When God Intervenes

Last weekend my husband and I did what we normally do on a Saturday, we made up a grocery list and went to Aldi's, a grocery store chain that sells discounted food items. We love that store! You meet all kinds of interesting people, some not so fun to listen to, but they're doing what we're doing, shopping for groceries for the upcoming week. It's a staple in their life just like it is in ours. However, on this particular Saturday I was about to meet with God's reconciling grace. As I was walking the cart down the aisle I glanced to my left and saw someone I thought I knew, did a double-take and realized it was indeed an old former friend. She and I had a falling out a few years back, both said some things we shouldn't have and parted ways. She was hurt, I was hurt and that was that. Or so I thought. So to see her in the grocery store shopping for groceries with her husband, just like I was, at first glance caused a fight or flight response in me. I could either ignore her and keep shopping (which I did for a few minutes), or I could step into the opportunity God presented to me to restore a friendship, right there in the grocery store. After first ignoring her I tussled within myself as to what to do. As I continued down the aisle it was inevitable, we were going to meet. What should I do? At the gentle nudge from the Spirit who lives within me I stepped forward and said her name, waiting for her to first, see me, then recognize me, and then wait and see how she would react. She turned, looked at me and a glint of recognition came to her face and instantly we hugged. And it wasn't a quick "hug, hi, how are you, now go away" kind of hug. It felt like all the pent up feelings I had towards this sister in Christ just dissipated into nothing and I felt restored, righted and renewed. We couldn't talk long enough, but both knew we had husbands waiting off to the side to continue our shopping, so we parted and moved on. The next aisle we met again, hugged again, only this time I apologized for what happened between us and she did the same and it was if we had each found a new friend. Oh, how I've missed my friend. And I didn't even really realize it until just then. We had been through so much together and parted on such painful circumstances that reconciling didn't ever seem to be possible. But for God. He knows when it's time to restore. I hadn't been praying about it, hadn't even thought of her for quite a while, but He knows when it's time. How I thank Him for his loving intervention in my life. Would that every broken relationship be renewed in such a way! I don't know why now, why us, for what purpose, but He does and even though we live 50 miles apart I know that I know when we meet up again, and we WILL meet up again, He will be at the center of the relationship and be glorified through it.

Peace, Be Still

Genesis 18:17, NIV Then the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" Note that the Lord "SAID"; He truly didn't ask anyone for their opinion, He wasn't doubting or unsure. He knew his friend Abraham, their friendship was intimate, true and sure. Without waiting for any response from anyone, He then proceeded to speak over Abraham his future. All this time good ol' Abe said nothing. He didn't goad the Lord to disclose what He was talking about. He didn't beg, "Oh, pretty please? Tell me?" Abraham waited to let the Lord speak His peace. Sometimes when my husband of 21+ years is sharing his thoughts with me or telling me a story he takes longer than I'm comfortable with, just getting the words out of his mouth seems to take a long time because he is forming them in his head before they are spoken. Yet, knowing him as an intimate friend as well as wife I can pretty much know what he's about to say and if I'm really impatient I will say it for him. That just kills the moment. His eyes will ever so slightly twitch and I'll see a frown out of the corner of my eye, and I realize that something is now lost in the sharing. I've learned over time that if I want to be his partner in the telling, I need to keep quiet, listen and let him speak his peace. It's a difficult thing for me to do but I've discovered that this way he tells his story his way and he is honored more by my respectful silence than my impatient slap-in-the-face blurting out of his thoughts for him. My heart desires to claim the above bible verse over my own life and many times I want to help the Lord speak the words over my life like He did Abraham. I may even give him suggestions. However, I'm learning that if I want to be His partner in the prophetic words, I need to keep to be still and let my heavenly Father speak to me in His way and in His time. My intimate desire is to honor Him whom I love above all things and He is worthy of my respectful silence.

God keeps His word! AMEN

I love the section about God keeping His word. Satan surely does lie through his teeth! "First, there’s the matter of being put in charge of writing down and caring for God’s revelation, these Holy Scriptures. So, what if, in the course of doing that, some of those Jews abandoned their post? God didn’t abandon them. Do you think their faithlessness cancels out his faithfulness? Not on your life! Depend on it: God keeps his word even when the whole world is lying through its teeth. Scripture says the same: Your words stand fast and true; Rejection doesn’t faze you. But if our wrongdoing only underlines and confirms God’s rightdoing, shouldn’t we be commended for helping out? Since our bad words don’t even make a dent in his good words, isn’t it wrong of God to back us to the wall and hold us to our word? These questions come up. The answer to such questions is no, a most emphatic No! How else would things ever get straightened out if God didn’t do the straightening?" (Romans 3:2-6, MSG)

I DID IT!!! DANCERCISING 101 & 102

I did it! I did it! I found that ONE thing that clicked with me for exercising. After writing the article for www.liveliving.org regarding motivation to transformation entitled, "The Beauty Within," something inside of me just started clicking into place. After accomplishing the 5K race in March I've been vacillating about what to do "next". This past weekend the Holy Spirit prompted me to pull out the CD's I used when I led worship at a previous church and I found that I have 50-60 CD's. On those CD's there must be 20-30 songs that I could use to dance/exercise to. I thought I just needed to burn the songs onto a CD and incorporate the steps. However, this morning I couldn't wait any longer and yanked the CD player off my work desk and took it down to the racketball workout room in the gym of my workplace, set it up and pushed the "on" button. Had no idea what steps to do but I just moved in worship and praise, incorporating what dance steps I remembered from 2nd and 3rd grade dance classes and some exercise moves I knew. IT WAS EXHILERATING! I sweated more dancercising than I did when I walked for 60 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical. Christian Zumba? Could it be on its way in? I've found my niche. Have even looked at taking a dance class (for senior citizens no less, LOL)to learn more steps and moves. This is only the beginning. I'm writing this just before heading to lunch but there will be more of my adventures into dancercising, you can be sure. Sorry this is so short but stay tuned for updates. In Jesus' name I'm off and DANCING!!! Woo HOO!!! SPECIAL NOTE: Strangest thing happened in the afternoon at work after writing this post. I shouldn't have been surprised by it, for every time you rise to a new level of intimacy with the Lord the enemy tries to dig his claws in and works even harder to stop the work of the Lord in your life. I was working away and from seemingly out of nowhere I was overcome with anger and frustration, with my job, boss, coworkers and felt like I wanted to walk away from it all. Thoughts like "why am I bothering to work out, I work and work and nothing, I just look stupid down there trying to "dance", I should be struggling more, not enjoying it more. Oh, I hate this place. I am so frustrated!" And kept getting blow after blow with thoughts that truly weren't of me. So I got up, seemingly to walk to the restroom, to escape iand sat down to take it all to my Lord. "God, help me. I need your truth and peace." He began to open my heart to recognize that Satan works with more force to combat me with lies when I'm on the path the Lord desires for me. While I may not be madly in love with my job, He has given me strong Christian women that surround me with support here and He's supplied a workout area totally free of charge. Struggles will come with any job but He is there to lift me up out of them. He came that I might have LIFE and live it to the full so enjoyment of that life is totally of Him. So I'm back this morning and exercising in His word and He takes me to Isaiah 41. I love verse 10 but here's a little snippet of comforting truth: verse 9b-"I have chosen you and have not rejected you," verse 10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand," verse 13-"for I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you." Isn't He just the most understanding and nifty Friend? Yeah, back at the dance tomorrow morning!

Revelation

I apologize for not having written in this blog for a week. I've been challenged to write a motivational article for the e-magazine on www.LiveLiving.org and have been rather consumed with the process of that. It is now finished and will be available to read in its next issue on Motivation. I was stunned to read, as I wrote, what the Lord wanted to reveal within me. What He desired to show me about myself that in all my 57 years of life I never saw. He showed me how greatly the arts influenced my life and why, out of all the members of my family (who were all into sports), I was the one given this gift. You'll have to read it when it comes out. May it touch and bless your life as it has mine. More later.

He Hears my Pain

In light of yesterday's post, "Stones vs. Peace" I want to share what my Heavenly Trainer is right now teaching me as He reveals more of just Who He is to me. Yes, the past several days have been really sucky, but I can still go to Him with it. He is so faithful that even when I screw up, even when I fail, even when I don't "produce" the fruit of righteousness that we're all taught we're to produce (tho for the life of me I haven't figured out how to do on my own! "Ta-daa, daughter, you can't do it on your own!"), even when I'm not glowing with perfection, He is there for me. He tells me in Ephesians 3:12 that "In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." WOW! He's teaching me, even this week, about perseverance, endurance, and HOPE by sending me to Romans 15: 4-6. That "hope", that truth-filled surety that only comes as He plants His truth in my heart through His living word and He reveals His heart to me. That hope, that solid, concrete evidence of His Truth, is unfolding like a rare flower in a field of my life's weeds and it's alive with His beauty, His resolve, His love. I am so filled with thankfulness this morning that I find it difficult to express how excited and yet humbled I am whenever He reveals His heart to me. As I open His Word His Spirit leads me to The Message version of Romans 5:3-5, which reads-"There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!" Romans 5:3-5 (MSG) Oh, the authenticity of my Father's love and nifty personality! That is what He is doing within me. Yes, I had a melt-down, but the neat part of all that is He understands, and I know deep in my heart, He hears my pain, receives it to Himself and will fill that pain with His love. It's just Who He is. That melt-down drew me more into His heart than I've ever been before. No, I don't "see" any changes outwardly at this point, but inwardly, His peace is filling me and I love Him all the more for that. True change is happening within me and it's all Him. Wow! Thank you Father. Thank you!

Stones vs. Peace

It's been a rough week. I should have expected attacks from the enemy considering the decision my husband and I made last week, and began to put into practice, to obey God's command and fully tithe to our church. We gave each week prior to that, but knew that just giving half-heartedly wasn't fully obedient to our Father's will. So this past Sunday we stepped up and gave a full tithe. I don't share this to get a pat on the back, quite the contrary, I share this information to set the stage as one of the reasons it's been a tough week mentally. Mother's Day has always been difficult for me as well. My mother and father abandoned me and my 2 brothers when I was 2, they were 4 and 5, and to honor her on this day is tough. We've somewhat mended our fences, but the pain is still lurking in my heart. I'm just sayin'. And then we got home from church and not a word was said to me from my son about Mother's Day, and I had a disagreement with my husband, and the day just fell apart from there. Not monumental, but was enough to throw me into a self-centered conundrum. One of the worst things you can do when there's a "disagreement" is to say nothing and go to bed that way. Confrontation is tough, but it also brings quicker healing. Alas, I chose to be silent, thinking I would take it to the Lord the next day and did so. He reminded me that the same issues I was upset about, I, too, had been guilty of and shouldn't be throwing stones expecting peace. Yesterday morning when going to exercise I chose instead to go into the pool room and pour out my heart to the Lord, basically I had a melt down. I'm 57 years old and still it hurts to know that my mother and father didn't want me. "Why didn't they love us enough to seek Jesus? Why didn't they love us enough to work it out? Our lives could have been so much richer had they dealt with their problems through the Lord! Why, Father? Why?" This morning I went to the pool, again seeking peace from my heavenly Father. Unfortunately, although I went through the motions of exercising in the pool my heart wasn't in it and depression settled in. Doom and gloom shrouded my heart and I knew Satan was enjoying every minute of my despair. I wanted the Lord to wave His magic wand and walk to me on the pool's surface and take away all my pain, leaving me with a supernatural high that I could brag about to others. Strangely enough, He didn't do that. What He did gently tell me was that I needed to practice thankfulness, to tell Him all the reasons I had to be thankful to Him. Although when I started to do that I didn't "feel" thankful, the more I spoke about it, the calmer became my heart and the depression lifted from shoulders. I just read part of a "Girlfriends in God" devotional by Gwen Smith entitled, "When Your Heart Needs Healing." These words really touched my heart, "...this is one of the biggest challenges we face. Having a heart fixed on healing. To press through to a place of wellness and strength: spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically. To not back down from the resistance before us in light of the rewards that await us. To run the race of faith well!" Healing. Oh God, thank you for your healing in my life. In Jesus' name I forgive my mother and father, I forgive my son, I forgive my husband, I forgive those who've hurt my child's heart. Thank you for forgiving me the hurt and pain I've caused you, I've caused others. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for your great love, thank you for the confirmation you give me in i Peter 4:8 that tells me, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." Thank you for taking my stones of pain and giving me your Living Water of peace.

Quinoa Tortillas

I can't resist sharing this recipe. Bought the Tortilla press, now it's time to get the ingredients and make quinoa tortillas. Here's the recipe I found on www.TheGraciousPantry.com: 4 c. flour, 3/4 c. brown rice flour, 1 tsp, olive oil, 1 1/4 c hot water, Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix and knead until smooth dough. separate into 18 balls. Put 1 ball into plastic bag and flatten in tortilla press. put the tortilla in unoiled non-stick pan and cook 1 minute on each side. Will last in the refrigerator up to 3 days and is best served warm. Let me know if you use it and what you think. Enjoy.

Getting Past Oreo Cookie Living

I remember as a child when mom would get us Oreo cookies and milk for Saturday afternoon snacks, the most fun we had was either twisting the outer cookie and eating the white fluff in the middle or else dunking the cookies (I preferred the vanilla flavored Oreos best) in milk, sucking out the liquid and smushing the softened part in our mouths and then re-dunking the rest of the cookie. What a treat it was to eat those cookies. The only bad part was if we'd twisted the cookie apart it was no fun to eat the hard cookie portion because the best part had been licked off and we wound up throwing it away. The reason I bring up the childhood memory is because I've been feeling a little like the outer hard crust lately. Monday and Friday's are usually pretty quiet at the office gym, which normally I don't mind, but lately it's felt like others come during the middle of the week only to say they've been to the gym that week and have smushed out the best part of the week by being there on Tuesday through Thursday. So I'm learning to consume the whole "cookie gym time" on Monday's and Friday's. Delving into exercise machines that I normally would avoid (the dark cookie part) has become quite enlightening and satisfying. And that new weight machine, well, someone needs to educate me how best to use it, but I've used some of the easier to use parts of it and it's been quite revealing as well. There is so much more to this human "cookie" than I realized. Staying on the treadmill is fine but I'm learning that strengthening and toning the muscles on other machines expands my exercise discipline and I'm learning to enjoy that aspect of exercising. I want to consume not only what the gym "cookie" has to offer but to venture out into my neighborhood and take in the sights, sounds and beauty that can also enrich my exercise "diet." There is so much more to consume, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and yes, even physically. I want it all. Yes, I want to do another 5K, but what about learning other disciplines that will draw me closer to my Lord. My husband and I just finished a bible study in our new church, "Read the Bible through in 90 days." Wow, now that took discipline, and I'm embarrassed to say my husband did much better than I did. But, all is not lost, I still have my bible and each time I bite off a chapter or book of it I grow even more. I'm typing this at a beautiful library in our city and as I look around I see books I would never have thought of looking at before. It's time to expand other areas of my mind, to learn, expand and enrich my mind in the areas the Lord leads me to grow in. Just consuming the fluff of the books I've read before or areas of reading that I've always stayed in doesn't help me grow closer to Him. Oh, the possibilities! Can you see it yet? Why, I even went to a store at a local mall before I came here and purchased a tortilla press. I want to make my own quinoa tortillas. What a thrill that will be! Too much time has been wasted on living in the past and limiting my horizons. It's time to let the past stay in the past, learn from it and move on to where the Lord is leading me, leading you, leading anyone who wants to fulfill His purposes in their lives. Let's do it! Buy a smoothie maker at a second hand store and make healthy smoothies, eat some kale just for the thrill of it, or put the kale into the smoothie, dunk the rest of the "cookie" the Lord has given you into the Water of Life and LIVE!

Transformation Training

Yesterday I posted part of the following on Facebook. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, which will affect your thought-life and that will come through in your speaking-life. There's a verse, Proverbs 23:7, that says, "...as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." He may welcome you to his feast, but in his heart he's miserly counting the cost of what you will eat and doesn't really want you there. His thought-life needs a transformation. T.D. Jakes said in one of his messages, "If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence"...and I thought he would go on to say, "to convict you?" But he didn't. He said, "Would there be enough evidence (in effect) to lead others to Jesus?" I know people who religiously attend church, are active in church activities and organizations and can speak "christian-eze" with the best of believers. However, during the week their everyday language is peppered with expletives, they talk about going to the bar to meet friends and drink, and they hold grudges and speak badly behind others' backs. Brother and sister, that ought not be so. Something in my heart aches when I hear them speak so. I don't wish to live my life like that. Sad to say there are times when I start to step into those pits and the Holy Spirit nudges my heart and raises His eyebrow. God expects more of His children than that. There's a song that has a part of a verse that says: "Even if others don't know your name, is there evidence that you've been changed?" Well, I have to stop and analyze: is there? When people meet me on the street or pass me by at work or step into my "world" wherever I may be, do they see Jesus, is there evidence to them that the Lord Jesus is fully involved in my life? I pray so. My first husband used to coin this phrase quite often: "Don't approach a vast project in a half-vast manner." We used to chuckle at that because if said rather quickly your tongue could twist and it would come out in a more cryptic way. But believers in Jesus, me included, need to approach our thought/speaking life as a "vast project", as one training for the Olympics. It's not that God won't love us if we don't think/act/speak "right"; He's about relationships, not religion. But as His ambassadors to the world, He has filled us with His Spirit and we ought to overflow with His thoughts/actions/speech. Discipline is required, and we are not alone in our "training" to be all He created us to be. On our journey to liveliving for His Kingdom's work every aspect of our life can be filled with life-speaking, inspiring, thought-provoking and Spirit-filled experiences. He came that we might live our life abundantly in His power. Let's wade into that life-giving water and be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Lord Jesus, I give you control of my thoughts and I eagerly desire to watch You transform my life. Speaking the truth in love, I'm just sayin'...Jesus, wash not just my feet, but all of me! Starting today, Holy Spirit, renew my mind to think as you think, love as you love, treat others as you would treat them so they might see You in me. I surrender that part of my life that is the old thoughtless "me", and I eagerly anticipate the adventure of experiencing your Spirit restore my soul, my mind, will and emotions. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

He does Serve Cheese with my Whine!

This morning I felt the need to go to the pool to work out. Truth be told, I was in need of "me" time with my Trainer Jesus. Earlier this week He told me I needed to go into another room, get on my knees and lift up each person I was angry with and forgive them. It was difficult, but I did that. So I thought I was good to go. Alas, more of a "work out" was needed. (Isn't it always?) This morning I was surrounded by darkness. Normally in the pool that's fine; I like to leave half the lights off to create a sense of intimacy. However, this morning the darkness seemed to close in on my from a lot of angles. It was 5:30 in the morning and the sun hadn't risen yet so it was dark outside, the gym lights were off as were half the pool lights so it wasn't as welcoming as I'd hoped and mentally many negative memories and current and past issues were creeping into my thoughtlife. I worked out, but had a difficult time even "looking" at my Lord. There wasn't the joy I usually find during my time with Him. So, being the friends that we are, I shared my unsettling, depressing, pain-filled thoughts with Him. I told Him of about missing my friends, both who've died and/or moved on or away: my friend Mary, husband Mike, friends Sandy Jo, Renee, Liz, Etta, Tina (all of whom are in another state now, either physically or mentally, my frustration with the weight loss journey and progress, (or seeming lack thereof), concerns about my son, problems at work...I shared it all. And yes, I must admit, the more I spoke the whinier I sounded. Even that didn't stop me from telling Him, I just wanted to be "real" with Him. Although He already knew what I was feeling, He let me vent. When I wound down, wiped my tears I heard His response: "Daughter, you need to praise Me." So rather begrudgingly I began doing that. Towards the end, although the darkness hadn't seemed to change around me and I really, honestly didn't feel the words, I began to sing a chorus we'd sung at church: "I've got so much thank Him for, so much to praise Him for, well you see, He's been so good to me, and when I think of what He's done and where He's brought me from, I've got so much to thank Him for." You'd think that'd be it, but my Trainer wasn't finished yet. He had still more to i,part. As I normally do, when I got to my office I opened my devotional and although the verse for the day was good, it was the verses above it that stood out in bold letters. He let me know, in no uncertain words from His WORD, that He not only had my back, but was right beside me on this journey to liveliving He's begun in my life. I'm going to print it (James 1:2-4)here in The Voice version because of how it reads, but many know these verses as well as I do. Still, read this: "Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing." WOE!!! Isn't that awesome? It hit me right between the eyes, in my solar plexus and went straight to my heart. Rather than shame me, He lifted me up and a new light has begun to dawn. He will complete the work He's begun in my life, the weight will come off, I will be fit for His Kingdom work, He will continue to bring newness into my life, both in friends and adventures, I am walking with my King and He truly does love me.WOW!! Praise You Lord!