Unbelievable! It is the end of the year and a little over two months since I have posted. I was busy, yes, but I was going through a little lull in my life.
I had a big November. My birthday, my 30th anniversary, Women's Event, Thanksgiving, not to mention life unfolding all around. With all the big, I ended in a little funk. When I get into a funk which is not often, I need to be alone. I need to think and pray and write. I guess, mull life over. Each time I learn a little more about my self.
This time I learned I tremble at the thought of the future. New things are on the horizon for me and I have been a hiding from them instead of being excited about them. Isn't that funny, strange, not ha ha!
I was just reading today in Matthew 6:25-34, 'Do not be anxious about your life.' A wonderful reminder that life is life, things happen in the current day that are plenty. Why do I focus on the day to come instead of living in today?
This Mark Twain sums it up: "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Minding My Own Business
Yesterday morning I was sitting in my favorite early morning spot, just me and my silky terrier, Hobie. I am minding my own business doing my Bible study and low and behold the Lord begins to show me my sin against Him.
I am stunned! Not that I do not think I have any sin, I am not that delusional!! It was the way the unveiling came to my attention that took me by surprise.
Here’s how it started. One in a Million is an awesome study by Priscilla Shirer about crossing over into the promise land. I am reading Numbers 20 about how the Israelites arrived into the Desert of Zin and they had no water. They were upset and quarreling.
Moses and his brother Aaron go to the only source of water they know - God. God tells Moses what to do, “Speak to that rock before their eyes (Israelites) and it will pour out water.” Moses goes out and stands before the people and strikes the rock twice. The Lord spoke to Moses about the sin he had committed… “because you did not trust Me enough to honor Me in the sight of the Israelites…”
Wow, straight to the heart! I have done this myself with in the last week. Not trusted God enough to honor Him and what He said to do in front of others. It is my partial obedience, saying yes but doing it my way.
The pang of pain was so great, my heart hurt. With great remorse and sadness I asked the Lord to forgive my sin against Him and the dishonor I brought to His name and character.
It is amazing what can happen when you are minding your own business!
I am stunned! Not that I do not think I have any sin, I am not that delusional!! It was the way the unveiling came to my attention that took me by surprise.
Here’s how it started. One in a Million is an awesome study by Priscilla Shirer about crossing over into the promise land. I am reading Numbers 20 about how the Israelites arrived into the Desert of Zin and they had no water. They were upset and quarreling.
Moses and his brother Aaron go to the only source of water they know - God. God tells Moses what to do, “Speak to that rock before their eyes (Israelites) and it will pour out water.” Moses goes out and stands before the people and strikes the rock twice. The Lord spoke to Moses about the sin he had committed… “because you did not trust Me enough to honor Me in the sight of the Israelites…”
Wow, straight to the heart! I have done this myself with in the last week. Not trusted God enough to honor Him and what He said to do in front of others. It is my partial obedience, saying yes but doing it my way.
The pang of pain was so great, my heart hurt. With great remorse and sadness I asked the Lord to forgive my sin against Him and the dishonor I brought to His name and character.
It is amazing what can happen when you are minding your own business!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Utterly Absurd!
Do you remember when your family bought a new appliance? The delivery guys would bring it and we would get the best part, the box! One time we were really lucky and we got two huge boxes, a washer and dryer! We would make forts out of them and play with them until they fell apart.
I bring that up for a reason. There has been something that I have been mulling over and pondering since the summer. It is this commonly spoken expression of “God in a box” or “that church has God in a box.” I even said it about me and I am sure about my church. But lately, when I hear that phrase it really brings me to my knees.
Our beautiful, holy, vast God is uncontainable. He is the one who created the heavens and earth, the entire universe. Our God, who is three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who chose to create us in His image and give us breath from His breath. That God, contained in a box, even a refrigerator size box??? Utterly Absurd!!!
John Paul Jackson writes in his book, 7 Days Behind the Veil; “…we can have boundaries with God. He is not upset or angry if we cannot let Him any closer than our ten-foot-thick wall. He is okay with waiting. He is willing to wait for as long as it takes in order to capture our heart.”
Which bring me back to the appliance boxes that I believe we live in when it comes to God. We have our thoughts, our teachings and our comfortable places all in the box with us. But our beautiful, loving God is peering in the cracks and crevices looking for just that opportunity to capture another piece of our hearts. He lures us out with His presences and then surprises us with each little plan His has for us, each little answered prayer He presents to us.
And as we peek out the lid or even risk it all and step out of our box, He is there to meet with open arms and much to share with us. If we seek Him, we will find Him, when we seek Him with all our hearts.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Enjoying the Day
Days are full of routines, the unexpected and everything in between! Sometimes I like to just sit back and enjoy the day. Nothing to do, no where to go, just me and time.
It is few and far between that I have one whole day like that. But each week, I try to etch out a pocket of time for nothing. I may sit in my favorite chair with my dog Hobie and look at the wall or read a little. Sometimes, I take a nap, like I did yesterday.
You would think I would go somewhere. I love to go to the park and sit by the water or walk down the boardwalk. But most of all, I want to be home, in my house and enjoying the day. I love my home.
How about you? If you had a pocket of time, what would you do?
It is few and far between that I have one whole day like that. But each week, I try to etch out a pocket of time for nothing. I may sit in my favorite chair with my dog Hobie and look at the wall or read a little. Sometimes, I take a nap, like I did yesterday.
You would think I would go somewhere. I love to go to the park and sit by the water or walk down the boardwalk. But most of all, I want to be home, in my house and enjoying the day. I love my home.
How about you? If you had a pocket of time, what would you do?
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
When the Brook Dries Up
What do you do when your brook dries up and there is no water to quench your thirst? My first thought is to find a new source. The hard part is when you have drank from the same brook for so long, you are not even sure where to look.
This happened to Elijah, I Kings 17, the Lord fed him by the brook and some time later, the brook dried up. It was time for Elijah to move on.
The Lord allows these times in our lives when everything familiar and secure dries up and we know it is time to move on. But where do we go? How do we leave everything that is comfortable and secure and routine, for the unknown?
It is a question to be pondered and searched out with the Holy Spirit. Lord, where is my next brook?
This happened to Elijah, I Kings 17, the Lord fed him by the brook and some time later, the brook dried up. It was time for Elijah to move on.
The Lord allows these times in our lives when everything familiar and secure dries up and we know it is time to move on. But where do we go? How do we leave everything that is comfortable and secure and routine, for the unknown?
It is a question to be pondered and searched out with the Holy Spirit. Lord, where is my next brook?
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Plan A
Abraham, better known as the Father of the Nations or Sarah’s husband, struck me in such a way I have to share. This summer we had a study called Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer. Excellent, Excellent, by the way!
We were winding down to the last week when we run into Abraham. She asked us to list what Abraham brought with him to the Mountain of God in order to sacrifice Issac, his son. (Read Genesis 22 for the details.) Easy enough; his donkey, two of his young men, his son Issac and wood for the fire.
Then comes the point she is making, Abraham did not bring a sacrifice. As far as he understood, Issac was the sacrifice. There was no Plan B in his back pocket just in case God forgot or did not show up. God asked Abraham to bring the most precious passion of his heart, his son, and give him as a sacrifice. Abraham was obedient, step by step as he was led by God …without an alternative plan.
I thought about this for a while, NO PLAN B, NO JUST IN CASE, NO LET ME HELP YOU. Abraham was 100+ years old, no spring chicken and this time he obeyed God with NO PLAN B. Looking back over Abraham’s life, there was a least one Plan B and maybe two or three. Read and see what you think. (Genesis 12-22) The most obvious was out of the promise from God that Abraham would have a son though Sarah, his wife, who was barren. Abraham and Sarah devised a plan to help God with His promise. The maidservant Hagar bore a child for Sarah so the promise of God could be fulfilled. Definitely, PLAN B!
It made me think about what is God’s Plan A for me, and what have I added to it making a Plan B...just in case. And as I move forward, can I go with His Plan A?
What is the most precious passion in our lives; our children, our marriages, our deepest dreams, which we are to bring to the Mountain of God? We have carried these so close in our hearts, regardless of our circumstances, regardless of how many times we have given up because we have not reached our desired outcome, or allowed the enemy to discourage us. No matter what …that precious passion still beats in our heart.
We were winding down to the last week when we run into Abraham. She asked us to list what Abraham brought with him to the Mountain of God in order to sacrifice Issac, his son. (Read Genesis 22 for the details.) Easy enough; his donkey, two of his young men, his son Issac and wood for the fire.
Then comes the point she is making, Abraham did not bring a sacrifice. As far as he understood, Issac was the sacrifice. There was no Plan B in his back pocket just in case God forgot or did not show up. God asked Abraham to bring the most precious passion of his heart, his son, and give him as a sacrifice. Abraham was obedient, step by step as he was led by God …without an alternative plan.
I thought about this for a while, NO PLAN B, NO JUST IN CASE, NO LET ME HELP YOU. Abraham was 100+ years old, no spring chicken and this time he obeyed God with NO PLAN B. Looking back over Abraham’s life, there was a least one Plan B and maybe two or three. Read and see what you think. (Genesis 12-22) The most obvious was out of the promise from God that Abraham would have a son though Sarah, his wife, who was barren. Abraham and Sarah devised a plan to help God with His promise. The maidservant Hagar bore a child for Sarah so the promise of God could be fulfilled. Definitely, PLAN B!
It made me think about what is God’s Plan A for me, and what have I added to it making a Plan B...just in case. And as I move forward, can I go with His Plan A?
What is the most precious passion in our lives; our children, our marriages, our deepest dreams, which we are to bring to the Mountain of God? We have carried these so close in our hearts, regardless of our circumstances, regardless of how many times we have given up because we have not reached our desired outcome, or allowed the enemy to discourage us. No matter what …that precious passion still beats in our heart.
The Lord tells us to, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3
Lord, we are calling to you. If we do not know Plan A, show us. If we know it and added a Plan B to help You, show us. If we are walking out Your Plan A, show us how to stay true to the plan. Keep us single focused on Your Plan A.
Lord, we are calling to you. If we do not know Plan A, show us. If we know it and added a Plan B to help You, show us. If we are walking out Your Plan A, show us how to stay true to the plan. Keep us single focused on Your Plan A.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Sarah
I had a hard time sleeping the other night so I came into my recently designed prayer room. (My daughter moved out and I turned her room into a little prayer room.) I was pacing around it, praying when I decided to sit down and open my Bible. It was 11:11 on the clock. I knew this time, that time... meant something. Hebrews, yes Hebrews 11:11. (You know how you just know that God is speaking to you? You just know, and I just knew 11:11 was Hebrews 11:11)
I turned my Bible there and read...By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.
By faith, by faith, Sarah received the power to conceive, even when she was past the age... I stopped there... at 50, honestly, I feel past the age at times. "Why" I wonder did I not grasp hold of this calling earlier in my life?? But I do know, God knows.
Sarah had gone through so much in her life; leaving her home, being represented as Abraham's sister instead of wife, a maid servant as a rival and on top of all of that, barren. Then this sweet reminder in Hebrews to sum up her life: by faith Sarah herself received power to conceive since she considered him faithful who had promised.
God is faithful to His promises! We can by faith receive the power to conceive and birth a live birth, just like Sarah, according to God's promise.
What has God spoken into your heart that needs to receive power to conceive? Receive the power and believe that He who is faithful will do it.
I turned my Bible there and read...By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.
By faith, by faith, Sarah received the power to conceive, even when she was past the age... I stopped there... at 50, honestly, I feel past the age at times. "Why" I wonder did I not grasp hold of this calling earlier in my life?? But I do know, God knows.
Sarah had gone through so much in her life; leaving her home, being represented as Abraham's sister instead of wife, a maid servant as a rival and on top of all of that, barren. Then this sweet reminder in Hebrews to sum up her life: by faith Sarah herself received power to conceive since she considered him faithful who had promised.
God is faithful to His promises! We can by faith receive the power to conceive and birth a live birth, just like Sarah, according to God's promise.
What has God spoken into your heart that needs to receive power to conceive? Receive the power and believe that He who is faithful will do it.
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