Chapter 2: Sam

I am almost finished with chapter 2. This is a bit of what I journaled as I read...

 In reading this chapter, I discovered that Sam was not who I pictured her to be.

 I had always imagined Sam (a.k.a. the Samaritan woman) as a loose woman who still had a bit of allure, a bit of mystery to her.

And yet, in a culture that considered divorce shameful, this woman had been discarded not once but 5 times. Five men, each a bit less honorable than the last, had taken her, used her, then publicly rejected her. She slides farther into her sin, and the gulf between she and her accusers grows ever wider.

I saw a modern-day Sam in the grocery store today. After listening in on my conversation with another woman, Sam began talking to me. "I have 3 kids and I'm pregnant with my 4th." I look at her and can't help wondering how many different men fathered her children. She looks older than her years, rough, wearing pajama pants and a hoodie. She talks to the man she is with in a nervous giggle, as if their relationship isn't secure...

And I see in her the face of the Samaritan woman. A women on the fringes of the society. Disdained by her community. Rejected by the upstanding religious men and their proper wives.

And Jesus had to go through Samaria. He was drawn to Sam as greatly as others were repelled by her. He sought her out as no one had ever sought her out.

To the rough, rejected, reviled soul, he offered Himself. Her brokenness led him to her. Her hurt was covered by the Healer.

I imagine a modern day retelling of this story...a story where Jesus had to go to Glenwood. When I, like the disciples, look askance at Jesus while he glories in his beloved daughter, while he ignores me and my self-righteousness and looks at this modern day Sam with eyes of love that break her. That change her...that speak of belonging, of her infinite worth...

I haven't finished this chapter yet, but I have been thinking about this story a lot. What does the love of the Saviour for the broken mean to you?

A Confident Heart, Chapter One

Have you started A Confident Heart yet? I finished chapter one today. I had read half of the book several months ago, but started over. Trying to read slowly. I am glad I took the time. I have a renewed excitement about going through this book with you.
There are three thoughts that appear to form Renee Swope's foundation for the book:

~God's Word changes us, so we need to study His Word (Rms. 12:2)

~We most clearly know God's will as revealed in His words in Scripture...which is why praying through the scriptures is a great idea.(1John 5:14)

~Faith comes by hearing, Romans 10:17 says, so Renee urges us to pray the words of Scripture out loud.

Study His Word. Pray His Word. Speak His Word.

Okay. I can do that.

The study questions were a blessing, a chance to ponder what I have just read, to look back on my life and see the patterns of doubt influencing my decisions. Good stuff. I look forward to chapter two.

If you aren't doing the study with us, feel free to keep reading these posts and checking reneeswope.com. There is some good information that will be a blessing to you even apart from the book, and it will keep us all on the same page as we learn and grow together.

If you would like a book, just let me know and I will get one to you!

Tuesday night is our time together at Big Oak. 7 p.m. Last year, we sat outside from March through September or October. Can you believe that? I have a feeling this year the warm weather may not come so early. To switch things up a bit, and allow for more intimate conversation, let's sit at smaller tables and booths Tuesday night...gathering in threes, fours and fives. We can get to know each other more. Want to go deeper? Here are some questions from the book to discuss with each other...Has insecurity ever kept you from doing something? Describe what happens in your heart as you read the promises of God.

This is a good journey we are on. Not a journey to be a better Christian, but a journey into the heart of a God who delights in each of us and desires for us to know Him as He knows each of us. Good stuff. :)

Days like Today

That's it...I am not reading A Confident Heart. I blew it. Again. I wrestled with God, and my will, my sin won. I am dealing with my regret, dealing with my fears over what God thinks of me. Forget becoming a confident woman of God. I am just trying to keep my head above water.
Maybe I am the only one who has days like today. Maybe not. I do know that I am treading water, hard, looking for a way out of my defeat. Seeking to know that my Heavenly Father loves me despite my crumbling, faltering, broken walk.
 I look ahead in the book.

Chapter 2: Because God's love is perfect, I don't have to be.

Chapter 3: Finding Love that won't fail even when I do.

And I realize that there is hope. Not because I am strong enough to save myself. No. My hope is found when I realize that there is a God I can run to, or who will find me when I am too scared, too broken to run to Him.

I will keep reading, keep learning, and keep seeking the God who will never let me go. Even on days like today.

"You stay there. I'll come to you"

 

 

A story that puts this in perspective...

http://www.christianitytoday.com/iyf/faithandlife/christianclassics/15.66.html?start=1