Apparently the best way to be delivered from writer's block and blog silence is to be forced into a two day hostage situation with an almost two year old completely bent on commandeering the cable and subjecting you to countless episodes of Special Agent Oso, Dora the Explorer and other preschool favorites. So it happened on Sunday February 7, 2010 at 11:45pm that I realized it's been close to six months since I said anything official in cyberspace; to think there are readers actually missing my commentary is probably far too presumptuous. Nevertheless, for those of for whom this is a reality. . . read on.
In the words of the all too familiar Timbaland's intro to the late Aaliyah's "Try Again" song, it has been a LONG time and possibly I should not have left readers, but take note that I'm back!
Every once and awhile it's important to take a step back from what's comfortable, common and convenient and really seek out that which is the calling. This is what I've been doing over the last year.
Amidst Saints winning, snow trapping and almost two year old entertaining I regained my sense of focus. For the last two years I've gone through an amazing journey of self-rediscovery. I've started taking more risks (some probably think this is a terrible idea!) and am learning that naysayers are often fueled by their own personal angst and doubts. So beginning today, fueled by the belief that God has purposed my fearlessness for a reason :), I pledge to blog a few times a week... Well, at least I PLAN to!
I've been coming to grips with being a single mother in ministry. I've been coming to terms with how to live out who I am and how not to focus too much on who others want me to be or even who I envision myself to be. Along this path of rediscovery I've been blessed to have some inspiring people in my circle to encourage me to regain my focus, but above all, the power of the Holy Spirit has poured into me a new level of understanding that although this may be my journey, it's really not about me. . .
So in the coming weeks I will be blogging about this process and how God has begun a new work in me. I pray you may follow along with me in this process and that you too may find some support for your own soul.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Lessons Learned (Repost from August 24, 2006)
Matthew 24:4-13
"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no one deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But the one that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
I thank God for each of you- my fans, my supporters, those who come here to see what I'm "not" doing :) all of you are fuel to the proverbial fire the Lord is fanning in my life right now. Accordingly, I’ve decided to share some lessons learned.
"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no one deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But the one that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
I thank God for each of you- my fans, my supporters, those who come here to see what I'm "not" doing :) all of you are fuel to the proverbial fire the Lord is fanning in my life right now. Accordingly, I’ve decided to share some lessons learned.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Walking in God's Truth
"There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. I will give thanks to you, O Lord my God with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever."
Psalm 86:8-12 (NRSV)
Following a weekend filled with a mix of revelation, nostalgia and even a little angst, I sought the Holy Spirit for some comfort and closure and came to this text during my morning meditations today. It seems the psalmist may have struggled with the call to worship while navigating some experiences, perhaps even human relationships, that sought to divide, distract or even deter that innate desire to glorify God. The psalmist cries out "give me an undivided heart to revere your name," and almost immediately, with the next breath, declares "I will give thanks to you, O Lord my God with my whole heart." I would like to suggest that the ability to immediately affirm who God is to the psalmist, despite the presence of other things attempting to divide the psalmist's heart, is rooted in a lifestyle of worship and is only possible after the Lord has answered the first prayer in this passage to "teach."
In this journey of living we will find ourselves in different seasons and sometimes we may become distracted, but we must, like the psalmist, first, ask God to "teach us." The writer of Timothy takes it even a step further by suggesting that we take authority to "study to show ourselves approved." (2 Timothy 2:15) Being instructed by God and our conviction to study is not for any personal sense of accomplishment, but rather as the psalmist puts it to enable us "walk in [God's] truth;" when the Lord teaches us it equips us with tools for living. Second we must grow to the place that we are not embarrassed, ashamed or otherwise unwilling to acknowledge times when we feel our heart being divided. We can easily allow friends, family, finances, frustrations, feelings, any number of things to divide our heart's intentions. The writer of Ecclesiastes in chapter 7, verse 29, puts it this way "See, this alone I found, that God made human beings straightforward, but they have devised many schemes." Our human nature is easily compelled to be divided. Walking in God's truth however will focus us and ultimately propel us to our destined place.
Believe it, love it, live it!
Psalm 86:8-12 (NRSV)
Following a weekend filled with a mix of revelation, nostalgia and even a little angst, I sought the Holy Spirit for some comfort and closure and came to this text during my morning meditations today. It seems the psalmist may have struggled with the call to worship while navigating some experiences, perhaps even human relationships, that sought to divide, distract or even deter that innate desire to glorify God. The psalmist cries out "give me an undivided heart to revere your name," and almost immediately, with the next breath, declares "I will give thanks to you, O Lord my God with my whole heart." I would like to suggest that the ability to immediately affirm who God is to the psalmist, despite the presence of other things attempting to divide the psalmist's heart, is rooted in a lifestyle of worship and is only possible after the Lord has answered the first prayer in this passage to "teach."
In this journey of living we will find ourselves in different seasons and sometimes we may become distracted, but we must, like the psalmist, first, ask God to "teach us." The writer of Timothy takes it even a step further by suggesting that we take authority to "study to show ourselves approved." (2 Timothy 2:15) Being instructed by God and our conviction to study is not for any personal sense of accomplishment, but rather as the psalmist puts it to enable us "walk in [God's] truth;" when the Lord teaches us it equips us with tools for living. Second we must grow to the place that we are not embarrassed, ashamed or otherwise unwilling to acknowledge times when we feel our heart being divided. We can easily allow friends, family, finances, frustrations, feelings, any number of things to divide our heart's intentions. The writer of Ecclesiastes in chapter 7, verse 29, puts it this way "See, this alone I found, that God made human beings straightforward, but they have devised many schemes." Our human nature is easily compelled to be divided. Walking in God's truth however will focus us and ultimately propel us to our destined place.
Believe it, love it, live it!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Stay the Course
"But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 (NRSV)
A few weeks ago I set out on what seemed to me on the map to be a short drive to support a colleague in ministry at an out of town preaching engagement. Let me preface this story by saying that I LOVE to drive so what some may consider a long drive, to me seems like a nice time to spend in solitude, riding, thinking, even communing with God. As I set out on the drive however, I didn't take into account the driving conditions that I would encounter while driving from one metropolitan area to another, a state away, during rush hour traffic. While on the map it appeared that the drive, which was less than 120 miles, should take me no more than than three hours driving the posted speed limit; when coupled with outgoing and incoming rush hour traffic and my unfamiliarity with the twists and turns of the trip, the journey took me closer to four hours to reach my destination. Yet I chose to persist to stay the course, even when I realized that the drive would take longer than anticipated, that I would likely arrive later than planned and would probably even become weary for the drive because I'd purposed in my heart that the staying the course was more fulfilling than abandoning the journey.
Where we are and where God has destined for us to be are quite likely not even remotely near one another. The journey may oftentimes be flooded with uncertainties, necessary modifications to the "planned" route, and even occasional, unanticipated disappointments and painful failures. Be not dismayed though, if you have faith in the One who sees the complete plan for your life, you should be encouraged to stay the course.
Believe it, love it, live it!
Acts 20:24 (NRSV)
A few weeks ago I set out on what seemed to me on the map to be a short drive to support a colleague in ministry at an out of town preaching engagement. Let me preface this story by saying that I LOVE to drive so what some may consider a long drive, to me seems like a nice time to spend in solitude, riding, thinking, even communing with God. As I set out on the drive however, I didn't take into account the driving conditions that I would encounter while driving from one metropolitan area to another, a state away, during rush hour traffic. While on the map it appeared that the drive, which was less than 120 miles, should take me no more than than three hours driving the posted speed limit; when coupled with outgoing and incoming rush hour traffic and my unfamiliarity with the twists and turns of the trip, the journey took me closer to four hours to reach my destination. Yet I chose to persist to stay the course, even when I realized that the drive would take longer than anticipated, that I would likely arrive later than planned and would probably even become weary for the drive because I'd purposed in my heart that the staying the course was more fulfilling than abandoning the journey.
Where we are and where God has destined for us to be are quite likely not even remotely near one another. The journey may oftentimes be flooded with uncertainties, necessary modifications to the "planned" route, and even occasional, unanticipated disappointments and painful failures. Be not dismayed though, if you have faith in the One who sees the complete plan for your life, you should be encouraged to stay the course.
Believe it, love it, live it!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Why Cry?
I don't know why, it probably shouldn't be the case, but everytime I hear this song I cry.
I mean, not simply a little tear or two streaming down the side of my face in response to being touched by something profound or out of the norm way, but I mean CRY like I'm losing one of my favorite people in the world kind of crying.
For many who know me, I'm not big on crying, especially not public crying. With the exception of that monthly Eve season that makes me susceptible to any number of unanticipated emotional expressions, I'm generally a fairly balanced individual.
Yet, whenever this song comes on, I stop what I'm doing, listen to it and as soon as the and final verse begins the tear ducts begin pouring forth a terrible flow of seemingly unstoppable tears. The song is "Walking Her Home" by Mark Schultz. Click here for the lyrics for those who've never heard the song.
What do you think it could be that illicits such a response? Have you also found yourself in tears after listening to it? What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them! Talk back to me!
I mean, not simply a little tear or two streaming down the side of my face in response to being touched by something profound or out of the norm way, but I mean CRY like I'm losing one of my favorite people in the world kind of crying.
For many who know me, I'm not big on crying, especially not public crying. With the exception of that monthly Eve season that makes me susceptible to any number of unanticipated emotional expressions, I'm generally a fairly balanced individual.
Yet, whenever this song comes on, I stop what I'm doing, listen to it and as soon as the and final verse begins the tear ducts begin pouring forth a terrible flow of seemingly unstoppable tears. The song is "Walking Her Home" by Mark Schultz. Click here for the lyrics for those who've never heard the song.
What do you think it could be that illicits such a response? Have you also found yourself in tears after listening to it? What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them! Talk back to me!
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