Jesus, the caretaker.

This morning, as I lay in my warm bed, snuggled up next to my peacefully sleeping husband, I began my quiet time and I loved what God showed me this morning. I wanted to share it with you.


I read out of Luke and I John, but what caught my eye was the parable of the fig tree told by Jesus in the book of Luke in the New Testament.


Luke 13:6-9


"⁶ Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. ⁷ So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
   ⁸ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”


There are three main figures represented in this parable:
1. The owner of the vineyard - God
2. The gardener or caretaker of the vineyard - Jesus
3. The tree - Israel or the individual listener or reader


After the owner returned for three years in a row and saw no growth, no fruit, he ordered the tree be cut down. 


What happened next was beautiful. You see the caretaker (Jesus) asked for more time, pleading on behalf of the tree (us) - offering to water and fertilize it to help it along in growth. He asks the owner to return in one year to see if there is growth and fruit. If not, then the tree can get cut down.


This parable is scary and beautiful all at the same time. God can grow weary and impatient of our lack of active participation in his kingdom, but Jesus is still fighting on our behalf.


God is patient, but he has given us ample time to grow and to produce fruit. After a while, according to Luke 13, God can, or will, grow impatient with our lack of growth and our complacency.


But.... there is a God - the Son of Man  - (Daniel 7:13), (Mark 10:45) - who came to earth, a perfect human being, who took on the full weight of ALL of humanities sin, who died on a Roman cross for all of us, and praise God (!!!), rose victoriously!!!


That God, Jesus, yet again, shows great love and compassion with his act of patience. In this parable, the caretaker asks for more time. I can hear his small gentle and compassionate voice now, "Shhhh, patience, Father. Growth is on the horizon, just wait and see. I will tend to them diligently this year. I will water them and give them food to grow. If you do not see growth in a year, then you can cut them off. Give me time, Father."


Isn't that such a beautiful portrait of our Father in heaven? He cares so much for us that He sent his son as a protector and caretaker. We are so unworthy of the love God pours out on us daily, and yet, even through our sin and denial, through our lack of growth and through or complacency, God still chooses to have patience and to send his son out to work on our behalf. 


When God calls to us, we need to be able to hear his voice. We need to be able to hear where he is calling us to grow. Where is God asking for growth in you?


Hebrews 5:12-14 tells us this, " ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."


God wants to see growth in his children. For those who don't call Him Father, he wants to see them turn from their ways and turn to Him. God wants to have mercy on us, but he is requiring work (not good deeds, but hard work to be more Christ-like) from us.




Isaiah 55:6-7,
"⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
   and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
  and to our God, for he will freely pardon."


May the peace of your caretaker fully overtake you. May you truly know how much God loves you that he would send a caretaker for you.


If you do not know God as your Father and Jesus as your Savior and you want to know more about Him and his wide-open arms waiting to greet you, please email me. I am always here, waiting and ready to answer any and all questions you have. I would be happy (over-joyed) to help you with that process and welcome you into the Kingdom of heaven.


~ Bethanee

The perfect storm.

Have you ever felt you were walking through a storm and didn't see it coming? No weatherman reported on the perfect storm that was about to blow over you... you just found yourself there, trying to hold on, trying to make it to the next day, the next hour, the next minute. 


Romans 8:28-39 tells us this (thank you Pastor Ed for a wonderful service yesterday!), 

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

More Than Conquerors

 ³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:    “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
 ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Praise God!!!! 

John 16:33 tells us this, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

In those storms, I know I need these great reminders. God is with me. God is with you! God has overcome the world. He's already done it. So I need to remember to sit tight, dig in deep, and take heart! We are MORE THAN conquerors!  

Storms will come up, count on that. While in those storms, how will you choose to respond?


Take a minute listen to this song by Bethany Dillon.

1 Thessalonians 5:18, (in the Amplified) "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]."

Yesterday, I heard my husband trying to put our young daughter down for a nap. She was throwing a huge fit and I chose to give thanks to God. This is a lesson I'm currently learning, not one I'm great at!



What is your attitude? Can we change our attitude from one that is fearful, shameful, angry, regretful, vengeful, and laden with negative emotions to one of gratitude? 


Let's try to have a Gratitude Attitude!


Lord, whatever's in front of me, help me to sing Hallelujah. Whatever's in front of me I'll choose to sing Hallelujah! We are more than conquerors! We can do ALL things through You, Lord, who gives us strength.... even getting through the storms. Help us to have a heart of gratitude. The obstacles and storms in our lives are Your challenges to our faith. Lord, help us to not run from Your challenges, but to realize that they are there to grow us and to make us stronger. I pray these things, in Your name, Amen.

Daughter of the King. Wife. Mother. Friend.

Do you need qualifiers in your life? Do you need something or someone to tell you how important or how loved you are?


As the very type-A, perfectionist, list-making, goal-oriented person, I struggle with that. God is bringing me to my knees and while at the wonderful Symphony House of Prayer at my home church yesterday, God showed me my real qualifiers: Daughter of THE King. Wife. Mother. Friend.


Do we need more than that? 


Psalm 90:14, David calls out to God, "Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing with joy and be glad all our days."


Beth Moore said this in the Bible study I'm doing, "Fewer conditions leave us in worse shape than emptiness."


Psalm 139:23 says this, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."


Proverbs 13:12 tells is this, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."


God wants us to be filled up with Him and by Him. In our society, we put so much energy, thought, and time into trying to fill that God-shaped hole with external things. God's calling us - me -, to fill it with Him.


There is nothing here on earth that will sustain us. There is nothing that will be there forever; but we are told God and His Word will be there forever. 


1 Peter 1: 24-25 tells us this, "For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you."

Lord, fill our God-shaped holes with You and Your love! Forgive us, O Lord, for failing to come to you first. For failing to fill our hearts with the promises and love you have given us. Lord, walk with us today as we struggle with thoughts of inadequacy and renew in us a heart filled with hope and adequacy in You!

Our View

On one of our last days in France, I sat on my balcony having my quiet time overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The view from my vantage point was breathtaking. 


It made me question our view in life though. Not our political views... not our social views, but our Godly views. God lead me to Esther that morning in my quiet time. In hard and uncomfortable times, in times where God is calling us to do hard things, shouldn't our stance be that of complete surrender and complete trust in God to be there and to do what He's going to do in us and through us?


Esther was called to do something very difficult - to risk her life to save the lives of all her people. God called her there, at that very time in life, "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14) God might be (and I would actually change that to God IS) calling you and I here on this earth "for such a time as this." God has called us here to tell the world about the saving grace and love of Jesus.


David Platt, in Radical, tells of a young woman, Genessa Wells. Genessa was an intelligent promising young lady fresh out of college. Genessa decided to spend her life, following God's call for her, in the Middle East, sharing the gospel with the people there that had never heard the gospel before. Before she left, Genessa wrote her friends this, "I could give up on going overseas and get married and become a music teacher. All of this is very noble and, to be quite honest, sounds good to me! But in my heart I want to change my world - more that I want a husband and more than I want comfort. I need..... to tell others about Jesus."


She wound up working with the Egyptians, the Palestinians in refugee camps in Jordan, with Muslims in France, and with Bedouins in the desert. 


Following all of that she wrote, "I honestly would not want to be anywhere else but here, where God has put me. He gives me more than I could imagine."

And, in her last letter home she wrote, "It seems everything we do comes down to one thing: His glory. I pray that all our lives reflect that."

In Esther, God spoke through Mordecai, telling Esther that even if she doesn't do what she was called here to do, God will make another way... but he was trying to encourage her to "do hard things" and to do what God had called her here on earth (at this precise moment in time) for - to save the Jews.


After calling on God in prayer and fasting, Esther did just that. She risked her own life by coming before the King uninvited and she petitioned him, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request" Esther 7:3 

You see, God has called us ALL here, on this earth for a purpose. Would we do what Esther or Gennesa did? Would our view be that of knowing we are doing what we are supposed to be doing and trusting God with the rest?


Are we where God wants us? Or.... are we playing it safe? It's safe to stay in the comfort of our nice American homes and our luxuries. It's safe to raise a family and not teach our children to "do hard things" themselves.


What's your view?

CEO

When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I wanted to run my own domain and create a positive environment for others to work in. I was passionate about this and it's what I went to college for - International Business Affairs and Business Management.


My life is a far cry from running a Fortune 500, and at times I've felt that all my life has amounted to is cooking and cleaning..... cleaning and cooking.Or, running the kids around to all their different practices (soccer, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, ballet, swim, piano, art, guitar.... and the list goes on.)


As I sat thinking about my life the other day, God gave me this beautiful picture. Although my life has not turned out the way I had pictured, it has turned out exactly how God had always planned it. God showed me that I am running my own domain and company, complete with it's own cafeteria, laundromat, school, and "employees." And the beauty of running this empire is that the payoff is so much greater than any Fortune 500 company could ever pay me. 


While laying down with my youngest, she stroked my face and told me, "Mommy, you're my best-friend ever!" Or another time, I overheard my children playing "I Spy" and when one child said, "I spy, my little eye, I see something beautiful", one of the other children said, "Mommy!" There is no compensation greater than that, my friends. 


So what about you? Are you where God wants you to be? If your life isn't exactly what you had pictured, pray and allow God to either show you the beauty of where you are and why He put you there.... or allow Him to talk to you and show you where you need to go to get on track with where He's been wanting you. Sometimes in life, it's difficult to hear God's voice telling us to move if we are comfortable with where we are at. God's not interested in our comfort, He's interested in our salvation, our relationship with Him, and in our ability to be disciples to all nations!

Ps 143:10
  
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."

Matthew 28:19


^"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Jeremiah prayed this prayer in Jeremiah 10:23-24, 

"LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.
 Discipline me, LORD, but only in due measure - not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing." 

Jeremiah knew what we struggle to know sometimes.... our lives are not our own. My life's goals, at this juncture in my life, is to make disciples of my children. God has entrusted me with His children and it's my goal in life to make sure that I am bringing them up in a loving environment filled with God's love, hope, joy, grace and mercy, teaching them to be disciples, so they can in turn go out and make disciples! I thank God for the Fortune 500 company I am running. It's complete with a CEO (my husband), a COO (me!), and 4 little agents. 
 
If you would like help or would like someone to pray with you or for you, please, let contact me. 

Cherish God's Child

If you could but cherish God's child,
Revered Saviour within...
You'd see beyond this world so wild,
Perhaps lost souls to win...

If you could but give extra time,
A golden hour or two...
Perhaps you'd find God's truth sublime,
Give credit where it's due...

If you could but open His door,
God's opportunity...
You'd search God's Word, discover more
And gain God's clemency...

If you could but study and learn,
Absorb faith like a sponge,
What wondrous wisdom you'd discern...
Should you but take the plunge...

If you could but stretch out your hands -
Like Christ upon His cross,
Be humble to the Lord's commands,
You'd count your dreams as dross.

If you could but cherish God's child,
'Our Father who art in Heaven'
Would cleanse you till you're undefiled,
In Christ's Name... loved, forgiven... 


~ Denis Martindale

Are you listening?

I was out and about the other day and  I witnessed a father trying to discipline his (roughly) three year old son. The father instructed his son to "Come here." and his son screamed back, "NO!" This "conversation" continued for several more rounds until the father just gave up and let his child walk away.

I sat quietly as God began speaking to my heart about His children. God was asking me, "Is this any different than when I speak to my children and they, too, decide not to listen and eventually walk away, going about their own business?" I was personally convicted from the times in my life that I have heard the promptings from the Holy Spirit but did not follow through on God's Word to me. This began about an hours worth of praying for all of God's children, for the times where we will hear His voice, and still, choose to not obey.

My heart broke as I felt I got a small glimpse of the heart of God. When I sat there and pictured our Heavenly Father speaking words of instruction, discipline, wisdom, and guidance to those who call Him Father, and then played out in my head the same scene I had just witnessed, I couldn't help but to feel, even if ever so slightly, the small sting of pain and rejection God must feel when we choose not to listen to Him.

Proverbs 1:2-7 says this:

² for gaining wisdom and instruction;
   for understanding words of insight;
³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
   doing what is right and just and fair;
⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,
   knowledge and discretion to the young—
⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
   and let the discerning get guidance—
⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
   the sayings and riddles of the wise.
 ⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
   but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

God wants the best for us. He wants to see us obediently heeding His instruction and His Word.

So, my question to you is: Are you listening? When you feel God speaking to you, instructing you to do something or disciplining you, do you heed that instruction or discipline?

And I have felt...a sense sublime     
Of something far more deeply interfused,    
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,     
And the round ocean and the living air,      
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man;     
A motion and a spirit, that impels      
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,        
And rolls through all things.  William Wordsworth

When God speaks, He does so through His spirit and His Word. Listen for Him - God is not silent. 


"If God had wanted to be a big secret, He would not have created babbling brooks and whispering pines." ~Robert Brault

Who will carry me through?

As I drove home alone late last night, I was overcome with fatigue. I began to think about the busyness of this week, of the upcoming weekend, and the week that had just passed. All I wanted to do was fall asleep - into a deep REM sleep, awaking sometime between 12 and 14 hours later. I knew that would not be the case as my body only allows me about 6-7 hours on a regular basis.... but I was hopeful. 


As I sat in my car, in the darkness of night, I couldn't help but wonder how I was going to make it through the next week, or four for that matter. Suddenly, as if God was in the passenger seat talking aloud to me, I heard Him clearly speak these words to me, "To make it through the next few weeks, you will need to draw in nearer to me, nearer than ever before. You will find your strength in me and me alone. When you are weary, I will give you strength. When you are downcast, I will pick you up. When you need comfort, I will comfort you. Seek me and you will find me there, waiting to carry you along through the coming weeks." Again, God reminded me of this verse that He has etched on my heart, Jeremiah 29:13, "Seek me and you will find me when you seek me with ALL of your heart."


Just as God reminded me to seek Him, I want to encourage you to do the same. No matter what your circumstances are, God is there, waiting for you to bring it all to Him, waiting for you to ask Him to carry you through.

Isaiah 40:28-30 says this, 
²⁸ Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint."

God promises to give those who hope in Him strength, to increase the power of the weak. He cares for us. He cares about the tiny details in our lives.... like being tired and worn out.


So, I'm going to lay this all down at the feet of the Lord. Will you do the same with me? Lay your concerns, your struggles, your battles, addictions, or anything else that is weighing you down, at the foot of the cross. God loves you. He wants you - ALL of you. He's waiting for you to lay it all down.


Father, help us to lay our burdens down at your feet. Help us to trade our ashes in for beauty. Embrace us with the deep love you have for us and help us to understand the price you paid for us. You have won our hearts, Lord. As we trade in our ashes, make your presence known to us. You, Father, have given us all we need, teach us to embrace it. Be patient with us, Lord, as we continue on our journey's with you. Give rest to the weary, Lord, 


Be blessed, my friends, by this song:

At the Foot of the Cross - Kathryn Scott

In the precious, and mighty name of Jesus, AMEN.

SoulFest - a heart of worship

C.S. Lewis -
"It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men." 

SoulFest is a time of year that we look forward to all year. SoulFest is, for those that may not know, an outdoor Christian music festival, held at Gunstock Mountain in New Hampshire annually. 

The reason I love SoulFest so much is because, even through the crowds of 10,000, even through the noise and distractions, there are moments where you catch a glimpse of how amazing God's point of view is. Our family tends to stand mid-mountain, so we are looking down on the main stage and in front of us we are privileged to watch (and be a part of) a sea of believers raising their hands in worship... raising their hands to their Creator.

In unison, you can hear the echos of nearly 10,000 people singing praises to the Father of heaven and earth, the Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am! 

"When we worship together as a community of living Christians, we do not worship alone, we worship 'with all the company of heaven.'" - Marianne H. Micks
 

In Psalms, David wrote of worshiping God many times.

Ps 29:2, "Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness."

Ps 95:6, "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker."

Ps 99:9, "Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy."

Ps 100 is a song of grateful praise, 

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
 ² Worship the LORD with gladness;
   come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
   It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
   we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
   and his courts with praise;
   give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
   his faithfulness continues through all generations.

David knew what we struggle to understand sometimes - music is one of the richest and deepest ways of communicating with God!

"Worship is first and foremost for His benefit, not ours, though it is marvelous to discover that in giving Him pleasure, we ourselves enter into what can become our richest and most wholesome experience in life."  "A Heart For Worship" by Lamar Boschman 

Take a moment to worship God today. Even if it's a song from your own heart, find some time to lift up your voice to Him and begin communicating to Him through praise and worship or through prayer. God is waiting for you to kneel down before Him and give it all to Him. He said He will take our burdens from us. God wants to hear from you, and I can promise you, there is a Father in heaven longing to be close to you, longing for you to enter into worship with Him. 

"When I worship, I would rather my heart be without words than my words be without heart." - Lamar Boschman

So, even if you're not at SoulFest this week, I encourage you to find Him in some of your free time. Begin to worship the Creator of everything!

If you need help with this, or if you have questions, please, feel free to ask. I will help you the best I can. 

"Surely that which occupies the total time and energies of heaven must be a fitting pattern for earth." - Paul E. Billheimer

Comfort for the Contrite (or broken hearted)

A contrite heart - what does this mean?


As I sat having my quiet time this morning, I began reading out of the Old Testament book of Isaiah and found this:


Isaiah 57:15 says this,
 "For this is what the high and exalted One says—
   he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
   but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
   and to revive the heart of the contrite."


So what does that mean?


The transliteration for contrite comes from the Hebrew word "daka" or "dakka", which means "crushed, broken, dust."


God tells us in verse 15 that he "also lives with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."


God lives with those who are broken about the decisions they have made or the circumstances they find themselves in and with those who have a humble heart and are repentant about their mistakes. In Isaiah 57, we find a qualification for receiving spiritual healing. This condition was required of physical Israel before God would heal the nation. It is also required of spiritual Israel (that is, the Church) for spiritual damage to be healed.


Although God is all-powerful and unlimited in His existence and perfection, He is the most involved and loving of all beings. In reviving the spirit of the humble, He 'makes them alive' as it translates literally. The sense here is that He provides spiritual life and comfort. Spiritually, God is to the contrite what refreshing rains, the warm sun and cool dew are, physically, to a drooping plant. It revives us when we are in that condition.


Are you feeling physically dry? What about spiritually dry? God is there for us, he wants to revive us, He's just waiting on us to be repentant and allow Him the opportunity to come in and give us the spiritual watering we need.


Look at Job, he was crushed, battered, bruised and weary. 


[ In Job 5, Eliphaz, Job's friend describes the difficulty of the fool's devastated children and how the fool is the cause of their crushed state.

Job 5:1-7, "Call now, if there be any that will answer you; and to which of the saints will you turn? For wrath kills the foolish man, and envy slays the silly one. I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation. His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them. His harvest the hungry eats up and takes it even out of the thorns, and the robber swallows up their substance. Although affliction comes not forth of the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground; yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.",

"The crushing here refers to their being made powerless to prevent their own tragedy. Negatively speaking, the contrite are bruised and injured. This is positive, as it is their pride that gets irreversibly crushed. However, the crushing events of life do not automatically make us contrite. It is possible for the result to be either of two extremes—bitterness or genuine contrition. That is the critical point when a person is struck with an injury or a sickness or whatever it may be. What direction will that person take?


Some allow bitterness, resentment and anger to be the result in their broken state. Anger can very easily become sinful when it is causeless, excessive, or prolonged. In contrast, genuine contrition does not leave a humble person immobilized, hardened or embittered.


Some of the biblical synonyms used for "contrite" are: penitent, regretful, remorseful, repentant, sorry, apologetic, and ashamed. We can get a more thorough understanding of contrition by looking at four of these synonyms. These very similar terms help provide a clearer picture of the attitude involved here.

Penitence is sorrow for sins or faults. It implies sad and humble realization of, and regret for, one's misdeeds. The feeling that no sin is beyond forgiveness if it is followed by true penitence.

Regret implies a painful sting of conscience, especially for contemplated wrongdoing. It is the feeling of being sharply bothered by one's own action accompanied with a sense of guilt.

Remorse suggests prolonged and insistent self-reproach and mental anguish for past wrongs, and especially for those whose consequences cannot be remedied. It is the feeling of walking on thorns. 

Repentance adds the implication of a resolve to change. It bears good fruit.

In this light, contrition stresses the sorrowful regret that constitutes true penitence. It is the feeling of remorse that brings tears to the eyes and leads to repentance.


That is the heart in which God says he lives in. God lives with us, in us, when our hearts are full of contrition and repentance."] - Martin Collins


What do you need to repent for? What is God calling you to lay down at His feet and give over to Him? What troubles do you have?


We often feel overcome by our troubles, but we do not have to feel this way. God is fully aware of our limitations as we walk before Him. We see here that the righteous do not always escape trouble. Walking with God in the way of wisdom assures us that God is present, even when we suffer often and severely.


God promises that if we trust Him and call on Him, He will see us through our troubles and make them a blessing to us and through us to others. He is also able to help us with our emotions of despair and depression.


Psalms 34:18, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit"


God assures us that He is near us when our hearts are broken and our spirits are crushed, whether we feel like it or not. This is not a promise with conditions attached to it; it is just a simple and eternal fact.


Take the time today to give God your broken heart, to humble yourself before the Maker of heaven and earth.


1 John 3:9 , "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."


How beautiful is God? He is patient and does not want anyone to perish.... thank you, Lord!

Forgiveness and pride

Forgiveness. It's such a simple word, yet it's such a tricky subject. In a hard lesson, God worked on this topic of forgiveness with me over the weekend. Then it was driven home by the sad news of a friend's marriage breaking up over the weekend.


Why is forgiveness so hard on big topics? Sure, it's easy to forgive when someone bumps into you or forgets to do something they were supposed to, but why is it so hard to forgive the absent parent, or the affair your spouse had, or the repeated wrongs that don't seem to get any better with time? Has God given us a passage on these bigger issues? What about hurtful words? Forgetfulness or absentmindedness? 

And, what if the person has said sorry? What do we do then?


In Luke 17:3-4, Jesus tells us this,

"So watch yourselves.“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

We must forgive them. So if we know this, why is it so hard?  I think this is a question so many Christians find themselves asking God. "Why God, if I love this person, if this person is my friend, my spouse, my child, my neighbor, my co-worker, then why is it so hard to forgive them? Why, if I know what I ought to do, is it so hard to forgive those that have hurt me or wronged me?" 


Matthew 26:41 says it beautifully, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."


It's as if you can see and hear the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. The war rages on inside of you when you feel wronged. You know you should forgive and you know forgiveness is a command from God, but pride, hurt, anger, and resentment linger. 

It is exactly what Paul is talking about in Romans. This passage is confusing to read through, but if you read through it carefully, you will see that Paul, through the Holy Spirit, spoke of the same "war" inside of us. 

Read Romans 7:14-24,

 ¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
 ²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Again I ask, why, then, is it so hard? Paul made it pretty clear. It's the sin in us. 


Galations 5:17 says is again, 


"For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want."

But there is hope. Our hope is found in God!



Psalm 130:4 tells us this,

But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

And, like the end of Romans 7 tells us, "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord." 

This is a tough topic for me because I am still doing a lot of growing myself in this area. Apologizing and offering forgiveness were not strong suits in my house when I was growing up. I saw the opposite often times (but praise God, His works are new in each of us and both of my parents are now believers and are both also working on this, as well) and now, as an adult, I am going through a lot of growing pains in this area.


It is hard to let go of the pride, the hurt, and the anger when I feel wronged - but there is hope AND freedom in Jesus.... in letting go of those emotions and forgiving. Not simply uttering the words, but truly giving the burden to God and allowing Him to fill your heart with forgiveness and love. 


"Never does the soul appear so strong and noble as when it forgoes revenge and dares to forgive injury." 
~Edwin Hubbel Chapin

Complacency

As I studied the book of Zephaniah this morning, I was struck by chapter 1, verse 12. 

"At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad."


Again, Amos 6:1 and 7 says this, "1 Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!... 7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end."


Is God okay with complacency? Is God okay with the the believer who mentally says, "I go to church on Sunday. I checked that box. I am all set for the next week." What about to those who would say, "I live a good life. I am kind. I donate a can of soup when the post office does their 'Stamp Out Hunger' drive." What if you don't even mentally say those things to yourself, but you are just complacent in your life, in your walk and relationship with the living God - are you okay with status quo?


Zephaniah 1:12 is pretty clear how God felt about complacency. He didn't like, at all. He was willing to punish the people of Judah for their complacency.


The burden I feel for the American church is that we have lost our true sense and true purpose - that we have become complacent and "okay" with the status quo. Why have we chosen to serve the living God by giving our hearts to Him and getting baptised, but then unconsciously or consciously stop serving Him. What happens between choosing to LIVE for Him and unconsciously living for ourselves, while simultaneously thinking we are living for Him?


A little further on in Zephaniah, we see that the Word of the Lord to Zephaniah says this: (Zeph 2:3)

³ "Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger." 


God tells us exactly what we need to do... SEEK HIM! God sent His Son for so much more than our salvation and our happiness, but He does care about us and He gives us very clear and precise instructions on how to avoid His wrath. 

In the book of Zechariah, this was the word of the Lord - Zechariah 3:7, " This is what the Lord Almighty says, 'If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements then you will govern my house and have charge over my courts, and I will give you a place among those standing here."


Jeremiah 29:13 has become my new favorite single verse, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." 


There is nothing in that verse that speaks of complacency. There first is an action on our part then, there is an unfailing God who will show Himself to us when we seek Him with ALL of our heart!


My heart feels so heavy for the apathy that has gripped our nation, our churches, and the lives of the very people who call themselves Christians and yet they sit idly by, living out their "busy" lives. We have to be willing to die to ourselves and make Him our daily focus, waking up and asking ourselves, "Lord, how can I best serve you today? How can you use me to bring glory to Your Name and make Your Name known among ALL nations?"

David Platt, in Radical, says this, "Jesus said to His followers, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Jesus clearly acknowledged that following him invloves risking the safety, security, and satisfaction we have found in this world. But in the end, Jesus said, following him leads to a radical reward that this world cannot offer. This begs the question from each of us: do we believe the reward found in Jesus is worth the risk of following him?"


Want to start somewhere? Here are two great possibilities:


1. Start with some one on one time with God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Journal. Tell Him how much you love Him... how much you need Him. 

If you are not even sure if you believe in Him, start by asking Him to make Himself known to you, ask Him to forgive you for the past, then make a commitment to Him to serve Him with ALL of your heart. Make Him known to you - I can PROMISE you, He's been making Himself known to you your whole life! If you would like help with this, please, let me know. I would love to talk with you, walk you through this. 

If you are a believer and you have found yourself complacent, it's not too late to change that. Pupose in your heart to make a difference, starting with your OWN walk, then move on to helping the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, etc....


2. Meet my family and I as we serve the poor on Saturday mornings. We will meet up at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Manchester, NH, serving food to the Manchester area families that are in need of assistance. We meet up at 9:30am, get our "post" from the NH Food Bank, then we begin the priveledge of serving at 10am. 


Acts 20:24, "Yet, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."


Acts 20:28, "Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood."


and finally in Acts 20:32-38 Pauls ends with this, ³² “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” 

 ³⁶ When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷ They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. ³⁸ What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship."

Jesus... and Paul (not on the same level as Jesus) did not live a life of contentment and apathy. We have committed our hearts to God - now it's time to commit our lives to God!


Blessings!

What's this all about?

In two more days, I will have pulled off one of the largest events of my life - my first 5K. Not running one, planning and executing one. But not me, God! And a team of extremely gracious volunteers who have given so much time and so much of themselves to help pull this off. 


Will this event go off without a hitch - likely not, that's just life. I'm prepared for that, but in planning this event, God has shown me so much about Him, His grace, and His mercy. He has shown me this: When He gives a heart of compassion to others; when He shows others what is breaking His heart, He will help pull off both large and small feats. 


What is this all for? It's about surrendering my will, my agenda and making my life what He wants it to be. Some days, the days are so busy and the days never seem to have enough time in them, but I would not have it any other way than knowing I am living out my faith. God did not call us here, on this earth, to simply exist - to be comfortable. He did not call us here to COEXIST. 


What God did call us here for was to be the salt of the earth. In Matt. 5:13, Jesus says this, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

Why are we here? Why do we choose to exist just for the sake of existing? What is the purpose in that? Instead, Jesus calls us to,  "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." - Matt 28:19

I'm reading this amazing book right now called, Radical, by David Platt. In this book, Mr. Platt challenges the reader - me - to really examine what that means. If we are called, and make no mistake, we ARE called, to go make disciples, then we need to wake up out of our wealthy American Dream and look at the world through the eyes of the 26,000 children that will breathe their lasts breaths today because of starvation. Or awaken our eyes and minds to the 1+ BILLION that live on LESS THAN one dollar per day, or the 2 BILLION that live on less than 2 dollars per day. We need to wake up to the reality that there are millions of children sitting in orphanages around the world and in our own country's foster care programs. We need to wake up to the fact that there are 20-27 MILLION slaves today. That is more now than there ever was during the entire trans-Atlantic slave-trade error. Men, women, and children, ensnared in the traps of the sex-slave trade and forced labor camps - being beaten, raped, drugged, and starved.

What are we going to do about these - and SO many other atrocities that are happening in our world? David Platt says this, "Anyone wanting to proclaim the glory of Christ to the ends of the earth must consider not only how to declare the gospel verbally but also how to demonstrate the gospel visibly in a world where so many are urgently hungry (and I would add hurting, abandoned, violated, and more!) If I am going to address urgent spiritual needs by sharing the gospel of Christ or building up the body of Christ around the world, then I cannot overlook the dire physical needs in the process."

This isn't about "faith by works" because God was pretty clear that we receive salvation through Him and Him alone, but God was also pretty clear with what He wanted us to be doing with our lives. 1 John 3:16 tells us this, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." 

Again, I will recite Matt 25:40, "The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

As I continue to fight for the freedom of women and children that are trapped in the sex-slave trade, as I fight to bring new hope and life to their lives, I am reminded of and encouraged by what God did for us. He sent His one and only Son to live a perfect life here on earth. Furthermore, He sent His Son, knowing that Jesus would take on the burden of ALL of the world's sin, to die a brutal and gruesome death - FOR US! For me! He cared enough to save you and me!


What a loving God I serve. 


Our lives are about loving God and loving others. That's your purpose. That's your mission. If you need help, or want to know where God is calling you, let's talk. Maybe I can help you figure that out. 


When the disciples asked Jesus what the GREATEST commandment was, He could not list just one.... He HAD to list two. Read what Jesus answered in Luke 10:27, "He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself."

Blessings to you.

Fully Surrendering to God - not the mess and chaos!

Ah ha! I've finally done it (even if only temporarily!) I have surrendered to God and not the OCD and Type-A characteristics that have plagued my existence!


Yesterday, we had a house FULL of people! I was away speaking at a church the entire morning and part of the afternoon. My husband was not feeling great and the kids were making mild progress (that's what I call it when they don't completely tear it apart from one end to the other while I am away) on the house. I arrived home in just enough time to to stir the marinating chicken and begin to cook the orzo before company began arriving for the large BBQ we were having. There was no time to dust, sweep, vacuum, wipe down the bathroom....etc. It was just "come as you are, this is what it is." 

But, listen.... growth happens! You can evolve as a human and grow in wisdom and maturity. You can overcome severe strongholds in your life. 

As our guests (numbering somewhere around 35-40) began arriving yesterday, I did not stress. I didn't panic. I just welcomed them in and didn't even give an explanation as to why everything was not perfectly in it's place, perfectly set out - awaiting their arrival. They came through the door and I greeted them with a smile and hug, and continued on making my orzo salad. 


Why do I share this story with you? Because, as I stood in my kitchen, I was fully aware of God''s Presence with me. I was reminded of the Mary and Martha story in the gospels. While I wasn't entertaining Jesus himself (although one could argue hosting a loving and warm environment where we would soon be discussing matters of our faith and growth in Christ IS, in fact, like hosting God... but that might be a stretch. :-D), I thought about my reaction to people showing up early.... and just in general, me not being ready. I was quite surprised by my own reaction - or really, lack thereof. 


That is growth! For a highly Type-A (to a fault) and OCD-type personality, that is growth! And that growth, I believe, has come through spiritual edification and sanctification. Time with God. Reading His Word, studying, journaling, and reading books by fabulous people sharing in my faith! 


In Luke, chapter 10 verses 38-42, you find the story of Jesus, coming to the town of Bethany. Sisters, Mary and Martha, live there. As Jesus arrived this is what unfolds:


³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
   ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

All Jesus required was the presence of his hosts.

Isn't that all Jesus requires of us? Our presence. 

Galations 1:10 says this, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." 

We are servants of a King - of a God who cares enough about us to work out even the small details in our lives, like perfectionism. Yes, there may be "bigger fish to fry", but God loves us enough to care about what matters to us. And more than that, He cares enough for us that all He really requires of us is our time.... our presence, our dedication to Him and the things that concern Him.

Ephesians 3:7 says this, "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power."


Are you a servant of the gospel of God? God's grace in our lives is palpable. You need only to open your eyes to the daily victories you are winning. Maybe it's that one cigarette you didn't smoke. Maybe it's that one time you didn't yell at your spouse or your children. Maybe it was getting your bathroom cleaned and the laundry done. For me, it was not stressing over company coming and the house and food not being perfectly done and presentable.


What victories can you find in your day? Find God's grace in your life.... then praise Him for it! Praise Him for the small and the large victories. Give God ALL of you... even if that means, when you are giving him your "check-list" 15 minutes per day, that you give Him your FULL and undivided attention. 


God will honor that. 

Jeremiah 29:13 says this, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Seek Him! 


If you would like to know how to really seek God, ask me. I would love to help you.

Love and Faith

Can we say we are fully committed, fully and wholly surrendered if we have not love? When Jesus' disciple asked him, "Lord, Lord, what is the greatest commandment?" Jesus could not separate one single greatest. To God, His response was one in the same - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself." 

It's that simple. Love God. Love others. 

Why then, if it's that simple do we struggle so much to truly love others. Why do we struggle to forgive? Luke 6 tells us that we are to "do good to those who hate us." Wow! How often have we done that, and yet that is exactly what God is calling us to do.

I'm moved by a book I just finished reading. Crazy Love by Francis Chan. This is a challenging book that, prayerfully, will move you into action. Move you - and me - out of our comfort zones and into the love God has called, actually, commanded us to have and use.

"The average Christian in America spends 10 minutes per day with God. The average American spends 4 HOURS per day watching TV." It is no wonder, when you read those statistics that Christians are not having the impact on our "neighbors" that God had intended. 

Annie Dillard wrote that, "The way we live out our days is the way we will live out our lives." That is a powerful statement. Do you spend your day asking God, "What can I do for you? Where do you want me to serve? Who do you want me to show love to today?" Do you spend your time basking in the love of Christ, in His presence and in His grace, or do you waste your day away working feverishly, trying to attain the world's approval, the world's definition of success - the American Dream, or trying to prove to yourself that you are worth something? Do you waste your day away watching TV, playing video games, or gossiping? 

What we fill our time with is how we live out our day and it's how we will live out our lives. Matthew 6:21 tells us, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." God's words are so true - the things that are important to us will be the things that consume our time and energy each day... and throughout our lives. 

Francis Chan says this, "If one person "wastes" away his day by spending hours connecting with God, and the other person believes he is too busy or has better things to do than to worship the Creator and Sustainer, who is the crazy one?

About 2 years ago, I made a choice that I did not want to just let life happen and "get by". I didn't want to trust that I was doing "just fine" - I wanted to know that the legacy I was (and am) leaving was a legacy built on loving others and giving Him my all. Now, there are days when that may not happen, but still, a choice was made and on the whole, I choose to fully follow Him, to not just let life pass me by, but to actively pursue my Creator. I have not looked back since then and the journey I'm on has been such an enjoyable one. Actually, enjoyable is not even a strong enough description for the impact that actively pursuing Him has had on my life. 

Chan was asked this question while he was in college, "Francis, what are you doing right now that requires faith?" He goes on to say how much that question challenged him because at that point in his life he could not think of one single thing he was doing that was challenging his faith. 

So, I ask that question to you? What are you doing in your life that is challenging YOUR faith? 

For me, I can't say much of anything at the moment. I can think of a past example - when my husband started his company. That really challenged us to trust that God would provide. We went without a paycheck for 9 months. We went from 6-figures.... to nothing. Nothing at all. $0. Not once was I ever afraid that we would not have our basic needs met. If we lost our house, as I told my husband, then we lost it. If we lost our possessions, then we lost them. 

What I wanted to know was this: Is our family in tact? Do we have our faith, each other, laughter, and health? The answer was always yes! All the rest was mere icing on the cake. 

But, this question has challenged me today. I cannot think of anything I am really doing that requires faith. I am believing and praying for several of my friends breaking marriages. I am believing for my sister to come to Christ, for my niece to have the opportunity to know Him and learn about the Bible. I am even believing to make an impact on the world around me - but the question is not really asking that. It's a much more challenging question than that.

Faith, through Webster's Dictionary says this: 1. confidence or trust in a person or thing.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us this, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

When was the last time we, in our plush American life-styles (and that even include our "poor") truly had to sacrifice it all and have true, real, unadulterated faith in Him?

So, the question I have found myself asking is this: What would it look like to TRULY love God. Not this "one-time sinners prayer, now all is well" kind of love. Not the kind of love that says, "I'll obey you if it's convenient for me and fits into my American Dream kind of plan. But instead, the love that Jesus required His followers to have. 

In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus invited people to follow him (this would make up His 12 disciples) and this is what was said:

"As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nest, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But, he replied, "Lord, first let me go bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back  and say goodbye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

There is a HUGE cost to following Him and truly serving Him. Have we, as Americans REALLY considered that cost? Even our poor in this country still eat daily, can afford to smoke a $6 pack of cigarettes and can find money drink away their problems. The wealthy, they are chasing a happiness that will never come to them. Jesus was pretty clear - follow me and homeless may be in store for you. Follow me and you may not see your family again, but those are the costs of following Him. 

I don't know about you, but that's what I want. That kind of "all in" heart with God. There are people overseas that are sacrificing everything for the chance to be in the presence of the very same Father we deny, or push under the carpet until a loved one is sick or money is tight. They are sacrificing their livelihoods, their families, and their own lives so that others will have the opportunity to hear about God's goodness and grace. 

Do we have that kind of true love? Do we - do I - have that same kind of faith it takes to truly pick up our cross and follow Jesus? 

2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."

What can you change in your life that moves you from being a lukewarm Christian to a mighty warrior for Christ?