10 DAYS...

...till the Challenge begins!



Head on over to FACEBOOK(click) and RSVP to join the Challenge
and learn 100 verses in the next year!

Countdown 10 days - As We Think:

10 days until we start on this great adventure!

In his book "100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart" Robert J. Morgan says "we are what we think, and our lives run in the direction of our thoughts. If we think angry thoughts we will be angry; if we think positive thoughts we will be positive; if we think negative thoughts we will be negative. The mind is a garden and we have to cultivate it, and we are responsible for the kind of seed we sow into the furrows of our mind." This viewpoint is based on Proverb 23:7 which says "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."

I'm looking forward to joining on all of you in this exciting journey and renewing our hearts and minds together with the Word of God! I hope you're excited as well. Just 10 days to go! Invite and challenge your friends and family to join us on this adventure!

The Challenge

This is a duplicate of the post over on the Family Blog, DePriest Days. Both sites are co-sponsoring this Challenge.

“Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.
Deuteronomy 11:18-21

I've been thinking about this passage of scripture A LOT lately. I just feel like when Jake was little, and our "only" child, we just did a much better job of instructing him in God's Word and His ways. Something about two kids in ten months rattled us and we never really fully recuperated. (There's lack in the manners instruction too for that matter.)

But, the Word of God seems far more pressing. And don't get me wrong, they aren't total heathens or anything, in fact Ethan blew me away recently as he gave me a passage of scripture to pass on to a friend and he nailed the perfect passage. And all the kids have always had Christian education, so scripture is a regular part of their lives not only at church and home, but at school too. And yet, there can never be too much.

So today I came across this book: "100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart" by Rober J. Morgan, and I was inspired. I thought to myself, what a terrific challenge! I want to memorize the 100 verses. At first I thought how cool it would be to memorize 100 verses in 100 days, and then I thought about the fact that that was a completely crazy goal, especially the first time out. So I got my wits about me and thought about the fact that there are 52 weeks in a year, so the math was close enough and reasonable enough that we could do on average 2 a week and have the whole 100 verses memorized in a year.

I'll be honest, the year thing makes me want to start at the beginning of a month or even the beginning of a year, but tomorrow is too soon and January is too far, and for that matter so is October, so I decided to blow off the Type-A organized tendency, and I'm starting on the 11th of September. (That's the eve of the first full week of school for my clan.)

So, if you know me, you also know I am a big believer in "the more the merrier" concept, so why not invite all my Christian Facebook friends... and any of their Facebook friends. And then I thought to myself, why not introduce the idea to my bloggy world peeps as well. So here is your invitation. Click HERE if you belong to Facebook to head over and join the Challenge.

Think about it. You really can't go wrong even for trying. Let's say you only complete 10%. In a test in the real world that might be an utter failure, but in this case, you've learned TEN SCRIPTURES! WIN! 10X over! And if you manage the whole 100, what a beginning that could be to a lifetime habit of learning and memorizing the Word! And you can include your family like I plan to mine and you will bless and grow your kids in the process! AWESOME!!

So I hope you'll join us. Head over, sign up and get the rest of the details.

How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes.
Psalm 119:9-12

Heavy

My heart is so heavy.

I don't even know how to write. And if you know me, you know that makes the burden so much heavier.

So many of the burdens aren't really mine, but it doesn't change the fact that they are weighing on my heart. Every where I turn, it seems I see something of concern.

Sin, injustice, woundedness, brokenness, foolishness... the list is long.

I wish there was a phone booth and a cape with my name on it. I wish I could swoop down in and rescue the hurting, wake up the foolish, and make an impact on the world around me.

But alas, I have no cape. And I don't supposed I could find a phone booth if my life depended on it. And I don't have the super powers to back up any of it.

My heart aches.

I think back to a prophesy that was spoken over me about a year ago. Part of it said, "Burdens have been placed over you, but what is heavy TO you, will not be heavy ON you."

Right now, it all feels heavy ON me.

Other people's secrets.

Other people's sins.

Other people's offenses.

Other people's hurt.

Other people's fear.

Other people's anger.

Other people's problems.

I am NOT an intercessor. But I am doing my best to take the weights I feel and lay them at the foot of the cross.

I'm doing my best not to let righteous indignation rule.

I'm doing my best to remember we are ALL sinners saved by grace.

And I'm doing my best to hold up under the weight of silence.

God sees what I don't see. He knows what I don't know. He has the strength to not only lift, but to carry the weight that feels so very heavy on my heart.

Heavy

I feel so heavy laden,
Father help me let go;
Of things I don't understand,
Things I cannot know.

Remind my of Your Truth,
Help me trust again;
Remembering Your love,
Remembering my Friend.

I'm growing so tired,
Father lift the weight;
Be the Lord of all,
Set my focus straight.

Taking on so much,
No burden is mine to bear;
You're willing to take it all,
Just because You care.

And not just for me,
But for all those that I love;
So take over all the burdens,
Work them out from up above.

And help me find the rest,
That only in You is found;
And I can feel light,
Not anchored to the ground.

You bid me "Come,"
And so now I choose to do,
I give You all these burdens,
In exchange for more of You.

By Diana DePriest
© August 28, 2011

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:28-29

Transition

I remember when I was in labor with my kids.

I remember the pain. I remember the contractions. I remember how they increased in pain and intensity. I remember when they got closer and closer together.

Then I remember the lull.

Transition.

There was a phase between the pain and the pushing when everything just seemed to be still.

It wasn't long. After the pain came the pushing.

Spiritually speaking, I feel like I am in transition.

I want to write, but I don't have anything to say.

I feel like I have labored here. I have poured out my self and poured it into this blog. Like actual labor, sometimes it feels just like pain and effort without a purpose. I can't see any progress or effect, I don't know if it is accomplishing anything, but I press through, ride it out. I hope it's effective, but whether it is or not, I just hang on, because there is no other option.

Spiritually speaking I feel like I am in the lull. The pushing and production are ahead, but for now, I wait. Everything is still.

I want to write, but I have nothing to say.

I'm weary from the efforts.

I can only hope that there is a birth up ahead.

Like as I awaited the arrival of my children, I find myself wondering.

What will it look like?

What will it be?

I don't know, but I long to.

I'm waiting for the moment...

When the lull is over...

And I know I can wait no longer...

It has to be birthed...

And it is finally time to push.

In Jesus' name....

I Can Sing

Yesterday morning at church, after worship, the older gentleman seated in front of me turned around and asked me, "Are you from the south?" I assumed Southern California didn't count, so I said "No, but he is," pointing at Neal. To which he replied, pointing towards his throat, "You have a really wide range. It's nice."

Yes, it's a well kept secret that I can sing. I can carry a tune pretty well, and I know I can sing both high and low. I know I can sing because other people have told me so. A woman at my friend's retreat told me in April, "I could sit next to you and listen to you sing for hours." And my neighbor one night was over and asked if we could sing some worship while we were praying together and then said, "Wow, you can sing." And even one morning while Neal was hurriedly getting ready to play drums as an emergency last minute substitute, as I was trying to help him get the list figured out, I was talking to the head of our worship ministry and singing the songs to make sure I could help Neal figure out which song he was going to have to play. She said, "Wow, you can sing, like worship team sing."

The truth is though, it's not my gift. When the gentleman on Sunday said "You have a wide range," I replied, "Yeah, I have a hard time finding where I'm supposed to be." And the truth is, when it comes to singing I fumble around quite a bit. A friend of mine who is extremely gifted in worship used to sing with me in the car on occasion and once I remember her stopping and just staring at me in frustration. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "You keep switching keys on me!"

The truth is, I don't even fully understand what that means. I get the gist, but I don't understand it well enough to not fumble around and bounce from low to high and back to low again. She'd do her best to help me understand it, but I'd just smile as pretty as possible and nod, really not having a clue, knowing it didn't matter, because God never called me to stand on a stage to sing.

When I sing, it's a sacrifice of praise. Sometimes it's beautiful and even gets a good response from others. (Please note, I am by no means being prideful about my ability to sing, as many times as I have "lifted my voice" in praise, the percentage of notable response is small.) But often no one is impressed or even noting my efforts at all. No one that is except the Lord. And I know for a fact that the Lord's attention isn't at all focused on the key of my singing, so much as He is the heart behind it.

As the gentleman turned back around and I sat down, that's the thought that occurred to me. As much as I like the idea of being thought of as "a good singer," if the only reason I did it was for the recognition of others it wouldn't be an offering to the Lord at all. But on the contrary, if my voice cracks and struggles as I try to find the right "key" with a heart of worship towards the Lord, then it's value is eternal.

This truth applies far beyond me and my singing. It's true of any act we do in the name of the Lord. Teach, preach, serve, sing, what is sustaining and stands is more about the heart behind it than the perfection of the effort. I think someday when we all get to heaven, I suspect we will find that things we thought were treasures for God will turn out to have been straw, and likewise things that we never thought really counted for much at all stood as strength in the big picture, and in the work of the Lord.

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
1 Corinthians 3:9-15

Cast Aside

The Bible describes our Christian life as a race. When I think about the reality of running an actual race, I am defeated from the thought process. I have not taken care of my body the way that I should. A year and a half ago when I felt in the best physical condition I had in a very long time, I remember surprising myself at Disneyland when I was able to run and do a decent job of keeping up with my kids. I was 30 lbs. lighter and conditioning my body daily. I probably couldn't have run a a marathon, but I could at least run a good solid sprint.

Today I have put the weight back on and I am suffering several injuries that are hindering me from even being able to get back on track. A pinched nerve in my back for months has developed into pain from the middle of of my back all the way up into the top of my neck. It's constant. An ankle injury that won't fully seem to heal still plagues me and favoring it has caused issues in both my knees and my hip. I couldn't run a physical race if I wanted to. If I tried I might just do even more harm.

Sometimes that sort of thing happens to us in the spiritual lives as well. An old injury plagues and hinders us in other capacities. A constant source of discomfort or pain comes upon us and the persistent hurt keeps us from even wanting to move, and completely saps us of any desire to actually aspire.

Physically I find myself at an impasse. I need to lose weight to be able to get moving to regain my strength. Without the ability to get moving and get exercise, the ability to lose weight is greatly hindered. Even if I change my eating habits, cut back, etc., I am likely to lose not only weight but the small amount of muscle mass I have. It is a defeating purpose. Yes, I can and should try to press through the pain toward some semblance of accomplishment, but there are limits, and lots of them.

Thankfully this isn't the case spiritually. There is an immediate solution to the burden of weight that hinders me. Unlike the months of effort and restraint that it would require to take off the weight, spiritually it is done with a single simple motion.

...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us... Hebrews 12:1

Psalm 55:22 says it this way: Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you...

I remember on one of my many downward falls in physical weight, how I was teasing a pregnant friend. She would compliment me on my weight loss and I would thank her for being pregnant so there was a safe place for the weight to be found. Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could just walk up to some skinny underweight girls and bump into her and provide for her lack with my abundance. I would be dancing down the halls of life hip bumping all sorts of skinny women and kids. But it's not like that physically. Yet spiritually, it is.

The Lord says, "give it to Me. I will not only take your weight, but I will give you My strength." What a great deal! He'll willing take my weight, my heaviness and my injuries as well, and bring strength and wholeness where there is infirmity... if I will let Him.

Reality is, I know this task is not as simple to walk out as I have made it sound. Too often in stubbornness or perhaps ignorance, we hold onto our burdens and our hurts and we in a total lack of faith don't even try to give them up. We are comfortable with the familiar, or frightened by the unknown, worst case scenario, sometimes we even define ourselves with our injuries and weights.

"I'm the woman with fibromyalgia of the spirit," if you will. Instead of being a person fighting an affliction, the risk is becoming a person defined by it.

I find myself at a crossroads. Physically I am concerned with becoming the woman with back problems with a long list of "can't do's," but even more, spiritually speaking, I am concerned with becoming a person defined by her hurts and her heaviness. Depression looms and discouragement sits on the sidelines of my life calling out. The easy thing to do would be to decide to define myself by those things, but something deep inside continues to resist.

There is a Truth that reigns inside me that says, "CAST!" Cast your burdens, your cares, your hurts, your fears! Jesus says, "Cast them on Me! I came so you would, I died so you could." And the beautiful thing is that when we do, we can finally be defined by the only Truth that should define us. And instead of hindrances, all these weights and burdens we carry become tools to be used in the process of becoming who we were always meant to be.

There is no wisdom wallowing in the hard stuff and the hurts, but there is nothing more wise than being obedient to the One who not only designed this whole "race" but designed the runner as well. I have no illusion that the application is simple, but I have full confidence that the process is, because God says it is. I CAN cast these things that weigh me down heavily upon Him, if I want to. I just have to want to badly enough. I have to want to run.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2