LIFE

I am so struck this morning with the LIFE that God pours into my spirit. I was spending time with Him, and part of that time included listening to Chris Tomlin's song, "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)", the chorus of which is:

"My chains are gone; I've been set free
My God, my Saviour has ransomed me
And like a flood, His mercy reigns
Unending love; amazing grace"

Oh, God, what amazing, amazing life you give...when we forsake our idols, casting them aside, to worship you alone. There is so much freedom and so much beauty there. You call us to freedom...may we live in it. I pray that those who see my life wouldn't miss the amazing life and freedom and beauty that I experience with You! May they find and know that LIFE!

My enemy...the mosquito

What do you do when you're attacked by an enemy?

As I write this, sitting at my computer, I am being attacked by a small, but powerful and relentless mosquito. He has bitten my foot twice already, and the two times I've caught a glimpse of him, he has eluded my death trap. My vengeance is growing as my fear grows...my fear that he will attack again...because he has proven that he is out to get me. I'm developing a paranoia...I keep thinking I feel something landing on me, but I look and there's nothing...yet.

Am I accomplishing the work I set out to do tonight? Not at all. I'm completely distracted and afraid to NOT focus on what I fear.

Have you ever been there? ...Feeling like you had better stay keenly aware of the very thing you fear or else you are doomed? Psychologists may call this hypervigilance. It keeps us from living in a state of peace and joy...believing that we had better watch out for ourselves, because no one else will.

Hmmm. But is that right? No one else will? How easy it is to forget that I have a God who is intimately acquainted with everything in my life...including the big enemies and the little ones. That being true, I ask the question again, what do you do when you're attacked by an enemy?

After thinking about this, I chose to pray. I asked God to either give my enemy into my hands that I could defeat him OR to defeat my enemy himself apart from my effort and give me peace. I realize God's answer could be "no" to both options. He could allow my enemy to attack again. But faith would allow me to believe that God would still use it for good in a way that maybe only he knows (maybe for my character, maybe for your benefit, maybe to teach me how to fight enemy attacks, maybe for some reason I couldn't possibly understand). Will I trust him? ...so that I can live in peace and joy.

Markings of a Leader

I have had various positions of leadership throughout the years. Some of those 'positions' don't always make us think of the actual term 'leadership' (such as parenting, sharing with others what God has taught us, providing direction, etc. -- these are also significant forms of leadership). Last night, as I was anticipating beginning a new leadership position as a small group leader, I thought about what I desire to mark me as a leader (in this new position as well as in the less 'obvious' leadership positions I have). And in those thoughts I prayed,

"Lord, may I have the strength, courage and humility to get lower than those I'm leading. May I get beneath them to lift them up and push them ahead. May I remain free of the expectation that they should be serving me or that I deserve their service. May I be filled by God himself so that I can come and be a servant leader."

I thought about Barnabas, Paul's mentor, who pushed Paul ahead to where he became much better known than Barnabas himself. And Jesus, how he set the example in serving as he washed the feet of his disciples.

I don't want to live out the typical American leadership mindset that would require the followers to wash the leader's feet. Jesus himself said, "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20.28 and Mark 10.45).

In these thoughts, I'm asking myself some questions:

1. In what ways do your leaders display this kind of humility? (It is my prayer that those I'm leading could answer this easily.)

2. In what practical ways can I demonstrate this kind of humility toward those I'm leading?

May we carry the same leadership markings as Jesus.

Scheduling

Whew! We've had some humid days lately! The grass is looking so much nicer, but I've been hybernating inside with the kids and the a/c. I'm about to venture out beyond the mailbox soon....

I'd appreciate your prayers for these next couple weeks. Aside from the in-town events, I have a lot out-of-town adventures on the schedule, and in the midst of it, I need to get two manuscripts edited. I need to use my time wisely.

I'll be leaving in a couple hours to go to my parents to pick up Tim who has been staying there this week. We'll come back home tomorrow.

On Friday, Dave and I leave for a quick, overnight camping adventure in central Ohio. We're hoping it will be a time of relaxation and connection with God and each other.

Then Monday morning I leave for my parents' again, and on Tuesday the kids and I will spend the whole day at the county fair with my dad, who loves to take us every year. It's a very fun tradition.

Next Thursday is the 3rd monthly LifeCare meeting, and then on Friday, I may be going to Indy for the weekend to see a friend I haven't seen in 18 years, as well as tour my father-in-law's ice cream plant and visit a church that may be interested in implementing CarePoint materials.

If you sense God's leading, please pray for each of these events...and the manuscripts. I long for God to do amazing things through each of them. Thank you so much!

Have you had enough?

Do you ever feel like today's trouble is so much that you can't take anymore?

GOD SAYS THAT'S TRUE!

Jesus said in Matthew 6.34 (NLT), "Today's trouble is enough for today." And because today has enough trouble, "don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries."

Now isn't that encouraging???
Well, it IS...only if you can really give yourself over to the verse before it. Matthew 6.33 (NLT) says, "he will give you all you need from day to day...." But, there is a catch. The rest of the verse provides the qualifier: "...if you live for him and make the kingdom of God your primary concern."

Wow! That's quite a calling. Think about it (go ahead and make a list):

What or Who did you live for today?
What were your concerns today?

What made the top of your list(s)?

Can you confidently say that today you have lived for him AND you have made the kingdom of God your primary concern? What a challenge.

We need to make the kingdom of God our primary concern. Our sanity, our peace, our very lives depend on it.

Tomorrow I can start fresh and, by his grace, choose the direction of my life. When I awake, I will choose to live my day for him, to make the kingdom of God my primary concern, believing with unwavering confidence that he will take care of every one of my needs for the day.

Clothed in righteousness

Last night I went for a walk in a park with my friend Patti. On our walk, we came to a dam with one of the gates open. Patti knew in the moment that there would be a message in it for me and that it would be posted on my blog today...she was right.

She and I had talked about the stillness of the larger body of water that filtered into this small space to be released down into a narrower body of water that was very stirred up and flowed with greater strength.

Today I'm listening to Travis Cottrell's song, "Search Me, Know Me." The chorus says,
Create in me a heart that's clean
Conquer the power of secret shame
Come wash away the guilty stain of all my sin
Clothe me in robes of righteousness
Cover my nakedness with grace
All of my life before you now I humbly bring.

Oftentimes, our lives can move along smoothly and with little disruption, and we may even look pretty good. We, as believers and followers of Christ, because we have God's spirit, long for a heart that's truly clean.

What happens when the world presses in on us, or possibly God presses in on us, and moves us from our comfortable, free space into a channel of disruption? It feels chaotic, out of control, frustrating, scary and painful. We no longer look in the mirror and see the carefree, undisturbed calm that existed "pre-dam" experience. Suddenly we've become a disrupted pile of nerves that has just crashed painfully against rocks creating a foamy discord, a fishy odor and casting a certain mist that is certainly not appealing.

So what's the point to all this?

As God guides and protects our way over the disruptiveness, it exposes who we really are. It exposes, as the song reveals, "our secret shame, our sin, our nakedness" that we covered so well in the places of little disruption.

But here, where we're exposed...this is how God so amazingly and wonderfully responds:

He conquers ...through his own death and resurrection
He clothes us ...He gets the most beautiful clothing and puts it on us
He covers us in grace ...the clothing He chooses for us announces the message...
"RIGHTEOUS!"

Isaiah 61.10 (Amp)
"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

Follow the leader

I'm reading a great book right now, The Disciple Making Church, by Glenn McDonald, senior pastor of Zionsville Presbyterian Church in Indiana. It's leading me to ask some really good questions of myself that I haven't explored in quite awhile. I've summarized my thoughts/questions here....

To whom are you looking to lead you? Who is your mentor?
To whom do you look to be your example(s) in life...maybe your hero?

Be assured, you will become like this person / these people.

I have mentors who know me, and then I have other examples that I seek to follow... such as many positive biblical examples, Beth Moore, Kathy Troccoli, etc. I am careful about what I allow into my mind. But not everyone is. We need to consider what people we are looking to as examples, what books we read that influence our thoughts, and what music we listen to...it will ALL influence us.

We live in such a loud world, that even when we are careful about our influences, we will still have to battle the negative influences as well as the sinfulness of our flesh.

Recently, my 3 kids were arguing. When I tried to intervene, they each spoke very loudly over each other trying to get his or her own story heard. Finally, over the chaos, I yelled, "Shut up!" There was immediate silence (since this was quite a rare occurence). My oldest son (who is, by the way, half way through his blackbelt training program for karate) appeared quite offended at my instruction as he silently took a step toward me with an aggressive look in his eye.... We all just stood frozen for about 5 very long seconds until I said, "Uhhh, I learned that from Jack*." We all laughed, and I apologized.

As my son, Jack*, is learning to get control over his speech, I've been influenced by it. That's why Paul says in Galatians 6.1 "...if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." Be in there to help, but be careful.

There are plenty of negative influences that will always be around us. We must watch ourselves and make sure we do what we can to surround ourselves with righteous influences. May it be our heart's desire to be a light for others...with no darkness in it. John said of God, "In him was life, and that life was the light of men" (John 1.4). And Paul commissions us with Jesus' own message: "For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth' " (Acts 13.47).

And finally, Jesus commissions us: "See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness" (Luke 11.35).


*Note: name change to protect his dignity.

Being Incarnational

The other day I was at a relative's house enjoying some quality outdoor time, much like how I grew up out in the country. I sat peacefully by the pond for a while, shot some baskets with others, played with the puppies and cats, shot a couple different .22 rifles at targets, .... It was great! Someone commented on how I seemed so relaxed in that environment...I was in my element.

I've been connecting with that lifestyle so much more recently that sometimes it hurts to not have it...for me and for the kids.

A couple days later, it was my night out. I drove down some roads scoping out potential lots similar to how I grew up. I wondered where my discontent was coming from...flesh or spirit.

I picked up a Mocha Frappuccino from my favorite coffee shop and was en route to a nearby park to read when I inadvertently passed the driveway to the park. As I prepared to turn around, the Huron River came to mind, and I was drawn to go explore it in the direction I was driving.

When I got close to the river, wherever I found a place to park along the river, there were already people there, so I continued on...looking for a less-busy place. I drove around a curve and noticed my old college dorm. Immediately, a whole slew of thoughts flashed through my mind, but the predominant train of thought was that (23 years ago) I had left the open country space of where I grew up, and I packed myself into a small, confining dorm room. It reminded me of what Jesus did by becoming incarnate...leaving the expansiveness of heaven and cramming himself (God of the universe) into the confining space of a woman's womb for nine months. And after that, living confined to his earthly mission for 33 years, knowing one day he would be free again in the expanse of heaven.

I'm not sure yet what all this is communicating to me, but my initial thought is that I'm longing for heaven, and one day I'll have it. But for now, my mission is to be incarnational, embodying the Spirit of Christ, while submitting to the confines presented by the goal of reaching the lost, loving others and laying down my life...ultimately loving God through my flesh. It's often painful, disappointing and sometimes even leaves me feeling trapped. But the Apostle Paul said he "learned the secret of being content in any and every situation" (Philippians 4.12). And Jesus himself told us that this world would bring us trouble, trials and sorrows, and will not satisfy us, but ultimately, it will be okay (John 16.33). When his Spirit lives in us, we have the only component for peace. And when we have that component for peace, believing by faith that God is caring for us, then we can live incarnationally in a disruptive world.

Spiritual Gifts

I've been thinking a lot about "mission" lately. One area in particular relates to spiritual gifts. As I was reading the book of Mark, I was noticing that (although He undoubtedly could have) Jesus didn't often seem to display a wide range of spiritual gifts. We don't see Him, in Scripture (as far as I can tell), focused in areas such as singing with the music team, playing the lyre, preparing budgets and helping to build houses for Habitat For Humanity (although he was a carpenter by trade). Instead, he certainly taught often (and was often referred to as Teacher). But what stands out to me is that He focused much on healing. People were constantly coming to Him to be healed.

I have not noticed a gift of healing in myself, but I did do a couple online spiritual gifts assessments to understand better where God might have me focus in His unique work for me.

When it comes to our gifts, sometimes others may be something of a devil's advocate. Sometimes we are to ourselves. There have been others who have condemned me in my gifts, and there have been times when I've been blind to or critical of the gift and condemned myself. But God has gifted me uniquely so that I can be a blessing to Him and to others. Here are some thoughts I had that are challenging me:

"God says to me, 'I have called you and equipped you to display the gifts of ____________.'"
"What do others others say about you?"
"What do you say about yourself?"
"Who will you choose to believe?"

CarePoint Workbooks

Did you know you can order my workbooks (or any CarePoint workbook) online at two different locations?

CBD has them available at:
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntk=keywords&Ntt=carepoint&action=Search&N=0&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1

or they can be ordered directly from the CarePoint website at:
http://www.carepointministry.com/discouragement.html
for "Healing Tears"

and
http://www.carepointministry.com/sexabuse.html
for "Life Beyond the Scars"

We'll have the next phase of workbooks available toward the end of the summer, which will include my newest release "Clash of Hope: Getting to the heart of conflict resolution".

I hope you'll check them out and that they will be meaningful in your life.

The Swamp

Ah, well, school gets out tomorrow, and I expect my swamp visits will be a bit less frequent for the rest of the summer. Fortunately, my friend Patti asked me for pictures of the swamp (in 22 years, I've never taken a picture there!). So this morning I went and took some. Now I'll still be able to enjoy the view of the swamp from my own house.... :)

Make some noise!

I'm at the swamp today. There is both life and death here. There's something scary AND enticing about the swamp. Despite the name I've given it, there is beauty here...with the lush green colors in the trees and grass and bushes, the beauty of the water, small islands, blue sky...nature as God created it at its core.

There is also the overgrowth of trees and bushes along the trails, the trash, fallen dead trees, wildlife that can strike intimidation into me, mud, a half-rotted railroad tie, dead leaves and sticks and swamp growth cluttering the water's edge....

As I walked up to the water, something exuding life leapt into the water, and as I squatted down, taking in the landscape, a big splash startled me--maybe a beaver, or some other water-loving creature, entered the water several yards away from me. It can be a bit scary not knowing what lurks around you...and then knowing what does.... It can feel very vulnerable.

This is also the world around me.

It can seem so scary, intimidating, corrupt and dead...yet there is life in it because it's God's creation and He breathed life into it. The question I ask myself is, "How can I draw out life from what is corrupt or threatening or appears dead?"

At the swamp, what arouses life?
My silence: when I'm still and life resumes its normal course.
My presence: when I make noise that disrupts the normal flow of activity...maybe arousing fear, maybe arousing attention to what's important, and bringing about change.

I live in a corrupt world...a swamp or sorts. As I sit silently, life will resume normally around me. But if I make some noise...godly noise, I will disrupt the norm and effect change. The change will be disruptive...sometimes leading to godliness and sometimes greater ungodliness. But if I don't live with a VOICE in my world, not even good change results.

...So my sister is getting married. I've already been forewarned that some of her friends may present things at her shower that I would consider in poor taste. Some of these people want to help plan the shower...and I'm aware of the type of cake they want to get.... My heart sinks, yet this is the world (it's Babylon...if you did Beth Moore's Daniel study). As I think of how to respond, I wonder about challenging them toward life... "There is something much better in you than that...you have something good, something so much better to offer." It's what God has breathed into them...that only He can cause to grow to fullness of life.

I want to find and draw out the life from what has become so corrupt. I want to make some noise!

Late for church!

My husband, Dave, and I are implementing a Bible reading plan for our family. The kids decided on which book of the Bible to start with: the book of Mark. So, each day (6 days a week) we read the passage on the schedule and then usually discuss it at dinner.

On our way to church Sunday morning, we discussed the Mark 7 passage (we missed discussing it the night before). But I was frustrated! I had gotten up in just enough time to get MYSELF ready to go. When I was ready, I went to find everyone else. No one else was ready, or even moving in the right direction. That's when the frustration hit.

Eventually we got on our way...right on schedule to arrive 15 minutes late. I could feel the battle within me...that battle between knowing the best thing would be to be at peace and the anger that no one else seems to care about being on time.

Mark 7 was about "Inner purity." The Pharisees were upset that Jesus' disciples didn't strickly adhere to the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. Jesus' reply began in verse 6: "'You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away...." For you ignore God's specific laws and substitute your own traditions.'"

Ouch. It struck right at my heart. Just like hand washing before eating is a good practice, so is getting to church on time. But when the ritual/activity becomes more important than having a heart/attitude that honors God in the moment (wherever I am, on time or late), I dishonor God.

My worship time that morning was humbling...and good...filled with repentance and gratitude for His grace and forgiveness. It was perfectly fitting when we sang, "I'm coming back to the heart of worship. It's all about You, Jesus."

Backyard Attack

There has been much attack in my backyard lately. First, I noticed a squirrel running along the top rail of our wood fence...and then birds dive bombing the squirrel in shameful attack. Then I saw birds attacking other birds (trust me, it wasn't love...there was anger in their dispositions). And that's not to mention the live traps we've set to eradicate our chipmunk population, the trampoline wars and squirt guns. War in my own backyard...!

Today I watched a robin looking for worms in the grass through a gentle rain. Suddenly, another bird swooped in. I quickly anticipated another battle, but to my delight, the swooping bird, another robin, landed right beside the first, dropped something out of its mouth for the first bird and then flew away.

It gave me a fresh perspective of community, caring for each other, spewing out love for each other. It was a good reminder of Philippians 2:4, "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."

Swamp Water

I came to my favorite spot at the swamp tonight. Earlier, a friend had asked me to pray for her, and since I didn't have plans for my night out, I sensed that the swamp was my destiny.

As I approached, there were a couple people near my new spot on the west side, and three cars parked on the south side. I got to my favorite spot on the southeast corner, and it was vacant. :) I knew I had to walk down the trail...God had something to speak to me there. It was wet and muddy at first (a good deterrent to others for my alone time...although I was open to however God wanted to speak).

I was drawn to one place in particular. I stood on the higher ground overlooking the beauty of the sun setting over the water...the resolute breeze blowing toward me. I was compelled to draw nearer to the water, stepping down the slope to meet the water at the shore.

The higher ground, however, is more comfortable and provides a better view. It occurred to me that the wind, channeled by the Spirit, will push the water toward me, but just as Jesus stepped down from His higher ground and into our world to be incarnate, I needed to step down from my higher ground to the water.

Some of the trees nearby were actually in the water. My thoughts articulated, "I have to approach the water to reach it...and sometimes I have to take the uncomfortable step of walking out into the swamp water to rescue those who are dying in it." Something shiny at the edge of the water captured my attention...then I noticed the single dead fish floating....

Just then my spirit heard a voice saying, "Look up." I looked up to see a beautiful evening sky...but more than the sky...a destiny that overwhelmed my heart with longing...a longing that would certainly, one day, be fulfilled. But resting in that "one day," I was called to look back down...to approach the water...to bring life to what exists in the water. It's right in front of me...the Spirit is blowing it my way.

*****************

Mark 1:14-17 "...Jesus went...to preach God's Good News. ...'Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!' One day as Jesus was walking along the shores..., he saw Simon and his brother, Andrew, fishing with a net.... Jesus called out to them, 'Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!'"

Question: What is the water in my life (that is right in front of me...that the Spirit is blowing my way) ...the shore that I can approach and walk along...calling disciples and fishing for people?