Are You Ready?

Are you ready to begin this journey with me?  To understand what the Bible has to say about worship?  I'm so excited as we begin this journey together, and I'm can't wait to see what God is going to show us along the way!

We  began on Friday by looking at the first place the word "worship" is used in the Bible, in Genesis 22, and I asked you to read the chapter to get ready for this journey.  If you haven't read that chapter, I urge you to do it now.  Having read the whole chapter as background, we will begin digging in and today we will focus on the first ten verses of Genesis 22. 

Genesis 22 uses the word "worship" only once, but we are going to gain some foundational truths about this topic as we study the chapter.  Let's think first about what the word "worship" means.  It is the Hebrew word shachah which means to prostrate oneself or to bow down.  In the Old Testament, it is the common term used for coming before God in worship to honor Him.

You probably remember the story of Abraham....how when he was 75 years old and childless, God promised to make of him a great nation through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  Isaac, the son God had promised, was born when Abraham was 100 years old.

Read Genesis 22:1-10.  If you're using your colored pencils, note every time you see the name "God" used and mark that in some significant way.  (I use a red triangle, but you can do whatever works for you.)  Note the word "worship" and mark that as well.  Also mark every reference to Abraham.

Now that you've done that, answer the following questions:

• What do you learn about God?
• What did God instruct Abraham to do?
• How does Abraham respond?
• What is Abraham's relationship with God?
• What is Abraham's relationship with his son?
• Is there anything that surprises you about what you read?

Go back and read the passage one more time, looking for every reference to "burnt offering" and mark that.  If you aren't familiar with the burnt offering, you can find more information in Leviticus chapter 1.  A burnt offering was a voluntary offering.   The entire offering was to be placed on the altar.  Nothing was to be held back.

What do you learn from these verses about the burnt offering and how it relates to the act of worship?

Think about that today, and we'll continue tomorrow.

Worship: What Is It?

I've been thinking a lot about worship this morning. So I invite you to think with me.......this will be the topic of our next Bible journey together.

First, let me explain what I mean.  I'm not just saying that I am worshiping this morning.....although I have done exactly that as I have focused my attention on God and His blessings on me this morning.  But I'm talking about worship in a broader sense, as a "topic".  Here's where I'm coming from.  First, you should know (if you don't already) that worship was the basis of, the topic of, my graduate studies.  Second, the topic of worship.....what it is, what it isn't.....often forms the basis of a huge "pet peeve" of mine!  To clarify, worship is not synonymous with music, although music is ONE of the expressions of our worship.  Further, I cringe every time a certain part of a church service is referred to as the "praise and worship" (referring to the singing part), as though we don't worship during the other parts.  As though the giving of our offerings is not an act of worship.  As though we don't worship when we pray.  As though we don't worship when we hear the Word of God read and taught.

I also get a little bent-out-of-shape when a certain style of music is referred to as "praise and worship" music.  I understand that there's an effort to distinguish one style of music from another, but I really think there's a better way to do that.  And I'm not too thrilled at the distinction of "praise" and "worship".  Do we not worship when we praise? 

So......now that you know some of my hang-ups on this topic, I imagine you have either decided I'm just too wierd for words (and you're not the first to decide that, I assure you!!) or perhaps you're brave enough to continue exploring the topic with me!!  If you're ready, then let's get started exploring what it means to worship.

Here's where we will begin......at the first place the word "worship" is mentioned in the Bible.....Genesis 22.
Read the chapter, think about it, and we'll begin digging in on Monday.  As we journey through this topic together, it's my hope that we will come to a true Biblical understanding of what worship is and how we live a life that worships.

Overwhelmed

We had such a wonderful time of Bible study yesterday!  I love getting together with my sisters in Christ and digging deep into God's Word!  I know I'm repeating myself, but I am so thankful for that privilege.

Today as I sit with my Bible and my coffee and my colored pencils and my notebook, I'm thankful for teachers and mentors who have taught me not only the truths of God's Word, but who have taught me how to study the Word!  I'm especially thankful today for Kay Arthur and the staff at Precept Ministries and all they do to teach people to discover truth for themselves!  What a blessing!

• I'm thankful for my neighbor Connie in Aurora, Colorado, who invited me to my first Precept class.
• I'm thankful that first class was a study of the truths of Covenant in the Scriptures, for the understanding of God as a covenant-keeping God that I gained through that study.
• I'm thankful that soon after we had moved from Colorado to Connecticut, a Precept Leader Training was scheduled in our town......that I was able to attend that training and gain greater understanding of the inductive method of Bible study.
• I'm thankful for all the women who have studied with me over the years.
• I'm thankful for churches who have given me the opportunity to lead women in Bible study.
• I'm thankful.......and I can't say it enough.......for the written Word of God!  And thankful for the freedom we enjoy in this country to gather together to study!

So today, as I prepare to study......to do my "homework"......I am feeling overwhelmed!  Feeling so blessed by the goodness of God, by love for Him and His Word!  Overwhelmed.....that's the only word I can think of to describe how I'm feeling this morning.  Overwhelmed.

I"m Thankful for That!

During the month of November, many of my friends on Facebook are posting daily about things they are thankful for.  It's part of an "attitude of gratitude".  Even though I'm about a week behind in joining in with this theme, I'm joining in today.  Later today I'll be getting together with my "Bible Study Buddies" as we continue our study of the Book of Genesis.  I am SO thankful for these women.  So thankful to be able to gather around the kitchen table with our Bibles, our notebooks, our colored pencils, and talk about what we have learned in our week of "homework".  I am SO thankful for the FREEDOM to do this!  And I am so unspeakably grateful for the Word of God itself!  SO thankful that God has given us this written revelation of Himself!

Right now we're studying the first two chapters of Genesis, the creation account.  There's a lot of information in these two chapters about what God did and when He did it.  We're also introduced to Adam and Eve.  Let's think about Eve for a minute.  She's the first woman, the first wife, and as we see a few chapters later, the first mother.  That's a lot of "firsts"!  But I think we most often remember Eve for that incident in the garden with the serpent......the first sin, the incident we refer to as "the fall."

But rather than focus on what she did and why she did it, I'm focusing on what God did in response.  Yes, there were consequences for her choice (and Adam's as well).  But there is also God's provision for her.....and for Adam, and by extension for all of us....in the promise of Messiah (first found in Genesis 3).  He provided coverings for them.  And even though Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, there was a place for them to live.  They weren't just "zapped" because they messed up.

Does that give you hope?  We often hear that God is a "God of second chances".  I don't know about you, but if I'm really honest, I have to admit that I often need more than a second chance.  I need a third chance, or a tenth chance, or.........  Living in a human body means we often make poor choices, we sometimes make the same mistakes over and over, we don't always "get it right".  The lesson I learn from Eve is that God knew that would be true, and He has made provision for us.  That He loves us anyway.  And I'm thankful for that!

The Countdown Has Begun!

For several months we have been planning and looking forward to a long-awaited trip to the Holy Land.  Finally.....we're actually in the month of departure!!  Three weeks from today, we'll be on our way to Atlanta to board a flight that will take us from Atlanta to JFK Airport in New York and then on to Cairo, Egypt to begin our tour.  We'll spend a few days in Egypt and then travel through the Sinai (following much the same route the Israelites followed in their exodus from Egypt, according to the tour company's brochure) on our way to Israel.

To say that I'm excited would be such an understatement!  This is a trip I have dreamed of for so long, a trip I never actually thought would be reality.  And so....the countdown has begun.  Twenty-one more days!

Squinting in a Fog

It's really foggy here on our mountain this morning.......creepy, gloomy fog.  I would post a picture to show you what I mean, but it would just be a square of gray!  There are some oak and hickory trees about 10 feet in front of our porch, and I can barely see them.  Nothing beyond that is visible.....absolutely nothing! 

I know that there is a beautiful view out there, but I can't see it.  There are still some beautiful gold leaves on the trees just down the hill, but I can't see them.  Looking over toward Tennessee, there are seven mountain ranges, but I can't see them.

It all reminds me of a passage in 1 Corinthians 13 about peering now through a glass dimly, but someday seeing clearly.  In The Message Bible it reads this way:

"We don't yet see things clearly.  We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.  But it won't be long before the sun shines bright!  We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us."

And that's what all this fog has me thinking about today.

Ten Years Later - a Tribute to My Mother

Saturday was an anniversary.  Ten years ago - October 30, 2000 - my mother passed from this life into eternity.  In many ways, it seems very long ago.  And yet sometimes, it is still a very fresh memory.  Hardly a day goes by that I don't think of her......remembering something she said; laughing at myself for doing the "I'll never do that" things she used to do; wanting to share something with her.  Throughout our journey through Proverbs 31, she has particularly been on my mind.  You see, my mother was the ultimate Proverbs 31 woman!

We've looked at some traits of this unnamed woman in Proverbs, and we've come to know her as trustworthy, as a willing worker, as unselfish.  My mother was all this and more.   There are so many things I miss about her and so many things I learned from her.  My mother was a tiny little woman, one who might have been described as "delicate".  But she was mighty in spirit, a strong-willed woman who loved her children and their spouses, who loved her grandchildren.  She loved her husband and was devoted to him.  Above all, she loved Jesus!

I miss the twinkle in her eye, the grin when she was really trying hard not to laugh out loud, and I loved her laugh when she just couldn't hold it in!  I learned so much from her.  I learned that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right the first time.  I learned a commitment to excellence.  I learned that details matter.  I learned practical things......like how to make really good macaroni and cheese; how to sew; how to properly make a bed. I learned how to be a good shopper.  I learned that no matter what the price, it isn't a bargain if you don't need it! I learned about manners and about treating other people with respect.

One of the things we learned about the Proverbs 31 woman is that she got up early to prepare for her household and her maids (Proverbs 31:15).  In other words, she looked after the needs of her household.  My mother was always up early to be sure the rest of us were where we needed to be when we needed to be there.  But it was more than that.  My memory of Saturdays is an example.  Mother did not love cooking.  She particularly did not love baking.  But every Saturday afternoon, she baked a cake so that we would have dessert with our Sunday dinner.  (My favorites were her chocolate pound cake and her apricot nectar pound cake.)  Another Saturday afternoon activity - every Saturday without fail - was to spend some time at the church, getting her classroom ready for the 6 year olds who would come to Sunday School the next day.  The room was arranged; the memory verses were on sentence strips on the chair rail; fresh flowers cut from our yard (or holly sprigs in winter) were arranged on the table.  Everything was in place to make learning about Jesus a special experience for those children.  She prepared for them, putting what they needed ahead of what she might want.  She did the same for us....my daddy, my brother and me.

I am so blessed and thankful for my mother.  I miss her more than words can say.  I am grateful to God that Helen Neil Austin was my mother.....thankful for all I learned from her and thankful for the special bond we shared.  I am continually blessed when I remember her love for the Lord and her love for His Word.  I am grateful for the example she set of the priority of the Word of God. 

"Her children rise up and call her blessed, and her husband also, and he praises her......charm is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."  So reads Proverbs 31:28-30.  My daddy loved and praised and honored my mother all the days of his life.  And today, all these years later,  I praise her as well.  I rise up and call her blessed.  And I look forward to the day when I'll see her again!