In our family we love to laugh. Thought I’d share a giggle with you!
Who’da thunk it?! July 8, 2008
In my family bad choices have been the norm. The history of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, violence, illicit and illegal behavior reaches back for generations.
That being the case it was no surprise to find me pregnant at 17 years old. I can’t even say pregnancy was new territory for me, it wasn’t. The choice to carry to full term, however, was.
On my 18th birthday, bulging with child, my mom took me out to dinner. Afterward we visited the area she lived in when she was pregnant with me – including a stop at the bar she was hanging out in the night she went into labor.
She recognized lots of people, still hanging out in the same place only 18 years later they were there with their grown children. Living the same kind of life. Not much had changed, except my mom, who had been free from an alcohol & drug addiction for close to 15 years, and filled with the love of Jesus for slightly less time than that.
I wish I could say that my mom’s turn around instantaneously broke the behavior patterns established in our family line, but that’d be a lie.
I lost my oldest son’s early (formative) years in a haze of selfishness & drunkenness. It would be several years – seven at least – before I would start to make the same kind of turn around.
That being the case, I lived in dread of the teen years, anticipating a child who would behave like I did. My oldest son is now 17 years old. It is nothing but a testament to God’s grace and mercy that he is nothing like I was.
He is NOT a drunk, a rebel, a druggie, nor is he propagating the human race.
In fact, he has just come back from his second missionary trip, where he made himself available to be used by God in miraculous ways. He has a clear grasp on God’s plans for his carreer. He is a Jesus freak, Living the adventurous life of following after Him. And, last Sunday he joined the worship team at our church.
We have an incredible worship team, overflowing with natural talent & covered by God’s anointing power to minister through music. I have been privileged to be part of this team for a few months now, but last Sunday night I was overcome with gratitude.
Holy Spirit was there, it was a powerful time of soaking in God’s presence. From stage left, I looked over & saw my son, on his knees, strumming his guitar, lavishing his love upon the “Daddy” whose love has so impacted my sons life.
Man… there just aren’t words enough to express the joy that moment brought. My heart is full.
Our boy is about to launch out on his own, but he’s ready. He knows where he’s headed, how to find true North, and in the wild-ness of life – he’s got a compass, a map & the ability to read them both. What more can a parent ask for?
And we’ve only got 2 more kids to see this with.
Faithful July 7, 2008
In our community group last week we were discussing how God will permit times of sifting & trial in order to bring about His perfect will, in accordance with the bigger picture.
Take Joseph – the big dreamer - for example. All but the youngest of his family, his dreams of being in a position of authority over his older brothers was a cultural impossibility. His brothers, not so keen on the idea of bowing to their little bro decide to take matters into their own hands – at least that is what they thought!
The course of events those boys spun into motion were the precise things God had accounted for when He gave Joseph those dreams. Little did Joseph know that it would take many years, suffering tremendous injustice, before he would see those dreams come to pass.
We don’t know if Jospeh questioned his dream (too much cous-cous perhaps?). What we do know is that he chose to remain faithful to God, never cast accusation against His character & continued to act righteously – even when it seemed to be bringing him further trial.
In the end we see that God had a bigger picture in mind, and without the trials and suffering Joseph would not have been able to save his family – the very family our beloved saviour hails from.
All of our lives, in every season & circumstance, God can be trusted. We have a reason to worship.
Be encouraged today!
The Measure of Love – What a Gift! June 28, 2008
I burned enough brain cells back in the day to be a contender for the “Brain Dead of the Year” award, so I get excited when the gray matter fires up & produces a “deeper than surface” thought.
Here is my “deeper than surface” thought for the day: Jesus is the measure of true love.
I read Colossians 1:20 – 22 this morning. I am reading the Amplified version this year, but when a verse or section jumps out at me I’ll read it in several different translations to try & get every nuance of meaning out of it I can.
Below is the Amplified version with snippets from The Message in parenthasis for emphasis.
20 And God purposed that through Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, (all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed… all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross - msg) as through Him (Jesus), [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross.
21(You yourselves are a case study of what he does – msg) And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities, (you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him… – msg)
22 Yet now Christ, the Messiah has reconciled you to God in the body of His flesh through death (by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you – msg), in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father's] presence. (Christ put your lives together, making you whole and holy in his presence. – msg)
********************
I am a broken person – my own bad behavior and the bad behavior of others has left me wounded, twisted, and what we in modern day America like to call dysfunctional.
I have been hostile toward God, acting wickedly and rebelling against Him. I have been an enemy to His kingdom – proclaiming as truth things that lead to the destruction and bondage of others, opening doors that led to dark places…
Yet now Christ has: reconciled me to my Heavenly Daddy, presenting me to Him as faultless. Having restored and properly fixed those broken & twisted placed, He declares me to be irreproachable, whole and holy. Not only permitted – but welcomed into His presence!
He has ravished my heart with His love. His example is what I am striving to follow. You see, I am selfish – especially in the way I love others. Shocking admission, I know! I love people according to how I feel, and I act on how convenient it is for me in the moment, often times with self-serving motives (how will this benefit me in the long run…). OUCH!
While these things are an ugly, but honest evaluation of where I am, I love the way The Message closes this section out:
“You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted.”
I can not turn my back on such a gift, I will continue to pursue a life of love. Loving Him & pouring His Love out to those around me.
Make it real… June 26, 2008
So, I’m reading my bible this morning & came across this:
Ephesians 4:15 “Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).”
I kind of got hung up on the phrase: “enfolded in love” – it evokes images of being embraced, protected, cherished, adored…
I think sometimes we forfeit genuine love for a false sense of peace. It can be stressful to speak truth to people – especially when the truth is not what they want to hear, but isn’t that what love does?
Love doesn’t allow me to remain sick and twisted, but gently points out those areas that need mending and shows me how to change in order to promote healthy growth.
Love is a catalyst – it causes us to respond. In this case it is the motivator for me to become more like Him. Lovingly expressing truth to those around me – what a concept.
This is my prayer today: jesus, cause your love to break beyond “theory” and into tangible reality today. Cause me to be so saturated with your love that I can’t help but to love the ones you have placed around me. Show me how to love them in truth.
