Majoring on the Minors

For the sake of finishing our discipline of scripture memory through the Bible within the year, we will not include all of the prophets.

While each of the prophetic books is significant in it's own right, we find they all pretty much have the same basic ingredients: (1) warning of impending judgment because of the nations’ sinfulness; (2) a description of the sin; (3) a warning of the coming judgment; (4) a call for repentance; and/or (5) a promise of future deliverance.

The twelve books referred to as "minor prophets" are minor only in that they are each much shorter than the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel (called “major prophets”).

Ultimately, God’s purposes would be fulfilled by the sovereign work of God in the lives of His people.

Week #25: Hosea 6:6

Week of June 21-27

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. "
[Hosea 6:6]

Note: Grammatically, these two sentences are a good picture of biblical parallelism. Mercy parallels acknowledgement (knowledge/knowing = a term of intimacy or relationship) of God and sacrifice parallels burnt offerings.

A loose translation might be: I am looking for life change that flows out of knowing God, not the mere practice of religious observances. Another way of thinking about it is that God is looking for relationship, not religion.

I found this great overview of Hosea. It is about 3 minutes long. Enjoy!

http://www.helives.com/blog/media/hosea-overview/

Week #24: Daniel 12:3

Week of June 14-20

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." [Daniel 12:3]

Daniel was written by . . . Daniel.

There are twelve chapters. The first six cover Daniel’s life and the last six cover visions he was given and the prophecies (predictions) they contained. The last half is apocalyptic literature--a type of writing that focuses on the End Times. Some other books with apocalyptic literature include Revelation, Zechariah, and parts of Ezekiel. Our verse for this week should be read in light of Jesus' Second Coming.

Daniel was taken captive by the Babylonians when King Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem’s wisest men and most beautiful women back to Babylon. He was probably 16 or so at the time. Even though he was in a strange land with constant challenges to his faith, he remained steadfast in his loyalty to God.

Daniel contains some stories you may have heard many times (Daniel in the lion’s den and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace). Chapter five contains the origin of the saying “the writing is on the wall.”

The most amazing thing about Daniel is the accuracy of the prophecies. Even most liberal scholars agree that Daniel accurately describes the reigns and activities of several empires covering several hundred years.

It is encouraging that God shows us through his Word that He knows everything that will happen. Psychics can’t predict what will happen next week, yet God predicted the specific course of many countries covering hundreds of years with 100% accuracy. This is one of the proofs showing the reliability of the Bible. No other Holy Book contains confirmed prophecies like this.

Repeat after me!

Read the following out loud....

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

See how easy that was!
Keep it up til it "sticks"!

Press on!
Tiffany

Summer Meeting Schedule

Hi friends-

We plan on meeting the FIRST and THIRD Thursdays of each month this summer.
For now, let's say Veteran's Park (kid-friendly) from 10:00-11:00 am.

This will kick off on Thursday, June 18th.
July dates will be Thursday, July 2nd and Thursday, July 16th.

Hope to see you there!

Tiffany

Week #23: Ezekiel 36:26

Week of June 7-13

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. " [Ezekiel 36:26]


NOTE: An excerpt from the book I am reading, The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns:

"As followers of Christ, we must become acutely aware of the darkness and hardness of the human heart. God is certainly aware. He spoke of it when He said of His people, "I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh"(Ezekiel 11:9) It is our "stony hearts" that are the root cause not only of apathy toward our fellow man but even of hatred, murder, and genocide. Divided between the things of God and the things of the world, our "hearts of stone" are incapable of loving the poor unless God changes them to hearts of "flesh". Should this not cause us to plead with God daily... for our hearts to "be broken by the things that break the heart of God"?

Recruiting our "Summer Team"

Summer is almost here!

I want to encourage you to join our "Summer Team" for scripture memory!
If you haven't participated up to this point, now is GREAT TIME!

There are approximately 12 weeks between now and the time school starts again.
Set your goal to work hard on these 12 passages we will memorize.
You will be greatly blessed!

Grab a friend and bring them along in this great journey!
If you don't ask them, who will?

Press on friends!
Tiffany

Week #22: Lamentations 3:22-23

Week of May 31-June 6

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. " [Lamentations 3:22-23]


NOTE: Lamentations describes the funeral of a city. It is a tear-stained portrait of a once-proud Jerusalem, now reduced to a pile of rubble by the invading Babylonian hordes.
Jeremiah (traditionally acclaimed as the author of this book) lays bare his emotions. A death has occurred; Jerusalem lies barren.

In the midst of this terrible tragedy, Jeremiah triumphantly cries out, "Great is [the Lord's] faithfulness" (3:23)! In the face of death and destruction, with life seeming to come apart at the seams, Jeremiah turns tragedy into a triumph of faith.

God has never failed him in the past. God has promised to remain faithful in the future.
In the light of the God he knows and loves, Jeremiah finds hope and comfort.


INSIGHT: Jeremiah's Two Glimpses of Jerusalem's Fall
Book of Jeremiah- Looking AHEAD to the fall of Jerusalem [WARNING]
Book of Lamentations- Looking BACK at the fall of Jerusalem [MOURNING]

Coffee Time!

Hey friends!

One last "coffee time" before the kids are out of school!
Please join me Tuesday, June 2nd from 12:00 noon to 1:00 at Starbucks (Park Row and Bowen)

We will plan to meet during the summer at a "kid-friendly" location :)

See ya then!
Tiffany

PS- Thanks to Laura for the great scripture memory resources!

Week #21: Jeremiah 29:11

Week of May 24-30

"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." [Jeremiah 29:11]

NOTE: Here is a brief overview of Jeremiah:

In chapter one the LORD called Jeremiah to be a prophet to Judah. The LORD immediately says what will happen to Judah (1:13-16) and why (1:16 and 2:13). He also promises to protect Jeremiah from the unbelieving and rebellious kings, princes, priest, and people (1:17-19).

Jeremiah’s message was that Judah has forsaken the Lord and turned to idols (2:11-13), and she is worse than Israel was 125 years ago (3:6-11). God, through Babylon, will severely discipline her (19; 20:1-6). If Judah will submit to Babylon, God will allow her to remain in the land; but if Judah resists, he will bring catastrophic destruction upon her (27:1-11). Judah did not repent, nor did she submit to Babylon. Therefore, God kept his word. He catastrophically judged Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and sent his people into slavery (32:17-36; 39; 52). The book of Lamentations (we will memorize from Lamentations next week) is Jeremiah’s sorrowful poem describing the results of Judah’s choice for idolatry instead of God.

Along with the prophecy of judgment, God also promised to restore Israel to her land sometime in the future. That promise is the New Covenant (31:31-34 , through the blood of Christ). At that time the Hebrew people will know and love God’s word; they will have eternal salvation and relationship with the Lord; and the Lord will have forgiven all their sins.

Count 'em kids!

When my boys were little, their shelves were full of trophies from T-ball, soccer, football, etc. Many nights they took great delight in counting their "awards"! "Look Mom, I have eight trophies!"
There was a certain fulfillment and pride in the physical statue that sat on their shelves.

As we memorize our scripture week to week, we are accumulating "trophies" of a different kind. These treasures are eternal truths that surpass any award or prize we could gain on this earth!

COUNT 'EM!
We are on WEEK #20 of our scripture memory!

Press on friends!
Tiffany

Week #20: Isaiah 55:8-9

Week of May 17-23

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." [Isaiah 55:8-9]

For a CHALLENGE add verses 10-12:

10 "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. "


NOTE : About the author: Isaiah

He served the Lord from about 740-680 BC. We could call Isaiah the "evangelist of the Old Testament" because of his clear presentations of the Messiah, Jesus the Christ (Isaiah 53). We could also call him the "Paul of the Old Testament" because of his apparent aristocracy, training, writing ability, and theological statements. He served in and around Jerusalem.

His main ministry was with Judah, but he prophesied judgment upon both Israel and Judah because of their apostasy. Along with judgment he also prophesied their future restoration and blessing because of God’s covenants with His people—the united nation of Israel.

Isaiah is a book that contains much warning and judgment, but also great messages of blessing. He repeated these two basic messages over and over again.

"Add on" to Ecclesiastes

We had a great "coffee time" today!
Thanks everyone for all of the wonderful insight and for sharing what the Lord is teaching you through these verses.

We decided to add the first part of verse 13 to our scripture memory for this week.
So, here's how we are memorizing it:

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." [Ecclesiates 12:13]

Press on friends!
Tiffany

Week #19: Ecclesiastes 12:13b

Week of May 10-16

"Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." [Ecclesiastes 12:13b]


NOTE: Solomon demonstrates from his observations that life lived without God as the central person and God’s word as the controlling viewpoint has no satisfactory answers or lasting meaning.

The theme of Ecclesiastes is developed from chapter to chapter. Each human acquisition of material wealth, every human success, all his thinking and study, every new philosophy of life—whatever he examined and experimented with came up short of giving him lasting meaning and happiness in life.

God is infinite and therefore his wisdom and his acts are infinite; God’s word is the product of his perfect character and infiniteness.

Mankind, on the other hand, is limited and therefore his wisdom is limited, his knowledge of life is limited, and his acts are limited.

Man, alone, cannot figure out life. Human knowledge, human wisdom, human accomplishments, and human relationships by themselves cannot make sense out of life. Neither, money, learning, wisdom, wealth, possessions, reputation, or family can give permanent meaning, accomplishment, and happiness to life without relationship and fellowship with God and God’s word.

Coffee Time !

It's been too long!

Join me on Wednesday, May 13th from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm at Starbucks (Bowen and Park Row)

Let's continue to spur each other on in this amazing journey!

Hope you can make it!
Tiffany

Week #18: Proverbs 3:5-6

Week of May 3-May 9

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." [Proverbs 3:5-6]


NOTE: The book of Proverbs doesn't read like any other book in the Bible. It is a series of "catchy" sayings that are intended to be easily remembered. So, if you feel like the author is jumping from one idea to the next, that's exactly what's happening! There are several major themes that are repeated in the Proverbs: wisdom, speech, work, purity and righteousness.

Here's a trivia question: what book in the New Testament is most like the book of Proverbs? It is a book with a variety of principles for practical Christian living.

Pass it on!

Yesterday, Mission Arlington came and picked up some things from us. Things that had been a blessing to us (bikes, toys, clothes, etc.) but that could now be a blessing to someone else.

We have been planting God's Word in our own hearts and minds...let's not forget to PASS IT ON!

I want to challenge you to speak one of the verses you have memorized to someone who needs encouraging in the next three days! It may be someone at the grocery store, at the cleaners, at your kid's school, a neighbor...
Be alert and watchful! Ask God to show you clearly where He wants you to PASS IT ON!

Press on friends!
Tiffany

Week #17: Psalm 90:12

Week of April 26-May 2

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." [Psalm 90:12]


NOTE: We are going to stay in the Psalms one more week! I just couldn't pass this one up!

My Right Hand

I was having my quiet time in the book of Acts (Ch.7) yesterday and I came across the phrase "right hand" in verse 56. It jumped out at me because our verse this week (Psalm 16:7-8) also refers to the "right hand".

Here's what I found when I "dug a little deeper"-

The use of the phrase "right hand" in the Bible may refer to several things depending upon the context in which it is used. Here are a few examples:

The right hand is a place of distinction and favor (Genesis 48:13-19) as opposed to that of judgment or punishment (Matthew 25:33)

The right hand is a place of honor (1 Kings 2:19; Psalm 45:9); because of this, it is raised in swearing

The right hand is the place of power and strength (Psalm 60:5; 63:8; 108:6; 118:15,16; 110:1; Isaiah 28:2; Matthew 22:44; Matthew 20:21,23)

Let me know if you have something to add to this! I would love know your thoughts and what God has impressed on your heart this week regarding these verses.

Blessings!
Tiffany

Week #16: Psalm 16: 7-8

Week of April 19-25

"I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." [Psalm 16:7-8]

For an extra challenge, add the next two verses:
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. [Psalm 16: 9-10]

NOTE:
The Psalms were written by at least seven authors (of which David is the most notable.) The book of Psalms spans one thousand years of Israel's rich history-from the time of Moses to the return from exile in Babylonia. The word psalm comes from a Greek word meaning "a song sung to the accompaniment of a plucked instrument." Used as the Temple hymnbook, the Psalms express the diversity of human emotion-praise to God in good times, fear of enemies in bad times, and an overriding confidence in God's goodness, majesty and power.