#namesofGod2014

Hey there, Sweet Sisters!  I'm sorry it's been so long since the last post!  I'm definitely not professional enough to have planned posts ahead in my absence.  However, I have been quite occupied with Jon RETURNING from deployment and all!:) Praise God!  I promise to post more on that in the near future.  Our schedule is crazy right now, with me snagging time in coffee shops to read and write as we move over the next week.  I love you guys, and even though I'm not always a faithful blogger I appreciate you following along on this little adventure.

One thing I have managed to make time for is the amazing Bible study I'm doing with Rachel and Nicole.  They are two outstanding women of God, and it has been so encouraging to see the Lord moving in their lives.  Right now they've invited everyone to join in reading Kay Arthur's Lord, I Want to Know You.  I hope y'all are reading through with us.:)  

Although I haven't had the opportunity to post on the study yet, reading along with you ladies has been such a tremendous blessing to my heart.  I have no particular structure to posting on this study, so I'm just going to go with it.  Arthur reminds us in her introduction that "What you have learned, God intends for you to share."  This was such a great reminder to me that anything I learn in this study isn't just for my own knowledge or growth, but to be shared.  It seems so simple, but the hard reality is that I probably don't share half of what I learn from the Lord.  I'm so hopeful that God will enable us to learn, grow and share with each other in this study.

She also makes the point that "to boast in" also means "to trust in".  How many times in fellowship do we encourage each other to boast in the Lord?  This is so much easier said than done for me.  It also caused me to revisit "boast" as a parallel to "trust".  It's crazy to me that I have somehow developed a way to openly tell others about the Lord, all while the actions of my life fail to display trust in Him.  Praise God for revealing this to me. 

Arthur reminds us that in biblical times a person's name  represented their character.  In this study we are focusing on the names of God not just to know His many names, but to know Him.  How wonderful and merciful He is to give us the gift of knowing Himself.  This is the only place where true peace, rest and delight are found, and I thank Him so much for opening our eyes to this truth. "Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God." --Isaiah 50:10

One of the names of God we have studied is El Elyon, the Most High.  This is the name that designates God as sovereign.  The sweet reminders of God's sovereignty could not have come at a better time as Jon and I are making the next big move and transition in our lives.  It's so so easy for me to get wrapped up in the lists the world helps to create for us, and to feel God's sovereignty in it all is the largest blessing that I do not deserve.

I hope He's using this study to encourage each of you where you are.