I'm Writing a Bible Study...

So, I'm a little crazy. Amidst the opening and preparation of the new studio in Mount Holly I've decided to write my very first Bible study.

Because there are 28 hours in a day, right? Right?

Kidding aside I'm super excited to take this step in my writing ministry and I hope you'll come along beside me. Sunday, June 19 here on the blog and on Wednesday, June 22 at Depot Church we'll begin the study of the book of James. This 10 week study will carry us into August. You can read more about the study in the introduction below.

Study guides will also be available for purchase by emailing me at the blog or contacting me through Facebook. Additional copies will be available at Create in Us Art Studio and Depot Church. Copies are just $5 a piece. Pre-orders are taking place now and you'll receive your copy by mail or by me before June 19. The sooner you order the better, so I'll know how many copies to order.

The study guide will feature 20 pages of hand lettered and watercolor text and art complete with response questions, prayers, and space for notes.

While I'm writing this study I will have to say goodbye to weekly blogging until the study starts up in June. I'll still be posting your favorite past posts as Evergreen posts each Sunday night.

So, let's start praying. Please pray for me as I write my first ever study. Pray that I will receive wisdom beyond my own ability. I will be praying for each of you, too. That Jesus will use the book of James to transform the way you see the world, yourself, and Him.

Let's get started.

James

Practical Wisdom

for a 

Present World

A 10-week study

When Jesus arose from the grave He appeared to lots of people. Many personal encounters

are recorded in the New Testament: His reassurance to a doubting Thomas, His forgiveness

given to a repentant Peter, His hope given to the heavy-hearted on the road to Emmaus. 

I Corinthians 15:7 says Jesus appeared to James as well, but that encounter isn't described.

Why? Well, as Beth Moore says, "Because it isn't any of our business."

See, Jesus and James had some things to discuss. Not only was James a follower of Jesus, 

but he and Jesus shared physical blood - they were brothers, both the sons of Mary.

Even before we read a word in the book of James some things have been revealed to us:

James was of personal importance to Jesus.

Jesus was of personal importance to James. 

Because Jesus is a personal God.

James saw Jesus not only as brother, but also as Christ. And James sought to teach others

that a personal relationship with Jesus is the only way to live life.

James the book is described as a New Testament Proverbs, a book of practical living

that transcends place or time. 

James knew Jesus, possibly more than any other human ever did. He never went a single day 

of his life without knowing Jesus and this shaped his life in radical ways, causing him to do

radical things for God's glory.

James the book calls us to this same relationship and teaches us that knowing Jesus 

personally can cause us to do radical things for God's glory. 

So let's start our study, let's commit to reading, responding, and praying over this book

for 10 weeks. It's a real book for real people who want to know 

what walking with Jesus should look like. And who better than James to teach us?

A Lesson in God's Love From My Oven

Hello, friends! Please welcome back to the blog Hannah Clements, my dear friend who carries joy and wisdom like a mantle. Listen in as she learns a lesson in God's goodness from...her oven. 

My oven is old, I like to think vintage, maybe an antique.

My oven is impossible to clean. It holds years of meals and burnt grease. When the oven light is off, it appears clean(er). It hides its stains and grime in the darkness. The oven light exposes its true character.

Today, the light exposed burnt spaghetti sauce, a popcorn kernel, and an occasional husky hair amongst its old grease. I saw the mess and was tempted to turn the light off and let it linger in the darkness, but I have dinner guest coming and a messy oven won't do.

While wiping away grease and grime, God reminded me that light exposes our sin.

"Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and dispose the motives of men's hearts, and then each man's praise will come to Him from God." 1 Corinthians 4:5. 

We may think we are hiding in the darkness but nothing can separate us from God's love. Light pierces darkness:

"The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5 

Praise Jesus because He doesn't just expose our mess and grime but He stays around to clean and restore us. Psalm 51:7 says, "Purify me from my sins and I will be whiter than snow."

Praise Him because He doesn't turn a blind eye on our darkness but He cleanses us - loving us too much to let us remain in the our dirty form.

Oh Lord, "Search me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:23-24

Amen.

Airplane Prayers

If you know me at all you know of my affinity for birds. Not of the exotic variety - we're not talking penguins and toucans here, but regular, everyday yard birds. Cardinals, sparrows, fat bluebirds that tuck themselves inside the tiny little birdhouse on my front porch.

Birdsong, in a quiet forest or backyard is the sweetest symphony and purest form of praise from created beings to their Creator. When I am earnestly seeking God, sometimes, if I pay attention, a bird will find its way into my line of sight, reminding me of God's sweet presence.

It's kind of awesome. I'm not even kidding here. Once, while pouring my heart out in prayer last summer a bird came and perched on the chair outside of my window, separating us by a glass pane and inches.

If you read the blog last week (which you can find here) you know of my renewed passion for prayer. So, this week as I created my prayer closet, my prayer wall, and began fervent praying daily...I couldn't feel God. There wasn't a closeness. His Spirit was not overwhelming, but in obedience and hopeful expectation I kept praying.

Then while driving home from the grocery store one afternoon, looking out my windows for birds (Yes, I actually do this...), there were none in sight. Not one bird on a bright, beautiful, blue-skied afternoon.

Only an airplane outside my front windshield.

Stupid airplane. You're not a precious, lovely bird! Lord, where are my birds?!

It's only an airplane...

And then, out my side window, another airplane appears, flying lower.

Where are my beautiful, beloved songbirds, Lord?

No songbirds, child. But airplanes.

Airplanes.

I'm not sending you birds during this season of prayer, daughter. I'm sending you airplanes.

The difference? An airplane represents speed, power, and the highest of heights. Not songbird prayers, as lovely, sweet and pure as they may be. But airplane prayers. Power and strength.

I want to pray BIG prayers, prayers that seem ridiculous and foolish to man, but delight my Father in heaven.

Do you remember the story in Acts 12 of Peter being freed from prison after earnest prayer (12:5) from the church? In the dead of night an angel came into his cell, unlocked his chains and led him through the many doors of the prison. Peter thought this was so incredible it must have been a vision. When Peter realized his escape was all very real and he had been freed he went to Mary's house (the mother of Mark). He knocked at the gate and a servant girl named Rhoda answered. Verse 14 says that in her joy and excitement she forgot to let him in and ran to tell the others. And when she did tell the others they didn't believe her, saying, "You are out of your mind."

But they had forgotten. Those gathered at Mary's house had forgotten their earnest prayer for Peter. Their airplane prayer that might have sounded something like this:

"Lord, Peter is imprisoned by the most powerful government in the world. He sleeps between two armed guards. He is bound by two separate chains. Outside his cell stand additional guards. Father, four squads of soldiers guard him altogether. The prison is locked away from the city by an iron gate that is locked at all times.

God, free Peter."

Folks, that's an airplane prayer if I've ever heard one. And God is in the business of answering these BIG, bold, C-130-speed prayers.

But did they believe God could do it? Here was Rhoda shouting, "Peter is at the gate!" And the faithful friends of Peter and believers in the Risen Christ called her crazy.

But there he was, standing at the arrivals gate. Just like he was waiting for his ride at the gate at JFK, ready to pick up his stuff at baggage claim.

The plane landed. The prayer answered.

I've been praying some airplane prayers. I've been praying BIG things. Things that may seem impossible and foolish to the world and maybe even to fellow Christians. But I will pray and keep on.

Because last night as I stood in the silence of my backyard, walking and thanking God for the kind of stars that shine brightest on a cold night, and thinking of my BIG, foolish prayers, there it was - a low flying, brightly lit airplane, clear as day in the dark of night.

Flying right over my head.

And I smiled to my Father in heaven as He spoke to my heart:

Darling, I've heard your precious bird prayers, but now it's time for new heights."

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men..."

1 Corinthians 1:25

In It to Win It

During the school year I will often ask my class, "Who's in it to win it today?!" And when one of them participates, answers questions, and works hard I will yell out, "Yeah! T.J. (or whoever) is in it to win it!"

They love this.

After I make this exclamation about T.J. (or whoever) you will see hands shooting up left and right because, by golly, everyone wants to be in it to win it!

I love this.

As an adult, I like to think I'm "in it to win it." I strive for success in my career, in my writing, in motherhood and as a wife. I cannot falter in any of these areas because they are of critical importance. I mean, I can't fail as a teacher - that's my profession! I can't fail as a mother - yeesh. Who wants to mess up their kids?!

But am I in it to win it when it comes to Jesus?

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, The Message version says this:

24-25 You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.

26-27 I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

Do I live out my faith like I'm in it to win it? Do I see heaven as a prize that is worthy of a strong run? Do I see an eternity with Jesus worth a marathon that will require training, injury, and pushing myself to the limits?

My sweet friend, Sumer, is a runner and she wrote about her training several days ago:

So many people don't understand running, why people want to run, or when it gets "easier." I have only been running for a little over a year now, so I still have a lot to learn, but I do know that every day is different. A run today can feel completely different as the exact same mileage and pace tomorrow.  I am thankful to have the opportunity to run in the mornings now, but today was brutal. It's hot. It's unbearably humid. My body is sore from Pilates and yoga this week. I'm attempting some new running techniques that don't feel normal yet. Whatever the reason... Today was not a good run. I am usually pretty good at pushing myself on a run, but today I had nothing left to give. I can't remember the last time I've wanted to stop and walk as badly as I did today. But I didn't. I kept going, even when I thought I couldn't go any further. I only went six miles, but I know that tomorrow is a new day. I will lace up again to prove to myself that today will not define me. I will continue to push and I will continue to surprise myself... Through the good and the bad runs. If there is one thing I've learned, it's that runners never quit. 

The same can be said for our race as Christians, right? Some days are easy, the conditions are just right. We sail through the day with happiness in our hearts and birds chirping. We're like Snow White in sneakers. We love Jesus!

But then...there are other days. It hot, it's unbearably humid. We're sore from the stress of work and kids and problems. And we don't run as well that day. We don't even want to lace up our shoes and feel like being just another runner somewhere in the back of the pack. 

What Sumer says about these kinds of physical-running days should be encouragement for these kind of spiritual-running days: "I kept going, even when I thought I couldn't go any further....Runners never quit."

Runners, in their race for heaven, can't quit. Hebrews 12:1-3 says, 

"Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"

This Jesus-follower thing can be hard. Society calls us bigots, hypocrites, and delusional. Am I running every day to prove them wrong? Am I running to bring glory to His Precious Name? To serve as a witness to a world that is dying and in need of Him? Do I give Him my best even when I'm sore and out of breath?

Today I will go forward, running at a steady pace in order to claim my prize: Him. I am running for Jesus. I will fix my eyes on Him, the Author and Perfecter of my faith. Knowing He is worthy of a well run race. Hoping He will one day look at me and say, "Beloved! Well done, runner...

You were in it to win it."

Lord, may it be so.

What's My Motivation?

Back in the day (those being the late 90s) I considered myself quite the performer. Shows, school plays, choral performances. You name it, I was in it. Theater. Geek. A, ahem, highlight of my high school career was being voted Most Talented by my senior class.

I know, I know. Be impressed.

Flash forward 16 years and I will tell you that I have not stepped foot to perform onstage in...16 years. Many of my peers have far eclipsed my talent and success in the performing arts.

But, oh, I loved those days. I learned much from them. Things like character development, being in-the-moment, timing, connecting with an audience. And about asking that question we always snicker at when an actor asks it: What's my motivation? Or why is my character doing this? (This was of special importance when I would play the role of "Townsperson" or "Reporter #3" or "Random-Person-in-the-Background.")

We may make fun of this stereotypical question, but it's actually a really great question.

What's my motivation? Or, let's rephrase it for our real life and ask: What's the motive of my heart? Why am I doing this?

Hosea 8:11 says, "Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these altars became places for sinning." And verse 13 says, "The people love to offer sacrifices to me,  but I do not accept their sacrifices."

I build altars with my life to God, too. Altars of good works and pretty things I've written. Altars of "Look how good Wyatt is at praying!" And "I'm a pastor's wife."

But none of it is good enough to give God. Those altars are faulty and will surely crumble if I don't lay something else on them: my heart.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have aprophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, bso as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 cIf I give away all I have, and dif I deliver up my body to be burned,1 but have not love, I gain nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

My altars, my sacrifices are no good without proper motivation. I do good things for Him with my life. This is important, yes. But these sacrifices mean nothing without my heart being given, too.

God doesn't want my good works. God wants me. And if He has me then He will, in turn, be pleased with what I've done in His name.

I was thinking this week of the difference between the words 'nice' and 'kind.' If someone were to describe me I would much rather they use the word kind.

Nice is good, but it's just an action: a smile or holding a door open or letting someone with fewer groceries cut in front of you in line.

But kind shows all that plus more. Kind shows the motive of the heart. It shows that the action was given from my heart. That I smiled or held a door or showed courteousness to a stranger because of love in my heart.

I want all things I do for God to be done from my love for Him. Not for recognition. Not for what it looks like to others. Not for the good things it may bring me.

So today I'll ask myself, what's my motivation? And I pray that my answer will be: my heart.

Lord, may it be so.

The Mind of Christ

We speak what we think. No thought comes out of our mouths that first did not take up residence in our brain. For better or for worse, our words reveal our minds.

My mind is silly, curious, intentional, efficient, and full of random trivia facts. (Seriously. No one will play against me in Trivia Crack anymore.) 

My mind can also be a dark, scary place. 

Sometimes being inside my mind can be too much. Do you ever feel this way? When you need to escape and break free? 

Usually these are the times when we eat too much ice cream while we binge watch Friday Night Lights on Netflix. 

But what if there was something better for us? What if we could shed our minds and find the mind of Christ?

1 Corinthians 2 tells us if we are in the Holy Spirit, which is a gift freely given to those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, then we have been given an incredible insight -

To know the mind of Christ.

“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” 

But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:16

To know the mind of Christ is an insight that sages, sorcerers, kings, and conjurers have longed for for centuries. To know the mind of a deity! To know the wisdom of the ages!

And friend, we are freely given that gift from our Father in heaven.

Incredible.

So what exactly is on the mind of Christ? How can we even begin to discern this? It seems too great a task.

Oh, but friends, when God gives you a gift He will help you to unwrap it:

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, 

that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 

1 Corinthians 2:12

We speak what we think. And Jesus was no different. As we reflect on Easter Sunday, let's reflect on the seven statements of Jesus on the cross. He spoke what he thought. Let's look into the mind of Christ:

1. His mind was on forgiveness.  In Luke 23:34 Jesus spoke, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." 

The mind of Christ is a mind of forgiveness.

2. His mind was on the repentance of sinners. In Luke 23:43 Jesus spoke, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" to the thief who believed in the sovereignty of Jesus.

The mind of Christ is a mind that loves the sinner.

3. His mind was on humanity. In John 19:26-27 Jesus spoke to John the Beloved, telling him to watch over His mother. 

The mind of Christ is a mind that remembers the emotional and physical needs of humanity.

4. His mind was on the weight of sin. In Matthew 27:46 Jesus spoke, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

The mind of Christ is a mind that knows the darkness of sin.

5. His mind was on His mission as Messiah. In John 19:28 Jesus spoke, "I am thirsty."

The mind of Christ is a mind that knew all scripture written of Him (including this passage in Psalm where the Messiah is given vinegar to drink) must be fulfilled.

6. His mind was on salvation. In John 19:30 Jesus spoke, "It is finished."

The mind of Christ is a mind that came to finish death.

7. His mind was on trusting God. In Luke 23:46 Jesus spoke, "Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit."

The mind of Christ is a mind that believed in His Father.

So, tell me. What is on the mind of Christ?

Dear one, do you see it?

It's you.

Your forgiveness.

Your repentance from sin.

Your humanity.

Your sin and its weight.

Your need for a Messiah.

Your salvation.

Your redemption through God's grand plan.

The point of Easter...is you.

He knew me, yet He loved me

He whose glory makes the heavens shine

So unworthy of such mercy

Yet when He was on the cross

I was on His mind*

The mind of Christ is on you. So make your mind about Christ.

Risen Lord Jesus,

In humility I say:

Thank You.

Lord, may it be so.

*written by Ronnie Hinson

Waiting

Let the rain fall and the fire burn still.
Let all creation continue in its rejoicing.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what You have prepared for us, Father (1 Corinthians 2:9).

We know only of what we now know.
We know of your mystery and your majesty.
We know eternity is purposefully placed in our hearts.
It beckons us, revives us, and gives us a glimpse of the glory that awaits.

This weekend we pray that we hear the heavenly, create space to make, and take your truth beyond the borders of what we know.

Listen: Waiting by Bread of Stone (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/not-alone/id962527985)

This burning desire
Consuming my heart
Drawing me closer to you
I'm poured out like water
You knew from the start
You're coming to light up the dark
But waiting is the hardest part

Make something creative that connects you to Christ.
Paint something.
Bake something.
Then take something into the life of someone you know or someone you don't.

God of Eternity, Create in us a heart that remembers your mystery.