Atrophy

So, once again in my attempts at dominating the cooking skill, I had a setback. Sunday morning, right before church, I decided to cut some of the bread I made. I didn’t use the knife I normally use. This time, I chose the big butcher knife; (The one you see in all the scary movies.) In my third slice of bread, I did what you are thinking… I sliced my left index finger right along with the bread.

After calling Joe during his Sunday morning rehearsal, and my neighbor - who came to my house with curlers in her hair (thank you Susan Brown) - we assessed the situation, greatly bandaged my finger and off to church I went.

Since the cut was so deep, and I didn’t want stitches, she wrapped my finger in gauze and white tape. Thank the Lord, this worked perfectly, and I am recovering quickly. To avoid hitting the wound over and over, I kept re-wrapping the large bandage during the week.

About the 4^th day of recovery, I decided to leave the bandage off a little longer. I bent my finger to wiggle it, and noticed it was stiff. A week later, I started wrapping my wound in just Band-Aids. This time, when bent my finger, it hurt, and didn’t want to bend to its normal range of motion. I had to work it out some to get it moving smoothly again. It actually still hurts when I bend it now.

What surprises me is that the cut is on the tip of my finger – not my joint. We bandaged my entire finger for protection, which meant I didn’t use that finger while it was wrapped – therefore, my finger quickly became stiff. I expected my cut to be sore, but not my joint.

As I was pondering this, the Lord brought an analogy to my mind. When we spend less and less time with him our spiritual life becomes stiff.  Imagine if Joe and I slowly just stopped speaking.  We could have and occasional hello or some small talk, but no real conversation. What would happen? Things would start getting awkward. We would not know the needs of the other. Our marriage would not move in the same rhythm, or direction. We would make choices oblivious to what the best choice would be together. Then, when a crisis would hit, we are suddenly scrambling to figure out what to do. I would probably be demanding. Stress would prevail. Peace would be lost. We would be left trying to figure a situation instead of working together through it.

Then it hit me. This is what we do as Christians. We may be on fire and passionate for a while, but then slowly, we find other things to fill our time. Eventually, we become so busy or tired, that our time with God takes a back seat. If a crisis hits, we are freaking and trying to know what direction to turn in and not seeking the one who knows the direction.

The Life Group lesson we studied this week asked a question. It said, ‘What is your first reaction in a trial?’ The choices included anger, worry / panic, prayer and fear. I have noticed in my years of walking with the Lord, that the times I invest in him I have more peace in day to day circumstances. When I am walking on my own, I have a lot more anxiety in daily situations.

The cure? You gotta move. When I started using my finger again, it was stiff at first, but have now noticed I can used it as I did before. Repeated used of your appendages keeps them in working order. Not using them results in stiffness, and loss of full range of motion.

I now realize that my daily walk with God consists of so much more than what to do in a trial. I am learning that the more I dive into the word the more he sustains me. Daily, he shows up to bring knowledge and learning. Not only knowledge of him, but of his will as well. I am learning to yield to smaller promptings of the holy spirit. He is helping me see that interruptions in my day are divine appointments or delays. Have you ever run into someone at a store? Have you been stuck in traffic and realized you just missed being in a wreck?

Daily investing in God is worth every ounce of effort we give it. It’s worth turning off the TV. It’s worth getting off social media for a while. It’s worth staying up late or getting up early. God calls us friends in the bible. Friends are someone you spend time with. Friends are people you spill secrets to. Friends are the ones you call up (or text) to tell them about your day.

Try God out. Instead of looking at spending time with him as a monotonous routine that you need to check off a list, look at it as an invitation. Ask him to show you great things and mighty things you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3.) Each morning, come before him, lay your requests at his feet and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)

A walk with God is exciting. It’s not a one-sided venture where you line up the same requests daily, expecting answers because of your many words (Matthew 6:5-15). It’s talking. It’s listening. It’s asking for revelation and receiving it. It’s understanding his will and walking in it. It’s asking him to show you what path to take – and he does. (Psalm 25:4)

I am speaking to myself. I see where I have been with him in the past, and what little time I give him.

Go to him. Start now. Spend time talking to him. Tell him your thoughts. Ask him his thoughts.

You might just be surprised at what you hear.

The Lord is my Banner

You know, I have always wondered what ‘Jehovah Nissi’ or the ‘Lord is my Banner’ meant. I have heard it being sung; I’ve created banners at VBS that said Jehovah Nissi. I’ve even seen it on beautiful flags made for church. Webster’s says ‘Banner’ is:

1a: a piece of cloth attached by one edge to a staff and used by a leader (such as a monarch or feudal lord) as a standard. 

Upon my research of the word ‘banner’ I kept running across the word ‘standard.’ Here is the definition:

1: a conspicuous object (such as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem.

What stuck out to me is - a rallying point - especially in battle.

I stumbled across the definition tonight. I was looking up a scripture about a staff being held up when I saw the use of Jehovah Nissi. The Lord is our Banner. God is letting me see this in action with a beloved mentor.

We all have different people who speak into our lives. We all have people who teach us. Some people show us what not to do as well. But one thing God put in my heart early on was a love for his word. I remember sitting at camp in my teenage years (as a counselor) and reading the scripture to prepare for lessons I would teach. I didn’t quite realize how God was working in me then.

I grew up in church and have had a lot of teachers. But the one God has used most dramatically in my life is Beth Moore. I heard her speak at a conference right out of college and loved her style. A friend invited me to my first women’s Bible study, ‘A Heart like His’ by Beth Moore. God started then using her over and over to teach me the study of his word.

My biggest life change was her study ‘Believing God.’ I was a Mary Kay consultant at the time and wanted to become a director. I distinctly knew God was telling me to believe him for it; and I did. Six months later I became a director. This study taught me the importance of knowing and clinging to the word of God. I learned that God gives us specific scripture as we enter, then walk through, new seasons of life. I learned to look for the words God was saying. I learned to write down these scriptures on note cards, keep them at my side and pull them out when I doubted, or struggled, or needed a lift. I realized God was more than a Sunday school lesson. I realized he was real. He answered when I called on him. I saw his word stand in the darkest moments. What greater lesson than to learn God is who he says he is. The only way to learn this about God is by diving into his word. Knowing and understanding God’s word is knowing and understanding God. Beth Moore’s bible studies have been crucial in my journey of getting to know God through his word.

Why am I sharing this now? Because I am seeing a woman of God being needlessly attacked by fellow ‘Christians,’ calling her a heretic and other irrational things. Whether or not you prefer her style, Beth dives deep into scripture and brings out life-changing truth. I know she’s not perfect and she will tell you that. Nobody is. But when people spend their time trying to find flaws in a person of God and try to discredit them publicly, I wonder where their hearts truly are.

I am asking for you to pray for Beth Moore. She has a precious family who is also feeling the sting of this attack. I am praying that God protects her, her family and her ministry. I am asking God to close the mouths of those seeking to destroy. I would love for us to rally together and pray for this generation coming up in Christ to be a generation who puts energy into knowing the word. To spend their precious time encouraging and seeking out those who need Christ. Why are we wasting time pointing out each other’s faults, accentuating the negative? What if we instead looked for opportunities to praise people behind their backs, to catch people in the act of doing good? No wonder the church’s influence in culture and society has so sorely diminished. We don’t love. We parade around waving our morality police badges in everyone’s face.  

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. He then said the second is like unto it – love your neighbor as yourself. If we didn’t inherently love ourselves Jesus wouldn’t have said this. So, how do you want to be treated? How do you want to be loved? Your answer to these questions provide the blueprint to how you should love others. Trust me, I’m preaching to myself first and foremost. This convicts me.

So, where does ‘Banner’ come into play? When I was praying about this matter, as I said, I suddenly thought of Aaron holding up Moses’ arms during a battle.

Here is the story:

Exodus 17:8-16

Israel Defeats the Amalekites

⁸ While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. ⁹ Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.”

¹⁰ So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. ¹¹ As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. ¹² Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. ¹³ As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.

¹⁴ After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵ Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”).¹⁶ He said, “They have raised their fist against the Lord’s throne, so now^[c] the Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.”

Wow. Do you see the correlation? Moses was tiring from holding the staff so Aaron and Hur helped him with the load. When we see a fellow brother or sister in Christ suffering or going through something difficult, let’s take the time to truly pray for them. God designed us to need support, encouragement and ultimately love from each other. Just look at Jesus and his disciples.

But what struck me in this passage is Moses built an altar and named it, what? Yahweh-Nissi (the Lord is my banner.) The banner is what would be held up in battle. Sort of a way to signal what you’re fighting for. In this story, the staff Moses is holding almost represents a banner to me, and the significance is God won the battle. But he used two men coming to Moses’ aid to win the battle.

That’s amazing to me.

Let’s hold up each other in Christ, for his name’s sake and for his glory. He is the Banner. He is our standard, our emblem. Will you not only join me in praying for this sweet lady, but also join me in holding up and praying for each other? Let’s practice building up, not tearing down. None of us are perfect. God is the only judge. We need to stick to what God has commanded - go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). This is the right way to spend our time and energy. Let’s uplift this generation and teach them love, not criticize and hate.

Glow in the dark

2 Cor. 4:5-6

Glow in the dark Silly Putty.

Yes, I’m blogging about silly putty.

Why, you ask?

#1 I have a 3 year old boy.

#2 I have been spending countless hours holding the silly putty under a light so it would glow in the dark.

# 3 He keeps saying, ‘do it again mommy.’ So, I feel compelled to hold the putty under the light.

Today he asked me, why I was holding it under the light. I started explaining to him, that for the putty to glow in the dark, it must remain in the light, and return to the light.

And it hit me… You probably know where I’m going…

For us to make a true difference; for us to be a light in the darkness, we must spend time in the light.

The longer we stay in the light, the longer we will glow in the dark.

It seems so simple, but do we truly take this to heart?

We are in a battle you know. We are in a battle of distraction. We are in the ‘phone age’ and this is definitely worse than the computer age, or even the gaming age. We are in a busy time on the kingdom calendar. We have jobs, school, friends, church, practice, tv, movies and any other activity that keeps us occupied (especially the phone.) We run from place to place, activity to activity and land at home ready to jump into bed, all to start over again at dawn the next morning.

No wonder we are having a hard time being effective in the darkness.

Since moving last month, my time with Jesus has dwindled. I can feel it. I can tell, and I’m exhausted. We truly find rest in him.

So now it’s time. It’s time to turn back. Time to get into the word. The word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. How? When I read the word of God, It’s alive and active. I stop to think and pray before I make decisions.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. What does that mean? When I enjoy spending time with God, truly seeking him, talking to him, giving everything over to him and trusting him with it, then he starts putting desires in our hearts that are of him. Joe and I spent a lot of time seeking God in a personal way over the last few years. We could feel him moving, and we wanted to make sure we were moving in his direction. The more we spent time and sought him the more he lightened our path. Answers weren’t always in front of us and we did not know the end result, but I believe he led us here now because we sought him back there then.

Spending that time with him gave us the strength and power to go through several moves, not really knowing where we were going to end up. It also zeroed us in on his will. (Psalm 25:4) It brought us to a point to blindly trust when things seemed dark - like a hurricane almost derailing the sale of our house.

Spending that time with him also brought us to a place of humbleness and listening. The more you spend time with God, the more you realize you don’t know. He is always showing new things and new ideas. If we had been hard hearted, we would have missed this door he was opening.

Spending that time with him fine-tuned our faith. We were literally stepping out and then answers would come. We lived with family, we moved into a rental – never understanding what was taking so long to get settled – well, we weren’t settling there. God wanted us here.

I want to recommend a book, Made For This by Jennie Allen. I know I have mentioned it before, but Joe and I were going through this together and God brought us to a point of surrender that led us to his perfect will. Once we made the step to move yet again, God started showering us with confirmation. We found a house before we had the job acceptance letter. People we did not know cleaned our house before we moved (and now that we know those people, we love them.) They prayed over our house. They welcomed us with warmth and love. We have truly felt at home since we have arrived. It’s funny that our Pastor says ‘welcome home’ on Sunday mornings during the service. He doesn’t know it, but we know those words are straight from God to us.

It’s time to get back in the light. God has a mission for us all. The mission lies in dark places that haven’t seen the light. For us to be strong and useable in the dark, we must stay connected to the light. Talk to God. Tell him what you need. Ask him what he wants you to do this day for him. Ask him everyday. Read his word. Find a great bible study, book or podcast that draws you closer. If you need recommendations, let me or Joe know. I am going to list a few of our prayer / faith reviver books. Stay in the light. It’s time to glow in the dark.

Books:

The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson (Prayer)

Fresh Wind Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala (Prayer / Faith)

Made for This by Jennie Allen (Surrender)

Whisper by Mark Batterson (Listening to God)

Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning (God’s unconditional love / grace)

Believing God Bible Study by Beth Moore (Believing God)

Dream of You by Jo Saxton (Becoming who God created you to be.)

The Bible 😊 I love the Psalms, I spent years in them when we lived in NYC and God has used them over and over in my life because David cries out to God openly and honestly.

                The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. Acts. Romans, etc.

                The story of Joseph Genesis 37-50.

                Creation – Genesis 1-2.,

                Noah, Jonah, Elijah, Elisha, Joshua, Abraham

There is so much in the Bible. So many ways God speaks through his word. Why aren’t we in it more? (and I’m talking to myself)

I know I keep saying it, but it’s time. I am praying God reestablishes a love for his word in us. I am praying that we are eager to get up and meet him in the morning and wait expectantly (Psalm 5.) I pray that we ask, seek and find (Matthew 7:7.) I am praying for a revival of souls to get back into his word and to walk boldly into the darkness, finding the lost sheep Jesus longs to rescue. If we don’t, who will? It is up to us to make a choice to go. It is up to us to stay in the light. It is up to us to be bold in the dark. It is up to us. We are the hands and feet who bring the good news. Let’s make sure we know enough about the word to know what the good news is.

Let’s go.

Courage

2 Chronicles 7:14

1 Timothy 2:1-6

I have seen several acts of courage over the past few weeks. These acts have left me wondering what we are doing.

To back up a little, I have been discouraged the last few times I have checked twitter.  There are so many hate storms. Ugly words. People trying to force their opinion.

In the end, who has the right opinion?

I have seen people tear each other apart - in the name of the Lord. But I see no evidence of the Lord in their speech. Are we truly seeking the Lord, the Bible or the truth before we utter a word?

I am not trying to leave myself out of this. I know I speak before I think. But here is where I am coming from….

We are filled with a world of true problems. People dying. Homelessness. Starvation. Slavery. Trafficking. And we choose to sit and write or speak mean, ugly words about people. I have seen atrocious words spoken about good people fighting the fight of truth in the faith. I have also seen things spoken about those who haven’t earned the right for a kind word. But what are we supposed to do as believers trying to show the light of Christ?

1.       Humility. Who am I? Do I seek truth, or validity from the world?

2.       What does the word say? Am I seeking the Bible on the issues I am complaining about?

3.       Am I spending regular time with the Lord to be in tune with Him?

To get to my point…  

A little over a week ago, I sat in the living room of a dear friend that was walking the end of her road with cancer. This was a rough site to see. The room was also filled with other close friends of mine – and hers. They had been taking turns staying with her around the clock. These friends had walked good days with her before the cancer – and were now walking these horrendous days of watching her die. While we were there, she asked for songs to be sung… ‘I bowed on my Knees’, and ‘I will not be shaken’. I watched these friends sing with quivering lips, a cappella, honoring a woman that loved the Lord. I watched hearts breaking. And I knew – I was in the presence of courage. I saw courageous people giving of themselves in the hardest of ways. I saw them trying to bring joy to a friend that they would soon see no more.

 On Sunday, Joe showed me a video of another act of courage - a man of God praying for our president. The president showed up unexpectedly at his church asking for prayer. That man honored the president. He prayed for him, other leaders and our country. He used 1 Tim. 2:1-6 as a frame of reference. This is what it says.

A Call to Prayer

1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,

2      For kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

3         This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

4         Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5         For there is one God, and on mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6         Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

 My husband mentioned something to me that stuck. What if we took all the time we used on twitter, Instagram, etc, to express our opinions, and instead used that time to pray for our leaders. It is a call of God. It’s a call to pray. That is one of our privileges as humans: We have the opportunity to meet face to face with the creator of the universe. We can choose to sit down and talk to him. We can ask, seek and fin d(Matthew 7:7). We can bring our requests to him (Psalm 5:3). The bible is filled with verses of praying. Jesus prayed regularly. He drew away from the crowds to pray. He prayed before the cross. He is our example.

I wonder – if we took what we think are courageous words against people, politics, misunderstandings – and instead gave all of our thoughts to God first, then prayed for our leaders. Would we see change? I believe we would… Why? It is written…

2 Chronicles 7:14 (LEB) [then if] my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and will pray and will seek my face and will turn from their evil ways, then I myself shall hear from the heavens and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

I believe we have to be humble first. That is very hard, but if we can come humbly before the Lord and ask for help, we will see it.

Can we choose to pray for our leaders? Our churches? Our land? Could we courageously pray for God’s will instead of what we think? I think it’s time for revival in the land. It starts with us.

Here is the video of the pastor, and a letter to his church.

https://twitter.com/plattdavid/status/1135582753662164994

Joy

Today I am over sadness. We see too many things these days about drama, and bad things, and hurting and suffering. But I want you to know something; Life in the Lord is supposed to be abundant! It is written ‘I have come that you may life and have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10)

I think we spend too much time dwelling on the suffering. We almost wallow in it. I see so many people saying ‘the Lord doesn’t promise this, or that…’ But I just read a tweet from Beth Moore saying we need to look at what the Lord does promise. I am quoting her here –

“In an effort to steer away from a health & wealth, hip & cool prosperity gospel, we spend copious amounts of time finishing this sentence: “Jesus never promised us...” OK then, what DID He promise His followers this side of heaven? Life... *Abundant *Gifted *Effective *Empowered

*ABUNDANT: (Jn 10:10) Your life is meant to be full. Meaningful. Fed by an effervescent wellspring of Living Water.

*GIFTED: (1 Cor 12/Rom 12/1 Pet 4) You are profoundly gifted by God. You are not the 1 exception.

*EFFECTIVE: (Jn  15) You’re meant to bear an immense amount of fruit.

*EMPOWERED: (Acts 1:8/ 2 Cor 10:3-5/Eph 3:20/6:10) I’m talking about divinely empowered. YOU. In fact, supernatural power is meant to be so characteristic of our lives that a form of godliness lacking power should be suspect to us. (2 Tim 3:5) *Abundant *Gifted *Effective *Empowered

Bottom of Form

So, no, Jesus never promised us a health & wealth, hip & cool prosperity-gospel-life but He did indeed call us to life abundant, gifted, effective & empowered. That, friends, may not be the promise of a happy, rich, fun, exciting life but make no mistake. That’s a dang good life.”

I say yes and amen to all of this. The song ‘I’m trading my sorrows’ was in my head all day yesterday. And I think it’s time to have a new outlook on life. Think of the people we meet or talk with. How are we a light or a city on a hill when we are constantly criticizing, judging, saying how we would do it differently, or quite frankly – looking at the specks in other people’s eyes instead of the planks in our own?

So – lets begin our days with days with praise and thankfulness. Let’s dive into our relationship with God and see what he has for us. Let’s give him the hurts and ask for joy. Let’s trade our sorrows for the joy of the Lord.

Psalm 30:5 b ‘Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.‘

Philemon 1:7 ‘Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.’

Isaiah 12:6 ‘Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.’

Nehemiah 8:10 ‘Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”’

Psalm 110:4 ‘enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.’

Ecclesiastes 9:7 ‘Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.’

Romans 15:13 ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’

And I want to say – when the God of hope fills you with all joy and peace – think of what kind of person you could be for him - running the race he has marked out for you – confident he will complete the work he began in you. Let go and trust. See what joy awaits in this life with God. (Hebrews 12:1-2; Philippians 1:6)

Your night will become like the noonday

Today, sitting in church I was convicted about something… The pastor, Wil, was preaching about pain. As he was describing different types of pain, he talked about a young girl from Vietnam. He explained her journey of floating away from her country on a raft with her mother; a mother dealing with psychological issues due to the death of her husband and other children who died leaving on a raft. As he continued to recount her story, the trials she went through were horrendous. She suffered multiple abuse at the hands of men in her family that were kept quiet – as per her culture. And to top it off, this is recent, and she is just now attending college.

This triggered the reason I started Noonday Collection. I was sitting (safely I should say,) in my comfortable seat at an incredible conference, The If Gathering. I was able to pay for my flight, lodging and travel expenses.  I say this because, as I was sitting comfortably, I heard the story of a young Filipino girl who had been tricked by a ‘friend’ to go to the big city to make money to support her family. She in turn was sold into cybersex slavery – as a child. She spent the next 7 years of her life at the hands of evil men and women. Thank the Lord – she was saved out of it due to an incredible organization called IJM (International Justice Mission.) We were able to watch a video of this beautiful young lady – now in college, beaming at her new life. She was saved from that life, introduced to Jesus, now lives in safety and is attending college due to the funding of people who support groups like IJM.

This entire scene interrupted my soul. I sat there thinking ‘I have to do something. Anything.’ At that moment, they gave us an opportunity to join in partnership with them. I did. But I kept thinking, couldn’t there be more. How hard is it for us to write a check to people and let them go do the work?

Well, this imagery would not leave me. I cannot forget the face of this beautiful young lady that was so indescribably abused and subjected to things many of us can never imagine. She was tricked into this because of the dire need in her village. Many of the people starve, are forced to sell their children-or orphan them. They live in shacks or huts with dirt floors, no running water and barely any food.

The hope found was that she was rescued.

As I was walking around during the break – to recover from this turmoil of my heart – I went shopping at the vendors to clear my head😊… And I noticed that everything being sold was going to support something. One group funded missions and adoptions. One group funded a ministry to counter racial intolerance. Another was fare trade items that were made by people in other countries. And that struck a cord with me.

I have often thought, we need Christian coffee shops with fare trade items being sold. A gathering place that brings consumers back to the place of giving – out of our extravagance – just a wee bit of money toward something that was bigger than us – doing good for those who have nothing.

I heard of Noonday Collections at my first ‘If Gathering.’ I loved the bag they gave us made by ‘artisans’ in other countries. This company has been on and off my mind since then.

Fast-forward a week, I was back home and at a Starbucks reading my ‘Magnolia’ magazine. I knew it was going to be great because New York was on the front of it… I came to an article about an amazing entrepreneur that started a business to support the adoption of her son. I, who have a touch of an entrepreneur personality, always loves articles about those that defy odds and go do it – whatever ‘it’ is. The article was talking about the fact that she began the business by selling handmade artifacts from Africa and other places. It started with a ‘trunk show’ of these items at her house. This one simple activity then produced an idea. Across the world, a couple in Uganda (both artists) had been house sitting for missionaries trying to make ends meet. They had 3 children and were barley making. And, as God does, he created an opportunity for a divine appointment. He got the lady going through the adoption together with couple and boom…Out came a company that provides meaningful jobs to men and women who would otherwise be another statistic in a small village, in a country that we know nothing about.

The article about the entrepreneur turned out to be Jessica Honegger – the founder of Noonday Collections.

Well, as you can imagine me… when I read this, I knew that I needed to do this. I knew beyond a shadow of doubt, that I would buy jewelry, purses, scarves and other accessories. Why not buy the ones that give people an opportunity? The couple in Uganda now have around 100 employs under them. And it doesn’t stop there. There are artisans in many countries. Peru, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Guatemala and India, just to name a few. And the most exciting part to me is the ‘Story Line collection’ from East Asia. The jewelry, which is 10k gold, is made by women that are found and rescued out of brothels. This is a safe, meaningful job – paying money – introducing them to Jesus and hope. All through jewelry.

What is my conviction? That Noonday is truly and important opportunity worthy of telling others about. People want to know how to make a difference- and this is an incredibly easy way to do it - and make $ doing it.

I am amazed that something so simple can help people out of conditions that are unimaginable. I ask you to not only pray for this company, but the others that are going out there and freeing people from the unimaginable. Here are a few…

IJM (International Justice Mission)

Star Fish Project

A21 (Christine Caine)

 Isaiah 58:10: "If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the no

Rain

"Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!".

1 Kings 18:41

Have you ever felt like you are on the cusp of something? It’s like you’ve been in a desert waiting for the drink of water to renew your soul.

Sometimes life hands us desert times - times we are in the holding ground. Times that we feel without hope, answers, calling, or movement. Sometimes we seem to be in a torrid of movement only to realize we’ve not quite arrived.

I love the stories of Elijah. He was a man of God. A prophet taken up in a windstorm. He defeated the priests of baal and outran a horse.

Elijah means ‘Yaweh is my God.’ This says to me, that the one true God of the Hebrews, yaweh, is the one who he relies on, trusts and believes in. He couldn’t have had a better name.

But did you know that even Elijah was afraid…of a woman? (But that’s a story for another time -1 Kings 19.)

One of my favorite verses is James 5:17 ‘Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months!’ (NET)

Let’s break this apart.

1.       Elijah was human. (The obvious is stated here.)

2.       Elijah was just like us.

a.       Ok – what can this mean? Is he better than us? No. Does he stumble like us? Yes. Does he fear like us? Yes.

3.       What did he do? He prayed earnestly.

a.       Earnestly means: with sincere and intense conviction; seriously.

b.       The definition of earnest – the root word – is: serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous.

c.       He sincerely, with intent, purpose and effort, zealously prayed for it not to rain for 3 ½ years.

4.       And it did not rain for 31/2 years.

Now that we know he is not different from us, or greater than us, I believe the key to the answered prayer is that it was earnestly – sincerely – with intent and purpose – prayed.

                He was praying God’s will.

As a prophet, Elijah was called to speak God’s word to his people, and to those in charge of his people. We find this particular story of Elijah beginning in 1 Kings 17. Ahab is ruling over Israel, God’s people. He marries Jezebel, and together they bow down in worship of Baal and build a temple to Baal. As verse 33 states, he did more to provoke the anger of the Lord than any other king of Israel.

We pick up here with Elijah’s words. 1Kings 17:1 ‘Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” (There are incredible miracles in chapter 17, but we are going to skip on over the chapter 18 to continue.) Basically, fast forward 3 years to the end of a horrific drought. Chapter 18:1 ‘Later on, in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!” ² So Elijah went to appear before Ahab.’

Elijah goes and encounters Ahab in chapter 18, which presents another incredible miracle – where there is no question of who God is… and then we move to verse 41.

Two things to look at now…

1.       God sends Elijah – as we are told very plainly in 1 Kings Chapter 18, verse 1.

2.       Elijah goes.

So let’s read the rest of the story together picking up at verse 41.

1 Kings 18: ⁴¹ Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!”

⁴² So Ahab went to eat and drink.’

Let’s stop here a second. Ahab was evil in the Lord’s eyes, but at this moment he knows that it’s time to listen to God’s prophet. We need to keep and ear open to when God uses people to speak into our lives. Pray for discernment.

Now I honestly have an excitement in my soul reading this entire passage.

The very next part of verse 42 says….’But Elijah…’ Let’s look.

 ‘But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.

⁴³ Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.”

The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.”

Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. ⁴⁴ Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.”

Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’”

⁴⁵ And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel.⁴⁶ Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt^[g] and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

Ok. I have chills. Here is the truth of the matter. God performed a HUGE miracle right before this. I bet Elijah could be walking in confidence that God listened and came through. But what did Elijah do after he delivered his message to Ahab?

He prayed. He bent down into a humble posture and went to the Lord praying for the very thing God told him was about to happen. He prayed with expectancy and confidence – so much so he sent his servant to look for what he was expecting. And all it took to know the answer was a tiny cloud the size of a fist.

With that, he announced the rain, and ran really fast – back (I’m picturing how fast Edward Cullen ran…)

There is so much for us to model in our walk.

1.       Obedience.

2.       Confidence God will do what he says.

3.       Praying God’s will. This takes faith. This also takes spending regular time with God by getting in his word, prayer and fellowshipping with those trusted friends who walk with God.

4.       Praying for God to bring it to pass and keeping your eyes open to the signs that ‘its’ coming. If he calls you to something, he will open doors. He will set up divine appointments. He will provide what you need or who you need to accomplish the task. Your job is to bathe it in prayer and stay in the word.

As he starts moving you toward the task, start praying for everything you can think of. Pray for vision. Pray for strategies to implement. Pray for the people he will add to the equation to help you accomplish the task. Pray for funds. Pray for support. Pray for godly friends. Pray whatever comes to mind.

I just read several verses that reminded me of the importance of prayer for the vision he gives you. Even as the vision or task approaches, don’t get so caught up in the details that you forget to put God at the helm… He is the one who told you what to do.

Elijah got down on his knees and prayed till he knew it was time to run!  (Imagine what kind of power the holy spirit could give you to ‘run’ with his task in his timing.)

The important thing to remember is that it is his task. God visioned, God given and God implemented.

Keep your focus on the creator and stay teachable and humble. It’s time to see God do great things!

Scripture:

James 4:2 ‘You do not have because you do not ask.’

Matthew 7:7 ‘Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.’

Acts 10:2 ‘And he prayed to God regularly.’

Worship

John 4:23-24 New Living Translation (NLT)

²³ But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. ²⁴ For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

When was the last time you got lost in worship? I know this is out of bounds for some people. It may be viewed as too charismatic. Or too over the top. But I ask you, why?

What is worship?

I found this definition on Bing:

NOUN: the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.

VERB: show reverence and adoration for (a deity); honor with religious rites.

"the Maya built jungle pyramids to worship their gods"

synonyms:

revere · reverence · venerate · pay homage to · honor · adore · praise ·

[more] worships (third person present) · worshipped (past tense) · worshipped (past participle) ·    worshipping (present participle) · worshiped (past tense) · worshiped (past participle) · worshiping (present participle)

So – we are looking at worshipping a deity. Now in my world, there is one God. We see God as a trinity. God the father, God the son - Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the only born son of God – God in the flesh – is who we accept and call on to walk with God. The Holy Spirit is the part of God that lives within us. He enters us the second we believe in Jesus. He guides us and brings the Word (Bible) to life.

Many of you already know this, but a few don’t. To understand worship, not only are we as humans praising God, but I believe the Holy Spirit within us also leads us in worship. He reminds us who God is. He brings scripture to mind. He reminds us of past victories. He leads our hearts.

One of the Greek words referring  to the Holy Spirit is pneuma which literally means:

Spirit, wind or breath (This word must have the attributive adjective - Hagios- referring to the ‘Holy’ in Holy Spirit as in Mathew 1:18.)

Think about it: Are there times you truly feel excited for someone else who is celebrating something? Like when Joe and I found out we were pregnant after years… I know people truly celebrated with us. What about hearing something about someone else’s heartbreak and it troubles you deeply. I believe as we walk with the Lord, we become more in tune with what brings joy to his heart, or what saddens his heart.

Worship is attuning yourself to the divine creator and being in awe of who he is. Whether it’s in music, or when a word from the pastor grips your heart. Sometimes you may just be in awe of nature – like David in Psalm 8. it’s a moment that the Holy Spirit moves, and you know it’s of the Lord.

Tonight, I was learning a new worship song. I was watching the song on YouTube – and I could see the singers praising God. They were lost in song and praise. It came at a moment in between words. It was a celebration of the fact that Christ had arisen from the dead and was victorious. The singers were praising, the congregation was praising, and all focus was on Christ and his victory over the grave. The very means that brings us to God is the fact that his son died, and arose 3 days later, and is living. There, praise is the hope. There, praise is the worship of a living savior who redeems. He lives. He saves. He rescues. He loves. He restores. He rebuilds. He moves. He is. The more we get to know him, the more we see these things. This is what drops us to our knees in worship. There are hard times, but there is joy.

He brought Joe and I joy in the darkest of days as we waited for a child. There were days of anger, bitterness and resentment. There was a specific time he wanted me to praise without having an answer. The seeking and pouring out of my soul over the infertility battle drew me to a deeper point with Jesus. It’s a point I would not have come to had I not gone through the struggle.

The seeking brought revelation. The revelation brought understanding on how to pray. The revelation brought a victory over defeat. All of this before I was ever pregnant. Worship came before. It came the moment I sang words about my circumstance and fighting for what God had promised. That’s when the worship came. The surrender came. The trust came. It was a moment of abandon from the circumstances that were crashing in around me and to the fact that God is God and I am not.

The turning point of my fertility journey was a release of all of this. It was a moment during struggle and during hopelessness that even though there were terrible, low days I chose to cling to scripture. I didn’t understand. I didn’t have answers. I had little faith, but I held on. The reward was a moment in worship – in abandon – that I chose to believe and see what the truth was that was going on with me.

Our battles do not lie with flesh and blood. If we stay discouraged and hopeless, then there is one less person on the battlefield. The battle is Gods. The battle is on our knees and in the Word. The battle is holding on to him in the rollercoasters of life.

The reward is our moments with a savior that we can get lost in. Our reward is in the hope that we will live with him. Our reward is him. So why aren’t we lost in worship? Why don’t we just let go and praise him with our mind, body, spirit and heart?

Why did the moment turn to revelation for me? I was honest in my worship. I was not even able to sing. I was so saddened by our battle that I didn’t want to sing the words. And I told God. I told him I couldn’t sing. That it was too hard. (Did I mention I was on praise team that day?) So, the problem was that I had to keep singing. I had a few seconds of this disheartening worship, I poured it all on him in that moment – and then I sang. As the words continued through the song, I came to the realization of what had been happening – a battle. I knew that it was time to pray differently and I knew there was a turn in the struggle. I truly worshipped in spirit and in truth. I was sad – but I worshipped. And God took over.

When people are worshipping in abandon, with arms raised, looking upward, sometimes without a word forming on their lips, realize that they have a walk we know nothing about. And maybe it’s time we start worshipping in abandon ourselves. He is worthy. He is holy. He is conquering. He is the healer. Go to him in spirit and in truth. Get lost in the one who found you.

What are we doing?

As I was driving to get coffee yesterday morning, I heard a song on our Christian radio station – it talks about Jesus being a friend to sinners.

Listening to the words, I had to stop and think about how our world is today. I honestly don’t like to go on social media anymore. People are slinging hate speech and nasty words at each other. Everyone is so sure they are fighting for the right cause, on the right side, I wonder if they even know what they are fighting for. I truly wonder if people have clearly researched what they are standing up for. I know I haven’t researched all the current political firestorms to see where I want to stand. I wonder if they are fighting for a cause or a side because certain Christian leaders are fighting for that side. I think some stand up for what they were raised to believe – but is it truth?

Either way – I have to think the love of Christ is missing in these arguments. 

Listening to the song brought me back to one of the reasons Joe and I moved to New York. We wanted to be in a world that needed a light, a savior. We wanted to bring hope to people who were living day in and day out trying to survive.

I learned a lot there about what I didn’t know. We went to an incredible church that cried out to God and miracles happened. We were friends with a former homeless man, who went from $3000 a day in  a very successful career, to living in the subway. I saw a friend of his never giving up on him and having an entire church cry out to God to bring him to himself… And he did. Did you hear me? He did. That man not only came to Christ by calling on the name of the Lord, he became a living testimony of the GRACE of God.

I saw him used in a light that I had not seen before. Because this man fell to the very bottom of the pit and lived there a few years, he loved differently.

He would take in homeless, drug using, male prostitutes and get them into rehab. He gave everyone the opportunity to see Christ. The stinky, the unusual, the thrown away.

And that makes me wonder… what are we doing?

Is there anyone that does not deserve the love of Christ? Anyone? The bible says that ‘God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son (Jesus) that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life’. (John 3:16 Emphasis mine)

So, I ask you; Who does God so love? The world. Does that exclude anyone? No.

Next question, who can believe in Jesus? Answer – Whosoever.

I looked up whosoever online. The first definition said ‘pronoun – a formal term for the word ‘whoever’... So, the definition for whoever is: [1]the person or people who; any person who.

Then I went even further and looked up the Greek word used for ‘’whosoever in the bible

[2]πᾶς - The English version is pas – which means all, every. It goes on to say, ‘it is also used to say - of every kind.’

So, to make my point, I believe God is saying: all, every and of every kind. Does that exclude anyone? No.

Sorry to belabor but I want us all (including me,) to understand that God sent Jesus for every single person. They have to choose to believe in him as savior, but don’t let us miss any opportunity to offer him. We are called to be lights – a city on a hill. That light is for those who need a light.  Let me be clear. This includes your neighbor, barista, co-worker, nurses and cna’s at the nursing home, friend or family member. It includes all those around us. Even those who watch us on social media.

Let’s look at what Jesus says in Matthew 5 in his famous sermon on the mount. (verses 13-15)

[3]‘13You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’

Upon watching my friend, Danny, I realized how much we get it wrong. We are put here to bring others to the throne of grace. Everyone needs grace. We need grace. I need grace. Don’t we all screw up on a regular basis?

When did we stop reaching out and just start reaching in to only the members of the church? When did we decide who can come to church? When did we stop inviting people to our church because we were afraid of how they would be treated? I remember the first time I was afraid to bring someone to church. It was someone who lived contrary to what the bible says. I approached a leader and explained the situation. I was not encouraged to bring them to church. Now, my momma did not raise me that way, so I was taken back when they told me to bring that person to an ‘event’ instead. This was one of the pivotal moments in my life that I realized something was drastically wrong. How are we supposed to win people to Christ if we can’t even bring them to church?

Who cares if they are different? Why do we expect people who are not ‘Christians’ to act like Christians? Is it not our job to bring them in, love on them, show them Christ and then teach them?

I’m still mad about this and I’m done with it. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE deserves the right to come to church -no matter color, gender, religion, beliefs

I know I’m preaching, but who did Jesus go to? And who rejected him?
People, we need to look to Jesus’ example of who is worthy of him.
Here’s a list:
Those hated by modern society of the time.

Tax collectors: Zacchaeus (tax collectors lied, stole money, bullied, frightened and wrongly collected money.)

Prostitutes: Mary Magdalen

People living in sin: The woman at the well – who was also a minority

Who did Jesus use as his disciples and to do his ministry work?

Fishermen

Women

Prostitutes

Tax Collector

Tradesmen

Murderer of Christians – (Paul)Jesus himself was a carpenter.

Ok – Last Question…

Who does he use now? The same people. 

We are called to love. That means setting so many of our traditions and beliefs aside and seeing others in a different light.

I think it’s time to get on our knees and ask God to help us love in a new way.  Ask him to help us not see people through our traditional hang-ups or judgements but see them as a person God loves. We need eyes to see. Ears to hear. A heart that loves.

Matthew 22:36-40 New International Version (NIV)

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^{[a] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[b] 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. 

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[1] https://www.bing.com/search?q=define+whoever

[2] https://biblehub.com/greek/3956.htm

[3] https://biblehub.com/matthew/5-14.htm

Happy New Year!

It is time to start again.

Can you believe it?

I am ready for it.

2018 seemed to be a big year of transition for us. Moving, changing jobs, churches, even denominations!!!

So – on this note, I believe it’s time to reflect, learn and press on toward the goal of this race God has called us to.

To do this, I just wanted to pass along a few quick tools that have been huge in my life.

1.     Stick with God (obviously – right?) But I want you to know something. As I grow older, and hold onto him during whatever life has to offer, I believe he’s been curing me of things. Sometimes the weights that hold us back are beliefs that aren't necessarily the truth of God's Word. Here are some lessons learned.

2.       Follow the Bible instead of what others have taught or told you. If we believe every word we hear as truth, without searching for it on our own, then we do ourselves a disservice. We halt our growth. It’s time to dig in, read, and learn for yourself. Do Bible studies. ASK. When you ask God to show you who HE is over what you have learned – hold on, it’s an adventure to learn truth. Since I have been working on this, I will never look back to former ways.

Disclaimer: This should go for everything you hear. Don’t just believe what you hear or what ‘they’ say. Search and find out before you believe or speak. Wisdom goes a long way.

3.     Legalism in denominations. The Lord is God. Different church denominations offer different views on their take on the scripture. The point is not to judge others for non-foundational beliefs. Once again, when you start searching scripture and walking with God for yourself, you start seeing more truth and letting go of legalism in whatever form it has taken.  The important truths that should be in the denomination you are in.

4.      Jesus is Lord. God’s one and only son sent to Earth, born of a virgin, sinless, died on a cross to take on our sins, and raised back to life three days later. We serve a living God. Who came to us incarnate (in flesh) walked this earth, suffered, cried, was mistreated, tortured, misunderstood – and not believed by many that he was indeed who he said he was. Take this to realize he has walked roads we walk today and understands. Go to him.

5.     God created the earth. It’s the truth. He created the animals, vegetation, and man. Read Genesis 1-3.

6.      The eating of the fruit caused the fall of man, sin entered the world and created a need for a savior.

7.     The Bible is the inerrant word of God. Written by divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit and this scripture explains it:

8.     2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT) All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

9.     Jesus is coming back for us – and those who have claimed him as savior will be in Heaven with him for eternity.

10. Find people that inspire you, motivate you, and push you to study and move in the directions you are called.

a.     Here are a few pastors, leaders and teachers that have highly impacted my life:

b.          Beth Moore

c.      Jim Cymbala

d.     Mark Batterson

e.     Christine Cain

f.      Jo Saxton 

g.       Rachel Hollis

11. Find a mentor that knows more than you, is wiser and walks as you would want to walk with God- and walk along side her.

12.  Find a tribe of friends that lift you up, not pull you down.

13. Be friendly and outgoing in public. You never know who God is bringing across your path. Make friends outside of church and ask God for the courage to bring them to your church.

14.   Go to conferences with friends! Here are some…

a.     If Gathering – Just check out this site… it’s amazing and equips you to do life with your community.

                                               i.     https://www.ifgathering.com/if2019/

b.     Women of Faith

c.      Check out conferences with your favorite speakers

Last thing… I am currently reading ‘Girl, Wash your face’ by Rachel Hollis. I am loving it, and she is quite the motivational speaker. Check her out here. She has awesome ideas for starting off the New Year!!!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GWynbqG03w&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=RACHEL+HOLLIS+list+subscribers&utm_campaign=3000e1e0d4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_25_04_13_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_22fdeef292-3000e1e0d4-104454153&mc_cid=3000e1e0d4&mc_eid=2cc2251053