A Woman Inspired

Gleaning Wisdom: What You Can Look Forward To

June 17, 2013

The Bible has much to say about wisdom. A quick search reveals that it is found more than 200 times in any translation. There are entire books of the bible based on the subject of wisdom. Ruth is one such book. In fact, it is considered to contain such a profound story of wisdom that the Jews place it immediately after Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17

Ruth is the story of how a woman of wisdom built the house of David. What makes this story so fascinating is the fact that she was a foreigner, a Moabitess, and yet she is still in the lineage of our King and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ruth represents us all. After suffering through tragedy she left behind the life she knew to follow hard after a God she had previously only had a glimpse of. And He redeemed her.

Join us for part one of a five part podcast series starting this Wednesday as we begin our journey of Gleaning Wisdom from a true Proverbs 31 woman.

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The Friday Five :: Silence Is Golden

June 14, 2013

*I’m including the text with these podcasts, so tune in however fits your Friday.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

As a young mother in a new town, I looked at my local book store’s Story Time hour as if it were my only source of sanity in a week otherwise filled with whining and tantrums of this sort or that…and then there were the kids to take care of, too. I had no idea who I was, or what I was good for, so Story Time was my thing. My kids were better behaved than the other little ones there, and I was always the youngest mom in the room.

I rocked.

Who cared that the other moms were on a first name basis and their kids played with each other? Who noticed that I sat silently chewing my inner cheek in absolute dread over the notion that someone might speak to me? Who really wanted to have to socialize with total strangers simply because they happened to be sharing a similar moment in life?

I did. Desperately.

I wanted to be where everybody—or at least somebody—knew my name.
Retreating into myself was the saddest sort of silence this side of losing a loved one.
All I longed for was to hear that I was not alone in my loneliness or in my life.

Somehow, in all my self-loathing glory, God saw fit to send me a beautiful gift in the form of a business card. The Lord had prompted another mother, enjoying the preciousness of Story Time with her kids, to invite me to a weekly brunch for mothers at a local church. It wasn’t her church, but it quickly became mine.

Each week hosted a new lesson from women who loved the Lord, but I was deaf to many of the words of wisdom offered. Submission? Shah—right. Not to mention the crazy concept of this thing they called “quiet time”. I mean, is this some sort of cruel joke on us younger moms? I barely remembered what quiet was, and these ladies wanted me to have extended periods of it. Daily. Too embarrassed by my lacking knowledge, I never asked anyone to explain. For years I just wondered and scoffed and went on my noisy way. {I’ve since learned the beauty of submission and the rewards of a heart rendered unto the Lord…but that’s a story for another time.}

God is still revealing my need for silence. I’m a total baby in the ways and wonders of a still heart in God’s powerful hands. Studying Scripture is wonderful, and fellowship with the King is divine, but being quiet before Him can’t be passed up. I am finding that our Father can say so much when we don’t say a thing. Oh, He can say whatever He wants, whenever, but in those times when we hush in humble homage and hope at His feet…in those moments, His voice is heard.

The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf and the Lord of Lords is pleased with our quiet offering of body, mind, and spirit.

We need more of that…more than we need to do the dishes and more than we need that morning run, coffee, shower, or (if you’re like me) that extra snooze or ten.
Whatever time you can be quiet in God’s Presence, do. Whether daily, weekly, or every two days-three hours-and four minutes, your gift is His desire. Day or night, He wants time with you…being heard by you in ways ears just can’t do. Silence will be an addition to our prayer lives, not a substitution.

Our efforts are never unnoticed by our Faithful Father, so take heart when quiet seems out of reach…nothing is too wonderful for our God!

In our silent obedience we will bring praise to our Father and He will hear our prayers.
Don’t take my word for it—take His!

“Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God;
And also obedience.
You hear the prayer in it all.”
(Psalm 65:1, The Message)

About Victoria Jenkins

Victoria is a closet-extrovert with a major thing for the 80s. After one soap opera of a start, she’s happily married to Jay, and crazy grateful to be home with their two teenage sons and little girl. On the really good days, she homeschools the younger two, makes time for work and play, and maybe even puts on jeans.

Mascara is a given.

You can visit her→
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Filed Under: Podcast, Quiet Time, The Friday Five
Tagged With: a woman inspired, Christian, Victoria Jenkins

Why Small Things Matter

June 13, 2013

It was one of those first days of spring when the sky was crayon blue. I jumped in the car after finishing an errand, ready to move on to better things. Responding to the weather’s invitation, I put down the windows, turned up the music, and put the car in reverse. Quickly glancing from side to side and checking my mirrors, everything looked clear.

A fleeting thought and a ringtone from my phone drew my attention downward to check the display, just for a moment, the same moment I pressed on the gas pedal to back up. Pressing on the brake to shift the car into drive and lifting my eyes, I caught sight of an angry man coming around the side of my vehicle. He had just dodged my car.

In the moment I looked away from my focus, he stepped into my blind spot, and it nearly cost him his life. In that fleeting moment, I realized that taking my eyes away from my focus nearly changed my life, too. A momentary distraction has the power to change our life forever.

While we can’t avoid every hazard or accident, God sheds light on our path to help us know how to avoid being thrown off course. “Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil,” (Proverbs 4:26-27). To “ponder” is to weigh something carefully, to make sure it is balanced. When we are on the path to claiming the dreams God has for us, it only takes a small distraction to derail us and throw us off balance, causing us to swerve from our focus.

As the academic year is coming to a close for many students, it’s not easy to stay the course. Hints of summer invite us to turn our attention to newer things. Special events, celebrations, and excitement call to us from our right and our left, enticing us to step away from God’s path and dance into uncharted territory. Girls stepping over the threshold of a graduation from one season into the next may be eager to experiment and satisfy their curiosity about new experiences, even feeling the urge to embrace more independence. People and opportunities will lead to decisions, and each one will either keep you on course or turn you away from it. As the world opens before us, we see more options “to the right or to the left” than ever before. A moment of carelessness could cost you a lifetime of sorrow.

Persevering through final assignments, cumulative exams, and regular responsibilities starts to feel redundant and dull. It’s tempting just to put down the windows of life, turn up the music, and pull away from the end of the year without staying focused on the path or the hard work that leads to God’s best for us. To “turn” our foot from evil is to turn aside, avoid, and remove ourselves from what would give pain and bring misery (evil).

Worldly things will promise greater satisfaction than God’s straight way; there is a battle for your soul and your future. While you might be alert and on guard against the “big” things that would lead to disaster for your plans and hopes, the enemy may only need to put a small, momentary distraction in the way of your blind spot to throw you off course and change your life.

A momentary distraction has the power to change our life forever. Our way will be firm, established, and able to endure if we weigh the decisions we make carefully, especially on sun filled days when the our hearts are bold and our spirits free.

Keep your eyes and your feet pointed firmly on the path in front of you. He has a blue sky future planned for you, and you don’t want to miss it.

About Julie Sanders

Airports make Julie’s heart sing, and she always packs the morning she leaves. Julie cherishes dinners on the porch when everyone’s home. Most of all, she loves to help women of all ages find real peace in Jesus, and if it’s with feet in the sand or a latte on the table … even better!