Author Archives: admin This weekend at the Young house, “Operation Haiti” was underway! Thanks to everyone who donated toward our fundraiser for Heartline Ministries Orphanage in Haiti! Parker and Laney even helped…and tomorrow we should be finished up so we can pay the post office a visit on Monday. Here is the result of today’s work…Tomorrow we’ll be […]  A hidden treasure… If you have never read or heard of this book—the girls I have shared it with describe it as a “must read”, “the best mom book I have read in awhile” and “this is my NEW gift to every new mom…I think it should be required reading for mommies!”. It is out […] thanks for telling us about the book! I will have to look it up! Chapter 15: Eliphaz has mistaken Job’s words of grief for words of pride. That is something we all need to be very careful of, because minimizing someone’s expressed grief could prevent them from moving from despair into hope and move on. Eliphaz is convinced that his theory is true: if you are godly you prosper, if you are ungodly you suffer. It may even seem logical to us today. It’s even an easy theory to believe in, as long as things are going our way. But when suffering does come our way and we can’t find a logical explanation, that theory will no longer offer any comfort. It’s a pretty callous way to approach someone’s suffering, so let’s be careful with our accusations. I agree with your take on the reading today. Thank you for continuing to do this. It has helped keep me accountable & want to read so that I can share with all of you. It is amazing what God can do! Looking forward to seeing what ways He will bless us. It’s FRIDAY! And we’re stuck in the midst of Job. Today’s reading is Job 12 – 14:22. I know, I know–you are feeling like you will never get through Job. And–when I looked up to see how many chapters there are in Job, and I saw 42–I realize we have a ways to go. HOW […] Amen girl! LOVE that song! Its great to see how God moves and works in us through His word! That song is SWEET! Thanks for sharing Love that song!! You asked about the video I made. I have a mac and just used different transitions from iMovie. Aren’t the swirly ones fun?? That little video has been such an awesome tool. I believe every kid in our school district is going to see it within the next week or so:) So far we’ve raised $500 just collecting cans for about 7 weeks. Chapter 12: It’s about time Job stands up to the judgment of his friends, don’t you think? If it were me, I probably would have done it a long time ago. Or being the wuss that I am, I probably would have cut off contact with them. When I am in a struggling place in my life, the last thing I want to hear is judgment and ridicule. What I admire about Job is that even in his frustration, he speaks words of wisdom and truth. When I am angry, often the words that come out of my mouth are harsh, jumbled, and don’t make a lot of sense. But Job speaks so eloquently even in his frustration and anger. We also learn in this chapter that Job is learning from his suffering. He has gained a new perspective on the way God works and the way the world works. I wish I could say that I always used difficult times in my life to lead me into a deeper understanding of our God, but the truth is I am a sinner. I think the biggest thing I take away from this chapter is that God is sovereign, almighty, all-powerful, and ultimately…IN CONTROL. We are not. As my commentary again put it, “Humility does not come easily to us, who place great value on power and independence. But the truth is that we are dependent upon God even for our very existence.” Um…wow. And once again, I will relate this to our adoption process right now…..I am growing so much in my relationship with God through adoption. Not only have I come to realize that the only reason I am part of God’s family is because HE ADOPTED ME, but that I have NO CONTROL over the way the process is moving, or the timeframe. It sometimes drives me crazy. There are nights I plead with God to speed things up or to just bring us to the next step. But I KNOW that once again His plan is perfect, like it has been every time in the past. (I know I keep reiterating this, but I need to repeat it for my sake too…I am still learning.) Thank you for sharing! I fell in love with this song last year when I went to Belarus. At a children’s Christian camp they were singing praise songs, & I knew most of them. I didn’t know this one. They were singing it in their language, but it spoke to my heart, & I just love that song! It’s very moving! Hi Andrea! I just wanted to let you know what a perfect timed blessing reading through the Bible with you ladies is. I have been a part of a ladies Bible Study for a years, and they meet one a week in the morning. I have SOOO debated and stressed over this, but now, with homeschooling 2 and finding time to sew for the adoption, I just cannot commit an entire morning and not do school on that day. (By the afternoon, my kids are mentally toast!) The same week my hubby and I decided I needed to give up my weekly meeting with the ladies (which was pretty devestating), you announced this read through. It has been SOOO good to “meet” with you ladies everyday, read through scripture and pray. (I DO pray for any request you all are posting!) It’s kindof crazy, I have never met any of you, really do not have a clue where in the world you live, and may never know….! Isn’t it amazing how strong the bonds of Christ and scripture are?!? I refer to you all as my “blog ladies” to my hubby:) It is such a blessing, because I thought I was loosing my Bible study and lady friends, and now I am just gaining more! (Plus, if I have sick kids or what not I do not have to “stay home and miss”, I can still read what you all have to say!!) Your thoughts Andrea, and all of the comments left here are such an encouragment to me! Thank you all! OK, on to the reading….this may sound CRAZY to you all, but the book of Job has become a HUGE source of comfort to me over the past few years. I am not even sure how to explain what I mean. I read through the book, and I see….He is GOD. He is powerful and HE, not another (and not ourselves!) is in CONTROL. It makes me think of the last line to “This is my Father’s World”…”though all the wrong seems oh so strong, God is the ruler yet.” In the end, whether that be on this side of eternity or not, He will make all things RIGHT. Sin and it’s effects are so real…oh that makes me long for heaven! I long to see my 12 year old brother be able to walk and talk. I long for the day when my parents will not have to watch him suffer. One day, there will be no earthquakes, no orphans, no disease. HE is in control, and HE is good…. our time on earth is so short, our perspective small….we get but a speck of a look at the overall plan. I can’t wait until we get to the last few chapters of Job…I look forward to when God speaks!!!! Blessing to you all! Thanks for the encouragement ladies. I have to admit I looked ahead too and felt overwhelmed by 42 chapters(I’ve never actually read Job in it’s entirity. Megan, thank you for the reminder that He welcomes our honest feelings. Oh how I try to fool Him sometimes! He knows my heart. my feelings. my hurt. my anger. Be real with Him! The devotional I’m reading right now fits so beautifully with our reading of Job. An excerpt from January 18….”God gets His greatest victories out of apparent defeats.Very often the enemy seems to triumph for a little, and God lets it be so; but then He comes in and upsets all the work of the enemy, overthrows the apparent victory, and as the Bible says, ‘turns the way of the wicked upside down.’ Thus He gives a great deal larger victory than we would have known if He had not allowed the enemy, seemingly, to triumph in the first place.” We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5 Let us keep our hope in Him! Shannon, thank you for sharing that part of your devotions, it so true! I know I often feel like I can hide my feelings from God too. And what’s the point? He knows them anyway…and it feels so much better to share them with Him. Chapter 8: Boo to Bildad. It’s a good thing I’m not Job—or Bildad’s friend during my time of great loss. I think his comments in Chapter 8 may have earned him a karate chop or two. Don’t worry, I don’t karate chop my friends, but putting myself in Job’s shoes here–I have a JIE-NOR-MOUS (big;) […] Love the pictures! Thanks for the encouragement to keep reading…Job has been tough! Job is killing me. I want to jump in there and give his friends a piece of my mind OR a karate chop or two 🙂 Love the pics. I am not a photographer, but I love great pictures. Your pics are so good. well let me just say that you have a gift for photography! LOVED the pictures and it made me miss the beach! Shannon Tanner!!! Love the pics! I have some similar ones myself. 🙂 keep the photog tips and encouragement comin’! I love it! Yes, I’m still with you… in case you’re wondering! I keep reading at night, so I don’t often get to be part of the conversation. But I’m still here. 🙂 Although my anger does tend to flare up a bit while reading the supposed “help” Job’s friends offer, lately I’ve been trying to put myself in their position. Who knows the mind of God? They see before them a man they all have looked up to, possibly envied their whole lives… and he is broken beyond imagination. They are desperate for answers, not only for him but for themselves, to somehow save themselves from whatever judgment or trial Job is enduring. They don’t understand… heck, Job doesn’t understand… so his friends are grasping at any and all explanations, ANYTHING that will explain it, give an answer… no matter how unthinkable (or completely WRONG, as we see with the benefit of hindsight, knowing that God is orchestrating this story ultimately for His glory) that answer may be. And Job… even though I know the huge rebuke that’s coming at the end of this book, I still admire his faith in many ways. He rails, he questions, he demands answers, perhaps a bit arrogantly at times… but somehow he does not recant his faith. He is still a model for his friends… whether they see it or not at this point. I hope that made sense. It’s still early out west, and I wrote most of that with a two-year old sitting on my lap! 🙂 “JIE-NOR-MOUS (big)” –> hehee! =) That made me laugh! Chapter 8: “You’re getting what you deserve” is basically what Bildad is telling Job. Perhaps the most insensitive of all comments you can say to someone suffering. But Bildad doesn’t know the whole story. Only God knows the circumstances behind the suffering. Our main concern when someone is suffering is to offer them comfort and support. Oh Lord, please guide the thoughts in my head and the words of my mouth to be ones of love and comfort, not accusation!  So…did you sing along yesterday to the worship songs that were left at the bottom of my blog? If not, you’ll definitely have to back and read yesterday’s entry and rock it on in your blog reading time. The last song from yesterday was sung by Candi Pearson-Shelton. She was at the retreat I was […] Praying for your fingerprint appt. praying right now! Thanks for letting us know about this singer…i am always up for learning about new singers as I am one of the worship leaders at our church and I LOVE finding new artists and songs especially of those who truly give God all the glory in their singing and its not about them! :0) I don’t even know where to start on today’s reading. It was depressing, to say the least. But, that’s life, right? We have our ups and downs. There are weeks where things are running smooth and you are full of joy, and weeks (like this past one for us) where it just seems to be one thing after the other raining down on you. It’s overwhelming and it’s disheartening. I assume it makes it that much worse when your friends (the very ones you turn to for comfort) accuse you of sin. Job’s friends accused him of being guilty of sin and causing God to lash out on him. I loved his response when he said, “Look at me! Would I lie to your face? Stop assuming my guilt, for I am righteous.” Are we all as honest about our sins? MEGAN! Those verses and your share…SO GOOD!!! Thank you for sharing! My heart needed to hear those after today’s reading!!!! This was a depressing read today. I think in chapt. 5 he was looking for comfort from his friend. We all do that, but we should look to HIM! It is sad that he looks on his circumstances as something that he has done wrong, but don’t we all sometimes think of “trials” that way? Instead of to make our faith strong? Chapter 7 is very depressing. It seems as if he is what we’d call today, “suicidal.” He hates his life. The people around him have let hime down, so the only thing he can do is CLING to GOD! |
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by admin
That is a wonderful idea! I can’t wait until I have a little one to try the Easter tree with! You are very inspiring. I want to be a mom like you that instills Jesus in their everyday life. I love that Job calls God his REDEEMER! He is our Redeemer. One of His many names! I hope that when my friend’s have times of need that I can encourage them & not be like Job’s friends. I want to help them through the rough times, not add to their stress! Have a blessed Sunday!
What a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Amy
I love your Easter tree! We gathered symbols last year and I hung them from the chandilier above our table. Easter was special to me in a way it has never been before! Also, we made a “tomb” out of a type of homemade play dough (and baked it). We sealed Jesus in, and on Easter the tomb was empty. (The kids were totally amazed that he was gone!!) Have you read “Treasuring God in Our Traditions” by noel Piper? It is greatand she talks a lot about the true meaning of Easter. We still give each child a small basket on Easter morning, but I hope it is not all they remember when they grow up!!
Chapter 19:
Poor Job! Everyone he has ever loved has turned from him. What would you do in a situation like this. Would you cling closer to God? I hope I would! It’s amazing that he still states the truth with such certainty.
“I know that my redeemer lives.” (19:25)
“I will see him for myself. Yes, I wil see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!” (19:27)
I kind of feel sorry for Job’s friends, because we need to remember that we will be judged by the measure with which we judge others (Matthew 7:1-5, James 2:12-13).
Chapter 20: Really? Let’s further insult the insulted and suffering…nice.
Chapter 21: This chapter should remind us that we worship God for who He is, not for what He will do for us…because often times the godly do suffer. Just because we are Christ-followers doesn’t mean we will escape pain and suffering. But don’t let that depress you. Take comfort in the fact that someday the wicked will be judged, and Christ-followers will be blessed (Luke 16:19-31).