Good Morning!

Today is Halloween. My kids are pumped. Not only do they get to fill their little bags with the delights of chocolate and candy but it is our youngest birthday. As of today, he is scared of most things Halloween which puts a damper on his birthday but we will try to help our little guy enjoy the day.

I was thinking about three years ago. The activity that was going on as we let for the hospital as we got our children prepared for the arrival of my parents, dressed them up for their school parties and prayed for the safe arrival of of final child. Our vision for the day was planned for, executed and rehearsed as we didn’t want any hiccups in the day. Well as most days, vision is not always met with the same intensity, clarity or excitement by all. The launching of the final day as a family of four was strangely sad to me and yet filled with the anticipation of the newest members arrival. I remember our daughter saying she didn’t want a baby as we were leaving to go. Her vision was limited as all she knew was life was about to change and for a preschooler, life would no longer be all about her. As I reminisce about life three years ago, I got a glimpse of how God envisions life for his family. And yet as members of the larger spiritual family we are privileged to be born into once we come to know Jesus as our Saviour, we can limit that vision by becoming disgruntled, discouraged and sometimes damaging by our actions and words.

 So today friends, I’m asking if are you a a woman who helps launch Gods vision of family or do you limit it? Thankfully we know the Holy Spirit will help us make that determination and help us correct ourselves in the areas where we limit Gods vision. I know I want to be a vision launcher and not a vision limiter. How about you?

Happy Harvest Day!
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

Journey On 

Good Afternoon,

In the journey through the book of Joshua I read about a man named Achan. Not a well known character in the Bible but a man whom I can relate. Achan was involved with Joshua and witnessed the fall of the walls of Jericho. After such an amazing witness of God power and faithfulness, the Lord ordered that no one remove any of the “plunder” from the destruction of Jericho. All the gold and items of value were to be placed in the ark of the covenant. Achan took it upon himself to ignore the Lord’s instruction and so he took some of the silver. Do you see yourself in him? Hearing but not obeying? Little did he know that his disobedience would be the catalyst for the defeat in the battle of Ai.

As the story goes, Achan finally comes clean with his sin. Do you see yourself in this part of his story? Achan and all his household were killed as the result of his sin. This happened well after many men died after the battle of Ai. Children were left fatherless, women widowed as the result of one mans choice. Now today our choices, our sins probably do not have the ramifications to effect thousands such as Achans story, however it does and will effect those we love. That’s just the nature of sin. It takes out anyone and everyone in it’s path.

I was so challenged this week to think about how my seen and unseen thoughts and actions may effect my children and my husband. There is a fine line between living in the guilt of our past, and asking for forgiveness and getting up and moving forward. Joshua illustrated this when he asked for forgiveness for the situation. He was broken but then got up and moved on. The getting up and moving on part seems to keep so many of us down on the floor. My experience has been because of guilt and shame I stay on the floor. Can anyone relate?

This morning we were so eloquently reminded that Jesus did not come to die so we can continue to live in guilt and shame of our mistakes, our sins. They were covered on the cross..all of them! Mercy is God’s gift to us, moment by moment, day by day.  Isn’t that good news?

In Joshua 8:8 in the Message it says to us “God says it, you do it. Go to it. I’ve given you my orders” 

 I love this verse because it reminds us what we are to do in our response to obedience, but it also tells us that after asking for forgiveness, we get up, we keep going. 

Luckily our Heavenly Father is patient as we learn to get up and walk time after time after time.

For a Tuesday I would say that’s great news…wouldn’t you?

Journey On,

Yahoo,

It’s Friday! Have you had your sweet treat to kick off the weekend? 

I took a Myers-Briggs test recently as part of a training course I have been doing. Last night as I was reading over the results, which essentially measures your dominant characteristics when it comes to getting and receiving energy, planning, decision making..stuff like like. I am proud to say I am an extrovert, intuitive, feeling perceiver. I loved how when I was reading through the results I was thrilled to know that my God created me just so. He knew all my strengths, weaknesses, quirks and challenges long before I have become aware of them and yet He revels in my uniqueness. In our the diversity that He has created He has ensured that He meets us, engages us, encourages us through so many different ways. Written words, songs, through contact with others, by being alone, nature, processes, challenges….the list goes on. When you stop to think about the God of the Universe, taking time to speak , meet, encourage you in individual and personal ways, dosen’t that just affirm how important you are to Him? Have you thought about how God meets you personally?

As I was talking with my honey about his last night in terms of our unique parenting approaches, our specific areas of service, our friendships, our learning needs…… I was left in awe. In awe of the God who developed all these tests, all these methods to challenge, confirm and strive for better.

In this journey of life some days I crave dull, but I realize that following the Lord, true authentic transformation, radical obedience and service to others will continuously challenge us. On the flip side God grants us times of peace and rest- and it is our job to accept and revel in those times.

As I write about what God has me thinking about I hope it offers moments of reflection, areas in your life to be thankful for and thoughts that may offer times of contemplation. I love to hear about your moments. As the test confirmed I am an extrovert with a capital E and as crazy as cyberspace is, it does allow for connections in very different ways. God is so good!

Happy Friday

Journey On,

Hey there,

Do you have any memories that are associated with music? Well yesterday after I left our small group a song came on the radio that I have not heard in years. It was the hymn “How Great Thou Art”. Yesterday for the first time I heard it sung in a more contemporary form and yet my mind travelled back to the days when I would attend church with my Grandma. In those few moments the music ignited all my senses, I could see and hear my grandmother belting out the words to the song accompanied by the very loud organ her church had. I was literally remembering the point of view I had as a child standing beside her looking up. I could smell and taste the nasty little sesame crackers she would give me to tide me over during what always seemed to be a very long sermon. As my mind brought me back to reality I sang along to the music with a new fervor.

As we had learned in our study of Joshua, we can use music as our prayers and praise to Him. In moments where there is nothing else that we can offer Him, our attempts at a “joyful noise” are so pleasing to God. And as it has been recorded in the Bible, singing to the Lord takes our attention off ourselves and unto the God of the Universe who holds our moments in His hand. In Psalms it says “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:” Psalm 66:1

My grandma was not without her faults, who isn’t, and yet the memory of her praising the God who she loved was an amazing reminder to me how in our brokenness we can offer the Lord our praises and in the process we in turn are blessed in the moments where we focus on Him and not ourselves. 

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Have you made a joyful noise to the your God today?  

Journey On Friends!

Good Morning,

As I have been reading through Joshua this past week these verses grabbed my attention.

Joshua 5:13-15.

13 And then this, while Joshua was there near Jericho: He looked up and saw right in front of him a man standing, holding his drawn sword. Joshua stepped up to him and said, “Whose side are you on—ours or our enemies’?”

 14 He said, “Neither. I’m commander of God’s army. I’ve just arrived.” Joshua fell, face to the ground, and worshiped. He asked, “What orders does my Master have for his servant?”

 15 God’s army commander ordered Joshua, “Take your sandals off your feet. The place you are standing is holy.”

    Joshua did it.

So what I found so interesting about Joshua was his response to meeting this angelic being. Some say it may have been God himself as Joshua bowed, others say an angel, whatever your take is on the being, Joshua responded by asking “what orders does my Master have for this servant?”. He was immediately ready to drop his plans for the day and obey whatever he was being asked to do. This challenged me.

On this Monday morning, as my “to-do” list is so very long as my kidlets have been off for the past two weeks and we were visiting with my parents I am asking myself this question too. Today in the midst of the busyness am I listening to hear what it is the Lord wants me to accomplish today. Will I actually stop what I am doing, what I have planned to detour and help someone in need, love on someone who needs extra care, pay attention to others needs. Joshua asked the question and obeyed by taking off his sandals and worshipping. Will worship be part of my day?

I know that left to my own devices I will miss many opportunities the Lord puts in my path to love, serve and show kindness. However, without a doubt I know that if I ask with pure motivation to obey God, He  will show up and make it very clear to me how my “to-do” list needs to be interrupted if that is in His plan for the day for me.

So friends as wee greet a new week I challenge you to keep one ear to the ground and your other listening for those promptings to obey.

Have an awesome Monday friends!

Journey On!

Good Morning!

It is Thanksgiving Day at home and in honor of the day and the faithfulness of my Heavenly Father, I’ve got a couple things to be thankful for!

In everything, good bad, sorrow and despair I have a relationship with the Lord of Lords, who loves me no matter what.

My God is able to comfort those who have lost a love one this past week. He is able to provide and intervene in any emotion the family is going through.

My God was able to provide the doctors wisdom and clarity of mind for my brother and sister in law to bring my adorable nephew home.  It’s his first Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for cyberspace. We were able to visit via the Internet as my family celebrated Thanksgiving last night.

I am thankful for my husbands employment and for the Lord’s protection over us.

I am thankful for my girlfriend who was brave enough to go to church for the first time in forever.

I am thankful that God is pursuing her.

I am thankful for how God answers prayers. His perfect timing in all things.

Well we have to go! Monday is starting.

What are you thankful for?

Good Morning!

I was chatting with my cousin last night and we were sharing how the “what if” scenarios are something that we both struggle with. This morning  as I was lying in bed, listening to the sounds of my children running around the house my mind started to travel down that path as I was going over the events of the week. In the Bible it says, we never know what a day can bring, but we do know who holds the day. I can hear my dads reassuring voice reciting that verse to me as we spoke about the events of the week. Tuesdays ride on the roller coaster we call life took us down a very steep and fast hill. The direction, the company, the life we agreed to when we heard the Lord telling us to move was one again changed. And it blind sided all of us. Thankfully we have been protected and my husbands presence in the company was saved. Can I tell you it was scary. Not a ride you ever want to take but especially not one without the knowledge that God is in control of the roller coaster. Emotions were raw as many people we have come to know and respect were given the devastating news that they no longer had employment.

So the “what if” game started to take control of my mind when the verse in the Bible that instructs us to take captive every thought flooded my thoughts.  I decided and prayed in the middle of our morning chaos that my mind would not be filled with fear, desperation or panic.  Instead I would focus on the provision that God has continued to give us, the fact that His love will never change and that for today, whatever may occur is steadily held in the hands of the God of the Universe. Nothing is taking Him by surprise.

My mantra today is I know who hold my future, I will not allow fear to enter my thoughts because these thoughts are not from my loving Lord.

How about you? What gets you through those moments when the roller coaster seems to be in overdrive and crashing seems to be in sight?

This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
Jeremiah 29:9-10

Hey everyone!

Hold tight, this is going to be a crazy ride as I take you into my brain for a few minutes. I’ve been thinking a lot about identity. Go figure, seems to have been one my themes for the year?

If I were to meet you on the street how would you describe yourself?  Would you answer by reciting your roles. Mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend. Would your circumstances play a role in your description? Cancer survivor, divorced, single parent, beautiful, physically challenged.  Or would your answer consist of your economic value. Stay at home mom, nurse, teacher, wealthy, poor? Maybe your imperfections come to mind. I am impatient, a liar, a failure. Honestly, what comes to mind?

Well without  a doubt two and a half years ago, I would have described myself by reciting my job title, my family status, even my education. Today my answer is different.

When we moved here last year, all my “identity markers” were lost somewhere between the Canadian and American border. I was no longer a social worker (my economic stats), I was no longer a student (my personal standard of worth). All that remained from my Canadian life to my current life here in NC were my roles. I am a mother, a wife a daughter, a sister a friend. Can I tell you I was not happy with my new NC  identity for so long. I had come to believe my worth as a person depended on all the markers I listed above. I was seriously experiencing a identity crisis.

One morning as I was staring at the ugly (truthfully it was hideous) wallpaper in our NC kitchen, a gentle whisper in my ear reminded me that I could still be a student…of Jesus. “Huh” was my reply.  Well fast forward twenty months and I can firmly say that Jesus and His book have become my course of study and in it I have been reminded of my true identity.

I am God’s child. My life was worth His life. Think about that. God loves you so much, His son physically gave up His life so you can have the opportunity for a relationship with the Lord.  In the lineage of my spiritual family I have examples of those who had faith that moved mountains, literally parted the seas, fought giants and won. The Bible talks about grace that has been extended to every gender, cultural background, shameful pasts and economic spheres. Is it not interesting that all the identity markers we use to measure our worth have been documented and reassure us in the Bible that grace is available to everyone.

What I have learned through reading Gods words and was reminded again through the example of Rahad, the prostitute who hid Joshua’s spies is that when we place out hope in the Lord and identify Him as Lord and pursue a relationship with the King of Kings we are considered new creations. Rahad was a prostitute, her cultural encouraged idol worship, she was single with a sordid past. She believed though, she recognized that Joshua’s God was just and merciful. She chose to hide that spies and in return her life and the lives of her family were spared. Her faith led her to be courageous. Her actions were spurred on by her faith. Her human identity did not stop her, she knew she was fully loved by a God who saw her as a treasure, dearly loved and special.  As my friend Aliene writes” Your security, your happiness, and your fulfillment are not determined by your circumstances, but by your identity in Christ”. Does that not make you want to say “thank you Jesus”. 

When you think to yourself about your identity markers, does your position of who you are as Gods child come to mind. I challenge you to repeat this verse when you are stumbling and questioning your identity. Our new identity will never change in the Lords eyes, but do you really believe it to be true? 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Happy Friday!

Have you had your donut yet? We are looking forward to a weekend full of activity……who said weekends are meant for relaxing? They must not have had children:)

This week has been interesting as I have been intentionally trying to think about scripture and recall verses when I am praying. It has been phenomenal. Verses that I know were ingrained in my brain throughout my childhood came back at the most unexpected times. Memorizing God’s words has never meant so much.

My oldest dude has had to endure having six teeth pulled out over the course of three weeks. As I have told him, he is my hero. With a brave face, and uncertainty in his eyes, he would follow the dentist to the chair and wait. My boy is so brave and yet is breaks a mama’s heart to see your child in pain and being completely helpless…I know you understand.

Well the final tooth has been pulled and yet while we were in the waiting room news came over the radio that tornado warnings had been issued for the area. So now my guy is worried about his mouth and the ensuing tornado. What is a mama to do? He was lead away before we could talk about the weather.

As he was in the chair I was praying furiously for some words of encouragement for him and quite frankly for myself. Did I mention when I agreed to NC I didn’t sign up for tornadoes. “I don’t do tornadoes Lord”, like He needed a reminder.

Well as I sat in the waiting room the story from my youth came to my mind, it was undoubtedly the Holy Spirit as I also had my other two children running around like crazy people.  Can you picture this?

You know the story about Jesus being in the boat with his disciples. It was a terrible storm, the disciples were afraid and then Jesus spoke and commanded the winds and the waves to STOP. (Mark 4:35-41) As I sat thinking back to this story I could picture my dad teaching this story at a campfire years ago. The memories came flooding back.

As I welcomed the image of my dad, I was reminded that the wind and the rain, ensuing tornadoes are all under the complete control of my Heavenly Father. In that moment, peace settled over my mind, I knew exactly how I would reassure my children about the coming weather. 

As I thought more about that experience later in the day I realized just how important it is to know my Bible. How reassuring to know the words of my God as they completely illustrate who He is and what I can expect from Him.

Have you read His book today?

And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Joshua 1:8 The Message