simply[his]

Twirly Skirts and Purple Shoes [FMF]

2012-02-17T09:32:00.000-06:00

On Fridays, we write for just 5 minutes.
Today's topic is delight.
~~~

She is all eyes and smiles when I come into view.

"Tadie, wook at my shoes! Dere purple!"
"See my twirly skirt? I can twirl! Watch me!"
"Guess what I did today at gymnastics?"

And she delights in me...
In my presences.
In sharing everything with me, even the tiniest details, about her life.

And, as usual, the Creator of the universe uses the innocent to teach the weathered and worn.
Those of us who tend to forget delight in the midst of busy.
Oh, to delight in Him and take great joy in just being in His presence!
To become wide-eyed and all smiles...
To share my day and my joys with Him...
To delight in Him...
In just being with Him.

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

Because HE is the desire of my heart.
And His delight is in me, His dear daughter, twirly skirt and purple shoes included!

~~~

Consider it Joy

2012-02-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

When the testing feels like too much, will I give in to failure?
When the rough patches skin my knees bare, will I stand up and walk away?
When He calls me to walk through the dark and scary places, will I run away in fear?
When opposition screams in my face and accusation soils my name and I'm attacked from many fronts, will I just hang my head in shame?
Run? Blame?
Lose hope?
Sometimes I wonder...

Consider it pure joy when you face trials of various kinds...

Joy!? Pure joy?! How can I find joy in this?
I mean, isn't there a point at which it really does become too much to handle?
You know, that point where we look to heaven and cry out, "Why, Lord? What is your plan here?"
But what if every experience is planned for me to make me wholly His?
What if the only way to teach me to be more like Him is for me to share in His suffering?
His shame.
His struggle.
His pain.

Because you know that the testing of your faith produces...

When He commands me to be holy as He is holy, what if He's demanding more?

perseverance

What if He's ordained my walking through the valley so I can truly learn to appreciate the majesty of the mountain?

character

The valley is dark, and it's wide, but I am not alone.
Never...
He is carrying me in His arms, whispering love into my ear,
"Remember that time we..." and "Remember those many years ago when..." and "Look how far I've brought you, my love!"
And while we walk, I am satisfied and His footing is sure, never faltering.
He tells me just to talk to Him, to tell Him all my fears and problems, because it's just us and He's all mine.
My Father snuggles me close and tells me just to rest...to breathe...to find peace.

hope.

I don't have to worry about any of it.
He is completely in control.
Completely.

"And He walks with me and He talks with me.
And He tells me I am His own.
And the joy we share as we tary there,
none other has ever known."
("In the Garden" by C. Austin Miles)

My soul finds rest in God alone; My salvation comes from Him. (Psalm 62:1)

Serenade

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's quiet... and I've been craving this all day.

All that reaches my ears now is the occasional creak of walls and the steady whirl of the ceiling fan.

The noise begins with the alarm's usual announcement of 4AM and a call to go run.

Then there is the thud thud thud of feet on the treadmill.

Then dog's whine and car's engine and audio book's voice and 175 "good mornings" and complaints and questions and laughing and questions and questions and questions.

Sometimes I fight the urge to run out with my hands over my ears, shouting, "la la la la la."

By day's end, my pile of noise had grown into a mountain that threatens avalanche.

All of this noise drowns out the song.

The song that fills my heart with His love and care and protection.

He sings it every single moment, wild and strong, and He begs for me to hear.

Sometimes I do hear it faintly, during the in-between times and the moments of gasping for breath.

But in the silence I can hear full and complete, its words and melody touching a place in my heart craves only His music.

He's the only one who sings to me.

The only one who loves full and complete.

The only one.

Often, I try to sing my own song.

The notes squeak from my mouth and the scales are a mess of broken majors and minors, never making any sense and certainly not becoming beautiful.

For I'm singing the world's song, trying to soothe my soul with words and notes of another kind.

This singing I do is in a foreign language and all I really need to do is cover my mouth and let Him sing over me.

So when my tired head falls exhausted onto the pillow and I pull the warm blankets to my chin, I will relish the silence that brings His voice, always calming my heart. I will relinquish control of it all and lie in peace.

I will be still and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:7)

Late-Night Wrestle

2012-02-14T08:49:00.000-06:00

I wallow in frustration because things aren't going as planned.
As I have planned...
Because, you see, I am in charge and I want this to be perfect.

"For I know the plans I have for you..." (Jeremiah 29:11)

But Lord, I've put in hours of work, and I need this to work and I want and I need and I...and...

"Let me quiet you with my love..." (Zephaniah 3:17)

And I am 3 with my dress too short and my hair all a mess.
Stomping and screaming that I want my own way.

This always happens! Things never go smoothly! I don't understand.

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond all cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

I can't deal with this anymore, Lord.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

And here I am, trying to cast my own nets AGAIN, forgetting to trust and release.
With clenched fists, I am firm.
I hold tight.
But nothing changes.

"Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this." (2 Timothy 2:7)

The hands begin to slowly unclench.

These plans of mine that I hold so dear are just an illusion.
It's all in His control anyway.

My fists fully open.
And though it hurts my pride, I choose to submit.
Because He demands it.

"In his heart a man plots his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

Thorny Vines and Mossy Stones

2012-02-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

I am trudging through the woods, the ones I gaze at from my bedroom window every day.

Dodging branches, trying to avoid thorns and briers.

It's 24 degrees, and my fingers have turned any icy red, begging for the warmth of mittens that I've left in the house.

Birds' songs fill the tall pines and oaks and cedars; they're high above me, basking in the lovely created world.

Winds whip about my face but sun shines hard, warm, bright...

Today, I'm feeling the urge to go deeper...

To find the beauty...

To... see.

Something catches my eye, and I bend down, pushing aside a thorny vine, to get a closer look.

There, illuminated by sun's rays, lies a moss-covered stone.

Lush palette of green, reaching ever-upward from earth to sky, seeking growth and warmth.

Wanting more, I lean closer.

Taking time to watch...

And ponder...

And... see.

It's always here, you know. This moss on this cold stone.

But I have never really seen it.

Not like this.

And all it took was desire and time.

I stand up, gazing about, searching for more detail to discover.

Curling vines.

Upturned bark.

Tall grasses gently waving in wind.

It's all around me, this beauty in the depth and details.

This beauty, that even in the bleakness of winter, thrives.

It begs me to worship its Creator.

To find His gifts.

To praise...

#336 Undeserved forgiveness

#340 Courage to share

#345 Friend requests

#346 Political discussions with students

#348 Joy from snow flurries

#350 Classical music

#355 Morning light

Let Down Your Nets [Fresh Brewed Sunday]

2012-02-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

"When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.' Simon answered, 'Master, we've worked all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.' When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." (Luke 5:4-6 NIV84)

May I stop trying so hard to do it all myself.

May I listen to my Savior's words as He pleads with me to let down my nets.

May I trust...

~~~Linking up with Barbie today:

There's Dirt in the Cracks

2012-02-10T16:48:00.000-06:00

Today I write for five minutes straight. Linking up with The Gypsy Mama and writing about... Trust.

Go.

"I have trust issues."

I wonder how many times I've uttered those words. For a long time, when close friends would ask me to tell them about myself, that sentence was something that always managed to slip its way into the conversation.

It's been a crutch of mine for as long as I can remember.

I've been hurt in the past...

So naturally, I shouldn't trust anybody, right?

The middle school mean girls, the high school insults, the college loneliness...

Piles and piles of dusty reasons not to trust.

I guess I just stuffed them all into the corner rather than sweeping them out the door.

Sweeping dust and dirt out the door isn't always easy, though.

I remember when Mom taught me how to do it well, and I remember being frustrated and not really even caring if it some of it seeped down into the crack at the threshold.

The dirt just piles up that way, you know.

And if you never dig deep to sweep it out, it will eventually hinder the walking out...

I wonder how high that pile of dirt could get before you were stuck on the inside of the door forever.

I guess eventually you would just learn to ignore it and be content to stay inside...alone and hiding.

All the words and looks and actions that have stolen my joy throughout life- for a long time, they gave me an excuse not to be vulnerable and real with others. My hurts held me in chains like a prisoner kept in a dark, damp cell. I didn't fight. I was content to hide behind my ~~reasons~~ excuses and rot alone in my filth.

"Do not be afraid: you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated." (Isaiah 54:4 NIV84)

And after all these years, I'm finally learning to sweep the dirt from the cracks.

"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart..." (Proverbs 3:5)

STOP

Hide and Seek

2012-02-09T08:16:00.000-06:00

I like to hide.
Behind the screen, these clicking keys...
Behind pen strokes on page...
When I have something to share, it's best shared from a safe place.
A place without contact of eyes or hearing of words.
A place without... fear.

When I venture out of this safe place, it's fine as long as I can sit all comfy in my box.
The box that I control.
Where I'm not caught off guard and no one ever confronts me with conflict.
The box that... doesn't make me grow.
Ouch.

Words in person end in stumbling, speaking quickly, too many ums and ands...
and the feeling completely and utterly ridiculous later on upon reflection.
Why don't I just keep my mouth shut?
She probably thinks I'm a complete idiot.

Can God really use an introvert?

So I search the scriptures.
(Too bad the word introvert isn't in the concordance!)
But suddenly, there he is, permeating the history of God's chosen people- Israel.
I find him sitting around, tending sheep.
He's not giving speeches or anything like that.
He's just... shepherding.
And God speaks to Him...
I have chosen YOU to lead my people out of Egypt.
I can almost hear his heart pounding in his chest.
“Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11)
Who am I?
And God says, "I will be with you."
Not "Be more like so-and-so" or "You can do it! Head up!"
He simply states, "I will be with you."
Moses is not convinced.
He's nervous about speaking and leading and all that eye contact!
"I'm not an eloquent guy, God, you know that. Are you sure you didn't mean to ask that other guy?"

It has taken my stubborn heart 32 years to get it!
I am not less of a person because I'm a shepherd rather than a great leader.
God does not peer down at me and shake his head, wishing I could just "Be more like so-and-so!"
I've spent too many years comparing myself and wishing for something different.
God gives the gifts we need for the things He calls us to do.
I'm a listener, I pay attention, I see things in the faces of people that others tend to miss.
God uses that gift to press me into ministry...
And how do I minister?
With words.
Even the quiet ones...

I'm a perfect fit for my calling.
We all are!

What is your calling? How does God use you?

Taming the Wild One

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

You love every harmful word, oh you deceitful tongue! (Psalm 52:4 NIV84)

Sometimes I feel them welling up inside of me.
They claw their way up to the surface and shoot to the sky like waters in a fountain.
Try as I might, I simply cannot keep them in!
Words.
Harmful, hurtful, selfish words.
Words without love, born from sinful chains that seem to hold me captive.

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Proverbs 12:18 NIV84)

My words are reckless, my emotions unchecked.
Every solace I seek from myself brings only frustration.
I want to hide until the storm passes...
The angry thoughts shout in my ears and beg to be heard.
My tongue obeys.
And I speak.

And I'm defeated.... yet again.

But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:8 NIV84)

All of my trying is in vain.
I am unable to tame my tongue!
My sinful nature won't allow it.
Only God can tame my tongue.
Only He can harness this evil that lies within me.

Hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught. (Psalm 55:2 NIV84)

Praise be to God for his unfailing mercy.
Without it, I am hopeless...
Without it, I am wild...
Without Him, I am nothing.

Do you find yourself struggling to love with your words? Do hurtful words seem to take hold?

Cherished Sin

2012-02-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

A lovely talk with a lovely friend.
Words about our weekends.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
As the conversation drifts toward sin, I feel myself wanting to shrink back.
Uh oh; it's about to get real here.
And I'm face-to-face.
Nowhere to hide.

I'm one of those people who doesn't sin openly.
I'm a good girl, you know.
When you ask how I'm doing, you'll get the usual, "Fine, how are you?"
Even if I'm not...
No, my sins are hidden deep within.
And honestly, I've spent my whole life believing I was better off that way.
After all, I'm not like those people, right?
I would never do that!

This friend's nature is more rebellious than mine.
She struggles with open sin.
And I struggle to understand.
All the while thinking...
At least I'm not like that.

Two hours later...

God forgive me, I've got it all wrong!
As if I'm better because I hide my wrongdoings.
As if I'm more holy...

You can't see my sin.
I hide it well.
Behind the smiles and the "fines" and the accomplishments.
But it's there...
Deep in my heart.
Judgment.
Selfishness.
Resentment.
Pride.
Sin.

You see, I don't want you to see my sin.
I want to keep it all inside.
Vulnerability is too hard.
It's too real.
It's all better left tucked away, ignored.

Yet, the Psalmist says, "Search me O God, and know my heart" (Psalm 139:23a NIV84)

Sin that is left unseen digs deeper into our souls, poisoning our hearts, root by bitter root.
I don't share it.
I hold onto it.
I cherish it.

"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and hear my voice in prayer." (Psalm 66:18-19 NIV84)

And He speaks to me, in hushed tones at first, but louder as time goes by.
He pleads with me to let Him cut deep, down to the roots, and kill the sin I harbor there.
My redeemer hears my heart prayers and He heals.
He removes my sin, despite the pain I feel.
I'm Eustace Clarence Scrubb, shedding the dragon skin.
And it hurts...
Pain necessary to live...

My sin at the foot of the cross; ugliness displayed for my Savior to see.
My heart to heal.
My soul to redeem.

Do you struggle with hiding your sin? What sins do you cherish? Please share!

Beyond the Blackboard

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

*My brother who, even when he only has 10 minutes, talks to me*
His brother graduated last year. He's in college. He is still his 16-year old brother's best friend.

*A party that pulls me from my comfort zone*
Oh-so-shy when we met. Now growing into a beautiful young lady with something important to say.

Every week, we sit on blue carpet.
It's a simple circle, ten souls, sharing hearts.
Our favorite time.

*Time of morning worship in my car*
This girl overflows with laughter and joy and Jesus; she blesses us daily.

*Clean streets after a storm*
Sweet, caring heart. Noticer of the little things. Encourager.

I read the book to them...
The words of thanks and gifts and praise.
The words that changed my life...
And we count gifts.

*A sister who likes to sleep in my room*
She'll be leaving in a year. Her family is her life. She actually realizes how special that is.

They're only 16 and 17, but they always bless me with their words.
Willing to share.
Longing to be heard.
Craving authentic connection.

*Tears...*
They fall from her eyes, even now, revealing her heart and all that hides deep but comes to the surface in this safe circle.

Soon, I notice that they've brought in journals.
We call them joy journals.
I watch them, throughout the day, pens in hand.
They write feverishly, recording the gifts.
These love gifts from their Savior.

*That I'm not drop-dead gorgeous and can avoid all the drama*
Oh this girl...she's me. Yet she figured this out so much earlier than I did...
And all the girls agree.
They connect.
Bond.

*I can't even imagine who I'd be if I hadn't come to this school. I'm just so thankful...*
Fighting tears, many of them, because they truly love this guy.

*Teachers who care about our character and spiritual well-being*

And I smile, deep in my heart, silently thanking God for these moments.
Among all the notes about Abraham Lincoln, the reading quizzes, and the endless diagramming of sentences, He's given me a gift.
The beautiful gift of watching them bloom.

We're counting gifts.
They're seeking beauty.
My prayer is that they always will..

#283 Gift-sharing with juniors

Always counting...

#292 Jeans on clearance
#294 Crunch of perfectly-cooked grilled cheese
#302 Homemade vegetable soup
#303 That His Word does not return void
#320 Books with surprises
#324 Answered prayers and softened hearts
#325 When worship is more valuable than sleep
#333 Prayer that calms

The Potter's Hands [Freshly Brewed Sunday]

2012-02-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. [Jeremiah 18:3-4]

How freeing it is to know that God is shaping our lives to be they way He wants them to be!

Rest in that today, friend.

So Still

2012-02-04T08:13:00.000-06:00

I am up with the sun on the day that ends the week.

All is hushed as day slices night.

Winter clouds race across a blue-gray sky, announcing the coming rains, while tall pines sway back and forth to their tune of wind.

Birds begin to wake and proclaim their sunrise songs.

And I am still, watching and waiting.

A hint of color breaks through and I'm rushing to the east window to see paintings across sky.

A rooster crows and a lone cow joins in with her voice.

Tall grasses boast gold tones as the colors of morning come to life.

It's all so still...

and I'm so still.

He is all around, filling earth with glory.

I find Him best in early morning,

before all the noise invades and drowns praise.

A new beginning.

A new day to love and worship and grow.

The sights and sounds of morning- all expressions of His love.

How often I miss them in my hurrying and rushing.

I relish the days I can just sit...and watch...and not have to be anywhere or do anything.

The days I can just be still and know...

For there is something precious in the knowing.

It's what leads me to praise.

Be still andknow that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted inthe earth. (Psalm 46:10)

Masquerade

2012-02-03T15:02:00.000-06:00

It's Five Minute Friday!
Today's word= REAL

~~~
Authentic.
Masks thrown off and pretending put away.
To step into each other's worlds without fear or worry.
This is a gift that most have forsaken.
Being real.

To be able to trudge through the dark places where others fear to tread...
To be welcomed with open arms...
no matter what.
To stop the hiding and running and just...rest.
To be real.

We were made for community.
We were made to love and be loved.
But I'm convinced that we can't really have community unless we peel off our "everything-is-okay-don't-worry-about-me" smiles and get down to the real us.

Is it hard?
Yeah.
Will it hurt?
Maybe.
But is it completely worth it?
Absolutely.

I've been blessed this week by a sweet sister's painful confession. She chose to be authentic and rip away her mask, revealing the pain. She's inspired me to let go of the fake and just be me.

What keeps you from taking off your mask and being real? Please share!

My Secret Ambition

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's Spirit Week at school.
Five days of ninjas and princesses and painted faces and pajamas.
And today... today was Secret Ambition Day.
We were all supposed to dress up like the thing we really want to be but know we will never actually be.
Oh good grief.

After much wrestling thought, I decided to dress like a writer.
Because, after all, that is my secret ambition, right?
Something I will never actually be...
You know, it's too hard.
I'm not that good...

I suppose my idea of what a writer looks like is naive at best, but it's all a dream, right?
So it doesn't really matter.
T-shirt, jeans, cardigan, slippers, messy bun, and a pretty little flower in my hair.
My idea of comfortably pretty.
My idea of peaceful.
My dream.
You know, that secret one?

And somewhere between the rushing out the door at 6:45 and reaching the four-way stop in my little country town at 6:51, it hit me, like a ton of bricks...
This secret ambition isn't secret anymore.
When they ask me what my secret ambition is, I will shuffle my feet nervously and admit, a catch in my throat, "I want to be a writer."
And they will know.
Exposed.
Authentic.
Terrified.
Because isn't there a saying about if you say it, it's real?

But I'll never be a writer.
Who would read my words anyway?
Really...

This little flicker of desire has been floating around inside my head for weeks now.
And quite frankly, I have no idea what to do with it.
God, what are you leading me to do in the future?
What are you preparing me for?
I'm scared... don't let me fall, alright?

Words.
I'm good with them.
I'm the proofreader and the email-composer and the article-writer and the essay-grader.
I splash words on a page- they come from my heart- and somehow, they paint a picture.
I have no idea how it happens.
I never do.
But God does.
People tell me just to write what I know.
And God moves my fingers across the clicking keys...

Today, I opened my mouth wide and admitted something to the world that I was too scared to admit even to myself-
I want to write.
And I have NO idea where that will lead...

Dear Friend...

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-06:00

Dear Friend,

I do not deserve you, but you were thrown into my lap by a God who delights in blessing me with good gifts, and you are certainly a gift. I wasn't even looking for you, but God had you waiting in the wings for when I was ready to receive you.

Your encouragement and truth compel me to live fully.
Your listening ear and the time you take to care humble me.
I am blessed by your love.

Sometimes I stand back and watch you, how you move in and among those whom God has placed in your life, and I'm amazed at your joy. It's clearly been placed in your heart by your Redeemer.

On the days when I grumble and complain, you gently lift my spirits and lovingly remind me to thank and praise and breathe... When I'm low, you pick me up, dust me off, and hold my hand until I can walk steadily again.

And you, no matter what, never, ever stop loving me.

The words you give me penetrate my heart and leave scars... scars of grace and mercy and healing.

To you, I matter.

Continually, you give me the best gift you possibly can- yourself.

And so from the deepest parts of my heart I thank you, dear friend. Although a simple "thank you" never seems to be enough... I love you.

If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! (Ecclesiastes 4:10)

Take the time to tell your friends how much they mean to you.
It matters...

Smothered by the List

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here on my welcoming couch after a long day...
and I'm tired.
It's Spirit Week at school, which means extra thought about what to wear...
and I'm tired.
I have Lincoln speeches to read, English essays to grade, and a memo to write...
and, yeah, you know what comes next... I'm tired.

I think of all the things I'd rather be doing (listening to The Help, starting So Long, Insecurity, reading blogs, sleeping!).
My eyes barely open, my mind numb.

Sometimes I find myself feeling overwhelmed with that to-do list that stares at me, taunting me constantly.
It sees the hold it has on me, you know...
It knows...

But you know what?
Sometimes it's ok to rest.
Sometimes I just need to put it all aside,
the list and the noise and the needs...

This good girl who always feels the need to accomplish, to please, to do...
Sometimes I just need to...stop.
And rest in Him.

It'll all get done.
And it'll all be ok.
I promise.

"...for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His." [Hebrews 4:10]

Do you ever feel smothered by your lists? How do you find rest? What scriptures do you seek? Please share!

In the Quiet

2012-01-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's quiet here.
Beautiful, embraceable quiet...
A light pink candle of pear and cranberry burns on the mantle next to the photo of the ocean waves.
I inhale, close my eyes.
Be still...

Husband's asleep in the next room.
Furry family members have settled in for long afternoon naps in heat of sunny windows.
And I'm wide awake.
Hearing nothing but the hum of the heater and the songs of the backyard cardinals and finches.
And I count...

#293. Quiet afternoons, nothing pressing, just time to...be

Be still and know...

The weekend of going and doing, the seeing and talking.
All the necessaries and unnecessaries-that-seem-necessary.
The running and list-checking and book-finishing and bed-making.
It's finally over now, and I can relish the silence.

Be still and know that I am...God.

He reminds me that these times are just for us.
He knows what my soul needs...what it feasts upon.
Quiet, thirst-quenching time to be still.

So I settle into His arms and I'm... well, I just AM.

"...He will quiet you with His love..." [Zephaniah 3:17]

~~
#218 weather radios and flashlights
#221 glow of sun after rain
#224 fast-flying clouds
#239 layers of morning- trees, fog, sun
#267 friend just like me
#287 sunrise that makes me stop and stare
#290 three-hour nap

Fresh Brewed Sundays [Shelter]

2012-01-29T08:28:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 58:11-
The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
~~
If you stand in lonely fields today and feel the sun's heat bearing down, seek shelter in your Redeemer. Let Him satisfy and strengthen and refresh your soul.

Just rest...

Try a Little [of His] Tenderness

2012-01-27T19:58:00.002-06:00

It's Five Minute Friday.
Type for 5 minutes on one word.
No stopping or editing.

Today's word= TENDER

GO.

Tender.
Open and Soft.
Ready to receive.
Aware.
I want a heart that is tender toward Christ.
Never hard or stubborn or selfish.
Like the heart of a child, always open to love.
There are days when I fight hard for the tender.
Days when the callous thorns spring up and try to choke out the young, tender heart.
I want to be changeable and willing to let him make me what He's planned for me to be.
My hardness shuts Him out, so I run from it.
I run hard.
Breathless.
Into His arms.
His tender embrace gathers me up and protects.
My redeemer teaches me tenderness daily.
Without Him I am nothing.

STOP.

Grace for... Myself?

2012-01-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

A misspelled word in an email.
A Facebook post that isn't linking up correctly.
A misunderstood comment.
A hair out of place, a lack of remembering, a this, a that, a something else...

Harshly, I beat myself up for the seemingly constant imperfections.
The almosts and the not-quites.
Missing the mark.
The attempts at perfection that fail.

They haunt me, stress me, worry me.
I wear them as chains around my neck, but hidden from the world.
They cut...deep.
I am left struggling to redeem and it chokes the life out of me, stealing my joy.

Do I expect perfection from those whom I love?
Truly, I do not.Yet I have convinced myself that perfection is expected of me!
I have no room for grace...for myself.
I give it freely but I stand defiant, with closed fist, refusing to receive it.

Measure up.
Fulfill expectations.
Always perform well.

Yes, I am one of those.
I am a good girl.
I bleed attempts and failures and errors, and grace is my only bandage.

But I refuse this grace.
This grace freely given...

Reliance on self comes to the forefront and settles in for dinner and a movie...and a lifetime.
Winning the affections of others is my battle cry, and I charge!
And end up flat on my face.

Lying there, in the dirt, I repeat it over and over...
Be you.
Accept grace.
It's ok to mess up...

"...and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..." (Isaiah 64:6)

And so I continue on this quest to stop trying so hard to be a good girl and just be His girl.

What about you? Do you struggle with missing the mark? How have you allowed His grace to wash over you?

Chopping Roots

2012-01-25T05:00:00.001-06:00

Every single time I see her, something like a knot twists inside my spirit.
Tight.
Consuming.
Cutting breath.

Her face reminds me of the pain that once sliced my soul.
I want to run and hide... and hide.

Lord, how can I love her?
It just...hurts.
Teach me how.

There is something growing, taking hold, deep within.
There is a root called resentment that gives life to something called hate.
Oh Lord, no... Not hate. Deliver me from evil.

I fear that left alone, this bitter root will wind around my heart, suffocating me slowly.

And I know it will...
*sigh*
I know.

These are the times I need Him to teach me how to love with His love.
When I am fighting it with all I am.
When my pain speaks so loud that even fingers in ears is futile.
When my heart sheds tears and pitches a fits.

My sin is great and my need for grace is greater.
Despite the pain, teach me to love...even her.

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." -Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)

Are there any roots of bitterness or resentment in your life today? How are you fighting them? Please share!

The Blessing Refrigerator

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

She's over there again... Why does she ALWAYS think there is something up there for her?

We keep our dog's bones on top of the refrigerator, and she knows it!

Black lab Lucy, when she's needy or sometimes when she's just when bored, will sit in the kitchen, near the refrigerator, and stare at us.

I'm talking STARE.

What do you need, Lucy?

She looks to the top of the refrigerator.

And we know.

And she waits.

Expecting.

After this went on for several months, we dubbed it the "blessing refrigerator," because, from it flow blessings of many kinds for our dog.

Shouldn't we be like that?

Waiting?

Expecting?

God longs to bless us with delights unfathomable.

His greatest joy comes in the gifts.

He longs for us to enjoy Him!

We gain satisfaction and joy and blessing from delighting in the gifts He give us.

Nothing makes the giver happier than to see the receiver delight deeply in the gifts.

Are you expecting blessings today? Are you seeking gifts in every moment?

The Gift of Interruption

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

Daily I pass through the doors of learning.
After alarm clock and three miles and hot oatmeal and driving, I enter.
I enter to serve them.
These sixty-two bodies with souls and hearts and brains, eager to find out who they are and where they fit.
They, the in-betweens. The not-child, not-adult humans- they fill the halls with laughter and grumbling and... life.

My list of jobs is long, ever-growing, and I am weary with the keeping up.
I seek solace and silence and... sitting.
If only for a moment.
And as soon as it's found, it's broken. That silence I crave, shattered.

One, a young ~~boy~~ man who vies for attention, my attention, expands the hallway to include my room. He ambles along the floor, smiling as he goes, and I think...interruption.

Young girl flies in at bell's ring, arms waving with joy and greeting.
Interruption.

Students working, not a sound, finally...silence.
Precious young lady full of life and bright future bounces in and stands near. I smile and hear. Future words- college, marriage...fear. Open.
And shamefully, I feel it again... interruption.

What is this disease that gnaws at me, leaving me for dead?
And my heart is hard.
My spirit grumbling.
My soul dry.

But I remember grace. My ever-growing seeking of the beautiful in the ugly.
I sit.
And I breathe.
Lord, show me the gifts here.
I'm blind.
Open my eyes.

And then I see them- the lovely, God-given moments of grace.

The ambling, the waving, the words- not interruptions- but blessings!

Those that God sends my way to bring joy in the midst of the everyday.
I've become a refuge. A place of safety to share joys, dreams, smiles.
This is what it's all about.
This is why I'm here.
To invest life and love into hearts and souls.
To bless others!

Lord, crush my ever-present need to gratify and glorify self.
Keep my eyes wide open, looking for grace in the everyday moments...
~~even~~ especially in the interruptions.
~~

Always counting...

#139- silly thirteen year old girls

#145- celebration of small victories

#146- kindergarten school at Chickfila

#151- aroma of pizza in the oven

#157- thunder in early morning

#167- faithfulness of a dog

#179- books finished and books begun

#184- warm blankets

#187- sun's glow on moss-covered trees

#192- crunch of pine bark under birds' feet

#124- freshly-opened peanut butter

Those Whom He Loves

2012-01-21T16:32:00.000-06:00

Young and wide-eyed boy of four, hair all a mess from playing hard, counting members of his family.

Dad..and Mom..Sister..Brother.. Me.. Baby not yet born..

Fingers emerge, counting thoughtfully, carefully.

Seven!

I look quick, confused, wrinkled brow.

Don't you mean six?

He smiles, excusing my obvious forgetting.

You! You are in my family!

I smile... Deep in my soul.

I matter to him.

I belong to him.

This child whose affection isn't bound by relation of blood includes me in his circle of love.

It all makes perfect sense to him! Those whom he loves are family!

And God whispers to me that this...this belonging...this pure and unconditional love from a child...

It's a gift.

I do not deserve it.

No, not at all.

Yet this boy gives his heart freely.

Without reservation.

And I humble.

Slowing down and savoring this moment...

Father, is this how you love?
When I don't deserve, you give love?

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! [1 John 3:1 NIV]

Five Minute Friday [Vivid]

2012-01-20T18:08:00.000-06:00

Five minutes of writing.

No editing.

Today's word is vivid.

GO.

Vivid means alive.

Colorful.

Real.

Clearly seen.

I seek a life that sees everything through vivid lenses.

Small moments, slowing down in time to be savored, remembered...

I don't want to miss anything!

His graces, the ones He's pouring into my ever-seeking heart with every breath.

I press moments into my heart's journal to hold them there forever.

I press deep.

This life is brief, always ticking away, yet we so often hurry and scurry and rush...

Oh, that rush.

Always chasing us into a place of dull, monotonous darkness.

When we stop and gaze and breathe it all in...

That's when life really becomes vivid.

Pink Edges of Grace

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

Long, tiring day finally slows to its end.
Home comes into view, a longed-for sight.
Car in park, seat belt off.
Car door opens as frigid wind accosts my skin.

It's so much colder here in the cove.

I gaze down the road.

That lovely God-created bowl, carved out among mountains high.
This must be... heaven on earth.

Lungs burn deep from blustering breezes, a gentle reminder that winter's bearing down hard.

I open the mailbox, grasping at bills and advertisements and worthless ink on pages.

There, peeking out from a perfunctory pile of papers, it catches my eye.
Pink edges, bearing the name of a dear one.
No address, just a name.
A name that stirs my heart to know what's inside.

I'm a child on Christmas morning, expectant and excited, clutching a package that craves to be opened.

Letter, handwritten, ink all pink.
Short, but enough.
Enough to cause me to linger and read over and over...
Enough to stir joy and gladness and love.
Enough... it's just... enough.

A reminder of a scripture sent long ago.
Gratitude for friendship and love.
Joy in sisterhood of the soul.

Grace.

My gifts, as I journey to one thousand, multiply every moment.
I am surrounded and blessed by grace.

All is grace.

Love Found

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

Every morning I step meekly, expectantly, into her home. I hear her children's laughter, I see the fields and trees and farms, I feel the winds on my face.

I'm there.

Every day she teaches me... challenges me... to seek grace. I read her gifts and find myself searching for my own.

It's everywhere, you know...
Surrounding my God-formed skin.

Grace in a fallen leaf bobbing in the winds of the morning.
Grace in the warmth of a soft red fleece blanket enveloping my body.
Grace in quiet moments before the hurried madness of the day.

God's grace.
His delight.
Evidences of His love for us.

Today I'm looking at my word, love, in a brand new way. There is new thanksgiving in my heart for the little things. The moments that lure me to stop and ponder the simplicity of love.

This grace comes in moments when I'm looking and in moments when I'm distracted. It's there, shouting over deafening noise and whispering in soft silence.

His love surrounds me and invites me to remain.
So I do...
Slow breaths...
Calm.
Joy.

Passing the Tooth Test

2012-01-17T05:00:00.000-06:00

Today my calendar reminded me... Two little words that I really didn't want to read... dentist appointment. Now don't get me wrong; it's not like I hate going to the dentist. I have a really cool dentist. She has tv's and massaging chairs and it even smells nice in there! No, I don't dread pain or worry about being anxious. Why do I dislike going to the dentist?

Because I don't want to fail!!!

You see, I am one of those people who must pass every test.

I do not like to miss the mark!

In anything.

Ever.

Yeah, it's a real problem.

So, I walk into the office, stepping quickly and pulling the hair from my eyes after walking through the windy parking lot. I push open the office door to find an almost-empty waiting room. Whew! No uncomfortable smiles or small talk. After settling down in my chair, opening my Kindle book, and trying to drown out the noise from the basketball game playing on the television, I'm feeling calm. I've got this.

Katie, come on back.

Awesome.

(I'll spare you the details of the visit. We've all been there. You know,- scrape, brush, floss...)

And at the end of it all, I await her ~~critique~~ encouragement.

Everything looks great! You're doing a good job.

YES! I passed! No room for criticism here. SMILE.

As a matter of fact, your teeth are the best teeth I have ever seen! And while we're on the subject, you're completely awesome.

(Ok, maaaaaybe that last part didn't really happen, but I'm pretty sure she wanted to say it but couldn't because there were other patients around and she didn't want to hurt their feelings.)

What is the deal here? Why did I take so much joy in having a good dental visit?!

Because I passed.

I checked all the boxes.

I was a good girl.

While it's good to be good, it's also dangerous. Sometimes I can place too much stock in being good and I tend to want to please my Redeemer by doing all the "right things." Dare I say I tend to work to be righteous in His eyes?

Ouch.

Attend the Bible study.

Read the entire Bible.

Memorize all of those verses.

While doing things is certainly good and commanded, it's not the only thing.

Every day, my sweet Savior says, "Come to me and let me clean up the dirt in your life." He says to come and let Him take care of the rest. He will gladly scrape away all the sinful buildup I hide, even the stuff I don't know is there.

How about you? Do you work to be righteous in His eyes? Do you forget to just come?

A New Thing

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

Confession: This little introverted "must-plan-everything" girl does not like change. I like routine, schedules, plans! They allow me to breathe easier and smile more. (Seriously, try to spring something on me spur-of-the-moment and see what happens...)

I'm convinced, however, that God wants me to chill out a little bit about this whole change thing. Over the last few years, I've encountered many changes in my world, and every single time, I've met them kicking and screaming!

In the last year or so, I've lost friendships- really good ones!- and I've fought it. Consistently, I would find myself asking why I couldn't keep that person interested in me or what I said/did to push them away.

Blaming myself.
Every single time.

But I've recently come to realize something, really realize it. You know, not one of those "it's in my head realizations" but one of those light bulb moments when a reality bangs you in the forehead and sinks right on in!

God gives me the things/people I need for whatever leg of the journey I'm on.

When my life changes, and He moves me to another part of His plan for me, He knows what I need. He brings new things all the time!

He brings change.

Change that I need for the moment.

"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:18-19)

And what does He require of me? That I embrace whatever gifts He shares with me.

New opportunities.
New people.

And my loving Redeemer speaks softly to me all the while...

"I am going to make things so satisfying, with myself, that you will have life in the desert! I will be your living water. I will give you what you need. Let go of the past. Stop worrying. Stop blaming. Stop wishing."

Embrace the change.

He is doing a new thing!

~~
Counting gifts with Ann Voskamp today.

#24 Afternoon shadows in my woods
#32 Second Chances
#37 Beautiful music that moves me
#39 Silence when I need it
#46 Weekend renewal for my soul

Fresh Brewed Sunday [Dwell]

2012-01-15T20:19:00.000-06:00

"One thing I ask of the Lord; this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. For in the day of trouble, He will keep me safe in His dwelling, He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."

~Psalm 27:4-5

Choose to dwell in Him today and feel His loving arms around you, bringing beautiful peace.

Startling Grace [Part Two]

2012-01-15T14:00:00.000-06:00

Another friend, another story of grace.
[Read part one.]
~~
Sometimes God brings people into your life who need your encouragement. When they stumble onto your path, it's clear that your role is mentor. I had one such person come into my life last year. One precious girl that God tossed into my world that would eventually change it completely.

She was hurting.
Badly.
And she came to me.
And I didn't know what to say...

Years running from God had left this dear girl empty and starving for love. She craved Jesus, but she didn't know it. She was grasping for anything...anyone that would listen and love her. She'd experienced deep, painful loss and she was giving up.

Our dialogue was honest and real. Gut-wrenching at times. My heart was in deep sorrow for her, for I knew exactly what she needed. But she was not willing to surrender her heart to God. There were glimpses of change, but they were short-lived. Every time she went back to her old ways, a piece of my heart broke all over again.

Oh Holy God, please save her.
Bring her to her knees before You.
Please, Lord...

As time passed, we shared more and more, and eventually she started to heal and desire something more. She knew she needed God, but she wasn't quite ready to give it all up. The world looked so delicious to her hungry heart...

And then God moved. He took my sweet friend to a place far from home, a place where she had to be Jesus to the unloved. To those who, just like her, were thirsty for something more...

She could relate.
They needed Jesus.
SHE needed Jesus.

And that's when her life really changed. She stopped seeking love in the wrong places. She looked up, gazed into the eyes of her Savior, and surrendered.... finally.

Floored by God's gracious love, I found myself, yet again, speechless. This sovereign God had been putting the details in place all along, even in the midst of hopelessness.

Bold.
Fervent.
Deeply joyful.
These are all words I would use to describe her now. I have stood next to her all along, watching this transformation. She is not the same person who came to me a year ago, drowning in her grief and sin.

God can take the dirtiest, most rebellious sinner and create a pure and clean lover of Himself. After all, aren't we all dirty? Haven't we all grieved the heart of our Creator? Nobody...nobody is beyond His grace.

Pray hard.
Trust his heart.
Love unconditionally.

Startling Grace [Part One]

2012-01-14T20:44:00.000-06:00

I've been counting gifts this month. It's amazing how much your perspective can change when you actively look for things to be thankful for! One Thousand Gifts is next on my reading list (although I couldn't find it at Target or Barnes and Noble today).
~~
Today's Joy Dare is to list three ways I see the startling grace of God.

Startling.

Over the course of the past few months, I have seen so many prayers answered! I've spent much more time talking with my God and taking my requests and worries to His throne in faith. Two of my biggest answered prayers recently have come in the lives of friends.

A few short months ago, I was feeling deep fear that I had lost a dear, lifelong friend. We were heading in two very different directions, and she had chosen to push me away for various reasons. I found myself on my knees begging God to restore our relationship and remove Satan's hold on her.

But things didn't get any better.

I was devastated.

Eventually, I started to ask God if He was calling me to something else. Maybe He was asking me to give her up? I couldn't get a clear answer...other than wait. And wait is what I did. No matter how strongly I felt that things were over, God never, ever told me to bow out. He just told me to wait while He worked.

So I waited.
For a really long time.
And I grew weary of waiting.

My heart felt sick over this whole situation, and I, in my limited human vision, saw no end to the pain.

But...

Praise my precious Savior, He continued to work while I grieved! There was nothing I could do to fix the situation, and I think that was a lesson He wanted me to learn. I needed to step back, realize that He is the one in control, and let Him do His thing. (Yeah, it's a tug-of-war all the time... I'm usually trying to take control when I should just be letting go.)

I remember the night I got her email. My mouth literally dropped open in shock! (And I did some joy jumping in my kitchen at 4:30 in the morning!)

She'd come back.
God had answered my prayer!
He'd fixed it all.

Even now as I think of it, I fight tears. I know that God had the perfect plan all along, and so many people were changed in so many ways just by walking through this journey in her life.

By this time, I'd already convinced myself that it was over and God's answer to me was to let her go. But have you ever found God to show up when we've forgotten that He works miracles? When we've become so blinded by what's going on right in front of us that we lose sight of His amazing, wonderful power?

My faith was strengthened that night.

And if that was His intention, then it was all worth it.

The grace of our Lord startles me and leaves me gazing upon His face with awe.

What are you praying for today? Have you felt like giving up? Share your story with me!

I'll Never Sleep Again [FMF- Awake]

2012-01-13T16:43:00.001-06:00

I'm beginning to love posting on Friday. Having a topic to write aimlessly about is somehow freeing.

Awake:

GO.

I could write about being awake too early in the morning or not being able to fall asleep at night long after I need to be snoring, but I want to dig deeper and find more.

When I think about being awake, my mind goes back to last summer when God awakened my heart to His love and grace. I was ambling along, sporting a sleepy Christianity, while people around me were experiencing God! I wasn't even aware that I was asleep.

"Awake my soul, and sing." Those lyrics from Chris Tomlin are running through my head as I type. It's only when we find Christ and surrender to His love that our souls can truly be satisfied and awake.

Being awake means being alert, moving around, and seeing.

When our souls are awake, we are at peace.

Thanks be to God for seeking our souls and our hearts when we don't even know we need it!

STOP.

Such Fragile Skin

2012-01-12T18:33:00.001-06:00

Today was one of those days when I probably should have ignored my alarm clock and stayed in bed. Yeah, one of those... You know the kind I'm talking about.

An unsettled spirit pervaded me, and I was fighting hard to keep it inside. I mean, hard.

Every person I encountered frustrated me, and it wasn't because of anything they did; it was because I'd let darkness take hold.

Selfish pride.

I begged the Lord to give me whatever I needed to make it through the day without going to prison for murder, and I was starting to wonder if I should just give up and grab an orange jumpsuit.

Blindness.

And then, it happened.
All in one thirty second span, I was metaphorically smacked in the face and knocked on the ground.
I looked back at her, fighting tooth and nail to suppress the tears, and responded with a smile a kind word.
When she walked away, I swallowed my stunned tears.

Today, Lord? You know I can't handle one more thing today!

So I huffed and puffed at the injustice of the whole situation, knowing full well that she didn't mean it in the way it came out. But I was completely embarrassed.

Lord, give me strength to love...intentionally.

Today was a test of this thing I'm working on called love. Do I really mean what I say? Am I willing to love without finding fault and forgive without resentment? Can I look past the heat of the moment and seek peace?

I will rise above this and forgive.

And God, in His grace, toughened my fragile skin today.
He knows I need it.
Don't we all?

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. [psalm 27:14]
~~
Is your skin being toughened? Your love being tested? Please share!

One Word Wednesday [Love] #2

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

Ahem.

Announcement:

I love people! I love everyone. After all, Jesus says to love your neighbor, right?
Easy!
And of course, there is the ever-spoken, "You don't have to like them but you do have to love them."
Whew! As long as I don't have to like them...

You know what? It's really easy for me to love people just like me. It's easy with my dear friend who is almost a carbon copy of me. It's easy with the people who don't talk over me or snub me or simply make my head spin with their constant energy. It's easy with the ones who will accept me in spite of my complaining, struggling, and pride. Loving those who...oh my word, it's really true... love me back is easy.

This isn't unselfish love.
At all...

I find myself loving to gain rather than give.
Ouch.

God calls me to love my neighbor, which really means I'm to love all kinds of people!
But Lord, surely you didn't mean that person, did you? Come on... She's just so ___________!

Ok, so apparently I have NO idea what love actually is...

Philippians 2:3-10 ESV-

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ...

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 ESV-

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

And so I continue my journey down this path of allowing God to rip me away from the comfortable...

What about you? How do you show love to the unlovable?

Bricks and Tents

2012-01-10T18:24:00.001-06:00

So many walls.

Built so tall.

A brick at a time.

Protection.

Safety.

Hiding.

We are very good at it, you know.

Building up those walls around our hearts.

We insist we're doing it for our own good.

After all, we've been hurt before, right?

And we're done with that.

Let Him break them down.

Yes, I know it's too hard for you to handle on your own.

But He never asks you to handle anything alone!

Just step back, stop lugging those bricks around, and surrender your safety.

Expand your tents and allow Him to bring new people and experiences in!

Stop hiding.

Start living.

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.
~Isaiah 54:2
~~~
He will bring down your high fortified walls and lay them low; he will bring them down to the ground, to the very dust.
~Isaiah 25:12

Seek Light or Darkness?

2012-01-09T16:45:00.000-06:00

As I type from the road to migraine-induced dizziness, I'm not really even sure where this post will end up. I've actually been almost stressing about what to write. I knew I wanted to write something, but I wasn't getting any clear ideas or direction.

And then I got a letter -a gift is what she called it- from someone most dear to my heart. (First of all, I have a slight love affair with handwritten letters. I think that taking the time to write a letter when it's so easy to communicate in other ways is really special.) To be honest, it lifted me up and encouraged me more than she knows.

"I pray that you will always shine your light in darkness. I know that *place where we spend our days* is flooded with light, so I pray that you and I will seek out the darkness."

Seek darkness? Ok, that sounds great and all, but I'm doing God's work right here where I am, right? I'm helping to train the next generation of leaders for Christ. And yes, I am doing that, for that is what He has called me to do. But He also calls me to be a light, His light, in the darkness. Right now I'm just being a light in the light! After all, it's right in the middle of my most-beloved comfort zone!

When you light a candle in a well-lit room, what happens? Does the candle make that much of a difference? Not really. But when you light a candle in a completely dark room, that one candle can light up a huge space! It really makes a difference! And which room needs the light more?

The darkness cries out for the light.
Even if it's not aware that it does.
We are the light.

I have no idea where this will lead me, but I know that God is speaking to us.

Imagine how dark this earth was for Jesus 2000 years ago when He left heaven. But praise God He came running! To save us from darkness!

What are your insights/encouragements? Do you run toward the darkness or from the darkness?
~~~
Linking up with the lovely Ann Voskamp today to thank our glorious God for his amazing gifts.

#21 Letters from friends that move and inspire
#22 Rainy afternoons and cozy blankets
#23 Encouragement in beauty from lovely friends
#24 Planning and preparation for the upcoming school year
#25 Yummy new recipes to try!

The Little Red Truck

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning did not begin so well. Alarm- 4:15. Only slept 6 hours...again... and I didn't want to go run. Did it anyway. Then I dropped an egg on the floor and later snagged my fingernail with the razor. Finally made it out the door, and ended up behind Mr. "I'm in the country and I'm going to drive 35mph no matter what." I don't know how many of you have ever driven through the country (I'm talking Alabama country here), but it's really not that normal to keep to the speed limit out here. (I mean, um, Hi Mom! I always follow the exact speed limit.)

HE. WAS. DRIVING. SO. SLOWLY.

Well, I decided that this wasn't going to bother me. What's the point, right? After I got to the highway, I could be on my merry little way. I popped in my David Platt sermon for today, which was on James 1. Yeah, that's the "count it all joy when you face various trials" one...

Suddenly, I realized that, at some point, Mr. Country had turned off. I was actually driving the speed limit again! But I could not remember him turning off!

Ok, so I'm an English teacher, so parallels come to me rather quickly and when I don't even look for them. And, of course, God whispered one in my ear.

You see, when we are struggling along in life, bogged down by something or other, all we can see is the little red country truck that's hindering our joy. We are unhappy because the lines are solid and we can't pass it. We are frustrated that we are stuck.

But what we forget, so many times, is that when we change our focus, we forget all about the truck! When we abide in His Word, our struggles are lifted without us even realizing it!

Set your eyes on your Savior today.
Stop wishing you could pass the truck.
Learn to dwell in Him.

James 1:2-4-
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

All the Noise [FMF- Roar]

2012-01-06T17:03:00.001-06:00

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most important: visit, comment, encourage the person before you.
This is what Five Minute Fridays are all about! Dive in!

Roar:

GO.

What?! Roar? Ok, this is a tough one. But here we go.

When I first started thinking about what to write about, I thought, well, lions roar, but how can I apply that?

Then I thought about wind or the ocean-- they roar.

But I settled on noise.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the noise of life, as I'm sure you do to.

Constant.

Distracting.

LOUD.

It's all those things that keep me from abiding in the love of my Savior.

It's the to-do lists, the meetings, the work to be done-- all of those things that pile up and seem to shout in my ears.

What do they shout?

Hurry.

Go.

Move.

Accomplish.

Roar.

How wonderful it would be to have peace without the roaring noise.

But, of course, it's in the noise that we serve.

We feed on the quiet times so we can conquer the roar.

The roar is important, you know.

But the quiet... the time when we abide in His Word and His love... that's the most important.

STOP.

Smile, Snap, Check

2012-01-05T13:00:00.000-06:00

"Take another one... just one more!"
smile, snap, check
"Ugh, that one's no good either. One more?"
(poor hubby)
smile "better", snap, check again
"I give up."
~~
I really need a new blog picture. These people are going to think I'm...
Frustration fills me.
...ugly.
~~
Lord, why did you make me this way?
Why don't I look like *person who's a size 2* or *person with perfect hair*?
Every time I try to get just one good picture of myself, I end up taking at least 50 and not being happy with any of them.
Satan likes to whisper in my ear--> "People could never really like you. They only like the pretty people."
What? Maybe he's right...
~~
Then I hear another whisper, a little louder than the first.

Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. [1 Peter 3:4]

Let me make you who I want you to be.
Stop worrying about what's on the outside.
I can make you beautiful.
Abide in my love.

Things I Love [Kindle Library Lending]

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

I got an iPad for my birthday over the summer, and even though I wasn't sure if I would use it enough to make it worth the money, it turns out that I'm using it all the time! One of the biggest uses I've found is the Kindle app. I am reading ALL the time, and I haven't paid for a book yet!

One of the coolest things that Amazon has begun is the ability to borrow e-books from your local library. It works just like borrowing a regular book except you don't have to drive to the library! Of course, the selection is still limited, but I've found enough books to keep me reading as much as I have time for. I've found so much good Christian fiction on there (look in the sidebar for a list).

If you have an iPad, there is an app to make it easier to find the books. It's called Overdrive, and it will store your library for you. I had to go to the library to get a PIN number, but that was really the only setup I had to do.

Here is the link for using your Kindle for borrowing books. Enjoy!

Open [Five Minute Friday...on Wednesday!]

2012-01-04T18:03:00.000-06:00

(Yes, I'm posting this on Wednesday, but I'm trying to get on schedule.)

Open:

GO.

Being open isn't something that's easy for me. I have many thoughts and opinions, but too often I just keep them to myself. (Darn introverted personality!)

But...

As I've started becoming more involved in the blogging world, I've found that people really crave authentic and open conversation.

What do we have to lose by being open?

Perhaps someone will dislike what we have to say?

Maybe someone will think we're strange?

But think about our savior.

He was different, the MOST different, yet He was unafraid to be completely open about who He was.

He was not a people-pleaser.

Not like we are.

Being open allows us to connect and really get to know other people.

When we share our struggles, joys, and fears, who knows who might be encouraged by our words?

God will use our "realness" in so many ways.

But this requires being unafraid and stepping into unknown, sometimes scary territory.

This is one of my goals for 2012- to be more open without fear.

STOP.

One Word Wednesday [Love] #1

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

Rather than just making a list of New Year's Resolutions, Ali Edwards sparked the idea of choosing one word to embody in the coming year. (Sara's story is also inspiring. Visit her blog if you have a few ~~minutes~~ hours.)

My word last year was faith. It was a year of trusting God and growing in my faith. So many things changed in my life, and I definitely learned to give my fears and worries to Jesus. I grew to love His Word, and I began to crave time with Him.

I thought long and hard about my word for 2012, and I've decided on love. I want to be intentional about loving God, family, friends, even enemies. I am already finding that this is something I have to keep in the forefront of my thoughts. If my goal is intentional love, I cannot be selfish! Others have to come before me, and of course, that is never easy. This little self-loving sinner doesn't like to be last!

How are you intentionally loving others?

Heaven on Earth? I Wish...

2012-01-03T19:15:00.000-06:00

I wish I could wake up every day at 7 (not 4:30), run 5 miles (at 3 now; goal for 2012 is 5), sit a the table (need a table first) with breakfast and a good book, and THEN go into work.

I wish I could extend the number of hours in the day so I could read everything I want to and still have time to watch something on TV.

I wish I could keep a to-do list in the shower since apparently that's where I do my best remembering/thinking.

I wish every e-book was free so I could read them all!

I wish the sun was up when I get up because it would be really awesome to see my woods from the window while I'm sitting at my make-believe table reading my good book.

I wish chocolate had no fat and I could eat as many calories as I want to. (It would also be nice not to develop a slight tick when I go over my limit for the day. Yes, I'm a little crazy...)

I wish my ~~devil~~ precious cat would stop digging his claws into the door trying to get outside at 4AM. You know how awesome it is to be awakened 30 minutes before your alarm goes off...

I wish for heaven on earth, perfection in the puddles of mud called life.

But for now, I will choose to take joy in each moment that God gives me, even if my heaven on earth never comes. My life has been chosen especially for me by a sovereign Savior who loves me and wants nothing less than my best, for His glory. Embrace your life and seek to find His will for you today.

Healthy Turkey Cabbage Soup

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Healthy Turkey Cabbage Soup
(Ok, if a recipe has more than like 6 ingredients, I'm not very likely to make it... This soup is healthy and super easy! Freezes well, too!)

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground turkey
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans
1 head of cabbage
2 cartons beef broth
(See? Only 5!!!)

Saute/drain turkey.
Chop cabbage.
Add tomatoes, beans, and broth to meat.
Add as much cabbage as you want (I like a lot!)

Bring to boil then reduce heat to medium.
Simmer for an hour or so.
Season to taste.

That's it! Easy and delicious!

Going Back

2012-01-02T19:09:00.000-06:00

Well, it's here. My last day of Christmas break. Two weeks of heaven that always come exactly when it's most needed! Students, parents, and teachers are always ready for some time away. The only problem is that it's always too short! This year's break has been particularly great. It's been so peaceful and restful.

But of course, tomorrow it's back to reality. 4:30 will come awfully early, and I'm sure when I get ready for my morning run, I will be wishing I was cuddling with my blankets in the bed. It's very easy to get caught up in the thoughts of what we don't have rather than dwelling on the opportunities God gives us each day.

Teaching is my calling, and I wouldn't want to be heading anywhere else tomorrow. A small Christian school with my 62 high schoolers, freezing in car duty line, a planning period which usually gets filled by meetings or grading, getting ready to direct our production of Pride and Prejudice, and the fact that I will be receiving 19 research papers the day after we return-- these are all the things that are completely worth getting up and leaving behind my wonderful Christmas break. Because when I walk into my classroom, I will see smiling faces and hear the laughter of young adults, excited to come together after 2 weeks away from each other. And even though they pretend they'd rather be sitting at home playing video games and watching movies, deep inside they're thrilled to be back... just like their teachers.

My Day in Pictures

2012-01-01T21:00:00.000-06:00

Finally got the Christmas decorations put into the attic today. This box is full of things I bought at Target on clearance the day after Christmas. I always love opening the boxes the following year and finding things I've forgotten I have!

I've been putting bird seed out on the deck for the birds. This cardinal decided to pose for a picture today!

Niko enjoyed an afternoon nap on his spot on the bed.

Lucy can play and play and play when she has her ball. It's ridiculous.

We decided to open the windows today! It was 61 degrees, and since it's going to be a seriously cold week, we took advantage of the loveliness.

The beginnings of Oatmeal Apple Walnut Cookies... Yum!

Land of My Heart

2012-01-01T15:14:00.000-06:00

This is the series I've been reading lately. I just finished the first one, Land of my Heart, and I'm about 30% through the second one. So good! (I can't read the summaries of books #3 and 4 for fear that I will find out something that's coming up! Yes, I'm a huge hater of spoilers...)

I've read 16 books in the last 6 months, all thanks to the Kindle app on my iPad. I've been borrowing free e-books from the library (Did you know you can do that?) and it makes reading so much more convenient for me. My goal for 2012 is 40 books.

I keep a running list of the books I've read on the side over there. --->.

New Year--> New Blog

2011-12-31T21:07:00.002-06:00

Out with the old and in with the new!
(If you follow my blog via email or reader, check out my new design.)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T18:43:00.001-06:00

Throw Down Your Nets

2011-12-30T21:01:00.000-06:00

"He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." (Luke 5:3-6)

~~~

I've probably read this 100 times, but something new grabbed me this time. (Isn't it so cool how scripture has that power?) These men, these fishermen, had been working so hard to catch something! They were following all the rules, doing exactly what was expected, yet still they couldn't catch a single fish! It didn't make sense, I'm sure, why they weren't having any success.

Enter Jesus. "Throw your nets down, Simon." Simon must have thought Jesus didn't have a clue about fishing, but maybe he humored him nonetheless. Obviously, they'd been doing that very thing all day long! Simon basically tells Jesus it probably won't work since their efforts haven't done any good, but he will do it because Jesus asked him to.

And what do you know, they caught so many fish that their nets broke! Were they doing anything differently than they'd been doing all along? No. So what was the difference? Why were they able to catch so many fish this time?

Faith. Simon decided to have blind faith in Jesus and do what He said. He stopped trusting in himself for a moment and placed his trust in Jesus Christ. He stopped trying to prove himself by following the "rules" and working hard to "get things done."

I'm a doer. I'm one of those "good girls" who thrives on following the rules. I like to make sure things happen and I'm a planner. (Did somebody say control freak?) I would probably have been standing next to Simon saying, "You're crazy. We've done everything we can and it hasn't worked. This isn't going to work either!" I tend to trust in what I can see, what I can accomplish on my own. But this isn't what Jesus asks of me. He doesn't want me to accomplish things the hard way-- without Him. His call is simple and clear- "Throw down your nets and see what I can do!"

All it Took Was a Little Butter...

2011-12-30T18:37:00.001-06:00

Look! ACTUAL Snickerdoodles!
(If you missed the cookie disaster, click here.

Lately I am...

2011-12-26T04:00:00.000-06:00

lately i am:

missing: the friends I spend way too little time with lately

listening: to David Platt (pastor of The Church @ Brook Hills). Just finished a year-long sermon series called "The Chronicles of Redemption." I have an entirely new perspective on the story of redemption and the Bible now.

eating: cookies. Trying all kinds of recipes.

exercising: I've hit 3 miles. Working toward 4 and then onto 5. I crave running!

studying: God's Word. Have you actually read Obadiah? Just started it. Reading the Bible through chronologically.

singing: "I Love Your Presence" by Bethel Live. "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman

laughing: at my hubby. He makes me giggle all the time! Also, my 8th graders are purely awesome.

drinking: water, of course!

thinking: that I'm continually amazed at the protection and love of my Savior.

wearing: new jeans from Belk (Red Camel) and awesome workout pants from Kohl's (Tek Gear). Needing new running shoes.

excited: to be home for the holidays!

Unto Us

2011-12-24T19:38:00.001-06:00

~~~
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
[isaiah 9:6]
~~~

My Cookie Disaster

2011-12-24T16:28:00.000-06:00

Last night I decided I would make these lovely little snickerdoodles from In the Little Red House. Don't they look so yummy and full of cinnamony goodness? Mmmmmm... I can just smell them baking now...

I grabbed all the ingredients and started to put together my dough. These were going to be the best cookies I'd ever, ever, ever made! Well, it didn't turn out exactly as I'd planned. This stuff ended up looking more like cake batter! I needed to thicken it up, so I, of course, sought wisdom from... Google. I read that if I added flour and left it in the fridge overnight, it would be just fine. Yes! A recovery plan!

The next afternoon I pulled my batter out of the fridge, and it seemed fine. So I preheated the oven and started to form my little balls of dough. Well, as it turns out, they were still soft and runny! At this point, I was determined to defeat these little things, so I started spooning them onto the cookie sheet.

Don't they look awesome?! HA! Biscuits!!!!! Geez.

After being cut and scraped from the pan, this is what I ended up with. I have dubbed them Cinnamon Cornbread Cookies. They're so light they could float up to the ceiling! But what else would we expect with all that extra flour!?

What did I learn? If the recipe calls for butter, don't use margarine!!!

Also, you should cook them long enough...

It's ok. You can laugh at me if you want. I know I did!

Man of Sorrows

2011-12-03T18:00:00.001-06:00

Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
“Full atonement!” can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die;
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

-Phillip Bliss (1875)

500 Years

2011-11-18T17:12:00.001-06:00

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zech 9:9 (538 BC)

Matthew 21:2-7-saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to Daughter Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"t The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.

500 years before Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey, Zechariah was prophesying about it!!! God's plan was in place from the beginning. So cool!

Here are some others.

The Son of Man. Jesus is Joshua the High Priest and Zerubabbel the King at the resurrection. (Zechariah 3-4)
The Branch. Jesus was the Branch who was cut off at the crucifixion but sprang to life at the resurrection. (Zechariah 6: 12-13)
King on a Donkey. Jesus rode into the east gate of Jerusalem on a donkey during His final week. (Zechariah 9: 9)
Valued at 30 Shekels. He was betrayed for 30 shekels of silver. (Zechariah 11: 12-13)
The Pierced One. He was pierced by a sword. (Zechariah 12: 10)
Two Streams. Blood and water flowed from His side. (Zechariah 13: 1)
A Sword Strikes the Shepherd and Scatters the Sheep. The disciples scattered at His arrest. (Zechariah 13: 7)
Wounded by Friends. He was killed by Israel. (Zechariah 13: 6)

Under New Ownership

2011-11-14T18:43:00.001-06:00

From Leslie Ludy's blog today- (http://www.setapartgirl.com/Devotional/Entries/2011/11/14_under_new_ownership.html)

The secret to the true Christian life is exchanging our own lives for the life of Jesus Christ; allowing our bodies to be completely overtaken by a foreign power – the very Spirit of Almighty God. And declaring along with Paul, “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

Most of us stand in the way of letting Christ truly live in and through us.

Instead of giving Him the ownership papers to our home – our body, mind, and spirit – we treat Him like a hired servant.

We come to Him when we need answers; we expect Him to provide us with quick solutions to our problems; we demand that He meet our needs and follow our self-made agendas. And when He doesn’t respond, we quickly dismiss Him and take matters into our own hands. We are led by our own whims and desires. We make our own choices, and then ask God to bless them.

We often believe we are submitted to God’s will, but in reality we expect Him to bend to our own plans. We follow our own hearts and desires, and then ask God to make our spiritual lives vibrant in the midst of it all.

But the true Christian life doesn’t work that way. When we exchange our lives for Christ’s, we lay our own agendas, dreams, desires, and plans at His feet. We get completely out of the way, and allow Him to live His life through us in whatever way He chooses.

This is a difficult life-change to make. For our entire lives, we have been the sole rulers of our internal home. We are used to making the decisions. We are used to calling the shots. But now we must take a lower position.

Our entire home – our body, mind, and spirit – now belongs to a new Ruler. We turn the ownership papers over to a new Master. He is not our servant; we are His servant. We come and go as He commands.

Continually

2011-11-13T20:32:00.001-06:00

I Thess 5:17 NIV

"Pray continually."

Two words, full of power. When we see those short verses, sometimes we tend to skip right along, holding out for the longer, more meaningful verses. But let's stop and take a look at this little one.

Luke 6:12 KJV

"And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."

Jesus gives us the perfect example of praying continually. He often went off by himself to pray to his Father.

Should we plan times to pray? Absolutely. Should we pray at mealtimes, thanking God for His provision? Of course. But is there more than that? Should words for our precious Jesus always be on the tip of our tongues? At the forefront of our minds?

Psalm 62:8 NIV

"Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."

There is nothing more fulfilling than ongoing conversation with our Lord. He promises to listen and He ALWAYS answers. Even if we don't feel His clear guidance, though we pray and pray about something, He IS answering! Sometimes His answer is "Hold on, I'm not finished with __________ yet." That's tough! We can't control the outcome. We can't make things happen any faster. Instead, we are told to wait.

The reason?

When we find ourselves in complete dependence on Him, and we can't do anything to effect a solution, the end result is glory for ONLY GOD!

Sometimes God has to teach us to wait.

Sometimes God simply wants to make His power and glory known.

Sometimes God says no.

But He always answers. Always.

And many time when He does, we are blown away by his perfect timing and solution.

Psalm 27:8 NIV

"My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek."

Alone, yet not alone!

2011-11-05T16:28:00.000-06:00

"I climbed into the tree and was left there alone in the bush. The hours I spent there live all before me as if it were but of yesterday. I heard the frequent discharging of muskets, and the yells of the Savages. Yet I sat there among the branches, as safe in the arms of Jesus. Never, in all my sorrows, did my Lord draw nearer to me, and speak more soothingly in my soul, than when the moonlight flickered among these chestnut leaves, and the night air played on my throbbing brow, as I told all my heart to Jesus. Alone, yet not alone! If it be to glorify my God, I will not grudge to spend many nights alone in such a tree, to feel again my Savior's spiritual presence, to enjoy His consoling fellowship. If thus thrown back upon your own soul, alone, all alone, in the midnight, in the bush, in the very embrace of death itself, have you a Friend that will not fail you then?"

- John G. Paton, missionary in the South Pacific, having lost his wife and child and surrounded by hostile natives as he hid in a tree

Save Yourself

2011-11-04T18:28:00.000-06:00

"America today is a 'save yourself' society if there ever was one. But does it really work? The underdeveloped societies suffer from one set of diseases: tuberculosis, malnutrition, pneumonia, parasites, typhoid, cholera, typhus, etc. Affluent America has virtually invented a whole new set of diseases: obesity, arteriosclerosis, heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, venereal disease, cirrhosis of the liver, drug addiction, alcoholism, divorce, battered children, suicide, murder. Take your choice. Labor-saving machines have turned out to be body-killing devices. Our affluence has allowed both mobility and isolation of the nuclear family, and as a result, our divorce courts, our prison and our mental institutions are flooded. In saving ourselves, we have nearly lost ourselves."

- Ralph Winter, "Reconsecration to a Wartime, Not a Peacetime, Lifestyle"

Compromise

2011-11-03T17:51:00.000-06:00

The mixing and mingling of the holy with the unholy is a temptation God's followers still face today. It just doesn't work! Not because God is unreasonable in His demands, but because He knows such compromise will eventually destroy not only us, but everything He wants to do through us.

Whatever you allow into your life will eventually be revealed- both the good and the bad.

James 1:21- Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the Word planted in you, which can save you.

Proverbs 14:12- There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.

(adapted from Having a Mary Spirit by Joanna Weaver)

How Does One Gain the New Birth? (Part 3)

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

Work #3 of God in the New Birth:
God called us into new life through the living and abiding Word.

"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct," (I Peter 1:14-15)

There is a general call and an individual call. Why do some hear and see while others do not?

The internal effective call creates what it commands. When Jesus said, "Lazarus, come forth," Lazarus came forth!

"His internal heart-call opens the eyes of the blind heart and causes Christ to appear as the supremely valuable person that He really is. So the heart freely and eagerly embraces Christ as the treasure He is."

The gospel makes no sense to people who are dead; they must be made alive to see!

"For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (I Corinthians 1:22-24 ESV)

(Adapted from Finally Alive by John Piper, available free on Desiring God)

How Does One Gain the New Birth? (Part 2)

2011-11-01T07:00:00.000-06:00

Work #2 of God in the New Birth:
God raised Jesus from the dead.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." (I Peter 1:3-4)

"The new birth is something that happens in us when the Holy Spirit takes our dead hearts and unites us with Christ by faith so that His life becomes our life. So it makes sense that Jesus must be raised from the dead is we are to have new life in union with Him."

(Adapted from Finally Alive by John Piper, available free on Desiring God)

How Does One Gain the New Birth? (Part 1)

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-06:00

Work #1 of God in the New Birth:
God ransomed us by the blood of Jesus.

"Eternal life isn't possible for enslaved sinners without a ransom being paid."

"knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." (I Peter 1:18-19 ESV)

The wrath of God must be satisfied; God sent Jesus to do that.
"...by sending His own son..." (Romans 8:3)
"Christ redeemed us..." (Galatians 3:13)

The ransom is imperishable; it can never lose its redeeming power.

(Adapted from Finally Alive by John Piper, available free on Desiring God)

How Does One Gain the New Birth? (Introduction)

2011-10-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

How does one gain the new birth? First of all, something has to happen TO us. John 3:3 says we must be born again. We are dead and must be made alive. So "the Spirit of God supernaturally gives us new spiritual life by connecting us with Jesus Christ through faith." New birth and faith happen at the same time.

Although God makes us alive, we still play a part in it. An example of this is found with Lazarus. In John 11:43, Jesus tells Lazarus to rise from death, and he does! The moment Christ commands him to rise, he does; the moment the Spirit produces faith in us, we do the believing.

There are three works of God involved in the new birth:

1) God ransomed us by the blood of Jesus.

2) God raised Jesus from the dead.

3) God called us into life through His living and abiding Word.

Over the next three days, we will unpack those three aspects.

(Adapted from Finally Alive by John Piper, available free on Desiring God)

Water

2011-10-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

More thoughts on yesterday's post:

(borrowed from David Platt)
Seeking satisfaction from the wrong source (the world) is like drinking ocean water when you're thirsty; it will only make you MORE thirsty! The salt is hidden from our view, but once we start to drink it, it becomes clear that this water will do more harm than good.

Things of this world may look good and feel good, but in reality, they are never, ever going to quench your thirst.

Springs

2011-10-28T13:56:00.000-05:00

"Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory
for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord,for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:11-13).
~~
The Lord accuses His people of two evils. Two sins. Two things that He abhors. One, that they have left Him, their first love, the giver of all life. And two, that they have replaced Him with things they've created themselves, things that can't hold water in the first place!

C.S. Lewis quotes, in The Weight of Glory, that "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

We think that all the lovely things this earthly existence offers us are enough. After all, they provide temporary pleasure, and what more is there, really? This skewed thinking comes because we've given up on finding the true satisfaction, glorifying Christ Jesus!

In John 4:15, a Samaritan woman has come to the well to draw water. She says to Jesus, after they've been speaking for a bit, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water." She asks for this special water (which she does not yet understand, by the way) because she doesn't want to have to keep coming back to the well only to become thirsty again later.

Do you keep having to seek after more pleasure in the world because the water you're drinking isn't truly quenching your thirst? "All my springs are in YOU" (Psalm 87:7).

Conversion

2011-10-27T13:42:00.000-05:00

"Minimizing the importance of transformed feelings makes Christian conversion less supernatural and less radical. It is humanly manageable to make decisions for the will of Christ. No supernatural power is required to pray prayers, sign cards, walk aisles, or even stop sleeping around. Those are good. They just don't prove that anything spiritual has happened. Christian conversion, on the other hand, is a supernatural, radical thing. The heart is changed. And the evidence of it is not just new decisions, but new affections, new feelings."
(Desiring God, p. 89, John Piper)

American Jesus

2011-10-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

“A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn’t mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger altogether. A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream. But do you and I realize what we are doing at this point? We are molding Jesus into our image. He is beginning to look a lot like us because, after all, that is whom we are most comfortable with. And the danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings to sing and lift up our hands in worship, we may not actually be worshiping the Jesus of the Bible. Instead we may be worshiping ourselves.” (p. 13- Radical- David Platt)

Why is New Birth Necessary? (Day 10)

2011-10-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

Ephesians 2:4-5-- "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved."

Review:
Reason #1-
Apart from the new birth, we are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-2)
We cannot love/desire the things of God unless we are alive.
Reason #2-
Apart from the new birth, we are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3)
We are born with a horrible, sinful nature.
Reason #3-
Apart from the new birth, we love darkness and hate the light (John 3:19-20).
We naturally resist Christ.
Reason #4-
Apart from the new birth, our hearts are like stone (Ezekiel 36:26; Eph 4:18).
Resistance is our biggest problem.
Reason #5-
Apart from the new birth, we are unable to submit to God or please God (Rom. 8:7-8).
We are unable to please God.
Reason #6-
Apart from the new birth, we are unable to accept the gospel (Eph 4:18, I Cor 2:14).
Our preferences for sin are so strong that we cannot choose good.
Reason #7-
Apart from the new birth, we are unable to come to Christ or embrace Him as Lord (John 6:44, I Cor 12:3).
Without the new birth, we naturally prefer SELF.
Reason #8-
Apart from the new birth, we are slaves to sin (Rom 6:17).
"We were once so in love with sin that we could not leave it or kill it."
Reason #9-
Apart from the new birth, we are slaves of Satan (Eph. 2:1-2, 2 Tim 2:24-26).
Playing with fuzzy tarantulas in the dark... Remember?

Reason #10-
Apart from the new birth, no good thing dwells in us (Rom 7:18).
"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out" (Rom 7:18)"

There are many good things that humankind does. Marriage, family, government- all of these are good. BUT they are only good when used for the glory of God. When we use these things for anything other than showing God's glory, we are prostituting God's creation.

The thing that is good in us after the new birth IS GOD.

Dead people can do NO good.

(Adapted from Finally Alive by John Piper, available free on Desiring God)

Why is New Birth Necessary? (Day 9)

2011-10-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

Ephesians 2:4-5-- "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved."

Review:
Reason #1-
Apart from the new birth, we are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-2)
We cannot love/desire the things of God unless we are alive.
Reason #2-
Apart from the new birth, we are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3)
We are born with a horrible, sinful nature.
Reason #3-
Apart from the new birth, we love darkness and hate the light (John 3:19-20).
We naturally resist Christ.
Reason #4-
Apart from the new birth, our hearts are like stone (Ezekiel 36:26; Eph 4:18).
Resistance is our biggest problem.
Reason #5-
Apart from the new birth, we are unable to submit to God or please God (Rom. 8:7-8).
We are unable to please God.
Reason #6-
Apart from the new birth, we are unable to accept the gospel (Eph 4:18, I Cor 2:14).
Our preferences for sin are so strong that we cannot choose good.
Reason #7-
Apart from the new birth, we are unable to come to Christ or embrace Him as Lord (John 6:44, I Cor 12:3).
Without the new birth, we naturally prefer SELF.
Reason #8-
Apart from the new birth, we are slaves to sin (Rom 6:17).
"We were once so in love with sin that we could not leave it or kill it."

Reason #9-
Apart from the new birth, we are slaves of Satan (Eph. 2:1-2, 2 Tim 2:24-26).
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sin in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience" (Eph 2:1-2).
"And the Lord's servanttmust not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will" (2 Tim 2:24-26).

"Our deadness is not unresponsive to the devil. It is perfectly in tune with the devil."

Truth sets the prisoner free.

The new birth is "what happens when a person in the dark fondles an ebony brooch hanging around his neck, and then the lights go on and he sees it's not a brooch but a cockroach, and flings it away. That's how people are set free from the devil. And until God does that miracle of new birth, we stay in bondage to the father of lies because we love to be able to tell ourselves whatever we please. We keep fondling smooth roaches and warm fuzzy tarantulas in the dark."

(Adapted from Finally Alive by John Piper, available free on Desiring God)

Why is New Birth Necessary? (Day 8)

2011-10-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

Why is New Birth Necessary? (Day 7)

2011-10-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

Why is New Birth Necessary? (Day 6)

2011-10-21T11:00:00.000-05:00