Saturday, September 15, 2007

Yesterday Was an Amazing Day!

This past week was intense—10 to 11.5-hour workdays and meetings every night. But yesterday felt different. Since Tom didn’t have any meetings, I was able to take the car to work, which meant I got up early and did yoga! It felt so good to stretch again.

Then, at work, I received a call from a woman who had been referred to me for my FWO group. Wow. We talked for about an hour, and she’ll be joining us on Tuesday night. Lots of prayer will be invested in her.

Lord, I pray that You continue drawing her into Your safe arms. Give her a place to weep and heal.

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A Break at Work & An Answered Prayer

Work was easier than it had been all week—only about five emails came into the Customer Service inbox all day! It was such a relief, and I was able to be productive. Lord, please bless me with a few more days like that! Because of the lighter workload, I was actually able to leave at 4:00 and spend some time with Tom before our Friday night meeting.

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The Storm That Stopped Us in Our Tracks

Just before I left work, it started pouring rain—praise the Lord! We hadn’t had rain in so long, and the entire area was growing concerned. Everyone at work was celebrating!

I drove home through a few cloudbursts, but later, the sky completely opened up. The wind was raging, the rain came down in sheets and blankets, and the thunder and lightning were intense. We stood by the front glass door, amazed. All we could say was “wow” over and over again.

It was like a **hurricane or tornado—**we watched a little plastic pool fly down the street and saw basketball hoops toppled over. The power kept flickering, so we lit candles in preparation, but thankfully, it never fully went out. What a show God put on!

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An Intense & Hopeful Night

Later, we met with a couple we’re friends with to help them work through some tough issues in their marriage. It was another “wow” moment—intense and difficult for all of us. But by the end, I think it went as well as it could have.

Tom was amazing in his ability to discern and communicate with the husband. I truly hope and pray they walked away with hope. God showed up for them. If they keep their eyes on Him and commit to healing—from past relationships, past marriages, and most importantly, in their walk with God—they can have an incredible marriage.

We started at 7:30 PM (a little late due to the weather distraction) and didn’t finish until after 11:00 PM. After such a long week, I was completely wiped out! I ended up sleeping in until 11:15 this morning.

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Looking Ahead

Tom went to our leadership meeting this morning to represent us, so now I need to catch up on emails and work on my homework—our Doctrines class just started on Thursday night.

Lord, give me strength!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

 

God’s Perfect Timing

I keep forgetting to mention that last week, we received a financial blessing of $1,000! Wow. God knows exactly what we need and when we need it!

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Waiting on the Lord

Today’s journal reading was Psalm 130:5-6, one of the scriptures God has given me before:

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning."

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A Challenging Conversation

Last night, someone called me because God had laid me on their heart. The last time I saw them, they had learned about our foreclosure situation. I was tired, grumpy, and feeling impatient (Father, forgive me).

Like so many others, they wanted to “fix” our situation. I know they mean well, and honestly, I’d probably say the same things if our roles were reversed. But after hearing the same well-intended advice over and over—

"Can you sell your home?"
"Can Tom get a job?"
"Have you asked anyone for help?"

—I just wanted to say, "Do you think we haven't thought of all those things? Do you think we're just blindly, uncaringly letting this happen?"

Instead, I asked her not to try to fix it for us, but to pray that we would stand strong and stay in God’s will.

It does help to talk about it, though—to share all the ways God has kept us from freaking out!

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits… and in HIS word, I put my hope!"

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A Powerful Reminder

Today’s Daily Bread spoke to my heart:

"The Bible instructs us: 'Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us' (Eph. 5:2) and 'Walk in wisdom' (Col. 4:5). I ask myself, does my walk reflect God’s love and wisdom?

"Am I 'pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy' (James 3:17)? Do I have love, joy, and peace? Am I both tranquil and strong? What do others see as I walk by?"

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What Do Others See?

What do people see when I walk? I pray they see Jesus.

Lord, help me to reflect YOU in all I do. I want to walk and talk just like my Father. Help me surrender more and more each day.

Friday, September 21, 2007

God’s Presence is So Real!

God is so good! He continues to make His presence known to me daily.

I had lunch with one of the new girls in my group, and she expressed a lot of doubt about God’s existence and goodness. As we talked, God spoke through me—saying things I had never even thought of before! It was like I was listening to His words just as much as she was. When I returned to work, I told Him, “That was all You, Lord!” What an amazing experience to serve our Most High God!

Later, in our Doctrines class, someone shared that she felt stretched thin and was asking for prayer for direction in her life. As she spoke, I clearly heard the Lord say, “I have already told her.” So I told her what I heard and prayed against doubt and fear—the things that try to steal the knowledge of God’s direction.

Afterward, we talked, and she realized she already knew what she was supposed to do! But she had let the world persuade her that there might be something better. That was pretty amazing too!

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Today’s Scripture Reading

Today’s reading was in Daniel, and this passage stood out to me:

Daniel 7:12-14

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."

He will rule with authority and power for eternity—Hallelujah! I am so glad He is my King!

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A Confirmation from God

While talking with my classmate about how the enemy tries to tempt us away from God’s direction, I used the story of Jesus being tempted in the desert.

And guess what? That’s exactly what we were reading in the Hope Journal today—Luke 4:5-8!

"The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, 'I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'”

Thank You, Lord, for this confirmation!

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A Shift in Perspective

I was talking with Tom the other day and mentioned how there seems to be a shift in our perspective lately. The foreclosure date is getting closer, but I feel less and less worried or stressed about it.

I think it started that day when I decided I will not be shaken again—when I chose to focus on what God has called us to do.

Before, the scriptures I was drawn to were mostly about His faithfulness and trustworthiness. But now, I keep seeing passages that proclaim His power, goodness, and glory.

I am seeing His awesomeness more and more every day!

Thank You, Jesus!

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A Difficult Evening

Tom and his sister came back from NY tonight, and we took her to R & E’s so she could visit with them. A & C came as well, and the evening started off great...

But unfortunately, it ended badly. C and R clashed, and R ended up asking them to leave.

Not good.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

We went to a friend’s surprise birthday party and were happy to see some other good friends there. As we sat and talked, they mentioned that they had gone to our home group the night before, expecting us to be there. They felt like they needed to talk to us about something but weren’t sure what it was.

As we talked about what God is doing in our lives, I mentioned that we felt called to start a house church. Our friend immediately asked, “Who are you doing it with?” I wasn’t sure what she meant, so I just said, “God?” (lol).

She then shared that they had also wanted to start a house church and had even tried a couple of years ago with another couple, but it hadn’t worked out. We were all so excited as we talked about what we envisioned it could look like. I also recommended a book that Tom recently got called Jesus Has Left the Building—I highly encouraged them to read it.

I can totally see how God is putting this all together! It’s so exciting and incredible to witness His hand at work.

Saturday, September 25, 2007

Yesterday, I received an email from a friend who had shared our imminent foreclosure situation with her husband. She told me that he wanted to offer to buy our house! I told her I couldn’t give an answer one way or another—that they needed to seek God for that decision. I just found that really interesting. I don’t know what God will do with it, but it will be interesting to see.

Today's Scripture: Ezra 3:11-13

"And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away."

I found this passage really interesting—there was both weeping and praising happening at the same time. I feel like there’s so much more to this scripture than meets the eye.

An Object Lesson from God

Recently, Tom’s sister took him to New York as a late birthday gift, and they had a wonderful time! Yesterday, when Tom returned from his dinner meeting, he shared something that God showed him.

During the meeting, he was talking about how his sister paid for everything on their trip, and he never questioned or doubted her word at all. At that moment, the Lord asked him:

"Why is it so easy for you to trust and believe in her—but not in Me?"

Wow. What a powerful point!

Lord, help us to trust You completely, no matter what things look like!

Luke 8:11-15

"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

I always used to think of this parable as applying only to new believers, but now I see it’s for all of us—new and seasoned believers alike! God’s word comes to us every day, and the enemy will always try to steal it from our hearts. The worries of life and the distractions of the world will always try to choke it out.

Father, I pray that my heart will become “good soil”—ready to receive, retain, and bear fruit from Your word every day of my life!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Psalm 150

1 Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.

2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,

4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,

5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.

Lord, I praise You and thank You for all that You are doing in my life and within me!

This has been a very crazy time for me…

Last weekend, I attended the “Fragrant Oil” Women’s Conference in Fuquay with a friend. It was an interesting experience, and I think I’ll be processing it for a while. Overall, it was good, but not quite what I was expecting or hoping for.

This past week at work was also hectic—with both month-end and quarter-end responsibilities, plus my co-worker being on vacation… and to top it off, I was on my period. Stressful! But I think I’m over the hump now and can coast for a bit.

This weekend, we’re watching the kids for R and E’s 6th wedding anniversary—so I guess I’ll be resting next weekend?

We’re still waiting on God regarding the house. Yesterday was the hearing, so I suppose the next key date is October 24th.

This morning, we started reading Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest. The devotion spoke about how God pounds and molds us into the shape we need to be for His service—how these challenges are necessary to make us useful to Him.

As Tom was reading, I pictured a blacksmith pounding, hammering, and shaping metal—forging a sword or axe for battle. It was such a powerful analogy for what we feel we’re going through!

Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness. Help me not to fear, whine, or doubt—but to praise Your name as You mold me for Your service.

Amen.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Wow. This past week has been incredibly difficult at work. I’ve felt so overwhelmed that I haven’t even been taking time in the mornings for my devotional—and of course, that’s taking a toll on me. My armor and shield are down, making me prime bait for the enemy’s attacks—and he’s not holding back.

We’re getting closer and closer to losing our home, one of my co-workers has stopped giving me rides, and this morning, my other co-worker told me he’s resigning—meaning my rides to work will be gone in a couple of weeks.

But despite all of this, God has provided for us every single day. We have not gone without, and He remains faithful!

This was one of my scripture readings today:

Psalm 131

1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.

2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

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Tom has been fasting since Friday, and I’m so glad. I’ve been praying that he would surrender his eating habits to the Lord—not as the reason for fasting, but as a side benefit of seeking God’s face instead of food.

He’s also learning so much from Jesus Has Left the Building! It’s challenging his thinking in new ways, helping him not just accept things at face value. Over the past few days, we’ve been reconsidering why we’re going through the HMI licensing path and decided this morning that we need to stick with it, regardless of whether we feel like we "need" it or not.

Tom’s parents have decided to sell their house and buy a brand new condo in a 55 and older building. He’s working through some emotions about it, and we’ve decided that he should fly out for their “goodbye to the house” gathering. I know he’s missing his family, so I think this trip will be good for him.

I wish I could go too, but financially, it's just not an option right now. Lately, I’ve been feeling an increasing urge to quit my job. I don’t know when, but I feel like I’m getting closer to that decision.

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As I was reading Luke 22 today, I noticed some things I hadn’t seen before:

The Last Supper

7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.
8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

I don’t remember ever realizing that Jesus was betrayed on the same night as the Passover. The connection is so significant.

19 And he took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

I also never thought about how the breaking of bread and the drinking of the cup happened at the beginning and end of the meal. Since we always take communion one element after another, I’ve always pictured Jesus doing it that way too.

It made me think… when we start the house church, maybe we should begin with a meal and have communion throughout—rather than just in a structured way. Not as a formula or ritual, but as a meaningful way to share in communion together. Just a thought.

45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.
46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

I had never noticed the phrase “exhausted from sorrow” before. It makes me wonder—did the disciples know more than the scriptures tell us about what was about to happen to Jesus? Or was there another reason for their deep sorrow?

And another thing struck me—the silliness of the betrayal itself.

Why did they even need Judas to identify Jesus? He had been teaching publicly all along, so why did the religious leaders suddenly act like they needed Judas to show them who He was? What exactly did Judas tell them to justify His arrest?

They had been looking for a way to kill Jesus for some time but feared the people. What about Judas’ betrayal suddenly changed that? Of course, I know the ultimate reason—it was Jesus’ time. Before this moment, it wasn’t—but now, it was. Still, the whole situation seems so strange when you step back and think about it.

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Jesus, thank You for Your Word that speaks to us daily, revealing the very nature of God.

Thank You for Your incredible love and sacrifice—that You, the Passover Lamb, willingly gave Yourself to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we could be reconciled to God.

What an amazing act of love!

Lord, please help me to take up my cross daily and die to myself for You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.