I have decided to read the entire Bible this year. I am doing... ok... with it. I really wish it was something that I picked to do every day. Maybe over time it will. We'll see. :)
I am reading the book of Exodus right now. I am familiar with the story of Moses and Israel's slavery to the Egyptians from years of Sunday School and watching movies such as The Ten Commandments and The Prince of Egypt. But there is something different when it comes from reading the story straight from the Bible... it becomes more... it becomes alive. And God has revealed some new things to me from reading this story straight from His Word.
Moses was probably the most unlikely leader. No one would have picked him to lead Israel out of Egypt. He would have been the last kid picked during gym class. He grew up as Pharoah's grandson -- none of his own people would like him. He killed a man -- an act punishable by death. He met God on holy ground one day... and completely argued with Him. But God reassured Moses that he was made for the task. Moses leaves and meets with Pharoah commanding him to let his people go. Pharoah refuses and increases the work of the Israelites. Moses turns to God and asks why He was working against his people. In Exodus 7:3-5 God answers, "But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. This I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out my people of Israel from among them." The Egyptians would not see Israel's freedom as a work of Pharaoh or even Moses, but as a work of God. Moses agreed to allow God to use him for His glory. God was revealed because Moses said yes to the work to be done.
On the surface, Moses was an unlikely leader. In the end, he was the most likely leader. Why? Because he spent time with God... he listened to God... he was real with God... he obeyed God... and he believed God.
When God calls you to something, do you believe Him or do you argue with Him? YOU really are the most likely leader.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Happy vs. Joy
Per Webster's dictionary:
happy (adjective) -- enjoying or characterized by well-being or contentment
joy (noun) -- the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires
Happy and joy are truly two different words. One is an adjective -- it describes something. The other is a noun -- something that you can have. Although I believe that many of us do realize that happy and joy are not the same thing, we invariably confuse the two words. A person can have joy without exhibiting happiness. However, a person may not exhibit happiness without possessing joy. True joy does not come from external, material things, but it comes from deep within.
True joy that can mark our lives comes from the relationship that we have with our heavenly Father. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. When we make the eternal transaction with Jesus, giving our old lives to Him in exchange for the life originally intended for us, we begin to live in the Spirit. When we live in the Spirit, we will possess the fruits of the Spirit. Living in a relationship with Jesus allows us to have a deep and abiding joy. It is not a type of joy that makes us giddy and perky, but a joy that provides us with a hope... a hope that nothing is impossible with God. We can have this joy even in the deepest moments of sorrow and when we weather the strongest storm of our lives. But it is a joy that provides us with the hope that God will see us through and that He really does catch us in the fall.
You really can examine your life and note if you truly walk with an uncircumstantial joy. Does your happiness extend from a joy that is based on a relationship with our Heavenly Father? Or does your happiness and joy come from what is happening in the moment? Living with the solid joy of hope is truly the only place you will ever want to be.
happy (adjective) -- enjoying or characterized by well-being or contentment
joy (noun) -- the emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires
Happy and joy are truly two different words. One is an adjective -- it describes something. The other is a noun -- something that you can have. Although I believe that many of us do realize that happy and joy are not the same thing, we invariably confuse the two words. A person can have joy without exhibiting happiness. However, a person may not exhibit happiness without possessing joy. True joy does not come from external, material things, but it comes from deep within.
True joy that can mark our lives comes from the relationship that we have with our heavenly Father. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. When we make the eternal transaction with Jesus, giving our old lives to Him in exchange for the life originally intended for us, we begin to live in the Spirit. When we live in the Spirit, we will possess the fruits of the Spirit. Living in a relationship with Jesus allows us to have a deep and abiding joy. It is not a type of joy that makes us giddy and perky, but a joy that provides us with a hope... a hope that nothing is impossible with God. We can have this joy even in the deepest moments of sorrow and when we weather the strongest storm of our lives. But it is a joy that provides us with the hope that God will see us through and that He really does catch us in the fall.
You really can examine your life and note if you truly walk with an uncircumstantial joy. Does your happiness extend from a joy that is based on a relationship with our Heavenly Father? Or does your happiness and joy come from what is happening in the moment? Living with the solid joy of hope is truly the only place you will ever want to be.
Friday, April 2, 2010
What I Know...
When I was pregnant I would ask those who had born children what labor really felt like. I had never been through labor and I really wanted to know, in detail, what to expect. The childbirth class Kevin and I were taking provided bushels of great information. However, I wanted to know what labor really felt like. How did I know that I was in labor? How did I know that the contractions were real and not just Braxton-Hicks contractions? The best response I ever received was, "You will just know." That response was not good enough. I wanted explicit details and sufficient information to back up the explanation. I was on a quest for truth and knowledge.
Recently I discovered that I have a similiar response if someone asks "How do I know that Jesus really lives in my heart?" or "How do I know if Christianity is right?" My response, "You just know. I know because of how I am not changed."
I know that I am a changed person. I know that I am different from the person I was before September 8, 2006. I know that I respond differently, the characteristics that I had before have been transformed, and even the desires that I previously had are now gone. I am more certain than ever when I hear God's voice. I am free to live as the person God designed me to be and not to live as someone who is living up to other people's expectations. I know without a doubt that God provided me with a specific gifting and skill set that I get to use to live out my calling. The meanness and bitterness that previously resided in me have been replaced with joy and compassion. Everything that changed within me had absolutely nothing to do with how hard I tried, from self-improvement plans, or just simply doing better... it all came from God and the redemption through Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. I am saved and transformed by grace. There is just simply no other way.
So, if you were to ask me, "How do I know that Jesus lives in my heart?" my response to you will be, "You will just know." Then I will tell you the story of who I was, when I personally met Jesus, and who He has transformed me to be. I will point you in the direction of other people who have been redeemed and transformed by the living grace of Jesus. And then I will ask you if you "know" that Jesus lives in your heart because it will be unmistakable if He does. He doesn't hide and He likes to do the work of transforming you into the person He made you to be.
And, if you don't see Jesus there, I will gladly help you invite Him in.
Recently I discovered that I have a similiar response if someone asks "How do I know that Jesus really lives in my heart?" or "How do I know if Christianity is right?" My response, "You just know. I know because of how I am not changed."
I know that I am a changed person. I know that I am different from the person I was before September 8, 2006. I know that I respond differently, the characteristics that I had before have been transformed, and even the desires that I previously had are now gone. I am more certain than ever when I hear God's voice. I am free to live as the person God designed me to be and not to live as someone who is living up to other people's expectations. I know without a doubt that God provided me with a specific gifting and skill set that I get to use to live out my calling. The meanness and bitterness that previously resided in me have been replaced with joy and compassion. Everything that changed within me had absolutely nothing to do with how hard I tried, from self-improvement plans, or just simply doing better... it all came from God and the redemption through Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. I am saved and transformed by grace. There is just simply no other way.
So, if you were to ask me, "How do I know that Jesus lives in my heart?" my response to you will be, "You will just know." Then I will tell you the story of who I was, when I personally met Jesus, and who He has transformed me to be. I will point you in the direction of other people who have been redeemed and transformed by the living grace of Jesus. And then I will ask you if you "know" that Jesus lives in your heart because it will be unmistakable if He does. He doesn't hide and He likes to do the work of transforming you into the person He made you to be.
And, if you don't see Jesus there, I will gladly help you invite Him in.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Who I Was Is Not Who I Am
Nostalgia a can serve a person. It is great to reminisce and remember (see previous post). There are a variety of reasons that you would want to stay close to history and remember things. You want to remember the great things God did for you in order to fuel your hope for things to come. You want to remember the storms and how you weathered them in order to remember that God is always faithful and true. You want to remember who you were before meeting Christ in order to know what it is that Christ saved you from. But you also don't want to remember the past in a way that you want to go back there. Nostalgia will not serve you if you all the memories and feelings are provoking some places of your past that do not need to be revisited.
This summer, God showed me that my past actually looked different that what I remember. I found my journals and diaires when we were cleaning out the home office. Intrigued, I began reading them. I received my first diary when I was nine. I have consistently journaled since them, with the exception of missing a few years after I graduated college. The longer I read, the more God revealed to me. I had asked the questions, "Why did I strive so hard to be the best at everything?" and "Why did I mention boys in every journal entry?" I previously identified my younger self as a good-girl, someone who worked hard to make good grades and be a good person. I didn't participate in a lot of bad activities such as sleeping around, drugs, drinking, smoking, or out-right disobeying my parents. I did recognize that I battled a lot of pride and I based my Christian life on a spiritual resume. This summer God opened my eyes, clearly answered my questions, and showed me exactly who I was before I came to know Him personally.
The answers were shocking, but not surprising. Shocking because I remained so oblivious to who I really was. But not surprising because the questions were clearly answered. I was a mean, bitter person. My journal entries revealed a judgmental nature that cut people down. I looked down my nose at a lot of people thinking that they did not deserve an opinion and that I knew so much more than they did. I hurt several people in my path. I made decisions involving other people on how I would best benefit from the outcome. For all of my life I did not understand why a lot of people did not like me. I now know.
Also, God showed me why I strived so hard to be the best and why I switched boyfriends as often as I changed shoes. I was searching for acceptance and identification. If I was not known or remembered for something, than who was I? My identity was wrapped around what I did and how well I did it. I had to be known by winning awards, earning the best grades and simply climbing the ranks. I had a boyfriend or sought out a new one because there was a yearning in my heart to be accepted. I wanted to know that people liked me, even in the wake of stepping on people in my path. Honestly, this search for acceptance is the underlying reason why Kevin and I got married. At that time I was not in love with Kevin. I was in love with the idea of getting married and being permanently accepted. The love of God has since redeemed that and I am more in love with Kevin than I could ever believe possible and we have an amazing marriage.
It really makes me sad to know that I lived the early part of my life like this. I was striving so hard and looking for acceptance and I was wearing out fast. But God's grace pulled me into His lap and I surrendered to a relationship with Jesus in 2006. The striving to be the best, the search for acceptance, the meanness and bitterness are now gone. Jesus has replaced who I was with a brand new person. He replaced...
judgement with compassion
meanness with love
bitterness with joy
I no longer have to search for my identify and acceptance. I am completely accepted by the One who made me. He loves me dearly simply because He does. I do not have to do anything to earn it. My identify is so simple... I am a beloved, adored Child of God. This is really all I need to know.
Who I was is definitely not who I am.
I am whole.
I am redeemed.
I am LOVED.
This summer, God showed me that my past actually looked different that what I remember. I found my journals and diaires when we were cleaning out the home office. Intrigued, I began reading them. I received my first diary when I was nine. I have consistently journaled since them, with the exception of missing a few years after I graduated college. The longer I read, the more God revealed to me. I had asked the questions, "Why did I strive so hard to be the best at everything?" and "Why did I mention boys in every journal entry?" I previously identified my younger self as a good-girl, someone who worked hard to make good grades and be a good person. I didn't participate in a lot of bad activities such as sleeping around, drugs, drinking, smoking, or out-right disobeying my parents. I did recognize that I battled a lot of pride and I based my Christian life on a spiritual resume. This summer God opened my eyes, clearly answered my questions, and showed me exactly who I was before I came to know Him personally.
The answers were shocking, but not surprising. Shocking because I remained so oblivious to who I really was. But not surprising because the questions were clearly answered. I was a mean, bitter person. My journal entries revealed a judgmental nature that cut people down. I looked down my nose at a lot of people thinking that they did not deserve an opinion and that I knew so much more than they did. I hurt several people in my path. I made decisions involving other people on how I would best benefit from the outcome. For all of my life I did not understand why a lot of people did not like me. I now know.
Also, God showed me why I strived so hard to be the best and why I switched boyfriends as often as I changed shoes. I was searching for acceptance and identification. If I was not known or remembered for something, than who was I? My identity was wrapped around what I did and how well I did it. I had to be known by winning awards, earning the best grades and simply climbing the ranks. I had a boyfriend or sought out a new one because there was a yearning in my heart to be accepted. I wanted to know that people liked me, even in the wake of stepping on people in my path. Honestly, this search for acceptance is the underlying reason why Kevin and I got married. At that time I was not in love with Kevin. I was in love with the idea of getting married and being permanently accepted. The love of God has since redeemed that and I am more in love with Kevin than I could ever believe possible and we have an amazing marriage.
It really makes me sad to know that I lived the early part of my life like this. I was striving so hard and looking for acceptance and I was wearing out fast. But God's grace pulled me into His lap and I surrendered to a relationship with Jesus in 2006. The striving to be the best, the search for acceptance, the meanness and bitterness are now gone. Jesus has replaced who I was with a brand new person. He replaced...
judgement with compassion
meanness with love
bitterness with joy
I no longer have to search for my identify and acceptance. I am completely accepted by the One who made me. He loves me dearly simply because He does. I do not have to do anything to earn it. My identify is so simple... I am a beloved, adored Child of God. This is really all I need to know.
Who I was is definitely not who I am.
I am whole.
I am redeemed.
I am LOVED.
I'll never forget...
Last weekend was amazing. Our lead Pastor, Pete Hise, offered an open invitation for people to stand and pray to receive Christ into their hearts after each service. By the end of the weekend, 136 people crossed from death to life and now have a place secured in heaven for all eternity. For hours after the last service ended, hundreds of people stayed to congratulate and encourage new Christians or to help people process through what they heard and subsequently invite Christ into their lives. It was an amazing experience. The Holy Spirit was absolutly walking the aisles of the auditorium.
There were two experiences that I will never forget. The first was spending some time with a young lady on the webcast who had some questions about her salvation experience. We chatted for a while, she listend to the service, and I answered questions. Through that process she got to a place where she knew she wanted and needed Jesus. Online she stood up with Pete and invited Christ into her life.
The second experience that I will never forget is receiving a phone call after the 9:30 service on Sunday from my friend Lana who was exclaiming that her husband Chris just gave his life to Christ. My initial response was "No he did not! Shut up! Shut up!" To which she responded, "Yes he did and I will not!" I saw him about 15 minutes later and he is a new person. He clearly told me that he gave his life to Christ that morning. He talked about how he just needed to stop fighting, put down his pride, and do it. He said it was like having a day off. He felt great. It is amazing to see someone who had very little interest in God just put it all down and give it up. He is a brand new person, reborn.
There were two experiences that I will never forget. The first was spending some time with a young lady on the webcast who had some questions about her salvation experience. We chatted for a while, she listend to the service, and I answered questions. Through that process she got to a place where she knew she wanted and needed Jesus. Online she stood up with Pete and invited Christ into her life.
The second experience that I will never forget is receiving a phone call after the 9:30 service on Sunday from my friend Lana who was exclaiming that her husband Chris just gave his life to Christ. My initial response was "No he did not! Shut up! Shut up!" To which she responded, "Yes he did and I will not!" I saw him about 15 minutes later and he is a new person. He clearly told me that he gave his life to Christ that morning. He talked about how he just needed to stop fighting, put down his pride, and do it. He said it was like having a day off. He felt great. It is amazing to see someone who had very little interest in God just put it all down and give it up. He is a brand new person, reborn.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Witnessing a life changed...
Questapalooza, the annual festival hosted by Quest Community Church, occurred this past Sunday. It was an amazing event with thousands of people in attendance. I had a lot of fun being a part of the event. The one imagine from the festival that will forever be etched in my mind is seeing a man humble himself at the foot of the cross.
At the end of the night, our lead pastor Pete provided an open invitation for anyone in attendance to stand and pray to receive Jesus into their heart and life. During that moment I was standing at the back of the crowd near the evangelism tent preparing to receive people who prayed with Pete and to encourage them as they begin walking in their new Christian life. I was standing very close to the cross as the prayer was happening and noticed from the corner of my eye that there was a small group of people at the foot of the cross. The main person in that circle was Greg, the boyfriend of one of my amazing Life Group gals. Teresa was placed in my Life Group in June and she has an incredible heart. I have been praying with her for Greg. She carried an incredible, appropriate weight for him. I also noticed that she was not a part of that group. The prayer ended and I began to search for her. About 15 mins later I found her. I asked if she had seen Greg recently. She said no and appeared concerned. I took her arm and began leading her to where he was. We were within 10 feet of him and she just broke down crying and praising. He joined us and started crying as well. I hugged them, prayed with them, and encouraged him in his new walk. It's such a beautiful thing when you see a 50 year old stable man become a child of God. He is forgiven and he is free.
At the end of the night, our lead pastor Pete provided an open invitation for anyone in attendance to stand and pray to receive Jesus into their heart and life. During that moment I was standing at the back of the crowd near the evangelism tent preparing to receive people who prayed with Pete and to encourage them as they begin walking in their new Christian life. I was standing very close to the cross as the prayer was happening and noticed from the corner of my eye that there was a small group of people at the foot of the cross. The main person in that circle was Greg, the boyfriend of one of my amazing Life Group gals. Teresa was placed in my Life Group in June and she has an incredible heart. I have been praying with her for Greg. She carried an incredible, appropriate weight for him. I also noticed that she was not a part of that group. The prayer ended and I began to search for her. About 15 mins later I found her. I asked if she had seen Greg recently. She said no and appeared concerned. I took her arm and began leading her to where he was. We were within 10 feet of him and she just broke down crying and praising. He joined us and started crying as well. I hugged them, prayed with them, and encouraged him in his new walk. It's such a beautiful thing when you see a 50 year old stable man become a child of God. He is forgiven and he is free.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
... a good finder in the darkness...
Tonight, I overheard Kelly tell Kevin, "Daddy, you are a good finder in the darkness." It's amazing how small children can say things that end up being quite profound, spiritual, and theological in the most innocent of statements. Kevin is a good finder in the dark, but not quite like the dark she was talking about.
When a person gives their hearts and lives to Christ, their primary purpose in life becomes the primary purpose that Jesus walked out -- to seek and save those who are lost. Our world carries a mass of spiritual darkness. Many people walk in a darkness that they never notice because they have not experienced the freedom of walking in the light. Imagine walking around your house without lights everyday. Eventually you will learn where every object is located and will have no problems navigating the house. Walking in spiritual darkness can eventually lead to the same outcome. You will learn to walk in the darkness, navigating multiple obstacles, and attempting to rely on yourself and your knowledge of where things are. The truth is that Jesus came to this earth to provide us with a light that will free us from the darkness.
Kevin has an uncanny ability to talk with people about his salvation experience and to provoke them to think about things that never crossed their minds before. It's beautiful and it's truly God working through him.
When a person gives their hearts and lives to Christ, their primary purpose in life becomes the primary purpose that Jesus walked out -- to seek and save those who are lost. Our world carries a mass of spiritual darkness. Many people walk in a darkness that they never notice because they have not experienced the freedom of walking in the light. Imagine walking around your house without lights everyday. Eventually you will learn where every object is located and will have no problems navigating the house. Walking in spiritual darkness can eventually lead to the same outcome. You will learn to walk in the darkness, navigating multiple obstacles, and attempting to rely on yourself and your knowledge of where things are. The truth is that Jesus came to this earth to provide us with a light that will free us from the darkness.
Kevin has an uncanny ability to talk with people about his salvation experience and to provoke them to think about things that never crossed their minds before. It's beautiful and it's truly God working through him.
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