Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Diving Deeper

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So-o-o-o-o, if you’ve been reading along this month, you know I’ve been purposely slowing down. Running on empty, stopping to listen  and practicing golden silence, have literally taken the rush out of my morning quiet times.

There is still, however, an area where I struggle. Reading. Reading my Bible in an unhurried pace. My mind struggles to slow down and absorb His word. I am a fast reader naturally, and a skimmer when I read for work. Those practices have shown up in my personal Bible reading.

And then there’s my study time, while preparing to teach. Who has time to dig deep, when there’s a lesson to prepare? Who has time to absorb all that goodness?

[tweetthis]Deep down inside I believe we all crave a slower pace. We’ve just forgotten how to have one.[/tweetthis]

For instance, I’m trying to learn how to use a new (for me) camera. My current camera is an easy-peasy, point and shoot, auto focus, instant zoom, idiot proof camera. John has given me his old fancy camera, with zoom lens, and all sorts of buttons on it.

The first time I used it, my blood was about to boil. I was trying to zoom, while the camera was trying to focus. I was frustrated that it wasn’t instant focus and zoom.

In our speed driven society, it’s difficult to slow down and and do the hard work of learning. We get frustrated, yet we don’t put in the time.

Same with my Bible reading. I get frustrated when I don’t grasp the meaning of a passage, or the big picture, or the Old Testament/New Testament connections. And yet, I rush through my reading and my lesson preparations.

“Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Ezra 7:10 HCSB

I am reading the book Deeper Waters, Immersed in the Life-Changing Truth of God’s Word, by Denise Hughes, which releases on September 1. In her book, Denise encourages us to dig into God’s Word. She says it “isn’t just for scholars in seminaries-it’s for everyone.”

Denise suggests that we:
1. Read God’s Word
2. Write God’s Word and
3. Pray God’s Word.

Read it – check!
Pray it – check!
Write it? By hand? Not type it on the computer? But…but…that will take – time!

Denise lists many benefits of writing by hand. Here are some of my favorites (from pages 89-90, Deeper Waters) :
◆ It slows our pace. We’ve trained our eyes to skim quickly over text looking for the main points. Writing by hand forces our eyes to slow down.
◆ We dive deeper into the text.
◆ We become better observers. Writing leads to noticing.
◆ Our hearts and minds are quieted. Accord to Denise “Writing the Word is a deliberate act to refuse the tyranny of hurry. It’s a way of saying the words of Scripture are worth savoring – each and every one.”
I need all those things! So I tried it. I wrote out a passage of scripture I was studying to teach. Oh, my! Not only did it slow me down, and help me internalize God’s word, I realized that I had memorized a good portion of that passage. When did that happen??

But there is so much more to this book. Part memoir, part Bible study, Denise honestly shares her struggles:
“I can’t write a book about the Bible, telling you how life-changing it is – no matter how true that truth is – without also sharing my struggle to believe everything the Bible says.” Deeper Waters, page 24.

Denise has a love of God’s Word that will overflow into your life, as you read her book. She wants to share with others the many things that have helped in her study of God’s Word through the years. She wants to mentor us and minister to us through her book. And she has certainly done that for me.

If you are interested in Denise’s book (and you SHOULD be!), you can download the Intro (I highlighted almost all the introduction!) and Chapter One for FREE, by clicking here.

Or (better yet) you can pre-order today and receive a FREE copy of “Word Writers: James” plus 18 Scripture Prayer Cards and a 365-Day Bible Reading Plan. These gifts can be redeemed here .

I also have a copy of Denise’s book to give away! Leave a comment, and tell me what YOUR struggles are as you read and study God’s Word. I’d love to hear from you. All those who leave a comment, will be entered into a drawing to receive a copy of Deeper Waters.

Lord, slow us down, so that we can dive deeper into Your Words. In Jesus name, Amen.

Grace be with you,

Where’s Your Focus?

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The cows were laying in a field of small, yellow wildflowers. I thought they would make a beautiful picture. It reminded me of shots my friend Meredith Bernard takes for her blog and website. She lives on a farm and takes idyllic pictures of cows in fields with tractors harvesting. I wanted that for my blog.

It was a peaceful setting, with the cows calmly chewing grass while insects buzzed their heads. They had not a care in the world. Rolling down the window, I took a shot of what I thought would be a “cows-in-field-picture” to rival that of my friend.

Why, you may ask, would I want a picture like hers? Because I love her photography and wanted my pictures to be as just like hers. Never mind that she lives on a farm, is married to a farmer, and has a photography business! I live in a small neighborhood and rarely have anything to do with cows. Compared to her pastoral settings with cows, my photography seems, well, less than.

When I downloaded the picture later, it was not at all what I envisioned or expected. It was totally different. I was hoping the picture would be reminiscent of Meredith’s farm settings. But the camera didn’t focus on the cows at all, it focused on the fence, with the cows blurred in the background.

Here’s the surprise: It was beautiful. It was better than any picture I could have planned.

 

It was as if Jesus was tapping me on the shoulder saying:
Why are you comparing yourself to your friend and her talents? You are fearfully and wonderfully made! I gave you gifts and talents. Focus on them, focus on Me!

Where did that need to compare my talents to my friend’s come from?

In her book Over It. Conquering Comparison to Live Out God’s Plan, my friend Kristine explains that comparison is an age old problem dating back to Biblical times. Wow, who knew? Kristine tells the stories of three women of the Bible (Hagar, Leah and Hannah), and how their struggles rival ours today. She walks us through the steps each of these women took to find freedom from comparison.

“God doesn’t create clones. He creates unique masterpieces.” Over It. Conquering Comparison to Live Out God’s Plan

Kristine states that “Taking our focus away from God and placing it on other women, diverts our course.” When Hagar, Leah and Hannah learned to find contentment in their God-given uniqueness, they began to walk in freedom from the comparison trap. When they focused on Him, they no longer saw glaring differences that with other women.

Ladies, we can too! When we realize God’s plan for each of us is more than we could ever ask or imagine, we will realize we don’t need to compare ourselves to anyone.

My camera didn’t focus on the cows at all, but on the fence around them. Isn’t that what Jesus does? He takes our plans and visions and blurs out our mess, and brings Himself into striking focus. He took a picture that I wanted to look just like hers and made it a unique masterpiece of His.

Grace be with you,

 

 

In Over It. Conquering Comparison to Live Out God’s Plan, Kristine Brown takes us on a quest to learn the truth about comparison, and what we can do to quiet that pesky voice once and for all. Through relatable personal stories and practical biblical teaching, this book uncovers the solution to a battle all women face. Has the voice of comparison caused you to question whether you measure up next to her? Are you ready to erase comparison and embrace all God has planned for you? Then come along on the quest, friend. This book is for you.

Kristine is a writer, dramatist, and teacher. She helps women and teen girls navigate the ups and downs of real-life. Kristine devotes her time to family, freelance writing, and her non-profit ministry, More Than Yourself, Inc. You can read more from her at www.morethanyourself.com. Connect with Kristine on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.