Mighty Throng of Women

"The LORD announces the word, and the women who proclaimed it are a mighty throng." (Ps. 68:11).

I have been reading through the Bible since 1992 and God still surprises me with His Word.

Today, I am caught by the fact that this passage says women!  Wait!  Women are the proclaimers of the Word given by God. Hmmm.

I had to go do some research. Does it really say women in the original language?

First, we need to know that the author is King David. This is a Psalm talking about God leading the nation of Israel in victory.

Second, we must note that God is the One giving the word.  The word here for word is good news or the word we get evangelism from.

Third, a battle has happened. The enemy has scattered and God has protected the vulnerable ones.

Fourth, it is the women who proclaimed this good news.

So, why are women the proclaimers? 

Well, consider when the men went off to war, the women stayed home waiting for their return. Upon their arrival the women would set up the celebration and declare the good news. This might have included songs, dance, food, and praising God for what He had accomplished. They would go out celebrating and declaring to everyone about what God had done to bring back their men and that the enemy scattered.

The women would be the frontline in declaring the good news of victory.

With that said I still wanted to know if the Hebrew text said women. It did. In Hebrew this word was feminine plural and a feminine suffix. It was meant to be women. Some translations will use the word "those" but it was meant to be women.

"The LORD announces a word and the women who proclaimed it are a mighty throng."

Immediately, my mind goes to Matthew 28:1-10 and Luke 24:1-10. God chose women as His first messengers in spreading the goodness of Jesus.

I am a part of the mighty throng of women who proclaim the Good News of the victory we have in Jesus.

This verse so ministered to me today. I hope it encourages you or causes you to go encourage the women who are faithful around you.

It is so important to be in the Word, to be with Jesus, so we can be transformed.

Shalom, y'all! 

In the Name of Jesus

God never ceases to amaze. Honestly, I wonder at God allowing me to do what I do. As I prepared, I thought, why did I add this story in Acts 3:1-10 to my To Go and To Grow workbook? There isn't as much depth as I would like and then to top it off it was the week I was to teach them the process of an I AM POEM.

Once again, God taught me a lesson. LOL. Since, I was teaching them a poem strategy I didn't want to spend time with them creating the ONE WORD OUTLINE so I sat down to do it. As I created the divisions and wrote my simple outline, I noticed that the very middle phrase was in the Name of Jesus. Now, I froze and got goosebumps. It doesn't happen often but on occasion when I create my ONE WORD OUTLINE God will allow me to catch a hint in English what the chaism in Hebrew might be. The Hebrew writers would write a story so that the very middle will reveal the key point of the story. 

For this story, it is so important for us to know and catch that Peter is not the giver of the healing. Peter is not the focus. It is Jesus. This was so important for the early church testimony to the Jews. What was happening was all done in the Name of Jesus! Jesus is ALL POWERFUL. 

Of course, I know this but to catch it in a story that I was grousing at myself for choosing humbled me and delighted me in Jesus. He is sooo cool. I love it when He just shuts me up and shows me His glory.

They loved it! As we did the poem, God so caught them off guard. One lady said to me, "Teacher, I didn't know I could approach Scripture with my emotions. I thought I could only look at it for knowledge. This is so much deeper." We discussed that both knowledge and emotion are important in studying God's Word. We cannot emphasize one or the other. 

Another said, "I will use this with my family." I love this so much. She brought up how it helped reveal the faith.

This brought about the discussion of whose faith was the focus? The lame man, Peter, or the crowd? We discussed that after denying Christ Peter needed to have his own faith strengthened as he became a leader for the new church. Imagine what it did to Peter after reaching out and grabbing the man's right hand to see him dance and praise God!

Y'all, it is so important to be in the Word, be with Jesus, so we can be transformed.

Shalom, y'all!

It' not fair!

How to handle complaints,

a common grief we share.

There is always someone in the crowd who will cry,

"It's not fair. "

Listen up! 

Choose wisely!

Keep your priorities straight,

let the teachers teach,

keep your hearts turned to prayer,

seek the ones called to serve,

ensure all are Holy Spirit filled!

Then watch as the Spirit moves,

The church will grow as obedience grows.

Is it because of the laying of hands and prayer? 

Or is it the Spirit moving among them? 

The answer is yes!

The common thread will be

both draw you closer

to the one who in heaven BE! 

I wrote this poem this morning after reflecting on Acts 6:1-7. 

My Bible study feels dull after spending significant time deeply studying a section because I discover so much. So, I am using the strategies of what I teach as I spend time in the Word. I am seeking the Creator to create in me and it is so much fun taking a principle and trying to create with it. It requires deeper reflection and meditation on the truths held with in.

When symbol and simple sketches help tell the story

When symbol helps us tell the story...

When the first day didn't allow us to introduce using simple sketches, I really struggled internally if I should even introduce it because of the delays. But when I train my leaders, I always say, "Trust the process and trust the story." Since, this is a core value in my training. I trusted the process even when I struggled internally. I am so glad I did.

One leader that didnt say anything the first day spoke up after learning how to tell a story with simple symbols or stick figures. 

"Now, I feel I can tell the story. Since, I do not read or write this helps me to know how to share the story." 

He shared ALOT! This simple activity awakened in him a skill of honor. He felt better equipped because he was given a tool that matched his learning style. Since, he can't read or write no one had introduced to him how he could use the power of visual to help him remember things.

Here is a truth we should never forget. Just because a person hasn't been taught how to read or write does not mean that they cannot be a visual learner. We do a disservice to him if we do not provide the best strategy to help him discover and grow. We ministered to his learning style and he was ignited! This was one highlight I will never forget. His smile was radiant! 

The other, "Oh my goodness!" highlight happened when another man who could not read or write said, "When I was young and had the chance to learn how to read and write. I didn't care. I didn't listen. I messed around. But, now that I see how much the Bible says and has in it, I want to learn to read and write so I can know what the Bible says." The process of learning the 6 Acts and then drilling into the book of Acts revealed to him how vast is the story of God.

Both of these glorious quotes followed the activity of learning to tell the story through visual symbols and simple sketches. I could not have orchestrated what happened. Only God could do that, but there is something to be said about providing each group an opportunity to experience the many ways of encountering God's Word. 

God's Word is meant to be spoken, written, illustrated, and experienced! Amen! Amen!

Shalom, y'all!

Morning Cluck

One of my favorite things in Africa and in Israel is hearing the roosters crow at all hours of the day and night. Lol. Somehow, it just lends to greater atmosphere as I experience a new culture. Maybe it is because it reminds me of the country life in which I grew up in. 

This past week my friend, Gomer, cracked a joke when another friend,  Joshua, posted a picture of a chicken. 

"Morning Cluck."

I laughed so hard I knew I needed to paint a rooster and name it, "Morning cluck."

Thanks for the inspiration guys. I had great delight painting tonight.

My failed image

Sometimes as I am creating I panic because I really messed up. This seems to be a moment when I feel like it looks hideous and I just wasted good paper. But, I have learn that if I keep pressing in or through the ugh I might discover something beautiful. 

This piece supposed to be blue flowers. They were so bad I actually thought of ripping it up. Lol. I haven't done that yet mostly because I am trying to track my progress as I learn. So I decided to through away the idea of a simple flower I was trying so hard to crreate and I started creating uses sponges. 

It now feels very impressionistic. And I like it. It grew on me. 

Initially, I jokingly said to myself when I was creating, "Hmmmm, so my failed images become impressionsm." 

Did you know that "impressionism" the term was considered derogatory when it was first used about Monet. He didn't paint with a traditional stroke so he was criticized, but in time his style became a genre.

What kind of disciplemaker are you?

What kind of disciplemaker are you? 

Today as I pondered a lesson I learned many years ago I decided to try to paint the concept.

It takes 15 to 16 years before an elephant can have a baby. The gestation period is 22 months. They may have 12 babies in their lifetime.

Elephants are slow to start, slow to produce, and only have a few. They are fiercely loyal and stick to their pack. 

A rabbit starts having babies around 5 to 6 months. Their pregnancy only lasts 31 days. They can have 6 to 12 bunnies at a time. They might have 3 to 4 litters a year. Theoretically, a couple could have with their offspring 4 million babies in 4 years.

Rabbits are fast and productive. They fill a warren with a family unit. Their family structure is very communal and they stick together but each have their own place in the warren. Some rabbits might come and go but for the most part they stick together. They are rapid reproducers.

I am curious. In your culture, which one would be valued more as a reproducer?