STRIPES = HEALING

Gabby, my niece, said her prayers with my sister last night, which is a rare occurance these days as she doesn't get to go downstairs to put the girls to bed right now. She decided to say them with her Mom upstairs before she went down to bed. This is here story....
She prayed her normal little prayer, then finished up by saying, "and God please make everyone who is sick to feel better and make everyone's boo-boos all better, because we know that by the stripes of Jesus Christ, we are all healed." I sat in awe as she said "Amen" and pecked me on the cheek, then ran off down the steps to bed. Of course, my emotions are in overdrive right now, but tears rolled down my cheeks as I sat there thinking about what she had said, knowing that she said it, meant it, and believed it was true, with all her heart. It convicted me to the core, knowing that we pray things like that all the time, but I can honestly say, we probably don't necessarily believe it to be true with all our heart. There is something to the scripture that tells us to come to God as little children, and that a little child shall lead them, because there are days my children teach me more about Jesus than I have learned in a lifetime. Her prayer changed me, it changed my heart, because I know those are more than just words we say, I truly believe that by the stripes of Jesus Christ, I am healed. It may not be the physical healing I am looking for at a particular moment, but I am convinced the spiritual healing of a heart is of far greater significance to God than these earthly vessels we posses that will pass away!

Just another "tiny confirmation" from God that I do hear His voice when I stop long enough to listen, and sometimes it comes in the form of my children!
ALL FOR YOU

Loving Jesus....living like it!

Hosea says, let us press on to know the Lord….
He will come to us like rain.

We have been praying that the Lord would rain. We have begun to see a sprinkling in some lives of the just that. I love the first part of that passage... The word for Press….is to harass. I LOVE THAT WORD. Cause it describes me. I can be down right annoying, harassing. In fact, for most people…I am just TOO much. Too many words, too much attitude, too pushy, to fast, to edgy…whatever…just Too much.

But, while I am more than most people can handle….I have the same desires as any of you.....All of us were created with a desire for intimacy. To be fully known and to fully know. We all long for relationships where we can be ourselves and still be fully loved, not having to pretend or hide. We all long for relationships where we are not just the known, but we know. Where we are trusted and where others reveal themselves to us.
We all long for relationships where we are not just NEEDED but wanted. I have tons of relationships because people need me. Church, friends, family, children, even my spouse at times. But what we long for is not to be needed. It is to be wanted….wanted just for ourselves. Loved….and wanted-for NO REASON or need.

Although, we have this desire-to be fully known and to fully know, the world that we live in has messed with our idea of intimacy. We live in a world of messed up relationships. We have seen intimacy go a rye. We have watched the love between husband and wife be far from what we would call intimate. We have seen our mom’s and dad’s live lives that we want nothing to do with. We have heard of or maybe experienced the hurt of a parent not loving a child as they should. Or perhaps, you were lucky enough to miss all of those, but somewhere a friend wounded you deeply. We have all been wounded by relationships.

And so all of us….in some way, shape or form, have decided to build a wall around our hearts to keep from getting hurt. We have garrisoned ourselves behind this wall, allowing some closer than others, but even then, we are afraid of the risk of being known fully and knowing fully because of the hurt that has come. We all miss out on the joy of intimacy. For some of us it is missing in our marriages, others with our parents or children. For a lot of it is with friends.

The enemy of our souls is at war to make sure you don’t have intimacy.
The devil is not really concerned with making you bad or making you sin. He isn’t all about tripping you up. He does all those things….but the ultimate question is WHY?

From the beginning God created man for relationship…for intimate relationship. It is not good for man to be alone. Man spent his days enjoying the fruit of GODS labor and walking with Him in the cool of the day. He could talk with Him and enjoy Him. Then God gave Him a wife….to continue intimate relationship with. A physical oneness that further pictured the intimacy God created for man to have in relationships.

But then the serpent entered the picture. And he deceived Eve with his crafty questioning. And sin entered our world. For most of us, we have thought that was Satan’s main objective. To cause us to sin. But do you really think that he is interested in making us bad people, sinful people? Could it be that the plan was much deeper than that….and we have not seen it.
From the beginning, it was the enemy’s plan to use sin to break intimacy. It has always been and will always be his desire to steal, kill and destroy our relationships with God and with man.
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have {it} abundantly.

And so, his plan was not to make us sin, but to use sin to break our intimacy. God created us for fellowship with Him. He does not want duty, religion, church or even obedience. He wants an intimate, passionate, thriving, love relationship with you. He wants to be fully known by you. He wants to reveal Himself to you. He wants to walk with us in the cool of the day. He wants us to love Him….
Not just NEED HIM…although we do…but to WANT HIM.

Intimacy can not be forced….that is called rape. True relationship is forged from freedom-to choose because you WANT-not need. It comes through unplanned, unforced time, walking in the cool of the day. And so God allows us choice….the ability to choose to walk with Him or not. The ability to choose to have intimacy with Him or not. He will not rape you.

The dilemma is that we think we have intimacy with God….and we don’t. The enemy again keeps us from intimacy not merely by our sin, but also by deception. (just like Eve.) True intimacy can not take place…is not real when we hold back, are not honest, fully given, abandoned, all in, transparent, vulnerable, consumed, passionate, made accessible/not hiding.

Intimacy can’t happen as long as we are hiding behind walls. Look at what happened with Adam and Eve.Intimacy was broken…they hid. With God….with each other.
So many of us are hiding. And miserable. We desire intimacy, but the very thing we desire is what we fight against because we are afraid of the risk. And the enemy wins again. For that is what he wants…to destroy intimacy with God and with one another.

You see, this Jesus put it this way….everything is summed up in ONE Word…LOVE. Love the Lord and Love one another. And so the enemy is standing against those two things….trying to destroy love and intimacy between God and man.

And so God sent His Son to restore the relationship that was broken. To restore the intimacy. However, the battle still rages….the enemy trying to keep us from that. This is the battle….not just sin….but over relationship…over intimacy with God.
It is why he longs for us to engage in religion and miss intimacy.
It is why he tries to deceive us into thinking just a little of God is enough.
It is why he works to try to satisfy our soul with other things.
Anything…to keep us from pursuing, harassing, pressing in to KNOW God more.

There is NO drive thru window for intimacy. It takes time to fall in love…to give oneself to another and to abandon everything and everyone else for what you set your heart upon.

So Set Your heart, covenant to love God and others...and don't be deceived. Intimacy is far more than just loving something. It is being joined to it. The two becoming one. It is what we were created for, with God and with man. Don't miss the joy of intimacy because you are afraid of being naked....get real, get honest, get undressed and quit hiding behind those walls. And know that you are loved, known fully and still loved. And then start loving others that way!
ALL FOR YOU

backwards and forwards

Looking back is not a bad thing...going back is a whole other deal. Scripture is very plain about us leaving markers of rememberance so that we can see, know and remember what God has done in the past. But Scripture is also very plain about us moving forward.
I think of the children of Israel constantly wanting to go back to Egypt-to slavery-instead of moving into the Promised Land. What a stupid thought! And yet, we are just like them...not looking back to remember, but wanting to go back. God is not about the rerun, the past or keeping things the same. God is the God of the create, the new thing and the future. All of time is marching towards His return-not going back to the way things used to be.
In fact, Jeremiah puts it this way....You have forsaken me, you keep going backward, so I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you. I am tired of relenting.
Wow...that is pretty plain...going back is a matter of forsaking Him...because He is going forward.
So, if we are going with God...we are going to be moving forward...not back!

ALL FOR YOU

Pass us by?

Jesus put the disciples in a boat and sent them out on the water to strive against the wind. The WORD actually says that they were harassed, striving against and fighting the storm. Jesus, seeing them fighting against them, walks out on the water-INTENDING TO PASS THEM BY. Is that possible? Jesus sees us in our sinking ship, fighting against the waves, harassed by a storm and all He intends to do about it pass us by.
I don't know about you, but I have been struggling with that thought. That is, until I realized that Jesus is not interested in saving my sinking ship or helping me strive against the wind. The WORD tells me that HE is in charge of the wind. He can hurl one or stop one. He is sovereign and puts us in the boat to strive against the wind. Why? So that we will cry out to Him. It wasn't until Peter cried out to Jesus...Lord, if that is you, let me walk on the water with you! I want out of the boat...I just want walk with you.
For most of us, we want Jesus to save us IN the ship. But Peter understood what Jesus was doing...Jesus intended to pass them by if they stayed in the ship. He was waiting for someone...anyone to cry out and get out of the boat and walk with Him. Sure that seems risky...the waves are just as rough outside the boat. But Peter understood that waves outside the boat WITH Jesus were better than waves inside the boat without Him.
Jesus intends to pass us by...unless we will cry out and get out of the boat and walk with Him. We can sit in our sinking ship or we can walk on water. But the choice is ours...
Jesus...don't pass me by...I will cry out...I will get out of the boat and walk with you. I will abandon the ship and run to you.

ALL FOR YOU

My heart follows my feet.....
I have long believed that obedience in Scripture is a misunderstood teaching. For God does not merely desire our obedience, but our hearts. However, I also believe that sometimes our hearts just need time to catch up. Which means, I obey-even when I don't feel like it and my heart will catch up. It is a matter of disciplining our hearts, setting our hearts to chase after the things of God. Because every thought and intention of man is wicked (Jer 17:9 9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?)
I KNOW and readily acknowledge that my heart is prone to wander-probably more than most. Therefore, I-like Paul, find it necessary to "run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. (1 Cor 9:26-27) I must RUN and beat my body to make it a slave to God, to righteousness to, to grace, to Love, to holiness, to pursuing Him.
This is WORK. It takes being intentional. It takes laying aside every encumbrance and running after Him. It takes sacrifice, dying to self and focus. It takes accountability. It takes the Word of God.
I don't want to be disqualified....so this is NOT an option, but the demand of life as a believer. And quite honestly, there are days my heart just doesn't want to do it anymore. I get tired. I begin to wonder why do I even try. I struggle with results. I fail...I fall....I become angry at the lack of produce and fruit. I get tired of swimming upstream in the religious pond. I get weary and lonely...My heart wanders....

And then the WORD comes alongside my wandering heart and sets my feet to the path....
Do not grow weary. Do not lose heart.
Gal 6:9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

Why?
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; {and} that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him {be} the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

And then I am reminded that my heart will follow my feet.

KEEP RUNNING, buffeting....even when your heart wanders...so that Christ may dwell in our hearts and we will know the Love of HIM who is able to do more than we think or ask. Don't lose heart....set it...and run.ALL FOR YOU

shoes

For Christmas, Jim got me some new shoes. They are beyond cool and extremely special, mainly because they carry a message from my heart to my feet and from my feet to my heart.
Years ago, the Lord impressed upon my heart the PURPOSE of life is to LIVE for HIS GLORY. And that is where my sign name came from...the word Doxa is the word for glory in the GREEK. (kinda like NIKE means victor!) It has been the heartbeat of every step.
Recently, the Lord has made me start running. Just a word picture of what my life is to be about to RUN for HIS GLORY. Because most everything in my life has some sort of JESUS significance...so that I will constantly be reminded of whose I am and who I am....Jim got me RUNNING SHOES that say just that. DOXA CJU. That's right. ON THE SHOE...from my feet to my heart and to my feet again...RUN FOR THE GLORY of God. Doxa!

ALL FOR YOU

Friends with BENEFITS!!!

I was thinking on the unfathomable riches of Christ and the NEED to talk about what we HAVE IN HIM now...not just the fact that we get eternal life after we die.
I ran across this Scripture again in Psm 103.
This is a REALLY COOL list of what we GET NOW!

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases;
FORGIVENESS, HEALING
4 Who redeems your life from the pit; who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
REDEMPTION, RESCUE from the PIT, CROWNED with COVENANT and COMPASSION
5 Who satisfies your years with good things, {so that} your youth is renewed like the eagle.
SATISFACTION, GOOD THINGS, RENEWED STRENGTH
6 The LORD performs righteous deeds, and judgments for all who are oppressed.
DOES GOOD THINGS, REVENGE
7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.
REVELATION of HIS PLAN
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
COMPASSION, GRACE, PATIENCE, COVENANT
9 He will not always strive {with us} nor will He keep {His anger} forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
MERCY, restrained WRATH
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
COVENANT LOVE
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
REMOVED OUR SIN
13 Just as a father has compassion on {his} children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
COMPASSION
14 For He himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are {but} dust.
KNOWS US....that we are NOTHING-but still loves us
15 As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more; and its place acknowledges it no longer.
17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness
to children's children,
18 To those who keep His covenant, and who remember His precepts to do them.
EVERLASTING LOVE, COVENANT, gives us RIGHTEOUSNESS
19 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; and His sovereignty rules over all.
20 Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the LORD, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; bless the LORD, O my soul!

If that isn't reason to BLESS HIM....talk about HIM, live for Him, change for Him, listen to Him and meditate on Him....we are not all in...and we are missing it!
ALL FOR YOU

stiff neck

Been thinking a lot about stiff necks these days. Why? because mine is! In more ways than one.
I have an injury that keeps me uncomfortable. But since Christmas, the pain has increased and I simply can't hardly stand it. The bulging discs, bone spurs and muscle spams-along with the just plain tensing of the muscles is just about all I can take. All that, adds to the stiff neck, because the muscles clamp down and won't let me move...so I don't. The stiff neck keeps me from doing what I should and from the mobility I need to have.
So, I am seeing a dr to help with that problem. I go 3 times a week and he "snaps" my neck, trying to put things back in joint, but also to loosen up the muscles and the stiffness.
But that is not my only problem. My heart is a little stiff necked too.
Acts 7:51 says "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did."
Prov 29:1 says A man who hardens {his} neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.
So, I am seeing to it that my neck is not the only thing that is getting snapped back into place, but my heart as well. I don't want it broken...which is what the Lord promises if I continue to stiffen my neck to HIS desires.
The choice is mine...the choice is yours.
Stiff necked, unrepentant and stubborn, resisting the Holy Spirit and eventually broken....or we can do whatever we have to do to make sure that our necks/hearts don't become like this...but are pliable in the hands our our MAKER.

ALL FOR YOU

Religious Freedom Day

Well, tomorrow-Jan 16th is Religious Freedom Day. I am sure it is not what I am thinking. It probably has to do with recognizing everyone's right to choose their own religion and to worship how they choose. Which, quite honestly, I am thankful for, because it is what gives me the freedom to worship and serve the God I love without threat of losing my life or freedom.
But the thought that really rings my bell has nothing to do with freedom of religion, so much as it does with freedom FROM religion.
I have spent a lot of time recently allowing the Spirit to reshape my thoughts on following Christ-to be Christ centered and not man/religion centered. My-how this has changed my thinking. To allow Christ to determine all things and not what pleases man, what I like, what tradition dictates. To begin to beg the question...is Jesus pleased? Does this really represent Christ and how He thinks or merely reflect the religious laws of man.
The Pharisees had almost 700 additional laws to the Bible. Stuff they made into laws-in addition to what the WORD said. Stuff that they began to make equal to the Word..saying that people were sinning if they did not follow them. Wow...I see so much of that in church today. People who make "laws" out of traditions, ideas or opinions and try to make people obey them simply because they like that stuff.
I am so glad that Jesus died to set us free from that stuff-from that religious stuff that messes with our heads. Jesus is so much more than following man's rules...He is life and breath and in Him we live and move and have our being.
So maybe, tomorrow...we might celebrate Religious Freedom Day by simply saying...It is for freedom that Christ died, therfore STAND FIRM in your freedom and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. (religion!)Gal 5:1

ALL FOR YOU

revival

Revival is coming....a week from Sunday-it starts.
We have been preparing for this time and are working hard to be sure that it is exactly what the FATHER wants it to be. Our only goal is to be sure that HE is pleased with our offering, for if that is true, we WILL reap the reward of His presence with us, His power on us and His reviving of us.
As we have been preparing, we have been praying diligently for the Lord to direct our steps, our hearts and our minds to WHATEVER it would be that would glorify Him and bring Him pleasure. Now, I know this may sound odd...because typically when we think about Revival...we think about ourselves. We think of Revival as a time for God to do something to us....and I guess there is some truth in that. But Scripture teaches that we come to WORSHIP HIM and as a result receive a blessing....not the other way around. And so we have been wrapping our hearts around what HE would want.
In so doing, we have been praying through the times of worship....what that should look like, begging God to show us what songs He wants sung, how and when. The order of worship, the enviornment He wants created. And so we have been having rehearsals. I know that sounds crazy, but we have. This is NOT about pleasing everyone in the room. That will NEVER happen. But if when we are done, the Father is pleased, then we have done all that we were supposed to do.

I was standing in my kitchen talking with a friend this week. I was asked what we were doing on Thursday night. It just popped out...."we are having revival rehearsal". I was looked at like I had lost my mind. Revival rehearsal? What is that? Before I could stop myself, I responded by saying "we are going to practice dying and allowing the Lord to breathe new life into us so that we are revived." A kind of spiritual CPR.
I was trying to be smart....but those words have rung in my head for days now. Maybe we do need to have Revival rehearsal. Maybe it needs to be the habit of our life. To die so that He might live. To die, so that He might breathe new life into us. To die, so that He might revive us.
Next week isn't about pleasing people, getting something from God or even what music is done. It isn't about the speaker, how many show up or who stays away. Next week is about GOD. The reason it is called the REAL THING REVIVED-Revival is because it is time for us to set and focus our hearts on where they were supposed to be in the first place. To come and worship. To bless God. To Honor Him. To be sure He is pleased with our offerings and sacrifices. Isaiah 1 tells of a people that God became wearied with because their offerings and multiplied sacrifices were nothing to Him, they were a burden to Him. Next week is about making sure that our offerings are pleasing in HIS sight and that HE alone is worshipped, honored and asked.....is this what YOU wanted.
In the meantime, maybe we need to have revival rehearsal. Maybe, we do need to practice dying so that He might breathe on us. It is in that moment that we will see the rain. When we have died....and He is raises us to new life. I am still praying for a downpour.....but in the meanwhile, I am having rehearsal....how about you?ALL FOR YOU

Real Me?

Be the real you...even if it rocks people's boats.
Let people feel the weight of who you are...and let them deal with it. Don't pretend to be something you are not.
I often rock people's boats...not just because of what I say, but because of who I am. It is only recently that I am realizing it is more about because of WHOSE I am and what I am NOT that people are aggravated with me.
But I will be the real me....Christ in me...even if it rocks people's boats.
ALL FOR YOU

When did we get over the CROSS

I guess it happened sometime, but I don't really know when. Someone, somewhere decided church should be a civilized activity. I understand the reasoning-reverence and all that. But I am really struggling with the whole idea of just being tame, being civilized, being respectable....being...casual.
I mean, when did we decide that we could think on what Christ did for us, what God gave for us and be like....um...cool. When did we stop screaming at the top of our lungs, rejoicing and sharing that with all we know? When did we become so ungrateful that we stopped talking about the Cross and Jesus? When did we start belittling Him and making much of everything else? When did we...when did I...get over the cross?
In recent days, I have discovered something....I didn't. And that is why I am so weird. I didn't get over the cross. I didn't forget. And it is why I am a burr in the saddle for so many...who would like to be casual. How can you be casual about the cross.
We need to stop and think....when did we get over the cross...and just started chasing the American Dream? When did we decide that it was more important to find our missing cell phone? When did we forget what was done for us?


ALL FOR YOU

what have you read in redbook lately

Last Sunday, several of us went to see WE ARE MARSHALL. It is a pretty good flick (more language than I like) and the message is a tear jerker. I walked away with a couple of thoughts that have pricked my mind.
1. The way you play today is how you will be remembered. This is sooo true. What you do today will mark your legacy and who you will be. We must make everyday count for the Kingdom, for the glory. There are no off games, not downs we can loaf on. We MUST be ALL IN for His name and renown are at stake.
2. Rise from the ashes and grab glory. Wow, what a cool thought that God turns ashes into beauty, that He takes our death and gives life. That out of the ashes of our lives, He can receive glory. But it takes us dying...it takes us getting to the ashes, before we will ever see glory.
3. What have you read in redbook lately. No, I am not talking about the magazine. I am actually talking about the book with the red letters in it...you know Jesus' words outlined in red. What have you read...what has Jesus said to you lately from the pages of Scripture. I am awed at how few people even spend time in the gospels any more... and miss out on what Jesus has to say.
I don't think I will stand and scream WE ARE MARSHALL... but I might be found screaming...WE ARE YOURS.
so play today like you want to be remembered
die that you might rise out of the ash to give Him glory
and spend time reading the red book
ALL FOR YOU

warring friends

Relationships are the currency of God's Kingdom. Nothing else is as
valuable in the culture of heaven as our intimate connection to God and
one another. If this is true, then a passion for thriving, healthy
relationships must dominate the vision of every Christ-follower. The term
relationship is broad, but we will focus on the INTIMATE frienships in
your life-the one, two or three people who know you best. It may or may
not be a romantic relationship, but it is where your soul goes deep.
Depth and commitment are what separate "hanging out" from
life-transforming interdependence. Friendship is a commitment forged in
the HEAT of battle. And until your relationship is tested by conflict,
you don't really know what you have. LASTING friendships use every
obstacle as a means to know each other deeply and reinforce and enduring
commitment to each other's good.
People should always be more important than projects. Today's culture is
consumed with production and evaluates people on their ability to
generate excellent work, not on their ability to nurture healthy
relationships. This is why frienships drift into functional partnerships
instead of actual sharing life. In order to build a healthy intimate
frienship you need both quality time and quantity of time, so that you
can get past the superficial, to take the masks off and be real.
Building relationships that can go the distance combines the resources of
time with the skill of intention. Relationships can't be rushed and more
than you can hurry along the blooming of a flower. Both require adequate
time and care. Care comes from being INTENTIONAL-using your time with
your friends to deepen your understanding of one another, to touch the
hidden places of the soul and to contribute out of your own soul.
Real Relationships are built when you guard your brother's back and know
that he has yours. When you know that your failures, your triumphs and
your destiny are owned and carried by your cloest friends. This is the
climate that empowers grwoth and transformation, whether the context is
marriage or frienship or CHURCH.
The Bible affirms these things in the picture of David and Jonathon.
Jonathon is nearly always mentioned in the same breath with his friend
David. It is the picture that true friendship has a redemptive power that
surpasses the relationship itself and moves us towards our destiny. David
and Jonathon both knew that they could not face the enemy without a
relationship that was utterly committed to their own good. And so they
committed themselves to each other in FRIENDSHIP, vowing to guard one
another, love one another, seek the highest good of another...so that
they could both succeed."(the NEW REBELLION)

So....wouldn't it be smart to INVEST, be INTENTIONAL and to build
relationships that can last a life time.
ALL FOR YOU

come on let's go....but beware

I sat down for a few minutes tonight to clear my mind and try to focus on something other than the pain that is in my neck. I picked up the guitar and worked for a little while, but found my heart being drawn to the piano once again. I was actually thinking about the music for the upcoming REVIVAL-The REAL THING...that is coming in Jan. I was working through several songs, asking the Lord to reveal that which would bring Him pleasure and move our hearts into the throne room.
I found my heart singing a fairly new song by David Crowder. COME AND LISTEN, come and listen to what He has done. Praise our God for what He has done....But the heart of song is found in the beginning. Come to the water's edge all who know and fear the Lord. Come to the water's edge all who are thirsty, come.
As I sat at the piano, singing these words to the Father and allowing them to pierce my heart, I was flooded with that call.....to COME....come higher, come further, come closer. I was stunned by the familiar call of the Father that invaded my heart only days ago. A call which said-Come on let's go!

While sitting in these thoughts this evening, I allowed the Father freedom to speak and a willingness of heart to listen. I cried out to Him....and said that I was here...listening. His call to me is the same...come on, let's go.

But I also heard a WARNING....a very STERN warning. It was not the first time I have heard it in the last 3 days. But this time, it overwhelmed me.
Beware...the enemy is crouching at your door and is seeking to destroy you and your journey. Do not be derailed....but COME ON...with all that you are and do not be deterred by anything here on earth. I was startled by the intensity of the Warning. And it has moved my heart in recent days to pray offensively and specifically about the temptation that is lurking and the attempt of the enemy to derail us from the journey. Specifically to say...don't turn back...come ON....Press on to know me.
COME LET US RETURN TO THE LORD
For He has torn us, but He will heal us
He has wounded us but He will bandage us
He will revive us after two days
He will raise us up on the third day
that we may live before Him.
So let us know, let us press on to Know the Lord...(harass!)
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
and He will come to us like the rain.

So let's GO.....let's not back up....let's not allow the enemy to keep us from moving forward. Let's not compromise or give him place. Do not be fooled....he is lurking, waiting to destroy us, but he will not win....if we will press on.
Come on...let's go!
ALL FOR YOU

preparing for rain

As of Monday morning, I will be headed to Atlanta to the PASSION Conference. It is going to be an awesome time of worship and feasting on the Word of God. I have counted the days...for me, this is better than Christmas. But not for the reasons most think.
Sure I will enjoy the speakers. I mean who doesn't like Louie, Francis Chan, Beth Moore, John Piper and many others. The music will ROCK and usher us into the presence of God. With worship leaders like Tomlin, Crowder, Hall and Redman...there is bound to be little sprinkle from the Lord.
But me...I am preparing for RAIN...God raining down His glory on us, pushing our faces to the ground, breaking us, ministering to us, healing us and reviving us. For me, it is not about the speakers or the music, but a KNOWING in my heart that GOD will be there and meet us. I am going to be totally spent and undone...simply because my heart will be vested only on Him for 4 days.
Everyday should be like that....but most days I fail. So for me...KNOWING this is going to happen...is better than any gift, any celebration, any sermon or music...just BEING with JESUS...meeting with Him.
It is what church should be like all the time. Sadly, that is not the case. So this will have to hold me for awhile....I am preparing for a downpour from the Lord...and I am not carrying an umbrella. I will turn my face to heaven and be drenched by His majesty and greatness. I will bask in His glory and fall face down as He presses into towards us.
God...help me to bring this back home...and to share it with others.

ALL FOR YOU

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I took a few minutes, this Christmas Eve, to spend some time reflecting on Jesus. As I have mentioned, I have been overtaken by the fact that we are celebrating the Christ child, while our focus is on so many other things. Therefore, for me…I have chosen to set my heart upon Him. To rejoice in Him and to allow my heart to be captivated by Him alone.

Isa 9:2-6
2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.
(John 1:9 There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.-Jesus)
4 For Thou shalt break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

I have been soaking in these Scriptures today. In fact, I could hear the Father whisper them over my heart while I was at church. I couldn’t remember WHERE they were found and had to come home and look it up so I could meditate upon them. Isaiah tells us that the people walking in darkness will see a great light and John affirms that Light to be Jesus.

This child, Jesus, born to the virgin, will be called Wonderful Counselor-meaning a marvelous thing, a miracle, something to marvel at, a divine guide and purpose. Mighty God-the championed, almighty. Eternal Father-a perpetual, continual, everlasting DADDY. Prince of peace-the steward of reconciliation, of the covenant relationship, the friendship. Immanuel-God with us.

This Jesus…..a marvel of God, to guide us in His divine purpose was sent to be our champion over sin, to bring us out of darkness into the Light so that He could be our Abba, our Daddy. He is our peace, our justification, our reconciliation, our lamb that established Covenant, allowing us to pass through the pieces of flesh and enter into a friendship with God. And if that is not enough….He is GOD with us, in us, for us, through us.

Tomorrow, we celebrate the COMING of JESUS to be GOD WITH US. How can we be drawn aside or distracted by lesser things or distractions? But we are….and so Isaiah makes a statement that absolutely blows my mind!

For Thou shalt break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.

Isaiah explains that these people who have seen the Light (Jesus) will rejoice because He will break the yoke of their burden and the rod of their oppressor-as at Midian.
God used Gideon to deliver Israel from the oppression and slavery of the Midianites. He used ONE man to break the yoke and the rod of those who enslaved and oppressed His people.

Wow….and then Isaiah says that this is what Jesus does for us. He is the breaker of the yoke of slavery and the rod of oppression. He is what can free us from distractions and lesser things-if we set out hearts on Him.

I am sure many of us are facing oppression, trials, slavery and yokes of bondage. I am confident that the enemy has us convinced that there is no way out or that it is something we must learn to deal with. Many of us have settled for life under the rule of another. Many of us have learned to “survive”….but tomorrow….tomorrow we CELEBRATE, we rejoice because the ONE who is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Immanuel, has come to deliver us from that which enslaves us. He has come and when He shows up in our worlds-it will be captivating and devastating all in the same moment. We will be Captivated by His greatness and devastated by His grace. We will be Captivated by His Love and devastated by His mercy. We will be Captivated by His compassion and yet devastated by the change He will require and perform in us.

Tomorrow should be a day….of rejoicing in a God who delivers-who captivates and devastates. Claim that truth, run after it, harass God with it….and celebrate it.
He is our peace. He is our Covenant Sacrifice. He is our deliverer. He is the Beginning and End. He is Tabernacle. He is the Law giver. He is the judge. He is our Kinsman Redeemer. He is our Strong Tower. He is our Shepherd. He is our King. He is the Word. He is our Wall. He is our song. He is our Bridegroom. He is our Priest. He is our Prophet. He is our Future and our Hope. He is the Word made flesh. He is our redemption. He is our friend. He is our soon and coming Daddy. He is….

What does tomorrow hold….the promise of deliverance and the soon and coming King.

ALL FOR YOU

the NEW REBELLION?

Top 10 reasons to join:
10 you are intensely passionate for Jesus and HIS KINGDOM
9 You really want to live a life of eternal significance
8 You resent the apathy that derails many of Jesus' followers.
7 You're willing to swim against today's social currents.
6 You know God is already stirring your heart for action.
5 You're looking for tools to empower God's purpose.
4 You want to live out God's ancient wisdom in a relevant way.
3 You desire to experience God and invite others into that experience.
2 You're absolutely dedicated to Christ's Lordship in your life.
1 You're ready to move in the power and authority of God.

I'm IN!
ALL FOR YOU

many or few? just me and you!

Saul was the man God had chosen to be king. He was a born leader and anointed by God. For a time, Saul feared the Lord and feared failing Him. Saul fought many battles for the children of Israel and won. And in 1 Sam 14, we find that he was about to engage in another battle, but was awaiting Samuel to come and offer sacrifices before they went to war. Saul, in his impatience, waited 7 days and got tired of waiting and had the offering brought to him. He then took it upon himself to offer sacrifices to the Lord, which could-at that time-only be done by a priest. When Samuel arrives, he informs Saul that he has acted foolishly and that the Kingdom would not be ripped from his hands and given to another.

When it came time for battle, we find Saul sitting on the outskirts under a pomegranate tree. The people were awaiting his instructions…and he did nothing. The enemy was drawing closer and Saul sat and sulked, knowing he had been disobedient and would reap the consequences to his sin.

However, his son Jonathon, is a whole other story. Jonathon, watching his father sit under the tree on the outskirts, not engaging in anything, refused to be a part of such disobedience. Jonathon watched as his father choose to remove himself from the blessableness of God and choose to be different. Jonathon choose to engage in battle. Jonathon choose NOT to walk in his Father’s footsteps.

While Saul sat and sulked, Jonathon found three small words that forever changed the journey ahead for him. I love the heart of Jonathon….a believer in the bigness of God and not willing to simply sit in a corner. He was a fighter for what he believed in.

Twice, he says these words….twice in one 6 verse Jonathon uses them as a war cry. He looks at his armor bearer and says “come let us go”. His Father might sit under a tree, but as for Jonathon…he would not. His father might choose to disengage, but not Jonathon. Jonathon refuses to sit and be taken captive. He is going to fight. “Come let us go….perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many of by few.”

What was he saying? If it is only the two of us….I am good with that! If it is just me and my armor bearer, I believe God is big enough to use just the two of us to deliver us from the enemy that is advancing. God does not need an army. He does not need MANY…He only needs a few! I will be the few!

Come let us go…..if it is only the two of us….I am good with that. For my God is Big enough to deliver….

ALL FOR YOU

Christmas Thoughts

tonight, I was thinking about what the season is REALLY all about. As Christians, we often say that JESUS is the reason for the season, but is that really true? Can we go to a party and never mention His name and say that He is the reason for the season? Can we tell stories of rudolph and frosty and yet say little or nothing about the Christ child and say that He is the real reason for Christmas? Can we go to staff get togethers, put lights on a tree and wrap gifts and never give a thought to Jesus and say He is the reason?
What is Christmas all about?
Yes, It is about Jesus. It is about understanding that God sent His Son to be born in a manger and to die on a cross because we are desperate sinners in need of a Savior. I feel bad knowing that we have lost Jesus in the midst of a celebration bearing His name. We talk of Santa and Rudolph. And yes, we will even go to church on Christmas Eve.
But there is something inside of me that continues to beg the question....is that why He came? So that we could claim to be Christians and live half heartedly for Him? Do we really think that He came so that we could get our get out of hell free cards and live any way we like?
I can't imagine that is what He wants. And I certainly can't imagine that He is pleased with our celebration of His Birth...with only the slightest mention of His name. Do we not understand these are ETERNAL issues....life and death....?
I am overwhelmed tonight thinking that so many wear His name and can attend church and parites in His name and yet, never mention His name, talk of His greatness or live as He has called.
Father....may you so radically change our lives....that you would no longer be lost in a religion that wears your name.
ALL FOR YOU

POLAR EXPRESS

What a blessing to see a group of people come together to work for the glory of the Lord. We are so blessed....thanks.
ALL FOR YOU

Can YOU hear me now?

This morning, I heard that voice. It calls my name....over and over, until I answer. It draws me in and sometimes is quite annoying. It is a voice that I love to hear, yet know that most times it is going to require something of me. It is a voice that I never tire of, however becomes tiresome as I know what comes next. It never stops until I answer. It is relentless.
It isn't that I didn't hear it the first twelve times. It is just that I was putting it off, busy doing something else. Or sometimes it is just that I don't want to answer. More often than not, I don't answer immediately because I just don't want to.
Eventually, I always answer. Eventually, I tune in, give in, give up and respond.
No, it is not the voice of God....but the voice of my four year old, Micah. (Now, before some of you jump to the conclusion that I am not a good Mom-not always responding to his every beck in call, let me remind ALL of you how many times you have wanted to change your name from "mommy or daddy", because of the incessant calling-for no reason.)

But for many of us....the description above could have described our response to the call of God. I want to train my heart to immediately respond to God and not to delay. Delayed obedience is disobedience. I want to train myself to be so tuned in that I don't put off the call of God.
I felt that call yesterday. It began in the morning. A call to come aside, be in the Word and to fellowship. I heard Him call me. Several times, I went to my desk, only to be sidetracked by "stuff" and then called away. Thank goodness for God's persistence in chasing me.....for He would call me back. It took 4 trips to my desk, away and back, several hours and a nagging call of God to get me to come aside. I must confess that I was ashamed that I had allowed so many other things to become my priority. By 1pm, I had carved out a few minutes to soak in the Word, to bask in His message to me. I turned on some praise music, delved deep and swam through the depths of His greatness. I look back and wonder why I waited? Why I let so many things come first? For the greatness of God is so overwhelming that I can't imagine what could have been so important. Even now, I don't remember. (it might have been the call of my four year old!)

Let's not delay when we hear His voice. Let's not allow other things to become our idols of worship and priority by becoming first place over His call to us. Let's not allow ourselves to be drawn away by things of this world. Let's train our hearts to respond immediately to His call.

My four year old is learning that to "mommy" me to death is not the way to get my attention. He must come to me and speak what He needs...not just call my name over and over. And yet, I am learning that all I have to do is cry out to Him and He will answer. He will come to me and meet my needs. Isn't it great that God is better than we are?

Call to me and I will answer, I will show you great and marvelous things that you have not seen. Jer 33:3
ALL FOR YOU

Make me a WARRIOR

Sunday morning, during a time of worship and prayer, I was overtaken by the heart of God. The room was already thick with the presence of God and I could sense that the following moments were going to be intense. I was just waiting for the movement of God to begin. It was awakened in our souls by the movement of 2 young boys, who could not have been 13. They were small in stature and in normal circumstances, probably would not be given a second thought by adults. However, on this day, they lead us into the throne room of God, as their boldness and courage stirred our hearts to respond as they had to the power and greatness of God.
The room was ripe and ready when I watched the 2 small boys almost sneak down the side of the building. The walkway was so small, that they walked one behind the other, yet the one from behind had his hand on the shoulder of the one in front, as if to say "i am still with you". They quietly made their way down the side of the building and to the front where they discreetly found a place on the steps of the altar to lay themselves. We were all thunderously singing "I surrender all", with hands open in demonstration that we would hold nothing back from our God. We were mouthing the words to an age old song. It was not the time for "invitation". No one had invited anyone to the altar. The service wasn't almost over, in fact, it had barely started. But in an act of courage and response to their God, these 2 small boys led the way. The leader looked down in the middle of the song and realized what was happening and just smiled.
If you had not been watching for it, you might had missed them. They were not looking to draw attention to themselves. They were not two kids who didn't know what they were doing or who were driven my emotion. They were two young men who had the courage to kneel themselves before their God despite the when, where or who, despite a room full of peers that might make fun....they made their way to Jesus.
I immediately began to cry. They had done what I wanted to do. But I was too afraid. I was waiting for someone to tell me it was okay. I wanted to be those two boys.
Later during the service, we had a time of prayer where people were asked to cry out to the Lord-literally out loud. To voice our prayers. Not in a "prayer circle", but just to shout out what was on our hearts. At first there was this trickle of shouts asking for God to show Himself or to help someone in sin. But it only took a minute or two before it began to rain down in that room as kids began to cry out two and three at time to the Father, begging Him to save their familiy members, to help them live for His glory, to rescue a friend in trouble. It was absolutely, amazingly beautiful to hear teenagers, without reservation shout out to the Father. In my heart, I could see Jesus sitting on the throne saying..."those are my kids crying out to me...give them what they want...I love them and am pleased with their offering." Kids began instantly dropping to their knees. The carpet was now covered with kids who were laying facedown before the Lord, bowed low to the ground. We were in the presence of the Lord and THEY knew it...they couldn't help but respond that way and neither could I.
In the midst of the kids shouting out their cries to the Lord, I heard one of those little boys from the front. He was on his knees (along with everyone else). He rared back on his heels and turned his face towards heaven and shouted out his cry to the Lord.
"God, Make me a WARRIOR for you!"
It was all he said.
God used those boys to pierce my heart and to start a movement of God in that room. Their cry was to "make me a Warrior for you" and as far as I could tell....they are well on their way. A boy with the heart of David. A child who longs to be a Warrior for the King. Abandoning all, leading the way, free from the bonds of expectation....just making their way to Jesus and asking....Make me a Warrior for you.
The following moments were full of mental word pictures that I will later write about. But today, the one that pierces my heart is of a young man crying out to the Father. It was in that moment, I was confident that we had "had church" and that the Father was pleased. It was in that moment that the presence of the Lord descended on that room and pressed us all to the ground, leaving us undone. And it happened because a boy had the courage to MOVE and RESPOND to the greatness of who God is. I saw a really BIG GOD in the heart of a small boy. A boy who has a heart like HIS....a boy who has challenged my feet to MOVE AND RESPOND-not waiting for the okay, but just quietly, discreetly, responding to the awesomeness of God.
ALL FOR YOU

missin' it

Don't miss what God is doing in you, because you are looking for God to do something around you.

Isn't that a crazy thought? That we are so busy looking for God to do something around us that we miss what God is doing in us. We are continually praying for God to heal, provide, show, guide, direct, answer, give, change or reveal. While God is certainly a God of all these things, He is more interested in doing something IN us than just doing something around us. But those are things that we rarely focus on. Why? because it is easier to ask God and focus upon what God is doing around us, than to be consumed by what God is doing IN us.
Isn't it time that we become a people that are obsessed by what God is doing IN us and to stop focussing on what God is doing around us? I want to stop looking for His hand at work around me all the time and begin to focus on His heart at work inside of me. I want to be overwhelmed by what He is doing in me, how He is changing me, conforming me. I love to see Him work around me, but what is going to forever transform me is what He is doing IN me, not just what He does around me.

So the question of the day: What is God doing IN you today?
Not how have you seen Him working around you....but what is God doing IN you? How is He transforming you? That is the work that He is longing to do. And if we can't answer that and say what God is changing, moving, doing inside of us....then we are not walking with Him as we think that we are. We are fooling ourselves. Don't be fooled....God wants IN you...not around you.ALL FOR YOU

fire hydrant

the above picture effectively describes my life most days. Let me explain why. Anyone who spends any amount of time with me will eventually describe me as a fire hydrant. My relationship with Jesus is not a casual relationship, a stroll or even a fresh breath of air. It is intense, intentional and often a force to be reckoned with. And for a lot of people...it is too intense, too intentional and a force they would rather avoid. Spending time with me, can often feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. And for many, that is an experience they can do without. People need to drink from a water hose, not a fire hydrant.
For years, I have worked on capping that fire hydrant off, controlling it and meeting people where they are. And I have gotten better...although there are moments when the cap pops off and there she blows.
However, in recent days, this picture has come to illustrate something different in me. Yes, I am still the fire hydrant, learning to be controlled by the Spirit so that I don't hose people down. But the more important picture for me now is that I am the one drinking from the fire hydrant.
The Father is lavishing His love, grace, mercy and relationship on me. It is overwhelming and astonishing, challenging and changing, fulfilling and satisfying. But what I have discovered is the closer I come the more powerful it becomes. The drink from Him is no longer a sip, a gulp, or a hose down. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly {places} in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
He is longing to lavish Himself on us....He wants us to drink from the fire hyrdrant of His mercy, love, grace and kindness. He is not holding back, merely giving us a taste or a sip. He is waiting for us to step up and to allow the down pour to begin. Who He is, is not just a taste and see God...for once we have tasted we will want to be drenched with, lavished by, poured out on by the greatness of who He is.
I may be a fire hydrant, but that is because I am drinking from one...and loving every minute of it. For I will never thirst again!


ALL FOR YOU

Delight

Have you ever stopped and just thought about what pleases the Father? We spend a lot of time talking about and focussing on what pleases us, but the ultimate question...the question of LIFE...is what pleases Him?
There are a list of Scriptures that could define what that looks like. But tonight, there is one that has topped the charts for me. Jeremiah 9:23-24 says let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things.
The Father delights, takes pleasure in the man who glories in, boasts of KNOWING and UNDERSTANDING Him. That He is a God of Covenant mercy, judgement and rightness. God delights when we YADA Him, KNOW Him, Experience Him....this is a word that denotes intimacy. Not just understands, but has KNOWN and still KNOWS and loves.
We can be delighted...when He is delighted, for our delight should be in HIM and HIM alone. I crave time with Him. I long for time to talk about Him. I so want to share Him with others. It is why I live and breathe. Everything else is small in light of the joy of breathing Jesus. He is the air I breathe. I can boast in these things, for that is what delights Him. He is honored and thrilled when we sit with our friends and talk of Him, to Him, for Him, about Him. He smiles with delight when we surround ourselves with His presence and bring others into it. He is LONGING for us to GLORY in HIM.
So how could we choose to live any other way...than for His name and His renown. That is what the word to glory means...to live for His renown. To hold it as the highest worth. To make shine. But it also means to act like a madman, to act clamourishly foolish, to be given in marriage. Pretty cool...that to glory in means to enter into Covenant and to act in such away that you are considered a madman because you so shine the light and renown on the Father.
Makes me want to GLORY!
ALL FOR YOU

EXPRESS YOURSELF

I am not one that typically has a problem expressing myself. In fact, I am quite the opposite. And yet, the past several days I have found myself inexplicably without words. Unable to accurately express or describe what I felt, where I was, where I was going and why I felt so overwhelmed-in both a good and a bad way. But today, the Lord has allowed me freedom to KNOW and EXPRESS His heart.
I have longed for and desired for many months now freedom which has lead me on a new journey with the Father. I have cried out that He might be awakened in me and that He would take my breath away and breathe in me His words, His life, His ways. It is in that moment that He dwells in me and I in Him-that I can KNOW that the Lord has chosen and sent me, that He possesses me. In the arousing of the Father, to set His love on me and I on Him, I have found myself speechless. And yet at the same time, wanting more than ever to express the Love that resounds within my soul-not a passive, casual relationship, but an intensely passionate and emotional consuming that leaves you breathless.

Zech 2:11-13
11 "And many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.
12 "And the LORD will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.
13 "Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD; for He is aroused from His holy habitation."

ALL FOR YOU

inside out

It is getting colder, which honestly, is making running harder. It is harder to get out of bed, harder to make myself get motivated to go outside and harder to make myself run. Cold environments are just HARD.
However, I am learning to discipline my heart to run despite the environment. Truly, that is a discipline-to run in spite of the hardness is only something that comes through the training and subjecting of one's heart. As I run, I am conditioning my breathing as well. Increasing my breathing capacity by pushing myself to run further, harder and longer.
I am running, telling myself these things when I suddenly realize that I am not cold any longer. In fact, I have broken a sweat. I can see my breath as I breathe, but my body is no longer effected by the outside environment. I am startled by this revelation and begin to wonder why the outside environment and the cold is no longer effecting me when I am struck by the truth that as I am running I am producing heat. So much heat that the cold from the outside has no effect.
Wow, what a cool thought. We live in a cold world that would like to press it's effect on us as believers, making it hard to run after the things of the Lord. But as we discipline our hearts to chase after Him, we begin to put off heat from the inside out, counteracting the outside elements so much that they don't effect us. The cold is no longer hard for there is heat that is being put off from the inside out.
Wouldn't it be cool if we effected all of life this way....running after the Father in such a way that the world does not effect us because the heat from within, the passion from within, the journey itself counteracts what the world wants to try to stop. The outside elements have no effect on one who is running hard and fast to the Father.

ALL FOR YOU

ALLEY CATS

Today, the Alley Cats came to TREEHOUSE. It was so cool to see all Noah's baseball buddies worshipping the Lord together. Coach Richard came to talk about how important each member of the team is, how important character is and how they need every player to make the team work. Much like the body of Christ, there are many members, all gifted differently, but all needed within the body. What if we were all an eye or an ear? What if we were all catchers or all pitchers? Each member is a needed part of the body. It was a cool day and I am thankful to the Lord for allowing me to be a part of what He is doing at TREEHOUSE.

ALL FOR YOU

ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING

I took my girls discipleship group to see One Night with the King and then to have coffee after to discuss the story of Esther. It was a great movie that sparked a lot in each of our hearts. But I was especially moved by the scene where she abandons everything and chooses to enter into the Kings chamber unsolicited. As she enters, everyone is yelling at the King that protocol has been broken. When protocol is broken, severe punishment is given. The King is confused as to why she would have done this and the voices around him calling for her life rage a war within him. Yet, it is evident that her love for the King has caused her to risk it all and that his love for her, moved him to offer grace. He raises his sceptor and stops any harm from coming to her.
That scene has stuck in my memory for the last two weeks, knowing that the heart of my King is love for me-so much love that when protocol was broken by me that He raised His sceptor and interceded on my behalf, offering me grace-undeserved. And I want the world to know that my heart is given to my King, that I would risk it all for Him and for the love that we share. My heart is His. And if I perish, I perish.....

ALL FOR YOU

covenant friends

The past few weeks have been kind of crazy-an up and down rollercoaster of emotion. We have gone from thinking we were going to take a job at Precept Ministries to choosing to stay where we are and in the midst of that struggle we have wrestled with many church issues, emotions and relationships. We have rejoiced, cried, paced and poured our hearts.
These days have made me so thankful for precious friends who have committed to us not only their friendship, but that they would be our shield and our sword. That they, like David and Jonathon, have made our heart their heart...pledging to protect, provide and to always seek after our highest good.
There is nothing like a friend that carries your burdens and your joys so close to their heart that it is as if you are one.
In recent days, I too, have carried such a burden and know both the joy and the heartache of another, yet would not exchange it for the world, knowing that God has allowed me the precious privilege of friendship, that most will never know.
As I look back on the past month, I am smitten by the fact that God has allowed me to journey with these and am overtaken by the truth that just as David and Jonathon were Covenant Friends...so are we.
I hope all of you are so blessed...to have and to carry the heart of another with you through this life and to be a Covenant Friend.

ALL FOR YOU

time for a change

So the blog looks different! I thought it was time for a change. I am a creature of habit. I believe in discipline and like things to remain constant. I don't like to change my screen saver because I feel guilty over not having everyone's picture on it. I like consistency and constancy. I like everything to be in it's place and for life to be certain and sure.
But that isn't how life is. Change is the very nature of life. And though I would like to say that I am one who embraces changes, I know deep down that there is part of me that would rather have the security of what I know. That reality scares me, because I fear I could miss God for what is comfortable.
And so, despite what I like, I changed my screen saver. I redid my blog. Who knows what could be next. I am just a wild and crazy girl these days!
Jesus never wanted us to stay the same. He wants us to continue to process and change. I can not allow myself the privilege of remaining the same, clinging to what is secure or longing for everything to be secure. The truth is...HE is the only thing that never changes and the only One in whom security is found. To cling to anything else would be idolatry.
It is time to embrace change and worship the ONLY thing that doesn't. Jesus!

ALL FOR YOU

What do I want?

Just wanted to respond to my thoughts from earlier....what does Jesus want? The obvious next question is what do I want? Do I want what Jesus wants?
I know the correct Sunday School answer is Yes, but if we were really honest, we would have to step back and evaluate our hearts to see if that is really true.
Somedays, I want peace and that means compromising what Jesus requires to please people.
Somedays, I don't want to be the source of conflict, which means removing myself from serving so that I am not the target of attack.
Somedays, I want to be liked, which often means backing away from hard truth so that people will like me.
Somedays, I want to be accepted, which means faking what I think and know to be true in order to be pleasing.
Somedays, I want people to think well of me, which means I can't be who I am or do what God has required me to do because I know people won't like, accept or think well of me if I do.

but most days, above all these other things that my flesh wants, I just want what Jesus wants-which often comes in conflict with the other things. And thus my spirit and my flesh wars-tearing me apart from the inside out.
Most days, I want what Jesus wants for me. To proclaim truth without waivering. To love people more than I love relationships so that I don't back away from what is good for them, despite whether they like it or not. To know that I am accepted and obedient and pleasing before God, regardless of what man thinks. To know that trials and conflict will arise for those standing on the frontlines and to be willing to accept them as confirmations from the Lord that you are walking with Him.

But I can't have both....I must choose. To please man or to please God. Somedays, I want to please man-but those days are becoming fewer and fewer as my heart is longing all the more to please the Father. But I can't do both. I must choose.

So, what do I want? For Him to say well done...and that only comes when I want what He wants. So I had better BE SURE that we are synced up...abiding, one flesh, one mind...So regardless of the pressure to conform to what men want, I want what Jesus wants and that is to be fully His....



ALL FOR YOU

what does Jesus want?

I have been circling this thought for months, trying to discern in all aspects of life what Jesus wants...particularly what He wants from me. I came to the conclusion that He wants a heart that is fully His, sold out and surrendered, passionate and consumed by Him. Sounds simple enough, but that would be too easy.
However, I have chosen to embark on that journey dispite the difficulty. Oddly enough, I continue to bump into conflict because of that. But it isn't with whom you would expect. The world is NOT at all bothered by my journey to be fully HIS. Rather, they expect it. If you are a Christian, it is assumed you are fully His and if you say you are one and aren't fully possessed by Him-you are a hypocrite. Which is why most of the world thinks us to be hypocrites.
Instead, it is the church(not a particular church, but christendom in general) that seems to give us so much criticism-and when I say us, I mean those of us who are striving to be fully His. Most of the criticism comes from those who are within the community of "believers". And most of the criticism has nothing to do with what Jesus wants and everything to do with formulas, programs, personal preference, pleasing people and attitudes.
It is really quite discouraging at times. However, I will not be deterred from my original journey. I want to be fully His.
I have been reading a book called Dear Church. It is a twentysomething's perspective on why so many in their generation are walking away from church-and honestly has to do with this same question. Is anyone really asking "what does Jesus want?". I just wanted to answer her back and say....I am-even when it is hard and many don't like the answer or the fact that you are asking. I want ONLY what He wants and I am asking that question and am determined to walk in that alone. Isn't that what walking with Jesus is all about anyway?

ALL FOR YOU

I'm on my morning run today, thinking about the correlation between running and breathing. (as I was trying to breathe deep because I felt like I was going to die!) I kept thinking, in through my nose, out through my mouth. Breathe deep...steady....controlled....so that I can keep on going. And then I began to think that without correct breathing, running would not be possible. My body could endure the pain of pushing through the physical requirements of running, but if my breathing isn't right, it just won't happen. I began to really concentrate on my breathing. It was labored and hard to "think" so much about something that should be so natural. But as I am trying to increase my capacity for running long distance, I must also train my body to be able to breathe for such a run.
Which made me think about my spiritual journey as well. If I am going to run in the path of His commands, buffeting my body to run, press on and endure the race before me, I must also train my body and my mind to breathe correctly so that I can finish. For without breath, there is no finishing.
What does spiritual breathing look like? focussed, deep, steady, trained and disciplined inhale and exhale of the breath of God. He breathes-we inhale and then we exhale what He has breathed into us. We discipline ourselves so that we can do that while we run after Him...
Eventually breathing will become natural, as well as supernatural. However, in the meantime, we must discipline ourselves to learn to breathe...so that we can run after Him.



ALL FOR YOU

I don't want to work

With four boys in my house, it seems to be a phrase I hear a lot. I am guessing it is the curse of sin. I know that prior to sin, Adam had a job and worked. As a result of sin, work became hard. Therefore, I can't help but think that at that point, man began to hate to work. And yet, it is his curse. Six days he shall labor. However, getting them motivated to live by that-is a whole other story. Most of the time we would much rather sit in front of the computer or the tube. Yet, it is NOT what we were instructed. Man is to work. When man doesn't work, that is when he finds himself getting into trouble.
So although my boys may not like work, they are learning that work is life. And playtime only comes as a result of fulfilling responsibilities...even if we are tired.
There is something fulfilling about knowing that you have finished, accomplished and gotten something down. It is good for your heart, for your soul. God knew this. It is why He made us to work. We may hate it-but that is because of sin. We were created for good works in Christ Jesus....so get off the couch.


ALL FOR YOU

Encouragement

There are days when what the Lord has called me to do and be becomes very heavy. Especially, when those times are filled with challenging others-simply because of the natural resistance to change. I have set my heart towards change and I know that the Father has called me to be one who challenges the process, brings friction that results in change for HIS Kingdom. I am all about challenging the status quo and doing all I can to make myself and those around me line up with the Word, God's plan and Christ's heart.
Which means...sometimes I am not liked very much. Not many people like to be challenged. However, it is what God has called me to. This week I especially struggled with that. Needing encouragement from the Father, I went to His Word because the weight of that was causing me to be frustrated with who I am, wishing I could just sit in the pews like everyone else.
But then the Lord met me in Panera. Yes, I said Panera. I was there for a time of study and quiet. I got a glass of tea and took my Bible to a quiet corner where I secluded myself with the Father. And in those precious moments, the Father encouraged and affirmed me, bringing salve to my aching soul. They were words from Jeremiah 1 and will be forever etched on my heart-as they were written to me as well.
"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart. I have appointed you a prophet. I have put My words in your mouth. I have appointed you to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant. You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it. They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you."
God met with me in an unlikely place, with an unlikely message. He encouraged my soul and reminded me that I am His. He set me apart and appointed me to be a messenger of truth-to bring truth that may break down, but will also build and plant. It is HIS Words, not mine and He is watching over them and me.
Thank you Father for ministering to my "feelings". And for reminding me with TRUTH what is real and what is just an emotion that can lead me off track. Thank you for setting me apart and for putting Your Word in me. May I be faithful to what you have given and required.

ALL FOR YOU

Movies

FACING THE GIANTS....is a new film that opened this weekend. It is a Christian movie and EVERYONE needs to take their family to see this film. The acting is just okay...but the message is one of the best I have ever seen! I will write more on it later, but it will be a shame if you miss this one.



ALL FOR YOU

ALL FOR YOU

Amazing Grace

Recently, I have been bending my heart around falling IN LOVE with Jesus. To be madly, head over heels, to die for IN LOVE with Him. Not just emotion, commitment or duty, but to genuinely be consumed by/with Jesus. As I have pursued that-full on-the Lord brought me to a place of asking if HE was enough. Am I satisfied with JUST HIM? My answer has been yes, that I want MORE of HIM. I am not looking for more to do, for Him to do more for me...I just want to live and move and have my being IN HIM and LOVE HIM with all my heart, soul, mind and strength-totally given to Him, holding nothing back.
The question that came back to me in that pursuit was "is my grace enough". If that is all you get...of me (thank God it isn't all we get-for He is GRACIOUS), is My grace enough. What if GRACE is all I get?
I really had to step back and evaluate my heart, to honestly say, No. Wow, what a revelation. To think that grace has appeared to all men (being Jesus) bringing salvation, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, to live sensibly, righteously and godly. (titus 2:11-12) It is grace that has saved us. (eph 2:5) His grace should be enough.
And yet, the reality of my heart was that is really wasn't. I said I was grateful for His grace. That it was sufficient for me. But it wasn't until earlier today that Grace truly became amazing to me. For it was I who walked according to the course of this world. It was I who lived in the lust of my flesh, indulging it's desires. It was I who was disobedient. But God, being rich in mercy and because of His love for me, even when I was dead, disobedient and not even realizing the depth of my sin, made me alive. He breathed on me. So that He might show the greatness of His grace and covenant. It was because of His grace that my I am free. For it was for freedom that Christ died. (Gal 5:1) His grace has set me free.
I have been searching for freedom....and I realized today that Grace has set me free. I got in the car today and the song Amazing Grace came playing through my ipod. But not just the traditional words. The words of a new chorus began to ring in my car and in my heart as the realization of His Grace swept through my soul.
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, My Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood, His mercy rains
unending Love, amazing grace.
And for the first time ever....I can honestly say, His grace is enough. My chains are GONE...I am FREE.


ALL FOR YOU

run to you

Several months ago, standing on a beach in Daytona with a precious friend, the Lord gave me these words....a cry from my heart to His and from His to mine.
Run to you

Standing on the shore
Wanting to know you more
I breathe deep and cry out-Lord.
As the sand of the sea
You are the air I breathe
I drink you in, make me free….to

Run to you
I breathe you in
I know there is more than there has been.
I run to you
I breathe you in
In these moments I reach to you, my friend.

Son shining down
Stirring my heart somehow
I breathe deep and cry out-Lord
Passion swelling up in me
You are the air I breathe
I drink you in, you make me free….to

Run to you
To breathe you in
I know that there is more than there has been
I run to you
I breathe you in
In these moments I reach for you my friend.

You are the air I breathe
Setting my heart free
As I run after you, with all of me.
You are the worth risking for
You are Holy Lord
You are more than I have dreamed….

So I run to you
I breathe you in
I’m finding more than there has been.
I run to you
I breathe you in
Come further, come higher, come in!

ALL FOR YOU

birthdays

Today was my birthday. Because it wasn't a "big" one, I wasn't all that stressed about it, upset about it or excited about it. It was just a day, that marked the beginning of life for me.
My life has been full of beginnings, firsts and markers of remembrance. Today was not necessarily memorable. We went to church. We went to baseball. We had some meetings. I argued with my husband. Had dinner with my best friend. Received some nice cards. Drove through the drive thru for lunch. It is not a "marker" kind of day. It was just a day.
Until tonight, when someone stopped me and asked what was different about today from this time last year. I thought for a minute about my house, then my weight-neither are marked differences from last year. I thought about the ministry, my children, my husband. And though there is significant change in all of those things, I was not happy with that answer either.
What is different about me this year-from last year. ME...not the stuff in my life...but ME. Wow...that made it easy. I love Jesus more today than I did a year ago. I am striving after Kingdom life more today than a year ago. My heart is sold out, chasing after a relationship with Jesus-more so than a year ago. The answer....is summed up in Jesus. More of HIM, less of me.
So, how will I remember this birthday? pleasant well wishes, fights, distractions, activities, business, gifts, laughter, smiles...have all marked my day-making it nothing special. But today-I was reminded that change has happened in me this year and that makes this year a GOD one, a good one. May I continue to grow up in all aspects of HIM.


ALL FOR YOU

intimacy

recently, I have found my heart craving more intimacy. Not just in my earthly relationships, but also with my FATHER in heaven. I don't want just to be "friends" or a "christian". I want the abundance of Covenant, intimacy, consumation and Oneness. I have been sitting in the thought of being consumed and therefore consumated in a relationship. Not just being consumed with, but consumed by. That desire has stepped even further...not just becoming one, but being as ONE. Jesus' prayer for us was that we and the Father would be one as He is one.
Intimacy is part of that process. Opening up yourself, transparency and vulnerablity-are all things most of us fear but are the very things that are required for intimacy to occur. Whether with a friend, a spouse or our Father....we must be willing to open up in order to be intimate friends...intimate lovers and intimate with our Father in heaven.
I am beginning to understand the risk of intimacy. But I am also beginning to crave that risk...as I seek more than just the normal walk with Jesus and long for a oneness and a closeness that comes only from intimacy. I want intimacy with Him....for us to be ONE. Which means I must be willing to open up and be vulnerable, trusting that the ONE I am giving my life to will never leave me, forsake me, hurt me...but do only that which is for my good.




ALL FOR YOU