I wrote this on the evening of September 21, 2012

 

Do you have hope for tomorrow?

Do you have faith in something greater than yourself?

Are you one who thinks you are responsible

for all the good or bad situations you walk through?

Do you understand how precious you are,

and how precious life is?

Life is short,

Life is long,

Life is not a guarantee.

No matter who you are,

No matter what you’ve done,

You haven’t gone too far,

and not all hope is lost.

 

For your life is precious,

don’t waste another minute.

 

My greatest prayer for you

is that you give your life today.

For, after all, tomorrow is not a guarantee.

I just pray that you have tomorrow.

I pray your tomorrow comes.

Would you listen to His voice today?

I am praying for your heart and soul.

I pray you put it in His capable hands.

I thank God for His mercy,

 and that he is faitful to give us chance after chance –

time and time again.

Give your life to Jesus,

put it in His hands.

Trust Him with today,

Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

 

For your life is precious,

don’t waste another minute.

 

My only concern is that,

while His grace is unending,

He also gives us free will.

It is a choice only you can make.

I pray you make it while there is still time.

Thankfully, you may have a long plentiful life

full of many years left on this earth.

However, that is not a guarantee.

Should your life not follow the mold you have envisioned,

I pray you trust Him with it.

Now is the time.

My sincere prayers are with and for you.
Do not put off until tomorrow what needs doing today.

Trust Him with today,

Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

 

Right now, I sit and ponder many things. Above all else, I ask myself a question that burns with a passion. Why in the world did I wait THIS long to get real with myself, and before God. Of course He knows all things – everything I went through over the course of my life, leading up to present. But, I ask myself – why now? How come I waited this long to seek Him in a more real way? Having been in and around church growing up, I was that girl who know all the right answers. I knew to do right, and generally did. I had even asked Jesus to be a part of my life at a very early age. However, decisions I made personally allowed me to drift further and further away from my destiny in Him. He never, not once, left me. He was and is still the same God of all creation. He is constant. Me? I allowed myself to drift. Though I cannot really second guess myself, asking why I waited so long – I can not help but wonder how my life and the lives of others would be different. But, I cannot and will not dwell on the past. What I have learned is that I simply must live today with the potential it has. I must look forward to tomorrow and beyond with expectancy – in anticipation of what God is not only capable of, but what He is planning on doing.

My heart is just filled, to what seems to be nearly overflowing. I cannot comprehend or contain how truly amazing God is. More than that, I am finding – as I have mentioned recently – that there is an undescribable love I have for other people. This has not always been the case. There have been many times in my life that my life revolved around me, and what happened in my direct spehere of influence. But, what I am finding – now more than ever before, is that I genuinely care about people. I have asked God to birth in me a passion and love for the people He calls His children – all people. It has been my sincere honor and blessing to be able to reach out to people who are hurting, or who may just need to know that someone cares – and that God is there for them, no matter what. I believe that prayer is a mighty tool in the hands of those who believe in and trust God with their lives. Do not ever doubt the validity or necessity of prayer. From the family who is believing God for specific test results, to the family who has a family member battling disease, to the person who has lost all hope, to pretty much everyone alive – prayer matters. Prayer not only works, it is a necessity.

There have been times in my life that I wondered what life was really all about. I questioned my own worth and usefullness. It was not a matter of planning something drastic, so much as just pondering. However, now – I want my life to mean something. I want my life’s experiences to mean something. If just one person has hope, smiles, or is made to feel like they are not alone, it will have all been worth it. The more I live my life in the light of who God is, how He loves me, and what He has done for me, the more I know my life has meaning. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I am loved unconditionally. That, right there, is sometimes hard to even comprehend.

I know I have said this before, and will likely say it many times again, but to experience even a fraction of His very real love is truly life-changing. Did I just never get that real glimpse before? Did I never have that true life experience before? I don’t know. I can’t really say. However, what I can say is that I have felt His love in such a powerful way, that my life has changed, and is changing before my eyes. Are there still things in my life that I don’t like, and in need of change? Absolutely, without question! However, I firmly believe in both taking baby steps and giant leaps of faith. No matter which is the right season at the moment, know that it is not wrong. If you can only do little things – baby steps, know that you are moving forward. If you feel required to make giant leaps of faith, know again that you are moving forward – progressing towards the things in your heart to do. I see and feel things in my life that are changing all the time. Change is a process. It takes time – sometimes more than others.

Ultimately, I am just grateful to be where I am right now, at this moment – and looking forward to the future. Though I cannot say with certainty what the future holds, I know it will be full of His love, and ways to share that same love with hurting, thirsty and hungry people in this world. His love heals hurts. It mends broken hearts. It brings hope to the hopeless. It brings life. It sustains life. His love is very real, and I am grateful to experience it time and time again.

Today’s church service was powerful – in pretty much every sense of the word. First, however, I should rewind.  When I got to church this morning, I was not at ease.  I was frustrated, and feeling pulled in about a thousand different directions.  I was not depressed, angry or even happy really.  I was just there, seemingly going through the motions.  I was frustrated about a particular situation, and was letting that get in my head.  I was allowing it to take my focus off of Him.  Each time a friend spoke to me, I was fairly noncommittal, and probably seemed uninterested.  Simply put, I was just not at peace. That, however, would soon change.

Our praise and worship team started the service beautifully.  Unfortunately, my heart just wasn’t in it at first.  Then, as I stood there, I made a conscious decision to forgive some people involved in the situation that had been frustrating me.  I asked God to help me.  Right then and there, it was as if God’s presence dropped right into the room.  He was already there, but became real to me as I was standing there.  As I was listening to the music, and letting the words speak to my heart and bring peace.  As I stood there, in full surrender to Him, I began to pray.  I prayed for the upcoming service, our pastor, the praise team, as well as every person in the service – and all those not in attendance even.  I had a sense of urgency for people, all of the sudden.  Had I not made the conscious decision to get my heart in the right place, and to forgive a situation I didn’t feel needed forgiving, I would not have followed His direction to pray.  I would have remained not at peace.

Today, we started a new series, Soul Detox – which is loosely based on Pastor Craig Groeschel’s book “Soul Detox.”  Today our pastor spoke about the restless soul.  We do not take the time to simply rest – to be still before God.  It is paramount that we learn to just be still before God.  Pastor Lance spoke about having been challenged to take five minutes to just rest his thoughts, and to just focus on God, and Him alone.  At the initial glance, it looks like that would be so easy.  However, think about it.  If I’m being honest, I’d have to realize that it’s harder than you’d imagine to just sit and be still.  I realize that I’d likely approach the five minute challenge with the best of intentions.  However, when it came down to it, I think I’d be like many people.  I’d start, then think about all those other things I should, could or would be doing if not sitting right there, right then.  Just to sit and think about God shouldn’t be difficult.  You (and by you, I mean me) should allow yourself to just think on His goodness.  Dwell on Him, and listen for anything He might put on your heart.  God loves us with a crazy, and passionate love. I’m going to try this challenge (later, because of course I have something to do right now! Ironic, isn’t it!?) and just allow my focus to be on Him – to just spend time in His presence.  At the end of today’s church service, we took a moment of silence to just allow our hearts and minds to focus on Him.  What a sweet presence filled the room.  His love was real, and was with each and every person in there.  Talk about life change becoming possible for so many people – week after week.

Whatever you do, just don’t allow life to get you so busy, that you are unable to make God a priority, and take any time for Him.  He is the best friend you’ll ever have, and the most loving father you’ll ever know.  Make it a priority to just be still in His presence, and to rest in Him. Just as so many things in life are the result of a conscious decision, so is this.  You have to take the time, make it a priority or it won’t get done.  I have been living proof of this in action — or rather NOT in action sometimes!  Take the time – your life will be blessed as a result.

Let’s have a down to earth conversation for a moment.  Most everything I’ve written about has had a positive thought process behind it.  However, I’d like to take a moment and just be personal with a couple things.  First, I will echo something I’ve touched on before. Life isn’t always going to be perfect. There will be ups, and there will be downs.  It’s how we react to those ups and downs that define our character.

Something happened yesterday afternoon that really bothered me. A decision was made, and a situation brought to light that was/is completely out of my hands. Even still, I walked away very disappointed. I had several thoughts about being heard – about my opinion and/or thoughts being taken into consideration in the equation. I felt as if what I had to say didn’t really matter, and ultimately wasn’t important. With tears in my eyes, I made it clear how I felt, and that I was upset. I am not great at making my thoughts known, much less fighting for them. When something doesn’t go my way, I tend to just let it slide and go on about life. This time, I chose to be honest, and just explain how the situation made me feel.  Ultimately, it still didn’t matter, but I know I did what I could.

Having said all that – let’s put this in a practical example to draw a parallel to a situation in life and how people react to disappointment. Let’s say you are a member of a church, and something happens with another member, or a message is taught that you do not agree with.  You have three choices.  1) You walk away and decide to leave the church, 2) You decide to stay, but remain unhappy about the situation, or 3) You make a conscious decision to forgive those responsible.  How would you respond? As I sit here pondering this hypothetical situation, I realize it would somewhat depend on what the “crime” in question is. In thinking, if I’m being honest, I think I’d be somewhere between 2 and 3 at first.

The point I’d like to explore is this. I was talking to a friend about a similar situation that happened in her organization. She chose to stay, but lost a friend when they got offended and chose to leave. I can’t tell you how much this happens in places all around us. Take the church situation, for example. Many people would not hesitate to leave a church, knowing they can find a new one “just as good” as where they are leaving. I challenge this, though. If you are in a place that you know God has led you to be a part of, leaving over a disagreement would be foolish – plain and simple.

Think of it this way. Assuming you live in the United States (if not, here’s a shout out to all my non-US friends!!) there is likely something you disagree with from our government. Maybe you don’t agree with our President, or another person in leadership. Would you decide that it’s just too offensive, and pack your bags – moving to the next best country…and when this happens again, your human nature insists you pick up and move again, and again.  Do you see a pattern here?

I realize it may be a silly analogy to some, but is it really?  Think about it. In this “all about me” consumer driven society we live in, it’s far to easy to give up and move on when things don’t go as planned.  I say all that to say this – figure out the things in life that are important to you.  Stand by them, and stand behind them. Don’t, however, give up on them at the hint of trouble.  Be willing to look at things from all sides, and just remain flexible.

“His love is sufficient.”  That is a phrase many people know, or at least have heard many, many times. It speaks of God and his love for all of humanity. It speaks of the overwhelming love that He so freely offers and wants us to have. We are quick to mention that it is sufficient, but let me ask – do you really believe that?

It may seem like a no-brainer, but it really is something to ponder. Do you really believe that His love truly is sufficient? Or, are you like many other people (myself included) who tend to think such sentiments are fine and good for everyone else – while somehow being unworthy? Do you really ALLOW his love to be sufficient? Do you believe that you are a child of our God, loved and adored by Him? If you do, then His love IS and WILL REMAIN sufficient. His love will cover all – all your needs, wants, desires.

I have had the pleasure of many thought-provoking conversations recently. A friend pointed something out and asked a question that should make anyone think. “Do you love God?” Well, yes. Of course I do. “Why do you love God?” (Think on that one for a quick reply – I had lots of reasons, many of which were hard to verbalize.) My friend then mentioned that, in His word, God says, “If you love me, you will follow my commands.”  Okay, I get that. He gives us directives – and to show our love means listening to those and living by them. But, my friend also brought up another point. “To love Him means you KNOW Him.” Then followed that with, “…and how do you really KNOW Him?” You talk to Him, you share your heart, and open yourself to knowing His. In doing this, you also study His Word – you open up and emerse yourself in the Bible. It is not something you do out of some man-made requirement. Instead, you read it to KNOW God – to learn all you can about His character, and who He truly is. That line of thinking was very powerful for me. It is a no-brainer to/for some, but I needed this reminder. Yes, I know what the Bible is. Yes, I do read it. But, it is not – nor has it been – my lifeline, my method of getting to know my Father.

Another reminder God shared through a friend today was that God truly loves each and every one of us – simply because we are His children. Do we deserve it? Are we worthy? Absolutely not. But, remember that NOTHING you did yesterday, today, or will do tomorrow will keep His love from you. He went to the cross and died so that you and I could be forgiven. We are not expected to be perfect, and it is – once again – okay to NOT be okay!

I just wanted to share something with all who take the time to read this.  I’ve been thinking, and something really touched me last night.  I have realized what having a church FAMILY really means.  As I mentioned in a recent entry, I have recently (end of April, 2012) started attending Skyline Church.  Being a part of a church family is about so much more than I am used to. It’s so much more than just the four walls of a church building.  It’s so much more than all the members you see once a week.  It’s about being there for other people, and about allowing them to be there for you.  It’s about doing this thing called life together – every day of the week, not just on Sunday mornings. It’s about being the hands and feet of Jesus – with each other, well as with our greater community and beyond. I just haven’t ever been a part of a church family that I have connected with and allowed to become family.

Yesterday, I spent the greater part of the day in the emergency room.  I was having random chest pain, was a bit light-headed, and my pulse and blood pressure were fairly elevated.  So, I reached out and asked for prayer.  The first reply was, “of course” but then what quickly followed was “what can we do to help?”  They asked if I needed help with the kids, etc.  Several people also reached back to let me know they’re praying for me, and asked just showed love.  I realized right then and there, how much this is more than people I see each week – it’s the body of Christ, and a true family.

I’m floored by the amount of love God has for me, as is evident in the people He has in my life.  I’m blessed to do life with them.  Thanking God for the passion and love for people, as displayed by my church family – for me, for each other, and for the community – reaching the world.

I said all that to just say something I’ve touched on before.  If you are not a part of a church family, I highly suggest you make it a priority to find one.  Don’t just go to a church, be a active part of the church.  Get involved.  Reach out to others, and allow them to reach back. It’ll change your life.

Sometimes being a parent can be all sorts of delightful fun – full of good times and bad. I would like to explore the reasoning of / from a child. Recently, one of my children had a small meltdown of sorts. It is not “the norm” for him, but here is how our morning went for a little while… “Mom, you’re just so mean….Mom you just don’t GET me…Mom it’s not fair….you’re always asking me to do things I don’t want to do!” It started off with a simple request on my part, which was followed by his being disobedient and not following simple directives. As I assured him that privelages (such as TV, playing with friends, etc.) would be taken away if his attitude and choices did not change, he assured me he did not care. It was hard to sit back and allow him to make his own choices. But, I did. And, I let him figure out the hard way, that there are consequences to those same choices. It is all about self control, and taking responsibility to / for your own actions.

It was during all of this that I drew a parallel. I took the time, and thought things through on an entirely different level. I looked at how many people, myself included, are often inclined to talk and react to God – the creator of the Heavens and the Earth – the One who gave His only son to die on a cross, so that we might live – the One who loved us THAT much – – Yes, Him! I began thinking of Him in that loving role as our Father, our Daddy. And, upon thinking, I realized a great deal.

Just as I struggle sometimes as a parent to instill morals, values, ethics, etc. in my children, He struggles much in the same way. In one way or another, we (as children of the Most High God) rebel. In some way, we scream at Him – saying that He just doesn’t GET us. We turn our backs on Him, thinking that He is not concerned with our feelings. We get downright angry, letting him know that we do not think it’s fair that He is always daring to ask us to do things we don’t or might not want to do! I mean, how dare He!? And why?

Well, what I realized is that, much in the same way (but only on such a greater scale) that I love my own children, He loves us. So much. In the same way that I assure my children that nothing they can do or say will ever make me stop loving them, He does the same thing. His love for us is truly unconditional. He loves us with such a passion that it is hard to comprehend – even a fraction of that love. He yearns to share with us the same love we have for our children, only on such a greater more impressive scale. No one is capable of understanding His love. But, when you have gotten a glimpse at even a fraction of it, it is nothing short of life-changing. You cannot experience the presence of God and not be touched in some way, shape or form.

God loves us with a never-ending love. He KNOWS we will mess up, and loves us all the same. He understands that we are not perfect – but loves us simply because we are His kids. The mindset of a child can sometimes be “fun,” but the love of a parent to that same child – and the parallels it shows with our truly loving God is amazing.

Take the time today to get back to that child-like innocence in the eyes of your Heavenly Father. Open your heart, and cry out to God. Know that, no matter what, He is there, and He will listen.

The following is a story I read online, author unknown.  I wanted to share – not because it’s an amazing and beautiful story (because it is) – but because it’s the way we should all strive to be.  To care that much…

I am constantly reminded of how grateful I am to be in a place (church) that I am. I feel confident that God led me there, at the very time He did, for His own reasons. It’s called life change.

Now, I have no idea why it took so long for me to realize that now is the time, and to get real with God again.  Whatever the reasons may be, God lead me there recently – and I am SO grateful that He did. I have learned and grown SO much in the relatively short time I’ve been there.  I have been excitedly attending church week after week. God is a faithful God, and His presence fills the church service. It is my prayer that he touches every single person in attendence, as well as those unable to attend. May His fire burn with intensity in our hearts. But, more than that – I pray that I am able to take that same fire, intensity and passion with me daily. I mean on church days and non-church days alike. I want to share His true heart-warming, life changing love with the world. I know I am only one person, but I know God has called each and every person alive to Himself. He gives us free will to choose, but wants us to be a part of His family. We are His children, and He loves us with a greater passion than any of us can relate to or even understand.

I constantly see the hand of God, and the heart of God poured out in a very real way. This church is on fire. If we are seeking Him, and want to be closer, there is a fire that burns away the mediocrity. It burns away complacency. It burns away all the impurities that would keep us from drawing closer to God. It helps us be pure vessels that He can work through.

I want nothing more than to be real. I want nothing more to be in the hands of my Creator. I want to be a vessel that He can work through. When others see me, I want them to be able to know Him. I want Him to be apparent to those who know and see me. I want to be available to Him, to do with me anything He chooses – and in His own time. I believe it’s all about knowing that God is God, and He knows what he is doing. Trusting Him is paramount to walking everyday in His plan.

With regards to His plan, today was “bring a friend weekend” at church. No one I invited was able to attend (and that’s okay) but today I had a very proud Mama moment.

Before I tell that story, let me rewind and share what led up to today’s proud moment. My (10 year old) son and I had a conversation that went something like this:
Him: You know how that invite a friend thing is coming up at church?
Me: Yes I do…why do you ask?
Him: Well, first, does our church allow Baptists to come?
(Maintaining my composure because it was just too cute)
Me: Yes, of course they do. Why are you asking?
Him: Because there is this new kid at school and I asked him if he wanted to come to church with me…and he said his family is Baptist but that they haven’t found a church to go to yet.
Me: That’s pretty awesome buddy.
Him: But what if his parents don’t want to go, do you think we can bring him with us?
Me: Yes I’m sure we can take him if his parents allow that.
**end conversation**

So now fast forward to today’s service. My sons friend and parents came and attended today’s service. What I also found out was that his friends father made the decision to give his life to Jesus today. Talk about God’s timing in connection with the faith of a child.

This story blessed me and just further instills in me the fact that I am where God called me for this season of my life. (Hoping its a very long season!) It just makes my heart happy to see life change happen in such a real way. God moves and lives are changed.