Is that You, God?

© 2016 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. (1 John 4:19 MSG)

All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and He was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.  (2 Chronicles 15:15 NIV)

My husband and I met through a spiritual retreat weekend. One spring day I was invited over by him and his young son to dinner and a board game. A week or two later, another similar invite. (two dates)

It was at this point that I sat down and literally prayed for hours. After only two dates, I prayed about any future with them. "Lord, we’ve all been hurt before by failed marriages. None of us want to go down that road again. So please stop this now before it grows into something. Or, if it is Your will to have us all begin a forever journey together – please, Lord, let me know now. Before we become emotionally attached and find out we’ve stepped out of Your will for us."

All Saturday afternoon I thought about this. Prayed about this. Wanting … and not wanting. Seeking the Lord. Please, let me know how to proceed.

And the date December 30 popped into my head. I questioned it at first. December 30? Whaa …? Marriage, Lord? Are You trying to tell me? Are You responding to my plea? I looked on the calendar and December 30 that year was on a Wednesday. Who gets married on a Wednesday? So, like Mary, I treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

It wasn’t long before the big questions was asked. I don’t know if my husband was surprised that I already had a date picked out or not. But based on what I sensed was a direct word from God, we married … on a Wednesday … on December 30. I guess because He loved us first, and filled us with a love that will have no end.

Something old, something new ...

© 2016 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.” (Luke 14:12-14 MSG)

I used to knit mittens. And that’s all. Just mittens. Figured out that pattern and didn’t dare try anything different. It got boring sometimes – just knitting mittens. But one day I ventured out. I tried a sock pattern. Change was difficult – at first. But then it was so cool! I knitted socks! Then I reached out a little farther – and tried afghans. Despite the challenges and bumps in the road and mistakes made and learned from – the end result was awesome!

We all have “patterns” of living. Habits, routines … and we think we can’t move passed them. Maybe it’s an unhealthy diet. Or lack of exercise. Spending money impulsively. Thinking we don’t have time to read our bible.

But if we want things to get bigger, better, more interesting, more exciting … we need to choose to make a change. You can envision what the end results will be. You know the desires of your heart. Now you just need to take a step of faith and do something to head in that direction. Yes, you - can make something happen.

I recently had a conversation with a man who said we need more members in our church. And I asked him if he was willing to change how he spent his free time in order to build a relationship with someone, invite them into your circle of life, and then welcome them into your church family. Because all people want to feel known and seen and heard before they will feel they belong. Accepted.

If we keep things “boring”, the same, we don’t need God. If we repeatedly do the old, familiar things, we are the ones staying “in control”. And we literally do not experience God in all His profound awesomeness. It’s only in the steps of faith that we see God, feel God, sense His power and love.

What will you do today to venture out … and experience God? To be blessed and be a blessing?

It's time for a sock hop!

... in heavenly peace

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:2)

Keep your mind on heavenly things.

Love and praise and beauty are what is found in heaven.

No worries in heaven. That comes from earthly pressures.

Heaven came down …

Not out of reach.

You don’t have to wait until death to taste it.

Heaven came down and lived among us (John 1:14)

Complete love, perfect praise for the Father, and a beautiful soul.

A taste of heaven.

Think on these things.

Take some time today and every day to taste the sweetness of heaven by thinking of the pleasures in heaven.

Because the One Who came down from heaven bringing love and peace and hope to the world …

is … still … here.

Alive and present.

Still bringing love and peace and hope to our present situation.

It’s all yours if you but seek Him.

Turn your attention to Him.

Every day take some time to rest in Him.

Just sit and say His name over and over …

Jesus …

Wonderful Counselor

Almighty God

The everlasting Father

The Prince of  my Peace

 Has come.

Is here.

Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)

Help! I need someone

© 2016 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. (Psalm 18:29)

I have been thinking about peace a lot lately. Just saw a woman have a panic attack in a restaurant yesterday. We all cry out to God to step in and do something. Give me Your peace, Lord, just give it to me. But I’m thinking God is about hand-in-hand relationships. He doesn’t always want to wave a magic wand and make things miraculously all better. He wants us to join Him and together make things better. Isn’t that how we get to know someone better, have strong ties with them and build a lasting relationship with them? God wants to be known.

What if God is telling us what we need to do to achieve greater peace and we’re choosing not to do it? If finances are causing you stress, is God telling you to prayerfully create a manageable budget and with His help stick to it? The same with relationships. Is God leading you to forgive and repair and just reconnect on a more regular basis? Is He calling You to set the example of how co-workers can get along? Can you somehow have peace about your health and your body without following God’s plan of good choices in diet and exercise? If there is stress in your life, is there prayer and forethought and planning or are you just reacting and impulsive? Thinking the consequences will be minor and can be dealt with later, only to realize too late that you made a bunch of little impulsive choices and they have snowballed into a catastrophic, overwhelming, unmanageable level. If you truly budget your calories, your money, your time … and stick with it … will that lead to less stress? Will that lead to … peace?

Slow down for a minute. Consider what is upsetting you so much. With the HELP of God, what can the two of you do together to gain the peace you seek?

The word “help” means - make it easier for (someone) to do something by offering one's services or resources. Not do it for you, or in place of you. But together.

Begin that walk in peace with God today. Think through your choices today. Make them choices, and not emotional impulses. With the help of God … you can - move towards peace; peace with God.

Where's MY mercy?

© 2016 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” (Matthew 14:16)

I was recently doing a bible study on the Psalms and the opening verse read, “How long, O Lord, how long …?” Boy, haven’t we all been there! But upon pondering this verse, I felt like I heard God saying, “How long, dear Julie, how long … before you act in faith?” Ouch.

A friend recently told me the story of a family member in deep need and this friend had just saved up enough money to buy something more frivolous than what they needed. In the midst of his prayer for God to help them out, he immediately knew he had the funds to help – in Jesus name.

And it reminds me of the many times I hear people “cry out” to God to feed the hungry. Or provide something for the poor. And He is probably thinking, “You have plenty. You give them something.”

I was originally going to call this post “Hocus Pocus” because sometimes we want to just pray and ask for some miracle from God. “God, YOU do something.” It would be so much easier for Him - with just a word - it would be taken care of and I wouldn’t have to be bothered. I did my part. I prayed. How often, I wonder, are we really supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus? And instead think I don’t want to be bothered or my little bit won’t make a difference. How often are the skeptics and the unbelievers of this world looking for some tangible sign of God and come up empty? Because HE didn’t perform some miracle? Or it was right there and we didn’t deliver it?

God is all about relationship. He wants us to pray to Him. Creates a thousand reasons for us to pray to Him. So there will be some growing connection between God and us. That's where He teaches us about love, mercy and service. It's what He wants for all  brothers and sisters of this world. Connection. Love. So help. Give a little. Let’s pool our resources and make a difference. We can be the instrument of love and mercy in the Father’s hands. We can shed light on the Spirit of God. We can.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Hey you … bring some of His mercy to those in need.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)

I FEEL GOOD! Do Do … Do Do … Do Do …Do!

© 2016 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:2 MSG)

Reading God’s Word. Whether it’s a whole chapter or just a few phrases that caught my attention and I want to think about … I feel good when I choose to read God’s Word. It is within God’s will and desire for us.

Praying. Whether it’s several minutes of thanking or wondering what is up with my current situation, or a quick sentence of two on behalf of a friend … I feel good when I choose to pray. It is within God’s will and desire for us.

Healthy foods and activity. Whether it’s selecting a juicy orange instead of another Christmas cookie for once, or preparing a whole nutritious meal … I feel good when I choose to feed my body with things that fuel and nourish. It is within God’s will and desire for us.

Reaching out to others. Whether it’s dropping a card in the mail or taking the time to listen … I feel good when I am like Jesus in helping others to feel better. It is within God’s will and desire for us.

Obviously the listing could go on and on. But I want you to see that God’s will leads to inner happiness. Doing these kinds of things make you happy – makes God happy. God’s “rules” weren’t meant to hinder or limit your happiness but increase it.

Live in accordance with God’s will and desire and see if your life doesn’t take an upswing!

In your face!

© 2016 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

One generation commends Your works to another; they tell of Your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty - and I will meditate on Your wonderful works. (Psalm 145:4-5)

I friend of mine recently recommended a brisk walk for 15 minutes for healthy living. Yes, I am in Michigan and it is 24 degrees and snow is falling. But I’ve been feeling emotional and “tossed by the waves” unsettled. So despite my misgivings, I decided to do just that. Double pair of mittens, thick flannel scarf with matching helmet hat and out the door I went.

Yep. It was cold. But it was also pretty. And this early in the morning – tranquil. Snow crunching under each step I took. The fresh air cleared my head. Maybe it was the sharpness of the cold on my face, or the white wonder all around me but I felt transported. The present situation grabbed me – the cold air, the freshness of breath, the sense of beauty and wonder ... Left behind were the worrisome thoughts, the niggling should-haves, and the heavy to-do list. Gone. Forgotten. Lifted indeed.

And I am reminded of another friend who recommends reading God’s Word for 15 minutes for healthy living. Could there be a connection? Could emotional worries and entanglements be again – gone, forgotten, lifted?

I’m betting so. I think God is like that. Reaching out for us, looking out for us. Grabbing hold – if we but let Him.

Got 15 minutes?

He came to help

© 2016 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. (John 3:16-18 MSG)

For some of us, our ears have become desensitized to this most powerful message of John 3:16. For God so loved the world, blah, blah, blah … yeah. We know. But …

He gave His Son. I remember when my one and only son went on his first tour of Iraq. I reflected on “giving up” a son. I thought about Abraham preparing to sacrifice his only son. Striving against all that was in him - to obey God no matter what. To trust God and His love no matter what. Because God wanted a testimony to His character.

Anyone can have a whole and lasting life. For those of you who knew me years ago, you may have wondered how wild I would go before surrendering and believe in Him. But God is relentless. I had siblings who I didn’t think, didn’t know, if they would come to believe. It was not until later in life that the knowledge came to me – they all know and believe in the risen Lord. Never lose hope on anyone. The Lord is in active pursuit.

He came to help. How many of us, how many times have we seen God as an angry, punishing God? Standing at the ready with a ruler in His hand, ready to smack our knuckles. When it is with tears He watches us make poor choices and suffer consequences. With great tenderness He reaches down to guide us down the right path. How He longs for us to understand His full - encompassing mercy. All your sins have been paid for – 2,000 years ago. This one-of-a-kind Son came. He came. Believe in this good news!

Door Number Two

© 2016 Julie Crane All rights reserved.

God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered Himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people He can be proud of, energetic in goodness. (Titus 2:11-14 MSG)

I must admit. It feels good when I am able to make healthy food choices. Not only does it nourish my physical body and gives me health, strength, energy and interest in life (whereas eating junk food slows me down, makes me sluggish and lazy), but it does my very soul good. I am proud of myself for the good choice I made. I t makes me smile all over to think I faced temptation and with God’s help – resisted. Conquered. I win!

I get the same delicious feeling when I extend a random act of kindness. Or any kindness really. When I am able to lift someone’s spirits, or lend a helping hand … they feel better … I feel better. It’s a win / win!

And especially now that it is Christmas time, when we’re out shopping for that perfect “surprise” gift, and cooking up family favorite recipes … all more, good giving! The happy feeling spreads. With all these good juices flowing, why would you choose to be dark and dreary? Why would you choose to be selfish and hurtful?

We’ve all heard it said time and time again. Life is all about choices. We are not bonded, bound slaves to unhappy, disgruntled, “ugly” living. No! Jesus has come and has freed us so that now, there is a better option for us to pursue. AND He will help us along the way. His gift to us. Let’s all do likewise … live a life of "giveness".