Pages

Monday, September 13, 2010

Shhhh....It's a Secret, I mean, IT'S NO SECRET!

The current YES to GOD blog study that I'm "leading", or rather avoiding, has truly been the toughest. I didn't expect it to be hard and looking back I'm not sure what I thought it would be like. It's forced me to relive a part of my ugly past that I never wanted to return to. I've talked about my regret of choosing abortion over trusting God before, but I've never had to really look at my choice. Tomorrow I will blog on chapter 6&7 and next Tuesday, I'll wrap it up with the last chapter. I'm sorry to anyone who has been following it for my inconsistency to blog on time but one thing I realized about myself through this is that I would rather suffer in silence than deal head on with something so painful. The problem with stuffing such pain it's still fair game for the devil to use it against you. So, I will keep going and allowing God to slowly peel back layers of my heart that I would rather Him just leave alone. He never listens to me. So if you have been following along with that study, I will be posting tomorrow for sure. 



When I started the current study, I knew not everyone would be able to relate, thank God.
Knowing that it was near it's end, I've been wondering what book God would want us to do for the next YES to GOD blog study. And then along came Rachel Olsen of Proverbs 31 Ministries, unveiling her new book called
"It's No Secret" and it caught my eye. For the few women who have experienced love at first sight with their man, it was like that for me with this book, just by the cover alone. 
I mean, look at this and tell me you wouldn't be one of the first to order this.
It's No Secret front cover



I don't know if you can read it, but the red words say
REVEALING 
DIVINE TRUTHS
EVERY WOMAN
SHOULD KNOW



Revealing Divine Truths?
Secrets about and from God? 
Lately my heart as just been longing for more of Him. 
I don't want to be one of those Christian women that keeps Him to myself. 
I want more.
I crave more of Him to the point my teenage son leaned over in church yesterday and asked me,
"Why are you crying?". 


Here are some things I found in Rachel's book and Sisters, this is just the intro...

In the pages of this book, you and I will find a dozen hidden treasures of wisdom Christ longs to reveal to us. These teachings run counter to what our culture tells us about successful living. I hope we will grasp each of these simple-yet-divine secrets for successful living in the kingdom of God, apply them, and share them with others. 

These God-sized secrets contain the keys we are looking for--answers to the issues of modern life, such as exhausting schedules, unpaid bills, relational conflicts, and unmet expectations. These secrets, and their Source, are the solution to the longings of our souls. 

God eagerly awaits to share with us great secrets from His Word.  


I want more of Him, don't you? 
He knows we need Him and He is never finished with revealing Himself to us. 
There's way too much of Him for us to ever be able to get to the point of being a "know it all Christian". 
There are just too many sides of Him that allows us the comfort of ending our pursuit of Him.

Not long ago, I found out after 20 years of knowing my husband that I didn't know everything about him like I claimed.
I knew Gene played basketball.
I knew he was good enough to be recruited and given a full scholarship to Nebraska in the 80's for football.
But what I did not know is that he was once a wrestler.
Once I got past the visual of him being in this sport, truth be told, it was rather exciting to find out this side of him that he had failed to reveal to me. For 20 years.
As exciting to my soul that it was to find out something new about my husband,
it can't compare to being revealed a side of our Savior we had no idea existed .
Yes, more thrilling it is to find out things about Jesus Christ than finding out your muscular, athletic husband once put a tight fitting outfit on and wrestled around on a mat with another guy.
Way more exciting!
 


Yesterday in church, we read Colossians 1:27 and it penetrated my heart  to the point of tears.
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, 
which is Christ in you, 
the hope of glory. 


It was the reference to Christ as the hope of glory that got me. 
My past is part of Satan's resume, but to know that no matter what I have done, I have Jesus Christ, the Hope of Glory in me is amazing.
And to think that it's right where He wants to be just floors this once girl gone wild.
The Hope of Glory
And He has things that He wants me to know about Him, even after years of calling myself a Christian. 
He has used Rachel Olsen to write
It's No Secret
to deliver twelve divine truths into our heart. 
Let's get what our Heavenly Father has for us in this book. 


Yesterday Rachel and I were corresponding through e-mail and one thing I said was this...
There's not a study I've hosted that God hasn't done some changing in me. 
So, I anticipate much from my King as we begin a new book study because I know enough about Him to know He's not about women adding a book to their library. 
He's about us changing and letting us get to know Him more.


If you are looking for a blog study to participate in, I hope you will join me for the next 
YES to GOD 
blog study starting on 
Tuesday, September 28th to discuss chapter 1 of 
It's No Secret 
by Rachel Olsen
After Tuesday the 28th, we will continue to meet here every Tuesday, discussing one chapter a week. 
If you have never visited Rachel's blog, click here and go see her.
(She even has where you can read the intro and chapter one of the book if you want to in the entry from September 7th).
I met her at the women's Christian writing and speaking conference, She Speaks  in 2008 and she is as wonderful in person as she is through her blog. 


Don't just go shopping for another book. 
Buy the book and look forward to God doing some amazing things in your heart and life. 
Go into this with anticipation of a King that doesn't know how to disappoint. 
Allow Him to change you from the inside out and reveal truths that we need to know. 

I'm so excited! 
So, invite a friend or 2 or 4 and join me on Tuesday, September 28th
If you've never done a blog study before, on the right side of my blog there are FAQ's about 
 


  Click here to buy It's No Secret and then get ready my Sister, as our

 Hope of Glory
 leads us to a place we've never been before with Him. 

If you are interested in doing this blog study with me, please leave a comment below and know you will be lifted up in prayer. 
OH, and I heard this song before church yesterday and it stirred up a desire in my heart that was really crazy to feel. She just sang what was in my heart.
 I love the Lord so very much...I really hope He knows that.

4 comments:

Beth Herring said...

this looks like an amazing book and i would LOVE to join you! i never have before because i really didn't understand how it worked, but i am going to do it!

thanks so much lelia - you are a blessing.

Josie said...

Lelia,
I am going to do this study with you! This is the first of this kind but I am looking forward to it. Blessings on you and your family!
Josie

Jennifer said...

I'm IN!!! Can't wait to dig in with you!! I have been so slammed and I am in need of drawing closer to Him!

Love you friend!!! You are amazing!!

Amy Sullivan said...

Lelia,
I bounced over from...somewhere ???.

It takes a lot of strength to share your heart like you do even in the first few sentences. I admire that.

I am a person who would rather "suffer in silence than deal head on with the hard stuff" but slowly I'm learning the silence is actually harder.

Nice "meeting" you!