*p.h.i.l.e.m.o.n.

This past weekend my sweet husband was swimming in a sea of estrogen!   He was a great sport as my sisters, Lori and Bridgette as well as two of Lori's friend's arrived at  our home Friday afternoon.  We had made plans months ago to attend the Living Proof (Beth Moore) Conference in Pensacola.  

The conference was a great time of teaching and worship.  I have never attended one of Beth's conferences but have participated in one of her Bible studies and will soon be doing the James study!

This weekend Beth spoke on the book of Philemon. One chapter. 25 Verses. 355 Greek words. Power packed. The only personal letter of the Apostle Paul.  Beth talks really fast, with her southern Texas accent, so she was able to cover a lot of "ground".  I learned so much about this little Book and look forward to digging in this Book a bit more over the coming weeks.  Here are some thoughts from Beth's study of Philemon during our session this past weekend:

• P - Providence (God) has a strange way of catching up with us.
• H - Heading forward sometimes necessitates going back.  Sometimes God moves us back so we can go forward. 
• I - Involving other eyes on all sides is genius in volatile and even delicate matters.
• L -Loves sake is the keepsake.  Be willing to reconcile, willing to restore.
• E- Every WHAT in your life has a corresponding WHY.
• M- Much of the good that is in us, stays in us until forced out.  
• O- Only the most courageous will keep loving by faith.  We all have heard and often choose to live by faith, but sometimes in difficult situations we have to choose to love by faith too. 
• N- No ministry is more like Christ than the ministry of reconciliation. 

I think many of us have found ourselves in situations with other believers where we are just befuddled by the choices they have consciously made, and they are probably befuddled by ours. We make decisions in our own head based on how we see the situation, not how they see or have perceived it themselves. Confusion sets in. Walls go up. Hearts are broken. We make vows to not love, not trust, not believe in , not live (by faith).  We are human, it is not unnatural that we make these choices but if we are able to live by faith and then love by faith, God will see us through to reconciliations end.  Praise be to God, that as much as I can remember  I do not currently have any broken relationships that need restoration, but I have walked this path before and I can say that I have been fully reconciled to the people where confusion once was.  

~Yet for Love's Sake,

Lynnie