in the word wednesday

“Katy girl…as you continue to release, trusting in Him completely, you will be utterly amazed at what He will do with and through you.  You remind me of Esther. She waited, studied, questioned as she allowed herself to be prepared. When/As she walked into her destiny she gave all, trusting completely in God fully aware that even her life was at stake.  She allowed herself to be completely vulnerable and exposed…for such a time as this.  God will lead you to the very place He is even now preparing you for.”

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16

Words stay with me.  Long after they have been spoken or written I carry them along.  Sometimes I really need to learn how to hit the delete button faster, but other times the words carry God-weighted goodness. The words above I’ve held in my heart for well over a year and still have the cute card.  God whispered words encouraging me along the way to trust, let go of the masks, and embrace the adventure even with the risks.  Whereas, the verse above is one that I am carrying, mulling it over, pondering it, holding it in my heart just since last week.  When it was spoken, I didn’t recognize the context and didn’t fully see the implication.

After reading Matthew 10, I held my breath.  Jesus called them each by name. Gave them a charge to go to the lost sheep.  Sent them among the wolves.  Gave them power to heal, cleanse, raise the dead, and cast out demons.  To freely give because they had freely received.  To love much because they had been forgiven much.  To endure to the end even while others hate them because of His name’s sake.  To remember how valuable they are and that God will take care of them.  To take up their cross.  To give to the little ones.  To teach and preach and be like the Teacher. To speak what is given to them by the Spirit of the Father.

With the verse came the charge and the  confidence that the armor (Ephesians 6) has been given for me to wear into this battle.  To be like Esther knowing full well that lives are at stake–not just mine–but to trust and walk forward in obedience confidently with Him.  While knowing that He has a purpose for such a time as this as well a time for preparation and becoming…wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.

 

 

“They Will Run and Not Grow Weary”

Remember when there were arcades in malls? Or maybe you’ve recently been to Dave and Busters? Playing all the fun games like skeeball, Crusin’ the USA, and dance dance revolution. Every once in a while I even played Whack a Mole.  Constantly hitting those moles to make them go back down into their holes.  Over and over and over and over and over.  By the time I finally got one “under control” another would pop up….can I say over and over and over again?

I keep hitting. They keep coming up.  That’s when I get tired. I grow weary. I feel overwhelmed. I focus on how I’m failing instead of how far I’ve come. I wonder if I can keep this up. I try to tackle sin. I try to buckle down and keep pressing on toward the goal. And right there, in the midst of all my striving His gentle whisper reminds me…

So, at the end of the day, I rest in that…being obedient to the Holy Spirit so that He can do a work in my heart and transform me to be more like Him. He gets ALL the glory. I just need to lean into Him and find that His yoke is easy.

How are you doing today? Feeling weary? I would love to pray for you or just hear from you.

Memory Memo

John 3:8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

This is the verse I’m mulling over in my head this week.  I pull it out at the gym while on the bike.  I use it as a book marker for The Poisonwood Bible (I’m finally reading it!).  I ponder it in between car rides when I’m not jamming out to some tunes (“More Like Falling in Love” by Jason Gray).  I’m letting it sink in and settle it’s way down.

But, now I’m asking you, friend, what do you think of the verse? What’s God telling you through it and what insights have you gained from it? Practical, tangible, vague, undeveloped, hearty, any of the above or any other.  Or on the flip side, are you memorizing any verses now? What about those? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you.

Soul Cravings, Part 3

“I am not who I want to be, but I am on the journey there, and thankfully I am not whom I used to be.”

“Let him change you at your core, then let your passions fuel your life.”

I am so thankful for the changes that God has worked in my life already and wait in expectation for Him to continue to work in my life.  I have a LONG way to go.  But, more than anything, I want to become the best that I can.  I want to give everything.  Give it all to Him.  I pray that as I prepare to leave, leave, and arrive in South Africa that I would continue to let Him change me, mold me, and form me into a better person for all of the things to come.

“The reason your heart leaps when you see greatness is that your spirit is drawn to it.  The reason we can experience the vicarious exhilaration of a great victory or an amazing accomplishment is that the human spirit resonates with greatness.”

This resonates so deeply in my soul.  I am reminded of Ayn Rand’s books and her gift in masterfully portraying the need, the desire for greatness.  For as with above, God wants greatness.  He wants us spur us on toward living and excelling within our gifts, abilities and strengths.  “Only God can take you where you were born to go.”

Celebration Pancakes!

I officially have signed on the dotted line, paid the deposit and received a set of keys!  Beginning Tuesday, I can start moving my stuff in 🙂   We had our first official “Family Dinner” at Amy’s after we got the keys and of course it was breakfast! Yum.  I love breakfast food and love pancakes with peanut butter even more.

Unfortunately, the camping trip was cancelled due to rain; however, we made the best of the situation by having a movie night and then walking around Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet today.  Lots of fun!  Walking and talking and yummy food.  Plus, we watched “Into the Wild”–love it!!  I’m already ready to watch the movie again, that’s how much I liked it.

Memorable quotes from the movie and book (I REALLY want to read the book now!):

“When you forgive, you love.  And when you love, God’s light shines upon you.” -Mr. Franz

“When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it.” -Christopher

“Happiness is only real when shared.” -Christopher

“You don’t need human relationships to be happy.  God has placed it all around us.” -Christopher

“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it…I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic.  I thought climbing the Devils Thumb would fix all that was wrong with my life.  In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing.  But I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams.  And I lived to tell my tale.” -Jon Krakauer

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.  The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.  The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon for each day to have a new and different sun.” -Christopher