the outpourings of my heart...

All We Need Do Is Come…

2010-10-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Luke 10:41-42 “But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”

How easy it is to get swept up into the hustle and bustle of life and with good intentions, push aside “the good part” Jesus so longs to impart to us!

He knows that unless He calls, we may not come in light of our labors and many burdens.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

So, He invites us to come “to” Him. Much like a mother might beckon her tired, teary-eyed toddler into her lap, Jesus calls us close and offers us His nearness. And just like the mother’s loving hold assures her little one, His rest settles our soul.

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

And is that precious place of His embrace, we know no fear or want.

All we need do is come…

Simplicity…

2010-10-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

I sense a call to simplicity and discipline.

Both are seemingly elusive aspects of a godly life, from my perspective!

Too much “stuff” creates distraction. Too little planning leads to laziness. The more things I need to keep in order, the greater the potential for confusion. When I fail to intentionally do what I know I need to, I ultimately fail to accomplish my desired goals.

So…why do I seem to struggle, especially in these two areas of my life?

Simplicity first.

If I consider a dialog between two people, it’s fairly simple. But if more join in, each person increases the complexity of the conversation. Hence, the more people I am relating with, the more complex my world is. But people are not dispensable or unnecessary, so my search for simplicity must begin with my surroundings.

If I picture an empty room, I imagine it to be quiet. No pictures on the wall, inviting me into another place or time. No furniture establishing the atmosphere with color, line and texture or nicknacks whispering about past experiences or books laying around asking to be picked up and read. And certainly no clutter demanding to be cleaned up.

Hmmmm…never considered how noisy a room could become. Perhaps as I begin my pursuit of simplicity, I can begin by listening with my eyes as I work through my home, and determine what “sounds” are more like clattering clutter than an invitation into rest.

That’s what my heart longs for. Rest…

I desire to be surrounded by beauty, so my goal is not to strip my rooms of all visual sound. Rather, I would like to cleanse each one of unnecessary “noise.”

Deep breath. I can do that.

With Your help, Lord, I can begin to listen with my eyes and bring restful order to my home. I ask for clarity of vision and sensitivity of sight. I want my home to be a sanctuary.

To rest or not to rest…

2010-03-26T06:17:00.000-07:00

Genesis 2:2 “By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”

Hebrews 4:9-11 “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest…”

Entering into rest requires an action on my part. On the one hand, it demands that I move towards rest, while on the other it leaves no option for my own works to accompany me.

And the illustration for this is the seventh day of creation and the completion of God’s work and how He blessed and sanctified what He had done by resting.

I find that I enter more readily into my own works than into God’s rest. When I see a need, I take it on and think that I must “do” something. Interestingly enough, we are charged to be “diligent to enter” that rest so that we will not fall into disobedience.

My inability to believe that God is able to do what He says He will do is a serious lack of faith. Romans 14:23 clearly says that “whatever is not from faith is sin.”

The call of rest is the call of faith. It is not my works or "my doing" rather it is God’s faithfulness aptly revealed through my rest.

Be committed to surrender…

2010-02-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Psalm 37:5 (The Amplified Bible) “Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.”

Complete surrender creates the firm foundation upon which the house of Joy is built and remains intact. In yielding my will to God’s purposes, I establish a resting place for my soul; wherein I can relax, release and receive without strain the direction my soul so longs for.

Being diligent to remain in that place of submission is the work cut out for me, and He takes it from there. He builds the mansion of Joy in which I am privileged to frolic. I merely remind myself, moment by moment, to lean on, rely on, and be confident in His ability to do all that He wishes to accomplish through me.

To plan or not to plan…

2010-01-31T06:36:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

For someone who’s been given a high degree of vision, not planning is a challenge. To plan is to be prepared I’ve always thought.

If I am the builder and not the architect, though, I just take the plans handed to me and fulfill them with my hands. I do not change measurements or re-design. After all, my Architect never makes mistakes.

I simply and faithfully follow the blueprint. If questions arise - and inevitably, they do - I humbly go to the Master Designer, and ask for the assurance I need. Surely He knows the plans inside and out and can encourage my heart to trust His wisdom.

He’s holding your hand…

2009-12-17T05:20:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

As alone as we can sometimes feel, these are the facts. He not only makes the way before us, He is “with” us along the way. And He is not grudgingly along for the ride, He “delights” in the pathway we travel. This God of ours is intimately involved in our journey. So concerned is He, that He “holds our hand” as He watches over us.

Psalms 37:23-24 “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.”

How precious is that? The King of the universe doesn’t want us to be “hurled headlong” when we fall, so He holds on tightly to us just like a careful parent might grasp the little hand of a toddler crossing a street. Yes…our God is absolutely watching over us!

Isaiah 42:6-7 “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”

And why does He take such care? Because He sees holy purpose in our lives and He wishes to work mightily through us! Being a light to the nations, opening eyes that cannot see and rescuing those who dwell in darkness is no small order. The One who holds our hand also makes sure we accomplish what He’s called us to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

Good deal…

From building an altar to being one…

2009-10-22T04:12:00.001-07:00

As I read the Word, God never fails to fascinate me. After reading Jude 1:20-21 this morning, I simply asked the Lord what it means for me to “build myself up” and felt led to follow the thread established through the concept of building. Our God loves to weave and the following is what he knit together for me…

Jude 1:20-21 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”

From the Old Testament we learn that building an altar was quite customary for generations. We have record of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David and Solomon all building altars to the Lord. And as each altar was erected, there was specific intention in the builder’s heart to call on the name of the Lord, to demonstrate his dependence on God and to express his thankfulness to God. They sometimes even named the place where the altar was built in remembrance of Him.

Exodus 17:15 “Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner…”

As we follow the thread of building, we see Solomon building the “house of God” which clearly couldn’t accommodate Him.

1 Kings 8:27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!”

I love this because it leads to the next idea that we are God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:9 “…you are God’s field, God’s building.”

A dwelling place for the Most High God!

Ephesians 2:21-22 “…the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

Amazingly, others participate in building us and are required to be careful in
how they put us together.

1 Corinthians 3:10 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.”

It is also essential that we ourselves build wisely, according to His instruction.

Luke 6:47-49 “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

I love the fact that even though we have responsibility to build well, God is
ultimately, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Hebrews 3:4 “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.”

So, we are being built up as a spiritual house for a purpose; not to offer the
blood of calves, goats and bulls, but holy sacrifices that are pleasing to God.

1 Peter 2:5 “…you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

And what is most pleasing?

Mark 12:33 “…to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

So, we’ve come full circle from building altars to being an altar. How cool is
that?

Our sorrows become His salve…

2009-10-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Afflicted, brokenhearted, captive prisoners...

Those are the ones I may be tempted to pass by due to what may be required of me in order to help them, but Jesus is literally drawn to them. He “is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalms 34:18) And He “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalms 147:3)

His desire is to bring healing, freedom, comfort and joy to His precious seedlings. So, He sends us, all wrapped up in His Spirit.

And we have the amazing privilege of watching Him “do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Ephesians 3:20) in these treasured one’s lives. How utterly glorious it is to partner with Him!

Thankfully, we need not do it in our own strength. And our path does not need to be free of sorrow. He actually uses our sorrow to fortify our hearts.

Psalms 84:5-7 "How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion."

Only when we walk in His strength and not our own, do we discover the hidden highways in our hearts that usher us directly into His presence. And learning to embrace our sorrows is crucial on the journey. We pass through times of “Baca” (which means weeping) but out of our innermost being flow “rivers of living water,” (John 7:38) and by discovering the blessing of tears we come to “know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Philippians 3:10) He uses it all…so amazing. Our sorrows become His salve.

And as we press on, He adds strength to what meager strength we have and establishes our “hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

Oh, to stand in His presence and hear “well done, good and faithful servant…”

Learning to lean…

2009-10-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

Humanly speaking, we are usually – at the least – discouraged by our weaknesses. We apologize for not being stronger. We make up for where we’ve fallen short. We attempt to explain away our helplessness.

But the Lord knows. He sees…

Psalms 103:14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.

And He is not shocked or dismayed. Our powerlessness is an invitation for Him to reveal His great Love and deep desire to work in and through us.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Surrender comes more easily when we recognize our frailty, and I’m becoming more and more convinced that surrender is one of the most formidable things we can do. It establishes the Truth within us, that apart from Him we can do nothing. We’ve got to abide and remain dependent upon Him.

John 15:4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”

Then, and only then, we discover His amazing Power and learn that our ultimate goal is learning how to lean.

Song of Solomon 8:5 “Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved?”

Mountain moving faith…

2009-10-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Whenever I find myself in this place of concern over our finances, I realize it’s a definite area of weakness in me. I’d have to admit that it’s connected to my disappointment with our house not selling. I mean, if God is able to provide in my current situation, why wouldn’t He have supplied a buyer for our place by now? My question remains unanswered, yet I am compelled to move forward in faith.

Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

This is the truth. He is Jehovah Jirah and I must learn to trust Him to provide for me, even when I don’t know how or when He’s going to bring the provision I need. This requires more than just hopeful thoughts; it demands faith. And faith is not something I can muster up.

Hebrews 12:2 "…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

So He does the work of establishing faith within my heart as I fix my eyes upon Him. Just as I become familiar with the facial features of those I spend a lot of time with, as I look to Jesus, my confidence in His unchanging character grows and I am persuaded that His love for me is unrelenting. My mustard seed faith is watered and begins to take root.

Mark 11:22-24 And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”

I cannot rely on the experiences of my life to establish the kind of faith He plans for me to walk in. No, faith to move mountains doesn’t require previous mountain moving…it rather perceives the insignificance of the mountain in light of God’s greatness.

Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You!”

The fire of His presence…

2009-09-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Exodus 3:4-5 "When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."

As Moses approached the burning bush with shoes removed, he hid his face, because “he was afraid to look at God.” He was completely aware of his frailty and utter sinfulness. It reminds me of Peter when he witnessed the supernatural catch of the day which broke their nets and almost caused their boat to sink.

Luke 5:8 "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, 'Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'"

Knees buckling beneath him, he had a momentary revelation of the absolute “otherness” of Jesus. I would imagine that taste of His Holiness lingered within Peter’s spirit for some time.

Isaiah 6:5 "Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.'"

Have you ever felt the Spirit of God or experienced His presence in such a powerful way that you were literally undone? In addition to all the biblical accounts of encounters with God, I've heard countless testimonies of God revealing His Reality to many, many people.

Revelation 1:17-18 "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.'"

As I consider the times that I have actually tasted the holiness of God, my overwhelming sense has been that I know in that moment that I am entirely loved. I can honestly say that I have felt His hand upon my head, calming me in His presence, assuring me of His tender mercy. Oh, the glory of being near to Him...

Can you hear His hush?

2009-09-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

Psalms 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God…”

“Come away, my beloved!” is His invitation. And He calls us into Stillness with a whisper.

Just as a mother speaks in a soft voice in an effort to settle her little one so he will listen more attentively, so His hushed call compels us to pay close attention to what He is saying.

He whispers because stillness requires quietness, and to accomplish that we must refrain from forming sentences – verbally and non-verbally. We all know that simply thinking can be outrageously loud when our objective is to quiet ourselves. God knows we distract ourselves with our own ranting!

Psalms 81:13 “Oh that My people would listen to Me…”

Ultimately, He wants to quiet us. We definitely listen better when we are not talking.

Zephaniah 3:17 “…He will be quiet in His love…”

That word “quiet” in Hebrew actually means to stop speaking. I wonder if sometimes that’s how He gets our attention. We suddenly become aware that He has become silent and we gain renewed determination to seek His face.

Psalms 81:10 “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it.”

He has rescued us from our own “Egypt” to fill us with good things. To receive what He has to give us, we must open up fully to Him.

If we are brave enough to enter into His Stillness, we inevitably emerge with something of Him deposited in us. Perhaps, it is out of that Stillness we speak peace into the world around us…

By faith, not by sight…

2009-09-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 42:16 "I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, and I will not leave them undone."

We walk by faith and not by sight. Consequently, we’re blind when it comes to the unseen world. As we move forward with Christ, we have to admit that we would not necessarily always choose the pathways we travel, but with hindsight discover the wisdom of His guiding Hand. Difficulties are transformed into smooth steppingstones that lead us effortlessly into our destiny. He doesn’t miss any details.

Jeremiah 31:9 "With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble; for I am a father..."

And though the times of great challenge bring us to our knees and cause us to pour out our hearts like water, the presence of the Lord never leaves us. And as we learn the way of leaning on our Beloved, he faithfully leads us to streams of Living Water and keeps our feet from stumbling.

Oh! How I love the prophets! And oh! How I love my Heavenly Father!

Wanna defy nature?

2009-09-05T05:31:00.000-07:00

For those unfamiliar with the concept of entropy, it is believed that all nature tends towards inevitable and steady deterioration. However, the evidence of Christ’s resurrection disregards this scientific conclusion.

Romans 6:9 “…Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.”

1 Corinthians 15:55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

The very essence of our faith is progressive transformation. We are invited into a relationship with Someone who wants to renew our minds and restore our lives.

2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

Galatians 4:19 “…until Christ is formed in you…”

The glorious work of the cross makes a way for us to defy natural law. We can choose to submit our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit and be transformed, that we might be an expression of God to the world.

Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son…”

Such potential progress gives significant purpose to life, huh?

Imitation that leads to transformation…

2009-09-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore I urge you, imitate me.”

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

Such amazing confidence! I cannot say that I am ready to echo Paul’s words at this point in my life, but I certainly look to others and find myself imitating the good I see in them.

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”

Imitation is an interesting thing. The more two people spend time together, the more similarities emerge. Friends ultimately pick up sayings and even mannerisms from each other. We tend to emulate the things we like most in others. A recognizable resemblance is the result of deep relationship, perhaps most commonly displayed through married couples.

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

You’ve heard the saying that imitation is the greatest compliment, I’m sure. Well, maybe as we yield our hearts to God’s leading and allow His Spirit to conform us into His image, we give Him the highest praise possible! As we release ownership of who we are and what we’re like and give Him complete authority to change us, we are literally worshiping God.

How cool is that?

Serving sin or Him?

2009-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Romans 6:6 “…our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin…”

To be a slave you must serve a master. So, if we are slaves to sin, we are mastered by sin.

Luke 6:27-28 "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

I believe that I serve sin when I bring to mind the injuries others have brought upon me. I serve myself when I selfishly dwell upon my disappointment in others and I reveal how terribly self-centered I am when I demand certain behavior of others in order to maintain my own personal sense of wellness.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”

It is clearly a good day to die.

Child-like faith or deep dread…

2009-09-02T03:59:00.000-07:00

Micah 7:7 “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”

This is expectant faith that waits with great anticipation for the goodness of God to be expressed.

The problem is that our lives are full of disappointments. And since most of us have had the unwelcome experience of loss and pain, we are weighed down by unbelief and wait instead for the “other shoe to drop”. Our sensibility warns us to ready ourselves for what’s to come, perhaps simply wishing to prepare our hearts so that we can manage the distress.

So, how can we cultivate an expectant attitude of faith?

Romans 10:17 “...faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

It appears that if we have the facts (or know the Truth), we will naturally obtain faith. The old adage that “you are what you eat” certainly holds true when it comes to spiritual food.

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Instead of harboring in our hearts the lie that God is not good because bad things happen to us, our minds can be renewed by the Truth and we can be freed to walk in childlike faith. Then we will be able to honestly proclaim the goodness of God, no matter what the circumstances of our lives may be, trusting that it’s in those stormy times He so delights in sheltering us.

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.”

I die daily…

2009-08-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 4:11-12 “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us…”

If there is a quiet cry in my heart, I would have to admit that it’s a plea to become more like Him. And since I know that self-preservation is quite prevalent in my soul, I must conclude that the Holy Spirit within me is the One producing the cry. “More of You and less of me” is the song that is sung by my spirit. “Surely there is more to life than this” is my new man’s expectation…

Exodus 33:20 “But He said, ‘…no man can see Me and live!’”

I believe that seeing His face is the key. Being held by the gaze of those firey eyes literally sears the reality of His holiness and His genuine affection upon my heart and I am undone.

And I no longer wish to live, but rather, desire Him to live through me.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Suffering is par for the course…

2009-08-27T04:56:00.000-07:00

Acts 14:21-22 “After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’”

It’s passages like this one that bring comfort to my heart. Jesus’ disciples needed strengthening and encouragement to continue in the faith. They had to be reminded that difficulties are “par for the course.” Unexpected dilemmas can potentially invite uncertainty about our value to God, but our circumstances absolutely do not define His love for us. Rather, they call us to lean all the more completely upon our Beloved King. And such dependence provides complete access to His Kingdom.

1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”

There is revelation to be obtained through suffering...hidden treasure in the depths of despair. I am persuaded that our suffering is an opportunity for His love to be revealed to us. We are summoned into the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:8-11) and as we journey through the grief of our anguish, we come to know His love more thoroughly.

Does the way seem narrow or steep?

2009-08-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

Psalms 24:3-6 "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah."

The ascent, at times, taxes me. I find myself spiritually huffing and puffing and must stop to catch my breath. “Selah” is slipped in there to suggest something of a break. The Hebrew Lexicon says that it is a technical musical term used to indicate some form of accentuation, pause or interruption. Rest two, three, four…

Matthew 7:14 "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Luke 13:24 "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Is there too much of me to fit through? Must I leave something behind? Am I still too full of myself to navigate the entrance into the Kingdom?

The climb requires something of me in a way that the narrowness asks for less of me. Both are apparently necessary on the journey into intimacy with the Father…

The Benediction of the Cardinals

2009-03-18T03:45:00.000-07:00

I will go before you and make the rough places smooth…
Isaiah 45:2

When our family built our first home, we never considered moving out. It was an integral part of our future. When we realized we’d have to sell it and find another place to settle, it was heartbreaking.

During that season of searching for a place to move to, I was regularly visited by cardinals. I’d be driving along and suddenly see one swooping in front of my car, just short of a collision with my windshield.

Trust me, this was no coincidence. I saw more than thirty cardinals do this daredevil feat! And every time my heart would sense the Lord saying, “I go before you and make the way!” My heart was deeply comforted by His involvement in my life.

Once we secured a place to live, it was as if the cardinals had done their job. Not even one took a dive for my windshield again.

We lived in that place for just six months before the Lord sovereignly moved us to our current address, which is a lovely farmhouse situated on several acres. Our family recognizes this homestead as a great gift from the Father.

Interestingly enough, the first week we moved in my youngest son summoned me into his room calling, “Mom! Come quick! Your red birds!” I scurried into his bedroom, joining him at the window.

To my absolute astonishment, six bright red cardinals were perched on a small tree in the side yard. There were six male cardinals hovering about this little tree as if it were as natural as can be. It was a completely ridiculous sight. “Impossible!” was my first thought. “There are six of us living here,” was my next reflection.

It was as if the Lord had sent them as a benediction. The sight seemed to imply “I have made the way for you!” His message of love and care seemed to sing through the scene, “Be blessed!”

Indeed, we are.

Have You Heard the News?!

2008-12-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

Just a little over two weeks ago a mob of “out of control” shoppers trampled a Walmart employee to death and it’s haunted me ever since.

Come on, now! This wasn’t an act of cruelty committed by an enraged young man considered to be a casualty of society, or the random act of a frantic woman full of fear and revenge. This was a mob of everyday people. People we meet in elevators and grocery stores and doctor’s offices.

But we hear about it and shake our heads in helpless dismay, hoping we’ll forget about it before actually having to consider the ramifications of such unbridled violence – much like we do when hearing about the plight of the poor or the rising number of suicides.

Was it just an overpowering desire for bargains – an accidental act of insanity – that turned these Christmas shoppers into stampeding savages?

Absolutely not! It’s disgraceful and despicable, but when asked to leave, this corrupt crowd had the audacity to complain that they had been in line since Thursday morning!

It’s clear. When “stuff” becomes more valuable to us than people, we’re downright dangerous.

And I believe that if we don’t wake up and smell the coffee, we’re going to see more and more unthinkable crimes committed around us that we never even believed possible.

It is crucial that we consider the implications of this horrendous event. It’s not as if these people were running for their lives from the onslaught of some enemy army or waiting in line for food because they hadn’t had any for days. What if? That’s my question – what if? Do we have any idea what might happen in more serious circumstances?

Could it be that this disturbing, deadly incident reveals that we have forgotten the most fundamental issue of life – our relationship to one another?

How important is that? We all know how much we long to be loved. And even science has proven that those who have meaningful connections with others are far more happy and healthy than those who don’t. But when “stuff” becomes more valuable to us than people, we’re downright dangerous! When we allow money and possessions to take precedence over people, we become evil. And we cannot blame such hostile aggression on “the Grinch”, our spiraling economy or even the violent videos and games we’re entertained by.

We need to look inside ourselves and see what’s going on, but we’re so disconnected from our hearts and one another we can’t see how off-track we are!

This is where I believe the problem lies. If others don’t value us, we don’t value ourselves. When we don’t value ourselves, we don’t value others. Hence, a vicious cycle is sustained that produces heartless human beings who are able crush a man to death without feeling any remorse.

I wonder…how will those Christmas shoppers feel as they give away the gifts that they bought, even though a man died due to their reckless heartlessness.

Christmas, hmmmm...the One born in a stable became the Man who died on a cross because of Love.

Let’s be found following in His footsteps – not destroying one another in pursuit of that which will only fade away.