One month down, eleven to go 
1.29.12
Exodus 21-22, Matthew 19
1.30.12
Exodus 23-24, Matthew 20:1-16
1.31.12
Exodus 25-26, Matthew 20:17-34
2.1.12
Exodus 27-28, Matthew 21:1-22
2.2.12
Exodus 29-30, Matthew 21:23-46
2.3.12
Exodus 31-33, Matthew 22:1-22
2.4.12
Exodus 34-35, Matthew 22:23-46
Image via Wikipedia
As the quartet hopped along, the bright sky around them grew shades darker. The trees seemed bigger and thicker, blocking out the light that had felt so warm and inviting.
“It better not rain,” black rabbit complained. “I just got my fur done.”
Allison nodded in agreement, also looking up, thinking that rain would put her in a terrible mood. From up ahead, they heard the sound of someone talking and the clinking of dishes. They moved toward the noise and, in a small clearing beneath several trees, a table stood, decorated and ready for tea.
“Now this is what I’m talking about,” black rabbit exclaimed, rubbing his two front paws together.
“Me too!” Allison grinned, suddenly remembering how hungry she was. She and black rabbit hopped quickly to the table and were just about to sit when two gigantic legs stepped right in front of them.
“And just what do you think you’re doing?” a voice boomed from above them. The looked up to find a man with an oversized hat tilted on his head and a chipped tea cup in his hand. He stared down at them with an expression that could only be described as crazy. One might even say mad.
“What’s it look like we’re doing?” black rabbit asked, moving to hop around the man. “We’re hungry.”
The man moved, blocking black rabbit’s path.
“But this is my tea party,” the man said, waving his hand at the table, dripping a bit of tea as he moved.
However, a drip of tea from a regular sized tea cup is a huge drop of tea on a little rabbit head, which is exactly what happened to Allison.
“Hey!” she shouted, shaking out her fur. “You just dripped tea on me!”
“So?” asked the man. “It’s my tea.”
“But it’s my head,” Allison argued.
The man simply laughed, sounding rather mad as he did it. “But don’t you see? I am free to do whatever it is I want to do. Tea time!” And with that, he turned over his cup and dumped all the tepid brown liquid right on Allison’s head.
Allison jumped back, drops flying from her fur. “Hey! Just because you are free to do what you want to do doesn’t make it right!”
The man tilted his head to the side. “Do you mean I can’t use my freedom to do whatever I want to do? But isn’t that what you came here to do?”
Allison tried to think of a response, but the dripping tips of her ears were growing colder and colder by the second.
“Come on,” black rabbit said, turning around and hopping to join the others. “What I feel like doing is getting out of here. Who needs his stupid tea party, anyway?”
Turning to go, Allison was stopped by the voice of the man, sounding all of sudden sane and not mad at all. “Is it right? To do whatever I want? Or is it ever wrong?”
She glanced back over her sopping wet shoulder to catch a glimpse of the man rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Then he shrugged, laughed, and went back to his tea party.
Allison hopped away, each bounce squishing, again pushing back the feeling that she was missing something.
To be continued…
Image via Wikipedia
What a curious place Allison thought, taking in the brighter than bright colors all around her. Grass so green, flowers so bright, a sky so vibrant that it didn’t look real. Of course, she wouldn’t dare voice her thoughts out loud. None of the others seemed the least bit amazed by their surroundings, and she didn’t want to stand out.
The brown rabbit hopped and stopped just in front of a large tree surrounded by spotted mushrooms, his nose twitching as he looked back at the others. “This is the spot. One of you should ask for directions.”
The little gray rabbit shook her head so quickly, her whiskers became a blurr. “Not me. I hate talking to strangers. What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t like them?”
“Me neither,” the black rabbit grunted. “Because I just don’t wanna.”
Brown rabbit got that annoyed rabbit look again, crossing his paws over his fuzzy chest. “Well, somebody has to. I’ve already taken the lead of this adventure and it wouldn’t be fair to make me do all the work.”
Three pairs of round eyes turned to Allison. She gulped. Should she tell them she was afraid too? That she didn’t want to either? And that it didn’t seem fair to put all this pressure on her?
Just as she opened her mouth to argue her point, she froze. A grin – and only a grin – appeared in the leaves of the tree just above brown rabbit.
The others sensed her shock and turned around, their little rabbit jaws dropping to the ground. Gray rabbit jumped up in the air and bolted behind black rabbit, shaking all over.
“Fear,” the grin said slowly, growing even more grin-like, “will prove to be a snare, my dear.”
“I-I’m not afraid,” gray rabbit managed, her voice shaking more than her body.
Two yellow eyes, full of as much mischief and mystery as the grin, appeared as well. “You could have fooled me, the cat in the tree. Self-conscious and worried, always quite flurried. Fear always hold you back – there’s no doubt about that.”
Allison’s heart beat hard inside of her little rabbit chest, seeing that those yellow eyes weren’t on gray rabbit but on her.
“Tell me,” said the purple cat – now fully visible, “my bunny friend, when does it end? The doubt and unease, they make you freeze. You won’t take a risk, so much you have missed.” He slowly began to disappear again until only that grin remained. “Fear..will prove to be a snare, my dear.”
And like that, the grinning cat was gone.
Gray rabbit peeked out from behind black rabbit. “Is he gone?”
“The nerve,” brown rabbit huffed, his fur bristling. “Speaking to us like that. He had no right. Come along, let’s hop to it.”
As the others moved forward, Allison paused for a moment. Fear? A snare? Like one that would catch a rabbit? Not wanting to think too much about it, she pushed back the uneasy feeling once more that she was forgetting something. Something important. “Wait for me!” she called, not wanting to be left behind, though she still had no idea where they were going…
To be continued…
1.22.12
Exodus 4-6, Matthew 14:22-36
1.23.12
Exodus 7-8, Matthew 15:1-20
1.24.12
Exodus 9-11, Matthew 15:21-39
1.25.12
Exodus 12-13, Matthew 16
1.26.12
Exodus 14-15, Matthew 17
1.27.12
Exodus 16-18, Matthew 18:1-20
1.28.12
Exodus 19-20, Matthew 18:21-35
Image via Wikipedia
We all know the story of Alice – the curious fair haired girl who followed a rabbit down a hole and ended up on a rather strange adventure.
But less well known is the tale of her little sister, Allison.
Little sister Allison. Not as cute Allison. Not as outgoing Allison. Poor little Allison – plain brown hair, plain brown personality, forever living in the engulfing shadow of her big sister.
Allison was there that day her sister disappeared into the rabbit hole. Watching her blue dress and blond curls drop off into nothing, Allison gasped. “Oh no! Sister has done it again! Never safe, never sensible. She has no idea what could be down there. Bears? Dragons? Should I go after her? No, I can’t. I shouldn’t. What if something should happen to me?”
So she sat on a large rock, not noticing the sunshine, blue sky, and sweetness lingering in the air, a mixture of emotions storming through her. “She wouldn’t come after me if I were to have gone. So why should I go after her?”
“Indeed,” piped up a voice from a bush behind her.
Allison spun, coming face to face with a large pair of dark eyes on a brown furry little face. “What’s this? Another talking rabbit?”
The rabbit looked annoyed, if rabbits could look annoyed, and tapped his big hind paw on the grass. “And just what’s that supposed to mean? You don’t think rabbits should be allowed to talk?”
“Well, truthfully-”
“I can talk. I can think. I can reason. I can do whatever I want to do. Who are you to stop me?”
Now Allison was the one to feel annoyed. She crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the strange tickling in her nose. “I’m not trying to stop you. In fact, I agree with you. Which is just why I’m not going to chase after my silly sister. She wouldn’t do it for me. It doesn’t make sense that I would do if for her. Illogical even.”
“I don’t blame you,” came another voice.
Allison peered through the bushes to try and see the source. Hidden beneath a pile of leaves was another rabbit, this one small and gray. “I say, why don’t you come out of there?”
The timid rabbit shook her head. “There could be things out there. Scary things. Or difficult things.”
Feeling a chill run down her spine, Allison looked around. “You may be right.”
Poking out her head a little bit, the rabbit looked around as well. “Besides, what will others think of me? What if I say the wrong thing? What if I don’t fit in?” She ducked back beneath the leaves. “Better safe than sorry.”
Allison suddenly wished for her own pile of leaves to hide under. Her nose continued to tingle – somewhere between the need to sneeze and the need to itch.
“I’ll tell you why you shouldn’t go,” came a gruff voice from behind her.
She spun, spotting the largest, blackest, scruffiest looking rabbit she’d ever seen.
His ears flopped back and he grinned a sick kind of grin. “Because you don’t really wanna.”
Standing up straighter, Allison nodded. “You’re right.”
“There’s probably hundreds of other things you’d rather do.”
“Millions,” Allison agreed, finally giving in the need to scratch her nose.
“If it feels good, do it. If not…” he shrugged, rolling his eyes.
Allison nodded. “Yes! And I feel like eating pie and taking a nap right now!”
The black rabbit laughed, hopping closer to her, seeming to grow right before her eyes. “That’s cause you’re just like me.”
“I am just like you. Like all of you. Except I’m not a…” Allison trailed off, suddenly forgetting what she was going to say.
“Not a what?” the brown rabbit asked, hopping closer, looking twice as big as when she first spotted him. “Don’t start speaking if you aren’t going to finish. Quite annoying.”
“I’m not a…” again, she trailed off, scratching at her nose, batting at her whiskers as they got in the way.
“Maybe she’s scared of us,” the not-so-tiny gray rabbit squeaked, finally hopping out of the leaves.
Allison waved a dismissive paw through the air. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not scared of you three. I’m just like you.”
“Except?” the black rabbit asked, grinning that sick grin again.
Pausing, she thought for a moment. Then she shook her floppy ears. “Except nothing, I suppose.”
“Good then!” the black rabbit said with a laugh. “Shall we be off?”
Allison nodded, ignoring the tingle in the back of her mind that something wasn’t quite right.
So Allison, the ethical and self-righteous brown rabbit, the scared and self-conscious gray rabbit, and the sensual and self-indulgent black rabbit hopped off down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
To be continued…
1.15.12
Genesis 36-38, Matthew 10:21-42
1.16.12
Genesis 39-40, Matthew 11
1.17.12
Genesis 41-42, Matthew 12:1-23
1.18.12
Genesis 43-45, Matthew 12:24-50
1.19.12
Genesis 46-48, Matthew 13:1-30
1.20.12
Genesis 49-50, Matthew 13:31-58
1.21.12
Exodus 1-3, Matthew 14:1-21
Boys are blue. Girls are red. Together, they make purple. And purple is not allowed.
Well, at youth group events, anyway.
But apart from awkward two week teenage relationships, there is an affection that Christians should not only desire and strive for but show no matter what. Actually, twelve of them.
Jonathan Edwards, known as the most important American Christian in history, wrote a work called Religious Affections. In it, he talks about how there are certain things which every Christian should display. Evidences which reveal the change inside of us from Jesus who changes us for His glory.
In other words, things that make it obvious if someone loves Jesus or not.
Are you wondering how affectionate you are? How passionate, zealous, and devout?
#1 – A new inward perception. You are created. You are not alone. You were fearfully and wonderfully made by Someone wonderful and worthy of holy reverence and fear. Yes, there is a God.
#2 – A pure love for God. Not a half-hearted, when it makes me feel good, “Hey, there’s a cute boy at that church so I’ll go there,” kind of love. But a consuming, heart stopping, can’t stop smiling kind of love for the God of the Bible.
#3 – A sense of beauty for God’s holiness. Realizing just how big and perfect God is and how little and imperfect you are isn’t a sad thing. It’s an amazing thing! It causes you stop and bust out in song and dance because He’s so worth it!
#4 – A spiritual understanding. The Bible is real. What it says is real. Jesus is the star and everything points to Him. And as a result…
#5 – A true conviction based on Scripture. The things that the Bible says aren’t distant and arbitrary. They’re for you personally.
#6 – A deep sense of a person’s insufficiency. You are a sinner. If you were Eve in the garden, you would have been making forbidden fruit pie on day 1. You are in desperate need of salvation and a Savior. Like, seriously, desperately, can’t hardly breathe in need.
#7 – A growth in becoming Christ like. You aren’t the same as you were last year. You are kinder, more generous, more bold, more loving. Bottom line – day by day you are becoming more like Jesus.
#8 – A Christ centered gentleness. The way you treat people reeks of Jesus. You stand apart from every girl around you because of how kind and gentle you are. And it isn’t something based on their likeability or your own good mood. It’s because you love Jesus.
#9 – A horror and sensitivity for sin. Sin disturbs you more than the idea of the Hangover III. When you sin, you are quick to repent and long to change. And there’s no justifying sin because you know your Bible well enough to call sin sin.
#10 – Consistency and constancy. Good days. Bad days. Busy days and Saturdays. 24/7 you are a Christian.
#11 – An intensified spiritual longing. You seriously get Scripture when it talks about hungering for God. No matter how much of Him you get, you want more. You want to be closer. You want to be more like Christ.
#12 – Holy practices. Commitment to reading the Bible, prayer, and going to church. Generosity, sacrifice, service, and purity. These are just a few of the many, many life-style changes that consume the affectionate Christian.
Question: Which of these affections are evident in your life? Which would you like to make grow? Do you have any friends who you think need to see this list and work on their PDA’s?
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1
Have you ever noticed that this amazing verse that speaks of unshakeable trust and belief in Someone we can’t see sometimes gets used as a crutch for nominal, lukewarm, slightly nauseating Christians.
“Sure, I believe in God. I go to church on Sundays.”
“I believe, just like you. Only…I’m not so loud and annoying about it.”
“My relationship with God is private and personal. I don’t need to put it on display for the world to see.”
Um…yes you do.
Faith begins with an assurance and belief in Someone that we can’t see. But real, biblical, kick-butt faith doesn’t stop there. It can’t stop there.
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works…For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” – James 2:18,26 (emphasis mine)
Works don’t make you a Christian. If that were the case, Angelina Jolie and her rainbow family would be ranking with Mother Theresa at the feet of Jesus. (Sorry all you Brangelina fans out there…and Mama T fans…) It has to start with assurance in Jesus as the only God and one true Savior.
But you can’t have faith and not have works. You can’t have a secret, private faith that nobody knows about and it still be real, true, Bible based faith.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:35
Faith isn’t a private matter. People should know what you believe based on how you act. You are light. You are salt. You are a city shining on a hill.
Question: Do people know what you believe? Is there an area in your life where your faith is more hidden than others? Where can you do a better job putting your faith on display?
Week 2. Are you in the habit yet? Regularly scheduled Bible time = keeping up. I’m just saying…
1.8.12
Genesis 20-22, Matthew 6:19-34
1.9.12
Genesis 23-24, Matthew 7
1.10.12
Genesis 25-26, Matthew 8:1-17
1.11.12
Genesis 27-28, Matthew 8:18-34
1.12.12
Genesis 29-30, Matthew 9:1-17
1.13.12
Genesis 31-32, Matthew 9:18-38
1.14.12
Genesis 33-35, Matthew 10:1-20
[uh-koun-tuh-bil-i-tee]
noun
1. the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable.
Have you heard this term before? It’s one of those Christian buzz words that we love to toss around along with “sanctification”, “conviction”, and “Chris Tomlin.”
Accountability is something we all hate but something we all need. We need to know that we aren’t alone. We need to know that there are people out there who care about us and what we are doing. Above all, we need people to keep us in check.
Do you have an accountability partner or two? Maybe you have one and aren’t sure exactly what you’re supposed to do. (My first accountability partner was my college friend Rhianna. We bought little notebooks and would write down every sin we did during the day. Every. Single. Sin. Then, we’d hide in the stairwell of our dorm and confess our sins to one another. Every. Single. Day. Yeah, it lasted about a week)
If you don’t have an accountability partner, get one. Talk to a friend that you trust, who knows you well and you know them well. A friend who is honest and on the same page as you maturity-wise. Then, practice the three “F” rule.
Fun
When you get together, it doesn’t need to be all serious. Spend the first fifteen or twenty minutes just talking. Talk about your day, your life, your whatever. Laugh and joke around. Remind yourselves why you’re friends.
Faith
Fellowship
What makes this accountability relationship different than all your other friendships? Honesty. Hear me on this – accountability only works when you are totally, completely, embarrassingly honest. Take the last twenty minutes and tell each other your struggles. Confess your sin. This isn’t a complain/self-pity session, but a rebuke and repent session. Bring up Scripture to help each other. Speak the truth in love, no matter how hard it may be.
And always, always, always end by praying for one other.
Question: What does accountability look like in your life? Do you have a friend that you could hold accountable and would hold you accountable? When is the last time you were honest with someone about sin and struggles and asked them to hold you accountable?
Get an autographed copy of my first book "Spooky" right here!
or get it straight from the publisher
Crystal Mazzuca