Honest Conversations

I was driving down the road today praying and just having a wonderful time talking to God. I was doing all the talking and not a lot of listening. Then He spoke. Today was one of those days that He really made me squirm.

Here's how the conversation kinda went from my side:

"Father, I'm really struggling right now. I want to be closer to you and there's just something in the way"

"Ohhhh, you mean that unforgiveness...but I have forgiven him, even if he doesn't deserve it"

"I know, I really do want to forgive him, but I start praying and I get mad all over again...I just get worked up and then I move on."

"What do you mean by 'why do you want to get even?' "

"I know that he is human and therefore not without fault and that I am just the same way. But God..."

"Lord, I do love you and I do want to be obedient. I know that you love him and that you love me. I know that he is as much your son as I am your daughter. Forgive me for holding on to and even cherishing unforgiveness in my heart towards my brother in Christ. I forgive him...no strings attached...help me love him in the way you do."

"Send him a Christmas Card?? Tell him I love him! Okay, I will as soon as I get home."

"I love you too! Thank you for hearing me. Thank you for correcting me and setting me on the right path."

I continued my drive, eyes a bit misty, backside a bit sore, heart a lot lighter. And yes, a Christmas Card has been done and is addressed and ready to go.

Restored

I had a thought the other day...

I saw a clay pot that had been broken beyond any use. There were cracks all over it's surface and in some places, there were even pieces missing.

I saw a hand pick it up, gently pull it apart, and then lovingly put it into a large glass container. The hand then filled the glass container full of a golden oil.

As soon as the last drop touched the surface, a light shined through from the back. I expected to see every flaw that the pot had contained but instead saw the beauty of the light shining through.

That pot is me...
  broken, not whole, chipped away by use and misuse by this world we live in...some
  of the chips done by my choices and some done by others to me.

The hand...
  God's hand - lovingly restoring me for His purpose.

The glass container...
  God's purpose and protection.

The oil...
  His anointing on and in my life.

That pot could be anyone. It could be even you.

I don't know about you, but I am so glad that even through all my imperfections, every mess up and wrong step... God has restored me and set me aside for His purpose so that He gets the glory.

In heartache and in joy

In the moments
      of breaths in between,
seeing Your hand
                    touching sight of your heart
                                       the motion of Your love,

And realizing
       in brokeness you are revealed,
   in perfection hidden most,
                      for it is when I need you thus,
                                     the power of your sacrifice revealed.

You are the Potter,
        and I am the clay,
molded and made by you,
     my  blemishes noted
                    brokenness made complete.

You are my God,
         I am your child.
                        Suspend me in the oil of gladness,
          Your light shining through.
Saviour, wonderful Lord,
                                            even yet and still,
                       in heartache and in joy,
I am complete in You.

Jesus, in all things I give you praise and thank You. My hope is in You and You alone. Soothe my heart, lead me by still waters, direct my thoughts, emotions and all of who I am.
Amen

Thorny Issues

As Doug and I were leaving a friends home last night, I made a comment about roses; that the ones that not only look beautiful but smell beautiful as well tend to have the most thorns. Now I know this for fact because I work for a florist and process flowers for use in our shop quite often. I have to use a little tool that knocks the thorns off...very carefully!


Recently, our shop received some beautiful spray roses that were bright orange in color and had a heavenly scent. The only problem was they had enormous thorns on the major part of the stem and ity, bity, tiny thorns near the flowers. Very hard to handle.


I have come across many people in my life who are much like these spray roses. You can see the beauty and potential of who they are but there is no way you can get very close because they have lots of "thorny" issues to protect themselves and keep people at arms length. I know that from personal experience...I was one of those people. I know this...I praise God that he sent people into my life who did not mind the thorns and kept loving me despite them.


So, if you know anyone who:

• Is rude and angry all the time...

• Tends to lead with biting sarcasm in conversations...

• Says "NO" to all invitations...

• Is downright not receptive to friendship overtures...

Don't give up on them. God hasn't.  You may be they very tool He has sent to help remove the thorns...very carefully and with Him leading.

If you were one of the people in my life who God used to remove the thorns on me...Thank You! If you were one of the ones who were "bitten" by one of my old thorns...I am so sorry and ask for your forgiveness and a second (or even third) chance to be a friend.


Father, thank you for your faithfulness to send people to love on hurting ones who don't know how to be loved. Thank you that you kept loving me through all the hurt and pain and sent ones who weren't intimidated by my "thorns". Use me today to show your love, to be the sweet fragrance in my life that brings peace into hearts of sorrow. I love you!


Amen

Extravagant Love!

The words, "Extravagant Love", have been floating in my spirit today, kind of bumping up against the eyes of my heart and bringing me close to tears.

I find myself at a junction in my life with the opportunity to give God more of my time, my heart, more of my life. I know that He calls each of us to be His...most of the time I have split that between other things as well.

He gave us His all, an extravagant love that poured out his very lifeblood for each of us. How could I be not be ready to do any less.

Praying, quietly, actively serving and ready to serve Him. Now and every day!

Hey! There was an Elephant in my Room!

I forget sometimes that this is my shake can to rattle at myself. So the very things that Need to go in here are the ones that remain deeply hidden inside of me. But hey...no regrets!!

Regrets are what I want to talk about. I have lived, what feels like my whole life, with regrets. They were not obnoxious or obtrusive. They never hurt anybody or caused a world war...but the truth is they hurt me. They were the proverbial elephant in the room of my life.

"Regrets," you say, "what the heck is a regret?" So glad you asked.

Regrets sound like this inside our minds:

  "I should have never said that..."

 "What if I had done this instead..."

" I know I am forgiven, but..."

"I have wasted so much time by..."

You get the idea. That's what the inside of me sounded like.

What they did is even worse. Regrets about old friendships kept me from forming new ones. Regrets about things I had said in fear of saying the wrong thing again. Regrets about old sins I had confessed kept me in self condemnation. Sadness, fear, condemnation all held me captive because of one little anchor...Regret. I even had regrets of things I had done wrong as a mom, a wife, a daughter. There was no area of my life that was free from regret.

A couple of days back I read a post on the blog of an author I like, Francis Frangipine. (note: I do not always agree with him, but his writing impels me to think.) In it, he addresses the things above and goes a step further. He calls consuming regret a spiritual stronghold.

As I am reading his blog, tears are streaming down my face. He was describing me to the very last period. He does not stop with the description, he continues on with the prescription and encouragement to allow God to clear the regrets, not be afraid of godly sorrow, and live a life free of chain-binding regrets.

The next day, I went forward at church and prayed with a dear friend. By the word of my testimony and agreement in prayer I have been set free. The elephant called regret no longer lives in me.

So my next steps...not get caught in the trap of regretting.

Galatians 5:1
[ Freedom in Christ ] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

I forget sometimes that I am on a journey through life that is moved forward by one step at a time...another step forward.

Father, thank you that because of the Blood of Jesus, I am set free. Amen

Act Locally - Impact Globally!

In the 90's, I had the wonderful honor of hanging with an awesome group of young girls. They thought I was the teacher, but the truth was they taught me.

They taught me to be on my toes and on my knees. They taught me that laughter and giggles can cure a bad day. They taught me that my plan is not as good as God's plan and that I need to be open to throwing out my lessons for the day. They taught me how to listen not only with my ears but also with my heart.


We befriended Missionaries from around the world by writing letters. We visited one on one when they came to visit, we sat and listened as they told us of how God was touching their lives and the lives of the people they served. And we prayed for them always.

We looked at the world around us and saw where we could serve. Some days you would find us folding socks or bagging flour at the downtown mission. Another day you would find us sweeping and dusting at a ministry for families of prisoners. The next week we would go to a nursing home and be there to help with games and encourage the residents. Everywhere we went, we took the love of Jesus with us and shared it often.

Somewhere between here and there time has moved on. These young girls are now wives and moms with families of their own. My own children have grown up and moved on.

Though all have changed, there is one constant - Jesus.      

³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  Matthew 9:36-38   (NIV)

The harvest is still around us.  They have different names and backgrounds. Their lives intersect ours in a variety of ways.

Take Mina, for example. She is an Indian woman I led to Christ one day. As I talked to her about Jesus, her face changed and beamed with joy. I asked her about her "other gods" and she replied, "I have no other gods than the One True God.". I found out later that her grandfather is the Minister of Transportation for all of India. Her brother's, influential attorneys and doctors in India. Act locally - impact Globally.

Then there is Lyda, a dear sister in Christ who had to leave her home in Iran or be killed. Her mom was married to the local Imam and was a Muslim evangelist. Lyda moved to the Detroit area and ministered to the woman of the Muslim community. Weekly she received death threats. Weekly she rejoiced as women who she had befriended came to know Christ. Act locally - impact Globally.

Martin and Kim are dear friends here in Houston. They touch the lives of hundreds of homeless men and women, gang bangers, drug addicts, transvestites and prostitutes every week. The feed 'em, love them, help get them off the streets and share the love of Jesus above all else. People from around the world come to see what they are doing and take it back to their streets. They act locally - impact Globally.

The stories go on. My heart is full with the need to be available to God's call in each of our lives. He did not call us to sit on a chair, clap on the beat, and sing in tune. He called us to first love Him with all of our hearts, souls and minds; and then second to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Never before is the need greater. Now is the time to act.

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

All Praise, all Glory, all Worship to my Lord and King!!