Patterings

Phoebe is here!

2013-04-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited about today! Not only is it my sister's ahem-mumble-oh birthday (no foolin'!) but today is the day I get to kick off a very special tour. Four or five years ago (girls, remind me...how long has it been now??) God put me with an incredible group of ladies. We've adventured together over many miles and today we get to celebrate. Yvonne Blake's book, A Home for Phoebe, is HERE and we're beyond excited.

To help us celebrate, Zeke the peddler has promised to get us safely from one home to another.

Meet Zeke...

Zeke the Peddler wears a floppy hat and a gray coat, whose sleeves seems much too short for his arms. His eyes sparkle and his mustache twitches, and he seems as tall as a weather vane on the top of the barn. Removing his hat, he bows low. “Well, good day, folks. What can I help you with? This here is a regular gen'ral store on wheels! Anything you want or need. I have it. Needles or tubs, buttons or pans - jewelry and fancy perfume, too!" As you walk around the strange wagon, your eyes widen with wonder. There are pans, kettles, tools, and things you never saw before hanging on the sides. At the back is a door that opens at the top. You can see bolts of cloth, kegs, wash tubs, and hundreds of little boxes.

One of the treasures he carries is a very special book by one of my near-and-dear friends, Yvonne Blake. The book? A Home for Phoebe.

Meet Yvonne Blake...

God has blessed Yvonne with an interesting childhood. She's lived in the deserts of Arizona, the tropic islands of the Bahamas, the rugged hills of New York, the farmlands of mid-Maine. Her father was a school teacher and pastor, and her mother was a nurse. Yvonne's memory is a parade of settings, experiences, and characters to use in her writing.

Yvonne's husband is her steady rock, loving his Lord and family. Raising a family of eight children, in Searsport, Maine, has been her focus over the last thirty years, also giving her storerooms of material to draw from. Striving to do their best, regardless of the opinions of others, they have often lived out of step with the rest of the world.

Now that Yvonne's children have grown, she's chosen to stay home and write, releasing all the stories bottled in her mind. Her prayer is to be used of the Lord, to encourage and bless others with her writing.

A Home for Phoebe

A Home for Phoebe is an historical novel of an Indian woman and a young girl wandering the hills of the Hudson Valley during the mid 1800's.

One flees prejudice, while the other yearns for a home.

Through the friendship of a peddler, a blind granny, and blacksmith's family, they learn of forgiveness and faith.

You can purchase A Home for Phoebe on Amazon.

Find Yvonne online at her website, her blog, and on Facebook.

Yvonne will be giving away a free copy of A Home for Phoebe at the end of the month, drawing a name from those whose comment on the blogs or on her author page on Facebook.

Be sure to travel along with Zeke the peddler to learn more about Yvonne and A Home for Phoebe. Their next stop will be at Catrina Bradley's blog, on Wednesday, April 3rd.

You never know what surprises you'll discover when you travel with Zeke, so don't miss out! See you at Cat's place on Wednesday.

Open and Willing

2013-01-14T00:00:00.000-06:00

Confession: The word focus can give me the heebie-jeebies.
No, not the focus on a camera, although I’ve been known to have trouble with that too. I’m talking about the word focus when it comes to blogs.

I’m kinda auditing Edie Melson’s course on blogging. I love Edie’s teaching and always learn something from her. She really knows those fine points, those little details that I love discovering, so that’s why I’m buzzing through her lessons and some of the responses. I want to learn. I want to stay somewhat on top of what I love and do.

But of course there’s that focus word…

How things look with the wrong focus!

I knew I’d see it. I expected it and was braced for it.
But I still wasn’t prepared for it.

After reading through several lessons, I had to leave the computer. I needed space and time to think.

What’s my focus here?
That led to… What’s the focus of my life? That one was easier. Obedience. I want my life to bring glory to God.

Does that tie in to my blog?
Yes.

I thought about the things Edie told us to—LoL, the very same things I’ve taught on here…
I thought about posts and comments and what others have told me in relation to my blog because I care about my readers and their thoughts and what they like and don’t.

And I kept coming back to how my personal focus affects and ties into my blog focus.
Is it a platform? After all, platform is often a key reason for blogging. No. In many ways, I don’t really care about a platform. I mean, if God wants me to stand in a corner and whisper to myself, I’ll do that.

Then I stop and think about THAT.

I’ve pulled away from my online commitments—the blogs I contributed to, and dearly love. This year could be a year of silence for me. I thought about Amy Carmichael, who spent time in silence, not that she chose to but because God chose it for her. I could be lining up for a modern version of that. Could I…would I…accept that?

Another thing some friends have been chatting about is letting go.

Am I willing to let go of my voice here on my blog?

I recently unclenched my hands—letting go of those online commitments. Sometimes it feels like my hands are empty even though they’re still so very busy.

Now it’s time to be open to the things God puts in my hands.

Even if that is silence.

My point is this:

Am I willing to be obedient even if it means silence?

What about you? Are you staying open and willing to what God has for you this year?

Dirt Rings

2013-01-11T00:00:00.000-06:00

The other day we moved a big, old piece of furniture out of the back room—you know the one, where everything you don’t know what to do with is put because you aren’t quite ready to fully let go of it. The time had come to move out the behemoth so we could reclaim that space. It had been there for over ten years and I couldn’t move it to clean under it all that time. You can imagine the mess it left behind, especially since it was only steps away from the back door.

With that out of the way, I attacked the area with hot soapy water and a scrub brush. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but the water turned muddy. In my defense, country dirt infiltrates everywhere, and ten years’ worth meant a lot of dirt. Scrub, rinse, get fresh water, repeat. The stain is still there, but at least I know it’s a clean stain now. Thankfully, it’s hidden and I’ll be doing a lot of cleaning there in the months to come.

Once the job was done, I was called away to tend Toby and that groadie bucket was forgotten for a couple days. I just found it and washed it. Inside and out. It took some scrubbing to get it clean but I didn’t want to have to clean my cleaning bucket before using it the next time. I went to put it away and happened to see the bottom. It was muddy!

I was setting myself up. Cleaning with that bucket with the dirty bottom would have left dirt rings wherever I set it, even though it was clean inside and out.

The same thing happens in my life. Often I’ll carefully clean the inside and the outside, but neglect the base. After all, it’s not seen. It seems like it’s not important. Although it may not be seen, the effects of the dirt will be, and it will always be when I don’t want them to be—after I’ve cleaned another area and expect the job to be done and everything clean and looking pristine.

It’s worth the extra time to clean right. Inside, outside, upside-down. After all, God already knows it’s there. The only ones we’re fooling is ourselves and a few people around us, and that’s only until the dirt shows up. And it always does.

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;

Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.

Cease to do evil,

Learn to do good;

Seek justice…

“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the LORD,

“Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Thought they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.”

Isaiah 1:16-18 NAS

His Song in the Night

2013-01-09T10:37:00.000-06:00

I'm part of a Proverbs study group that is also committed to memorizing Scripture. We've been chatting about following and resting and prayer.

Many of us fall asleep at night praying, or wake up in the middle of the night and pray ourselves back to sleep.

We're finding that maybe praying Scripture at night is a good way to go...

I mulled this over last night as I lay in bed, awake and praying.

Praying Scripture.

His song with me.

I like that.

Another reason to memorize Scripture.

Interested in this Proverbs study group? Check out Jennifer Slattery's site, or click her to simply join us.

What about you? Have you been memorizing lately?
What's your favorite Scripture to quote or meditate on at night?

This Season

2013-01-04T00:00:00.000-06:00

Change is simply part of our lives. If we ever quit changing we become stagnant.

I learned a lot in 2012. The hard way. A year ago I wasn’t willing to do what I suspected I needed to do. In fact, I dug my heels in and resisted as long as I could. The results weren’t pretty. You know how it is when you have to pry something forcibly out of a child’s hand? Well, that was me. And I know better. Much better.

But God is faithful and merciful. And ever-so loving.

Last week I unfisted my hand. As my fingers extended, relief, peace and great joy came flooding back.

Why did I wait so long?

Toby's view as we travel.

This season of my life will be full of change. Not only are the kids getting older but we might be on the road more with Toby and Fonzie—working with them. After traveling this last fall, first to Puerto Rico to visit my sister, then to a fair in Missouri to learn the monkey business, then to Arizona to see and help my parents, then back again with the family, I realized that keeping up with my online responsibilities and commitments would be impossible. As it is, the computer time I had in 2012 was spent mostly in meeting online due dates and fulfilling responsibilities there. I did very little real writing, even though I had both fiction and nonfiction things I wanted to work on.

Because I had fisted my hand around those online commitments, I wasn’t able to write (not even to fulfill those commitments!) and I was frustrated and felt like I was living on a stationary wheel in a gerbil cage.

Thankfully, I did learn something last year, albeit the hard way. It’s time to let go.

The girl who loved to blog has set it all aside.

I’ve officially withdrawn from the sites I contributed to, and loved contributing to and from ALL my online commitments. Oh, I’ll still be here on my own blog—as I can…if I can. No posting schedule unless it’s a series that is completely written and scheduled ahead of time, before it starts, and no pressure on me.

My hope is that this year, as I focus on our family and jump starting the monkey business, that I’ll take the computer time I have, whether it be chunks of time between trips or slivers of time squeezed amongst the other things, that I’ll invest them in working on my fiction and nonfiction.

I still love blogging. I’ve missed it greatly while at the same time I appreciate the breaks I took in 2012. They helped me see some things I needed to accept, and the determination to take action on them.

Now that my fist is uncurled and my hand is empty and open, I’m excited to see what God puts it in.

How about you? Are you clinging to something you need to let go of? Now is a good time to unfist your hand.

The Nut House Residents

2012-11-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to this week's a 2 z
and the letter

N. If you're joining in the meme, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post. Find more info about the a 2 z meme here.

Residents of The Nut House...

My husband and younger boys.

My daughters.

Me and Toby.

Below is my oldest, playing with one of his toys.

Yup. That's all of us.
Some of us in our normal state and
some of us in our goofiness
and for some of us, goofiness is our normal state.

Not that I would ever mention any names...
but a picture is worth a thousand words.
hehe.

If you're joining us for the a2z meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter N, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

Soul Quenching

2012-11-02T07:18:00.000-05:00

The study on James will return and finish--just couldn't pull my focus together this week in the midst of everything...

The other night I didn't get Gracie, my dog, tied up when I should have and when I went out for her, she was nowhere to be found. Not only that, but she was silent, which told me my Great Pyrennes was playing possum. So, being the well trained master that I am, I grabbed her evening dog biscuit and leash, and took off for the orchard—one of her favorite haunts.

The moon hadn't come up yet and it was dark out, really dark. An amazing thing happened. The further I got away from the house and the big yard light we have, the more I could see the stars. It wasn't nearly as dark as I originally thought it was. In fact, I could see a lot with just the starlight. And not just that, things had a beauty they don't have in the sunlight.

I stopped calling for Gracie and simply stood still in the middle of the orchard. The gentle breeze blew through me just as surely as it blew through the orchard and it carried off much of the stress and strain of the day with it. I was left with the crisp freshness in my mind and soul. I didn't worry about my dog playing possum, I didn't worry about my kids' mouths or my frustration over accomplishing nothing that day. I just stood and looked up at the stars and the then at the silent orchard in the starlight. The starlight lit up the hillside, allowing me to see it in a way I don't often get to.

In the silence I could hear the whisper of the breeze and the rustle of the winter-dried grass. It was in that silence that I could finally hear my soul sigh. I didn't mind the cold, for once, I just wanted to linger and soak up the starlit silence. I wonder if that's a small glimpse of how Jesus felt when He went to a lonely place by Himself to pray.

When I was in my yard I had missed the beauty of the night because there were so many lights all around me, but when I withdrew to a hillside by myself, I found beauty, refreshment and peace. A deep, quenching peace that wrapped around me, filled me and assured me that, in the end, all would be well. God is sovereign and He loves me with an everlasting love.

And to think that I would've missed those moments with God if I had just stayed in my yard and hollered for Gracie, as I've often done. It was worth the quarter mile trek in the dark. I didn't find Gracie out there, but I found grace. Out away from the lights and noise of my yard, I found God waiting for me in a soul quenching, starlit silence.

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. Luke 5:16

Mortified

2012-10-30T08:03:00.001-05:00

Welcome to this week's a 2 z
and the letter

M. If you're joining in the meme, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post. Find more info about the a 2 z meme here.

I cannot believe it's Tuesday and I don't have a post! I was working on my manuscript and missed Monday because I missed Sunday due to this cold I have.

I'll be back with a post after awhile...Mom duty calls and we are running in to get my younger daughter her license...

If you're joining us for the a2z meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter M, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

A Worthwhile Exchange

2012-10-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

Today is supposed to be a post on James 3:1-12 but it's not happening and I'm okay with that. See, I made an exchange...

For my parent's 35th wedding anniversary, my sister made an awesome album chronicling their lives and we had letters from their close friends over the years, with their pictures. Very special letters from special friends. The albums have been missing for several years. They weren't at my parent's house in Arizona, they weren't at either of my sisters' homes and we couldn't find them here either.

These albums are very special to Mom and Dad and it's been bothering them that they couldn't be found. Really bothering them. So when Mom asked if I would check my shed, inside their dresser drawers, I went as soon as I could find enough time to take on the shed.

Today. (meaning Thursday)

The albums weren't in the drawers but I didn't stop there. I searched through everything they still have in the shed and finally found them.

In the last chest.
At the bottom of the stack.

I was looking for one white album but found three. None of them white, LoL, but very much the album(s) we've searched for many, many times, in three states.

God is so good.

Dad's battle against the bone cancer is...well, it's not pretty. It's so hard. As I write this, he's in ICU with a new filter in his abdomen to catch the blood clots in his lungs. They weren't able to get all of the clot in his leg.

I don't know what's around this corner, but I do know the ending: Dad wins. He gets to go to Heaven. He'll be running and leaping and praising God.

So, I made an exchange today--the anniversary albums for a James post.

It was the right decision.

A Year for Learning

2012-10-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this week's a 2 z
and the letter L. If you're joining in the meme, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post. Find more info about the a 2 z meme here.

This has been a year full of learning for me. Learning from some very unexpected places...

Our garden. I was out-voted 6 to 1 and we had a large garden that did well, despite the drought. I learned many lessons from this garden I didn't want.

One was how much I had forgotten about canning. LoL.

Canning was another lesson all its own... one that's not done yet.

Then I was able to visit my sister in Puerto Rico... Wonderful discoveries turned into lessons--object lessons, the kind I remember longer. Sea glassing was one. Blue glass has always been my favorite and each little piece I was able to find and hold onto is special.

And shell hunting was another learning time for me. What a treasure to find the beach loaded with Sea Urchins. These things have long fascinated me, and to find them, whole, on the beach amazed me. What amazed me even more was how they came to be on the beach, and then their wholeness, in spite of it all, amazed me even more. Yes, what I learned is a post all its own...

And this fella has taught me many things. I'm constantly learning him.

After 30+ years of wearing glasses, I went a week without them (hence no glasses in the pic above) because a wave taught me yet another lesson when it crept up on me and stole my glasses. Really made me feel silly because I KNOW how waves are prone to do that, even when you're only in up to your calves. It was another lesson I learned while sea glassing.

So tell me, what are some things that you've learned from this year?

If you're joining us for the a2z meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter L, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

Real Faith...In Action - James 2:14-26

2012-10-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Faith and works go together like brownies and ice cream, but is one any good without the other? James launches us into this passage with two important questions:

What use is it if someone says he has faith but has no works?
Can that faith save him?

Paul clearly says in Ephesians 2:8-9 that it's by grace we're saved, through faith, not works—so where and how does all this fit together?

Real faith is more than accepting head knowledge and spouting words.

James is about to show us the difference between real faith and false faith, and what he says fits together beautifully with Paul's teaching on faith and works, contrary to what Martin Luther thought. Luther took exception to the book of James being canonized (included in the Bible) because he could not see how James' view of works fit with being saved by grace alone. Thankfully, as we dig in, we see that both men, Paul and James, mean the same thing even though they use different terms to explain things.

The first example James gives us is building on what he just spoke about at the beginning of the chapter—how the poor are treated. A person with false faith will offer nice sounding words when authentic action is needed. The Message version of this passage put it so well... “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

James tells us right out that faith without works is dead faith (vs 18). Real faith will step forward and do more than offer flimsy words. Their faith will show up as good works, works that flow out of their faith and love for God. It's the deeds that show the difference between dead faith and real faith. Just like a body can be dead or alive and still be called a body, so faith can be dead or alive and still be called faith.

Real faith is more than just submitting to God's power.

Even the demons have faith in God! They acknowledge His deity and the Sonship of Jesus. They know He is real and they even obey Him, but they are not saved! They refused to submit their wills and live for Christ.

The man with dead faith was touched only in his intellect, but the demons are touched also in their emotions. They believe and tremble. … A person can be enlightened in his mind and even stirred in his heart and be lost forever. True saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognized: a changed life. ~Warren Wiersbe

James uses a play on words to make his point memorable...
Faith without works doesn't work.

Real faith results in a changed life.

James gives us examples from two very different people: Abraham and Rahab. Two more different people couldn't have been picked. Abraham was the father of the the nation of Israel, a righteous man, and known as the friend of God. Rahab was a gentile woman living in Jericho. A prostitute and far from righteous, an enemy of God.

Since true saving faith leads to action, let's take a look at the action that James points out...
Abraham was justified before God by faith, and by works he was justified before men and his righteousness was demonstrated. His faith was demonstrated in his everyday life.

Rahab heard, accepted, believed and she did something about it. Rahab surrendered herself to God. The result of that surrender is seen in what she did for the spies and the whole nation of Israel. The truth changed her life and her changed life translated into salvation for her family as they saw and also believed. Her action flowed out of her authentic faith.

That's what James is talking about. Action—works and deeds—will flow naturally out of a life changed by faith in the One true God.

...faith that does not impel the believer to good deeds is no living faith at all. ...when our hearts are changed, so then are our desires and actions. ~David P. Nystrom

Real faith involves a changed life which is something that can be easily spotted.

That leads us to some hard questions about our own faith.

Is my faith saving faith?
Has my faith changed my life?
Would my faith fall into the dead faith category or is it like the faith of the demons—acknowledging and submitting to God's deity but not surrendered to God?
Or, is my life bearing the genuine fruit of authentic faith? Faith that is active.

Digging Deeper

Fit Galatians 6:10 and Matthew 25:40 into faith and works.
Study Luke 3:7-14 and Matthew 7:15-23. What do these passages have to say about works and faith?
For Abraham's story, read Genesis 15 and 22. Rahab's story is found in Joshua 2 and 6 and Hebrews 11:31.

Let's Chat...

What does Paul say about this deal between faith and works in Ephesians 2:8-10 and how does it fit?
How do James 2:19 and Deuteronomy 6:4 tie together?
What do Abraham and Rahab have in common?

For next week:
Read James 3:1-12 several times.

Knickknack or Ebenezer?

2012-10-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this week's a 2 z
and the letter K. If you're joining in the meme, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post. Find more info about the a 2 z meme here.

On one of my parent's bi-annual treks to visit us, they commented on the rocks I have scattered around the inside my house. It's a family thing that I came by through my dad's mother, whose window sills were full of interesting rocks, and it's something I share with at least one of my sisters. I don't know if my grandmother had stories to go with her rocks, but I do.

There's more to the knickknacks in my house than just being cute little things to collect dust, or even just interesting rocks.They're Ebenezers.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” ~1 Samuel 7:12 NAS

My window sill and desk shelf hold a strange variety of things, and most of them have special significance to me. They remind me of things in my life that I want, and need, to remember. Special things God has done for me. Not only do I need the physical reminder, but they're object lessons for my family.

Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, “What do these stones mean to you?” then you shall say to them, “Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord...” So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever. (Joshua 4:6-7, NAS)

Every now and then one of the kids will ask about a knickknack I have and it's a perfect opportunity for me to tell them about what it reminds me of. They hear the story of what God has done in my life, and that makes it more than a cute moose sitting on my shelf.

When my parents sold their home 10 years ago, my older sister and I were envious of our younger sister who brought home a silly little frog that sat on our mom's shelf for years. It surprised Mom that we all loved that frog, but it was such a good lesson for me, one I remember every time I go to my younger sister's home and see the frog on her kitchen window sill. It's something we can capitalize on as mothers.

Do you have a shadow box or shelf? How about just a window sill you can use? Turn it into a special Ebenezer shelf and work together, as a family, to fill it with physical reminders of what God has done for you. Not only will the children love it, but it's something they'll remember long after they've grown and left the house. Even if they don't carry the knick-knack with them to their own homes, they will carry the story with them.

Don't collect just knickknacks, collect Ebenezers.

If you're joining us for the a2z meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter K, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

How to Avoid Showing Favoritism - James 2:1-13

2012-10-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Before we jump into this passage, let's check out how James starts it because it's just too cool to pass by without really looking at.

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ...

James is reminding us that Jesus is the Shekinah of God—the manifestation or revelation of God. Jesus is God's glory. This is who our faith rests in—Jesus, THE glory of God.

Keeping that in mind, let's pick up the threads from last week. James said that we need to be in the world without being polluted or stained by it, and that we are to enter the surrounding culture but remain free from the evil to be found there. From there he dives right into an example that's as relevant today as it was centuries ago to the people he wrote to. He says the favoritism the world practices has no place in the body of Christ.

James 2:1-13 from BibleGateway.com Click to see larger so you can read.

There was no middle class in those days, and no social climbing. You either had money and status or you didn't. So the wealthy people sponsored many things for the poor—roads, public baths, temples, and even the city taxes. Why would they do that? For the glory and honor they received for it. When they passed people on the streets, they would be treated special and flattered by them. Plaques would be hung in prominent places and seen for years after, naming them as the generous benefactor of whatever it was. They considered displaying their wealth almost as important as having it.

Sound familiar? But I think we've taken it a step or two further. Displaying wealth, social status, power, style, beauty, talent, or intelligence—whether we genuinely have it or not, is important in our society. More than that, people are treated according to the impression they give. If they appear to have something we value, we treat them differently.

Favoritism in the world isn't pretty.

Favoritism among Christians is a pollution from the world that James says we are to stay far away from. We are to be Christ-like and Jesus, THE glory of God, the One who had every right to, did not show partiality. Not only that, but Romans 2:11 says there is NO partiality with God.

Faith and favoritism do not mix.

So how do we avoid favoritism?

By looking at people through the eyes of Christ—eyes of love.

“In Jesus's birth and life, He broke down the walls between rich and poor, young and old, educated and uneducated. It is wrong for us to build those walls again; we cannot rebuild them if we believe in the grace of God.” ~Warren Wiersbe

By obeying the royal law.

“Love your neighbor as yourself” is considered the royal law and Jesus speaks about it in Matthew 22:34-40. Loving others as we love ourselves not only cures favoritism, but it also cures the selfishness that propels favoritism.

If we show favoritism, we are law breakers and James doesn't mince words here. In verse 10 he says, “whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” Ouch. Guilty of all? Yes. All.

The things James mentions all have something in common: the honor we treat others with. So, if we rationalize and think, “Playing favorites isn't as bad as bad as adultery or murder” we are wrong! Sin is sin. Knowing this, it should have a great impact on how we live—as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

“The beauty of this law is that it takes seriously both law and mercy, both sin and grace. God does not excuse us from our sin, but He does forgive (Romans 1:20; 2:1). To excuse is to claim that the offending party is not in fact guilty of the offense or to deny the seriousness of the offense. To forgive grants full weight both to guilt and to its seriousness, but it nullifies the guilt.” ~David P. Nystrom

The law of liberty is not a license to do whatever we want. There is no freedom in that, only bondage. Liberty is the freedom to be all that we can be in Christ. It is the inner discipline to do the right things, not because we have to, but because we love God. If we only obey because we have to, then we are not really growing and maturing.

Obedience out of love and because we know it's right are signs of growing up. Our beliefs should control our behavior. A merciful attitude is an evidence of a person's faith.

“Christian love means treating others the way God has treated me. It is an act of the will, not an emotion that I try to manufacture. The motive is to glorify God. The means is the power of the Spirit within.” ~Warren Wiersbe

James is not saying that we can earn mercy. We can't. It's impossible for us to earn mercy. But our hearts—our attitudes determine how we are treated. If we are rebellious and refuse to repent, then God administers justice rather than mercy. Repentance leads to forgiveness and mercy...

and mercy exults victoriously over judgment.

Digging Deeper:

What does Exodus 40:34-35 say about the Shekinah of God?
What do Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 10:17, and Romans 2:11tell us about God?
Psalm 119:45 and Matthew 18:21-35 talk about the law of liberty and about forgiveness between fellow Christians. What does it say?
How does Matthew 25:31-40 fit with James 2:1-13?

Let's Chat...

How does thinking about Jesus as the glory of God change how we think of His mercy?
What are some of the different ways favoritism is shown—in the world and in the church?
What are some practical ways we can stop the favoritism that goes on?
How do our attitudes and actions determine the mercy we receive?

For next week:
Read through James 2:14-26 several times.

Just Because

2012-10-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this week's a 2 z
and the letter J. If you're joining in the meme, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post. Find more info about the a 2 z meme here.

Sometimes it's nice to post things

Just Because.

This is one of those times...

Just where I want to be...

My happy place...

I love the beach--but not to lay out and sunbathe. *shiver* Forget that. I love just sitting and watching and listening to the waves...to walk the beach... sheer bliss.

Palm trees happen to be my favorite trees, but they just don't grow in Illinois. Usually. LoL. I do have a pair of little ones in my house, imported from Arizona.

Palm trees...my favorites.

These colors and textures drew me in. Natural fibers, hand dyed. Just beautiful. I've wanted to post this picture for almost a year but never had reason to...so I decided to, just because.

I love these colors...

So tell me, what's something you want to do, just because?

If you're joining us for the a2z meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter J, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

The Dangers of Self-Deception - James 1:19-27

2012-10-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak.
How often have we heard that in our lives? But how hard is it to put into practice? Super hard! And that's putting it mildly sometimes. But James doesn't stop there, he has to go and add that we are to be slow to anger too. That means that sometimes keeping our mouths shut isn't quite enough—especially if you're like me and emotions are often raging behind sealed lips. If we think that just because it isn't spoken we're safe, then we're deluding ourselves.

Thankfully, James gave us a reason to put the brakes on our mouths and our anger—because it doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God. In his commentary on James, David P. Nystrom said...

Anger—the result of our reluctance to listen—is at odds with God's righteousness.
Outbursts of anger do not produce the kind of righteous behavior God desires.
Righteous action doesn't come from anger.
Claiming “righteous indignation” is about like claiming to speak for God—something we need to think and pray about long and hard before doing!
Venting is not righteous indignation.
“The righteous anger of the prophets was directed at injustices that others were experiencing, not an injustice that they personally experienced.”
Anger, even if left unspoken, influences our thoughts, what we do say, and our actions.

James 1:19-27. Click so you can read it.

Therefore...
Anytime we see the word therefore in the Bible, we can stop and think “What's that there for?” We need to look at what the writer was just talking about so we're ready for how he's going to build on it.

How to prepare ourselves for God's word.

Put aside means to get rid of, the idea of total conversion, a complete change of life pattern.

What are we to get rid of? All filthiness and all that remains of wickedness. Every little speck of wickedness and filth in our lives.

Humility is meekness.
Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is a condition of the mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness, but in power. It is a balance born in strength of character. (The Word Study Dictionary)

Think of a stallion—strength under control and submitted to its master's will. (LoL, Patty's paraphrase.)

We are to receive the word implanted in us with humility. We aren't to argue with it, nor try to twist it to say what we want, but we are to simply accept it. Humility allows the word of God to flourish within us, producing fruit.

How to avoid delusion.

In today's information age we know a lot. But does knowing change our lives?

It is not the hearing but the doing that brings the blessing. Too many Christians mark their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them! If you think you are spiritual because you hear the Word, then you are only kidding yourself. ~Warren W. Wiersbe

James 1:22-24 in The Message

Look in the mirror. They tell us things about ourselves. As Christians, God's Word is our mirror. A quick glance and it seems everything is all right. But when we stop and really look, we see that there are flaws—plenty of them. So then we have a choice. If we walk away, shrugging our shoulders and forgetting about it, we have deluded ourselves.

The only one we're kidding is ourselves. We certainly aren't fooling God!

But there's good news. If we stop and really look at God's Word, at “the perfect law of liberty,” and obey it—do what it says—God sets us free.

Like Jesus, James does not have in mind a new law, but rather the fuller expression or more perfect distillation of the Jewish law. For the Christian this law is still the will of God, but a more refined apprehension of that will. This is a law for which a purer cannot be imagined. The perfect law, the word implanted and allowed to take root, is, then the very teaching of Jesus. ~David P. Nystrom

Knowing is not the same as doing!
Blessing does not come from simply looking at the perfect law of liberty, nor from knowing it.

Blessing comes

in the doing of it.

Obedience leads to blessing.

Bridle your tongue. There are times when we just need to rein in our tongue. Thinking we do, when we don't is self-deception because the mouth shows what's in the heart. (Matthew 12:34-35)

So you think you're religious?

James ends this chapter by telling us what pure religion is: Seeing others and their needs. He reminds us to care for the orphans and widows—people who are often at the edge of society.

But he doesn't stop there. James reminds us that we need to be in the world without being polluted or stained by it. We are to live and work with those around us with intelligence and great thought so that we can keep our lives, our reputations, and our faith pure. Yes, we are to enter the surrounding culture but remains free from the evil to be found there.

Digging Deeper:

Amos 4:1-3; What was Amos angry about?
Keeping in mind how Jesus was treated by men, what was He mad about? John 2:13-17; Matthew 21:12-13.
More for the trash can: Ephesians 4:25; 1 Peter 2:1
How did these men respond when they looked in the mirror of God's Word? Job 42:6; Isaiah 6:5; Luke 5:8. How does my response compare to theirs?
Read Psalm 19:7, 119:45 and John 8:31-32. How do they mesh with James 1:25?

Let's Chat:

Stop and think about anger. Do you vent or stuff? What effect does stuffing have and does it make it okay since it's not verbalized?
How does spending time in the Bible help us see ourselves?
What happens when we continue to delude ourselves?
How is it that the blessing is in the doing, not just the hearing?

For next week:

Read through James 2:1-13 several times.

My Annual 40 Days

2012-10-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is my fourth year to "celebrate" the 40 days before my birthday. To be honest, I almost didn't even try this year, but when talking with my sister, we talked about 40 days--the fun of celebrating for that long, the benefits, and many different things. After talking with her, I just couldn't miss this.

If you've spent any time with me here at Patterings, you've heard this before, but I need this reminder...

When we see 40 days in the Bible, it is a time when God made major changes and transformations. It's a journey that leads to growth and change. Preparation.

Think about the changes God made in these times...

Noah—40 days and 40 nights of rain.

Moses—his whole life went by 40 year increments--starting with being 40 when he fled from Pharaoh and started a new life, 40 years on the backside of the desert, and 40 years leading Israel, then also 40 days on Mount Sinai.

Israel—ate manna for 40 years while wandering in the desert.

Spies that Moses sent out—in Canaan for 40 days.

Elijah—in the wilderness for 40 days.

Jonah—warned Nineveh they had 40 days to repent.

I want changes in my life.
I want to be susceptible to God.
I want to catch His drift for my life.

So these next 40 days will be a time of seeking God. I wish I could withdraw from life for this time, but I can't. In fact, it could be busier than usual, which means I'll have to be intentional in this...which just might be the key to all this. =)

So tell me, have you done 40 days for something or is there something you might consider a special 40 day period for?

Investing in the Important

2012-10-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this week's a 2 z
and the letter I. If you're joining in the meme, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post. Find more info about the a 2 z meme here.

Sometimes I just need a reminder of what's truly important in my life--a clarification of things I need to invest in. For me that's what today is all about...a reminder to

invest in the important.

These colorful peppers came from this summer's garden and remind me of all I learned this summer and my home. Investing in my home, and all those in it is extremely important. Without them life would be colorless.

Although this picture is only from around Mother's Day of this year, it's already out of date. My son on the far left is now taller than my two girls (much to their disgust) and my youngest is also considerably taller too. Lots of growing this last summer. My children are a huge investment. One I treasure.

LoL, and where would I be without my wonderful hubs?Our marriage has already had a great return on investment. It's another very important factor in my life.

Not only am I investing in those things...those lives, but this fall I'm investing a boat-load of time and energy in Toby, my "baby." It's been an interesting experience, and it will continue to be!! He's an investment for the future.

Tomorrow starts a special time of year for me, and I'll tell you about it tomorrow, but investing in a couple of my favorite things is on the docket. Things like taking my camera out more. When I have a camera in hand I tend to slow down and notice things and savor them instead of whizzing by and missing everything. I'm finding that intentionally slowing down is important.

There's something about palm trees and silhouettes that call me to my Bible and to introspection-- both of which are on the list for the upcoming days. Investing in spiritual growth has been on my mind a lot recently.

So tell me, what are some important things you invest in?

If you're joining us for the a2z meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter I, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

Standing in the Face of Temptation - James 1:12-18

2012-09-28T00:02:00.008-05:00

James 1:12-18 starts off with a bang and offers great encouragement to us concerning temptation—if we let it. Remember, in verses 2-11, James is talking about trials and how we are to view them and turn them into triumphs. Here he tells us the person who perseveres when in trials is blessed and will receive the crown of life.

He also gives us a key that can help us in trials. That key? The reason to persevere... Love. Why love?

Because love is the spiritual motivation behind every imperative in this section. ...Where there is love, there is surrender and obedience. ~Warren Wiersbe

Unfortunately, we don't always remain under the pressure that will prove our character, and provide opportunities for spiritual growth and maturity. Those times when we don't endure and persevere, is when things turn into temptations for us. God sends trials to build us up but if we take an easy way out, if we take the bait Satan camouflages—that is the temptation.

What is the source of temptations?

Not God! He has nothing to do with temptation.
But the blame does not rest entirely on Satan either. So who does that leave? Ourselves. In verse 14 James says it so clearly—it's our own desires, more specifically, when we want to satisfy them in ways that are outside of God's will. That's when Satan steps in with a highly camouflaged temptation that attracts our attention while hiding the fact that yielding to it will bring sorrow and punishment. Just like a bear won't step on a trap, we won't (or usually don't) throw ourselves into a trap, so Satan disguises the temptation, making it look wonderful. This is why we need God's discernment.

The four stages of sin:

We can see these acted out very clearly in Genesis 3 where Satan goes to Eve and convinces her to eat the forbidden fruit.

Verse 14 contains two similar images, not a succession of action within one image. The first pictures the violent action of capture that follows setting a lure, and second the attractive bait that draws an unsuspecting victim. The extraordinary vividness of these images shows how dangerous James believes the evil impulse to be. Evil desire within us acts as both the attractive bait and as the lure. The evil desire is our own, and a bent to be attracted to it is equally our own responsibility. ~David P. Nystrom

James 1:12-18 from BibleGateway.com. Click to enlarge so it's readable. ;-)

When you are looking temptation in the face, get your eyes off the bait and look ahead to see the consequences of sin!

Some things to help us endure so we can grow and mature:

Giving in to temptation leads to death (verse 15).
Remember God's goodness! God gives only good gifts and the tense of that phrase is that it's a continual action. He is always giving us good things. The question is, do we accept them as good, even if they don't appear good at first in our limited human sight?
Remember that God does not change! So we shouldn't doubt His love nor His goodness. When we doubt God's goodness, we open ourselves to the attractive offers Satan puts in front of us.
Our second birth, salvation, helps us overcome temptation because we now have God's nature within us. He gave us life through the word of truth. Yielding to temptation brings failure but yielding to Christ leads to victory.

Keep in mind:

Temptations are opportunities to accomplish a good thing in a bad way, out of the will of God.
Persevere means to remain under the pressure that is sent to grow and mature us.
God is not to blame for our failure to stand firm in the test. He is the giver of every good gift. We are responsible for our own actions, for turning a test (trial) into a temptation.
Trials are something to be endured but temptations are something to be avoided.
“...in our arrogance and ignorance, we demand the right to define what 'good' is. God's definition is often different from ours. So we need wisdom and insight from Him in order to see difficulties for what they are.” (David P. Nystrom)
Success, by our definition, is not always the same as God's definition of it. We need His discernment so we are not attracted to that powerful lure of success that Satan puts in before us—some are called to be Jeremiahs rather than Elijahs.
If Satan can get us to spend all our time and energy doing good things, so that God's best things are left undone, he has won.

The Christian who loves God, and who knows that God loves him, will not fall apart when God permits trials to come. He is secure in God's love. ~Warren Wiersbe

Digging Deeper

Mull over this concept of first fruits: Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:10; I Corinthians 15:20, 23; 16:15; Proverbs 3:9
What does 1 Corinthians 9:24-24 tell us about the crown of life?
Check out what Proverbs 19:3 says about who's to blame when things "go wrong."
Read Genesis 22. What is this passage an example of?
Read Ecclesiastes 9:12, keeping James 1:12-18 in mind. How does it tie in?

Let's Chat

In your mind, what's the difference between trials and temptations?
Step back and look at your life right now. What are some good things you're doing that might actually be Satan's tactics to lure you away from God's will?
Be honest with yourself, is there something going on in your life that you are taking the easy way out of simply to get out of the pressure instead of letting it complete it's maturing job in you and for you?

Hitting the Highway

2012-09-25T08:16:00.001-05:00

Welcome to this week's a 2 z
and the letter H. If you're joining in the meme, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post. Find more info about the a 2 z meme here.

Yesterday was a long, loong, looong day. 15 hours from the time we left until we got home, and most of the time was spent on the highway.

My two girls were in an accident last week. They weren't hurt, but their car was. Sometimes God does things to get our attention and I think this might have been one of those things.

Through this whole mess, we've seen God's hand over and over again.

The girls were not hurt.
The car is repairable.
We're seeing that if they had hit any other way, the damage might have been too much to repair, and the girls could have been hurt.
We found and bought an inexpensive car to get them back on the road--we barely squeaked by with the cars we had, so this will come in handy later too, after repairs.
Today it's stormy in Illinois, yesterday when we picked up the car in Chicagoland, it was beautiful.
The accident on the interstate yesterday only had us parked and waiting for 20 minutes or so. When we passed the wreck, we recognized the vehicles as ones that had passed us just before stopping at a rest area.

God is SO good!!

So, yesterday we hit the highway...

I love the old barns of Illinois. They have so much character!!

My youngest thought this was Bald Knob Cross. It's not, it's in Effingham (right?) and it makes me smile every time I see it.

After all, we are the land of Lincoln here in Illinois...

So, that's been my week.
What have you been doing?

Oh! And today I'm at the Internet Cafe Devotions posting about something I learned from smelly tuna cans and what they can do to my life. Hope you can join me there for a minute or two...

If you're joining us for the a2z meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter H, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

Accountability - Forward, March!

2012-09-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I was able to teach a lesson on Time Management at ACFW's stay-at-home conference, hosted by Karin Beery and Tiffany Coulter. I kept chuckling over the fact that I was teaching such a class because lately, I have had NO time. But life comes in seasons, and this season happens to have me on the road. A lot.

One of the points I made in the Time Management lesson is the importance of having an accountability group and the difference it's made in my life. Before becoming part of that small group, I often felt like I was climbing more solo than I actually was. The accountability group provided not just accountability, but support, too.

I've often toyed with starting an accountability group open to others and finally did. It's called Forward, March! It's based on what we do in the very small group Joanne and I are part of, and I asked Joanne to join me to help get the group up and running.

Here's what we do in Forward, March!:

Every Friday evening a roll call is sent out and each member is to send in their goals for the upcoming week.
These are goals related to the business of writing... Word count, research, edits, platform building. Anything that relates to the overall big picture of the business of writing.
Each weekend, in the same email, the members report in, specifically, in detail, how they did on the goals they set for the week that just finished.
These are usually bullet point lists, making it easy to account for.
Brevity is encouraged. LoL, not that we always make this one. ;-)

In the years I've been part of this small group, I've accomplished much more than I would have otherwise. Our goals lists and reports keep us self-motivated, and for those times when we need "encouragement" to get moving, someone is there with the fabled wet noodle. In fact, it came out this week, and a deadline was set. Joanne said (not to me this time! phew!) "I'll be emailing on Wednesday to see if you did this!" You can be assured, follow up will happen on Wednesday. LoL. Kind prodding does wonders!

The value of an accountability group is the multifaceted.

There's support, friendship, and wet noodles to prod you onward. There's also a record for you to see, and thus evaluate, of your habits.
It helps you spot the time sinks and how long you've been procrastinating on a certain thing.
As people in the group make forward progress...as YOU make forward progress, momentum is built, which will encourage you and others in the group. It's a synergistic effect.

YOU can be a part of this! =)

If you would like to join a writer's accountability group, go to Forward, March! and request membership. Let me know where you heard about this group and what you write (just because I'm curious! *grin*).

We would love to have you join us!!

Turning Trials into Triumphs - James 1:2-11

2012-09-21T00:02:00.088-05:00

If you know a verse in James off the top of your head, chances are that it's verse 2. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials...

How often have we heard it or quoted it with closed eyes so others couldn't see the eye roll or the deep pain that went with it? Or, maybe we simply wanted to throw our hands up and say “How?! How can this be joy?” I've done both. Sometimes at the same time.

Thank goodness James tells us how we can turn our trials into triumphs!

Let's dig into some important words first...

Click to view larger. From BibleGateway.com

Consider is a financial term that means “to evaluate.” The phrases Chalk it up to... Mark it down as... fit well here. Think of our lives having two columns: Pros and Cons. When trials come, mark them down in the Pro column. Consider them a plus and not a negative.

When we face the trials of life, we must evaluate them in the light of what God is doing for us. ~Warren Wiersbe

All joy = utter joy. Complete, overflowing joy. Trials are to be occasions of overflowing joy.

Trials = peirasmos in Greek
“When God is the agent, peirasmos (trials) are for the purpose of proving someone, never for the purpose of causing him to fall. If it is the devil who tempts, then it is for the purpose of causing one to fall.” WordStudy Dictionary meaning of trials.

Just like extreme heat is used to refine gold and silver by putting them through the fire, we are refined by trials. Trials prove the quality or worth of someone or something through adversity.

When we find ourselves in trials, we are to respond not with anger or disappointment, but with utter joy.

Endurance is not a single act of fortitude, it's an active steadfastness. Staying power, constancy, and a determination under adversity. It's colored with the idea of hope, which animates and enriches the other qualities. We need to let constancy go to its fullest extent so we become mature and complete, lacking nothing.

Endurance is something that must be learned through experience. Just like you don't train for a marathon by reading or studying about it, you must go through difficulties, trust and obey God so that your endurance will grow.

Perfect is mature, complete, goal, or rightful purpose. This is a key term for James. It is the fully developed character of stable righteousness. When it's used of character, it implies that God is a part of whatever process is involved in the formation of character.

So how does all that help us turn trials into triumphs?

James tells us.
Count.. Count it all joy
Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action. ~Warren Wiersbe
To turn trials into triumphs, the first thing to do is choose to see the trial through the lens of what God is doing for us through the trial. He's growing us and giving us an opportunity to learn and mature. Knowing that helps us accept things better, which affects our attitude, and our attitudes determine our actions.

Know... Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance
Testing works for us, not against us. Trials can produce patience, endurance and the ability to keep going when things are tough.

Let... Let endurance have its perfect result
If we do not let Him, God cannot build our character. We must surrender to Him so He can accomplish His work in us. If we don't surrender to Him, we become even more immature.

Ask... Ask of God who gives to all generously
When we're going through trials...troubles...the first thing we often ask for is an escape hatch. We want out of the fire. But that's not what James says to ask for. He says to ask for wisdom.

Wisdom? In a trial? In tough times?
You bet!
With God's wisdom we will be able to see more of His perspective of things, which will help us understand it, which will help us endure as we submit to His will (like a good bond-servant whose will is consumed in his master's will).

Why ask for wisdom instead of deliverance, grace or strength? Because we need wisdom so we won't waste the opportunities God is giving us to mature, and to help us understand how to use the circumstances for our good and God's glory.

Wisdom is not knowledge. Knowledge is information. Wisdom is knowing what to do with that information. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.

James tells us that when we ask, we're to ask in faith, without doubting, and he compares the doubting believer to the waves—up one minute and down the next. What a graphic that is! A little tiny canoe on the huge ocean of life, bobbing up and down when we don't need to. Faith anchors us to The Rock—no more bobbing around.

A believer's circumstances aren't an indication of the depth of their spiritual walk. Regardless of who we are and our social or financial standing in life, trials can knock us down. Money and social standing don't get us through trials. It's our position in Christ and who He is that gets us through. Money can disappear in a flash but our spiritual riches cannot, nor can they wither or fade.

It's not your material resources that take you through the testing of life. It's your spiritual resources.

Our world seeks joy but doesn't allow us to find it. James says joy is in the presence of God and the will of God. We need to forget what the world tells us about joy and happiness and realize it is found in a sensitivity to and humility before God, and to service to others.

Trials force us to the place where we ask God for wisdom, and His wisdom allows us to endure the trial until we are complete.

Digging Deeper

Compare James 1:2 with Luke 10:30.
How does Psalm 66:10-12 fit with James 1:2-4?
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 deals with wisdom. How does it tie in with James 1:5? Who ya gonna call?
What is the effect doubt has on faith? Matthew 14:22-33

Let's Chat

What's the toughest thing for you--Counting it joy, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, letting endurance have its perfect result, or asking God for wisdom when in a trial?
Which is the easiest?
How does knowing this help?
What is one thing you can do this weekend that will help you when the next trial comes around?

Good Grief

2012-09-18T00:00:00.007-05:00

Welcome to this week's a 2 z
and the letter G.If you're joining in the meme, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post. Find more info about the a 2 z meme here.

Good grief.

Time flies when you're monkeying around!

Since visiting my sister last weekend, this is what I've done...

Toby, my white faced capuchin monkey, dressed for work.

I've worked with Toby and also with two other monkeys at a fair--I was in training so I could come home and know better what to do with Toby.

For a solid week, I've been with monkeys.Toby and I will be spending many, many hours together in the upcoming weeks. It will be...interesting, among other things.

So tell me, what have you been doing?
I've missed you guys!!

If you're joining us for the a2z meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter G, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

James Who? A Look at James 1:1

2012-09-14T00:00:00.019-05:00

The book of James opens in typical fashion for the days of the early church—with a greeting. His is very succinct, giving only the most important information: His name, how he sees himself and his position, who the letter is to, and his greetings. But it leaves many of us wanting more info. Like...

James who?

That's just for starters.

Not only was James a popular name, it was a variation of the name Jacob. Remember the Old Testament Jacob? His name was changed to Israel and he was the father of 12 sons. The James most people accept as the human author of the book of James was the head of the first church in Jerusalem, and he was considered the church father.

There are several men names James mentioned in the New Testament but the most likely one to have written the book of James is the brother of Jesus. Technically, he's the half-brother of Jesus, yet nowhere in the book do we see James claim their brother connection. I don't know about you, but I claim my sisters, even when they've embarrassed me to no end. But not James, and not because Jesus was an embarrassment to him. Instead he calls himself a bond-servant of God—but not just God. He said he was a bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Jewish people are monotheistic. They have one God and that is something that set them apart from all the other nations (and when it didn't, they went into captivity to relearn that lesson). So when James said he was a bond-servant of God AND the Lord Jesus Christ, he was saying right from the get-go that Jesus was God—something he had been reluctant to accept.

How did James get from being the brother who didn't believe Jesus (John 7:1-9) to the brother who was one of the three pillars of the early church (Acts 15)? After Jesus rose from the grave, He appeared to people—Peter, the disciples, 500 people, “then He appeared to James...” (1 Cor. 15:7) Jesus loved His brother and made it a point to speak with him. That must have been some conversation! James finally believed.

Can you imagine growing up as the younger brother of Jesus? Jesus—the perfect boy. The who really never did anything wrong. In a culture where keeping the Law was everything, it must have driven a wedge between Jesus and his younger brothers, especially James who was closest to Him in age. The brother you love yet hate at the same time. The brother you can never be as good as, the one whose shadow you are constantly in. No wonder James struggled with who Jesus was.

But Jesus made it a point to speak with him after His resurrection, and that visit made a difference. James rose in prominence in the church, not because he was a brother of Jesus (there were oat least three other brothers—Matthew 13:55-56) but we don't hear of them, other than they were in the Upper Room, too. James rose to his position because of his personal relationship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's then that we see that, although James did not believe Jesus was God before His crucifixion, he sure did listen to what Jesus taught!

So what was his relationship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ?

He considered himself a bond-servant. That means obeying another, serving them, and having your will consumed in the will of another (God's). That's not playing the brother card!

So we see who James most likely was.

Who was he writing to?

“The twelve tribes dispersed abroad.” Remember Israel's captivity? Remember how persecution arose in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1-4)? James wrote to Jews living outside of the land of Palestine—to Christian Jews—those still dispersed from captivity (Diaspora Jews, like Mordecai and Esther) and those who fled Jerusalem due to persecution.

Although it's not mentioned in the Bible, tradition tells us about James, including that he prayed so much, his knees were as hard as a camel's.

“Much is told about James in extrabiblical writings of the time. He was respected even among non-Christians, 'largely because of his ascetic way of life and his regular participation in the temple services of prayer where he interceded for the people and their city.' He was stoned to death in AD 62, and many of the people were gravely shocked at this. 'Some years later some ascribed the calamity which overtook the city and its inhabitants to the cessation of James' prayers on their behalf.' Bruce says that 'the church's readiness to recognize his leadership was due more to his personal character and record than to his blood relationship to the Lord.” His role in the council is evidence of this character.” ~Ajith Fernando in The NIV Application Commentary on Acts.

Paul went to the Gentiles. Peter went to the Jews. James stayed in Jerusalem and remained a law-abiding Jew to the end, but he did not push it on others and he preached salvation by grace alone.

His greetings: chairein.
In Greek this means joy to you!

Joy is our birthright in Christ. Obedience in our walk of faith brings us back to joy. It is our happy place. ~Beth Moore.

For more digging:

Matthew 13:55-56
Mark 3:31-35; 6:3
John 7:1-5
1 Corinthians 9:5; 15:1-7
Galatians 2:1-10
Acts 8; 15; 1:14; 12:17; 21:17-26

This week:

Mull over James' view of his position as a bond-servant of God. Take a serious look at your willingness to be a bond-servant, knowing that it includes letting your will be totally consumed by God's will.
Read through the whole book of James again. Really. The more you read through a passage you're studying, the more you see and the more will sink in.

I've been out of town and offline for over a week, but next week, for sure, I'll be tweeting tidbits about James. You can find me on Twitter at . I'd love for you to follow me or watch for the #fiaJames hashtag and join in the conversation.

Memory verse: James 1:3

Q4u:

What do you think it was like for James, growing up as the younger brother of Jesus?
What can we learn from James and how he viewed Jesus, even though he was His brother?
Remember, the disciples would have seen James' response and interaction with Jesus over their three years with Him. How do you think this affected James and his decision to believe?
What's your take on James' greeting of joy to you?

Fun with F

2012-09-11T08:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome to this week's a 2 z
and the letter F.If you're joining in the meme, be sure to link up with us at the end of this post. Find more info about the a 2 z meme here.

Yes, I'm late posting. Here's why...

I was able to spend a long weekend with my sister in Puerto Rico. We had soooooo much FUN.

We went to two beaches every day--beach combing, NOT tanning--and found lots of cool stuff.

The flowers in PR are gorgeous. I love the colors!!

Yesterday, after running through Old San Juan, I flew home and got in late, late last night...

If you're joining us for the a2z meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter F, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

A Day Together

2012-09-08T00:00:00.004-05:00

It's not every day I get to visit with my sister, Cheryl. In fact, our visits are too few and too far between. But that means when we get together we soak it in and savor it.

Right now we're in Puerto Rico, where she's been living for a year.

It's been such a good day I wanted to share it with you...

Waking up at my normal time meant getting to enjoy early morning on the coast. What a treat to fall asleep listening to the surf.

A room with a view AND a breeze.

The simplicity of this house is wonderful. It's on the cliff and open to the beauty of the sea.

After a leisurely morning, we took off for the beach...

Cheryl took me to Crash Boat Beach--such a cool name!! --where we swam and had lunch. It was the first time I've been swimming in the ocean for 25 years--I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

After lunch we hit another beach to search for sea glass. I have to admit, if I had to choose between the two (and could only do one), I'd choose searching for sea glass. Such a fun treasure hunt!

Late afternoon found us relaxing in the hammock--talking and reading. It was my first time to be in a hammock. Pretty neat! It provided some laughs as we eased in and out, hoping we wouldn't flip.

Then I grabbed my camera and went exploring...down the stairs that scale the cliff and take you to the shore below the house. I only went part way. We might tackle the jungle at the end of the stairs another day.

Since I was only wearing flip flops, and because I'm such a chicken at heart, I went down very slowly. Farther down there were big, dead leaves covering the stairs, but here, here's what I spotted....

A tiny hermit crab! He wasn't even as big as my pinkie fingernail. So cute!! There was another one half his size, but the thing was fast and I couldn't catch his picture.

By the time I went back topside, the sun was setting fast. Since I love silhouttes, I had fun playing with the light and the palm trees and feet. Silly sister fun. The best kind!

Of course, there was more kicking back, talking, and playing on the computers too. A perfect day. Together.

Want to see me and my sister? Head over to SeaLevel320 where Cheryl has a fun collage posted of our day.