Hope!

"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah." v. 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34

Years of prophecy, followed by years of silence. Can you imagine those 400 years of silence? Waiting? The people of God waited in anticipation of a Savior, and when He came, many didn't even recognize Him. After all, he came to a carpenter and his wife. He came in the middle of the night in a stable. He lay on a bed of straw. He was surrounded by animals, and shepherds. There were no trumpets sounding, or fine linens. It was just a plain, ordinary night. That was the night our Savior chose to enter this world. After 400 years of silence, here's what John says:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. v.9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. v. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1-5, 9 and 14

There is something transcendent about the Gospel. It's such a simple story--one which prophets foretold for generations. One which has been passed down through generations in the church. But it's not just a story...it's an account of something that really happened. One ordinary night, the Word became flesh in a stable. The lowliest of places, the King of the world was born.

Read that opening scripture from Jeremiah again. I love that promise from Jeremiah. As a believer and a child of God, I cling to that promise--that His grace is sufficient for me. He will not forget His covenant--the new covenant through Christ. But it wasn't a covenant He made just with Israel. He made that covenant with all (Colossians 1:27). God chose to make known "the glorious mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

That is our message this Advent: Christ = hope.

I have a relative whom I love dearly. He is an atheist. He makes fun of the Church. He has dealt with all kinds of physical problems from birth. He's lived a challenging life. He's skeptical and cynical, and a brainiac who doesn't believe in anything he can't define or understand. Several Christmases ago, we were at his house. He had nativities all over the place. We were sitting at the dinner table, and I was commenting on all of his nativities. I asked him why he had all of the nativities (knowing that he's an atheist). He said, "I just can't help but think there must have been something really special about that night." It's funny--whether this relative realized it or not, even the most proclaimed athiests at some level can't deny Him.

Wise words from a non-believer. That night fulfilled prophesies...the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Our hope. Our deliverer.

People long for hope. People long for purpose. People long for something more meaningful than their finite minds can understand. We have the opportunity this Advent season to share with them the hope in Christ. Share your story. People are hungry, and listening.

Lord, You promise us that where we proclaim Your Word, it will not come back void. I pray right now that you will burden us with the names of people who need to know You. Give us the opportunity and courage to share you with a world that is in such need of Hope. Remember Your children, remember Your promise. We know that Your grace is enough. Allow us to reflect Your light and Your glory this season.

One Pure and Holy Passion

Election season is over. Do you just breathe a sigh of relief? No more political ads. No more evening phone calls from candidate call lists. No more political Facebook statuses.

I can remember not too long ago that I was sitting in my den listening to political pundits spin their candidates' tax plans. Both of them were misrepresenting the facts and figures. I began to talk back to the TV as they presented their side saying, "That doesn't make sense. That can't be true..." things to that effect. I finally hit pause on the TV, grabbed a pen and paper and began scribbling. After several minutes of running figures of both tax plans, I looked back up at the face of the paused pundit and rather agitatedly said, "Did you not learn math as a kid? Do the American people really buy your misrepresentations? Doesn't anyone know how to do simple math anymore?" About that time, I realized that my 11-year-old son was staring up at me from his book. He looked rather bewildered at why I was yelling at the TV about math. I think he thought his Mom had completely lost it. I looked at him and said emphatically, "Ben, this is why you need to learn math!" Okay, so me screaming at the TV probably wasn't the best way to get my son excited about his math homework. But my actions boiled over from this passion inside that had to get to the "truth" behind the "spin".

I've thought in recent days about how passionate I was about that issue, and, quite honestly, it made me a little ashamed. It made me wonder, "Do I show that same kind of passion in pursuing my Lord?" "Am I ever complacent about my walk with God?" "Do I miss opportunities to share the Gospel because my passions are divided?" As I was pondering these questions, I came across lyrics from the song "One Pure and Holy Passion", written by Mark Altrogge:

Give me one pure and holy passion. Give me one magnificent obsession. Give me one glorious ambition for my life: To know and follow hard after You, to grow as Your disciple in the Truth. This world is empty, pale, and poor compared to knowing You, my Lord. Lead me on and I will run after You.

We are blessed to have a Pastor who pursues his one pure and holy passion: Jesus Christ. He is getting ready to lead us on a two-year journey through the Scriptures. Next week, we will begin "The Word of God for the People of God". As we prepare to embark upon this journey together, I am praying that God will continue to cultivate that passion in me. How much more important it is for me to digest the Scriptures and learn Biblical principles than test political pundits and yell at the TV! I can't change politics. But I can help change this world for Christ, one relationship at a time. I have never been more excited about being in the Word as I am today. I can't wait to see all that God has to teach us along our journey through the Word.

"Lord, Lead me on, and I will run after You!"

Jeremiah 15:16
"When Your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear Your name, O LORD God Almighty."

Why do you stand here looking into the sky?

I have been working through the New Testament using Warren Wiersbe’s “Be…” series. Right now, I’m in Acts, using Wiersbe’s accompanying material “Be Dynamic”. I love that word dynamic! That is something that I am not, but have always strived to be. I’m comfortable behind the scenes—but not with being “out there”. But what he’s talking about is not an “in your face” kind of “dynamic”, but rather the motivating kind.

In the first 11 verses of Acts, we read about Jesus’ ascension into Heaven and the promise of His return. We hear the challenge of going into “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth” with the Gospel. But after that, two men dressed in white suddenly appear, and they ask this question of those witnessing Jesus’ ascension: “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?”

That phrase hit me. So often, we as Christians become paralyzed. It’s so easy to get bogged down in all of the junk and not have clear direction, and end up stagnant. Or, it’s easy to be looking at ONLY the eternal, that we’re paralyzed here in the present. I think that’s what the disciples thought. Their Savior and Lord disappeared into the sky…but they knew He was coming back. If I were standing there, I’d probably just want to sit down and wait. But, the two men in white prompted them into action.

Here’s what Wiersbe has to say about this passage in Acts. Leading up to this event:
“Jesus did not rebuke them when they “kept asking” about the future Jewish kingdom. After all, He had opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, so they knew what they were asking. But God has not revealed His timetable to us and it is futile for us to speculate. The important thing is not to be curious about the future, but to be busy in the present, sharing the message of God’s spiritual kingdom.”

Waking up this morning, with a new administration, with uncertainties about the economy and with all of the concerns that each of us has individually, this was a timely thought from Wiersbe. It is not important to be curious about the future, but busy in the here and now.

We have so much work to do, so many relationships to build, so many to share the Gospel with. We should each feel a sense of urgency, and a call to action. Just like the men in white implied…don’t just stand here, get moving! There’s a whole world who needs to know the love of the Savior that we already know and love!

This month is Missions Month in our church. We will hear testimonies and be challenged about spreading the Gospel. After that, in December, we begin an EXCITING ADVENTURE through the scripture – The Word of God for the People of God. Our Pastor has developed a 2 year walk through the scriptures for our church. God has AMAZING things in store for our future. Let’s put our feet to the plow and stay faithful everyday in our service to Him. Remember that you all are the FIRST TOUCHES with people as they come into corporate worship. You are important and you have purpose! It’s going to be a wild ride!

CELEBRATE

"Lift your voice, it's the year of Jubilee, and out of Zion's hills salvation comes!"

Robin Mark's Days of Elijah is a song of celebration for our church, and for believers world-wide. Sunday morning was a time of celebration for me. During that worship time, we had the largest orchestra all 3 services that we've ever had on a Sunday morning. I had to pull in chairs for the 8:00 service!!!! It was awesome. Then, as we sang that song, I had the blessed privilege of sitting in front of Aiden J. Aiden is 7, and he doesn't just sing, he belts it. He praises God with his WHOLE self. Everyone should have the opportunity at some point in time to just sit in front of that sweet voice and join in their voice in lifting praise to Jesus.

That was the beginning to an entire day of celebration. Sometimes as Christians, we are so task oriented that once we complete one task, we are off to the next task. Today, I just want to bask in God's glory and CELEBRATE.

Sunday night, we had thousands on our campus for our first annual FirstFest. The sounds, smells and sights were amazing! Little kids in costumes laughing and playing filled the area. A sea of orange shirts from the over 500 volunteers covered the grounds. Hamburgers, coffee, bratwurst...the smell of good food was accompanied by the long lines of people anxious to get a taste! The sounds of praise filled the Levitt Pavilion as the Jeff Johnson band took the stage, and over 1500 worshiped. It was awesome!

Here were some of the stories from that night alone; five reasons among many others that I celebrate today:

1. I was monitoring one of the bounce houses, and a little girl yelled my name from across the grass. She was so excited to see me. I didn't remember ever seeing her before, but I knelt down to talk to her, and asked her to remind me of her name. She reminded me and told me that she comes to VBS every year with her cousins and that I was her music teacher at VBS. She was so excited to see me, and she wanted me to meet her Mom. Connection.

2. Again, I was standing next to a bounce house, and I recognized a name of a person. He was a brand new Christian. I had never met him before, but had seen his name, and knew that he and his wife had been visiting. I introduced myself. He was overwhelmed by all that was going on and how amazing it was. He told me how much this church meant to him and his family-- "I love this place!" Excitement.

3. I walked around to the games area. The sight was amazing. People of all ages were working together to hand out prizes and facilitate the games. I saw a woman in her 70s working with 3 teenagers that she probably had never met before that night. They were having so much fun together, interacting, and made it so much fun for the kids that came up to their booth. It was a glorious picture of the body of Christ. Community.

4. I talked to a young mother. This young mother recently started a blog of her faith journey. I had been reading it, and thanked her for sharing her faith--for being willing to step out there and risk telling her story. She said, "I just feel like everything in my life should be pointing people to Jesus." She wasn't just saying that because she was at church. She and her husband have made a transforming life change, and they are passionately and "on the edge" living out an authentic life in Christ, and willing for the whole world to see if it will in some way point someone to God! Authenticity.

5. One of our faithful teenagers was listening to the concert. A friend of his who became a Christian recently was listening to the music with him. That friend leaned over and thanked this young man for "saving his life". He told him that he was instrumental in leading him to Christ, and thanked him for being that person in his life who wasn't afraid to point him to Jesus. Transformation.

What an incredible glimpse of the Body of Christ. There are so many more stories of celebration. Young and aged, new believers and seasoned ones: God is at work in this place!

Thank You, Father, for all of the stories of celebration. Thank You for how You work in each person's life. Help us all to be transformed daily and live lives of authenticity that point people to You. Help us to connect with our neighbors and our friends and form lasting relationships that can only be attributed to You. Thank You for this community of believers. Thank You for giving us a day of true celebration! We owe it all to You!

Practice

What do you think of when you hear the word "practice"?
Practice Makes Perfect?
Practice What You Preach?

Saturday morning at 8:30, this was the scene at our household: Dennis was getting to sleep in for the first time in a long time. Abby was watching cartoons. I was sorting laundry. Ben was in the front room practicing his cello for All-Region. I heard him practicing the same thing over and over again, and it sounded great. So, I told him to move on to something harder.

8:45 Ben is in tears practicing his cello, saying, "I just can't play this." Abby was in the front room playing his piece on the piano (showing him up) and I was ripping my hair out because they were both fighting because she was distracting him. At that moment he hated the cello, All-Region, and especially his sister! So much for a peaceful Saturday morning!

8:50 I got Abby settled back down watching cartoons, and sat down with Ben to work with him on his music. First, I told him he needed to set attainable goals for that practice time. Playing something once through and expecting perfection is not an attainable goal. I also explained to him that music is never going to be perfect --it's an extension of us. We will never play something the same way twice. So, rather than set a goal of perfection, I encouraged him to set a broad goal of excellence, but also map out the daily goals necessary to achieve that excellence in his music. So, we decided to focus on an A major scale. After several minutes of breaking things down and working on one thing at a time, he started making major improvements, the tears stopped flowing, and once again, we were enjoying our Saturday morning.

I started thinking about his practice time, and I thought, "We are that way with God. We want to work on the things that are easy for us, and don't want to tackle the hard things". We tend to define the "hard" things as those things that we can't immediately perfect--things that don't come naturally to us. These things become discouraging to us, if we let them, and we often abandon them.

It's kind of like being on a diet. If you select a diet that is radical and unsustainable, you'll lose a lot of weight short term, and gain it all back and more in the long haul. Then, you're usually more discouraged than before you started the initial diet because you've tried and failed. I think we tend to be that way in our Christian walks. We burn brightly, often out of our own strength, and fail to plug into God's power and keep our eyes fixed on His guidance and direction. Soon, our strength gives out, we realize that we are farther from God than when we started, and we get discouraged. Many people fall away simply because of this pattern of behavior.

Here's the cool part, though--God doesn't expect us to be perfect. And especially not the first time! He's given us a whole life to walk that journey, and has made it clear that perfection is not something attainable this side of Heaven. The only one who ever walked this earth and was perfect was Jesus. Whew! Now, that doesn't give us license to be intentionally disobedient...let's face it...sin is sin. But, what Scripture does tell us is that He wants us to keep walking, keep trying, and continue to be refined. He wants us to set goals, keep our eyes fixed on Him and put our full weight behind attaining those goals.

In Hebrews Chapter 11, the author paints for us a beautiful picture of the faith of all of saints that have walked before us -- real, live, flesh and blood people. He opens Chapter 12 with this statement:
Therefore since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne.

We cannot attain perfection. But the One who sits at the right hand of God did attain it. All we have to do is set our eyes on Him-- Jesus, the One and Only-- and keep putting one foot in front of the other until the day that our story joins those of the saints that have gone before. So, practice...daily, joyfully and with all of your heart!

Lord, thank You for sending Your Son to model life for us. Thank You for sending Your Word to act as an encouragement as well as an instruction book for our lives. Thank You for living in communion with us daily, that we might turn to You for direction on this grand journey. Help us to continue to daily put into practice the things that will draw us and others nearer to You.

D*I+S#T^R*A&C+T^I%O*N

Have you ever been talking with someone who had a chunk of food in their teeth, and you couldn't focus on what they were saying because you were so bothered by what was in their teeth? Have you ever sat in a lecture, and while you were trying to concentrate on the material, there is some high-pitched mechanical noise that you just wish they'd fix? Have your kids ever tried to tell you something, but you were working on a project on the computer, and didn't even realize they were talking to you?

I have to admit -- I have a SHORT attention span. If there is something to distract me, I'm going to be distracted by it. Here were the things that distracted me on the way to church yesterday morning:
1. I got out of my car in the church parking lot just before 7 a.m. The train was going through town. The train whistle was so horribly out of tune with itself, it was piercing to my ears. And it just kept getting louder and louder. I got inside as quickly as possible -- rather than enjoying the cool of the day and the beautiful moon that was out!
2. It was hot in the Sanctuary. Not just kind of hot -- really steamy hot! Every time I'd try to focus on something, my mind would wander back to my own comfort.
3. My daughter came in once again with a different outfit on than what I had picked out for her to wear -- and she had rolled around on her hair in the car so that, once again, it looked like it hadn't even been brushed. I was distracted about this moreso because I knew my mother was going to say something to me about it, and so I was bracing myself for when I saw her.

How selfish are those thoughts and reactions? My reaction SHOULD HAVE BEEN the following:
1. God -- thank you for this beautiful morning -- the weather, the moon -- this beautiful park that just opened next door.
2. God -- thank you for the freedom to worship you this morning with your people in this beautiful church building.
3. God -- thank you for my precious, free-spirited daughter. I am blessed to have her.

Here's the most shameful part about it -- I wasn't convicted until the 3rd service. I was sitting there in my seat, again focused on the heat. I realized the doors were open and I thought, "People are going to start walking by as they leave church, and it's going to be distracting to what Dr. Wiles is trying to preach." At that moment, two thoughts hit me:
1. When I was in Cuba, it was hot, all the windows were open-air. People were gathered throughout the church and street. There was more "noise" there, it was hot, everything was in a foreign language, and yet, I still worshipped.
2. It was as if God said, "You've been using excuse after excuse to be distracted all morning...are you going to continue to find excuses, or are you going to meet me in this place today?"

Then, I began to focus on the words of the Pastor. His message was incredible -- about faith, trust, reliance on God and not on self, and then....distraction. Casting ALL worries on God.

God is truly amazing. He can take us when we are at our most sinful, our gaze turned away. And yet, He let's us know, one way or another, that He desires our focus. He wants our attention. I'm so thankful that He is a jealous God, and that He desires, in fact delights in, that time spent with me.

Proverbs 3 is one of my favorite scripture passages. It talks about trusting the Lord completely, and He will guide our paths. But, further down, it talks of the Lord's discipline. I felt a little bit chastised yesterday. But I'm grateful for it. Here's what scripture tells me about it in 3:11-13.

"My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD or loathe His reproof, for whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding."

Thank you, Lord for loving us enough to remind us that you are LORD, and that You deserve our undivided attention when we are in community with you -- especially when we worship you. Thank you for loving us, delighting in us and being a jealous God who doesn't want us being poisoned by the things of this world, but rather filled with Your goodness that only comes from time spent with You. This week, help me to eliminate the things that distract me from You.

A Builder's Faith

James 1:2-3 says, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, for the testing of your faith produces endurance."

Have you ever known anyone with incredible faith? Faith that plummeted the depths of your understanding? Have you ever seen someone toil day after day and still manage to dig deep, and find the joy in every circumstance? Not a fake, plastered smile, but a heaviness in their spirit--one of resolve and hope and peace that came only from joy in Christ.

This is what I experienced among my brothers and sisters in Cuba. They have a deep, growing, joy-filled faith that stems from their daily walk with God. They don't take His Word lightly. They walk daily with Him as "Lord", because apart from him, they have NOTHING.

When I went to the Eastern part of the island, I saw several families living together in one home. We're not talking one of our American homes. I'm talking about 4 concrete walls (about 10 X 10) with MAYBE one or two smaller rooms with concrete walls, and a concrete floor. We threw a bucket of water down the toilet to "flush" it. We bathed with a bucket, standing in what seemed to be a bathtub. Sometimes that bucket of water would be fresh, and sometimes it wasn't. It rained every afternoon, and the streets were mud, so as I walked the mile and a half between the home and the church, I'd slosh mud up on me the entire way. They thought this was so funny--that I didn't know "how to walk" so that I could keep the mud off of me. So, when I got to the church, they'd greet me with a towel, and I'd attempt to get all of the mud off of my legs while they laughed. We found a lot to laugh about.

When I was there, 2 years ago, there was a food shortage. I thought, "I've got money, so I'll just buy them some food." We went to several villages, and I pulled out my American dollars, and found the same answer that they did daily -- there wasn't ANY food. So, for 8 days, we had rice and plantain. I've told you the story before...we had mashed plantain, fried plantain, boiled plantain. The amazing thing was that they were so fed by the Word of God, that I never heard them complain. We would sit around the table and feed off of the sweet fellowship, the laughter and the friendships. All I heard about were the wonderful ways that God had sustained them, and the things he was doing in their lives. The people had nothing compared to our earthly standards, but they had joy!

Why do I bring all of this up again? Because I received an email yesterday from one of the worship leaders there. He is one of the most influential, and yet humble, leaders in the area. I've taken out names and locations so he can't be identified. I wanted to share with you this modern day saint's words of faith:

"Hello my sister Emily. We never forget you, thank you because you always remembers us. Thanks to God we are well, How are you and your family? The hurricane harmed us a lot of, thanks to God we are alive, now we are working a lot to continue ahead, the temple of our church in __________ was largely destroyed. Now I am not musician of the church, I am builder. We are lifting the construction to take place where to meet, we making the service with sky as our roof. Wonderful are the services of adoration to God always with the stars on our heads. Thanks to God that has never rained while we are in the service. help us in pray, so that we can get what we lack for the temple, if you know to some person or church that wants to help, you can communicate with ________, they know what to make. ...(some personal greetings and updates, and then) Greetings to all, I have many problems with my mail, now I don't have telephone where I am living, it is very difficult the communication but God knows everything. Always your brother that don't forget you, ________________"

Do you see the praise in his words? He praises God for the opportunity to worship with "the stars on our heads". He thanks God that it hasn't rained while they were in worship services. He has abandoned his role as musician, and now has joyfully put on the hat of "builder".

I am telling you about this for three reasons:
1. I want you to be encouraged -- God's people ARE COVERING this earth. And they are faithful.
2. Be challenged. Actively participate in every opportunity that you have to cultivate that joy-filled faith journey with our Father. He is our Sustainer. He is the Great Physician. He is our Rock. He is the Cornerstone.
3. Pray. I read this, and immediately I want to fix their situation. But I can't outside of God's authority. However, I can pray, and follow God's lead. Pray that we (our missions team to that region) will have an appropriate response to their situation. Pray that God will help us with all of the practicalities associated with that response. Pray that He will call forth a team of people with the right skills, and willingness of heart, to go and help. Pray that their spirits will not be crushed as they toil, but with each hammer stroke, and each stage of the rebuilding, they will be drawn closer to God. Pray that they will be able to draw others close to Him through their acts of faithfulness.

My favorite passage to pray through, and I prayed through it with my brothers and sisters in this village last time I was there, is Philippians 1:2-6. Begin with this as your prayer today for them:

Father, reveal to our brothers and sisters in this region the grace and peace that you have for them through Jesus Christ. I thank You, my God, in every remembrance of my brothers and sisters there, always offering a joy-filled prayer in every prayer I pray for them, in view of their participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that You who began a good work in us and them will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Amen.

Concentric Circles

In Luke 10:27, Jesus reminds us of the two greatest commandments, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself."

A couple of days ago, I was flipping through my son's school notebook. One of the classroom papers he had to do had concentric circles. He was supposed to place the things most important to him in the inner circle. As he went away from that center circle, he was supposed to prioritize people in his life, and also character issues. For instance, in that center circle, he put "parents" and "God". Of course, this made me proud -- this was a school project, done in school with no input from me or Dennis. So, the fact that Ben put God at the center of his life pleased me. As it moved outward, there were words like "grandparents", "honesty", "respect". As it moved to the outer circles, I saw "lying", "cheating on a test", "gang members", etc. Finally, I got to the far outer circle. I saw "drugs", "profanity", "stealing" & "my sister". I got so tickled...of course, I know that he loves his sister and one day will appreciate her, but for now, he was putting down his honest assessment, and "sister" ranked down at the bottom!!! Okay...so the "loving thy neighbor" part hasn't come as naturally for him.

It got me thinking about "loving my neighbor". That is a hard concept. I think it's even harder in modern-day America. We are fighting our neighbor and everyone else for everything that we have. You hear horror stories of fights breaking out at the gas pump because of the gas shortage in the Southeast. You hear of people cussing aid workers in Houston because they're not getting to them "fast enough". We hear of bad loans, high interest rates, unfair business practices -- all geared toward one individual making more money over another individual. That's without mentioning crime rates or terrorism. It's a difficult concept to "love" some of these people!

But "neighbor" is a relevant word to us --- especially here at the church. Our church is at an exciting place right now. Here in the City of Arlington, we are right in the center of so much activity and growth -- so much potential for reaching our community. If you walk outside this church building, within view are the Levitt Pavilion (which will soon host thousands each weekend that have never even heard of FBCA), City Hall, UTA, and all of the downtown businesses. Within a mile or two are The Ballpark, the new Cowboys Stadium, and plans for so much more. It is an exciting time.

That means that for us it is so important that we are faithfully growing as authentic, "walking daily with God" Christians. It's so important that we are witnesses of the Jesus Way to the waitress who messed up our order or the guy in traffic who cut us off or the frustrated "customer service" representative we get on the line when disputing a bill. My prayer each day is that I don't get in the way of someone being drawn to God -- that somehow my failure doesn't turn someone away from the Truth of the Gospel. All we have to do is be faithful in living our everyday, ordinary lives -- planting seeds -- nurturing relationship with our neighbors. God will grow them into a harvest!

1 Corinthians 3:6 says, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth."

Lord, we pray that you will remind us daily that others see us in action. We pray that you will continue to grow us spiritually deeper in You so that the things that come spilling out in the difficult times point people to You and not to our own selfish gain. We pray that You will help us to live lives that are authentic. We pray that you help us to walk the Jesus Way daily -- not just when it's convenient for our circumstances -- and by doing so, live lives that will glorify You. We desire to be faithful. We look forward to the day of Your Harvest!

Accountability Part 3: Legacy

My great-aunt went to be with God on Sunday. While we will miss her, it is a time of celebration because she lived a life that touched so many and that meant so much, and we know that she has eternal life through Christ. She was a child of God, and left a legacy of faithfulness and godly example.

This week, as I have heard from people, I’ve heard so much about how she touched their lives in a spiritual way. She allowed God to use her for His purposes and made everlasting impact on lives. I sat at the piano on Wednesday night and realized that every hymn I know, I learned from her. She was my first piano teacher, and she valued the hymns even more than the classics. Thanks to her, I can even play the ones in Ab (sometimes).

I spoke with someone on Sunday who made this statement to me: “She touched so many lives and left such a legacy. I’m thinking of my legacy, and outside of work, I don’t have anything that I’m invested in.” That was a pretty indicting statement. It caused me to pause and take evaluation of my own life.

1 Corinthians 3:10-16 says, “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is in Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (NIV)

This is a pretty profound admonishment. I began to think about the foundations that I am laying on top of what Christ has already laid. Here were some of the questions I asked myself: “Am I doing _____ (I could fill in the blank with countless things) for my glory or for God’s glory?” “Am I treating others, especially my family, as Christ would?” “Am I building things by eternal standards (things that will last) or earthly standards (things that will crumble)?” I just have to be honest…I didn’t like some of the answers I got. Those are the areas that I need to re-evaluate today and ask God for help in changing those areas. Sometimes, I focus so hard on lifting my gaze and looking upward, that sometimes I forget to make sure that my feet are firmly planted and rooted in the deep roots of the foundation that He has laid.

As a worship leader, this foundation is particularly important. In Numbers, Chapter 8, God says that the Levites (worship leaders) are to be ceremonially clean…purified. He says that they take the place of the firstborn – they are meant to be sacrifices. They are to be presented before the LORD as a wave offering so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord. They are to be set apart from the other Israelites. I don’t know enough to know what all of that means, nor do I know enough about Jewish tradition to understand all of the ceremonies. But what is very clear is that we are held to a higher standard. God expects more from us – those of us who are leading His people in worship. Wow….that’s a lot to take in. At least, it is for me. It can seem overwhelming, but instead of seeing it as a burden, we need to see it as an honor. We need to pray daily to be more righteous – not in a Bible beating sort of way, but in a God-honoring way. We need to ask Him to transform us DAILY!

I sat awake this morning, and I can’t begin to tell you the list of things that need to change in my life. I can only tackle one at a time, and I know that He will help me prioritize them and accomplish what He has asked me to do. One of the chief things I feel He has asked me to do is to make sure I surround myself with people that I am accountable to, and to make sure that I make accountability a priority in our ministries.

We all need trusting, authentic voices—people that speak truth into our lives. So, my prayer is that we won’t be afraid to speak out when those times are necessary. The fact of the matter is that life is only going to get busier. It’s never going to get easier this side of Heaven – not if we’re continuing to work toward eternal gain. So, let’s hold each other’s feet to the fire, and make sure that as we lift our gaze, we’re not building faulty structures on the foundation that Christ has already laid.

Philippians 1:4-6 “I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” NIV

Living Water

I have spent this week in kind of a funk. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the September 11th attack. Do you still see those planes hitting those buildings? It's an image forever burned in my mind. Every year I go into a time of rememberance and mourning.

Then, this week, I've watched the devastation Hurricane Ike has hurled upon places like Haiti and Cuba. I spent so much time praying on Monday as it made landfall not far from where I stayed while I was in Cuba. I thought of the family I stayed with, and wondered about their safety. I prayed as they mentioned that the road that took me to the families I worked with was completely under water because a reservoir had flooded it. They were cut off. I prayed as I remembered the food shortage that was there after the last hurricane -- for years! And I wondered what this one would bring. I remembered how I would slosh mud on me as I walked through the streets after a light rain, and imagined the people being swept away by the mud. I can put faces on those people. They had almost nothing to begin with, and now what do they have left?

I felt silly even asking that question of God. He's never slow to remind us that earthly things are temporary, but He is eternal. God reminded me of what they DO have. The people I met had a burning passion for Him -- for His Word. They fed on it day and night. It was their sustenance. So, my prayers began to change. Rather than prayers questioning God, they were prayers petitioning God to draw more people to Him -- to place unbelievers next to these strong believers that I know there. And that they would be able to lead people to Him. I know they will be faithful. I know He is with them.

Our Pastor has talked about the next two years' journey through this church, as we read through the Bible together. I am so excited about that journey together. One of the images He presented on Sunday was from the scripture Revelation 10:9:

"And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey."

As I thought of my brothers and sisters in Cuba, I thought of that passage. For years, they have literally devoured the Word daily. They feed on it! I am praying right now that their bellies are full of the Word and that their mouths are sweet as honey as they use this time to dig out from under the mud and win souls to Christ.

Psalm 42:1-2 & 7-8 says: As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; v.7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.

As we encounter tragedies, violence, nature's wrath, difficulty, etc. I cling to that final promise in verse 8--the promise that He is with us and will not leave us--it doesn't say "might" be with me, it says "will" be with me: The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night.

Lord, we cling to You. You are our Rock. We pray that as we continue on this journey that You will remind us of the sustenance that Your Word brings. We pray that You will fill our bellies with it, and help us to devour it in such a way that it is the first thing that comes forth in times of challenge. We know that You have Your hand on Your people. We know that You watch over us day and night. Thank You for never abandoning us and never forsaking us, but always loving and encouraging us as we walk daily with You.

Accountability Part Two: The Team

Here are the clichés we’ve all heard, but they are true:
* There is no “I” in TEAM
* A Team is only as strong as its weakest link
* TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More
* A job worth doing is worth doing together

But let’s face it: Sometimes it’s a challenge to be a part of a team. Especially one where there are so many different backgrounds and abilities. Sometimes, we begin grumbling toward one another, or wonder why so and so gets more spotlight than we do, or wonder why we weren’t asked to do a solo. Or, sometimes, we may feel like when there are so many people, why are we important? Maybe you’ve felt like nobody would even notice if you weren’t there.

Last week, I heard this story (don’t worry—all my stories aren’t going to be about football, but bear with me through one more):

There was a coach on a local pee-wee football team. He had led a team to a city championship. There was a star athlete on that team – we’ll call him Joe. Joe had breakaway speed. He was a natural…a star! Once the team won the championship, other higher level sports divisions were looking at Joe, and recruiting him. Joe went to one of those teams. The next season, that championship team didn’t win the championship, but grew together as a team. This season, Joe came back and wanted to play for the original team again, but he didn’t want to practice with them, didn’t want to go through all of the conditioning. He just wanted to come in and play and win. With his breakaway speed, he could win for the team—maybe even lead them to another city championship. The coach told him that if he didn’t come to practice and didn’t condition with the rest of the team, he wouldn’t play. Joe told the coach that there were plenty of other teams recruiting him. The coach told Joe to play for one of those teams. In essence, he said, “I’m not a star-maker. I’m a team builder.”

Here’s what Romans 12:3 “The Message” has to say about our team – “the body” and our role in it:
3I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

I love the statement that each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of HIS Body. It isn’t something that we do, but something that He does. Continue reading verses 4-6:

4 -6In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.

What He asks of us is simply this: Be yourself, be satisfied with who God made you to be and your role in His Body, and don’t miss out on being a part of the whole.

The chapter opens with this statement:
1 -2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

He just wants us: ordinary, everyday, sleeping, eating, going-to-work, walking-around people. He desires to cultivate us into one body. But, even though we are ordinary, we are incredibly important. Each of us is called to serve a function of the body. The body is incomplete without us in our place. Isn’t it incredible—the God of the Universe desires US to be a part of His great plan? He wants to use us—broken and imperfect as we are. He doesn’t need us…he WANTS us. And we NEED Him and each other—that’s how He created us to be.

So, the next time you feel like your voice doesn’t really add to the choir, or you won’t be missed in a rehearsal, remember that you are a part of the whole. The next time you feel a twinge of jealousy, remember that our purpose is not about any individual, but about glorifying God. You are a member of this team—His team. We’re not here to produce stars – the God of the Universe is the star of this show. We’re here to develop co-laborers in the journey! You are an important part of that.

Lord, help us to be accountable to one another. Help us to realize the importance of our role in this wonderful plan. Help us to be faithful to who You made us to be, to our calling, and to those around us that You have placed us in service and fellowship with. You are the Master Designer. You know that we aren’t happy until we’re a part of Your plan and Your Kingdom work. Increase that desire in us daily. Help us to grow deeper—to move from the superficial into the deep waters. Help us to give you every part of our lives—even the ordinary and mundane. Use it to Your Glory!

Joy in the Journey

I wrote on accountability last week as a Part 1, and plan to write on Part 2 again next week. But this week, I want to address something a little bit different.

We had an all-day staff meeting this week, and it was a great reminder of our purpose: To glorify God by living the Jesus Way. That’s our theme. That’s our lifesong! When I pray, you’ll often hear me end a prayer saying that I want to glorify Him in all that I do. That is truly my prayer. It is a difficult thing to do—especially during tense times or times of uncertainty or stress.

We are getting ready to do a recording project over the next couple of weeks. For some, they are enjoying every moment of it. For others, they are anxious, and it seems to be coming up really fast. I want to start by saying nothing in the recording studio is more important than worship in our hearts every week – corporately and personally. So, as we gear up for this project, I just want to clarify a couple of things about its purpose.

I am excited about this project. It is one of the projects that make us better and stronger. People ask me often why we record. There are basically two purposes:
1. To present a product that glorifies God and can be a tool to draw people to Him.
2. To make us better -- it sharpens our skills. It helps us listen differently. It simply makes us better.

A lot of times, I fail to clearly lay out the expectations of something. Here they are:
1. Do the best you can. I'm not expecting perfection -- just each individual's best. (Plus, remember—I’m Paula in the studio – Barry’s the Simon!!!).
2. Don't do anything that causes your heart to drift from that #1 purpose listed above: Glorifying God. I want us to focus and deliver a musically excellent project, but it's not because I want the glory or for people to say “Look what FBC Worship Ministries is doing”. It's because I want people to be led to the God we serve! I want them to be drawn closer to Him through everything we do.
3. Have fun -- we're in crunch time right now, so the next two weeks will be a little hectic. But when we enter that studio -- HAVE FUN!

My son came home from football last night. It was a really rough practice. He got yelled at by every coach on the field. He got kicked in the head. His equipment didn’t fit quite right. He got trampled on. He got knocked on his rear. It was a hard practice for a mama to watch. But, I watched it and at the end, he came off the field with a smile on his face. I asked him if the coaches yelled at him. He said, "Yes." I asked him if he felt like he was getting better. He said, "Oh yes...a lot better." Then, I asked him if he was having fun, and his smile literally spread from ear to ear, "I love football. I'm having a blast." He likes the challenge. He likes the conditioning. He knows it's making him stronger, faster, better. He understands that you can’t base the entire journey on one practice or one “crunch time”. He also knows the joy of fulfilling the goal of a city championship—he knows what that feels like to hold that trophy in hand, and knows that it takes a lot of work to get there.

What we are doing is so much more important and so much less finite than a city championship –it’s eternal! So, I want to encourage each of you to keep the joy even in the midst of the workout! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Enjoy the ride!

I love the Message version of Philippians 3:12-21. It’s a little long, but worth the read:

12 -14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
15 -16So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.
17 -19Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.
20 -21But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

Accountability -- Part 1

Accountability: Part 1 –Corporate Worship

Confession: When I was a youth, I was a part of the charter church orchestra here at First Baptist Church. I started playing in the 7th grade. I remember sitting next to people who helped to make me better. I was really just a screechy beginner, but there were people sitting around me who were much better than I was, and they mentored me. When they heard my bad notes, they didn’t scowl and tell me not to play so loud. They offered advice – “Try shifting here.” Or “Let’s work on that passage slowly together.” If I couldn’t make it to practice, there was a dedicated violinist who wrote in the fingerings for my music and sent it home with my Mom. Can I just say, I was a spoiled brat, and didn’t realize what a blessing this was at the time!!! As I grew older in the youth group – and better as a violinist – I didn’t model their attitude. I thought I was pretty hot stuff, and didn’t want to be rehearsing when I could be with my friends. Part of that was growing up. Part of it was taking for granted the incredible opportunity that was before me. But, the people around me loved me and grew me up in spite of my shortcomings.

Growing up with that kind of modeling, I discovered through time was that it wasn’t so much about what I got from serving, but it was about what I was able to give. Through that, I discovered an inexplicable joy that comes from serving in these Worship Ministries week by week.

I have had the privilege of playing in some of this country’s greatest concert halls—Carnegie Hall, the Myerson, Bass Hall, Symphony Hall in Boston, Walt Disney Theatre in Los Angeles and many others. It has been amazing. But each time I played, it was just a performance judged on how “perfect” the music was or how pleasing to an individual ear it was. I always struggled with nerves, because I knew that I would never be able to please everyone in that audience—there were always critics.

When I play for God, when I serve in my church, when I worship in the privacy of my own home, I can’t begin to tell you the pure JOY that comes from playing for GOD – my audience of One! He is examining my heart – not my shifting or tuning. It’s truly an amazing thing. He’s not there to critique me, but to sharpen me, to fill me up with His thoughts and His truth, and to mold me as His child. It fills me up week by week, and I’m grateful for every opportunity I have in this place to worship Him corporately, and hopefully to encourage others as they grow in their worship expressions to Him.

I have spent a lot of time this week in the Psalms this week. David needed his time with God. He needed that time of worship, that time of petition, that time of supplication, that time of praise. So do we. We worship a MIGHTY GOD – THE Mighty God! As you prepare for Sunday morning worship, join me in meditating on His Word from Psalm 99:

The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; He sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the LORD in Zion; He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name – He is holy. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.

This Sunday, we have the opportunity to come and worship Him corporately in a time of celebration. As you come, notice those around you that need encouragement. Fill your place—whether you are one that needs a lot of training, or whether you’re one who can help mentor someone else. Give Him all that you have! Ask Him to give you His ears and His heart, and let’s worship Him in His Majesty and Authority. He is Holy!

Be Still

Wow! What an incredible week it's been.

In the midst of preparing for a mission trip this past week, my son, Ben, got VERY sick. Many of you know that , he was bed-ridden for several days with an unknown illness. He had to have two IVs put in and was a very sick little boy. It couldn't have come at a busier time for us...or so we thought (in our selfish minds). We were so busy filling our lives with worry and anxiety that we almost missed God's blessing in it all.

You're probably saying, "What could possibly be the blessing in a sick child?"

Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God."

We were forced, as a family, to be still for an entire week. This didn't hit me until 12:30 a.m. Thursday after 3 days of no sleep, when Ben was finally resting. I had slept (I use that word sarcastically) outside his room on the couch for 3 nights. Abby came in to where I was on the couch, and wanted to chat....at 12:30 a.m.....when Ben was asleep...when I had a chance to sleep. But, I knew it was important.

She began to talk to me about her friends and how she just couldn't be friends with one of them anymore. I asked her why not. She said..."We're just too different." I said, "Abby, you're in all the same classes, you go to the same church, you're in every activity together...how are you different?" She said, "Well, he's a baptized Christian and I'm just a plain old Christian." That opened up a wonderful conversation between the two of us. She asked some incredible questions, and we sat down and discussed very simply the Gospel story. It was one of the sweetest moments as mother and daughter that we've shared. We prayed at the end, and we're going to continue to seek where God is leading her. She doesn't have a full understanding yet, and is not ready to be baptized. But in that stillness, He opened her heart to a sincere search for understanding.

That night, Ben slept soundly, we all slept 6 hours, and he was "on the mend" thereafter. He's going strong and is a part of our Monterrey Missions team this weekend--something he's worked to earn the privilege of going on all year long.

God is good. His people are pretty okay, too. Thank you for all of your phone calls, emails, prayers and concern for Ben. The nurse that administered the IV said she could tell that he was being lifted up in prayers and just reminded me that when we lift up a patient in prayer, we're also lifting up the doctors and nurses. So, she felt your prayers, too.

This week, 29 of us are headed out of the country on Mission. Please continue to pray for us, specifically for the following things:
1. Focus and Unity--that we will accomplish what God has in mind.
2. Open hearts -- we will be ministering to children in a children's camp, prisoners on death row, and we have a team painting a beautiful mural that will be a witness to the community surrounding the church.
3. Safety and good health.

Thank you for your prayers, and for all that you give week by week, not only in Worship Ministries, but in everything you do in the church and in lifting up others.

With great joy,

Emily

P.S. One more thing. I discovered one very interesting thing in my conversation with Abby that I want to share especially with her Sunday School teachers (two of whom are in the choir). She told us about her Sunday School lessons about Saul (Paul) and how Saul "saw Jesus on the road to Massachusetts." ... oh, and her "lie-ing days are mostly over".

Monterrey Devotion 2008 Day 5: Worship

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

We are just hours away from our final corporate worship time together with our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Monterrey. Aren’t you thankful for this time we’ve had? Just spend a moment rejoicing in what the Lord has done. Be specific.

Read Philippians Chapter 4: 3-20. I love the way that Paul closes this letter with this chapter. He rejoices in verse 4. He encourages in verse 6. In verse 7, He shares the peace (a wonderful tradition in other denominations—a time in each service where you turn to your neighbor and simply say “Peace be with you.” And they reply, “and also with you.” It’s really a very meaningful part of some liturgies).

Then, here’s what he says in verses 8 and 9:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

I love that Paul leads by example. We can learn from the example of our brothers and sisters here in Monterrey. Weren’t you overwhelmed by their hospitality? How about their joyful spirits? The warm welcome? The light in their eyes? Think about those things listed in verse 8 –true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy. Does it remind you of anything?

Turn to and read Psalm 19. Do you find a similar list?
Starting in verse 7, the Lord is perfect, true, right, radiant, pure, sure, more precious than gold, sweeter than honey. Meditate for a moment on His goodness and His radiance. Just bask in His glory. May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Finally, flip back to Philippians 4. Just before Paul’s final farewell, he says in verses 19 & 20, “And my God will meet ALL your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Remember on the first day, how I said John was my favorite book? Read this beloved disciple’s and fellow worshiper’s account in Revelation 7:11-12 where he visions what Paul says, “All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

Today is a day of worship. Today is a day where we simply come before His Throne. We join with the saints that have gone before, present worshipers around the world, and as John shows us Heavenly worshipers truly in the midst of God’s glory. Lift up your eyes to Him, and lift up your voice with praise to our God forever and ever. He is worthy!

Alleluia!
For the Lord God Almighty Reigns!
Holy, holy, holy are You, Lord, God Almighty.
Worthy is the Lamb.
Amen!

Monterrey Devotional Day 4: Endurance and Purpose

Though I’m writing this in advance of the trip, today (day 4) is most likely going to be the hardest day of this journey. We’ve performed the concert, we’ve painted, we’re on the last day of the Children’s camp. We’re trying desperately to complete the painting and tasks we’ve come to accomplish. It’s hot. We’re ready for our own beds and the remote. We’re ready to hug our loved ones that have been left behind. It’s a tough day. Today, we need to pray diligently for endurance.

Philippians 3:12-14 says, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Our task today is evangelism. There is a message to be sung and lived out. People are watching you even today. You are a witness at the hotel, among the church members, with the parents and children, prisoners, cashier at the Home Depot, etc.

I have a confession to make (which probably won’t come as a surprise). I am a terrible evangelist! Evangelism is not my spiritual gift. I do music missions because I feel called to discipleship—teaching others and building them up in the faith. But, when it comes to evangelism, I get scared. I stumble over my words and thoughts. I think it’s because I’m so passionate about it that I try to overcomplicate it. The Gospel is so full of mystery and seemingly complex (because it blows our mind that God would humble Himself on our account), but it’s also so simple. It transcends every language, culture, walk of life, age, gender. It’s amazing.

So, today, be bold. If you are going to the prison—sing with Jesus spilling out of your mouth and on your face. If you are shopping, hand a ticket to a salesperson or someone even on the street. If you are at the hotel, invite a hotel employee to the concert tonight, or to church tomorrow. Be bold. God will give you the words to say. More than likely, it will come much more naturally than you think.

Meditate on this promise:
Isaiah 55:8-11 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, SO IS MY WORD THAT GOES OUT FROM MY MOUTH: IT WILL NOT RETURN TO ME EMPTY, BUT WILL ACCOMPLISH WHAT I DESIRE AND ACHIEVE THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH I SENT IT.”

All we have to do is proclaim. He transforms. All we have to do is plant. He brings forth the fruit. His Word WILL NOT COME BACK VOID!

Last Sunday, in the 2nd service, the choir and the orchestra were singing their anthem. We had a monitoring issue in the orchestra area (not anyone’s fault…just one of those things that sometimes happens). In the middle of the anthem, the orchestra and rhythm were exactly 1 beat behind the choir. That meant they were one beat off on every chord changes. All the sudden, for about 20 measures, instead of “I Still Cling to the Old Rugged Cross”, it sounded like The Gaithers meets Screamo (well maybe not quite that bad, but that's what it felt like). But, the soloist and pianist hung tight and managed to get us all back together, and we ended fine. But, I was upset because I thought that I had ruined worship (how egotistical!!!). But, at the end of the song, I was amazed—everyone clapped. People responded to the Gospel message that the soloist and choir sang. God’s Word did not come back void, but rather touched the hearts of His worshipers.

You see, we are flawed messengers, but we are delivering a perfect Message. A perfect, protected Message.

So, be bold. Allow God to use you. He will amaze you…that’s just what He does!

Lord, how sweet it is to be in Your presence. We thank You that You can use us—imperfect, damaged individuals. We thank You for trusting us to be Your messengers of Your Gospel Truth. Help us to step out of our comfort zones today. Reveal to us in an undeniable way those who need to hear about You. Help us to boldly respond. Use us. We love You, and count it all joy that we have this opportunity to serve You today!

Monterrey Devotion Day 3: Relationship

Today’s devotion is short and sweet, but probably one of the most difficult challenges for me personally. Today, I want us to focus on building relationships.

Again, turn to Philippians—this time to Chapter 3, Verses 7-10:

7 I once thought these things (he’s talking about the Jewish law—the “rules” of the tabernacle) were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ, For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.

Look at those first 5 words in verse 10 and ponder them a moment:

I want to know Christ

God didn’t desire for us just to have head knowledge of Him. He didn’t desire for us to “go through the motions”. Nor did He want us to merely pay “lip service” to Him. He desires a RELATIONSHIP with us. Paul didn’t want to know about Christ. He wanted to KNOW CHRIST.

I always relate this to the President of the United States. I know a lot about George Bush. If I wanted to know more, I there are thousands of websites, newspaper clippings, books, etc. where I could learn more about Him. But, though I know about him, I don’t know George Bush. He is not my personal friend. I have never had a conversation with him.

But I KNOW the God of the Universe—the One, True God—through my relationship with Jesus. I haven’t touched Him, but I’ve talked with Him, and He has touched my heart many times!

Today, act out of that relationship with Him. Ask Him to help you be bold to build relationship with the people here in Monterrey. Today, we may encounter parents of a child we’ve taught in crafts, or a prisoner who needs a kind word and a warm handshake. We may meet a child who wants to tell us their thoughts about God in their simple, but awesome way. Or, the singer singing next to us may need someone to stop and pray with them. Look for ways to KNOW the people you encounter today in a meaningful way.

Lord, this is probably the most challenging thing for me. You know how I am made. I am an introvert. I don’t like to meet new people, and it is hard for me to know what to say or how to begin a conversation. Please speak through me. Help me to draw closer to You today so that You may draw closer to them through me. Help me not to withdraw as I meet new people, but to risk so that others may come to know You through my life and testimony. Pour out Your message from this shy soul. Help me to be sensitive to the needs of those around me. In and of myself, this is something I cannot do. I need Your power and Your guidance.

Monterrey Devotional, Day 2: Humility

A few weeks ago, I wrote in my blog about “humility”. It is my least favorite issue to deal with. It seems like I have to wrestle with it A LOT! But, I’m thankful that God reminds me from time to time, in a bold way, that He is God and I am not!

Here’s the story I told:

The other night, my husband came home from work exhausted. He's been working so hard, and giving every spare minute to our family and the "honey do" list. We were getting ready to leave on a 10-day vacation. I didn't have the heart to ask him to mow the lawn (which DESPERATELY needed it--the grass is growing so fast right now). We have a large yard that requires so much care, and though we feel like we work in it often, there's always something else to do in it. So, instead of hitting him up with "Can you mow the lawn?" the minute he walked in the door, I asked him to show me how to use the mower. It's a new riding lawn mower, so I figured it couldn't be too hard. I could get the yard done in no time, and he could come in and kick his shoes off and relax.

He was so appreciative, so he quickly gave me a lesson. I got on it, and released the brake to go forward. Immediately, it jerked and I was thrown forward. Evidently, I released the brake a little too fast. I slammed on the brake again, laughing (and a little shaken). I looked up, and noticed that there were 8 roofers on my next-door neighbors' roof, laughing and pointing at me. A very obvious lesson in humility!!!!! I waved and laughed and continued on with trying to figure out the mower, and finished the lawn (well, almost...my husband had to negotiate the hill in front).

Okay, let’s just get it out in the open. We will all probably deal with lessons in humility over the next four days. Perhaps, it will be because we misspeak about something minor. The first time I was in Cuba, I tried to tell someone my son was 7, and mistakenly said I had seven sons! Imagine the look on their face. Well, I’m sure that the more I try to speak Spanish, the more I’ll fail, but I’d rather try and have a little laughter than not build a relationship with anyone along the way. That would be so much more of a failure! Perhaps it will be a larger faux pas—something that hurts another individual. We must be on our guard.

But, my prayer is that we’ll go even deeper than that surface humility—not the kind that’s about us and our feelings, but the kind that develops true servants. Let’s turn to scripture…again to Philippians…and see what Paul has to say about it, starting in Chapter 2, Verse 3:

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Meditate on that statement a moment—YOU MUST HAVE THE SAME ATTITUDE THAT CHRIST JESUS HAD. How is that even possible? What a HUGE expectation. But, that’s what Paul tells us we need to do. Spend a moment asking God for that sentence to manifest itself in your life! Read on:

6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

God is not asking us to die right now on this trip. But He is asking us to serve. Look around for the humble positions of a servant that we can take to serve our brothers and sisters in Monterrey. We are not there to be served or to be pleased. We are there to serve—to be slaves to Christ!

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

EVERY KNEE WILL bow and EVERY TONGUE WILL confess. Let’s pray that through our service, people will come to know Him NOW, and experience fully the JOY of living a life in Him.

Here is my prayer for us—our instruction manual if you will—from Paul’s words 2:12-18:
Dear Lord, help us to:
· 12Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
· 14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you.
· Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
· 16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
· Be joyful in all circumstances: 17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. 18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

Those are challenging words. They are much deeper forms of humility than my experience with the mower. But, I know that God does not teach us such lessons to be demeaning, but rather to remind us that He is God, and we are not. We don’t serve something that our minds can control or define. He is so much greater than the greatest scholars and thinkers can wrap their minds around. He is so much grander than any engineer or scientist could build. He is so much more compassionate than any humanitarian or donor that we could imagine. He is a healer, like no physician we know. He is God. We serve the One, True, Living God. With joy and humility, let us take the news of Him to a world that needs desperately to know Him!

Lord, we love You and ask You right now to keep us humble so you can redirect our paths as needed. We are Yours.

Monterrey Devotion Day 1: Unity

We are preparing for a unique journey. God has great things in store. He has been at work long before we ever knew where Monterrey was on a map…long before we were ever born.

My favorite book of the Bible (if I had to choose one) is the Gospel of John, followed closely by the letter to the Philippians. John captures the sights, sounds and emotions of the Gospel. He saw things with such a unique perspective. John doesn’t talk of the physical details of Christ’s birth, but rather sums up the purpose and significance in the first 14 verses of the Gospel account. He talks about light coming into a world of darkness. He reminds us that this light is God in human form, but that Jesus (the Word) was with God in the beginning. He speaks of the fact that though we were made by God, we did not know Him. And then, in verse 14, John writes the most glorious words—he writes about something that would change this world FOREVER:

14And the Word became flesh, and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory of Jesus the One and Only from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We are preparing to share this incredible TRUE ACCOUNT with a world in desperate need of the hope of this message. We will share it in song on Friday and Saturday nights. We will share it through encouragement as we serve alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ at Prince of Peace Baptist Church. We will share it with prisoners in prison. We will share it with children who come to participate in a craft or drama or instrument. We will present to them the account of this Gospel. So, right now, as we begin, let us begin by praying for unity in heart and spirit.

Read with me Philippians Chapter 1, beginning verse 2:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5in view of your participation in the Gospel from the first day until now. 6For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Skip to verse 9:
9And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

My prayer for right now is that as we embark upon this journey, our love in Christ may abound more and more in REAL knowledge and ALL discernment so that we may be and be a part things that are excellent…to the Glory and Praise of God. What a noble purpose!

As you finish this reading, thinking about what lies ahead, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, and look closely at His prayer from the Garden just before His journey to the cross, as accounted in John 17:

20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus, Himself, was praying for our unity in Spirit and Truth in that garden. His last thoughts and preparation before He gave Himself up for us was that WE would be unified and made one so that the Father’s glory would be revealed to this earth. Let us pray now that everyone who comes in contact with us throughout the coming days sees Him. Let His light and His grace radiate off of our faces. Let our words and instruments and song give Him glory. May people believe that God sent His only Son into the world because He loved us and loves them, and that He desires to have a relationship with them. What an awesome responsibility!

He is beginning a work in us. He will be faithful to complete it. As we close our devotion for today, ask Him to enlighten your hearts toward unity. Think thoughts of unity. You can’t go wrong with focusing on names of praise for our Savior. After that, think of ways to build up the brother or sister sitting beside you, or befriend a brother or sister on this trip that you don’t even know. Ask God to embolden you and speak through your actions, your song, your instruments, and your words.

I am rejoicing that you are on this journey with me! I am thankful to God for each one of you on this journey:
…for Richie, Beth, Laney, Keaton, Hayden, Malcom, Carl, Tami, Matt, Kerry, Jana, Jonah, Raeann, Lisa, Carmen, Valerie, Lynne, Jana, Halie, Daryl, Jack, Julie, Ken, Nancy, Chrisann, Kim & Ben

Dear Lord, we are humbled that You have called us forth as a team for this purpose. We pray that it will be Your purpose, and that we won’t go astray. Lord, we turn over our hearts to you even now, that You will focus us on You, thus focusing us on Your goals. We thank You, our Savior, our Redeemer, the Lover of our Soul, the Rock, our Refuge, our Deliverer, our Friend. Savior, like a shepherd, lead us now as we embark upon Your journey!

No Less Days

Barry, Jana, Daryl and I have been in the Worship Leader National Conference this week. We just left a room of 2500 people all joining hands and singing the first verse of "Joy to the World" a capella, in perfect harmony. It was an amazing time of worship.


Last night, as we sat in worship, we heard some wonderful worship leaders, and some amazing new songs. We heard a variety of styles, expressions, etc. But what was overwhelming was God's presence and His sovereignty. It was a time filled with praise--I felt like my heart was exploding with praise. There were many songs that I didn't know, but on those, I was able to just write the texts on my hearts as others sang, or open my journal and just write thoughts of praise.


Last night, the Pastor started us off with an image. Before we ever even sang a note, he merely said the word, "Manna." It was an image that immediately focused me on what God had to teach me and on the blessings of being in His presence and uttering praise and adoration to Him. At one point during last night's worship, we got to a moment when we all sang "Amazing Grace". As we began to sing the last verse, "When we've been there 10,000 years...we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first began." That phrase just burned in my mind.

Can you imagine? A time of worship where time isn't limited. It will be a place where we will utter praises and be in His presence for eternity. We won't be counting down the minutes until lunch. We won't be counting down the days to an event. We won't be counting down the years until our lives are over. We'll be serving in praise among the saints...actually as a member of the saints...for eternity.

I have a dear friend whose mother is very sick right now. She is living on "borrowed time"--as are we all. As I focused on that phrase, I thought of my friend and her Mom--both of whom are strong believers. That image of her Mom praising Jesus around the throne...not counting down days...not worrying who she might be leaving behind...not feeling pain or sickness. Just pure, holy praise. I could just picture her radiating with God's glory. It was an image that brought tears to my eyes. It is an image I long for--a time when I'm not living on borrowed time, but rather home with my King.

As I left, I was reminded once more that I should NEVER take worship for granted. I should NEVER treat it as routine or ordinary. I should take EVERY opportunity personally and corporately to rehearse for Heaven! I should take EVERY opportunity to fill our hearts and our lips with praise.

I love the Psalms, and want to finish praying exerpts from Psalm 25:
"To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in You I trust...Show me Your ways, O LORD, teach me Your paths; Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long...My eyes are ever on the LORD...Guard my life and rescue me...may integrity and uprightness protect me because my hope is in You."

Serving Joyfully

Psalm 100
1Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

This is a very familiar Psalm to all of us. One of the things we face as servants of Christ, and as members of a very busy church is the balance between serving joyfully and serving out of obligation. I have been reminded in a very bold way about serving joyfully, and I am claiming that for my life and my ministry.

A few weeks ago, a mother told me about a decision her 5th grade son had made. He accepted Christ as his Savior. He was telling his mother about this, and he said, "Okay, now what's my job?" She asked him what he was talking about. He said, "Well, you sing in the choir, and Daddy runs sound. You both have jobs in the church. What's my job? I'm a Christian now. I need a job."

I love his enthusiasm. It's not that worldy "What can you do for me" attitude. It's "What can I do for God". It's that authentic change--that mysterious gift that only comes from God. This sweet boy was so excited about his transformation that he immediately wanted to give back.

I'm thankful for a church that allows those opportunities. A few weeks ago, my son was in a First Things First episode. Abby was terribly upset that she didn't get to be in it. Daryl--one of our greatest gifts when it comes to training up children--gave her a job. He taught her how to run a teleprompter. Most of us would be afraid to touch one, let alone allow a 7 year old to touch one. But, Daryl showed her how to do it, made her feel important, and she was able to contribute to ministry. I am thankful for people in this church who aren't afraid to trust and train our children--our next generation.

This next week is Vacation Bible School. There are many adults and teenagers who will serve. They need many more volunteers. It's a great opportunity to share and minister joyfully. It's also a great opportunity to touch a life eternally--to encourage a child in the church where one day he or she will be serving joyfully and training up the next generation.

That little boy who asked his mother about his "job" is now running graphics every other week at Brown Blvd--now called NorthPointe Baptist Church! What a tremendous opportunity that church has and is cultivating in the life of that boy. I know many more stories like his will come out of faithful servants, joyfully serving Christ in the church and community.

Thank You, Lord for giving us gifts and skills that we can use to serve You. Help us to cultivate joy daily as we use them for Your service. Help us never to become complacent, but always be looking for ways to encourage others in their gifts. Thank You for 150 years of church history with people who weren't afraid to serve and train up the next generation. Help us, as we work with VBS, that lives will be touched and that You will cultivate the next generation of joy-filled servants. Draw us nearer to You every day, Lord, and fill us with Your joy and glory.

Humility -- My Least Favorite, but Most Memorable Lesson

Tuesday night, my husband came home from work exhausted. He's been working so hard, and giving every spare minute to our family and the "honey do" list. We are getting ready to leave on a 10 day vacation. I didn't have the heart to ask him to mow the lawn (which DESPERATELY needed it--the grass is growing so fast right now). We have a large yard that requres so much care, and though we feel like we work in it often, there's always something else to do in it. So, instead of hitting him up with "Can you mow the lawn?" the minute he walked in the door, I asked him to show me how to use the mower. It's a new riding lawn mower, so I figured it couldn't be too hard. I could get the yard done in no time, and he could come in and kick his shoes off for a moment.

He was so appreciative, so he quickly gave me a lesson. I got on it, and released the brake to go forward. Immediately, it jerked forward and I was thrown forward. Evidently, I released the brake a little too fast. I slammed on the brake again, laughing (and a little shaken). I looked up, and noticed that there were 8 roofers on my next door neighbors' roof, laughing and pointing at me. A very obvious lesson in humility!!!!! I waved and laughed and continued on with trying to figure out the mower, and finished the lawn (well, almost...my husband had to negotiate the hill in front).

Psalm 25:9 "He leads the humble in doing right; teaching them His way."

This lesson in humility was a quickstart to my week. I've said before that I go to the mountains every year for vacation. I think the main reason why I am so drawn to the mountains is because it is a time of rejuvenation and reflection. But all of that begins with humility. God reminds me PHYSICALLY to be humble. In 24 hours, I'll be standing between two mountains fishing. There is nothing else around. The river rushes so loudly, that nobody would ever hear my voice if I were in trouble. Our cell phones don't work. Internet is a joke. The bears are around...and cougars...and skunks. It's a huge, unknown world. There's always a moment as I'm fishing that I realize just how vulnerable I am. It reminds me to thank my God, my Provider, my Shelter.

"Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart?" -- song by Casting Crowns

Every year, while up there, I climb to the top of Hamilton Mesa. It reminds me of how small I am. I am a mere dot on the canvas of this earth. I look around and see peak after peak after peak. On my peak alone, there are miles of wilderness and trails. I am but a dot.

"I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind" -- song by Casting Crowns continued

I am a mere dot. But the God of the Universe cared enough to send His Son to die for me and for my sins. I am not worthy, but He thought I was worth rescuing. He cares. He, who is busy with the 6 billion other people in the world, still hears my voice when it calls out to Him. He desires a relationship with me. How mind-boggling is that?

"Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours." -- song by Casting Crowns continued

I love this time in the mountains. It reminds me that God is God and I am not. It reminds me that He is Lord. It reminds me of my commitment to let Him shepherd, and let me learn and follow. These are all lessons contrary to what the world instills in us every day. This is my grounding time--as I turn my eyes upon Jesus. It's a great physical reminder of the rest of the world fading away--the things of earth becoming dim--as I stand there, a dot, against that marvelous canvas. I am reminded that I don't come from gasses colliding in outerspace and accidentally creating what we now call Earth, but that the God of the Universe molded me, shaped me and made me uniquely who I am, just as He did each mountain and each blade of grass. But He created man even more special--in relationship with Him. Here are the final words of this great worship song:

"Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
You've told me who I am.
I am Yours." --song by Casting Crowns continued

Psalm 69:32 "The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged."

Lord, help me to see You at work throughout this week. Help me to focus on what You desire. Make clear my part in Your Kingdom so I can follow with fervor and confidence. Keep me humble so you can redirect my path as needed. I love my time with You! I am Yours.

A Holy, Famous Name

Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name (reputation) is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold."

Tonight, my daughter, Abigail, was playing on the piano. She will sit there for hours, picking out tunes that are familiar, then harmonizing them, then reharmonizing them. We laughed at Christmas because she learned "Deck the Halls" in major...then minor...then in the Dorian mode, etc. Dennis and I find it very entertaining (most of the time).

Tonight, she picked out Beethoven's Fur Elise. After she picked it out, she rearranged it. It turned out to be a "dueling Fur Elise" in the style of "Dueling Banjos". It was quite humorous.

When she finished, I was praising her creativity. She came in from the music room and said, "I think I'm famous." We asked her why she thought that. She said "because Beethoven named a piece for me" (her middle name is Elise). I told her that her first name was a famous name, too. She said, "Yes it is...a HOLY famous name." We've often told her of the story of Abigail and David from 1 Samuel. Abigail actually means "her Father's joy." She is not only her Heavenly Father's joy, but our joy as well.

As I began to prepare for bed, I was smiling and thinking of her statement--"a holy famous name". It dawned on me that each of us, as followers of Christ, has "a holy famous name". Our names as believers are written eternally in the Book of Life (Revelation 21:27). That thought just made me feel like celebrating. Here's the text of praise that came to mind, from the great praise song (and ancient hymn text) Before the Throne of God Above:

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

My name (and yours--for you who believe) is written on His heart and graven on His hands. He stands as payment for my sins and as intercessor for the Father. He stands so that I can dwell with the Father eternally. My name is holy. Meditate on that thought for a moment.

My name is holy.

No tongue can cause it to disappear from His heart and His hands...from that precious Book of Life. Our reputation is spoken for by the Lamb of God. Our name is sealed by His blood.

Thank You, Father for sending Your precious Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. We are not worthy in and of ourselves. But You have made us worth more than any great wealth of this earth. You have sealed our names in the eternal Book of Life. Thank You for the hope, foundation, and security we have in You. We love You. We praise You for the profound mystery and eternal hope found in this precious gift.

Patience and Perserverance

The Lord will refine my patience until the day I die. I have more patience than I had 10 years ago, but I am still far from patient. I want things on my schedule, done in the order I would do them, and have little tolerance for those who don't do it my way. I want people to respond in my time, and fail often to wait on the Lord. But God is gracious, kind and gentle. He hasn't given up on me and continues to teach me this valuable fruit of the spirit daily.

Several weeks ago, I was in the car with my 11 year old son. He had heard me talking with a friend of mine about a drug issue that her daughter was facing. He asked me what "pot" was. I saw this as a golden "teachable moment", and proceeded to tell him what pot was, and probably way more than he wanted to know about drugs. I told him that he would encounter a lot of temptation over the next few years as people his age began to make bad choices and experiment in lots of different things. As I was talking, I noticed he had a very serious face and was deep in thought. I asked him if he had anything on his mind. He said, "Yes." I asked him if he'd like to share it with me or talk to me about it. He said, "Well, I was just thinking...if I were a superhero, which superpower I would want to have. It's a very hard decision." I wanted to throw my hands up in the air. I felt like he hadn't heard a word I had said. My teachable moment had just flown out the window.

Last weekend, we took our youth on choir tour. For Sunday church, they sang between two basketball games. That may sound odd to you, but a Christian coach had a vision and followed it. He was going to church, but couldn't get his boys on his team there because of Sunday basketball games. In the midst of his discouragement, God told him, "Why don't you bring church to the basketball court?" He answered God faithfully, and did. Between tournaments, they have a church service in the lunch room where the boys come to get their snacks. We led in worship, and then sat down to hear the preacher. The preacher preached, and I thought, "Nobody is listening...this is futile." But at the invitation, two of those boys accepted Christ. The man served faithfully, and God penetrated hearts!

Isaiah 55:11 says, "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

There are times when we may feel like our words or our testimonies are falling on deaf ears, but I assure you they are not. Back to my son's story, the next time he needs to ask about drugs or has a concern about another issue, he knows that he can come and talk to me. He heard me. I was just too impatient to appreciate his innocence and God's timing. As I've reflected on that, it reminded me to be thankful for that innocent, "little boy" perspective that he still has. This preacher preached his heart out--truth about salvation in God--and two boys gave their lives to Christ. He was patient in his delivery and perservered in his passion for winning those boys to Christ. God was faithful, and answered boldly!

With perserverance and patience, we must keep seeking out God's Word. And then, with patience and perserverence, we must keep proclaiming it. As promised in Isaiah, it will not come back void!

You said, "Ask and you will receive whatever you need." You said, "Pray and I'll hear from heaven, and I'll heal your land." You said Your glory will fill the earth like water the sea. You said, "Lift up your eyes; the harvest is here, the kingdom is near." You said, "Ask and I'll give the nations to You". O God, it's the cry of my heart. Distant shores and the islands will see Your light as it rises on us. O Lord, we ask for the nations. (worship song by Reuben Morgan)