Unhindered Praise

A friend who had a recent encounter with Jesus Christ and surrendered her life to Him, grabbed me by the arm and looked like she was about to explode with excitement.  She breathlessly said, "God has moved into my life and rocked my world."  She was blown away by a God who wanted her!  Who came for her!

Seeing the wonder and amazement of a new believer wakes me up to the amazing grace in my life.  How often I fail to remember what Christ did for me through His death and resurrection.  There have been seasons where forgetting and familiarity with the Gospel produced complacency, pretending and performing.  I could quickly flex my God knowledge but lacked Godly affections.  I could spend time debating the truth while not living it and celebrating Jesus.

"I tell you the truth,

unless you change and become like little

children, you will never enter the

kingdom of heaven." (Mat. 18:3)

Just like my newly born again friend,  I want to live in unashamed adoration of Jesus Christ and in constant awe of the Gospel.  I never want to get over  Jesus!  He is the only answer to hopelessness. Jesus is  the only One who  can give a new heart and transform a life from death to new life in Christ.
                                     

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, 

He is a new creation, the old

has gone, the new has come."

 (2Cor 5:17)



My prayer is this new year brings a heart changed by the Gospel every day. I want my heart broken by what breaks God's heart, knowing that is not an easy place to live. In some ways it was easier to live oblivious to my sin, the lost around me and numb to the stories of hopelessness.  Easier, but empty and dead to the supernatural presence of God and fulfillment that only He can give.  I want to live right there in the brokenness surrounded by His presence and love recklessly because He loved me.  I pray that this year brings followers of Christ in unending awe of the cross.  That we hunger for Him with an insatiable appetite and become a grateful people overflowing with unhindered praise and consumed by His majesty.  

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirt within me.

cast me not away from Your prescence, and take not Your Holy Spirit

from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your Salvation, and uphold me

with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

and sinners will return to You.  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness,

O God, O God of my salviation, and my tongue will sing aloud of

Your rightousness.  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare

Your praise. For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; 

You will not be pleased with a burnt offering.  The sacrifices

 of God are a broken spirti; a broken and contrite heart,

O God, You will not despise." (Psalm 51:10-17)







                                           



 .









I've Got Nothing

I have searched and searched for verses that would give me answers to make some sense of the unimaginable act of evil that occurred  to the defenseless, but....

I've got nothing.

I tried to come up with some profound and heartfelt words of encouragement for school staff and parents as we started Monday  morning after a weekend of seeing the faces of the young Conneticut shooting victims whose families won't get to see them open their Christmas presents, but...

I've got nothing.

I find myself angry that the church would talk about anything other than the depravity of man and need for a Savior.  Angry that there is so much evil around us.  Angry that I can't just hold onto my kids forever and never let them out of my sight, but I go to work and look down at my hands...

I've got nothing.

So, I just sit down and mourn with those who mourn and find quiet time to get alone with God and talk to Him, but the words won't come...    

I've got nothing.

I don't know much.  I have few answers.  But could it be the journey is not about finding all the answers? It is simply about one answer.... Jesus. In all the  suffering and questions and doubt, He is right there. Either everything that God has ever said is the absolute truth or it's a lie. I choose to believe the truth of the Gospel. Jesus lived the life I couldn't live, died the death that I deserved and rose agin to give me life.

So we go on. We put one foot in front of the other and just breathe. The body of Christ...we hurt....we are broken...we ask for mercy...we offer truth and grace...we believe yet we cry out to God to help our unbelief...we encourage each other to stand in our faith and even more as the day approaches...we anticipate the coming of Christ and long to see His face...we call evil for what it is knowing that evil does not get the last word...we mourn with those who mourn and we grieve but not as those who have no hope. We have hope in heaven, in the cross, in Christ, the Light that can shine in the darkest of places.  The battle  has already been won. Jesus conquered the grave and one day,  "God will wipe every tear from our eyes, there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the previous things will pass away." (Rev 21:4) God is good. He is faithful. I've got nothing but God and God is enough. 

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. 

In the world you will have tribulation. 

But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

WHAT GIVES ME THE RIGHT?

     Just who am I and what gives me the right to challenge others in their relationship with Jesus?  Why would I think anyone would be encouraged by my words?  It's not like I have been to seminary,  bible college or even a Christian school.  I  am just "the nurse" in a high school and live in a small town 15 minutes from where I grew up.  Anyone who knows me well can tell you, I'm a pretty messed up person.  I drink way too much coffee, can't keep clean socks in my son's drawer, I over analyze what people say, I can be too sensitive, I can expect to much from friends, I can be impatient, I can talk when I shouldn't and quiet when I should be speaking, I lean in and listen without responding just long enough that people end up telling me personal things they hadn't intended (this is unintentional by the way), I can spend time on social media that should be spent in prayer and in His Word,  I can yell at my kids, say hurtful things to my husband, forget to call my mom and forget to pay my cell phone bill until I get the "at risk for losing service" call,   I have carried guilt and shame despite the cross and have doubted God's forgiveness and  have been prideful and self-righteous.  I have struggled and continue to struggle with my on selfishness and insecurity.  And I haven't even touched the college and high school years.  That would make your browser shut down!

     How can I share with others anything to help in their Christian walk being a sinner "and I am the worst of them."?  (1Tim1:15) "There is nothing good in me, that is in my flesh." (Rom7:8)  But there is good news! Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners and "I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who believe in Him for eternal life." (v.16) I am imperfect  in countless ways, sinful and lacking. But, I am an ordinary person who serves an extraordinary God.
     The power of the Gospel is transforming.  God purchased me with the blood of His Son on the cross.  My identity is not in me, it comes to me from the Heavenly Father who gave me life. I have been adopted into the family of God and in Christ,  I have "received an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of  His will."  So that my "hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory." (Eph 1:11-14)  This gift is not just to me but is available for ALL who place faith in Jesus and become part of "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9-10) 

       "I waited patiently for the Lord,

and He turned to me and heard my cry for help.

He brought me up from a desolate pit,

out of the muddy clay,

and set my feet on a rock,"

making my steps secure." Psalm 40:1-2

      I was in a pit and me trying to save my self only put me deeper into the pit.  Then came Jesus! He grabbed my hand and in an unforgettable moment of grace, I received God's love.    

"I consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ. and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ-the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." (Phil3:8-9)

     Because of Christ, absolutely nothing is the same.  And now, with assurance in my salvation, I can live in reckless abandonment, courage and with all boldness to live fully for His glory!  God saved me,  even being a completely messed up person.  He uses our failures, messes and triumphs to shine the spotlight on Jesus so others may come to know Him. May the message be "given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.  For this, I am an ambassador in chains.  Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should" (Eph 6:19-20)My identity and confidence is in who I am in Christ.  The fear of the Lord is my strength and my value comes from Him, not anything I have done or will do. There is freedom in receiving Jesus as Lord of my life that gives an open door for  boldness to give testimony to the Gospel and encourage and challenge others to "live to show His glory and die to tell  His story."   I am not a that girl who has got everything together and telling you what you should do with coercion and manipulation.  Response to the Gospel, living with faith in Jesus, repentance, obedience and acknowledging Jesus is Lord is for the individual.  I'm just pointing you to the living water and bread of life.   Not because I am worthy but  because He is that wonderful!

    

ONE

     Whitney is 6 years old and is in the 1st grade.  She loves to jump rope and loves to lead  praise and worship at Agape Home where she lives.  Whitney wants to be a nurse when she grows up.  Her father died before she was born and both mom and older  sister have HIV and are fighting for their lives.  Whitney is miraculously free of HIV and now sings to a great God who has filled her with joy.
      Whitney came to the Agape home in Kampala, Uganda after experiencing extreme devastation. There, she encountered the beauty of Jesus and  began the journey of being discipled.   She is loved and cared for and is finding transformational restoration and healing that can only be found in the Gospel. My eight year old girls read Whitney's story and talk about her life and what she could be doing. They write her letters and draw pictures to send her. They  are starting to understand that though we are not rich according to America standards, we are rich compared to much of the world. God has blessed us to be a blessing. We are forgiven so we forgive. We are loved so we love.  We are shown  mercy so we show mercy to the orphan and oppressed and fight against injustice. They are valuable to God.

     The   children of Uganda did not choose to be born in a place where food, sanitation and health care is not common.  Whitney could be you or me or my child.  God saved us for His glory and gave us a purpose on this earth.  He  wants to be involved in our lives to make disciples of all nations. As one person in small town America, I'm not  going to  save everyone or eradicate poverty or AIDS,  but I can help one. I can help Whitney.  I am weak, powerless, dependent, desperate but I know a Savior who can accomplish all things for His glory so that He is revealed and His kingdom may come to this earth. Who is your one today?    It could be your neighbor or co-worker, it may be a child around the globe to connect with and your story may be weaved into their story as you live out  God's purpose. We are the body of Christ, to have His heart and be His hands and feet to the world in a time such as this. Who has God placed in your path that with God's grace and in His power can impact today for His glory?
      There are many ministries to get involved with to spread the Gospel around the globe and change a life this Christmas. Go find one! Not because of guilt but because of Christ's atoning work on the cross, we are free to rest in His love and grace and spend our time, energy and resources on what matters for eternity. Here are a few ministries to consider supporting:

Agape Uganda Community Center is doing great things through the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of children at the home and in the community surrounding them.

To reach uncontacted people groups with the Gospel: PROJECT JAVARI is a program to support the efforts of the Indian nationals in Brazil to reach their own people with the Gospel in areas that foreigners have no access. For just $20 a month, you can support an Indian national who is being discipled and trained to carry the Gospel to his own people group. In fact, next month, three of these Indian men will be traveling by canoe to share the Gospel with their people for the very first time. If you want more information on how to be a part of this effort, e-mail Richard at b.r.whittemore@gmail.com. 

Help One Now  is building a school in Hati to benefit orphans and vulnerable children. You could help!

International Justice Mission (IJM) is a human rights organization that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression. 

A Cry For Justice

      "What is it that God wants from me?"  Ever asked that question? Maybe it's  Go to church, pray, recite the 10 commandments, the book of Amos and speak fluent Christianese?    Isaiah 58 is a word from God to His people who are trying to get God's approval and God  calls them out on their motives. The people are even questioning God on why He hasn't noticed their prayer, fasting and worship. (v.3) God saw through their religious activity and rituals that look pretty on the surface but void of  heart transformation. Verse 4 of this passage suggests we shouldn't even expect God to listen to our prayers when our hearts are not authentic and we are simply going through the motions. He isn't fooled when we pray, sing, worship, give but all the while have selfish hearts, hidden agendas and wrong motives. A true heart change shows up in the way we live everyday.  So, what does God want?

                               " Is not this the fast that I choose:  to loose the bonds of wickedness,

                               to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to

                               break every yoke?

                               Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless

                               poor into your house;  when you see the naked, to cover him, and not

                               hide yourself from your own flesh?" (v. 6-7)
       Just as Jesus walked with the least of these,  "As the Father is sending me, I am sending you."(John 20:21)  We are to reclaim and redeem the world for the Kingdom of Heaven.  The brokenness of the world hits us in the face sometimes and we can no longer pretend  like  the world is fine and retreat in a spiritual bubble.    Let's look at the  facts about the lost, those in poverty and experiencing injustice and respond.

                               -7,080 unreached people groups (2.89 billion people that have never heard 

                                the Gospel

                               -27 million people in modern day slavery across the world

                               -1 million children exploited by the global commercial sex trade every year

                               -Over 1 billion children live in poverty in the world

                               -1.4 children die annually from lack of  safe drinking water and sanitation

                               -Over 16,000 children die from hunger related causes daily
       I want to make it clear, I am not saying our salvation is earned. It is by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Our faith is then demonstrated in actions motivated by love for God through the power of the Holy Spirit. "We know we have come to know Him if we obey His commands.  The man who says, 'I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1John 2:3-4)  Jesus summarizes all God's commandments in Matthew 22:34-40, "Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind....Love your neighbour as yourself."  By loving God, you will have the heart to love people. Acts of love, mercy and justice will flow out of  great affection for Him.  Obedience to God's commands is not done to earn God's love but because of His great love for us.

     What happens when God's people embrace the Gospel and live transformed lives that change the way we think, feel, act, see others so that we become salt and light on the earth?

                                 "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing

                                  will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you,                  

                                  and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

                                  Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for

                                   help, and He will say: Here am I.

                                    ......if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy

                                   the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness,

                                   and your night will become like noonday.

                                   The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a

                                    sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be

                                    like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
                                    And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt, you shall raise up
                                    the foundations of many generations. You shall be called the repairer
                                    of the breach, the restorer of the streets to dwell in." (Is 58:8-12)

     What a great promise to those who act in God-exalting justice and mercy on Monday not just pray and sing about it on Sunday!  For my own life,  I need to repent of religious hypocrisy and  pray for God's grace and Holy Spirit guidance to live  out Isaiah 58 this week and go beyond religious rituals to demonstrate God's love through tangible ways of compassion and fighting for justice. It's a fight God's people must engage in.
                                    " Sometime, I would like to ask God why He allows poverty,
                                     suffering and injustice when He could do something about it."
                                           "Well, why don't you ask Him?"
                                        "Because I'm afraid He would ask me the same question."
                                                                                            -Anonymous

The End Is Near?

Have you been paying attention to the events in the Middle East?  The battle seems to be escalating daily between Hamas and the Israelis. For the first time, Hamas fired a rocket at Jerusalem. Much hatred is being pointed at Israel and countries that previously had always backed Israel appear to be waning in their support. There is also less support among Evangelicals as different theological views are embraced. As these events are played out, I cannot help to think about the day when there is the  end of this earth as we know it and all things are made new.

Jesus was very clear about how the world will end and He told us the signs to look for.

               "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then
                 know that its desolation has come near.....Jerusalem will
                 be trampled under feat by the Gentiles.....and then they will
                 see the Son of man  coming in a cloud with great power
                 and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place,
                 straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption
                 is drawing near." Luke 21:20-28

The end is coming! The more I meditate on that day, the more excited I am about seeing the day where nations from every tribe and tongue gathered around the throne of Jesus singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty". God will bring peace, justice, righteousness and also, judgement. God will judge people for what they have done and only those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be allowed to enter the new kingdom. As excited as I am to see Christ in His Glory and praise Him forever, I can't escape the truth that  there are many who will be in hell because of their choice to reject God.

What does all the activity in the Middle East mean for the Christian?  We don't know when the end will come but we should want to be found faithful when the end does come. God created us for His glory and gave us the mission to be part of His plan of redemption.  Jesus called His followers to be witnesses in "Jerusalem and in all of Samaria and to the ends of the earth". (Acts 1:8) He promised that He "would be with us until the end". (Mat. 28:20)  The truth that Christ's return is closer today than yesterday should cause us to  pray for God's mercy on the lost and lives transformed through the power of the Gospel, be watchful for His return so as to not be taken by surprise and endure through suffering, rejection and persecution in steadfast faith in Jesus. There is a sense of urgency to act through the power of the Holy Spirit to be disciples who make disciples. May we be followers of Christ who are even more intentional about sharing the Gospel, not only in the community we live but globally. Whether it's being sent or sending.  A community of believers to encourage each other to  live in the light of God's love is even more important in the last days.  As believers, we know how the story ends, we get Jesus and that is worth everything. Until that day, we are "Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ". Titus 2:13

Come quickly Lord Jesus, come.

INTO THE GLORIOUS

I'm a church girl. Pretty much love the church. I'm a sermon junkie, worship music addict. I love the wonderful memories singing 18 verses of "Just As I Am", juice and goldfish with twenty toddlers in VBS and eating chicken pie and cherry yum yum at a pot luck lunch, but it is so much more. It is the mission of the church that God invites us into that fascinates me, gives me goose bumps and makes me dream of the extraordinary. Christ died for the church and He appointed the church to carry the good news of His life, death and rising again so that we might have life and live in the power of His resurrection! The church is the bride of Christ and even with all the idols, complacency and pursuit of comfort, the church can be beautiful and is God's plan to carry out His mission of redemptive work in the earth.
Jesus commissioned His followers in Matthew 28:19-20 to "Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." but look what He said before that command, "ALL authority has been given to me in heaven and earth". (v.18)  Acts 1:8 says, "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you". The Holy Spirit did incredible things through ordinary people in the early days of the church. The apostles and disciples didn't just memorize the Great Commission, they acted on it with all boldness. The early disciples weren't comfort driven but Spirit driven. It didn't matter if beaten or imprisoned, they trusted God and "stood firm in one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the Gospel without being frightened". (Phil. 1:27)  In the middle of great persecution the "disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit". (Acts 13:52) God asks us to do our part in obedience and He will be faithful to do His.
Most people seem unaware there is an invisible battle raging. A full out violent war between light and darkness with the number of dead growing everyday. We now have statistics to prove what was already evident-America is now in a post-Christian era. A time when good is called evil and evil is called good. Many churches no longer provide a moral compass or biblical worldview.
I am not ready to give up on the church in America. I talk to  many young people who look at religion and are so disinterested in what they see. They see plenty of religious activity but don't see "Christians" encounter God in such a way that they are changed and don't look like the world. They want to see the Holy Spirit do supernatural things in them and the lives of the people around them. They want to experience the God of the bible and live out the command to "come and die" and "take up your cross and follow me". They want to be bold and experience the floor shaking around them like the Apostles did in Acts 2. They want to see God glorified. They want something real.
The bible appoints Christians to not walk alone, but in a community and fellowship with other believers. I don't mean a hot dog supper and playing church ball and participating in great church programs. It's gathering in simplicity to praise God, pray to God and call on the Holy Spirit. It's encouraging one another to keep Jesus at the center and glorifying in Him in all that we do. It's saying to one another, "Hey, let's go share our faith in an amazing King.  Let's pray God gives us opportunities this week to make Jesus famous. Let's pray for courage and that the Holy Spirit fills you with all boldness. If we don't encourage each other to make disciples of Jesus Christ,  love mercy, seek justice and walk humbly with our God, we will probably just play video games and watch TV all week. Let's push each other to stir up our affections for Jesus and live by faith.  Let's care more about the church of Jesus Christ and growing His Kingdom than whatever we are into.  Let's share how we can love the least of these and leverage everything we have for the Kingdom of God."
I am praying boldly for a mighty move of the Holy Spirit in The Church of Jesus Christ.  Will you join me and take the call to follow Him into the glorious?