Practice

To say I have a feeling about this, that isn't quite right. I do have a feeling, but it's a feeling, plus all this other stuff- more important stuff.

My feeling is that we have a time of trouble ahead of us. I cannot say just what this trouble is, or to what degree we will suffer through this trouble, except that I know God wants us to be aware of the impending "rough patch."

We know the economy isn't good. We know people are already struggling. If you think that things will never get to a point of desperation- to the point where you can't drive 5 minutes to a grocery store and have aisles upon aisles of food to choose from, or forget driving because the price of gas will be astronomical...all the things we take for granted could cease to be at our disposal. The leisurely life of Americans is NOT impervious to real struggle. To think we will never have to deal with hunger the way they do in Africa or any other poor nation is folly.

I cannot say with any absolute certainty that we will have to deal with that, however, I would like to turn to the important part of this message, of which you can judge for yourselves whether or not we are in for some real trouble or not.

God is telling us to prepare, in more ways than one, but in this, most important, absolutely imperative way: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, LEAN NOT on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
Leaning on our own understanding causes us to make all sorts of bad decisions. If we lean on our own understanding in times of great trouble, we fall prey to all sorts of bad reactions: panic, despair, anger, hopelessness, apathy, cynicism.

What God is asking us to do is Trust Him Completely- for everything. From the smallest little detail of life, to our most dire, immediate needs. Seek God's will in everything, listen for His voice in every move you make- Your kids, your health, your habits, your marriage, your favorite TV show, your hairstyle, the flowers in your garden, the career you choose, the time you spend with your family, the way you drive your car, the shirt you wore today, the color you want to paint your living room, the tone of voice you use when speaking to your mother, the radio station you tune in to, the way you treat the cashier at the grocery store...are you getting the picture? There isn't a moment in your life that God doesn't want in on! The verse says, "In ALL YOUR WAYS acknowledge Him..."

That is the key to living a life of peace that passes all understanding. We must reach that point. Some of you folks sitting here today- and I don't know who, but some of you either intentionally or unintentionally have made God a supplement to your life instead of the CENTER. I am telling you today, if you think that might be you, it is really time to get down to some serious spiritual business and "Seek first the Kingdom of God." If you think there are things you just have to take care of on your own, you are wrong, wrong, wrong. The verse says, "Seek first the Kingdom of God- and all these things will be added unto you." You will find everything you need in Christ, and then some. Trust in this, hear the Word and trust in it!! God doesn't need to be the center of our lives for His sake- it's for OUR sake. We need Him!!

So is that it? The message is hunker down in the Spirit because trouble is ahead? No, there's more. And this is very important.

The reason God is telling us to prepare now is this: If we can become steadfast in the Lord now, once the trouble starts, we will be a beacon of hope for those who are completely lost. We must be that hope, they must see the strength of Christ within us! If you are under the impression that in times of great trouble, it's every man for himself- get rid of that idea NOW. We are the people of God and we must act like it- or the Lord isn't going to recognize us. We take care of each other so well- this church is a loving, caring church with no equal. If you feel put off asking for help in this church- I am telling you now, don't. We were placed here in this moment, together, for this very purpose. We are the Body of Christ- so we must look like Him in the world. Always helping- always giving- always blessing- each other and those in need around us.

The Lord has a plan for all of us. We must choose to take part. We sang these words today: "To you, I give my life. Not just the parts I want to. To you I sacrifice these dreams that I hold on to." We must live those words, and hold them in our heart at all moments. God is sovereign, our hope, our joy, our strength, the center, the rock, the beginning and the end. It is time for us to live that truth, and for others to see us living it out with infectious passion. Whatever you think is the purpose of your life, I guarantee you it is this: to trust, obey, worship, and love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Are you ready to let that be your life? I'm telling you today, if you are not ready, get ready.

And I leave you with this last verse that I pray will give you hope and encouragement: Our Lord says, "Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not despair, for I am your God."

Slightly fuming about something in the news....

First off, who cares what a beauty queen thinks? I certainly don't. I actually happen to agree with her, but I formed my opinion with another, slightly more sovereign source.

Second, Hollywood needs to shut up. Collectively. Celebrities- just shut your traps. Your opinion is not automatically better or more correct simply because you can get more people to listen to you.

I just want to make sure this is obvious to everyone- if a Christian speaks out about gay marriage, it is usually with as much understanding and love as possible. We are not emotionally disconnected from this issue- we do not simply parrot back what our Lord says. Invariably, we will have our own feelings. However, our first and foremost feeling is love for our Lord. He is first, and because He is first, we will honor His Word.

Now, if the opposition to these Christians speaks out, it is almost always an attack. We are called unintelligent, backwards, bigoted, and any other manner of words, curses or otherwise. For the most part, I believe most Christians have reacted calmly and with the Spirit as they are attacked and called horrible things. It speaks volumes of their faith that they can stand up to such verbal abuse- when certainly many others would simply stay mum at the least, or back peddle and try to appease their attackers.

Gay marriage is an issue of the heart for many people. For those in this world that are ruled by their hearts, they do not understand, nor do they like where Christians are coming from. We also have hearts, but we realize that while our hearts can feel very strongly- the strength behind our feelings does not make them more legitimate or correct. The Lord is sovereign and all-knowing and all-righteous. We may not understand, but we trust that He is good and right, because we have seen His grace through Christ. We will cling to that, always, even as we are trampled and cursed out and demonized for having strong beliefs. Our beliefs are no more worthless than anyone elses- let's please remember that. Particularly if you want to talk about freedom and expression.

I do not have a problem with gay people. At all. To the point that I actually confess to my Lord that I feel against Him on this sometimes. But I rely on Truth. It will always outweigh my feelings- if that makes me a bad person in your eyes, well, I'm sorry. You cannot fault me for loving my God enough to stand firm for all His Truth. Well, you can, but what does that say about you?

Love is a wonderful, complex, mysterious thing. We catch glimpses here on this earth. I do not doubt that two people can love each other immensely, regardless of their sex. I do believe, however, that there is One True Love that supercedes all others. That is Christ. Before anything else, is Christ. That is my belief, that is my life, and if it must be, it will be my physical death. So be it. I will not budge when it comes to my Lord. Period.

Mental harassment

A chorus to one of my favorite songs:

I'm so far from what I wanna be
Oh, I really am my own worst enemy
Please don't let me get the better of me
Take this earthly thing and make it finally
Something heavenly, I wanna be heavenly.

The thing going through my head right now is the third line. Please don't let me get the better of me. Because if I do, it will be a train wreck on top of a Godzilla attack.

How can you think you have moved so far forward, but still be so horribly far away from anything you can be happy to accomplish? What sort of lofty goals does a person have to have if they are going to be complaining all the time! Yeah, I'm not that great. My goals aren't lofty. They are just for some...stability? Assuredness? I can sing 'Blessed Assurance" but can't bring myself to mean it. To this day and probably forever. Is that helpful, Lord? Keep me on my toes? Keep me desperate and despairing?

I understand to be any sort of useful to you Lord, I have to be completely trusting in You, completely reliant on You. If this is the way that works, I can't say I like it, but I'll take it over a half-assed life lived to you with more contentment for myself. Is this like Paul's thorn in the flesh? Thorn isn't the word I would use for it. This is a corkscrew to the brain, twisting in or out. Small moments of relief, or a heap of more disgust.

So, God can use mental cripples, because when He is using them, they aren't. The Holy Spirit makes me whole when I am swimming in Him, but when I'm not, I'm a drowning cripple.

Holy Pregnancy Hormones, Batman! Where are my Alanis Morissette cds when I need them? Let's go put on some black eyeliner, a black trenchcoat, practice scowling, and listen to The Cure. Then, after a good brood, we can get back to the important stuff, which is whatever God wants. Yeah, send me to my room. I would beat myself up if I wasn't me.

He gives me living water and I thirst no more- that's kinda a lie. I'm terribly thirsty, Lord. How, where, when can I get more of You? Agog!

And tomorrow I can look at this and be like, "Who hacked into my blog and was writing stupid emo junk?"

Whoa...you work quickly Lord. The song after the one I typed above:

I've lost all my earthly optimism
That it's all going to be alright
That the good will win this fight
Somewhere between youth and disappointments
The dream became despair, the love became a lie
Just now, I've reached the end of my line
Just now, I'm too tired to keep on trying
Hope it is rising, it's a sunrise for the end
Hope it is rising, and it's breathing for me again
Hope is rising Hope is rising, again

Wow. Do I have a secret switch that you just flip or something? How is it that easy? In half a moment I'm thumbing my nose at everything, and the next, the anticipation of Your Glory suddenly takes hold and I'm your faithful freak again. Seriously.

Well, I might as well go play with my kids since my mood has abruptly shifted in their favor. Come on, Lord, tell me. I'm much more fun when I'm pregnant, right? That's why you've made it so easy for us. Come on. Oh well. As long as you can use me, Lord, I'll deal.

Click...click...click!

That is the sound of the tumblers moving into place in my brain, and something is about to be unleashed. I love that feeling. I say that with as much trepidation as I do excitement. I'm scared as heck of what is coming around the horn, but here it comes so here we go.

The message is the same, always the same, so I know it's the right one. The delivery is where we have our issues. Oh, to stand there and be drowning in Spirit while saying to everyone- "Drown in the Spirit!"

To be this way is to be irrationally paranoid...writing that I realize that all paranoia is kind of irrational...I digress. To be paranoid of what God is doing. That is the irrational part. For how many verses can I go over..."I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." "Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not despair for I am your God." and so on and so forth. The Truth is all there. Adding me, the human element is what causes the anxiety. Which just goes to show the puny amount of faith I am running on. Wretch!

One day, we will stand before the Lord and hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Wanting to hear those words makes me feel like a brown-noser or something, even though I realize the stupidity of that thought. The line between my head and my heart is deep and very wide.

Even so, I will take these steps and speak the words, as the cliche goes, even if my voice trembles. I have no strength for this... but for the Lord's. Hold me up, Father. Take up when I let go. Of all the things I do from now until forever, may You be glorified, Lord!

Holy, holy, holy!!

Mountain valley mountain valley

Granted, morning sickness (or all-day-long sickness) and exhaustion are probably to blame for much of it- I am amazed how I can go to sleep with a smile and wake up with a giant crease in my brow. For no particular reason.

Well, maybe for a particular reason. After being on somewhat of a spiritual high, I get this feeling of being mocked. I don't know if I'm mocking myself, or if it is a spiritual attack from the enemy. "Ooooh, look at you, aren't you special, yeah, too bad this is all charades, right? You know you aren't producing fruit of any kind, so this was just another act in your play of life." I hate that voice. I want to physically start throwing punches and drop-kicks to get rid of it.

And then we try pleading, "God, what is this? How badly am I failing at hearing your Spirit? Please, do something- anything!"

Oh, I don't know. Everybody probably has their off days. Mine just happen to be on an every-other-day sort of schedule. How hard does one have to focus and concentrate to live fully in the Spirit all the time? Do not conform to this life...

Just call me Spaz. One day I'm ready to enflame things with the Spirit, the next day I'm swimming in ice water. Could this possibly actually be better than being one temperature all the time? God gets more work done in those sporadic days of spiritual drunkeness than if I was simmering all the time? I don't know. Luckily He knows what He is doing. Ack! Even trust is easier on some days rather than others.

Seriously, Lord, how is this helpful? I know, I know. Lean not on your own understanding. That seems to be the only words I'm getting from You these days. I'm an infant trying to have adult interactions with an infinite God that only wants my trust and obedience. This just makes the whole "end-of-time" thing more and more appealing.

Hurry, Jesus.

Baptism

Baptism is a weird thing for me. I was baptized as a baby, so it was confusing to learn about it the "right way". After coming so far (in my own mind, anyway) to be baptized now seemed so weird and backwards. But I was being pushed, cajoled into it by my infinitely more wise Lord. We'll just chalk it up to "lean not on your own understanding."

I wasn't expecting something overwhelming. I wasn't looking for that, anyway. I just wanted to obey. My best guess as to what I was going to gain? Clarity. I held on to that word until the day before I was baptized.

After a long day (9-5, nearly!) watching the baptismal fill up ever so slowly, being amongst church family, I drove home and got lost. Of all the things- I knew where I was, but the road just turned out to be much longer and out of the way than I imagined. With the boys asleep in the back, I was singing and grooving much like I always do when driving (2 hands on the wheel at all times, I promise) and I just started to think about baptism. The whole grand picture. As I ran through my head and leaped from one conclusion to another, the Lord literally picked up the word "clarity" from within my head and tossed it out. I have an actual picture of Him just chucking it right out my ear. In it's place He put "new beginning".

Not really what I was expecting. New beginning? Another one? Didn't I just have one of those a little bit ago? Apparently, that was my new beginning- this one was our new beginning- The Lord and me. Ours. I don't know what that is supposed to mean. Well, maybe I do.

To some extent, I still live my own life. I do my best to trust God and allow Him to lead, but there are many places He gets shut out- mostly the places I think I need to suffer with. Those areas that I have such distaste for, that I allow myself to wallow in that disgust...to keep myself humble. At least that's my idea.

Well, He's storming those walls.

I couldn't hear anything or say anything or think anything the moment I came out of the water. For some odd reason I felt like running- really fast, just all over the place. I don't know why, maybe to fill my lungs, make my heart beat fast, to really notice that, like my Lord, I was alive. ALIVE.

Then, to see each one after me, take the breath...what can I say that hasn't been said? It was all new, exciting. I anticipated more after than I did before. This really does feel like a new beginning, as cliche and odd as that is for me.

I am alive, and as long as I am, I belong to Christ- more than ever. All eyes on Him, all the time. My heart beats faster just thinking of Him and who He is to me. All I want is to see Him glorified, see Him smile. Every second of my life, to the best that I am able to give each second- for Him.

Holy, Holy, Holy. My God, My King!



Today I found myself
After searching all these years
And the girl that I saw, she wasn't at all who
I thought she'd be
I was lost when you found me here
And I was broken beyond repair
Then you came along and you sang your song over me
It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
In my life
Make a promise to me now
Reassure my heart somehow
That the love that I feel is so much more real than anything
I've a feeling in my soul
And I pray that I'm not wrong
That the life I have now, it is only the beginning
It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
It feels like I'm breathing
It feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
For the very first time
I wasn't looking for something that was more
Than what I had yesterday
Then you came to me and you gave to me
Life and a love that I've never known
That I've never felt before
It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
I'm living for the first time
It feels like I'm breathing
It feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
I'm living for the first time
In my life

Lean Not

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding."



I have been really thinking about the last part of that short verse of scripture. I have been thinking about how amazingly difficult it is to "lean not", and how we got into the predicament of having this constant sway toward our "own understanding". It's pretty much the beginning of all sin.



The way the world is now, we think our own understanding is pretty much A+, faultless and beneficial. To think of our own understanding as something rather crippling- I'm thinking I'd be considered, I don't know, lazy, blind, naive, silly, foolish...



However, to look at life and everything that we encounter in it, and to say, "Heck, I've got no clue, Lord. You tell me what to do," Isn't that what we are supposed to do? Why does it seem lazy or naive to trust God completely- and I mean really, totally, completely?



This is God, right? The one who knows how many times our hearts will beat today, our lung function, the blinking of our eyes. Who better to be in control? It seems obvious. But sin, aaaack!

I think our delusion comes from holding on to this life and this reality too tightly. We think God's ways are strange and scary because sometimes they just don't fit with our current realilty. But when you think of the fact that God is prepping us for eternity- well, some of His stuff may seem a bit more sensible? I don't know. Faith and trust are the keys, and they are not so easy.

Thank the Lord for the Holy Spirit, or nothing would get done around here!

What has come over us? What has us hypnotized? Why are we all so luke-warm? And WHY are we ok with it??

Why do we practice a "comfortable" level of submission to Christ? Why do we dare to consider ourselves "winning" the battle when we really haven't even stepped onto the field? We march around and around it, we make glorious speeches about it, but have we dirtied our boots?

I don't know if it's a problem in my own head, or if it really is the way I see it. I hope I'm just cynical and paranoid. Christianity has become less about the Spirit and more about...Christianity. We are mass-produced and sold like any self-help book. It's bland, tasteless, boring, sad. Maybe that is why this country is so backwards. We've lost so much taste that we're being spit out.

I want so much to be engulfed in flames- but not just me- the Church, too. More than myself I want the Church to start looking like the Body that it is. I mean, what is it right now? Where is it going, what is the Plan?

God, you know what you are doing, and I know you do have some kind of Plan. I'm impatient. I can't see a direction so I want to create one- that is Your job, not mine. I don't know what sort of destruction needs to go on before You build things up again. I'm clueless. Just point me in the right direction, Lord, and give me a shove. Your will be done as you see fit.

And He set me on fire, I am burning alive, with this breath in my lungs, I am coming undone.

I am guessing I will arrive at a moment in my life where I will seem like one of those weird homeless people pushing a grocery cart and randomly yelling out stuff, making everyone uncomfortable by my presence. I suppose I have resigned myself to the idea.

I feel a craziness coming on. No, craziness isn't quite the right word. But, whatever sort of off-kilter fringe-person I become, I know I have to become that person. Submission. I have to let this work be done so that the rest of the work can be done.

I know this, but I'm not exactly paving the way with roses and smiles. I am not clapping my hands and singing out, "Your will be done!" I'm fighting tooth and nail.

I am sure there will be some kind of balance. I won't be as nutty as my imagination is making me out to be. I just feel like I am about to jump off a cliff. God is moving so fast- hey aren't we usually saying, "In God's time" like we're supposed to be patient because He takes longer than we want? Yeah, this is the opposite. Spiritual methamphetamine.

I just hate not knowing, and I hate my brain for leaping ahead and scaring me off. God works for the good of those who love Him, right? Be still and know that I am God, right? Tell that to my brain, Lord! Can I have a time-out? Can I sit on the bench for a day or two?

I know the answer to that, and I know that while I am in this freaked-out stall, God's work within me is at it's peak. Is that irony? I think I'm on shut-down and all of a sudden I've moved forward. Your ways are not my ways, that's for sure. That is probably good, of course. I am a walking, talking time-bomb and I never know when God is going to push the trigger or cut the wires. I just get to feel the pressure and wait for the outcome. Trust in the outcome.

And He set me on fire, I am burning alive, with this breath in my lungs, I am coming undone- And I cannot hold it in, remain composed. Love's taken over me, so I propose- letting myself go. Letting myself go. I am letting myself go....

You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my JOY.

3

3)"The Harsh Version"- ok, it sounds harsh to me, but well, yeah. Harsh.

It is true that Americans are wealthier than any people, ever. That means you, you, you, and me, too. We are rich beyond our ability to comprehend poverty. Real poverty.

I’m afraid, however, that while we are rich financially, we have made ourselves poor spiritually. There is not a lot of room left in our hearts and minds for God when all of our needs are met, and met quite lavishly, as a matter of fact.

Many people have God in their lives, that is true, of course. But He is a supplement, an additional good-time guy we keep on hand for Christmas, the occasional tragedy, and a pat on the back when we feel like we need one. Christianity is a club for people with similar moral ideals and the same general belief structure. I am certainly over-generalizing here, but you know what I’m talking about, right?

We have been crippled. We are blind to our own desperate situation. The OT prophet Hosea wrote about Israel when she was acting quite similar to the United States. Check out chapter 13. He is talking about the people creating a religion to suit their tastes, their whim, whatever they fancied at the time. God’s response to this is not a pretty picture. He plans to show them just how desolate their souls are!

However, before God makes His move, He gives them a chance. “Come back to me!” He lays it all out for them, saying all they have to do is repent, come back, refocus and give their hearts, minds, bodies, souls back to the one who loves them more than they can possibly fathom!

What I am trying to tell you now is that God is calling us back in the same way. Telling us to put our trust in Him, not in our wealth, not in our government, not in our society, our technology, or anything that can be gone in the next gust of wind. God NEEDS to be our everything. Our first and only source of everything we could possibly need in this life. I mean this in all seriousness.

I do not know what our future holds, it could get very scary in this country because we are so used to our wealth, so crippled by our spoiled, lavish lifestyle. Things could unravel very quickly. God is telling us to be prepared. And the way to prepare is to seek Him, and seek Him with a passion and eagerness like never before.

God is our refuge, God is our supply. He fulfills our daily needs, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Nothing that you turn to in this world will provide for you in the way that God will. Seek Him FIRST, and seek Him NOW. Prepare.

God loves us, and I believe we are about to experience that love in an amazing way if we trust in Him. When the rough time starts- whatever that “rough time” entails, the ONLY way to make it through without despair, anguish, worry, fear- is to Trust in the Lord completely.

God did not promise us a cushy life with no trouble. He did promise us the strength to make it through any kind of trouble. We need to be counting on that and seeking Him at every moment. Starting now.

Sharp Truth that will cut through anything the world brings!

If I had a working memory, this one would be on the front lines right now!

Psalm 27
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?

2 When evil people come to devour me,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident.

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.

5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

6 Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
singing and praising the Lord with music.

7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!

8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

9 Do not turn your back on me.
Do not reject your servant in anger.
You have always been my helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me,
O God of my salvation!

10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close.

11 Teach me how to live, O Lord.
Lead me along the right path,
for my enemies are waiting for me.

12 Do not let me fall into their hands.
For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
with every breath they threaten me with violence.

13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.

14 Wait patiently for the Lord.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Backlog2

Version 2:

I have hesitated bringing this message to you all, believe me. I really don’t want you all looking at me with raised eyebrows, ready with a straight jacket and a free trip to the loony bin. So, yeah, I have hesitated, until God gave me this chunk of Truth from Ezekiel 33. Basically, it talks about the Lord giving His people a watchman. The watchman sees certain things happening and it is his duty to warn the people. If the watchman doesn’t warn the people and they perish, their death is on the head of the watchman. Yikes. Heavy stuff. I know.

Anyway, what I have decided is that whether or not you think I’m absolutely out there in lala land, I have to speak what I feel God is leading me to speak.

And here it is.

Things have been changing around here lately. The Spirit is moving at light speed, and if you have been able to tap into that spiritual energy, you know. There is definitely something going on. God is preparing us (as the Body)…for something.

There is also something going on in the rest of the world. Global financial unrest, our government throwing trillions of dollars at a problem that no one really knows how to solve, crazy people letting loose with guns in public places, ongoing war in the middle east, trouble in Mexico spilling over our borders, just one thing after another.

The first part of this message is the scary part. I can’t see the future, so I can’t say anything concrete, and I can only be extremely vague because I don’t truly know- I have my own feelings, but I can’t say they are any kind of revelation from God. However, the message is brace yourself. If you think this is bad, try putting things in a different perspective. Look at life in Haiti or Africa. A Third-World nation. If you can look at the life in a country like that, and say, “Oh, that’s not so bad…” well, then, you have braced yourself.

The second part of the message is this: When you brace yourself, brace yourself with the mighty Spirit of God. Whatever comes, we MUST cling to God. And the clinging begins NOW. God is calling us to attention. He is demanding our full devotion and submission and obedience. Not for His sake, but for ours.

If you have been living half a Christian life, putting Christ in only certain areas and leaving Him out of other areas- that will not help you when the tough times come.

God is our all in all. Truly, completely our everything. He will provide for all our needs. Keep your eyes focused on Him, build yourself up in faith, seek God at all times! This is imperative. If you cannot fortify yourself- spiritually, emotionally- with the Spirit, then you will surely not be able to handle a worst-case-scenario.

I suppose that would be like a warning. Get ready. Get ready spiritually. Call upon the Spirit to be your fortress, your strong tower. Why? Because we have a job. Check out 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. Because we have Christ, we have that peace that passes all understanding. We must live that way so people will see Christ at work in the world, particularly when everything else seems to be crumbling. So, we must cultivate a life completely submitted and trusting in Christ- first and foremost, not simply as a garnish! Jesus must be our ENTIRE LIFE, truly, completely, FOR REAL. Jesus is not a supplement to our lives. HE IS LIFE! WE must seek to live our lives completely for Him, and we must work toward that NOW. You know the verse: Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and ALL ELSE WILL BE ADDED unto you. God first, and everything else will come together! TRUST in that!

But in addition to the warning, I offer this: Your faith will be rewarded. If you are steadfast, if you cling to God and trust Him completely, even as things look terribly hopeless- Keep your hope alive in Christ! The life we are living now is short. Our real life awaits. REAL LIFE! With God! Nothing that happens here in this life- no amount of suffering will compare with the glory that will be revealed in us. Hold on to that hope. Read those verses in the Bible and remember them, for the truth within them is strength from God Himself. He will take care of us to the extent that we could never imagine right now. He will be glorified and we will all witness His glory!

So, Do not fear, for He is with us. Do not despair, for HE IS OUR GOD!!!

The Backlog Part 1

This is the stuff I've been working on over the past few weeks while without internet access. I've written the same thing various ways, trying to figure out the best way to get the message across...and, to try to glean the actual message, as well! A lot of this is the same stuff over and over, so I know that is kind-of the important stuff. I'm assuming, anyway. I don't know. It'll get worked out.
Version 1:

There is no area of our lives that God should not be involved in. In fact, the time has come for Christians to truly live up to their namesake. Seeking, following, trusting Christ. Living out the will of God should be our central focus, not something on the sidelines. Not something to supplement our lives, but to BE our lives.

It is easy to begin a life with Christ, to be full-throttle for a little while, but to slide back into a regular life, separating each facet of our lives into areas where God fits in, and where He doesn’t. Today, I am telling you that it is imperative to end that kind of thinking. Scripture says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Key word: ALL.

It is time to rededicate yourself to a life led by God. Your ENTIRE life. Every single aspect, from the smallest silly detail, to the hugest problem or crisis. There is no half-way with God. It’s all or nothing. We must not be lukewarm.

Why has God placed this so heavily on my heart? I believe/feel a time is coming when life will cease to be so easy for us. This life we lead as Americans is not guaranteed. We are not invincible, we are not immune to poverty, hunger, or any kind of struggle- those things we incorrectly assume only exist in other “Third World” countries. God knows what the future holds for us as a church body. He is telling us to hunker down under His strength- to hold fast to His Word, His promises, His love. The time to do this is NOW.

I am not trying to predict the future- I don’t know what will happen. All I know is that God wants our full attention- not for His sake, but for ours. We must begin to lean on Him for all things. God cares even for the sparrows- they have food and warmth and comfort. We, too, have these things- not by our own abilities or wealth, but by the grace of God, who gives generously. It is time to trust God with all our needs, all our fear, all our problems, all our anxiety and insecurities. We are His children and He will take care of us, He loves us extravagantly- but we must seek Him, trust Him, obey and submit to Him if we are going to stand firm in times of trouble. If we are foreigners to the workings of the Spirit, how will we be able to lean on Him when all hope seems lost?

It is not the time to put this off. Cultivating a rock-solid relationship with God, trusting the Holy Spirit in all things needs to be priority #1, because nothing else will stand up to the sort of tribulation that we may have to face in the future. God is telling us to throw the meaningless details of life aside and reach for Him and Him alone. “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.”

Whether or not you believe you are already putting the Lord first in your life, please take this to heart and know that I feel so strongly about this message. The Lord is calling us to attention. He is seeking out His people- people with hearts burning for Him, longing to see His will unfold. Rekindle your passion for God- let it be the desire and direction for your entire life. Ask the Spirit to sow a new enthusiasm that will not fade. Read His Word, speak to Him in prayer, fellowship with brothers and sisters, and worship the Lord who loves us so! I know that whatever the future may hold, in all things, the Lord works for the good of those who love Him. Rely on that truth, and cultivate an unwavering faith and commitment to our Savior and One True Love, Jesus.

Oh, JOY!

God's ways are strange. While I trust them as much as I can without understanding what is going on, I often feel very...tossed up in the air? You know, scrambling about in mid-air with nothing to grab on to, seeing the various spots back on earth where I can be smashed into the ground, yet still knowing that somehow God is holding me up and will catch me if I think I'm really, truly falling.

Ok, maybe that's too much analogy. I'm rusty. Even my typing is bad at the moment.
What I'm trying to get across is this: When you find yourself in the midst of pretty much your worst-case-scenario type of event, call on the Spirit. The Spirit will help you keep your head above water so you can do this: COUNT ON God's blessings. Get ready to be staggered by His love for you. Prepare yourself for a joy that speaks directly to your heart, so that other people may be like, "well, yeah, I guess that is nice after you've gone through such a tough time" but you will be like, "Don't you SEE? My God has blessed me beyond compare! This joy far outshines those bleaker moments!"

I wouldn't dare compare any situation I've ever been in to Job's situation. However, I would suggest modeling yourself after him. The tougher the situation, the more we can immerse ourselves in God. He is our salvation, our hope, our JOY. And He will prove it!

This blessing I've been given- may it glorify my Lord and open the eyes and hearts of those who doubt my infinitely almighty loving Father!