Who Am I?

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“I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus. I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it when it’s all about You,

It’s all about You, Jesus.”

-Heart of Worship, sung by Matt Redman

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

As I prepared for church this morning, the song Heart of Worship came on the radio. I literally just mentioned this song to my daughter last night as we face-timed, talking about her Catalyst Leadership Conference last week with her church. The conference theme was Leading From Who You Are: Identity, Calling, Legacy.  She relayed a story to me about one of the worship singers, Phil Wickham, who is injured and cannot talk, let alone sing. He wrote a letter to the attendees explaining how this time of silence left him thinking about his identity as a singer and his worth without a voice. I referred her to this song, Heart of Worship, because the point the lyrics make is that Jesus is the heart of our worship first and foremost. Our voices, our words, our notes, our melodies, our harmonies—none of those are the heart of our worship. Without them, our worship of Jesus does not stop, and if it does, then we have identified the wrong things as the heart of our worship. 

The identity portion of the conference struck a chord in my daughter that has been plucked over and over and over since her accident nearly three years ago.  When an event happens in this life that completely alters who you think you are, what you are able to do, and how others perceive you, what do you do? Where do you turn? How do you begin to redefine yourself according to the “new normal”? From whom do draw guidance and strength?

The world says these answers will vary depending upon who “you” are, but what God’s Word relays to us is that the answer is no different from beginning to event to post-event to the end: Your identity is found in the Lord, in Jesus Christ. You were, are, and ever-will-be a redeemed and beloved child of God regardless of who you think your are, what you can or cannot do, or who others perceive or claim you are.  You must come back to the heart of worship every single day and let Jesus be the One to remind you of who you are in Him. You are more precious than silver or gold. You are more important than the flowers in the field or the birds in the sky. You are worth dying for…and He did.

So why do we keep searching? I am not just talking about our unsaved friends who have not heard, or have failed to recognize, who they are in Christ, but I am also referring to every single professed Christian who has intentionally given their life to Christ, including me. Why do we make everything except Christ the heart of our worship? Why do we think that our great ideas, our hard labor, our efforts, our abilities, and our achievements are the basis of our identity?

My daughter’s conference topic somehow “mysteriously” coincided with the message from our pastor at Gateway Church today regarding identity. Jesus is my foundation and anchor. All that I am, all that I do, and all that I want others to know of me is rooted in Christ who strengthens and guides me daily. And when I bring myself back to this point of reality, the rest of my thoughts, my feelings, my actions, and my subconscious activity come in line with God’s plan and purpose. Then I am at the heart of worship in every circumstance because Jesus lives in me and I abide in Him. My identity is so closely bound to Him that all joy, all struggle and pain, even the mundane, cannot change my identity.  Fear, sorrow, agony, and sadness may scratch my surface but they cannot penetrate nor alter my core.  I won’t give up because He did not give up on me.

I read this blog to my son, and he told me I was not talking in real enough terms for him and “normal people” to understand. So I asked myself, what does identity in Christ look like in real life here on earth? For me, I can say God wants me to know this: I am loved when I feel like no one around me cares or notices I exist. I am a daughter when my parents are far away.  I am a sister to more than one. I am still valued and needed when my children are grown and living on their own.  I am worthy and respected even when I get it wrong or make mistakes. I am MVP of dusting and cleaning. I have citizenship in heaven no matter which state I reside in. I am a Pulitzer Prize winner with every journal or blog entry. I am funny when no one laughs.  I am perfectly designed and built just right to host the Holy Spirit within “my temple.”  I am a light in dark places. I am more beautiful than a Hawaiian sunset.  I am strong in my weakest moments. I can love the unlovable and forgive the unforgivable because I am loved and forgiven. I am a leader and a follower. I am a part of the whole and wholly a part.  I am heard among a thousand screaming voices drowning out my own.  I am a work in progress but progressing according to a grand design.

My friends, I do not know every aspect of your identity in Christ, but I believe we are not so very different. God engineers your circumstances and environment to make you uniquely His child, but His promises are universally applicable to you and to me. My prayer for you this week is that you will take some time in solitude to consider your identity. Write down all the names/titles you have been called or call yourself, and then take them away. Who are you now when all of those identifiers are gone? Examine each one in the light of Christ and the Word. Learn who God says you are to Him. Share some here if you wish.  You may or may not like who you are in this world, but I promise you will LOVE who you are in Christ eternally.

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

The Power of Undaunted Devotion

Girlfriends, Stand Up for Christ!

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So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 

Matthew 10:26-28 (ESV)

Hello my sweet Girlfriends!

The weather outside may be frightful--frigid and freezing--but I am about to light you on fire with my passion for Christ. I hope that you are warmed by the love in my heart for you, but more so I pray that my concern for your eternity sparks a blaze that inspires you to action. We have an urgent need in this country for followers of Christ to unite and push back the assault upon our beliefs and life values.  I hear the whispering and the murmurs of injustice and prejudice against the Christian faith and its followers, but I do not see any marching feet or stalwart souls standing up for our Leader. Quit cowering, my lady friends, and come alive for what you know in your heart is right. Follow Christ and see where He leads!

I wrote the following reader response for my master's program this week. I am sharing it with you now because I truly believe we are under attack, sometimes overtly and sometimes covertly. The enemies of Christ are seeking and devouring, and I am not willing to be a victim nor allow my family and future generations either to fall prey to this evil. United we stand, or trust me, this nation will fall.

     “Both Christ and His cause were so compelling that they were followers regardless. This is the kind of followership to which we must aspire. And while most of us will never be called to follow to the shedding of our blood, or for that matter not even to ta measure of their sacrifice, it is still unconditional followership that Christ both demands and deserves.” Joseph Stowell, Following Christ, p.68.

     As Stowell says, I doubt I will ever know the level of commitment that requires the literal shedding of blood for Christ. I aspire to it, although I have no desire to actually bleed! I do wish to be in such deep communion with Christ that I would willingly do so if needed. I pray that my desire is of the right motive. I like that Stowell points out that the first followers of Christ were not above that temptation either. The tangible benefits of followership make the following much easier than the intangible or even futuristic blessings. But when we keep our eyes focused on the tangible and let go of the right reasons for following Christ, disaster and decay slowly creep in and take over.

     I find that in the United States we do not have that strong level of commitment to following Christ no matter the cost. We are very politically correct Christians, treading the waters of this world, trying to keep afloat, when in reality we are drowning ourselves in the sea of sin and submission. Stowell notes that the first followers of Christ were marginalized, maligned, and sometimes martyred. Yet, their persistence resulted in changing an entire Empire, forging a civilization based “upon Christ’s ways and reflect(ing) His justice and righteousness in its laws.” (69) Funny, but our nation supposedly began on these very same principles incorporated into our Constitution and our laws. Somehow, over the past 250+ years, our lack of commitment to following Christ has resulted in a very unrecognizable reflection in the mirror. It is not that we allowed people of varying faiths into America; rather, we bent over backwards to accept and accommodate them, sacrificing our own faith and principles in the process. Religious tolerance eroded our Christian religious identity and strength. 

     I do not know what the solution is except to recommit to a solid, strong, undeterred following of Christ no matter the cost. This fix is not instant nor easy.  If we are going to leave a country worth living in after we are gone, Christians are going to have to unite and start acting like true followers and not stragglers. My own children seek the Lord, but I still hear “oh Mom” when I take a strong stand against what I see as an affront on my values in Christ. I hope to provide for them a great example of unwavering dedication to the Lord by my life’s example. I find the hope, the promise, and the life in Christ so compelling that to do otherwise is to live an unfulfilled life toward a disastrous destiny.

Blessed Endurance

Hello Girlfriends!

I am sharing with you a devotional I submitted for my degree program. The format is nearly the same as I usually write, except I was required to cite some outside sources. Let me know what you think!

I Love You Ladies!

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Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes…And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job 42:6,10

 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

James 5:10-11 (NKJV)

My Story

“I give up! I quit!”

How many times have I found myself exasperated, hands thrown in the air and tears streaming down my face, impatiently exploding into a fit of rage over my inability to conquer the mountain in front of me? I am embarrassed to say that the answer is more times than I can count. Even more humiliating is the fact that most of those “mountains” were truly “mini molehills”—a computer program I could not operate; a car that kept failing inspection; the third straight batch of cookies I charcoaled; or the tangled strands of a thousand Christmas bulbs that would not light. But then along comes a family member or friend to comfort and aid me: My husband who fixes the computer; my dad who changes the brake pads; my son who says he loves blackened cookies; and my friend who thinks it is fun to say “time me” as she unravels the light cords and finds the burned-out bulb. I seriously thank God for these people in my life and wish that I had their brand of patience and perseverance. But God reminds me that I possess my own sort of endurance for which to be grateful…and I am.

My endurance was birthed in the midst of great personal turmoil and testing, but it came to maturation amid the tragic trauma and trials of my oldest daughter.  I am talking about the type of endurance that probes the heart for the faith and strength to patiently persevere, yet calls into question, if only for a brief moment, everything that once towered as true and trustworthy. Trying to hold on when everything is spinning out of control can lead to this need to examine and question the reason for suffering, hoping to find an answer to appease the mind, console the heart and restore the order. When the answers do not come forth, endurance is tested and faith enters the fire—will trust in God’s sovereignty pull it out again, refined and golden? Or will doubt and despair watch it burn into ashes? For guidance, I turn to the Bible.

Job’s Story

A righteous and upright man named Job once faced these faith-in-the-fire questions. For many years, Job was a wealthy, well-respected, married man and father of ten children for whom he prayed and offered sacrifices consistently. Per God’s own admission, Job was blameless, shunning evil and fearing God (see Job 1:1-5). By all appearances, he was living a blessed life until one day when suddenly all was destroyed without cause (2:3). Job’s loss and suffering stretched beyond that which most humans will ever encounter or experience. His devastation included loss of all ten children at once and all of his property, servants, and wealth. Additionally, he was afflicted with intense pain in his body (1:13-2:10). When his family and friends came to call, they offered no comfort. His wife suggested that Job “curse God and die” (2:9). His three friends pushed and prodded him to repent of wickedness, hidden or otherwise, despite Job’s repeated pleas of innocence (4:1-31:40).

Who among us could blame Job for deploring the day he was born (3:1-26), seeking death for respite from God’s wrath (7:9,10; 10:18-22), and appealing to God for an explanation of his suffering (10:1-22)? Job could have easily thrown up his hands, crying out, “I quit! I give up!” But, Job does not die. He does not cave in to his friends’ flawed theology regarding retribution. He does not even collapse under the chastisement of a younger man who calls out Job’s pride and claims God intends to teach Job something through his suffering (36:22). Instead, Job maintains his integrity, endures his misery, and beseeches God for answers (for which he is also scolded by Elihu (3:23)).

God does indeed show up “out of the whirlwind” (38:1) to address Job’s pleas and challenges. The LORD reveals his omnipotence in His speeches, going into great detail describing His vast creative and sustaining power. He then invites Job to teach Him (38:3; 40:7). By issuing this challenge, God is not condemning Job. He is, however, reprimanding him for accusing and judging the LORD according to the retribution principle in order to maintain his own innocence. God’s message to Job is (1) I am here, (2) I am wise and in control; you are not,[1] and (3) “justice is not the sum of human life or the whole of God’s essential being.”[2] In essence, “the God speeches remind us that a Person, not a principle, is Lord.”[3]

Hence, Job’s persistence yields fruit in the end. His faith is strengthened by a higher knowledge of God’s infinite power and absolute sovereignty over creation. His understanding of the retribution principle is qualified by God’s wisdom in governing the universe. Job retains his righteousness but repents of his pride and presumptuousness. Upon repenting and praying for his guilty friends, Job’s prosperity is restored twofold in every area. “The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (42:12).

Your Story

So severe was Job’s ordeal that James offers Job’s story of perseverance as an example to the New Testament church. James 5:11 attests that the blessed are those who endure. Notice James does not say blessed are those who have health and wealth, or whose health and wealth is restored (although he does point to the Lord’s compassion and mercy in the end.) Veritably, the focus of consideration for blessed status is endurance and patience through suffering. Job and James’s messages apply as much to us today as they did to the Israelites and the new Christian church.

So, my Girlfriends, what’s your story? We each have one that would fill up this space, and maybe even a few more pages!  What malady darkens your doorstep? What are you giving up, going without, or letting go? What is this sacrifice costing you? Are your friends and family supportive and comforting, or are they frustrating your efforts to maintain your relationship with the LORD? Are your lips muttering, “I quit! I give up!” while your arms are in the air displaying your frustration and protest for all to see? Or are your hands lifted high in prayer and praise in the midst of perturbation and pressure while your voice sings of His power, grandeur and supremacy? Is your faith in the fire, or is there fuel and fire in your faith?

I pray, ladies, that you will be encouraged to follow Job “as an example of one whose patience and endurance in adversity ought to be emulated.”[4] I may not comprehend the torment or tribulation of your life, but I do know a God who does. He is reaching out for you today even if you cannot see, hear or feel Him. He wants you to know that He is close by, near at hand, just as He was with Job. The God who “laid the foundations of the earth” (Job 38:4), “who shut in the seas with doors” (38:8), and “caused the dawn to know its place” (38:12) is the same God who knit you together in your mother’s womb (Ps 139:13). Your suffering falls within the sovereignty of God, and while you may not understand the reason or the purpose, you can trust that He does. Bear with Him. Abide in Him. Patiently pray to persevere and claim your own brand of endurance. Indeed we count them blessed who endure (James 5:11).

---

[1] Longman III, T., “Job 3: History of Interpretation”, in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry& Writings (ed.Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns; Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2008), 374.

[2] Bullock, C. Hassell, An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books, (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1998), 128.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Longman, History of Interpretation, 362.

LIFT

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Greetings Girlfriends...Grace and Peace to you!

I found this graphic on www.greatjoy.org and loved the acronym....L.I.F.T. Ladies In Fellowship Together. That is exactly what we are, girlfriends, and also the topic I am going to write today.

I have been absent from my blog for so very, very long, and I cannot promise that this entry is the beginning of my return. But I am excited to be here with you today, sharing God's Word and His love with each one. I am painfully aware of how vital prayer is in this life. While I have not been communicating with you, I have been in constant contact with our Father above. Many of you know the painful, emotional and time-consuming reasons why I have drifted away from writing and posting more often; however, for those of you who do not, I can only say right now that this mother's heart has broken and bled over and over and over in the last two years. These past eight or so months in particular have been horribly difficult at times. But God is good, keeping His promises and walking us through troubled times on the way to better things. Amen!

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! Deut 32:1-3 

Amidst the challenges we have been facing, I am happy to say that my husband and children are supporting me as I pursue a Masters of Arts in Applied Biblical Studies. Examining God's Word every day and in such detail has been a huge blessing to my life that I hope to share with others along the way. Gratitude spills from my heart for this wonderful opportunity and for the understanding my family has when I am crazy busy or under pressure to produce yet another weekly masterpiece, aka essays. Praise flows from my lips to my Savior for strengthening me with His assurance and guidance that nothing touches our lives that has not already passed through His hands.

What about you, Girlfriends? Have the dark days of desire and disappointment blackened your view? Are you struggling through difficulties and drama that threaten to drown you in the sea of sorrow and distress? While I absolutely long for your answer to be "no", reality requires me to realize that I am not traveling rough and rocky roads alone? Many of you ladies are also struggling in one way or another and cannot see nor find the strength to continue the journey.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Cor 1:3-5

You, each and every one of you ladies, are my fellow sojourners on the way to a glorious place of intimacy and presence with our Lord. On this journey, you are possibly one of many passing through present winds and pouring rain that threaten to throw you off the path. Take heart! Some others of our sisters travel in front of us, having stayed the course and survived the deluge, and now feel the warmth and gentle breezes upon their skin. If you are one of these experienced ladies, let our sisters know that the SON does shine after the storm! Beseech them to hold on to Jesus for His holy guidance out of the onslaught and into the glorious light.

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Cor 12:26-27

Girlfriends, we are called to bear one another up under the heavy burdens and rejoice with each other when they are lifted. I pray today that you who have shared in the sufferings of Christ will offer comfort and care to those gals who are presently agonizing and experiencing the aching which is now a memory to you. Reach out to someone today and offer hope. Perhaps you provide prayer, or maybe you can calm fears and frustrations by simply calling and offering to listen. Think back to your time of trouble and tribulation for guidance in choosing how to minister to our sisters and their loved ones who also may be hurting. Do not hesitate and do not feel overwhelmed. Start with one. Be the one to start.

“I never look at the masses as my responsibility; I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time - just one, one, one. So you begin. I began - I picked up one person. Maybe if I didn't pick up that one person, I wouldn't have picked up forty-two thousand....The same thing goes for you, the same thing in your family, the same thing in your church, your community. Just begin - one, one, one.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I Love Watermelon!

 Photo from http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/food/playing-with-your-food-just-got-cool--heres-10-examples-of--foodart

"Then they said to the woman.

'Now we believe, not because of what you said,

for we ourselves have heard Him

and we know that this is indeed the Christ,

the Savior of the world.'"

John 4:42 

Girlfriends, it is SUMMER, my favorite time of the year. School's out, warm weather, longer days, sweaty hikes, swimming, picnics, and...watermelon!

I love watermelon!

I suppose my love of season and of fruit are intertwined: Summer means watermelon, watermelon means summer. As soon as I see those massive green orbs appearing near the grocery store entrances, I begin my happy dance. Summer. Summer. Summer. Yum. Yum. Yum. I boogie my way over to the display and start thumping away. You know I have no idea why I am knuckle rapping fruit? Eventually I simply choose the biggest, most perfectly shaped one I can lift out of the bin. Slicing it open at home, I hold my breath until I see the bright redness beckoning me from inside. I grab a spoon and dig in. (Hey, if the guys can drink milk from the jug, I can eat out of my own watermelon, right?) I savor the sweetness and enjoy the thirst-quenching delight of my lovely watermelon, which I then place in the refrigerator to chill. Sweating in the summer heat stimulates my thirst, and icy, cold watermelon quenches it. All summer long, I am craving the sugary water in the melon.

Living Water 

Did you know that long ago another woman craved satisfying water? Walking in the heat of the day, carrying an empty pot, this woman from a city called Sychar went to fill her vessel. When she arrived at her destination, she found something far greater than reservoir water, although she did not know it immediately. To her surprise, a man was sitting on the well. When the woman approached, he told her to give him a drink. The woman was undoubtedly surprised, since this man was a Jew and she was a Samaritan woman. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. She voiced these facts, and the man replied, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." John 4:10 

Now the woman respectfully questioned this claim, which appeared to place this man above the great Jacob, who created the well and used it himself and for his sons. She said to the man, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?" John 4:11 

Girlfriends, the answer she received is the same answer you would get today if you were to ask this question--Where then do you get that living water? And let me tell you, as much as I love it, the answer is NOT 'from watermelon!'

"[He] said to her, 'Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.' The woman said to Him, 'Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.' " John 4:13-15

The Source 

Ladies, the man sitting on the well speaking to this parched woman is Jesus...the same Jesus sitting on your source of water, waiting for you to come seeking. Jesus knew all the things this woman ever did, and He revealed Himself to her as the Messiah. In the same way, He knows all you have ever done, and He is still revealing Himself as the Messiah yet today. Jesus called out her sins, yet continued to offer the gift of Himself, the living source of eternal life, the water of salvation, that she should no more lust after the water that does not satisfy (five husbands and present lover.) The woman accepted the drink, and she left her waterpot to return to the city and tell the men of the Man who told her all things she ever did. (John 4:28)

How about you? Are you in a spiritual drought? Perhaps you have never even tasted the living water because you mistakenly believe that if Jesus knew your sin, He would not offer you a drop.Or maybe you keep running back to that same source of satisfaction over and over and over again because your desire is never satisfied.

Girlfriends, forget the well and come to the Savior's bubbling fountain. Do what Jesus told the Samaritan woman in verse 10: "You would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." ASK! Confess your sin as an illegitimate source of temporary gratification. Give it up; leave your waterpot behind. Go forth to"worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." John 4:23

I pray today that the next drink you take will come from God and become in you that "fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

P.S. And then you can probably go have a slice of watermelon! After all, didn't God speak about the fruit of the Spirit? Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control....and the one I think Paul forgot--WATERMELON!!!

Go in Peace, Sisters!