Confession

Dear Sisters,

Please do not think that as the founder and current main writer for the Convent that Sister Jane must be perfect.  Goodness, I am far from it.  First, I am human.  This means that I'm far, and I do mean far, from perfect.  I confess to you now that I have and will make mistakes.

We are about a month and a half into our current year-long challenge and I'm here to confess that the past 2 weeks have been hard for me to follow the plan.  I confess that I have allowed the things going on around me to distract me from an important task at hand.  Staying in His Word and praying for His world are important things to do and I confess that I haven't been reading and praying as I ought to over the past 2 weeks. 

Are you struggling as well?  Has something popped up in your life to distract you?  Maybe nothing has yet and you are rolling along through the reading and prayer.  Good for you!  Maybe your struggling time is yet to come.

Please, if you are struggling or if you aren't would you take the time right now to pray for your fellow Sisters.  Pray for them as they struggle with making the time to be refreshed by prayer and reading His Word.  Pray for those who aren't struggling that they will learn from His Word and seek to apply it to their lives. 

Remember to keep each other in prayer.  We all struggle with different things in our lives that may distract us from following God's will for us.  Pray for each other as your way to show your love for each of your Sisters.  You may not know each other yet but that's okay.  I don't know all of my Christian family yet either.  I'll have plenty of time to chat with each one when we meet in Heaven!

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

Why I Blog

I blog because I believe that God has given me words to share with others. The blog gives me a platform to share these words without violating the ban on women preachers in many protestant circles.

I blog to support those who walk with God.  I blog to support my fellow Sisters as we walk through life with God at our side.

I blog because I can and I believe God wants me to.

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

With All Your Heart

... Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all  your heart...Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart.  For consider what great things he has done for you. 

I Samuel 12:20, 24. (ESV)

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  Matthew 22:37 (ESV)

If you've been keeping up with the Sisters' reading schedule, you've finished 1 Samuel by now.  I hope that in your reading you ran across the  first verse that I listed above.  When I sit down to read my daily scripture passages, I ask God to speak to me through what I read in His Word; to show me at least one important thing from the passage.  I was struck by the many times "heart" came up in a couple scripture passages that I was reading in 1 Samuel.

Samuel, the last judge of Israel, was warning the people about their actions.   This was not the first warning  the Israelites had received about their actions and heart placement.  Read the book of Judges; it's full of the cycles of following God with all their heart, falling away from following God, persecution or trouble  because of the falling away, a confession of their sins, and a return to loving God with all their hearts.  In 1 Samuel 7:3 Samuel warned the people to "put away the foreign gods... and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only." The next verse says that the people put away their gods and only served God.  And if you've studied the Old Testament at all, you know that service didn't last long.

I pondered a couple things.  What happened to the Israelites that caused them to fall away from loving God with all their heart? Do those same things happen to us?  The answer to the later question is simple: yes.  The answer to the former question is both simple and not so simple.  Simple because the answer is that they no longer loved God with all their heart.  The not so simple part is why they no longer loved the Lord with all their heart.   Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. Jeremiah 17:5 (ESV)  We are human.  We are distracted by the things of the flesh.  We see those who aren't Christians getting what they want: new toys, better cars, more money.  And we desire those things as well even though these things may not be part of God's Will for us.  We end up looking to each other or our selves for answers instead of trusting God; not a good thing to do.

Please do not think that I'm only preaching to the readers of this blog.  I am preaching to myself on this matter.  I struggle daily with where my heart is at in God's will for me.  I don't often enough review my activities and actions and ask myself if my choices demonstrate loving God "with all my heart" and then as a result change my actions.  There have been times when I haven't loved God with all my heart that God has chosen to hit me upside the head with a 2x4.  Not a real one but I think you understand.  I don't like those 2x4 moments.  But I do know that those moments are meant to pull me back to loving God with all my heart.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.  Jeremiah 17: 7-8 (ESV)

When we love the Lord with all our heart, we are like the tree in the verse above.  We don't need to fear what may come our way.  In our struggles we should draw upon Him, knowing that He only wants what is best for us.  Remember, our idea of what is best for us isn't always God's idea. 

What it comes down to is this: moment by moment we need to love God with all our heart.  Loving God with all our heart may require starting new habits and putting away the bad habits.  We can't do it on our own.    Prayer and reading scripture draw us close to Him as well as moment by moment asking for His help to keep our heart focused on Him.  Don't be afraid to discuss your struggles with a trusted Christian friend.  They may have been through similar struggles and can offer support and prayer. 

My prayer for the Sisters is that we will each love God with all our heart.  Please pray for each other in the spirit of Epaphras (Colossians 4:12).

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

One Month In

There's another post in the making but I wanted to check in the rest of the virtual family.

At the beginning of May the Sisters began their new challenge to again read through the Bible and pray for the entire world in a year.  There have been a few days of getting behind on the reading and not praying.  It's bound to happen.  When we feel like we're failing at our challenge, the Sisters have reminded themselves that the goal was to read the Bible through in a year, not to read the Bible every day.  We do strive to read every day but there are times that our human side fails at this effort.

The nice thing about the reading plan the Sisters chose is that it has built in days to allow a person to catch up with their reading if they fall behind.  Are you using the reflection days?  I know I am.  Continuing a previous habit is easy but starting a new one is hard.

I'm here to encourage you.  Don't give up.  If you've fallen behind, that's okay.  Pray and ask God to help you desire to be in His Word.  Choose to start fresh each day with the purpose to read the Word and to learn from it.

You can do it!

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

PS: The reading plan can be found at the Sisters The Need No Misters Convent website.

Mothers Are Awesome!

Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.  Proverbs 23:25 (ESV)

The United States just recently celebrated Mother's Day.  While many could complain that it has been highly commercialized, which it has, some people chose to celebrate it with their moms and show their appreciation for their mom's efforts to raise them.

I spent part of Mother's Day with my mom and one of my grandmothers.  My move back to my home state allowed me a chance to do more than just a phone call for Mother's Day.  My mom is great (even if she didn't want us to pay for her dinner on Sunday).  She set an example for my brother and I to follow.  She's a prayer warrior just like her mom.  She has a great listening ear for when I need someone to talk to.

We are molded by our mothers, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad.  I'm not blind to the fact that there are people out there who have done a horrible, terrible job of being parents.  This does not mean that we are not responsible for our own choices and actions.  We learned how to treat people based on how our moms treated people.  Maybe we learned how NOT to do something because we were embarrassed by our mom's actions or didn't like how our mom did something.

Some women are unable to physically have children.  Those women so desire to have a child that I ache for them in their sadness.  It pains them to see those who can have children misuse this ability and gift.

Ladies, I think we all have the opportunity to be a "mom" to someone at some point in our lives.  Some sisters in the Convent do have physical children but many do not. As a pastor friend put it so nicely, we can be a "mother at heart" even if God has not chosen for us to be a physical mother.  Maybe you have an opportunity to be a "mother at heart" through volunteer activities or even your job.  Maybe you can be the support that another mom needs as she raises her kids. 

So, my female readers, are you a "mother at heart?" 

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

ps: to my readers in Germany and Russia, thank you for reading the blog!  
pss: major apologies for the choppiness of this post.  I'd tried to smooth it out but it didn't work like I wanted.

What's In a Name?

... and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.  Matthew 1:21 (ESV)

... He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.  Luke 2:21 (ESV)

 ... and shall call His name Immanuel.  Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)

...and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)

When we are born, our parents give us a name.  The name we bear may have special meaning.  Maybe it's a family name.  Maybe we were named after someone special in our parents' lives and they thought us worthy to carry that name.  The name we bear may not have any special meaning.  Maybe our parents liked the sound of our name.  Maybe they wanted to give a name that couldn't be shortened into a nickname.  Maybe we bear a name that is different and unique from any other name.

It's possible that we do not use the name that we received at birth.  Maybe we go by our middle name instead of our first name.  Maybe we are called by a nickname that isn't even close to a shortened version of our first name.  Maybe we think names aren't special.  Remember that Shakespeare quote:

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet." from Romeo and Juliet

Admittedly I jumped on the idea of a virtual convent because I was upset by the loss of someone who I thought cared for me.  At first I wanted to call the convent the "Sisters That Need No Mister" but as this is a religious convent it almost gave the meaning that we don't need God in our lives.  I thought the name through a couple more times and decided that adding an "s" to the end of "Mister" would solve the problem. 

The Convent and blog have provided me with the opportunity to pick a new name for myself.  This is not because I don't like or appreciate the name my parents gave me. Due to the public nature of what is written here, I decided to use a nom de plume for my own safety.  (There are crazy people out there, you know.)  After making this decision, I took time to think about the name I would give myself.  What kind of meaning did I want my new name to have?  I thought about names that I've used before on message boards I used in college.  I thought about names that I would have given my own daughter if I were to ever have one.  I thought about names that I liked in general.  In the end I chose Sister Jane because it is the name of the main character in my favorite book Jane Eyre.  Jane is a character that was able to hold up her head through many difficulties.  She kept pressing on through the struggles in her life.  Yes, Jane has been considered a plain, simple name but I needed a name that would remind me of a simple fact that God loves me and has my best interests in mind (Romans 8:28). Jane is also the name I would have given my own daughter as a middle name if I were to marry and have children of my own. 

This post began with a series of verses that point to the names of our Savior.  The names of Christ have a lot of meaning.  Christ's earthly parents were told what to name their son indicating that He was born to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21).  He was born to be "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14).  That's pretty cool!  Think about it.  God is WITH us! To be "with" someone is to be completely and utterly present; that's my interpretation of the word, anyway.  God is "completely and utterly present" in our lives.  This is an awesome thought! 

Christ's names reflect who He is.  He is a counselor, the mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace, with us, and savior.  I know that some would argue that Christ doesn't reflect peace.  "Look at all of the conflict going on in the world today," they might say.    I'm not blind to the fact that this world is full of conflict.  My prince provides peace to His children.  "...for those who love God all things work together for good..." Romans 8:28 (ESV).  The peace provided is not something the rest of the world can understand.  It is a peace that comes from knowing that even in the midst of conflict, God has a plan and He is working it out.  What is happening is not without purpose.  If you aren't a Christian, this doesn't sound peaceful.  You are correct because you are looking at this as an outsider.  I don't expect you to truly understand that the names of Christ truly reflect who He is and what He does for His family.

So, what is really in a name?  In my opinion, nothing.  A name is a name.  A name does not determine who we are, what we do, or what our purpose in life will be.  My name, your name, our names should not define us.  Although, our names can reflect who we are. Simon was given the name Peter to reflect what he was to become: the rock upon which the church was to be built (Matthew 16:18).  Read Peter's first sermon.  There the working of the Holy Spirit through Peter's sermon increased the Christian family by 3,000 (Acts 2:14-41).  Are you reflecting the work God is doing in your life?  If you could rename yourself, what name would you choose?  A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches... Proverbs 22:1 (ESV) Would the name you choose reflect His work in you?  I hope so.

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

ps: While the Convent has been created to support single women, I hope that these blog posts have been meaningful all who read them: female, male, single, or married.

Up for a challenge?

So, are you up for a challenge?  I know I am.  

Truly, I don't always respond positively to challenges but this is one that I think God wants me to accept.  Would you be willing to join the Sisters of the convent as we challenge ourselves this next year?  What is the challenge you may ask?  Well, we have challenged ourselves to read through the Bible again this next year.  Some of us were able to meet the challenge last year and want to challenge ourselves to do it again.  Additionally we have challenged ourselves to pray for the entire world this next year.  This challenge was not met very well last year so we decided to challenge ourselves again. 

Why read the Word? Why not!  If I truly love my savior, wouldn't I want to listen to Him and get to know Him better?  A quick glance through Psalms 119 gave the Sisters enough reasons to choose to repeat the scripture reading challenge this next year.

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.  Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me... I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word...Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.  Psalm 119:97-98, 101, 104 (ESV)

The scripture is full of references I could use to convince you to make the choice to read His Word.  Go ahead, read the Word and find some for yourself.   I can't give all of the references to you; that wouldn't make this a challenge for you.

Why pray for the world?  Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you. 2 Thessalonians 3:1 (ESV) We need to pray that the Lord's work continue in all countries around the world.  His Word needs to spread.  I can't personally travel to all of the countries around the world and share the gospel.  God has not provided me with those kinds of funds but He also hasn't gifted me with the ability to speak many languages to make the sharing of His Word possible. He has provided me with a desire to pray that others fulfill His work abroad while I seek to fulfill His work here.  My job, my church, and the Convent are my ministry locations; my Jerusalem (Acts 1:8.) I will pray for and support those who have been called of God to go out into the rest of the world to do His work.

If you've decided to join the Sisters, we have posted our Bible Reading and Prayer Calendar on the Convent's website for assistance as you meet your challenge this next year.  If two challenges are too much for you, just pick one challenge to meet this year.

Please join the Sisters in our challenge.  May God speak to you and guide you as you dig deeper into His Word.

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

ps: For those who know Sister Jane personally, thank you for letting me know that you've been reading the blog.  It warms my heart.