Life can be a lot like a roller coaster ride. There are ups, downs, curves, sharp dips and unexpected  drops. The most troublesome drops come when you are in the middle of a hard situation, or trying to accept something you have no control over, or grieving a transition or loss. I affectionately call these periods between a problem and it’s resolution…the meantime. And though that is my affection verbage, there is nothing warm and fuzzy about these times. In fact, the meantime often feels MEAN!

The meantime has these consistent themes:

1. Not good timing…the meantime never is
2. Inconvenient…the meantime always is
3. Exhausting…the meantime takes us out of our emotional and physical comfort zone and that can really wear us out.

The dictionary defines the word “meantime” as the interval between things. And, one thing I have discovered about myself is that I do fairly well as a faith girl when life is cruising along and I am enjoying the smooth ride. But I don’t do too well when hairpin curves are introduced into the route. But, just today I was once again touched by the words of Oswald Chambers when he said,

“The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult.Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. Our difficulties, our trials and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him.”

Though we don’t like ups and downs, problems or pain…perhaps they serve as interval training in the spiritual sense.To get spiritually fit, we all need some interval training, the stuff that living in the meantime is all about.If the bottom never dropped out we would never have a reason to draw close and tight to God. We might draw close in good times, but just ask someone who is grieving and they will tell you that they don’t just cry out to God, they climb right up into his lap…because it is there they find comfort.

When we go to an amusement park and take on one of those triple thriller rides the first thing we do is get seated, the next thing we do is get securely strapped in place. Well, back up…for me, the first thing I do just looking at one of those rides is get scared to death! And, if I get talked into getting on board, I make sure that I am fastened securely. On the sacred journey of relationship with Christ, getting seated correctly is sitting in God’s Word, and the strap that securely fastens us is defined by the Apostle Paul as rejoicing.

“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” Philippians 3:1

Rejoicing is a SAFEGUARD.

So the next time you feel like you are up, down and all around…stop. Ask yourself these questions:

• Have I committed my problem to God?
• Do I believe God himself is capable of guiding the path during this trial? Why am I up and down, what are my options? (try to control, surrender to God, scream, fret or ask for more faith…)
• Why as I choosing to stay here? ( I want to scream and control, but will choose surrender as I look to Christ)

If you don’t believe me, then just look at the words of Jesus in the gospel of John:

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus was being “real” about life in this world. He was letting his hearers know that as long as they were in this world, they would have troubles. Troubles are part and parcel of human life. Interesting that he said they would have PEACE in knowing that. He didn’t tell them to scare them, he told them to give them peace. Interesting.

Like most things in the gospels, what Jesus taught always seems upside down to what we are comfortable with. We live in a world that encourages us to grab the best, be happy at all costs, look out for #1 etc…. But Jesus taught that we would go through hard times, troubling times and that His death has overcome the pain and suffering of this world. I guess for me….my mind isn’t always focused enough on the bigger picture, the eternal reality that Jesus Christ has overcome the things of this world, and that someday I will be with him.  Instead I focus on hurt feelings, aches and pains, financial struggle….you know, those real things that make up the month. Thoughts of eternity often seem cliche, out of reach and unable to touch my current reality. I wonder why the truth of living as ones who overcome, ones who live with eternal focus, has gotten so watered down?

Are you going through any troubling things right now?

Remember, focus is a key to how you will live until your problem is resolved. We want to be happy but in the meantime, we must learn to turn our cares over to the one who cares.

Problems are inevitable. Living overwhelmed is optional. Walking around in defeat is a choice we make. That’s right, if you are overwhelmed don’t blame your problem, step back and realize that you have chosen to be overwhelmed because Jesus gives us the option of trusting Him and finding real-life peace.To have peace we must be intentional about our focal point. Much like a woman in labor has a focal point to help her deal with the pain, we must have a focal point as we walk through the pain of trials in our own lives. Scripture teaches that Jesus, His faithfulness, His will, His power, His love for us…is to be our focal point.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all hose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the Lord God is the eternal ROCK. Isa 26: 3-4 NLT

“Depend on GOD and keep at it, because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.” Isa 26:4 The Message

True confession: I have been living overwhelmed. I am not proud of it, it’s just been my reality. I have to face the fact that it’s been my choice…ouch…that sounds so icky, so not faith-like. But I am humbly coming to grips with the truth that if I continue to live upset by my circumstances, I have chosen that discouragement and that path. So today as God’s word confronts my heart and  penetrates my mind, I once again make a new choice to agree with Scripture that sometimes life is hard, and problems are inevitable….but living overwhelmed is optional! I can be an overcomer in Christ Jesus and so can you!

Jesus is calling us out of our flesh comfort zone into a place of living as those who overcome because of HIM. So let’s put on those big girl panties of faith and love, and march on into all that God has for us today.

Take on the day, focused on Jesus.

In Him,

Debbie

groups who are using this month to daily look for things to be thankful for. It has ranged from being thankful for the health of our children to loving comfort fall foods like homemade Mac and Cheese. I am sure that those participating in a month of Thanks-Living are also noticing a very subtle, yet very real, attitude and focus shift as they have chosen to look for good things to remember and dwell on.

Being grateful opens up a new way of life for us. Anyone can complain and be ugly about things. All of us can spin in our emotional selves. But a woman who Thanks God, a woman who looks for good…that woman can expect something very different.

Philippians 4:8..”if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things…and the God of peace will be with you.” But, before this Paul said in Philippians 3:1 ” Finally, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” Obviously Paul knew something that we need to remember…rejoicing, being thankful, practicing looking for the good, is a safeguard for our mental and spiritual health.

But, what IF thanking God is hard or doesn’t come naturally? What if the problem at hand looks larger than anything else in sight? Well, for most of us,remaining thankful when life if less than perfect, is not our natural default. But praising God can be our new default system over time. We can change. Through Jesus we can develop a mindset of seeing God in all things, trusting Him in all things and learning to be thankful no matter what the day brings. Look at what we find in the book of Hebrews:

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:15-16

The word sacrifice means: to give up, or to count as a loss.

For me this means that to live a life of Thanks, I will have to many times count as a “loss” or sacrifice my feelings and emotions on the altar of trusting God with my life and details. When I do this, I can then by faith, through Jesus, begin thanking God in all things. Only then does it make sense, as only then is my focus on something bigger and grander than self or feelings.

So today, think about this idea of offering continual thanks to God. What keeps you from doing that? What might look different if you did? What have you experienced when you have had seasons of thankfulness?

Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of Praise!

Today is day #14, and I thank God for the health to go to Zumba class, the opportunity to share Christ with others, for my family and for pumpkin muffins! As I move through the day, I will continue to thank Him for thing after thing as I acknowledge all that is excellent and good in my path. 

“The circumstances of a saint’s life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can’t understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands.” ( italics mine)

No such thing as chance… when circumstances are confusing

I have to admit that I often find my circumstances in conflict with my prayers. I might ask God for “favor” in a situation and it seems like the opposite happens! Truth is, circumstances as they appear, don’t have to dictate how I view God’s hand in my midst. If I believe that God is ordaining my days, guiding my path, and living within me…then I will also believe that even when I don’t see Him or feel His presence, He is with me and He is working. When I least expect it, God’s sacred hand is indeed guiding me, even when it looks to be opposite to what I have prayed.

God provides what we need

True to His word, God is working to provide what we need in this life, while preparing us for the next. For many of us, what we need looks different than what we think we need. I often think I need favorable circumstances, when God in His wisdom knows that maybe in this season the bigger blessing would be to have faith tested so that I would become ” mature, complete and lacking no good thing.” James 1:2-4  It’s not important that we understand today what God is doing, but it is important for us to keep believing, keep trusting and to continue to tell ourselves the truth…God is faithful, God is my provision, My Heavenly Father knows what I have need of, He answers prayers, He is working in the things that make no sense to me. He is at work behind the scenes.

Is everything that happens good?

The million dollar question as we wrestle with human reasoning is wondering if everything is good. Truth is, there is a lot of bad all around us. We are affected by environment, other people’s bad choices and stupid actions, the economy, the weather, etc… Not everything is good, But God is always good and He is for us. The beauty of the sacred journey of walking closely to the Father is that we can trust that even the “not so good things” will work together for our good because we love God. The things that seem like the biggest bummer can turn into being the very instrument that God uses to propel us further into the right place for us.

When will we see God’s hand?

We are trained to focus on what makes sense to us and what is in front of us. If things look bad, then they must be, right? It is time to turn our focus around. Scripture teaches that the mind set on the spirit, is focused differently than the mind set on the flesh. Romans 8:5. Those who want to be at peace, will keep focused on the truth that in Everything God Is Working.

“What shall we say to all this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?” Romans 8:31 Amp

“Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 Amp

He is at work in you today, my friend.

Stop now to thank Him for His hand in your life today!

Today the dust has settled.  After resigning from a ministry position that I have loved for the past fourteen plus  years, I am picking up the emotional pieces. My life has officially changed, and I admit that I feel a bit lost. All that I know is that God himself is inviting me on a journey of learning what it  really means to trust Him, a sacred journey. But as God is wooing me closer the dust around me is filling my head with confusion and despair. The dust makes everything seem dirty.  I forget that there is beauty under the dust. My enemy wants me to just concentrate on the dust, drawing in ugly air because of it. No doubt the dust is there. What will I do with it now?

When we go through things such as loss, pain, or hardship… we come to a place of grieving whatever was lost in the process of that particular trouble. It is normal to grieve. It is important to allow ourselves to grieve. But, it is just as important to have hope in the middle of that grief and fan the flame of hope as we continue to walk through to the other side.

The words ” sacred journey” kept coming to me the past few weeks. I am calling you to a sacred journey. It sounds so pretty, doesn’t it? But, it wasn’t feeling pretty or pleasant in any way at all. So this morning I looked up the word sacred and this is what I found:

1. Sacred: Dedicated to the worship of a diety.( in my case Jesus Christ)
2. Sacred: Dedicated to or set apart for a single use or purpose. (seeking to know His purpose for me)
3. Sacred: Given over exclusively to a purpose ( given over to His plan)
4. Sacred: Dedicated, consecrated, devoted ( giving over all of me to the God who created me)

Now you may be thinking, weren’t you already all of those things? You are a Christian, a bible teacher and a ministry leader! And to that question I would have to say, “Yes, I have dedicated to those things at different points and times and on different days and seasons. But now God is calling me to a LIFE of living in the sacred presence of surrender and dedication to Him… experiencing his power, and following in his purpose.”

Many days I wasn’t living in the sacred, but rather living in my self. I liked ministry. I loved casting vision and implementing programs. But, surrendering completely to Him above people, fun and things? Not so much. I am just being honest. And, I am challenging you to be honest with yourself. Are you more prone to sacred dedication when life is easy? hard?  or in-between?

For me, I am very happy with easy. I bless Jesus and ask him to put whip cream and a cherry on top of my plans and ideas for Him. But, when life is hard am desperate for him. In that place I experience a longing for his help, for him to show up, for him to speak, for him to guide.  But now I want to live desperate for him even in good times.

The sacred journey is one of living in that dependence of “I need you Jesus”…to show up, to fill me up, to use me, to guide me, to empower me…TODAY,  One day at a time, in these sacred  moments of life.

What sacred isn’t:

Sacred is not a high mountain top experience. It is not robes, incense and candles. It is not a quiet demeaner or personality. It is not  demonstrated when in front of people or when doing great things for God. It is not saved for Sundays, but is a life journey we are being invited to every day. In the mundane things, in the exciting things…the good, bad, and ugly…you and I are being called to live “in Christ”.

What sacred is:

Trusting God. Following Hard after Him. Intentionally Living within choices that lead us to our God given purpose. Loving others. Community. Service.

I will admit to you dear friends, that I know how to have the appearance of sacredness, and know how to fit the above into my lifestyle in full time vocational ministry. But, now I am learning that I am not to be concerned with appearances, but rather live the lifestyle of Trust…in my every day shoes, in my every day world, in my every day activities.

As Dr. Suess said, ” Oh the Places You Will Go!”

Will you join me in the sacred journey of learning to trust the God who made us?

Here are some first steps:( Psalm 37)

• Trust in the Lord and do good
• Delight yourself in the Lord
• Commit your way to the Lord
• Be still before the Lord

I have no idea where the dust is settling in your life, but wherever you find yourself picking up the pieces of your circumstances, follow King David’s advice above. When you wake up in the morning choose an intentional menal path that involves Biblical Truth.

• I will Trust God because He loves me and has plans for me today
• I will rejoice in him and delight in him, I will sing!
• I will give over this day to God and expect to be sent on assignments I haven’t planned
• I will take time to be still, in my mind, in my heart and in prayer today.

His mercies are new every morning. Goodness and Mercy follow you every day of your life. So, get out your dusting rag and wipe away the things that would keep you from choosing to trust today.

I like comfort and hate change. I like the known and not the unknown. I like routine and not a free-fall. I love the women I worked with and will miss every aspect of what I had the joy of participating in. But, today I turned a page by faith. Trusting God for a new chapter, and new pages in the book of my personal life. I should be exicted and maybe overjoyed, but instead I am relieved to have obeyed God and filling my mind with Scriptures relating to His faithfulness. I will inch through this and I will see God work. I hope you will stay tuned as I begin to blog more regularly about this sacred journey of  trusting God.

Here is the letter that I sent to the women in our church:

Since 1997 I have had the privilege of serving the women of Cornerstone Fellowship. The past fourteen years have been some of the best times of my life. I have had the joy of knowing some amazing women, serving alongside some fantastic leaders, and walking with many of you through life’s good times and life’s hardest times.

 This summer as I was on a ten week sabbatical I had the opportunity to read, reflect and seek God. One morning while inHawaii, I went out early all by myself to a place called “black rock”. There was no one around except a few snorklers. As I watched the rhythm of the waves and saw the early morning sun, I marveled at how big God is. I began to worship him. As I worshiped out loud on the empty beach, I was reminded of a verse in Colossians 1:16 “All things were created by him and for him.” And, while reflecting on the fact that God created my life for his own purposes and that this Big God had plans for human lives, I felt him speak to my heart.

 The message seemed clear, your time as director of women’s ministries at Cornerstone is over, the chapter is closed. It was so clear that I looked around me. It wasn’t what I was expecting to hear that morning. As tears began falling I lifted my hands in surrender. I left that holy ground experience filled with peace. I knew that God had met me there. I continued to pray over those words, the chapter is closed, and I continued to get confirmation that it was God’s plan for me to step down from leading the women’s ministry at Cornerstone.

 So it is with mixed emotion that I make this move—joy in following God’s plan for me and deep sadness because I will miss it all. I am reminded of 2 Cor 5:7, “We live by faith and not by sight” and I am challenged to live by faith. In the “seeing” realm I have no idea what my next steps will be. I do not have a future plan. But, in the “faith” realm I will learn to trust Him step by step and day by day. Trusting that God will continue to lead me into this next season or chapter of my life.

 It’s funny how things work out, because last year I wrote a book that will be coming out next month. I was writing under a contracted title, In the Meantime. But, after it was written, the publisher changed the title. I kept resisting the change of title. Then one morning in prayer last spring, I felt as if God was telling me to quit fighting it— and that the title would be prophetic over my life, it’s who HE was shaping me to be. The title,

 A Woman Who Trusts God—Finding the Peace you Long For, is not the title I would have chosen, but IS the theme of what God is calling me to now— and for the rest of my days. He wants me to learn to trust Him, leaning into His faithfulness completely, totally.

 In closing, I want each of you to know how much I have loved being with you. I write this in tears, some of your faces coming to mind, but I know God has great things ahead for the women of Cornerstone. I hope to continue seeing you around and to be able to serve the women in some volunteer capacity.

 with love and thanksgiving,

Debbie Alsdorf

Not much blogging this summer. But the Spirit of God has been editing my heart and mind, etching the truth of God’s Word deeply into my thinking and processing.  My journal is full and my heart is even fuller than what my words can pen in my little daily notebook. As I come close the the end of an 11 week sabattical from church ministry, I realize that it really has been a radical experience. It started with a social media/computer/ unplug. And to my surprise the disconnection made me a little anxious. I never realized how connected I am and how that gives me a false sense of acceptance and peace. As I continued down the road of disconnection, the Lord kept leading me back into the deep recess of connection to Him. At first it didn’t seem like it was enough, but it has become everything.

I have had lots of fun along the way too, but admitedly am tired of traveling….and am starting to get a bit bored of no real commitments. But I never again want to be bored with the simple connection with the Father and awareness of the Holy Spirit. A simple connection that we overlook that has profound implications and benefits.

One of the benefits I have experienced during this time is the Lord drawing me into a fresh fellowship and union with Him. It hasn’t come easily.  I fought, wrestled with my own ideas and thoughts, and resisted settling into his arms. I am comfortable with the dance of independence , the busy life of service and social connections,and not as familiar with the dance of totally abandoning myself to a life of  surrender, solitude and seeking to follow and please Jesus. The days and weeks that have made up this time have been bittersweet but radical in shaping me and revealing some things that I needed to bring before the Lord. It also has been a time of refreshing and renewing my life of faith.

The journey into a life of more trust has been a progressive one.  And, I don’t have it dialed in or figured out…believe me!  The past few years have been a major training ground filled with uncomfortable situations.Each circumstance, though emotional at first, seems to push me further and further, deeper and deeper into the arms of  a loving God. I don’t like the ugly circumstances and certainly am not a fan of my emotional reactions to “real life angst”,  but I love the sweet embrace of experiencing a depth of love that words will not suffice to describe.

The one thing that has been making a radical difference is…time for meditation on the WORD of God. Not just reading books ( though I havc read many during these 11 weeks) but, simple, unfiltered, interaction with God through the mediatation, processing, proclaiming, and praying HIS WORD.

Yesterday as I reflected on our country and 911 I realized how scarey life can be in this fallen world. As I continued with my daily Bible reading ( I use the One Year Bible) I came across applicable verses on fear and trust. I typed them up, printed them out, and am carrying around with me this week. I am carrying God’s Word around, reading morning, noon and night, and even reciting it on my walks. The result….a peace that is blowing my mind. I once again realized that when I lose that upward, inward, biblical truth focus ( often innocently lost through busy schedules)…..I also start drifting from the clear directive to trust and not be afraid.

I thought the verses might help some of you too.

Here’s this week’s meditation. If you let your heart linger on these truths, you will experience something new. Because that is what God’s Word does, it is alive and active and it renews us!

Scripture Mediation for the week of September 11, 2011

Isa 12:2-3

“I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. With joy I will draw water from the wells of salvation. Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name.”  

His name is: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace ( Isa 9:6)

Call upon Him…

 Psalm 55:16-18 55:22 Psalm 56:2-3, 9-13

“I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in my distress and he hears my voice. He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me. I will cast my cares on the Lord and he will sustain me, he will never let the righteous fall. As for me, I trust in YOU. Many attack me in their pride. When I am afraid I will trust in you. In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? My enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me. In God whose word I praise, the LORD, whose work I praise, in God I trust;  I will not be afraid. I will present my thank offerings to you, that I may walk before God in the light of life.            

What can you thank God for today? Thank offerings lead us into the light of life, keeping our focus on the good and on the faithfulness of our God.      

 Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.

 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

 The LORD IS My SHEPHERD: I will fear NO EVIL for He is with me!

Psalm 23 displays personal relational connection with the Almighty…

here is a gimpse of my personalization, which is true for each one of us.

• He makes me lie down….( he is working in me, leading me to rest from the cares of life)
• He leads me ( he directs my steps, goes before me)
• He restores me ( redeeming the bad and using it for the good of growth)
• He guides me ( eternal GPS system, tracking me through life, recalculating my paths)
• He is with me  ( never will he leave or forsake me)
• He comforts me ( the holy spirit is the comforter)
• He anoints me. ( the spirit of God fills and annoints me for God’s purposes of the day)
• His love and goodness follow me ( Steadfast love, fixed/firm/unchanging)

Drumroll…the outcome of  understanding such care and love is…..

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him.” 2 Cor 5:14-15

What are your fears today? Who are you living for? Could you use a radical sabattical? Try a 10 minute sabattical three times a day using God’s word as your RESTING place. This resting place brings power into your life and light into your life. How has the Scriptures written here shaped your perspective?

My heart’s greatest desire to to fulfill God’s purpose for my life. I believe each life has significance and a God assigned purpose. I am seeing more and more that no longer living for myself, but for him…is the appropriate response to the love and grace of our Lord Jesus. Will you join me in seeking to live in God’s assignments?

Living up and Learning to Trust,

Debbie

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

And we know…Do you know in the depth of your being that God is faithful to His Word? Working in you this moment? Has the ability and power to piece together all things to make a greater purposeful “whole picture” in your life?

In all things…Scripture is clear, All means All! Not some things, not just convenient things, not  just the things that we can figure out and create a plan for…ALL things, and girlfriend that means EVERYTHING.  I know what your thinking…what about the ridiculously bad things, the broken heart things, the pieces of me that are smashed by life things…Yes, my dear sister, even those things. That is the beauty of the gospel. We can’t possibly understand in full how God works, but we need to believe that His promises are true and that it was God himself who gave us his word…All things are going  to work FOR or TOWARD our good. It might not seem like it today, but TRUST what God’s Word says, and thank him in all things, because beyond the circumstances, God is at work.

God works for the good…I like sweets and left to just my own, I would think sweets should be good all the time. But we all know that a diet of just sweets is only going to get me sick fast. In the same way a life of just what I want might seem to be good, but in reality it might be the worst possible thing for me. So, God in His wisdom allows things to enter into the picture of the story of my life, things that are not that great, and it is as HE works for the good in these things, that I end up discovering more purpose,as I experience more growth.

God works towards my growth….as much as I love 828, I have to admit that is is 829 that makes it come together and make sense,

“For those God forknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son.” Romans 8:29

829 is power packed!

• God forknew us
• God predestined us
• God planned for us to be conformed or changed into His likeness
• It is His purpose that we be conformed into the image of His son…made more like Jesus.

All the things we go through, day by day, piece by piece, hurt by hurt, are seen and known by God. He is with us. He is working. He is crafting together each piece like a divinely designed puzzle. Only He knows the picture on the outside of our life’s box. My picture is different than yours, so each of us have different pieces. You are an original and so am I. But let us never forget that we were not meant to live for ourselves, but always and only for the Him, the God who works all things together for good, making us more like Jesus!

828! Celebrate the Goodness of God at work in you!

Share it with a friend, encourage someone with the truth of God’s word. And, most of all, never forget those 3 numbers or the One who promised to be forever faithful to those who are HIS. Sit with the truth, thank God for the promise, picture His hand taking each piece of the puzzle of your life and fitting into the bigger picture. Believe Him for your outcome.

If you have a 828 story please send it to me, I would love to share your testimony of God’s grace and goodness in your life with others on the blog.

with love,

Debbie

It’s been 19 days since I have logged onto a computer. And, though I have my iphone and have tweeted here and there, I have been largely out of touch . I wished I could say it’s been easy breezy and that I am becoming a spiritual giant from all this disconnection, but not so much.

What I have found is that without the social interaction and without constant input to keep my mind busy, I have been able to think at a much deeper level about life, love, direction and faith.  That is quite a “statement” for a sanguine like me, who prefers people and social interaction more than just about anything else.Call it sabbatical, because for me it is, but for each of you it is my prayer that God will bring you to a place of unplugging in order to plug into him in a much richer fuller way.

Seeking the Heart of the Father

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all things will be given to you as well.” Matthew  6:33

My eyes have been opened to my routine. We all have a routine and for the most part we do things without even thinking, because we have done them a certain way for a long enough period of time for them to become routine.Generally the first thing I set my mind on each day is the news, the local paper, my email, twitter feed, or facebook. There you have it. I seek first social connection. Jesus told his disciples to seek first His kingdom, and I seek first people and how it all fits into my little kingdom.

 It has been strange to NOT have connection at my fingertips, and to have no television to fall back on. This has all been by design for the beginning of my sabattical, and I feel as if I have fasted something very significant and feel purged of a huge burden of having to be connected, accepted, in the know, valuable by what I can bring to the table, etc… The past few weeks there has been a sweet fresh presence of Jesus within my mind and attitude. I am at peace with who I am and whose I am. I guess you can say it’s as if I have had a fresh dose of Jesus.

The trouble is, we don’t realize that we need a fresh dose of Jesus. We are normally so consumed with our self, our life, our plans, hopes, dreams and personal dramas, that we forget all about him in the daily stuff.  Or for those of us in public ministry may I suggest that we often are consumed with programming, ministry proposals and all the things that make us feel useful to God’s kingdom.I am not saying we don’t love him, but I AM saying we forget about his heart, his will, his kingdom, his plans, and in so doing we also lose the sound of his voice in our ears.

We were not created to be spiritually deaf, dumb and blind. We were created to hear his voice, find wisdom from God himself, and see signs, wonders and the miraculous work of God in our midst. Sadly, we are too complex for the simplicity of the kingdom.

I began my sabattical with one simple prayer. ” Lord, I want you.” And, he answered just as simply, ” Debbie, I want your heart.” His answer rocked me a bit because I thought my heart was sold out to him, and now he was making it very clear that it was my heart he was after during this time of rest. There is so much I can write down about this journey already, but I will just leave one thought for now…our heart is the center of who we are and as such it is the most important part of our being. We are to pay close attention to our hearts, our center place. We are to guard our hearts from the ugly spell of bitterness and unforgiveness, judgements and idols.  This would mean that for many of us we must pay attention to the idols that we have unknowingly set up in our hearts. An idol is anything that takes a position in our lives that keeps us divided from loving God with all of us.

I am not sure where this road will take me, but this one thing I do know…God loves me with a relentless and compassionate love. He is sympathetic with my hurts and the wounding of my heart and past. He is sincere in his desire to make me completely His own. He is wooing me once again into His Heart, so that he might live through me.

I know that this is true for you too. He loves you more than you can imagine and likes you more than any friend or lover has ever thought of liking you. He hurts when you hurt and watches out for you when you think he is not paying attention. His love is relentless and actively working in your life this very moment.

But…He wants your heart. He wants to interact with you, connect with you, message you….yes, God wants that first place in your life.

Where are you today? Take a heart inventory.

What is the most important thing to you in your life right now? Is that important thing taking the place of God being the very center of all you are, all you love, and all you hope for?

Take 5

Five minutes goes a long way. Sit down and close out everything around you. Ask God to fill you with His presence and dialogue with Him about your heart, your dreams, the areas that you sense you are divided in. Offer generous thanksgiving for who He is, and His place in your life. Ask him to forgive you for anyone you are holding a grudge against. Ask God to purify your heart.

Praying for you and am asking you to pray for me too. I am asking God to speak to me in ways I have never heard him before. Thanks in advance for joining me in that prayer.

with His love,

Debbie

I have never been on a sabbatical before, and am fortunate to be given 11 weeks to seek God, do things that restore and refresh, and hopefully come out the other side of those weeks filled up and more eager about the things in life that God has specifically called me to do.

Being we just began a new month, I decided to get a jump start on sabbatical thinking and began doing the 30 day Faith Dare on July 1st. This may seem silly to some of you, as you are probably thinking, didn’t you write that book? The answer is “yes” and “no”. Yes, I wrote the words in the devotional guide. No, the ideas in the book are not mine, they come from the clear basic directional path of God’s Word. I can not change a life, nor can my words, but in this 30 day guided tour of  practical daily dares, God is the one who moves in each participants individual heart through the power of His Word.

Proof of this seems clear to me this morning.

The past 5 days of starting my day with the dares has proved to be focus changing. And, focus change, is the beginning of heart and life change. With my focus on truth and the scripture selection for each day, I am daring myself to drill deeply into the basic truth again and again throughout the day. It’s only day 5 and I am seriously being touched by God.

The women at the church I attend, Cornerstone Fellowship, will be doing The Faith Dare, during the summer while I am gone. They will be ivited to join the blog on The Faith Dare that began last summer. I would like to invite you to join in too. It is a good devotional focus. So on this blogspot, if you look to your right, you will see a catagory list, click on The Faith Dare, and then go forward or backward to the day you are on, and join the conversation.

Here are some of the things God has pressed into my heart and mind the past 5 days, so far…

• God wants to give me a new heart, one that is not hard or held captive with hurt and bitterness. With this new heart he will move me to follow his ways and to live as his.
• I am to pay attention to God’s lead and learn to follow hard after Him.
• I am to Live as though I am completely Loved, and safe in that love, because I am loved by God.
• I am to Live as though I belong to God, because I am His, and I do not belong to myself.

 

Quoting from The Faith Dare…

“As we try to walk down two opposing paths, bitterness and blessing, the human side of us and the spiritual side of us–we will become increasingly unstable as time goes by. Rather than living a full life, we will settle for an empty life and get intot he groove of living for two masters: God and self.”

” This new heart is kept in proper rhythm by the truth found in God’s Word an by daily surrender of self.” ” For faith to be genuine our heart must be centered, focused, and intentionally loyal to God. We must ask God to teach us to walk in his ways.”

” If you are repeating the same cycle over and over stop the insanity and ask yourself these questions: Are you coming to Jesus daily and learning to follow his work in your life? are you listening and taking God’s Word seriously? Are you trying to take the lead in your life and asking God to bless you?”

Yes I am entering a season of rest and seeking God. I have many of these same questions to go back and ask myself. Questions that get glossed over in the busy lives we lead. Heck, for many of us, just taking care of our responsibilities, showing up at work, having food on the family table and ending up with clean clothes for everyone to wear is enough to think about. But, just know this. God does not draw a line between the practical and the spiritual. All of life is spiritual, and God himself, through Jesus Christ and His Spirit in us, desires to teach us how to live. It begins with the basic, oh so basic, invite from Christ himself…Come to Me.

Could it be that the basic things are the deepest?

Join the women of Cornerstone Fellowship as they Dare themselves for the next 30 days to look up in order to live up. You don’t have to be in Northern Ca, just join the conversation on the blogspot.

journeying into the Father’s will for my life,

Debbie