Beth Moore, Swimming Lessons, & the Re-planted Garden

I went to a Beth Moore Living Proof Live event this weekend (which I have more to say about below), and James started swimming lessons today without me.  Thank goodness for good daddies!  I signed him up to take lessons every Saturday in June at Swim Atlanta.  I thought it was a little expensive, but I knew it would be worth it.  I had two choices for classes.  One class was where Landon or I would be in the water with him.  The other class was where Landon and I would watch from an observation area, and James would be with 3 other children and an instructor to learn by himself.  I explained that he could not even put his face in the water.  They told me that was fine and that he was still welcome to do the class without a parent in the water.  I really thought he might learn more if he went in without us, but I wanted Landon to be watching, and I mean, WATCHING, to go get him out of there if he was scared.  The last thing I want is for him to have a bad experience learning to swim and be afraid of water.  Landon said it went great!  One time of crying when James got water in his mouth and nose, but other than that, thumbs up!  I can't wait to go with them next Saturday.  Being a mom is really fun.  James has on the white shirt in the pictures and his Cars swimming trunks (thanks, Grandaddy :))

 Meanwhile, I was getting my worship on at Beth Moore.  We have done to consecutive Beth Moore studies at church - James and then Esther - and I just can't even describe how much I love this woman.  One of her greatest gifts is her ability to come across as completely sincere and genuine.  I actually believe that she loves me and would love to sit across from me at a table and just chat.  Her insight and even prophecy gifts are just incredible.  And then, there's Travis.  We first learned about Travis Cottrell at Woodstock when he came to do his Jesus Saves (I hope I'm right) DVD project there.  Um, basically, I was being transported to heaven.  It was unreal.  We sang a lot of those songs, and my favorite is STILL In Christ Alone.  Here's Hope and me with the cardboard cutouts:

She talked about Ephesians 2:19-22
¹⁹ So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, ²⁰ because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

 

She made the parallel from 1 Chronicles when David is instructing Solomon on how to build the temple - that we are living stones building the church.  She made 7 parallels.

1.  We are summoned to be part of building God's temple. 

Are we going to allow God to made us who He's already made us to be?

Am I going to be a builder-upper or a tearer-downer at my church?  Fake flattery (lying) is not the same thing as building up. 

When the temple was destroyed, all the stones were scattered.  That' all it takes for destruction of a building.  Old and young at a church - if we are scattered and not united - we are scattered stones, which is basically a cemetery - A dead church has separate stones.  We HAVE to be built together.  If we are joined together, He will bring His presence.  He will com.  We keep trying to be rock stars, but we need to be rock stacks.  We come to church to criticize because it's a graveyard - full of stones not built on each other, but standing alone.  Without God's presence, a church can do NOTHING to attract the world. 

 

2.  Our individual God ordained works should scare our flesh to death. 

Whatever you have been called to do is beyond you.  If you can handle easily whatever you have been called to do, then that's not it.  You are not in your destiny. 

 

3.  God is MORE THAN with us.  His Spirit is IN US.

We've gotten casual with thoughts that should disturb and thrill us.  The people of God are not nothing.  You have to be spirit filled - that doesn't mean you are called to be the BEST in your field.  God is with me and God is watching me are two different things.  He is individually in us and also in us as a group. 

 

4.  We have EVERYTHING we need to succeed.

The word success is in the Scriptures.  He wants us to be successful.  He says in Chron., to "Arise and Build". 

¹¹ O Lord, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler of all. - 1 Chron. 29:11

 

5.  Our temple also rests its weight upon the holy ground of mercy.

God always wants us back when we've messed up.  The way back to God is instantaneous.  Do you have a whole heart in what you have been called to do and who you are in Christ?  YOU WILL BEAR FRACTURED FRUIT IF YOU ARE DIVIDED.  Could be idolatry, could be because you are ready to move on and God is not ready to move you.  Until He releases you, get your heart back where He has you.

 

6.  The stones God purchase for His temple are precious to Him. 

 

7.  Our dedication of God's temple are worthy of ceremony.

 

I'm so glad I just took time to write some of my notes out - makes it come alive in my mind again.  In the last session, she had us lift up sacrifices - first sacrifices that we more easily are willing to give to God, and then sacrifices that are HARD -things that are difficult to trust God with.  It was unreal.  Very powerful.

 

When I got home, Landon was immediately in my face saying, "SHHHH, SHHH" - he was trying to get James down for a nap (even though he never naps) and didn't want James to realize I was home.  I tip toed in the guest room and fell asleep for a while.  We got up and went to Cracker Barrel and then came outside at home for a while.  Here's how the garden is looking:

 the pepper plants...

 Landon just replanted the garden today.  When he planted it a few weeks ago, it rained like 7 days in a row after that and destroyed the whole thing.  This is the first day he's had to replant. I don't know if you can see my furniture in the background, but it's there.  Landon borrowed the pressure washer and tried to see if that would get the paint off.  It got one layer, but not the other.  I'm giving myself til the end of the week to have the paint off and the furniture sanded.  The next week I am going to PAINT and put it all together - yay!

 

I cannot wait to be in His house in the morning.  I don't know if that sounds corny, but after the weekend I've had, I look so forward to seeing the families God has entrusted us with and just loving on them.  I look forward to worshipping with my whole heart - intact - and feeling conviction and learning.   Just something funny.  Every Sunday morning on the way to church, I pray out loud for Landon and for our church. James always is quiet and just listens to what I'm saying.  Lately he has started making comments.  One of the things I always pray is something like, "And just bring them Lord.  Just unexplainably bring the people.  Compel them to stop and worship with us.  Change us.  Bring the people".  I must say "bring the people" a lot because the last two weeks when I have finished, James has said, "No, I don't want Him to do it."  And I am like, "Do what, Buddy?"  And he says, "Bring the people. I don't want Him to bring the people."  WELL, PERFECT.  Even after I tried to explain, he still didn't care...and continued to say the same thing.  Unfortunate that my 3 year old is praying against me - ha.