Goggles

My niece, Gabby, is five years old. She a bright, intelligent little girl that probably communicates better than any five year old I have ever met. Gabby asked Jesus to come into her heart several weeks ago. She was at school and asked her teacher if she could ask Jesus to come in and the teacher encouraged her to wait and talk with her parents at home. At pick up, the teacher informed my sister that Gabby had asked about asking Jesus into her heart. With tears in her eyes, my sister drove home, called her husband and they decided for my sister to go ahead and talk with her (before he got home from work). My sister got her Bible and they laid down on the bed, looked at some Scripture and talked about what asking Jesus to come in meant. Gabby fully understood and quickly asked Jesus to come into her heart. PTL!!!
However, there was a whole other issue to this Jesus thing-being baptized. After asking Jesus to come into her heart, Gabby knew that baptism was the next step. It meant going underwater in a baptistry and this was going to be a problem. But Gabby, had thought this through! She is a smart kid and she had figured out an answer to her dilemna. She explained to her Mom that she was a little afraid of the whole baptism thing, but that she would do it (because Jesus said to) if she could wear her goggles while being baptized! What a hoot! My sister told her that she didn't think Jesus would have a problem with her wearing her goggles.
When my sister told me the story, I cracked up laughing, but saw a cool corelation spiritually. Gabby has just asked Jesus into her heart and is a little afraid of the next step. So she wants to wear her goggles. She wants to be able to see and not have water in her eyes. What a beautiful picture. The Lord has just opened the eyes of her heart to see Him and he desire is to continue to see through the next step of baptism. How cool is it that a 5 year old understands what so many of us don't. I am sure Gabby's reasons for wearing goggles is not spiritual-but what a cool visual for us...a young girl, in the waters of the baptistry...simply wanting to see and breathe.
So Gabby was baptized yesterday....and SHE WORE HER GOGGLES....isn't that AWESOME!
Her daddy had the opportunity to baptize her. A Father, helping his daughter to see, breathe and come into the family of God. What a picture that is!!!!
And so God opens the eyes of her heart....breathes life into her flesh-that she might live forever!
ALL FOR YOU

Own NOTHING

I was just sitting at my computer when a message pops up from AIM. It says, "own nothing, have everything." I think it was advertising downloads, but it hit my heart as a message from the Lord.
Paul said in Phil 3:7-16 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ,and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from {the} Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which {comes} from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

Wow...I love that thought....I own nothing. It is all loss in view of knowing Christ. And yet I have everything, because in Christ I have all things.

In a day when we are challenged by the idea to own everything and have everything, God is calling out a people who will own nothing and still have everything-because we have a view to eternity.
It's all for YOU!
ALL FOR YOU

Lover of my Soul

I had a little bit of a break down on Monday night, for various reasons. But mostly because I have been pushing really hard for a long time and just needed to let some stuff out. Jim was so awesome about it, reminding me that our home is as much a Sanctuary for me as I try to make it for other people.
In the midst of all the crying and sharing, he just took me in his arms and told me that he loved me for who I was, who God created me to be and for who I am growing to become-more like Jesus. He took care of me, pampered me and reminded me that he is the lover of my soul. He was the perfect picture of Jesus to me. How awesome God is to give me a husband that loves me as Christ loves the church-giving Himself up for her and loving her no matter what. I am twice blessed-given to the Lover of my Soul-both of them.. I love you Jim.....
ALL FOR YOU

It's HIS DEAL

I have been soaking in saying for the last few days that is radically changing the beat of my heart.
Religion is our way of getting God into our "deal".
Christianity is God's way of getting us into His.
Every one of us are trying to get God to join our "deal", whatever that may be. Jesus, bless this, help this, fix this, make this....We are always trying to get God to bless our religious activity. And yet religion is what makes the Father sick at His stomach. Jesus is being lost in a religion that bares his name.
God is all about getting us to join HIS DEAL-not the other way around. He even sent His Son so that we could join His deal. He invites us to join Him where He is at work. He is not waiting to be invited into where we are working. He is longing for us to join His activity, His plan, His deal. But instead, we spend most of our days trying to get God to join ours.
I don't think God will ever join our deal....for then we would be God-in control of the plan. I think God's plan from the beginning was to make a way for us to join His. Somewhere in the midst of that plan-we misunderstood and got religious. We think that we should invite God into OUR lives, OUR plans, OUR future and OUR goals. When instead, HE IS INVITING us to JOIN HIS!
So maybe it is time we stop asking God to bless our deal-and just join HIS!
ALL FOR YOU

Worshipping....

It is amazing to me that we will offer more to the pleasures of this world than we do in worship to our Father. We will pay more, love more, rejoice more and serve more. I know...we say that is not true, but if we were really honest, few of us abandon ourselves in worship like we do at a football game. And the last time we gave as much to God as we did M/C-well, we can't remember when. And who can remember the last time we spent more hours serving the Father at church or somewhere else than we did at PTA, Little League, Boy Scouts, Dance or whatever. And even more astonishing is the thought that when given the chance to stand in line for a movie or for a worship service-the movie always wins.
But I believe that the Lord is awakening a few, stirring the hearts of a remnant, captivating the souls of a group of people who will abandon the norm of Christianity for a barbaric faith that looks more like Jesus than any before now. As a result, I believe church will look radically different. This group of people is called Revolutionaries-a people who live in concert with the Bible, but have no patience for irrelevant traditions and customs, who won't go with the flow, but seek a spark and are willing to pay the price to see the fire of heaven fall. They make people uncomfortable and are not very popular. But they are a people who are passionate about following after Jesus-not as the church has defined, but as God has outlined. They are a people who want to start a REVOLUTION, leading to Change...
I want to be a Revolutionary!
ALL FOR YOU

YOU ARE MY JOY

Every branch that bears fruit, HE PRUNES it so that it may bear MORE fruit. What a thought for those of us who long to be fruit bearers. The reality is that if we are being productive for the Kingdom, working hard for the Lord and accomplishing much for His glory that the Father is going to prune us. We understand why. Because without pruning, we will not continue to be productive. However, when the pruning comes, we often see it as discipline or hardship. When in reality, it is the Father pruning us so that we can bear MORE fruit. For the Father is glorified when you bear MORE fruit, proving that you are a disciple and not a hypocrite. Pruning means More fruit...are you up for that?
but I guess the crazy thought of all this is that Jesus says the things so that we will have joy in Him and that our joy will be made full or complete. It is in the pruning, which allows us to bear more fruit, which gives God glory that we will find true Joy-Joy in Him. He is our Joy. So get out the shears and clip away...for more fruit, for more glory, and FOR MY JOY!
God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him! ALL FOR YOU

Live or Die

While at Passion last week, my heart was awakened and stirred by the Lord. We all need times of refreshing, where HIS presence brings to life truth inside of us. I stood in the arena, filled with other believers, worshipping with all that I had within me. Tears were streaming down my face, my shoulders ached because I could not make myself put my arms down. I was like a child, wanting to be held by my daddy, arms outstretched and crying for Him to hold me. And Hold me He did. I laid my head on His chest and wept, while proclaiming that He is my life and that I would gladly die for Him and His glory.
We often think of death as the worst thing and so I was trying to say that I would do the very worst of things, endure the hardest of things for HIM.
In that moment, I heard HIM speak clearly to MY heart saying, "I would rather that you live for me...for that is harder! I have already done the dying."
It was a moment of revelation for me. Christ died for me. And I would gladly die for my Lord. Although we think that is the worst thing-to die for Him....He was very plain with me. Dying meant I would be with Him and that isn't the worst thing, but the very best of things. The harder thing to do, the thing in which He gets even more glory is to live for Him in this perverse and wicked generation, harassed, troubled, suffering and struggling.
Yes, He has called many to die for HIM...and I am not minimizing their sacrifice. But, His question to me was not would I die....He knew I would do that....but would I live for His glory everyday?
Rom 14:8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
Isa 26:8 YES LORD!
ALL FOR YOU

leaving a mark

Leaving my mark on Passion 06-Doxa on the graffitti art!
ALL FOR YOU

This week was spent at Passion 06. I have so much to write about that, but tonight, my brain hurts. It has been an incredible journey with the Lord-ABIDING in HIS presence for 4 days. Dwelling, tabernacling, marinating in Him. It was truly amazing and indescribable. But today, I have walked away with a thought that challenges my heart for worship. Today, I am weary from worship. NOT weary in the tired of it sense, but weary in the I am tired from it sense. I am weary, worn out, spent and tired from pressing in so close, from drawing near, from listening, worshipping and praising. My shoulders ache from holding my hands in the air for 4 days straight. My knees hurt from being on them. My voice is almost gone from singing and shouting to Him. My heart is full, my body is weary.
How many times in life do we get weary FROM worshipping. I know many of us get weary OF worshipping. And yet, if we are full on worshippers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would be like David, who danced with ALL HIS MIGHT. How often do we tire FROM worshipping. We tire from work, from play, from relationships...but do we ever worship so hard and press in so close that we are worn out by it.
It is a good feeling...I think...I will do it more! ALL FOR YOU