tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55619282632917599822024-03-05T15:34:12.505-08:00Just A Beautiful MessLisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-4660430681162346502014-04-21T17:14:00.000-07:002014-04-21T17:14:19.081-07:00Silent SaturdayAs I wait in the dark silence of Saturday, the day between redemption and hope, I hear a soft whisper or is it a low roar. It's like the ground is rumbling in Friday aftershock shaking loose all my self-righteousness, reminding me of the blood poured out over my sin, the only reason I stand justified and righteous before the throne. The sound is beckoning me closer. And it's assuring me there is more but I'll have to walk away from something in order to find it. To find more, I will need less. Less stuff, less distraction, less Facebook, less worry, less fear, less of this world, much less of me. I'm beginning my search, pivoting toward the sound and walking away with less to find more.<br />
<br />
<em>Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. Forgive me that I thought I was capable of anything good on my own. I need You, Lord. Release the fullness of Your Spirit and bring me under His leadership so that I may follow You victorious in full obedience. Give me endurance to walk with zeal and diligence for Your glory alone. And strengthen me to lay all things down that stand between us. </em><a href="http://justabeautifulmess.blogspot.com/2013/02/bare.html" target="_blank"><em>Lord, bare and in your presence is my soul's cry. I will do anything.</em></a><em> Amen.</em><br />
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<br />Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-45384392813448595472014-03-30T04:15:00.001-07:002014-03-30T04:23:28.588-07:00Battle of the Lord<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I haven’t written
anything about this because honestly I don’t know what to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think sometimes you can be so wrecked and
moved my something that there really are no words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For someone like me, that's a hard
statement. Because there are always words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s the words that comfort me, help me wrestle things out, give color
to my emotions and a voice to my soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Words are sometimes all I have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Except when I don’t because of the sheer darkness and injustice of
humanity that moves me to utter and complete brokenness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I sit in the silence. Because this is
when I need the most to be still and know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even here, He is God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span><br />
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</span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seek justice. Love
mercy. Walk humbly with our God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Christ came, He showed us how to live
this out, what it looks like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as we
grow into His likeness, our hearts crack open to more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We not only want more of Him for ourselves, we
yearn for more of Him in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
it’s our submitted hearts that carry Him in to a desperate world seeking
justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God like Christ did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These are words from my journal from a month ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote these words with a two
week mission trip to Nepal focused on anti-trafficking efforts stretched out before me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, I am here and one week in on the ground in Kathmandu. Seeking justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Loving mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And praying I can walk humbly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
there is more hope than I thought there would be. But there is a lot of hopelessness
and there is a darkness and sin embedded deep in this culture that is
daunting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God is
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the battle is His. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<em>Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. ... You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.</em>" - 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>"The Lord will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies." </em>- Isaiah 42:13<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is only the beginning. </span></div>
Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-15986887918262084102013-12-31T20:30:00.000-08:002014-01-01T07:41:24.533-08:00Come What MayOnly four hours left in this year. My belly is full. The black eyed peas are soaking. New Year's Eve dessert is in the oven. And the kids have high hopes of making it until midnight, though as I look at them, I'm not thinking those eyelids will hold past 9:30. When I was younger, I rang in the New Year in traditional American style - abundant libations amidst noisy bass pumping through the crowded venue. These days, I delight to ring in the New Year quietly on my couch reflecting on the year gone by and looking forward with great expectation at the year stretched before me. <br />
<br />
God has a plan for these next 365 days. And it will lay perfectly on top of my previous 39 years just as much as it will be foundational to the years to come. It's already a planned part of this tapestry He is weaving. And one day, these next 12 months will be firmly hemmed in. But right now, the thread has merely been chosen and the needles merely threaded. The stitches begin tomorrow - well in a couple of hours. <br />
<br />
And I pray that I will embrace each one, each moment, each lesson and gift and hardship and opportunity. Each celebration and blessing and struggle and mundane task. Each everything that He gives by His hand that makes up this life of beautiful colors. I pray that I will surrender to the design, seek His design. And not try to fight or wriggle free from what He is stitching together. Because I can look back from here and see His divine and sovereign craftsmanship. And it is good. He is good. So I know I can trust. I can trust Him. Come what may.<br />
<br />
<em>"For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed. ... For I will pour out water to quench your thirst... And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children." </em>(Isaiah 43:19, 20b)<br />
<br />
<em>"For God has said: 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.' So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?'"</em> (Hebrews 13:5-6)Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-63886572586743362792013-12-30T08:00:00.000-08:002013-12-30T08:00:00.912-08:00A New Year PrayerFor whatever reason, sometimes the only thing that can calm my children is for me to sing over them. When the long shadows overtake them as they lie in their beds at night, they often request songs of me. I am their personal jukebox. <br />
<br />
Lately, they have been requesting <em>Oceans </em>by Hillsong. They have never been much for childish lullabies or lyrics that rhyme but have no soul. No, my kids have always requested lyrics they know will make the darkness flee, that will push evil back down to their footstool.<br />
<br />
It's been a few weeks since I have sung over them, since they have requested anything. I think it's because of Christmas. When your attention is wholly fixed on the Babe wrapped in light, there is no room for fear. It's the law of love. Perfect love casts out fear. And in Him there is no darkness.<br />
<br />
As I was getting ready this morning, the day after Christmas, the day after Love came down, I started thinking. The darkness might creep back in tonight. Tonight may not be silent for them. Tonight they may be headed back down the mountain to the valley of death.<br />
<br />
So I started singing a bit. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Let me walk upon the waters </em></div>
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<em>wherever you would call me.</em></div>
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<em>Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander.</em></div>
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<em>And my faith will be made stronger </em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>in the presence of my Savior.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>....</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>And I will call upon your name </em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>and keep my eyes above the waves</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>when oceans rise </em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>my soul will rest in your embrace </em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>for I am yours and you are mine."</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Hillsong United</div>
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<br />
Oh how I pray these words over them, their lives as my soul sings each verse in bold confidence. May the Lord lead them where their trust is without borders. It's the only place to really live. And may they call upon His name always.<br />
<br />
As we approach a new year, this is my prayer for all of us. The Lord is already asking, inviting me into things where by trust is challenged. So I pray this repeatedly... my trust Lord. without borders. And my soul, Lord. Resting in your embrace. <br />
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I have found this past year to be spiritually stagnant. (more on that later perhaps) And so I pray for a fresh fire of faith to burn deep within me, to burn up any boundaries holding me back from where the Lord is leading me. <br />
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<em>Lord, this is my prayer for the year to come. That I would worship You with reckless abandon, trust steadily in You even in the midst of the mystery, and rest in Your embrace as I learn to love like You - extravagantly. Spirit lead me... in the presence of my Savior. Take me farther than my feet could ever wander, Lord. Show me Your glory, Yahweh. May all my days be wholeheartedly devoted to You. And I will call upon Your name for I am Yours... and You are mine.</em>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-67078226802040282882013-12-29T16:45:00.000-08:002013-12-29T16:45:49.671-08:00Has My Heart Gone to Sleep?<div align="center">
<em>Has my heart gone to sleep?</em></div>
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<em>Have the beehives of my dreams</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>stopped working, the waterwheel</em></div>
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<em>of the mind run dry,</em></div>
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<em>scoops turning empty,</em></div>
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<em>only shadow inside?</em></div>
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</div>
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<em>No, my heart is not asleep.</em></div>
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<em>It is awake, wide awake.</em></div>
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<em>Not asleep, not dreaming - </em></div>
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<em>its eyes are opened wide </em></div>
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<em>watching distant signals, listening</em></div>
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<em>on the rim of the vast silence.</em></div>
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<em> </em>- Antonio Machado</div>
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Translated by Alan S. Trueblood<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">included in A Family of Poems compiled by Caroline Kennedy</span></div>
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Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-15612853985943498602013-12-27T12:20:00.001-08:002013-12-27T13:17:44.232-08:00My Favorite Gift<div style="text-align: left;">
<em></em><br />
<em>I have no gift to bring...</em></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<em> that's fit to give a king... but...</em></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<em>When you give to the least of these, you have given to me.</em> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25:31-46" target="_blank">(Matt 25:40, paraphrased)</a></span></div>
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They flocked to them. The least of Jesus' brothers crowded around my son and my husband. For a plastic bag with a little food, some water and a toothbrush. And there was one for each of them. Because weeks before, a few families offered their bread and fish in faith. And that kind of offering is always more than enough.<br />
<br />
This. This was my favorite gift this Christmas. Given to Jesus "in disguise". <br />
<br />
Happy birthday, Jesus!<br />
<br />
<em>“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?" </em><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Chronicles+29:14&version=NIV" target="_blank">1 Chronicles 29:14</a></span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-86371965838007820682013-12-19T20:53:00.000-08:002013-12-19T21:05:32.990-08:00The Law of Love<em>"You never start living until you stop fearing."</em> - Ann Voskamp<br />
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There has been much to fear in this year. And no doubt, there will be much to fear in the year to come. Because evil is on the loose in this world. Lurking behind bushes, prowling the open plains, waiting to devour the weak. <br />
<br />
But take courage because there is One. <br />
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He has overcome this world. <br />
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He reigns victorious over this evil. <br />
<br />
Jesus. At His name, the darkness flees.<br />
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Do not be afraid. <br />
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<em>"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26492A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup> and have it to the full." </em>(John 10:10)<br />
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Love wins in this epic story. <a href="http://justabeautifulmess.blogspot.com/2013/04/love-wins.html" target="_blank">Love always wins</a>. And until the day when every knee will bow and tongue confess that Love has won, may the church unite to speak Truth and mourn with those who mourn. No more. No less. No arguments that will solve nothing. No blame to be tossed. No criticizing of the laws and control or lack thereof. <br />
<br />
When four foot caskets are buried six feet under, I just don't understand how more laws or less laws will cure the human heart responsible for this kind of graveyard. And I think deep down we all know laws can't prevent evil. Isn't this why Jesus came? To fulfill the law that was impossible to keep, to save and redeem His family of sinners, to claim victory over this unbeatable evil that beats in us all? To transform us and send us out as sheep among wolves, not lawmakers among the lawless? <br />
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There is only one cure for the wickedness of earth and that is the love of God. <br />
<br />
When Jesus came, He didn't draft new laws. He loved. And He reminded us what the two most important commands were: <br />
<br />
<em>Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength. </em>(Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37)<br />
<em>Love your neighbor as yourself. </em>(Lev 19:18, Matt 22:39)<br />
<br />
It seems so simple. But even these I cannot keep without Him. I cannot even love without His power and presence in my life. Not selflessly, not extravagantly, not in a way that exposes Love to a barren, bankrupt heart. It starts with me. My heart. My circle of influence. Not with a lawmaking frenzy of pharisaical proportions.<br />
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Laws made by man - they are made out of fear. But perfect love casts out fear. That's the law of Love.Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-38377693830851888072013-11-25T20:17:00.000-08:002013-11-25T20:17:06.334-08:00A Disciple, a Boy and the Multitudes<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m not exactly sure how many times I’ve collectively heard
or read the story but it’s been at least a million. A little boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A simple lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And five thousand men to feed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And my favorite part – they ate until they
were satisfied and had twelve baskets of leftovers because the Messiah took
what was offered and gave thanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But this part I noticed just recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Philip answered him,
‘Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ‘Here is a
boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go
among so many?’” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(John 6:7-9)</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think I have always focused on the boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone says offer what you have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give Jesus your bread and fish and he will
feed the multitudes. I’ve said that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
I believe it. Completely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give what you
have to give. Give thanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And watch how
He can make it enough. See how He feeds the multitudes.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But the part I missed was Andrew, the disciple who
recognized the gift and spoke up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
boy was young.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he humbly offered
what he had with a childlike faith. And, I have a feeling if the boy offered it
to Philip, Phillip would have scoffed and not seen it as enough and walked on
by without saying one word to Jesus. </span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Andrew didn’t know if it would be enough. But he knew enough
about Jesus to call attention to the boy’s gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this passage of Scripture we see a stark
contrast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One disciple who sees the
impossible and another who sees Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phillip,
who sees an insurmountable task and Andrew, who sees a boy with a gift to offer
to the One who cares for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, so
how much more will he care for us? One disciple who cannot fathom feeding five
thousand men plus their families and another who dares to imagine what Jesus
can do with 5 small loaves and 2 small fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Andrew, himself, had empty pockets. Nothing to offer in this
moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, his eyes fell on one small
boy while his heart was wrapped around the One who made all things possible. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I
wonder… which disciple am I more like? Do I see in others, in my children, what they have to offer and encourage them in it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I build others up so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">THEY</i> believe their gift is not too small
or their talent too insignificant or that they are too small or insignificant
for Jesus to use them, to multiply their offering?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am I missing the beautiful landscape of gifts that
completely surround me?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You know… sometimes… I just don’t have anything to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, my act of worship is to look for the best gift to present to the Lord - whether my pockets are full or empty - believing that the multitudes can be fed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Jesus, we have a boy here with a small lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What can you do?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Jesus, this little girl with an amazing artistic gift. How can you use her?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Jesus, this boy with a wild sense of adventure. What are
the possibilities?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes, I am the one with the offering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> But, s</span>ometimes I am the one who sees the boy and
calls out his gift to Jesus. And sometimes, I am the multitudes
being fed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So often, I think I’m the one
who needs to offer something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Always
digging deep and searching hard for what it is I think the Lord is asking me to give.
Typical really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This self-centered
view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because I’m not always going to be
the one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I can't be... And does it really matter who does the offering as long as the multitudes are fed on the feast of the Lord? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are the body of Christ, disciples of the One who makes all things possible. And we live to breathe in His grace and breathe out His praise - together - and that looks like encouraging each other, moving together, calling out each others gifts before Him – all for Him – in the shadow of the cross, where the ground is level and the glory is all His.</span></div>
Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-56237063562689393272013-08-25T08:38:00.002-07:002013-08-25T08:49:58.442-07:00The Last is Closer<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ5ywY4PMfJeAEJlxxauDmpjgqhOBmMnZoSoyYmUbn1knPTAJwOAu5AHNezECPw5RzH5l-Bp0XxVQBvoHTWf5Y2hvHP_gyDWfURjob0feIMHu0QjN4RaI-XSJ7eLOaooaRBJZQ2hy7HMM/s1600/IMG_0531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ5ywY4PMfJeAEJlxxauDmpjgqhOBmMnZoSoyYmUbn1knPTAJwOAu5AHNezECPw5RzH5l-Bp0XxVQBvoHTWf5Y2hvHP_gyDWfURjob0feIMHu0QjN4RaI-XSJ7eLOaooaRBJZQ2hy7HMM/s320/IMG_0531.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He climbed in my lap again this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eyes half open and hair untamed, he came
straight for me. They say the days are long but the years are short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I feel every ounce of that truth as he folds into me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s content in my
lap. Quiet. Still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I notice how his toes
dangle a little farther this morning and his weight presses in a little firmer
and I wonder how this happened and if this is the last time we enjoy a
morning snuggle together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe
not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I know it is coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last is closer than the first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s how I should see everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With every tick, the last is closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many firsts have come and gone and been
celebrated to the full but it’s the lasts that come unnoticed… only visible in
a rear view mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And these are the
things I want to savor with all five senses – the things that will never come
again. And this could be every moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every moment of living could be a last - worth savoring.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the midst of heaping laundry piles and dead car batteries, driving thousands of miles within a ten mile radius and dirty dishes, being the only one who knows how to change the cotton-pickin' toilet paper roll and perpetually picking up socks that belong to children who never wear them, the mundane and the routine, it's hard to savor the present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they
won’t be here forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He won’t fit in
my lap forever, though I tell him I’ll always scoop him and snuggle him close even
when he’s sixteen, thirty-six.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He thinks
it’s funny and giggles that giggle that pierces my mama heart and I wonder…
is that the last little boy giggle?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Someday it will be a manly chuckle or an embarrassed scoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The little boy will fade into the man God is
building and I'm completely frozen at the thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> God is building a man before my very eyes. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have this idea of the man I want him to be – courageous
and compassionate, bold and humble, loving and honest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so much more. And in many ways, he already is these things. But simply, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I want him to be a</span> man with a reckless faith. A man who
worships his God with abandon and serves Him with wholehearted devotion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I want him to be godly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And there is only one way to godliness... and it's not through me.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I heard someone say once that if your children can fall in love with Jesus, this world doesn't stand a chance. Yes. That is what I want. For this world to not stand a chance. I want his courage that today carries him on his bike down the steepest terrain in the hands of Jesus to carry hope to the hopeless in the darkest corners of the earth. I want his <strike>strong will</strike> iron-clad resolve that today fights for the sake of fighting in the hands of Jesus to fight the good fight for the sake of righteousness. I don't want the world to consume my son but the Son through him to consume the world. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I can be Type A about discipleship and list out a thousand ways to show my children who God is... but really it comes down to letting Jesus show Himself through me. That's how they will fall in love with Him. Not because of some grand activity complete with an inspiring bible lesson that I planned. Only by His plan will they see who He is. And it happens in the least expected moments of the day. Usually after the worst moments of the day. When we need Jesus the most. And He shows up. Right then. When my children have failed and the Holy Spirit guides me to show them the grace I have been given. When my children have disobeyed and the Holy Spirit guides me to show them the mercy that I have been given. When my children ache and the Holy Spirit guides me to show them the comfort I have been given. When I have failed and the Holy Spirit strengthens me to bend at their feet and ask for the forgiveness they have been given.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The Bible has made it clear. Nobody is good. Not even one. So how can I, a downright mess, do anything apart from Jesus? Especially something as good as impacting a generation for the glory of Christ? </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br />
H<span style="font-family: inherit;">e climbs out of my lap and scurries off upstairs. And I close my eyes and utter silently in thanksgiving and desperation and surrender: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Lord, the last is closer than the first. Thank you for this gift. May I choose the things that are everlasting. Every moment. May I choose You. Every moment. Shine through me today Lord. May they see You. Only You. And may we all fall in love with You so this world doesn't stand a chance.</em></span><br />
<br />
I open my eyes and I see Baby Girl peacefully gazing at me with a hint of a smile. And I feel it all over again. The last is closer than the first.<br />
<br />
</div>
Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-82566492260018123682013-08-18T22:09:00.000-07:002013-08-18T22:16:05.430-07:00Reborn.<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I just got home from a night of worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A celebratory night of singing praises and worshiping
the God who calls the wretch by name, who calls the wretch beloved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As part of the celebration, there are people baptized
into new life at the side of the stage. As the congregation sings His praises,
we rejoice along with the angels in heaven at each rebirth. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tonight, I paid closer attention than usual to the baptismal. Our friends were baptizing their three children and I didn’t want to miss
them, so I noticed nearly every person that approached the promise
of new life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There was one woman who was baptized in jeans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I guess she didn’t expect to accept such an invitation tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she couldn’t refuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And maybe she understands something most of us are still
trying to wrap our hearts around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus
says come as you are. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There was a gray-haired woman who was baptized too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it’s never too late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just ask the sinner that hung next to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As long as you can confess with your mouth
and believe in your heart, there is a place for you in Paradise. But the clock is ticking... </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There were children and teens and adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were families and singles, men and
women, young and old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And tonight they
said yes to Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of them.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a vivid display of the good news that brought great
joy for ALL the people – from the city of David to the ends of the earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And it was a good reminder, too. There are many more who need
this message of hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they are
closer than I think.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-56582052061334992772013-07-16T05:19:00.003-07:002013-07-16T05:19:52.785-07:00Exfoliate My Soul<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>You alone can rescue, you alone can save</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>You alone can lift us from the grave.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>You came down to find us, led us out of death.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>To you alone belongs the highest praise.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em></em> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>I lift up my eyes, lift up my eyes.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>You're the giver of life.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Matt Redman)</div>
<br />
<br />
The giver. Of life. There is still so much deadness in me. He came down and rescued me and put my feet on a sure foundation. He met me right where I was... steeped in my iniquity. He led me out of death. He's leading me out of death, too. Because the clock is still ticking and I'm still sinning. So He is continually pulling out his blood-stained linens of grace to clean me from the inside out. <br />
<br />
But it's typically not a Harry Potter wand-wave transformation. A flick of the wrist does not tend to make the dead alive. It could. He could. He has enough power to do it that way, but His love knows a better way and His mercy is bent to healing. So He usually chooses to tenderly clean our wounds one layer at a time. And that is where the real power comes from - His gentleness and grace, love and mercy. This is what beckons me closer. How He knows all of my stuff and still draws me near to Him. How He sees every last stain and still pulls me into His holiness to make me new, make me His. To give me life. Not breathing-in-air life. But breathing-in-Christ life.<br />
<br />
As I breathe in more of Christ's fragrance, I long for all this deadness to be washed away. Not gently, but a vigorous exfoliation. <br />
<br />
<em>O Lord, exfoliate my soul and bring forth a spring of new life. Make me radiant with your love and mercy. Lord, shake this place within me and fill me with a fresh indwelling of your Holy Spirit. Make me brave, Lord. Make me bold. Here and now for your glory, for your people, in your time, in your way. All for you. I need you. You alone. Amen.</em>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-6847032234729612772013-06-21T18:16:00.000-07:002013-06-21T18:16:11.583-07:00Party of 15<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We extended the invitation on Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends, who are really family, have company
in town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they are living in tents while
they wait for their promised land to rise from the dirt, so the invitation
almost extended itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come on over for
dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gather around our table because
the Lord has done great things for us. We can share with you from an abundant harvest
and it would be our very great privilege to break bread with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Party of 8. Let’s gather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By Sunday, I realized our friends’ out of town guests from
last week were coming back into town for the weekend and so our dinner count grew by
two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I remember the days when changing
plans left me reeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Lord has
done great things for us and He is doing great things in me and I am delighted
and so grateful to set two more places for these people who are like my kin.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dinner is scheduled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Monday at 5:30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Party of 10.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On Monday afternoon, around 2:00, I started to wonder…. Did
I ever extend an invitation to our friends that just moved?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their life is packed in boxes and paint fumes
are their normal and these people are our family, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And on a holiday marked with remembrance and
sacrifice and BBQs and the dawning of summer, will they eat pizza again? Alone?
Or worse yet, labor for dinner after laboring to turn a house into a home?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A phone call later and the count grows by 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dinner is set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5:30. Party of 14.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I spend the day in the usual fashion when you are expecting
to feed a crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vacuuming, washing surfaces, tossing
veggies around in a bowl and trying to think of all the odds and ends that will
gently say, “Welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are so glad you
came. Gather around the table. We’ve been expecting you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">5:30 strikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, group
by group, they all arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are gathered. We
are communing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are walking steps on
this path together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the doorbell
rings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I peer around the corner and it’s
an unexpected guest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our friend who does
some work for the Chef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s here to pick up a check and he’s been
working because he always works and he looks tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I open the door to let him in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he enters timidly the way you would
expect if you arrived on site in the middle of a party full of invited guests.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">And I offer words as he crosses the threshold, “Hey friend.
Come on in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good to see you. Are you
hungry?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And he says it soft the way he says everything. “Well,
kinda.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dinner is ready. It’s 6:00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Party of 15.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the midst of the beautiful chaos, I stop and look
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These friends who are our
nearest family are making their way through the kitchen, filling plates,
opening drawers like it’s home and the chattering never slows and it is paired with contagious laughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I hadn’t realized until now how much I
have missed this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gathering. Filling
bellies and filling hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Community in our home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And I hold back the tears and bow my heart in worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God has done great things for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This winter our grocery list was our wish
list but today we are hosting a dinner for 15. And I can’t say we waited on him
gracefully or endured patiently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact
I remember a few dark days coupled with many harsh words and maybe even a clenched
fist shaking toward the heavens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
God, He doesn’t hold it against me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
delights in showing me His power in His time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And I think this is what I stand in awe of the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His patience coupled with His unwavering
faithfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way He listened to
every word I screamed at Him in my faithlessness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Him just nodding His head with a patient smile
as He whispers, “Not yet, child”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
had he rescued us any sooner, I might never know this immeasurable amount of
gratitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And had he done it the way I
would have expected, in a Martha Stewart-worthy home, I might never experience
the great privilege of just being able to open the doors of our home and say
with love and gratefulness and sincerity, “Come on in. Are you hungry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have plenty and we would count it one of
our greatest gifts to break bread with you.” </span></div>
Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-44116079132008151752013-05-11T20:31:00.000-07:002013-05-11T20:33:57.315-07:00The Very Heart of a Woman<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a relatively easy morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a Tuesday, that speaks volumes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the one day both kids are in school. Baby Girl is at my side nearly 24 hours a day,
except Tuesdays for six.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And though I
desperately need the time away, I miss her and all her eight year old self full
of sass, charm, and giggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we walk
in to her school building, which is really a church, the parking lot is a sea
of mamas and their broods washing up to the door like a tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One mama in particular catches my eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her kindergartner follows behind her and she
has a babe in a carrier and a wheelie cart stacked high of boxes and bins and
who knows what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask if she needs help
and she thanks me for my thoughtfulness but she’s got it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course she does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s a mama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We don’t need help carrying babes and boxes, we need help carrying our
burdens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we’re no sooner going to ask
for that kind of help than we will ask for help with a load suitable for a pack
mule. Bearing each other's burderns is instinctual, not invitational. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I walk back to my car, I think of all these mamas with
their babes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ones they’ve left at
this school and the little ones they take home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I even think of all the ones we can’t see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ones lost too soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ones their hearts ache for everyday in
silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I start to wonder… do we ever
stop aching for a babe in our arms?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Isn’t that how God designed us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh, sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re fine to wave
goodbye to sleepless nights and potty training and being puked on and spit up
on and peed on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But our arms were made
to hold the hungry, embrace the wounded, rock the weary and nurture the
deprived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I wonder, is that
longing really a God-given ache to hold the needy?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think God made us this way for a reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When He asked us to take care of the
orphaned, was He not somehow speaking directly to the heart of mothers, of
women?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What mama heart can stand to see
a child without… without love, without security, without food, without
hope?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And really the mama heart is just
every woman’s heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether we have
babes of our own or not, there is something in us that rises up in compassion at
the first sight of desperate need. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
cry of the broken might as well be like the cry of the infant and our first
instinct is to open arms and cradle those who need comfort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, whether you have an abundant quiver or a barren womb, this day is really for all women. The way your tender heart bleeds compassion
and how you rush to the needy across the world or across the hallway, the way
you love those around you, the way you stop and bend and listen to the needs, the way you open your lives and your arms, the way
you serve and give of yourself so generously without any expectation, the way you sacrifice day in and
day out – these are the things we celebrate today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This day is about celebrating the very heart
of a woman and the way God made us, as His image-bearers, to love the least of
these.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-33109810723985529812013-04-15T19:05:00.000-07:002013-04-15T19:05:11.405-07:00Love Wins<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The reports pour in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are always so confusing amidst chaos and disaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Numbers fly but we know they don’t mean
anything, not yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing is for
sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something awful has happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Terrorist attack, madman, political activist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t know. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there are injuries and there are
casualties.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the ashes of disaster and chaos and evil, something inevitably
occurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beauty of good rises, the
beauty of Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Long before the "why" can be answered, Who is moving swiftly through. </span>At the hands of a few,
evil strikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And at the response of
thousands, God weaves a brighter, richer, more telling tale of His love and
redemption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Only a handful are bent on destroying but the majority rise
up to help their neighbor. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Countless first responders descend on the scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bomb squad is first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their mission?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be the front line, protecting civilians
from harm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They stand between the
public and further catastrophy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they
search every trash can, every unclaimed bag, every corner of every alleyway for
any further danger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they don't stop
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they find something, they
pick it up and remove it to a safe place for a controlled detonation. <o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fire and rescue crews disperse and take control of an
uncontrollable situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s what they
know, what they have been trained for, what they signed up to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a decision they made long before
disaster struck – to be right here among the bleeding and wounded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can look past the horror to see the
lives that need saving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> T</span>hey sort through
the mess to gather the living, the ones that can be saved.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">City police are there too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Blocking roads and locking down the crowd to find the perpetrator(s) and
acting in a myriad of other capacities that we really probably have no
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are the gap fillers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever is needed beyond physically treating
wounds and dismantling bombs, the men and women in blue are there. Tactical training and command centers at the ready.<o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And then there are just your average citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spectators on the streets scooping up
children and tending to victims and chasing down medical attention and wrapping
arms around the broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Runners who ran
26.2 miles only to cross the finish and keep on running to the hospital to
donate blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t even imagine the
ways the average citizen is rising up on the streets of Boston today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Untrained and unskilled but compelled to act for the greater good.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And we’re only nine hours in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There are stories yet to be told, miracles yet to be heard, beauty yet to rise.
</span>Long after evil retreats to the shadows, goodness is still shining
bright, outpacing the dark, fueled by love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And Love always wins. Always.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<em>Father, let faith arise on the streets of Boston. Let Love overtake the darkness. May you bring glory to your name. So many will turn to you in anger, will curse your name, will ask so many questions, will stand in disbelief. Lord, help me to remember that you do not need me to defend your reputation. Help me remember you are working in the midst of it all. Lord, your word promises that you are near the brokenhearted and that you save those crushed in spirit. I claim those promises now for the victims and their families. Be so near to them, Lord. So near. Lord, thank you for the first responders and for the average citizens and for everyone you will work through in your own perfect timing. You are good. You are love. And I trust in your name alone. In Jesus' name. Amen.</em></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-87537515235679379372013-04-06T09:02:00.001-07:002013-04-08T19:19:14.751-07:00Even One<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I signed up months ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The email came asking for help on Easter Sunday at the 11:00
service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t in an area I would confidently
say I am gifted, but I was happy to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I didn’t know then what God was orchestrating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now I see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I clicked send, He grabbed His maestro
stick and rose in His compassion.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Weeks passed after my Easter sign-up and through a myriad of
events, I was reconnected to the ministry God had laid on my heart months
earlier. God had nudged me toward being a Prayer Partner, someone to step out
into the aisles during service worship time, to take the hands of the broken
and cross the threshold of the Holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
started up with the Prayer Partners again just weeks before and
as Easter Sunday approached and emails were exchanged to ensure Prayer Partners
were allocated among the services, I felt this pressing from the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gentle, yet unwavering… to serve in this
capacity at the 11:00 Easter Sunday service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I had already committed my time elsewhere and so, I dismissed it.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Easter Sunday arrived and after spending Saturday night dressed
up in cute high heels that left my feet blistered, I selected my bright red
“Join the Family” serving t-shirt, comfy jeans and cushioned running shoes to
join the preschoolers in their too-cute-for-words sweater vests and spring
dresses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the preschool room, we
waited for children to show up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, a
little boy who reminded me how big and loud the world can be when you feel
scared and alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His mom was in a rush
to drop him off so she could find her seat in the crowded sanctuary and his big
brown eyes told me everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
shy, he liked his mom and he couldn’t imagine spending the next hour without
her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He clung to her skirt and in a
quiet rebellion, he refused to move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
walked over and offered my hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my
great surprise he took it. Tightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like
it was a life boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he held on for
dear life for at least five minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We finally got two more children, little girls dressed for
the occasion, and to my delight, my new hand-holding friend was comfortable to
let go and played remarkably with his new found friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I watched as the three played in all their
imagination together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strangers. To each
other and perhaps to this place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I
could see so purely in these children how much we need each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was fellowship at its most innocent and
bare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it was beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Before long, the service had started and our room count was
at three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Easter Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 11:00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The preschool staff was reeling wondering whether there would be a mad
rush or if they should accept this as it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I stood baffled, they made the decision
that I wasn’t needed and moved our three littles to another room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The minute those tykes were taken care of, the Holy Spirit
gently pressed again, reminding me of those weeks before and how He’d been
whispering about the 11:00 service as a prayer partner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, about as underdressed as you can get on Easter Sunday, I
walked down the hall, grabbed my white Prayer Partner lanyard, and entered the
sanctuary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly found a seat, sang
and worshipped and gave thanks to my Abba Father, who allowed me to corporately
worship Him with our worship pastor and the choir leading the way not one time,
not two times but three times that weekend!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQxjDTZknTishDnC0NcUee7qU9uADndhyphenhyphenosISR-D-w0acTYP0duivPlA6zbEroDAt3MEYiGoCPTMZzlD8Q6IDzbZNjLAT93ERMulmRFBm58XLCfwqig8JoFG0LysnZnOyjjB-LjMTfWaj/s1600/worship.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQxjDTZknTishDnC0NcUee7qU9uADndhyphenhyphenosISR-D-w0acTYP0duivPlA6zbEroDAt3MEYiGoCPTMZzlD8Q6IDzbZNjLAT93ERMulmRFBm58XLCfwqig8JoFG0LysnZnOyjjB-LjMTfWaj/s320/worship.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<o:p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/137289488611546629/" target="_blank">photo source</a></span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prayer partners were summoned from the stage to take their
positions around the room and after a brief observation, I filled in a gap along a wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
wasn't long before I saw her coming, headed straight for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she was broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could see this long before she made it to
me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As she walked up, she smiled through her tears, called me by
name and said, “When I saw you, I knew I had to step out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t going to but then I saw you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please pray for me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she went on to explain her need.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I prayed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left the sanctuary and
spoke for a few minutes in the hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I offered what
I had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She left and returned to her
seat… smiling and claiming she felt better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">{sigh}</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">{deep sigh}<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Humbled doesn’t even scratch the surface here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman, a friend opened her heart and shared
a brief paragraph of her story because she felt safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And,
oh how I wished right there that we would all make each other feel this
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Safe enough to be two or more
gathered at His feet, mess in our hands, strengthening each other to
bend together and lay it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That she would have forgone stepping out except that she saw a familiar face in a sea of
people… and that this time, God orchestrated me as that face to call
someone out of the shadows… <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.
words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well… maybe a few.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Who am I, Sovereign
Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is
no one like you, and there is no God but you…”</i> (2 Samuel 7:18, 22)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On a day that calls the masses to the pews, God spoke so
vividly to me about the importance of even one. One lost sheep is worth a
search party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One scared little boy is
worth a rescue crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One broken sister
is worth moving mountains for a friendly face to stand out in a crowd. One mess
of a Jesus girl is worth sending the broken to affirm the willing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And only One is worth what little we have to
offer and He will feed the multitudes right before our very eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A willing heart offered in faith and He will use it to move heaven and earth for even one, even me, especially you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-28558794833620857762013-03-29T10:19:00.001-07:002013-03-29T10:20:32.762-07:00Operation: Reconciliation<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">From the archives</span><br />
<br />
He knew I deserved the Crown of Thorns yet He let it rest on His head.<br />
<br />
He knew I earned the flogging in the streets yet He took my place.<br />
<br />
He knew I could never settle the wages of my sin or tear the veil on my own, yet He wanted a relationship with me that would last for eternity.<br />
<br />
He knew that I, the wretch, would need a Savior, so He hung on a tree, pierced for every single transgression He knew I would commit. <br />
<br />
He knew that I , the powerless, would need the power of His resurrection, so He conquered death, leaving my sins in His grave and giving me freedom to live life abundantly. <br />
<br />
He wrote the greatest story of reconciliation the world will ever know in His very own blood... for ALL the people, all for LOVE. May you be reconciled this Holy week, this Holy life to your Savior and also to each other - all for Love. <br />
<br />
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-74768426778828736342013-03-12T17:23:00.000-07:002013-03-12T17:23:45.117-07:00The Undone<div align="center">
<em>It isn't the thing you do, dear,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>It's the thing you leave undone,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>That gives you the bitter heartache</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>At the setting of the sun;</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>The tender word unspoken,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>The letter you did not write,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>The flower you might have sent, dear,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>Are your haunting ghosts at night.</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em></em> </div>
<div align="center">
<em>The stone you might have lifted </em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>Out of your brother's way,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>The bit of heartfelt counsel</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>You were hurried too much to say;</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>The loving touch of the hand, dear,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>The gentle and winsome tone,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>That you had no time or thought for,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>With troubles enough of your own.</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em></em> </div>
<div align="center">
<em><strong>These little acts of kindness,</strong></em></div>
<div align="center">
<em><strong>So easily out of mind,</strong></em></div>
<div align="center">
<em><strong>These chances to be angels,</strong></em></div>
<div align="center">
<em><strong>Which even mortals find --</strong></em></div>
<div align="center">
<em><strong>They come in nights of silence,</strong></em></div>
<div align="center">
<em><strong>To take away the grief,</strong></em></div>
<div align="center">
<em><strong>When hope is faint and feeble,</strong></em></div>
<div align="center">
<em><strong>And a drought has stopped belief.</strong></em></div>
<div align="center">
<em></em> </div>
<div align="center">
<em>For life is all too short, dear.</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>And sorrow is all too great,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>To allow our slow compassion</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>That tarries until too late.</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>And it's not the thing you do, dear,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>It's the thing you leave undone,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>That gives you the bitter heartache,</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>At the setting of the sun.</em></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
- Adelaide Proctor</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The whole of it is beautiful. But the bold stanza... well it is bold indeed. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<em>Lord, may I act upon the whispers you impress on my heart so as not to leave at least these things undone. And may I trust your Spirit to guide me and lead me according to your will, without allowing my own circumstances to restrain me or contain me or define me.</em></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." (2 Corinthians 8:2, NIV)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-20594791680193365052013-03-01T14:11:00.001-08:002013-03-01T14:11:20.884-08:00Ordinary.
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sometimes,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I try this idea of writing simply to spill thoughts on a page, to quiet the noisy editor in my head, using a prompt from various sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> How? Usually, </span>I start and end a post in 15 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Today I'm playing with the big girls. I really did it - in 5 minutes just like them. Thank you for your crazy, wild, embracing grace. Here's what falls out of a wanna-be writer in 5 minutes. Oh, you should try it! </span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
********</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today's Prompt: <strong><em>ORDINARY</em></strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em>********</em></strong></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am afraid of being ordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lost in the mundane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doing every day the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the years pass, I feel even more
ordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> No milestones in sight. </span>I’m not about to graduate
college or about to get married or expecting my first baby… or any baby. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This little body is not so little anymore and
my blonde hair isn’t so blonde anymore and ordinary is creeping in and settling
down deep and I try not to let it overtake me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But what if it does?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if
ordinary takes over all of me and I let it and it even takes over my pride so
something bigger can happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if
ordinary makes me humble enough for Extraordinary to rip right through me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if Extraordinary finds a spacious
dwelling place and decides to show off a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because in an ordinary vessel, there is only one explanation for
Extraordinary. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, the possibilities in ordinary.
</span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-39988022109443159312013-02-28T17:13:00.004-08:002013-02-28T20:12:02.045-08:00Grace Falls<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPtaN4xm32nDi-gRBghQf49UWwuokLmuSWiPaCWxJsjG6TajHKp1fC-Eha5iG5lGJGNbk4krmraOv-rvMKZkPm5nKRTPTrkTdpSoCZ09z7CwqAnzRjhqhgD2Hb0WCF0Xgl1LS3wM-TFmQ/s1600/IMG_3034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPtaN4xm32nDi-gRBghQf49UWwuokLmuSWiPaCWxJsjG6TajHKp1fC-Eha5iG5lGJGNbk4krmraOv-rvMKZkPm5nKRTPTrkTdpSoCZ09z7CwqAnzRjhqhgD2Hb0WCF0Xgl1LS3wM-TFmQ/s320/IMG_3034.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hear the sounds echoing through the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Deafening</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wrestling siblings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the
cackles and giggles end in the wailing and gnashing of teeth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like it always does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Baby Girl emerges victorious this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bubbs screaming louder than usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He claims an injury to his arm, pain
inflicted by his older sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or at
least this is what I gather between gasps for air as I make out his sister’s
name every fifth word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he’s not
moving his arm. At all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hours later, he’s still not moving it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I contemplate the emergency room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s still not swollen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not black and blue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we are still paying for the staples that mended
his head whole from the last injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
a quick conference with the Chef and it’s decided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">While we wait, a snow storm moves in. I watch the round
flakes fall soft to the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A storm
always seems to start quiet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I scan the
landscape and watch the quiet beautiful falling straight from heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s raining mercy on this dry land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as this frozen wonder tumbles favor, the
wind moves in sharp, sure. And it spreads winter grace furiously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it’s all said and done, this stark white
gift covers the ugly barren land clean, new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And it gathers to fill the empty plum full. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazing grace is a sweet sound, but it’s also
a sweet sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take in the fresh
landscape and I try desperately to sear my heart with the image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what He has done for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taken the ugly, unspeakable and made it into
something beautiful, new, presentable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The crimson stain now white as snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amazing, this grace he lays over us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The storm comes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
it goes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Bubbs, he’s still not
moving his arm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we head to the
doctor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gifts are still raining
favor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An early appointment with our
doctor and a clear driveway thanks to the Chef who pumps Alaskan blood and shovels while it’s still snowing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctor is quick in his
assessment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nurse-maid’s elbow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A dislocation of sorts and a quick flick of
the forearm should set it back right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
try not to throw up on the doctor and I hear little after he says “dislocation”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearly I’ve seen too many movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if my “Boy Mom” card is waiting
at the front desk or if they’ll just send it in the mail. I decide not to ask.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The doctor takes hold of his arm and Bubbs is already
whimpering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take my position next to
him and tell him to look at me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
whisper all the mama things I can think to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I see the doctor flinch and Bubbs starts crying loud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dislocation located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctor leaves me to my mama work and I
grip Bubbs close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And his tears are
falling fast and the crying is turning to screaming and I do the only thing I
know to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing that has
calmed either of my children since they were babies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I sing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Amazing Grace. </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And somehow, he thinks the sound is sweet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A grace all its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as I sing this familiar hymn, my parched soul
is drenched by each carefully chosen word, quenched by the grace-ringing truth of
it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Amazing grace, how
sweet the sound.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And as the next line rolls off my tongue, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“that saved a wretch like me”</i>, I drink
in every rich syllable, take hold of the truth again. And I beg God that I can
hold on to it this time. On my own, I am a wretch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can do no better than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But grace. Amazing grace and this wretch can
dwell in the shelter of the Most High.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
can this be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m still singing and he stopped heaving breaths and crying
tears verses ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s calm, drinking in
grace with me as I sing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gently reaches
for his sister, whispers her name, the one that put him on that table needing his
bones reset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He extends his hand to her,
extending grace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the amazing comes
when she reaches back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s herself be
held by us all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accepts the grace
offered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjbVWj-AMSW9H9sex3CV-cOjzxwVUDpk4BrFpkY_QnONjJ1CcBTkuEhb6BNcUF5CI00ypBiXZRTWQgb8iy_VgWrKirnYU7Kb5cplFaNXPlXt0-lEhcYGNKLOsLM8HECFlK0soBozkW8zE/s1600/IMG_3349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjbVWj-AMSW9H9sex3CV-cOjzxwVUDpk4BrFpkY_QnONjJ1CcBTkuEhb6BNcUF5CI00ypBiXZRTWQgb8iy_VgWrKirnYU7Kb5cplFaNXPlXt0-lEhcYGNKLOsLM8HECFlK0soBozkW8zE/s320/IMG_3349.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And I see it again, right there in that moment. The grace that falls
on us, it’s not to be collected and stored but poured out fast and sure, spreading like the furious wind to those around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Generously g</span>ive
this unmerited favor that falls on us all – hand it out every chance I get. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because after all, I am only a wretch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He
has clothed me in garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of
righteousness.</i>” </span><br />
<br />
<em>Lord, may I never withhold the grace you have given. May I never be stingy with life-saving, heart-healing unmerited favor. Unmerited. May I always remember the depths of the slimy pit You pulled me out of, deeper than most and still not beyond Your reach. And, Lord, when I forget these things, because You know I will, may I never forget Your grace falls still, making all things new. Amen.</em></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-57038809687528216202013-02-19T11:08:00.001-08:002013-02-19T16:51:14.565-08:00Bare.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eG9Et2Z5vxstHBfNIgGuZE6mCkfhs9MOZohOcRSYzt_zLf248PzTnUYA6y8I1HSogw9RqGgDhZuWFlHlFrcJ1m604avrkdjSYeJvAWZL7fYTzUmIo5-bt8TD9cf6jPRyfFFyFnIgJV5w/s1600/IMG_0788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eG9Et2Z5vxstHBfNIgGuZE6mCkfhs9MOZohOcRSYzt_zLf248PzTnUYA6y8I1HSogw9RqGgDhZuWFlHlFrcJ1m604avrkdjSYeJvAWZL7fYTzUmIo5-bt8TD9cf6jPRyfFFyFnIgJV5w/s320/IMG_0788.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s how we start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bare before a holy God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s how
He created us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And He said it was
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, “Don’t eat from this tree”,
God says.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the nature of the human
heart desires the forbidden fruit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bare
and in His presence wasn’t enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were easily convinced there could be more. Only after the tasty morsel is
digested do we realize it wasn’t worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And we are left sewing fig leaves and longing to be bare again, whole,
holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it doesn’t make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This tension between wanting more and needing
only Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are wretches but we are also chosen, a royal priesthood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this holy God who is love had a solution
before there was ever a problem. He had a plan all along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because He saw it coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bittersweet juice drips down our chins from
that sinful bite and it is more than we were made to chew. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So His plan starts to unfold. But it’s going
to hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Him. Us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We go about collecting more so He spends time
stripping us bare. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are ensnared by more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need Him alone and more jeopardizes
everything. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But the excess is painful to remove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Paul and Peter, they tell us to
rejoice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rejoice in the suffering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s pure joy. Because it’s the suffering
orchestrated by His sovereign hand that is making us bare, more like His Son.
The road to bare is marked with suffering but it is the hope of glory. And it’s
the only way.<o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our God, He sees us bare already, even as we knit together
our coverings, but He wants us to see ourselves that way, living in freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We clench fists and hold tight to more so He
pries open fingers, gently. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And nails
palms to trees, sorrowfully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Die to
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t need it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Live for Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>More than we deserve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And when He strips it all away, layer by layer, we see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see Him and we see each other as God truly
made us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No masks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No fig leaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a broken, busted people that needs less
than we thought but more than we could ever possibly hold with our hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we truly need can only be held by our
hearts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as we stand bare before Him,
we realize how this really is more. So. much. more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And just when I think I’m standing bare, I glimpse my
reflection. I'm still covered and full of more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bow. Pray. This
is going to hurt. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Lord, bare and in Your presence is my soul's cry. I will do anything.</em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p></i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Here is a trustworthy
saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners--of whom I am the worst.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>(1
Timothy 1:15)<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-37391722863569423002013-01-09T19:52:00.000-08:002013-01-09T20:21:35.152-08:00My Discipleship Curriculum<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNn7sizLZU21A0gCly2AYEV1DPjBYg5ctOgfbU_obWOdLXOkJrKSvb_AavvMJeN39sFNnKikOf4UnXx926p-g_y7YP1FcfoYbqyKXqFxvS9j1ylNaFpFj1nqjpI6CPp50JXzJSYacZc7F/s1600/IMG_9102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNn7sizLZU21A0gCly2AYEV1DPjBYg5ctOgfbU_obWOdLXOkJrKSvb_AavvMJeN39sFNnKikOf4UnXx926p-g_y7YP1FcfoYbqyKXqFxvS9j1ylNaFpFj1nqjpI6CPp50JXzJSYacZc7F/s320/IMG_9102.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve discovered something about myself. I’m hopelessly Type
A with a ridiculously free spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
not sure how those two things live within the same soul but here I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A big picture gal with a screaming desire for
perfectly organized spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A dreamer
that builds plans I don’t follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An
intensely creative spirit that pencils projects in my Day-Timer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
detailed list maker that abandons it all at the first sign of a warm, sunny
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s complicated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just ask the Chef.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, when it comes to matters of the soul, these rivals battle
against each other and I’m at a loss as to how to make disciples out of four-foot
tall, strong-willed little humans, let alone all nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All these ideas floating in my brain begging
to be organized into curriculum but there are books to read and songs to play
air guitar to and pictures to draw and coloring contests to have and God’s
marvelous creation to discover and laundry to do and meals to cook and people
to love...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and would you look at
that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s 80 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when do I find the time for the pen to hit
the paper for a "discipleship curriculum".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And, the entire call overwhelms me to fear of failure. That
I will fail to make Jesus known to my children. That I will fail to impress
their hearts with His living, active word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That I will fail to unearth these diamonds in the rough to shine for the Kingdom of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That I will fail to show them a
lost and broken world in desperate need of the Body of Christ, of Christ
Himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And when I’m able to catch my breath, I breathe in deep and
remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With thanksgiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thank you, God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for these four-foot tall,
strong-willed little humans you placed in my care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you that my life’s work is this high
calling to make disciples, with You by my side leading the way. Thank you that You are really the One who will unearth these diamonds. May they shine for You. May we all.</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpRjPGceVtSddykShBiPm5jzQr2_OchFHAuMlxgJY4WOCpVhooquK6Qi3iwRSEttRscxyvlAmqFMSjzt6lrITgS87gfspV1wQe5G6ZffToKbYzSt4Oj3X9lZjOWY_RPpwbJ0M-2dJe1HL/s1600/IMG_0006_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpRjPGceVtSddykShBiPm5jzQr2_OchFHAuMlxgJY4WOCpVhooquK6Qi3iwRSEttRscxyvlAmqFMSjzt6lrITgS87gfspV1wQe5G6ZffToKbYzSt4Oj3X9lZjOWY_RPpwbJ0M-2dJe1HL/s320/IMG_0006_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My first instinct, driven by the Type A part of my brain, is
to search high and low for an effective discipleship program, a
curriculum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something that tells me
exactly what to say, what to do, complete with fun, field trips and
authenticity built right in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is
that discipleship program that Jesus used?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How did the Master of discipleship do it wrapped in flesh? </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He lived. For God. Abided in Him. Had a heart perfectly
positioned toward Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So He knew the
Father’s will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m certain Jesus did
not have an outline or a calendar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had the voice
of God. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And, He communed with the Father. </span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Very early in the
morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to
a solitary place, where he prayed.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Mark 1:35)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“But Jesus often
withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If He was awake, He was in the Father's presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
As He communed, He displayed servant leadership.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He didn't work behind the scenes and reveal a masterpiece
at the end. He invited his disciples into His life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come. Follow me. Let me show you what I’m up
to. Let me show you how I do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On His
way to heal the sick and lame, feed the multitudes, raise the dead…. Come.
Follow me. Let me show you how the Kingdom can come. Now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He was intimate and real. He didn't need a curriculum for
discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He submitted to the Father
and allowed His actions, His life to speak for itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He spoke the Truth and many believed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When He took people with Him to raise the
dead, He didn’t first offer a weekend conference on Raising the Dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He displayed His faith, His spiritual
discipline, His obedience, His courage to go where the Father led Him. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YsY76yW37d1X-_WYZh2LQZCBrfte5NSX7kME6WBcrW3sJH4XZj_yCFcX-RLM2_7v7KfKiPgGzJ3fUwwbP1Ks7zvSEMERnfXAKwLXJ-zC31tbOjUd5tI-gveji9NAy61FUciV6PftSi3A/s1600/IMG_2286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YsY76yW37d1X-_WYZh2LQZCBrfte5NSX7kME6WBcrW3sJH4XZj_yCFcX-RLM2_7v7KfKiPgGzJ3fUwwbP1Ks7zvSEMERnfXAKwLXJ-zC31tbOjUd5tI-gveji9NAy61FUciV6PftSi3A/s320/IMG_2286.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And, above all else, He loved extravagantly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He loved the Father without apology and without compromise.
He was seen praying. He was seen healing. He was seen weeping. He was genuine and
loving with everyone He encountered. He healed with His hands. He ministered from
the heart. He knew the Father and His word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He discipled out of an overflow of His relationship with the
Father and He discipled within the relationships of His followers. He ate with
them, traveled with them, and didn't hide His need for spiritual authenticity
with the Father, daily. Nothing about what He did here on earth was about tasks. It was all about people. Brothers and sisters of His Father in Heaven who needed Him... more than they knew.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what does all that mean to my mothering, to my calling to participate in unearthing these diamonds in the rough.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is about when my mind screams for a curriculum that my heart can
use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Study this Scripture, say this
prayer, tell this story. Sieve out this moral and conclude this godly character
trait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But Jesus, aside from God’s word, had no curriculum. Only a
spirit-filled life. Spirit. Filled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So when I’m sitting in my quiet, morning spot studying God’s
word and my children catch me, that’s part of my discipleship curriculum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKCfgMeR1NY0fpOcufTGyPQv9Kqpm043E0N6TpozDNfIvX9IAsZedlUcG0_YQBmbR3LPf2wetiBfuIxrhrYydWOSK06T2OOUBzAWbq7S2ARC2u1DbN3H2nVzyaXreoeEw4gRNy25zjkmB/s1600/bridal-shower-devotional-ideas-800x800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKCfgMeR1NY0fpOcufTGyPQv9Kqpm043E0N6TpozDNfIvX9IAsZedlUcG0_YQBmbR3LPf2wetiBfuIxrhrYydWOSK06T2OOUBzAWbq7S2ARC2u1DbN3H2nVzyaXreoeEw4gRNy25zjkmB/s320/bridal-shower-devotional-ideas-800x800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When my children see me on my knees praying to a God who asks me to pray
without ceasing, and there’s not a meal in sight, that’s part of my
discipleship program.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When K-Love is blasting in the kitchen and my children see me stop what I'm doing to lift my
hands and praise this God that can’t be contained in a building on Sundays,
that’s part of my discipleship program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When we make meals for the broken, say I’m sorry, forgive
each other, love each other, participate in a random act of kindness, stop in
the middle of negativity to pray, explore God’s creation, help a stray dog,
invite others into our home, serve at church, pray for the lost and needy all
over the globe, read daily from God’s word, it’s all part of <s>my</s> His
discipleship program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I bend to listen to their tiny voices full of needs,
offer gentle hands, gentle words, gentle rebuke, gentleness. When I stop the
tasks to see their faces, forget the law to see the miracles, when I read to
them on the couch, curl up in their beds at night for pillow talk, dish out a
Wacky Wednesday, leave a messy house for their favorite adventure, serve them
out of love by doing a chore for them, discipline them for a foolish choice – it’s all part of this divine
discipleship curriculum because it is developing the relationships that open
the doors to their hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I fall but refuse to stay down, when I cry out to the God who redeems and delivers and covers me clean in grace, when I can't breathe or speak but can let the Name above all names roll off my tongue and they see the darkness flee, that's part of it, too.</span><br />
</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And when they ask questions about God’s creation or God
Himself, and I have to Google it or crack open the Bible to try to answer
them, it tells them how big our God really is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even Mom doesn’t have all the answers… and I hope they can see in me a
faith that moves mountains even when I don’t have all the answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I also hope that it lights a path to all
the mysteries of God that can be found in Jesus, who disciples us all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-63372760996119932022013-01-01T09:26:00.000-08:002013-01-01T09:26:06.008-08:00The Year of Courage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7dwq7xOyW5rQ2XDzd0i5PZmmMQlfy6DFIiWv7mBZYv1Meb8Eo43-K7jDoldI06ac4BIrD5oJ-scK5WrMbIVsgaOGpb0yDeraHuUSw7UkC0QH5MdUVBRCEi_ILrAILHzBkaizfb-3ulZx/s1600/IMG_1034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7dwq7xOyW5rQ2XDzd0i5PZmmMQlfy6DFIiWv7mBZYv1Meb8Eo43-K7jDoldI06ac4BIrD5oJ-scK5WrMbIVsgaOGpb0yDeraHuUSw7UkC0QH5MdUVBRCEi_ILrAILHzBkaizfb-3ulZx/s320/IMG_1034.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Have I not commanded
you? <span class="text">Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged, for the </span><span class="small-caps"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></span><span class="text"> your God will be with you
wherever you go.”</span></i><span class="text"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joshua 1:9</span></span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The year of COURAGE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was afraid of my word at first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why do I need to focus on courage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s probably natural for the human mind to find all the scary scenarios
that would require this word for a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Divorce. Death. Sickness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just to
name a few big ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But homeschooling?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ok. Honestly?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did. not. see.
that. coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, much courage is
needed for this adventure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When the Chef and I made the decision randomly in our kitchen
just days after the Lord gave me this anxiety-ridden word, I was delighted,
elated, walking on cloud nine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
I’d been praying for an educational direction for our children, asking the Lord
to work out all these convictions I had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was okay either way but He had convicted me so strongly about homeschooling
and I didn’t know what to do with it at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I had prayer warriors approaching His
throne of grace with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helping me to
work this out with the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To hear
clearly. To wait patiently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But when the Chef and I agreed to move forward with
homeschooling, I had some hard decisions to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t pick up something like homeschooling
without setting a few things down first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And besides discerning the things that needed to be left behind for this
new season, Bubbs was getting ready to go off to kindergarten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I was looking at 3 hours to myself, five
days a week!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s 15 hours of alone
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for some reason, the Lord made
me to need an inordinate amount of me-time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So while I was surrendering my heart and dreaming of how I’d spend my 15
hours, the Lord was moving mountains… crushing my fifteen hours to pieces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">COURAGE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To lay down
my vision of what the year ahead would look like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And take hold of His.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, here I am at the end of my year of COURAGE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It followed the year of <a href="http://justabeautifulmess.blogspot.com/2011/12/year-of-relationship-part-one.html" target="_blank">RELATIONSHIP</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I find it absolutely incredible how this
God of song and science strings these things together so meticulously, not
skipping a beat, a detail, a heartstring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because I needed to dwell in relationships to understand the courage I
would need to invest in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This year of COURAGE has been multi-faceted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many reasons He has shown me, asked
me to take His courage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Courage to surrender my days and open my hands and bend in
humility to educate the next generation for the glory of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Courage to walk away from things and say no
to things that my soul yearns to participate in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Courage to isolate myself to the company of
children, with little to no adult interaction in hopes that He can shape these little sticks
into mighty arrows for His kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Courage to hope and trust in God’s plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not only for my life but for theirs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This isn’t a small task He has called me to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Yet</span> this is the work He has given me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there is always a need for
courage to step into His calling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
for me, my personality, I need a ridiculous amount of courage to do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, I don’t know about next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can only see right now. Right here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what I need to focus on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The courage needed for this moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The courage to focus on Him alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, I feel behind the scenes. On the bench.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sitting in the front row of my children’s
lives, investing in our relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because He has called me to
do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And He knew I could do this no
other way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not a multi-tasker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, not a good one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this… this raising the next generation,
these two children that are on fire for Him, that have gifts and talents beyond
my comprehension, that are a well of compassion for His people and His creation,
that have wills as strong as an ox, He knows it will take focus, all hands on
deck, all eyes on Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Follow Me. Just Me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is my God-sized task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And it requires more courage than I can fathom. I will need to take it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take Jesus’ courage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No. other. way. Because God-sized courage does
not dwell within me, without Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apart
from Him I can do nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s the obvious application of courage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some insurmountable task that is full of
unknowns and challenges our capabilities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is another courage I’ve learned much about this
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The courage to be quiet. To be silent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Held. Sometimes when I hurt, when I ache, I
want to groan… to people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there is a
quiet courage in taking refuge in the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe that is an oxymoron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having
courage to take refuge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This season, this year has presented a multitude of
opportunities to cry out… to whoever will listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To complain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To ache.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A large part of my first
few months of homeschooling have been lived in isolation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve dropped everything because I just did
not know what our days would look like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And as I’ve nestled back in the dark corners, still dreaming my dreams,
I’ve watched others, those I love, living a reality that is only painted on the
walls of my imagination, the curves of my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I dream on while those around me are
moving on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it takes courage to stay.
To be quiet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To stay focused on what the
Lord has for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To cry out to Him
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to keep dreaming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The courage it has required surprised me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned I am afraid of being left
behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being left on the bench.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But God has been very clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does not waste one moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not. One.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And this time, this season… it is preparing me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is part of my sanctification process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is what I need to be more like Him. And
there will be a day that this season will be the foundation of the work He has
prepared in advance for me to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And He
will use this time in my children’s lives, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mightily. Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who He is.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God the Father through him.” </i>Colossians 3:17<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you Father, for
this work You’ve so graciously given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For this opportunity to serve You, to present You in the lives of my children.
For Your courage in this assignment. For never leaving me or forsaking me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Your unfailing love, your unfathomable
peace, Your unmatched patience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are
amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Thank you for holding me, guiding me, covering me in wild grace. May this year to come not be a new beginning but an opportunity for You to finish the work you have started. </span>Not to us but to Your name be
the glory, Jesus! Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-6343256507088505042012-12-22T20:05:00.000-08:002012-12-22T20:05:00.783-08:00He Had in Mind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44qYLfkoK7CKHjoAVWG51KUHN0kyE29f_tkieKfOmpRXhjbNhk7EV46KfSZvTTAFv0hWfqvjsJevNt99UBW7vM4Z2MtZ2VjPtTNo_ddfYrREPYjur_PPpmjnh8Lq_8dpcnd9RKo5JUU81/s1600/church+lights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44qYLfkoK7CKHjoAVWG51KUHN0kyE29f_tkieKfOmpRXhjbNhk7EV46KfSZvTTAFv0hWfqvjsJevNt99UBW7vM4Z2MtZ2VjPtTNo_ddfYrREPYjur_PPpmjnh8Lq_8dpcnd9RKo5JUU81/s320/church+lights.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of our family’s Christmas traditions is to read about
the Messianic prophecy and its fulfillment over the Advent season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We take roughly four weeks to camp out in
Scripture as it relates to the foretelling of Jesus’ birth and then the
fulfillment on that Holy Night in Bethlehem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Each night, we take a little bite sized piece of Scripture and chew on
it a bit, explain things to our kids, try to understand it ourselves, ponder
things, wonder what it must have been like back then, what it would be like for
God to call us to something so important, how we would have reacted to
Gabriel’s appearance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we all
agree that our reactions would not have been as calm or collected as
Mary’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because when you start with “Do
not be afraid”, well… it’s like saying “Don’t look down”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When we start reading on the first Sunday of Advent, our family’s
nativity scene sits in its traditional place… empty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as we move through the story, as we
wonder together as a family, as the greatest story ever told unfolds with each verse, as
Mary obeys and sings her song, as Joseph wrestles with this unbelievable
scenario, as each nativity player appears in Scripture, he or she appears in
our stable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s a tangible way for
an 8 year-old and a 6 year-old to literally anticipate the Christ child
coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, it might work for the
30-somethings in the group as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I’ve
started to notice something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can
really get the lay of the land when you camp in one spot for a while… and wait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhH88TYz7S4GS_-lAwuDXiMSE71UrxEGvNatyM5yYz-3ho8Dxtp7p3W8_SuRLZGtNCY7Kmx0zmlnbvJgYCsFvW95DwCh6LT_M3IOTEtOo_b3XTLtRvXLxkhOqPA6iS7lJanAfrpaxIqFPe/s1600/IMG_0313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhH88TYz7S4GS_-lAwuDXiMSE71UrxEGvNatyM5yYz-3ho8Dxtp7p3W8_SuRLZGtNCY7Kmx0zmlnbvJgYCsFvW95DwCh6LT_M3IOTEtOo_b3XTLtRvXLxkhOqPA6iS7lJanAfrpaxIqFPe/s320/IMG_0313.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">First, Mary came on the scene as Gabriel appeared
with a positive pregnancy test. After 400 years of still quiet, God whispers into the heart of a virgin. And she says simply, “I am the Lord’s
servant.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I wonder… was she skipping
and spilling with joy on her way to tell Joseph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was she biting her fingernails wondering his
reaction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God had a plan for her and
I’ve been in that place before… not the “pregnant-with-the-Savior-of-the-world”
place but the
“I’ve-clearly-heard-from-the-Lord-and-can’t-wait-to-tell-my-husband”
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if she got the reaction
she was expecting… or did she keep it all to herself and wait.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A few days later, Joseph appeared as we read about him in
Matthew 1:18-25. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnXKKFN5wGbUm_ASQREzCaqwyc2UNz4zAuUGovMG54sAw3rJdEsUFmBJ5CZ30s_rFEJm-foVvOZYlWTjSNxlNDs5GZT3vTx3F2hLNNdlGjI1zcI7WQ2oILO-rAsrh4uhwE40eb5HxHba3/s1600/IMG_0390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnXKKFN5wGbUm_ASQREzCaqwyc2UNz4zAuUGovMG54sAw3rJdEsUFmBJ5CZ30s_rFEJm-foVvOZYlWTjSNxlNDs5GZT3vTx3F2hLNNdlGjI1zcI7WQ2oILO-rAsrh4uhwE40eb5HxHba3/s320/IMG_0390.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This
is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged
to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be
pregnant through the Holy Spirit.</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
<span class="text"><sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></sup>Because
Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her
to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” </span></i><span class="text">(Matthew 1:18-19)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Something tells me this was not the
response Mary was looking for, but I wonder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Was she discouraged?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did she
doubt?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Did she even know the thoughts he had in mind? </span>Did her opinion of her soon to be
husband waiver? Or did she wait. And trust. And hope… while Joseph had things in
mind knowing God still reigned on high.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“But
after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your
wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <span class="text">She will give birth to a
son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people
from their sins.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span class="text">(Matthew 1:20-21)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="text"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There we go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph is now on board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His very own dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His very own appearance. From the very same
angel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Mary and Joseph can compare
notes and move forward. Knuckles, Mary. Let's do this!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span class="text"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Something as huge as the birth of the Messiah…
and God didn’t send Gabriel to the chosen couple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would have been more efficient to do it
that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can almost hear Gabriel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh, good. You’re both here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve got some news…. Oh, yeah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not be afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="text"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But that’s not how it went down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God sends Gabriel to Mary first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Betrothed to Joseph. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With news
that was devastating in outward appearance for the day and time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman who had a lowly position in the
culture hears the message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First. Alone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And when Mary discloses her news, we read about what Joseph, the household leader, the
protector, the provider, had in mind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
sneak out the back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mary responds to Gabriel with, “I am the
Lord’s servant”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Joseph responds
with thoughts of a quiet divorce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two
different reactions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two different heart
conditions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So there needed to be two
different visits. Because Joseph still had to prepare Him room.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Huh.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span class="text"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And just like that, on a December evening
two thousand years from the stable, gathered with my favorite people in my favorite room reading a story I’ve
read a hundred times, this detail-oriented God who created the heavens and
commands the waves unwraps a little more of the marriage mystery, reveals
more of Himself and His perfect ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
Helps me understand a little deeper the need to prepare Him room for this season of Advent, "the coming". </span></span></span><span class="text"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> And shows me that our union doesn't unite our timing. </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text">Marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is such a gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for all
the wonderful things about marriage, it’s also equally hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because sometimes we’re the Mary being
coached by angel armies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And sometimes we're the Joseph with our own things in mind. When there are two,
there may be one flesh but there are still two faith walks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so we must wait... on God to align our steps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And trust... that God will do what He promised. And hope... because the Christ child IS coming! Do not be afraid.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-9659235950540896302012-12-16T18:23:00.001-08:002012-12-16T18:28:40.950-08:00When There Are No Words<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve been wrestling with words since Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because there are so many thoughts swelling
inside me that I feel I need to spill some words or I just might burst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as they collect on the page, I know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a time like this, there just are no words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least no words that will minister to
broken hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes all we can do
is reach out and wrap arms around the broken and sit together in the
silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the trenches of grief,
there is little room for anything but the suffering and the Savior. And since we know
for certain He is in us, maybe all we can do is take Him with us into the trenches and weep and mourn alongside the broken. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Jesus,</em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>We need you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are so broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We don't understand. </span>This
world – it just doesn’t make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
I know why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it is not yours. Not
yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Something like this is pure evil. And evil cannot be understood. Only fought. With the power of your victorious name. </span>Jesus, we need you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To comfort. To come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> To fight. </span></em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></em></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I believe Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I trust you with everything I have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That you ARE good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That you ARE loving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That you ARE with the broken and crushed in
spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That in you there is no darkness. </span>These things I know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I know that you too are grieving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You too are weeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so sorry, Jesus, that your people fell
victim to such evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so sorry. Show us the ones who
need to be held.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, Lord may we be a
people that can see through these awful circumstances that there is no hope
within us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is only hope in you. </em></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em></em></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>Jesus,
come. Lord may your name be glorified even in this senseless tragedy. We await the beauty you promise. We love you. In your victorious, powerful, holy name. Amen.</em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>
</em></span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561928263291759982.post-76625317987365679762012-12-04T20:02:00.000-08:002012-12-07T15:11:42.491-08:00A Christmas Pondering<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I love liking all the positive, encouraging pastors,
ministries and Christ-centered organizations on Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because my newsfeed is filled with positive,
encouraging, Christ-centered messages throughout the day. Today, a pastor posted
this prompt:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Share your best family traditions to keep Christmas Christ
centered.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And I really liked this request.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It stopped me in my tracks as I read it in
the midst of cleaning the tops of my kitchen cabinets so I could adorn them
with our Christmas village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as I
looked around the room with Christmas decorations literally overtaking my house
as I try to dress it for “The Season”, I pondered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do we do during this season as a family
that keeps Christ in the center? Because the truth is, the ugly truth of it all
is, I couldn't care less about decorating for Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really find it a nuisance I don’t enjoy
even when it’s done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do it for someone
else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means something to the Chef so
because of that alone it means something to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I could go the whole year without one hall decked to the nines in
red and green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I will say the joy it
brings my children and my husband does make it worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And we are in memory making years, tradition establishing
territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our kids are young and we’re
trying to set precedents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Pinterest
makes me feel like a failure before I’ve even begun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are my kids going to remember about
their childhood Christmas seasons?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
what do I really want them to remember?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So back to the question at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do we do to center this season around
Christ?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because that is the only thing I
want my kids to remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That there was
no hoopla, only Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVIWNsSSH_p3M4EL4KjQbm1C38rWkryoq2v0MXujHoCxIwyzmug7ywQ7NBkM_EFGxWaymgeMAfpP9DRWcseZ1U2mUagVh6SslvR813aD9bQ2STxBFCV48ETF7Ud9xXqddaCW8jN5NMBp-/s1600/IMG_0421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVIWNsSSH_p3M4EL4KjQbm1C38rWkryoq2v0MXujHoCxIwyzmug7ywQ7NBkM_EFGxWaymgeMAfpP9DRWcseZ1U2mUagVh6SslvR813aD9bQ2STxBFCV48ETF7Ud9xXqddaCW8jN5NMBp-/s320/IMG_0421.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And in that very moment, I realized I was trying so
desperately to squeeze in all these things to keep Christ in the center that I
squeezed Christ right out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So on the
third day of December, I decided to simplify all my plans. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day after Advent began, I realized that “the
Coming” is the only thing that matters and maybe it’s in emulating the
character of Christ that helps us anticipate Him the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because when we try our best to love our
neighbor, to be humble, to be patient, to give beyond ourselves, to bind up the
broken hearted and set the captive free, we fail miserably compared to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so the waiting for His presence is so
much more anticipated and we watch the clouds with a deep longing, alert and
ready for Him to fill in our weaknesses with His strength, our failings with His
grace. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I mean numbered doors are nice, tinsel and lights are
pretty, but the the Bab<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">e tells us what He wants. </span>“Give unto the least of these and you have
given to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love your neighbor as
yourself. Pick up your cross and follow me."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can this be stuffed behind doors or must it be cultivated in hearts?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cifJWNV_Layok94AoZCvhDMd5LbX4Uc2vvvFLeCv-negEx61ulq-Ex1ZmRTH9rJBMUHhMcB5zbx1CSdPBC-zAYFdXGIaD8SjCgXHp0iRoEj1M-x-q23_F298zF53KzaRAMnUXwEyWNLL/s1600/IMG_0310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cifJWNV_Layok94AoZCvhDMd5LbX4Uc2vvvFLeCv-negEx61ulq-Ex1ZmRTH9rJBMUHhMcB5zbx1CSdPBC-zAYFdXGIaD8SjCgXHp0iRoEj1M-x-q23_F298zF53KzaRAMnUXwEyWNLL/s320/IMG_0310.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This time of year isn’t really a time to ramp up but to slow
down, to be watchful and to wait for His coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His presence coming into our lives in a new
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because we stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we watched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we believed. And He was pretty clear
about that, too. “Your faith has healed you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Get up and go. Because of your faith, you now can see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of your faith… Just believe.” I think my faith tends to get tangled in the tinsel this time of year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So for the next 22 days, we will unfold the Christmas story
slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It's in the slow that family memories are seared into hearts. </span>And the wonder will come not
from anything that is seen but from all that is yet to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we will wait… expectantly, as a family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we will prepare our hearts room to “<a href="http://sechristian.org/RESOURCES/SermonsOnlineAudioVideo.aspx" target="_blank">believe the unbelievable</a>”, as a family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as we wait for
the Messiah to come, to reveal Himself to us in a new way, we will focus on showing those around us, including each other, what we already know by the way we live, by the
way we love, as a family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Full of grace and truth. A Savior, born in a manger to die on a cross… for all the people, all for love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unbelievable?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What do you need to believe this Christmas season?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That with God, all things are possible
(Matthew 19:26)? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">A baby can be born of a virgin and Light can overtake the darkness. Believe.
</span>And watch what happens in those hopeless, dark places as the Light of the world
comes crashing in with power and glory. It’s almost time. Come. Adore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span>Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13121857639452425421noreply@blogger.com0