Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!

^Elizabeth:

¹ And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they ^[a]asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had ^[b]given to Israel. ² Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who couldlisten with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. ³ He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from ^[c]early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law. ⁴ Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand. ⁵ Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶ Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. ⁷ Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, the Levites, explained the law to the people while the peopleremained in their place. ⁸ They read from the book, from the law of God, ^[d]translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.

“This Day Is Holy”

 ⁹ Then Nehemiah, who was the ^[e]governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” ¹¹ So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” ¹² All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to ^[f]celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.

It has been quite some time since I have last blogged, or since we have last blogged actually. Allison and I have been super caught up in the everyday tasks of life that unfortunately we haven’t been as faithful to our reading and blogging as we would like. So, with that said, we are writing about Nehemiah…uhm, yeah, we did skip blogging few books…oops! I can assure you that we did actually read them and we had conversation about them. However, it’s just too much to cover in one blog entry, so we will blog about what we have most recently read and that is Nehemiah.

Nehemiah…hmmm…what to talk about. All I know is that I really like that name! Would be such a cute young boy’s name.

Nehemiah 8:1-12 really stood out to me. In this passage, Ezra who is the priest reads the law to people and then they mourn and then Nehemiah tells them to stop mourning and to go rejoice and celebrate by eating and drinking merrily. Hmmmm…interesting.  In my mind I picture a church service of sorts outside. I see a robed man coming before crowds of people, standing at a podium and reading scripture. I picture the crowds bowing before him and attentively listening, as they listen to the text, they gradually face their heads to the ground (I think the text mentions that their heads are to the ground at some point.) in reverence to the law that is being read to them. Then I see them crying because of what is being read, and as I see them crying, I can’t exactly tell why they’re crying, but they are showing emotion. Then after Ezra leaves the “podium” of where he was standing all of the sudden Nehemiah, the governor, appears and he says “Why are you crying? Stop it! Eat yummy food and drink fine wines and be happy. Celebrate this day, for it is holy to the Lord.”

Now, you probably read it differently than I did, but that’s what I saw happening. I’m at first really confused why the crowds are engaged and reverent to the law that is being read and then they’re all of the sudden crying. Then when Nehemiah pops up, they quickly change emotions and are happy because they were told to be. When I talked to a good friend of mine, he explained to me that the people are crying because they’re hearing all of the laws being read to them and they see that they are failing and they haven’t been keeping the law as they should. Ohhhhhh….now that makes a bit more sense. However, crying over laws that haven’t been kept still seems silly. I understand that these people are realizing that they haven’t been loyal to the law and they feel ashamed, but that means they now have an opportunity to turn it around. Crying about it won’t do any good. But, there’s more to this than just law, clearly there are too many laws and too many demands that are expected of these people and they can’t possibly measure up, but God never disappears. He was present with them when they did mess up and He was present in this setting too, and guess what? He’s going to be present in future mistakes and successes. He will always be there. I really like verse 10 where Nehemiah says “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” It puts everything into perspective, while we may not do what is right all the time, or even be aware of the wrongs we’re doing, God is still there. Ultimately it is the joy He has for us that needs to be our strength. The joy that He has for us that never ends even we mess up, He’s there…and that is truly powerful.

As I envisioned this story earlier, I had the setting outdoors and what I imagine old-time biblical land to look like. I think this passage could easily find itself in church today. First off, how often do we really listen to the readings during church? Secondly, if and when we do, how do we respond to them? Is it with emotion or no emotion? For me, words in scripture haven’t brought tears to my eyes, but I have heard them seriously and powerfully. They have spoken to me, and have stirred up in me a desire to take leaps of faith, to serve my neighbor, to love stronger, and to be a better person. Whether good or bad, unlike the people in the passage from Nehemiah, I don’t feel like less of the person I should be from reading scripture, I hear the law, but realize I know and love a God that is much larger than that. I know a God who will help me through my weaknesses and mistakes. I have a God who is just as present when I mess up as when I succeed. I hope you come to hear the beauty in scripture, and know the love of God as you live your life.  “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength,” this day and always.

Allison:   It’s good to be back :)!  So Nehemiah.  As I read Nehemiah, I noticed the people turning back to God.  Again.  Story of my life.  And honestly, while part of me is so glad the nation of Israel doesn’t leave us with this perfect example of faithfulness (that I know I would never live up to), it is a little tiresome to hear about them turning back to God.  Again. 

But this time I noted the ceremony they follow in Chapter 9.  And this is probably something they’ve done before when they turn back to God as a nation, but it caught my attention.  They reiterate the history of their people, the history that God has been in, around and amidst since the beginning of time.  They begin with the creation story, and then recount how God chose Abram…Abraham, rescued them from Egypt, protected them as a young nation, gave them prophets and kings and showered mercy on them every time they turned back to God.  In this prayer is praise and confession, but also a reminder to themselves of how God has led them.  They speak of the love, mercy and faithfulness of God to their fickle nation, and they vow again, just as their ancestors did, to obey and serve God with every aspect of their lives—because while they know they won’t be perfect, they know life is better when they do.

Sometimes it’s really hard to remember where God has been in my life.  Satan often uses my poor memory to bring me down, to make me feel alone and forgotten.  And even though I know God is active in my life, I’m at my weakest when I just can’t seem to remember how.  But what if I were to be like the Israelites—taking time to think back and remember how God has led me to where I am?  I believe it would empower me.  I believe it would remind me that I’m not where I am by accident, but because that’s exactly where God has led me.  I believe it would challenge me to trust in God again, to take that oh-so-scary step off the edge of what I can “control” and act in faith.  Now I’m probably not going to be able to cover every faith moment in my life every single time.  But I challenge you to join with me in this.  Even if it’s just a short moment to remember how God has been active in your life in the past week.  Even if it’s just a running list of bullet points you add to.  There’s something so powerful about seeing where God has taken you, carried you and filled you; and it just might be the very strength we need to continue on.

Also, completely unintentional but completely awesome—this blog is so Thanksgiving-esque.  Eat yummy food, drink fine wine and be happy…all while remembering the goodness of God :)!

Strength  Remembrance  Thanksgiving

Sisters in Christ,

Allison & Elizabeth

Conquering Chronicles

Allison:  Happiness :)!!  As I sit down to write this (oops, long-overdue) blog, Elizabeth is on campus at TLU!!  Needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to her visit for a while :).  I’m super excited to get to hang out with her, even if it’s only for a short time.  I’ve come to realize just how much I take for granted the friends I can call up and go to dinner with on a whim.  Granted, some of my best friends live in other cities, so I knew exactly how it would be once we were no longer at school together.  But regardless, I love that I get to see her again. 

So onto 2 Chronicles, which we will be finishing up this week.  As I was reading through the book, this verse from chapter 19 caught my eye.

“Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment.  Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please the Lord.  He will be with you when you render the verdict in each case.  Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.”---2 Chronicles 19:6-7

So in these verses, King Jehoshaphat (awesome name!) is appointing judges for Judah.  He is basically creating this structure of authority that all ties back to the high priest.  So he appoints these judges, and they are sent out to keep order in the land.  But I love the instructions he gives to them.  Try this with me: take whatever you are—whether it’s your role in your family, your occupation, a leadership position—and think about what Jehoshaphat would say to you regarding that role.  He lays out four main points for their positions:

--Think carefully before you act

--Remember that you do whatever it is you do for the Lord

--Know that God is with you in every action you take

--Do whatever it is you do with integrity

What wise advice!  Isn’t it amazing that words spoken thousands of years ago can still ring truer than ever today?!  Technology changes, job titles change, but people do not.  And while it may be simple or obvious, I know these are things I often forget.  And how much more focused would our efforts be if we did keep these in mind?  Sure if you’re leading a bible study perhaps it’s pretty easy to see how these guidelines apply.  But what about as a teacher?  A doctor?  A financial analyst?  A friend?  A student?

This week I challenge you to consider how Jehoshaphat’s words of wisdom can ring true in your own life.  And even consider how the words spoken by kings and prophets and martyrs—all inspired by the same God—can drive right at the heart of our own struggles and decisions today.  Crazy cool isn’t it?!  Ya’ll have a great weekend!!

Elizabeth:  “If my people, who are called by name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” ~1 Chronicles 7:14

Ahah! I found some gospel in the Old Testament! Here, God is speaking to Solomon. God says that He is on Solomon’s side, on His people’s side. He says that His people will hear from Him, that he will forgive their sin and will heal their land. That sounds like good news to me! But, also notice that those things are prefaced with “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,” God wants His people, who he has claimed and who have claimed Him, to do some action. He speaks the action words of “pray” and “seek,” and I think that’s important. While God is alive and present in His children’s lives, both then and now, He wants relationship with them. What good does it do to acknowledge God and not grow a relationship with Him?  We can’t fully know Him without spending time in prayer or spending time seeking His ways instead of our own.

            I think the people in Solomon’s time struggled in the same way that the people of today struggle with knowing God’s ways versus knowing one’s own way. It’s really easy for me to decide what I want to do and do it without considering the effects of my decisions and actions. It’s easier for me to go with my plans than it is to take the time to hear out God’s plans. God says he will forgive sin and heal the land of His people, if His people will seek Him. He wants to hear from His children. I’m only going to grow closer to another person if I engage conversation with the person. I can’t expect a relationship to take off out of just seeing someone. The same works for God, while He will always be present in our lives, He desires a relationship with His children. Seeking that relationship and furthering that relationship with Him will look different for each person. I feel like I grow closer to God when I’m engaging in community and serving those around me. When I’m in conversation about my faith with friends, family, co-workers, and mentors. When I spend time in worship. When I have my Bible open and actually reading scripture. When I’m praying alone or in company. There are all sorts of ways that I am able to connect with God, to seek His face. I’m not always the best at doing these things all the time. But, what if I were? What if the world around us was? How would things be different?

I want to challenge you to join me in finding ways to engage our relationship and build our relationship with God. I want to spend some intentional time humbling myself and seeking God’s face this week, will you join me?!

Alphabitz for the week:

Engage  Seek  Meditate

Sisters in Christ,

Allison & Elizabeth

From the Mouth of David

Elizabeth:   “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” -1 Chronicles 16:8-11

In this small section of scripture, David takes the time to thank God for all that God is, for all that He has done, and to celebrate what He has in store for His people in the future. David knows the Lord’s goodness, and that comes because he takes the time to seek out God, to listen and hear Him closely. David desired to hear what the Lord really had in store for him and his people. He wanted to do what was right for the Lord and for the people he ruled over.   

David sought guidance and direction from the Lord. He heard His words and trusted in them. Wouldn’t it be great if more people living today were like David? Imagine what the world would look like if we turned to God in times of anxiousness or uncertainty. What would the world look like if leaders heard the words of Lord to help them lead? It would be a different world, that’s for sure!

David didn’t always know what to do, but instead of taking his best stab at it, he turned to God. He listened and then acted upon God’s response. In chapter 16 of 1 Chronicles, David lifts up the Lord and thanks Him for all that He has done. He is very thankful. He’s thankful because God didn’t let him down. God won’t let us down. We have lots to be thankful for. Especially as I write this on such a significant day, as we remember the story of 9/11, I think about how troubled and lost much of our world is. We’re searching for safety and we’re looking for a way that we as human beings can provide that. I’m not sure that we will ever find complete safety in this world; however we can rest assured that God has promised good to us. God has done wonderful acts and we can always look to Him and seek his face. I think even David recognized the world then wasn’t perfect and that it wouldn’t be perfect. He did what he could to lead his people and follow the Lord and that is honorable and to be commended. We too, can live to serve God and others each day. As you go out and serve, remember to thank the one who empowered you to serve, thank the one who daily strengthens you to serve.

Allison:   “O my God, I have been bold enough to pray to you because you have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him—a dynasty of kings! For you are God, O Lord. And you have promised these good things to your servant.  And now, it has pleased you to bless the house of your servant, so that it will continue forever before you. For when you grant a blessing, O Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”--1 Chronicles 17:25-27

So this week has been crazy busy. Actually who am I kidding, the last 5 months of my life have been crazy busy. And on that note, how does that make me any different from the billions of other people in this world with places to go, people to see and things to do? And who’s to say my to-do list is even that important?  When I was reading through the chapter, the thoughts on my mind were how behind I was, how many other things I had to do, how I had to get up early and should have already been asleep.  The LAST thing on my mind was the idea that prayer was a blessed liberty.  If anything, in that moment it was something on my to-do list, a burden even.

Yet the first words out of David’s mouth are “I have been bold enough to pray for you”.  Another translation speaks of David having the “courage” to pray to God.  I definitely re-read that verse a couple of times, and each time was confused as to why David might need boldness to pray to God.  And the words that kept popping into my head were “honor” and “privilege”.  That not just anyone could pray, but those with the strength and at that, those with the authority.  David saw it as a privilege to pray to God.  A valuable liberty.  It wasn’t a right or an entitlement or a requirement of faith, but a privilege that came with having a right relationship with God.  Prayer as a privilege.  The thought had never crossed my mind.  But it made me stop and think.

We can come to God in prayer in any moment, in any state and in an instant be covered in his grace.  We don’t have to worry about having the courage, or the boldness or the guts to pray to God.

Yet David’s humility before God is something to be admired, even imitated.  If I were to think of prayer as a privilege, as an incredible opportunity to have direct communication with my creator, how might that impact on my to-do list?  If I were to begin each moment of prayer by thanking God for the honor of coming before Him, how might that change my perspective?  Time with God was never created to be a burden, but a glorious privilege we have as His children. 

So this week I challenge you to join me in seeing devotional time as a privilege, as an honor.  And see how that changes things.

This week think about this!

Humility  Time  Blessings

Sisters in Christ,

~Allison & Elizabeth

We're All in This Together

Elizabeth:  Since the beginning of high school, I have always taken on some kind of leadership role. I always wanted to help others out and felt that was one way I could do so. However, what appealed to me first about leadership was that I would be the one out in front, the person others noticed first. Leadership in youth group meant that I got to grow close to a group of 5 or 6 other leaders, and we got to decide what the group wanted to do and/or needed to do. In band leadership, I knew I wouldn’t have to warm-up with the rest of the group, because in my role I got to hand out music and make sure everyone had the necessary pieces for rehearsal. As president of TAFE (Texas Association of Future Educators) my junior and senior years of high school, I got to lead meetings, and even lead the leadership meetings. There was responsibility, but at the same time I was the one in charge. As a Peer Mentor in college, I got to be one of the first people to connect with freshman students; I had the answers the new students were looking for. And, the list goes on and on, I have been in many roles. While deep down inside my motives for wanting leadership roles have always been genuine, each leadership role had some glam to it that I felt I needed to have. Perhaps you have had a similar experience.


Though the reality is, leadership is such a valued trait, skill, gift, whatever you may call it, that it needs to be taken seriously. Luckily for me, I never let the glam of leadership consume the way I led. I have always wanted to help another out the way someone once helped me out. For instance, in my leadership role as a representative for my high school church youth group, I really had the desire to be more intentional in the way I connected with my peers and I wanted to use my planning skills for a good purpose—to plan fun and exciting things for the group. I wanted help get the concerns of my grade across so that we could plan events by the needs of the entire group. It was incredible to be able to use my voice to speak for those in the group who may otherwise never been heard. Isn’t that the purpose of real leadership? Hearing and answering the concerns of the whole and not a minor few? If that is really the point of leadership, then that’s where I’ve always wanted to be, in the sticky place where I’m expected to be sensitive to the needs of others and lead in a way that helps everyone. The glam is lost at that point. I no longer care if I get a special t-shirt because I’m a leader, or that I get to do special leadership activities. That will still be fun, but that’s not what it is about. I thank God that He has shown me what it means to be a leader and that He has given me the gifts to lead. He has done so in unique ways. I have led in different capacities. For many years, I was a student leader in various organizations. Today, I’ve entered into a new leadership role where I lead in a congregation setting, where I guide, teach, encourage the faith of children, youth, and families. God has and looks like He will continue to use my gifts in leadership to serve Him and others.

I spent awhile talking about leadership, because that is what I’m continuing to notice as I read through the Old Testament. Some people lead in great ways, ways that glorify God and lift up the people they serve. Other leaders have led in detrimental ways. In ways that went against what the Lord asked and in the process they hurt people. Lately, in the Old Testament…many of the stories in the books of the Kings speak of kings who really didn’t lead in a positive way. In the end of 2 Kings, Josiah is spoken about, and here is a king who served out of love for God and his people. He had a lot of work to do, because those who preceded him weren’t great leaders. He cleaned up a lot of their messes and helped get his people and the temple to where he felt God wanted them to be. He got rid of the things that people were worshipping apart from God. He straightened things up. That sounds simpler than it probably was. Josiah was a king beginning at the age of 8…wow! And he asked the people of the time who were worshipping idols to do away with that. His leadership flipped the lifestyles of the people completely around. I’m sure all of his people weren’t happy with him, but he did what he knew was right in the eyes of the Lord. He didn’t lead for glam; he led with a genuine heart to serve God and others.

If you consider yourself a leader, why is that you lead?

What do you want from the leaders of today? What expectations do you have of them?

Allison:  So in the past two weeks I moved into my dorm at school, had training for a peer mentoring program and had my first week of classes.  It’s been extremely busy! So I’m glad to have a weekend to relax, catch-up, and BLOG—because I’ve definitely missed it.  Coming back to school has been interesting.  Going into my sophomore year, I know more people and have a handle on how this whole college thing works.  It’s crazy to think that at this time last year I was adjusting to a completely new lifestyle and finding new friends—some of whom have become my best friends since that time.  It’s very different though.  Obviously Elizabeth is not here anymore and I’m involved in some new organizations.  I’m working as a peer mentor—I’m paired with a class of 20 freshman students.  We met at orientation and I will go through the semester with them in their FREX course and be a resource to help them adjust and find their way at TLU.  I have a great group of students and I’ve learned so much from this job already!  I’m definitely looking forward to what the rest of the semester will bring.

Despite the fact that I’m back at the same school and living with the same people, things are different this year.  My role as a student and leader is different and the campus is changing and moving forward.  I’ve realized I can’t go through this year doing exactly what I did last year.  I was talking to a friend the other day and explained that I felt like I almost had to rediscover where I fit in—which is definitely not what I was expecting.  It seems silly almost, but it makes sense.  I’ve grown and I’ve changed.  I’m coming into this year with different experiences than I did last year.  And let’s be honest, I don’t want to go through four identical years of college.  I want to learn, I want new experiences!

In thinking about all this I’ve done a lot of looking back at how I’ve come to be the person I am today—August 29, 2011 at Texas Lutheran University.  This week we started moving into 1 Chronicles.  Frankly, I couldn’t wait to move past the endless lists of lineages recorded in the beginning chapters.  But as I finished my reading last night, I thought about why the Israelites thought it so important to record their lineages.  I mean, they put a lot of effort into making sure they recorded who was the son of whom, and from which wife.  For them it was important to know who came before them, how they were connected to each other.  And if I really wanted to I could probably make some interesting family trees from the chapters I’ve read. 

But the point is, the knowledge of who came before them was important.  They were their ancestors, the people who shaped them--whose odd quirks, distinct facial features and stories of faith made the Israelites who they were—both as individuals and as a nation.  This week I’ve been realizing just how interconnected and broad the Chronicles of my own faith are.  For starters, I could easily describe my faith ancestors as being friends and mentors from home as well as those I’ve met in my time at TLU so far.  And beyond that, my chronicle at TLU extends to friends, friends of friends—some whom I’ve only met briefly, professors—those I’ve actually had for a class and those I’ve met through chapel and organizations.  Those people have had an incredible impact on my personal and spiritual growth—they’ve made me who I am today.  And while that list—or web more likely—would probably be of minimal interest to anyone outside it, it’s important to me.  It’s who I am, and it’s a reminder of those who have come before me and who have walked beside me.

So this week I encourage you to think about who would be in your life chronicle.  Realize just how interconnected you are, and likewise how supported you are—even in the midst of change and uncertainty.  Maybe even talk to them about it, thank them for how they’ve been a part of your life.  

And furthermore, whose life chronicle are you in?     

Have a great week everyone! And spend some time thinking about these alphabitz...

Leading  Following  Connecting

Sisters in Christ,

~Allison & Elizabeth

Come on, let’s eat your son today!

**If you can tell us where exactly in the Bible we got our awesome title, you win!**

Elizabeth:  As I read 2 Kings this week I have decided that I may have similarities to Naaman. Now, don't worry, I don't have leprosy...that's not what has kept me from blogging the past couple of weeks. When Naaman found out that he could go and be free of leprosy he did. He trusted that God would take care of him, however he seemed to expect God to be greater than God appeared to him. When Elisha shared with Naaman that the way he would be cleansed of leprosy was to wash himself seven times in the water of the rivers nearby, not the cleanest waters, Naaman wasn't sure if that was for real. If all he had to do was wash in the rivers nearby, why couldn't he do that where he was? Why did he need to travel out to hear God's words through Elisha? I think Naaman wanted God to speak grander words through Elisha. At least He could have provided the purest of pure waters to wash in. Naaman doubted when he heard Elisha's words. Naaman needed to be re-convinced that Elisha was speaking on the Lord's behalf so it would be foolish to not believe what was said.

Let's think about this story for a moment. Do you ever get disappointed or discouraged in what God wants you to do because you don't hear it as something extraordinary? Or maybe that's only me who struggles with that. Like Naaman, I often get excited about God's plans for me, but then when I really get to experience them, they don't seem as grand as I thought they would be.

I grew up with a positive outlook on religion and on my own faith. That deep interest in my faith and my constant desire to learn more about religion, especially my own Lutheran denomination led me into the beginnings of church work. Beginning the summer after my sixth grade year I volunteered my time working with the preschool ministry at my church. The church preschool had a typical Fall-Spring school year, but then had a summer program. Since I wasn’t in school over the summer myself, I would help the teachers in their classrooms. I enjoyed the time with the kids and I enjoyed helping the teachers as they needed help. I continued this volunteerism every summer until the summer of my sophomore year of high school when I was old enough to work and earn a paycheck. I continued the same work, just got paid to do it. As I continued to get older, once I graduated high school, I worked as a teacher myself. I taught a class of mixed ages kindergarten-2^nd grade myself. I really liked the program; I enjoyed the opportunity to teach, and of course liked interacting with the kids. My favorite part of the preschool program was Monday mornings when all of the classes would go down to the sanctuary for Chapel. At Chapel the kids would sing a couple of songs, typically Vacation Bible School songs that they knew, and then would listen to a message given by the pastor. I connected in this time, I could really get into the silly songs about my faith, and then I could hear familiar stories of my faith taught in such a simple way. The simplicity and seriousness of this time always reminded to keep the faith the way a child would. It was really from preschool chapels that made me consider looking into a Lutheran university to attend, where I too, could experience mid-week chapel services. I achieved that by going to TLU. Actually, the chapel at TLU became my favorite place on campus, I rarely missed a chapel service. I share my experiences with “chapel” because that is the place where I feel God’s presence and hear Him speaking to me. It is in the simple worship and simple messages that I hear a calling to use what gifts I have in ministry. I hear God in a simple, yet grand way. I begin to get excited.

My favorite hymn is “Here I Am Lord,” and we sang it a few times in chapel at TLU. It is my favorite because it speaks to me vocationally and lets me know that I can use my energies and passions to serve God. Many hymns or even silly VBS songs speak to me in ways that let me know that I can serve God with the gifts I have been given. I’m empowered to do so. However, when it got time to really apply my gifts and step into ministry the grandness went away. As a preschool teacher and now as a youth director, I have yet to see a child touched by something I have done. I don’t see God vividly as I work day to day as I thought a person in ministry would. The grand excitement in the way I heard/ still hear God does not always carry into the experience. I think I’m like Naaman in that way. I want to do more than just wash 7 times in dirty waters. I want to be great as I serve God. Like Naaman, I need to be reminded that washing in dirty waters may be what God is asking me to do, and if I’m truly serving God then why should I be concerned with the tasks set before me? For me it is helpful to be reminded of the faith like a child that Jesus calls us to hold, if we love Him and remember He loves us, he will take care of us. He will use us as we are to help grow His Kingdom.

Allison:  Oh goodness, it’s definitely been a while since we’ve blogged.  That being said, much has happened since then.  While we were away on blog sabbatical, I was very busy with my youth interning job.  We had camp in July, and since our church runs our own summer camp, preparations start in the fall and pick up like crazy come mid-June.  I love camp, I really do, but boy this year was exhausting!  We go to camp up at the H.E.B. Foundations camps and have a Junior High camp, followed by a Senior High camp.  Usually there’s a week of recovery in between those camps, but for some reason this year we were booked in back-to-back weeks—meaning we got home from a 5 day camp Thursday, had camp closing Friday, loading on Saturday, and took off again Sunday for round two.  It was tough, and by the end of the second week I was physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted.  But camp was great!  Here’s what I learned in a nutshell:

At Junior High camp we have high school students who go as counselors—we call them YACs (Young Adult Counselors).  It’s really awesome to watch them step up as leaders and grow spiritually as they build relationships and share their faith with the campers.  And this year I tried to do just that—watch then and encourage them.  While I also hung out with the campers through the week, I tried to let the YACs take the lead.  It wasn’t easy, but by opting to do more behind the scenes work, I gave the high schoolers more opportunities to pour into the campers, especially since they will be the ones who are with these campers through the school year.  And leadership-wise, I’m on my way out.  My goal this summer was to build up leaders before I left, and it was neat to (for once) step back, chill, and watch them work.

At Senior High camp our keynote speaker was Todd Agnew.  Which was so awesome—we don’t normally have speakers that “famous” at camp.  But because of an awesome mutual friend we have with Todd’s wife, we were able to have him hang out with us all week, which was an awesome experience.  Todd was so down-to-earth and so…well, normal.  It never even crossed your mind you were having a conversation with the guy who wrote ‘Grace Like Rain’ and he was SO funny too!  He is such a great speaker—if you ever have a chance to hear him talk, go for it.  But Todd talked about how “who Jesus is defines who we are”.  So if Jesus is the shepherd, we are sheep.  If Jesus is the bread of life, we are hungry.  If Jesus is the resurrection and the life, we are dead.  So chew on that World Wide Web!  My favorite thing he shared though wasn’t even a keynote theme.  He talked about how we are only completely filled by the love of God, by Jesus.  God creates things in this world that make us happy, that give us a taste of what eternal joy in Him is like.  And those things aren’t bad, but we should remember they are just a taste; they are not the end all.  God fills us, and everything else is a bonus on top of that; whipped-cream icing on a really awesome cake, if you will.  A really awesome perspective to keep in mind, I think, when we find ourselves getting caught up in the appetizers of life.

Also since the last blog, I’ve acquired some incredibly awesome green running shoes—a nice little dollop of icing there.

So now that I’ve spent most of the blog talking about what was essentially the month of July for me, Elizabeth and I also got back into our Bible reading :)! So 2 Kings…

2 Kings 2 talks about the relationship between Elisha and Elijah just before Elijah is to be taken up into heaven.  Elisha makes a promise, a covenant with Elijah saying “As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you”.  Elisha vows to follow Elijah, to stay by his side, until he leaves this earth.  Now Elisha knows that Elijah’s time is short, in fact prophets along the way remind Elisha of this on multiple occasions.  It’s as if they’re saying, “Look Elisha, this guy Elijah is going to be gone soon, so this relationship you’re building is kind of pointless.  Why don’t you just go off and do your own ministry?”  But every time that happens, Elisha renews his vow to Elijah, and every time they continue on “together”.   Elisha also asks to be filled with the same spirit that fills Elijah, to be his successor.  Elijah warns him it will be a difficult task, but agrees.

I really like Elisha here because he doesn’t do what is easy.  He could decide not to grow close to Elijah and avoid the feeling of loss when Elijah leaves him, but he chooses to build their relationship instead.  He could choose to just tell the story of his adventures with Elijah to his grandchildren, but instead he asks to fill his shoes, to carry on his task and his burden.  And even when others encourage him to take the easy road, his continually renews his commitment.  This blog is already pretty long, so I’ll wrap this up, but just think about that this week.  What is the easy road, and what is the road worth taking?  Which will you choose?

**Also, take some time to revel in the greatness that is 2 Kings 2:23-25**

 So this week consider these alphabitz

Courage  Weariness  Vocation

Sisters in Christ,

~Allison & Elizabeth

A Piece of our Peace

Peace to you, cyber friends!

Today we are writing a single blog entry, using the combined brains of Elizabeth and Allison. Frightening! We wanted to break a little bit and discuss our progress and experience with blogging and reading. This week we have found it really challenging to pull something from 2 Kings to specifically focus in on. If you happen to read 2 Kings in your spare time this week and find something noteworthy, please enlighten us...we'd love to hear your thoughts. With that said, we'll share with you some of our experiences.

Experience A: Reading through the Old Testament has reminded us that this was the scripture that Jesus and his disciples were raised hearing. The Old Testament is filled with stories of faithful (and unfaithful) people who encouraged and guided the Jewish people forward in their lives. The people of the New Testament perhaps knew the stories of Deborah, Saul, Jonathan, David, Samuel, and Solomon the way we have grown to know the stories of Jesus, John the Baptist, and Peter. 

Experience B: We have found the Old Testament to be a large story book of faithful, unfaithful, heroic, antagonistic people. We have been able to know more about people that aren't often talked about in church. Some of these people could be great models for today's faithful people. These people stuck with God, they wrestled with Him, they asked questions, and they repented. They kept God in close company in all that they did. It has been super cool to enter into the lives of these people through their stories. In this, we have found that their stories are often our stories...or at least pretty similar. 

Experience C: We have realized the importance of reading and blogging together. This experience has forced us to keep up with reading...even though we're not perfect at it...and hold each other accountable with our reading and blogging. We have seen how important it is to not just read alone, but to talk through the readings. We have appreciated hearing each others insight on the reading we do. If we took the text word for word and held our own personal meaning to the text, we may miss the point completely. When reading together, we're able to ask questions, share thoughts, laugh at the odd scripture verses, and discuss what may/may not be happening. How awesome is that?! Scripture comes to life through discussion! Reading is more fun when we can anticipate an exciting conversation at the end of the week. Most importantly we know that God is with us along this reading/blogging journey and we have truly enjoyed that.

In conclusion, we have had a fun month and a half and we look forward to our continued journey through scripture. In the next couple of weeks, both Allison and myself are venturing off to camp with our youth groups and we are not likely to keep up as well with our reading...let's just be honest! SOOOO, that means next time you read our blog you will hear of the faith experiences we will have over the next week or so. I hope you will stay tuned! If not, we will be very sad. :( BUT, we will pick back up to our normal pace in 2 weeks.

Peace Out from your sisters in Christ,

~Allison and Elizabeth

In the Service of King

Elizabeth:  Another week has come and gone. Is it just me or do the weeks seem to be flying by right now?! I cannot believe another week has come to an end. 

This week we have been reading the book of 1 Kings. I won't say it is my favorite, but I'm liking it more than 2 Samuel. I started out really liking King Solomon. I thought he did his best to follow through with what David had started. He started out being obedient and doing right, but I think his wealth and wisdom got the best of him. Solomon had wealth to his name and that was alright when he used that wealth to build the temple. I think he did a fine job with that because his heart was in the right place, but I just have to wonder if God really wanted a temple that was as elaborately designed as Solomon made it. I mean, he did it in a way that was reverent, but it just seemed to be more elaborate than necessary. Perhaps that is comparable to churches today that pour lots of money into their church building for aesthetic purposes. Is that really pleasing to God? or do we just do that because we think it is nice? Is it possible that the money spent on detail work on a building could be put toward feeding and clothing the poor or perhaps designate the money for mission work? I just wonder if Solomon lost sight of the purpose and meaning of the temple when he made it extra elaborate. Also, I'm not quite sure why it was necessary for Solomon to build a palace just for himself. That seemed a bit showy, like he had the money and resources to make a palace for himself so he did. I think at that point he began to fall farther away from what God's will for his position of leadership was. I think he knew he was powerful in wealth and he was known for being wise, and the image he gave people got the best of him instead of trusting God and hearing what He wanted for him.

Now, those are my thoughts on Solomon. I didn't think he was a terrible king, but compared to the example that David set it seems like he takes a downward fall when he isn't consistently relying on God and turning to hear what God has to say. I think Solomon wanted to serve. He is like many of us who I feel want to serve, but get wrapped up in our everyday interests that we make our service to others second, third, or fourth priority in our lives. God calls us to go out serve Him and others. That's an easier task said than carried out. It was easy for Solomon to follow in the footsteps of David, but it may not have been as easy for him to maintain that. 

Let's take a look at another story in 1 Kings that appealed to me because of a woman's servant heart. 1 Kings 17 is about Elijah encountering a widowed woman at Zarephath. When Elijah saw this widow and her son, he asked for her bread and water. She initially told him that she couldn't do that because she only had enough for her and her son to eat, but Elijah tells her that if she goes home and makes bread for her son, herself, and for Elijah she will be provided with enough water and bread to live. This woman could have easily walked away from Elijah to continue caring for herself and her son, but she trusted in Elijah. She did as he asked and then she was pleasantly surprised at the result. This woman obviously cared for herself and her son, but she took the time to hear what Elijah was asking and she trusted that he was speaking on behalf of the Lord. To have a servant heart requires us to put aside our needs and to serve others. A quality of service is trust. We need to trust in God that He knows what is best and will be with us while we are serving. That He will guide our conversations, actions, and relationship with others as we serve both Him and our neighbors. 

From both story examples, I think we can reflect on what it means to be a servant leader. We can struggle with whether or not Solomon's heart was in the work he was doing during the entirety of his kingship or not. We can think about how trust is important when we serve. We can also see that service isn't always our first reaction; we like the fancy, elaborate designs/buildings and we don't want to stray from our own plans for ourselves and loved ones, but remember that we aren't called to serve ourselves. To be a servant means having a heart set to serve God and others.

Allison:  So this week has totally flown by! As has this weekend!  I’m working as an intern with the youth group at my church and we held a lock-in this weekend and managed about an hour and a half of sleep for the night…so needless to say I’ve been spending the weekend recovering.  In fact, let’s be real—this summer has flown by. I’ve been home now for over a month…WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?? Just an overview of the commitments I’ve made this summer (don’t worry, this pertains to what I’m talking about, I’m not just listing my resume): Taking an 8am Physics class and lab at a community college, half-way working as a Summer Youth Intern (I start full time in July when my class ends), doing long distance summer research with a professor at TLU, blogging every week, and various life commitments such as keeping in touch with friends, spending time with my family, etc.  Somehow I was sure I could manage all of this easily before the summer started, but let me tell you it makes the week go by in a blink, and sometimes I feel like I’m hanging on for dear life!  Things are getting especially crazy as we prepare for two weeks worth of camp in July, so my Intern responsibilities are increasing.  Don’t get me wrong, I love being busy and I love what I’m doing, but sometimes I find myself thinking I’m a little in over my head.  And it can get overwhelming at times. 

But alas, this week’s reading introduced us to the early propheting (I just made up that word) ministry of Elijah.  Not that I’m a prophet or anything…but Elijah feels a little overwhelmed as well.   If you don’t have the storyline of 1 Kings memorized, here’s a recap of chapters 17-19.  There’s this dude named Elijah who’s walking around Israel, serving the Lord, being fed by ravens, and just generally trusting God.  He meets this poor widow, whose circumstances Elizabeth described in her entry.  Things are going great, until tragedy hits and her son dies. But Elijah cries out to the Lord and brings the boy back to life. 

Later, he calls up King Ahab and goes up on Mount Carmel and has a sacrifice showdown with the prophets of the idolatrous god Baal.  Many of the people of Israel have turned to worship Baal, and so Elijah goes to demonstrate the awesomeness of God.  Basically Baal’s prophets pray and dance and chant around their altar but it never catches fire, and Elijah soaks his altar in water, prays to the Lord, and it goes up in flames.  The people are in awe and praise God.  Then Elijah prays for rain and relieves the Israelites of the drought they’ve had the past few years.  However Elijah receives a message that a King Ahab's wife named Jezebel (the instigator of this idolatrous worship), who has killed all the other prophets of the Lord, wants Elijah dead.  Elijah escapes alone outside of town, running from Jezebel, and sits down and tells God he’s done, that he can’t do this anymore—he just wants to die and be done.  An angel comes to him shows him food and tells him to eat and keep journeying.  He goes on and finds a cave.  He says again to God that he has served Him zealously, but now they want him dead, he feels alone, and he can’t go on.  At this point my heart breaks for Elijah—I can’t imagine feeling that alone, feeling his ministry means nothing, wanting to give up.  But God is not done with Elijah, not in the slightest.  God tells Elijah to go stand at the entrance of the cave to meet with Him.  There is a raging windstorm, an earthquake and a fire, but God is present in the last event—a still.  small.  voice.

Elijah’s life feels like a storm, a fire, overwhelming and crazy and he just can’t go on.  So he’s honest with God.  He cries out to him.  He’s tried to serve God, to serve the people of Israel, but he’s not sure it even means anything.  He has truly served with a servant’s heart, but he’s empty.  But God gives him that bit of strength to go on, and he speaks to him, reminding him that He is right there with Elijah.  In the stillness.  In the quiet.  In the weakest sound of a small voice is the presence of the almighty God of the universe.

God is never predictable, that’s for sure.  But God will never leave us without the strength to continue on in the work he’s called us to do.  Even when things feel crazy and overwhelming, even when we feel alone, even when we feel like we aren’t making a difference.

We are called to serve, to give, and to trust that God will continue to fill us up.  Not that we should run ourselves ragged, but that in those times of chaos, we trust in that still small voice.

So this week we challenge you to consider these alphabitz

Service  Strength  Distraction

Sisters in Christ,

~Allison & Elizabeth

The Footsteps of David

Allison:  Well hello!

This week we finished up the back half of 2 Samuel and stepped into 1 Kings.  I really loved the books of 1 and 2 Samuel.  I loved hearing the story of David’s life and taking time to learn about one person in depth, rather than jumping around to several people.  I felt like I got to know David in the same way that I would get to know someone I’ve never met through stories told about them by a friend.  By the end of David’s reign I felt I had learned so much from the life of this one man.  Last week I talked about how David had been a good leader and fallen into temptation with Bathsheba—and yet we couldn’t write him off for his one mistake, because he deserved grace just as much as the next person.  And I feel that even more strongly this week.

David endured a lot of hardship after he met Bathsheba.  Basically, his son Absalom had a sister named Tamar.  Tamar’s half-brother Amnon, another son of David, was in love with her, and raped her in order to claim her as his wife.  Absalom head about this and became extremely angry at Amnon, and two years later Absalom killed Amnon out of revenge.  David heard of Amnon’s death and was distraught.  Absalom escaped and hid away until David sent for Absalom and the two were reconciled.  However, Absalom decided he wanted to take over his father’s kingdom.  He started winning over the people and gaining the support of David’s staff.  Soon, David had to flee Jerusalem with his remaining faithful advisors and engage in the conflict his son had created within the nation of Israel.  In the end, the nation was reunited and David remained king of Israel.

Through all of this, David remained an incredible leader and a loving father.  Often times in the Old Testament you hear of how the opportunity for power turned family against each other, but David remains a loving father through it all. 

Also, there’s a moment as David is leaving Jerusalem where he comes upon a man named Shimei who is cursing David and throwing rocks at him as he passes through a town.  Now David is already burdened with worry for the nation of Israel, for his son, and the last thing he needs is this man shouting at him.  A man traveling with David suggests they kill Shimei, but David’s response is completely different.  He reprimands the man who wanted to kill Shimei and offers that perhaps this man is doing what God told him to do.  The point is, David isn’t quick to judge this man for his actions—he recognizes that he doesn’t know everything about what this man is thinking or what he has experienced, and perhaps he has a legitimate reason to be acting this way.  He knows the despair and hurt he feels from his son’s actions, and if his own son can turn against him, surely it is no surprise this man has too.  That understanding, that willingness to empathize even with someone who is hurting you is what makes David a great man.

And later as David is returning to Jerusalem he sees Shimei again.  Shimei begs for forgiveness for his actions earlier and David forgives him and spares his life.

I just really love David.  I love the leader that he is and the example that he sets for leaders today.  And I identify with him even more because he wasn’t perfect.  He messed up sometimes, and he endured a lot of hardship during his reign.  I could write all day about David but what have I learned from David in a nutshell?

---Don’t be so quick to write someone off when they screw up.  It doesn’t erase the good they’ve done and it only reinforces their humanity.  And this goes for everyone from your best friend to our government leaders.

---Lead with empathy.  Unless you understand your people you can never earn their trust.

---Seek out the will of the Lord in every step, and don’t be afraid to admit that perhaps you’ve got it wrong.

---Love unconditionally.  It can break your heart but it’s what keeps you going.

So let the stories of David challenge you to be a godly leader wherever God places you.  Leading isn’t easy, you won’t be perfect, and leading can be lonely, but know that when you are called to such a place, God will never fail to give you the strength and wisdom you need.  And perhaps your story could be a light and encouragement to someone else--and that makes it all worth it.

Elizabeth:  Hey there! This week, I could not wait to finish 2 Samuel. It was just not my favorite book. I was less than interested in what was happening. The one thing that I continued to appreciate through the remainder of 2 Samuel was David's faithfulness as King. I do think that David did show that he was human, but ultimately he tried to do what was best. He remained loyal to his duty as king and he remained faithful to God. Besides that I wasn't interested, so needless to say, I was super excited to finish the book and make it into 1 Kings. I'm ready to move on and see what happens next. So, I'm writing on a text from the beginning of 1st Kings that we have gotten to.

"When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son, "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.' -1 Kings 2:1-4

Have you ever had to leave something behind? How did you feel about that? Perhaps you ended a job to take a new one. Maybe you finished a set of classes and you're headed into new ones? Maybe you finished a great book and now you're moving onto another one? Or perhaps, like David you had to step out of a leadership role.  Now, yes, David is in his old age and knows that he is near death and cannot continue his leadership as king. I'm not saying we need to be at the point of death to hand off leadership roles, but there are other reasons we step out of things like roles of leadership, jobs, classes, locations, etc. Life continues to change and that is a good thing. People don't stay in the exact same place all their life. They are called to new positions in jobs, new positions in organizations, new schedules, new lifestyles, and such. 

As a part of life, we do transition from one place to the next frequently. Which means when we're in a particular setting we should really make the most of it. If we are leaders we should lead to the best of our ability. We should make the most of our living situations, our classes, our relationships, etc. But, when that time ends, it can be rough to leave those places. 

For me, the end of every school year/semester has always been bittersweet. I always felt a sense of accomplishment that I had just completed an entire year of school and that I learned new things, met new people, and grew a bit personally. However, it was rough knowing I would have a break from the familiar routine and schedule that I had worked so hard at for the past several weeks. I wouldn't see the same friends, same teacher(s), same school, or do the homework that was required each night. Things would be different. I struggled with this a lot in college because the end of the semesters meant the end of hard work and countless hours put into the things I cared about such as my favorite classes and the organizations I was a part of. This of course will probably be hard for me at the beginning of next school year because I have graduated and won't be going back to college. One of the organizations that I dedicated a lot of my time to in college was the Peer Mentor program at TLU that helped new students become acquainted with TLU and college life in general. I put a lot of time into it getting to know my class of students, planning fun activities to do out of class, creating fun lessons to teach in class, and spending time getting to know other Peer Mentor staff members. I wanted to give back to my community at TLU and I was able to do that through the Peer Mentor program. I was able to help new students figure things out the way people did for me during my first year. I peer mentored for 3 years and in my last semester at TLU I realized I would be stepping out of that leadership role and passing it on to new peer mentors. I knew it was time for me to move on, but it was hard to leave behind something I was so passionate about. Want to know something really cool? Allison will be a peer mentor for this next school year and I'm super excited about that. I want her to know that it was something important to me and I want her to take that leadership role seriously and do awesome things in that position. I won't hold her to the same expectations that David did with Solomon, but I do want her to realize what an incredible position she is stepping into. 

I think it can be helpful to hear from others the expectations they have for you when you step into new places. David didn't tell Solomon he needed to do things exactly as he did, but he did tell him to do what was right and to observe the Lord's commands. David gave Solomon his blessing to be the next king, he passed his torch onto Solomon. I think it is admirable the way in which David passed his leadership on to Solomon. He clearly hopes for the best for Solomon and hopes that he has left an easy path for the next king to step into, but I don't hear David spelling out what the next king needs to do specifically. 

So, consider what expectations you have for yourself. What expectations does your job or setting have of you? Were they passed on to you in a good way or a bad way? Is it easy or hard for you to leave one thing and move onto the next? 

If you were Solomon, how would you feel coming in as king after David's blessing to you?

This week, consider these alphabitz:

Judgement  Leadership  Transition

Sisters in Christ,

~Elizabeth & Allison