Internet Cafe: The Lead Vocalist

I met her at the first writers’ group that I held at my house about five years ago. She was an amazing woman of God surrounded by grace and humility. She dedicated her heart to writing devotionals for my ministry and several months later, God called her to be the Women’s Minister at my church. I was honored and blessed to be under her leadership.

Along with being a writer, women’s minister and church staff member, she also sang onstage with our church band. I would watch her sing and become irritated. I couldn’t hear my friend’s voice! She would only sing back-up, and I, not being musically inclined, couldn’t distinguish her from the others. I told her my frustrations about not being able to hear her, but she was content to use her voice to support the lead vocalist.

One Sunday morning my friend wasn’t singing, and I finally heard it: her voice was missing! Although I couldn’t discern her voice, I could definitely tell when it was absent.

I saw her the following week and exclaimed, “I heard it!”

“What?” She asked.

“The lack of your voice!” I yelled excitedly.

She looked at me for a moment puzzled, but then she smiled with understanding. In a small way, I finally felt like I could appreciate her singing talent.

This past Sunday morning, God had a very special gift in store for me. After five years, I finally heard my friend’s voice. She sang lead vocals, and I bawled. All my makeup was off my face before the pastor even said one word. I listened to my friend sing, and I thanked God for the amazing ways He shows Himself to me. What a beautiful sight she was singing for her mighty God! Her voice is forever imprinted on my heart.

As I reflect on that morning, I know that many people have trouble hearing God’s voice. They recognize when it’s missing, but they have never heard Him speak so powerfully that there was no doubt the words were from God. I once struggled with hearing God’s voice, and I worried whether or not I was listening to the wrong one.

But something changed. I now hear God’s voice loud and clear. He speaks to me through the Bible, the Holy Spirit and other Christians. He engulfs me with His presence, and He whispers to my spirit. What’s different? Why has it become so easy to distinguish His voice? The answer is simple. When I put God center stage, He became the Lead Vocalist singing into my life. All that I am stays focused on God, and I’ve learned to discern His voice.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our
understanding” (Job 37.5 NIV).

You can also read this article at the Internet Cafe!

Take Root & Write Magazine

I'm honored to be featured on the June 2011 issue of Take Root and Write Magazine. This month's magazine is all about parenting! I hope you enjoy my article about growing in Christ and learning how to be the mother God has called me to be!

Open publication - Free publishing - More christian

Internet Cafe: Analytically Overweight

I get overwhelmed sometimes with all that God teaches me through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit uses relationships, memories and situations to show me spiritual truths. Many times, though, I feel like I can’t keep up. I analyze my experience, pull out the truth and then try to digest the surrounding situation. I’m still trying to understand stuff from years past, but I’m realizing that I’ll never fully be able to stack all of my life experiences in neat, organized rows into my subconscious.

A couple of days ago, I found myself pulling a spiritual truth from a relationship. I understood what God was teaching me, and I appreciated the insight that I had been given; however, I still couldn’t wrap my brain around the situation, and to be honest, I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I started to see that there was no end to my spiraling condition of over-thinking, and I was upset at God for making spiritual insight so grueling to gather.

I told God, “If you want me to analyze everything I encounter in this life, I’m going to be thinking a very long time.” I truly feared that the joy and peace I’ve finally found in Christ would be squeezed out by my constant desire to gain understanding and grow in wisdom.

God told me, “Take the seed; toss the rest.”

Right then, I had an image of me pulling out spiritual truths from every direction and tossing the rest of the circumstance out the window. God uses our life experiences to grow us, but He doesn’t expect us to understand it all. In fact, I pictured myself being analytically overweight from thinking so much about everything, and spiritually inactive because I was too busy digesting it all. How could I possibly be an effective witness for Christ if I was constantly trying to organize and spiritualize every aspect of my life?

God does use our circumstances to teach us, but He never said that we would understand all the ins and outs of our lives on this world. People bump into each other every day, and there is no telling why things happen as they do. All we can do is look for the spiritual insight that God wants us to gain and toss the rest at the foot of the cross.

Life is too short to try to eat and digest every twist and turn of our journey. God wants us to gain understanding and grow in wisdom, but He also wants us to enjoy life, keep our eyes focused on Him and our feet moving toward heaven. From now on, I’m determined to look for a seed of understanding or a gem of wisdom, and let God deal with the rest.

Questions: Is there a situation that you have been over analyzing? What does God want you to learn, and what does He want you to leave at the cross?

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold” (Proverbs 3.13-14 NIV).

You can also read this at the Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe: Sliding Home

The score was tied in the 9th inning, and we needed one more point to win the championship. My foot rested securely on second base, and I waited for our last hitter to bring me home. (Okay, I might be stretching the truth a little bit. This wasn’t the championship and our score wasn’t tied, but it does make the story sound better, right?)

I was playing softball for my church college league. I don’t really remember the score, but I was alone on second base. I stared at my coach, waiting for her signal. I never watched the batter because that would only slow me down. I watched only my coach; she would tell me what to do.

I heard the “smack” of the ball kissing the bat, and my coach yelled, “Run! Run!” So I pushed off second and sprinted toward third. Then my coach’s voice screamed, “Go! Go!” When I heard this, I just assumed she meant for me to continue running to home plate. I hadn’t made it to third base yet, but I knew I had it. Third base was in the bag. She must be trying to send me home for the score.

When my coach yelled, “Go,” I pointed my bull horns down and charged. I rounded third and kept my eyes on home plate, swinging every limb to propel me forward. Then I heard my coach screaming, “What is she doing? She’s going home!” Of course, I was going home. She told me to “Go!”

Over home plate hovered the other team’s catcher. She was squatting eye level to me with her glove out. I could tell from the focus in her eyes that she was watching the ball chase me from behind. In a split second, I knew that she was determined to tag me out, but she’d have to jump over my flying body. I was not about to walk off that field quietly.

I dove head first, sliding across home plate in what felt like slow motion. Dirt billowed around my head, and my body took out anything that was in my way. I heard cheering coming from my dugout, and I knew one of the voices was my coach. I had taken home plate and scored a point.

This is how we are to live as Christians. God is our coach, and when He tells us to “Go,” we need to point our bull horns down and charge. Yes, there will be people saying, “What is she doing?” or “She can’t do that!” And there will be people waiting at home plate ready to stop us from fulfilling our destiny. But we can’t listen to them. We must trust and obey our God.

God WILL find a way when there is no way. God WILL prove the world wrong. God WILL fulfill His promises to you. So you don’t worry about what others think; you just “GO!”

Question: What area in your life is God telling you to “GO”?

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10.27 NKJV).

You can also read this at the Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe: Toss Me!

Gimli: Oh come on, we can take ‘em.
Aragorn: It’s a long way.
Gimli: Toss me.
Aragorn: What?
Gimli: I cannot jump the distance; you’ll have to toss me.
[pauses, looks up at Aragorn]
Gimli: Don’t tell the elf.
Aragorn: Not a word.

- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Watch video clip here. (39 seconds)

In the above dialogue from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Gimli is ready to fight. He sees his destiny before him, but he discovers that there is no way he can get there without help. In a moment of decision, he swallows his pride and asks for a favor. Aragorn agrees to assist Gimli and tosses him into battle. Gimli wastes no time and begins to fight the forces of evil. (Cue the sound of swords clanging.)

Many times God designs our steps so that we will need other people. We will not be able to get where God wants us to go if we are not willing to make “asks” of ourselves. I found this out in my early 20′s when God called me on a mission trip and then told me to ask others to help pay my way. I thought since God wanted me to go, He would supernaturally provide the funds. Well, he did….through the pocketbooks of my family and friends. God criss-crosses our paths with others in order to develop us into His image and to teach His children to work together.

However, we cannot simply ask people to help us if we have not prepared ourselves for the “toss.” Gimli could ask for help from his king, Aragorn, because he has invested into a future favor.

1. Gimli has already developed a friendship with Aragorn. When you ask something of others, you need to have a solid relationship with them that fosters mutual loyalty, respect and trust.

2. Gimli has proven himself in battle. If you want someone to “toss” you into your destiny, you need to show that you are able to handle the new level of combat. It would be heartbreaking to “toss” someone into battle only to watch him/her fall.

3. Gimli has shown other strengths that balance out his weaknesses. When Gimli asks for help, he is admitting to a weakness (he can’t jump); but he has already demonstrated other strengths (excellent fighter, loyalty, perseverance) that prove he is battle-ready. People need to know that their help will empower you, not indulge you.

4. Gimli has selflessly sacrificed for others. People will not help you if your thoughts are only about yourself. There is a battle of good vs. evil, and we all need to band together to win our predestined victories. Selfishness is an inward battle we need to defeat every day before we can accomplish the great plans that God has for us.

So my advice to anyone who knows that one day she will need to be “tossed” into the next level of her destiny would be to continue the fight. Don’t think about what you need; God will take care of you. You just keep seeking God, serving others, developing your skills and fighting the small battles that God has prepared for you. One day you will hit a brick wall, and your destiny will be raging on the other side of it. You will look over your shoulder and someone will be there to “toss” you. Just swallow your pride and prepare to be catapulted into your future.

Questions: Was there ever a time that you had to make an “ask” of yourself? How have others helped you accomplish God’s will for your life?

“The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’ Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it’” (Nehemiah 2.4-5 NIV).

You can also read this article over at the Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe: Faith Journey

My son is learning to type using a computer program. Today was his third day, and he was slowly typing the middle row of keys, trying not to look at his fingers. There were about 8 lines showing; and as he typed each line, another line would appear on the bottom. After five minutes of typing, he finally looked at me.

“New lines keep coming up, Mommy. When is this going to end?” he asked anxiously.

I said, “Type a few more lines, and you’ll probably see the end come up soon.”

He went back to typing, but it was obvious by the way he was slouching in his chair and by the irritable expression on his face that he had lost hope of ever seeing the end to his lesson.

Suddenly, he punched the last key on the line he was typing, and the final sentence came into sight. He was about four lines away from finishing. My son’s back straightened and a smile spread across his face. He was almost there!

It’s interesting how a good dose of perspective can help you see something through to the end.

Many times in my Christian journey, I’ve had to walk out on faith. Sometimes my acts of faith are immediately confirmed; other times, however, I’m a million steps into “Faith-land” without any physical signs that I’m going the right way.

I feel God’s Spirit in me approving my direction, but it would be so nice if I could see the Promise Land! Often, I become disillusioned, and I feel like giving up and not finishing. But God graciously renews my strength right when I need it most. There are some faith journeys that I’m on that God is in the double digits of giving me strength-renewal!

Though the ending may not be in sight, I know that God works all things for His good. I know that He loves me, and He wants the best for me. And I know that He would rescue me and redirect my steps if I somehow lost my way.

By faith I choose to straighten my back and put a smile on my face because I know that I’m offering my life to the purposes of my Creator, and He will not steer me wrong. I trust that He has amazing plans for me, and I believe His Word and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Question: Do you feel like you’re in the wilderness right now for away from your Promise Land? How has God renewed your strength? How has your faith grown during your journey?

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage” (Psalm 84.5 NIV).

You can also read this the Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe: My Mauve God

In 2010, I read a ton of books written by Christian leaders. I felt like God opened my mind, and the insights from these amazing men and women poured into my soul. However, something began to irritate me – I became a little jealous of God’s glory in these people’s lives. His Spirit shone in brilliant colors that seemed to overshadow my seemingly lackluster life.

For example, one leader saw the physical manifestation of Jesus during a very difficult time in his life. Another leader witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which came down on his audience like fire. And another leader performed a miraculous healing with the power of Jesus’ name. I began to feel inadequate because I had never experienced any of these things, and I desired so much to see God’s glory in my life.

I contemplated all of this while I was helping my kids color at the kitchen table. I had just bought a jumbo box of crayons, and I was intrigued by all the shades of the same color. I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to pick a color. I chose pink. Then He told me to gather all the shades of pink I could find. He had me write the name of each crayon in its color on a piece of paper. By the time I was done writing all the shades of pink, I had a list of over 20 colors. I folded the paper and stuck it into the pocket of my jeans. I knew God was going to teach me something.

Once I put my kids to sleep for naptime, I went into my closet to pray and read my Bible. I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to take the list out and look at it. I unfolded it and looked from one color to the next, analyzing how each color name fit its shade. Some pinks were bright with a hint of orange. Others were bold with a lot of red. While others were so pale that they were almost transparent.

God asked me, “Which color do you like best?”

I scanned the list and chose mauve.

“Why do you like mauve,” He asked.

“It’s subtle, earthy and not overly showy,” I said. Though I appreciated the brighter and richer shades of pink, I liked the easy-going, down-to-earth shade of mauve. It had a lot of purple in it, which is my favorite color.

“Mauve is my shade of love for you. It is how My glory appears in your life,” God said. “I show Myself in the daily activities of your day—nothing out of the ordinary, but always very special.”

I thought about it for a moment, and I understood what God was saying. I see God in everything around me: I see Him in a bird flying, I see Him in my kids, I see Him in a song on the radio, I see Him in my memories and my daily activities. I see Him in the small nuisances of my life, and His glory in me is just as powerful and amazing as His glory in the prophet, the preacher and the healer. I see God face to face, and His presence lives in and through me. He is my Mauve God.

You can also read this devotional at the Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe: The Christmas Photo

My kids were all ready for pictures with Santa. My sons wore cute red and green plaid shirts, red sweater vests and corridor pants, and my daughter wore a beautiful Christmas dress that I bought last spring on clearance. I couldn’t wait to grace the entrance of the mall and present my picturesque kids to Santa and the photo elves. Wouldn’t they all just swoon over my angelic children?!

Amazingly enough, my sons both smiled and waited patiently for the camera to flash. My daughter, on the other hand, took one look at the stranger wearing a red suit and donning a long white beard and freaked out. My husband and I tried our best to get her to smile, and the photo elves took several shots, but my daughter’s screams only grew louder and her tears only grew fatter. She reached her little arms toward me and called out “Mama!” Never once did she look in the direction of the camera.

In Christmases past, I would have been irritated about the wasted energy and the less than perfect Christmas photo, and I would have allowed my disappointment to steal a little of my Christmas joy. However, this year was different. I felt a tinge of frustration, but it was quickly overpowered by my enjoyment in the honest reaction of my child. I held my daughter in my arms and praised her instincts: “I’m so proud of you! You distrust strangers and that is a very good thing!”

As I walked with my husband back through the mall to let our kids play on the soft park, I thought about what had changed in me. Since I’ve only been a mother for six years, I prayed that God would help me to understand the good work He had performed in me. I came upon a Christian writer who gave words to what I was experiencing. She writes that our children are not here to meet our expectations or to fulfill our happiness; rather, “they are here to fulfill the purposes of God.”*

I believe that having standards for our children is good; but when we start pushing them to meet our expectations, or worse yet, other people’s expectations that we fear, we have placed a large burden on their shoulders that they were never meant to carry. As parents, we are called to obediently follow God’s lead in caring for our children (allowing His grace to fill the holes of our mistakes), and God will take care of the rest. It is HIS job to “fulfill the purposes” that He has for them.

After I finally digested this truth, I realized that I would have less disappointments, frustrations and irritation if I didn’t drive myself and everyone around me to meet MY expectations. Only God knows the future, and He is the only One who has perfect expectations. When I relinquish my desires for His, I can live my life in peace, joy and hope no matter what is going on around me. This year’s Christmas photo will always bring a smile to my face, because I know that even my daughter’s cries have fulfilled the purposes of God.

Question: How can you alleviate some stress this Christmas season by letting go of your own expectations?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8.28 NIV).

You can also read this article at the Internet Cafe!

*Parenting guidance comes from Leslie Leyland Fields and my all time favorite parenting book: Parenting is Your Highest Calling and 8 Other Myths that Trap Us in Worry and Guilt!

Internet Cafe: Beautiful Lack

I finally purged my closet.

It felt so good. I can’t believe the piles of clothes, shoes and accessories that came out of that small space. At the end of my four hour purge, I had three piles of trash and four piles of giveaway stuff. I looked at the mess in my room, and I knew all that unnecessary stuff had made getting dressed difficult and confusing every morning.

I got rid of old college t-shirts, clothes I bought on sale but never wore, shoes that were trendy but hurt my feet, belts and scarves that haven’t been touched in years, and work clothes that I no longer needed. Every time I held an item in my hand and thought, “Well, maybe someday I’ll wear it,” I would throw it in a pile. If I’m not wearing it now, I will never wear it!

Once I cleaned out my closet, I discovered several nice pieces that I had forgotten about. They were pressed between clothes I usually ignored, so I never saw them. Also, there was now a ton of space in my closet, and it felt good to know that I was gaining control over my wardrobe. Style has never been my forte, but I’m beginning to learn that a few “perfect” items are better than a truck-load of “okay” items.

With all that empty space, I began to get excited. Yes, I had very few clothes now, but I didn’t see it as a lack – I saw it as an opportunity! I was determined to slowly fill the emptiness with clothes that fit my body type, lifestyle and personal taste. No longer would I cram stuff into my closet that obviously didn’t belong there.

As I stared at my completed work, God said, “Isn’t lack beautiful?”

I instantly knew what God was referring to. He had purged my life of everything that was “okay.” I can remember every instance when He told me to throw something out or give something over to someone else. I felt insecure because I feared people’s opinions of me. Would they think I was being lazy? Would they think I wasn’t doing enough for God? Would they somehow think I was living in rebellion?

First of all, I know that I shouldn’t put other people’s opinions over God’s because that is idolatry. Second of all, I finally discovered what God was doing when He cleaned out my life. He was getting rid of everything unnecessary because He was about to fill my life with perfectly tailored pieces of my destiny. I was in a beautiful lack, and I became excited about what God was about to do.

Have you ever been in a beautiful lack? Does God want to purge your life of all the distractions that pull you away from your purpose? Will you allow God to trash all the “okay” things that confuse your calling? Don’t worry about what other people think about the purge – they’ll understand when they see you walking out in an amazing wardrobe tailored to your life. Hopefully, they’ll learn from your example and do a little life-cleaning themselves.

You can also read this devotional over at Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe: Stretching

As I build my physical strength, I’ve noticed that I hurt more. I’ll do something seemingly easy, and I’ll sprain, twist or pull something. My back begins to hurt, and I wonder why building muscle is not preventing these aches and pains.

I finally figured out that I’m not flexible. The strength training I’m doing is great, but it needs to be accompanied with stretching all the tendons and ligaments that connect my muscles and bones. If one area of my body becomes stronger, the weakness in other areas become painfully obvious….literally.

So I’ve begun to stretch. I stretch while watching the kids play, before or after my time with God, even during a family movie night. Finally, I’ve noticed a difference in my performance. I don’t hurt as much, and my aches and pains have lessened because my body is better able to withstand the stress.

I have noticed this same connection in my spiritual life. Many times Christians work hard at building our strength as Christians; yet we get hurt easily. Someone says something or does something, and we immediately take offense. Something happens in our life and we get offended at God. We become strong Christians who are weak with mercy, grace and loyalty.

Christians can be spiritual-powerhouses all they want; but if they’re groveling over all the offenses they receive, they’ll never fulfill their destiny to the fullest. We gain our greatest range of movement when we are flexible. God wants our influence to be mighty in His Kingdom, so He’ll stretch us so He can use us in amazing and wide-ranging ways.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being offended. I want to shine glory on God’s throne, so I’m determined to allow God to stretch me until it is uncomfortable — even a bit painful. But I know that when He is done, I’ll won’t find myself hurting all of the time. I trust God’s hand in my life, and I will lean on Him instead of clinging onto hurt.

Have you encountered an offense lately? Did you not offer mercy and grace only to feel bad about it later? How has God been stretching you?

“He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends” (Proverbs 17.9 NIV).

You can also find this devotional over at Internet Cafe!

Stand Your Ground: Internet Cafe

My son loves to chase birds. When he sees them sweetly sitting there, he takes off into a sprint toward them. The birds instantly fly away as they see my son heading like a freight train in their direction. He divides the birds like the red sea, and he grins with a feeling of triumph.

One afternoon, I took my kids to the splash park. A single bird sat in the water enjoying herself immensely. My son ran toward her, but the bird didn’t budge; she didn’t even ruffle a feather. Her fearlessness caused my son to abruptly stop. The bird stood her ground, and my son walked away. I figured my son only enjoyed the chase-and-run game when the birds that cooperated.

God has been teaching me a lot about standing my ground. Many times I’m others-centered instead of God-centered, and I worry way too much what people think. If I have to make a decision that others don’t like, I show my fear, guilt and apprehension of their opinion concerning my decision. Unknowingly, others take this as a cue that I’m in the wrong and that their disapproval of my decision is justified.

I try to root all of my decisions in God, and, honestly, many people don’t like my choices. When I show my angst about my decision, I’m indicating that I approve of other people’s disapproval, and I reveal a lack of trust in God’s judgment. The impression I give is not fair to others or to me because it causes a bunch of negative undertones that wouldn’t be there if I were to simply take my insecurity out of my decision making.

I’m learning to be like that bird and stand my ground. Others see my sincerity (even if they don’t agree), and they back away. Plus, I’m not conflicted with emotional stress that my uncertainty causes. If God is the core of all that I do, I don’t have to worry about the waves that my life creates.

When Jesus lived, many people disagreed and misunderstood Him. But no one could doubt His sincerity. He never worried about what others thought because He was only concerned with what God thought. I want to be like Jesus. Even in the middle of complete chaos, I desire to be assured and confident with my God-aligned choices.

Do you have difficulty standing your ground? How does your indecision shape the behavior of others? What can you do to prevent yourself from worrying when others disagree with you?

You can also read this article over at Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe: The Good Fear

My oldest son has taken swim lessons since he was six months old. Every summer we pour energy, money and time into getting him acquainted with the water and comfortable swimming. By the end of each summer, he is able to confidently move through the water like a fish!

However, through the winter months, his water skills take a back seat and he loses his swimming confidence. When summer comes round again, he believes he can’t swim and is burdened by an unfounded fear.

Once again, I enrolled my son in swimming lessons, and the teacher assessed him in the water. He was nervous and wouldn’t let go of the side. She said that he would have to go with the beginners who were several years younger than he.

I was discouraged because I know he could do better. I see his fear and try to explain to him that he is an amazing swimmer….he just forgot! He won’t listen to me, though. His fear dictates his actions and drives his mother crazy!

During the first swim lesson, my son regained his confidence; and by the second swim lesson, the teacher had to move him to the next class. He was far more advanced than she had anticipated. When he finally let go of his fear, he was able to demonstrate his real ability.

Oh! But don’t we do that too as God’s children?!

God is constantly working in us to prepare us for the challenges ahead. He knows who we are deep in our spirits, and He knows that we can do His will. But many times our fears stop us from shining His glory! I can go through all the reasons and excuses of our fears, but I’ll just touch on the deepest root: We have lost our fear (reverence, honor, awe) of God, and that fear has been transmitted to the world.

If the Creator of life, the God of everything living, and the King of all the breathes says that we can do it, what right do we have to yell back, “No, we can’t”? Are we going to bow down to the fear of God or the fear of the world?

If God says you can do it…YOU CAN!

I want to be an excellent wife – YOU CAN!

I want to raise godly children – YOU CAN!

I want to serve with a heart of joy – YOU CAN!

I want to accomplish the impossible – YOU CAN!

I want to be a shining woman of faith – YOU CAN!

You can swim in this crazy ocean of faith. God has given you the tools, and He is slowly honing your talent during the seemingly meaningless tasks that you do every day. He is doing a good work in you. He knows when you are ready to swim; so when you hear Him calling you out, don’t think about it, don’t analyze it, don’t worry about it and don’t fear it. Just tell yourself, “I can!”

If you have submitted to His authority and have been faithful in the small things of your daily life, you will find victory. And when you finally start swimming, you’ll realize that you had more ability than you anticipated. God will have to pile on more anointing just to keep up with your skills. Take off the weight of fear, and you’ll rise to the top!

Questions:

What fears have prevented you from achieving God’s best for your life?

What would happen if you replaced the fear of the world with the Fear of the Lord (the basis of all wisdom)?

Would you make a commitment starting today that you would fear the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the only name deserving of your fear?

You can also read this devotional over at the Internet Cafe!

You can also read my interview at Robin's Nest!

Internet Cafe: Confusing One-liners

I enjoy jogging on a certain main street in my neighborhood. A lot of joggers, skateboarders, and cyclist make their way down this road. The etiquette while jogging is to nod and say hello as you pass another jogger. If one is feeling very festive, she can try to squeeze in a fast one-liner during the few seconds of contact.

For example, one could say, “Windy day. Can’t wait to go back the other way” or “I forgot that summer has arrived already” or “Wonder if I can call a cab to pick me up.” These are quick little remarks that entertain the joggers as they sweat out all their frustration and that morning’s donut. The comments are not terribly witty or remarkable; rather, they mainly work as creative little fillers.

I always wear my headphones and jam out to Christian music while I jog. So whenever I see another jogger in the distance, I turn off the music so I can respond to whatever is being said or I can make a remark if so inclined.

However, one particular afternoon I didn’t want to turn off my radio. I was in a runner’s groove, and I didn’t feel like slowing down to look at my IPod. I decided that I would just speak to the passerby with the music playing in my ears. I prepared a quick comment about the weather and rehearsed it in my head. I was confident that I could give my small one-liner, make eye contact with the jogger and continue running my course. Simple.

Since the music was so loud in my ears, I really couldn’t hear how I sounded, but it was obvious the other jogger had no idea what I had said. All I saw as I ran past him was an expression of confusion and a little shock on his face. I’m horrified to think about what noises came out of my mouth.

Many times we as Christians do the same thing. We want to tell someone about Jesus, but we are listening to the loud noises of the world and we are unable to articulate clearly. We want to explain our relationship with Christ, but our words come out all jumbled and confused. Sometimes our entire life is one chaotic mess because we can’t distinguish God’s voice from amongst the world’s racket.

I’ve realized that in my own walk with God, I have had to tune out a lot of the world. Much of what I filter is not necessarily deemed as evil – it’s just distracting. Once I started turning down the ruckus filling my ears, I was much better at hearing from the Lord. When I could hear God’s voice, I became better at sharing His insights with others.

I know that God’s grace covers all my mess-ups, but I would like to do a better job at focusing my radar on Him. I want to clearly hear God’s voice, so He can do a mighty work in my life. If I could be diligent enough to tune-out the world’s transmissions, my ears will have greater ability to receive God’s holy signal, which is filled to overflowing with truth and promises.

What about you? What distractions can you tune out of your life, so you can better hear from God? What changes can you make that will keep your radar alert to His plan?

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding”
(Job 37.5 NIV).

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Internet Cafe: Taste God’s Good

My daughter is now 15 months old, and it seems that the third child grows way too quickly. She now says several words. One of her favorite words to say is “food.” Whatever I give her – oatmeal, a sandwich, chicken or a cookie – she calls it food.

I wanted to start distinguishing each food item, but I could tell that the advancement in communication would be too much for her. She just caught onto what “food” means, and I wouldn’t want to confuse her. Food is the stuff that she puts in her mouth when her tummy rumbles. That’s all she needs to know right now.

While watching my daughter eat, I thought of verse, “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34.8a NIV).There are so many goodnesses of God, and many times I never bother to distinguish them. I just call every aspect of His awesome character “good.” However, I do want to start recognizing the many qualities of His divine nature. I want to understand the taste of each blessing.

If God forgives me for a wrong that I continually commit, I want to claim His mercy. If God reveals something beautiful through me, I want to claim His glory. If God does the impossible in my life, I want to claim His grace. And if God redeems a wrong that has been forced on me, I want to claim His justice.

God does so many good things for me and through me every day, and I want to passionately point out each one and name it. I think if I can start recognizing the many flavors of His goodness, I will learn more about how amazing our God is. I want to taste each blessing and savor each flavor.

I desire to become a spiritual food connoisseur for God. How about you? What has God tasted like lately? Can you distinguish the many flavors of His goodness?

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2.2-3 NIV).


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Internet Cafe: Using our Filters

When my husband and I were first married, we lived in a tiny apartment. I could vacuum the entire house using one plug for the cord. My mom came to visit for a few days. She didn’t mind sleeping on the couch, but she did mind the lack of coffee supplies. She quickly went out to buy us a coffee pot, filters and coffee.

After my mom left, she sweetly left us the coffee pot for future visits. After a year in the tiny apartment, we upgraded to a bigger one. I brought the coffee pot and the filters along with us. We made coffee on rare occasions, and I was happy we were prepared.
When my husband and I finished schooling, we moved to another city for further training. As I packed the house for the move, I broke the coffee pot and decided to throw it away. However, I kept the coffee filters. There were a bunch of them, and I didn’t want to waste a perfectly usable product. So I put the filters in a plastic bag and packed them.

My husband and I moved into our first home. We were excited about the change and the new possibilities that came with it. Most of all, we were thrilled that we lived right next to a local coffee shop. I didn’t need to buy a coffee pot; and as the years went by, I completely forgot about the filters.

We moved one more time back to our hometown where my husband and I first met. As I was unpacking, I found the coffee filters. My husband must have tossed them into the box. I thought it was interesting that the filters had made it from our first home to our current home almost eight years later.

“What am I going to do with these filters?” I thought.

I kept them mainly for nostalgia’s sake. The filters were a sweet reminder of my marriage’s beginning. Finally back in our hometown, we joined a church and began to raise our growing family. A year later we started a church home group. My friend bought me a coffee pot for Christmas, and I started serving the much wanted coffee for my friends. I finally had a use for my coffee filters.

What I’ve come to understand is that God many times gives us coffee filters. He puts a desire, talent, promise or dream into our hearts way before we will ever use them. They just sit on the back burner, and we wonder why God ever gave us the passion in the first place.

But slowly, without us even realizing it, a need will come and we’ll finally get to do what God has called us to do. I don’t know why God places these dreams in our hearts so early, but I do know that we will greatly enjoy dedicating ourselves to those dreams when the time arrives…. I was excited to finally use my filters.

What about you? Has God given you a talent, dream, passion or promise that you haven’t been able to fulfill? Or have you finally been able to accomplish something that God anointed you for years in advance? Share your story with us, so we can be encouraged that God does finally let us use our filters.

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1.20 NIV).

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Internet Cafe: Boats & Promises

My family and I went to what we call “Angel Island,” which is a small patch of dirt in the middle of the canals on North Padre Island. We like this little island because the kids can’t wander off, and we can watch the boats and the skiers as they jet on by. On the other side of the canal on this particular day were two dogs. Their owners landed their boat on the strip of land adjacent to us, and the dogs enjoyed running up and down the length of the shore.

Whenever a boat or jet skier would drive by, one of the dogs would chase it until he ran out of land. He would start at one end of the strip and run the distance of a football field to the other side. The boats were going about 35 mph, and this dog kept pace! I couldn’t believe how fast he ran and how excited he looked chasing these boats.

I felt kind of bad for the dog, though. He never caught the boats. The land would run out and the boats would zip on past him. The dog didn’t seem to mind because he would go back to where he started and wait for another boat to come. I think the dog loved the thrill of chasing the boats. He didn’t really need to catch them.

This made me think of God’s promises to us. I’ve realized that God always puts His promises to us way out in the distance. They are almost never within our immediate reach. In order to claim these promises, we have to get our running shoes on and chase them.

“Why do you make it so hard, God?” I asked Him.

God whispered into my heart: “Those promises mean very little to me, but you mean everything to me. I place those promises away from you so you can move from Point A (old selfish nature) to Point B (Christ-likeness). I want you close to me, so I place promises along the way to draw you near and to teach, encourage and bless you.”

Finally, after years of waiting on God to fulfill His promises to me, I understood what I was doing wrong. God’s promises are already fulfilled. If He gave them to me, they are recorded in history as completed and I shouldn’t worry about the timing. What I need to focus on is the chase. How am I running after my promises? Am I focused like that dog with a huge grin on my face and my tongue lolling out to one side? Or am I whining and complaining to God that He is taking too long and He is making it too hard?

I think God wants to us to enjoy the chase. He put promises around us to make life fun and rewarding. He didn’t put them there to make us miserable. My goal for myself now is to enjoy the chase. Chasing dreams is a privilege, and God has given me gifts, talents and the Holy Spirit to help me run to win.

Unlike the dog, if I run out of land, God will teach me to run on water so I can continue to chase my boat. And when I finally catch it, I want to be eager for another promise and another chase! Promises help me to cultivate a deeper relationship with God, so I want to chase after a bunch of them! I desire for Jesus to be my best friend before I meet Him face to face.

What promises has God given you? Are you chasing them with determination, clinging onto Him the entire way? How can you begin to enjoy the chase and feel secure in His love for you?

“I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise” (Psalm 119.58 NIV).

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Internet Cafe: Talking with God

I allow each of my boys to pray at night as they are lying in bed. My youngest boy is three and my oldest is five. The youngest one usually prays and his older brother then follows. At first my youngest boy didn’t want to pray because he was embarrassed. He didn’t pray like his older brother, and I think that made him self-conscious. However, I encouraged him without any pressured expectations, and he started to pray now and then.

One night, my youngest son jumped into praying. He prayed for juice, toys, cookies, popcorn, etc. I could hear my oldest son snickering under his breath. When my youngest son said, “Amen,” I kissed him and went over to my oldest son’s bed.

I whispered in his ear, “You used to pray like that. He will get better and better as he practices. Let’s not make fun of him, okay?”

My oldest son looked grave and shook his head in agreement. He then prayed his prayer with confidence. He asked God to bless our family and protect us while we slept. I kissed him goodnight, turned off the lights and shut the door behind me.

Prayer is often so misunderstood. There are people who can pray all the pretty religious phrases and others who are straightforward. They are all beautiful as long as the motive is right. What is the motive of prayer? To speak to God.

We have an amazing line to God, and it takes time to get the hang of it. We must not beat ourselves up if we feel like we didn’t pray right. God hears the heart, not the words. The only way to get better at talking with God is to practice – practice makes perfect!

Do you feel like your prayers are hitting the ceiling? Be honest with God, and He will meet you where you are at. He wants to communicate with you more than anything. How can you save time for him every day? What could you take out or move in your schedule in order to put praying to God as priority?

And just remember that when there are no words, Jesus prays on your behalf!

“Father, help us to seek You every day. We know that it takes work to forge an intimate relationship with You. Put a passion in us that seeks to know You more. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”

“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours” (John 17.9 NIV).

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Internet Cafe: A Mess in His Hands

Have you ever seen the mess under your table after a full day of kid occupation and demolition? Gathering under your table are portions of pancake and bits of bacon from breakfast; glints of goldfish and hunks of ham from lunch; scattered salmon and messy mashed potatoes from dinner, and don’t even get me started on the ever accumulating pesky pieces of play dough, fragments of forgotten toys and determined debris from the yard.

You look at the mess under your table and become overwhelmed. “I just cleaned all this mess yesterday!” you think. Then, your mind begins its spiral into a dismal recount all of the housekeeping you do every second of the day – cooking, organizing, cleaning messes, picking up toys, changing diapers, doing laundry and that’s just the stuff you do at home!

I remember on one particular evening I finally cracked! I was so upset about the mess in the kitchen. It felt as though I looked away for one second and a tornado pointed its tricky finger down from ceiling, stirring the contents of my kitchen and brought it back up before I could see it. My mind started fuming, and I took a nose dive into my own pity party.

I angrily got the broom and started sweeping under the table. I filled my mind with all the little and seemingly insignificant things I do all day long. I questioned my purpose and the meaning of life, which at the time felt like was all about cleaning. I had no peace or joy, and I forgot all of the blessings God pours on me each day.

About one minute later my floor was clean (all that complaining for something that was so easy to do)! I walked over to the trashcan to dump out that day’s destruction, and I noticed how little the mess looked in the dustpan. I stared at the gathered garbage and laughed. I could hold all of it on the palm of my hand.

How could such a little mess cause me so much grief?

That’s when God gave me an important image. I know it sounds cliché, but I imagined all of my life’s problems in the palm of His hand, and they seemed small.

Everything is small compared to the power and love of God. If we give our lives over to Him, we are protected for eternity. Nothing can snatch us out of His hands. Though the messes of life – busyness, illness, divorce and death – surround us; we know that our Heavenly Father is holding them all in His mighty hand. He doesn’t promise that our lives will be easy; He simple promises that we will be able to persevere (James 1.12).

What messes are you dealing with today?

Do you trust that God holds them in His hand?

Will you determine your mind not to worry about situations that are out of your control? Let us praise God that we will be spending eternity in heaven with Him!

“Father, please help us to have faith that You truly have the whole world (including our messes) in Your mighty hands. Amen!”

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them
out of my hand” (John 10.28 NIV).

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First Friday Fiction

Internet Cafe: No-Thank-You Bite

Have you ever eaten a “No-thank-you-bite”?

You are eating with a friend. She offers you food, but you really don’t want to taste it. However, she looks at you with an enthusiastic smile, nudging the spoon toward your mouth.

You are eating at her favorite sushi restaurant (raw fish makes your stomach churn, and you’re there just for the teriyaki chicken) or she just made her award-winning quiche (you really don’t like eggs because the texture is slimy, but the bacon sure smells good). She is over-the-top eager for you taste the food even though you confess that you dislike it.

I do not eat green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

You finally take the bite because you figure that her feelings are more important than your taste buds. You smile and tell her that it’s wonderfully made and admit that you can see why people would love it. . . .yet, (unlike the green eggs and ham) it is still not something you would eat again.

I’ve realized that God also gives us “No-thank-you bites."

I remember when I had just finished grocery shopping, and I drove past a local ministry. All of a sudden, I felt a passion to help this ministry. I knew the Holy Spirit was prompting me, but I had absolutely no idea how I would fit another thing onto my already bulging plate of to-dos.

I kept thinking to myself, “I’ve never been passionate about this type of ministry before.”

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Okay, God. Just tell me what I need to do.”

I decided to make my spirit available for God to lead, and I went on about my day. That night I told my church home group that God prompted me to help out this ministry. After I finished telling my story, my friend’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. She told us a long narrative about how that ministry has been on her heart for years, but she has never taken the first step of faith to get involved.

The next morning, I picked up my friend, and we drove to the ministry to see if we could help out. My friend chatted away, got phone numbers and took charge of a particular need they had.

I just sat there realizing that God had just given me a “No-thank-you-bite.”

My friend went on to organize a beautiful giving campaign, and I tagged along offering encouragement. God used me to “taste” a ministry, so my friend could have an all-out dinner buffet. Isn’t God so cool!

Can you look back to a time that God gave you a “No-thank-you-bite”? What did it taste like?

“They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves” (Acts 27:36 NIV).

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Internet Cafe: What Shall I Wear?

Early one morning, I stared into my closet and wondered what I should wear? I was about to pull one of my nice shirts off of the hanger, but I thought better of it. I didn't want to waste a nice shirt on a day that was a "just-get-it-over-with" kind of day.

"Today is not special," I thought. "I should just wear jeans and a t-shirt."

I put on the jeans and t-shirt and inspected myself in the mirror. I realized that I pretty much wear jeans and a t-shirt every day. As I stared at my reflection, God nicely connected my outward attire to my attitude. I had a negative attitude towards this day. I wanted to hurry up and get it out of the way. I had already made up my mind that this day would be unimportant and absolutely no fun. And judging from my hamper overflowing with t-shirts and jeans, I harbored that attitude a lot.

Although there is nothing wrong with wearing jeans and a t-shirt, God revealed an expectation and attitude I had about my days that needed to be readjusted. Every morning, I roll up my sleeves and plow through my day like a tractor on autopilot. I trudge along and miss most of the enjoyment because my expectations are low and my attitude is wrong.

Have you ever done that?

Have you ever thought to yourself, "If only I could get through this day, life would be better"?

God is teaching me that I need to change my attitude and expect great things every day. God is the master weaver of our days, and He does not waste a single one. None of our days drop under His radar; He has a divine appointment for us each and every day!

Now, I’m not saying that every day is going to be filled with rainbows and lollipops, but each day does serve a purpose. I think if we put our trust in God, we can find joy even in the hard times. God doesn’t waste a single heartache, conflict or tragedy. He cares about us and our days, and He wants us to be blessed.

If you are a Christian, you have the ultimate portal to joy — Jesus Christ! People are looking at us, and they are wondering why we are here on this earth. They want to see if Jesus makes a difference in our lives. They need to see our joy, especially during the mundane and hard times.

If we start tapping into the joy that is within us, we would have joy every where we go, no matter the circumstance! Once we get good at opening that joy, we can start sharing it with those around us. We can pass out God’s joy like it’s going out of style, and people will praise God because of it!

I am learning to put on a new attitude every morning, even if I still put on my jeans and t-shirt! What about you? How can you give your attitude a new wardrobe?

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118.24).

“Lord, help me to have an new attitude today. I want to live like each day has a grand purpose. I know that You do not waste a single moment in this vapor of a life. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”


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