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On this, the first day of February, I have the privilege to make this announcement: I have my first book published and ready to be purchased.

It is a four week in-depth look at the book of Ruth geared toward middle and high school aged females. But trust me, ladies of all ages need to be reminded of the truths that God reveals in this book of Scripture.

This Bible study uses the romance between Ruth and Boaz to point young women to the steadfast love that God has for us. After studying through all four weeks in this book, you will have taken an in-depth look at how we as women of the faith need to replace superficial attitudes and actions with substance. Reflect on subjects such as your relationship with God, the words that you use, as well as your diligence toward work. It includes a leader section to help facilitate small group sessions.

Did you make a New Years Resolution to maintain a regular quiet time this year? Did you decide that this will be the year that you and your daughter read Scripture together? Do you want to learn more about Ruth?

You can purchase your copy here. For group discounts, contact me at renae@pedestriangod.com.

You can click here to write a review.

Thank you to all of you who helped make this possible! May the God who walked among us get the glory!

As I walked past the ladies’ restrooms at church this month, I was faced with a  flyer that said: “Learning Contentment: Women’s Retreat.”

Some of you women out there can give me an “amen” here. But when I read that we are spending an entire retreat on contentment, I tend to think – hmmm, no thanks, already been convicted about that one.

But this weekend was one of the most refreshing weekends I have had in several months. I’ll give you a rundown of our lessons and then conclude with my top ten favorite moments from our time together.

Julie Hunt led us as our speaker and her husband, Dave, led us in worship. She is a professor at Belmont, and if I might add, if she teaches her class like she taught us this weekend, she must be students’ favorite teacher up there. You can read her cooking blog here: http://cup-a.blogspot.com/

We kicked off our lessons by defining contentment – which is easier said than done. We decided as a group that there is a different between contentment and complacency. We also decided that contentment is a verb – it’s something you have to fight for.

Our first Scripture passage was Philippians 4:4-13. Verse 4-7 says:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.  Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

In this passage, Paul tells us not to worry about anything – now that’s a big order! But, in the word of Julie’s friend, anxiety is a wasted em0tion, a pointless pursuit. Our anxiety indicates that we are too close to the world. Its antidote is prayer. And the result of trusting God is to rejoice! (and again I say rejoice!)

Contentedness, like rejoicing, is a discipline, not a guarantee. We must work diligently so that it might take root and grow in our spiritual walk.

Verse 8 helps us make contentedness a mark of our mind. It says,

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.

We don’t just let these thoughts breeze through our minds. We are commanded to dwell on them. Other words for dwell are to think, take account, and weigh.

The last passage we examined was Psalm 16:1-11. We divided in groups and parsed a list of God’s roles and our roles listed in this passage. God carries the weighty responsibilities for us – He is the one who judges, is Lord, and guides our steps. We are to listen, give thanks, and submit. It’s important to remind ourselves that we also have a role in contentment.

What did I take away from this weekend? You lose your contentment when you forget your thankfulness. You can still strive for improvement and advancement but not to the detriment of gratitude.

What were my favorite moments of this weekend?

10. Cleaning a Skittle-induced rainbow from the palm of my hand.

9. Popcorn at the pajama party.

8. Going to bed when ladies 40+ years older than me were still awake.

7. Biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

6. Praying intently for a beloved family in our church.

5. Talking about McKay’s with Julie Hunt. (http://www.mckaybooks.com/)

4. Jamming to some favorite tunes on the road trip, surrounded by good friends.

3. Any story told by Marie J.

2. Simply sitting and learning: not having to teach (you understand this if you’re a Sunday School teacher)

1. Hearing God’s faithfulness to older women in our church.

Two days ago was Sanctity of Life Sunday. It is a day set aside to remind ourselves that life is sacred, not because of who the person is, but because of the person in whose image he or she was created.

Today marks the fortieth anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many state restrictions on abortion.

We as Christians need the reminder that life is sacred. We’re not merely discussing abortion, though that seems to be the most argued element. All life is sacred because all life is created in the image of God. When we say all life, we mean more than just abortion – we mean anyone from orphans to the abused.

Sunday morning, Aaron Kennedy shared this passage with our church family:

Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments: Do not commit adultery; do  not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and whatever other commandment – all are summed up by this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Romans 13:8-9

Paul starts this list with what not to do. But according to Scripture, it’s not good enough simply to follow a list of what not to do. In his words, all of the “do not’s” are summed up in the statement of what to do: DO love your neighbor as yourself. Few of us reading this post have committed adultery or murdered. But how many of us truly love?

We’ll end today’s post with some questions to think over:

• Are you so worried about the list of “do not’s” that you overlook the “do’s”?
• Do you view people as opportunities to practice living love?
• Are their some people that you view as not worthy of your love?
• Do you go out of your way to seek out people who need your love?
• Does the way you love appropriately reflect the way God loves us?
• Do you use your actions and your words to tell people about God’s love?