He is Anxiously Waiting

A few days ago I watched JD become very excited when Kevin came home.  JD ran from window to door and back again with his tail wagging furiously waiting for Kevin to come in.  JD was overcome with anticipation for Kevin to be home.  When the outside door opened, JD's nosed went to the laundry room door in excited anticipation... waiting... waiting...  Finally, Kevin walked in!  JD ran circles around the room, jumped up to say hi, and grabbed his ball to play.  He was overjoyed for Kevin to be there.  We have had JD for nine years and everyday it is the same.

God anxiously waits for us in a similar way.  The anxious waiting stems from love.  God cannot wait for us to come home.  He goes from window to window looking for us.  Sometimes He opens the door to peer out. Then finally, there we are.  We are making the decision to enter into a relationship with Him, to come home.  He watches us make the decision and move forward to the door.  He stands at the door waiting for us.  He is so excited.  He can't believe this moment has come!  Our hand is on the doorknob... and then we open our heart to Him.  We invite Him into our hearts and He invites us into a new life.  He is overjoyed.  He embraces us; laughs with us; cries with us.  He is ready to play.  It is time to begin the adventure.

It is the same scenario everyday.  At the moments when we pick sin, God steps back.  Though we feel far from God, He is waiting for us to come back home.  The unconditional love for us is what keeps Him at the windows and door watching and waiting.  Every time we return, He is ready to greet us with explosion, an embrace and a hug.  We can always return home.

What If You Had Only 30 Days to Live?

Six and a half years ago I underwent minor surgery to have melanoma removed from the right side of my face.  Thankfully it was superficial, no risk of it metastasizing, and no recurrences since them.  However, the week that I had to wait for the results was very long.  I had a 3 month old little girl at that time and I kept thinking, "What will I do if the results come back more severe?"  Though I thought about it for some time, I never made plans of what I would do.  Prompted by this weekend's church service, a similar question has resurfaced.  If I had only 30 days to live what would I do?  What would I stop doing?

One of the things that I would do is to do my best to point my daughter to Jesus so that she would have the opportunity to become the woman God designed her to be.  I also know that I would love Kevin everyday in ways that will cause him to never doubt my love for him.  I would record more of my thoughts and feelings.  I would stop complaining and stop being timid.  I would stop sleeping away hours of the day.  I would not put a priority on things that are simply not important.  I would sell everything, downsize and live somewhere cozy and comfortable. 

So, how does all of this translate to now?  Other than knowing that one day God will call me home, I have no reason to believe that I have only 30 days to live.  But how can I use this list and truly live life on purpose now?

I can...
... invest in Kelly every day in such a way that she begins to pursue Jesus and the life she was made for.
... express my love to Kevin in ways that really speak to him.
... journal and blog more often.  Write and teach what God places on my heart.
... stop being timid and speak the words God gives me.
... stop complaining.  It is a waste of energy.
... get up earlier and at a set time each day.
... make our home warm, inviting, cozy, comfortable, and filled with love.
... place priority on what is really important and do only what God sets out for me to do.

If you had only 30 days left to live, what would you do?

God at Our Fingertips

I am so thankful that I was born in a country that allows freedom of religion and worship.  Last week during the Global Leadership Summit sponsored by Willow Creek Association, I heard a story of an Ethiopian pastor who had been severly persecuted due to his work in spreading the Gospel.  The government became so annoyed with him that they attempted to execute him via electric chair two times.  Both times the surge of electricity shorted the electrical currents in the town and the pastor walked away unharmed.  After the second attempt his persecutors were so irritated that they released him.  A short while later he encountered an American missionary who had heard about what was going on.  The American said that he would pray for the Ethiopian pastor, and the pastor said he would pray for the American Christians.  The American missionary began to walk away but then asked why the Ethiopian pastor would pray for American Christians.

The Ethiopian responded, "You tell me that there is a church on practically every street corner in America but lots of people don't attend."  "Yes," the missionary responded.  "We meet during the darkness of night in the valley so that we can fully worship," the pastor returned.

The Ethiopian pastor continued, "You tell me that lots of people own 7 or 8 Bibles in their home.  We had one Bible but I torn it apart so that we would not be killed for owning a Bible.  I gave portions of it to our people to memorize and then destory.  Now when I am preaching, if God tells me to use scripture from Isaiah 58 I ask for that scripture and the person who knows it will stand and recite it.  You tell me that Americans don't pray everyday.  We pray all day because we know that only God can get us through one day and the next."  The American missionary simply responded, "Yes.  Please pray for us."

It is so amazing to me that we live in such a place that allows us to have God at our fingertips.  We have the opportunity to fully come to know Him through scripture, church, and open worship.  Yet so few of us truly know who He is.  We have churches on every street corner but none are full during worship services and many sit as vacate buildings. More people are dying that giving their lives to Christ every day.  Do we not know God more fully because we are so consumed with our own lives?  Are we concerned about our comfort that we forget to worship?  Do we clutch our lives and everything around us so much that we refuse to relinquish control to the One person who has the best plans for us?  Why don't more people give their lives over to Christ and walk in an eternal relationship with Him?  Christians, what are we doing wrong?

I strongly believe and do not doubt that the local Church is the hope of the world.  The Church is the only institution entrusted with the redeeming message of Jesus.  Church, it's time that we start getting this right.  With all of the freedom afforded to us, let's lead more people to Jesus and reveal to them the transformational power of His grace.

The Presence of God

Last week I was reading some old journals and I came across an entry that I was concerned about a friend's view on religion.  This friend was not convinced that there was a hell.  He proceeded to explain that hell will exist after the world ends but does not exist now.  Through all of the church background that I have and the religion classes that I have taken, I don't think I could explain to you what hell would be geographically.  I do believe that when a person dies, they will spend eternity in the presence of God or completely outside of the presence of God.  To me, spending eternity outside of the presence of God is enough to claim that a hell does exist. 
Each day provides us with an opportunity to live in the presence of God.  Even if we choose to continue our existence upon this earth denying God and turning our backs on Him, we still get to live in His presence.  There is a multitude of objects on this earth that is testimony to His existence...  from the beauty of plants to the everyday gifts that He knows will speak to the core of our hearts.  Additionally, God will spend every moment possible pursuing us with the hope that one day we will turn our lives and hearts to Him and begin living in the relationship that He designed us for.  However, if we continue to deny God that relationship and cease to exist in this life, He will deny us in the next.  Time is up...  the clock has stopped ticking... it has come to an end and the denial of allowing God into our lives will move us into an eternal existence without Him.  We will be outside of His presence forever.  There will be no more beauty, no more gifts, and no more pursuit.  Time is up...  it is done.

I don't know about you but the thought of living outside of the presence of God is enough to convince me that hell does exist and it exists right now.  It completely breaks my heart to know that people truly do spend eternity apart from God. I am so thankful that I will not have to experience what it would be like.  Everyday my life is filled with hope and grand expectations because I know that God is right there with me and we are walking hand in hand.  It is my heart's desire that everyone gets to experience God in close and intimate ways.

An Old Testament Perspective

A big goal that I have for this year is to read the Bible through.  I think I am doing fairly well.  :)  I have progressed nicely through the Old Testament and am almost to the end of Numbers.  The one thing that I have really noticed is that there were a lot of laws and rules about how to worship God and how to present offering and atone for our sins.  Quite honestly, I'm not sure I would have remembered all of the laws and the way to present offerings.  I'm sure my day would have went something like...

"Do I take 4 goats or 5 goats for this offering?  Shoot...  I only have a cup of flour instead of a quarter for this offering.  And did I just touch something that was considered unclean?  I don't remember if I'm suppose to leave camp for 3 days or 5 days until I'm considered clean again.  And do I take my offerings into the Tent of Meeting or leave them outside?  {sigh}"

I am so grateful that we no longer have to follow the laws that were presented to the early tribe of Israel.  I am certain that the laws and rituals would have gotten in the way of my relationship with God.  And, I am so grateful that Jesus came to fulfill the law.

Last night I found out that the father of a high school friend passed away.  There is no doubt that this man is now in heaven.  I was thinking about that this morning when it occurred to me that this man is now standing face to face with Jesus.  He is now in the presence of the One who fulfilled the law.  He is getting to walk and talk with the Man who became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins so that we no longer have to present multiple offerings and so that we don't have to pay the price for our sins.  He is with the Son who loves all of us so much that He agreed to go to the cross so that we could live in an intimate relationship with our Father.

To me this is amazing and beautiful.  I look forward to the day when I get to be face-to-face with Jesus...  the One who sacrificed His life so that I could live in a relationship with my Father and not be bound by rules, laws and rituals.

... one-hit wonder...

It has occurred to me that one-hit wonders are among the best songs ever done. Some of the most popular include "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Conner, "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus, and "Mickey" by Toni Basil. I'm sure you can list a lot more. There are some one-hit wonders that I have come across that I didn't even realize were one-hit wonders... the songs were just that good. A reason why one-hit wonders are so great is because the artists invested a lot of time and all of their creative energy into that one song. They poured everything they had into that one song making it to the charts.

God also recently showed me that I spent a lot of my life afraid that I would be a one-hit wonder. I remember even asking the question internally, "Will I be remembered if I am not selected as a senior superalative?" when I was a senior in high school. The main objective of earning excellent grades in school was to achieve awards... to advance... to be made known.  I worked hard.  I spent a lot of time earning good grades, completing applications, and becoming a leader in clubs and associations.  And... I was tired.  I was worn out.  But I was really afraid that no one would know me or remember me when my time passed.

Was it worth it?  Not really.  I was working so hard to impress people.  I was trying to live up to standards and expectations that were unrealistic and truly never met.  What I was missing out on all that time was doing the work that God had before me.  That is really all that matters.  I wish that all of my hard work had resulted in at least one life that was changed.  To know that I had an influence on one life would have made a difference, even if that person never remembers who I am.  I have changed over the years and I now pay more attention to the work that God has before me.  I believe that by doing so I have had influence in someone's life, even helping them cross over from death to life.  And, I know that in God's book, I am more than a one-hit wonder.

Hearing God's Voice

There were a few times in my life when I certainly heard God's voice...

When I was 18, during vespers at a church camp, I heard God's calling on my life. I am to serve Him and His Church. During my college years I could feel His presence as if He was giving me a hug or just a peaceful reassurance. On September 8, 2006 I became a whole-hearted follower of Jesus. Since then, God has spoken to me in ways that I never imagined possible. He has revealed Himself in scripture, in journaling, through nature, and audibly.

I heard God speak a number of times since 9/8/06. So many times and so clearly that I asked Kevin if I was going crazy. In November 2007 I heard Jesus ask, "So, you want to walk with me?" I know that this was not a statement that I formed on my own in my head. My thoughts before this statement were anything but this. The question was clear. Was I going crazy?

In his book The Barbarian Way, Erwin McManus statest that hearing the voice of God is not something that happens audibly, but it is an experience from within. The times that I heard God speak, it was such an impression on my heart that I heard His words in my head. It is a beautiful and amazing experience. An experience that you want to remember and preserve.

And, when God speaks, you really want to respond. Follow His voice. Obey His commands. Answer His question. Jeremiah 29:11 states that God has huge plans for us. Plans that were made long before we were born. God reveals His plans when He speaks to us. Trust me. You want to listen.