You are My Refuge {Series Introduction}

It's already Tuesday night but <<this>> post has been on my mind for a few days now -- even before this blog went LIVE! Let's get our focus on Him. Then: a quick timeline to get you caught up...

Dear God, thanks for encouraging me (aka bugging me - in a good way) to sit down and get typing! Seriously took me allll day but I did it... thanks for being continual in Your encouraging. Thanks for not giving up on it -- just as You've never given up on me. Lord, let these words that follow be pleasing to You and glorifying to You. My vocabulary is pathetic (did Moses ever think that too?) but You know my heart and I hope it aligns with all that You have intended out of this blog. Guide us in our studies. Amen!

Saturday night... We met a wonderfully sweet lady and sons asking for help outside our local grocery store. Between her broken English and my extremely small Spanish vocab, I figured out a few things: she believes and prays to God, misses her husband, and has little to no support around here. This touched our hearts and we wanted so badly to help her beyond the small handout we gave her. After exchanging numbers, we were sure we would stay in contact and help her out. Effort was made to invite her to church and lunch the next day but, again, our HUGE communication barrier caused the plans to not go through. This did not stop Big Jake and me from praying intentionally for God to use us in their lives and others like them. (I could "see" this huge door opening and wondering what in the world this meant for us - here in town, around our country, in other nations.... ???)
 
Sunday... Our church only had one service this day. Coincidentally As God had planned it, one of our pastors spoke on Paul's words in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 {¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.}. The huge point that I received out of Pastor Trace's teaching that day was: "Anna, study the Word MORE... then you will be better prepared for good works that God could do through you." Yes, Sir! I hear You loud and clear!! Fact is, I know this but often I fall into slumps... I plateau... I become content in my Walk with Him. This was a great reminder! Pair it with our paths crossing with our new friend the night before and my mind was running!!!
 
My dearest friends know that once I get an idea stuck in my mind, I have a VERY hard time letting it go - putting it to sleep - until I feel satisfied with the findings and "figureoutings" (there you go, Webster - get with me for the definition!). The idea of a refugee kept creeping into my mind during the sermon that Sunday (go ahead and tell Pastor Trace because I was paying attention to him... promise! Look at my Sermon Notes notebook). I did what a normal woman of the Word would do... I flipped to the Index! My Bible has TWO so double score! I looked up the "refuge" and started jotting down any verses that had that word in them. Then, ordering those verses I charged through my Bible - while listening to the sermon - and marking the ones that really stood out to me. Those ones got starred for later research! I wrapped up in time for the Invitation, during which time I sang my lungs out to a sweet song performed on the organ with beautiful pipes pushing out the such loudness! NOTE: I found beauty in that as it made me think of my sweet Grandma W. but in all honesty I prefer the Contemporary Worship time. :)
 
Now if you've read this long, pat yourself on the back, splash some cold water on your face, stretch and rub your eyes... and charge on! I promise it's worth it. God's been tapping my shoulder to sit and type this blog post up. So don't disappoint the Big Man (...no guilt trip)!
 
Definition time... take note!
A refugee is a person who is outside their home country because they have suffered (or feared) persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, or political opinion; because they are a member of a persecuted social category of persons; or because they are fleeing a war. (thanks, Wikipedia)
A refuge is a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble; something providing shelter. I love the synonyms I found:  protection, safety, security, sanctuary. That is lovely to me!

I share these two definitions because it's where God has taken my mind. Whether it was from the meeting with the Saturday Night Lady, or the thoughts of my students and their lives outside of my Kindergarten classroom, or those folks we can donate money to so they can receive livestock and items for daily living, or the thoughts of orphans who are CRAVING a loving home and forever family (why does it have to cost so much to reach out to them and why does the system/process take so long for some families to be granted the opportunity to pour their love into a child in need?). I don't know why God put this focus on my mind but I love it. I love it because He's drawing me nearer to Him through this topical focus. Let Him do the same with you!!
 
So  since I've written a novel this evening - and I don't think I've even scratched the surface because everything keeps rolling around in my mind - I'll end with this. Here's a few verses for you to meditate on (I'd say "chew on" but then that makes me think of food, then I think I should go forge through the pantry, and then I'll be too full to go to bed... oh, the struggles I endure).
 
Psalm 9:9   Psalm 46:1  Psalm 62:6-8  Psalm 91:1-2  Psalm 91:9-10  Proverbs 14:26
 
"Where are the full verses," you ask? I figured 1) you could click on each one and read from the shortcut I provided or 2) grab your personal Bible and look them up. Then if you like it, you can underline/highlight/mark it up to engrain it in your mind. That's how I roll!

After one reading (a basic introduction to refuge)...
*Which verse do you immediate feel drawn to?
*What does your refuge look like, feel like?
*When have you felt drawn to Him for refuge? Or have you EVER felt drawn to Him for refuge?
*Do you trust in His refuge?

Some of the questions might be tough to respond to right now. We will look deeper into this "refuge" topic in the next post. But for now, take one of these verses and write it on your heart (or start with a notecard) and view it daily. Think on it. Meditate. See and hear what God has to say to you.

Let's call it a night, friend.

Heavenly Father, what a moment this was! My mind was racing and I felt You guiding me. I pray that was the case, from the bottom of my heart!! I ask that whoever reads this post will receive something out of it in Your name. Whether it be a connection, a question, a reason to seek You more... I pray it shifts our eyes and heart towards You. God, as we seek out the idea of refuge I ask that You show Yourself as the ultimate Refuge in our lives here on Earth. Let us better understand this principle and the power behind this word. Your power!! Amen.

If You Move, I'll Move...

Where You go, I'll go... Where You stay I'll stay... If You move, I'll move... I will follow YOU!

This is a lovely chorus from a song by Chris Tomlin (you can hear the whole song with lyrics here - if we were in person, you know I'd sing it for you!!). The reason I bring up this chorus is for the purpose of sharing my move. We were stationed in North Carolina for four years (one year longer than originally planned but that year was one of the best years of my life). Then it was time for our family to move to Alabama. This was going to be a very bittersweet move.. the hardest one of our lives by far! We had solid friendships and, let's be real, even technology can't keep you as tied to friends as a close proximity. We prayed over this move. Knowing that it was God's will for this next step in Big Jake's career, we went. We said our See Ya Later's (knowing it wasn't a forever good-bye) and hit the road.

I write all of this to you because I knew this would affect our study group, Acts 2:42. We planned joked about FaceTiming me in on Friday mornings to facilitate our gatherings. I knew I was going to have a hard time moving away from this amazing group of gals. Big Jake encouraged me to "see" my new mission field: my new classroom, my new job, my new neighborhood, my NEW. This was an exciting thought for me, but, man, I knew I was going to miss the Acts 2:42 group - those intimate interactions with girls who knew me - the good, the bad, the ugly.

So getting into this new groove of mine in Alabama, honestly, was rough. I had a hard time maintaining my own study time with the Father. I wasn't getting plugged in and connecting with other women who studied the Word. Even my "coffee talk" (prayer time) with Him was not occurring frequently enough - a friend would consider our relationship dead by the lack of time spent together!!

Thank God I serve a God who wants me to draw near to Him! Otherwise, it'd be like I was on a boat with no motor and no guide, floating aimlessly in an everlasting sea with no shore.

Just in the recent weeks (maybe months) God has continued talking to me, even if it was on a megaphone trying to get my undivided attention which He fully deserves. I knew it was way past time to start a blog. A while back, I started one under my account but never really used it. Instead of naming a whole other blog, I would make that one what it was meant for - connecting me and YOU with God!

My intention is to type on here often, with the focus being on God: drawing us nearer to Him, walking closer to Him, finding our refuge in Him, setting our eyes on Him, and living our lives so others see Him (in us). I will start us with a prayer and end with a prayer. We will have verses to look up and reference. While you read my posts, please feel free to nibble on a few snacks! And, although this is a blog post, you can ALWAYS comment and we can reach each other that way - the way of fellowship in the 21st Century! :)

So tonight I end with this...
God,
Thank you for this fire relit in me. I pray this blog is a place where I can record Your promptings in my life... where we can reflect on Your awesomeness here... where we can learn to apply new or rediscovered Truths to our lives... where women can feel Your love pouring out on our lives. Lord, guide me as I blog. Lead me in YOUR will. And let this be an outreach to someone - whether I know her or not, You do. Speak into her life. Lord let her hear. I give this to You!
Amen.

Acts 2:42 ... the Beginning

Ever have a moment when you feel prompted to do something?

Just tonight I told Big Jake that I feel prompted by God to do something, I just don't know what. He laughed at me! Now don't go thinking my husband is insensitive, doesn't listen, and just doesn't understand. His laughter came by way of my physical movements. When I'm "in to something" I <<<get in to it>>> with hand gestures and facial expressions. I must have really poured myself into that statement tonight because his later interpretation of me was Emmy-worthy!

IN A NUT SHELL...

At the start of 2013, God was prompting me to do something. I remember reading through scripture (I was completing a Beth Moore study on my own) in the book of Acts and I came across chapter 2, verse 42. That verse was underlined, highlighted, and reread so many times - there was just something about it. As I was diving further into His Word, it became VERY evident that I was to share the Good News that I was studying with other women and I would base it on the four principals of Acts 2:42: study, prayer, fellowship, and "bread". Through word of mouth (my husband invited co-workers' wives since I didn't really know too many women at the time -- and this was a HUGE step for my husband) I opened up my home and let down my wall of security to follow God's prompting for me to fellowship, study, break bread, and pray with women.

It started out slowly, a few different women each week. But it grew. And I mean GREW!! It wasn't just the size of the small group that grew but our depth of connections grew. There was a bond that formed between many of us. I had N-E-V-E-R had this many godly women in my life! I am an extroverted person and am not afraid to be transparent with my life (maybe that's because I have no filter or "slow down" part of my brain that makes me really think through if I should open up and share or keep it to myself). Either way, I grew ten-fold in my love for God, His Word, His Kingdom, and His daughters (and sons, too).

Study, Fellowship, Prayer, and Bread

We would meet weekly and study deeply: Ruth, the Bible's origins and layout, Proverbs 31, James, Judges, women of the Bible, etc. I would take their ideas or needs and focus my studies in preparing researched lessons supported by solid commentary. I loved doing this for my girls! And it strengthened my relationship with the Father! Win-win!!! We would have wonderful fellowship time, often running into lunch time (never complaining... I didn't have many deep, meaningful friendships up to this point, like, EVER in my life). Our prayer time always preceded our study as well as wrap up our study. Taking prayer requests from each other at the end would offer us opportunities to intercede for one another during our own personal prayer times throughout the week. And, it would bring us closer! Opening up and sharing our personal praises and requests - even those unspoken ones - added to our friendships (did I mention this was HUGE for me???). As for the bread... we saw this as an opportunity to make/bring treats and eat together! What person does not like food? No, we didn't have a loaf of bread that we would break together each week (though the thought had crossed my mind). Food brings people together - and keeps bellies from rumbling. So it was a weekly part of the study as well. Some weeks it was an abundance of tasty treats, other times it was a few last minute pick-ups from the local grocery store. Either way, when we focused our study on these four main principals like those believers from the early Church recorded in the book of Acts.

That might not have been the smallest nut shell possible but, if you know me, that's the best I can do! This was the beginning of "Acts 2:42", an amazing study group focused on deepening our knowledge in the Word and strengthening our relationship with the Father.