Putting Self Aside

When I looked at the date of my last post it just confirmed for me what my mind and body had already been screaming at me for weeks now.........life has gotten too busy.....slow down. But, have you ever gotten yourself into such a tailspin that you just don't know how to slow down?
What's really crazy is I have been here before and I got better at it and for a very long time I had developed a rhythm, an easy pace if you will. Then sometime this past summer that ol' ball began to roll and it just seems to be picking up speed as time passes by.
One day last week as I was attempting to catch up with some household tasks, I found myself in a stuppor of frustration and I was asking God to show me a way to make this all just slightly easier. I was making suggestions to Him as I cleaned, like if only they would this, or if only they could that, then this might be alittle easier on me. As it was beginning to look as if I could be close to completion I came upon another big mess to clean up, and sarcastically asked, "does this ever end?". I continued on my little tirad....okay....huge tirad about cleaning up after other people. I made the comment half to myself and half to the Lord I suppose being He had been the only one I had been conversing with this entire time...(and not all on a sour note), just how tired I was of always cleaning up someone elses messes. Right after I said those words it was as if I heard the Lord immediatley say to my heart........"You mean like I do yours?"
Talk about being humbled before the Lord!
You see the week previous to this one I had been asking the Lord where that fine line was between being selfless and giving too much. I've really been struggling with staying on task with the duties in my own life while at the same time pushing those things to the side to aid others when their lives have thrown theme a curve ball or two. I was becoming overwhelmed at times and frustrated that maybe I was being taken for granted or taken advantage of or maybe just unable to say no, which has been an issue for me in the past. At the same time praying about being a true reflection of Christ.
Through this one brief moment God not only brought enlightenment but He also answered my question with a renewed joy of serving others.
I now can see that to live like Jesus is to live without limits. I don't recall ever reading or hearing of a time when Jesus refused to help anyone that asked. It is through the giving of our hearts that others will see the reflection of Jesus in us. I am finding that even though I can become tired and weary physically and emotionally God is faithful to His word.

And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Gal.6:9

And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men; Colossians 3:23

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not grow weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Throughout this time I also have been dealing with some medical issues. I can see clearly now how by doing these extra tasks God has been the One carrying me, giving me strength beyond my ability, because I was doing exactly as He would have me do.....serve others......witness without words through my actions. Allowing the Lords reflection to shine through. When we truely are willing to set ourselves aside for someone else thats when God shines through us, thats when His strength will carry us to do amazing things we cannot do in our own limited abilities. It's not about making my life easier; it's about fulfilling the purpose for which I am here. To serve, just as Christ said He did not come to be served, but to serve, this too is my call.
I wished I could say I'll never again become frustrated by the distractions or even the messes of others, but I know it will only take me one second of recollection to realize once again the magnitude of what He has done for me....humble I become and willing to put myself aside for the sake of another, just as Jesus has done for me.
I pray this is encouragement to your heart that God sees all those little things we do, and although they may seem little to us at the time, with and through God even those little things can bring huge dividends in reward to others.

Be blessed all, it will be a bit before I post again, we are off to sunny Sanibel for a much needed rest and renewal, mind, body, and spirit!

Missed Blessings

I read a story the other day that has had me thinking. The story was told about a woman who past the same man every day on her way home from work. This man stood on a corner of a busy intersection holding a sign asking for food and stating that he was hungry. The woman past the first day and felt bad for the man but didn't respond. She saw him on the second day and her heart was a bit more stirred and she continued to think about him even after she was home. On the third day she was eating her lunch at work and thought about the man she would more than likely see once again on her way home from work. She decided to make a stop at a near by burger establishment on her way home. As she approached the intersection she saw the man at the same spot, and she pulled over in close proximity to where the man stood and she called out to him telling him she had brought him a burger and fries to eat. At first the man appeared to have not even heard her, she repeated what she had said, and couldn't believe her ears with his response. He had been polite enough when he told her he didn't eat beef, he was watching his cholesterol levels, so that ruled out the fries as well.
How many times do we pray for answers to lifes situations or trials and the Lord answers, yet we pass, because the answer didn't look like we had invisioned it to look. Or we didn't think it was the right answer for us. I really think many times God does send answers to our prayers and we refuse them. So many times when we pray I think we can already have in our minds what the response should be, how it should appear and even when, then when a turn of events happens that changes the situation wether that change is good, bad, or indifferent we turn our backs and walk away not even considering the idea that it very well could be an answer from the Lord. Not always when the Lord answers our prayers do we receive immediate relief. I believe that sometimes answers to prayer can be a process that happens over time.
Just like in the illustration of the starving man, the womans heart was stirred to help him, and he looked the answer to his prayer in the eye and refused it.
The only way we can be in tuned to the way God may be working in our lives is to stay in tuned with Him. He wants us to be an active part of what He is doing in our lives. God doesn't need us to bring blessing to our lives, but He desires us to share our lives with Him, even though He knows all things in advance, it's about the relationship.
1 John 5:14-15 tells us that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
I pray you will go to the Lord today asking for your eyes to be opened to the blessings He brings into your life, and your relationship with Him will become deepened with every word spoken in His presence.
"So will I compass thine altar, O Lord; that i may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of thy wonderous works". Ps 26:6-7

It's Been Awhile

It really has been a long time since I have posted anything here, So much going on through the summer and now that we are back to full-time schooling at home, time is still in short supply.
From Chicago in early spring, She Speaks conference in June, and back to North Carolina in August for our youth mission trip, and started on as a youth leader in Bible study with our Jr. High girls, this summer just flew by. Seems I was just getting ready to settle in and plan some summer family get togethers and realize school planning needs to begin. And that could take a totally seperate post, since we are using brand new curriculum this year. This means lots of planning time. yet, my hope and prayer is that this curriculum will save me prep time in the future and so far we are adjusting okay and Libby seems to be doing good with it.
It has been in these past crazy, whirlwind months, that I so realize my need for the Lord, and just how much He does carry me! "His strength shown in my weakness". And I have to admit, in these past months I have been feeling incredibly weak. My doctor feels it's probably hormonal issues, I mean, well, I did turn the big 50 this year! Yet we are doing several kinds of tests just to be sure. So, if any of you out there do read this...say a prayer for me....would ya?
Gods word tells us, that when we cry out for Him, he is faithful to answer. I have found His faithfulness in this verse. Throughout these crazy hectic months it has been my time with Him that has kept me sane, helped me to balance,and given me an even stronger hunger and desire for intimacy with Him. The more I turn to Him and lean on Him the more I want of Him, the more I desire to be like Him. I wished I could say that throughout these months I have been a patient soul with all that I have come into contact with, but come on, lets be realistic here, I DID mention the hormones right? But, I have found I actually have become more patient than I once was and I take no credit for any of it, It's all Him, believe me...patience has never been one of my strong points. Anyway, I am rambling now because I am tired so my point........I do have one!
Get in His presence! The more you spend time with Him, the more you find you not only need to, you just want to. Prayer time isn't a chore or a struggle to gain your points from God today.....that time becomes like the air you breathe......without it you simple begin to suffocate!
Be blessed all...and in His presence!
Until next time..............

Where Are The Miracles?

" So then, does he who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith"? Galatians 3:5

I listened to testimonies yesterday from some who recently went to Haiti. One objective was universal- each one acknowledged they went there looking for some sort of "miracle", to see the hand of God at work. Although it was also acknowledged they knew they saw the hand of God working here at home, yet they were looking for maybe "bigger" miracles?
Recently I listened to a lecture on "Probability", where the Professor used a deck of cards to prove his point. Although he didn't deal out 10,000 hands in front of my eyes, it had been done previously to test the ideas of randomness. He showed how often, or the probability, of any one particular set of cards to be dealt more than once. Then he dealt out two sets of five cards each. The first set consisted of a ten of hearts, Jack of spades, Ace of hearts, two of diamonds, and a four of clubs. The second hand he dealt was a run of clubs from Ace to ten, which if you know anything about poker you know this to be a straight flush, and very valuable also very rare and something you might tell others about. Yet, would it surprise you if I told you the first hand dealt is equally as rare? The chances of that particular hand being dealt again is just as likely, or unlikely as that of the straight flush. Yet, you wouldn't be excited to receive those cards, even if you did receive them again. Even though the first set of cards are as rare as the second we have determined by the "rules of the game" they have no significant value.
I think the "miracles" of God are a lot like the rarity of the cards received in the game of poker and placed into our very hands, some to be traded in for something better, maybe something a little more significant, something seen less often or more rare. Possibly the greatness or the value of a miracle is determined by our own perception of "a miracle"?
What is a miracle? If we look around us at all creation and all the intricate details God put into His creation, I believe we would come to the realization that we are surrounded by the miracles of God. It is our own perception that somewhere along the journey we have determined these "miracles" to lack the significance we seek after. But, does that in itself make these things any less miraculous?
Have you ever seen a bumble bee? If you have, you have witnessed a miracle! It is a scientific fact that bumble bees shouldn't be able to fly! The weight and the circumference of this bee, according to aerodynamics should be an impossible feat- Yet, he flys'! That is a miracle!!!
When you are at the grocery store right behind the woman who is short a few dollars, that's a miracle! God has strategically placed you there to help! When you witness the woman who has locked her keys in her car and begins to walk home -you could be her miracle!
I don't want to sound as if going to a foreign country on a missions trip is unimportant, not at all, God has told us to go "to the ends of the earth". I would love to be able to go myself. My point is, we can see and witness the miracles of God even here everywhere we go, everyday of our lives. I believe His miracles surround us daily not only in His creation but also in opportunities we most times miss. Maybe we have become just too busy or maybe we have determined the value of what a miracle is based on our own terms. I really believe that if we were to ask God to help us see His awesomeness in our daily lives and to give us a deeper perception of His hand at work, we would then begin to see the value of "All ", of His miracles. We would then see how He wants to use us to be a part of someones miracle, we would also see when he is using others to be miracles in our own lives.
Whether the miracles in our lives are a set of random acts of kindness,or the phone call at just the right time, the check that came in the mail right when the bank account was looking red, or the total physical healing of yourself or a loved one, All are equally as rare and all are equally as miraculous, and all should be enough to tell others about.
Look around you and find your miracle today.......then go tell someone how God is working in your life right where you are.

Our Dependence on God

Today I was reading about the day of the Crucifixion and I thought about all that Christ endured for us upon that cross. Jesus throughout His time on earth was so dependent upon the Father. He was in constant communication with Him. Jesus had never been separated from His divine relationship with The Father. Then here on the cross when the sins of man were poured upon Him, He was apart from The Father! He was in such utter anguish He cried out, "My God, My God, Why have You Forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46
Many have said he cried out due to the physical agony He must have been in, but I believe He cried out, out of spiritual anguish due to the separation from The Father. We don't know the length of time Jesus was physically tortured but it doesn't matter because The Word tells us, He was "beyond recognition". Throughout the entire time of this physical torture, He endured, never once crying out for them to stop or pleading for their mercy. The Father was with Him. The Father was with Him, helping Him to endure the unimaginable pain they were inflicting upon Him. Helping Him to remain focused on Him, His Father. Yet, in that very moment when Jesus was separate from God, that is when he cried out! The separation was more than he could bare, "Jesus then uttered another loud cry, then took His last breathe." Luke 15:37
This really has me thinking about my own dependence upon My Father and the closeness of my walk with him. In those times when I seek out every avenue of solution about a situation or trial in my life, of my own creation, instead of depending on Him, how anguished is my heart?
How long do I keep myself separated from Him before my spirit cries out for Him? Why do I always return to that place where for whatever reason, I think I have a better solution than He does. He knows me better than I do, He knows all my tomorrows and every single detail there is to know about me.
This reflection has left me with a desire for a deeper dependency on Him in everyday life, that I will develop a more constant connection with Him as I walk through my days.

Lord, help me to see that You and only You are the creator of my life, and You and only You have the divine direction I need. Help me to seek after You in every situation no matter how big or how small, knowing You will never leave me nor forsake me. Thank You Lord for Your Perfect love. in Jesus Name.

Filled to Overflowing

This past week-end I attended the "She Speaks" conference put on by Proverbs 31 Ministries, in North Carolina, and was reminded of how intimately Our Father knows and cares for us. Just the fact of how He orchestrated my daughter Daveda and I going to the same conference without either being aware of the others intentions still blows my mind, yet God wasn't done amazing me with His intimant details.
This was a three day event which began for me on Friday morning bright and early, by 8am I was savoring the last bites of my complimentary, cooked to order, breakfast and off to registration, where I was greeted with so many smiles it made me dizzy!
Not knowing what to expect, I headed to the opening session, "Up Close and Personal", and did they ever peg that title for this week-end. This was just the beginning of God speaking into my heart about just how close and personal He truely is. With Daveda and I signed on for a diverse package of classes of which none coincided, I had hoped and prayed to find someone out of all these women I could buddy up with for a least some of the time, and He was so faithful to hear my heart and sent me a precious new friend from Kansas. We hit it off right from the start and found ourselves to have so many parallels in our lives, this could have only been the work of my Abba, Daddy God. Daveda, also found a friend who oddly enough shares similarities with both of us who is so incredibly sweet and real I couldn't get enough of her. Her sense of humor left my stomach muscles sore!
Which once again only my Heavenly Father knew I went there needing!
The entire group of women who are part of the Proverbs 31 Ministries are the most loving, transparent and sincere women I have ever met and their love for every lady there was contagious. I was so moved by the way these ladies would be traveling through the halls of this hotel and would look into your face and realize that hadn't yet spoken with you and would stop and greet you with" Oh, I haven't talked to you yet, whats your story, and what is God doing in your life? And they didn't say it in passing as if they really didn't expect a reply, they waited for it and they looked you directly in the face with anticipation for your response, and would sit down right there on the floor if need be just to talk with you, just as I can picture Jesus doing!
Within the confines of this hotel the Proverbs 31 Ministries team had set up a prayer room where the name of every lady attending lay upon a table along side the promises of God and His Attibutes, along with a member of their team there at all times praying for the ladies at the conference as well as with any lady who needed someone to come along side her to pray and believe. I was so blessed to pray with and to be prayed for by Melissa, who's heart for God is worn on her sleeve for all to see. We too were found to have similar passions for ministry and found our hearts beating together for leading young girls to a pure lifestyle in such an impure culture. The presence of God was so thick in this room I physically felt hit by "It" the second I entered the room and was so over taken that I lost all resolve like I have never experienced before.
Every session fed me with something new, and God spoke so much to my heart that yesterday in my quiet time with Him I found myself sobbing because I am so full and I don't know what to do with it all, yet I am longing for even more, even as I write this I weep because He has filled me and His desire is to keep me on overload. Not because He wants to overwhelm me with stress, but He wants me full, so full that there is more than enough to give away, yet stay so full that I can hear Him when He whispers in my ear. So full to love someone who is having a bad day and maybe not behaving loveably, so full that I have patience with the child who is having a hard time accepting "no" for an answer. So full that I take the time to call someone who is struggling in their marriage, So full that I can sing while I pick up the mess someone else left behind. So full that I just want more, So full that I want the needle on my spiritual tank to not sway off that "F" even by a fraction.
God also has shown me, one doesn't neccessarily have to attend an entire week-end conference to receive this fullness. All it takes is encouragement from another, to see and hear the heart of God through another human being. Ladies, that is what we are here for, to be the heart beat of God on earth. The Proverbs 31 ladies showed me this, this week-end and it is now my heart to share His love with you.
I will be praying and asking what and where the Lord would lead and have me do with all He has shown me and spoke into my heart through this conference. Would you join me in that prayer, that He would give and I would hear clearly His direction. Allowing Him to open the pathway and do the work and to help me set me aside for His glory.
I am so incredibly greatful for the heart and ministry of all the Proverb 31 ladies and every lady I had the pleasure of talking to or praying with this week-end. It was truely a week-end I will never forget! And if you are one of those sweet precious souls I met this past week-end, thank you for sharing your story with me and your willingness to just be real, you don't know how much you were an answer to my prayers.
Stay close to Him, in His word and in His presence to keep your spiritual tank on "F", the price of filling this tank has already been paid, all you need to do is ask for more!

Chicago Pics ! & Kammy !

Missed Blessing

The other day I was driving down a road that I frequently travel on and happened to notice this little house for sale. This place has caught my attention many times over the past several months, when people I know were in the market for a new home I would mention it to them. This time when I past this little place it just struck me odd that it was still for sale, and as I past the thought came to me, "there is someones missed blessing". Even later in the day the thought of that little house came to me, and the thought about the "missed blessing".
How many times do we miss out on a blessing from the Lord due to the lack of our connection to Him? If we aren't communicating with Him, how will we hear His voice, how will we know His direction? Just like this little house, I just can't help but think that this house is the perfect house with the perfect circumstances for someone out there who is looking for a house, but because they are not seeking Him for direction, their blessing just sits there.
In Gods word it says, " Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

To Be Blessed

Seems like it's been so long since I updated this blog, probably because it has been.
Just haven't had much time for the computer at all lately. Other than researching next years curriculum and doing a less than best effort at keeping up on e-mail.
But this is not a bad thing.
As I have been preparing for not only my speaking at the Ladies Breakfast but also preparing for the two Bible studies to begin this week, I have been spending so much more time in the Word, and in prayer, and reading articles and books on the issues we will be discussing throughout the next several weeks.
God speaks through so many things, but nothing more so than His word and in prayer. It really does help you to see all else through His eyes. Everything becomes more intimate, more personal. When we search the Word out for ourselves, that is when the rest becomes our own, thats when we can claim personal victory for ourselves and not through someone else's revelation. Thats when we can see ourselves for who we really are, and not what the world says we are. When we spend more time seeking Him out through His word and through our conversations with Him, that is when we can see ourselves as a child of the One and Only Living God.

Spend some extra time with Him this week, everything else will wait, and nothing else is more important!

Haven't been on here in awhile, but I am currently in Rockford, Illinois, okay to be specific I quess it's not "Rockford", as my daughter so lovingly just pointed out to me, we are in "Poplar Grove", Illinois! Which is closest to Rockford, which is Northeast of Chicago by about an hour or so. No big trips to the big city though, much too cold yet for me to take on such an adventure. The cold and I just don't get along that well. But, we are having a great time just just spending time with family.

I was reading today in the book of James, when I came to 4:6, it was speaking of "grace". This word seems to have crossed my path quite a bit lately, maybe thats why it caught my attention. When I think about the word "grace", and ponder on the given Biblical meaning of the word which is:

Gods unmerited undeserved favor;

Gods ability in us and for us what we are incapable of doing for ourselves.

Although we speak of His grace and hear it spoken of often, are we really grasping and living in it's true meaning?

Maybe it's forgiveness, or acceptance. In our own power maybe we can't forgive the person who hurt us, or we just can't see how we can accept the choices someone close to us is making in their lives, but if we are realistic and look back where we once were, we will see, that we were not deserving to receive Gods forgiveness and grace. Our Father looks beyond the actions and only looks at who He created us to be.

In Titus3:3-7 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared. He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

According to this word, we can "do" nothing to insure grace given to us. If we were required to deserve it, I'm afraid not one of us would receive grace. I quess the thing I'm most curious about is not the "why" of Gods grace but more the "why" of us being so reluctant to give it ourselves. We receive it from the Lord just because of His love for us, yet we tend to make those in and around our own lives "earn" it, they somehow must be deserving. As this scripture says, we too once walked in the lustfulness of sin, and when the grace of God was offered we willingly accepted.

My prayer today is that the Lord would show us in our hearts how to give the same grace He so willigly has given us, to others, not because they deserve it, but just because to do so will bring joy to our Fathers heart, which should be the desire of our heart.