Matthew 17 in our POWERful Bible journaling begins with a familiar story, the Transfiguration.  After our Lord is clearly seen in a heavenly glory, He goes back to business as usual; healing, preaching and teaching.  But back to the Transfiguration, can you even imagine?  Can you image first, seeing a couple of Old Testament prophets who were/are dead?  Second, seeing Jesus in all His glory?  And third, actually hearing the voice of God?  That was some trip up the mountain for a couple of Apostles!

Here is a beautiful quote on this chapter in Matthew taken from the book A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture, “Prayer raises and ennobles a man, and makes him heavenly minded, filling him with peace and conformity to God’s will. He who prays devoutly feels himself raised and filled with joy.” I can only image the joy Peter and the other Apostles must have felt on that day. They were in the presence of Moses and Elijah and then the Lord God. Please God, someday..someday.

POWERful Bible Journaling: Matthew 17

P –Lord help me to love the little things.  More often than not, actually almost all of the time, You come in the still small voice, not the heavenly cloud.  I don’t want to miss you.  And I also don’t want to leave You.  I want to feel the way Peter did and offer to set up a tent so we can stay together longer.

O –Jesus’ transfiguration happened when He removed Himself from most of the noise, activity and people…not talking on the phone, texting, browsing Facebook or pinning on Pinterest.

W —vs 7…But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”

E –If I lived a life without fear, how much more effective could I be for the Kingdom of God?

R –Lord, make me unafraid.  Not for or because of me, but because I want to share You.  I want a bold faith that shares You and Your Church in a world that sorely needs it.  So what if I am made fun of for: not making fun of or criticizing my husband, having so many children, homeschooling, being considered a “strict parent,” saying “no” to things so we can live debt free, not following the world.  Let them make fun if it will bring souls to You; even if just out of curiosity.

Please share your POWERful reflections in the comments.

We are half way through the Book of Matthew in our POWERful Bible journaling. In my Bible, the very first section of chapter 16 is titled, “The Demand for a Sign.” Uh-Oh, just reading it makes me hear, “Dun Dun Dun…” And I want to say, “What, that’s a bad thing?”

In Matthew Henry’s Commentary, he writes, “The Pharisees and Sadducees were opposed to each other in principles and in conduct; yet they joined against Christ. But they desired a sign of their own choosing: they despised those signs which relieved the necessity of the sick and sorrowful, and called for something else which would gratify the curiosity of the proud. It is great hypocrisy, when we slight the signs of God’s ordaining, to seek for signs of our own devising.” Hmmm, sound familiar?

POWERful Bible Journaling: Matthew 16

P –Lord, let me only have eyes for You.  I want to recognize You in everything that happens.  I heard the best quote recently from a woman who had lost her hands and feet, “Things don’t happen to you, the happen for you.”  I want that type of vision.

O –It seems to me in this chapter the messages are getting harder to understand because they are harder to bear.  Even Peter tries to protect or reassure Christ that His death is not imminent…and he gets rebuked for it.

W —vs 9…Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?

E –I’ve been in the Apostles shoes, forgetful of Your works, love and care…even down to the crumbs.

R –I want to enjoy the meal and gather the crumbs Lord.  I want to see You and Your will and be nourished by You in the big things as well as the little.  Gratitude is key for me, so I don’t forget how many baskets I have filled or can fill.

Please share your POWERful reflections in the comments.

How is your daily Bible journaling coming along?  I received the sweetest Instagram tag the other day. Amber McDonald at Laundry is Never Done tagged me in a photo she posted on Instagram

#Repost @laundryisneverdone with @repostapp ・・・ He decided to get out his children’s Bible and join me while doing @thelittlestway’s #POWERful #biblestudy. Heart is totally melted. 😍 #HimAndUs #projectblessed #BlessedIsShe #BISsisterhood #BibleJournaling #Gratitude

A photo posted by Jenny (@thelittlestway) on Aug 13, 2015 at 4:00pm PDT

You all! Do I need to tell you all what that does to my momma heart?! Speaking of a momma heart, the verse that stood out to me was verse 25.  This momma was determined to have Jesus heal her daughter.  Her humility and perseverance paid off.  Here’s a snippet of commentary from the Haydock Bible…”He refused at first to listen to her petition, says the same saint, to instruct us with what faith, humility, and perseverance we ought to pray. To make his servants more sensible of his mercy, and more eager to obtain it, he often appears to pay no attention to their prayers, till he had exercised them in the virtues of humility and patience. Ask, and you shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened to you. (Haydock)”

POWERful Bible Journaling: Matthew 15

P –I am positive I am not the only momma in the world who falls back on “Lord help me” as a constant ejaculation throughout the day.

O –This chapter contains another story of multiplication.  I heard or read one time that we witness a miracle of multiplication all the time and because it’s so ordinary we don’t even pay attention.  Think of when we plant a seed, let’s say a tomato seed.  That one seed produces (hopefully) many, many tomatoes–multiplication.  It’s so common and ordinary though, we don’t even consider it a miracle.

W —vs 25…But she came and, kneeling, worshiped Him and kept praying, Lord, help me!

E –This Canaanite woman did not start off with, “Lord help me!”  First she came to Him, she did not wait or make Him come to her.  Second, she came kneeling; she approached Jesus humbly.  Third, she worshiped Him; she did not go straight into her requests.  Finally, she kept praying; this was not a one time prayer.

R –I will keep praying.  I will approach You humbly and I will worship You because of Who You are before I start asking You for my prayers to be answered.  And I will keep praying, did I already mention that?  I can get lazy sometimes and just give up on certain prayers.  I need the gift of perseverance Lord.

Please share your POWERful reflections in the comments.

In my Bible journaling today, I chose verse 13 to ponder.  We all have our tough seasons don’t we?  And sometimes, just because our tough season doesn’t look like cancer or job lay-off, we just plow right through because, “Someone is worse off than me.”  And that’s true, there probably is someone worse off than we are, but that doesn’t mean we’re not in a tough season.  Let’s grant ourselves the grace to lean into a hard season.  Not lean toward the hard, but lean toward the grace available in the hard.

I’ve found that a tough season doesn’t go away because I work harder in it?  I’ve also found that a tough season has a specific noise about it.  Our Lord and His Apostles had those times.  They were preaching, teaching and healing…dodging those who already hated them and living a nomadic life.  And when Jesus hears about John being beheaded, well, He needed some time to refresh…in the quiet.  But people soon followed so His season of quiet was short lived…but He sought it, and what if that was enough?

The Great Commentary of Cornelius à Lapide states, “He retired in order that He might refresh, by a season of quiet, His Apostles, who were now returning from their preaching, and were wearied with their many labours.”

I’m living out my own tough season right now, and although not as a disastrous as some, it’s a burden for me. But I find when I have the intention of seeking quiet, I start to find small pockets of it literally and figuratively. Or rather, maybe I’m just not filling in more noise so it seems like quiet? Hmm?

POWERful Bible Journaling: Matthew 14

P –I do not want to complain about my circumstances right now, but I also do not want to ignore them. My “hard things” can look pretty darn easy to some. That’s ok. Only God knows my heart and he knows what has stretched me thin and why.

O –I love that Matthew 14 shows a compassionate Jesus. He’s obviously moved by John’s death. He has compassion on the crowd following Him. He tells the disciples to go on ahead while He disperses the crowd–something He could have handed off to them. He calms the storm and when back on land lets those thronging after Him touch His garment to be healed. His compassion was great in very small acts.

W —vs 13…When Jesus heard about John, he left in a boat and went to a place where he could be alone. The crowds heard about this and followed him on foot from the cities.

E –I’m struck by the words I just typed, “His compassion was great in very small acts.” Oh momma’s how much of our days are filled with very small acts for our people? And how’s our compassion in those very small acts? Great? Stifled? Selfish? Is there a such thing as “impatient compassion?” If there’s no such thing known, let me introduce myself…

R –Lord, I want BIG compassion. In this chapter which shows Your awesome compassion, it also also tells of the time You sought quiet. I think they are connected.

Please leave your POWERful reflections in the comments.

Matthew 13 of our POWERful Bible Journaling is filled with the parables of Jesus.  It also contains a couple of familiar themes like bearing fruit and the Kingdom of heaven.  So which is your favorite parable found in Matthew 13?  Although I like them all, I’m partial to the Parable of the Sower.

The Great Commentary of Cornelius à Lapide states, “Observe, only the fourth part of the seed, namely, that which fell on the good ground, produced fruit; the three other divisions of the seed perished. Thus, but few profit by the word of preaching. By far the greater number who hear the word bring forth no fruit.” You know what that made me think of? Turn on the radio or television and scan the channels; at any time during the day you will find a televangelist preaching and teaching the Word of God. There are who knows how many sites on the internet that we could click on to read or listen to the Word of God. We can find commentaries, blog posts (ahem), vlogs, videos, pins and Facebook updates that all pertain to the Word of God…and look at our world. We have more access to the Word than any other generation and look at the fruit we as a whole are bringing forth.

POWERful Bible Journaling: Matthew 13

P –There are so many opportunities to hear You Lord…and I squander so many of them.  I totally get why St Paul asks why he does what he doesn’t want to do and doesn’t do what he wants to do.  And it’s not just the doing.  It’s the being.  I get frustrated because I don’t make daily Mass very often, or practice this devotion or that.  And then I get frustrated because I didn’t smile at my child when they entered the room, or spoke kindly to the insurance lady on the phone.  You are in each one of those scenarios and I miss them or misuse them.

O  –Jesus told it like it was, in a way everyone could understand.  The truth doesn’t need to put on airs.

W —vs 43…Then shall the just shine as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

E  –What if I “heard” God in everyone I met?  What if I took the time to be still and quiet and heard God?  What if I listened to His promptings instead of mine?  I prayed one time, “Keep me from being more internet noise.”  I renew that prayer.  I want you who visit, to hear Him in this space.

R –That sounds wonderful Lord, to shine like the sun in Your Kingdom.  I will listen to Your promptings, Your commands–almost like a personal GPS, leading me in the direction toward Your Kingdom.

Please share your POWERful reflections in the comments.