Year of sisterhood

My 2013 theme song appears to be something about sisterhood. We are family! Girls are so bad at knowing they need eachother but being too busy to always get there. Ever notice how busy we are? Then ever notice how excited we are when we can get a day to be with just the girls? With an invite to welcome my first sister into my family via brothers wedding and a volunteer job offer to work on a regional women's Christian conference I'd say God has his plans for me. This year I'm gonna find those close girlfriends I should have. They are out there! Maybe I even met them before.

What is so hard about blogging?

What is so hard about blogging? Every moment of my day I can offer commentary. Water cooler conversations around me never end. An assortment of media bombard us with information 24/7. The Lord says pray without ceasing. There is always something to talk about! But sometimes there is a value in silence too. I was always one of those who just blurted out whatever first came to mind. Now I keep receiving Scripture references about the heart being the well spring of my life that must be guarded. Someone even said scientists proved our heart has neurons like our brain. Feelings are always talking to our mind. The challenge comes when wrong feelings enter our thoughts. Ever entertain the famous “I can’t” mother told you was a four-letter word? Ever allow yourself to be discouraged from doing something you never started or talked to anyone about? Ever think a person you never had a conversation with is not interested in being your friend? Where do we get these crazy ideas? Like guarding my heart, I’m going to guard my typing and carefully pick the words I want to say here. I think I’ll keep it to a Friday thing. That’s always a day there is free time and our heart is singing positive tunes.

Child present and accounted for

The Catholic Church is celebrating the Presentation of Mary today because back in the day some research showed it must be true that Mary, God’s baby momma, had religious parents who led her through the ritual knowing...afterall, Mary ended up saying “yes” to birth Jesus. Regardless what you think of Catholics or Mary or the relationship between the two there is something to be said about taking one of your own to the altar. Sacrificing livestock was a tithe they made in the Old Testament for various reasons and holidays. For parents, a presentation is the sacrifice of themselves. No matter how tradition or religion does it, Bible believing churches have a presentation ceremony Catholics call “baptism.” Some are sprinkled while others are dunked. Participants can be infants or adults. Whatever you follow isn’t the heart of the matter. What is absolutely amazing and wonderful is I have faith filled parents who chose to put God first and present me to the church as an infant. It wasn’t for them or the church. It was a moment of grace for me, a gift my parents gave me believing God would accept my itty bitty thumb–sucking self at the time into His Kingdom. Like the parents of Jesus, they went along with tradition and put me through each sacramental ceremony to instill again and again God was going to reign over this family. No one will know how God does such wonders in creating a foundation in such rituals. The only ingredient needed in this “magic spell” is belief. As a parent, if you truly believe God is going to care for your family you are going to humbly present your children to Him. God gladly accepts all who come to the altar. Allowing him to take over from there is another issue. Eventually I had to go to the altar myself to make that commitment. The last time I did that it was my own son who led the way by going months before me. Sure, I faithfully made a celebration of his presentation when I asked the local priest to sprinkle him just weeks after my son left my womb in 1997. I followed all the traditions my parents did for me for him. Putting God first in my family let to an amazing summer day in 2010 when my son began begging me to let him participate in our interdenominational church’s water baptism. Honestly at first I thought he just wanted to be dunked in the Gulf of Mexico because it looked cool and fun. Then they announced the date of September’s monthly Spirit douse would be on my son’s birthday. Obviously this was confirmation. Joy-filled smiles on his face in every photo we took that day proved that God will radiate out from within. We don’t know how it happens but we can believe children who walk in this light must have connected with the seeds that were planted by the people they met on their journey, some starting with their parents. So if the Catholics have an out of Biblical idea Mary had done to her what she did for God and Jesus, I’m not going to debate it. Instead I’m going to use their argument to think of my own life and responsibilities as a Christian parent. Is God really first, my son second and then me? Hopefully so because that is the only recipe for peaceful parenting. Each time I present my son’s issues to God and not try to run my child’s life to what I believe he needs, I get struggle free miraculous solutions. The power of grace is real. No matter how you receive it, if you believe it and confess it then it’s alive in you.

why blog? share revelation

And this is the purpose of my blog! So much we can share!

Time warp

Funny I thought it would be easy to write a blog because I am constantly journaling. Like my 20 year anniversary with the Air Force, I don’t know where the time went. All I can be assured of this week is I got this far by following God. He was always driving. Most of the time I was the backseat obnoxious traveler shouting out my own directions or a repetitive “are we there yet?” inquiry. At some point during service this week I was reminded by this internal God Positioning Spirit of the glory days when I fell in love with praise and worship. This all started at my first assignment and almost feels full circle 20 years later. Both church families encouraged me to live out my faith in a loving community, challenged me to stretch my talents through service positions and provided awesome date nights with my husband Jesus. If I wasn’t launched into this world I’m not sure where I’d be right now. I really don’t even want to think of what my 19-year old “Ms. Independent” self would have ended up. Life just can’t be in isolation. We weren’t created to be alone. We were created for a higher purpose by an Almighty God who himself is three in one. I’m sure Big Poppa had to take me kicking and screaming sometimes but locked down in His car seat was the safest way to ride. He knew that. Eventually so did I. When I stopped trying to provide it all for myself and started giving Jesus my “honey do” list, prayers were answered before I even knew I had a need. My past proved His miraculous hand in my life guided me to exactly where I needed to be, my future is secure as I continue to trust His piloting and I’m alive daily looking forward to where ever we go next. Thank you Jesus!

Forgive me Father, I'm stupid

 Paul calls it out like it is in Galatians 3:1 naming the people of this church “stupid” or “foolish,” depending on your translation. Something has bewitched them he said. Can I say I’m not under the same spell of fallen human life in a fallen world? Do we really know for sure we haven’t accepted some lie about ourselves, the situations we allow/desire in our life or the God who created us?

 Jesus is downloading so much to me this past week my blog can’t keep up. I’m caught in this world of opposites trying to find out which side I’m on in all aspects of my daily being.

Life or death?

Light or dark?

Praising or complaining?

God-centered or selfish?

Good or evil?

Truth or lie?

Saved or sold?

Free or slave?

Clean or dirty?

Spirit or flesh?

Wise or STUPID?

 Surely I’ve been stupid before and still make foolish decisions, especially if I act on impulse or feeling. Usually it isn’t until I take a long look back at a past event when I realize I could have done things more His way than mine, more team building than resume building and more compassionate than judgmental. I’m human!

 But lately what is really making me crazy sick in the head in love with Jesus is this transformation of the mind. Long ago God knit me in my mother’s womb, a mystery each of us never unravel this side of Heaven. More recently though God challenged me to devote a few years of my life to seminary. The innocent call to do studies I love online seemed easy enough. It was simple and in my control until I was moved to end the first year on my knees, trembling with face planted in the carpet praying fervently “God I don’t want my old life anymore.” For next twelve months He invaded my world and began separating out what wasn’t of Him. Nothing will ever be the same again.

 While my physical life was under metamorphosis, I continued picking courses interesting to me. Once settled in the new land God moved me to,  I was challenged to go for the masters. At that point I didn’t even know I was that close to completing a degree. Some finances had to be put up front just to add another level of commitment that would punch me as hard in the gut as Paul did to the Galatians. The last year was full of mandatory classes.

 I came out of my cocoon at the beginning of 2010 with a degree in my hand having no idea what God just gave birth to. The girl in the mirror was a warrior woman for her Savior Jesus wielding a Sword of fire-quenching Spirit who had a deep desire to see every knee bowed for love's sake. A united front for Jesus would cure the world’s stupidity of thinking this body of believers would be a divided house doomed to fall. As a Catholic in a Baptist seminary gathering her thoughts and inspiration for more than three years, a deep yearning for ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT in Christ developed upon realizing every Christian church had the same creed.

 Unsure of how to walk in this new self, I stumbled upon an interdenominational church who echoed the missions God planted in my heart. My reflection now made sense and found a home where it could grow. The closer I walk with God the more the world looks stupid to me. As I’m entranced by the Holy Spirit I am frustrated with a world that seems bewitched. Like Paul, I see people who know about faith but have no works or see people who don’t want faith because the work infringes on their lifestyle.

  

 This lukewarm faith and work seen in Laodicea  makes Jesus sick in Revelations 3. Our Savior is throwing up at the thought his people are so stupid they don’t see they are living poorly because they are not accepting the riches of His love. My stomach turns when I think of how stupid I was not to love Him back the days before I bowed totally and completely the first time during seminary. Vomit fills my gut when I think of days I still slipped up after such mind-blowing change and provision equipped me to live a satisfying life complete with everything I could need.

  

 Yet there is peace beyond understanding! Praise be to GOD I get sick, I know I am stupid and admit my flesh wins sometimes. It means the Spirit has taken root in me for real this time. Those past times are not there to condemn me nor is Paul really calling these people stupid. He is more like that annoying alarm clock beeping at me 6 a.m. daily refusing to let me snooze just five more minutes.

 Here, now, daily is our opportunity where ever we are to make a choice which side we’ll be on in the lists of opposites. I’m constantly having to remind myself I’m the new creation in Galatians 6 by God’s own mysterious inner workings. So while the world looks stupid, I shouldn’t allow the sickness cause me stress. Maybe this is why we learn to pray constantly, without ceasing, and are told to meditate on His Word day and night. Those two things are my shield in this armor of God.

REFERENCE

“From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus., The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.” Galatians 6:17-18 (NIV)

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

 

Clogged pores

More and more I find that my frustrations with the world are self-absorbed people. Really isn't that the opposite of God's call? If we aren't porous for the Word He wants to plant in our life then where do we end up?
I hate when a sponge sits on my counter unused for days. It hardens like a rock and smells worse than any present my dogs can leave. Florida heat gives its own odor of humid musk.
Lately my challenges aren't expressing myself but being understood. As I'm transformed more on the inside by an invisible force of Spirit my outlook on life is transforming without a sense of acknowledgement. I find myself suddenly frustrated with the world. Why?
The good news is my values demand higher people-centered standards embracing the concept that we are all ONE Body in Christ. The bad news is living in a fallen world means having to deal with people that have not seen or heard anything beyond their mirror. It’s a sad state of affairs when someone can rage through a room with hurricane condition winds without assessing any damage done. Instead the damage done is blamed on the people who feel hurt.
As if it was their fault they are reacting with sadness, pain, sense of loss and confusion. Sure the only thing we can control is how we think and react to such situations. We are called to be the better person and turn the other cheek, love our enemies and smile the light of Christ as a beacon of hope. Our minds have to fight the war to stay continually focused on the promise we know is yet to come while witnessing evil actions and destructive behavior.
This is the climax of war. We are all there moment to moment in every decision. Whether we choose to believe in a higher being or not, there is a spiritual war. Those that believe in Christ know what a famous Christian artist sings is real "there’s a battle between good and evil...a battle for my heart but the war is already won."
Pride ensues and wants to provide evidence the claims against us are false. Judgment wants us to paint the offender in a prison. Anger demands justice or revenge. None of these are the verbs of love are of Christian character listed in 1 Cor 13.
Faith demands silence. Hope demands prayer. Love demands mercy.
God help me deal with the clogged pores around me! Only your Spirit can open them, release the stench and pour rivers of live back into the rigid flat life. Fill me up so much that I'm leaking out on all those around me. Breathe fresh live giving air in my soul and let my droplets sparkle!