Day 15: the easy yoke

This is going to be really simple and not too profound, but definitely quenching water for my soul in this season of life...

Matt 11:28-30
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take my Yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Even as I began typing the passage above, I took a long, deep sigh of relief. I love that this is SO counter-cultural for us. We are so ridiculously busy and heavy-laden and rest-deprived that we don't know what this begins to look like. When was the last time your soul was at rest?

In my commentary, it reads that those Jesus is referring to as "heavy laden" are the Jews who are suffering under the weight of religious responsibilities put on them by the scribes and pharisees- the religious leaders of that day. Our "religion" does that. It places weights and burdens on us that the One whom we really are desiring to please doesn't require. He desires mercy, not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). He desires intimate knowledge of who He is, not mere head knowledge and a list of duties carried out to check off a list. To know Him, we must know His Son. Knowing His Son means that we have confessed He is Lord, that He has taken every single sin from us and nailed it to the cross. HE took our heavy burden and in return, invites us to take His..."My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

A beautiful exchange.

Days 12-14: The Harvest

Here are some things that I've learned in the past few days as I've taken a little "think break" from blogging...

#1- I can't come close to completing this challenge adequately in 28 days. There is so much meat, so much to ponder in these verses that I feel as though I'm short-changing myself by breezing through chapters for the sake of a schedule. So the name of this whole endeavor will be changed to "The 28 day, or however long it needs to take, Jesus challenge."

#2- I'm truly a narcissist. It feels super good to look at the blog stats and see who's been checking out the blog and how many page views I have per day. During my little break, I was reminded about how this is not about me.

#3- I'm not a super-mom. This "all-day" morning sickness has kicked my heinie. I haven't cleaned well since we moved in, used my oven to cook for my family, or really exercised in a couple of weeks. It's extremely humbling to have a weakness that you can't snap out of or just suck up and barrel through. I'm learning to accept gifts of service that others offer me (like my mom preparing loads of meals for us to thaw and cook over the next month).

Now onto the good stuff. Matt Chapter 9:37,38
"Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"

This verse gives me butterflies of excitement and makes my heart quicken like it never has before when I've read it. In this season of our lives, we have the incredible opportunity to be on the ground-floor of a church plant. This has been 2+ years in the making and we just had our official launch today! I am moved to tears as I write these words thinking of the prayers, plans, and work that has gone into preparing for the harvest here in Boulder. There were 45 people there today. Numbers don't matter one bit, but what does matter are the people who have expressed interest in being the "laborers." The Lord of the harvest HAS SENT LABORERS!! They are people that we are only beginning to get to know, but we love them and are so thankful they have been called into His kingdom and are obedient to do His work. I love the truth that is in what Jesus says:

The harvest is PLENTIFUL
The laborers are FEW
It's the LORD'S harvest
Ask Him to send laborers

It's like standing before a vast field of- I'm gonna go ahead and pick my favorite crop- Strawberries. They are plentiful. They are ripe. They are ready for picking. The owner and master of the field has people at His disposal that can come alongside and help to harvest this crop, we need only ask.

Jesus has done the hard work. The Father has already chosen those who will believe. The Holy Spirit gives us boldness and authority through His Word. We just need to get out there and begin harvesting.

Father, thank you for rescuing me out of my dead, rotting state and for breathing life into me. Thank you for killing your only Son and my sins with Him so that I, the most unworthy of sinners, could have a place with you in eternity. Thank you for the harvest ahead of us. Please send laborers into Your harvest.

Day 11: A day in the life of Jesus

Matt Chapter 8
I'm being spoiled today. My folks are in town and my mom is hanging with Stella while I sit on my back porch and spend some sweet time in the Word. What a treat!

Due to my extra helping of time today, I was able to read through this chapter a few times and ponder the context. I noticed that under each new heading the paragraph began with a transition "When He had come down from the mountain" (v1) "When Jesus had entered Capernaum" (v5) "When Jesus had come into Peter's house..." (v14). From the way the chapter flows this looks as if it is all in one day. (Please don't quote me on that, I'm not by any means a Biblical or historical scholar, I'm just noting how the context reads.)

If this truly is one day, this is what Jesus' consisted of:
-He came down from teaching two chapter's worth on a mountain and healed a leper
-He walked to Capernaum and was immediately greeted by a centurion whose daughter was sick
-He finally got to Peter's house (I imagine that is where he was hoping for dinner and a good night's sleep) and Peter's Mother-in-law was sick so He healed her and she got up and served them
-"When evening had come" (v16) he cast out several demons
-"When Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side." Then a few guys started recruiting themselves for His inner circle
-When He finally got to the boat a huge "tempest" arose on the sea and His disciples started freaking out. He got up and told the sea to be calm.
-When Jesus arrived at His destination two "exceedingly fierce" demon-possessed men met Him there. He said one word in this whole exchange "Go" and the demons relocated to a herd of swine.
-The city was in such an uproar about this that they begged Him to leave.
-He got back into the boat (I'm sure this is the morning of the next day) and He begin all over again

This is extraordinary to me! I've never read the gospels like this before, in the context of time. Jesus was fully man and fully God, so He needed food and rest. No wonder He was a bit irritated with the guys when they frantically woke Him from sweet sleep during the storm. He said "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" They just saw him perform a days worth of incredible miracles and healings and they immediately lose faith. He's just trying recoup from a hectic day when they wake Him.

I love that by the time He meets the fierce demon-possessed guys, He says one word.

Oh! I just LOVE my Savior! I've never ever experienced a day even close to this caliber of busyness or importance and I get overwhlemed.

I'm so encouraged by our High Priest's example as I remember these commands in Paul's letters:

Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."

2 Thessalonians 3:13 "But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good."

Hebrew 12:3 "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."

What a joy it is to know that we are bearers of His torch. Our Savior and Creator. The One who did the will of His Father at the cost of His comfort, food, rest, and His life. Thank you, Jesus for going before us.

Day 10: Sick and hot

I'm headed to a much needed rest tonight. Today was rough, but so revealing of how weak and unable to function I am when my "ducks" aren't in a row. Between morning sickness that lasted the day and a hot house with no AC, I was not spending a whole lot of my brain power on Matthew 7. I'm hoping for more energy tomorrow.

Thank you, Lord for sustaining me in my day to day when I don't even acknowledge that I'm being sustained. Thank you for the comforts of sunshine, a cozy bed, a husband that works hard as unto you, my daughter's laugh, and the precious life that you are knitting together inside of me. Jesus, thank you for leaving your kingdom of complete perfection to lay down your life for unworthy sinners. Thank you for conquering death and sin through your resurrection and for the promise that you are preparing a place for me in eternity.

Day 9: Planks and specks

Matt 7:1-6
When I was in first grade, I remember doing a skit with my little sister, Jule' based on this passage of Scripture. I'm not sure where we heard it or got the idea, but we had my mom sit down in the dining room (I can't wait for those days to come!) and acted it out. I was the guy with the plank in my eye and held a stick or baton up to my face while I was trying to get close enough to hers to pick out the piece of sawdust that was bothering me. It was silly and melodramatic, but the point has stuck with me since then. We constantly walk around with logs hanging out of our faces while we are so quick to point out the tiny piece of dust in our spouses, friends, brother's, and neighbor's eyes.

To that nonsense Jesus replies "Hypocrites! First remove the plank from your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." v5

He doesn't command us to IGNORE the speck and go on with our business, but instead says that we must deal with our sin before pointing out our brother's. I love that this simple concept I grasped as a 7 year old, is still a complexity in my day to day relationships. My flesh would much rather ignore my sin and every one else's. But, our command is two-fold: Square up with your sin before the Lord and then be honest about the sin you see in those around you.

Then comes verse 6:
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."

Yikes! I had to research this a bit to gain some understanding. My commentary reads as follows: "Dogs and swine refer to people who are enemies of the gospel, as opposed to those who are merely unbelievers. Such enemies are to be left alone."
Jesus is saying not to waste your time on this sort of malicious person.

An example of this person in Scripture is Herod Antipas, the guy who beheaded John the Baptist because his scandalous step-daughter asked him to. Later, when Jesus was brought before him (see Luke 23:8,9) He said nothing.

I'm still mulling all of this over in my brain. I want to hear your thoughts... Any insight on this passage?

Day 8: No worries

Matthew 6:25-31

This past year in Boulder has been a lesson in trust. It's been full of joy, excitement, and incredible evidence of how God is working, but I've had my moments of panic. It's interesting looking back. We never skipped a meal, were evicted from our apartment, had no vehicle, or had to declare bankruptcy. On paper, numbers were extremely tight and I didn't know if we would have enough in our checking account to pay rent. Certain weeks were more stressful than others because every dollar was going towards a bill and not towards savings or that elusive "vacation fund." But, the Lord provided. Every time we paid rent on time it was a testimony to His provision.

I love that Jesus spends 9 verses in this chapter on worry. Oh how well He knows his people!
"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Everyone has seen a bird. There are over 10,000 different species of birds across the globe (wikipedia). Some people make a hobby out of just watching them, armed with their safari caps and binoculars. Jesus reminds us that these tiny winged beauties are fed and taken care of by our Father and that we are of much more value in His sight. He also points to the glorious clothing of the grass and lilies of the field. If God cares so much to clothe the fragile grass, how much more does He care about clothing us "O you of little faith."

I am of "little faith." One day I'm singing His praises for a miraculous provision and the next I'm wringing my hands over a bill with a late fee attached to it. Instead of this, I'm to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto (me)".

He was the one to decided to knit me together, He was the one who chose me before the foundation of the world, He is the one who has numbered my days, and He is the one who gives life and takes it away.

I'm free to live, free of worry.

Day 7: When you pray

It's been a week already! And what a week it has been. I'm so thankful for the deliberate time in the Word that the Lord has allowed me to enjoy. Through abiding daily in His truth, He's been my rest, my peace, my joy, and my humble reminder of how human I am.

Matt 6:5-13 in summary: When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites. They stand outside in public for everyone to hear. Instead, go to your room, shut the door, and your Father, who is in the secret place will reward you openly. Also, don't pray with vain repetition like the heathens. They think they're being heard because they have a lot to say.

Jesus then shares the Lord's prayer. Our example of how to pray. I prayed the Lord's prayer several times today, thinking about each line that is so familiar to me and so easily becomes "vain repetition." I tried substituting different words that mean the same thing so I could think through what it means. Something like this:

My Father, who resides in heaven on high,
HOLY is your name
Your kingdom come (quickly!)
Whatever you will is done
Here in Boulder, CO, USA, Earth
As it is done in heaven.
Please give me today my portion of food
And forgive me of my sins (named)
As I forgive those who have wronged me.
Please don't allow me to fall into temptation\
But deliver me from Satan.
To you belongs ALL of creation, ALL power,
and ALL glory. Forever and ever and eva. AMEN.

Something else that struck me as I was reading this passage is how Jesus says "when you pray" three times in a row. He doesn't say "If" you pray or "when you get around to it" or "When you pray only at mealtimes." Nope, it's a given. An understood command. When you pray...

This is another discipline that I stink at. After reading this passage today I began praying the Lord's prayer and making it personal as I did above. Then, right in the middle of it, I fell asleep. Granted, my very favorite way to fall asleep at night is resting in the arms of my Father as I'm debriefing my day Him. But, when it comes to really deliberate prayer, it is such a challenge to keep my mind from drifting to the dishes in the sink, the plans for the day, my grumbling stomach. All of those distractions are REALLY poor substitutes for a focused conversation with the Creator of everything and Savior of my soul. This will be a constant battle between spirit and flesh until that glorious day when I'll fly away to glory. I'll fly away (in the morning...)

Days 6: Grace experienced

Continuing on with Matt 5:38-48...
I had in mind yesterday when I wrote "to be continued" on the subject of going above and beyond in your actions towards others, that I would get to write about ways I was able to do just that. I had 2 hang-ups with that today. First of all, the very next section I read this morning reads "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them." (Matt 6:1) Haha. In other words, don't toot your own horn. Point taken. There will be no horn-tooting here. But, I do need to sing some other people's praises. People in my life that went above and beyond today to go an extra mile with me, give more than what was asked for, and just plain blessed my socks off. Here are the examples: (I hope you all don't mind that I'm writing about this!)

1. A member of the extended family, Jon- we actually figured out yesterday that he's Seth's first cousin-once-removed- came to stay the night with us last night. Apart from being completely delightful, incredible with Stella, and not whiny at all about our 85 degree third story guest room; he treated us to some much needed fans and rugs from Home Depot for our new place. When Seth protested, He said "Nope, that's what family is for." What a GIFT.

2. My sweet friend, Ari, whom I've mentioned before, put her day on hold not once, but twice to help me unpack boxes, bring lunch and dessert, be a listening ear, and organize my kitchen. Though she has PLENTY on her plate -She is a mother of an adorable 1 year old, friend to many, constant host, and wife of our pastor at The Well (www.boulderwell.org)- she went above and beyond in showing me kindness and grace and servanthood today.

3. Another dear friend, Kim came to help me organize and refresh my wardrobe. I don't know if it's because I'm pregnant and hormonal or just plain discontent, but I stand in front of my clothes in the morning for 5 minutes becoming frustrated at my "lack of outfits." That is super dumb and is really humiliating to write, but it's true. So, Kim spent 3 hours of her afternoon off (after a particularly long week at work for her) and gave me a full on wardrobe consult. She put together amazing outfits that I never would have imagined, staged them and took pictures, and on top of all of it went and bought me a cozy gray cardigan to complete my ensemble.

My heart is full and my eyes welling as I write about the gifts given to me in just one day! This is community. This is the body of Christ being lived out towards one another before a world that is watching closely. What did I do to merit any of this? Not a thing. In the same way "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Days 3-5

Take a deep breath. Stop staring at boxes and open one. Get on the floor and hug Stella instead of ignoring her questions. Eat something before you pass out. Where is the box with the knives in it? I can't find the cups. 1 box down, 50 to go...

This is the flow of thoughts that have been littering my mind the past three days. A friend told us at dinner the other day that research has been done on some of the biggest stresses that a human can experience. They named #1 Death, #2 Divorce, and #3 Moving. I'm beginning to agree. I think that part of it is realizing how much junk you have (see blog post "the stuff of life") and the other is completely changing everything in your environment.

All of this to say, I have continued my reading and somewhat doing, we just don't have internet at the house yet. So here I am at the local coffee joint (courtesy of my sweet, understanding husband) with my decaf-iced americano, bible in hand, computer on my lap, ready to write. Here is a brief summary of my ponderings over the last 3 days:

Day 3: Matt 5:21-26 Rebuilding
This passage is about the heart. Jesus says that the law commands not to murder, but unwarranted anger and name-calling is judged just as harshly by the Father. It's so serious that He commands this: when you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, to leave your gift and be reconciled. It's interesting to understand the scripture as remember that someone "has something against you." Not you are angry at someone else, but someone has been wronged by you. I feel like that is really hard to discern sometimes. It made me stop and think through the people in my life I may have wronged recently. To bring in the moving analogy (because that's what i was doing ALL DAY), I realized how swiftly you can "undo " a home. Take pictures off of walls, put books in a box, clear out cabinets... But it takes a considerably longer amount of time to rebuild. It takes thought, planning, organization, shelf liners (GRRR), and so on. It's the same with our relationships. In the past, my tone or just one angry word have hurt, damaged, and even ruined a relationship. It takes a second. To build that back up takes a long time and lots of hard work and forethought. I asked the Lord to remind me of people in my life that I need to reconcile with and one came to mind. I followed up and it was a joy. Thank you, Jesus for reconciling me to the Father!

Day 4: Matt 5:27-42 Let your Yes be Yes
Subjects in this passage: Adultery, Lust, Divorce, Breaking promises. Check, check, check, hmmmm. I'm a notorious plan and promise maker. I love to make plans, dream big, and semi-commit. I think I do it without even realizing it most of the time. I inherited the dreaming side from my Daddy. We can talk big about dreams all day and know that it probably won't happen, but it sure is fun to think about. It drives my sweet Mom nuts. When it becomes wrong for me is when my people-pleasing tendencies seep out and I commit to something that I haven't truly thought through. Here are 2 examples in the last 24 hours: Oh man. I told my dear friend Ari, that Stella and I would make it to Missional Community and I would bring ground beef. I realized while I was Target yesterday going in circles looking for those dadgum shelf liners while Stella was crying that it probably wasn't realistic for us to make it. She was extremely gracious with me. Then, I had told another friend, Julie that Stella and I could drop in on her daughter's going away party at 5pm. I took a necessary pregnant nap from 3-5 and woke up completely disoriented and unsure what to put on the box-filled table for dinner. She was gracious with me as well. This is really humbling to write, but it's such a good reminder to really discern what is best to commit myself to and what isn't. Sure, plans get cancelled, but if it becomes habitual nature it's not a great representation of our always faithful, completely true His promises Lord. Jesus says in verse 37 "But let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be no'. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

Day 5: Matt 5:38-48 Common Grace
I urge you to go read all of these passages for yourself. Especially this one. To me, it is the epitome of amazing grace. Just the incomprehensible love of Jesus that I feel as if it will take me an eternity to wrap my mind around. In summary, Jesus says to turn your cheek when someone hits you, give them more when they steal from you, go an extra mile when they ask for one, love your enemies. Giving what others don't deserve, because your Father does. More on this tomorrow...

Day 2: salt and light

I woke at 6:30 this morning to a wide-eyed toddler in a princess dress climbing onto to my side of the bed. As I peeled back my eyelids the list of our day came barreling into my mind... Pack, clear out leftovers, drop a load of hand me downs, pack, pick up boxes, goodbye dinner with neighbors, more packing. My choice was this: put a DVD in the laptop and get 30 min more of sweet rest or get up and start my day with some Matthew. It was a bit of a deliberation, but I chose the latter.

Today I read about Salt and Light. Jesus said to his disciples "You are the salt of the earth" and "You are the light of the world." I've heard this passage countless times, but haven't taken a whole day to think on and try to really put it to practice. After reading, I asked the Lord to bring about opportunities for me to be salty and bright. My first test came about midway through the morning in the midst of getting Stella dressed (in another princess dress) for errands, cleaning up from breakfast, and loading the car. As I was looking for purse or keys or something else equally frustrating to lose, Stella came in and said "BIG poop in the corner, Mama!" Hmmm. Sure enough. Bosley, our beast of a daschund had let loose on the carpet. And when I say "loose", I'm not exaggerating- he had a bad case of diarrhea. I stomped into the kitchen to get a paper towel sighing unreasonably loudly out of my nose; mostly out of irritation, but partly to get the smell out. Seth saw me on his way in and asked what was wrong. I immediately went into blame mode. "Why didn't Boz go out?" "He tried to go, but "nobody" let him." Full on blaming my man for dog poop on the floor. Fail.

Thankful for the recent marinating in the Word, I was quickly convicted of my attitude and wrongful blame shifting and asked for forgiveness. Here's what I'm still processing from today...

1. It's by grace that I've been saved, not of works so that I cannot boast. (Eph 2:8,9) I'm so thankful for that truth on days that I obviously fall short and Jesus reminds me that He nailed all of my sin to the cross.

2. It must start at home. To be salt and light out there I need to practice being salt and light to my family, my church community, and my neighbors. That concept I've heard so many times has got to be Holy Spirit driven and remembered constantly. Thank you, Jesus for your abounding grace.

Day one: The arsenal

I was so excited about this new adventure that I could barely get to sleep last night (at 1am) and woke up 2 minutes before my alarm began it's little jingle. But, that's just how I roll. I'm a strong starter and a weak finisher. You'll see, in about a weeks time I'll be struggling to catch up with posts. Here's to some character discipline!

I began reading in Matthew 1 this morning and quickly remembered that it begins with three 14 generation sets of names leading up to Christ's birth and then continues on in the narrative to give the facts on His birth, His family's escape from Herod, John the Baptist, and Jesus' baptism. There aren't a whole lot of commands in these first three chapters, mostly historical fact. So I kept on reading. In chapter 4, verses 1-11 Jesus is "led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Wow. What a way to start your ministry. He is fresh off of what I would think is a pretty extreme high. The heavens open, the Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove, and then receives the ultimate in Fatherly encouragement. Then the next part of the plan is complete hunger and thirst in the WILDERNESS with the knowledge that the devil is on his way to thwart your plans.

After reading and praying over this section I realized it's the perfect passage to start this thing off. There are no direct, Jesus- speaking-to-His-disciples-commands in these verses, but the concept is consistent. Know your Word. When Satan throws the temptation at Jesus to prove He's the Son of God by turning stones to bread, Jesus answers with "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Boom. Then the Liar uses scripture out of context to move God's hand to rescue Him from a leap off of the temple. Jesus says "You shall not tempt the LORD your God." In his last effort, the enemy tempts Him with false glory if He will just bow down and worship him. His reply, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

Jesus has his arsenal stocked. His weapons were loaded and He was not deceived. That's the command I took away from today. Know my Word by heart. Commit it to memory. Love the Lord my God with my whole mind! I stink at consistently memorizing scripture, but that's not an excuse, it's just plain laziness. In my little notecard binder, I wrote down the three verses from Deuteronomy that Jesus quoted be to Satan. I figured that was a good place to start. I plan to build my arsenal of weapons as I continue this challenge. :)

The 28 day Jesus Challenge...

Ok, here it goes. I'm ready to be a doer of the Word. A real DOER. DO-ER. Not just a hearer or writer or "blogger" of the Word.I want to walk away from what I read and take action; actually understand what the scripture commands and walk in obedience. I talked to Seth today about reading a chapter a day in the book of Matthew and whatever commands we come across, to do them. I heard of this idea several years ago when I heard a pastor's testimony. When he was just beginning his relationship with the Lord a dear friend of his challenged him to make the effort to get up early and spend time in the Word. He did and began to take every single commandment to heart. Not in a legalistic way- but in a literal way. It absolutely changed his life.

I want to carry out this challenge publicly for two main reasons: Accountability and Transparency.
I read so many blogs and facebook statuses and interviews that are manufactured... and I am right at the forefront. Every word is weighed, every sentence tweaked, every thought re-invented to sound the very best. The best foot is forward. Well, I'm putting both feet forward and for those of you who have seen my feet, you know that is a bit humbling. It's not like it's a huge risk anyway. I think I have maybe 6 regular followers (Thanks, guys!) It's late, so I'll start tomorrow. I can't wait to see what's in those pages...