The Bible: Real Places, People and Time

I have heard people say the stories in the Bible are not real stories. The stories have been referred to as either mythological or a collection of fables. Jesus walked on this earth and did tremendous things but is He really the Son of God? Was He really raised from the dead? And what about the stories in the Old Testament? Are they all just stories?

Years ago I had a conversation with a pastor about the parting of the Red Sea. I told him of my struggle to make sense of it. The pastor responded to my doubts saying, "Beth, it's only a story." Maybe I misunderstood his response. One thing I can say for certain though, the conversation led me to believe God’s parting of the Red Sea was nothing more than a story; He did not really part the Red Sea.

It has been over fifteen years since the conversation with the pastor. I now know every word in the Bible is God-breathed. Every word is truth. Every story in the Bible, Old and New Testament, is about real places, real people and real time.

Every story is a real story. The parting of the Red Sea... God did just that.

When the conversation with the pastor took place I was in the midst of the hardest time in my life. I had left my husband. I barely stood at the weight of somewhere between 90-100 pounds. If I had more bravery I would have chosen death over life. Friends, choosing life is brave. Depression and an eating disorder, which in itself could have taken my life, were my Red Sea.

What if I had been told God really did part the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites? What if I had been told the Bible is all Scripture breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). What if I had been told the truth of the Gospel right there and then?

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

I needed to believe in God. I needed to believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God who died for my sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. I needed to believe God could part my Red Sea and bring me safely over to the other side.

How would have knowing this truth fifteen years ago changed my life?

Let me be clear, I believe I came to know Jesus Christ and His saving grace in the exact way and time He intended. I might not understand why it happened the way it did but when we choose to follow Jesus it's not for logic or reason. Most of the time the call to follow Him will not make sense. He asks us to put our trust in Him and follow despite lack of logic or reason.

Here’s the truth, we are not saved by simply believing Jesus walked on this earth. We are saved when we believe in who He said He was (the Son of God) and what He claimed He would do and did (save the world). We are saved through faith in Him.

This faith includes believing every word in the Bible comes from the mouth of God. And every word gives us life and life to the fullest (John 10:10)

I no longer question the truth of His word. The question on my heart is who, Lord, in my life stands at their Red Sea wondering if You could really fight for them like You really did fight for Moses and the Israelites? Like You fought for me?

“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” Exodus 14:14.

If I want God more than anything else this must include wanting others to know Him and the truth of His Word more than anything else.

  Share |

There is always more

What if God has a different plan for me? What if writing is a stepping stone to something else? These are questions I cannot help but to ponder. Are the doubts from the enemy or is God leading me somewhere new?

When we say yes to Christ, He takes us on a journey. I love how our yes is only the beginning. No matter where we are in our walk with Christ there’s always more ahead of us.

He always has more to reveal; more about Him and more to the story He is weaving in our life.

On my desk at work sits a perpetual calendar.  It features inspiring quotes from the writers of the website (in)courage. Today is December 3rd and Bonnie Gray is featured with the words: “We may be uncertain about our next steps, but we can be certain of God.”

I don’t know what the next step is as the year draws to an end and a new one begins. But I know I can be certain of God.

A quote from the Storyline Conference I attended has stayed with me. I am not sure who said it or of the exact words but it went something along the lines of, “The thing you fear most is usually what God calls you to.”

God often calls us out of our comfort zone, doesn't He? Let's not forget we have a responsibility to obey the One we are submitting our life to.

I think God has a way of letting us know when we have done the very thing He wants us to do. It’s seen in our response because a deep longing he placed in our heart finally came to fruition.

Tomorrow night (Thursday) I will host a table for a Ladies Tea at my church. The past three years I have attended this same event and have always sat where it felt most comfortable . . . with one of my closest friends.

“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” ― Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo

It’s true. All it took was twenty seconds of courage to walk up to the display board for the Ladies Tea to write my name on one of the tables as a host. I am pretty sure after writing my name down on that board I walked away with embarrassing happy dance moves and lots of giggles.

If He places the desire in your heart, He will bring it to pass. 

God does something to my heart every time I am more others-focused. He does something to my heart when I make the choice to embrace community . . . the very thing I fear most.

After googling words of encouragement for when you feel low, because I am feeling somewhat melancholy, I came upon a quote by Max Lucado. I shared the quote on my blog Facebook page shortly after almost making the decision to abandon the page. Facebook does not make it easy to manage a page unless you pay to promote what you share. If nobody sees me, what’s the point?  

"You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are." ~ Max Lucado

Did you need to read those words too?

Maybe I am bouncing around a bit here. As I type I am writing to encourage my own heart just as much as I write for yours.

Over the course of the morning I returned to the familiar place of not-enoughville. But I am high-tailing myself out of that place and running back to God.

A smile is returning to my face. I have a Ladies Tea to prepare for. I will have the privilege of celebrating the coming of Christ with a group of ladies tomorrow. And some of the ladies invited to join me at my table do not know Christ in the way He wants them to know Him. Will you pray for them, and for me?

I think God intends for writing to remain a part of my journey; at least for now. But I have this pleasant tingling sensation that He has much more in store for me in 2015. I think it may have a little something to do with that word which scares me ― Community. Present over perfect.

There is always more.

“God responds and reveals Himself to those who seek Him and there is always more for Him to reveal.” – Bible Study Fellowship

****

I have wanted to do something to wrap up the 30 Days of Storyline Conference Inspirational Quotes that I shared with you on Facebook. If you missed the series, you can view the photo album here.

Donald Miller's book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a fabulous book and will give you a flavor of what he shares at his Storyline Conference.

  Share |

Memorial Day

My original intention was to share only pictures with you today to encourage a moment of silence as we embrace this day of remembrance. But I then began to realize God had placed words on my heart to share.

As I write I continue to wait for my husband’s return home from serving in harm’s way. The last time we touched one another was Thanksgiving weekend. In two short months I will say good-bye to my oldest son when he departs for his first deployment. I would do just about anything to be able to hold my family close today.

Before becoming a military family I admittedly treated this day with gratitude for simply having a day off of work. Reflecting on those we've lost in service to our beautiful country now brings many tears.

My son taught me a lot on what it means to honor these heroes. His first two years in the military were spent spending countless hours attending to the meticulous details that came along with being a Ceremonial Guard for the United States Navy. This meant He honored our heroes as they were laid to rest.

Not everyone he honored had been killed in active duty but all had served their country. All at one point in their life stood ready to give their own life for another . . . for us.

To prepare for a funeral the guardsmen had to properly clean and press their uniforms. Shoes and any brass they wore were polished to perfection. They trained on the ceremonial aspects of a funeral until the point of being able to perform with their eyes closed. Numerous inspections took place to ensure they upheld to the honor they were giving.

For two years my son put aside his chosen career in the Navy to remember and honor our heroes. Becoming a Ceremonial Guard was not out of duty but a willingness to lay down his own desires for another. Five days a week he made his way to Arlington National Cemetery no matter the weather conditions to ensure these men and women received the honor they had earned.

Because he took his role as a guardsman seriously, he was asked to serve as part of the ceremonial detail as Astronaut Neil Armstrong was laid to rest at sea.

Photo credit

Photo credit

On Memorial Day the verse from John 15:13 is typically shared: "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend."

No one portrays this kind of love more than Christ.

I see the example Christ left for us and I see the faces of the men and women who also left us with a powerful example of a willingness to lay down their life for another. I see the faces of both my husband and son, and those serving alongside of them, who stand willing to leave loved ones behind to serve their country.

Today not only do we remember our fallen heroes; we honor their sacrifice. We need to honor their sacrifice, and willingness to sacrifice, today and every day with the same honor they were given as laid to rest.

I believe our heroes leave us with a message on how to do just that: Keep moving forward with a willingness to love one another with that same kind of love . . . a sacrificial kind of love . . . God’s kind of love. Because there is no greater love than to put aside our own desires to love another.

Let the sacrifice made by so many fuel our hearts to love one another. Love others by following His example.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of our fallen heroes. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Three Word Wednesday: Faith ~ Hope ~ Love

Three years and three months ago I wrote my first blog post. This will be my 382nd post. There is nothing significant about this post other than a desire to share with you how the journey of becoming a military family and faith in God collided.

I began writing under a different blog name ~ From an Army Wife and Navy Mom. (The writing was bad . . . very bad.) My first post was written while my husband was completing his training to become a soldier and my oldest son was preparing to leave home to become a sailor. The intent of my blog was to share the journey of being a military family.

At the time I was not a follower of Christ — my husband and I were not followers of Christ. We had never been a church-going family.

The words from 1 Corinthians 13:13 were spoken on our wedding day but they were just words . . . just a verse. Doesn't everyone share the verse on their wedding day?

I started my sixth blog post by writing, "I wouldn't normally talk about faith…." I ended that same post with two words: "Have faith." God had begun moving into our hearts. With those two words a new journey began.

"Have faith in God." ~ Mark 11:22

It was a new journey not only for me but for my husband too. We were miles apart from one another yet God planted a seed in both of our hearts. The journey of becoming a military family became a journey of having faith in God. I had no idea how having faith in Him would change our lives. He really does make all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We became what I believe is a testimony of the miracle only God can perform: a transformation of two hearts. We were a couple joined by God but never really knew God. And then suddenly, even though we were miles apart, we were led down a similar new path of allowing Him to become greater in our lives.

"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." ~ John 3:30

Having faith in Him united us in the way God always intended.

***

Here my husband and I are again miles apart from one another. While my husband may be on the other side of the world, the same God here with me is the same God with him.

We both have moments when we are weary from the separation and wonder why He chose this path. The moments of doubt don't draw us further from God — they remind us of how He did choose this path for us and He will surely bless us for our obedience. Our hope is in Him.

"He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name." ~ Psalm 33:20-21

We depend on Him. He is everything we need.

My words at times may reflect a weary heart but I hope they also reveal how God is moving in my life in ways that leave me in awe. He chose this path of becoming a military family for us because it was the path that led us to Him. The time we spend apart is teaching us to lean on Him for strength. Absolutely nothing we experience in this journey will be wasted. He will use it all to show His glory.

"And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory." ~ Colossians 1:27

When I reflect on this truth, it brings me to my hands and knees singing . . . "Here am I, all of me, take my life, it's all for Thee…"

***

In January 2013 I launched my current blog ~ withlove-simplybeth. My writing may have begun with a plan of sharing the journey of being a military family but God had another plan. His plan? For me to simply share how He has transformed my life.

What I hope you find here is love . . . as this is what God is teaching me: to love more and more. I pray you find encouragement here no matter where you are in your faith journey.

I often wonder if my posts are to inward focused but all I know to give you is my heart — so I share my heart with love. It’s a love He planted in my heart three years ago — His love. I pray you see Him and His love for you through the words I write.

"God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them." ~ 1 John 4:16

And the words from 1 Corinthians 13:13 . . . they are no longer just words. They are so much more.

Three Word Wednesday: An Honest Heart

Original photo by friend Judd Johnson

How do I begin? My three words this week are: An Honest Heart. The proper place to begin would then be to honestly share my heart with you.

I'm hurting. My heart hurts. I honestly thought I'd be emotionally prepared for my husband's deployment. I am not.

I cry a lot these days. I'm fond of long walks because the time alone allows me to have a good cry. I take my phone, plug in the headphones, click on Pandora and off I go. Before long the now familiar tears start falling. I cry in the car, shower and just about any place where I'm alone. On Monday night I returned home from work and fell in to my husband's arms in tears.

I know without a doubt God is with me—He is with us. I'm sure of the path He placed my family on: the path of being a military family. I'm sure He will do something good with this new season.

It does not change the fact that my heart hurts. I'm also realizing I'm not the only one with hurting heart.

My husband and I sat in front of our church youth group this past Sunday to talk about courage. We were there to share our hearts on being brave to do what we must do even when we are afraid. I'm confident it will be a piece of cake for my husband so I told him the baton was being passed to him.

He began by saying thank you to the children for the support they have shown to our troops. Then he shared a few verses that spoke about courage. He turned the focus inward and began to tell them he would soon deploy. This strong soldier of mine couldn't get the words out while trying to hold back tears. I took the microphone from him and God did one of his many miracles. He gave me the courage to tell these children where we will draw our strength from.

It's didn't take long for us to fall in to a rhythm as we took turns with the microphone. We appeared to have the full attention of the youth group so I'd say it went well.

Earlier that morning we made plans to spend the evening with our youngest son and his girlfriend. We are making it a priority to spend more time with them. Our oldest son will also return home for a brief visit the end of the month. This new season will have an impact on the entire family so I'm grateful for the small window we will have to be together again. Our son is scheduled to deploy next year so our time together will be precious.

Family and friends will join us one evening to celebrate my husband's heart to serve and protect our country. Have we gone overboard with our plans? I believe our hearts are in the right place. We know we can not do this on our own. God will want to use others to lend a helping hand.

My honest heart needs you to know I will need you. I also want you to know how thankful I am for you. To every single one of my followers I say, Thank You.

Building a relationship with you is important to me. I do my best to visit your blog, leave you some comment love and engage with you on Facebook or Twitter. But when I'm sitting in front of the computer that means I'm not where I should be. I'm afraid of losing you so I keep trying to balance my time.

Right now, I'm unable to keep up and it's hurting this heart of mine even more. Not keeping up makes me feel like I have failed as your friend. As much as I want to try harder, I know I need to follow advice received this past week: "Take care of YOU!! You matter to God and he wants you to take good care of his fearfully and wonderfully made treasure!!!!!"

Taking care of me includes focusing my attention on my family. My husband and children need me. I need them.

I'm committed to this weekly Three Word Wednesday link-up no matter what. God is doing something fabulous with the words you share. To lend a helping hand, a friend will be guest posting here next week. If you are interested in guest posting for a future Three Word Wednesday, I'd love to have you here or you can also host at your place. You can email me at simplybeth3(at)gmail(dot)com.

I'm hopeful I can still manage my Monday Snapshot Love and For your Sunday posts. They do stand a good chance of being brief or skipped. Five Minute Friday may need to take a back seat for now. God has the lead.

Friends, you hold a special place in my heart. I treasure your friendship. Staying away completely would be too hard. However, if you do not hear from me quite as often these next several weeks please know "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." ~ Ephesians 1:16

God bless.

Never forget how brave they are.

I am joining Lisa-Jo Baker and others for Five Minute Friday. Lisa-Jo provides us with a word prompt and we are to write for five minutes with "no extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation."

Today's word: Brave

GO

Acts of bravery take place around us every day. Because really, being brave comes in many different forms and being brave doesn't only require putting on a uniform and making the choice to serve and protect our country.

But today I do want to write about those brave men and women who put on that camouflage uniform. This is where my mind immediately went when I pulled out my iPad, browsed through new emails and discovered the word Lisa-Jo was asking us to write for five minutes on was Brave. Maybe this is because my evening was spent sharing with a ladies group at my church on supporting our military.

Never forget their sacrifices.

Their sacrifices require bold acts of bravery—acts of bravery many of us may never fully understand. Too many times their acts of bravery lead to an ultimate sacrifice. This is where my heart lies friends...to never forget how brave they are. We are the land of the free because of the brave.

Forgive me for using this space to make a simple request. The month of May is Military Appreciation Month. To my many, many writer friends...could today be a day where you take another five minutes and write a letter to a service member? Your letter can be sent to the address below and will be included in comfort care packages sent to our men and women bravely serving in harms way.

Operation Support our Troops - America
1807 S. Washington Street
Suite 110, #359
Naperville, Illinois 60565

God Bless.

STOP

Unexpected Confidence

I’m not always sure why God used becoming a military family to bring a renewed strength to my family. Many times I have thought it was an odd choice. Thankfully my ways are not His ways, so I’ve stopped questioning His choice. There are too many reasons to be grateful for the journey He has taken us on.

What I find mind boggling is how God showed up and gave an unexpected boost of confidence to each member of my family. It was a boost of confidence that was desperately needed even though some may not have realized how much that boost was needed. As I look back and see how God orchestrated each step, and how each of us grew as a result, I’m in awe.

It began with giving a husband and father the confidence to pursue a lifelong dream at the age of 41 to serve His country. Soon after, confidence was found for a son to follow in his father’s footsteps. Serving his country was not a lifelong dream, but he was in need of knowing he was capable of so much more than he ever allowed himself to believe. He showed another son that he too could pursue a dream…a dream for a life filled with music.

As these men of mine began their new adventures, two of them being led away from home, I wanted my life to come to a stop. How would I possibly manage? For this introvert, confidence was needed to simply venture outside of the house on my own. God gave me the confidence to keep moving forward.

He gave me confidence to send my husband off to become a soldier and begin a new chapter in our life.

He gave me confidence to let go of my son the day he left for Boot Camp to become a sailor.

He gave me confidence to support my youngest son in pursuing his dream, because sometimes we moms need confidence in our ability to be a supporting mom.

He gave me confidence to say to my husband, when he called to tell me an injury during his training was now going to keep him away longer than originally planned, that “Everything will be okay.”

He gave me confidence to hop in the car with only a few hours’ notice and make the drive from Chicago to South Carolina to bring my husband home to recover from his injury prior to completing his training.

He gave me confidence to say, “I can handle this,” when I opened my front door one morning to 22 inches of snow.

More recently, He was with me as I rose from my seat one Sunday morning and took those scary steps to the front of the sanctuary. I grabbed hold of the microphone and stood before our entire congregation as the leader of our new Military Support Ministry and shared my heart on why supporting our troop’s matters. The hand that held my notes would not stop shaking. God gave me the confidence to speak.

Every time I hit the “Publish” button on a new post, it’s because He has given me the confidence to believe that my stories matter.

How do we grab hold of this confidence God wants to give us?

In Matthew 4:19 Jesus says, “Come, follow me.” When we make the choice to follow Jesus, we are surrendering relying on our own agenda, and trusting His. It’s a choice we make daily to surrender and trust that He has us right where we are for a purpose. When we put our trust in Him, He will give us the confidence needed to fulfill His plan.

We may not do it perfectly, but He isn’t asking us to be perfect. There were many times I found myself in tears when my husband was gone. On that day I stood before our congregation, my words were far from perfect and it was more than obvious how badly my one hand was shaking. I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to find several posts with some kind of grammatical error. But every day I make the choice to keep on following Him.

God makes no mistakes so put your trust in Him.

With a grateful heart, thank you God! On my own, these things would not have been possible — with you all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

Have a Little Faith

In December 2011 I shared a post on my previous blog titled, "Have a Little Faith." Much of what I wrote at that time still rings true to me as 2012 comes to an end.  I considered simply re-posting what I wrote last year, but then decided that would be taking the easy way out. However, there are parts that I do consider as worthwhile to share again.

Such as the words shared by Hilary Swank in the movie New Year's Eve as New Yorkers anxiously waited for the ball to drop...

"It's suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the new year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and our missteps, our promises made and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures or closed ourselves down for fear of getting hurt cause that is what new years is all about- getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about what if and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight and it will drop, let's remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long."

My favorite part..."to love more." Oh my friends, let's love more and more! Not just tonight, but always.

The New Year brings about reflection, but also an inspiration to take a new leap. I've never been a fan of resolutions, but I do believe the New Year is a time to allow yourself to dream...to have faith to move beyond what may seem comfortable...to take a leap of faith.

Last year I shared how my one request from our boys for the holidays was that we all attend church together. I simply wanted to share our faith with them. And, I silently prayed for them to have a little faith.  And, I will keep saying this prayer as I so desperately hope for my boys to have faith in Him because I don't want them to miss out on all He wants to give them.

I'm a huge fan of author Jon Gordon and love what he shared back in 2011 in his post, "No Fear in the New Year 2012." He suggests we jump in the ocean, take a "leap of faith."

"As I write this I am preparing to jump into the ocean once again on New Year’s Day. It has become my yearly ritual – to remind myself to follow my passion, live life to the fullest, surrender and to stay one step ahead of the fear that hovers around me. And as I take my leap into the ocean I want to invite you to jump in with me. Perhaps not in the ocean but in the depths of your mind. This jump doesn’t necessarily require water but rather a leap of faith in your belief system and a shift in your mindset. The antidote to fear is trust and it is only a thought away." http://www.jongordon.com/blog/2011/12/27/no-fear-in-the-new-year-2012/

Instead of New Year's resolutions, what if we took a leap of faith? What if we joined the growing movement to choose One Word to live and breathe in 2013 instead of making a resolution? What would your word be? Faith, Leap, Trust, Surrender, Belief, Love? Take some quiet time and let God reveal your word to you.

Most of us who make resolutions find ourselves failing by the end of January. Choosing One Word will give you a renewed purpose and meaning. Take that leap of faith and believe that One Word can transform your life. "Words are powerful.  They have the power to inspire, encourage, appreciate, heal, and turn the impossible into possible." - Jon Gordon 

Choosing One Word will transform your life.

I know I've shared already, but I will share again, my One Word is EMBRACE! Oh how I plan to allow this word to sink into the depths of my mind this coming year.

May the New Year bring you endless Joy and perfect Peace! God Bless.

Twenty Seconds of Courage

If you were sitting with me enjoying this bowl of popcorn I'm taking a few moments to snack on, I'd want to share with you, "sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage, and I promise something good will come out of it."

I'd tell you how I believe we are all longing for something but we are too scared to just go for it...take that leap. With anticipation in hearing your reply, I'd ask you, "if you had twenty seconds of insane courage what would you do with those twenty seconds?"

Are you needing those twenty seconds of insane courage to tell someone how you feel? Could it be you want those twenty seconds to jump in to the deep end of the ocean?

Whatever your longing for...do you know that having those twenty seconds of insane courage are available to you every moment of your life? How do you get that courage?

Oh my dear friend, all you need is a little faith.

"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

I had the opportunity to witness what twenty seconds of insane courage looks like over and over again within just an hour.

Does it not take courage to stand up in front of a group of people and share how God has touched your life? I could feel my own heart racing for each person as they stood and reached for the microphone. As they began to speak the words they so desperately wanted to share, I could hear the fear in their voice being replaced with a courage that can only come from God. He was surely present in that place.

There isn't a day where I'm not in need of courage to do what feels impossible. When I try to rely on my own strength I'm disappointed when courage doesn't show up. But, when I turn to God for strength, He shows up every time and joy is always found.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” - Psalm 16:11

Are you in need of twenty seconds of insane courage? I pray that God speaks to your heart and you allow yourself to take his hand as he gives you the courage you are longing for.

Friends...I promise something good will come out of that courage.