He is Found in Service

If you were asked to serve God in obscurity for the rest of your life, would you?  Sobering question isn't it?  I can assure you that my first response was definitely NOT yes….  How can you just disappear from all that you love and lead a life of service without anyone knowing who you are?  Would I even want to?  Honestly, no, I would not want to.  Not even a little bit.

This question brings us face to face with the depth of our commitment to serving God in all things and in the way that He is leading.  I am pretty great at serving Him amongst the things that surround my life, in the roads I have chosen to travel, and in the comfort of my family and friends.

As I stand here and take a look in the mirror at my commitment, and my obedience, the reflection is not nearly as pretty as I would have liked to believe that it is.  The reflection is marred with selfish desires, blurred with my plans, and scarred with the many imperfections I choose to allow to remain.

The voice rings out clearly…..   "Remember the forgotten people"

The forgotten people?  In todays age of technology and social media, you think there are forgotten people?  As I take a hard look, actively searching, the "forgotten" are everywhere.  They are the ones who serve quietly without recognition.  That person who comes in when everyone is gone to clean the bathrooms of your office or church.  Those who are different than our expectations but are over flowing with love for God and man.  Those who minister without a single person knowing their name, their acts of service, nor their hearts commitment to carry out the calling of Christ through out every day in which they draw breath.

The way of the cross is caring for those who would otherwise be forgotten.  It is our individual commitment to make sure that in our lives there are many tales of hidden service where we demote ourselves back to authenticity.  These are the times when we make sure that we are walking where Jesus is walking.

This is where Jesus is found…. in hidden service…..

May my hands and feet be busy and no one know it…..

In the service of the King…...

"In the kingdom of God, you have to be great in order to be a servant."  Doesn't make much sense now does it?  After all, servanthood is what we start off with and move quickly away from.  Just the first step on our climb up to greatness.  Or is it?

Jesus says otherwise.  Luke 22:24-26 "And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was the greatest.  And He said to them, "...The one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant."

So often we start out with great determination to be a servant.  And often we do serve ~ for a season.  Then when we are no longer recognized, nor longer appreciated, it becomes work, when it becomes work, we stop.  The greatest test of a servant is always how he responds when he is treated like one.  We serve for the simple joy of being like Jesus and staying close to Him.

That is the truth found in a servants heart.  Service for no other reason than the depth of relationship we discover with our blessed Savior when we join with Him in serving those around us.

If people are to see Jesus in our churches we need to increase the servants and not the programs/people/staff.  Jesus is quickly lost among works but is always seen among the servants.  Why?  Because in service self glory is laid aside and the glory of God is picked up instead.  Self love is pushed to the side and the love of the Father for others is shown forth without reservation.
 
I confess, I will never have money.... I find way to much joy in giving everything away.  But wait.... don't applaud me....at the very same time I battle daily a desire for appreciation and recognition.  It is why God allows me to stay in the shadows, for were I to step out of the shadows, I would be lost in self pride and tragically, would lose the ability to hear His precious voice as He whispers His love to me.
So know this my friends.....  the riches found in service can never be found on this earth but lie in the heart of the Father.

Blessings to each of you during this season of celebration.

Cries of the Heart

There comes times in each life when the heart cries out in anguish.  The pain is real and searing, cutting like a knife.  The chest is constricted and I can't seem to draw a breath.  Tears begin their travel down the valleys of my face creating rivulets where sorrow flows seeking relief.

Times like these bring about intense feelings that encourage me to run away.  I seek the solution that will bring about the quickest relief. 

But should I?  

Or should I listen to the cries of the heart?

If I am to listen to the cry of my heart, I must be willing to move forward into that darkness. Willing to allow that pain to be. Open myself to fully experience the cuts that come with the pain.  

Just allowing my thoughts to briefly touch that journey causes me to recoil in dread and fear.  Who would ever knowingly, willingly travel this road?

The Spirit whispers the answer, "One who wishes to experience the fullness of God.  One who would know love.  One who would know complete healing."  

Am I that one?  Can I take this journey?  Will I take this journey?  My mind reels at the implications this journey brings about.  The strength needed.  The willingness to be utterly vulnerable. The amount of faith required.  All control surrendered.  

I cannot conceive of a beginning.  The end seems a lifetime away.  

He whispers again...words that soothe my troubled soul. 

Jeremiah 29:11. New International Version (NIV)
11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Plans to prosper me? Hope? A future?  How does this reconcile with the pain which seeks to destroy?  How can this be?  

I search but I cannot find where I am instructed know the mind of God.  His heart.  His heart calls out to me.  His heart yearns for me. His heart loves me.

When I cannot understand the mind if Christ, I cling to His heart.  One foot.  One movement.  One step.  

Forward into what, I do not know. Facing what, I do not know; nor do I think I want to.  

Here I stand, placing my hand in Yours, placing my faith in Your heart.  Ready to go where I am led in order to know that which You would reveal to me.   

The mountains ~ Their lesson

My husband and I were recently blessed with a week long trip to the Smokey Mountains near Cherokee North Carolina.  This was a week for reclamation, restoration, shedding those things which would drag you down and putting on Christ to exalt Him.  You see, hubby had just returned from 18 months in Afghanistan ~ not his first tour I might add.

The pressures, stresses, and fear that attach themselves to you for such an extended period of time, begin to drag you down and rob you of all the bountiful blessings that God sends your way each and every day.  For him.  For me.  It took a beautiful 26 year marriage of oneness and created two people.

Knowing that this is not what God called us to, not what we were designed for, and not what we wanted, we sought solace in the quiet of the mountains.  We removed electronic intervention and spent our days drifting with no definitive destination in mind other than to seek God and each other.

You see, when we turn off the noise of the world, you can clearly hear the voice of the Father as He calls you back to His side.  The Holy Spirit envelopes you and the work of healing begins.  There among the mountains, God's voice rang out clear and true.  His hand moved powerfully bringing peace in it's purest form, healing to hurting minds, tearing down walls of fear, removing stress, and most of all, once more strengthening that "three stranded cord which cannot be easily broken."  (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

As the days drifted into one another I began to notice something so stealth in appearance as to be easily over looked unless one is actively listening to the Spirits whisperings.

It is the lesson of the mountains…….

Each morning the sun would rise.  Each evening the sun would set.  Each morning we would miss the sunrise.  Each evening we would miss the sunset.  The reason was not that we were sleeping in or out enjoying night life.  We could not SEE the sunrise nor the sunset.

Simply a matter of logistics…. our cabin was in a valley between two mountains which delayed our ability to see the sunrise/sunset until an hour after each occurrence.

That is when God spoke to me so very clearly.  The Son is always there…..in the valley.  Even we choose to allow the mountains in our lives to block our view of Him, the Son is there, with us, loving us, caring for us, calling us to His side.

It is a lesson that I will cherish and carry with me always…..  the lesson of the mountains.

I pray that as you walk through this day, you take time to look past the mountains to the Son.

Jesus ~ Simply Put

Recently our church decided to embark on a community book study of a book titled "Jesus Pure & Simple" by author Wayne Cordeiro.

How was I to know how much God would use this author's writings to bring about a new work in my life?  It seems to have become a habitual process that when embarking on a book study or a study of any kind that God continues to call me to slow down in order that I may not only read the content but that I might LISTEN for His voice to speak truth into my life.

You know that oh so Southern and so very country saying of "listen twice as much as you speak"?  Well there is more inherent truth contained in that phrase than most will ever realize.  Cliche's are often that way.  A foundational truth which has been repeated so often as to become trite and the significance of adopting that truth into our lives is lost.

As I sit here sipping coffee enjoying the relaxed pace of time spent in the mountains in a cabin with no schedules to keep, I am once again reminded to listen.

Wayne posts a reminder at the end of Chapter 4 …….

Do not be afraid to let Him remove from you what you are not, lest you become what you never wanted to be.

 This phrase is ricocheting through out my spirit, my heart, and I know it will continue on through out my life.

This phrase leads me directly to Romans 7:15 New International Version

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

These two combined are becoming a powerful force that God is using to further shape me.  To refine those things within me that keep me from living His love.  It is awfully easy to live my definition of love, but to lay aside all and live God's love, well now that is just an entirely different matter all together.

All around me the world screams that I am to hand out kindness only when kindness is given.  Judgement is to be passed around liberally.  We are taught that harshness and hurt are ok as long as we are in the right.  Teaching that love is reserved for those who are deserving.

"Right"….. now there is a word for you.  In today's world, right is determined solely upon individual perception.  Gone are the days when "right" was based upon the infallible truth of God's word.  Right is a fleeting definition which changes upon the situation, the individual thought process, and emotion.

But wait…. I am not called to be part of this world.  

Romans 12:2  New Living Translation

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

When we are called to allow God to transform us, we are not being called to stand in judgement against people who do not follow our beliefs.  We are not being called to a behavior of religious righteousness. We are being called to allow the very same all encompassing, forgiving, merciful love that He so freely bestows upon us to live fully and completely in us and even more importantly, to allow that love to live outwardly toward those around us.

So just what does Wayne's statement above linked together with God's word mean for me?  What am I to do with what God is showing me?

Simply put ~ I am to allow God to shape me in to what HE created me to be.  No longer do I look to my wants, desires, needs but instead I look to the author and finisher of my faith.  I look to the One who has adopted me as His own and I allow Him to grow to fruition those things He fashioned in me while I was yet being formed.

This means that I lay aside my perceptions and instead allow His word to transform my thoughts.  I lay aside my emotions and pick up His love.  I allow myself to be bare in order to put on His holy armor.  Hmmmm…. something way wrong in the above statements.  Oh…. that's it.  The great "I" is used way to often…..

Galations 2:20  New International Version

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Simply put ~ I no longer live but Christ lives in me…..

That is my thought now, may it continue to be my thought each minute of each day with each breath that I draw……

For you alone, Father, are worthy of praise.  You alone are worthy to be glorified.  You alone are worthy ……..

It is when we listen that we hear....

Revelation....

What has God called you to do with your life?  That question can be as intimidating and daunting as the decision we face our senior year of high school.... "what am I going to do for the rest of my life?"

Just like when we were seniors, many of us "flop" around for years not knowing what we want to do, should do, or need to do.  We wander aimlessly floating from job to job, relationship to relationship.

Are we truly seeking God's direction for our life or are we content to wander like the Israelites of old?

At 48 years of age, I have discovered my "God purpose".  It is not grand and glorious.  It will not bring fame nor fortune.  It does not even remotely resemble anything that I would have thought a calling from God should look like.

Take my hand a moment and walk a bit of my history with me as I share my heart with you.  This history that I share with you is being told from a position free from hurts and pains, with no malice and no judgement, but most importantly it is being shared from a position of complete and utter healing flowing with peace and joy.

My earliest memories of my mom were those of her laughter.  Mom had a great laugh, she was pretty, and mom could do whatever she set her mind to. My dad had a great sense of humor, was a tremendous mechanic who could fix anything, and served his country well.  But - my dad wasn't the greatest dad nor husband.  I was like most young girls in that I sought to be the delight of my father.  My father's focus was on his son, my brother.  Now my brother was a cherub of a child.  Quick to laugh, amiable, easy going, and a joy to be around.  Quite the opposite of me.  I was not an easy child ( now I know this shocks you but trust me, this was indeed true ) in that I was strong willed, precocious, and at the same time I needed to be loved like some need air.  A marriage that began at too young of an age (17), based on self will, by two people who did not put God in their marriage well, it was easy to see what lay ahead.  It wasn't long until my parent's marriage ended and through the workings of a nasty/bitter divorce, they went their separate ways.  And with that divorce, my father walked out of my life.

After a bit of time passed, another man was brought into our lives through a relationship.  This man ended up marrying our mother.  Again, God was not consulted nor invited to be part of the marriage.  With the entrance of this man, evil came into our lives.  After the "honeymoon" period that all relationships go through, the truth of this man's character made itself known.  Through a governmental position of power, abuses went unchecked and unreported.  My mom was subject to emotional abuse but rarely anything physical.  My brother was subject to verbal and some physical abuse, mostly after I had left the home.  You see, for years, my brother was afforded the lofty position of "only son" and was granted the rights of such according to Louisiana heritage in which males are very much the ones allotted a position of preference in the culture as well as the right to do many things that as a female you should not do.  As such, it was not until I left our home that my brother began to reap some of what had been laid upon me.  Now my experience in our home was vastly different from my mom's and my brother's.

I am indeed a country girl born and raised.  I am not a dainty, genteel southern girl content to sit on a porch and fan myself while proclaiming "fiddle de dee but it is hot today."  No siree, that is a far cry from who I am.  From birth I was much as you see today....into everything especially anything to do with animals and the out doors.  Well, to help you understand a little of what my good friend Wendy likes to call "being from the black water", it was very much a dual set of standards for raising children.  One for boys and one for girls.  I remember one of the first beatings I got...it was after a family reunion in which I made the mistake of going to the living room to watch football and I was commanded in quite colorful language to carry myself back to the kitchen.  Yes, he literally meant the kitchen where the rest of the wives/daughters had gathered.

After the passage of a few years, I was allotted the "privilege" of some of the male dominated activities.  Well privilege would be a subjective word here.  You see, I am four years older than my brother so I was the one old enough to move the cows, help with planting/harvesting, cutting wood etc until my brother was old enough to pick up and join in.  But.....I did get to sneak in the joy of hunting and could out shoot any one until well after I was married.

Hunting was a joy.  Until hunting became the cover story for abuse.  Then the abuse became bold and occurred in the home.

I lost count over the years of how many times my braces were knocked off my teeth, of how many ways there are to dodge someone, and of how many times gym teachers turned a blind eye to all that went on.  I lost count of the times I cried myself to sleep, calling out to God, "I only wanted a father, why can't I have a father?"

I wasted a ridiculous amount of years asking God why?  What was the point?  Even when through the Godly wisdom of a pastor, I allowed complete healing and peace to enter my life, the question would still come up.  Why?

As I woke this morning, the answer to that question was burning in the depths of my soul.  So I would accept the love that had always been there for me.  So I would know love.  So I would take that same love and share it unashamedly and unreservedly with every single person around me.  To include the evil that began in my life all those years ago.

You see, I got a phone call yesterday informing me that the man who had brought such pain into my life was diagnosed with kidney cancer.  Kidney cancer!  Just how often do you hear of someone being diagnosed with kidney cancer?  I can tell you it isn't all that often.

As I hung up that phone my mind was swirling.  As one who was diagnosed with a kidney disorder at 21 and who battles renal failure now, I can promise you that what this man faces is more unpleasant than what most will go through in their life time.

I began to pray for this man even more than I had over the years and my heart began to break.  You see, this man does not know God.  He lived his life according to his desires.  As a result, his life has been fraught with heartache, hard times, very few friends, and much loneliness.

I began to pray.  The direction that has come from those prayers has brought me to the position of revelation this morning.  I am to do what God has called my life to be about.  I am to love.  Love completely without reservation with the same love that God has given me.  For you see, as much as I would like to think I am so much better than this man, the facts are that I am not.  I am a sinner the same as he.  The difference is that I am redeemed by grace, washed in the blood, and I now live for the One who is love.

So the answer to all those questions all those years was one that is oh so simple.  Love.  I am to love.  Love beyond reason.  Love without exception.

As I have prayed, I feel myself being led to minister to this man.  I am going to contact him personally and do what God directs me to and what the man will allow.

I also feel led to ask that my fellow believers join me in sending cards of prayers and love to this man.  I will not shame him nor harm him, so any one who wishes to write a note of Godly love and encouragement, can send them to me and I will forward them to him.  Feel free to include your name and address as I will make sure that he knows these are not from me but from fellow believers who are walking in God's love.

I was so silly to always be looking for the grand, bigger than life calling God had placed on me.  Well, the calling IS grand and it IS bigger than life!  Just not in the way my human mind would have comprehended.  To love as He loves will take me a lifetime and will be perfected and culminated in heaven.

To that end I ask you to pray and see if God leads you in reaching out to this man who is facing such a terrible road and is truly alone as only one who is without God can be.

Many blessings to you my friends....

God spoke, I listened

God spoke, I listened….

During the late 90’s we lived in a small town called Mena, Arkansas.  During those years, God worked some amazing things in my life and in my spirit.  He led me to such a depth of relationship with Him that I would never, could never, be the same again.  I was witness to miracles, revelations, healings, and most of all; I was witness to the gifts that He birthed in me.  Most gifts I welcomed with open arms but one, one caused me to fear and to look at my humanness rather than the power of the Mighty God who blessed me with such a gift.  So often as a young Christian traveling the road to maturity and depth of relationship, I would look at other Christians and envy the spiritual gift with which they had been blessed.  Thinking, “oh if only I had such a wonderful gift.”  What a young foolish girl I was.  Never did I consider the complete sacrifice of self, required to walk in such spiritual giftings.  Not for a moment did I comprehend the utter dependence on God to manifest said gift when called upon to minister to another.  And I certainly could not begin to understand the battle that the enemy would bring to the flesh in order to incapacitate my obedience to the Spirit’s moving. 

…..Until that day.  It began oh so simply.  Bible in my lap, reading the words on the page, when certain words in Isaiah 21:11 began to leap off the page; “Watchman, what of the night?  Watchman, what of the night?”  I could not read any further for the statement that had leapt of the page began to echo louder and louder within my spirit.   Watchman, what of the night?  It was similar to watching dawn as it breaks over the horizon and with each passing moment light illuminates more and more until you are flooded with it.  The light permeates to the very core of your being, chasing away all doubt, and allowing knowledge to come in.  And so it was that the Holy Spirit breathed into my spirit that the gift of prophecy was being made manifest within me.  There would be messages to be shared, a word spoken, a revelation to be given all in God’s timing and His manifestation.  As I shared, this was not one that caused me to shout hallelujah.  Something closer to “why me” and “oh me” would be way more accurate.  Through the years there has been occasion when God has urged me to speak.  And there has been the inevitable wrestling with doubt and fear.  Can I do this?  What will the person think?  Will I be ridiculed?  What if it doesn’t happen?  What if it isn’t received?  The bottom line is, yes, I can do this.  Only God knows the recipients heart.  That is not for me to know.  Yes, I have been ridiculed.  Yes, I have been chastised.  All those things that the mind can create as a plausible reason not to be obedient; and yet, He calls me to go, and go I do. 

I have learned a great lesson – mine is only to do as He calls.  It is for God to work what He will.  It is for the recipient to do with His message what they will.   Mine is only to be obedient to Him. 

For the first time, I am being called to speak a message that was given for me personally and for another whose heart God will give acknowledgement that this is for their blessing and healing as well.  And for the first time, I have been asked to share this publicly. 

Father, as I step forward in faith, I thank you that your will shall come to pass and that only your words will be spoken.  In all things, this is through the shed blood of your son, Jesus Christ.

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

Jagged rocks on a stormy path call forth a praying heart and listening ears.  So the storms of the past weeks have brought forth a spirit willing to hear a message breathed by God and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

It’s about the message…. “Hand it over”.   Nothing more.

Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem impossible, that go against everything we feel is right.  During these times, He promises that if we trust Him, it will all be okay. 

We have been so desperate to hold on to what we want that we haven’t let God show us what He wants for us.  Letting go doesn’t mean that what we want is being taken away from us; it means that we trust God to do what is best.  If we can hand it over, God promises that He will open all the windows of heaven for us and pour out a blessing so great that there isn’t enough room to take it in.   (Malachi 3:10)  Your life will be transformed.

So what do I do now?  Pray.  “God, here I am unbelievably blessed with the chance to talk with you and I don’t know what to say.  I don’t know how to give up my son.  You gave him to me and me to him.  If that was just for a short time, then thank you for that time.  Thanks for letting me love him.  I give him to you.  If you ever want to give him back to me, then I am ready.  I need your help to know what to do next.  Father, I love my son so much and it’s really hard to let go because I am afraid I won’t get him back.  I am afraid that I won’t see his smile, hear his laughter, or hug him.  But it’s time for this, your child, to embrace the message ‘fear not’.  And I trust you father with all my heart so I give him over to you.”

Once I was told I had a long journey to make, that it wouldn’t be easy, but it would be worth it.  They were right.  Life is a mystery.  Death is a mystery.  God is a mystery.  But love, love is not a mystery.  When I remember that God loves me, all of a sudden I don’t have to solve these mysteries any more.  Maybe my son is on a journey.  And some day, when I look back, I will be able to say, “it was all worth it”. 

Now - you hold on to this.  I know you can because I am not speaking to your brain; I am speaking to your spirit.  We all get lost in the darkness sometimes.  And when you are so lost nobody can find you, even those who love you the most, God can. He is lighting a candle for you.  He is preparing a place for you so that you can be with Him.  And some day, He is going to send an angel to take you to that place where the light never fades.

Thank you God for your great promises.  Thank you for your faithfulness to us, so stiff necked a people.  I thank you that in your great wisdom you have sent the Holy Spirit to minister to our spirit.  Most of all; I thank you for your love.  A love that defies the ability of my mind to comprehend it, of my mouth to describe it, and of my voice to praise you for it for You are love itself.  It is with a humble heart and an expectant spirit that I await the continued manifestation of Your will in my life.  Praying in the power of your son’s name. . . Amen.

  

True Judgement

The Father's Principles:  True Judgement

Scribes and Pharisees.   I know we have all heard of these two groups, but in the interest of accuracy, let's go through a quick refresher so that we might have their role and function firmly in our minds as we proceed on.

Scribes:  Had knowledge of the law and possessed the ability to draft legal documents such as needed for marriage, inheritance, and the like.  Each village had at least one scribe.

Pharisees:  Members of a party that believed in resurrection and in following legal traditions that were not of the Bible but "traditions of the Fathers".  They were also well known legal experts which is why there was a partial over lap of the two groups.  According to Rabbinic tradition, Pharisees were small land owners and traders, not Scribes.

I am sure many of you have heard multiple times over the years of the false judgement both groups were known for.  The false judgement was further encouraged from a sense of false righteousness.

The matter of judgement is so important to Christ, that He chose to close what is likely the most well known of all his sermons, the Sermon on the Mount, with a discussion of judgements.

In the Sermon on the Mount, there is covered three different judgements.  So let's begin our journey and see where God will take us.

Our Judgement of Ourselves
Matthew 7: 1-5

Oh goody <insert heavy sarcasm here> ...   ha ha ha.  I couldn't resist.  As in most things, God instructs us to begin with ourselves.  We must be willing to examine our own lives, hearts, and thoughts before we can begin to judge others with wisdom and with love.

God did not forbid us to judge others.  Think about it.  Careful discrimination is essential in the Christian life.  Christian love is not to be blind.  We are taught this in Philippians 1: 9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
The person who believes all that they hear and accepts everyone who claims to be spiritual will come to experience great confusion and spiritual loss.

However, before we judge others, we must first judge ourselves.

Verse 1:  New Living Translation (©2007)
Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.

Note that the word is past tense here:  judged.  This verb tense signifies a once and for all final judgement.  If we first judge ourselves, then we are preparing for that final judgement when we face God.  One of the failings of the Pharisees was in that they played "God" as they condemned others but did not consider that one day God would judge them.

Verse 2:  New Living Translation (©2007)
For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

When we look at this verse it helps to also consider the parallel passage in Luke 6:37-38
37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Not only will God judge our actions at the end, but people, today, are judging us and we receive exactly what we give.  The kind of judgement and the measure of judgement we heap upon others comes right back to us.  The phrase " reap what you sow" comes to mind here.

Verse 3-5:  3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

There is a purpose for self judgement and it isn't so that we may castigate ourselves.  Far from it.  The purpose of self judgement is to prepare us to serve others.  We are to help each other grow in grace!!  When we fail to judge ourselves, we not only hurt ourselves, but we hurt those whom we could be serving.

Consider this:  Pharisees judged and criticized others to make themselves look good ( Luke 18:9-14 ).  As Christians, we should judge ourselves so that we can help others look good.  See the difference?  That is huge.

So we will pause here in order to consider what has been shared thus far and allow God to speak to us as He will.   I know that I, myself, have much to learn and put into practice in this area so I vote we proceed in small increments in order to leave much time for God's voice to instruct our spirits, mold our thoughts, and conform us more and more to His beautiful image.

Hugs going out to each of you as we begin another day in His presence.

katrina

Judgement

Judgement

So often it seems that when God brings you to something, in this instance sharing about judgement, that the enemy is equally quick to bring you to a situation that will lead you to the perfect opportunity to either stand strong on the tenants of Christ or have actions make a lie of what your mouth says you believe.

No sooner did I send off yesterday's study - than I found myself slap in the middle of a situation which was painful, fighting the desire to stand in judgement and cause hurt to another.  I am way too emotionally entrenched in the situation to accurately assess my performance but my fervent prayer is that I allowed God to be fully God in the situation.

Onward we march my fellow soldiers!  In chapter 7 of the book of Matthew we find that God has given us the guidelines that we need in order to walk justly in wisdom.

Let's begin with a quick over view of the book of Matthew and the historical settings so that we can accurately discern all that we are reading.  Knowing that as we are diligent to seek His face, that He will reveal himself to us.

When we look at the over all structure of the book of Matthew, one can find much evidence as to the purpose of Matthew's writings.  The book of Matthew groups the teachings and the deeds of Jesus Christ into five divisions.  Five divisions were common in Judaism and may have been Matthew's way of showing Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law.

Prologue:  Chapters 1-2  Matthew shows that Jesus is the Messiah by linking Him with the promises made to Abraham and David.

First division:  Chapters 3-7  This contains the Sermon on the Mount and reveals Jesus' description of how people should live under God's reign.

Second division:  Chapters 8:1-11:1  Jesus' instructions to the disciples as He sends them out on their missionary journey.

Third division:  Chapters 11:2-13:52  Records several controversies which Jesus was involved in, seven parables describing some aspect of the kingdom of heaven, coupled with necessary human response.

Fourth division:  13:53-18:35  Concerns the conduct of believers within the context of Christian fellowship

Fifth division:  19:1-25:46  This narrates the final journey of Jesus and His climatic conflict with Judaism.

Remainder:  26:1-28:20  Shares the events and teachings pertaining to the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and the Lord's commission to the Church.

With the exception of the beginning and the end of the book, Matthew does not list events in Chronological order.   Instead it is written in such a manner as to show that in Jesus, Judaism finds the fulfillment of it's hopes.

With this background information, we are now firmly grounded to begin our journey into all that God has revealed for us regarding judgement.

As the morning unfolds in front of each of us, let us remember that God is standing with us through all that comes our way today.  We are strengthened by His might through His word.  There is nothing that comes our way, that has not been filtered through His love.

Blessings to you all, my friends.

katrina

Judge not... or should we?

Day - # today.....

<Smiles>  Now just so you know, I have not finally fallen off the edge.  We are however, about to take a detour.

Please hear my heart now, before another word is shared.  I readily include myself in all statements which will follow.  There is no judgement intended nor inferred in regards to anyone other than myself and society as a whole.  My heart has been breaking for a while now for the hurt being lived by so many - and being lived so needlessly.  With that having been said, let's begin.....

As I have been listening to conversations among fellow believers and conversations among those who are not believers, one universal topic seems to arise often:  the matter of judgement.

Matthew 7:1  New Living Translation (©2007)
"Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.

This verse seems to be a favorite among people everywhere and is quoted often.  Each time I have heard this verse referenced or judgement spoken of, my heart has become a little heavier.  Each time I find myself standing in the position of judgement, I die a little more.

God has birthed in my heart, hmmm... don't even know what to call it.  God has birthed in my heart a deep hurt for the subject of judgement, an even deeper conviction, as well as a desire to know and correctly interpret His will regarding such.  All too often I have been slow to respond to God's leading... sometimes because I just don't want to, but more often, because where He is leading is to an area of great discomfort.  So I am stepping out with this, umm -study I guess, in faith that God has a purpose, a plan, and a person for whom this is intended.

There is a truth that was shared with me long ago by a person of great spiritual maturity and wisdom.  Plucking a verse and applying it to your situation is not necessarily, correctly understanding God's intention.  In order to correctly discern God's will in any situation in our life, we are to put in place the following:
Prayer - remembering to listen as much as we speak,
Study - you must work to understand the circumstances in which He shared that particular verse in order to correctly interpret His meaning,
Counsel - seeking Godly counsel from a mentor, prayer partner, or accountability partner is often vital to stepping outside of the emotion of our circumstances and gaining Godly wisdom for our life.

Keeping these things in mind and moving on "toward the prize of His calling" (Philippians 3:14) we will spend a little time journeying together and learning what God has said in regards to judgement.

I seek and covet your prayers for wisdom and discernment during the days ahead and am so very grateful to share all that He is leading me to with each of you.  Walking together with fellow believers is the great joy of my life.

Hugs and love to you all...   Look up and see all the great blessings that our blessed Lord and most gracious Father has laid before you this day.

katrina

A Relational People

Day 29

Preparing for Eternity

Romans 14:12  New International Version (©2011)
So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Are we ready for that day?  Really?  Are we ready for the day we will all have to stand before Christ and give account.  Am fairly sure I am not.  There will come a time when we will all answer the question that arises from how much time we invested in ourselves and how much time we invested in serving.

You know - I have some pretty great "reasons" as to why I haven't served as much as I could have.  At least they sound pretty great here on earth.  I have a feeling, however, that when I am standing before the great I Am, that the reasons will fall to the side as dust.

I know that we are to invest heavily in each other.  We do this each time we serve, help, welcome, support, talk to those around us.  We were built to be relational people.  It is high time we put this back as a priority in our lives.

Communication technology being what it is today - it is becoming increasingly easy to keep in touch but at the same time it is becoming oh so much harder to allow the reality of relationship to exist.  We have gained access but lost intimacy.

You cannot have any type of relationship without intimacy.  The giving and sharing of two people together opening themselves to love, joy, and yes, even the hurt that comes from such.

Mark 8:35  New Living Translation (©2007)
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

This is such an important basis for our serving here on earth, that God specifically addresses this on five different occasions in the gospels.  Life is meant for ministry - not for self service.

So let's get up out of our drive through mentality and begin living a life of servitude.

I am going to leave you with a quote by Marianne Williamson - this is a favorite of mine.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Walk well today my friends...

katrina

We are commanded to serve God

Matthew 20:28

New Living Translation (2007)
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Serving is the very heart of Christian life.  Jesus came to SERVE and to GIVE - these two verbs should define our life here on earth.

Mother Theresa once said "Holy living consists in doing God's work with a smile".   Wow... Can we honestly say that we are doing God's work WITH a smile on our face?

I think perhaps it is all too easy to get caught in the trap of believing that spiritual maturity is an end in and of itself.  Actually this is not the truth at all.  The truth is that maturity is for ministry.  We grow up so that we can give out.  We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe.

Impression without expression causes depression.  *RW*

How many of us are in an active Bible study?  I know I am.  How many of us go from the end of one bible study to the beginning of another?  I know I do.  Honestly, perhaps the last thing we need is to go to yet one more bible study.  Perhaps the thing we need most, is serving experiences where we can begin to exercise our spiritual muscles!  Sadly, many of us, again - myself included, already know more than we put into practice.

As we learn, grow, and mature our focus should shift from "who will meet my needs" to "whose needs can I meet?".  Do we ever ask this question of ourselves?

As I read all the jests and posts concerning the gloom of this morning being Monday - my mind and spirit began to rebel.  THIS day, THIS moment, THIS second is a precious gift from God given to us to redeem for His glory!!

So join me today as we shift our focus from being served to being in service.  No matter how small the deed, no matter the recipient, no matter the audience - do it all for His great glory.  God sees.  God hears.  And God is smiling on you.  

Be blessed as you walk in His path.....

Hugs and prayers to all

Katrina

Silent No More....

Afternoon to each of you.....

I pray that each of you has had a beautiful day and have enjoyed time spent with your family in worship.

Today has been a day of revelations for me.   I have been wrestling with a strong feeling that God was calling me to no longer hide a very large part of my life that up til now, my family has been my main support system along with my faith and relationship with God.

I have Polycystic Kidney Disease and was diagnosed when I was 18.  For the most part, I live my life as any of you.  And I will continue to do so as long as I can.

The future ahead is only known to God.  Remember Jeremiah 29:11  English Standard Version (©2001)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Although I may not always know God's will for my life or His plans for my future - I know without a doubt I can trust His heart.

I share this only to have you join me in prayer.  Prayer that I have wisdom in the paths God would have me walk.  Prayer that I am quick to be obedient.  Prayer that I always choose to keep my eyes on Him above any circumstances.

Please, let's not make this a big deal.  Just know that you are part of my life on purpose.  Just as God loves you on purpose.

katrina

View from the hole....

This is an excerpt from today's lesson that I studied.  Thought I would share it with each of you.


Day 27

Defeating Temptation
Reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group.

As I have had a moment here and there in the past week or so - I have noticed that each of us seems to be in a different area of struggle.  Today's lesson couldn't be more timely.  If you look back over our studies, I think you will see how He has time and again showed up so very large on our behalf to give us all we need to be over comers.

I have been so very guilty of crawling into that hole I always go to and pulling the dirt over me in an attempt to cope.  That certainly has never worked in the past and and sure didn't work any better this time around either.

I find it oh so amusing how God will take those times when I am being so dense and just knock me up side the head with His divine wisdom yet one more time.  I can just hear Him saying, "Well DUH".  Ha ha ha.   Really, you think I would be a bit more on top of it by now wouldn't you?  But alas, no.  It seems I am rather fond of knocking my head up against a wall.  

Might account for my being rather "special" don't ya think?  Hey, don't be afraid to snicker as I am enjoying a laugh at myself as well.

Ecclesiastes 4:  9Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.

There are those times when we need to open ourselves up and confess our temptations to another in order to break the vicious cycle of intention/failure/guilt.  Remember dear friends, none of us is without guilt and no one sin is greater than another ( however much we might like to convince ourselves otherwise ).  God has given us relationships so that we might have that partner to pray with us, pray for us, encourage us, and most of all to hold us accountable so that we might defeat the temptation!

I really enjoyed the perspective gained by the wording Rick Warren chose for this statement.  ** Authentic honest fellowship is the antidote to your lonely struggle against those sins that won't budge.** RW   Beautifully said.

James 5:16  New Living Translation (©2007)
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

TAA DOWWWW... Yeah baby!!  Power punch right there!!!  Reinforcing once more that truth abides in the light and defeats all sin!

View from the hole:  ( you know, the one I created and referenced above )
View?  What view?  The "view" sucks!  The hole is dark, dank, and stinks on multiple levels.  The aloneness only intensifies the hurt making it seem larger than life and un-defeat able.  The hurts grow until they over whelm you and push you into a position from which you can no longer begin to see the light.  This hole is made deeper by the information age where the only picture others see is the one you paint for them.  Since there is very little personal interaction - one can paint quite the merry little scene in spite of the dark hole in which you reside.  Who would want to stay here?  You would be surprised.  The hole is familiar.  The hole is relatively safe from further hurt.  Do you see the twisted logic that happens when in the hole?  Grab your shovel, hitch up your britches, put your boots in motion and walk into freedom.  RW said it best - "You are only as sick as your secrets".

We don't want to admit our faults out of pride.  So we paint pretty little pictures on fb of a life full of smiles and laughter.  We walk the halls of our church and we continue with the mask firmly in place.  I am fine, how are you?  Isn't it great?  So very NOT.

Guess what folks?  Life is hard!  We get dirty!  There are messes!  So what?  So do you, and you, and you.  It is high time we realize we are in the mud together and work to haul each other out!!  There is zero fun in the mire and the Father is waiting to wash us clean and seat us at the banquet table so that we may feast with Him.

I do believe I will delete "I am fine" from my conversations.  If you ask me how things are, you had best be ready for the answers because the game of pretend is only good for young children and fools.  I am neither.

So grab on to my hand, let's walk ourselves outta here and get to living life together!!

Love you all so much.

katrina

You can't fake fresh....

I read this just recently in regards to those of us who raise chickens and enjoy the benefits of fresh eggs each day.

Then God took such a seemingly innocent remark and turned it back to me.  You can't fake fresh.

Huh??

Then over a cup of coffee and a morning study, I got it!  You can't fake fresh!  You cannot fake a fresh relationship with Christ.  If you are daily living in His presence and walking in His calling, your relationship with Him will be fresh!  Wow.... Sometimes the simple can trip me up faster than the profound.  Causes me to giggle at myself every time.

Seems to me that it is way to easy to get caught up in what we like to term as "living" and we forget our first love.  In so doing, we trade the truth for a lie.  You see, the hustle and bustle, all the demands on our time, the "to do" lists, are not living.  It is the lie known as busyness.

I am too busy to read my Bible.  I am too busy to pray.  I am too busy to attend church.  I am too busy to love others.  Busyness is easily the greatest slimy sneaky tool the enemy ever enacted to steal us away from our love.  Busyness creeps in a bit at a time.  Busyness robs from God, from our family, takes our joy, steals our peace.  What are we left with?  Oh yeah.... busyness.

Our first love.  God.  Our Father.  He gives all that busyness steals.  He provides the means to have family in the fullest sense of the word.  He provides a joy that is based upon our relationship with Him rather than a fleeting moment.  God grants us a peace that no tragedy or sorrow can steal.  God gives us pure love which knows no boundaries.

So the statement remains.  You can't fake fresh.

And I choose not to!!  I choose to point these boots on the road He has placed me on, pull my chair up to the table and talk with him every morning, place my hat on my head and smile as I revel in all that the Savior brings me.

For God will not take me where He cannot sustain me!!

Come on, join me.  Get those boots a walkin.....

katrina

Don't get up to fast....

It happens oh so fast.  One minute you are standing firm and the next you are face down in the dirt.  Quickly we jump up, glance around at who might have seen our fall, and then begin to brush ourselves off.

With the sun streaming down this beautiful morning, God has brought more light in to my life.  Light which brings knowledge.  Knowledge which brings yet another crossroad.  The choice to follow or to turn on to my own path.  Should I choose to apply this knowledge to my life, then there I will find peace, contentment, unbridled joy.

What could such a revelation have been?  Perhaps nothing that would be earth shattering for you.  Perhaps something you have already learned and known.  For me, it was just yet another revelation of Himself and how much He loves me.

Today's lesson is: do not rush to get up when I fall.  Couldn't have shocked me more.  Why on earth would I not want to immediately rush to my feet and get back on the path He is leading me on?  The answer is so simple when you think about it.

I fell.  There was and is always a cause for the fall.  Most often, the cause lies within me; sometimes deeply hidden and sometimes quite flagrant.  The reason is the great I.  No, no, no.... pay close attention.  Not the great I Am, the King Eternal - but the great I.  Or at least great to me.  I, of course, am referring to myself.  The I.  The Me.  The one who wants to have it be all about her.....me, me, me.

The simple truth is, when my eyes and my heart are focused firmly on my God, my position in Him is secure and firm and there is no stumbling and no fall.  When I place my eyes on myself, my wants, my wishes, my desires, the fall comes up faster than the speed of light.

As painful as all of this was to admit, the worse was yet to come.  There was stil the issue of the "why" of the fall.  Here is where God called me to search myself.  Instead of rushing to my feet, being concerned with any embarrassment I might have suffered, or brushing myself off in a hustle to get back on the path, I need stay.

kw:   Stay Lord?  Are you sure?  You want me to stay face down in the dirt?

OMEGA:  Stay my child.

kw:  Why would you want me to stay?  Do I need to learn humility through embarrassment?  Do I need to learn patience through suffering? Why Lord?  ( geesh calling me child was sure right on the mark on His part )

OMEGA:  Stay my child and take that moment to worship your God for protecting you during your fall.  Then come to just your knees and turn your heart and ears fully to Me.  Listen as I reveal the cause of your fall.  Take the time to repent the cause and allow Me to instruct you and grow you so that you do not fall again to such.

Silence....because there is only weeping from me.  Silence....because I am indeed such a foolish child.  Always inclined to rush.  But my Father is one of great patience who loves me fully.  With a hand full of love, He draws me to Him and comforts me.  He shows me a portion of His plans for me.  He brushes away my tears and assures me that His love will always win over my foolishness.

What an awesome and amazing God I serve.  So yes.... I will lay with my face in the dirt, thankful for the great Jehovah Jireh that always provides for me.

It is always my prayer that by sharing a bit of my heart with you my friends, that you will be touched to seek the face of God who longs to show you all the love He has for you.

katrina.....

Seasons ......

Each of our lives can easily be marked by a metaphor.  For my much loved aunt, her metaphor is "cheer leader".  She has a beautiful gift of encouragement.  She is an encourager by nature and has allowed God to develop that gift even further in her life and she blesses all those she is around with it in abundance. 

My life's metaphor is "the seasons of nature".  

You see, being a country girl, I am well familiar with the ebb and flow of the seasons.  More importantly, when I contemplate the seasons and how each season works to bring to perfect fruition all growth processes, I can then begin to truly appreciate all the growing seasons in my spiritual life.

Spring is a time of new birth.  The temperatures begin warming, the grounds are watered with rain, and those things that have been planted come "springing" forth.  That new beginning is marked by our acceptance of Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives.

Summer heralds the arrival of rapid growth and warm temperatures.  These are marked by long days filled with sun, plants stretching to the heavens, producing large amounts of fruit, and a time of lushness.  This rapid growth is our maturing process as Christians.  We begin to experience relationships, discover love, and establish ourselves in a church family.

Fall is a time of gathering the harvest.  Maturity is a reality at this time and the fruits of such can be gathered by all those around.  Love has been learned and is freely shared, acts of service are a natural response, and we begin to share our learning and experiences with others.

Winter is a time of rest and dormancy.  Winter does not necessarily represent death although it can.  Winter is that time in which things are quiet and still.  That time in which we are moving neither backward nor forward.  Winter is that time when we become dormant.  We can often experience winter after times of loss or hurt.  Winter can be a healer in that the time of dormancy and is spent in restoration, preparing us to move forward into spring once more.

You see the seasons are not a single occurrence in my spiritual journey but rather a repeating process that God uses to keep me active and growing in my relationship with Him.  After all, that is the very foundation of my walk.... RELATIONSHIP.  

Early mornings......and dirt

I have been an early riser all my life......  As soon as there is light, my body is awake and ready to move.  Can't really tell you if this is due to a predisposition of physical make up or if this is simply in an born reaction to the life of a country girl.

What I can say, is that there is nothing in the world like the silence of the mornings when people are not yet stirring.  I wander outside and listen to nature which is already in the midst of it's own awakening.  I mean honestly, have you ever made it awake and out before your rooster does?  Odds are not likely.

As I walk around our property, I enjoy the chickens as they scurry out from the safety of their coop and hurry to be the first to take the treats I am scattering.  The goats are calling me to hurry and come spend time with them, preferably their morning ration in hand.  The lgd's are scampering around begging for a pet as well as checking on all the critters with me.  A stray - well really, can Bull even be called a stray any longer? - waits in the barn for breakfast.  The rest of the dogs are all arguing over who gets out for play time first.

Yet even amongst the murmurings of the animals, there is such peace that just floods over me.  A calmness that this is where I was created to be.  During my life I have lived in many different situations and circumstances.  I have walked many roads.  Some of these roads where smooth and marked by love and some, well, they were more of a rocky crevice than a road and brought along their fair share of pain and hurt.  Trailer parks, country homes, military bases, subdivisions, apartments, trailers:  I have known them all.

I have been; the scruffy country girl climbing on hay bales and sitting on fences watching horses, the urban girl always stylish and enjoying the finer things, the military brat / military / and military wife, the mom in the suburbs making the rounds of soccer games, the AQHA rider / 3 day eventer / dressage queen / endurance rider / and trail riding guru, yet all these times - all these circumstances the ones that stand out the most and brought the most contentment were those marked by dirt.

You see, I am well and truly a country girl.  Always have been, always will be.  It is where my heart longs to be and my body finds satisfaction.  I am a woman like others in that I enjoy things that sparkle ( could very well be the silver on my bridle ), I like dinner and wine, I like to dress up upon occasion, and love to catch the eye of my man.  Nothing appeals to me more than a shadowed jaw, his hands rough from work, sweating together working under the rays of the sun, and knowing that his eyes are looking at mine from under his hat brim.

You may see me in town sometime, dirt on my jeans, dust on my face, hands rough, hay in my hair, face shining with sweat, but you know what?  That is okay.  I have learned that those things that radiate beauty are those things that reflect the Creator God.  I have learned to appreciate and value that God has made me to be uniquely me.  He loves me completely the way I am.  The best gift I can give to the One who loves me so, is to surrender all that I am to Him and reflect Him in all that I do.

So I will treasure the dirt, the grass, the hay, the dust that seems to always follow me.  I will put in an honest days work, follow Christ with all my heart, and seek His pleasure above all others.

Perhaps it is time that we as a nation and a unique people remember the basics of what is truly important in life.  It is so simple.  God, family, friends.  Anything else is a blessing from the hand of the Almighty.

I pray that today finds your hands a bit dirty, sweat on your brow from honest work, your feet on a country path, and that your heart is full of the Father.

Boot prints and prayers to you all.....