Preparing to Study the Word

Pre- 1 & 2nd Peter Study


I hope this Sunday in March finds you well. I'm planted near a window, sitting in the most Hipster coffee shop I could find to try to draw my creative juices for this post. Unfortunately, the tiniest flakes of snow just started to swirl around the window... floating down from the grey sky onto the windowsill (and slipping through the crack in the window onto my keyboard. Let's all hope it stops soon.

My dear friend and I are starting an online Bible study tomorrow! We're digging into 1 & 2nd Peter. It's an 8-week study that comes with it's very own packet to get you to the finish line (hyperlinked above). All you need to participate in this one is good wifi.

Here's a verse to segue into tomorrow's study:

Psalm 1:2-3 says: Blessed is the man whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

I will DELIGHT in the law of the Lord and MEDITATE on it day and night. By these things, I will yield the fruit that are attributes of a person more like God... in other words, how I will PROSPER.

Those are my goals for this study:

• I will DELIGHT in His word, and seeking God's goodness!
• I will MEDITATE and do so daily, finding balance in consistency with God.
• I will PROSPER by taking the Truth from this study to heart and growing more like God.

What are your goals for this #LoveGodGreatly study? Write them in the comments below... I'll talk to you soon :)

Much love,

Vanessa

Flashbacks

I found this little book. The story goes like this: My friend Chels buys books from Hallmark where she used to work and then vandalizes them with little sayings of us and labels each kid as one of us. Then she wraps it all cute and gave them to her best friends. There were two or three cute little vintagey books with little kids all dressed up in them. Unfortunately, she used all of those on other people, so she had none left for me.

I got the odd book out. It was cute though, so cute that I have used it as decoration for years. I randomly opened it tonight for the first time in years, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover it might have been the best book of all. It's unreal how accurate this book depicts my relationship with many of my friends...

You all are amazing.

So here it is, my tribute to you via Sarah Mueller's
"the best of friends: celebrating the mystery and magic of true friendship"

You don't need much more than friends and cookies.

And with friends, "making cookies" doesn't have to involve actually baking the cookie dough.

Friends can have parties for any reason:

You-got-a-new-couch party!

  Our-favorite-show-is-starting-a-new-season party!

  It's-your-quarter-birthday party!

  It-didn't-rain-today party!

We-need-a-party-because-we-didn't-have-one-yesterday party!

You know you've found a friend when her opinion matters more to you than what the BILLIONS of other people in the world think.

A friend will never sugarcoat a bad situation, but she'll also never pronounce it hopeless...

  because no situation is hopeless when you've got a friend by your side.

A friend will tell you the truth.

Even when it hurts.

Even when the truth threatens your friendship.

  Because she knows that there is no real friendship without truth.

A true friend will not think twice of acting like a fool, an idiot, or the big B-word

  (especially the big b-word) if it will help you out.

You know you're tight when she stops loaning you the jacket you love...

  and just gives it to you for keeps.

Friends can talk about anything. In detail.

Friends don't expect you to clean the house before they come over.

A friend is simply someone...

  who listens.

Real friends sign on for everlasting on-call emergency duty.

If your friend is stranded at the airport, emotionally wrecked, or simply without anything to wear, in the hippocratic oath of friendship, you are required to be there, STAT.

Friendships are for being weird together.

There's a lot of comfort in the rituals you create with you friends.

Your once-a-week lunch or every other sunday movie night may seem like no big deal now,

  but when things get rough, they can be your lifeline to a little laughter, clarity, and sanity.

Friendship is when you can skip the warm-up and go right to the big questions.

  Is the medication working?

  Did he apologize?

  Did you call your mom about that thing?

Best friends also have the best fights. And the best sob fests when they make up.

A real friendship can withstand some good yelling. You should be able to read the riot act to a friend (and vice versa) and still be able to go out for coffee the next day.

(Apologies included with the cappuccino, of course.)

Women need friends and men. Both.

But the honest truth is most often, if not always, you'll need the friends because of the men...

not the other way around.

Friends always have something to say to each other, and sometimes they don't even need words.

Friends can have an entire conversation using only pronouns and never once get confused.

All friendships hinge on forgiveness.

Forgiveness for our shortcomings, our unreliable memories, our self-centeredness.

Forgiveness is the magic that makes being friends possible.

A friend gives you space to be gloriously messed up but is willing to help you get straightened out the moment you ask.

Talk therapy: one of the best parts of having friends.

Friends know how old you really are and how old you'd like to be.

And they do their best to make you move those numbers closer together.

Friends know what color your hair really is.

And they are prepared to tell you whether the color you now claim is an improvement... or not.

Friends know your weaknesses...

treat them gently, and get a kick out of seeing you grow beyond them.

Friends know that getting into a fender bender isn't really a story.

Getting into a fender bender with your former roommate's ex-boyfriends brother-now that's a story.

Reason you need friends #1

Someone needs to diagnose what's wrong with your martini (Chelsey crossed this out & replaced it with "soda") and give you the courage to send it back to the bar for one that tastes right.

Reason you need friends #2

When you make a fool out of yourself, you need someone willing to remind you of all her own most embarrassing moments-just to heal your smarting little ego.

Reason you need friends #3

You must have the voice of reason to counter all the insinuating advertising; toxic fashion magazines; and lying, thieving dressing room mirrors. We all need to hear the truth from time to time: You're beautiful. Period.

Reason you need friends #4

Once you hit a certain age, you really must replace your parents as your "emergency contact" number.

Reason you need friends #5

Friends can clue you in on everything your mom forgot to teach you.

Reason you need friends #6

Second opinions are a good, good thing. On those jeans. On taking that new job. On Mr. Could Be Right.

Reason you need friends #7

You always have an exit strategy out of bad parties and awkward dates. "Oh. So sorry. My friend is feeling really ill, and I've just got to take her home."

You can tell a friend "don't ask," and she won't. (She knows you'll tell her about it in five minutes anyway.)

Friends understand that it's not gossip if it's good news.

A friend will always do what's best for you, whether you like it, or not.

A good friend reminds you of who you are and who you can be.

A real friend will not set you up with one of her bet guy friends unless she's absolutely positive that it will work out.

And I mean white dress, butter-cream frosting work out... 

  So, pretty much, a real friend will almost never set you up with one of her guy friends.

"Single" doesn't mean "alone" if you've got friends.

OK. The truth is everybody neglects her friends in some way after falling in love.

But a real friend will come to her senses within a few weeks and call you, begging for forgiveness and a good gab fest.

Absolve her, because someday it will be your turn.

A friend knows when to nag and when to nurture, when to contradict and when to commiserate.

A friend is someone who knows the words to all your favorite songs

and isn't afraid to sing them with you at the top of her lunges.

With the windows down.

At a stop light.

When people are staring.

A real friend will spot you when you're broke...

  and find free stuff to do with you when your budget is tight.

Without friends, we'd all have to eat cheesecake by ourselves.

And everyone knows you shouldn't eat cheesecake alone.

Friends know that you can acknowledge you irrationality and still want to live in it for a while. 

And a true friend will live there with you until you're ready to come back to the real world.

When you're being emotional and hormonal,

  a friend knows to just order you the large frozen custard and let you rage.

A friend can listen to you expound at length on your latest passion,

whether it be a boy,

a band,

a book,

or an idea. 

If you're into it, then she's ready to learn.

It's such a relief to be in the company of friends  who speak your language, read your mind...

and sing your songs.

One of life's little joys is recognizing the name of a friend in your inbox amongst the sea of spam.

A really good friendship will change you;

  It will make you into more of yourself instead of whoever you were trying to be.

Real friends allow you to change.

Friendship is knowing you can call her in the middle of a fight...

  and she'll still pick up the phone, just in case you're in trouble.

A real friend knows when to offer advice...

  and when to just offer hugs.

A friend is the first to start clapping for you...

  and the last to stop.

There are so many parts in this book that remind me specifically of one of you, and I think that's great. Know that you always and forever have a friend in me.

Love, love, love you all :)

Loveee

Listen to Your Love by Brandon Heath and then we'll chat.  Or better yet, open it in another tab then come back.

This song is off Heath's new album entitled, Leaving Eden, from January.  I think Heath's description of what love is is something in which Paul would agree.  Love is the prelude to all of what Jesus did on earth, and it is what truly matters as our body of believers should be concerned.  His love should convict us of what to do in every situation we encounter.

Down to business, how would I define love. Ultimate selflessness.  It is the opposite of selfish.  The classic "love" chapter where I have collected this definition: 1 Corinthians 13 of course. Verse 13 summarizes the chapter when it says, "13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."  His album is a witness of the world around him.  He says "a lot of these songs came with a little bit of struggle, with moments when I had no idea what God wanted me to say, but that said, my favorite songs on the album are not the ones I wrote at the last minute, and with the most effort.

Much love,
(the heavenly kind that is never-ending and only comes through Jesus, woop!)
V

The Perfume of Friendship

It takes a long time to grow an old friend.

Yes?

Okay, this blog will be exhaustingly full of cheesy quotes, take heed.

Proverbs 27:9, "The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense." 

Mmmm, perfume and incense. Time spent in the candle section at Bath & Body Works ;)... or the perfume isle at a department store could last forever.  But Proverbs says that a friend can be more enriching. A friend should build you up in the Word, and be there to provide you with encouragement, accountability, laughs, and honesty.  Friends can make or break you.  This is why I want you to engage in establishing Godly friendships.  Scripture clearly shows that your company will reflect you and your behavior.  Studies have proved the irrefutable parallels between the characteristics of your friends with the characteristics you develop. As the old saying goes: "you are what you eat," there is a similar phrase that goes, "show me your friends, I'll show you your future." Do you believe this?  If it's true, then maybe it is wise to ask are you holding up your end of the bargain?

Do you show kindness, patience, humor, and grace in your friendships?

I want to be the type of friend who uplifts. I hope that I am a good influence. I want to be a prayer partner; someone who will encourage another consistently with their walk with God. I want to always seek the Lord for the words I say and the things I do. I do not want to talk behind my friend's backs. I want to constantly encourage and forgive. I know it is so precious to be in the Word, and to be saturated in Scripture for the sake of my friends. A threefold cord is not easily broken. With the Spirit taking the third strand in a close friendship; there are long-lasting implications.

"When you forget the song in your heart,
a friend is someone who sings it back to you."

I pray that as you read this, you can think of that someone.

Much love,

V

It's time to love

Remember your first love. Jesus loved us first, and we are to find our wholeness in Him. He is a jealous God. Jealous of what? Our love. So while you spend time with your true love, almost love, potential love, etc, make sure to dedicate a little time to really see how much our Lord loves, I am so thankful that I always have Him, my everlasting friend. Anyways, it will be worth your time.

As for the single...like me ;), here is what I say to you. I ran across a poem today from a woman in the Christian Broadcaster's Network as she was seeking the Lord in her singleness. She was asked to write a poem about being "single and happy." It just doesn't sound easy. But she said that after prayer it came to her, and so here is what she wrote:

Single, Sassy, and Definitely Satisfied
By: Patricia Young

Sitting by the telephone, hoping it will ring
I decided to call someone as my heart began to sing
Here comes that someone asking again, “when will you get married?”
I respond with a grin, “I’ll let you know when”
I cry, “Oh Lord! How long must I wait?”
He responds, “It’s not time yet, and I’m never late”
Okay Lord, I surrender all to you
He says, “You’re finally getting it my child; now get busy with what I told you to do!”
Lonely and sad at times, but joy always arise
Yes, I’m single, but I’m sassy, and definitely satisfied!

In the spot that I found her poem, Young reminded me that the Lord tells us that we are so precious to Him. He loves us and has a purpose and plan for my life, your life, and the lives of the people behind me in line at Starbucks, or at the grocery store, or at the red light.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” It is my goal, and I hope yours as well over Valentine's day that we look at our friends and family, but especially this weekend look at ourselves, in the same way that God does. Treat yourself with dignity, honor, and as a priceless jewel.

Much gushy-valentine's day love to you all,
V