Before we dive into our study of a Psalm I wanted to explain the method I'll be using. In my previous post I referred to it as The James Method. Thinking about it further, the method is actually a combination of the James Method and Verse Mapping. You can read more about each at the links I provided. I will not be purchasing any special journals or tools. I'm planning to print the following steps (taken from the websites) and keep them in my own journal to reference. I will also be using the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible.
(1.) VERSE—Select
and write your verse(s) to map.
(2.)
DESIGN—Write
your verse(s) in 2-4 different translations. Pick out key words or
phrases that stand out.
(3.)
DEVELOPMENT—Look
up key words or phrases in Hebrew/Greek. Write down definitions,
synonyms, and root words. Discover and note underlying meaning in
verse(s).
(4.)
ACTIONS—Research
and document what tells the story in this verse(s) through the
people, places, and context referenced. Draw connections to other
concepts in Scripture.
(5.)FIND
– Find
at least 3 cross references in Scripture
(6.)GOD
– Based
on everything you have gathered what does it teach you about God?
(7.)YOU/MANKIND
–
Based on everything you have gathered what does it teach you about
yourself/mankind.
(8.)ASK/APPLICATION
–
Ask yourself questions. How can you apply these truths to your life?
(9.)PRAISE/PRAY
–
Ask God for help. Praise Him. Pour your heart out to Him.
While reading a devotional to our youngest girls the verse above was mentioned. Go and tell...which got me wondering if I had ever shared my testimony here on my blog. Looking back through old posts it doesn't seem like I have. With that in the back of my mind; I headed off to a retreat this weekend. It was a wonderful time of connecting with other women, marveling at the beauty of God's creation and learning more of Him.
Kayaking at retreat as the sun rose over the mountains
One of the "themes", not the "official" theme mind you, that kept coming up in conversation was how so many women think they are the only ones who have faced certain difficulties, when in fact we have SO much in common. Recognizing our common experiences we can better support and pray for others in our circles. Both sharing our own stories and supporting others as they walk their journeys are ways we can grow to be more Christ-like.
We are told in...
- Psalm 46:8 "Come, behold the works of the Lord",
- Psalm 66:5 "Come and see what God has done",
- Psalm 40 is a testimony of what God has done,
- Psalm 71 "My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day." and in
- Ezekiel 22:30 God tells how He sought for someone to "stand in the breach" (the weak and exposed places),
- Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens",
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up".
So, in the near future I will be sharing my testimony here on the blog and pray it will bring God glory and be an encouragement to you.
The other thing that has been on my mind is how to best use my time for God. While life is still very busy here, now that Maisie is in school, I do have a bit of uninterrupted time each day. One of the things that God has planted a passion for in my heart is to share the Bible with others. I love diving deep into Scripture, I love putting together lessons and I love sharing the truth of God's Word with others. So, with that in mind I'm planning to do a deep study this fall into my favorite Psalm using the James Method of Bible Study. This method is also called verse-mapping and is one of my favorite ways to really dig deep into Scripture. This method involves word study, verse cross referencing and a few other techniques. I'm still working on the timing as I'm not sure I can commit to posting every day. I would love to have this be interactive so feel free to pop on and share your thoughts or even just say a quick hi.
This study in Psalm will start next week so comment below with any questions you have or pop on and say Hi when you see those posts.
One area of seasons that has especially been on my mind recently is that of the seasons we go through as parents. I vividly remember being about 8 months pregnant with our first and sitting in a rocking chair in the newly decorated nursery. I sat wondering who he would be, what he would look like. Now as I write this he sits across from me working on online college classes preparing to start a new job. In the time from then to now my life has looked very different than I had planned or envisioned it being.
When I got married the "plan" was to have two kids; stay home with them until they started school and then work part-time in a job that would still allow me to be home with them when they were not in school. Now, over 20 years later we have six children; thankfully I have been able to be a stay at home mom for all of that time. Our youngest just started kindergarten this year so I am entering another season of parenting. It's a time of transition and I'm seeking God for what he would have me do. I'm finding that even with them all in school there is still a lot of work here at home and, in some ways, I feel that my days are even busier.
As I've been thinking about these seasons of parenting (several of which I'm still in) and reflecting on the advice (both helpful and critical/unhelpful) that I have been given over the years. I'm extremely thankful for the helpful and encouraging advice others have shared with me. Below are nine of the best pieces of advice that I return to over and over.
Best parenting advice I've been given over the years:
1) Pray for your kids! - Pray that they will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Pray for them to be grounded in the Truths of the Bible. A common prayer I also have is that God would protect them from my failings; that my mistakes would not lead them astray.
2) Follow your own child's rhythms and needs; which may well be different for each child. - As parents we encourage our kids that they are made unique by a Loving Father who gave them every detail of their personalities but as parents it can be a challenge sometimes to remember this awesome fact. There is no "one size fits all" parenting formula. Prayerfully consider how to parent each of your children in their uniqueness.
3) You've done this before but your child hasn't. - This was advice given to me by a lactation consultant after the birth of our 6th child. She was the smallest at birth of any of our kids and, unlike our other kids, was having a bit of trouble getting the hang of nursing. I said to the lactation consultant "she's my sixth I've nursed them all" and she gave the above words of wisdom. I knew how to nurse my kids but this baby had never done it before. This wisdom has been helpful when I start to get frustrated when one of the kids just "isn't getting it" or is getting frustrated. I've already lived through those ages, I know how things work and how they should act/react/accomplish a task but this is their first time being that age. This thinking has allowed me to grant grace to myself as well as my kids.
4) Stop everything for awhile and then start again. - When I was potty training our oldest child I was frustrated that he wasn't seeming to progress; a mom friend, who already had 6 children of her own, said "if he's not progressing at all after a week, put everything away and try again in a few months". I have followed that advice in potty training all my kids. Some trained earlier than others but when they were ready they all trained in a week. While it's not always possible to just stop and set aside a situation for a month it is a good reminder to pause and remember that each child will develop on their own timeline. And sometimes both mom and kiddo need a break, even if just for a few minutes.
5) No matter when your kid wants to talk, take the time. - Another mom friend with kids a few years older than our oldest, gave this advice. She shared how that her girls would come in late at night and want to talk and how that she learned how important it was to them that she was there at the end of their day to process things they may have faced that day or week. As a mom, with older and younger kids this is an important reminder. Yes, I've had nights where a teen was up talking to me until 1am and then I needed to be up at 6am when the toddler woke up. Some days will be more tiring than others but the window into your child's heart, knowing how to better pray for them and walking with them through those hard times are of far more value than an extra few hours of sleep.
6) Recognize that you can to everything "right" and still have a child who wanders. - Adam and Eve had the Perfect Parent & instruction and still sinned. We have an immense amount of influence on our kids but we cannot control their faith walk. We need to be faithful in our walk with God and again, pray for them.
7) Every stage of parenting will have beautiful aspects and challenging ones. - We've all heard of the "terrible two's" the "threenager" and of course how horrible parenting teens will be. Every stage is a season, while the challenges of each will most often resolve as they learn and grow; the unique beauty of that time will also fade into memory. Enjoy each season as a time of growth not only for your child but for you as a parent.
8) Under every behavior is a feeling and under that feeling is a need or desire. - Years ago I was given a book titled Shepherding Your Child's Heart; to be honest I never did get far into the book but I did appreciate the truth that there is much more to your child's behavior than just outward action. Sometimes their desires will be healthy and sometimes unhealthy. Finding the heart of their behavior allows you to teach them that feelings aren't necessarily good or bad but it's what you choose to do with those feelings that lead to sin or making good choices. One helpful exercise is to teach them about when Jesus showed intense emotion, yet did not sin. Or taking them to the Psalms to see how David had really strong feelings but brought them to God and was able to change his focus from worldly things to God.
9) No matter what happens; when your kids think of you make sure they see Jesus. - This thought was from an instagram post I saw awhile ago. I was going through a really rough time dealing with some of those intense "mom" fears. The post with this quote basically said; you cannot control the future and your worst fears may come true but parent each day so that if those fears came true your kids would see Jesus when they thought about you or looked back on their life with you. This is such a great reminder to take each day as it comes and to, one day at a time, strive to show Jesus to your kids.
Is there any parenting wisdom that you have been given over the years? One that you keep going back to over and over?
Once again, closing with a new-to-me song titled Living in Your Goodness have a listen and take some time to meditate on the truth of the Goodness of what Jesus has done.
The theme of seasons is one that has been on my mind a lot over the past few months and has seemed to come up in conversations a lot recently. I have often said that it is a topic that I feel is, many times, lacking in how we teach our children. Life is full of seasons.
Several times when chatting with our older kids I've mentioned how that just because they are in a certain place does not mean that is where God will have them forever. We are to grow where we are planted for as long as God has us in that place.
-There will be times of joy, savor them.
-There will be times of storms, find comfort in the fact that we have an anchor in Jesus and He will bring us through the storm.
-There will be times of unknowns, focus on the fact of what IS known today and the fact that we are held by the One who does know.
-There will be times of sorrow, while "weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." Psalm 30:5 and one day "He will wipe away every tear" Revelation 21:4
In August we celebrated my grandmother's 102 birthday; so many seasons in a life that long. Her memory isn't the best these days but I treasure the many stories she shared with us about her growing up years and the changes she saw in the world. Also, the skills that she taught me from baking bread to crocheting, some of which I am now passing on to my kids.
This month also marks the death of Queen Elizabeth II. I have been interested in English royalty and history for awhile now and have read much on the War of the Roses, King Richard III's life and reign and much regarding Queen Elizabeth II. So much history and culture tied to her life; and now the closing of that season.
There is a sense of bittersweet as we move through seasons; letting go of what was and learning to embrace what is to come. On this, the first day of fall, I'm thankful for the seasons God has set in nature to remind us that while change can be uncomfortable there is beauty and growth in each and He has a perfect purpose for each season.
Looking at the date of my last post it's crazy to think it has been 2 months. Life has and is busy. I'm hoping to get a longer post up within the next day or two. In the meantime I thought I'd share a couple of recent pictures. The first is from a beach we had never gone to before; kiddo #2 is trying to get her driving hours in so I chose a spot and we headed there. It was a gorgeous day with only a few people on the beach. We had a great time sitting and just enjoying each other's company before heading home. The second picture is from the top of a nearby mountain. Earlier this summer I had found several hikes that would be good to do with all the kids, this was one of them. Again, it was a beautiful day and the views were wonderful.
And of course I need to end this with song. Enjoy!
Gethsemane, you go to pray My sin has left no other way And there you weep, this cup is full Thus far has been undrinkable You could have left my failure there And left my sin for me to bear But oh the strength, the bravery The garden of Gethsemane
Jerusalem, still dark as night When scribes and priests condemned the light The trial should have been for me And all my vile treachery But you were silent in the face Of false accusers in my place They did not know it was for them The darkness in Jerusalem
On Calvary's cross between two thieves You still have not forsaken me But to erase all my trespass The perfect Savior breathes His last The God of life exchanges this His life for mine, my shame for His Eternal righteousness, the cost Only to look on Calvary's cross
A filthy grave, my Savior still Your work is done, your Father's will But there's a kingdom now to claim The stone of death is rolled away You are alive and hold the keys Of death and Hell, your victory You are our God and you have saved Your people from a filthy grave
