Archive for July, 2010

Lifting Up My Hands

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

She Speaks

…Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. –Exodus 17:10-13

The thing that I love about the above passage is that Joshua wasn’t in the battle alone. Not only that, but Moses didn’t even have to hold up his hands by himself. There was one war being fought and each person had a role to play in it. When each person did his part the battle was won.

I’m heading into my own battle or sorts this week and I could use your prayers.

Today I’m getting on a plane and heading to the She Speaks conference. Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I write for the She Seeks division of Proverbs 31 Ministries and that I also attended this same conference last year. I love these women greatly and I think they put on one of the finest conferences there is when it comes to equipping women for writing, speaking and women’s ministry.

I have several friends I don’t see often that I will get to spend a few days connecting with. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a part of me that’s desperately afraid to get on a plane, head all the way to the other side of the United States and do crazy things like participate in a speaker evaluation group where I will be critiqued so that I can better hone my speaking skills or sit down with a bestselling author for fifteen minutes and pick his brain on how I can better go about getting a new book contract.

This last week has been very difficult for me. As I prepared to teach at women’s Bible study at my church on Tuesday night and leave for this conference this morning I was met with opposition. First, I was plagued by the most intense bout with insecurity that I’ve experienced in years. There were voices screaming in the back of my mind that God was most certainly done with me and I should not be going to a conference full of experts and fresh talent.

Then the physical ailments started. A fever and headache came out of nowhere and sucked away my concentration as I tried my hardest to prepare to teach and speak. It was strange.

I spent a lot of this week on my face begging God for the strength to do what was before me and for the courage to walk in my calling.

That’s where you come into the story. I’m really hoping I won’t have to go to She Speaks alone. I’m asking you to go with me, to lift up my hands. If you feel so compelled, I’m asking you to storm the gates of heaven on my behalf from now through Sunday.

Some of the things you can pray for include:

▪Safe and on-time travels. I will be flying into thunderstorms and I have a tight connection that will barely get me to North Carolina on time to attend a dinner I need to be at on Thursday night. Please also pray my suitcase arrives safely with me.

▪Fresh vision and purpose about what God has for me in this season of life

▪Affirmation and confidence in my calling

▪New friends and strong ministry relationships that will be mutually encouraging

▪Bonding with my friends on the She Seeks team

▪A radical experience with God in the prayer room at the conference

Please know you will not waste a prayer on me. If you choose to pray for me this weekend I would love to know about it so I can personally thank you. So please leave a comment below.

I promise a full update after I get home from the conference. Thank you for your prayers and your support. I really couldn’t do what I do without you—and honestly, I wouldn’t want to either :)

Please also feel free to let me know how I can be praying for you.

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Posted in Prayer, She Seeks | 19 Comments »

Summer Bible Study #7

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

I can’t believe the final week of Summer Bible study is here. It went by fast didn’t it? This week’s post is aimed at reflecting on the eternal legacy left by Leah and how God is calling each of us to participate in His bigger story too. Although you won’t find the typical two or three points that were a trademark in the first six videos, you will find several Scripture verses and a direct application to your life.

Please consider leaving a comment below and sharing the one thing you will take away from our study in the life of Leah. I was so thrilled to see the community that formed in the comments section over the past few weeks. You girls didn’t only encourage one another, you also encouraged me as well.

Thank you for spending the past seven Tuesdays with me. I have truly enjoyed it.

Summer Bible Study Week 8 from Shannon Primicerio on Vimeo.

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Posted in summer Bible study | 4 Comments »

Book Review: Picking Dandelions

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

dandelions

A few months ago, Sarah Cunningham was completely unknown to me. I actually first heard about her when she wrote a guest post over at She Seeks. The title, Faith Beyond Care Bears & Kindergarten, captured my attention and her story resonated with something deep inside of me.

Sometimes those of us who grow up in Christian homes and learn to recite Bible verses before we even understand what sin is come to a crossroads where we are forced to decide if Jesus Christ is a part of our childhood or if He is Lord of our lives.

Since Sarah explored that theme so well in her post, I jumped at the chance to receive a complimentary copy of her new book Picking Dandelions in exchange for agreeing to write a blog post about it.

Her book is very much like her post—honest confessions from a churched girl who bumbled her way through life desperately trying to find her way to Jesus. Written as a memoir, Picking Dandelions reads more like a novel than your typical non-fiction How-to-Find-Jesus book. That may because it isn’t a how-to guide, although Sarah shares candidly about how she did find Jesus—and how she kept finding Him long after she became a Christian.

The climax of this book isn’t found in one single earth shattering moment when Sarah finally discovered the Truth, but instead is a well-paced journey of one girl who found Jesus a little bit at a time.

For those of you who have grown up in the Church and are having a hard time figuring what the Bible really says and what you’ve simply been conditioned to believe, this book is worth a read. It’s easy reading—perfect for the relaxing atmosphere of summer.

To purchase your own copy of Picking Dandelions, or to learn more about Sarah, visit here website here.

**P.S. Sarah is compiling a list of greatest reads of all time. She asked me to list three titles I think should make the list. They are: The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer, Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper and I Am Not But I Know I AM by Louie Giglio      

**P.S.S. I have a vlog post up at She Seeks today if you want to pop over and hear me talk about my “smile file” and how our words hold the power to encourage other people. You can see it here.

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Posted in Shannon Recommends, She Seeks | 2 Comments »

Summer Bible Study Week 6

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

I can’t believe we’ve almost made it to the end of our study on the life of Leah. It seems like the weeks have been passing by too quickly. This week is one of my favorite weeks in the entire study–didn’t you just love the homework?

The perspective this week offers is invaluable as we step outside of Leah’s story and begin to see how her life fits in the bigger picture of God’s story and His plan to bring Jesus into the world to save sinners. Just like Leah, each of our lives play a role in God’s bigger story too. So it’s important to always be looking around to see how He is at work in the people and places that surround us.

Let’s jump right into this week’s video. If you are reading this via RSS feed click here to watch.

Summer Bible Study Week 6 from Shannon Primicerio on Vimeo.

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Posted in summer Bible study | 16 Comments »

Calling Things What They Are

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

coffeeshop

A few weeks ago I walked into Starbucks and ordered a treat for my husband along with my drink.

“Can I add a Rice Krispie Square to that too, please? Thanks.”

The barista raised one eyebrow at me and cocked his head to the side.

“Oh, you mean a Marshmallow Dream Bar,” he said nodding slowly like it had taken him a minute to decipher what I meant.

“Yeah, one of those,” I said slowly trying to gauge whether or not he was for real. Apparently he was.

I forgot all about my interaction with the cheeky barista until today when I stopped into Starbucks to pick up another treat for Michael on my way home. Honestly, and embarrassingly, I spent a good three minutes trying to decide whether I should say Rice Krispie Square or Marshmallow Dream Bar when ordering.

Something about Marshmallow Dream Bar just seemed awkward and even a tad ridiculous. Really, what person wants to look a stranger in the eye and order something called a Dream Bar? For some reason that name conjures up high school crushes and childhood aspirations of being an astronaut and has nothing to do with my real life.

I walked up to the counter and casually peered into the pastry case. Sure enough, there in big bold letters next to my husband’s favorite snack were the words “Marshmallow Dream Bar.”  

So, uncomfortably, awkwardly, I called it what it was and ordered it. When I got in the car I started to feel stupid for making such a big deal in my mind over what to call a simple dessert. But then I got thinking about other things in life that I have a hard time calling by their real names.

Gossip. This is not gossip. It’s a prayer request. Girlfriend has some drama going on and she could use some praying friends. Uh huh. Right.

Pride. Did Jill just get a haircut? She did. Look at her. She looks so cute. Where’s my cell phone? I’ve got to call my stylist. Competitive much?

Lying. That was not a lie. I was just stretching the truth. Besides, what some people don’t know can’t hurt them. Lies hurt much worse than the truth. Trust me.  

This list could go on forever. But the truth is everything on this list classifies as sin. While it’s easy to label it as something else or brush it off like it’s not a big deal that’s just not true.

Sin separates us from God. It sent Jesus to the cross. It is fatal if not treated with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Message version of Isaiah 59:2 says:

 There’s nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you.

Your wrongheaded lives caused the split between you and God.

Your sins got between you so that he doesn’t hear.

It’s time we stop mislabeling sin and call it what it is so we can repent of it and restore our intimacy with God. We want Him to hear us. We might as well start by being honest and calling things what they are.

Is there something in your life you find yourself easily mislabeling? If so I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.

  

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Posted in Life Lessons | 2 Comments »

Summer Bible Study Week 5

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

I can’t believe how fast this summer is flying by, but I am so thankful to be studying the life of Leah right now in this very season of my life. Her story speaks volumes to me–especially since this week was one of those, “But I want what she has…” weeks for me. (Please tell me you understand what I’m going through.)

Was this week’s lesson crazy or what? I’m telling you, this part of the Bible is more dicey than primetime television. So let’s get right to it and see what we can learn from Leah this week.

P.S. Don’t forget to leave a comment and let us all know what you are learning. Feel free to interact with each other and comment on each other’s posts. We’re all friends here. So let’s spur one another on.

For those of you reading this via RSS feed, click here to watch this week’s video.

Summer Bible Study #5 from Shannon Primicerio on Vimeo.

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Posted in summer Bible study | 16 Comments »

God of the Unexpected

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Black Sand.jpeg

I live in Southern California about ten miles away from the beach. Splashing in the waves and lying out in the sun (while wearing sunscreen, of course) is as normal to me as breathing. Sometimes I head to the beach for a few hours, other times I head there for an all day trip. But either way, I’ve been to the beach enough times to know that sand is brown and the rocks you find along the shoreline are usually some shade of gray or brown.

So, imagine my shock a few weeks ago when Michael and I went exploring in some local canyons with a trail that led straight down to the beach—a new beach we’d never been to before. When we finished the long trek down to water’s edge we were confronted with a sparking black sand beach peppered with bright red stones.

Everywhere I looked it seemed like tiny diamonds were winking at me as the summer sun hit the black sand in just the right way. When I bent down to pick up one of the smooth red stones I imagined filling a jar with their unusual color and displaying them in my home.

This particular location challenged everything I knew about beaches—even though I’ve been to the beach many times in my life. There was something different and unexpected about this encounter with the beach that refreshed my tired and weary soul. Seeing things that challenged what I expected made the beach a new occurrence for me again and it set me in a mode of exploration and adventure that I hadn’t experienced since I was a kid and the beach was brand new to me.

Sometimes our walks with God can be like my experience with the beach. If we’ve known Him for any length of time we grow comfortable with the familiar ways in which God speaks to us. We expect Him to say the things He always says. While we look forward to our experiences with Him, we’re never looking for Him to do anything new or unexpected.

We put Him in the same box He’s always been in, where the sand is always brown and the rocks are always gray. But sometimes God wants to do a new work in our lives. He wants to take us to a new level of believing Him—not just believing in Him but trusting Him in new adventures in life.

When I was twenty years old God led me on a path the resulted in my first book contract. I wasn’t experienced. The odds were against me. Nobody I knew had ever done anything like that before. But I let the God I knew well in everyday circumstances take me on an adventure through something new and exciting. That one adventure with Him has led to many more adventures in the years that followed.  

We all have to get to a place in our faith where we learn to trust God in the unexpected; to follow Him down paths we’ve never experienced before. It involves risk and facing the unknown head on. When we trust God in this way—and we’re willing to abandon our idea of how things should be—we find that God is bigger than we ever dreamed He could be and that our faith is growing as a result.

How have you been putting God in a box and expecting “the sand to always be brown and the rocks to always be gray”? What is one area God may be challenging you to trust Him in new ways?

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Posted in God, Life Lessons, My Life | 2 Comments »

Summer Bible Study Week 4

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

I hope you had a nice 4th of July. In the early hours of Sunday morning I laced up my shoes and participated in my second 5K race. There was a big hill this time so my time was slightly slower, but it still felt good to get out there and run.

This week we’re getting to a really climactic part of Leah’s story. I think the competition modeled between Leah and Rachel in this week’s passage is something we can all relate to. After you watch this week’s video make sure you leave a comment below so I know you were here–but don’t just tell me you were here. Tell me what you are learning.

Take some time to interact with the other girls who are leaving comments. We’re all in this together–so let’s hang out!

If you are reading this via RSS feed, click here to watch this week’s video.

Summer Bible Study Week 4 from Shannon Primicerio on Vimeo.

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Posted in summer Bible study | 13 Comments »

Life in the Hold-It Zone

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

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I’m a perpetual list maker. Every day I move through life checking items off my To Do list. My calendar syncs to my phone and I am all about scheduling things like long phone calls or lunch dates rather than doing them spontaneously.

I tend to be a person who works her way through life with a “What’s next?” mentality. Moving from project to project and task to task I’m always doing what’s in front of me and looking toward what is next. This works just fine when life is busy and things are moving along quickly, but every so often I find that God leads me to a place I affectionately (or not so affectionately, really) call the Hold-It Zone. It’s a stopping place—sometimes a resting place; other times a redirecting place but always a place of minimal activity.

Summer usually finds me in a bit of a Hold-It Zone. School’s out for the summer so I’m not teaching creative writing like I do part-time throughout the rest of the year. Right now I have two book proposals being shopped but nothing under contract, and I’m not traveling for work again until late July. I’m still working on some freelance articles and a few other things, but life is slower than it normally is.

As much as I hate all things slow, I’ve found that the Hold-It Zone is actually a great place to hear the voice of the Lord—although I might not always enjoy what He is saying. Lately, as I’ve been faithfully meeting Him at my kitchen table each morning with His Word and a few study tools spread before me, it seems like every passage of Scripture or bit of Bible study homework has all been pointing toward one thing.

God wants me to see that I’ve been asking the wrong question. What’s next? is an assuming question. It’s focused on the future not the present. Questions like that are asked when I’m assuming that what God has for me tomorrow is more important than what He has for me today.

What’s next? is an appealing question to perpetual over-planners like me. Something about it makes us feel like we’re in control even when we know we’re not. If we know what’s coming down the line we feel like we can be better prepared for it—or like we can daydream ourselves right out of the less than ideal situations we find ourselves in today.

Recently, I’ve come to terms with the fact that one of the reasons God has me in the Hold-It Zone right now is to teach me to ask a better question—a character building question. What now? This question focuses on today and the immediate tasks at hand—even if they are small and seemingly without purpose.

Sometimes the answers to the What Now? question are really simple. Call that friend you never have time for. Ask the checker at the grocery store how her day is going. Invite someone over for dinner. Make a coffee date with a new friend.

Asking What now? instead of What’s Next? gives us the time we need to live in the moment—to experience God in today instead of worrying about how He’s going to show up tomorrow.

It builds character in us during seasons when we’d rather be doing something more important or thrilling. Asking a question like that is a good test of whether Jesus Christ is really Lord of our lives or just someone we follow when it looks like He’s going someplace big or exciting.

Maybe today you’ve found yourself in your own Hold-It Zone of sorts as the slower pace of summer is settling in. If so, then you’re in the perfect spot to start asking a life changing question: What Now?

I would love to hear your thoughts on the Hold-It Zone and asking What Now? instead of What’s Next?

 

 

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Posted in Life Lessons, My Life | 3 Comments »