Nothing like major life decisions to make you realize just how much we need to depend on God. This past month I have had some heart to heart conversations with God. When life is going along smoothly I seemed to "think" that I don't really need to have those day to day conversations with Him. No doubt the smoothness of live at times is a blessing, but I can say that when times come that our completely out of our control that is when God steps in, if we allow him to, and will use these moments to build us up to be stronger in faith, stronger in character, and a little bit closer to being more like Christ.
I can say over this past month I can see some of those changes. As Chris and I went through the past couple of week trying to decide whether to accept this job in NC or not, we battled so many things. The first and really the most major one was are we doing God's will. We questioned so many things, we couldn't understand why God would want us to leave a place where we were serving him so faithfully, we had great friends, love teaching the youth, love being apart of Upwards, Hug Away and so many other things. The girls have great friends, well I could go on with a long list of reasons why we didn't want to move. Honestly, I was a little anger at God. I just didn't understand why. I didn't and don't want to leave those we have grown to love here, but I know that God has much greater plans for us. He never promised that following His will would be easy, but His promise is that He would never leave us. At the end of last week, God had brought us full circle. We were at peace, we realized that what he was asking of is was an honor, a privilege. He knows that even though Chris and I don't want to leave and that it is breaking our hearts to leave, He knows that we are strong enough. We can handle it. He will be there with us every step of the way and we will pray and seek Him in ever step of this move so that we are walking in His path that He has laid out before us. Joyfully going forward and ready to continue to do His work. I can say that even though it is sad to leave I am so excited about is ahead of us....new church, new friends, new ministries to serve in...the possibilities are endless and I am so thankful for that. So on to a new adventure!!!!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
What Are Your Fears?
I started reading a new book called The Forgotten God. We are getting ready to do a bible study that goes with this book with our 11th and 12th grade girls. The book is about how as Christians we seem to have forgotten about the role of the Holy Spirit. I am only a couple of chapters into the book, but I have to say it has brought forth lots of thoughts for me and made me take a good hard look at the role I allow the Holy Spirit to play in my life.
The author reminds us that in John 16:7 that Jesus tells the disciples it is to their advantage that He leaves them and go to be with his Father so that God can send 'the counselor". So if it is to our advantage to have the Holy Spirit within us why do we not push Him aside? Why do we not listen? Why do we not feel the Holy Spirit or allow the Holy Spirit to work in they way He needs to?
These were some of the questions the author asked. At the end of one chapters he challenges us to think of our fears we have about the Holy Spirit, what causes us to keep Him from working in our lives and to write them down. God already knows our fears but he encouraged the readers to write them down and then to pray to God about each of them. Asking God to help us understand and deal with those fears. Remember that when we go to God requesting we have to pray expecting He will answer. We can't go with doubt in our heart. I thought of it this way. Sometimes before Katie ask for something she starts it off with " I know you won't let me do this, but..." I tell her why do you always think I will say no just because I have had to say no in the past. She comes to me with doubt. That is the same thing I do with God. I will bring something before Him, but it is not with an expectation that He will deliver. I need for that to change within me. I have to go to Him with expectations and not doubt.
So with this in mind I go before Him requesting with expectations that He will resolve my fears and will help me to allow the Holy Spirit to have daily presences in my life. Trust me, it is only because I block the Holy Spirit as to why I don't experience the presence of Him more.
I challenge those who my read this that if you feel that the Holy Spirit is not present in your daily life that you make your own list as to what fears you have and take them before God.
The author reminds us that in John 16:7 that Jesus tells the disciples it is to their advantage that He leaves them and go to be with his Father so that God can send 'the counselor". So if it is to our advantage to have the Holy Spirit within us why do we not push Him aside? Why do we not listen? Why do we not feel the Holy Spirit or allow the Holy Spirit to work in they way He needs to?
These were some of the questions the author asked. At the end of one chapters he challenges us to think of our fears we have about the Holy Spirit, what causes us to keep Him from working in our lives and to write them down. God already knows our fears but he encouraged the readers to write them down and then to pray to God about each of them. Asking God to help us understand and deal with those fears. Remember that when we go to God requesting we have to pray expecting He will answer. We can't go with doubt in our heart. I thought of it this way. Sometimes before Katie ask for something she starts it off with " I know you won't let me do this, but..." I tell her why do you always think I will say no just because I have had to say no in the past. She comes to me with doubt. That is the same thing I do with God. I will bring something before Him, but it is not with an expectation that He will deliver. I need for that to change within me. I have to go to Him with expectations and not doubt.
So with this in mind I go before Him requesting with expectations that He will resolve my fears and will help me to allow the Holy Spirit to have daily presences in my life. Trust me, it is only because I block the Holy Spirit as to why I don't experience the presence of Him more.
I challenge those who my read this that if you feel that the Holy Spirit is not present in your daily life that you make your own list as to what fears you have and take them before God.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Planting Seeds
I started this second blog middle of last year. I can honestly say that I should have posted more blogs than I did. There were so many times that I wanted to write about but fear stopped me. Fear of just putting those private thoughts or feelings out for others to read, fear that what I was trying to say may be interpreted wrong, it could offend or even worse I could misrepresent God to someone. I think the thing I fear the most about speaking up for God is that I am going to do it in the wrong way or at the wrong time. I just don't trust God enough to let him guide me, so that is my goal for this year. To blog more on this site and just let go and let God lead. Because you just never know how God will use your words or actions to plant a seed in someones life.
Perfect example of this was shown to me today. As most of you know Chris and I lived in Asheville NC for what seemed like a blink of an eye, I think it was only six or eight months at the most. For a long time I thought why in the world did God move us there only to turn around and move us to Oklahoma. To me it just seemed like one big mistake, on our part. Chris and I just wanted to get out of MN that I felt he just took a job to take it so I would be happy. Today, I realized God had a much bigger plan for us being there. Three years later Chris and I got a glimpse of what that was. We don't always get to see the results of what our work for God does, but I am so thankful that He allowed us to see this one.
Please click here(you need Quicktime to watch it will ask you to download if you don't have it) and watch this video of Chris' friend Edwin Robling. Chris worked with him in NC. This video made me cry, God spoke straight to my heart and gave me the ultimate reassurance that He is in control and that if we just trust Him, even if we think it seems crazy, He has the plan. Thank you God for continuing to believe in me even when I doubt following your lead.
Perfect example of this was shown to me today. As most of you know Chris and I lived in Asheville NC for what seemed like a blink of an eye, I think it was only six or eight months at the most. For a long time I thought why in the world did God move us there only to turn around and move us to Oklahoma. To me it just seemed like one big mistake, on our part. Chris and I just wanted to get out of MN that I felt he just took a job to take it so I would be happy. Today, I realized God had a much bigger plan for us being there. Three years later Chris and I got a glimpse of what that was. We don't always get to see the results of what our work for God does, but I am so thankful that He allowed us to see this one.
Please click here(you need Quicktime to watch it will ask you to download if you don't have it) and watch this video of Chris' friend Edwin Robling. Chris worked with him in NC. This video made me cry, God spoke straight to my heart and gave me the ultimate reassurance that He is in control and that if we just trust Him, even if we think it seems crazy, He has the plan. Thank you God for continuing to believe in me even when I doubt following your lead.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Too Many Christians Are No Longer Fishers of Men, But Keepers of the Aquarium
I received the below story in an email. I don't know if the story itself is true but the point of the story really made me stop and think, would anyone every think "Are you Jesus" about me.
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago . They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding... ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did. The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, 'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?' She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, 'I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.' As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister.......' He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, 'Are you Jesus?'
He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul:
'Are you Jesus?'
Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our Destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day. You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.
Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really need to be sharing what we know. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago . They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding... ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did. The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, 'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?' She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, 'I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.' As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister.......' He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, 'Are you Jesus?'
He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul:
'Are you Jesus?'
Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our Destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day. You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.
Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really need to be sharing what we know. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Your Will Not Mine
That is a hard thing to pray. A lady at our church gave a testimony the other day about some things God has helped her understand about her prayer life and praying for God's will to be done and not ours.
God is our heavenly Father, he has to make decisions about who gets what and when. He has to say yes to somethings, he as to say no to others and sometimes he simply says not yet, because God knows the bigger picture. He knows the desire and wants of our heart. I have no doubt God wants to give us everything we ask for. She compared this to how as parents we do the same thing. When are kids ask for things we say yes to some, no to others and sometime we say not yet. The reason is we see the bigger picture for our kids lives. We know sometimes they never need to get or do, others are okay for them to have and somethings need to wait until later in life. At times it breaks our hearts as parents to say no or wait because we want to make ours kids happy and give them everything, but we know it would not be good for them so we protect them.
This is what God is doing when we don't "get our way." He knows the bigger picture, even though we don't get it at that time there is a reason. This idea of how God deals with us seems so simple but God spoke to me at this point. He gave me such a since comfort and understand of the situtation with Brad. Over the past two months, I have really had a hard time understanding why Brad is sick again. Why God, why does he have to go through all of this, why do we possible have to lose him from our family, don't you know this will forever change our family if he is no longer here. These are just a few of my "why's" to God lately. After hearing this testimony it truely humbled me before God. He helped me to understand that if he made the decision to take Brad home it was because there was a bigger picture. Brad's sickness or even death would be used in a way that we may never know, but maybe during this time lost souls will come to know salvation by seeing God's love through Brad. This actually made me change the way I am praying for Brad. You know Brad is going to be healed completly one way or another. Either God will heal him here on earth or he will heal him by making him whole by taking him home. So my pray now is for the bigger picture, God's will to be done. I pray that God uses Brad's sickness to complete his will whatever they may be. I pray that anyone who has anything to do with Brad's situation may see God's love, will see his faith in the Lord, my faith in the Lord, my families faith in the Lord and how that is caring us through all of this.
Nothing comes into our lives without being filtered through the hands of God. He touches all things that come into our life either good or bad. To me that is amazing and so reassuring that God is in control of ALL things small or big.
God is our heavenly Father, he has to make decisions about who gets what and when. He has to say yes to somethings, he as to say no to others and sometimes he simply says not yet, because God knows the bigger picture. He knows the desire and wants of our heart. I have no doubt God wants to give us everything we ask for. She compared this to how as parents we do the same thing. When are kids ask for things we say yes to some, no to others and sometime we say not yet. The reason is we see the bigger picture for our kids lives. We know sometimes they never need to get or do, others are okay for them to have and somethings need to wait until later in life. At times it breaks our hearts as parents to say no or wait because we want to make ours kids happy and give them everything, but we know it would not be good for them so we protect them.
This is what God is doing when we don't "get our way." He knows the bigger picture, even though we don't get it at that time there is a reason. This idea of how God deals with us seems so simple but God spoke to me at this point. He gave me such a since comfort and understand of the situtation with Brad. Over the past two months, I have really had a hard time understanding why Brad is sick again. Why God, why does he have to go through all of this, why do we possible have to lose him from our family, don't you know this will forever change our family if he is no longer here. These are just a few of my "why's" to God lately. After hearing this testimony it truely humbled me before God. He helped me to understand that if he made the decision to take Brad home it was because there was a bigger picture. Brad's sickness or even death would be used in a way that we may never know, but maybe during this time lost souls will come to know salvation by seeing God's love through Brad. This actually made me change the way I am praying for Brad. You know Brad is going to be healed completly one way or another. Either God will heal him here on earth or he will heal him by making him whole by taking him home. So my pray now is for the bigger picture, God's will to be done. I pray that God uses Brad's sickness to complete his will whatever they may be. I pray that anyone who has anything to do with Brad's situation may see God's love, will see his faith in the Lord, my faith in the Lord, my families faith in the Lord and how that is caring us through all of this.
Nothing comes into our lives without being filtered through the hands of God. He touches all things that come into our life either good or bad. To me that is amazing and so reassuring that God is in control of ALL things small or big.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
What is Your Passion?
Lately, I have notice on the radio station we listen too, KXOJ Contemp Christian, there are lots of songs about, living your life, how fast life goes by, what are we doing with each day we are given...then on Sunday our lesson to the our kids was about having Passion for the Cause and how we live our life towards that. Do we really live our life with a passion for Jesus? We are passionate about so many things in life, our spouse, family, friends, working out, music, shopping, whatever it maybe, BUT we are not always so passionate about the one who gave his life for us. Jesus died for us....not just died he suffered or better yet was tortured for us. Left hanging on a cross, everyone still doubting who he was, making fun of him and mocking him. They did this until God shook the earth so hard that everyone stopped and then they knew what they had done. They were present, looking at the face of the man they just crucified and they knew what they had done.
I started thinking, so many people today still doubt who Jesus is and I sometime wonder why. I think it is because we are so far removed from truly understanding what Jesus did for us. Think about it, if your spouse, friend, or even a complete stranger stood up and gave their life to save you from a dangerous situation, would you not forever be grateful to that person. In awe of how brave they were, or how much they loved you that they would sacrifice themselves to save you. You bet we would. We would feel totally in debt to that person. I believe we feel that way because we had first hand experience with it. We were there, we saw it and we know what they gave up to save us. I think we struggle with understanding what Jesus did for us because we didn't personally experience it, we were not there to see him beaten and then nailed to the cross, to hear hear him cry out to his father. But just because we didn't see it first hand doesn't mean we can't understand it. Luckily for us, we have a great book to help us understand, the Bible.
The bible is God's way of "shaking me" to help me understand and remember what Jesus did for me and for everyone. Life is hectic, that is just the way it is anymore. Life gets in the way of what we are passionate about, but something has to happen to wake us up and make us become passionate about it again.
So my thought to you is, do whatever it takes to stay passionate for Christ, because we are only given this one life. One day we will stand before Christ and will have to account for our life. I know I want him to be proud of how I lived my life for Him and stayed passionate.
God Bless!
I started thinking, so many people today still doubt who Jesus is and I sometime wonder why. I think it is because we are so far removed from truly understanding what Jesus did for us. Think about it, if your spouse, friend, or even a complete stranger stood up and gave their life to save you from a dangerous situation, would you not forever be grateful to that person. In awe of how brave they were, or how much they loved you that they would sacrifice themselves to save you. You bet we would. We would feel totally in debt to that person. I believe we feel that way because we had first hand experience with it. We were there, we saw it and we know what they gave up to save us. I think we struggle with understanding what Jesus did for us because we didn't personally experience it, we were not there to see him beaten and then nailed to the cross, to hear hear him cry out to his father. But just because we didn't see it first hand doesn't mean we can't understand it. Luckily for us, we have a great book to help us understand, the Bible.
The bible is God's way of "shaking me" to help me understand and remember what Jesus did for me and for everyone. Life is hectic, that is just the way it is anymore. Life gets in the way of what we are passionate about, but something has to happen to wake us up and make us become passionate about it again.
So my thought to you is, do whatever it takes to stay passionate for Christ, because we are only given this one life. One day we will stand before Christ and will have to account for our life. I know I want him to be proud of how I lived my life for Him and stayed passionate.
God Bless!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Spirit is on my Side
Sometimes I wonder if others struggle with prayer as I do. I wonder am I praying enough, which the bible says pray without ceasing, so I know I don't pray enough. It is hard to pray without ceasing, but I do try to keep my conversation with God going throughout the day. When I think of someone, a problem, a request to pray for something, I just lift up that person or situation to God at that momenet.
Sometime I wonder...God do you really hear all these little conversation, am I praying with enough emotion, do you really know how badly I want you to do something here, and on and on. What I was reminded of today was that we have the Holy Spirit in our corner when it comes to prayer.
Romans 8:26-27 "The Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how we should pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain. God can see what is in people's hearts. And he knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spririt speaks to God for his people in the way God wants."
When I read this today there was peace inside of me letting me know, God hears each prayer and word spoken to him. He knows how badly we want something, he is our Father. Just like we know how badly our kids want or need something God is the same. It seems so plain and simple to me now, I wonder how do I even struggle with these thoughts. I just think it is God's way of reminding me that He is still there.
One of my favorite songs is Convinced by Nicole C Mullins. I love the message of this song and the verse that goes with it. It is a great reminder to me that God is always there and nothing can seperate us from him, even when I have those days where I feel like there is a whole world between us.
Romans 8:28-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
I have tried to upload this song from my IPod, but I can not figure out a way to do that. I found the song on yahoo...so if you want to listen just click on the link and it should take you to the site to be able to play it.
http://new.music.yahoo.com/nicole-mullen/tracks/convinced--41915248
God Bless!
Sometime I wonder...God do you really hear all these little conversation, am I praying with enough emotion, do you really know how badly I want you to do something here, and on and on. What I was reminded of today was that we have the Holy Spirit in our corner when it comes to prayer.
Romans 8:26-27 "The Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how we should pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain. God can see what is in people's hearts. And he knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spririt speaks to God for his people in the way God wants."
When I read this today there was peace inside of me letting me know, God hears each prayer and word spoken to him. He knows how badly we want something, he is our Father. Just like we know how badly our kids want or need something God is the same. It seems so plain and simple to me now, I wonder how do I even struggle with these thoughts. I just think it is God's way of reminding me that He is still there.
One of my favorite songs is Convinced by Nicole C Mullins. I love the message of this song and the verse that goes with it. It is a great reminder to me that God is always there and nothing can seperate us from him, even when I have those days where I feel like there is a whole world between us.
Romans 8:28-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
I have tried to upload this song from my IPod, but I can not figure out a way to do that. I found the song on yahoo...so if you want to listen just click on the link and it should take you to the site to be able to play it.
http://new.music.yahoo.com/nicole-mullen/tracks/convinced--41915248
God Bless!
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