A trip to Jerusalem and Heaven this week

On Wednesday some girls and I joined in a small conference room at work to eat lunch and begin a Beth Moore series: Jesus the One and Only- she takes you on a virtual trip to Jerusalem to see the city and streets that Jesus walked. I have to admit, I was trying to think of every excuse not to join the Bible study at work- I'm already involved in church, Sunday School, and a Small Group- I huffed and puffed about having to set aside another hour of "my" leisure time- I even argued that I didn't want to make time for the homework- we have enough homework at home already. My lunch buddies and I debated the idea and finally agreed that there was no possible way we could push off God- so we went to Jerusalem via video.....

I have to tell you it is amazing how replenished and at the same time how challenged you can feel after an hour of Beth Moore- but I walked away with biblical knowledge that I had not yet known- and for the rest of the day I felt ALIVE- I felt as though the Holy Spirit came and resuscitated my longing for the Word. We first turned to

John 1: 1-2 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us-

This I knew- the Word is Jesus but then we bounced into a book I have not spent much time

Amos: 8:11-12 the days are coming .... when I will send a famine not a famine of food or thirst but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.... people will search from sea to sea searching for the word of the Lord but they will not find it...

Amos 2:11-12 I raised up prophets from your sons... and commanded prophets not to prophesy.

Zechariah 7: 11-12 ....but they refused to pay attention , stubbornly, they turned their backs and their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord sent by his Spirit through earlier prophets... so the Lord was very angry

The unwillingness of Gods people to obey and love the Lord with all their hearts to live according to His law and not the law of the land sparked a famine that would last 400 years- God refused to communicate- ..... Amos 8 ..... but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord..

he withheld his word from his people

Silence is always a disheartening punishment: Beth points out the Ramifications of the Famine

1. Insecurity- the ability to hear the Lord is what set them apart

relationships are steeped by communication

2. Hunger

God uses a famine to work up an appetite for Him; God provoked a hunger for the words of the Lord

Galatians 4:4-6 When the time had fully come God sent his son born of a woman, born under law to redeem those under the law that we might receive adoption to sonship

Moore points out, the time was not full until their spiritual stomachs were...EMPTY

and stressed that God can bring a famine and a fullness: time does not fleet in the presence of God (we always say let time pass) but with God, time comes.

Did you get that?!? There are no pretty pictures here just words and words not of me but of the Bible- words that we should live by words that should be embedded on our hearts...

God used a famine to serve his purpose in the fulness of time- he starved the nations from His word to prepare them for the Word (Jesus) that would dwell among them... the word that would become flesh ..........

wow and that's only week one!!

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So how did I end up in Heaven? Well, a friend asked if I ever read Heaven Is For Real

She sent me a link and it was so intriguing I decided to pick up a copy of the book for a weekend read. I read it in a day- could not put it down. Carley played in her room and I sat on the couch in my pj's with tears streaming down my face. You gotta love a good blanket that has caught a many of those. I promise the book is in no way sad- the revelation of it all is chilling. This is a book of an almost four year old, Colton, who faces emergency surgery and afterwards tells his parents how he left his body during surgery- he saw his parents in the hospital, the doctors working on him, the angels sang to him and he saw the face of Jesus. His father Todd Burpo who is a pastor retells the events that unravel weeks after his surgery- Colton's trip to Heaven and back-

This book captures an extraordinary event- it takes you to Heaven and back and walks you through scripture that parallels to the recollections of Colton- it hi-lites that sin has consequence- the power of prayer- pastors really are human- how God truly provides-the Gates of Heaven are through Christ alone-and how we should have child-like faith-

"Blessed are those who have not yet seen and yet have believed" John 20:29

Have you taken the virtual trip to Jerusalem with Beth Moore- what was it like?

Have you read Heaven is for Real? What are your thoughts??

5 thumbs all the way to the moon on this one!!! I Highly recommend!!!

ps. I would love to hear your comments on these

xoxo