Today’s study is about friendship, specifically the kind of covenant friendship David and Jonathan shared. The text begins by talking about how sometimes we feel instant kinship with another person. It was bittersweet for me to read back over what I wrote a year ago when I did this study and see the names of people who since that time have in essence walked out of my life. That is not covenant friendship.

Covenant friendship, according to the study, involves three elements: Sign, Sacrifice, and Solemn Oath. While Sign and Solemn Oath are obviously important enough (each for their own purposes) to merit Ms. Moore’s mention, it was Sacrifice that really stuck out to me (and piqued most of my scribbled margin notes). I read back over my notes to find a statement about how important sacrificial LOVE is in a friendship, and that love is a choice. Not a passive one, but an active one. Love, as the song says, is a verb.

It’s no accident that David and Jonathan’s covenant friendship is compared to, and used as an example or type of, our relationship with God through Christ. Christ becomes our covenant through which we enter into relationship with our Creator God.

Which got me to thinking about how shallow many (most?) of our earthly friendships are when compared to the kind of covenant that ties us to God. How many flimsy friendships do you have? How many would you say come close to exemplifying the kind of kinship that David and Jonathan shared? Is there a lesson here?

Another key point I have highlighted in my study is:

It’s easy to see why I underlined this and wrote the word “KEY” beside it. And while it might seem like one of those statements that goes without saying, I’m glad Beth didn’t let it go without saying.

I mean, how often do I try to go before God? Not intentionally, of course, but I get going and forget to wait on Him and before I know it I’m just flying along, talking a mile a minute and realizing I’m alone. Ever done that? I shudder to think of how many times I’ve run off ahead of God, and I have to admit mildly amused to think of the way He just sits there and waits for me to turn my goofy self around and come slinking sheepishly back to Him. And unfortunately I’m usually sporting a few more battle scars than when I left. Moreover, the Enemy is still busy doing what enemies do, unfettered by all my striving and running ahead.

So I suppose the moral of the story is easy: If I’m to be a threat to the Enemy of my soul, I’d better make sure I am behind the Protector of my everything.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the best way to post on this Bible study. I think the best thing would be to post highlights of the week’s lesson from my own study book, with some of my own thoughts added in, along with an open invitation for discussion through commenting. Sound good?

Additionally, since there is way too much to put into one blog entry, I may be posting on the week’s study more than once each Monday, and it could even spill over into other days of the week if it’s a really juicy one, so just be aware. You just don’t know what will happen once you get really into God’s Word, particularly when Beth Moore gets involved.

The first thing I underlined in my study is

“…a person can have good characteristics without having good character!”

The understatement of the year, maybe? Interestingly, what follows is the contrast that it isn’t squeaky-clean shiny perfect people God is calling to develop a heart like His. It’s the imperfect, the ones who are struggling, the ones who are trying. I don’t know about you, but that was major good news for me!

More to come! This study is replete with wisdom and very real help. Check back throughout the day/week for more…

Which has absolutely nothing (or at least very little) to do with today’s blog entry, but
a. It’s song title with “Monday” in it, and
b. It’s an amazing song.

It’s been a bit of a downer day for me, for a few reasons.
1. I found out this morning that T-Mobile lied to us about yet another detail of our account when they schmoozed us into signing with them a few weeks ago.
2. Finances are still really tight and I don’t see that letting up too much any time soon, which has some pretty daunting implications for Christmas.
3. I’m PMSing.
4. My daughter is sad.
5. All of a sudden I just feel (and look) really old.

On the upside, I had a conversation today that seems to have put us on the road to reconciliation with some people who are really important to us.

It’s 8pm and I just feel really tired.

Yes, that’s a HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.

That’s the low end of figures floating around for how much money the Obama camp spent in the month of October alone.

I just think that is obscene.

Money can’t buy you love, but it’s beginning to look like it can buy you the presidency.

Let’s hope ALL the great things people have said about this man are true, and NONE of the really scary things are. I don’t see that happening, but by the time that becomes clear it’ll be way too late.

God, we need your protection more than ever. You never leave us, and I’m counting on that in a major way right now.

I’m bouncing off Valerie’s “I am repulsed…” blog entry.

Anyone who knows me very well at all can attest to the fact that I don’t like to preach. I prefer my writing to be entertaining and enlightening, in a creative sort of way.

Well, pardon me, but I feel a sermon coming on.

Know what vexes the living daylights out of me? Being the victim of gossip, misrepresentation, and misunderstanding. Especially when it goes on and is perpetuated by people wearing Christian lapel pins (big ones) and spouting Scripture and asking for more gossip to pass around “just so we’ll know how to pray”.

It has happened frequently to our family in the past few years in particular. Enough to make me sick to death of it and ready to scream on occasion when I allow myself to think about it for long. How in the world can this glorify Jesus?

Here’s the preaching part:

Don’t gossip. Next time someone tells you something ugly about someone else, PLEASE, for the love of all that’s good in this world, either completely ignore it, or (better yet) don’t listen to it, or (best of all) tell the person to please NOT spread nasty rumors that will only hurt others and ultimately damage Kingdom work. Can we not spend our energies in more positive pursuits? Good grief! Can we not focus on loving and lifting instead of biting and bashing?

And while I’m ranting, another point.

Don’t let jealousy of others cause you to attack them. If you like/want/envy what they have or how they do things, emulate it, don’t eat them alive!

Believe the best in people. Is it really so hard to keep your thoughts positive about people? Why is it so easy to believe crap about people and so hard to get your mind out of the pit of negativity and back to inspiring (or to use the churchy term, “spurring on”) others toward positive thoughts and behaviors? Honestly, even when you (general you) know the gossip you’re hearing is way out of character for the people being gossiped about, why do you repeat it to the detriment of everyone? Don’t you realize you are destroying everything Jesus told us to do?

In summary, if you call yourself a Christ-follower, for pity’s sake, ACT LIKE IT.

And now, if the band will come up, we’re going to sing something before I have an aneurysm.

My heart is heavy after receiving news of the loss of our Xanga sister, Cloudi. I feel like someone punched me in the stomach.

I can’t help but wonder if I asked the name of the “new meds” she’d been put on, if it would match the name of the one Heath Ledger was taking. And my brother Gary. And possibly others.

Don’t worry, I’m not going into how much I hate the way pharmaceutical companies experiment with human life. No, right now I’m just sad. And that’s enough for now.

Miss you, Cloudi. A lot of people do.