Tag Archives: god

Encouragement

Today

Leave a comment

Today I allow myself to stop doing, running, and chasing. The world can continue on without me for today. I will be back tomorrow. Today I allow myself to check out, to unplug, to disconnect. Today I allow myself to dream, to travel just a bit down the road of what if. Today I collect one more year, one more uncelebrated birthday.  Today is a day of remembrance, but there are no memories to hold onto.  Today there are no photo albums to pour through.  Today there are no firsts to cheer on.  Today is only a whisper of what could have been, a mother’s dreams for her unborn child.  Today marks 12 years since I last held my son.

Today, and everyday I have left on this earth, I will continue to encourage you, to implore you, to seek God in your pain.  He is the true healer, the breath of hope, the peace for a tormented soul, the very life-giving force that allows me to survive and continue on past today and all of the “todays” of years past.  Through death and disease, He is my joy.  Without Jesus’ love for me and the promises that He makes me for today and eternity, I would be a bitter, miserable person.

Not everyday is good.  I am human, my heart has been broken, over and over again.  Tears flood my eyes, pain floods my soul.  I am not immune to life, that isn’t what Christianity is all about.  It isn’t a protection from struggle and trial.  It isn’t about plastering on a fake smile and pretending that everything is ok. It isn’t about religion or rules.  It is about having a relationship with the Creator, leaning into the Comforter, allowing your Father to take your hand and rescue you from today, tomorrow, and even yesterday.  It’s about resting in a faith that says this isn’t it.  This broken, sorrow-filled world is not where this story ends.   You may call me delusional, you may think my beliefs are faulty, but no matter what you think, you cannot take from me the very real peace, assurance, and joy that I am able to live everyday with in spite of anything life throws at me.  And Christ is the very foundation of those things. The hope, joy, peace, and strength you see in me are there only because God has provided them.  Particularly on days like today.

With that, I want to share this song by Tenth Avenue North.  Music speaks to my soul unlike anything else has ever been able to and their song, “Worn” is so powerful and beautifully written.  Please take a moment to watch/listen to it.

Today, if you are tired of living “worn” my prayer is that you will ask God to flood your eyes so that you can see redemption, ask that He would flood your soul so you can know His rest.  Take that first step towards a relationship with him.  If you have questions, please contact me.  I would love nothing more than to share this gift with you.  Especially today…

Run and Be Still

It’s a book trailer…

Leave a comment

buynow

Run and Be Still Books now available in soft cover and hardback!

Plus, through Wed 10/23 take an additional 10% off with code BOOKTRAILERWP1013!

Things have been busy lately (to put it mildly.)  Tonight, I am excited to share my newest project with you, the book trailer, in addition to offering my WordPress readers a special discount.  Enjoy and thanks for reading!

A Challenge

There are two k…

Quote Leave a comment

There are two kinds of Christians: those who say to God “Thy will be done” and then those who say to God, “All right then, have it your way.”

This was based off of a C.S. Lewis quote that I misread yesterday. As I was preparing to share it this morning I realized that I had read it wrong. Because the wrong version really struck a chord with me I have shared my version. It made me stop and think, what do we say to God, what message does our attitude and action convey, when we are faced with situations or circumstances that we don’t like? For just a moment today think about how you would answer that question. What is the condition of my heart, that of a humble servant or that of a spoiled child?

Encouragement

Just Say No

Aside Leave a comment

20131004-172228.jpg
“Raise your hand if you’re overwhelmed. Raise your hand if you think you might finally get down to just whelmed sometime after the second zombie apocalypse. Raise your hand if you’d like a break. Raise your hand if you think that break is just never going to come. Now raise your hand if all the chainsaws you were juggling just took turns slicing off your earlobes because you had your hands in the air waving at me.”

I read this this week while sitting in the waiting room at a doctors office and it nearly made me laugh out loud. Overwhelmed? I am pretty sure I’ve got the corner on that market. The reason I was sitting in the doctors office? I was supposed to have a monthly blood test a week ago on Friday and it wasn’t until Tuesday morning that I realized that I had completely missed and forgot about it. My head is so full of stuff that things are absolutely beginning to fall through the cracks. Things that are very, very important. I have spread myself so thin that no one is getting much more than a partial effort because unfortunately, that’s all I have to give.

So, a couple of things today. First, just say no! This is something that I really struggle with but I am telling you, as much as reminding myself, that it is ok to say no. In fact, it is imperative to your sanity. You cannot be everything to everyone, I am sorry to inform you. I often am reminded of this the hard way, by crashing and burning. I read this in Rick Warren’s “What On Earth Am I Here For?” and it was the permission I was looking for in order to say no with less guilt. “Knowing your purpose simplifies your life. Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate which activities are essential and which aren’t. It is impossible to do everything people want you to do. You have just enough time to do God’s will. If you can’t get it all done, it means you’re trying to do more than God intended for you to do. If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Prune away even good activities and do only that which matters most. Never confuse activity with productivity. You can be busy without a purpose, but what’s the point? Paul said, ‘Let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us.’ (Philippians 3:15 msg). Again, it’s ok to say no, even to good things, even to Godly things. “If you find yourself a bit irritated or overwhelmed its a sign that you’re spending less time with God and more time with this world.”

Secondly, I wanted to share an analogy about glass and rubber balls. Let me paraphrase…Everything in your life is a ball. Some are rubber balls, and some are glass balls. It’s your job to determine which are which and handle them as such. Rubber balls, if dropped, will bounce right back up, none the worse for wear. Glass balls, however, will shatter if dropped. So you need to figure out which balls you’re juggling, and how many of each, and make sure that if you’re going to drop a ball, that it bounces back up to you and not shatter to pieces.

I don’t know how your week has been but I KNOW I need to remember, cease striving…be still…know God. That is the only way the rest if this crazy life makes any sense!

Run and Be Still

Oh! Happy Day!

2 Comments

20130930-202445.jpg
AMEN! The day has arrived and I have a real book in my hand! What an unbelievable feeling of achievement but I am also humbled beyond belief at what God has accomplished already through this. It’s been an adventure and I have a feeling it is only the beginning. Books will begin shipping 10/7/13. To pre-order an author signed copy or learn more about the book visit our bookstore or the Run and Be Still book page.

I have had this quote marked for a long time because I loved it. Today, I leave you with it…

If someone writes a great story, people praise the author, not the pen. People don’t say, “Oh what an incredible pen…Where can I get a pen like this so I can write great stories?” Well, I am just a pen in the hands of The Lord. He is the author. All praise should go to Him.

A Challenge

If…Then

Leave a comment

happines

I have a question for you today.  What would you say most people spend their days longing for?  Happiness? Where would you find happiness?  In success?  How do you define success?  Would you find contentment in more money, time, or possessions? Is your joy held captive under someone else’s power? In search of unconditional love have you given away the keys to your kingdom?

Like a junkie, in need of a fix, we compromise what we hold dear, we give away the very best parts of us, in search of love, happiness, contentment.  If I just have this person’s love or approval, this possession, this amount in my bank account, you fill in the blank, then I will be happy.  I promise you, if the “this” that you are searching for is found anywhere but at the foot of the cross you will keep searching. Your “if, then” statement will never be complete.  People will let you down, there will always be something newer, shinier, and fancier to lust after, there won’t be enough hours in the day to climb the ladder of corporate prestige.

There is a bible verse that I bet we have all heard Luke 12:34, wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.  I challenge you today to look again at that verse and commit it to heart knowledge instead of just head knowledge.  To do that, answer this question for a quick litmus test.  What is the last thing you are thinking about when you go to bed and the first thing you think of in the morning? That will begin to tell you where your treasure is.  I am not saying that you have to be super spiritual, we all have things on our minds and hearts that weigh heavy on us at times and become overwhelming. God wants to share in all of these things with us.  He wants us to treasure a relationship with Him.  We need to begin to allow God a voice in our day, in our thoughts, in our plans. Begin to take back control of your life from those external circumstances that we have no control over.  Allow Him to open your eyes to true joy, contentment, and love.  I heard a great quote this week from Matt Chandler.  “You will live your life or it will live you.”

So today, I ask you again.  What do you spend your days longing for? What do you treasure?

Still Moments

An empty wagon

1 Comment

20130921-075314.jpg

He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. (Psalms 23:2b, 3a NKJV)

Still waters, in Hebrew, “waters of rest.”

Still waters run deep…a quiet or placid manner that may conceal a more passionate nature.

I came across a saying while reading recently that I had never heard before. An empty wagon rattles most. I would be willing to bet that you can think of at least one person that embodies an empty wagon, reverberating noise bouncing around. Lots of fluff, not a lot of depth. These people tend to wear me out. They listen, not with the intent to understand, but instead with the intent to reply. This is the antithesis of still waters.

My husband and I have told our children many, many times, “You know, it is ok, not to talk.” They begin rattling on and on in the silence, feeling the need to fill it up. What is it that people fear in silence? What are we really afraid of hearing there? Why do people resist spending time quietly in the presence of God? Michelle McKinney Hammond says, “It’s amazing how many people say, ‘I don’t like being quiet, because when I get really quiet, I have to deal with myself.’ What they are really saying is at they don’t want to deal with the voice of God beginning to reveal things that need to be changed or rearranged in their lives. Intimacy automatically breeds change in our lives. When we don’t want to change and we want to just keep everything the way it is, we keep running from ourselves and from the voice of God. We get caught up in the busyness of life until we crash and burn. When we spend time in the presence of God and learn to really be still and listen, we hear Him saying, ‘I am Peace. I am Provision. Ultimately, I am God. I’ve got your back. I’ve got this situation in the palm of My hand.’ ”

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.(1 Kings 19:11-12)

If we can sift through all of the other noise and allow the quiet into our lives we will suddenly understand the rest and refreshment available beside the still waters. It may require us to examine some painful areas in our lives that we would rather ignore but in that quiet we will also find healing and grace. We will begin to find something deeper, something more meaningful than white noise. Those deep, still waters, have quieted many an empty wagon rattling along life’s surfaces.

Encouragement

I wish I may, I wish I might…

Aside Leave a comment
pray impossible
Don’t just pray about what seems logical and possible. Pray hard about the impossible. God will show you that NOTHING, nothing, nothing, nothing is impossible with Him. Ever. Period. End of Story.

You make beautiful things out of the dust. (Gungor, Beautiful Things)

I am fascinated lately by this imagery, Glorious Ruins, life from the ashes, beauty springing forth from destruction.  I guess this is what hope is, if you had to put a label on this picture.  But in my mind, this is bigger than that.  Hope is defined as “a wish to get or do something, or for something to happen or be true, especially something that seems possible or likely.”  What I am talking about is a hope that is bigger than a wish.  A belief in the impossible!   Hope that is only possible through the hand of God, our Father.  Who else can take a story of death and disease and turn it beautiful.  Not me, not without God.  Who else can repair relationships that are damaged beyond our ability to communicate? Only through God.  He is the one who can get to the “heart” of the matter.  We can’t change others, we can’t fix them, our love isn’t enough.  But God’s is.  He is the perfecter of love and He wields the power to change the unchangeable.  Nothing is to big for God!

Sometimes we have to see things torn apart around us, we ourselves have to be torn down,  before we can spring forth, emerging stronger and more beautiful.  God’s hand in this process repairs us, so that even if our situation doesn’t change, we will still shine brilliantly, reflecting His love.  A lighthouse in the middle of the storm, guiding others to Him through that light of love. But being broken hurts, and healing, is a slow and painful process.

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them– the LORD, who remains faithful forever” (Psalm 146:5,6).

Where is your hope springing forth from today?  Maybe a better question, the first question, is do you have hope?  Are you listening to a world that tells you to make wishes on stars and put your faith in the things that seem likely? Or in a God who says “Dream the impossible.  I love to answer big prayers in big ways.”  Those big miraculous answers are the answers that  are unmistakably from the hand of God.  In answering our big prayers, in bringing forth life from the ruins, His glory shines brighter.  Today, put your hope in God, not the things of this world.   Allow Him to have control,  not only of your situation, but also your heart, and then have the faith that He will not disappoint you!

Father God, You know my every desire and wish.  You know the secrets of my heart.  You know that sometimes I am afraid to hope for the impossible because of my fear of disappointment or failure.  Please help me to continue to put my hope in you and my fuel my faith in Your miraculous power.  Help me to remember, no matter how big or small Your answer to my prayer, it is exactly right in Your plan for my life. When things seem to be falling apart around me, help me to remember that this hasn’t slipped by without your knowledge.  You are the giver of life, and I will cling to Your promise of restoration and wholeness, even in the midst of the ruins, knowing that if it is Your sovereign plan, goodness and growth will spring forth from it.  I know your Word says you have big plans for me, good plans for me.  That you are able to do immeasurably more than I ask or even imagine.  Please Lord, plant in me the seeds of longing for Your plans.  Help the dreams I dream, be rooted and aligned in Your will, and help me not to sell them short for fear of the impossible.  I pray all of this in your holy, powerful, life-giving name. Amen.

Encouragement

Glorious Ruins

Aside 1 Comment

20130917-190347.jpg

I am like a little kid waiting on Christmas morning.  The very first, hard-copy proof of my book will be delivered any day now and I am so excited!  I stalk the mailman, waiting and watching to see what they will have for me each day. Seeing this “project” through to completion over a decade has been such a personal journey.  Sharing in such a transparent way has been a very significant step in growing my faith, one which doesn’t come naturally.  (And it continues through the hand of my Lord, as I ramble and rant on my virtual home here.)  This feels very much to me like the ruins coming to life, rising up from the ashes and destruction.  Something beautiful and encouraging coming to life out of disease and death.  The picture painted in Isaiah 61.  “Just as the ashes, symbolic of mourning and loss, are transformed into a crown of beauty. God works our struggles into beautiful stories of good triumphant over evil. When we are shattered, God lovingly restores our lives, putting our brokenness together again.  When the harsh desert sun beats down, we find shelter in God’s protective span.  It is time to turn up the volume on the powerful message of hopeful chaos, beautiful ashes and glorious ruins.  When we ask, “Where are you, God?” we’ll surely see that our loving Father is right here with us as we are revived in a salvation story of redemption and restoration.” (Glorious Ruins Small Group Study excerpt) AMEN!

I want to share with you the passage of scripture that I have hid in many times when life has gotten to be too much.  Use it as the basis to form your own cry to God for redemption and refuge and rescue.  Cease striving and allow the words of Psalm 91 to soothe your weary soul…

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”