Journeys

Hello friends... I want to start today's post by asking for your patience with me in this process. I have repeatedly felt clear that the Lord wants me to continue posting to this site... and yet, I am feeling almost completely unclear about what I am supposed to do beyond that! So, I'm experimenting with different formats, and trying to be prayerful and discerning in my process. Your prayers are invited and appreciated....

That said, I'm just going to share some thoughts today... reflections of my own, I suppose. The topic? The journey.

A scripture that really caught my attention in church this weekend was one that is very familiar to me, and probably to most in Western cultures... it's that one in 1 John about perfect love and it casting out all fear.

Without realizing it, I think I've always thought of this verse as if it were saying that, if the love in my life/heart/soul/spirit was perfect, then I would be without fear. As I've lived much of my life as a remarkably fearful and fear-driven person, I always struggled with this concept. Did it mean that God's love wasn't perfect? No, it wasn't that. In fact, the conclusion I think I usually came to was just that I must not have really embraced the perfect love offered to me by God... because, after all, if I had, I'd be free from all fear, right? Right?!?!

Well, as it turns out, I had a new thought about this verse today. Maybe it's not supposed to be such a passive process... maybe I don't sit around striving after perfect love and then, voila!, fear is gone. Maybe it's that I'm being reminded here that the perfect love that is always with me is the perfect weapon. So, when I find myself in the midst of fear, fighting against it, I can call upon that perfect love and believe that it can and will cast away all the fear. Maybe, instead of sitting by periodically checking my fear-levels as a measuring device for the amount of perfect love in my life, I am meant to take a more active approach. Maybe my action is to be believing in the power of His love, and then use that faith and this word to fight against one of the enemy's primary tools: fear.

What do you think? It's a battle of the mind; that's for sure. And I find myself fighting to let Him reclaim ground again and again... I find myself to be quite vulnerable to fear and its calling... although less so than I once was. (Praise God!) In any case, I find for myself today that I will be asking God to help fortify my belief in the power of that perfect love, and I will be calling upon that same power as I pray against the fear I feel. And then I will be believing (and praying for help with my unbelief.) Perfect love casts out fear. Period. Amen!

A Lifestyle of Praise

I had a kinda blah day today. I am overtired and in definite need of some retreat & restore time. I had over-committed my week, and under-prioritized sleep. And now it was catching up with me. Okay, so, we've all been there, right? And, gosh, if nothing else, this is how we learn!

So, anyway, about late afternoon today, I started to feel downright surly. I was in the car, and thought, "Lord, help me out. I don't like feeling this way. Please help me know what to do." And, oh how I thank Him for His faithfulness... like clockwork, there popped a new thought into my head. I was reminded, quite unexpectedly, of something a friend of mine had recently written. She'd shared about an experience of hers and that, in the midst of a painful time, the act of praise had powerfully pulled her into a new place. Ah, thank you, and thank You!

I began the process of praise-ifying my night. At first, it was sort of rote, and didn't have a lot of heart behind it. "Lord, you are the maker of the beautiful sunset - I praise Your name for You creative and amazing beautiful works." And the words sound nice, but re-read them with a monotone voice, and that's about where I started. But, thankfully, I learned the principle of acting myself into "right thinking" rather than trying to think myself into "right acting" long ago, so I kept on. It's been several hours now, and I stepped outside just a moment ago to let my dogs out. I looked up at the stars and was honestly struck with wonder at His beauty; "Lord, I praise Your name as the maker of this wonder." And I meant it. And I feel certain He knew it. He always does.

I decided as my night had progressed, and my heart had been changed that I was going to adopt a new idea, and begin to pursue a "lifestyle of praise." It's like an attitude of gratitude (which also has my wholehearted endorsement!), but with a new slant.

In honor of this, and with the blessing of the Spirit's leading, I am going to close with this verse. May it dwell in you richly...

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more" Psalms 71:14 (NIV).

I love You, Lord! I praise Your name for You are Glory!

Listening, Believing Him & Hope

As I was praying about a topic for today's writing, I felt like like the Spirit told me to write about hope. So, as I set about doing my reading in the Word, I watched carefully for passages and verses about hope. God's funny like that; sometimes I think I've figured something out (what this really usually means is that I've tried to make Him formulaic, which He is not). Most times, when I get this particular "Oh, I see how this works" feeling, it's proven to me that I haven't seen anything yet.

So, here are the verses for this entry:

"I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built" Luke 6:47-48 (NIV).

Here is what I hear in this passage tonight. First, this passage is talking about someone who not only hears what Jesus says, but who also puts this instruction into practice. This may seem a little "duh," but let's think about this for a minute.

If I run into a friend on the street, and the friend says, "The sky is falling! You'd better run for cover", what am I going to do? Well, I guess one of three things: 1) I run for cover 2) I ignore my nutty friend and go on with my day or 3) I am alarmed by my friend's warnings, but not so sure they're credible; so I go on uncertain - probably trying to hedge my bets in some ways (maybe put some of my valuables under a heavy table or something) and, knowing me, I might also try to do a little more digging to see if I can find a corroborating voice somewhere out there.

So, if you will agree that these are 3 likely responses to my friend's warning, then let's look at what each of these responses really mean.

Scenario 1) I run for cover. Well, I think it's fair to say that I wouldn't run for cover unless I was certain that what my friend was telling me was correct. In other words, I trust my friend. I believe her and have confidence in the veracity of what she says.

Scenario 2) I ignore my friend and carry on with my life. I think it's reasonable to say I shouldn't refer to this person as my "friend" all that freely. I obviously do not believe that what she says has any truth to it at all; for whatever reason, I clearly do not feel there's any truth in what she says. In other words, I don't believe her. (I don't know about you, but I feel a twinge of conviction as I write this. I have a couple "friends" to whom I really might have this kind of a response; makes me realize I may need some prayerful consideration of those relationships....)

And, lastly, Scenario 3) I might kind of, sort of heed the warning, but I'm clearly not convinced. I may take my time, and most likely, I might start looking for some other source for information. Maybe this is a friend I don't know well, or a friend that I don't really know to have any authoritative knowledge in the area of the sky and its happenings. Whatever the case, I may have some reason to partially trust this person, but I'm still not absolutely certain that every word she speaks is absolute truth. Fair enough.

So, I suspect you can see where I'm going with this - at least for starters. In truth, these are three of the responses I can have to Jesus and His words. Sometimes, I act as if I don't think He has a clue. Sometimes, my interest is piqued, but I'm still looking for additional input. And, every now and then, He says I should jump, and my immediate response is "how high?" I'm learning on this front; always.

Alright, are you hanging in there with me? With this piece under our belts, let's move on to this second verse. What is it that is promised for those who listen to Him and put what He says into practice? Or, if you're willing to indulge my analogy, those of us who hear the voice of our Friend and immediately respond with action?

We get a firm foundation. Amen! He is that, isn't He? But, we get more... yes, more! When the torrents come, we will not be shaken. Not only are we not crumbled and destroyed, our homes are not even shaken. I'll take some of that!

And, friends, here's where the hope comes in. Biblical hope is about expectation. It's not just aimless uncertain cross-my-fingers kind of hope; it's hope that says, "I know this is coming, and I cannot wait!" This is hope rooted in knowledge of His word (the hearing of the words, in analogy to Jesus' teaching), and in not just hearing it, and not just knowing it, but in believing it. What I'm understanding in this parable is that while knowing what Jesus' words are is great, living a life because of the fact that it is what He said is better... and, at least speaking for myself, I don't actually live into direction unless its coming from someone I absolutely trust and believe. It's not a new concept, but the challenge in this for me is not just believing in Him; it's believing Him. As I'm journeying hand-in-hand with Him, I'm learning that the distinction is actually the door to a world of difference. I pray for your own insights as you let this mean whatever it will for you.

Much love tonight... He is good.

Got Power?

Okay, if any of you are like me, and sometimes just need a mental booster, try this on for size....


"And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you" Romans 8:11 (NIV).


Okay, back up... I always need to remind myself to really take this in, "the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you". Okay, one more time. "the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you."


Okay, Lord, please forgive me when I doubt Your power, doubt your ability or doubt the freedom You have set aside for me!


I know it's crazy, but I have to admit that, at times, I do find myself doubting, unconsciously, whether or not God's power is enough. I know, I know. I mean, I don't consciously sit around thinking, "Well, I don't know...God? I'm not sure He's up for the task." But, what my actions demonstrate is that, sometimes, I'm not sure. What other explanation is there for my doubt, my fear and my consistent attempts to "help"? And yet, listen to what the Truth tells us here.


The power that raised JESUS from the dead... okay, seriously, as I've heard this pointed out before by others, if I don't think that power is enough to help tackle my issue, whatever it may be on a given day... well, if I doubt that, I need a readjustment in my view! I mean, really! What problems do I have that are bigger than raising from the dead the one who died with the sins of the world on His shoulders???


Okay, that's what I thought. Not so much.


So, amen & hallelujah! There isn't anything we can face that is more than what His Spirit can overcome. Just a reminder; no room for doubt. It is spelled out quite clearly. Thank You, Lord!

Mistaken Opportunities

As I've written about before, it's easy for me to be very hard on myself. I suspect many (if not most) of us are like this. Even when I am complimented, it sometimes sparks me to feel not gratitude, but instead shame for all the ways in which either 1) I do not live up to the compliment or 2) all the other ways in which I do not deserve any praise.

I'm afraid I don't have more eloquence for it... but what I can say is that, for whatever reasons, I can often feel a little down on myself or disappointed in my own imperfection. In fact, that's probably one of my biggest challenges in responding to others. I think we probably all have our own motives that vary from instance to instance, but quite often, when I feel defensive, it's simply a shield for my own disappointment in my (once again) revealed imperfection.

In truth, this is a ludicrous problem to have! I was reminded of this today when reading in Luke. This is the passage in which Jesus is being criticized for befriending Levi, the tax collector. Jesus' response to His critics is one I need to hear again and again:

"Jesus answered them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick'" Luke 5:31 (NIV).

Ooooh, right.

It is precisely because of my imperfections and human failings that I need Jesus. And not only because of these thing do I need Him, but because of them, He came, and because of them, I am repeatedly and readily convinced of my need for His hand in my life.

In truth, it's a simple lack of humility that prompts me to feel disappointed in my imperfection. I don't say this to be critical, but to be honest and plain. Only when I expect that I, of my own power, can act in a way that is "perfect" am I disappointed when I am not perfect. I am sure that many of my mistakes and mis-steps (whether sins or not... I know I can count many things as mis-steps that aren't sin at all... just another sign of my out-there standards!) disappoint God. But I suspect He doesn't even pause to be surprised by my failings. Instead, it's just an opportunity for Him to love me. And, when it comes down to it (and especially because I have no choice!), I'll take all the opportunities for Jesus' love that I can get!

Thank You, Lord, for loving me!

Helping Jesus

I believe there are many layers of instruction in the Word - and one of the ways in which God speaks to me through it is sometimes in just starting my mind down a path. So, today, I'm going to take you through a little thought-path of mine. Hopefully I can navigate through without losing any passengers!

I started with this verse:

"The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him" Genesis 2:18 (NIV).

I hear good instruction in this verse - a reminder that as a wife someday, my role is to be a helper to my husband. I'm sure pages and pages could be written about what it really means to be a helper, not to mention the fact that I'd love to take some time to pull apart the word "suitable" here, but that will have to be for another day. For today, I started thinking about the role of the wife. I also wondered, as I felt led to write on this verse, what information there is in it for someone who may never be married, or for a husband or in some other context.

I started thinking about Jesus, and how we (as the church ) are to be His bride. I am no Biblical scholar, nor do I make any claims about authoritative interpretation of the Bible beyond what is trickles into my head after prayerful requests for insight. That said, it made me think about what it might mean to be a suitable helper to Jesus.

Hmmm, interesting thought, isn't it? My first one, quite honestly, was "How can I help Jesus?!? He's Jesus! And I'm just me!" I'm pretty stinkin' clear that I need His help; I'm not sure I've ever given thought before to the idea of helping Him in some way.

So then I thought about Jesus and His attitude toward the poor; I remembered His words in Matthew 25 encouraging care for the poor, the weakened and the prisoner. Specifically, I remembered "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Ah, yes. Unconditional love and giving. Of course that helps Jesus!

Just like a mother or good friend feels personally helped when her child or friend is helped by someone else, so does Jesus. He loves each and every one of us that much - that when we help them, especially the "least" of them, we help Him too.

This is a simple concept (I never claimed anything more!), but valuable. It's just another reminder; the ways I act and the things I do, I do not do without an audience. And, beyond that, when I do His will and walk in His ways, I give back exponentially more than I can understand, because the power I get from Him also has the potential to be amplified and used by Him in ways I may never understand.

I hope to be a very good wife to my earthly husband someday. And for now and always, I will remember that I can and am called to helping Jesus in His pursuit of salvation, love and grace for all.

The Heart of God

I was talking today with a friend about...well, about life. Life's twists and turns and how tough it is to wait for God to reveal what His answers are. I was sharing that if I'd learned anything about waiting on God, it was that His sense of timing was waaay different from my own! And yet, I believe in Him and in His ways. I absolutely believe that His way is the path to my greatest good.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV).

It's a familiar verse for many, but it's one of my favorites - one that I just like to curl up with and let it renew me and teach me more about God's heart. And really, it says some incredibly important things about God and His heart.

Not only does He know the plans He has for us, but there's more. And really, even that can be reassuring at times. I know that I have at times felt like God was maybe just sort of waffling back and forth or still trying to come up with a strategy. This verse reminds me that my fears aren't truth. He KNOWS the plans He has for us. So, not only does He know them, but He has them. Phew, okay. That's a good start.

What's more? His plans are to prosper us, and not to harm us. Quickly, a look at that word: prosper. It's derived from the Hebrew word "shalom." Many of us know this word, but few have looked into the rich depth of its full meaning. Shalom means peace, but it means complete, full and happy peace. This word is associated with rest and welfare, health and favour. This word is also about safety. These are the things God plans for us. Rest, welfare, health, favor, safety... complete, full and happy peace. Wow. I love this Lord!

His plans are good. His plans are complete. Pray for His help in waiting if you need it; He will not let you down!