Behind the Scenes

"God was working something out for Naomi.... 

He had long been working behind the scenes" 

Ruth: Loss, Love, & Legacy, by Kelly Minter, p. 43).

Isn't this what we long for? Someone working for us behind the scenes.... It is what God does, but do we really believe it? Do we pursue life according to this kind of Truth? I say that I believe it... but my fears and insecurities often tell another story!

As we are transitioning to Idaho, a part of our plan is for Steve to pursue a job that gives him the flexibility he needs to spend more time with our boys. The concept sounds great, but as we approach the actual move, my fears are pushing Steve to find any kind of job. He just smiles at me.... There is nothing like change to reveal the inner person!!

Dear God, help me to live Proverbs 3:5!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

Lean not on your own understanding.

Freedom is more satisfying than snacks and sweets!

"It's easy to kid ourselves

 and justify our behavior

 when our hearts

aren't really committed to God"

(Minter, 2009, p. 26).

I am using food as an example of life issues with which I wrestle these days. It is not that food is my only life issue, but it is an appropriate one to share in public. Believe me, I have other areas to apply God's work in my life!

Here is another Minter quote that stopped me short:

"When we grasp His love and the truth that obedience is for our freedom, we will change our circumstances to protect our environment to obey" (p. 26).

I can relate this idea to several areas of life right now.... For me to eat healthy, I can not even have one bite of snack food and dessert. For me, one bite shoots me down a road that I have very hard time controlling. I have to keep a distance in order to obey.... Might that appear legalistic to some? Yes. Do I understand myself better than they do? Yes. Do those people have the power to rescue me when I feel gross and my pants don't fit? No.

Freedom is much more satisfying than snacks and sweets!

Minter, K. (2009). Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy. Nashville: Lifeway.

Food & Function, Hmm....

I am going back and forth between my previous Bible study and my current one.... Makes me feel schizophrenic! Today I am reflecting on Ruth: Loss, Love, & Legacy, but also including elements of No Other Gods (both by Kelly Minter). I read the following during Lent 2010:

Obedience to God is often wrought with a slew of obstacles that persuade us to change our minds.... Obedience might mean having to make the same choice several times in a week, month, or year (p. 24, emphasis mine).

Wow! Isn't that the Truth? This hit particularly close to home during Lent because of the tradition in giving something up for the season. Honestly, I have never been really serious about giving things up for Lent. My hesitance comes from my desire to avoid spiritualizing food; however, my heart is changing as I better understand addictions and functional gods.

Food for me is a functional god. I need it to sustain me, and it is inherently a good thing, but I use it to fill needs beyond what is healthy. When I refuse to say, "No." to more than I need, then I am plagued with either guilt, or discomfort. From there, my physical and emotional health is in jeopardy. Satan loves this god within me, darn it!

Ruth's response defines "the art of prolonged obedience" (p. 24) - a great example to follow in the midst of addressing addictions and functional gods. Naomi attempted to persuade Ruth to stay home. Ruth faced a decision involving obedience that necessitated persistence - not an easy place to be in life! God is showing me that food is the functional god to address with Him right now. It is in my face nearly 24/7. It is a typical life issue that requires persistent decisions over time. As I give it God, I am in a great position to mature in terms of obedience. In facing this idol, I am depending on God for guidance and strength more than any other area in my life.

Another functional god of mine, for another blog day, is CONTROL! Yikes!

Functional & False

Question to myself that you might be interested in: Why do I blog?

Answer to myself that you might be interested in: First, writing is my preferred mode of personal processing, and I enjoy leaving a "trail of words" to reflect upon later. Second, there in a some level of fulfillment in sharing my thoughts with others (though it is much more fulfilling to share F2F). And, if God uses my thoughts to assist anyone in pursuing Him, then there is great purpose in my sharing.

Did I tell you how excited I am about my new Bible study??? Today's QT did not disappoint. Kelly Minter's No Other Gods (2007) is touching my core, and I am only through Session 1/Day 1! Today I considered my false gods by defining them as functional.

Functional gods are those areas of life that I pursue in order to fulfill a deep craving. Many functional gods are not inherently evil. For example, I say that I believe God will provide for me, but I spend lots of time providing for myself beyond my actual needs. There is a fine line between wisdom and "over-attachment to something that is, in itself, perfectly good" (p. 15). Working is good and Godly, but working to have more and more stuff may very easily become an addiction. Eating is necessary to live, right? Unhealthy eating may very easily become an addiction that I use to meet a need within me that only God can meet. Money and food are examples of functional gods, and so are comfort, the pursuit of happiness, and the need for love and respect. All of these examples are good - to a point....

As Minter says, "A professed god is who or what we say our god is; a functional god is who or what actually operates as our god" (p. 15).

Good stuff - check our Kelly's Bible studies!

NOG: This is going to be Great!!

My new Bible study came in the mail this weekend It is another one authored by Kelly Minter. The title is No Other Gods: Confronting Our Modern-Day Idols. Minter's personal reflections quickly caught my attention:

"For so much of my life I worshiped God: singing hymns, reading my Bible, confessing my belief in Him. Yet, if you could have witnessed what controlled me, you would have seen that in many cases it was my idols. Not carved images, but people, career paths, materialism, acceptance, and more" (p. 12).

The key scripture for this study is 2 Kings 17:33 and 41 (New International Version):

³³ They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. 

⁴¹ Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

Oh, this is going to be a great journey!! 

Weep Forward

For the past few days, I have been sharing tidbits from my latest Bible study - "Ruth: Loss, Love, & Legacy" by Kelly Minter.

In Session 1, Day 4, Kelly introduces the concept of "weeping forward." She writes, "Although there will be weeping in this life, the direction in which we weep is what truly matters" (p. 22). Hmmm, interesting thought, isn't it? Kelly guided me to take a look at the Apostle Paul (Acts 20:22, 36-38) and the Rich Young Man (Mark 10:17-22), as examples of people weeping in a certain direction. Paul's grief pushed him into the unknown, while the Rich Young Man's grief kept him from wholeheartedly following God.

As I read and pondered these ideas of Kelly's, I was faced with questions about directions. At times, such questions make me want to crawl in a cave and sleep (or eat) until everything goes away. In studying the Book of Ruth, with Kelly Minter and her NOGS, such questions about directions inspired me to "weep forward" straight into unknown territory. Yes, I will weep many tears in the coming days of transition, but I will look ahead through wet eyes to embrace the future God is preparing for me and my family.

Escaping or Obeying

Way back in February, I had to personally process the following quote in Minter's (2009) Bible study:

"Escaping to easier terrain is all too tempting when we're weary in hardship" (p. 14).

As I prepared my curriculum vitae for Northwest Nazarene University, and as I pondered my excitement for an invitation to interview, I had to focus upon my motivation for this pursuit. Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, left their homeland in pursuit of food and prosperity. It was not a choice that God had given them, but they pushed forward on their own accord. In pursuing a move to Idaho over staying in Ohio, Steve and I had to seek God for direction. Were we escaping, or were we obeying? How would we know the answer to that question?

I believe the need to process the question made the roller coaster of a journey, and the waiting, worthwhile. In the midst of the in-between, and in the midst of waiting, it is all too easy to be overcome with anxiety. This kind of anxiety is not of God. During these times, I sought God for specific direction and answers. During the wait, I found peace for either direction - to stay, or to go. I found myself dwelling in the contentment of the here and now until God drew me elsewhere.

Now, in the midst of the transition, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is drawing us towards this change. Such knowledge changes everything. It brings healing to hardship, it soothes anxious nerves, and strengthens weary minds.

"God's ways are not always the most practical, popular, or unopposed, but they are the most blessed" (Minter, 2009, p. 17).

Minter, K. (2009). Ruth: Loss, love & legacy. Nashville: Lifeway.