Your Red Sea

“The Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into try land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry land, with walls of water on each side!” (Exodus 14:21-22)

 

I was walking with my brother-in-law to McDonalds®. My sister had finally been placed in a room after her stroke and everyone else had left. Troy and I were hungry and ironically enough, a renowned heart hospital has McDonalds® on its ground floor. On our way down I told him that I would have the entire state of Iowa praying by the end of the night, that I would have friends across the country praying and even prayers being lifted from England by the next day. On the short walk down he mentioned that he had thought about getting back to church. He had been thinking life would get easier if they were going to church. I couldn’t help it. I laughed out loud. I said that is the inside joke of Christianity. For some reason the people looking in think that Christians have this easy cake-like life. However, the reality is life gets harder when you decide to walk the narrow path. It was then he remembered doing an alter call in his teens. “It was like as soon as I did that the girls flew down on me.”

 

God brought the Israelites to a new destination in an incredible way. They may have been free from 400 years of slavery but that didn’t mean that the rest of their lives were a picture of leisure and ease. It was hard. It was long. Many didn’t make it through. It brings me to the testimony I am giving this weekend. I had an amazing experience, a God-moment if you will, and I was refreshed, renewed, on fire, and alive in a totally new way (that is the jest testimony if you aren’t going to make it to church this weekend). I kid-you-not, within two days my world was crashing around me. I was on my knees and I didn’t know how I was going to get through.

 

We all have some sort of Red Sea in our lives. It’s that moment when we are walking with God and we reach a point where it seems impossible to break through or cross over. God is telling us to trust Him and to put one foot in front of the other and know that He will provide the dry ground. His Word is our staff and our church family, friends, loved ones, prayers, the sermons we hear, missions we are involved in, and circles we live in are His pillar of fire and smoke guiding us and pulling us forward. We know that He will always bring us through. We may not understand it. We may not see it. But we know that our Heavenly Father loves us and will us guide us Home.

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

It is cold!

“Our God approaches and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him.” (Psalm 50:3)

 

This winter is Iowa has been plagued with lots of snow, icy roads, and now freezing temps. I guess freezing temperatures would be simplifying what some people will experience as they head out to work today (schools are all closed). Right now it is about -20 degrees out. Skin will freeze in under 10 minutes and you really need to make sure your car will start and warm up before you leave for wherever you need to go. Iowa hasn’t faced these kinds of temperatures in almost 31 years. I did the math super fast when Channel 8 said so this morning because the date was significant. The last time it was this cold was on February 4, 1996. That is significant because it was my birthday, my senior year in high school, I had just found out I was pregnant (yeah, happy birthday), and I wasn’t in Iowa….or I was on my way out.

 

My dad and I drove to San Francisco and we did it in 26 hours. We only stopped to fill up and empty out. I got to see the Rocky Mountains for the first time (that I remember) and we got a great picture of Lake Tahoe. I remember that, in San Francisco, the grass was green in February. We visited my great-aunts and looked at some communities. My family was considering a move out there. Obviously we opted for below freezing temperatures and corn instead of fog and congestion. But it was a good trip and I enjoyed the time with my dad. The scariest part was telling my dad I was pregnant and, more than likely, that I was alone.

 

In a moment of true fear I experienced the love and grace that I thought never existed, although I am sure my parents offered up plenty of grace as I grew up. I didn’t get yelled at. I wasn’t called names. I wasn’t evicted. It was worse and better than all of that. I could see the disappointment and fear on my parents’ faces and then they simply shrugged their shoulders and said they would be there for me as I moved forward. I am sure that God doesn’t shrug but I know that He has more grace than anyone could imagine. In your moments of worst fear, in those extremely cold places of your life, God is waiting for you to bring Him into the folds of your problems so that He can help you get out and get you warm.  As you face your fears He is there to bring you through. And as we stumble, He is there to make us right again and carry us as we rebuild our strength.

 

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 Message)  

Doing Everything Wrong

“He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and abound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished.” (Revelations 20:2-3a)

 

I spent most of yesterday afternoon at the hospital with my sisters. The middle of the three of us had to be admitted. She had some bleeding on her brain that has stopped. However, it has caused her to struggle with her speech and some of her motor skills on her right side. They will be running more tests on her this morning to determine what happened and how to fix it. I was, of course, panicked when I got the phone call but a very good friend talked me through it. Then on the way home I was sad to leave her. Finally, as I am sure my body was completely drained of energy from the day, I realized how lucky we were that she was still alive and I spent the rest of the evening near, or at, tears. I went to bed, and then woke up, very thankful that I get to call her and visit her today….again, on the brink of tears.

 

I feel like I am doing everything wrong lately. I spend lots of my time eating too much, not sleeping enough, being stressed, worrying too much, and being angry too much. It sounds weird just typing that out because, on the other hand, I have been trying to focus on God, filled with adoration for Him, and loving seeing Jesus in so much of my everyday. There are obviously two sides of me at conflict right now and when I realize this I get even angrier because I know how it all ends. Jesus wins. We win. The devil, and all the fallen things of this world, will lose! We know the end of the story. Satan knows the end of the story. So, why then, do have moments when we struggle with direction, with life, and with our emotions and choices. God has simplified everything so well but I continue to make it so hard.

 

I was reminded yesterday of what a sweet gift God has given us with our loved ones and I don’t want to waste any of the time I have with the people in my life or the job that God has given me. It’s hard to walk in the Light when you carry too much on your back, and I have been carrying too much on my back. My prayer today is that I will start handing over my worries, my eating, my sleeping, and my stress to God and let Him carry them. He is much better at carrying that kind of stuff than me anyway. And we need to remember that we can chose to live in the struggles of this world or we can choose to live in the victory that we know is Christ Jesus. I want to choose victory!

 

“I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of the day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—-but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelations 21:22-27)

 

Read for Ice

“But you know we are destined for such troubles.” (1 Thessalonians 3:3b)

 

I will be the first to admit that I am taking the above verse entirely out of context. Although I find the words humorous this morning as we sit and wait for a possible ice storm. It’s incredible how shocked or annoyed we can seem when we live in a state where there is almost a 100% chance that it will snow, which also means there could be ice, bad roads, school delays and closings, and accidents and people forget how they got through it the year before.

 

In Iowa there are going to be some sort of large storm in almost any season you can find. In your faith you are going to have great trials and troubles. Everyone’s struggles are different. Some people’s trials will very evident. Other’s, you may not even realize there is some sort of internal struggle. As Christians this becomes even more evident as we are now enemies of the world and since the world is alive and kicking we are always at war.

 

So, arm yourselves with the tools the God has given you. Everything we need to know and do to make it in this world has been handed to us by God through His Word. We are not completely helpless and when we know that we will have troubles we need to not be shocked when they come. I don’t like the storm that is coming today but I know it’s on its way and even if I didn’t know it was coming I know it is a possibility because of where I live so I am ready to switch gears at any moment. Be ready. Live armed. Take care. Have hope. He will walk you through anything you are going through and He will see you safely Home.

 

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17)

 

*Note: a good pastor once said there are a lot of “Christian streekers” out there. They put on the helmet of salvation and nothing else! Please wear more than a hat as you walk this earth!   

A Walk in the Rain

“When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain.” (Proverbs 15:16)

 

Once upon a time there were two crazy ladies who were so bent on walking in the morning that, not only would they just show up at each other’s houses at five in the morning, but they would also walk in the rain. Okay, it’s not a fairy tale. This is the story of my life!

 

We knew we were exercising this morning but we had our locations mixed up and we waited for each other. When she didn’t show up, and I had left my cell phone at home, I decided to head back home. When I got home I gave her a buzz. She was already in my driveway because she had been waiting for me and when I didn’t show up she decided to find me. We decided to walk from my house down to the lake. At first, we were very thankful that we definitely got one more morning walk in before the possibility of snow turns into reality. Then it started to rain. It was a light rain but by the time we were done it had gotten heavy and we were soaked.

 

In all actuality it was a wonderful walk. We didn’t walk as long as we normally do but we sure did laugh a lot. There were a couple of times we, on different occasions, almost slipped in the mud. I can recall with excellent clarity the moment I stepped into a hidden puddle and my one shoe and sock were instantly soaked. By the end of the walk it was hard to see as the rain was irritating our eyes. We drew up a few metaphors and funny thoughts as we went along.

 

1.      We, of course, sang “Singing in the Rain” for a little bit

2.      We thought of what it might be like for people who live in a jungle (which was weird because we were both thinking about it at the same time.)

3.      We thought of the times it feels like we are walking in the rain in our lives.

 

The third thought, walking in the rain, was the most profound for me. As the rain kept coming down and getting harder I kept thinking about how sometimes one hard thing comes our way and we think it can’t get any worse or any harder but yet it does. That is what this rain was like. At first, it was a light dusting and by the end I could feel the drops dripping down my head and soaking through my clothes. By the end, when we were having trouble seeing, I thought of how in our own lives we sometimes have to simply put one foot in front of the other and trust that God will get us to where we need to go.

 

I wouldn’t have changed this morning for anything. I got to spend time with God, my friend, and taking care of my body. It’s times when the normal routines are changed that we can draw new ideas and appreciate the life we have more. I know I could maybe survive for 5 minutes in the jungle rains and that I have really good balance at five in the morning because I saved myself from many slippery mud messes. I, also, know that I walked through rain this morning and my friend walked with the entire way. We laughed at each other, complained to each other, and pushed each other to keep going.

 

Stay connected to people and don’t shy away from a little rain. God will be with your and reveal Himself to you through the people and trials in your life. Look up at the sky and thank God for everything in your life. Let the blessings pour down on you and soak through the layers you have put around yourself until you are sure that Jesus is right there to guide you Home.

 

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Safe Haven

“Jesus replied, ‘Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?’ Then he said, ‘Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.’” (Luke 12:14-15)

 

I spent much of last night tossing and turning. I was having a hard time sleeping and so I had a lot of time on my hands to think of the news, economy, up-coming elections, and anything else that came across my brain. However, the big thing on my mind has been the Nebraska Safe Haven Law. The law went into affect in July of this year (2008) and already 23 kids have been abandoned. Of these 23, at least four were teenagers…almost adults.

 

I actually can appreciate a law that protects children so well. I find it equally sad that such a law is needed but if it ends babies being found in trash cans or behind broken down buildings I think we are making progress. It’s the older ‘child’ that I am most sad for today. How does it feel to be 17 and dropped off and abandoned? Weren’t there any other options? Weren’t there family or friends that could have helped? What was the situation at home that his or her parents was protection them from?  Was it financial? Was it homelessness? Did it have anything to do with drugs or abuse? And, then, what happens to this teenager? What is the future like? Is it brighter? Is it safer? My heart pounds as I try to wrap this around my brain.

 

Then, as I have done so often lately, I am able to put my own life in perspective. We may not have a lot “extra” assets lying around but our bills are getting paid and we have food on the table, which is enough for me to feel as I am doing everything I need to do for my children and more. There may be things I want to do or I want the kids to do but it may not be in the cards today. However, our family is healthy, we laugh together, we fight together, we say our prayers together, we are part of a beautiful family of faith, and we are full of hope.  What kind of hope did these parents have that they gave up their kids? What kind of future is in store for someone who knows they were abandoned? What aren’t we doing, and what can we do, to reach out the community and help those who need it so that they don’t have to give up their kids?  

 

We are so blessed beyond measure, now is the time, and economic outlook, for us to reach way down within ourselves and see if we are giving, serving, and loving as much as we can to make this world a better place and to build up the Kingdom for Jesus.

 

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his might power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Frustrated

“You can be sure that I will rescue my people from the east and from the west.  I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem.  They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God.” (Zechariah 8:7b-8)

 

“I think sometimes our own personal feelings and opinions can get in our way when we are trying to understand why our friends are going through what they are and what our role is supposed to be. However, this isn’t about me”

 

I always find great comfort in the versus that remind me that God is going to bring me home to Him. I feel all warm and fuzzy when I read about how much God loves me. However, I have also struggled with the fact that just because I am a child of God doesn’t mean I won’t struggle, that I won’t make mistakes. You would think that with how much I try to fill my self up with His Word, prayer, sermons, sticky notes, and whatever that my mistakes or problems with be down to nothing. How wrong I am to presume that God would ease my passage through this life. However, no matter what I go through or what choices I make (even if they are not part of what God wants for me) He still loves me. God is that perfect parent who never stops loving you even when the mistakes are piling up.

 

The second quote I provided was taken out of a personal conversation. I think we can go to the cross for our own struggles and worries with the comfort and knowledge that Jesus will walk with us. However, when someone in our community, church family, circle of friends, or immediate family face the flames are we as gracious? Do we reflect the perfect love that Jesus demonstrated as He hung on the cross? When we judge our brothers and sisters are we doing it with eyes of Christ or our own self-righteousness? When we are confronted in our choices by people who love us how do we react? See, it’s frustrating because the balance on this beam is extremely precarious and can get leave down-right nasty bruises when we fall.

 

There seems to be a season of brokenness in our country, communities, church families, and immediate families today. The divisions are great and the valleys in between seem to be getting deeper. Some days it feels like the world is spinning out of control. This is the time to truly bask in God’s Word, in prayer, and in any other way you can think of to saturate yourself in God so that as you walk through day-to-day you will know that God is with you, that you are precious to Him, that you have a purpose, and that you are loved.

 

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.  We love each other because he loved us first.” (1 John 4:18-19)

 

 

The Path You Are On

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” (Micah 4:2)

 

We had quite a lively discussion on the way to my parent’s house on Saturday. I had shared with my husband that they had arrested the estranged husband of a woman who was shot and killed on I-235 a couple weeks ago. My husband, in his confusion, couldn’t believe that anything could bring him to such a breaking point as to shot me. We started debating the reasons behind divorce, the rationalization behind who should pay support, and the problem with the way people view marriage. There are very few things that truly get my husband riled up but marriage is definitely on the top of the list.

 

We were going back and forth until I had reminded him that our marriage is set in our faith and we derive our values, morals, and priorities from that faith. Ohhhh, now he gets why I was saying what I saying. I wasn’t looking at things from my point of view. I was trying to get him to understand that when people live by the values set out by our culture that their thought process, and maybe even their reality, is not the same as ours. The Christian faith is all about commitment, monogamy, love, relationships, honesty, trust, and faith. If you didn’t want to fit in as much as possible in our society the best thing to do is to claim Jesus as your Savior and people will steer clear of you. It’s kind of sad.

 

It is so easy to walk away from things that seem to make life difficult. It is so much easier to say yes to what you want, every time you want, without considering the consequences because you want to feel good right now.  It is so much easier to sleep in on Sundays, lust after co-workers and friends, do things in anger, not forgive, and step over a line that you can’t see but you know is there. However, the rewards are so great when you stay on God’s path. You will struggle, but in your struggles you will find joy and peace. There may be turmoil in your relationships from time to time, but in those you will find forgiveness and grace. And when you are in community and worshipping your Lord you free yourself from the bonds of the world we live in and you have that small taste of heaven that carries you through until you go to meet God once again.

 

“May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in our life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.” (Philippians 1:11)

Losing Focus

“Oh my God, lean down and listen to me.  Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins.  We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.” (Daniel 9:18)

 

It’s that last line: we make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy….that got me this morning. I probably read over that line a dozen times and it was another one of those times when I realized I had probably read it before but I don’t remember it affecting me the way it did this morning. I took my eyes off of Jesus this weekend. I didn’t do this out of spite or out of anger; it just sort of happened. Last week was the first week of a truly busy schedule with work, kids, and school. The end of the week was emotionally exhausting in a good way. And then Saturday came and totally bowled me over. I put the biggest telescope my mind could create on my own life and my own stressors and my own circumstances and I forgot to go look to Jesus; I forgot that I didn’t need to carry the strain, worry, and stress that I was mounting on my shoulders.

 

Saturday I was in despair. Sunday God gave me everything I needed. I woke up early to get ready to head up to church for a testimony during 1^st  Service (I hope they know there is a service at 10:45 and they could stay in bed longer if they only went to the later one!). Before I left my husband was out of bed getting the kids breakfasted and pushing them along to get ready. Anyone who knows my husband knows that for him to up and functional voluntarily that early in the morning is a miracle, right there my day could have been set but God wasn’t done yet.  God gave me words for the testimony, brought my family to church for Sunday school and Service, both of which reminded me that it’s not about me. And God sent someone to come in and lift my heart. Joy and peace can only come from God and from serving and loving others.  Our day ended with a FREE trip to the zoo, pie, and a family movie. Sunday was exactly the rest I needed.

 

We may not be able to see the picture clearly but we know that there is one. We may not understand why things go down the way they do but we do know that God has a plan. And God may not shield us from all the trials and tribulations we would like Him to, but we are stronger because of those experiences. Through it all look at Jesus. When you are laughing, look to Jesus. When you are aching from head to toe, look to Jesus. When there is so much joy and so many blessings that you think you could explode, look to Jesus. And when you are so overwhelmed you don’t know how you are going to take the next step….look to Jesus. Always keep Jesus right there in front you of and you will know a peace and joy and hope that words could never describe.

 

“We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:3-5)

 

 

Be Courageous

“Be strong and courageous, for you are one who will lead these people to posses all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave to you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command–be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:6-9)

 

God is not going to waste words. God is not going to tell us something and it not mean something, let alone three times!

 

Be strong and courageous.

Be strong and courageous.

Be strong and courageous.

 

This first part of Joshua is beautiful because God is giving us that comfort that He knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11). He has given us the instruction that we need to live life fully–the BIBLE. And He promises that we will prosper and succeed in all that we do if we take the time to learn His Word and meditate on it.

 

Now, we have to be careful and not put our own definitions on what it means to prosper and what it means to succeed. If you think reading the Bible will bring you that big fat check you are waiting for you may find yourself highly disappointed. However, your spiritual life—your very soul—will prosper and you will succeed in living the life God intended for you and your treasure in Heaven will be massive!

 

So, be strong and courageous. Follow the path that God has laid before you. Turn to God’s Word for guidance in all things and you will find that He lights your path along the way (Psalm 119:105). Love the Lord with everything you have and spend time with Him daily and you will find that the days when it is harder to be strong and courageous that He will step in with His might and put the muscle in for you.

 

“For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:19)