Great Commentary on Proverbs 31

One of my favorite bloggers, Wendy from  Practical Theology for Women, has recently posted two posts about reading and interpreting Proverbs 31. They are excellent and you should read them (and her blog)! The links are below:

Part 1
Part 2

I am very picky about who I read and trust on theological issues. Wendy's blog is very biblically sound and balanced, in my opinion!

Our Love Story and Some Other Thoughts

As part of a Valentine's Day activity, I shared Jeff and my love story on my other blog. You can read it here if you'd like!

The Lord is good and I am continually amazed by how He works in my life. He is so good and gracious to me when I do not deserve it.

I haven't been writing much on this blog, which I'd like to change. My goal this year was to write on this blog at least once a week, but I've been so overwhelmed with preparing for the baby that many times, I feel emotionally exhausted after reflecting with the Lord. So, then translating those reflections on a blog seems like a daunting task rather than a freeing one. That's why I've been quiet.

The Lord has been revealing a lot to me about the half-truths and outright lies I believe about Him and His character. Weeding them out is a painful process, so that's another reason I haven't felt like being vulnerable with the world. :-) But, I hope to share my struggles one day soon because I know God can use my story to bring Truth and healing to others. That's why He calls broken people to Himself and into ministry.

I hope you all have a blessed Saint Valentine's Day-whether married or single or struggling or happy! God is with us and He is love. It's simple and seemingly pat, but true.

Questioning God and His Motives

Whew-it's been a long time since I wrote a post! Honestly, I've been in a bit of a valley and it's been hard to reflect on it, let alone write about it! But, God is slowly pushing me back on track. To be honest, I've neglected reflecting on scripture because it's much easier and comfortable to numb myself with entertainment. Wrong, yes. But, it's what I've been doing.

God is good and will not let me stay there. :-) So, here I am, ready to write a little reflection. I hope I will be back for a long run!

Feeling my desperate need and thirst for the Word, I started back into it by reading through the Psalms. They are comforting when you are in a hard place.

Today I meditated on Psalm 43 and it brought me much comfort. The Psalm is short, but blatantly shows David's inner struggle with doubt. Because of his hard circumstances, he questions God's actions and motives. "Why have You rejected me? Why do I go about mourning?" (v.2)

I totally relate. In the midst of hard circumstances, my crying out to God is usually a question of whether He really cares for me or not. I often feel guilty for questioning Him and His motives. I've heard from wiser people that it's OK to question God because it often leads us to truth, if we are seeking Him. But, I still often feel guilty (probably because in that moment, I am not grasping the Gospel-that even if I am sinning, God is forgiving and much bigger than my questions). So, as I see David, a man after God's own heart as scripture calls him, crying out to God with questions, I am comforted.

However, verses 3-4 are the the kicker-the key verses in this passage. David doesn't just wallow in self-pity and in the mire of questioning God's motives. He's honest-and God let's him honestly question what he does not understand, but God does not let him stay there. In verse 3, it's almost as if we can visibly see the Holy Spirit moving David's heart toward truth.

"Send out your light and your truth;
   let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
   and to your dwelling!
 

Then I will go to the altar of God,
   to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
   O God, my God."

 Here, we see David's desire to know the TRUTH about God's character and motives-his desire to move beyond the questions. He has faith because he knows that Truth will lead Him to God and that when he understands the true character of God, it will lead him to thankfulness.

I believe this is the on-going struggle of faith. We have seasons of questioning and seasons of certainty. What I gather from this Psalm is that questioning God is not the sin. It's how we respond to the Truth He reveals that matters. 

Even more important, what I see in this Psalm is the abundant grace of God. As I mentioned before, God is so much bigger than our questions. He is not going to stomp off to a corner, pout, and ignore us because He's offended by our questions. Instead, He gently corrects us and leads us in Truth. This may not happen in the timing that we'd like for it to happen, but He does do it and the slow process is what sanctifies us. 

We're Having a Girl!

Hey, I'm still here! I know I've neglected this blog-I haven't been very reflective lately...or maybe it's that I haven't felt like sharing my reflections, but I think I am ready again, so if I can fins some time to breath, perhaps I will post soon!

Jeff and I found out we are having a girl! We're so excited! We didn't really care-we are just praying for a healthy baby!

I'll be back soon hopefully!

A Blessing

I just wanted to write real quick and tell our good news-Jeff and I are expecting our first baby due March 1! We are really excited. Also I have my first-time-pregnant freak-out moments (What if my baby is born with two heads??!)

I will update about it here. I have sadly neglected this blog recently. The truth is, I haven't been feeling very reflective lately-or rather, I am too scared to be reflective lately. I've honestly been going through some hard questions with God-perhaps I will post about it someday soon. One thing I know, though, is that God is holding me tight.

Free Children's Prayer Journal (ages 7-10)

Every year for Christmas, I buy something of spiritual significance for my niece and nephew. I am a Christian and so are their parents, so helping them learn about the Lord and develop in their own understanding of God, Jesus, and the Bible is important to us.

Last year, I looked for a kids' devotional to give to my niece, but couldn't find one I liked. Maybe I'm too picky, but I thought most of them were slightly superficial, even for children, or I had issues with their doctrine and use of scripture (taken out of context). So, if anyone knows of a good one, please let me know!

After my failed search, I decided to take on the task of writing my niece a prayer journal guide. She is 7 and has a hard time with prayer (what child doesn't?!-I am an adult and I struggle with it!) I wanted to make it fun for her, though prayer isn't always fun. But, she's a kid, after all. I wanted her to learn that prayer is simply talking to God and because God is creative, we can talk to Him creatively. I also wanted it to be something she could do on her own without any adults forcing her-but she could also share with her parents if she wanted to.

So, I asked for God's guidance and came up with a 30-day prayer journal guide based on the ACTS model of prayer (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication).

This is my first time writing anything like this for children, so I would love to get some feedback! If you are a parent of a child ages 7-10, and would like a copy of this prayer journal for free-and would be willing to give me a little honest feedback, then please email me at cupofdelight@yahoo.com I will send you a free PDF copy now and will later send out an evaluation for it.

My Daddy

So, last year I posted a Mother's Day post and failed to post a Father's Day one due to being busy with work. This year is opposite! So we'll just count the past two years as one. :-)

"He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge."

~ Proverbs 14:26

 I can't begin to describe just how blessed I am to have the parents I have. Neither had great childhoods, but by the grace of God they managed to break family patterns of sin and create a safe, happy, encouraging and loving childhood for me and my sister. 

That's why I chose this verse in Proverbs-it is so true of my Daddy. God is his refuge and, therefore, became my refuge in childhood (and until I also made a personal decision to follow Christ!). Because God enabled my Dad to live above his past, I had a good and safe childhood experience. 

My dad is the first to admit that "he is the worse of sinners" and in need of the grace of God. Humility is the first word that comes to mind when I think of my daddy. Along with that is a ripping great sense of humor, a sharp work ethic, a servant leader, loving, and so much fun!

I greatly admire my Daddy. He's been my spiritual mentor (or as he likes to call it "Stump the Dummy"), protector and friend. He was humbly willing to give me away to another great and admirable man on my wedding day. :-)

Thanks, Daddy, for being a model to me of God's great love for me. When I am full of doubts, I often think of your great love, care, and delight in me and know that God's is even greater than that-and it helps dissolves those doubts. I love being home with you and mom-both of you are so much fun and a refuge to my heart!

I love you so much and I am beyond blessed!

Love,

Cool Breeze :-)