There are so many ways to know the Lord is present with us, ever near. But sometimes we just need a reminder. Something to lay our eyes on and to tuck away in our hearts.

That’s why I’m excited to share this easy reminder with you.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.

 

#1: Write “Jesus” on small paper

I will remain in you. 

 

She’d been unfair, untrustworthy, and stolen from me. I couldn’t even look her in the eye. At least, not without lava bubbling up inside my heart. And that’s a dangerous place for Christ-followers.

The fine line between human anger and righteous anger. Condemnation of another and sharing godly conviction with them.

Maybe there is someone in your life who has sinned against you. Acted cruel. Treated you with contempt.

Maybe that someone is … you.

Maybe you can’t look yourself in the eye for the things you’ve done against yourself … against others. You may be so angry or disappointed with yourself for choices you’ve made. Perhaps a churning and burning lava flare within your heart.

That’s a dangerous place for Christ-followers. Instead of believing the nagging voice of condemnation telling you that you don’t deserve a second chance, you shall always live with shame or regret, that you are evil and wicked and no good …

Instead, tap into the truth the Holy Spirit is speaking; His conviction that leads to life. He offers “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22} But only if we allow Him to.

Start today by disputing the condemnation with conviction. Acknowledge your sin, then acknowledge Jesus. His death on the cross means new life for us. Ask Him for forgiveness and  ask Him for strength to stop that pattern of sin if you haven’t already.

Next, ask for love, joy, peace, patience, goodness and faithfulness. Pray to be filled with all the Holy Spirit offers. His cooling water will squelch the hot lava bubbling up. It may take time… but it will happen.

Please leave a comment with your name and email address to enter to win Proverbs 31 Ministries’ new NIV Real-Life Devotional Bible for Women!

Weary hearts need a hushed place to rest from the self-preserving fetal position, away from the battle.

Long seasons on the front line can be exhausting and rob us of peace. We need seasons of rest and refreshment. And so, I pray. For you. For me.

Familiar thoughts?
I can’t do this another day
I don’t want to fight anymore
This is too much to bear

Yes? And so, I pray-

Refresh Lord …

I wonder, friend, what would a snapshot of your soul tell? A thousand words of peace, trust, and security? Or a thousand words of doubt, fear, pain? Has this become your battle hymn; your war cry?

Oh that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest. {Psalm 55:6-8}

Lack of peace volleys to isolate and hold us captive in the battle, feeding us lies …

Poisons require antidotes. Wounds require balm. Freedom requires a victor. {Tim Hansel, Through the Wilderness of Loneliness}

Even the darkest night is chased by the dawn. Refreshment is yours. Peace is found only in one place: the Lord. Turn to Him today and rest in Him. Sing a new battle hymn to Him who says

 fear not; you are mine
when you pass through the waters, I will be with you
when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you
when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned
for I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior
since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you
do not be afraid, for I am with you
Isaiah 43

Mindful prayers are the most, not the least we can do. Let’s join ranks and lift each other up in prayer. Leave your prayer request for the person who comments ahead of you to pray over and if you have a favorite scripture on peace, please leave that too. Thanks!

We’d talked once already, so I was surprised when he called a second time 20 minutes later.

“Honey, I can’t stay here,” he said. “I’m bundled up, getting ready for bed, but the blankets, hats, scarves, gloves we got together for the homeless … they’re here, in my warm home. I can’t stay. They can’t stay.”

The sleet hits my bedroom window, as I listen to what breaks his heart, what moves him. He asks, “Can I go to the store and buy tarps, hats and gloves? I want to go downtown and give them out.”

We’re not yet married, but are treating our finances as if we are. Making our decisions as if we are.

And so I say yes. Yes, bundle up in your coat. Bundle up the blankets and hats and scarves. But please, be careful, my anxious heart tweaks. Because it’s one thing to serve the homeless with a group of friends on a bright sunny afternoon. It’s another to approach them alone on a dark, freezing night.

He calls me back for the long-awaited third phone call, over an hour later. This time I hear his heart bundled up in joy, relief, gladness. He helped fit swollen, chapped hands with just the right pair of gloves. Picked the Carolina blue hat out for the man wearing a sky colored jacket. Wrapped blankets up in tarps for the homeless to wrap up in against the bracing wind, against the bracing world.

Though he delivered warmth to others living on the frigid benches and underpasses in downtown, he’s warmed my heart. And showed me once again what an amazing and good man he is. One I can trust to put God first …. others above himself, including me.

And this is exactly what Joshua vowed to me at our wedding. What a man. An amazing, loving, God-honoring man. So thankful to call him my husband!

As soon as the opening prayer ended, I knew I had to leave.

I ran as fast as my beige patent leather heels would allow, leaving my soon-to-be groom at the altar. Fast up the aisle my father had just walked me down. Past the wedding guests. Through the small hallway and into the powder room where my purse and coat were.

There they were, waiting for me.

My vows.

In true form, I’d forgotten them in the powder room.

I hurried back to Joshua waiting patiently for me at the altar where we exchanged our vows.

It’s not every day that a girl makes a lifelong commitment. But it is every day that I get to carry one out. Not just to my husband, but to my God.

At times I’ve been a run-away bride from God. The altar, Jesus and my vows have been left in the dust as I took off for what I thought were greener pastures. All along, He waited patiently. Waited for me to return to pick up my vows and come back to the altar … to Him. The very place my heart belongs.

We can run all our lives, but we’re never truly settled until we make a lifelong commitment to the One. In Him, we have all good things, including the gift of love: God’s love and the love of a husband. And so I share my wedding vows to Joshua with you to show my commitment to my husband that are similar to my vows to Jesus.

Dear Joshua,

There really is no place like home. I’ve come to know this with great certainty as we’ve fallen in love and decided it was right and good to get married. I tell you all the time, “You’re my favorite place to be.” And mostly that’s because you are where I am most at home … you are where my heart is settled, comforted and loved.

I vow to always keep you as my home base. To never stray emotionally, physically, or in my thoughts from our marriage covenant.

I vow to keep Christ as the center of our home. To seek Him every day with all my heart, mind and soul, and serve Him with all that’s within me.

I vow to keep our home clean from doubt, strife and unnecessary cares, and will aim to fill it with believing the best about you, humility, and prayerfulness.

I vow to willingly submit to you as head of our household, to lean on you, and not be stubborn. And to allow you to serve me.

I vow to hear you out, compromise, be totally honest with you, and value your strengths as well as balance out your weaknesses.

I vow to stay healthy and keep active doing fun stuff together.

I vow to always make silly puns and to laugh and have fun with you. To bring a cheerful, playful warmth to our home. Because laughter is ‘gouda’ for the heart!

I vow to dream and plan and pray for our future with you.

I vow to fulfill your needs and wants to the best of my ability, including making awesome sandwiches

I vow to love mercy, act justly, and to walk humbly with our God.

I vow to let you know every day just how very much I love you, respect you, care about and cherish you. And to thank God for all the wonderful things about you that make you … YOU!

If home is where the heart is, then my heart will always be with you. And I vow to be the best wife for you with the strength and wisdom and love God gives me for all the days of our lives.

Because whether in good times or bad, whether everything hits the fan or life is a breeze, we should always be able to count on our home being a soft place to land, a warm place of acceptance, and a place of peace and calm. So know this, you can count on the way I’ll love you, honor you, server you and I’ll always make my heart, your home.

COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Compassion International (CI) literally opened up their accounts ledger and showed me line-by-line where each penny is spent. Later that day I saw firsthand where my dollars were going.

It was in the gratitude of the mother who no longer has to prostitute herself for $3 a night. $3 is just enough for a few meals to feed her two children. Her kids are fed through CI now.

The bright smiles of teenage boys learning algebra and computers by CI , instead of how to rob or murder with the street gangs, showed me too.

Pages … books… could be filled with the remarkable life-change I witnessed in both my international trips with Compassion International. Birthed 50 years ago in the heart of a man who saw starving Korean children literally thrown away in garbage bags, CI is now a mainstay in 26 countries. The foundation and core of CI is to provide food, shelter, education, medical care and Christian training, with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty in children’s lives.

Joshua and I have partnered with Compassion International for our wedding ‘registry.’ They graciously custom created a special page just for us that lands on their Gift Catalog page. If you feel so inclined, you may choose from any of the gifts (seeds, livestock, immunizations, etc…. we didn’t actually pick out gifts per se), or there is also the option to sponsor a child. We sponsor Diego and he is an absolute delight and adds oh so much to our lives.

CAMP JOY

My sweet friend Joni has told me countless stories of her dear grandfather, Charles Keyes. Over 50 years ago he established Parson of the Hills Foundation to  provide ministry to the less fortunate. He used to load up Joni, her grandmother, and donated toys in a van and deliver Christmas presents to families living in dirt floor shacks in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that depth of poverty is in our own backyard. And it can be easy to ignore. But Charles Keyes couldn’t ignore it … and didn’t. He went on to build Camp Joy, located in Hickory, NC. Each summer, those same children who received Christmas presents could come for camp, free of charge.

This amazing camp is running still, and delivers much more than a fun week in the sun. Kids receive hot showers (which includes delousing for many), nutritious meals, plenty of hysterical stories and hugs from Joni’s mom (the amazing Finley), 1:1 attention from camp counselors, Bible teaching, and a week to just be a kid. Many of the kids come back as counselors when they’re old enough… that’s how much Camp Joy has an impact on them. Wow!

Helping those in poverty is something Joshua and I are passionate about. And, should we be blessed with kids, we really want them to have a childhood…to not have to grow up so fast, but to just be a kid. That’s what we love about Camp Joy and why it’s on our wedding registry. To make a donation to them, please send make a check out to Valley Haven Camp and Retreat and send it to:
Valley Haven Camp and Retreat
Sam/Josh Wedding
7655 Valley Haven Dr.
Hickory, NC 28602

Thank you so much for investing in others’ lives with us! We’re oh so excited for the lives that will be changed through your gracious generosity.

With gratitude and love,

Joshua and Samantha

A little over 7 weeks ago we promised each other a lifetime together when Joshua proposed and Samantha said YES! To weather and enjoy anything and everything to come our way.

24/7 we marvel at God’s good plan in bringing us together. And we’re thrilled to announce we’re celebrating at our wedding on February 2, 2013!

We realize if this is the first time you’re hearing our news, it may come as a surprise. Our timeline has been quick, but oh so sweet. Many of you have already shared your cheer, joy, and prayers, as we embark on this new journey together. Thank you!

The most important things to us are family, friends and our faith. As we’ve planned our wedding, we’ve had one main goal: to honor all three.

In particular, our heart is to bring glory to God. Through a lot of prayer and much study of Scripture, we feel we’ll best honor Him by spending minimally on our wedding, which makes a small ceremony and reception necessary. Our immediate family will celebrate on our wedding day with us. And our hope is to get together with our friends and extended family over the next few months to continue celebrating, whether with dinner at our home, game night at yours, or maybe just a walk at the greenway.

Thank you for understanding our limited guest list. Our desire is to share what we would have spent on a larger wedding with others. In particular, God has given both of us a passion to serve the homeless and impoverished.

As a wedding gift to each other, we’re investing in the lives of those in poverty, particularly children, through several non-profit organizations. The Lord has blessed both of us, so much so that we have two full households.  In fact, we’re downsizing one whole home! So in lieu of a traditional wedding registry, we welcome you to join us in giving to either Compassion International or Camp Joy.

We’re sharing more about each place, and our admiration for the work they’re doing, on the next blog post.

From the bottom of our hearts … thank you! We’d cherish your prayers as we get closer to our wedding day. And we’d especially treasure them on February 2 as we make our vows before the Lord.

With love,

Joshua and Samantha

Blessed are the peacemakers, I read. Blessed are those “who love, and desire, and delight in peace.”* “For they shall be called children of God.” {Matt. 5:9}

This peace-making is hard at times, especially when it’s me I have to reconcile with. Especially with the many opportunities to argue with my own self that wedding planning affords. When I have a choice between a $50 wedding bouquet of favorite peonies or a $4 bouquet of baby’s breath. A decision to purchase a $400 long, lace {much admired} wedding gown or $45 knee-length, simple dress.

The conflict within begins. I can rationalize there are waaaay more lavishly expensive bouquets and gowns than peonies and lace. But on the other hand, baby’s breath and simple dresses are still quite lovely.

Then again, I’m not asking for the moon: no bridesmaids, a rehearsal dinner, or band. And it is my one special day.
Then again, simple and sweet would save $351. Money that should be spent wisely. Money that could save a life.

And therein lies the crux. It’s not only myself I have to make peace with; it’s also the Word of God. And this isn’t always easy. Or dream-fulfilling. Or gorgeous gown allowing. It’s refining. Can I be honest? It’s kind of disappointing … unless I take my focus off what isn’t and shift it to what is. When I make peace with what the Bible instructs, what could seem like a loss in reality is pure gain.

When I love, desire and delight in the Word, I love others well. And desire to store my treasures in heaven instead of here on earth. I delight in taking less in order to share more with those in true need: babies lacking immunization, children needing even just one square meal a day, mothers praying for clean water, fathers longing to provide food.

In letting go of the more costly wedding things, I gain peace and maybe even a new brother or sister in Christ. Because when I give our wedding savings of $351 to non-profits like Compassion International or Camp Joy, it’s a gift of peace to children and parents. Their bodies are healthy, bellies fed, thirst quenched and tables full.

Even more, they hear about the Lord, which could lead to them becoming peacemakers themselves. Being a peacemaker comes with a promise: we become children of God.

And that is something you can’t put a price tag on.

*Opening quote by Matthew Henry

There’s a fire that burns within him. This fire is fueled with every page he turns, each concordance examined. He studies, and seeks, and smolders with the Word. {…”His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” ~Jere. 20:9}

His fire warms me to my core. Because what girl doesn’t treasure a man who loves like Jesus, who is faithful & kind, who steadies our lives with the anchor of God’s Word? I cherish his passion and it’s with awe at the goodness of God and His plans that I share our news: this amazing man has asked me to his bride! To be fire feeding fire. To set the world ablaze … with love, with truth, with mercy. To let our light shine bright together, for the glory of our God.

So many appreciative, heart-felt thanks for your prayers, cheers and for sharing this journey. Your emails have been sweet like honey. May the Lord fill you with His Word, that hope, truth, and love that will light you — and the world — up.

{p.s. I said ‘Yes!”}

{Me and Joshua, my fiance}

We pray this blesses you. And if you have any questions, please leave a comment. I’d love to encourage you in reading the Bible and getting to know God better.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Bible Tidbits

First, if you aren’t already, I’d recommend getting plugged in to a good, bible-based, Jesus-centered church, which encourages everyone to read & study the bible.  Don’t get caught up in denominations and all those Christian people that don’t act much like Jesus.  Find a church that will welcome you in, even if you aren’t yet sure how you feel about religion or God.  I know of a few good ones and am more than willing to give you a recommendation if that would help.

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”  ― Saint Augustine of Hippo

“Don’t let Christians get in the way of you getting to know The Christ.” – Me

Hints & Tips for getting a Bible you’ll actually read:

Buying a bible has become more complicated than buying a car.  Here are a few things that I’ve found to be very helpful in my journey.

For your initial purposes in reading the New Testament and getting to know Jesus, which any Christian should probably recommend first, don’t worry about the differences between Catholic and Protestant bibles.  The New Testaments in both are the same.

Though they can be a little bit more expensive, I recommend a good “study bible” versus just a “reference bible”.  A reference bible will only contain the biblical texts, while study bibles include extra information that helps the reader better understand the biblical texts.

My favorites, and some of the most highly recommended study bibles for new readers, are the Life Application NIV Study Bible or Life Application NLT Study Bible (just copy and paste one of these into amazon.com and you shouldn’t have a problem finding one).  Second to these I would recommend the ESV Study Bible, which is fabulous even though it’s a more literal translation and can sometimes be harder to comprehend.

If you really don’t like reading at all, then I recommend getting a copy of Eugene Peterson’s The Message.  This translation is easy to understand the overall concepts of the texts and teachings.  (Note:  Audio-Book versions of the biblical texts are also available in MP3 format if that’s something that might work best for you.)

If, after hearing all this, you still have questions or are unsure what to get, please reach out to us.

Now that you have a bible, here’s how you should go about reading it:

Please DO NOT open it and try to read it from cover to cover.  Though it is printed this way, it is not meant to be read this way.

First, look at the index and find the New Testament.  Specifically, look for the Gospel of John and start by reading John.

After John, go to the book of Matthew and read the chapters 5, 6 and 7.  This block of text is known as “The Sermon on the Mount” and is one of Jesus’ more famous teachings.  You can read the rest of Matthew at a later time.

Next, to get the most thorough historical account of Jesus and the early church, I recommend reading the book of Luke and the book of Acts.  (Note:  Acts was written by Luke and is basically Luke: Part 2.)

By now you should have a pretty good understanding of who Jesus is and what the early followers of Jesus did to start “The Church”.  Now I’d recommend reading the book of Romans and the book of James.  These should help you put into perspective what becoming a follower of Jesus entails.

After all this, I would recommend continuing your reading journey and studies in one of two different ways:

1.       Finish reading the rest of the New Testament.  I would go back to read the rest of Matthew and Mark.  Then go through all of the letters or “epistles” that are located between the book of Acts and the book of Revelation.  Most are written by the Apostle Paul, whom you will meet and get to know in the book of Acts.  This will then only leave the book of Revelation, which I recommend reading last.

2.       Go back to Genesis & Exodus, maybe include Deuteronomy, to better understand our origins and all of the cool stories about Abraham and Moses and the early people of Isreal, to then come back to the New Testament as mentioned in #1.  Note:  If you do this, please do not attempt to read Leviticus and/or Numbers at this point.  Trust me here.  You’ll get a short way in to it, set your bible down one day and then realize a bunch of time has passed and it’s covered in dust because it was way too boring and/or difficult to understand.

One last plug would be for the book of Proverbs.  This book is one of my personal favorites.  It was written by Solomon, who is known for being the wisest man in all of human history (aside from Jesus).  It is a collection of wise sayings that people can use to live a better, more Godly and happy life.

After all of this, if you are not yet part of a church where you can take a bible study class or join a small group bible study, then please contact me and we can go through some more options.

Other books that will help explain Jesus, the Gospel or other assorted aspects of true Christian life.

·         A Search for the Spiritual by James Emery White

·         Basic Christianity by John Stott

·         Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

·         Christianity’s Family Tree by Adam Hamilton

·         Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

·         The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller

·         The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns

·         Radical & Radical Together by David Platt

·         Crazy Love by Francis Chan

·         The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler

·         Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

·         Real Marriage by Mark Driscoll

·         Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

·         The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller

If reading isn’t your thing, or you want to expand on your reading… 

Check out the following websites that have free sermons, videos, webcasts and other materials that you can use to continue on your journey.  These are all sources that I personally use and have come to highly respect.

Bible Gateway – http://www.biblegateway.com/

Online Parallel Bible – http://bible.cc/

Mecklenburg Community Church’s Internet Campus (my church) – http://icampus.mecklenburg.org/

Mars Hill church based in Seattle, pastured by Mark Driscoll.  http://marshill.com/media/sermons

Mars Hill’s YouTube channel – http://www.youtube.com/user/mhcseattle

John Piper’s Desiring God – http://www.desiringgod.org/

John Piper’s Desiring God YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/desiringgod

David Platt’s teachings at The Church at Brooks Hill – http://www.brookhills.org/media/

Dave Ramsey’s radio show – http://www.daveramsey.com/radio/home/

Also, because serving the Lord, by serving others, is our passion, here is a list of Respectable Charities to Get Involved With:

Compassion International – http://www.compassion.com/

World Vision – http://www.worldvision.org/

Habitat for Humanity – http://www.habitatcharlotte.org/ or http://www.habitat.org/

A Child’s Place – http://www.achildsplace.org/

Crisis Assistance Ministry – http://www.crisisassistance.org/

Second Harvest Food Bank – http://www.secondharvestmetrolina.org/

Charlotte Rescue Mission – http://charlotterescuemission.org/

Charlotte Shelter for Battered Women – http://www.safealliance.org/shelter-for-battered-women/

If you aren’t in Charlotte or don’t have a local branch of one of these organizations, please find reputable places like this in your area and get involved:

Local nursing home (low-income or those that don’t have families that visit)

Local homeless shelters, battered woman’s shelters,  soup kitchens, food banks, meals for the poor and/or elderly

Local orphanage / children’s home