Category: Wednesdays with Beth

Wednesdays with Beth: The Law of Kindness pt. 3

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I love that Sophia Petrillo.  She is a mess!  The way that she can come back on her roommates is priceless.  And she gets such a kick out of it too!  I can see the look of satisfaction on her face every time she “gets” someone with her venomous tongue.

The nature of the show is set so that no one really gets hurt by Sophia’s comments because, most often, they don’t really pay her that much attention.  The issue is that there are too many of us who are taking cues from Sophia and passing out tongue lashings every time we get a chance.  But when we do it Sophia’s way, which may feel good and just in the moment, we miss out on the opportunity to be a part of the divine.

On today’s segment Beth Moore tells a very intriguing, encouraging and heart warming story that you must hear.  She points to the ultimate example of loving kindness and how God leaves no stone unturned when it comes to taking care of us and showing His loving kindness toward us.  And I know what she’s talking about.  I’ve been able to be a part of some of that myself within the past few days.  It’s amazing.

I really love me some Sophia but the thing is, when I “get” somebody, I don’t really feel as satisfied as she seems to do when she does it.  I need some real tools to fight with out here in crazy land!  I need some help and sustenance for those times when I really want to give someone a piece of my mind (knowing full well that I need every ounce of brain matter that I have left) at the expense of my peace of mind.

Lord, please show me more of your loving kindness so that I have more to give away as I make myself available to be a part of your divine plan for my life and the lives of people around me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Check it out:

http://lifetoday.org/video/the-law-of-kindness-part-3

Wednesdays with Beth: The Law of Kindness pt 2

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Chuckled to myself about those “fights” I have with people in my mind.  I prepare or replay the whole conversation and all the things I’d say to get somebody right,  “Aunt Esther style” . . . giving little thought to how, most often, I’m so wrong. . .

Check it out:  http://lifetoday.org/video/the-law-of-kindness-part-2

Photo taken from google,  jameslogancourier.org

Wednesdays with Beth: The Law of Kindness

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Because you ever open your mouth to make the least utterance, you need to understand and know the law of kindness.  Whoa.

Beth Moore is on Life Today talking about The Law of Kindness and in just this first video I was both convicted and captivated.  Upon seeing the title, I wasn’t too hype about hearing her message.  I loves me some Beth Moore because her teaching is just so revelatory and passionately draws me to my Savior but a message on kindness felt, well, simple.  Honey chile let me tell you!  Simple it is not!!

You’ve gotta see it for yourself, but she talked about how we are ALL published authors even without ever having made a dime for our work thanks to Facebook, Twitter, blogs, emails, and so on.  But we are, in essence, the worse sort of writers; writers without editors.  We say what we want, how we want, as often as we want and to whomever will entertain it and if we do not act in step with the Holy Spirit we can cause so much damage and harm.

She went on further to say, “It takes supernatural power to remain kind in the mean world we live in.”  And I know this is true.

Confession:  I had a run in with the mail lady this week. (huff sigh, slowly rubbing temples with fingertips)

My mail lady is just plain old mean.  She really is.  She drives her mail truck like a NASCAR professional and she takes little care for whomever may be on her terrain.  She almost hit my sister and her fiance as they were crossing the street because they weren’t crossing quickly enough.  And she has a vendetta for garbage cans.  If she rolls up to deposit the mail and there is a trashcan in the way, she runs over it with her truck or she physically takes her hands and pushes it out of her way, as she passes by in her truck.

Craziness.

The worst day is trash day.  On trash day,after emptying the cans, the trashmen leave trashcans wherever they may land; if it’s in your yard, score!, if it’s in the road, poor.  So, on trash day this week, I was going out to move my trashcans but I didn’t get there quickly enough.  As I was moving my cans, for reals, my hands were on the handle, she ran into my trashcan.  People.  My hands were on the can and she STILL hit it!!!  I was in shock and disbelief!!  For reals.  I was stunned that she hit the can while I was standing right there with it.  Then, she sat there and waited for me to move but I couldn’t because the can was trapped between the driveway and her truck!!!  And even though I was FUMING I still came up with enough respect to call her ma’am as I tried to reason with her, (with, I’ll admit, a bit of ‘tude), that I can’t guarantee that the trashmen won’t leave my can in the road each week as they typically do to me and all of my neighbors.  She relented not.  Instead she went on to tell me where I should put my trashcan so that it won’t be in her way next time.  Frustrated, I said okay and walked away to the sound of her truck screeching down the street to the next mailbox, only ten feet away.

Pride says I should have told her “akdafljsdhfuoeyrat;jdnf;asdfua;weouirwo;,!!!!!”

Conviction says I should have been nicer.

“We never resemble our Father more than when we love someone who is hard to love.” –Beth Moore

Kindness is a challenge.  Lord help!!

Check it out:  http://lifetoday.org/video/the-law-of-kindness-part-1

Wednesdays with Beth

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Beth Moore was back on Life Today, today, with part six of the series Family Calamity and Restoration (http://lifetoday.org/video/family-calamity-and-restoration-part-6).  Point 6:  God can add to your family.  Point 7:  Christ can bring honor back to the family.  The overall message that she gave was something that was on my heart last night, laid with me and slept heavy on my mind even through my dreams and greeted me as soon my eyes opened this morning.

Once a month, the second Tuesday of each month to be exact, I slide out of my home after the girls are quietly lying in bed pondering their day, the way little people do, to meet with other moms.  Together we gather, tired and excited to be together, yearning for fellowship, connection, answers, hope.  We share little bits of our lives, we laugh, we cry.  We each slip in and out of vulnerability, easily, and, I believe, we walk away fuller just for having gathered together.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)

Each time we gather we have a topic to discuss.  Last night it was how do we, amidst starting families, ministering, having careers, raising families,  make time to spend with the Lord.  I shared about how I am in this season of life where it seems like everything is hard.  It’s hard to get up in the morning, hard to get out of bed, hard to lay down at night.  Hard.  Everything.  And, because of this, how necessary it is for me to connect with my Savior daily, and best first thing in the morning, before I step foot out of the bed as a reminder that He is there with me, in that moment, and that He will continue to be with me throughout my day, moment by moment.

After I said this, I went on talking with some of the women throughout the night and I heard my words echoed back to me.  Either they were in agreement, could feel where I was coming from because they had been there, were currently there, or they simply couldn’t relate.  I thought about the ones that couldn’t relate.  I thought about the ones who said they knew and had been there.  I thought about myself and how I have been singing this song of desperation for some time now.  This having a hard time song.  And why am I still singing it?  Why have I not overcome and passed over from hard times to good times?  What’s going on, Lord?  I’m so, so thankful for the gathering because without them, it would have taken me just a little while longer to come to this:  I have not surrendered my hard time to the Lord.  I have not embraced my hard time as weakness, have not cherished the opportunity for a 2 Corinthians 12:9 moment each day, moment by moment.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

I writhe and wiggle and struggle to produce a good day, each day, and each day I get frustrated and come up unsatisfied because I have not surrendered, truly surrendered to my Psalm 46:1 God

 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Selah.  And I need to Selah my way through my day, moment by moment by moment to give my God a chance to rescue me, instead of me rushing in to figure all of this out by myself.  I need to push, but I need to push in a Psalm 121 sort of way.  I need to adjust my vision and really see.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Beth Moore spoke today about other forms of family.  Perhaps you need to tap into the family that God has provided for you that is right in front of you.  It may be your family of origin.  It may be a community of people outside of your family.  It may be both.  It be several forms of both.  Surely He desires for you to be connected through community.  Figure out who and what that is and get plugged in.  You may be missing life and, due to your absence, so may they.

Thank you, Lord, for the community of moms who help me see you more clearly.

Wednesdays with Beth

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So, so far on Wednesdays I’ve written about Beth Moore’s teachings, godly wisdom and insights and you can probably expect that I’ll do that every Wednesday.  For the past few weeks she’s been talking about family and the work that we have to do when we face strife and conflict with our family in a series of talks called Family Calamity and Restoration on Life Today with James and Betty Robison.  Today, Life Today did not air a new taping of the series, they re-aired part 4 of the, so far, 5 part series.  In case you’ve missed any of it, I would highly recommend checking it out.  I’ve placed all five parts here:

Part 1:  http://lifetoday.org/video/family-calamity-and-restoration-part-1

Part 2: http://lifetoday.org/video/family-calamity-and-restoration

Part 3:  http://lifetoday.org/video/family-calamity-and-restoration-part-3

Part 4:  http://lifetoday.org/video/family-calamity-and-restoration-part-4-2

Part 5:  http://lifetoday.org/video/family-calamity-and-restoration-part-5

And here are the five main points she’s made so far:

1.  Any family can have calamity.

2.  Family calamity is never uncomplicated.

3.  Family calamity often involves consequences.

4.  Family calamity does not have to be terminal.

5.  Even if relationships don’t heal, you can heal.

When I noticed that there was not a new part today, I was going to recap the last five parts and highlight those bits that I found to be life giving.  Instead, as I went through the series today, I became so intrigued by the bible story from which she’s teaching that I decided I’d take the rest of today and this week to read it.  It’s mostly coming from 2 Samuel 7, 13, 14, and 15 but instead of skipping around, I’m going to read all of 2 Samuel (and maybe 1 Samuel too, but that may be a little ambitious to do by next week with these two little girls I’m raising . . . we’ll see).

My times with Beth have been so rich, and I appreciate her fervor for the Lord.  He beckons me to dig in and get some of it directly from Him, not just through Beth.  That’s one of the reasons why I admire her so much.  She makes it clear that she is just a vessel through which His word and work may choose to flow.  She’s been through so much and I don’t pity her.  I rejoice in the face of her trials because right now, she is living such a triumphant life and I can sense the encouragement of the Lord gently saying, “My dear Pammie, all that you and your family have been through was not for naught.  Give me all of you, your whole story and watch me make glory out of what you think is gory.  Let me make you triumphant too.”  So, that’s what I’m gonna do!

For reals, if you haven’t already seen the videos, you don’t wanna miss it.  Check it out.  Here’s one of my favorite quotes so far (I have so many of ’em!!):

“People are going to think about us, alright.  But we do get to have something to do with what they think.  Maybe they can think that we’re a wonder.  Maybe they can think that we’re a miracle.”