Cathy Bryant's Blog: CatBryant.com ~ Journey Blog, page 42

Updates/News About The Miller’s Creek Books: The END!

Some of you may have already heard the news via social media, or perhaps you heard my cries of joy from northern New Mexico, but I finally typed my two favorite words in any rough draft of any of the books I’ve written–THE END! Yay!

I’m currently trying to get caught up on a few things, such as blog posts, cleaning house, and combing my hair (…just kidding…). Once I get caught up on the things I let slide while writing A BRIDGE UNBROKEN, I also hope to get to work on a new non-fiction book.

Since I had several ideas for non-fiction books rolling around in my head, I posted a poll on Facebook to give my brain a break get some reader feedback. The topic chosen was ALL THAT IS OURS: THE BENEFITS & BLESSINGS OF FOLLOWING JESUS. Since this topic is so vast, I’m most likely going to break it down into several books, with the main topic of this first volume on forgiveness. Please pray that God’s Spirit will direct me as I write, that I’ll say only what God wants me to say and nothing else, and that I won’t rush it.

I also still covet your prayers as I dive into edits and re-writes on A Bridge Unbroken. While I clean up the manuscript and add/delete scenes, I hope to convey through the storyline Biblical truths on forgiveness. Please pray that I’ll do just that.

I’m still aiming for the book’s release in April 2014. In between now and then, I have oodles to do! Other than the task of editing–if that weren’t enough on its own–I will be searching for guest blogging opportunities to help promote the book, preparing for a book blog tour and book launch party, trying to build some buzz for the book before launch, creating a book video, and rounding up my beta readers! (Now you see why I want and need your prayers…)

If any of you are bloggers or have friends that are bloggers, please let me know if you’d be open to being part of the book tour or allowing me as a guest–guest blogging, author interview, or book spotlight/giveaway.

Earlier this week, my husband posted a song (This Road Leads Home) he wrote for Texas Roads on his Facebook page. You can hear it here (as well as the rough cut of a song he’s writing to go along with A Bridge Unbroken): http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/ar...#

Don’t forget about the book giveaway and coupon I have at my Facebook Author Page (and please share this news with those who might be interested). First, you can enter to win a print copy of Pilgrimage of Promise by clicking the red bookmark on my FB page. It will take you to the contest details. Also on my FB page you can click the red book coupon tab, which will take you to details about the coupon for $1 off either The Way of Grace or Pilgrimage of Promise.

Wishing you all an especially blessed and relaxing weekend,

The post Updates/News About The Miller’s Creek Books: The END! appeared first on Cathy Bryant.

Choosing Purity

The topic of purity is sometimes one we don’t relish. Why? Because it calls for self-examination and possible changes. Just as it’s extremely difficult to stay clean when you walk through a dusty field or mud puddle, it’s also difficult to maintain purity in our walk through the wilderness of this earthly life.

But that’s exactly the kind of life God calls us to. Throughout the book of Leviticus as God taught His people about His holiness, He repeatedly told the young nation of Israel to learn to discern between the clean and the unclean. More than once He said: “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”

Our holiness is important to God.

So far in our study of Numbers, we’ve read about keeping God at the center of our lives, the importance of working together, the sacredness of our work for the Lord, and protecting God’s holiness. Today, in Numbers 5, we’ll discuss the importance of purity.

So how do we learn to discern between the clean and the unclean? How can we guard against defiling ourselves and the holiness to which God has called us? Here are a few thoughts:

Stand Strong in Your Convictions

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment… ~John 16:7-8

God’s Spirit resides in the hearts of believers. He is our teacher and intercessor. He also convicts us when we sin. But it is all too easy to be led astray by our own sinful natures and desires. We must stand strong like Daniel when confronted with the choice to eat unclean-to-him delicacies from the king’s table or what God had commanded His people.

Transformation, Not Conformation

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. ~Romans 12:1-2

Worldly messages bombard us from every direction–television, movies, radio, the internet, advertisements, magazines, books, video games–the list could go on and on. It’s easy to grow desensitized through the constant bombardment. But those things stack up in our hearts, and before we know it, we’ve somehow moved away from the Lord and gotten our feet dirty in the process.

That is why the message of Romans 12 is so critical. Yes, it does require sacrifice on our part. A choice. But the result? A transformed mind, able to prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. My response? Yes, please, a double helping!

Guarding Our Hearts

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. ~Proverbs 4:23

Have you ever tasted pure and crystal clear water straight from an underground spring? There’s nothing like it–tasty, cool and refreshing–to quench our thirst. But if the head of that spring becomes polluted with trash, it destroys the water and the ability of people to drink from it safely.

That is the visual image from Proverbs 4:23. Our hearts are the headwaters of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we, through personal choice or personal compromise, allow those pure waters to become polluted, it will most definitely affect our lives.

That is how we keep lives pure and undefiled from living in this old world–by guarding our hearts above all else, choosing to stand on our convictions like Daniel, and not conforming to the world’s standards, instead allowing Jesus to transform us from the inside out.

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In The Wilderness – A Bible Study of Numbers

Though we’d rather see where we’re going, the believer’s life is lived by faith, usually in the midst of uncertain territory. A faith-walk is difficult because it runs contrary to all things human and earthly. We long to know for sure what lies ahead. But our desire to see contradicts a life of faith, because faith means trusting when we can’t see and choosing to see the hand of the Invisible when others scoff and walk away.

In addition to living by faith, we must do so in the wilderness–a place of arid desert, sparse resources, scorching sun, and freezing nights. The wilderness is both foreign and familiar, beguiling and off-putting, a place of rest and a place of struggle, dependent upon our faith or the lack thereof. It also requires us to examine our lives for the unclean, the unholy, the sinful, and to turn away from it and toward God. The wilderness thus becomes a place of testing where our true loyalties lie.

For the most part, we’d rather not have to deal with the wilderness. There are many places more appealing, easy, and enjoyable. But the LORD our God gives us no choice. We’re His covenant people. He will be honored and obeyed with no middle ground or neutral territory. His ways take precedence over ours for our good and His glory. The rough and rugged landscape of the wilderness is where God completes some of His best work, where He tries the souls of men, burning off the dross to reveal pure gold.

One of the most important aspects of walking through the wilderness is learning to depend on God. It’s easy to fall into the habit of complaint and grumbling. But instead, the Lord desires for us to bring our requests–our burdens–to Him in recognition of who He is. He is a God who provides and meets our every need.

So in spite of our desire for a less-stringent life than the wilderness demands, there are many lessons to be learned here, lessons which prepare us for the life yet to come. Join me for this walk of faith, where we encounter the One who leads, sustains, provides, cares for, and purifies.

Especially in the wilderness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you know that the Hebrew words for the Bible book we now call Numbers means “in the wilderness?” What an apt description of the human journey. This earth is not our home. We’re simply passing through on a pilgrimage to a better place.

I hope you’ll join me in this study of the book of Numbers. I’ll be adding new links to each post for easy access. Be sure to bookmark this page on your computer so you can return to check for new topics of discussion.

Numbers 1: Living God-Centered Lives

Numbers 2: Protecting the Holiness of God

Numbers 3: Sacred Work

Numbers 4: Working Together

The post In The Wilderness – A Bible Study of Numbers appeared first on Cathy Bryant.

Kingdom Living: The Why of Working Together

“Clean up, clean up, everybody do their share.”

With utter delight, I watched my three-year-old grandson and his classmates put away their toys and help each other and their teacher clean up the classroom. Isn’t it amazing how little ones can teach us so much? As the body of Christ, we would do well to mimic the example of these preschoolers.

So far in our study of the book of Numbers, which is an account of the young nation of Israel and their wilderness wanderings as the covenant people of God, we’ve learned about the following:

Living God-Centered Lives
Protecting the Holiness of God
Sacred Work

Today, in chapter four, we’ll discuss working together to do kingdom work.

I’ll confess. At first glance at this chapter, my eyes glazed over a bit when I saw that it was a list of duties in caring for the tabernacle for each of the clans within the Levite tribe. Then I asked: what is the implication of this chapter for us today?

My mind immediately flew to the work of the modern-day church. We too are the covenant people of God, wandering in the wilderness of this earthly life, each with special work given to us by the Lord. Let’s look at a few specifics:

NO JOB TOO SMALL

Many of the jobs given in Numbers 4 may seem tedious and rather unimportant. And for the most part we don’t like the little jobs. We’d rather feel important, like our work really matters. But consider this: If the Lord gives you work to do in His church–even something as small as washing dishes or taking out the trash–is it really a small thing?

Yet another great paradox of God’s kingdom: there are no small jobs. Even the most insignificant of jobs done with the right heart has great impact. We might not ever recognize it this side of heaven, but one day we’ll fully understand the significance of our role and work for God.

NOT DONE TO EARN GOD’S GRACE/SALVATION

The Bible has a lot to say about works. While it might go without saying, there is nothing we can ever do to merit what God has done for us by providing His Son as the ransom for our souls. In addition, we’ll never be able to “do” enough to pay Him back.

Our work for the kingdom is not the “root” of our salvation, but the “fruit.” What we do for God is out of obedience to His calling on our lives in use of the abilities He’s given us. Nothing less and nothing more.

ALL REQUIRED TO WORK

None of us are exempt from the work. We each have a load to carry and a task to perform. Unfortunately, the rule of 80/20 seems to apply in the church as well, where twenty percent do eighty percent of the work.

If the church is to be a beacon of light and hope, there is much to be done. God grants us different abilities to use for His honor and glory and to serve our brothers and sisters. When we choose not to use our gifts in a local body of believers, others end up taking up the slack.

I love the following rhyme heard in a sermon at a retreat:

“Mary had a little lamb, it should have been a sheep. It joined a local church one day, and died from lack of sleep.”

Some are doing the work of ten people. We’re not being fair to our brothers and sisters in Christ when we soak in the advantages of community living without doing our share of the work. This is not Biblical, and results in resentment, bitterness, and burn-out.

CONCLUSION

Our work for the Lord and His kingdom should be joyous, with all of us working together for a common purpose and goal. Let’s remember there is no job too small in God’s kingdom, our work is the fruit our lives bear in staying connected to Him, and we all must do our share.

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ~1 Peter 4:10

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Another “Pilgrimage of Promise” Giveaway!

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Sacred Work

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So far in our study of Numbers, we’ve discussed living God-centered lives and protecting the holiness of God. In Numbers 3 we see the ministry of the Levites addressed.

The Levites were the priestly tribe, singled out in Numbers for the purpose of caring for and ministering in the tabernacle of God. As we learned in the post on protecting the holiness of God, this tribe encamped around the tabernacle, and anyone else who dared approach the place where God’s glory dwelt among the people was killed.

Not only were the Levites singled out for their special service to God, but they also symbolized the redemption of the firstborn (Numbers 3:11-13).

Implication For Us

At cursory glance, this chapter may seem irrelevant to us, but we always should remember that nothing in God’s Word is there simply for historical benefit. Every passage carries divine lessons which help us live in a way that pleases God.

As believers, we are now that priestly tribe.

Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ -Exodus 19:5-6a

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. -1 Peter 2:9-10

And He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father– to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. -Revelation 1:6 

All that the ancient Hebrews experienced in their stay in Egypt, the exodus, and the wilderness wanderings serve as a symbol of modern-day believers. We’ve been redeemed from slavery to sin, we’ve traveled from a life without Him to a covenant relationship, and we’re passing through this wilderness on our way to the Promised Land.

So…in that respect our lives and our work is just as sacred and special as that of the Levites. It doesn’t matter if the tools of your trade are a computer, shovel, stethoscope, toilet bowl scrubber, or pulpit–all of them can be used for God and His glory, to point a lost and dying world to our good God.

Thank You, Lord, for the sacred work You’ve given us to do. May we remember to view our work as holy work for You and Your Kingdom, and to live our lives accordingly. Amen.

Vote For My Next Writing Project

Hi friends! As you can tell from my potato man word count widget at the left, I’m closing in on the ending for the rough draft of A Bridge Unbroken. Yay!!! Hopefully I’ll get to type my two favorite words before this time next week. (Yep, you guessed it…THE END!)

Once I finish a rough draft, I like to let it sit and stew a bit, so I can distance myself for the purpose of gaining some perspective. (And maybe my unruly characters will straighten up while I’m away!)

Anywho, I have a few non-fiction writing projects I’m considering during my brief vacation from Miller’s Creek. The only problem? I can’t decide which one to devote my time to.

That’s where you come in. I created a one-question poll on Facebook. Would you mind taking a cyber-jog to my Facebook Author Page to see which one sounds the most interesting to you? Think about it this way: Which one would you be most likely to pick up in a book store?

I sincerely appreciate your time and help! Thank you!!!

P.S. The screen shot below is click-able and linked to my FB Page. And feel free to share with friends. The more people who participate the better the results1 Thanks again!

Protected: A BRIDGE UNBROKEN Blog Tour

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The “Secret” to Joy & Contentment

For the longest of times, even well into my adulthood, I thought joy and contentment were condition-specific and even location-specific. After all, how could you be joyful in prison or confined to bed or in a hospital room? How could you be content in a bad work environment or as a stranger in a foreign land or in a situation where it felt like everyone had judged you unfairly and turned their back on you?

But give me the refreshing environment of a mountain location, with cool temps, freshest of air and water, and the watery-trickle of the wind in the aspens. Or I’ll also take the relaxed, laid-back feeling of the beach, with seagull cry, waves pounding against the shore, sea-breeze tangling my hair. Yeah, I could be joyful and content in either place… Right?

The truth is, no matter where we live or how great or lousy our lives are at the moment, we can experience contentment and joy. Yes, they can be elusive, but not beyond our grasp. And even though the title indicates that the path to finding them is “secret,” that path is available to everyone.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. -Philippians 4:11-13

Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” ~Nehemiah 8:10

Contentment and joy are the natural result of a life lived in the most intimate of relationships with the Lord. He is the one who lavishly bestows His great gifts upon us. So the “secret” of having joy and contentment is the Lord Himself. He grants us joy and contentment, which then strengthen us in the prisons and hospital rooms and bad situations of our earthly lives.

Thank You, Lord, for being the source of our joy, contentment, and strength.

Protecting the Holy Presence of God

Holy.

Have you ever been at a point in your life when you were suddenly overwhelmed by the Presence and holiness of God? A time when you felt the only appropriate response was to prostrate yourself before Him?

Sadly, those times are few and far between in my life. Holy is a huge part of who God is.

When God brought the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt, an intricate symbol of what He has done for believers through Christ, one of the first things He taught them (and reminded them of over and over again) was His holiness.

“Moses, take off your shoes. You’re on holy ground.”

“Tell the people to cleanse themselves in preparation to meet Me. And don’t let them come near my holy mountain.”

Nahab and Abihu, killed instantly for taking their office and responsibility lightly, and offering unholy fire before the Lord.

“Be holy as I am holy.”

Almost always, in the Bible, when people came face-to-face with the holiness of God, they fell on their faces. (See Isaiah 6:1-15; Revelation 10:1-17.)

In Numbers 2, we see God giving instruction to Moses on how the Levitical tribe was to surround the tabernacle, a symbol of protecting His holiness. In fact, He told them that anyone not authorized to come near the sanctuary, where His Presence dwelt, would die.

This is a magnificent picture and lesson for us today. And a lesson we need to heed. We seem to have lost a sense of God’s holiness today, at great personal cost and loss to us. We live in the midst of a culture that’s no longer awestruck by Holy and Almighty God. He’s been squeezed out of our schools, banished from our government, and shelved by our communities. Even in Christian circles, we’ve narrowly defined Him, reduced Him to neatly fit in a box of our own making, and made Him over in our image.

And the Lord said, For as much as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts and minds far from Me, and their fear and reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition [without any thought as to the meaning], Therefore, behold! I will again do marvelous things with this people, marvelous and astonishing things; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their discerning men will vanish or be hidden. ~Isaiah 29:13-14

As believers under the covenant of grace, God still takes our holiness–and His–seriously. He is in the process of conforming us to the holy image of Christ, and we are to sacrifice our lives as a holy offering to Him.  So the application of Numbers 2 is a reminder to protect God’s holiness in our lives, in the communal life of the church, and before a watching world.

Without that holiness, we lose a true sense of who He is, because He is holy.

I think this song expresses it well: