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 21, 2008
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
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
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
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
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