Thoughts on "Interrupted" by Jen Hatmaker

So I started reading Jen Hatmaker's Interrupted today.  Apparently it came out before 7, but it didn't cross my radar until last year. I put it on my Paperbackswap wishlist and, lo and behold, it became available last month!

I'm only a little ways in, but so far I am hooked.  Firstly, because Jen represents part of a movement I have noted in the last couple years in Christianity; a turning away from "Americanized Christianity" and reading and studying the Scriptures without our Americanized lens and the assumptions that go along with that. What did Jesus really say we are to focus on? Making a living and keeping up with the Jones' and the hustle and bustle and fitting in with the rest of society, giving in to the materialism monster? Keeping everyone happy? Doing all the good things expected of us in the church?

Authors such as Francis Chan, David Platt, and Jen Hatmaker are the ones who have opened my eyes to this change of perspective.  

The second reason I will keep on reading is that on pages 17-18, at the end of the chapter entitled "Holy Passion Meets Remedial Shepherd", Jen explains what brought her to this path.  She was studying the passage in John 21, where Jesus is asking Peter if he loves Him. Peter says "You know I love You", and Jesus says to Peter, "Feed my sheep."

Here is a quote from the book:

In my utter ignorance, I thought this was about doing more of what I was already doing, or maybe just a better job of it.  I was trying to figure out which sheep I was neglecting or how to be an improved shepherd to my little flock.  Longer prep time for my messages?  Better e-mail communication with my small-group leaders?

<snip>
Basically, I was brainstorming how to improve my current performance, never imagining a whole new stage.
Nothing could have prepared me for what came next.  I told Him, "I thought I was feeding Your sheep, but I'll try harder."

And from the heights of heaven, this is what I heard: "You do feed souls, but twenty-four thousand of My sheep will die today because no one fed their bellies; eighteen thousand of them are My youngest lambs, starving today in a world with plenty of food to go around.  If you truly love Me, you will feed My sheep.  My people are crumbling and dying and starving, and you're blessing blessed people and serving the saved."

I couldn't have been more floored if I'd come home to find Jesus Himself making salsa in my kitchen.  I did a little checking, and those statistics were spot-on.  It dawned on me that Jesus was asking me not to do more of the same but to engage a different charge altogether.  He was still enlisting me in the cause of my generation, the mission of God's true church.
All of a sudden, I saw my exact reflection in Peter: devoted but selfish, committed but misguided.  And that is not going to be enough.  It won't suffice to claim good intentions.  Saying "I meant well" is not going to cut it.  Not with God screaming, begging, pleading, urging us to love mercy and justice, to feed the poor and the orphaned, to care for the last and least in nearly every book of the Bible.  It will not be enough one day to stand before Jesus and say, "Oh? Were You serious about all that?"

This testimony would be striking enough standing alone, but the reason it stands out to me even more is that two and a half years ago I heard the clear voice of God saying "Feed the People".   Hubby and I are still searching and praying and trying to figure out how exactly we are supposed to do this and how it can happen (and where). I am interested to read more of Jen's journey and how she responded, while still watching and praying (all the more) for God's guidance in our lives and what He would have us to do.

Prayers are appreciated!

Anyone else want to read with me?

The SEVEN Experiment: Staging your own mutiny against excess...........FOOD

I have joined a group of ladies in working through the study The 7 Experiment: Staging Your Own Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.

The premise of the book is that we live in the land of plenty, and as Christians, we need to examine how we use our resources.  Are we using them as God would have us use them? Do we feel entitled to XYZ? Is taking advantage of what we have readily available at our fingertips kind to our fellow man? What does having these things say about our relationship with Christ?

What happens when we cut back on (essentially; fast from) the excess?  What happens when we stop and take the time to consider the source--how we get what we have here in the USA?


The 7 things that are a focus in this study (and were a focus in the book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess that preceded this study) are:

1. Food
2. Clothes
3. Possessions
4. Media
5. Waste
6. Spending
7. Stress

This last week was on FOOD.  We each chose our own methods of fasting from food. One person chose to not go to the store the whole week and eat only what was in the house, another chose to eat like a third world country and pray for that country each day of the week, another chose to abstain from dairy.

I chose to eat a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) diet in addition to my gluten-freeness.  As you may already know, I have an extensive history of food allergy/intolerance issues.  That is one reason I stuck with the milk and eggs, because I don't want to overdo it on corn and soy in an attempt to make complete proteins.

While I was at home or at work, I did splendidly. I was in my "zone". I had a plan.

My leftover Dahl for lunch....part of the plan...

  But it only took one little excursion for me to completely forget about the fast.  We rarely eat out, and hubby and I happened to be out of town on Saturday, alone and together, mid-day, and opted to eat out at a Chinese buffet.  And.....I ate chicken.  The green beans looked limp and soggy, I didn't want to overdo it on the gluten so I avoided the lo mein , and I wasn't going to waste the money on cheap salad I could get at home... ....but I forgot the vegetarian stipulation and I ate chicken!

I. Ate. Chicken.

And you know what the sad part is?

I didn't realize my mess-up until later in the afternoon after we got home.


What did I learn from this?  I learned that, even when we make our own rules, we still fail to keep them. How much more do we fall short of keeping God's rules? The answer to this problem? Christ, of course. We are desperate for Him to make it possible for us to gain entry into heaven, and even to live a good and godly everyday life! 

I am so very thankful for what Christ has already done for me (paid the price for my sin so that I can one day be with Him forever), and what He does for me every day (forgives, graciously, my sins, where I fall short each day).  He loves me, and I want to have a relationship with Him.

 

That said, I felt Jen stopped the Food chapter short of showing the whole picture. She talks a lot about what God had approved for eating at various times in the Bible (Creation: plants, After the flood: Every living creature--even pork, after the Law: lots of rules to follow). She talks a lot about why, based on what we know today, these laws were probably put into place to protect the health of His people.

But she leaves it there.  At the end of the chapter, I was like, "What about when Peter has the vision and God tells him all things are allowable to eat?", "What about 'we are no longer under the Law, but under Christ?'" Was she really going to leave that out?

And then I came to I Corinthians 10:23, where it says

²³ All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. (KJV)

And this is in the context of a food discussion.  All things are ok to eat, but all things are not the best thing we could be putting into our bodies. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, so should we not take care of that temple, as much as we are given the resources to do so?

Just because we can eat something, doesn't mean we should.

God had a purpose for the Laws He made. And even now, when we are not under the Law, and all things are allowable.....they are not all good for us. And we do need to be good stewards of what He has given us...which is the main point Jen is trying to make in the study.

Something to ruminate on, for sure.....


Next week.....CLOTHES! (kind of hard in this change of seasons, and balancing life on the homestead and my library job, but we'll see how this goes!)

An Alarm Sounds. Do you hear it?

All members of my family of 5 are sleeping soundly, until the alarm by the bedside of one of these family members sounds.  The alarm persists, unattended, the need for turning it off unmet and ever more persistent until someone from another bedroom wakes, rises, and treks through the darkness of a 2am house to turn it off.

As I (yes, it was the mother) made my way back to bed, I was struck as to how this little piece of my life relates to where I feel I am at spiritually.

When a call to serve the LORD is put out, are you the one to answer that call?

In this instance with the bedside alarm, there were a few different people involved:

1. The person who did not hear the alarm’s call and did not awake to answer that call.  That would be the youngest child, and the deepest sleeping one.  She totally slept through it all.

2. The person who the alarm was specifically for, but did not awake to the call (or did, and ignored it).  It may be beside the point that my son inadvertently set the alarm for the wee hours of the morning, but the fact remains that the alarm was for him and he did not rise to the occasion to turn it off.  He should have, but did not.

3. The person who was sleeping in the same room as the the person for whom the alarm was specifically for, and decided it was up to the alarm setter to answer the call.  Maybe he heard it, maybe he didn’t. But knowing this child, he would totally decide it was up to the alarm setter to turn off the alarm: ain’t no way he was going to turn it off when he could set his mind to ignore it.

4. The person who heard the alarm, tried to ignore it but couldn’t, and finally got up to turn the alarm off.  This was me, the mom.  I’m sure some of you can relate.  When something needs doing and is persistent and effecting me(sometimes I claim these things are yelling at me), it is actually painful to have it continue unaddressed.  Sometimes it is just easier to do it myself rather than ignore it further (because I just can’t) or to get someone else to do it.  And let’s face it, even I don’t always know the right person to ask or have the most effective method of persuasion in these matters!  I’m also not sure I want to persuade the wrong person to do the task: that’s the LORD’s business.

5. The person who never heard the alarm, but heard about it from person #4 and didn’t rise to turn it off because it wasn’t bothering them.  This would be my husband, who truly did not hear the alarm, even when I alerted him to it. He did not hear it, it did not effect him, so he did not respond to the call.

Whether we are discussing the bedside alarm of a child, or a call to serve the LORD in some way, which person are you?

Are you not answering the call because it is not for you and you don’t hear it?  Are you not answering because you are ignoring it, even though you know it is for you?  Do you assume the call is for someone else and not you, so you then find ways to ignore it?  Do you hear the call, know it is not for you, but can’t stand that the need to answer it is not being met, so you do it anyway? Or have you heard about the need, but ignore it because you truly cannot hear it and so it does not bother you?  Or perhaps you hear the alarm, realize it's for you, and happily respond accordingly.

This 2am experience left me wide awake and pondering where I am at and what I am doing in my life.  Am I in the center of the LORD’s will in all that I am doing?  Am I doing too much in some areas, and am I doing too little in other areas?  Are there areas in my life that I need to, rather than begrudgingly “answering the call” that is not truly for me, gently let others know the alarm is sounding (or simply let it sound and pray others hear it) so that they can be made aware of it and possibly rise to the occasion?

Where are you in your Christian walk? Which person are you? What do you feel Christ calling you to do in your life?  What do you feel Him calling you not to do?  Examine yourself and respond to the LORD’s calling in your life.  He will not let you down!

Who are we trying to please?

As we each walk through life, as followers of Christ we need to ask ourselves this question in all that we do: Who am I trying to please?

In Galatians 1, Paul is speaking to the churches of Galatia.  There had been others distorting the Gospel of Christ, leading the people astray.

Galatians 1:10 says,  "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."

When we start trying to please people, whether ourselves, our friends,  our enemies, the world in general, we need to question whether we are pleasing God with our actions.  Are we stepping back a bit from a Scriptural stance on an issue in order to win someone over on our side?  Are we distorting the Gospel of Christ as those in Galatia were?

Our first thought in assessing any situation in our lives should be Is this pleasing to God? Would Jesus be doing this like I am thinking about doing it? Does this line up with what He says to do?  Does it line up with Scripture?

This principle can be applied to our personal lives, our church lives, our political viewpoints and more.


So ask yourself.....who are you trying to please?

Lord, help us to seek to please You first and foremost in all we do.

And when we stumble and mess up? Lord, please forgive us and help us to do better in representing You to others. In Your name, Amen.

Goals for 2013

I've been giving this some thought and have come up with a few things I want to focus on this year.

Here's my personal list:

1. Read through the Bible.  I purchased The One Year Chronological Bible in the NLT translation in hopes that the new approach might help me get through better. 

2. Encourage Gratitude. I want to either(or both) keep a gratitude journal open on a table, or have a monthly sheet hanging on the wall for anyone to write in what they want to share that they are thankful for. I have a gratitude journal already, and am looking at A Holy Experience for a printout I can hang on the wall...

3. More Music. Particularly music based on Scripture.  Pandora has been really helpful since I don't have the resources to purchase music, and it exposes me to other music I might not otherwise discover.

4. Simplify Life. This would include checking out my surroundings and culling what is not necessary or used or even loved. It includes deciding to cut back on the mail I have control over coming into the house.  It also includes cleaning up my inboxes and getting rid of the junk that fills my inbox and mercilessly begs for my money and time. All those emails I keep and never read yet never delete that my husband makes fun of me for ("You have 149 unread messages?!? Bwahahahaha!"). Delete. Unsubscribe. Mark as Spam.


There are other goals I have for parenting/raising our kids and other facets of life, but I might share those another time...

What's on your list for 2013?

We are not a stick!

Yep. That was the phrase I took away from time spent Sunday morning with fellow believers in Christ.

The topic of the day was about the importance of fellowship within the body of believers.

Acts 2:42-47

 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers.

43 Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.

44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.

45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.

46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them  those who were being saved.

There are times when we want to go to a secluded place and just be, ourselves and God, and exclude the rest of the world.

One of the ladies in our group talked about this--our tendency to sometimes think our spiritual relationships are only between us and God.  She moved her hand up towards the ceiling and down to her heart, then said that our fellowship needs to also extend to those around us and moved her hand to the left and the right---very much as if she were crossing herself--and said "Hey, that makes a cross! So...we are not a stick!"

We need to be living "like a cross". True, there are times that we need to pull away from others and remove the interaction with others. Jesus did this in Matthew 14:22-23, for example.

Too often I think we find ourselves focusing on one mode of fellowship--focusing either on our relationship with God or our relationships with others.  Basically, we are acting like a stick.  To be more than a stick--to make our life look more like a cross--is a balance that is sometimes hard to keep, but that doesn't mean we don't continue trying to make that balance.

I am one who tends towards going off by myself and secluding myself from others.  Sometimes this is out of necessity and where I am at in various aspects of my life, and other times I just don't want to move outside my comfort zone.

Look at yourself. First of all, do you have a relationship with God? With Jesus Christ? Have you trusted Jesus to save you from your sin?
Secondly, do you  have around yourself a group of fellow believers that you can have fellowship with?

Are you doing your part to nurture these very real needs in your life?

Are you feeling like a stick? Do what you can to be living like a cross. :)

Habakkuk 3: Habakkuk's Prayer

In my last post, I shared how the LORD's main purpose in all that He does is to draw us to Him and for His glory to be praised.

Sometimes we refuse to glorify Him and look to other things for our fulfillment; we even go so far as to claim everything for ourselves, taking the credit for it all.  Now, before I sound like Obama, who was ribbed for saying "You didn't build that(insert whatever fits here).", it's not whose hands, abilities, or time was used to do said thing.

Rather, it's Who gave us the abilities, the hands, the materials, and the time to do said thing that is the point. The LORD has given us all of these things, and we should realize and acknowledge that fact.

How do you think your mom would feel if she made a huge, delicious Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and received no word of thanks? It's a similar concept.


In Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk responds to what the LORD has said in the previous chapter.  Regardless of all of the bad stuff happening to His people, and the evil running rampant throughout the world, He is still in control.

Habakkuk remembers God and all that He has done to care for His people. From a human perspective, much of it might be seen as cruel, but in reality, God was doing these things to rescue His chosen people (vs. 13).  It is hard sometimes to see the motive behind the action, behind the pestilence, the plague, the shaking earth, the mountains trembling....but the point is that God is All Powerful, even though we feel everything is out of control.

Where do we place our trust? In our earth (that seems to turn against us)? In our leaders? Or in the awesome, all-knowing, all-powerful LORD?


In verse 16, Habakkuk relays his feelings after hearing the words of the LORD about His motives behind the things he has done and things He has allowed to be done.

Although he started out in chapter 1 lamenting the evil that surrounded him, pointing out the many wrongs that were happening in his world, his focus changed by chapter 3.  His focus went from pointing parallel to what people were doing around him, to looking up and realizing the splendor and the power and the majesty of the LORD.  Habakkuk's attitude was transformed from one of despair to one of fear and reverence. He was downright terrified of the LORD! 

And his next response?

16b I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us (God's chosen people, His anointed ones, vs 13). 
17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD!  I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains. (NLT)

In the volatile world that we live in today, know that the LORD still reigns on high. He is in control and more than worthy of our praise and glory.  May we rely on Him as our strength to get us through troubled times. 

Habakkuk 1-2 The LORD does allow bad things to happen...Why?

Habakkuk is a minor prophet in the Old Testament, a man who preached to the people before the fall of Judah in 586 BC.

Habakkuk was quite put out with his LORD not coming down to strike down the evil in his day.  The LORD tells Habakkuk in chapter 1 that He would "raise up the Babylonians", a nation "more evil" in that day.

Habakkuk responds back in dismay, asking the LORD whether He plans to destroy them (Judah). The LORD's response was basically this; that all that happens has one motive: to point to the glory of God and to bring the people to HIM. To take the people's eyes from their fake gods, their possessions, their strength, their wealth, the beauty of the world around them, and to bring their attention to the Creator and Provider of all that they have.

Our security should not be in what we have(for most of that can vanish in the blink of an eye), but in Who has given us what we have.

"For the time will come when all the earth will be filled, as the waters fill the sea, with an awareness of the glory of the LORD." Habakkuk 2:3

God wants us to know Him. He wants us to seek Him. He wants us to glorify him. He does not want us to forget Him.

It is the time that we think we have made for ourselves all that we have--our possessions, our titles, our successes(in essence, our idols)--and not given the credit to our LORD--that we need to be drawn back to Him.


Sometimes we just need a gentle nudge to remind us to come to or return to Him. Other times, sadly, as we find in the book of Habakkuk, it will take much more than a nudge for the point to hit home.

May we all be aware of the glory of the LORD and praise Him today!

Gardening, Geraniums, and God

I found a sermon in the garden today.
You see, I salvaged the in-laws' geraniums last year. I hate to throw life in the trash can, know what I mean?  And besides, I could use the pots they were in.

I rediscovered these geraniums in my basement a week or two ago. They had spent the winter down there, safe from freezing and out of my way. Truth be told, I had completely forgotten about them and only found them because of another issue that drew me to The Abyss.

I had filled my other pots for the summer already, brimming with purchased annuals and renewed houseplants from inside. I had my plan and went with it...

 

...but I forgot the geraniums.


Once I found them, I pulled the plants out of the pots, removed the remaining soil around them, and piled the pathetic plants under a bush until I decided what to do with them. (I'm lucky my hubby leaves the flowers to me and he didn't throw them out into the compost heap!)


I saw these geraniums last year, in full leaf and full bloom. They were gorgeous, and I witnessed them in all their glory! (And they certainly weren't cheap!)

But now they looked sad. Rejected. Downright ugly, if I'm going to be honest about it. (Sorry to say that about the flowers, but they are out in the garden and can't hear me, so they're ok. ;) )

Yet, through all this ugliness, I still saw potential for life. Hope. Renewal.

You know what I did? I got my trowel out, gathered the plants (sticks, really...), plunged each one deep in the soil of the garden, and watered it. 

 

I fully expect most of these to burst to life and even have some blooms this summer. Why? Because their roots are in the soil and they are getting sunlight and water.

What Soil are You in?

Where are you in your Christian walk today?  First and foremost, have you experienced Life? Do you realize that you are a sinner, and that the only way you can go to be with Jesus one day is to turn away from that sin and trust that Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, paid your sin debt completely when he shed His blood and died on the cross? He alone can pay that debt, and He alone has the power over death (He was resurrected--risen from the dead, as we know from Mark 16:6 and other places in Scripture).

Jesus tells us in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

In Matthew 13:1-9, Jesus tells the parable of the sower who sowed seed.  Some fell in rocky soil, some in weedy soil, some on the wayside where birds ate it, some in shallow soil and some in good ground. All of the seeds except the ones in good ground eventually perished, but the ones on good ground grew well and produced much fruit.

Get yourself in good ground, where the Word of God is taught and preached. Read the Word daily and learn from it and live it.  Spend time talking to God and seeking His guidance in your life.

Are You Getting Watered?

Are you experiencing the Living Water flowing through you and into the world around you?
Or have you been away from the Living Water, Jesus, a little too long.....feeling a bit parched? Have you dug yourself a well, only to find it dry? Are the other things you try to quench your thirst with unfulfilling? Is it kind of like that yawn you feel coming on, but for whatever reason, no matter how hard you try, you can't suck in enough air and you're left wanting more...and more...and more...never filled?

Perhaps you know Who and where this Living Water is, and you've refused it, seeking out another thirst quencher.

I urge you--come back to the Source of the Living Water: Jesus. He will fill you up and you will have more than you need. In John 7:38, Jesus said, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 

Are You Getting Enough Light Exposure?

Have you somehow found yourself in darkness, away from the Light and the Word of God?  Have you lost all hope of getting back on the path where you should be? Are you clinging to that one last glimmer, not sure where you will turn next?

Again, same theme here: Jesus is the Light of the world, and in Him is no darkness at all. Position your face towards Him, and He will help you.



I've got good news for you, friend! Jesus is waiting to hear from you. Whether you got to where you are intentionally or not, you can still run to Him.  He will welcome you back into His arms with rejoicing!  Come back!  Immerse yourself in the Word of God (the Bible), get "watered", set your face towards Christ.  Spend time talking to the Gardener. He will fill you and change you and give you a hope and a future! He will probably even prune you back a little bit to encourage that new growth and more fruit production; but take heart, He knows what He is doing!




Like my geraniums, we all need a time of renewal. We may look hopeless on the outside as most of the world sees us, but on the inside we have potential. Thanks be to God that He can see what we are capable of and He can tend to us and make us beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).


Thanks for reading!


Scriptures referred to in this blog post are linked to Studylight.org, a very useful reference and study tool to use as you search the Scriptures.

Thinking about the "What If's" of Life... On Miscarriage and Life Changes

If things had gone differently a year and a half ago, and I had been able to carry my last pregnancy to term, we would have a 1 year old child toddling around the house these days. My due date was March 23 of last year, and I tend to go "late" in delivering, so anytime around now we would have been baking a cake and putting one candle in the middle for the wee one to blow out and make a mess of.

I don't know why things worked out the way they did that September. I still look back and question  myself as to whether there was anything I could have done differently, anything that I did wrong to cause this, and I know all the canned answers to these questions. Still, I wonder.

Yes, I know God is in control and all things work together for the good of those that love Him.  That There is a Reason for everything that happens.  A greater plan than what I had in mind.  This isn't a promise that there will be no pain, however. It doesn't mean that (what we perceive to be) bad things will never happen to "good people" and you will never feel like your heart is in someone's fist and they won't let go and you don't know what to do about it other than cry out to God.  I am thankful and blessed to know the Healer, and to find that as He walks with me through pain and trials and works on that heart I spoke of up there, that is often where I experience the most growth in my walk with Christ.  This is quite humbling, actually, to find that trials drive me to Him....but the many blessings I receive often do not. (Why is that, anyway? I have a feeling I am not the only one...)

I am not without hope as I wonder and think back to what was and what is now and what might have been.

I dreamt the other night of a tow-headed little boy toddling around, me trying to keep up with him, and he was very clearly (in my dream) our child.

I don't know whether the dream was a gift from God or merely the working of my subconscious, but either way I did find comfort in it. I also remembered my Grandparents who passed on not too long before Avery(for that's the name we gave the child) went from this world to the next. And I remembered them all with a smile.

I have hope. Hope in Christ and His saving grace. I believe I will see them all, one day, when my work on earth is done, for I have accepted God's gift of His Son, who died on the cross to pay for *my* sins.  When I die (or Christ returns, whichever comes first), I can stand before God's Holy presence, made clean of my sin and forgiven because Christ shed His blood and paid my debt in full...and I believed on Him. As far as I can know I believe my Grandparents knew the Lord as well.  So this is why I have hope, and Who my hope is in--Christ!

As I linger on this earth, these verses in Jeremiah come to mind:

 ¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
   ¹²Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
   ¹³And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

  Jeremiah 29:11-13 

 These verses are in the context of Jeremiah addressing the people of Israel taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar from Jerusalem to Babylon.  They were taken away from what they knew, and I imagine they were distraught and at loss of what to do in this foreign land.

Sometimes I feel, with life changes, that I have entered a foreign land as well...

What does God(using Jeremiah) tell the people to do in Babylon? (And I ask myself, what should I do in my "foreign land"?)

Verses 5-8 in the chapter gives these instructions:

~Build houses, and dwell in them

~Plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them

~Raise your family, and help them start families of their own

~Seek peace of the city you are in - Pray for it

~Don't be deceived by false prophets and dreams - Seek the Lord

And verses 11-15:

~Call on Him

~Pray to Him, and He will hear you

~Seek Him--and find Him when we seek with all our heart

So, from this, I get that we are to carry on with life, seeking to raise Godly families and take care of what we've been given, to have a relationship with God such that we can pray for the place we are in and seek God's face (and be able to recognize a false prophet when we see one).

So, these things are what I am seeking to do as I walk in this land that is not quite the home I had once imagined it to be.

THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME 

(Youtube video and full lyrics here)

This world is not my home, I'm just passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore...

Chorus
O Lord you know I have no friend like you
If Heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do?
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

There are things that matter. God. Family. Taking care of what God's given to us. Seeking God's face in all we do.

And there are those things that don't matter. <insert everything else here>

I'm trying to focus on the first list.

A piece of a song that comes to mind as I write this is from This World by Caedmon's Call.  

This world has nothing for me and this world has everything
All that I could want and nothing that I need

So true.  If only we could keep this in mind in our day to day lives and not get lost in all this world has to offer.

Our family has gone through the wringer lately with illness in this household. After 2 weeks of tending to sick kids and repeated doctor's appointments, I guess it was somewhat inevitable that Mom and Dad would catch the bug.

This winter has been unusually wet and warm compared to previous years. We have an outdoor wood furnace that we source wood for from our woods and supplement from a semi-local wood place that sells scrap lumber.  Usually, we can start getting wood from the time the crops are harvested (there is a field between our house and the woods) and all through the winter. It's our "family thing" to do on the weekends.

But not this year.  We have places to get the wood, but are not able to get TO the wood to get it to the house. One week of our farm truck taking a "vacation" in the woods was enough, thank you very much.  It's just been too wet. And our semi-local scrap wood place? They're having the same problem.  I'm glad the Lord gave us the foresight to order an extra load or two late this last summer, because it's held us up to this point.

On to my point.

The Lord has been working on me on some issues.  Part of me wants us to be self-sufficient (insert a Tim the Tool-Man Taylor "arr-arr-arr") and able to take care of ourselves no matter what happens and Have Everything Under Control.

If you've not figured it out yet, being sick enough that you feel like someone beat you to a pulp (I think "death warmed over" was the description hubby gave...along with "Horrid") makes one very Not In Control.

Hubby and I were talking last night, trying to decide what to do.  What can we do??? We need wood.  What can We do???

Guess what? The Lord of all, the owner of everything we know on this earth, had it all under control. Not that I ever doubted that, or maybe I did and do and that's why I worry about things sometimes...

This morning, our neighbor called to tell us he was cleaning up near a creek and had some wood if we wanted it. I told him that we would love to have it, but that my hubby couldn't come out to help unload and why.  He was fine with that and brought 2 (!) loads of wood over for us. He had his strapping young boys there to help him unload. I went out to thank him and told him that he was an answer to prayer.

It was a very humbling experience, getting to the point that we probably would have ended the week with no wood for the furnace (we do have propane as backup, but it's quite spendy--hence the wood furnace. Not to mention it just doesn't heat as well.). BUT, it was also a very comforting experience, knowing that our God knew of our problem far in advance and moved within our neighbors to gift us with the wood.  An act of God for sure, gracious, because this was something we could not do ourselves.


This provision brought my mind to how God offers us the gift of salvation through Christ.  There is nothing we can do in and of ourselves to have eternal life, except to realize we are sinners, believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sin and rose alive and victorious over sin and death three days later.  The blood He shed on that cross is what cleanses us from every single sin we ever did, do, and will do in the future. He died to pay for the sins of the whole world.  We each have but to turn away (repent) from that sin and turn to Christ.  He offers the gift to us. It's up to us to receive it.And it's only through Him that we might be saved.

Philippians 4:19

   But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

This means our spiritual need for a Savior......and our earthly physical needs on this earth---yes, even firewood!

Our Vision...Update

Many thanks to those who have been praying for us.

Hubby and I have both been praying for clear direction, and as of right now feel that we have some things to take care of on the homefront before we can seriously begin to proceed in any direction.

So, we are doing what we can at the moment to take care of the things calling for our attention, and we are also keeping ourselves open to possibilities for service in the future.

Please continue to pray for God's direction as we seek to serve Him.

Thanks!

Our Vision...

My husband and I have been seeking the Lord's will in our lives and how He would have us use our gifts, talents and interests for His glory.

I believe that God wishes us to use our gifts for His purposes, and that the things we go through in life are there for a reason.

Last year, as I was working in the garden, I heard the still, small voice of God saying "Feed the people.". Ok, it wasn't an audible voice, but I got this distinct feeling, for lack of a better word, that this is the direction we should be going.

I believe that all of the issues I have learned about and the things I have gone through in my allergy journey are for a reason. I want to incorporate Real Food into whatever ministry the Lord wants us serving in.  I want to take care of the earth God gave us and model/teach that to others.

My  husband, Randy, has had the long dream of having a "Pastor's/Minister's Retreat", or something along those lines, a place where those in ministry can come to get away from the trappings of life and have a time of quiet and reflection.

We both have a desire to share the Gospel (Randy is an ordained preacher and currently teaches Adult Sunday School, I teach Truth & Training in Awana, and we both lead the Children's Church ministry in our church), especially in a small-group setting (House church, possibly?).

At any rate, we have had these thoughts and leanings for years now.  We have toyed with the idea of overseas ministry (Bhutan?).  Ever so often, we stick out our feelers and look in certain areas of the US to see if there is any need or interest in what we have to offer.  Most times, we hit a wall and then step back and look for where we can serve in the here and now and tune out the pull we both feel to some other sort of ministry. But the pull is still there in the undercurrent....

In the last month, Randy emailed the man in charge of mission work in our hometown region of CO to see if there would be any interest in starting a new church/some sort of ministry as described above in the area. There did not seem to be any interest on their part. So we broadened our search and Randy emailed the man in charge of mission work in a different area of Colorado. We have gotten a much more positive response from him, and found him to be very receptive of our Organic growing ideals (very sought-after in that area) and there seems to be interest in starting a new church in the area as well.

At the present time, we are still seeking the Lord's will in this matter. My body wants to get away from the center of GMO farmland.  My heart wants to--longs to--return to what I consider my homeland(and my entire side of the family), but I do not want to make this decision based on those feelings.  I also don't want to block those yearnings and somehow miss or ignore the voice of God.

From what we know presently, we would need a second source of income in addition to any ministry income, and these towns are fairly small with limited options, so that is something to consider.  We want to be able to fully minister, and not be severely limited in what we can do if we are tied to a work schedule.  We are exploring ideas on the bringing-in-income front.

Another thing for us to consider is our children.  Their ages are nearly 11, nearly 9 and 6.5 years old. In the little bit of conversation we've had around them and with them on the topic of moving and ministry, the eldest has the strongest feelings about moving. Understandable.


So, would you please consider praying for us?

• God's clear leading in whether to pursue this most recent opportunity

• Working in ALL of our hearts--Randy's and my own, as well as in the hearts of our children

• Funding to purchase land suitable for growing and a place to live...with a good location accessible to the people....or some miraculous provision of the above 
• If this is not the Lord's will, that He would point us in another direction and show us where to serve

Time for Pruning?

A Gift from God:  God's Word shown in everyday things, speaking to my very soul...

I have been contemplating these plants of mine lately.

After a glorious summer in the sun, I had cut them back a bit and brought them in for the winter.

For awhile, the blooms flourished and the greenery was full and bright.


Now, though, the beauty of the blossoms is but a distant memory and much of the greenery from the summer has died...but all are holding on to the stem still, stubbornly insisting that they still belong there...just a while longer? Please?  Or perhaps the main part of the plant hasn't quite discovered that it's time to let go.



I can identify with these plants of mine.  I have things in my life that were once of use to me, a part of me even, much like these dead leaves and blossoms. I have held onto these things and held some of them close, stubbornly and perhaps a bit fearful of letting them go.

Perhaps, as with my plants, these things are causing me to look ugly and unkempt in the eyes of God. Perhaps, as I longingly look back and remember and give my energy to that and miss out on what is happening in the here and now, unable to be present with my loved ones... Perhaps He shakes His head at me for my clinging-on.

Perhaps it's time for a pruning, so that there can be new growth. Perhaps it's time to allow the Gardener to take up the pruning sheers, and along the lines of John 15:1-2, lop off the things that don't produce and allow for the rest of the plant to flourish and grow.


Notice that the parts of the plants that are alive and green are reaching, begging almost, for more light, that which they were created to seek, to somehow know will sustain them and help them grow.

I too, like the plants, am seeking the light. Only the Light I am seeking is Christ, and His will for my life, because I know He is the source of my strength (Psalm 27:1).  I am reaching and growing, and perhaps in this process it is necessary for me to reevaluate the "extra" things in my life. To pray for His guidance as to what to keep and what to let go of.  Some of those things are things of beauty (or have been), and are generally "Good Things", but are they of enough importance for me to keep around now? Or are they things that are pulling me down, a hindrance, filling my time and space to the detriment of what is truly important?

Perhaps, along with some pruning, I need to be re-rooted, so that I can start anew. Much like I should have done with the geraniums when I brought them in months ago, and should perhaps do now. Might be worth my time and effort...an act of reflection, consideration...

Praying for His will to be  made apparent in my life and yours as you seek Him.

Blue Orb...

 

I saw this glass orb at the thrift store the other day, and couldn't resist taking it up in my hand (and ultimately purchasing it).  For whatever reason, I was drawn to it. 

What came to mind as I held it, its weight perfect and centering, was the thought of God my Creator holding the world in His hands. Rather, of God Himself holding and pondering what was to be the Earth and the universe and all that we know of (and more)....and all the things that He planned would happen....both pleasure and pain...and He created it anyway.  He gave us our existence.

"I have a plan for the whole earth, for my mighty power reaches throughout the world."  Isaiah 14:26 (NLT)

I am reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp this month, and I am finding it to be just what I need. In this phase of my life, it is good to read of a fellow believer's own heartaches and challenges in life and to hear her share how she is seeing God's grace and loving hand woven through it all, even in times of pain and anguish, if we would but open our eyes and hearts to see it.

There is so much more to it, but I thought I would share this part of my day and one of the first of what I am writing in my own gratitude journal of Gifts of God, some of which I'm sure will find themselves on this blog.

May we choose to realize the grace of God around us each and every day, and seek to serve Him above all. May we set our eyes on Christ, the Light of the world, and squelch the darkness that threatens to overcome us.

Flashlight Night Devotional

This Wednesday night was Flashlight Night at Awana, and as T&T leader I was asked to incorporate that idea into our Council Time. So...


Here's the song that came to mind... I did not end up incorporating it, but it helped me keep on task!  I listened to it in the vehicle w/my kids on the way to Awana.
Here's the focal part of the song (Scripture attached because I like to know where the words and phrases come from):

I wanna be in the Light
As You are in the Light (based on I John 1:7)
I wanna shine like the stars in the heavens (Daniel 12:3)
Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation (Psalm 27:1)
'Cause all I want is to be in the Light
All I want is to be in the Light

Here's the lesson:

With flashlight in hand and turned on, lead the kids follow-the-leader-style around a dark room. (have other leaders along to keep kids in line) Talk about how it's really easy to follow the path when you  have a light to show you the way.  Walk this way for a bit.

Turn off the flashlight.

Is it still easy to see where to go? Are we more likely to run into obstacles and hurt ourselves with the light off? (Yes) Turn the flashlight back on and lead them back to the classroom, where the lights are turned off and you and the kids have your flashlights to help with driving the point of the lesson home.

Have the following Scriptures written around the room and shine your light on them and have the kids shine their light on them as you read them.

God's Word says in Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. (NKJV)

God has given us His Word, the Bible, to help us know how to live.
What are some other reasons God gave us the Bible? (allow for kids to answer and facilitate conversation)

Psalm 119:11 says

Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you.(NKJV)

How do we hide God's word in our hearts?  We can memorize God's Word, like we do in the Awana program, and it will help us to follow God, to do what He wants us to do in life, and to not sin against God.  God's Word is our guide for living a Godly life.  It is good to memorize God's word, so that when things happen in your life and you don't have a Bible handy, you can still have guidance and knowledge as to what to do in different situations.

John 8:12 says

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

Remember a few weeks ago where we talked about Jesus being the light of the world? When we are following the Word of God, which is a light so that we can see where to go and what to do in life, we are also following Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, and Who offers the light of life!



I John 1:5-10 says

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.(NKJV)

In order to walk in the light, we need to confess our sins. When we admit we are, indeed, sinners, and confess our sins to God, He will forgive us and make us clean from all our sin. Jesus, God's Son, was sent to die and pay the price for the sins of the whole world (John 3:16).  God has given us a choice as to whether we want to follow Him, or not.

Walking in the light, following God's Word, is evidence of a relationship with Christ.  Do you have a relationship with Christ? Have you confessed (admitted to God) your sin to God and accepted His forgiveness and His free gift of salvation through Christ?

Have you made a conscious choice to walk in the Light?

The choice is yours! May you choose to follow Christ today!

What will your gift be?

This is the devotional I shared at Awana/T&T last week. :)

Matthew 2:1-12 gives us an account of the wise men who discovered the star in the east, recognized it as a sign that the King of the Jews had been born, made the journey to seek Him out, and gave our Lord gifts.

I can go on and on about how there were likely not only (or as many as) 3 wise men, what their heritage might have been and why they recognized this sign and sought Christ out, and I can question the timing of when the wise men found Jesus and whether they should be included in the nativity scenes.

But I won't.

Instead, I want to focus on the gifts they gave: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

• Gold-a gift worthy to give to a King

• Frankincense-used in the temple and, when burnt, symbolized the prayers of the people going up to heaven (and God)... possibly symbolically recognizing Christ as our High Priest

• Myrrh-a costly aromatic ointment used in many applications....one of which was to be used on the dead...and this was one of the things used on Christ's body after He had died on the cross. (John 19:38)

These gifts were costly. And one might speculate that they provided the means to support Joseph, Mary and Jesus when they fled to Egypt and those years in which they remained there.

So, all this to say: What will you give Him as you celebrate His birth? How might your gift be used to further His kingdom?

Pondering this today...

Blessings to you and yours this Christmas season!

Romans 12: Live peacably with all men...

I picked up a copy of Our Daily Bread at a local church, partly in remembrance of my grandma, who would often use this publication for her devotional time.

I wanted to share one of the Scriptures from the other day's reading, as well as my thoughts pertaining to it.

Romans 12:18
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Christmas is a time of year when one of the pervading themes is "Peace!".  Yet, with the hustle and bustle of life (that only gets more and more so this time of year), it's easy to lose touch with both the inner peace in our relationship with Christ, as well as the peace we need to be living out in our day to day walk. Road rage? Rude fellow shoppers? Arguments between family and friends due to being overstressed and overwhelmed and (let's admit it) sometimes irrational? Yeah, not exactly conducive to peace.

How can we live peaceably with all men (and women, and children....)?


1. It's about making ourselves presentable to God. Or rather, it's about setting ourselves aside and living a sacrificial, holy life, acceptable to God. (vs.1)
We aren't to blend in to this world and its sinful ways.  Rather, in having our minds renewed by Christ and His Word, we are to be changed and show what is the "good, acceptable, and perfect will of God" (vs. 2). This doesn't mean we stand out on the edge of a funeral of someone who lived some way we don't feel was right and protest. That is not a way to live peaceably with all men and promote the love of Christ.  In fact, it often has quite the opposite effect.
We are not to approach the world with a prideful, self righteous attitude (vs. 3 we are "not to think of <ourselves> more highly than <we> ought to think").

Let's read further.


2. It's about finding your place in the body of Christ and serving there. Verse 4-5 tells us that the followers of Christ each have a job to do. Much like the eye or the hand or the foot or any of the other parts of a physical body have their own purpose and "job description", we each as believers have a gift or talent(s) that we have been given to use to serve God and others.

"As each one does his part, the body <of Christ> grows in love" Ephesians 4:16 (NET)
"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." I Peter 4:10 (NKJV)

There are many gifts listed in Romans 12:6-9, as well as how we are to use them.  More gifts are listed in other Scriptures (I Cor. 12-14, Eph 4, I Peter 4...) .

What is your gift or talent? Are you using it to serve Him?

Is your focus on Christ and using your gifts for Him, or is your focus on being served?


3. Show brotherly love. vs 9-16 Read these verses to see how we should be interacting with each other in various life settings. The things that jump out to me are that in the midst of it all, we need to be serving the Lord, praying, blessing (and not cursing) others.

4. When Conflict Comes: It's not about the other person: it's about you.Vs. 17-21
Conflict inevitably happens at one time or another. This is where the verse about living in peace with all men comes into play.

When someone insults or hurts us in some way, intentional or not, we are not to do the same to them. We are not justified in doing so, no matter how much we feel we are.  We are to "do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable" vs. 17 (NLT)

Romans 12:18
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
I am not responsible for anyone else's behavior: only my own.  You are responsible for your own behavior. Own it. (Matthew 7 and Luke 6 are other good places to read on this topic)


Revenge is for the Lord to decide and do: not for us. (vs. 19) It's not up to me to seek revenge (or even be passive-aggressive).

Instead...
Bless your enemy--look for his needs and help him out (vs. 20)

and the last verse:
"Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good." (vs. 21) (NLT)



The Bible tells us to be quick to hear, slow to speak....slow to anger. (James 1:19) Take some time to digest whatever situation is at hand, whether the kids are driving you crazy, someone cuts you off in traffic, someone grabs the last item at the store that you were hunting for to complete your gift list...whatever.

Assign positive intent to the people that wrong you. And when you can't think of any sort of possible positive intent, still choose to bless that person.  (Romans 12:20)


So, let me challenge you to examine yourself and how you are doing in your walk with Christ. First, have you accepted his free gift of salvation from sin? How is He working on you? How is He asking you to serve Him? What gifts has He given you? How do you fit into the body of Christ, and are you doing what you are called to do in service to Christ (and others)?  Are you possibly doing something that you are not called by Him to do?  Are you emulating Christ, both to your Christian brother and sister and to unbelievers?

Let your light shine for Jesus this Christmas season!
Blessings to you and yours!

A Christmas Devotional and Challenge: The Light of the World

This is the devotional/object lesson I shared with the T&T Awana kids this week.

Here are the items I used:

• Accessible Electrical outlet

• Lit Christmas tree

• 2 additional trees, strung with lights but not lit yet. (Be sure the strings of lights will plug into each other)

• A nativity scene set up under the trees (optional, but helps with focus)

What makes light bulbs work? (allow for kids to answer one by one)
Answer: They have to be connected to a source of power, don't they? Well, today this Christmas tree is plugged into the electrical outlet, which is the source of power. So the electrical outlet for this lesson is symbolizing God, and the lit tree here is hooked up to God and is our symbol for Jesus.

Read John 8:12.
 ¹²Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world: he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.(NKJV)

So, what is this saying? Jesus says that He is the Light of the world, and that those who follow Him will not walk in darkness but have the light of life.  What is the light of life? (allow kids to give an answer)
The light of life is eternal life with Him. (define eternal if needed)  If we turn from our sins (define sin), which are what He is talking about when He says "darkness", and trust Jesus to save us from our sins, we will have the light of life. We will get to go be with Him, forever, someday.

Refer to lit tree and review that the lit tree symbolizes Jesus being the Light of the world.

Now let's look at Matthew 5:14-16
In this passage, Jesus is talking to his disciples, most of whom are believers.
  ¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hidden.
   ¹⁵Nor do they light a lamp, and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand; and it gives light to all that are in the house.
   ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.(NKJV)

So, Jesus is telling believers that they are the light of the world. Imagine a city on a hill and the light it shines at night. (Have a  helper turn off the room light to accentuate this point--and the lit tree) Can that city be hidden? No. Do you turn on your nightlight at night and then cover it up so you can't see it? No.  A light is meant to be seen: it is meant to shine. And Jesus tells us here in Matthew that the reason we should shine is so that people will see our good works and glorify God the Father in heaven.

So, Jesus is the Light of the world. (gesture to the lit tree)
Jesus says here in Matthew that we (believers) are to be the light of the world as well. Where do we get our power to shine? (Allow for kids to answer: Jesus! and plug the cord to one of the unlit trees into the Jesus tree cord)

What are some ways that we can shine for Jesus? (Allow kids to answer. Answers may include, but are not limited to:  telling others with words, singing about Jesus so others can hear, giving to people, sharing verses we have memorized with others, going to church and bringing a friend, etc)

What is the purpose for which we are letting our light shine? (to glorify our Father in heaven)

Look at this other tree that is not lit.  It has lights, but is not hooked up to the source of power. Maybe it doesn't even know there is a source of power and that it can even be plugged in.  There are people we meet every day that have not heard of Jesus or know why He came to earth. Perhaps if we told them (let our light shine), they might also trust Jesus to save them from their sins and they too can be hooked up to the source of power (God/Jesus) and let their own lights shine as well! (Plug in the unlit tree, preferably into the other tree lights)

Let's share the Light of Jesus with others!

Close with Go Tell it on the Mountain or This Little Light of Mine.

Or if you're looking for a more "adult" hymn: "The Light of the World is Jesus"


Or something with a bit more, uh, flair. :) Jesus is the Light of the World by Carmen

Welcome and Introduction!

Welcome to Wordy Musings.

I am creating this blog as a platform on which to record my thoughts pertaining to Scripture, the lesson plans I create to use in my various ministries, and how God is working in my day to day life.

I pray that this blog will be a blessing to others as I share my thoughts and insights, but most importantly I want to be pointing to the Word of God: Jesus Christ.

May this blog be a beacon of light--may it be an extension of me, as I strive to be a light to the world, powered by Jesus, the Light of the world.

To God be the glory!