Stuff

Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
~ Matthew 6:19-21

I've been cleaning out my house a lot over the last month in preparation for a new roommate. I'm excited that I'll have somebody else living here and can't wait for all the crazy adventures that are certain to occur as this house goes from being a relatively quiet abode to being an open door invitation to many friends! I can't wait!

However, the process of preparing for her arrival has made me realize something. I have too much stuff!!! I'm totally overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff that I've accumulated over the years and truthfully, it embarrasses me quite a bit. The thing is, all of the things makes it look like my life is centered around accumulating stuff. I'd like to say that there's no way that's true - that my focus is on God and the things of God but the verses above are convicting to me. If it's really true that God is first, then why have I spent so much money on stuff over the last decades?

I would say that over the past year I've become more deliberate in this area - spending less on random stuff and really thinking through purchases but I see that there is more progress to be made. Here's the funny thing though, as I'm sorting through all the stuff and deciding what to throw out and what to donate, I realized that I would give up all the stuff for some very intangible things in life. The truth is that at this point in my life, as I look at all the stuff, I realize that I would give it up in an instant for things like friends and family, the salvation of those I love who are lost, and the ability to follow Christ wherever He leads.

I'm not saying that stuff isn't nice and that I don't appreciate a home that really feels like home but I see that I have too much and I'm going to remedy that because I am realizing that most of it just has very little importance to me when compared to other things.

This is an interesting journey...one I've been on for a while. We'll see where it ends up but at the culmination of all my days I don't want someone to walk in my home and define me by the sheer quantity of stuff that I've amassed. I want to eliminate the excess in my life and in doing so, allow God to train my heart to treasure the immeasurable heavenly things over the tangible earthly goods.

Prayer Challenge:
Please continue to pray for the team members who are returning even now from the Amazon. Pray that God will use this last day of travel to speak to their hearts and challenge them as they come back to their everyday lives. Find a prayer calendar here!

Thanksgiving Day 2008

This is a day for reflection. For celebrating the goodness that God has blessed us with over the last 365 days and giving Him thanks and praise. Many may not approach this day as a time to turn gratitude towards God but my hope is that even if it's not a common practice, many will pause today and whisper a prayer towards the One who makes their every breath and blessing possible!

As I've written many times here, I am overwhelmed by the faithfulness of my God. I don't have it all together and I would be the first to say as much but God still takes the time to work on me and refine me and give me abundant blessings in the process. Even in the hardest days, there is much to praise Him for.

So, please count your blessings today and thank the good Lord for each of them. I'll leave you with a wonderful hymn I recently found. May it bless you and may your day be excellent and bright!

Thanks to God for My Redeemer
By: August Ludwig Storm

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a memory,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and dreary fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heav'nly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

A List

In every thing give thanks.
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tomorrow we will sit down at tables across the country to enjoy fellowship with those we love and during the day we'll reminisce about all the things that we are thankful for. In anticipation of these moments, here's the off-the-top of my head list for things that I'm thankful for right now (in no order whatsoever).

- God (Ok, that one is in order)
- Friends of which I have the most magnificent assortment and really can't say enough about
- Family, both immediate and extended
- Facebook
- Fall (and this is not supposed to be an alliterative list)
- My job that's interesting and flexible
- Church and everything that it's meant in my life
- Music
- My home
- Nature and all of the beauty I see every day!
- Brady (that's my dog if anyone cares)
- Phone calls
- Sweaters
- My fireplace (nothing beats a fire on cool evenings)
- Not having to mow the yard anymore this year
- Internet access
- Getting accepted to school
- Travel
- Hope Fellowship in Boston
- TV: House and The Office
- Coffee (ok, if these were in order this one would have been much higher :)
- My car
- Exercise
- Cake
- Books
- Conversation
- Worship
- Wonder
- Snow (although not here so much)
- Seasons in both weather and life
- Trials
- Refinement
- Laughter and joy
- Peace
- Prayer
- Salvation!

I'm sure there are many many many more things that I am grateful for but this list is just a quick summary of those things that pop into my mind when I think of the many blessings God has given me. For every thing that I count as a blessing, my hope is that I will readily offer thanks to God as I realize that all of these things are truly gifts that He has generously given. May my gratitude serve only to glorify His name.

What does your list look like?

Prayer Challenge:
Today those in the Amazon are sharing the Gospel in small villages around Parintins. Please pray for confidence and the right words and that God would allow hearts to be soft towards His Truth. Find a prayer calendar here!

Thanks

What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God! To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night.
~ Psalm 92:1-2

After yesterday's post I knew I needed to stop and just remember how faithful God has been and what amazing things He's done in my life and in the lives of those I love. I'm happy to tell you that a little bit of correctly placed praise and gratitude works wonders on my sour attitude and so I'd like to take this moment to be joyful!

It's here! Thanksgiving Week 2008!

I'm not going to lie...Thanksgiving may actually be surpassing Christmas as my favorite holiday...or at least it's holding a close second! Here are the things I love about it: excellent food, time with family and friends, the parade, and most of all, a point in time when everyone is encouraged to think about what they're thankful for!

This year I've learned more about gratitude than I would have ever dreamed possible. In walking through some valleys of great depth I have learned that I can actually thank God for the trials and find joy in the midst of them. It's not a constant thing in the middle of the hard times but I've found that I can stop and be thankful for moments when the sun comes out, a burst of laughter escapes, or I get a good parking space no matter what the overwhelming situation is that I might find myself in. There are those moments of blessing in every day no matter how dark things might seem around you. We wouldn't choose the trials if it were up to us but the fact that God uses them to refine us helps me be grateful towards Him even in the toughest ones.

As I approach Thanksgiving this year my heart is overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord. I honestly will never come up with enough words to express the gratitude I have for what He's done in my life and for the relationship that I enjoy with Him every day. Over the past year life has been both incredibly good and incredibly hard but when I pause over turkey this year my gratitude for all of it will go back towards the One who made every moment possible.

It is indeed a beautiful thing to give thanks to God and to announce His great love and faithfulness! As the holiday approaches please join me in turning your hearts to reviewing how God has blessed you over the past 12 months.

Prayer Challenge:
Today in the Amazon the rally finishes up and the team enters the second half of their journey. Please pray for renewal and rest, encouragement and strength, and that God would be in their midst in mighty ways. Download a prayer calendar here!

Icky

Do you ever have one of those days where things just aren't fitting together and the world makes you weary? That's me today and it frustrates me. We're on the verge of celebrating one of my most favorite holidays this week and I'm finding myself feeling out-of-sorts and a little bit rough around the edges.

I had great plans to write today about Thanksgiving and why I love it and how important it is to stop and thank God for the most excellent gifts in our lives, both those we thoroughly enjoy and those that bring us immediate pain but ultimate blessing. Such was my plan.

Instead I find myself at the end of this day with my heart just not in it.

Rats.

Tempting as it is to just write a happy post and call it a day, I want to be real. There are yucky days in my life too. Today just happens to be one where I'm not quite as perky as normal.

However, just because I don't feel thrilled about things, I'm not going to succumb to the temptation to embrace my icky attitude. Instead, I'm going to write truth and dwell on it and know that my feelings are only that, feelings. Truth still reigns.

So, I'll leave you with what I know to be true for me and for you, even on those days when the pieces aren't falling into place and you're not quite sure which direction you're heading! Come and dwell here with me...

Isn't everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God?... You already have all you need.
~ 1 Corinthians 4:7-8

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
~ Philippians 1:6

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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.
~ Romans 8:38-39

Here's to a better day tomorrow! I'm believing that it will be and I'll hope to join you here again!

In the meantime, let us be faithful and not forget: PRAYER CHALLENGE!
Please continue to pray for those in the Amazon as they reach the halfway point of their journey. Pray for courage in sharing the Gospel and for many to meet Jesus. Pray for encouragement and strength for all those working. Download a prayer guide here!

Towards

You let [your] distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets.
~ 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

Today I woke up thinking about the course that my life has walked lately. The past couple of years have been full of experiences and challenges, both good and bad, and I am closer to the Lord now than I've ever been (which really just makes me realize how far I still have to go). I've walked through some of the deepest valleys that I have ever faced but looking back I see how I allowed those challenging times to push me to the Lord. There was mighty temptation at times to turn away and decide that I just couldn't keep walking where I knew that He'd placed me but by His grace I didn't turn.

The verses at the top are challenging to me though and here is why: I don't think I have an understanding that allows me to really see things in the true light of eternity. I love God and am loved by Him but I struggle with regret in instances and I feel loss. These verses speak to me of being able to look at it all, both good and bad, and dwell only on our relationship with the Lord. To allow every single circumstance to deepen our knowledge and passion for the Lord and to value that above all other things. To be thankful for the pain because it brought us closer to God and to be thankful for the blessing because it brought us closer to God, not because it made us happy.

I desire to allow all my struggles to turn me towards the Lord and I sense there has been progress in this area although I know I'm not there yet. However, there is an equally necessary change that needs to happen in being able to truly place the most worth on God and to not be affected by the things of this world except as they impact that relationship.

That's hard. I'm not there. I know few, if any, who are. There's more to ponder here. However, this is something to think on for now. What do these verses make you think about?

Prayer Challenge: Lift up the team in the Amazon as they reach Brazil and travel up the Amazon river towards the villages that they'll be ministering at. Download a prayer calendar here.

Pray Always

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
~ Ephesians 6:18

Today I have many friends leaving to go to Brazil on a missions trip. This trip is something that I've been involved with almost since the beginning as I've helped with fund-raising, strung bracelets together, and prayed with this team. My body is staying here on American soil but my heart is going with these dear friends.

It would be easy for me to feel left behind as the airplane heads for the unknown but that's not what my heart is feeling in these moments. Instead, I am reminded of the incredible privilege that each of us has to be involved from a distance through prayer. I may not physically step onto Brazilian soil, listen to a song in Portuguese or pray with a new believer but I can have a part in this ministry too and so can any of you who are reading! Prayer becomes the thing that overcomes miles!

I am continually amazed that I am able to have a relationship with a God who listens to my prayers and moves through them. How incredible is it that I can speak to God about something that's occurring thousands of miles away and as the words leave my lips, He is already there, acting for His glory! With this in mind, I challenge myself to be consistent in lifting up those on this trip. Please join with me in believing God for mighty things and pray continuously for His hand to be upon those who have gone and those who they will meet. We may never know until heaven what impact our fervent prayers have on situations that are unfolding but the thing that we do know is that God hears, acts, and moves on behalf of prayers that are offered to Him!

Come and be part of something greater than yourself!

For a downloadable prayer calendar, click here!

Score!

First things first:

I filled up my car this morning for less than $30!

Now that's something worth stopping for a moment and marking as a blessing!

Ok, back to life. Further bulletins as events warrant! :)

Wide Open

Open up before God, keep nothing back; he'll do whatever needs to be done:
He'll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon. Quiet down before God, be prayerful before him.
~ Psalm 37:5-7

There are moments when I'm tempted to hide from God. Moments when I don't really want to be honest about what I'm truly feeling or thinking or hoping for. These are usually moments when I know that my faith if faltering or my desires might not be lining up with Gods or I'm just wanting to rebel.

The thing is that this is such a silly attitude to have because no matter how I feel, I'm still always going to be trying to hide in vain. There's nowhere to escape from His presence and knowledge and reality.

Here's what I love though: when I am honest with God and truly bring the gross stuff out into His presence then He goes to work on it and changes it from darkness to light. He makes the changes that need to be made and then He stands back and smiles in approval as I become more like His Son! How amazing is that?

I like to try to hide but God loves me to let Him know what's really going on. He loves me so much that He wants to help me clean out the closets and vacuum up the spider webs in my heart. Then He shows off what He's done in the daylight, for everyone to see - not that they would see me but that they would see Him! Unreal!!!

Then there's the command at the end: quiet down before Him and be prayerful. Isn't this where it all starts anyways? How can we be honest if we won't first talk and how can He do work if we won't first listen? God loves to refine us. He just wants us to run to Him, throw open our lives to His purposes and plans, and then give Him the glory for all that He can do. I don't think it gets much better than that!

Funny

Just one thing to mention today:

No matter how much you enjoy birthdays, it's still a little weird to see your new age come up on a form at the doctor's office.

How old? Oh crud, you're right.

:)

Each day to the fullest, it's the only way to go!

Another Year!

I love birthdays and I think I appreciate them more the older I get (strange, I know)!

The truth is that I'm always happy to chalk another year up to this life that God has blessed me with and I use this day each year to stop and be grateful for the journey that I've walked since the last year's milestone. I also tend to set new goals for myself to accomplish during the next trip around the sun and I usually associate a verse or song or something with what I want my life to look like. Yes, it's kind of like getting New Years twice a year! I'm silly that way!

Just to share, this is the verse that I'm drawn to for this coming year:
Let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness.
~ 1 Peter 1:15

I love this verse and it's what I really desire my life to look like! A woman shaped by God's life and character and presence. A life lived wide open to the will of God and facing the future with hope and joy and faith! That's what I want to be!

Also, for those of you who know me, music is one of my big passions and sometimes a song just comes along that I really identify with. I recently heard a song that just jumped out at me as one that spoke so much of where I find myself. It reminded me of my weaknesses and how even with them, my primary desire is to live completely surrendered to God. I look forward to God taking my life and doing with it what He desires. Refining is not easy but I want to walk through it that I might better glorify Him with the time He gives!

Thanks for reading along and I hope to challenge and encourage you in the days to come!

For now, enjoy this great song!

Here I Am
By: Downhere

Sometimes your calling, comes in dream
Sometimes it comes in the Spirit's breeze,
You reach for the deepest hope in me,
And call out for the things of eternity.

But I'm a man, of dust and stains,
You move in me, so I can say,

CHORUS:
Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story, Is part of your plan,
Here I am

When setbacks and failures, and upset plans,
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands,
Are you not the closest when it's hardest to stand?
I know that you will finish what you began.

These broken parts you redeem,
Become the song, that I can sing
(chorus)

Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness,
And the fear that I'll fail you in the end,
In this mess, I'm just one of the pieces,
I can't put this together but you can.

Limits

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.
~ 1 Corinthians 10:13

These last couple of days I've felt very much like a rubber band, stretched out to my absolute end and wondering just when everything is going to pop apart and end up hurting somebody. Gotta love it when your primary object of comparison is a rubber band!

The thing is that I've allowed myself to become too concerned with my thoughts. I've chased after God in so many ways and found Him to be so very real and true and good but just recently I have found myself relying too much on my own understanding and not enough on His. It's a funny thing to be pulled up short and reminded of how insignificant your brain really is. I fight against admitting that I can't figure things out and yet, when I'm honest, I recognize that this battle is an open invitation to temptation in my life. This is where I'm tempted: to insist on my own understanding. It's not always the big 'sins' that create areas of temptation with me - there are many things that have no pull on me. Yet it's things such as this, things that are so much a part of my humanity and my personality, that create temptation.

This is where it gets good though. See that verse up there? First, I'm not alone in facing this temptation, it's been faced before by others on the journey. Second, God is bigger than the temptation and He's able and willing to help me walk past it in victory. Funny thing though, this verse doesn't say what we would like to think that it says. It doesn't tell us that we'll never be tempted or that we won't have to walk through it because God will immediately rescue us from the trial. It tells us that God will be there to get us through it and He won't let us be pushed beyond what we can bear but we have to recognize that we have a responsibility here too. Our responsibility is to recognize that this is temptation and to seek God and ask Him to come alongside us in victory.

It would be so easy for me to not admit that this is an area in my life where temptation can lead to sin. It'd be a much more pleasurable time for me if I could just let my focus be on only doing that which I can understand. There is an easy road but it's not the refining road. So, instead of fighting for understanding from a God who has no requirement to provide it (see Job if you don't believe that) I can humble myself and approach Him asking for mercy and victory. See, I'm not perfect (just to set the record straight :) ), but my God is always desiring to refine me towards that goal. I just need to stop and call temptation what it really is in my life even when I'd prefer to just keep walking my own way.

So, today, I'm going to take my rubber band self and tell God that I'm stretched too far because I'm out there on my own trying to work things out in my head. The great thing is that He can release the tension in my life and walk with me through my temptations and, in the end, make me just a little bit more like His Son instead of the rubber band that I would be on my own.

Arranger

The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you.
~ Galatians 3:11 (The Message)

This scripture is speaking of how we can't be made righteous by following the law even if we follow it to the letter. When viewed in this translation, and knowing the background, it makes me very aware of how much a life of faith has to be constantly lived in the context of modifying my life to center around God.

From the very act of salvation where we are able to enter into a relationship with the Lord only by accepting the gift He offers, to the daily living out of faith where I aim to move only in the directions that He sets before me, it all becomes about Him.

I can so easily be a list keeper, one who analyzes and assesses and checks off another box on a list that tells me I'm headed forward in a direction. I can be found doing things for God and I can give great speeches on Him and His power and guidance. Yet when I truly am honest with myself, I know that's not really the goal. The goal of my life is to wait on Him and then walk where He leads, when He leads. It's not about eloquently preaching to many or being able to discern where my next steps will land me three miles down the road. It's about really allowing Him to be the one that moves and then knowing and trusting the relationship I have with Him enough to simply walk along with Him.

Honestly, this is hard for me! I do not do well when I can't see the end or I feel like I'm stuck. Right now I want to fight God on this very point - I don't want to be where I am with particular things in my life and I want to just walk another way towards something different because these things are not resolving to my liking.

Then I read a verse like this and I'm reminded, yet again, that no matter how much I want to run off and do things for Him or just to move instead of wait, that's not what I need to do. I need to let God be the arranger and find contentment in walking beside Him or even (gasp) following Him instead of being the one to run ahead and lead.

So many rough edges exist in me. Refinement is hard, very much so. I know that God's perspective of progress is not mine. He is the arranger, I am the one who needs to stop trying to take His job.

Lord, help me to wait on You and to not do so with clenched fists and a desire in my heart to continue running but feet that stay just because you said to. Instead, help me to wait on You with contentment and peace and a faith that chooses to stay because I love you, not because I am forced to. Amen.

Veterans

God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her,
Through the night, with the light from above,
From the mountains, to the prairies
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home,
God bless America! My Home Sweet Home!
~ Irving Berlin

Today marks the 90th anniversary of the culmination of World War I with the signing of the Armistice. Here in America, we note this date as Veterans Day but I suspect that the majority of us will not even pause during this twenty-four hour period to think of the brave men and women who have given up so much for us to have the opportunity today to live and work and worship in freedom. I have definitely missed this day more than once in my life.

As our nation faces new challenges and old threats it seems that we should be ever more mindful of the cost with which our nation's freedom has been bought. Today I want to be reminded of those I've known and the many more that I've never even thought of who have bravely faced down enemies both foreign and domestic to secure this nation's peace. I want to make sure that this day does not end without offering up a prayer for the safety of those currently serving and thankfulness for those who have done so through the years.

Agree or don't agree with the use of the military throughout history but do not do those who serve the dishonor of implying that they have placed themselves in harms way for anything less than a noble cause. At the very least, as Americans, that cause is you.

There are challenges ahead and while I rest secure in knowing that God is sovereign over all things, I also continually pray for this nation and those who lead it and remain indebted to those who have served and bled and died for the liberties on which this nation was founded. May I be found standing consistently faithful to the God I serve and the nation in which He has placed me.

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
~ Thomas Paine

Joy

Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.
~ G. K. Chesterton

I am a silly human and the older I get the more silly I think that I become. I am amused endlessly by the little things in life and I find great joy in things such as simply drinking a cup of coffee. Sometimes I wonder if I'm not becoming too simplistic, too easily pleased, too out of touch with the pain of this world. As I think on this I realize that I believe that it's fully okay to enjoy silliness in each and every day. I say this because I really believe that God is a God of joy - it's part of His character too! So when I am able to sit back and enjoy the wind blowing through the trees or the taste of a freshly baked cookie I'm being blessed by God and my joy reflects gratitude back to Him. Plus there are many many moments of intense thought and reflection and prayer in my life so it's not as though I've just thrown everything out the window and gone full on into silliness! It's just a part of my life that I see growing and that makes me happy.

I won't say that there are not times of intense hardship and struggle in my life. I would be lying if I did. In the midst of them though, I still have moments of joy because God is still waking the sun up each morning and allowing the birds to sing. I don't want to be a Christian who mopes through life and can't sing out loud or dance when the time just seems right (granted I try to confine that to my own home but I've been known to skip down a street or two and twirl in circles in a park). Life is too short to be constantly weighed down by the struggles of this world and I want to maintain that childlike joy. Struggles are a given in this life but I believe that we can still find joy because God is still in control and working behind the scenes.

I love the idea of God joyfully anticipating the rise of the sun in the morning and the fall of it in the evening. I love thinking that God is joyful in the midst of the struggles of this world, joyful not because He loves what is happening to His creation but joyful because He knows that at the end of time there will be no more tears and things will be made new again. He's joyful in the small things and joyful in the big things. I'm so glad that I serve a cheerful, imaginative God!

Doubt

When the Christian trusts, he is happy; when he doubts, he is miserable. When the believer looks to his Master and relies upon him, he can sing; when he doubts his Master, he can only groan. What miserable wretches the most faithful Christians are when they once begin doubting and fearing! It is a trade I never like to meddle with, because it never pays the expenses, and never brings in any profit —the trade of doubting.
~ Charles Spurgeon

Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
~ Mark 9:24

Doubt is one of those feisty emotions that limits our ability to embrace whatever circumstance we find ourselves in. For at the root of doubt is the question of whether God is trustworthy or not. If that's the primary question that we're asking then it becomes extremely hard to believe that whatever trial we're facing is something that we can and should endure.

I think we try to avoid admitting our doubts to ourselves, others, and our God. We like to pretend that we fully understand how to do this life of faith and that we'd never be ones who took our eyes off our Lord and sank in the waves as Peter did. Wouldn't life be so much easier if we could never doubt or question - if we could wake up each and every day and rest assured that God is indeed one to be trusted? It sounds so nice and it also sounds like something that we'd all like to say we succeed at because, after all, don't all good Christians have this type of faith?

I won't lie to you - I have struggles with doubt. I find myself wondering at times if God is truly, fully capable of doing things in this world. Perhaps it's the hardened heart of a relative or the seemingly unending trial or the fear of the unknown that brings doubt calling. However, these moments are ones that I force myself to face, admit to, and then bring before the Lord. These are the times that find me crying out to the Lord as the man did in Mark. Lord, I doubt, help me in my unbelief.

For, you see, God is always capable, He always cares, He is always sovereign. My doubts are based on feelings and emotions but they're not based on truth. For to question God's ability is to allow myself to listen to the voices of the world that say that my God isn't big enough to handle everything. So when I start to find myself in those moments of doubt, that is when I go back to the truth and I force myself to be honest with God. I don't try to talk myself out of my feelings with long prayers of how I shouldn't doubt. Instead, I confess my doubt and beg the Lord to help me believe.

Funny thing, God answers. In the midst of the doubt there sprouts a hope based on the truth I've committed my life to - the truth that my God is that big! I may still have questions and I may struggle again with the feelings the next day or sometimes the next hour but I am assured in those moments that God is indeed trustworthy. As God reminds me again of His utter trustworthiness I am able to continue standing in the place that He's called me and not falter.

So, even though at times it's an easy hole to fall into, I want to be as Spurgeon says and not meddle in the trade of doubting. For my happiness and joy comes from knowing that my God is indeed bigger than every other thing that might rise up in this world and attempt to shake me up.

Never Alone

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
~ Ephesians 4:4-6

I flew into Chicago today so that I could present some conferences for work. As much as I enjoy travel on the company dollar, when you're jaunting around the country by yourself there are usually moments when you just feel alone. Tonight I had plenty of time to find a place to eat and I'd had a pizza joint recommended so I headed downtown. I found the restaurant and sat down outside in some of the most beautiful November weather you might hope for. As the night settled in and I enjoyed a good meal there was a moment when I just wished for some company; someone with whom to talk and think about the day that I'd had and the thoughts in my head.

Now, I knew I wasn't truly alone because I have friends and family all around the country who care about me and would love to talk to me. However, I just wanted to talk with a person. So, I did what I usually do...I made a plan.

I pulled out my phone and looked up Moody Church which I thought was probably associated with Moody Bible Institute (not really I've learned since) and figured out where they were located. I was in downtown and they were somewhere north of that - probably about two miles or so is my guess now. They had service at 6:45 and it was 6:15 and I decided to hike it and go worship with some fellow believers.

Well, I walked for 45 minutes and finally got to the church at 7. It seemed like they were just starting so I went in and proceeded to enjoy an hour and a half of prayer and teaching (ironically enough about the same things I've been hearing over and over again lately). It wasn't Connection Service at Prestonwood but it was still a blessing because it reminded me that no matter where in the world I might find myself, I can always find people worshiping the Lord. For the record, this is not the first service I've crashed...I've done this in Austin, Austria and London.

Afterwards I was given a ride back to the train by this sweet lady who told me all about Chicago and was just so kind (it's also not the first time I've gotten in a car with a total stranger but that's a much longer story). So I went back to the hotel and settled in to do some work not feeling even the slightest bit alone in this city.

All this to say, God sends people to fill in the cracks in our lives. Some come and stay for a long time and some are just there for an hour or so to remind you that you're not alone. If you find yourself wishing for someone to talk to, take a chance and be the one to reach out. When I do this I usually find that there's a friendly recipient out there and it makes me realize that the body of Christ is not just limited to those I already know! So, my first day in the Windy City is drawing to a close and I'll go to sleep tonight reminded that God is still at work even when I'm far from home and the friendships I'm so blessed with there.

Election Prayer

Normally I don't post twice in one day but I read this article by Albert Mohler and really wanted to make it available for you too. I think that he makes some really powerful points about how we should pray for this nation as believers. Be challenged.

A Prayer for America on Election Day

Authority

He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
~ Daniel 7:14

Election Day 2008.

So many are worried, so many fear, so many wonder at the future of this country and what is about to transpire at the culmination of this day.

From both sides of the political fence people stress about the economy and safety and the war and so many other things that appear critically important at this moment in time.

I understand the concern and I pray for this nation and the direction that it is headed and I have already cast my vote. I do think this is a critical juncture in history and we must be informed and wise in our decisions. However, my hope does not rest on the outcome of this election. I can worry and fret about who might be sitting in the Oval Office come January or I can step back and remember where real authority and power lies.

Go back to the verse at the top. God is the one who is given the ultimate authority. It's not the president of the United States or any other person placed in power in the world. Every last one of them and every one of us is subject to the authority of God. So instead of worrying over the outcome of this race I am going to support those who appear to more closely support those things that God cares about and then I'm going to remember that He is in control and there's nothing that's going to happen today or any other day to come that is a surprise to Him or that falls outside of His control.

So please, do vote. In doing so though, don't forget that God is ultimately in control and that He is at work regardless of how things may look from this perspective.

One final thing: pray for those elected. The tasks that lie before them are not easy and God has the best access to their hearts and minds so let's commit to being diligent in calling on Him to greatly impact their lives that they might serve Him and not man.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
~ 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

If you'd like to hear some excellent points, check out what John Piper has to say:

Be Where You Are

Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.
~ 1 Corinthians 7:17 (NIV)

Patience and I can be good friends...at least for a little while! :) I am certain that impatience is one of the things that I've battled more than any other over the course of my life and I think that's because often having patience requires me to just sit still and wait. I like to move, to plan, to do! I don't like to wait because so often I feel like it's just a waste of my time and therefore my life. I should be doing something instead of waiting to be doing something!

As I came across this verse not too long ago I was again convicted that God has placed me in this moment in time for a purpose. He is working at all times but my responsibility is not to run out ahead of Him and check out the path. It's to stay in the place where He has me and be faithful there. That's what I'm to do and in the doing I'm to let God work out the details for the next steps and move only when He calls me.

Just in case you're not totally grasping the verse above, let me share it with you in The Message:

Don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there.
~ 1 Corinthians 7:17a (The Message)

Holy cow! It gets even more convicting in this version! If I could just tattoo this verse on my forehead and live it every moment of every day I think that my impatience problem would resolve itself entirely! I know I'm not the only one who struggles with this area - it's a challenge no matter what stage of life you're walking through right now. Perhaps you think that there's never going to be a husband or wife in your future, or that your job can't possibly change, or that you'll never be a mom or dad. Read these verses again and listen to what God is really saying here.

He put you exactly where you are today in exactly the circumstance you find yourself in this exact moment in time for a REASON!!!! Maybe you know what it is and maybe you don't but that doesn't really matter because God does! So just seek to obey Him in the spot you're at and don't worry about where He wants you down the road. The journey is where life is lived, not at the destination.

Seek to appreciate every second God blesses you with wherever you are and know that He's always at work and someday He'll likely move you on but the timing of that is His deal, not ours. Know too that I'm walking through the same challenges here - just because I can write about it doesn't mean I've got it all figured out either!

Until next time, trust in His purpose for placing you in this moment. All I can promise is that He's got a good one!