	1 Corinthians 9-11
10/14-10/18	1 Corinthians 12-14
10/21-10/25	1 Corinthians 15-16; Acts 19:23-20:1

Father God, keep us seeking You and trusting You even when we encounter unexpected road closures and delays or the path we think we are on goes a different way entirely. You are our Shepherd and You are so much better than any GPS could ever be. Help us choose to trust You, to walk together and not alone, and to remember that we as women matter to You. We love you, Lord!
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

SS18: Welcome Back!!!

Hello, sisters! What a wild summer I had. I hadn't intended to take the rest of the summer off from creating new Sister Studies, but it happened anyway. I got home from helping my daughter move into her freshman dorm in Oregon (!!!!!) last Friday, though, so I'm ready finally to settle into a new school year - fresh, shiny, new routines and all! (It's like a Happy New Year in August!)

If you happen to be new around here, let me tell you what Sister Studies is about. Last Thanksgiving I believe God gave me the idea to start a site where the women from Butler (and our friends in other places and countries even!) could study, learn, share, and grow together - even though meeting together physically all at once on a regular basis is nearly impossible. I jumped in head first and created this blog site, where I attempted to post something approximately every other week, either a video study or something written. While we haven't had as much conversation in the comments as I had originally hoped, and while I also haven't posted as often as I had hoped, enough of you have told me you appreciate it that I 'm going to keep going. (Yay!)

The studies/posts/videos have been about a variety of topics... Grace, gratitude, Christmas, and reading the Bible. Several of us have even been working (albeit slowly!!!) on reading through the New Testament this year. (More about this below...)

I have really enjoyed the challenge of creating the studies and am grateful for all I learn while preparing. (There is never enough time to share everything I learn with you!) When summer came around and my three kids were all home from school though, especially with the impending departure of my daughter for college, it was hard to find the quiet space I needed to create anything new.

BUT finally my daughter has started her college classes, my boys are back in their school routines, I'm back at my part-time teaching job, and IT'S TIME to get started with Sister Studies again!

Like I said, we started early this year reading through the New Testament. We aren't just reading from beginning to end in the order you'll find it in your Bible, though. We're trying to read the various books in the order they were written! It's kind of hard for me to believe that in all of my years of going to church (over 4.5 decades!) until this year, I've never attempted to sort out when the different New Testament books were written. I don't know for sure about anyone/everyone else, but I've found it fascinating to look at the timeline and history as it's presented in the book of Acts and then to read the letters that were written to the various churches based on when they were written. In some cases, the experts out there don't agree about when certain books were written, so it's impossible to know for sure, but even getting it close has been a new experience for me.

Because we are going fairly slowly, it's not impossible to keep up AND if you're just joining us, I don't think it would be too difficult for you to catch up with us - especially if you jump ahead to Acts. Here's what we've read so far:

The gospel of Luke

The gospel of Matthew

Acts 1-16

Galatians

James

I won't deny that I'm a bit of a Bible nerd, (okay, more than a bit!) so I have loved following along on a map as I've been reading about Paul's journeys and the new churches as they were started. Yes, it takes a bit more time than just reading (and if you only have time to read, then just read!) but if you do have time to check out a map as you go, it helps it all seem more real. This site here has a really nice New Testament timeline including when the various books were written, AND some really neat maps that show the journeys Paul and his companions took as they traveled.

One more thing? When we started this journey back in early 2019, I had no idea Pastor Scott was going to do a series in Common Ground going through the book of Acts. Just this week, he preached a message on Acts 15 and Acts 16 is right where we are about to pick up again! (So cool!)

So jump on board! It's not too late and whether you go back to the beginning of Acts and start there or jump into where we are now, I really hope you will consider joining us - especially if you don't already have a Bible reading plan. 

Honestly, I have gone in circles a bit about whether or not I should keep pushing the reading plan, because I know not everyone is participating in this part of Sister Studies. I've worried that you might stop reading/watching if you aren't reading along or that you'll get tired of it. But the thing is, the Word of God is LIFE. God speaks to us through His Word. God nourishes our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits through His Word. God transforms us through His Word. Why would I ever think my words (even about God's Words) would be better? So, when I realized Scott's series now is exactly where we left off, I knew I just had to go for it and pray you'll stick around for the journey.

By the way, if your favorite posts are the ones where I share my mistakes and mess-ups and whatever else God is teaching me, fear not! Those posts will be back, too. I've already got at least one great story to share with you about an epic goof I made last week.

So here's what's next. You can review Acts 1-15 to get a sense for what's been happening or refresh your memory if you need or want to. Then join us reading Acts 15:36-18:22 (Paul's 2nd missionary journey) and the two letters to the Thessalonians probably written while Paul was in Corinth.

	Review Acts 1-15
Paul’s 2nd Missionary Journey
8/26-30	Acts 15:36-18:22
9/2-6	1 Thess. 1-5
9/9-13	2 Thess. 1-3

Whether it's through reading along with us or reading on your own or with another plan, may you be transformed by the renewing of your mind as you fill your thoughts with God's word and his truth this week. 

Blessings to you, Sister!

Love,

Melissa ♥️

SS17: Keep Walking in the Light

I can't remember a time when I didn't have Psalm 119:105 memorized. And, being a child of the 80's, when I think of the words, Amy Grant's voice immediately comes to mind.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

It's straight out of Psalm 119:105 in the King James version of the Bible that many of us grew up hearing. Years before Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant wrote the song, my mom taught me the verse. As a child and later as a teenager I knew the words, but it wasn't until I was old enough to struggle with making decisions (like where to go to college and who to marry!) that I truly started depending on God's Word to light my path and guide my steps.

God's Word has been a guide and comfort to me ever since.

Sometimes God brings words from a scripture passage to mind for me. Sometimes it's a specific book of the Bible or chapter that I think of and look up. But over the years, the best way I've found to hear God through the Bible is to just keep reading. And when I have a plan I'm much more likely to read than when I don't have a plan and wonder what to read next.

If you would like to join those of us who are reading through the New Testament this year, it's not too late! You can jump in any time. But whatever plan you follow, let's keep reading. Let's keep asking questions and seeking answers and applying the truth we read in the Bible. Our hearts and souls and minds need the truth God's Word contains as much as our bodies need water. (And we here in Fresno in summertime know that's a lot.) Let's keep seeking the light.

"...come, let us walk in the light of the Lord." 

Isaiah 2:5b

Sister Studies New Testament Reading Plan Update

While I knew the New Testament wasn't organized chronologically, I'm surprised I've never wondered more about it. I'm learning, though! The New Testament we use is organized into the Gospels, History, Paul's letters (in order based on how long they are!), other letters to the church, and prophecy. Because a timeline and dates weren't included in the actual scriptures as they were written, we have to depend on historians and scholars to put the timeline together for us. There are still question marks.

So far this year we've read the gospels of Luke and Matthew, and Acts 1-16. (Slow and steady, right?) We've read about the first years of the early Christian church and one of the things that strikes me is how quickly we can read through 20 years of history. That's approximately how much time passed between Jesus's crucifixion and ascension to heaven in Acts 1 and events of Acts 15. 15 chapters cover more than 15 years! It's really easy for me to read it as if things happened faster. (God is patient!)

The Jerusalem Council that takes place in Acts 15 was held around the year AD 48. According to many scholars, the book of Galatians was likely written by the Apostle Paul between AD 48-52, though there is some debate about whether Galatians was written before or after the events in Acts 15 took place. There is even debate about who exactly he was writing to. Galatians could refer to either an ethnic group or a political region where we know Paul planted churches. (If you're curious to know more, check out this post. Who knew?!)

No matter exactly when it was written or even exactly which people it was addressed to, the themes discussed in Galatians are closely related to what was discussed in Acts 15, and it was written around that time, so it makes sense for us to read Galatians now. After Galatians, we're going to read the book of James, written by one of Jesus's half-brothers, as it was very possibly also one of the earliest letters written.

Here's the plan for this week and the next two weeks as we read Galatians and James. If you want to read an intro to each book check out this link.

6/24-28	Galatians 1-3
7/1-5	Galatians 4-6, James 1
7/8-12	James 2-5

Blessings to you, sister, as you keep walking in the light of God's Word!

Love,
Melissa

I'll Be Right Back!

You may or may not have noticed that nothing new has been posted for the last few weeks. Well, life has been busy in my family with my daughter graduating from high school (YAY!!!) and extended family getting ready to move back to their missionary home in Thailand, one of our parents having hip surgery, plus end of the school year stuff for me (with my job) and my boys! Yikes! God is good, but He doesn't want me trying to be Wonder Woman. (Did you ever notice Wonder Woman didn't have a husband or children? Just sayin'. Even she didn't try to do it all.) And right now He's leading me to pause the blog on purpose for a couple more weeks.

If you have some extra time and are looking for something to read or watch, you can always go back through the Sister Studies posts from the last 6 months and see if you missed anything!

If you are reading along with the Bible reading plan, we'll pick back up in a couple of weeks. While you're waiting, you can look for a short plan here https://www.bible.com/reading-plans if you would like to!

Lord willing, I'll be back in a couple of weeks ready to continue learning with you. Can't wait to see you then!

Grace to You,
Melissa

SS16: God is Not Mad at You (God's Great Grace Series)

Hello again!!! I'm so glad to be back with another video in our God's Great Grace series. We've talked so far about approaching God's throne of grace and being received with grace, not needing to hide who we are, but being able and invited to pour out our hearts before our Father.

In this week's video, I address one of the reasons we sometimes don't approach God. Sometimes we think He's mad at us. Or disappointed with us. Again. (We're so often disappointed with ourselves, aren't we? And don't we often feel like the people around us are, too?)

In this study I share why I believe God ISN'T mad at us or disappointed with us. I really hope you'll take the time to watch or listen. If you can't, however, (it is May, after all, which if you have kids in or work at a school means it's crazy time!) I'll tell you this much. In Exodus 34, God reintroduces Himself to Moses, proclaiming His goodness and showing off His GLORY. This is what it sounds like in Exodus 34:6-7:

"The Lord passed in front of [Moses] and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation*."

Compassionate. Gracious. SLOW TO ANGER. Abounding in faithful love and truth. Forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin.

This is our God. This is grace. This is why we should never believe the lie that we need to hide from God because He is angry with us. God resists pride, yes. But if we are humbly acknowleging we need Him, willing to ask for His help, desiring His strength because we know we are weak, He will never be surprised or disappointed or upset when we come to Him. Ever.

To watch the video in a new window, click here. (And click it again if the video doesn't start.)

To listen to the audio, click here.

Have a blessed week, sisters! (And brothers?)  May you rejoice in God's grace and compassion and faithful love today. I'll leave you with this verse.

Psalm 103:8 (CSB)

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.

(Right click and download/save this photo to use it as a wallpaper for your phone!)

If you are looking for the Bible reading plan, check the sidebar on the blog or this post.

Does this hit home with you? As always, feel free to reply in the comments or by email or on the Butler Women's facebook post.

Melissa ♥️

(*In case you think it's unkind of God to let children and grandchildren feel any effect of a father or grandfather's sin, think about this. If we never saw the consequences of someone's bad choices, wouldn't we be more likely to make them as well? I believe it's actually because of God's kindness that He lets us learn from others' mistakes.)

SS15: Continuing our New Testament Journey & Some Extra Thoughts

After a longer than expected spring break, I'm back with the next part of our New Testament reading plan. (We'll continue in our Grace series next week!) I'm going to start posting the reading plan updates separate from the other posts, and probably several weeks worth at a time, so nobody is left wondering what to read next!

Even though I've read all of the Bible at least a couple of times and much of the New Testament even more often, I find something new every time. Reading God's word feeds our souls and spirits, even when we don't feel like we have discovered something amazing or like we've connected with God through what we've read. Filling our minds with truth and light will always bless us. And we never know when the Holy Spirit will remind us of something we read just when we need it later.

Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart."

We will never know what God would speak to us or show us about our own hearts through His Word if we are not reading His Word! Even if we aren't doing an in depth study, we can read. If we have time to scroll on our phones, we have time to read.

Dear Sister, can I say one more thing? 

I strongly suggest you do your Bible reading - whether with our plan or another plan - in a paper Bible. I have a couple reasons.

1. Studies are showing that more and more of us are ADMITTING to struggling with the amount of time we spend on our phones. I'm one of these people. (I'm positive that there are even more who aren't admitting it!) For me this means that every time I pick up my phone, I feel a bit of tension about not wanting to be on my phone for too long. I can be reading the Bible on a phone app and still feel the same tension because my brain associates my phone screen with the struggle to not use my phone too much. If I'm reading in my paper Bible, I can relax, focus, and enjoy it much more without the added internal tension of trying to avoid my phone.

2. When we are reading the Bible (or doing anything) on a phone, it is SO easy to click over to another app without even thinking about it. One moment we're reading Proverbs, and the next we're somehow on facebook without even knowing how or when it happened. The subconscious pathways in our brains are powerful and it's effortless to tap over to another game or app we use all of the time because our brains associate our phones with those other activities. When you are reading a paper Bible, your brain isn't quite as easily tempted to start doing something else. The temptation will likely still come - especially if your phone dings or rings - but at least you have a few more seconds to stop yourself and think about what you're doing before you pick up your phone and move your eyes away from the pages of your Bible. (You'll buy yourself even more time if you don't have your phone right next to you!)

I'm speaking from experience here. Just while I was writing this post I was distracted several times - sometimes by important things. We have a fight on our hands and in our hearts and minds if we want to really sit with God's life-changing Word on a regular basis. Let's do everything we can to give ourselves all the advantages we can.

(If none of this happens to apply to you, be blessed and carry on! I won't try to stop you from doing something that's working for you.)

So, let's do it!

My goal for the rest of the New Testament is to read it semi-chronologically. While there isn't a right or wrong way to read the Bible, reading the books/letters in the order they were written in will give us a different perspective. I have never read the New Testament in any kind of chronological way and I think it will be really interesting! We won't be reading all of the books exactly in the order they were written, though. Acts wasn't completed until after AD 62, but we'll be using it as a framework or timeline while interspersing the rest of the letters (i.e. Epistles) in the approximate order they were written, based on what was happening in Acts (or after).

Hopefully that makes some kind of sense! I don't know how much I'll be commenting on what we're reading as we go along, but if you'd like to, please feel free to add your thoughts or comments here on this post. Or send them to me by email. Or chat with me about it at church!

As some of us have already started reading the book of Acts, we'll tackle 5 chapters this next week and 4 chapters each week for the rest of May. (We've already read Luke and Matthew together. We'll come back to the gospel of Mark and the gospel of John at some point, but I haven't decided yet exactly when. You'll have to wait and see!)

May 6-10	Acts 1-5
May 13-17	Acts 6-9
May 20-24	Acts 10-13
May 27-31	Acts 14-16

In June we'll start with the book of James and Galatians, thought of as the earliest books written in the New Testament to the early church.

Ready, set, go!

SS14: God's Great Throne of Grace

In our post this week, I'm retelling the story of Esther from last week's video study, with a few new observations! 

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The book of Esther is truly epic. (I'm surprised Hollywood hasn't turned it into a movie, because it has all the drama and intrigue of any great story!) In the beginning of this Old Testament book, we see dramatic King Xerxes summoning his queen. He wanted to show off how beautiful she was to his guests, after they'd been partying for several days. (She wasn't with him in the first place because the men and women partied separately. He wanted her to come over to the men's party, in her royal robes and turban and show off!) The Queen wanted nothing to do with this and refused to go, which led to her be banished forever from the king's presence. Apparently nobody had ever refused the king before!

King Xerxes eventually remembered he needed a new queen. His people gathered the loveliest, eligible maidens from all over the land to come before him. (This is The Bachelor - Ancient Persia style!) One special Hebrew maiden, Esther, found favor (=GRACE) in his eyes and was chosen as the new queen. No one except her cousin Mordecai, however, knew she was a Hebrew, because she kept her identity a secret.

Even as queen, however, Esther, faced problems when her people were plotted against by Haman, one of the kings right hand men. Esther and her people were seriously threatened for their very survival. She could go before the king to plead for their salvation, but no man or woman, even the queen, was allowed to come uninvited before the king. The law said they would be executed UNLESS the king chose to extend the golden scepter to them, sparing their lives. 

Esther hadn't been called to see the king in 30 days and she didn't know what kind of response she would receive if she dared to approach him without an invitation, but after fasting and praying, she did it anyway, declaring that if she perished, she perished! Esther 5:2 tells us what happened.

"When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his approval. The king extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter." Esther 5:2

Other translations of the Hebrew phrase in that verse say, "he was pleased with her," "she gained favor in his eyes," and "she won favor in his sight." Can you see these are all ways of saying that the king extended GRACE to her? 

Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of GRACE,

that we may receive mercy and find GRACE to help in time of need.

Unlike Esther, who had to risk her life to approach King Xerxes, Jesus already laid down His life so that we can come before the Father. Unlike Esther, who hadn't been called to appear before the king in a month's time, we have an open invitation to come before God's throne ANY TIME we need His help. Unlike Esther, who approached the king with her identity hidden, through faith in Christ we receive a new identity as God's children and we have nothing to hide!

God longs for us to come to Him with everything - our needs, our troubles, and our joys as well. Let's not be like King Xerxes' first queen who refused to see him when he called for her. She may have had good reason to refuse his request, but God, our King, is NOTHING like King Xerxes. He is good and kind and faithful and loving and always ready to pour out His mercy and grace on us so we can live the abundant life He has for us, which will be for our greatest good and for His great glory.

When we come before Him in humility, He promises to extend more grace to us. "But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 NET)

But wait. Hebrews 4:16 says we're supposed to come before God's throne with confidence. Is that different than being proud? If God opposes the proud, can we be humble and confident without being proud? Let's see.

The Greek word for "proud" in James 4:6 means "appearing above others," while the Greek word for "humble" in James 4:6 can literally mean "not rising far from the ground."

The Greek word for "confident" in Hebrews 4:16 means "all out-spokenness, i.e. frankness, bluntness... by implication, assurance." 

This holy confidence is not about seeing ourselves as better than anyone, but about freedom to speak. Those God opposes are those who see themselves as higher and better than others, (and the Greek root of the word there for "oppose" implies He's going to put them in their place!) But when we come to God in humility, recognizing we are nothing without Him, but we are LOVED anyway, we are received with grace and we can be outspoken in our requests. WE DON'T HAVE TO HIDE WHO WE ARE OR WHAT IS IN OUR HEARTS. God sees and wants it all poured out at His feet so He can pour His grace and mercy over us in exchange. This great exchange is what transforms us and sets us free.

There is much more about God's grace that we will marvel at in the weeks to come. For now, let's remember again to regularly approach God in prayer, with humility and reverence and freedom, because Christ has already paid His life so that we can do just that.

Here's the prayer I prayed at the end of last week's video...

Lord, whatever might be keeping us from experiencing the transforming power of your grace, I pray that in the weeks to come You would expose it and deal with it so we can learn to walk in greater freedom, deeper truth, incomparable power, incomprehensible peace, and overflowing grace by your Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ, rooted in your deep love, Father. Lead us into the abundant life You have for us because Jesus went to the cross on our behalf.

May we forever come and pour out our hearts before Your glorious throne of Grace.

Because of Jesus, amen.

Melissa ♥️

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If you are reading through the New Testament with us and have already finished the book of Matthew, I'd like to share a Bible reading plan here that will take you through the events of Jesus's last week before the cross. You can start on Sunday and read through each day's events. It looks like a great way to prepare for remembering Christ's death and resurrection. Sign up or check it out here!

SS13: God's Great Grace (Series Intro)

I am so excited to be starting something new! It's our first Sister Studies Series and the topic couldn't be more important or meaningful to me. This first series will be on God's Great Grace.

God's great grace is what changes us, saves us, and empowers us to live as Christ followers. There is so much to talk about, it's going to take several weeks, but that will give us more time to think and process and apply the truths to our lives before moving onto new topics.

The video ended up just a tiny bit too long (it's about 24 minutes) to upload directly into the blog post, so just click below to watch it in a new window.  (Click on the video player that opens if it doesn't start playing immediately.)

Link to video study: God's Great Grace Series Intro.

Here's the audio link: God's Great Grace Series Intro (audio).

I don't know if anyone would want to see them, but here is a link to the slides I used for the video in case you might want to review them.

I'll sign off with the pray I prayed at the end of the video...

Lord, whatever might be keeping us from experiencing the transforming power of your grace, I pray that in the weeks to come You would expose it and deal with it so we can learn to walk in greater freedom, deeper truth, incomparable power, incomprehensible peace, and overflowing grace by your Holy Spirit , through Jesus Christ, rooted in your deep love, Father. Lead us into the abundant life You have for us because Jesus went to the cross on our behalf. In Jesus' name, amen!

Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of GRACE, that we may receive mercy and find GRACE to help in time of need.

May you go boldly before the throne of grace today, knowing you are already invited, accepted, and loved.

Grace & Peace,
Melissa

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If you're reading through the New Testament with us, we'll be finishing the book of Matthew next week! Hooray!

Sister Studies

Bible Reading Plan

Monday 4/1 - Matthew 21

Tuesday 4/2 - Matthew 22

Wednesday 4/3 - Matthew 23

Thursday 4/4 - Matthew 24

Friday 4/5 - Matthew 25

Saturday 4/6 - Reflect/Review

Sunday 4/7 - Reflect/Review

Monday 4/8 & Tuesday 4/9 - Matthew 26

Wednesday 4/10  & Thursday 4/11 - Matthew 27

Friday 4/12 - Matthew 28

Saturday 4/13 - Reflect/Review

Sunday 4/14 (Palm Sunday!) - Reflect/Review