Ebenezer Collective

LYDIA “NOBLE ONE”

We are first introduced to Lydia in Acts 16 as Paul encounters her in Philippi. Her name itself describes her character – that of nobility (Greek meaning). God preserves her name and story in the New Testament within a short 29 verses (Acts 16:11-40). We find later that this short account of Lydia led to a greater impact, as Paul commends the church in Philippi, in the book of Philippians, of which Lydia was a part of (Philippians 4:15-18).

From the text, we learn a lot about this noble woman of God. She was a wealthy, God-fearing Jew living in Philippi. Lydia was a business woman who worked hard supporting her family, as Scripture tells us she had a home, and likely servants working for her. In her career, she made and sold expensive purple dyed cloth. She had a spiritual life, where she fellowshipped with other women, valued prayer, and observed the Sabbath. She prioritized time to pray and spend with God.

This is God’s story.

As a woman, she is honored by having her story recorded in one of the oldest books in history, the most read book of all time. God sees her and wants us to know her by name, so that we can be encouraged by her.

Her name is Lydia.

Lydia met Paul, Timothy, Luke, and Silas on Paul’s second missionary journey to Asia while she was praying with other women. God had a plan for the Gospel to be advanced into Macedonia and for Lydia to be in the right place at the right time to receive it. We know up until this time Paul had not been able to enter into Asia and had been previously prevented (Acts 6:9-10). But now God had given him an open door to move into this area that had been unreached by the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Until this point, Lydia only knew what she had been taught. Yet Lydia was receptive to the Good News that was shared, and she humbled herself under their teaching. The Scripture tells us Lydia’s heart was opened by God to respond to the message of Paul. She had a soft, moldable heart – “a heart of good soil” (Matthew 13:23). She was the first convert on this journey, the first recorded “member” of the church in Philippi.

What happened next is what should happen when the Gospel enters into our lives and our hearts. Lydia must have gone back home and been changed – a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), dead to sin and flesh and made alive in Christ (Romans 6). We are told that her family and all of her household were baptized along with Lydia. The way she went along with her life those hours and days after hearing Paul’s message must have been convincing. She chose to accept the message of the Gospel: that Jesus was the Messiah, that she was not good enough on her own, that she was a sinner in need of a Savior, and that Jesus, the one and only perfect Son of God, died to take away her sin – a perfect sacrifice in her place so that she may live eternally with God in Heaven. She was granted forgiveness and grace here on earth, and given the power of the Holy Spirit that comes from God. Her family saw something different and believed in the transforming power of the Gospel as well.

What can we learn from Lydia’s new life in Christ? We can be an example of transformation as we continue growing in our faith. It is our story and our surrendered hearts that God uses to advance His story of grace and love. Lydia was impacted greatly. She could not contain the Spirit in her from sharing with others about what Christ had done for her and she then became a discipler herself. Lydia, her family, and her servants all made a public declaration to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior and let others know of their faith.

Lydia continued to serve the Lord in all that she did. She was hospitable, inviting Paul and his fellow missionaries into her home with her family. She saw value in them and saw that they had needs she could help meet. Scripture tells us she persuaded them to stay with her in her home. She had a servant heart, “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality,” (Romans 12:13). God values our hospitality and servanthood toward others, especially believers. Paul writes in Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

The Bible does not give us many more details about Lydia, however, we can see that she was a woman with a heart for others. She hosted other believers in her home, perhaps she was hosting a prayer meeting when Paul and Silas were singing hymns in jail. Her story impacted others, and we know she told it because others were converted all around her. Acts 16:40 tells us that after Paul and Silas were released from prison they came back to Lydia’s home and encouraged the believers there. This was the start of the church of Philippi, which continued to support Paul financially throughout his future journeys and imprisonment.

Lydia impacted Paul as she walked in the light, was bold in her faith, and shared what had been done for her with those she encountered. She encouraged Paul’s heart as he continued in steadfast pursuit of spreading the Good News of Jesus to the unreached people of Macedonia.

Paul says later in his letter to the Philippians that he wanted them to be rewarded for their kindness and that he valued their love and devotion to believers and the Gospel (Philippians 4:17).

Following Christ leads us to walk in the Light. He fulfills our deepest desires, He protects us, and He provides for us. Let’s be like this woman of noble character, maturing in Christ daily. Let us fellowship with one another, prioritize prayer, be authentic, and serve. Let us all share what we have in Christ with others. Let us be like Lydia.

***Over the next 9 weeks, the EbCo team will share the stories of biblical characters that have lived in the Light. We hope that these stories remind you that God has always been working through His people. Our prayer would be that you would be encouraged by their lives, their faith, their hearts, and that you would be spurred on to continue walking in boldness and courage as you Live in the Light. We pray you would believe God has written your story just like theirs. Living in the Light encourages others towards the One Who provides our endless love, grace, and redemption.

Amy Merritt

SERVE – GO AND BE

Over the past several weeks, our team has shared some of the practices and tools that we have found crucial to growing in our individual walks with the Lord. As we bring our series of spiritual rhythms to a close, we want to encourage you to take that inner intimacy with the Lord and move it into an outward expression toward others.

It doesn’t take much thought about our society today to see that the general attitude is one of self-fulfillment. Books promise secrets to a “happy life.” Podcasts offer conversations that claim to give us the key to success in our jobs and relationships. And song lyrics tell us that we can be whoever we want to be.

Basically, it’s all about us.

But the Bible tells us something different, something very contradictory to what the world is shouting at us today. It tells us that instead of focusing on ourselves – on how we can be happier, more comfortable, and more satisfied – that we instead should focus on others and how we can better serve them.

Galatians 5:13-14 says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Our desire to serve should not come from selfish ambition, or in order to receive praise or check a box, but should come as a result of the freedom that Christ offers us and the love that is in our hearts because of what He has done in our lives.

The more we know Christ and have an intimate, meaningful relationship with Him, the more naturally service becomes a part of who we are. We can’t love Him more without also desiring to serve Him more.

In Matthew 20:20-28, the mother of James and John, two of Jesus’ disciples, comes to Him and asks Jesus to give her sons a higher status – to allow them to sit at the right and left side of Him in His Kingdom. When the other disciples heard this, they were angry. Jesus responded to them by saying, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In John 13, we see the account of Jesus washing His disciples feet at the Last Supper. Afterwards He says, “Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, for that is what I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example: you should do just as I have done for you.”

In these two examples, Jesus has basically shown that there are two options: we can seek to serve ourselves and gain the power and satisfaction with self that the world craves; or we can seek to be more like Jesus and live to serve others.

Honestly, right now as I write this, I am desperately trying to get my 7 week old son to take a nap and I can’t get the thought out of my mind that the way we serve our newborn babies is a beautifully messy picture of the way that Christ asks us to serve His people. Serving my baby looks like constantly trying to anticipate his next need, looking for ways to comfort him when he’s upset, and providing things for him that he can’t provide for himself. And seeing that he’s 7 weeks old, he really shows me no gratitude. In fact, after all this serving, the only thanks I get in return is a dirty diaper and a shirt covered in spit up.

But isn’t this what Christ calls us to do? To find the most needy, most thankless people and serve them the way that He served us by dying on the cross? Acts 20:35 says, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

What if all of us who call ourselves “Christ followers” loved and served in this way? How many people would come to know Him or fall deeper in love with Him by the way we serve? Matthew 5:16 says “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Let’s be different from the world.

Let’s invest our time in knowing and loving God more so that our lights shine brighter and more people are drawn to Him. Let’s stop looking for ways to serve ourselves and instead serve others because we trust and love Jesus so much that we can’t not serve His people and be on mission for Him!

Let’s go and be the people He has called us to be!

Eleanor Boynton

JOURNAL – WHY WE WRITE

Our team has been sharing on the topic of spiritual rhythms over the past few weeks. These are the practices that have provided accountability, comfort, growth, and deeper intimacy with God in our lives. Some of the topics are commanded in Scripture, while others are simply tools.

Journaling is not a biblical command, it’s just a tool! But it’s one that has brought so much depth to my personal walk with The Lord. Since there are so many different ways to journal, I won’t go into the HOW as much as the WHY. No matter what your journaling looks like, these benefits will come from writing as part of your time with the Lord.

Accountability ⎮ Having a record of your time in the Word will give you evidence of your commitment. If you skip a day, your journal will tell you! It’s just a concrete way to track your time with God.

Response ⎮ The Bible is the primary way God speaks to us. So think of it as a two-way conversation! He speaks to you as you read, you respond with a note back to Him.

Application ⎮ History repeats itself, and God never changes. When you read of failures and successes in the Bible, you can usually assume a similar cause-and-effect will happen in your own life. Writing principles for living as we discover them in the Bible can result in practical wisdom for every situation we will face.

Themes ⎮ Whether you’re writing one verse that stuck out to you each day, or your thoughts and prayers, a theme will usually emerge. You can flip back through past weeks and find that God has been highlighting specific attributes of His character, or a topic that relates to your current circumstances.

Remembrance ⎮ It’s been proven that people remember more of what they read when they take notes. When you remember what you’ve learned, you can relate it to others more effectively! Our time with the Lord can become something we regularly talk about with friends if we can actually remember what we’re reading.

Answered Prayers ⎮ When you’ve written down prayers, you can track the answers! Going back to prayers that have been answered reassures you that God is with you in your quiet place. He hears, He sees, and He acts on our behalf. Journaling provides the evidence of our faith.

Legacy ⎮ I had the privilege of inheriting one of my grandpa’s old Bibles after He passed away. It’s like sitting down with him to study the Bible together when I see what he underlined and read his notes on every page. I get to see what stuck out to him, and I find that my heart is drawn to similar themes and topics. When we leave written evidence of our journey with the Lord, we’re giving future generations a piece of our faith to hold onto.

If you are already on the journaling train, what does your journal look like? Comment with your HOW to encourage our readers who are convinced as to WHY!

Amanda Buccola

COMMUNION – AN OPPURTUNITY TO REMEMBER

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’” Matthew 26:26-29

To truly understand what Communion means for us as believers, we must first look at the history of God’s people. The night of the first “Lord’s Supper” in the upper room occurred on Passover – an annual celebration that God instructed His people to commemorate. The significance of this goes back to Exodus. God’s love for His people is seen so evidently through His relentlessness to save them from bondage. He sent plague after plague to the Egyptians, and Pharaoh continued to refuse to let the Israelites go. The first Passover meal happened during the last plague, when an angel of the Lord killed the firstborn son of anyone in Egypt who did not have the blood of a spotless lamb sprinkled on their doorpost. Pharaoh released the Israelites, only to change his mind after their departure and pursued them with chariots. Israel escaped when God parted the Red Sea. The Passover meal, observed yearly in remembrance of this event, represented salvation and promised freedom.

As Jesus presides over the Passover table with His disciples, He introduces a new understanding of this familiar meal as He refers to the bread as His body and the wine as His blood of the covenant…poured out for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is now referring to Himself as the spotless sacrificial Lamb of God. He is giving symbolic significance to tangible objects, which are used to help the disciples remember Jesus when His physical body and blood are no longer present.

Remembrance has always been a struggle for God’s people, from the Israelites, to the disciples, and even to us today. If we continue in Exodus, we find that after witnessing God’s relentless love as He delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh in such miraculous ways (hiding them in a cloud, parting the Red Sea, destroying their enemies, providing bread literally falling from the sky and water spilling from rocks), the Israelites began to forget God’s devotion and love for them. After all of these acts of love and deliverance, they enter into a state of waiting. It is here they forget all the things God had done for them that brought them to this point. They begin to build idols and worship them instead of remembering and relying on God’s great power and love for them. They eventually come back to God and enter the Promised Land where God miraculously gives them victory over Jericho. Yet, it doesn’t take long for them to begin another season of waiting, forgetting God – again – until He shows up in a mighty way and delivers them – again. See the trend? Forgetfulness happens in seasons of waiting.

This trend was seen in the lives of the disciples, and is still seen today. We are forgetful people. In seasons of waiting, or even in seasons when things are going well, we can be tempted to put our hope and our trust in tangible things – building idols and forgetting God.

What if instead of erecting tangible idols in our lives to replace God, we erected tangible Ebenezers in our lives to remember God? Much like Samuel did with the Ebenezer Stone after God helped the Israelites, we too can surround ourselves with physical evidence of God’s mercy and love for us, reminding us of our salvation and promised freedom. Communion is just that.

Salvation and promised freedom is what the Passover meal represented. It was an opportunity to remember, and the Church still practices this discipline of remembering through Communion. Communion is a tangible reminder of God’s grace and an opportunity for us to reorient our hearts around Jesus and His gift of grace. We too, are in a season of waiting. We are waiting on Jesus to return for us. We are waiting for His eternal promise to be realized. And as we wait on Jesus’ return, Communion provides us with an opportunity for us NOT TO FORGET, but to wait patiently, remembering and proclaiming His eternal promises. It’s an opportunity to recall what God says about who He is and what that means about who you are. And ultimately, it is an opportunity to REFLECT on where your trust currently lies and REORIENT your heart to His.

I equate it in my own life to tapping the little blue arrow on my map app. When I can no longer see where I am, I tap that arrow, and my screen toggles, zooms in, and reorients around my location. Just as tapping that arrow reorients me to where I am, partaking in Communion reorients me to WHO I am in Christ and it reminds me to come back to Him. It is a practice to be done over and over again, continuously forsaking your idols and coming back to Him.

If we continue reading in Matthew past the first Communion in the upper room, you will find that immediately after this sacred meal, the disciples forget Jesus. Judas betrays Him. Peter denies Him. And the rest abandon Him. It’s greatly frustrating, and yet it reminds me of myself. But isn’t this the point!? God NEVER gives up on us. He has perpetual grace that covers perpetual forgetfulness by perpetual sinners.

Like the Israelites. Like Peter. Like me. Like you.

It has been his M.O. since the beginning of time. Grace upon Grace. In light of this reckless love and unending grace, let us learn a lesson from the Israelites who appointed their own king while waiting for Jesus – the one true King. Don’t let Communion be just another Sunday routine. Let it be a time where we abandon our earthly kings, remember Jesus, our true King, and wait in anticipation of His return, saying “Yes, Lord, come!”

Let us not forget in the waiting.

Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24

My soul, bless the Lord, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits. Psalm 103:1-4

Lauren Scurry

BEAUTY FROM BAGGAGE

Anonymous

For most of my life, I would’ve told you that I had a near perfect childhood. I lived in the same tight-knit community with both sets of grandparents. My parents are high school sweethearts who are still madly in love. I loved my schools and my church and my neighborhood. My home was a place where I felt loved, happy, and safe. So it was almost 30 years before I understood why I was such a mess.

I hardly remember my life before “the incident,” because it happened when I was only about three years old. And for years, I was convinced that those hazy mental snapshots must’ve been a dream. Yet, there was no denying the effects; I began to act out from a very young age. There was never a time I didn’t crave the approval of the opposite sex. Once at daycare, I got in trouble for letting a boy stick his head under my skirt, although I didn’t understand why. There were times I would lash out in rage if I felt threatened or cornered. I would take it out on myself with cutting, or I would lose my temper with a friend and begin hitting them. Next came the struggles with body image. I was overly concerned with my appearance by elementary school and began dieting around age 8. By middle school, I was already struggling with an eating disorder. By junior high, I was switching back and forth between bulimia and anorexia. I was diagnosed with depression at 12 and put on antidepressants.

Around this time, I began jumping from one unhealthy relationship to another. I felt as though I had no choice but to engage with any guy that showed interest, even if I wasn’t attracted to him. I believed my “no” didn’t matter. In fact, I dated one guy for four years despite the fact that I was sometimes downright repulsed by him and his behavior – but I was afraid to break up with him. He was emotionally abusive with a violent temper, and I feared that his violence would eventually be directed at me.

It seemed that certain guys could sense my vulnerability and some took full advantage. The summer after my freshman year of college, I was at a get-together full of youth from my church. I ended up playing pool with a guy who was a friend that I thought I knew well. At some point, he lured me away from the crowd and into a bedroom and tried to convince me that since he had won the pool game, I owed him a kiss. I resisted. He kept pushing, and I kept saying no. Finally, this 6’4” football player picked up my 5’4”, 120 lb frame and threw me on the bed and held me down. I froze in terror. My mind raced. What was he going to do next? What could I do? I couldn’t move – couldn’t even scream. Someone knocked on the door and he leapt off, so I managed to escape. But the fear still lingers, and to this day, I freeze up when I see him.

That same summer, I started seeing a guy for whom I fell head over heels. I got butterflies every time we were together. In the beginning, I thought he was perfect, and I believed I’d finally found my soulmate. But not long after our relationship began, things started to change. When he got angry, it was severe and over the smallest things. And if I became angry with him or caught him in a lie, he would “gaslight” me – manipulate me with his words so that I began to believe that everything was my fault. He had initially told me how beautiful I was, but then he began to make suggestions on how to “improve” my appearance. Soon, he was criticizing everything from my hair to my body, to the way I walked, talked, and dressed. Before I knew it, I was entangled in an emotionally, verbally, and sexually abusive relationship. I was the proverbial frog in boiling water. Although I was a Christian, I kept Christ out of that part of my life because I was filled with shame and believed the lie that this was what I deserved.

Through the rest of my college years, I was living a double life. On one hand, I was actively involved in a Christian organization on campus and leading Bible studies. On the other hand, I was partying, piercing my body, and dressing provocatively – desperately trying to win my boyfriend’s approval by striving to be what he told me I should be. My sense of dignity was at an all-time low. My disordered eating was now out of control and I was the thinnest I’d ever been. I felt this relationship was the best that was attainable for me, so I needed to make it work. After all, despite everything, I loved him. If we just got married, things would be different. Everything would be OK.

As you can imagine, it was not. Between his alcoholism, porn addiction, and rampant infidelity, there were times I considered driving my car off the road to end the pain. And although I had biblical grounds for divorce, God kept telling me to wait and to demonstrate Christlike love toward my husband. I assumed that meant that God was going to restore our marriage and my husband was finally going to have a real relationship with Christ. So, when he filed for divorce instead, I was devastated. After seven years of marriage, I found myself starting over as an unwilling divorcee at age 30.

I dove head first into DivorceCare and Celebrate Recovery at my church. It was there that God revealed to me that what I had experienced as a small child was real and was sexual abuse, and suddenly everything clicked. All of the poor decisions I had made; the anger, cutting, depression, and eating disorders I’d struggled with; all of the damaging relationships I’d had; my willingness to get into a toxic marriage – all had been set into motion by feelings of unworthiness and brokenness that stemmed from the abuse. Having that perspective was a complete game-changer for me.

Toward the end of my time in Celebrate Recovery, I reconnected with an old friend from high school who was in town for work. After weeks of suppressing our affections for one another, we went on our first official date in February 2011. What started out as dinner ended with us talking until 6 a.m. Over the course of our twelve-hour date, I could feel myself falling for him, and that terrified me. I was still certain that no godly man would want me – especially with all of the baggage I was carrying now. Surely the other shoe was about to drop. So how did I handle that? At 2 a.m. on our first date, I pulled out my Celebrate Recovery inventory and told him everything. I decided that if he was going to run, it was better for him to run now before I got too attached. Instead, he held me and kissed away the tears running down my face. I knew that night I was going to marry him.

We got married in November 2013, and he is the kind of man I always wanted, but never thought I could have. I had also believed that I was unworthy to be a mother and that was why God hadn’t allowed me to be a mom. Yet, here I am spending all my days with my funny, smart, adorable toddler.

As you can tell, the Lord has done an incredible amount of healing in my life over the last few years. I’d built my whole life on a framework of lies, and one by one, He disassembled them all and rebuilt something lasting and beautiful. And He is repaying me for the years the locusts have eaten! (Joel 2:25). Thank you, Jesus!

A note from Ebenezer Collective:

If you are currently in an abusive relationship, know God does not condone the abuse. He never wants his beloved children to be hurt in anyway. Any kind of abuse is not of the light, but of the darkness. Share your struggles with someone, get help to get out of the abusive relationship. God desires for you to live in the light through Christ-centered community, prayer, and recovery. Below are some resources.

Celebrate Recovery: https://www.celebraterecovery.com

Divorce Care: https://www.divorcecare.org

Shelter (local to Dallas): http://www.watermark.org/dallas/ministries/shelter

SOLITUDE – THE SECRET PLACE FOR THE PURPOSE OF GODLINESS

Webster’s Dictionary tells us that solitude is “the state of being alone, withdrawing, peace”; but in today’s super connected society, this idea may seem foreign to many of us. The busyness of life in 2018 is no joke! We can easily feel the pressure of comparison: all the to-do’s and have to’s and want to’s. The technology distraction brought about by smartphones has overtaken the world. The word solitude itself may already have you feeling anxious. But what if all your have to’s, your struggle to keep up in this fast-paced world, could be changed into an enjoyable, fulfilling, “get-to” experience, full of blessing?

What is the purpose of all these spiritual rhythms we have been sharing over the past several weeks? Prayer, fellowship, scripture memory, worship, study, rest. Each is unique, and yet each rhythm brings us into a deeper relationship with our loving Father. What is the purpose in having a relationship with our Father? What is your purpose in any relationship? To be known and to know someone, to enjoy one another. How can we do this with God? If you have been reading along through these spiritual disciplines, or rhythms, you can see that by discipline we mean developing knowledge and higher understanding in specific elements. We know the richness that comes from diving deeper as we focus in on our relationship with God. Now we have to go one step further and seek out time to withdraw, be alone with God, and listen. Let us practice these disciplines in His presence and enjoy Him!

So how can we do this? Ask yourself, when is the last time you turned all distractions off and spent intentional time with God? Can you remember what happened? Did you receive something – peace, clarity, direction, focus, truth, joy, refreshment, hope?

If you want to hear from God, you have to seek Him and tune out the world. Solitary time with God is leaning away from what the world says and what the world wants, and leaning toward the voice of God.

We can learn solitude from the life of Jesus. He consistently pursued time away with God, as He sought rest, peace, and communion with His Father. He woke up early to pray. He left a crowd to seek time with God. He was refreshed in the presence of God after He performed miracles. He sought understanding before making decisions. He waited for His Father’s instruction. (Matthew 14:23, Luke 4:42, Luke 6:12-13, Mark 1:35)

John shares many examples of what Jesus did in relationship to receiving from His Father. Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus says He seeks the will of the One Who sent Him (John 5:30, 6:38), that He does nothing on His own, but only speaks what His Father has taught Him and commanded Him to say (John 8:28,12:49), performing the works of His Father (John 14:10). If Jesus, the Son of God, Who was fully God and fully man, can make it a priority to seek solitude, then we too should be desperately seeking time alone with God.

Mark 6:31 says, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” Jesus recommends the disciples go away with Him and rest. Soon after they went away from the crowds and distractions, they came back and Jesus performed the feeding of 5000. Many times in Scripture we see Jesus going away in solitude in order to come back and continue the work of His Father.

In the Old Testament, Moses was intentional about meeting with God in solitude, and others followed his example. Exodus 33:7 says, “Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.”

We can’t expect to give so much of ourselves, serving, loving, caring for, encouraging, and leading others if we are not making room for intentional time with the God of peace. What could be better than spending time with our loving Father, Who knit us together in our mother’s womb, Who searches our hearts, knows us, and perceives our thoughts from afar? (Psalm 139).

What is holding you back from seeking to drink from the well of Living Water? Jesus says in John 7:37-38, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

Would you like to be more effective as a husband, wife, mom, dad, friend or neighbor without always pulling from the bottom of the barrell to love, encourage, and care for those in your life? Stop looking for life in things that do not bring life; slow down and get to know your loving Father – the Author of Life.

Isaiah 58:11 says, “The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

Refreshment that comes from time with God fills us up and gives us strength. Solitude is being with God and away from distractions of the world – so go enjoy the presence of God and hear from your Father just how much He loves you and which way He wants you to go next!

Amy Merritt

Questions:

Is there a place you love being that allows you to feel the presence of God and able to appreciate God’s beauty and creativity? Go there and meet with God, pour out your heart to Him!
Are you following the example of Christ and seeking to rest and hear from God? How can you make time for God this week?
We know God wants to give us blessings and good gifts. What might stand in your way of prioritizing time alone with Him?

FROM RELIGION TO RELATION

Susan Nelson

I was raised in a Catholic home where I was dropped off at Sunday School and picked up after church. We had a Bible in the home, but it was a “family heirloom” and no one was to touch it or take it out of the box without supervision. Essentially, I knew OF God, but I didn’t KNOW God.

As an adult, when my mother was ill and passed away, I began to question everything – my faith, God and all that surrounds both. About that time, through a direct sales company, I met Elaine. Elaine was one of those “Jesus freaks.” She had more than her fair share of trials and tribulations in life, but she never wavered in her faith. She was continually joyful. That was the only word to describe her.

At the time, I was struggling with my belief in God. My mother was rejected by the Catholic church during her last days on earth. I equated church with God (how wrong I was! The church is made up of people. People who do good, but sin). Elaine suggested that my kids might enjoy the Vacation Bible School at her church and that I should sign them up. VBS sounded great, but I wasn’t so sure about sending them to learn about God at a non-denominational church. I had been taught that “those” types of churches were cults. Elaine assured me that not only were they not cults, but that they lived and taught the Bible and how to have a relationship with God, not “religion.”

I was intrigued, but decided that before I would consider allowing my kids to attend this VBS, I needed to check out this church, just to be sure. That Sunday, I took my boys to church at Princeton Alliance in Plainsboro, NJ. For the first time in their lives, neither of my boys complained about church. In fact, they asked if we could go back. Wait. What?

We started attending the church regularly and began to learn more about God and the Bible. The first time we attended and they asked us to open our Bibles to a certain chapter, I was lost. They might as well have been talking Mandarin to me. I had never been taught how to read from the Bible, much less know where to find a chapter or verse. Growing up in a Catholic church, we had missalettes. You simply opened up to the date and the passages, prayers, and songs were laid out for you.

Each time that I spent time with Elaine, she mentioned God. It wasn’t in a preachy way, but He was clearly intertwined in every area of her life. I didn’t challenge what she said, but I didn’t ask questions, either.

She was planting seeds and God was watering them.

During this new, exciting season of my life, I was watching television in bed and saw a commercial. I can’t even remember who sponsored the commercial, but they talked about having a relationship with God. A relationship? How is that possible? I jotted down the phone number, called for the free brochure and went to bed. The next day, I called Elaine and asked her about it. She eloquently shared the Gospel with me. She eloquently explained that God does not want religion; He wants a relationship with us.

This was a new concept to me, but over the next few weeks as I was spending time reading His Word daily, things started to make sense to me. One night, as I was talking to God while trying to fall asleep, I felt a presence in my room. I felt Jesus sitting in the rocking chair near my bed and Him laying His hands on me. He was telling me that He was there for me and not to be afraid. If I gave my life to Him and believed in Him, He would never leave my side and that I would be with Him in heaven. I wasn’t afraid at all. In fact, I felt incredible peace.

At that moment, I kneeled next to my bed and prayed for Jesus to come into my heart. I asked for forgiveness of all of my sins and acknowledged that I needed Him. I felt the Holy Spirit envelope and enter me. I was changed forever.

When I was baptized in water, Elaine spoke at my baptism. I will forever be grateful that she wasn’t afraid to share her love of Christ and be bold in her faith. I think of the impact that Elaine’s sharing the Gospel with me had on my life. It moves me to my share my faith to this day.

From then on, my children were raised as Christians and I worked hard to be the wife and mother that God created me to be. My husband, also raised Catholic, thought I was crazy, and my passion for Christ became an issue of contention in our marriage. A few years later, my husband left the boys and me for another woman and a few years later, before our divorce was final, he passed away…but that is a story for a different day.

Over the course of years, as my relationship with Our Heavenly Father grew, and I became more intimate with Him through His Word, I learned to hold on to the promises of God. Life has its share of troubles – we all do. As I lived through the peaks and valleys of life, I clung to two of my favorite verses:

Philippians 4:19

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:20

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…

Isn’t it so comforting to know that God knows our needs before we do? He not only KNOWS our needs, but He provides for them to those who believe in Him.

God desires for us to carry out His will on earth. He loves you and He has a good plan for your life. He wants to bless you so you can fulfill His plan and purpose…so you can really enjoy your life. And in His Word, He tells us who He is and how we can access everything we need through Christ.

***Susan is the founder of Woman of Noble Character, a blog that offers resources to equip and encourage women to effectively minister in their homes. She is passionate about helping women lead a Proverbs 31 life in a modern world.

This week she has teamed up with EbCo for a product giveaway! Check out her site for a chance to win a set of our Remembrance Stone Magnets and an Ebenezer Journal!

REST – Is The Sabbath Worth My Time?

(Originally published on January 25)

I am a productivity addict. Every one of my college classes counted toward my major or minor, so not one lecture went to waste. The first time I get an unwanted email, I immediately unsubscribe from the list to ensure none of my time will be wasted by that sender in the future. I can’t bring myself to read fiction when there are so many things to be learned and practices to be implemented from more “practical” books. In short, if it’s not productive, it feels like a waste of my time!

Our culture praises productivity, so my little busybody lifestyle may not seem like a problem. How else am I supposed to get everything done??

But what if there’s more to life than doing all the things?

We were created to enjoy our Creator, and that requires us to slow down and enjoy the rhythm at which He built us.

It may seem like rest when we sit down to watch a show or scroll through social media, but I think those mindless activities are more like drugs than the cure. These digital drugs mask our weary symptoms temporarily – leaving us in a funk, not refreshed.

The Bible has a lot to say about rest, and it sounds a whole lot better than the short-term high we find from Netflix. It says we can find peace, refreshment, restoration for our souls, and rest from our suffering and turmoil.* Jesus tells us “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Our God is so compassionate and loving toward us that one of His 10 commandments is to honor the Sabbath, that is, to rest and worship. He wants what’s best for us, and that includes an entire day spent recovering from a week of work and reconnecting with Him. Rest is not a luxury that slaves get to enjoy, and that is what we were before we met Him. Slaves to our sinful desires. But “Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 NLT) Let’s refuse to serve that harsh master of productivity any longer. If we just ask, God will help us sift through our to-do list, and clearly see what can be rescheduled or cut from our lives as excess.

We’re no longer slaves to the broken way of the world. In fact, as believers in Christ, we have been adopted as children of The King. Some of our inheritance is reserved for heaven, and some is available here on earth. We don’t have to wait for heaven to find rest for our souls. It is a gift we can enjoy in this life if we will follow His roadmap for living well. “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest.” (Hebrews 4:9-11a, emphasis mine)

The practice of Sabbath will look different for each person. (Let’s not get tangled up in a bunch of rules – that hasn’t gone well in the past!) But if you can find a day each week to unplug, and spend time with The Lord, you will find refreshment for your soul. If, like me, it’s hard to fathom losing a day of productivity, it might take baby steps. It feels like a waste of a day to put off laundry, grocery shopping and emails, but like every spiritual discipline, the payoff is worth the effort. We will find a joy that can only come from living in the rhythm for which we were created.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you think about implementing the practice of Sabbath:

What digital drugs am I using to mask my weariness?
Where do I feel most restful?
What inspires me to worship God?
What day of the week has margin that can be expanded and eventually turned into a Sabbath?

*References for the benefits of rest:

Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 14:3, Psalm 4:8, Exodus 23:12, Psalm 23:3

“Garden City” by John Mark Comer – A great resource for the Biblical view on work and rest.

Amanda Buccola

THE LIFE GOD GAVE ME

Sam Martin

I have a beautiful life – a blessed life. But it’s not the life I ever imagined I would have – one that included burying my son.

Around the time my husband and I had been married four years, we began to talk about growing our family. We learned in December 2015 that we were expecting our first child. But in January, our excitement and joy turned to disappointment and devastation as I miscarried.

Always one to process out loud and via the written word, on the one month mark of losing our baby, I shared my experience on social media, despite the fact that very few people even knew we had been pregnant.

The response I received was incredible.

So many honored the life of my little one. Moreover, many dear friends called me a mother. This outpouring of support affirmed what my sweet husband said as we drove home from the doctor’s office the day we confirmed the miscarriage. He grabbed my hand and said, “Well, you’re a mom. You loved him, and you were scared for him. I’m pretty sure that’s what parenthood is all about.”

While I was certainly angry with God and confused about why He would give us such a precious gift only to take it away so swiftly, it wasn’t long until He began to reveal a purpose in our loss. Through my willingness to share my experience publicly, I began receiving messages almost weekly from friends and acquaintances who had suffered miscarriages or were walking the lonely road of infertility.

Through my loss, I had been given a platform to share the goodness of God and His grace in the desert place. My husband pointed out that the Lord had clearly prepared this ministry for me, and that from now on, I would have the opportunity to love and support women as they walked this unwanted and painful path. It was not a platform I had asked for or ever desired, but God was clearly intent on redeeming our pain for His glory.

About four months after losing our little one, we were again pregnant. Early signs pointed to a healthy pregnancy, and at 12 weeks, we learned we were having a boy. A perfect little boy who probably had Down syndrome.

Nothing can prepare you for the news that your child will live anything other than a “normal” life. In those early days, we cried and fought fears regarding the quality of our son’s life. We had many conversations about all of the things he would never do. But by the time we got confirmation that Max did, in fact, have Down syndrome, God had begun to fill us with joy and hope. We began reading, researching, and preparing to be the parents of a child with special needs. And we got excited. We were genuinely looking forward to everything that Max and his extra chromosome were going to add to our lives; we began to have conversations about all that he would be and do. God made it abundantly clear He was inviting us on an exciting journey meant specifically for us.

In addition to Down syndrome, Max was diagnosed with two small holes in his heart that we monitored throughout my pregnancy. Around 30 weeks, I requested a 3-D ultrasound, simply because I just wanted one ultrasound where no one talked about what was wrong with Max but simply oohed and awed over how cute he was. That day, we learned that he had fluid in his abdomen and severe swelling on his neck and face, a condition called Hydrops Fetalis. Despite the bleak prognosis I discovered on Google, our doctors were hopeful that Max’s issues would be treatable after what would likely be an early birth.

Maxwell Spencer Martin was born at 4:14 p.m. on Dec. 27, 2016 and went home to be with Jesus moments later.
…

It’s been eighteen months now since we said hello and goodbye in the same breath to our precious son. I’ve aged a decade in that time; and every day feels like I’m walking around with a missing limb. I still have moments of very intense anger, pain, and devastation. I’m frequently caught off guard by the depths of the grief I continue to navigate.

But every day also draws me closer to my Savior. Before Max, my faith was authentic, but much of it was intellectual and knowledge-based. I had experienced a few close encounters with the Lord where I felt His presence intimately, but I had no idea what depending on Him daily for strength meant.

A piece of me is missing – and always will be on this side of eternity – but the Lord is truly enough to fill every space in my heart. I can look any person in the eye and tell them with deepest conviction that “He heals the wounds of every shattered heart” (Psalm 147:3).

Not only can I now speak of the Lord’s provision in the desert place, but I do, daily. The ministry I thought He had given me after my miscarriage has grown tenfold since Max. Thousands have been touched by Max’s story. I now have the privilege, through an incredible ministry called Hope Mommies, to serve and love other women as we learn to live in the aftermath of losing a child – as we embrace the life the Lord has given us. Not only that, but I’ve also been given the incredible opportunity to honor and celebrate Max’s life through serving on the Board of Directors for the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas.

Still, despite the fruit I have seen in this season, given the choice, I would take Max back in a moment

I would trade every way I have grown spiritually and every person I have been able to encourage and support if it meant more time with my precious boy. But that is only because I am selfish and would choose my happiness over my holiness.

But His thoughts are not my thoughts, and His ways are not my ways (Isaiah 55:8). God alone measures out my days and writes my story.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:17 that “each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them.” And this is the life He has given me. Each day I must choose to get out of bed and embrace this life – that of a wife and bereaved mother. But as I live that life, I get to spread His name and His glory wherever I go.

I never would have imagined my life would include the death of my child. I also never imagined it would include starting a blog with my best friends and using my experience as a platform to proclaim the Lord’s goodness over and over again.

And as always, the Lord continues to prove His love and faithfulness in my life. On Max’s first birthday and glory day, December 27, 2017, Spencer and I welcomed his little brother, Lachlan, into our family. Lachlan came into the world screaming and kicking and has filled our hearts with the greatest joy. But as I raise this precious boy and celebrate each milestone, there’s a simultaneous, deep sadness and longing as I grieve the moments I will never share with Max. Lachlan may not know it yet, but he too is marked by Max and will grow up in the legacy of his brother. I don’t know the Lord’s plans for Lachlan’s life or mine. But I do know we will embrace it with open arms.

STUDY – IS IT JUST FOR THE “THEOLOGIANS”?

It was just another Sunday as they walked down the paved path from Jerusalem. Hearts heavy, they solemnly discussed the events of the previous week. As they kicked the dust beneath their feet, a Stranger joined the downcast duo. Little did they know that this Stranger was Jesus; His identity veiled from them. As they walked and talked, He began to explain and interpret all of the things written about Himself – the Messiah – throughout the books of Moses and the prophets. After inviting the Stranger into their home, He blessed the bread and broke it, causing their eyes to be opened to recognize their risen Lord before He vanished from their sight. Amazed and astounded, they turned to each other and said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:13-34)

I’ve always loved this post-resurrection encounter with Jesus. I’ve been envious of these followers of Christ who were left with hearts on fire after Jesus Himself explained and interpreted everything written about Himself in what we call the Old Testament. How I have longed to just sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him explain everything in a manner that I could easily understand!

But if you look at Jesus’ teaching throughout His earthly ministry, this type of teaching – where He clearly explained and interpreted everything – was not His usual style. Instead, He spoke in parables and figures of speech, often leaving even His closest disciples scratching their heads, coming to Him privately to have Him explain the meaning behind His teaching. (Mark 4:10, 8:21, 9:32, Luke 9:44-45)

These types of encounters were at one time discouraging – if even they can’t get it who can? How am I, just your average Christian, supposed to understand the deep and often confusing parts of the Bible when Jesus’ own disciples had trouble? I had resigned myself to believe that really understanding the intricacies of God’s Word was for those who wanted to spend several years in seminary pouring over ancient texts and volumes for hours on end.

But then something changed.

After taking a course at my church that helped me to recognize the need for reading and devoting time to God’s Word, the Bible started to come alive as I began to digest it daily. After about a year or so, another shift began. It started small – perhaps I would read a passage of Scripture that reminded me of another passage. Rabbis call this “stringing the pearls” – the act of bringing together passages from different places in order to explore their great truths. This often took me down many rabbit holes, as I researched cultures, languages, maps, and more, seeking to understand. The more time I spent in the Word the more I started to make the connections.

This is where my Bible reading grew into Bible study.

Bible study isn’t something I do daily, though reading my Bible is. For me, studying the Word ebbs and flows. Sometimes I come across a passage of Scripture that I want to dig into a little deeper, and sometimes I determine to spend some time on a particular character or characteristic. Bible study can grow out of wanting to understand something that is confusing or out of desiring to pursue further insight into something I am passionate about.

What I’ve discovered is that the Bible is not beyond our comprehension. It is given by a good, gracious Father Who wants to reveal Himself to us! He has given us His Spirit to help us understand and interpret His Word (1 Corinthians 2:10-16) which is profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). The foundational truths are perfectly clear – accessible to every one (Romans 1:19). But I have found great joy in studying the Scriptures, transforming and renewing my mind (Romans 12:2) and searching out the deep secrets of God that are hidden in plain sight for us to discover in His Word (Proverbs 25:12).

Charles Spurgeon said, “Nobody ever outgrows Scriptures, the Book widens and deepens with our years.” Rabbis often comment that each line of biblical text is like a “jewel with seventy faces” – and that we should “turn it, and turn it, and turn it again.”

No other book has the ability to limitlessly speak into our lives. As we are diligent to read it, to study it, God is faithful to transform us through it, shaping us into the people He desires for us to be!

“Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.” Jeremiah 33:3 (AMP)

– Jenni Norsworthy