Friday, August 30, 2013

An Invitation

Jesus invites you, welcomes you, with a gracious smile and a hug into His adventurous plans. He, Who can climb mountains and scale walls and also appreciate green grass and still waters… “Come!”, He says with a smile…. “(You! Yes, you!...) Follow Me!”

“Lord, I want to follow You. I want to go with You. At least I know that’s the best thing to do. But the sinful truth is – I want You to follow me around. And bless what I choose to get into. Forgive my ‘I am god’ attitude and help me to fear You and acknowledge You as God of the universe. That should be non-negotiable. As in: there is no other truth, no other options. You are in charge. I am not. You set the rules. I follow them. No argument. No discussion. No compromising as though we were equals.’

 When did trusting and believing (and obeying) become not okay, especially when we’re talking about God Almighty?

How in tune are you to the Father’s steps these days? If you could be assured of safety and the power to get through anything, would you go with Him today? If you knew, truly, with all your heart, that God would be your Strength and your Shield…

A dear friend recently helped me to see Psalm 46:10 in a different light –

BE STILL (stop with all the worrying for one minute!)
AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
I AM GOD (not you! I AM GOD Almighty… Creator, Ruler, Lover, and Caretaker of everything in heaven and on earth and under the earth, yesterday, today and forevermore)

It is safe to follow Him, hear me? Safe to trust Him in what He leads you to do. Isaiah 30: 21 assures us.... Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it.  Take His hand today. Wherever He leads you… go with God.

·        I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. – Hosea 11:4

·        My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. – John 10:27

·        He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. – Psalm 23:2

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Prayers for our marriages

 I was going through my facebook newsfeed this morning and stumbled across someone’s “like” of a famous pastor’s status. It was in reference to marriage and those falling apart. I read through many of the responses. An overwhelming number who have given up on their marriage; an overwhelming number pleading for prayer for their marriage; those whose hope is completely lost and acceptance of what appears to be heading towards a new norm; and a couple with stories of miraculous restoration. People I don’t know… and I wonder, how many more are out there, trying to keep a lid on their pain… who need our prayers. No cutesy story from me today. Just a plea to pray with me for this unknown number of marriages that need God in a powerful way. Please join me in prayer:

 

·        That no power, circumstance, difficulty, or other people will separate what God has joined together

·        That we will all find a way to communicate honestly and lovingly no matter what the topic may be

·        May gentleness and kindness and words of appreciation and encouragement be a part of our every day communications with our spouse

·        May we truly know physical satisfaction with deep, rich intimacy from our spouse and our spouse alone

·        May we be so intensely committed and bound together that no emotional, mental, financial, relational, physical, spiritual strife can not be shared and carried together

·        May our love for each other be an outpouring result of our strong and ever-increasing bond with You, dear Lord

·        Keep us in Your truth and in Your Word that we might know the right way to go every day

·        Show us the way to unity of mind when it comes to tough topics like finances and parenting

·        Grant us commitment to You and to our spouses today… just for today… each day, one day at a time

·        Help us all to see the beauty in the relationship; beauty for ashes

·        Help us to believe that it is not too late when God is invited in to be involved

For those of you in this scary situation right now, to whatever degree, please turn your face to the Lord and believe He is greater and stronger than anything you are facing today. And know there are people praying… Amen.

 

Monday, August 26, 2013

Lessons from a 9-month old

 One more story from the 9-month old baby that visited our house.

He found our ol’ DVD/VCR player on a shelf beneath the TV… just the right height for him! And you know he became quite interested in that little flapping door on the VCR. He’d go over… his mom would drag him back. He’d go over… you know the story. Eventually though, and it wasn’t too long, before he forgot all about it.

His momma didn’t scream, “NO!! NO!!”. She didn’t slap his hand. She just picked him up and turned him around and gave him something else to get interested in.

Now, those of you who are on diets, or trying to turn away from some other bad habit (smoking, grief, depression, trying to exercise)… how many of you gently turn yourself around and try to get interested in something else? Or do you scream at yourself in your head and find other ways to “abuse” yourself for going “there”.

Gently turn yourself around. Get interested in something else. Find that distraction until the “urge” passes. How does that work in “real time”. Well, the other day I was going out to breakfast with a dear friend. I’ve been trying to eat healthier so I determined in my mind before I got to the restaurant that I would have fresh fruit and some kind of healthy grain toast. Got to the restaurant and unfolded a big, tri-fold breakfast menu. All sorts of gooey, yummy things were on there. But I looked for the sides, found the fresh fruit and toast… and closed that menu up fast. Pushed it aside. Started visiting with my friend. Placed the order. It tasted good. I felt good for the wise choices. I didn’t get overly “stuffed-I-need-to-lay-down-and-do-nothing” feeling. I felt empowered, ready to get on with the day.

It worked for the 9-month old.

It worked for me.

How about you? Willing to try?

·        You are capable of making wise decisions.

·        You are strong enough to take control.

·        Try it. Practice it. And before you know it, you’ll be living it.

 

 

 

Monday, August 19, 2013

The Benefit of Prayer Pauses


My life has gotten increasingly busy lately. I’ve taken on some projects that are all coming to a head at the same time. Had a hard time falling asleep last night, thinking about all that needs to / should be done. And I woke up this morning with the same thoughts. Sooo anxious about all that needs to be accomplished and what is most important (and it seemed like a dozen things needed to be done first!). But after just a few minutes in prayer, I somehow felt so confident that God would lead me. A peace kinda washed over me. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t looking for it, exactly. I was just sitting there telling God how I didn’t want to be anxious and overwhelmed, and the next minute, I was “talking” about His character: good, loving, reliable, faithful, powerful, able, wise, all-knowing, detail-oriented. He knows me, He loves me, hears me, equips me… and when I paused my thoughts after all of that, I realized I was calmer than when I first started praying.

“Lord God, help me to remember Your amazing, loving presence and that nothing is going to happen that You didn’t already see coming and that, like my sins – that You dealt with long ago on the cross, before they even came to pass; the events of the day ahead have already passed through Your hands. It is safe to move forward because You are already there. I will not get overwhelmed. I will not shut down before I even begin because You, great God, are always with me. I look to You for guidance. I look forward to Your guidance in this day. I surrender control, that Your power might be the power really getting things done. May that whole idea fill my head. Anxiety comes from me thinking, envisioning, my feeble abilities trying to accomplish what You’ve called me to do. Lord, into Your hands… I trust You to order my steps in thought, word, and deed.”
 
Pause and let some of that sink in...
 

·        Take it to the Lord in prayer

·        Remember Who God is and what He’s done – God never changes

·        The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving towards all He has made.

 

Monday, August 12, 2013

Loving persistence

 It’s been a long time since we’ve had a baby in the house. But we had a young couple from church over for some grillin’ this past weekend. Their little 9-month old boy was crawling all over the living room. He’s going to be up and walking real soon! He kept coming over to the piano bench, trying to pull himself up. He’d get both hands on the bench and one foot planted… but try as he might, he couldn’t get that other leg straightened out. I was sitting nearby and would tap a stone coaster on the bench just out of his reach. We were all laughing and smiling and encouraging him, “Come on, baby! You can do it! You’re so close! Come on!” Well, he made several attempts that day… but didn’t succeed in standing up. He probably got a little stronger and wiser for the next try though. And we all know, he’s only a day or two away from victory.

We were lovingly persistent with him. Cheering him on, rejoicing and laughing and celebrating his progress. Do you think that’s how God also views our spiritual growth? Can you imagine Him happy and smiling in our attempts? Or do you see Him disappointed because you didn’t achieve victory right away? Believe me, just as we were loving to that baby boy, God is loving, persistent, and patient… with us.

“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.” – Matthew 7:11

·        Your next victory may be only one more attempt away

·        Do not be discouraged and do not be afraid.

·        “Come on, baby! You can do it!”