Shine Like Stars – Week 2 Recap

Posted on September 14, 2017 by dinahoverlien

Here is the Week 2 recap for the Bible study “Shine Like Stars” for anyone who missed class or is following along from a distance. (It’s a long one – grab a cup of coffee.) Feel free to leave questions and comments.

I can’t wait to jump into the book of Philippians, but first we are going to get the backstory about this place and the people Paul knew in Philippi. Acts 16:6-40.

Why did Paul go to Philippi?
*Paul had a dream, or vision, of a man asking him to come to Macedonia (v.9).
*The Holy Spirit stopped Paul from going anywhere else! (v. 6-7) His first choice was to go south to Asia Minor (present day Turkey), but he was blocked somehow. His second choice was to go north into Bithynia and Paul got to the very border but had to turn around. Since he was coming from the east, west was the only other option. He traveled as far west as he could before coming to the Mediterranean Sea and stopped in a town called Troas. There, Paul and his traveling companions met a doctor named Luke. (There is some speculation that the reason they were stopped from going north and south had to do with health issues. They found a doctor in Troas who happened to be Luke and he joined the team to be Paul’s personal doctor. Interesting idea, but no scriptural proof.) Luke ended up writing both the the Gospel of Luke and The Book of Acts.

There are some subtle clues in verses 8-10 that indicate Luke joined them at this point. Verse 8 says, “So they passed by…” Verse 10 says, “…we got ready at once….” Watch those pronouns!

*When they got to Macedonia, they still needed God’s leading on which city to go to. Paul went to Philippi because it was the “leading city of that district” (v. 12). Paul always went to the the place where there was the most potential to have the biggest impact and to reach the most people.

Just think how the western world would be different if Paul hadn’t obeyed God’s leading to bring the gospel to Europe. Just think how different the Bible would be without Luke’s writings. What if Paul had gone ahead with plan A to go south? Or plan B to go north?

One of the questions we’re asking in this study is “What does a mature believer look like?” Paul shows us right here. A mature believer trusts God’s “no.” Paul was willing to change his plans in response to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Paul was stopped from doing something we normally think of as good (preaching the gospel) because it wasn’t in God’s timing. I find it comforting that even the great Apostle Paul wasn’t always clear as to what God’s will was, yet he didn’t give up when things didn’t go according to his plans.

So they went to Philippi, which was a Roman outpost in Macedonia (Greece). Paul took the gospel international. This was the first time the good news crossed over into a different continent – Europe. All of us with European ancestry should be grateful God sent Paul west.

Who went with Paul?
Silas (Acts 15:40), Timothy (Acts 16:1) and Luke.

Paul had significant interactions with three different people in Philippi. List as many facts as you can about each person.

Lydia (Acts 16:11-15)
*She was a dealer in purple cloth.
*She was a woman who ran her own business. Purple dye was very costly, extracted drop by drop from shellfish. A person in this line of work had to have money. Purple was the color of royalty, so her customers were high on the social scale. Lydia was a metropolitan fashionista.
*She was from Thyatira, Asia. She was not a native Philippian, but traveled there often.
*She owned a home in Philippi, indicating she may have had a “house on both coasts.”
*She was a worshiper of God, meaning she didn’t buy into paganism. She was open to the Jewish God and was actively seeking more spiritual depth.
*She gathered her girlfriends together to pray by the river outside of town. This is significant because it shows there was not a Jewish synagogue in Philippi. A Jewish place of worship required ten Jewish men, which Philippi obviously didn’t have. Lydia took it upon herself to gather some women to pray.
*She was the first convert to Christianity in Europe. The Macedonian man in Paul’s dream turned out to be an Asian woman!
*She was hospitable, immediately inviting Paul and his team to her house, which became the gathering place for the first believers in town (Acts 16:40).
*She had “people.” All of her “household” also came to believe, which could have been family or more likely, servants.
*She had a heart open and ready to respond to Paul’s message. Once she heard it, she was all in and wanted to be baptized in the river right away.

The Slave Girl (Acts 16:16-18)
*She was a fortuneteller, able to predict the future because of an evil spirit that possessed her.
*She was enslaved by “owners” who exploited her for their financial gain. Today we call this trafficking.
*If she was local, her ethnicity would have been Greek.
*She was from the lowest class of society, with no rights and no hope.
*Something in her was drawn to Paul and the demon within her recognized Paul was a godly man. What she said was true (v. 17), but she was out of control, constantly shouting and harassing Paul. He didn’t want the message of the gospel being confused with this form of evil so Paul cast out the demon. “Paul didn’t appreciate free advertising from a demon.” (Matt Chandler) Consider the source.

Because Paul disrupted the fortunetelling business, the owners accused him of “throwing the city into an uproar” (v. 20-21). Paul and Silas were arrested and thrown in jail after being severely whipped. (Anybody been flogged lately?) Luke and Timothy were not arrested (they were Gentiles) and there is a clue in verse 20 as to why: “These men (Paul and Silas) are Jews.” Apparently there was some racial bias going on in Philippi. The prison guard was told to keep them safe and to guard them carefully. The jailer took it upon himself to go a little farther and put them into stocks in the inner cell.

The Jailer (Acts 16:25-34)
*He was a rule follower, didn’t want to mess up, just wanted to do his job well.
*He was probably an ex-G.I., a retired Roman soldier living in Philippi.
*He was a middle-class, blue collar worker who “wanted to put in his time at work, go home, have a beer and watch the game” (Matt Chandler).
*He was a family man and owned a house.
*He may have been getting an earful of the gospel from Paul; it may have been the first time he ever heard singing in his jail.
*He fell asleep and was awakened by an earthquake.
*He was a man of honor, who was willing to take his own life for failing to carry out his duty.
*He was blown away when Paul and Silas didn’t escape but instead took charge and stopped him from committing suicide.
*He wasn’t ashamed to ask Paul “What must I do to be saved?”
*He immediately wanted his family to hear the gospel.
*He was a changed man, shown by his tender washing of Paul’s wounds, which he had inflicted several hours earlier.
*This may have been the first time his household experienced real joy.

3 very different people:

an Asian business woman from the upper crust who responded with her intellect.
a young Greek slave girl from the lowest class who responded from her spirit.
an Roman man who came to believe through a supernatural, miraculous event.

God brings people to Himself in so many different ways. And all Paul did was watch and see where God was moving and joined in. “There’s some women praying. Let’s go see.” “This girl keeps following me around. I think I’m supposed to do something here.” “I’m in jail so I might as well talk to the guy guarding me.” Paul was always aware and watching for an opportunity to share Jesus. Nothing stopped him.

What preceded all three encounters? (v. 13, 16, 25)
Prayer. I think we underestimate the power of our prayers.

What would you say to someone if they asked you, “What must I do to be saved?”
Because we’d better have an answer. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (v. 31) It’s a belief that embraces these truths:
*Jesus Christ was God in human form.
*He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
*The sacrifice of Jesus is the only adequate payment and covers it completely.
*He rose from the dead and is alive, preparing a place in eternity for all believers.
Say yes to this, accept His offer of forgiveness and salvation, and you are saved.

What a church it must have been in Philippi! So diverse and multi-cultural! Yet united by the Holy Spirit and alive with excitement! Now as we dive into the letter Paul wrote, we will be able to picture Lydia, the slave girl (no longer a slave!), and the jailer — Paul’s dearly loved friends.

Shine Like Stars Week 3 Worksheet

shine

Legoland

Posted on September 12, 2017 by dinahoverlien

Our kids were big into Legos when they were young.
I mean big.
I’m talking a 30 gallon tote big.

All that plastic goodness took a reprieve from our children’s lives for several years. But thanks to grandchildren, the Lego bucket is back on the scene. One night these dearly beloved mini-bricks reappeared, and the big kids instantly became young again and the little kids were mesmerized by All The Pieces.

For years we threw it all helter-skelter into one big container. The pirates mingled with the Star Wars guys and the soldiers co-existed with the ninjas. “Someday,” I thought, “I will sort all those itsy-bitsy arms and legs and heads and hats into nicely organized piles. Then I will buy a nicely organized organizer with drawers to keep All The Pieces nicely organized.” Well, that day has come.

PB went away for a few days to go fishing up north. He’s having his fun, so I decided to have some fun of my own. Don’t judge me. I’m just acting according to my Enneagram personality type. I’m a One, which means I have a natural tendency to fix, straighten and nicely organize.

“Neatness and order are comforting to Ones.
It makes them feel safe and less anxious.”
(From “The Road Back to You” by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile)

So maybe I miss PB a little bit. And maybe sorting the blues and greens and blacks and reds into separate Macbook Pro boxes gives me a sense of safety, serenity and comfort. All I know is, I’m having the time of my life.

I just have two questions.

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Should I sort the lime green from the army green?

How long will it take our 8 grands to blow this to smithereens?

Shine Like Stars – Week 1 Recap

Posted on September 7, 2017 by dinahoverlien

Our Women’s Bible study for this fall is “Shine Like Stars — 14 weeks in Philippians.” Each week I will be posting a recap of what we studied so if someone has to miss class, they can keep up. However, anyone who is interested in joining this study is more than welcome to come along via this blog. Feel free to comment and engage with each other here. May God bless the study of His Word!

Week 1 — Introduction

We started out the class by answering two questions:
1. What are you hoping to get out of this study?
2. Are you willing to commit to studying on your own and coming prepared each week?

It’s good to honestly lay out some expectations at the beginning of a new class. Although I know there are weeks when the wheels fall off and craziness prevents us from our lofty intentions, don’t use that as an excuse to stay away. Keep coming to class anyway! You will always learn something.
On the flip side, the more you put into a study like this, the more you will get out of it. So, the expectation is that everyone will have spent some time with the material.

Consider this:

Have you ever signed up for an exercise class?

When you went to class, did you just sit there and watch the instructor exercise?

Have you ever taken music lessons?

When you went to your lesson, did you just sit there and watch the teacher play her instrument?

Of course not, right?

Bible study is better when everybody is in it together.

Romans 1:12 says, “…that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Mutual. Encouragement. That’s what we’re after.

Time is always an issue. We are busy people with busy lives. There are lots of things vying for our time. Did you realize that the average American spends over an hour a day on Facebook and 4.3 hours a day watching TV? We are spending lots of time on things that add no value to our spiritual lives. My challenge for us is to make Bible study a priority. It will transform us! End of pep talk!

THREE WORDS

As we journey through Philippians over the next 14 weeks, there are three catagories of words we are going to watch for. You will need 3 different colored pencils to consistently mark these words in the passages.

Happy words — like joy, rejoice, glad (Pick a color that says “happy” to you)
Absolute words — like all, every, always, ever, everything, everyone, anyone
God words — like God, Jesus, Christ, Spirit

This will help us zoom in to look at every word. Paul never wasted words. We don’t want to miss any of them!

THREE QUESTIONS

There are three questions that we are going to ask throughout this study.

What’s the source of joy?
What does a mature believer look like?
How can we shine like stars?

These questions will help us zoom out to see the big themes in Philippians.

Next week’s study is going to give us some backstory before we dive into Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. We are going to meet some of the people to whom Paul wrote this letter.

My goal for this study is for us to fall in love with this book. I hope our Bibles fall open to Philippians because we’ve spent so much time pouring over it. I hope our pages come loose and fall out. I hope we can “become Philippians,” as we immerse ourselves in the treasures this book holds.

Perhaps you could take 15 minutes this week and read straight through all four chapters. As you do, remember that Paul wrote this book from prison and he did not know that his letter would be published, much less become Holy Scripture. He was just writing a letter to a bunch of people he loved. Try to hear his words as your beloved pastor writing to you from a prison cell overseas, waiting to find out if he is going to be released or put to death.

Here is a great summary of the book, done in a creative and engaging way. Enjoy!

Here is the study sheet for week #2.

Shine Like Stars Week 2 Study Sheet

August Lit List

Posted on September 5, 2017 by dinahoverlien

One of life’s greatest pleasures is reading outside on a nice summer day. Soon I’ll be taking my reading indoors by a fireplace, which is another one of life’s greatest pleasures. Gosh, there are lots of pleasures in this life. Here’s what has been on the shelf this month:

The Attentive Life, by Leighton Ford — This book is meant for slow, contemplative digesting. It asks the question, “Why is it important to pay attention?” Then the author walks through different seasons of life using the ancient “prayer hours” from morning to evening. His call to attentiveness helped me ask the questions, “Am I paying attention to what God is doing?” and “Lord, what am I missing?”
Circuit Chautauqua, by John E. Tapia — I read this book strictly for the sake of research. PB saw me reading it one day and asked, “Do you think I would like that book?” To which I answered, “This book would bore you out of your skull.” DO NOT READ THIS BOOK, unless you had a relative who performed in the 1920s on the Chautauqua tour. If you are wondering, “What is Chautauqua?”, just never mind.
Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Come Alive, by Howard Hendricks — I loved this. Hendricks writes with the perfect mix of humor, conviction and practical suggestions. I underlined the dickens out of this volume, which is filled with quips like, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks — which is true if you’re teaching dogs, and if you’re teaching tricks. But you and I are not in the business of either one. We’re teaching people, and we’re teaching truth.”
A World Lost, by Wendell Berry — I’m almost done reading the Port Williams Series with only one title left now. I’m putting off reading it because I don’t want my time with these characters to end. This story is about the passing of time and the power of memory. Although it has a melancholy feel, Berry tells the story with gentleness.
If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland — The big word there is “If”. After being quiet all summer, I know for sure that I do, I do, I do want to write. Some much needed inspiration was in this book to help me kick off the fall and kick me in the pants.

What’s your favorite season for reading?

Summer on the porch, or winter by the fire?

10 Things I Learned This Summer

Posted on August 31, 2017 by dinahoverlien

Well, hello there.

hand waving

I’ve been gone for awhile,

but I’m back now.

thumbs up

Wanna get back together?

crossed fingers

Oh good!

Here we go.

10 Things I Learned This Summer

1. I keep forgetting how big the world is. Somehow I begin to believe that the 50 mile radius around my house is The World. Thankfully, PB drags me out of that circle from time to time. It’s such a relief to see long highways and tall mountains and wide rivers and not be in charge of any of it. Which reminds me that I’m not in charge of my 50 mile radius, either.

2. PB and I have turned into 18 people. Four kids, four spouses and eight grands came for a weekend in July. It was remarkably sane and entertaining and free of melt-downs. We even got a picture with all 36 eyes open and looking toward the camera. Glory!

3. When an extended family hasn’t had a reunion for 45 years, name tags are required. I met a whole generation of new cousins and marveled at the fact that I have graduated to the older generation. Thanks to a lot of planning and hard work by the senior cousins, it was a fantastic day. This was my contribution:

a Dinah_Family Tree 11x17 (1)

4. Potatoes can grow in a garbage can. I had my doubts, but PB saw it on Pinterest and set out to prove it could be done. He planted 4 potato chunks in June and in August we dug out a whole bucket full of spuds.

5. You can go to Missouri and back in one day. Macon, Missouri to be exact. If you leave at 6:00 a.m., you will arrive around 1:00 p.m. Then you can grab a bite to eat at Sonic, go to the theater and watch a two hour play, give the leading lady (who is your talented niece) a hug, hop back in the car, fill up the gas tank, buy a bag of cheese popcorn and a bottle of grape pop and get home at 11:30 p.m. Ask me how I know.

6. Quote of the month: “We assume that what we see is all there is, and that’s rarely all there is to it. We assume that people who do things easily, do things because it’s easy. And that’s not true. They do things easily because they work so hard to do them well, and they put in the time and energy and the grit to get good at it.” Crystal Evans Hurst

7. We are officially a “pour-over” household. Gone is the Keurig coffeemaker from our kitchen counter. Gone are all those expensive, little plastic K-cups. Gone is the water reservoir with gross deposits all over it. Gone is the steaming cup of coffee in less that 45 seconds. Gone are all the fun flavors to try. We are free.

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8. Maybe I should have lived in the 1920s. This summer, I have been transcribing pages and pages of letters and diaries that a cousin wrote in 1927 while on tour with the Circuit Chautauqua. Marjorie was a virtuoso violinist, but I only knew her as a crotchety spinster who wasn’t very fun to visit. Maybe she just missed the good old days. Much more to come on this.

9. Thirty-eight years is a long time, but not really. PB and I have been married 38 years, which is a feat in itself. I’m not easy to live with. I still remake the bed and reload the dishwasher the “right” way. But it has flown by in record time. I doubt if we’ll have 38 more, but you never know. If he can keep making the bed wrong until he’s 98 and I can keep reloading the dishwasher until I’m 95, then we’ll have something to celebrate.

10. I wish I could take all the Bible study ladies on a field trip to Philippi this September. That’s probably not going to happen, although I did check on the price of an airline ticket to Macedonia (about $1300 roundtrip). So we’re just going to have to dive into the letter that Paul wrote to some of his favorite people, the Philippians. I’m looking forward to going deep in study with some of my favorite people too.

hello september

July Lit List

Posted on August 4, 2017 by dinahoverlien

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I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus from the writing life this summer. But the reading life is alive and well. Here’s what’s been on the shelf in July.

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck — I wanted to read a classic this summer, so when my son-in-law said he was going to read “East of Eden”, I decided to join him. The story is loosely based on the Cain and Abel account in Genesis, following several generations of a family in the Salinas Valley in California. I loved sinking into the 600 page saga and am still thinking about the characters a month later.
Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters, by John Steinbeck — The reading of Steinbeck’s classic was wonderfully enhanced by pairing it up with this book. Every day before starting to write, Steinbeck would warm up by writing a letter to his editor. On the left-hand pages of the notebook, he would jot his thoughts about the storyline and about his life; on the right side of the notebook, he wrote his novel. It was a fascinating look at the process of writing and how a great novel works itself onto the page. Steinbeck also regularly expressed concern for his two young boys, which was endearing.
Letters to a Young Poet, by Rainer Maria Rilke — I picked up this little volume because I’ve seen Rilke quoted so many times in other books. I found most of those memorable sayings in the first six pages, but finished the rest of it in an afternoon.
Ex Libris, Confessions of a Common Reader, by Anne Fadiman — This is a series of essays about Fadiman’s love of books and reading. I especially related to the story about the author’s mother who proof-read her local newspaper, marked all the errors in red and sent a boxful of clippings to the newspaper office. I, too, am a compulsive proof-reader who thinks I’m helping when pointing out grammatical mistakes on billboards and menus.
A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems 1979-1997, by Wendell Berry — I don’t read much poetry, but because it’s Wendell Berry, I had to give it a try. I’ve been reading a few poems every Sunday morning since January and just finished this book in July. It’s nice to let a book linger once in a while. Poetry seems especially made for long, slow contemplating.

What are you hoping to read before summer has flown?

June Lit List

Posted on July 5, 2017 by dinahoverlien

Books

Last month’s pile of books is on the dash board of our car, since that is where most of my reading took place in June. Road trips are perfect for tearing through the “Books to Read” list. PB and I spent many happy hours listening to audio books in North Dakota. Here’s what was on the bookshelf, and Ipod, this month.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, by Cary Elwes — If I had a nickel for every time one of our kids said, “Marr-widge…”, I’d have a tower of five cent pieces. This was an entertaining audio because all of the actors from “The Princess Bride” chimed in with this recounting of what happened behind the scenes in the filming. Cary Elwes was charming as the main narrator.
Andy Catlett: Early Travels, by Wendell Berry — I checked off another Berry book in my quest to read the entire Port Williams series in 2017. It did not disappoint.
Get Up!: The Art of Perseverance, by Andy Greenberg and Ben Biddick — This book has a special place in my heart because Ben is my nephew. But I would have read it even if his name wasn’t on the cover. Incredible story. Adam Greenberg was hit in the head with a pitch in his first Major League at-bat. This guy never gave up. Very inspirational!
Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life, by Steve Martin — This audio version was read by Steve Martin himself. In this book he shared how he spent 10 years honing his craft before becoming a “success,” and what he learned through the ups and downs of his famous career. (Language alert)
The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life Into a Work of Art, by Edwin McManus — I read this one extra fast because it ended up in my mailbox, but it wasn’t really for me. I raced through it before handing it off to the intended recipient. I think it was good, but it’s kind of a blur.
The Get Away Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life, by Ann Patchett and The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing and Life, by Marion Roach Smith
At the beginning of every summer I like to read a few books on writing and life, so these two titles obviously fit the bill. Then, I tell myself to stop reading books on writing, and just write.
The One-in-a-Million Boy, by Monica Wood — This book gets the prize for being the only one on the list without a subtitle. I listened to the audio version read by Chris Cuilla, a master at giving every character just the right voice, from the 104-year-old Lithuanian woman to the 11-year-old Boy Scout. It’s a heartwarming, funny, sad, hopeful story. I’m still smiling about the ending. (Language alert)

What are you reading this summer?

Here’s what was on the bookshelf last June:

Wednesday Words: The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Four Books

Wednesday Words: The Closer

Don’t Deride the Bride

Posted on June 26, 2017 by dinahoverlien

wedding

PB and I have officiated over, participated in and paid for enough weddings in the last 29 years to be semi-experts. Over the years we’ve learned that it’s okay to poke fun at the groom, it’s permissible to kid around with the groomsmen, and you can even tease the bridesmaids (a little bit). But you never, ever, ever deride the bride.

Deride: (v.) make fun of; insult

Never. Why? Because she is the bride. Because her husband wouldn’t stand for it. Because she is the dearest thing in his life. Because if you diss the bride, you are automatically offending the groom and inviting his wrath.

ring

The church is the Bride of Christ.

He gave His life for Her.

I think we’d better be careful how we talk about His Bride.

The word “church” conjures up all kinds of emotions for people. Some have fond memories of early Sunday school flannelboard lessons and singing “The B-I-B-L-E”. Others have an indifferent attitude about what they consider to be a boring, outdated cultural institution. Many walk away from church and carry painful experiences with them.

The church is messy and imperfect.

It struggles to be relevant while maintaining its integrity.

Yet, the church is Christ’s Beloved.

Don’t deride the Bride.

“For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready.”
Revelation 19:7

Go West

Posted on June 17, 2017 by dinahoverlien

PB and I took a little jaunt to the west, logging about 3,000 miles. We drove 80 mph through Minnesota and North Dakota (yawn) before hitting the Big Sky of Montana, where we slowed down to take in the stunning views.

If I wasn’t a Wisconsin girl, I’d want to be a Montana girl. Why?

Mountains.