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Articles by Jackie Perry

“Finders, Keepers: Looking for God and Finding Something Beautiful.”

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David, known as the “sweet psalmist of Israel,” wrote many songs throughout his lifetime. Whether he was offering words of lament, gratitude, worship or wisdom, David freely expressed the depth of his heart. One of my favorite songs lies tucked in the book of I Chronicles, chapter 16. Here, David writes a song of thanks after the ark has been brought into Jerusalem and placed in the tent. His heart is fixed on the Lord as He powerfully worships him for who He is and what He has done throughout the ages. This week we will spend time examining five verses of his song so that we can get a deeper sense of what it looks like to wholeheartedly honor the Lord.

 

“Finders, Keepers: Looking for God and Finding Something Beautiful.”

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! 

I Chronicles 16:11

Hiker woman looking forward in the snowy mountain with her hand on forehead

As a kid I always loved when my mother would buy us puzzle books for long car trips. My favorite activities were always the hidden pictures, detecting the differences in two similar pictures, and the word searches. I would feel a deep sense of satisfaction when I found everything on the list. I felt even more pleased with myself when I finished before any of my sisters. I would always proudly declare that I was the best “looker” of them all. Pun intended!

Even though I haven’t done seek and find puzzles in a long time, I’m still looking for many different things on a daily basis. Sometimes, the object of my search is tangible, like my keys, or my other shoe, or a recipe that’s been on my mind. Often, what I am seeking, however, is wisdom, a resolution, or a clear direction. These are the explorations that wear me down the most. I overanalyze everything and wonder if what I am seeing or reading or feeling is somehow indicative of what I need. “Is this a sign, God?” or “Are you trying to tell me that I should wait or keep stepping forward?” Wanting to remain in His will, I can often get exhausted by constantly tuning into the details around me.

In God’s Word, the command to seek is most often coupled with the word Lord or Him. The literal meaning in Hebrew is “to seek His face or His presence.” Even though we know that He is always in our midst, we must be intentional to look for Him. Our flesh easily lures us to focus on other things apart from the beauty of God’s presence. In a sermon about seeking God, John Piper once said, “This setting of the mind is the opposite of mental coasting; it is a conscious choice to direct the heart to God.”

When I can switch my focus to searching for Him instead of obsessively looking for other things, I powerfully encounter Him everywhere I go. On a walk I see Him in the beautiful details of His creation. In a conversation with a dear friend, I experience His love as she listens to me and encourages me. When I look at my kids, I see his incredible creativity and humor in the way that he mixed and matched my genes with my husband’s. Whenever we fix our gaze on Him instead of frantically searching for the path, we will experience what we are really looking for: His presence and His peace. And then, in His perfect way, He will eventually lead and direct us to the decision or detail we originally desired.

Jackie

“A Great Reason to Celebrate.”

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David, known as the “sweet psalmist of Israel,” wrote many songs throughout his lifetime. Whether he was offering words of lament, gratitude, worship or wisdom, David freely expressed the depth of his heart. One of my favorite songs lies tucked in the book of I Chronicles, chapter 16. Here, David writes a song of thanks after the ark has been brought into Jerusalem and placed in the tent. His heart is fixed on the Lord as He powerfully worships him for who He is and what He has done throughout the ages. This week we will spend time examining five verses of his song so that we can get a deeper sense of what it looks like to wholeheartedly honor the Lord.

 

“A Great Reason to Celebrate.”

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!  

I Chronicles 16:10

Praise SilhouetteI grew up in a culture that loves to have a party just to have a party. If there is a reason to celebrate, then one should never hesitate! Get the food, turn up the music, invite the friends over and rejoice over the occasion. Because of this, I find myself looking for reasons to plan a gathering. We recently went out for a fancy dinner to celebrate my son’s college decision. He thought the whole thing was ridiculous. Every time I tried to take his picture, his half way smile was evidence of his internal resistance. But, the road to this night had been long and full of ups and downs. Now that the commitment was made and the future could be somewhat imagined, it was time for us all to rejoice.

It’s always great to celebrate what God has done. But, what do we do when we haven’t seen huge triumphs or overcome great challenges. God’s Word makes it clear that whether we see what He is currently doing, we are to exult His name and delight in Him simply because of who He is. Celebration is a spiritual discipline that powerfully nurtures our faith as we regularly stop and proclaim who He is. It always amazes me how much this process actually shifts my thinking and uplifts my soul. As I name Him and describe Him, it is as if I am literally basking in the sun. This anchors my soul and reminds me of His story within my story.

I encourage you to rejoice out loud as your read the following list of descriptors that briefly paint a picture of the God we serve.

God, you are perfect and good.

You are sovereign and holy.

You are faithful and wise.

You are omnipresent and omniscient.

You rescue and shield your children.

You are slow to anger and abounding in love.

You speak through your Word and by your Holy Spirit.

You guide and direct our feet.

Your plan and purpose will always prevail.

You are kind and forgiving.

You are creative and constantly at work.

I hope you can already detect a lift in your spirit as you remind yourself who God is. I pray that this process doesn’t end but only jumpstarts your exultation of Him throughout the day. No one but God can be described in this way and no one else deserves to be regularly celebrated eternally. May you have a private party for God that refreshes and renews you as you rejoice in Him.

Jackie

“The Songs We Sing are Catchy.”

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David, known as the “sweet psalmist of Israel,” wrote many songs throughout his lifetime. Whether he was offering words of lament, gratitude, worship or wisdom, David freely expressed the depth of his heart. One of my favorite songs lies tucked in the book of I Chronicles, chapter 16. Here, David writes a song of thanks after the ark has been brought into Jerusalem and placed in the tent. His heart is fixed on the Lord as He powerfully worships him for who He is and what He has done throughout the ages. This week we will spend time examining five verses of his song so that we can get a deeper sense of what it looks like to wholeheartedly honor the Lord.

 

“The Songs We Sing are Catchy.”

Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! 

I Chronicles 16:9

attractive young lady singing and listening to music with musical notes getting out of her mouth

Even though my jaw hurts from smiling and my abs ache from laughing, I’m thankful for the times I have with girlfriends. I don’t really care where we go or what we do. Just being with other women who share their stories and who listen to mine fills my soul. When there have been long gaps since our last gathering, you better be quick to jump in to the tiny open space, the lull in a conversation, and say what you want to say. We all have thoughts, ideas, complaints, worries, and woes we are dying to share. This is where we safely exhale about anything and everything. We can move from complaints about parenting to excitement about a cleaning product. Whatever the topic, it seems always tethered to a good bit of passion that only increases as we discuss the issue at hand.

As soon as I head home and hit the pillow after nights like these, I often replay pieces of our conversations. I analyze my contributions. While I sometimes wish that this was not where my mind automatically goes, I have learned to invite the Lord into my mental dissections. Tonight, I become aware of my contributions to some unnecessary complaining and bickering that eventually led to gossip. I regret what I said and receive His admonition, His guidance and His grace.  I’m also tuned into the way we supported one another as we shared struggles and encouraged one another in our walk with God. It took one woman to link our topic to Him and before you knew it, our conversation was full of hope, even in the midst of hardship.

I wonder if that is what happened when David began singing and telling about God’s wondrous works. As he began to sing, do you think they all joined in? He was so excited to give thanks because the Ark of the Covenant was finally in the portable tent he had constructed. His passion is obvious and His joy is contagious. When I read this passage recently, I certainly found myself thinking, “Yes, God is indeed, glorious!” One person’s excitement about something impacts everyone around them. That’s the central premise for advertising. Get others excited about a product, and it will lead the curious to become consumers. If we truly long for others to taste and see that God is good, may our enthusiasm for Him and our passion for the gospel be the central theme of our conversation as we directly and indirectly invite others to place their hope in God.

Jackie