"Willing to Be Made Willing?"

We are bombarded daily with messages delivered in numerous ways, from numerous sources, telling us what should be important to us, all in an effort to tether us to what we see, touch, smell, taste, feel.

What filters are in place to protect our hearts? What have we chosen to believe that will help us discern what really matters? Who do we listen to most? Even passively?

If we allow ourselves to be lied to for days on end about Truth, Beauty, Virtue, Value, doesn't it begin to pollute our thoughts, cloud our vision? Can we actually be convinced that the words and images we invite into our brains are innocuous? If the source or content of the messages we ingest doesn't matter, why does God tell us just the opposite?

If you'd like to finish reading, the rest is at the new Antbed, here. 

Happy "Extra" Day!

When the load grows heavy, when our hearts feel weary and empty, when it seems we can only see far enough ahead for a single step, Joy may seem elusive.


The Truth of our situation is this: there is always "enough" to accomplish what He's given us to do. Today. 


If we could see miles ahead, would we be as dependent?


If we knew everything would turn out exactly the way we envision, would our prayers be earnest?


If we look at our day, and all that is on the list is what He's put there, Grace is Sufficient. When we get ourselves in a bind, it's usually because we didn't let Him make the list that day. 


And the pressure on those days when we feel like Bilbo Baggins as he said, "I feel . . . thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread," is our warning sign that things are out of balance. That feeling is a blessing, reminding us to press into His Heart, allowing Him to scratch anything off our list that shouldn't be there. 


Too often, though, I tend to dig in deeper and try to plow through the list, as I planned.


This morning, I told Him I was weary and begged Him to help me. And as we sat down to begin school, He reminded me that He is Sufficient for Today. In fact, He gave me an entire extra day! Most years, this would be March 1. But we have one more February day to walk in Grace! And for me, that was such an encouragement as this day began.


May your "extra day" be filled with an expanded understanding of His Provision, of His Perfect Timing in all things, of His desire to bless us through balance, and of His Trustworthiness to manage our "list." 

Traveling Lightly

If you know us at all, you know we love to hop in a vehicle or two and take off for destinations near and far. As many trips as we have made, one would think that I might have learned by now to pack more lightly. 

Nope.

My imagination conjures up images of all the lovely opportunities we will have to experience a myriad of wonderfully enriching, exciting, educational, ennobling, and edifying events. 

And I pack accordingly.

Of course, we end up not needing a large percentage of the equipment I meticulously arranged, piecing it all in like a jigsaw puzzle so that there actually is some room left for the boring stuff, like clothes.

Now don't get me wrong, we have used many of the resources we drag along with us for thousands of miles. But, the energy expended to continually manage the multitude of items realistically needs to be weighed against the actual fruit borne. 

A musical interlude here for one of Michael Card's classics. I'm stretching the application a little, but I want to expand it beyond packing too much for a road trip, and beyond owning possessions that end up owning us. 

The Lord has been impressing upon us a new lesson for a new season.


Not only am I learning to shrink our packing lists for trips, but we are asking questions about shedding things that would prevent us from being flexible enough to go any direction the Lord asks us to go. What if He doesn't intend for us to continue to "settle in" where we are, with what we are doing now, expecting that to be the pattern for the rest of our lives? What if He wanted to prepare us to do something radically different than what we've always known?


He's done it before.


One example was several years ago. Kregg and I ended up on a plane to far eastern Siberia to bring home two little brothers for the five children He'd already blessed us with. He prepared us ahead of time, before we ever knew adoption was on the radar.


We find ourselves on the very cusp of a season that offers the potential for much more flexibility for our family than we've experienced for the past two decades. There are options potentially opening to us that cause us to ask the question: Is He preparing us for something that we may not anticipate?


We don't know.


But the thought keeps going around in our hearts that we need to be more careful than ever about any additional long-term commitments. We need to allow Him to tell us exactly what He wants us to use this season for so that we are not so encumbered by responsibilities that we can't respond when He asks us to, however He asks us to. We need to allow Him to keep our hearts open, so that we don't reject anything He might have for us.


That's kind of scary.


What if we don't like what He asks of us? What if He wants us to do something really nuts? 


We have to stand on the fact that, whatever He asks of us, His Grace will be sufficient for obedience. 


It may be that what we're doing now is what He'll have us doing when we're 90. Even if that's the case, learning to travel lightly will make us more efficient in any of the responsibilities He's already given us. Carrying more than He intends wearies our souls. If He ever plans to change our course, learning to travel lightly now will allow us to be ready when He calls. 


When we look at how Jesus walked this earth, He was completely unencumbered from ANYTHING that would interfere with His Purpose. He didn't own a bunch of stuff. He didn't commit to anything that would keep Him from moving toward His appointment in Jerusalem.  


I love The Message translation for Matthew 11:28-30:
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."


That's the desire of our hearts in this season: to live freely and lightly in the unforced rhythms of Grace. Taking that as a mission statement helps us to have the wisdom and discernment to choose well how best to go forward from here.

Our First Responsibility: Our Family

"The most discerning audience we will ever have is our own family. They know precisely whether or not our life matches our message.  Only when we pass the test of consistent living at home are we qualified to expand our ministry. Our family responsibilities are not barriers to a future ministry; they are basic training for it. For example, the skills David leaned in order to protect and feed the family flock were later used to conquer a giant and feed a nation. The skills  church leaders learns in order to meet the needs of his own family will be used to understand and meet the needs of the church. This explains why Christ told a certain man to go home to his family and first demonstrate his faith to them."

I've mentioned it before, but one of the very favorite resources used by our family are the three volumes of Character Sketches. The quote above is from one of the four chapters on the character quality of Availability in volume 2. The definition for Availability being studied in this chapter says:

"Availability is serving my family first before I consider other needs or wants."                          I Timothy 5:8

Our homes are our training grounds. Walking in the fullness of understanding in what He desires to accomplish in our souls through the responsibilities we carry at home puts even the mundane tasks in a different light. If we truly believe that everything we do in our home, before or for our family, is for His Glory and our sanctification, we can't treat any of it as unimportant. 


Don't hear a burden in this, hear an opportunity. 


If we understand just how much He desires to accomplish in our souls through ministry in our homes, to our families, it actually gives us more Grace (defined as the power and desire to do His Will). It actually energizes our Purpose and plants seeds of exciting expectation as we await the Fruit He will bring forth, not only in our hearts, but in our home, our children, our spouse. 


As we focus on the ministry of the Home and Hearth, it helps us say "no" to things that are not for this season. By refining our purpose, we are granted discernment to see requests for the expenditure of our resources in the context of our main focused responsibility in this season. When we clearly see our responsibility, it helps us commit to only those things that will bless our purpose in this season, knowing that, as we are faithful, He prepares us for expanded ministry in the next season.


We would be wise not to despise the season of "small things." Small does NOT mean unimportant. Instead, these "small things," the ones seen by only a few, are extremely important if we are to be fitted well for His Purposes. Focusing on the "small things" is the only way to learn to be used in the "big things," where our influence and ministry are expanded by Him to accomplish His Purposes. In our families, the small things all matter. And, if we pay attention to our hearts here, He will purify and build into us a foundation on which can be built expanded areas of influence and ministry, by His Hand, in His Time. 


My family see me clearly. They know when I am chaffing under the yoke of ministry in our home. They know when I am despising the season of small things. They recognize when my attitude is not that of a servant, joyfully ministering in my responsibilities. And in those times when I am centered on self, I miss out on the potential to influence, the blessing of serving, the opportunity to humble myself. Every time I choose poorly, it costs our family something. None of my choices, as a wife and mother, are made in a vacuum. They all affect those He has given me to serve. And they cost me, in rejecting an opportunity to be made more into His Image in that moment of choice.


It is no accident that I still have several children at home (all day :). The refining of the "silver for the Silversmith's use" is requiring decades, in my case. I'm a "tough nut to crack." 

Kisses From Katie: The "Beginning" of a Book Review

Katie Davis is living the life of a drink offering, being poured out completely in the service of her King. She first went to Uganda during the midpoint of her senior year in high school. She was "ruined." 


"Jesus wrecked my life, shattered it to pieces, and put it back together more beautifully."


Planning initially to spend a year in Uganda after she graduated from high school, before starting college, but ended up staying there. She is now in the process of adopting 14 daughters. Being only 22 herself, she never dreamed she would be a mother of so many, so soon.


"People often ask if I think my life is dangerous, if I am afraid. I am much more afraid of remaining comfortable. Matthew 10:28 tells us not to fear things that can destroy the body but things that can destroy the soul. I am surrounded by things that can destroy the body. I interact almost daily with people who have deadly diseases, and many times I am the only person who can help them. I live in a country with one of the world's longest-running wars taking place just a few hours away. Uncertainty is everywhere. But I am living in the midst of the uncertainty and risk, amid things that can and do bring physical destruction, because I am running from things that can destroy my soul: complacency, comfort, and ignorance. I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy."

"Jesus called His followers to be a lot of things, but I have yet to find where He warned us to be safe. We are not called to be safe, we are simply promised that when we are in danger, God is right there with us. And there is no better place to be than in His hands."

"For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite Bible verses has been Psalm 37:4: 'Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.' I used to believe it meant that if I did what the Lord asked of me, following His commandments, and was a 'good girl,' He would grant all my desires and make my dreams come true. Today, this is still one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but I have learned to interpret it in a totally different way. It is not about God making my dreams come true but about God changing my dreams into His dreams for my life."

All those quotes are from the Introduction! :)


She has a blog! Kisses From Katie

To be continued . . .

Those Who Were Willing to Come

Reading through Exodus, something jumped out. After Moses had been to Sinai and received the instructions from the Lord, he cast the vision for the Israelites: They were to be His People; They were to follow His Law; And He would dwell among them in the Tabernacle.


And so they prepared to build His Dwelling Among Them.


The blueprint was specific. The materials list was specific. 


Then in chapter 36, it says this:

"Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work."

The craftsmanship was exquisite. Those gifted by the Lord were gifted for His Glory, for His Purpose. But, even though some were gifted for the work, it is implied that there might be some who were not "willing to come and do the work."

Of course, that little phrase provided lots of "food for thought."


Are there gifts He has given us that we aren't willing to use for His Glory?


Perspective makes all the difference.


If those craftsmen, gifted by the Lord, had truly understood what this Tabernacle meant, could anything have kept them away? If they had understood how that Tabernacle would be filled with the Glory, wouldn't they have lingered as long as possible? And their work? Wouldn't it have been carried out with more joy and passion and excellence than they could ever have mustered for any other project?


What about our gifts?


Do we have the perspective for their use that brings Him the most Glory? Do we use them for His Purposes? Do we seek excellence in their use because it's all for Him?


How can we, as parents with incredible ability to influence, how can we help our children to capture that Vision for their gifts? How can we encourage excellence, not for their glory, but for His? How can we help them have the true perspective on our time here?


Don't we have to have a true perspective ourselves first, before we can pass that vision on to them?

"every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work"

May we be willing. With everything that is in us, may we say, "Yes, Lord. Use us as You see fit."

It's All in the Choice

We emphasize it constantly around here: choices matter.


As agents of "free will," we get to pick.


All day, everyday.


And what we choose says so very much about our heart.


We are struggling with a young heart that has trouble owning choices. The effort is constantly made to try and wiggle out from underneath the responsibility and consequences. Add to that the fact that ingenuity is readily available in "applying a teflon coating to the soul" so that nothing "sticks." There's always an excuse on the tip of that little tongue for everything. It makes the routine that structures our schooldays an enormous challenge. Okay, it's not limited to school. Many days, it goes on from the moment this little cherub awakes until the moment the eyes close in sleep.


And so we continue the prayer that we have prayed for ourselves and all our children for years and years: 


May we desire Truth in the innermost places.


When we embrace Truth, it shines Light into those pesky, dusky little corners of our souls where we may be holding onto a handful of our sin nature. Any of it that we refuse to surrender enables us to continue justifying wrong choices: "I did it because _____________." 


That because is the problem.


If I give myself permission to not choose holiness "because ____________," I've missed the whole point of this journey through sanctification.


If I tell myself, because I'm too tired . . .


Because they didn't ___________, then I won't _____________.


Because I've had a hard day, I'm impatient.


Because she said that, I lost my temper.


Because . . .


Until we refuse to use "because" as a license to misbehave, there really won't be much progress made toward maturation, toward personal holiness.


The choice is ours to make.


All day.


Everyday.


If my obedience to His Standards is dependent on perfect circumstances, or the perfect setting, or the perfect conditions, or perfect responses from others, I have given myself permission to hold onto that dusky little corner that I really want to pretend doesn't exist. 


As "the mom," my complete submission to His Standards of personal holiness are constantly on display for our children. Yes, they are responsible for their choices. But, I am responsible for my influence. And my influence hasn't always been what it should be.


And so the journey continues.


Will my foot be on the accelerator or the brake? Will I choose to avail myself of His Grace that is readily available exactly when I need it, so that I am enabled to choose holiness every time? 

I'm praying so.


For my little cherub an for myself.

My Pet Elephant: A Link Up in "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith"

There has been an elephant in the room for a long time. I have tried and tried, over the years, to dispatch it quietly, privately. I've also tried to simply ignore it and hope it would go away. I've acted like no one else saw it. 


It's still here.


As much as I would rather not discuss it, it's time.


I received confirmation of that through a conversation I had with my brother. He had no idea that his relating of a story about the life of his friend would be used by the Lord to push me toward this post.


It's not pretty. Prepare yourselves.


I struggle with gluttony.


There. 


It's out now. 


Of course, it's not like people can't tell. I'm overweight. And have been for several years now. 


And it's not okay.


It damages His Reputation.


When people know that I am His, but I still have this glaring sin in my life, obvious to anyone who sees me, what does that say about His Power to deliver me from sin? How compelling can my testimony be, with the results of my sin jiggling like a bowl of jello? If someone doesn't know Him, I have already diluted, or polluted, what He might ask me to speak to them. 


It is an area of my life that has not been completely submitted to His Authority.


I have wrestled with it and wrestled with it, knowing that it has been a generational issue in my family, and not wanting to continue to perpetuate it forward to the generations of our family. 


It is all about obedience. Obedience versus the desires of the flesh. And my flesh has been winning.


That's NOT okay.


Not if I truly believe that He calls us to ever increasing levels of personal holiness.


And so, a few weeks ago, He called me to embrace the discipline I have LOATHED for years!! 


Before I go any further, this is what He has called ME to. I am giving testimony of His Faithfulness through His refusal to leave me here. The specifics that I may be asked to follow are between my Father and me. That does NOT mean they automatically transfer to you! Okay? Please do not receive condemnation on any level from this. If He convicts us of sin in our lives, it is for the purpose of moving us to repentance so that we may testify to the Victory.


Back to the elephant.


I would have loved to be able to wait and post a "victory" message. But that wouldn't bring Him Glory right now. And He deserves the Glory right now. The very fact that He will not let me be content being overweight testifies to His call on our lives for personal holiness. When we tell Him He is Lord, we have to mean over everything. 


His Purpose in the timing of this post is Perfect. He wants me to admit there is an elephant in room. He wants me to admit I need Him in this area. He wants me to allow Him to tell me what He requires and for my obedience to be complete, instant, and cheerful--just like the standard of obedience we have for our children.


So as I learn discipline in this area, the Spirit will quicken my hearing. 


His Grace to walk in the Victory Christ won for me on the Cross is already available for my use. I have to choose to use it. 


And so I pray that He will increase my hunger, not for food, but for Him. I need to crave spiritual holiness. I need to die to the flesh and allow Him to feed my spirit.


Remember the post about the word "resolute?" 


Coincidence? 


Not even.


This portion of the journey started in mid December. The duration depends on my willingness to obey. I hope the elephant really is evicted this time. Permanently. The choice is mine to make. The Victory over every single sin out there is already won. Really and truly! It is won! No matter what species of elephant you may own, his eviction notice is written with the blood of Christ!


I'm ready.


His Grace is Sufficient.


Oh, I almost forgot. That dreaded discipline that I have loathed all these years? 


Getting on the scales on a regular basis. 


As if avoidance changed the number on that dial.  I believe that's called DENIAL! :)


Also, I am counting calories. So that I actually have to think about choices throughout the day. He is so very Faithful to teach me to walk in obedience. In every area. 


So for me, 2012 will add a whole new level to my understanding of the word resolute!

How has He been Faithful to you in the last week? In the last year? When you were a little child? Write it down and link it up. We would be blessed by your testimony. Grab the button on the sidebar and add it to your post to invite others here to read these testimonies that are for His Glory. Each week, there is a sense of anticipation that accompanies the clicking of the "Publish Post" button, as I wonder who will link up and what He has done for them. It's wonderful. So hurry up!! We're waiting!! :)

Resolutely

Being shaped into something useful

It's the third day of January, and while we sat in worship Sunday, I was reminded of the verse in Luke where Christ is described as "resolutely" setting His Face toward Jerusalem and His appointment with the Cross. That word is so forceful, so determined. 


He had a mission and nothing on Earth or in Hell could prevent Him from accomplishing it.


How do I approach the "missions" I have been given?

• Daughter of the King
• Wife
• Mother
• Grandmother
• Mother-in-law
• Homeschool teacher
• Homemaker
• Sister
• Friend
• Shepherding couple at church

How seriously do I take these responsibilities, day in and day out? Am I expecting growth in my ability to meet each of these needs? Am I working at it? Studying? Praying? Learning? Or am I complacent, believing I "know enough to get by?" Am I content with the level of growth already attained?

Resolutely.

That word cannot be used with mediocrity. Apathy. Complacency.

I do not believe that thoughts just pop into our heads. I believe those thoughts have a source. 

The evil one loves to "zing us" with arrows of temptation, doubt, unrighteousness. And so when a thought enters my mind that is not holy, righteous, lovely, the source is definitely not the Spirit. It's either my sinful flesh or the enemy.

But when a thought enters my mind that challenges me to be more like Him, there can only be one Source: the Holy Spirit.

So when the verse from Luke entered my mind Sunday morning, the process of elimination immediately rules out two of the three sources, leaving The Spirit. And when He places something in my mind, I need to pay attention. 

Last year, the idea of focusing on specific words for the year helped me grow more aware of striving to become more Christlike in my thoughts, words, and actions. It helped to put the year and its events in context. 

Toward the end of 2011, it seemed there was little, if any, time to focus on the coming year. It was more about trying to keep up with the next thing on the list, with no wiggle room for contemplation. 

So, isn't it just like Him to speak to my spirit during worship on the very first day of the new year? What a Loving Father! What a patient Teacher! What Grace!

Resolutely.

We already know this year will be filled to overflowing with His Blessings. Our calendar for 2012 has several major family events on it, and we're only three days in. Kregg is less than a month into his new job and the learning curve is extreme. There's a wedding and trips to plan. There is so much that could distract. So much that could dilute.

But if I am to be resolute in learning what He has for me in the next twelve months, He must help me focus. He must help me be intentional. I love the analogy of a laser: light that is so focused, it can cut through just about anything. When His Light is focused in my spirit, change will come, growth will come. I will become a more effective tool in His Hand. I will be more disciplined, more aware. 

That all sounds so very serious.

And I must confess that I can be too serious at times. I can be too "shortest distance between two points." I can be guilty of missing the vast reserves of Joy in each and every moment of each and every day. I don't want to miss an ounce. Of the Joy or the Growth. 

So 2012 is, for me, a time to be resolute in focusing on Him and the jobs He has given me to accomplish for His Glory.

How does that affect the choices I will make in each of the roles He has assigned to me?

The key will be prayer. Prayer. Prayer. Prayer. That is the only way for me to be resolute. He will call me to prayer. And He will meet me there and change me. It gives me such an exciting sense of anticipation! I truly feel like a very significant journey has begun. I pray I will not be distracted.

Wrapping Up the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge

Photo Credit

Well, the challenge is now complete for 2011 and I am finishing up with the Bible as #52. For all the other books, I wrote a review/summary. I can't do that with the Bible. :)


If you have never read it all the way through, you would find many blessings by doing so. And it's the perfect time to start! There are many reading plans available, or you can buy a copy that is set up already divided into 365 sections so that you don't even have to think about keeping up with your spot.


Finishing with chapter 22 of Revelation, "Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen."

Link to the Challenge

Lessons Learned (or Affirmed) in the Last Year: A Link-Up in "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith"

I still need to allow Him to purify my heart.


I still need to choose to receive the Grace He makes available, every moment of every day.


Without yielding my expectations, I easily become impatient.


My children are constantly learning from me, my best and my worst.


My heart can still expand to love more people, and love them more deeply.


I am still selfish.


There is still sanctification to take place in my heart through the most mundane tasks of homemaking.


As the reality that this world is not my home burrows deeper into my heart, it causes the pull of "here" to loosen its hold on my soul.


He is Faithful. Always.


My children are agents of free will and still need to be covered in prayer.


The skies do proclaim His Glory. Everyday. 


Discipline is a blessing.


The fruit He bears through us is ALL His doing.


It is a blessing to be completely submitted to the authority of my husband.


My heart knows Peace in proportion to my level of surrender to His Will.


I must allow Him to number my days aright that I might gain a heart of Wisdom.


The only way for me to take a single step in Victory is to be focused on Him.


Stuff will never make anyone happy.


The choice to be fully present in each moment makes all the difference in the quality of relationships.


I do not need to be understood. I simply need to trust Him to be my Defender.


Pride drives my tongue too often.


Perfect Love does cast out fear.


He provides Wisdom for mothers in perfect portions, and at perfect times.


He can redeem ANYTHING.


We need a bigger Vision! For He is able to do more than we ever imagined.


I can still be quite judgmental.


The Body of Christ is so very precious and so very powerful.


I am SO BLESSED!


He still has plans for the Antbed.


I need to be more faithful in prayer.


Time in our most valuable resource.


When He trusts us with "more," He will grant the Wisdom needed to bring Him more Glory.


The season of life in which we now find ourselves is one which He has been preparing us for all our lives. That is a sobering perspective, that should be driving us to more prayer.


I could go on and on and on. The point is, the Lord is so Faithfully speaking to me, teaching me, stretching me, disciplining me. And I want to be a good student as we begin a new year. 

How has He shown Himself Faithful in your life? Will you testify of His Faithfulness? Write it down!! Share it with your children! We need to glorify Him for what He does in our lives. We need to acknowledge His Faithfulness and give Him thanks. We need to think about it and pay attention. Otherwise, we can become forgetful, ungrateful, unaware. His Faithfulness can be seen in every moment of our days in ways we may not even recognize. The very fact that I am able to draw my next breath testifies to His Faithfulness to provide the air and to allow my lungs to function. Looking for His Faithfulness in my life causes my heart to assume the posture of humility that is appropriate before the Almighty God, Whom we are blessed to call Abba.


Will you share a page in your story? It can be something you wrote a long time ago or something you write today. It can be about any way He has been Faithful to you, to your family. Your testimony blesses those whom you share it with. Grab the button in the sidebar and add it to your post, please, so that others may join us here and hear of His Faithfulness. May He be Glorified by every word.

Practicing A Work Ethic

Caleb is home from college and we are drinking in his presence. Our house is filled with Joy because he is here. Ben can hardly stand to be more than a foot away from him. After all, he almost shriveled up and died when Caleb left. It's precious to see the love in his eyes when he looks up at his big brother.

This semester has seen so much maturation in Caleb. He has learned many lessons about time management, the dangers of procrastination, and how easy it is to go through all that money he earned during the summer that was supposed to last him through May. :)

I wrote about it in the "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith" Link Up for tomorrow, but a huge impression has been made on Caleb by watching the process of Kregg changing jobs this month. Caleb has seen how Kregg's diligence, hard work, and integrity have earned him a position of incredible responsibility and trust. 

He came home from college ready to work. 


Kregg offered to pay him to do several things around the "Conderosa" during his break and he has been "up and at 'em," working hard and with the heart of a servant. It is so precious. 


It hasn't always been this way. As much as we try to teach our children a strong work ethic, they still have to choose to "buy in." We can talk to them until we are blue in the face. We can impose consequences, offer incentives, model the behavior. But we can't change their hearts. The Holy Spirit has to change their hearts. And so we pray. We pray for that very thing to happen. And He will move on our behalf.


So much of our parenting comes down to that Truth, doesn't it? We can do everything we think of to "help" them make wise choices, have the correct values, practice godly habits, love the Word, but we cannot change their hearts. Only the Lord can do that. When I walk in that Truth, it helps me parent better. When I don't, it tends to end up in a "power struggle," my will against theirs. And that does not bear godly fruit in any of our lives. 


As a parent, the best I can do is to pray and trust the Lord, while modeling a life submitted and obedient to Him, and to provide encouragement and discipline, knowing that their hearts will be changed through His Power. Understanding that keeps my heart humble before Him, which allows me a greater influence over my children than if I assume a position of pride or arrogance. And I have been guilty of both, that's for sure. 


I am so very thankful He continues to work on all of us.  

Bah Humbug

Smacked right into that wall yesterday. 


You know the one you hit when you have been going too hard for too long? 


Yup. 


The dreaded "over commitment crash." 


Reaching the end of the rope. 


Rejecting, to my own detriment, the balance of work and rest that brings blessings.


And now, I'm cranky and irritable, short fused and crabby.


It's not pretty.


So I am confessing my sins to you. :)


The solution? 


Praise and Thanksgiving!


It's not always possible to take things off "The List." But, when no items can be deleted, and we have to simply continue on, we can still choose Joy. 


I haven't. 


I have, instead, focused on "The List," the little niggling irritations of the kids, another pile of math papers to grade, the repetitive, unnecessary noises, the volume level of so many voices in the house all day, another mess in the kitchen. 


Translation: I'm choosing to focus on what I don't like, instead of choosing to focus on His Face! Just typing that made me relax. He is so Lovely. I am so blessed to belong to Him. Nothing else really matters. It's just so much white noise trying to drown out the Truth and trying to get me to focus on my "rights" instead of my "responsibilities." I can talk myself into believing that I have a right to a clean, orderly house all day, perfectly behaved children, math pages with never an error, Christmas presents already taken care of. And I would be wrong. Instead, I have a responsibility to reflect my Savior in all my thoughts, words, and actions, whether tired or not, whether the stack of papers to be graded is too tall to see over or not, whether my husband needs to add something to my list or not. 


Time to refocus. 


Time to take my eyes off what I want. Time to focus on what He wants.


I can always choose Him. 

A Tragic Tale

He had only been coming to our little church for a couple of months, but loved it. His parents said he had never felt as at home as he did with our young people. 


When I got the text Saturday morning, I wasn't even sure at first which young man he was. 


It didn't matter. 


When you hear that someone has chosen to take their own life, even if you didn't know them, your heart breaks. How could a sixteen year old, a talented musician, athlete, popular, happy son/brother/student/Christian reach the point that he welcomed death? There were apparently no clues. No hint of what he was contemplating. Everyone said he was the last person they would ever guess would take his own life. 


I think about his poor mother. They had worked together to clean the pool, then shared a pizza for dinner. She had gone to fix him some hot chocolate. As she was taking it to him, she heard a pop and thought something had fallen. She had no idea what she would find when she went to her son.


And then there are his dad and sisters, who had left town to watch the high school championship football game. Even though they kept his body going for a few hours, his dad and sisters didn't make it back before he was gone.


There have been seven suicides here in the last month.


Those left behind always ask themselves what they missed? What could they have done? Why hadn't they known what was coming? Could they have said anything that would have prevented it?


A few hours after he died, there was a gathering at church of the youth and several adults. We cried and prayed and loved on each other. But we also spoke Truth out loud. 


We have an enemy who seeks to destroy us.


We must recognize that his goal is to isolate us so we believe we are alone.


He tries to burden us with shame that causes us to withdraw from others.


Our Father is always seeking to draw us nearer to Himself.


Any guilt we feel because of sin in our lives is intended to bring us to the point of repentance and confession so that there is nothing "between" us and our Father.


NOTHING can separate us from the Love of Christ. NOTHING!


Nothing we can do will cause His Body to stop loving us.


The Lord will always provide a way for us, no matter what.


We were created for Life.


We were created to reflect His Glory here so that others may come to know Him.


He IS SUFFICIENT for whatever concerns us today.


He is bigger than any problem we could ever encounter.


There are people who love you and will help you.


Suicide is NEVER the best choice.


He has plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.


As His People, we need to be looking for those in pain, reaching out with Love. We need to go deeper than just a "How are you?" We need to be vulnerable and open about our struggles and problems. We should never be guilty of painting a false image of ourselves as problem-free and perfect, for then we close the door to ministry. 


As parents, we must do battle for our children. We must ask the Lord for Wisdom and Discernment to see our children, or those whose lives we can speak into, as they really are. We need His Eyes to recognize the ways the enemy is attacking them. We need to speak Truth and Blessings over their lives, out loud and often. We need to talk about big issues. Our children need to understand that they can talk to us about ANYTHING, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. We need to tell them that we love them, daily. We need to hug them and laugh with them and poke our noses into their business. Anytime we believe something like this CAN'T happen to our family or friends, we are deceived. We don't need to live in fear, but we do need to be alert, aware of the threats the evil one brings against us. We truly must pray without ceasing.


For the record, our family is NOT perfect. No where close! The story of our lives contains one messy, problem-filled chapter after another. I sin, our children sin. But He continues to Love us and make us more into the image of His Son. We love to live in His Light, but that doesn't mean we don't have to cry out to Him to beat back the darkness.  

Known By Their Love

Photo Credit

We've all heard that Christians would be known by their Love. Are we? Do strangers see in us a Love so "not-of-this-world" that it defines us as His? 


That's not the case with me. I don't know how to Love like that. Not really. Not daily. Not everyone. Oh sure, I'm good at loving those I like. Or even being really nice to people I don't know. But what about a Love so radical that people know it is beyond my ability to create?


Same Kind of Different As Me is the story of Love so radical that it changed people. A Love so radical that it could only have as its source the Lord. It tells the true story of lives so far removed from one another that only He could have orchestrated their intersection in a way that impacted a city. And it just so happens, it's the city I grew up in: Fort Worth, Texas.


Denver Moore was a modern day slave. Really. 


He was a share cropper on a cotton plantation in Louisiana. He had no electricity, no indoor plumbing and lived "by the leave" of The Man. The system was set up so that, no matter how long or hard these people worked, they always ended up more deeply in debt to The Man. They would pick cotton from sun up until sundown, but since they didn't know how to read or write, The Man who owned the land was the same one who weighed the sack of cotton, telling the workers how much they had picked that day. Even on days when they knew their sack was heavier than normal, the Man still told them it weighed the same as on every other day. Having to purchase clothing and food from the Man's store on credit, they had no way to earn a profit or improve their situation. So year after year after year, they survived, working all day everyday and still ended the year more in debt than when they began.


One day, Denver simply walked to the train track, hopped a freight car and left. It didn't matter where.


During the years Denver was picking cotton, Ron and Debbie Hall were growing rich. Ron had grown up poor, but learned that he had an eye for art. He bluffed his way into the world of the Rich and Famous, brokering the sale of paintings he didn't own by understanding his clientele. Debbie was not impressed with the trappings of wealth. She was growing closer and closer to the Lord and believed that possessions were empty, not worth collecting. Their marriage hit bottom when Ron, believing Debbie didn't love him, had an affair. When she learned the truth, she did something that changed their marriage forever: she called his lover and told her that she forgave her and that she was committed to being such a wonderful wife to her husband that he would never again stray. And that is exactly what happened.


As the Lord resurrected their marriage, He also called them to service. Debbie believed she was to serve at the Union Gospel Mission in the "ghetto" of Fort Worth. Ron went with her to keep her happy. Debbie wasn't content, though, to simply serve a meal once a week. She truly loved the homeless people she found there. She found a myriad of ways to show that Love: from learning all their names and praying for each one daily, to hosting "beauty nights" where she and a friend would wash and style the lice-filled hair of ladies who hadn't felt beautiful in years. 


Ron was still not sold. He was perfectly content to stand behind the counter, serving meals, where none of those people could get close enough to touch him. But then Debbie had a dream. She dreamed that the Mission was completely transformed into a place of beauty and she dreamed about a man who was the key to not only the transformation of the mission, but of the city of Ft. Worth. Guess who that man was? Denver.


After Denver left the plantation, he quickly learned how to be the meanest homeless man around. Everyone else was afraid of him. And that is exactly the way he wanted it. He wanted to be left alone.


But he hadn't planned on "Miss Debbie."


When she first saw Denver, he was threatening to kill people. Didn't phase her. She told Ron, "That's him!! That's the man from my dream!" Ron thought she was nuts!


She wasn't.


The Lord used Denver and Debbie's Love for him to change everyone around them. 


You really would be blessed by reading this book. But, I have to warn you: have a box of kleenex handy. The story doesn't have a fairy tale ending. It will challenge you to see things from God's Perspective, even if it means saying goodbye to someone you dearly love.


A few years ago, Ron Hall and Denver Moore came to Midland and I got to go and hear them speak. It was so precious. The Lord took these two, with absolutely nothing in common, and made them brothers.


#50 out of 52 in the "Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge."


I had read this book before, but decided to read it again. This time to the kids.  There were a few sections here and there that I "edited-on-the-fly" so that they didn't even know they had missed anything. But there were sections I intentionally left in that were not "pretty." They loved it. And have been talking about it since we finished it yesterday afternoon. It was hard to read out loud because I kept bawling. They understand though, and simply waited patiently until I could compose myself enough to continue.

Under Pressure: A Link-Up in "Pages in Our Heritage of Faith"

This is a Christmas party we had a few years ago for our "small group" Bible study

Walking in His Peace and Sufficiency is a choice. It's one that has to be made regularly. Depending on how stressful a season in which we find ourselves, we may realize that the choice has to be made moment by moment, instead of day by day.


The holidays seem to bring out the best and worst in us, don't they? Our focus is on our families and friends, but while trying to make our celebrations wonderful for them, we can actually end up focusing on the celebration and not the people. When that happens, the pressure in our spirits can build up.


"What we are under pressure is what we really are." 


I heard that quote years ago and it stuck because it rang so true. When I find myself in a pressure packed situation, the true nature of my heart reveals itself clearly. If I trust in His Sufficiency for every thing that concerns me, I respond to the most stressful situations with His Grace and Love. But if my eyes EVER leave His Face, all bets are off. I can become irritated with the very people I am seeking to serve during these holidays, or any other time of year.


When that happens, the question must be asked: "Am I really seeking to serve? Or am I now trying to perform, seeking to impress my 'audience'?  A heart of service is outward focused. A heart desiring praise is inward focused. And when the heart is focused inward, anything that interferes with "what I want" causes a negative response in me, creating what is outwardly paradoxical: being impatient with the people I'm going to all this work to please. In reality, when performance is the focus instead of service, there isn't a paradox. My response reveals my motives. 


Thankfully, His Grace truly is Sufficient to accomplish His Purposes. But, it's NOT sufficient to accomplish mine, when those purposes are selfish ones. And if I am truly seeking to be daily put to death in the flesh, then these potentially stressful times present wonderful opportunities for me to desire Truth in the innermost places so that anything unholy in my heart is revealed and I can be presented with the choice to die a little more. All so that He can make me more into His Image.


"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."  II Corinthians 3:18


When the pressure we feel comes from an outside source, say a person who is difficult to be around, the same things apply. Even if that person chooses to focus on "performance" instead of service, I must choose to not allow the pressure they feel (and maybe their unkind words or actions) to elicit any response from me that is not focused on service. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, so that it may benefit those who listen." The key word here? "Their" needs. Not mine. I am not justified in reacting. Only in acting, in Love.


Knowing that during the holidays, I may be faced with situations in which I could be tempted to react wrongly to pressure allows me to intentionally "prepare for battle." 


"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, Oh Lord, my Rock and My Redeemer."


His Faithfulness has brought me so far. Because He has continued to teach me these things, I can anticipate serving Joyfully, without the stress caused by a "performance" mind-set. I can be free to fully enjoy and embrace the additions to our "To Do" list, looking forward to giving freely the way He has given to me.


May all your holiday celebrations be filled with Love, Joy, and Peace as we focus on His Face. 

How has the Lord shown Himself Faithful to you? Would you share your story here? We LOVE to hear your testimonies to His Faithfulness in your lives. Grab the button and add it to your post, if you like, so that others may join us here. We seek to bring Him Glory through the words of our mouths, preserving the stories of His Faithfulness in our lives so that the next generation will put their trust in Him. (Psalm 78)