yearn for you

Your relationship with God calls for the greatest measure of openness, nakedness possible. If you want to be truly intimate with Him, then transparency and surrender is a must. You must be willing to have every part given totally over to His control. The choice to compartmentalize parts of life is a mistake and it will hinder your journey. Total abandonment requires total trust. If you trust your Father more than you trust your senses, then surrender will come easy and naturally. What you see, feel, hear, taste and smell give us information so that we can make wise decisions, but cannot always be trusted completely. We must not lean on our own understanding, but Trust HIS WAYS. What seems right to us...is not always Gods way.
When true intimacy is found, you will find that it is your delight. It is delightful and where your joy is found and made complete. It becomes almost like a craving and the superficial is no longer satisfying. And yet, to achieve this kind of intimacy, there is a naked transparency and surrender that must take place. It even feels risky and yet, to not run after such a thing is even greater a risk. Our senses betray us and tell us that we will get hurt. They tell us to lean on our experience and not to trust-and so we don't and we miss out on God's greatest gift-Oneness, with Him and others.

And so, the choice is ours. To be fully known and loved. To risk and feel pain, but find intimacy. Or to play it safe and miss out on the joy of true love and intimacy, never finding our true delight or satisfaction. I don't want to lean on my own understanding, but run after Him as He sets my heart free to love. As I delight myself in HIM...He gives me MORE of HIM which is the desire of my heart. I am satisfied, while yearning for more.
ALL FOR YOU

parables

So, I am headed to lunch yesterday, enjoying the beautiful weather and the company with which I was traveling. We were dissecting what had happened at church and praying over those things together. (yes, I pray with my eyes open when I drive!) The conversation actually was about whether we would all leave and continue business as usual or whether there would be change in our lives. It seems I am growing weary of the knowledge that we spout without change in how we live and certainly did not want another Sunday where the truth went forth and left us unchanged. I find that I am continually asking MYSELF how these things should change how I walk and live, in addition to asking if I am guilty and need to repent of the things that have been brought to light. For too long, ALL OF US have listened to truth declared and agreed with it, while thinking it did not apply to us or that it was meant for someone else. I have been guilty of such thinking, however, the Lord has changed my heart and is making the cry of my heart that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be true of my feet. So, I was spending time, evaluating my own heart and then found myself realizing that I can't be the only one that struggles with such things. I believe that many of us can walk away and say that was great....that really needed to be said...without evaluating our own hearts to see if it was aimed at us-instead we agree, but do nothing and somehow don't even see that it was all about US.
I have come to a place where my first instinct is beginning to be....is this true of me and what do I need to do to repent and get right before the Father-before I begin to pray over the others in the room that need to hear these things as well. In dealing with my heart issues in this way, I have stumbled across a truth that has caused me to wrestle with why so many hear truth and do not respond or don't seem to be pierced by it.
For years, I have thought that the reason Jesus spoke in parables was to illustrate so that others might better understand His teaching. Yet, recently it has come to my attention that this is not necessarily true. In fact, it is the exact opposite. Jesus makes it plain that the reason he speaks in parables was to make it hard for people to understand, that those who truly WANT to know the truth and are pursurers of it will indeed chase after it. For those who are not really interested, it will pass them by and they will never even know what they missed.

Mark 4:1-12
1 And He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very great multitude gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,
9 And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
10 And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, {began} asking Him {about} the parables.
11 And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables,
12 in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven."

Did you see that? To those outside the Kingdom, they get everything in parables-that while seeing, they don't really see or perceive. It doesn't pierce them. While hearing, they do not hear or understand, or else they would return from their wicked ways and be forgiven. But they don't return. He who has ears, let him hear!
Jesus doesn't teach in parables to make it easier, but to weed out those who are not really hearing and seeing. He is NOT trying to make it easier, make it more understandable. He is trying to make it hard...so that those who TRULY want more of Him will chase after Him. Jesus is not for the faint of heart or for those who are looking for an easy gospel. Jesus wanted his followers to know that there are no short cuts, no easy ways in the Kingdom.

Sometimes I think we are just like those outside the Kingdom....we don't see the forest for the trees. We think it is cool to see change in others, while not realizing we need it in ourselves. I don't say that lightly. I am sure there are those who think that about me-always speaking and never looking at myself. But that is not true. I do not speak or teach anything that I have not sorted through with Jesus first and have spent time confessing and crying out for Him to change it in me before I challenge people with it. And though I am in process like everyone else, I am quickly coming to a place where I must first deal with ME-otherwise I invalidate the gospel with how I live. Which means, I am spending a lot of time asking Jesus to reveal in me His truth and change me from the inside out.

However, one of my greatest fear is that we would be in the presence of truth and walk away unchanged out of a careless neglect to look at our own hearts. That we would be like the people of Jesus' day....it would be nothing more than a parable to us and we would miss the teaching and the depth behind it. Why? because we are not in the Kingdom. We see, but do not perceive. We listen, but do not hear or understand and are not forgiven.
I guess I walked away from church with a prayer in my heart for myself and for those who were there....this could be just another parable Sunday. Another Sunday, where we think the message was good and what needed to be said was said, but we do not see or hear the truth that was aimed our own hearts.
God give us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.....and please don't let these things just be another parable in which many miss the point of application for EACH of us. Call us to repent, change, worship and confess. Don't leave us unchanged or unaffected. May God open our hearts to truth that we might look in the mirror and see how it applies to ME.

Matt 13:15-16
15 For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I should heal them.'
16 "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.ALL FOR YOU

spill the beans

Did any of you take classes on how to talk and share with people about your kids? Did any of you take classes or have someone explain to you how to tell people about your grandchildren? Did any of us have someone give us a three step plan to best communicating about our spouses or the ones we love dearly?
Of course not....what a stupid idea....the thought that someone would have to teach us how to talk about what we love is crazy. It is preposterous to think that we would not share with someone else about our own children, our grandchildren or our spouse. The idea that we could not communicate to someone else about our best friend or the ones we love is ludicrous.
Why is that? Because we have a real relationship with them. Because we have EXPERIENCED them. Because we KNOW them. Because they are on our hearts. You can't keep yourself from talking about what/who you love. You can't NOT talk about the one you are in love with. You can't help but describe the sweetness of the child and describe how you long to just bury your head in their neck. You can't stop yourself from sharing pictures and stories about the grandchildren that overwhelm your heart. You can't keep yourself from talking about that friend that means the world to you. You just can't NOT talk about what is on your heart.
It is the same for me and my relationship with Jesus. I can't NOT talk about Him, about my love for Him, my passion for Him. I can't keep myself from sharing with others the pictures He is showing me in His Word, the truth He reveals about Himself. I can't stop thinking about Him and therefore talking about what He speaks to my heart. No one has to teach me to talk about Him. No one has to explain to me how to talk about Him. And no one has to show me the right way to do it. It just spills out of me. He is the Love of my life and I can't not "spill the beans" when it comes to what He is doing in me. Every moment of life leads me back to thinking on Him and what He is teaching me. I find illustrations of Him in the way the grass is mowed and in how the rain falls. Why? because I can't NOT talk about what is written on my heart.
Why is it that so many find it so easy to talk about so many things other than Him? Why is it that He is not the first thought of our morning and the last at night? Why is He not at the center of every conversation? I know most people think I am strange and struggle with my intensity, but how is it that we are not all more intense? How is it that if we are in relationship with Him, have experienced Him and He is written on our hearts that He does not just pour out of us? How is it that we can KEEP from singing His praise, praying to Him, worshipping Him and talking about Him?
No one has to tell me talk about Jesus....I just do. He is on my heart....and spills out of me. Maybe that is weird....but quite honestly, I think it is more weird that we call ourselves Christ followers and yet spend more time talking about the things of the world than the things of Heaven.
How can I keep from singing......? I can't.....He is on my heart....He is what I love.....He is real and I have a relationship with Him....I have experienced Him....and I will not be silent. How can we be? If He is on your heart....SPILL the BEANS...don't hold it in. ALL FOR YOU

power of the run

Man.....I almost missed it....the power of the run, that is. I almost opted to stay in bed. I almost justified myself out of the run. I am tired and could certainly use a few more minutes to rest. And the house, well, the house needs some work. I will just spend that time in Bible study.
But the call was clear and I had choice-run or not. I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed some juice and ran to the Word. There I heard the call even louder...run, Christy...run. So I laced up my shoes and donned my ipod and headed out. At first, my heart wasn't in the run. It wasn't really even in the walk. That is until the words of a familiar song began to ring in my ear. Glorious.....over us....You shall reign Glorious. And then I knew why my feet were on the pavement and my heart began to catch up with my feet. Glorious....over us....You shall RAIN Glorious. I heard Him speak....You want rain....RUN....it will be glorious.
I began to ask my heart some questions, questions that have been circling in my head, but today I cleared up within my own soul. WHY RUN? Why sprint? I mean, I know I am walking with God, so why do I need to run? I knew the answer and have been disciplining my heart for months now to chase after that, but today I was reminded of why we are called to run.
Because WE miss out if we don't.
I know that was deep. And for many it won't matter because they don't want more. To which, I respond by questioning the reality of their love. For those who truly love know that you can't go without and you want more. You are never satisfied with only a small part of that which you love...you want it all. We all may be at different stages, but running is NOT an option.
And that is why I run....hard and fast after Him. I am not satisfied with just a part. I love Him so much that I will not be held back or deterred from running hard after Him-because I know there is more. I don't necessarily NEED or WANT anything from Him....I just don't want to miss out on HIM. The experience of knowing intimately and being one with Him.
I am struck by how often we think that just "happens" and how anti scripture that is. We are commanded to run after Him. We are told to seek, perhaps grope for Him. We say we want Him, but not bad enough to run.....so do we really want Him? Or do we just want what He has to offer, part of Him....the part that benefits us.
I don't want to miss out on HIM. And so I run.
As I got to the hill (the hard part of my run), I had a choice....I could slow down and take it easy or I could press in hard and sprint. As my soul began to well up with these things and I was running into the sun, blinded to everything else, I began to sprint up the hill. My breathing was labored. My heart was racing. My muscles were screaming. But I reached the top and realized....Running towards the SON, even up hill and with everything screaming at me, is worth it when He reigns/rains Glorious.
I have a friend. (I know...it surprises me too!) We were talking last week about chasing after Him, loving Him and following hard after Him. I have been talking a lot about being consumed by Him, obessed with Him and possessed by Him. But she summed it up best. "I just want to be eat up with Him".
Me too.....Let's run. ALL FOR YOU

Servant Leadership

While at Disney Word last week the crowds were overwhelming. Because it was one of the busiest weeks of the year, Disney had many of their execs out in the parks working and helping the staff. I assume the point of this activity was not only to help the staff, but also to allow the execs to experience what the "real world" is like in the busiest of days, thus helping them to know how to make better decisions. It was obvious who the execs were...they were dressed differently (not in those crazy colorful uniforms) and they all had nametags and ID that showed who they were. It is actually a pretty cool concept. We should all have to step into the shoes of those we are making decisions for so that we know how to make better decisions.
However, there was a mark of leadership that absolutely floored me from the execs that were all over the parks. Every one of them walked through the parks, helping, answering questions, but everyone of them were carrying a trash picker. And as they were going, they ALL picked up the trash that was lying around and disposed of it. They didn't tell someone else to do, although they certainly had the power to do it. They didn't ignore it, even when they knew there were others whose sole job was to take care of the trash. They didn't assume someone else would see it and take care of it. They all were looking for and assuming resposiblity to pick up the trash as they went about their jobs.
Wow....now, that is a picture of Servant Leadership. Execs with trash pickers. I guess the thing that struck me was that if Disney gets that....why doesn't the church? That we are all called to be servant leaders. We are all called to pick up the trash as we go. That we should not assume someone else will take care of it, think it is someone else's paid job or tell someone else to do it. We can't ignore it. We are called to AS WE GO, be servant leaders.
So, pick up a trash picker and start serving....the church has got to be better than Disney!

ALL FOR YOU

Resurrection

Wow....why would He say that?

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"

I mean really? Jesus has just been resurrected and Mary is so overtaken with that truth that she wants to do nothing more than be with, cling to and hang on to Jesus. To touch Him, love on Him, rejoice with Him...to just BE with Him. And yet, Jesus tells her to stop it. There are many differing reasons why. The main thought being that He had not ascended to the Father yet and that He was not staying. Although He was here, He was still going away and she should not cling to Him but rather do what He says...which is GO to my brethren.

Throughout the gospel accounts of this passage, Jesus is consistent about the same command.
In Mark 16:6-7
6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, {here is} the place where they laid Him.
7 "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.'"

In Matt 28:5-10
5 And the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.
6 "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.
7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."
8 And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they shall see Me."

And then in the last verses in Matt (just 18 verses later than the previous) He again tells them to Go and make disciples of all nations.

Why is it that Jesus was so plain to say don't cling to me, but rather go and take the word, tell the disciples, make disciples? I am so struck by this thought....and the power that rests behind it. The truth of the Crucifixion and the resurrection are not for us alone. It is not merely for us to cling to and rest in. Oh...I have my get out of hell free card-I am protected. In fact, He was very plain to tell us NOT to sit back and cling to Him and do nothing. His very words to ALL who came in contact with Him after the resurrection were to DO SOMETHING! He gave us an instruction, a command of what we are to DO with the truth we know. We are not to sit back and just cling to it...but GO AND SHOW, TEACH AND TELL others about these things. And yet, how often we sit in our comfort and cling to the God we think we know and never DO what He commanded us to do with the truth that was revealed.

I love that I am CLINGING to Him. I want to be like gum in His shoe, stuck in the crevices and unable to be shaken loose. I want to cleave to Him as if super glued together, unable to be pulled apart. But I also want to be clear on what I am to do-and that isn't just to sit on my blessed assurance, but to GO and SHOW forth the truth. He is ALIVE! And we must cling to and rejoice in that. But if we never make disciples as a result of that....then we are totally disobedient and disrespect what Jesus did for us on the cross. How can we NOT be making disciples when it was the ONLY and last command given by our risen Lord?

ALL FOR YOU

Clarity, amplify and understanding

Clarity means to give clear understanding. Amplify means to make clear so that others can have clear understanding.
Recently, while at a Student Life conference called Clarity, I kept hearing the Lord say AMPLIFY. I didn't really know what that meant, but I began to seek the Lord and what He was wanting from me. Amplifiers are those devices that make the signal stronger, enlarging, enhancing and making things clear.
Nehemiah 8:8 is where we sat all weekend in the conference. It says; They read from the book of the Law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.
The Word translating means to give clarity. But it also means to amplify. Although I didn't know this til I got home and dug into the Word...It became clear why God was saying amplify to me. My life is to be given to amplify and bring clarity from the Word of God so that others understand.
Clarity means AMPLIFY which means to give clear understanding. This is my job!
Time to AMP it up!

ALL FOR YOU

friends

A remarkable picture of surrender is found in the image of Ruth. She lived in Moab with her husband, until he died. It was then that Naomi, her mother-in-law, decided to return to Bethlehem. She urged Ruth to stay in her own land where she was known and where she would have the greatest opportunity of provision via covenant marriage. Naomi knew that Ruth's following after her might not be the best thing for Ruth-after all, she would be leaving all she knew to surrender her life and be loyal to the covenant commitment she had made to Naomi's son and give up the promise of her own future to care for another. Regardless of the implications, Ruth begged to go with Naomi, saying "don't beg me to leave you or to stop following you. Where you go, I will go. Where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God."
This kind of loyalty is rare and priceless. Ruth bound herself to Naomi out of Covenant, regardless of what might be lost for her. When all natrual reason shouted for Ruth to remain where she was and not follow Naomi, she rebelled against the norm and surrendered her life to serve another. Her decision to do so was anchored in relationship and rewarded with blessing. Ruth's affection and commitment to Naomi was undeniably abnormal in the eyes of the world. It was also crazy to think that she would give up her own life to serve another. But more than that, the depth of relationship between these two women was what motivated Ruth's surrender. It is the picture of Lovingkindness-the verb of Covenant, the lavishing action of binding yourself to another-not in word alone, but in heart and in deed. In surrendering and losing her life, we know that she actually gained it. For, it was in that moment of surrender, giving her life in relationship to another that God blessed her and gave her a future and a hope in Christ.
Most people miss this remarkable truth. That when we bind ourselves one to another, laying down our lives for one another, we don't actually lose, but rather gain. It is in serving one another and entering into Covenant relationships that we will find ourselves driven to deeper surrender than if we had journeyed alone. It is in loving deeply and surrendering fully that we will exalt our Savior and glorify a God that blesses those who make the holiness of another as important as their own. It is in giving your life away, that you truly find what life is for.
These two women, bound their hearts together and because of their loyalty, commitment, desire for the other's well being more than their own and faithfulness to Covenant, they find themselves written about for all of history to see as the picture of giving your life to another and receiving more than you could ever have imagined in return.
We should all be so blessed to have a friend like this. ALL FOR YOU