Passion of Mary-Margaret - Week 2

OK....So I am VERY behind, but I finally got my questions answered. They were very thought provoking and it took me longer than I thought. I have so loved this book....I just want to keep reading certain parts over and over again.

LAST Thursday's Discussion Questions :)

1. We find ourselves reading Mary-Margaret’s personally penned story of her life. If you were to look back on your life and journal it all down in story format what are some things you would include? What main characters would we meet? What would be the tone of your story? Ultimately, what would the testimony of your life be (or what do you hope it would be!)?

Gosh, how hard would it be to go back and retrieve detailed memories to journal so people would have a glimpse into my walk with the Lord. And, I’m only 30!!! I can’t imagine doing it in my 70’s or 80’s. How awesome it would be if people would leave journals for us to find after they have gone. It would give such an account for who they really are!!!! Like me, I’m sure everyone has some pivotal spiritual growing moments that are personal and are better left in the past. So, my list is less specific than it would be if I was journaling my life (obviously).

My Family
This would include my parents especially because they are the one’s who led me to the Lord and taught me who He is and what He has done for me. They pretty much taught me most of what I know and outside factors just expanded on the basics they taught. I am thankful that my parents raised me in a believing home and it was a safe place to be. It was safe in all aspects: physical, emotional, financial and especially the spiritual. In this group would also be my brothers, their wives and families. I would also list extended family here: my aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents. I can honestly say that I have a story with each one that has touched and changed my life and given me something to hold onto. I am so blessed to have a family that is full of believers. I’m not sure I could name one that doesn’t love the Lord and that is rare. It’s an amazing legacy my grandparents have.

Friends
This list begins as far back as I can remember! Jamie (D.) T., Joni (R.) S., Arianne P., Amy N., Elizabeth M., Erin (Z) U., Rachel (W.) T., Melissa (B.)L., Abby (B.) K. Trisha J.. All of these women have been my best friends! While we may not talk everyday or be in the same place, they have an extremely special place with me and I know that we can call each other and talk like we never stopped. They are all amazing and have helped me grow spiritually. God has been so gracious and provided me with amazing friends. I have never been alone in this area of my life.

Ministry
I have two youth directors that really impacted my life. Dave and his wife, Rhonda, and Eric. They both really challenged me in my early walk with the Lord. How and what they taught really opened up my passion for the Lord. They weren’t afraid to teach what was really important just because we were young. I will always remember Rhonda teaching me to make a list of qualities I wanted in a husband when I was in 7th grade (and I stuck to it). My next major ministry that affected me was moving to Countryside Church after college. JB is the most amazing teacher! I already knew what I believed, but he showed me how to explain it, understand how it all fits together, and show people WHY I believe what I believe. And then serving in Crossover, our college ministry. It changed my life in ways that I didn’t know needed to be changed…and a lot of it wasn’t fun change either. I had a great time serving and loving the college girls, but there were some “terrible two’s” going on with God and me. I was pretty defiant in learning to turn some things over to Him.

Mentors
I could actually give Toni M. her own group! She has been like my “mom-away-from-home.” I met her my sophomore year in college and just adopted her ever since! Then she became more of a mentor in my single-life and has now become my friend! She is great accountability and the most amazing prayer warrior. She has been there for me from learning the Word, to broken hearts, to frustration, to working on homework, to just having coffee. I would also put Lorinda S. and all the great women from Body Buddies in this group. Each one of these women has made an impact in my life.

Michelle
She does have her own group. There are no words that can describe how she has changed my life and she would have the longest chapter in my journal and mentioned in every single story I have from the moment I met her to present. God is SO amazing and I can’t believe He decided to give me a sister!!!!

Dating
I have to have a group on how God taught me what I wanted in a husband and through dating he also showed me the blessing in having Ken. I didn’t date a lot...there is a running joke that I don’t date anyone longer than two weeks b/c I just know. I did have a more long-term relationship in college and I have to say the break up was more life changing than anything I ever learned in the relationship. The breakup taught me how desperately I needed my Savior and that He alone is sufficient (which in turn will help me be a better wife one day). This was the start of me falling completely in love with Christ. Not all of my dating decisions were great ones, but God always taught me through them. He taught me GRACE! To have it for myself and to extend it to others. I learned to love the unbeliever and know they don’t live by our standard and we shouldn’t hold them to that. Learning that my actions do have consequences and that despite my thinking they do hurt and affect others. Deciding to REALLY look for what is on my list – stop just dating and really, really look for what I want. I think now when I look back my favorite thing about dating is I can see what an amazing miracle God did in bringing Ken into my life.

Ken
He has his own! Nothing can express what he means to me. He is the miracle I never thought I would see. He is the answer to many prayers. He is what I have waited for since I was a little girl. He is God’s perfect gift to me. I pray I cherish him for the rest of my life! I pray that I strive to be a godly woman, wife and mother for him and the Lord.

I have to list two other things that have had a major impact on my life:
Plane Crash – Two of my close friends died in a tragic plane crash in 2001. It was horrible and life changing. I learned that God doesn’t take people from you to make you learn a lesson (something I believed), BUT if you don’t learn something from it, you walked away from a chance to experience God on a whole new level. It also gave me insight on how I deal with tragedy.
My strongholds – These are what bring me closer to the Lord. They bring trials and help me build character and become more like Him. Sometimes they are temporary (single life) and sometimes they stick around. They all make me realize my need for Christ and that He alone is sufficient.

The tone of my story would be one of grace and a journey of relying on Christ’s sufficiency until I am in His presence. A story like David, a life of complete devotion to the Lord, with mistakes that bring me to a closer walk with the Lord. Something I would want everyone to walk away learning is that in any and all trials, if we go through them and don’t come out at the end being more like Christ and learning from them, then we went through it for nothing.

The testimony of my life would be that I lived for the Lord, even in the mistakes I made, hoping to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

2. In chapter 3, on page 22 Mary-Margaret breaches the subject of Christian mysticism. How did this sit with you? What are your thoughts on this topic?

It’s hard for me to say that what MM is saying is not true because I believe God can do anything He wants. He is all powerful! However, every time in the bible when people see the actual presence of God, He has to hide their face because His glory is so blinding. And Christ, after revealing Himself on earth after the resurrection and being taken into heaven, never returned. He left the Holy Spirit with us in His place. Other religions claim that Christ returned specifically to them, but it goes against all scripture. I have a hard time believing her idea of the mysticism, but like I said God can do anything He wants. I do love that she says He sits with her and talks with her…they actually have conversations together. And, I talk to Him in a similar way, but still don’t know about the whole idea of actually seeing Him.

3. In these chapters (3, 4 & 5) we begin to see Mary-Margaret’s intimate relationship with Jesus. What do you think about the relationship we see between Him and her? In what ways can you relate to her approach to Jesus? In what ways can you not?

I love the relationship the book portrays between MM and Christ. It’s so intimate! It’s a challenge for me to know Him better. I know He won’t show His actual face to me, but I love their personal relationship that extends outside of church. Here are some things that I relate to in her walk with the Lord.
A personal relationship with Him…Although Christ went everywhere with her, there was no place more intimate than the alone time she had with her Savior. I talk to Christ all day! But, there is no place like my quiet time with Him every day.
She has real conversations with Christ and He speaks back. I do have times where I sit and talk to Him. He is sitting next to me. I may not be able to see Him, but I know He is there. I talk to Him like I talk to my best friend.
She was a believer at a young age and fell completely in love with Christ. I became a believer at a young age and just fell in love with Him and His word.
Implies she has given her life to His service…if not, other things take His place and create harder challenges in life. I have wanted to serve Him for as long as I can remember. I’ve definitely had my times of living more in the world, but my true desire is for Him.
Not quick at defending her beliefs….after the conversation ends, she can always think of perfect answers. THIS IS SO ME!!! Sometimes I get shocked to silence and don’t have the words to defend my faith….until later. Then I can come up with the perfect answers.
Sometimes she thinks, deep down, that there are still some things too hard for God…then says, “thankfully there is a deeper down” because we know that God can do anything, yet doesn’t. This is how I lived a lot of my single-life. I sometimes just believed that there are some things God couldn’t do…but I KNEW it was because it wasn’t His plan OR His perfect time.

Ok…I’ll stop writing. If you actually got through this long blog, I thank you!