1. How have you seen His fingerprints on this journey — if you have traveled any of it with us?

(Sorry, this is a long one. God has been SO faithful.)

I was almost stunned by this question (and it doesn’t sound like such a hard question). In retrospect, I do see His fingerprints — all over. I had been here since the start of the God of All Comfort. But by the time Dee started the study on idols, I was functioning in a fog. I “dropped out” after about 5 months in the study on idols, partly because of my schedule and lack of regular Internet access in the summer but also because I felt as if I were just going through the motions.

During the last few days, I’ve been thinking about this question — and thinking about skipping it 🙂 Sometimes I am so much of a MISFIT — and I felt like a misfit during the study on idols. Part of that misfit feeling was the fog of grief; I only was “going through the motions” in many ways. Also, I was leaning into Him with every ounce of my being; I couldn’t understand how I could seek Him harder. I wanted to know Him better, and I wanted to change. I saw that others were changing.

During the past few days, I’ve realized that my desires during that time provided some hints of idolatry. I wanted to CONTROL the timing of change and maybe even how I changed (i.e., if I do or think ___, then God will ___). I do feel frustrated when something gets into my head but doesn’t seem to sink in at the heart level, and I felt impatient when I didn’t seem to be changing when others were. But NOW I KNOW (as I have learned before and forgotten), the timing and process of change was in God’s hands. I may not even be aware when He is changing me, inside or out.

Dee, during the interview today and in your book, you posed the question about why some change and others don’t. I think there might be more to the picture than attributing change to someone’s desire for Him. I can’t fully (or even slightly) understand the power of God’s word or the timing of His ways. And the changes one experiences due to the power of His word and fellowship with Him might be exhibited months or even years later, in His time.

I see His fingerprints when I thought I only was “going through the motions” by getting stuff into my head, HE WAS changing my heart. I need to remember that when I am seeking Him and faithful to Him, through His power, He will honor that. He has honored that, and I have realized it SO MUCH in the past few weeks.

His fingerprints are evident in how He has wired me…and how I responded to the study (and I’m sure I will forget this more times than I remember it and have to talk to my soul about it 🙂 ). I should know by now that I often don’t experience gradual change (outwardly anyway); Even when “doing everything right,” I often experience NO apparent change and then FINALLY a sudden burst of change or healing. Whether it is responding to treatment for an illness, depression, spiritual growth, or intellectual understanding, I feel as if (and appear to others as if) I am going nowhere. And then, suddenly, life is wonderful and I’ve moved on as if the problem never existed. I wouldn’t even be aware of this if others hadn’t noticed the pattern. About all I could do during that time of grief and exhaustion was allow Scripture to get into my brain. He could get it into my heart if He wanted to— I couldn’t; my heart and emotions were clinging to Him for other reasons.

NOW I see His fingerprints in my response to the picture of stone-cutting and a knife (and see His fingerprints on the title “Idol Lies!”). When the study began, my heart already was weak and shredded; the visual image of cutting seemed to bounce off me, but I couldn’t have described why at the time. Dee, what drew me into Idol Lies (the book) was your grace and gentleness in the first chapter. I’ve been exposed to enough judgment that if the first thing I see is a knife, I still might run! During this whole time, God has been drawing me through His grace; and when I am in His arms, He cuts out the stones with just the right amount of anesthesia. I’m seeing a change now in the grace that I give to others (and still have plenty more stones in that area).

I see His fingerprints in His protecting me, including through the connections He put in place through this group. Because of the fog of grief and the weather during the first part of this study, I was isolated. I also worked from home as much as possible (I’ve learned since that some were very concerned). I wasn’t very concerned about isolation; I liked it better than leaving the house! Plus I was more connected by phone and Internet than people realized (years of family care-giving may lead both to isolation and connections). And I see His fingerprints when Dee invited me to come back to the study.

A couple weeks ago, I recognized that the connections I’ve had to this group and to others primarily from a distance were WAY more than fingerprints. GOD HAS BOTH HANDS ON ME AND HIS ARMS WRAPPED AROUND ME. There have been only a few other times in my life when I’ve been so aware of His protection. What recently made me SO VERY aware of God’s protection was the suicide of a family caregiver (when I heard the name, I thought she might have been a relative; was someone else with same name). People who knew her didn’t see any signs. My history and current life circumstances are a perfect storm of signs and symptoms. But this time, the pain didn’t even lead to those temptations. God had control of my foggy mind, and He had my heart in His tender hands. It’s difficult to pull out His fingerprints when His hand prints and “arm prints” are all over.

5. Psalm 8:5-8-What do you learn about man in these verses?

That we are a little lower than the angels yet He has crowned us with Glory and Honor and has given us animals, birds, fish and all that swim in the seas to rule over-He put everything under our feet.

This says so much to me about HIM, more than me. Just to think of how wonderful and complex everything God made is yet He gave it to us to cultivate, take care of and use for our sustenance and enjoyment. When I think of how He desired to give this to us from before time and all along planned to invite us in to delight in all of this with him amazes me beyond the ability to fathom Him. He is all about delighting in relationship with with Him and with one another.

I just finished listening online to Dee’s interview with Janet Parshall.
DEE YOU WERE AMAZING! The back and forth dialogue between you and Janet was great; she asked good questions; I especially perked-up when she asked about how our need for affirmation or approval is a legitimate need – we come into the world wanting to be approved of – so when does it cross over into becoming an idol?
Satan and our own sinful nature do take our legitimate needs and twist them. I also liked her question about people who are so broken that their need is so profound, that idols develop from that. You answered all the call-in questions very thoroughly, too.
A couple of ladies wanted to know, okay, we see the idols, how do we get rid of them?
You did a great job explaining that we can’t get rid of them, only replace them. Liked how you tied-in Hosea and Gomer, and how God feels when we turn from Him.

you can find the videos on youtube under dee brestin

I appreciate all the thoughtful responses to Renee’s thoughts and questions. There is the perennial discussion between God’s initiative and our initiative.

I heard an interesting story yesterday about two men who thought Christianity was a “fairytale” and determined to disprove the resurrection of Jesus and the veracity of Paul’s conversion. Each was to study to disprove these claims and meet again. A year later when they met, each discovered that the other had become a Christian as a result of their study. 🙂 To my mind this proves that sometimes God intervenes and moves in the lives of even unwilling people to show himself REAL. I think also of the Biblical example of Balaam and his talking donkey. He wanted to ignore God, but couldn’t.

I finally found the videos! Yay Dee! The first is AWESOME 🙂 im sure you know this but my video cut out with only about 1.5 minutes to go, during rachels part. Loved it though!!

Really wanted to share this–hope it blesses some of you as it is me this morning:
Tullian Tchividjian’s blog post for today–“Freed From The Prison Of Why”
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/
One quote from it “The good news of suffering is that it brings us to the end of ourselves—a purpose it has certainly served in my life. It brings us to the place of honesty, which is the place of desperation, which is the place of faith, which is the place of freedom. Suffering leaves our idols in pieces on the ground.”

5. What do you learn about man in these verses?

Man has responsibilities to earth. They are God given. Since we are made in His image, we are special.

5. What do you learn about man in these verses? given dominion over His works and all things on earth under mans feet. We are created a little lower than the angels crowned with glory and honor. This refers to Christ too though right?

6. In Genesis He gave Adam and Eve dominion over all the earth. You have dominion in your corner of the world. What do you feel He has called you to

be? First a minister to my family…including our little guy. Then women’s ministry I want them to understand the word and be a powerful force in the world filled with grace and truth. I want them to see God and HIs love for them and encourage them to keep going when things get hard. Life is hard and anything that comes their way has been filtered through God’s hands for their greater good and His glory.
do? Minister to these ladies in this way. Whoever God brings my way or takes me I wanna never stop talking about it. I really want to hear and see them. Point them to Christ. Here in the Bible belt or in Dubai. I just want to be praying for them and encouraging them and pointing them to Christ, the gospel hope, and the cross.

So excited for you DEE! I think I get a moment to listen to something now! Going to try to do that.
On a positive note, the doc saw our little man and really he has gone from being delayed about 1.5 years to a typical kid who is 3. Though I think he is still about 6 mos behind his peers the doc says he sees many like him that age!!! A real live miracle working right before our eyes. Praise God!

Bible Study for Today: Psalm 8:1-2

3. Meditate on these verses and share anything that quickens you, plus, any thoughts on these questions:
What does it mean that He has set His glory above the heavens? This makes me think of Moses who wanted to see God He had to keep his glory covered so as not to kill Moses.
What does it mean “out of the mouth of babies and infants” This reminds me of Jesus holding little children on His lap and how He forbade them not to come to Him. Also the verse that we need childlike faith to come to Him.
What do you learn about the enemy and about God? Pure praise with childlike faith silences him.
Psalm 8:3-4 4. Paint the picture of wonder in these verses. When have you experienced this? I read a verse once that said all the waters are in His hands and it blew me away. How big Hid hands must be to hold ALL the waters of the earth in one palm.

finally getting a chance to listen to Dee on Debbie Chavez. I’m thinking what a gift God has given you in your voice, Dee. There is a quality of genuineness that conveys SUCH warmth, humility, an gentleness. There is just not an ounce of judgmental tone or criticism–I am honestly “soothed” by your voice. And I say all that because I think it IS from Him, it’s worth noting–the message He has given you to share is exposing, and can be hard to hear. But your demeanor, is so like a gentle, wise counselor–I’m just sort of taken by that right now.

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7. Read Psalm 8:9 and use it as a praise for the way He is moving in your life. If you have a favorite song for this psalm, give us the link.

Found this video-loved the pictures..moved me to worship. Don’t know who is singing it though: http://youtu.be/Oa7TPqlwu-g

Oh Lord I worship your majesty, your beauty is beyond comparison. Lord I exalt you above all for you are worthy-worthy are you-the lamb that was slain. Your power I can’t fathom but you are fierce in how you have been chiseling my heart. Your Grace and Mercy wash my inmost, undeserved being with love unfathomable-what is my life here on Earth but a vapor, but with you glorious! OH God help me not to hold what is not eternal above you-forgive me for the times I was overwhelmed this past week-when my idols beckoned and I listened. I stumbled and fell because I thought they could soothe me-how foolish I am! for you are above all and those things are worthless sticks-Oh Lord how majestic is your name in all the Earth. Thank you for awakening me to my natural bend to these wicked idols and for empowering me to turn when I turn-Amazing love, how can it be that you would save, and continue to pursue a wretch like me. Oh God do what you will to rip me of anything I am not aware of so that you will be exalted and lifted up in my life above all. I’m scared! but you have made me want you-I want you and you have taught me that being closer to you outweighs the cost, outweighs the pain-How majestic is your name in all the Earth-you are my God and I am your beloved and I love you.