From the book Living in the Light of Eternity, by K.P. Yohannan (book can be found at Gospel for Asia's web site) :
"God wants us, in our life and ministry for Him, to stand on emptiness. What is emptiness? It is a void, a vacuum, total nothing-ness. It is like holding onto something you cannot tangibly feel. Your eyes see nothing but still you follow. Your feet step out onto what looks like thin air. Standing on emptiness means we are stripped of not only tangible things but intangible as well. Everything we are, everything we trust--our own know-how, abilities, talents, strength--all are gone. Nothing we do for the Lord can ever come from our own resources.
"The Lord wants us to come to a place where we are drawing on nothing but Him so that, as Paul said, 'this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us' (2 Cor. 4:7). There is no way we can say, 'I did that.'
"Throughout the Bible we see God drawing His people to a place where they were suspended over empty space, where they were challenged to operate out of faith and total dependence, where there was nothing tangible to cling to but Him."
This is where we're being drawn...to stand on emptiness...to step into the unknown...to jump into His Plan for our lives, even though we cannot see or feel the ground beneath us. We are praying that we will indeed count the cost and choose the road less travelled...the road that stretches out, suspended over empty space.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
My Jesus
My oldest daughter is always asking me what my favorite things are...favorite color, favorite movie, favorite book. Most of the time I cannot give a solid answer because I tend to like many different things. Favorite color...well, I like when there are several bright colors all together. Favorite movie...it all depends on my mood. Favorite book...there are just TOO MANY great books for me to choose just one as my favorite! (I'm a book-lover!)
She recently asked me about my favorite song, and again, it really depends on my mood or the place I'm at in life. But, topping my list is this song because it mirrors my deepest desires and most intense thoughts...it challenges me...and it just cuts to the core of the meaning of my life. I tried very hard to get this YouTube video pasted right into this blog, but for some crazy reason it allows me to copy it but will never give me the option of pasting it no matter which way I go about it. So, I'll simply include the LINK TO THE SONG so that you can listen to it and see the video. *** For those of you who have children who sometimes watch online with you, I will give the PG-13 warning on this one...for violent scenes and one word that you wouldn't want your children repeating to Aunt Bessie! :) I love this song, and it forces us to look at things the way they really are...not a sugar-coated version of what we'd rather think about. ***
She recently asked me about my favorite song, and again, it really depends on my mood or the place I'm at in life. But, topping my list is this song because it mirrors my deepest desires and most intense thoughts...it challenges me...and it just cuts to the core of the meaning of my life. I tried very hard to get this YouTube video pasted right into this blog, but for some crazy reason it allows me to copy it but will never give me the option of pasting it no matter which way I go about it. So, I'll simply include the LINK TO THE SONG so that you can listen to it and see the video. *** For those of you who have children who sometimes watch online with you, I will give the PG-13 warning on this one...for violent scenes and one word that you wouldn't want your children repeating to Aunt Bessie! :) I love this song, and it forces us to look at things the way they really are...not a sugar-coated version of what we'd rather think about. ***
Monday, March 8, 2010
Making decisions
As I was enjoying my quiet time alone with my Father this morning, I was seeking Him on a very specific question.
Well let me back up a bit... We are at a crossroads in our lives. We are at the edge of a few different paths, each of which will lead us in a certain direction...life choices, job choices, security choices, ministry choices, lots of choices all at once. Early yesterday morning, I was seeking Him about which direction He wanted us to go. (One thing I've learned is that no matter how great something seems, I do NOT want to go that route unless God is walking that road with me!) So, I was drawing close to Him yesterday in the pre-crazy hours in our home, and I wrote a question in my journal, asking Him which direction He was calling us.
He led me very directly to 4 passages of Scripture that all tied in together in a way they never had before in my heart. Two of those Scriptures I really poured over were Matthew 13:44-46 and Matthew 25:31-46. One talks of the Kingdom of Heaven being like a treasure in a field that is found accidentally by a man. In his excitement, he hides the treasure again, sells all he owns and goes back to buy the field and to get the treasure too. The other Scripture talks about those who will inherit the Kingdom. He says that those who have served "the least of these" (fed the hungry, clothed the naked, invited strangers into our homes, etc) will inherit the Kingdom because whatever you do to the "least of these," you also do to Jesus. I sat pondering and soaking in these 2 passage of Scriptures. Later, my husband and I discussed them at length and in light of all the life choices we were making. If we decided to grasp the message, we knew we were being called to "sell all and buy the field."
I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in divine appointments. And yesterday morning we had one. After a long time of pondering Matthew 13 and Matthew 25, I went about my morning things. I made brunch for my family. After Sunday brunch, we almost always watch a sermon online from a nearby church that always challenges us in our spiritual walk. This has been our Sunday morning routine for a long time (we go to our local church on Sunday nights). We tuned in and found that yesterday we just couldn't get their live message. We tried 3 times, and by then I knew that there must be another message we were supposed to hear. I looked on their main page of online videos and saw one about Haiti (the pastor had traveled to Haiti last month). We love Haiti and were intrigued, so we settled in to watch his message that had been recorded over there. The title was "Treasure in the Field---Haiti." If you're interested in watching it, here's the link: www.jentezenfranklin.org/watch/ And as we listened to his message, my husband and I exchanged glances several time because Pastor Franklin quoted Matthew 13 and Matthew 25...the EXACT same Scriptures that God had given us that same morning. We KNEW beyond a shadow of any doubt that God was speaking to us.
His message? The treasure is in the field...go where the need is...pour your lives into serving "the least of these," and you will find hidden treasures of God's Kingdom...sell all and buy the field. Clear as day, that is His message to us. That is the direction He's calling us...to sell all and buy the field.
So, back to today...I was up early praying for direction. The question I wrote in my journal was this: "What does 'selling all to buy the field' look like in our lives?" We want to understand what specifically that means for us. My husband and I have committed to praying about it until we have very clear direction. This morning, I found a note in my Bible that said, "MAKE YOUR CHOICES FROM AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE."
What a concept! Stop and think about that one for a few minutes, and you'll find your whole mindset shifting. It's almost mind-boggling to consider what our lives would be like if we "sold all to buy the field," whatever that means in our own personal lives. Whatever form it takes, it means living with an eternal mindset...investing in things eternal. It speaks of giving up everything we THINK we are secure in and exchanging it for what FEELS insecure but in reality is the best security we could ever grasp our hands around. This mindset is upside-down, backwards and inside-out from the way we are trained in our society to think.
Those phrases keep running through my mind over and over: Make your choices from an eternal perspective. Sell all to buy the field.
Well let me back up a bit... We are at a crossroads in our lives. We are at the edge of a few different paths, each of which will lead us in a certain direction...life choices, job choices, security choices, ministry choices, lots of choices all at once. Early yesterday morning, I was seeking Him about which direction He wanted us to go. (One thing I've learned is that no matter how great something seems, I do NOT want to go that route unless God is walking that road with me!) So, I was drawing close to Him yesterday in the pre-crazy hours in our home, and I wrote a question in my journal, asking Him which direction He was calling us.
He led me very directly to 4 passages of Scripture that all tied in together in a way they never had before in my heart. Two of those Scriptures I really poured over were Matthew 13:44-46 and Matthew 25:31-46. One talks of the Kingdom of Heaven being like a treasure in a field that is found accidentally by a man. In his excitement, he hides the treasure again, sells all he owns and goes back to buy the field and to get the treasure too. The other Scripture talks about those who will inherit the Kingdom. He says that those who have served "the least of these" (fed the hungry, clothed the naked, invited strangers into our homes, etc) will inherit the Kingdom because whatever you do to the "least of these," you also do to Jesus. I sat pondering and soaking in these 2 passage of Scriptures. Later, my husband and I discussed them at length and in light of all the life choices we were making. If we decided to grasp the message, we knew we were being called to "sell all and buy the field."
I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in divine appointments. And yesterday morning we had one. After a long time of pondering Matthew 13 and Matthew 25, I went about my morning things. I made brunch for my family. After Sunday brunch, we almost always watch a sermon online from a nearby church that always challenges us in our spiritual walk. This has been our Sunday morning routine for a long time (we go to our local church on Sunday nights). We tuned in and found that yesterday we just couldn't get their live message. We tried 3 times, and by then I knew that there must be another message we were supposed to hear. I looked on their main page of online videos and saw one about Haiti (the pastor had traveled to Haiti last month). We love Haiti and were intrigued, so we settled in to watch his message that had been recorded over there. The title was "Treasure in the Field---Haiti." If you're interested in watching it, here's the link: www.jentezenfranklin.org/watch/ And as we listened to his message, my husband and I exchanged glances several time because Pastor Franklin quoted Matthew 13 and Matthew 25...the EXACT same Scriptures that God had given us that same morning. We KNEW beyond a shadow of any doubt that God was speaking to us.
His message? The treasure is in the field...go where the need is...pour your lives into serving "the least of these," and you will find hidden treasures of God's Kingdom...sell all and buy the field. Clear as day, that is His message to us. That is the direction He's calling us...to sell all and buy the field.
So, back to today...I was up early praying for direction. The question I wrote in my journal was this: "What does 'selling all to buy the field' look like in our lives?" We want to understand what specifically that means for us. My husband and I have committed to praying about it until we have very clear direction. This morning, I found a note in my Bible that said, "MAKE YOUR CHOICES FROM AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE."
What a concept! Stop and think about that one for a few minutes, and you'll find your whole mindset shifting. It's almost mind-boggling to consider what our lives would be like if we "sold all to buy the field," whatever that means in our own personal lives. Whatever form it takes, it means living with an eternal mindset...investing in things eternal. It speaks of giving up everything we THINK we are secure in and exchanging it for what FEELS insecure but in reality is the best security we could ever grasp our hands around. This mindset is upside-down, backwards and inside-out from the way we are trained in our society to think.
Those phrases keep running through my mind over and over: Make your choices from an eternal perspective. Sell all to buy the field.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Jump
I've been missing from blog world lately. You can almost always be assured that when there's silence on this blog, there's stuff going on behind-the-scenes. :) Since making the decision to step out, we've had some soul-searching, revamping of plans, changes in details...not to mention some serious action in the training end of it all. Picture an athlete stepping forward to pursue his Olympic dream...remember all of his long hard days in training before ever making it to the Olympics...remember all the times he falls down and gets back up...remember all the training and focus that goes into his every day...that's where we are.
Yesterday our youngest daughter was standing on the bed, ready for me to pick her up. I held out my hands for her to jump into them. She excitedly walked to the edge of the big bed and jumped into my arms. Now, this is no big deal for most children, but for our daughter this is a big step in the trust department. She was adopted just 7 months ago, and she did not naturally trust us at first. In fact, sometimes she still stresses out when I sling the diaper bag over my shoulder to walk out the door...she still thinks there's a good chance that I'll leave her. So, we are working on trust. She wasn't always so sure about jumping into my arms, but now she does it with ease. Yesterday, my husband was in the room when she was standing on the bed. I said, "Hey..watch and see what God wants us to be like!" I looked at our daughter and said, "Okay, come on!" And she headed to the edge of the bed and stepped off into what could have easily felt like thin air...but as her little feet left the bed, my arms reached out and caught her. It made me SMILE to know that her trust had grown so much in 7 months!
And each time she jumps into my arms, it speaks to my spirit. That's what God wants from ME! He wants me to know Him and trust Him so intensely that when He says, "Okay, come on!" I will jump with complete trust. That not only means that I jump...but that I do NOT hesitate...that I do NOT rethink all the things that could happen, as if He would somehow forget to catch me. I took tremendous joy in expecting our daughter to jump into my arms, and I imagine that God takes joy in watching ME jump into His...even when I cannot see how He'll catch me. Our daughter just KNOWS I'll catch her. Do I know God will catch me??? I mean really KNOW it...to the point that I actually do it...with no hesitation.
Today as I was washing some dishes after lunch, I was looking out my kitchen window (which overlooks the woods behind our house), and I noticed movement way (wayyyyyy) up on a tree limb. It was a squirrel jumping from one tree to another. Imagine jumping from one tree to another...not down low where the forest ground is close-by and nicely padded with leaves...but rather way up high where one slip of the feet will surely end in splattered squirrel!! I kept looking at that squirrel and thinking how dumb he was to jump on tiny tree limbs several stories above the ground. As I watched him, he decided to just sit on a thin limb and put his front feet in his mouth...as if he were eating a snack...no big deal. DUMB SQUIRREL! Who eats snacks at dangerous heights?? And it hit me: GOD MADE HIM TO DO THAT! It's not dumb when it's just what God made him to do (and just a note...we have many squirrels on our property, and I've never found one who died from falling from these tall trees...amazing isn't it!?).
When we do what God created us to do...even when it's crazy and something akin to that squirrel jumping from limb to limb way up in the trees...we have to just JUMP. Like our daughter taught me...it takes full trust to be able to jump. Like the squirrel taught me...when God creates you to do something, you can land even the craziest of leaps onto the thinnest of limbs. JUST JUMP (and maybe even enjoy a snack at death-defying heights while you're up there!).
Yesterday our youngest daughter was standing on the bed, ready for me to pick her up. I held out my hands for her to jump into them. She excitedly walked to the edge of the big bed and jumped into my arms. Now, this is no big deal for most children, but for our daughter this is a big step in the trust department. She was adopted just 7 months ago, and she did not naturally trust us at first. In fact, sometimes she still stresses out when I sling the diaper bag over my shoulder to walk out the door...she still thinks there's a good chance that I'll leave her. So, we are working on trust. She wasn't always so sure about jumping into my arms, but now she does it with ease. Yesterday, my husband was in the room when she was standing on the bed. I said, "Hey..watch and see what God wants us to be like!" I looked at our daughter and said, "Okay, come on!" And she headed to the edge of the bed and stepped off into what could have easily felt like thin air...but as her little feet left the bed, my arms reached out and caught her. It made me SMILE to know that her trust had grown so much in 7 months!
And each time she jumps into my arms, it speaks to my spirit. That's what God wants from ME! He wants me to know Him and trust Him so intensely that when He says, "Okay, come on!" I will jump with complete trust. That not only means that I jump...but that I do NOT hesitate...that I do NOT rethink all the things that could happen, as if He would somehow forget to catch me. I took tremendous joy in expecting our daughter to jump into my arms, and I imagine that God takes joy in watching ME jump into His...even when I cannot see how He'll catch me. Our daughter just KNOWS I'll catch her. Do I know God will catch me??? I mean really KNOW it...to the point that I actually do it...with no hesitation.
Today as I was washing some dishes after lunch, I was looking out my kitchen window (which overlooks the woods behind our house), and I noticed movement way (wayyyyyy) up on a tree limb. It was a squirrel jumping from one tree to another. Imagine jumping from one tree to another...not down low where the forest ground is close-by and nicely padded with leaves...but rather way up high where one slip of the feet will surely end in splattered squirrel!! I kept looking at that squirrel and thinking how dumb he was to jump on tiny tree limbs several stories above the ground. As I watched him, he decided to just sit on a thin limb and put his front feet in his mouth...as if he were eating a snack...no big deal. DUMB SQUIRREL! Who eats snacks at dangerous heights?? And it hit me: GOD MADE HIM TO DO THAT! It's not dumb when it's just what God made him to do (and just a note...we have many squirrels on our property, and I've never found one who died from falling from these tall trees...amazing isn't it!?).
When we do what God created us to do...even when it's crazy and something akin to that squirrel jumping from limb to limb way up in the trees...we have to just JUMP. Like our daughter taught me...it takes full trust to be able to jump. Like the squirrel taught me...when God creates you to do something, you can land even the craziest of leaps onto the thinnest of limbs. JUST JUMP (and maybe even enjoy a snack at death-defying heights while you're up there!).
Monday, February 15, 2010
Stepping Out
God gave us the book of Nehemiah as a blueprint for our ministry. I've read it, taken notes, read it again, studied it in detail. And I'm AMAZED at how it has over and over again pointed the direction we were supposed to walk. Only God could do that! Think about it...that book was written eons ago, and it's not one of the more popular and widely-read books of the Bible...yet here we are in 2010 getting our instruction from Nehemiah's rebuilding project. I'm overwhelmed by God's amazing ways that are far FAR above our own ways!
So, we began to follow Nehemiah's blueprint many moons ago. We started by mourning. When Nehemiah saw the wall of Jerusalem in shambles, he CRIED. When we began to understand the immensity of 143 million orphans, we also CRIED. Nehemiah began to confess his sins and the sins of his country in letting the wall stay in ruins. We began to confess our sins and the sins of the greater Church for letting these orphans (God's children) slip through our fingers. Nehemiah fasted and prayed. We fasted and prayed. Nehemiah then waited. We've waited (and waited and waited).
And here is where we deviated from the plan. We kept waiting and waiting and waiting. We honestly believed that we were right in waiting...timing wasn't right, doors hadn't opened, etc. Perhaps it wasn't time to STEP OUT. But this morning in my quiet time I went to God with a direct question: "Are we right to wait on God, or is HE the one waiting on us?" We've been feeling immense "labor pains," needing to expand the area of the "wall" we are working on. I asked God about these labor pains, and again He was good good GOOD to answer.
I looked in Nehemiah again to see exactly what and how Nehemiah proceeded. I was looking at some notes that I have in my Bible from a sermon we heard about Nehemiah (10 years ago in a church in another state!), and look what it said: "Nehemiah had faith and passion. When God plants a seed in you, until you go after it, you will be miserable. Until you BIRTH that passion, you'll have labor pains. If God gives you something, you have to go after it!!! God won't give a passion and then not water it. He WILL take care of it!"
Did you catch that? I actually prayed, asking God about our "labor pains," and He led me to notes that had the exact same wording in it. I'm always amazed at His voice and the way He can deliver an answer in clarity just when we really need it!
I studied Nehemiah again. What did Nehemiah do after he had mourned, prayed, fasted and waited on God? He went to the one person who had the means to help him do the work he needed to do. Remember, Nehemiah saw the need of the wall needing to be rebuilt, but he didn't have any means to do that. But he knew that the king had the position and the materials necessary to do it. So, Nehemiah prayed for God's favor, and then he asked the king if he could go rebuild the wall. When the king said yes, Nehemiah then went on to ask him for the materials necessary to do the work. See...if Nehemiah had all the materials, he wouldn't have had to rely on God to make the way.
We have found ourselves in a similar situation for many months. We have a vision that we believe with all our hearts that God has given us to serve "the least of these." Over the past 2 years, that vision has been expanded, deepened, focused and confirmed in many ways. We've waited for a long time, continuing to pray and seek Him...and not wanting to step ahead of Him. Hence, my prayer this morning: "Are we waiting on YOU, or are you waiting on US?"
Nehemiah stepped out.
We are stepping out. We are bathing this in prayer, asking God to close any doors that we knock on if they are not the right doors. But we are taking our feet and swinging them over the side of the boat...we are touching the water with our toes and getting ready to stand up on that water.
My husband joined me for the end of my quiet time this morning, and I shared this with him. He agreed and asked me a question: "WHAT IS STOPPING US?" The fact of the matter is that the only thing stopping us from doing what we know we've bene called to do is our lack of money to do what we feel led to do. (I cannot share details just yet, but I will...really!). We have a vision God has given us, but we don't have the means to do it. Again, JUST LIKE NEHEMIAH! (Wasn't God so good in giving us Nehemiah as a blueprint??).
It reminds us of when God called us to adopt our youngest daughter. He called us to it, but we didn't have a single PENNY of the necessary money to make it happen. We were looking at a mountain of $17,000, and we didn't even have a penny of it. We didn't even have enough for the very first step in the process!! If we had waited until we could afford it, we would have never adopted her. Because...here's the secret...when God calls, sometimes we don't have the means UNTIL we step forward. With our adoption, He provided step-by-step...when we needed money for the homestudy, He'd provide that much (not more usually). That kept us relying on God for every day, ever step. Isn't that where He wants us? Oh, and the amazing reality is that when we are living with that moment-by-moment reliance on Him, there's peace...and there's provision that we'd lack otherwise.
After the adoption was finalized, and we no longer needed that day-to-day provision, we quit relying on Him for everything. We began to become reliant on ourselves. We're like that as humans. But I MISS that flying-by-faith thing that takes us from "just living" to THRIVING! It's the type of faith that George Mueller had, and it gets into my bones and inspires me to live on that "thin air" faith that he had.
So, all of this to say that we are stepping out. There are some very tangible things we feel led to do to serve "the least of these." There's a vision God has planted in our hearts. We're stepping out of the boat, with absolutely no human means of doing what He's called us to. It's thin air...it's crazy faith...and ya know what? It feels very FREE-ing to again walk by faith, not by sight.
If we are wrong in stepping out now, we are simply praying for God to correct us in our spirits. We pray and step. Pray and step. The Lord is our Shepherd...He leads us along the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake... Pray and step...pray and step.
So, we began to follow Nehemiah's blueprint many moons ago. We started by mourning. When Nehemiah saw the wall of Jerusalem in shambles, he CRIED. When we began to understand the immensity of 143 million orphans, we also CRIED. Nehemiah began to confess his sins and the sins of his country in letting the wall stay in ruins. We began to confess our sins and the sins of the greater Church for letting these orphans (God's children) slip through our fingers. Nehemiah fasted and prayed. We fasted and prayed. Nehemiah then waited. We've waited (and waited and waited).
And here is where we deviated from the plan. We kept waiting and waiting and waiting. We honestly believed that we were right in waiting...timing wasn't right, doors hadn't opened, etc. Perhaps it wasn't time to STEP OUT. But this morning in my quiet time I went to God with a direct question: "Are we right to wait on God, or is HE the one waiting on us?" We've been feeling immense "labor pains," needing to expand the area of the "wall" we are working on. I asked God about these labor pains, and again He was good good GOOD to answer.
I looked in Nehemiah again to see exactly what and how Nehemiah proceeded. I was looking at some notes that I have in my Bible from a sermon we heard about Nehemiah (10 years ago in a church in another state!), and look what it said: "Nehemiah had faith and passion. When God plants a seed in you, until you go after it, you will be miserable. Until you BIRTH that passion, you'll have labor pains. If God gives you something, you have to go after it!!! God won't give a passion and then not water it. He WILL take care of it!"
Did you catch that? I actually prayed, asking God about our "labor pains," and He led me to notes that had the exact same wording in it. I'm always amazed at His voice and the way He can deliver an answer in clarity just when we really need it!
I studied Nehemiah again. What did Nehemiah do after he had mourned, prayed, fasted and waited on God? He went to the one person who had the means to help him do the work he needed to do. Remember, Nehemiah saw the need of the wall needing to be rebuilt, but he didn't have any means to do that. But he knew that the king had the position and the materials necessary to do it. So, Nehemiah prayed for God's favor, and then he asked the king if he could go rebuild the wall. When the king said yes, Nehemiah then went on to ask him for the materials necessary to do the work. See...if Nehemiah had all the materials, he wouldn't have had to rely on God to make the way.
We have found ourselves in a similar situation for many months. We have a vision that we believe with all our hearts that God has given us to serve "the least of these." Over the past 2 years, that vision has been expanded, deepened, focused and confirmed in many ways. We've waited for a long time, continuing to pray and seek Him...and not wanting to step ahead of Him. Hence, my prayer this morning: "Are we waiting on YOU, or are you waiting on US?"
Nehemiah stepped out.
We are stepping out. We are bathing this in prayer, asking God to close any doors that we knock on if they are not the right doors. But we are taking our feet and swinging them over the side of the boat...we are touching the water with our toes and getting ready to stand up on that water.
My husband joined me for the end of my quiet time this morning, and I shared this with him. He agreed and asked me a question: "WHAT IS STOPPING US?" The fact of the matter is that the only thing stopping us from doing what we know we've bene called to do is our lack of money to do what we feel led to do. (I cannot share details just yet, but I will...really!). We have a vision God has given us, but we don't have the means to do it. Again, JUST LIKE NEHEMIAH! (Wasn't God so good in giving us Nehemiah as a blueprint??).
It reminds us of when God called us to adopt our youngest daughter. He called us to it, but we didn't have a single PENNY of the necessary money to make it happen. We were looking at a mountain of $17,000, and we didn't even have a penny of it. We didn't even have enough for the very first step in the process!! If we had waited until we could afford it, we would have never adopted her. Because...here's the secret...when God calls, sometimes we don't have the means UNTIL we step forward. With our adoption, He provided step-by-step...when we needed money for the homestudy, He'd provide that much (not more usually). That kept us relying on God for every day, ever step. Isn't that where He wants us? Oh, and the amazing reality is that when we are living with that moment-by-moment reliance on Him, there's peace...and there's provision that we'd lack otherwise.
After the adoption was finalized, and we no longer needed that day-to-day provision, we quit relying on Him for everything. We began to become reliant on ourselves. We're like that as humans. But I MISS that flying-by-faith thing that takes us from "just living" to THRIVING! It's the type of faith that George Mueller had, and it gets into my bones and inspires me to live on that "thin air" faith that he had.
So, all of this to say that we are stepping out. There are some very tangible things we feel led to do to serve "the least of these." There's a vision God has planted in our hearts. We're stepping out of the boat, with absolutely no human means of doing what He's called us to. It's thin air...it's crazy faith...and ya know what? It feels very FREE-ing to again walk by faith, not by sight.
If we are wrong in stepping out now, we are simply praying for God to correct us in our spirits. We pray and step. Pray and step. The Lord is our Shepherd...He leads us along the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake... Pray and step...pray and step.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Today's Plan
While Jesus was praying to His Father near the end of his earthly life, He said something that keeps echoing through my mind. It's something I yearn to be able to say about my own life. In John 17:4, He says, "I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do."
Unfortunately, unlike Jesus, I've already failed at that because there have been many things I have not done that I was supposed to do. I'm so thankful that I don't get into Heaven by the good things I do because I'd NEVER make it on my own! Thank you, Jesus, for saving me by Your grace alone, instead of my "good behavior." But I'm not talking about being saved. I'm talking about an amazing focus to aim at...having the single purpose of doing everything He has told me to do.
But, how does that break down into TODAY's plans?
Well, it's quite simple really. He's told me to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love others as myself. Can't it be summed up like that? Isn't that what Jesus said? So, today I aim to keep Jesus in the forefront of my mind...to try to walk in His footsteps...to love my husband and children like He would. That means slowing down to listen when my mind wants to drift to my must-do's...making eye contact when I'd naturally tend to keep moving on to the next moment...praising the good I see instead of sawing on the rough edges. A simple focus does not mean it's EASY! Today specifically, we are taking the time to sit down to rethink through some family courtesy issues because the tone of voice the past few days has not been lovely between siblings. :)
These are not earth-moving plans, but it's what He's given me to do this day, this moment. If I follow Him step-by-step...if I aim with all my heart to just focus on the steps He takes and follow Him...then perhaps at the end of today I can say, "I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do."
Unfortunately, unlike Jesus, I've already failed at that because there have been many things I have not done that I was supposed to do. I'm so thankful that I don't get into Heaven by the good things I do because I'd NEVER make it on my own! Thank you, Jesus, for saving me by Your grace alone, instead of my "good behavior." But I'm not talking about being saved. I'm talking about an amazing focus to aim at...having the single purpose of doing everything He has told me to do.
But, how does that break down into TODAY's plans?
Well, it's quite simple really. He's told me to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love others as myself. Can't it be summed up like that? Isn't that what Jesus said? So, today I aim to keep Jesus in the forefront of my mind...to try to walk in His footsteps...to love my husband and children like He would. That means slowing down to listen when my mind wants to drift to my must-do's...making eye contact when I'd naturally tend to keep moving on to the next moment...praising the good I see instead of sawing on the rough edges. A simple focus does not mean it's EASY! Today specifically, we are taking the time to sit down to rethink through some family courtesy issues because the tone of voice the past few days has not been lovely between siblings. :)
These are not earth-moving plans, but it's what He's given me to do this day, this moment. If I follow Him step-by-step...if I aim with all my heart to just focus on the steps He takes and follow Him...then perhaps at the end of today I can say, "I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do."
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Secret Game
Starting today, our family is embarking on a week-long game of sorts. Each person chooses a "game" they will play, but nobody can know what it is. For example, let's say that I wanted my game to be called "Servant of All." I would go about my week trying to be "servant of all" to my whole family, without telling them what I was doing. I would go the extra mile to help each person. I would serve no matter how inconvenient. I would put each person ahead of myself in everything all week. At the end of the week, we will come together for our family fun night (always on Friday), and we will then get to guess what each person's "game" has been all week.
The theme of the game is up to each person. It could be patience, servanthood, unconditional love, etc. Our children had great fun coming up with their ideas. They even created code words so that they could remember their theme but also keep their idea secret from the rest of the family. The only rule is that their game must be played for the benefit of others, not themselves.
I have a really neat theme for my own game (I'll tell you next Friday). I'm finding out that it's harder than it sounds (I had the idea a few days ago and began to try to implement). It requires focus. It also cuts through any "I'll-do-this-for-you-if-you'll-do-this-for-me" because it's done in secret. And, it requires ACTIONS, which are often much harder to come by than words. Today is officially Day #1 of our game, and I've already been in prayer today that I can DO this thing! :)
I'll let you know how the week goes...
If you decide to do this in your family, I'd love to hear what games you played and how your week went!
The theme of the game is up to each person. It could be patience, servanthood, unconditional love, etc. Our children had great fun coming up with their ideas. They even created code words so that they could remember their theme but also keep their idea secret from the rest of the family. The only rule is that their game must be played for the benefit of others, not themselves.
I have a really neat theme for my own game (I'll tell you next Friday). I'm finding out that it's harder than it sounds (I had the idea a few days ago and began to try to implement). It requires focus. It also cuts through any "I'll-do-this-for-you-if-you'll-do-this-for-me" because it's done in secret. And, it requires ACTIONS, which are often much harder to come by than words. Today is officially Day #1 of our game, and I've already been in prayer today that I can DO this thing! :)
I'll let you know how the week goes...
If you decide to do this in your family, I'd love to hear what games you played and how your week went!
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