New Year, New Moves

Happy New Year, fam! 

2016 is gone (and I have heard TONS of people say, AMEN!) and 2017 has begun. 

Resolutions are being made.

Goals are being set. 

Regrets are being cast aside and a hope of something new is revived.

For the past three years on this day I have started a daily Bible reading plan through YouVersion to read the Bible through in a year. It's an easy plan and I like it!! Obviously, I have used the same plan for the past three years. Sometimes I sit with my phone/computer/ipad open to the reading plan and follow along with my physical Bible because I have a goal to give each of my children at least one of my Bibles with my highlights and notes in them as they grow. I have a few from my younger days that I need to have rebound for them. I digress...

This past fall I found myself in a rut. I read my Bible every day but it had lost something. I added a couple of leadership devotionals to my routine and enjoyed them very much but it just wasn't grabbing me like I wanted.

I remember being a teenager and having an insatiable hunger for the word of God. I would sit for hours at a time with my notebook and just devour the scriptures and write notes and sermons. I want that back! 

I took Noah to the bookstore one evening to get a new book for a project he had to do for school and while there I found this amazing Bible! It was just what I needed. It's called The Beautiful Word Coloring Bible. While I would love for this Bible to have some commentary or a concordance, I love the coloring and journaling spaces that are provided to help you focus on the word and to make notes.

I was on my way to changing a few things in order to renew my hunger and I was pretty excited about it! Then a couple weeks ago, a friend added me to a group on Facebook that is for women who are going to step-it-up and read the Bible together using the Chronological plan. Okay...I am probably slightly OCD and while most of the time change doesn't frustrate me or rattle me, the thought of NOT doing the same reading plan I have enjoyed for the past three years is...well...rattling :) But in an effort to make adjustments, begin our church's 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, and enter 2017 with a new attitude and hunger, I'm diving in! 

So here's to a new year, new moves and a renewed passion and hunger for the Word of God!

The Shepherds Hear From Angels

The Shepherds and Angels

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 

“Glory to God in highest heaven,

    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

The story of how Jesus entered our world is amazing, miraculous, simple and so profound. There is much for us to learn from each person involved in the circumstances surrounding His birth however, in all honesty, this is one of my most favorite parts of the story of the birth of Jesus.

The first people God chose to tell about the birth of His son, our Savior, were those that society didn't even give a second glance to, the shepherds. The angels came and made a HUGE scene in the skies above them and declared the greatest message to ever come to man! The first to spread the news of His birth and the experience of learning about it and seeing Him were simple people who normally were cast aside and forgotten.

We can not lose the significance of this special point in the birth story...Jesus came for ALL people. Although the Son of God, the King of Kings, He did not come in royal fashion or make His presence immediately known to those in high positions. No, it was to the outcasts and forgotten that His presence in our world was proclaimed to. 

Can you imagine the experience!?! Can you imagine sitting in a big open field surrounded by sleeping sheep, and probably other sleeping shepherds, on a VERY clear night...maybe even looking up at the stars when all of a sudden you hear a choir of voices and begin to see angels filling the sky? I would imagine that was quite a start! Breaking through the silence of the night comes the greatest news that ever was! And it begins with, "Do not be afraid..."

Do not be afraid by what you see...

Do not be afraid by what you hear...

Do not be afraid of this world...

Do not be afraid...

Maybe today you are struggling with feeling like no one cares. Maybe you are lonely. Maybe you're discouraged by your current circumstances. Maybe you have been made to feel like you have nothing to offer and life will never be better than where you are right now. I have good news for you! Good news of great joy that is for ALL PEOPLE, and that includes YOU! While you will most likely not go on a journey to find a baby in a manger today, you will find a Savior who knows what it's like to be tempted, hurt, angry and disappointed, full of grief, scared, broken...but this isn't where His story ends. In fact it continues on today! He also knows VICTORY! He has overcome death and the grave and He welcomes you with open arms into His grace, mercy and forgiveness.
 

When. . .

When did THE CHURCH become more passionate about surface issues than heart issues? When did THE CHURCH decide to care more about what a person is wearing than the content of their character? When did THE CHURCH decide to see social issues and not heart issues? When did THE CHURCH decide that sinners should act like saints? When did THE CHURCH stop caring that people without Jesus are dying and going to hell?

Every day all over the world there are people searching for anything to fill the need in their lives that only leads them further into brokenness, greater searching, deeper pain and terrible loss but THE CHURCH would rather sit inside the walls of their beautiful buildings and sing their songs and ignore the commands of Jesus to GO and to LOVE. 

Orlando is not an eradication of sin or lifestyle. It was a tragic and terrifying loss of life from the deepest and darkest part of hell. Murders were committed in the name of religion and hatred that cannot come from the true and living God. 

The creator of the universe is just as grieved, if not more, than any of us. 

CHURCH, open your eyes and hearts to see through His and beat like His. 

New Things

April of 2016 will most likely go down in my personal history book as one of the most pivotal times in my life. Between personal conversations with the Lord and those with friends where only God could have directed them to share the things they shared with me, to steps of faith and new opportunities, there is no doubt that God is doing something new.

You see, about a year ago, my spiritual hero, Christine Caine, launched a new ministry to women called Propel Women. I connected immediately and have enjoyed the resources and encouragement that have come from this movement. When they introduced Propel Chapters and were looking for leaders, I decided to check into it but at the time, our church wasn't in the size they were looking for in the process of launching this new movement. No problem, I get it! Flash forward about 9 months and a friend of mine shared with me that she was starting a Propel Group at her church and strongly encouraged me to apply to do the same. So I did...or thought I did. This past March, I went to the Propel website and clicked at the top where it says "Chapters" and applied to be a leader. At first my plan was to just do this little thing in my home or in a coffee shop with some friends. But when I received my approval email, emotions got the better of me and I shared with my pastor that I was starting a Propel Chapter and through a brief discussion, we decided to do this at the church. Propel is all about celebrating the passion, purpose and potential of every woman and to help propel her forward into the leadership she is called to fulfill whether it be in the home, in the boardroom or in ministry.
The next week, my pastor and I had another brief conversation about creating an internship program through the church and that he wanted it to primarily focus on giving women who are called into ministry a place to learn and grown in the practical avenues of ministry, and he wanted me to be the face of the program. While it scared me to death it very much excited my heart and I began to feel a fresh wind in my sails.
Just a couple of days after this conversation, God radically changed my thought process on a prayer I had been praying for 15 years, reminded me of a prayer I prayed when I was 18 years old and then placed me in a room full of women at a retreat where I heard yet another message about the need for women to step up and be better at mentoring one another. It seems I am not escaping a message God had for me!
So I was preparing for the launch of our Propel Chapter and just sort of asked God how all of this would fit with my position as youth pastor...I can't explain why that question and prayer came to me but it did.
The week before our first Propel meeting, I met with the friend who had really encouraged me to do this. Not that it took much encouragement because I already was interested but this was all about timing. As she and I sat in a local coffee shop for more than 3 hours just chatting and sharing things God was doing, she leaned over, tapped my Propel leader guide and said, "When this takes off for you...because it will...do you see yourself transitioning out of youth ministry?" I just laughed! I told her I was already asking God how this would all work and that I was going to be open to whatever God had in store.
THE VERY NEXT DAY at the end of our weekly staff meeting at church, my pastor dismissed the rest of the staff and ask me to stay. What he said next almost knocked me out of my chair. "How do you see Propel and youth mixing? Do you see yourself transitioning from youth to be able to mentor women?"

OKAY, GOD! YOU'VE COMPLETELY GOT MY ATTENTION!!!

Again, I just laughed! I shared with him what had been discussed the day before and immediately plans began to roll. The next day we not only had approval from our board to move forward but my brother and sister-in-law agreed to accept the youth pastor position in my place, freeing me up to move forward in this venture.

There is so much more that I could share about this month and how God has been showing me consistently that I am on a new path...On Sunday, May 1, it was announced at GCFirst that over this month, I will be transitioning from youth pastor to discipleship pastor with the focus being on helping women step into the calling in the fullness God intends. And my heart is overwhelmed with a holy anticipation of what is to come and my nerves are on high-alert and my prayers are audacious. The restlessness I have been feeling for 3 years has begun to shift to excitement and I feel like I have new life and breath in my lungs!

I will miss being directly connected to the students I have served for the past few years but I am so excited to begin a new direction of pouring into the future of ministry and I believe that what is starting now will be a catalyst for greater things to come.

Propel

Last year one of my...heroes (?), Christine Caine launched a new ministry endeavor that captured my attention almost as much as A21 did. Propel Women exists to help build, encourage and empower women to live fully in who God created them to be.

Women and leadership are not words that many like to use in the same sentence but there is a generation of women who are no longer accepting that as ok and are ready to step into their God-given giftings and callings to change the world.

There are many Bible studies and books on being a wife or a mother, a sister or friend, but very few on being the leader. Until Propel!

I am so excited to be partnering with this movement! This month I am starting a Propel Chapter through our church. I am looking forward to building relationships and leaders. I am over-the-moon passionate about helping the daughters of the Living God walk in the purpose, passion and potential they have been created for!

If you're in the area of GCFirst and you would like to join this Chapter or learn more about Propel, you can check out the Propel site, the event registration page or message me!

Nutrish From Influenster

I love that there are companies who want to hear what people think of their products and have come up with creative ways to make that happen. 

Influenster is a unique program I signed up for months ago without knowing much about it. I receive emails, fill out questionnaires and if I qualify, I get a box of FREE products to try or test and review across multiple social media outlets to help remote the items. 

Last week I got the email, answered the questions which were abut dog food and today I got a box with a small bag of Rachael Ray's Nutrish Premium Dog Good! 

Now our pups are already accustomed to this line of dry food but this bag is a new recipe. 

Turkey, brown rice and venison are on the menu for this bag. When we carried the box in, the dogs must have smelled something yummy because they were going bonkers! 

Introducing new food has to be done gradually so to start, I added their current food to their bowl. 

Then I added the new food.

And of course I mixed them together.

Daisy, our female Basset Hound, was all about it! 

Finn just didn't seem too hungry but he hung close to the bowl. 

We'll see how they like it over the next few feedings and let you know! 

Peace

Peace: 

Full Definition of PEACE

1

:  a state of tranquillity or quiet: as

a :  freedom from civil disturbance

b :  a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom peace

>

2

:  freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions

3

:  harmony in personal relations

4

a :  a state or period of mutual concord between governments

b :  a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity

5

—used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell

— at peace

:  in a state of concord or tranquillity

This word was heavy on my heart today. I just needed peace to wash over my heart and mind. But as I read what Merriam-Webster says the definition of peace is, I have to pause because there are portions of the definition that are bold. The sections 1a, 2, and 4b leave you to believe that the need for peace is because of war, not just a loud room or loud thoughts, war. This should come as no surprise that Jesus is the Prince of Peace because we know that " For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12, NIV). In other words, we ARE at war and the need for real peace is significant in our lives.

So often we don't look at the struggle with our family, our friends, to find some rest in our busy schedules or time to actually be in the Word of God or in prayer as a "war" but it is! It all is! The enemy of our souls would love nothing more than to make our lives look like chaos, organized chaos or just busyness in order to distract us from the Kingdom work God has created each and every one of us for. We're at war. The amazing thing is, the victory is already ours because of what Jesus did at the Cross. He defeated hell, the grave, sin- the enemy!- when He willingly hung on the cross, died and rose again.
Yeah, we might need to cut back in an area or two of our lives (never should the areas we cut back on be the areas that keep us connected to Him!). Sure we may need to reprioritize our lives and schedules, but the beauty of it all is that we are already overcomers and the war is already won.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/php.4.6-9.nlt

Broken

 

As I listened to the Bible this morning, yes I listened, the words of these verses seemed to be screaming at me. Let me tell you the back story...

In 10 days I will be boarding a flight for my first missions trip. I am excited, anxious to serve and a little nervous. God has provided every thing I have possibly needed so far for this trip from the cost of actually going to supplies to my personal needs. His hand has been on this from the beginning and I know He has big things in store. That being said, not only do I know and believe that God is going to do a mighty work, but the enemy knows as well and he is on high alert and full force attacking our team.
The past two months or so, both the ladies and missionaries of our team and our families have encountered some form of opposition from the enemy as he attempts to thwart our focus and attention from the task we've been called to accomplish. Hell must be shaking and the demons must be shuttering!
A couple weeks ago, I decided that I was going to do a 21 day fast in battle and in preparation for the trip to get my head and heart in the right place. I don't think hell likes that I am doing this.

This week, I am drained. Exhausted. Worn out physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. I'm tired. I have had a hard time focusing and feel so scattered. I have prayed and I have prayed. I even asked God why my head and heart just don't seem to be "in the game."

So this morning, as I was listening to my daily Psalm reading, these verses rang out loud and I heard God clearly say to me, "I have you right where I want you. It is in your brokenness that I can fully use you and fill you. You've emptied yourself of everything and now I have something to work with. Don't be upset or feel discouraged! How you are right now is how I want you, how I need you."

Is there anything better that the words of scripture coming to life? Is there anything better than hearing the voice of your heavenly Father remind you of His plan? In the midst of my brokenness, He is there and He is at work and He is saying that I am enough.

You take our failure
You take our weakness
You set Your treasure
In jars of clay
So take this heart Lord
I'll be Your vessel
The world to see Your life in me

CCLI Song # 7019974
Joel Houston | Jonas Myrin
© 2014 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com

CCLI License # 362101

 

 

Are you brave enough to join the #redlipnation?

A few weeks ago, the ladies of a Facebook group I am in decided to be bold and courageous! They started the #redlipnation! Now, I am not one to wear red lipstick...heck I am not even one to wear lipstick! I am a gloss and balm girl. One of the ladies wrote the best blog about this movement and you can read it here http://www.emilyshill.com/2015/01/redlipnation.html?m=1

After reading her post, I decided, what have I got to lose?!? 

I chose a lip paint that I received in my Ipsy Bag a few months ago. It is JCat in Red Potion. I guess it's not so bad 💄

Ladies it is time to be bold and fierce! Walk confidently in our calling, power and femininity! We can be mighty leaders whether at home, the office, from a pulpit or wherever and still look amazing! 

So, are you brave? Find the shade that works for you and share your #redlipnation selfies!

Human Trafficking Awareness

January 11 is national human trafficking awareness day. 

There are so many ways to learn how to recognize trafficking and even ways to joing the fight against it. One of my personal favorite organizations is The A21 Campaign. At http://www.thea21campaign.org, you can read about the atrocities against people around the globe. 

The 13th ammendment may have been intended to end slavery, but there are more slaves now than ever before in history. 

Make yourself aware of and help end it! 

Understanding...

This life is full of things that we do not understand. We study, we strive, we contemplate, we meditate and yet, there are so many things beyond our ability to grasp. 

That can be really hard to swallow. 

I love what Psalm 131 says. 

LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalms 131:1-2 NLT)

We face struggles and trials and beg to understand the reasons why and question the purpose it will have in our lives. Sometimes we figure it out. Sometimes we don't. 

I saw commercial for a TV show the other day...the main character is a young woman battling cancer. The segment I saw, the young woman said, "Maybe it's not about finding a reason. It's trusting that there is one."

That hit me. Hard. The truth in that statement is huge. It all comes down to faith. 

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1 NLT)

I simply want to trust Him more and more as I journey this life, confident in where His leading me and my family. Confident that He will accomplish what He plans and that I will not disappoint Him. 

It's Finally Happening!

Here we go...I am 34 years old, grew up in a home filled with faith and ministry minded parents who believe in missions. I have always had a tender heart towards missions. I love testimonies from missionaries! I love missions...and yet I have never been on a missions trip.

Never.

All of that is changing! I am so excited to be joining women from all over Illinois (and a few other places if I am not mistaken) in February to go and serve in Guatemala! I am scared and excited! I am nervous and so full of joy! Bottom line, I am being obedient to what I know God is clearly asking me to do.

Getting to Guatemala will take some work. I need so much prayer support, which is vital and crucial to this whole thing. I also need financial support. So, to get me started, I have created a gofundme account. To make a donation, just click on the link!

I can't wait for all God has in store!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

As a kid, St. Patrick's Day was just a day to wear green and color leprechaun's and enjoy chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil while imagining a big pot of gold at the bottom of a rainbow somewhere in Ireland. Oh, and a man who drove snakes from the same country.

Last fall, I read a 30 Day Journal/Devotional called The Live Dead Journal. It changed my life and as a youth group, we are reading it now.

One of the days that touched my heart the most was about the three martyrdoms:red, green and white. The devotion was written by a missionary and was preface by John 12:24(NLT),

²⁴ I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.

The red martyrdom is, as I am sure you can tell, a total sacrifice of life for the sake of Jesus. 

The white martyrdom is the sacrifice to go...to go anywhere the Lord may call you to be a witness in the unreached areas of the world.

Then there is the green martyrdom...Around 350 AD, a young Romanized English boy was stolen from his country. Irish pirates smuggled him into Ireland and made him a slave. Year later, Patrick escaped and through a process of time, returned to Ireland as a missionary. Some believe at this time he would have been in his early 70's! He gave the rest of his life to evangelize the Irish, understanding and loving them like no other.

By the time Patrick died, much of Ireland was Christian. Patrick and his team did such an exceptional job of preaching the gospel that Christians were sad they couldn't die for Jesus anymore! There were so many Christians that red martyrdom was not an issue. 

The story goes on from there. His legacy led to innovative methods that brought revival to the country. 

St. Patrick's Day is so much more than wearing green, kissing the Blarney Stone, having a drink or marching in a parade. This day is a rich day for the Christian world!  

Fear of...

Reading in my text book about misconceptions of God- one is fear He will want you to do something you don't want to do..."The result of such fears is that we reject the excitement of God's nearness by keeping Him at arm's length. We avoid His embrace, choosing instead to communicate with God mainly so we can deliver our list of predictable prayer requests."

I have been struggling with feelings of inadequacy and a fear of failure or that I might disappoint my family, or worse, God.  I have been held back by these chains of fear for too long. And then I read this and God stopped me.

I mean...I can't even begin to count how many different people have made statements about me being in ministry as a mom, as a wife, as a woman. I don't think that the comments were necessarily meant the way they canme out but in so many ways, those comments have only fueled my feelings of inadequacy or failure. Reading this, I realize that I am not just holding myself back. I am holding God back from all He has for me and my family.

Wow! If you are not called into missions or ministry, please don't ask those of us who are why we would be a part of ministry when it can be so hard on the family. By choosing to be near Him enough to hear and respond to His call, we are fully giving Him our trust to provide, protect, bless, keep and sustain us and our spouses and children (if we are married). Sadly, I think too many reject the call because family and friends make them feel guilty about the call.

I am done feeling this way and am making a concerted effort to  living my life fully free from any chains! God has called me. He is equipping me. He is equipping my family for the work he has laid out for us to do and He will take care of every area of our lives.

I can't explain the weight that has been lifted from my heart and shoulders by just accepting the truth of trusting God.

I am so looking forward to what lies ahead!!

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18, 19 NLT)

Got wind?

While standing at the back of the class during my prayer and worship class this past weekend, listening to the voices if my classmates lifting up Jesus, I looked at my desk and God began to speak...I looked at my silly pen I got in Chicago that simply says, "Got Wind" and I felt in my spirit God saying:

To those who have felt the wind has been taken from their sales, He is saying, "I am the wind. I have never left and I have never forsaken and I NEVER WILL."

His wind comes to us to take us through the waters ahead, rough and choppy or smooth and calm. His wind guides us down the path He has laid out for us to travel.

If you feel the wind is gone, take courage! For it is here! He is as close as the air you breathe! HE IS THE AIR YOU BREATHE!

Breathe deep, Daughter! Breathe deep, Son! The wind is at your back pushing you on, the wind is at your front, clearing a way. The wind is at your side, protecting you.

Find Him again in the breeze the blows across your face today. Find Him again in His Word and in prayer. Come to Him today and rest in the presence of Almighty God, The Lord of Heaven's Armies who goes before you!

30 Days 1 Reason- 2013

In India, there is a family whose father was just laid off from his job. There are many children and the mom and dad are not sure how they are going to make it. The oldest daughter, around 13 years old decides she wants to help and begins looking for a job. Her aunt comes to her and tells her that she has found a great opportunity for her to make money to help her family. The girl goes and meets with the people who tell her of the amazing opportunities she will have to help. She goes with them and is forced to have sex with many men and is told she will never see her family again.

This story is an all too common story.

If ever there was a reason to sacrifice, I believe I have found it. For the month of November, I will be wearing the same shirt every day.

I am wearing this shirt to raise awareness of human trafficking in India. Just $15-20 is all it takes to rescue one girl from this terrible life. I know it seems so small...what is one life compared to the many, many lives all over the world? One life is a life. One life is someone's daughter. One life is one more rescued. And we can overcome this horrific cycle, one life at a time!

Please consider supporting me in this effort to bring hope to the lives of the hopeless through Project Rescue!!

In the night

I am reading 1Kings 3 as I prepare my sermon for youth tomorrow night. As I dove a little deeper into the passage and read through Matthew Henry's commentary, I came across this amazing little insight to verse 5, when the Lord comes to Solomon at night.

"The more we abound in God’s work the more comfort we may expect in him; if the day has been busy for him, the night will be easy in him. Silence and retirement befriend our communion with God. His kindest visits are often in the night,"

In this passage, "night" is literal. It's dark, it's quiet, it's peaceful at the place where Solomon offered sacrifices. But I can't help but think that this can mean so much more. We use night to describe our darkest moments at times. If we read this commentary in that mind set, what encouragement we can find! Sometimes, it's in our darkest, hardest moments that we actually are quiet enough to hear the voice of God speak to us in ways that we would never have heard otherwise. 

Whatever you are walking through at the moment, I challenge you to get quiet before the Lord. Let Him speak into your night and bring guidance, encouragement, peace, hope, and direction to your situation. Don't get bogged down by the trial, either. Find ways to continue to be faithful to God and serve Him. He is so faithful to meet with us. Prepare your meeting place and your heart for an encounter with the Creator of the universe. He longs for it. He desires to bring you rest and comfort. 

Nothing is "new"

Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV)
9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 

 And there it is. Does it get any simpler than that? I have heard that verse so many times in my life. I guess I always just took it in but never really gave it much thought. But tonight as I was studying about the book of Malachi (I know! Not even Ecclesiastes!), I read some things that jumped off of the page and brought this verse to mind.

Basically, the author is explaining that, as we read Malachi, we see the people of Israel and they could only see the current conditions and were unable to see what they had been brought out of. Although their current situation wasn't what they wanted or thought it would be, they were far better off than they were in captivity!

The text says, "Although they had worked hard with good motivation, they had encountered opposition and great difficulty in rebuilding the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. To them, this meant that they had somehow displeased the Lord and were reaping the consequences. As a result, the people had grown cynical: If this was the way God was going to treat them, why should they bother giving their best to God?"

It was right there that I had a Gru moment...you know Gru...the villain we all love from Despicable Me? "Lightbulb"...No? Oh...

Anyway, I had an "Ah ha" moment. Just in the past week I talked with several people who had a really bad life experience slightly as a result of their own choices but mostly as a result of others. Their response is just what this text is referring to. Immediately it was all God's fault and if that's all God is going to do, then what's the point?

Someone explain to me why, at the slightest hardship, moment of reality, or even correction, do we want to play the blame game and in this game, God gets the blame?

The argument I get is, "Well, if God really is who He says He is then He saw this all coming and it's His fault because He allowed me to ____________ and I got hurt."

The reality is that, God created us. He created in His image, meaning that we have the ability to think, reason, be emotional, and be in relationship with others. In His amazingly divine wisdom, He also created us with something called, FREE WILL. That's right! We have the ability to choose for ourselves.

I love my husband and I love my kids. I love my family and I have some awesome friends. But I would never want them to do something for me or spend time with me or even say they love me because I make them. I want them to want to do/be those things. It's the same with God. Yes, He created us, but He still wants us to want to choose Him. So when bad things happen in this life, it's not His fault. It's the fault of the boneheads making poor choices without any thought of God's plan or how it will effect others around them. Do we get hurt in the process? Unfortunately, the answer to that is a resounding "YES!" And it's okay to ask God why the situation went down as it did and listen for His response.

Had the Israelites done that, if we would do that, then instead of being angry and hurt and shoving our boney pointy fingers in God's face, we would find that it is possible that others made a bad choice OR, what we thought was a part of the plan, was not really part of God's plan and we tried to do things on our own.

Nothing has changed! From thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago, to this very day, this is still a huge issue in our world.

Why did 3 women get abducted and remain captive for almost 10 years? Because the man that committed the crimes is a sick individual. Where was God? In the rooms with the women, crying as they wept, loving them as they were broken, giving them the will and strength to hold on one more day!

Why did the bombings in Boston happen? Because 2 men harbored an enormous amount of hatred and an enormous lack of value for human life. Where was God? In the hearts of those who ran TOWARDS the smoke and victims and hospitals to offer their assistance and blood.

Look, this life doesn't make sense. It's messy. It's hard. It's scary at times! And God still responds today as He did back then. "God responded to His people's questions by assuring them of His love and compassion for them."

Sometimes these terrible things happen, and sometimes people crush us simply as a result of living in a fallen world.


Quotes are taken from Old Testament Survey, developed by Global University Faculty and staff, Second Edition. Page 215, Chapter 14.3)

Suffering

Suffering has been the forefront of life recently.

We see suffering everywhere we look. From bombings, explosions, shootings, persecution, basic human rights, hunger, disease, human trafficking, death...it's everywhere.

It's so hard to imagine why we must walk these roads. To question leadership, loyalties, laws and even God. To revert to a very childlike state, stare up at the sky and ask my Father, "Why?"

This side of heaven I am not sure we will ever truly grasp how all of these things fit into a grand design, a beautiful tapestry woven together by Almighty hands who are tender and firm at the same time. An Almighty heart that is loving beyond all comprehension and therefore is broken. An Almighty Father who's discipline and correction are given out of an unspeakable grace and mercy that flows from His heart.

I have sat this morning staring at a screen that scrolls with news of hurting families, continued and immense torture for a fellow brother in Christ, and people who are just lost in themselves. And I raise my head, tears overflowing, look to heaven and simply say, "Why?"

And I am reminded by a still small voice...
1 Peter 4:¹² Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

Romans 5: ³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.
             8: ¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

2 Thessalonians 1: ⁵ And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.

As hard as it is right now, it will be worth it! We can't give up, give in, jump ship, run for the hills, turn tail, or doubt. We must hold fast to the truth of God's word that this will make us into who HE has truly created us to be.

Always remember,

John 16:33 (NLT)

³³ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”