Code of Chivalry

I ran across this Code of Chivalry and loved it! I'm sure there's a scripture to support each of these principles.

Enjoy and be challenged!

THE CODE

TRUTH--to speak the truth, to seek the truth in every situation 

before making judgments, to value the truth over personal agendas 

or the immediate benefits which falsehoods may offer.

HONOR--to keep your word, to know yourself, to uphold your beliefs, 

to act with keen moral judgment, to maintain high standards of conduct.

JUSTICE--to defend the helpless, to challenge evil wherever you 

encounter it, and to come to the aid of those who are so doing.

VALOR--to have not the lack of fear but the ability to set aside 

self-interest when faced with evil, to be willing to fight 

for what is right, regardless of what other people may say or do to you.

PROWESS--to have the discipline to train body, mind and spirit 

for the work of God and to eschew the self-destructive behaviors 

which tear down physical and spiritual health.

LOYALTY--to choose for yourself the Worthy One or Ones, 

whether they be your God, your loved ones, your country, your leader

or your cause and to dedicate yourself to the protection and fulfillment of those Ones.

LARGESSE--to give freely of what you have without 

impoverishing yourself, to show generosity to friend and stranger alike,

to be merciful and fair in all your dealings. 

COURTESY--to be polite and mannerly in dress, speech and carriage,

to treat all people as equals, to be kind to animals, and in war

or competition to follow the rules, lose with grace 

and win with humbleness.

NOBLESSE--to be diligent in study, enhance your

knowledge of the world, practice your skills, use 

your natural gifts to generate goodness, thereby enriching your life 

and the lives of those around you.

HUMILITY--to have all the above qualities without ever proclaiming 

them, to bear the heavy burden of Chivalry without so 

much as a breath of exertion, to be a silent strength 

this supports and sustains us all.  

Humility is the most difficult principle to master.   

Only the very best do.

LISTEN

Everyone hears from God. Everyone.

You will not get anything from this if you just read "everyone else". I really do mean you. It is probably so comfortable and natural for you that you do not even realize that God is speaking to you. Something I have realized over the years as I have had tons of discussion about hearing God, is that many of us do not realize how unique and specialized our own way to hear from God is. We take it for granted that He tells us the things He does, or the way He tells us. I know this was me when I was younger.

Growing up, I had a very real, authentic relationship with God but I didn't know that I could expect to hear from Him. Looking back, I see that He was speaking to me all the time and giving me quite profound revelation for my age. The problem was no one ever told me to expect it and dig into what I was hearing. I did not appreciate what a unique gift God was giving me.

I have grown a lot since then and, because of my story, I am passionate about helping people learn to hear God's voice. Did you know it takes practice? Maybe that is a strange way to think about it. Intentionality might be a better word. That is why I have decided to start my Connect Group called LISTEN. It will be very simple. It is basically a time for us to set aside to intentionally listen for God's voice.

We will practice asking about the silly small things. (God, if you could play any game with me, what would it be?) We will practice asking on behalf of others. (What picture do you have for this person God?) We will have exercises that help us get past the initial walls of "I can't" or "That's just my thought".  Every once in a while we'll go out into the city to ask God to speak to us on behalf people not in His church yet.

Two books that I will be using as resources are "Eyes That See And Ears That Hear" by Jennifer Toledo and "Walking With God" by John Eldredge. These will not be required reading but they are great if you are wanting to dive in deeper for yourself.

Whether you are in Austin and can join the group or if you are in another state and would just like more information, please contact me about how you can be a part of this. It is going to be a refreshing time of being still in His presence and spending time with others who are hungry to hear God's voice.

God is speaking. We are going to take the time to LISTEN.

For the Ladies

I would highly recommend the book Captivating for anyone who hasn't read it yet!  It has a ton of truth about women that often remains uncovered.  Below is a passage that came through the daily reading e-mail from the authors who wrote the book. 

This addresses something God has been working on with me through out my life and holds a lot of truth from what I've seen and heard from other ladies.  I hope it encourages you to be honest with God and trust Him with your heart!  Don't let this passage be the end, but let it cultivate an deep conversation with God if you find yourself feeling these things.  God is our hope.  In Him is the fulfillment to our hearts desires!

"I know I am not alone in this nagging sense of failing to measure up, a feeling of not being good enough as a woman.  Every woman I've ever met feels it-something deeper than just the sense of failing at what she does.  An underlying, gut feeling of failing at who she is. I am not enough, and I am too much at the same time.  Not pretty enough, not thin enough, not kind enough, not gracious enough, not disciplined enough.  But too emotional, too needy, too sensitive, too strong, too opinionated, too messy.  The result is Shame, the universal companion of women.  It haunts us, nipping at our heels, feeding on our deepest fear that we will end up abandoned and alone. 

"After all, if we were better women-whatever that means-life wouldn't be so hard. Right? We wouldn't have so many struggles; there would be less sorrow in our hearts. Why is it so hard to create meaningful friendships and sustain them? Why do our days seem so unimportant, filled not with romance and adventure but with duties and demands? We feel unseen, even by those who are closest to us. We feel unsought-that no one has the passion or the courage to pursue us, to get past our messiness to find the woman deep inside. And we feel uncertain-uncertain what it even means to be a woman; uncertain what it truly means to be feminine; uncertain if we are or ever will be. 

"Aware of our deep failings, we pour contempt on our own hearts for wanting more. Oh, we long for intimacy and for adventure; we long to be the Beauty of some great story. But the desires set deep in our hearts seem like a luxury, granted only to those women who get their acts together. The message to the rest of us-whether from a driven culture or a driven church-is: Try harder."
(Captivating , 6-7)

Watching

Like a river with a two way current, the people flowed towards their destination.  They stopped only to swirl in eddies at the gates; some restless, some weary, all waiting.

Tucked back in a corner, few saw her as they hurried by, too distracted to feel her gaze on them.  Those whose eyes did find hers were caught off guard for a second before moving on.  Their subconscious registered something familiar, something comforting.  As they continued to their destination, they had a little more hope, a little more peace. Their souls told them that all would be well.

As she watched them, she saw more than bodies being jostled around.  She saw the mantles of weariness they wore.  Their burdens and struggles were displayed more clearly than they would care to admit.  She saw both the masks that were meant to conceal and the capes draped over their spirits that haunted them.  Their core was exposed and they would be unsettled if they knew the depth to which she saw.

If they would talk to her though, they would know that they were safe.  They would know that help was on the way.  They would know she didn't carry to knowledge alone but that she took it to the feet of One higher than herself.

However, they didn't talk to her.  They barely saw her as they hurried by, too distracted to notice her gaze. They missed the hope behind her eyes.  Their cape of weariness covered all peace and comfort they so desperately wanted.

Her gaze continued to penetrate, deeper than an ocean, but the shallow river continued on, unaffected.

For Today

God spoke something very clearly to me earlier:

“YOU WERE CREATED FOR TODAY!”

The simplicity of the statement belies the impact it had on me.  It was a breath of fresh air I didn’t know I needed.  God, being good, knew I needed to hear that.  Today, I have purpose.  Today, I have direction.  Today, I have motivation.  God has something for me to do! 

Other ways to put it are:

“You were created to see the people you see today!”
“You were created to have the conversations you have today!”
“You were created to create what you create today!”
“You were created on purpose, for today!”
“I had you picked out for today!”
“You are making a difference in this moment!”
“I had this very thing planned for you!”
Etc.

You may have heard the common Biblical counter part to this concept:

“Who knows but that you were appointed to a royal position for such a time as this?” -Esther 4:14

For such a time as this…for me, this phrase has almost become cliché in it’s use in the Christian circle.  I’ve heard it time and time again as people try to pump up discouraged brothers and sisters.  It is a great truth that God promises us, but I had stopped applying that truth for myself.  I think that’s why God had to tell me the same thing in different words.  “You were created for today.” 

Do you know what happened after He told me that?  I was excited for the day!  I had drive.  I had focus.  I had energy.  I wanted to work.  I wanted to talk to people.  I was expectant, waiting for God to show up. 

I got to thinking, what about yesterday?  God said, “You were created for yesterday too.  Your words had impact.”

That’s when I realized: I’m created for now, right here, as you read.  I didn’t miss anything.  God didn’t mess up the year I was supposed to be born.  I’m not in the wrong place.  I’m here and I’m now for a VERY specific reason.  God has had today planned for me since before I was born!  He spelled it all out, then designed me in the way He needed to so I could walk it out and live it.  He chose me to make a difference in specific people’s lives, today.

Do you know what that means?   That it‘s true for everyday!  At some point, everyday in my life has been today, which means that I’ve been created to live out every day I’ve been born.  Simple, no doubt, but I think maybe it’s something you needed to hear today too.  So hear it again, and read it as if God is telling you because He is!:

“YOU WERE CREATED FOR TODAY!”

Now, go out and get excited about what God has planned for you today!