The results of an obsession with Amazon…

I have a small obsession with ordering books off of Amazon and received one of my recent orders in the mail today. Upon receipt, my entire schedule changed for the night. If one was to look at my worn out, chicken scratched pocket calendar, you’d see the word “WRITE” scribbled on today’s date. I blocked off the night to wrap up a few of the stories that have been rolling around in my head and in my pc, but couldn’t seem to get my eyes to pull away from the pages of my new book. Just what book? Frank Bartleman’s Azusa Street. It tells the story of the revival that happened in California in the early 1900s. Men and women started meeting together, crying out day and night for revival, for God to move among them, and He came in power. I’m blown away and challenged to seek Christ in such a greater measure.

Needless to say, I don’t have anything fantastic to write….all I can think about is the fact that I’ve barely scratched the surface of knowing the fullness of God. If you feel this same way, the exciting thing is that every day we get to dive deeper into the heart of God. What a joy! Dive dive dive!

Blessings, Grace, & Love to you Today!

Watching the welder…

Lacing up my steel-toed boots, I sat thinking about how a 20-year-old woman lands a summer job at a welding factory. I began to wonder why I didn’t think of becoming a lifeguard or at least do something that promoted getting a tan. My job search had been going since the spring, as I was facing coming home from school after my sophomore year of college with no cash and a whole lot of student loans. Through a variety of random circumstances I was “given the opportunity” to work at the welding factory. I had no idea how to weld, which worked out just fine for me because I was hired as the “manufacturing engineering intern.” Wait, I had no idea about anything to do with engineering either. (My major in college was mass communications.)

 

 As I stepped out of my car, bagged lunch in hand, I felt a bit uneasy as I approached the white tin building for the first time. A factory whistle shouted out the start of the day and I hurried into the office to find someone to give me some directions or, I prayed, let me go before I even started. I was officially way over my head. I was taken to a cubicle and given a stack of papers detailing who knows what… it just looked like a bunch of numbers to me. A thin yellow highlighter was thrust in my face along with some instructions I listened to, but didn’t hear. And I began to tear up. How in the world was I going to make it in this place for a whole summer?

 

Three o’clock couldn’t come sooner that day and I ran to my car and pulled away from that awful, terrible prison they called a factory and sped home. Tears rolled down my cheeks before I even reached the front door of my home. I officially hated my job. And I was officially quitting. Pouring my heart out to my parents, I had myself convinced they’d understand the terrible circumstances they had just sent their baby into and insist that I quit and stay home. Umm, no. I got something like “you’re going to get up tomorrow and go back because you’re not a quitter.” And something else about “blah blah blah, you can’t judge a book by its cover… Blah blah blah you have to give it more than a day.”

 

The next day my spine cringed as the alarm woke me up at 5:30 am. Really, who needs tractor cabs welded together quite so early? I headed to work with the same expectation of getting handed a stack of papers with random, meaningless numbers. To my surprise, this morning was completely different. I was met at my cubicle by a skinny welder-turned-engineer who told me I was going with him to the shop floor to start writing manuals. I grabbed my NASCAR brand safety glasses provided to me by the factory and followed along.

 

As we made our way down the stair well and through the factory I could feel the temperatures rise from the office’s frigid, air-conditioned 65 degrees to at least over 100 degrees by the time our feet hit the shop floor. (I would eventually learn that the shop averaged around 90-100 degrees in the summer and would even make it up to 120 degrees during hot July days.) Passing through the small, neat and tidy “engineering” section of the shop we continued our walk through the remaining, dirty majority of the factory.

 

We immediately headed to a homemade ear plug dispenser, welded together to hold the variety of foam ear plugs available to all the employees, at the start of the shop floor. “Pick out the smallest earplugs in the bin!” my welder-turned-engineer boss yelled out to me over the hum of heavy machinery. Quickly, I opened the package of bright yellow foam ear plugs, squished them together as instructed, and stuffed them in my ears.

 

A few more steps into the factory and we had surprisingly made it to our weld station. I was introduced to a very annoyed-looking welder, given a dying laptop, large digital camera, and make shift table, and was told to start writing a manual on the doors the man was building. My boss returned to his office and I was left alone on the shop floor – just me and the welders.

 

As the summer went on, I began to develop friendships with the guys on the shop floor. They were very helpful as I moved from station to station writing all types of manuals on everything from doors to roll bars to tractor cabs. One thing I learned and was told throughout each manual I wrote was to look away from the actual weld that was taking place when I didn’t have a weld helmet on. If a person looked directly at the weld arch without a helmet, it would burn his or her eyes. Now if you’re like me, when someone says ‘don’t look’ or you ‘can’t look at something unless’ – I tend to want to find out what the “unless” part is and take a look.

 

Toward the middle of the summer the welders found an unused weld helmet for me and brought it to my current work station. I remember it was just before lunch time when I grabbed the helmet, placed the weld shield in front of my eyes and got to see someone weld for the first time. It was beautiful! Never before had a seen this thing that I had been writing about for months. I began to realize that this whole thing called welding was less of a formulaic process, and more of an art. It was a whole new experience and I remember thinking that I felt better finally learning about what the welders looked at throughout their day. It was like they had a secret and finally I got to see it for myself.

 

The noon whistle shouted and everyone began to prepare for lunch. I quickly walked through the entire factory, greeting everyone I passed (as good Christians do, or so was my thought) and made it back to the office where I could sit in the air conditioning and eat my lean cuisine. That day was a great day, I remember thinking. My manual writing was going well, I got along with the welders, finally loved my job, and saw my first weld. The water trickled on my hands as I finished washing up to prepare my food when I looked up in the mirror. On my forehead was a huge, black oil streak – no doubt given to me by the new weld helmet. “Now,” I thought to myself “I’m really becoming a welder.”

 

Sometimes I think our spiritual life is like my experience in the welding factory. (That may be a stretch, but keep tracking with me.) We can be around spiritual activity, even to the point where we could write manuals on it. We know the step by step process. We can watch and see the people getting really close to the hot flame of the Spirit and almost think we can get what they have just by being close to them. What I’ve come to learn is that even though being around spiritual people may help push me closer to the Lord, I am the only one that is responsible for how close I get to the flame of the Spirit. I am the only one that can place a helmet on my own head, (get to an intimate, secret place with Him), and determine to gaze as long as I can at the flame of the Holy Spirit. Just like in the factory, someone gave me a helmet, but I was the only one who could choose to put it on and look at the weld arch. Someone can tell you about intimacy with Jesus, about times away with the Lord, but it is up to you to choose to take a look at that unseen thing for yourself.

 

Here’s the thing: the promise is that once you put the helmet on, you will be changed. Once you begin to meet with the King of Kings you will become marked, just as I did when I realized oil was on my forehead from the welder’s helmet. As you spend time looking at the flame of the Spirit, I promise you that God will begin to anoint you, to woo you, to draw you in a greater measure. He will lead you and speak tenderly to you, just as he did to the woman in Hosea. It’s how he works. You go into his presence and you leave marked, anointed, and filled-up. And one thing you’ll find is that just like welding, meeting with the Lord is less of a formula and more of an “art.” Meeting with Jesus is falling in love over and over and over.

 

So my challenge today is to do whatever you can to put that helmet on – get to the secret place where you see the Lord – and gaze upon Him, the unseen King.

 

Be so blessed today. You are loved and highly favored.

The Tiny Lady

“It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the cream of the fight; Risin’ up to the challenge of our rival; And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night; And he’s watchin’ us all in the EYYYYYYE of the tiger.” We began our night watching the aging rock band play their hearts out and perform their greatest hit to a sprinkle of fans at the Red River Valley Fair. A group of friends and I decided it was worth going to see the long haired group after learning they were behind the hit song. We enjoyed the song & then left, deciding to wander through the fair for a little while longer. Purposely avoiding the fried dessert stands in an attempt to maintain our waistlines, (fyi – if you haven’t had deep fried cheesecake you are missing out!) we ventured in to the midway to see if we could find anything fun to do.

 

As we walked around, we discovered that this year’s fair was plain old bizarre. They had crazy carnie games where the player had to toss a plastic ring around a floating goose decoy’s neck to win the prize of a real, living-and-breathing bunny rabbit; creepy clowns smoking cigarettes hollered insults to lure people to pitch a baseball at the dunk tank; and all around the midway were exhibits to come see the world’s smallest horse, or the only woman with the body of a snake, or the world’s tiniest woman.

 

One by one I noticed people exiting the “tiniest woman” tent, talking about how this person was real and that she truly was pretty tiny. Apparently the tiny woman sat behind a small wall made of painted plywood and all you needed to do was pay a dollar, round the corner, and catch a glimpse of the woman. My heart instantly went out to this woman and I was filled with compassion. I couldn’t imagine being gawked at or pointed and laughed at day in and day out. I wanted her to know that she was made for more than to be an included feature in a carnival and that God had a great plan for her life. So, I paid a dollar, walked into the tent and rounded the corner to see the woman.

 

Instantly my friends and I could see that the woman was sweet and beautiful and deserved so much more than to sit on a little chair as an exhibit. I bent over, becoming eye level with the tiny woman, said hello, and began to tell her how much the Lord loved her and had a plan for her. After sharing the Lord’s love for her I wrapped it up and waited for some response. With a blank stare, but a large smile, she began to point to something next to her. My eyes quickly moved in that direction until they met up with what the woman was pointing to. A small, cheap looking picture frame held a sign that read “Hello. My name is Lillian. I am from Haiti. I only speak Haitian.” My friends and I smiled, waved good bye, and walked out of the tent knowing she hadn’t understood a word.

 

I instantly felt disappointed as we exited the small tent, wishing with all my heart that I knew Haitian or at least how to say a few things in Haitian so Lillian could understand the message the Lord had for her. I began to pray that the Lord would put someone in her life that speaks her language, even if she is an exhibit for fairs only in the Midwest. 

 

As I kicked the dusty ground and listened to the echoes of the carnies calling to fair-goers to play their games, the Lord began to speak to my heart. I may not speak Haitian, but he has placed me in different situations where he has allowed me to develop a “language.” As children of God, we’re placed in different environments – welding factories, hospitals, banks, engineering firms, construction companies, retail stores, farms, etc. etc. – where we develop a language that others outside that place may not understand. We’re given acronyms, terminologies, and slang that may mean nothing to anyone else but those who are in the same environment as us. It’s in those environments that we can share the love of God because we have a common language with those around us. We can use everything the Lord has given us to bring and declare His kingdom in our workplaces, homes, and the places where we find ourselves going to over and over.

 

Joshua 1:3 says “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.” I believe that as Christians, we can begin to use the language the Lord has allowed us to develop in order to bring His love & His kingdom to the places where our soles tread. It may mean stepping out and sharing the love of God with your co-worker or it may mean beginning to declare the promises of God wherever you are… (The Holy Spirit will tell you as you seek Him.)

 

So my challenge to you today is to begin to recognize the “languages” the Lord has given you and to allow the Lord to speak His love and His kingdom through you. Be encouraged that the Lord has a divine plan for you and will use you in mighty ways as you seek Him.

Be blessed!

Spend it!

I had calculated it out and the number came to approximately 6.57. That was the number of Starbucks tall skinny caramel macchiatos I could purchase with my brand-spanking-new gift card. I had just gotten it in the mail as a thank you from a friend and was beyond excited. I’ve been hooked on Starbucks macchiatos since January 2005 when my wonderful friend introduced me to them after staying up ridiculously late at a college ministry conference. There’s nothing like a macchiato on a sleepy morning…or on a coffee date with a friend…or when sitting and reading…or on a long road trip. Really, I’ve had a macchiato in my hand for many, many memories the last few years so my new gift card was a perfect thank you. After opening the card, I tucked it away in my little green bag and went about my work.

 

My day was filled with joy. Not only was it a good day in general, but I mean, come on, 6.57 caramel macchiatos just waiting for me! I began plotting the next morning’s activities (which happened to now include a stop at Starbucks) as I was driving home from work when I suddenly realized I had to get a car wash. I had prepaid for the wash a week before and the code was only good for a final few more hours. I pulled into the wash, flipped my car into neutral, and watched the large automated dish rags slap one after another on my windshield and car doors. As I slowly approached the end of the car wash I noticed a young man step out and grab a few towels to dry my car. I knew I hadn’t paid for the service, after all I usually select the cheapest car wash possible, so I wasn’t sure if this poor man was confused or if I chose the wrong code. As I pulled out into the daylight I saw a large “tip” jar standing at the end of the drive. Rummaging through my purse I was convinced I had a dollar or two somewhere at the bottom of the bag for the man, as any purse of mine tends to have everything but the kitchen sink in it. After a hurried, but thorough search there was not a dollar to be found. Reaching into the middle console of my car I knew I had a dollar somewhere in there…nope. Pepto Bismol? Yes. Sunflower seeds? Yes. Pepper Spray? Yes. A dollar? No!

 

As I rolled down my car window to tell the man that I didn’t have tip money I noticed his appearance. The man looked like he hadn’t showered or shaved or brushed his teeth for weeks. He stood squinting in the sun, his countenance telling the story of the hard life he had lived for his young age. Before I knew it and without a thought, I reached into my bag and grabbed my new, red Starbucks gift card and thrust it into his hands.

 

“Do you like Starbucks?” I asked. “This is a new gift card from Starbucks – you can have this.”

 

“Starbucks?” the man asked in a confused tone.

 

I began to explain to him that it was a coffee place where he could go and buy great coffee drinks, teas, or a little snack. I was honestly perplexed that this man hadn’t heard of Starbucks. I told him the various locations around town and asserted that the card was his now to use. He excitedly looked at the card and clutched it tightly with his hands, dirty and worn from work. I knew there was no way to get it back from the confused, but now happy man.

 

Driving away I rolled up my window and smiled a big, cheesy ear-to-ear grin rejoicing that I could give away my brand new Starbucks card… Um, no…I wish I could say that was my automatic reaction, but no… Not even close. Honestly, as soon as my window made it up to the top of the door frame I let out an “Aw, man!!!” All I could think about was how much I hoped he would use the whole card, every single cent of it. Everything in me really, really wanted him to go buy 6.57 caramel macchiatos or whatever he would like, yet I knew that the card might get lost, never used, or just barely tapped into. And it made me sad. I mean, I know I’m supposed to be joyful giver and all, but when you give something that you know has the potential for great things it makes it a little more challenging.

 

It was at that moment that the Lord began speaking to my heart. First of all reminding me to be a joyful giver and that everything I have is His anyway, but also that He gives gifts to his children all the time even when they don’t fully understand them or know where to use them.

 

“For the kingdom of heaven is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” (Matthew 25:14-18)

 

The story goes on to say that when the master came home and asked the servants what they did with their talents, the ones who had spent them all – risking loss but gaining more talents – were blessed by the master. The slaves who invested the five talents and the ones who invested two talents received a mighty blessing and were put in charge of more because they had been faithful with the little they were given.

 

I believe the Lord wants us to use up everything that we’ve been given. Like the Starbucks gift card I longed for the man just to spend, I believe the cry of the Lord’s heart is for us to use it all, to spend every single “cent” of what we’ve been given. I believe he’s calling the generations, both young and old, to not hold back but to rise up and use the things we’ve been given – our talents, abilities, spiritual giftings, and the power of God living inside of us! When we do so, we will begin to spread the love of God as we share what we already have inside.

 

So my challenge for you today is to ask the Lord what you need to start “spending.” Do you have a heart of praise? Begin to spend it on praising the Lord recklessly even if you’re all alone. Do you have a heart to see your city changed? Spend it praying for God to move in that city today. Do you have a heart for your children to be passionate about the Lord? Spend it praying for the Holy Spirit to move in their lives and asking the Lord for wisdom to know how to display the contagious love of Jesus. Do you have a heart to write? Spend it! Do you have heart for the poor? Spend it! Do you have a heart to pray for the sick? Spend it! Do you have a heart for the business world? Spend it.

 

Father God, teach us how to use what you’ve given us. Give us courage to rise up and “spend” every last cent and the knowledge to know how to best do so.

My old, tacky ring

My eyes widened as I opened the small, brown cardboard box. Everything in it seemed to sparkle and glisten. The wheels began to turn as I imagined the fun I would have – adorning my neck with beads for dress-up, wearing a fancy bracelet for prom, and dreaming of possibilities of events to come. I sorted through and found as many pieces of jewelry as I dreamt could be used for something and asked my mom if they could be mine. She had just gotten back from her grandmother’s funeral and estate sale in California and had brought back the costume jewelry that now captivated my attention. I received permission to have a few pieces as my own, to remember my great-grandmother.

 

My grandmother was a small-framed and frail lady, with sparkling blue eyes and a feisty attitude. I remember seeing old pictures of her dolled up in her finest faux jewels, but I had no idea about all the treasures she possessed. After picking out a few prized possessions I hurried to my room to add them to my jewelry box, where I would pull them out at any time and pretend to be a princess, or a queen, or at the prom, or whatever occasion I was playing that called for a little bling. For years I kept the treasures tucked away in a jewelry box or a drawer and pulled them out on occasion to review their beauty.

 

One of the pieces I had chosen was a very tacky looking ring. It was a gold band with clear stones on the top in a tear drop pattern. I consistently asked my mom and my grandma if they thought the ring was real, to which they assured me that it “absolutely, positively was not.” I played with the ring all the time and kept it with me as I grew older. I treasured it because it reminded me of my grandma, but for no other reason. I had been assured there was no real worth beyond the sentimental.

 

About a year and a half ago, a ring my parents had given me (which I wore every day) broke and needed to be fixed. Grabbing my pieces of the ring I always wore, I decided to head to the jewelry store and for some reason decided take my grandmother’s ring with me just for fun, as well. As I was speaking to the jeweler I let him know that one of my rings had broken & needed to be fixed, but the other one was costume jewelry from my great grandmother. Sheepishly I asked the jeweler if there was any way he would look to see if my tacky ring could be real. I explained to him that I KNEW it wasn’t real and that I was TOTALLY ok with it not being real because it was so sentimental to me, but if he would “maybe, um, just check that would be great.” He told me it would be about 30 minutes and then I could pick up both rings. I gladly perused the mall and went back to the jewelry store about an hour later.

 

The jeweler handed me my rings and I asked him what he found out about my grandmother’s. He began: “well, you see, the big stone here is taken from…” Before he could utter another word, I took the beginning phrase as his way of letting me down easily. I quickly said “that’s fine. It’s no big deal. Even though the ring’s not real, I still like it. I mean, it’s my grandma’s, so I’ll always like it, thanks.” With a little grin he began again, “No, the ring is definitely real. All these stones are diamonds. You probably have over a half carat worth of diamonds here.” My eyes turned to saucers, my chin dropped, and I waited for someone to yell ‘Psyche! We got you!’ I don’t remember what the jeweler said after that, something about how much the ring could be worth, but I left the store with a treasure worth more than I could have imagined. And I had carried the treasure around for years.

 

My ring was tacky looking and old and had been thrown in a box of costume jewelry – all signs pointing to its insignificance. But after searching the matter out, having someone in authority take a look at it, I found that it was a true treasure both to my heart and in the world. The bible says “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of Kings to search it out.” (Proverbs 25:2) I believe He has hidden His great treasures and is waiting for us to search them out. There are things that we’ve been carrying around with us for years – dreams, ideas, hopes, revelations, etc. – believing that they are insignificant, worth nothing to anyone but ourselves. Today I want you to know that as you search out God’s heart towards the treasures hidden in yours, He will begin to reveal the value of those things that He gave you in the first place. He wants to bless you in the search. It’s not a wild goose chase, it’s a treasure hunt. Press into the Father’s heart; ask him about your dreams – the steps he would have you take, how he sees them in His plan, and if He would bring them to fruition. Lean in to the Lord to see what He says about the revelations that come to you when you pray and when you spend time with him and even in your day to day life.

 

He often conceals His treasures in order to bless those who are willing to search them out.  

 

So today, let’s go on a treasure hunt. Let’s search out the Father’s heart about the hidden things in ours. Hear the Father say to you today, “If you seek me, you will find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Send the Clouds!

Pulling away from the parking lot at work, I breathed a heavy sigh as I tried to unwind on my short drive home. At any moment I knew the Hoover Dam holding back my tears could break. Not only was I so tired that not even caffeine could help, but I had a ministry meeting that night, over 1500 pictures to start sorting and editing, company arriving at my house a few days later, and on top of it all, it was raining and had been all week. Everything, from my perspective, was lining up perfectly for a stressful and crummy evening.

 

 Tears continued to well in my eyes and were sure to start falling, so I squeaked out a prayer for some help. My prayer was not graceful or eloquent, but a mere cry from one stressed out chick. As I continued driving the Lord reminded me of a prayer I prayed just three days before: I had arrived at my friend’s house to pick her up for a Saturday of wedding photography. It was my first wedding shoot ever so I needed and wanted things to go really, really, REALLY well. As my friend & I talked, I looked in the sky and told her that we absolutely had to pray that the clouds would come.  It was way too sunny and there was not a cloud in sight – a recipe for tough photographic conditions. I wanted the pictures of the bride to show her in her glory – beautiful and perfect on her wedding day – which best happens when the clouds come out and the sky is overcast. From the time I woke up that morning and viewed the skies I prayed almost every 10 minutes “Lord, send the clouds! Please Lord, you have to send some clouds!”

 

And He did. The Lord sent puffy white clouds all over the sky and the shoot turned out beautifully. The bride absolutely radiated and looked as gorgeous as ever.

 

As I snapped out of my memory and watched the rain continue to pour on my windshield, the Spirit began to make it clear to me what He was trying to say. The bible says that the Lord’s ways are higher than ours, that He has the greatest perspective on our lives out of anyone on this earth. We are His lovely bride that He uses to display His glory. There are times in our lives, like the one I was experiencing, when He allows the rain to pour and the clouds to roll in because He knows the beautiful picture that will be revealed. He sees His bride, beautiful and radiant and prepared for Him. It’s in the stressful days: the ones that challenge our attitude, our perseverance, our character, even our joy that He uses to refine us and set up the most beautiful picture. He knows His glory will be revealed through those moments.

 

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

 

If you are walking through a tough situation, if you’re stressed out & your nerves are maxed out, or you have some sort of cloud brewing overhead take a moment and thank & praise Him. Your Father in Heaven is preparing to reveal His glory in you!

 

Father, thank you for your glory. I pray today that our heart’s cry would be like Moses’ when He cried out “show me your glory!” Use whatever you need to show us your glory. Do whatever you must to reveal your beauty through your children. Be blessed and exalted today Lord.

White hair & tight perms

I had been out shopping for the perfect outfit to wear to a wedding. By definition, a perfect outfit is always cute but not “cutesie,” flattering but modest, noticeable in the most unnoticeable kind of way, both trendy and classy, and at least 50% off at the store. I had additional requirements for my perfect outfit, including the ability to roll and climb and bend and stretch and move like a Russian gymnast without anything showing that shouldn’t. I had to photograph my friend’s wedding and needed to do my job well all the while wearing a fully functional and perfect outfit. If you’re a woman, you know that the aforementioned ensemble is impossible to find.

 

An hour had passed by in my hunt and I didn’t have a thing to show for my efforts. I had worked a full day, I was tired, and my stomach was growling louder than a disgruntled guard dog so I made the executive decision to throw in the towel. As I was driving home, I suddenly realized that I had nothing to eat in the house. Visualizing my open refrigerator, lazy Susan, and pantry I knew my scan was correct – I would have to stop if I didn’t want to waste away.  

 

I rushed to the nearest grocery store and began to think about what would be the easiest and quickest thing to make when I noticed a small, elderly woman slowly making her way to the entrance, hunched over and focused on making it inside. As I looked at her white, tightly permed hair, thoughts began to scroll past my mind “What do you want when you’re that age?  What do you hope to have stored up? What do you want to be remembered by?”  

 

Slowly I began to see a vision of a tall mound of gold, not representing money but representing treasures stored up in heaven. I began to realize again what I want at the end of my life. It’s not a perfect outfit for every occasion. It’s not a perfect ministry or the perfect husband or a perfect life. It’s not the guarantee that every dream I have will come true or that I will never experience pain or heartache. But with all my heart I want that tall mountain of treasures representing the times I spent with the Lord: times abiding in Him, growing closer to Him, listening to His heart, loving Him just a little more, tarrying in His presence just a little longer; times where I obeyed God, where I trusted Him at His word; times where I shared HIS love, HIS money trusted to me on this earth; times where I shared food and clothed those who would have been without; times where His grace was sufficient; times where I rejoiced as He did exceedingly, abundantly more than I could have ever hoped or imagined; and time after time after time where I simply got lost in His love. That’s the mountain I want when my hair is white and permed. That’s what I hope my years will perpetuate by the time I make my own slow walk into a grocery store.

 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“ Matthew 6:19-21

 

I know I haven’t arrived and have a long way to go before a mountain representing those types of treasures would even be seen. I know that right now, my storage unit in heaven may only look like a few gold pieces pushed together to form an anthill, but little by little I want to spend my life loving and pleasing my God and doing so by His grace.

 

Please know today how much the Father loves you, desires to spend time with you, and has great and marvelous plans for your life. Take time today to ask Him about your mound of gold and praise Him for whatever He has in store.

Be blessed and loved!

Hidden Wealth

The first time I met him I almost burst into laughter. It was 2005 and my new boss, Charles, was sitting at his desk, decked out in a forest green leisure suit and a gold necklace with an eagle the size of a quarter clutching a diamond, dangling on the end of the chain. He had snowy white hair, a thick white mustache, and a grin that seemed to communicate he was up to no good.

I walked into the office to introduce myself and let him know his first customer was waiting when I noticed a large, muted-green and yellow colored booger on his lapel. I made a motion like a baseball coach dusting off their shoulders during a game and said “Charles, um, I’m sorry but do this once.” He crinkled his eyebrows and with the flick of his wrist sent the booger flying through the air. That was the beginning of a sweet relationship.

Charles soon became one of my favorite bosses. Sure he didn’t give me a lunch break, (or really any break for that matter), required his employees to make homemade carbon copy receipts for customers, and had the least ergonomic setup for an office known to mankind, but the longer I was employed there the more I loved it.

The office was beat up and run down. The carpet hadn’t been replaced since Reagan was in office.  Every wall needed a fresh coat of paint, and the front steps had a hole through them that we advised our patrons, who all belonged to the AARP, to simply “step around.”

As I began to meet the customers throughout tax season, it became apparent that they all loved Charles. Some maybe even a bit too much. One day I watched as Charles escorted a lady, with bright red hair and a matching silk scarf, to the front of the office when she turned around and flirtatiously thanked the old man. She smiled widely and batted her eyes hoping for who knows what. I remember thinking, “Are you serious lady? This guy is older than the hills!” After spending a few minutes in a state of disgust, I began to realize what was truly going on.

Any customer who had been around for more than a few years found out that Charles was sitting on a gold mine. This bachelor in his mid 70’s had more wealth than you would ever guess could come from a man still sporting a leisure suit. I slowly found out through his stories that he owned property in five states, simply to hunt on. Each time he would run errands he backed his truck out of the garage, with a new truck yet to be driven just sitting there. For our small company party (only three others worked there) he decided to give us a tour of his massive new log home, still under construction, in the country. I’d never seen anything like it.

Charles’ customers didn’t trust him for style or decorating tips, but they trusted him with their money because they knew what he possessed. He had great wealth that wasn’t flaunted or advertised, but was apparent after spending time with the man. The more time a person spent in his presence, the more one would realize the depths of his riches.

This man was not, to my knowledge, a believer, but taught me a great lesson. Jesus Christ was a man who, from all appearances, was less than a king. He was born in humble circumstances and grew up relatively unknown. As his ministry grew, he didn’t stand, preaching to hundreds of thousands at sold out conferences. He didn’t advertise His wealth. He let his friends and those who wanted to be around him come and discover his hidden riches.

As I have grown in my relationship with Jesus Christ I have begun to discover his wealth. He is rich in love…rich in mercy…rich in grace…rich in joy…rich in peace…rich in goodness…rich in forgiveness.  And that is just the beginning.

The depth of the spiritual wealth of the man Jesus is more than we could ever imagine. My challenge to you today is to spend time with Jesus. Ask him to reveal himself to you in a new and fresh way and show you the riches of His Kingdom.

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe…”

Ephesians 1: 17-19a

Today is God’s day

“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

On my way to work this morning my mind began to recite this verse over and over. It made me think about the Lord’s thoughts – how he thinks about his childrens’ days before they even happen…how his thoughts are more numerous then every grain of sand on the seashore…how he has plans and purposes for his children that he is bringing to pass in little ways each and every day.

Just be encouraged because the Lord has you in mind today. He knows your joys, frustrations, pains, excitements, emotions, feelings, expectations, fears…. all of it. Rejoice in the Lord and begin to ask him what His thoughts are for today, this day He has made.

Still really behind in writing…

Ever since I made the declaration of writing a blog every week my life seemed to get a little crazy. Instead of a new story, (which I’m working on a bunch at the moment), I decided to go ahead and post something the Lord has been speaking to me about since sometime in February. At that time I really felt the Lord calling me to:

 

Love Him FIERCELY

Starve the enemy CONSISTENTLY

Worship Jesus TRIUMPHANTLY

Walk FEARLESSLY

Live JOYOUSLY.

 

I really believe God will call to us and point us in a direction, with a specific action as we seek Him. As we begin to love God fiercely, we will see our hearts changed. When we starve the enemy consistently, our minds will be transformed and renewed. When we worship Jesus triumphantly, our spirits will be refreshed and God will be glorified again & again. As we walk fearlessly our decisions will come from a place of faith instead of fear. And when we live joyously, I believe, we bless the Father’s heart – making true the statement “in His presence is fullness of JOY!”

 

May you be blessed today in every way. I pray that if you’re reading this that the Lord would send his Spirit upon you to bless and heal and shower you with His love.