Light

November 20th, 2012 would have been my father's 73rd birthday. He died 22 years ago in a car accident. I never stop missing him in my life, but I never stop celebrating him either. Usually his birthday is hard for me. I wish I could tell him what a gift he was to me as a dad. I wish I could tell him what a gift he is to me now as I consider the wisdom that he gave me - through God - for this life.

My Father in heaven is gracious to connect me to my dad even to this day. He doesn't have to - He just does. And I don't look for these connections. I don't ask Him to show me my dad in some way or give me a sign that he is okay. I know my dad is okay, and I have a sense that he is not at all concerned about me. He is with the God who holds my life, so why would he worry anymore about anything, right? There are just some days - some times - when something is said, or done, and a connection to my dad is brought to my mind like an instant message. God knows my heart. He knows my mind, and He knows that I will think of my father in those moments. And in the midst of remembering Daddy, I thank my God for the gift of my memories of him, and for the gift of the moment that God tenderly gave to bring my dad close to me once again.

November 20th has another significant meaning for me. I wasn't feeling very well on November 20th ten years ago, and considered the hope of having a second baby may have come true. I took a pregnancy test early that morning, and it was glaringly, gloriously, positive. On my father's birthday, my Heavenly Father sealed a date in my heart to connect to my dad though he is far from me now. My son's heart was beating beneath mine, and I knew it on my father's birthday. I love to wake on on November 20th and think about the sweetness of that day for me because of three men I get to love in this lifetime: my husband, my son, and my father. Only God can make a connection like that. How I love my God!

I don't know if my father is aware of me, my children and this life he used to know; I often think he is still in his first glimpse of glory because time there is most certainly not time here... What is most significant to me with this life I live in missing my dad is that my heavenly Father is well aware of me, and He has taken such  tender measures to demonstrate His love is complete.

I read my Bible first thing in the morning. This has been a daily discipline for some time now, one that I have had to grow to love, and in the process one that has changed my heart, my mind, and strength - and also my desire for time with God in His Word. When I woke on November 20th, (yesterday) this is what I read. I hope it is an encouragement to you, too. We will have trials in this life, but God will always lead us through them continuously in the Light of who HE is.AND in that - there is much joy. 

"When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Micah 7:8

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:2-3

"I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4 

"Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. IN God (I will praise His Word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:3-4

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

It is so good to hear from God. It is so good to know Him and SEE Him in this life. It is so good to know that HE knows us and SEES us. Where would we be without the gift of His love - without the gift of His wonderful LIGHT? He knows where we would be - and most certainly - has not left us in the darkness that is there.

Stepping forward with you in LIT UP faith. Stepping forward with much joy. 

"

Give Me Something.

Those moments come...Moments when we feel like we're holding onto hope by our fingernails...Do you pray or even cry to God out loud, "Just give me something...Give me something - ANY -THING - to assure my hope...right. now," ? Uh-huh... I know that prayer. I know that ache. I hate it. But in those moments - in that prayer - God has been so faithful. He can't not be faithful.

Our God keeps giving me some. thing. - a powerful truth - that  I could not imagine or conjure up -  in the midst of my circumstances - A truth to believe in - to secure me - to stand on.  Check this out if you have time. I hope this truth will encourage you and fortify you in your faith journey today as it has encouraged me.

Love this Jesus Life we share!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE FOURTH MAN

One of the most famous events in the entire Old Testament is recorded in Daniel, chapter 3.  It all began when three courageous Hebrew men refused to bow down and give homage to a golden idol as commanded by the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar himself.  The penalty for disobeying was serious indeed.  All not doing this would be instantly thrown into a red-hot furnace of fire!  Thus the command was to bow down, or burn up!  It was quite a persuasive altar call, to say the least.  Upon learning of their refusal, the king experienced conflicting emotions—both anger and sorrow. 

Anger, over the gross insubordination, and sorrow, for the three offenders were actually rising stars in his administrative government.  True, they worshipped that weird and invisible God known as Jehovah, but they were honest, faithful, talented, and hardworking young assistants.  What to do?  So then, before the terrible sentence could be imposed, they were summoned to a private meeting during which he offered them a second chance. The advice:  “Just obey and you’ll be okay.” The answer:  “No way, O king, no way!”

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up,’” (Dan. 3:16-18).

Enter now the fourth man: “Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.

So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. 

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire”? They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,” (Dan. 3:19-26).

Wow!  At this point can you entertain some theological math? 

• Question: How many men did the king order into the furnace? Answer: Three.
• Question: How many men did the king see in the furnace? Answer: Four.
• Question: How many men came out of the furnace? Answer: Three.
• Question: What happened to the fourth man? Answer: He’s still in the furnace waiting for you!

One of the most beloved songs always sung at Easter time is entitled, In the Garden. 

                                               Note the lyrics:

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

What a glorious scene is described for us:

• We are transported to a beautiful park-like garden, similar to the one Adam and Eve had enjoyed during their days of innocence.
• The morning sun has just risen, its golden beams dispelling the darkness.    
• The sky is blue.
• The birds are singing.
• The flowers are blooming.
• A heavenly hush seems to permeate the entire landscape.
• Not a trace of trouble, not a hint of heartache.

Question:  What’s wrong with this picture?  Answer:  Actually, nothing at all — except for the fact it is rarely the case!  The brutal truth is for every trouble-free day there seems to be three troubled-filled days.  Because of this, the fourth man spends far more of His time in the furnace than among the flowers.  Also, it’s where He does His most productive work. 

By the way, most evangelical theologians believe this mysterious man was actually a Christophany – that is, a pre-Bethlehem appearance of Jesus Christ Himself. 

There are several of these Christophanies in the Old Testament.  Miracle of miracles, in the opening pages of the New Testament, the fourth man takes upon Himself a human, flesh and blood body.  Now He is able to fulfill the three new and final offices assigned to him by the Father. The Old Testament fourth man will now function as a (1) prophet, (2) priest, and (3) king.

So to recap the ministry of the fourth man:

• In the past He once came speaking to us.
• At the present He now is seen praying for us.
• In the future He will eventually be ruling over us.

Great, grand, and glorious works indeed!  But in my mind, it would seem the most blessed of all is the very first where the fourth man is seen fellowshipping with us in the furnace.

Furthermore, this furnace ministry transcends time, having been in play since the days of Adam and will continue in full force until the last of God’s blood-washed sons and daughters have been safely gathered in that shining city among the stars, the New Jerusalem!  Then, and only then, will the fourth man depart from the furnace to ascend His everlasting throne!

I close with a personal question:  Are you – right now – in the furnace of affliction?  If this be the case, please carefully read the following, for each word here has been written especially for you!  They came from the pens of a king, a prophet, and a song writer:

“The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts,” (Prov. 17:3).

“Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction,” (Isa. 48:10).

How Firm a Foundation

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply:
The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!

Dr. H. L. Willmington
Founder & Dean
Willmington School of the Bible

The weight of HATE

  

Just to see the word HATE in bold like that gives me a knot in my gut. You, too? Makes me think of the faces to whom I spit that word like venom, and makes me think of my own tears because of when that word was forced upon my heart like a dagger. "I hate you!' It is the voice of pride - raising it's ugly head to strike at someone who is opposed to you, isn't it? YOU anger me. YOU defy me. YOU embarrass me. YOU belittle me. YOU ignore me. YOU hurt me. YOU are not my idea. YOU don't belong. YOU are not my choice. YOU are opposite me in every way, and because of that - HATE - is how I feel toward you.

YUK! I need a little nasty face emoji here. Insert blecky face. Or go ahead - make your own. That's always fun. Here...I'm doin' it with you. Feelin' the yuk face crunch up with my dry skin this morning...

You wanna know why you feel so gross about that? You ~ who know the Living God, you wanna know why hate bothers you so mcuh? We were not only created in the image of the God who is LOVE(I John 4:8), but now are restored to that image through Christ - and are able to reflect that image I John 4:19)...YOU cringe at the though of hating someone because HATE, as we understand it - is opposed to God. GOD is love - and what He is opposed to is sin, but even...EVEN in our sin - there was no hate...there - in the midst of what God had every right to hate in us and about us - was JESUS! the love Gift of God  - our rescue FROM sin. Romans 5:8."While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God did not hate us, but LOVED us so much that He made a way for us to be united with HIM in love - to love. WHAT LOVE!!! Oh my soul!!! our God! He is too wonderful to fully imagine!

I was grocery shopping yesterday, and I overheard a very loud talking woman spewing her anger into her phone which was not visible...she was wearing earplugs. So Star Trekish we are these days, aren't we?!?! Star Trek..I totally dated myself, I'm sure. Google it if you're not sure what I'm talking about. ANYWAY - This woman shamelessly bellowed out in the soup aisle..."I hate her! She is a liar! She lied to you! She lied to me! She makes me sick."

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.She didn't say that, I did...well - not out loud...but I should have. Maybe. Anyway... My heart hurt. I literally ached. Whatever this other woman has done, and I do mean whatever - HATE is not her cure, NOR.NOR.NOR. will it be the cure for the one who is overflowing with hate onto the Campbell soup selections.

BIBLE study in aisle 7 everybody! Can you just see me? I just wanted to offer the only thing I had brewing in my own heart - MERCY! oh please have MERCY for this lying woman, and save yourself from what you're doing to your boiling blood pressure - brow lines - and soul. I didn't say anything. Not one word. Honestly, I don't think at that moment this woman would have appreciated my interference, and quite honestly I was rather concerned what she might be capable of with a can of soup at that moment. Not a teachable moment fo' sho. And then of course ... who am I, right? I can just hear her now...loud talker style and all - "Just who the heck (possibly, could be worse) do  you think you are, lady?"

"Who me? Well...I just want to give peace a chance."  NO - that wouldn't work.
How about..."I work for Oprah, and we were interested in interviewing women who are victims of liars and how they cope peacefully with it." No. That would be a lie. She'd smell it, I'm sure.
I guess I could have started whistling, "What the world needs now, is love - sweet love." But maybe she wouldn't have known that song so prolly a better choice would have been Michael Jackson's - "I'm looking at the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways."... But, then again I would have had to sing that one - loudly over her talking - cuz, that's a hard tune to whistle even softly right?

Well, I wrestled with the dilemma of my heart and this lady - and the liar she hates - all day, and now into this morning. I can't let it go, and she is far away from me, probably on to some other issue in her life...that will require great love and great mercy...something I fell short of offering...but something Jesus did not.

As I prayed for this lady and liar woman this morning (I'm sorry - I don't know what else to call her, but she needs prayer, right?) ... I listened to God whisper to me through His Word over and over again Once it's in my head, I can't let it go. "You can't love God and hate your brother," AGAIN - "You can't love God and hate your brother". Again...and again. What do I do with this God? It's just me, and I know this one. Silence. 

God is MY teacher. I am the one who hears His Word in my head right now, and as much as I would like to press this lesson into this other woman's heart - and through her phone to the friend that was being fed the venom to hate liar woman as well... - THIS lesson in the grocery aisle was actually for me. Really God? Me. I love. Don't I? I curdle inside at the sound of hate... toward anyone...Silence.

I decided to search for the passage that kept repeating in my head...

I John 4:7-21. Wow. Can I even just encourage you to go there with me? Oh my soul. Pour some tea. And sit with Jesus. And slowly think through every word and repeated word that John penned through the inspiration from the Spirit. Just underline the word love every time you see it. LOVE! Then ask Him... ask our Teacher:

Show me how I love well, please. What does that look like in my life.
And, Lord, show me how I fall short of love...not just in my words out loud, but in the quiet of my own headset that is just between me and you...

Wow. Everyone may not hear the sludge we're spewing about somebody, but uh-huh, God sure enough does. AND that sludge we're steppin' over and ignoring does not go unnoticed by the God who calls us His temple. I have to clean house, girlfriend. OH WOW! OH WOW! 

I can't help but wonder... What is just between me, myself and I? HA! That's a joke! nuthin'! nuthin! nuthin!!! Because first of all, God know everything about us - Psalm 139, and secondly - everyone knows it, too... "Out of the overflow of the heart...the mouth speaks" Luke 6:45. 

Somehow, some way, that little hate pool is going to spew. Mop it up and wring it out. 

Hate. Do I really hate... Think about it. Hate: aversion. hostility. Ask God to show you that IN YOU... and ask Him to show you to whom you have directed it - and not just outwardly, but in your own head...God WILL ANSWER YOU. He will. And when he does - cover that person that you feel this AVERSION/HATE for with prayers for blessing and grace - and ask for any way you can demonstrate grace and love. 

Yes, my friend, I'm with you! Of course I am - or I wouldn't be blogging my face off right now! I'm with you!!! I'm not alone, am I? If so - pray for me! I need LOVE goin' on in my heart so that it speaks for my thoughts. I need "what the world needs now - is love sweet love" and "I'm lookin' at the man in the mirror - I'm asking him to change his ways..." in my own personal head set right now. 

When I feel aversion toward someone, I'm praying for love and for God to show me what that love is supposed to look like EXACTLY as He would love - to paint it clearly for me on the inside of my eyeballs so I can see it - and do it...Cuz, wow - sometimes, I know I don't have a clue. 

No, I'm not happy about this lesson. It bugs me. This too, God? Then He reminds me of Colossians 3 - and putting to death my earthly nature, and  I think, great! I get to take out my frustration on something then! One day - there will be no more struggle with who I am without Christ. One day - we will be like Him - effortlessly! "When Christ, who is our life appears, THEN you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:4 
WHAT A DAY! Oh my exhaling soul! What a day!

 We are as AMBASSADORS of God. Can you imagine that? Crazy! Let's Love that lady in our life who is a liar. I have a feeling she doesn't have many friends right now. Love that neighbor who has mouthy kids that break your stuff. She probably could use a cup of coffee. Ya know? (If my neighbor is reading this, no Jackie - your kids are wonderful when they're here, and they don't break my stuff...I'm being broad here - not local. Glad you're my neighbor!) Love that woman at work who gossips about everybody. Tell her what you're learning from God at lunch. Let her talk about that! Love that person who you know is talking about you behind your back.Give her a card and write in it - "Just had to tell you, YOU ARE LOVED!" ..oh and wait - Love your brother. Love your sister. Love your husband. Love your son. Love your daughter. Love your mom. Love your dad. I could go on and on with family...right? Love those people - SPECIFICALLY- who are most difficult to love when they stand so close and are so capable of being opposed to you from one moment to the next - because!!! because!!! this...oh my heart! THIS is the image of God to the world. Can you hear me preachin' sista? I'm a' prechin' it!! Tears in my eyes and coffee drippin' down my chin cuz I'm typing and sipping and spilling as I rock the desk!

THIS love, that reaches out to those who are opposed to us with grace - is the image of God to the World. 

This passage in I John - refers to those who share our faith - but settle into every context that God speaks to for love. John was writing to the family of God in I John 4, but God - in the entirety of His book - teaches us that our love must extend beyond family as well...JUST AS HE DID - to the world. From Israel - to the Gentiles - to the ends of the earth...LOVE.

Wish I could hug you right now! It's so, so good! - And we are so, so able. THIS is what we were created for...LOVE - not hate. Lovin' with you today. Oh yeah, I know it's hard! Get down dirty on my knees hard. Some people just don't want to be loved, right? Jesus gets that, too. He died trying anyway.

"We love, because He first loved us." I John 4:19

LOVE!

Advice to a Bride

We're going to a wedding this weekend. I can't wait. I love weddings. I love the romance, the attention to detail that has been invested, the joy, the friends we get to spend time with, the music, the laughter, the dancing that makes me feel old and yet so young in love, the couple that I cannot stop taking my eyes off of. I see them, I see their hope, I see the challenges and adventures they have yet to share. I see the Gospel. Yeah - I do. We - the church - get to be the bride of Christ! And I can't wait to celebrate my face off because then - THEN - OH YES! YES! THEN! I'm drinking a full cup of whatever Jesus is pouring! Was I a little to enthusiastic there? Sorry. I am ALWAYS and forever a party girl, just a redeemed one. Long story - another day. WEDDINGS! Best date night for a thousand reminiscent reasons.

SO - here's my advice, beautiful bride!!! All that Victoria Secret, sexy, swanky, gorgeous stuff that you get to wear for your prince...Girlfriend - that is for YOU! Yes! That stuff - so for us. We need to feel...desirable. But I have great news for you...YOU ARE DESIRED! He can't wait to get his arms around you, and that gorgeous silky, lacy, wrapping around the glory that is ALL of you - heart, soul, and mind - THAT is going to wind up on the floor. HE already desires you...Hear me out on this because I need this reminder, so I wanna share it with you...We can't let that "feeling" of being desirable - stymie us in our marriage. You may not know what I am saying right now - but you so will. You won't feel desirable so you won't want to be desired. You may push him away because of your big - fat - lie of a feeling that is grippin' your heart. You don't have to put on - dress up - perfume - light candles - all that jazzy jazz we do - to be desired by your husband. YOU SO SO SO ARE! Test me on this one. Baseball hat - t-shirt - lounge pants - and no makeup. Ask him - when you're married of course - if he wants you - right there and right then. Watch his response! Do it! So fun!

We - our ideas about what makes us wanted and desired - can stifle that HOT love that our husbands have brewing ALL. THE. TIME. I pray DAILY! God - let me stir his desires and not stifle them. Broken perspectives harmed my heart - but God has poured wisdom over all of it...And so, I just had to share it with you...

You know I have to go back to Jesus on this thought - cuz I don't ever want to share anything with you that is not grounded in our God. Did you do anything - ANY ONE LITTLE THING - to deserve the love, mercy, salvation, and grace of our God? LOUD RESOUNDING - NO! WE did nothing to be swept up in the arms of our God. His love was poured out for us - while we were YET sinners - rejecting, rebelling, mocking and spitting in His face. Romans 5:8.Can you even believe it? Yeah - I'm with you! Tears! How great is our God?!?!? We didn't clean up and then come to Christ, right? We might have tried...What a joke! But then we realized - only HE can fix our heart. Only He can change us. Only He can make us clean. AND in that realization - we loved Him...for the first time, we loved Him. GOSPEL!!! oh the GOSPEL!!!

Back to you and your hubby...Remember you are HOT, little mama. YOU are desired by the man God has blessed you to do this life with... WALK daily in that "comin' at him down the aisle - can't get the grin off his face or the tear out of his eye" - DESIRE!!!! Walk in it, bride. YOU are spectacular! You truly are.

Now - if you want his attention... Walk around the house with a hammer and nails...That's what I do! I was going to hang a picture right now...and all I could hear was the sound of my husband's voice..."Hey, where you going?" I love when he says that!

LOVE!!!

Devotions

Have you had your "devotions" today? How do you like that question? It either puts a twist in your gut or it gets you all excited for a great conversation. Right?

Devotions. We, as believers define our time with God in His Word as our "Devotions". But - as you may or may not know - our religion is not the only religion honking the Devo horn. Other religions have their devotional time to align their hearts with what they believe and want to live by. Uh huh. What does that do in your gut?

What are they reading? What are they thinking? But even more than that - how is their study time affecting them, and the world around them...not just today - for every day...for eternity.

I WOULD LOVE to sit down and chat with these people about their devotions. I would. Not in a heated discussion. YUK! I hate confrontation. What I do love is to hear someone's heart. What makes you tick? What makes you ok in the midst of heartache, in the midst of uncertainty? What gives you joy?

Here's the thing though...devotionally - you ready for this? Devotionally - regardless of what they are reading - they are being inspired, re-wired, and charged for the day. Sure they are! These people are not being left without a surge of "feel good" from their devotions. They read and study and focus on something that will empower them. We can ALL find a source of "feel good" when we want it, right? I see these religious power statements on facebook often. Don't you? We may even quote them ourselves...

So what then is the difference between our devotions and the devotions of another religion? Is it in fact our source of study? Is that what you were thinking? The Bible? - sure. Ok - I'll give us that. We have the Bible. We go to The Word of God for the way, the truth and the life. And we believe - unwaveringly - that it is The BREATHED Word of God that He has protected and dispersed over time and distances  -.... But can I tell you what has my gears turning this morning?  The BOOK of all books - that is our focus and foundation for devotions - is not  meant to be a "feel good" book. Please don't get me wrong...I know it brings us deep soul gratification. I'm with you. I feel good in having spent time with God and being fed by Him, but consider this with me...Our devotions - time we spend with our Almighty God - if this time is always about reading until we feel good...we are missing the depth and power of our SOURCE of truth - that no other religion has.

Any religion offers a feel good source to their followers. Do you and I know - realize - study - equip our minds and hearts with the ROCK SOLID foundational truths that is the BIBLE - that defines our faith - that is the reason we pick it up at all? DO WE KNOW - why that verse we read actually...ACTUALLY...makes us feel good - or makes us rewire - reboot our lives??? Cause there is SO MUCH DEPTH to it - more than just our own soul stirring depth. It is the Word of The LIVING one true GOD.

AND in 2012 He has not left us without resources to study - and know it - to dig deep into it - and be grounded in why THE WORD of GOD is worth living by - and dying by.

Do you know why that verse you read changed your life? It is different than any other feel good saying you can repeat, or post, or tattoo, tweet, talk about, sing about - think about - and 180 your life to.  We NEED to know. We do - we sooooo so do. For those we love, for the God who has given us grace to live this undeserved love life with Him - for those we have yet to love in this life - and in our eternity...we need to know why we believe - WHAT - we believe. THAT - will set apart your mind and heart in your devotional time - from every religion in the world. AND God willing, He will give us the opportunity to share that difference - with love - with boldness - and with great certainty.

I Peter 2:15 " But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear...."

One study resource I have benefited from as a learner, and one that I keep on my shelf close by as a reference is Know Why You Believe by Paul E. Little. It's a small book - easy to devour, but it must be devoured slowly. Lots of meat. Lots of rock.

The other book - that change my LIFE! - oh my soul changed my life! -  How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur

I love this Jesus lovin -' followin' - studyin' - life with you. I so do. You spur me on. So, THANK YOU! I hope I do the same for you.
LOVE!

So why do you think that way?

Did you grow up being told this is what you should believe, and so that's why you hold the beliefs you do? Or, did you grow up being told this is what you should believe and so NOW you are going to determine the beliefs you hold apart from your upbringing?

Your beliefs - or World View - influences everything about you. Everything. From where you live, to how you treat others,  your decision making, your friends, your enemies, your loves, the things you hate, the places you go, what determines right and wrong for you, if there even is right and wrong at all for you or others,  the things you invest in, the things you teach your children, or the things you won't teach your children, your identity, the way you view your worth, others' worth, your eternity...the very manner by which you determine what is true and what is not - is influenced by your World View.

So, with so much WEIGHT, on the filter of your life - have you ever considered WHY you believe what you believe? I mean, most people will tell you quite passionately what they believe, myself included. Passion about our beliefs is easy - but the reasoning behind that passion...well, truthfully - many will fumble for articulate words that define exactly why they hold to the beliefs that shape life as they live it. Try it. Ask someone - anyone - about something like...."How do you determine what is right and what is wrong for you - for your family?" Then ask - "Why do you believe that?" or ask it another way - ask.. "Why do you think that is right?" I bet they will pause and have to pull their thoughts together very carefully. We don't press one another for reasons behind who we are - and what we believe...it's too uncomfortable, isn't it?  - or it's just not fun, right? Can't we just talk about the Bills game (yeah, I'm not good at that topic), the weather, work, the kids, our husband's, a sale at the grocery store, our personal junk, or someone else's personal junk? It's too hard to get specific - for a lot of reasons. But I'm goin' there with you... I mean - it's just you and I, right? And you don't even have to answer me...You can even just shut down this ranting I'm in the midst of right now... I hope you don't, though. I hope you'll stay with me. Stay with me for a minute - even if it's just to see if I'm more wacked then you originally thought. You look great today, by the way. Love your hair! Please, stay with me for this...

I just want to go somewhere deep with you today, ok? I want you and I to take a moment to think...Do we know why we believe what we believe? I get we're passionate about our beliefs. Ask a vegetarian about the whole meat processing deal...woooweee - passion! Ask a homosexual about why she is the way she is....yup. Passion. Ask a mom about how she disciplines her babes...PASSION! Passion is a huge window into who we are - our ticking mechanism, but passion for our "issues" does not get to the core of why we believe the things we do.

SO I gotta ask you - just for a second - will you think with me about...why do you believe what you believe? Did some religious fanatic convince you that religion is weird? Did a family member tell you that if you reject what you have been told, you will in turn be rejected? Did you have some moment of "enlightenment", or did you read some text recommended by Oprah's Book Club that made you feel better about your circumstances? Maybe you did what I did at the age of 20, and out of some devastating moment determined - "I will believe what works for me..."

WHATEVER your reasons for embracing the beliefs you hold...can I just challenge you to consider your source of truth very critically. Because if it is TRUTH, it will indeed stand the test of fire. If your belief system cannot handle scrutiny - then you have just learned something very important about the source by which you base your life and your eternity.

Ask yourself these questions...come on! It will be interesting for you! Just think about these things...Certainty is nothing to be afraid of...right? If you're certain you're source of truth is right - ASK some hard questions.

1. What actually is your source of truth? You? A book? Is this book or your ideas based on one person's "enlightenment", or experience? Your own perhaps? How do you know this enlightenment is true? Why do you believe the book/ idea you have chosen to believe as true? What do you know about it's author(s) - it's validity? Here's a hard one...how do you actually define TRUE? what works? what is it that "works" about your belief? Will it always work? How can you be sure?

2. Is your belief system limited to only those who "get it"? Can anyone "get it" - or is your belief system only for those who are "enlightened". How do you treat those who don't believe what you believe? For example, is there just a community for "believers" that you get along with - or do your beliefs welcome everyone? Would I - a Christian - be welcome among you?

3.How is justice determined? How is right or wrong determined according to your belief system? What protects you - society - from evil? Do you even acknowledge evil, and if not - why not? Is it not prevalent? How do you explain the "bad things" that happen in this world? If you do acknowledge evil, how according to your belief system should it be dealt with? If you don't acknowledge evil, what do you do with the bad things that threaten you - your family - society - the world...including disease?

4. How do you view eternity? Is God distant or personal?  Does your God have any concern for where you are - who you are - and where you will be one day? What makes you think so? WhoWhat shaped this view of God for you? A book? Who wrote it? An experience? How is it that  your experience/idea is correct about God?

5. Let's talk eternity...According to your beliefs, is there hope for your peace? For the world's peace? Is there a circular reasoning that keeps people coming and going in a loop of pass/fail until we get it right? Or is there a final destination for all souls? What is that destination and how does one get there? Is it seemingly possible, or is it a never ending effort of trying to achieve it?

6. What is the purpose for "good deeds" in your belief system? What defines a selfless act toward humanity verses a selfish deed that determines your "good standing"? If your belief system is all about earning favor, or good standing with God and humanity - or even possibly earning heaven - how does your belief system determine what is actually an unselfish deed? Wouldn't all deeds be selfish? What is your motivation apart from self?

7. What does your belief system do with Jesus - the Biblical God, the self proclaimed Savior of the World - the self proclaimed "way, truth, and life? He is a pivotal point in ALL belief systems. Either your belief system acknowledges Him  -as a prophet, or a teacher - who provides sign posts toward "good living", or you believe He is who He claimed to be and you follow Him, or you believe He is who He claimed to be, but you don't think He knows you, or maybe - you think He was a lunatic, or you are just not sure what to make of Him.What does your belief system say of Jesus and who- WHAT PERSON- determined this opinion of the God of the Bible that you now hold? What do you know about the person who has influenced your thinking, their credibility?  Who is telling you who God is?

Have you thought about these things? Maybe not at all...Too much work when you have too much else to think about...Or maybe you think only about the things you are passionate about that fall under the umbrella of your world view, because that's all that really matters???... Things like:

1. Homosexuality. -  God is a God of love. It can't be wrong to love whomever you choose.
2. Abortion - It is a woman's choice to do what she wants with her body.
3. Creation - However the world was created - the source of the universe was not a personal God.
4. Humanity - People are messed up, and religion has never fixed the issues of the world.
5. Eternity - No one can determine where a soul ends up or even if there is a soul.

All of these statements are rooted in passion, not in Truth. Follow any of your beliefs on any of these issues and you will only wander around a hoola-hoop of reasoning - a hoola-hoop that is around you. I'm not being mean - I'm just stating something you probably already know, right? What you believe, quite possibly, is for you - your benefit.

I just want you to know one thing before I let you go...Thank you for enduring my questions. I love deep stuff with you!!!

Man cannot disprove the God of The Bible. We can postulate, argue, and disagree on thousands upon thousands of issues....we can brainstorm and calculate as to what we believe is the cause of this life,what we believe is the source of life, and the hope for humanity, what we believe is right for us today, where we go, what we do, whom we love or don't, but  while we draw these defining lines with passion, we cannot escape one FACT...man has never been able to disprove the God of the Bible.

Any statement we make apart from God is rooted in one thing...SELF.

If you consider why you believe these things, at the very core of each issue you will find the pride of life that each of us are guilty of. "I believe it for me." This is not truth. This is passion.

Every belief that is rooted in The God of The Bible - HIS BOOK - is not rooted in self. NOT ONE.Think about it - Go ahead. Spend some time rummaging through what you know about the Bible, and then go and read it...I promise! Because it is true! not even our personal salvation, according to the Bible, is for "self" - but for the love of God - and the love of others. ANY situation of self that is told of in the Bible - is an example of self-destruction.

Every world view - but Christianity - is works based and geared toward self. ONLY the God of  The Bible - gave His Son so that we wouldn't have to work our way to Him for ourselves - ONLY THE GOD OF THE BIBLE - gave His Son - so that we could be in relationship to Him and so that we could but could live life through Him - not for our sakes - but for the world He loves....wow.

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." I John 4:9-11

I'm fired up today. Fired up with passion based on TRUTH...truth that does not depend on my passion - but rather TRUTH  that can hold the weight of reality.

grace to be grace.

"The God of all grace." I Peter 5:10

That verse gives me comfort this morning. Grace. God is a God of grace. ALLLLL grace given. Undeserved - unmerited favor: that's grace. Our God...our God is a God of grace. Not the Hindu gods. No grace found there. Not the God of Islam. Yeah...no. No grace there. Buddah? How about grace from Buddah? No. Check him out. NO grace found there. Really. Check those gods - any gods for that matter. No god but THE GOD of The Bible offers grace. AND here's the kicker...we did nothing to deserve it. ALL other religions focus on deeds - what we must do to earn favor.

Not THE GOD - the author of grace: "By grace you have been save through faith, and that NOT OF YOURSELVES, it is the gift of GOD." Ephesians 2:8-9. And this grace that comes through Christ (John 1:17) is given to everybody. EVERY single body in the world is being extended this incredible favor from God right now. NO other god is as INCLUSIVE as THE GOD of grace. This God is the God of the Abraham, Isaac, to whom the promise was extended, to Jacob, his 12 sons who became the nation of Israel - through whom came King David, King Solomon, and King Jesus.The Son of God was given so that we might know the grace of God that did not demand we WORK to reach heaven, but that GRACE would come to us - even if we could care less. Through Jesus,- his life, death, and resurrection, we can know that our Creator has always been personally invested in us. He is not distant from us - nor has he ever been. He has always loved us, and will not ever relent in His love. He lets us choose Him, and He lets us reject Him - and in both decisions His love pervades. No other god is like our God.

I am so caught up in grace this morning, caught up with the blazing realization that our God is living and active and that HE ALONE is God. There is none like Him. ALL roads do not lead to Him. Any other road but Jesus - the way, the truth the life" is a dead end. John 14:6-7

And you know what? This truth claim is not exclusive - THIS WAY is for the ENTIRE world. "For God so loved THE WORLD that WHOSOEVER believes in Him - not about Him, cuz He is historical fact - but IN HIM - which means your will and heart believe and live accordingly - SHALL NOT DIE - but have everlasting life. That's not reincarnation. Our everlasting life is not cyclical - but linear...we go on, and on, and on - with our God. Jesus said, "My Father's house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?" We don't have to be relegated to the body of a bug for bad karma. We won't become apart of some essence of a god. We get to be with Jesus - in a personal, loving, intimate eye to eye relationship with Him and others who love Him - RIGHT where HE IS - with GOD. He is there RIGHT NOW!!!! AND one day...we get to be there too! I know...unbelievable, right? Yeah - but not by faith. It's not unbelievable when you put your faith in Christ and His Spirit comes in and opens your eyes to truth that is indeed BELIEVABLE! I Corinthians 1:27-31

I have never seen anything more exclusive than the religions and ideologies of our world. My eyes have been flooded with tears at the realization of what some believe is truth. How exhausting. Heart wrenching. Dark. Hopeless. Powerless. Impersonal. EMPTY. Just the thought that someone would say "All Roads Lead to One" is heartbreaking. How completely ignorant of who God has shown us that He is through His Word - through Jesus of Nazareth - His only Son. One idea planted by that Ancient Liar long ago keeps growing and spreading like a virus. "Did God really say...?" Genesis 3. All truth is realized in one fact. We can trust our God  - THE GOD of grace.

God loves the world. And He has paid for our rejection of Him. We are desperate for Him. We just need to realize who He is.

Confucianism, Shinto, Hindu, Sikhism, Kabbalah, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism...the list goes on and is quite long; all  gods but our GOD require deeds to achieve an end result. ONLY the God of The Bible requires nothing of us - but to receive the free gift of Jesus, and HIM ALONE, as payment for our sin debt, and hope for our eternity. ANY OTHER god - offers no assurance of salvation apart from deeds - our gift to them...and! And! AND!!! even those deeds do not assure that  could we have done enough...well - unless of course you become a guru - or maybe a suicide bomber.

HOW I ache for the truth of God to pervade this city - and every city. Your city and my city need Jesus. We are not filled with the passion to proclaim him from our own efforts. Remember? We can do nothing apart from Him? John 15. He makes us able, because He knows we can't. No other god makes people able to live for him. THE GOD does. We have the power of God in us to pursue Him, and to be ambassadors for Him. You feel that excitement? That urgency? That is the Spirit of God in you! HUG ME! I love that about you!

So where do we begin? How do we accomplish so GREAT a task? I'm with you! I'm thinkin' it out and praying about it with you. Indeed - how do you? Begin with asking our GOD - THE GOD - who has positioned us here in 2012 to know HIM - and live this life for Him...(and again - that's not a list of to do's...that's the Spirit of God in us that makes us cry out to Him - I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I WANT TO LIVE FOR YOU!!!...you don't get that with other gods...This is a free benefit with THE GOD) Check out ..
Hebrews 10:16 " I will put my laws in their hearts and I will write them on their minds. Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."  We don't need a list of laws - a ritual, a mantra, a bracelet, an outfit ...we are indwelt by the Spirit of God, and daily He will teach us what we need for our good that brings Him glory. CRAZY! It's just so good and beautiful - it's crazy! How can people not be drawn to Jesus? Oh...yeah - that's right...other people.

Grace. We must learn grace and what it looks like to extend it as our Father has extended it to us. Grace is not extending a rule book, jamming a cross in someone's face, judging, forcing; it's Jesus. Grace is the undeserved, unmerited favor that is our Savior and King. What can you do to extend THAT? Ask God. He's good at it.  He didn't shove Himself down your throat, boldly proclaim your sins to the world, shun you, shame you, reject you... He loved you and waited for you to realize just how very much He does...allllll the while extending to you - GRACE.

Wow. Enjoy that thought today as you look back at your life and where God has brought you - apart from Him - or with Him. He has been loving you. Waiting for you. And hoping for your very best...which will always be His Son, Jesus.

I'm so thankful for grace. Thanks for grace through you, my friend! Thank you for being the touch of God in my life as He THRIVES in you!!! GRATEFUL!!! Spread that goodness to everyone!!! It's so INCDREDIBLE! And we aLLLLL need grace. Don't we? Yeah. We surely do. We surely, surely do.

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

What a GOD!

The unbearable Lightness of a burden

My heart has been aching for a friend - who is hurting...You know that feeling? Jesus called us to bare one another's burdens. That's hard, isn't it?  Quite honestly - if it were not for His Spirit indwelling me - (yeah, that's a hard concept for me to understand, too - but I know He's in there!)...If the Spirit of God did not get inside this head and heart of mine, I know I would not give one hoot about my friend's heartache. Oh sure - I'd casually be concerned, and offer kindness when I could - but this is different. This is a BURDEN that wakes me up in the night. This is a BURDEN that is on my heart from the moment I wake up and it remains with me throughout the day. This burden has me ready - on the alert - and willing. This burden makes me pray and hope and look for what I can do to bring JOY and PEACE and HELP to my friend.

You know what I'm talking about, right? A burden is an urgency that makes you just cry out to God, "Tell me what to do - and I'll do it." AND you're praying this even EVEN though you know what God may call you to do could be really hard, really humiliating, really inconvenient, uncomfortable - or even seemingly COMPLETELY impossible. Regardless - you're praying and willing to be used.  And we didn't even ask for this burden, did we?

Is it not incredible that we who follow Christ are moved from the comfort of self - to the discomfort of someone else's heart - another person's life struggle...a dark place where we are not at home, often not welcome, not at ease, not reassured, not respected, not strong, not wise, not able ... just completely dependent on God. We are stirred in our hearts, with our minds, and with our lives - to act on the behalf of someone else. Why?

Why indeed.

I read something today that brought me to a soft place of quiet understanding. I'm not saying I completely understand why we WILL  and why we MUST - carry the burden of others.  What I am saying is that I have laid down my question of why - and I have begun to thank God for this burden and trust Him with it.

I wanted to invite you to read this story as well. It is a short piece written by a Hindu convert to Jesus - who became a missionary. That alone intrigued me..So you ready for this? It's not that long. I promise it will be worth your while.

Here it is:

Shortly after coming to Christ, Sadhu felt called to become a missionary to India. Late one afternoon Sadhu was traveling on foot through the Himalayas with a Buddhist monk. It was bitter cold and the wind felt like a cold blade slicing into Sadhu's skin. Night was fast approaching when the monk warned Sadhu that they were in danger of freezing to death if they did not reach the monastery before the darkness fell. 

Just as they were traversing a narrow path above a steep precipice, they heard a cry of help. Down the cliff lay a man, fallen and badly hurt. The monk looked at Sadhu and said, "Do not stop. God has brought  this man to his fate. He must work it out for himself." Then he quickly added while walking on, "Let us hurry on before we, too, perish." 

But Sadhu replied, "God has sent me here to help my brother, I cannot abandon him." 

The monk continued trudging off through the whirling snow, while the missionary clambered down the steep embankment. The man's leg was broken and he could not walk. So Sadhu took his blanket, made a sling of it, and tied the man on his back. then, bending under his burden, he began a body-torturing climb. By the time he reached the narrow path again, he was drenched with perspiration.

Doggedly, he made his way on through the deepening snow. It was dark now and it was all he could do to follow the path. But he persevered, though faint with fatigue and overheated from the exertion. Finally, he saw ahead the lights of the monastery.

Then, for the first time, Sadhu stumbled and nearly fell - but not from weakness. He had stumbled over some object lying in the snow-covered road. Slowly he bent down on one knee and brushed the snow off the object. It was the body of the monk, frozen to death.

Years later a disciple of Sadhu's asked him, "What is life's most difficult task?"

Without hesitation, Sadhu replied: "To have no burden to carry."

You and I have been given an immeasurable blessing. It is grace to us and grace to those we have been blessed to love.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" John 15:13
"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." Matthew 16:25

I think of so many people I know who are burdened for others. Some are even burdened for people they haven't even met - locally and around the world. They seek to bring them healing, joy, peace, help in any way possible. They are doing whatever they believe God has called them to do, and their efforts are gargantuan and not without struggle. I also think of you. Which is why I am writing. I hope to encourage you this very day. What God has called you to, dear reader - in bearing someone else's burden - is a gift that He will help you endure...and not only ENDURE..but! THE God of the Universe will help you accomplish what He has put before you to do on His behalf...HOW amazing is that?!?! God will bless you with this burden you carry! It will literally be a blessing. A burden is grace we often do not realize. Isn't that incredible? I'm amazed with you - to the point of humble, grateful tears.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.—Hebrews 12:2

Picking it up, and moving on, and stumbling forward - with JOY.

Hey Jealousy

Hey - you know that woman in your life - we all have one.. THE ONE that you think is SO spectacular....(She is sumpthin', isn't she? I know - she totally is!) - the one that makes you think every now and then that annoying little irritant of a thought "What must it be like to be you?" Don't you just hate that feeling - ugh! and no matter what, you can't keep it from coming to a boil. Double ugh! Well -hold on - I'm getting to the BETTER feeling for you and I... you ready?...The next time you see her - (and I'm with you - I've been doing it and it's WORKING!) WHY don't you tell her why you think she is so incredible? Don't laugh! I'm serious! But, listen - hear me out...You're not going to tell her just because she might need to hear it from your lips (because really, she might - you never know what she thinks about herself or how she feels the moment you are there with her -) ... you aren't telling her so much for her - as you are for your heart need to tell her - YOU are going to tell her because YOU need to hear YOU telling her just why you think the fancy out of  her! And can I tell ya... the funny thing is - you CAN tell her with  sincerity and sweetness from your heart - because you already believe it! Right!?! uh-huh - yeah we do! we believe she is amazing!

Woman!!! let me tell ya....

FREEEEEDOM! Freeedom! FREEEEEE DOMM!

Try it. I know you'll like it. You so will! Curl your toes kinda good feeling happy!!!

"I run the way of your commands for you have set my heart free." Psalm 119:32

Love is kind. It does not envy. Run light.

LOVE!

when you wish upon a star. stupid star.

Have you been to Cinderella's castle? It's quite spectacular at a distance. Maybe you've never actually stood before it - looking up at all it's magnificence - but maybe you've been to it in your mind. It actually - is much better there, really. I'm not trying to be a party pooper, But it's true.Nothing - no reality - can compare to what we have made of that castle in our mind.

I remember the first time I saw Cinderella's majestic, fairy tale home. I was eight. Remember the world at eight?  I could not wait to get to see inside of it with my own eyes and wander through its rooms and hallways and dungeons and towers. I wanted to see her bed, her kitchen, and fireplace. I had pictured it all a thousand times, and so the thought of seeing it for real made my heart race.

We climbed up the bride hill - that overlooks water - you know the one? And then stood in the golden painted archway with so many other people - who snapped pictures and talked loudly. What were they doing there? This was my moment! Not expected...right?

"Can we go in?" I asked.
"No - you don't GO in," my mother replied. She had tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Why? Why can't we go in? And why are you crying?"
"It's a restaurant in there. You have to have reservations to go in there." She wiped her tears from her cheeks. My father was taking her picture. She finished answering me. "It's Cinderella's castle. I have always wanted to be in Cinderella's castle. That's why I'm crying."

Yeah. I wanted to cry, too! THIS was it!?! And what was the deal with the reservations? Why couldn't we have reservations? I didn't ask anymore questions. I was sorely disappointed, and my mom seemed to be somewhere else in tears and a far-away look toward the paintings and bricks that had now really ticked me off.

THAT WAS IT!?!

How many times is the idea of something better to you than the reality? For instance - how 'bout motherhood? Are you laughing or gasping that I would even say such a thing? Laura Lewis! Don't you love being a mother? Of course I do! I love life with my God-given babes!!! But - BUT- BUT!!! THIS - is not how I imagined it. At all! Especially when they were newborns. Remember that? Or maybe you're in it...Praying for you, new Mama. Praying for you!!! Cuz..who tells you you're going to be up at 2 a.m. feeding a baby for months on end? NO ONE! Who tells you that they cry and you can't figure it out? ummm... NO ONE!  Who tells you that they will have sickness - and pain - and needs beyond your touch or ability to repair them? Aren't moms supposed to be able to fix everything? Yeah. No. Who prepares you for the heartache of  their blatant "NO"? Right in your face - "NO"...I guess that's more the toddler days - but still! No one tells you that tiny thing you could step on is going to rip your heart out and challenge you like nothing else in this world!  AND THEN!  who tells you that you can become this vile, nasty person that you have never seen or heard or realized in alllll your ever livin' days on this earth! AND you saw Mommy Dearest, right? Who told you that could be YOU?  Did ANYONE ever tell you that you would look in the mirror and ask - WHO AM I? ... Who is this person I am becoming in the midst of motherhood, because you have no idea. Yeah - no one.

I remember one friend - ONE - who said to me in my 9th month of pregnancy - while she held her 9 month old on her hip..."Keep that baby inside of you." But she didn't tell me why. And you know what - I was afraid to ask.

I guess - to everyone's defense - the truth is - HOW can anyone prepare you to come to grips with your own fantasy crashing around at  your feet. It's not going to be what you think it is - and no one else knows just REALLY what you have imagined THAT  picture to be... EXCEPT - our God. He knows our thoughts - He alone searches the heart - and He alone is the one who will speak love, and truth, and grace - into the reality that is our life. Jeremiah 17:10, "I alone search the heart and examine the mind to give everyman according to his ways, And according to the fruit of his doings." I do not see this truth of God in a negative light - anymore that is...As I learn the love that is our God...I see a Father - who knows what lessons He must bring to His child to shape a life - a heart - that is a reflection of His own image. Romans 8:27-28 makes that even more clear as I ponder it this morning... Hoping in God - who is our life - is where we will find an image to embrace and walk into.

"Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mid of the Spirit is, because He makes intersession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Are you standing under the archway of Cinderella's castle? With tears streaming down your face - are you realizing, "THIS IS NOT WHAT I HOPED FOR." Does it feel like you have been sold a lie for what should have been a dream come true?

What are you going to do with those tears streaming down your face? Are you going to wipe them away and shove that pain deep down in your heart, so that you can chalk this up to another disappointment - another reason someone else has a better deal than you do... STOP IT! Stop right now...and I'm saying this in love - YOU ARE IN THE MIDST OF A POWERFUL LESSON. One that you best not ignore. How do I know? I'm with you!!! I'm standing right there with you! See me? Hey - how ya doin'? Here's a Kleenex. WE MUST pay close attention to our tears, and go to God's Word with them. That is the best cure for that heartache. We have incorrectly placed our hope in something that is not reality. Misappropriated HOPE is the reason for those tears - and we affect others with our sorrow... ( you know that little one lookin' at you saying, "Why are you crying, Mommy?")  LOVE for them makes a choice to fully examine our broken thinking - and seek God, our Daddy, to make it right. In the archway of Cinderella's castle - whatever that is for you - our God is standing - waiting for us to go to HIM - His Word - that is timeless - and exact - and healing - and precisely what He knew we would need to embrace our broken dream - and HIM - in the reality that is our day - today.

Remember that verse? I just shared it up a few paragraphs...IT ALLLL works together for our good. We don't have to be afraid that the dream just shattered. The dream cannot compare to what is going to be...because YES! GOD is just that good.

So stop reading this stupid blog - and go get your Bible...Read Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:28-29, Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 25:4, James 1:3-4, and Hebrews 10:35-36...

Take hold of the TRUTH of God...and move into today knowing full well - your dream that you have cherished and protected and lived for - was not for nothing. It wasn't. Don't get all poo-poo about the fact you had this dream and it just popped!  This dream of yours - that God knew you had - it ...-LISTEN...and don't just listen - examine it - see if I'm right - IT was for a powerful lesson of LIFE - that GOD has been patiently waiting to show you - from the time your dreaming heart began to beat.

LOVE this Jesus life with you! Love it! Wish you'd tell me what you're learning, too. I always look to hear from you. LOVE!



 

running without growing weary?

So do you run?

I do. And that "I do" is definitely because of the "I do" that locked me into a covenant love with my triathlete husband. Long ago and far away I was one unhealthy dame. With smoke stained lungs I embraced running about 16 years ago. I never thought I would heal let alone enjoy a long run. I did heal - and I do love running. However - AND i do mean HOWEVER - when I have not run for awhile - even a few days - it is amazing how quickly what I had already accomplished in stamina and distance - diminishes. When I do not maintain - DAILY - stride and pace and distance - I quickly plummet in my running ability...which is not THAT great to begin with - but still - every little bit helps, right?

So where am I goin' with this? Let me tell ya...Tear jerker with our amazing God that I have to share with you - or I'll BURST! He is so so so so great, THIS GOD of ours! He is the one who heals, sustains, - and who is the banner under which we run!

I have begun to pursue a Master's degree in Theological studies. My husband and I have prayed long and hard over this pursuit. It's life changing. I had thought I would return to the English teaching realm. I even considered going for a PhD. in English Education - I met with my ol' professor and everything - but God continued to impress upon my heart that the desire He that has given me - is for His Word. MY HEART LONGING is for women to embrace His Word. The English classroom could never satisfy that God given ache. And no amount of money could either. So - we're investing in this degree and this call that God confirmed in some very cool ways - (another blog another day) - and we are trusting Him to flip the bill and sustain us along the way. (Our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills Psalm 50:10 - and He owns the hills too!)

I went for a run Tuesday morning, after spending some time with Jesus in His Word...I was processing all I was taking on with this degree- and all that I hoped to accomplish - and being wife, mom, our home, Vintage, Mom2Mom, working on our book (publisher waiting on ME!)... My greatest concern: can I do it?

Now mind you - in the midst of so much life goin' on this summer, I have not run a great deal. My distance and speed have suffered. Trying to increase both, I have felt like I was lumbering - but I continued to do intervals and press toward what I knew I had once been able to accomplish in my Asics. (If you're a runner - you know that you always wonder is the point of struggle is the graveyard gate for your running days. Ya know? I hate that thought!) So this run was going to be about maintaing speed ...not an interval run. I just wanted to see if I could pace consistently and feel stronger while doing it.

I started out and was initially pleased. I didn't feel so slow. I wasn't breathing as hard...NOTHING hurt. I pressed on. My mind left the road and went to the work that I would have to do that day. Reading. Paper. Cooking. Laundry. How would I write this paper? Thought upon thought. However as I ran, and noticed I wasn't lumbering - I kept interrupting my list of "to do's" with the realization of "I'm doing it! I'm running faster!" - and my heart was pumping steadily, not hard. I'm was not winded. I could go faster! I was amazed! I didn't want to think about it too much in case it would stop. You know that feeling? But I couldn't help it! I was actually smiling when I was running! I was almost giddy.

I thought to myself  about how I was actually afraid to keep going because it might start to hurt. I thought -maybe I should slow down and baby myself so I don't find out I really can't do it. That thought was quickly pummeled by my former hard core running partner/mentor - whispering in my memory "You'll be amazed by what your body really can do." So I kept it up...and as I was running at this pace, and in the midst of this distance and speed I heard a verse...over my breathing - over my own thoughts.

"They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31. Immediately my mind went from the run to the issue that God knows is on my heart.  He was directing my thoughts and I was listening. I can accomplish what He has trained me to do. It may scare me. I may hurt. But I can do it - running without growing weary, and walking when I can slow down - without passing out from the heart pounding pace I have just been at, and without going the distance ALONE. Everything that I had just considered about my physical run - was redefined spiritually for me in light of Isaiah 40:31.

I have not been in school for awhile. I will get the hang of it again. The reading and writing amounts - (distance) and the speed at which I do it - will improve as I continue in it - training and disciplining myself to keep at it daily. I will be able to accomplish what I have set my heart and mind to do - not because I love it, - even though I do! - but because this is the reason for the Healing, Provision and Banner over my life.

Tears. God teaches us so beautifully, doesn't He? He uses everything and anything in our day to speak to us. The beauty of it is that HIS WORD is attached to it. His truth pervades everything when we have hidden it in our hearts.

I won't be afraid of the work. I won't be afraid of the pace. I will be confident in my Coach - my Running Partner's Word to my soul.

We're going to make it. Hold on. We're going to make it. You are not alone.

How 'bout you? You clippin' at a pace that seems too hard, too fast. Talk to our Daddy. He will show you not only the path, and the direction to take on it - Psalm 119 -He'll give you the strength to finish the journey.
GAME ON!

LOVIN' this Jesus life with you! Lovin' it!!!

ahhh...manit'sgood!...
and now...you guessed it. I'm off to....rrrr...read.

Arrival Time

The Olympics fascinate me. Absolutely incredulous when I see the moment of triumph for these athletes who have endured so much and come so far! How 'bout the US women's gymnastic team? Come on with that! Spectacular!

Have you seen the Proctor and Gamble Olympic moms commercial? (click here!) Such a tear jerker for me!

Olympian mothers, having endure the years of training trials, alight upon the most significant athletic precipice her child will ever know.  The Olympic dream is what they have longed for and fought for. And as we watch these athletes, in awe and with great respect, we are welcomed into their dream come true. They have arrived at the 2012 Olympics.

Arrival - A MOMENT of MOMENTS is something we long for as we journey - whatever our course, and yet truly - we don't REALLY ever arrive. Did I just hear a bubble pop? Nah. I'm not telling you anything you don't already realize. Sure we reach a point on our destination, but once we get there, don't we have to move once again? Right? I mean, ARRIVING, as some of us speak of ARRIVING... does not insure rest. We never fully rest, no matter what place we reach. We must continue forward, or determine our downward climb, if that is our choice.   The "I have arrived" idea casts a vision for the end to struggle.. And it's wrong. Struggle will continue; it will just be a different one.

So - where am I goin' with all this???.I'm learning about patience. We who believe in THE PATIENT GOD are called to imitate Him, and frankly (love that word...I'll say it again) FRANKLY, I am not patient. If you are a momma like me, then maybe you have repeated a lesson on "love one another" this summer more often than you would have liked to. And if you are like me, your love and patience glow is not being reflected as brilliantly as it was the first day of vacation.

I was tenderly reminded as I studied patience this week , that God is patient with my babes, and He has been patient with me much longer than He has been patient with them. I have not arrived at who God knows I am able to be, and as much as I think I have learned or completed in crushing my old ways - I am still far from the image of Christ. Why do I expect my children to be more than I am capable of being?

The amazing idea for me, is that God is patient - in part - because He sees the end result with as much clarity and familiarity as the starting point. He knows - actually sees - AND - even better than that - IS - the beginning and the end. Revelation 22:12. He endures the training highs and lows with us and always sees the end result. He does not have to worry or wonder if we'll get there; cross his fingers, hope and pray, - HE SEES the moment of arrival! He authored it! IT WILL HAPPEN!

If our GOD can be patient then, for what He has purposed to be in us -  in our children - then shouldn't we be able to fully trust Him, and RELAX a bit in the learning? And I just don't mean relax in our own learning - I mean be patient in our children's learning, and be patient in our friend's learning!

 Consider with me.Hebrews 12:2 - "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of God." Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith. When we are frustrated with our babes, with our friends, with others in general - isn't our impatience then directed toward Christ? I mean, really? Who is the one who opens the eyes of the blind? Who is the one who gives us understanding? I know for certain it was not me - it is not EVER me - who brings to my mind and heart the understanding of God's Word.

As desperate as I am for my children to understand what it means to love one another well - to be patient with one another throughout the day,  they are also desperate for me to get it with them. Are they not? Absolutely - they just don't realize it - yet.(Patience, Babes. Momma's learning.) But God - our Faith Author does - and I am trusting Him to teach us all in such a way to endear our hearts to Him and to one another. Grateful to see His story unfolding! Grateful to know it will have a beautiful ending that will blow my mind.

So for today - I will look to Jesus - who endured so much more than I will EVER endure in today's sibling battles for the comfy chair, the remote, to go first...etc. etc. etc. JOY is assured. Our Patient God sees the moment of completion for all of us - and when I look to Him... I will see it too.

"LOOK I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Revelation 22:12

And REAAALLY, when you think about this verse, - the impatience we experience is born out of the expectation for arrival that NO ONE will never know in this lifetime. Jesus is the only one who will ARRIVE, and in so doing - HE will bring all of us to completion. I can't wait to witness this with you! Can you even imagine? We can make it. See it with me - today - and every day. Remind me. The day is coming, and because it is we can live in patience for it - trusting our Patient God who promised it.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12 - for us all.

HindSight

I wonder. If someone would have shown me this picture when I was 18, would I have lived differently?

I am teaching my children that their choices will follow them. Their choices not only affect them, but their choices will ultimately affect everyone who loves them - everyone they love. This power can bring beauty or this power can bring destruction. I know, ultimately, they will see the magnificence of God's Word in their lives. We all will. I just pray this realization will come through their obedience to His Word, and not their rejection of it.

Love protects others from sin. Now, I see that truth so clearly - even in this black and white image of my daughter in my arms - I see a thousand choices I made in my long ago yesterday that did not protect her, I see the redemption of God that secures her in spite of me, and I see the choices ahead of me tomorrow that will protect my child - and her children after her.

In a time when marriage is a joke - when people are a toss away based on a fleeting emotion such as happiness - my heart ACHES for the truth of happily ever after in our God. Oh please, oh please, with me - place your family picture before you daily. See deeply into the outlines of your faces, the scenery surrounding you - the smiles. BEYOND the image we behold is the security, the peace, THE LOVE, and the blessings of God through His Word.  He alone holds life together. He alone is our bond, and He alone teaches us what it is to love and be loved.  THIS understanding is our only hope.

With you, my friend, I choose God, and in doing so we choose AMAZING good for those in our lives that we love now - AND those we have yet to love. Can you imagine that? Is that not incredible, or what?!?!

What a gift! What a gift that God breathes insight into our limited understanding through the power of His living Word!

I read Proverbs 3 with my babes yesterday morning. I have their names written above it - and it's dated March 16th, 2009. I am not sure what was going on then, but that Proverb crossed my path and I chose to pray it and hope in it.  My son was 6 then; my daughter 8. Today - in 2012, they are well equipped with nouns and verbs and images that help them grasp on their own - to some degree - the RICH truth this Proverb holds.

For our marriages, for our children, for their children if God should be so willing to endure -
"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man." Proverbs 3:3-4

What will this look like in your life today?
In my life - I will correct my children with a smile on my face and truth from God on my tongue. Even though I could look at them with dagger eyes in a second and spew words they have never heard or want to hear.
 His Word - His Way and not my impatience. FOR GOODNESS SAKE! I have kids! Ya know what I'm saying? God let me have kids! You too!! Congratulations, by the way!  Look at those babes of yours!!! They're fabulous!!!  I will not forget today - no matter how they fight, or argue with me about what I am asking them to eat - or do, OR what they ask me to do for them in the middle of what I consider important...(like right now they are in the bathtub in their swimsuits and they called me upstairs to ask for gummy vitamins. Puddle on the floor, jets blowing loudly, toys surrounding them... REALLY? YES! Really! TODAY I will not forget the image of my life beautifully, messily, crazily, miraculously intertwined in theirs! I GET TO BE A MOM to these two amazingly unique babes - whom I have dreamed of from the time I could hold a dolly and call it a name...I think I liked the name Joey and Annabelle. Hmmm. How I went to Kamryn and Kaden - I don't know. ANYWAY...

TODAY I will greet my husband with love and not exasperation. September is coming! I'm going to make it!I will listen more than I talk (adult conversation wanted!), and I will seek to serve and not be served even though I am really, really sick of cooking. Pinterest to the rescue with ideas!

I will fight for the love that is my life now. I lack no good thing, and I will stay out of books, communications (facebook,email,texting) and images that communicate otherwise. I get to be in love with Kemper Lewis today! And if I should die today I want him to say, "Laura was the love of my life!" Who wouldn't want that for their husband? WHO wouldn't want that for their own love life? We want THE LOVE OF A LIFETIME kind of love - and how is that possible without the power of a LOVING GOD? I mean seriously - a workout video and perfume only go so far - ya know what I'm sayin'? I love this man God blessed me to do life with. I never want to cause him pain. Not ever. I will bring him good all the days of his life - and so today - that will be a hug around the neck, a smile just for him, frosted brownies and tacos! And yeah - I'll work out tomorrow. Today -...didn't get that done. It's okay, though... TOMORROW!!!You're with me, right?

We are so stinkin' rich, aren't we? Indeed. Praying we don't miss it - not one. tiny. glistening. toes, and fingers, curls, and tiny teeth, strong arms and loud footsteps down the hall - not one ounce.

"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding. For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold." Proverbs 3:13-14

Hindsight.

And now - I'm going to clean the tub that my children so kindly have invited our dog to bathe in with them. Nice. I'll be sure to take pictures. And laugh.