Category Archives: Bible Study

Posts of Bible study lessons, most of which involve worry, faith, fear, surrender, God’s sovereignty, and more.

Tis So Sweet

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Almost two years ago I stood in the church I grew up in. The church where I played Mary in the Christmas pageant. Where I taught Sunday school to children. Where I played guitar. But this day I stood in the front row with a small shoebox-size coffin in front of me. It was my son’s funeral.

Caleb passed from my womb to heaven. I held his body in my arms, but his soul was already with Jesus.

Now in the church we stand to sing the hymns I have chosen: Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus and Great Is Thy Faithfulness.

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus / Just to take Him at His word. My heart sings but my lips are silent as my tears pour forth. Oh for grace to trust You more. Even as the words are sung I know this will be my anthem. My prayer.

Today, how things have changed… or have they? I stand, not in church, but in the baby’s room, holding my second son Jack, singing him to sleep. Jesus, Jesus how I trust You, how I’ve proved You o’er and o’er. My heart sings, my lips sing. Sometimes my eyes water as I remember. It’s not an easy journey to trust God. But it’s a journey of blessings with a faithful, loving God. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh for grace to trust You more.

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Wonderful Counselor

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“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)”

The Lord is a wonderful counselor. The best counselor. Even though I know it’s true and have experienced it, my first reaction is often to turn to friends or family for “counseling.” Something happens to upset or frustrate me, or advice I need, and I want an immediate answer. A lot of the time I don’t get an immediate answer from God but I know I will get an immediate response if I pick up the phone and call a friend. That’s the challenge: waiting for God.

Waiting for His reassurance, His words, His comfort. Not that it’s wrong to ask friends and family, but when I go to them before God I feel like I’m robbing myself of a closer relationship with the Lord. He longs to be my closest friend and its up to me to turn to Him. It’s up to me to learn how God is and will be my Wonderful Counselor.

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Praying In Faith

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This is the true story I shared at Bended Knee Ministries’ Women’s Retreat

One day I had some special news to share with my husband, Jeff. I was trying to think of a creative way to tell him, so I made a special dinner. Jeff came home and I began to tell him the menu for dinner.

“Tonight we’re having BABY back ribs, with Sweet BABY Ray’s BBQ sauce, and BABY carrots.”

“Sounds good,” Jeff said.

“Umm… did you notice a theme,” I asked.

“Yeah they all have ‘baby’ in them… OH! Are you pregnant??”

As we ate dinner, the excitement of the new life inside me began to grow. We wondered if it was a boy or girl? Will it look like me or you? We were very excited and knew our families would be excited too.

Unfortunately the excitement turned to sadness. At 19 weeks pregnant, we had some complications and found ourselves in the hospital. I had gone into labor prematurely. I would have to deliver the baby that day. But he wouldn’t survive.

A few hours later, on February 24, 2011, I delivered a precious little baby boy who we named Caleb. In the Bible, Caleb was one of the men Moses sent in to spy on the promised land. Ten of the men came back saying the land is great, but there are giants who live there and we could never beat them. But Joshua and Caleb disagreed. Yes the land is great, it’s all that God promised, but the giants aren’t too much for us. God has given us the land. Let’s go and take possession of it. But the people were afraid and didn’t trust God to give them the land. Because of their disobedience, God said the entire generation would pass away and not see the promised land – except Joshua and Caleb.

Caleb was described as “whole-heartedly following the Lord.” Jeff and I chose to name the baby Caleb to remind ourselves to whole-heartedly follow the Lord. We knew there would be “giants” in front of us – fears that would be easy to succumb to. But instead of fearing or running from God, we needed to trust Him.

Instead of picking out baby furniture for the nursery, we were picking out cemetary plots and planning a funeral. As we mourned our son we mourned our dreams. Would we ever have a baby to watch grow? What would it even be like to be pregnant again? How would I be pregnant and not be afraid about something going wrong?

Over the next few months we felt God’s peace and strength as He was healing our broken hearts. About six months after Caleb died we found out I was pregnant again. Instead of the fear I anticipated, I truly felt joyful. I had new doctors. I would be seeing a specialist. I would have ultrasounds every two weeks and shots that were supposed to prevent premature labor. But on top of that, I really felt a confidence from God that everything was going to be fine.

And everything was going really well until a routine ultrasound appointment at 21 weeks showed that my cervix has shortened. A normal cervix in pregnancy is at least 2.5 centimeters. Every ultrasound I had, my cervix measured 3.5 centimeters, which is really good! But at that appointment, as soon as the image came on the screen, I knew something was wrong. Instead of 3.5cm, my cervix measured only 0.4cm. In order to prevent labor, I would need an emergency cerclage, which is a stitch to keep the cervix closed. I underwent the surgery that afternoon.

Even with the cerclage, the risk of going into labor prematurely was high. I would have to be on strict bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy which was 3 ½ months.

In the beginning when I had that confidence that everything was going to be fine, I thought everything was going to be fine. I wasn’t expecting emergency surgery, or that the life of the baby depended on my ability to stay laying down for three months. My confidence was a little shaken. So just like after Caleb died, I turned to the Bible. As I was reading I found this verse in Mark where Jesus is talking to the disciples about faith. Jesus is telling them if they have faith they can move mountains. In Mark 11:24 Jesus says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

I thought ok… whatever I ask for, believe I have received it, and God will give it to me. So I prayed, “Lord please give me a full-term healthy baby. I believe you’re going to do it and I trust You.”

I had prayed for a full-term baby, I believed God was going to give him to me, so I needed to act on my belief. I would go to doctors appointments and they would tell me my goal was to get to 28 weeks. I said, no, we’re going full-term. We’d make it to 28 and they would say, now the goal is 30 or 32. And I would tell them, I’ve prayed for a full-term baby and I believe that is what God is going to give us. My goal is full-term.

Bed rest meant laying down. I was allowed to get up to go to the bathroom and i could drive myself to doctors appointments every week. After going to the doctors appointments I figured a quick stop through the Starbucks drive thru would be ok. I became very familiar with all my drive thru options on bed rest. But bed rest also meant not going to church and not going to bible study. I knew I needed to be intentional about having spiritual lessons in my life. I would watch sermons on video, do video bible studies. One Sunday morning a friend even came over in her sweat pants and laid in bed with me so we could watch church together. At times it was hard not having spiritual fellowship with others. So I started a blog to write about my faith and what was happening in the pregnancy.

Through the blog and email and facebook, I asked friends and family to pray with us for a full-term baby and believe that God will answer our prayers. There were hundreds of people praying with us. Many of you in this room were praying for us.

Acting in faith for my prayer wasn’t always easy. My sisters wanted to throw me a baby shower, which was very nice. I was hesitant as we started to make plans. I knew I would need to register for baby things, which I could do online while on bed rest, but I was nervous. What if I get all these baby clothes and toys and furniture, but end up not having a baby to bring home? I would catch myself thinking like this, and be reminded – I’ve prayed for a full-term baby, I believe God is going to answer my prayer, I need to live like there’s going to be a baby at the end of this pregnancy. I finally started to register for baby things and as soon as I did I felt more confident. The more I acted in faith on my prayer, the more my faith grew.

When you have a story like mine, you get connected with other people who have similar stories. A friend of a friend mentioned they know a girl in Idaho who was also on bed rest and the doctors thought the baby was going to be born prematurely. So I found her on facebook and wrote her a message. I didn’t know if she was a Christian or Buddist or Atheist or anything. But I wanted to share with her my verse. I wanted her to know that whatever she asks for in prayer, if she believes that she will receive it, then it will be hers. As I started to write it though I was scared again. What if God doesn’t answer her prayer? What if it doesn’t work for her? But I realized I don’t have to defend God. This is what He says in the Bible. If I believe it to be true for me, then it would be true for her or for anyone else who prays in faith. I shared the verse with her and she began praying for a full-term baby also.

Well the weeks of bed rest went on and I was receiving mostly positive reports from my doctors. My cervix had increased back to 3.5cm which was really good. One week, though, the measurement decreased to 2cm. This wasn’t surprising to my doctors. But it surprised me. It was easy to keep believing that a full-term baby was going to happen as long as everything was going well. But when I had not-so-positive reports at the doctor I was forced to re-examine my faith and trust in God. It also gave me great opportunities to share my faith with the doctors. When I went for my next appointment my cervix measured 3.5cm again! My doctor said she had no medical reason for how that happened. I told her God was teaching me to trust Him and choose faith instead of fear. I never was able to get into much detail about my faith with the doctors, but I would tell them every week that a lot of people were praying for us and God was responsible for how well things were going.

Babies are actually considered full-term at 37 weeks, so at 37 weeks the cerclage was removed. Some women go into labor immediately and some it takes a few days. I figured at this point my prayer had been answered – I had made it to the full-term mark, so the baby could come anytime. But it crossed my mind that the baby might come late – proof that it wasn’t the shots, or the cerclage, or the bed rest, or the doctors that kept the baby inside me. But that God was the One responsible!

At 40 weeks and 5 days, I was INDUCED! It is rare for anyone with an emergency cerclage to even make it to their due date let alone be induced. 4 weeks past the latest the doctors thought I’d make it. 4 weeks without a cerclage. 4 weeks not on bed rest, but sitting up and walking around! 4 weeks that showed God is in control!

On June 1, 2012 I gave birth to a beautiful little boy, Jackson Archer Chun. Jack was Full-term and healthy. All of our prayers had been answered. The doctors were amazed that I went full-term and that labor had to be induced. I told them, you’ve done a great job and I’m very thankful for all your medical expertise, but God gets all the glory for this one. He has heard our prayers and He has answered.

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24

A Day is Like A Thousand Years

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The Bible says a day is like a thousand years to God, or a thousand years is like a day. I was reminded of that this morning at my Moms group. A physical therapist came to talk about exercises and stretches moms can do to help their bodies get back to normal. So I asked what to expect after being on bed rest.

She said, “One day of bed rest requires one week of recovery.” She might as well have told me it’ll take a thousand years!

I am playing soccer in 4 days. I told my team to have low expectations. And then lower them some more. Little by little I’ll get back to normal. Hopefully it won’t take a thousand years (or even 115 weeks like the physical therapist’s schedule).

It’s the little part I don’t like. Two years ago I was at the top of Kilimanjaro. A feat that took 9 months of training. Throughout this blog, we’ve compared bed rest to Kilimanjaro and Kilimanjaro has always been harder. Not any more.

Unfortunately, I’m not a delayed gratification kind-of-person. I want to see results now, or even yesterday. I suppose most of our society is like that which is why magazines and tv commercials are filled with “10 easy steps,” “3 ways to a better…,” etc.

But I’m reminded that the things we work hardest for in life tend to be the most meaningful. No pain, no gain. What’s the point of winning the victory if you didn’t fight a hard battle.

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

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Only Two Roads

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There are only two roads in life: the narrow road that leads to heaven or the wide road that leads to destruction. Which road are you on? Which road do you want to be on?

I listened to a message on the radio today by Pastor James MacDonald about Walking in the Light. I really enjoyed it. I wish I could have written down what he was saying, but I was driving. I wish I had more time to write about what he said, but I don’t today and I don’t want to forget. So take 20 minutes and listen to the message. Let me know what you think!

Go to: http://www.jamesmacdonald.com/
Click “Listen” below Today’s Broadcast

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Hello? Hello?

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Don’t you hate when the phone rings, and you actually get up to answer it, but no ones there? Maybe it’s worse when you answer and it’s a telemarketer. That’s kind of like what happened to this boy Samuel in the Bible.

Samuel heard a voice calling him during the night. So he got up and went to his boss (who he was living with) and said here I am (i.e. what do you want??) But the boss said he didn’t call him. This happened three times! Finally the boss realized that God must be the One calling Samuel. He told Samuel to stay in his bed next time he heard the voice and to ask God what He wanted.

I wonder how many times we do the same thing as Samuel. We hear a “voice” and turn to who we think is “calling.” Maybe it’s not always a voice or a phone ringing, maybe it’s a crisis. Maybe it’s losing a job or a loved one. Maybe it’s a fight with your spouse or an argument with a friend.

Instead of turning to human solutions, maybe God wants to use this event in your life to get you to turn to Him.

Turn to the Lord in prayer, in reading the Bible, in going to church. Ask God why He has allowed this crisis. Ask God to be your strength. For wisdom and peace when you’re fighting. For comfort and hope despite loss.

You can try to solve things and live life in your own power but you’ll continue to fail. Turn to Jesus who is the source of hope, peace, and love. He heals the brokenhearted. He comforts the weary. He takes away your burdens and gives you peace.

If you’ve never called out to God its not too late to start. He says “call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and marvelous things” (Jeremiah 33:3). I could use some great and marvelous in my life. I bet you could too.

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Birth Pains

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Does anyone else, especially pregnant women, dislike reading all the Bible verses about women being in pain during childbirth? We all know labor is painful… does it have to be repeated so much?

As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain… Isaiah 26:17

She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Revelation 12:2

She went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 1 Samuel 4:19

I think what might be worse than these labor-pain verses is the fact that God didn’t originally design childbirth to be painful. It’s actually the punishment for the first sin – Adam and Eve eating from the tree that God told them not to eat.

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done? … Because you have done this… I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Genesis 3:13-16

Adam was punished too, along with the serpent who deceived them. Don’t you wish Eve had some foresight to see how her choices might affect the rest of us? I’m not having “labor pains” right now but I am having severe sciatic nerve pain. It comes and goes, but came on strong yesterday and hasn’t really left. I was just sitting on the couch and leaned forward to put a coaster away when this sharp pain shot through my backside. The kind of pain where you think you might die, even though you know you’re overreacting a little.

It eased a bit as I made my way to the car since it was time for my doctor’s appointment. But as I try to get in the car I realize I can’t lift my right foot off the ground without that pain shooting through me. Why is it that my first reaction to pain is the “F word?” There’s my confession for the day. I’m not proud of it. I usually mutter it under my breath or in my head, which seems better than shouting it out, especially when you’re standing in the garage and neighbors and school children are walking by. I’m working on eliminating this from my instinct-driven vocabulary so that Baby’s first word isn’t… you know.

At some point this blog post seemed to turn into complaining but in an effort to be real and honest, I won’t edit it. I don’t really edit any of these except for spelling and obvious grammar errors…

In case you lost track, I’m officially 40 weeks and 3 days. The doctors and nurses were surprised to see me yesterday (they’ve been surprised to see me the last 3 weeks!). As I’ve said before, I’m very grateful for medical science and wonderful doctors and nurses that helped me get this far. But the real credit belongs to God. No one thought I’d make it past my due date. This really shows His power and He is in control. Thank You Lord!

As for the pains…. I know it’ll all be worth it. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. John 16:21

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Immeasurably More

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Moses parted the Red Sea and led the Israelites across on dry ground.
Joshua marched an army around Jericho and the walls crumbled.
Jonah spent three days living in the belly of a whale.
I’ve carried this baby, who was expected prematurely, for 40 weeks and 2 days.

Is it because of Moses, or Joshua, or Jonah, or me? No. It’s because God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

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Your Love Is Deep

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With the combination of being pregnant and having missed three months of church, I seem to be more emotional at church than normal. This weekend at church we sang “Your Love Is Deep,” a song I’ve only sung at Young Life activities and haven’t heard in years. I opened my mouth to sing and immediately had tears in my eyes. I was remembering my Wisconsin Young Lifers, picturing sitting around the campfire singing with them, or hiking through the mountains in Colorado. I pictured their faces from freshman year, so young and full of excitement.

We probably sang that song 200 times during their four years of high school. But of all songs we could have sung that many times, Your Love Is Deep is a good one. Now those high schoolers are out of college! Some are married, some have children, they’re starting their own careers in the real world. I wonder, was spending four years of high school with them enough? When they were in high school I wanted them to know they aren’t alone. Yes, I’ll walk with them and try to be an example they can follow. But more importantly I wanted them to know the One who loves them so deeply, He gave His Son for them. The One who is always with them, and will never move to Illinois to get married. The One whose grace covers every mistake they’ve made. The One who will meet them where they’re at, wipe away their sins, and give them a fresh start.

Your love is deep
Your love is high
Your love is long
Your love is wide

Deeper than my view of grace
Higher than this worldly place
Longer than the road I travel
Wider than the gap You filled

Thank You Lord that Your love is greater than we could ever imagine. When we are struggling, or lonely, or afraid, help us turn to You and remember Your love is deep.

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Top 9 Lessons from College

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As Graduation Season is upon us, I realized that last week marked nine years since I’ve graduated from college.  I thought this would be a great time to look back on the Top 9 Lessons I learned in college. 

9. Get Dressed For Class. This one I learned by hearing about my cousin at a different university, who shall go unnamed in order to protect his identity.  It was freshman year, he woke up late for class, and decided to rush to class instead of putting on real clothes.  In addition to his pajama pants and t-shirt, he added a robe, slippers, and cowboy hat. I think this only happened once (I hope).   Needless to say, it wasn’t until after he changed his ways that he met his wife.

8. Do Not Take Classes With Your Best Friends. As fun as it sounds, taking classes with your best friends makes it too easy to convince each other to order Papa Johns and watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang instead of going to English class.  Or you’ll go to English class and pass a notebook between the few of your friends, each writing one line of a poem or story, and trying really hard not to laugh out loud. In my case, you’ll never get in trouble because the professor only calls on people with interesting names… so “Kristin” and “Debbie” didn’t get called on all semester, while “Cassandra” and “Petrit” were called on each week. 

7. Tips for Sleeping in Class. Sometimes it’s inevitable. Classes from 6-9pm are rarely a good choice due to their length and boring-ness.  But if you’re going to fall asleep, sit in the back row, or at least behind someone larger than you.  Don’t wear a ribbed sweater and then put your head on your arm (you’ll wake up with lines on your face, trust me). Don’t drool, or at least figure out a system to catch your drool instead of waking up with a pool on your desk.

6. Find a Church. I was only one hour away from home and often came back on weekends to see family, and my boyfriend-now-husband, and go to church.  But when I stayed at school on the weekends I had a hard time finding a church I liked.  I tried new churches almost every week but I didn’t like the music, or the preaching, or that there wasn’t anyone my age.  Looking back I should have just picked a church that teaches the Bible and planted myself there.  I ended up finding a church I loved my senior year of college.  I became a leader of the youth group and really had a great time being involved. I only wish I had found it earlier.

5. Find a Bible Study. My freshman year there was a girls Bible study that met in my dorm. My roommate and I went, often ordering Papa Johns and watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire when it ended (that show was new then!). That Bible study group lasted all four years of college.  Those women became good friends. We would add a few and lose a few each year, but we helped each other stay focused on God, and many of us remain in contact still.

4. Do Not Join a Fraternity or Sorority. It’s not the stereotypes of partying and drinking that concern me. In fact I was in a sorority and had a lot of fun while I was part of it. I made some good friends, was involved in every intramural sport with them, developed my leadership skills, etc.  But one day God revealed to me things about the sorority that didn’t honor Him.  It’s a secret society, so you don’t know anything about the rituals or initiation until you’re already committed. Further, if something was good, you’d think it wouldn’t be a secret.  Many of the ceremonies seemed to mock Christian rituals, even though the sorority posed as a “Christian organization,” even reciting a Psalm and praying each week at meetings. It wasn’t just the particular sorority I was in. I talked to people in other sororities at other colleges throughout the years and they had very similar ceremonies and rituals as mine.  I know this isn’t a topic you hear discussed much, so maybe you’re surprised or think I’m crazy.  If you want to know more of my experience, send me a message and I’ll talk to you in more details.  But in summary, although my experience in the sorority was good, God clearly directed me that I shouldn’t be involved and to leave so I did.

3. Stand Up For What You Believe. I went to a Christian university so you’d assume that most students would have similar Christian beliefs, and that certainly professors would uphold and teach Christian beliefs as taught in the Bible.  Not the case.  I had one Theology class about the Scienfitic World that taught opposing views from God’s Word.  I was surprised, but it caused me to study each topic on my own to find research supporting Christian perspectives.  I often disagreed vocally with the professor in class and I wrote papers contrary to what he taught but supported by research I found. When you stand up for what is right, whether it’s disagreeing with a professor or helping a student who is being bullied, God sees what you are doing and will reward you.

2. Don’t Drink. Believe it or not, it’s possible to make it through college without drinking alcohol (or doing drugs or having sex). When I was 16, I decided I would never drink. As my friends in high school began drinking, I would attend the parties but refuse the drinks.  “No thanks” became so ingrained in my mind that it just continued into college.  I went to parties, I hung out with people who drank, I was around alcohol, but I stood strong in my decision not to drink. As time went on, people stopped asking me if I wanted a drink because they already knew the answer.  I didn’t want any substance to have any control over my mind and body. I’ve seen enough people drinking to know that nothing good comes from alcohol, but there are plenty of bad decisions people make while drinking. As the years went on I spent less time at parties and less time with people who drank because I didn’t like being around alcohol.  I had a lot of fun in college and didn’t miss out on anything. Weigh the pros and the cons and realize you don’t need to drink to fit in or have fun. In fact, you’ll be saving yourself from a lot of destruction if you choose to avoid alcohol.

1. Read the Bible Every Day. Nothing will keep you grounded in truth like the Word of God. Even if you only read a little bit each day, I guarantee you it will be one of the best decisions you ever make.  The Bible is God’s voice directing your path, comforting your concerns, and giving you peace in uncertain circumstances.

When I look back on college, these Top 9 often cross my mind. I’m sure there’s more I could add… like pray for a good roommate and good friends.  I don’t remember praying that but God certainly blessed me by giving me great friends who are still great friends today.