Praisin' Yahweh

When Words are Not Needed

2012-02-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

I took this today ... out towards the edge of town. It was a glorious end to a day that spilled out the blessings of hearing God's voice and following it. Today I chose kindness. Today the rewards of that were incredible. May you find beauty that all but stops your heart from beating in this world, and when you do may you take the time to just stop at the crossroads and appreciate each and every detail of it.

Lisa

Keeping it Real - Even When it Means Looking in the Mirror

2012-02-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we seem to miss signs that the Lord is trying to get our attention ... trying to send us a message ... trying to guide us towards something. They catch our eye for a moment, but then are dismissed as we rush ahead on our own path. Today when I was driving home, the words on a sign jumped into my vision and read themselves into my thoughts as I was driving past them at 45 miles an hour. It struck me. It resonated with me. It drew me back to it, and in response I had to park and walk back to it and take this picture.

One's first thought at meaning might be ... "Your" life is fragile - handle it with prayer. Most days, I would have read it that way, but today I read it differently. For right before I was embraced by these words, I was deep in thought about how short I have been on patience lately. I have so much on my plate and never seem to get in front of the 8 ball ... to quote a friend who has been feeling the same way. Expectations of me as a teacher these days are so high. I work long hours and pour my heart into trying to make sure that I have done everything I can to ensure that "No Child is Left Behind." There is so much pressure on us to achieve, achieve, achieve. We are reminded over and over that within the next few years 100% of our kids must pass the AIMS ... and that in two years all 3rd graders must score higher than FFB on the AIMS or they will be retained. We are asked to fill minutes so full that the true weight of them would not fit on a dozen clocks. And ... somewhere in all that, I have become stressed to the point that I have lost my sense of humor and find myself smiling a little less often. I forget that I want my classroom to be a fun place ... a place where we laugh and are captivated my learning ... instead of a place where we "have to learn." The foremost takes energy and planning ... it does not happen by chance. It is the product of the magical, creative side of teachers who can make the mundane nothing short of amazing through careful planning and is birthed bu the love of doing just that ... making learning magical. I am that type of teacher ... but it is hard to remember that on days when I feel smothered by the pressures of the outside forces that be. Anyway, today God was talking about that with me. Reminding me that when my patience runs short, His runs in abundance and is there for me to drink of - if only I would ask. That He has equipped me for this work ... woven within me the creativity to weave for these children learning in ways that ignite their innate desire to learn and create as well ... and that He is there to remind me of that when I loose sight of it ... if only I would ask. That he breathed the passion for this career for a reason ... that He uses me to touch the deepest parts of some of these kids ... that I live on in them years after they have walked through the hallways of my school for the last time ... that he has chosen me to be a part of this ... that He can revive that passion tenfold when it begins to dim ... if I ask. AND THEN .. OUT OF THE BLUE ... "Life is Fragile .. Handle with Care."

"Life is Fragile ... Handle with care." for me today was God reminding me that the children that I call my students are fragile ... and when I feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and uncreative ... when I feel like I am failing and can't seem to get a second wind ... I need to handle it with prayer. I need to remain steadfast in prayer and relinquish it all to Him ... that He might do His work through me ... and empower me to do the job that I know He has called me to. The lives I touch every day are fragile ... I need to handle the journey with prayer.

Then I get home and decide to go on Facebook and low and behold the following picture is the first thing on my wall. (Courtesy of Meg Bitton Photography who is amazing if you are in here area!)

And this was the caption:
Friends.....somuch more is accomplished with kindness than anger. I know that thingsmake us angry and emotional, but remember...people make mistakes andits better to love than hate.

And ... although I am not hating people ... nor am I begrudging people of their mistakes or trying to be unkind ... but God had a translation in this for me as well ...

Being kind is a choice it is something that needs to be done intentionally.

We have to filter everything we do through the filters of kindness and love. We have to make sure that they are the motives behind each decision that we make ... no matter how mundane. Take for example the following paper that I found on Pinterest.

Some of the statements in the first column can make kids feel little ... while the statements int he second column get the same message across without causing damage. It is simply a choice of the words said ... it is ... Being kind ... intentionally.

As you can see God was pouring signs down upon me today from all angels and venues ... and today I did not miss them. I know that what He showed me today does not only apply to my school kids ... it applies to each and every person that is in my life.

It is

a way of doing business

... a way

of doing

life.

How I Will be Remembered ...

2011-12-06T21:01:00.001-08:00

Of all the traits that my youngest daughter has inherited from me, my propensity for procrastination is one that I am most challenged by. The only thing that is worse than one procrastinator .. is two procrastinators. I cannot count on my hands the number of times that she has procrastinated about telling me some deadline for school ... which leaves me with less time than I need to follow through and help her complete the pending assignment or task ... because the truth is that I need time to procrastinate as well. Between the two of us, we end up in facing deadlines frustrated and grumpy.

The most recent example of this phenomenon was in regards to her 5th Grade Explorer Report. We were actually doing so well ... extraordinarily well, in fact. Her report was done, EARLY! .. her note cards packed away in her backpack .. BEFORE the due date ... and her Power Point was less than ten clicks from done! We were enjoying a delicious meal with my mom (who just finished her readiation ... praise the Lord!) when Jillian reminded me that she really wanted to wear a costume during her presentation. Now, to her credit, I did know this weeks ago .. but I refer you back to the fact that I am a procrastinator. Mt first spoken response was, "Sweetie, your presentation is in two days. Mommy, just worked 10 hours, and I really am not sure that I can get it done. Nobody else has worn a costume .. it'll be fine." Her response ... a simple, understanding, sweet one ... "It's o.k., Mommy." Said with such understanding and tenderness, that I knew right away that I was destined to pick up my keys, say my good nights, and go out to find something that I could make into an outfit fit for my little Sacajawea." Which, is exactly what I did ... with a happy, giving countenance. I did not begrudge her, huff nor puff ... no, I smiled and told her that I would go out and see just what I could do. She wrapped her arms around me and said, "You are the BEST Mommy in the whole world."

Driving from store to the other (there were only two needed) ... it hit me that this is one of the times that I will be remembered for in her heart. Long after I am taken home, my youngest will speak of the time that her mommy smiled and tackled the stores to find the perfect costume for her ... even though I was tired. In that moment, a simple truth hit home ... we will be remembered by those that we come in contact with here in this life ... we have no choice about that. What we do have a choice about is the way that we will be remembered. We need to be intentional in the things we do, the way we give of our time, talents, and treasures, the way we serve others ... and we need to choose to do all of it with a cheerful heart. That is really the only part that we have control over ... but, either way, we will be remembered.

Oh, if you are wondering about the costume ... Ross had the perfect brown tunic in the Teen's dress section, and Walmart had all the needed trimmings to make this costume:

The supplies that I found with NO TROUBLE at all!

The finished costume .. complete with Sacajawea's

prize possession, a turquoise belt.

(All for under two hour's time and $22)

A happy heart + 2 hours time + $22 =

1 very Happy little girl ...

and a Mommy who is smiling from ear to ear

because she is ...

"The best mommy in the whole world!"



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Flood Insurance

2011-10-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to spend the weekend in the company of some amazing women in Williams, Arizona. We spent the weekend learning more about the incredible Lord that we serve and the manners in which we should approach him. We learned about looking up instead of out ... the sovereignty of our creator ... and His ability to heal in one day, that which we would (in our earthly expectations) think would take ten times as long, or maybe never at all. I learned a few things that meant a great deal to me, but those are for another post. Today's story is about an illustration of trust that God gave me on the drive out of the retreat center.

On the way out of the center, I noticed something that had been cloaked in the unending darkness of night when I had arrived on Friday ... a lake. If you know me even a little, you know that I am compelled to stop at the miraculous beauty of nature and document it through the lens of my always present companion ... my camera ... and this lake was no exception. I pulled off the winding road to home, and was rewarded with this view.

The lake is actually a reservoir that is formed by a the Santa Fe Dam. Constructed between 1892 and 1895, this dam was built to provide the Santa Fe Railroad water for its steam engines. Today it holds back 70,000,000 gallons of water. Standing at the dam's edge one need only rotate 180 degrees to see the following view.

A view of the outskirts of Williams, nestled in the shadow of this dam. Home by only 3,094 people, Williams sits in the direct path of the water's fury, should the dam give. The dam is considered a high risk dam, because the loss of life that would occur should it give ... and yet they stay ... trusting the ingenuity of man to hold back the flood. This made me think about how easy it is for man to trust his ingenuity ... and yet how difficult it is for some to trust the sovereignty of God.

Why is that? Well it is a matter oh head vs heart. With our heads, or intellect, we invent the most amazing things ... but, this very same part of us cannot accomplish the task of trusting the Lord with everything. This trust must come from the heart alone ... and must be developed and refined by an ongoing, ever-deeepening relationship with Christ. We know this in the difficult times ... we are born knowing to run for protection when things are rough and we feel endangered. But, in the peaceful times we tend to put our trust into our own understandings, strength, and intellect. The problem about this is that they will eventually fail us .. just as that dam will eventually crumble under the weight of time. The people who live in the shadow of this possiblilty are currently working on a plan for the day that comes to pass ... a plan that may or may not work when it is one day put to the test. I am so thankful that I have a protector that never fails ... that knows each and every trial I will face in life, and how to equip me for each of them. I know that there will be floods in my life, but my heart knows that I belong to the one who alone can calm the seas.

Are you like the residents of WIlliams? Living in the shadow of an impending flood and working to figure out a disaster plan? Find your way to the one that can give you the only insurance that you need to survive any of life storms ... Jesus. He has paid the cost for your premiums already ... and waits only to start a relationship that will last when all of our creations have crumbled with time.

Lisa

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD,you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. Psalm 34: 8-9

Better than a Hallelujah

2011-09-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

I have been praying of late that God would lead me in writing some thing ... asking that He would gift me the words to express His heart on a topic that I will share at another time. I full expected that the request would result in the pouring out of promptings of my heart ... the amazing flood of thoughts that spill rapidly onto the page ... a luxurious melody of words weaving together ageless truths ... with me the mere secretary ... working fervently to capture each sentence exactly. A beautiful image ... one that I have experienced, but this time God has chosen to answer my prayer with object lessons designed to teach me from the inside out.

It began with a song that I heard on the radio, Better than a Hallelujah sung by Amy Grant. The lyrics are as follows:

God loves a lullaby
In a mothers tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves the drunkards cry,
The soldiers plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done,
The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Better than a church bell ringing,
Better than a choir singing out, singing out.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

This song began me thinking about what God wants from us ... a relationship ... and the two distinct ways that we as humans seem to approach it which I will call the "Busy Christian" and the "Balanced Christian." Let me describe myself to you and then I will let you know which of these labels I think that I currently fall into.

I have a bookcase filled with Bibles, Bible studies, commentaries, books on apologetics and Christian literature. I listen almost exclusively to Christian music. (Although this is simply because it fills me like no other music can, not because I think Christians should avoid secular music.) I go to church just about every week. I pray every day, and try to find a Bible study to join when I can, and sometimes even do one on my own. (Although I rarely seem to finish every page in any given Bible study.) I also go to a small group once a week. I "do" a lot of things that Christians would agree are great things to do ... things that I should do as a Christian. Things that make me a "busy Christian." I "do" so many things, but do they bring me closer to God? Do they take me deeper? I would like to go out on a limb and say the answer is yes and no.

What God wants from us is a deep, personal relationship ... and these things in isolation could actually be hindering me from having this with Him to the depths that He would like me to go. You see the one thing missing from my list is spending time with Him and spending time in His Word. I am going to be transparent here and tell you that I give of my talent and treasure, but when it comes to time ... I just don't have any left when I am done with all of the day to day doings to read my Bible. Are you beginning to see what I am getting at? I have time for so many things, many of which are things that Christians should do, but I do not have time to sit and get into the Word. Now I am not saying that we as Christians should give up "doing" the things that I listed, I think that they are important ... they are great ways to share faith with like minded people ... a way to grow with each other ... but they are not the one on one relationship that I believe God wants with each and every one of us. Busyness, be it faith based or world based, is one of the greatest tools that Satan uses to separate us from the one on one, personal relationship that God wants from each and every one of us ... the relationship that He paid for with the blood of Christ.

So what do I do with all of this head knowledge ... Nothing until my heart changes ... and how does that happen ... only through getting a little more personal with the Lord ... today.

Forgiveness

2011-09-24T00:50:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since last I posted. Life took over and left me without much time ... But, today I return with something important to share. A lesson, a reminder, and a story to tell. So sit back and let this unfold around you. Stop for a moment and see if you can identify with either of these two characters ... their plights ... their sufferings ... their choices ... and then, if you are so moved, take some time to make the difficult decisions that these two women had to make ... weighing the consequences carefully ... because as with most choices there are hearts at stake.

And so the story begins ...

Life is full of choices. Some are big, some are small. Some difficult, some easy. Some well thought out, some spontaneous. Some edifying, some destructive. On one site I visited the person posting shared that a speaker at a conference they were at said that "the average adult in the USA today makes about 35,000 decisions each day." Incredible right? Well, this story is about one choice ... one choice the choice of forgiveness.

Imagine if you will a woman torn over a decision, she has to make. She mulls it over, weighs the consequences ... she spends time with it ... and makes the choice that she feels would be best. She knows that there is a danger in the choice, a danger in repercussions, but she makes the choice in good faith that it is the right thing to do.

Here is another fact about choices dear reader ... they all carry with them consequences. Some bad, some good. Some harmful, some benign. Some fantastic, some tragic. Some expected, and some unexpected. But they all have consequences ...

And so she made her choice, but little did she know the storm that would ensue. Anger and wrath poured out upon her from one who was affected by the choice. One who was looking at the choice through a different set of experiences and feelings ... and the result was tragic. In a split second in time, a long time friendship was damaged ... and it left both hearts bleeding.

Reader I pause for a moment to speak to a truth ... one choice, always begets another, and the consequences can build from choice to choice. It is a dangerous field to navigate at time ... and should be taken carefully and with great prayer.

And as with most choices, this unfolding situation, presented to her yet another choice ... the choice of pride or humbleness. You see, even in the aftermath ... even when weighing the cost ... she knew that her choice was right ... but she was also painfully aware that it had angered and hurt another person. It was not the intent of her choice, but it was a direct result of her choice. And so she began to grapple with a truth spoken into her heart ... that as a follower of Christ she should approach her friend and ask for forgiveness. Oh, how I wish I could convey correctly the battle that raged within her. To feel so wronged, and yet be asked to ask forgiveness for hurting someone else. To swallow her pride, put being right second, and the feelings of the other person first. But she really had no choice. The Lord made that clear ... in her heart ... in the sermon at church that Sunday ... He was relentless in His request ... and in the end she submitted to His desires.

I would love to tell you that asking for forgiveness make everything better ... it seemed to her like it should have .. after all forgiveness is supposed to go both ways ... it is supposed to soften hearts ... to mend ... but in this case it did not. For her plea came back unanswered. She was left wounded again, only this time by the choice of another to choose anger over forgiveness. Oh, how she prayed for the Lord to reconcile her to her friend. Oh how she waited upon him ... and still is. But, to no avail it seemed as if there was to be no relief from the oppression of anger ... and to this date there has not been. But ... she waits in the peace that she was faithful to forgive and ask to be forgiven ... she was obedient to the tuggings of her heart that called to her follow an example set long ago ... and put another first and extend grace and forgiveness.

And that is the end of the story ... an ending that is simply unfinished.

As with most good stories, there is a moral. A nugget or two of truth that call out to be shared. So, what are the morals for this story you ask ... well there are a few.

1. Anger with out forgiveness will run like a forest fire seeking to engulf and destroy ... it is easily fed ... and tends to grow over time. It feels righteous at the time ... but is equally, if not more, dangerous to the person that is harboring it as it is to the person at whom it is aimed.

2. Being right does not mean that you can't be held responsible for the effects your choices have on others. To quote another ... Apologizing does not always mean that you are wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego. - Unknown

3. On this side of Heaven ... there will be those that do not make the choice of forgiveness when it is presented to them. You might even be one of them, as I know that I have been at times. BUT ... it does hurt. It hurts both the person being denied, and the person that is doing the denying.

4. Followers of Christ are called to forgive:

Matthew 6:15-17

¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 18:35

³⁵ “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Matthew 18:21-22

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” ²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Matthew 5:24

24 First go and be reconciled to your brother," he recommends, "then come and offer your gift.

5. Called or not ... forgiveness is a choice ... a choice that has consequences just like any other choice.

So how does this apply to me you ask? Well, that is simple. Search your heart. Are there people that you need to ask for forgiveness ... but the pride of thinking you are right (and you may well be) has gotten in the way? If so, pray about what the Lord would have you do, but don't put it off. Time is not your friend in this. OR are there people that you need to forgive ... that you need to release from the wrath of your anger, disappointment, and hurt? If the answer is yes, then know that it will hurt you in the long run ... holding grudges ... punishing others ... only breeds more negative feelings that will bury themselves in your heart and fester. AND ... if you are a follower of Christ then people are watching to see if your actions match your words when you are faced with the decision of asking for or giving forgiveness. Asking for forgiveness can be hard ... but we are told to do so. Giving forgiveness without a preceding emotional punishment can be hard ... but we are told to do so. If we choose not to either of these there are consequences ... and inevitably more choices.

Lisa

Life is ... good.

2011-02-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

So tonight I am sitting in my mom's living room listening to her breath as she sleeps on her couch. I listen to the patterns of her breathing like sweet music, and as a mother I know that there was a time that it was she sitting listening to my rhythmic pattern of life ... smiling and thinking, "Life is good." How time flies by and tables turn ... sometimes without one realizing that it has even happened, for tonight it is I that watches her with a heart full of love and thinks, "Life is good."

Most of you know that I am a survivor of breast cancer. Some of you even walked the road with me, and watched God's goodness and faithfulness anoint me for a journey that He would use to change lives and bring Him glory. That was 8 years ago this month. How time gently slips away as life is lived ... hardly noticed or acknowledged until a moment comes when once again you are reminded of the fleeting gift of life, a moment of vulnerability, of clarity, of truth.

Such a moment came to pass late last week when my mom called me to tell me that a suspicious lump had been found in her breast during her mammogram. While not definitive, I could not help but wonder at the irony. You see I have spent years wondering if I would ever have the colon cancer that almost took her life over 25 years ago, but I never ... in all my years ... ever wondered if she would get breast cancer like me.

How familiar it all felt. The waiting, the additional tests, the speeding up of time as one takes the steps of finding out they have cancer. Familiar, but different. For this time, I find myself on the other side of this disease. The side of caregiver, supporter, loved-one ... and I found it rather challenging and uncomfortable. Having already walked this walk, I already knew that the people who walked the path with me shared in the journey, the pain, the uncertainty. What I never realized is just how helpless those that share in love this walk of cancer feel. I am grateful for this lesson, and appreciate those that walked with me and all they went through, because to be honest I think it was perhaps harder on them than it was one me. How many of you offered up strength and encouragement, but cried when I wasn't looking as I have this week? I count your tears precious, and I understand now the sacrifice that you offered up as you supported me.

Today, my mom had a lumpectomy ... with the same surgeon, in the same hospital, during the same month and I sat in the waiting room to experience the surgeon's footsteps. I could not help but notice all the ironic twists of similarity right down to the type of cancer they think it is and the location of the tumor. But, there was a similarity even more important than all of those combined and that was the anointing of my mother for this journey. You see, 25 years ago she faced cancer without a personal relationship with Christ. I remember it. It seemed dark and scary and deadly.

It birthed in me a fear of cancer that would stalk me throughout my life until I myself faced it .. and viewed it through the eyes of my Savior who came along side me and carried me through the fiery furnace just as He did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. How I remember the amazing peace that filled me and fueled me ... tangible, undeniable, unmistakeable. That is why I could not help but notice that very same anointing upon my mom ... tangible, undeniable, unmistakeable ... and I know without a doubt that He will carry her through this with the gentleness and faithfulness that only He can have ... filling her with peace and joy ... no matter what the road ahead has in store. And I, will walk with her .. in the shadow of His presence, seeking His face ... remembering with every step the lessons I learned from my cancer walk so many years ago.

The surgeon thinks that they caught it early, that she was able to get clear margins. That is good news. And we wait, in peace, for the pathology report on the sentenial node to reveal if the cancer was contained, knowing no matter what God is with us and Life is good.

Christmas Wishes

2010-12-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

With this Christmas season upon us, I found myself pondering this night Christ was born. What was it like? I could imagine the whole Earth holding its breath in quiet anticipation as Mary went through the process of giving birth, the angels waiting with baited breath as the miraculous moment drew near. I found myself humbled at the splendor of it all and penned the following words.

Christmas Wishes

This season of
Christmas with it brings
A time for presents
And glittery things
Shopping carts
And endless lines
Paper and ribbon
treats divine
Holiday visits
And family time
All in all
Wonderful things
But is that really
What Christmas means?

For long ago
It all began
With the virgin birth
Of God in man
When the Holy of Holies
Sent to die
Was born in a manger
And gave His first cry
which rang through the darkness
And circled the world
As angels heralded
The birth of God’s Word
The hope of all nations
Of redemption found
All of Heaven did in
Holy adoration resound

I sit here tonight
Contemplating this all
Reconciliation born
in a cold, lonely stall
the night
to end darkness
The life to end death
That began the minute
He drew His first breath
And I am left speechless
The words will not come
So, I sit humbled
by thoughts of the One
Born in a manger
On that night long ago
And of our Father
Who loved us so
That He sent to Earth
His only Son
So the cost of our sin
Might be undone.

So, come let us worship
In this Holiest of times,
Let us honor
Our Savior
Salvation divine
With reckless abandon
And hearts open wide
To the will of the One
Who in us resides
Let us eagerly seek
to understand
the indescribable gift
Of God
made man.

May your Christmas be one of Christ filled joy,

Lisa

Sharing: Life is too Short

2010-11-29T20:15:00.001-08:00

It has been so long ... and I do have so much to share ... BUT .. on the way here I stopped at the Pixelated Image blog and read a post by one of my all time favorite photographers David deChemin. I am coming up on my 8 year anniversary of the day I found out that I had stage 3 cancer ... pondering life and its preciousness ... and his words hit home. So today, I will put my own thoughts on hold and will instead share his. Take time to ponder them ... sit with them for awhile .... then look at your life .. really look. Are you waisting it? What are you doing with it? MInute by minute .... day by day ... are you making a difference? Life is short.

__________________________________________________________________

This isn’t really one of those helpful photographic posts, so if you’re jonesin’ for info on what gear I’m packing for New Zealand, you might want to just kind of move along But I’m bursting to say these things, and I’m hoping someone out there needs to hear. I do.

As some of you know there’s some big changes coming down the pipe for me and I’ll give you a full report as soon as I can. I’ve fought the urge to make these changes for a while now and something finally cracked.

I had breakfast with a close friend of mine yesterday and it’s that meeting that is making me write this, because I can’t keep it in this morning. His wife, one of my favourite people on the planet, is fighting for her life against inoperable brain cancer. She’s fighting, but she’s not well, and the doctors are talking in terms of quality of life, not healing, not remission. My heart is breaking for her. My heart is breaking for him. A young couple that, like all of us, thinks they have forever together, have all the time in the world to chase their dreams. But we don’t. None of us do. It’s an illusion.

Life is short. We seem to think that we’ll live forever. We spend time and money as though we’ll always be here. We buy shiny things as though they matter and are worth the debt and stress of attachment. We put off the so-called “trip of a lifetime” for another year, because we all assume we have another year. We don’t tell the ones we love how much we love them often enough because we assume there’s always tomorrow. And we fear. Oh, do we fear. We stick it out in miserable jobs and situations because we’re afraid of the risk of stepping out. We don’t reach high enough or far enough because we’re worried we’ll fail, forgetting – or never realizing – that it’s better to fail spectacularly while reaching for the stars than it is to succeed at something we never really wanted in the first place.

A woman emailed earlier this year. Her husband, the love of her life, was a fan of mine and he’d just come through a tough fight with Leukemia. She asked if I’d take some time with him, go shooting with him if he came to Vancouver, sort of as a celebration of his recovery. I said yes, of course, how could I not. But I was busy, about to travel, and could we do it in a couple months when summer rolled around and I had time to host him. Of course. Let’s talk soon. I got back two months later and sent an email saying, let’s make it happen! And 5 minutes later got a reply telling me the leukemia had returned with speed and fury and within days he’d gone. Even now, I’m writing this with tears, though anyone that knows me knows it doesn’t take much.

We think we’ve got forever and that these concerns that weigh us down are so pressing. We worry about the trivial to the neglect of the most precious thing we have: moments we’ll never see again. We talk of killing time, passing time, and getting through the week, forgetting we’re wishing away the moments that comprise our lives. We say time is money when in fact the time we have is ALL we have. Money can be borrowed, time can’t. We fear taking risks, unaware that the biggest risk we run in playing it safe is in fact living as long as we hope and never doing the things we dreamed of. And then it’s too late. We watched our favourite TV shows, we fought a losing battle with our weight, we picked up the guitar once in a while and never quite finished the french language courses we wanted to do. We managed to get a large flatscreen and new cars once in a while, but the list of things we’d have done if we could really, truly could have done anything, kept growing. And we never did them.

I don’t know how to wrap this up. There’s no resolution. I was in Sarajevo last week thinking about all this; I’d be walking the old city thinking how amazing it was, looking into the hills that surround it. And then it occurred to me, just over 15 years ago the citizen of Sarajevo that stood in this spot was likely to be hit by mortar shells or sniper fire. We’re all terminal folks. We’re all in the sniper scope. We’ve got less time that we think. For every ten people that email me and say, “I wish I could do what you’re doing. I wish I could follow my dreams, I wish, I wish…,” I wonder if even one moves forward. I hope so.

Whatever your dream is, find a way to make it happen. Your kids can come with you. Your job can wait. You can find someone to feed the cat. I know, I know, there are so many reasons we can’t and some of those reasons are valid. Life is not only short, it is also sometimes profoundly hard. But I think sometimes our reasons are in fact only excuses. If that’s the case, take stock. I talk alot about living the dream, and I’m an idealist, I know it. But it’s not self-help, positive-thinking, wish-upon-a-star. It’s the realization that life is short and no one is going to live my life on my behalf. And one day soon – because it’ll seem that way, I know it – my candle will burn out; I want it to burn hot and bright while it’s still lit. I want it to light fires and set others ablaze.

Life is short. Live it now. And live it with all your strength and passion now. Don’t keep it in reserve against a day you might not have. While the ember is still lit, fan it to flame. Be bold about it, even if your circumstances mean all you have is to love boldly and laugh boldy. Because now is all we have, and these dreams won’t chase themselves.

End of sermon, thanks for listening. I just kind of needed to get it out there. It wasn’t the point of this but if you’re the praying type, send some mojo out for my friend and his wife. God knows who they are.

__________________________________________________________________

Amen Daivd. Amen.

Finding Freedom in Being Wrong

2010-10-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had an epiphany? A moment when shocking truths rained down upon you with such unbelievable clarity that you were literally left stunned and humbled by it? I have ... recently ... and it was both painful and freeing.

You see a few years ago, I learned a valuable lesson about gossip and talking about others. I got it in my head. I knew that it was wrong. I knew that God did not approve of it. I vowed to not do it. I even was lead to undertake an amazing journey of purposefully building other people up. BUT I didn't really get it ... until recently when I became the victim of gossip. Someone I know talked about me behind my back, and I found out about it. I was crushed, my feelings were battered, and I have had a really difficult time trusting her now. Her words against me were so powerful, but they also brought with them a powerful lesson. For in the midst of my hurt, God spoke to my heart saying, "This is how it felt when you did the same thing to your friend."

I was shocked, for in that moment I realized that my head knowledge about gossip had not changed my heart's understanding of it ... had not brought about repentance from it. You see, although I had learned that Gossip was wrong, I was still carrying with me justifications for why I had done what I had done... rational, believable reasons that had become like truth to me ... and although I had changed, I had not repented. I had not ever come to the end of myself and owned being wrong, but, in that moment God unveiled my eyes ... and I saw all my justifications fall away ... leaving an unmistakable truth ... I was 100% wrong.

For in my hurt, I knew that there was nothing that would justify my hurting someone else the way that I had been hurt. In that moment, my friend's face was woven into my pain ... in that moment, God showed me how badly I had hurt her ... and I for the first time took ownership of that truth in my heart. I was wrong. I was wrong, and I had never really admitted it fully with no excuses. I was wrong, and was in bondage to the lies I had told myself to justify it. I was wrong, and had never been able to seek true forgiveness because I could not see that there was more to be forgiven for. In that moment, I took my sin to my Father's feet and I cried out to Him from my heart and asked for forgiveness. I offered up not one excuse, and the most amazing thing happened. In embracing being wrong, I found peace and freedom and realized that it was in admitting being wrong that I found God's mercy, and healing.

A few weeks out, and I can't help but wonder how many times we do this. I keep asking myself how many times we try to hide our Sin, just like Adam and Eve tried to cloak their nakedness (and sin) in the garden when God came to call upon them. I keep wondering how often do we do such a great job of justifying what ever it is that we are doing, that we no longer recognize it as sin. I think it is probably more often than we would like to think. We need to make a point of asking the Lord to search us and know us ... to examine our hearts and bring to light any impure or sinful actions, thoughts, or words that we might really lay them down ... to illuminate any sin that we have too grown comfortable with ... and make it once again painful that we might recognize it for what it is and repent.

So what happened to me in all this? I found an amazing freedom, freedom from a sin I did not even recognize to be unresolved. I repented, and sought forgiveness. I found peace in the pain of learning, and I finally understand the depths of the damage that speaking unedifying words about others can do. I recognize it fully for the deceiving destroyer that it is, and will stand against it whenever it comes calling. I found freedom in being wrong.

Lisa

This Broken Vessel

2010-09-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Good morning all! I pray that this post finds you all going deeper with our God and King. I offer up today another poem. One day soon I will sit down and share some amazing God stories ... but for now ...

This Broken Vessel

Holy Redeemer
Wonderful One
Paid in love
with the blood
of His Son
the cost of my ransom
the weight of my sin
nailed to the cross
to bring life within
this broken vessel
for a glorious King
now poured out inside me
to His glory brings
this broken being
unfit and lost
forfeiting all
for the life of
Christ's Cross.

- Lisa 2010

2010-09-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

Hello my bloggie friends. I have so must to tell you about what I have learned in the next week, but for tonight you will have to make due with a new poem ...

Child of Mine

Child of mine
Lend me your ear
Come, cast down your sorrows
Let go of your fears
Deny the world’s lies
For they are not real
Trade them in now
For my truths revealed
For I know of your weakness
Your fears and your pride
I know how you stumble
I’ve heard when you cried
I know all your secrets
So, stop trying to hide
From your Father who loves you
Who in you resides
It’s time to go deeper
To surrender it all
To let go of your life
And answer my call
For you are my child
Held tight in my hand
Come, there are truths
You must understand
By me you are cherished
Your appointment’s divine
I formed, made, and chose you
At the beginning of time
You’re called for a purpose
Nothing’s by chance
You’re not defined
By your circumstance
So come now surrender
Just lay it all down
Stop chasing things
That just can’t be found
For I am sufficient
I’m all that you need
I’m your protector, your healer,
Come rest at my feet
For I am waiting
I’m drawing you near
It’s time to go deeper
You’ve nothing to fear.

May we all go deeper ... deeper in love with God ... deeper in obedience to God ... deeper in relationship to God ... deeper in God's Word .... and may we do it with excitement and dedication.

Lisa

2010-09-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

I want to share a post that another friend of mine just shared on Facebook. I think that it paints an amazing perspective of hope and faith when facing a problem that is so big it feels impossible to face or do anything about. She is a missionary and writes about the trying to make a difference in the poverty of Costa Rica.

“I’m gonna go fight poverty for two and a half hours. Two and a half hours on a Tuesday morning to solve the biggest problem in the world. What a joke. We will show up with a bag full of bread and an armload of bananas, and the children will clamber around us like ducks at a pond. A bunch of little ducklings, falling all over each other for a bit of bread and a soft pat on the head.

And for 2 and a half hours we will laugh and play and eat, and we will talk about Jesus. And when we leave, they will be just as poor as when we arrived. Poverty taunts us as we drive away. It’s overwhelming. The problem is so big, and we are so small. It feels ridiculous… showing up to war wielding a loaf of bread.

Of course that’s how David showed up. Just a shepherd boy with some bread for his brothers, a kid who was quick with a sling shot. He chose for battle against a giant, not a sword, or the kings armor, but five smooth stones. And he won.

He said to the giant:”You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” ~1 Samuel 17

I kind of love that. I’m going to feed the ducks, now. And then, with all my might, I will hurl a tiny pebble at their giant enemy. And I hope it hurts like hell.“

And I love that.

So pick up your pebbles, people. Here we go...

First, I think that each of us should hurl some pebbles at this massive giant ... see my last post for a great way to do so ... BUT think this also holds an superb truth for us in every day life ... what giants are you facing? A friend of mine just found out she has breast cancer ... hurl some pebbles. Another is lost in a marriage that desperately needs healing ... hurl some pebbles. Another has grown bitter over the years and just can't seem to find her way back to peace ... hurl some pebbles. What battle are you running from? Stop, take a deep breath, remember who is fighting with you, and hurl some pebbles!

Lisa

When Words Make a Difference

2010-09-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

There are so many times that I log on and see all those hearts on the map and wonder about each one of you. I wonder who you are ... what your lives are like ... if you really stop in a read the ramblings of this Arizona girl. I wonder if God speaks to you through these words ... and I wonder if these words make a difference at all. I have shared so many moments of my life and learning. I have been transparent with total strangers ... and have loved reading the blogs of those who post here. Funny how we can share this cyber-life here together.

Today's blog is going to be a bit different, and I would ask that you read all the way through and then pray about being part of this most amazing opportunity ... I am, and will be praying, that God raises up people to do so.

It all begins with an amazing couple of people who started a non-profit called Remember the Poor that seeks to provide for the people of Uganda in Africa. They work tirelessly to make a difference and provide ways for others to do the same. Enter another amazing family that has started a church called The Mission, who's focus is reaching the lost and reaching out the the orphans and widows of this world. Working hand in hand, God has used these people to bring an opportunity of compassion and love to anyone that is interested. You see, this small group of people is doing something amazing, they are working to support an orphanage in Kisii, Kenya.

This orphanage is run by a man and his wife that have such hearts for these lost children. They have taken them in and are doing everything they can to provide food and education for these kids, but they do need help. That is where we come in. God is moving to provide for these kids through whomever is willing! I could pause here to tell you stories of poverty that would fill your heart with sorrow, show you pictures that would break your heart ... but I won't. There is really no way to truly understand the depth of it unless you go there and witness their reality through the window of ours here in America. It is horrible. It is uncomfortable. It is easier to ignore, than to bear the weight of the truth of it. I know. I too have struggled with it, struggled with choosing to see what is happening there ... embracing the reality of it ... to let it sink into my soul and be unsettled about it. This is not about guilt though ... instead it is about Love ... it is about using what we have to help others ... to be God's hands and feet ... to be a blessing ... to build relationships. This is an opportunity to help children who are in need of help. Let me introduce you to a couple of them.

Meet Brian.

Diana ...

And Norah.

These are just 3 of the 15 children that need sponsors. You can sponsor their food and medical care or their school tuition (they are required to pay tuition by the government if they are to go to school) or both. A partial sponsorship is $45 a month, and a full sponsorship (food, medical, and tuition) is $90 a month. Your donation would be processed through Remember the Poor and will be 100% tax deductible. The best part is that teams from the states go out a few times a year and you are encouraged to send your child letters, photos, and small gifts. They will know you as their family here in the states ... you will have the chance to build relationships with a child on the other side of this earth ... to this child, you will be God's hands and feet. My family is going to sponsor one of the children partially (it is what we can do right now) anyone want to take the other half and help us to sponsor him/her fully? This world is really not such a big place, and we as humanity are really not that different from one another ... these children ... they are like our own ... young, fun-loving, and God's treasures ... would you please pray about helping?

If you are so led, please click on this link (The Mission) to go and fill out a form online. Message me if you want to join me in making the sponsorship of one of these children full.

May God's will be the object of your heart's desire ...

Lisa

A Little Too Much Me

2010-09-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a Sermon yesterday and the Pastor was talking about letting God permeate all of your life. How He must be the center and all things us must be wrapped around and flow through Him, that His glory might be know to others ... to the nations ... to the lost that do not know Him yet. His graphic organizer of this was a set of concentric circles with God at the middle, and I as I sat looking at that set of nested circles I began to see how much like an onion I am and how much more there is that I have not surrendered. I can look at the layers on the floor and call them by name ... my children, my marriage, my work, my tongue, my health and so on. It is easy to look at the pile and remember the sometimes painful separations as these layers were peeled from me through times of deep learning and relinquished to my King ... mine and no longer mine ... these area's of my life are such blessings to me now. It is easy to forget that there is still so much more to me on the cutting board. The deeper, inner parts still so tightly bound to each other that I am not even sure how to call them by name. What are these parts that I have yet to surrender, and why do I tense up a little at the thought of doing so. Why does the idea of surrender bring trepidation, when the result brings such peace? I don't think it is the letting go. I don't think it is the fear that the Lord will be surprised or wouldn't want to the part that I am giving. I don't think it is the fear of having those deepest parts named and revealed. I think it is more a desire to not loose myself, an innate instinct to preserve self ... combined with an ominous fear over just how much is left hidden in reserve if I did daily ask the Lord to take every peace of me ... to peal back layers one by one ... carving daily a piece of self that I might get to the heart of all those circles.

How funny is it that my human response to surrender focuses on and responds to the process or surrender versus the rewards? Intellectually I get it, intellectually I want it ... but, my heart lingers pulled in a daily tug-of-war to surrender or to control. What I do know is the LORD is firm in His stance. He wants me all ... every layer surrendered. He is not a God of pieces ... He is a God of all or nothing ... black or white ... and although He is patient and waits for our hearts to align to His will ... he will not settle for anything but everything. It all comes down to daily surrender ... beginning with praying daily that He would show me that which I am holding onto ... that He would ask and take each layer ... naming it ... claiming it ... and receiving it for His glory. By daily praying for less of me, and more of Him. By willing releasing my grasp on control and letting Him have His will, with me standing in the middle of it ... instead of opposition to it.

We all have these layers. Layers that are too cherished. Layers that are too painful to release. Layers that are too comfortable. Layers that feel like they would just tear our world in two if we just gave in. Hurts that are held to long, when forgiveness feels like to big a pill to swallow. Areas of pride, that bring selfish pleasure ... rather than eternal glory. Addictions, gossip, the glittery trappings of the world, big things, little things ... things named and unnamed. I think the overwhelming fear is not that God would not take them and relieve us of them ... but that He would.

Oh Lord, search me and expose me. Call to my heart, mind, and soul the desire to let go ... to die daily in self ... to stand in your will when it comes to surrender instead of opposition. Bring me to a daily understanding of what it means to really belong to you ...

Lisa

Warning: Road Closed Ahead

2010-08-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have long marveled at the people that call themselves "storm chasers." The people that literally abandon everything the minute that a storm breaks that will spawn tornadoes. They hear its call, and must follow. To some they might appear reckless and insane ... but I understand their draw. I, too, am a chaser. I chase sunsets. I have for years. I watch the clouds in the afternoon build and my heart races. I speculate about what colors will be spayed out upon them and just how grand the sunset will be. I pre-plan a plan of attack and wait for the sun to bid its farewells for the day ... anticipating anxiously that moment when I can chase the color and capture it with my camera.

Today was such a day. The clouds were perfect ... the conditions were right ... I just knew that there was going to be a great sunset ... and there was. The only problem was that the sun has begun to set earlier and earlier and I was about 5 minutes late in leaving my house. Like any of the famed tonado chasers on T.V. I sped down the road to my predetermined spot to take the picture, watching the light dim, the colors intensify ... knowing that I might just miss its creciendo ... praying (literally) that God might just hold it a minute longer for me ... allowing me to capture the beauty that what was making my heart race. I hit every green light. My chances seemed good. I had my camera in my free hand, and was feeling pretty confident that I would indeed make it. That is until I drove up upon a sign complete with flashing lights that said: "Street Closed." Really? For real?

I paniced for a moment ... glanced at the sun's farewell display which was just peaking. What was I to do? I was temped to drive around the road closre sign. My "spot" was within sight. My only other option was to take the detour through the housing subdivision to my right. Where would it lead? I did not know. But, I did know that the sunset was minutes away from over, so I took it. Driving down the road ... my eyes watching the light fade ... the urgency in my herat pounding ... I came out on a street that runs through my neightborhood as well and turned west. Within minutes, the road ended smack dab into a huge dirt field ... the perfect spot to shoot sunsets. Nothing from me to the mountains to break the scence. I pulled into the edge of the field and jumped out of my car only to realize that the most spectacular moment of the sunset was indeed over. Now based upon my description of my passion you might imagine that I was creastfallen ... that I view the chase as a failure ... but it was actually a win. You see I found the perfect spot. The spot that I will return to the next time that the sunset draws me to it. It is perfect. It is mine.

Driving home I began to realize that there is a life reminder in what happened tonight. You see there are so many times in life that we run into road blocks. Times when we are on a set course and God throws up a barricade that stops us in our tracks and redirects us. We have a choice to make when this happens though ... we can turn around and backtrack ... we can go around the road block and continue on the same path ... or we can let go and follow the detour path that God has provided us and in doing so find that what He has for us is so much better in the long run than what we had started out chasing. Thank you Lord for the reminder ... may I always face the detours with the same enthisiasm as the journey that led me to it.

With that said, I could not resist sharing some other sunset and cloud pictures that I did chase down on other days in the last week ... I do so love chasing ...

Lisa

A Few Poetic Words

2010-08-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been awhile. I have never taken such a long break from my blog ... and I can't help but wonder if there will still be anyone that comes to check in. :) So, if you are reading this, thank you for coming back. Sorry, I have been gone for such a long time!

It has been an amazing summer. God and I have been working on learning what one on one time means. I have run the gambit of feelings ... from loneliness to excitement ... and have learned so much. Those lessons though are for another day, as I am still in the process of putting to words what I am learning.

One thing that this time has done was awakened the poet within me ... and that is what I thought I would share today.

Today's poem is about coming home to God ... about realizing that I was a weary traveler ... feet dusty ... legs tired ... yearning for home.

Welcome Me Home

Here I am
once again
returning to you
a child of sin

Tired of wandering
longing for home
returning to the place
where all is known

Wrap your arms around me
call me your own
as I run towards you
welcome me home

Splay my heart open
just lay it all out
search every part
leave no room for doubt

Call me by name
make me your own
as I run towards you
welcome me home

Lay my life open
wash my soul clean
teach me to serve you
to know what that means

Take all my burdens
as I lay them down
to honor the one
who's head bore the crown

Wrap your arms around me
call me your own
as I run towards you
welcome me home

-Lisa 2010

From time to time each of us will wake up to find ourselves far away from home. As humans, we are prone to wander, and there are so many roads that tempt us to follow them. Maybe that is you right now. Maybe, like me, you have been caught up in the hectic pace of modern life and simply fall further and further away from God because you don't make time to spend one on one time with your Father. Days lead to weeks, and weeks to months ... and before you know it you are feeling disconnected and alone. Maybe it is something else. Maybe it is something completely different. Whatever it is, the amazing thing is that our Father is waiting right at our side for us to turn around. Notice that I said, "right by our side." You see, although the prodigal son had to walk all the way home to his father's house ... our Father is only a heartbeat away from us ... no matter how far we think we have gone. So, if this is a time like that for you ... just stop walking. Seek God. Ask Him to welcome you home ... home is closer than you think.

Lisa

When Few Words Are Needed

2010-05-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Simple Moments

Simple moments
Lost in time

A delicate dance
With Savior mine

Captivating beauty
Splayed out for all

The canvas of nature
Presents His call

Of soft tender mercies
Bathed in dusk’s light

Reflections of Him
When day turns to night

- Lisa

Making Cents

2010-05-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

As most of you following this blog have realized, I tend to see "God" things through situations that happen in every day life ... and those are the things that I tend to share here. Today's post is not going to be the exception to the rule, but it might be less entertaining than some of the others. It might pull at your heart strings more than some of the others ... and hopefully just hopefully it will stay with you a little longer than the others.

Let's start with the day to day experience that birthed the hope that I will lay before you for thought. I live in Arizona, and Arizona like many other states is in financial trouble. Millions of dollars were cut from the budget this year ... leaving us still with an enormous statewide crisis unsolved. To remedy this, our governor proposed a 1 cent sales tax increase that would last for 3 years. This 1 cent sacrifice would spare education in our state an additional 440 million dollar slashing ... not to mention the millions that would be further cut from other critical service occupations. A few days ago, the sales tax proposition passed. In the ensuing media coverage it was estimated that this 1 cent tax will raise an estimated 1 billion dollars per year for our state. $1,ooo,000,000,000 dollars a year, which is 100 billion pennies.

I was floored when I heard this. A one cent sales tax ... I will pay 1 more penny on every dollar I spend ... 10 pennies on every $10, and $1 on every hundred. If I were to spend a thousand dollars, it would only be an additional $10. It seems like such a small amount to me ... but it has the potential to make a huge difference for our state ... when combined with so many others that are putting in their 1 cent tax as well. In Arizona there was a need, and working together ... sacrificing a mere 1% tax ... we will work to provide a solution.

This started me thinking about the world ... specifically all of the people who live in poverty. Regardless of where the poverty is ... which continent we pick to talk about ... poverty kills. BUT ... it is such a huge problem ... one that seems insurmountable. How can one person make a difference? Unless you are one of the world's 497 billionaires, probably not much in the way of solving it. BUT ... what if we all did a little? What if we all gave just a little ... if 1 % from each of the citizens of Arizona raises 1 billion per year, what would 1% from each citizen in the U.S. raise? I can't imagine the number, but I bet it would go a long way in solving the problem of poverty.

One more random thought ... and then I will close ... people sometimes give as a reaction to guilt. I believe with all my heart that this undermines the gift and robs the giver. You see we are designed to give ... from our very beginnings when God breathed life into Adam's nostrils ... we were created to give Him glory and relationship. We are also not saved to despair, but rather to hope ... from the moment that Christ drew in His final human breath on the cross ... we were saved to share hope. I believe that there is something important to see here. When we give to those that are in poverty ... we give out of hope not guilt .. we give to give hope not desperation.

I think that the problem is that the problem is just too big ... to overwhelming ... too real. It is scary and people tend to shy away from it because it feels like there is no way that mere individuals can make a difference. That might be true, if we fail to join together and fight it arm in arm.

So, let's take a look ... let's look at an amazing opportunity to lock arms and give hope .... here are the numbers .... BUT don't stop reading ... the challenge is at the bottom.

Here is the challenge. What if we all ... all 20 of us that actually read this ... committed to use their change to create change? To encourage all of our friends to do the same? To post it on our blogs, on Face Book, on MySpace? And then picked an organization that helps people in poverty and donated the change? Change for Change. What do you think?

Embracing Braces

2010-05-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a day that we have know was coming for some time now. We have planned for it, saved for it, and waited for it. Today was the day that we went in for our oldest's final orthodontic consultation. They day where the orthodontist exposed the problems that KT's teeth have, and presented the solutions he (in his expertise) had devised for correcting them ... and the time it would take.

You see, KT has a "significant" overbite. So much so, that it has affected her profile right down to the cute way her bottom lip pulls in and pouts out at the same time. I have always thought she has a cute little pixie face, but the truth is that her lower jaw is not big enough and her top teeth are no where near to touching her bottom teeth. The body, a most amazing creation, has a way to compensate for this though --- as can be evidenced in the way her top teeth have shifted over time, and now point slightly inward ... the body's attempt at correcting the teeth. Enter the normal braces and the below device:

Did you just cringe? I did when I saw it. The above device is called a Herbst Device. It prevents a patient from closing his/her jaw in the position that they have always closed it in. They must adapt and learn a new way of doing so by learning to move their jaw forward a little. This, over time, will teach the muscles to pull the lower jaw forward and will encourage it to grow. For KT, the whole process will take about a year, at which point the device will be removed, while the braces remain.

I was horrified that my daughter would have to wear such a thing ... (To think that I had been worried about the possibility of a headgear like I used to have to wear!) With great enthusiasm I asked, "So, what do you think KT?" Her response, "Can we start today?" You see she wants to get on with the work of correcting her teeth. The cost seems nothing to her, she just wants to start. She sees the big picture ... the end result ... and understands that there is a journey that must be taken to get there ... and a cost that will be paid in the process. She knows that it is necessary in order to get to the end result. She has embraced braces.

God, ever the teacher, taught me something watching KT accept (without blinking) this most daunting of contraptions. You see God, like the orthodontist, is a specialist. He knows just how He wants us, and sees all the problems that keep us from reaching that end goal. One by one He brings them to light, presents the solutions He (in his expertise) has for correcting them, and works tirelessly to make sure that his treatment plan is carried out. We, like KT, have the choice not on if the treatment for change will happen, but in what manner we are going to respond. Do we choose to see the big picture ... the end result ... knowing that whatever the cost is ... whatever God has to do to get us there ... is worth the cost?

You see, I am most certain that the device will be uncomfortable. It will be challenging for KT at times, but her attitude will help her to get through it ... instead of making it even more uncomfortable. Life can be that way for us as well. There is no doubt that this journey of God changing us will be uncomfortable at times. It will be challenging for us, but our attitudes can help us get through it ... instead of making it even more uncomfortable.

"Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong–then guide me on the road to eternal life"
-- Psalm 139:23-24 [MSG].

Oh ... and LORD ... can we start today?

Lisa

Being Useable

2010-05-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

OK ... so I have really been contemplating what kind of Christian I am ... my works look (from a purely earthly perspective) pretty good ... but, I am afraid that aside from corporate study on Sunday at church and a Friday night Bible study that I do not sit and read God's Word. I have a number of excuses. There's, I am so busy - there is just not time in the day. Or, I can't find a Bible study group that I want to join. How about ... I just can't seem to persevere and have follow through. Do you recognize any of them?

Before I go any further let me begin by saying that the works part is important ... but, only when they are in response to a deep, personal relationship with Christ. I have a personal relationship with Christ, what I lack is the deepness that comes from sitting with Him ... sometimes without even speaking a word ... and studying His Word. The two should be intimately linked and should spur each other on.

I have written a rather long, unpublished blog about this very thing ... but had not reacted to what God had shown me until now. You see after writing it, God spoke to me through two different Pastors on the same subject. He told me through me .. then two others. Then the name Zechariah came to mind and I turned there ... a word immediately jumped off the page ... encouragement. And, as this word landed in my soul, I just knew that this was the book that I would study without any other companion than God. (And you ... as I share whatever lands upon my heart to share.)

I started today ... beginning with a quick history lesson involving a people (God's chosen people) that were called to return home from exile to rebuild God's temple ... who built a foundation, but then in fear failed to finish. About a God, who waited patiently for 16 years ... and then sent two new messengers to His people to remind them of their charge. One of which was Zechariah and the other Haggai. Haggai actually delivered God's message to the Jewish people first and they once again began the work of building the temple. It was after they were doing so that God used Zechariah to speak to them again ... only this time in a call to repent and return to Him ... with the promise that He will in turn return to them.

There are a few things that in this that is important for us as followers of Christ.

First, God called them to do His work on the temple before he called them to repent and return to Him. God chose to use them in spite of their sin and not because they had repented from it. Let me interject here .. that God did call them to repent ... just as He will us ... the amazing part is that He chose to use them first ... even in their sin. Just as He will us if He chooses.

Second, and don't miss this part. They were already rebuilding His temple ... and were told, "Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’" v2 You see, He chose to use them to do His work and fulfill His plan and they were ... but even so He made it clear that if they chose not to return to Him in repentance, He would not return to Him. This holds a pattern of action for us if we are to truly experience God and His hand in our lives as completely and deeply as He desires. There are times that all of us feel separated from God. But, He will not return to us ... until we return to Him ... and if we do not then we miss out on His presence as He completes His plan through us.

Finally, God waited for His people to return to building the temple for 16 years. They had failed Him out of fear, but he waited and gave them another chance. How many times have I failed Him out of fear? I am so very thankful that He chooses to ask again.

There is one other really cool thing that I learned in studying this passage and reading a few commentaries to check my understanding. Something that just makes me love how purposeful God is. How He really leaves nothing to chance. Zechariah identifies Himself as "Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo." As we all know the meanings of names in the Bible are often important and revealing ... as they are in this case ... you see
Zechariah means "God remembers"
Berechiah, his father's name, means "God blesses"
and Iddo, his grandfather's name, means "At the appointed time."

Put it together and we have: God remembers and God blesses as the appointed time ... which the commentator identified as one of the major themes of this book.

Amazing God we have friends ... simply amazing.

Lisa

Loving like Mr. Goodwell

2010-05-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

OK ... so let me just admit right now that they new Mercy Me album has captivated me and has challenged me ... inspired me ... and just made my dance! (For real in my classroom after everyone had gone ... I just could not help it.) Anyway, there is a point to this that is beyond telling you how great this album is ... a point that hit me hard. A point not found in the song lyrics (this time) but rather in the writing found on the first page of the inside cover of the digital booklet ... which read:

Who is Mr. Lovewell? He's an idea. He's a movement. He's the hope that the little things can add up to big change. He's what the Bible already called us to do ... love one another. Look for the best in people. Give people a chance regardless of status, race or gender. Mr. Lovewell is the understanding that the gospel is for everyone. Some may receive it, some may reject it, but from where we are standing, all that should matter is that the Gospel applies to us all. Who are we to demand the outcome before we decide to contribute? Do we wait and tip the waitress only if she's done a great job? Or do we tip her even when she's having the worst day? That's what God's grace is ... unconditional. Grace leaves no room for "I've earned this" or "I deserve this." What a concept! To love no matter what!

And that, my friend, is Mr. Lovewell. Who knows ... maybe he'll rub off on a few people. Are you a Lovewell?

I wish we were able to chat live right now ... at the moment that you read this and ask you if you caught it like I did .. right between the eyes. Here is what hit me:

Who are we to demand the outcome before we decide to contribute? Do we wait and tip the waitress only if she's done a great job? Or do we tip her even when she's having the worst day?

How many times do I wait to see the outcome before I decide to contribute? How many times do I apply if ... then stipulations to the responses that God asks of me as His child? All the time.

Let's take the example they gave. I have had such bad service from a waitress that I left a penny to make a point. Ouch. Yes, her service was horrible ... but what was behind it? If she was that bad all the time, would she really be working there? Or ... was there something horrible that happened to her that day that she just couldn't bury deep enough that it didn't effect her performance. Maybe her husband walked out on her ... Maybe she lost a loved one ... Who knows. I never thought to look beyond her bad service, only to punish her for it.

As I sit and type this, example upon example keep flooding in. I will share a few.

"If I give this homeless man money, he'll probably buy drugs. So I will give him none."

"If this person would just manage their money better, they would be fine ... so maybe they will learn a lesson if they have to live without air for a few days."

"If I knew that ____ was truly sorry, I would call and forgive."

"If that person was nicer to me, I would invest more time in getting to know them."

"If I knew that this (fill in the blank) would help, I would do it."

How deady that way of thinking is. You see we can talk ourselves right out of doing things that we should do. We can fall into the trap of needing proof before we act, of making sharing grace conditional, of hiding behind expectations ... when God wants action. Am I free with grace? Do I expect people to earn it? or deserve it? Ouch. The sad part is that it does not only affect the people that I fail to offer it to ... it affects me as well. I miss out on the blessing of people seeing Christ's mercy in me. I miss out on:

The honest thanks of a person that needs help.

Helping someone see that God's love is bigger than whether we deserve it or not.

The gift of new beginnings ... instead of sad endings.

The opportunity to get to know others ... without their masks on.

The opportunity to plant seeds ... even if I don't ever find out if it helped.

Most tragically, I miss out on being a touchable, tangible picture of God's love and mercy in action. I miss out on being His hands and feet. I miss out on learning what grace really means. You see any teacher can tell you that people in general do not learn by being told ... they learn by doing.

Lisa

Introducing Mr. Lovewell

2010-05-03T22:13:00.001-07:00

It is no secret that I am a cancer survivor, but some of you might not know that the phone call that threw my life into a journey that I will never forget, also started me on a love for the words God speaks through Mercy Me that has lasted to this day. Their album, Almost There, was just about the only thing I listened to for the first few weeks of my journey... it just spoke to my soul ... every song, every word, every breath. So, it is no surprise that I have been counting down the days to the release of the much pondered The Generous Mr. Lovewell, due out Tuesday, May 4th. What was a surprise was what I found today, Monday, May 3rd, when I visited itunes - The album available for down load a whole day early! What a way to end Monday.

"The new album, entitled The Generous Mr. Lovewell is about a fictional character named Mr. Lovewell who reminds us that, in relating with others, it is not enough to simply love others; we must learn to love well.

The idea is based on a fictional character who wakes up every day thinking that he’s going to make a difference in the world around him and so the generous Mr. Lovewell wakes up everyday knowing that, no matter what happens, he is going to love today."

In the words of the lead singer, Bart:

"Society has this concept of what love is and it’s very shallow and very lustful and everything that is… it’s mostly… Love from the Bible’s standpoint is kind of the opposite of what society and media may look at it as. And so the idea was, it’s not enough just to love but how do you love well. How do you do it well. It’s not just helping your neighbor or doing whatever you can for them. It’s going the extra step and saying here’s the deal, if I truly love you well, then I can’t not tell you what’s changed my life!"

I have listened to a few songs and there is one that really caught my heart. The lyrics are as follows:

Won’t You Be My Love

When you fall asleep tonight
In your warn and cozy room
Know that I’m awake and I
Got no shelter and no food

I am not alone
My friends are broke and lost
Looking for someone
To lead them to the cross

I need your hands
I need your hands

Won’t you be my voice calling
Won’t you be my hands healing
Won’t you be my feet walking
To a broken world

Won't you be my chain breaker
Won't you be my peace maker
Won’t you be hope and joy
Won’t you be my love

The other side of the world
She’s just a few days old
A helpless little girl
With no family of her own

She is not blame for the journey she is on
Her life is no mistake
Would you lead her to my cross

Won’t you be my voice calling
Won’t you be my hands healing
Won’t you be my feet walking
To a broken world

Wont you be my chain breaker
Won’ t you be my peace maker
Won’t you be hope and joy
Won’t you be my love

To those I call my own
To those I’ve set aside
As spotless without blame
The chosen ones
My bride

We will be your voice calling
We will be your hands healing
We will be your feet walking
To a broken world

We will be your chain breaker
We will be your peace-maker
We will be your hope and joy
We will be your love

We will be your love

We will be your love

We will be your love

God we love

We will be you love

I am left speechless ... maybe perhaps because it time for all of us to take action and love well.

Lisa

LIfe's Little Instructions

2010-04-19T22:29:00.001-07:00

Two amazing things happened today. Perhaps the more incredible of the two ... I kept a doctor's appointment. Having lived a life of never-ending doctor's appointments for the better part of year during my walk with cancer, I just can't stand to go. Not to the doctor, not to the dentist ... I am not prejudiced in my dislike .. I dislike going to them all. This dislike often results in me ending up canceling appointments ... to be rescheduled sometimes, while others not. Well, not today. Today I went to the dentist ... exactly six months after my last visit. (Not that I did not want to cancel, but they were closed on Friday and I could not get anyone on the phone to cancel it. I tried, but having failed ... I went.) The second amazing thing happened while I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. Yes, I brush my teeth before I get them cleaned. There is no way that I am about to subject the hygienist to food particles that are left over from lunch. I would be mortified. In fact, I brushed for 4 minutes ... with my Sonic Care, which I packed in my purse this morning! Anyway, I was brushing my teeth and reading this poster that I always tend to read when I am getting ready to have my teeth cleaned, when I read a line that stuck out to me:

Live live as an exclamation, not an explanation.

It was a moment that was just short of an epiphany. Live life as an exclamation. What came to mind was an exclamation mark. It started me wondering where the little mark that says so much and changes the meaning of sentences with just its mere presence can from. A quick search helped to glean the following. "The mark comes from the Latin word io, meaning "exclamation of joy." A mark of joy. A quick substitution and we have the following:

Live life as an exclamation of joy, not an explanation.

An explanation on the other hand is defined as a "set of statements constructed to describe a set of facts which clarifies the causes, content, and consequences of those facts." A quick substitution and we have the following:

Live life as an exclamation of joy, not a set of statements.

You see it is easy to state the facts of our faith. I would venture to say that all of us are fairly equipped to do that, but I would challenge you with the idea that those facts mean nothing if that is all we are ... a "set of statements." You see, it is the joy that we have in Christ that sets us apart. If we choose to abide in God's love and keep His commandments then His joy will remain in us, and our joy will be full. (Paraphrase of John 15:11) That joy is the exclamation that we are to live. It is what happens when our faith sits within the emotion seat of our hearts ... instead of in the knowledge of our heads.

Times are difficult right now, but if the joy is missing ... then we need to stop and ask God to show us why. His desire for us is not despair, worry, and fear. 1Peter 1:6-9 says: In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith; the salvation of your souls." This was one of my life verses during cancer, a time when I experienced joy that was contagious and unmistakable. It spoke volumes over the words that I tried to use to explain it ... it was the exclamation of a God that could make even cancer a time of joy.

Lord, help me to live each and every moment an exclamation, not an explanation. Amen.

Lisa

The Trappings of a Bird

2010-04-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to one of the most amazing little birds that I have ever been close enough to photograph: The Killdeer.

If you live in the Southwest may have seen them around, as they have a wide range and are fairly common. What makes them far from common is the amazing deception they pull off if they feel their eggs are in danger. At the first sign of danger, the Killdeer walks away from its nest while holding its wing in a way that simulates injury. Once she has the invader's attention, she then begins to flop around on the ground to mimic easy prey. With one eye on the offending creature, she leads it away from her nest ... keeping just feet out of reach. When she has the prey far enough away, the Killdeer will simply fly away.

The dedication of this little bird to its babies amazed me. Here she was taking on a human ... over a hundred times her size. She bravely tried to convince us to chase her and spare her babies. I could not help but wonder how often this deception ends in her demise, as it was clear that she was more than willing to lay down her life for her children.

Through His Word, God teaches of a love so great that His Son, Jesus Christ, willingly went to the cross to die in our place. As mothers, we often say that we love our children so much that we would be willing to do the same .. willing to die for them. BUT ... would we willingly die for one that to us is all but unworthy? Romans 5:7-8 says, "⁷For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Even though we were unworthy.

Moses paints a beautiful picture of God's love, protection, and direction for us in Deuteronomy 32:11-12 which reads:

¹⁰"He found him in a desert land,
and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he encircled him, he cared for him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
¹¹ Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
that flutters over its young,
spreading out its wings, catching them,
bearing them on its pinions

Let's take a closer look at the amazing picture that these verses paint, for there is some amazing truth in it that one might miss if they do not know about the parenting styles of eagles.

Let's start with verse 10 which explains that God found his people in the wilderness. He found them ... did you catch that ... He found them. The very words paint a picture of a God that loves His children enough to seek them out ... to find them ... even in the wilderness that they are in. Not only that, He encircled them, cared for them, and kept them the apple of His eye. How many times have we heard that expression? I did a little googling about it and discovered that the apple of an eye is literally the cornea of an eye. The apple of your eye is so well protected that it is almost impossible to touch it. Your eyelid automatically shuts if you try. So are we protected by Him no matter what kind of wilderness we are in.

Verse 11 says, "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions..." At first glance this seems like a beautiful picture of God's protection, but it is far more than that. To understand why, one has to learn a little bit about eagles and the unique way they parent.

Eagles build huge nests. They can be over 5 feet wide and can weigh over 2,000 pounds. Eagles line their nests with moss, greenery, and feathers to make it a safe comfortable place for their young. When they eaglets hatch, they are well protected in these massive nests. They are fiercely protective and will go to great lengths to provide for their young. They can fly as many as 180 miles a day while hunting for enough food to support the ravenous appetites of the growing eaglets. At 12 weeks of age the mother eagle hovers over the nest and flaps her wings which accomplishes two things. It"stirs us the nest" and dislodges all of the grass, moss, and feathers making the nest a far more uncomfortable place to be - and it encourages the young eaglets to fly. If, however, the eaglets refuse to try it, the mother eagle will actually push the eaglets out of the nest. In this moment of truth, the eaglet either flies and finds its way to safety or it plummets towards the ground. If the eaglet fails to fly, the mother saves them by "spreading out its wings, catching them, and bearing them on its pinions." Simply put, she swoops down and catches them on her wings and flies them back to the safety of the nest.

There is more than a lesson of God's protection in these verses. There is also a lesson on God's direction. You see when we first become Christians we spend some time in the safety of the nest, bit that is not where God would have us stay. We are not meant to stay in the comfort of safety. We, like the eaglets, were saved to fly ... to soar under the protection of His wings. God often purposely stirs the nests of His children to push them out of their comfort zones, to encourage them to soar under His protective eye.

We were created to me so much more than we sometimes aspire to be my friends. Let's not be content to stay in the safety of the nest. Like the eaglet, let us move to the nest's edge and take the plunge towards the journey that the Lord has for each of us ... knowing that He is there to catch us and hold us on His mights wings should we need it.

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

~William Cushing

May you soar ...

Lisa

Sin on a Silver Platter

2010-03-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was blessed to spend the weekend with 3 of my 5 closest friends in the whole world in Tucson attending the Beth Moore conference. Having missed the Siesta Sister Memorization Fiesta, I was super excited to be able to go to this one and it could not have come at a better time. I have had many seasons in my walk with Christ. I have had seasons of complete dependence and seasons of independence. There have been seasons of fruit, and seasons of drought. Seasons of great change, and then those in which I hardly changed at all. But ... there has never been a season such as the one that I am coming out of now.

You see something happened a few weeks ago that made me decide to basically just take a break from God. I was so focused on the perceived cause of my break instead of my response, that I never even realized that I was in a state of rebellion. That is until God started calling me home last week. I will keep the ways private, but He did three separate things through three separate people to show me that although I was not speaking, He was. Suffice to say that He spoke loud enough that I knew my time of ignoring Him and the reasons I was doing so was coming to an end. I knew what He was going to ask of me. He was going to ask me to forgive ... something that I was not sure I would be able to do with all the raw feelings of hurt that had not improved at all. I began to see that I had not done what God asks us to do repeatedly in the Bible, and that my choice not to was tearing me apart. So I was looking forward to the weekend of forgiving. What I would never have guessed was that I was actually about to have my own sin handed to me on a silver platter.

It all started Friday night. Standing outside the doors I just knew that He would use the weekend to restore and resurrect my battered soul. I was both excited and completely scared as I waited. Friday night was good. The worship was anointed, as was the teaching. I cried and cried, but still felt the burden of my hurts. Then came Saturday ... specifically the second set of worship when Travis Cottrell spoke the words laid upon his heart. How each word became my heart beating ... how deeply they fell upon me ... how completely they consumed me. Travis suggested that we go to our knees if there were things that were burdening us, that we take them to the mercy-seat. There was not doubt in my mind that was exactly where my Father would have me go to meet Him. Then, the song began. There are not words to sufficiently describe what each note, each word, did ... suffice it to say ... they brought me to my knees and His feet. One word Travis spoke kept echoing in my soul ... surrender. God was calling me home ... but wanted me to come home in a stance of surrender ... physically ... spiritually ... and emotionally. Once there ... God quickly showed me that what had started out as my hurt had become my sin. My sin of unforgiveness. My sin of turning from Him. My sin of rebellion. How quickly I realized that coming home meant asking for forgiveness for my sin ... not the judgment of someone else's. Ouch! My pride crumbled onto the metal floor of the risers I was kneeling on as I confessed it and asked for forgiveness.

I learned a few lessons at the end of this season. I will forewarn you that none of them are earth shattering. They are things that I knew in my head, and heart. I am sure they are all things that we would read and say, "Duh ... I know that!" I would have. BUT, even with that said, I fell. So here goes....

~~~

We all carry hurts around. Some are bigger than others. One thing they all have in common is that they, like everything in life, can become idols when we carry them without taking them to God. When we harbor them they God encourages us throughout His Word to give our troubles to Him. For in our weakness He can be glorified. David is a good example of our heart’s attitude should be. In Psalms he says, “In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 118:5, 6 (NIV)

~~~

You can choose to ignore God, but God never chooses to ignore us. Nothing we do, or do not do, goes unnoticed. If we are in sin and are not being convicted, it is just a matter of time. You see our sin keeps us from our primary purpose: being lights that point to Him, so that He will be glorified. It is all about Him.

~~~

God does not correct to tear us down or beat us up. He does not delight in our failures. He corrects us because He loves us (Heb. 12:6) and to bring peace into our lives. (Heb. 12:10) What He wants is to bring us back to Him.

~~~

In a few days, it will be the 1,977th anniversary of Christ's death. In three more days it will be the 1,977th anniversary of the Resurrection of Christ. All of the above lessons are possible because of this one set of events. On Saturday, I went to the mercy seat with a beaten and tattered soul. In His mercy and forgiveness I found grace and restoration. All He asks is that we meet Him there. What better way is there to honor the sacrifice He made to save us?

Lisa

When God Blows Off the Dust

2010-03-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

I just love finding old boxes of keepsakes that have been put away for awhile ... the kind of boxes that you take down "just to see what's in them" only to be greeted by a face full of dust flakes when they are first tipped into your hands. The kind that bring back the feelings of playing treasure hunt when you were little. I love the feelings of anticipation, eagerness, and curiosity all rolled into a healthy dose of remembering things long past. When I do visit them, the scene goes something like this:

Feeling sentimental, I take down the box. Standing on tiptoes, I use my fingertips to tip the box slightly causing it (and some of the dust resting on it) to fall into my arms (and face). Tenderly I wipe off the dust to reveal the word keepsakes, which I trace with my finger before opening it. Opening the box, my eyes and heart are flooded with instant memories. It is almost too much to bear. One by one I pick up objects tied to ancient memories and for that moment relive them as if they happened yesterday. When at last I reach the bottom, I put it all carefully back in ... replace the lid ... and return the box to its elevated home.

Some might call this an exercise in sentimentality, but I think it is more than that. To me, this whole process keeps me grounded to who I been and what has happened both good and bad to make me the person I am today ... and so I keep returning to the box from time to time ... some times to remember sometimes to add more.

The other day, I had such a journey ... BUT I never touched my keepsake box - God touched His. The one that he keeps on me ... the one that He wrote Keepsakes upon and tucked away. Gingerly he took it out ... I felt it happen ... He lovingly traced the word with His fingertip ... (notice that He did not blow the dust off of it .. as I am most positive that there is no dust in Heaven) ... He opened it ... and took out the tears I cried when I had cancer. (Psalm 56:8) Holding them up to the eternal light of Heaven, He smiled. You see, as He was doing this, I was having a conversation with a friend that is an Oncology nurse. I was inspired to share my cancer story with her, which I did. I offered to share some of my writings with her, and she said that they might be able to use them in their quiet room that they provide for the patients. We also talked about me coming in and talking with the patients ... being a positive beacon of hope for them. That is why God smiled while holding my tears ... He had a purpose in taking down His keepsake box. You see His keepsake box, like mine, holds within it all of the things of my life that have made me who I am today ...things that He has allowed knowing that he would use them to do great things. That day He took out my cancer to use it again... And just like when I open my box ... it touched me and made me cry ... only this time they were tears of gratitude at the tenderness of my Savior's hand and the faithfulness of His Word.

So whatever you are going through ... remember that God has a keepsake box on you. too. One that He will open from time to time and use the contents to do great things.

Lisa

Give a Day ... Get A Whole Lot More

2010-03-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

Last December my family and I heard about Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Day" promotion, and we could not wait to sign up in January when the program officially started. We logged in the day it started and found the perfect place to volunteer, Dreamchaser Horse and Rescue in New River, Arizona. I was raised with horses, and absolutely love them. (If I could pass one off as a rather large dog with our HOA, I would have one grazing in my backyard right now.) To be able to help these amazing people who rescue neglected and abused horses and get free tickets to Disney? It was an amazing opportunity. Those of you that know me, know that I am an honest person and that I have been fairly transparent on this blog ... today is no exception. The main reason that we signed up to help was the free tickets. My youngest daughter has never been to Disney, the tickets are really too expensive for us in this day and age, and this was a way to go for free. It sounds shallow, but it is truth ... although not the whole truth in the end. Before I explain what I mean by that, I would like to share the experience of our day with you.

Yesterday was our "day" of service. (Clarification, at this particular site the volunteer time slot is from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. - 4 hours ... hardly a "day" in the literal sense of the word.) We got up early (5:30 a.m.) and headed out to New River. It was still a bit dark when we left the house at 6:30, but we were in for a beautiful sunrise. Splashes of pick and purple highlighted the horizon as the sun began its ascent into the cloud strewn sky. Driving through the open desert, everything was in sillouette and so very peaceful. Admiring the stillness was a great way to spend the time it took to get there.

When we arrived in New River, we were surprised by the lack of paved roads. Choosing the more green option, New River has ecomonically thrifty dirt roads that are rather bumpy and make one feel a little as if they are going off-roading. The first thing that Jillian noticed was old fashioned mailboxes pictured on the left. When she saw them, she asked: "Mommy, are they having a mailbox sale?" I responded, "Why do you ask that?" To which she replied, "Well, they have a table full of mailboxes over there." We could not help but giggle, as I explained that all mailboxes used to be like these.

The next thing we noticed was the amazing way that the morning light played upon the surrounding landscape, and just how green it was ... thanks to all the rain that we have been having in the last month or two. There is just something magical about the golden hue that the morning sun bathes all creation in. In the birth of a new day the color of everything just seems more vibrant, more alive. To my gain, Google maps had sent us in the wrong direction, and while Pat was trying to figure out just where we went wrong and how to get where we needed to be ... I jumped out and tried to capture the amazing light with my camera. Soon after, Pat decided that the best thing to do was to turn around and head back to the first main street that we had been on and start over. It was getting close to 8:00 and we had precious few moments to loose.

After a little backtracking, we happened to notice a small sign on the side of the road that declared (in small letters) that Dreamchaser Rescue was right down the road. (Not the road that Google maps had listed, but the right road nonetheless!) We arrived with just seconds to spare, parked our car, and jumped out into the .... mud. Acres and acres of the wet, dirty, sink in to your ankle kind of mud. It did not take but a moment to take the jump into the full realization that we were in for one wet muddy day ... full of dirt ... water ... and poop. Looking at all the stalls, we knew that mucking stalls was in our future ... with all the muck multiplied by 100 from all of the recent rain. Looking down at our white tennis shoes, we also knew that we would be most likely going shoe shopping in the near future.

We spent the 4 hours there split between two jobs. First, we were introduced to the most interesting rakes that I have ever seen ... and the wettest stalls that I had ever seen. We raked ... we shoveled ... we scooped ... we pushed ... and we dumped our offering of manure onto the biggest pile of manure I have ever seen. Have you seen the shows where they have the trash collection bins delivered to houses that are being completely rehauled? The ones that take up a complete driveway? The ones that are just shorter than a semi? Well there were two of them, and they were absolutely full of manure! Let's just say that we are so grateful that we did our time before fly season!

The second half of the day, we spent our time digging up large rocks out of a large grassy area and dumping them around the outside of the field to make "a wall." After about an hour of rock detail we decided that we would actually prefer the dirty, dredges of pasture poop detail to the boring, monotonousness of rock detail. At least in the pastures and corrals there were horses to pet and visit with. (We tried that with one of the larger boulders we moved, but it was just not the same.)

Four hours later, we were finished, sore, and really muddy. My youngest managed to fall into the most disgusting puddle of yellowish liquid ... I almost got run over by a jealous horse ... and our shoes are now brown. I am not sure there is enough bleach in the whole industrialized part of the world to make them white again. I have thought about contacting the makers of Oxyclean and asking them if they would like to purchase them to use in their next infomercial ... they would make a fortune if they could get them back to white. I personally would buy a life time supply. We did finish the wall, the stalls were clean ... until they remade the mess just as we walked away ... and we did earn our tickets to Disney. There is one thing, however, that happened that I was not expecting. Both of my children, even though covered in mud and whatever else, unanimously agreed that they wanted to come back to Dreamcatcher again and volunteer their time ... even though there would be no more Disney Tickets, no pay out, and no earthly reward. That was perhaps the biggest perk of our Give a Day, Get a Day experience ... my children found within them hearts that want to serve ... just to serve.

Some Additional Pictures

K and "Poppy" who liked to lick more than any dog I have ever met.

Poppy in action.

The yellowish puddle that Jillian fell in.

The donkey - Phil

The Goats

The Pig

The (Dirty) End

Make Today Count

2010-02-25T20:14:00.000-08:00

Today was a draining day. As I sit here and type, I am not really sure how much I have left to offer ... but there are somethings that feel important to say.

It all started this morning around 10 am. I was getting some things done around the classroom, as the kids were at music, and my classroom phone rang. It was my dear husband calling to tell me that he was on the way home from work. My mind immediately raced to the conclusion that one of my kids was throwing up ... that the flu had finally caught up with my household. It was only a matter of time I thought, as I asked him why. The answer caught me completely off guard. He was rushing home because my mom had called him while waiting for an ambulance to come ad take her post haste to the hospital where an "emergency pacemaker surgery" awaited her. What? Stunned, I picked my kids up, did some daily housekeeping with them, and sent them off to my teammates ... who willingly took on 6 more kids each so that I could take off for the hospital as well. I spent the afternoon in the hospital waiting room with my family, and my mom made it through the surgery like the fighter that she is. Her heart is now regulated, and we are at home trying to decompress from an emotionally draining day. BUT ... that is not why I am writing. You see there is a bigger story to tell ...

Let me share how God protected my mom. My mom had a heart attack about 3 years ago. She has struggled with blood pressure problems since, but had been fine in recent months. This morning she woke up with a strong urge that she had to get to her cardiologist by 9am. She made it there in time, only to find out that she was 30 minutes early for her 9:30 appointment. They checked and found that they could get her in early, and took her back. When they took her blood pressure, they found it to be 100/4o. Her heart was only beating 40 times a minute ... the average for a highly tuned athlete like Armstrong, but not for a woman in her sixties that has had a heart attack. An EKG further revealed that one side of her heart was no longer beating the way that it should. Her cardiologist called an ambulance and informed her that he was sending her for emergency surgery. Did you catch it? We did. God intervened. God got her there in time. God got her there safely. God took care of her. We are so thankful that He did, and to Him we offer up resounding praises of thanksgiving. But ... there a bigger lesson to learn ... or relearn as the case may or may not be.

You see what this did to me today was to give me a painful reminder that life is finite ... that my mom is mortal, and will one day die - as will each of us - but ... my mom is getting older and the reality that one day she will go Home and will no longer be here hit me like a brick. (Funny how truth can hit so hard ... even if it is not a new truth.) It reminded me that each of us has a predetermined number of days to make a difference here on this plant. Our days have to count dear friends. Each of them. We need to be active participants in the minutes that slip by every day. There is nothing that we can do to make them last longer than they will. We have no say in how many days we will spend on this side of Heaven, but we do have a say in how we will spend them. Will we waste them with things that will crumble like leaves long forgotten by Fall? Or, will we invest our time here in things that matter like other people ... making a difference in the lives of those that we are called to love as we love ourselves? The outpouring of this love may look different for each of us. Some will adopt, some with uproot and move the far reaches of the earth to help, while others will give financially and prayerfully. Some will sacrifice their time, treasures, and talents to make a difference here. What matters is that we do it ... that we sacrifice self to help and love others. That is how we will be remembered my dear friends.

With this said there is one more thing that I would like to share. I know so many people that are carrying hurts and angers around. Let them go. Lay them down. Life is too short to be burdened with anger and pain. When will your last breath be? Today? Tomorrow? 50 years from now? Only God knows. What burden do you carry that is taking valuable time from you? Marriage troubles? Troubled relationships with close friends? Work issues? What is it that is stealing time from you? Resentment? Jealousy? Discontent? Be active, seek God's face, pray that He would take it from you ... and then willingly give it to him. Sometimes I think that we spend an awful lot of time praying for God to take something from us ... to heal something for us ... but secretly refuse to let go of the very thing that we are asking Him to heal ... and them blame Him when nothing happened. It is not that He won't rekindle love that seems all but dead, grant patience when there is none left, or break strongholds of jealousy and insecurity ... it is that we refuse to let Him.

Today was a painful reminder that life is short. It is finite. It reminded me that we are here for a purpose, and that God is waiting not only to use us ... but to heal us as well. Take a moment tonight. Contemplate your mortality. Question how your minutes are being used. Search your soul for wounds that steal too much of who you are and the time you have here. Earnestly seek God in these things with open hands and a willing heart. And when you are done ... take a deep breath ... take another ... and yet another. Cherish each one.

Lisa

Being Willing to Look at Things a Different Way

2010-02-14T21:09:00.000-08:00

OK ...

(I just realized how many of my posts start with those 2 simple letters ... hmm ... interesting.) Anyway The Pioneer Woman inspired me to step out of my safety zone of the automatic setting of my Nikon D80, and experiment with the A and S settings instead. The experiment, play with depth of field. The photos below are the results. There are a few thoughts of mine at the end as well.

A Lavender Stalk
(Notice that there is one small area in focus.)

Spring Visitor
(Love the pollen.)

The Magic of a Spray Bottle
(Love the perfectly round drop on the stamen of the blossom.)

It all begins with a single drop.
(This one just makes me smile.)

A second look.
(Don't miss the reflection in the drop.)

I am in love with the A and S settings of my camera. It was a great challenge for me, and the results are amazing! I find myself looking at things thinking ... that would look so cool with a shallow depth of field! BUT ... this new adventure would not have been possible if I was not willing to step away from what I was comfortable with ... from what was easy ... from what I have always done. It took taking a risk ... looking at things differently ... and stepping into the unknown.

So many things are like that in life. Too many times we stagnate in comfort and miss the blessing of the unknown. There are so many opportunities for us to experience life in ways that we never imagined possible. God has woven them into each and every day ... we just need to be willing to step away from what we are comfortable with ... from what is easy ... from what we have always done. So be brave. Take your life off of auto. Risk it. The results will be amazing.

Lisa

Driving a Lesson Home

2010-02-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

The most amazing thing happened to me on the way home tonight. I am not sure that I really have a complete picture of the events, but I will share them the best that I can with you.

My phone battery was dead today ... so I was driving down the road listening to the radio instead of catching up with one of my friends as I usually do. I was driving in the far right hand lane (so there were cars on only one side of me), I had both hands on the wheel (remember I had no phone), and there was a nice empty "who knows what it is for" lane to the right of me. Each of these 3 separate events is an amazing example of God's provision and grace ... for the 3 combined most surely saved me from a horrible accident. I am not sure that I am being totally accurate in my explanation, but here is what I remember happening in the 10 seconds that is took. It all began with this dark large shape coming into my car ... into the side of my car. It all happened so fast that I could not even tell that it was another car swerving into my lane at full speed. I don't ever remember consciously deciding to respond by swerving into that mystery lane ... but I did. Just a quickly the car jerked back into its original lane, and I returned to mine. Just as I got back into my lane, the car once again swerved into my lane ... missing me only because I once again swerved ... only this time into a deep turn lane that was in front of the gas station to the right. I stopped in the drive way and just sat there trying to process what had happened ... feeling totally disorientated ... although not shaky at all - my heart was not even beating fast. It all felt quite surreal. Anyway, I watched the lady driving down the road from the turn lane, and noticed that she turned into the gas station. I decided to turn in as well. I think I thought that I would just drive by and see who had just almost run me off the road .. twice. Maybe I thought that I would say something like, "Hey, you almost hit me. What the heck was that?" I really wasn't thinking through all the details. As I pulled up towards her car, she rolled her window down. I did the same. One look at her face instantly put to rest any thought of pointing out the obvious to her. Before I could speak, (another of God's provisions) she launched into an apology that would have made the hardest-hearted person forgive her. Turns out she turned into the gas station to "come back and check" on me and make sure that I was alright. She never saw my car and lost control of hers when she tried to avoid hitting me. I thought she was going to cry. I told her that accidents happen, that I had been in her shoes before, and that the most important thing was that we were both alright. We parted smiling at each other and wishing each other well.

As I drove the rest of the way home I cold not help but reflect on the whole situation. My first instinct was to go in and give her a piece of my mind. I could have rolled down my window and let her have it before she even began to speak. Instead, I hesitated and listened to her heart and, in doing so, was able to just give her grace and even more so compassion. It took a lot for her to turn around and face me. She had no idea just what kind of person she was going to face ... but she did it any way. She risked whatever consequences awaited her to make sure that I was alright and to apologize. That is where God really drove the lesson home ... and He did not spare me the impact of truth. I would like to tell you that I always "go back and check" when I do something that is wrong ... something that might have hurt someone ... but there are times that I wrong some one ... intentionally or accidentally, that I choose to just let it go. Times where I am not sure they know that I did something that might hurt them. Example ... A comment is made with out thinking first, I luck out and I don't think that the person heard me ... I let it go and never go back to check. I forget a promise, but the person I promise never seems to notice ... I let it go and never go back to check. I am grumpy and take it out on someone, but they never say anything ... I let it go and never go back and check. The list can go on I am sure, but the point is that when we do something that is wrong, we need to go back and check ... even if it means humbling ourselves.

I drove away from the gas station in total respect of the woman that I met tonight ... may we all be brave enough to "go back and check" when we make mistakes that effect others.

May your drive time today be safe ...

Lisa

Who Me?

2010-02-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

The most far out there thing for some one with insecurities to do is to go out on a limb and tell the world that she does. It is risky. What might other people think? What might they say? I am not sure, but I would venture to say that most women ... if being totally truthful would say, "Me, too." Regardless, I am here to say that I battle with insecurities. I battle with looking in the mirror. Scars from breast cancer have forever transformed my body into something that make me avoid the mirror when at all possible. Then there is the extra weight that I carry around, in truth it is probably causes and a cause of quite a few insecurities. Looking back at many of the negative pivotal events of my life, there is a common root ... trying to fix insecurities on my own, which often only served to feed them. My insecurities and I are age old friends. We have known each other a long time, but we are going to re-evaluate our relationship. It might be time to lay them down ... for real ... forever ... for sure. It is not like I haven't tried. I have tried many a time to lay them down at God's feet and leave them there, but it just doesn't seem to work in the long run. So, I am beginning a nine week journey in the search of true security in a world that seems so insecure. Starting next week, I will be doing the Beth Moore online book study of "So Long, Insecurity." I am sure that it will be a bumpy ride at times, but it is time. Time to take control. Time to give up control. Time to learn. Will let you know how it goes. My prayer ... that they would fall as quickly as the pounds I plan on loosing along the way.

Lisa

PS ... if you too struggle with insecurity and would like to work through it with a community of women that would not be surprised to hear that you too struggle with feeling secure in all walks of life ... visit her blog to get the details.

In The Morning When We Rise

2010-01-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

Many of you might not know this, but I am taking a class that makes my Friday 14 hours long and drags me out of bed on Saturday morning at 6:30. Tired and groggy, I drive right back into the inner city that I left less than 10 hours earlier. It is a class to help me teach the gifted kiddos that are in my classroom. It is a class that is making me a better teacher. It is a class that is challenging me to grow and change. Now please don't get me wrong, this class is important to me. I have sacrificed to be in it ... my weekends, time with my family, time with my friends, and even going to the Beth Moore Siesta Scripture Memorization Weekend ... so I do not begrudge going ... it is just so early in the morning on a day that my pillow calls to me so very sweetly that it is difficult to resist. Most days I lament leaving it behind, but not today. When I walked out of my front door I was greeted with the most amazing sunrise. Splashes of yellow and pink filled the cloud sprinkled morning sky, it was amazing to say the least. I could barely take my eyes off of the splendor of dawn as I was driving towards class - until I saw a large puddle on the side of the road. Quickly I parked my car and ran back to the puddle which was mirroring the sunrise in the most magnificent way. Wouldn't you know that I just happened to have my camera on me?

This is what I saw:

God must surely have an artist's heart ... or maybe he just really enjoys how much something as simple as a sunset can amaze and captivate ours.

Lisa

When Nature Calls

2010-01-23T23:23:00.000-08:00

One thing that I love, is taking pictures ... so much so, that it is really pictures that take me. They take me down streets, around corners, on quick little jaunts ... or drawn out adventures. They call my soul, and I must answer. Today was such a day. I was driving home from school, and was summoned to witness and capture the beauty of nature's mirror ... water. Enjoy.

Lisa

Out of the Hearts of Children

2010-01-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I teach 3rd grade in the inner city here in Phoenix. It is what I believe my calling is ... my mission if you will. I just love the kids I work with. I love their families. I love what I do. (Even in the recession, even with a possible pay cut because of the deficit, even with the bureaucracy that seems rampant.)

Today was an amazing day. Not because my kiddos immediately caught on to what I was teaching. Not because their test scores on the post test for standard S1C3P02 were great, for the most part. Not because I work with great people on my team. Not because we are on a collision course with a THREE day weekend! But because of Haiti. Before you totally freak out at that thought, let me explain. The horrible tragedy in Haiti gave me a chance to witness the most tender hearts of the children in room 12.

We had just finished tossing around a few different ways to multiply that beat the age old algorithm hands down in speed and ease. (Let's just say that over half of my third graders were able to multiply two 2-digit numbers correctly within the space of 20 minutes.) One of my sweetest little girls came up to the desk and asked, "Mrs. Day, have you heard about Haiti?" I told her that I had. She explained that her mother and her had found a site that they could use to donate money to help the people of Haiti. She then asked if we could do something. "We, like this class, this school?" I asked. She confirmed that this was indeed what she was asking. "What would you like to do?" I said, not sure just what she had in mind. "A coin collection. Mrs. Day. We could have everyone bring in their coins. We could send them to them." Heart touched beyond measure, I asked the class what they thought, explaining that they would have to do it all. They screamed, "Yeah! Yes!" in one loud exclamation.

We began by visiting carefully screened photos of the devastation together on the Internet. (I did not want them to see the pictures of death that I felt might be more of a parent's choice, but in screening them I saw them all.) The room was still and the children looked at each image, commenting on each image briefly ... sharing their feelings about the rubble, the packed hospitals, the people looting in the streets, the children ... children just like them .. who were suffering. Then we watched a video that explained earthquakes so that they would understand just what had caused all that they had seen. When we were done, I set them to the task of making a To Do List for tomorrow. On their list are, making posters for the hall, researching facts about Haiti, writing announcements for the mornings next week, figuring out what to keep the money in, and creating a flier to send home to parents. So that is what we are doing tomorrow in room 12. 21 little kids are working to make a difference ... to help ... and I had nothing to do with it.

Oh, I saved the best part for last. During the food drive at Thanksgiving the classes that collected 2 complete food boxes received a Hot Cheetos Party. I asked my class if they wanted to offer a prize for the classroom at each grade level that collected the most money. One little voice rang out, "No Mrs. Day. No prize. Helping is the prize."

From the hearts of children ... great truths are spoken.

When Freedom is Not Enough

2010-01-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I had our purity weekend last week. It was the weekend for my daughter to learn about the birds and the bees and to make decisions and commitments about dating, little did I know that I was in for a lesson as well. You see one of the activities in the Passport to Purity curriculum is a little bit of free time in which you are encouraged to do something special. I left it up to KT and she wanted to go to the mall ... the mall of all malls ... Scottsdale Fashion Square. I had not been there in years and it was a little overwhelming for me ... and thankfully for my daughter as well. I am afraid that the stores were just a little beyond what we are used to in the land of Target and Kohl's. Everything was so glitzy and full of bling. The store fronts are extravagant and strategically showcase the treasures that the store has to offer those who are on a mission to buy. One such store was Dolce & Gabbana. I could not help but stop to look at their showcasing of their handbags. I should have taken a picture. I have contemplated driving the 40 minutes to do so ... as a picture is worth a thousand words, but I will try to describe the sight as best I can in as few words as I can.

Imagine if you will huge ceiling to floor windows that reveal gleaming golden birdcages ... showcased in soft lit spotlights from both above and below. Endless, seamless panels of a deep cranberry satin fall ever so gently in the background. Within each birdcage, safely locked inside, was a Dolce&Gabbana handbag. Secure, safe, contained, and protected. Each birdcage also had a 6" golden perch that started on one of the bars and was completely outside the birdcage. Upon each of the non-enclosed perches sat a completely free bird. OK ... fake bird, but the imagery was not lost on me. Because in that crowded mall, I knew that this was a perfect representation of the world.

You see we are so very much like those birds ... so captivated by the bondage of the world that we sometimes fail to realize or even care that we are really free. There is nothing really holding us there, but our own inability to let go of the perch, spread our wings, and fly. Instead, we sit captivated by whatever is really within the cage ... the bondage that is wrapped up in a gilded cage just for us ...tailored to our weaknesses. For some the bondage is business, for others it is alcohol, still others gossip, insecurity, shopping, relationships, forgiveness, pride, worship, church, serving ... the list can go on and on and on because it can include anything that becomes more important to us than the One that we are serving. My heart felt so heavy standing there taking in the image. I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of choosing to sit in bondage. For me, it comes in the form of busyness and insecurity. Looking at the store front, I could not help but hear my Father calling me to stretch my wings and fly.

Lisa

2010-01-04T19:38:00.001-08:00

Sunset over the White Tanks
Surprise, Arizona
Jan. 4, 2010

“The heavens declare the glory of God,

The skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Day after day, they pour forth speech;

Night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard

Their voice goes out into all the earth

Their words to the ends of the world.”

Psalm 19 : 1- 4

Enough said ... or unsaid as the case may be.

In silent adoration

I praise the LORD in His creativity.

Lisa

Only a Father

2010-01-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hello there and Happy New Year. I sit here typing resolutionless. Reflecting, I am not sure that I have ever kept a New Year's Resolution. Oh, I set them ... every year. I decide to do something ... loose weight ... do less ... find a way to keep my house clean. The list of past failings could go on and on. This year I decided that, although all those past resolutions are still things that I would like to accomplish, I would resist the urge to make any of them my goal. This year I have decided to make a vow instead of a resolution. I have vowed to God that I am going to read the Bible through chronologically no matter what. There will be no failing this. (She types confidently, while praying that God would make it her heart's desire.)

Anyway, It is January 3rd and I am in Genesis. I have read and or heard this story so many times in my life. Little did I know that there would be something in Genesis 3 that would move me to tears. Let's recap. Adam and Eve have blown it big time. They have listened to Satan and have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They are hiding when God himself comes to walk with them in the garden. Pause with me here for a moment ... The Bible speaks of them walking together. Can you imagine strolling with the Creator of the Universe? Talking with Him face to face? Adam and Eve walked and talked with their Creator ... they saw Him. Fast forward a few verses. God lays out their consequences. In my mind I picture them standing before him painfully aware of their makeshift loincloths ... painfully aware of their sin. Shifting back and forth as their creator began to explain the depths of their consequences. I am sure that it felt like their world was shattering ... it was. They knew the LORD. They had walked with Him and talked with Him ... and now He was about to usher them out of the garden forever into a sinful world. How the tears must have been running down their faces as the started to grasp the full implications of their choice.

It was what happened next though that really touched me to the depths of my soul. After God laid out all of the consequences ... just before they are sentenced to a life outside of the Garden separated from Him - spiritually and physically ... He makes cloths, or tunics, made from animal skin for them. Then He clothes them in the tunics. The original word for clothed is abash (law-bash') which means "wrap around." God wrapped the clothing around them. Even after they disobeyed Him, even moments before they would leave the garden forever, God cared for them and took care of them. The way I imagine it, I can see them (Adam and Eve) in tears and shame as the LORD comes close to them and wraps the clothing around them. There is an intimacy in the act. The kind of intimacy that a Father has with his children, even when they have disobeyed. The kind in intimacy and grace that God extends to each of us over and over again.

From the Hearts of the Young

2009-12-28T22:04:00.000-08:00

OK ... so let me start with a disclaimer that I do not understand the latest craze - Zhu Zhu Pet's - but I cannot help but smile as I listen to the 5 little girls that are playing with them upstairs as I type. You see I "lucked into" 4 Zhu Zhu pets. I bought them thinking that they would be cool gifts for those "a friend at school" birthday parties. I had no clue that they were "the new craze." They were $10 and reasonably cute. I bought four and put them away for a time when I could pull one out for a party and avoid going to a store looking for "just the right gift" with an 8 year old that can make looking for a gift an adventure that I have not the patience for. So, a month before Christmas, into the closet they went. My little secret.

My children had not yet caught the Zhu-Zhu fever. They didn't even talk about them. Then my dear friend Julie brought over a Christmas present for each of my kiddos from her kiddos. My youngest, who is eight, was gifted a Zhu-Zhu pet ... and the fever was born. Even my 12 year old thought that they were adorable and quickly hinted that she too would like a noisy, furry, little mechanical hamster to call her own. I just knew that there would be one under the tree for her Christmas morning. I still had 3 for quick presents ... count 1 Christmas wish come true.

A few weeks later my brother called to let us know that he was coming into town for Christmas. His kids had stumbled onto their presents, and he wanted to know if we still had some once offered items that they could use to give the kids some surprises from Santa on Christmas morning. We did, and included in the package a Zhu-Zhu pet. I still had 2 left for quick gifts ... count another Christmas wish come true.

Only now, there was a new twist to this story. Both of my kids now knew that mommy had a secret stash of Zhu-Zhu pets, but they did not ask if they could have them ... nor why I had them. They just knew.

Christmas morning came and went. Both Zhu-Zhu pet recipients were very happy with their new charges. But, I was about to be blessed more than they were. You see one of my daughter's friends, who is also 12, feel in love with the little creatures and my daughter pulled me aside and asked if we could give one of my two to her. She "just knew that it would make her happy." The next day, another proud Zhu-Zhu pet mommy was born ... and I still had 1 left for a quick gift.

That is until tonight. You see, tonight my daughters had 3 of their friends come over to spend the night. All but one of them brought with them their newly acquired Zhu-Zhu Pets. My youngest daughter came down a few hours ago and asked me if there was a way that we could give the last Zhu-Zhu pet in the closet to her dear friend so that they would all have one to play with and no one would feel left out. A few minutes later I called her friend down and extended to her my last "quick present" Zhu-Zhu Pet. The rest of the girls who were hanging over the stair well cheered as she broke into a huge smile, thanked me with a huge hug, and raced back upstairs to join the Zhu-Zhu fun.

So here I sit. I have no Zhu-Zhu pets left, but I have something better. You see, my kids who both decided that Zhu-Zhu pets were rightfully the top selling toy of Christmas 2009 knew I had more. At any time, they could have asked for themselves, but they never did. Instead, they saw opportunities to share them with others ... and did so joyfully. You see I watched both their faces as the gifts were given ... and they were smiling even bigger smiles than their friends. Somewhere along the line, my amazing daughters learned that giving and sharing is a gift that often blesses the giver more than the recipient.

Star Light Star Bright

2009-12-23T23:25:00.000-08:00

I have been reflecting a little on this season and what it means to me. This is the time of our Savior's birth ... or at least when we celebrate it. It is a time that we should all feel just a little humbled at the magnitude of the gift that was born unto Mary on a cold night so long ago. A gift that would take years to fulfill its purpose. A gift wrapped in swaddling clothes. Have you ever looked up what swaddling clothes are? According to one site they were "narrow strips of fine linen cloth, about two inches wide which were wrapped around the baby's body." The site goes on to explain that a baby would have been "wrapped from head to foot with only a part of his face left uncovered so he could breathe." The swaddling clothes would hold the baby straight and tight, and was actually to "indicate that he (the baby) would grow up to be free from crookedness and waywardness; that as a king he would walk straight and tall before his people." While the child was wearing the swaddling clothes, which was not a long period of time, the parents would be in prayer to God and making their commitment to Him about the upbringing of their baby. Free from crookedness and waywardness, a king who walked straight and tall before His people ... the correlation is not lost on me.

What must it have been like to look upon his little face ... to smell heaven on His newborn skin ... to know that the Redeemer had just been born? We are told of the shepherds and Wiseman who knew, but how many people that were there missed it completely? Thinking about this made me wonder what would happen if His birth had happened today ... in this modern age? Would we have missed it? Would we have seen and believed?

Little one asleep in the hay

what would we say

if you were born today?

Would we follow the star

from both near and far

risking all to be where you are?

Would we offer every thing

In the gifts that we bring

and at your feet our treasures fling?

Would we see beyond the mystery

And grasp the meaning of your identity

recognize the Savior of humanity?

Would we understand the signs

the prophesies of our time

pointing us to the great divine?

Or would we hold tight

to our own lives that night

grasping at treasures

and self fulfilling pleasures

thus missing it all

and finding only a babe in a stall?

Little one asleep in the hay

what would we say

if you were born today?

May the amazing blessing and miracle of our Savior's birth captivate your soul as you celebrate Christmas ... and may you look upon the day with humble adoration for the One who came to save all of His children ... near and far ...

Lisa

Table Talk

2009-12-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

OK, so I know I don't usually post little stories about my day to day life, but I could not resist sharing a conversation that happened tonight at the Christmas potluck for the worship team at my church. Let me set the scene. Imagine with me a room with plenty of food and friends. We walk in an happen to sit down at the same table as our pastor and his daughter. We eat a lovely meal and chit chat pleasantly through out it. The pastor's daughter and my daughter are playing around with the candy canes that were on their plates. They are imagining that they are hooks and are gleefully announcing that they are fish that have been caught. Our pastor comments on how children can have fun with just about anything, and we all laugh. I add that having fun is one of the reasons that I love working with 3rd graders and began sharing a couple of things I had learned from them. Take for example giraffe's tongues. Do you know what color they are? They are black. Do you know why they are black? I do thanks to a 3rd grader in my class. They are black so that they do not get sunburned. That's right giraffe's have sunburn protected tongues. Good thing since they are out of their mouths pulling leaves off trees most of the day. I comment on how surely this shows how careful God was in his creation and how much attention to detail he paid. Then my oldest daughter chimes in with some more interesting animal facts. Such as: "Did you know that pigs can look up at the sky?" and "Horses can't vomit." To which my pastor says, "They can't what?" Without missing a beat she responds, "They can't vomit, you know puke, they can't puke." My pastor then asks her where she learned all of these interesting facts. She responds cheerfully, "My dad." My pastor inquires further, "And where did he learn these facts or did he make them up?" (Ready yourself for this part.) She then says, "No he looked them up on the internet, he was trying to find facts to use in kid's church!" I think our pastor found this rather amusing because he told her that was just the kind of thing he looked for when he was planning for church as well. The only think that kept it from being any funnier was that my husband was off visiting other tables and did not hear the conversation! I just love when kids share. :)

Come On Bluebird - Sit on My Shoulder!

2009-12-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

OK ... so here is my verse for December first:

All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:15 NIV

This verse means a great deal to me, although I have just read it for the first time today. You see, I have a reputation. I have the reputation for being happy and always finding the bright side of things. I have even been called Pollyanna. I've seen the movie. I liked Pollyanna. I like what she represented. Turns out, in today's world it is not actually a compliment at times to be called Pollyanna. Turns out that people don't always want to hear the bright side of things ... it makes it hard to wallow in the quagmire. Nevertheless, I have hung in there ... remained positive ... embraced smiling ... chose cheerfulness. I am at peace when I choose to be this way. It is one of the lessons that has carried forward from my battle with cancer. God showed me that there was always a bright side ... even in the face of death. And now in life ... it is something that defines who I am.

Now, before you start writing me and reminding me of times that I was less than cheerful ... days when I was glum ... days when I was negative ... I will admit that there have been moments, hours, and even days when this has been true of me. During these times life has felt wretched. I have felt wretched. In fact, wretchedness seems to quickly consume my heart like a flame set loose on an Arizona sun-baked field of tumbleweeds. Just as Scripture dictates.

Perhaps, that is why I am far more comfortable being like "Pollyanna." For the flip side of that Scripture is: "the cheerful heart has a continual feast." It does not say anything about our circumstances. You see our circumstances can be miserable, but our hearts be cheerful. This is done only through abiding in the Holy Spirit and letting Him fill you with the kind of joy that is not bound to the circumstances of this world. We can have a continual feast of joy. We just have to choose to take God's road. We have to choose between grumbling and grousing and thankfulness and gratitude ... misery and joy. If we choose the latter, we are better equipped to serve and bring glory to God and we can experience His joy.

So, how are your circumstances? Good? Bad? Wretched? This world seems to be falling apart at the seams. But, there are choices to be made. How is your heart? Are you hungry? Offer up praise to God for all the He has done and is doing in your life! Choose thankfulness and gratitude! Join the continual feast ... There is plenty to go around!

May your heart see beyond your circumstances ...

Lisa

When Opportunity Knocks

2009-10-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

I was getting ready for church this morning and there was a knock at my door. My children raced upstairs to tell me that we had visitors. I will be honest my first reaction was one of annoyance ... I was after all getting ready to leave. I could not imagine who would be going door to door on a Sunday morning ... and half way contemplated just ignoring them ... but, surely the people waiting outside my door had heard my children racing up the stairs yelling, "Mommy someone is at the door!" To ignore it at this point would be rude, so I begrudgingly went to the door and answered it already practicing in my head what excuse I would use to turn down whatever it was they were selling. When I opened the door, there were two people both holding red environmental bags. I quickly noticed the shirt that the man was wearing. It read .... "It is against my relationship to have a religion." It was while I was pondering this, that I heard the woman introducing themselves to me. They were from West Valley Bible Church. They were collecting cans of food to help others. Would I be interested in helping? With a healthy serving of conviction I responded that I would and went to retrieve as many cans as I could carry in my hands. I placed them in their bags commenting that it felt a little like trick-or-treating ... but in a good way. They thanked me in words and smiles and continued on their journey.

I have been pondering this interaction throughout the day and have been brought to a couple of realizations. First, what these people did was bring an opportunity to me to help. God calls on us to help and serve others. It is what we are designed to do. But, sometimes I think we miss opportunities that God places before us. Sometimes we miss the subtle whispers of opportunity knocking … sometimes we hear it, but ignore it because we are busy … sometimes we just don’t recognize it as an opportunity. Today God’s whisper came in the form of a knock on the door. I could have ignored the knock … I wanted to, but I am so glad that I did not. You see today’s visitor brought not only an opportunity to help someone else, but an opportunity to learn a lesson. We all have a list of to-do’s. Our list might even be full of things that are good things to do … like going to church, writing a letter to a sponsored child, or emailing a friend in need of prayer. But, we need to make sure to keep our spirits alert to the promptings of the Lord as he reads off His To-Do list for each of us as well that we might not miss the opportunity to bring Him glory. Second, there is a choice to be made. We can always choose to hide behind the curtains … to hold our breath and hope that they go away … in the name of “I am to busy to do this right now.” But, if we do that, we will never know what God has for us in that moment, and what He wants to do through us or to us ... as the case may be. Finally, there was the saying on the shirt: “It is against my relationship to have a religion.” You see what these two people were offering today was a way to demonstrate my relationship with Christ. It was not about religion. It was not about legalism. It was not about rules. It was about relationship with God. It was about blessings and responsibilities that come with the blessings. It was about loving God enough to hear His heart for others and respond to it using whatever we are blessed with to bless others. It was about hearing the knock at the door of your heart and answering use me.

Father, forgive my selfish heart. Forgive me for hesitating when you called. Oh how quick I am to see things from my own perspective instead of yours ... placing my own to-do's infront of yours. Grow me Father. Fill my heart with a reverance and sensitivity to your promptings. Help me to see that you orchestrate opportunities for me to be used ... more often than I realize. Search me and know me ... change me ... use me. AMEN

When Hunger is the Answer

2009-10-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

Some dear friends and I took our daughters to The Revolve Tour in California this weekend. One of the speakers at the conference was a young boy who has changed the world ... one basket at a time. Before I tell you more about him though I wanted to tell you that HUNGER is the answer to the global problem of poverty and hunger. It is both the problem and the solution. You see, we need to get hungry! I am not talking about sympathy fasting so that we can try to even begin to understand a small portion of what people around this world are feeling when it comes to hunger. Instead, we need to actively seek, pray, and yearn for a heart that is hungry to be a part of the solution ... a soul that aches with hunger for change! The child ... yes child ... that we heard speak has started an organization called Hoops of Hope. A summary of his story is listed below:

Hoops of Hope is the biggest basketball shoot-a-thon in the world, much like a walk-a-thon, but more fun! You can join thousands of participants and teams from around the world that shoot free throws for children in need. Every dollar raised will go directly to the project you select to help these children. Every free throw will literally help keep children from becoming orphans.

The United Nations estimates that every 14 seconds, somewhere in the world, another child is orphaned by HIV/AIDS. This means that each day over 6,000 children join the 15 million children worldwide who have already lost one or both parents to this disease.

In the spring of 2004, Austin Gutwein watched a video that showed children who had lost their parents to AIDS. After watching the video, he realized these kids weren’t any different from him except they were suffering. Austin felt God calling him to do something to help them. He decided to shoot free throws and on World AIDS Day, 2004, he shot 2,057 free throws to represent the 2,057 kids who would be orphaned during his day at school. Friends and family sponsored Austin and he was able to raise almost $3,000. That year, the money was used by World Vision to provide hope to 8 orphan children.

From that year forward, thousands of people have joined Austin in a basketball shoot-a-thon called Hoops of Hope. By doing something as simple as shooting free throws, Hoops of Hope participants have raised over $1 million. The children left behind by AIDS now have access to food, clothing, shelter, a new school and finally, a medical testing facility which he was told would save an entire generation. A second clinic is now under construction.

All of this is the result of one child's hunger to make a difference. God used what this child loved and his willingness to follow a vision to help change the world.

There are a lot of people in the world that are dying from hunger. Let's get hungry! Let's do something. Let's take a good look at what our passions are and ask God to give us a vision of how they can be used to help others. We were made for this.

When God Says Unpack

2009-10-02T23:20:00.000-07:00

Although it is true that it is time for a memory verse ... and I do have one ... I would like to take pause and go in a different direction. I am currently at our church's woman's retreat. The theme this year is: The Journey ... and the Journey started when I got here. Within minutes of arriving, my suitcase literally opened up and spilled out out its contents - laying out in front of everyone all my stuff. I tried desperately to grasp each and every item and cram them back in, but as I did ... even more spilled out. It was absolutely horrifying, and it brought me to tears. I could not believe the things that were being revealed ... to be honest I did not even remember packing some of them. I felt so vulnerable and raw.

You see, it was not my physical suitcase that spilled out, but my emotional one. God, in His infinite grace and fatherly love, expertly lanced the suitcase of my emotions and beliefs, my heart ... and let all the packed away "junk" spill out. Six years ago, I had cancer. Six years ago, I lost my long, thick hair ... my metabolism ... my eyebrows ... the ability to grow healthy, long nails ... and more. Six years ago, my body took a huge hit. I survived, even flourished. God took something tragic and grew me in ways that I never knew were possible. We walked hand in hand through the fires of cancer ... and I knew who I was in Him. It was an amazing journey, but there were scars ... physical and emotional. You see, the physical scars are daily reminders that of what I have lost. My self-esteem ... once freed from vanity ... has been smoldering in the depths of my heart for the last six years. I have been nursing insecurities about the physical scars of my journey with cancer ... and they have indeed grown. I thought I had it under control though. I thought it was no big deal. But I was wrong.

From the moment I Got here God has been talking to me. He has bound my hands from re-packing these thoughts and has brought them into the light. He has shown me that they are in the truest sense as much of a cancer as the physical cancer that bore them. Every time I look in the mirror and tell myself how unattractive I look now ... every time I look at my now thin hair and fel shame and discontent ... every time I delete the pictures of myself from my camera because I am embarrassed to have others see me captured for eternity ... I feed this cancer of insecurity. Worse yet, I open my heart to the lies that Satan whispers into my bruised spirit and call them truth.

This weekend God has clearly said, "Enough!" He has brought my brokeness to the surface in a place of retreat ... where I am safe. He has kept me raw ... and has shown me each lie ... bringing it right before my eyes ... showing me (through the caring words of friends that are here with me) that my thoughts do not reflect the truth of how He sees me. Instead, they tear down and destroy what God has created in me ... the woman that He birthed from the cancer.

Each year, we get a word. A word to think about ... to meditate on. Mine this year was "Pure." The verse that was with it was: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8 NIV). In thinking about this word, it has become clear to me that the thoughts that I hold against myself are impure. That they consume my heart, and in reality harden it. God wants my heart to be His dwelling place ... not a dwelling place for self. A while back the following verse was one of my memory verses:

Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him,
for he shields him all day long,
and the one the LORD loves
rests between his shoulders."
—Deuteronomy 33:12

I did not know it then, but it was in preparation for this day. You see, God is not leaving me on my knees grasping to pick up my scattered emotions and beliefs ... instead He has extended His hand to me ... inviting me to climb up onto His shoulders and rest. The journey to seeing me as God sees me is one that I am sure will take some time. It means letting go. It means dying to self. It means letting Him shield me ... even when it means He is shielding me from myself.

Lisa

When Getting Older is a Good Thing

2009-09-15T23:11:00.001-07:00

OK ... I'll admit it ... I am turning 43 this year~ and it is a good thing! Before I go on to explain why let me, in all honesty, put a disclaimer in: I am not talking physically! Physically, getting older is ... well literally a pain! What I am referring to is spiritually and emotionally. For years, birthdays and Christmases have been difficult for me because they bring with them the question of ... "What do you want?" What do I want? At 42 very little. In a life time where I have had so much of what I have wanted ... I have found myself letting go of the need to want more. Only recently have I started to see where this might be leading though ... altruism.

Altruism comes from the Italian word altrui which means others ... and is defined as:

1. Loving others as oneself. 2. Behavior that promotes the survival chances of others at a cost to ones own. 3. Self-sacrifice for the benefit of others

What is this going to look like in my life as I continue to grow? I am not sure. I do know that surfing various blogs, especially Katie's blo g has opened my eyes and heart to this desire to do something that would make a difference. I do know that it feels right. How could it not? A dear friend of mine recently made the comment that we, as believers here in America, tend to forget that the body of Christ is worldwide. What is our part in this worldwide body? What is my part? Can we sit and do nothing when our brothers and sisters in Christ are starving in the far reaches of this planet? What does it mean for each of us? I don't know. God does. Let Him awaken in you the altruistic spirit that He has created ... let Him nurture it and reveal truths to it that will make doing nothing impossible.

The more I have pondered it, the more I am convinced that we were created for altruism. It fits. It heals. It gives us meaning and purpose. In surfing about it, I can a cross a medical article that revealed scientific findings that, "Altruistic (other-regarding) emotions and behaviors are associated with greater well-being, health, and longevity." We are made for it.

Like I said earlier, I really don't know what this will look like in my life. I do know that God is blessing me with a desire to do something to help. I do know that the desire has grown since its planting. I do know it is right. Which leads me to my verse for the next two weeks:

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Proverbs 31:8 (New International Version)

May we all seek to be part of the "whole" body of Christ and in doing so willingly embrace the responsibility of it.

When it Rains it Pours ... Sometimes...

2009-09-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

If you happen to live in Surprise, we had a surprise storm this afternoon. It was HUGE! The trees were whipping around as if some unseen gardener was trying to yank them out of the ground like they were weeds, the drops were the size of quarters, and the thunder was loud enough to make a grown woman jump! It was impressive. It was unexpected. Looking out the window that faces the north side of town, I wondered just how wet I was going to get in a few minutes when I had to leave for skit practice and decided that I should leave a little earlier than normal. (After all people in Arizona often are rain driving challenged and this was a lot of rain!) So I grabbed my keys and headed out. The storm was just as impressive from inside my car. The sound of the drops pounding on my car overpowered the music that had been crystal clear when I was in the garage, the street was filled with rivers of racing water, and the trees lining both sides of my street were swaying back and forth as the wind enticed them to dance. Then I got to Waddell and Bullard, which is a mere three fourths of a mile away from my house. Sitting at the light, I realized that the air around me was rather quiet, the drops a mere drizzle, and the sky blue with a few white clouds. It was bizzare. I turned in disbelief to look down the street to the area of my house, only to find that there was a huge ... isolated ... dark cloud cell that was dumping an obviously large amount of rain right over my neighborhood. With every eighth of a mile driven the skies cleared, the rain faded, and the wind calmed. Pretty soon it was if it had never even sprinkled. It was strange, and I couldn't help but see the correlation to our lives.

You see, all I could see was the storm that was all around me. I assumed that it was far reaching, and even ajusted my schedule to accomodate it. How many times do we find ourselves in a life storm that feels all-surrounding, all-devestating, and all-consuming ... feelings that are confirmed by all the visual evidence aroud us? How many times do we focus on the severity of the storm? How many times do we simply believe what we see? If you are anything like me ... often. Sometimes though, what appears to be a major life storm, is simple an isolated downpour. A simple short-lived moment ... maybe an intense short-lived moment... but a short-lived moment none the less. Sometimes we take on the role of the weatherman ... trying to identify and define the weather ... instead of simply resting in the assurances and promises of the one who controls the storms. In doing so, we tend to make the storm more powerful than it really is.

So, if you missed this storm ... and it was actually pretty small ... I am sure there is another one right one the horizon. When it gets here ... let's just enjoy the rain! The Lord has everything in control.

Lisa

When the Wrong Word is Right

2009-09-07T00:07:00.001-07:00

Today at church we sang You Are. I love that song. I know that song. We have been singing it for years, but for some reason today I came up with the wrong lyrics. The song goes:

I will lay my life down to lift You up
Throwing down my crowns
To see Your face
I will lose myself to be found in You
Taking up my cross I will live again

I sang:

I will lay my life down to lift You up
Throwing down my crowns
To see Your face
I will lose myself to be bound in You
Taking up my cross I will live again

Did you find my mistake? One simple word that changed the whole concept of the song for me. I replaced found with bound. I knew it was wrong the minute the word left my mouth ... but it took me a few minutes to get that it was really right.

You see I am found in Christ because I have accepted Him as my Savior. I am indwelt. Being found in Him is nothing that I have done. That belongs to God alone. I do not daily lay my life down to be found in Him. Change that word though to bound, however, and it all seems to make sense. You see it is not God that changes. I do. I pull away from God when I try to create my own future, fix things, control things, follow things, worship things, etc. Why? Because He is not there? Not in me? No ... because I am not bound to Him. By laying down my life ... the right to control, to follow, to worship what ever the idol is that is calling my name ... I can then, and only then, bind myself to Him in mind ... in spirit ... in heart ... in self. It goes against everything that we are to do so. To lay down independence and take up dependence. To give up what we believe to be our rights to bind ourselves to the One that calls us His. It involves surrender, and I have so much to surrender.

Lord, may I awake daily with the knowledge that I am Yours, and choose to lay down my life and bind myself to You and Your Will.

Lisa

When Words Are Not Enough

2009-09-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

The world these days seems to be tilting off its axis more than it normally does. Have you noticed? It is just crazy out there. Every where around me people's lives are falling prey to economic problems, health problems, marital problems, you name it .... it is happening. My family and I are not immune. We have battled all of the above, most lately in the economic ring ... (with a few million other people!) It is enough to make one, in the words of my dear husband, "Want to crawl under a table and just go to sleep." We have been fretting over come changes that are happening at his work ... fretting is less than worrying ... but time consuming and thought consuming none the less. In fact up to yesterday it all seemed so big and daunting.

Then I got a text yesterday from one of my dearest of dear friends announcing that her husband, who is the only person who works outside the house ... I say it that way because I will stand and testify that my dear friend works endlessly at home with her kids ... especially because I know that eventually she will find her way to this post and will perhaps smile at the moment of recognition and truth just before she is summoned out of her comfortable chair to go solve dolly problems for the youngest and algebra problems for the oldest. :) My concerns over things that have not yet come to pass suddenly felt so trivial and the blessing that my husband has a job suddenly became so much clearer. Perspective. Perspective.What a mighty and convicting truth. So, I spent a little time mulling over their problem. Concerned and a little freaked out for them. You might even come to the conclusion that I transferred my anxiety to their situation ... and you would be right.

Then I got to work today and found the person that I work with in tears. Her sister had called just hours before to tell her that her, my friend's sister's, husband had just up and died. Fell on the floor with a thud and died. (Side note: He was a Christian, so He is home and worshiping the King of Kings.) She has no one. She had 3 kids, two sons and a daughter. Her daughter died. Her son died. She is estranged from the other son. Then two days ago she lost her job ... was laid off. Then... her husband died. I had no words. What words would be enough? All I could do was pray and claim some of God's promises over her. Perspective shift once again. It could be so much worse.

Thinking about this poor woman through out the day, I came to the conclusion that her story is a little like Job's. I have been praying that she too would come to respond to it all with the same faith as him. Then I realized that the Bible verse that I had gotten from another friend's e-mail and had claimed as my next memory verse was one that was meant to be passed on. A word given me to give to her. It is:

And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

Isaiah 33:6 (King James Version)

Knowledge and wisdom will be what keeps us stable in our times. But what where and how do we get the knowledge and wisdom? From only one place ... from studying God's word - from living God's word - from breathing His word and writing it on our hearts. (Thank you Beth for laying out the challenge ... how important it is to learn what God has to say!) If we stay in the shadow of the cross and study the Word ... then we will find stability in our times. BUT it gives us an even more amazing assurance ... it adds that we will also have the strength of salvation. We will get our strength from our Lord and Savior. I can't imagine finding the strength to survive all that loss any other way. And the reward in all this? The fear of the Lord will be his treasure. We will be so awe struck by His faithfulness that fearing and respecting Him will be not a burden ... but a treasure. Oh how I pray that the Lord would be might to save for this suffering soul who has endured so much loss! How I pray that the beauty He can and will make from devastation will bring her to a place of love and respect for her ABBA Father. That she will let go and heal in His mighty hands.

Lisa

P.S. Even with all her loss ... there are places in this world where that would be considered minimal trials to bear. It is all a matter of perspective.

To bowl or to save the world?

2009-08-16T01:34:00.000-07:00

I was blessed with spending time with my dear friends last night ... some of us were playing cards while others watched a movie called "The Power of One." OK ... even those of us that were playing cards were finding ourselves watching and playing at the same time. It was an upsetting and unsettling movie about racism in South Africa and one boys reaction to it. Anyway, at one point this young man's girlfriend is upset because she is going to miss her college ball because he wants "to save the world." There was some discussion about this among those watching it and my youngest daughter was asked if she would rather go to a ball or save the world. She responded, "Well when you bowl you get sweaty, so I would save the world." This response caused quite a few people to laugh, but I actually think that there is a profound truth in what she said. In her innocence she might have just laid a huge challenge down for each of us. It is easy for us to say that we love others. It is easy for us to talk about making a difference. It is easy for us to act? What if we asked ourselves the following question from time to time ... "Do I want to _________, or do I want to save the world?" What would happen? I can hear some of you saying ... "but saving the world is impossible for one." I agree. All by myself I can not save the world, but I can help.

I think that the reason that so many of talk about the situation around the world, but do not feel empowered to help change things is because we know that the problem is huge ... and frankly embracing the truth of it all is a bit overwhelming. And so, we tend to use the impossibility of single-handily fixing it as an excuse to let out words of concern be the only thing we do in response to it. BUT ... what if we just decided to do something ... anything. To pick a place to begin. Drea shared in a recent blog that .14 cents can feed someone a meal of posho and beans. 14 cents. A few weeks ago I canceled the extra $6 insurance on my cell phone ... if I loose or damage it I will simply use an old one until my "new every two" comes up again. This six dollars can change to world for some child who has so little, by providing almost 43 meals for him. I still have my phone ... and I don't even miss the insurance. But here is the most amazing part of the whole thing ... making that one decision has begun a change in my heart. I am most certain that there are other things that I won't even miss ... other $6 luxuries that I can forgo and have currently also passed an a few Starbuck's coffee's which will be added to next month's donation.

That's where you come in. I have been toying with the idea of a six dollar challenge. There are no guidelines for this challenge other than to forgo something and give the money to the poor. I am donating mine to Remember the Poor. The other guideline would be that you see it as a place to start ... A way to show yourself that you can make a difference by choosing to let your actions speak of love and not just your words. Are you game? The truth is that $6.00 is not much. It is not enough. BUT, it is a place to start. Are you willing? Let's work at saving the world ... and changing our hearts ... join me and let's see what God does.

My verse for the next two weeks is:

Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
(1 John 3:18 NLT)

I am going to work at not only memorizing it .. but living it out in my actions as well.

May you hold God's blessings of abundance loosely ...

Lisa

A Sweet Perfume

2009-08-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

As I sit here and write this, I am less than 36 hours away from starting the next school year, from meeting my students, and beginning the journey of teaching once again. Reflecting, it is difficult to believe that summer vacation is over and school is starting! The summer seemed to begin and end in a mere blink of an eye, and here I sit with 36 hours left. Now don't get me wrong, I am not lamenting ... I am just recording my observations. You see, in years past the transition from summer spent with my children and friends to a working mom who teaches underprivileged children has been a difficult one for both my children and me, but not this year. This year I have such a peace about it that leaving the summer behind was as easy as shedding a coat on a hot August day here in the desert. That is not to say that it will be easy not seeing the women in my life that are like sisters to me almost daily, but I have a peace about that as well. You see, I have been meditating on them during this last week as I got my classroom ready, my lesson plans done (well almost), and put on the hat of "teacher" ... and the thoughts of them have been like a sweet perfume upon my senses.

I have spent time thinking about each and every one of them. Rolling them over in my mind, thinking about why I appreciate and love them the way I do ... and it is because their their actions have shown me time and time again that they really love. The first time I typed the previous sentence, I wrote, "Their actions have shown me time and time again that they really love me" ... but realized right after hitting the period key that it was not only that they love me, but that they love. They love God. They love others ... and yes they love me ... BUT they do more than just say it ... they show it. Their actions show the truth of their hearts.

Each of them is like a precious jewel to me, a treasure granted me by God ... fellow sisters to journey with, to learn with, to worship with. So special to me are they that I have spent the last week just overwhelmed that God would place a such a circle of women in my life. I count myself blessed beyond measure, and I carry with me parts of each of them with me. From one, I take with me a strong sense of the power that words have and the desire to use them to make a positive difference. God has used her presence in my life to curb my tongue and soften my heart. From another, I take with me the desire to step out my comfort zone and do more to help others ... to really dig deep within me and find the selfish areas of my heart. From yet another, I take with me the the sweet blessing of service and sacrifice. God has used her to teach me that blessing others is best done quietly ... seeking to bless for the sake of blessing ... not recognition. Finally, I take from my fourth sister the ability to rest in what the Lord decides ... even when it is not what we might have chosen. She has endured so much, but has responded with a trust in God that has inspired me to do the same.

In 35 hours, I will once again enter to world of touching the lives of children ... my mission field ... my passion ... and I will see these dear friends less often. I will talk with them less often. But, I will think of them daily as I choose my words, think about ways to give (near and far), seek to bless others with gifts of sacrifice and service, and trust in the Lord as He guides me through the challenges of my workplace.

If by chance you are one of the above women and you are reading this ... I love you and appreciate you. I thank God for your presence in my life. Thank you for the ways that you have shown me and taught me about love, about God, about friendship. You are truly like sisters to me. If not, then I challenge you to look for the ways that God is using the women He has placed in your life to speak to you, to thank Him for them from the depths of your heart, and to let them know just how special they are.

May you feel the warm embrace of your Father's love upon you.

Lisa

Resurfacing

2009-07-26T23:16:00.001-07:00

Hello there ...

April 15th was so long ago ... how did that happen? I have more than a few posts about my Scriptures in draft mode ... but none done to post. I am 7 behind ... and I will catch up ... but my heart is so overwhelmed with God's faithfulness that I just had to resurface and post how God's been weaving Himself between myself and a dear sweet sister in Christ ... bringing purpose to me and comfort to her ... taking care of His children. Let's start with the pieces, that we may put them all together and see the intricate and purposeful hand of God in action.

Six years ago:

Most of you know that I had cancer 6 years ago. I was 36 with 2 small children. I just knew that I had it, even before I was diagnosed. What is more, I just knew that I was to go through the storm ... and asked people to pray simply "for the strength to do God's will." I knew deep in my soul that it was something that God was going to take me to and through. I knew that there had to be a purposing in it ... and over the years the fruits of His hand in it have been numerous.

One month ago:

I ran into someone that I recognized from church at a local beauty supply store and found myself compelled to share the short version of my cancer testimony. (I was there celebrating my 6 year clean bill of health with a discount haircut ... had a coupon ... and a new bottle of nail polish.) I remember contemplating why I had shared so quickly ... to someone that I really have not spent much time with ... but quickly forgot about it as the rest of my day wrapped itself around me.

Last Week:

I was fast forwarding through all the non-essential parts of So You Think You Can Dance ... watching only the dances ... (I have always been drawn to dance) ... when I watched one that I just knew had to be about a woman with cancer. I rewound ... don't you jut love Tivo? ... and watched the part of the show that explains the dance and the choreographer's inspiration for creating it. The dance was to honor a friend of his who is currently fighting breast cancer ... he just knew it was a subject that should be brought into the light. Anyway, the piece is amazing. Most of us have had to walk along side someone with this awful disease ... so I am sure that most of us can relate with this dance. I did. It reminded me of my cancer walk with God. He was always there for me ... holding me ... lifting me ... catching me ... and lifting me when I could not walk a single step more. (Don't miss that little hop that she does at the end just before he picks her up and carries her on his shoulders? She has no more strength ... he carries her.) It was as if the choreographer had captured my moments of weakness ... moments of frustration when I too pounded my fists ... the moments when I soared with God's help ... and made them into a dance. I have watched it many a time ... and it has reminded me of God's promise to walk in the trials with us ... it reminded me about the emotions of the disease ... and increased my compassion for those that are walking it now. It reminded me that I am a miracle with a purpose. That I am to put myself out there and be ready for opportunities to share what God has done. Take a minute to watch it ... imagine that it is God dancing with a woman struggling and then read on.(You will be taken to the movie on YouTube. After you watch it ..just click your back arrow and you will be directed back to the Blog.) PLEASE doin't bypass the video ... it is only 1:43 long and it is clean. :)

Click here to watch the movie.

Today - Part 1:

At church today the verse(s) on the cover of the bulletin caught my eye, heart, and soul. It was:

I have called you by name; you are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you. (Isaiah 43:1-2)

While in church the line that really stuck with me was ... I have called you by name; you are mine. I was so humbled by it, and could not help but think of God as my Abba father speaking it to me ....

I am scared of (fill in the blank)
I have called you by name; you are mine ... have no fear

Father can you hear me? I am so alone.
I have called you by name; you are mine ... you are far from alone

Father I am so insecure sometimes ...
I have called you by name; you are mine ... your security is in my Son

I have called you by name ...

Oh that the creator of the universe has called me ... not just called me ... but by name.

You are mine.

The weight of that is so humbling. That I, who am so unworthy, am His. It is just so overwhelming and amazing to me.

There is more to the verse though ... Let's look at it again ...

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you. (Isaiah 43:1-2)

Do not fear. Why? Because we are redeemed. We are called by name. We are His! And if that were not enough, God goes on to promise three things about times of trial:

1. He will be with us.
2. Our trial will not be too big for us ... because we are with Him.
3. Because we are with Him ... amazing and unbelievable things can happen ... we will not be burned or even scorched by the fire we are in. (Remember the fiery furnace?)

All 3 of these statements have to do with Him. What He alone is capable of doing for us.

Our part in all this ...

can be found in the first 3 words ... do not fear.

This Morning - Part 2:

The person that I ran into at the beauty supply place sought me out to tell me that our meeting had not been an accident, but rather one constructed by God. As it turned out, she had a mammogram two weeks later and found out that there is a lump in her breast. (Now... let me just say that this DOES NOT mean that she has cancer. Lumps happen. What it is, is much like a storm that one sees on the distant horizon ... you just have to remain in God's shadow and wait for him to reveal how the storm will or will not affect you.) We talked, cried, and prayed together. I prayed what had stood out to me at church over her ... "He has called you by name ... you are His." All the compassion and love stirred in me by the video poured out as I held her and went to our Father's throne with her in prayer. And I could see how God had orchestrated all the little events together for this one moment in time.

Soon:

God has brought us together this sweet sister and I. We now have each other's cell phone numbers programmed in and are planning on talking and praying together as she takes steps to find out what kind of lump hers is. Tomorrow I will be sending her a card with the rest of the verse written inside it and I am going to call her just to see how she is doing. I am sure that she sees this whole thing as God doing something amazing for her, but I would like to propose that He is doing something amazing for both of us. In using me, He is saying "Lisa, I have redeemed you ... and you are mine" ... He is using that which He has redeemed and giving purpose to the walk that He asked me to do. I am His ... and I am so greatful that I am.

Celebrate each moment today my friends. :)

Contemplating

2009-04-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

OK, so I am driving to work the other day and the thing I dread most as I pulled out of my subdivision happened ... I got caught waiting for the high school bus to pull in its stop sign and release me from the endless moment of time-loss. Now I know that it is for the safety of the "kids," but these are high school "kids" ... most of them are bigger than me! Anyway, the problem is that they all seem to move so slow. Watching them, I am just about positive that they are actually moving in slow motion. But I am a rule-follower, so I (when I leave late and get caught) simply wait and wait and wait. With that said, let me tell you a little more about the other morning.

The normal mass of "kids" had slow-mo'ed their way to the bus, the stop sign had resended it's order to yield, and the bus had started to mosey on its way ... when out of the corner of my eye I saw a lone "kid" walking ever so slowly towards the now empty location of the bus. When he arrived at the aforementioned site, the bus was about half a block down the street. Now I know that you are thinking he immediately started chasing after the bus with his arms a waving, but you are mistaken. He did raise his hands and did wave them around in a half-hearted way, and then he started to walk down the street in the direction that the bus was still driving. The bus driver did see him, and pulled the bus over extending once again the stop sign capable of bringing traffic to a stand still. Let me interject here that I could have at this point turned right and continued on my way, but I was so intrigued by the building situation that I remained stopped. So now, I am sure you are saying that he must have at that moment decided to run to the bus, which now had its door wide open as an invitation ... beckoning him to come and board, but you are once again mistaken. The boy simply walked at a snail's pace towards the bus that was waiting just for him! Let me just say that I would not make a good bus driver because I would have counted to 10 and then left the young man to think about the benefits of running! Dumbfounded, I decided that I could spend no more time watching, and so I made my turn and left without finding out if the boy ever made it to the bus.

This experience has stayed with me now for many days, and the Lord has been using it to paint a picture for me. You see in this metaphor the bus is God. God pulled over and waiting for us. Waiting for us to get on board. We have all had times that we waved down God, just as the boy did the bus, and have had God signal us and open doors for us ... inviting us to be a part of His will ... And, I would venture to guess that there have been times that all of us have walked, instead of running, towards Him. Thank goodness that he is more like that patient bus driver than like me! I have spent the last few days looking for ways that I am walking, when I should be running and am humbled to say that I too suffer with slow-motionitis.

So, what is it that God is waiting for you for?

To renew your heart towards Him? To forgive someone? To heal your marriage? To turn away from a sin that has consumed you? To spend time with Him? To tell him you deepest fears and surrender them? What is it?

If there is something my friend, run for Him ... run to Him ... and get on the bus.

See you there ...

Lisa

Speechless

2009-04-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Happy April Fool's Day!

How many of you celebrated today by gifting those you love with a sprinkling of pranks? I know I did! I both received and gave. Being a teacher, I spent the day being caught off guard with statements from my students like: "Mrs. Day, Look at your shirt." "Mrs. Day, There is something on your pants." "Mrs. Day, Look out for the Bee!" (They know that I am allergic and kind of frightened by them.) and all of the other silly little pranks they could think of. Confession, sometimes I was distracted enough with the details of our day that they fooled me, other times I pretended to fall for it just to behold the happy look on their faces as they gleefully announced, "April Fools! I got you!"

Now you might be wondering what this has to do with my Bible memory verse that I am posting today, and there is a connection! As I listened to the rather humorous tales that adults were telling today of trickery, something struck me ... It is so easy to fool people, and to be fooled. It is so easy to simply trust what someone is saying and take it for truth without even thinking about the obvious ... It is April Fool's Day! Here comes the connection ... or rather the disconnection. Why is it then that we have such a difficult time readily believing God's Truths?

I offer the following comparison:

The Liberty Bell Hoax

On April 1, 1996 a full page ad appeared in six major American newspapers (The Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, and USA Today) announcing that the fast food chain Taco Bell had purchased the Liberty Bell. The full text of the ad read:

Taco Bell Buys The Liberty Bell
In an effort to help the national debt, Taco Bell is pleased to announce that we have agreed to purchase the Liberty Bell, one of our country’s most historic treasures. It will now be called the “Taco Liberty Bell” and will still be accessible to the American public for viewing. While some may find this controversial, we hope our move will prompt other corporations to take similar action to do their part to reduce the country’s debt.

In a separate press release, Taco Bell explained that the Liberty Bell would divide its time between Philadelphia and the Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine. It compared the purchase to the adoption of highways by corporations. Taco Bell argued that it was simply “going one step further by purchasing one of the country’s greatest historic treasures.” The company boasted, “Taco Bell’s heritage and imagery have revolved around the symbolism of the bell. Now we’ve got the crown jewel of bells.”

Do you remember that? It happened in 1996, and the public outcry was enormous! People readily believed that Taco Bell could actually buy the Liberty Bell. Looking back, I am sure those fooled are a little embarrassed at their gullibility!

Let's compare that with a common response we seem to have when things are not going well or we are scared, and what God has to say.

Us: I am so scared. These problems are bigger than me. What am I going to do?
God: I am your refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore you will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."
Us: I am so alone.
God: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
Us: Where is God? Why is this happening to me?

Or what about when we are wrestling with forgiving ourselves of something that we feel guilt over...

Us: I am such a loser. How could I have done that? How can God forgive me and love me after what I have done?
God: If you confess your sins, I am faithful and just and will forgive you your sins and purify you
from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Us: How can I face God after this? I know that He forgives me, but I am so ashamed.
God: As far as the east is from the west, so far have I removed your transgressions from you.
Us: I just don't know what to do.

I am sure that many of us have had moments that were fairly close to the one (or both) of the above conversations. Moments where we believed in the circumstances of our life and the rawness of our emotions even more fervently than the truths that God has written for us. I know I have, and I will honestly say that sometimes it is really difficult to believe the TRUTH (His promises to me) instead of the circumstances that seem to loom over me or the emotions that feel so real. How about you?

That brings me to today's verse. It comes from Zephaniah 3:17 and says:

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

Pretty amazing truths, huh? If you said AMEN, then hold on to your hats, because it is even more amazing when you personalize it and change it to first person. Read the following and then close your eyes and imagine God speaking these words to you. Take time to let them sink in.

I, the LORD your God, am with you,
I am mighty to save.
I will take delight in you,
I will quiet you with my love,
I will rejoice over you with singing.

Now if that was not enough, let's take a little look at it line by line in the Amplified Version.

¹⁷The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]!

God is with us. He is mighty. He is a warrior. He is a Savior that saves! He is our protector and defender. He is our shield, and He is purposed to save.

He will rejoice over you with love;

God is our Father and he not only rejoices over us, but does so with joy. I know that any parent knows this feeling. Just think back to the feeling the moment your child was handed to you swaddled in a blanket for the very first time. That overwhelming, quiet, wordless, rejoicing that took place in your heart as it swelled with unspeakable joy! That is the way God our Father looks at us, how He feels about us as His children. In the words of my pastor ... He loves us perfectly. It is the way that He has loved each of us from the beginning.

He will rest [in silent satisfaction]

God looks at us and rests in silent satisfaction. Not because of what or who we are now to be sure, but because he sees what we will one day become when we are finally at His feet.

and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them];

This verse does not say that our sins will make His love for us silent, as our transgressions can sometimes make the love of people that love us grow silent. (Thank goodness!) Instead, it says that God's love for us is never fails, despite our failings. It is because of this love, that He makes "No Mention" of our sins and even goes as far as to choose to not even recall them. The God that remembers every star's name, chooses not to recall our forgiven sins. If only we could do the same for each other!

He will exult over you with singing.

Exult means to rejoice greatly or to be jubilant. God rejoices over us with singing in a way that is jubilant. We bring him Joy. His heart is full when He looks at us through the eyes of His Son's saving sacrifice, and He sings over us! How amazing is it to imagine the creator of everything, no matter how small or how grand, sing over imperfect us!

How can read all this and not know the other part of what my pastor said to be true ... "We need Him desperately."

I am left speechless ... no fooling!

Practicing

2009-03-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

OK, so my 2nd verse for the rest of this month is from 1 Peter. It says:

Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here's what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you're worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he's asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.

This version is from The Message, and there are parts of it that really spoke to me ... which is why I chose that version. Let's start at the beginning ...

Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions.

What a challenging list of things to be ... and a clarification about who is to be like this ... All of us ... NO EXCEPTIONS ... The writer is making it clear that God's stand on this is clear and firm ... there are no exceptions ... we are all being measured by this list of behaviors. As a teacher, who is in the process of filling out report cards, I found myself imagining God doing the same on me as I was filling out the "behavior" section of the reports. I am sure you have all seen the section that I am talking about ... within it is a list of behaviors that are expected in school from all .. NO exceptions ... followed by E S or N. (Excellent, Satisfactory, and Needs to Improve) I could just imagine God, report cards in hand, going through this list of acceptable and expected behaviors for life for me ...

"No retaliation." Well, I am afraid that I'll need to mark this N. She sometimes fails to bring the wrong doings to my feet and let me handle them, trying to handle them herself instead ..."

"No sharp-tongued sarcasm." Circle "N" again. Boy, that girl has a tongue on her. She has gotten better at holding it, but it is the thought that counts and I hear them all.

"Blessing instead..." Circle "N" again.

"Saying nothing evil or hurtful..." "N"

"Snubbing evil and cultivate good;" "N"

"Running after peace for all she is worth." "N"

Oh Lord, how I need to improve! Father, search me and guide me in improving my outward (and inward) behavior as a Christian that I might really be a light. Search me and know me ... help me to know myself and the areas that I can grow in that I might represent you more fully in every thing I do and say.

Lisa

PS:

I have more thoughts about the verse and some the implications that jump out at me ... but it is late and I am tired. I will post a part 2 when I have studied this a bit more, and have finished my report cards ... :)

Building

2009-03-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I started The Love Dare, not because my husband and I had seen "Fireproof" (which neither of us have) and decided together to do the Love Dare together (which we have not) ... but rather because God had prompted my heart to do it. I am doing it on my own, for me. Now I will admit that at first I wondered if he would notice that I was doing these little things ... and if it would inspire him to do the same in return ... But God was quick to reaffirm that His purpose for me in doing this was not for my husband, but rather for me ... To change and grow me. To make me notice the things that I do and do not do. To help me to see both my strengths and my weaknesses as a wife. To challenge me to share my love with my husband more freely and consistently. To challenge me to give without expecting anything in return.

My verse for this week is one that I am sure will be one that God uses throughout this journey and is:

"Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands."
Proverbs 14:1 (Amp)

I would like to share my initial thoughts about the verse.

How do we, being women of God, do this? Well, I think that one of the most powerful ways we either "build our houses" or "tear them down" is by what we do with our words. I did not come up with this on my own, it is something that God has been revealing to me during the first few days of The Love Dare. Before I go any further, I would like to share the challenge of day one with you. It states:

The first part of this dare is fairly simple. Although love is communicated in a number of ways, our words often reflect the condition of our heart. For the next day, resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything. It's better to hold your tongue than to say something you'll regret.

Now I will openly admit that my first thought was not ... "No problem! This will be easy!" In fact, it was more like, "Nothing negative?" and "What exactly constitutes negative?" Is "There are still crumbs on the counter." negative? What about, "Did you hear the phone ringing? I called three times." Then I read the devotional for day one.

"No one likes to be around an impatient person. It causes you to overreact in angry, foolish, and regrettable ways. The irony of anger toward a wrongful action is that it spawns new wrongs of its own. Anger almost never makes things better. In fact, it usually generates additional problems. But patience stops problems in their tracks. More than biting your lip, more than clapping a hand over your mouth, patience is a deep breath. It clears the air. It stops foolishness from whipping its scorpion tail all over the room. It is a choice to control your emotions rather than allowing your emotions to control you, and shows discretion instead of returning evil for evil." (The Love Dare, Pg. 1 - 2)

In that, God revealed to me the answer to my question above. It all depends on the state of my heart. When I say "There are still crumbs on the counter." am I stating a fact or am I really saying "You did a lousy job of cleaning up your mess." What is it that my husband hears? I venture to say the later. When I say "Did you hear the phone ringing? I called three times." am I really wanting to know if he heard the phone, or am I wanting to make sure he knows he has fallen short of my expectations? The answer? ... It all depends upon my heart at the time. I have to stop and ask myself if my words were the the result of impatience or irritation or is they were spoken out of love.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I feel or the book says that we are never to talk with our husbands about things that are bothersome, but I am saying that perhaps we need to make sure that we go about it in a way that builds up instead of tears down. I am saying that perhaps we need to evaluate the things that irritate us, take them to God's feet, and ask His direction. I am saying that perhaps an open communication that honestly addresses something that is bothersome, is more apt to build a marital relationship than negative comments that are aimed, even subconciously, to jab. I am also saying that we all need to ask God to really search our hearts when it comes to our husbands and to reveal feelings that might spur us to speak in ways that tear down. We also need to really take a serious look at the little things that seem to mean so much ... like crumbs on a counter or dirty socks that are left in balls on the floor ... and ask ourselves if words are necessary or if we can simply wipe up the crumbs and un-ball the socks with a spirit of love ... and if words are necessary, if they can be spoken in love and not irritation. Practicing this in the little things, will certainly prepare us for those times when tempers flair and words could easily fly!

May the words in our marriages be spoken in love,

Lisa

Father,
How many times are those that I use my words as costumed ways of saying "I am irritated with you" or "you have fallen short of my expectaions." Jesus, please help me, and anyone reading this, to practice patience and resist anger. Pour out your Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us all and show us how to love our spouses as you would love them through us. Grant us the strength to actively choose to love and respect our spouses so that You will be glorified within and through our marriages. I thank you in advance for your faithfulness. Amen.

Resting

2009-02-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

OK ... so the Lord is ever the teacher, and this week he as been teaching me about rest, which is really just the next step in the journey of really evaluating the time I have and what I use it for. I began the process this week of taking things off my plate and have realized that somewhere along the line I have forgotten that my time is limited. Yes, limited as far as the amount of time I have to live, but even more so in the time that I have to give. I also realized that the choice to spend time with the Lord is made near impossible by just how many things are on my to do list. What really made this hit home is that the choice to spend real quality time with my children is also made near impossible by the amount of other things that are on my list. Taking things off my plate is difficult for me, but as I am doing it ... I can see that my plate, or the time that I have to give, is more than sufficient for the things that REALLY matter and SOME of the things that really don't.

Rest

Rest
The word falls
Silently upon my soul
Another minute slips by
As I hurry through life
Trying to appease
The demands of self
Rest
The word waits
For me
Knowing its time will come
Waiting for the day
When I am undone
And ready to curl up
At the feet of the one
Who’s lips
Whispered
Rest.

May rest fall upon you today,
Lisa

Re-learning

2009-02-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hello dear friends,
I have emerged from study hall and am ready to post my next verse. My hope is to memorize this one by this Sunday, leaving a full week to memorize my fourth verse, just in time for number 5 to be posted. My verse for this week is:

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.”
John 13:13, 14

When I first was given this verse, it was on the heals of two emotionally amazing things that touched me deeply ... both of which involved helping and doing for others. One being the day a dear friend of mine and her husband sacrificed their wedding rings to bring home 3 orphans, and the other being a friend who went to Ethiopia to serve the people and children there. Two people, both willing to give and obey the call to action when it was given by God, both willing to humble themselves to meet the needs of someone else and serve them in love. It was in thinking about them that this verse was given to me, and right away I knew what it was that God was trying to show me ... that my focus should be on doing for others, and giving to others.

A week later, I have to tell you that I have learned a few things. No, not the verse ... What I learned is that I sometimes God has more than one layer to what He is trying to show you, and often the choice to peel past the first one reveals a more personal lesson beneath it. I also learned that one shouldn't rush to put your own understandings on something when God is trying to reveal it to you ... If you do you might just miss just what God is actually trying to show you. You see, this verse is just a continuation on the lesson He began teaching me with the last verse. Last time, the focus was not only in the truths about Christian attitude found in His Word, but about choosing to make time to memorize Scripture. After that conversation, I have put forth a little more effort, and was in fact feeling a little proud of myself. (Anyone else ducking a little?) Have no fear, God was faithful to His feelings about pride, and quickly revealed to me that I did not actually learn the lesson he was teaching me last week. I had not actually spent time with Him DAILY. My argument, I was studying a verse everyday ... wasn't that spending time? How quickly he answered me in the form of a devotional that I read today. Although there were a number of very applicable and interesting things taught within it, the following jumped out of the page and pretty much knocked the pride right out of me. (I was not ducking.)

"The believer's permanent relationship to Christ is pictured in the bath. The believer's daily fellowship with Christ is pictured in the foot-washing. The bath is for union--in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The foot-washing is for communion--with Christ (notice the "with" instead of "in" in verse 8). The link of union is so strong that nothing can break it (see John 10:27-29 and Romans 8:38-39). The link of fellowship is so fragile that an unholy walk will always break it (see 1 John 1:6).
How does the Lord wash the believer's feet? It is accomplished primarily by the frequent application of His Word to our lives. The Word of God is the means by which we get the bath. (See Psalm 119:93, John 15:3, Romans 10:17, 1 Peter 1:23.) The Word is also the way we get the foot-washing. David said, "How can a young man cleanse his way? By living according to Your Word" (Psalm 119:9). Our Lord said that those who believed in Him would be sanctified (kept pure and set apart for God's use) by God's Word (John 17:17, 20). Our bath and our foot-washings are both accomplished through the Word of God! In Ephesians 5:26 we read that "Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word." How important it is for us to read the Bible every day!"

The bold words were bolded by the author, not me, and it was all to clear what the Lord was trying to drive home: "Be in My Word every day!" Spending time working on memorizing one verse is not a substitution for getting into His Word. I admit here and now that there has not been a time in my walk with Christ that I have ever picked up the Bible every day for more than a few weeks. I start of with great intentions ... (I have proven that) ... and then life happens. A few days missed here, translates into a few weeks there, and before I know it my Daily encouragement has turned into my daily reading about God. The bold words in this devotional, however, made it very clear to me that I am to read the Bible every day AND memorize the Scriptures that I am given along the way.

As I type this, I am still grappling with the excuse of time ... and yes I am ducking! I am the queen of procrastination and there have been many a week that I have done 5 days of Bible Study in one day. I am so remedial at times, that it amazes me that God continues to pursue me and try to teach me the same thing in yet one more way.

Lisa

Admitting

2009-02-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

It is the 6th of February and I am compelled to share what God has shown me. Flash back to the first post where I shared about not being able to memorize things and how I had used that as an excuse for not memorizing Scripture for years. Remember how He revealed within days that I could memorize, placing it in my heart without me even really trying to memorize it? Things were looking so promising. I was so excited. Then can week two. God just a quickly revealed to me a verse and how it applied to me. Long post ... long two weeks ... and before I knew it, it was the 15th and it was time for my next verse. The only problem being that I had yet to even write my verse on a card, let alone actually spend time with it.

Fast forward to my class last Friday. We HAD to have a heart to heart. They were turning in work that looked like it had been done by chimpanzees .... holding pencils in their mouths to write. They were not reading directions. They were not checking their work. They were not doing what they needed to do to make sure that they were successful. I was FRUSTRATED! I do every thing I can to make sure that they can do the work! I don't give them anything that is too hard ... anything that I have not first taught them. I explained to them that they had a choice to make, and that they were simply being flojo. (Lazy in Spanish.) I talked with them, I talked with the parents, and things are better this week. They are trying harder and putting forth a great deal of effort. I have assured them that they will see the fruits of their labor.

Like any teacher, I have spent some time reflecting on the situation in my room and what my part was in it. It was in this reflection time that I once again felt that hair raising feeling when you know that you are about to have the ugly truth revealed to you. I knew right away what that truth was going to be. I knew that word that was going to race through my spirit and land right in my heart. Floja. (Lazy in Spanish if you are talking about a girl.) Right away I got a little defensive ... right away I had a little talk with God about it ... I spoke for both of us ... meaning I did not actually hear His voice, but this is what I could imagine Him saying ...

"I learned the first one."
"I gave you the first one."
"It was too long this time ..."
"I have written longer."
"But the first one was shorter. If this one had been short I would have memorized it, too."
"Child I gave you the longer one so that you would have to work for it. I wanted it to cost you a little time, require a little effort ... I wanted you to see the fruits of your effort."
"This is all new for me."
"It is not new for you. I have taught you how to do this. We have done it together. I have given you the tools. You did not use them."
"It takes a long time to memorize ... I have so much on my plate."
"It is a matter of commitment ... You have a choice to make. You had time for me when you had cancer. You chose to sit at my feet. You chose me. You chose. Choose now."

I could have gone on, but I think it is right to leave it with Him having the last word on this. I do have a choice, but all TOO often I choose the complete opposite of what I should be doing. This is not a new concept ... I eat seed. I admitted that in my very first blog. I was a little naive to believe that all the weeks would be like the first. That week God was teaching me His provision. He provided me with the ability to memorize. Now he is teaching me something else. I need to choose. There will be a choice made. I will choose Him OR I will choose something else. But there is a choice to make. Also, making that choice once does not work for me. I need to make that choice every day ... many times every day ... many, many times every day. I already have His provision. I have the tools to use. Now it is time to learn to choose daily. (OK .. Luke 9:23 is crashing down upon me as I type this ... Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross DAILY and follow me.") When reading it, the word that popped out at me was the word deny, so I looked it up in Strong's and found the following definition (which I expected): not to accept, to reject, to refuse something offered ... AND these (which I did not) 1. to disregard his own interests or to prove false to himself ... and 2. act entirely unlike himself.

It is time to disregard my own interests and act entirely unlike myself. It is time to deny myself whatever is getting in the way of me committing to this journey ... to spending time with God. It is time to choose to choose.

I will post my new verse when I have my 2nd one memorized. I have a little make-up work to do. Looks like I am in for Lunch Bunch ... just like my students. :)

Lisa

Sharing

2009-01-24T21:03:00.000-08:00

Last weekend a dear friend of mine, Laurel, ran the P.F. Chang's half marathon ( That's 13.1 miles for those of you that are like me and have no idea about anything that involves running!) Sheryl, another dear friend of mine who is also a 5 year survivor of melanoma, and I were there to cheer Laurel on as we have for the last four years. There was something, however, much different about this year ... Laurel was running to honor and celebrate Sheryl and I reaching our five year anniversary of being cancer free. (Myself from breast cancer and Sheryl from melanoma.)

When she first told me about her intentions, I thought about her gift and realized that there were similarities between her race and the one that I ran when I was fighting cancer. For example, both involve a long journey, require pacing and stamina, and are not for the faint of heart. Both have unexpected challenges, require dedication and sacrifice, and are easier if the runner has supporters to cheer them on. Both are painful, yet are filled with rewards. Both have a way of teaching those watching, as well as those running, about life. I did not realize it at the time, but this year her race was going to have a huge, and lasting, impact on me.

Being three year veterans, Sheryl and I entered this year with a tried and true game plan: catch Laurel at the 8 mile mark and then again at the finish line. We arrived at our first destination with plenty of time to spare ... about 45 minutes. While waiting, as always, I passed the time watching and taking pictures of both the participants and the onlookers ... and as always I found myself touched over and over again. So many people, so many stories. So many reasons for being there, for running, for watching. If you have never been, there is just something awe-inspiring about watching thousands of people running for a cause. There is just no way to describe it.

About forty-five minutes later, right on schedule, we noticed a bright pink visor bouncing a top the throng of runners. (Did I mention that Laurel is tall?) Right away, already quickened by all the other moments I had witnessed while waiting, I immediately found myself with a lump in my throat. When she got to us, she paused to hug us, modeled the shirt she designed for the occasion, and gave us an update on her current physical standings. Her foot was hurting her with each and every step she took and she was tired, but she was determined to make it ... and with a quick hug good-bye she returned to the race revealing to us, the back of her shirt which read, "Laurel 13:1 or bust."

As soon as she rounded the corner, Sheryl and I rapidly departed and hurried towards our final, and most important location in the race, the finish line. If you think that there were a lot of people in the race, then multiply that times 3 and I am sure you can imagine what that area looks like. It is really wall to wall people, all trying to find their loved ones. Last year, we made it to the edge of the crowd, bit were unable to make it through it to the finish line. This year we were determined that we would not be stopped. We were going to be there at the finish line for Laurel, after all she was running for us! So we ducked and pivoted, rushed and maneuvered our way through the crowds with such determination that we were at the finish line before we knew it. We strategically placed ourselves in cue at a spot where there the mob of people was only a few deep to the rail, and held our breath. Would the people move? Would we get to the front before our friend arrived? We called her on her cell phone, and found out that we had about 5 minutes to her arrival. Within minutes the family in front of us watched their loved one cross the finish line, and they were off to find him. Sheryl and I took our positions at the edge of the course and watched expectantly. Before to long, the pink visor came into view. She was walking, the time was ticking and she was walking. Slowly I realized that this could only mean one thing ... she was really hurting. My heart rushed out to great her, encouraging her, pulling her forward. She began to run once again and our hearts swelled. Camera shutter operating at warp speed, I captured her running towards us. When she got right in front of us she looked right at us, pointed to her aching feet and then us, while mouthing, "This one's for you!" And time stopped for me.

This one was for me ... and Sheryl, but I was on the precipice of an epiphany. (So, know that when I say "For me" I am not forgetting that it was indeed "For us," but God was painting a picture for me.) This beautiful friend ran for me. For me ... she trained long hours. For me she sacrificed time she would have spent doing something else. For me she sacrificed and took on the cost of running 13.1 miles ... physical pain. For me ... she smiled in the face of pain and celebrated me. For me ... she pushed on even when her body screamed for her to stop. For me ... she finished the race. For me ... she paid a price ... because of her love for me. And in that seemingly endless moment in frozen time I realized that I could see Jesus in my dear friend, and could feel His love pouring through her. As the tears streamed down my face, I could picture that day so many years ago when Christ finished his race on Earth and could almost envision God pointing down at His only Son painfully nailed to a cross ... only to then point at humanity, eyes full of love, and mouth, "This one is for you."

It has been a week and I am still emotionally moved by the memory of that single moment. I am changed by it, and I can't help but ponder what it would be like if we all strove to touch someone else's life so deeply by being intentional about the way we show Christ to others. What would it be like if we were willing to work for it, hurt for it, sacrifice for it? What if each one of us truly dressed ourselves the way that we are instructed to? (Ah, so there is a tie to my verse ...) My friends I challenge you today. Being Christians, we will show Jesus to others whether we are seeking to or not. Therefore, choose to be an active participant in the way that you do it. Be intentional about it. Be willing to love, the way that God asks us to. I love you all dearly, and thank you for going on this journey with me. Oh, and Laurel, thank you and I love you. I will never forget that moment, or the amazing way that God used you to declare His love for me.

May the Lord shine through you in ways that change the world,

Lisa

Father,
Thank you for my dear friend Laurel and her amazing heart. Thank you for using her to show me your heart for us and the imensness of your love for us. I pray that I would be aware that lives can be changed in a single moment, much as mine was that day at the race ... and in that awaresness constantly seek to clothe myself as yours ... putting on behavior that reflects tenderhearted pity and mercy, kindness, a lowly opinion of myself, gentle ways, and patience both tireless and long-suffering, that has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper. Refine and guide me Father, that I might be a vessel that pours you out to everyone I meet in ways that glorify You. Amen.

Giving

2009-01-22T07:25:00.001-08:00

OK ... So this does not have to do with my memorization journey, but I thought that it was important to share! If you are reading this, I am sure that you know about the Thiele's and how they are in the process of adopting 3 more children from Ethiopia. If you know them well, and probably if you don't, you know the amazing stories about how God has confirmed over and over again that it is His will that they do this. I was privileged to be a part of this the first time when the adopted. I was able to see 1st hand the miracles that fell as His plan unfolded. I also learned that it was not just them bringing the kids home ... it was US. God had roles for US in the process. How amazing a journey that was! So, what about this time? Is there a role for US? I believe so. I believe that God is using this to show us something, to teach us something. I think it is about being The Body of Christ. This is what I have learned ...

Giving

How often we bow a knee and ask God to bestow "more" upon us ... "more" of a job when one is lost, "more" money when we run short, "more" time when our to do list is longer than there are hours in the day, "more" patience when our nerves are frazzled, "more" ... "more" ... "more." Not that this is a bad thing ... we are told to ask ... to pray ... to go to our Father for out needs and our wants ... BUT what if we went to Him with a request for "more" opportunities to give and serve others, "more" of a desire to give than receive? The two go hand in hand. Our cup is supposed to run over. Too often we try to make the cup bigger to hold more. When we do this ... we rob ourselves of the blessing of "running over." We end up feeling that we need "more" of something to fill that cup. What we should do instead, is strive to make the cup smaller. If we did this, it would be running over all the time!

So let's make out cups smaller. Let's pour out the blessings that God has filled us starting here with this cause. It is not "your cause" Drea, it is God's entrusted to you ... to us.

I am pouring out a dream that I have held onto for a few years ... a pond in my back yard. I have the kit. I have the wiring in. It is all ready to become a reality. I will be selling it on Craig's list with a heart that is overflowing with joy that I can be a part of something that God is doing. :)

Lisa

Learning

2009-01-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

O.k. So this second verse comes early by seven days, but it is the one the I NEED, and so I am committing to it today. Let me explain why. I am a school teacher. I can't say that I always wanted to be from the time I was little, although I did play endless hours of school as a child ... as we all did. I was actually a young adult when I suddenly realized that I wanted to be a teacher. It was an idea that consumed me as soon as it occurred to me, and with in a year I was in school to become one. I just knew that it was what God wanted me to do. It was so crystal clear.

Fast forward 20 years. I have been teaching at the same inner-city school in Phoenix for over 15 years. I still feel that it is what God wants me to do, although I (at times) wonder how I can bear it much longer. (Not that I would quit teaching, as I still have a peace that it is what I am gifted and lead to do, but that I would move districts.) You see No Child Left Behind, paired with Arizona's current laws that mandate how children are to be assigned to classrooms according to their language level, has made it incredibly stressful. (Did I mention that I teach second language learners? I have the low intermediate group of kids.) The expectations on us are high. State testing and labeling is looming in the near future. The State Department of Education comes through our rooms ... clipboards in hand. We are chasing a moving target, are working harder than we ever have, and are constantly having to find ways to give even more. Now all of this is not bad. In fact it does have its benefits. I feel challenged, I have to self evaluate and keep improving and learning, I have become a skilled teacher. But ... I also feel defeated when my kids are not scoring high enough, feel disheartened when the 3rd grade level assessments do not reflect the improvement that I know they have made, and feel tired when it seems that my job is never done.

So why don't I move? The kids. They need teachers who are called to them. If education were a mission field (which I would say it is ... at least mine) they are my "people group." The group that my heart is drawn to. I know that I am in the "right place." I just am not sure that I have the "right attitude." If God indeed did place me here for these little ones that are so precious to Him, then why do I feel and act so frustrated and downtrodden? Why do I feel like the "other team" is winning? Why do I find myself frequently visiting a place of disappointment and irritation?

A friend at school told me that "I had God on my side" and that "I could do it." It was comforting at the time, but was comfort turned conviction later the next day. Did I have God on my side in what I perceive as a battle? Yes, of course. He is always there for us. He is our help! (Yes, Drea ... I am also stepping up and working on the Psalm for Stepping Up!) But, was I on God's side in it? Let's just change one word. Was I along side God in it? Or, have I started to see this as my problem, my burden, my challenge, etc. And in doing so, have I redressed myself in robes of behavior marked with a hardening heart, impatient tendencies, and pride. (Yes, I say pride because I don't want people to see that my kids are so behind ... I don't want people to think badly of my teaching.) And so I work even harder to make sure that I help my kids to learn. But are they mine? Or are they God's? Am I in teaching for myself? Or am I in it for God? Am I doing this on my own strengths? Or am I leaning on my creator to create the strength that I need? Did I create the spiritual gifting that drives me to do this? Or is a gift bestowed on me by God? All of these thoughts flowed through my mind, heart, and spirit ... and I began to see that I was not standing behind God in this struggle, but rushing infront trying to fix, that which I was not meant to do alone.

So what are my next steps? Pray? (I do do that, although I could be more specific for the individual needs of my students ... maybe I will make a prayer list for them by name.) Set it down at His feet? Yes, I know that is right ... but what exactly was I to lay down? My pride? Yes. My desire to do this on my own merit? Yes. But, there was something I was missing. Something that I did not realize until I happened upon the following verse ... my attitude. So Colossians 3:12 is what I will be memorizing. It says:

Clothe yourselves therefore, as God's own chosen ones (His own picked representatives), [who are] purified and holy and well-beloved [by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by] tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper].

I will blog later about what I am already seeing as applications for me in this Please continue to pray for me as God and I continue this journey. I have a feeling that this will be easier to memorize than to apply. :o)

May God's hand be upon you, and His light shine through you.

Lisa

P.S. To that friend who said "You can do it ... You have God on your side." ... thank you! I am glad that we are becoming friends. You blessed me. :o)

Finding

2009-01-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

Ok ... so it has been four days and I have already memorized my verse. :0) There are a few things I have noticed about it that I think are worth sharing. The first line of the verse is, " I will give them a heart for me." God does not say, "Have a heart for me." He says that he will give them or me ... or us) a heart for him. I can't have a heart for him on my own accord, it is something that I have to ask for. It is something that I have to depend on him for! The second part of that sentence is, "that I am the LORD." LORD here stands for YAHWEH, or "I forever was, and forever will be." He wants them, or us, to know that he is and and will always be. The next line is (and I am doing this without it in front of me ... just so ya know!), "and they shall be my people, and I will be their God." When we ask for, and are given a heart for him ... we renew and deepen our covenant with him. The final line says, "for they will return to me with their whole heart." Interesting it starts with the word for. It is a given that they will return. He knows, and he adds that they will return with their whole heart. If we ask for him to gift us with the desire to know him ... he will give it and we will return to him with our whole hearts. Whole hearts, when I looked it up, refered to mind, body, spirit, whole self. It refered to all of a person ... every facet. What a verse! Clearly chosen (by God for me) for a reason as I start this journey.

This evening, I sat down and a poem flowed out of my pen. I think I will close with that poem.

Seek me and
I will provide you with
the gift of desire.
For only with this gift
will your heart
yearn to know more
of me and my ways.
Accept it and know
that I am Yahweh-Elohim.
The one who is
your God
who waits for your return
from the exhile
of your own making.
You know so much of me,
but do you know me?
No, because your heart
has not the power
on its own.
Come and ask.
You will be mine,
and I will be your God
asking only for
your whole heart
in return.

Thanks for stopping by!

With prayers for God's hand in your life,

Lisa

Seeking

2009-01-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

How many e-mails do you get a day? Me, I get a fair amount. Some I read, others I skim, while others I release back into cyberspace without a second glance. (Don't worry if you are reading this blog, you can be sure that your e-mail has NEVER met that third fate. :o) Promise!) E-mails have made me laugh ... have made me cry ... have warmed my heart ... have kept me close to people that I otherwise might have lost contact with ... and on a rare occasion have shifted the course of my life and changed it. I received such an e-mail today. It had one a few sentences in it, but with a few click of my mouse, I was committing to something that I am sure will change my life forever. Curious ... you might have gotten it as well ... it said: "Also, click on the link (on the side of the page) to Beth Moore's blog - there is a scripture memory challenge she is doing this year - anyone game?" Anyone game? Memorizing? You've got to be kidding! Memorizing is not really a "game" that I am skilled in for two reasons that I have held tight to for many years now ... 1. Chemo brain. (My memory has never quite been the same since going through treatment 5 years ago.) AND 2. Age! If I live to be in my eighties, I am half-way through my life, which makes total sense because I can only remember things about half of the time! Drea has for many a study been trying to get me to memorize scripture. I know the importance of it. I know that it is what God wants ... but, it is just not something I am good at. (See reasons 1 and 2 above.)

So, today when I read the posts on Beth's blog, I was not really imagining that I would walk away from it commiting to learn a new verse or verse section evey two weeks! In fact I went there convinced that it would not move me in the slightestest ... (Refer once again to reasons 1 and 2 above ... and then add that I am not in the least a committed person when it comes to spending a great deal of time with the Lord. (OK ... so that was brutally honest, but if you know me well you know that I am not really a good liar and have thus given up really trying. Also, if this year is to really show the amazing ability of God to change hearts you should know where mine is right now.) It involves index cards ... and although Drea gets all tingly and excited at the sound of that, I really do not. It involves posting a commitment ... to commit in front of the world and then not follow through would be a living lie and I have explained how I am about lying. And then there was the whole thing about MEMORIZATION! Me? You already know the drill! And then it hit me. One quick thought that absolutely blew excuses 1 and 2 out of the water.

Two months ago I joined Coupon Sense. I will not go into great detail about it here, as much as I would like to, but I will go as far as to explain that it involves a binder with hundreds of different coupons in it. My binder is huge! How in the world does this matter you ask? It matters because when I look at the ads I know if I have a coupon for an item or not and exactly where I can find it in my binder. That is not to say that it is a book of unorganized clutter ... that it is not. But, without opening it I can tell you if I have a coupon for something and sometimes even how much it is for! I memorize them because they are important to me. (Honesty remember?) So, how could I not? How could I do anything but agree, knowing that God was most certainly watching me come to this realization, waiting to see what I would do with the knowledge. So I joined the Siesta Scripture Memory Team. It works basically like this: I have agreed to post a verse that I am commiting to memorize and meditate on the 1st and the 15th of every month on Beth's blog along with every other person who has made the commitment. I have agreed to put them on index cards and memorize them, meditate on them, and give them residence in my heart.

So, that sounds really simple right? Well, if I am going to be honest before you my sisters and friends ... which you know I will ... the problem is not so much the memorization, as was disproven above, but rather that I have not placed much importance on being actively engaged in the process of deepening my realtionship with God. Yes, I attend Bible studies. I go to church every Sunday, because I love it ... not because I am obligated to it. But I am prone to eat the seed rather than sew it for a harvest. (Last week in Bible study Beth Moore was sharing how starving people that were given seeds in Africa were tending to eat them rather than plant them ... leaving no long term benefit. She continued my drawing a parallel about how we are often so very much like those people. How we gobble up teachings instead of planting them in our lives and letting the harvest of change come.) Can't remember God's Word, but can remember your coupons? Eating seed. Make plenty of time to sew, but have not the time to even finish your Bible study? Eating seed. The bottom line truth? I have not made growing and seeking God even one of the top 10 priorities in my life, let alone the most important.

So what does one do when they openly admit that they are at a place such as this? They find it as a place to begin! This blog will be a part of my journey. It is my accountability piece. I will post my verses on the first and the 15th here as well. I will also share insights about them along the way. So please ... share this journey with me. I am sure that God will do great things!

My first verse is ...

"And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the
LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their
God: for they shall return unto me with their whole
heart."
-Jeremiah 24:7, KJV

The journey has to begin with having a heart to know Him ... I have tried to do this on my own. I have ended up eating seed! This verse sounds like a promise to me. I sure hope it is, because it is my prayer. I am going to ask that he plant this desire in my heart and let the harvest grow.
Thank you for joining me in this adventure. Pray for me. Pray for faithfulness and dedication. Thank you for allowing me to be so painfully transparent with the truths about my heart.

Lisa

Father,
Thank you for teaching me today. Thank you for being active in my life and for pursuing me, even though I should be pursuing you. Give me a heart to know you that you are the LORD and to make you the most important priority in my life. Help me to plant your Word in my heart and grow it. Give me a heart for you above all else. Speak into my life Father, I am listening.
Amen

Above all am I convinced of the need, irrevocable and inescapable, of
every human heart, for God. No matter how we try to escape, to lose
ourselves in restless seeking, we cannot separate ourselves
from our divine source. There is no substitute for God.

A. J. Cronin