Over Coffee

New Site!

2007-10-31T10:13:00.000-05:00

So since, I'd like to start doing this blogging thing a lot more... I wanted my own site. There were also lots of other things I wanted to do with a site that a mere blog couldn't handle. So... after this blog, I'll stop updating here and start posting on my new site.

http://www.mariagracebrown.com

Enjoy!

The Power of the Holy Spirit

2007-10-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been spending time in the book of Acts during my morning quiet times with the Lord. This morning I just finished chapter 7 which Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin and consequently his martyrdom. What has hit me over and over again as I've been going through the book, is the radical difference in the lives of the same men I've read over and over about in the four gospels. No longer are they the clueless, devoted, cowardly fishermen and tax collectors that followed Christ before the Resurrection, now they are strong, courageous, wise defenders of the gospel of Christ, constantly putting their own lives at peril for the sake of their Lord and Savior. So what accounts for this difference?? As I've read the book of Acts before, I've read through the account of Pentecost and though I understood it's basic significance, it never dawned on me how crucial this event was and is in Christian history. The difference in these men is the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives....and if the only reference to the Holy Spirit was in Acts 2, then I might have reason to minimize it's importance. But as I read account after account of the disciples preaching and being persecuted publicly... I began to notice that each act of christian heroism performed by these disciples was prefaced by the phrase "...and filled with the Holy Spirit..."

I've been meditating on this off and on for a couple of weeks now...and I've gotten so excited about this truth. Before, the Holy Spirit to me was a "nice to have", a cool accessory that came with the christian deal... but it's NOT! It's one of the most important parts of becoming a member of the family of God. The Holy Spirit is how we enter the Lord's presence on a continual basis, It is how we pray, it is how we know the will of God, it is how we have the courage to share the gospel with a friend, it is how the truths of scripture are opened up to us, it is how the Lord comforts us with his presence. In Psalm 51, after David's affair with Bathsheba, in verse 11 he begs the Lord "Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me (ESV)." In the Old Testament God gave and took away the Holy Spirit...but on this side of the Cross we need never fear that! He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5).

What a blessed truth has been revealed to me. It shows me yet again how weak I am, and that I need the power of God himself to do or understand any part of this life that Christ has called me to, and that he has freely given me that power in the form of the Holy Spirit by the precious, shed blood of Jesus Christ, my Savior.

Classics Anyone?

2007-08-16T08:33:00.001-05:00

Tim Challies is interested in starting an online discussion of some classic book in Christian liturature on his blog. I think it would be an excellent opportunity to impose some discipline in my life in the area of enriching my mind with the wisdom of the forefathers of the faith. Anyone else interested?

The Blogger Is Back :)

2007-08-14T12:28:00.000-05:00

So yes, I really haven't forgoten about this blog...just tons to do a lots of stuff to keep up with. I promise that I will finish my series on bible study. Honestly, the next step, interpretation is the area I'm certainly most weak in, so I guess I just keep putting off writing that one since I feel so inadequate....but I promise I'll put it together. :)

In the mean time...I've become obsessed with John Piper and recently found a booklet he did on Biblical Exegesis ... so sink your teeth into that!

Let Your Kingdom Come

2007-06-29T09:27:00.000-05:00

Let your Kingdom Come
Words and music by Bob Kauflin

Your glorious cause, O God, engages our hearts
May Jesus Christ be known wherever we are
We ask not for ourselves, but for Your renown
The cross has saved us so we pray
Your kingdom come

Let Your kingdom come
Let Your will be done
So that everyone might know Your Name
Let Your song be heard everywhere on earth
Till Your sovereign work on earth is done

Let Your kingdom come
Give us Your strength, O God, and courage to speak
Perform Your wondrous deeds through those who are weak
Lord use us as You want, whatever the test
By grace we’ll preach Your gospel
Till our dying breath

This is my absolute favorite worship song. I honestly can't go on enough about it. There are a couple very specific reasons, however, that the song is just so incredibly meaningful to me.

The first time I ever heard this song, it was being taught at Kingsway Community Church in Richmond, VA. It was my very first Sunday there, after having relocated to the area just a few days before. This was the first time I had ever moved, and I had left much behind me. A little background info...I had hoped to go into ministry with an organization that I had personally been richly blessed by, and I thought that this was the Lord's will for me after college. However, after a series of events, he made it very clear that he was specifically calling me to a particular job that would temporarily relocate me to the Richmond area, and would probably relocate me a few times before I would be able to settle into a permanent position. The Lord made the decision making process quite simple, there was just no way to deny that this was where he wanted me. However, the life I was leaving behind made it so hard. I had a community of wonderful committed believers that actively worked to fulfill the great commission on a day-to-day basis. I had friends who had known me my entire life. There were many older women who had invested so much into me, and several young women whom I had enjoyed pouring my life into. I loved working side by side with all of these people for the sake of the gospel...and now I was about to embark on a whole season of life, work a 9-5 job in corporate America.

So there I was Sunday morning, missing everyone I loved so much, missing the old ministry opportunities, and wondering what in the world the Lord could be doing....And it was this Sunday that "coincidentally" the church decided to teach this song. I knew the Lord was speaking to me very directly through that song. That no matter what happened, no matter where I was, no matter how weak and homesick I felt, I could sing "let your kingdom come" and have the confidence that the Lord would use me, no matter what, to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ. What a promise!! It still fills my eyes with tears, as it did the first time I heard it. But when is say "let your kingdom come" I need to be prepared for the sacrifices that are involved. This song promised that the sacrifices I had made for this move were truly part of God's calling on my life. Yes it was hard, but look at what I get to be involved in, the building of Christ's Kingdom.

This song is my promise, my challenge and my prayer. A prayer that God will use me even within my weakness. A challenge to be willing to do whatever it takes to see his kingdom advanced, and a promise that no matter how hard it is, this really is the most worthwhile thing to lay my life on the alter for.

And now I find myself in almost the same situation. My job is relocating me from Richmond, and again, I'm leaving behind me such a wonderful network of believers that the Lord has used so richly in my life. I'm so tempted to be discouraged, to be sad about the change. But then I look at all the Lord did last year at this time, and all of the people he has brought into my life, and all of the change he as wrought on my heart, and I just can't ignore the opportunity that this new move will present. And as much as I'll miss everyone, I'm so excited about saying "let your kingdom" and "Lord use [me] as You want, whatever the test", because I know that he only has good for me, and I know that he will use this to advance his kingdom in another place, in another way. What a promise!!

The Goodness of God

2007-06-15T14:54:00.001-05:00

The Purple Cellar is becoming one of my favorite blogs to visit on a regular basis. This article was posted today and I was very encouraged by it.

Goodness of God in our Singleness

Believing in the goodness of God in any area has been a major struggle in my life. I'm starting to make some headway. But no matter the situation or circumstance, I'm always encouraged when people point me back to how good a God I serve. I'm starting to recount his mercies to me more often and it is so helpful in battling this misconception.

Thunderstorms

2007-06-12T20:58:00.001-05:00

I'm sitting on my back porch listening to the rain and the really loud thunder. Why is it that there's something so peaceful about something that could be so terrifying and destructive? There is such a feeling of safety and security while seeing amazing power displayed that won't (or probably won't) hurt you at all. Remind's me of John Piper's talk at New Attitude, when he was talking about when we correctly view God there's something that makes you feel so utterly alive when you feel utterly insignifigant. I guess that's what a thunderstorm does. You feel so small, and so unimportant, yet you feel safter and more at peace then ever. Hmm...

Eternal Perspective on Celebrities

2007-06-12T09:23:00.001-05:00

I stumbled across this blog post today and was blown away by the eternal perspective that Lydia puts on this situation with Paris Hilton. I was quite convicted about my own lack of faith in the grace of God towards even those that are running fast and far from him. Paris is no different from us, she just has more money, and is using it to fill the Christ-shaped void that all of us had before Christ redeemed us.

Paris Hilton and the Bible

How to Do Bible Study (Part 3) : Observation

2007-06-11T18:43:00.000-05:00

Alright, let's continue this quite fun discussion on how to do personal bible study.

This is my favorite part of the Bible study process. This is when we roll up our sleeves and pull apart the passage.

So the observation phase of Bible study is exactly what it sounds like. We read the passage over and over again, while we notice various things. The obvious question that gets raised is "what should be noticed?" Well really the list is endless. The more details you see the more you will get out of the passage, so the more you see the better you will be at studying the scriptures. So really mastering observation is quite a long process, that I certainly haven't finished. All that to say, don't get overwhelmed. I'll be going over what I think good basic observation is in this blog and give you something to start with that will improve your time spent studying the scriptures without overwhelming you. However, I highly recommend that you check out a couple of books that will help you continue to develop the skill of observation.

So at this stage, I pull out about 15 different colored thin line sharpies, and a print-out of the passage from the Internet (I usually go to biblegateway.com to get this). The sharpies are not obligatory at all, but I would suggest that you have a couple different color pens, pencils, or highlighters, etc. for marking the things we're going to be looking for. So let's dig in...

Repeated Words/Ideas - circle or underline words that the author uses more than once. If an author repeats himself, then that concept or idea probably holds some importance in the main point of the passage

Contrasts - Look for things that are opposite. For instance if an author talks about grace versus mercy, or faith based salvation versus works based salvation, that would be a contrast.

Comparisons - The psalms often say things like "man is like the grass of the fields", this would be a situation where man was being compared to grass. Just look for things that are alike or are being compared to each other, this is a tool that authors will often use to illustrate their point.

Cause and Effect - This is a little more complicated. Basically, you're looking for things happening because other things are happening. So you may want to look for reasons an author is giving a specific command, consequences of certain behaviors (good or bad), or explanations for specific principles that an author is trying to communicate.

Basic Outline - This is something I have found quite helpful. This is where I look at all the repeated words, and other things I've marked up on my paper, and I try to take those and make some sense of the flow of the authors thought process. It takes a little while, but trying to find structure in the the authors writing is probably one of the most key things you can do.

The whole purpose of bible study is to find the author's main point and then to take that main point and translate it into a personal application. Making these observations and then using them to determine the author's flow of thought are major steps in determining that main point.

This really scratching the surface of the whole Observation process, but hopefully it will wet your appetite for further study. There's nothing more rewarding than studying a passage you've read a million times and finding something you've never seen before. As I've used this method, I've seen it happen in my own study over and over again.

Please check out these resources for further study, you wont regret it!

My favorite Bible Study Help Sheet
"Living by the Book" by William and Howard Hendricks

Previous Posts about Bible Study:

How to Do Bible Study (Part 1) : A User Friendly Guide
How to Do Bible Study (Part 2) : Book Survey

Tim Challies' Collection of Quotes

2007-06-11T09:19:00.000-05:00

I just ran across this article on Tim Challies blog. Definitely thought provoking. It's a collection of quotes regarding the scriptures.

About the Bible

An Attitude Adjustment

2007-06-11T08:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back from a weekend at my parents in Pennsylvania. I had a great time hanging out with all of my family, getting my car inspected (yes, it's still registered in PA), and catching up with old friends.

..But now I'm back at work and it really feels like a Monday. I was struggling with contentment a lot while I was home. As much as I love where the Lord has me, I very much miss the security and predictability that defined my life as a kid. So as I was thinking, pondering and trying to pray about all of this, it dawned on me, security and predictability are all a matter of perspective. Jeremiah 29:11 says

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (ESV)

That's a verse that often comes to mind during these struggles, and this time something that hit me a little harder than usual is the fact that nothing is insecure. The Lord has a plan for my life that's written in stone, and he will use me to build his kingdom and bring him glory, those things I can be absolutely sure of, and really, isn't that all I need to be sure of? I kick and scream about the fact that I don't have as many opportunities to minister to people as I would like, but really the goal of ministering to people is to build Christ's kingdom and to bring him honor and glory. The truth is, he will bring himself honor and glory no matter what, and he will use me to that end in what ever way he wants. So really, the two things I want in life, some sense of security, and to honor the Lord with all of my life are things the Lord is going to do no matter what the current circumstances look like.

Now, the challenge is to rest in that, and to strive to honor him in each minute of the day and not to fall into a complaining and discontented attitude. Philippians 2:14-16 says

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. "(ESV)

So really, if I truly want to shine the light of Christ to others, the first thing I need to do, is make a serious attitude adjustment and not live a life of discontentment and complaining. That's currently the best way I can honor the Lord.

Some Bible Study Articles

2007-06-10T08:32:00.000-05:00

Can you tell that I love doing bible study and learning how to do it better? My mom just showed me this little article on Elizabeth George's website on how to do bible study written by her husband. Take a Look!

How to study the bible

Also, if you're thinking about leading a bible study, here's another article on the site addressing some potential pitfalls.

Leading a Bible Study

How to Do Bible Study (Part 2) : Book Survey

2007-06-08T12:24:00.000-05:00

Cultural, historical, and geographical context are the primary means by which we interpret the interactions we have with people. So when we do a book overview or a book survey, this is the time to do all of that work I mentioned in my last post to determine the context around the scripture we are studying.

NOTE: Bible Study is just a ton of questions, that you methodically answer based on the passage or book being studied. It is ALWAYS best to look in the text itself to find the answers before consulting the experts. If the answer is not obvious, consult a good commentary.

The Basic Questions
So, when doing a book survey, let’s start with the basics…

Read the whole book in one sitting. If you can, try to read it 2-3 times before doing anything. You will be amazed at how much contextual information you can get out of just the passage(s) you are studying.
Who is the Author? Sometimes this is obvious…for instance in Philippians it says “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.” So the authors of this book are….you guessed it…Paul AND Timothy. Wait! Don’t we always say Paul wrote Philippians? Interesting…Timothy is a co-author…these are the things to take particular note of when doing you’re book survey. Now, sometimes the answer is not so obvious and you have to do a little digging in commentaries, etc, to get an approximate answer. If there is not one conclusion that has been drawn by the experts as to the author, you should note the different opinions presented and their reasoning. This will help you as you move forward with the study. Even if you don’t have a definitive answer, you’ll still have more information about what kind of person the author was.
Who is the author writing to? Again, this is a similar situation to figuring out the author. Sometimes the recipient of the writing is obvious, sometimes not so obvious. In either case take note of as much information as you can, it will help you wrap your mind around the people involved in the scripture you are studying.
Where was the book written?
Where are the recipiants of the book?
When was the book written?

Harder, but More Fun Questions
Okay, we’ve covered the basics, now let’s jump into the fun stuff that will really give us a good picture of the context we’re dealing with. These questions are where you want to pull out your commentary, study bible, or Bible dictionary.

Find out as much as you can about the culture of the recipients.
Find out if there was anything significant about the geography of the area.
Find out what was going on in history when the book was written. (Rulers, persecution, wars, etc.)
Find out where any of the people or places may be mentioned elsewhere in scripture. Take note of all of these passages, they will be of great help to you as you continue your study.

Digging into the Book Itself
Alrighty, now that we have a general idea of where we are in the course of time and history, let’s dig into what this book is all about. Now this portion of your study is not supposed to dig into every detail in the text at this point. This is just so you have a high-level view of why this book was even written. So here are some more things to look for in your book study.

What is the genre of this book? Scripture contains many genres such as narratives, poetry, prophesy, and letters. Knowing which one you are working with is absolutely necessary to correctly interpret the book you are studying.
What are the major things the author talks about? If you were reading Luke, the answer on a very high level would be that he’s talking about the life of Christ. If you were reading Romans, the answer would be sin, grace, mercy, the gospel, etc.
What’s the general structure of the book? Can you see the author’s flow of thought? Try to write up a really general outline.

The Most Important Questions
And finally, based on all of the work you’ve just done, the final and most important questions.

Does the author state his purpose for writing? If so, what is it? And if not, can you tell by the topics covered what the authors intended purpose of writing was?
Why is this Book included in scripture?

These are the most important questions because if you don't know why the author was writing or why it's even in scripture, you won't be changed and impacted by it, and at that point all of this is a useless liturature assignment (James 1:19-25).

So see? This isn't all that hard. Definitely is a lot of work and requires commitment, but it's not complicated at all. Now go dig in!

How to do Bible Study (Part 1): A User Friendly Guide

2007-06-07T14:50:00.001-05:00

I’m going to say right from the start that I do not consider myself to be an expert at bible study by any stretch of the imagination. However, I’ve used methodical bible study in several group studies I’ve been a part of, and recently have had the opportunity of sharing my own version of that method with various people I’ve interacted with through Church and Bible Study groups. So instead of flying by the seat of my pants every time someone asks me to explain how I do bible study, I thought I’d just sit down and write out my thoughts in a more concise and organized manner.

Introduction
This is Part 1 of a six-part blog. This is a general introduction to the method and why I believe it is one of the best means of studying the scriptures. The other parts will each cover a part of the process:

Part 2: Book Survey
Part 3: Observation
Part 4: Interpretation
Part 5: Application
Part 6: Book Summary

This little how-to explains how to methodically study a book of the bible. Many of these principals are still invaluable if you are doing a topical study as well, but for the purpose of this set of entries, we’re just going to walk through the process of studying a book of the bible.

Bible Study is Just Basic Human Communication
Back when I first learned how to do this I knew it as the “OIA Method”, which stands for Observation, Interpretation, and Application. Now, this method could sound all complicated and detailed, and you even may wonder why a method is even necessary to study the bible. I’ve been in that exact same boat and I’d like to share an illustration I heard at a conference that helped to change my mind. The speaker was talking about this very issue, and in the middle of his talk, walked right up to the guy in the front row, extended his hand and said “Hi.” The guy (who we’ll call Justin), somewhat surprised, responded by accepting and shaking the extended hand replying with a similar greeting. Then the speaker explained what had just happened. Justin had observed the speaker walking towards him with his hand extended. He also observed that the speaker had greeted him. Justin had then used what he knew of the cultural norms of human communication and interpreted that the extended hand was a gesture of friendship and that he was expected to shake the offered hand along with a “hi” or “hello”. Justin then applied what he had observed and interpreted by shaking the speakers hand and greeting him in return.

So really, we do OIA all the time, every time we have any kind of contact with another human, we observe what and how they communicate, interpret why they are communicating and what is expected of us, and finally we respond in some way to that communication. In bible study that is all that we are doing. However, because of the huge historical, geographical, and cultural difference between our world and the world the Bible was written in, a lot more work is required. When Justin shook the speakers hand, it was because he knew his own culture and what was expected of him in various situations because of the culture he was in. In the case of studying the scriptures, we do not naturally have any of the contexts in which to correctly interpret what is being communicated. That is why we spend much of our time while doing bible study making up for that lack of knowledge.

So this is the idea behind bible study, just basic analysis of written human communication with the goal of understanding what was written, why it was written, and how our lives are supposed to change as a result.

Methodical Bible Study

2007-06-04T14:33:00.001-05:00

Ahh! What a scary title for a blog post. Well, methodical bible study is definitely something I've found to be one of the primary means of change that the Lord has used in my life. It has challenged me to dig deeply into the word and to take the application of scripture seriously. So I'm always encouraging people to give it a try, and after working on it some, it really isn't as scary as it sounds :)

I've participated in several bible studies over the last several years which taught and used inductive bible study methods. I've come in contact with helpsheets and books of various kinds, but once on the internet I ran into this help sheet which I have found to be the most thourough and most consice write up on how to do bible study. It contains both the idea behind why this method is helpful and some very helpful practical steps on how to dig deeply into a passage of scripture. Also some cool charts. I've not really used them, but I know people who have found them very helpful.

Anways, check it out here.

Bible Study Help Sheet

New Attitude Firehose

2007-05-30T15:24:00.001-05:00

So, I'm back from the biggest and potentially most intense conference I've ever been too. New Attitude. But that is certainly not to say that I didn't enjoy and learn from every minute of it. I was thouroughly challenged through world class teaching, discussion groups, meditation on the word, and the hours spent with friends. The Lord has done quite a work through this event. But you know, the event itself really isn't to be commended for this work. Weeks and weeks ago the Lord began to work in my heart and to stir my mind about changes that I needed to make in my life. And gradually, over time the lord has done more and more work in these areas, and using New Attitude as merely a small, but important tool in the sanctification of my heart in these areas. How exciting! Now the task falls to me to read over 22 pages of notes, and think about how the lord wants to change me in all of these areas.

But...

for now...I'm just going to apply one bit of truth to one bit of life. And that would be to remember that no matter how I feel about where I am in my job or life, that my purpose in life is to honor and glorify the Lord. And if it glorifies the Lord to manage IT related projects, write code and pursue a career, then by his grace, and only by his grace I will do it, and with still more grace, will do it gratefully and cheerfully. On a practical and specific level, that means getting up earlier and getting to work at a time that would honor the Lord, only taking 1 hour lunch breaks, and leaving late if necessary. This is the area in which God has given me responsibility, and I want to work heartily as unto him and not myself (Colossians 3:23).

Any of you who know me and see me on a regular basis can ask me about this and hold me accountable on my heart attitude towards where the Lord has me right now.