Resting in God with the "Things" Around Us

I am so very blessed to work where I do!  As you probably know, I work for Highland Oaks Church of Christ.  Every Monday we have an hour of staff spiritual formation time.  Sometimes singing, sometimes contemplating, sometimes using word pictures.... and always resting with God.  I am so thankful for Monday mornings!

Today, our spiritual formations director gave us the following scripture...

But God made the earth by his power, 
and he preserves it by his wisdom.

With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens.  
When he speaksin the thunder, the heavens roar with rain.  
He causes the clouds to rise over

the earth.  He sends the lightning with the rain 
and releases the wind

from his storehouses.

Jeremiah 10:12-13

We were then asked to choose something from a table.  Some of our choices were a rose, cinnamon, dirt, and a slice of a lemon.  We were ask to look at, touch, smell, maybe even taste (depending on what it was!) the thing that we chose.  We then spent time in silence with whatever "thing" we chose and reading over the scripture from Jeremiah.  We could just sit in the quiet we our thoughts, we could write, it was totally up to us.  The point was, we were free to let God take us wherever He wanted to take us during that time of quiet & rest with Him.

For some reason, I chose a slice of lemon.  I first read through the scripture several times.  And then I began to smell the lemon.  Generally, a lemon makes me makes immediately think of something sour.  But today, when I smelled that lemon while reading the passage above, I found myself at the ocean.  The lemon smelled clean and fresh.  I even in my minds eye envisioned squeezing the lemon and the mist of juice that would be created and spraying out.  It made me think of the mist coming off of the ocean.  I kept going back to the ocean.  Feeling the wind blow in my hair; breathing in the smell of clean, crisp air; feeling the mist of the water on my face.  It was an incredibly peaceful place.

As I read the scripture and thought about the storm, I again thought about the ocean. The ocean can be one of the most calming, peaceful places imaginable; but is can also be a place of raging storms, of crashing water all around.  Yet in the midst of the raging storm, a simple touch from God and the storms are still; the ocean is again calm and peaceful.  As I think about the storms in my own life, today's spirtiual formation time is so meaningful.  One minute you can be in the midst of a horrific, raging storm.  But one touch from God, maybe even through the touch or gentle word of a friend, and the waves are gently crashing into the shore, the mist is hitting your face and you are relaxed again by the calming sounds of the ocean; by the calming spirit of God.  

I wish everyone could experience what our staff experiences on Monday mornings.  There are no Monday morning blues for us.  We ended our time together today by singing the following song.

Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
The anger of the enemy would have swallowed us alive
Had it not been the Lord who was on our side

Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
The waters would have engulfed us, we would have surely died
Had it not been the Lord who was on our side

Refrain:
Blessed be the Lord who would not give us up
Blessed be the Lord for His unfailing love
The snare is broken and we have escaped
Our help is in the name of the Lord
Blessed be the Lord!

My prayer for this week is that I will remember to find God in everything around me.  And I know it can be done.  After all, I found God today in a lemon!

Blessings!

With a Heavy Heart...

I don't even know where to begin this post.  I just know that my heart is extremely heavy.  My heart hurts for those who are hurting and especially for those who are fighting cancer.  Cancer is one of those unexplainable things that touches so many lives.  I lost my dad to cancer when I was 12 so this particular disease has a strange place in heart.  

It is a disease that touches so many; a disease for which a cure has made great strides; a disease that seems to continually change. Quite frankly it is the disease that scares me the most.  But it is also a disease for which many are in remission and for that I praise God with all my heart. 

I have 4 friends who are battling this disease at this very moment.  And each one of them is fighting a different battle.  Each one of them is walking a journey that was not of their choosing.  But each one of them is walking though this journey with a Faith and Trust in God that is an inspiration to those around them.  

Cancer is not a fight that easily won.  It is a fight that takes everything you have and then some.  It is a fight I pray that I never have to fight.  But it is also a fight that I will choose to help those in my life fight.  While I cannot physically do much for them, I can continue to hold them up to the One who Can.  I can continue to pray prayers for strength, peace, wisdom and courage for the journey they face.  I can continue to ask God to hold them in a way that no one else can.

I know that there are many who are fighting this disease.  And I know from my own experience with my dad, it can be a lonely place.  If you know someone who is battling this disease, let them know you are thinking about them.  Let them know you are praying for them. Let them know they are not alone and that you have not forgotten about them.  It will mean more than you can know.

I know this is not a typical post.. but as I said, my heart is heavy for those in my circle and my outlet is to write.  I pray God's blessings on each of you.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:2

Because He is God... and i am not...

 

Time... It's a Curious Thing

I have found myself thinking a lot about time lately...  And in the words of Alice - from Wonderland... It gets curiouser and curiouser!

I was thinking about some events that happened earlier this year.  It seems like they were a lifetime ago... when in reality they took place only 4 months ago.  We celebrated our granddaughter's first birthday last week and I can't believe a year has already passed since her birth.  Time is one of those things you can never really wrap your mind around.  No matter how hard you try!

You may spend a year planning a vacation and it seems like it will never get here.  Then suddenly it's here and before you know it, it's over!  There are times when you are waiting in line for maybe 5 minutes in a store and we are always rushing around so much that 5 minutes seems like 5 hours. We put something in the microwave for a few minutes (or seconds!) and stand around tapping our fingers because we don't think it's heating up fast enough.

Then you have the other side of time...  Time when you are waiting for news on a job; or maybe you are waiting on the results of some tests.  Maybe you are waiting in hospital waiting room for answers.  Maybe you have been praying over something for years and you continue to wait for answers.  Maybe you are going through treatments for cancer or some other illness.  Those times in life, time can just seem to simply stand still.   

Sometimes you wish you could go back to a certain situation so you could do it over again.  Sometimes you wish time would speed by so that you can get past a particular situation.  Sometimes you wish you could go back in time to see someone you've lost, to tell them one more time how much you love them.  Sometimes you wish you could make time stand still because you are in a particularly wonderful moment.  All of us may find ourselves in any one of these circumstances at any given moment.  Time is one of those things it seems like we never have enough of; and yet at the same time, it's one of those things we seem to waste so often.


Time is one of the most valuable and precious gifts we receive and yet one of the things we squander the most.  One thing is for sure, we never know from one minute to the next how much time we truly have here on earth. We need to make the most of the time we have.  We need to remember to tell the people we love how we feel about them.  We need to let grudges go.  We need to stop saying what if and start saying what can I do. We need to stop saying someday and start saying how about now. We need to love more and judge less.  


Time is a precious, precious gift with no promises of how long it will be here...  But we can promise to use it wisely and not waste a minute of it!

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build, 

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance, 

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 

a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak, 

a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

                     Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Blessings!

Realizations

On my way into work this morning a guy passed me on a motorcycle who was wearing shorts and one of those thin summer casual button up shirts.  I admit, I have on occasion ridden my bike in shorts when the weather is really hot.  But my first thought when I saw this guy was "he's crazy for wearing those kind of clothes when he rides.  If he falls his skin is toast.  Literally!"  I know the reason I noticed was because of the thin type of shirt he was wearing.  But what really hit me in the next minute was that I was asking that question of him when I myself have done the same thing.

Of course, God loves to use those "moments" to "call me out" because I immediately thought, "how often do we do exactly what I just did in our own lives?".  How often do we question someone else for something they are doing when we ourselves are doing or have done the exact same thing?  How many times do we criticize someone for their actions, when in reality they could be criticizing us for the very same thing.  How many times do we think someone should be doing "more" when we ourselves are doing nothing?

Why is it, that as Christians we are sometimes so quick to point out what others are doing or not doing as the case may be; what we think is "right"?  Why do so many Christians feel the need to judge other people and their actions rather than looking inward at their own actions first?  I know that sounds like a blanket statement and I know very well that all Christians are not like that.  But sometimes, sadly, that may be the only "Christians" the world sees.


I really want to try and live my life seeing things, and more importantly people, how God sees them.  God does not judge you when He sees you... no matter what your circumstances or where you are... He only loves you.  God does not treat us the way we sometimes treat others.  He treats us better than we deserve.  He treats us All with the same grace and mercy that He wants us to show to others.


I really want people to know that I am a Jesus follower and that I want to love His people the way He loves me, unconditionally.  And quite frankly, as long as they know that about me and can see that in me, I don't really care if they know what church I "attend".... because they will know I "belong" to Jesus. It reminds me of the old song, "They Will Know We Are Christians by our Love".  If we don't love everyone... how will they know?


As I said, God calls me out in the strangest ways sometimes.  Who would have thought that me seeing someone riding a motorcycle in shorts and a thin summer shirt would lead to my "rantings" today.  :-)  Oh yah, God did!


I pray that God will always "call me out" when He sees something in me that does not look like Him!

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew

a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

Blessings!

Hallways

Today in worship our minister, Pat Bills, spoke on Habakkuk.  It's an old testament book, one that some people may not have heard of.  And even those of us who have heard of it, don't really choose Habakkuk when we want to read or study scripture.  But after today, I have realized that Habakkuk is a place to camp out; a place to find hope; a place to be reminded of God's promises.  

Habakkuk had lots of questions for God.  And sometimes, don't we all have lots of questions for God?  I know I do!  Habakkuk asks of God, "How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?"  Habakkuk questions God and reminds me that when I have questions for God, or I don't understand why God is silent, it's ok to question Him. It's nice to be reminded that God can take whatever questions I have for Him.  That doesn't mean that we will get answers right away, but someday they will come.  God tells Habakkuk concerning his questions... "Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."  The Message says... "If it seems slow in coming, wait.  It's on its way.  It will come right on time."  There are days when I really need to be reminded of that statement.  God's timing, is not my timing.

Pat mentioned today in his sermon how people like to use the phrase, "when one door closes another one opens".  He also mentioned that a preaching mentor added to that statement by saying, "yes, but what we don't know is, how long the hallway is in between doors"! Truer words were never spoken.  We live in a society of quick fixes, quick answers, quick service and waiting can be extremely hard at times.  Sometimes your hallway may be short; sometimes it may be so long you think it's never going to end; sometimes it may take you to a door you never thought you would have to go through and sometimes you may just collapse in the hallway because the next door just doesn't seem like it's ever going to be there.  But God reminds us in Habakkuk that no matter how long the hallway may be, we are never alone.  It's like I've said many times before, it's what we "choose to do" in the hallway that defines who we are and whose we are.  We make a choice every day of what our response will be to whatever hallways we find ourselves in. And even when the hallway seems to have no other door in sight, we choose to continue to trust and we choose to continue to wait.  Because God will not delay; and because He is God and we are not.  As Pat said today, "Faithfulness is not something that comes from us - faithfulness is what comes from God while we are waiting in the hallway." I choose to allow God to fill me with His faithfulness while I wait in the hallway!

We all have hallways in our lives.  I'm going to choose to let God lead me through my hallways no matter how long they may turn out to be!  I will wait for God's open door and until then choose to continuing walking the hallways because I know He is there with me; even if I can't see or feel Him.  I know He will give me glimpses of Himself, and He will shed light through the hallway when it's at its darkest point.  And I will continue to choose to walk the hallway because one day, the open door at the other end of the hallway will show up... right on time.

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will be joyful in God my savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to tread on the heights."

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Blessings!

Rejoicing and Questioning...

Over the past couple of weeks, my family and my facebook friends have been fervently praying over the Mock family.  Their daughter Bekah who is 7 months pregnant contracted Pneumonia and consequently Acute Respiratory Disease and had to be totally sedated.  Her initial prognosis was not very good, she was extremely critical, and things were touch and go for quite some time.  Today, Praise God, she is finally awake and back to her old self!  Her lungs and heart are strong and her baby healthy!

We are rejoicing and overjoyed with the news and my heart is extremely full!  But at the same time, my heart is extremely heavy and my heart hurts deeply for other friends I know who fought those same battles with a child but did not get the same outcome; and whose journey was changed for ever and taken down a road they did not want to go.

I know that God has a purpose and plan for everything.  That God's timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways.  I know that only He has all the answers and only He knows the reasons for why things happen the way they do... but it doesn't make it any easier to understand.

What it does do, it cause us to make a choice.  There are many times in our lives when we pray for things, pray for people, pray for circumstances.  Sometimes the answers are exactly what we prayed for... sometimes we don't understand the answers... sometimes we wait and wait for answers that still haven't come.  But regardless of what those answers are, we have a choice to make.  Are we going to trust in God no matter what, even when we don't get the answers we are searching for, or are we going to turn our backs and walk away because we think God doesn't listen anyway?

I have learned in my own life, that preparing is the most important part.  You can't prepare for the journey, for the events or actions that happen in your life, but you can prepare for how you will deal with it.  You can prepare by talking to God every day; by searching His word when things are good, (not just when they are bad) so that when trials come His words will hold you up and get you through.  You can prepare by surrounding yourself with people who can hold you up when you cannot stand.

I am thankful for a God who is bigger than I am.  I am thankful for a God who is always there even when I may not talk to Him as often as I should.  I am thankful for friends and family who stand in the gap with me and pray along side of me; especially when I have no words left to pray myself.  And it's because of all these things, that my choice will ALWAYS be... to trust in God, no matter what!


So through tears I rejoice with Bekah and her family and so many others who are receiving good news in their own circumstances; and through tears I continue to share the pain of those whose journey's took them on a different path and who are still choosing to continue to trust in God... No Matter What!

For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the

shelter of your wings.

For you, God, have heard my vows;

You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Psalm 61:3-5

Blessings!

Weeding

Today after an amazing worship service, I came home and decided to pull the weeds out of our flower beds. Wow, what a daunting task that can be!! I was amazed at how many weeds had just overtaken what just last fall was full of flowers and blooms. Even the pots on my porch had tons of weeds growing in them!

I admit, once winter starts hitting, I don't do too much with my flowers. I kind of figure, what's the point? Nothing is going to last through the winter anyway. But as I continued to pull more and more and still more weeds I began to realize, if I would pull even just a few weeds each day, even through the winter, when spring gets here my flower beds & pots would be in much better shape! Especially since there were a few flowers already blooming among the weeds!

And then I realized, isn't that the way we sometimes are in our walk with God? We go through stages of really trying to be more intentional about our walk with God. We pray more, we read more, we praise more... we just generally put more focus on God, we are more intentional. But then we let ourselves get comfortable, or we get busy, or you fill in the blank. And before you know you it, we suddenly have lots of "weeds" that need to be pulled. What would our walk with God look like if we were more intentional about keeping "the weeds" out all year long? What if we didn't wait for special times (like Christmas or Easter for example) to read more, study more, sit in quietness with God, etc.

My guess is, if we "weeded" all year long it would profoundly change who we are! Just like my flower beds would change if I pulled the weeds all year round instead of slacking off in the winter. We all have "weeds" that pop up from time to time... just like those flower beds. But, if we will take the time to take care of the weeds as soon as they start popping up instead of ignoring them hoping they will go away, it will cause us to grow more deeply and intimately with Christ. It will cause us to grow in ways that will help drown out the weeds. It will cause us to bloom more and wither less.

God wants us to keep our spiritual garden weeded so that there is room for Him to bloom in us! Now that spring is upon us, maybe it's time for some spiritual weeding as well as physical weeding. Even though God can still bloom amongst the weeds, just think of how beautiful the blooms will be if we actually do a little spiritual weeding! I say... let the weeding begin!!

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green

Psalm 92: 12-14

^Blessings!!

Time Spent in Prayer is Never Wasted Time...

I have been thinking a lot about prayer over the last few days. I think about those in my life who have had prayers answered; those who in my life who have not had prayers answered; and those in my life who like me are still waiting and wondering if God's answers will ever come.

It's easier to continue praying when you see God's hand at work. When you are with a loved one who is sick or going into surgery or you are asking for specific things to make them well and you can see God's hand moving through the situation it's easy to continue praying. It's not as easy to continue to pray when you feel like God is silent; when you are asking for specific things but the answers don't seem to be what you were praying for. It's not as easy to continue to pray when you see God's hand one moment and then the next moment you feel like he's not there.

But no matter what the outcome of prayer, it is never wasted time. God longs for us to be close to Him and there is no better way than time spent in prayer. When you are in prayer with God, when you are talking to God, crying out to God or even screaming at God... He is there. Even though at times it may seem like He is not there, that He is not listening... He is there. And while we may not get the answers we are looking for or while we wait to see what those answers will be, that time is never wasted.

God wants us to be in relationship with Him more than anything else. And there are no stipulations on that relationship. He simply wants us to come to Him. There are days when all I want to do is praise and thank God. And there are days when I simply don't understand. But I know that even if I am screaming at God for answers, He still loves me and cares about what is going on in our lives. I know that even when I'm not sure what's going on or why, there is a peace in prayer that I can not explain. There is a comfort in KNOWING that God is there. There is comfort in knowing that God has a plan... even when I can't see it yet.

So even when you think God is not listening... He is. Even when you think God doesn't care... He does. Even when you think there is no reason to pray any more... there is. Even if you have no words left and you think what is the point... there is a point. Some of the greatest times with God are spent in silence... when we have no words left and we simply sit in His presence. Sometimes it's not about the answers. Although believe me, I would like answers as much as anyone. Sometimes it's about just being with Him. Sometimes God just needs you to be still, He needs you to be with Him and He needs you to be content just to be with Him. So time spent in prayer is never wasted... no matter what we think of the outcome. Because time spent with God, even in silence, is one of life's greatest blessings.

The LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still.
Exodus 14:14

Blessings!

Your Path

In December I got to travel to California to meet Chris on a business trip. While he was at work that Friday, I went to the beach. My plan was to sit by the ocean and read. I did sit by the ocean, but I didn't do much reading. I always plan to read, but once I'm there, the beauty of God just takes over! I was out there for over 2 hours by myself. I found myself watching the birds, watching the water, listening to the wonderful sound of the waves crashing in and then as I was laying there on the beach I became mesmerized with the sand.

The sand on the beach was cool. I love squishing my toes and feet into the sand! On this particular day, I started playing in the sand with my hands. It was cool to the touch, and it was actually kind of shiny and glistening. I noticed how many tiny and billions upon billions of grains of sand their were and thought about the scripture in Psalm 139 that says,

"How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand — when I awake, I am still with you."

God's thought are so numerous that they outnumber the grains of sand! That is something that we cannot even comprehend! As I lay there playing in the sand, I began digging out a hole with my hands. I dug it deeper and deeper and as I dug deeper, I pushed the sand out to the sides to make the hole larger and wider. Then, I just laid back and watched the sand. Some of the sand would slide right back down the center of the path. Other parts of the sand would take a path on the outside on it's way back and still other parts of the sand would would travel down a path and be diverted by a larger piece of sand in it's path. Those pieces of sand would take a longer and travel a more difficult path, but they would still end up back in the same general place.

As I watched the sand I thought, isn't that how we are with God? God has a plan for us, a purpose, and He knows we are going to end up exactly where He intends for us to be. Some of us take the shorter path; Others of us, take the more scenic route, enjoying what life and God has to offer us along the way. Still others take a path not traveled by many. Their path is more difficult and has many more bumps and detours along the way... some by our own choosing. But by the grace of God and the plans He has for us, we still end up right where He intended for us to be.

We all traveling through life at our own pace, at our own speed, on our own journey. But we are all guided by the One who can see the whole picture! And while the picture we see, may not look like much, God is still moving us to the ultimate goal! God sees the whole picture! Praise God that His mercies are new every day!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

Blessings!

Real Faith

I ran across the picture today and it reminded me that sometimes, and quite often most times, having real Faith means to wait, to listen, to watch for God. I think we can get so caught up in how the world operates, (express lanes, fast food, microwaves, etc.) that we forget that all things do not come quickly.

In our spiritual walk sometimes things not coming quickly can be very discouraging, it can be hard, it can even be painful. It can even cause us to lose our way if we get caught up in waiting for answers that do not come. It's hard to remember that God's timing is not our timing. It's sometimes hard to remember that God has a plan even if we can't see it yet. But sometimes real faith, means waiting. Real faith means years of tears and wondering if God is really listening. But most of all, real faith means trust. It means trusting in God even when we see no answers. It means trusting that God has a plan even if we can't see it yet. It means trusting that God's timing is perfect.

This picture reminded me of that today. It's reminds that faith is more than just belief. It's trusting, waiting and fully expecting what we pray so desperately for. It's knowing that God's timing is perfect because He is GOD and I am NOT!

but those who hope in the Lord will renew
their strength. They will soar on wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Blessings!

A New Year

Well, it is now 2012! I have been hearing a lot over the last few days about new year's resolution, changes people are going to make, things people are going to do differently, etc. And while I think it is always good to look toward the future, I think it's also good to remember where we've been. What things or people did God bless us with is 2011? What friendships grew stronger? What love grew deeper? What challenges did God lay before us? Did God call us to do things in 2011 that we didn't think we were prepared to do? If so, did we allow Him to use us even if we didn't think we had anything offer?

These are just some of questions we could ask ourselves about 2011. I am excited about the new year and what it holds. What opportunities God will lay before me, what challenges I will face, what things I will overcome and what things I will have to praise Him for in 2012. But I am also excited to see where I've been in 2011. To be reminded of the things I've overcome, the people in my life that I love dearly, the close friends I share life with, the tremendous blessings God has filled me with in the midst of sometimes terrible storms.

God is Good... Always! And whether I am looking at what God has brought me through or looking ahead to see where He will lead me next, I know that He will always be with me. I know that I will have faith through all circumstances. I know that I never stand alone.

May God bless each of you as move into 2012. May he fill you with the warmth and comfort of His love and may you remember what He has already done for you in 2011.

Blessings!

Being Thankful

The last couple of years someone came up with the great idea on Facebook to post something you are thankful for every day during the month of November. I love the idea! I have participated in this the last 2 Novembers. This November however, as the end of November was approaching, I really began to think, "How thankful are we? Really..."

As I say that, I don't mean to take anything away from everyone posting things they are thankful for everyday. I LOVE the fact that so many do this. I love the way it makes me think everyday about things I am thankful for. But it also reminds of how many times I am thankful and yet don't acknowledge or praise God for His blessings.

There are so many things we take for granted every day. Things like water, food, shelter, clothing, even breathing. We tend to forget to thank God for these things. And I find that we sometimes sadly forget to thank God for the bigger thinks as well... when someone's surgery goes well, when that new job or promotion comes through, when a baby is born, etc. I know that we all pray and ask God for His direction, His strength, His courage, His ... fill in the blank; but when those things come to pass to do we always remember to "thank Him" for the outcome? Sometimes we get so caught up in our moment of need, that in the moment of relief or success we are so excited we forget to thank God.

So many things in our life, especially our spiritual life, have to be intentional. We live in a busy world, with lots of places to go, people to see and things to do. If we want to pray, we have to intentionally set aside time to pray. If we want to study God's word, we have to intentionally set aside time to study. And after this month of being thankful for something specific every day, I think it's time (for me at least) to start being intentional in my conversations with God to thank Him for something in my life every day. We are always thankful for the necessities... food, shelter, etc, and while those are wonderful things to be thankful for, I want to be more intentional in my thanks. I want to dig deep and find meaningful things to be thankful for. There is so much that goes on in our lives that we simply take for granted. I want to become more aware and learn to recognize those things daily so that I can be thankful to God daily instead of waiting until next November rolls around.

Even when days or times are tough, there is still so much to be thankful for. I think it's time I start acknowledging God more for those things, blessings and people that I am thankful for!

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks

in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you

in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Blessings!

Seeing As Jesus Sees

I'm reading the book, "The Furious Longing of God" by Brennan Manning. I'm only about a third of the way into the book, but I read something a couple of days ago that I have continued to think about. He says... "The outstretched arms of Jesus exclude no one, neither the drunk in the doorway, the panhandler on the street, gays and lesbians in their isolation, the most selfish and ungrateful in their cocoons, the most unjust of employers and the most overweening of snobs. The love of Christ embraces all without exception."

While those are words that as a Christian should come as no surprise to us, why is it that we seem to look at people and make a determination about them based on what we first see. I think most of us when we see someone on the street, in a restaurant, in a grocery store and even in our churches base our first impression of someone on what we initially see. On whether they are dressed right, whether they look "proper", who they are with, and on and on. But how often do we look at someone and have our first impression be... Jesus loves them too!

After reading that a couple of days ago, I started "noticing" people when we went out to lunch. I looked around the room at all the different faces, all the different types of people, all the different races, all the different clothes and started trying to see each of them with the eyes of Jesus. I found myself wondering as I looked at their faces and their expressions, what was going on in their lives and reminding myself that Jesus loved them no matter what that might be.

We like to think we are always trying to imitate Jesus. And I think that most of the time we probably do a pretty good job. But when you think of the list of people described above, you probably don't think about those people actually being in our churches. But whether we realize it or not, they are already there. And those are the people who are coming to our churches to see if the people inside really are like Jesus. Do they walk the walk or do they just talk about it. And they are looking to see if we really will love them like Jesus loves them. And if we are supposed to be the representation of Christ, how are we going to show God's love to them if we don't see them as He sees them? How will they feel welcomed and loved by Christ if we are judging rather than loving?

The next time we look at some one who we think doesn't dress appropriately, I hope we remember that Jesus looks at them and says "they are beautiful no matter what they are wearing". When we look at someone whose lifestyle might not be what we would choose, I hope we remember that Jesus looks at them and says, "I love them even so". And when we see people, even in our churches, who may look or act differently than we think they should, I hope we remember that Jesus sees them and says, "I love you and I'm so glad you are here!"

I pray that we can all remember that Jesus excludes no one; we therefore, should not exclude anyone either. And I pray that we will see everyone through the eyes of Jesus and remember that He loves them, just as much as He loves us... no matter what.

Dear Friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
I John 4: 7-8

Blessings!

Watching For God

Our latest sermon series at Highland Oaks was called Engage. While at first look it actually always makes me think of Captain Picard in "Star Trek the Next Generation" because that was the word he used when it was time to take off... :-) the sermon series was actually about engaging the people we come in contact with everyday; people from all walks of life. Our minister, Pat Bills, actually had a different person come in each week, all from a different journey in life and have a conversation with them about what they wanted "us" to know about them and their journey. It was a wonderful & enlightening series! You can actually check it out here if you'd like at hocc.org. By clicking on the Engage graphic you can watch the video of each sermon.

That series has caused me to want to be more aware of the people around me and their circumstances. I want to always be ready to Engage anyone. Whether it's with a smile, a kind word, a drink of water, whatever it is that God presents me with or asks me to do.

As you probably know, I work for Highland Oaks. This week while I had been thinking about the Engage series, I went out of our building to take the days mail to the mailbox. There was a lady sitting on the bench outside of our doors. I asked her if I could help her with something and she said "no, I'm just waiting on the food pantry to open". We then went on to have a wonderful conversation and she started asking me about our church. I gave her some general information and she asked me how long we had here at this location. She said "I have lived here for a long time and I have never noticed this building before this week". I told her God must have had a reason for her to see it now. She told me that she would love to come to church on Sunday but first she was going to have to see about her shoes because they weren't very comfortable. She was talking about her "Sunday" shoes. I told her she was great the way she was dressed and to come and not worry about her "shoes". She plans to come and I hope that I run into her again.

When I came back into the building as I walking to the elevator I saw this coming around the concourse through a stream of light. There was no one else in that area of the building except for me. After what had just happened with the lady outside I immediately thought, "that looks like the footprints of Jesus". It reminded me that no matter where we are or what we are doing, God is providing us with an opportunity. God is putting someone in our path. Not someone to preach to, or someone we need to convince to come to church, etc. Not that those are bad things, but sometimes God is putting someone in our path who just needs a smile, needs a drink of water, needs pleasant conversation and most of all needs love. Sometimes God puts people in our path so that we can touch them with the fingerprints and footprints of Him. I know that God had me go to the mailbox at that particular time for a reason. Because 9 times out of 10, I don't go to the mailbox. I take the mail when I leave. But that day, God had a purpose; and I was blessed because of it!

My prayer is that I will always be aware of the people that God puts in my path. I hope this lady comes to church on Sunday so that she can receive more of what God has to offer her. But that's not why I spoke to her. And if she doesn't come on Sunday, that's ok too. I did what God asked me to do in that moment. I'll let Him worry about the rest of it.

I pray that I will continue to see opportunities to be the fingerprints and footprints of God. And that I will be the kind voice, the drink of water, the smile that someone needs. May God be Praised!

Blessings!

Faith in Our Churches

God is so big... isn't He?? I ask that as a question because sometimes I think in our churches we forget just how big God really is. In our personal lives there are times when God calls us to step out in faith such as loss of job, requiring us to move, asking us to change something we've always done, etc. And, in our personal lives, we generally just do it, because we have no choice. If God closes a door, we have to step out in faith as we open another one.

Why in our churches is it so much harder to step out faith? If God calls our churches to move in a different direction, why do we generally resist that move? Is it because we don't have faith that God knows what He's doing? Or is it because it's different than we've always done it. If God's calls us to move out into the community and serve others rather than staying inside among ourselves do we move? Or do we stay in where it's familiar and comfortable? Sometimes we think different is wrong; but sometimes different, is just different.

I have learned over the years that God does not call us to be comfortable. He calls us to be obedient. If we stay where we are comfortable, are we being disobedient to where God is leading? Are we trusting God? Or are we putting our trust in ourselves?

My advice if you are feeling very comfortable, is watch out. I have found that when you start feeling comfortable, God is about to move you... again.

In our staff devotional time on Monday morning we studied in Numbers 9 and the cloud covering the tabernacle. When the cloud moved, they moved. When the cloud stopped, they set up camp; maybe for a day, maybe for a few days, maybe longer. But always, they followed the cloud and where it was leading.

Do we as churches have the faith they had to just pick up and follow God at a moments notice? If we don't, we should. And back to my first comment, "God is so big... isn't He"? We all know how big God really is, so why is it so hard to follow Him when He's calling us to something different, something that might have to make us move our of comfort zone?

I am very thankful to be a part of a church that is not afraid to go where God is leading. I am very thankful to be a part of church that is not afraid to let God out the box and just dream about the places God can take us. A church that is ready to get up and move when the cloud moves. A church that is ready to do more than take a hop of faith, it's ready to leap. I heard one of the speakers this past week at the Tulsa Workshop (I believe it was Rick Atchley) say, "We all know where we are going, but it's the journey that makes it exciting!"

Is your journey going to be one of excitement or one of fear? Are you ready to let God out of the box and find out How Big God really is? I'm thankful to be a part of a church where the journey matters; the excitement never ends and the fear of letting God out of the box is gone!

For I know the plans I have for you, "declares the
LORD," plans to prosper you and not harm you,
plans to give you hope and future.

Blessings!

Perfect... Is What We Are Not...

We've been talking a lot at church about being the type of people God calls us to be; being Jesus to our community; being Jesus to those we come in contact with. I don't mean preaching to people, I just mean being Jesus to them. But for some reason that sometimes seems hard for us to do. It's hard for us to just except people where they are, except them for who they are. Could it be because we don't know how to be honest with ourselves? We don't know how to be honest about our relationship with Jesus and what He's done for us; so we really don't know how to be real with other people? Could it be that we are so worried about what others think of us, that we use that worry to judge others? That we judge others based on who we think we should be (therefore who we think they should be) rather than who we really are?

There is a Casting Crowns song called "Stained Glass Masquerade". The first part of the chorus of the song has the following words:

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles that hide our pain

I think that sometimes, deep down we are hurting. Maybe hurting so deeply that we have no idea how to reach out to others. We pretend that everything is ok and put on our happy plastic faces because that's what we think we are supposed to do. We put walls around our weakness because we are supposed to always be strong. We can't let people see the real us because they might not like what they see. We have built up these walls not only around ourselves but around our churches. We can't reach people and show them Jesus because for those on the outside looking in, we all look perfect, we have it all together; because that's what church people do right? We don't want to looked flawed, we want to look perfect. What we don't realize is that by trying to "look" perfect, we are missing opportunities to show others what Jesus is really all about. We are missing opportunities to tell others how we make it through our imperfect lives. We are turning people away from us without us realizing it because they feel like they can never measure up to this perfection image that we've unrealistically created. We know we really are not perfect, we know we really don't have it all together, but what we do know is that because of Jesus that doesn't matter. Maybe if we quit trying to be so perfect and let down the walls around us, then those we come in contact with either personally or through our churches might see more of who and what Jesus is really all about.

The second part of the chorus says,

But the invitations open
To every heart that's been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

If we begin to realize that God's invitation to us is to just come; to come and let Him heal our brokenness, maybe we can stop trying to be perfect. And maybe then we won't see so many flaws in those around us because we will realize more of our own flaws. There was only one perfect person and he died hanging on a cross for us. I think it's time we stop living for perfection and start living for Jesus and who He's called us to be.

May we all be a blessing to those we come in contact with as we show our imperfections and may we all be Jesus to those around us. If we can do that, God will take care of the rest.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I
will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ sake,
I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions,
in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12: 9,10

Blessings!

Being Filled With God's Glory

We sang a song this past Sunday in church by the Zoe Group called "Let Your Glory Fall". I love that song. At Highland Oaks we are trying to be more intentional about being out in "our front yard". We want to be more intentional about being available to our community and being a good neighbor. I love that we are moving in that direction. It is what God has called us to be as His people.

The first part of that song says...

Let your glory fall in this room,
Let it go forth from here to the nations.
Let your fragrance rest in this place,
As we gather to seek your face.

I have not been able to get those phrases out of my mind. As we sang that song, we sang it as a church. And while I am extremely thankful and grateful that is who we want to be as a church, I cannot help but look at it from a personal perspective. The phrase "let your fragance rest in this place"... I want that more than anything. I want the fragance of God to rest in me personally. If it's not already resting in me, it's going to hard for it to rest in us as a church. But when I/we are around others, is that the fragance they smell? Do they smell the fragrance of God? Do they smell the fragrance of hope, of peace, of compassion, of love? Or do they smell the stench of judgment, of anger, of hatred.

If we want to be churches where the fragrance of God rest, we first have to be people where the fragrance of God rest. We have to individuals where the fragrance of God rest. Only then will that fragrance of God not only rest with us and within our churches but it will go forth into the nations as we show the world and our communities what God smells like.

We have staff devotionals every Monday morning. A great blessing of working in a church! While Monday's are a drudgery for many people, I love Monday's because of our devotional time. This Monday, we started with the following quote from Parker Palmer, Leading from Within... And it again reminded me of our song from Sunday morning.

"A leader is a person who must take special responsibility for what's going on inside him or herself, inside his or her consciousness, lest the act of leadership create more harm than good."

So before we can have the fragrance of God as a church, we first have the fragrance of God within ourselves. Oh how I want to smell like him! Our minister Pat Bills is fond of saying at the end of our devotional time, "let those thoughts frame your week". My prayer is that the fragrance of God will frame me and then our churches always!

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let your glory be over all the earth.
Psalm 57:5

Blessings!

Time...

Time... It's one of those things that is really hard to get a handle on. It seems like there is never enough of it; and it moves so fast we wonder where it went and then we wish we had more of it or could get it back.

The Rolling Stones sing a song called "Time is on my Side". While this song is more about a girl than it is time, the title does make me think. Because time really isn't on our side. From the moment we are born, our days are numbered. There is no infinite amount of time here on earth. There is no guarantee of how much time we will have or if we even have the time of tomorrow. Yet, I know I do not always make the best use of my time.

When you are young it seems like you have all the time in world, but the older you get the more you realize that time is fleeting. And time is such a hard thing to handle. If you work a full time job, work at home raising children, go to school full time etc., there are not many hours in the day that are truly your own.

How do we use the time that we call our own? I know that I don't always use my time in the best ways. It's really easy when you are busy all day to get home and really want to do nothing. To do what I call "vegging out" so you can just empty your mind and your thoughts. While that is definitely ok to do, I think sometimes we let ourselves fall into a trap of feeling like we just don't have time to do anything once we get home. We don't have time for prayer, we don't have time for bible study or reading books, we don't have time for exercise... the list could go on and on.

While I think it's very important to take time out to just rest & be still, it's also important not to let rest or "vegging out" take us over. We always find the time to do the things we really want to do. So even those things we say we want to do but we don't have time for, we really do have time for if it's important to us.

We have to be intentional about most things in our life that are important to us. Prayer, study, reading, spending time with our families, those are all intentional things. Time is no different. If we want to make the most of or even a better use of our time, we have to be intentional. Time is fleeting; and the older we get, the faster it goes. And if we aren't careful, one day we are really going to look up and say "where did the time go". We are not guaranteed tomorrow and only God knows how much time we truly have. I plan to be more intentional about my time and the things that are important to me. I wonder what life would look like if I was more intentional about my time every day. I wonder what it would look like if I started framing my day with what God wanted me to use my time for instead of what I want to use my time for. I don't want to miss anything God has in store for me and my time, so I plan to be more intentional and find out!

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Blessings!

Jesus is the Reason...

There is a video on Youtube that is going viral everywhere. You may have seen it. It's a video of unsuspecting shoppers at a mall food court who are suddenly surrounded by people singing the Hallelujah Chorus!

In case you haven't seen it, take a look!



It's amazing to me how the joy of that song begins to cause almost everyone to stand up and to join in with the singing. It brings tears to my eyes to see the joy & amazement on everyone's faces. Even the ones who aren't singing are obviously filled with joy over what they are witnessing.

Isn't that just the way Jesus is... He's joyous, He's uplifting, He brings hope, He's contagious! There is just something about Jesus that makes you smile. Something else I think is really cool... there has to be many denominations in the room. But in those moments, no one was worried about where the person next to them went to church or what denomination they were. They were focused on singing and praising Jesus. Jesus was the reason for the joy in that room and it was simply amazing!

I don't know whether or not this was planned or just spontaneous, either way it should really give us something to think about.

How many times when we feel moved by the spirit do we act on it; how many times do we let that opportunity slip by only to realize later the blessing that we missed. This time of year more people are talking about Jesus and people are open to Jesus more than any other time of the year. I pray that I will not miss out on the opportunities that are brought before me; not only during this Christmas season but everyday. I pray that when I have the chance, I will have the courage to stand up; even if I stand alone. Because as we see in this video, if one person stands up, there will likely be more that follow. And that is just way cool in my opinion!

Jesus is the reason things happen. Jesus causes excitement! If we focus on being Jesus with skin on in this world, amazing things are going to happen! I'm excited I get the chance to be a part of it!

Blessings to you and your family this holiday season!

Sunday... It's the Greatest!! (or at least it should be)

Sunday.... it's one of my absolute favorite days! I LOVE getting together with friends who are like family singing praises to God and worshiping together. And hearing a wonderful sermon from God's word is just icing on the cake. There is just nothing like it! It's what gets me through the rest of the week!

I ran across this cartoon today. I've had it for a while and can't remember where I got it. It makes me laugh; but it also makes me very sad. God intends for us to come together to worship Him, to be built up, to just enjoy being together for the common purpose of being in His presence. How sad is it that sometimes there are those who come together just wondering what there is to complain about today. And like the cartoon says, they complain so much "they can't remember what it is they are not supposed to like".

I know that we all have our days where we do not like something as well other days. One of the songs we sang might not be our favorite, we may not totally agree with something someone has said, etc. But when those types of things take our attention away from the reason we are really there, we miss out on so much. How much joy & blessings do we miss out on because we are so upset that the song that was just sung, was not one of "our" favorites? How much joy & blessings do we miss out on when we are worried about what others are doing or how something looks or "did you hear what he just said"?

If we go to our worship services without the express intent of worshiping our God and if we allow "things" to distract us, we miss out. God is calling each one of us into relationship with Him everyday, worship is a way we can share that joy with other Christians. It's our piece of heaven on earth. How sad when we waste that small piece of heaven by bickering, worrying or judging others unjustly.

We don't know what may be on someone's heart; or the reason they are worshiping the way they are. We don't know what heartaches someone may be feeling or how badly they just need to be in the presence of God and other Christians. I pray that we all go to worship with the sole purpose of worshiping God and building up those we love and building up those who just need to see Jesus with skin on. If we don't, we are going to miss out on some of the most precious gifts that God has to offer us. I pray that we all learn to come together and share and rejoice in our differences instead of criticizing others because they choose to worship differently from the way we do; or because their view on a particular "issue" is not exactly the same as ours. Different is not always bad or wrong... sometimes it's just different.

There are those around us who are hungry and thirsty for a relationship with God. It's sad to me that sometimes those of us that have that relationship, spend more time focusing on the "things" we don't like instead of the precious gift we have in our relationship with God and the freedom we have to worship Him. Sure, things are not perfect; but they never will be. We are people, and people are not perfect. Let's not miss the most awesome gift of worshiping God by being concerned over things that really do not matter. Jesus came to save the lost, that's what matters.

May we all remember to find joy even in the small things! And may we all cherish our time of worship with God's family. Our attitude about worship is a choice. I choose to worship with my whole heart and not miss out on anything that God has to offer!

Blessings!

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 100: 1-3