With Gloved Hands

"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:11

A few years ago, I was preparing to host Mother’s wedding to Ben. I had asked to borrow some silver serving pieces from a good friend of mine. I remembered that she had been given several beautiful pieces from her grandmother. When I went over to look at them, they were all tarnished with a grayish black marbling. I knew that I had 3-4 weeks to polish the dishes, so I packed some up, and brought them home. Day after day, I put on my rubber gloves, applied the tarnish remover and gently rubbed it until I could see the shiny silver reappearing. Over the course of the next month I actually looked forward to handling and bringing back to life the beauty of the separate pieces. By the time the celebration was upon us, the reception table boasted silver beauty. I was so delighted to be a part of bringing the beauty back from tarnished offerings.

There were times as a mother when I felt like that tarnished serving piece. Challenging and painful seasons when I wanted nothing more than to hide and be alone…sit on a shelf behind a piece of glass. I had allowed my circumstances to define me, and I felt tarnished…flawed…broken. But God, in His gentleness and loving kindness took me off the shelf. With gloved hands He gently applied His healing and comfort to my heart, and slowly brought beauty back into my life.

Life has a way of tarnishing our beauty, doesn’t it? Heartache has a way of redefining our value. When we look to humanity to define us, we will always be disillusioned. But when we look to our Creator, we allow Him to show us our worth which is Christ in us. When our beauty comes from Christ within, we cannot help but to reflect His reflection. There is never enough tarnish on our lives that God cannot remove if we will place our lives in His hands. We are His vessels prepared in advance to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to serve Him. He will gently restore our original beauty before the tarnishing appeared. And what a beautiful banquet our lives will display.

Scattering Ashes

“‘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 33:3

In 2010 my father-in-law with Alzheimer’s came to live with us for that last season of his life. In February of 2011, he crossed over into Heaven and received a perfect spiritual body and a clarity of mind he had never experienced on this earth. After Bruce’s dad passed away, we received a portion of his ashes after cremation, and began identifying places we wanted to scatter them. We were very thoughtful in our decision and wanted to honor places for the most part where we had done life with him. I kept a small portion in a little box for myself at our home to mark the time he lived with us. A little butterfly sits atop this sweet little box protecting its contents and reminding me of the past. Not all the memories were good ones during that last year as Alzheimer’s is such a thief. But scattering ashes isn’t just about the good times, its about ‘all times.’ It marks a memorial for a shared life that has come to an end. It lays to rest the unhealthy…the sick…the broken. Scattering ashes marks a new beginning with new experiences.

I’ll just bet that there are emotional ashes that you need to scatter this morning. For me, there have been times that the emotions from challenging experiences needed to be memorialized so I could move on. It’s never good to hold on to emotional ashes. It’s never helpful to be tight-fisted around the ashes of hurt…betrayal…bitterness. It takes courage to scatter our emotional ashes, laying them to rest. It takes trust in God to handle our hurts and open our hearts for our future. There is one gift from scattering emotional ashes that is the gift that keeps on giving…the gift of freedom. Freedom from our past…freedom from our decisions…freedom from broken experiences. When we scatter all the painful emotional ashes with our hands, they are suddenly open to receive God’s best.

The Unsearchable Day

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

Well I LOVE October 28th every year when it rolls around. I call it The Unsearchable Day and the date represents our great God. You see, after Daddy died Mother continued to be completely engaged with life and the network God placed around her…family…friends…church…faith. Grief had been her companion for quite a while during our sister’s journey home followed by our dad’s transition into Heaven. With two vacant spots in her heart she allowed God to fill them instead of any bitterness or barriers in her fellowship with Him. No doubt she called to Him daily for comfort, peace and encouragement to walk out the next 7 years. She did exactly what the Lord invites us all to do…reach out to Him…talk to Him…carve out time with Him…believe in His plan…and boy did He answer! October 28th marks the day that represents one of the most precious blessings He brought to her…Ben, the second man God sent into her life. She didn’t even know to search for another partner. But God knows things about our own hearts that we don’t even know. He knew her loneliness had gone on long enough. He knew how well both she and Ben had loved another, till death did they part. He knew that sending Ben to her would provide what she had lacked in her soul. Two years ago, today, Ben and Mother said, ‘I do!’ and have never looked back.

I sometimes wonder what unsearchable things God has for me and my family up ahead. I wonder what things have been planted in our hearts…things God has set in motion to bless us…things not yet revealed. What if we decided to believe that every circumstance that flowed into our lives was to accomplish the amazing and unsearchable blessings of God? What if we had the courage to embrace even the details that challenged our very faith? What if the very things that would be our greatest blessing has not been revealed because we haven't developed a close relationship with God to hear? These are things of God and all the details of every situation have filtered through God’s will for our lives. We wouldn’t even believe the great things that God has for us if He revealed them to us now. But one thing is for sure, you and I will be the benefactors of Unsearchable Days when we take our hands off our lives and place every situation in the hands of a good and great Father. He cannot answer if we do not call!

Happy Anniversary to Mother and Ben on their Unsearchable Day!

Holding Up Mirrors

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

Yesterday I was out walking when I received a text from my daughter asking if I was around. I told her I was and asked her what she needed. She informed me that she was at the Emergency Room with my granddaughter Tiffany and grandson Carson. She had been at home and suddenly experienced intense pain. Carson ran and got her sweater and shoes, and Tiffany grabbed her car keys. Tiffany drove the three of them to the ER and helped her into the lobby. Once they got her settled and the doctor gave her medication, she sent me the text. She told me not to worry about coming up there after-all, because the kids wanted to stay with her. She told me she would keep me informed and could tell her teens wanted to be the ones to care for her. She said that she had never been in a position to see them step up in the way they did, and it certainly blessed her. I told her that their care for her was a mirror reflection of how she had cared for them all their lives.

I was reminded this morning of this Bible verse about loving others in the same Jesus loves us. When we devote our time to God, we can’t help but to learn His heart. We watch how deeply He loves…we witness how relentless He protects…we experience how powerfully He heals… we testify to the compassion He gives. We cannot experience His love if we are not growing up in His presence. When we have bent hearts toward God, we have molded hearts toward others. What we have been given we are to share with every person God has placed in our lives. He doesn’t withhold anything based on feelings or entitlement, but abundantly shares His whole heart without reserve. This is the pattern for which we are commanded to live out our lives. We are to love with the same love He has given us…We are to forgive with the same forgiveness we have been given…We are to give grace in the same measure we have been extended. We can only do this when we spend time with God, receive His attributes and experience His love.

We should all ask ourselves daily, ‘What reflection is in the mirror this morning?’

Ashes to Beauty

“In the beginning God…” Ge 1:1

I am so grateful that God initiates new beginnings for every one of us no matter how old we are. I’ll bet that God enjoys fresh beginnings just like we do. Beginnings are full of dreams…full of vision…full of hope. Spiritual beginnings are where God’s power intersects our willingness to partner with Him. Such was the case in February of 2006 when God pursued me in my lackluster faith. I began studying His Word and spending time in intentional prayer. He began in me an understanding of how to relate Scripture to my own life. He began a writing initiative where I had never really had any interest. For the next two years I would write and write and write, as I couldn’t get enough of it. Most of these writings were for my own growth and desire to understand Scripture. But just like God always does, His beginnings start much sooner than our beginnings. He goes before us with the knowledge of future circumstances and prepares us for the path that leads us there. But ELM (Emerging Life Ministries) as you all know it was born out of a season of intense pain and suffering. My first ELM was written on May 5, 2008 and God has sustained it ever sense. Our family had created a Caring Bridge website to share communications about my sister Beth and her journey through cancer. Each morning I would update the website with Beth’s latest status and a short verse of Scripture with some thoughts. ELM’s beginning was birthed from Beth’s journey to Heaven. ELM emerged from ashes into beauty because God was in its origin and His power has sustained it all these years later.

Many of you are going through very tough times or have been through tough times. Nothing experienced is without spiritual gain, and our times of deep sorrow…our ashes…will be turned into beauty when the hand of God is applied. For the couple who has been through heartbreaking times… there is a reconciliation ministry. For the spouse who had to say goodbye too soon…there is a grief ministry. For the person who was betrayed by their family member…there is a forgiveness ministry. For the patient who has triumphed over cancer…there is a survivor ministry. I think there is nothing sadder than to see missed opportunities…vacant testimonies…ministries that never came to be. Whatever you have experienced God will turn your mourning into joy and your ashes into beauty. It is this beauty that displays the love and faithfulness of God.  And what we are given from Him, we are encouraged by Him to share it with others.  As Oscar Hammerstein once said, 'Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay - Love isn't love 'til you give it away!' 

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:1-3

Our Spiritual Tip-Toes

“‘LORD…are you not the God who is in heaven…did you not drive out…will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ ‘This is what the LORD says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s…stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you…’” 2 Ch 20:6, 15, 17

When I was a little girl there were a few times as problems arose that I watched my parents work through them. I would hear their discussions and could sense their concern. I remember that very few times I felt anxious about whatever was going on. I had confidence that whatever they were facing would be resolved just like other times I saw their concern. Not once was I afraid of any situation because they had shown us their faithfulness to protect, their patience to resolve and their dependence on God to act on their behalf. Our family faced several ‘vast armies’ over the course of time and not once did God fail to deliver us. My parents might not have had all the answers to life’s questions, but they always sought the One who did.

Vast armies…ambushes…fear...exhaustion. We all have been there and some of you might be there this morning. Just as God has taken care of other armies throughout our lives, He will fight this one on your behalf. We can watch for His movement and count on His victories! The same God, who is in heaven, is also walking next to you and has already gone before you. He has orchestrated the details of your battle that will bring you out of this season triumphantly. God will do all the heavy lifting in the fight and our part is to keep our eyes on Him. We will watch Him drive out cancer…loneliness…fear…grief. When we do not know what to do, we will watch what He does. We will stand on our spiritual tiptoes (as my grandmother used to say) to see His mighty deliverance of our conflicts. We will believe…we will watch …we will be a witness to the miracles that He still performs.

Taking Our Seat

“Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:34

I am so blessed to be a part of the church Bruce and I have attended for over 15 years. Their primary goal is for all to embrace a living relationship with God. One of the things our pastor has established is the practice of the seats in the worship center being prayed over prior to the Sunday services. There are amazing volunteers who come in early and literally pray over each chair. Then as we file in with hearts ready to worship and minds ready to receive the message, we know that where we are sitting God has heard an intercessory prayer on our behalf.

There will never be a greater Volunteer than the One who voluntarily climbed up on the cross to lose His life on earth so our lives could be saved in eternity. In humble gratitude we can have confidence that His resurrection will be our resurrection. His position near God will be our position near God one day. I am not sure what chair your life has you sitting in, but I certainly have confidence that your situation has already been prayed over by Christ Himself. Before you ever had to spend one day in your current circumstances God had already heard your name whispered into His ear by Christ, who intercedes for all. Just as the seats in the worship center are numerous, so are the multitude of situations for which we find our troubles. The chair of cancer…grief…loneliness…unemployment…fractured relationships. The adversities go on and on, each having their unique need for petition and intercession.

Scripture reminds us that we will never walk alone and will never be forsaken. With God by our side and our names flowing from the mouth of Christ into the ear of God no weapon will prevail against us. We have that confidence in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the best Leadership Team ever to exist.

With All of Our Might

“And David danced before the LORD with all his might” 2 Samuel 4:16.

When my grandson Carson was 3 years old, we were at a movie and as the ending credits began to roll, he looked at my daughter and said, ‘Is it time Mommy?’ She laughed and told him it was time. He went running down to the front of the theater and began dancing with everything in his little body. As tears streamed down my face from laughing, I will forever have his tiny frame dancing etched in my mind. He had very little inhibition as a child during those moments. He wouldn’t be caught dead in the front of a theater dancing as a teenager. But the childlike freedom he felt at that age was what David felt in the temple.

Very few times are we able to witness an Old Testament verse in present times. But last night 2 Samuel 4:16 was on full display with dancing and worship on stage at the Bethel Music concert. I had never seen them perform before, but my daughter had raved about the experience. When they began, I was completely blown away. Each of them performed as if they were performing privately for a king, each bringing their own offering. It was almost as if I was peeking into the Holy of Holies between God and each performer. I love to worship but their level of worship left me longing for more passion when I come into God’s presence. It left me longing for those ‘abandon everything worship experiences’ that I saw in their faces and bodies. There was an entire stage of David’s last night…children after God’s own heart.

I awoke this morning considering how do I dance before the Lord? Is it with all my might or am I just satisfied to sing the songs placed before me by the passion of others? Is raising an arm the same as raising a heart of humility before the Lord? Will I exhaustively dance even when the music stops, and the journey is hard? I will never be on stage dancing and singing and everyone should be thankful for that. But God has drenched us in His love and surrounded us with His presence. He has provided a path straight to His heart that we will experience eternally. There will never be one second as believers when we are separated from His heart. We have the same Spirit of God within us that David had way back then…that Bethel Music had last night. I pray that the Spirit within us will power the praise lifted from us and that we cannot help but to dance with all our might.

A Fish Called Grace

"Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you...He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you." Isaiah 30:18-19.

This morning as I was watching a video with Priscilla Shirer, author of the Bible study Jonah – Navigating a Life Interrupted I was blessed to reconsider what part the fish played in Jonah’s circumstances. Jonah was running from the call of God and chartered a ship to take him far away from the destination God had for him. His very presence on the ship created such a raging storm for his shipmates that eventually they threw him overboard so the storm would stop. As Jonah descended into the deep, he was swallowed by a large fish where he sat among the disgusting contents of things previously digested…what a mess in which he found himself. At first glance we are tempted to see the fish as Jonah’s consequences for his rebellion. But the video suggests otherwise; the video suggests that the fish was a preservation mechanism for repentance - ‘a fish called grace.’ Priscilla Shirer.

How compassionate is our God to give us protection when we have sinned against Him? How forgiving is God to take our circumstances that we have brought on ourselves and provide a way out when we don’t deserve it? Every single one of us at some point in our lives have made a huge mess requiring us to sit in the belly of our circumstances and look to God for mercy and forgiveness. God will use whatever messes we have made to show us what is inside that needs to be shaken out. ‘The shaking God allows in our lives affords us the opportunity to see what is hiding in our heart. The interruptions are to get out of us what is in us and to put in us what God knows we are missing.’ Priscilla Shirer, Jonah – Session 3.

When we find ourselves sitting in the belly of our messes it is an invitation to call to God, who sits on His throne just waiting and longing to hear from us. He isn’t withholding the answer, rather waiting to be invited into the question? While we long for God to remove us from our troubles, He longs for us to take some responsibility and seek repentance. As we wait on God to answer, He waits on us to ask for His forgiveness. I’m so thankful that He surrounds us with His protection until we humble ourselves and cry out to Him. ‘God isn’t out to hurt us; He’s out to redeem us.’ Priscilla Shirer

Abandoning Our Graves

“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 because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:11

I’m so excited that this week is finally here! My daughter Kristen and I are going to the Bethel Concert Victory Tour Wednesday night. We have been familiarizing ourselves with the music they will be performing. This morning as I was listening to one of the songs, I can’t quit thinking about the words. Ain’t No Grave by Bethel music puts to song the final weekend of the life of Jesus. Jesus was the unblemished Lamb and His choice to die is our gift to live. I love the imagery of the singer as she invites us to catch a glimpse of what was no doubt the greatest battle ever fought. The battle for the body and soul of Jesus. Evil thought it had won but Heaven knew that victory would be theirs. The grave temporarily celebrated its win only to have to answer to death, ‘Where is your sting?’ Jesus grabbed the keys and forever unlocked the door to eternity for you and for me. “Oh, there was a battle, a war between death and life, there on the tree the Lamb of God was crucified. He went on down to hell, He took back every key, He rose up as a Lion and He’s setting all captives free. There ain’t no grave, that’s going to hold my body down. If He’s walking out of the grave, then I’m walking too.” Ain’t No Grave – Bethel Music.

I’m so grateful that one day the trumpet will sound, and we can also walk out of our graves. Christ will ride in on the clouds coming back to earth for the final time and those ‘sleeping’ will join Him. But there are times when we experience graves on earth…times when we feel buried alive. Grief can keep us buried in our sadness. Fear’s velvet tongue can cause us to go to the grave of isolation. Worry can make our bodies so sick that we can’t even get out of bed in the mornings. The Lion rose up so that we could get up out of our self-imposed graves right now. Jesus walked out of an impossible grave…the grave that temporarily claimed His life. The grave for Jesus was a very short season and our graves are just that…seasons. When you feel that you are buried alive in your circumstances, grab hold of Christ because He has all the keys for victory. Don’t let your grave on earth claim your joy in Christ. When we allow the grave to hold us down, we are not walking out of the grave with Jesus. He died a defenseless Lamb but rose as a roaring Lion, and with that resurrection we too have His power to live in freedom. So may we all abandon our graves and grab the key of life enjoying the abundance of God.

As Storms Calm

“Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?’ – for the sea was growing more tempestuous.” Jonah 1:11-12.

Yesterday I rode with Bruce to get his hair cut, but I sat in the car with the windows down and the beautiful breeze wafting through the car.  I was doing a crossword puzzle on my phone when I suddenly heard a man yelling into his phone.  I looked up and saw a man pacing beside his truck completely oblivious to people around him.  Three or four times he yelled into the phone that he didn’t have the money for whatever the person on the other end was requesting.  He went on to yell that he was done with being used and begged the person to just take their things and leave him alone.  His voice was full of despair and pain and the last thing I heard him yell was that his head was about to explode over the situation.  I was suddenly transported back to a time when I could relate to this man being controlled by a dysfunctional situation to the point of rage and feelings of betrayal.  This man found himself ‘on board a ship with a tempestuous sea threatening his life.’  He just wanted the sea to be calm and out of exhausting desperation he was willing to ‘throw that person overboard.’  I sat in the car with tears streaming down my face reminiscing about times aboard my own ship with the seas fiercely crashing over the sides. 

There are times in all of our lives when we share a charter with someone whose presence creates chaos and fear.  Sometimes the charter is an illness that makes us physically sick and sometimes it is a broken relationship that we desperately try to hold onto.  I can’t get this man’s plea out of my head, and I found myself in prayer for him, with fresh awareness and gratitude for the calm in my own life.  No matter what storm rages around us God is in control.  He stirs up the waters and calms the sea…He created the ebb and flow of life to ensure we would look for Him in all circumstances.  God will call us to let go of things that create havoc in our lives whether they are people, attitudes or situations.  When we carefully examine our troubles against the backdrop of the cross, we remind ourselves that surrender and trust in God will topple any situation. 

“So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.  Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows.” Jonah 1:15-16.

Dare to Believe

“Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your presence?  If I ascend into heaven, you are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” Psalm 139:7-8

This passage is one of my favorite verses throughout the Bible and a promise to which I always cling.  But several years ago, I experienced the last line of this passage.  I had to make one of the toughest decisions of my life, and I knew the answer before I ever asked God the question.  I knew that I had to inquire of the Lord, but I wasn’t ready to hear what He was going to command of me.  At the time I was involved with a ministry that supported people in San Pedro.  The leadership of this ministry needed me to meet them in Belize for a fundraiser we had organized.  Bruce was working out of town at the time and was unable to travel with me.  I made the trip by myself and had a cute little bungalow to myself… a place where I ‘made my bed in hell.’ Although I brought my Bible and Bible study, I purposely watched it go unopened on the bedside table for 7 days.  In the early morning I didn’t listen to my worship music.  I never opened my heart for prayer during that week.  My goal was to ‘go from His Spirit…flee from His presence.’  At the end of the week, I was exhausted and empty, and still had to make the decision.  It took another couple of weeks for me to finally spread out the dilemma before God inviting Him to speak to me.  God did ask of me what my heart feared the most and I walked it out.  Charles Stanley states one of the principles by which He lives.  He encourages people to ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’  With the endurance and power of God in that tough season He took care of everything.  He went before me and made every detail acceptable.  He allowed me to feel the approval His approval and protected me on all sides.  He gave me such spiritual and emotional gain by releasing my life-long pursuit of people’s approval.  I am so thankful that there is nowhere we can flee where the feet of God aren't already standing. 

I know many of you are going through very difficult times right now.  You are being asked to walk out something you never dreamed you would have to. Maybe you feel like this season is your ‘bed in hell.’ Perhaps you need reminded that God is never further away than His name on your lips.  The Message has a beautiful translation that I pray will bless you this morning. 

‘I am all around you, hovering over you even as you seek My Face.  I am nearer than you dare believe, closer than the air you breathe.  If My children could only recognize My Presence, they would never feel lonely again.  I know every thought before you think it, every word before you speak it.  My Presence impinges on your innermost being.’  Psalm 139:7-8.

Killing Me with Mercy

"And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly." Luke 22: 61-62.

When I was in my early twenties, I made a decision that really cost me spiritually. It was a faith failure for sure and I am so grateful that God is a forgiving God. I remember revealing it to my mother who patiently and lovingly guided me through the processing of the consequences. I felt that once it was out in the open with her, I would feel much better. But every time I was in the presence of my dad, I felt a barrier although I knew that mother was leaving it up to me to tell him. I knew by the end of the week I was going to have to have that discussion. I couldn’t take the emotional distance my sin had placed between us. I saw him reading the paper on the couch in our living room and quietly sat down beside him. With his loving eyes and smile he welcomed me to join him. Just being in his presence feeling the shame and regret, I was convicted even more than I had imagined, and he didn’t even know what I had to say. As I began to share with him what I had been going through his eyes filled with tears, but his words were filled with sadness for me instead of condemnation and judgment. I remember thinking that anger would have been easier to receive than his mercy.

I heard a powerful song this morning that brought this painful snapshot back to memory. It was a snapshot from yesteryear but a powerful reminder that our Father is waiting for us to bring our failures and sins to Him. Just like Daddy, He is waiting on us not to condemn us but to help us move beyond our bad decisions through His mercy. The difference is that He already knows everything that is creating a barrier in our fellowship with Him. He knows the vows we have broken to Him…He knows the lies we have told…He sees the unforgiveness in our hearts although we have been forgiven daily by Him. I remember the freedom and love that began to flow again between myself and my dad once we had talked through everything. When we withhold unconfessed sins from God a barrier will develop in our fellowship and prayer time with Him. It takes weakness to sin, but it takes courage and humility to approach God in truth and honesty. I would much rather be a courageous sinner dependent on a forgiving God than a cowardly self-proclaimed saint with a broken fellowship with my Father. At 58 I’m still learning these things but God’s track record with me is perfect. Just like Daddy, God can be trusted with our recklessness and faithful in His forgiveness.

You must take 3 minutes and listen to this powerful song. It will be the biggest blessing of your day.

https://youtu.be/7HSAl72CUMw

Warming our Hands

“When the people saw that Moses delayed…the people gathered together to Aaron and said, ‘Come make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses…we do not know what has become of him.’” Exodus 32:1.

One of the most applicable stories in the Bible is the story of the golden calf. The children of Israel had once again managed to frustrate the plans of God. Repeatedly we read about the manner in which they treated God with utter disrespect, turning their hearts to idolatry. Yet this morning I realized for the first time something interesting…something different…something eerily familiar. God showed me a different side of the coin today regarding the motivation of their hearts when they asked for Aaron to ‘make a new god’ for them. Their motivation wasn’t evil and disobedience at that point…their motivation was pure impatience. They had been waiting on the appearance of Moses to bring them a message from God. Their impatience is what put into place their sinful response to delay. This is where the story is eerily familiar to me and perhaps to you.

We would probably come up empty if we were searching for a single heart who was not waiting for God to move in their circumstances. The delay of the diagnosis of a medical issue that could change lives. The delay of a loving relationship that could finally fill the loneliness. The delay of a prodigal child returning home. And finally, the delay of a dream that has resided in our heart for years unrealized and unfulfilled. We will all be asked to ‘wait at the base of the mountain’ until God reappears with our resolution. How will we wait? Will we wait well? Will our impatience lead to our temptation to take matters into our own hands? Will our temptation prompt action, becoming sin or disobedience? We might not have a visible fire with a molded golden calf, but that is not to say we are not warming our hands near the fire.

God’s timing will never be our timing and the delay for which we experience must be met with intentional worship and patience. Patience is one of the foundations of Christianity and builds trust and confidence in God. Waiting on God in all areas of our lives is the ultimate act of worship and an offering that everyone can afford. If you are waiting on God to come down off the mountain and move in your situation you can be confident that He is faithful and perfect in His knowledge of every detail in your life. He will work every single thing to your benefit and for your good aligning it with His perfect will.

Arise and Go!

"Arise...go..." Jonah 1:2

It seems I cannot get past these first two words in my Bible study.  Every morning when I think I will cover lots of Scriptural ground my wheels continue to spin on these powerful words.  I remember one time Bruce and I had rented a place at Folly Beach.  It was mid-morning and I was sitting on the screened porch watching a few dolphins play in the water.  Suddenly my phone rang and on the other end of the line was my dad.  Previously, his cancer had metastasized into his liver and his body was declining.  He was spending a great deal of time in the bed trying to manage his pain with medicine and giving his body the care that it needed.  He had one request…PRAYER…but not for what you would think.  His coveted prayer was for the discernment, strength and endurance to go where God was calling him to go and to do what God was calling him to do.  His calling was to return to Child Evangelism Fellowship where he had volunteered as Director for almost 10 years bringing unchurched children to Christ.  His body was declining, but his spirit was soaring.  Daddy fully understood that his greatest weakness would allow God to display His greatest strength.  He asked all of us for prayers, and he ‘arose and went’ to serve where God was calling him at the toughest point of his life.  Daddy was able to serve for 8 months, long enough to lead the ministry at a much-needed point in time. 

As I think about that time, my mind jumps to 2019 as my prayers involve people who are having to ‘arise and go’ into tough places.  One family is being asked to ‘arise and go’ into the diagnosis of something fearful.  Another friend is being asked to ‘arise and go’ into the looming death of her mother.   I have another friend who is being asked to ‘arise and go’ to the chemo room at the hospital.  Every one of these families have one thing in common that will get them through these tough seasons…the presence and power of God in their lives.  They are all Christians and have all called upon the strength of God to invade their ‘arise and go’ circumstances.  This morning I read a statement from Priscilla Shirer in her study, Jonah – Navigating a Life Interrupted.  ‘When God places an abnormal calling on your life, it is because He has abnormal results, He wants to produce through you.’ P. 33.

Whatever you are facing this morning that is requiring you to ‘arise and go’, please know that God is already there waiting on you.  He holds in His hands the very thing you will need to equip you for the journey.  God can be trusted and is faithful to His children.

Mercy Stones

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Back in 2015 Bruce was assigned to a year-long project at a nuclear site in Augusta, Georgia. It was a full-time assignment so we set up an apartment for him where he lived Sunday-Thursday. It was an extremely tough assignment, one that he still says to this day was the hardest one he has ever had throughout his career. Everyday was met with fresh determination only to be derailed by extreme frustration. Discouragement was his constant companion and it was tough to watch as his wife. One weekend while I was with him in Augusta, I went shopping at Hobby Lobby and found these stones of encouragement. Every time I went to the apartment, I would place these stones in different spots so he would find them after I had returned to Charlotte. I knew that God would settle Bruce’s eyes on the specific stone at exactly the time he needed encouragement most.

God places around us stones of encouragement to lift our hearts right when we need it. A text out of the blue from a friend…a card in the mail reminding us we are prayed for…an invitation for lunch from someone who makes us laugh…a rainbow in the sky from God Himself…a Bible verse that suddenly drops into our mind. We don’t have to look very hard to find the encouragement of God. His comfort is constant, and His love is boundless. Some of the seasons that we experience require so much more dependency on God. But He’s there in the calm and the chaos placing the stones of encouragement all around us. We must keep our eyes on the movement and mercies of God every day.

Overcoming

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

The other day I was driving around knocking out some errands listening to the radio. This woman began telling the story of how the band Fleetwood Mac weathered the storm of two of the band members during their breakup. Lindsey Buckingham was the lead singer in the song ‘Go Your Own Way’ which was directed at his band-mate and former love Stevie Nicks. It went on to become a top-ten single from their wildly successful Rumours album. What was interesting to hear was the advice given to the band by their wise producer. The band was in tumult and the chaos threatened the band’s existence. Their producer told them that despite the pain and the emotional upheaval the ‘show must go on.’ He encouraged them to pour their souls and sadness into their music instead of allowing it to destroy everything. They did just that and was the payoff remarkable! The album’s songs hit the top-ten distinction one after another and provided us with some of the most incredible music to this day. Their pain was their journey and their passion were their healing. I can only imagine the millions of broken hearts who played this song repeatedly trying to give expression to their pain.

I began thinking about everyone who faces various trials while walking on this earth. We all have been equipped by God to channel our experiences…to process our problems…to triumph over our troubles. He has given us His promise to never leave us whether our circumstances are relational, financial, medical or spiritual. Through our tests God produces our testimonies if we keep our eyes on Him and truly believe in the healing. We all have seasons where it feels as if we are walking around with exposed hearts and grieving souls. What will we do with our suffering? Will we allow it to destroy the song that God is writing in our lives, or will we partner with Him in creating beautiful music?

‘Your life is God’s story being told and His character being displayed. How does your life read? What is your life telling others about the God you serve? As a result of your decisions, do they get to see Him displayed in His best light? As we surrender to divine interventions (or not) each chapter of our lives puts God on display. You cannot reach complete satisfaction in life apart from your decision to engage in His predetermined plans.’ Jonah – Navigating a Life Interrupted, Priscilla Shirer, p.27.

When facing our challenges we can go with God or like the song says we can 'Go our own way.'