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?

The tension between heaven and earth

It seems like there's constant tension in my life. One area of tension is with raising my kids...trying to train them in the way they should go when their flesh doesn't want to go there.

Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

In this world I will long for what completely fills me. And when I find Him, and when I really understand that He is my only sufficiency, I will want Him more than anything...and I will realize I need Him more than anything. With that realization, it will be more difficult to engage in the world. But He has us still in the world for a PURPOSE that includes involvement in the lives of those around us. We will live in this world with a constant tension between our very real need to constantly be with Him and our purpose of being in the world and pouring out ourselves for others in the world.

This idea was highlighted yesterday morning through my visit to the swamp. My swamp lesson came like this:

While still at home, I wrote out a list of things I needed to talk to God about...things I needed complete alone time for...even being alone at my house wasn't enough (there are distractions). I needed the ALWAYS quiet, no-one-ever-around place where I hear God most vividly and connect with Him in undistracted devotion. I needed the swamp. So to the swamp I ventured.

I have a favorite spot at the swamp...the southeast corner where I can park, and if I want, I can get out and walk north, with water on both sides of me, to several locations overlooking the water...there are many options.

The time before last that I was there, I was surprised when someone pulled into "my" spot just ahead of me...to go fishing. Disappointed, I scoped out a new spot and ended up connecting with God in a way that seemed to make this new location the perfect spot for the day. Then on my last visit, I decided to return to that new location where God spoke clearly, again, to some specific issues in my life.

Yesterday, however, I was longing for my favorite spot...anticipating it. I arrived only to see a man fishing at my favorite spot...certainly not conducive to my ALONE time to bask in God's presence and hear His voice...or so I thought.

Disappointed again, I kept driving...scoping out more potential locations. I stopped at two on the south side...neither of which was "right." They just felt completely wrong. So I drove to the west side and pulled into the location from the last two visits. Still, it just wasn't right. I noticed a potential spot at the southwest corner, but I was too distracted there...partially by an unusual amount of trash, no place to sit, etc.

I decided to go back to my favorite spot and see if the fisherman had left yet. He was still there. I decided I would still go there and walk back beyond his fishing spot where I was relatively sure there was complete solitude.

As soon as I parked and turned off my van, another car pulled in right behind me. I watched as a woman got out with her fishing pole (!) and walked down the trail and out of sight. Just then another car pulled in behind her and then drove around her and parked just out of my sight. I was stunned at the "traffic," but I was quickly beginning to hear the swamp message for the day. Accepting my circumstances, I started writing.

"In this world, there will always be tension between caring for our time WITH God and caring for our time FOR God."

As much time as I get with Him, it never seems to be enough...and it's not enough, because this isn't the world we were created for. But the time we get...the time He allows, will suffice until we enter the world we WERE created for.

As I wrote, several runners ran by, and one man, "just looking around," walked by my open window and started chatting with me briefly. Several minutes later, the first two people left and then a man and his son came with their fishing poles. I realized I need to be open to disruptive opportunities (the trouble in the world) so that I can reflect what Jesus has overcome.

If I'm right with Him, my time with Him probably won't feel like enough, but it will suffice until I enter a new world with Him.

So yesterday morning was a totally unusual and public swamp experience...as I pursued ALONE time with Him. God is certainly not predictable.

Still

As soon as I parked, I recognized how still the water was at the swamp...barely moving at all. What grabbed my attention most was the reflection in the water...the brilliant and nearly unflawed reflection of the many hues of green from the trees with the clarity of the branches, and the blue sky.

Aside from the dust that was settled on the surface of the water...on the surface of the reflection, the reflection was almost like the real thing.

Lately I've been struggling with some anxiety and stress, knowing that it is not at all good for me! It occurred to me, with the water's reflection, that I reflect God best when I'm still. I may be spending time with Him, which is crucial to reflecting Him, but if I'm filled with anxiety and stress and fear, I won't reflect Him. Instead, I'll appear like the water on a windy day, and others will only see waves of turmoil and discord.

He reminds me to 'come to Him' and leave my burdens with Him. Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." When I go to Him, I need to leave my stuff with Him, trusting that He can take care of my stuff. Only then can I be still and reflect Him well.

Blindfolded faith-walk

Back in my "Come to me" post I mentioned the Juan Mann "Free Hugs" video that has been widely circulated online at youtube.com. (It can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e3Emjk3Zko&mode=related&search=.) The first time I saw it, something about it kept drawing me back into it. Then I realized it was the idea of 'taking love (God's love) to the streets' that drew me. At the time, my book Healing Tears was just being released. I heard God leading me to "Take Healing Tears out of the church and into the street." Skeptical, I complained, "But how am I supposed to take a 10-week 'healing' study to the street...???" I didn't get it.

Soon after that, I was driving along and noticed, for the first time ever, SafeHouse. Immediately, I got it. That's the street. A flood of memories came to me from my own childhood experience at a safehouse...and the love and care that I experienced there with the staff. I pursued taking Healing Tears there, but an opportunity hasn't become available at this point. But it did give me a broader view of how to take God's love out of the church and into the community.

Then I sensed God calling me on a "blindfolded faith-walk"...to leave my small group and spend between 3 weeks and 3 months at another large church's care ministry. I spent 4 weeks there, gaining insight, building relationships and building a vision for the 'church'. Through a very unexpected turn of events, God had me return for one more week and confirmed that my time there was finished. (Sorry to be so vague, but this IS the internet.)

Now I'm awaiting direction for the next step. I'm excited as I see potential opportunities for my involvement in God reaching the streets of my community...and reaching the hearts of multitudes of people...much like I saw in the Free Hugs video...but then also transforming those hearts into lives of beauty and freedom.

I will continue, with excitement at what's ahead, on my blindfolded faith-walk. I've finished my Clash of Hope workbook on conflict resolution, and I'm just reading it over before I send it in. So I get a little break!! :) Please pray for God's direction and that those of us needing to hear it will listen closely. Thanks for reading.

When God shows up

This past week was very occupied with the shows that my boys (my two young thespians) were in (The Jungle Book/Cinderella), and I've been very occupied with that the last couple days. I know it's been several days since I last posted, and I wanted to post something; however, whenever I tried to sit at the computer, I couldn't do it. And I certainly couldn't sit here to work (still have more to do). My head and neck ache...which makes it difficult to think on a deep level.

As I sat at the computer and got to this website, I lamented at my inability to sit here. I slid (literally) out of my chair and to my knees. Now, you have to picture this. Light off, kneeling in front of and leaning on my chair, my neck feeling too weak to hold my head up so my hands were holding my head up as the chair supported my elbows. I felt like the woman in the First Alert commercial: "I've fallen and I can't get up!" Yes, I could move around, but to sit still in this one position, to do the one thing I needed to do, felt impossible.

As I prayed, the verse from a song I learned back in college came to mind...Psalm 145:14-16:

"The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing."

Here I was, fallen (in a sense) physically, bowed to my knees, eyes on and seeking him for help, trusting him to show up and meet my needs...knowing he doesn't always meet our needs in the ways we want or in our preferred time frame. But I also know he's honored and loves it when we look to him and put our trust in him. So however he responded, I was committed to looking to him and trusting how he chose to provide.

All I can say is that I was filled with praise as I felt renewed strength in my neck again and was able to hold my head up. And I told him I would tell you about it. I do need to tend to some issues in my neck soon, but for now, "The Lord upholds" my head and is strengthening my neck.

I'm thinking about how often we struggle with issues...and struggle, and struggle...without falling to our knees and getting our eyes on him (I know we ALL do it). But how he longs to make eye contact with us...in those times and all the time. He is so passionate about us and delights in our attention!

"Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever." --Deut. 5.29

Back to work now to finish the last chapter of "Clash of Hope." Please pray for God's words in this chapter on 'Good Conflict'. It's been the hardest, but I know he'll show up and make it as he wants.

I'm praying for you.

Customer Reviews on CBD

If any of you is interested, I would love it if you would write a review of one or both of my books (if you've read them) on the CBD website. Just go to www.christianbook.com, do a search for Healing Tears or Life Beyond The Scars, and then scroll down to customer reviews. Thanks.

God pouring out his glory

I've been very, very consumed with editing workbooks, for the next round (phase 3) to be released this July, as well as writing one on conflict resolution. I sense the prayers of friends, and I am so grateful. I love what I'm doing, but this crunch time is exhausting.

I've focussed entirely on writing this week, and I sense God pouring his words into me...in ways I couldn't accomplish on my own. I have the majority of this workbook (Clash of Hope) written...about three more chapters to go. I hope to have it completed in the next week. I am so excited about what God is speaking through me into this book...I want to share it all with you now (but please buy it in July! :)

I'm feeling a bit weary, achy, and tired from long days and late nights, so please continue to pray for my endurance. My kids, in particular, are feeling the effects at times...even though I'm doing my best to keep them as a priority. We just don't have as much down time together (a temporary thing). All my time is used very deliberately right now (and for the next 2 or 3 weeks). My spirit continues to stay refreshed, yet I don't want to take it for granted...so if you would, please pray in all these ways.

Thank you so much for supporting me. And please feel free to comment with your own prayer requests. It encourages me, and I will pray for you.

I'm thinking about all of you right now...and what God says about you in Romans 8:30, "And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory."

Come To Me

I'll confess; I'm trying to play catch-up here and give you some background before I give you current highlights.
"Come To Me" is a theme that I had been hearing from God from about November through January. Here's the quick synopsis:

1. Someone mentioned the song "Come to me" back in Nov. Not being familiar with it, I googled it and found that Celine Dion did this song recently on her "Miracle" album. I read the words (which are written from a parent to a child), and what I heard was God speaking directly to me.
Some of the words are:

"I will always love you no matter what
No matter where you go or what you do
And knowing you, you're gonna have to do things your own way
And that's okay; So be free, spread your wings
And promise me just one thing...

"If you ever need a place to cry
Baby, come to me; Come to me
I've always known that you were born to fly
But you can come to me
If the world breaks your heart
No matter where on earth you are
You can come to me..."

2. Okay, fast forward a couple weeks. My friend, Monika, shared a verse with me that was speaking to her: Matthew 11:28 (AMP), "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]"
Her insight was that if I go to God with my burdens, and then I leave that time and I'm not refreshed, then there's some burden I've either taken back or haven't left with him at all.

3. My friend, Erin, shared a funny online video link with me, and then I noticed another video link in the margin, so I checked it out. It was Juan Mann's "Free Hugs" campaign (I'll say more about that another time), but the song in the video starts "I don't mind where you come from as long as you come to me."

I savored these three "come to me" messages for a few weeks until...
4. Then it all came together. I had been seeking Life apart from God (again), and He was gently reminding me of the only place I would really find LIFE. Inside I was feeling like an anxious, restless, unfilled, panicked mess. So I decided to get in bed and read Psalms (because David, the psalmist, understands me). I randomly opened my Bible to Psalm 40 and started reading, "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire...." Yes, he does understand me, I thought, relieved. I continued reading, and then I came to a verse that just jumped off the page, "Then I said, 'Look, I have come.'"
God had been calling me, and yes, I had come...and He was there.

5. The next morning I woke up to spend more time with the Lord. I found many verses in Psalms reminding me that "My Hope Is You"...my hope is God. It was refreshing. Then several more follow-up "come to me" verses came to me that built on the message God was speaking to me...

John 7:37b "'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.'"

Joel 2:12 (AMP) "Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning [until every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored]."

Romans 8:30 (NLT) "And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory."

I hope you're enjoying His glory today.
Till soon.....

Quick Thought for the Day

The other day my friend Beth and I were talking. Among other things, we pondered this thought:

God is working;

Don't live like He's not.

It's easy to get wrapped up in resolving everything we have going on in life, dealing with all the frustrations, etc. And then I remember this thought. He has something going on...and then my hope is to be able to see what good things He wants to bring out of my circumstances.

Aloneness

I've been juggling my time between editing and writing a workbook on conflict resolution. The last few days I've focussed on the editing, but I'm so torn because I have to get them both done, and I want to do both, yet I'm overflowing with thoughts on the conflict resolution chapter I'm on. It's focussed on the armor of God, and I just can't wait to get all my thoughts out. Here's a synopsis: This morning, much was coming to me about ALONENESS.

There's a song called Come To Me by Celine Dion that says,
"And the seven seas you sail
All the winding road you're on
Leave you lost and feeling all alone
Let my heart be your beacon home."

And Jesus said in John 16.32,
"But the time is coming--in fact, it is already here--when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me."

We can relate, at times, to the first three lines of the song, and the first sentence in Jesus' words. As Christians, we have Satan as our enemy, and he wants us to get stuck in those beginnings--those tragedies. But the truth is in the last lines: We have a safe place to rest in God's heart, and there, we are not alone.

Whatever we believe will impact what we do...how we move in life. A friend just reminded me that the primary initiation of all of our physical movement comes from our waist area. It's fitting then, that in the armor of God, the belt of truth covers the center of all our movement...that is, what we believe will determine our action. If you believe you're alone, you will likely despair. But if, even in your aloneness, you realize you are certainly not alone, there is amazing peace, and you will move in that peace.

I must end that thought there for now. But feel free to share your thoughts or experiences on it.

Till soon......