Why not today?

So today on my walk, a route I take quite often, I noticed for the first time a hill. It was a great little hill, right off the path with a fairly steep slope that ended at the start of the lake. Looking down the hill between two trees I though, what a great hill for rolling down. Immediately the urge to roll down the hill consumed me. But not today. Why not today? The list of excuses flowed through my thoughts. NO! no excuses. I don't want to live my life with excuses and avoid what would bring joy to my heart. So I took my glasses off, set my keys and phone by a tree and rolled down that hill. Sure, the grass was wet, and I was itchy afterward, but it was GREAT!

So friends, why not today? What have you been putting off and making excuses for? What steps can you make toward that today?

I think this is so important for the times we are in. We need to take advantage of what we have while it's still before us.

"Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),

Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:15-17, amplified)

Heel. Toe. Heel. Toe.

Some may think this is about HEALing, but, it's not. It's about trajectory.

When we walk heel to toe it allows us to push off from where we were to where we are going.

Today on my walk I felt compelled to try to walk toe to heel. Aside from it being very difficult for me to do, it really didn't get me very far very fast.

I think about these two ways of walking of two different ways of living.

Heel to toe: when we use our past, and our past experiences as a marker as a starting block to push off from and to advance into what is before us.

Toe to heel: someone who keeps one foot planted in the past to "toe dip" check the waters. held back by fear of a new adventure, or fear of letting go of the familiar ground. a "safe" living of sorts.

Friends! I urge you not to live life trying to prevent getting skinned knees. It's part of the adventure. With passion, throw yourself into what is before you.

"Brothers, 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made - I'm a disciple of His. I wont look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, position, promotions plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in His presence, walk by His patience, I'm uplifted by prayer, and I labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companion are few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be brought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I wont give up, shut up, and let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!"

~ A young pastor from Zimbabwe who was martyred for his faith. ~

Straight Up.

When I sit, I've always sort of leaned toward my left, sitting a bit uneven in my chair. This weekend, I found out why. I was one of the many whose legs were uneven and saw the healing power of the Lord for them to grow out.

When my friend prayed for me one of the things he prayed was that because of this I would have better posture. It was later that I realized the effect the unevenness had on me. Since then I've been able to sit up straighter, and when I stand I don't stick my hip out anymore to relieve the tension.

But every once and a while I'll find myself favoring that one side. Not that I really need to anymore, it's more out of habit. I'll have to make a conscious effort to remember to sit up straight.

I can't help but relate this to our walk with the Lord. (cuando? huh!) Sometimes the Lord touches our heart and heals or delivers us from something. But sometimes we find ourselves bending toward the very thing that we had been delivered from. Not that it has the same hold on us as it did before, but it's just easy to fall back into habit.

This verse comes to mind. "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (Philippians 2:12-13)

It's not that we have to re-earn our salvation all the time. That's a done deal, we can be convinced without a shadow of a doubt that we will go to heaven "if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10)

But the verse in Philippians says we are to work out our salvation. We are already saved, we just need to exercise what it means to be saved into every area of our hearts and lives.

Let's leave our bended ways behind and stand straight up in all that God has called us into.

Precious Pearls

My heart belongs to the Lord!

It hasn't always been this way.
If I had a string of pearls,
I've handed out pearls along the way.
to men.
to hands that knew not how to hold them,
how much they cost, how much their worth.
squandering them like pearls to pigs,
all the while attempting to hand the entire set to the Lord.
Not knowing that He didn't hold them all,
until one day when truth was spoken in love.
My heart exposed,
I had to go there.
I'd hidden from it.
But hide, I will never more.
Being able to look, was to be able to see
that some of my pearls were in the hands of a man.
I took them back and held them,
only to see the Lord extend His hand.
He wanted them.
He wanted all of them.
His precious pearls, with such high a cost.
I'd never let Him hold all of them before.
And though fear loomed at the thought,
I chose to trust.
That although He'd never held them all before,
His hands could hold them all.
I choose to trust, and
my heart belongs to the Lord.
He holds the jewels of my heart,
until one day
when He sees a man
whose hands will be worthy to hold
such great a treasure.
But even then He will have him know
that what he has is only on loan.
My heart belongs to the Lord.

Your Hands My Heart

Lord, you see my heart. You see the words that are upon them. You see them and you value me. You honor my heart and all that it holds. Never such a person I have met, for you, O Lord, surpass them all. for you long to hold my heart. You long for me to believe, to trust that my heart is safe within your hands. Papa, O how I love that your hands are both strong and gentle. Guard my heart, Lord, guard my mind. May I never loose sight of the face of you who holds my life. May you be ever present to my thoughts and flow from my actions. May you be revealed in all I do as, as to bring glory and honor to you.

Lifelight

I am so humbled and so honored to be a part of and see what God is doing so powerfully in people's lives.

Our first matter of business was to pray for each of the vendors at Lifelight music festival in South Dakota. Many of the vendors asked for prayer for sales for the weekend, for the people attending Lifelight, or a loved one who was ill. We prayed for favor and spoke healing over their loved ones. Out of all of the vendors, and music artists that I had the opportunity to pray for, one woman stood out to me. She had a very sweet countenance, and although we prayed for her in the group of women at the booth, I wanted to pray for her individually. I wanted to pray for her marriage, I pulled her aside and asked if there was anything I could pray for, and she said her family, when I asked her marriage, she teared up. She was so surprised, and told her friend. It's exactly what is on her heart. I opened my heart to the Father and prayed out all that he placed on my heart. With tears the woman thanked me, and said those were the exact cries of her heart. The Lord hears the cries of her heart, and they are on His heart. I love it. It's so beautiful.

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." (Genesis 16:13)

Although I prayed for many people there were several that really stand out in my heart above the rest.

Praying for a highschool student, the Lord showed me parts of this person's heart, some of their strengths and gifting in how they related to others. The Lord led me to share part of my testimony, I was VERY hesitant to do so. But knowing that the enemy is overcome by the blood of the lamb and the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY (Revelation 12:11), I shared. The highschool student opened up as they struggled similarly. We prayed together, brought it before the Lord, trusting this is true "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16) My prayer partner encouraged our new friend to continue to declare victory in saying "I'm free" we encouraged our new friend to say it right there, to our surprise our friend shouted right there on the festival ground, "I'M FREE!"

I pray this from Isaiah 42 over our new friend who has tasted freedom
"I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,

⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Another impactful story comes from a woman whose friendship is already so precious to me. In being obedient to the Lord, we found ourselves in circumstances where God's healing rain could touch deep places of her heart, to bring forth freedom from lies, and that which held her back from declaring the work the Lord has done in her. Truth of the Father's heart toward her has touched her heart to stand straight into her identity as His beloved daughter, and has empowered her testimony to share and bring life to others.

We prayed for another precious new friend who finds herself at the dock, about to embark on a new journey, and is waiting to get word that this ship is ready to sail. As we prayed the Lord revealed areas of her heart that have seen much pain, and the Lord met her there with encouragement, showering her with words of who he sees her to be, her belovedness. I know there is so much more there, so much hope is yet to be encountered. So much hope is hers. We share similar stories. No longer do we bare scars, for they have been healed. It is Christ who wore our pain so we might experience healing. And oh! is that healing ever springing forth.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
⁵But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.

(Isaiah 43:4-5)

This weekend I saw so many uneven legs grow out, ankles healed leaving crutches behind, deep places met with the loving heart of the Father, people accepting the life of Christ, people baptized in the spirit, empowered, encouraged, and set apart. Again I say I am so humbled and so honored to be a part of and see what God is doing so powerfully in people's lives.

I like your sweater

When women compliment women on their clothing you'll often hear where they got it, how much they paid for it, or who made it for them. Why do we do this?

We look to ascribe something worth. How are we ascribing worth? By honoring it's place of origin. When looking at a work of art one can often find the artist's name somewhere in relation to it. When hearing a song, we often ask "Who is this by?" Upon meeting someone new, we ask where they are from- it gives us a glimpse of who they are.

Similarly, "What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast, s though it were not a gift?" (1 Corinthians 4:7)

When we are met with success, we must boast in Christ for the gift of the circumstances he has allowed for us to succeed. We must give credit to the Lord for was we do as in partnership with Him.

This is not only true of our works, but of our very existence. We should be moved into praise that we are alive, and know that our identity is both founded and secure in Him.

Food for Thought

So don't make judgments about anyone ahead of time - before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. The Lord will give to each one whatever praise is due (1 Corinthians 4:5)

Wow! I know that I can't judge people, but with this verse I realize more of why. It's because people here, they aren't necessarily who they are. There are things that they might say or do as a result of a world fallen-and not yet restored to Christ. If love hopes, then I believe that it sees the best in people- even if it's not fleshed out yet.

God still might be transforming certain areas of their hearts and therefore I do not see a person as they TRULY are and have no place to judge them. For soon we will be as Christ. I choose to see Christ in them.

Father, help us to see people as you see them.

2010 In The Red White and Blue

When God said that I'd be traveling across the country this year, I'd never guess how much. It has been amazing to see how much He has done and where He has taken me.

I started the year worshiping in Kansas City, Missouri

California to be with family.

Washington to foster deeper relationships.

Wisconsin to hang out with Gabby, help her move out, and fix up her apt.

Washington D.C. to be with my dad for the homeless world cup.

Chicago, Illinois to take my sister to the airport.

South Dakota to be a prayer person at Lifelight music festival.

What an event-filled year :)

The Worship Parade

It was so beautiful. I was blessed to worship alongside friends that go way back to elementary school, it was so rad. We were at church lined up in our row, and all of a sudden I was experiencing it someplace else. I had this vision, wherein all of us were standing, as we were lined there in our sanctuary only we were lined up for a parade. Not the sort of city parade where you have lots of different event going by. It was more like a Disney Land parade where you have one show, the main event to see. JESUS was the event, He was the reason we gathered along the gold paved street. He was walking by and it was such a celebration! We each took turns going up to Him, some of us kissing His feet, some of us bringing Him our troubles and fears. They are gifts. Some handing over bitterness and resentment toward someone. Whatever it is that we bring Him, our brokenness our failures- He receives it all with great joy and gives each of us a big hug and a kiss atop our heads before we return to the line and rejoin the celebration.