Month: March 2010

This lovely violet of mine is telling us all that it is “almost Spring.” My heart loves this season (body loves the warmth that is coming also). It is such a time of renewal and looking forward to green and flowers and trees and warmth and and and. It also feels like that in the Spirit. I know He is not limited to our earthly cycles, yet when we begin to feel the “up” of spring right around the corner, I think we are more open to what He is doing in us. We become expectant people – those anticipating good. So we become much more open to hearing things from the Lord. At least it seems that way.

Easter helps us. It just does. We know all about the resurrection during the winter months. It is not new to those of us with Biblical backgrounds and ministry in our blood. Yet, when Easter comes, there is an excitement that just overflows in us. This is healthy and good.

I teach that the Father thinks cyclically (based on Isaiah 55:6-11 – I may need to do a series of posts on that), so the seasons are a part of what He does. I am teaching “The Feasts of the Lord” in our Bible Institute right now, so am very aware of how the seasons of the year played a big role in ancient Israel’s life and God appointed celebrations. Even though today we are not bound by the same agriculture state of mind and limitation, yet the seasons are very good for us. And since I live in Central New York where we have all four very distinct seasons, I love them and the expression of life and rest we find in them.

So it is almost Spring! I know calendar-wise, it is already so. Yet here, it is just beginning. I will enjoy each day of it as it unfolds into summer.

We are so very privileged to be able to know the Lord Jesus, to be drawn into His heart moment by moment and then enfolded and accepted as we are. We are privileged to have our sins washed completely away by the blood of the Lamb and be graced with belonging to Almighty God through our Lord Jesus!

Those facts are just awesome in every way. I am a blessed woman! I know the above is true – all the time, but for me this morning is just is so delightful to enjoy.

Last evening I was gifted with a ticket (and the company of a friend) to see Riverdance (live) at a local theater. It was so very, very good. If you want to watch some of it, you can google the name and several items available on YouTube will come up. I have chosen not to post one here, but did enjoy watching them again. However, on camera can never do them justice. They are so very good and precise and their live music was beyond good.

Today I do have some items on my plate to get finished and I will be using the time to listen to what He will speak to me, so I will know how to order my presentations coming next month. He is so very, very faithful! Join me in praising Him and delighting in His company today.

I am studying for an hour of the Old Testament Survey Course in our Institute. I am to teach Isaiah. Lauren asked me to do this when the course began because I have taught an Institute course on the book. So I am cramming review into me this afternoon. Saved Power Points really help. (And Mac’s Keynote opens them great!)

Our Friday Fellowship went very well and we enjoyed our time of worship. Then we took apart Romans 7 & the first few verses of chapter 8. What an awesome passage. We reveled in the love of our Lord for us to rescue us from sin and to release us from “this man of death.” Then, of course, we enjoyed our time of fellowship.

I had hoped to put the teaching on my web site via the DVD uploaded to YouTube. However, my computer programs are incompatible with the DVD’s format. My husband will have to work with it in his programs to save it over to one I can work with. I am still working with this possibility. It will just take a few more steps than I had thought. Oh well. I want to be able to put them on the web to make the teaching much more available. Those of you who read, please pray that we find an acceptable way to do this.

Back to Isaiah. Tomorrow is The Feast of Trumpets – Institute Course.

The teaching last night was #4 in “Building Community.” Its title was “Expectation.” The word used in the Bible is usually “hope.” But if you search for a definition, you will find something like “What we confidently expect as a result of the power of God.” Those are my words, for us in this study – “Expectation” – what we are expecting as we build a community of faith.

I did a brief review, and I am sorry that time will not allow me to write all that here. Let me just list the names of the studies we have done over the past few months and give the main points we covered under them.

#1 – Focus; 1) Relationships are intentional (we choose) and appointed (the Lord chooses); #2 Biblical fellowship follows the pattern set for us in Scripture. We enter into the unity already in existence in the God-Head. We do not generate it, but we become a part of the fellowship of the Trinity. (John 17:13-26); 3) Biblical Communities have a focus (Acts 2:42 – apostles teaching, fellowship, food and prayer).

#2 – Belonging; 1)Priority of the Trinitarian Pattern of Fellowship – The Lord is always first; 2)In this is a shared Godly loyalty, but not the loyalty so often expected which is of flesh and brings bondage; 3)No favoritism – no cliques – no partiality. We become as He is, loving and receiving all.

#3 – Sacrifice – Emphasis on not becoming anyone’s answer. We are the Lord’s hands and feet and the Lord’s heart revealed. We must not begin to “play God” in anyone’s life. Be careful to keep your boundaries in place – do not allow flesh intimacy to become a part. Do not fashion our relationship around answering needs. Dealt with Philippians 2:1-11 and with Paul’s approach to “need” (want in some version) in Philippians 4:10-14.

#4 – Expectation; 1)Acceptance – 1 Peter 1:22-23 with an emphasis of “no hypocrisy” in our actions – no agenda’s and no manipulation to get our way or to feel like we belong. Instead develop in our time with the Lord and inward acceptance and begin to live in and out of that. That way our acceptance in the body of Christ has to do with Him and not so much (if at all) with other; 2)Enfolded – The interior disposition of belonging – learning not to be up or down as a result of people. This is done in one-on-one relationship in Jesus.; 3) Sharing – Galatians 6:2-10 learning to bear one another’s deep hardship, while expecting us all to carry our own daily trials. Once again boundaries were talked about.

We are intentional in developing progressive, God centered friendships and inter-relationships. Do not keep looking back. “Oh, I remember when it was really a lot different here…..” All such statements leave others out (partiality at work) and keep us anchored in what God did once a while ago, instead of the continual upward call of Christ Jesus which will always move us progressively forward in Him – expecting from His hand.

Our negative Biblical examples were Euodia & Syntyche in Philippians 4:2-3.
Our positive Biblical examples were Timothy and Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:19-30.

Now that is a pretty good “taste” of some of the work we did. We have one more lesson that will be in a couple of weeks. Special meeting is this next Thurs. evening. Our last class on this topic will be “Release,” the first Thursday of April.
Blessings All.

Today has been a study day as I am teaching tonight in church at our mid-week service. I am teaching #4 in “Building Community.” Tonight I am working with “Expectation.” I will try to leave you a summary of that teaching later tonight or in the morning. Tomorrow is also a study day as I am speaking at our Friday Fellowship at 7 pm and also teaching in the “Doctrine Seminar” at my local church on Saturday morning.

I am delighted to have discovered “Kindle for Mac.” It is a free downloadable app for Macs that provides a Kindle reader. I downloaded it earlier today and have enjoyed reading a good portion of Isaiah on it. It is delightful. I have tried several other readers for my MacBook, but always ended up in disappointment because of no easy connections to the books. But this is seamless and very delightful to read. I think it is available for PC’s too – you might want to go to Amazon and check it out.

I have put another slide show on our Psalm 19 web site. Just go there and click “video’s,” and the new one is on top. It is of our February 19 Friday Fellowship. These are Diane Hernandez photo’s and I use them with permission. Enjoy.

Miniature iris’ begin my spring season! They are beautiful and oh so small. I almost did not “catch” them blooming. You can see the tulip flags just beginning to pierce the ground beside the iris.

After delightful worship, we celebrated communion together (you will see the covered chalice on the table with the Bible), and then Lauren concluded the conference with a “how-to” lesson on Romans 6. The above clip will give you a very good taste of the session.

The conference was warm, informative and precious. We learned and experienced our Lord in many ways. He is so good and very awesome.

I continued the study and in this session taught the middle part of Romans 5 and the over all concept of Romans 6. The emphasis was on the fact that we were crucified with Christ and raised with Christ. The truth of the Scriptures was emphasized deeply. The clip above will give you a bit of a summary. I would suggest you take a few moments and read those portions of scripture. The clip will then make more sense to you.

The worship continued to be deeply precious. I will not add any more clips of them as that might violate the copyright of the songs used. Some were original ones, but certainly not all.

The worship was vibrant and Spirit-lifed! We praise and worshiped and enjoyed the Lord’s presence. Michael Hook led with Tina (his wife) and Lauren Godfrey (Worship Director) assisting. Also the two keyboard people are Ruth VanDusen and Joe Godfrey; Drummer was Tim Stogsdil and trumpet/horns was Dale Huges-Giantano. We are so blessed in Psalm 19 to have such a group of worship leaders. This is are not everyone who participates at home, but all who could be with us. These people in this immediate group worship in 4 different denominations. Our God is awesome!

Lauren taught in synopsis form, Romans 5.She worked right out of the translation we are using and worked very practically with several concepts. I will just put some of my notes here instead of trying to write a cohesive summary. I think if you want to read the notes, they will give you a good overall idea.
There is always still more in Him. We must be open to something beyond my own theological comprehension. Keep working; keep eating. We want more than data, but we do want more. “
“We have been given faith.” (Romans 12:3) “To each one has been given measure of faith.” Romans 10:17 – Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
Chart: 1. Believe – does not require me to comprehend – but belief is my choice – not my understanding.
2. Apply to me – make it real.
3. Lay my life down into the word.. He reads my heart – does not judge my words.
4. Synergy – the Holy Spirit and my spirit produce a substance and a power much beyond one by itself. The addictive characteristics within us is designed by God so we would want more and more of Him. The supernatural, synergistic power of God far out weigh the high of chemical induced highs.
5. Life flowing in God power through flesh in a knowable-see-able way.
I’m in training, Romans 8:1 – “There is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus.” Perpetual motion – like a wheel, constantly moving and at the same time moving forward.
“He never sets us up to fail. He has give us much and then more. Our expectations and our perspectives will determined the quality of our life. Our reality must become the reality of the Word in Life. The world’s perspective has nothing but death. When we taste that which is good in Jesus, you want more.” (Hannah and root beer – best taste ever).
“In Jesus Christ we are like “tigger” – we bounce everywhere. We are no longer “Egor” – downcast all the way. We bounce because of Him. If we choose to grovel and live poorly, we are still saved and loved. We, instead, have much more – life superabundantly. It is a change in perspective that determines all the difference. In this place, we cannot miss the mark. We become an example of God’s grace. Messing up becomes an avenue of more grace – grace through that will train us. We are not important enough to be an except to His rule of forgiveness given in Christ Jesus. Do not go into condemnation with it, just let it go.
I am empowered to release – my actions and others actions cannot determine how I think and how I feel, if I will choose to do so. FORGIVEN! IS A REALITY STATEMENT.
We have the power of Jesus Christ. We are working much harder than needed in order to live in (or even find) the abundant life.
internal rules > attitude > actions We need to examine the underneath reason we do what we do. We need to receive a perspective from the word and then allow those to be the driving force.
The transformation of the mind is the adjustment of the mind to receive the Word as truth. Then the attitude and the actions change. To try to change the actions is law – to transform what is inside is grace. We need to shift our preceptors – I am going to believe the Word. As we make the choices – everything will catch up.
She did not attempt to get everything in. You can see it was anything but dull. She has a very unique way of making everything very practical.
Tonight I will finish chapter 5 and go directly into chapter 6. Thanks for tuning in. Of course all is available on DVD or CD from Psalm 19.