Sunday, January 31, 2010

Balance

If variety is the spice of life, then balance must be the staple of life. I enjoy excitement and adventure, but I also need consistency. I may get by allowing the pendulum of my life to stop swinging, but after a while I need to regain momentum. Otherwise I end up too far to the right or too far to the left.

I gain tremendous balance from the book of the Bible called Proverbs:
"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." -Proverbs 2:1-5

Thursday, January 28, 2010

God's Story

Life can be hard. Some of us make it through to the end, unscathed. Others don't. But all of us have a story. And each story is woven into a greater story: God's story. Did you know that God desires for you to debut as one of his main characters? The Bible tells us to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

Will you take a step of faith and live the story God has written for your life, or will you shrink back and settle for a lesser story and play the part of a lesser character?

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Tattoo

As a college freshman, I embarked on an adventure to express my independence after breaking up with a boyfriend. I got a tattoo. Now a blue green butterfly permanently rests on my back. It is, to me, a symbol of freedom. But as an eighteen year old girl, my ideas of freedom were much different than what they are today.

That little tattoo reminds me that at one point I found freedom in the absence of a relationship, but now I find freedom in a relationship with Christ.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" -2 Corinthians 5:17

Monday, January 25, 2010

New Vision

I took off my rose colored glasses only to discover that my sight was skewed. Even my lenses were cracked. What I thought was shabby chic turned out to just be shabby. It took time for my eyes to adjust. The light seemed brighter and my vision remained fuzzy.

The world told me I could have anything, but anything is really nothing apart from Christ.

I see that clearly now.

"... Some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything?'
He looked up and said, 'I see people; they look like trees walking around.'
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly." -Mark 8:22-25

Sunday, January 24, 2010

A Fresh Start

Water pours from the sky to the ground, drenching the earth, soaking the soil, washing impurities away. My mind feels clear and refreshed. There is a clean slate. A fresh start. A new beginning. What will this day bring?

Your mercies are new and the possibilities seem endless.

"This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

Thursday, January 21, 2010

A Prayer

Lord, we lift up to you a bleeding nation deeply anchored in deadly circumstance.

Today orphans live without fathers, the wounded wait for physicians, and the lost long for a Savior. Their prayers ring like echos, calling back with a hollow cry.

We trust in you, Lord, knowing you hear their prayers, for you are The Father, The Physician and The Savior.

Please hear our prayers today, Lord and heal this bleeding nation.

Amen.

"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." -James 5:16

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Worship

I love the fact that my Savior does not demand a code of conduct when it comes to worship. We live in a day when our culture, even our Christian culture expects us to conform. So some of us sing out of hymnals while others worship to rock bands. Some of us remain still, while others dance. Some raise their hands while others keep their hands at their sides. Regardless of the style of worship, the Lord cares about whether or not we come before him with a yielded heart, devoted fully to worshipping Him.

"Sing to the Lord a new song . . . " Psalm 96:1

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Echo in Her Tummy

My six year old and I were having a conversation about prayer. As a parent, I always try to make the most of teachable moments, especially those that touch on faith. I instructed her to talk to Jesus about what she feels and thinks, just like she would with me or with another family member or a friend. She then turned to me and said, "But when I pray, I don't hear the echo in my tummy."

"What?" I asked, puzzled by her response.

"You told me that when Jesus talks back to me, it will sound like an echo in my tummy." She explained.

Instantly my memory turned up a conversation in which I think I tried to explain that sometimes when God speaks to us it can seem like a still, small voice inside (in addition to other ways such as through God's Word). Well, after that conversation, she walked away with the idea that she should wait to hear an echo in her tummy.

Her mindset is so innocent and precious.

On a serious note, I pray tonight for the six year old's in Haiti who have an echo in their tummies from the extreme hunger they are experiencing, and the echo of pain in their hearts.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Motherhood

You know you're a mom if (feel free to add to the list) . . .
1. At any given moment, you have a plastic pair of Barbie shoes and a pack of raisins in your purse.
2. You can pitch a softball in your backyard while wearing your church clothes and Crocs.
3. You pee your pants from time to time thanks to the precious babies who sat on your bladder for nine months.
4. You know most, if not all the songs Barnie sings.
5. When someone says "lunch" the first thing that comes to mind is PB&J.
6. Pink and Purple are the new Black and White.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Praying for Haiti

My daughter straps on broken wings without giving a thought to the possibility they may not fly. Outside the rain pours down while she talks of picnics. Her world is safe, simple and secure.

It is a far cry from another world where little girls have strapped on broken hearts instead of broken wings, knowing they may never mend. Outside the night sky serves as a makeshift ceiling, while the ground provides a makeshift bed. Their world is complicated and chaotic.

Oswald Chambers once wrote, "When you work, you work; but when you pray, God works." We are praying the words of Psalm 23 for all the earthquake victims suffering in Haiti today:

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Religious or Relational?

If I were to ask you, "In what ways are you religious?" you might say:
1. I pray.
2. I volunteer.
3. I give.
4. I worship.
5. I read.
6. I meditate.
7. I memorize.

If I were to ask you, "In what ways are you relational?" you might say:
1. I talk.
2. I laugh.
3. I cry.
4. I share.
5. I give.
6. I take.
7. I listen.

What if I told you that your religion could become a relationship? Would you believe me? Jesus says, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). Try opening the door of your life to Jesus and see that you can talk, laugh, cry, share, give, take, and listen to the God who created you and loves you.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

He Loves Me

"He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not." How many times have you said that in your lifetime? Perhaps it was 15 years ago or 15 minutes ago. But did you know that God's love is like no other?

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." -Lamentations 3:22,23

The Country Girl and The City Girl

She travels along a lonely road leading to a place in the country where the sun sits low in the sky. In her hand she carries just one bag, but her burden feels heavy. When she was a girl, she could hold her dreams gracefully in the palm of her hands. Now she prays that grace will keep holding onto her.

It's rush hour in the city. The subway swarms with people trying to get to a place called home where the sun sits low in the sky. In her hand she carries a briefcase full of burdens. When she was a girl, she dreamed of opening an art gallery downtown. Now she prays that her desk job will last through a troubled economy.

Sound familiar? At what point did you lose sight of your dreams and settle among the swarms of people around you?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

My Daughter

I always heard that little girls were made of sugar and spice, but I could not truly understand until I had little girls of my own. Tonight when I watched you dance, my daughter, my heart swelled with joy. And I feel thankful to know that you are made of so much more.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above . . . " -James 1:17

Monday, January 4, 2010

Freedom Found

She chased after freedom before realizing that chasing freedom is like chasing the wind. So instead she stopped only to waste years of her life caged in a silent prison.

But then You held her heart in Your hands like a bird with a broken wing. You nursed her back to health. And when the winds changed, You set her free.

Now she soars, knowing it is one thing to be born, but it is an entirely different thing to be born again.

When she sings, her voice sounds sweet as it sweeps through the city streets, beckoning hearts to beat wildly to the sound of silence broken.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Happy New Year

It's amazing how $1.29 can buy sanity. For those of you who know me well, I am sure you are thinking I am about to mention a trip to Starbucks since I often equate sanity with coffee. But after driving 2,639 miles round trip for our holiday vacation, my two young children started to lose it in the back seat of our SUV. We only had 50 miles remaining in our journey when bickering erupted, shattering the peaceful mood in our car.

"She hit me!" Rang through the car's cabin repeatedly.

Finally, when all patience seemed to have gone out the window, we stopped at a 7-11, desperately searching for an intervention. Suddenly, my six year old spots one of her favorite snacks: Cheetos Puffs. To me, they taste like a cheesy piece of Styrofoam, and bear little or no nutritional value. But in that moment, they appeared like an oasis in the desert, so I, the wandering nomad, took them to the register. I handed my dollar with some change to the clerk and returned to the car to enjoy a soft chorus of crunch, crunch, crunch rising up from the back seat. Peace was restored and the last 50 miles of our trip seemed much more pleasant.

I never knew Cheetos could be so priceless.

"Happy New Year," I thought to myself. Boy, are we off to an interesting start. So much for New Year's Resolutions. In reality, my immediate resolutions involve empty suitcases, a clean house, and normal, post-vacation activity. But in light of the grander scheme, let's talk about New Year's Resolutions. Let's talk about goals. Better yet, let's talk about dreams. Remember in 2010 that a dream without action is just a dream. But a dream with action is a plan. So dream big and let your actions follow!