Beth Moore: Living Proof LIVE

Q & A with a Conference "Siesta"

Beth Moore rocks, right? Wouldn't you love to have the opportunity to hear her teach on stage? Failing that, the next best thing is an eye witness report. Last weekend, my sweet friend Gayle went to hear Beth Moore in Stockton, CA (June 26-27, 2009). I asked her a few questions about the event.

1. Which Scripture passages did Beth cover?

The theme of the Beth Moore event in Stockton was "From Bridezilla to the Bride of Christ... a 7-Step Makeover." She used the verses from Revelation 19:1-16 to illustrate her points. While telling us why she chose this title for the event (she always has a different focus at each live event so you can never predict what she will be covering) she reminded us how June is the wedding month and she seemed to have been surrounded by weddings and proposals, etc. throughout the prior weeks.

2. Beth is bursting with passion and creativity. How did she illustrate her main points?

To say Beth Moore is excitable is an understatement! She literally bounced around the arena, often speaking directly to one of the 5,500 women in attendance! She used video clips from the movie "Bride Wars" to illustrate a typical Bridezilla moment... she also used poignant stories from her own life to profound effect throughout the two sessions.
She has an amazing ability to alternate between making you laugh and making you weep—at times very close together. She really "gets" the struggles, lack of self-esteem, and feelings of inadequacy of the women her ministry is focused upon.

3. What message did the Spirit impress upon you personally during the sessions?

The verse that struck me is Revelation 19:7... "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." "Rejoice" basically means happiness and "glad" means to exalt and leap for joy! As Beth explained... we are to make ourselves ready to be the Bride of Christ and to give God the glory every day and in every way during our daily walk with Him.

4. Describe the worship component of the conference. Were you moved?

Beth's Worship Team is such an integral component of the event as they sing worship choruses and songs for at least the first 45 minutes of each session. While the music is loud and may have been unfamiliar to many, the sight of thousands of women with their hands raised and singing with the worship leaders was incredibly moving. It just seemed that all my cares and concerns washed away with the power of the lyrics and the feeling that God was in that arena from the first note of the first song until the end.

5. What was your biggest surprise over the course of the weekend?

My biggest surprise was how much more powerful hearing Beth is in person than on her DVDs. She was so open about her abuse as a child and how that impacted her feelings of worthiness to be loved by God. She said she never felt pure and worthy to be the Bride of Christ until after she had done years of bible study and research and could come to the place of acceptance and that she was "pure" in God's sight. As women we all struggle with these feelings and I walked away from the weekend more determined than ever to Believe God and know that... "He will look intently through us into our heart" and
I want him to know that my heart is in a place of blessing and honor to Him.

Please Come Again

Wow, Gayle. This is powerful! Thank you so much for sharing your impressions. I feel like I was right there beside you. Please come visit Chrysalis again. Warm hugs!

A Boomer like me, Gayle is married to the love of her life—a wonderful man the Lord brought into her life after many years as a single Christian woman. It's a beautiful story. Smart and outgoing, she's also CFO for a small business in the Pacific Northwest. We met at our local church during Monday night Bible Study. This year, our group covered Beth Moore's Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent, and Eugene Peterson's study, Psalms: Prayers of the Heart.

You can learn about future Living Proof Live Conferences at Beth Moore's LPM website.

Video: Living Proof Live - Stockton from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo. Via the LPM blog. Photo: Google Images.

Have you ever heard Beth Moore in person? Would you like to?

Christian Carnival ii
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed

Read More

Word-Filled-Wednesday: Prov 2:1-5

“My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.

Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. (Prov 2:1-5 NLT)

Visit Extravagant Grace where a wonderful group of bloggers will uplift you with their timely Word-filled posts. Verse via Deborah Shank at Chocolate and Coffee.

Reflection: Success in Life Takes Sound Instruction

It's been said that the Bible is God's "instruction manual" for life. If we fail to learn and apply its lessons—especially to our marriages—we're sure to fail. One of the biggest lessons we must learn in marriage is forgiveness. True forgiveness is always accompanied by grief, for where there is emotional injury, there is also pain.

Once you've made the decision to forgive your spouse for something, don't be surprised if you feel really crummy for a time. Eventually, your heart will heal, the tears will subside, and you can move forward with renewed optimism.

The Bible is a treasure trove of Truth. These verses admonish us to attend to its instruction, and treat it's wisdom like pure silver.

Celebrate Your Silver Anniversary—Guaranteed

What an audacious promise! Needless to say, it's impossible to predict the longevity of any marriage, especially in today's culture.

I found the recent news of Jon and Kate Gosselin's divorce deeply troubling, didn't you? This week, I’ve been pondering what I can do to help younger couples succeed in marriage.

e-Dad and I have 30 years of marriage behind us, and we’d love to pass on some of our life's most valuable lessons.
We both agree that the Bible's shining Truths have profoundly shaped our union.

I’ve been polishing an idea about putting some of the wisdom shared here at Chrysalis into ebook-form. However, I would love to have your input first. In the comment box on this post, would you be kind enough to answer the following question:

In your marriage, what’s your biggest problem, frustration, fear, or challenge?

Whatever you struggle with the most, I’d like to know about it. That way e-Dad and I can address those issues in our ebook. (Your remarks may be included, but only with your permission of course.)

Chocolate Giveaway

If you decide to answer my question in the comment box on this post, and you’d like to have your name entered in my giveaway, please include your email address. THREE random winners will receive a bar of chocolate for donating your time to this project.

If you'd prefer to send me a private email, please feel free to do so at this address: marriagemonday at gmail dot com. I'd love to hear from you!

Sound tasty? Giveaway winners will be announced on Tuesday July 7, 2009. Thanks so much for your participation.

In your marriage, what’s your biggest problem, frustration, fear, or challenge?

Photos: somegeekintin & Rescue Dog (Flickr)

Read More

What’s the Biggest Problem or Frustration in Your Marriage?

Reality Touches All of Us

You've read the headlines, and maybe even taken some time to read beyond them. Perhaps you’ve been following Jon and Kate Plus 8 on TLC. Reality has turned ugly, and it’s a sad but familiar story. It doesn't have to be, but divorce seems inevitable for the Gosselins. Unfortunately, ignorance of this celebrity marriage failure is impossible. Thanks to modern technology, it’s in our collective face. Here are some revealing insights from FamilyLife’s Culture Watch.

Nobody’s Happy About Jon and Kate

“Few people are surprised by the announcement last night that Jon and Kate Gosselin are separating.

And nobody seems to be happy about it.

It's true that in America we appear to be drifting away from a commitment to marriage, with more couples than ever living together and having children out of wedlock. Our divorce rate remains one of the highest among nations. But a story like this shows me that most of us still want the dream to come true—we want couples to stay together and live happily ever after. We don't like watching them fall apart. And we don't like what divorce does to the children.

There are endless debates about who is at fault in this situation. To some, Kate is a dedicated mother who is doing everything she can for her kids; to others she is a harpy who controlled her husband and fell in love with the trappings of celebrity. To some, Jon is a loving father and unwitting victim of the celebrity lifestyle he chose; to others he is a passive husband who is unwilling to step in and do what he can to set things straight for the sake of his marriage and the children.

But I don't see many people happy about the Gosselins heading toward divorce. They're wondering why they don't seek counseling. They're worried about what this will do to the eight Gosselin children. It's a cultural conversation: Yesterday a co-worker was driving to work and heard a long discussion on radio about what Jon and Kate could to do save their marriage.

‘This episode was the hardest, ever, for me to watch,’ one Entertainment Weekly reader lamented. ‘After the show was over, I broke down and cried. It was extremely hard (beyond words to describe) to even hear Jon and Kate say they are splitting up. When you grow attached to a family, it is very hard to watch it all fall apart. I wish Jon and Kate were able to talk it out and not let it end this way. I am mostly concerned about what is going to happen to the children. I wish the family the best of luck and hope things can only get better...’”

Do You Worry Your Own Marriage?

If so, you can be proactive. Lately, I’ve been wondering what I can do to help younger couples succeed in marriage.
e-Dad and I have 30 years of married life behind us, and we’d love to pass on some of our life's lessons. But before we can flesh out our vision, we need your valuable input.

Many of you know I’ve been fortunate to host the monthly Marriage Monday meme. Through the summer months, our lovely guest hostess Christine at Fruit in Season
(the meme’s originator) has taken on the challenge to keep it running. Recently, she posted some ideas for writing about July's light 'n easy topic, "Traveling With Your Husband." Please join Christine on July 6, 2009.

Contribute to the Conversation

Meanwhile behind-the-scenes, I’ve been brewing up an idea about putting some of the marriage wisdom shared here at Chrysalis into ebook-form. And I would love to have your input. In the comment box, would you be kind enough to answer the following question:

Q. In your marriage, what’s your biggest problem, frustration, fear, or challenge?

A. It could be. . .

• your finances
• lack of romance
• challenges in the bedroom
• problems with the kids
• an unbelieving spouse and so on

Whatever you struggle with the most, I’d like to know about it. That way e-Dad and I can address those issues in our ebook. (Your remarks may be included, but only with your permission of course.) Are you willing to strengthen your marriage by participating with us?

Chocolate Giveaway


Let me "sweeten the pot" a little!
If you decide to answer my question in the comments, and you’d like to be entered in my giveaway, please include your email address. THREE random winners will receive a bar of chocolate for donating your time to this project. Sound tasty?

Here’s to your marital happiness, and thank you for your participation.


In your marriage, what’s your biggest problem, frustration, fear, or challenge?

Photos: KarenAquist/TLC, Google Images, Starbucks

Read More

Humor: Four Good Reasons Why You Shouldn't Mess With Children

Swallowed By a Whale

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.

The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.

The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.

The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah."

The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"

The little girl replied, "Then you ask him."

A Portrait of God

A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.

As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."

The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

Class Photos

The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.

"Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'

A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher, she's dead."

God is Watching

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples.. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:

"Take only ONE. God is watching."

Moving further along the lunch line, at the ot her end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.

A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."

Via Barbara Curtis at Mommy Life.

Photos: Special Sites of Israel, Annabel B (Flickr)

Quick! Quote a funny line from your child...




Head over to Friday Funnies at Homesteader's Heart for more good clean jokes.

Read More

WFW: Acts 2:20-21

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: 'And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (Acts 2:20-21)

Visit The 160 Acre Woods and let Amydeanne and the other bloggers uplift you with their timely Word-filled posts.




"The Eclipse Will Look Like a Diamond Ring"

Stargazers across the world are in for a major event next month. Scientists say on July 22, 2009 a total solar eclipse will be visible from India, China, and parts of the South Pacific. It's expected to last for 6 minutes and 44 seconds, making it the longest total eclipse of the sun in the 21st century. Discover more here.

Introducing the Possibility of a Watch

Students of Bible prophecy may be interested to know that this eclipse is one of three which fall on the first of Av on the Jewish calendar. They all occur during the annual holy days when Jews lament the destruction of their temples. (Both temples were destroyed on Av 9). On our Gregorian calendar, the three solar eclipses are August 1, 2008; July 22, 2009; and July 11, 2010. Is God trying to tell us something about his plans for Jerusalem's Temple mount?

Even more intriguing is a series of four lunar eclipses (a tetrad of "blood red moons") expected to occur on the Feasts of Passover and Tabernacles in 2014 and 2015. This rare celestial phenomenon also occurred on the same feast days in 1949-1950 and in 1967-1968. Some Bible scholars believe these astronomical events heralded the rebirth of Israel as a nation (1948) and the recapture of Jerusalem during the Israeli Six-day War (1967). You can read more at WorldNet Daily.


Do you think we should interpret these astronomical events as "signs?"

Photos: The Exploratorium & Mucahid Zengin (Flickr)

Carnival of Homeschooling

Read More

Marriage: Motivating Passive Men

How to Correct Gender Role Reversal

Another Father's Day has come and gone. Many families revel in the event, planning barbeques and giving special gifts to bring honor to the dads in their lives. For other families though, Father's Day is a painful reminder of the poor parenting job that their fathers are doing. Wives suffer too, as they watch their imperfect husbands wimp out, pass out, or worse. Let's listen to the wisdom of Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This excerpt is quoted from her book, Lies Women Believe.

"If my husband is passive, I've got to take the initiative or nothing will get done."

When we asked women which of the lies in this book they had believed, this lie ranked number three. I know of few subjects that are a greater source of frustration to women than "passive men." Once again, this is not a new struggle. As is true of many issues, it all goes back to the Garden of Eden:

"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food..., she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it." Gen 3:6 (italics added)

This passage evokes a troubling picture in my mind. The couple is together in the Garden. The Serpent approaches them, ignores the man, and strikes up a conversation with the woman, fully aware that God has placed her under the authority of her husband and that both of them are under God's authority...

God created the man first and gave him the responsibility to lead and feed those under his care.

At this point, notice what the woman does not do. She does not acknowledge her husband, who is standing by her side. She does not say to the Serpent, "I'd like for you to meet my husband." She does not turn to her husband and ask, "Honey, how do you think we should respond?" or "Adam, why don't you tell him what God said to you." She carries on the entire conversation with the Serpent as if her husband were not there.

Further, when it comes time to make a choice, she takes matters into her own hands. She does not consult with her husband on the matter; she does not ask his input or direction; she simply acts: "She took some and ate it." (v.6)

What is Adam doing this whole time? He is doing what a lot of women tell me their husbands do much of the time: Nothing. He doesn't interfere; he doesn't get involved—except to eat some fruit himself when his wife gives it to him. All of a sudden, we have the first role reversal.

God created the man first and gave him the responsibility to lead and feed those under his care. The woman, created from the man, was made to be a receiver, to respond to the initiative of her husband. Even the physiological differences between men and women express this fundamental difference.

But who is leading and feeding in this account? Not the man, but the woman. Who is responding? Not the woman, but the man. Something is wrong with this picture. And ever since, the same thing has been wrong with the sons and daughters of this first couple. That role reversal became the pattern for the way fallen men and women relate to each other.

Ever since that fateful day in Eden, the natural drive of the woman has been to control her husband, to rule over him, and to act independently of him. Our natural tendency is to take the reins to take the initiative ourselves; ironically, however, because of the way God created us, we also long to be responders; we long for our men to take action.

We can't insist on running the show and then expect
men to be proactive, take the initiative, and be "spiritual leaders."

As was true with Adam and Eve in the Garden, our instinct is to blame the other party for this problem. As women, we are quick to fault men for being passive and to insist that if they weren't so inactive—if they would just do something—we would not take matters into our own hands...

But as I have watched men and women interact and have evaluated the effect of my own reactions... I can't help but wonder to what extent we women have demotivated and emasculated the men around us by our quickness to take the reins rather than waiting on the Lord to move men to action. We can so easily trip men of the motivation to rise to the challenge and provide the necessary leadership. To make matters worse, when they do take action, the women they look to for encouragement and affirmation correct them or tell them how they could have done it better...

We simply can't have our cake and eat it, too. We can't insist on running the show and then expect men to be proactive, take the initiative, and be "spiritual leaders."

At times, I have asked women who are frustrated by the inactivity of their husbands, "What would happen if you didn't jump in to handle the situation?" You think you have to go to work because he won't get a job? If he gets hungry, he will probably work! You feel you have to take charge of the finances because he is irresponsible with money? He may go bankrupt. But that may be exactly what it takes for God to get his attention and change his character. You must be willing to let him fail—believing that ultimately, your security is not in your husband but in a sovereign God who is not going to fail you...

What can free us from the drive to control the men in our lives? We must learn to wait on the Lord; in His time, and His way. He will act on behalf of those who wait for Him.

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord." (Psalm 27:14 KJV)

This excerpt is quoted from Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Photo: Lawrence OP (Flickr)

Read More

Random: Wordless Weekend

Congratulations to Our UW Graduate!

Read More