Hagerman Bible Study from February 18

Our Scriptures for last Monday were:
Matthew 5:43-6:15 and Ecclesiastes 5 
We read chapter 4 in Lessons from a Sheep Dog

Our lesson from the book covered the topic; delight in obedience. We discussed how Lass loved to work with the author. We drew the parallels between our life of obedience to God's commands and how, in obedience, we delight in our relationship with God. We spoke about our excuses for not following God's will. One of those excuses is we don't know what God's will is or can't understand it, but we see that God's will is clearly stated in His Word.
We discussed the fear of God, noting that it is reverence, loving esteem and admiration, not unlike Lass and her master. We spoke of how Lass kept her master in constant view and how she learned his will even by hand gestures. Similarly we may turn every thought to God and thus respond to His will in any situation as we deepen our relationship. Keller says, "We begin to look for God's hand in all the details and events of our days. We become acutely sensitive to His presence. We find our minds, spirits, and emotions concentrated on Christ, eager to do His biding."
Our passage in Matthew gave us commands that we may grow deeper in relationship with God. In this passage Jesus tells us to love our enemies and give to the needy. He also tells us how to pray.
In Ecclesiastes 5 we covered fearing God and the vanity of wealth and honor.
Thank yo for reading. I will see you tonight. Bev 

Hagerman Bible Study 02/04/19

Readings:
Scriptures
Matthew 5:31-4:2, Isaiah 66, John 17
Lesson Three from the book

The section from the book was titled, Learning to Trust. Keller speaks of Lass finally allowing the author to pull the angry wild rose thorns from between Lasses toes. The image of a dog lamed by thorns unable to do his master's work, gave us pause. The fact of the thorns being angry called to mind our own hurts and fears and how God could pull those thorns from our feet. Without His help, we are lamed by them.
Keller noticed that he was as much a servant as his dog, then stated, "God's gentle Spirit showed me in vivid reality the enormous condescension of Christ, who in love and self-humiliation tends human needs."
Keller speaks of a lifetime lesson, that faith was his "personal, positive response to the Word of God, to the point where" he acted in quiet trust.
As Keller noticed Lass's fidelity grow, he admitted his devotion to God fell short of his dog's devotion to the author. He realized that "God can only trust those who truly trust Him. He gives Himself in wondrous plentitude to the person whose single-minded devotion, love, and loyalty is given to the Lord."
In Isaiah 66:2, we found parallels to our lesson. God will bless those who have a humble and contrite heart. In Isaiah 66:3 we discussed those things that don't please God. and that Lass was at first wary and didn't answer and chose that in which his master didn't delight. In 66:10-14 God will nurture and heal and develop a loving relationship for those that honor Him.
We spent some time on John 17 letting it sink in, a prayer for the people of God, for us. We are not of the world like Lass discovering who she really was, not meant to chase cars and pull at leashes. We are not of this world, but we must trust God to discern our calling.
We talked of how Jesus in John 17 is feeding the world shelf-stable food, food we can draw on for a life-time. We noted that Lass would only eat what her master fed her. We spoke of how confused we are when we try to feed off the world and then want God's manna.
We turned finally to Matthew and found slim parallels. The dog is loyal unlike in Matthew, those who seek divorce.
Bible study begins at 6:30 tonight. I hope to see you there. Thanks for reading. Bev

Joy Writers 2019 Reading II

Joy Writers Reading II
Sunday February 17, 2019
2:00-4:00
The Roswell Museum and Art Center

The reading is open to the public. It is the second of two Joy Writer winter readings. Come listen to new work from The Joy Writers then and stay to talk over coffee and treats. If you are a writer, come learn more about who we are and if we are a fit for you. 

Disappointments and Faulty Alignments

If you click on this you should be directed to Amazon's site to purchase the item in the photo. Why purchase a large plastic Santa, you may wonder? I wondered the same when Lonny in one of our first forays into decorating a large, new-to-us, home presented one for my approval. This particular Santa isn't the one he found, but it is similar enough.
We were at Walmart and while I stupidly searched for elegance and distinction amid the clutter of real life, Christmas and all, he searched for things to delight and amuse a new bride who was hopelessly out of her element, lost really in conflicts so silly I am embarrassed to remember them. I wanted to impress my neighbors. I wanted them to like me.
Lonny knew we were already welcomed, largely because we didn't try to impress. Lonny knew I secretly wanted the hard plastic Santa, and so did he because it would please me. He held up the decoration and moved to the center of the aisle. "Bev, what do you think? Great huh?" He shouted over the din of holiday shoppers.
I turned, embarrassment flushing my cheeks. What did I think? Not that. Never that. I was thinking delicate gold branches in planters strewn with tiny white lights. I was thinking beautiful but understated.
He was thinking, beloved Bride understated elegance will never work for us, and you probably won't find it here in this store. Perhaps I can distract you with color and lights. Perhaps then you won't be so disappointed with your efforts.
Why wouldn't elegant gold branches with tiny white lights work for us? Because I was never that girl or woman, or decorator even. I liked colors, big fat round Christmas C-9s in enough shades to never repeat over a ten foot length. My closet bore the same strain of trying to professionalize. Somber women's suits with a few beige or white silk blouses, hung neatly in the back encapsulated in their dry-cleaning bags, some still held their price tags. Outrageous prints tumbled to the front, well-worn and softened by numerous machine washes. I knew better than most, that the price of adulting your wardrobe, and by extension your way of life, was impossibly dear and not, in the end, worthwhile. I kept trying. I was married after all and should to comply with perceived standards.
But Lonny knew me. He knew I liked colors. He knew I was trying desperately to fit some image, he couldn't quite grasp. He knew he loved me and that I loved him, and that he wanted to please me.
One of my biggest small regrets happened that night, but it taught me a lesson. I told him no, no Santa. I grimaced. I saw his face fall. I tried not to care, not to 'get it.' I turned my nose up, and shopped for tiny white lights and gold branches. 
For several years now, I have searched for that Santa. This one on Amazon was way too expensive. This one would have been his present this last Christmas. It would have said to him, how did you know? It would have asked, how could you know me so well and I not know myself? I would have said, husband of mine, I love you and I am so sorry I didn't see. I am so sorry for all of my distractions, new pretentious Christmas decorations when we were first married, wanting homes and yards and meaningful stuff, the best, the most perfect, or not at all. But you were the best, surely the best for me. I cherished our time together, and then ... and then I couldn't stand to see you failing, couldn't stand seeing your clear blue eyes vacant of understanding, you who knew I wanted a brightly colored Santa with all my heart. Oh you sweet man, how I miss you. How I miss the way that you loved even me.
Painfully slowly, I learned to ask Lonny before attempting a new scheme. I learned to seek the church's needs before I plowed forward with what I thought was my calling. I learned so slowly that there is One and more than One who loves even me. With Lonny's help, I learned that those things I would dismiss as inappropriate to me were often where I should turn to grow.
Well that's enough of me. More of Lonny later. Thank you for reading. Bev

Bible Study Notes from 28 January

(These notes are short. I have been travelling and am out of time,. Should people like to peruse them before Bible study tonight, I must post them now. In any event, I hope the reader can find something of value in them.)

Scriptures, Matthew 5:21-30, Ecclesiastes 7

Keying off Matthew 5:21-26, we discussed anger, determining it a bad master-the wrong mater. In relation to our sheep dog from the book, she has had the wrong master-an angry master. She became fearful and feral.

In a personal note, as my husband's health failed, I struggled with anger. I was angry at the situation, but often vented my frustration on Lonny. My outbursts compounded my guilt and worry. Matthew 5:25 speaks of the Accuser. The Accuser finds me guilty in the court of my own conscience.I cannot argue with Satan. He is correct. I am guilty. Happily, I can throw myself on God's mercy. God sees me through the redemption of Christ.

In Ecclesiastes we read a warning against religious conceit. The wicked man finds security in his ways, like the dog insisting on her freedom which almost killed her through starvation. She was almost destroyed. (The logic here worked better on Monday. I apologize, but for those who couldn't be present, I included it anyway.)

Verse 7:7 of Ecclesiastes speaks of oppression driving a man to madness, so too, the wrong mater's oppression of the dog led to the dog becoming feral. Contrast this to the choices that God gives us. We may follow, learn, obey the Good Master or not. He doesn't oppress.

We will meet tonight at 6:30. We will discuss Lesson Three from the book and continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount.