Marydean Draws

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February 21, 2019 featured•neediness•trials•weakness

Tuning my heart

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love
I don’t know about you, but my heart easily gets out of tune. We’ve been in a long season of God doing something, but we’re not sure what. I don’t know when or how it will all end. Sometimes discouragement sets in. Self-pity. Hopelessness. Distraction. Sometimes I want to talk to God; sometimes I blame him for where we’re at. Sometimes I’m okay; sometimes I’m not.
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
 
Yesterday, I was reading Lysa Terkeurst’s It’s Not Supposed to be This Way,** and I was encouraged.
She writes, “And while I know in my head that God will somehow, someday turn all this around for good in my life, too, my heart isn’t so sure some moments. The intensity of the pain gives me a propensity to doubt.”
She suggests in these times when we’re wrestling with unbelief that “we just have to make the choice to see Him and rightly attribute to Him the good that does exist. I truly believe what keeps us on the path of longsuffering instead of veering off in the dangerous direction of wallowing is to wake up with great expectation of these little reminders of God’s goodness.”
Remembering God’s goodness is like regularly stopping to drink from a stream as you journey through the desert (Isaiah 43:19). It doesn’t take away the desert’s hardships, but it sustains you enough to keep going.
So yesterday I chose to count the goodness I could see:
the beautiful faces of my sweet girls
a little four-year-old hug around my thigh
the angled profile of my man
the original oil painting I splurged on last year
the warm spaghetti dinner the kids helped me make last night
the prayers and encouragement of my dear friend
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love
 
Not much changed externally, but God again tuned my heart to sing his praise and fixed me firmly on his love.
I’ll need to be re-tuned again soon, I’m sure, but today I can keep going.

p.s. If you like this hymn, there’s some original art and prints in the shop painted on this beautiful hymn and others as well.

**affiliate link. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

               

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I’m Mary and I’m glad you’re here! Since 2014, I’ve been sharing encouraging words, fun Bible printables, and accessible art activities.

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In today’s Friday Chat, I’m joined by my frien In today’s Friday Chat, I’m joined by my friend Katie to talk about my Bible study pet peeves and best practices for leading Bible studies. We have both led and been part of small group Bible studies for many years, and we talk about how our ideas about the purpose of Bible study have changed over the years.

We discuss the importance of letting the Bible be complex, keeping Jesus at the center, dealing with the fear of the discussions going off the rails, and Katie’s hot take on the importance of actually praying in our small groups. You’ll also get to hear Katie’s answer to the question, “Is Jesus a Republican or a Democrat?”

It’s a wide-ranging discussion that I found really helpful and challenging. You might agree or disagree with us, but that’s okay, because that’s the point we’re making. Hope you enjoy the discussion!

Mentioned in this episode:

Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering https://www.priyaparker.com/

Lectio style Bible study https://renovare.org/articles/lectio-divina-1 (for example)

Inductive study method https://www.precept.org/2023/02/what-is-inductive-bible-study/ (for example)

Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55

Orthodoxy vs Orthopraxy https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/nobody-turn-you-around/ (for example)

Moms in Prayer https://momsinprayer.org/

In case you missed it, I published the next Luke study on John the Baptist and the first part of Luke 3 this week. You can read it here:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/the-gospel-of-luke-eyewitnesses-to-d53

🖤

You can find The Pictured Word podcast on Substack, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. You can also find me at www.marydeandraws.com or by searching for “Substack Marydean Draws.” 

All my Bible studies are available for anyone to read on Substack, but you can support my work by becoming a paid subscribers. Paid subscribers can download the printable study guides and coloring pages. 

You can also find my hymn art prints, cards, postcards, stickers, and Bible printables on my website. On my website or on Substack, you can sign up for my mailing list and get everything in your inbox, including new Bible studies each month and weekly newsletters.
The study in Luke is up on Substack! Here's a prev The study in Luke is up on Substack! Here's a preview of what's covered:
🖤 maps, I love maps!
🖤 Luke establishes the timeline
🖤 so many Old Testament connections
🖤 why does John have wings in this Syrian icon??

Read it all on Substack!
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/the-gospel-of-luke-eyewitnesses-to-d53
These colors 😍. These colors 😍.
Part of my heart is always drawn to abstraction an Part of my heart is always drawn to abstraction and pure color play. 💕
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