Covenant Week Two

Hello, dear sisters of mine:)
 I have a question for you...Have you ever had the opportunity to watch a white heron hunt for his meal?  God knows how much I LOVE that kind of thing, so He had a regular dining extravaganza going on in the wetlands next to my sister's home in Nevada this past weekend.  My sister, Joni, has a pair of binoculars right next to the window that looks out onto the wetlands, and I am drawn irresistably to the binoculars and that window.  I will stand and gaze out the window so long that circular indentations are pressed into the  eye sockets on my face!  For one half hour I wear a semi-permanent pair of Harry Potter eyeglasses!  I watched a gray fox and a hawk hunt very successfully for their breakfasts one morning, but the ones who really grabbed my attention were the half a dozen white herons who call those particular wetlands home. 

They really are not the most beautiful or graceful birds on the planet (take a good look at those skinny legs and knobby knees), but I can say this...they are patient and deliberate, tenacious and very successful.  There must be some small fish or frog that the white herons particularly like because they hunt, walking through the swampy water ALL DAY LONG!  As soon as a tasty morsel is spotted, they come to a stop and stand completely still for...no kidding...minutes on end.  They slowly cock their heads to get a better view, and they focus all their attention on the target.  Every movement after this is very deliberate.  One skinny long leg at a time is lifted in miniscule movements to draw themselves closer, they coil their necks back and then BAM! out shoots that pointy beak into the water and the feast begins. 

I got to thinking about the Kay Arthur Covenant Bible study we're in the midst of at that moment.  It really is a lot like a white heron hunting for his next meal.  You have to be focused...deliberate...patient.  You have to WANT to "eat" the Bread of Life so much that you are willing to spend the effort it takes to be fed.  The result of all that hard work is every bit as satisfying and rewarding:)  I have a feeling that we will be having many of those moments when all of a sudden our focus becomes clear and we really "see" the truth of God's Word in all its gloriousness.  I am already finding the symbolism of covenant fascinating and cannot wait until I sit with the Word in my lap, colored pencils scattered around me to find the next feast the Lord has for me. 

I pray that you have the tenaciousness, the focus, the patience, and the perseverance of my long-legged, knock-kneed friend you see here:)   Have a blessed and successful week of hunting in the Word! 

Love to you...Cherri

Covenant with Kay Arthur Week One

Hello, my friends!

I know that summer is over and so is the Bible study we shared together the past few months, but I thought we might as well continue with the blog.  Here at the Desert Vineyard, we are doing Kay Arthur's Covenant Bible study, which we just began yesterday.  I don't know what they are doing in Boise with our friend Maureen, but I do know that we will be blessed to hear what she and other ladies are learning from their own studies.  I know that you are all incredibly busy, so there is no expectation  that this will be something you girls can respond to weekly...no pressure.  But when the Lord leads, please take a moment to share with us what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.  I will try to create a weekly post so there is a place to write your thoughts.

I just finished Day One in our study (me, my workbook, my Bible and a pack of colored pencils...I have a feeling I am going to be sharpening a lot pencils in the next 2 months:)  One thing for sure, marking passages as Kay instructs will cause you to do one of two things or maybe both:  You HAVE to slow down and read every word in order to mark as she wants you to, or you have to read the passage repeatedly to get all the marking done.  Either way, I am reading the Word kind of like the way I SHOULD eat...bite by bite...chewing slowly, savoring the taste. 

Today's reading in Genesis 6 refocused my attention on the truth that my actions have the power to move God emotionally.  I can choose each day to bring Him pleasure or bring Him pain. Genesis 6 tells us what Noah did to bring God pleasure...he "walked with Him."  Walking with the Lord is a picture of relationship-continual and steady-not running before Him or being pulled a long behind.  It is a constant in life...THE CONSTANT.  I think that what God wants this to look like in my life  is a life of prayer, the study of His Word, worship, and obedience to the Holy Spirit within me.  Much like the instructions the Lord gave Noah to build the ark, He gives me instructions on how to build my life...how to live in such a way that it brings Him pleasure.  Practically, in my life, this would be spending alone time with Him daily, caring for others...blessing my husband, Peter, making choices throughout my day that glorify my Lord through the words I speak, what I watch or listen to, how I treat the people who cross my path... even on the phone.

I used to think that I needed to "weave" God into my life throughout my day, but my mind is changing on that thought.  Because He lives in me through His Holy Spirit, He is with me all the time.  I can weave being obedient to Him into my day but He is the ONLY one who I can have a relationship with, who I can walk with every moment of my life. 

I so want to please Him...to bring Him pleasure by walking with Him.  Lord, show me how to walk with you better...

What is the Lord showing to you girls?

Have a wonderful week!

Love  to you...
Cherri