It means that I have been called by my name and asked to follow Him. It means that the Holy Spirit baptized me in FIRE for my God, the Father, and Jesus, the Son. I will keep my eyes on my prize because I am part of the bride of Christ.
Mary Magdalene/The Chosen Season1, Episode 1
Isaiah 43:1 – Thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
Isaiah 49:1 Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you people from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.
Matthew 3:11 – I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire
Answer this question: how can we successfully tap into the power of Christ so that He can rescue us and COMMUNE with us?
Work Session (Focus on Mary Magdalene and Healing)
Here is the link to the youtube of Season 1/Episode 1 and 2. The reason why I think that The Chosen
is such a powerful teaching tool because it shows the INTIMATE nature of the relationship that Jesus had with the people during three year ministry. The word intimate means: close friends, familiar and close. Jesus knew these people. He lived with them, he loved them, and he ministered to them and with them. How much more will He do for us?
Closing
Which flawed character in Episode 1 do you identify with the most? I find myself fascinated with Matthew, yet I feel Mary Magdalene is more closely related to me. Our family history with mental illness has been a curse for generations, yet I believe that the Lord is healing us and releasing me and my children from the bondage of mental health issues and tormented thoughts. He renews my mind each day.
Sometimes, the waiting and the listening gets harder to do for us, God’s children. We look for answers, and we want to understand in our human minds what is happening around us when the very answer is in the Spirit. I have asked myself several times this week: Why? How? Why? In these times where there seem to be no answers, we must let Jesus and our Father know our hearts, and we wait with the EXPECTATION that He hears us and WILL answer us.
Proverbs 16: 16 “ Get wisdom—it’s worth more than gold; choose insight over income every time.” The Message Bible translation
What situations do you need to ask God for insight?
I’ve heard “do as I say and not as I do” so MANY times throughout my childhood, and I must admit that I have said it myself. However, I have high hopes that my girls (all four of them) will learn from my mistakes, and that they will WAIT on the Lord.
Psalms 27:14 – Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
There were so many times in my younger mind that I felt such obsession to HURRY!! I believed that I had to accomplish ALL my goals by 30, live ALL my dreams, and do ALL the things. My twenties were fraught with wrong decisions and sad endings. Then, by my 30th birthday, I had to face the one variable that was the same in all my strife: RUSHING. Waiting did not exist to me. By that age, I found myself sick, tired, and weak in spirit. What had I done to myself? What all had I ruined? Why had I self sabotaged so many times, especially in my relationships? Now that I am in my 40s and analyzing my failures through the eyes of the Spirit, I see that the crux of my entire problem presented itself in my failure to WAIT.
Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
What have you failed to WAIT on the Lord to help you to figure out?
Work Session
By 2016, I began that year with the prayer to God that I wanted a family, a husband, and another baby. I would have to be willing to give my heart, my time, and my trust to someone else if I really wanted to remarry. The questions of who to marry and when to marry are life altering questions and with life altering answers. I realize that my own daughters who are 14, 16, 19, and 20 will soon be faced with the same situation that I was in 2016. Ultimately, I asked God first: Who do you want me to marry? When will I know it’s the right time? I asked the Lord these questions on December 5, 2015, and on December 9, 2016, Chris called me for the first time, and on December 10, 2016, we went on our first date to Roddy Baptist Church the very church we grew up in and first met each other. We were married and had Liam in 2016. That year obviously was a great year of God’s FAVOR in my life.
My daddy and my paternal grandmother died in December 2016, yet I still consider that the year of God’s FAVOR because He acknowledged my heart and gave me the desires of it. He also provided comfort and peace beyond understanding.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
Closing
In that peace and comfort, I had a loving, supportive husband who put up with my moodiness and my devastation. He stood beside me and was so patient with me as I grieved. His patience and understanding helped me see more of the promises of my Father. Even now, there are so many times that Chris has the most simplistic and realistic perception of our life and circumstances; this calm, peacefulness is exactly how I need to see our life and our conflicts. I tend to over complicate things, and he just knows exactly how to get to the heart of the matter. I’ve learned so much through our trials and our triumphs, and I am a very blessed woman. I know my children see my humanity and my weaknesses. I hope that they are able to learn from my mistakes and lean always on the understanding of the Father as they learn to wait on Him.
I’ve heard “do as I say and not as I do” so MANY times through out my childhood, and I must admit that I have said it myself. However, I have high hopes that my girls (all four of them) will learn from my mistakes, and that they will WAIT on the Lord.
Psalms 27:14 – Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
There were so many times in my younger mind that I felt such obsession to HURRY!! I believed that I had to accomplish ALL my goals by 30, live ALL my dreams, and do ALL the things. My twenties were fraught with wrong decisions and sad endings. Then, by my 30th birthday, I had to face the one variable that was the same in all my strife: RUSHING. Waiting did not exist to me. By that age, I found myself sick, tired, and weak in spirit. What had I done to myself? What all had I ruined? Why had I self sabotaged so many times, especially in my relationships? Now that I am in my 40s and analyzing my failures through the eyes of the Spirit, I see that the crux of my entire problem presented itself in my failure to WAIT.
Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
I remember once after my first divorce a conversation a dear aunt of mine had with her son, which is my cousin:
“Mama, I am sad that Jennifer and Mark aren’t married anymore. I don’t understand what happened. How can I keep from ending up like her?”
“Son, you WAIT on the Lord. Whenever you choose a mate or deal with a problem, WAIT on Him to help you make those decisions.”
My 25 year-old-self was devastated at this conversation, especially since I was sitting at the very same table with them, and my mistake was so raw at that time. I allowed that conversation to separate me from Christ because I felt such horrible shame and loss. I was such a naïve young woman and a very immature Christian. Now, I remember that conversation and comprehend it so differently. My aunt discerned the answer that she gave to my young cousin. The Holy Spirit helped her discern her answer; I see it plainly today.
I should have WAITED on Him. I should has sought the answers in prayer, in fasting, and in focusing on the word. It seemed that I chose every other option that the ones that I should have. The song Graves into Gardens has always spoke to my heart since the first time I listened to it.
I searched the world But it couldn’t fill me Man’s empty praise And treasures that fade Are never enough
Then You came along And put me back together And every desire Is now satisfied Here in Your love
The world as well as my inability to look beyond it with my spiritual eyes led me astray. I was a lost boat in a swift, harsh current. The waves crashed and carried me haphazardly toward the wreck that my life had become at 30. I was twice divorced, raising two girls alone and working two jobs as a high school teacher and college instructor. The loss of the family for my girls will forever change their lives and damaged their little hearts and minds. What I felt was right for me in unrenewed mind devastated my daughters. Not only did my bad decisions damage my daughters, but they also upended and devastated my husbands’ lives and extended family’s lives. I faced my failure and vowed to never remarry again. I believed if I have a committed, married life again that could protect myself and my children from destruction (or so I thought).
By the age of 36, I had spent ten years hating men and sticking to my ridiculous vow. That decade should have provided me with the time to WAIT on the Lord and to learn from my mistakes. However, I still had lessons to learn, and just like parents will do, God taught me the hard way since I couldn’t look to Him due to my hard headedness and my hard heart.
By 2016, I began that year with the prayer to God that I wanted a family, a husband, and another baby. I would have to be willing to give my heart, my time, and my trust to someone else if I really wanted to remarry. The questions of who to marry and when to marry are life altering questions and with life altering answers. I realize that my own daughters who are 14, 16, 19, and 20 will soon be faced with the same situation that I was in 2016. Ultimately, I asked God first: Who do you want me to marry? When will I know it’s the right time? I asked the Lord these questions on December 5, 2015, and on December 9, 2016, Chris called me for the first time, and on December 10, 2016, we went on our first date to Roddy Baptist Church the very church we grew up in and first met each other. We were married and had Liam in 2016. That year obviously was a great year of God’s FAVOR in my life.
My daddy and my paternal grandmother died in December 2016, yet I still consider that the year of God’s FAVOR because He acknowledged my heart and gave me the desires of it. He also provided comfort and peace beyond understanding.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
In that peace and comfort, I had a loving, supportive husband who put up with my moodiness and my devastation. He stood beside me and was so patient with me as I grieved. His patience and understanding helped me see more of the promises of my Father. Even now, there are so many times that Chris has the most simplistic and realistic perception of our life and circumstances; this calm, peacefulness is exactly how I need to see our life and our conflicts. I tend to over complicate things, and he just knows exactly how to get to the heart of the matter. I’ve learned so much through our trials and our triumphs, and I am a very blessed woman. I know my children see my humanity and my weaknesses. I hope that they are able to learn from my mistakes and lean always on the understanding of the Father as they learn to wait on Him.
Father,
I ask that you teach my daughters to see people and to see situations as You see them. Continue to mold us into Your image. Bless and keep us, Lord.
There are so many times in a day that nothing seems to go right no matter how hard you try. Tonight, I experienced issues in my classroom at church. The internet wouldn’t work. I couldn’t play the video that I had planned to play for the last two weeks. My agenda only had one passage from Isaiah 43, and I couldn’t play my song due to the internet issue. However, I trusted the Lord to do His work because Jesus and the Father work seven days a week! I, on the other hand, am FALLIABLE, FRAGILE, FRAZZLED, yet I have FAITH to know that God always shows up and shows out!
16Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him. 17ButJesusansweredthem,“Tothis very dayMyFatheris at His work,and I tooam working.” 18Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.…” John 5:16-17
I let the Holy Spirit lead my teaching while we focused on the main passage of Isaiah 43: 1-7 my ultimate goal as the teacher of our Youth Group is for my kids to KNOW Him. It’s taken me 43 years to even reconcile in my head that God sent His Son just for me and would tear down His entire creation just to come after me. I hope that they can understand how special their PERSONAL relationship is before the end of the night and KNOW this spiritual truth now before they officially grow up.
One of my kids introduced me to his sister tonight, and we had four more Youth than we did last week. I know that HE moved. He touched them. He loves them. They are His for Eternity. I pray for REAL Holy Spirit baptized, REAL TALK WALK with the Lord for my babies.
I met Jesus this morning in my truck on the way to school; I felt Him inside it with me. The experience began with my hearing “Forever Amen” for the first time. There was something about the lyrics that presented a RAW longing to experience a relationship with Christ. It shook my everything. I wanted to share it with ALL my friends when I got to work. The joy of the Lord renews my mind, my faith, and my hope each day. I pray that my kids feel Him and rest in Him. God, bring a FIRE for you that burns white hot. Bring it on this earth for these young people. We are ready for you.
The unplanned night was just how God wanted it to be: He wanted us willing and waiting on Him. What a night. Thank you, Lord, for having NOTHING go my way and EVERYTHING go your way.
Friday, April 9, 2021, I spent time with the Lord in thought and prayer. I prayed that He would give me whatever gift He sees fit, and I ask for simply: MORE OF HIM. In the last six months, I have learned that whatever I ask that I receive whenever my heart and my mind are sanctified and in agreement with Him.
Shortly after I asked to receive more of the Holy Spirit, I received this word:
The strongholds of the wicked will be thrown down like mountains into the sea. Like the sparrow chases the hawk, the righteous will overthrow the principalities of the dark. Mothers call your children home to rest in the Kingdom for the Shadow of the Angel of Death will “passover” them. Fear not; the GLORY comes and will cover the land of America. Just as Satan asked to sift the disciples like wheat, I will separate the believers from the hypocrites.
Thus says the Lord, “I will build my church without the ones who worship the idols of materialism and hypocrisy. I will call my children by name, and they will answer while the hypocritical idolaters will remain DEAF. The time is NIGH. Now, you will see my GLORY reigns from the very seat of my Father’s righteousness. The remnant will hide themselves in the cleft of the rock founded by my servant Peter while the time of the False Prophet ends. That time is NOW. Woe be unto the false prophets because there is NO place to hide, and your shame will be lain bare.
A new generation will rise up to build new things; the old will be toppled. My Kingdom will rise out of the mouths of the Millennials and Generation Y. All you who nourish and feed this generation will SUP with me at a feast I prepare for you in Heaven.
Go NOW now: prophesy, baptize, and anoint the new men and women in Christ. They will usher in my peace and my dominion on the earth. They will break every chain, stronghold, and curse plaguing your land. The double-minded will not inherit the Kingdom. They are a placeholder in this realm only. Christians, throw down the foothold of the double-mindedness.”
After I read this again and again after writing it down, I realize that the prophecy urges His servants to LOVE the young people and the children so that we are mentors and activators and NOT stumbling blocks for groups of youth who are searching for the very TRUTH that they so need.
13 “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” Romans 14: 13
In my study time on 4/13/21, the Lord put Isaiah 43:1-7 on my heart. It is the most profound passage I believe I have ever encountered. Also, this prophecy from Isaiah really speaks to how much the Father and the Son love you. This passage will be coming from The Message Bible.
Isaiah 43:7 (Message Bible)
1 But now, God’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
2 When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end –
3Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
4 That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.
5 “So don’t be afraid: I’m with you. I’ll round up all your scattered children, pull them in from east and west.
6 I’ll send orders north and south: ‘Send them back. Return my sons from distant lands, my daughters from faraway places.
7 I want them back, every last one who bears my name, every man, woman, and child Whom I created for my glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.'”
In all my life, I do not think I’ve read such wonderfulness. This prophecy by Isaiah describes the love of the Father and Jesus, which describes the lengths He would go to save us: his children. This LOVE is never more apparent than when the Father sends His ONLY Son to die for us at Mt. Calvary. This is the week after the Resurrection. So many things are happening with the disciples and with Jesus’ return to Earth before He ascended to the Father. Here is where we pick things up in The Risen (the movie we will watch).
Work Session
The verse Risen is based upon:
The Centurion said, “This was the Son of God: this man was righteous,” (Luke 26:47) NIV
(When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: “This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!” Luke 23:24 Message Bible)
This morning while preparing my second block students for their digital learning day assignment, I found myself getting angry at a young man. He asked me what it meant to have a compound sentence. I was angry because we just took notes over that Monday, and he never bothered to take notes. His lack of care about sentence types brought anger to my heart; I admit that I wasn’t very nice to him. The last thing he said to me before he started working, “I don’t even care to do this activity. I don’t care at all.” I held my lips firmly together, closed my eyes, and said to God, “Help me understand it.” In my spirit, I realized this FACT:
God LOVES a rebellious heart.
It doesn’t matter the young man’s lack of care or apathy. God’s love remains and is CONSTANT, regardless of our mindset, words, or actions. This realization led me to ask another question: What did Jesus say to Peter about his rebellion?
Luke 22: 28-34
28 “You are the ones who have remained[bq] with me in my trials. 29 Thus[br] I grant[bs] to you a kingdom,[bt] just as my Father granted to me, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit[bu] on thrones judging[bv] the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 “Simon,[bw] Simon, pay attention![bx] Satan has demanded to have you all,[by] to sift you like wheat,[bz]32 but I have prayed for you, Simon,[ca] that your faith may not fail.[cb] When[cc] you have turned back,[cd] strengthen[ce] your brothers.” 33 But Peter[cf] said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!”[cg]34 Jesus replied,[ch] “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow[ci] today until you have denied[cj] three times that you know me.”
Jesus prayed for the strengthening of a rebellious hearted Peter. He asked His Father for protection and increased the faith of Peter so that he could then give strength to his brothers (the disciples). Therefore, God does love a rebellious heart and will not give up on his children. This helps me understand the “Reckless Love” of God.
Work Session (Main Passage) John 9:16-37 (Message Bible)
The Crucifixion
They took Jesus away. Carrying his cross, Jesus went out to the place called Skull Hill (the name in Hebrew is Golgotha), where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side, Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote a sign and had it placed on the cross. It read:
jesus the nazarene
the king of the jews.
20-21 Many of the Jews read the sign because the place where Jesus was crucified was right next to the city. It was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The Jewish high priests objected. “Don’t write,” they said to Pilate, “‘The King of the Jews.’ Make it, ‘This man said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’”
23-24 When they crucified him, the Roman soldiers took his clothes and divided them up four ways, to each soldier a fourth. But his robe was seamless, a single piece of weaving, so they said to each other, “Let’s not tear it up. Let’s throw dice to see who gets it.” This confirmed the Scripture that said, “They divided up my clothes among them and threw dice for my coat.” (The soldiers validated the Scriptures!)
24-27 While the soldiers were looking after themselves, Jesus’ mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother.
28 Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, “I’m thirsty.”
29-30 A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.
(This would be where Mark elaborates (See Mark 15: 37-39 with the soldiers conversion)
31-34 Then the Jews, since it was the day of Sabbath preparation, and so the bodies wouldn’t stay on the crosses over the Sabbath (it was a high holy day that year), petitioned Pilate that their legs be broken to speed death, and the bodies taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man crucified with Jesus, and then the other. When they got to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers stabbed him in the side with his spear. Blood and water gushed out.
35 The eyewitness to these things has presented an accurate report. He saw it himself and is telling the truth so that you, also, will believe.
36-37 These things that happened confirmed the Scripture, “Not a bone in his body was broken,” and the other Scripture that reads, “They will stare at the one they pierced.”
Let’s pull out the end of the crucifixion. Let’s see what Mark 15: 37-39 states :
The Message
37-39 But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath. At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle. When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, “This has to be the Son of God!”
When we pull out this scene from Mark, we SEE the conversion of the Roman soldier. The conversion of the Roman soldier is mentioned in 3 of the 4 Gospels. After Jesus’ death the following happens (based on the 4 Gospels):
1) Darkness fell
2) Earthquake happened
3) Veil torn in the Jewish temple
4) Roman soldier converted
When I focused on the conversion of the Roman soldier, I am reminded that the soldier heard Jesus’ final words. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:24)
The Centurion said, “This was the Son of God: this man was righteous,” (Luke 26:47) NIV
(When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: “This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!” Luke 23:24 Message Bible)
The Hope in the Crucifixion is SALVATION. The repentant thief and the Roman soldier recognized Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior. Even as the other thief and the Jewish Priest at the crucifixion did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, two people did. Imagine if that very same soldier knew that Christ was also resurrected three days later. What would that mean for his life on earth, his eternal life, the lives of his family members?
Next Coop Meeting April 14, 2021
We will focus on THE RESURRECTION of Christ for HE IS RISEN!
Curvaceous Chick's Coop 