Summary Notes for Wednesday 10/21 Session WALKING OUR FAITH: SURRENDER

 

Hi ladies!

Here are the summary notes from this week's class. Remember to add to the comments or start a new post. We had a teeny class this week, so be sure to pop in and let us know the HolySpirit-led contemplations in your heart and the verses He has given into your hands to work through. We missed you!

Ok, here we go:

The concept of Surrender is so incredibly multifaceted. Even the verses that we are discovering seem to dive into perspectives about Surrender that are rather unexpected and framework-bending, their applications so potentially far-reaching into the depths and complexities of our “everyday” thinking, encouraging/coaxing us to re-align our viewpoint so that we can see what God is trying to help us “see”, hear what God is trying to help us “hear”, respond as God is trying to help us respond.. How astonishing it is when we can grasp hold of even a teeny piece of GOD’s Truth-view that turns a “trial” into a “blessing” and a “wrong turn” into an “opportunity”. It’s that key moment of understanding that throws us into eucharisteo and we find our attitudes changing and our reactions perhaps calmer, our thoughts honed and a bit clearer, our decisions less shaky and filled with an understanding based upon the transformative work of love and compassion and mercy and Godly counsel...within ourselves. It’s definitely a work in progress, for sure...and, as I think a lot of us are experiencing through this self-reflective study, it’s a hard work that takes time and effort and lots and lots of RE-thinking! 

From our discussion on Wednesday, it was interesting to note how this week’s study has been a poignant reminder of the ways in which HolySpirit-engaged scripture becomes HIS “living word”:

...a means of discerning Truth--in our hearts and intentions:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12 ESV)

...a powerful, hope-filled piece of our armor, allowing us a means of provision and protection in our times of trial and confusion: 

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph 6:13-17)

...a pathway to re-alignment with and in God’s perspective and walk:

 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17 NIV)

We jumped into our sharing with the concept of how God uses our study in scripture to affirm and direct our otherwise scattered and unsure thoughts about ‘surrender’ in our faith walk.

Mark 10:26-28

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”  Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

Heb 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

 

We talked about how seeking God’s perspective on “Surrender” can lead us not so much into “giving up”, but rather into the “giving in”. Focusing less on “my constant worry and anxiety” and more on “trust and knowing that God IS in control.” This type of “giving in” necessarily requires me to RECOGNIZE: 

WHO am I right now? 

WHAT am I doing/focusing upon right now? 

WHERE am I going with my thoughts, my acts? 

HOW am I responding right now? 

and intertwined throughout all of this: 

WHAT is GOD telling me about each one of these questions? Am I aligned in every way with HIS answers…?

For the most part, we are all pretty much on board with that fact that God IS working within each one of us, so the question is more about our willingness to SURRENDER INTO His work within us.

Surrender => a voluntary attitude of 

-giving in…

-cooperating…

-assuming responsibility 

AND 

-carrying a burden

But, what IS that work “within us”? Where am I to surrender? What am I to surrender into? How do I “give in to” “co-operate with or in” “assume responsibility for” “carry a burden” of something I can’t quite put my finger upon, for something I can’t quite grasp, name or identify concretely? As we have been discovering with the verses God has been placing into our hands this week, the word “surrender” does not even show up in the wording! However, after a little reflection, maybe even after a few days of contemplation (and looooong showers!!! lol), we finally begin to get a sense of another type of “surrender”, more of a sense of the significance of the depth of “leaning on” that He is asking of us. Instead of merely asking us to “lean on” Him, He has been speaking into us of that Trust required to “lean IN” to the work of God within us. It’s the “leaning INTO a Trust” that transforms our fears, calms our anxiety, strengthens our withering hopes AND...compels us to move, act, feel, love and forgive in ways we could not do on our own.

Gal 5:18-25

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

These are the manifestations of His work within us, overflowing into our lives, through our thoughts, directing our actions: the fruits of the Spirit. As we talked about in class, these fruits are a product of a long process of growth in God’s garden of life, light and love:

“Isn't the fruit listed here enticing? We all want more peace, patience, and self-control. But just as in nature, the fruit of the Spirit is the product of a long growth process. An orange ripens slowly, from flower to bud to mature citrus.

It takes time for the water, light, and heat to bring it to its fullest growth. So too with the fruit of the Spirit. Few people proceed directly from furious outbursts to unflappable self-control or from envy to the unshakeable peace of Christ. God knows that, and he is infinitely patient as his fruit in us matures.” (from The Word Among Us)

As written in this beautiful meditation shared by Pat, the growth of our faith walk requires that we allow ourselves to drink in the life-saving waters of His love upon the dusty and drought-caked soil of our heart, allow ourselves the time to bask in His life-giving Word and His life-changing rhema spoken into the darkened mis-understandings of our hurt-filled minds, and allow ourselves to be strengthened by the recognition and acceptance of His presence through the heat of our trials and sorrows and misgivings. 

We talked about how every word that we share, every verse that we throw on the table to contemplate, every moment of thought that we give over to the HolySpirit for His unveiling, His application, His teaching...is yet another moment spent drinking in the waters of His love, basking in the light of His desire, strengthened in the provision and promise of growth in His presence. 

But it takes my “voluntary attitude of”...giving in. Hypotasso...Surrender.

1 Sam 3:7-11

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle."

We talked about how one of the surprising ways that God will speak into us about “something” He desires us to walk in, partner in with Him, cooperate in with Him, is literally a “word” spoken into our consciousness seemingly at random. Persistent, recurrent, mostly quietly and peacefully, sometimes loudly, always undeniably. When the HolySpirit places a “word” into our minds, upon our hearts, how do we respond? 

Do we give it a too-brief moment of mere passing thought: 

“Now why did THAT pop into my head? How odd! Huh...so, what am I going to do for dinner tonight…?”

Or do we go further into prayer about it, anticipating the HOW and WHERE and WHEN of God’s request to me to partner with Him/assume a responsibility/carry a burden alongside…?

“Now why did THAT pop into my head, Lord? How do YOU want me to pray into it? SPEAK Lord, for your servant is listening!!” (1 Sam 3:7-11) 

We talked for awhile about how the HolySpirit is constantly speaking to us, into us, through us and through others into us, but how our “busy-ness” makes it difficult for us to hear through the cacophony in our lives, to see and recognize the little “gifts” that God hands to us in our every moment, for our every need, to fill our every place of “lack”...whether we know it or not. Just because we do not yet know Him, do not yet hear Him, do not yet see Him does NOT negate the fact that HE IS THERE--constantly, steadfastly, faithfully speaking, loving, embracing, providing for, filling, redeeming, healing us at every moment of our every day. 

How can I hear You better, Lord? Is there something YOU want me to hear? Something You want me to...do? to...say? When to do it? When to say it? When...to be still, to stay silent and pray and learn ONLY? 

or even more importantly: 

What/how/where/when do YOU want me to BE through this circumstance?

How can I hear You, Lord, SO THAT I can willingly move to lean INTO Your desires? What obstacles do YOU want to reveal to me--the ones that prevent me from seeing, knowing, hearing, wanting...YOUR will and not mine…?

Matt 7:1-5

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

 

We ended our discussion with the amazing recognition that there is definitely a connection between all of the verses that the HolySpirit has been handing to each one of us--in our individual study, in our quiet-time prayers, in our little conversations and long discussions. We were reminded how the best way of learning is through first-hand experience.  But the closest next best way of learning is through second-hand witnessing. Sharing how the HolySpirit is working within each of us confirms, edifies, solidifies in all of us His handiwork for and in His entire Body, through His entire church. I loved the visual that Helen gave of how each word, every pearl that is shared is like another butterfly I am trying to catch, to hold on to, to grasp and understand and bring into my own life and learning and walk of faith.

 

And that was pretty much it, ladies. We are staying on the deep and transformative step of Surrender for now. Our goal this week is to CHOOSE one concept/facet of Surrender to focus upon--one concept that God is asking us to “give in” to Him, to “partner” with Him, to “cooperate, assume responsibility for/carry a burden of” with and in Him. Some of the things we considered in class were:

-Discernment--clarity, knowing HIS voice well enough to heed fully and confidently

-Trust--and steadfast patience and joy in that trust

-Prayer--bold, specific, directed, effectual and powerful

-Perspectives--misconstrued, preconceived, hard-hearted opening to Truth, acceptance of Truth and changed attitude

-Unity--peace-making, comfort and consolation, vulnerability in honesty and sacrifice of self

God could be working on something else within your life too. But CHOOSE ONLY ONE butterfly to catch this week!!

Find verses that speak into your concept. Write them down in your journal and work through them with the Devotional Method of Scripture Study. PONDER God’s Word and His rhema into your walk this week.

Comment or post as you feel urged. We would love to hear from you wherever you are! 

Circle your every moment in prayer, sweet sisters--for each other and for ourselves. Let’s keep building those powerful hedges of love and thorns around our families, our communities, our nations and our world. 

Oh, and let's remember to remember! We were born for just such a moment as this. Pray. Hard and often!

love

maggie (and Lorraine)

Meditation on The Fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:18-25)

 As promised, here is the beautiful meditation from The Word Among Us that we talked about in class on Wednesday (thank you for sharing, Pat!)

MEDITATIONS (from The Word Among Us)

Wednesday, October 14  Galatians 5:18-25

The fruit of the Spirit . . .  (Galatians 5:23)

Isn't the fruit listed here enticing? We all want more peace, patience, and self-control. But just as in nature, the fruit of the Spirit is the product of a long growth process. An orange ripens slowly, from flower to bud to mature citrus. It takes time for the water, light, and heat to bring it to its fullest growth. So too with the fruit of the Spirit.  Few people proceed directly from furious outbursts to unflappable self-control or from envy to the unshakeable peace of Christ. God knows that, and he is infinitely patient as his fruit in us matures.

Who better to water your thirsty spirit than God? As you spend time with him in prayer, he pours out — rather, he generously drenches you — with his love. That love acts as water, softening the soil of your heart to receive the seeds of the fruit he wants to grow in you. Daily, receive the gentle sprinkling of his love. Though perhaps you don’t notice it happening at first, over time your heart will become arable and fertile. 

Along with water, the fruit of the Spirit in you needs light. As you read Scripture or hear it proclaimed at Mass, the Holy Spirit shines the light of Christ into your heart and mind. Read slowly. Listen intently. Allow God’s word of truth to shine as fully as possible in you. Read a spiritual book occasionally, or the writings of holy men and women, lives of the saints, or reflections by wise authors. Underline or note the things in them that stir your heart. Spend time quietly basking in the light of the words that strike you.

And heat. Fruit ripens in heat. In your life, that heat might be illness, sorrows, or difficulties of some kind. It might be stress or uncertainty or loneliness. lt might be that irritating habit of your spouse or the continual criticism of a coworker. But you have been — you are being — watered by the love of God. He will always sustain you through the heat in your life. Though uncomfortable, perhaps even painful or seemingly unbearable, the heat will in time bring forth fruit. Christ is in you. Let him bear fruit in your life!

“Holy Spirit, thank you for the water, light, and heat in my life as you cultivate your fruit in me.”

 

Psalm 1|:1-4, 6

Luke 11:42-46

Summary Notes for 10/14 Session Walking Our Faith: RECOGNITION

First off--as promised--on why the Psalms are numbered differently in different versions:

The Hebrew Bible counted the psalms one way. The Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek counted many psalms slightly differently. The early Christians used the Septuagint, and then went on to translate into Latin (the Vulgate) following the Septuagint numbering. Protestants and Anglicans (Episcopalians) tend to use the Hebrew numbering. Catholics and Orthodox tend to use the Septuagint numbering.

Psalms 1-8 are the same in Hebrew and the Septuagint.

Psalms 9 and 10 in Hebrew are combined as Psalm 9 in the Septuagint.

Psalms 11-113 in Hebrew are Psalms 10-112 in the Septuagint (Hebrew-1 = Greek).

Psalms 114 and 115 in Hebrew are combined as Psalm 113 in the Septuagint.

Psalm 116 in Hebrew is divided into Psalms 114 and 115 in the Septuagint.

Psalms 117-146 in Hebrew are Psalms 116-145 in the Septuagint (Hebrew-1 = Greek).

Psalm 147 in Hebrew is divided into Psalms 146 and 147 in the Septuagint.

Psalms 148-150 are the same in Hebrew and the Septuagint.

We started off the sharing with a discussion on remembering to remember: when I feel limited by something--especially physically--I must remember that God is STILL able, still has a good plan for me. So...don’t stress! He ALWAYS HAS THE ANSWERS. Rely upon Him. Focus upon His power, and not on my powerlessness.

“The God that parted the Red Sea, is the SAME GOD that lives in me. What He did for the Israelites, He is doing for me too...even now.”

Psalm 103:4-5

who redeems your life from the pit

    and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

(or in The Message):

He redeems you from hell - saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy - a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal. He renews your youth-- you’re always young in His presence.

HE is able, even if I am not. Finding the little miracles in my everyday--and seeing that HE IS THERE. Finding COMFORT in His Presence...no matter what. How can I remind myself of that?

The Devotional Method helps us to focus upon the deeper messages that the HolySpirit gives to us through Scripture--allowing God to speak His rhema into us as we take pause and contemplate HIS every word, reminding us of, pulling together for us, those pearls He has spoken into us in the past:

...ALWAYS young in His presence (in every moment, with every breath, with every thought)

...always YOUNG in His presence (energized, uplifted, restored, filled with strength/vigor, renewed)

...always young IN His presence (IN Him/with Him/through Him...partnered, entwined, inseparable….IN)

...always young in HIS presence (His...God, Christ, the all-that-I-am ONE...HIM)

...always young in His PRESENCE (deep in the protection of His shadow, at His feet, enveloped in HIS embrace, His sovereignty, His all-abiding love and reality)

When I contemplate His words and really focus them upon with my full attention, it is inevitable that He will speak His comfort and Truths into my heart and my circumstances--and give me hope, solace, restoration and peace.

James 1:2-4

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

This made us think about what JOY really means…to even consider a different kind of joy. We pondered how the trials the Lord has allowed us to walk through have given us the “inner joy” that empowers us to endure, to remain steadfast, to remain faith-filled. No matter how low things get, we can try to reclaim that “inner feeling” of...joy? peace? calm? Even though we may not be sure “how to do it”...we know it is something that happens “inside”. A transformation that allows even trials to be considered “nothing but joy”.

Transformation of the heart is what allows me to move from a head knowledge into the heart knowing. So, how does transformation of the heart occur? Does ‘fake it til you make it’ work? Perhaps we aren’t supposed to be “faking it” as much as we are to be repeating, focusing, truly leaning into and upon, the living Word of God--hearing Him, keeping Him close, contemplating and gleaning the lessons of HIS words, experiencing His voice, His hand, His person...and then embracing and, more importantly, remembering and incorporating HIM into our thoughts, our decisions, our moods, our actions. And then--and only then?--we can effectively impact, effectively flow into, the lives of others around us. That’s not faking it...that’s learning to live it.

Gal 5:22-26

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

What word is God bringing out to me from these verses? What word (and the rhema held within) does HE desire me to focus upon? Even in the midst of uncertainty, of the state of our nation, the state of our finances, the state of our health, our elderly, our sick, our communities, our future...even then, He asks us to “live by the HolySpirit” and reclaim our joy, our peace, our self-control. 

 And so, we seek His words, infuse them into ourselves, because His HolySpirit-given rhema will always bring “joy-language” into our walk. His HolySpirit allows us to remember everything that the Lord has been FOR us through our trials, through the ‘stretching’ of our faith, of our boundaries, of our limitations, reminding us of the abundance of His realm and sovereignty, promise and provision with each new circumstance…and expanding our experience of Him if only we agree to trust Him and partner with and in Him--no matter what. 

 And then, upon HIS solid foundation of rest and trust, we can turn for those that we worry about, for those whose lives are filled with anxiety and confusion and trial, and stand for/with them in intercession. We talked about how true intercession is moving from merely praying for someone to praying powerfully, in their stead...as them. It is the staking/binding/intertwining our hearts (and our faith/knowledge/trust in God) to their hearts, speaking the words of prayer that, in their pain and struggle, they are unable or unwilling to speak on their own. It is standing in their stead as bound to us, rather than as distanced or “othered” from us. We talked about how true intercession is really very difficult on our own, by own strength, in our own minds. It is impossible without the restorative “heart-knowing” of the deep healing all-embracing love of God that is Christ with and in and through us. It is essentially what Christ did for us...on the cross. For us...as us.

HE is the one that loves us through and who loves through us.

When we don’t understand something in our secular world, something that causes our heart to “cringe” or “recoil”, we tend to fall back onto “reaction” rather than “acting” in fully aware action. Emotions overflow, confusion causes our brains to swirl in the disconnect between rational thought of the mind (“I don’t get this ridiculous perspective. It’s insane! Therefore I need to speak the obvious truth and set them straight!”) and the sentiment of the heart (“but I love her and don’t want to hurt her--or our relationship?--by telling her off!”)

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

(or, in The Message Bible):

No, the LORD has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God. 

We talked about how important it is to understand how often God is stretching us, asking us to acknowledge the situation, the circumstance, and most importantly, the heart of the person before us...and then love them through it anyway. Hard to do. It’s SO not what our rational minds--that which demands “due justice and retribution”--want to hear.

Love. Just loving us through. No judgement, no condemnation. 

But also, living and loving within Christ’s Spirit is what allows me to discern timing and state of heart--both of mine and of the ones who have given their trust over to mine. It is what empowers me to always use God’s Word and God’s words with confidence: to Edify...Exhort...Console. And to not become side-tracked by the distractions the world throws at me that causes me to be derailed by my emotions, my reactions, disabling me from acting in HolySpirit-directed, Christ-taught, God-created love.

How do we stop “othering” people? How do we begin to see and act and walk in the reality that we are ALL part of the body of Christ? 

How do we overcome the desire for control that causes us to “judge” and react to people as “others”?

How do we change our societal perspectives of “them” vs “us” that proclaims someone more--or less!--worthy of love or care or provision than another?

Love...given truly and deeply and unconditionally and without fear. Hard lessons to hear. Harder lessons to live.

But what a great testing of our faith, yes? and of the maturation of our faith walk. Each circumstance that makes us more aware of where we actually stand, when we make a proclamation of judgment or caste-ing or condemnation, allows us to choose to endure in Truth...or not. To be stretched and molded and strengthened into maturity and the fullness of the Body of Christ...or not.

Every circumstance that God allows us to be placed in, every encounter God allows us to have with another person, is an opportunity to place seeds of God’s love, of God’s presence, of God’s power to heal and redeem and restore and recall...what was lost of someone’s soul! 

How do we walk confidently in that privilege? How do we choose to see and to sow (or not!) these seeds of God’s good news?

Matt 17:19-21

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

What seeds are we placing into each situation we journey through? How do we allow the HolySpirit to speak through our thoughts, through our actions, through our words? Does our attitude, our mindset reflect HIS mind and HIS heart? Can we learn to SEE His presence in every moment? every road sign? every heart? or how about in every question posed? in every doubt voiced? How do we learn to keep Christ fully entrenched upon the throne in the throne room of our heart no matter what pathway we are asked to walk, what person we are given to walk with?

Relationships are transformative--but it goes both ways. Good and bad, you to me, me to you, us into each other, each other into us.

 

And what about that mustard seed? The Good News of Christ? “You are worthy of God’s love because HE made you so. Now go out and show everyone that God made them worthy of it too.”

(wow, ladies. Now that I have written these out for myself, such powerful thoughts/questions to mull over in self-reflection! For me, I will think hard upon God’s call to love unconditionally and without fear, just as He loves us!)

ok, next stop: Surrender!

Add your thoughts to these, sweet sisters!

love

maggie

 Thoughts on Session One: Walking Our Faith

Welcome back, Red Tent Sisters!! 

Wow...how wonderful it was to be back with all of you who could make it this week. As usual, both Lorraine and I were SO grateful for the openness and sincerity with which everyone shared your hearts, your minds and your thoughts. THANK YOU, ladies! We thank God for each and every one of you.

Also, for those of you who are only able to join us over cyberspace, know that we pray for you at the beginning of each session...asking the HolySpirit to bless you wherever you are, with some little manifestation of our love during the 90minutes we are gathered around you in spirit. We love you and miss you!

So, for this class, we had asked everyone to choose a verse or two that would speak life and light (and hope!) into whatever might be weighing upon or casting about in our hearts and on our minds. The thoughts that flowed forth were as diverse as the individuals within our little group--and spoke powerfully of the multiplicity of facets and deep levels of everything we are experiencing as we all journey through the unprecedented nature of the state of our nation and our world health.

Our discussions started with the serious contemplation of the heavy responsibility (and the lingering consequences/tolls) of taking on leadership roles without right judgment and counsel of God. (Is 51:17-18) And then, we quickly morphed into the poignant warning about judging another when we, too, have yet to judge ourselves. (Matt 7:1-3) We spoke about the power we have been given by God, through our actions, our reactions, our words, our thoughts and our deeds, to create...and to destroy. 

How well do we understand that powerful connection we all have to each other? Do we use it FOR one another? or AGAINST each other...?

We discussed the stressors of young families struggling with these unfamiliar times, juggling jobs, households, shaky finances, remote learning for young children, all while trying to protect our loved ones and communities through social distancing and self-isolation. We were reminded how there is no time like now to lean upon God to restore ourselves with and in His HolySpirit gifts of calm, lovingkindness, and soundness of mind. (Gal 5:22-26; Ps 91)

How much do we lean upon God instead of our own (poor and limited) understanding? Whom have we placed upon the throne in the Throne Room of our heart? To what have we given permission to reign over our lives?

We talked about how gaining/maintaining life and actually living it(i.e. not merely surviving it!) depended upon "living in Christ", "having Christ", "seeing/being/hearing/acting in...Christ"...and how that is actually, well, quite difficult! (2 John 1:6, 1 John 5:11-12) I LOVED when someone shared the gentle words of Fr Jayke's counsel given to her when she asked how to deal with a persistently fractious family member.  

"LOOK her in the face," he said, "and SEE the face of Christ..."

 Whoa...! 

Who do I see when I look into the angry, cantankerous face of my neighbor? Can I find God buried deep within that soul...and respond to Him? Or will I react only to the vestiges of fear and loss of control that manifest in the words spewed forth from a heart so filled with confusion that it has forgotten the love of the Creator within...? Will I, too, "forget"?

From there, we moved into a discussion about how important it is to look INWARD (both in ourselves and in others), in order to discover the God that resides within. (Eph 3:16-17; Eph 1:18). Self-reflection, true humility, and surrender allows us to seek--and find--the powerful divinity that lives, restores and transforms us from within. The HolySpirit calls to us from within, urging us to encounter the God that has proclaimed that He will never abandon us, who has promised that upon seeking Him, we WILL find Him, that when we search for Him, He IS there. We talked about how prayers to our God are always meant to be more than lip service, more than "words spoken mindlessly as if thrown at a wall". Conversations...with a living, loving, active God who lives, loves and acts with, in and through EACH one of us.

Am I actually living a resurrected life? Do I truly believe and walk in the promises of the divinity that resides SO powerfully within me? Can I see HIM within every one...even in the crotchety family member whose prickles we would do anything to avoid...? Am I the one that God has asked to bring life and light into that person's world...and, will I run away from His call? or can I answer with everything HE has given to me, shown to me, been for me for just such a moment as this?

As expected, our discussion never wavered far from the fear-fueled anxiety and uncertainty of survival in the midst of a pandemic. We were so wonderfully reminded about how to occupy our minds, taking our thoughts captive onto Christ, and "remembering to remember" (Phil 4:4-7; 2Cor 5:7; Mark 9:23-24; Ps 46:10). 

What words do I repeat to myself when life seems to be spinning out of my control? With whose thoughts do I align my own? Is it with the words of the God that call me into life and hope no matter what? or is it with the words of the world that constantly pressure me to buckle, give up, spit out curses, and...die?

We also talked about how discerning GOD's voice over all others IS the key to being able to walk steadfastly through the chaos of the world around us, to walk justly through the dark actions of the ones who are so confused that they no longer care about anything but self-survival in a world that seems only to speak hate and division and hurt. To not lose our integrity even in the face of the ones who were meant to lead us but who instead stand in the doorways to freedom, not allowing anyone past. To walk in Truth, consistently, with intent, unwaveringly, with purpose and thoughtful reflection, resolvedly, with quiet determination, humbly, with full knowledge of God's hand and heart. (Micah 6:8)

Oh, how hard it is to walk justly with God's intent and God's heart, and God' mind. But...with HIS strength, and with HIS mercy, and with HIS love growing within me...is there anything that is impossible? Whom do I stand for? For whom do I walk as ambassador--with my thoughts, in my actions, through my words?

And finally, we ended our discussion with the power of our words--both spoken and unspoken, but especially when spoken in alignment with the truth in our hearts. (Acts 11:14; Prov 18:21; Prov 12:18; Matt 12:34; Mark 11:23-24) We talked about how the sincerity of our hearts will come forth through our words. When our words are aligned with whatever we hold truly in our hearts (both negative AND positive!), then the power we have will unleash itself into our connections with ourselves and others in the physical realm, and more importantly, into our connections with each other in the spiritual realm. This creative power can create life...or invite death on so many levels beyond our physical imagination. We talked about how engaging in true conversation (while growing in active relationship) with God allows us to discern what is the true state of our heart? He teaches us discernment of His voice and of His counsel as we walk with Him, helping us to peer into what "truths" we have buried within our souls, in the deepest corners of our hearts and minds. It's much like what happens whenever we grow in active relationship with anyone who calls us Beloved and who desires only the best for us. We are divinely transformed into the BEST version of ourselves!

We talked about how that which we desire--both spoken and unspoken--will drive us, compel us, cause us to act in ways we might not realize. We talked about how important, therefore, it is to KNOW what drives us, what compels us to ask for what we are asking, what is the true intent of our desires...and how to make sure that our desires align with God's. (Ps 37:4)

Do I "delight myself" in the Lord? Do I enter His gates with Thanksgiving? Do I enter His courts with Praise? or do I storm heaven with MY desires, leading the march with ME, MYSELF and I and whatever MY will wants to so proudly, so loudly demand? How do I surrender my full self into His arms for His healing, so that I can delight myself with the desires HE places into my heart?

The thread that coursed through our discussions, throughout every verse became clear to me as Lorraine and I came together to review our first session together: in order to Walk Our Faith, we need to Lean Upon God with EVERY STEP...and then place ourselves squarely into the confidence of God's will, God's plan, and God's kairos time.

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble. (Ps 46:1, NIV)

Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7, NRSVC)

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4, NRSVC)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7 NKJV)

“Look at the nations and watch—
    and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
    that you would not believe,
    even if you were told. (Hab 1:5, NIV)

Ok, I think that's pretty much it for our summary from this week's gathering. Feel free to add a comment, write a new post, put in your thoughts, more verses, rhema...etc! Let's keep the discussion going, ladies :)

Love

Maggie