When the cat is away, the mice will continue to meditate and memorize anyway :)

This week Dave and Barb were in Atlanta becoming officially accepted as MTW missionaries to Japan!  God is great, and they made it through this process which I'm sure was stressful at times.

Barb did a tremendous job coordinating our classes this week while she was gone.  As Ruth pointed out in her class on Wednesday, it took 12 women to do Barb's job this week!  That should tell us something :)  We are thankful for these ladies and they did an excellent job leading singing, facilitating meditation, recitation, clean up, recording, etc.

I'm actually doing this blog post on my phone in my bed at the women's retreat in Pawley's Island!  Hope it turns out ok, technology is grand.  Before I left, I did upload the classes to the website.

For Tuesday's classes, Shelley Parker led meditation time and Sara Wilson shared her testimony with the group. Ruth Adam led the meditation time on Wednesday morning, and Ruthanna Marshall on Wednesday evening. I uploaded all three classes to the website. See the links below. Go ahead and start chewing on next weeks verse, and happy M&M'ing to you!

Blessings,

Leslie

Tues. AM - Shelley Parker and Sara Wilson - Click Here
Wed. AM - Ruth Adam - Click Here
Wed. PM - Ruthanna Marshall - Click Here

THE WAR IS OVER!!!

ROMANS 4:25, 5:1,2

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

Week 3 - He Did It!

Did you enjoy chewing on last week's verse? I thought it was so beautiful. If you weren't able to come to one of Barb's classes this week, or if you're in the online group, the recording has been published on the LPC website. Click Here to download it (or right click the link and save it)

I know that my summary of our class won't be nearly as elegant as Barb's words, but I will do my best to recap this week's lesson! This week Barb really focused on the words "Arise" and "Come" from our verse. She referenced several passages (among many) that she found which use those words. I encourage you to look up Micah 7:8 and also read the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and the story of Lazarus (John 11:1-43).

With the story of the prodigal son- we see a picture of who our God really is. We don't deserve His love, grace, and mercy, but before we even have a chance to come groveling at His feet, He calls out to us and welcomes us with joyful open arms. In the story of Lazarus, Jesus calls the dead man to "come out!" It is such a humbling picture to see our Lord and Savior grieved by this fallen world, empathizing with his loved ones and friends over death (even though he knew what was to come). He WEPT! Then, he called Lazarus out of the grave and back to life. Although in this instance Jesus chose to bring Lazarus back to life in the earthly sense, isn't it even more amazing that Christ calls all of his children to eternal life? We are all just as dead as Lazarus without Christ. But, while we were still dead in our sins, he called us to an eternal life with him. What a rescuer. We are the prodigal son, the lost sheep, and yet he has called us to ARISE and come away.

Barb also read two stories. The first one was from the Jesus Storybook Bible, and it was the story of Jairus's Daughter (Mark 5:21-43). In this story he "reaches down into death" and pulls the little girl back into life." As mentioned above, Jesus reaches down into death and calls all of us to RISE to enjoy eternal life with him.

The second story was from "Tales of the Kingdom" by David and Karen Mains. The story was about a girl named "Dirty". Boy was this girl dirty. She was so dirty and she refused to love people or even be loved BY people. She preferred to be with the pigs... talking like the pigs and eating their slop. When offered real food, love, or warmth, she would grit her teeth and refuse. For the sake of brevity I will leave out the backstory and details (listen to the recording!), but in the end she has an encounter with the REAL King. He called to her, he made her new- the "Clean One", and full of love like she could have never imagined. You really need to listen to the lesson for the full story- you won't regret it- as it is a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us. All of us are like the little girl "Dirty". We prefer the slop of this world and are distracted by its dusty garbage, but once the King calls us to come, we become new and beautiful.

Let's continue to meditate on our previous passages, but it's time to start munching on our new verse for next week!

#3 HE DID IT!

ISAIAH 53:4-6

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

1) Please listen to Chuck Parker's sermon from this past Sunday - Exodus 19 Click Here (or right click and "Save Target As")

2) Jesus Storybook Bible

3) Tales of the Kingdom by David and Karen Mains

4) Recording of Barb's Wednesday morning class

Week 2 - My Beloved Calls Me to Arise!

I hope that everyone cherished our verse from Jeremiah 32:38, 40, 41 this last week. I know that it was a powerful one for me and I just couldn't decide which part was my favorite. I think my favorite parts were "...and I will never stop doing good to them", and "...I will INSPIRE them to fear me". Wow. Powerful stuff.

Barb had a wonderful lesson, as usual, to help shed some light on this meaty verse. If you are in the online group or missed class this week, no worries! We've posted it online- simply click here. (Or right-click that link and select "Save target as...")

She also wrote a beautiful summary of the class for us- here is what she said:

"This week was a weighty lesson as we looked at the verses that surround "our verses" in Jeremiah 32. God makes these beautiful promises to us in the context of His people, under His sovereignty, having to live in temporary exile under the godless rule of Babylon(70 years!). They are told to build houses, plant gardens, and pray for this fallen land of exile as long as they live there. They will suffer for a while as they live in this land ruled by their enemy (but ruling only by permission of God and completely under His Mighty Hand). As they live they wait for God to fulfill His sure Word. Does this seem familiar to you and me, now, here? We were born under a curse - God's curse pronounced on this world back in Genesis. But out of this curse He has saved and redeemed many. We are no longer under this curse because Christ was cursed for us. (See our #3 verse!) We live now under His forgiveness, His acceptance, adopted as His children, and will live eternally with Him. BUT FOR NOW we LIVE in the midst of a fallen world and we and creation groan as we WAIT for that day when His restoring and saving work will be completely finished.

So today, recall and enjoy what God has done in your life, and live out of His promises NOW as you WAIT for everything to be made right. He is our peace, our strength, as we wait. One day at a time. And remember, He rejoices in loving you, forgiving you, applying the riches of His salvation in your life, doing good to you, and walking with you in this fallen land. You and I are not alone."

Isn't that such wonderful news? I can't believe that such a powerful and amazing God would REJOICE in loving me, forgiving me, over and over and over.

She also referenced a few things in her class that I will include here for your convenience:

1) "Broken Hallelujah" by Mandisa (YouTube Video with lyrics here)

2) "Morning and Evening" - Wonderful devotions by Charles Spurgeon

3) Biblegateway.com - A great site to read the Bible in many different translations

Please share your thoughts and anything that's going on with you this week. We'd love to laugh with you, cry with you, pray with/for you, and learn from you as well.

I'm excited about learning this next verse because it reminds me of the LOVE story of the gospel. The most beautiful love story ever written, and best of all, it's true. Here it is- have a great week!

#2 MY BELOVED CALLS ME TO ARISE

SONG OF SOLOMON 2:10 (ESV)

My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love,
my beautiful one, and come away...”

MEDITATE and MEMORIZE!

Welcome to our new M&M blog! This is a closed blog, meaning that only "invited" attendees can participate. We have set it up this way in order to allow everyone to feel comfortable sharing openly without worrying who on the world-wide-web might be watching. We also have a closed Facebook group! If you are on Facebook and would like to be a part of that group, please let me know so I can add you as a friend and invite you.

Although M&M used to be known as "Memorize and Meditate", we want to change that thinking to "MEDITATE and Memorize"! Please remember the importance of taking these verses, hiding them in your heart, and chewing on each new morsel every week this fall. Both "M's" are important, but meditating is the best.

My dear friend Michelle found the link to a YouTube video that Barb referred to in one of the M&M classes this week. In this video, John Piper quotes scripture from memory for a solid 16 minutes. He then preaches on the importance of scripture memorization. If you have some time, you should check it out here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOkLP6VHtWk&feature=youtu.be

As we work on our first verse for this week, "God Makes a Promise" (Jeremiah 32:38, 40, 41), put a copy of it by your bed and read it first thing before you get out of bed each morning. Soon you will have it memorized and you can lie there, with eyes still closed, and quote it to God and yourself. Note that God Himself uses the words "with all my heart and soul". Amazing love! How can it be?

Please post your comments below and share any experiences you may have had this week or any encouragement you'd like to pass along.

Have a great week!

Leslie

Download This Week's Class Here

#1 GOD MAKES A PROMISE

JEREMIAH 32:38,40,41

They will be my people, and I will be their God...I will make an

everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good

to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will

never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good

and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart

and soul.