Category: The Furrowed Brow

And the Winner Is…..

12/02/2013The Furrowed Brow 18 Comments

winner2013

Those who commented on the Post “Time for a New Bible” were entered into the drawing for a brand new “One Year Chronological Bible”. The contestants are:
Lisa P
Amber G
Maria B
Mariya P
Sandra G
Lauri S
Carolyn L
Janet R
Tammi L
Heather R
Sandy Cu
Jean G
Angela M
Marianne F
Cindy R
Kelli V
Cathy P
Elsie B
Elizabeth L
Sandy Ca
Toni M

And, the winners are……
Lisa P
Amber G
Maria B
Mariya P
Sandra G
Lauri S
Carolyn L
Janet R
Tammi L
Heather R
Sandy Cu
Jean G
Angela M
Marianne F
Cindy R
Kelli V
Cathy P
Elsie B
Elizabeth L
Sandy Ca
Toni M

Yes!!! – All of you will receive a new Bible!!

Due to the very generous offer of a sweet friend of mine (who wishes to remain anonymous), all of you will be receiving a new Bible

I will be sending each one of you an e-mail to verify delivery addresses!

Merry Christmas!

Time for a New Bible

11/26/2013Spiritual Growth, The Furrowed Brow 44 Comments

MarciaBible2013 Giveaway! Time for a New Bible! My husband, Brian, gave me this Bible for Mother’s Day, 1994, almost 20 years ago. I used this Bible for every lecture I prepared and delivered as a Teaching Leader with Bible Study Fellowship from1999 until the fall of 2013.

I decided after my final lecture on September 23 to retire this Bible. It’s been through a few wars with me and is pretty much falling apart. I’ve glued the cover on with Elmer’s multiple times and had to glue whole sections into the binding with rubber cement. Some pages are taped where I accidentally tore them. They say that a person whose Bible is falling apart is a person who isn’t. Trust me; there have been plenty of times I thought I was falling apart! My Bible didn’t hold me together, but the words of God did!

Psalm 119:91-92 “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.”

Each day as we open the Bible, read it, and ingest the words, God changes us. He strengthens, sharpens, smoothes rough edges, comforts, challenges, convicts, and matures us. God’s word sustains us.

Deuteronomy 8:3 “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

It’s interesting, rarely do we think of going a day without food, but we’ll go for days, weeks, month, even years at a time without feeding our souls. We can’t make God happier, or earn his favor by reading the Bible more, but we can understand who God is and who we are supposed to be by reading it more. Is God calling you to his word?

God’s word also gives us direction and light in the darkness of an often frightening world. When the culture is continually pulling us and lying to us, how can we know which way to go?

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” Do you feel lost when it comes to reading the Bible? Do you need direction? Maybe I can help you find a starting line.

A few years ago I discovered the “One Year Chronological Bible”. It is a wonderful way to read through the Bible. All of the Scriptures are there; nothing added, nothing taken away, all of God’s Word arranged chronologically. It is like reading the greatest novel of all time… God’s Story!

Since some friends gave me a beautiful, new black leather, (large print!!) Bible this spring to replace my retired one; I thought I’d ‘pay it forward’ by giving away a “One Year Chronological Bible” this week!

If you’d like an opportunity to own the Chronological Bible – just comment on the blog and you’ll be entered. You can simply say ‘I’m in’ – or better yet, share an encouraging word! I’ll pick and post the winner on December 2. Good luck! And God bless!

Doors, Drawers and Disrespect

11/05/2013Spiritual Walk, The Furrowed Brow, , , 18 Comments

kitchen 045a

There are 37 cabinet doors, and 24 drawers in my kitchen. You need to know this.

You see, a while back as I was taking my vitamins Brian walked into the kitchen, closed the cabinet door where we keep the vitamins and said, “You always leave the cabinet doors open.” Then he walked out.

What?!?! Are you kidding me?! I never leave the cabinet doors open! And I was going to close this one as soon as I swallowed that vitamin!! How could he say that?

Well, on that Sunday morning things changed! I opened every door and drawer as far as possible, then I walked out of the house, got in the car with Brian and left to go to church. Angry.

On the way to church, I realized it was the first Sunday of the month. We would be celebrating communion. And I was angry. Almost immediately, the Lord brought to mind 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.”

Drat. My heart was not clean. It was full of anger. I prayed, silently, “Lord, I’m sorry I got angry.”

There, now my heart was right. I confessed my anger. I was ‘good to go’. I could participate in the Lord’s Supper with a clean heart. Wrong. In my heart I knew I needed to apologize to Brian.

Instead, I argued with God, “Lord, he said something that made me mad. I shouldn’t have to apologize to him for getting angry. Besides, he doesn’t even know I’m angry!”

The Lord didn’t buy my defense. Maybe my initial ‘prayer of confession’ wasn’t quite genuine. Or maybe if I didn’t ‘come clean’ with Brian, I would secretly nurse the anger, and let a root of bitterness get started.

So, I apologized to Brian, who had no idea what I was talking about, and he said everything was OK.

Whew! Now, all was good, I could take communion with a clean conscience.

We walked into church, we sang, I was worshiping my Precious God, and then he brought to mind Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”

What??? Did I have to tell Brian about the doors and drawers? Nope. No way. Not gonna happen. Besides, I thought, he was wrong! I don’t leave the doors open. I always close them. And, it’s not a sin to leave them open, even if I did… which I did that morning.

The pastor prayed and passed the elements. My heart was not clean. I had deliberately opened those drawers and doors just so that Brian would be angry when he got home and saw them.

I jotted on the bulletin, “I opened every cabinet door and drawer in the kitchen and left them open. I’m sorry,” and handed it to Brian. Did he just stifle a laugh????

When the bread and cup were handed to me I received both, and thanked my precious Savior for shedding his blood on the cross so that my sins were forgiven. All of them. Anger. Self-righteousness. Disrespecting Brian. Disrespecting the Lord. Bitterness. You name it.

As soon as we got home, I closed every drawer and door in the kitchen before Brian saw them… because, after all, I never leave them open!

At a Texas Winery

10/29/2013Spiritual Walk, The Furrowed Brow, , , 8 Comments

My son and daughter-in-law took me to lunch at a winery outside of Austin, Texas for my birthday.  As we were waiting for our reservation, we wandered up and down the rows of harvested vines, enjoying the sunshine, and marveling at God’s handiwork. We also marveled at whatever it was that was coiled around the support wires.

I have to confess, it took us a few minutes to figure out what we were looking at. Coming from Illinois, we’re familiar with barbed wire, but this wasn’t barbed and it wasn’t wire. It was coiled and it was hard, woody even. We finally realized it was the hardened leftover tendrils that had connected the grapevine to the support wires.

 These tendrils were really interesting. Some of the tendrils were multiple coils a couple of inches long, and some were just one or two coils. The tendrils were so hard you couldn’t pull them off the wire, but clearly, they were at one time a part of the vine.

When the tendril was attached to the vine it was flexible, strong, and green. It had use, purpose and worth: it attached itself to the wire supports, fence posts, or whatever else was around, pulled the branches toward the sun, and lifted them up so that the grapes could hang down. It was a necessary part of the grape vine.

However, once the harvest was complete, the tendrils were left behind, separated from the branches and from the vine; useless, worthless and purposeless.

As Christians, attached to Christ, we have use, worth and purpose, but apart from Christ, we can do nothing.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

We think we can do things apart from Christ. We have ability, education, great insights, personality, creativity, and generosity. We understand things and teach others, we might even talk to people about Jesus; but our work has no eternal value.

When it is tried by fire, it will burn up, and we will stand before Christ as one escaping the flames with only the ashes of our life’s work to place at his feet.

However, if we remain in Christ, and he in us – not next to him, not drawing our strength from him – but allowing him to live out his life through us, we will continue to bear spiritual fruit that will last for all eternity. Apart from him, we become a hardened, useless, purposeless, worthless piece of dry tendril reminding ourselves of who we used to be, and what we used to do.

Colossians 2:6-7 “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

The tendrils were interesting, but that is all. Apart from Christ, would we even be that?

A Tree-Climbing Tree

10/25/2013Spiritual Walk, The Furrowed Brow, 4 Comments

MarciaNiece2013

This tree is in the side yard of my son and daughter-in-law’s house in Texas and I am fascinated by it. It’s a ‘live oak’. Live oaks are rightly named because they live a long time. I’m not sure how old this one is, but it is huge!

I wonder over the past hundreds of years how many children have played on this tree. Did pioneers sit under its shade? Did it provide shelter from rain? Will it one day be a piece of furniture?

And, just in case you’re wondering, that’s not Zacchaeus in the tree, it is my niece. Zac climbed a sycamore tree. Zacchaeus was a wealthy, hated, tax collector who happened to also be short.  Zac (I think I can call him “Zac”, we’ll be friends in heaven!) didn’t know at the time that God had big plans for him; he just knew that this new superstar, Jesus, whom everyone was talking about was coming his way.

So this tax collector, this wealthy, hated, small man, ran like a child to get to the head of the line and climbed a tree just to see Jesus. He was working hard, in his own effort to just get a glimpse of Jesus. He didn’t ask for help. He didn’t climb on anyone’s shoulders. He just did what he thought he needed to do.

But, he didn’t need to work so hard, the One he sought was seeking him. When Jesus reached the spot where Zacchaeus was, Jesus look up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5) Jesus didn’t climb the tree; he called Zac to come to him. And Zac came down and welcomed him gladly!

Then, Jesus went home with Zacchaeus, which angered a lot of people! How could Jesus hang out with such a sinner? But this wealthy sinner had become a saved soul who was willing to give away everything for Jesus. Zac had found the greatest treasure; salvation in Jesus.

Philippians 3:8 “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”

Zacchaeus was a little man who climbed a tree. To what lengths are you willing to go to see Jesus? Are you willing to run in public? Climb a tree? Or, in other words, make a fool of yourself?

If Jesus were to come to your house today, is there anything that you’d be embarrassed for him to see?

Is there anything that you are not willingly to give up to know Christ more? What if giving it up meant someone else would come to know Christ as the Savior.

When Jesus calls, will you come down from your perch? Out of your hiding place? Are you willing to step into a low position and serve others? Or are you afraid? Do you prefer looking at him from up in a tree?