Is Christ Your Cornerstone?

"Therefore you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."

Ephesians 2:19-20

I did a bit of research on cornerstones...good stuff! So, what is a cornerstone?

It is a stone placed at the corner of a building that was used as the foundation and standard upon which a building was constructed. Once in place, the rest of the building would conform to the angles and size of that cornerstone. From that one stone, the entire building would be measured.  It was critical in ancient times that the cornerstone was strong-square-and perfectly shaped or the building would not remain sound. In modern times-a cornerstone is typically for decorative or commemorative uses.

..so I started thinking...

buildings used to need a cornerstone to stand...in modern times it is decoration...

...so I started thinking about my foundation

...and the foundation of our country

...the foundations of the modern church movements

...and wondered if there is any correlation between 

where we came from

--where we are

--and where we are headed.

Cornerstones.

Construction Zones.

What are we building on, folks?!

I think it is about time we take a serious look at our lives.

Is Christ truly The Cornerstone of your life? 

...or is He just a decorative add on to make the outside look good?

Is Christ the basis for your decision making?

...or do you rationalize your choices based on what others will think?

Is Christ the center of your home?

...or do you attend church when it fits your schedule?

Is Christ the focus of your day?

...or do you Facebook or surf rather than getting your face in The Book?

Is Christ the basis of your relationships?

...or do you sink into shallow living so you fit in with the crowd?

Is Christ the center of your mind?

...or do your thoughts wander to places and ideas that  are offensive to God?

Is Christ the reason for what you do?

...or are you motivated by money, advancement, social status?

Is Christ your EVERYTHING?

...or is He just one more thing that you add on to your life...like fire insurance.

Tough Questions...

even tougher answers...

Sometimes the tough questions bring feelings of conviction...

Sometimes the answers reveal the need for repentance...

BUT OUR JESUS NEVER CONDEMNS THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST.

So, do you have some areas under construction??

--praise God He is showing you that!

repent-believe-and trust you are being built into

His dwelling place.

Look up sweet sister-you aren't alone.

All of us are in the same boat in need of the same saving Grace.

We are all under construction and thank God we have the Master Builder

that sees our finished product.

"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A precious cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line." 

Isaiah 28:16-17

What a precious crimson flow, that sealed you IN CHRIST.

JESUS -THE ONE WHO JUSTIFIES YOU AND GIVES

YOU A RIGHT STANDING BEFORE GOD.

Jesus-the cornerstone to which everything is measured by.

What a precious Rock that we can cling to.

AND THAT MY DEAR FRIEND--IS WORTH CLAIMING HIM AS

YOUR CORNERSTONE.

Check out 1 Peter 2: 4-10. In that passage you will find that you are a living stone because you are IN CHRIST and you are being built up as a spiritual house that God will use. It is a precious thing for those who believe...but for those who don't believe, they will stumble over the very Rock that you are holding on to.

So the ultimate question of the day... IS CHRIST YOUR CORNERSTONE?

Oh, sweet sister-run the race! Dig into knowing who you are IN Christ and what HE wants your building to look like. There is SO much life to live out there beyond what this world offers.

 "...work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is GOD WHO IS AT WORK IN YOU both to will and to work for His good pleasure." ~Philippians 2:12

PRESS ON!

God Is For Me

We all do it. We have an entire armload of worries...

finances

health

children

marriage

future plans

employment

you name it...we carry it around like a sack of cement on our backs. 

It is so exhausting.

It is so...well...unnecessary.

But we do it anyway.

It is so easy to forget God in the equation.

We forget that we are IN CHRIST.

We forget that we have his WORD on the matter.

We forget that we have access to

the power of God in each situation.

We forget that He can give us new eyes

to see the situation how HE sees it.

What we don't forget is how human we are!

It seems to hit the replay button

over and over

until we are drowning

in ourselves.

YUCK.

We do not have to listen to that tune.

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will KNOW what is the hope of HIS  calling, what are the riches of the glory of HIS inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of HIS power toward us who believe."

~Ephesians 1:18-19

I don't know about you...but this morning I needed enlightened to say the least. The eyes of my heart had lost its focus last week and some things sent me on a spiral. How easily I had forgotten to listen to what God thinks of me and I gave into the chatter of my defeated foe. nasty stuff... not just for me...but for everyone around me.

******

Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

pg.391 (July 13th-evening)

" When I cry unto Thee, then shall my enemies turn back; this I know; God is for me."

~Psalm 56:9

"It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of this delightful phrase, 'God is for me.' He was 'for us' before the worlds were made; He was 'for us' or He would not have given His well-beloved Son; He was 'for us' when He struck the Only begotten, and laid the full weight of His wrath upon Him--He was 'for us,' though He was against Him; He was 'for us, when we were ruined in the fall--He loved us notwithstanding all; He was 'for us' when we were rebels against Him, and with a high hand were defying Him; He was 'for us,'or He would not have brought us humbly to see His face.

He has been 'for us' in many struggles; we have been summoned to encounter hosts of dangers; we have been assailed by temptations from without and within --how cold we have remained unharmed to this hour if HE had not been 'for us'? 

He is 'for us,' with all the infinity of His being; with all the omnipotence of His love; with all the infallibility of His wisdom; arrayed in all His divine attributes, He is 'for us', '--eternally and immutably 'for us;' 

He is'for us' when the clouds will be rolled up like a worn out piece of clothes; 'for us' throughout eternity. And because He is 'for us' the voice of prayer will always ensure His help. 

'When I cry unto You, then shall my enemies by turned back.' This is a sure hope and a well grounded assurance--'this I know." I will direct my prayer to You, and will look up for the answer, assured that it will come, and that my enemy will be defeated, 'for God is for me.' Oh believer, how happy you are when the King of Kings is on your side! How safe you are with such a Protector! How sure your case is when the Advocate is pleading your cause! If God be for you, who can be against you?"

sweet. sweet. sister.

you. are. in. Christ.

He. is. for. you.

And He wants you to know

that He is

SEATED

in heaven...

on His throne.

V.I.C.T.O.R.I.O.U.S

and you are, too.

So this morning-we can 

cry out to our Strong and Mighty God!

"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

~Psalm 65:24

What a powerful verse.

What a powerful and mighty God that can do that. 

Wow.

Lessons from a cat...

What do you get when you cross a dumpster at the Aeschliman farm...a wild Tom cat...and empty peanut butter jar?

Yes. This is a real-and this cat really did this to himself. This poor Tom cat apparently crawled into our dumpster and found some choice dining. Crazy. While sporting his new attire-he crashed into buildings--flopped--flipped--rolled--jumped in a futile attempt to rid himself of his newly found identity. (...it was actually pretty funny!!) And folks-the jar wasn't coming off no matter what that cat tried. Tommy needed some outside help if he was going to ever catch the next meal. It took 3 attempts by Keri to get this face mask off of this furry feline. I am proud to say--he appears normal and probably is busy re-populating our neighborhood. (sorry.) And yes-he still is snacking in our dumpster--hopefully a bit more wisely.

God has a way of giving me some fairly crazy visual aides to help me in my walk...I guess he knows what works with me. Apparently a dumpster diving cat with a craving for Peter Pan extra creamy helped me to understand Ephesians 1: 1-6. (...check that passage out!) 

Identity. We all chase something that will define us...make us unique...always wanting to be different than everyone else. WE want to matter. A passion. A mission. A calling. A testimony. You name it. We chase it whether it is good or bad.

" We try to control our image, since what is inside feels impossible to fix." 

~Jennie Allen (Chase) 

That is true--and...most of the time we end up looking just as ridiculous as my dumpster diving cat. 

We dig around in the worldly dumpsters hoping for a morsel to satisfy.
We get a taste of something...something yummy...and then we are stuck. 
We can't move like we are meant to move.
A wrong identity gives us a dangerous world view. 
Our vision is blocked-we are on a collision course...and if we keep it up long enough...it could kill us.
Unless we have outside Help.

Maybe if we could grasp what transpired at the cross--we wouldn't be so inspired to chase the wind.

Transformation only happens when I begin to grasp the depth that Love had to go to save this sinner.


"For those of us who know Christ, we stand on the unchanging reality that we have been so loved by our God that He purchased us with the blood of His Son. See, we have worth, but it doesn't come from within us--it comes to us from the One who made us." ~Jennie Allen (Chase)

I walked away from Tommy with a profound thought.

I can just be me. 

I don't need to be someone else.

I look pretty stupid when I chase after things that are a temporary fix.

I don't define me. God does.

Ephesians 1:1-6 says that I am 

adopted.

loved.

accepted.

holy.

 blessed.

All because of what Jesus did for me.

Jesus died for the real you...not some future version of you that is new and improved...not some superwoman who has it all together. Jesus died for the real you...the messy you...the broken you. God has abundant grace to pick you up and give you a new identity.

God is for you.

He is not against you.

I CAN'T GET THIS SONG OUT OF MY HEAD...AND THE PICTURE OF THAT CRAZY CAT...and how much I want to know my worth in Christ-believe it with my whole heart--and then live like it.

AND I AM ON FIRE!
I AM CHASING MY GOD!
I AM CHASING HIS IDENTITY FOR ME!
AND BOY IS IT A BEAUTIFUL SOUND...CAN YOU HEAR HIM CALLING YOU TODAY?

Drops in the Ocean by Hawk Nelson

Crank up the tunes and praise

Him for who He is!

Feel free to check out my other posts on the same topics!

  Identity Crisis

Chaff

When the Hurt and the Healer Collide

Little Places

Dirt and the Farm Wife

Confidence in...who? 

Calmer of the Storm

Trusting Without Borders

I've been thinking about what God is wanting from for me in 2015. 

then I read this blog post this morning...

TRUST WITHOUT BORDERS...

and I realized that (once again) ...it isn't about me... OH-imagine that?!

"It isn't that we have a TRUTH problem; it's that we have a TRUST problem. We don't really TRUST what we know to be TRUE." ~Arabah Joy

SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM, HERE?! 

anxiety that chokes...

fear that smothers...

pasts that don't let go...

and futures that look bleak.

depression that hangs on...

failure that keeps us down...

uncertainty that weights us down...

unhealthy life choices.

grief that overwhelms.

pain that stabs.

guilt that covers.

shame that hides us...

patterns of sin

truth.trust.

i can fill my head with all the truth...
i can stuff scriptures in my brain all day...
read all self-help articles...
chat with others about issues...
but it really boils down to one thing.

DO. I. TRUST. GOD. AT. HIS. WORD.

Do I really know it to be true in my life?

That God DOES really have things under control...

That my future is secure...

That He loves me enough that He won't let me go...

That my eternal security doesn't depend on my performance--but on Christ alone.

DO. I. TRUST. IT.

DOES. MY. LIFE. REFLECT. IT.

So-I dug out a bracelet that my kids made for me a LONG time ago...

and I'm taking the 40 day challenge. 

For the next 40 days I am going to learn how to TRUST WITHOUT BORDERS... And I am trusting that I will loose myself and find that Jesus will always be enough.

Feel free to click 

Arabah Joy's 40 promises 

read the post

print off the scripture list

and see what God is doing!

Fear

do? you? trust? God?

do. you. believe. it?

Oh-we seek him alright...

Oh-we know he hears...

but one thing nags on us.

...it's the delivery part.

Is God strong enough to deliver us

from our fears.

Is He?!

We like our fears.

They keep us safe.

Our fears are our idols.

Just gonna throw out a thought to you all...

Sometimes I think what we fear as Christian women the most is

knowing that God is Sovereign.

The idea of a Sovereign God is scary.

Because if He is Sovereign.

Then I am not in control.

And not being in control.

creates fear.

I think we all struggle with Sovereignty.

If we had that topic figured out

...we wouldn't worry so much

now would we?

Face it-we know we aren't in control.

can't control our eating

can't control our spending

can't control our children or their choices

can't control our husbands

can't control our health

can't control our emotions

can't control our job

can't control friendships

can't control our drives

can't control our heart

can't control death

can't control our church

can't control our thoughts

can't control our tongues

can't control the world

...and we can't control God

and we live scared to death of truly living.

So we sit and

spin.

We freak out because we can't control our lives and we are terrified that somehow

God might not come through for us.

Laying awake at night in dread

and wasting our day in anxiety.

JOY vaporizes.

Idols do that, don't they?

You were never meant to control the path of your lives or the lives of others-for crying out loud!

that. is. God's. job.

You were never created to carry that kind of burden.

Jesus. carried. it. for. you.

You were meant to be under the control of the

Holy Spirit.

You were meant for so much more than wasting your life in fear.

FREEDOM FROM FEAR!!!!

There is beauty in trusting in a

SOVEREIGN GOD.

There is rest. sweet. release.JOY

OH TO SEE OUR GOD FOR WHO HE IS!!!

s.o.v.e.r.e.i.g.n.

>totally. in. control.

>totally aware of what it is going to take to deal with my stuff.

>totally able to deliver me from my trial 

or 

carry me through

 >totally ever present in every situation

Oh, for a heart to know The Sovereign.

 I don't have to let my fears dictate my identity.

Jesus died

to give me the faith

to believe

that He is strong

enough to hold me

no matter what comes my way.

So today-I run into his arms.

Unashamed and free to shed my fears

and a few tears...

and pick up faith.

If You Struggle With Fear-You Should Read This is an excellent post.

Dying Beautifully

only. God. can. make.death. a. beautiful. thing.

God's creation truly shouts His praises.

Keri and I went shopping the other day. On our way home a storm was gathering in the east... which is SO not typical-usually it comes from the west.

The sun was just right and the colors became like fire against the dark sky...

And it hit me.

These trees are dying.

D.y.i.n.g.

Dead.

Each one is giving off a different color.

But the changes reflect the fact that they are dying.

And all I can think about is the study that I am in right now.

"Stuck" by Jennie Allen 

The whole entire study is about learning to

D.I.E.

to my MYSELF

ONLY GOD CAN MAKE DEATH A BEAUTIFUL THING.

I marvel at the autumn leaves...

I enjoy the changing of the seasons...

I celebrate the harvest

But do I strive to willingly lay myself at the Cross and marvel at the new creation 

that God wants me to be?

...or do I hold on to all of my baggage thinking it keeps me safe?

Do I joyfully die to the things that are holding me back in my walk with Christ?

...or do I assume that God is trying to steal my joy by telling me to let it go?

Do I embrace the pruning in my life so God can

bring about a bountiful harvest?

...or do I resist change and become bitter ?

• ONLY GOD CAN MAKE DEATH A BEAUTIFUL THING.
• ONLY GOD CAN MAKE DEATH A BEAUTIFUL THING.
• ONLY GOD CAN MAKE DEATH A BEAUTIFUL THING.

That phrase kept fading in and out of my head as we drove home from shopping that day.

And then it began to rain...

and God in His matchless Grace

Showed me in living color-

the beauty of dying.

When He sees 

 His Beloved Daughter 

crying out 

from the depth of strongholds

 to be delivered...

when she puts her trust in Christ

to be delivered...

when she dies so that she can live...

What does God see??

He sees His Beautiful Bride!

-ALIVE. VIBRANT-

not because of anything she has done.

but because of

WHAT THE CROSS OF CHRIST

ACCOMPLISHED IN HER.

THE DEATH OF HIS SON--

WOULD MAKE THESE DEAD BONES LIVE.

and make this wayward

child-

a beloved daughter.

I AM IN CHRIST!

HE SHOWS ME THAT HIS PROMISE

IS SURE. STEADFAST.

I am in CHRIST.

how. can. i. hold. back. from.

so. great. a. love??

In the process of change...the process of dying... He makes Himself more beautiful.

And in dying, I learn to live in Him.

So-today-I pick up my cross-and I lay myself at His feet

and learn how to die. 

...how to die to myself

...beautifully.

(thanks to a very sweet girl for letting me use her pic from Golls woods!)

God give me the wisdom to extend grace to others who are dying all around me.God give me the eyes to not judge what beautiful work you are doing in them.God give each one of us a heart to embrace the beauty of living for you and dying to ourselves.Jesus, help me to walk this road of dying to myself so that you can live fully in me.Forgive me for fighting the changes that will bring me freedom. Help me to honor you by laying my will aside so that You alone are made glorious.You are beautiful to me.Amen.

CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING SONG!

Die Another Day by Brian Free and Assurance

Surrender

The summer flew by and the amount of canning/cooking and general chaos that occurs in our kitchen can be a tad much on some days. Typically, I wash my windows ever couple of months or so...but canning season just gets me behind....I am sure that they were cleaned sometime this spring... er...um...wait...it is now October?!?  

So-one morning this week I woke up after a long night of canning and stumbled out into the kitchen...and the light hit the window just right...just enough for me to get grossed out. 

Seriously?! 

If you have been in my house as a guest you can assume that I am a neat freak...if you have been in my house on a normal day--you would see a different spectacle.

So-to impress ya....

Ah, I will have a candle burning!!!! (to mask the smell from the ridiculously stinky chore jeans that are fermenting somewhere...)

The floors will be swept!!!  (to pick up the trails of cow pies, crud and general farm dirt from 3 farm boys & 2 farm girls and the 50 toes that wear dirty socks...not to mention our dear puppy Louise.)

The dust is off of the furniture!!! (it's actually NOT normal suburban dust-- but rather a protective covering of barn bedding that wafted in--because I left the windows open when they hauled manure from the barn...um...yeah.)

The dishes are done!!! (actually-they just got stuffed into the dishwasher 5 minutes before you arrived-and everything was dried on cause it sat on the counter overnight...or longer.)

The bathroom is spotless!!! (um...3 boys and a hired guy...enough said.)

I'm not joking--the struggle is real.

So it is with each one of us--the storefront looks pretty good. I am sure yours does too.

But when it comes right down to the nitty gritty--there is not a whole lot that is desirable if you look close enough.

We all do it.

We have Facebook to polish and protect an image. 

But underneath all of the smiles-all of the laughter--candles, caked on make-up and cleaning spray--all of the Sunday morning formalities-lays a broken and wounded soul that is in desperate need of 

GRACE.

GRACE. FOR. OTHERS.

GRACE. FROM. OTHERS.

GRACE. FOR. SELF.

GRACE. FROM. GOD.

My window looked fine until the morning light hit it just right...

poof. no more pretending.

...and when His light hits our hearts just right...well...poof. no. more. pretending.

What would life look like if we began the journey of

AUTHENTICITY?

Living a REAL life.

really broken--really forgiven

Clean up jobs. 

broken.

being. really. broken.

being. real. with. ourselves.

being. real. with. others.

God is working to show us where we fix our eyes on ourselves and not on HIM. Grace is a bloody yet beautiful thing.

"In Christ's death I found grace. Grace to be a sinner. Grace to not measure up. Grace for people around me to disappoint me. Grace for my kids and my husband to be human. It is important we understand the reason why we can be imperfect. We don't have to try to measure up or pretend because God rescued us from that impossible pursuit through the blood of Christ. Those of us who have been rescued by God have nothing to prove. We can call sin what it is because our sin has been paid for, cared for. We rest in who we are and what God has accomplished for us...Grace frees me from having to measure up to the impossible standard, while at the same time, grace motivates me to run from sin and obey God." 

~ Stuck by Jennie Allen (pg.25)

So where do we go from here.

I know I am broke.

I know I can't fix myself.

No matter how clean my kitchen window can get-tomorrow it will get dirty again.

No matter how many times you try to keep it together it will fall apart.

So-where do we go from here?

We embrace our brokenness--surrender it to the healing power of Jesus Christ--and watch how 

GRACE. SWEET GRACE. transforms.

WE GO TO THE CROSS...COMPLETELY.

Instead of striving for perfection in our lives..

ah-resting in HIS perfection in my place.

Instead of pursuing the illusive golden key to happiness...

ah-be filled with HIS JOY.

Instead of complaining about my circumstances...

ah-praise HIM for my blessings

Instead of striving for the good life...

ah-sweet surrender to the One who gives eternal life.

Living a wounded life is no life at all.

Surrendering produces 

 rest- peace- joy-

FREEDOM

that you have needed

for oh-so-long

--the shame 

--the depression

--the hurt

--the anger

--the relationships

--the pride

--the fear

--the loneliness

--the discontentment

--the loss

--the sadness

--the future

lay them down

for something far better.

Grace.

Grace is a Person.

Jesus.

In surrendering-you will find that Jesus Christ is more than enough to heal the wounds.

Somehow surrender works a lot like Windex. I washed my kitchen window...and today-I can see more clearly. I get a bigger picture...and I get changed. 

May God fill you with HIS GRACE as you come before Him with your broken places...completely.