Seeing God In The Waiting

Hummingbirds. I enjoy watching the frenzy of these busy little birds as they stop by for a quick visit just outside our dining room window. Photography is fun for me and my camera is usually not too far away--so this opportunity arose. 

I had been trying to capture one at my feeder--but wow--they are fast! Except for this one. She just sat there. No cares-no worries-just enjoying the view of my flower garden sitting on my primitive heart shaped weather vane. At that season of my life I was in a time of waiting. Waiting on God in a set of what seemed to be impossible circumstances that rocked my world. And click-this photo. And click-a snapshot from God Himself to this war torn woman who was trapped in a frenzy of worry, despair and woundedness. God showed me something that day. If this hurried hummingbird can sit on a little heart and drink in the beauty--so could I. I desperately needed soul rest and God used this feathered friend to give me a picture of how to get through a time of waiting on God. He taught me to slow down and drink in His presence and see the beauty that is unfolding. He taught me how to rest on the very heart of God for answers.

I love it when God connects His precious Word to the hot pavement of real life. Our Wednesday night Bible study is going through the book of 1 Peter and it is mind blowing to say the least. His words surround me like a warm blanket and I find that once again I am assured beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am born into Living Hope. (1 Peter 1:3)...and Living Hope isn't leaving me. That is a reality to be experienced not just simply a good idea. He is REAL and He wants you to really know that Living Hope never leaves.

Just this weekend I was among 300 of the most beautiful sisters at a Current 4 Women event in a little town next to ours. We opened the book of 1 Peter and dove into the most wonderful reality of Living Hope in the "now" of life. 

Are you finding that you are in a season of waiting--that you're in a dry dessert and there is no water in sight? Does it seems like God is pressing the pause button on your future or you are falling apart because of a situation you are facing and your prayers hit the ceiling? There is LIVING HOPE for the here and now. I want to share 3 things that I learned in the last 48 hours that spoke TRUTH into the time of waiting.

1. Remember God has never failed.

It's our own lack of trust in our Heavenly Father that leaves us to sit and spin. God is on His throne.God has never failed. Not once. Ever. Throughout the entire Bible God proves Himself to be faithful and Victorious in every situation. His promises have never been broken and each one He has kept throughout all time and history. He is FOR you--not against you. He is wanting to give you so much more than fixing the mess and moving on! It's time to make the great exchange of unbelief for believing that He truly works all thing out for our ultimate good. He wants to create in you a heart of worship and a mind that is clear in the midst of chaos. He wants you to learn to trust Him and to surrender the outcome. He wants you to see more of Him and less of your situation. His thoughts and desires for your life are so much higher than you can imagine. What is holding you back from believing that He has got this thing in control?

2. Remember your time of waiting is a time of growing.

His Word is sure-His timing is perfect--and He wants to do more with your time of waiting than you can even imagine. Dead hope is trying to do this thing called life on your own. By fixing your eyes on the AUTHOR, PERFECTER and FINISHER of your faith He shows you the big picture because HE wrote it. God is using this mess right now to produce in you...

~AUTHENTIC FAITH~

The kind of faith that roots  into 

who you are as a daughter of the

Most High King.

This trial and suffering you are walking through is forming a genuine faith one day at a time. He is in the process of building you a new identity in Christ. He is giving you an opportunity to CHOOSE Living Hope rather than surrendering to the spin cycle the moment you are faced with the pain of your circumstances.

3. Remember God wants a heart that listens to Him alone.


I get really irritated sometimes when I see "coffee cup" promises and the inauthentic "health and wealth" versions of Christianity. You know the ones! It's a little trite phrase that is supposed to give me a vision that everything is going to be rainbows, sunshine and puppy dogs. Maybe you have been on the receiving end of a very well intentioned soul who slaps a promise on your wound which only deepens the pain. When trial hits home it is so easy to slap on a promise that was never intended to be our answer. We take in so much of the worlds theology when suffering strikes and our time of waiting seems endless. Most of the New Testament was written to people who were under intense suffering and unimaginable circumstances. The authors of the Gospels knew that joy and hope didn't come from a change of circumstances. Joy and Hope come being rooted in a PERSON. His name is Jesus. It isn't about perfect circumstances--it's about a heart that is being perfected in the circumstance by a Perfect God. 

Take time to listen. Listen closely. What is He wanting you to hear through all of this? Leave the empty the chatter of the world and the coffee cup mentality at the cross and take up His Word and begin to fix your eyes on what He is saying in your time of waiting. Listen closely because it is a quiet voice and you will find that His voice speaks joy, love, trust and hope. Your heart becomes steadfast as you wait for God to triumph in your circumstances. Let Jesus take hold of your heart and you will find that having more of God is more than sufficient through the trial. Take courage--your Creator is using this moment to fashion you into His perfect image. It is a painfully beautiful mess-But the outcome is priceless.

"He counts the number of the stars; 

He gives names to all of them.

Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite." 

Psalm 147:4-5

Abundance: Getting Rid Of The Chaff

During harvest there are days around here it looks like an alien winter has arrived. Blowing bits of red fluffy chaff swirls around the barn, buildings and the house. The boys come in at night with it in their hair, ears, pockets...and socks. It's a part of farm life and it comes with this season of life.

CHAFF.

and we have piles of it.

It's been my observation that other than a mosquito -there is nothing more useless than chaff. In order to bring in our harvest though-we have to deal with it. Like it or not. Chaff yields no benefit to the farming operation other than it just sits there in piles accumulating. It gets in way-makes the landscaping look bad and on occasion gets in your eyes and makes for a bad hair day.

..and so it is spiritually with us.

Our calendars and lives are loaded with chaff

and the evidence of a fruitful harvest is virtually non-existent.

We feel useless-pointless and fruitless

because we are slaves to the chaff and lose focus on the harvest.

We spend our minutes and use them to put out fires rather than pouring into others.

We take our days and and spend them

idly instead of intentionally.

We spend our lives on ourselves rather than

sacrificially living.

Chaff.

...and we have piles of it.

" For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10 

So let's take a look at the big picture! Here are 3 ways to walk toward abundant living and leave the chaff behind.

1. Ask God to show you what He has specifically called you to BE.

It's all about priorities and God knows the order that He wants your life to take. Ask Him to show you 2 primary callings that need attention. What are they? If today was your last day-what would sum up your life? What would be said about you? Would you be known for your compassionate, generous heart and kind words who took time to care about the little things?--or would people remember an angry, frazzled and stressed out mom who spent more time on Facebook than in The Book? What counts? 

I would encourage you to start at the very beginning. Is it your family that needs to experience seeing you as a Christ centered woman of God?

Are you married with kiddos? That is your calling!!! It starts at home.  That relationship is the highest representation of Christ and the Church. So many women search for fulfillment and meaning outside of the primary relationships that God has called us to. What good is having a huge ministry if your husband and kids get the left-overs of a wife and mommy that is frazzled? Living in the gray areas always costs something--it just depends on who gets to pay.

Single? God has given you the gift singleness so that your time can be focused on His purpose and plans. The mission field He has called you to needs your full attention. Is your light shining with your co-workers? Do they even know you are a Believer? Are you taking time to share Jesus with your friends? What good is climbing the corporate ladder or being the "employee of the month" if your light isn't shining brightly for Jesus.

2. Let go of everything that doesn't line up with that calling.

     Once you have narrowed down to the 2 primary callings that God has gifted you with it is time to check off the chaff in your calendar! Learning to say "No" to people and activities that put a drain on you is a freeing thing. What are the essentials in your life? Narrow the scope of your involvement in things--maybe choose ONE church position that is your passion rather than doing 3 things that stress you out. Your "no" leaves room for someone else to say "yes"! 

Involved in lots of outside church activities and children's events? Narrow it down. Try one sport per child per year...one outside activity that builds up your family and doesn't take away from your spiritual walk. I hear you groan and say that is is impossible to do. I hear you. I know. But if sports replaces church--and your activities draw you away from your family you can bet your bottom dollar that the enemy has fertile soil to sow seeds...and believe me-that harvest is painful. You have an enemy that is using your crammed calendar to wreak havoc and the harvest won't be seen until it is too late.

Social media? Get serious about getting rid of time wasting activities. Complaining of not having enough time with the family or being behind at work and yet spending hours surfing the net or staring at the TV is a bit ...well... ridiculously obvious. You are spending time watching others lives rather than living our own. ouch. Try a media fast for 1 week and see how your stress level decreases and your free time increases. Unplugging actually recharges you!

3.Radically consume Christ.

Time spent in the Word helps you sort the chaff out pretty quick. Scripture gives you vision,empowers you to fulfill your calling and is an outlet for every burden and care that weighs you down. Let's face it-if you clean up the calendar and discipline your time you will automatically have more time to spend in prayer, study and reflection. It cultivates a grateful heart and a produces eternal fruit. You can begin to see the difference between the chaff and real fruit and it becomes easier to say "no" to opportunities that can drag you away from joy and contentment.

As you learn to chase God with abandon the breath of the Holy Spirit blows the chaff away. Only God can set you free from the slavery to chaff in your heart, home and life. Somehow when God gets bigger in your life-you begin to see the chaff for what it really is. Jesus becomes real and you trade being a slave to chaff for being a daughter in Christ. All made possible by Grace Incarnate. Grace.

So, what is God talking to you about today? Can you hear God singing over you with His unmerited, daily sufficient Grace? Grace that knows about your slavery to chaff and has made provisions to replace it with abundant harvest. Grace that gives you the strength to let go and Grace that holds on to you while the Holy Spirit breathes life back into these weary and worn out places. GRACE!!! The offer of a harvest is free for the taking when our hands open. Sweet release. Sweet rest.

Father, help me to open my hands. Help me to realize that you will reward only what you have done through me and pardon that which I have done in my own strength. You know my chaff and that I am powerless to see it in myself. God show me where there is no fruit, where I need your Grace to set me free. Help me to let go of the things that rob me of your joy-of the things that plug my ears to the music of your living Spirit. Lord, let the breath of your Holy Spirit so invade my inner spaces so that the chaff is driven away by your sweet songs of deliverance. Your Word says love casts out all fear. Give me the confidence and assurance to boldly take the next step to freedom so I can extend grace to others-for my good and your glory. Amen. 

The Power Living In You

"...so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him." 

~ Ephesians 3:10-12

Christ IN You.

You are IN Christ

Powerful.

Power living IN you.

Power in you to live rightly.

Power in you to make known in the spiritual realm who is King of Kings

and Lord of Lords.

Did you know the prophets LONGED to see Jesus?

They diligently searched, sacrificed and served their God--not for themselves

...but for YOU.

They wanted to see the revelation of Christ IN us and the glory that would be

seen through that revelation.

It wasn't about them--it was about YOU.

It was about Christ IN you--that is what they longed for.

The angels even waited in anticipation of salvation's plan.

Did you know that the angels marvel at the thought of Christ IN us?!

They marvel at Christ IN us!   WOW.

" As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them they they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through  those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things into which the angels long to look." ~1 Peter 1:10-13

The unsearchable riches of Christ!!!!!

...the power of Christ living in us...salvation.

Angels can't know what it feels like to be saved.

God's manifold wisdom of salvation is made known through YOU to the ANGELS.

S.P.E.EC.H.L.E.S.S.

..and all of heaven rejoices when one sinner is saved.

I can't imagine the thunder of angel wings...

the songs of the saints in glory...

the praises of heaven

over one sinner who repents.

Angels marvel at the power living in us.

Do you?

Do you know you have victory?

Do you know the power living in you?!

Do you know Him?

What is your position?

IN CHRIST.

...and all of heaven marvels.

And you, O daughter of God, can raise your head and your hands and walk in victory today because we never walk alone.

A View from the Garden

The garden view is awesome this year and I didn't have to deal with the garden hose at all...

Ohio enjoyed (survived) the Great Flood of 2015.

yeah-this is our yard...a few days ago...

and oh--this is my husbands replanted soybean field too....

 rain makes life messy sometimes...

but sometimes it produces some great flowers in a garden

and weeds...

I love flowers...I dislike weeds...

alot.

Yup...the front of the bed looks great...but as you can see they are being held up by brilliantly green and vivaciously happy 

weeds.

Which leads to the garden...that I actually MOWED today...

yeah---the riding lawn mower.

And I am a farmers wife for crying out loud...

humiliating. 

I really should have a manicured garden since that

is our family tradition.

pshaw.....not this year.

I AM MANAGING A FAILING ENDEAVOR...

(stop laughing)

Each of us have a heart that looks like my garden...

A little bit fancy...

A lot of nasty weeds...

Pleasantly productive...

Particularly  pitiful....

That's how life is.

We live in the flesh and it is messy.

Yet God still chooses to use us.

...to live in us.

I AM IN CHRIST.

and even though I am a mess...

He counted it all JOY

to go to the cross

for me

so he could bear fruit in me...

Sweet sister,

the power you have access to

brought Jesus back

from the dead!!!

He wants us to know

that YOU ARE HIS.

BLOOD BOUGHT.

SPIRIT FILLED.

SEALED.

EQUIPPED.

The down payment that tells you that you are His bride...the sealing of the Holy Spirit inside of you. 

"...I am sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who is given as a pledge of our inheritance..." 

Ephesians 1:13-14

God gave each believer a SEAL.

A GENUINE MARK

OF AUTHENTICITY.

HIS STAMP OF APPROVAL.

Irrevocable.

He gave you the free gift of the Holy Spirit to let you know

YOU ARE HIS.

no doubts.

NO SECOND GUESSING.

Living inside of YOU...

and He will NEVER leave.

NEVER

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever." 

~John 14:16

Flesh and Spirit.

Painfully jumbled together as we climb upward to the high calling of being IN CHRIST.

I am thankful he doesn't look at my weedy mess and declare my

insufficiency .

I am IN CHRIST

and HE is sufficient.

I am IN CHRIST

and I am SEALED WITH...

THE HELPER.

COMFORTER AND COUNSELOR- John 14:16

TEACHER-1 Cor 2:13

LEADER- Romans 8:14

GUIDE TO TRUTH- John 16:13

GIFT GIVER- I Cor 12

COMMANDER- Acts 8:29

CONVICTOR OF MY HEART- John 16:7-11

And if the Holy Spirit is living inside of you...He will faithfully deal with the sinful weeds that are choking the life out of you.

Not because he is mad at you.

A garden can't weed itself.

It must have a caretaker.

I didn't walk out to my garden

and rant because it was full of weeds...

The garden was just doing what gardens do.

 And my sinful heart does what sinful hearts do.

I sin.

Our Perfect Caretaker pulls the weeds

and it is painful yet productive

Because

God knows that when those nasty weeds 

are gone...

you will be more aware of

of His presence! 

You will experience the glory of His goodness!

...and be overwhelmed by the grace

freely given to you IN CHRIST.

Sweet one, you are going to fall more

deeply in love with JESUS.

So press on sister to the high calling of 

KNOWING WHO YOU ARE 

IN CHRIST!!

It is a

great place to be.

..weeds and all.

Lesson 101-Trusting without Borders...

Ok. So I am doing this 40 days of Promise challenge and thinking-HA....been checking off the scriptures on the list and thinking...not bad-this is doable! I'm wearing my bracelet and bee-bopping around the house in time to the sunshine thinking...hey!...this trust thing isn't as hard as I thought it would be. (Did you hear the clinking of the buttons popping off my shirt?! and...YEAH. God. took. care. of. that. this. week....again.)

Life. happens. and. rugs. get. pulled.out. and. bodies. fall. down... and that bracelet got some serious mileage going back and forth between each wrist as I desperately clung to scripture after scripture while God spoke assurance and grace into my situation.

I sat there 

with my spiral bound note cards

chock full of scriptures on them

...sobbing. 

w.e.e.p.i.n.g. 

Desperately wishing I could make decisions for others that could change them...desperately needing to trust God is in control. Been there? 

trust. without. borders.

trust. without. borders.

trust. without .borders.

So I heard God singing over me

...Honey...you need to 

pray. without. borders....

and so as I trust my prayers are heard...

I learn to trust The One that Answers.

So-lesson 101 in trusting without borders...

LEARNING HOW TO PRAY WITHOUT BORDERS...

As long as my trust in God is contained and controllable in my own little world- my faith is empty and powerless.

My praying 

looked more like a

 Christmas list to Santa 

than a petition to

the Creator of the Universe 

who holds

 ALL things in His hands.

wishing.

wanting.

waiting.

Instead of 

praying.

resting.

trusting.

Intercession is hard work and it isn't childrens play. Praying is the most powerful tool we have at our disposal. 

Anguishing over loved ones

over results of poor choices

over diagnosis

over broken lives & broken hearts

over dying marriages

over dying children

over distorted views

over sin in the house of God.

Praying.

Worship.

When I pray in faith-trusting that He is able to do far above what I can even imagine...I can rest.

FOR HE IS...

Lion of Judah who defends me!
The Prince of Peace who comforts the downcast!
The Great Physician who heals my wounds!
The Mighty Warrior who goes before me into battle!
The Wonderful in whom I can delight!
The Counselor who guides me!
The Creator who constantly renews me!
The Husbandman that Redeems me!
The Lamb who was slain for me!
The Son of God who is my brother and friend!
The Faithful and True!
The God that cannot lie!
The Lover of my soul!


And if He is who I am calling on...how can I not trust Him? Praise God, that He has done all these things for me. Friend, I pray that you hear God singing over you today--because He has done these things for you.

So-today-I choose to keep the bracelet on my wrist--without moving it to the other wrist...because today--I choose to pray to the one 

WHO WAS

WHO IS

AND IS TO COME 

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!

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