cultivating and weeding

I was weeding in the front yard yesterday - some places where things have been left to do what they wish. I pulled everything green out of one bank except for a few sparse sprigs of creeping myrtle that were trying to survive underneath tons of weeds and crazy layers of vines of wild morning glories. God used the simple act of weeding to remind me that I have to be INTENTIONAL about dealing with sin and patterns in my life that lead me to places that are not for my good or His glory. Some of the weeds I pulled (the unwanted, uninvited plants that decided to make themselves at home) were the most stubborn, strong rooted things I've ever seen! Some of them had the root system of a small TREE - others, like the wild morning glories, were so entwined among everything that even though their roots may not have been so secure they were a nuisance to get rid of because they held so tightly to so many other things in the ground.
So I guess the connection to sin is pretty obvious but it was a good reminder to me that sometimes I don't pay enough attention to things that need to be rooted out of my heart, my life. Sometimes it's easier to just be comfortable and keep going the way things are - well... honestly it's ALWAYS easier to approach life this way!
I was challenged today by a video talk from the Catalyst Conference given by Francis Chan
One of the things that caused me to have tears was his statements concerning how we REALLY walk out the whole "love your neighbor like you love yourself" gold rule thing! I AM FAR TOO OKAY with worrying more about my own comfort than about how my life reflects this command of Jesus! I am far too okay with spending money on a new TV instead of giving money to those in need. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
My heart is pricked and my conscience is stirred. I want to BE DIFFERENT than I have been in the past.
I'm inviting God to change this part of my thinking/living - CHANGE ME!
Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me."
The Message version puts it this way:
" God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life."
I want to weed out apathy, convenience, self-sufficiency - the list goes on; and in turn cultivate a fresh start of loving others in a way that goes beyond how I love my own life.

simple but not easy

I was reading Ecclesiastes 12 this morning and was compelled to focus in a bit on verses 13 & 14. The Contemporary English Version words those verses this way:
"Everything you were taught can be put into a few words: Respect and obey God! This is what life is all about. God will judge everything we do, even what is done in secret, whether good or bad."
Fear God and keep his commandments. It's pretty simple but it's not easy! Easy for me is fearing man - I can become consumed with far too much concern about impressing people or worrying about what others think of me. The quest... turning that same focus to pleasing God and God alone.
The notes in my Bible for this passage used the phrase "Worship and obedience will eventually lead to the light of God's hope." Worship and obey - fear God and keep his commandments. Simple but not easy!
The other portion of my Bible reading plan had me in 1 Peter where Isaiah 40:8 is quoted:
"The grass withers and flowers fall but the word of our God stands forever."
The opinions and approval of others will wither and fall; God's Word, his love for me, his faithfulness in my life - STANDS FOREVER!

"this much, o God, I want you".

I just started reading John Piper's book "A Hunger for God". It's a book about fasting - but it's also a book about so much more than what I typically think of when I think about fasting. The author speaks to our indulgences in multiple areas of life - food, money, television, internet surfing, create your own category! Piper has such a way with cutting right to the heart of what God hopes for in us and what we often do instead.
Growing up in the church - I've sadly come to view fasting as a ritual that hopefully produces some kind of result - depending on what motivated the fast. Piper lays it out as a life style of CHOOSING GOD OVER HIS GIFTS!
Here's a quote from the introduction that piqued my interest enough to read to the end of the book:
"God wills to know the actual, lived-out reality of our preference for him over all things. And he wills that we has the testimony of our own authenticity through acts of actual preference of God over his gifts."

It's not about giving up meals for a day. It's about PREFERRING GOD over any thing that could possibly give us pleasure in this life!

As he so often does - he orchestrated my Bible reading so that the plan I follow had me in Ecclesiastes chapter 5 the same day I started reading this book. Verse 10 says, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless."

I'm so grateful that he chooses to pour blessings of GOOD THINGS into our lives but I never want to PREFER those good things over him. Fasting will reveal in a moment what things have a grip on my heart - I want Jesus to be revealed when my heart is tested. I hesitate to dive into fasting for fear of what else might be revealed but I feel compelled to do it - with his help!

singin' in the rain!

Ahhhh, Pennsylvania weather! My Dad would’ve said “This is great weather if you’re a duck!”. When we were kids we used to put on swim suits, run outside in the rain and wash our hair under the rain spout with Prell! I've since heard that you can set a perm with Prell shampoo - that's pretty scary!
Anyway, we've had so many rainy days in a row lately and it's been so dreary – the one way I could think of to find joy in the weather was to see what God’s Word said about rain. I found Isaiah 45:8…

"You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it."

If it’s God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS showering down on my life then let it pour. In fact – I’d like to just sit still – face up – mouth open – in that kind of rain (and maybe in the real, wet stuff too – but on a warmer day!)

Thank you, Lord, for the sunshine today – it’s so beautiful out there! Thanks, too, that we don’t have to wait for a rainy day to let You rain down Your RIGHTEOUSNESS! Would you SPRING UP SALVATION in the lives and families I cross paths with and give me more of those intersections in my life!

time for change

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 21 - "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
In John 11 Martha cries to Jesus "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." and we all know what happens to her deceased brother.
Again, with his closest ones in John 14 Jesus says "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

I've heard and read these passages dozens of times over the course my 40 years and while I believed them every time because it's God's Word - I don't know that ever really believed it to be true for ME.

I can identify a time in my life when I let skepticism win out - bothered by people in my life years ago who entered into what seemed to me a dangerous game called "Name it and Claim it" - bothered because I can't imagine it doesn't seem rude to God when we try direct our lives and those of the people around us according to our own wishes - we do that often enough with out realizing it - but to speak it in words that seem to take the form of commanding God?? I just couldn't stomach it for very long and I left all forms of it pretty far behind me a long time ago.

A few weeks ago, at a women's retreat, my friend Sherilyn made the comment that her son always amazed her because from the time he was little he always prayed in a way that made it evident - he expected God to come through. I had a feeling of both sadness and YUCK that I had forgotten that we are supposed to pray expectantly and a feeling of excitement to revive that part of my prayer life. All of this unfolded as my brother-in-law was in a life-threatening medical condition in the hospital. Things were really bad. I confided in my friend Kim that God had spoken to me about praying expectantly and shared that I wanted to start applying that to my prayers for Randy. The Lord has chosen to blow me away as we've watched miraculous recovery. No more respirator, no more kidney failure, he's awake and alert moving towards health after some very dire reports from doctors.

Answered prayer is an amazing feeling! I mean - prayers bigger than for a convenient parking spot!! This is huge. My faith is bolstered. I know that, ultimately, answered prayer is about bringing glory to the Father - at the same time the process changes me! It's about time for change!
"Oh the Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy!" - Psalm 126:3

fashion statement

In a devotional book a good friend gave me for my birthday last year Max Lucado writes about how God's Word refers to us WEARING our character. He speaks of how God clothes us in Righteousness or Peace or other things that help make up who we are.
o The Proverbs 31 woman is "clothed with strength and dignity"
o Isaiah 61 says "For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness"
o In Luke, Jesus speaks of being "clothed with power from on high"
o Paul says in Galatians 3 that if we are baptized in Christ then we have clothed ourselves with Christ!
o Ezekiel speaks of people being clothed in gloom or terror or despair (I'd sure like to avoid that dressing room!)

All this brought to mind the old hymn "The Solid Rock". The last verse of which says "Dressed in His righteousness alone,Faultless to stand before the throne."
I'm not sure it's possible for us - as humans - to imagine what it would be like to stand FAULTLESS? But - HOLY COW - do I ever want HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS to be my greatest fashion statement!

like one being taught

I read this today from Isaiah 50 - verse 4:
"The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught."
I want to be that person. The one whose tongue is instructed by the Sovereign LORD! Speaking words that encourage the tired and worn out. To be awakened by HIM both literally and figuratively - everyday.
What does it really mean to listen like one being taught? I always did really well in school from elementary all the way (mostly) through college - without a whole lot of effort. But over the years since formal schooling has ended for me I've discovered that I'm a memorizer. I memorize lists, details, facts, descriptions, music, numbers, whatever - to a large degree only until I pass the test (whatever form that may come in). I have a weird memory. I remember the silliest, most inconsequential details from decades ago - REALLY. But I'm not sure I'm a very good LEARNER.
Lord, show me what it means to listen like one who is being taught. I want to LEARN!

grace and generosity

Isaiah 30:18 says, "Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"
It amazes me to think that God isn't just (as I'm often tempted to view him)a gracious God who would be "okay" with granting me grace if I really deserve it (LIKE I COULD DESERVE IT!) but he LOOOONGS to be gracious to me... to us. He moves just to shed compassion in my direction. That's AMAZING. I want to live a grace-giving life! I want to have a heart that responds FIRST with grace towards others.
Dan taught about generosity on Sunday. Not just giving money as a means of generosity but living generous lives - being generous with my time, my stuff, my heart. One of his line items was "Generosity gives the first and the best." That thought prompted me to write down the following: "Do I live to give God and others my first and best or does my first and best go to please ME?" I need to keep rolling that around in my head and heart. I'm far too quick to please ME and think later about what I COULD'VE done with my time, my money, etc.
It makes sense to me that grace and generosity go hand in hand. If I don't have a generous heart I will find it difficult to offer grace.
Jesus, teach me to live a generous life as one who is quick to give of myself and my stuff and even more quick to extend grace in every situation.
More of you and less of me!

my own plans

I've been chewing on Proverbs 21:30 today:
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the LORD."

I'm pretty sure I find it much easier to make my own plans and hope that I'm doing the right thing. Praying that God will bring it to a halt if I'm veering down a path that's not quite what He has in mind.

That lead me back to Proverbs 16:9 which says:
"In his heart a man (or woman) plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."

Jesus, teach me to wait on you FIRST. To ask you FIRST. To listen to you FIRST. Give me a passion to please you that is so much stronger than my self-absorbed desires to please ME! Thank you that you determine my steps. May I be certain that my plans are carved by YOU - not me - before I move forward.

i will delight

I was reading Isaiah 11 this morning and read these verses (vv.2&3)
"The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD."
I'm not so great at figuring out the layers of meaning in O.T. prophesy but I'm pretty certain the "him" mentioned here refers to the then awaited Messiah, Jesus. I always want to keep at the top of my list the goal to be more like Jesus and I am strongly convicted of how much I fail to pursue growing in the FEAR OF THE LORD. Out of all the things this passage says the Spirit will infuse... wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge... THE FEAR OF THE LORD is the one thing that is followed by the words "... and He will DELIGHT in the fear of the Lord"!

Sadly this is a continual challenge for me. My heart so desires to live in a state where the Father's opinion of who I am; what I'm doing, saying, etc. is the first thing on my mind - my greatest motivator. Oh, that His perspective on my daily choices would be the single, most important thing that either makes my heart skip a beat when He is pleased with me or weighs heavy on my heart until I am motivated to make different choices.

In his book, "The Dangerous Duty of Delight", John Piper does such a great job of talking about what it means to DELIGHT in the Lord. He discusses the gap between, or rather the combination of, Duty and Delight when it comes to living like someone who believes they are ever being pursued by God.

All I know for sure is that I want my heart to expand EVERY DAY so that more and more I can say
I delight in the fear of the Lord!

love the overlooked

I was reading an excerpt from a Max Lucado book today and he referenced Matthew 25:40. I've heard it and/or read it hundreds of times since I was kid - at least in KJV or NIV. "...whatever you did for one of the least of these...". Lucado quoted The Message version which reads this way "...whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me."
I'm not sure why it made a huge difference for me to see the words "overlooked or ignored" but it really grabbed my heart like never before.
I am privileged, for reasons I'll never understand, to be the person to whom students are drawn who sometimes have a hard time fitting in with the typical high school crowd. I love them like crazy but sometimes I don't count their wanting my attention as a blessing. Sometimes I let my impatience, my pride or simply my desire for all the other things I could be doing with my time override my compassion.
When I read these words from The Message and thought of some specific students and, in general, all of the people out there who feel overlooked or ignored it made my heart ache!
I was prompted to make a couple of little cards (one for my car, one for my office) that read "Love the Overlooked". I know it takes far more than a cute sign to change my dumb flesh - it takes a move of God's spirit in me and I am challenged to spend time every day praying and thinking about how I can bless the overlooked ones that cross my path.
I pray that Jesus will stir my heart to remember these words - His words - the next time I feel like my time is "too valuable" for someone who might otherwise be ignored or overlooked!
Matthew 25:40 (MSG)
"...whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me."

a forever Hallelujah!

It's April 1st and 68.4 degrees Fahrenheit in State College today - I wore my Crocs without even any socks!!! I've been enjoying creation today - watching really FAT robins that I'm sure are ready to fill some nests with eggs and seeing the bright yellow of the ready-to-burst weeping willow trees out here at Harvest Fields. I was reading from John Piper's blog today and read this quote (by Piper) about God and his creation.

"God means for us to be stunned and awed by his work of creation. But not for its own sake. He means for us always to look at his creation and say: If the work of his hands is so full of wisdom and power and grandeur and majesty and beauty, what must this God be like in himself!"

What must He be like in himself??
Excerpts from Psalm 111 (MSG) describe him like this:
"Hallelujah! I give thanks to GOD with everything I've got. God's works are so great, worth a lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
Splendor and beauty mark his craft; His generosity never gives out.
His miracles are his memorial— this GOD of Grace, this God of Love.
He manufactures truth and justice;
He paid the ransom for his people,
He ordered his Covenant kept forever.
He's so personal and holy, worthy of our respect.
The good life begins in the fear of GOD—
Do that and you'll know the blessing of GOD.
His Hallelujah lasts forever!"

Hallelujah!

FOREVER!

glorious mystery

Sometimes I struggle with the fact that my life, a job in ministry, doesn't afford much space to get involved in places where I get to be "a light". Places where I can grow friendships with people who are not already followers of Jesus. While I know I can't excuse myself from the Great Commission I am encouraged in regard to the way I do spend some of my time when I read Paul's words in Colossians 1:26-28 (CEV):
"For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God's people. God did this because he wanted you to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God's glory. We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ's followers will grow and become mature. "
I am so blessed to be working in a life-giving student ministry where we get to be a part of the lives of 100+ Middle and High School students - in big and small ways (depending on the student). While I continue to seek out ways to be OUTSIDE the walls of my church and IN my community - I will also continue to ANNOUNCE the message about Christ to "warn and teach" these young followers as they grow and become mature!
"... and the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God's glory"
That blows me away!
Singer/songwriter Stephen Altrogge writes:
"Oh what a glorious mystery You are
Though we only see in part
You've completely won our hearts
Oh what a glorious mystery You are"

just hope

Hope seems to be a theme in my life the past few months. I think some of it has to do with 3 months of waiting and praying and HOPING on my Mom's behalf; hoping that she would get better. In the long run – and from an eternal perspective - BOY DID SHE GET BETTER!
The Lord continues to feed this theme through some of the reading I'm doing lately. Reading from Michael Card's book "The Hidden Face of God" I was encouraged and challenged at the same time (that happens so often). He shares Paul's words from Romans 5:3&4:
"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope."
There it is - HOPE!
Card says "The chain begins with suffering... The chain ends in hope - not a solution to suffering, not a fix or a cure, not even a promise of the end of suffering, just hope."

JUST HOPE!

Paul finishes his Romans 5 paragraph in verse 5 with these amazing words:
"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

I, for one, am not disappointed!

grieving as one WHO HAS HOPE!

I Thessalonians 4:13&14 says:
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died."

My Mom passed away at the age of 86 on Friday, February 22, 2008 at 9:45am. All 4 of my sisters, 2 brothers-in-law and I were all sitting with her when she went. I don't know if I ever want to be there when someone passes away again but I wouldn't have missed this for anything. It was really a bit torturing for us to sit and watch and listen as she struggled for breath. She would draw a very labored breath and then nothing... we'd be sure she was gone and then she would give one more gasp for breath. Things went on that way for about 15 minutes until it was truly her final breath. As much as it hurt us (in our flesh) to know she was gone - there was also an incredible feeling of celebration. After 3 long months of her physical and mental health being very sketchy - 3 months of visits when she may or may not have known who we were or even known that we were there - she was finally free of her earthly body that was in such terrible condition. Free to walk, to run, to sing again.

In those final moments my oldest sister mentioned that she had just read that hearing is the last sense to leave a person in the end. With music being such a gigantic part of life that Mom passed down to all of us I felt compelled to nudge all of us to sing during those last 15 minutes. I just felt like Mom had GO with a song. As tough as it was we did our best to sing "It Is Well with My Soul" - just one verse with all the parts. As we ended the song my sister gave Mom a hug and said, "She has a tear running down her cheek." I don't know for sure if she heard us but I choose to believe she did and that in her heart she was singing with us!

God is so gracious - the moment she slipped away He pasted a photo in my mind. It's a photo of my Mom and Dad from 1944 - the year before they married. Dad has been gone 7 and 1/2 years now and Mom has often talked of wanting nothing more than to go and be with the Lord and with Dad. In this photo they are both laughing so hard, Mom is bent over, slapping her knees and Dad just looks like he has a good "belly-laugh" going. In the minutes after Mom died this photo went through my mind along with the strong notion that THIS IS WHAT MOM AND DAD ARE DOING RIGHT NOW!!!

Along with the photo - the lyrics to the Mark Harris song "Wish You Were Here" also stuck in my mind:
"To run with the angels on streets made of gold;
and listen to stories of saints new and old;
To worship our Maker - that's where I'll be
When you finally find me...
I wish you were here!"

1 Thessalonians 4 ends with these words (vv. 15-18):
"We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words."

There are still many tears - but I am ENCOURAGED and I grieve as ONE WHO HAS HOPE!

we might have hope...

Pastor Dan taught from Nehemiah chapter 8 this weekend. The Israelites told Ezra to "bring out the Book".

When the Book was read - revival began.

Sometimes I get to hear the sermon multiple times in a weekend and over the course of hearing it twice this weekend I discovered a new hunger for God's WORD. Not just to READ it (I really do - do that... I said "do-do"!). I need to MEDITATE on it; to CONSULT it. It sounds dumb but I'm not sure I've ever slowed down enough to give these "actions" the attention I NEED to give them.
My action points are to simply take time to be intentional about meditating on a scripture passage, letting it soak in, waiting for God to show me how to apply it in my life and praying for daily insight from His Word; as well as forming the habit of searching scripture when I need to make a decision. I don't suppose I will do that when trying to decide things like which parking spot to take or which brand of sour cream to buy (He did give us common sense after all!). But it's pretty evident to me right now that as I pray and dream about things like buying a house and maybe even adopting some day I can't say that I have intentionally sought out answers in God's Word. Duh! What is my problem?? (don't answer that!)

Dan's main points about the BOOK kind of washed over me like a blanket of peace. They are:
Psalm 107:19-20 - His Word brings HEALING
Romans 15:4 - His Word brings HOPE
Psalm 119:105-107 - His Word brings RENEWAL/REVIVAL

Romans 15:4 was what God selected for my TAKE HOME this week:
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

it's all rubbish

I've been bombarded with scripture the past 48 hours that speak to how fleeting our moments and circumstances here on this earth are. While I know many of the circumstances and especially the people in my life deserve my attention, my time, my concern and sometimes lots of effort - they are not what counts most in the end. What counts most is HIS GLORY.
The tough stuff is still tough but hope grows when I remember that His Kingdom is so much bigger than today's troubles.
Romans 8:18 has been floating around in my brain since someone shared it Wednesday night. It says:

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

Today - Pastor Dan's "Calvary Update" started off with a passage that offers similar encouragement. He shared:

"In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul writes,
'Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day, for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.' "

I am hopeful! Filled with hope! Fixing my eyes!
Learning to trust Him more!

But the Word of our God stands forever!

I was reading Luke 12:22-34 this morning and the Lord brought to mind how much I allow worry to have a grip on my heart. I love Jesus' statement that we can't add an hour to our day by worrying so why worry about any of it. I can almost hear him saying like this "Can any of you add one hour to your day by worrying? Duuuuh!" (Hmmmm, wouldn't the Bible read differently if Jesus had walked the earth during the 80's!!).
Reading His words in Luke reminded me of a pastor I heard during my college years. He would send us out every Sunday with these words from Isaiah 40:8
"The grass withers and the flowers fade but the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah says in verse 7 "surely the people are grass". It seems like it should be so easy to get my head and heart around it. If I am the grass - everything about my life will wither and fade. His word is the only thing with enough value to stand forever. His truth is the only thing really worth the time and energy my brain spends each day. His word is what I can TRUST.
I want his word to be my main focus, my sustenance, my place of refuge, my source of hope and joy. If I can just get my eyes off of the things that will all burn anyway and dig deeper into his word...
"The grass withers and the flowers fade but the WORD OF OUR GOD STANDS FOREVER."!

My Heart's Drought

As much as I'd like to say I love poetry I honestly don't have a lot of time to read it and I don't really have much exposure to it to know whether or not I love it. But, I happened to randomly read a sonnet by Dante Gabriel Rossetti entitled "Willowood" and a line from it caught my heart. While I'm fairly certain Rossetti was not writing his sonnet to or about God - HE is exactly where my thoughts went as I read this line in particular. It reads:

"He swept the spring that watered my heart's drouth (translated drought)."

I think those words are beautiful and it reminded me that even in difficult times - or in times when life is great but my spirit is dry - HE stirs the spring that water's my heart!

That all connected in my mind to some lyrics I love - verse 3 of the old hymn "Rock of Ages" - it says:

Nothing in my hands I bring
Simply to Thy cross I cling
Naked come to Thee for dress
Helpless, look to Thee for grace
To Thy fountain, Lord, I fly
Wash me Savior or I die

Sometimes I forget to FLY there!
Proverbs 14:27 "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death."

Lord, keep me mindful of my desperate heart and your incredible grace!

Correction!

So, as I continue reading the book of 2 Chronicles I realized my sad mistake in what I wrote yesterday and I felt the need to correct it - just in case anyone has wandered onto this blog?? Asa was the king of JUDAH and in fact it was the king of Israel that he was seeking protection from!
I've got to pay closer attention to the details - those are some pretty big details to mix up!

Today I was reading some chapters in the book of 2 Chronicle about king Asa. Compared to many he seemed to really be trying to do all that would please God. Things were going great. Then one day he decided to bribe the king of Aram to support him against an enemy so that Israel would be safe from that enemy. Because of this choice God spoke to him through a "seer" and said:
"Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand... when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."

Asa's response:

"Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people."

I started thinking about the times that I choose to rely on other people, my own strength, etc. instead of God's wisdom and power. Is my heart FULLY committed or is my heart IN when it's convenient? Do I really walk through life's circumstances, big or seemingly insignificant, waiting on God's heart and walking his path in every situation? Sadly I'm pretty sure I tend to do my own thing until something happens to draw my attention back to Him.

Lord Jesus, help me take you in and project you out in every circumstance of my days - like our bodies breathe air in and out without us stopping to think through the physical steps of the process - let my spirit breathe YOU in for my own good and out for YOUR GLORY.

My heart will choose

As I work my way through the book of Luke I'm so grateful for how fresh God's Word is. No matter how many times I read a passage some new challenge or new encouragement jumps out at me. Today it was in Luke 10:17-20
"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."

He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

I was reminded of how often my prayer time consists of only prayer for circumstances or situations or material stuff - while I may not often be asking demons to submit to me in the name of Jesus - I can easily base how much REJOICING I do on how those prayers are answered. If my circumstances don't change for the better or a situation seems to get worse am I still so satisfied in WHO GOD IS that I will rejoice anyway – live a life of rejoicing purely because my name is written in heaven?

I want my heart to choose that kind of living every day.

You give and take away. My heart will choose to say "Lord, Blessed be Your name!" –Matt Redman

Never too cold to plow

3 times in 3 days the Lord drew my attention to Luke 9:62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." First, in a sermon given by Vic King at church on Saturday night. Second, in the same sermon at church on Sunday morning. Finally in Bible reading designated in my thru the Bible a year deal for Monday morning. Each time I read it I had very different reactions to it. I continue to be amazed at God's GIGANTIC-NESS! He can use one verse to speak 3 different things to me in 3 days and offer how many other applications/inspirations from that same verse to billions of other Jesus Followers all over the planet!!!
Here's what Luke 9:62 had me chewing on:
1. When Vic referred to this verse he said something like - if we're trying to keep one hand on the plow and always looking back we will miss our purpose in the NOW. We'll feel like we're sitting on the fence - half in and half out of where life is taking us NOW.
2. The second time I heard the same sermon Vic said basically the same things but the Lord prompted my heart to thinks about some very specific circumstances in my past that I have found it hard to let go of over the years. He gave me a picture of how I sabotage my own steps today by holding onto grudges or disappointments from my past.
3. I read this verse in my own quiet time on Monday morning - kind of amazing but NOT coincidental! The Lord knew I needed to see it again. That day I visited my mom who - whether it's been officially diagnosed or not - has days that look a lot like those of a stroke patient. After a couple of good visits with her that gave me hope for her improvement Monday's visit was a bit of a shocker to me. She was very lethargic and confused - the way she had been weeks ago when things were at their worst. Our brief moments of conversation were made up of her saying things that made no sense and my trying to "play along". I left her that day with an achy heart and a lot of tears as I made the 2 hour drive home. Memories of good times with mom and with my family back home kept running through my head and even though they were sweet memories they fed the tears, the ache in my heart and the lump in my throat. While I don't believe Jesus is saying - don't celebrate the sweet memories of your childhood, the message of Luke 9:62 kept coming to mind. I think I was supposed to learn that even sweet memories, if they feed a heavy heart, may need to be tucked away for a time so that I can keep my hand on the plow and keep moving forward in whatever life I'm supposed live TODAY!
It's a fine line for me - one that I'm not very good at walking. The line between remembering the good things; kissing good-bye to the junk and not letting Satan wreak havoc with any of it!
Jesus, Help!

American Idols

I was reading Psalm 135 yesterday. Verses 15-18 say:

“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them and so will all who trust in them.”

Visions of statues, golden calves and such filled my head and even as I imagine those literal idols from the days of King David my mind is quickly led to the idols that so easily steal my own heart right here in the year 2008. Whether it’s wanting others to think well of me (fear of man) or wanting STUFF – if I want it so much that it’s a distraction from the things of God it is TRULY and idol.

“…Those who make them (idols) will be like them (BLIND, DEAF and MUTE) and so will ALL those who trust in them.” (v.18).

Jesus, help me to not just identify the idols in my heart but give me the courage and the strength to battle against them. I don’t want to have blind eyes or deaf ears to your Word, your Truth, your heart!

Vs. 13 of the same Psalm “Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your fame, O LORD, through all generations.”

– You are steadfast and I am GRATEFUL!

My very first post ever!

After thinking about it for a few months I've decided to take the plunge and start a blog. Not that I plan to go around giving out the address or have great expectations for people to read it.
For a couple of reasons I had set aside journaling (something I had really loved) for quite some time and blogging seemed like a great 21st century way to get back to it.
My hope is that this will be a place to post the things that God is doing, speaking, revealing in my life - the things HE causes to overflow from my heart.
Paul writes in Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
I pray this spot will be a place where His hope BRIMS out of my heart - whatever life places I may be learning to trust him in - He is my hope!