BOAST IN CHRIST

“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Gal 6:14

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindess, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the Lord”. Jer 9:23-24

I’m writing today’s devotional from the USO at DFW International. I’m going to keep this sweet and to the point. I’ll figure out how to upload it later. ::snort:

I love these verses. They call me to evaluate that in which I “boast, exult, glory”. I’m commanded to boast in the cross of Christ – in the knowledge that I understand God (which would never happen without the infilling of His Holy Spirit) and that I know (am intimate with) God. God delights in me boasting in HIM, his cross, my relationship with Him. Did you catch that? Father/Lord/Lover delights in me bragging on Him. Oh yeah – it’s more than bragging but the concept causes me to humbly worship Him. What a God we serve.

Are you ready for some random thoughts I’ve mulled over this week? They’ll not be flowery – this setting is too busy for THAT.

~Whenever I feel qualified to do something for the kingdom, I realize that I’m putting my dependence in ME and not in Him. I can easily begin to boast in my skills, knowledge, expertise and get off-kilter.

~I am NOT to boast or glory in my wisdom, my strength, my riches or ability to make money, my family, my homeschooling, my accomplishments….I’m to boast in HIM….His care, His provision, His strength…

~Enjoying a sense of joy at a job well done is not pride or the boasting we see in these verses.

~Because of Christ, the world (world’s order, sin nature) is crucified to me. I’m crucified to the world. I’m not to try to balance sin with righteousness – I’m to crucify it.

If I were home, I’d find the lyrics for this song to share….it’s a favorite of mine. I’ve found myself humming it repeatedly after reading the above verses this week. My paraphrase of the lyrics…

“In Christ alone
I place my trust
and find my glory in the glory of the cross
In every victory
let it be said of me
my source of trust
my source of strength
is Christ Alone.”

(Oops I was singing along and garnered a “look”). ::snort::

What are you boasting in this week? Are you depending on Christ or yourself? He never fails me….I often fail myself and others.

For more devotionals click here.

©2008 DRG

GUESS WHO IS COMING TO TOWN?

Ok - well - not REALLY. BUT "The Heights Baptist Church" will be hosting the live simulcast of Beth Moore from "Living Proof Live 2008" in Louisville, Kentucky on 1 - 2 August.

Time:
1 Aug 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
2 Aug 8:30 a.m. - noon

Tickets:
Before 11 July - $25
After 11 July - $35

To purchase tickets call Linda or Lori at 224-8222.

If you'd like to see if a group is going from the chapel or if you need a ride and would like to find someone else attending, email De'Etta. More information is posted in the foyer of the chapel.

Note: Beth will be brining Living Proof Live to San Antonio 22-23 August. The cost per ticket will be $75 and it would take travel, lodging and more time. For more details go here and scroll down. Currently, I am NOT planning on taking a PWOC group to San Antonio. If I were to hear an interest we could attend either one....but you need to contact me ASAP.

Welcome! 1

We are in the process of setting up our blog. Check back frequently to see changes.

In the next few days more devotionals, more blurbs and photos of past events, graphics for the devotional et al pages, and more announcements will be added.

For the time being, please tell us what you think? Are there things you would like to see added?

And vote to the right - which post divider do you like - a lily or the garden bench? The lily (both here and in the header) is from the International Water Lily Collection which our PWOC has visited several times. These are photos I took on our PWOC outings. Thus, it reminds us of our city and of our outings. The garden bench reminds me of the garden trysts we long for with the lover of our souls. Thus, it has PWOC meaning too.

Yes - I have more plans.....but I'd love to hear your plans as well.

De'Etta

Welcome! 2

No - you are NOT seeing double! Please consider which post divider you like best and vote on the poll - top right. ::snort::

We are in the process of setting up our blog. Check back frequently to see changes.

In the next few days more devotionals, more blurbs and photos of past events, graphics for the devotional et al pages, and more announcements will be added.

For the time being, please tell us what you think? Are there things you would like to see added?
And vote to the right - which post divider do you like - a lily or the garden bench? The lily (both here and in the header) is from the International Water Lily Collection which our PWOC has visited several times. These are photos I took on our PWOC outings. Thus, it reminds us of our city and of our outings.The garden bench reminds me of the garden trysts we long for with the lover of our souls. Thus, it has PWOC meaning too.

Yes - I have more plans.....but I'd love to hear your plans as well.

De'Etta

Approval & Servanthood

“…each is tested by the praise accorded him.” Proverb 27:21b

I read this verse earlier in the week and it caused me to pause. We all know that trials are a testing of our faith. I’d never focused on this little phrase in Proverbs. Praise can also be a test. How will I handle it? What do I do with it? Do I horde it as my due or hand it all back to Him?

Fast on the heals of this revelation came the verse below from a study I’m working on through the summer.

“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ."

I did the prescribed study, dutifully answered the questions and then went on to do some additional word studies. It’s been a good week trysting with my Lord. Let me share.

Am I seeking to gain favor (win over, yield) of men or God? What do my actions show? What causes me the most anxiety in my day to day life? I don’t want to be a big JERK, but neither do I wan to be overly concerned about what men think of me. I need to seek approval, favor, and assurance from God.

Am I striving to please men? Am I intentionally, deliberately, continually seeking to be acceptable and accommodating to men?

If I am, then I am not a bondservant of Christ. I’ve committed to being a bondservant of Christ. Our society has lost track of what it means to be a servant in daily life. A bondservant is in a permanent relationship with the master. A bondservant is totally consumed by and with the will of another. He has no rights outside of the master’s will. He has no possessions of his own.

It was a CHOICE to be a bondservant. After serving a household for 6 years as a slave, a servant would decide of his OWN FREE WILL if he wished to remain a slave to his master. There were three reasons a person chose to become the bondservant of another. He loved the master, he loved the master’s household and he fared well with the master. (Deut. 15:12 – 18). At this point the person would be branded/marked to signify the permanent relationship with the master. As a side note, there were three classes of people marked in the New Testament times: slaves, soldiers, servants of temples. As Christians we are called to be all three (I Cor 3:16-17, I Cor 7:21-23, Matt 10:24 – 25, I cor 3:21-4:7, I Cor 6:19-20, Gal 1:10). THAT little tidbit is a nice study all on it’s own.

A bondservant was marked by having his ear pierced. Paul says his beatings and stonings marked him as a bondservant (Gal 6:17). My life should also be marked – by transformation. I am called to join Christ in suffering…..I am marked as HIS by that suffering for HIS SAKE (again not because of general jerkiness on my part).

For more devotionals click here!

©2008 D.R.G.

God’s Will?

Ever wonder about God’s will for your life? Paul fills the end of I Thessalonians with bullet statements that give a clear glimpse into God’s will.

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thess 5:16-18

1. Rejoice always. Choose joy. I’ve written about this a lot. I may write about this again at a future date.
2. Pray without ceasing.
3. In everything give thanks.

There you have it. Three simple commands, nine little words to convey God’s will. Easy peasy? I don’t think so.

God has instructed me in an accelerated course on choosing joy the past four years. It must be important as Paul stresses it twice in these three short verses.

These are commands. God doesn’t command us to do something that we cannot do with his assistance. He also doesn’t command us to do things with a “wink”. He expects us to DO what he TELLS US TO DO. ::snort::

I’ve written about choosing joy numerous times on my blog. In an effort to avoid sounding like a broken record (or scratched CD), I’ll post links. Ladies, learning to choose joy is HUGE for your spiritual well-being, for your happiness, for your growth in relationship with Jesus. If you feel you could use a bit of clarity or meditation on joy – read this or this(simply two of numerous links I could have chosen).

Today our focus is “pray without ceasing”. I believe we are to have an attitude of prayer as we go about our day. My first response should be prayer: in times of profound joy, in times of anxiety, in times of loss. I turned to the confession page in my tryst journal today. I realized that I had been anxious and fretting about a character issue in a person I am mentoring. I had NOT prayed about it as much as I should….instead I’d worried and fretted.

This pray without ceasing is big. Pray without ceasing realizes that God is in charge…not me. It adjusts my attitude and perspective.

A pastor about seven years ago preached on this. He gave us all sorts of tips to make prayer a “natural” in our life. The big thing is to find every day things and turn them into reminders for prayer. It really works. I use red lights, improper use of turn signals and improper merging of others to call me to prayer. There may be better triggers for you.

I encourage you to pray about these short verses, to meditate on them and to see what God shows you.

April shared a link to this article with me last week. Go check out the whole article here. The author, Rhonda Maller, shares some fantastic practical tips to unceasing prayer. I was going to post them here, but don’t want to infringe on copyright laws. Please do go read the short article, print it out and put it into practice.

For more devotionals click here!

©2008 DRG

June's Newsletter

Note: phone numbers & last names are removed. For further info email the contact emails in the sidebar or grab at PN for phone numbers.

Ladies,

Attached is the PWOC directory – updated 8 June. This is the last update I plan to mail out until the fall.

Farewell to Laura
13 June, This Friday night will be our last chance to visit with Laura before she graduates and goes back “home”. We’ll miss you, Laura.

Welcome Back to Betsy. We can’t wait to hear about your Alaskan cruise.


PROJECT NIGHT
Our next project night is 13 June, THIS Friday. Any project can be the right one. You may choose to read, visit, work on photos, make lesson plans, quilt….one brave soul even made aprons. You bring your supplies and a munchie to share. We will supply a dinner entrée. Doors of the Fellowship Hall open at 1700 and will close by mid-night. Come for the whole night or just an hour or two. RSVP for a dinner count by 10 June to De’Etta .

FREDERICKSBURG
PWOC goes on the road 21 June. We will leave the chapel parking lot at 0800 for this day trip and return that evening. The purpose of our trip is to have fun and explore more Texan history and habitat. Transportation is on us; lunch is dutch treat. RSVP by 16 June to Debbie Harding.

LOOKING FOR CONTRIBUTORS
We are in the process of compiling a keepsake to be given to PWOC members as they say farewell. We’d love to have your favorite recipes. Care to share? Email or give them to De’Etta or Vera. Our August project night will be devoted to compiling these keepsakes.

THANKS TO THE HOSTESS’ WITH THE MOSTEST!
Thanks to Vera and Debbie for hosting our recent tea. We appreciate you ladies. Everything was lovely.

Thanks also for my lovely mesquite crosses….they are beautiful and I’ll think of this group whenever I look at them. Totally unexpected! Y’all rock!

I think that’s all the “news” for June. Don’t forget to save and/or print the attached directory (alphabetized by first name). Let’s use it to keep in touch over the summer. Following is a devotional for the month.

Choosing Joy,
De’Etta
~*~*~*~
Dare to be a Deborah in a Little Debbie World.....Judges 4,5
Choosing Joy (De's family blog) http://not2many.blogspot.com
Jamin's Writing http://scribe-jamin.blogspot.com/

For more newsletters - click here.