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Confession 226: Basement Verses

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Our Women’s Bible Study group has been working through Cynthia Heald’s Becoming a Woman of Simplicity.  The chapter this week was entitled, “Living in the Basement”, and focused on having our foundation firmly rooted in the Word of God.  Heald shared several verses that have become her so-called “basement verses”–passages of Scripture that are foundational to her faith and, thereby, guide her daily living.  I asked our ladies this week to share some of their “basement verses” with the rest of the group so that we might encourage and strengthen one another.

I love sharing Scripture with others. So, I thought I would take it one step further and ask you to share some of your “basement verses” here with me.  What are some passages of Scripture that are your go-to verses, that help to center you and encourage you as you seek to live a life of faith?

Here are a few of mine:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “Plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11


I lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. He will not let your foot slip.  Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:1-3


“In this world you will have trouble.  But, take heart! I have overcome the world!!”  John 16:33


Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7


In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39


Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 225: Forward, March!

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Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?  Tell the Israelites to move on.” Exodus 14:15
I am a history buff.  I love researching and reading about things that happened years ago.  I enjoy going to museums and touring old homes.  I love history documentaries and programs.  I have a particular passion for WWII, probably because my grandpa fought in the war and shared with me many of his experiences.  My love of history is inherited from my dad, the history teacher, who has a passion for the Civil War and believed that family vacations should consist of driving hundreds of miles to walk through various Civil War battlefields.  Although I didn’t always appreciate it at the time, I am so grateful for those treks now.  I find that the past calls out to me in ways that help me to better understand the present.  The present comes together for me by looking into the past.  And, there is the added bonus that in history you almost always know the end of the story.
Sometimes, however, we can get stuck in the past, especially if it’s our past.  Many of us hold onto things from our past in order to avoid moving into the future.  We think of the way life used to be before the layoff, before the sickness, before the divorce, before the kids grew up.  We tell ourselves that even though life might have been difficult in the past, at least it made sense.
Perhaps one of the most dramatic Biblical examples of this comes in Exodus 14. The Israelites had just left Egypt after generations of brutal enslavement.  They had just witnessed God’s mighty acts on their behalf with the plagues that decimated the Egyptians.  And yet, finding themselves wedged between the sea and Pharaoh’s mighty army these were their words to Moses:
“Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?! ….It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Exodus 14: 11,12
Can I ask for a show of hands of anyone else who has ever uttered something like this to God?  It seems to be a part of human nature to revert to our past when our future looks difficult.  And yet, what does God say to Moses?  “Tell the Israelites to MOVE ON!!”  This is sound advice for us too.  We have to let go of what was so that we can embrace what is to come.  And what is to come might indeed be very difficult to bear.  The Israelites spent 40 years wandering in circles throughout the desert while God shaped them into his chosen people.  But they had freedom, they had God, and at the end of the journey their children entered The Promised Land.  
It is the same for us today.  If we trust God enough to move on he will part the waters for us. He will lead us through the seas and the deserts of our lives and bring us into the abundant life he has promised to each of us. So, “Forward, march!”  Put one foot in front of the other and go.  See the wonders God has in store for you this day.
Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 223: Crazy Boy

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When Israel was a child, I loved him,  and out of Egypt I called my son… I led them with cords of human kindness,  with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them. Hosea 11: 1, 4

As a mother, I often worry about my children.  My boys are 3 and 5; very active, very curious, very “creative”.  Some days I feel like I’m doing an okay job as a parent.  And then, there are the other days.  Lately, my 3 year old has been testing the limits of acceptability with his behavior.  Determined and defiant he must always do anything in the most difficult and challenging way possible following the path he has made rather than the path my husband and I would lay down for him.  The disciplinary measures that worked well with our 5 year old don’t even cause my 3 year old to bat an eye.  We often joke that he will be lucky if we let him make it to age 4.  I know that God has made him strong and willful for a reason and that his determination will serve him well for some task in the future, but right now, it just makes me crazy!!  PLEASE Moms, tell me I’m not the only one!!!

I wonder, as I sit here telling my 3 year old to leave the new puppy alone for the umpteenth time this morning, if God himself doesn’t have days where he just wants to throw his hands up with his stubbornly disobedient and rebellious children.  And why doesn’t he?  He’s the creator and source of all life.  He could just wipe us all out and start over again.  Likewise, I could place my 3 year old out on the lawn with a sign that says, “Free to a good home.”  Believe me, I’ve been sorely tempted!!  But the truth is, for all of his challenging behavior, for all of his orneriness and “wildness”, I love the little imp more than myself.  Because just as he is about to drive me over the edge he does something sweet and wonderful and beautiful that reminds me what a precious gift I have been given.

And, believe it or not, God thinks that you and I are his precious gifts as well.  He created us and loves us and wants us to love him.  He doesn’t care how much money we make or how together we have it or how many times we screw things up or how many messes he has to clean up.  He just loves us and longs for us and wants to bless our lives.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara


Confession 222: A Love Story

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I was drawn to my husband the first time I saw him.  Really, it’s the truth.  I don’t know what it was, but I remember meeting him my first few days at seminary and thinking, “There’s a guy I want to get to know better.”  I was 26 years old when I met Chris and had never had a real “boyfriend”.  Trust me, it wasn’t for lack of trying!!  But I had finally come to the conclusion that God was protecting my heart for someone special and when I first saw Chris my heart was drawn his way.

Of course, he had no clue.  I suppose a “normal” girl would have actually talked to him and initiated some sort of friendly relationship.  I, being a big chicken, chose the more subtle approach of “friendly stalking.”  Our apartment complex was in the shape of a horseshoe, with Chris’ apartment directly across the lawn from mine.  He always had his shades open, so I used my powers of observation and quickly learned his schedule.  I enlisted the help of friends who had classes with him to strike up conversations and get to know him better on my behalf.  I would walk those friends to and from classes to “bump into him”.  I threw parties and invited him over but could never work up the nerve to actually talk to him.  This went on for several months.  Finally, somehow, we started talking.  A week before Valentine’s Day we decided to go see a movie together.  We followed the movie with some drinks and he walked me back to the entrance of my building before sprinting off to the warmth of his own apartment.  The next week, Valentine’s Day, we made plans to go to an old movie theater in Wrigleyville to watch Casablanca with another couple.  A double-date.  Except, only 1/2 of the other couple made it to the show.  Our double date had turned into a girls night out.  And thus began the three month long saga of “Are we actually dating, or are we just friends?”

Finally, in May, after three months of hanging out and being good buds, Chris took the initiative and threw his arm around me during a movie.  From that moment on, we were a couple.  Seven months later, on Christmas Eve, Chris proposed.  Eight months after that we were married.  It’s been seven years since we said “I do”.  We have moved three times and brought two rowdy boys into this world.  Our marriage, as any other, has had its share of ups and downs.  But even in the down moments, I think about the way my heart was drawn to Chris that day nine years ago and I know that God was saving my heart for him.  And I thank God for that gift every day.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 221: Hemmed In

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 You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:1-5

This morning I awoke with my 3 year old wedged in between my husband and I.  He’s there most nights, pattering in sometime in the wee hours with his blankie in tow.  I toss him into the middle of the bed and he nestles down beneath the blankets, curling his little body into my big one and tucking his head under my chin.  With Mommy’s arms around him and Daddy’s hand upon him he settles himself into the sweet dreams of childhood.  Philosophies of child rearing aside, I know this time is short and it is therefore precious to me, even through the squirming and kicking.
As I was holding my son this morning I thought about the above passage, specifically the idea of being hemmed in.  It occurred to me that as my son nestled snugly between my husband and I, hemmed in on both sides, that this is precisely what God does for us.  You hem me in behind and before… We, God’s children, are nestled snugly within him.  God wants us to rest sweetly in him, no matter what our lives may bring.  In the wee hours of our lives– when the darkness seems so present, so pervasive, so prolonged–God says, “Come to me.  You are safe in this night.”
Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 219: Changing

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See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.  Isaiah 43:19

Last week I was driving through the town where I was raised.  I took a detour and drove by my childhood home.  It is remarkable how much it looks the same, even down to the screen door.  I found myself wanting to pull over and walk inside.  In my mind, I saw myself pulling open the aluminum screen door and entering back into the world of my childhood; my personal Eden.  There would be the gold carpet on which I laid and colored pictures while listening to the cling of pots and pans in the kitchen and the distant voices of the announcers on the t.v. in the family room where my father watched football.  There would be our dining room chairs which my sister and I so often pulled into the living room and draped with blankets to make a tent.  And my room would still be painted a vivid pink, my bed adorned with quilts my grandmothers and great grandmothers had made; my personal sanctuary from the rest of the world.

And yet, the reality is that if I did indeed re-enter my childhood home I would find all of those things to be gone.  The carpet would be replaced with hardwood, the table would be that of someone else and my room would most certainly have not retained it’s Pepto Bismal state.

It’s hard for me to accept the truth that life is in constant change.  And it’s hard for me to understand at times that change is a vital and necessary part of our existence.  If I had my way, things would always remain at the moment of my deepest contentment.  My oldest would always stay 5 and not leave for kindergarten next year.  My youngest would always shower me with hugs and kisses and say 100 times a day, “Mommy, I wuv you.”  But if change never happened, we would never grow.  God, who never changes, uses change in our lives to move us closer to him.  I love this quote from author Mary Redding,  

“The road by which we travel toward God’s future for us is rarely a straight one.  Twists and turns, detours and rest stops are natural parts of the journey.” (Upper Room, Jan/Feb 2012)

In order to get to the places God wants us to be we have to be willing to change and grow.  More importantly, we have to accept and even embrace the changes life brings to us.  Sometimes those changes can be incredibly painful and seem impossibly unfair.  But we have this promise from God, that in ALL THINGS God works for the GOOD of those who love him!! (Romans 8:28)  I’m including a video of one of my favorite songs, Susan Ashton’s “You Move Me”. 

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 218: Something to Think About

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So, I’m being a little lazy today in posting a video my husband used in church Sunday.  The sermon title was, “I Believe In God But…I’ve Had a Bad Experience.”  Unfortunately one of the legacies of the Christian church has been to condemn rather than to show God’s grace and mercy to others.  Many young people, whom churches are actively seeking, have stories to tell of feeling judged, condemned, unworthy or manipulated by well-intentioned members of the body of Christ.

This video was created by a man named Jefferson Bethke and is entitled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”.  In only 2 weeks this clip has received over 17 MILLION hits!!  You might not agree with everything he has to say, but there’s something here that resonates with many.  I think his point is valid.  I’d love to know what you think.  Linking up with Michelle today at Graceful.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

Confession 217: I Believe in God But…I’m Not Good Enough

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My husband has been doing a message series entitled I Believe in God But….  This past Sunday the focus was on the feeling of not being good enough for God.  As human beings, we all have a past.  We all have moments in our lives we are not proud of, things we have done that have pulled us away from God rather than drawing us nearer.  “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  If God were human he would be sorely disappointed.  And yet we know that God is not human.  God created all things and is above all things.  All nations and principalities will one day bow down to him.  He sits enthroned on High.  Nothing can shake his foundations.  And, nothing can take away his great love for us.

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
   “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:33-37

Jesus Christ himself is interceding on our behalf to God the Father!!  It is the reason he came into this world–the reason he suffered and died–the reason he rose from the dead.  God LOVES us!!  God WANTS us!!  God REDEEMS us, including our “pasts”.  God doesn’t care who we were, he cares about who we will become in him.  He has a plan for our future that he is focused on.  Jesus wiped our pasts away; they have been flung into the depths of the sea.  God doesn’t dwell on them, why should we?


This is a great video from Tony Campolo addressing this very issue.  He gives a great analogy of what happens to our “past”.  I’m linking up with Michelle at Graceful today!

Blessings and Peace,
Sara