Making Progress...

Happy Wednesday, Friends!

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to bless and encourage you along your way.

I have a question for you today...

How do you measure your progress spiritually speaking?

All too often we measure how we are doing by how we feel. And while this may be one component for determining where we are at, it cannot be the only one.

If you've been reading my regular posts you know that my son has been dealing with a back injury. It's been about six months of back to back appointments and various therapies with no apparent change. At least not until recently.

A couple of weeks ago, Jordan began a daily regimen of decompression, electric stim, ultrasound, etc. Every day I ask him how he is feeling and every day he says, "The same." But yesterday he came home and said, "They tested my leg strength today and even though I feel no change, something has changed because I'm showing a significant improvement in the strength of my leg."

Later in the day I spoke with a friend who was feeling blue. I acknowledged her blue-ness but then reflected back to her all of the good things God has done in her life in the past year. Right away she perked up and said, "You know, you're right! Things are different."

Sometimes progress is invisible at first.

Our choices matter. Every day they matter. Not that we will always do things right. Some days we will squander our time, eat too much ice cream, or spend a little too much money. God loves us and is well aware of our tendency towards excess and our capacity for inconsistency.

Graham Cooke wisely said, "God is not disillusioned with you. He had no illusions about you in the first place."

I love that.

Knowing all that He knows about us - knowing how we'll stumble tomorrow - He still uses us today.

Amazing.

I'm establishing here that we are not what we do, we are someone He loves.

But it still matters what we do because we were placed on this earth for some very specific reasons. Further more God's Word says that He will not be mocked; what we sow, is what we grow.

Our choices are like seeds and what we plant, we will harvest. Even though we plant an occasional weed because of our unbelief, bad attitude, or an unhealthy appetite for carbohydrates, we will still reap a harvest of goodness when we mostly plant good seeds.

This is a Kingdom law: sowing and reaping; sowing and reaping.

So what does this have to do with progress?

Everything! The law of sowing and reaping is more real than the law of gravity. And if you approach every day as one who is loved and cherished by God, and if you approach every weed in your life as something that needs to be repented of, forgiven and uprooted, you can know that you're making progress...regardless of how you feel that day or at a particular moment.

Just this morning I spoke to another friend who was also feeling blue and wondering why her life lacked power. I didn't agree. This woman brings the loving kindness of Christ with her wherever she goes. She carries His mercy in her arms and I told her so.

My friend then recalled all of the ways God has moved in and around her.

Once again I was given the privilege of seeing that though she feels like she is back at square one, my friend is truly walking in an increase of spiritual mobility and "range of motion." Though at the moment it's hard to see or feel, she is without a doubt gaining ground and making progress in her walk of faith.

Now how about you?

The question today is not "how do you feel?" though your feelings are important to some degree. But for the sake of measuring your spiritual progress the question must be: What can you do now that you couldn't a year ago? Are there family members who are more open to your faith than they once were? Do you possess a greater boldness than you did before? How about mercy? Are you able to receive mercy and share it more readily?

Measure your spiritual progress not by how you feel, but by the tangible display of increase of God's presence and power in and all around you.

Sow seeds. Believe Him. Live expectantly. A harvest of righteousness is coming for you.

Until next week...

Enough for Today...

Greetings, Everyone!

And to my new visitors, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to bless and encourage you along your way...

With the frantic pace we keep and the seemingly endless lists of tasks that beg our attention, how do we adjust to the easy yoke and the light burden Jesus promised us?

Are we doing something wrong if the weight of our burdens is more real to us than the weight of His glory?

Some things in life we have no control over, but there are some things we can do to make the load lighter.

In fact there are five things you can do today that will change everything...

Give...

Give the Lord the first part of your day. Even if it means you have to get out of bed fifteen minutes earlier. There's no stock investment that will give you the kind of return you will receive when you start the day acknowledging your need, affirming your relationship with the Lord, and opening your ear to hear His voice. As you sit with Him, your heart will begin beating in rhythm with His, and like a divine blood transfusion, you will begin to care about the things He does. You'll begin desiring for your life, the very things He has planned for you. The grace will lift from the tasks that you're not appointed for and you'll know it's time to move on. Give Him the first part of your day, and you'll receive all of the direction and energy you need.

Choose...

Make choices today that support the direction God is taking you tomorrow. Make a plan to graciously step back from committments that drain your perspective and steal your joy. When your eyes begin to glaze over because the day spins out of control, choose to look up and notice the beautiful sky. Remind yourself that if the Lord can speak the universe into being, He can help you through your day without lifting a finger (but He won't impose Himself on anyone who doesn't think they need Him). Make choices that nurture the life you have in Christ.

Acknowledge...

My life verse is this: "And so I walk in the Lord's presence as I live here on earth" (Psalm 116:9). Acknowledge His presence throughout the day as often as you think of it. Whisper prayers as you go along your way. Make declarations of faith regarding the things you are believing God for (e.g. "I thank you, Lord that You will supply all of my needs! You are the one who establishes my purpose and direction!").

Believe...

Believe with all of your heart that God is carrying the world in His hand, so you don't have to carry it on your shoulders. When life gets too heavy, stop and ask God, "What part of this do I need to give to you, Lord? You promised my yoke would be easy and my burden would be light. Help me to get there again, Lord."

In his book, "Language of Love" Graham Cooke wrote this wonderful insight and I want to pass it along to you:

"Successful ministers plan for the future but live for today. They place their lives in day-tight compartments, taking everything one day at a time. At the end of the day, such ministers know how to shrug everything off, cleanse their hearts and minds and be thankful for the blessings God has given them. When they awake the next morning, they awake anew to the tangible mercies of God. Those mercies are like a first cup of coffee or a first mouthful of food." (p. 55)

Keep it in a "Day-Tight" Container:

Borrowing from Graham's fabulous insight, the ONLY way we will find sweet joy in our day is by learning to keep our lives in a day-tight container. We embrace God's forgiveness of our past. We entrust our glorious future to Him, and walk expectantly through today with our eyes lifted towards Heaven. We refuse worry and we embrace hope, because this is what Jesus told us to do.

We have all that we could possiby need for today...and then some.

Reach up and recieve all that God so lovingly wants to give you today. You have more than you need to walk powerfully through this day.

Be blessed, my friends!

Until next week...

Being Known...

Greetings, Everyone...

To my visitors, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my purpose is simply to nourish your soul and encourage you along the way.

Lately I've been going through a refining fire of sorts. My son injured his back several months ago which has drastically affected his life. My mother's heart has been aching for him as I've watched him sit at home while all of his friends are together at practice. We've gone to one doctor after another and it's been a long four months. He is a high school athlete and yet this injury has pulled him completely out of sports. One of my "happy places" is watching him play football and basketball. Needless to say, I've been selfishly doing some of my own grieving through this process. Moreover, this "fire" has shown me once again what a solid young man my son is...and it's also shown me that I have a long ways to go in the way of surrender. Though Jordan has had some significant moments of sadness, he is fully trusting that God is writing his story. I too believe and know that God is up to something wonderful here. It's just that Jordan's trial has shown me things in myself that I wish weren't there.

But God is good...and His mercies are new every morning...

This morning wrapped its arms around me in an intimate and personal way. Everything I love was right there waiting for me.

My French vanilla coffee brewed minutes before I awoke. I poured myself a steaming cup of java, grabbed my Bible, and headed out to my swing on the deck.

The morning sunlight danced on the leaves and the birds sang a melodic song. The trees swayed in the breeze and the sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds.

I snuggled under my blanket with my Bible and my coffee and I began my prayer time by complimenting the Creator on His handiwork.

I looked over the tops of the trees at the beautiful sky and I prayed, "Nothing matters more than knowing You more, Lord."

As I paged through Scripture, I stumbled upon this wonderful passage from Jeremiah 9:23-24:

This is what the Lord says:

Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom

or the strong man boast of his strength

or the rich man boast of his riches

But let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows me

that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth,

for in these I delight,"

delcares the Lord.

One of the greatest things about belonging to God is that He knows us. He wants us to know Hiim more. When we go through the fire, He knows how we'll respond. He is well aware of the dross that will surface and He is glad to remove it from us. He knows us fully and loves us deeply.

How is it then, that we as wee little people slowly and subtly begin to rely on our own strengths (which really aren't our's, they were given to us by God)?

If God has given us an extra measure of wisdom, somehow we dare say that we are wise. If we are excellent with money, we tend to judge those with holes in their pockets. If we're healthy, we wonder what the sick are doing wrong.

God help us!

To boast in our own strengths is to let go of the Vine so that we can dangle from our own branch by our fingertips. May it never be! This is no place for the Believer.

In so many words, God is saying to us in the passage above:

"Yes, you are good at some things because I have made you that way, but not so you will believe in yourself or think yourself great. No, I planted seeds of greatness in you so that you might humbly carry on My work and bring My presence with you wherever you go. If you must boast, boast in this: that you know Me and are known by Me. Be much with Me and press on to know Me more. Let your eyes reflect a heart that is humbly confident in knowledge of My love. You have nothing to prove and much to share. I know all about you and I am crazy in love with you. In the fire and on the mountain top - you are known by Me.

Let that be your highest goal and your greatest treasure."

You are known by Him. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And yet you're beautiful to Him.

On your best day and on your worst day, boast only in this: that you know Him and are known by Him. Be thankful that we serve a God who exercises kindness, righteousness, and justice in the earth.

Oh, to know Him more!

Until next week...

Love you, friends~

This Day...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my goal is to nourish and bless you as you go about your day.

With my books in one hand and my coffee cup in the other, I made my way out on to the deck this morning. Sleep has been eluding me lately making my mornings a little less enjoyable than they normally are.

Still, I love the morning. Everything about it. The new sunrise. They puffy clouds. The singing birds. The swaying trees. Each morning I sit on my deck and behold a fresh look at creation because it makes me feel close to my Creator.

In spite of my heavy eyelids and foggy brain, I was intent on experiencing the beginning of this new day. I was determined to be reminded once again of God's fresh mercies and abounding love. I love the fact that while I slept (tossed and turned, rather), the Lord of the Universe held me in His hands.

Do you know what a gift today is?

As you went about your day yesterday, did you confess your sins? Or when you put your head on the pillow last night - did you do it then? If so, those sins are gone today.

You have a fresh new start.

Your slate is clean, your sins are gone, and you have a chance to begin again.

If you got knocked down yesterday or harassed by a bully or by the enemy of your soul - that doesn't mean you're defeated.

Because today, you have a chance to get up again.

God's promises are true for you and He's already won the war.

Maybe yesterday you said or did something you regret today. Did you bring it to the Lord? If not yesterday, do it today.

Because the wonderful thing about God is that He is into the business of redemption. He redeems our lives from the pit. He even has the power to redeem our mistakes.

As Graham Cooke says, "He stands in our credibility gap and smiles."

Even if you're exhausted, sick, or just tired, determine to look up today...make yourself smile.

You are not bound by your circumstances or even by your tired body.

You have the living-loving-Lord Jesus alive in you and if His Word can raise the dead, He can surely energize and restore you!

This day is a gift to you because God's promises are true for you today, His provision is available to you today, and He has promised to help everyone who calls on His name.

Don't face this day sitting down.

Stand UP, look UP, and ask for the Kingdom of God to come to bear on your day today!

The One who put the stars in place knows your name.

The One who defeated death will give you victory.

Reach up and lay hold of what God offers you today.

The past is forgiven. The future is secure.

TODAY is bursting with promise.

May the Lord establish HIS plans for you today.

Until next week...

Eyes To See...

Greetings, Dear Friends!



And to those visiting, I extend a special welcome. I post every Wednesday and my goal is to nourish and encourage you along your way.

Today is a recovery day for me. My husband and I co-chaired a large benefit banquet along with Christian artist Sara Groves and her husband Troy.

The banquet was to raise funds for the International Justice Mission. IJM, among other things, rescues young girls from the horrific life of human trafficking. They restore stolen land to widows. And they help free families and whole communities from bonded slavery.

Prior to the banquet, my husband and I sat in a conference room with the leaders of IJM. We bowed our heads in prayer, and invited God to be big in our midst.

We were surrounded by our heroes. The dignity, and bravery, and humility we saw in these people made our knees weak. They regularly put themselves in harms way for the sake of the poor and the oppressed and they consider it an honor to do so.

I loved Sharon Cohn's opening prayer, "Oh, Lord, we are so grateful for the humility of Your invitation...that you would want us to join you in this work..."

I looked around the room and wondered, "Does Minnesota even know who they have in their city? If they did, would the media be here? Would the Governor come and show his appreciation? Would the business owners and pastors all make the time to meet these great Kingdom people?"

It makes me think of Jesus in His day.

When He was in town, many knew, but not everybody cared.

But Heaven knew. And the angels knew. Even the demons knew and they were no doubt gathering for the sake of opposition.

If we could peel back the natural realm and see only the spiritual realm, we would know when trouble was brewing; we would know when someone important was coming to town because we would see the Calvary mounting, and would see the demons taking their position.

Instead we all too often lean on our own understanding. We esteem authors, actors, and rock stars but overlook those who live to make life better for others.

Thankfully, we don't have to wait for the natural realm to be removed in order to be in tune with what really matters.

We just have to follow Jesus and listen to what He says.

As we cultivate a deep and abiding relationship with Him, we'll quickly recognize those He recognizes. We'll quickly know when a battle is brewing. And we'll be more compelled to be His hands and feet to a lost and dying world.

Oh, Lord, give us eyes to see, and ears to hear, and a heart to do your will!

Be blessed, my friend~

Until next week...