Sunday, December 18, 2011

A Little Out of Sorts

I feel like I've been struck, .....who knows what kind or by what, but it seems I've taken the wheel of a speeding car headed to an unknown destination.  Someone else put me on this course, and there's no way to turn back, even if I really really want to.  I've had no lessons and there are plenty of backseat drivers but no one that is making any sense.  My hands are cold, my heart is numb, I want to close my eyes but I can't.

This time of year can be hard when there are people you love who are not here, and when the ones you love who are here won't hear you.  There's a song I've been listening to a lot, by Sara Groves, called "Obsolete."  You should check it out if you have the chance.  It speaks about feeling dismissed, unseen, obsolete and the rest.  Yet at the end of the song, she comes to the conclusion that even if we are dismissed or disqualified here on earth, our loving and living God will take us close to hold us near.  

Christmas then truly is the greatest time to feel this strangeness then, because we are constantly surrounded by the reminders of His birth, which was the message to all and each of us that He is near, that He heard our cries and that He will deliver us.  He alone is the glorious one, the faithful one, the precious one who held us from before the beginning and then still humbled himself to be born the son of a messed up family and cradled in a manger.

Who is this God, who chose to live amongst us and deliver us from our sins, our failures and our misguided hearts? He is the wonderful God, the only one that can comfort the hurting, sing peace over the sick and dance joy into the disheartened.

Thank you Jesus, for grace when I'm lagging in the race.
Thank you Jesus, for hope when I'm not sure that I can cope.
Thank you Jesus, for your steadfast hand when there seems no place to land.
Thank you Jesus, for peace when the trials don't seem to cease.
Thank you Jesus, the Son, the one and only risen One.

Monday, December 05, 2011

The REASON Tour

Hey friends, just thought I'd write again....tomorrow I'm leaving for a week, traveling from WI-MN-ND, on a tour to tell about the REASON we celebrate Christmas.  What a great thing to be able to do for work... We'll be touring alongside Sara Groves, Leeland, Dave Lubben & Nick Hall will be sharing the message.  Please join us for a show if we're in your town, or join with us in prayer if you're not able to make it!  I'll try to update things from the road, because I like to have you along.

Please pray that while we're all on the road together, that A: We don't kill each other, B: We get adequate rest, but most importantly C: God's message of hope, redemption & purpose is heard & received by many.  Thanks for joining along!  Please look at the img below for all the dates/locations or visit: www.thereasonchristmas.com  Hope to see some of you along the road!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

God Size

The last few months here have been crazy.  Literally speaking, they've been such a whirlwind, that every time I've even thought of writing, I'll forget about 10 minutes later because I'm on to something different.  But tonight, I felt like I had to write....there's too much to say all in one post, but this message keeps coming through different ways, and so it must be something that is important.  So here goes.

Have you ever been faced with something where you thought, "how am I supposed to pray for this!?"...you battle within yourself whether you should pray for a miracle, or not, because you "know" that it won't happen probably and that whatever it is in front of you will just turn out the way things "normally" turn out, whether that be good or bad, but either way you pray it's not really going to be different.  Have you been there?  I have, and I'm sure some of you have too.  You're like....you trust in God, but really when the odds look so grim you just don't know if you should pray that God will perform a miracle or if you should just accept the fate & pray for God to give peace.

Well.....here's a question for you: How well do you know God?

Really, how well do you KNOW Him?  The earth is finite, right?  Meaning there's only limited outcomes, options, possibilities, etc.  But God is NOT.  He created the earth, so He doesn't live within the confines of our existence, He lives in the freedom of His!  So when we pray, are we underestimating the power of God by not even asking for something bigger than we could even imagine?

This spring, things were going along just "normal" until one day I went to work & they told me that I was being laid off.  Oddly enough, I wasn't devastated.  Honestly I'd been having a conversation with God about what was next....I wasn't sure that where I was then was where He would always want me to be...so when I heard that I would be leaving in a month, it was a little bit of an "okay God, now what..." moment.  Financially I was okay for a little while, so I decided that since I had so many things planned for the summer, I would wait on God for just the right thing, and not pursue another position until the middle of August.

At the beginning of July, I visited my dad in TX, and finished a book called "Sacred Waiting" by David Timms.  It seemed that book was perfectly timed, by hitting on my period of waiting that had just been semi-imposed upon me by getting laid off.  I went back to MN to prepare for an art show before heading out on another vacation with some friends (which is another story all in itself) and two days before I left I got a strange call.  It was one of my old supervisors, from the job I had just left.  He said that his wife had met a guy at a concert, and that through random conversation, he mentioned they were looking for someone like me and so she mentioned my name and now that guy was trying to get in touch with me about a job.  That morning, I researched the organization, called & left a message and two hours later got a call back. They wanted me to come in for an interview 2 hours later.  Here's the scenario: I'm in my PJ's at 1pm, I don't have a current resume, don't have a printer if I DID have a current resume, wasn't sure that I had any clean business clothes to wear and was then living an hour away from the office....so naturally I said "of course I can make it by 3pm". lol.  I stood in line behind three 10 year old girls at the public library to print off my resume, and barely made it in.

To make the rest of the story short, I was offered the job the next day.  It was outstanding.  I feel so blessed, and I know that this kind of thing does NOT happen that often, but it was like....God was reminding me that He does things in HIS timing and way, not necessarily ours.  So this weekend, we're hosting an event, hoping to draw in 5,500 people! We'll be sharing the gospel and feature some great musicians!  And through the planning, I've been nervous, wondering how it'll all turn out, what will happen, who will come, etc.  And sitting here tonight, being reminded of God's miraculous power through the book of John, I'm finding peace knowing that God's got it.

He's greater than anything we can imagine, and so He's capable of doing more than we can imagine.  We just need to stop underestimating Him and closing doors where He wants to show us His miracles!  Where does God want to do a miracle in your life, or challenge you to trust in Him more?  As you think on that, also remember us this Saturday in prayer.  Pray that people will pack the house, pray that people will respond to the gospel, pray that the Lord would do something that we could have never imagined!  Hallelujah!

(If you want to watch our concert streaming live, tune in Saturday at 7pm Central at: http://livestre.am/16gGw)  

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Branches & Vines

This past weekend I did a lot of cleaning.  Inside my house as well as some inside my soul.  While emptying out a book closet, I came across an old journal that my great grandmother had written, telling a bit of her story of marriage, grief, hardships & the faithfulness of God throughout each moment.  It was a precious reminder of how the Lord is faithful throughout the generations.  How blessed I felt to know that He was working so many years ago, while forming the foundation that I would grow into through this family.

On Sunday, I visited the church that I had read about in her writing, that my family had been diligent to help begin.  The worship felt new this time.  Knowing a part of the history of how these settlers, new & shocked by the un-true tellings of the reality that would face them on the land that awaited them.  Their hearts were on giving the next generation a hope & future....even if that meant really hard work & struggles.  Even if that meant starting your own church because faith in God was that important.  Even if that meant losing many dreams you had for yourself so that dreams your children dreamt could come true.

At the church though, the sermon was about the Vine & Branches section of John 15.  I normally really appreciate this verse, but as I had been going through a lot of things that were left after my mother passed away, I was saddened because it was like....well, I understand that God would cut off branches that weren't producing fruit, but what about those that WERE producing fruit?  Why would he cut those off early?  Thankfully, when these thoughts were mumbling through my little brain, they were caught by the next phrase the pastor spoke....about God pruning the branches that were producing fruit because by doing that sometimes the fruit other branches produce will grow larger & that the quality of the fruit might become better.

This made me wonder about my life right now, and those lives of my siblings & friends.  People who we've known, outstanding characters & faithful to the Lord, those people who were cut off from life seemingly too early to understand.  It hurt, and still does many days, but it seems like this verse would flow with this course of pruning.  Somethings that I've done this year, never would have been done had my mother been around.  Other things I've seen my friends/siblings do would never have happened if their friends or family had been around....it doesn't make it feel better that they're not here to see these amazing things forming in us, but knowing that somehow their leaving earth spurred a new life inside of us is inspiring.

I don't know what my whole thought here really comes to, but maybe just knowing that God prunes fruitful branches sometimes to bear bigger fruits on the branches that are left, makes me wonder....what kind of fruit does he see as possible out of our lives?  What will be coming through the pruning?  It doesn't always feel good to be pruned, but then again who are we as branches to tell the Gardener which branches He should prune?  He knows best, for "...He who promised is faithful." (Romans 10:23)


Saturday, September 10, 2011

Parties & Prayer

Last night, I stood still, amidst hundreds of students all proclaiming their praise & confession to the Lord.  We prayed for those who are lost, seeking & struggling.  For those who do not yet know Truth.  Outside the building where we gathered, a deep pounding surged through to our ears, just across the street were parties, with probably the same amount of students, but not gathered for the same purpose.  They were there, doing whatever felt right to satisfy them for the moment.  But at the end of the night, where would they end up?  I met a few who wandered through our doors after the evening had ended.  They were looking for something.....it didn't matter what, they just wanted to be a part of something.  While talking with them, my heart ached for them to be a part of our family...of God's family.  If only they could understand that they mattered, that God loved them, that we loved them, and that there was purpose for their life.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

The seeking, searching, aching and dizzying path of these students compels me to pray that someday soon they can understand fully the grace of God that has been extended towards them, and that there is a way of peace & joy, found only in the Lord.  Will you join me in this prayer?

www.pulsemovement.com

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Now & not later

Tonight was an interesting evening.  I was blessed to be able to join my friends Erin & Deb at a meeting of youth, for Timber Bay.  This was the organization that this years' "Come Run with Julie" race raised money for.  We were able to go, tell the kids about Julie's story, give them some t-shirts & also tell them about what was raised for them.

Sitting on an island, with a bonfire going, listening to Deb, the mother of my dear friend Julie, talk about Julie's life and death, and the impact that it has had on the world, just broke something in me.  One of Deb's stories, mentioned that Julie had never had a passport, or ever made it out of the country.  Yet after she died, they heard from people on SIX continents that had been touched by Julie's story.....that they wanted to tell others about her legacy.  For a girl who never left the states, that is quite the impact.  It just made me think about what my impact would be if I had been in her situation....or even just a different one where I was gone suddenly, would my life leave a mark?  hm.

I think about my mom too, and how all she ever wanted to be was a mom.  She met that goal head on, and was the best mom I've ever had or known about.  (no offense to you other moms out there.....mine was the best.)  She put everything she had into loving us kids, and when she died, as horrible as it felt, what an honor to see over 700 people show up over three days, to remember her and praise the life that she had poured out here on earth, living a life that she felt God called her into.  And I just wonder, will my life make an impact like that someday?  hm.

What else got me thinking, was a picture.....out of a stack of about 40 photos, one held my gaze....a photo of Julie & Andrea, standing close to the rivers bank, with their feet in the water, not quite full in, but testing it, both faces aglow as the cool water probably tickled their feet.  The photo was taken just moments before they faced the falls, but the looks on their faces were so peaceful, so content, so beautiful and happy.  There was no indication of what was about to happen.  This was a moment, a sacred moment, where things were okay.  They were going well.  Then minutes later, the sharp reality of life's uncertainty gripped their bodies and pulled them from our lives.  ........

We never know when things like this are going to happen.  We never know who it will happen to.  We never know why terrible things happen to good people.  But we do know that there is hope.  There is a hope we can find in Jesus, in trusting in Him to be our savior, to walk with him & stumble with him.  To allow him to overflow into our hearts & lives, rather than life flowing over us.  He loves you.  He really does.  And there's no better time than right NOW.....not five minutes from now, but NOW to accept his love and turn your life towards Him.

My mom didn't know she'd be leaving so soon, and Julie wouldn't have guessed how her life would end, but as you & I sit here in front of this computer, if we were to go right now......would you know Jesus? would you have hope?  would you go in confidence trusting that the Lord had your life in His hands?  You need to know, that there is hope, and that it is only found in the one true God.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A life of Waiting

In a world that waits for nothing, God has given us a few great examples of how to live a patient life, waiting fully on Him.

Think about your definition of waiting, what does it mean to you to wait?  Many times we see waiting purely as a means to an end.  But there is also a type of waiting has more to do with Presence & Service. It’s not just something we do for a time, but it’s a type of waiting that permeates who we are and how we respond.

If someone wants to be a good server or waiter at a restaurant, what are the two main things you are required to do? Be present and be of service.  Now this order is important, because if you’re not present to the person at the table, how will you ever be able to be of service to them?  In order to be a good waiter, or server, you need to practice the Presence of waiting…..making a connection with the person and listening to them well. 

As we look throughout the Old Testament you’ll see many examples of God’s people waiting, waiting, and waiting.  Some people in the Old Testament like Abraham & Sarah didn’t want to wait for God’s promise to them any longer, so they went ahead with their own plan.  Others, like with Moses & the Israelites, instead of waiting for God’s timing, they turned to idols & let fear take over which in turn they were told to wait longer…40 years longer.

There was one man though that waited an extraordinarily long time for God—and that man is Noah.  Noah grew up in a time where the people on earth, similar to today, were becoming more & more rebellious against God, turning to their own desires & plans.  Noah’s heritage however, was laced with strong & faithful men.  Enoch, Noah’s great grandfather was a man who walked so closely with God that eventually God just “took” him from the earth.  Noah’s grandfather was Methuselah, whose name meant “when he dies, it will be sent.”  And even Noah’s name meant “rest,” which at his birth his father stated that he would bring rest from the toil & work of the ground that was cursed.  I don’t know how these names were chosen, but as we’ll soon see, they were both very meaningful & prophetic.

For over 400 years, there’s no mention really of Noah’s life, except that he had found favor in the eyes of the Lord & that Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (Genesis 6:8-9)  When Noah was given the task “Build an Ark,” it probably wasn’t because he was a great boat builder, or that he knew just how to do the task, but he responded because he walked with God and KNEW Him.  Noah was able to fulfill this request not because he was so skilled in making boats, or even building for that matter. What made him qualified for this enormous project was that he was in constant communication with God, and was consistently present to Him.  Over the 400 years of Noah’s life before this point, he had learned to discern God’s voice and knew when to respond.  In the game we played earlier, you needed to know what your teammate’s voice sounded like & discern their voice from all the rest of the yelling voices.  In the same way, Noah, in 400 years on earth had learned to hear God’s voice above all the others & pay attention to HIS voice as the one to direct him.

If Noah had any doubts about if it was truly God telling him to build an ark, he probably would have just dismissed the request & gone about his business. Maybe God would have chosen someone else for the project, or maybe he would have just kept speaking…..we don’t know, but what we DO know, is that Noah wasn’t confused about if it was God’s voice. He understood the request, and set about fulfilling it immediately.  He knew it was God because he had been waiting on God for 400+ years. Now hopefully it won’t take US 400 years to get this down, but Noah was constantly going to God’s table, getting to know Him and His desires. 

This is where it gets tough for me…many times, I get into a habit of praying to God about…. “God, give me this, or that, tell me the answer here, or can you direct this to happen?” But truly, honestly waiting on God like Noah did, should be more about listening for what God’s list for US is, not what OUR list for HIM is.  And Noah had quite the list from God…..the ark he was told to build was about half the size of the Titanic, he had to build with certain wood, to certain specifications, all while having people mock & criticize his efforts. 
Yet he waited and endured. Because of Noah’s certainty that it was God who called him to build the ark, he disregarded the people’s jeers and continued diligently in the directly God had set him.  The estimate is that it took Noah 120 years to build the ark….and I don’t know about you, but I’m almost sure that I would have given up before then.  But he just kept going because that’s what God requested of Him.  He didn’t jump ahead of God’s plans either, he patiently waited on God’s timing, while continuing to walk with God & listen for his leading.

"Barbara Brown Taylor, an outstanding Bible teacher & preacher, tells the story of a friend who traveled to visit her shortly after she moved from Atlanta to the small township of Clarkesville in the north Georgia foothills. Without a cell phone or a reliable map, the friend became hopelessly lost, increasingly frantic, and somewhat faster on the roads. Finally, she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw those ominous flashing blue lights. She pulled over, and as the police officer approached her driver's side window, she handed him her license and registration. "I am so sorry," she said. "I know I was speeding, but I've been lost from the last forty minutes, and I cannot find Tower Terrace anywhere on this map." "Well, I'm sorry about that, too, ma'am," he said, writing up her citation, "but what made you think that hurrying would help you find your way?'" ....like this lady, how can we ever find our destination if we don't first slow down to really get to know the map, or the Father?  We can't rush ahead if we aren't first present to the One who should be giving us directions.

Noah didn’t get distracted by the project, but kept his focus on the Lord throughout the 120 years that he built the ark.  Even when it didn’t rain for years & years, and there was no “reasonable reason” why he should be building an ark, He kept going.  And during this time, he kept waiting on God's perfect timing. Interesting to me, is that his grandfather, whose name meant something like "when he dies, it will be sent," passed away shortly before the rains & floods came!  Wow. And Noah, whose name meant "rest" was able to play a critical role in God renewing the rest on the earth from corruption & evil.

After the flood, God honored Noah and promised that never again would He flood the whole earth. 
If we are to have the same perseverance & waiting ability that Noah had, it won’t come from a strong will but a strong walk with the Lord.  We shouldn’t just follow God when we see results, we should follow Him because He is trustworthy and will tell us what we need, when we need it. By establishing a solid waiting relationship through PRESENCE, we can then be good SERVERS.

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" (Isaiah 30:18)

"The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Exodus 33:14)

A life of Waiting

In a world that waits for nothing, God has given us a few great examples of how to live a patient life, waiting fully on Him.

Think about your definition of waiting, what does it mean to you to wait?  Many times we see waiting purely as a means to an end.  But there is also a type of waiting has more to do with Presence & Service. It’s not just something we do for a time, but it’s a type of waiting that permeates who we are and how we respond.

If someone wants to be a good server or waiter at a restaurant, what are the two main things you are required to do? Be present and be of service.  Now this order is important, because if you’re not present to the person at the table, how will you ever be able to be of service to them?  In order to be a good waiter, or server, you need to practice the Presence of waiting…..making a connection with the person and listening to them well. 

As we look throughout the Old Testament you’ll see many examples of God’s people waiting, waiting, and waiting.  Some people in the Old Testament like Abraham & Sarah didn’t want to wait for God’s promise to them any longer, so they went ahead with their own plan.  Others, like with Moses & the Israelites, instead of waiting for God’s timing, they turned to idols & let fear take over which in turn they were told to wait longer…40 years longer.

There was one man though that waited an extraordinarily long time for God—and that man is Noah.  Noah grew up in a time where the people on earth, similar to today, were becoming more & more rebellious against God, turning to their own desires & plans.  Noah’s heritage however, was laced with strong & faithful men.  Enoch, Noah’s great grandfather was a man who walked so closely with God that eventually God just “took” him from the earth.  Noah’s grandfather was Methuselah, whose name meant “when he dies, it will be sent.”  And even Noah’s name meant “rest,” which at his birth his father stated that he would bring rest from the toil & work of the ground that was cursed.  I don’t know how these names were chosen, but as we’ll soon see, they were both very meaningful & prophetic.

For over 400 years, there’s no mention really of Noah’s life, except that he had found favor in the eyes of the Lord & that Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (Genesis 6:8-9)  When Noah was given the task “Build an Ark,” it probably wasn’t because he was a great boat builder, or that he knew just how to do the task, but he responded because he walked with God and KNEW Him.  Noah was able to fulfill this request not because he was so skilled in making boats, or even building for that matter. What made him qualified for this enormous project was that he was in constant communication with God, and was consistently present to Him.  Over the 400 years of Noah’s life before this point, he had learned to discern God’s voice and knew when to respond.  In the game we played earlier, you needed to know what your teammate’s voice sounded like & discern their voice from all the rest of the yelling voices.  In the same way, Noah, in 400 years on earth had learned to hear God’s voice above all the others & pay attention to HIS voice as the one to direct him.

If Noah had any doubts about if it was truly God telling him to build an ark, he probably would have just dismissed the request & gone about his business. Maybe God would have chosen someone else for the project, or maybe he would have just kept speaking…..we don’t know, but what we DO know, is that Noah wasn’t confused about if it was God’s voice. He understood the request, and set about fulfilling it immediately.  He knew it was God because he had been waiting on God for 400+ years. Now hopefully it won’t take US 400 years to get this down, but Noah was constantly going to God’s table, getting to know Him and His desires. 

This is where it gets tough for me…many times, I get into a habit of praying to God about…. “God, give me this, or that, tell me the answer here, or can you direct this to happen?” But truly, honestly waiting on God like Noah did, should be more about listening for what God’s list for US is, not what OUR list for HIM is.  And Noah had quite the list from God…..the ark he was told to build was about half the size of the Titanic, he had to build with certain wood, to certain specifications, all while having people mock & criticize his efforts. 
Yet he waited and endured. Because of Noah’s certainty that it was God who called him to build the ark, he disregarded the people’s jeers and continued diligently in the directly God had set him.  The estimate is that it took Noah 120 years to build the ark….and I don’t know about you, but I’m almost sure that I would have given up before then.  But he just kept going because that’s what God requested of Him.  He didn’t jump ahead of God’s plans either, he patiently waited on God’s timing, while continuing to walk with God & listen for his leading.

"Barbara Brown Taylor, an outstanding Bible teacher & preacher, tells the story of a friend who traveled to visit her shortly after she moved from Atlanta to the small township of Clarkesville in the north Georgia foothills. Without a cell phone or a reliable map, the friend became hopelessly lost, increasingly frantic, and somewhat faster on the roads. Finally, she glanced in her rearview mirror and saw those ominous flashing blue lights. She pulled over, and as the police officer approached her driver's side window, she handed him her license and registration. "I am so sorry," she said. "I know I was speeding, but I've been lost from the last forty minutes, and I cannot find Tower Terrace anywhere on this map." "Well, I'm sorry about that, too, ma'am," he said, writing up her citation, "but what made you think that hurrying would help you find your way?'" ....like this lady, how can we ever find our destination if we don't first slow down to really get to know the map, or the Father?  We can't rush ahead if we aren't first present to the One who should be giving us directions.

Noah didn’t get distracted by the project, but kept his focus on the Lord throughout the 120 years that he built the ark.  Even when it didn’t rain for years & years, and there was no “reasonable reason” why he should be building an ark, He kept going.  And during this time, he kept waiting on God's perfect timing. Interesting to me, is that his grandfather, whose name meant something like "when he dies, it will be sent," passed away shortly before the rains & floods came!  Wow. And Noah, whose name meant "rest" was able to play a critical role in God renewing the rest on the earth from corruption & evil.

After the flood, God honored Noah and promised that never again would He flood the whole earth. 
If we are to have the same perseverance & waiting ability that Noah had, it won’t come from a strong will but a strong walk with the Lord.  We shouldn’t just follow God when we see results, we should follow Him because He is trustworthy and will tell us what we need, when we need it. By establishing a solid waiting relationship through PRESENCE, we can then be good SERVERS.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Doors & Windows

So the last month or so, I've been doing a practice to notice what good things I can praise God about from each day, and it's been really great to notice those things, some bigger than others, but each one still worth noticing.

Recently though, my future is looking a little different....weird & hard but also good & exciting.  I know I'm being very broad & not saying a lot, but now is not yet the time to reveal what's going on.  But in the meantime, here's where I find myself...it feels like a few doors have been closed, but when those doors closed, the only place I could turn to was up, looking to the heavens, and here is where I saw all these doors & windows that had been there all along, just waiting to be explored....














It's a bit overwhelming though, knowing that what you have been doing will be changing, and what you will be doing, is yet to be discovered.  I'm thankful that when I look up, I see the beautiful clouds that God created, feel the sun warm on my face, and can know that even through another unknown, that God knows and will be guiding me through all the way.  Just like in the book of Joshua, God told the Israelites to follow behind the Ark of the Covenant so that by it they might know which way to go...this is my prayer, that in the next few weeks and months especially, that the Lord might lead so I can follow.

Psalm 139:4-6 says "Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."  The Lord knew these new things would change part of my outlook, but because He covers me and knows more than I can ever imagine, He is trustworthy to take care of me while I search for which window or door He'd like me to push open.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

No longer bound

It's Easter, and this last week has given me some great things to think on as I remember the reason we celebrate today.  I'd love to hear your thoughts too, so if you read this & want to share how God has spoken to you this week, please share it!

Last night, I was reading a book called "The Great Escape" which are short devotionals, and the first entry had the same name as the book.  It reminded me of someone I had known about and someone I had not. The person I had not heard of earlier was a woman named Mrs. Emma Smith.  She prided herself on being someone who had lived underground in a casket for longer than anyone had before!  She was down there for 100 or so days.....and thinking about this, you'd be astonished! But she had help...there was electricity, heat, a phone, a tube to send down food & water, and the casket was big enough that she could move around in.  None the less, she lived in a casket underground for a very long time, and when she came up out of the "grave" she felt proud that she had done something no one else had.

The second person was Houdini.  A man who mastered skills of unlocking locks of various kinds without using a key!  He was able to lock himself in unimaginable spaces, and get out without ever using a key. He even learned how to live on very little air, so he could stay underwater or in buried places for a long time without dying!

Both of these people were known in their time for incredible feats that no one else could do.  They were able to be confined & "imprisoned" of a sort, and yet amazingly enough they were able to escape!  However, at some point, both of these people would not be able to escape death.  As amazing as these people were to many people, Houdini's life came to an end by a simple blow to the stomach & Emma would eventually be put into a grave that she wouldn't get out of 100 days later.  Neither one of them could escape that fate.  But there was someone who did!

Jesus, after three days in the tomb, conquered death & was able to walk out of the grave.  Walk out. Not be taken out, but he left on his own accord.  The grave could not keep him inside.  And what is more, is that by HIS great authority on heaven and earth, and by HIS divine power, WE can also defy death's grip...for when we are believing in God & find ourselves at the door of death, we shall not be defeated, but rather welcomed into the greatness of His glory in heaven forever & ever!!!!!  Like Psalm 49:15 says, "God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me."

What a powerful promise.  And we can trust that God will remember this because He said "I will never leave you or forsake you." (Joshua 1:5) We are also reminded again of this through Deuteronomy 4:31 which says "The Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not abandon you, destroy you, or forget the promise to your ancestors that He swore He would keep."

What an amazing & powerful God we serve, that His Son would not be held by the grave, but would rise to life. And even more that He would offer that life to us as well as we trust in Him to sustain us throughout our life here on earth & as we pass on to eternal life with Him.  Happy Easter & Praise be to Christ who is no longer bound by death but has freed himself & claims us up with Him. Hallelujah!


Friday, April 15, 2011

Mercies through Disappointments?

(Recently I started reading a book called "Better Than my Dreams: Finding What you Long for Where you Might not Think to Look" by Paula Rinehart. Some of these thoughts stem from the first chapter.)
I've often pondered the ideas of expectations....the ones we have for ourselves & the ones placed upon us by those around us.  Well what about the ideas & expectations we have about God and his plans for us? 
Not often have I heard people speak openly about these expectations that we put on God or assume that He should fulfill for us....expectations that He will prosper us, give us a great life, save us from every pain.  But though we don't say it out loud most days, inside I'm sure many of us have at least a little bit of expectation that those things should come to pass, and when they don't, when things don't work out the way we think they should, we're a little disappointed. Do you agree?
Well here's a thought...."Disappointment is strangely enough, a doorway to the real adventure. It's the point where you start to leave behind most of your notions of how your story should read--and enter your relationship with God as a journey."  But somedays when I get to a point like this, I don’t always think about the “great journey” ahead...sometimes I pout, and mourn over what disappointment or grief I’ve just been handed over.  Sometimes I think like the author of Lamentations does when he wrote in 3:17-20 “...my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is so I say, 'My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.' Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.” 
We probably all get here at one point or another, but “...who among us travels very far in life without running headlong into the gap between what we hoped for and what came to pass?” We are not alone, there are many others who’ve had unfulfilled expectations. Have you come to that gap? I have. Multiple times. I thought certain things should have happened by now, or people who were in my life would have been doing something different, or that I would have been something different, but it just isn't so.  When these things don't work out the way we want them to, pain inevitably follows....or at least in many cases.  
But. (what a great word.) BUT we can continue reading in Lamentations 3:21-24, which reminds us of something greater & even more sure than the fact that not all our hopes will come to pass....the fact lies in this statement: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.'"
Our hope can be found in the Lord. Why it is only there that we can find peace, and confidence when our expectations of God & the life He has for us doesn’t seem to make sense.  When we are disappointed, just remember that God didn’t promise us a perfect ride here on earth. This is the part that will be hard, that we have to endure, journey through & trust Him for his provision.  We live in a broken world & cannot expect that everything will go according to our plan.  It won’t. It’s not how life works.  
Yet like Lamentations says, God will not disappoint. He is faithful to be with us through these hardships. He holds the bigger picture that we cannot yet see. He will be faithful to us and renew us every morning with his love. He will sustain us and give us hope in our journey, and adventure where we may find something we didn’t think we would find. 


Sunday, April 10, 2011

In the Furnace

A few days ago, I was driving home through the dark winding roads of the country, and some song came on about us being in the dark, and needing only Christ to comfort us.  I didn't have anything to write down the name of the song, so I'm sorry that I can't tell you about that more, but....another thought came through my mind as I listened.

The story of Shadrach, Meeshack & Abednego came to mind.  Three Godly men, probably late teens, trying to live & work amidst the palace, in one of the most powerful kingdoms yet to date.  It wasn't a Godly place, and not an easy life for them, captured and put into servitude.  Their faith in God was tested multiple times, and they remained true to their God.

What struck me though, was specifically the story about the fiery furnace.  The king had made a statue, and ordered everyone to bow down to worship it when the music was proclaimed. Out of all the people in the palace yard & I suspect most of the kingdom (if not all) there were only three that did not bend their knees to the idol.  Yes, the three young men, stubborn in faith, refused to bow down.
When summoned to the king, he gave them one more chance which they refused, and boldly proclaimed that God would be with them and even if he DIDN'T save them, that they still would only worship the One true God.

Astonished & enraged, the king ordered the fire seven times hotter, and had them thrown into the furnace to extinguish this disobedience towards him.  What came next was more shocking than their disobedience...the king looked towards the fire (surely in his pride to see his power smite them) and to his wonder, he saw four men in the fire, rather than the three that were ordered to die, and they were walking around none the less, not dying.  He said that the fourth man looked like a "son of the gods".  Apparently he was a curious fellow and wanted to see how these men didn't die (and probably trying to figure out who the fourth man was).  They came out of the fire untouched. Their hair, skin, everything was just as it was before they had entered, and the miracle commanded awe from the king and everyone around.

What I thought about here, was that the three had to enter the fire, before it was clear to those outside that God was with them.  Their attitudes of boldness were clear that their trust was in God, but those who didn't know God weren't able to fully see it until they were thrown into the fire. Then and only then did the fourth "man" appear.  I wonder about this, as we who trust in God seem to be thrown into fires of our own, occasionally and sometimes daily.  We have faith, and know that we don't need another trial to understands God's strength again, but what if those trials we suffer are not for us but for those around us? What if we are thrown into the fire to show God's strength and power to the doubtful eyes that look after us?

There's no doubt that God's power was with the three men before the fire, but it was only during that He was clearly seen.  Hm. Dwell on this with me today, as we wonder about the fires we are living and surviving in. Where is the God we trust in?  How is he using this fire to show others that He is real?  How can we be open to the flames that seem to engulf us but trust that they will not consume us?

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Day 1.5

Well, we made it.  And we're very tired, about to sleep the 2nd night.  Yesterday, as usual, I had my "mishaps" at the airport.....aka....our plane was late, then my luggage was left in Amsterdam, then because of all that, our car guy wasn't there to pick us up because he left!!! Then we he did come back, we got a parking ticket because we left the car while we waited to get our luggage!  Oh my. Yes, so I've committed my first crime in Europe and I wasn't even there for 24 hours! Oi.

The home we're staying in is beautiful!  It currently houses 4-5 girls (having trouble remembering) from the orphanage, but most are my age or older...funny.  The two missionaries & their daughter live here as well, and share the upstairs with their Romanian parents.  It's wonderful to be part of this family for a few days!  We celebrated their little daughter's first birthday today, and do you know what the grandpa gave her for a present?  A swingset.....made by hand!!!  He was chopping wood when we pulled in last night. It's beautiful.

We also got to walk into town to run some errands, and saw what the girls' do for work...which is make greeting cards to sell!  They're beautiful cards! (as you can see, I'm short on vocabulary....all i can say is that things are beautiful.)

Anyway, I made a few new friends today, and had fun hearing about all the girls & missionaries do here.  SO cool.  Okay, i need to sleep.  Goodnight!!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

As I head out

I'm remembering a verse given to me a few weeks ago, thinking about how God has drawn me towards orphaned, abandoned, rejected & displaced...here is a great verse from Isaiah 54:2-3, which says, "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities."


As a family in Christ, let's open our tents, stretch the curtains wide, welcoming in all those who have no family, no inheritance, no future or hope of one.  Let's together see how we can become brothers and sisters to these beautiful children,....through our heavenly Father!


.....pray for our health, travel safety, wisdom & common sense! Argh. AND....pray that our knowledge of the foreign language will come back readily to our minds!  Thanks! --Tyler & Alissa

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Prayer journaling 2/4

I haven't been feeling great this week, and am all out of great writing....temporarily at least.  But here are some verses I'm praying through this week.  Feel free to comment your thoughts on these or other verses that you've been praying through also! :)


Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.


Psalm 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. 
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Dressed in Striped Pajamas

Tonight I was sick....slightly, but feeling not quite myself just the same.  I knew I wanted to blog tonight, since much has been floating around my mind, but it wasn't until just this moment that I really knew what I wanted to say.


This month I'm going on a journey of prayer journaling....and before I began writing tonight, I wanted to "relax" and watch a movie. Well I chose the movie "Boy in Striped Pajama's".  If you've seen it, you know that it leaves you feeling very sad, sad for the world, for the boy, for the times when we just don't know any better.... and it makes me want to pray.


"Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." (Psalm 62:8) If you know anything about the holocaust, you know that there were many, many people who cried out to God, seeking His help, protection, wisdom & mercy. God wants us to do this, to pour out our hearts to him when we are scared, ashamed, unsure & hurting.  He will protect us, though sometimes He protects our hearts & souls over our earthly bodies.


We know this is true, that God desires to hold us in his Hands, and that He will answer us and come to us because of what Christ testified by his mouth..."'Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.  So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”'

And yet, sometimes we have to walk through horrendous situations.  The people of the holocaust were thrust into something they had little to no control over, they were tortured, beaten, starved, mocked and killed for just daring to live as people that Christ created them to be.  Many of them lost hope, feeling abandoned....but still there were some, like Corrie Ten Boom who saw her situation in the prison camps, as a time that she could tell others about God & his mercy. She understood what is written about in 2 Corinthians 2:14 where it says "But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere."  She, being lead as a captive into a place shrouded by death, held to her faith and overcame the smell of flesh with the fragrance of everlasting life.  ..... A faith like that deserves pause. ..... A faith like that, is one to make you wonder about the God who calls a witness like her out...He is a mighty God, a faithful God, an everlasting God.

Finally, as we seek him, praise him, confess our fears and hopes to him, we will see...maybe not today, but one day we will see...what His glorious plans for our lives will be.  It is then and on our journey to that end, that we can joyfully sing with David through Psalms 30:11-12, "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever." Amen.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Prayer Journaling in March!!

So I'm going to do something new this month, and would love any of you to join me! For the next four weeks of March(starting next Wednesday), I will be choosing one verse from each of the sections below and using those verses to help me in my prayers. Then I'll write here which verses I chose, and if I had any thoughts or prayer requests or answered prayers! SO....why don't you join me? Let's do this together. Choose verses from the list below or ones you can find on your own, and then post your thoughts as comments! (and if you want to start posting now, let me know that you're going to do this, and if there are prayer requests!) Yay! I'm excited to pray with you!



ADORATION: Hebrews 13:15, Psalm 22:27, 1 Chronicles 16:25, Psalm 30:11-12, Psalm 75:5-6,14, Ephesians 1:3

CONFESSION: Romans 3:23, James 5:16, Psalm 51:1, 1 John 1:9, Psalm 62:8, Psalm 32:5

THANKSGIVING: 1 Chronicles 16:34-36, Daniel 2:23, 1 Timothy 1:12, 1 Timothy 4:4, Psalm 75:1, Psalm 106:1, 1 Corinthians 15:57, 2 Corinthians 2:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:18

SUPPLICATION: Jeremiah 17:14, Luke 11:5-13, Matthew 17:14-20, Matthew 26:39, Matthew 7:7-11, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 15:22-28

Saturday, January 29, 2011

It's on it's way!!

By Alissa M. Foreman

I ordered my book today! It should be here mid-February, but that shouldn't stop you from checking it out ahead of time! Feel free to browse the preview, and order one for yourself if you feel so led! :) I can't wait! It's so exciting to share this with you!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Sunrise to Sunset

I am the LORD, and there is no other;
   apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
   though you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the rising of the sun
   to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
   I am the LORD, and there is no other. --Isaiah 45:5-6
 
This morning, as I do many mornings, I watched the sunrise develop into something exquisite over the frozen lake.  It shone bright orange, purple & blue streaks which each contrasted with the others so vibrantly.  I'm not sure why, but watching a sunrise or sunset like the one this morning always reminds me of God's faithfulness. It's like he's there, trying to remind us that from beginning to end, He is there. He will be faithful.  Though the day might bring hardship, toil & pain, He remains. He draws us towards him, to find beauty within his  creation, to find beauty within the day He has created for us. He wants us to know that He is bigger than whatever is out there, whatever we go through, whatever we face....He is with us.  He is in the dark, in the light, in the wind and in the calm. He is there and will always be pursuing us to bring us towards His loving arms.  The colors of this sunset are like the many facets of God's character. He is both loving, just, compassionate, holy, gentle & yet we should fear Him.  Oh how all those facets and colors come together to form such a wonderful picture of who God is, and that we can be reminded of it every morning and every evening....that God is faithful.  

Friday, January 14, 2011

New Year, New Day

Well here we find ourselves in a new year, a new day, thinking about what it will bring and what last year left behind. The new year is a time of new beginnings, and sometimes bitter ends.

I think about this time last year, and how I had so many hopes for the year, so much ambition. Many of those things came to fruition, and many of those slipped silently into the forgotten places of life. There were a lot of things last year that happened unexpectedly.  No matter how I might have planned for the year, I wouldn't have guessed certain things, both good & bad.  I put together some resolutions, and stuck with them for the most part....but this year I've come to a new "resolution" of sorts.

I'm not going to make a resolution, since most of them get broken anyway. What I do want to do though, is to live each day. That's it. Simply try to be present to each moment that presents itself. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6) I'm going to try not to be anxious about what is up ahead.  

"...As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5b) I will try to remember that God is with me, even when it seems like I'm alone.  

"You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me." (Psalm 139:2-5) I will try to rest in the knowledge that each moment is held by my Father above. 

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,  a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,  a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) I will try to understand that everything will come in time.

This year above all, I need to learn to rest in Him. Take each and every day in itself, seeking how I can best serve God, seeking ways that I can honor Him and make choices to lead others closer to knowing Him.  As I try to grow closer in that relationship this year, I want to keep His words close to my heart.  Hudson Taylor said it well...read this & remember that while we continue to walk this life, do not forget to rest. For it is by Christ's power that we will survive this year....."But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful one: As i read, I saw it all! 'If we believe not, he abideth faithful!' I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed!) that He has said, 'I will never leave Thee!' 'Ah, there is rest!' I thought. I have striven in vain to rest in Him.  I'll strive no more. For has not He promised to abide with me--never to leave me, never to fail me?"