Broken and Redeemed

Pride Goes Before a Fall . . .

2012-02-22T20:30:00.000-05:00

“Pride goes before destruction and haughtinessbefore a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (NLV)

When I was in my first year ofcollege, I had a job on campus as an outreach coordinator. At the Bible school I attended we wererequired to do service projects throughout the year and my job was to helppeople get connected with the right organization to do these projects.

Every year we would havedifferent organizations come to the school for a “ministry fair” of sorts. They would be able to talk with studentsabout how they could serve in their organizations and the students couldexplore whether that specific ministry would be where they could best serve.

During one of those ministryfairs, I was taking one of the organization leaders to their specific roomwhere they could interact with students and as we were walking across thecampus he began to ask me questions about theschool. Even though it was my first yearat the school, I was fairly informed and was able to answer most of hisquestions. When we got to the room, Iturned to tell him that it was nice to meet him and that I hoped everythingwould go well for him. He then asked, “Whatyear in school are you? You seem somature are you a senior?”

I told him that I was just afreshman and he seemed quite surprised. Well, as I’m sure you can imagine, that went straight to myhead. I told him thank you very much,stood up much straighter and walked out of the room with a very fat head! And then promptly tripped and fell down awhole flight of stairs!

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I lay at the bottom unhurt butmuch humbled. I couldn’t help but admithow appropriate that fall was for me and that verse from Proverbs about pride going before a fall popped intomy head.

Years later, pride stillcontinues to be a struggle in my life.

Just the other day, my sisterpointed out to me how arrogant and prideful I have been in my interactions withpeople I work with. Unfortunately, I had to admit thatshe was right.

Just when I think that I haveconquered an area of sin in my life, it pokes its ugly head out of the hole andI am once again facing my sinful nature in all its depravity.

I can't help but wonder if this isn’t right where Satan wants me to be – thinking I've conquered an area of my life and won’t have to beconcerned with it anymore. (Pride once again!) How vulnerable and susceptible I make myself when I've let down my guard by taking my eyes off of Jesus andputting them on myself.

I’m reminded of another Proverb (Proverbs 26:11NLV) that says, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats hisfoolishness.” Isn’t that one of the mostbeautiful verses in the Bible – NOT! This picture is horrible! And it's even worse when I think that I am like that dog when I return continually to my sin.

How do I keep from returning? By stayingon guard; surrendering to the Holy Spirit with my ear tuned to His leadings andmy eyes focused on Him.

What area of struggle do you findyourself going back to continually? Where have you dropped your guard and given Satan a foothold?

Treasure from Junk

2012-02-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

I have friends, maybe you’re oneof them, who can look at an old dilapidated end table found at a flea marketand envision what it would like in their house with a little tender lovingcare. But when I look at that same oldtable, I tend to see something that really should’ve been hauled off to thedump a long time ago. I struggle to seethe beauty in junk. And I think I findmyself believing that God has that same outlook when He sees me.

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But then, I think of Peter. (I’m so glad God chose to have his story putin Scripture for our perusal.) Peter wasone of Jesus’ closest friends and just before Jesus went to his death Peterproclaimed to all the disciples that He would be with Jesus to the death.

Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are yougoing?”

And Jesus replied, “You can’t gowith me now, but you will follow me later.”

“But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’mready to die for you.” (John 13:36-37 NLV)

Then just hours later, Peterdenied Jesus, not once but three times. Howdevastated Peter must have felt! Wasthere anything worse than disowning Jesus? I wonder, did Peter feel like he should be hauled out with thegarbage? I’m sure he felt that there wasnothing redeemable in His life.

But after the resurrection, Jesuscomes to Peter, fixes him breakfast and asks Him not once but three times ifPeter loves Him. From that moment on,Peter is different. He becomes a powerful spokesperson for the gospel of JesusChrist and God uses him to turn hearts to Him. What Peter saw as junk in his life; his biggest failure was what Godused to make him stronger, more determined and more driven to follow Jesus andproclaim the Good News to the world. Godtook Peter’s junk and turned it into treasure.

When I look at my life, themistakes, the poor choices, the failures and the damage I’ve caused in my ownlife and in others, I see a huge mess. Apile of junk! And there is no way I canenvision anything good coming from it.

But just like God did with Peter,He sees my pile of junk envisions something beautiful and accepts the challengeof turning my mess into something truly spectacular. Look what Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “Yet God has made everything beautifulfor its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so,people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

Isn’t that amazing aboutGod! He doesn’t just see our junk butremarkably He uses it to make something beautiful! We, as finite beings, cannot see the wholescope of God’s plan. We only see thehere and now, the failures, the mistakes, the regrets but God sees them and Heuses them to accomplish His great plan for us.

Look at what God does innature: He changes an unsightlycaterpillar into a beautiful butterfly and an ugly duckling into a magnificentswan.

If He can do that to acaterpillar or an ugly duckling, think what He can do with us!

Who Are You Working For?

2012-02-10T02:00:00.003-05:00

“Where is the fax that came in yesterday at 4:25?” He angrily demanded.

Unsure why his anger was directed at me, I replied, “I don’t really know whereit is since I left the office yesterday at 3:00.”

“Well, you are responsible for all faxes that come in whether you are here ornot! I expect you to know exactly where they are because each one is vital tothis company!!”

This was the way it had been ever since I had started working there. Theaccusations had run the gamut from not knowing where faxes were to stealing,lying and even embezzling money from the company. I thought this job was goingto be the perfect solution for my family. It fit well with my kid’s schoolschedules and it was an answer to our prayers but I was beginning to wonderabout that.

Unknowingly I had stepped into a very sticky situation. My boss’ wife had beenworking as the office administrator and it really wasn’t her forte. There wastension between she and her husband because of it and she had decided to look foranother job.

When I started, the office was in shambles – it was jumbled and chaotic. Myfirst order was to get the office organized and running smoothly, which I didbut then another problem raised its ugly head. My boss’ wife began to feelthreatened by the reorganization; she felt it made her look bad.

She began leaving me nasty notes and it seemed I was constantly put in no-winsituations. It would start when she would call the office and want to talk toher husband. And I would then ask her to hold because her husband was unable totalk immediately. Then she would hang up and call him in on his cell phone. Andthe next thing I knew, he was in my face demanding to know if I had told her hewas busy and couldn’t talk right away.

Day after day this went on and day after day I wanted to turn and run. I didn’tneed this insanity in my life. But each time I brought it before the Lord; Iwould feel Him say to me, “Who are you working for, him or Me?”

(Sigh) “You, Lord.”

“Then why are you running?”

“The pain is too raw; I don’t think I can bear it any longer! I’ve been accusedof so many things that aren’t true. I don’t deserve this.”

“My dearest daughter, I didn’t deserve it either but I did it for you! I knowabout the pain you’re experiencing and I know you are much stronger than youthink you are. I have a plan, do you believe that? I understand about beingaccused of things that are untrue and having people destroy your reputation.But remember, your reputation is my reputation. Do you trust Me?”

With hesitancy I promised, “Yes, Lord, I will trust You!”

And I did but it was one of the hardest things I have ever done! I worked for 9months and nothing ever changed, well that is nothing except me! God was atwork in my life; molding and making me into a stronger, more determined, morepassionate woman of faith. Each day I made a choice not to run but to follow;to fully surrender my life completely to His will. My mantra became: “Myreputation is Your reputation and I trust You.”

Was I perfect in this situation? Not even close but I learned to lean on God;to ask Him for strength when I was weak and discernment when the way seemedunclear. And He was faithful!

Let me ask you, what do you do when you find yourself accused of something youdidn’t do? Do you have the tendency, like me, to want to run? Do you findyourself second guessing the decisions you’ve made when things don’t work outthe way you think they should, instead of embracing the struggle and openingyour heart to what God wants to teach you?

In the Old Testament, Joshua stands before the people and says, “ . . . choosetoday whom you will serve. . . But as for me and my family, we will serve theLORD.” (Joshua 24:15 NLV)

“So who will you serve?

Without reservation, holding nothing back, I choose Jesus! What will yourchoice be?

Hot, Cold or Somewhere In Between?

2012-01-29T17:55:00.001-05:00

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they cameto a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into herhome. Her sister, Mary, sat at theLord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She cameto Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister justsits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset overall these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Maryhas discovered it and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

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I’veheard this story a bazillion times but as I took a deeper look at it this timearound I was amazed at what I saw.

I’vealways been sympathetic to Martha and have felt sorry that she got “pickedon”. She was serving, ambitious, active . . . shewasn’t sitting around doing nothing (like someone else we know). Her work ethic was strong and there wasn’t anounce of laziness in her.

Mary onthe other hand is sitting, listening to Jesus and doing NOTHING. Was Mary always sitting around doingnothing? Was she a lazy person at heart?– I don’t think so, in fact I think Martha was used to having Mary help her andwhen she looked around expecting her to be peeling potatoes or setting thetable Mary was nowhere to be found – well that is until she looked in on Jesusand saw her sitting with Him.

Martha isdescribed as being distracted - distracted with the details of havingcompany. She wants everything to beperfect for Jesus and his disciples. Sheis so caught up in doing things for Him that she forgets to be with Him.

Where washer focus? Was she focused on Jesus andher relationship with Him? Was her minddwelling on His teachings? Where was herheart? How would you describe herfaith? I think we could describe her faith as lukewarm, tepid and mediocre. She loved Jesus but had allowed the detailsto distract her from what was truly important! Jesus speaks of someone like her in Matthew13:22 when he says, “The seedthat fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all tooquickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life . . .”

Think about it, she was able to see Jesus faceto face! She could watch His reaction tothe questions He was asked. She couldsee Him laugh at a particularly funny joke from Peter. She could hear from His lips what God theFather was like and see the love in His eyes for her but instead she traded allof that in - to be distracted by the worries and cares of her life!

Incontrast, where was Mary’s focus? Howwould you describe her faith? I wouldsay it was blazing HOT. She knew nothingfrom this world could compare with spending time with her Lord. She took advantage of having Him face toface. Everything paled in comparison tobeing with Jesus. She would gladlychoose hot dogs over a gourmet meal just so she could have more timewith Him.

What kindof faith do you want – the lukewarm faith of Martha or the blazing hot faith ofMary! If you want the kind of faith that Mary had you won’t slip into it and itwon’t happen by accident. It’s a choice youhave to make each day to follow Jesus and to keep your eyes fixed on Him. Each day you must choose to follow Him or yourself,to surrender to His ways or your ways, to release your grip on this world andopen your heart to Him.

Whatchoice will you make today, tomorrow and the next . . .?

Our Compass

2012-01-22T18:16:00.000-05:00

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Have you ever had to use acompass to survive? I haven’t. I’ve fiddled around with one and used it forfun but my survival has never been dependent on one.

A friend of mine told me about atime in his life where his compass literally saved his life. He was hunting on a remote island in theupper part of Michigan. He was droppedoff and expected to be back at the drop off point a few days later. It was the first time in his life where hewas completely alone and totally dependent on the provisions he had brought forhimself.

When it was time to go back tothe rendezvous point he looked at his compass to see where he needed to go but what thecompass was saying and what his instincts were saying were completely opposite! Immediatelyan inner struggle took place within his mind. He found that he began to argue with the compass, “It’s got to be wrong! There’s no way that my internal compass couldbe that wrong. Something must’vehappened to the compass.”

But no matter how much he arguedand disagreed with the compass, the compass did not change and so he was leftwith a choice – follow his own internal instinct or follow the compass. Even though everything inside him wasscreaming to follow his instincts, he chose to follow the compass and hearrived at the rendezvous safe and sound.

As Christians we have a compass –the Word of God. Psalm 119:105 says,“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

It is Truth that is strong and just like acompass always right but how manytimes do we find ourselves, just like my friend did, arguing with theTruth?

Your boss asks you to fudge thenumbers and indicate that the company is giving more than they really are. And you rationalize that there is no way Godwould want you to lose your job over a few exaggerated numbers.

Or maybe it’s a conversation withyour boyfriend of 5 years and you realize that he really doesn’t want to followGod like you do and you think there’s no way God would want you to break upwith him – you’ve been together way too long to consider that.

Maybe you find yourselfdisagreeing with the truth when you’re in a difficult relationship with afamily member. God is calling you tohumble yourself and reach out to them with love. You throw all kinds of reasons at God why youshouldn’t do that – she doesn’t deserve it, he is way too arrogant, she neverthinks of anyone but herself . . .

What is God calling you to do? Is He calling you to trust your Compass andmove True North. Does He promise youwon’t lose your job, your boyfriend, and your friendships? No, but He does promise that He will travelwith you and guide you safely to the Rendezvous Point.

Hebrews 13:5-6 “For God has said,‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say withconfidence, ‘The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can merepeople do to me?’”

What dog are you feeding?

2012-01-16T10:19:00.001-05:00

Galatians 5:16-17 (NLV)

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide yourlives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which isjust the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desiresthat are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces areconstantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your goodintentions.

There’s a story about an oldNative American chief who came to know Jesus as His Lord and Savior through amissionary that was working with his tribe. The missionary had been gone for a while and when he got back he went tovisit his old friend. He asked the chiefhow he was doing in his walk with Jesus.

The chief answered, “It’s like I have two dogs fighting within me – a black dog and a white dog!”

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The missionary replied, “Whichone is winning?”

“The one I feed the most!” repliedthe chief.

Did you know that you have a wargoing on inside of you? I don’t knowabout you but I’m fully aware of this struggle with my old sinful selfish desiresand the Holy Spirit. I want to do whatis right but find myself doing exactly the opposite! How do we break this cycle of rollercoaster living?

Let’s go back to what the chiefsaid and let me ask you, which dog are you feeding?

Are you feeding your black dogenvy, discouragement and despair, disillusionment with God, doubt, andanger? Do you spend too much time infront of the television devouring its values? Do you have relationships that cause you to focus on the negative andturn your heart away from God? What areyou feeding your black dog? How big is your black dog? Does he need to go on a diet?

Or are you feeding your white dog peace, joy and delight in God, encouragement, love and trust? Do you spend time in God’s Word getting toknow your Savior, reading His promises and developing an intimate friendshipwith Him? Do you have relationships thatpropel you to a deeper walk with Christ? Do they encourage and challenge you?

What are you feasting on?

Living each day in the power of the HolySpirit, allowing Him to guide and direct our lives will break the cycle ofrollercoaster living and allow us to live in freedom. But it’s a choice – sometimes that choice iseasy and sometimes it’s HARD because our selfish desires clamor for attentionand they don’t like to be left out or starved to death.

Remember, we can only feed onedog at a time. What dog are you going tochoose to feed?

What's On Your List?

2012-01-10T00:07:00.000-05:00

If youknew that your house was going to burn down and you could grab just a few things,what would be on your list? Family pictures? The car parked in the garage? A brand new couch you’d finally found afterlooking for 3 years? Your Bible? Your dog?

Myhusband’s brother and his wife had their house burn a few years ago. It was early morning, everyone wassleeping. Praise God everyone woke upand was able to get out of the house. When the volunteer fire department got there they asked them, “What do youwant us to rescue?” They wanted theirfamily photo albums, something they knew they couldn’t replace.

Afterlosing pretty much everything they owned my brother-in-law and sister-in-lawrealized that what they had on this earth wasn’t nearly as important as whatthey were laying up in heaven. And theyleft a well paying job, family members and a church family to serve God inWyoming.

Matthew6:19-21 says, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them andrust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where mothsand rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desiresof your heart will also be.”

In the movie, Schindler’s List,Oskar Schindler, a wealthy German businessman "employs" Jewish people to work inhis factories during the Holocaust. Atfirst he is only concerned about making money and being successful but as timegoes on he begins to realize that when he requests someone to work for him heis literally saving their life. By theend of the movie his whole focus has turned from being successful to saving asmany Jews as possible by putting them on the "list" (of workers).

The Original List

There is a gripping scene in the moviewhere Schindler gathers all of his Jewish employees together at the end of the war. The Jews he saved give him a gift - a gold ring with a Hebrew inscription, "He who saves one man, saves the whole world." Overcome with guilt at the way he wasted so much money and could have saved so many more, he looks down at a pin on his jacket and yanks it off. There is a desperate misery in his eyes as he says, “This would have bought one more person, I could have saved one more person?” andhe falls to the ground racked with bitter agony because he chose his pin over saving anotherhuman being.

As I watched this scene with tears running down my own face, I couldn’t help but wonder ifwhen I get to heaven I won’t feel the same way. The money I spent on a sweater I just had to have or the time I feltprompted by God to speak to a friend about Jesus and didn’t, that I will bestanding in heaven, racked with my own agony and guilt over the fact that I could have helpedbring more people into the Kingdom of Heaven and chose a sweater or my owncomfort over them!

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desiresof your heart will be also.”

What's on your list? What do you treasure? Where do you spend your time, your thoughts,your energy – is it on yourself, the things you own, your own comfort?

There’s only one thing we cantake with us to heaven – other people.

Lord, teach us to set ouraffection on things above and not on things of this earth. Show us how to treasure what Youtreasure. May we never lose sight ofwhat is truly important – loving You first and then loving other people.

Our True Power Source

2012-01-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

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One day Jesus called together histwelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons andto heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdomof God and to heal the sick. Luke 9:1-2NLV

The disciples have just been sentout by Jesus to heal and cast out demons. They have seen Jesus raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead, heal the sickand quiet the storm and yet when they are faced with the needs of 5,000 pluspeople their solution is to send all the people to overwhelm the nearby town.

But thecrowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed themand taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.

Late in theafternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to thenearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night.There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.” Luke 9:11-12 NLV

And even after Jesus says, “No,don’t send them away, feed them.” Theystill are clueless as to what they should do.

It’s as if, all that they haveseen and heard completely fades into the background and all they can thinkabout is the problem they have at hand – how are they going to feed all ofthese people? And there sits Jesus intheir midst.

My neighbor got up one morningonly to find that the light in his refrigerator was out. So he jumped in his car and drove 20 minutesto Home Depot to get another bulb. Whenhe arrived home and exchanged the light bulb, the light still did not work! It was then that he noticed that the clock onhis microwave wasn’t on and as he looked around the kitchen he realized thatthe power was out in his house!

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It didn’t matter what he did orhow many bulbs he changed in his house. If his house wasn’t plugged into the power source none of them wouldwork.

In the same way the discipleschose not to look to their Power Source. All they could see was their insurmountable problem – they didn’t see Jesusas the Answer.

Aaah, how often do we do that!

A family memberis cruel and vindictive and we immediately get on the phone to discuss our situation with a friend. The dishwasher breaks down and since we don't have any money we drive to the bank to take out a loan. We struggle with anger and join a self-help program to deal with the problem. What are we doing? Running around changing the lightbulbs in our house but not plugging into the power source. We can turn on our switches all day long but it won't do any good unless we're plugged into the TRUE power source.

It’s not wrong to get help ina situation but why do we turn to God as a last resort, instead of going to Him atthe start? Why do we feel that prayingand taking things to God is insignificant in light of being able to DOsomething. What keeps us from turningimmediately to God in our time of desperation?

Because deep down inside, if we’rewilling to admit it, we feel that God really won’t answer or that He isn’t bigenough for our problem or that we can handle it better on our own.

And just like the disciples wechoose to ignore Jesus and all that He has done to prove to us who He is and weattempt to handle things on our own.

Fortunately for us, Jesus is a patientand loving God! Look at howlongsuffering He was with the disciples as they grew in their understanding ofHim and so He is with us!!! Praise God!

What about you? Are you running around "changing light bulbs and turning on switches" and have neglected to plug yourself into the Power Source? Are you hoping to "fix" your life and then come to Jesus? He is the only TRUE fixer! So stop running and plug yourself into the only TRUE POWER SOURCE there is - JESUS!

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Heavenly Father, teach us how to live through Your power and not in our own strength. When we are faced with a difficult situations teach us to go to You first and seek Your way. Keep our eyes, our hearts and our minds fixed on You, our only true source of power. Amen

New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-28T18:28:00.000-05:00

Aaaaah, the New Year. I don’t know about you but I always seem tohave mixed feelings about the new year?

Because it is the UNKNOWN! For a control freak like me who likes to have everything clean and simple the UKNOWN is a scary place to be.

I wonder, what will this New Year bring? What joys? What sorrows? What losses? What gains? How strong will my faith be in 2012? Where will my family be? And on and on the questions go . . .

On the one hand it’s exciting tolook at a fresh clean year and wonder what it will hold but on the other handit’s scary to think about what might happen and how my world will change.

I also have mixed feelings aboutNew Year’s resolutions. I have thislove/hate relationship with them. I loveNew Year resolutions because I can start all over again. The slate is wiped clean and I can begin toconquer some areas in my life that I have wanted to change for a long time. Itdoesn’t matter that I didn’t make it last year, what matters now is that a NewYear is stretching out before me with new possibilities and new challenges.

On the other hand I hate NewYear’s resolutions. Every time I thinkabout something I want to do there’s this little voice inside my head thatwhispers, “You won’t stick with it, you’re just going to fail so why even try?” And then I’m reminded of all the things I’vetried and failed. For years I determinedto read through the Bible in a year. Iwould get through the book of Genesis and somehow that’s as far as I wouldget. I can’t tell you how many timesI’ve read Genesis!

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Fear causes us to hold backand play it safe.

In 1 Timothy 1:7 (AmplifiedVersion) it says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice,of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] ofpower and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline andself-control."

So this year – I’m not holdingback, I refuse to play it safe. I’mmaking a list and trusting in God’s power to enable me to keep them. And if I fail - it won’t be the end of theworld. I’ll pick myself up, wipe the dustoff and try again with God by my side.

What about you? Do you have some resolutions you need to makebut have been holding back because of the fear of failure? Step out in faith, place your hand in yourHeavenly Father’s hand and draw your strength from His Power.

Mark Batterson in his book Ina Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day saysthis: “Faith is embracing theuncertainties of life! . . . Embracerelational uncertainty. It’s calledromance. Embrace spiritualuncertainty. It’s called mystery. Embrace occupational uncertainty. It’s called destiny. Embrace emotional uncertainty. It’s called joy. Embrace intellectual uncertainty. It’s call revelation.”

Twenty years from now you will bemore disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. –Mark Twain

The Treasure Box

2011-12-19T00:30:00.000-05:00

Did you have a treasure boxgrowing up? I did. In my treasure box (I actually still have thebox) I had a very old dollar coin that my Mom had given to me, some chapstick(I pretended that it was lipstick, since I couldn’t wear any yet), and variousother items that you would’ve considered junk but to me were valuedpossessions.

In Luke 2:19 we get the idea thatMary had a treasure box of sorts, only her treasures were memories of Jesus andhow his life intersected with hers. Lookat what it says, “. . . But Mary treasured up all these things and ponderedthem in her heart.”

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What were those things she storedin her “treasure box”?

Could it havebeen the time when the Angel came to tell her that she would bear a child eventhough she was a virgin? Or what aboutwhen she visited with Elizabeth who was old, wrinkled and very pregnant?

Did she treasure watching God’s miracle growingwithin her. Did she hold tightly to the feelingof having this special baby move inside of her? Wasone of her treasured memories when she laid her precious baby in the manger, asshe counted his fingers and toes?

Orwhat about the surprising visit from a group of homeless shepherds or the royalwise men who had traveled so far from a distant country to visit her son andgive him precious gifts?

And as Jesus grew older, I wonderif she included in her box the time when they had to go back to Jerusalem tofind Jesus. Did she have in her box their surprise atfinding him teaching the leaders of that day in the synagogue? And what about the time when He changed thewater at the wedding into wine?

I think Mary continued to storeup memories of God’s amazing work and power in their lives. And I can’t help but wonder that if in theyears to come, this treasure box of memories was a comfort and joy to her asher life began to turn upside down as she watched her son become hated andhunted by the Jewish community.

I wonder when she was discouragedor confused, if she would “pull them out” and be reminded that God was incontrol. Did she seek consolation in those memories, that God had a plan and Hewas working it out, even though she didn’t comprehend it?

Do you have a treasure box ofblessings, like Mary? Are you storing upmemories of how God has answered prayer in your life?

When my husband and I wereengaged, the Christmas of our engagement was very tight financially for us; wewere saving money and paying off loans. Eventhough money was tight I still wanted our Christmas to be memorable andmeaningful. So I decided to journal allthe answered prayers that we had seen over the last 6 months of our engagementand give it to him in a special presentation.

As I reflected on those pastmonths I was amazed at what I saw!

Harold and I had met at college. He was from Wisconsin and I was fromCalifornia and we planned to make our home in Michigan. After graduation, I had gone home toCalifornia for a 2 week vacation and had returned to Michigan with only a placeto stay for three weeks. I had verylittle money, no car, no job and only a temporary living situation. Over the course of those 6 months we watchedGod provide a job, a place to live for me within walking distance from my jobso I didn’t need a car and many other things as well.

As I reflected on all the answersto prayer we had witnessed, I was astounded at God’s work in our lives! It was truly amazing. My list contained close to a hundred ways inwhich we had seen God work in our lives!

Before I sat down to do thisproject, I would’ve guessed that we had about 30 things that we could thank Godfor but as my list grew so did my astonishment at God’s power in our lives! And if I had not taken the time to stop andreflect on those things, we would’ve missed the blessing.

These blessings went into mytreasure box and throughout the time of our engagement, I would often reflectback on them, especially when I was discouraged or afraid. As I reflected, I was reminded of God’s clearhand on our lives and I knew I could trust Him.

Have you ever created a treasure boxof answered prayers? Have you ever takentime to reflect on God’s work in your life? I hope that you will take time this Christmas season to reflect on God’sgoodness to you and I encourage you to continue to mark those times in yourlife when you have seen His hand and ponder often on them, just as Mary did.

A Baby Changes Everything!

2011-12-11T21:12:00.001-05:00

She was a simple teenage girl; agirl who found herself pregnant and alone.

Just days earlier, she had beengoing about her chores happily consumed with thoughts about her upcoming marriage.

But now, everything had changed .. .

It was an angel that broke thenews to her of God’s great love and desire to use her as the vessel for His Sonto come to earth. She was amazed thatGod would consider her, a simple girl with no earthly status or wealth, tocarry this precious child and to be His mother! It was astounding, surprising and scary all at once. She couldn’t really comprehend how it wouldbe possible but she trusted her Lord and humbly agreed to His plan.

But now, in the stillness of thenight, she wondered if it was all just a figment of her imagination or did theangel really tell her that she was going to become pregnant even though she wasa virgin???? How could she be sure thatall of this was true? It was then thatshe remembered what the angel said about her aunt, Elizabeth. The way to really be sure was to go and seeZechariah and Elizabeth.

She arose early that morning,packed her bags and made the long trek to their home. What thoughts must have been running throughher mind as she traveled those long 40 miles on foot . . .

“What would Joseph do once hefound out she was pregnant? What wouldher parents say? Why hadn’t the angeltold them about this job that she had been given? Why was she the only one who knew? Her life would never be the same. From now on, she would be changed; there wasno going back, no altering of the plan, this was forever to be her life.”

When she stepped into the home ofElizabeth, she knew deep down in her heart that what the angel said wasn’t afigment of her imagination or a dream, it was true because there before her wasElizabeth, old and wrinkled and very pregnant indeed, exclaiming her joy at beingwith the mother of her Lord. It wastrue! It was true! She was to be themother of the long awaited Messiah. Ohwhat joy!

A baby, this BABY changedEVERYTHING!

And while they were there, thetime came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son.She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, becausethere was no lodging available for them. Luke 2:6-7

Please take some time to watch the link below.

A Baby Changes Everything by Faith Hill

Dreams Deferred

2011-12-05T10:26:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had a dream thatdidn’t come true? Have you ever had onethat you felt God gave to you and you are still waiting for it to happen?

I have had a dream since I was achild that I’m still waiting to see come to fruition and I have lived almost ahalf a century. I believe that it is adesire that God has put in my heart, at times it has a burning passion and atother times it is just a quiet longing.

Why does God do that? Put a dream in our heart and have usWAIT?

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/708452

My dream is to go on a mission’strip. When I was little my parents weremissionaries in Alaska – that’s where I was born and lived until I was 8. Then we moved to Sacramento, California andmy world fell apart. I didn’t want tolive in California and I purposed in my heart that when I grew up I was goingto become a missionary (in a foreign land) and get even with God for moving me. I’m sure you can see that wasn’t such agreat strategy!

In High School I seriously lookedat going on a mission’s trip with Teen Missions but that didn’t pan out. And when I was in college, I began to pursue mygoal even more and it was at a Missions Retreat of all places that Godconfronted me with my selfish desire to become a missionary. He asked me a pretty tough question, “Kristi,will you be willing to follow me if I never allow you to be a missionary in aforeign country?” That question broke meas I realized how I was really pursuing my own passions and desires rather thanGod’s, even though it was cloaked in the idea that I was “serving God”. That day I let go of my desires andsurrendered to God’s desires for me.

But as I’ve grown and learnedwhat God desires for me, I have felt an increasing genuine passion to serve Godon the mission field. And as the yearshave passed my passion seems to be increasing rather than decreasing and yet Istill have not been able to go.

I have watched my children andfriends go on missions trips. I’ve evenseen my husband who doesn’t seem to have a burning desire to go, travel with amusic team to the Islands of St. Kitts, St Martin, and a few other ones aswell. A few years ago, I came reallyclose to being able to go and just weeks before I was to leave the trip wascancelled. Why does God put within methis burning desire and yet I am still waiting for it to come to pass?

I don’t have an answer. Romans 11:33-34 says, “Oh, how great areGod’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us tounderstand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to givehim advice?”

Who am I to give the Lordadvice? But this I do KNOW – God is GOODand His plans are for my good and not to harm me, that His timing is not mytiming. God is at work even in theWAITING and I choose to TRUST Him even though I don’t understand.

What are you WAITING for? What dreams do you have that you have notseen come true? What will you do withthe WAITING; will you invite God into it or harden your heart? Will you TRUST God even though you don’tunderstand? Will you CHOOSE to followHim even though your dreams have been deferred?

I WILL TRUST YOU

And I will trust you, I’ll trust you

Trust you God, I will

Even when I don’t understand

Even then I will say again

You are my God

And I will trust You

And with every breath I take
And for every day that breaks
I will trust you
I will trust you
and when nothing is making sense
Even then I will say again
God I trust You
I will trust You

I know your heart is good
I know your love is strong
I know your plans for me
Are much better than my own

So I will trust you, I’ll trust you
I trust you God, I will
Even when I can’t see the end

by Steven Curtis Chapman

My Messiness . . . Your Perfectness

2011-11-26T20:03:00.001-05:00

Have you noticed how perfectpeople LOOK at church? How they seem to have no problems, no messiness? They’re in their nice “Sunday best” clotheswith smiles on their faces, looking perfect regardless of how their week hasgone.

And on the other hand have younoticed how imperfect you FEEL when you get there? Maybe you just couldn’t find the rightclothes to wear or you’re reeling from an argument you just had with yourspouse on the way? Or maybe yourteenager has refused to get out of bed or you’ve had a terrible awful badweek?

That’s the way it is, we arrive knowingall our inside messiness and seeing only the outside perfectness of everyoneelse. And so we wear a mask in the hopesthat it will disguise us enough that people won’t recognize how broken wereally are. And the mask wearing only leads to isolation and aloneness.

I have to wonder . . . is this what God intended for us toexperience in the body of Christ?

I remember vividly the Sunday whenI felt the messiest. My seventeen yearold son had been arrested over the weekend for shoplifting. It was one of the lowest times of my life – Ifelt like such a failure.

As I carefully arranged my maskand stepped into the Atrium area of our church on that Sunday after his arrest,I looked around and saw all the “perfect families” with their “perfect children”. It was all I could do to stay where I was and not run screaming from thebuilding.

I wondered if anyone hadproblems like I had, whether they could see the sorrow in my eyes that I wastrying to hide. Did they know I was afailure? Did they even care? What would they say if they found out? What would they think of me?

That day it felt as if I had abig scarlet letter on my chest, warning people not to get too close. It was all I could do to act like nothing waswrong and get to my car as fast as I could.

It wasn’t that my church bodywas insensitive or judgmental; it was my own perception and pride that wouldnot allow me to be transparent and in turn it isolated me from those in my church family who would have encouraged and helped me carry my burden.

When we are discouraged andbroken, why do we try to disguise our pain? Because we know clearly how uglyour own lives are but see only the outside of other people’s lives, which leadsus to assume that they are perfect and we are not.

So why aren’t we more open andtransparent? Wouldn’t that really bemore attractive to people than trying to prove that we are perfect? James 5:16 (NLV) says, “Confess your sins toeach other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnestprayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

God calls us to be open, vulnerableand honest about our failings and struggles because he knows that that is theplace where we will find healing. When wechoose to keep our failures and difficulties to ourselves we move into a placeof isolation and loneliness as we forge a path on our own.

And isn’t that just what Satanwants; to keep us all in our own little fortresses “safe from the outsideworld” where no one can be a witness to our pain and discouragement and wherewe will be unable to care for and encourage someone else? He doesn’t want us to be what God intended thechurch body to be to one another.

On that Sunday of my son’s arrest,I ran into a dear friend after church. Knowing the brokenness she had experienced inher own life, I knew I would receive no judgment from her, which gave me the courage to set my pride aside and remove the mask I was wearing. My friend was the church for me that day; she broke down the walls of my fortress and loved me for who I was. I will always remember her encouragement when I was in a very difficult andlonely place.

So this Sunday, when you walkinto your church building, remember that the people around you are not perfect,they might look like they are but they’re not. Ask God to help you to have the courage to take off your mask and betransparent and to open your eyes and allow you to be the church to someone whois hurting and in need.

Living a Life of Gratitude

2011-11-20T21:36:00.001-05:00

I haveso much to be grateful for – the people God has brought into mylife, the family that I was born into and the many blessings He has poured outon me. And I’m truly thankful for allGod’s work in my life.

But over the last few years, I’vebecome increasingly aware that there is a vast difference between being thankful forthe things God has given me and living a life of gratitude. Let me explain. . .

When we give a gift to someone,the most rewarding and pleasing thing for us as the gift givers is to see themenjoying and using the gift we have given them. And on the other hand the hardest thing is to hear, “Thank you so muchfor this gift! I love it.” And then to see our present thrown in thetrash unused and unappreciated. Why? Because we sacrificed partof ourselves in the giving of the gift and it was tossed away like a piece of garbage.

When we harbor bitterness in ourheart, allow anger to control us, refuse to forgive, when we turn away from God, when our thoughts are focused on ourself, we are not living in gratitude of the costly sacrifice Christ paid forus. It’s as if we’ve thrown His giftinto the trash and now live as if it is an insignificant factor in our life. We diminish the price God paid for our sins.

http://www.sxc.hu/profile/ba1969

Jesus paid the ultimate sacrificeto give us His most treasured gift. 1John 4:9-10 (NLV) says, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one andonly Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, butthat he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

So how do I live a life of true gratitudewhen I’m not perfect?

For me it has begun with allowingGod to show me the depths of my depravity. Seeing my sin the way God sees it and stepping into the sorrow andheartache this sin has wrought in my life and in the lives of others. By doing this it has brought about a hatredfor the sin and a passion to live in obedience to God and His Word.

God has also showed me that Icannot do this in my own strength; I have to live in dependence upon Him - seekingHis way, His desires and His kingdom. AsI’ve come to see myself for who I really am, it has allowed me to see God forwho He truly is and has brought a deeper meaning to His incredible sacrifice thatHe paid for me.

So let me ask you the samequestions I ask myself on a continual basis: Are you living a life ofgratitude to your Savior, who died to set you free? Are you diminishing the price He paid for youby the choices you are making?

May the cross and all that itrepresents COMPEL us to live a life of true gratitude.

Someone's Watching You!

2011-11-13T19:46:00.001-05:00

Daniel 12:3 says, “Those who arewise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousnesswill shine like the stars forever.”

www.sxc.hu/profile/magicmarie

This past week I met with somefriends to study the Bible at a local restaurant in town. We sat off in the corner talking and sharingwhat we were learning from God’s Word. Part of our conversation was about how people watch us and we don’t evenrealize it. We were oblivious to thepeople around us until a couple of women stepped up to our table to say thatthey had been listening to our conversation. They were encouraged and intrigued by the things they had heard and wishedthey could be part of a Bible study like ours.

After they left, the three of uslooked at each other stunned! We had noidea there was anyone close enough to hear us much less listen to what we weresaying.

Over the years, I have had othermoments like this where a neighbor, friend, co-worker or bystander has saidmuch the same thing, “I’m watching you . . .”

It’s kind of scary to think thatsomeone is watching you; watching how you react in a difficult situation, watchinghow you share or don’t share what God has given you with someone else, watchinghow quick you are to forgive or hold a grudge, watching how humble you or howmuch you brag about your abilities and the list goes on . . .

I don’t know about you but Ioften wonder why anyone would want to watch me. I’m not a highly significant person, I’m not famous, and I don’t haveany amazing gifts or abilities that would single me out. But there is one thing that draws the attentionof others and that is my claim to be a Jesus follower. I have taken a stand for Jesus and people arewatching and judging to see if my actions and attitudes, match my words. And whether I like it or not people arewatching!

Do you know that people arewatching you too?

Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV), “Doeverything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless andpure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will SHINE AMONG THEM LIKE STARS IN THE SKY as you hold firmly to the word of life.”

Following God and seeking His wisdomcauses us to shine like stars in the sky and just as a moth is drawn to thelight, those watching us are drawn to the LIGHT of Jesus Christ.

You are the Light
by Steve Fee

We are the people of God
The sons and daughters of love
Forgiven, restored and redeemed
Living our lives to the praise of the King
We are the ones who will shine
His light in the darkness
The hopeless, the broken, the poor
They will be hopeless no more

We shine like stars in the universe
Proclaiming the hope of our God
And to the sons and daughters in all the earth
We shine You, Lord

Looking in the Rear View Mirror

2011-11-07T00:30:00.000-05:00

In the weeks before my marriage, I becamemore and more frazzled and scatterbrained. One day I stopped by a mailbox along the side of the road to drop insome letters. This errand was just onein a long list of things I had to do that day. I jumped out of the car, ran around the back and dropped my letters intothe box and raced back to the car, opened the door, jumped in, went to grab forthe steering wheel and realized I was in the back seat of the car!

I sat there stunned! What do I do now? Do I crawl over the seat and hope no one seesor do I get out in view of all the passing cars and move up to the front? With much chagrin, I glanced around to makesure no one was looking, opened my car door and got into the front seat. As much as I would’ve liked to have driven mycar from the backseat, just so I didn’t have to be humiliated, it was just notpossible.

There’s another way of drivingthat isn’t advisable either and that’s steering our car while looking in therearview mirror. Sure we glance in themirror from time to time, if we have to make a lane change or if we’re checkingthe cars behind us but we don’t spend our time focusing on the view behindus. Why? Because it’s difficult to see where we’re going when we’re looking inthe rear view mirror.

But how often do we do this inour spiritual life! We hop in our car and drive down the road of life looking in the rear view mirror of our past. We see our failures and disappointments,our lapses in judgment, relationships that were unwise, bad decisions thatcontinue to show their ugly face and we listen to the lies that we are no good,that God’s death on the cross couldn’t cover our sin, that what we did isunforgiveable because we can’t forgive ourselves. Believing these lies and focusing on our pastkeeps us from moving forward in our walk with God.

Look at what Paul says inPhilippians 3:13-14 (NLV), “. . . I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward towhat lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive theheavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

What is Paul saying here? He’s telling us to stop driving looking inthe rear view mirror!

What is our focus to be? It’s not what has happened in our past butit’s what’s up ahead. Paul says we areto “press on”. The idea here is that wehave to push forward – it’s not easy or natural but just like a long distancerunner presses through the thoughts in his head to quit and give up, we need todo the same.

But how do we do that? We turn our focus on the road ahead and we refuselisten to the lies of Satan that we are no good, that we don’t deserve God’sgrace, that we’re insignificant, that God couldn’t forgive us and we push on tothe finish! Trusting and believing inthe One who gave His life for us and made us worthy in His sight.

And some day this journey onearth will end and we will see our Savior face to face – now that’s a prizeworth pursuing!

Abundant Living: Why settle for anything less?

2011-11-01T20:36:00.002-04:00

Jesus said, ". . . I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of!" John 10:10b (The Message)

Can we have an abundant life when our world is falling down around us? Can we experience abundant living . . .

When our husband loses his job and can’t seem to

find another one?

When our teenage son is arrested for drunk driving?

When our house is foreclosed and we have no place to go?

When we don’t share the same faith as our spouse?

When . . . ?

Corrie and Betsie TenBoom watched the only world they’d ever known crumble down around them. They were arrested for helping rescue Jews in wartime Holland. And years later, Corrie wrote about her experience in the book, The Hiding Place.

Listen to what she says. . .

“On either side doors opened into two still larger rooms—by far the largest dormitories we had yet seen. Betsie and I followed a prisoner—guide through the door at the right. Because of the broken windows the vast room was in semi-twilight. Our noses told us first, that the place was filthy: somewhere the plumbing had backed up, the bedding was soiled and rancid. Then as our eyes adjusted to the gloom we saw that there were no individual beds at all, but great square piers stacked three high, and wedged side by side and end to end with only an occasional narrow aisle slicing through.

We followed our guide single file — the aisle was not wide enough for two—fighting back the claustrophobia of these platforms rising everywhere above us. At last she pointed to a second tier in the center of the large block.

To reach it we had to stand on the bottom level, haul ourselves up, and then crawl across three other straw-covered platforms to reach the one that we would share with — how many? The deck above us was too close to let us sit up. We lay back struggling against the nausea that swept over us from the reeking straw.

Suddenly I sat up, striking my head on the cross-slats above. Something pinched my leg.

‘Fleas!’ I cried. ‘Betsie (her sister), the place is swarming with them!’

We scrambled across the intervening platforms, heads low to avoid another bump, dropped down to the aisle, and edged our way to a patch of light.

‘Here! And here another one!’ I wailed. ‘Betsie, how can we live in such a place!’

‘Show us. Show us how.’ It was said so matter of factly it took me a second to realize she was praying.

‘Corrie!’ she said excitedly. ‘He’s given us the answer! Before we asked, as He always does! In the Bible this morning. Where was it? Read that part again!’

‘Oh yes, . . . To one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus . . .’

‘That’s it, Corrie ! That’s His answer. Give thanks in all circumstances! That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!’

I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room.

‘Such as?’ I said.

‘Such as being assigned here TOGETHER.’

I bit my lip, ‘Oh yes, Lord Jesus!’

‘Such as what you’re holding in your hands.’

I looked down at the Bible. ‘Yes! Thank you, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank you for all the women, here in this room, who will meet you in these pages.’

‘Yes,’ said Betsie. ‘Thank you for the very crowding here. Since we’re packed so close, that many more will hear!’ She looked at me expectantly. ‘Corrie!’ she prodded.

‘Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds.’

‘Thank you,’ Betsie went on serenely, ‘for the fleas and for —’

The fleas! This was too much. ‘Betsie, there ‘s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.’

‘Give thanks in all circumstances,’ she quoted. ‘It doesn’t say, “in pleasant circumstances.” Fleas are a part of this place where God has put us.’

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for the fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong . . .”

Corrie and Betsie were able to hold worship services in their barracks in complete freedom from the guards. Listen to what Corrie continues to write . .

“. . . One evening I got back to the barracks late from a wood gathering foray outside the walls. Betsie was waiting for me, as always. Her eyes were twinkling.

‘You’re looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself.’ I told her.

‘You know we’ve never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room,’ she said. ‘Well — I’ve found out.’

That afternoon, she said, there’d been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they’d asked the supervisor to come and settle it.

‘But she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why?’

Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: ‘Because of the fleas! That’s what she said, “That place is crawling with fleas!” ‘

My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie’s bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for.”

Corrie and Betsie, in spite of their circumstances, chose to live the life God had for them. In a place of incredible filth and pain they experienced the abundant life of a Christian who chooses to take God at His Word and trust in Him.

Are you willing to pursue the ABUNDANT LIFE God offers to those who follow Him with all their heart, like Corrie and Betsie did?

If Corrie were here today, I know that she would say it’s the only way to truly live!

So why should we settle for anything less?

Becoming a Scribe and Loving it!

2011-10-26T21:43:00.001-04:00

Have you ever transcribed a portion of Scripture? What about an entire book of the Bible?

I had never done either of those things and to be perfectly honest it really never crossed my mind to ever do something like that. But this last year my son was given a project in his Bible class at school to write out the whole book of Proverbs! I decided that if my 8^th grade son could do something like this than I could do it too, doggone it!

Every person in the class was given a book called a “Journible” (Bible/Journal). In this book you copy the verses of scripture on the right hand side of the page only and on the left hand side of the page there are lines for you to journal your thoughts, prayers and questions.

I decided that if I was going to do it right and really make a commitment to it that I needed one of these books to help me in my endeavor. Sitting down with my new Journible I read the introduction and explanation of why journaling the Bible is important.

These books are called the 17:18 series, which is taken from Dueteronomy 17:18. Moses is in his last days on earth and he gives Israel instructions for when they would have a king rule their nation. This is what Moses says, “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy these laws on a scroll for himself in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of this law. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming too proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. This will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.” Dueteronomy 17:18-20 (NLV)

Even though I have read the Bible through a few times, this concept was completely new to me. I was amazed not just that this was a command to the Kings of Israel but why they were commanded to do this as well.

It didn’t take me long to realize how incredible this simple tool was going to be in my life. I found it to be a natural way to spend time in God’s Word with my Heavenly Father, meditating and thinking on what had been written. For me studying is tedious and hard and does not create intimacy with my Father but this, this was exactly what I had been longing for in my time alone with God.

Copying down scripture caused me to slow down; to not skim over passages that were familiar. You see, I have a tendency to jump, skim, glance over Scripture that is well-known and I don’t take the time to really experience the Scripture. This discipline forced me to stop, reflect and experience what I was reading and writing. It was like taking a huge magnifying glass to the Word of God.

As I journeyed through the book of Proverbs this summer, I was amazed at the things God taught me. There were times when I was copying down the scripture and I would think, “Wait a minute, I already copied this down. Am I in the wrong spot?” Then I would realize that it wasn’t the wrong spot, it was just being repeated again verbatim, which then lead me to recognize that what I was writing must be pretty important if it was being repeated over again. That was something I would never have seen just reading through Scripture.

At the end of my time in Proverbs, I wrote this: “This has been an absolutely fabulous experience! I have loved copying down God’s Word. As I wrote down these verses by hand, it felt as if they were being written on my heart! Lord, thank you for bringing these truths to light in my life. May I always seek to live YOUR WAY and not my own!”

I’m now on the book of Luke (Did you know the 1^st chapter has 80 verses?!) and it is so different from the book of Proverbs! I love it in a completely different way than I loved Proverbs. And once again, God is teaching me how precious His Word truly is!

If you’re interested in joining me in this endeavor, here’s a link to ordering your own Journible: www.heritagebooks.org. or http://www.the1718series.com/#!purchase Of course you can always get a regular journal and copy down Scripture that way as well. I have just found these books to be a wonderful treasure that I will be able to pass down to my children. (They will have a book of the Bible copied down in their Mom’s handwriting with thoughts and prayers of what God was doing in her life as she journeyed through various books of God’s Word.) And my children will be able to pass down to their children as well. What a wonderful legacy to leave my family!

I’d love to hear how God is using this in your life if you take the challenge and join me in this undertaking.

My Bottle of Tears

2011-10-21T18:00:00.000-04:00

I confess I’m a crier. I cry at movies, at baseball games when the National Anthem is played, at graduations, weddings, funerals. I cry when I hear a sad story, when someone else cries, when I share what God has done in my life, when I’m angry and when I laugh hard enough.

I hate the fact that I cry so easily. It can be incredibly embarrassing for one thing. And for another, it puts people in an awkward position. But crying can be a good thing!

God created tears. It is in His design that we cry.

I love the Psalms! Because they give us beautiful pictures of what our intimate relationship with God is like. And Psalm 56:8 (NLV) gives us one of those snapshots of God’s tenderness with us when we are experiencing incredible sorrow in our life.

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

(Yes, I’m sure I have a very BIG bottle!)

God not only keeps track of all our sorrows, hurts and heartaches – He has recorded them in His book and every tear we’ve cried He has stored in our bottle, the one He keeps just for us.

I wonder, does my bottle have my name on it? Is it a special color? Does God, my Father look at my bottle full of tears and say? “Aaah, that one is my daughter Kristi’s. See her bottle of tears, they are so precious to me, I treasure each one. I am intimately acquainted with all her ways and I love her. When she has cried tears that no one sees, I have seen, I know and cherish each one because I cherish her.”

What a beautiful gentle picture this is of our God! - a Father who tenderly collects our tears and holds them close to His heart.

Have you ever stopped to consider that God is keeping track of all your sorrows? That He knows each one of them. He has seen you cry until you can’t cry any more. He has witnessed your heartache over a difficult child, a wayward spouse, a broken friendship, or the death of a loved one. He has seen your tears when you have cried all alone in the dark, not sure of where to turn or where to go. He has recorded each one in His book and collected your tears in the bottle He has just for you. How precious you are to Him!

So let the tears flow and know that your God cares for you intimately and with great passion!

GENEROSITY

2011-10-13T11:33:00.000-04:00

Every year as we begin a new ministry season, we ask the following question of ourselves and our leaders.

“What area do you feel God desires to work on in your life this year?”

As I contemplated this, one word came to mind, GENEROSITY.

I have struggled with generosity, specifically in regards to money, for most of my life. I admit I’m stingy. I don’t like it, I want it to change but at the same time I resist admitting that this is an area in my life that I need to work on. But it’s true and God is forcing me to take a good hard look at a place in my heart that I have not wanted to admit was even there.

http://www.sxc.hu/profile/penywise

So when God brought that word to my mind, my prayer was something like this. . . “Again Lord? Really, I feel like I’ve been working on this generosity thing in my life for quite a while. Do you really want to have me focus on this again this year? Aren’t there other more pressing issues that You want to deal with in my life?”

“Okay alright, I surrender this ugly part of my heart to you. I want to be generous but find myself to be stingy, holding back the good things You have given to me. I want to be sensitive to your leading in my life in this area. Please open doors and make it clear to me when you are calling me to be generous with your good gifts. I love you, your daughter.”

That word, GENEROSITY kept floating through my thoughts in the weeks that followed my commitment to God and I wondered what God had in store for me. . .

One busy afternoon, I was standing in line at the grocery store and there was a woman in front of me that was trying to use her bridge card. Every time she would put in her password for the card, it would come up that it wasn’t recognizing it. She was getting more and more frustrated by the minute and finally told the cashier that she would need to set her groceries aside and call the government (that ought to be fun, I thought!). My heart went out to her – how embarrassing it all must be for her.

And then I felt that still quiet voice in my head say, “Why don’t you pay for her groceries?”

“What? Well, you know Lord if they were only just $20 I would pay for them but they are more than double that! I just can’t do that.”

“Why don’t you pay for her groceries?” that voice once again prodded.

“I don’t know what my husband would say if I did that. I don’t think I should.”

“Why don’t you pay for her groceries?” I couldn’t get the thought out of my head.

I continued to argue with God as the cashier rang up my bill, shaking inside – "Should I do this? I don’t know. Quit fighting, isn’t this what you prayed for? Alright already! I got it, I’ll do it."

I turned to the cashier and asked, “Would it be okay if I paid for that woman’s groceries?”

The cashier was a little taken aback as she said, “You know that it’s about $50!”

Yes, I know and I’m fine with that, would it be alright?” I replied.

The transaction took just a moment of our time and she looked at me and said, “Do you want to tell her?”

I knew what the Lord wanted me to do. I said, “No, I think you should tell her.” And I walked out of the store – no actually I floated!

I couldn’t believe what I felt; this incredible joy filled my soul as I walked out in wonder and amazement that God would give me such an incredible gift!

Oh how selfish my heart has been and what joy I have missed out on in allowing stinginess to invade my soul. What’s wrong with me? Why do I wrestle with God, when He knows best? Why do I quibble over a measly 50 bucks when my Heavenly Father has given me a gift that all the words in the world cannot describe?

Jesus said, “Give, and you willreceive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together tomake room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.” John 6:38 (NLV)

How true I found this to be in my own life when I obeyed the promptings of God. That’s the miracle of generosity – when we give with a pure heart, not expecting anything in return God gives us so much more than we can even ask or imagine!

What is that smell???

2011-10-05T21:05:00.002-04:00

I walked in from our garage into the kitchen and immediately smelled something awful! It was permeating the whole house. I figured it was either coming from the garbage or the refrigerator. I checked the trash and didn’t find anything too smelly in there. So my next exploration led me to the fridge, it took some sorting out but I finally found the culprit! We had a nice science experiment going on in our refrigerator with a few spoonfuls of refried beans! I couldn’t believe that such a little amount of food could cause such a great stink in our house!

Smell is a powerful thing. A small whiff of an odor or fragrance can take you back to a memory from long ago - your Grandmother’s perfume, laundry hung on the line to dry, bread baking in the oven.

The Bible talks about the aroma that a believer, who is a captive of Jesus Christ gives off. Look at 2 Corinthians 2:14, “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.”

Have you ever stopped to consider what kind of a smell you are giving off? Is it a sweet fragrance of surrender to Jesus Christ or an acrid repugnant odor of sin hidden in your heart?

Holding onto our sin is like carrying around a big smelly bag of trash. We get used to carrying that bag and it actually feels good at times, we feel justified in our attitudes and our behaviors. We don’t even realize that that big bag of trash is causing us to stumble and fall and to miss out on so much more that God wants to give us.

How easy and comfortable it is to wallow in our sin, to justify it and excuse it while never realizing that it is weighing us down, tripping us up and holding us captive.

I have found that in my own life, when I allow sin to take root that it quickly takes over and I need to surrender to Jesus Christ and allow Him to dig it out and expel that odorous sin from my life.

Just as a refrigerator cannot rid itself of its own smelly contents, we cannot clean up our life on our own. We need a Savior to rescue us from our depravity, our foolishness and show us where we need to go - that Savior is Jesus Christ.

Have you given over your bag of trash to your Savior? Have you surrendered those areas in your life that are holding you back from wholeheartedly following Jesus? What’s stopping you?

Exchange that smelly bag of trash for the fragrant aroma of following Jesus – I guarantee you won’t miss it!

I Have Questions . . . GOD has the ANSWER!

2011-09-21T21:25:00.045-04:00

I have questions for God, do you? Here are some of mine . . .

God, did you see . . . ?

. . .when a broken hearted couple lost their three year old son to cancer and just 10 short years later were sitting in that same funeral home grieving the loss of another son.

When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. . . Then Jesus wept. John 11:33,35 (NLV)

Lord, were you listening . . . ?

. . . when a young girl lost her innocence and cried herself to sleep night after night.

And God replied . . . “I keep track of all your sorrows. I have collected all your tears in you’re bottle and I have recorded each on in my book.” Psalm 56:8 (NLV)

God, do you see . . . ?

. . . the mother who has run out of options and doesn’t know where to turn. She’s exhausted, tapped out, and emotionally spent – her disabled child has completely drained her.

And Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 (NLV)

Lord, where were you . . . ?

When a family watched everything they owned burn to the ground.

And Jesus said: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” John 14:1-3 (NLV)

Where were you, Jesus . . . ?

When a loving wife and mother lost her life to an insatiable disease, and a young dad was left to pick up the pieces and care for his two little daughters.

And God said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLV)

God sees our sorrow, He knows every tear we’ve cried and every prayer we’ve prayed.

Isaiah, the prophet says this about God who became flesh and dwelt among us (Jesus).

There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.

He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!

But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.

He was whipped so we could be healed.

Isaiah 53:2-5 (NLV)

God understands our pain, He hears our questions in times of great need and He answers!

His greatest answer to our questions came in the person of Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:23 (NLV) says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God offers you a free gift – you cannot earn it, you are not born into the right family to receive it. Each individual must accept God’s free gift for themselves.

Each one of us has sinned and gone our own way and our just payment is eternal death. But God sent His Son Jesus to take our punishment and die in our place! And when we acknowledge that we are a sinner and invite Christ to come into our lives and save us from our sins, we now become one of His children and carry the promise of spending eternity with Him in our hearts.

If you have never accepted this free gift, I urge you not to wait. He stands ready and waiting to come into your life and make you NEW!

(If you made this decision, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at khuseby@adabible.org)

Great Expectations!

2011-09-14T17:12:00.000-04:00

I don’t understand God sometimes! To be honest, it’s really most of the time.

Why doesn’t He clearly reveal Himself to me? Why does He often leave me guessing at who He is and what He is doing? You see, I have these great expectations about God and what He could and should do. And I get frustrated and disillusioned when I don’t see Him behaving like I think my God should. . .

My husband had a cousin who finally found love at the age of 40 and married a man who had lost his wife to cancer. He had three children, who longed to have a mother again. They had prayed for three long years and she was their answer!

Her wedding was such an amazing celebration - so full of life and joy. But only 3 months later we were in that very same church holding her funeral. Her husband and her children were devastated! And I found myself questioning God . . . It seemed so senseless and even cruel! How could there be any good in this?

When my son was in High School he experienced an incredible amount of loss and disappointment in a 6 month period. And as a result, he became disillusioned with God. I begged God to show Himself to my son, “He needs to see You and know that You love him. Will You just prove to him that you are God?” But it didn’t happen that way and my son struggled in his faith.

Why does God do that? Why doesn’t He feel compelled to meet our expectations? After all He is God! You would think that because He wants everyone to come to Him, He would be out and about proving who He was and what He could do. So why doesn’t he do that?

As I was reading my Bible one day, I came upon a passage that echoed this struggle I was having with God.

Jesus was speaking to His followers and He was explaining to them that He was the Bread of Life. Look at his controversial words, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.” John 6:53-54 (NLV)

Really!! Who wouldn’t be confused by those words?

It goes on to say that many of his disciples said, “This is hard to understand, how could anyone accept it?” (No kidding!)

Many of his followers turned their backs on Jesus that day and so He turned to his twelve disciples and asked them if they were going to leave Him too?

Look at Peter’s reply, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69 NLV)

Do you see it?

Peter says, “WE BELIEVE and we KNOW you are the Holy One of God.”

I believe what Peter is saying here is that even though we don’t understand You . . . even though You aren’t meeting our expectations of what we think a Messiah should be . . . even though we can’t see the Way we will TRUST you.

And I love what he says right before that statement. “Lord, to whom would we go?”

Times without number I have heard Peter’s words echoed by other followers of Jesus in times of disillusionment, “Where would we go? How could we ever walk this road without Him?”

I’ve come to the conclusion that we cannot compel God to prove who He is. He will do it in His time and in His way.

And His WAY is the way of faith.

So when I am disillusioned because my God is not meeting my expectations, I CHOOSE to believe, to trust that His way is good.

And I turn my eyes back to the cross. . .

For how can I question His goodness, when He willing laid down His life for me?

Where Were You, the Day the World Changed?

2011-09-10T16:54:00.000-04:00

I had sent 3 of my kids off to school and was putsing around the house with my preschooler in tow when my phone rang. . . it was my carpool buddy and she was asking me if I wanted her to pick up my kids from school.

I replied, “Why would I need you to get my children?”

She said, “Don’t you know? The United States is under attack! And our children are so close to the airport that I’m going to pick mine up and I’ll pick yours up if you want me too.”

My mind was reeling, “What’s happening? This is America! Should I have my children come home?”

I opted to leave my children at school and rushed to turn on the television.

It was as if my mind could not take in what was happening. I stared in horror at the pictures of the towers burning and of people plummeting to their deaths. Then watched as the towers disintegrated, leaving a vast amount of rubble and people running for their lives. I wondered what it must have been like to be trapped in that burning building so far off the ground. What were loved ones thinking as they watched those towers fall?

The day was so surreal. I dragged myself away from the T.V. to take my youngest to preschool and then went grocery shopping (we needed food!). It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop – there were so few people in the store and the ones that were there were not talking, we were all in a state of shock. When I picked up my children later that day, they knew something bad had happened but they had no idea what it was. That evening I sat out in my front yard with a neighbor and we cried together. She was worried about a friend who worked in the World Trade Centers.

That night as I tucked my kids in bed, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What kind of world will my children be growing up in?” Everything was so tenuous; there was no way to predict the future, and no way to comprehend how it was going to impact all our lives.

Just months before our nation had been in upheaval about who would be our next president, there was talk of "hanging chads" and voter corruption. We had never had an election like this in the history of our country. The media was in a frenzy over the whole fiasco and “mud” was being flung everywhere. It was during that time of turmoil that God gave me a verse that quieted my soul and gave me peace.

Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 1 Chronicles 29:11-12 (NLV)

There was no way to even imagine what was just around the corner for our nation.

That day on 9/11 God reminded me of this verse. When I reflected back on the time that God had given me that verse, I thought how insignificant my worries were then, compared to what we were facing now and what this meant for all of us in the future. Would we go to war? Would my children eventually be called up to serve and defend their country? Would we lose friends and relatives? What would our country be like? Would we ever feel secure? Once again, God used this verse to remind me. . . He is in CONTROL.

When our country is in upheaval, as it was on the day of September 11, 2001 . . . God is in CONTROL. When we are faced with wars and rumors of wars . . . God is in CONTROL. When earthquakes and hurricanes devastate our land . . . God is in CONTROL. When stock markets crash and European markets fail . . . God is in CONTROL. When we lose our jobs, when loved ones become ill, when teenagers rebel, when our world is turned upside down, KNOW THIS . . . God is in CONTROL!

Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours . . .

Let us never forget the sorrow we all shared on that day, 10 years ago. And may we remember and honor all those who have fought and given their lives for our freedom and liberty.

We will NEVER forget . . .

Knowing Your Ending

2011-09-02T11:37:00.001-04:00

What kind of reader are you? Are you one who likes to read the ending before you start the book? Or are you a reader that never reads the ending of a story first?

I confess, I’m the kind of reader who never reads the end of the book - maybe it's the rule follower in me. But I also love to be kept in suspense and to have my mind racing all over the place trying to figure out the ending.

However, I also love to read books over and over, especially the ones that are my true treasures. I still enjoy them even though I know the end of the story. Reading them is like sitting down with a dear friend that I haven’t seen for a while and getting reacquainted.

What about you, what kind of reader are you?

Monica Edinger in her blog “Educating Alice” confesses that she is a reader of endings first. She shares that when reading a series of books where she has gotten to know and care about the characters that she needs to read the ending. Look at her reasoning, “I knew as I began reading that I needed that worry set at rest so I could get into the book to enjoy the adventure, to find out how they made it safely to the end.”

She also gives another reason why she might read the ending first, “I might find it slow going and rather than immediately quitting, I might check further along to see if something there made it worth continuing”

Just like a reader who reads the ending of a book first, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, know our ending – we will one day see Jesus face to face!

But why don’t many of us live like we know our ending?

Monica says that once she knows the ending she’s able to set her worry at rest and enjoy the adventure.

Shouldn’t that be the case for us as believers? Shouldn’t we give our worries and fears to God and enjoy the journey God has set us on? Shouldn’t the hope we have be a light to the world? Shouldn’t our lives radiate our faith?

Look at what Paul says about the Christians in Colossea, “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which comes from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”

They KNEW their ending and it allowed them to live freely, enjoying the adventure. Was it easy for them? No! But their HOPE was in the future and it kept them from quitting or getting discouraged.

Let us live like the Colossians with CONFIDENT HOPE because we too, know our ending!

Hiding!

2011-08-27T10:29:00.000-04:00

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/352262

When my boys were young we played a game that they affectionately called “hiding”, at the end of bath time. They would climb out of the tub and I would throw a towel over them as they lay on the floor tucked in and head down.

The fun would begin when, I would start by saying, “Where’s Logan? Where did he go? Is he in the bathtub? No, he’s not there! I wonder where he could be?” I would put my hands on his back as I leaned into the bathtub to see if he was there. And inevitably there would be a giggle from under the towel. I would go on to look under the sink, behind the toilet, in back of the shower curtain, all the while my precious little one would lay on the rug “hiding”. Finally, he would get tired and say, “Mommy, I’m right here!” And he’d jump up from under the towel. They all loved that game and we played it endlessly.

It always amazed me why they enjoyed that game so much. It was so simple and in my adult eyes completely ridiculous. I often wondered how they could believe that they were really hiding from me.

As I was reminiscing recently about this game I played with my kids so long ago, I felt God’s whisper, “Hmmm, don’t you play this game with me?” Ouch.

“Yes, Lord I do.”

Why do I think I can hide? I KNOW that He is the God of the Universe, that He sees me and knows me intimately and most of the time that brings me great joy. Until . . . I don’t want Him to know what I’ve done, what thoughts I’ve had, what words I’ve spoken.

And then I play the hiding game! I curl up in the fetal position with my shame and embarrassment over my head and just like my children, pretend He doesn’t see me, He doesn’t know what I’ve done or what I’ve thought.

I’m not the only one who has tried to hide - Adam and Eve hid after they disobeyed God in the Garden, David when he tried to cover up what he did with Bathsheba and Jonah who jumped on a ship and went in completely the opposite direction. (At least I’m in good company!) The Bible is filled with men and women who tried to hide from God, to cover up what they had done, to run from what He was calling them to do.

But look at what it says in 1 Chronicles 28:9 “. . . For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought.” Proverbs 24:12 “ . . . For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.”

It’s silly to think that we can hide from God. But what I find amazing is that even when I’m running from God He is THERE! And He loves me with an Everlasting Love. His great desire is to bring me back into fellowship with Him. He stands with arms wide open ready for me to step back into His embrace!

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” Jeremiah 31:3

So let go of the shame and embarrassment or that one thing that is holding you back from His embrace and RUN, RUN, RUN into His arms, He’s patiently waiting.

O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.
You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! Psalm 139:1-6

Living in God's Upside Down Kingdom

2011-08-19T06:56:00.000-04:00

“I think I’m going to be sick. What was she saying? What was I supposed to say?” It was as if my head was submerged under water. I could hear her speaking to me but couldn’t fathom what she was saying.

As I stood in my kitchen that day and listened to my dear friend yell at me, I wondered how we could have gotten to this place.

We had been doing life together for about 5 years, my friend and I - having babies, hanging out as families and doing ministry together. We were the only two women in a world of men and we were allies. But our roles had recently changed and she did not like the decisions I was making. We were no longer allies or even friends and my heart was breaking. Why couldn’t we just work this out? Why did it have to be like this? Didn’t she know me well enough that she could trust that I had her best interest at heart?

I watched as our friendship blew up in my face and could do nothing to stop it.

I met with a mentor as I wrestled through what God wanted me to do in regards to our relationship. As we were discussing the situation my mentor made a statement I’ve never forgotten. He said, “What you’re seeing here, Kristi, is the purest form of legalism – she is saying “it’s my way or the highway”. God’s answer to legalism is grace. And I believe God has given you an extra measure of grace to reach out to her and draw her back into fellowship. But with that grace I believe that God is calling you to take the higher road, to humble yourself and go to her and seek to restore your friendship.” I remember thinking at the time, “This is completely opposite of what the world would tell me to do. The world would say, ‘she did you wrong, run as far away from her as possible. You shouldn’t allow yourself to be treated like that.’” But I knew in my heart he was right, that God was calling me to lay down my life for her and to go to her in humility and grace.

I wish I could tell you that our relationship was restored but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. But what I do know, is that I did what God was calling me to do even though it was completely upside down from what the world would say I should do. And through my obedience He blessed me.

In Matthew 5, Jesus talks about what it looks like to live in His Upside Down Kingdom. Listen to His Words . . .

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. (Matthew 5:3,10 NLV)

Jesus goes on to say further in the chapter, “But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. . . You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:39-40, 43-44 NLV)

When we follow Jesus, He calls us to a higher path - a road less followed, a road of radical obedience to His WAY.

The world will tell you that you will be walked on if you do things His way that you will be trapped and misused, if you hold to that kind of lifestyle.

But Jesus says that living in His Kingdom sets us apart and shows the world that we are different! The truth is that when we live in His Upside Down Kingdom we experience a life of true blessing and freedom!

The Treasure Hunt

2011-08-11T20:16:00.000-04:00

My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5(NLV)

I was privileged to grow up in a great Christian home. From the time my parents brought me home from the hospital, I was in church. I grew up listening to the stories of the Bible, memorizing verses, doing Bible drills (a practice of helping children know where to find verses in their Bible) and singing songs – like the B-I-B-L-E and Onward Christian Soldiers.

I was saturated in Bible “lingo” and as a young adult (to be perfectly honest) was bored and tired of it. I knew I needed to be in God’s Word, to spend time with him but when I would open up the Scriptures, my heart would scream, “I already know this. I’ve seen this a thousand times! How can I get anything new from it?” It was a raging battle within my soul – the pull to do what I knew everyone expected of me and the pull to give up.

My mind was like one of those tea cups at Disneyland that spins around and around, “Why is this so hard? It shouldn’t be like this but I don’t know how to get out of this vicious cycle.” And just like those tea cups I was becoming sick of the struggle.

That battle raged within me for many years and it wasn’t until God took me through a painful break up with a close friend that I began to see things differently.

The day of my transformation is forever stamped upon my heart. I was sitting out in our back porch journaling about my frustration with my husband . . . He wasn’t loving me the way I thought I should be loved.

And as I was telling God, “I just want him to WANT to be with me!” and I felt God whisper to me, “That’s how I want you to love me!”

“You want me to WANT to be with You?!”

Just like I didn’t want my husband saying to me, “Well I would rather spend time with the guys but since you insist, I guess I’ll spend time with you.” God didn’t want me to say, “I really would rather be reading this book or watching this TV show but if you insist I guess I’ll drag out my Bible and spend time with you.”

It was the light of truth that finally pierced the darkness of my soul and I got it! I picked up my Bible and began to read. It was like I had a new Bible, one I had never read before! My OLD Bible had become NEW. I began to realize that this Bible was God’s communication with me. These words weren’t just great truths to read, they were HIS Words to me! My heart was overwhelmed with this Truth!

Over the years I have read the Bible from cover to cover and I’m becoming more and more convinced of the truth in Proverbs 2(NLV) . . .

Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God.

God and His Word are truly a treasure worth hunting for! Won't you join me in the HUNT?

Pickin' Blueberries

2011-08-03T20:00:00.001-04:00

I got up early on Saturday morning, at least for me it was early, to pick blueberries. I love this time of year in Michigan when all the fruit begins to ripen. And I love blueberries!

I felt a bit nostalgic as I carried my buckets out to the berry patch.

When I lived in Alaska we would pick the most wonderful wild blueberries. A group of us would hike out to the berry bushes swinging our pails. The only thing we had to be concerned about was whether we were sharing our blueberry patch with a bear. And as we walked home, after picking, we would whirl our buckets around and around. The goal was to keep the blueberries in our pail – it was pretty easy for me since I ate most of mine before I got home!

When my family moved from Alaska to California there were no more blueberries to pick and I was brokenhearted. So you can imagine my joy when I moved to Michigan as an adult and found out there were blueberries to pick!

This morning, I tied my bucket around my waste and began to
pick . . . There is something wonderful about a blueberry patch. The bushes are tall and it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one around. This morning I felt the wind brush my shoulder and listened to the quiet chirping of the birds. In the distance I heard a father talking to his son as he picked. It was so peaceful and quiet and the bushes were loaded with berries in various stages of ripening - some were green, others a deep red and finally, the ones I wanted - a dark blue. I plopped a berry in my mouth and enjoyed its sweet goodness. Could life be more perfect?

As I picked my way through bush after bush laden with fruit, I was reminded of the verses in John 15:8-10 (NLV) When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”

I couldn’t help but wonder, “Am I producing fruit? Is it the kind of fruit that Jesus wants in my life? Am I laden down with fruit like these bushes or are there just a few berries?

I can get discouraged in my walk and feel like I’m not producing much of anything. I struggle with self-centeredness, pride and the need to be in control. But God reminded me out in that blueberry patch that I need to REMAIN in Him. To once again place myself at His feet, to seek Him first in all I do and rest in His love.

What about you? Are you remaining in His love? Are you trying to produce your own fruit or are you letting God do the work in you? Are you discouraged with how little you’ve grown and how far you have to go?

Remember, it’s God who is at work in you. You just need to REMAIN!

SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM

2011-07-28T12:14:00.000-04:00

My Marine son has a Latin saying tattooed on his arm –

SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM.
“If you want peace, prepare for war.”

. . . I’ve thought long and hard about that statement.

If a country desires peace they must have an army, armed and prepared, to protect its citizens from those who desire to overtake it. Soldiers rigorously train for battles they may never face, in order to keep their country secure and safe. But what happens to a country when it’s army is ill-equipped, poorly trained and undisciplined? It is left vulnerable to attack. In order for peace to be achieved a country has to be ready for war in every way.

During my son’s 12 week Marine Basic Training an interesting thing happened. His drill sergeants wanted their platoon to be the very best at everything they did. That meant that every man had to be excellent and if one member fell behind, they all would pay the price. With each training they did – drills (marching), fighting, marksmanship – there was a competition between platoons and the final reward was to be top platoon overall!

My son’s platoon would drill 8-9 hours straight in order to achieve best platoon in drilling. They were right on track for taking first place for top platoon overall but when they got to the rifle range something happened – their shooting was off and they finished in 2nd place. Their drill sergeant lined them up in their barracks and in perfect drill sergeant fashion began to scream and yell at them for taking 2nd place. He was so mad that he took their 2nd place trophy and threw it out the window! And then he said, “There is no second place in war! You are either first or you’re dead!”

If you want peace, prepare for war. . .

As followers of Christ, we are in a war! We have an enemy that hungers for our souls and preys on our weaknesses. He seems to find all the places that we are vulnerable, or ill-equipped. One of his best tactics is to get Christians to think they are at peace when they really are at war, to catch them unprepared and untrained for battle.

Ephesians 6:10-12 in the Amplified Bible says this, “ . . . be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless MIGHT provides]. Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents] but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.”

We need to be prepared for the battle. We cannot let down our guard, we must be strong and alert! But what does that look like in our life as a follower of Christ?

We must train just like a soldier does – we need to learn God’s Word and be ready to use it. Jesus used Scripture in defeating Satan when he was tempted. We need to not just read it but apply it to our lives. It needs to be an integral part of our everyday life!

We must develop our relationship with God! We need to know who He is so that we can place our trust in Him even when we don’t understand or can’t see the way. The Bible calls us to walk by faith. Notice that in the first part of those verses it says that we are to be strong in the Lord and that we are to draw our strength from Him. We cannot do it on our own – we need His power, His strength and His might.

So if you want peace in your life as a Christian, you MUST prepare for the battle and you MUST be ready to fight the war.

Rocky Mountain Vacation

2011-07-21T16:14:00.003-04:00

It was a beautiful summer day in the Colorado Rockies, the sky was a brilliant blue, the river was dancing over the rocks and the wild flowers were showing off their varied colors, there was not even a hint of what was to come.

My family had met for a vacation to celebrate my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. Since we all live scattered throughout the United States we decided to pick a middle ground and meet in Colorado. We had 5 wonderful days in Frisco, Colorado a quaint little town nestled in the valley surrounded by snow capped mountains. Near the end of our vacation we all decided to take a 15 mile bike ride down the mountain, beginning in Vail and riding through Copper Mountain and on down into Frisco. My parents are in their 70’s but we felt that it would be an easy ride for them since it was all downhill.

The view was magnificent! I was singing and praising God, it was so amazing to view His handiwork.

But just about a mile from Copper Mountain, I heard someone say to me, “That’s your mom!” I looked off to the shoulder and saw my mom lying in the grass. I couldn’t believe it was her. I thought, “Oh no, no, no this can’t be Mom, she can’t be hurt like this. She’s got to be okay!” I threw my bike down and kneeled down next to her. She was lying on her side and I could see her face. She was mumbling that she didn’t know what happened. My heart was crying out – this can’t be happening. . . How could we have let this occur? We should’ve done things differently – I should’ve stayed with her the whole time, we shouldn’t have let them ride – they should’ve just met us in Copper. Over and over my thoughts raced as I held up my jacket to keep the sun out of her face and waited for help to come . . .

Questions continued to tumble around in my head . . . God,why did You allow this to happen? Why on their 50th anniversary celebration? If You love us so much, why did you let this happen to one of Your dear children? Why?. . . Why? . . . Why? . . .

I’m not sure I’ll ever know the answers to those questions. . .

But really is that the point – to have all the answers? If God had wanted me to know He would have told me. What He desires is TRUST. Trust when we don’t understand. Trust when it’s hard. Trust when we can’t see our way.

We TRUST Him because he is a God who is TRUSTWORTHY. He made the ultimate sacrifice for us by sending His only Son to take our place and die so that we might have life! How can we doubt that kind of love? How can we question His Grace in the face of such demonstrative love?!

Even in the midst of this tragedy we have seen God’s mighty hand at work - protecting, loving and watching over us in so many ways.

And I can truly say, just as David said in Psalm 28:6-7, “Praise the LORD! for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”

We have much to be thankful for – Praise His Holy name!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall . . .

2011-07-06T23:38:00.001-04:00

As a little girl, my heart’s desire was to be the “fairest of them all”! And if I’m really honest deep down inside I still want to be the fairest of them all or at least right up there with Jennifer Lopez. I want to be beautiful. I want to feel that I’m important, treasured and loved.

And what girl doesn’t want that?

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?

When I was in elementary school, some girls told me that I had fat lips. I can remember going home and looking intently in the mirror at my lips to see if they were fat. I didn’t really think they were but if that’s what they thought, it must be true! Gazing into the mirror of childish values, I found myself lacking!

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the perfect student of them all?

If I couldn’t be beautiful well than surely I could capitalize on my talents. So in college, I worked really hard to build a good reputation. I wanted people to perceive that I was perfect, multi-talented and amazing. It guided my every move – the friends I chose to hang around with, the classes I took, the activities I did. Unfortunately, that’s a pretty hard standard to live up to. And I found myself staring into the mirror of other people’s expectations and discovered that no matter how hard I tried, I didn’t measure up.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest mother of them all?

If I couldn’t be the perfect student than maybe I would find my worth in being a good mom. And so as a young mom, I felt the pressure of raising my children and once again I was so worried about what other people thought of me as a mother. I wanted to be the perfect mom – the one who made brownies every week for their kids, who responded gently to their disobedience and who had a clean house. These expectations led to the perfect storm and my poor children paid the price. I saw my reflection in the mirror of what I perceived other people expected of me as a mom and knew I fell short.

Why do I look to other people for my value and worth? Over the years, I have found myself spending way too much time looking at my reflection in other people’s eyes! And in gazing at their reflection of me I made myself vulnerable to their fickle viewpoint and was easily swayed by their opinions and perceptions.

But what do I do with this raging thirst for approval?

Look at what it says in Colossians 1:22 (NLT) “Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”

Do you see what Christ has done for us? His death and our acceptance of His gift, has brought us into His presence and we now can stand before Him holy and blameless without a single fault!

I had this cheap full length mirror in college and when it was tipped back against the wall it made me look 10 pounds lighter. My legs were skinnier, my butt didn’t stick out so far and I loved it! Unfortunately, it wasn’t a true reflection, just wishful thinking. But when we stand in front of HIS full length mirror we see our true reflection.

Our salvation is NOT wishful thinking, what Jesus did to make us holy and blameless in His sight without fault is NOT a make believe hope its truth that we can rely on and truth we can trust!

So when you find yourself looking in the mirror of other people’s expectations turn your eyes to the One True Mirror – Jesus, who took your place, loves you unconditionally and sees you as holy and blameless without fault – and see your TRUE REFLECTION!

“When in the mirror of His love I look at my reflection. I accept myself for who I am with all my imperfections.” author unknown

Tired and Weary

2011-07-01T08:43:00.000-04:00

I feel tired because ____________________________? I recently asked this question on facebook and here are some of the answers I got:
---Brain Tumors

---Working 72 hours a week

---Because I lead two tours at the collage, help with cooking meals, and woke up at 4:45am to make them breakfast before they left.

--- I've got a bunch of things I get worn out about:1) I don't let go of work related worries. 2) I try to accomplish spiritual things in my own strength. 3) I procrastinate, feel guilty about it, and have too much to finish at the last minute 4) I don't eat right {happening less often these days} I've got lots more if you want them. #3 is my biggest though.

How would you answer that question? What wears you down and sucks the life from you?

For me, in my life, it’s been many things . . . when my four boys were little - some days would feel like an eternity, with endless diapers, laundry, spilled milk and runny noses. When they were teenagers, it was a different weariness - watching them drive, go on a date, football injuries, school work and many late late nights. And now I have other things that invade my life and pull me into the depths of exhaustion – juggling work and home, hurting people, not enough money, a son that is going off to war, family vacation, a self-employed husband and the list goes on and on.

The Psalmist says in 63:1 “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.”

I can identify with the author of this Psalm. My soul is thirsty and my whole body longs for God. I long to see him, to have an intimate relationship with Him in this parched and weary land I find myself in . . .

I love face to face conversations. If I have a choice of talking on the phone or meeting face to face I will choose face to face any day. I like to watch people’s reactions to things I say, I like to see their facial expressions as they talk about something that is important to them.

And I long for that kind of relationship with Jesus. I want to hear Him laugh, to see His face and His reactions when I am speaking with Him. I want to know that He hears me and that He knows me. Just recently I had the opportunity to take a walk with my Dad (a rare treat). We took a nice stroll up to a nearby Starbucks and sat and talked for a couple of hours over a good cup of coffee(actually I had tea and he had coffee). Oh, how I long to do that with my heavenly Father.

Do you ever long for that too?

In verses 6-8 of that same chapter the author goes on to say, “I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.”

What does it look like to lie awake at night thinking of God? Meditating on Him through the night? I don’t know about you but when I lie awake at night it’s because I’m worried over something or I have too many things on my plate and I’m trying to make sure that I don’t forget any of them. I don't lie awake because I'm thinking of God.

When I’m in a dry and weary land, when I’m worn and fatigued my tendency is to spiral downward, to focus on my feelings, to focus on my exhaustion. But the Psalmist is saying here that we are to turn our hearts towards God remembering the things that He has done for us, how he has provided and met our needs. We then can KNOW that he is our helper. We can sing for JOY and rest in the shadow of His wings. Meditating causes us to cling to the only ONE that can truly satisfy us. And we will find REST in His strong capable hands.
,
So my weary friend turn your heart towards God and allow Him to qench your raging thirst and satisfy your soul. He is all you need!

No Returns Accepted

2011-06-23T21:49:00.000-04:00

I hate it when I have to return things. I’m one of those people that never keeps good track of their receipts. So if I have to return anything it becomes a huge chore! And of course, I complicate matters by never seeming to have the receipt and the item I need to return with me at the same time.

But I have to say it is a nice thing to be able to return something - it’s kind of like absolving a mistake, if I’ve bought something I couldn’t afford or if somehow the thing I purchased doesn’t work correctly.

Returns come in handy when you change your mind. . .

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could return the things in life that we don’t want to face? What if we could take back a poor decision and exchange it for a better one? What if we could return a difficult relationship?

Sometimes I think we wish we could do this with God too. We want his love but would prefer to return His justice back to the shelf. We want his forgiveness but struggle with His righteousness. We want to tell Him what we want Him to do; we don’t want Him to tell us what we
should do.

A friend of mine had a horrible thing happen to her son while she was worshiping God in church. He was sexually molested by a teenager. It left her reeling with pain and anger. How could God allow this to happen to her innocent child? She felt betrayed by her God and the anger grew and festered within her until it be became a raging inferno. And she told God she was done! She wanted to return her salvation; she didn’t want it any more. She was checking out of this Christianity thing.

So she set her Bible on the shelf and wanted nothing more to do with God. But the interesting thing was that God did not accept her return. He refused to take back His salvation from her. She told Him multiple times to get away from her. When she was on her daily walks she would cuss and swear and say horrible things to Him but He refused to leave her. This is how she described it, “He was just there. It was a quiet presence, not a condemning one. No matter what I did or said to Him (and I said some pretty horrible things) He would not leave
me alone!”

As she told me her story Psalm 139:7-10 (NLV) came to my mind, “ I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from Your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, You are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”

His unending presence slowly began to melt the ice around her heart and as a lover pursues the one he loves so God drew her gently back to Himself. And then one day it happened! She picked up her Bible, that had sat dormant on the shelf, dusted it off and began to discover a whole new God, a God she realized she had never really known.

What was her greatest disappointment led her to her greatest discovery – GOD.

When things go wrong, when life takes a turn we don’t expect, there is a yearning to checkout, to stick our head in the sand and hope it all goes away. But what if God’s plan is to use our greatest disappointment as our greatest opportunity? What if He is revealing Himself to us in a way He never has before? What if these struggles are really His blessings in disguise?

God Glasses

2011-06-16T21:39:00.000-04:00

One day, while living in California, I hiked with a group of friends to the top of a huge rock in Idyllwild, California. This monstrous rock sits high up the mountainside overlooking the little town of Idyllwild and is a favorite place for rock climbers.

Not being rock climbers, we decided to see how far we could climb up the backside of the rock and to our surprise we were able to get all the way to the very top. The climb was treacherous and difficult but the view made the whole trek completely worth it. It was spectacular!

As I sat high atop that rock, gazing at the scenery below I
wondered . . . What if I were able to see my life from a viewpoint like this; viewing it from a higher perspective where I see and understand things so much clearer rather than from the ground where I only see what is in front of me? Why doesn’t God allow me to see things from His perspective?

But, what if He has and I’ve missed it?

In the Old Testament, there is a humorous story about God allowing two men to see things from His viewpoint.

The King of Aram went to war against Israel. Each time he mobilized his troops in an area to fight against them; suddenly there were no Israelites to be found. This happened over and over again until the King was completely infuriated! How did they always seem to know where he was going to be?

The King of Aram finally in utter frustration called all of his officers together and demanded to know who the traitor was! One guy piped up and said, “It’s not us, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!” (2 Kings 6:12 NLV)

When the king found out that it was Elisha who was spoiling his plans, he immediately decided to march on the city where Elisha lived.

When Elisha’s servant got up the next morning and went outside there were troops and chariots everywhere! He ran back inside in a panic, yelling that they were surrounded. And look how Elisha responded to him, “Don’t be afraid!” he told him. “There are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” (2 Kings 6:16-17 NLV)

There are only a few places in Scripture where God opens up the curtain between heaven and earth and we get a glimpse of His greatness and power; this story is one of those times.

What did Elisha know that his servant did not? Elisha KNEW the greatness of God and he CHOSE to see things from God’s perspective and not his own; it was as if he had on “God Glasses”.

A friend of mine chose to put on “God Glasses” one Thanksgiving day. For her, Thanksgiving was never a pleasant time because her family was so dysfunctional. Often when she arrived her brother would be yelling and swearing at his kids and smoking like a chimney. She dreaded taking her family into this environment.

This Thanksgiving however, she prayed and asked the Lord to help her see her family the way that He sees them. When she got there, her brother, as usual was yelling and swearing at his kids but instead of being annoyed she felt burdened because she saw the pain reflected in his actions. It was that way everywhere she looked, where before she would have seen only their destructive behavior, now she saw heartache and sorrow instead.

For my friend it was as if God removed the curtain between heaven and earth and she saw beyond her circumstances and glimpsed the real hurt that so many people experience that have no hope.

What about you? Do you choose to see things from God’s perspective or from your own? Do you WANT God’s view of things or do you choose to stay where it’s safe and uncomplicated?

If we choose to see things from God’s viewpoint it often moves us from the comfortable to the uncomfortable BUT the view is great and truly rewarding! So put on your glasses, you’ll be amazed at what you see!

Which Slavery will You Choose?

2011-06-11T21:08:00.000-04:00

In Exodus 21:5-7 (NLV) it says, “But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life.”

There have been times when I have felt like a slave – when I have washed a oodles and oodles of dirty dishes, changed a boat load of dirty diapers, wiped runny noses, dragged myself out of bed to soothe a crying baby and rocked for hours in the middle of the night when everyone else was sleeping – and it makes me wonder . . . why would anyone willingly choose to be a slave for the rest of their life?

Why would someone give up EVERYTHING to serve their master? As a slave, you have no rights, no free will, and no ability to make choices for yourself or your family. A slave surrenders their will to the will of their master.

Centuries after this slave law was written a free man by the name of Paul declared himself a slave. It was how he defined himself over and over again in his letters.

Paul was a zealot for the Jewish faith and he sought to kill all Christians because he viewed them as traitors. He thought he was doing right, that he was pleasing God by his actions but it wasn’t until he met Jesus Christ face to face on the Damascus road that he realized the destructiveness of his sin. It was on that road that Paul became a slave. He surrendered his will to the One True Lord. From that time on Paul never looked back, he was completely and irrevocably sold out to Jesus Christ, his Master and Lord and his choice to become a slave of Jesus Christ has forever changed the course of history.

Before Paul met Christ, even though he was a free man, he was a slave - a slave to sin and its power. Listen to what he says in Romans 6:20-22 (NLV) “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.”

When Paul saw himself for who he really was and understood the price that Christ had paid for him, he willingly surrendered his heart to the true Master of his soul. He exchanged the slavery to sin that leads to eternal death for the slavery of Jesus Christ and eternal life.

What Paul discovered about this slavery is that it isn’t slavery at all! Slavery to Christ sets you free – free from the power that sin has had over your life and free from the guilt and shame.

Have you been set free, like Paul, from the power of sin in your life? Are you allowing the guilt and shame of past deeds to keep you from experiencing freedom in your life? Have you relinquished your rights and surrendered them to the True Master? Is there something holding you back from giving your all to Jesus Christ?

Surrender yourself to the doorpost of your soul and allow God to claim you as His own? In surrendering, you will find freedom and in dying you will find life!

A Wild and Crazy Faith!

2011-06-03T22:57:00.000-04:00

What would cause someone to go against the tide of social influence? What would make them stand up against a vast amount of their peers and refuse to go along with what they believe? Peer pressure is a powerful force and few can stand against it. However, there were two men in the Bible who did just that . . .

Caleb and Joshua were chosen, along with ten other men, to explore the Promised Land and give a report to Moses and the people. When they returned ten of the spies were against conquering the land. This is what they said, “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” (Numbers 13:32-33 NLV)

Caleb and Joshua disagreed! This is what Caleb said “Let’s go at once to take the land, we can certainly conquer it!” (Numbers 13:30 NLV) But all the people began to cry and weep. Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. (Numbers 14:1-2 NLV)

What is amazing is Joshua and Caleb’s response to all of this. By this time, you would think that they would have given in to this incredible amount of pressure but they didn’t. Listen to what they said, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (Number 14:7-9 NLV)

What caused Caleb and Joshua to stand against the tide of social influence? When everyone else was trembling in fear because of the vast fortified cities and the giants in the land, they were ready to march ahead. They knew who God was! They had seen over and over again God’s mighty work on behalf of their nation. They had witnessed His constant faithfulness and they believed! They saw the Promised Land through different lenses. They understood that the God who created the Universe, who hung the stars in space and formed the land would stand with them, go before them and they had nothing to fear!

In the eyes of the Israelites, Caleb and Joshua had an outlandish faith! Their faith was wild and crazy and completely illogical. But this wild and crazy faith was rooted in an amazing, outlandish God who had proven Himself over and over to them.

What kind of faith do you have? How BIG is your God? Do you trust Him when things seem impossible, when you can’t see what He is doing? Are you viewing your life through earthly lenses or through heavenly ones? Do you believe you have an outlandish God?

The only way to develop this kind of faith is to KNOW your God. So I challenge you to get into His Word and discover who He is. He will not disappoint!

“This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love . . .” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLV)

Where is God in the Wilderness?

2011-05-26T10:54:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been so tired that you felt you couldn’t take another step? That life has wrung you out and hung you up to dry? Have you ever wanted to just give up and throw in the towel?

Where is God when there is a thirst in our soul that cannot be quenched? Where is God when the darkness invades our spirit, when we’re in a dry and barren land? Where is God when there is a longing for wholeness where only brokenness is found? Where is the hope? Where is our God?

I wonder if Elijah felt like this when he ran away . . .

After defeating the prophets of Baal and experiencing God’s mighty answer to prayer for rain after a three year drought, Elijah was given a death threat from the wicked queen of the land. “Most Wanted” posters for Elijah went up in Israel over night and he fled for his
life. . .

Just a few hours earlier, Elijah had witnessed the mighty power of God and watched as the people of Israel turned to God in repentance. But discouragement invaded his soul like a mighty army and Elijah ran . . .

He ran far out into the wilderness, found a solitary tree to sit under and begged God to let him die. He’d had enough and he wanted out!

What happens next is so surprising. He falls asleep and God lets him. When he awakes the angel of God feeds him and he falls back asleep. There is no condemnation, no scolding. There is just food and rest.

Once Elijah is rested and filled, God has him travel 40 days out into the vast wilderness. While Elijah is holding out in a cave God reveals Himself to him. Not once does God reprimand Elijah or scold him for being so self-focused, for desiring to dropout. God asks Elijah a simple question: What are you doing here? And he listens to Elijah’s reply. And then God gives him another job to do.

As I reflect on this beautiful story of God’s love and care for His faithful servant Elijah, I am reminded of God’s love and care for us. In the midst of the brokenness God is there. When we are tempted to dropout from what He has called us to do we are reminded that God sees all – He knows all. He is a witness to our pain and frustration, our heartache and sorrow and every tear we cry. He promises to care for us in the same way He did for Elijah. Our job is to trust Him and to keep our eyes fixed on Him and nothing else.

God promises in Isaiah 41:10 (NLV), “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

If Only . . .

2011-05-19T11:35:00.001-04:00

This summer I have committed to writing out the book of Proverbs. My son has been doing it for a class in school and his endeavor challenged me to do the same.

I have never done anything like this before and probably would never have thought about doing it until my son started. But I have to say it has been an amazing journey! It’s so surprising what you can learn just by copying down the words of Scripture. I am enjoying it immensely and am learning much along the way.

In my copying of Proverbs, I came across a verse in Chapter 5 that says, You will say, "How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings!" Those two words, IF ONLY in that verse, stood out to me.

IF ONLY are the words of regret. If only . . . I had not ignored the warnings of my parents, If only . . . I hadn’t eaten that last piece of cake, if only . . . I had said I love you, if only . . . I hadn’t rushed to get married, if only . . . I had not worked so much, if only . . . I had spent more time with my children, if only . . . if only.

You can’t undo regret; you can’t make it go away. Regret is something you carry with you for the rest of your life.

I realized early in life that I hated regret and purposed in my heart as a young person to do everything in my power to not have a mountain of regret at the end of my life. I didn’t want to be at the finish and have IF ONLY as my epitaph.

As I write this I’m reminded of the profound words by the late Erma Bombeck after she found out she had a fatal disease.

If I Had My Life To Live Over

I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's". . . More "I'm sorrys" . . .

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute. . . look at it and really see it . . . live it. . . and never give it back.

Let’s not wait until the end of our life and wish we lived in a different way. Let’s live differently NOW. Will you purpose, in your hearts with me, that from this moment on you CHOOSE to live a life with no regrets and in the words of Erma Bombeck . . .

"Seize every minute . . . look at it and really see it . . . live it . . . and never give it back.”

One Day My Prince Will Come!

2011-05-13T16:52:00.001-04:00

I love fairy tale stories. Ever since I was a little girl listening to my mother read them to me, I have dreamed of being a princess. I love the idea of a prince coming to the rescue of his damsel in distress, for taking a lowly maiden and making her a princess, for never giving up in his hunt for the one he loves. I think that’s why I like Cinderella so much. She was desolate and alone and the prince searched until he found her. And when he found her he brought her into his castle and she became his princess.

When I was in high school, I witnessed a real life fairy tale (maybe you did too) in the wedding of Princess Diana to Prince Charles. I was so excited for the wedding, I remember watching as Diana rode in a beautiful coach pulled by horses and walked down the long aisle of St. Paul’s Cathedral – it was all so beautiful. It amazed me to think that someone actually would experience a life I had only ever dreamed about. But in the years to come, I found out that it wasn’t much of a fairy tale after all.

Six years ago, my husband and I went to England for our 20th Anniversary and I gazed in wonder as we walked down the same aisle that Princess Di traversed. It was a wonderful experience. My favorite moment while we were in the cathedral was when a choir began practicing for a performance later on that evening. They had closed the cathedral to any newcomers but those of us who were already there were privileged to listen. I remember sitting in that place looking up at the beautiful architecture and listening to the amazing a capella music swirl around the cathedral and straight into my soul. It was my own little fairy tale.

On that same trip we decided to take the train to Windsor Castle. As we walked up the winding hill from the station I looked in wonder at the great castle on the hill. Once we were inside, we saw a large grassy area where a group of people had congregated. We were barred from going on the area by a fence but as we stood there watching Queen Elizabeth and Charles came out! The queen stood on a little platform and as we gazed in awe, a Knight on a horse in full regalia galloped around the field.

As I stood there taking all of it in, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had stepped back in time. Was this a fairy tale?

As an adult it is easy to forget about fairy tales in the midst of the craziness of life but on April 30th we got to experience a fairy tale again. . .

I was so excited, I got up at 6:00 a.m. and made scones and tea, my boys thought I was crazy. I watched as Mr. Middleton with great pride gave away his daughter Kate to Prince William. That day Katherine Middleton, a commoner, married her Prince. Her life is forever changed now that she is part of the Royal Family.

As I watched this spectacular event I was reminded of my own real life fairy tale. Years ago, I was poor and desolate; a commoner with no hope, a damsel in distress and Jesus found me! He adopted me into His royal family and now I am a daughter of the King, forever changed! Anxiously awaiting the day when my Prince will come for me and I will live with Him forever. This is a not just a young girl’s wish but a hope that is sure.

Paul says in Romans 5:4-5, And this hope (of salvation) will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

He goes on to say in verse 6-8, When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Are you a daughter of the King? Have you ever invited Jesus Christ into your life? It isn’t just enough to know that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. You have to receive His gift of salvation for yourself. Once you have received His gift, you are forever His child, adopted into the Royal Family! And you too can look forward to the day when YOUR PRINCE will come!

Bad Hair Daze

2011-05-07T11:11:00.002-04:00

I confess, my hair has always been extremely important to me and I have often said that it has been the “bane of my existence”! I have dreamed ever since I was a little girl of having straight silky hair but instead have curly hair that has a mind of its own.

When I was in the 8th grade I had long hair down to my waist. I knew my hair was wavy and a bit frizzy at times but I didn’t know it was curly. And then, Farah Fawcett arrived on the scene in Charlie’s Angels and I just had to have my hair cut like hers! I immediately began to picture myself with those feathered wings and knew they were going to make me beautiful. Unfortunately, curly hair doesn’t do well with featheredness! And I cried and cried. I hated my hair!

When I was in college, my friend was in beauty school and offered to give me a perm. Don’t ask me why I thought I needed a perm with my curly hair! It was just the thing to do back then, everybody was getting perms. There was just one problem (actually there were a few but this one stands out the most) – they left it on for 2 hours! My hair has a tendency to look like it is not taking the curl when it’s wet and so they finally gave up and took the curlers out. It looked like a beautiful perm while I was at the beauty school but then when I got home and it dried it was a different story. I took one horrified look in the mirror and cried and cried. I had a humongous afro!

Why is my hair so important? Why am I never satisfied with what God gives me?

I’ve noticed something – it seems that often we as human beings are never satisfied. If we have curly hair we want straight hair and if we have straight hair we dream of having curly hair. If the weather is cold, we want it hot and if it’s too hot we want it cooler. We think a computer will make our life easier and then we complain because it’s too slow. We have a large house and we stress about how hard it is to take care of and if we have a small house we are frustrated because we have no place to put anything. And the list goes on and on . . .

Paul says in Philippians 4:11 “. . . I have learned to be content with whatever I have.” What does it mean to be content? How am I to be content when so many things are going wrong?

In chapter 3 of this book he explains how he is able to be content wherever he is at, whether he has a lot or a little. Listen to what he says, “I once thought these things were valuable (he’s speaking about his credentials as a Jew) but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.”

What is Paul saying here? I believe he’s saying that when we begin to understand Christ’s true sacrifice for us on the cross and what He did so that we could know Him, all of the things that seem so important become nothing in the light of His great love! That’s how we live in contentment.

How silly it has been for me to focus so much time and attention on my hair when I have the privilege of knowing the One who created me and has counted all those hairs on my head!

Lord, draw my heart to You. Help me to set aside those things that are unimportant in the light of the incredible cost you paid and teach me to live in contentment.

Unexpected Curves

2011-04-30T12:55:00.002-04:00

This winter, I was driving down a back road and came upon an unexpected curve. Because the road was icy and I was going too fast, I went right off the road and into a bank of snow. Thankfully everything was okay and I didn’t have to tell my husband (except now he will know, ugh).

That curve caught me totally by surprise!

Life has a way of catching us by surprise, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s an unplanned pregnancy, a trip to the dentist, a spouse that has left, a broken down car, a job loss, an angry embittered teen, a DUI, the loss of a close friend or family member.

We can experience many unexpected turns in our lives. Some curves seem more irritating than anything else and other curves change our lives forever!

I have often found myself asking God . . . Why are You allowing me to experience these turns in my life? Why did you not give me any warning signs? Why didn’t You straighten out the road so that I could avoid them? You’re God, You can do that!

Years ago, I watched a friend of mine cope with an incredible unexpected curve in her life. One day while working she fell from a high platform and was paralyzed from the waist down. For anybody this tragedy would seem devastating but for Beth I think it was even more overwhelming because she earned her living by using her legs – she was an athletic director. Beth is one of the most athletic people I know. She was my volleyball coach when I was in College.

Talking with her one day, I asked her if she ever struggled with anger and bitterness towards God. Her answer didn’t surprise me because I know Beth but it did amaze me. She said, “No, I know that this is His plan for my life and I’ve accepted that. But I want you to know that I’m looking forward to Heaven! I’ll have my legs back and you won’t be able to catch me!"

Beth has taken this unexpected curve in her life and embraced it! She has found her identity in Christ alone and she’s allowing God to use her in the place He as designed just for her.

I’m becoming more and more convinced that life is a series of unexpected curves. And the real question is NOT why did this happen to me or why did You allow this in my life? BUT, how am I going to choose to live my life through this unexpected curve? Will I let bitterness and anger invade my soul? Will I turn away from God? Will I refuse to see His goodness in the midst of the turn? Or will I embrace the pain and surrender my heart to God? Will I bow down to my Maker and acknowledge that He is God and I am not? Will I trust Him when I don’t understand?

How do you respond when your life takes an unexpected turn? Do you spend your time questioning His goodness or do you surrender to His will for your life?

Jeremiah 29:11-12 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Do you believe this? Will you embrace the unexpected curves in your life? Trusting Him for the things you cannot see and resting in His perfect plan for you.

Reflections

2011-04-22T12:32:00.001-04:00

On this Good Friday, I thought it would be fitting to reflect on God’s Greatness. . .

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLV)

I acknowledge that You are God and I am not.

He counts the stars
and calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension! Psalm 147:5 (NLV)

You, God know even the stars and call them each by name! How much more do you know me, your child? I am amazed at your greatness and glory. When I glimpse your holiness and see your power, I am humbled. Why do I think I know better? Why do I question your plans for me?

“My heart pounds as I think of this.
It trembles within me.
Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice
as it rolls from his mouth.
It rolls across the heavens,
and his lightning flashes in every direction.
Then comes the roaring of the thunder—
the tremendous voice of his majesty.
He does not restrain it when he speaks.
God’s voice is glorious in the thunder.
We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. Job 37:1-5

My breath catches within me when I think of your greatness as the Creator of the Universe and your amazing love for me! Thank You for sending your only Son to take my place, so that I could know You and be known by You!

. . . “ There is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. 2 Chronicles 6:14

Lord, I want to walk in wholehearted devotion to You! Don’t let me stray from your Presence. Don’t let me turn my heart from You. Teach me to walk in Your ways all the days of my life . . .

You thrill me, LORD, with all you have done for me!
I sing for joy because of what you have done.
O LORD, what great works you do!
And how deep are your thoughts. Psalm 92:4-5

Forever Yours,
Kristi

Outbreak!

2011-04-19T18:06:00.000-04:00

I looked up the word outbreak in the dictionary. It said that it was “a sudden or violent increase in activity”. And it reminded me of a verse in Hebrews 10:24, “Let us think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.” (NLV)

I wonder what it would look like if we as Christians put this verse into practice. I wonder how I would be if I continuously looked for ways to encourage my sisters and brothers in Christ to love and good works. I wonder how different our churches would be. What would happen if we had an “outbreak” of love and good deeds?

What do you think of when you hear the word “outbreak”? I think of something incredibly contagious and difficult to contain.

In the verse right above, it gives us the reason for why we should encourage one another to love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted.” (NLV) What does it mean to live with an unwavering hope?

In the movie Jacob the Liar (played by Robin Williams), hope plays an important role. The setting is a Jewish Ghetto in Poland during World War II. The Jews have lost all hope of ever being saved and many of them have resorted to killing themselves. Through some crazy circumstances one Jew, Jacob, ends up outside the ghetto and hears a radio broadcast. When he returns he shares what he has learned about the allies with some of his friends and the news travels like wild fire through the quarter. After hearing the news, Jacob begins to see a visible change in people because of a renewed sense of hope and so embarks on a plan to keep hope alive in the ghetto . . .

When I saw this movie, I was struck by the power of hope. Most of us in America have no idea what it is like to live without hope and so it’s easy for us to take for granted the hope we have in Christ.

We forget that we are living in similar circumstances in our spiritual lives as Jacob was. People all around us are living and dying with no hope! We have the hope that will not only give them purpose in this life but will save them for all of eternity!

I wonder what would happen if we had an outbreak of love and good deeds. Would people see the hope we have in Christ? Would they be “infected” with our love for God and good deeds for others? What if we couldn’t contain this pandemic?

Remember, it just takes one!

What is it about WAITING that I hate so much?

2011-04-17T18:49:00.001-04:00

Wait! What do you think of when you hear that word? I don’t like the word WAIT. I’m not big on waiting for anything in my life. And yet, I have waited for many things – my driver’s license, getting married, traveling overseas. I’ve waited for kids at school, at practices, for them to grow up and leave home. I’m not good at waiting.

This week I went to where I thought my son was having a baseball game, only to discover when I got there that they weren’t playing at that location and I had no idea where they were playing. I tried calling everybody I could think of to find out where they were but nobody answered their phones. So I sat in a parking lot and waited . . .

Did I say I’m not good at waiting? I’m not good at waiting. I want to get things done, to accomplish something and move on to the next thing. Why is waiting so hard? I think it’s hard because it signifies my helplessness, that I’m no longer in control, that there is nothing I can do to change the circumstances. I can’t fix it or change it, I’m powerless.

A friend of mine is waiting . . . she’s waiting as she watches cancer slowly draw the life from the one she loves. There’s nothing more she can do but wait and spend every moment she can with him. If I’m really honest, I think waiting sucks!

I don’t like to feel helpless. I want to DO something. Waiting is never easy and yet God, throughout Scripture calls us to WAIT on Him. Why is that? Webster’s Dictionary defines waiting as “remaining stationary in readiness or expectation”. In our waiting we are powerless but God is NOT! Look at what Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord and WAIT patiently for Him to act . . .” (NLV)

What is it about waiting that is so hard for us as humans? It is the letting go and placing whatever “it” is in God’s hands. Waiting causes us to see our weaknesses and our frailty as humans. In our waiting there is an acknowledgement that God is God and we are not!

Could it be this waiting is God’s gift to my friend? A gift to spend these last days with her husband, making the most of every minute, an opportunity to say all that she wants to say to him and to live life to the fullest while he is with her.

I would prefer that WAIT was not a word in our vocabulary but it is. And it is what God calls us to do. Notice that we are to rest (not to try to fix things) and wait (wait for Him to act – not for Him to do what we want Him to do.)

As a follower of Jesus do you see waiting as a gift? A gift to rest in His presence knowing and trusting that He has everything under His control?

All of us find ourselves from time to time in the waiting place. Waiting for a job, waiting for a baby, waiting for love, waiting for a wayward child to come home, waiting for . . . ?

Is this waiting place a time of frustration and anxiety for you or are you putting your hope and trust in God as you wait expectantly for what He will do? God’s desire for you is that you rest in Him.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. . . .” Matthew 11:28 (NLV)

Treasure in Jars of Clay

2011-04-06T20:14:00.003-04:00

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1359201

I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am a fragile clay jar. I’m reminded every day of my frailness when I say something unkind, when I think a hurtful thought, when my heart wanders from God, when I’m jealous of someone else’s success (which happens way to often if I’m really truthful).

And then I wonder, why would God choose to put His greatest treasure in me??

Do you see what it says in 2 Corinthians, “We have this light shining in our hearts but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure!” Why does God use fragile earthen jars to carry His greatest treasure? Could it be that that is when His light shines the brightest?

God sent His Son into this world to shine light into the darkness, to expose people’s sin and to point them to the only answer, Jesus Christ. And now God has left that light shining in our hearts. It seems inconceivable that God would choose us to carry His treasure.

A few years back, my son desired to go to an outdoor nature school for his 6th grade year. We had to jump through quite a few hoops before he was accepted into the school. We were so excited that he got in and then one day I realized that there was the possibility that he wouldn’t be able to go because we were moving out of district. Without even considering God or giving the situation to Him, I got on the phone and called the school and told them our situation. The teacher there encouraged me to call the district and basically lie to get the information I needed. I immediately dialed the district and lied to the woman about our situation. She ended up telling me that it wouldn’t be a problem. I was so relieved! But as I hung up the phone I experienced an overwhelming grief wash over me at what I had done. I recognized that God had given me His deep sorrow over my sin and felt Him say to me, “Kristi you couldn’t trust me with this one thing. Haven’t I worked out all the other difficulties you faced in getting him into this school and in this last obstacle you couldn’t trust me?” Once again, I was reminded of my frailty, of being that clay jar.

But even in the sorrow, I knew God’s love for me and His desire to use me in spite of my brokenness. I knew what I had to do. I picked up the phone and called the district back. I wasn’t able to get the woman I talked to but I got her voicemail and left a message. I told her that I was sorry that I had lied to her and that as a Christian I knew that this was wrong. I had not trusted God to work out this situation but had taken things into my own hands and I hoped that she would forgive me. I have no idea how God used that situation in the life of that woman. But I do know that in my brokenness I allowed God’s light to shine through me.

God uses broken and messed up people like you and me - isn’t that amazing?! When we are breakable clay vessels there is no doubt that it is God’s light within us and not our own!

God’s light shines the brightest in fragile clay jars like us!

Grapejuice, Dad and the Devil

2011-04-02T10:16:00.001-04:00

When I was growing up my sister Karen and I loved to play jokes on my younger sister Karla (and yes, all our names started with a “K” even my baby brother Kraig). One day we discovered the perfect joke or so we
thought . . .

Karen and I were clearing the breakfast table one morning when we came up with the brilliant idea to make a “special” drink from the leftover grape juice that was in the pitcher. There wasn’t really enough in the container to justify putting it back in the fridge. We put everything we could think of in the grape juice – milk, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, pepper . . . well you get the idea. And then we called Karla to come and try our “delectable” beverage. We told her that it was an amazingly delicious drink and we didn’t want her to miss out on its goodness because she was such a special sister to us.

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1365671

I’m sure she was probably thrilled that her two big sisters loved her so much that they wanted to share their very special drink with her and so she took a big swig of the concoction and immediately began to gag and spit it out. And of course, she ran off crying into her bedroom. Karen and I were on the floor rolling with laughter, that was, until my Father showed up. I don’t recall him saying much of anything but I knew we were in BIG trouble! He took two glasses out of the cupboard and proceeded to pour our lovely beverage into them and then he said, “You have 5 minutes to drink it!” and then he walked out of the room.

My first thought was . . . “Why didn’t we throw that drink out after Karla left. We should’ve known that she would go and tell Dad. How stupid could we be?”

My second thought was . . . “Oh shoot, how am I ever going to drink that stuff, it’s got to be terrible! Why did we think this was funny?”

We both knew that we had no choice but to drink it because the consequences of not drinking it were not even worth contemplating. My Dad had been known to ground me from swimming for a whole summer! So who knew what he would do? He didn’t mess around and we knew it.

I can still remember watching the hands of the clock move way to quickly as I gagged my way through that horrible drink and I thought, “I will never do something so stupid again, next time I’ll make sure I throw it out!”

As I think about that story it reminds me of how much the devil does the same thing to us. He plays to our weaknesses. Just as Karen and I played to the weaknesses of my sister, the devil does the same thing. He entices us with sweet words and appeals to our neediness but then when we partake of it we discover what rotten yuckiness it really is.

Ephesians 6:10-11 says: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

Notice that we are to be strong in the Lord and His power, not in our own. It isn’t through self-discipline, self-help or our own perseverance that will make us strong in our war against the devil but it is through God alone. That is the only way that we can stand firm and discern the schemes of the devil.

So beware of the devil and his sweet enticing words and older sisters bearing gifts!

If God is for us . . .

2011-03-28T23:08:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a country where you weren’t free - free to drive to see family members, free to speak your mind, free to worship in the way that you want? It’s hard for me to imagine what it would be like to not have a copy of God’s Word, to not be able to call a friend and talk about how I’m struggling in my relationship with God or to freely write what is on my heart.

As I see what is happening all around the world – the unrest in so many countries, the earthquakes and tsunamis and possible nuclear meltdowns, I have to admit my heart trembles and I wonder if my world will drastically change. Will I someday experience what many Christians in other countries around the world experience? Will someday being persecuted for my faith mean more than just losing my job or being criticized for believing in God but going to jail or having my family stripped away from me?

And then I wonder. . . will I be as resilient in my faith as I am now? Will I be able to stand strong in the face of danger? If I let my thoughts run in that direction I can allow fear to completely consume me.

Look at what 2 Timothy 1:7-8 says: For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. . .With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.

God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and a self-discipline. . . When we give into fear and allow it to consume us we are giving power to the enemy but God has given us everything we need to stand strong and to face whatever comes our way! But how do we do this in the face of overwhelming circumstances and fear? By turning our hearts back to Him.

When I experience fear, heartache or worry in my life He wants me to give it to Him and to claim His power and love. Just as a pedestrian on a swinging rope bridge keeps their eyes fixed on the other side and won’t allow themselves to look down to the gorge below, we have to fix our eyes on our Savior, the author and finisher of our faith.

If God’s Word is true and I believe it is than He will give me what I need when the time arises. I don’t have to live in fear or worry of what tomorrow will bring because He promises to be with me, to give me His Strength and His Power to meet whatever will come my way.

We have nothing to fear . . . if God is for us, who can be against us?

Blocked Pathways

2011-03-20T23:36:00.001-04:00

God blessed my husband and me with four boys. I confess, there were days, when I questioned whether it was a blessing or not . . .

Boys are loud, physical, and boisterous. They love to climb on furniture, use sticks for weapons and beat up their brothers.

But, I have to say, I love them! Because what you see is what you get. They tell it like it is. They get mad and then they’re over it. They will pick on their baby brother and then if anyone else tries to pick on them they will defend them “to the death”.

Boys know how to play. They design huge elaborate games and they’re never bored if they have another one around. And they have given me a storehouse full of great stories and memories!

My boys taught me so many things – to not take myself so seriously, to live every moment to the fullest and to love life. God also used them in my life to teach me things about Him.

I remember one day hearing screaming coming from our back hallway (never a good sound). I knew it was my youngest, Logan, he was about 18 months old. I ran to where the sound was coming from and saw him with a beat red face crying and yelling for all his might. My oldest, Wes, who was around 10 at the time, was blocking Logan from going down our back stairway. He looked up at me, with this pleading look on his face and said, “Mom, he wants to go down the steps and I can’t let him because he’ll fall and get hurt!”

And in that moment, God gave me a snapshot of how I am with
Him . . .

I make my plans, sometimes offering the token prayer but really never considering Him or seeking where He wants me to go and then I pursue those plans with all my heart. And when I’m thwarted I throw a temper tantrum because I don’t get my way, never realizing that it is the Hand of God protecting me from harm.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Do I believe that? Why do I question that God doesn’t have my best interest at heart when he laid down His life for me? What about you? Do you ever get mad or frustrated because God isn’t giving you what you want?

In some distorted way, many of us feel that God owes us. That if we’re living our lives to please Him He should give us what we want and when we don’t get it, we get mad and throw a fit. But what we want isn’t always what we need. And God is not in the business of making us comfortable. He is about molding and shaping us to be more like Him.

Teach us to . . . Trust you, LORD with all our heart;
to not depend on our own understanding.
But seek your will in all we do,
and you will show us which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

Outbreak!

2011-03-16T17:12:00.001-04:00