SheFindsTruth

Recently I got an email asking what I thought about the IF:Gathering. This conference and the discussions I've had about it have prompted the resurfacing of all sorts of emotions and fears I have had in the past. I didn't actually go to the conference. I know that would have been great because then I would have a more educated opinion, but my husband and I had plans to go away that weekend and I was not going to get in the way of that annual event. 

Anyway, I'm worried about the IF:Gathering's emphasis on US and what WE can do FOR GOD. Here is a link to a blog post written by Aimee Byrd that I think identifies some of the bigger issues with the event. 

As for me, events like this remind me of a time when I was trying to prove myself to God. Which prompts me to encourage all of us to do the following whenever we are listening to a speaker, attending a conference, or a reading a book that reflects Christian ideas...

1) Consider the source. 

2) Consider the message. 

3) Consider the Scripture. 

• Tamar's story
• Popular Commentary by Kretzmann
• Augsburg Theology

Scripture that says USE YOUR BRAIN!

• I John 4:1-3
• Philippians 1:9-11
• Hebrews 5:14
• Acts 17:10-12
• Proverbs 3:1-8
• I Thessalonians 5:12-22

I've been thinking a lot lately about the right way to approach Scripture. I'm becoming more and more aware of how we make everything about US - including the Bible. Yes, the Bible delivers the message of our salvation. But the Bible is about God. He is the main character and the plot twists and main ideas are all centered around Him. Not us. In this podcast I make profound statements like: 

Let's make Bible studies that teach us about God. Not about us. 

The world does not revolve around us.  The world revolves around our Lord and Savior. 

The Lutheran church doesn't require you say a magic phrase to be saved.

Most of the people in the Old Testament are a mess. 

Christians are sinners. 

I know can you believe how cutting edge this stuff is? 

Other cutting edge things you might want the links to since I included them in my shockingly truthful podcast....

Just and Sinner podcast How to Change the Culture

When it gets posted I'll put Pastor Meyer's sermon on here where he talks about God's Facebook Timeline. 

1 Corinthians 12:3 -No one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. 

A brief overview of Arminianism on Got Questions.org. 

Books I recommend for straightening out what is Biblical and what is Lutheran (those are the same thing btw ;) - 

The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church by G.H. Gerberding

Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Veith

I talk about moralism on today's show and I guess I'm really thinking more specifically of legalism. Either way, here's a link that talks more about how that looks. 

Story of Abigail - with actually accurate details. Sorry I butchered it in the show. 

Some of the people I can blame for finding out how me-centered women's studies are - Lisa Cooper, Lewis Polzin

Me-centered approach vs. God-centered approach might look like this:

Why is this happening to me?! (complete with whiny voice) vs. Is God using this to point to Him? (complete with mature thoughtful voice)

To continue the conversation, go to the facebook page or email me! - [email protected]

How do you make decisions? Recent conversations have revealed the usefulness of having litmus tests and standards for filtering decisions and priority-making. 

It reminded me of an illustration Kendra Smiley shares in her books High-Wire Mom and Do Yourself a Favor, Love Your Spouse. I love sharing her idea and keeping it in mind when I'm trying to figure out what's best for my family. Marriage and parenting are hard and figuring out that magic "balance" seems nearly impossible. It's weird that this got especially challenging when I decided to leave full-time work and stay home with the kids more. 

I think understanding priorities and decision making and what works and what doesn't is a life long process. But I know all of it has made way more sense since I've figured out the Truth of the Gospel. When I understood that I wasn't earning my salvation - that God wasn't keeping a record of my wrongs - my perspective totally changed. It was like the veil was removed. The Gospel - Jesus has fulfilled the law and died for my sins - gives me liberty to love and forgive and serve in ways that didn't make sense before. Life isn't about needing to cross all my t's and dot my i's anymore. Now it's about seeing how God is working in my marriage and parenting and friendships. 

[caption id="attachment_1222" align="aligncenter" width="720"] What are you looking at to make decisions and set priorities?[/caption]

Because of this Matthew 6:21 doesn't make me squirmy anymore. My treasure is in Jesus. 

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

I keep running into things online about self-esteem and of course while one is in a funk, one's self-worth isn't real healthy... So I've been thinking about all this. Today's podcast is me sorting through how we measure ourselves and figuring out better ways to do it. I utilize the following resources:

Juli Slattery's article in Today's Christian Woman titled I Don't Believe in Self-Esteem

An excellent book for parents (or adults who need to grow up) called Raising Great Kids by Doctors Henry Cloud and John Townsend. 

Issues, Etc. Episode Responding to Evangelical Cliches: "The Bible Doesn't Say You Shouldn't Love Yourself." 

Philippians 4:4-7:

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Special thanks to Rev. Rich Shields whose notes on Law and Gospel will continue to be a useful resource in daily life as well as this ministry. 

My bottom line on today's podcast is this: 

I am putting my hope in the perfect, compassionate loving God, my faithful even to death Savior, who took care of all the fixing and rescuing when He died on the cross for me. The truth is that I am helpless and He is the Helper. I needed saved and He did the saving. And just in case I get ansy and think there is more I need to do, He said (right there on the cross!) IT IS FINISHED. 

I live rescued, renewed, and remade because of Him and He will complete this good work in me. Because JESUS is the author and perfecter of my life. Not me. 

I've been in and out of this lousy place for a while and it's gotten old. Today's podcast is about what my funk looks like, what solutions I've attempted or considered, and a few Scriptural things that have really helped. I've found myself clinging to a remembrance of my baptism at least once a day, and more when my self-esteem is completely in the pits. 

Lots of resources referenced in this one, so here's the list:

I make reference to the last episode, so if this is your first time, here's an easy way to get to that.

Psalm 51 is a new fav of mine. I've been starting my day with it as a prayer and meditation. I quote the NASB version on the podcast, but I actually like the ESV better so that's the one I link to.

Luther's Morning Prayer - another good one for starting off the day. Check out the evening prayer while you're there. 

In case you aren't Lutheran or you just aren't so sure how we are defining Baptism in this episode, here are two links. This one is video and this one is text. 

Have mercy on me a sinner! also concerning the sign of the cross.

After I discuss how I've been clinging to my baptism, I talk about the intentions of my ministry. As I've tried to understand Lutheran theology, I've been pleasantly surprised at how satisfying it is. It really is accessible to those of us living in the real world who like to hold on to real things. God is one of those things and He makes His means of grace a real, physical thing for us too. This ties in nicely with baptism of course. 

We end with the hymn God's Own Child I Gladly Say It, a recording I got here, from When Suffering Doesn't Stop (a blog by Megan Smith). 

Production Notes

music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine

Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark

Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

 This week I get nitty gritty into what makes us so stressed out this time of year and what makes Jesus the perfect answer for our messy Christmases. This is based on a message I shared last year at our Advent by Candlelight event that was titled Jesus Makes All Things Bright and Beautiful. If you aren't feeling like there's much brightness in your holiday, this might help a little. 

During the episode I share a handful of stories I found online last year about Christmas disasters. I'm sorry to say I didn't mark where I got those stories - they were from all over the place and actually were hard to find. If I come across links I will definitely post them here. 

This episode dives deep into John 1:1-14. 

I also specifically quote Deuteronomy 5:24, John 11:40, Zephaniah 3, Romans 8:1, and Philippians 4:5-7.

Have any ridiculous holiday mishaps you want to share? We'd love to hear them. Any advice on how to keep Christ front and center in your Christmas season? I should really talk more about that next week. We will see if we end up with a recording next week. Christmas is coming!!!

Have a fabulous week. 

 Anyone else? 

So much to think about this month. So many expectations and loads of anticipation and plenty of pressure. Especially if you're the household manager. 

It's hard to get focused. It's hard to even figure out, some days, what exactly this time of year IS anticipating. Here in the first week of Advent, lets do exactly that. I realized in the midst of my distractions, how perfectly Advent speaks to my issues. (Yes, I have issues. So do you!) 

We launch the Advent season at our church with an Advent By Candlelight women's gathering. It's incredible. All these women come together as hostesses, decorators, bakers, performers, singers, guests... creating a sisterhood that most of us relish. This year part of the program was a skit called The Advent Wreath (which can be found here). The skit included the following Scripture: 

Malachi 3:1

Isaiah 60:1-3, 19

Luke 2:8-11

John 3:19-21

John 8:12

After the skit I wrapped it up with a short devotion. This podcast episode includes that recording. 

Lots of distractions this month and lots of stress and anxiety too. Lots of humanity. 

Which is exactly why we need Christ. 

A good friend recently said, "I don't really have to worry because Jesus already beat Satan and that's the coolest thing." Jesus' journey on earth to do exactly that starts here in Advent. Let that comfort be one of the things that keeps you grounded this month!

In today's podcast I tell some stories about how I figured out that friends aren't just good for a laugh, but are really useful to have around when life gets bumpy. I realized that the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40) are ALL about relationship. In fact pretty much everything about God's law and Word has to do with relationship. Nothing says 'feel free to go in the corner and hide from the world; it's better that way.' So I'm sharing some things I've learned about that and some ideas about how we can keep our close friendships Christ-centered. I touch on introverts and extroverts and about how Satan is real. Basically I'm all over the place. There's a ton of things I didn't touch on - this topic is huge - so I'll probably do a few more about community in the future. I'd love to hear your suggestions and thoughts on this topic. 

Production Notes

music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine

Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark

Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

It seems like the first 30 years of my life, I spent a lot of time asking what God's plan was for us, discussing it with friends, or analyzing what He might be trying to tell me. 

When I discovered the Doctrine of Vocation, most of the pieces fell together and I started to understand God is less concerned about a 5 year plan and more concerned about the greatest commandment. 

In this episode, I make lots of references to Gene Veith - an expert and author on the doctrine of vocation. Also I pronounce his name about 3 different ways. Sorry about that. I quote him a couple times especially when I'm discussing what exactly the doctrine of vocation is. After listening I think I could have done a better job of referencing exactly which words are his. You should check out his books and articles and then you will know. 

Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Veith

God at Work by Gene Veith

Here are few links to blog posts that talk more about some of the stories/ideas I explore here in the podcast.

When I decided to quit my job

Understanding your calling

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic or your own journey to understanding where God wants you. Does this topic resonate with you? Leave a comment on the blog or on the Facebook Page!

Production Notes

music - Spoke in the Wheel by Electric Tangerine Audio at http://audiojungle.net/user/ElectricTangerine

Vocal Introduction by Kena Clark

Intro/Outro Production by Bradley Hofbauer

 I used to think perseverance was just for mountain climbing.

Turns out it's for everyday stuff like getting through hard conversations and sometimes even getting out of bed.

Scripture addresses perseverance too. And bonus - even Christ knows it's hard. Remember what He went through?

Scripture focus: Hebrews 12:1-3

I'm still learning about this topic and I'm sure that will continue. I recorded this episode a few weeks ago and already I would probably make some changes! It's my first full episode so have mercy, but check it out and subscribe to make sure you catch the next one! 

Thanks for listening! Please comment here or on Twitter or Facebook if you have something to add!