Sentimental Stones

July 7, 2025.Reading time 12 minutes.

I recently sold a bunk bed. When I see these words in print, they seem like small talk. They seem like the sort of thing you tell a friend while catching up at a coffee date. It is just furniture. However, every time I have tried to say them out loud, I can feel a dry lump in my throat. A lump that must be big because I know it is the force that is holding back a flood of tears. So, instead I don’t say it out loud. I just talk about my girls new beds. Don’t be confused, I am not overly sentimental. Most people in my generation grew up in houses filled with stuff and knick-knacks and try to be more minimal as adults. I have very few things from my childhood. No 80s toys, No baby blankies, No pictures. Everything I have almost makes it seem as if I didn’t exist before 2004. Some sort of witness protection plan.

I am coming to understand that the things that I am sentimental about are more like the stones at the Jordan river. The things that remind us of struggles and triumphs. The things that remind us of where the Lord has brought us through. The proof of what we believe and why we believe it.

I have this brown bowl in my kitchen. I think it probably came out in the 60s and most likely has lead paint. I keep it put away and ask my family to not use it as I don’t want it to get broke. It was my grandmother’s grapefruit bowl. Well, she would usually have a bowl of smacks cereal, then a grapefruit. She taught me about resilience and a quiet strength that is required to survive. She taught me to be grateful for even hard times because that is how we are refined. She tried to teach me that I didn’t have to have the last word… It would take decades for that to sink in. I am sentimental about that bowl.

I have a piece of the bomb that blew up my husband in 2006. It isn’t to remember the anxiety of standing in a guard tower for 6 hours watching the smoke in the distance and not knowing if he had been put in a body bag yet. It is to remind me of what I felt when I saw him again. 8 hours after the blast came over the radio, I was leaving for a security patrol out the gate when his convoy came through the gates. I first saw his big recovery truck mangled being towed by a recovery tank. You could see that the blast went right under the driver’s seat… his seat. I didn’t see him…and my chest felt so heavy I couldn’t breathe. Then I looked behind the truck and I saw him walking. His uniform was almost black and torn in a few places. His flak vest was hanging off him. He had his helmet in one hand and his rifle in the other. I didn’t run to him, and he didn’t run to me. We simply gave each other a nod that said everything that couldn’t be verbalized. The nod that gave us both the confidence to keep going. Then I drove out the gate down the road he just came from. I am sentimental about that scrap of metal.

Then I have these bunk beds… well had. We bought these beds in 2012 when we moved back to Oklahoma. We were staying with my dad while we were waiting to find a house here. My husband and I stayed on the bottom bunk and my son stayed on the top bunk. Then we bought a house and the bunk beds became my sons big boy beds in his own big boy room. This is the bed I tucked my son into for years. The years where I was lost, unhappy, and often drunk. This was his bed I woke him up in on his very first day of school. Then we ended up moving my son to another room and gave the bed to my youngest. My youngest who screamed and cried nonstop for a few years, so someone usually had to sleep in there with her. I would pray while holding her through her fits of rage until she passed out. I prayed that God would heal her little body. My in-laws slept in it when they would visit. They slept in it when they stayed here and helped me through a neck surgery, through a shoulder surgery, through cancer removal surgery, through a hysterectomy, through implant removal surgery. Army friends slept in it when they would stop in to reminisce the old days. There was also a time when marriage was especially hard. Times when my husband and I wouldn’t talk for days at a time. Times when I was just broken. During these times, I slept in this bed. I would cry myself to sleep and beg God to heal my husband, heal me, and heal our family. It was in this bed that I begged God to take my life if he wouldn’t heal my broken mind. The bed became a place of prayer for me.

Well, both of my girls will now be homeschooled, and I wanted to get them both beds with desks. So, the old bunk beds needed to go. When I listed the bed for sale, it took a few weeks to sell. I sold it to a nice family of 7. When they picked it up, I forgot the ladder and had to take them the ladder. While getting the ladder out of my SUV, I saw a place where my middle child had written, “I love you God”. It was on the underside of the bottom ladder step. (I knew it was her because she has written on most things in our home over the years.) Every memory of this bed flashed through my mind, and I almost lost it in the parking lot. Apparently, I am sentimental about that bed. After I put the ladder in the new owner’s car, I walked back to my car as I could feel tears well up in my eyes.

While I know that my family is far from perfect and we are continuing to be healed by God, I know we are also living answered prayers. Prayers that were spoken from that bed. I was suddenly emotional over a piece of furniture, but it was really that I was emotional over the reminder of what the LORD has done in my family. I was emotional over how far he has brought us. I was emotional over a God that has allowed us to live in a valley, so that when we are on a mountain, we will remember him. Then, I was reminded of Jacob’s rest and the ladder in his dream. Most of all I was reminded of what he said after his rest.

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (Genesis 28:16)

I have been on a long sabbatical since January 1^st. After doing ministry for 7 years, I needed a long rest. Over the span of seven years I walked in discipling relationships with 18 women and 4 men, I led dozens of teens in student discipleship, I was a youth camp counselor for 4 years, I taught in kids ministry, I led worship on Sundays, I became a speaker at a family camp, and I organized and preached at 3 women’s conferences. On top of that I was also busy with non-ministry things. Years of coaching soccer teams. Being the president of a soccer club. Serving in random PTA functions. Advocating for my kids education. Running a small business. Being a wife, mom, friend, daughter. Doing all the things, ministry and other things, started to make me tired and I felt far from God. To say I needed rest, was an understatement. I have had a good rest over the last 7 months. I have been waiting for the Lord to bring me out of rest. I have been waiting for the sign to “get up”. Watching the bed leave has told me that my rest is coming to an end. Watching our ladder leave has reminded me of the presence of God in my life. I didn’t know what the Lord wanted to show me during the rest. Apparently, he wanted to remind me of the things he has done and that he has never been far from me. Being reminded of what Jacob said has shown me that when I do come out of rest, I just want to be where the Lord is. There are many things that I don’t plan to do anymore. Some are ministry things, some are not. However, whatever I find myself doing, I just want to be where the Lord is. Anything that reminds me of the Lord and his goodness and his faithfulness, I plan to be sentimental about that.

Straining for the Hem

March 22, 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

Open. Honest. Vulnerable. It has been a trying couple of years. There have been a lot of highs and lows. The highs have been amazing. The lows have been debilitating. While I was supported by many; there were people I loved that dusted their feet of me. People I didn’t know opened their doors and people I loved shut the gate on my face. It was a hard wilderness to walk through. Miraculously, the Lord has restored many of those relationships that were torn by misunderstandings and missteps. I am always full of joy when I think about the fact that I serve a God of restoration.

In 2016 a women made a choice to invest in my life. She asked me to follow her as she followed Jesus. Then I made the choice to dedicate my life to doing the same for other women. I know it is a calling on my life as much as I know my blood is red. Within a year of her releasing me to invest in other women, she passed away. It was the hardest loss I have ever felt. After spending a lot of time at war in Iraq, I got accustomed to losing friends in battle and still continuing my mission. This loss was harder for me to walk through because this is a woman who taught me about the healing of Christ’s hem. The healing that comes from reaching out to him… from just being near him. The tears I continue to cry for her are tears of love and gratitude. A huge thing she taught me was Lordship. Allowing Christ alone to have Lordship in my life. Not people, things, or situations. This was paramount in continuing to walk with Christ once my spiritual parent passed away.

I recently had to walk through a hard situation. In my frustration I told a friend that possesses great godly reason, that I was tired if doing this and didn’t want to do discipleship anymore. In my weakness… I felt done. She called out lies I was believing and gave me scripture. This is what is different about conversations with women who sit at the feet of Jesus. They call out sin. They call out lies. They call out the true enemy.

Then… I had D-group today. We talked through the Shema and Lordship. It was a great reminder for me. What is on the forefront of my mind? What is leading my thoughts and actions? I had allowed my situation to have Lordship in my life. The voice of the Lord for me became clear. If I believe that Jesus is Lord of my life, my current situation does not get to decide if I will continue to make Disciples of Jesus. I had to change my view and return to looking at Christ and reach out to him. In the thick of hard things, we have to strain for him. This is true repentance.

After sitting in this, one of the women I am walking with gave me a gift that hit me so fast I couldn’t catch my breath. It was a print of a picture I sent her a while back. It is a drawing of Matthew 9:20-22. How could someone draw something from 3 verses in such a way as to steal the air from my lungs? Art is funny like that. Seeing the power from these 3 verses drawn out is the reminder of Christ’s healing that I need daily.

And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

If I only touch his garment, I will be made well. Having enough faith in Christ to believe that all you have to do is strain and reach even just the hem of his garment is so powerful. Him being aware of suffering and affliction by her mere touch is powerful. Him allowing her faith to bring her healing is powerful. Him calling her daughter IS POWERFUL.

Take heart… tharséō (“emboldened to show courage”) refers to God bolstering the believer, empowering them with a bold inner-attitude (to be “of good courage”). For the believer, 2293 /tharséō (“showing boldness”) is the result of the Lord infusing His strength by His inworking of faith (“inbirthed persuasion,” 4102 /pístis). Showing this unflinching, bold courage means living out the inner confidence (inner bolstering) that is Spirit-produced. [from Bible hub & stongs concordance]

Show courage, have a bold inner-attitude from the Lord infusing His strength by His in working of faith because you have been made well.

LORD, let me strain daily for the hem of your garment. Let me strain daily for your for healing. Let me strain daily for your restoration. Let me strain daily for you. You are the God who sees me. You are the God who heals.

I pray this finds you well.

I pray you surround yourself with women who sit at the feet of Jesus, and point you to his hem.

-Chorley

woman playing violin on bridge in misty day

Holding Faith and Good Conscience.

September 19, 2022.Reading time 5 minutes.

I have currently been reading in 1 Timothy. watching a mentor reach out to his mentee and encourage him in the things that he has already told them, is a breath of fresh air. I live in a fast-paced age of instant gratification. I can text women I love and quickly tell them hi and move on with my day. Check it off the list of things I had to do for the day. I long for the days of growing herbs, smelling line dried sheets, and sending handwritten words to those who I long to see. With those.. I also long for the days of hymns. Of Songs that were wrote by those that were not wrapped up in the modern day comforts. Nothing makes my heart flutter like the sound of a violin and piano in perfect harmony as they round the chorus of In The Garden.

With thoughts of slowing down for a season, I would like you to consider Luke 24:28-35.

28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

This text is the perfect example of the joy, love, and enlightenment we feel when we walk with Jesus. or when we are at the table with him. or when we break bread with him. Just as these men were quick to self-reflect on if they had enough fervor for the Lord to keep near to them… the moment we start to feel far from the Lord we can become negative quickly. It takes but a moment to adjust ourselves and look up and praise. We have the benefit that these men did not yet have. The Holy Spirit that was promised.

These words from H.F. Lyte are hard to read without weeping at the reminder of the Lords steadfastness in my life.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Praying this finds you in a place of slowing down.

Chorley

You Are a Difference Maker

August 23, 2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

Sometimes we get caught up in so much and start to lose focus of the fact that we are a difference maker. There is this strange phenomenon going on… we have come to believe that just because we don’t believe that the things we are doing are important, we are not difference makers. If we don’t have kids, if we aren’t married, if we don’t have a discipleship group, if we don’t work outside of the home, if we don’t work inside of the home, if we are struggling with our health, depression, anxiety, or you just feel hidden. Everything you do makes a difference.

I believe the best way to tell you the truth is to show you in the Word. The Old Testament is my happy place. So that is where I will take you.

The Israelites spent years jumping in and out of slavery. This is exhausting for a person, and so much more exhausting for an entire race. For a race to know their history and know how often they return to slavery has got to start to wear down faith, trust and hope. I can see how they might think, “why bother”. The hidden people we see in the Old Testament that were seemingly unimportant were difference makers. Adam hid his shame in the garden. Moses hid in Midian. Josephs own brothers hid him in a well. Daniel was hidden in a lion’s den. Jael was hidden in a tent. Deborah was hidden behind Barak. Naomi was hidden by grief. They all had seasons of hiding. They also had seasons being difference makers.

One of the biggest difference makers in the Old Testament is a woman named Hadassah. She was a Jew who had been orphaned from her parents who came from the Tribe of Benjamin. The Tribe of Bengamin has a very colorful history. We see this in Judges 20-21. (please go read this story) Gibeah from the Tribe of Bengamin started a war by assaulting and killing a concubine. Then years later when the Tribe of Bengamin has been over taken by the Persians, Hadassah found herself a thousand miles from home hiding her identity. She hides her identity and even changes her name to Esther. I know many of you have read the story of Esther. Looking deep into the scriptures we can find out many intresting things about Hadassah.

Hadassah was a direct decedent of King Saul. We see that she was not only orphaned from her mother, but also her father. This was most likely from the military siege lead by King Nebuchadnezzar. Hadassah along with her uncle had been carried away to Persia by King Nebuchadnezzar with Jeconiah the king of Judah. The tribe of Benjamin fell under the rule of the Tribe of Judah in 930 B.C. and both were taken captive in 586 B.C. Hadassah and her uncle never returned to Jerusalem. God’s name was never recorded in her story. Hadassah did not enter a beauty contest. Her uncle did not desire this for her. She was taken. Taken. Put in Custody. She was placed in the custody of Hegai and was forced to “please him”. We don’t have a lot of context for what all would be included in “pleasing” your captor. she was held by Hegai for 12 months before going to see the king.

When we look back at the words and prophecy of Daniel 9, we know that Christ is coming from the line of David. In Esther we see that there is not only a plot to kill all of the Jews in Persia, but also to kill all of the Jews in the world. This would annihilate the lineage of David. However, we also see a woman that was taken away from her heritage, her people, who was hidden away. A woman who waited, watched, fasted, prayed: for just the right moment. When her uncle warns her that her silence may not save her, she finds her voice. He tells her that it is every aspect of her life that has brought her to this moment. Every hard thing and every blessing in her life has brought her to this moment.

Many of the things in our life that seem like a bad lot, are not. We always have the opportunity to make a difference with the Lot that we have been cast. Every negative thing in your life is for a reason. You don’t know freedom until you have been captive. You don’t know health until you have been sick. You don’t know love until you have faced loss. you don’t appreciate water until you have walked in the desert. You don’t respect guidance until you have wondered in the wilderness. You don’t understand loyalty until you have been betrayed. The choices you make today will have ripples that you may never get to see. The fruit of your obedience may be enjoyed by those you never meet.

I have repeatedly referred to her as Hadassah and not Esther because I want to encourage you to know who the Lord made you to be. If he has made you a new creation, walk in that authority. Remember what you have walked through and continue to walk out of captivity. Wait patiently for the Lord’s timing. We will have seasons of hiding and seasons of speaking. In his timing you come out of hiding, in his timing your voice is powerful. Seek the welfare of your people, speak peace to your people, but be ready to lay your life down. Your silence is loud.

Janice Manlove

July 22, 2022.Reading time 3 minutes.

I grew up in a Christian home with a younger brother on a farm in west Texas. My
parents were believers and we attended the church assemblies every time the
doors were open: Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and Wednesday
evenings. The church we attended was very conservative and relied heavily on
works and not much on grace or the gifting of the Spirit. Even after becoming a
baptized believer, I often questioned my salvation. I praise the Lord that He
blessed me with a husband that was well versed in the scripture and led me to
the realization that even in my imperfections and sins, that I am truly a daughter
of the King.

I have worn many hats in my seventy-four years. I have been married for little
over fifty-three of those years. I am a mother and grandmother. The Lord
blessed me with three wonderful children, eight grandchildren, and two great
grandchildren.
The hat that I have worn professionally was that of an educator. I was privileged
to teach in a Christian school and an adolescent drug center. I was also a special
education teacher for fourth and fifth graders and then transitioned to the position
of educational diagnostician. I retired as an elementary principal for a second
and third grade campus in 1980.
I have also worn the hat of Mission Leader for Wera, Uganda, Africa. The Lord
has worked mightily in this mission in providing not only food and education for
orphans in this small village, but also discipleship training and a bridge to
relationships with people here that love them and give them hope.

The hat that I am most blessed to wear is that of a true follower of Jesus Christ. I
was honored to walk in discipleship with our pastor, Chris Moix. Through this
experience, the Lord revealed to me the freedom that can be found only in Him.
the freedom that comes from repenting and believing His promises (Acts 3:19)
The freedom of knowing my identity is in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:9). The freedom
of being washed daily in His blood (Eph 1:7). The beauty of knowing I am
chosen (Isaiah 43:1) and that my salvation is sealed by the Spirit (Eph 1:13-14). I
have learned the importance of being intentional in abiding with the Lord and
developing an intimate relationship with Him knowing that as a branch on His
vine He has declared that I will bear fruit (John 15). The Lord has promised to
bless each of us more than we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:20), and He has most
certainly done that for me.

Some of the beautiful women that Janice has invested in.

Janice is an amazing woman who is always ready to spiritually parent the women around her. She knows what it looks like to sit at the feet of Jesus, and she instills that in every woman that she walks with. – Andi Chorley

Christina Leehan

July 21, 2022.Reading time 5 minutes.

I’m Christina Leehan. I have been married to my husband, Chase, for 10 years and we have beautiful 9 year old twin boys. I had no idea how much joy the Lord would bring me through being a wife and momma. I love those three more than I can describe with words.

I’m also a working mom- I have worked for a technology company for 15 years and spend my days as a professional sales trainer. In 2019, through technology, remote work and a wonderful husband, the Lord cleared the way for our family to homeschool our children.

In addition to all of this, I’m a disciple maker. In 2018, an incredible woman named Jenny Brockman invited me to follow her as she imitated Jesus. Over the next 18 months, the Lord used her and the other women in her home each week to teach me about who He is, who I am in Jesus, and how to live out His teachings found in scripture. It completely transformed my life. I found freedom and joy in places I never would have expected. Through Jesus, the impossible became possible. He says, ““Behold, I am going to do something new, Now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.”

(Isaiah 43:19 ), and that is exactly what He did in my life with my family.

Chase and I have both devoted the rest of our lives to the mission of making disciples and we live out that example the best that we can as an for our boys and the men and women that the Lord calls to walk alongside us. There’s honestly no greater joy than to see the Lord break through in the lives of the people you love.

Recently, the Lord is reminding me how important our identity is through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I look around at the world today and see so many lost, hurting, Children of God who have no idea who He is or who He created them to be. They are frantically searching for worth and purpose in this crazy world. They are crying out to be loved and and seen. They’ve bought into the lie that they have to look or act a certain way, or if they could just achieve or change one more thing they could truly be happy.

Friends, look up and see your Creator! You have everything you will ever need in Him. He chose you before the foundation of the world to be His holy and blameless child. You are daughters of the King! You will never be more or less loved by Him than you are right now. The moment you believed that Jesus is who He says He is, you were sealed as God’s own possession- and He blessed you with every Spiritual blessing heaven. His Spirit lives in you right now as a deposit of His promise that is to come when He has restored and united heaven and Earth. Now THAT’S something to believe & rejoice in!

I can’t wait to share with you how the Lord grabbed onto me and changed my mind about everything.

“Peace be to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”

Love you!

Christina

Jamie Legrand

June 16, 2022.Reading time 4 minutes.

I want to start spot lighting the speakers that will be speaking at the Women of Valor conference in August. If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, get one soon!

I met Jamie a few years ago at Harrah Church in Harrah, OK. She is an amazing singer, mom, wife, and most importantly, daughter of the one true king. Jamie was discipled by Priscilla Glenn, who was discipled by Rachel Moix, who also discipled me. Jamie now lays her life down and disciples’ reliable women around her. I admire Jamie because she is not a woman who has had everything handed to her. Her life has not always been easy, but you can see where God was working at every turn. Jamie is woman who is willing to hear the voice of the Lord and adjust her course. When I asked her to join me in this endeavor, she revealed that the Lord had already put this on her heart, and she was ready to take the next step. I am excited for more women to get to know Jamie and hear what the Lord has asked her to share.

From Jamie:

I grew up in a large family. There were 4 kids plus (my parents always had extra kids that would live with us for various reasons). I now have 4 kids myself and am married to my best friend. God, family, music, and soccer sums up my life. I have been a little bit of everywhere in the bible. Each place the Lord is showing me something to do with family. Colossians 3:18-21. God shows his design for family. God as the head, then man, then woman and then children. When this is biblically played out, it is a beautiful picture of God’s intention for family. In Job 1:2 Job had 7 sons and 3 daughters. Later In the story we learn Job loses all his family and possessions, but then later is blessed with more children. Genesis 22 Abraham is willing to sacrifice Isaac out of obedience to the Lord. Matthew 12:46-50 Jesus says those who do the will of my father is my family. Matthew 12 Shows the pharisees picking apart everything Jesus and his disciples do. Jesus is right in front of them and yet they cannot see him. There are 2 different aspects here.

One is God’s design for family is good. Family is a blessing from the Lord. Don’t let the enemy blind you with things that don’t matter. Family quarrels, doing things not of the Lord or simply not taking advantage of your time with them. The other is family cannot be above God. God always has to be first in our lives.

When you watch Jamie Legrand, you will see a woman who is sincere in faith, who uses her gifts to praise the Lord, and who pours out her life for others but above all she is a wonderful example of a woman who fears the Lord. – Priscilla Glenn.

The Honorable Bereans

May 3, 2022.Reading time 4 minutes.

I am one of those that does not trust easy. I am not sure if it is due to my childhood, life trauma, or the simple fact that the world is full of evil men and there is a very real and deceptive devil who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. I don’t walk into every situation assuming that someone is lying. Rather I walk into every situation hoping that they are not. Hoping of course with my own due diligence.

James 3:8 tells us that NO human can tame the tongue.

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful.

When Paul went to Thessalonica he preached for 3 Sabbaths. He reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead. Many came to believe. Jews and Greeks. However, some Jews got Jealous and formed a mob and essentially ran Paul and Silas out of town. The next place they stop is about 35 miles away in the city of Berea. The word says that Paul again went to the Jewish synagogue first. Considering Paul’s background, this makes sense. We then see that the Bereans are considered more noble that the thessalonians because of how they handle the words that Paul brings to them. Acts 17:11 reads, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

Noble: (2104- eugenes): of high moral or intellectual value. Eager to hear for the opportunity to learn.

Received: (1209- dechomai): welcome, receive favorably, give ear to, embrace.

Examine: (350- anakrino): process of careful study, evaluation and judgement, scrutinize, discern, search.

When I am sitting in a sermon I listen with appreciation of the calling that the Lord has put on the person speaking. When I am in a small group, I listen hoping to be sharpened by the iron that is sitting in front of me. Either way, I am also looking at the Word and double checking everything that I am being told. I don’t do this because I don’t trust the speaker. I do this because I respect the Word enough to ensure what the speaker is giving away is in fact the truth. It is so easy to misunderstand the Word or even misspeak. There is a phrase I often say when I am teaching, “Does that make sense?” I don’t say this because I think my listener is too stupid to understand. I say this because I have epilepsy and the occasional aphasia (trouble moving thoughts to spoken words). I want to make sure I am saying what I am intending to say. When we elect to disciple others or even teach the Word, we must be humble enough to accept correction. When we misspeak, mishandle, or break things, we must be humble enough to accept the correction and mature enough to walk out restoration.

The Bereans had the right idea. Don’t throw rocks. Welcome new things with kindness and an open mind. Be humble enough to know you don’t know everything. Also, fact check everything against the Word.

Are you a Berean?

Praying this finds you well.

-Chorley

Be sure to check out the conference that is coming up in August!

Temptation to abandon our Identity.

April 6, 2022.Reading time 8 minutes.

Have you reached the point that the devil no longer tempts you? Do you walk an uninterrupted life? One of the most influential books that I have ever read was, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. The book is written from the perspective of a devil (Screwtape) to his young nephew (Wormword), a devil in training. It lays out the trickery and coercion of the devil. And repeatedly refers to God as the enemy. Because after all, God is the Devils enemy. If the devil is not after you, then he may not see you as a threat. If you are not a threat against him… are you an ally?

I was recently reading in Matthew 3 and 4. I recommend you pause and Go read it real quick.

In Matthew 3 we see John the Baptist preparing the way for the coming Messiah. We see him call Jesus out and Baptize Jesus. Up until this point we have seen no temptation by the devil. Why? Is it because Jesus had not started his Fathers work yet? I don’t know. What I do know is that we have witnessed a few very significant things.

Jesus is baptized by John
The Spirit of God descended and rested on Jesus
God presented Jesus as his Son
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.

In Matthew 4, The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. I compare this to a father taking his son to compete in a wrestling match. He takes him not with the forethought of defeat. Instead he takes him with faith that he will prevail. Just as Abraham took Isaac with faith that God would show up. We should never walk into a battle with the thought of defeat, but rather ready with the sword of God. [Ephesians 6:17]

The word says, And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” but he answered, “it is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Jesus has fasted 40 days. That is 960 hours. That is 57,600 minutes. He has gone without food for this long period and the word says, He was hungry. The first thing the devil did was attack not only his hunger, but also Christ’s Identity as God’s Son. He also subsequently tried to lay out the fact that the Holy Spirit would have you fast, but I would not. The Holy Spirit would have you deny yourself, but I would not. Jesus responds to this attack with the perfect weapon.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “he will command his angels concerning you and on their hands they will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him, “again it is written, ‘you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Jesus is no longer in a low place… but rather brought a little higher. The devil takes him and again attacks his identity as the Son of God while simultaneously he tells Jesus that when he is in trouble he can save himself. Have you ever been told that? Has anyone ever told you or made you believe that you don’t need God? Or any of these other phrases that slowly lead you away from the Lord…

Follow your heart, dreams, ect.
Good karma out good karma in
If God does this then I will ____.
If God is real he will_____.

How low would your faith have to be to believe that God has to prove himself. How low would your thoughts of God have to be to believe you don’t need him. BUT, I warn you.. this is a sly temptation that can get any of us.

Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “ All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone Satan! For it is written, “ You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Jesus is brought up high and is then tempted with his biggest temptation. To worship one other than God! Jesus has the perfect response pulled straight from the Law right by the Shema. How many times have we been on a mountain and looked at things other than God?

Jesus was tempted when he was low in a valley. But he looked to God and used the Word. Jesus was tempted on level ground. But he looked to God and used the Word. Jesus was tempted on a mountain. But he looked to God and used the Word. Don’t for once believe that devil won’t tempt you at every chance he gets. If you are his enemy walking led by the Holy Spirit, he will be after you. He will attack your desires, your pride, your humility, your loneliness, your faith, your doubt. More than anything else, he will tempt you to abandon your identity in God. If this one thing is abandoned, much will follow. Use the weapon that the Lord has fashioned for you. Keep it sharp. Keep it within reach.

Praying this has been fruitful and encouraged you to seek the Word.

Chorley

Hear o, Israel. The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Routes of Remembrance

March 29, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

Pain, Sorrow, Loss, Grief. These things are hard to walk through with grace. One of the hardest things about life is not understanding why some people leave when they do. Why one life is ended and not another. Why a strong relationship can suddenly be the past.

Over this past year I have watched much sorrow and grief. Sometimes I wish I were just hearing about these losses as I hear about the weather. That it may change how I dress for the day, but other than that I am unaffected. I wish I could just use scripture out of context and say, “Let the dead bury the dead”. That is not who the Lord has formed me to be. The Lord has formed me to, “Bear with one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”.

When I go to funerals, I watch the slide show with awe and wonder. I watch these snapshots from a life lived. Many of these slide shows last only 5 minutes. 5 minutes. How can you fit a life into 5 minutes? How can you share someone’s hopes, dreams, and memories of an entire life in 5 minutes? When I see their pictures holding a newborn baby, I wonder how long they prayed for that baby. I wonder if there were complications that lead them to seek the Lord. When I see wedding pictures, I wonder if the couple took every opportunity to tell each other that they love each other. I wonder if they left anything unsaid. More than anything, I watch in hopes that I will get to witness how much they loved the Lord. I will get to see how they loved. I will get to see how they served. I will get to see how they laid their life down for others. Getting to see this, is a gift that I also carry with me.

When someone we love leaves us for heaven, we all take a different route. There is the route of anger of loss. This route is not fruitful and doesn’t give a good witness to the love of the Lord or the one we lost. There is the route of denial. This route pretends everything is fine and never speaks of the one’s we have lost. There are plenty of other routes to take that I won’t go into. The route I love the most is continuing on with life and carrying those we love with us. Speaking of them. Telling others about them. Using the things they taught us. Not dwelling on their mistakes. More than anything else, sharing how the Lord used them to grow us. It is easier to do these things if we really loved them.

When I look at this route as a way to continue after the loss of a loved one, I ask… what about Jesus? Jesus died and was rose again. How do we continue on from that? Do we carry him with us in our life every day? Do we speak of him? Do we tell others about him? Do we use the things he has taught us? Do we dwell on the things he didn’t do for us? Do we share how the Lord used him to grow us?

Or… are we stuck angry about where we don’t see him? Do we live in denial of him? Is he out of sight out of mind? After all… “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news”

When the wind blows through the warm sheets on the line, I will remember her and know the wind obeys him.
When I tuck my child into the crisp sheets at night and smell a soft remanence of dirt, grass and rain, I will remember her and I will be reminded that they are good soil.
When the twang of a banjo cord vibrates on my thumb, I will remember her and I will sing songs of praise to God.
When the juice of a peach runs down the blade of my paring knife, I will remember her and I will pray for a fruitful lineage.
When I hear my children’s laughter as they run through an orchard, I will remember her and I will know that I am just on this side of Heaven; planted and waiting upon the Lord.

Selah

Chorley