Spreading the Spirit of Christmas...

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."  

-Buddy the Elf

As many of you know our church has been doing "Presence" projects for a few years now.  


It's a time of year when we intentionally go out into our communities to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  


Whether it's shoveling snow, providing socks and gloves for homeless shelters, or providing Christmas dinner and presents for a family in need...we've got lots of people serving God and loving others in the month of December.


Here's one story I just heard about and I felt like sharing it...mostly because lots of times we hear about a project a group put together but rarely do we hear what happened after the project is completed and it's completely anonymous (I have no idea who is involved in the story, I just have the facts.)  Sounds a little like when Jesus says, "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matt 6:3


Our front desk received a call from a gentleman in the Post Falls Community.  He said he was just visited by some people from our church.  


The group was out caroling, they handed him a tin full of homemade cookies, and our "Illuminate" flyer inviting him to one of our Christmas services.


The gentleman decided to call our church and let us know just how blessed he was by the act of kindness.


He proceeded to explain that he is a Christian, but does not attend our church.  He said the biggest blessing was to see Christians "living our their faith"...he said it's a rare thing to see.


He concluded the conversation by saying, "Even though I don't go to your church, that must be a real good church to go to."


I'm just encouraged by this story.  A small group of followers decided to use their gifts and abilities to bring God glory and spread the good news of Jesus.  And their gift of love touched another person.  


It's just one more way we're reaching the world for Jesus, one person at a time.


Merry Christmas LIFERS!

Some thoughts at Christmas...

It's Christmas time.  

It's the time of year when we remember that Jesus, God himself, gave up His rights and came to us as a baby.  He came humbled and pure, innocent and sweet, and ready to serve us.  

He came so that we could be reunited with Himself.

He came because we chose to walk away from Him.

He came to reunite us...He came to buy us back...He came to redeem us...He came because He loved us.

The classic Christmas carols are really speaking to me this year.  I've sung many of them my whole life...Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Angels We Have Heard on High...but I haven't paid as much attention to them as I have this year.

Extra money is very rare for us this year.  This will be the least expensive Christmas we've ever had in ten years of marriage.  And I'm thanking God daily for this gift.  

If I had the money I'd be out shopping, not sitting here with Him...thinking of the purpose of Christmas and singing Christmas carols of praise to Him.

The lyrics to "O Holy Night" are some of my absolute favorites:  

"Truly, He taught us to love one another,

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.

And in his name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, 

with all our hearts we praise His holy name."

What powerful words for a song.  And to think I've sung it my whole life and never really sat down and thought of what the words mean.  "His law is love and His gospel is peace.  Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.  And in his name all oppression shall cease."  

No more oppression with Jesus...He has taught us love and peace.  

He has thrown me a rope to rescue me, a rope that will not bind me in judgement and condemnation, but in love and righteousness...a rope that binds me to Him.

I thank God for the gift of His precious Son, His precious life and His precious blood this Christmas.

What are you thinking about this Christmas?  We'd love to hear from you.

Merry Christmas LIFERS. =)

Not in the crowd, but in the game...

"You must follow me." 

-Jesus, John 21

Well, I did it.  I finished reading Crazy Love.  Did you?

I sat and read the last couple of chapters all at once.  

What parts will sit with you long after you close the book?  

I'm thinking of the comments made by Aunt Clara.  Chan said they'd taken her to a play, and at intermission, they asked Aunt Clara if she was having a good time.  She said, "Oh honey, I really don't want to be here right now...I just don't know if this is where I want to be when Christ returns.  I'd rather be helping someone or on my knees praying.  I don't want Him to return and find me sitting in a theater." (p. 142)

I have no doubts Jesus will return...but I think I doubt I'll live to really see it.  Do you doubt it?  I think my actions show that I believe Jesus won't come back today...otherwise some of the things I do on a daily basis would probably look vastly different.

So, I've been thinking about something.  At the end of the book of John, the disciples have gone out fishing and haven't caught anything.  Jesus appears and before they're aware it is the Lord; Jesus asked them if they've caught anything.  They say no, and Jesus tells them exactly where to cast, and they bring in more fish than they can haul, then they realize it's Jesus on the shore.  When Peter realizes it's Jesus he jumps out of the boat and swims to Him.  The other disciples follow hauling in the fish, they sit and have a meal with Jesus.  

Later, Peter and Jesus are walking and Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?"  Each time Jesus asks, Peter responds with, "Yes Lord, you know I love you."  And Jesus responds back to Peter after each confession of love, "Feed my lambs," then "Tend my sheep," and finally, "Feed my sheep."  

Jesus explains how Peter will eventually die for God's glory, how he "will be led where he does not want to go"and Peter looks over at John and essentially says, "What about him?"

Jesus response is swift and true, "It is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?  You must follow me!"

This is one of my husband's absolute favorite passages in scripture.  We've had many talks over a warm fire and a cup of coffee about John 21.  

I love Jesus disciples, mostly because they are just like me, blockheads.  

Jesus showed them what to do for three years, and the moment He's gone, a bunch of His closest followers head right back to what they were doing before they met Jesus.  They are found fishing...and not catching anything, until Jesus shows up. 

Ever been there?  Had Jesus show up in your life, had Him show you how to do things, and then end up not really knowing how or what to do, so you go right back to what you did before Jesus arrived?  

So, Jesus helps out His guys, like He did oodles of times before.  He provides what they need and then has a chat.  He essentially says, "If you love me, go feed my lambs, care for my sheep...my precious ones that need guidance and love."  Peter gives an excuse as Jesus says, "you're going to go places you don't want to go," and asks about John..."what about that guy?"

Jesus says, "Don't worry about Him, that's up to me...You Follow Me!"

Ever said something like that to Jesus?  Has your prayer ever been, "Father, why me?  Why am I suffering, why is it so hard for me, what about the other people?"

I know I have.  And God's said the same thing to me that he said to Peter, "You Follow Me!"  

I think of Aunt Clara's statement again.  "I just don't know if this is where I want to be when Christ returns.  I'd rather be helping someone or on my knees praying.  I don't want Him to return and find me sitting in a theater."  It sounds like the disciples...but Jesus found them sitting in a boat.  Jesus helped them see that it was time to get out of the boat, go care for His sheep, and follow Him.  

What's it look like to get out of your boat, to stop fishing, to stop the mundane thing that you've always done, and go serve Jesus?  Stop sitting in the theater, stop watching from the crowd...go get in the game, and follow....go DO what He's asked you to do.

This one's sitting hard with me too...praying for all that read and that Jesus meets you where you need Him.

Love ya LIFERS.

H :)

Chasing Jesus and Loving the Least...

Chasing Jesus...do the sneakers just sit there?  Or do you pull them on your tired, weary, aging feet and chase Jesus?


I was hoping the LUKEWARM PEOPLE thing would fade.  But it's not.  It's still sitting with me.  As it should.


And now in Chapter 7 Chan starts talking about Jesus' comments to his disciples in Matthew 25.  Jesus is talking about the hungry, the thirsty, those needing clothes or sick or in prison, and he says, "whatever you did for the least of one of these brothers of mine, you did for me." 


I have a 90 year old grandmother (Grandma Jane).  My grandpa passed away a little over a year ago.  It was one of the hardest losses I've yet suffered in my life, and it's made me fiercely protective of my grandmother.  You have to understand I ADORE my Grandma Jane.  She is about the sweetest woman I've ever met (you're thinking of your grandma too...or someone who's been a grandma to you, aren't you?).  


Grandma Jane is funny and quirky and she sings about ducks paddling and fish swimming and shows me the old oak tree where Grandpa asked her to a dance for the first time.  She's one of my favorite people in this entire world.


So, as I'm out and about going about days that are crazy and crowded, my Grandma Jane pops into my mind frequently.
  
I'm standing in line in the grocery store and the person in front of me is taking forever to check out....I'm driving in a parking lot and someone cuts me off....I see a person begging on the side of the road...I put my Grandma Jane in place of the person and it makes it easier for me to extend grace and love to that individual.   


There's something about the thought of my sweet little Grandma in need, or struggling, or confused in some way that just helps me calm down, have the patience of Job; and I'm so much more willing to jump in and help, when I think that this individual, no matter how difficult they may be, could be Grandma Jane.  


Many times I treat people who are poor and desperate as I would treat my grandmother....what's bothering me, is that I'm seeing how I'm placing my grandmother in a place where Jesus should be.  


If Jesus says, "whatever you do for them, you do for me."  Chan takes it a step farther and says, that "He expects us to treat the poor and the desperate as if they were Christ Himself."


I'm doing that with my Grandma Jane....but I'm supposed to be doing it with Jesus.


I adore my Grandma Jane, but I love Jesus more.  Why do I place Grandma Jane in a spot where I should place Jesus?


It's fine for me to love my Grandma Jane as much as I do, but I also have to put Jesus in the right place and understand that His children are suffering, struggling, weary, poor in spirit, and starving for Him.  


I can put on the grubby old tennis shoes and chase after Jesus.  I can chase Him to the point where I'm free to love as He has designed me to, and maybe give my Grandma Jane a break from being the person I'm serving.  Put Jesus in the right place...and truly serve Him as He has asked me to do.  God gave me His best, I can give it to Him too...in every way.

God, I'm just not sure You are worth it...

 

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters."

Psalm 18:16

I'm probably a little behind on the reading in Crazy Love.


Why haven't I been reading?  Well, I have been pretty busy...but honestly I've also been pretty convicted and avoiding that little red book.


I'm still sitting the the whole LUKEWARM christianity thing.  Are you?  Ugh...it's so hard to face that.


And to top it off, today I'm reading through Chapter 5, "Serving Leftovers to a Holy God."


There's a section on pages 96 and 97 that was quite difficult to read through.  In fact, those pages are just sitting open on my desk.  It's got me kind of tied up.  On page 97 Chan is talking about following Jesus. He says,  "We say to the Creator...'Well, I'm not sure You are worth it...You see, I really like my car, or my little sin habit, or my money, and I'm really not sure I want to give them up, even if it means I get You.' "


It's hard to read those words and remember what Paul write in Romans 8:1, "that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."


It's hard for me to process these two concepts.  


I'm struggling to wrap my brain around the fact that God loves me so much, He won't and shouldn't settle for my leftovers.  That I actually spend mental and physical energy and worry dwelling on thoughts that are not about Him.  


I spend large portions of my day thinking of the weather, money, my husband, my children, my parents, my friends...and then I'll throw a bit of God into the mix to myself feel better.  To give myself peace.  That is so terribly prideful I'm shocked at myself.  But I shouldn't be shocked at how God could look at my efforts and actually see them as rubbish.


Yet, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.  Jesus loved me enough...even though He knew how I would turn out, and how I would ignore Him time and time again...He loved me enough to die on a cross for me thousands of years before I was even a blip on his proverbial radar.


Grace covers me because of Jesus.  Grace is plentiful all over me because of Jesus...and I spend so little time and energy acknowledging this fact.


Oh Lord, I thank you for conviction.  I thank you for the love you have for me, love that is perfect and without blemish.  Love that is patient and kind and so crazy gracious that even when I offer up my leftovers and I don't want to give up my selfish, prideful ways...you wait for me.  How could I ever wonder if you're worth it?


That's some Crazy Love...and I adore you for it Father.  I'm so grateful he is continually reaching for me...and draws me from the deep waters.

Ugh...Lukewarm People...

So, chapter four of Crazy Love was pretty tough to get through.


Did it bother anyone else to see it written as "LUKEWARM PEOPLE"...in all capital letters?  It made quite a statement at the beginning of each paragraph and was really difficult for me to read over and over again.  To think that the LUKEWARM person is one who's lost it's saltiness.  "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is fit neither for the soil nor the manure pile; it is thrown out." Luke 14:34-35


To not be suitable to be used, to not be able to help produce fruit as Jesus would have me do just breaks my heart.  


Am I LUKEWARM?


I don't want to be LUKEWARM...I don't even want to consider myself in that category.  


But as it said in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in faith; test yourselves.  Do you realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?"


There was a line at the bottom of page 78 of Crazy Love,  "The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God."


Have you ever thought about that question before?  


Does Christianity just look like a happy face I put on each day.  I don't swear or chew or hang with girls that do? (sorry, couldn't help myself... =D)


I keep thinking of what my life would look like if I just stopped believing in God...I don't know how I would actually do that, but would it really look different?  Would I just look like a nice person who does the right thing most of the time?  


I want to look like a true follower of Jesus.  I want to be salty, full of flavor and life and risk in God's name.  


How are you feeling with the LUKEWARM litmus test?  














  

Oh boy...I need to get over me...

This second posting in the Crazy Love series is all about...well, me...or you, however you would prefer to see it.


God loves me.


He totally loves me.


He absolutely, without a doubt, no excuses....LOVES ME.


Why do I walk around as if He doesn't?


I completely resonated with some of the concepts in the third chapter of Crazy Love.  He spent some time talking about his relationship with his dad.  In examining my own life, I don't have a bad relationship with my dad, in fact, on all accounts my dad and I are pretty good.  But there was one line that struck me, Chan said: "I tried hard not to annoy God with my sin or upset Him with my little problems.  I had no aspiration of being wanted by God; I was just happy not to be hated or hurt by Him." (p.54)


Does that concept hit home with anyone else?  It can't just be me...


So much of my time with my Heavenly Father I spend thinking about confessing all the things I've done wrong, just so I can stay in His good graces...and then I always throw in the "cover prayer" (as I like to call it) and I say, "Lord, please forgive me for the things I've done that I'm completely unaware of..."  It's the little thing I toss on top, like the cherry on top of my hot fudge sundae offering....


Confession is crucial for a healthy relationship with God, but I spend very little time thinking of His love.  Jesus said the two greatest commands were to love God and love others as yourself....I'm not spending a whole lot of time loving God...I just want to avoid trouble.  When I really put it down on paper it sounds totally ridiculous.  Of course I'm not in trouble with God - I'm clean!  I'm justified through Jesus! So, why do I walk around carrying an entirely different attitude?


I don't know about you...but I'm ready to shed off that old me, and put on some new me.  Spend more time loving God and loving others as I love myself.  I desire to be wanted by God...because I am!  I am loved truly and deeply by God, not just because I try to do right by Him...but because He has made me right for Him...and He made me right because of Jesus....now that's some Crazy Love right there!   


Oh, Father I truly adore you so much...and I know that you adore me too.  Help me (hence the photo attached to this posting) to walk around in the truth that I am fully known and loved by you...and let my heart and attitude in everything reflect Your precious love.

God's in Crazy Love with me...

So, here's the first blog post for Crazy Love.

What do you think of the book so far?

I, for one, am diggin' the book.  It's hitting me right between the eyes this week.  

There's a few paragraphs in the second chapter I'm stewing on...the stuff on stress and worry.  Did that get to anyone else?

I'm a wife, a mom, a small group coach and leader, and I work for this amazing church, so does my husband...I've got stuff on my plate!  Some stuff I'm stressing over; there are things I want to go "just right."  And I justify being a little crazy and exhausted and worried because I'm doing God's work...as if God couldn't do it without me.

OUCH!

It's not that I consciously think that God couldn't do the work without me, if I stopped long enough to really think about it I would see the complete ridiculousness of this statement...God does not, in any way, need me to get His work done....but He's using me to get His work done.  

He's allowing me to do the good things that He set out before me a long, long time ago...why on earth do I worry and stress about how to get His work done, when He's the one in control.  God is loving and worthy of my trust, why on earth can't I stop and remember that as the panic and worry starts to set in.  

Oh, Lord!  Help me to remember how big you are and how much you love your people...how much you love me...and even if I fail, your will can still be accomplished.

Curious how you're doing with Crazy Love so far...

Meet Jesus at the Well...end of the 50 Days Series

Well, we're at the end of the 50 Days study.  Homegroups will be finishing up the study this week, the sermon series has been tucked away to be used at an unforeseen time in the future, and this is the final blog post.


The story I'm sitting with today is the story of the woman at the well.  It's found in John 4, and the spine of my bible is well-worn in that spot...Jesus has used that woman to teach me quite a bit.  


I'm sure you're familiar with the story, Jesus and the disciples are traveling through Samaria and he meets up with a woman getting water all by herself in the middle of the day.  Jesus is tired and he asks the woman for water.  She replies stating their status immediately (as a Jew he wouldn't have spoken to a Samaritan woman) and then she says, "How can you ask me for a drink?"  


Jesus tells her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (John 4: 10)  


The woman and Jesus go back and forth...she's talking about the well they are standing at...it's a well Jacob himself dug, and Jesus is trying to get her to understand the concept of living water.  Eventually she agrees and asks Jesus for water.


His reply is immediate and a little odd:  "Go call your husband and come back."  


She says, "I don't have a husband."


Jesus essentially replies to her and agrees; he tells her how she's had five husbands and how she's currently living with a guy. (a big no-no)


She tells him he's a prophet...and Jesus continues to reveal himself to her, and eventually tells her that He is the Messiah.  


The woman leaves and gets everyone in the village, telling them to meet the Messiah, the man who knew everything she ever did.  So, the people of the village come and meet Jesus...and they ask him to stay with them, deciding not to just believe the woman's testimony, but to know for themselves.  


Jesus grants their request and stays with them for two days.  The last passage of this particular story is from the villagers saying, "We no longer believe just because  of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." (John 4:42)


So, what's the point of going over this story? 


 Jesus met one woman at a well, and changed her entire life.  He met a whole village at that same well and changed many of their lives too.  The well in the village was a permanent fixture in their lives.  I can't help but think how many of them (the woman in particular) would have returned to that well, day after day, and remembered meeting Jesus in that spot.  


Can you imagine meeting Jesus?  


Meeting the Savior of the world in such a mundane place...in such a basic way?  Jesus took something all of us need, water, and used it as a metaphor for his ability to be the place of refreshment and life.  


Has Jesus used this 50 Days series in your life?  Did He meet you in this little devotional and reveal himself to you?  Did you learn more about His heart, how to worship Him, how to have faith in Him, how to have strength through Him?  


Did He meet you at the well?  Did He show you how He can be living water?  


Will you look at this book and remember what He did?  Remember what He taught you?  


I'm always thinking of "wells" in my life...some people call them spiritual markers...but I like to call them wells.  It's a place where I can remember where Jesus taught me something, and a place where I can return to get His living water and truth.  


Was the 50 Days series a "well" for you?  


Share if you would...and the next blog will be on Crazy Love, good stuff!


H :)   

Love story...Day 43

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” 

- Dr. Suess

That's the quote at the top of today's study...and it's all I can focus on.  

I read to fall asleep at night.  I'm a big fan of the classics.  Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre.  Who doesn't love a good story that's told with such richness and eloquence you find yourself swept away with the characters, the language,  and a great love that transcends time and distance...now that's a great story.

The Bible has been said to be the greatest love story ever told.  

It's a story of God's all consuming love for us.  How God begins a relationship with man and woman and how they ultimately fall out of relationship with their Father.  How the Father rescues his loved ones again and again, to the point where He sends His own son to die for them....so that their relationship is redeemed...and no longer will they be separated from the Father.  That's a good love story.

It's my absolute favorite story...and it's all true.  Elizabeth Bennett might have her Mr. Darcy...but I've got Jesus...the one who laid is life down for me, how could I not love Him?

Which brings me back to the Dr. Suess quote.  There have been times in my life when reading my bible puts me to sleep...but more often lately I can't read my bible because it gets me so fired up for Jesus...so excited about His plan for me, His love for me, His sacrifice for me, His passion for me...I can't possibly sleep.  

So, are you so passionate about the love of Jesus that you can't sleep?  

Do you see his love as reality?  

Does it keep you awake at night, and is it greater than anything you could've dreamed up?  

How are you doing heading into this last week of the 50 Days study?

Warrior heart...Day 42

When my son was around age 3 his absolute favorite story was David slaying Goliath.  What boy doesn't love that story?  


Goliath is this giant of a guy...he shows up daily to trash talk the Isrealites and God, and then there's David.  David brings lunch to his older brothers out fighting the battle and witnesses Goliath's taunting.


David is angered and challenges the Isrealite army, he has a confrontation with one of his older brothers and eventually talks to Saul, the king.  David convinces Saul that he has the ability to take down Goliath.  He tells Saul, "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  The lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (1Sam 17)


When David goes to meet Goliath, he yells out (and this is my son's favorite part, we used to stand up and act out the whole speech David gives Goliath, making our bodies big, arms wide, and deep voices) "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled."


David goes on to describe what he plans on doing in God's name and under God's authority to Goliath, and proceeds to do exactly as he says, and David destroys Goliath and God is glorified.


That is a cherished memory of mine...I'm sure you have great memories that are similar.  My son was just a toddler, and he envied the battle, he envied the hero, and learned about our great God.


My son isn't a toddler anymore.  He's seven now and has the begun to experience the cruelty of the world.  He understands bad language, poor attitude, selfishness and abuse...he's just beginning to see the sin that is possible.  So, how do I take that little boy, who envied the warrior heart of David as he battled Goliath and apply it to today's wars?


God is holy; He is set apart.  We are to be set apart too, we are to look like aliens in this world.  David felt like an alien.  His heart was so heavy for God he felt like set apart at times.  


I feel it's the job of my family to expose my son to a new enemy.  The battles will look different as he gets older, but war with the world and with his flesh will continue...but the good news is that God has already conquered it...and when it looks glum...God will prevail.  John recorded what Jesus said,  "“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.  I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”


My son loved the story of David and Goliath because it was a great adventure and the little guy won...now we get to help him find the real Goliath's in his life...and he gets a real adventure, and guess what...the little guy will win, if he's got God in his corner.


So, what Goliath's are you facing?  


How's your warrior heart doing?

I've got a little story for you...Day 37 & 38

I have two children, a boy Robin (7) and a girl Katie (5, those are her sweet little baby brown's in the picture above).  


One afternoon we are walking as a family around the boardwalk in Coeur d'Alene.  Robin, who is a professional 7 year old, is talking a mile a minute and asking question after question, as Katie and my husband and I are walking along the boardwalk.  Katie has gotten tired of not getting a word in the conversation and has taken to carefully stepping on each board of the dock so she doesn't step on any cracks.


At one point Robin says, "Dad, could you throw a football from here to that tree" (about 20 yards away)


Dad answers, "Oh yeah, I could throw a football that far."


Robin asks, "Dad, could you throw a football from here to that boat?"  (about 50 yards away)


Dad answers, "Yeah, I could probably throw a football that far."


Then Robin asks excitedly, "Could you throw a football from here to that house?!" (as he points to a house clear across the lake)


Dad answers, "No Robin, no one could throw a football that far."


And little Katie who's holding my hand, so she can balance on her tippy toes, and concentrating very hard to avoid all the cracks and grooves on the boardwalk pipes into the conversation and just says, "God could."


And we all stopped and looked at her..."you're right Katie, God could."


While I can't think of why God would choose to throw a football clear across a lake, the point is, He could.  If it brought people to Him, brought glory to Him, showed people who He was...God could do that...whether or not He would is up to Him.  


And that's why I love this little moment with my children.  My daughter didn't care how or why God would do it, it was the point that God is that big and powerful and amazing to her, that He could do that in her mind without any question or hesitation or doubt.  That's the Father my daughter is in love with...and it's the same God David loved too.


That's the kind of God we have.  The God David desired, the God who loved David's heart.  


That's the God David defended.  That's the God that can do the impossible...and does the impossible when He chooses.  


It's not up to us to decide when and how God acts...it's up to us to have a heart of knowing He is a great God, who can do impossible things.  God can defeat armies, bring down giants, change hearts...and throw footballs (if he wanted too).


That's my little story and I'm stickin' to it.  


Have you got a good story...a story that shows someone's heart for God?


Share it with us! :)

Here I am Lord...Day 36

I know we're talking about David and how he had a heart for God, but there's something back in Abraham's story that's popping into my mind as we start this week's study on David.  

As Abraham is tested with sacrificing Isaac there are two times in the story the Lord calls out to him, and Abraham's response is, "Here I am Lord."

Why would Abraham answer in that way?  God knew where Abraham was, but it's the attitude Abraham has that has me intrigued.  God calls out to Abraham, and it's written as a shout of his name from God..."Abraham!"  And the response is simple..."Here I am."  I picture Abraham stooped over, working on a project around his home, and as he hears God call out his name, I see Abraham stand up and reply calmly, "Here I am."  There's something so true about that phrase.  Admitting I have nothing to hide from God, it's just me, simple and honest...I'm here Lord.

We see that in Day 36 with David.  David comes into his home from tending the sheep. He is a young boy, "ruddy with a fine appearance and handsome features," and God says, "rise and annoint him; he is the one." (1 Sam 16)  

Just prior to God identifying David, He tells Samuel that "the LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."  

What does my heart look like?  

I spend an awful lot of time worrying how things look on the outside, making sure appearances are in order; not just cosmetically, but that my kids are behaving, and I don't argue with my husband in public and I am a polite driver, things like that.  But am I more concerned about how it looks like I behave, than the motivation behind my behavior?  

David's older brothers looked like fine examples of kings to Samuel.  Samuel even says, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord."  

There's something about standing "here" before the Lord that's working on me today.

There's relief in the honesty and simplicity of being free before the Lord, to just be me...there's no "appearances" to keep up...He knows all of my terrible habits, and poor decisions, and how I'm struggling in obedience and He loves me anyway.  The statement "Here I am Lord," contains freedom.  I can be emptied out before Him, and He can embrace me and fill me back up with everything that is good about Him.  

So, bottom line is there's no hiding from God.  Nothing you can think or do without His knowledge...so why not be honest about it before Him?  David had a heart for God...a heart of honesty.  How's your heart today?  Mine's a little sore frankly...so "here I am Lord, and I desire You and Your presence in everything I do and think today...and I adore You.  I want to be known by You Lord, and do Your will, mold me and use me."

H =)

I am His workmanship...and you are too. Day 34 & 35

Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."


This is one of my favorite verses.  I refer to it often as I'm feeling befuddled, or down.  When I question my purpose and how God is working in my life, this verse gives me comfort.


God's word is living and active, and it penetrates better than any two-edged sword...and it is true.  This verse that I have loved so much for many years, is taking on new life for me.


The verse basically says that we are God's creation, created by Christ Jesus, in order to do the amazing work that God already set before us...and we get to join Him.  


Before this little journey with Samson came along, this verse represented solely the idea that I get to go do God's good work, and that He's created me for a specific purpose to accomplish good things He has all set up for me.  I looked at my life as one big, endless journey of hurdles and choices where I get to choose to do what God would have me do in any situation...and that's still true.  


But what Samson (the rockhead) has taught me is that there I times I do some good works on my own (or at least I think I do it on my own)...and I give very little glory to God in the process.  


I need to acknowledge that when good work is done for God's kingdom, and that means ANY good work done...that's the stuff God planned for me to do anyway...and when it's all said and done, I need to be remembering that it was all His idea, part of His glorious plan for me.  The glory ALL goes to Him.  


I've been using this verse only as a comfort, only seeing it from one side...the side that needs to know God's big purpose for me.  I'm not looking at the verse from the opposite side (after the work has been completed), and remembering that when the good stuff happens, that was God moving and working in my life, I experienced Him!  And what do I do?  I blow right past it, wondering when the next thing is going to happen, questioning what He has for me again...


I want to use my gifts for God, and I want to glorify Him for everything, and remember all of the things that God does along the way and all of the things He has set aside for me to do with Him.


I'm feeling quite repentant.  


Father I ask for your forgiveness.  I ask that you forgive me for my pride and for neglecting to acknowledge where You have done good works through me.  I thank you so much for your loving, gracious presence in my life and that you help me to remember that you have given me gifts and abilities and they are to be used to bring You glory.


Hope you've enjoyed the Samson study this week...any input on what God is using Samson to teach you?