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Learning to Be

~ My journey to BE what God intended….

Learning to Be

Monthly Archives: June 2012

Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul?

29 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by Chrystal in Be at Peace, Be Prayerful, Be Trusting, BeLoved

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

ANXIETY, CHRISTIANITY, FAITH, FEAR, GOD, HOLY SPIRIT, JESUS, JOHN PIPER, WORRY

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. Psalm 43:5

I’ve been feeling an underlying, undefined sense of anxiety, worry, concern, depression lately. I really don’t know why. I’ve been trying to ignore it, distracting myself, etc. But the Lord wants me to address it. As He usually does, He’s brought it to my attention through my GC’s.  Twice this morning, in 2 different places, I read about all who are weary and heavy laden coming to Him for rest.  I hadn’t really realized how heavy the weight has been on my shoulders until I read that. Perhaps that physical ache and pain in my back and shoulders has an emotional element, also….

This sermon from John Piper, along with the Psalms listed below, are going to keep me company a while. I’m posting them because maybe some of you need this, too.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Psalm 31:2

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4

Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.  Psalm 55:22

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.  Psalm 46:1

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.  Psalm 68:19

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

Be strong and take heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.  Psalm 34:24

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.  Psalm 73:26

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.  Psalm 28:7

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One Lovely Blog Award

27 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Chrystal in Shower Revelations, Middle-of-the-Night Moments & Other Eye-Opening Stuff

≈ 1 Comment

Sorry, I’ve been on vacation so I’m way behind. Behind in reading. Behind in posting. And behind in responding to this nomination for the One Lovely Blog Award, nominated by Pastor Chris Jordan at New Life. Thanks Chris! You know I always enjoy reading your posts!

To accept this award:

  1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.
  2. Paste the award image on your blog.
  3. Tell 7 facts about yourself.
  4. Nominate 15 other blogs that you would like to give the award to.
  5. Contact the bloggers that you have chosen and let them know about the award.

Seven Facts About Me:

  1. If I could make enough money doing a job where I could create, I’d jump at it.
  2. Although I’m a ham and most people think I’m loud self-confident dramatic, that’s exactly what it is…dramatics. I’m actually not as self-confident as I appear. I’m actually fairly shy and it’s all an act, honed through the years.
  3. Guilty pleasure…the TV show “The Walking Dead.”
  4. I love staying in bed on Saturday mornings watching old movies.
  5. Although most of my favorite types of movies are typical “boy” movies like sci-fi and action, I simply adore musicals and like a good movie that makes me cry now and then.
  6. Songs & music really affect me to my core. My heart. The combination of powerful words set to the flow and harmony and magic of music. I’m undone.
  7. I sing on the worship team.

Although I’m supposed to pick 15 bloggers to award and there are definitely MORE that are incredible, this time, I’m choosing these that I enjoy reading. Some I’ve been following a while and some are even new to blogging. Check my previous nominations HERE for the Versatile Blogger Award.

  1. http://lettersfromlilies.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/sundays-word-17jun12/
  2. http://amadahyt.wordpress.com/
  3. http://beingfae.wordpress.com/
  4. http://j4man.wordpress.com/
  5. http://craigmotor.wordpress.com/
  6. http://psalm19worshiper.wordpress.com/
  7. http://adoptingjames.wordpress.com/
  8. http://testimonyiam.wordpress.com/

What Are You Afraid Of? Part 1

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Chrystal in Be Not Afraid, Be Obedient, The Holy Spirit Series

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

BIBLE, CHRISTIANITY, Forgotten God, Francis Chan, GOD, HOLY SPIRIT, JESUS, RELIGION, TERTULLIAN

That’s the question Francis Chan asks us in Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. And he gives us this quote from the early Christian writer Tertullian.

The Lord challenges us to suffer persecutions and to confess Him. He wants those who belong to Him to be brave and fearless. He himself shows how weakness of the flesh is overcome by courage of the Spirit. This is the testimony of the apostles and in particular of the representative, administrating Spirit. A Christian is fearless.

What?!?! “A Christian is fearless.” Not, a Christian should be fearless or can be fearless or wants to be fearless but IS fearless. Uh…. total fail. If you read any of my posts, you’ll know that “fear” is quite prevelant in them.

Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit (Photo credit: Barking Tigs)

I wrote a TINY BIT about my fears about the Holy Spirit here. But as I said in this other post, I feel like Chan has been reading my private journal…or my mind. Or perhaps this fear is more universal.

We are told to Fear God. But obviously NOT this type of fear I’m talking about. I love this quote I found on Wikipedia of all places: In an April 2006 article published in Inside the Vatican magazine, contributing editor John Mallon writes that the “fear” in “fear of the Lord” is often misinterpreted as “servile fear” (the fear of getting in trouble) when it should be understood as “filial fear” (the fear of offending someone whom one loves).

And C.S. Lewis references the term in many of his writings, but specifically describes it in his book The Problem of Pain and states that fear of the numinous is not a fear that one feels for a tiger, or even a ghost. Rather, the fear of the numinous, as C. S. Lewis describes it, is one filled with awe, in which you “feel wonder and a certain shrinking” or “a sense of inadequacy to cope with such a visitant of or prostration before it.” It is a fear that comes forth out of love for the Lord.

And of course, one of my favorite quotes in from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (reminds me I need to read the series AGAIN) “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”  ―    C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Perhaps many of you have some of these same WRONG fears about the Holy Spirit as I have felt. Perhaps we all have things in common here. With Francis Chan. Let’s talk. There will be several parts to this topic because I am going to address each fear as a separate post. There’s too much to say for just one! For me, these fears NEED to be fully addressed and prayed about before I can really move on. MAYBE FOR YOU, TOO. I don’t know. But for some reason, I am really feeling the need to write about these fears. Strongly. Very Strongly. As Chan said,

So although some of these fears about the Holy Trinity may be natural and universal, they are not right. We are called to pattern our lives after the Way described in the Bible. …,.It means refusing to let your fears of what others think, your fears of rejection, etc. keep you from pursuing the truth about the Holy Spirit and whatever else God is teaching you and calling you to do.

I had actually had already journaled about almost ALL of the fears that are in the Forgotten God book before I started reading it – when I started reading fellow blogger Chris Jordan’s book Supernatural!  But to be honest, these same fears have reared their ugly heads many times in my life and in my journal…..Told you Chan was reading my journal…

Fear of Rejection Sounds official, but what it really means is very simple. Caring too much about what others think of you. Chan admits to this fear. And I totally identify with it. The problem with worrying about what others think of you is that it can overrule everything. We will then disobey and ignore what we know God is telling us to do. Grieve the Holy Spirit. Quench the Holy Spirit.

And I’m saddened to know that I have done so. There is no maybe here. I know that I have. And that I will continue to do so. And that breaks my heart. I cannot undo. I just ask to be forgiven. I ask for help to be what He wants me to be.

I certainly know many devoted believers who exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit, who obviously are led by the Spirit. And for me, I know that I have had many experiences and leadings that are completely from the Spirit.  But as I said in an earlier post about the Holy Spirit, I hadn’t really given credit where credit was due, so to speak. I attributed them to God…which of course, the Spirit is, BUT for some reason, my eyes were blinded to the fact that the Spirit is also a separate person of the Trinity. I’ve treated Him more like a power – and a power that was scary to embrace –  rather than a person.

I have never been around anyone who spoke in tongues (but I’ve now found out that several friends do…). I have never attended a charismatic service. I say these things because that is what I connected to the Holy Spirit. I’d been taught basically – even if not in actual words – that “those people” were weird. Uncontrolled, highly emotional, seeking experiences rather than the truth of God. Any experience that was different was suspect. God talking to us in dreams or visions? Weird. Dancing in the aisles? Weird. We had a woman who attended our church a few years ago who did dance during our worship songs. She was sweet & kind & sincere but seeing her dance made people uncomfortable. Weird. Even raising hands used to be out of the ordinary at our church. A little weird. Why? Was this all a fear of being like “those people?” Of being different? Of not fitting into the world I hang out in? I think so.

And sadly, in the past that is why I’ve discounted/ignored/FEARED some gifts that the Spirit has given me. Some things He has told me. Some things I’ve experienced. Some blessings that I’ve refused. Some callings that I’ve neglected. Some of these are what I call God Coincidences or GC’s.  I didn’t know how to handle them. How to process them. I FELT WEIRD! I doubted myself. My ability to hear, to understand. Like I was crazy or imagining them or over-spiritualizing things or at the very least, afraid that other people would think those things about me.

But I’m discovering that there are others that I know who have had “out of the ordinary” experiences.  Who are “different.” I put those in quotation marks just to emphasize that these things should NOT be weirdly different. These are the things that should mark us as belonging to God. To being followers of Christ. To being led by the Holy Spirit. Why do most of us keep these things secret? Why don’t we proclaim the awesomeness of what God is doing? Are they private? Maybe some things are. I know someone who has his own prayer language which I respect as private. But I wonder why we don’t share more often….are we afraid of being weird in the eyes of the world?

Anything we do that is different from the norm is uncomfortable. We don’t fit in. But then, we’re not supposed to, are we?

I pray that the fear of what others think of me does NOT take on more importance than what the Creator of the Universe, my Lord, my King, my Savior, my Friend, my Counselor thinks of me.  Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Of course, I realize that anything supernatural or “out of the ordinary” should be tested against Scripture. “Where is it written?”

Rather than guarding your perspective, consider taking a fresh look at familiar passages to make sure you haven’t missing something…Don’t let your views be determined by a particular denomination or by what you’ve always been told. Within the context of relationship with other believers, seek out what God has said about His Spirit. Open up your mind and your life to the leading of the Spirit, regardless of what others may think or assume about you.  Frances Chan

My perpetual Scripture calendar exhorted me this morning with this verse: “Be filled with the Spirit.” Just another GC.

Just Checkin’ In

11 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by Chrystal in Be Prayerful

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

CHRISTIANITY, GOD, JESUS, PRAYER, RELIGION

You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.  Psalm 16:11

faces,gestures,hands,men,persons,Photographs,pray,prayers,praying,praying hands,prays,religions,worhsips,worshippers

JUST CHECKIN’ IN
Author Unknown

A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray.
Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn’t shaved in awhile.
His shirt was kinda’ shabby and his coat was worn and frayed.
The man knelt, bowed his head, then arose and walked away.

In the days that followed each noon time brought this chap
And each time he knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister’s suspicions grew, and robbery was his main fear.
He decided to stop the man and ask him, “Watcha’ doing’ here?”
The old man worked down the road. Lunch was half an hour.
Lunch time was his prayer time, for finding strength and power.

“I stay only moments, see, ’cause the factory is so far away;
As I kneel here talkin’ to the Lord, this is kinda’ what I say:
“I just came again to tell You, Lord, how happy I have been,
Since we found each other’s friendship and You took away my sin.
I don’t know much of how to pray,
But I think about You every day.
So, Jesus, this is Jim just checkin’ in.”

The minister feeling foolish, told Jim, that this was fine.
He told the man he was welcome to come and pray just anytime.
“Time to go,” Jim smiled, said “Thanks.” He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar, he’d never done it before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love, he met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart, he repeated old Jim’s prayer:
“I just came again to tell You, Lord, how happy I have been,
Since we found each other’s friendship and You took away my sin.
I don’t know much of how to pray,
But I think about You every day.
So, Jesus, this is me just checkin’ in.”

It was past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn’t come.
As more days passed without Jim, he began to worry some.
He went to the factory and asked about Jim and found out he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried, but he’d given them a thrill.
The week that Jim was with them, brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious, changed people, his reward.
The head nurse couldn’t understand why Jim was so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cards came, not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by Jim’s bed, he voiced the nurse’s concern:
No friends came to show they cared; Jim had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile;
“The nurse is wrong, she couldn’t know, that everyday at noon
He’s here, a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand, leans over and says to me:
“I just came again to tell you, Jim, how happy I have been,
Since we found this friendship, and I took away your sin
I always love to hear you pray,
I think about you each day,
And so my dear Jim, this is Jesus checking in.”

Wilderness Wandering – Crossing the River

07 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by Chrystal in Be Blessed, Be Not Afraid, Music Videos, Etc.

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

CHRISTIANITY, CONFIDENCE, FAITH, FEAR, GOD, JESUS, RELIGION, Wilderness, WORRY

Deuteronomy 31:7-8

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them,and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Joshua 1:7-9

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;do not be discouraged,for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Here I am again. I have such an affinity for this story…and for these verses, among other Do Not Fear verses. Time & time again, I am brought here. During this time and this one and this one and SO MANY MORE that I haven’t written about on this blog.

But this time was a little different. This time was less on the Do Not Fear and more on the I AM WITH YOU!  

This was our message at church on Sunday. Our church is preparing to move into a permanent facility next month. This was about crossing the river.

This message had lots layers for me. For our church body. For me within the church body. For me personally. Kinda like onions and the ogre Shrek. I’ve begun peeling back some of the layers.

  1. I’m totally comforted by the fact that God told not only Moses, but Joshua OVER AND OVER that He was with him.  Makes me feel like less of a loser that God has to tell me OVER AND OVER.
  2. I’ve always concentrated MORE on the Do Not Fear’s – His comfort – because that was what I NEEDED to hear, even though I knew He was WITH me. But now I can look back and see more clearly and feel blessed that He was.
  3. God goes BEFORE us…He PREPARES the way well before we have to cross the river.
  4. And when He has gone before us, we will succeed in whatever He has planned for us.
  5. But He puts the little word “THEN” in His promise. If we keep His WORD in our hearts – if we obey and follow what He says in His Word, THEN things will work out because He is with us.

And now, a song that reminds us of His continual presence…..even in the hard times.

Do You Have a Big But?

01 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by Chrystal in Music Videos, Etc.

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

BIBLE, CHRISTIANITY, FAITH, GOD, JESUS, PERSPECTIVE, RELIGION

Now that I have your attention…..bet you have one. Or two. Or….

Recent Posts

  • Another Song?!?
  • How Deep The Father’s Love For Us
  • What If I Miss God’s Will?
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