Friends and moving simply don’t mix.

The “we might be moving,” phrase chucks itself in the middle of too many conversations lately. However, one statement distinctively stands out, “I hope this is where God really wants us to go.”

I begin thinking…

Sometimes our focus is so concentrated on the destination that we lose sight of the One leading us there.

I muddy the pages of my Bible with my brown pen as I read Acts 16:1-10. “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. ⁷ When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. ⁸ So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. ⁹ During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

Paul’s bags were packed, his journey calculated. But the Spirit of God had different plans. Scripture tells us the Spirit, “…kept him from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” Then, the Spirit prompted Paul to travel to Bithynia and share the Good News there, only to discover “…the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them too.”

Even though Paul packed light, he was no stranger to the frustrations of moving. The Spirit led him one place only to redirect him to another.

Could it be that the destination is deeper than Galatia or Macedonia? Maybe the destination isn’t a place at all.

Maybe the destination is God himself.

God could have used this “pin-ball” effect to shape and mold Paul as he went here and there. Maybe God wanted Paul to trust and enjoy Him in the midst of uncertainty. Perhaps a mixture of “yes’s” and “no’s” stirred up a radical Gospel in Paul’s heart enabling him to bring more glory to God in the process.

As Paul sang his availability to Jesus, God stooped to earth with a vision ~ one announcing Paul’s mission in Macedonia.

Oh how we pray for a Macedonia moment of our own. If only God would come to His girls in a vision and say, “I want you here for this reason,” that would be oh so conducive to our busy schedules.   

Like Paul maybe your daily travels aren’t about where you’re going, but how you’ll get there ~ kicking and screaming? or humbly submitting?

Whether we’re on foot or pulling a U-haul, we must walk in His ways and remain in His Spirit. When we do this, the destination suddenly becomes a “who” instead of a “where.”

I’m standing in the wings making my bed for the first time today. It’s about 6:00 ish in the p.m. and the girls are in the tub. Wondering if I’m messing up my kids, I pull the cotton snowman sheets over the mattress. Oh yes my sisters, snowmen and flannel in May.

That’s right, y’all!

Through the archway into the bathroom, I hear my daughter’s seven year old self conducting a baptism in the tub. Who is she baptizing you ask? My four year old, of course. Samantha preaches, “Do you believe in the cross? Do you understand the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus?” I hear a faint, “Uuuggghhh, Noohh,” echo into mid-air. Just as I turn the corner where carpet meets the tile, “Splash and swoosh… full on baptism ensues.

I begin to think of the cross; and how it sometimes splashes outside the tub of contemporary Christianity. We as believers must be mastered by one thing; obsessed by one thing; consumed by one thing… the cross of Christ. If our lives aren’t mastered by this one thing, our lives will be wasted.

I want my life to count, don’t you?

The cross is important because it:

Confronts us with the reality of our sin;

Comforts us with the provision of our Savior;

Reminds us our safety is not in this world (Gal 6:12); and

Keeps us from wasting our lives on this world.

Oh how I want to add the words of Paul into my vocabulary, “I am dead to the world and the world is dead to me.” I want my kids to know the road paved with worldly security brings emptiness, while Calvary’s road brings perfect promise.

I may not do this mama thing right, but those splashes in the bathtub tell a different story. One that assures me the foundation we’re building begins and ends with the cross of Christ.

Unlike the snowman flannels, Calvary love that spills over wooden beams onto wretches like us…. never goes out of season.

“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross,^[a] my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died,” (Gal. 6:14, NLT).

Can I tell you something just between us?

This Mother’s Day seemed extra special.

In fact, things were going quite well.

I looked out the window to find my man engaged in much needed brow-wiping manual labor. He wrestled man-eating weeds. He planted sprays of floral delight. He even carried a toolbox around fixing stuff. A Home-Depot man so to speak.

The awe of this moment etched a blissful memory across my heart. Suddenly, a not so blissful reality strutted across the lawn. The “big man on campus,” our yellow lab, plopped a few earthly treasures on the newly planted sod. I guess the Spirit just moved, huh? It’s too bad the Spirit couldn’t have led him to the dirt patch, where he’s supposed to go.

Anyway and about that time the phone rang.

I heard the complaints of my very concerned neighbor. Apparently, my southern belles were at her house sharing the biblical terminology for a donkey (a**) with her two and three year olds. Yes ma’am. Not just sharing but helping those sweet thangs pronounce it just right. How thoughtful of them, right?

Ahem and heavy on the sarcasm. So much for trying to keep their fellow toddler from stumbling (see 1 Cor. 8:13).

I think of how the day began. The laminated church photos and hand-made cards that read, “Mama you’re the purple-est.” Then by mid-afternoon, the day suddenly swirled out of control like water in a toilet bowl.

Jeremiah 31:2-3 says, “Thus says the LORD: “The people who survived the sword (or the wooden spoon in this case) found grace in the wilderness (in the confines of their bedroom); when Israel sought for rest (when folks calmed down and fessed up), the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

After the fog of embarrassment and anger lifted, I began to think of one word: grace. Grace means to get something you don’t deserve. I’m not gonna lie y’all~ they did get the appropriate discipline; however God who disciplines is also abundant in grace.

Maybe mine needed a little grace too.

I felt God nudge me in a one-on-one special kind of way. He said things like, “This is what I do for you; correct you when necessary; scold you when you’re wrong; mold you so you’ll learn; allow the desert so you’ll thirst.

Why?

Because I love you~ and that’s what a good and just Heavenly daddy does.

… and that’s what a good and just mama does too.

It is a common technique amongst psychologists (I happen to be one) to ask their client to imagine her own funeral and to ask her what she would want her most cherished loved ones to say about her life.  Perhaps somewhat morbid, this exercise often proves to be a very impactful, soul-searching exercise that helps the client clarify her current values system.

In years past, I might have wanted my tombstone to read, “She was perfect!”  or “She had it all!”  Oh how I was missing what God wanted for me to experience through Him.

My husband and I have an understanding that if I should die, I want all of God’s best suffering verses at my funeral.  Bring em’ on!  I want people to say, “She suffered well!”  My purpose for this is not to evoke pity among those who might be attending my funeral service.  No, there is a much greater legacy that I am both trying to live and to leave here on earth.  I want to be like Jesus.

Jesus suffered well.

What does it mean to suffer well?

God promises 2 things for us Christ-followers when it comes to our suffering:

1) Suffering will happen.

2) God can use it!

We all will suffer.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Suffering can produce radical positive change in our hearts and lives.

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)

Are you starting to see why I love these suffering verses so much?

If I suffer well, I will become more like Jesus.  God’s purpose for you and me is to become mature, attaining the full measure of perfection found in Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

And here’s my favorite:

“Blessed is he who endures temptation (insert your own here), for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who Love Him” (James 1:12).

Enduring temptation is difficult!  It causes us to suffer.  But through our suffering we gain godly rewards.

Life is hard.  But as Christians we can rest in God’s promise that our suffering is going to be used in glorious ways.

Carry on ladies, and suffer well!

Playing board games with my six and nine year old girls has taught me one thing-rules exist for a reason.  Halfway into our family game night, my daughter realized she was losing and suddenly attempted to switch the rules on the rest of us.  Board game anarchy ensued and we all ended up quitting the game entirely, with all hopes of fun squashed!

The truth is, sometimes we act like little children.  We want what we want when we want it, and we offer up mini tantrums to God, saying, “Well, God, I don’t like all these rules!”

The world might have us believe that true freedom comes when there is an emergency fund in the bank or a big, fat 401K waiting for us in retirement.  Do more, accrue more, and gain more freedom.

But God’s plan for our freedom is that we rely 100% on Him and are obedient to Him so that we can be free. 

  “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” (Psalm 119:45)

         Dependence on God leads to freedom.

         Surrender leads to victory!

The Freedom-of-Discipline Challenge:

Where can you practice some form of discipline that will lead to the reward of Christ-exalting, God-glorifying, Satan-destroying JOY?

I challenge each of you to choose an area of your life where God is calling you to reign in your self-will in order to experience the freedom of obeying His will.

Ask yourself…

• Lord, would you have me practice disciplining my tongue, through careful guarding of the words I speak to my children, husband, friends, or coworkers?
• Lord, would you have me practice disciplining my physical flesh and the cravings for comfort that food provides, by choosing instead to glorify you through the temple which is my body?
• Lord, would you have me practice disciplining my financial life, by living within my means and following our family budget?
• Lord, would you have me practice disciplining my prayer life, through daily meditation on your promises and your Word?

Whatever your struggle, God promises 100% success and 0% relapse if you have the kind of self-control that is inspired by God.   God promises freedom from sin and freedom not to sin. 

The practice of discipline ends in the reward of experiencing joy.

The peace of God follows our choice to OBEY.

 ”If the Word of God approves you, you are approved. 

If the Word of God disapproves you, you are disapproved.

Have friends praised you?

They may be your enemies in so doing.

Have other observers abused you?

They may be wrong or right, let the Book decide.

A man of one Book—if that Book is the Bible—is a man, for he is a man of God. Cling to the living Word and let the Gospel of your fathers, let the Gospel of the martyrs, let the Gospel of the Reformers, let the Gospel of the bloodwashed multitude before the Throne of God, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ—be your Gospel and none but that— and it will save you and make you the means of saving others to the praise of God.”

May 17, 1887 by C.H. Spurgeon

Linking up today with Tracy for Winsome Wednesday and Internet Cafe Devotions for Word Filled Wednesday.

Faith. It doesn’t always play out perfectly.

No, it does not always come with the greatest of ease… rather more often it erupts out of missteps and stumbling.

I’m really good at missteps and stumbling.

Some of you know that we are moving in less than a month now. Our house is on the market and I am managing piles of what to sell, what to give and what to pack. Boxes are lining the walls and filling the garage. All the while homeschooling still goes on.

My life is upside down. I have so much twirling around on that plate above my head that it just may come crashing down at any moment.

The last four months slipped away in a speeding landslide. I really don’t see it letting up either. Before we know it we’ll pull up to our new chapter in life in Decatur, Alabama and settle in.

I have no idea what awaits us there. What I do know is that it is all in the plan… whether the plate stays up or falls to the ground… it’s in His plan.

I have Faith. It’s a bit imperfect though. I still don’t know what the future holds. I do have worried thoughts. And doubts do creep into the quiet of my mind. But, it’s okay because…

If Faith were perfect we would not fall to our knees and beg it so to increase.

So often I misstep in my faith and stumble right into the shoes of the boy’s father in Mark 9-24 and cry out… “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!”

Trust issues surface. The question of who’s really in control here bubbles up from within. And my imperfect Faith grows and carries me a little further.

I breath a slow, confident smile of relief, because: A little doubt… a little wavering under His mighty direction will absolutely crash hard into moments of Full-on-Faith.

He is ever faithful to make sure I am continually faith-filled.

Imperfect Faith is the best kind of Faith because it keeps me right where I want to stay… clinging and grasping for more.

 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”

Hebrews 12:2a

Picking up where I left off on naming my many blessings…

239. My entire house being clean all at one time

240. Our trailer selling on craigslist

241. Spending time in Tahoe with a new friend

242. Finding new educational things for my kids to do around the house

243. Figuring out that excerise induces my asthma and how to fix that

244. My godly minded husband

245. Reading Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow again

246. Warmer weather… the grass greening and trees blooming

247. Buying summer pjs for my little darlings

248. Friends who encourage and inspire me

249. My imperfect Faith… and the One who fills me

Linking up with: Anne at A Holy Experience

The movie theater abuzz, we quickly find our seats. Suddenly, the movie Chimpanzee, rolls across the screen. This narrated story is about a 3-year-old chimpanzee that becomes separated from his troop (and his mama) and is then adopted by a fully-grown male. The story delicately describes the survival of a chimp clan as their private moments are captured by filmmakers in a Uganda forest.  I watch as the chimp family procures food daily by gathering berries, fruits, and nuts. The narrator explains that chimps don’t store food. They rely on “daily bread.”

No my sweet sisters, this is not a movie review however, I begin to think of “daily bread,” and Deuteronomy 8:3 comes to mind. “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

Do we as believers really do this? Do we really live on every word that comes from God?

God gave the people of Israel “daily bread,” which was the amount necessary to survive for a day. God wants us to live in a state of constant dependence on Him and absolute devotion to Him. He desires for us to live on every word that comes from Him… daily (see Matt. 4:4).

God created hunger so He could fill it.

God created us to crave only Him. Unfortunately, sometimes we get our cravings mixed up. We substitute things in place of God hoping to find satisfaction. But we will never find it because we can do nothing apart from Christ (see John 15:5).

“Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed for they will be filled, (see Matt. 5:6). God also gave us yearning for “fullness.” When we pray with a fervent desire for righteousness, God will fill us. Prayer is our direct access to the fullness we crave. It’s the hedge of protection that guards us from going to other things instead of Christ for satisfaction.

Have you satisfied a craving with something other than God, lately? Yep, me too… But thank goodness we can never exhaust the mercy of God.

So if today finds you with hunger pains rumbling, claim the promise found in Exodus 16…God will satisfy our hunger and sustain our faith, all we have to do is ask.

I’ve blown the dust off of something old for you today, but I think you’ll find that the topic is still as new as it ever was…

Awhile back I made my favorite raspberry & cream bread for a precious friend. It turned out great… well, mostly.

I did make one mistake. I didn’t spray the pan.

In my defense, it IS a Pampered Chef Stone pan and you’re not supposed to have to spray them. In fact, they specifically advise you not to. However, in this case I didn’t grease the pan and after it came out of the oven and cooled I ran a knife carefully around the edges, flipped the pan, tapped the bottom and out popped my bread… well, most of it.

The bottom layer stuck mercilessly and left my beautiful loaf beat up and exposed.

“And to the one who trusts Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteous,” (Romans 4:4-5).

I spoke yesterday about my knee-shaking throat experience. Even though I didn’t know anything about throat procedures, I questioned whether or not my doctor knew what he was doing. He performed a procedure on my throat with no numbing medication at all; that just didn’t seem right.

Sometimes we do this with God. We question his way, his guidance, his authority. Instead of simply trusting His prescription for us, we wonder, “Does God really know what he’s doing?”

John Piper writes, “The difference between Uncle Sam and Jesus Christ is that Uncle Sam won’t enlist you in his service unless you’re well and Jesus Christ won’t enlist you unless you’re sick (see Mark 2:17). Christianity is fundamentally convalescence (pray without ceasing = Keep buzzing the nurse). Patients do not serve their physicians. They trust them for good prescriptions. The commands of the Bible are more like a doctor’s health prescription than an employer’s job description.”

When hardships arise, we must keep “buzzing the nurse,” as opposed to relying on the assumption we know more than the Great Physician…God.

He’ll always prescribe the best option.

He’ll always dispense the proper remedy.

His aim is to heal not to hurt.

When I returned to my doctor days later, he explained why he couldn’t use medication. The numbing medication would have closed my throat completely, making it impossible to swallow and breathe. That didn’t sound good. It made sense. He had my best interest at heart. He was there to heal not to inflict pain (even though he inflicted a lot of pain).

Just like the doctor, God knows what’s best. He has the perfect prescription for what ails us. Our job is to trust him, accept his plan, and follow like crazy… until we don’t feel sick anymore.