Just the other day...my husband read to me the headline we have all now heard about: a company wanting to pay 1 million dollars to any woman who can prove she slept with Tim Tebow, which would mean that he had lost his virginity. My first reaction was to become disgusted, shaking my head at what a sick, perverted world we live in. However, I think the Lord has used this story to get me to realize to an even greater degree what I already knew: this world is ACHING to see "the real deal".
4/24/12
Share Your Story, Bring God Glory
The most freeing experiences of my life have come out of obeying God by "letting my light shine". Remember singing "This Little Light of Mine" in church as children? My favorite part was always, "Hide it under a bush? Oh, no! I'm gonna let it shine!" As an adult, that's has become my mantra.
Yes, I get scared.
Yes, there are moments I want to hide under my covers.
Yes, I sometimes share and then wrestle with overwhelming doubts.
But, you know what? The more I decide to step out on faith, the more He uses it...even the things I think are "nothing". Very little becomes MUCH when committed to our great big God!
I want to encourage you all today...please obey the Lord when He prompts you to share your testimony with others! My very wise husband always says, "People can argue with anything you tell them, but they can never dispute your testimony because
IT'S YOUR STORY!"
I personally believe it's never going to be any easier to share the gospel (the good news!) of Jesus Christ than it is today. Times are changing and moods are shifting. Intolerance for those who believe is growing. I don't think "shining our lights" is going to look the same even 10 years from now!
Use the time He has given you wisely,
Pray,
Capture His heart for this generation,
and by all means...SHARE YOUR STORY!!!!
If we all do that,
Can you IMAGINE the IMPACT we can make...
FOR HIS GLORY???
-------------
"In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." Matt 5:16
So in love with Him,
4/23/12
God's Silence Taught Me About Dancing
Just the other day...I sat on the floor, begging God to acknowledge me. He was silent. I confessed any sin I could possibly think of and yet...He was silent. I sat in the stillness for a while. Warm tears trickled down my face and I sniffled and snubbed and begged Him to come to me. Still, He was silent. After awhile, I got on the internet and did a search for "when God is silent". I stayed awake much longer than I should have listening to a two part sermon on His silence. Part of me understood it a little more, maybe. But do you know what?
None of it took away the hurt.
It felt like a death.
In the days that followed, it occurred to me...this is just a very tiny glimpse of the pain Jesus felt as He hung on the cross. When He cried out, "My God, my God...why have you forsaken me?", He was literally experiencing the feeling of "divine abandonment". Jesus was made to suffer the loss of the most precious gift in all of the universe...intimacy with the Father. It was torturous.
I know the Word of God says He will always be with us. It's a part of Jesus's promise to us right before He ascended into Heaven. I believe in that promise! However, I also know that there are times that all of us go through feeling like God is far away and distant. When God seems distant for no apparent reason, it is confusing!
Sometimes His distance feels harsh. However, in the case of sin and disobedience, God's distance can actually prove His love for you! He cares about you, therefore He WILL discipline you.
In time, God used a memory of my 3rd grade teacher to help me see what He was doing in my life. She had a special tactic up her sleeve when it came to keeping order in the classroom. If she was lecturing and other students decided to talk in the back of the room, she would stop and stare at them. In the silence, the few rule-breakers would realize they were the only ones still talking. Suddenly, in embarrassment, they would stop and turn their full attention back to the teacher.
Through His silence and the pain it caused me, He certainly got my attention! I was praying and reading the Word, but I had somewhat slipped into "going-through-the-motions" of our relationship. God is too much of a romantic to allow such a thing to happen! It's like going on a date and being there, but not really being there...like the time I was on a date with my husband and he accidentally kept paying attention to a sporting event on TV!
With help from a trusted friend, I realized that I had put God in a box (so to speak). His silence brought me to a place of knowing...
He has WAY more to show me, but He needs my full attention. He has new things for me to discover!
He's not done with me.
He's not done with you, either.
He has SO much He wants to teach us and reveal to us! He loves us too much to allow us to get comfortable where we are.
I realized that...
Christianity is like a grand dance with the Lover of Our Souls. Sometimes it's fast; sometimes it's slow. It involves great partnering skills -- one to lead and one to follow. The constant movement of the two together creates beauty and splendor. And if there wasn't continual motion and change, it wouldn't be called a dance. It would be called a "stand still".
So, I laced up my shoes, grabbed His outstretched hand, and let Him lead me back on the dance floor.
For His glory,
None of it took away the hurt.
It felt like a death.
In the days that followed, it occurred to me...this is just a very tiny glimpse of the pain Jesus felt as He hung on the cross. When He cried out, "My God, my God...why have you forsaken me?", He was literally experiencing the feeling of "divine abandonment". Jesus was made to suffer the loss of the most precious gift in all of the universe...intimacy with the Father. It was torturous.
I know the Word of God says He will always be with us. It's a part of Jesus's promise to us right before He ascended into Heaven. I believe in that promise! However, I also know that there are times that all of us go through feeling like God is far away and distant. When God seems distant for no apparent reason, it is confusing!
Sometimes His distance feels harsh. However, in the case of sin and disobedience, God's distance can actually prove His love for you! He cares about you, therefore He WILL discipline you.
"My child, don't reject the Lord's discipline, and don't be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights."
Prov 3: 11 - 12
Sometimes God is silent because He's simply trying to get our attention!
It works.
Through His silence and the pain it caused me, He certainly got my attention! I was praying and reading the Word, but I had somewhat slipped into "going-through-the-motions" of our relationship. God is too much of a romantic to allow such a thing to happen! It's like going on a date and being there, but not really being there...like the time I was on a date with my husband and he accidentally kept paying attention to a sporting event on TV!
With help from a trusted friend, I realized that I had put God in a box (so to speak). His silence brought me to a place of knowing...
He has WAY more to show me, but He needs my full attention. He has new things for me to discover!
He's not done with me.
He's not done with you, either.
He has SO much He wants to teach us and reveal to us! He loves us too much to allow us to get comfortable where we are.
I realized that...
Christianity is like a grand dance with the Lover of Our Souls. Sometimes it's fast; sometimes it's slow. It involves great partnering skills -- one to lead and one to follow. The constant movement of the two together creates beauty and splendor. And if there wasn't continual motion and change, it wouldn't be called a dance. It would be called a "stand still".
God doesn't want any of us standing still!
He wants us fully engaged in the divine dance!
He's reaching out to you as well.
Will you take His hand?
"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer..."
For His glory,
4/18/12
Boy-Drama Begins
Just the other day...Princess #2, who is all of five years old, was not herself. We had just gotten home after church and she was huffing and puffing around like a mad woman. When I asked her what was wrong, she ran to her room. "Oh, mercy...what could have happened?!" I wondered. I mean, she can be dramatic but even so, this was a little over-the-top for her. Quickly, I followed her and when I opened the door I saw that she was sitting on her bed with her arms crossed. She wore the cutest little pouty face, with her lips pursed and her eyebrows furrowed.
4/16/12
A Mouse & A Lesson on Complacency
Just the other day...I decided it was time to do some cleaning out around here. It's been "time" for a while, but I think I just needed some motivation. An excellent dose of motivation came when nine family members decided to come for a visit. Yep, that'll do it!
4/10/12
Stepping Off the Hamster Wheel
Just the other day, my husband said these words, "I'm going to have the internet cut off for a month so we can communicate."
Ouch.
The truth hurts.
Ouch.
The truth hurts.
4/2/12
God's Not Dead
Just the other day...I was alone in my car, traveling to a speaking engagement. Even a year ago, I would have called you certifiably nuts if you had told me I would be up on stage speaking to anyone, anywhere. In my Christian walk, I've spent the last couple of years gaining freedom from fear (gripping, anxiety-producing, enslaving fear). The change in my heart...the confidence the Lord has given me...is nothing short of miraculous!
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