Ephesians at a Glance

This week we are jumping back into the New Testament studying the book of Ephesians!  It's a short book of only 6 chapters but each one is JAMMED PACKED with theological and doctrinal richness and practical daily application.  The book starts off exhorting the believer, informing us of our newfound position in Christ.  It's FULL of the inheritance that has been given to us as sons and daughters of God. We are told the sad truth of where we were prior to the cross but will find ourselves jumping through the roof as we read line after line of not just good news, but the GREATEST NEWS EVER TOLD! Then in chapter 4-6, the book then progresses into explaining what it looks like to now LIVE as a child of God.  We are told that "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10)

Basically, a key theme is that our purpose flows from our position.  What we do is a result of who we are. We don't "work" to earn God's love, but rather, in Christ, we already have God's love and therefore we work. We move forward on the battlefield of life from a place of victory, not defeat.

My prayer this week for myself and for those participating is that we will gain a deeper understanding of who we are in Christ and everything that that implies.  I also pray that as we embrace the solidified and eternal identity that Christ has secured for us, we will walk in the good works he has already prepared from us out of love for Him and appreciation for all he has done.  May our lives become a living sacrifice of worship to the only worthy One!

With that being said, here is my personal reading/study timeline for the week:

Monday- Read through Ephesians from start to finish a few times refraining from highlighting/journaling etc. Like I've mentioned before, the reason I do this is so that I can grasp the greater context and get that aerial view before I start really diving into details.
Tuesday- Focus only on chapter 1, using commentaries, journaling/highlighting etc.
Wednesday- Chapter 2
Thursday- Chapter 3
Friday- Chapter 4
Saturday- Chapter 5
Sunday- Chapter 6

I'll be posting periodically throughout the week personal insights and encouragement on Facebook @thepreciousandthepleasant and on instagram @brytnimcneil ! Please feel free to join in on the conversation and share what the Lord is doing in your heart through the reading!

Happy reading!

Bryt xoxo

Ruth at a Glance

I am BEYOND excited to study through the book of RUTH. She is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE Bible characters who's life story is laced with tragedy, uncertainty, romance and DESTINY! I'll spend the full week studying this book even though it's only 4 chapters.

Along with reading/studying the book, I will also be reading through a short novella about the life of Ruth by Francine Rivers called, Unshaken: One of five unlikely women who changed eternity.  

You can find it for purchase for your kindle or a hardcover on amazon. I read this book years ago in about one day because it really brought the story of Ruth to LIFE and I couldn't put it down. So I thought that this would be the perfect time to revisit a book that I thoroughly enjoyed so very much.

With that being said, here is my personal projected reading plan for the week:

• Monday & Tuesday- Read through the book in its entirety several times without stopping to reread, underline, journal, etc.  Again, my reason for doing this is to grasp the greater context and get that aerial view before really sinking my feet into it.
• Wednesday- Study, in depth, chapter 1 only using commentaries, highlighters, journaling, etc.
• Thursday- Repeat with Chapter 2
• Friday- Chapter 3
• Saturday- Chapter 4
• Sunday- Re-read the whole book in its entirety several times

I also highly advise doing a thorough study on the meaning and purpose of a Kinsmen Redeemer.  THIS is where you will start to see foreshadowing of Jesus and will walk away more intimately connected to HIM, rather than just deriving some good "life lessons" from Ruth and the other character's lives (although we want to learn from their lives as well). 

Lastly, I will periodically post verses from Ruth and things that God places on my heart as I read on social media. Please JOIN IN on the conversation and follow me on Facebook @Thepreciousandthepleasant or on instagram @Brytnimcneil .

I pray that as we observe the life of this beautiful, redeemed woman, we will grow closer to the REDEEMER who connects our story to hers.

Happy reading!

Bryt xoxo

A New Creation: All that Matters

Let's just say that my heart desperately needed to study through Galatians the first week of the year! I can already tell that I am reaping the rewards and benefits of choosing to go through it first.  The Spirit highlighted several things in my life and the whole book is halfway scribbled on to death, but I think Galatians 6:15-16 brought everything full circle for me.

"For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.  And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God." 

It doesn't get any more straightforward than that! Nothing I do, absolutely NOTHING, can count me righteous or merit my salvation and justification.  The only thing that matters is a NEW CREATION who is given a NEW HEART with NEW DESIRES AND PASSIONS and therefore will DO NEW THINGS for God's glory, through the sacrifice of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit! Once I can truly learn to live in step with that gospel message, I will be ruled by peace and be a recipient of mercy from a loving Savior day in and day out.  THAT is what I want. To be ruled by peace. No more striving, no more performing.  Just peacefully and passionately living as a new creation, appropriating and walking in the righteous works and deeds that Christ purchased and prepared for for me.

Thank you, Jesus.

Galatians at a Glance

It's almost time! I'm getting more and more excited about studying scripture with you. I'm praying an ancient prayer of David when he said, "Open the eyes of my heart that I may see wonderful things in your Word" over my own heart and for those of you participating. I believe God's Spirit will illumine the text in such a way that we will not be able to CONTAIN the transformation that ensues! With that being said let me briefly share why starting the year in Galatians could possibly be the BEST thing to set your spiritual thermostat to the right temperature and a few (hopefully) helpful study tips.

Why start with Galatians?

I desperately need to start my year in Galatians because of the unfortunate tendency of my heart to believe other "gospels". I'm a works person by nature and tend to measure God's love for and delight in me based upon what I DO; what I accomplish. Although, from an intellectual vantage point, I understand and am well-versed in the doctrine that I am saved BY GRACE through faith and not of my own doing, I undermine that theological truth when it's time for every day practical application. Paul rebuked the Galatians stating, "Who has BEWITCHED you"! He was grieved over the sad truth that these people who had accepted Jesus and had fully thrown themselves upon his mercy seat for salvation, realizing that their works couldn't save, we're so quickly deceived into thinking that their works now needed to KEEP them saved. How foolish! Works are not needed to save us but they are supposedly needed to "keep" us saved? Works never merited the love of God in the first place, but now that we have his love we have to work to keep it? It sounds bizarre and does not even have any rational bearing but YET I tend to be a Galatian! 

The New Year with all its pressure to be resolute and set new goals only adds fuel to this destructive inferno that I have to daily throw the water of the Word and the good news of the gospel upon! I know myself, a works-oriented person with a hint of Pharisee, and need the truth that it's only by GRACE through FAITH, and that while I was STILL DEAD in my SIN Christ died and loved me, to shatter the lies! I need to start the year knowing that I don't "do" in order to "be" but rather I "am" and therefore I "do". What I do, accomplish, achieve, my obedience, my godly living, and my "works" stem FROM my identity and inheritance in Jesus (which cannot be shaken, but is fixed in the heavens, sealed with the Holy Spirit!), and are NOT a means to GAIN my identity or acceptance! Yes, yes and YES! I need Galatians because I need a loving slap in the face from Jesus at the start of this year. I need to be reminded that the good news of the gospel will be GOOD NEWS every SECOND of every MINUTE of every HOUR of every DAY this year.  It sustains me! It will carry me. I only have to walk in step with God's Spirit and the FRUIT of the Spirit will be produced in ever-increasing measure. I need the encouragement to not "fall back into a yoke of slavery" as Paul exhorts the Galatians not to do.   Recalibrating and refocusing my heart on the CROSS and all of its implications as I appropriate the perfect righteousness and perfect obedience that were purchased for and given to me, is the goal for the year!

I pray that every false gospel that tries to rise up and preach anything except Christ and him crucified to me or you this year will be dismantled in the name of JESUS, by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT, for the glory of the FATHER!


Helpful Study Tips

Now that I literally feel like I can jump off my bed and go through the ceiling after preaching the gospel to my own heart, let me calm down and share a few practical tips.

1. I HIGHLY suggest spending tomorrow (Monday) and Tuesday reading Galatians from start to finish without highlighting  , underlining, circling, or taking any notes.  This aerial view of the book is crucial to being able to break it down into smaller bite-size pieces. Even if you don't understand certain parts, don't stop to re-read if you can help it. Just read through it a few times.  It will be much easier to properly exegete (explain or interpret) individual verses when we are grasping the greater context.  Then on Wednesday, I plan to dive into just chapter 1 in greater depth, marking in my Bible, reading commentaries and journaling.  I'll do the same with remaining chapters/days of the week.

2. Read through Galatians in more than one translation.  The ESV is my main study translation, but I occasionally read from less formal versions to bring a bit more clarity when needed.

3. Have a few extra study materials on hand to add to aid in your study time. Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem is one of my favs. Books like this one will help you to categorize doctrinal truths learned in Galatians!



Well, tomorrow will be great! Even if you have read Galatians 100 times, pray for your eyes to be opened to the well of endless truth and revelation contained within its' pages!

Happy reading,

Bryt xoxo

Hope for Homemaking

This past Christmas was BY FAR the best one yet with our little girls. Both of them seemed to really grasp and understand the Spirit of Christmas as well as the meaning. The month of December was filled with endless story time accounts of Jesus' birth, daily advent activities and scripture readings, cookies, cider, chai tea and just about anything and everything that makes the holiday season feel like... The holiday season.

But what really blessed my heart as a mother this year was watching my girls' imaginations embrace something very near and dear to my heart: homemaking. We decided that homemaking would be the "theme" of our Christmas presents this year for our daughters. We were extremely fortunate and found a gently used three piece kitchen set along with all the bells and whistles on Craigslist and also purchased their first "official" baby dolls and all of the fun accessories. I will never forget the looks on their faces when they came around the corner to discover the new imaginative world of play! Nothing warmed my heart more.

These gifts were intentional on my and my husband's part. We didn't just choose these items so that our kids could have more "stuff" or more things to keep them busy while we fulfill other obligations. In a lot of ways, these purchases were an act of faith and a display of hope. We hope our daughters will develop a love for homemaking. We hope they learn to value the art of making a home fun, safe and inviting. In a society where homemaking is not esteemed and is viewed as a secondary responsibility and a "lesser than" calling, we wish to inspire and empower them in that endeavor. No, homemakers will not be WHO they are nor be ALL that they do, but my prayer is that it will be something they love, value and cherish. Wives/mommies really are the heartbeat of the home life. I have faith that with each moment they spend making me pretend dinners and changing play diapers, their hearts will be shaped, molded and prepared to joyously assume the position of homemaker even in the face of its breakdown and demise. I have great hope for them. I have great hope for the art of homemaking. It may be lost in some respects, but all it takes are willing vessels and intentional esteeming of it to breath new life into the calling.  Revolutions and reformations of thought and practice where almost always birthed from the heart of one individual throughout history. Change doesn't always require an army of likeminded people. It can start with one mother, one daughter, one father, one son choosing to unashamedly recommit to the HOME. It takes one family choosing to view themselves as a potential powerful force in the world, just as God intended it to be.  It calls for one parental unit being resolute in its efforts to truly see their children as "arrows" and dedicating their lives to aiming them in the right direction before they let go and allow those children to reach their God-given targets.

So by faith and with great joy we are starting within our own home. By God's grace we will raise daughters (and Lord-willing, sons) who will allow God's Spirit to birth a passion and zeal for one of the very first communities ever established on earth: the family. 

Ah do I have hope. Great hope, indeed.

The Power of Believing God with Your Husband

To say that my and my husband's faith has been stretched over the last several months would be an understatement! We've had to really buckle down, stick together, pray together and trust God together. But several circumstances in our lives drove us to sheer desperation a few weeks ago. Without getting into too much personal detail, I will just say that we needed MIRACLES.  We needed God to come through in mighty and powerful ways.  After weeks of spending more time in prayer, receiving godly council and doing everything on our part to rectify the problems to no avail, we knew it was time to cry out even louder. We needed to bang on the door of heaven harder. We needed to press into new and unfamiliar realms and allow our faith to sail us out upon the waters, into the great unknown. So we started a fast.

To be honest, I hate fasting with a passion. It is by far my weakest spiritual discipline. So much so that I have trouble viewing fasting as a "pathway of grace" but rather see it as a "duty". When my husband approached me about doing it, I was less than thrilled but my inner being wanted so desperately to see God do the impossible, that I obliged. So we embarked upon a 10 day version of the Daniel fast. We were completely depleted from a physical, emotional and spiritual standpoint, but still had a small flame of faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we were able to help fan in one another. We committed each day to more intentional and focused prayer and Bible study. As each day passed, we were living in the tension of steadily increasing faith and expectation along with the mounting pressure of deadlines. We both felt an unusual ability to hear from God clearly which was invigorating, exhilarating and frightening all at the same time, while still wrestling with the frustration of seemingly unanswered prayers. We were more real and raw with God and each other than we had been in some time. It's amazing how when you deprive your body of food to one degree or another, you realize just how "loud" it always is in your life.  Fasting turned the noise down enabling us to hear the still small voice of God.  We were two people invading heaven together...Two hearts holding on for one another when one of us felt like giving up... Two souls fighting to keep each other warm by the fire of our faith. Then, what our hearts had been anxiously anticipating for months, was answered in the span of less than 24 hours. We got a miracle! Heaven opened up and rained down. Of course the miracle was remarkable but more than anything, my husband and I tapped into a power source that we have failed to tap into more regularly as a married couple! I truly believe that the enemy of our souls shudders when a husband and a wife dare to believe God for the impossible. I believe he cringes when he sees us as a united force, bound by a holy covenant, standing on Jesus as our Rock. Don't allow the wind and the waves to blow you over, even if everything in your flesh literally, in every sense of the phrase, would rather be "gone with the wind" instead of braving the storm.

I don't know what you and your spouse may be believing Jesus for.  It could be healing in your marriage, a new baby, breakthrough in your finances, healing in your bodies, etc.  Or maybe you are simply in need of greater faith. Perhaps you and your husband have been in a season of doubt, unsure of who Jesus really is, what he has done and what he is calling you to.  I challenge you to believe! I'm convinced that there are few things on earth more lethal to the schemes of the enemy than a husband and a wife who boldly approach the Father, through the finished work of the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Remember that Jesus is FOR marriage. He is FOR unwavering faith. After all, he is the author and finisher of it. Our God specializes in the impossible! I dare you to believe God with your husband. I dare you to grab his hand and (respectfully) say, "Honey, we are going to approach the Throne together, even if we have to drag each other the whole way." Our King awaits us. Ready to listen, and resolved to manifest his satisfying presence wherein there is fullness of joy and pleasures forever more. He is ready to respond. Only believe. 

Give Them Jesus

Aren’t we all in the hustle and bustle of this holiday season? The aroma of yummy baked treats is filling the air of our homes. Christmas decor has taken over the mantle, coffee table, baker’s rack etc. In the midst of it all, we mommas are just trying to create at least some sort of Christmas nostalgia for our kids to remember when the child-like excitement over presents, Santa and cookies begins to dissipate. Oh, the mental stress that this task can bring! Will we have enough money? Is this season full of enough fun? Do my kids feel cheated that their home doesn’t look like the North Pole? Did we do all of the advent daily crafts I found on Pinterest? Are my chosen crafts as cool as my friends’? …It’s just too easy to get caught up in the things that don’t really matter when it’s all said and done. Am I saying that we shouldn’t decorate and do crafts and bake and do all of the things that add warmth and fun to the Christmas season? No! But I am saying that we need not let it bury us or discourage us. More than anything, our kids need to see Jesus this Christmas. They need to behold the little baby that would one day grow up and die for their sins. They need to see that the greatest gift of all was our God incarnate, bridging the chasm that stood between God and us. Santa is fun. Presents are awesome. Christmas trees are beautiful. But they NEED Jesus. I pray my kids behold their loving Savior this Christmas. I hope that with each gift that they open with their precious little hands, their hearts will simultaneously be opening to the the ever-powerful, life-changing message of the Gospel. One day their little feet won’t be pitter-pattering across the hall to open their presents. The thrill of sending a wish-list to Santa will be gone. Decorating the house will become less appealing overtime. But the message of the virgin birth of a sinless Savior who has reconciled us to God will increasingly grip and carry their hearts with each passing year! So give them Jesus. That’s what Christmas is all about.

Finish the Course...

"But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may FINISH THE COURSE and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24

Let me FINISH MY COURSE. That's my hearts prayer tonight for myself and for every believer.  Whatever course has been laid out for you in whatever season you are in, pray to finish strong! Preach and live the gospel in the mission field entrusted to you! Nothing we do will have any eternal value or weight if it's not birthed, fueled, sustained, and brought to completion by the finished work of Jesus.  My heart is encouraged and challenged tonight to not hold too tightly or esteem as valuable anything that does not have the "course" and the ministry that God has given me directly attached to it.  Thanking God tonight that He continually works in me and on me, patiently refining me.