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About Yvonne Biel

I’m here to journey with others to the feet of Jesus through creative soul care and mind/body healing work.

What To Say When You Pray | Week 5 | Monday

Of all the things he could ask his Father in heaven for, he chooses a daily necessity. Read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and sit with the phrase, “Give us today daily bread”. What stands out to you?

  1. Get Honest … What do you typically pray for? Make a list of things you regularly talk with God about or ask him to do for you.
  2. Change Mind … Listen for what Jesus wants to say to you about your prayer life.
  3. Walk Anew … What step might Jesus want you to take in response to what he’s shown you?

FORMATION CHALLENGE … Fast from something intentionally to physically feel your essential needs

What To Say When You Pray | Week 5 | Monday2022-01-31T11:59:43-07:00

What To Say When You Pray | Week 4 | Monday

Above all, Jesus desires for God’s authority to reign on the earth in the same way God’s authority reigns in the heavens. Read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and imagine God ruling the entire universe of heaven.

  1. Get Honest … Share with God how you picture him reigning or the limitations you feel in this exercise. What ways would you like God to rule the earth in the same ways you picture him ruling in heaven? What ways do you hesitate to ask him to rule on earth as it is in heaven?
  2. Change Mind … Listen for what Jesus wants to say to you about the way he rules in heaven.
  3. Walk Anew … What step might Jesus want you to take in response to what he’s shown you?

FORMATION CHALLENGE … Light a candle as you pray and as you blow it out surrender your prayer to the Lord as you watch the smoke rise

What To Say When You Pray | Week 4 | Monday2022-01-22T19:20:03-07:00

What To Say When You Pray | Week 3 | Monday

Jesus uses simple yet all-encompassing phrases to describe the person he addresses in prayer. Read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and ponder the four phrases “Our Father”, “in heaven”, “hallowed be”, “your name”. What stands out to you?

  1. Get Honest … What is your current view of God? How do you normally address the God of the Universe? Make a list of the names or ways you tend to approach God in recent days and notice how your words may be heard from God’s heavenly perspective.
  2. Change Mind … Listen for what Jesus wants to say to you about your view of God’s character.
  3. Walk Anew … What step might Jesus want you to take in response to what he’s shown you?

FORMATION CHALLENGE … Find a viewpoint where you can worship God’s grandness and find something small to worship God’s nearness

What To Say When You Pray | Week 3 | Monday2022-01-20T13:08:58-07:00

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Thursday

“Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Secrets. My college-age niece taught me this game a few years back. Everyone in the circle slaps both knees twice while chanting “secrets”, followed by a clap, “secrets”, clap, “secrets”, then lifting both hands in the air as if to shush a child dramatically, whisper “shhhhhh.”

This silly little group chant would be followed by one person in the room coughing up the latest gossip and sharing it with everyone in the circle. But, the catch was that said gossip must be a true fact you’ve been holding back as a secret about yourself.

I was amazed at how much resistance I felt to join in this little game. Secrets. What is it about secrets that makes them so terrifying to share with others but also feels so terrible to keep them inside? It’s like a trap. And why in the world is Jesus telling us to keep things secrets with him?

In this section on practical religion as a part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs his disciples to choose secrecy in giving, praying, and fasting. Three times in this section Jesus uses the exact same phrase, “your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18). Jesus is definitely implying that keeping secrets is a good spiritual discipline.

If Jesus were sitting here today I would want to ask him, what’s the big deal about secrets? Today, I challenge you to ask him yourself. Ask him, “Jesus, what do I need to know about secrets and why they are helpful in my life with you?”

By Yvonne Biel

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Thursday2022-01-10T21:42:37-07:00

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Tuesday

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What exactly is Jesus saying here? Does he mean to say the only time we pray is in a private room alone with the door closed? What about the passage that says we are to pray unceasingly? It’d be next to impossible to stay in a closet praying 24/7. What about all the other examples of people praying aloud and in public throughout the Scriptures? Jesus can’t mean we are never to pray publicly, but he does strongly emphasize the practice of private prayer here.

I believe Jesus’ intent in this teaching on prayer is to debunk a few common ideas around religious prayer. He’s helping his disciples learn that prayer is more convenient and more intimate than what they had been experiencing from attending synagogues nearby. Judaism modeled religious prayer as pious, spoken in a sacred language, and best when many others can appreciate your beautifully articulated words. Whereas, Jesus modeled prayer as humble, in a heart language, and best practiced in a place where you can be undistracted from anything or anyone.

Choosing an undistracted rhythm of prayer in solitude is key to connecting with a God who is unseen. And the result of this intentional rhythm is delighting God’s heart as well as tasting sweet delight in it too. But rhythms of intentional private prayer don’t find their way into our life automatically. Often it takes choosing a particular place to pray and create space for this intentional rhythm. Where can you hide away today to pray to your Father who is unseen?

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Tuesday2022-01-10T21:27:17-07:00

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Monday

Jesus uses simple yet all-encompassing phrases to describe the person he addresses in prayer. Read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and ponder the four phrases “Our Father”, “in heaven”, “hallowed be”, “your name”. What stands out to you?

  1. Get Honest … What is your current view of God? How do you normally address the God of the Universe? Make a list of the names or ways you tend to approach God in recent days and notice how your words may be heard from God’s heavenly perspective.
  2. Change Mind … Listen for what Jesus wants to say to you about your view of God’s character.
  3. Walk Anew … What step might Jesus want you to take in response to what he’s shown you?

FORMATION CHALLENGE … Find a viewpoint where you can worship God’s grandness and find something small to worship God’s nearness

By Yvonne Biel

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Monday2022-01-10T21:24:16-07:00

Time with your Shephard | Advent Week 1 | Friday

Prophetic words transcend time. Past, present, and future weave together in one grand narrative. Passages like Micah 5:2-5a transport us out of time and space for a moment to realize something greater is happening in the universe.

This week we’ve explored how the original audience found meaning and hope in this message, how the Israelites would have seen this prophecy being fulfilled, and how twenty-first century readers interpret the text in the rear-view mirror. Based on our vantage point in human history, we can see how Jesus came with shepherd-like qualities guiding his flock into truth and providing strength for them along the way.

Today, we invite you to take off your learner hat to simply sit with this passage – just you and Jesus. Read this passage in the New Living Translation. Read it slowly and take in every word. Notice how the words feel rather than analyzing what the words mean. Read it as many times as you need to let the words sink down from your head into your heart.

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf.

The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies
until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then at last his fellow countrymen
will return from exile to their own land.

And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
for he will be highly honored around the world.

And he will be the source of peace.

After soaking with the words for a time, write down a prayer to Jesus based on what you felt in this passage. Tell him what you noticed and ask him if there’s anything more he wants to say to you today.

By Yvonne Biel

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Time with your Shephard | Advent Week 1 | Friday2021-12-01T15:37:59-07:00

Advent 2021 | Week 1

Before Christmas arrives, we prepare our hearts through a tradition called Advent. Some use Advent calendars to build anticipation. Others use Advent wreaths as they prepare for celebrating Jesus’ first arrival. Here at South, we light candles and read Scriptures. We believe building in practices of anticipation are important for our formation because it creates space for greater joy in our hearts on celebration day!

On Sundays, we’ll be studying rich Old Testament prophecy pointing to Jesus’ first coming while alluding to his second coming. You can use Monday’s guide to connect with Jesus personally, discuss with a friend, or stimulate conversation over a family meal. Let Jesus speak as you become present to him through this process!

  1. Start Here … How do your ideal expectations for the Christmas holiday compare to your typical reality on Christmas day?
  2. Light + Listen … Light one candle and read Micah 5:2-5a
  3. Get Honest … Compare your experience with Jesus to the character in the text. In what ways do you experience Jesus as this passage describes? In what ways would you like Jesus to do more of what this passage describes?
  4. Change Mind … Take a moment of silence asking Jesus what he wants you to know about Christmas this year.
  5. Walk Anew … Ask Jesus what he would like you to do with what he’s spoken to you today.

Prophecy can be a tricky genre to read and understand. To learn more about how to read the prophets, watch Bible Project’s informational video on YouTube and reflect on the following questions.

Watch The Video

  • What do you think of when you hear the word “prophet”?
  • What are three themes in the prophetic books?
  • What does the Bible Project suggest is the twin message of the prophets?

By Yvonne Biel

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Advent 2021 | Week 12021-11-28T20:58:58-07:00

Will You Testify? | Acts 26

Read Acts 26

I will praise you to all my brothers; I will stand up before the congregation and testify of the wonderful things you have done. Psalm. 22:22

Acts 26 records the story of the Apostle Paul brought before King Agrippa to receive an official pronouncement of charges against him. If you’re reading from one of those red letter Bibles, you’ll notice Paul uses Jesus’ words as part of his defense. These words came from Paul’s supernatural revelation on the road to Damascus and Paul uses his humiliating and life-changing encounter with Jesus to testify to what happened when he had to answer to the God of the Universe. Here, Paul stands before the court of an earthly king and doesn’t hesitate to speak up on behalf of how the king of all kings intervened for his deliverance.

Paul’s influence from this moment on has shifted the way Christians define the noun “testimony.” Where once testimony was a formal statement given in the court of law, Christians now apply “testimony” as a spoken proclamation of what the Lord has done in their lives.

In a letter to his protege Timothy, Paul wrote, “never be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner.” (2 Timothy 1:8a) Similarly, the disciple John writes in his prophetic word to those in the last days, “They triumphed over [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:11a)

Testimony triumphs. Speaking up on behalf of what God has done in our lives won’t necessarily rescue us from the hands of our earthly captors, but it will free us from our battle against the real enemy. When we speak aloud as God’s children, we agree with the King of all kings and take back our rightful authority overcoming the devil and his schemes. So, how have you personally experienced Jesus recently? Ask Jesus to arrange a moment for you to speak up on behalf of what God’s done in your life and intentionally take the opportunity he’s set before you today.

By Yvonne Biel

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Will You Testify? | Acts 262021-11-17T10:45:51-07:00

How We Use Influence | Acts 17:1-15

When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. Acts 17:1-15

This chapter begins with a whirlwind of activity and it’s swarming with characters. Take a moment to observe all the characters in this first scene. We have leading characters like Paul and Silas bringing forth a message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but also find many sideline characters such as the curious Jews, devout Greeks, leading ladies, jealous Jews, wicked men, swindler types, mean mobsters, as well as Jason and a few of his brothers. Not to mention the crowds and the city authorities who were quite disturbed by that day’s traumatic event.

Luke seems to highlight a stark contrast between the overwhelming number of “bad characters” (poneros) in Thessalonica with the number of “noble characters” (eugenes) in Berea. Berea was swarming with a whole different genre of characters. They were of nobility yet they were also noble-minded, ready to receive words of truth with eagerness and willing to examine new ideas with careful attention. And that day resulted in many Berean men and women filled with faith.

Good stories usually involve both heroic and villainous characters. In today’s reading, it’s interesting how those with good quality character are noble in all senses of the word while those society knows to be swindlers and of bad nature are called upon to create a scene resulting in bad qualities of disorder and dissension.

Where would you be in this story? If you heard new ideas about someone rising from the dead how would you have first responded? Spend some time sharing your thoughts with Jesus and ask him what he has to say about your character.

By Yvonne Biel

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How We Use Influence | Acts 17:1-152021-11-11T14:56:45-07:00
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