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Sunday, September 30, 2007

sabbath

no post today. enjoy the sabbath....

Saturday, September 29, 2007

relax


Tomorrow is the Sabbath…a day of rest. But for most of us, Sunday is a day to catch up on everything we don’t get done throughout the week.

God didn’t design us to run seven days a week. We are finite beings and we have limited energy. But you couldn't tell that by looking at us! We don’t like to admit that we are tired, that we need rest, that it might be good for us to relax. What is productive about that?

I fall victim to this mentality too. To take time to read for pleasure always brings me some level of guilt. If I am going to take the time to read, it should be something that pertains to my work or my ministry. Reading fiction? How will that benefit the world? Or watching a movie, listening to music, taking a walk?


But, that is my faulty thinking. God is present in relaxation the same way he is present in work. He made me and he knows it isn’t good for me to keep going without resting. I seem to be the one doesn’t know it. And, I bet you suffer from the same malady.

Rest is a gift from God…a gift that we don’t exercise enough. We think that sleeping covers it but our mind need to rest in its ‘awake’ state. We need to learn how to play and rest as well as work.

Tomorrow is Sunday. You can practice sabbath time any day but perhaps it would be a nice start to plan some time tomorrow as ‘sabbath’ time. Relax…..the world will go on.


Grace and Peace,
Deb

Friday, September 28, 2007

desire the ocean


Sorry this is late…my internet is out at home.

Ok…now to my ‘mud pies’. What do I settle for?

Small love….I don’t love as fully I could. Fear of rejection, getting hurt, being left….all keep me from loving fully. I allow these fears to keep me playing in the mud pie of inadequately loving.

Little trust…if I truly trusted I would never fear what tomorrow might bring, but I am concerned, at times, about the future. I know, intellectually, that God holds the future but I often live as if I don’t.

Playing it small…if I truly believed that God loved me and speaks clearly to me, I would run to what it is I feel he has called me to. But I move into it hesitantly, afraid it won’t happen instead of walking fully into it.

Sleepwalking….the beauty of God is all around me but most of the time I sleepwalk through it, settling for an occasional glimpse instead of being intentional about looking for it.

Busyness…I fool myself by thinking my ‘busyness’ measures my impact. God cares about people not tasks…relationships not projects.

Prayer…I talk more than I listen. I believe that God has awesome things to say to me but I don’t take enough time to listen to him ‘cause I’m too busy stating my case.

Talking….I sit in the mud pie of talking when God has an ocean of listening that would be much more enriching to me.

Risk….I’ve gotten a bit better at this over the years, conquering, with God’s help, a fear of flying, which enabled me to travel all over the world, even alone at times, but I still live life on the safe side. I want to live a life of adventure.


Fear of death…I am so tied to this life that I fear leaving it. I truly am playing in the mud pie when the beautiful, immense ocean of heaven is right on the other side.

I think you get the idea. I often live my life making mud pies because I can’t envision what being at the seaside would be like. What are your mud pies? I encourage you to take some time today to think about this…what keeps you from seeing the extravagant life God meant for you to have??

Lord, let me always be looking on the horizon for the ocean and let me run to it.

Grace and Peace,

Thursday, September 27, 2007

mud pies


"Indeed if we consider the unblushing promise of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

C.S. Lewis


I invite you to take some time today and sit with this quote. Where are the places in your life where you have become content playing with mud pies because you are unable to imagine the ocean that awaits you? What have you settled for?

Tomorrow I will share some of my mud pies.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

love letter


“Just as you do not analyze the words of someone you love, but accept them as they are said to you, accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart.”


Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Scripture can often be treated as a textbook. We approach it as if we are studying for a test. How many facts and figures can we cram into our heads? We think the more we know about God, the more we know God.

How much different would it be if you approach Scripture like a love letter? If you spent time preparing your heart and spirit to hear what God wanted to say directly to you? If you looked at verses as words written to you from God?

I invite you to read the Scriptures slowly, taking smaller portions at one sitting. Pay attention to what stirs your heart. Then stay with it, ponder it, write about it, ask questions as to why it moved you. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you about it and tell you what He wants you to know.

Begin to see Scripture as a love letter from God to you and you taking the time to ponder it’s meaning, as an act of love back to Him.

Grace and peace,
Deb

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

time out


Today I had a wonderful talk with a friend. She said that God has her at a place in her life where he wants her to rest, to wait. He has told her there are only a couple of things she may do, but there are other things…good things, that He doesn’t want her to do right now. It is hard for her to sit back and not ‘do’. She is used to being very busy. But she believes that God just wants her to rest in His love, that He is having her rest so He can do work in her that will prepare her for what He has for her in the future.

We joked about how God has her sitting in the ‘timeout’ chair (not to be confused with the ‘naughty chair’!). “Time out’ is allowing her to rejuvenate, to regain her footing. It is allowing her to gain perspective and she is learning to wait…to wait for God to tell her it is time to move. It is not the most comfortable place she has been but she knows she is right where she needs to be.

Is God calling you to spend time in the ‘time out’ chair? Is He ushering you into a place of rest, a time of listening? Are you cooperating or are you kicking and screaming the whole way? Once you sit down and rest, you will find that you like it. Slow down and take a seat.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Monday, September 24, 2007

sky jewelry


GOD, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.

Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?

Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods,
bright with Eden's dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us lords of sheep and cattle,
even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
whales singing in the ocean deeps.

GOD, brilliant Lord,
your name echoes around the world.

Psalm 8


I invite you to spend a few minutes meditating on this psalm. What arises out of the text? What grabs your heart? What resonates with you? Spend some time reflecting on its meaning for you and lift a prayer to God in response.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Sunday, September 23, 2007

sabbath

No post today ~ enjoy your sabbath

Saturday, September 22, 2007

discover


I spent time in therapy some 20 years ago. My life was falling apart. I was too involved in ministry, not understanding how some childhood experiences were impacting my present life, and struggling in my marriage. Counseling was a painful process but one of the most beneficial things I ever did. I saw counseling as “working” on myself so that I could become more of who I was meant to be.

Then, a couple of years ago, I read something that made me think of it differently. The author said that we don’t become more of who we were meant to be….but we discover who is already there. That may sound like splitting hairs but it was an important distinction for me.

It meant that I was not ‘growing’ into who God had made me to be. I was always that person…it was just covered by all this stuff. My therapy, not to mention the emotional work I do now, is a discovery process. How did God design me? Who did He create me to be? How has the Fall impacted me? How have my perceptions of the world and of myself been warped by the entrance of sin into the world…into my world?

Who I am, under all the trappings of living in this world, is who God created me to be. I cannot be ‘more’ of that person…but I can discover parts of her that I didn’t know were there. I hope this self-discovery of who I am in God’s image continues until I am standing in His presence.

Today, consider who you are in Him. Reflect on how He made you and your journey of ‘discovery’ of who that is. If there are huge things in the way that you cannot move through yourself, consider getting the help you need to discover as much as you can.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Friday, September 21, 2007

spa for the soul - prayer


Prayer can be practiced in many different ways. Today I want to talk about “body prayer”. How can you use your body as prayer? Have you ever considered using a different posture than you are used too? Many of us sit, with our heads bowed and our hands folded. What if you raised your head and looked toward heaven? Or got on your knees….or laid prostate on the floor before Him? One friend told me she felt a desire to be on her knees before God. She had pushed it away and when the desire persisted she decided to do it in her home during her prayer time. It opened up a new beautiful way for her to connect with God.

Another way you can practice body prayer is to sit with your hands open, palms down as you begin to pray. This can signify letting go of anything you are carrying…troubles, problems, things that may be between you and God. Sit with God and envision all of those things falling from your hands. Then, turn your palms right side up and sit offering yourself to God, surrendering and abandoning yourself to Him. Your hands may represent an openness to whatever He has for you.

Sometimes using our body in a more intentional way with prayer can bring us more fully into God’s presence. Most importantly, sit with God and ask Him how He wants you to be with Him….how might He be calling you into prayer. If you sense Him inviting you to prayer with your body, consider trying it. It may open up a new experience between you and God.

Peace,
Deb

Thursday, September 20, 2007

jars


If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

I love this verse. In the New Living Translation, we are called ‘jars of clay’.

When you first meet me, you may not immediately notice it. I am just a ‘jar of clay’. Hopefully, after some time, you would notice something different, something you might be drawn to. That would be Him. I would be an ordinary container if it weren’t for one thing…the light of Christ I carry with me. That light illuminates my life and makes the ordinary extraordinary.

But, I need to pay attention…I need to be looking and see where God is evident in the ordinary parts of my day and notice Him in the lives of those around me.

I invite you today, to pay attention to how you carry Christ in your ‘jar of clay’ life. Be looking for Him in the lives of those around you. How do they reflect God in their lives? Just notice.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

dark water


Several years ago, my husband and I went to Puerto Vallarta with family. One of the things they wanted to do was to go snorkeling. I had never been snorkeling before. I had seen it on TV….beautiful, warm, blue-green waters through which you could see to the bottom, vibrant colored fish of every shape, size and hue, a window into a world I had only seen on Animal Planet. We boarded a catamaran and off we went. We got further and further away from shore. I looked over the side of the boat and saw dark blue dense-looking water. I thought to myself that they must be taking us to the "beautiful, warm, blue green water through which you could see to the bottom".

Several miles out we approached an outcropping of large rooks jutting out of the ocean. We dropped anchor and the boat captain said this was the place. I thought “The place for what?” Lunch? Because there was no beautiful, warm, blue-green waters through which you could see anything!!! Only dark, menacing, rough water that was …gasp…COLD! If there is anything I dislike more than dark, menacing, rough water…it’s COLD, dark, menacing, rough water. I wanted to go back to the hotel and lay in the sun. But, I wasn’t there, I was here. And my pride wouldn’t let me stay behind on the boat.

So, I suited up and in I went. After I working to catch my breath which had been sucked out of me by the COLD, I tried putting my face in the water. Big mistake. The rough waters went over my snorkel and then I really had to try and catch my breath! And, much to my disappointment, I couldn’t see more than a foot down into the water, which meant I was only seeing more dark water. They had told us there would be opportunity to see fish near the rocks, so in a ‘can-do’ way, I began to swim to the rocks. About 50 feet from the boat, I felt an intense burning in my leg. I was trying to figure out what it was, when it happened again. I finally realized I was being stung by a jellyfish! I couldn’t see anything because…well, you know why, and all I wanted to do was get back on that boat so I started swimming back. It was a very scary few minutes as I tried to get back to safety. The jellyfish continued to sting me and I was trying not to panic.

Why have I shared this story with you? I think because it reminds me of life sometimes. I can often feel as if I’m in dark, deep water and I am totally out of control. I have felt like something from the deep is coming up to harm me. As I feel panic rising, I try to go towards what I know to be safe.

What I want is to know that I am ok in the midst of the deep, dark water. I want to know that God is control when the waves kick up. I want to know He is still holding me when the ‘stings’ in life come my way. I ‘know’ that all of this is true but sometimes I forget. I don’t want to forget.

Are you swimming in dark waters? Are you fearful of what lies beneath the surface? Life oftens brings dark, cold waters and holds things that frighten and sting us. But, in the midst of the fear, remember that He loves you more than you can possibly imagine and He, ultimately, holds you and all that you experience.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

body


You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.


Psalm 139:13-14 NLT


How beautiful are these verses! But how hard for us, as women, to believe. It is difficult for me to say that His workmanship is marvelous, especially when I think of my own body. It is rare that I am thrilled with my body. I spend too much time thinking about my flaws, about all the things I wish were different.

It is rare that I am grateful for my body...for the legs that take me up and down stairs. It is rare that I am thankful for my arms that allow me to lift my grandchildren to my face so I can kiss them. It is rare that I am thankful for my back which still bends and twists so I can exercise. Is it perfect? No…especially if you judge it by the world’s standards. But when I allow myself time to think of how complex, how intricate, how incredible the human body is, my body is, I am amazed.

I need to remind myself that God made my body. I need to be mindful of all the things it does for me and what it allows me to do. I need to focus less on what doesn’t ‘look’ the way I want it to but focus on how wonderfully it works. My measuring stick needs to be God's standard and not "Barbie's" standard.

Today, take a few moments to thank God for the wonderful way you are designed and for the unique way He created you. Be gentle with yourself…show love and gratitude for your body. Treat it with dignity because you are truly made in the image of God.

Peace,
Deb

Monday, September 17, 2007

out of focus


This picture represents how I often see the hand of God. It is out of focus. It’s there but I am unable to see it clearly. It’s like I need ‘spiritual glasses’ so that I can bring things in to focus.

My ‘spiritual glasses’ come in the form of silence and solitude. When I sit quietly before God I can begin to sense His presence more acutely, I can see where He is and what He is doing in my life with more clarity. If, for a period of time, I neglect my need for this discipline, things begin to get out of focus. It doesn’t mean they aren’t there…it’s just that my ability to see them is hindered.

Today, I invite you to take some time to consider how God may be calling you to see Him more clearly. Perhaps that means sitting quietly. Perhaps it means being out in nature…or hearing Him in a piece of music, seeing Him in a piece of art.

Take some time to discover how He is inviting you to “be”.

Grace and Peace
Deb

Sunday, September 16, 2007

sabbath

no post today ~ enjoy the sabbath

Saturday, September 15, 2007

sabbath


Tomorrow is the Sabbath. For the past couple of years I have been working through re-defining that word. I did not grow up in a religiously-observant home. Sunday meant another day off school…or my dad watching football on tv. No thought was given to God until I became a teenager. For some reason, I had a desire to go to church. For years, I went to church alone. It wasn’t until I was 18 that relationship with God became more than going to church on Sunday and trying to be ‘good’. I spent some years in a pretty rigid church. There were so many rules. There was a lot of talk about what I shouldn’t do on the Sabbath…and apparently the only things I could do were pray and read my Bible and go back to church in the evening. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love to talk to God and I value the Word but the idea of sitting all day, doing nothing else…well, let’s just say, I wasn’t drawn to it.

Over the past two years I think God has begun to re-shape my thinking of the Sabbath. Instead of seeing it as a day full of things I can’t do, I am seeing it as a gift. Whether it is held within one day or moments spread out over the week, it is a gift God has given me to refresh, refuel and renew. It allows me to energize through being calm. I can then go out and do what I feel He has asked me to do.

The Sabbath is a gift. This quote says it well, I think:

“I feel as if God had, by giving the Sabbath, given fifty-two springs in every year.”


Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Go in to tomorrow looking at it as a gift God has given you, as permission to rest and relax, to do things that bring you pleasure, thereby bringing Him pleasure. Tomorrow, look for the signs of spring.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Friday, September 14, 2007

spa for the soul - rest


How often do you take time to rest? Do you take time in your day to rest? Do you intentionally set time aside for rest? Do you know how to take a few minutes in the midst of activity to rest? Or do you only “rest” at night when you are sleeping?

Rest is so important for your wellbeing. It is how God designed you. You can go for periods of time without resting but not without consequences. Stress piles on stress piles on stress piles on stress. You find yourself being short with your husband or children. You find that you have no energy. You find that your body hurts, that you are prone to sickness. You find that you are experiencing less and less joy. You find yourself wondering …is this all there is? You can’t carve any time out for God because you are too busy…or too tired to get up a bit earlier or stay up a bit later to be with Him.

We were designed with a need to rest and it came naturally to us at one time. But we have forgotten. We have forgotten how to relax, how to play, how to rest. The good news…you can learn how to rest.

Anything from learning to catch a few moments in the middle of the day to giving yourself the gift of an entire weekend is a move back towards the ideal of Eden. Sometimes you will find that you need a longer time to allow your mind and your body to let go of all you carry, all that keeps you from truly relaxing.

If you are ready for a full weekend of rest and time with God, consider one of the upcoming retreats in either October or November. There will be times of guided reflections, precious, restorative time alone to journal, walk, listen to music, or even sleep…and times of community. You will gain tools that help you develop practices that you can carry back into everyday life. That will allow you to create times of rest through your week.

You certainly can create restful times on your own. Want to try? Choose a comfortable place to sit, where you won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes and offer a pray up to God, telling Him that you just want to rest in His presence. Then…..just breathe. Be aware of your breath. Don’t change the pace. Just breathe….in and out. It will find it’s own pace. Staying focused on your breathing will help keep your mind occupied and lessen intruding thoughts. Try it for ten minutes. You will be amazed at how relaxed you will feel afterwards. Try to do this every day and you will find that it gets easier as you are discovering how to ‘rest’.

Whether you give yourself a weekend retreat or ten minutes of quiet tomorrow morning, you are moving yourself closer to the heart of God as you learn to 'rest' in His presence.

rest…..rest….rest

Deb

Thursday, September 13, 2007

everywhere


God is everywhere. Nature is saturated with Him. He surrounds us every moment. He is more real than the breath we breathe. Look for him today wherever you find yourself. Be aware...be present.

God Bless,
Deb

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

gratitude


It’s a brand new day. It’s a chance to thank God for drawing breath. It’s a chance to do it differently. It’s a chance to walk gently in the world and pay attention to the beauty that surrounds me. It’s a chance to love more fully, to forgive more honestly and to seek God more deeply.

May you appreciate this new day. May you feel gratitude for what you have and who you are…and that the Creator of the universe takes notice of you and loves you extravagantly.

Blessings,
Deb

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

new creature



I had a conversation with a friend today. We talked about some really, really hard things in her past and how they are impacting her now. She has tried to just ‘forget it” and move on. But that never works in the long term.

I’ve had other friends who have struggled with similar issues. I think one of the hardest things is once one comes to Jesus they think He will take it all away…all the pain, all the memories, everything. I think it is that ‘new creature’ thing. Old creature yesterday, new creature today.

I know, from my own past experience, that continuing to carry pain from the past stole energy and joy from my life. It kept me from being who God wanted me to be. Obviously, I wanted God to just remove it, so I could get on with doing His will. What I realized was that there was beauty held within those ashes. I just couldn’t see it because I was so intent on pretending it wasn't there, pretending it wasn’t a problem for me. But my life circumstances would say something different. There was a lack of freedom, a lack of living life wholly.

I laid down my weapons and my armor and went in to counseling. I shared honestly about my childhood and I also shared about how I saw that past impacting my present and possibly, my future. It was a difficult process – like cleaning out a wound that had become infected, but the poison was coming out. And out in the open it wasn’t as toxic as it had been held inside. It lost its power over me and I found myself freed to become more of the woman, the wife and the mom God wanted me to be.

For those of you struggling with issues from the past, give yourself the gift of counseling to work through it. Jesus wants to meet you in the midst of your pain. He wants to show you that He can carry you through it…not around it but through it. It requires courage and trust. I invite you to experience that outrageous trust as you pursue new life…to discover that God is powerful enough to heal you…that you can be becoming a new creature through the process.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Monday, September 10, 2007

dark places


Why must holy places be dark places?

C.S. Lewis

This quote speaks to the mystery of how God works in the midst of tough times. As I look back on my life, I grew the most in my faith when I went through dark times. One of the most significant was when my son was 3 years old. He got sick, very sick. And we weren’t sure what was wrong. It took over two weeks of hospital tests, 4 days in the intensive care unit, and poking and prodding by doctors to get a diagnosis. I had a six month old at home, that I was breastfeeding, who I was leaving at 6 am in the morning and returning to at 11 pm at night.

He was so sick that I wasn’t sure he would be coming home. I needed to be near the hospital he was in, which meant I was not home…I and my daughter were staying with my parents. I was separated from my church family, my husband was in another state working, and I remember feeling very alone.

I remember one night sitting at the bottom of my parents’ driveway in my car after a long day at the hospital. I was pounding my fists on the dashboard, yelling and telling God that if He wanted to get my attention, then do something to me and not to my toddler. I vented all my frustration and finally, went to the house and upstairs, to fall in to my old childhood bed. As I lay there waiting for sleep to overtake me, I realized that I had given everything over to God…everything except my children. When the reality of this hit me, I immediately asked God to forgive me. I thanked him for the privilege of having Mark for three years and said that if He wanted to take him, I released him (not that He needed my permission but I wanted Him to know that I was recognizing His sovereignty). I also remember asking for the grace that I would need should Mark die. I cried and cried but this time it was from release…even facing the possibility that I could lose him, I knew that I could rest in whatever God had in store for me.

That was a crucial lesson in my Christian walk…in learning to trust…trust whatever God had in store for me…trust that He could see me through.

Mark recovered and I am so thankful that I continue to have the privilege of parenting him. But, tough times still come into my life. Sometimes fear is still my first instinct but in time, I can look for God’s presence in the midst of the difficulty. And what a calming presence it is.

Are you going through a tough time? Are you gripped by fear of what the future holds? Do you find yourself questioning God and the plan He has for you? I invite you to spend some time today reflecting on the sovereignty of God…knowing that He holds you in the palm of His hand and that nothing can touch you that He cannot use for your good. May you sense His peace in a deep way today.
Grace and Peace,
Deb

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Friday, September 7, 2007

plans


When the angel appeared to Mary to tell her that God wanted her to carry and bear His son, Mary’s reply was:

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."


Can you imagine a life so sold out to God that whatever He asked, whatever happened, you would say, “May it be to me as you have said.”

How many of us are sold out to God like that? I am thinking about the times when something came into my life I didn’t expect, and my first thought was why me? Why now? What’s next? This was not in my 4 year plan!

I doubt that having a child out of wedlock, bringing shame upon her family and her betrothed was in Mary’s 4 year plan. I think she dreamed of a typical Jewish engagement, a typical Jewish wedding ceremony, time with just her and her husband.

But, an angel comes to her and says that God has chosen her…that she will be impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Wow. I doubt my first impression would be to say…"As you wish". I think I would say, “Right now? Ummm, could I have a couple of days to think it over? You know, if we wait a few months, I’ll already be married and this could be a lot less messy. Or maybe you could fly over to my parents bedroom and then stop by Joseph’s house to fill them in on the plan. Wait….could you tell me how this will work out? I know you might not know, but you could sure ask the One who does. That way I could make an intelligent decision about whether or not to say yes.”

Yep…that sounds like something I would say to an angel.

But Mary? No. She trusted God. She said yes. She didn’t know how it would end, she couldn’t see that pain that was part of the plan. She just said yes.

I want to respond to God more like Mary. I want to welcome whatever He has for me, whatever the plan is.

I invite you to think about how you are responding to God. Are you holding back? Do you want to ask 20 questions? Or are you beginning to rest in His love and trusting what He wants for you? Share your thoughts with God today. Be honest with Him about how you desire to respond. Relax into His love.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Thursday, September 6, 2007

true love


I wonder what would happen if I truly believed that Jesus loved me without measure. You may think it strange that I would even think such a thought, but I have a reason. I know, intellectually that Jesus does love me beyond what I will ever be able to comprehend. But living in that truth, day in and day out, is a different matter. I am able to grasp it for fleeting moments, like holding water in my hands.

I think part of it is living in a fallen world. I don’t think I can ever fully understand the depth of His love for me because everything runs through my corrupted grid. Even though it has been renewed because of my love for God, it is still part of this broken world. Then there is the fact that I’ve never experienced a pure love. I have had the privilege of being love deeply by some of the people in my life but I have also been on the receiving end of manipulative and damaging “love” and so it is hard to have a vision of what God’s love for me really looks like.

I want to live into it….I want to rest completely in it. I try to think what would be different if I did. How would I treat others? How would I treat myself? How would I view difficulties and losses? How would I see my blessings?

I think I can start by allowing myself to think about this every morning. To say it to myself and to reflect on it…and to ask God to move it deeply into my heart. I think that is a prayer that He would love to answer.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

spa for the soul - journaling


Last night a friend of mine allowed me to read her journal. Do you have any idea what a rare privilege that is? To have someone let you know about something they wrote in their journal is amazing, but for them to allow you to read their intimate thoughts with God is a beautiful and trustful act.

Although I won’t tell you what she wrote I do want to share with you how she wrote. She had something she wanted to share with God so she began a dialogue. She would write a line and then God would answer her. God would say something and my friend would respond. It was a rich and lovely communication between a woman and her Lord. It was deep and it was revealing. It made me want to come home and have a written conversation with Jesus.

If you’ve never tried journaling, I invite you to try it. It is a powerful way to learn more about yourself, more about you and your relationship with God and more about Him. If you already journal, take it to another level. Try having a conversation with Him…ask yourself…ask Him hard questions and don’t try to force the answers…just let them evolve. Invite God to speak to you through the pages of your journal.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

love


“No account of Christian spirituality is complete if it fails to give a central place to love. God is love. He has poured this love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Offering us his love, he desires that we become like him - great lovers.”
David Benner

This is a hard quote for me. I use to think that the sign of a really spiritual person was how much scripture they had memorized. I am coming to believe the true sign of someone who loves Jesus and is devoted to him has less to do with what you know and everything to do with how you love. This is not good news for me. Why? Because I struggle with this.

It’s easy to love those I choose to love. Do you know what I mean? It is those people who I like. I am willing to give grace…I desire to work through things….I find a way because I want to maintain and grow these relationships.

But then there are people that are difficult for me to love…or even like. They may do things differently than I do, they may criticize, they may hurt people I love. When I begin to feel justified in my feelings about someone, I am brought back to what God calls me to and that is love. In fact, when I am in trying to make a decision between what I think I want to do or say and what I feel God wants me to do or say, I ask myself a question… “What would love do?” That makes it pretty simple. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when I need to say tough things to others or even put up some boundaries to protect my self and those I love from harmful people – but even in those times I need to do it in a way that honors God.

Do you have people in your life that you find hard to love? Do you think you’ve built up walls or justified reasons why it’s ok not to love? If so, I ask you to consider today what response God might be calling you to…consider asking the question – “What would love do?”

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Monday, September 3, 2007

worship


I apologize for my sporadic writing this past weekend….but I have a pretty good excuse. On Friday evening my daughter had a baby boy. It was a long and hard labor but the result was worth it. We have welcomed our new grandson into our lives. I am not sure how anyone who has ever seen an infant, let alone a birth, cannot believe in the existence of God. To look into his tiny face is like a glimpse into heaven.

Yesterday morning I went to church, and as soon as worship began, the tears began to flow. My cup was full. I was overwhelmed with God’s blessing. I was so thankful that I couldn’t sing. I needed to just listen to the music and worship in my heart. I also thought back to times of deep pain, when all I could do was cry during worship. Although I was very aware of the pain, I was also worshipping…worshipping the God who I trust…worshipping the God who I rest in, no matter what the circumstances look like.

Today I find myself in a season where “the sun is shining down on me…the world is all as it should be”. I am also aware that tomorrow I could be on the “road marked with suffering”. Through good and bad, may I continue to bless the name of the Lord.

No matter what today holds, can you offer worship up to God? I invite you to spend some time thinking about how God holds you in the palm of His hand and offer up a pray of worship to Him.

Grace and Peace,
Deb

Saturday, September 1, 2007

alien


"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

C.S. Lewis

Do you ever feel like this? That you are an alien? That you are a foreigner in this land? I do. There are times when I am quite comfortable here. I like so many things about this world. I love my family. I love my friends. I love music. I love animals. I love food. I love visiting other countries. I love the oceans and the mountains and the desert. I love the seasons. I love flowers and I LOVE chocolate.

But there are other times…times when there is a dull ache inside of me. Times when I feel like my spirit is groaning, carrying the weight of living here under the fall. Times when I feel incomplete…when I feel like I am missing part of myself.

Then I have a reminder. The veil is parted for a moment and I get a glimpse of what is on the other side. It’s home! I see something that stirs my spirit and I remember where I came from and where I am going to. There is bittersweet mixture of extreme love, as I sense God in a different way, and there is also an extreme longing as I realize I am not home yet.

So…if you have one of those moments when you experience an ache inside that you can’t seem to put your finger on, maybe, just maybe, it is……….. homesickness.

Grace and Peace,
Deb