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Insights from Memorizing

May 072012

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Recently I spent an afternoon with a dear friend at her home here in Germany. We had some tea in her second floor apartment, and then decided to go for a walk up her “mountain”. It was quite a steep hill with a clear view of the sunlit valley below. She shared with me how for most of her life it has been extremely difficult for her to memorize scripture, but how she recently had been able to memorize 100 verses, and that in fact she had memorized them as she walked up and down her mountain. “The Lord gave me these! I hadn’t been able to memorize before!” she said. Her words encouraged me and I went home determined to attempt memorization again, and to do it while walking and jogging.

My first reaction was that this is great! I had wanted to be outside and get exercise, but always felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything with my mind. In other words, my mind would get bored. A quick glance at my little pack of memory verse cards, and I had something to focus on. It was also good to be away from certain mundane but persistent distractions. Memorizing things at home had not worked since my mind was suddenly fascinated by the pattern on the floor or a noise from outside… basically anything could become more fascinating than committing a Bible verse to memory. While walking and running however–more walking at first until I got a few phrases down, since it is hard to read while jogging–I found that moving my feet at a steady pace helped me focus my mind on only the words in front of me.

So I should have been all set right? One of my first verses to tackle this way was the one written above, Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ…” Wait a minute, those are powerful words. Much more powerful when I’m saying them out loud and about myself! I wasn’t able to finish memorizing this verse until I had faced some of my selfish living (unwillingly at first), died to it, and lived by grace. It was a little discouraging to not even be able to remember two sentences for a while, but I couldn’t until I had dealt with my sin.

On a later run/walk I was repeating this verse and made another discovery. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who gave himself for me,” I panted. Did you notice what I left out? The phrase “who loved me” is missing! I came up against another thing that my mind wasn’t believing. He loves me! Boy do I need this reminder as I pant down my path.

Romans 12:1 also made me pause on yet another run. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, to offer you bodies as living sacrifices…” No, wait, I left a part out. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers,in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Once again I had left out a key part. I am offering myself to a merciful God. More panting and pondering followed that thought.

My conclusion? I need to memorize verses. I need to fill my mind with the truth because if I don’t, it fills up with lies! I shouldn’t be discouraged about how few I can get down pat, because I just need to keep working on them. Always.

Submitted by Taryn Keller

The Good, the Bad and the Very Ugly

Devotions

Sep 262011

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

I do not know about you, but I have this tendency to put on a face when I go to chapel. The face is saying, “everything is great in my world, I have no issues and no worries because God loves me that much and has blessed me.” I even have a t-shirt that says, “Jesus loves you, but I am his favorite.” I know it seems slightly wrong…. Okay it is completely wrong. In this effort to appear to be this completely in charge good Christian woman, I have fallen into the temptation to appear perfect.

Is perfection within reach? Maybe. But not in my own strength and not because I only give the appearance of being perfect. To be honest I fail on all fronts. I can cook, but I am not Betty Crocker. I can clean and decorate, but I am not Martha Stewart. I love and support my husband, but I am not Ruth Graham. I read my Bible and am involved in various ministries, but I am not Mother Teresa. Yet I pretend to have it all together. Why? Because deep down inside, I am afraid that people will stop liking me if they get to know the real me. I am afraid that nobody will ask me to teach a Bible study or help with VBS if they find out how screwed up I am inside.

There are days though when I cannot even start to pretend to be perfect. Those days usually revolve around “that time of the month”. On those days I sometimes feel like I have an out of body experience and watch myself barking at my kids and being short with my husband. I have come to the conclusion that PMS actually stands for Paranormal Monthly Syndrome. And you know what? My family is amazing because even though they see the ugly, they still love me. Could my church family still love me if they knew the ugly?

The Christian rock band Skillet has this song called Monster. The beginning lyrics describe how I feel sometimes,

“The secret side of me, I never let you see

I keep it caged but I can’t control it

So stay away from me, the beast is ugly

I feel the rage and I just can’t hold it.”

Here is what I have learned throughout the years. God sees the monster inside of you and loves you just the same. Romans 5:6-8 reminds us that Jesus died for the ungodly, the sinners, the monsters, and not just the saints and righteous people. That is how God demonstrated His love for us. It therefore only seems right that I share that love with the world by showing my ugly side and saying, “God loves me just the same!”

Even though it is scary I know that I also need to let others see the ugly side of me. Why? Because only then can God be glorified. Only then can His work be revealed. Only then can I be free. The ugly beast that I try to keep caged needs to come out to the light. God can take it and transform it, but I need to be transparent. Will some people not like me as much? Probably, but after all we do not work for men (Galatians 1:10). I also believe that showing the ugly side might free some people of their ugly sides as well. In the end all I need to know is that I can always trust in His word and His word tells me that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

That is all I need to know. Amen.

Muriel Gregory

Let No Debt Remain… Including Tupperware

Devotions

Jun 132011

Submitted by: Jeni Kopp

A warm, friendly face greeted us as soon as we grabbed our bags from the luggage conveyor. Our long trip was ending in good hands; our friend met us at the airport some three hours away from our new home. Not only did she provide us with a ride but also with some items to hold us over until our things arrived.

Among the items was some Tupperware. We used every item with care and joy as we waited for our own things to be shipped. About a week or two after our own household goods arrived, I went about the house cautiously looking for each item she had so willingly given us to use, packed them up, and dropped them by her house. I was extremely thankful to have a friend who shared so generously with us during our transition.

A few days after I had returned what I thought to be all of her things, I realized that in my fridge I still had some leftovers sitting in the Tupperware she had let us use. I decided that as soon as they were cleaned they would be returned to her immediately. If only my actions obeyed my intentions…

My dishes must have been done a million times since and only every now and then when one of the rubbery pieces would come into my sight I will say again to myself, “I really need to find all these bowls and lids before I forget and lose them.”

Nearly a year later, and the Tupperware long since forgotten, I was packing for a last minute trip that would have my family and I going in multiple directions over a period of ten days. I went online to check my messages and discovered a note in my inbox.

To paraphrase, the note read; “Hey Jeni, I am getting ready to pack my things as we are on our way out of here, and I was just wondering if you happened to still have my Tupperware that I loaned you? I can come by and pick them up whenever is good for you. Thanks.”

Gulp! My throat began to close up and my heart was racing, I knew where one bowl and lid were but that was the extent of it. Many times before I had begun to look for each piece, collecting what I could, but each time coming up short. I would just put the search off in hopes that somehow my cupboard would reproduce the items I needed and I could return them all at once. Now just minutes before I needed to load my kids into their car seats, I was frantically looking for any sign of the handy tubs.

No such luck, I was going to have to swallow my pride and let her know I lost them, and had known for quite some time, but had been avoiding the dreaded phone call. I quickly looked online to see if I could simply place an order so that way when I called her I could at least say, “I got you brand new ones and they are on the way.” Again, to no avail, the online sites would not process my hefty order and so therefore the call had to be made.

My friend understood my dilemma and accepted my $50 in cash to cover the order plus shipping if she had better luck. Yes ladies, fifty bucks, for four small tubs with a carrier (which I did have minus the tubs.) Goes to show that when you borrow something you should always give it back, especially if it’s Tupperware brand Tupperware.

“Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” (if Tupperware, then Tupperware) “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another…” Romans 13:7-8a

Ever Catch Yourself Arguing with God?

Devotions

Apr 192011

Submitted by: Ginger Harrington

Sometimes I catch myself reading a portion of Scripture with a bit of an argumentative attitude. Ever done that? When the words of God are shockingly different from our cultural mindset and worldly way of conducting life, it is easy to cross my arms and want to dig in my heels.

I was reminded of this recently when I read Romans 11:33-36:

Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him… (The Message)

Normally, I have enjoyed this passage as an anthem of praise for the immeasurable wisdom and sovereignty of God. But this day God took the conversation in a different direction, pointing out my tendency to find fault and argue exceptions. Then I was reminded that He knows what He is doing and I do not. Somehow in the human limitations of my mind, it can be easy to struggle with doubt about things I don’t understand. Last time I checked, God was not asking me for my opinion or for advice.

It strikes me that feeling like I am owed an explanation is a rather audacious example of human pride. God does not have to explain Himself to me, even though He graciously lets me in on a mind-boggling amount of His thoughts through Scripture. This anthem of praise places my eyes on the majesty of His extraordinary wisdom that is above and beyond all human understanding. I am humbled when I remember many situations when I have prayed about an issue in my life from the mindset that I know exactly how to fix it; I just need God to do it. It is easy for a desire to solve a problem to become an agenda, ever noticed that? God does not need my advice on solving any problem I face. I am the one who needs to remember that…”Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him…” Romans 11:36 (MSG)

Not content to leave it at a general reminder that He is God and I am not, the Spirit brought to mind a recent issue in my family. He showed me that when I think I know what is wrong and how to fix it, I often bypass His wisdom. How much better off I would be if I asked God for His solution rather than insist on my plan? Then when answers don’t come in the package that I planned on, I can end up feeling like God didn’t answer my prayer. This is particularly easy to do when it comes to the ones I love. Too often, I am only looking for the immediate fix, rather than the larger picture of faith and character that God is working on. God is reminding me that He understands far more than I do and I should seek His wisdom, confident that…

Everything comes from him….including answers and solutions to the issues in my life.

Everything happens through him…not necessarily through my opinions about how to set things “right.”

Everything ends up in him…I’d be wise to let him have the last word!

Yearning for Him

Devotions

Mar 282011

Submitted By: Judy Carlson and Taryn Keller

Most military families get to deal with a certain thing sooner or later — separation. If you are not in the middle of it right now, you may not even want to think about it. I know how that feels. If you are currently going through it, you may be hoping I don’t make you cry. I’m sorry if I do, dear one, but I’ll cry with you.

Judy Carlson recently sent me this poem that she wrote. It touched me and I wanted to share it with you.

The Journey

My love has gone on a journey long,

And with him my soul, my breath and my song.

My love has gone on a journey brief

With half ‘o my heart, my lover the thief.

My love has gone on a journey foul,

With foxholes and brambles and animal howls–

To thwart and to frighten, to lengthen his passage,

To make it a journey that threatens our visage.

My love has gone on a journey fair,

And with him I go, my spirit to share.

To pick for him flowers and follow the hart,

E’en tho’ in my body, I ne’er shall depart.

My love has gone on a journey long,

And with him I send my breath and my song.

We’ll journey together, my lover and I,

With ‘His‘ holy will, we’ll meet by and by.

I think the Lord has been showing me how yearning can be healthy. Old testament prophets yearned for the temple to be rebuilt. Many Jews yearn for that very thing this day also! Believers in Christ yearn for his return and for an end to all evil, all sadness, and all pain. Wives yearn for their soldiers return.

You may think it odd that I would compare yearning for one’s husband with the world’s groaning for Christ’s return — but if marriage is a picture of Christ and the church, isn’t this also a continuation of that picture? This present suffering will be as nothing once He comes!

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:22, 23

Yearning for him makes me more aware of my yearning for Him!

Transformers Aren’t Just for Kids

Devotions

Feb 142011

Submitted by: Ginger Harrington

Titus II Advisor, Okinawa, Japan

If you have little boys in your life, you probably are familiar with the popular toys called Transformers. Just in case you aren’t, they are cars and trucks and robot-things that can change into something completely different—therefore being of great use in fighting battles and winning races. We have a true Transformer in our life—and He is not a toy and He isn’t playing around. Christ, through His Spirit, desires to engage with us in a way that truly transforms our lives. He loves us too much to leave us the sin-prone, struggling way that we are.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NASB)

I have always loved this verse, for lots of reasons—mainly because some days I am such a mess that I know I need God to change me. In this verse God is telling us that one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to transform our lives through the process of renewing our thinking. I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of things that go through my mind that I would be much better off without! We are constantly bombarded with the crazy thinking of the world. Every day, our minds are exposed to and influenced by so many things, most of which are not the things of God.

The word for renew in the Greek language is anakainosis and it means to renovate. There are habits of our minds, emotional pathways, and things that we believe that are not true that need the renovating touch of God to set us right. When our thoughts begin to be free from what is not true, good, and right, our actions begin to follow suit, and our lives begin to transform.

Did you notice the “so that” in this verse? This phrase indicates that there is a reason, or a result that God has in mind: He wants us to prove what His will is. The wording of this statement never made much sense to me until I looked it up and discovered that the word “prove” means to test, approve, allow, discern, examine, and try. So what’s the point here? God wants for us to learn by doing, to discover in our real experience, to put it to the test and see that He is faithful and knows what He is doing. He wants us to know Him better and trust Him more by learning to know His will for us, to know His purpose for us and His pleasure in us. In essence, He is not playing around; He really wants us to know and experience His good and complete purpose for our real-girl lives.

Overcoming Evil Every Day

Devotions

Feb 072011

By Gervais Baptist

Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

As a stay-at-home mom, I am tempted to think this verse is for others. Others with loftier positions. Joan of Arc, bravely burning for her principles. Allied troops liberating concentration camp prisoners. Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking words that would change the way we define civil rights.

Loading the washer for the second time today, spending another hundred dollars at the commissary, helping my fifth grader with her science homework: none of these feels like I’m overcoming evil with good. They’re necessary tasks, yes. But not glorious. Not even noteworthy. The Proverbs 31 woman might nod approvingly at me for today’s work, but what about Joan of Arc? From her martyr’s stake, she stares at me blankly. We have nothing in common.

The problem with being a homemaker is that it feels so insignificant. I want to make a difference in the world, not just in my family. I want to DO MINISTRY, not just minister to a baby with eczema. If I write a list of my daily accomplishments and hold it up for God to see, will it thrill his heart?

As my frustration expresses itself in words on a computer screen, some small hope rises up inside. God has arranged the circumstances of my life. He must have a good reason. He must believe in me, right?

Washing a sink full of dishes may not overcome evil with good, but what about the choices I’ve made to put others first? The hopeful voice grows louder. What about the time I agreed to my husband’s travel plans when everything inside me screamed that my plan was better? I recall putting down a novel by my favorite author in order to carefully listen to my son’s rambling story of his soccer game. Another instance comes to mind: my daughter’s tearful story of her best friend’s decision to find a new best friend. Anger rose up in me, but instead of speaking hurtful words, we prayed.

The hopeful voice dominates my thoughts now. It reminds me that every time I choose to deny my flesh and obey Christ, I overcome evil with good. Every day is filled with opportunities to do so. Even for a stay-at-home mom.

Authentic Love

President's Pen

Feb 022011

Submitted by Beth Mills, PWOCI President

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

One of my favorite books of the Bible is Song of Solomon. According to the introductory notes in my Bible, the theme of the Song is “The Quest for Authentic Love”. It seems that everyone is on this quest; we want what’s real, and we don’t want to settle for less. But what does this authentic love look like? Our entire life’s journey is about love. Jesus said the two greatest commandments were to love God and to love your neighbor. He says in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” All through the Bible, God shows us the way of love because He is love (1 John 4:8b).

Misty Edwards has a moving song called “Arms Wide Open”. She sings about gazing upon Jesus on the cross, weeping and dying for our sins. “Love’s Definition”, Jesus, has “arms wide open, a heart exposed”. Imbedded in the definition of authentic love is not only that we lay down our lives, but that we are vulnerable and open with God and with one another. God is jealous for our love and devotion. He wants all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. You can’t get much more authentic than that! And we know that God can be trusted with our hearts if His love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). We can remove anything in our lives that keeps us from loving Him.

And because His love is poured into our hearts, we can rely on His Holy Spirit to help us love one another as He has loved us, with “arms wide open and hearts exposed”. With God’s love at work in us, PWOC can be a place where we can be real. When women come to our meetings, unsure of the way of love, we can be ready to greet them with the authentic love of God and let them know they’ve come to a safe place to find the Truth that sets us free. Together, we can encourage one another in this Quest for Authentic Love until the Day He returns for us!

With Hope and Perseverance

Devotions, Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday, Seasonal teaching

Dec 032010

Submitted by: Jane Ahl, Assistant Conference Coordinator

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with god though our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produces perseverance; and perseverance, character and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Romans 5:1-5

Since the beginning of time, the children of Israel have looked forward to, with hope and perseverance, the coming of the Messiah. Prophets throughout the history of Israel spoke of his coming and what it would mean to the people. So Hebrew Literature, Music and ceremonies all gave indication of the hope they had in the coming Messiah.

Today we are not unlike the children of Israel. We face trials and tribulations like they did. For me, I face the unknown of the next duty station. The unknown of what war will bring to me as my husband and children go to serve their country. Will my children grow up to be Godly people? Will I be the women God has called me to be as a mother and a wife? When our Christian character goes through hardship, hope of receiving what God has promised grows stronger. We know that hope of great future blessings will not turn out to be false because the Holy Spirit gives lavish evidence in our hearts of God’s love for us. Now in James, it tells us to count it all joy when we face trials and tribulations. In Thessalonians, it tells us that even persecution will come. So we are to hold fast to the hope we have in Christ.

After Christ birth, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple e to be blessed. On the way they met Simian, who had always prayed and hoped to see the coming Messiah. He saw in Jesus the true and only hope for this world, the true Messiah. God answered Simian’s prayer by allowing him to see Jesus, the messiah of the world, before he went on to be with God.

So as we celebrate Christmas this year, and we go through the advent season, let us always remind ourselves that our hope is only in Christ, that not money, politics, medicine or anything will deliver our soul from despair, confusion, hatred, jealousy and strife. With Christ in our lives, and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, our hope in Him will reign eternal.

May the Lord’s Glory reign in your lives not only in this Christmas season, but for eternity!

Gatorade

Testimonies

Mar 172010

Submitted by Karen Jaedicke of Fort Bragg, NC

It’s that time of year where sports are at the forefront. The Super Bowl is done, the Final Four (college basketball playoffs) is on the horizon, and MLB (Major League Baseball) spring training is about to begin. Whether you’re a fan or not, there’s one image that I’m sure we can all conjure up: that moment the team knows that victory is theirs, and the traditional Gatorade cooler is literally dumped on the coach’s head and shoulders. It’s a tradition that I’m convinced started with young boys in junior high school and grown men are unable to give up!

That image is one that became powerful to me as I thought about the effects of living water on our spirits. Romans 5:3-5 tells us, “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings (hmmm: deployment, depression, wayward child, struggling marriage, anxiety, physical ailment), because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us.”

Do you catch the significance? We have a Gatorade cooler kind of God! He poured, dumped, soaked and drenched us with His living water and continues to offer it to us daily. And the incredible feeling that should give us is not unlike a World Championship! We are on the winning team if we allow God to be the coach of our life.

Older Entries

PWOC International Blog

Insights from Memorizing

The Good, the Bad and the Very Ugly

Let No Debt Remain… Including Tupperware

Ever Catch Yourself Arguing with God?

Yearning for Him

Transformers Aren’t Just for Kids

Overcoming Evil Every Day

Authentic Love

With Hope and Perseverance

Gatorade

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