I taught the Bible story for the Kinder-3rd group this week at my church. The props were amazing— action figures, Legos, play kitchen steaks, and a squirt bottle of water. It was a spectacular story to tell— the epic showdown from 1 Kings 18 of baaaaad King Ahab and the amazing prophet Elijah on Mt. Carmel, both praying to their g/God to bring fire to light their altar of sacrifice. I love this story for so many reasons but my most favorite part is when Elijah begins asking the prophets of Baal questions after they’ve been screaming their heads off and stamping the dirt for hours— “Maybe he’s on a trip…?” “Perhaps he’s taking a nap…?” “Ohhhh, I wonder if he’s in the bathroom…???” (I mean, c’mon… the Bible is the best book everrrrr.) Then with one prayer whispered to the one true God, in one miraculous moment, the altar and everything on it is burned to a crisp. No question— Elijah’s God totally wins. We serve a God who does impossible things!
*and the crowd of Sunday School kids goes wild*
As I was preparing for this lesson, I continued reading through the next few chapters of 1st Kings. It tells of the rain coming after three years of drought, how Elijah had to flee because Mrs. King Ahab, the terrible Queen Jezebel, wanted him dead, and him ending up in the wilderness alone, sad, hungry, and tired. He had just called fire from heaven on the mountaintop and within 24 hours, he was destitute in the desert.
After his snack and rest, he had the strength for a 40 day journey to another mountain where he found respite in a cave. He is set for another God experience and I find this one so incredibly interesting…
“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV
“And after the fire came a gentle whisper…” Oh friends that we might know His gentle whisper today. Sometimes we expect God in the powerful winds and shattered rocks and earthquakes and fires in which He’s very capable to be. <Ahem— mean ol’ Ahab and your prophets of Baal…> But He’s also very much a God who comes in a gentle whisper and a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. There is no One greater than our God. That same God who walked Elijah through every excruciating and hilarious minute is the exact same God who walks through ours. Believe. Trust. Listen for His whisper this week…
NO NEWSLETTER NEXT WEEK :: Going to take some time off to be present in the moment with family over the weekend and collect more words in my journal than on the interwebs. Happy holiday weekend, friends; hope you can spend time loving right where you’re at too!
What I’m Reading:
(*each book linked to purchase @Books-A-Million, an affiliate partner!)
Nonfiction Morning Read:
Gentle & Lowly by Dane Ortlund - This is one to take s-l-o-w-l-y; perfect for a summer morning. Beautifully written and an incredible read so far. Almost done with this one! — YOU WANT THIS ON YOUR BOOKSHELF!
Next on the list:
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi - equips you to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn't. #hereforit
Afternoon Poolside Read:
Current:
Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi- I am LOVING this book! So good. So interesting. So layered. Highly recommend for a summer novel! :) (*see last week’s newsletter for full description)
Next Up:
The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman - In the fall of 1918, thirteen-year-old German immigrant Pia Lange longs to be far from Philadelphia's overcrowded slums and the anti-immigrant sentiment that compelled her father to enlist in the U.S. Army. But as her city celebrates the end of war, an even more urgent threat arrives: the Spanish flu. Funeral crepe and quarantine signs appear on doors as victims drop dead in the streets and desperate survivors wear white masks to ward off illness. When food runs out in the cramped tenement she calls home, Pia must venture alone into the quarantined city in search of supplies, leaving her baby brothers behind.
Bernice Groves has become lost in grief and bitterness since her baby died from the Spanish flu. Watching Pia leave her brothers alone, Bernice makes a shocking, life-altering decision. It becomes her sinister mission to tear families apart when they're at their most vulnerable, planning to transform the city's orphans and immigrant children into what she feels are "true Americans."
Waking in a makeshift hospital days after collapsing in the street, Pia is frantic to return home. Instead, she is taken to St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum - the first step in a long and arduous journey. As Bernice plots to keep the truth hidden at any cost in the months and years that follow, Pia must confront her own shame and fear, risking everything to see justice - and love - triumph at last. Powerful, harrowing, and ultimately exultant, The Orphan Collector is a story of love, resilience, and the lengths we will go to protect those who need us most.
~ Off until August! ~
{Please continue to pray for us in the interim!}Next Up: August 20-21 - Mitchell Berean Church, Mitchell, NE - CLICK HERE (*updated registration link!)
August 27-28 - North Pointe, Lincoln, NE - CLICK HERE
September 17-18 - Colby Berean, Colby, KS
October 8-9- Marysville Berean, Marysville, KS
October 22-23- Berean Bible Church, Grand Island, NE
November 5-6 - Crete Berean, Crete, NE
December 3-4 - Sonrise Church, Torrington, WY
January 14-15, 2022 - Columbia, Kentucky
March 4-5, 2022 - Imperial Berean, Imperial, NE
April 1-2, 2022- Sandhills Community Church, Mullen, NE
April 29-30, 2022 - Grenada, California
For 2022 booking information, please email dianemathis85@gmail.com!
It’s BIRTHDAY WEEK for Podcast Parables! So insanely exciting! July 2 will be one year it has been live and it makes me teary every time I talk about it! The episode is *So FuN*! Please take some time to listen. It will encourage ya— I promise!
Episodes will be paused for a few weeks as I take some time off to rest, pray, and write. We will resume at the end of July with Season 5: Esther!
If you are interested in becoming part of the Podcast Parables team, here are the links to ways you can hop in and help!
HYPE TEAM - Social Media slayers willing to bump Podcast Parables content in their own feeds, tagging and sharing and liking all the things. Please CLICK HERE to send a DM and I’ll get ya hooked up!
FINANCIAL SUPPORT TEAM - Have an extra $1, $5, or $10 in your monthly budget? CLICK HERE to fill out a 60 second form to join the crew!