Inspire Bible John 3:16

So many of us know and understand John 3:16 

but what about verse eight? 

In John 3:8 Jesus tells Nicodemus,  "The wind blows wherever it wants. You can hear it but you can't tell where it comes from. So you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." 

I'm not launching into a full on Bible lesson here. But, I do think verse eight is worth a little attention. After all it is only a few verses away from the most known and recited verse of the modern Christian age. 

I think it's perfect! I mean Jesus giving his life by dying on a cross is so concrete compared to the idea of being born of the Spirit. Yet, being born of the Spirit is an integral part of Christ's sacrifice. He died so that we might be saved, be born of the Spirit and brought to God.

So when I designed my page for my Inspire Bible I thought of dandelions blowing in the wind to stand in juxtaposition to the firm strong image of the cross.  

Note: I used double sided tape and cotton for the dandelions. I also added a picture of water since verse 22 speaks of John The Baptist. 

So we as believers stand firm in Christ Jesus with the wind of His Spirit blowing through our lives. I just love this! It's worth pondering further, don't you think? 

Join our bible study in Philippians: Count it all joy. You'll find more creative ideas for the Inspire Bible and encouragement to count everything JOY for the sake of Christ. 

-Joleen

Inspire Bible Scripture Lesson

I love my new Inspire Bible by Tyndale Publishers. The artistic opportunities presented by this revolutionary presentation of God's word catapulted me into a month of blissful creativity.  I began to color and glue and paint and draw without giving much thought to the life giving text beneath my fingers. 

Then my friend, Laurie Yost, sent me a picture of a beautiful church near her. I loved it so much that I asked her what verse I could put on it. She replied, "Psalm 37:7." Together we created the beautiful picture below. 

As I pondered this captivating image, my heart ached strangely. 

I long for the closeness and serenity with God that this scene imparts. 

I looked at my new Bible. It sat open to Psalm 37. All of my inductive Bible study method training kicked in. What if I studied this passage inductively and added the art as I studied? 

Instead of the art inspiring me to think about the scripture, I could let the scripture inspire the art!

I feel like putting that last sentence in all caps. But, I think you get the impact this made on my heart. So that is what happened this morning.

 1. I spent time reading the passage and observing the text.

 2. I asked myself the 5W's and an H (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How). 

 3. I studied the context and other passages that helped me to interpret what I was reading. 

 4. Finally, I asked the Lord to show me how to apply these truths to my life.

If you are interested in studying with me, I encourage you to join either our 2 Timothy or Philippians course on this blog. We are on day 14 of Philippians. I will start using my Inspire bible a bit more with those lessons. It really is an awesome resource. 

Here's a few pictures to show the creative process that followed my study. You are welcome to print the church picture at the end of this post and use it in your bible. 

Note: I put the key commands and their vs. in the left hand column.

I drew the church first  and sketched in the trees. 

I love Prisma color markers. Here I'm using a subtle grey as the base color for my church. 

I use a combination of colored pencils and Prisma color markers when I draw. I'm not very scrap booky in my approach this time. I just really wanted to let the text speak on this one.

Don't be afraid to draw right over the words. As long as you don't use dark colors you should still be able to read the text. 

Now, I'll show you a simple approach for the other page. 

 I simply printed the church picture and wrote verse 7 out in the NLT version. 

I adhered the picture using cream colored masking tape. It gave a nice clean appearance. Then I used my Prisma color pen to give a base color over the verse. 

Colored pencils brought out the words in the verse.  

 If you are longing to let Scripture inspire your art and your heart come back next week as I hope to give one of you your very own Inspire Bible. 

Under the same wing,

-Joleen

Pastors wife got GAINS!

So, if you are following our Philippians study you know about my eldest son. He's changed his body shape and health since choosing to do the heavy lifting necessary for physical gains. I'm in awe of his ability to stay the course. He even pays for a week at the gym when he comes home, in order not to loose what he's already achieved.

Imagine if we all took such a few of our health. I'm inspired to make some changes because of my sons example. 

Jon and Aimee a year or so ago.

& now!

But this post is about more than physical gains. Did you know there's an actual bible verse that talks about this? Yup, it's found in 1 Timothy 4:8

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:8

In Philippians 3 Paul teaches us about the value of spiritual gains.

He sounds like he could fit right in with today's urban lingo when he says, 

"Whatever were gains to me I think of as garbage 

when I put them next to the gains of knowing Christ."  (my translation)

So what are these gains? 

3:9 I am no longer lost but found. 

This means I belong to God. I'm no longer doing this life on my own. I don't have to wonder if anyone loves me. God loves me! He's found me! When I acknowledge Jesus as my Lord and Savior I am home!

3:10  I become like Christ

Becoming like Christ means I will experience resurrection. That is awesome! Eternal life. Meeting him in the clouds. Secure and safe forever. Gains!

3:13 I have something to look forward to

"Forgetting what's behind and straining towards what's ahead."  

And what is ahead?

3;14 The prize, the present, the greatest gift you can imagine. Heaven. Look to vs. 20 to know more about Heaven. 

This is me. I could afford to work harder on my physical gains but I already have some amazing Spiritual gains under my belt. How about you? Do you got gains? If not, what's holding you back? If so, rejoice in the Lord! 

-under the same wing

Joleen

10 ways to love the church you're in

Ten ways to love the church you're in 

BE YOURSELF

Are you creative and outgoing or quiet and introverted? Either way, embrace who you are. God will show you how to love people in your own unique way. Don't worry about what the last Pastor's wife or your Senior Pastor's wife is like. 


Being authentically you will keep your heart open to loving the church you are in.

FIND YOUR NICHE

You do not have to, nor should you do everything. Even if it's a small church. Just say no to things that seem to suck the life out of you. I know there's times to be sacrificial but committing to run the nursery, sing in the choir, organize the ladies luncheon and be on the missions committee is not sacrificial, it's downright insane! Pick one area that you really love. If what you love is soap making then invite college girls over to make soap! If you are an introvert then pray about that one woman who may also be an introvert whom you can connect with and be a blessing to. 

Finding your Niche is crucial to keeping your heart open to loving the church you are in. 

Pray for your Church

Yes, I mean it! Pray for the people you see every week. Pray for the children. Pray for the pastor! Pray for the music director. Pray for the tech. people. Pray for the elderly. Pray for the young families. Pray for single women. Pray for the single men. Pray they will find each other! Just pray. 

Praying for your church will fling the doors of your heart open to love the church you are in. 

Forgive Quickly

We live in a fallen world with fallen people. We mess up. They mess up. We are all a mess. Don't hold onto offenses. If you've been hurt so badly that you just don't think you can forgive, ask the Lord how he did it. How did he forgive those who mocked him, scorned him, betrayed him, spit on him, crucified him? Jesus will show you how to forgive.

Forgiving quickly guards your heart so you can love the church you are in.

Put some wise phrases in your pocket

Unexpected requests, comments and statements can catch us off guard. It's best to have some wise phrases ready just in case. Here's a few for you. 

"I'm sorry, I don't relay church messages to my husband. I'd hate to forget or not be precise. I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, everyone's children are works in progress. Mine are no exception. I'm so glad they are normal!" 

"I know you care deeply about this church. I do as well. Let's commit to praying for this issue. I'm confident God will reveal His heart to us."

Keeping wise phrases in your pocket provides a way for you to love the church you're in.

Invest in people B4 programs

Wow, this is a biggie. Programs and people seem to be intermingled. If you are working in youth ministry then you are investing in the youth. If you are singing on the worship team you are investing in the whole congregation. But that's not going to help you love your church. You need to be intentional about people. Who are you caring for? Who feels comfortable calling you by your first name, texting you for advice or dropping by for tea? If there is nobody, I'd like to suggest it's because you are program driven. If you are exhausted and unable to welcome anyone into your real space of life, it may be time to rethink what you're doing. Invite that  woman to go grocery shopping with you. Text that youth a bible verse and tell them you are praying. Create time to be with people outside of regular church programs. You may be surprised how encouraged you feel.

Investing in people B4 programs will drive you to love the church you're in. 

 

Remember to say Thank You!

I'm terrible at this one. I've just been through minor surgery and felt the outpouring of love from my church in the form of meals, cards and caring emails. My next priority after this post is to sit down and write out my thank you notes. REAL PAPER, thank you notes. 

Saying, "Thank you" will remind you to love the church you're in.

Invite people over!

Oh dear, I heard that groan from my introverted PW's. It's okay to keep it simple. Just a cup of coffee or tea and a store bought cake or tray of cookies will do. Throw them on a pretty plate of your own and all will be well! As far as conversation, let your talkative hubby lead.This is why you need to invite people over at least once a month... ...Because they want to know you.  Also, if you've shared a meal or a cookie with someone you will feel more comfortable sharing your wise phrases if needed. Who knows, you may just find you really like the people in your church. It is true! Inviting people over fills your heart to love the church you're in. 

Protect your family time

This should come as no surprise. It's a doozie!  How on earth do you protect your family time? It is different for every one but here's what we do. 

No technology on Sundays. Sundays are crazy enough without fighting over screen time. So our kids know Sunday afternoons are time to chill, play games and/or nap. 

No technology before or right after school. Again, so much is going on we just had to put a stop to the madness. Once homework is done and chores, then we allow limited screen time.

Guy time and Date night. Since we only have boys, they have weekly "guy time" with their dad. Dave takes them each out for a treat or outdoor activity.  Dave and I also have a weekly date night. Sometimes we call it a couch date when we are penny poor or bone weary, but we still send the boys off to do something so we can talk and drink coffee and catch up. 

Protecting your family time will keep your heart fresh to love the church you're in.

Stay in the Word

This should go without saying, but I'll be the first to admit my dedicated time to bible study easily slips away in the mayhem of ministry. Don't let the happen! Allowing the truth of the Word of God to permeate your heart is essential to all nine of the points above. If you are needing some accountability join one of our free bible studies here at PW101. Links below. 

Staying in the Word increases your ability to love the church you're in. 

Wow, if you stuck with me all the way through this list you are already well on your way to loving the church you are in. I pray you will put these ten things into practice. Feeling overwhelmed? Start with the one that seems easiest and do that. I am so glad you are a Pastor's Wife! Let's lean into Jesus together and work for His glory! 

Under the same wing,

-Joleen

Philippians study

2Timothy study

Salt and Sugar scrub: Mentoring in the kitchen

I love salt and sugar scrubs so much that my family is complaining. They would like to actually have some salt for their pasta and sugar for their tea. Ah, me! I just love it! But it really only keeps for a few weeks so I have to keep inviting people over to make and take.

This week's crew? My awesome Jane & Tea club girls! We get together every Sunday night to watch a Jane Austin inspired movie. We drink tea and do a craft and then watch our movie.

They are almost here. I can't wait for you to meet these awesome girls. I'll be back to introduce you.

Here they are! Last weeks craft was reclaimed wood signs.

I especially love the one with a house that says REFUGE. I'd like to think my home is that to these girls. They are smart, beautiful and attend the local Christian college. However, many of them are Missionary Kids who's families live in places like Ukraine, Indonesia, Japan and Germany. So, I guess thinking of my home as a refuge makes me happy.

Tonight we had six lovely ladies for Jane & Tea. So I gave each one a bowl to mix up their own scrub in.  They chose either a salt scrub or a sugar scrub. 

This darling gal will be graduating this year! It's been a joy getting to know her. I'm certain God will use her greatly wherever she goes. 

I provided colorant as well as fragrances for the girls to work with. They also had the option to add real lavender or flax seed as additional exfoliants.

So I'll share the steps as we go. The official recipes are at the bottom of this post, However, I would encourage to read our steps as we found some surprises along the way.

Step One:

Combine one cup of salt with 1/2 cup of Coconut oil

or: 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup Coconut oil

Here's what we discovered: Though everyone followed step one perfectly, not everyone got the same consistency with their scrub. We didn't know if it had to do with the type of conatiners we chose. ie. metal vs. glasss. So, here's a helpful hint:  Always start with less oil than suggested and add until you have a consistency like damp sand.

Step Two:

Choose your colorant.  I had official soap colorant as well as food coloring on hand. Though food coloring is not recommended, we found it to be just as good as the other.

Hint: If you are working on creating a color from primary colors first combine them in tablespoon and mix. When you think you have what you want, add it to your scrub.

I was loving the fact that this gal's finger nails matched the color of her scrub! 

Step Three:

choose your fragrance. This may seem straight forward but we did discover a few things along the way.

- orange frangrance combined with a small bit of vanilla fragrance smells like an orange creamsicle when added to sugar scrub. WARNING: it smells like Goo Gone when added to salt scrub!

- Vanilla extract does not give you a strong enough fragrance as it's more of a flavor so avoid using it if you can.

- peppermint is a very strong fragrance and is wonderful as a salt scrub. WARNING: Peppermint stings the eyes do not use it on your face.

Step Four:

Mix everything together. We ended up using our hands and mixing for at least ten to fifteen minutes to be sure our color, fragrance and oil were thoroughly combined.

Step Five:

Label: I printed out basic labels (Free download below) I then had everyone write the name of their fragrance on the label.

Step Six: Divide scrub into containers.

If you are doing this as a group project, I recommend using zip lock snack size bags as your containers. This way you can make about five - six bags of each scrub. Everyone was able to take at least one of each scrub home.

This was such a fun project it was nine p.m. before we started our movie!

DIY is great but using it to provide "together" experiences for college girls has been so amazing. I feel like a cup of tea and a craft project and fun movie provide a place that is more like home and more like refuge for these awesome girls.  I hope you will take this idea and use it to encourage and bless someone in your life.

Here's the recipes:

Salt scrub

1 cup salt

1/2 cup coconut oil

5 drops colorant

5-8 drops fragrance 

Follow steps above

Sugar scrub

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil

5 drops colorant

3-8 drops fragrance

Follow steps above

Free label download: