Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Happy-Sad

I had a happy-sad day today. One of the girls in my High School class ran away and won't be back. I felt so disappointed and sad. She had just committed her life to Christ last week and I felt sure she meant it. I had been careful to stress to her the importance of counting the cost of committment and what it would mean before she made a decision so I felt so good and excited and now she is gone. I know I should be happy that she has heard the word and knows the way, but I hunger for people to find Christ. I feel driven to draw them in as though time is short. Of course, time is short. Even Paul saw that time was short. The Bible urges everyone that today is the day of salvation and tomorrow is not promised. Ifear for these young kids who feel they have so much time ahead of them to make decisions and do not realize it could be over in the blink of an eye. It was also a happy day. We had an end of the year party, played Apples to Apples and laughed until quite literally, some of them fell to the floor. It was good and I needed it. Leaving I felt lighter, still sad and disappointed, but knowing that my job is to love them, tell them the way and the word, and give them to God. I won't give up on that job and I am determined to see them all in heaven one day. Some days are harder than others but God in His mercy gave me smiles and laughter just the same.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The Spirit of God

The Holy Spirit is much misunderstood. He is God, not an experience. He is the source of the power we do not have in ourselves. He is the one who speaks when we have no words. He is the one who quiets the heart when all is chaos and turmoil. It is the Holy Spirit of God that gives the words when we speak to our unsaved neighbors and friends about the hope we have within us. It is the Spirit of God that says no when I go for that second doughnut. He is the same God that wants my good and loves me. It is He who groans for me when I run to God in my pain and fear. It is He who encourages me when I am filled with doubt and gives me energy to go on when I am used up. He is not an experience but a giver of experiences. His presence is sweet. He is the air in the room when I do not want to ever leave church. He is the giver of the annointing when I feel I could hear Pastor speak all day and not get tired. He is the answer when all I have are questions. It is the Spirit of God that drew me to Himself. It is His presence that made me long for more than this world can give. It is the Spirit I petition to surround those I love and draw them to God. I am so thankful for God's Spirit, fully God and with me all of the time. It is amazing that God is with me all of the time, His Spirit communing with mine. He points us to the Savior. He gives us power to speak the Word boldly. He makes us witnesses. He intercedes for us. He is present with us all the time. What a mighty God we serve!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Oh How I love Jesus

Oh how I love Jesus! Remember that song? I was reminded of it today as Pastor Sean told us how we could all go to heaven. The simple gospel, living water. Whether for the first time or for the hundredth it is music to the ears and life to the soul. I have always said and believed that whatever happens that God is bigger and that He is faithful. I feel like I am being tested in that right now but I still believe it. I know God's plan is good, that He is faithful, that He does "not willingly grieve or afflict" His children. He is good. Nobody is excluded from His love and each one of us is precious to our creator. His desire to save encompasses us all and His invitation to live for Him is for each of us! We are of all people the most fortunate who call upon the name of the Lord. God has reminded me this week that the promise of blessing is not just for heaven but for this life also. He has promised us life eternal and that starts the moment we are born again. I can live knowing that I can ask Him anything according to His will and He is here for me! I am so grateful to God for His great love for me and for you. I praise God for my brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage me and each other every day. I am thankful for the prayers of the saints. We all need each other. Mostly I am glad that I love Jesus because He first loved me!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Just some thoughts

Sometimes I lose patience. I get a little frustrated. I lack understanding. It is incomprehensible why anyone who believes in God would choose not to walk with Him. I guess it is because believing in God is different from knowing God. To know God and His character and care and then not walk with Him, now that would be incomprehensible. But I know that happens also. I don't get it. There are a million different excuses and reasons why people reject God and not one of them makes sense. The heaven's declare His glory and all the earth reflects His handiwork. He, from the beginning, loved us so much that He planned our salvation and not a single temptation comes upon us that He has not been touched by and come through. There is not a sin that cannot be forgiven. He hears our prayer and knows our names. I know I need Him. I know He is. I know what it is to doubt and wrestle and struggle. I know how twisted my thoughts sometimes are, that He could love everyone else but not me. I know my own unworthiness. But the truth is written and His salvation is for the whole world and His plan includes me. "He knows my name. He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that fall. He hears me when I call." I am wading through deep waters but He is here with me. I so want that to be true for everyone. Just some thoughts.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Time with God

We have the most awesome prayer room at church. Today I was feeling that inner turmoil that at times comes upon me and was so grateful I could go there and pour out my heart to God. It is a quiet place with no distractions. When I am there I can't see the housework that needs done or the massive amount of work that I need to be getting to. It is just me and God. I was able to cry out to Him all the things I was feeling and tell Him how deeply I need Him just now and by the time I was done and on my way home my spirits had lifted. Time with God. There is no replacement for it. You can distract yourself with television, movies, hobbies, or housework but they cannot take the place of the presence of God. Nothing changed in my circumstances but He calmed my spirit, lightened my mood, and left me refreshed. Whether you have a prayer room you can run to or a corner of the house that is quiet, don't miss that time with Him and when you feel that disquiet and turmoil of the spirit, instead of distracting it and hoping it will go away, go to that place and cry out to Jesus.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Light

I wish I was one of you wonderful photographers. Tonight I was driving home from Monroe and I saw the glory of God, well, at least a picture of it. As the sun went down and lit up a field of golden flowers,(weeds most likely) it also was shining on the darkness that was the weather towards Sultan. While Monroe had sun today, GoldBar was dark and cloudy. With the sun on it I was reminded of how God shines in the darkness. It was still dark, you could see that the weather was dark ahead but the sun gave it a brightness and beauty that took my breath away. It reminded me of how the sun shines in our darkness because God is there with us. He is. I don't always see it but He is there. This week I was encouraged by several dear friends when I desperately needed it. The words of God about taking each day and not looking ahead were precious to me. We need each other. We are each others sunshine used by God to help each other through the storms of life. Challenge: Take the time this week to intentionally encourage at least two people. Ask God to show you who and how. You will also be encouraged and energized as you do.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Possible

I came close to feeling like something was impossible today. It was scary. I nearly always believe in possiblilities. I believe in the almightiness of God and the reality that He is always at work. I know the reality of both good and evil. But I believe in the almighty God and He is stronger than the enemy. A lesson in this can be seen in an episode in the life of the Prophet Jeremiah (read Jeremiah 32-33). God called him to do what seemed absurd, utter nonsense. As Jeremiah laid out his concern before Lord in prayer, we hear God ask: I'm the LORD, the God of all flesh, is anything too hard for Me?Yes, He is the God who sometimes calls us to invest in the impossible, trust for the ridiculous and wait for the miraculous. He says to you too: Yes, My child, I am calling you to do that which I've shown you. It seems impossible, but remember that I AM. We are broken men that are serving a perfect God. He is the God of the impossible.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Entering into Heaven's Dance

Life is all about making God known. It is knowing God's story so well, taking it, putting our story within God's story, and then encountering others and telling, showing, and being God's story to them. How wonderful it is when we are not merely saved from something but saved to something. What joy it is to be part of heaven's dance and to enter in and spread the wonder of it all! To spend our days in passion for the God who created us and gave us life. We get mixed up sometimes. We try to do a method or find something that works. That is not what Christ is. It is God sending His Son to restore our relationship with Him and then us joining Him in what He is doing. I am never more filled with joy than when I am sharing my relationship with God and entering into that relationship with others. I am so grateful that I am part of the story and that no matter where this journey takes me, as I stay with Him,it is a good story. It may seem bumpy at times and I may slip into a pit once in awhile but I have Him to wander with me, get me up, shake me off and redirect me. In return I have the privilege of being His expression on earth. It is the heavenly relationship that my heavenly Father and I dance through in life and forever.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

The Unknown

I don't know where I am going. I feel unsure of what will happen. I am thankful that I have a compass. Throughout the Old Testament I am struck by a common thread. They didn't know where they were going. I mean, think about it, Abraham, plunging into the unknown, Moses wandering in the desert by cloud and fire, Joseph thrown into a pit and left to an unknown fate, Daniel stolen from his home, Esther also, Ruth a stranger widowed and away from her people. These were driven by a common passion, a common thread. They trusted God. I am struggling right now with that. It is not that I don't trust. It is that I'm not sure I want to go through this fire. There is no question that I will choose to go through. I will always choose God. But this is a time I am less willing than usual. This is a desert place. I need God's cloud, his fire to lead me through. I need His reassurance in my life. His peace in time of storm.