I look forward to Thursdays when I can publish thoughts on my spiritual journey and hear the thoughts of others on a weekly theme topic. It has become a space for an encouraging and fortifying community to come together. We welcome anyone who would like to join us!
For the next month and a half, we are writing about the Spiritual Journey Thursday community's One Little Words. We'd love for you to join us! If you have a OLW and would like us all to write about it, let me know in the comments below or on Twitter (@muellerholly), and I will add you to our calendar.
This week we are writing about Ramona Behnke's word, STRETCH.
"I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a parched land." Psalm 143:6
I'm taking a Wednesday night class with our pastor on the Gospel of Mark. We're using N.T. Wright's Bible Study Guide on Mark. Tonight we read Mark 6: 34-44, the story of the loaves and fishes. This is a well-known story, and I've heard and read it many times, but like most of the stories in the Bible, it keeps teaching me. I loved how our pastor broke the story down into three major lessons that we can apply to our own lives:
1. Start with what you have.
2. Thank God.
3. Expect and anticipate.
God will STRETCH our inadequacies to make them more than enough. There was even leftover bread, for goodness sake! We don't have to hesitate, thinking we don't have what it takes, or that we are not enough. We only need to start where we are, with what we have, and STRETCH our hands up first, and then out to those who need us and Him. Isn't that wonderful?!
N.T. Wright "Why Read Mark for Lent?"
Just when I thought we at the end of our One Little Word journey, God STRETCHED it out for several more weeks!
MARCH 5th: Libby Mueller's OLW, ADVENTURE
MARCH 12th: Jaana's OLW, DISCOVER
MARCH 19th: Teresa Winterstein's OLW, BRAVE
I love the image, Holly, and the loaves and the fishes is one of my favorite stories of the Bible. It shows the magnificent love God has for all of us. His hand blesses us all even when we don't see. it. Another plus is the lecture you sent. Amazing we have 3 more One Little Word topics for all of us to STRETCH our mind.
ReplyDeleteWe stretch our hands up and he will meet us! Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt is true that every story in the Bible, however familiar, teaches and teaches. We only need to start where we are and use what we have. Such wisdom. I'm happy we have more words to contemplate.
ReplyDeleteLove these words from your post - "We only need to start where we are, with what we have, and STRETCH our hands up first, and then out to those who need us and Him." It's going in my quote book. Thanks for writing about my OLW. Looking forward to watching the video this morning.
ReplyDelete"God will STRETCH our inadequacies to make them more than enough." This really spoke to me this week. Wow. Great word!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this..."We only need to start where we are, with what we have, and STRETCH our hands up first, and then out to those who need us and Him. "
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