Live...from Nineveh

Burning Bushes

2013-05-19T16:24:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what God wants you to do with your life? I have. I can actually say without too much exaggeration that it causes me stress sometimes, trying to figure out His will for me. That question has lead me to the Experiencing God Bible study by Henry Blackaby. And, while I can't say for certain that I know what the answer to that question is for me personally, I am understanding what the answers are for all of us in general.

One thing I am learning is that if God wants you to know something, He will make sure you know it. I worry sometimes that I will miss the big announcement. It made me start thinking about the burning bush and Moses.

In my imagination, I have always pictured the bush about the same size as a tumbleweed. Of course, I've never seen a tumbleweed either, but I've decided it's not any taller than my knees. A stompable, lean-over-and-blow-it-out kind of burning bush.

Lately though, I've been thinking it was probably a little grander than that. Not that a burning-but-not-actually-on-fire bush wouldn't catch my eye, but still. From what I've read in the Scriptures, God doesn't generally work in understatements.

I'm going to rest in the knowledge that when I avail myself to God and watch to see where He is at work, He will reveal Himself to me and invite me to be where He is. So less stressing, less manipulating, and more trust.

Jesus says "Come, follow Me" because He knows where the path is. I just need to stay close.

Mom Time Thoughts

2013-05-15T07:09:00.000-05:00

"The Lord repays the years the locusts have eaten..." Joel 2:25

When I reflect back on the last eight years, I can see the promise of this scripture bearing fruit. Yesterday marked the last day of my official involvement with Mom Time, a ministry that seeks to connect women in the same season of life and provides biblical teaching to guide them in their parenting and marriages.

I initially came to Mom Time as the parent of an almost two year looking for friends. Both of us. I loved the funny stories the teacher told us about her family, and tuned out the Bible parts. But when she started talking about our relationships with our husbands and the need to respect them as leaders, something shifted inside. I realized I was more interested in controlling my husband and being in charge myself than in encouraging him to be the leader in our home. That was the first time I realized God might have something to say about my marriage and parenting.

I left Mom Time for a year and went to lead Bible studies for a season, but came back to Mom Time the following year as a member of the leadership team. The rest, as they say, is history.

While I am excited to move on in new directions, the past year has been a time of reflection for me as I prepared a new team to take over. I realized that you have to focus on the people you are serving.

Ministry is not about programs, it is about transforming the lives of the people who utilize that ministry. Seeing hearts change, eyes open, and relationships strengthen all speaks to the glory of God. He is the difference in all these situation.

I have loved the opportunity to speak into the lives of these moms, wherever they are in their journey, and encourage them to take the next step in faith.

But most of all, I am humbled by the fact that God chose to use someone like me, someone who actively went after other women's husbands in my past, to help strengthen families. I feel a little like Paul, who made a career out of targeting Christians only to be used to spread the gospel of Christ to many lands.

Only God could use someone so broken and misguided, someone so clueless as to what it means to be a godly woman, and transform her for service in the very arena she caused so much harm. So, it is with a very humble heart that I say all glory to God for the privilege of serving in this capacity. He has given me more than I could ever ask or imagine.

He will repay the years the locusts have eaten, even when we are the locust.

Higher Still

2013-05-06T23:00:00.003-05:00

I was trolling on my blog, reading old posts when I came across this one from May of 2009. The words still apply:

Higher

Justin, being pushed on the swings: HIGHER!
Me: I will push you higher, but I need to make sure you are going straight first.
God: Same goes for you, girlie!

How many times have I asked God for more than He knows I can handle? How often do I want to get to the destination without going taking the journey to get there?

"Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones." Luke 16:10 NLT

Looking for a Harvest?

2013-05-03T07:11:00.001-05:00

"Without oxen a stable stays clean,

but you need a strong ox for a large harvest. (Proverbs 14:4)"

This is one of those verses that would be easy for me to skip over in my reading. As far as I know, I have no need for an ox.

But the words followed me around all day yesterday, challenging me about my desire to have a clean stable. Translation: a simple life.

We strive to keep our lives balanced, safe, and happy. No room for a mess or an interruption. But if I want my life orderly, this verse tells me, I might miss out on the harvest. Not just any harvest, but a large one.

I want that.

This verse tells me that if I want to make a difference in the world, I'm going to need to worry less about living tidy, and be willing to get a little messy. It means saying "yes" when it isn't convenient. It means going to places out of my comfort zone. And it means working harder than I always feel like.

If your goal is to get through this life with as little discomfort and inconvenience as possible, keep the ox out of your living room. But if you want to see a large harvest in the Kingdom of God, you better stock up on the hay. And grab a pitchfork....it's gonna get messy.

Prayer 101

2013-05-02T07:07:00.001-05:00

If you find prayer intimidating, read on. We talked about this in Mom Time the other day. Here is the blog we posted on that topic. Take a listen to the song by Sanctus Real when you're done reading. It spoke to my heart, and you may find it speaks to yours as well.

Praying For Our Children, and Ourselves

Prayer is one of those things that we know we are supposed to do. Like exercise, or eating enough vegetables. For some of us, just hearing the word prayer brings up feelings of guilt, boredom, or, dare I say it outloud, futility.

Sometimes I think that if God already has all my days planned out, why bother to pray? It's not like I'm going to change His mind about something.

However, the purpose of prayer is not to influence God, but to change the nature of the one who prays. Praying brings us into communion and relationship with God, and He will align our hearts with His as we let Him into the conversation, which prayer is.

Prayer is nothing more, and nothing less, than communicating with our Creator. No special degree is required. Jesus died so that we could approach the throne of grace with confidence, whatever is going on in our lives. You don't have to wait until you feel like you are having an especially holy day to come to God in prayer.

When it comes to praying for our kids, don't be afraid to pray big, hairy, audacious prayers on their behalf. Ask God to move in a big way in their lives and let Him show off.

Many verses in the Bible can be turned into prayers. And remember to think like a farmer when it comes to praying for your kids. Many prayers will take time to bear fruit, but God is always at work on our behalf.

To get you started, Romans 12:9-21 is a great section to break up into prayers for your kids. Proverbs 9:10 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Pray that for your children.

Use a prayer calendar, with a different verse for each day. Here is a link to many resources regarding intentional motherhood.

Trace their hand and write a verse for the whole year on it. Post it where you will see it.

Get your kids started on their own faith journey of prayer. Write the names of friends and loved ones on popsicle sticks and practice praying for one stick each day.

Bottom line: don't be intimidated or defeated before you even get started. Invite God to come closer to your family through prayer, and be prepared to have Him knock your socks off.

Resources:
Upside Down Prayers
Pray Big for Your Child
www.inspiredtoaction.com

Heart Weights

2013-04-30T21:40:00.002-05:00

This poem has been on my mind today...

I Stay Near the Door by Sam Shoemaker

I stay near the door.
I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out,
The door is the most important door in the world–
It is the door through which men walk when they find God.
There’s no use my going way inside, and staying there,
When so many are still outside, and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where a door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind men,
With outstretched, groping hands,
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it - - -
So I stay near the door.

The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for men to find that door–the door to God.
The most important thing any man can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands,
And put it on the latch–the latch that only clicks
And opens to the man’s own touch.
Men die outside that door, as starving beggars die
On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter–
Die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live, on the other side of it–because they have found it.
Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,
And open it, and walk in, and find Him - - -
So I stay near the door.

Go in, great saints, go all the way in–
Go way down into the cavernous cellars,
And way up into the spacious attics–
It is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is.
Go into the deepest of hidden casements,
Of withdrawal, of silence, or sainthood.
Some must inhabit those inner rooms,
And know the depths and heights of God,
And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.
Sometimes I take a deeper look in,
Sometimes venture a little farther;
But my place seems closer to the opening - - -
So I stay near the door.

There is another reason why I stay there.
Some people get part way in and become afraid
Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them;
For God is so very great, and asks all of us.
And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia.
And want to get out. Let me out! they cry.
And the people way inside only terrify them more.
Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled
For the old life, they have seen too much;
Once taste God, and nothing but God will do any more.
Somebody must be watching for the frightened
Who seek to sneak out just where they came in,
To tell them how much better it is inside.
The people too far in do not see how near these are
To leaving–preoccupied with the wonder of it all.
Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door,
But would like to run away. So for them too,
I stay near the door.

I admire the people who go way in.
But I wish they would not forget how it was
Before they got in. Then they would be able to help
The people who have not yet even found the door,
Or the people who want to run away again from God.
You can go in too deeply, and stay too long,
And forget the people outside the door.
As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,
Near enough to God to hear Him, and know He is there,
But not so far from men as not to hear them,
And remember they are there, too.
Where? Outside the door–
Thousands of them, millions of them.
But–more important for me–
One of them, two of them, ten of them,
Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.
For those I shall stay by the door and wait
For those who seek it.
I had rather be a door-keeper . . .
So I stay near the door.

Lord, don't ever let me get so comfortable on the inside that I forget what it felt like to be on the outside. Amen.

Architecture for Dummies

2013-04-21T16:14:00.000-05:00

So.

A solitary word can say volumes.

So. I slept on the couch last night after a conversation left me feeling like the bed wasn't big enough. I'm not saying I thought I was right. I'm just saying I wasn't in the mood to listen to the breathing of anyone but myself.

I woke up before the coffee pot started, before 5:00 a.m., and started praying.

"Lord, show me who is right in this."

The answer came softly yet clearly: It doesn't matter.

With those three little words, I knew I had not handled the situation well. But my feelings were still hurt and I wasn't getting the impression that I was wrong, just not going about things the right way.

"Lord, speak to me through Your word. Give me guidance."

Not that I had much confidence in receiving any real, concrete answers. I'm reading my Chronological Bible and am in the part about King Solomon building the temple.

I stand corrected, humbled, and amazed at the Lord's ability to communicate without a stutter.
Psalm 127 was included in my reading for today. The first verse is all it took.

Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.

For all my good-intention preaching and soul sharing, God needs to be the One to build the house. No heart change will come without the Lord's orchestration. I don't need to puff about with how I'm feeling all the time, and chances are, I'm like a wrecking ball on a construction site.

Today, just for fun, (OK, my idea of fun) we took the Five Love Languages quiz and the Language of Apology quiz. Guess what? Our results were almost polar opposite. It was good to see it in writing. We are not the same, so neither one of us should use our own measuring stick to determine what is right. Especially when there really aren't any right answers anyway, just preference.

When you are in it for the long haul, adjustments need to be made. And as the relationship gets stronger, the adjustments won't matter so much. I saw this picture on the Proverbs 31 FB page and it seemed to sum up everything nicely:

Time To GO!

2013-04-07T15:15:00.001-05:00

Remember back at the beginning of the year when the word GO! chose me and I wasn't sure where I was going? I wondered if it would be a mission trip or something, but I had a feeling it had something to do with writing.

Well, last weekend I signed with CrossBooks to self-publish my novel He Knows Your Name. It is the first book in a series called Hope Speaks. I still need to write the next two. But I will.

The idea of self-publishing had been rolling around in my head for awhile but I was looking for the least financially impacting (read: cheapest) way to do it. When I was talking on the phone with the man from Cross Books, he mentioned that you can barely take a mission trip with a church for what it costs to self-publish a book.

Bam!

That was it. This is my GO! This money that it will cost me to do this well is my mission trip, and though I will never board a plane, my words will carry the Name of Jesus to every corner of the world. The time and money I'm spending are an investment in the Kingdom.

The whole decision making process took a little while, but the encouraging words of a friend, the book Undaunted by Christine Caine, and a verse from the Bible (1 Chron. 16:24 ) helped me make this leap of faith.

I pray that if you have something big on your heart, a dream that won't go away, that the Lord send you the encouragement you need to jump in with both feet.

Let me know, ok?

Making Time for the Not-So-Urgent Stuff

2013-03-27T13:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's been awhile since I've written again. I don't know how the people who post all the time do it. Between work, kids, volunteer stuff...I know I'm preaching to the choir of busy people here, but to make myself sit down and write for the sake of sitting down and writing seems pretentious...like there are people checking their in-boxes looking for my deep thought.

Know what I mean?

I've written the last few times about moving out of the emptiness and that's what I've been up to. Listening everyday for God. Experiencing Him where He is at work. Holding my schedule loosely to make room for things that come up at the last minute, or even during an already scheduled minute.

Sometimes in the quest to become more intimate with the Lord, we mistakenly shut out the world. I don't think it's supposed to be like that. So, instead of writing, I've been having coffee with friends and getting to know new ones. I had lunch with a friend with no meeting agenda sitting between us. Weird, huh?

I realized I haven't seen my sister since Thanksgiving, and she lives 30 minutes away. Today we made time for breakfast together, with my mom and one of my daughters. We need to be intentional about making time for the people we care about, because the time will slip away while we are busy being, well, busy.

I got tired of trying to have deep meaningful conversations between church services or on the playground at pick up time and decided that if God has a plan for me, He will move it forward even if I stop for coffee with a friend in the middle of a planned writing day.

Not that I'm not writing. I am shining up the manuscript for an editor and taking steps into self-publishing in an e-book format. Baby steps.

We will have a big ole' cyber party when I release it and I will probably be begging anyone and everyone to read it and write glowing reviews. I see this book being part one of a three part series, so I'm sure the neurotic outbursts and fears of failure will continue for years to come.

So, how about you? Are you taking your life and your various quests in the Name of Jesus too seriously? Not that what you are up to isn't important, but I know I don't want to get to the finish line with just a completed to-do list to keep me company. I want, no...need community, but I think I was the last one to realize it.

If you are like me and more task-focused than people-focused, it is easy to not interact. Easy, but not particularly healthy. Next thing you know, you have a free morning and no one to grab coffee with because you've made yourself too busy to ask. I'm trying to be intentional about interacting. Less email. Less facebook. More face. More phone. Slow down a bit.

God will keep the world spinning while you chat with your friends for a bit over coffee.

Weary

2013-03-19T20:56:00.000-05:00

I followed a truck for a few miles today with an "OVER SIZE LOAD" sign across the back. I felt like I was looking in a mirror. Without going in to a lot of personal detail...yes, I realize this is out of character...this is exactly how I felt. Weighed down beyond my ability to handle things.

And actually, this is not a bad place to be.

I started doing the Experiencing God Bible study by Henry Blackaby and yesterday's study posed the question: What is going on in your personal life that you can't handle without God?

I couldn't think of anything specific. Yeah, I mean, there's stuff, but I feel like I have a pretty good handle on it.

Then more stuff gets piled on. Before I know it, I'm totally relating to the backside of a truck.

In that moment, I prayed that God remind me I am not carrying the load by myself. As a matter of fact, He invites me to bring it to Him (Matthew 11:28), and I do. I pray that whatever the day holds, I handle it in a way that honors and glorifies Him, in a way that shows that He makes a difference.

I had a chance to spend some time in Psalms, resting in His sovereignty. He will handle and redeem all things, not always in a way we would hope in our earthly perspective, but in a way that matters for eterntiy.

I listened to my favorite David Crowder song, All I Can Say, and reminded myself that wherever I'm standing, I'm not there alone.

I am not beaten down without hope, just weary. And weary is my cue that I've been carrying the oversized load myself.

If this post is like looking in a mirror for you, take heart, my friend. The invitation stands for you too.

When you are ready, check out this song and let the words wash over you.

It's Not Just a Ham

2013-03-10T08:26:00.002-05:00

Today I will throw away a ham, and it sickens me. It fills me with shame to see the amount of food we waste at my house. Lately, cleaning out my refrigerator has become a spiritual journey.

This isn't financially driven, although I realize that we could be better stewards of our money by buying only what we need and cooking only what we will eat, but this goes deeper and I'm not sure what to do with it.

The ham is just icing on the cake. It was a good price, so I bought two, intending to do some freezer cooking with it. It was such a good price, I thought about picking up another one for a family I know, but I didn't. Probably five times I walked past the ham case and ignored the little voice that said pick one up for so and so. When it became clear that I wasn't going to cook the extra ham at my house, the little voice said bring it to so and so.

"No time, little voice." I said. "Besides, I might use it."

I checked the date on the ham yesterday, the ham that sits in our extra refrigerator next to the deep freezer so I have lots of room to store our bounty.

It expired February 22nd. And I was tempted to google just how spoiled is spoiled and see if someone still wanted it. Ugh...

This is not guilt talking. This is flat out conviction.

This is also the beginning of awareness, and it is not a bad thing if, and only if, I don't drown out the voice with "do-gooding." God is not asking me to go buy a new ham and give it away so we can be even. We can never be even with God.

Sometimes, God leads us to new territory by opening our eyes to what He sees. I don't know what this awareness will lead to, but God has a plan for it.

I read a Blueprint for Life devotion on generosity this morning that you can click here to read. The author makes some key points about what giving looks like, what we can give, and what we can't. But even typing this, I don't think my food fetish is about generosity, although that isn't a bad place to go with it.

I realize that not everyone is being tweaked in the same way I am, but I know that God is opening your eyes to something, somewhere. Don't quench the Spirit. Don't shy away from what He is trying to show you because it will lead to His purpose for you, whatever that looks like.

Now, I've got a ham to deal with before it explodes in my fridge.

Prayer: God, forgive me for not listening to You. Lord, open my eyes to what You want me to see. Break my heart in a new way, but please God, don't leave me there. Free me to be a person who glorifies You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

New thought to ponder...I always preview my post before I hit publish, and as I was reading, God whispered "grace" to me. Maybe this has to do with not understanding the grace that God wants to pour into my life. I am squandering it, wasting it. I'm not going to fret about understanding it though, because I know that God is wanting me to get it a million times more than I want to get it, and He will make the way.

He's Got This, Babe

2013-03-08T06:11:00.000-06:00

Sometimes God gives us an opportunity to be a blessing to others in ways we didn't seek or even see coming. He gives us a new place to stand and glorify Him. I wrote a devotional for the Encouragement Cafe on that topic that you can read here.

If you were at the Women's Retreat or are my Facebook friend, you can see that I was given an opportunity to bless God and the women of my church that took me way out of my comfort zone.

I Got You, Babe!

A friend and I agreed to sing Sonny and Cher's I Got You, Babe for the 70's style variety show we did on Saturday night. My church's retreat team does an amazing job of balancing solid material and worhsip time with a chance to cut loose and enjoy some belly laughs with your friends. Laughter is so healing and refreshing, but it's isn't the way I am normally used of God.

I almost missed the bigger picture of serving HIm through this as I fretted all weekend about forgetting my lines and messing things up. Then, when I put that moustache on (which I'm usually working to keep off...) my inner Sonny showed up and took over. My friend "Cher" and I prayed that God would just steal the show and use us to bring refreshment and laughter to the women, and that He would be glorified in the process.

This is not my usual arena of service, but once I got over myself and let God work through me, it really was a blast. It's new territory, and not something I will probably get to do again, but it opened my eyes again to the fact that when I ask God to use me, He will. Just not always in the uniform I am expecting. He's got this, babe.

Moving Forward

2013-02-27T10:57:00.001-06:00

My year of GO! has sputtered. I read an analogy the other day about filling a car with water instead of gasoline. It still looks the same sitting there in the driveway, but when you need to put the pedal to the metal, you aren't going to get anywhere.

GO! required more than a washed and waxed vehicle. On the outside, I looked plenty shiny. Good hair (I promise not to go on about that again), the right things on my calendar, the right friends, the right things to say...everything looked just right. But inside, I could feel something dying.

The fire I felt at the beginning of the year, only two months ago, was just a pile of slightly warm embers.

I'm not calling anything warfare, but I can see, almost at the exact day and time, when I took my eyes off God, which is ironic to me, considering that my first memory verse of the year was 1 Peter 1:13 "Therefore, prepare your minds for action. DISCIPLINE yourselves, Set all your hope on the grace that Christ will bring when He is revealed."

I got lax in my discipline, and like an addict, slowly drifted back to the things that used to capture my attention. Proverbs puts it pretty bluntly...like a dog to its vomit. Gross, and accurate.

I also got excited about the arena I think God might be leading me to, and started working on things of that vein, thinking any outcome is up to my abilities instead of God. When I decided, for the millionth time, that I have no business thinking I can write anything anyone would want to read, I stopped. "Oh Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."

Yesterday I stood in front a bookcase, looking for anything that might stir up a little passion. Looking for the missing mojo. Nada.

Last night I was rummaging on my desk and found a copy of Beth Moore's Discovering God's Purpose for Your Life. I set it back down because I'd bought it intending to give it away. This sort of reading is way below my status as a mature rock star Christian. I turned off the light and headed back upstairs, but my feet walked back down the stairs and somehow my hand grabbed the book.

She works out of the Amplified Version of the Bible, Philippians 3:10 specifically: "My determinded purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person."

I was hooked from the first chapter.

We're so busy manipulating and controlling things that we haven't experienced a fresh work of God in our own lives in some time.
When we accept the fact that God is determined about us, and we add to it our determination about Him, there will be no stopping us from fulfilling the absolutely God-ordained destiny He has for us.
There is an emptiness in our lives even if we are in Christ if we have not discovered that we have purpose in Him. And how great that emptiness if we have not figured out what on earth His purpose is for us.

Aaahh...like looking in a mirror.

I won't paraphrase the rest of the booklet for you (there's probably a law or two about that anyway), but suffice it to say that to find our purpose, to be ultimately fulfilled, we have to bury ourselves in Him. I'm seeing there is a difference between being a believer and being a surrendered believer. On the personality chart, I am plotted on the task-structured quadrant. My focus is on the task, not the relationship.

God says His focus, and therefore ours, is the relationship. It's the whole reason Christ came. No wonder I shorted out again.

This morning I woke up, eager to start my day with Him, and clicked open my favorite devo. Wouldn't you just know that the author was dissecting Philippians 3:10? Of course he was! God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, and I am in seeker mode. Again.

I'm thinking I got my next memory verse, especially since I could not get focused enough to pick one the last time around.

"My determined purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person. (Philippians 3:10)"

It's why I was created. Everything is just gravy. And we all know how much I love gravy...

This song says it all. Moving Forward, by Israel Houghton.

Diving in the Shallow End

2013-02-24T15:24:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I joke about the depths of my shallowness, but today I realized it's no joke. God used a haircut to reveal some things to me, and it ain't pretty. I mean, the haircut's ok, according to my husband and a few friends, but that doesn't really matter.

What matters is that a haircut stole my joy. I lost my mojo yesterday when I didn't communicate clearly with my hairdresser, along with three more inches than I'd planned. Since it's taken me about two years to fully grow out my last round of short-hair-itis, this kind of irks me. I don't feel pretty, and no, I'm not fishing for a compliment so don't feel obligated to tell me I look cute. I'm realizing just how shallow my identity is as a woman in Christ.

Can anyone else relate?

Yes, I know this whole mojo-stealing haircut comes across as incredibly shallow and petty, and I wonder how those who have serious issues, like breast robbing cancer and other life-altering experiences, handle things.

I took my pouty face to church this morning, looking for a spark, something to reignite the fire, and didn't find one. I came home from church and, while walking a grateful dog, God had a chat with me.

"What if I took everything that you think makes you special? What if you couldn't write? What if you were faceless and anonymous in the crowd? What if I took your titles and roles? What then? Who would you be?"

I know the right answer is "Still me, because of You." And sometimes we say the right answer because we know we're supposed to, not because we're feeling it.

I know better. I know the truth. So today, and tomorrow, and as long as it takes, I am praying that He be a consuming fire in my life. Take everything that gets in the way of remembering who I am. Forgive me my shallowness. Thank You for using a haircut to reveal what lies below the surface of my heart, hidden by a superficial facade.

If you find yourself diving in the shallow end, if circumstances are dictating how you feel about yourself, join me in praying for deep faith, hope that radiates joy to the rest of the world, and love that sets you on fire to reach the world for Him. Amen.

Love: Not Just for Valentine's Day

2013-02-15T15:56:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of the year, I asked some friends what their theme word was, and my friend Becky eloquently shared her heart. I invited her to write about it, and she sent this beautiful post. If anyone has chosen a word and feels inspired to write about it, I would be happy to post it here for you.

"Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children of God, and walk in the way of love, just as Christ Jesus loved us and gave up himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (2 Timothy 1:7)"

My sweet husband gave me a simple silver bracelet with part of this beautiful verse on it that has become my anthem for 2013: "Walk in the way of LOVE"

But, what does that look like?

What does love look like?

I'm a photographer and I think about this a lot. I get a huge thrill when I can click the shutter and freeze love in a photograph. I know it when I see it, but how do I walk it? How do I share it?

I can laugh with my oldest while he watches Sponge Bob, admire Minecraft creations made by my second-born, doctor beanie babies endlessly with my littlest, and do my best to have dinner planned and ready (most days) for my husband - without complaining or making them feel like they are interrupting my life. Those are all ways to walk in love with my family.

I can smile and say hello to strangers on the street, ask the grocery clerk how their day has been (and really listen), take a meal to a family who needs a blessing - all with a happy heart. These are ways to walk in love with the world around me.

I have discovered, however, that I will have no love to give if I have no love for myself. If I don't truly believe that I have something to offer those around me, that I am loved and worthy myself. If I feel dry and empty, then all those actions can become hollow, forced and filled with bitterness.

So I'm trying to replace the fear and anxiety that cripples love with things that grow love.

Taking pictures used to be a joy for me, until I learned too much and began to only look at them with an eye that was way too critical. I am giving myself loving permission to take one picture a day that I love, that pushes me creatively or moves me emotionally, and post them on my blog (beckythomasphotography.com) once a week.

Will you join me? What can you give yourself permission to make room for in your life, to re-energize your love tank and renew your creative juices? How will you let that spill over into the world around you?

2013-02-06T18:46:00.001-06:00

Ever feel God take you in a direction you had no intention of going?

Yeah, me neither.

Just kidding.

Check out my post on the Encouragement Cafe and see how that all worked out! Leave me a comment and tell me about your experience following God somewhere that wasn't on your itinerary.

http://www.encouragementcafe.com/2013/02/06/playground-blues/

Steal My Show

2013-02-05T14:24:00.002-06:00

I was looking out the balcony window from five stories up into the hotel courtyard. Large raccoons and man-size gorillas were eating the stray dogs and other small animals. As they ate, these monsters kept looking up at the hotel balconies, and I knew it was only a matter of time before they began climbing them in search of more food. I made eye contact with one of the gorillas, and he sneered at me as he reached the first level of balconies. I kept begging someone to call for help. "They are coming! Don't you care they are coming for me?" No one seemed concerned enough to take action, and before I knew it, the balcony door smashed in, glass spraying the room as I was overpowered by unbelievable strength.

(Insert Gilligan's Island dream sequence music here.)

All joking aside, this was my dream last night. I am, apparently, a little overwhelmed by my life right now.

You know the saying "Be careful what you wish for?" That is my reality this week. I love opportunities to share God's word with others, and I have three speaking engagements in a six day time span, all separate topics. Plus a PTO meeting in the middle of it. Plus my part-time job. Plus my family life...

I know I fall into the trap of thinking it is all up to me, and that God is just watching on the sidelines, completely removed from the situation. Nothing is further from the truth, and I got that reminder this morning.

I was listening to David Crowder's All I Can Say, a great song if you are in a bit of a funk, and reading in my Bible. I know what I'm supposed to do when I feel like this, and sometimes I actually do it...

Anyway, me and David Crowder, and God. He gave me two scriptures to hang on to.

Psalm 46:5 God is in the midst of the city and it shall not be moved.
Zechariah 2:5 For I will be a wall of fire around it (City of Jerusalem) says the LORD, and I will be the glory in it.

Again, as I have said on so many occasions, all I need to do is prepare and show up. God's got this covered. He is the show stealer, the show stopper, the lifter of my head, the words in my mouth. I think, even though I was listening to David Crowder this morning, it's time for a little Toby Mac.

Stay Out of the Shadows

2013-02-01T14:27:00.002-06:00

I'll be honest; I've been in a battle lately and in the midst of it, I forgot that Jesus has already won the battle for me. It is my job to stand securely in His victory. He stands between me and my accuser.

Having said that, I still need to do the right thing. Jesus can fight for me all day long, but if I choose to commit a particular sin, He will not stop me. He created us to make our own choices and to walk in obedience out of love for Him and not requirement.

A friend of mine used to say that God would give her all the strength she needed not to drive into the Krispy Kreme parking lot, but He wasn't going to blow it up for her.

Does that make sense?

In light of that, no pun intended, I have chosen my next Memory Verse:

"This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)"

Though the enemy taunted me from the shadows, filled me with fear and made me question my ability to stay strong, Jesus reminds me that He's got this. All I need to do is stay out of the shadows.

I can do this, with Him.

If you find yourself in a battle, can I remind you that Jesus has already won it for you? Like it says in James, resist the devil and he will flee from you. So it is written, so shall it be. Amen

We All Lead

2013-01-28T07:22:00.001-06:00

You may have heard the saying that you know you're a leader because people are following you. Sometimes those people come up to you hip and call you mom, and don't actually follow that well. You are still their leader.

I wrote this devotional for the Encouragement Cafe thinking of women in leadership positions, but as a parent, these same principles apply. As you are raising your kids to be responsible members of their own households someday, keep these thoughts in mind.

http://www.encouragementcafe.com/2013/01/28/leading-like-lucy-van-pelt-or-jesus/

I would love to hear what you are doing to grow as a leader in your circle of influence!

Hang in There?

2013-01-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

How many times have you told someone to just hang in there? We say that to those in a tough time as a means of encouragement, but can I suggest something a little more intentional?

Invite perseverance. Hanging in there speaks of trudging along and doing your best not to drown in whatever storm you're facing.

I was reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers earlier this week, and this is what he had to say about perseverance:

Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen. Perseverance means more than hanging on...perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our hero is going to be conquered...that Jesus Christ will be defeated...Then there is the call to spiritual perseverance. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated.

Let's remind each other that people with the hope of Christ do not just hang in there. We persevere, knowing that even if we face disappointment, there is the greater purpose of God at work.

Rise and Shine

2013-01-26T05:45:00.000-06:00

Hey there! It is bright and early, or at least early, Saturday morning. A steaming cup of coffee at my side should clear the cobwebs any minute now. If you stopped by from Encouragement Cafe, thanks for visiting! If you are wondering what I'm talking about, click the link to read my devotion on the One Word Revolution. It's a new take on what you may have read previously. Encouragement Cafe has devos every day with a theme for each week, along with a radio podcast by Luann Prater. You may recognize her name from Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Anyway, if you've been hanging with me for any amount of time, you know my word for this year is GO! That's why I'm up on a morning when I don't have to be...last night before I went to sleep I asked God to wake me at 4:30 so I could get to work on my book revision before the house got busy. He obliged, and after spending 20 minutes or so regretting His diligence, here I am. I can't GO! if I pull the covers over my head, tempting as that is.

Later today I am headed to the Racine Public Library. This past summer I helped to fulfill someone's dream of being a published author by doing an edit/rewrite of her book, Can I Be an Inspiration to You? I learned a lot during the process and know that it was part of God's preparation for this year's One Word.

I came across a great quote this week in a writing book, but I think it applies no matter what direction you're travelling:

"Keep working. Keep trying. Keep believing. You still might not make it, but at least you gave it your best shot. If you don't have callouses on your soul, this isn't for you. Take up knitting instead."~David Eddings

Following a dream that God placed on your heart doesn't guarantee success by the world's standards necessarily, but it does bring you into fellowship with Him. Nothing compares to that.

While I don't know what the Lord has in store for 2013, I'll be praying to recognize His voice and look for the opportunities to GO!

I pray the same for you. If you woke up breathing today, God has a plan for you. Follow Him and see where He leads.

Your Roots Are Showing...

2013-01-23T09:31:00.000-06:00

Or at least I hope they are!

We're not talking Cosmetology 101 here, though, we are having us a little dendrology lesson. Dendrology is the study of trees, which I just learned myself on Google.

I was reading a book about trees with my six-year-old and learned that one of the reasons a tree has roots is to keep it from falling over. Now, I knew about drawing nutrients and all that, but keeping the tree upright? That was new for me. My son looked at me and said, "Duh, mom. To keep it all stabled."

The biblical application of this fact"stabled" me as well. Scripture speaks of putting down roots in Christ so we can be strong in our faith. I think of roots as feeding the heart of the tree, which makes sense too. But, when the storms come and the winds blow, it is the roots that keep the tree from falling over.

When the storms come and the winds blow in our lives, and we know they will, it is our roots that will keep us upright. Dig'em deep.

"Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the faith you were taught. (Col. 2:7)"

March On, My Soul!

2013-01-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

"Daydreaming after God has spoken is an indication that we do not trust Him."

Nobody likes to start their day with a punch in the face, but that is what I got when I read these words in my Oswald Chambers devotional Sunday morning.

I am not behaving any better than someone who has no faith in anyone but themselves, and you know how far that can carry you. Sometimes across the finish line, and sometimes you don't even show up to the race. But how far you go depends on you alone.

I know better, yet I sit and say things like "I can't do a talk as good as someone else so I just won't do it" and "It's obvious that I am incapable of writing a novel." Both are an affront to God who called me to share His word with the gifts He has given me. Both indicate a lack of trust, because my actions say that the outcomes are totally based upon the ability I have. I leave no room for God to show up and do His thing.

Reading in Judges 6 this morning, I discovered that Gideon is a man after my heart. God called Him to a task, and he listed the reasons he would be unable to accomplish said task.

God's words to him: Go with the strength you have and I will be with you.

God's words to me: Take the drop of skill and talent you have and Go! I will be with you.

The Bible is full of examples of those called to extraordinary tasks, and I have yet to come across anyone who complimented God on His choice. The response is usually to look over their shoulder, sure He meant someone else. And, equally important, I have yet to see God confirm their lack of capability. He always says, "Go, and I will be with you."

If you've heard God speak a direction into your life, what are you doing about it? Daydreaming and telling yourself all the ways you can't possibly do it? Waiting for God to change His mind and send someone else?

Or, are you giving it everything you have and knowing God is right there with you?

Let's sing the Song of Deborah and Barak from Judges 5, and March on with courage, my soul!

Go where God has called you in victory, because He is already paving the way, even if we can't see it from where we stand. We don't need to. We need to keep our eyes fixed on the One who goes before us, the One who fights for us, our Jehovah Nissi. We need to be faithful to His call because the One who calls us is faithful.

So, ready to march on?

Warmer Days

2013-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

I always say when I get old I am going to sit on a hill and stare at the sky all the time...turns out I'm already doing that. I took this picture one night when the boys and I were sketching pictures of the sunset at a hill by our house and added a little picmonkey magic. They ended up riding their bikes up and down the hill, and I ended up taking some pictures on my phone. We did color and sketch a bit too, don't worry.

Reaching the World

2013-01-16T06:26:00.000-06:00

Time to pick a new verse to memorize...

I chose Mark 16:15 because I find it encouraging: He said to them, "Go into all the earth and preach the gospel to all creation."

It's a short one, and I confess to feeling a little slackerish about it, but it reminds me that when I take the time to write, whether it's on a blog or a novel, that is what I'm doing. It soothes that feeling of selfish frivolity that pursues me when I take time away from other, seemingly more worthy activities, to hole up in a room by myself and peck away at a keyboard.

This is one way I can reach the world for Christ, and I don't even have to get dressed. Y'all know how I love my flannel pajamas.