A time to pack…

“They accepted the offer.” The words felt like a glass of cold water thrown in my face. Not because they where cruel, but because they where unexpected and shocking. Our house has been on the market for just a little over a year now, and in one day, BOOM, we have a buyer. My mind can’t catch up with reality that fast. For the last months I have steeled my hopes in the reality that we may never move. Now it is suddenly upon us.

Where do I start? So much to pack. So many unknowns. So many things could possibly go wrong. So many changes. How will this all play out. Timing. Circumstances. Details. So. Many. Things. To. Do.

“When the kings order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the kings palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem.” Esther 2:8

Esther’s opportunity and justification for fear was off the charts. So much to pack. So many unknowns. So many things could possibly go wrong. So many changes. How will this all play out. Timing. Circumstances. Details…

Yet we see that fear did not take over. As she walked out her purpose, her “for such as a time as this”, she “won the favor of all who saw her.” She faced her fears, rested in her purpose and in the God she had been chosen by.  In this humility we see God was able to direct, He was able to lead in not only the absolutely difficult but in the profound and awe inspiring.

May we face the difficult tasks before us not with crippling fear but with peace, security and trust in the one who has chosen the path before us. He is faithful in all He calls us to do and be.

Early Rest

The sun begins to peek its happy warm glow through my thin paned windows, the sound of coffee drips and fills the morning air with awakening aroma, I can hear the kids slowly drag their heavy feet down the creaky wooden staircase.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

These are the words that my Father breathes into me this morning. Filling my soul with fresh air. He rushes in, where weariness quickly meets disappointment and pain. Lifting the burden just as it attempts to lean heavily upon my shoulders.

May we seek out the rest He longs to give our weary hearts, early in the morning.

 

Grace

Grace:

It awakens new in the morning

It sings with Joys, melody

It envelopes the painful edges of weakness

It pushes forward towards victory

It delights with in the broken

It satisfies deeply the humble

It strengthens the impossible

It draws truth from the darkness

It presents a glorious solution

It awakens again, new in the morning

The rubble Life.

Over seven years ago now I sat next to Jon at a table in a small lawyers office signing my name here… here… here… here… on a stack of documents that made us first time home buyers. Tickled pink about the prospects of transforming the rooms of our new home into what I could see in my minds eye, I was giddy and excited. The only pink on Jon’s mind was the pink carpet that had to be ripped up before anything was moved from the U-Haul to the inside of our new home.

Boxes stored in separate rooms of the house we began our renovations. Knocking down walls, removing the goose wallpaper and pink carpet, we spent several months, painting, fixing, replacing, rebuilding, swallowing lots of ibuprofen to ease the ache of our muscles, and daily collapsed onto the mattress which was still on the floor every evening when we could do no more.

“What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their walls? Will they offer sacrifice’s? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble – burned as they are?” Nehemiah 4:2

As we walk out renovations, repairs and or the new additions of our lives, all of it will never go unnoticed by the enemy. He is quick to come in with his hands filled with pointed discouragement. Targeting our vulnerability  weariness has created.

With a paintbrush or sledge hammer in one hand and the sword of Truth in the other we press in.

In Him we are strong! We will give Him glory in our sacrifice! We will trust Him! He IS the giver of LIFE… these burned and broken places WILL be brought to LIFE by His power and for His glory!

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I will praise Him.” Psalms 28:7

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lords; on them He has set the world. He will guard the feet of His faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.” 1 Samuel 2:6-9

As we walk out in newness, may we be encouraged by the truth of who we are in Him. His love will keep us. In Him there is no fear!

Yahweh-Rohi

“This is what God the Lord says – the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people and life to those who walk on it:

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.”

Isaiah 42:5,6 NIV

Accumulo gentleness

Cozy, I sit cross legged with my laptop perched on top of a pillow in front of me. The skies are darkened with clouds, but releasing enough light to keep me in that perpetual state of craving a nap instead of making any attempts of accomplishment!

It is in the stillness of the clouded, soft light, my heart is quickened by the Gentleness of my Father.

When things around me grow harsh, when moments seem too sharp for my heart, when the questions of my mind become too demanding. He comes like the clouds. He hovers close and slows the beat of my heart. His Gentleness surrounds me and produces the stillness my heart needs.

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:5

As we take time to bask in His surrounding, indwelling, stilling, Gentleness, it will quickly become who we are, and without effort it is made evident to all. To acquire it involves basking in it! The simplicity of achieving Gentleness is gentle in and of itself!

May His gentleness be evident in the way we lead ourselves and how we live each of our moments.

A Pinefull Reminder

Sitting below the towering pines, the setting sun slowly immerses the long slender needles in gold. Exchanging the foreshadowed Christmas colors of green for a moment of heavens foretold golden Glory.

A baby who came in fragile simplicity, with the fullness of the story already written in the heart and mind of the Father.

Walking a path of pain, suffering and rejection for the hope set before Him. A true hope, seen clearly in the mind and heart of the Father.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 niv

As I sit and watch the glorious gold fade from the tips of the pines, now exchanged with deep, long shadows, I cling to this reminder.

Todays colors may not be the colors I would have chosen or anticipated, but I am His handiwork, He has chosen the colors. I have been created in the mind and heart of my Father. I will trust.

My heart yearns for only the colors seen in that quick glimps of sunset glory, yet I was created for purpose here and now. A purpose my Father had on His mind and heart long before my arrival. I will seek.

The shadows quickly revealing the darkness that surrounds, yet through the purpose of Good works He has set before me, His Light will not be overcome. I am His, fully loved in the mind and heart of my Father. I will follow.

“After He has suffered he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:11 niv

Through the “light of life” Jesus received, we now share in the Joy of His handiwork, the Goodness of His purpose, and the Victory of His story.

May we find delight to be formed and found in the heart and mind of our Father. And may we walk fully in our purpose, towards the Light of Life that will one day fully satisfy!

 

Dont be a Shrinker

Sultry South Carolina is the homiest place my children know or remember. We arrived in South Carolina from the Philippines over eight years ago now.

Originally an Alaskan, I find it amusing when the temperatures drop and my kids are required to don warm coats and extra layers. The protest is equal among them. “I can’t even move my arms and legs.” “It feels like I am trapped, these clothes make me so claustrophobic.” “Why can’t I just wear shorts and t-shirt and we just turn the heat up higher?” As if the protective layers hinder life instead of increase its value.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV

Daily I truly desire to be dressed fully in the armor of God. To stand tall with its shininess reflecting the light of the sun! Truth is… often I feel claustrophobic in it. Often after putting on the things of the Lord and I quickly digress to complaints because it feels so uncomfortable.

This morning as I longed to sit around in my more comfortable clothing, the Lord reminded me in Revelations, that the people “triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” 12:11

They did not love their lives so much as to shrink…

As a mom, I desire that my kids not demand their comfort of tropical clothes and refuse to dress appropriately, inviting upon themselves unnecessary sickness and real discomfort during the cold months.

Our Father knows His ways are not our ways, and that we often struggle with this truth. His Love for us is so much greater than our continual distraction and pursuit of comfort. He continues to pursue us regardless of our weakness, because of His deep desire for our wholeness, and true comfort.

Truth is, the more we move and have our being inside the full armor of God, the more agility we find we actually have. The more we walk in His armor we discover the “restrictiveness” of God, is actually a greater freedom to live Life more fully.

May our hearts not love this life so much that we shrink back from dying to ourselves, and forfeit His Goodness for lesser things.

The Allured

Whip cream slips over the brim of my coffee cup. With unmatched speed I slurp it up! No whipped deliciousness will go to waste. Not on my watch! I don’t usually have whipped cream on my coffee, but the jolly Christmas décor creates a logical excuse for spoonful’s of extravagant whipped goodness.

Outside my window I can hear the two girls creating their outside home. Leaves formed into dishes. “The fire place has to be here, this is the kitchen”. They overflow with creativity, and deeply enjoy each other.

Chicken and rice bake slowly in the oven. The smell produced, gently wanders throughout the house. As I step back inside the front door I am greeted by its cozy, comforting aroma.

These are the things I purpose to notice.

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” Hosea 2:14 niv

   Like Martha I am so quickly draw up with business. I am quickly consumed with all the demands and necessities. And “with unmatched speed” I begin to sink within my self. Disappointment’s grow with each passing moment. The heaviness outweighs the beauty seen in the miraculous tiny moments. Expectations began replacing the peace of truth.

So I’ve stopped in my tracks. I listen to Him as He gently speaks. I am overcome with His Love and Patience. I am washed in His quiet. My soul is stilled.

Standing in the difficult, served moments of disappointment, exhausted by never ending demands… I purpose to let Him allure me away!

Stilled by Him, I smile at my rebellious whip cream. I notice the gift within the hearts of my beautiful daughters just outside my window. I am filled with gratitude for the warmth and comfort of a delicious home cooked meal.

May we purpose to follow His gentle alluring whispers!

The growing fire of obedience.

Back in the day when I was small and my family was still small, I only had eight siblings at the time, our family lived in a tiny two bedroom apartment. The apartment was on the second level directly above a Laundromat in Homer, Alaska. The nice part of living above a Laundromat was that my mom could do ten loads of laundry all at once, and with a gargantuan family this was an amazing time saver.

On one particular laundry day I remember her running back and forth from down stairs in the Laundromat to our upstairs apartment as she was switching out the clothes from washers to the dryers. In between her trips to switch the laundry she was also working on a very large delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies. Finishing up the cookie dough she put the giant bowl into the fridge, then headed down stairs to take the laundry out of the dryers.

Now understand, all nine of us kids, (well maybe not the babies, so seven or so of us) knew very well that the folding part would be the longest stretch of her absence. So… individually we found our selves enjoying delicious spoonful’s of chocolate chip cookie dough. We tried to keep it hidden from each other, but found the urge to keep going back for just one more spoonful irresistible.

Later when my mom returned with her mountains of folded laundry, weary from the hard work, she soon discovered that the entire giant bowl of dough was completely gone.

When she interrogated us, searching for the culprits, all of us confessed to only having a few bites, nothing worthy of punishment in our minds. The part we did not factor in was that with all of us taking a few (gargantuan) bites we polished off the entire bowl in record time.

The lesson learned; don’t put cookie dough in the fridge.

When Moses approached the burning bush the Lord spoke to him, He told him He was sending him to bring the Israelites out of captivity. And then He says, “I will be with you. And this will be a sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Exodus 3:12

The Lord asks Moses for his obedience and then says I will be with you and I will prove it when you have obeyed and we meet back here.

Moses is faithful and obedient to do as the Lord asks him, the people are indeed set free, and we find Moses back on the same mountain with God speaking again. ” You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”. Exodus 19:4-6

The first time Moses meets God, a bush is on fire. The second time He meets him in the same spot the entire mountain is ablaze and the Lord is in Hot pursuit of a deep relationship with His people thru their obedience!! Go check it out in Exodus 19.

Scene two, on the same mountain, we see that Moses’ obedience from scene one has opened the door for much deeper level of relationship with God. The Lords passion is evident in His Covenant of Love for the people, and it is visible in the increase of Fire!!!

Just as a few bites of cookie dough from each of us added up much quicker than we anticipated, faithful moments of obedience produces an increase with the Father we can not anticipate!!

May our faithful obedience from moments of burning shrubbery, turn into mountains of Fire with the One in pursuit of our hearts.