Featured Website: Bible study resource

I am often asked where I get the historical information contained in many of my messages.

I get it from lots of sources, but one of my favorites is from a gentleman named Dr. Constable on a site called Sonic Light. Dr. Constable is (or was — I think he is now deceased) a professor at the renowned Dallas Theological Seminary. The notes on his site are his expository Bible notes that he published for his students. They are VERY academic and comprehensive in nature, but they are FREE! You can download and print them in PDF format.

I find them to be very helpful and my go-to source for comprehensive book studies as they are well researched and referenced throughout.

OK — the blog post officially ends here. You may be dismissed.

But if you want to know what a comprehensive book study is keep reading. This is for people who LOOOOVVVEEEE in depth study. Here’s a clue: if you ever go back and read the books listed in the bibliography of a book you just read, this is for you!

When I am doing a comprehensive study of a book of the Bible, I read the book in three ways: First, I read the book as a whole, reading only the text. I just read it like I am reading it for my devotional, letting my heart and mind respond to it, letting it bring conviction, correction and inspiration.

If it’s a short book, like Ephesians, this might take me one or two days. If it’s a long book, like Romans, I skip this part and do all three steps simultaneously chapter by chapter or even by section if the text is complicated.

I take notes along the way in a journal just to keep track of thoughts, questions, and things I would like more information about. For example, when I taught on Acts 1:12-26 on Wednesday, I was confused by the story of Judas’ death so I made a note of that on my first reading, but did not get caught up in it.

Next I read an overarching commentary of the whole book. I would liken this to reading the introduction to Cliff Notes.

This is where I learn a lot of the historical context of the books I am studying.

In Dr. constable’s notes, this is basically the introduction to his commentary.

I take notes in outline form at this point. After that, I read the book chapter by chapter along with the commentary making notes along the way which merge everything together. I make life-application notes at this point to bring it home to the 21st century.

Although I love Dr. Constable, for a less academic approach to commentary I prefer the late Dr. Warren Weirsbe. I often read his commentary during the third step. Life application is a big part of his commentary, and I love that.

The Woman That I see: Walks in Kindness

“The woman that I see walks in kindness, strength, and dignity and confers worth on every person she encounters.”

I think this might be one of my favorite points so far. For one thing, I think kindness rocks! When I think of kindness, I usually think of helping the poor and needy. But it’s really more general than that. Kindness is just this very simple way that we can behave  — it’s friendliness, sympathy, generosity, considerateness, putting others first, good manners — all those things wrapped up into this gracious and beautiful way of being. And it is a fruit of the Spirit.

I think walking in kindness starts with having an inner sense of strength and dignity — a sense of quiet rest in God’s ability to care for us. Our trust in His love for us gives a sense of strength and dignity that we can then confer upon other people. I love the idea that when we are drawing from God’s strength and from His love for us, we can confer — or bestow — that value on others as a gift.

Throughout our lives we will encounter many people who do not have the sense of strength and dignity that knowing our amazing Father brings.  We have the capacity to bless the people we meet with the gift of value by showing them kindness. Kindness doesn’t have to be a grand getsure. It can be found in the small things:

  • stopping to look at someone in the eye when they are talking to us
  • letting another person get that perfect parking spot
  • letting the mom with a screaming toddler go ahead of you in the check out line
  • pulling in your neighbor’s garbage cans after the morning pick up
  • taking the time to write a note and tell someone that you think they did a great job 

Small kindnesses, little by little and over time, have the potential to soften hearts and lift a person’s vision of what he or she can be. What opportunities for showing kindness await you today?

Featured Blog: Stuff Christians Like

Here is another blog I have been reading lately when I’m in the mood for or need of a good laugh. It’s authored by a guy named Jon Acuff up in Atlanta. It’s a blog  that takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the Christian culture and allows us to step outside of the fishbowl and laugh at ourselves a bit. So when you read his blog, make sure to approach with a sense of humor.Some of my favorite posts are: ( these are not actual titles — I am going from memory)

  • Prayer Circles and the four people you meet in them: such a funny description of the prayer circle dynamic! 
  • Singing “Friends are Friends forever” at Youth events — how many times have you heard that song?

So check out his blog — You can find it at http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/    Send a comment my way and let me know what you think!  

The Woman that I See: Lives generously

“The Woman that I see lives generously, opening her heart to ever-increasing capacity for the kingdom of God.”

This past Sunday, Stovall talked about being generous in the One Prayer series. (Which, by the way, is going great — check out their website @ oneprayer.com to keep up with devotionals, etc.) I love the idea of a generous life! I think sometimes we narrow down generosity to money, but generosity starts in the heart. It’s an attitude that overflows from being unselfish in our appraoch to life. Dictionary.com gives us a great picture of generosity:

“Liberal in giving or sharing; free from meanness or smallness of character;large, abundant, ample; rich or strong in flavor; fertile.”

What this means to me is that a generous-hearted person sees their life in terms of what they have rather than in terms of what they don’t have. They see it in terms of what they can offer rather than in terms of what they can take. I also love that one of the definitions of “generous” has to do with a strong flavor. Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. The Message Bible states it like this: we are to bring out the God-flavors in this life and in the world around us! (Ok, that’s a paraphrase, but it’s the basic idea.) 

I really believe that generosity is one of the things that sets us apart as Christians. It keeps us big-hearted towards others. It keeps us looking outward instead of being consumed with ourselves. It keeps us thankful for what we have. I’ve often said that I believe generosity is living with an open heart toward God and an open hand toward others. I will also add what Sovall said yesterday when he closed his message:

“You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.”

Featured Blog: Flowerdust

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know about as great blog that I’ve really been into over the past few weeks. It’s authored by a gal named Anne Jackson. Currently it’s my favorite blog out there. She writes about everything from church leadership (she is on staff at lifechurch.tv)  to honest dialouge about how she won the battle with pornography in her own life (30% of all viewers of online porn are female).

What I love about Anne is that she is not afraid to deal with tough issues, but she is balanced, down -to- earth, and often humorous in her apporach. On top of it all, she’s a great writer.

Today she posts the story of a young girl named Lynse who God redeemed from cutting, a form of self injury. To read about it, visit Anne’s blog at www.flowerdust.net. I really think you’ll love her — comment and let me know.

Love you girls!
Kerri
LB xoxo

The Woman that I See: Loves her feminity! (Part 2)

One day when I was trying to figure out who I was — in an existential sense, not literally, although now sometimes I even need help with that — I thought I would do something novel and look at the Bible instead of that DISC test churches give you when they are trying to get you to serve. So, of course I started off where any rational girl would start — at the beginning in Genesis. And to tell the truth, it really ticked me off. Because it was there, in Genesis 2:18-22 that I found out the purpose for which I was created. It was to be a “suitable helper” to a man. Or as the KJV so eloquently puts it, “an help meet.” As I look back now I can see that my initital reading of this passage was very shallow, but all the same I found myself getting a little angry.

In a moment of honesty with God, I said to Him, “Lord, this really frustrates me. Why did You make women for such a menial purpose? Why did you not make us first? Why did you create us only to be helpers? I feel like I have the capacity and the desire to lead. When I read this passage of Your word, I feel cheated at having been made a woman.” At that moment God asked me a simple question that totally changed my perspective. He said, “Kerri, do you know who else is also called The Helper?” At that question  I felt my heart come alive with joy, because I had just been studying John 14, and I remembered that the Holy Spirit was also called “The Helper.”

As I studied the ministry of the Holy Spirit I began to notice some very distinct qualities. I look to these qualities as a model of Christlike femininity. I don’t want to imply in any way whatsoever that I think the Holy Spirit could be a woman. This revelation is not about gender, but about function. Woman was created to be a helper. The Holy Spirit is identified by Jesus as “THE Helper” in John 14. (This is in the New American Standard Bible. Other versions use different words, but in the Greek it is the word Parakletos, a masculine noun which means, “one who is called alongside to help.”) If I want to be the very BEST helper I can be, if I want to fulfill my destiny at the highest level of excellence, I have an incredible role model in the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit!

What I now understand is that God does not place the role of “helper” in low postion. It is we who have made it into something undesirable. Injustice and oppression have warped our concepts of being a helper into something “less than.” But from God’s vantage point, the promised Holy Spirit came with Helper as one of His main titles and functions! Now when I remember that I am created to be a helper, I don’t feel cheated or second place. I feel empowered and valued. I know that as a woman I reflect the same aspects of God that are part of the function of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. That is my contribution, and it is no small thing!

The Woman that I See: Loves her feminity!

The Woman That I See…Loves her feminity and values the unique contribution that womanhood brings to the table of life.

So, I am taking a cue from Lea and picking up my posts on my vision for womanhood, or “The Woman That I See.” This bullet point is just about being pumped to be a girl. Womanhood is so multifaceted and sometimes complicated. In my experience, it always tends to be defined in extreme stereotypes starting from a very young age. Not all of them are flattering. Consider: The sexy bombshell, the power-trip female boss, the mousy housewife, the good girl, the rebellious party girl, the smart girl, the athlete, the perky cheerleader, the moody drama queen…. the list could go on. Most of the stereotypes carry with them personality and character traits that are negative. The sexy bombshell must always be dumb, the smart girl must always be homely, the  athlete must always be un feminine, the cheerleader must always be snobby, the housewife must always be boring.

Like it or not, the way that other people perceive us has a profound impact on the way we perceive ourselves. When we are contstantly told that we are pretty, smart, funny,crazy, boring, stupid, etc., we come to believe it to some dergree and even perhaps adapt our behavior to fit into some pre-defined expectations. I think that aspect of being pigeonholed and defined by the expectations of others has made some women uncomfortable in their feminine skin. Because many times expectations are unrealistic or the streotypes are negative, we (rationally so) come to resent them and seek to cast them off.

Unfortuantely, many of us think that casting off negative sterotypes or unhealthy identites also means casting off feminity. We may have come to perceive feminity interms of negative traits — weakness, cattiness, out-of-control emotions, superficiality. But femininity has a unique contibution to bring to the table of life, and it doesn’t involve any of these pre-conceived negative notions. What is it? You’ll have to tune in to the next post to find out the answer I uncovered in my own life — cause this one is getting WAAAYYYYY to long. Plus, I have a meeting!

Love ya’ll!
Kerri
LBxoxoxo

Back from London

So — I am back in the blogging game after a trip to London with Stovall. What an incredible honor for Stovall to be invited to speak at Hillsong London! As many of you know, Pastors  Brian and Bobbie have had such a big influence on our church and on us as leaders and pastors. Pastors Gary and Cathy Clarke lead the London church, and we had a great time getting to know them and their executive team.One cool thing about being there was that the whole church is so diverse. Not just in terms of ethnicities, but in actual nations represented. It was really astounding — like being in a Christian U.N. 

While we were there we also got the chance to catch up with our friends Nick and Chris Caine. They have just launched their A21 campaign in Greece. A21 is their anti-trafficking project and stands for “Abolish slavery in the 21st century.” I had no idea that human trafficking was so prevalent in Europe. It is incredible how pervasive it is there. I am so glad that we have the priviledge of partnering with Equip and Empower as they take on this injustice!

After London I came home, but Stovall went to Moscow and then to Kiev to speak at the Hillsong churches there under the leadership of Pastors Zhenya and Vera Kesavich. Some of you might remember them. They came in April — what awesome friends they have truned out to be!

So — we are both back home now, working through the jet lag, catching up at home and work, and getting ready to press forward to the next thing, the ONE Prayer series launching this weekend. I am really excited about this series which is bringing nearly 1000 churches together in unity across the U.S. and the world. We are really fortunate to live in a time where technology makes it possible for the church to rally together on a global scale and show the impact the church can have when we stand together.

Anyway, just wanted to check in with all my girls from church and anyone else out there who is reading. I will be back to my regular blogging flow next week.  Until then, live beautifully.

xoxo — Kerri

Featured Blog

Hey girls — just wanted to give a shout out to a series of blog posts that are being done right now by our women’s group coordinator, Lea Sims. Lea is a beautiful woman in countenance and in spirit. She is writing a series of posts on my vision for womanhood entitled, “The Woman That I See.” Maybe she realized that I had said I would do that a few months ago and never followed through. I guess she decided to give me a little help! LOL!

No, seriously, there are only a few people that I would trust to articulate my heart on this vision, and Lea is one of them. I read her first post and it truly brought tears to my eyes. It was so right-on. I love how God speaks the same message to two different people, yet brings out different layers of meaning by allowing them to express His truth in their own unique way. Even though her post is based on a vision that I wrote, I learned so much by reading her words.

I hope you will check out her blog when you get a chance. It’s www.lea-sims.blogspot.com. I am sure that you will be blessed.

Love you girls!
Kerri
xoxo

SHINE 2008: So revolutionary!

Soooo—- what can I say about SHINE 2008? I want to write a recap blog while my heart is still full. It exceeded my every expectation. I am beyond thankful to Jesus for carrying the conference by the power of the Holy Spirit. His presence was definitely there, and lives were changed forever.

This year there was just so much peace over the whole conference. Even though I felt we got off to a late start promoting it, things just fell into place. We experienced growth in every area, but more importantly I think as a group of women we crossed a spiritual line of maturity, vision, and unity.

Our speakers this year had such a unity about the messages they spoke. We had not talked to each other at all prior to SHINE, but it was as if the Holy Spirit was trying to imprint the message of love revolution upon us so that we could take it to our worlds. To that end, I am so happy to report that as a group we fully financed the sewing project for the carepoint at Sauerstown in Zimbabwe. You truly rose to the challenge to live generously and gave over and above. I can’t wait to hear the stories of lives changed through the sewing machines we gave.

From the first note of the opener to the last frame of the closing video, God’s love was poured out on us and our capcity to love God and His people was enlarged. I was so proud of our women — your hunger for the word, your responsiveness to the Spirit, your passion in worship — it was so beautiful. You made me so proud to be a pastor in this house. Everyone who visited said they could feel the tangible love of God the whole time.

I have to say thank you to our team of INCREDIBLE volunteers! You make SHINE happen every year with your amazing heart for service. I sensed that the capacity for love and service was so increased in our volunteers this year. There was definitely the annointing that is brought by unity — where God commands His blessing. Without a doubt we will be sharing the rewards in heaven for every life that was touched at SHINE 2008.

And finally, to our  staff. You guys — the words fail me to express how much I love all of you. Thank you so much for standing with me and making this weekend happen. Thank you for your prayers and love and support. Here’s to 2009 and all the joy to come!

Love to all,
Kerri
LBx0×0

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