December 23, 2024

Crazy Love: Chapter 4 – Lukewarm People

January 30, 2013 by

This chapter in the book is hard to read because it’s making me examine every part of my walk with God. It’s also very good because it’s making me examine every part of my walk with God! If that sounds like a contradiction, I guess that’s okay. I believe God gives us these study books, times, and people in our lives to re-examine our walk and commitment to Him. We shouldn’t take it lightly. Everything is done for a reason and  for His purposes.  Some of the things presented do not line up with our world today and that is a good thing. We don’t want our lives to measure up with the world and what it thinks we should tolerate and be today.

So, in reading this part of the book, I have compiled a few questions for myself:

1. Do I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind?

2. Am I one of those people who think that this kind of love is radical?

3. Do I love others more than myself, or just those that love me back?

4.  Am I willing to serve God without limits?

5. Do I think about my life here on earth more than I do eternity in Heaven?

6. Do I give out of a heart that is willing to sacrifice even if it makes me uncomfortable?

7. Am I content with being just good enough?

8. Do I just play it safe or do I sacrifice and takes risks for God?

I find myself really lacking  in some of these questions. I love God and am so grateful for my salvation. I need to let go of things that hold me back from experiencing all God has for me. I know there are some things I could change to help my walk be closer to His ideal. First and foremost, I could spend more time with God, learning more about Him and His plan for my life.  Then put into practice more of what these questions are implying, a more Godly approach to life and others, a right perspective.

Perhaps I need to examine how many  worldly things I participate in that can be curtailed or even taken out of my life. Like how much time DO I spend in front of the TV watching things that  I shouldn’t be watching?  Have you seen some of the shows on TV? I mean I try to be selective in what I watch but even the commercials are ungodly! Do I realize that Jesus is right there watching along with me?  WOAH!  And how about the music I’m listening to, does it glorify God? What about the book I’m reading?

These things are hard!!  These things are so accepted in the world today and, yes, even in the Christian realm! We tolerate so many things in our lives because the world doesn’t think it is wrong. But we need to ask God if it’s wrong instead.

When I’m in church do I seek out the unlovely and pour out God’s genuine love on them?

I have a dear friend who often asks me to go a little past comfortable…go a little further in the things of God. She says she is stretching me! Sometimes that make me uncomfortable, but I do it. You know what? It usually turns out to be exactly what I needed! She’s not afraid to take risks and she helps me see the good in that.

shallowchristian

I want to be able to answer all of these questions, and more, in the positive, but unfortunately I can’t do that at all times. There are areas in my life that I need to work on. I believe we all do. I don’t want to be a shallow Christian. I want my roots to go deep into God. I believe our walk with God is a continual growing process. We should never be at a stand still, but moving forward with our eyes fixed on the upward call of God. The minute we take our eyes off Him, they go to self. And then we get caught up in ourselves, our circumstances, and the world. Our priority is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sharing it with others; that’s why we’re here. It’s not about us.  It’s all about Him.

 

 

In Christ,

Donna

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Let’s Pray:

Lord, I am praying for a right perspective on our world and how we live in  it. May You be our one and only priority when living out our faith. Bring to mind in our daily lives these questions and help us to answer them in the positive at the end of the day. And that we have our faith and walk on track with Your purposes in mind. Thank You that You love us with such unending love.  In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Your Assignment:

Did you ask yourself some questions when reading this part of the book today? What are some of those questions? Let’s get our heads together and ponder them and maybe they will help us to change some things in our lives that God would have us change in order to serve Him with a right perspective.

_________________________________

 

If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study, click HERE to sign up.

Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Donna in regards to this blog, please email her at: Donna@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

 

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Crazy Love – Chapter 4: Profile of the Lukewarm (pgs. 68-72)

January 29, 2013 by

In our study today, Frances Chan asks the question:  Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ?  Or do the words half-hearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?  Before we get into Chan’s profile of a lukewarm Christian, I’d like to take a look at the Scripture that references that word “lukewarm.”

So, come with me to the Church at Laodicea where God had sent the Apostle John to address the Christians.  “I know you well – you are neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other!  But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit (spew) you out of My mouth!” (Revelations 3:15, 16)

Whoa—back up!  Let me read that again!  “I wish you were one or the other!  But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit (spew) you out of My mouth!.” I don’t know about you, but that word “lukewarm” grabbed my attention.  Why, that’s the same thing I do to a mouth full of lukewarm coffee!  It is so disgusting to me that I immediately spit it out of my mouth!  Would God really do that to me if I were a lukewarm Christian?

Questions buzzed around in my brain. 

What precisely does lukewarm mean?  A quick Google search yielded this definition as it pertained to a person’s attitude or action:  UNENTHUSIASTIC.

My next buzz question was:  What caused the Church of Laodicea to become unenthusiastic that produced a lukewarm attitude in regards to their relationship with God?  I believe we find the answer in verse 17:  “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing‘.”

As I continued to research the Church of Laodicea, I learned that the city of Laodicea was affluent, rich, and prosperous.  It was known for 3 main things:  wealth, black-wool textile industry, and housed a world-renowned medical school which discovered a miracle eye-salve. 

From that, I assumed that there were Christians living in the richest commercial center of the ancient world which, no doubt, yielded them much personal wealth.

Next buzz question:  Is God scolding them for being wealthy?  I don’t think so.  It was then that I had my “Aha!” moment. Could it be that the Church of Laodicea had become so secure and self-reliant in their natural habitat and had no need of anything, that the same self-reliant attitude had spilled over into their spiritual life and their relationship with God?

It took me back to my early years of being a Christian where I was totally dependent upon God to supply every piece of clothing I wore, food for my family, and His guidance to solve all my problems. I jumped out of bed in the early mornings hours to talk with the King of Kings before rushing off to work.  Oh yeah, the two of us were engrossed in a very intimate relationship with one another and I relied totally upon Him for everything.

Had I now developed an attitude that seemed to be apparent in the Church of Laodicea? “You are no longer hot and enthused in your pursuit of me; you are not excited and on fire about the faith.”   “You are not cold either, because you have not left the faith, you still go to church, call me your Savior, but – I didn’t like the sound of where this nudge might be leading, so I went quickly into my prayer closet to do some soul searching.

And now, let’s look on pages 68-72 in Crazy Love  for the profile Mr. Chan gives us of a lukewarm Christian:

  1. attend church fairly regularly—it is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go
  2. gives money to charity and to the church as long at it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living
  3. tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict
  4. don’t want to be saved from their sin; want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin
  5. are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act
  6. rarely share their faith with their neighbors, co-workers, or friends
  7. gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world
  8. say they love Jesus, and that He is, indeed, a part of their lives—but only a part

If any of Chan’s profile points have described you, I have good news for you!!  We are God’s children; He really does not want to spit us out of His mouth.  So He has provided a way out of being lukewarm. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” (verse 19).

 

Be blessed,

Martha

 

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Let’s Pray: 

Father God, first of all, we open our hearts to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to show us where we  have become lukewarm.  We ask Your forgiveness, and help us to turn from those ways.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

Your Assignment:   

How would you describe yourself – halfhearted, lukewarm, or partially committed?

 

If you would like more information about Crazy Love online Bible study, click HERE to be taken to the sign-up page.  Once we receive your registration, we will email further details.

If you would like to send Martha a personal message in regards to this blog, you may email her at: Martha@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Crazy Love- Chapter 4: “Profile of the Lukewarm” pgs. 65-68

January 28, 2013 by

matthew 13 44

Definition of LUKEWARM

1: moderately warm : tepid
2: lacking conviction : halfhearted <gave them only lukewarm support>
(thank you, merriam-webster.com)
I think that definition will be helpful as we begin to look at the profile of the lukewarm….
In today’s lesson, Francis Chan gives us several questions to ask ourselves as we take a look at how we {might} fit the profile of a lukewarm Christian. Have you ever heard this term before? Well, based on the definition of “lukewarm” shown above, A Lukewarm Christian would be one who is not living an “all in” type of life following Christ. What does that look like in real life? Well…let’s take a look at some of these questions Chan asks and see how that helps us put together this profile:
  1. Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live?
  2. Do you see evidence of God’s kingdom in your life? (Or are you choking it out slowly by spending too much time, energy, money, and thought on the things of this world?
  3. Are you satisfied being “godly enough” to get yourself to heaven, or to look good in comparison to others? (Or can you say with Paul that you “…want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death” (Phillippians 3:10)?
  4. Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ? (Or do the words half-hearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?)
The rest of the week’s lessons are going to go into further detail about these descriptions…today is just to start preparing our hearts for the convicting ideas that Chan will be throwing our way. This is certainly not an easy chapter (have we had one yet?) but I believe it is necessary to our Christian walk to be REAL with ourselves and start taking every necessary step to walk the walk God calls us to in order to live out our faith in this world.
Here is a short interview with Chan I found where he discussed this. Please, please, please…watch <3
Let’s Pray:
Lord, this week we are getting super real and we need your help. Father, we want to be changed…from the inside out. We know this won’t be easy or fun, but we understand that it is necessary. We can only do this with You. Help to prepare our hearts today for what You will through Chan’s lessons this week and change us, Lord! We no longer want to be lukewarm, but be burning HOT, on fire, in crazy love with you! Help us, Father. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, amen. <3
Your assignment:
I simply want to hear what some of the thoughts are that are swirling around in your spirit after reading this post and watching the video. We get way more in-depth tomorrow, so for today…as we scratch the surface…what’s on your mind about being “lukewarm” in your faith? How can we best be lifting you in prayer?
Blessings,
Megan 🙂

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If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Megan in regards to this blog, please email her at: megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Crazy Love – Chapter 4 Reading Assignment – “Profile of the Lukewarm”

January 27, 2013 by

How are you feeling? I mean, really, feeling? 

This book is not one to sugarcoat anything. Chan gets to the point and some of his words may sting. I hope you are still with us. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit is working in your heart to break down any barriers that are hindering your love relationship with the Lord. His love for us is beyond all comprehension, so shouldn’t our lives reflect that love as we go about our daily life?

This chapter is another one that may hurt. It may bring some long buried feelings to the surface. Let’s work through them together. Stick with it. God is changing us and molding us into the women He designed us to be. It is not a quick process. Every single day, we are changing. Praise the Lord for that!

Week 4 Reading Assignment

Chapter 4 – Profile of the Lukewarm

Monday: Chapter 4 “Profile of the Lukewarm” pgs. 65-68/ loc 763-to top 816 (Megan)

Tuesday: Chapter 4 “Profile of the Lukewarm” pgs. 68-72/ loc 816-872 (Martha)

Wednesday: Chapter 4 “Profile of the Lukewarm” pgs. 73-77/ loc 872-940 (Donna)

Thursday: Chapter 4 “Profile of the Lukewarm” pgs. 77-81/ loc 940-1009 (Jennifer)

Friday: Chapter 4 “Profile of the Lukewarm” Weekly Review and Chapter 4 Study Video from YouTube (Megan)

Here is a video of our author with a look into our chapter for the week:

Let’s Pray: Father, this book is difficult. We know You are speaking truth into our heart and some of it may hurt. Continue to guide and lead us on this journey and help us with these struggles and hurts as You reveal them to us. We know You are with us every step of the way. Help us to turn to You for our every need and to become the women You designed us to be. Reveal to us if we are being lukewarm at all in our faith and show us how to be on fire for you every single day. We praise You and thank You, Father. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up.

Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Jennifer in regards to this blog, please email her at Jennifer@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Crazy Love: Chapter 3 Weekly Review

January 25, 2013 by

Weekly Review

WOW…. this past week had us digging into our past… living in our present AND looking with excitement and passion to our future! Let’s take a look back at this week’s lessons for a moment together…

Monday, you and I explored our relationships with our earthly father and how we can translate that onto our relationship with God. That can be good and/ or not so good…. but we learned how important it is to understand that God is above all humanity and it is dangerous to our relationship with Him to try to put earthly limits on Him.

Martha shared with us about coming to God with a reverent intimacy. I enjoyed that lesson so much as she walked us through the stages of childhood developement and how we need to look to our heavenly Father with a reverent fear out of the crazy love we have for Him.

On Wednesday, Donna shared with us about how no matter what rejection we might have faced on this earth, that God has wanted and loved us since he formed us in our mother’s womb. We are wanted by Him… always and He will never forsake or turn from us.

Jennifer shared with us on yesterday about what choice we have in all of this….. God will always love us, no matter what… but we all have a choice whether or not to love Him and live for Him in return. We need to know Him and love Him no matter what… unconditionally the way He loves each of us. He deserves nothing less from His children <3

Francis Chan has another amazing video for us this week. Please go watch it now…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xzrv0f-UMQ&feature=youtu.be

Are you just SO struck with the love of the father… SO struck with the love of Jesus that there are no words?

Chan challenges us  to live love-struck by the love of Jesus every day of our life. He challenges us to think about the cross in traffic, at the grocery store or in line at the bank…. to think about what HE did for you and for me and be completely broken again right there. I can’t think of anything more humbling or a better way to keep our focus on Jesus as we live our every day.

No one has ever or will ever love you like Jesus has and does…. HE IS THE greatest love of my life and your life. Do you feel it? Are you letting that fill every part of your heart and soul? This love is stronger than that of a parent/ child relationship because it is flawless…. without any earthly hang-ups and issues. The redemptive work of Jesus on the cross is the most pure love ever….

And its all yours <3

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, thank you for the lessons in this week’s chapter. For any of us who still have not been broken by the love you have for us, I ask you today to break our hearts either again or for the first time. Help us feel your love in every part of who we are… to not just want to do our best for you to do it, but because we love you THAT much and THAT completely! Thank you for this provision, Father, as we seek you more completely and fiercely than ever before. Amen <3

Your Assignment:

Do you remember when you “got it”… when you LOVED Him?  Let’s each share those experiences when you “got it.” When you feel in LOVE with Your Creator. Chan urges us to understand this part of the book. It’s not about trying harder to please God, but to REALLY be in love with him…. to make the cross central in your life. It’s about relationship… intimate relationship and not legalism.Please share with us in a comment below about the time in your life when you “got” the Love you have for Jesus!

Blessings,

Megan 🙂

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If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up.

Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Megan in regards to this blog, please email her at: Megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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Crazy Love: Chapter 3 – A Strange Inheritance – Do I Have A Choice?

January 24, 2013 by



“The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.”   — Francis Chan, pg. 61

Do you know, really truly know, that God loves you? As Francis says on page 61, God does not have to love us. He is complete and perfect just as He is. Yet, He wants us. We are His treasure; His possession; His inheritance. How incredibly humbling! The God of the Universe loves you and me personally. He desires to walk through this life with us, so we do not have to do it alone. It is utterly mind-boggling to think about.

Yet…we must choose to let God into our heart and into our lives. He is not pushy. He will not force His way in. He loves you, but He will not force you to love Him back.

When I fully realized and accepted Christ into my heart over two years ago, I wrestled with this idea of choice. I remember having a conversation with a friend about it. It went something like this:

Me: If God loves us so much and He desires a relationship with every one of us, why doesn’t He just make us love Him?

Friend: Then it wouldn’t be true love, would it?

I have a very smart friend. As much as God loves every single one of us and wants to be in a relationship with us, He will not force Himself on anyone. He gives us a choice. He doesn’t want a sliver of us; He wants all of us. He doesn’t want our good deeds, our rituals, or our faith without truly loving Him with our whole heart.

That’s not an easy thing to grasp. It took me a long time to truly understand it. I don’t have to be perfect before God. Through faith in Christ, my sin is washed away and I am free. I stand perfectly whole before my Father in Heaven.

So, we do have a choice: walk the narrow path of life with the Lord or walk the wide and broad path on our own (which the Bible tells us leads to destruction – see Matthew 7:13). It is the biggest decision we will ever make in our lives. It is a decision with life and death consequences.

Have you made that decision in your heart? If you are feeling prompted to today, take the time to pray now to accept Jesus into your heart and into your life—God has an amazing, enormous love for you (Romans 5:8).  <3

“Lord, I know I have sinned, but today I am choosing life over death. I am choosing You, Jesus. Please come into my heart and fill my life with your love and grace. Guide and direct my steps each day as I grow in my new faith. It is in Your holy Name I pray, Amen!”

If you prayed that for the first time, will you send me an e-mail to tell me about it? I’d love to celebrate with you!

Let’s Pray:

Father God, we just thank You for loving us, even though we do not deserve it. Thank You for Your grace. Just, thank You. For all of our new sisters in Christ who prayed to accept Christ today, we ask that You guide them in their new faith, instructing them in Your truth. Place Godly mentors in their path to help them, too, Lord. We just thank You, Lord, that You love us so much. In Jesus’ matchless Name, Amen!

Your Assignment:

What does it mean to you to know that you are God’s inheritance (Ephesians 1:18); His possession (1 Peter 2:9); His treasure (Deuteronomy 7:6)?

If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up.

Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Jennifer in regards to this blog, please email her at: Jennifer@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

 

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Crazy Love – Chapter 3 – Pages 57-60 – Wanted

January 23, 2013 by

Wanted!  Oh, how I longed to hear that word when I was a child! I think all of us have the need to know we are not here by accident, that we are wanted. That’s why I loved the verses Mr. Chan shared with us in Jeremiah 1:4-5, “The Lord came to me saying, ‘ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart: I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ “

When I was a teenager I met God and was so blessed to find out through His word that I was not a mistake, I was WANTED! It was threaded throughout His word as proof!! I was actually planned!!!

When my husband and I married we actually wanted a dozen kids! Really!! When nothing happened for almost 2 years, we went in search of answers. My doctor tested both of us and came back with the devastating news…we would never have any children! My husband and I, not really serving God as yet, cried in each others arms. We were heartbroken. Then my husband said three words that I will never forget. Speaking of the doctor, he said, “He’s not God!”

Now we had both had an encounter with God when we were young, but we were never discipled and so fell away from God. I always knew God was there, I just hadn’t figured out how to serve Him. So we both decided we’d pray about having children. Come to find out God was at work all along!  I was pregnant even during the testing. I just didn’t know it yet. Isn’t that just like our God? When we left it up to God how many children we would have, He took care of it. We were blessed with two daughters and a son. That was God’s plan all along!

 

I’m so glad I have a Heavenly Father, aren’t you? I don’t have to worry about what to do from day-to-day; He will direct my path. In fact, He wants to! He loves us so much. He planned for us and wanted us and has a plan for us. He even made a way for us to spend eternity with Him if we just accept His FREE gift. We don’t have to work, because our works are as filthy rags to Him.   All we have to do is accept Him.

Thank you, Father for Your free gift of eternal life with You!!

Be Blessed,

Donna

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Let’s Pray:

Father, I praise You from the depths of my being for wanting and planning for me. I am not worthy, but You made a way for me. I pray for any ladies who are reading this who have not accepted Your free gift of salvation. May they do so today by just praying and asking You for it.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Your Assignment:

I love reading in Scripture how God has wanted me from my formation in my mother’s womb. Read these verses and meditate on them for a while. Then tell us how they are speaking to you today.

1 John 4:19

Leviticus 26:12

Jeremiah 1:4, 5

Jeremiah 29:11

Psalms 139:13-16

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If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Donna in regards to this blog, please email her at: Donna@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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Crazy Love – Chapter 3: “In Love with the One I Fear” – Pgs 56-57

January 22, 2013 by

Quoting Frances Chan, page 56:  “If I could choose one word to describe my feelings about God in those first years of being a Christian, it would be fear.  Basically, any verses that described His overwhelming greatness or His wrath were easy for me to relate to because I feared my own father.”   However, Chan stated on page 55 that his relationship with God took a major turn when he became a father himself.  The words he now uses are reverent intimacy.

Personally, I am so grateful I never experienced the fear of my father.  I knew my daddy loved me, even when he disciplined me, and I have never doubted God’s love for me. However, there came a time in my life that I experienced what Christian counselor and psychologist, Robert McGee, refers to as blocked development, which began to affect my relationship with God.

In his book, You and Your Parents, McGee points out that a child goes through 4 stages of emotional development, each stage serving as a foundation for the next.

  1. Bonding (birth – 2)  The need to be loved:  Its purpose is to convey feelings of love, value, worth, closeness, and trust.
  2. Separateness (2-11)  The need to set personal boundaries:  This is what I feel, I  don’t feel that way; I believe this, I don’t believe that.
  3. Adolescence (11-18)  The need to develop adult behavior and identity: What am I good at doing and not good at doing.  What are good and unwise choices.
  4. Maturity (19 & older)  The need to continue growing in adult behavior and identity: Learn how little we really know, and how much more we have to learn.

McGhee says that based on the type of parental modeling a child encounters starting at birth, the child could become blocked and not progress to the next stage.  When that happens, the child’s emotional, relational, as we as hi spiritual, development remains at whatever stage he became blocked in.

Hang with me while I give a personal example that bears this teaching out. As I said, I never doubted how much my dad loved me as a child.  Certainly, I had bonded with my dad and it transferred over to knowing God loved me unconditionally.

However, once I reached the next stage called a separateness, that’s when problems started, although I didn’t know this as a child.  In both my parents’ efforts to shield and protect me from “life,” they were unable to find a balance between advising and guiding while at the same time giving me some freedom to begin forming my own thoughts and beliefs.

Added to that was my own personality type, which could be described as laid back, don’t rock the boat, desires peace and harmony at all cost.

The result of these two scenarios combined were:  I became a cripple at making decisions on my own and had no confidence in myself.  In short, I lost my identity and became a puppet on a string in my adult life trying to please everyone with whom I interacted.

I began to sense the emotional strain this was having on me, but did not realize that it had actually affected my relationship with God until He began to lead me down a totally new path in my life—a path that would require a major transition.

Fear gripped me.  I was afraid of trusting my own heart.  I was afraid of making a  decision…something I had never done as a child nor as a grown woman.  Up until this time, I had allowed others to think, feel, and make decisions for me. 

However, after months of prayer in trying to make a decision to follow the path I felt God was leading me down, these Scriptures literally leaped off the pages of the Bible to me: 

  • For do I now persuade men or God?  Or do I seek to please men?  For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.  (Galatians 1:10)
  • These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and you and your children and grandchildren must fear (reverence) the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life.  (Deuteronomy 6:1-2)

A peace settled over me, and I knew it was God that I should be concerned about pleasing.  And with that, I began walking in obedience to His call on my life.  “He’s the BOSS.”

 

And that chapter in my life was my testing time in learning what Reverent Intimacy or the Reverence of God means.   Mr. Chan learned it when his own children were born.  I learned it when I was put in a position to make a decision to wholeheartedly follow God’s leading.  My life has never been the same.

Be blessed,

Martha

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Let’s Pray:

Father God, thank You for Your unconditional love for us.  May we put aside anything that has hindered us from being intimate with You.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

Your Assignment:

What does reverent intimacy mean to you?  Share your experience of coming to this place.

 

If you would like more information about Crazy Love Bible study, click HERE to be taken to the sign-up page.  Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send Martha a personal message in regards to this blog, you may email her at: Martha@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com.

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Crazy Love: Week 3 / Chapter 3- dad and DAD

January 21, 2013 by

 

Who’s your DADDY?????

Really….. I want to hear all about him.

Wether you have the world’s greatest earthly father or not, God entrusted you to him for a reason and I would love to know not only what he is like, but what your relationship with him is like.

My dad is a hoot!!! He’s a big old hot mess, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love him. Have you ever seen that movie “Big Fish” about the dad who tells the outlandish stories about his extraordinary life and drives his son crazy? Well, that’s MY dad…. but he doesn;t drive me crazy. I Love it and I know I learned how to communicate effectively with other people and how to have great relationships because of him and what an amazing “people person” he is. He has this incredible ability to make a new acquaintance feel like a long-lost best friend…. and it makes my heart happy to see it in action!

Growing up, my dad worked a lot. My mom would have dinner on the table when he got home from work. We would eat together then he would settle in his man-chair for the night and nap until he went to bed. We would sometimes do things together on the weekends, and I really enjoyed that a lot. Some of my best memories are with him at college basketball games or when he would hang out with my friends and I when I had some people over and he would tell them all his wild (TRUE) stories. My dad is a great man… but I never really went to him if I had a problem or needed help. I don’t know why I didn’t, but I always tried to handle everything on my own and really didn’t communicate much of anything about “me”  to my parents unless I really HAD to.

I KNOW I brought this to my relationship with the Lord. I could bring the prayer requests of others to Him like nobody’s business, but I kept feeling God impress into my spirit the question: “What about you?”

YIKES….. I was the one that everyone always came to for help and guidance and I learned at a young age not to share my burdens with my friends because it would always freak them out a bit and they didn’t know what to do. So, I just began to stuff it all down and try to deal with everything on my own. This caused me to not let God into many deep dark places inside me for way too many years. Until I finally let Him in, I wasn’t able to truly live how He called me to and fulfill His purposes on this earth that He intended for me to do. He was begging for me to cry out to him on my own behalf…… he needed me to need Him….<3 And then He helped me heal.

You see, it was a trust issue…. and as Chan says on page 56 “God is more worthy of trust than anyone else, yet for so long I questioned His love and doubted His care and provision for me.”

Matthew 7:11

11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

People of this earth and even your earthly father will fail you…. but your Heavenly Father never will. We need to immediately stop putting earthly hang-ups on our Great Creator! He alone is perfect and His love never fails!

Let’s pray:

Lord, help us see the areas where we are putting flawed human traits onto You. Open our eyes to this, Lord, and help us repent. We want to give all of ourselves to YOU whole and complete! Heal us of our earthly relationship hurts so we can fully begin to understand the depth of your love for us. Help us to trust and give you everything. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen <3

Your Assignment:

What hurts or hang ups are you still hanging onto from your relationship with your earthly father that you need to stop putting on your relationship with God? We want to pray along with you for healing in this area <3

Blessings,

Megan 🙂

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If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Megan in regards to this blog, please email her at: megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

 

 

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Crazy Love: Chapter 3 Reading Assignment

January 20, 2013 by

We have delved into some pretty deep stuff in the first two weeks of our study. Needed stuff. Necessary stuff. Have you done any pruning? I know I have! The study continues as we move into chapter three and discuss our earthly “dad” and our heavenly “DAD”. Do you approach God like your DAD, like a child approaches his earthly daddy? Take a look at the brief video below to get a taste of this week’s assignment. I’m so excited to dig into to this chapter!

Week 3 Schedule

Monday: Chapter 3 “Crazy Love” pgs. 53-56 (dad and DAD) (Megan)

Tuesday: Chapter 3 “Crazy Love” pgs. 56-57 (In Love with the One I Fear) (Martha)

Wednesday: Chapter 3 “Crazy Love” pgs. 57-60 (Wanted) (Donna)

Thursday: Chapter 3 “Crazy Love” pgs. 61-63 (A Strange Inheritance/Do I Have a Choice?) (Jennifer)

Friday:  Chapter 3 “Crazy Love” Weekly Review and Chapter 3 Study Video from YouTube (Megan)

LET’S PRAY:

Father, as we being a new week, let Your presence fill each one of us in this study. Show us what Your crazy love is all about. Let it resonate deep within our heart and soul. Help us to truly know and feel Your deep and abiding love for us. Open our hearts and our minds as we study this week. Let our conversation be pleasing to You. In Jesus Name, Amen!

If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up.

Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Jennifer in regards to this blog, please email her at: Jennifer@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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