less of me

This week's thoughts on Radical are not as in-depth as most have been/will be.  

*if you're just jumping in, I lead a youth girls Bible Study & right now we're reading Radical by David Platt.  Each week, I'm writing about one of the chapters & would love to hear your thoughts on it, whether you've read/are reading the book or not.  [These posts can be found here.]

Here's the main thing I took away from chapter 3:

Anything God does "for us," is ultimately for HIM & about HIM. 

God uses the most unlikely, ill-equipped, stubborn people to get BIG glory for Himself.  

This is the design of God among His people.  He is giving unlikely people His power so it is clear who deserves the glory for the success that takes place. (53)

God loves to use a seemingly impossible situation.  Because that means ONLY He could make it possible.

Exhibit A: Joshua & the battle of Jericho

[which I can't even think about without singing this song]

So Joshua & his men need to take over Jericho as part of getting to the Promised Land?  Orders from God: march around the city a few times carrying the Ark of the Covenant, blow on some trumpets, & yell really loud.  Really, God?  If I were Josh, I'd have a hard time even approaching my men with those orders.  But God used these ridiculous-sounding instructions + some obedient people to gain glory.  Why?  There's no way that would work if it weren't God-ordained.  Pretty cool.

Platt says this:

In direct contradiction to the American dream, God actually delights in exalting our inability.  He intentionally puts His people in situations where they come face to face with their need for Him.  In the process He powerfully demonstrates His ability to provide everything His people need in ways they could never have mustered up or imagined.  And in the end, He makes much of His own name. (47) 

We hear Philippians 4:13 all the time.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  That's great.  Makes you feel empowered, right?  He helps us do all things because it shines the glory on Him.

Ever since I had that epiphany where I finally got it in my head that God is all about Himself & that that's a good thing, I see everything differently.  A few years ago, that verse would just make me feel warm & fuzzy...kind of like a God-powered super-girl.  Still makes me feel that way...but not at all because I'm great, but because HE is.  Platt says that, while the goal of the American dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God. (47)

In a nutshell...

...I've never felt better about being so incredibly small & being used by an infinitely HUGE God.  There's nothing or no one in the world that can make you feel so good about being made less.

the same Power that conquered the grave lives in me.

Gospel: Ready, GO.

Usually at Bible Study, I feel like I blab on & on, with a few welcomed interjections from a few girls.  This week, I felt like we really discussed something together, maybe for the first time.  We were all involved in the conversation & all had input & I think we were all challenged by it.  And I absolutely love that.

This is the thing we ended up focusing on most: explain the Gospel in three sentences or less.  Ready, go.

{...}

That's kind of a tall order.  And one we should definitely all be able to fulfill.  But can we?

Some of the last words Jesus left with us were about making disciples.  How do we intend to make disciples without actually knowing what we're supposed to be teaching them?   

This is what David Platt has to say about it... [this is actually in a later chapter]

If you ask the average Christian sitting in a worship service on a Sunday morning to summarize the message of Christianity, you would most likely hear something along the lines of "The message of Christianity is that God loves me."  Or someone might say, "The message of Christianity is that God loves me enough to send His Son, Jesus, to die for me."
As wonderful as this sentiment sounds, is it biblical?  Isn't it incomplete, based on what we have seen in the Bible?  "God loves me" is not the essence of biblical Christianity.  Because if "God loves me" is the message of Christianity, then who is the object of Christianity?
God loves me.
Me.
Chistianity's object is me. (70)

 Of course God loves us.  But is that the purpose of His existence?  No way.  

God is HUGE & perfect & sovereign & deserving of ALL glory.  This is primarily what Christianity is about: glorifying Him.  The fact that we receive salvation through that is a perk. 

This is how Platt describes the Gospel:

Fundamentally, the gospel is the revelation of who God is, who we are, and how we can be reconciled to Him.  Yet in the American dream, where self reigns as king (or queen), we have a dangerous tendency to misunderstand, minimize, and even manipulate the gospel in order to accommodate our assumptions and our desires.  As a result, we desperately need to explore how much of our understanding of the gospel is American and how much is biblical. (28)

So next week, the girls are supposed to be explaining the Gospel as if they were telling it to someone who knows nothing of Jesus or Christianity.

Here's my take on it:

God's plan from the beginning was to glorify Himself, the only One worthy of glory.  He sent His Son, Jesus as the only way to be reconciled to God through faith in Him.  Through Jesus' death & resurrection, we may be washed clean, made new, & can glorify Him for all eternity.  Our purpose on Earth is to magnify Him so that all people will see Him & turn to Him.

Some of the main verses that I'd look to to explain the Gospel:

2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 14:6, Galatians 2:20, 1 John 4:10-12, 1 John 5:20, 2 Timothy 2:9-10, & of course, John 3:16 [however, Christianity in its entirety cannot be explained through this one sentence, as we so often want to believe...if so, why would God have bothered to give us so much more of His Word?]

So what about you?  How would you explain the Gospel?

Bible study + photoshoot

Happy 17th Birthday to this girl...I think this is one of her best shots.  That's what sisters are for...to make you look like this.

At work, on the phone, hang up & find that McKinlie has composed this list.  What a plan.

And then came this...know what they're doing?  We discovered that phone cameras are so slow, they catch the flash of a normal camera.

Like this...

Me...or an angel?

#49. laughter with these girls.

#50. the way they enjoy spending time together.

miscellany monday

{one} I have a fabulous day planned.  Meeting Cait this afternoon for some much-needed catching up time.  Remember when I lived with this girl & her constant encouragement every.single.day?  Yeah, that was great & I miss it.  Then tonight we'll meet up with her boyfriend (I finally get to meet him!) & go to Live Link!  P.S. You need to check this out ASAP & link in tonight for an awesome worship experience with people all over the world.

{two} Even though I have that fabulous day planned, I'm sitting here in my uniform of choice: leggings & a sweatshirt...& really have no desire at all to put on real clothes.

{three} Last week at Bible Study, the girls & I talked about Anna.  You hear about Anna & Simeon lots of times, but I feel like I really got to know her last week.  In only a few verses, we learn that she was a woman who was willing to serve God no matter what it took.  Her husband died after they'd only been married 7 years & she lived the rest of her life in the Temple.  When others would've been encouraging her to get married again & have children, she chose to serve God in the way He was calling her to.  Goes to show that even when we're in a stage of life that we didn't foresee, or one that may not have been part of our plan, His is much better & brings more glory.  {Read Anna's story in Luke 2.} 

{four} This week I was reunited with my favorite TV friends: Bones & Booth :)

[image]

As predicted, within 5 minutes after the show started, my mom & I were planning Booth's girlfriend's death.  I do not like at all that he thinks they are serious as a heart attack.

{five} Last week when I was running, I came across this:

Pretty sure that this is a sign that Booth & I end up together for all eternity.

Sorry, Cait & Kinlie :)

{six} Has anyone else started listening to Christmas music already?  I have & I love it.

{seven} I think I am wayyyy too caught up in Harry Potter.  I'm reading the last book for the 1st time.  I always have a hard time starting those books...I'm intimidated by so many pages.  But, I started early so I would have time to finish it before the movie comes out on November 19.  And...I won't have any problem finishing it by then.  I'm so sucked in to this story that I'm dreaming about You-Know-Who & horcruxes & hallows.  Annnd I'm SO jealous that Meredith is going to the new park over her intercession.  Lucky high school girls with their unnecessary breaks from school.

Ok...guess I should finally put some real clothes on & get moving...

joy (joy, joy, joy) down in my heart

Have I mentioned that my Bible Study girls are my joy? 
Because they are. 
I have so much fun with them.

So, tonight after Bible Study, we had a mini photo shoot.

I was really just going for some of this:

But instead got this:

McKinlie gladly took charge & told everyone how to "pose" (if you can call it that)...

..."be models!"...it took awhile for the rest to catch on.

I don't even remember what this was...something about Bones.  Jana clearly looks thrilled.  And Meredith looks...creeeepy.

Next she declared that they should be founding fathers...Patrick Henry, to be more specific.  These girls are clearly in school too much.

Kinlie: "give meeeee LIBERTY or give meee DEATH!"

MerE: "but I don't have a long wig!"

  

If you ask me, these girls are way more beautiful than the founding fathers in their long white wigs & wooden teeth.

 

Can you tell how much Meredith loves feet?

Notice she's been relocated now...

Favorite quote of the night:

"People say it's weird that my middle toe is longer than my big toe, but I heard it's the

toe of a leader."

-Jana

They make my Wednesday nights full of laughter...

not a slave to sin

This week in my Bible Study with my high school girls we started studying women in the Bible...tonight we began with Eve.  I don't plan on going through every woman in order...it just kind of happened that way for now. 

Eve made a wrong choice.  She let Satan in her head.  She allowed him to create a separation between herself & God; she allowed him to place doubt in her mind about the sovereignty of God.

Sin would have come into the world whether through Adam & Eve (because I believe Adam was just as much, if not more, to blame than Eve...he was there & was not being a spiritual leader for his wife) or someone else.  We view sin as this big, ugly word...something like murder, adultery, etc.  And it is just that...big & ugly.  But what about the little things?  What about doing something halfway because we just really don't feel like doing our best?  Isn't God good enough for our best?  Or what about a "little" sin like the one Eve committed...allowing Satan to create doubt that our God is not who He says He is.  Don't our seemingly little sins hurt him just as much as the "big" ones?  Didn't God allow Roman soldiers to drive nails into Jesus because of my "little" sins just as much as He did for those who have committed "big" sins like murder?

Through Jesus' death He didn't make it to where we could never sin, but He made it to where we have the option not to sin.  We say we're sinners.  We know deep down.  But how often do we really think about sin?  How often do we acknowledge our sin?  Jesus died once.  He rose again once.  But He saves us continually.  Do we acknowledge that continually?

In other news, one of the main reasons why I chose to study women in the Bible was to talk about how real these women were.  It's so easy to see the "characters" of the Bible as just that; we often forget that they were living, breathing people just like us.  I love seeing these girls "get" that.  I love when they can relate to these women from ages ago & see that God has made their stories last because He has something to tell us through their lives.  Just love it.

what I love about wednesdays

Wednesday nights are one of the highlights of my week.

And this is why:

We can have a great talk about prayer...

 ...& the ways we pray & what is going on in the lives of these girls & what they need prayed for...

...& 5 minutes later be doing things like this:

[click to enlarge]

 

Ok, some of these you're just gonna need to see a little bigger...

{When Meredith got her driver's license, she thought they were doing an eye exam when they were actually taking her picture...so naturally, we have to look at the picture every week & this week McKinlie even felt that she needed to produce a more artistic rendering of it.}

And for a few others from before Bible study:

ENCOURAGEMENT

Last week I started a girls Bible study with the girls from the youth group at my church.  The first week we talked about 

& this week was on

 

...the qualities of a godly friendship, the importance of encouragement within friendships, BFFs in the Bible, etc.

{Katie, Jana, & McKinlie...eating my blueberry scones :) & waiting on the rest of the group}

I really enjoy them :)

I like to have them a little something each week (until I run out of ideas...).  This week I made bookmarks with verses about friendship.

One of the verses on the bookmark is 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Which is great, & also funny now since it lead to the girls yelling ENCOURAGEMENT (almost like a cheer) instead of actual words of encouragement.  Which I think would work just as well sometimes :)