Faith
15 Apr 2012 2 Comments
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” ~ Hebrews 11:1
Faith.
It’s such a small word…. with enormous meaning.
Faith is one of those things that can’t be faked. Sure… we can conjure up a brave face or what looks like a strong backbone… for a while. Eventually our best effort(s) will fail. It’s only a matter of time. I’m speaking from experience here.
Faith is scary. Faith requires action from me (and you). It requires me to believe in something that I cannot see or touch or smell or taste. Faith goes against everything in me that screams, “Let’s look at this logically…”
I’m sure everyone who reads this is going to remember the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indiana Jones comes to a cliff with a huge drop off into a mass of jagged rocks. There’s nowhere for him to go… except down, it seems. Everything in him screams, “You’re going to die. Don’t take another step!” But as he studies his guidebook, he realizes that this is “a leap of faith”. He takes the first step… and his foot hits something. It has found solid ground where it appears that there should be none. The camera pans to show that his foot has landed on a bridge that has been carved out to seemingly disappear against the jagged rocks of the ravine.
Although I would love to share how I have become a pro at walking in faith, I can’t. Far too often I fail miserably. Far too often I allow fear to dictate what I do or don’t do. So many times I rely so heavily on my physical eyes and my logic that I completely miss what God is trying to show me and teach me…. because it requires me to look with my spiritual eyes. It requires me to give up my own way of thinking and my own way of seeing and fully rely on someone who is unseen. Far too often what I hear the Spirit of God say appears completely contrary to what my eyes are seeing or what I am experiencing. All of that combined, makes it CRAZY difficult to take that first (and if we’re truthful… the second, third, fourth, etc.) step of faith. Not to mention abiding in faith.
I know I’m not alone in this. Most of my closest friends seem to be in a season where great faith is being required. Can I just say that faith IS NOT fun. It isn’t! It’s excruciatingly painful!
Back in February, I sat down and asked God some questions about this next season in my life and what He wanted me to do. I want to share a couple of the things I believe He spoke to me that day and I believe that it wasn’t just for me during this season… but also for you. I pray it blesses you and encourages you as you walk this next little part of the journey.
1) Take the time to ask questions AND listen to me (God). Believe what I am saying to you. (God is not afraid of the questions… no matter how big or small. And He’s definitely not mad at you when you don’t understand what He’s doing or even if you get mad. Just keep the lines of communication open.)
2) Remember that this is a paradoxical time. Realize that most of what you’re seeing with your physical eyes is the exact opposite of what the reality is. Believe that what you know (What God has spoken to me and what I know in my heart) really is reality. Have faith in what your spiritual eyes have seen and are continuing to see.
3) Discernment and perspective are HUGE gifts during this season of waiting. Waiting on God is the key. If we do not wait on God and allow Him to change our perspective than we will not have the discernment that we need. There are MANY voices vying for our attention during this time. It is going to take the change in perspective to have real and clear discernment. (Isaiah 40:31)
Faith is what pleases God. I know how my heart leaps when I know that someone sees me, listens to me and believes what I am saying. If I feel that way, how much more does God feel it?
He truly is trustworthy. He is reliable. He is faithful. He never gives up. Why in the world would we not believe what He has spoken… Is it because it is too good? Is it because we don’t feel worthy of it? Is it because we’re afraid to accept the goodness and graciousness of the Lord because we think that the other shoe is going to drop? I’m talking to myself here as well. I think for me, it’s a combination of all of the above. I have to remind myself that God is perfect. God is good. God is just. Don’t let that last one mess with you. His justice isn’t about waiting and watching for us to screw up and then squashing us to the ground forcing us to repent. His justice is completely saturated in love.
It is all about LOVE.
Tonight, I just want to encourage everyone who reads this that God hears you. He sees you. Nothing that you are going through is a surprise to Him although it probably is a surprise to you. And since it is not a surprise, that means that He already has the solution. In order to get the solution, you must snuggle up as close as you can to Him… because…
He is not a screamer.
He is a lover.
The Lazy River – Not Exactly the Ride I Thought I Wanted To Ride
06 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
“In quietness and trust is your strength.” ~Isaiah 30:15
Have you ever wondered why it is so difficult to be still and quiet?
Do you think it has anything to do with trust?
I’m on a journey of discovery; both of myself and of God. What I have discovered about myself has left me shocked more so than not. I have discovered that I am stronger than I thought I was. I never thought I could do what I’m being required to do at this point in my life. Eventually, I will talk more in depth about what is going on in my personal life, but for now, just know that it’s rather complicated and messy.
Quietness is rather difficult for me. I tend to be a chatty kind of person. I love activity. I love being around people. I love parties. But during this time, God is teaching me the importance of silence and stillness and learning to trust him. I tend to “process” things by talking about them. I talk and process and process and talk and then discover something else and talk and process and process and talk…. and on and on it goes. It’s quite maddening and frustrating and I tend to never really process anything. I just get tired of talking about it and file it away in my mind under “unanswered questions”.
I will never be able to process everything that is going on in my life right now. I will never be able to talk my way through the messiness of it all. Basically… I have come to the end of myself and my solutions. I. Can’t. Fix. This. All I can do is cooperate with Jesus. He is the solution.
So, as I have slowed myself down, I have heard the words, “In quietness and trust is your strength.” As I push past my feelings and my natural way of handling stressful situations and I learn to listen and do what I hear Jesus say, I am learning a much higher way to live. I’m not saying it’s easy… but it is higher. Which means I am having to learn how to live in a higher altitude.
A few weeks ago while I was “processing” my way through some of the details of my life, I felt like I was literally drowning in the deluge of problems that were rising higher and higher around me. I was scared. I could feel my heart pounding and a knot began to rise in my throat. I was basically freaking out. All of the sudden, a picture flashed in my head of a water park ride I used to ride when I was a teenager. It was called The Lazy River. It really wasn’t an exciting ride at all. It was rather boring, I thought, but when I was tired and needed a little “breather” I would go on The Lazy River and relax for a while. All of the sudden, I heard God speak to me so clearly to just simply lay back and relax in this river that I found myself in and just let it carry me instead of trying to fight against it. Although it may not be the best of circumstances, he was still able to use it to bring me to the place he wants me to be. Yeah… he’s that big. He is indeed bigger than my problems or circumstances. He is a genius in working out a way where there is no way. He does give beauty for ashes. He gives a song of joy instead of a funeral dirge. He gives laughter instead of mourning. Even in what seems to be the darkest of places.
So….
I will stop fighting the current and I will relax and let it take me. I trust him with my life. God knows best and he really is good. He is a great and trustworthy Father.
Thank you, God, that you never let go of me. Thank you that you are so kind and good. Thank you, that you love me. Thank you for being closer than my next breath. I really do trust you… And I really am ready to go on this ride…
Decisions
26 Feb 2012 2 Comments
The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
When I was in the 6th grade, I remember having to memorize this poem by Robert Frost for my English class. We each had to get up in front of the class, one at a time, and say this poem. Needless to say, the meaning was lost on our little 6th grade ears. However, it is interesting to me that as I have been thinking about the topic of making decisions, this poem immediately popped into my head. I guess it really did stick in there… somewhere way deep in my subconcious. Thanks, Ms. Wright.
I have a confession to make. I am a lousy decision maker. Or at least I feel like I am. I’m sure some would say that I am. I tend to be a “slow processor”. What I mean by that is that it seems to take me f-o-r-e-v-e-r to make a decision. I try to go through all of the outcomes of each decision… the pros and cons, if you will. I really am not a fun person to shop with. I feel sorry for anyone who goes with me whether it be shopping for shoes, clothes, accessories or shopping for curtains. It’s always the same ordeal. I stand there in the aisle dumbfounded and overwhelmed by every single item. I’m sure it’s painful to watch. But here’s the deal… once I make a decision, I stick with it. I may have taken a long time to come to the decision, but I’m pretty set by the time I make the final decision.
Where in the world am I going with this? Well… I’ll tell you. I am in the process of learning to trust God again. I know that sounds really bad. After all, I should be past the whole “trusting God” thing, right? But I’m not. That’s my second confession. (Wow… I’m on a roll.) I am having to step back and really examine my relationship with God. And I have to say that I have made so many decisions out of fear rather than out of love or trust. I guess I’m what you would call “skiddish”. I second-guess myself far too often. And I confess that sometimes I tend to humanize God and second-guess him as well. (Confession number 3. Yikes.) The biggest question that is flashing before my face like a neon sign is, “Do I trust God?” And it’s one that is screaming out to be answered. It must be answered before I can move forward.
Just this morning in church, one of our pastors quoted a scripture verse that has been quoted to death… but it really took on such great meaning to my distrusting heart.
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure everything out on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” Proverbs 3:5,6 (MSG)
The first 2 words of this simple scripture spoke volumes to me this morning. And I’ve been chewing on it all day. “Trust God.“
This is where “the rubber meets the road” so to speak, and I must put into practice what I say I believe. I must push through my fear and believe that God really is for me. That he really does love me. That he really does have my best interest in mind. So…
When I have no clue what in the world is happening in my life or why; I will trust God.
When I feel so overwhelmed by life and it’s circumstances; I will trust God.
When I feel like if one more thing happens, I may just snap… and the washer decides to die; I will trust God.
When everything that I have worked so hard to keep together in my life suddenly comes crumbling down around my feet; I will trust God.
When I have more questions than answers; I will trust God.
When God asks me to wait and I feel like I’ve been waiting forever already; I will trust God.
Trusting God is one of the hardest things to do. I know that. I’m living that. But I must remember that he is God… and I am not. His perspective is much higher than mine. Whose eyes am I going to trust? My human eyes (which were created by God) or God’s eyes?
Tonight, God, I choose to trust in your eyes. You are the Unseen, Uncreated One. You have no equal.
Lord… I believe. But help me in my unbelief…
Believe
10 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Church Life
“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” ~ C.S. Lewis
What do you think of when you hear or read the word “believe”? Do you immediately think of all of the times that your beliefs have been challenged and all of what you dreamed and dared to believe for seemed to fall dreadfully short of what you expected to happen? Or do you think of something that you thought was completely impossible… but it actually happened?
Either a dream came true or your worst nightmare happened.
Here’s something to think about:
What if your worst nightmare happened and it actually was just the first step to your dreams coming true?
Honestly, I had never thought that a nightmare could ever turn into something good. I guess in my mind, if it was bad one day, it would stay bad for all of eternity. That was the case until now… until I got one particular scripture verse stuck in my head.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” ~ Romans 8:28
Although I had memorized this verse as a little kid and had read it numerous times growing up, this verse never actually found its way into my heart… where I could feel it and experience it. Until now.
I am not going to go into any details of my personal life right now. There’s just too much to muddle through. But I can tell you that God is real. He has proven himself to be closer than my next breath. He is my faithful friend. He never gets tired of holding me or listening to me. In fact, he has made it very clear to me that he, in fact, loves to hear my deepest thoughts… my deepest fears… my unanswered questions… my hurts… my disappointments… and even my angry “spewfests”. Why? Because he really does love me.
He really does love me.
I choose to believe that God has my best interest in mind.
In a world that is filled to the brim with skeptics, I guess I am one of those dreamers who will always believe that good will always prevail and that love wins. Every. Single. Time.
As I was typing that last little bit… I had a picture flash in my mind of me stepping out of a boat onto the most chaotic waves I’ve ever seen. I didn’t see anybody there. I just stepped out and all of the sudden, a hand reached through all of the chaos and grabbed my hand.
I know that hand.
It’s the hand I’ve held onto so many times throughout my life. Once again… I’m caught. I am so thankful for that hand. I have fallen into the hands of someone who I thought would be mad at me and have found instead, someone who is completely and madly in love with me. How can I not trust someone like him? How can I not believe someone like him?
Thank you, God, for being so kind. I can’t imagine my life without you. I never want to imagine my life without you.
Peace…
16 May 2011 2 Comments
in Church Life
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. ~Isaiah 26:3
Have you ever wondered why “staying at peace” is one of the hardest things to do on planet earth? It seems that as soon as you begin feeling peaceful, something inevitably happens and *poof* the feeling of peacefulness is gone…
Maintaining peace in my life has been an ongoing pursuit of mine for a very long time. I remember memorizing the verse above as a little kid in Sunday School… only back then, I memorized it in the King James Version. Here’s how that version reads:
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
As I was milling this verse through my mind, the word “stayed” really caught my attention. What in the world does “stayed” mean? As I continued thinking in that vein, the word “fastened” popped into my head. All of the sudden, this beautiful picture came into view of my mind being fastened to the mind of God. I was immediately reminded of something that I had written in my journal a few weeks ago. I wrote, “God, I want to be so tangled up with You that no one can tell where You begin and I end or where I begin and You end.”
Life happens. Life has the crazy ability to pull you in a million different directions if you let it. And most times, I definitely let it. I’ve discovered that as I begin feeling that twinge (or sledgehammer in some cases) of losing peace, I realize that I have taken my focus off of God. It’s so easy to do! I start thinking that I can figure everything out and fix everything and I completely forget that I have a heavenly Father who is more than willing to step in and take it… I’ve been in that place a million times it seems.
The difficult part about maintaining peace is that it is first of all a choice; do I really want peace or do I want to continue to wallow in self-pity, worry and chaos? Secondly, (and this is the most difficult part) it requires work on my part.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. ~Psalm 34:14
It requires me to change my focus off of myself (ouch) and onto God. I must fasten (connect) my mind to the mind of Christ. And yes… that is much easier said than done. Having a peaceful life requires work which none of us as human beings really like to hear. However, I know in my life, having peace is definitely worth it! I choose peace. I pursue peace. I willingly connect and submit my mind to Jesus. As a result, He changes my perspective… which is a very good thing.
Live Life Loud!
~Sandy
Words
09 May 2011 1 Comment
in Church Life
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. ~ Anonymous
Although some people can seemingly go unscathed by people’s hurtful words, there are many people out there (including me) who feel every single thorn of a person’s hurtful words. I’ve taken the whole “5 Love Languages” test and discovered that my primary love language is “Words of Affirmation”. The quickest way to my heart is through words. I simply eat them up! On the downside, words can really take a toll on my heart. My mind cannot wrap around careless words being thrown about like a frisbee. And I know that it happens. I understand that everything that people say does not mean that the person who said them really does mean them. But it is truly one of the most difficult things to understand when words are so valuable.
There have been many times that I have popped off with an answer or a “come back” and have immediately regretted saying it. Unfortunately, once the words have flown out of my mouth, there is no stuffing them back in. They’re out. Kind of like squeezing toothpaste out of the tube and trying to push it back in. It just doesn’t work.
Words are powerful. Proverbs 18:21 says,
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat it’s fruit.
All too often, we disengage our mind from our mouth. We simply do not think before we speak. But I think we should not only think before we speak, we should allow our spirits to feel before we speak. Although sometimes we need to say something, we may not need to say something. Does that make sense?
We’ve all had someone say the right thing at the wrong time to us. And vice versa. Timing is everything. We must consider whether the words will bring life…. or death. Words can wound deeply and cause huge amounts of damage.
Love causes us to pause and consider. When we love someone, we do not want to hurt them. Love must rule.
I have chosen to give myself to the way of love. And I know that although I may not see the fruit of it immediately, I know that it will eventually come back to me. I choose to sow love. I choose to be careful with my words.
God, help me to choose the path of love. Although I may not be able to see instant results, help me to remain faithful to love. Help me to be like You for You are love.
Live Life Loud!
~Sandy
Let Love Rule
05 May 2011 Leave a Comment
in Church Life
Sidenote: I wrote this back in October of 2008. It spoke very strongly to me today and I wanted to share…
I absolutely LOVE the autumn season! I love the way the leaves are changing color and the north wind begins to blow and everyone begins bundling up in their heavy coats… simply beautiful. The holiday season is quickly approaching.
A few nights ago, I had a dream that left me changed. I won’t go into specifics, but as I was waking up, the verse, “This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:35 MSG) dropped into my heart with a crash. I’ve learned from past experiences that this was something God wanted me to study out and really get in me. I know we all think we know this. Heck… my initial thought was, “Duh.” But obviously I was missing something. My first stop was 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) and I wanted to read it in a different translation than I had grown up on, so I grabbed The Message. I then began to list out the character traits of love.
Love:
1. never gives up.
2. cares more for others than for self.
3. doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
4. doesn’t strut.
5. doesn’t have a swelled head.
6. doesn’t force itself on others.
7. isn’t always “me first.”
8. doesn’t fly off the handle.
9. doesn’t keep score of the sins of others.
10. doesn’t revel when others grovel.
11. takes pleasure in the flowering of truth.
12. puts up with anything.
13. trusts God always.
14. always looks for the best.
15. never looks back.
16. keeps going to the end.
17. never dies
That list right there is the litmus test of a true disciple of Jesus. I understand slipping up and failing to show love in some instances. But can I just be really blunt? If our lives are not lining up with that list, we seriously need to begin looking at ourselves and questioning whether or not we truly are disciples of Jesus. There are so many people who are walking around labeling themselves as disciples of Jesus and all they do is criticize and judge and treat people badly. That is NOT Christianity. In fact, the Bible says that they are not His disciples. He has no relationship with them. That is some heavy stuff right there. We as followers of Jesus should be the most grace-filled people on the planet. We should be the ones who are not looking at everyone else and magnifying their faults and failures. Instead, we should be in constant self examination mode. “Where am I failing in my love walk? Where am I not submitting to the Spirit of God? How would Jesus handle this situation? Where would he go if He was walking in my city? How would he look at this person that is causing me such pain?” I know I have fallen dreadfully short of showing love way too often. The thing about true Godly love is that it is not something that I can make myself have or show. It is purely the work of the Holy Spirit. Only God can change a human heart to look and beat and be like His. There is no way a human can make themselves be sympathetic to another human being without the Spirit of God doing the work inside. We’re selfish by nature. We want it our way when we want it. True love looks at another person as valuable and loved by God and whom God can speak to and work in. This is one of the hardest things for we as Christians to grasp; I’m not the only one God has a relationship with… and He can and does speak to others… not just me. We are all just pieces of the puzzle. None of us has the whole picture… we just have parts of the picture. That’s why it is so vital for us to stop trying to compete with one another and trying to vie for position. We are each unique. And we each have something to offer the Kingdom of God. We need to give each other the grace to be and do and accomplish what each of us were called to do. It may not look like what you are called to do. And that’s BEAUTIFUL. Unity in our diversity… how BEAUTIFUL! I really believe that what God is saying to us all is to embrace who He created you to be. It doesn’t have to look like anyone else. You don’t have to sing or write or speak or paint or dance like anyone else. He created YOU to declare His glory to the world around you. Be you. You’re beautiful.
God, teach me the way of love. Do the work in my heart that only you can do. Help me to be Your hands and feet to the people around me. And as I obey You, let others see that it’s only through You that there is anything good in me. Work deep in every heart who reads this. May we be who You’ve called and created us to be.
Live Life Loud!
~Sandy
The Beauty of a Grateful Heart
30 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in Church Life
As I’ve sat here this morning realizing that we’re nearing the end of another year (my, how time flies, eh?), I have become overwhelmed with gratefulness. Yes, this year has been a time of transition for my family and I but even during the uncomfortableness of transition and sacrifice, there has been increasing joy and gratefulness overtaking me.
Being thankful is vital to our health. I truly believe that. Those of you who know me, know that usually I am fairly optomistic. But I can tell you that optomism is not my natural bend. I come from generations of worriers; constantly looking at what could go wrong.
When I was a teenager/early twenty-something, I can remember the stress that I felt thinking that somehow I was in control of life. I felt that if I prayed enough that somehow I could control whether or not good things would happen. And if I didn’t put enough “knee time” in, I somehow failed miserably and now all hell was going to break loose. I can look back now and realize that I was placing so much false responsiblity on myself and others to perform just right. I envisioned a “god” who was just as stressed as I was; biting his fingernails, worrying about what was going to happen next. Don’t get me wrong. Prayer is a really good thing (duh!), but praying our worries isn’t going to change a thing. It is when we begin to listen to the ultimate intercessor, Jesus, that things begin to change. As I’ve opened my ears to hear His voice and line up with what He is praying, I have noticed that my prayers have changed from frenzied, worried prayers to prayers of authority and peace.
I was not living a life of freedom. In all actuality, I was living a life of distrust and ungratefulness. I didn’t trust God or believe that He is who He says He is. And I was never happy because I was never thankful. I was never satisfied. I was always demanding more.
About 12 years ago, God began chiseling away at that thick wall I had built up between us. And I realized that although I thought I controlled a LOT… I was only kidding myself. God is always in control. Always has been – always will be. Nothing passes by Him without Him noticing. HE is the one who establishes everything. When I began to realize that, I could not believe the freedom I felt. All I needed to do was do what Jesus did and follow God. Jesus did everything He saw His Father do and He lived a life of thanksgiving. Good news! The pressure to perform is off!
Thankfulness is the key to joy. I really and truly believe that we are entering a season where thankfulness is going to be incredibly vital to us. If we’re stressed, it causes tension, chaos, bickering, etc. Nothing good ever comes out of stress and tension. But where there is freedom, there is joy. Where there is thankfulness, there is contentment and peace.
As we near the end of 2010, I want to encourage all of us to simply remember all that we have to be thankful for. Let’s count our blessings. Let’s think on the things that are good and lovely…. and be thankful.
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Philippians 4:8 (MSG)
Live Life Loud!
~Sandy
The Altar of Love
23 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Church Life, Worship
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything other than music… so I’m feeling a little “rusty” and like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, I feel the need to “squirt some oil in the ol’ joints” to get moving again.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of leading an extended time of worship during our church’s annual women’s retreat. First of all, that was so much fun that it should have been illegal. Seriously. During that 2 hour time frame of sitting before the Lord, I began to sing the words, “I’m laying on the altar of love”. I could “see” this place of sacrifice standing right in front of me and I knew what was being asked of me. It wasn’t required at all… it was asked. “Will you lay on this altar and allow me to burn everything off of you that is not Me?”
This simple question is so not simple. It is painful. I’ve been to this place so many times before and it never gets easier. I know it’s a place of refining and I know it’s a place that I need… but that doesn’t outweigh the pain of sacrifice. Ever since that day, I have felt the fire of refinement. My emotions are going crazy! I mean they are all over the place! I know I’m not alone. I know of so many people right now who are feeling exactly the same things I’m feeling; discouragement, failure, lack of significance, regret, etc. It is so uncomfortable and my flesh is screaming out, “STOP!” I seriously want to jump off of this “altar of love” and just be done with it. BUT I know that this is what I need to do. I need to stay on the altar and allow God to work in me. I know that in the end, it will all be worth it. I know I’m entering into a new season of my life… a place that I have never been. And though it is uncomfortable, it is necessary. I know all of this… and yet it’s excruciating!
My encouragement to myself and those who may be exactly where I am is this; allow God to do whatever He wants to do however way He wants to do it. He is the Creator and we are His created. He knows what needs to come off and what needs to be worked in. Philippians 1:6 (NIV) says,
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It all boils down to trust. Do I trust that God truly has my best interest in mind or do I think of Him as some sadistic being wanting to make my life perfectly miserable? Is He joy-filled or is He a kill-joy? And the biggest one of all; Does He really love me? Is this really an altar of love?
God, help me to have the grace to stay on this altar. Help me to see beyond my emotions and feelings and see You. I will jump over every hurdle, climb over every obstacle, and shake off any hindrance that keeps me from running at full speed to get to You. I just want You. I just want YOU. (And as I just typed out that last part, I saw Him join me on that altar of love… He is right there. He will never leave us or forsake us.)
Live Life Loud!
~Sandy
When Heaven Kisses Earth
29 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment
in Church Life, Family, Worship
My parents have been married for almost 44 years. I am blessed. I know that. I remember as a little girl (4 or 5 years old) my mom would walk my dad to the door of our house and kiss him goodbye for the day of work. I remember LOVING seeing my parents kiss each other. It brought such stability to my little girl heart. I knew I was safe. Everyday, I would squeeze into the middle of my parents and watch my dad kiss my mom. It was beautiful and it was perfect. This past weekend we had our monthly BURN (extended time of worship and prayer). Before I get too far into this, I want to share that over the past few months, we have begun seeing miracles take place. One example is of a little boy who had severe asthma (he had it at the time he came into the BURN back in February) and while he was sitting in that environment, he was healed. Up to that point, he could not run without having difficulty breathing. I was not “in the know” at that point, but all of the sudden, this little boy was running around the entire room. I honestly thought, “What is going on?” But having been in children’s ministry for a while, I really don’t pay much attention to things like that. I know how kids can be. And hey, BURN is a place of freedom so, as long as he wasn’t screaming or anything, I thought what the heck… It wasn’t until about an hour later that I was told that this boy had been healed of his asthma and that he was simply so excited about what God had done that he couldn’t stop running! He hadn’t been able to run in a long time! Sounds like something straight out of the early church days, huh? Remember the lame man walking, leaping and praising God?? We are experiencing HEAVEN KISSING EARTH and just like when I was a little girl, I wanted to be right in the middle of my parent’s kiss, as a woman, I want to be right in the middle of heaven kissing earth! It is BEAUTIFUL and it is PERFECT!I will be honest here. I tend to be the type of person who runs around always “doing” and very rarely “resting”. Usually during a BURN weekend, I am going ninety – to – nothing trying to do everything that needs to be done. I feel pressure to make sure everyone is comfortable when they come in. I want to make sure that they are happy. That they aren’t “bored”. There was something different about me this month. THANK GOD! I no longer felt the need to MAKE this happen. I simply laid on the chairs in that sanctuary and rested and soaked and meditated in the presence of God. Every time my mind would begin to wander and begin thinking of things to do, He would speak ever so gently to me and say, “Lay your head back down. I’m big enough to take care of it. Rest.” And so, I would lay back down. And I honestly didn’t care what people thought. “Is she asleep? Unbelievable. The person who is in charge of this thing is actually ASLEEP! What a lousy hostess!” I was spending time with my DADDY! And it was WONDERFUL!
While I was lying there, we had a woman come in who was NOT expecting anything big to happen in her life. The story was so similar to one that had happened to a group of friends of ours about a month prior. SHE DID NOT KNOW WHAT SHE WAS WALKING INTO! We’re talking there were people there who were lying all over the place. This woman, along with her two children came into the BURN. They were in need. She didn’t want to ask for money. She simply was wondering if we knew of a place that she could spend the night and wait for some help on Sunday. All of the shelters that we knew of were completely full and the ones who probably had more information than I did, were closed on Saturdays. The only reason the building we were in (Cornerstone Outreach – an outreach center for helping those in need) was open was because we were BURNING. Under normal circumstances, it would have been closed. God DEFINITELY had an appointment with this woman! After talking with her after a few moments, we realized that all she needed was a gas card. There were people there who had the means to not only bless her and her children with a gas card, but also with groceries to ensure that they were as comfortable as possible on their trip. We also were able to minister to her while she waited in that atmosphere. GOD MET HER THERE! I love when God sets us up to be blessed! I love that when we least expect it, HE SHOWS UP!
The POWER that God gives to those who WAIT ON HIM is incredible! It breaks the yoke of bondage! You see when we lay aside all of our human ideas and human ways of doing things, God begins to show us that it is truly only by Him and through Him that anything of any consequence is accomplished. The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof!! IT ALL BELONGS TO HIM! And He refuses to share the praise that is rightfully His with us. He will not allow a human to steal His thunder! So, we rest, acknowledging that we are nothing without Him. And in that submission, He shows up BIG TIME!
God, may I never forget. The power to be everything You’ve called me to be is only found in setting aside my best effort and resting in You. HEAVEN IS KISSING EARTH and I’m caught in the middle and loving it!
Live Life Loud!
~Sandy
