Forever Young

Friday, January 9, 2015

Follow the Zebras

Recently, my middle daughter celebrated her 3rd birthday. Why am I not sure, but she chose to have a "Zebra Party." For whatever reason, she became fascinated with zebras and wanted a zebra cake, striped plates and napkins and banners. Everything zebra. She even wore a zebra outfit, complete with a zebra hat, for the party.

I posted this picture on Facebook, commenting how Kellah had become obsessed with zebras. A friend shared how she was learning from me, her mama. My friend described me as a fearless woman who lived with courage and passion, comparing me to a zebra who is - I guess - the only animal that runs TOWARDS a fire instead of away from it. Somehow, the zebra knows their safety lays on the other side of the flames, and so they choose to run INTO the fire rather than trying to escape it, which would ultimately result in their being overcome by the very fire from which they were fleeing.

That information about the zebra fascinated me. And has stuck with me ever since.

This morning, as I read more of Jennie Allen's book Restless, I couldn't help but think of the fearless zebra once more.

Today's chapter, "Threads of Suffering," spoke about how we respond to pain, grief, trials, difficulties, the FIRES in our lives. She opened with this marvelous truth that we might need to read over and over and over to let it penetrate to our souls and fully grasp the depth of its meaning and the implications it has on our lives, "Out of our pain we will heal the world."

She used the example of a compost pile to illustrate her point, "The messiest waste of our lives becomes the most fertile soil."

Often time, our struggles begin in childhood and shape us into the men and women we become as adults. Allen reminds us, though, "those struggles can go on to entangle us our entire lives. OR, if we are BRAVE enough to face them, they could be the GREATEST WEAPONS we have to help set others FREE."

As if to confirm this is a lesson God is teaching me, I saw a beautiful quote my friend posted on Facebook in a team page this morning:

Being courageous isn't easy or necessarily fun. It takes guts. And requires you to face your pains, fears, doubts, worries, struggles head on. Rather than running from them, you do as the zebra does and CHOOSE to go towards the flames, knowing that through them you will be healed, knowing that on the other side lies true safety and ultimate victory.

Allen assures us that we are not alone in wanting to run and hide, "We are all tempted to shut down when the fire gets too hot. But who would not lie under his friends' bodies and wish to die (you need to read the story of Gilbert Tuhabonye to full understand)? Who would be brave enough to dig out and run? That's crazy, AND YET that same passion is in US."

"We can do one of two things with suffering:

we can absorb it and let it change us,

or we can let it crush us.

Suffering will CHANGE you, or it will CRUSH you."

The choice is YOURS.

I choose to let it change me.
I choose to be COURAGEOUS, not comfortable.
I choose to let God work in my life, however He needs, to make me into the woman He created me to me. I choose to give Him free reign, to use whatever means necessary to fulfill the master plans He has for me, to live up to my potential, to carry out the purposes He has for me, to showcase His glory, to change countless lives as I point them to Christ and introduce them to my Savior who freely gave up everything for them - for me - so that they might live.

This mindset is all well and good, but it does not promise me a life of ease.
Rather, I am GUARNATEED suffering. As a follower of Jesus, I know trials and tribulations will be part of the discipleship process.

Still, when those hard times come, when I miscarried our baby and said goodbye before ever whispering, "I love you," into my precious child's ear, when I had knee surgery 3 times is 6 months instead of fulfilling my dreams of playing collegiate volleyball, when I got the bank statement saying we overdrafted and I had no idea how we were going to afford gas and groceries or pay our bills...

In the midst of the chaos, when the pain is real, when all hope seems lost, when there doesn't seem to be a way out or an end to the dark tunnel, when you don't understand why or how this can be for your good and God's glory, it can be quite easy to question God's love, to ask, "Why does God let me suffer?"

Allen helps us focus on these truths instead of falling prey to the enemy's lies:

*Jesus is best known through suffering.

*We get stronger.

*We hurt for heaven.
"Suffering reminds us this life is short, and this earth is not our home...His glory will be revealed, and those who have suffered most will be the most overjoyed."

*Our lives could leave a mark.
I couldn't agree with her more, "If we are here for just a breath, I'd like my one little breath to feel more like a mighty gust of win."

Again, commitment to this way of bold, courageous, passionate, purposeful living "takes surrender, perseverance, and not wasting my minutes away on comparing or complaining." We must remember, and truly believe in our heart of hearts, "It is an HONOR to suffer. It is a PRIVILEGE. And we are NOT to waste it. God wrote suffering into our stories and wants to redeem it for His glory. And if we weren't shaking our fists at Him, we could possibly sit down and see that we are running from a life in flames toward a great purpose - a purpose that could NEVER EXIST WITHOUT THE FLAMES."

Her words reminded me of the lyrics in Gungor's song, "He makes beautiful things."

Allen goes on to share how God used her own childhood struggles and pain to do something good, very good, better than she ever imagined. "God used something dark to break chains in me and to se me free. I stood staring my worst fear in the face, and God has never felt closer."

As we face our fears, as we suffer, God comforts us.
We, then, in turn, can comfort others.

Allen writes, "My freedom and the way God filled my soul lit in me a passion which eventually turned into a calling. Everywhere I go I see people stuck in bondage to something invisible, and I lose sleep, pound the table, and spend endless hours fighting for their freedom through writing and teaching. Out of my pain, I see others' pain, and because I have tasted freedom I crave others' freedom."

Her words stir up a fire within me. A good fire. A passion buring deeply.
It's beginning to roar, to consume me.
And I've never felt more alive.

You see, God has placed in me the desire to help others live life to the fullest,
to pursue their dreams,
to fulfill the plans and purposes God has for them,
to believe Him
and take Him at His word
and trust Him fully
and lay it all on the line as they run HARD - full force, all engines churning - after Jesus.

I have let fear hold me back for far too long.
I am throwing off the chains now, realizing God has set me FREE.
I don't have to worry about what others think of me. God's opinion is the only one that matters.
I don't have to wonder how in the world I will accomplish such big tasks. God's Spirit lives within me and I am filled with His power, wisdom, strength, hope, joy, peace, and everything else I need to live the life called has called me to live.
I don't have to doubt if I will fail. God has already secured the victory and declared me "more than an overcomer."

And so, as I embrace my own freedom, I MUST help free as many other prisoners as I can.
To leave my brothers and sisters in their chains would be wrong, selfish, mean, cruel.
No!! I MUST proclaim that Christ has set us free.
I MUST show others He is the WAY, the Truth, the Life.
I must invite anyone and everyone to join me on this amazing adventure, this journey to freedom.
We will go through the flames, yes, BUT on the other side lies the most wonderful life imaginable.

I would much rather leave this earth burned and covered head to toe in ashes to enter heaven's glory and experience the most unimaginable, wonderful eternity that will go on forever and ever than to be neat and safe, unscathed but dragging chains behind me as I fall into the pit of hell, to be engulfed by a fire and flames that will never be put out.

Allen concludes the chapter much the same way she began, "Out of our pain, we heal. Out of our bondage, we set free. And again, the messiet waste of our lives becomes the most fertile soil."

Her words cut to the heart of the matter, "Our suffering could possibly save lives."

She shares more of Gilbert's story and finishes with this call to action, "What men meant for evil, God meant for good, for the saving of many lives. Fires are lit in our lives, and they can burn to SHINE LIGHT or cause destruction. WE GET TO DECIDE WHICH PURPOSE THEY WILL SERVE."

I know what my choice is.

What about YOU?
Will you join me in following the zebras?
Will you RUN WITH ME TOWARDS THE FLAMES?
Will you let God use your pain and suffering to save many lives, to bring people to Him so that they too may live forever with Him in eternity?

If so, I would love to pray for you and with you!
We zebras need to stick together!

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The Man of My Dreams

Yesterday, I shared how God surprised me with a quiet Christmas morning and an extended time with Him as I dug into His Word and let His promises flow over me. The silence was beauiful and allowed me to hear God whispering in my ear, "I love you. You are my child. I have plans for you. Big plans. I am already working them out in you. Trust me as I help you fulfill the purposes for which I have placed you on this earth. I will be with you as you travel the path I have prepared for you. So be bold, be courageous. You are my AMBASSADOR."

I walked you through the pages of my journal, making sense of the scribbles I had jotted down as fast as I could that morning. I still have 2 pages to share with you today, if you would let me, as I believe these words from God to me are not be kept secret but rather to be shared and proclaimed so that they can encourage and inspire my brothers and sisters - YOU - and build them up in their faith so we might join forces and live boldly, courageously, passionately, purposefully TOGETHER.

I closed out yesterday's blog with a commitment to go wherever God sends me, to do whatever He has for me, to be the woman He envisioned when He first thought of me before time ever began. I look again at my journal and see

"Here am I, Lord, send me..."

"YOUR will be done..."

At the top of the next page I continued:

Jesus is all I need.

My identity is in Him. Alone.

Delight myself in Him.

Desire Him.

NOT what He can give me or do for me.

Just want HIM. Alone. Above all else.

In HIM only will I find satisfaction

joy

fulfillment

purpose

meaning

hope

EVERYTHING my heart longs for

NOTHING ELSE WILL DO!

NOTHING!

God then began to bring Scripture passages to mind, confirming the stirrings in my heart were indeed from Him and foundational to the dreams He is putting deep within my soul.

He seemed to whisper Psalm 73 first, so I turned there to see what He had to say. My eyes were taken to verses 24-28...

Whom have I in heaven but YOU?

I desire YOU more than anything on earth.

Those who desert Him will perish, for You destroy those who abandon You.

But as for me, how good it is to be near God!

I have made the Sovereign Lord my Shelter,

and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do (hence I am writing this blog post)

As He had been doing all morning, God lead on an amazing journey through His Word. My next stop was to be Psalm 16:11

He also had me visit Psalm 21:6, "You have endowed me with eternal blessings and given me the joy of Your presence."

That pointed me to Psalm 68:3, "But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy."

I then took a turn to Psalm 89:15

God then had me do a U-turn and revisit a familiar passage to me, as if He were telling me I should probably CAMP OUT there this year, in Psalm 34. As I am dedicated to living boldly, passionately, courageously, yet scared out of my mind to step out and put the rubber to the road, God showed me verses 4-5,

"I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me.

He freed me from all my fears.

Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy;

no shadow of shame will darken their faces."

As I surrender my hopes and dreams to God, He will replace my fears with confidence.

As I trust Him, He will fill me with His strength and power.

As I follow Him, He will guide me.

Along the journey, He will transform me, making me like HIM.

I have a feeling Psalm 37 will be another destination on this adventure where we stay put for awhile.

"Put your hope in the Lord,

Travel steadily along His path."

The repeated promises of God being there for those who trust Him, the assurance that whatever may come, He will never leave you. The road may be rocky or steep or narrow or all of the above. The path may seem impassable, but God will make a way. HE IS THE WAY. You may stumble or trip along the way, BUT God will never let you stay down. He will pick you up and carry you if need be. He does not promise an easy journey, but an incredible journey it will be for sure!

I had to think back to some trials and difficulties I have faced and overcome with God's help. Though I thought my life was falling apart, crumbling before my very eyes, I was reminded then and still hold fast to this promise found in Psalm 62

By no means am I a talented singer, but I couldn't help but quietly hum the words to Building 429's "We Won't Be Shaken."

Then, as if to wrap up my time with Him that morning, God has me re-visit Psalm 16, this time setting my sights on verse 5, "Lord, YOU are my inheritance, my cup of blessing."

Through all these precious truths, God seemed to be grounding me in this principle of utmost importance, laying a solid foundation on which to build the plans and purposes He has for me in 2015:

No matter what your hopes and dreams,

No matter what goals you set,

No matter your accomplishments,

No matter what you achieve,

No matter my rank with It Works,

No matter how many books I write or if I am ever a published author at all,

No matter how many stages I set foot on,

No matter how many lives I touch,

No matter how God chooses to use me to manifest His glory and brin about His kingdom,

this ONE THING is for certain:

JESUS HIMSELF IS MY DREAM.

Everything else is just icing on the cake...

And so I wrote out a prayer:

Use me to make YOU known,

to spread YOUR message of reconciliation.

Bring people to YOU, Jesus, through me.

May my life be a sign pointing them to YOU.

May I show them the Way - for YOU are the Way, the Truth, the Life.

Thank You for choosing me to be Your child.

Thank You for calling me to be Your ambassador.

Here I am.

Take my life and let it be used fully, wholly, ALL for Thee...

My heart was poured out to my God, laying all my dreams at His feet, relishing in the promise that in HIM all my dreams will come true!

Monday, January 5, 2015

Ambassador

Christmas Eve, as my husband and I climbed into bed exhausted - presents carefully placed under the tree, stockings filled, breakfast casserole ready to put in the oven in the morning - I joked about how nice it would be for the girls to all sleep in so I could have some quiet time to myself before the craziness began. We drifted off to dream land, not really expecting for God to actually answer our seemingly ridiculous request as parents of 3 young girls who have been asking when Christmas would be here for WEEKS!!!

God, however, likes to surprise us.
He enjoys blessing His children.
And so Christmas morning He graciously gifted me with the extra time for which I had prayed.

I wasn't so sure about the way the morning began, since getting up at 5:15 with the 3-year old wasn't in my perfect vision of how the holiday would go. BUT, after getting a few other things ready for our Christmas breakfast, she fell asleep in my office chair, and I was up, alone, to enjoy the silence.

Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed my Bible and my journal, which had been cracked open for over a week due to busyness. Time seemed to pass slowly as I poured over God's Word, flipping from one passage to another as He guided my hand and spoke to my heart. As I listened, I wrote. Looking back, I filled EIGHT PAGES in my journal!

Let me just say there is something special about feeling the page between your fingers, actually turning the page, and touching the very words of God as opposed to staring at a screen and swiping my hand to get to the next portion of the passage.

I started in 1 Peter 2:13-25, continuing in the chapter I been reading on my phone with my Bible app throughout the week.

Long story short, I see that God has called me to live an honorable life such that no one can truthfully say anything bad about me. I am told to live this way even if doing so results in suffering, for I am a disciple of Jesus and should only expect to follow the example He set for me. You see, He "personally carried MY sins (and yours) in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and LIVE FOR WHAT IS RIGHT. By His wounds we are healed..."

Blown away by God's amazing grace to extend salvation to such a wretch as me, I go on reading how I "ONCE was like a sheep who wandered away, but NOW I have turned to my Shepherd, the Guardian of my soul..."

Secret about me - I love grammar. Diagramming sentences actually gives me great joy!
I know some of you, probably most of you, are rolling your eyes and groaing just about now. You should have heard my 5th grade students when I used to teach...

My love for grammar caused me to stop and take note of the past tense and present tense displayed in this verse - I ONCE was like a sheep, but NOW I have turned to my Shepherd..."

I am no longer lost.
I have been found.

I am no longer dead to sin.
I am now alive, in Christ - because of Christ.

A complete change has taken place.
I immediately flipped over to 2 Corinthians 5:17:

But God didn't want me to stop with that famous verse. He had more for me to see and learn, so I kept going. What I read struck me deeply:

"And all this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ.

And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him...

He gave us this wonderful message of reconcilation.

So we are Christ's AMBASSADORS;

God is making His appeal through us.

We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!'"

First, how privileged I am to be given such a task!!!

God has entrusted me with the job, the ministry, of bringing people to Him, of inviting them into a relationship with Him, of dwelling in His presence, and experiencing Him work in their lives in radical ways.

How totally amazing is that!!!

The word AMBASSADOR flew off the page.

You see, for the past 23 months, I have been part of a wonderful natural health and wellness company. One of the ranks we distributors can achieve is AMBASSADOR. It is the top rank (other than the prestigious Black Diamonds). It has been my goal to reach the rank of AMBASSADOR since the day I started (February 9, 2013). I have not quite fulfilled that dream yet, but on this Christmas morning, God showed me that I have not fallen short. Quite the opposite, He reminded me that I am ALREADY His Ambassador.

No matter what title I have with It Works

No matter how much money I ever earn

No matter how many books I write

No matter how many children I have

No matter anything I have done in the past, am doing currently, or will do in the future

I AM ALREADY AN

My life is my message, lived out for all to see and hear.

As people watch me and listen to me, they should witness God's love in all I do and say.

They should know they too can have a personal relationship with Him, be made new, and experience Him at work in their lives.

My life should bear testimony to this!

These thoughts brought to mind another passage in 2 Corinthians, a bit earlier in Paul's letter to the church there in Corinth. In chapter 3, he writes:

Clearly, your lives are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you.

Again, I see that my life should point to Christ.

When people look at me, they should recognize Jesus.

His love and grace and mercy and power and hope and joy and peace and strength should be on display for all to see.

Indeed, my life, this letter for all to read, "is not written with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts."

Before I get too carried away with myself, thinking I am all that and a bag of chips, I am clearly assured none of this is of me. Not at all. Rather:

"We are confident of all this because of the great trust in God through Christ.

It is NOT that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own.

Our qualification comes from God!

HE has enabled us to be ministers of His new covenant.

This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit.

The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

Once more, we see that past tesne and present tense distinction.

Death is no more.

God has come that we might have life, and life abundantly at that (see John 10:10)!

I also thank God that this abundant life, the success of the ministry God has given me, does NOT depend on me, but fully on HIM! He enables me. He equips me. Certainly, He has given me all I need for this task. Back in 2 Peter we are told:

By His divine power, God has given us EVERYTHING we need for living a godly life.

We have received ALL of this by coming to know Him,

the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.

With this blessed promise in mind, I can go forth boldly, confident, courageous.

Those adjectives (see my love for grammar coming out) lead me to Joshua 1:6-9:

I actually studied the life of Joshua farily in-depth earlier in 2014, so God was simply confirming once more how He has called me to step out and live by faith, to be bold and courageous, to go all out as I seek Him and strive to make Him known in all I do.

Amazed at what God was speaking to me, I turned back to 2 Corinthians 3 and was floored even more as I read how I am able to understand God's Word because the veil has been removed because of my belief in Christ (see verses 14-16). Furthermore, I now have FREEDOM in Christ. AND on top of that, "all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirt - makes us more and mroe like Him as we are changed into His glorious image!"

Did you catch that?

I hope so!

Go back, see it there at the end, we are CHANGED INTO HIS GLORIOUS IMAGE!!!

How ridiculously incredible is that?!

Talk about a transformation!!

Once a wandering sheep, lost and destined for eternal condemnation.

NOW a child of the King, deeply loved and being changed into the very image of God Himself!

Flabergasted and humbled and filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude, I quickly leafed through my Bible to Hebrews 10:

"And so, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus...

let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts, fully trusting Him.

For our guilty consciencs have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean,

and our bodies have been washed with pure water."

There it is again.

The old is gone. The new has come.

And so we can, "hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promises (remember those great promises from 2 Peter about giving us all we need to live for Him and the promise from Joshua to always be with us wherever we go). Let us think of ways to motivate one another to love and good deeds."

Once more, I see how my life is to be a living testimony of God's love. Throughout my daily life, people should see Jesus clearly in all I do and say.

1 John 3 speaks to this as well, "See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know Him. Dear friends, we are ALREADY God's children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do KNOW that we WILL BE LIKE HIM, for we will see Him as He really is."

I hope you saw not only how we WILL BE transformed, but how we ARE ALREADY God's children. Dearly LOVED.

And being loved of God, I should then love others.

Love proves I have passed from death to life - that I am made new.

Jesus Himself showed us real love through His death on the cross (see Romans 5:8).

So then, being His disciple, being God's child chosen and deeply loved, my actions, my very LIFE, should display and reflect God's love.

Indeed, my actions should show that I belong to the Truth.

This is only possible because the Spirit lives in me.

And as He does I bear fruit, HIS fruit...

Furthermore, I an CALLED TO DO GOOD.

I am created for this very purpose.

Arise Mighty Warrior

Last night I stayed up late reading and jotting down notes from Jennie Allen's inspiring book Restless. I couldn't get enough of her enthusiasm, her passion for life, her desire to know Jesus and make Him known. When I looked at the clock and realized it was past midnight, I about fell out of bed, shocked I was awake past 10 pm, seeing as how I usually hit the pillow exhausted by then and wish I could long before.

Last night, though, was different. For starters, my husband and I got to go on a rare date. Dinner AND a movie! We entered the movie theater together for the first time in a good 4 years, the last time I can remember being when our oldest daughter was a baby and for some ridiculous reason we thought she would stay asleep during the show. I ended up walking the corridors with a crying, fussy baby girl for a good hour and half of the two hour film. Not exactly what we had in mind. This time was much better!!! Amazing how you can actually sit and watch and listen to a movie without getting up, getting squished, or getting smothered when children aren't in the picture!

We saw Angelina Jolie's new film Unbroken after seeing the previews and hearing such good reviews from friends. The show did not disappoint. Louie's story was a hard one to watch, but as I sat there and saw him overcome difficulty after difficulty after difficulty, I couldn't help but want to dig deep and fight hard and have the same unbreakable spirit in my own life. I couldn't help but believe I too could overcome trials and be victorious.

God is certainly at work in my heart. Speaking to me over and over and over again. Building up my faith, my trust, my confidence - not in myself, but rather in HIM. As I let His words sink into my soul, my desire to live all out for my Jesus is growing. My passion is mounting. I am beginning to understand the plans and purposes God has for me. I am willing to follow Him wherever He may lead, holding His strong right hand as He guides me every step of the way.

I know the road ahead is not easy or safe.
I also know it's the BEST place to me, the only place I truly want to be.

As I embark on this adventure, I am scared.
I wonder if I am enough for the task ahead...

So this morning, as I waited behind the computer in the Children's Area at church to check in the kiddos as they came for class, I noticed the DVDs and teacher's guide for a Bible study I hadn't been able to attend due to scheduling conflicts. I picked up the book with ENOUGH on the spine, figuring the title seemed to ask the question on my mind. I scrolled through the pages in between welcoming families and printing off their children's name tags. With the morning snow and cold weather, not too many people headed my way, so I had more time than usual to read.

Again, God was at work.
He was speaking to me, reminding me this time through the story of Gideon that He uses the weak of this world to showcase HIS power. He was showin me once more that the outcome doesn't depend on my strength or any of my abilities for that matter. Rather, everything rests on Him and my TRUST in Him, my willingness to obey, to follow, even when His plans seem ludricious. Like they did when He told Gideon to fight the enemy army of 30,000 soldiers with a mere 300 men of his own. Like they did when He explained to Gideon he would fight the battle with lamps and clay pots. Absurd. Insane. And yet, exactly how God likes to work. So all the glory goes to HIS name and HIM alone!

I finished the section of the book and glanced at the clock. 10:05. The service was starting, so I grabbed my purse and headed for the sanctuary. We started with communion as a church family, and as I ate my cracker and grape, I couldn't shake the words I had written down late last night (early this morning really)...

We surrender to a God who surrendered everything for us.

Yes, my God gave up His very Son, His ONLY Son.

To die, on my behalf.

Jesus WILLINGLY took my place on the cross.

He was laid in the grave so that I never have to die - not spiritually at least.

His sacrifice makes it possible for me to have a relationship with God, to dwell in His very presence, and to live with Him for all eternity.

As we moved into the next part of the service, the title page for the sermon popped up on the screen.

Those 3 words: Courage, Passion, Clarity have been on my heart and mind for the past several weeks as God has been working to prepare me for this new year we have just begun. He is calling me to live boldly, to walk by faith not by sight, to trust Him, to surrender all to Him, to follow HARD after Him, to live with passion, courageously seeking Him with every fiber of my being and making it my purpose to KNOW HIM AND MAKE HIM KNOWN.

We studied verses on the screen and responded to questions like "What are your 3 greatest fears keeping you from living out the plans and dreams God has for you?"

Spot on to things God has been speaking to me, but that's for another blog post.

We watched a video clip from the movie Parenthood, where actor Steve Martin's grandmother teaches me a life lesson via a story about riding a rollercoaster instead of a merry-go-round.

Rollercoaster Video Link

Once more, hit the nail on the head with what God has been pounding into my heart, but again that's for a future blog post.

Finally, we came to our main passage - the story of GIDEON!!!

Stop right there.

GIDEON.

Remember, I just read about him while I waiting to check in kiddos.

What are the chances that a Bible study book would be sitting by the children's area check in computers, that I would have time to look at it and pick it up and read it, AND that our pastor would talk about the same thing in the very book I just scrolled through minutes before entering the service?

That is NOT chance.

That is NOT coincidence.

That is GOD!!!!

All God!

The story of Gideon is one for us today.

For you.

For me.

For anyone facing trials.

For anyone overcome with fear.

For anyone wondering if they are enough.

As Gideon timidly hides in the winepress to grind some wheat, an angel comes to him, "Arise mighty warrior!" Not only is Gideon taken aback at this surprise visitor, but the angel's words are not what he would expect to hear either. Gideon asks if he talking to the right person, for he is from a weak tribe and is the "runt of the liter" in his family. Surely the angel is mistaken. Surely he meant to call on someone else. Surely he is not serious abou Gideon being a MIGHTY WARRIOR.

But God is serious.

He sees in Gideon what no man could.

He looks past the outer surface to the very heart.

A heart that would courageously knock down his own father's idols.

A heart that would boldly attack the Philistine army with only 300 men.

A hear that would obey, even when the commands didn't make any sense humanly speaking.

God sees the same thing in you.

In me.

In anyone willing to take Him at His word, to believe what He says is true, to trust that He will keep His promises.

As we begin this new year, what is God speaking to you?

What is He laying on your heart?

What is He calling you to do?

Who is He asking you to be?

Are you willing?

Are you ready to fulfill the amazing plans and purposes God has for you, that He wrote out before He ever laid the foundations of the earth or spoke the planets into existence?

Are you ready to arise and be the MIGHTY WARRIOR God has created you to be?

Friday, January 2, 2015

Jars of Clay

I'm a practical person. If something doesn't work, I don't want to use it. If something is broken, I want to get rid of it.

How thankful I am today that God is NOT practical.
He does not think the way I do.
He does not work the way I do.

I've read before how "His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are not my ways," but this morning I am especially grateful for this phenomenal truth.

If God were practical, if He didn't use broken things, if He got rid of them, I would be LONG GONE by now.

I AM broken.
I am not perfect, not even close.

I have cracks, rips, tears, bruises.
I am pretty beat up.
Not much to look at really.
Most people would probably pass me by, especially practical people.

But, as I mentioned, God is NOT practical.
He actually specializes in using the weak and weary, the tired and worn, the broken, the dirty, the unlovely,the hurt, those put aside and passed by and looked over by everyone else.

I find this extremely encouraging.
As we start this new year, maybe you are coming out of a difficult time.
Perhaps 2014 was a year of trials and tribulations.
You suffered hardships.
You endured testing.
You wondered if anything would ever go right as everything seemed to fall apart and crumble around you. You felt defeated. Discouraged.
Maybe you even wanted to give up, throw in the towel.

BUT, here you are.
Facing another day.
And let me assure you, it's a GOOD day!

Why?
The troubles haven't disappeared.
The pain is still there.
That may be true, but please remember this: God is still there too.
He never left.
Never abandoned you.
And He never will...

That would be the practical thing to do, to toss aside the broken.
Oh how wonderful that God is anything but practical!!!

Instead, He gives us these amazing words in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

We now have this light shining in our hearts,

but we ourselves are like FRAGILE clay jars containing this great treasure.

This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not ourselves.

We are pressed on EVERY side by troubles, but we are NOT crushed.

We are perplexed, but we are NOT driven to despair.

We are hunted down, but NEVER abandoned by God.

We get knocked down, but we are NOT destroyed.

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus

SO THAT the LIFE of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

Yes, we live under CONSTANT danger of death because we serve Jesus,

so that the LIFE of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.

So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in ETERNAL life for you.

But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of FAITH the Psalmist had when he said,

I believed in God, so I spoke.

We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise US with Jesus

and present us to Himself together with you.

ALL of this is for your BENEFIT.

And as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be GREAT THANKSGIVING,

as God will receive more and more glory.

That is why we NEVER GIVE UP.

Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being RENEWED EVERY DAY.

For our present troubles are SMALL and won't last very long.

Yet, they produce for us a glory that VASTLY OUTWEIGHS them and will last FOREVER!

So we don't look at the troubles we can see now;

rather, we FIX OUR GAZE on things that cannot be seen.

For the things we see now will soon be gone,

but the things we cannot see will last forever.

I hope you caught the very first part - we are FRAGILE jars of clay.

We have cracks.

We are broken.

We are not very good for carrying water.

We leak.

BUT, in God's world, where the IMPRACTICAL is best for fulfilling His plans and bringing Him the most glory, leaking is a good thing. Be broken and cracked is PERFECT. In fact, our imperfections, our weaknesses allow Him to showcase His power and strength and majesty and love and compassion and grace and mercy and glory.

If we have Jesus inside us, if He is part of our lives, then He SHINES THROUGH OUR CRACKS.

If we have Jesus inside us, if He is part of our lives, then His love and mercy and everything else good about Him FLOWS OUT where we are broken.

See, leaking is a VERY GOOD thing in God's world.

It's why Paul proclaimed, "So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."

Hear me out.

I didn't say leaking and being broken is easy.

Or fun.

I honestly don't understand how Paul can write with such assurance, "our present troubles are small and won't last very long."

When we miscarried and said goodbye to our precious baby before we ever got to meet him/her, that didn't seem SMALL. The pain lasted a long time, and still 4 years later, I ache to have been able to hold and kiss my angel baby.

When we were struggling financially and didn't know how we were going to pay our bills, fill our cars with gas, put food in the fridge, or anything else, that didn't seem SMALL. I lost sleep at night worrying about where the money was going to come from, how we were going to make it, how we were going to afford having the baby who was growing inside of me. That time didn't seem SHORT at all.

When I tore cartilage in both my knees and had to have surgery instead of competing at the State Track Meet and playing collegiate volleyball like planned, that didn't seem SMALL. My entire world had been turned upside down, all my dreams dashed. Those weeks and weeks on crutches and doing rehab and phyiscal therapy didn't seem SHORT at all.

I could give numerous examples of how my personal trials and troubles didn't seem small at the time. BUT, now looking back, I can definitely see how God was using those AWFUL experiences to bring about my ultimate good, draw others to Himself, and the most glory to His name possible. Were they fun or easy or enjoyable? NO!! Not at all. Not even going to try to pretend they were.

During those horrific circumstances, I held firm to my life verses in Psalm 62

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will NOT be shaken.

My victory and honor come from God alone.

He is my refugre, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

O my people, trust in Him at ALL times.

Pour out your heart to Him,

for God is our refuge.

Just as we saw in Paul's letter to the church in Corinth,

We are pressed on EVERY side by troubles, but we are NOT crushed.

We are perplexed, but we are NOT driven to despair.

We are hunted down, but NEVER abandoned by God.

We get knocked down, but we are NOT destroyed.

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus

SO THAT the LIFE of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

This morning I was continuing my study in 1 Peter. I was reminded once more how God is not practical, how He does things so very differently than I ever would, but His way is always so much better. I was encouraged as I read this profound truth,

Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through,

as if something strange were happening to you.

Instead, be VERY GLAD - for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering,

so that you will have the WONDERFUL JOY of seeing His glory

when it is revealed to all the world.

So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right,
and TRUST YOUR LIVES TO GOD who created you,
for He will NEVER FAIL YOU.

As we begin this new year, we have a fresh start.

Your trials and troubles may not have disappeared when the ball dropped, but I can assure you this - as we enter 2015, God is with you, every single step of the way.

Even more, He has amazing plans for you this year.

Good plans.

Plans for a hope and a future.

You are His masterpiece and He will be working in and throuh you.

He will be transforming you into the man/woman He created you to be.

He loves you deeply and only wants the very best for you.

He gave His very life for you and will not stop molding and shaping you until the good work He began in finally finished, when Christ returns to take you to glory with Him.

We have this amazing hope of glory.

We know eternity will be wonderful and far outweigh any hardships or difficulties we endure here on this earth.

We know Jesus is coming back.

BUT, are we willing to put the rubber to the road?

Are we willing to persevere?

Are we ready to embrace the trials?

Are we able to fix our eyes on the unseen rather than the chaos all around us?

Are we committed to running the race set before us?

Are we okay with being broken so God can shine through our cracks?

I am shaking as I say this, but I AM.

This year I want to step out and live by faith, not by sight.

I want to be bold, courageous.

I want to live out loud.

I want to be poured out so that everyone can see Jesus in me and long to have them in their lives too!

Will you join me on this journey?

Will you pray with me for God to use us however He wants, that the most glory might be brought to His name in the process?