Apr 26

No Such Thing as Multi-Tasking in the Kingdom!

Posted by Tristie | Posted in How to Study the Bible | Posted on 26-04-2009

My mind has been consumed with ministry planning for the next year.  I have been convicted and GOD gives this wonderful reminder in my daughter’s children’s Bible.  May it bless you and refresh you with Living Water!

This came from a seminar called “How to Teach a Bible Study” that I got to teach.  Literally, my mind has been filled with this story b/c Joy and I read it every night!

Luke 10:38-42

Chief Characters:  Jesus, Martha & Mary (Lazarus somewhere?)

(This is a topical, not as exegetical observation… your kids won’t miss application!)

3 Things We See (Observations are “obvious”!)

  1. Martha is busy
  2. Mary is sitting
  3. Jesus is teaching

The humor part came when I shared that Joy’s funny comment after being taught this passage and the importance of listening to Christ first before serving Him….

“MMM and Jesus didn’t even say “He was hungry”!

Application:  The good part is…

  1. Listen
  2. Obey
  3. Practice Giving Him your attention
  4. Don’t be busy FOR Him

(Christian clubs and involvement but zero prayer life, no concern for the lost, unhealthy relationships, and no time reading of Him in His WORD.”

You cannot multi-task in the Kingdom.  It’s on or the other.

Yet, have you noticed His gentleness with Martha?  No scolding or reprimand.  Simply an invitation for something more profitable.  I struggle constantly… because I am human serving an eternal God… but Mary gives me hope… with the power of the Spirit, I can sit, listen and obey.

Mary has chosen the good part and it will not be taken from her.

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Apr 04

An 11 Year Old Prayer-Part One

Posted by Tristie | Posted in Discipleship, Parenting | Posted on 04-04-2009

Friends….

I had written this for the girls I discipled in the Spring of 1997. It remains my prayer for
 all the girls I have known in the spring of 2009!
Powerful and Loving God, you have loved us and drawn us to yourself. You have shown
 us your love by paying the price for our sin. We could not pay this debt. May we recognize
 this spiritual secret! My hope for these women is that they would walk with you for a 
lifetime. I do not say this glibly. There will be COST. O God, let them choose the harder 
way! Let them choose to follow when it hurts, when it’s embarrassing and when it divides.
I pray that they will not be satisfied with mere contentment of life. Let them SEE the 
invisible Kingdom…and REACH FOR IT. I ask that they would care more deeply for 
others than themselves. I pray that sharing the gospel with a lost person would burn 
deeply in their hearts….let them see the urgency!
Let them not be distracted by things that promise fulfillment–material things, power
 and position, and even worse, love of self. Let them choose significance in YOU. Let 
them be thankful and fulfilled in knowing their identity in you. 
I pray that they would read your Word, love it, and honor it by giving it TIME. Let 
them have honest time with you….not just consistent asking , but consistent worship 
as well. May they confess sin, KNOWING that the lack of confession can turn them into
 bitter women . May they cry out to you for immediate help when they are tempted 
toward sin.
In His POWER and not our own,
tris

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Apr 02

Meetings that Move Mountains

Posted by Tristie | Posted in Encouraging Thoughts | Posted on 02-04-2009

I met with a dear friend today and was reminded of what constitutes a “good meeting”….it is not getting through material, keeping lists, or sticking rigidly to a plan. 

A good meeting is always an encounter with the Living God through His people.  My favorite times with friends are ALWAYS the times I sense the presence of the Lord, the sharing of His Word, and mutual care for one another. A sense that God Himself has pulled the veil back 
from Heaven and shown you a picture of what the fellowship of the saints looks like…in the context of His Power. 
I was in a Bible Study like this for 6 years and it TRULY seemed that we “saw” God nearly every time we met.  He spoke through the book of Hebrews and I Peter in ways that stunned, convicted and fortified us. We left always feeling refreshed…a long drink of Living Water surrounded by trusted sisters.
May we all have this gift in our lives! Search carefully (and prayerfully!) for friends that walk with God, love His Word, and want to become more like Him. Surround yourself with those who bless you and challenge you. Maybe the greatest indicator of a successful meeting is not “what was accomplished” but Who showed up. 

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