Happy New Year!

Andy and I had the opportunity to travel with our youngest son, Sam, to Italy earlier this month. Our primary purpose was to visit our daughter, Laura and her husband Zach who is an officer in the U.S. Air Force and stationed in Aviano - but our secondary purpose was to see as much of Italy as we could inside of two weeks. In the end, we visited 6 countries, saw many amazing sights and ate the most incredibly delicious food! We were very grateful for this tremendous opportunity and know we'll never forget the adventure!

We made every attempt to share snippets of our journey on facebook as often as we could throughout our time there, and many friends have expressed their appreciation for the ability to vicariously follow us on our travels. For those who might be interested in more...we are sharing here, the fuller slide-show version of our overseas trip. It may start automatically - so be sure to roll your cursor over the program below, turn your speakers on, and click back to the beginning if you missed the first couple of slides while reading this! The first slide starts with "OUR TRIP TO ITALY DECEMBER 2011". (Flash player is required.)

We pray you will enjoy a happy, grace-filled, vision-fulfilling NEW YEAR! God bless you!

Love,
Andy and Kathy

Shine

I love God. I love how He drew me, rescued and saved me and I’m especially grateful for His unending grace. I am grateful for any opportunity I have to share His love with others but I have a confession to make: sometimes I feel pretty inadequate for the task. Do you ever feel that way? Sometimes, after I share with others about God, I second guess most of what I said – feeling a little foolish for poorly communicating the magnitude of such great truth. Maybe that’s why they call it “inexpressible joy”. I clumsily fumble around for words that are just out of reach when trying to describe God, His love & His truth. I’m just a weak, imperfect person after all and Jesus is – well – amazing! I can come away from those interactions feeling rather foolish and a bit intimidated, potentially hindering my future attempts at sharing God’s truth with others. But all the while, He grants me grace and continues to impart His life and love into my heart, causing it to well up like a river needing an outlet.

Today, the Lord began to speak into this struggle for me during worship. It was one of those moments of transforming encounter and here I am again, in a place of wanting to share His love with others. (That’s you!) The Lord showed me several different pictures and spoke to my heart about each one.

The first thing I “saw” was a butterfly. “A butterfly has lovely, colorful wings because I spilled out My glory and splendor on that tiny, graceful creature. It would be wrong for a butterfly to stay wrapped up in her cocoon when she has such pretty wings, not to mention her new ability to fly! Spread your wings, daughter. When you do, you display My Glory. It’s what you were made for.”

Next, I saw a gorgeous, intricately jeweled, purple necklace. I felt like the Lord Himself had prepared it for me and was moving toward me, to place it upon my neck. (He knows how much I like the color purple!) I certainly felt overwhelmed and humbled to be so blessed by Almighty God and I was tempted to draw back. In that moment, I felt the Lord speak to me again, “This necklace is a picture of My glory and My love for you, personally. It is My desire to grace you with it – but you’ll need to yield to this gift, to wear it freely, and allow the splendor to shine for others to see.”

A few moments later, I saw a gold decorative plate holder. Do you know what I mean? I’m talking about those small, gold easels that people use to display their hand-painted collector's plates. “The easel itself may glisten in the light, and even though it may be made of pure gold, its purpose is still to simply display the glory and beauty of the plate. You’re like the easel – let My Glory rest upon you.”

Then I saw a large feather – the kind they used to use as quill pens. “The life of the story is not INSIDE the feather, it’s inside the heart and comes out as the tip of the quill is dipped into ink and words are written out as the heart directs. Yield yourself to My heart and My hand as I write My story through your life.”

Finally, the Lord spoke to me about the paper upon which His story is written. Similar to the feather quill analogy, He encouraged me to allow Him to write His love story on my life, so that others could read it, find hope in it, and discover His lavish love for them as well. His encouragement to me this morning brought great personal freedom to allow the life of Jesus to flow freely through me, as He wills.

Although it really is all about the greatness and majesty of Almighty God, He delights to use weak human beings, like you and me, to reveal His glory to the world. His power is made perfect in our weakness. In Christ, we have an opportunity to get over ourselves and let Him be glorified through our yielded lives. It is not humility to resist shining with the love of God; it’s humility to submit to it. Let's do that. My friend, let's be free and live out loud.

“Let your life shine before men!” ~Jesus

Safe and Sound

Today, my beloved church family and I celebrated our Pastors’ 20^th year of ministry at our humble church, in our small town of Warsaw. Pastors Chris and Kayren Lonneville have sacrificially and faithfully cared for many lost souls and broken hearts over the years, mine included. It was our privilege to take some time during our morning service to offer up words of gratitude and testimony regarding how God has used these two very special people in our lives. One of the themes I heard several times throughout this time of sharing was that of feeling “safe” under the leadership and care of Pastor Chris and Kayren. I’ve often thought that a sense of safety is one of our basic human needs. For some, perhaps safety doesn’t seem like a big issue, but for those of us who have ever been rattled by the insecurity of uncontrolled circumstances, the betrayal of those we’ve held most dear, or the trauma of abuse, safety becomes the most important possession for life and peace. Even when our circumstances settle down, our soul may still quiver and quake for weeks, months, even years as we grope for something solid – truth – assurance that we can begin to trust that life won’t implode in upon us in the next minute.

Twenty years ago, I found myself in despair and without direction – daily rattled to the core with a sense of profound vulnerability and fragility. In God’s mercy and love, He held me in a healing embrace and gave me the gifts that would help me find my sanctuary – my safe place in God; those gifts are named Chris and Kayren. Through their loyal, faithful and fierce devotion to my family and me, gradually I found that the grace holding me up was solid, strong and sure. Even if I faltered or failed, this grace sustained me, and my pastors continued to gently care for me in my weakness. I think that’s what made me feel safest: the unconditional love, care and support through those hardest times. I could rest while I healed. My church became like an ICU, and my pastors oversaw my healing, while they prayed that the Great Healer would go deep into my heart, putting the pieces back together. And He did. And He does.

Good pastors help foster a safe place for those who feel unsafe, and yet they also encourage those hiding in comfort zones to come out and trust God with the mysteries and uncertainties of life. Pastor Chris and Kayren taught me that my safety isn’t about what goes on around me, but Who reigns in me. I know that I can fully trust Jesus, the King of my heart. I believe that Chris and Kayren are great pastors and great pastors sit by your bed in the ICU until you find strength to walk. They walk beside you until you find the power to run. And they coach, challenge and cheer you on to run with all your might, until you get off the ground – and fly.

I sincerely love and appreciate these two gifts from God, my pastors, Chris & Kayren.

Encounter

On occasion, I have the opportunity to talk with friends who are struggling and facing serious issues, and are seeking counsel and direction. I whisper a prayer to the Lord for His wisdom, and I often sense Him directing me to share a testimony from my own journey towards wholeness. He causes me to recall change points when I was brought to the end of myself and He came in as the Hero of my heart. For instance, I may recount the time when I seriously struggled with unbelief, and Jesus came to me by His Spirit and spoke truth to my heart which brought freedom. Or He might ask me to tell the story of victory over fear that came when Jesus touched my mind and heart with truth and love. Or perhaps the time when my heart was broken over the death of my dear friend, and the healing I found as my Father held me close, and reminded me that she is home and happy with Him.

Everyone struggles, but each of those struggles are as diverse as the individuals who have them. When we wrestle with issues, we just want to find the “How to” list that describes how we can get out of those difficult things with minimal pain and suffering. But, there is no “How to” list. How the Lord chose and chooses to heal me, may not be the same way He chooses to heal or free others. However, generally speaking, I believe He does use the same "method" when He brings healing to His children. Encounter.

Remember the woman with the issue of blood? For twelve years she suffered, seeking help from every possible health care provider available to her. Unfortunately, she remained in her shameful condition, and found herself near despair….until Jesus came to town. She heard the Healer was walking down her street and although it was unlawful for her to even share the same air-space as her fellow Jewish friends and family, she ran into the crowd. In desperation and risking being trampled, she lunged forward simply to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe. When she did this, power flowed through Jesus and He felt it. He stopped and looked at her in amazement. “Daughter, your faith has made you well! Go in peace and healing!” From that moment on – that moment where she touched Him in her need, and He touched her with His loving power, an exchange of healing happened. Encounter happened and healing resulted.

She was in need. And in a combination of desperation and faith, she cried out to Jesus which resulted in a life-changing encounter with the King of kings. When I look back on my own journey of healing, I realize that those awful struggles brought me to a place of desperate need. Struggle and need are not the problem - those things may be the motivation we need to reach out for the One who is walking down our street. It is in the ENCOUNTER that we find wholeness. Not in a list of dos and don’ts. It's not found in our goodness or ability to compensate for our weaknesses. It's also not found in exploring all of our bad memories or singing the right songs or reading the right scriptures….not that those are wrong things to do. They just will not bring you the freedom you need unless Jesus breathes on those things...unless His power touches your heart. Looking back, I can say with confidence that at every point of pain in my life that resulted in true and lasting healing, Jesus was on the scene, speaking life to my heart and bringing me freedom. It is in the very real ENCOUNTER with Jesus that I found and find what I so desperately need.

Are you struggling with affliction – in body, in mind, in spirit or soul? Let hope arise, run to Jesus and lunge with all your heart for His touch. I have good news, He really wants to be caught by you. He died and lives today, to bring you life and healing today.

Jeremiah 29:13-14

“…You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity…”

A Time to Weep

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4

I’m feeling sad.

Sadness used to be a scary feeling I’d avoid at all cost. I think part of the reason for that is because I didn’t trust myself to be sad. It was like a mysterious black hole that could suck me in without any hope of surfacing to happiness again. I sidestepped sadness by ignoring the more difficult facts of life, hiding myself from painful feelings of sorrow, and by putting on my prescription strength rose-colored glasses. Somewhere along the way, in the course of the healing work of Jesus in my heart, He held my hand and encouraged me to walk through those shadowy valleys with Him. Psalm 23:4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” I find comfort in the promise of walking THROUGH and not being overcome and swallowed up by shadows. It doesn’t take the sadness out of those valleys, but it does remove the fear and gives me courage to put one foot in front of the other. I also find comfort in knowing I don’t go through those valleys by myself. I have a Friend who is acquainted with my grief and as cheesy as the “Footprints” poem can be, I know that there are times when walking through can feel just too hard. I need my Comforter to carry me. And He does.

I’m feeling sad because I have a friend, Lisa, who is very ill and is in the process right now, of passing from this life to the next. I’ve spent some time crying in the midst of my friend’s battle with this evil cancer-monster. The tears have increased in recent days, as it is apparent that her death is imminent. I’ve thought some about those tears, even as they spill uncontrollably, sliding down my cheeks. Why am I crying? I mean I know that she’s safe in the hands of God, and yet I cry. So, what are the tears about?

If I cry for Lisa, it is only because I hate the thought of her suffering, but the truth is, her pain has been relatively well-managed. I’m grateful for that. I’m sad that she leaves a teenage daughter she had hoped to raise to adulthood. Lisa told me just recently however, that she has a deep peace and trusts the Lord with her daughter and her future. Lisa’s salvation is secure; her love for the Lord, absolute. She’s on her way to a celebration of life, joy and freedom! So mostly, my tears aren’t for her.

So what are the tears about?

I cry because her little girl faces the prospect of losing her mom at a crucial time in life. I cry for Lisa’s husband – and pray he finds real Hope in all this. I cry for the broken hearts of her mom and dad, whose depth of pain, few can possibly understand. I cry for the heartache of many friends and family – but especially for those who do not yet know there is a Comforter who longs to heal their broken lives.

And I cry for me. I love my friend. I don’t want her to leave because if she does, it's going to hurt. I’m really going to miss her. I know I’ll see her again someday, and that takes the sting out of death, but it doesn’t necessarily remove the sadness of separation. Sorrow is real, and hard, and incredibly sad – but it’s ok. If you’ve loved much, then you’ve likely also known the profound pain of loss. It’s risky to love because of that potential for pain, but life isn’t really full without it. So, we live, we love, we laugh…and sometimes we grieve. I am grateful that we have the promise of getting through this valley, with God. This isn’t the end.

Lisa recently shared this scripture with her church family: Isaiah 43:2-3 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

May we give one another room to grieve as God walks each of us through our own heartaches. May we comfort one another with the comfort with which we have been comforted. I pray we not avoid or ignore the sadness we feel, but I also pray that we not remain in the valley of the shadows. We can trust the Lord to lead us and carry us through those valleys, even when the sadness feels overwhelming. Finally, may we encourage one another as we look forward to that Day, when we will laugh and dance at the greatest family reunion ever conceived, worshiping the One who makes us one.

***********************

4/4/11 8:00 AM Update: Lisa went home to be with Jesus this morning. Good-bye sweet friend. I rejoice with you and the all-consuming joy and peace that's yours right now. I grieve for the rest of us who will miss you dearly. I love you.

Rumors of Love

Matt 24:4-13

“Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.“

We have seen some astonishing, tragic headlines this year, and it’s only March! The world was stunned by the news of the compounding disasters occurring in Japan – first a monumental earthquake followed by a horrendously destructive tsunami only to be complicated by leaking radiation from an out- of-control nuclear reactor. Meanwhile, wars and rumors of wars flare up like wild fires throughout North Africa and the Middle East, complete with UN, European and American military involvement. Beyond these major events, are tragedies equally horrific including the cholera epidemic in Haiti, the famine in Africa, and human trafficking across the globe. It would seem that we are indeed, living in days described by Jesus in Matthew 24.

You can count in minutes, the amount of time it takes for some Christians to come out of the woodwork and confidently proclaim “God’s judgment” upon people groups, nations and the world following natural disasters. The only predictable thing about an earthquake, is that the doomsday prophets will no doubt surface before the day is over. When I read Matthew 24, I don’t quite see Jesus prophesying judgment against anyone, but rather preparing us to look for signs as we come to the end of this age. In fact, He encourages us not to be troubled by the crazy things going on around us, but recognize the times for what they are. Wasn’t that nice of Him to do? He cared enough about us to explain ahead of time, some of the scarier parts of life on this earth. When reading this portion of scripture, I am not so afraid of the major world catastrophes Jesus describes, as I am shaken by this one phrase: “the love of many will grow cold.” I hate how easy it is for “normal” Christians (like you or I), to declare love for God and yet at times, coldly disregard others. It bothers me that although I love my family and friends dearly, I still choose selfishness more than I choose selflessness. Some might confidently defend their strong opinion that God is judging the world through natural disasters, and even call their finger pointing “truly loving”, but I sincerely fear that we are, in our harsh declarations, demonstrating the fulfillment of verse 12 – “the love of many will grow cold.”

I don’t want to relax comfortably in my own opinion of myself and the degree of love I have in my heart, potentially being deceived, not realizing that this love is at risk of growing cold. I love my kids, sure – but do I love the kid who bullied my kids? I love my church friends, but do I love the visitor who sits in “my place” in the pew? Do I love the friend who forgot my birthday? Do I love the neighbor who ran over my cat? Do I love the one who hates me? Do I love in word, because that’s what Christians do – Or do I love in deed even when it hurts – when it’s inconvenient – when I must sacrifice? Do I love “to death”? Do I love like Jesus loves me?

Love that comes from our own emotional responses to friends and family feels nice and is quite natural, even a God-given gift, but I believe what we need is more than that. What we need, is God’s love – the supernatural stuff that makes normal people, love extraordinarily. We need fire. It’s the kind of love that doesn’t always make sense, but always produces life. The thing about this kind of love, is that you can’t “get it and keep it” by making one trip to an altar. Love’s not on a divine switch that you can turn on in one moment of time and never concern yourself with again. It’s the very substance of God poured out into the humble, ever seeking soul – like a supernatural intravenous line. Love like air, must be breathed in and out, in and out – moment by moment, day by day. It’s a perpetual cycle of receiving love, and giving it away and we don’t, in and of ourselves, have what it takes to keep that cycle going. We need to recognize our need. We need to tap into the RESOURCE of Heaven – God’s heart. Love is, after all, the fruit of the SPIRIT – not the fruit of our good intentions and hard work.

When I find myself easily offended – I need to run back to LOVE. When I choose to pursue my own ambitions above preferring others – I need to run back to LOVE. When I see the news, and witness profound tragedy and yet turn a deaf ear – I need to run back to LOVE. When I start taking salvation for granted and forget to show mercy to others who hurt or irritate me – I need to run back to LOVE. I need to run back to LOVE again and again and again…

The headlines are frightening. It’s hard to always explain and understand what’s going on but Jesus encouraged us not be troubled. I believe we also ought not rush to judgment as an explanation for troubling times. I think part of the reason we run quickly to simple spiritual conclusions is so that we can feel more comfortable with frightening world changes. I pray that these uncertain times would not drive us to human explanation as much as they would remind us to turn up the heat of true, Godly love. Don't let my love grow cold.

During these difficult days, may it be said of the Body of Christ, “There is love and rumors of love throughout the earth!”

"Love one another deeply, from the heart." 1 Peter 1:22

Lean On Me

I watched as two older women quietly strolled down the sidewalk together on this cool, crisp day. One woman held her head up, almost gazing at the sun with a bit of a smile on her face and holding on to the arm of her friend as they walked. Her friend however, kept her serious gaze focused downward, trying to dodge icy patches and the pits and pocks in the cement of the sidewalk. I thought it an unusual sight and wondered why the one woman with the sun splashed countenance seemed so happily carefree while her friend appeared more concerned with each step along their journey, seemingly ignoring the splendor of the day.

And then it struck me.

This carefree woman was actually blind and being led by her seeing friend. She was simply enjoying the warmth and breeze, trusting her walking partner to lead her on. Not only was the seeing friend trying to dodge icy patches and uneven pocks in the cement for her own safety, but more than that, she was carefully and protectively guiding her blind friend through any and all hazards along the way. She wasn’t ignoring the beauty of the day at all. Her pleasure came as she enabled her blind friend to fully enjoy the beauty of the day by providing confidence and safety as they walked along. I think that’s a really good friend.

We have a Friend like that.

In many ways, we are quite blind to the hazards of life and if we think too much about it - the frightening, out-of-control “what ifs” out there, we may decide it’s not worth the risk to really LIVE. Instead we choose the mediocre, shallow life that may, in fact, be safer, but certainly is not abundant with the joy of life and adventure.

Do you want to go for a walk into the unknown – unsure of the direction, but confident in the Director? Do you want to feel the warmth of the sun’s rays, the breeze of the cool air, rather than stay holed up in a dingy, old comfort zone? Take His arm. Lean on Him. Trust Him for what you can’t see. His desire is for you to have life and that you have it in abundance. He knows how to dodge the hazards so that you are free to enjoy the journey; hanging on to the arm of your Friend as you stroll along. His name is Jesus, and I think He wants to go for a walk. With you.

Plead Immunity

There has been a lot of sickness going around recently, causing many friends and family to crash on their couches with their box of tissues for days and days. I don’t know if it’s just one strain of flu or more than one, but either way, it has invaded and hit our community hard. Like an enemy force, these flu-bugs march into the homes of unsuspecting hosts, bringing with them, a relentless barrage of symptoms. It’s kind of amazing how something as tiny as bacteria or a virus can wreak such havoc in the body of a human being many millions of times larger than itself. On the other hand, I’m so much more amazed by the astounding response of the healthy human body to such an invasion.

I confess, I never enjoyed microbiology in college very much, but I am quite fascinated by the whole design of the human body and in particular, the way God created a system of profound protection. He made us more resilient than most of us ever realize. Think of it. There are a bazillion tiny, little, deadly warriors that attack our bodies every single moment of every single day, and yet for the most part, we enjoy decent health. When God clothed us in skin, He gave us a significant barrier of protection that almost completely defends our bodies daily. Beyond that, He created an amazing immune system in each one of us, which is always at the ready to go to battle at a moment’s notice. We have within us, several lines of defense, so that even if one barrier is penetrated, another effective back up plan is executed instantly. Flowing in our blood stream are diligent white cells called lymphocytes whose sole purpose is to patrol the circulatory system like law officers in search of invaders. Once a threat is identified, these cells immediately send out a 911 message to other white cells, “SWARM, SWARM! ATTACK & KILL!” The enemy force is quickly overcome by these common white cells. Cells called “phagocytes” surround the invading bacteria and literally begin releasing lethal poisons into the core of this enemy, destroying it from the inside out, stopping it dead in its tracks. God even went so far as to create “T” cells that detect when the battle is won, so that these defender cells settle down and our body stabilizes into what we call normal health. This is manifested when fevers come down, hunger surfaces and strength returns. Imagine it. We are typically oblivious to most of these intense battles that go on inside of our bodies, and yet we are victorious moment by moment, day by day, because God made it so.

There are times, of course, when an infection seems to get the upper hand, and we suffer with symptoms that make us feel awful. Our bodies are still working hard, but we may at times enlist the help of antibiotics to give us the edge we need to beat our foe. So long as we were relatively healthy prior to the infection, we WILL have the victory – yet again.

So now…the analogy. (You knew it was coming, and probably already got there.) God’s plan for you is victory, not defeat. The Lord is incredibly passionate about all aspects of your life and has, like a good Father, set up a plan of protective defense that for the most part, you may not even be aware of. He wants you to rest in the awareness of His love and care – and not worry about your next battle. I sometimes hear folks talk about their current battle with the devil as though they’re barely making it. I’m not dismissing the reality of trials and tribulations, I would just rather not magnify the enemy’s power in any one’s life. Plead immunity. We may see and experience very real battles in this life, but what we don’t see, is that God has gone before us, prepared a way of protection and defeat of our enemies. I believe He probably has divine white cells (called angels) battling for us day in and day out, and that even in the worst of battles, all it really takes is one breath from the Almighty, and our enemies are routed. I don't know the intricacies of the ways in which He has guarded and defended our lives so completely, but I do know that we can trust our Father. His plan for you, is absolute victory.

“Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us, than with him.”

2 Chronicles 32:7

What if I believed in God?

According to a recent Gallup poll, 96% of Americans believe in the existence of God. 96%!

If I would have guessed how many Americans believe in the existence of God according to some survey, I suppose I would’ve guessed that it would be somewhere in the neighborhood of around 95%. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone who told me, straight up, that they didn’t believe in God.

On the other hand, what if that were really true? Just imagine it for a minute. What if 96% of Americans truly believed in the God of the Bible? Unfortunately, with all the horrors we hear about in our culture every day, it’s fairly obvious that we can’t possibly live in a country with such a high rate of God-believers.

And as I consider the outrageousness of that statistic, it all becomes very personal. It’s easy for me to look at others and judge that although they say they believe in God, their lives do not reflect that fact. But then I consider my own belief and I have to ask myself, does my life reflect my belief in the Living God?

This past Sunday, my pastor said that if our lives don’t match up to what we believe, then perhaps we don’t really believe it. That’s what got me thinking about my own belief in God. It’s easy for me to scoff at the 96% “believers”, but what about my life? There is no question that I believe in God. The question really is, how does that belief reflect in this life?

I believe God is Holy. Do I believe that when I’m choosing to murmur and complain?

I believe God is Omnipresent. Do I believe He’s right there with me when I indulge my flesh?

I believe God is Merciful. Do I believe that when I fail to be merciful to someone who has hurt me?

I believe God is Faithful. Do I believe that when I lay wide awake on my bed, worrying?

I believe God is All-Powerful. Do I believe that when I’m facing an impossible situation?

I believe God is Love. Do I believe that? Do I? Do I believe His love is greater than my worst sin? Do I believe His love is deeper than my greatest need? Do I believe His love will never ever fail?

And if I believe in this Amazing, Eternal, All-Loving, Holy God who sits enthroned in the heavens and yet knows every intimate detail of my life, extending mercy, counsel, power and blessing, then how might that effect my worship of Him? Will I soberly stand in my pew while being distracted by my Sunday lunch plans or will adoration and thanksgiving explode from my soul to the One who is worthy of everything I have to offer Him?

And if I do, if I REALLY believe all this - then am I sharing the reality of GOD and His irresistible love with others, as though their life depended on it? (Because it does!)

"They that know Thee not may call upon Thee as other than Thou art, and so worship not Thee but a creature of their own fancy; therefore enlighten our minds that we may know Thee as Thou art, so that we may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee.

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” ~ Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.

New Year

According to a CNN news article I read, 100 million Americans will make New Year’s resolutions. About 4 out of 5 of those Americans will break their resolutions before the year’s out, and most of them will break their resolutions before we get through January.

God chose to place us inside the scope of time and set the earth in orbit giving us a cyclical sense of time. Days and nights and seasons and years – round and round we go. When a new year rounds the corner I generally feel like I am given a fresh opportunity to make some wise and necessary adjustments to my life. January is like a washed and cleaned off blackboard – all the old stray markings of 2010 evaporate on 1/1/11 at 12:00:01 AM. Now the truth is, I could make life adjustment decisions on – oh – say, April 19^th, but there’s something about a new year that invites me to reconsider my life and the path I’m on.

I’m not sure I’m talking about resolutions exactly, since they seem so linked to my personal strength and ability to accomplish a life change and God knows, I’ve never been good at self-sufficient change. I need grace...Not resolutions but Grace-olutions! It’s about taking the opportunity offered to me as I switch out calendars, to identify a few specific hope-soaked goals I’d like to shoot for in 2011. Without question, those goals will require not only God’s authorship (if He’s not the One directing me in setting those goals, then I should give up before I start) but also God’s grace that encourages and empowers me to walk it out day by day, week by week and month by month.

My 2011 hope-soaked “Graceolution” can be summed up in one word: Honor.

Lord, help me see what I’ve been missing in the past. Help me see You. I mean, really see You in the way You desire to be seen and to honor what You show me. And help me see others - their pain and brokenness and help me find the compassion to take the time to connect, and relay to them, that they are seen and valued and honored.

Lord, help me hear what I’ve been missing in the past. Help me to take the time to hear You, to hear Your heart. Help me set aside my own preconceived notions, my own understanding, and truly lean in to hear the still small Voice. And Lord, help me hear others. Help me release my own agenda to be heard and take the time to really hear what others are saying. And when they speak, help me make room in my small boxed-in outlook to honor the thoughts and opinions of others.

Lord, help me speak words of honor. Guard my heart and my mouth from rushing to exalt myself above others. Guard my heart and my mouth from bringing dishonor to You or to others and grant me the heart and the words to speak honorably about You and to You, and about others and to others. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. (Ps 19:14)

That’s my hope for 2011. Honoring God. Honoring Others.

“Let love be without hypocrisy… Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another…” (Romans 12:9-10)