The Follow Up Talk

I recently started the book of Proverbs. The author, King Solomon, seems to use a logical, teaching style that brings you to a firm conclusion. That's probably one of the reasons I enjoy Proverbs along with Solomon's other book, Ecclesiastes. Solomon is known for being one of the wisest kings in history, so it's not surprising that he starts off Proverbs by discussing wisdom. At work, we did a get-to-know-you activity where we shared our likes, dislikes, and a superpower we'd love to have. I chose wisdom - pretty tame compared to the powers of invisibility and flight, but pretty important to me. I'm sure my colleagues thought my choice was pretty weird, but I like to think I am so "cool" that they didn't bother questioning the "weirdness". Unlike my choice of superpower, all the other choices were things that could never be achieved. Unless science comes up with some pretty cool discoveries, we will never be invisible or fly without some so...

Unfortunately, I’ve been having notification issues on blogger. Google+ will soon be discontinued and I’m experiencing the effects of it now. This morning I was reading my Bible and because I wasn’t at home I had to use my Bible app. I realized that there’s a notetaking feature in the app that I could use to communicate my thoughts. So, I’m planning on using both this blog and my YouVersion app for posting. It’s my hope that you’ll be able to keep connected with me in one of those two ways. If you’d like to follow my postings on the Bible App, just add me as a friend there: Maureen S. Below is my first note: ************** Hello fellow Bible loving friends! Hello friends who are working on developing their love too! As some of you may know, the past 3 months has been an exciting time for me where I’ve grown to love God’s Word. You may also know that I have started a blog within this time too. (https://thefollowuptalk.blogspot.com) Because of email subscription and tech issues, Go...

A few mornings ago I read one of King David’s chapters, Psalm 139 . David described the extent of God’s knowledge of him. God knew him before he was born and had protected David in his mother’s womb. God knew every thought in his head and could see every step David took. There was no secret thing David could do or secret place David could go that was hidden from God. As a kid, I had this keen awareness that God was always watching me. At one point the thought made me nervous because this meant I had no real privacy to use the bathroom. God was watching! Thankfully, those thoughts didn’t hinder me from continuing our cultural ritual of daily cleansing, and I still take showers to this day. Still, the truth of David’s words was real to me then and now. God knows and sees all that we do and think. David’s words in verses 19-22 made me pause. First I thought – there’s our David, the warrior, ready to slay evil men. His words were passionate and told God, I do not like those evil peopl...

As Psalm 126 consists of just 6 verses, I was not anticipating a deep message to spurt forth from this short chapter. However, the last two verses made me really think. In my faith journal I was looking for three things that stood out to me from this chapter. I wrote down: (1) sow/reap, (2) tears/joy, and (3) seed. The psalmist prayed for God to change the miserable situation he and his people were facing. The people were in agony and in bondage of some sort. The psalmist used a beautiful simile to ask God to free his people from their situation and bring them to a place of having joy and blessings. I have read and heard preachings on verse 5 in the past and understood the general message of, "When you are God's child and you cry, you should not lose hope because your situation is only temporary. Later you will experience peace." This can generally be true. However, I didn't really see verse 6 where the psalmist talks about "precious seed". That made me...

So, what's my favorite psalm? My all-time favorite is Psalm 121 . One thing that I've started to do is put a musical note next to Bible verses that are songs. People have made a ton  of songs based on the verses in the book of Psalms! When I got to Psalm 121 last week, I couldn't even read it without music playing in the background in my mind. I couldn't just see the words written on the page - I saw a choir dressed in white. You see, this is my favorite psalm because it transports me back to when I truly decided for myself that I wanted to follow Jesus. I can't remember where I was, location-wise, however, I was attending a concert and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir was worshipping with a song based off Psalm 121. Back then I'm not sure I knew who this choir was, but a group of friends and I had decided to attend their concert. What I remember most from this concert was being moved by the words of their song, My Help , and having an experience with Jesus. I la...

Earlier in the week my son woke up very early in the morning from a bad dream. He was so scared that he clung to us. Since he was up just before the time I would have got up for my devotions, I decided to let him join me. He was still in his "let's be quiet and just cuddle" mode, so I figured I could read my Bible and hold him at the same time without incident. It turned out that Psalm 118 was a good chapter to read out loud with him. Together, we learned that God helps us when we are in trouble, God is our strength and song , and we praise God because he treats us with mercy.  Even though he's only two, my son listened to some of the words I read. We did some active listening and I had him repeat a few verses after me. Here are a few verses I asked him to repeat: v. 6 : The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? v. 14 : The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. The rest of the chapter has good truths to hold on to ...

"I love the Lord." Such a clear, simple and sweet statement. Psalm 116 starts off with this declaration. The psalmist then describes why  he loves God in verses 4 through 8. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. After describing what God had done, the psalmist asked, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" (verse 12) What can I give back to God to show my appreciation? Two times  the psalmist says he will give God thanks, call on the name of the Lord, and pay his vows in the presence of all God's people. (verses 13-14, 17-18) This chapter was a good reminder of the approp...

I am so excited to head out to church today! Help me Lord to respond to your goodness with passion. Let me be loud and unashamed about my love for you. Make my heart free and unburdened so that I can be lavish in my praise. We have been redeemed and we need to say it! We have been freed and we need to rejoice loudly! I love how my son dances. I love how he fills up with so much emotion that he takes off running and does a lap around the living room, dining room, and kitchen in order to release the joy inside him! Last week I listened to a YouTube commercial for a Pure Flick movie that was pretty hilarious. A minister was getting on his congregation and wife's nerves because whenever he got filled with joy over God, he performed "a David" and ran around the church pews rejoicing. The church and his family were very embarrassed about his exuberance. I have not watched the movie, but I think it ends with the pastor moving to a church where people could appreciate his e...

Usually I post my reflections in the order that they occur, however, today I'm going jump ahead and write about my thoughts from Thursday and this morning because they seem to flow with the time I'm in now. What time is this? The end of the 21 day fast! At a later time, I will reflect on the other things that were dropped in my heart this week. Sometimes when the conclusion of something is close, it gets harder to stay focused and committed to your goal. (Remember school breaks for Christmas and summer? Those teachers could't tell you anything! You were almost free!) However, when it comes to seeking God for specific answers and praying for his perfect plan to prevail in our lives, it's at the conclusion that we need to be focused, pray more, and be reflective to hear God. It's at the conclusion that the enemy of our souls will want us to fail and feel like our efforts were ineffective. So let's pray and be specific. A few days ago I read Psalm 109 and saw ...

Psalm 106 is a chapter reflecting on God's goodness and his people's stubbornness. I read it and asked myself, how could God's chosen be so callous to praise him and witness his miracles, yet go against their core beliefs and follow the teachings and lifestyle of others, over and over again? Why, and how, did they lose their desire to be different and have a unique identity? This chapter lists God's amazing miracles - "he saved them," "rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up," "the waters covered their enemies." (Verses 8-11) In response, God's people - "believed they his words; they sang his praise. They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel." (Verses 12-13) What struck me even more was verse 32-33, "They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips." God's people...

"Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works ... Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth." ( Psalm 105:2-5 ) Often God places a tune or words in my heart for a song. Reading through the Psalms has really spurred this on too. I've completed one song, but as for the others, the only thing that I have are a few lines or a tune. The thought came to me that these songs are for sharing and are not for me alone. So, I had an idea that I've been reflecting on for a while that seems different and cool. What if we made worship music together? I'm still going to use this blog to write and reflect on my study time, but I'd like to also honor the ideas God gives me by sharing them in this space and asking us to collaboratively work together on the songs. Here's what I propose: I will offer lyrics or tunes, or a combination of both...

This past Sunday, we were encouraged to put "our days and energy on Jesus." Pastor gave a powerful message about how real love is shown through sacrifice. Our ultimate example of love and sacrifice is Jesus' voluntary choice to die on the cross for us. We can show God our love for Him by making our lives a living sacrifice. ( Romans 12:1 ) This sacrifice can be through giving our offerings, volunteering in church, or as simple as praising Him. Pastor reminded us of our goal this year in Psalm 90:12 , to number our days. He encouraged us to plan out our months and days so that we have a viable plan for living a life of sacrifice to God. I loved that we discussed this passage because I had just studied Psalm 90 and had jotted some notes down. When I read this chapter, I was struck by the message of restoration . The passage tells us to number our days because our lives are so short. Not only are they short, they are spent laboring and in sorrow. Recognizing how short our...

Today I read, Psalm 88 , which in my Bible is titled, "A Trouble-filled Soul". It is sad, bleak, and a little depressing to read. The psalmist points out his isolation and feelings of being on the edge and not being able to take anymore. He sounds suicidal in verses 3 and 4. "For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength." In verse 15 he adds, "I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted." The psalmist states that his affliction is coming from God's anger. Verses 7 and 16 states, "Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves...Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off." I don't understand what kind of terrors the psalmist was experiencing or how God has afflicted him. However, the psalmist's prayers moved me . 1. He cried...

On Sunday our Pastor's sermon focused on the parable in Matthew 13 about the Sower and his seed that fell on the wayside, stony places, thorns, and good ground. His message encouraged us to check our priorities to make sure that Jesus is not at the "head" of your life, but at the "center" of your life. His reasoning was that with God in the center of every aspect of your life, it is easier to align yourself to His will. The message repeatedly told us to check what kind of soil we are, allow our hearts to be plowable, and have deep roots in God. Pastor made a powerful point that when we are rooted in God, even when the storms of life toss us to and fro, we will remain planted. Yesterday during my devotions I was reading Psalm 80 and it was so encouraging because it brought to mind Sunday's sermon and reminded me that even if you identify with the seed that was not planted in good ground, there is mercy with God! Psalm 80 has lots of parallels with Go...

Yesterday my son told me, "Stop praying now." His words were likely spurred on by his frustration at staying still, which is contrary to his innate desire to be in constant motion. Still his words made me pause and wonder if he understood  why  I was praying for him. At that moment I'm not sure he did, even though he is familiar with prayer and joins us as we pray throughout the day. I was reading Psalm 78 this morning and it was talking about sharing God's law with your children. Verse 4 says, "We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done." The psalm continues on to list the wondrous things God had done for the Israelites and the choices of the people to obey or forsake God. This passage was a reminder that we must fully instruct our children about God. We must teach them about how He's touched our lives and also remind them of the ...