Sunday, October 19, 2008

So long?

Brothers and Sisters,

I'm so sorry I haven't faithfully kept this blog up-to-date! My entire Christian walk is like that: on fire for a while, then cool off for a while. These next few weeks are busy around our house, but I will begin anew in November focusing on War of Words. Over the past few months, my collection of Christian literature was grown exponentially, so I'd love to work through War of Words and then move on to another title. I pray you'll hang around and walk with me.

I have a few prayer request for you.
1.) My daughter turned three this month. We're hosting her b'day party at our home next weekend. Please pray for beautiful weather, fun fellowship, and safe travel for those that will be coming into town for the festivity. Also, please pray that I can manage my time well so that I can accomplish all that needs to get done.

2.) On October 28th, my daughter has an appt with her foot doctor that will tell us if her corrective shoes have fixed the problem with her club foot or if we will need surgery again. When we saw him in July, surgery seemed inevitable, but perhaps God is working a miracle with her foot. We accept His will, surgery or not. Please pray for us as we travel to her appt and for her doctor as he makes the best medical decision for our little girl. I will update when we know more after the appointment.

I would love to pray for you. Please leave any prayer request you have in a comment or e-mail me directly at nataliebenson at cox dot net . It is an honor and a privilege to pray for you.

I'll meet you back here in early November. Grab yourself a cup of hot chocolate and something to snuggle in. We've got some catching up to do!

In Christ,
Natalie

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Return

Hello friends!!

I WILL be back by the end of this week!!!!

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Word in the Flesh, Part 1

I come to this place with my head hung. I can not possibly believe that two weeks have passed since I last posted here. I knew maintaining two blogs would be difficult, but that is not the only reason I've been tardy in posting. Quite honestly, these past two weeks have been a blur of end-of-summer activities at our household. The next ten days don't look much better!

I have been praying for you. I've been praying for this place. I've been reading some great material lately and reflecting on it as the Lord is doing great works in me. He is changing me. I feel it inside my heart and inside my head. What a glorious feeling that is. I can't believe this is the first time in my life I've TRULY felt changed, called the study his Holy Word, to learn more. There is a yearning inside of me that can't be quenched.

Chapter Three in the War of Words is SO intense that I know I will need to reflect on it in two, if not three, posts. In this chapter, Tripp begins to teach the gospel. What a beautiful story it is.

Here are a few of my notes to myself from the margins that I scrawled as I read along:
**Oh, poor H--how I hurt him over his new clothes without even realizing how much! I must apologize.
**Jesus is the light; we are the darkness, and yet we STILL do not understand
**I feel so hopeless as I realize how short I fall
**That's it exactly!

I underline, starred, highlighted one line that Tripp wrote, "How deep is our need!" (pg. 35) In chapter three, Tripp gets right to the heart of the matter. That our need is so great, so vast, so deep, that there is only one way it can be met: On the cross.

God does not set a standard expecting us to meet it in our own human strength. He sends his son and the Word became flesh.

I was so struck by the passage from James 3: 7-8
"All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

Tripp says, "The tongue is humanly untameable!" So, this blog is adequately named.

Our war of words is not a struggle of flesh and blood. God would not have sent his Son if it were. Our war is a deeply spiritual one--it is a problem with the human heart.

The next portion of the text is so profound that I want to honor it with a separate post.

I have a few prayer requests. I come to you completely transparent in my need for prayer tonight. However, I realize that this a very public forum. I want to honor those that I am asking prayer for by not sharing their identities and protecting their privacy.

1.) A young man and his wife are expecting their first child very soon. Please pray for peace as the day comes closer for the arrival of their precious child.
2.) A young man is searching for his place in this fallen world. Please pray that the Lord would move in his heart and give him clarity.
3.) My sweet girl has a doctor's appt tomorrow. I know what I want the results to be. Please pray that we love the new doctor and that God works through him.
4.) I have three friends who are pregnant. Two more of us are trying. Please pray that the Lord's will is done for all of us.
5.) A family is grieving the loss of a mother and grandmother right now who was unexpectedly called home. Please pray for comfort that only the Lord can provide.
6.) Please pray for rest for me as school resumes next week. The thought of returning to work is overwhelming and exhausting. I find full-time mothering so rewarding, yet it is not the Lord's plan for our family right now. I need peace as I prepare to return to work.

I am praying for you, my silent readers. You are loved and covered in prayer.

Dear Lord,
Our need is SO deep. We live in a fallen world. We are sinners. We struggle when we communicate with each other, with you, with ourselves. Please, Lord, work through us so that others will see Your Glory in our lives. Let us whisper the gospel with every task we attempt. Thank you for sending your precious Son to bear our sins on the cross, for without that sacrifice, we would continue to live separated from you. I pray for every person that comes to this place. That I might point them to You. That Paul David Tripp's message will speak to their hearts and create a yearning to strong in them to know You more and to love You more deeply.
In Christ I pray,
Amen

Monday, July 7, 2008

Satan Speaks, Round 2

Here we are again, in the middle of Chapter 2 of War of Words.

I feel as if I should have some reservation in continuing with this particular chapter because the scripture speaks so clearly to my own sinful heart.

Oh, speaking of scripture, my brother recommended a Study Bible and I ordered it today. I can't wait for to arrive so I can really get into The Word.

Back to Satan Speaks. Tripp provides SO. MANY scripture references here that it is overwhelming. I want to give you just a few. That is one reason I so love this book. Tripp's experiences and his work is so very, very grounded in the Word of God.

Tripp quotes a portion of James 3. I want to give you my favorite portion of this section:
"All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

Brothers and sisters, let us think quietly about that for just a moment.

Isn't that so true? Lions and tigers are tamed for circus acts, horses are broken so they can be ridden, dolphins are contained so we can swim with them. Yet we can not control the very words that come from our own lips. A single part of our own bodies are beyond our control. My heart aches with this admission.

Tripp also gives many examples from Proverbs that shows so clearly "the war of words that is so much a part of life in our fallen world." (pg. 26)

I could reprint every single reference and give a specific example of how it relates to my own experiences, but I'll just list a few. Think about them. What do they say to you? Let's talk about them.

If you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth,
then do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor's hands:
Go and humble yourself;
press your plea with your neighbor! (Proverbs 6:2-3)

There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. (Proverbs 6: 16-19)

A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies.
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. (Proverbs 12:17-19)

He who loves a quarrel loves sin;
he who builds a high gate invites destruction. (Proverbs 17:19)

And my personal favorite:
Better to live on the corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. (Proverbs 21:9)

Talk about conviction! Tripp says, "With our talk, either we are imaging our Creator and Lord, or we are imaging the Serpent, Satan." (pg. 26) There is no gray area. Either we are speaking truth and love, honoring our Father, or we are dishonoring our Father and speaking lies.

"We often have descended to the standard of the Father of Lies, the one who deceives, divides, and destroys--Satan himself." (pg. 29) I teach the 2 and 3 year old Sunday School class. Just this past Sunday, IN THE LORD'S HOUSE, I did this very thing. A grandparent of one of my student's asked if we enjoyed something she gave us. Instead of truthfully admitting that we had not used it yet, I replied, "Oh, yes. Thank you very much." As a culture, we accept those little white lies. However, once that little lie has been spoken, the next one is easier, and the next one easier after that. Suddenly, I find myself dismissing truth and allowing myself to use a little deception here, a little over there. I just sprinkle it around.

On page 29, Tripp makes the following statements. I asked myself if I was guilty of each statement. I'm sure you can guess the response.

We have laid traps with our mouths. (Have you?)
We have seduced with our words. (Have you?)
Our talk has stirred up dissension. (Has it?)
We have said too much and spoken in haste. (Have you?)
Our words have been reckless. (Has yours?)
We have given in to gossip and in our anger our words have been malicious. (Have you?)
We have been quarrelsome. (Have you?)
At times, we have delighted to air our own opinions. (Have you?)
We have given in to mocking humor. (Have you?)
We have betrayed the confidence of others with our words. (Have you?)

So now that we realize that our words are not only rooted in goodness, do not always glorify God, but are also rooted in sin, in the way of the Serpent, what do we do? How do we shun the lie and accept the truth? Tripp says that we must confess that our "communication struggle is not primarily a struggle of technique, but a struggle of the heart. Our war of words is not with our people; it is a battle within." (pg. 30)

Since beginning this book study, I am becoming so aware of this battle within myself. I find that when I snap at my husband or speak harshly to my child, I realize immediately that I am not honoring God. That I am abusing my parental authority, that I am dividing, destroying, not supporting, helping, changing.

Tripp closes this chapter with a delightful verse of grace. There is hope for us!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Praise God! Isn't He so good to us??

Tripp provides some reflective questions at the end of each chapter. Do you want me to provide some for your reflection? (Ahem...I'm trying to prompt you to leave me a little comment.)

I think 56 of you have stopped by. You are choosing not to comment and I certainly respect that. But know that I continue to pray for you. My prayer today covers all of you. I'm asking the Lord to expose your communication struggles to you. Are you destroying, dividing, causing dissension? I want the Lord to make you painfully aware. I want the Lord to make me painfully aware. I want us to go to the Cross together, asking the Lord to change us: to change our hearts so that we might make this place more holy, so that our families are more peaceful, so that we change the face of our homes, our workplaces, our friendships.

I'm also going to ask Him to give you a little nudge so that I know who you are...go ahead, click the comment button, push a few buttons. Tell me you were here.

In Christ,
Natalie

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Home again

We returned safely from our trip. What a special time we had together as a family. We plan to return several times during the next twelve months--our special little hide away.

My sister-in-law, her boys, and I "survived" the funeral last Thursday without incident. God was merciful to our needs and protected us from any type of confrontation. In fact, there was not even an opportunity for any type of communication. The gossip in me would really like to give you all the mean, gory, unkind details of why these relationships are so strained, but I will not.

While we were away, I was just so aware of our great country and the men and women who sacrifice so that we can live in freedom. We were so fortunate to be in a place with at least 40,000 people who enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July show together. During one point, the national anthem was played. As far as my eyes could see, every single person stood with respect for our nation. The family next to us was Hispanic. I did not hear them speak any English to each other, but they stood during the national anthem with their hands on their hearts.

There are people on this earth, brothers and sisters in Christ, who can not openly worship. They are persecuted and jailed or mocked and beaten for serving the same Lord that I serve. Despite all the problems of our nation, we live in a very special place. And I am so thankful.

Alright, all 52 visitors. I'm praying for you. Please know that tomorrow when I am corporate worship with my church family, I will be praying for this place and for you. I will prepare the second post on Chapter 2 for Monday. Let me know if you stop by between now and then. Just a little hi is good enough!

Happy 4th of July...a day late.

In Christ,
Natalie

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Prayer Requests

I realize I'm leaving you hanging for the rest of Chapter 2.

However, I have some prayer requests for you tonight.

1.) My paternal grandmother suffered a stroke this morning. Please pray for guidance for my father's family.

2.) My youngest brother got upsetting news about a job that he has been actively persuing and thought all was going well.

3.) My husband and I must attend a funeral tomorrow. There will be two people there who we have basically no contact with--this is extremely difficult for my husband and his brother and our families. My precious nephews will be there. Please pray that there will not be an incident and that we can support the family who has lost their mother. We are not there for ourselves, but to love, support and mourn as part of a community. It will not be easy. I would do anything to protect my nephews, just as I know my SIL would (and will).

4.) My church has a new pastoral intern joining staff Sunday. They were prepared to close on a house today when something fell threw. The husband and the children have had the flu since Sunday. I pray that the wife does not get it and that they can find another house quickly that suits their needs.

5.) My husband, daughter, and I are going on a little vacation tomorrow after the funeral. We are thrilled to be going away together for a few days! We will be back Saturday evening. I'll post the rest of Chapter 2 early next week.

I see that this site has had 45 visitors. I'm praying for you. I know you are stopping by. Please leave a little message so I know who you are! My prayers right now are something like this: "Lord, please protect number 43. I pray that he/she has accepted you and is learning something from this site--that Your presence is here and that You are touching his/her life through the words on the screen." Or "Lord, I don't know the needs of number 36. I pray that he/she is bringing them to You now." Or "I don't know the people who are visiting this site. Please give me the perfect words to speak to their hearts so that they may know Your word more truthfully." If you leave me a little comment I can pray more specifically for you!!! I sure would love to be praying for number 150 when I get back from my little trip!

In Christ,
Natalie

Monday, June 30, 2008

Satan Speaks

I spent some quiet time tonight preparing for this post. As I thought about this chapter in War of Words, I realized that I really want to accurately reflect what Paul David Tripp has written, as well as reference scripture correctly. If any of you are Bible scholars and could provide insight into the scriptural references, PLEASE, I beg you, do so. I want to learn and grow through this. I want to be challenged and stretched.

As I was preparing and thinking, I realized that I haven't given you much of an overview of this book. Being the good teacher that I am, I used the resources available to me: the Table of Contents. Tripp has a clear and concise plan for his delivery of this book. I'd like to share that with you now.

Part One: Talk is Not Cheap
God Speaks
Satan Speaks
The Word in the Flesh
Idol Words

Part Two: A new Agenda for Our Talk
He is King!
Following the King for All the Wrong Reasons
Speaking for the King
Getting to the Destination
Citizens in Need of Help
On the King's Mission

Part Three: Winning the War of Words
First Things First
Winning the War of Words
Choosing Your Words

I hope you can see where we are and where we are going. It was helpful for me to look over that. There are definitely some chapters that have piqued my interest.

Back to Satan Speaks.

I knew at the beginning of this chapter it would make me emotional. I tend to cry easily. My feelings are plastered all over my sleeves.

Imagine a perfect world. God with His people. His people in perfect fellowship with each other. No sin.

Enter Serpent stage left.

Loud sobbing from the second row, isle seat. That's me. I wanted to cry (and sometimes did) each time I read this chapter (which is three times now). I yearn to live in that perfect communion with God. To understand perfectly and to be understood perfectly.

It was not to be.

In Genesis 3, several things happened.

God has instructed Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden or they will die. Eve has an encounter with Satan himself, present in the form of a serpent. Satan convinces Eve that she will not die, but will become LIKE God and know good and evil. Eve believes the lie, eats of the fruit, convinces Adam to eat of the fruit.

IN THAT MOMENT, all things change. At that bite, the world is altered for the rest of history.

This is life changing for me--what is to come. I was taught the story of Adam and Eve as a young child. In my mind it went something like this: There was a man and a woman. They lived in a garden. God told them not to eat apples. A snake told the woman to eat one of the forbidden apples. Now we have sin.

Oh, boy, do we ever!!! This is so much bigger than "now we have sin."

Tripp points out all the "firsts" that come with this passage of scripture.

For the first time:
1.) the authority of God is challenged. (pg. 20)
2.) an interpretation of life differs from God's. (pg. 21)
3.) a lie is spoken. (pg. 22)
4.) people spoke against each other. (pg. 23)

These four "firsts" plague our communication today. They are the war of words.

"Many of the problems we experience when talking with one another emerge from the fact that we have usurped the authority of God: We say what we want to say, when and how we want to say it." (pg. 20)

Prior to the serpent encouraging Eve to sample the forbidden fruit, claiming that what God had said was untrue, Adam and Eve lived in perfect submission to God. The world was forever altered when God's authority was challenged.

One of my favorite lines from this chapter is "Word problems are often interpretation problems." I can not begin to tell you how many arguments my husband and I have had where we are arguing the same exact point, but so differently and so passionately that we don't realize we actually want the same thing. Our interpretations are so vastly different that we don't understand what the other person is saying.

Until the moment the serpent spoke, not a lie had been spoken between Adam and Eve, or between God and his creation. Every conversation has been perfectly truthful. Then a lie was spoken. Tripp says, "Every word we speak is rooted either in the truth or in a lie." There is no gray area.

One of the portions of this lesson in Genesis 3 that I've never considered before is when Adam accuses Eve. Instead of being an advocate for Eve, he throws her under the bus. That had never happened before. After eating the fruit, it is not only their relationship with God that changes, but their relationship with one another.

"Talk is not longer easy or safe." (pg. 25)

I'm going to stop here. Tripp has some fabulous scripture references that I want to reflect on tomorrow.

I am praying for you. I saw that 27 visitors have come to this site. I spent time praying for each of you today. I don't know your specific prayer needs. Feel free to leave a comment. I'm eager to have a dialog with you. Let's talk about what you think about this. Did it make you think about communication? Are you struggling to communicate clearly and effectively with someone? Can we pray together?

In Him,
Natalie

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Chapter Two

I had all intentions of beginning my posts for Chapter Two today.

I'm going to wait until Monday. I've got lots of thoughts and reactions to Chapter Two of War of Words--I want to take my time to work through Tripp's ideas and the scripture he uses. It might take me all week to reflect on the second chapter. Trust me...it's that GOOD!

I will give you a little nibble of the scripture:

"Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." Proverbs 21:9

Poor, poor H!

I want to make one disclaimer about this blog. I will most likely abuse every single form of APA or ALA or whatever other forms of notation are out there. I want everyone to know that I am reflecting on a text (War of Words) written by Paul David Tripp. When I am directly quoting something from his book, I will use quotation marks. If you choose to purchase a copy of his book, you will probably find that most things I write are his ideas. This is a place for my reflections to his work. I want to honor him as the author of a book that is causing me to closely evaluate myself. I will constantly remind the readers of this blog that these are not my original ideas, only my reflections on them and my journal of my Christian walk. If you have questions or I am unclear about one of Tripp's points, PLEASE ask me. I want to clearly and accurately represent his ideas.

I look forward to meeting you here Monday. I would be very honored to pray for you. Please feel free to leave any prayer requests in your comments or just leave a comment and know that I will be praying for you. I'm praying for this space--that it will glorify God and that all who come here will sense His presence.

In Christ,
Natalie

Friday, June 27, 2008

God Speaks

As we all know, words are powerful, important, significant.

As an adult who was raised in the church by Christian parents, I tend to take Christianity for granted. I don't have a big conversion story. There is no great before I was a Christian, now I am a Christian defining moment in my life. As a young teenager, I realized I needed Christ and I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. My walk with Christ has not been straight. There are times in my life when I was far, far, far, far, probably as far away from the Lord as one can be. In the past 5 years or so as I've been drawn closer and closer, I'm realizing just how significant "Christianity" is. It is not something that fits in a box. It is not something that applies to only one aspect of my life. It's not something I can only do on Sundays, or when I'm at church, or when it comes up in conversation, or whenever I feel like.

"The fall" is bigger than the first sin. Sin is HUGE.

Faith is more than believing that God exists. Faith is enormous.

These things are too big to be shoved around, manipulated to serve my purpose. The image that comes to mind is a tiny ant pushing a mountain. My entire life, I've tried to use Christianity to my advantage. I've been that ant trying to boss around the mountain.

Oh, how I am humbled. Oh, how the Lord is teaching me.

In War of Words, the first chapter is God Speaks. I'm not sure that I have enough time to begin discussing the significance of this chapter, so I'm going to be brief. As brief as possible for me, which probably means not very brief.

Tripp has a gift for making me say:
"Wow!"
"Really?"
"I never thought of that!"
"Oh, Lord, this is way bigger than I ever thought."

The first time I had a reactive thought was to this sentence: "You do not really understand the significance of words until you realize that the first words humans heard were not the words of another human being, but the words of God!"

Before the fall, God, Adam and Eve, were in perfect communication with each other. He created Adam and Eve, then He spoke openly and freely WITH them. Perhaps that doesn't amaze you the way it amazed me. God, the Creator of the Universe, spoke plainly enough in words that Adam and Eve could understand! He was not hiding in silence, letting Adam and Eve figure things out on their own. He was explaining Himself to them, explaining their world to them. He was communing with them.

When Adam and Eve spoke to each other, it glorified God. There was no miscommunication. They understood perfectly what the other person meant. Their words were kind, thoughtful, and loving. Their words were perfect because they were designed by the Lord to glorify Himself and each other.

Tripp makes another point that takes my breath away. I had never considered the fact that Adam and Eve were LIKE God because they had the ability to talk. No other animal in creation has the ability to communicate through words--God set Adam and Eve apart by giving them the skills to communicate perfectly.

All this changed at the bite of the apple.

Words do three things: define, explain, and interpret.

I must copy two paragraphs directly from Tripp at the end of Chapter 1. They are too powerful to ignore.

". . .Our words belong to the Lord. He is the Great Speaker. The wonder, the signifcance, the glory of human communication has its roots in his glory and in his decision to talk with us and allow us to talk with him and others. God has unlocked the doors of truth to us, using words as his key. The only reason we understand anything is that he has spoken. Words belong to God, but he has lent them to us so that we might know him and be used by him.

This means that words do not belong to us. Every word we speak must be up to God's standard and according to his design. They should echo the Great Speaker and reflect his glory. When we lose sight of this, our words lose their only shelter from difficulty. Talk was created by God for his purpse. Our words belong to him." (Tripp, pg. 15)

I can't begin to tell you how short I've fallen today of glorifying God by speaking words that are up to His standard.

Tripp provides some questions for his readers to consider. I'm just going to leave you with a few.

--Does your talk with others lead to biblical problem solving?
--Does you talk have a "stand together" or a "me against him/her/them" posture?
--Do your words encourage others to be open and honest about their thoughts and feelings?
--Are you approachable and teachable or defensive and self-protective when talking with others?
--Does your talk encourage faith and personal spiritual growth in those around you?

In Him,
Natalie

How this came to be

Recently I've felt called to study more, learn more, read more. As a teacher, I've realized for a while how little I really know about so many things.

As a Christian, I find the Bible, God's infallible word, completely overwhelming. Yet I am yearning for more knowledge right now. This summer, I am participating in a young mother's Bible Study with some dear friends of mine. This is barely touching the thirst I have for more knowledge. This week I'm teaching VBS and I realize how little I really know God's word. Yet, I struggle to find (make) time to read and ultimately understand scripture.

However, when I read a commentary or a teacher's manual, I'm astounded by the depth of God's love for us, my own inability to met the standard of perfection and my intense, complete need for the "rescue that only Jesus, the living Word and our Redeemer, can provide." (Tripp, pg. 41)

I'm reading a book entitled "War of Words" by Paul David Tripp. I was enthralled by the end of the first page. So, this space came to be so that I have a place to reflect on my reading, a sacred place to record my journey as I learn more. After I finish reading War of Words, I'll move on to another text. I'll continue to use this space for reflection.

I'd love some dialog. If you'd like read War of Words, feel free to pick up a copy from your local book store or on-line. If you'd just like to respond to my reflection, I'd certainly enjoy that, too. I'm not afraid of some hot debate, although I won't tolerate bashing. If this isn't a forum that you enjoy or want to participate in, I ask you to respectfully honor this as my sacred place to learn and grow in God's grace. This will most definitely be a space that is prayed for and about and that contains Christian content. I will be honored to pray for you and with you--just leave me a comment.

Because it is already 12:30 and tomorrow is my last day teaching the four and five year olds at Vacation Bible School, I will begin posting my reflections of War of Words tomorrow.

In Christ,
Natalie