Summer Bible Study: Jonah {2015}

Many years ago a dear friend introduced me to Inductive Bible Studies.  They were life changing and I began doing the children's versions with my boys as soon as they could read.  I am so thankful for them because they have allowed me to have so many wonderful moments with them in the Word together.  

Last summer, I had an idea to do a community wide Bible Study for children with everyone participating in the same study.  As I was telling my thoughts to some of my friends, the ideas bloomed into something greater than I had imagined.  We ended up having a fantastic turnout with many kids learning truths for themselves through the summer.  It was such a blessing to be able to work together with many others to share talents, ideas, and hands to work.   We met five weeks at the park to do story time, activities, and crafts on the book of Jonah.  

Measuring the length of several large fish to show that a man could easily fit inside. 

This is the size of an esophagus of some large whales.  It could fit a man with no problem.

These learned ALL five verses!!  WOO HOO!

Celebration with Mountain Sno on the last day!

Binding

Last week in Sunday School, we began a new study on marriage.  This is a topic about which I am passionate, and I am thrilled to get to co-teach with Landon.  Several years ago, I discovered a fabulous ministry that has really guided, convicted, and molded me as a wife and a parent.  The Focus on the Family daily broadcast has been a constant source of encouragement for me and their passion for the family has rubbed off on me as well.

I haven't been blogging consistently for a while now, but I thought I might try and at least attempt what we are learning in Sunday School.  We'll see if I can keep it up.  :)

Covenant is a word that is fairly familiar to most, but I didn't understand the depth of this woven theme throughout the Bible until I did a study on just the topic.  It was my first Precept Bible Study and even though I did my homework every single time, I felt like I was in a Greek class, completely unprepared.  I felt exposed, foolish, and extremely insecure about my biblical knowledge while in this study, even though I was raised in church since my earliest memory.  This lack of knowledge and understanding sent me on a journey, and for that I am thankful.  My feelings of ignorance in that class were not in vain.  I began to have a hunger and desire to not ever feel that way again.  So I sought out help from a now dear friend, who was also in that class.  She could answer every question in depth with answers that left me staring at her in wonder.  She was placed in that very class by God for me.  I'm sure of it.

Covenant....a beautiful word.  Without it, we would be hopeless.  In Hebrew, the word for covenant is beriyth, which means "a pact, usually made by passing through pieces of flesh."  Another word used for covenant is karath, which means "to cut, usually a contract; usually made by passing through pieces of flesh."  The Greek word is diatheke, which means "a contract, testament."

This word is used in both the Old and New Testaments and it is holds many promises which provide hope....eternal hope.  It's a beautiful word woven from the beginning of time until the end.  No man could make this up and weave this concept all throughout time.  It is evidence to me that the Word is truth--all of it--in this concept alone.

A covenant as defined above, is a binding agreement between two parties.  God initiates several covenants throughout Scripture.  One familiar covenant is in Genesis 15 between God and Abram.  God instructs Abram to go and get a three year old heifer, a three year old goad, and an three year old ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon.  He is told to cut the three larger animals into two pieces but not the birds.  He was to lay the pieces of the three animals opposite each other.  Once he obeyed, God put him into a deep sleep.  God Himself passed through the two pieces that were cut in two in the form of a smoking oven and a flaming torch.  He made promises that are still kept and in tact to this very day.
 

In covenant, there are many elements included.  Not every single element is used in every covenant seen in Scripture.  This is a list of all covenants and elements made initiated by God which were always motivated by love.

There were a few covenants made between men as well.  However, these were not motivated by love, but instead by fear and self-preservation.  Abimilech knew that God was with Israel.  He also understood that covenant was solemn and binding.  He knew if he could get Isaac to make a covenant with him then it could not be revoked.  He made two different covenants as well as Laban with Jacob.  Once again, these were initiated for selfish reasons, unlike the ones that God initiated.

Covenant is a solemn and binding agreement or promise made between two people.  An animal is cut into two pieces and the two parties both walk between the pieces and what they are saying to each other is, "If I break my end of the covenant, you can do to me what we did to this animal."  Very serious.  Solemn.  Binding.  Promise unto death.

There is one covenant made between two people that was initiated by love between David and Jonathan.

"Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt." 1 Samuel 18:3-4

They exchanged robes which meant that they were taking on each other's identity.  They also exchanged weapons which represented that they would be each other's protector.  You may be asking to yourself, "What does this have to do with marriage??"  Marriage is also a covenant, a solemn and binding agreement.  It is God's idea.  He created it from the beginning and it lines right up with all other covenants.  Actually, all the elements are included in marriage!  

Initiator:  Marriage is God's idea!  He initiates it, even when we feel like we choose the person to enter into covenant.  It is His plan, His design.

Promises:  Vows.  Here is a typical set of wedding vows.  "I, (name), take you (name), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."

Descendants:  We can pass on a blessing or a curse to our children.

Length:  A marriage is binding on each party as long as the two live, "'til death do us part."  1 Corinthians 7:39 says, "a woman is bound to her husband as long as she lives."

Blood: Although we don't take an animal to the altar of our ceremony and walk between the two pieces of flesh, in marriage ceremonies today, the bride walks down the aisle between the two families.  This is a picture of the passing between two pieces of flesh.

Meal:  The bride and groom feed each other cake and a drink.  This is a ceremony we probably didn't realize the significance until studying elements of covenant...I know I didn't!

Name Change:  The woman's name is changed to the man's.


So, you can see the seriousness of this commitment we make to our spouse on the day we say, "I do." It isn't to be taken lightly.  In a culture today, the covenant of marriage is broken quickly for a variety of reasons.  If we truly understood biblical covenant, we would recognize why this causes God to be brokenhearted over our lack of holding on to our end of our vow.  Even if we don't even understand fully biblical covenant, we aren't exempt.  I entered into a covenant marriage in 1999 but didn't learn about covenant until 2008, but I'm not exempt because I didn't know.  I would encourage every young person to do a study on covenant before they enter into a covenant relationship.  I think it would create a different type of commitment level if we understood what we were doing on the day of our wedding.  It's a beautiful picture of God's design.  We can't alter it or make it into what we would like it to be since we aren't the creator of it.

Don't Lose Heart

Right now, I am studying the book of Colossians.  Every single book in the Bible is applicable, including this one.  In chapter three, Paul gives instructions in how to handle various relationships. He speaks to wives, husbands, children, parents, servants, and masters.  There is one verse that I haven't really understood fully and it pertains to parenting...

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart."  Colossians 3:21

We have been given a tremendous responsibility to train and raise three boys.  God entrusted each of these precious individuals to us, and we only get one chance at the job.  I don't want to mess it up and look back years down the road filled with regrets.  As a mom, I constantly second guess myself and wonder whether or not I am doing the right things.

I am reading a commentary by John MacArthur as a companion to my study and there were some helpful insights to me in explaining what this verse means.  MacArthur lists several ways that parents can cause their children to lose heart.  I mean, what parent wants to do that??  As I was reading this list, I was going along and feeling good about myself, and the further I got the more I realized that this verse indeed applies to me!  There are no perfect parents, myself included!  No child can ever look back on their childhood and say they had perfect parents at all times, but I do desire for my boys to have parents who intentionally pour into their hearts things that are eternal.  I don't want them to have a long list of things they will never do when they have children of their own because we scarred them.  I don't want them to have to spend years trying overcome their childhoods.

Parenting is hard work and a juggling act.  It is extremely difficult to have perfect balance in all areas where God is first, your husband is second, then your children, then all other responsibilities.  This can easily get rearranged unintentionally.  When it does, everything is off kilter.  Also, to be perfect in all of these areas is nearly impossible, but what a great goal!

How to Make Your Children Lose Heart by John MacArthur from "The New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon" 

1.  Overprotection- Overprotective parents never allow their children any liberty.  They have strict rules about everything.  No matter what their children do, overprotective parents do not trust them.  Because nothing they do earns their parents' trust, children begin to despair and may believe that how they behave is irrelevant.  That can lead to rebellion.  Parents are to provide rules and guidelines for their children, but those rules should not become a noose that strangles them.  Parents must communicate to their children that they trust them.

2.  Showing Favoritism- This is often done unwittingly by comparing a child unfavorable to siblings or classmates.  By making a child feel like the black sheep of the family, parents can create a terrible sense of frustration.

3.  Depreciating their Worth-Many children have been convinced that what they do and feel are not important.  That is communicating to children that they are not significant.  Many parents depreciate their children's worth by refusing to listen to them.  Children who are not listened to may give up trying to communicate and become discouraged, shy, and withdrawn.

There was a quote by Catherine M. Wallace that I saw on Pinterest that really convicted me in this area.  "Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what.  If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff."  

4.  Setting Unrealistic Goals-Parents can do that by never rewarding them, or never letting them feel they have succeeded.  Nothing is enough, so the children never get full approval.  Such parents are often trying to make their children into something they themselves were not.  The results can be tragic.

5.  Failing to Show Affection-Parents need to communicate love to their children both verbally and physically.  Failing to do so will discourage and alienate a child.

6.  Not Providing for their Needs-By providing necessities, parents show their respect and concern for their children.

This one seems obvious because it is our responsibility as parents for providing basic needs, but there are many children all around us who go without.

7.  Lack of Standards-This is the flip side of overprotection.  When parents fail to discipline, or discipline inconsistently, children are left on their own.  They cannot handle that kind of freedom and begin to feel insecure and unloved.

8.  Criticism-Haim Ginott wrote, "A child learns what he lives.  If he lives with criticism he does not learn responsibility. He learns to condemn himself and to find fault with others.  He learns to doubt his own judgment, to disparage his own ability, and to distrust the intentions of others.  And above all, he learns to live with continual expectation of impending doom" (Between Parent and Child).  Parents should seek to create in the home a positive, constructive environment.

9.  Neglect-The classic biblical example is Absalom.  David was indifferent to him, and the result was rebellion, civil war, and Absalom's death.  Parents need to be involved in their children's lives.

10.  Excessive Discipline-This is the parent who abuses his children, either verbally, emotionally, or physically.  Parents often say things to their children that they would never say to anyone else.  They should never discipline their children in anger.  Rather, parents should lovingly correct their children, just as their heavenly Father does them.


To live out this list takes a great deal of work, time, effort, and energy.  It will not happen by accident and it an incredible balancing act not to swing too far in either direction.  I want to do this well, and the sad thing is even if we do every single thing on this list well our children could still walk away and not believe. However, not exasperating our children is essential if we are going to "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" Ephesians 6:4.

Wall of Remembrance #3

My Wall of Remembrance brings me great joy because it reminds me every day how He worked in miraculous ways in my life through earnest prayers.  This was one, in particular, that I wasn't sure if it would be answered.  I want absolutely no credit, not even a little, for this.  Salvation is all God and to Him be all the glory.  I am just so thankful that I was entrusted by Him to be able to participate in His work and that He allowed me to see the results.  It is all Him.  I can talk NO ONE into salvation.  I wish that I could, but I have learned that I can't.  

Landon and I met Micah and Gretchen through real estate in 2010.  They called Landon to look at a home, after looking at a few they ended up purchasing the one that we were living in at the time.  We became friends immediately.  Micah was an IU fan!!!  WHAT?!?!  Landon was thrilled to have met someone else in Sparta who shared his enthusiasm for Indiana Basketball.  They were both so kind, loving, and generous to our family.  We ended up getting busy with our own lives but continued to see each other often at the YMCA.  

I had a feeling that Gretchen wasn't a believer.  We hadn't had conversations about it, but when I noticed books on her bookshelves about atheism and such, I began to have that feeling confirmed.  However, there were also many books I recognized that were by Christian authors.  I discovered after talking with Micah's mother that, indeed, she wasn't a believer.  They had talked with her and had been praying for her for years.  

Fast forward to 2014.  I went to a Precept conference in April and one session really spoke to me.  The whole conference was on the book of Colossians.  There were several speakers who took a portion of a chapter and taught through the book.  There was one session that was a completely different topic. Stephanie Kreikemeier taught an hour on discipleship.  She spoke about how discipling others takes effort.  Sometimes it can be inconvenient and will require our time to develop relationships in order to make an impact in other's lives.  She said many other things during that hour that I had never been taught, or perhaps I had never heard them fully.  I prayed at that meeting that God would send me someone that I could minister to and invest in the way she was describing, not as a project or anything, but a way to help someone else draw closer to the Lord.  

Like I said earlier, I saw Gretchen often at the YMCA.  Every time I would see Gretchen, she would ask me to go run with her.  I declined countless times.  Honestly, I hadn't been running consistently and knew that there was no way that I could run with her.  SHE HAD RUN A MARATHON!  She runs ALL THE TIME.  I knew I could barely make it through a 5K...maybe, on a good day.  I was extremely intimidated and always told her no giving a lame excuse why I couldn't go.  Well, she asked me one day in either late April or early May of 2014.  I can't really remember when, but on this day, she asked me to go run with her.  She told me that she would walk whenever and as many times as I needed, so after a moment of panic with a fear of making an absolute fool of myself, I decided that I would go.  She never made me feel like a horrible runner and encouraged me along the way.  

This was the start of a love/hate relationship with Gretchen Grenz.  Everyone needs a Gretchen for a workout partner.  SHE. IS. RELENTLESS.  I am not even joking.  We began running together about four times a week, and if I ever wanted to skip just because I didn't feel like it, she wouldn't have it.  I have had 49 text messages in a row with one word per text telling me to get my butt there and all other types of messages.  It was quite torturous, but wonderful at the same time.  During this time together, we had the opportunity to develop a relationship which was beyond surface level.  I began asking her about what she believed about God and telling her what I believed and why.  I intentionally tried to bring God into a conversation in each run while trying not to cram it down her throat.  She said when she used to see me coming she thought, "Here comes the Bible girl.  She's gonna talk about God."  

Also during this time, she decided to read the Bible for herself because she said if she were going to join a club, she would want to know what it is all about before committing.  She wanted to read the whole Bible for herself before she made a decision.  I thought, "WOW!  There are lots of Christians I know who haven't even done that!"  She began reading and she would ask various questions during our runs.  I also had let her borrow my kid's "What's in the Bible" DVDs which she would listen to and have questions.  I could answer some, and others I would have to get back to her with answers.  This went on for months.  We had lots of great conversations, and she was very open and honest about her rejection and disbelief in God.  She knew what I thought about a person who didn't believe.  We joked often because I didn't want her to run on the outside because if one of us were to get run over by a car, I wanted it to be me because I knew where I was going.  

I very distinctly remember having thoughts and conversations with Landon about how I didn't know if she would ever believe.  I would feel as if she were on the verge and then back off, but I was very impressed that she was reading the Bible so quickly.  She was already in Psalms by this point.  In September, I invited her to go with us to a Beth Moore simulcast.  

She was a little bothered at having the theme of the conference on this picture because she didn't believe.  That night she was grilling me with more questions through text.  I threw up my hands and wanted to throw my phone as well because I was out of answers for her.  I told Landon, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY TO HER!"  It requires an element of faith and that is something that I couldn't do for her.  She texted me that night that she felt like running...like Forrest Gump.  I told her that she can't run from God and He will find her there too.  Little did I know that we were just hours away!  The next morning I was getting ready for church and I got a text message.  She simply said, "Today feels different."  I was in my bedroom and I got down on my knees on the rug face down before the Lord.  I was begging God, "Let this be the day!  Let this be the day!"  This is all that I could pray over and over.

We went to church and she didn't say anything in Sunday School except when some people were talking about a possible mission trip and she wanted to go since it was a Spanish speaking country.  I remember looking at her thinking, "Why would you want to go on a mission trip if you don't believe?"  After Sunday School, but before church started, we were in the auditorium talking.  I was standing with Jamie and Gretchen told us both, "I did it," with a big grin on her face.  I didn't have words.  Jamie said, "I have prayed for you before I even knew you."  It was a beautiful moment that when I replay in my mind I get emotional.  I had to dart out of there.  I went in the back, got down on my knees again and started bawling my eyes out.  I knew Gretchen would make fun of this because she doesn't ever cry.

The salvation of any person is truly a miracle.  This is no other.  Boy, was she stubborn.  :)  It has been the most amazing transformation and she has grown so quickly!  She has such faith that leaves me speechless.  I knew that if she ever came to know the Lord that she would be an amazing witness for Him, and that has been the truth.

We have been good for each other in many ways.  She has finally turned me into a consistent runner.  We still run together and I know I don't want to have her nagging and relentless texts so I just go.  She has taught me so many things and I feel that the Lord sent me her way to be relentless with questions about the Lord.  We both had to overcome a fear and put ourselves out there in spite of ourselves.  I had to just go run even though I was intimidated and made excuses for a long time.  In reality, she truly didn't care how fast I could run.  She didn't mind that I had to walk and never made me feel bad for it.  She was such an encourager and taught me many things about running.  She, too, had to put herself out there on September 14, 2014 and take a scary leap into faith.  I'm so glad we both did!!

Sometimes in the middle of a situation, you can't see what is going on very well.  If you picture life like a film strip, we sometimes get fixated on one little frame of whatever is going on at that moment or season.   That one frame is only one part of a much greater compilation of frames that make up the filmstrip of our lives.  Looking back now, I see how God was working and orchestrated so many details that I would never be able to imagine.  When I dwell on these, I am overwhelmed and just in awe of Him.  I am so thankful to be able to be a part of seeing a life completely changed by faith in Him.  It is truly a joy to see anyone come to know the Lord, but this one is very special to me.

This is a video of her testimony.  It is just amazing!  Watch and be blessed!