The Frazzled Female

I have joined a women's Bible study that a woman in my neighborhood has started. There are just three of us, but I am excited about getting to know the two other women. We all live on the same side of the neighborhood. I don't know that I would have met them had we not all decided to be a part of this group. I have met a lot of people through playing tennis, but I am always interested in getting to know more!

We have started going through a study called The Frazzled Female. I wasn't really sure what I was going to think of the book. Then I started reading the first section. It was all about thinking about God throughout the day and inviting him to be a part of everything I do. I almost laughed out loud because I had just been challenged through church and the Soul Revolution study to find ways to continue to remember God's presence. Here I was given the opportunity to continue to learn about ways to do just that. I am very convinced that it was an affirmation from God that I was doing what he wants me to do. I am continuing to try to grow in my relationship with him and, at the same time, connecting to people around me in my community.

The Wonder Years

This past Sunday's message was shared by Neal. It's about the years between Jesus' childhood and adult ministry. Below are notes and application. You can listen to it here.

Luke 2:41-52

We don't know much about the life of Jesus between when he was a child and age 30. What we can know is gleaned from Luke where it begins with the family's trip to Jerusalem when he was 12.

"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." v52

Neal expounded on this using alliteration.

Stature - physical growth (Jesus grew up like a normal, typical Jewish boy)

At this point, I was thinking, how can wisdom be an "S" word? Wisdom....sage....sagacity! I then whispered the word to Adam shortly before Neal confirmed my skills.

Sagacity - wisdom (everyone was amazed at his knowledge of God)

Spirituality - favor with God (extremely devout family, Jesus was putting into practice what he was learning from God)

Socially - favor with man (relationships, drawing people to God)
>The average man and woman loved Jesus, it was the hypocritical religious leaders that didn't like him.
>Jesus was invited to a wedding indicating that he was well liked and fun. When there was a crisis, people turned to him indicating his dependability in tough situations. This is where he performed his first miracle (John 2:11 - indicating that he hadn't shown any inclination toward supernatural powers previously).

When Jesus was growing up, he was preparing himself for what he was going to do. What are we preparing ourselves for?

Romans 8:15-17 - we are God's children, heirs with Christ; we are also to share in Christ's glory

God has a part for us to play. We need to prepare ourselves and step into our God-given role. Jesus didn't have to fulfill his appointed role. He chose to do it. And so must we.

What is the stage of life you are being called out of for something new? Are you growing in the four "S"s? What is at least one area you can grow in this summer?

Personal Thoughts: I am part of the women's walking group for the summer which indicates social and stature (relationships and health). There is also an element of the spiritual as we have mini devotions and are encouraged to pray for one another and to develop an accountability relationship with another woman. I have that covered in Jill. I am also trying to reach out more to our neighbors as indicated in a previous post and am involved in tennis with others in the neighborhood. I can always use more wisdom and favor with God. I have been remiss at adding scripture to my heart so that it can become part of my life and actions. I should put more effort into practicing what I am learning from God as well as meditating on His Word.

Explicit Lyrics Week 3

Great Sexpectations
Song of Songs 4:1-5:1

I listened to this sermon on my way to work yesterday so I probably don't have as many notes as normal due to the fact that I had to remember them and write them down after I finished driving.

Jeff said that most of the world seeks sex as god and that the church tends to portray sex as gross. What needs to happen is for sex to be seen as God created it to be. Yep, God created sex which means that it's not inherently sinful. It's all in how you use the gifts God gives.

Jeff said that great sex is selfless and takes its time. In Scripture we see Solomon complimenting his wife. He starts with her head and works his way down. He is tender with her. He is not rough nor does he rush.

Women have a desire to know and understand a man's mind and heart. Men have a desire to know and understand a woman's anatomy. (Verbal vs. visual)

A wife is her husband's only legitimate source of sexual fulfillment. The woman needs to help her husband keep a pure heart and mind by meeting his needs. 1 Cor 7 is mentioned.

Jeff also says that great sex is sensuous. Women enjoy the emotional, romantic side of love making the most. To a woman, great sex is gentle and slow. To a man, great sex is responsive sex.

The charge for the week was to pray the following prayer: "Dear God, help me to know what to do to please my mate emotionally and sexually, and then give me the desire to do it."

It seems like great sex can be difficult because by nature we are all selfish. We have to first get out of the mind set that it is all about us. If we are to acknowledge that men and women have different needs in sex and set out to meet them, it is likely that in the process our own will be met. When someone gives you a great gift, you usually want to express your appreciation in a reciprocal matter. Why would it be different in this scenario?

My application: Acknowledge and appreciate the differences between men and women. Remember that "it is more blessed to give than to receive". Seek to meet my husband's needs.

Explicit Lyrics Week 1

The Couple's Skate: Love at First Sight

Yesterday's sermon was from Song of Songs 1:1-11 and talked about attraction, the first stage of a relationship. At the beginning, a video was shown of some couples from the church talking about what attracted them to one another. This, of course, caused me to think about when Adam and I knew we were attracted to one another.

Adam would probably say something like he was checking out the ladies in the Statistics class (all 10 of us - it was, after all, a class for engineers) and thought I was the cutest. (He is free to dispute any inaccurate information). I believe he mentioned one day in particular when I wore a pink ribbon in my hair (I know, hard to believe I would do such a thing, huh?).

My point of view is that we met in Statistics class spring semester, he being the guy that kept staring at me and eventually asked to sit next to me in class. We became friends through me trying to witness to him (crazy but true), studying for tests (where we actually talked more than anything) and throwing the frisbee. I'm sure we flirted as well. My thoughts didn't really change from friendly to something more until late summer. That is when my ex-boyfriend (whom I had been dating when I met Adam) told me that he knew I liked other guys, one of them being Adam. I recall thinking, "Adam, why would I like Adam?" This, of course, led me to think about Adam and all of his wonderfulness (even making a list of his qualities - I'm kind of a dork), which brought me to the realization that, yes, I did in fact like him as more than a friend.

You'd think that I would then let him know that I liked him, but things aren't always that simple in Meganland. You see, in less than a month I was headed to Spain for the semester, which meant we wouldn't see each other for four months. My rational self thought that it didn't seem like a good time to pursue a relationship so I prayed a lot about it. Eventually, all of our time together made it obvious to both of us that we liked one another. So, that means that Adam felt some attraction right away, but Ms. Oblivious over here took her sweet time of seven or eight months. Boy am I glad Adam's patient.

I learned in church yesterday that one kiss burns two calories and that Jeff encourages all married men to make out with their wives. In fact, it was assigned as homework. I hope Adam is not a procrastinator. ;-)

Jeff mentioned Proverbs 31:30, which was such a great reminder to me. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Not that we're not supposed to make ourselves look nice. Our focus should be on our relationship with God. After all, according to Jeff, there's nothing more attractive to a godly man than a woman who is confident in her relationship with God and comfortable with how he made her.

Men were instructed to ask their wives if there was anything in their character that made them unattractive. The women were to ask their husbands if there is anything they can do to be more attractive to them. I wonder how those conversations went yesterday.

So, in all of this, what is my application? Obviously, not to get lazy in my appearance and start wearing sweatpants and baggy tshirts all the time. I guess also to be confident in my relationship with God and not be afraid of what others may think of my passion for the Lord - as it's supposed to be my most attractive feature.

If you are interested in listening to the message for your own application, click here. Jeff and Neal are at the Exponential Conference this week so it may not be available online until this weekend. I would still suggest checking it out.