THISTLES AND THORNS

Finally… summer in Michigan!!!  Yes, it was long in coming, but the promise of spring held true: the brown and grey turned to green and growth.   I vocalized several months ago already how excited I was to get my garden planted, even though my garden boxes were still under 3’ of snow.   Once a gardener always a gardener I guess!!

Sooner that it seemed, my fingers were digging into the soil, carefully spacing those tiny seeds in the trough I’d dug, and lovingly covering them up with expectation of growth.  I’ve been known to be impatient and dig one up now and then to see how close they are to popping through the soil as actual plants.  The little roots are so fragile and small, they are easily dug up and tossed to the side.  It has always amazed me how by the end of the summer, those same tender little roots have grown deep and strong.  I’ve had plants that needed to be yanked so hard it about put me on my rear when they finally let loose of the soil!! 

By this time, you probably think this post is heading in the direction of a well known and beautiful parable about the sower and the seed.  This parable is about the importance of seed (Word of God) landing on fertile soil (our hearts) so that their roots can grow down deep and the plants can stand firm and secure against the storms  (enemy).  While that is one of my favorites and truly one of the foundational parables of the Christian life, the thoughts I’m having on roots are stemming from a different source.  Quite different actually.  Different, in that the aforementioned roots produce a positive result:  a mature, beautiful plant yielding much fruit or beautiful flowers.   The roots I’m going to talk of, however, grow deep also…but they produce destruction, ugliness, bondage… even death.

Scripture warns us clearly of this root.  Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us to “let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, AS GOD IN CHRIST FORGAVE YOU”.    Hebrews 12:15 also warns to “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled…”.    In Matthew 6:14, Jesus even follows up His infamous Lord’s Prayer with “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins”. 

Hold it. 

HHHmmmmm. 

Wow. 

That’s powerful stuff. 

There’s a lot of “if’/then’s” in that scripture that I’m not sure have been included in too many of the sermons I’ve heard over my lifetime.   I feel like most of what I’ve heard has been based on being sure to ASK for forgiveness of MY OWN sins… along with the suggestion we follow suit. Not so sure I read the fine print (actually not so “fine”… it’s boldly stated in the next verse) that receiving forgiveness is going to require something of me in exchange.  

Before we get into a debate that I’m not knowledgeable enough (nor brave enough) to enter… let’s head back to my garden.

If bitterness is a root, and roots do indeed grow deeper and stronger over time, then I think it’s fair to say that bitterness does as well.  Bitterness… from unforgiveness.  Things happen in life.  People hurt people.  Sometimes out of malicious intent.  Sometimes out of hardened hearts.  And sometimes out of their own woundedness.  Whatever form the wound comes in, it’s there… and it hurts.  And so the seed is planted. 

Not many of us have our own personal gardener….  Or do we in this case?? I believe so.  He comes quietly, seemingly unnoticed, often times undercover, and tends those seeds of bitterness for us.   He waters and fertilizes those thoughts and feelings… with justification, hurt, anger, pride, and replay and replay and replay.   He’s pleased as punch to see the ugly plant growing swiftly, sucking the nutrients out of the soil for itself, growing at such a pace that it blocks the sun from the other “good” plants.   Soon the good plants wither… and the secret gardener walks away patting himself on the back, ever so pleased that he once again managed to kill and destroy what was intended to be a beautiful garden. 

Friends,

I GET the hurt. 

I GET the pain.

I GET the feelings of justification.

I GET the fear of letting it go.

What I DON’T get is the vision I had the other night. 

The vision of my Savior… MY JESUS… hanging on the cross… beaten to within an breathe of his life, betrayed, spit upon, laughed at.  Hanging there, virtually naked, by spikes that were driven through his wrists and feet… blood running down His face from the thorns of the crown that MY KING was wearing.     

What I don’t get is how I could EVER stand at the foot of that cross the moment before He died and say to Him “BUT you don’t understand how horrible they were”… “BUT you don’t understand how much that hurt me”… “BUT you don’t understand how I feel…”…. “but”…. “but”…. “but”….

BUT HE DID. 

And He’s asking… no, let’s be real:  He’s COMMANDING us to do the same.  With the same heart.  A soft heart responsive to the life He led and the death He died.   A heart for loving others as He did, whether they deserved it… or not.

I challenge you to examine your heart.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal ANY and ALL unforgiveness in you.  And then try standing in my vision and see if you can do it.  Can you really look up at your Savior and tell Him all the reasons they don’t deserve forgiveness… and why you deserve to hang on to bitterness??  If you hear Him utter a pain-filled, but loving “do it”, can you seriously look into His eyes and shake your head “No… I won’t”??   If you can’t, then do what He did.  Give those people in your life what they DON’T deserve anymore than you did:  forgiveness.

As I planted my garden a month or so ago, I looked those seeds in my hand with new eyes.   Spiritual eyes.   I’ve committed to tend my garden carefully, allowing no bitter roots to grow… and instead enjoy the bountiful fruit thereof.

I pray the same for you.

If you’re still hanging on to  unforgiveness and just can’t let go, please drop me an email.  I'd be happy to forward some great info on what forgiveness IS and equally as important, what forgiveness is NOT.

THE PACKAGE

 

I love my quiet time.  Cherish is more the word.  And Wednesday’s was to be cherished.  Lingering in prayer before even opening a devotional or scripture, I once again found myself asking to SEE Him in a tangible way that day.  Scripture tells us that He will never leave us.  I have faith that the promise He is always with me is true, but find myself craving Him in ways I can see… touch… smell.  So, I asked.  And in His grace, He answered my request… and requested that I share. 

Call it a curse or a quirk, but I like to pick a theme each year and coordinate the wrapping of the gifts under my Christmas tree.  While most people may thrill at the idea of a store wrapping gifts for them, I turn it down if it doesn’t fit into what I have going.  This year, I’m doing kraft paper brown, plain white, and silver.   Is it 100%?? No… that’d be obsessive J.   But what can I say… it’s just me. 

 

Anyway,  in true “chicken or egg” form, I’m not totally sure what came first.  Did seeing the package launch the vision?? Or did the vision remind me of the package.  Either way… God definitely had something to say about the one silver wrapped package under the tree.  At that point, it was just silver paper… no further embellishment yet.  But the vision I had looks like the picture below.  And God began to speak. 

 

 

What I saw and heard was two-fold.  The first was a beautiful and yet simple expression of Christmas.  The silver paper represents the very Son of God.  Still God… Lord of Lords and King of Kings… part of the very Trinity that created the heavens and the earth… He set aside His crown and humbled himself into a covering of human skin.  He became like us.  A humble covering represented by burlap and plain ole’ garden twine in my vision.

 But the vision had a Part II… a part that brought me to my favorite scripture:  Isaiah 61:1-4.  The verse prophecies what this very babe’s purpose would be.   What He would do for even me.

 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,

for the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted

And to proclaim that captives will be released

And prisoners will be freed.

He has sent me to tell those who mourn

That the time of the Lord’s favor has come,

And with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

To all who mourn in Israel.

He will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

A joyous blessing instead of mourning,

Festive praise instead of despair.

In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks

That the Lord has planted for his own glory.”

Back to the package. 

In both the Old and New Testament times, people would tear at their clothes when mourning, when in repentance or when in despair over events of their lives.  They would sit in burlap for long periods of time and even put ashes on their head.   But the message above is that Christ not ONLY came to give us eternal life (Hallelujah!!! And Praise God for that gift!!!)… but He also came to free us from those things.  He came to give us life.

 Life… NOW.   

 Life…. ABUNDANTLY. 

 
He came to trade our ashes for crowns of beauty.  The problem is that focusing only on the amazing gift of salvation can leave us “sitting in our burlap” in this life.

So what is our burlap??? Yours will  be different than mine.  Different than your neighbor’s.  Different than your best friend’s.  But we all have some.  Burlap that we continue to sit in.   Burlap in the form of regret, unforgiveness, wounds from our childhood, wounds we inflicted, wounds inflicted by others.  Idols we cling tightly to, generational curses and sin.  Anything , really, that keeps us from the freedom that this babe in Bethlehem came to give us.      

I invite you to unwrap the package with me.

Begin by asking God if there’s burlap you’re sitting in that’s keeping you in bondage.  Burlap that’s keeping you from fully receiving and living in the gift of Christ… here and now.

As you slowly unwrap the twine that is holding your burlap… listen for the Holy Spirit to show you what this may be in your own life.   If you ask Him to show you… He WILL.  Trust that.  Maybe not within the next 3 feet or so of twine, but He will.  Possibly, over a lifetime. 

Unwind…. Unwind… unwind.  Phew!!  Keep going… even if there seems to be an entire BALL of twine and those messy strands of burlap everywhere!!!  The gift is GOOD, friends.    

Vision in a nutshell???  This holiday season, I hope you will REJOICE from the bottom of your soul at what Christ PUT ON for us…. And that you will step into seeking what it is that He wants you to TAKE OFF…. For Him.     Because in the beginning AND in the end… it’s all about Him.  Our Christ.  Our King!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, friends… !!!

             

Seeing through the fog

There isn’t much in this world that turns my crank more than wandering charming old country roads lined with vintage fences complete with old barns, grazing cattle or best of all…. sheep.  And that’s exactly what we stumbled upon recently on a foggy morning near the California coastline.  The winding road was barely wide enough for two cars.  The fog was thick; but the beauty was clear. 

When we came over a hilltop I saw a group of sheep… including lambs nestled snuggly against a gate.  My heart about melted.  I was moved enough (risking life and limb I later realized) to hike back up that low-visibility road on foot, figuring I’d get a few photos. 

I huffed my way up the hill, stepping into a ditch while cars, giving me the “what-the-heck-are-you-doing-on-the-road-in-this-weather” looks, streamed by.  Apparently the sheep weren’t too impressed either, because as I neared my destination, the little ones got up and trotted over to the big ones (do sheep trot?) and they all filed away:  in the opposite direction.   So much for my photo shoot. 

It occurred to me as we drove away that these sheep were doing exactly what sheep are supposed to do.  They didn’t recognize my voice as that of their master and they probably couldn’t see who/what I was either in all that pea soup.  So they turned from potential danger.  Simply walked away.

* * * * *

I want to know my master’s voice that instinctively. 

I pray for the discernment to turn from all other voices.

I thank Him for searching for me during the times I’ve been lost.

* * * * *

I managed to get one good shot before these charming creatures disappeared into the fog.   Personally, I think it’s beautiful.  Beautiful simply for what it is… but also because I saw a message in it for me.  The same message can be for you. 

Thank you God, I love you too.

Gettin' some REST

No alarm had rung yet,  but I woke anyway. 

Woke… but didn’t move.

I had no interest in moving.  In fact, it would have been physically difficult.  The weight of my body on the mattress caught my attention.  It was that… odd.  I happened to be on my back with my arms at my side… and I felt as though I had sunk down several inches.  I was keenly aware of the mattress hugging every inch of my body.  The affect was soothing, relaxing… comforting.  At that moment, I honestly thought to myself “this must be what it feels like to TRULY rest in the arms of Jesus”.  I smiled once again at the nudge.

Same mattress.  Different posture.  It was a posture of surrender.  Surrender of muscles.  Surrender of breathing.  Surrender to a natural position.   Silly as it may sound - my body had surrendered to the mattress.  And I didn’t want to move.  Ever.

I lay there awhile enjoying the feeling AND… the thought.

I wondered how often (if ever) I’ve truly rested to that extent in the arms of Jesus.  How often have I assumed a posture of total surrender and simply rested in Him.  There was comfort in that thought.  And peace.  Peace in His promise:  “I will give you rest”.

After a bit, my day was calling and I knew I had to get up and get moving.  Life.  It’s always there waiting, isn’t it.  While the mattress hug had ended… the feeling I had about resting in Christ didn’t.  I'm thankful for the reminder that He promises me rest when I surrender ALL to Him.  NOT the elimination of life’s burdens.  But rest IN them.  By resting in HIM. 

There’s Beauty in that promise of Rest.

And there’s Rest in the Promise. 

Thank you Jesus… I love you too.

Simple as that

When, then.

When/Then.

When…. Then.

Seems to be the way the entire universe works if you think about it.

When the sun sets… then it gets dark.

When I cut my finger… then it bleeds.

When fall comes… then the leaves turn color.

When I eat too many cookies… then I gain weight.

When… then.

So… if that’s the way everything works, WHY has this one verse in the Bible been haunting me??? 

“WHEN you seek Him with ALL your heart… THEN you will find HIM”.

When… then.

It’s been there all along.  Repeatedly in scripture.  That verse.  The “when, then” effect. 

But I missed it. 

Overlooked the requirement.

Glazed past the promise. 

When… then.

I’ve been a believer all my life.

Professed my faith at the expected age.
Believed my sins were forgiven and I'd spend eternity in heaven.

Sang in the choir.

Led youth group and a few women’s bible studies.

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

BUT, did I truly KNOW Him??  If I’m honest with you… no.  Not really.  Not like I do now at least!!  I had settled for less.   

If I wasn’t truly SEEKING Him with ALL my heart, though… why would I have found HIM?? Experienced Him??  Gotten to KNOW Him?? 

Why should I have expected the “then”… if I hadn’t done the “when”??

I’d have no right to.  It was part of the deal.  And I wasn’t living up to my end until now.  But once I did (seek, that is… with ALL MY HEART)…  I found Him.  I found Him as He promised, in new and real ways.  In ways I never knew possible.  And I can tell you that FINDING Him has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.  You see there’s this whole gap of time that gets overlooked sometimes.  The period between right now, today, your sometimes mundane-sometimes crazy busy life… and that glorious day when we see Him face to face (Hallelujah!!).  There’s the LIFE that He promised you right now.  ABUNDANT LIFE that only comes through knowing Him intimately.

PLEASE ask yourself this:

Are you TRULY seeking Him with ALL your heart?? Or have you settled for less.

Do you recognize His voice in your everyday activities…

Do you find yourself smiling at His humor…

Do you notice the love notes He leaves for you…

Do you sense Him waiting for you at your quiet time spot…

Does HE sometimes feel so close there’s almost a warmth to your skin??

If your answer to ANY of these questions is no, I encourage you… actually, more like plead with you… to ASK HIM FOR MORE.  More of Himself.

And then DO IT!!!

SEEK HIM.    

This time with ALL OF YOUR HEART. 

Make it the top priority of your life… to find LIFE.  The life HE wants to give you.  

Because nothing’s more important, you know. 

Nothing’s more important that finding HIM. 

And He promises you will.

WHEN you truly seek Him. 

When… then. 

Simple as that.

***

(If anyone reading this wants to discuss how to seek Him and get to know Him more intimately, please use the email listed in the contacts section)

A Bunch of CRAP (Renovation #5)

There's something about moving that makes you realize just how much crap you have.  There's a "weight" to it that goes far beyond the pounds in the boxes. 

And there's something about living with only life's bare necessities for 6 months that makes you question just how much of it you really need. 

Alot of it really is necessary. 
And some of it is treasure.
But a good portion of it is just a bunch of crap.

Doesn't it feel so good to let go of all that stuff??
Isn't it freeing to open your closets and cupboards and actually have SPACE??
You wouldn't think that things could add stress to your life, but I'm convinced they can. 

There's a song that makes me smile called "Suitcases" by Dara McClean.  It's come to mind often as I stare at the mound of boxes before me.  Here's a link if you'd like to listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdWO88ZVurU

Stuff.

We all got it.

Some necessary.  Some treasure.  Some just plain crap. 

Come with me into this visual of gathering all the crap that weighs you down... that clutters the very mind of your heart.  Box it up.  Seal it with yet another roll of packaging tape (insert here the oh-so-familiar-sound of the tape gun). 

Now let's go for a walk.  To the cross.

Some of you may be skipping along, lightly tossing your box up and down in one hand as you go.  Others may be down on all fours pushing, shoving, grunting, groaning, in an all-out sweat by the weight of what's in your box.

Either way, boxes of crap are welcome at the foot of the cross.  There's always room.  Just leave them there... turn and walk away.  Done deal.  Handled.  Forgotten.

Next time you open a closet and you find yourself sighing at the sight of too much stuff,  consider taking just a couple minutes to clean it out.  Keep the treasure.  Share the good stuff with others.  Get rid of the crap.  While you're doing so, whisper for the Holy Spirit to prompt you on what needs to be cleaned out on the inside of YOU. 

Christ wants YOU to be FREE of it.

OH GIVE ME A HOME.... (Renovation #4)

I am tired.

Not just tired.

T-I-R-E-D.

I’m tired of messes.

I’m tired of boxes.

Tired of packing and unpacking.

Tired of dirt.

I’m tired of being a vagabond.

Even though I'm thankful for a roof over my head, 

I'm tired of having no real home.

I have moved 4 times in the last 6 months.

I have slept on the floor on a blow up mattress for 4 of those months.

90% of the jewelry I own can be picked up in one large knot.

I may have forgotten how to cook.

And my car looks like I live out of IT.

If you inventoried what’s in my front seat alone, you would find empty egg cartons,
wine glasses, old sheets (clean or dirty?? don't remember), a bag of rotting tomatoes, 

a Christmas present for my son, towels, a lone earring, and some artificial stick things I regret buying.  And that’s just what I can see without moving anything. 

What I long for is a HOME. 

And don’t we all???

I’ll be moving into my new home soon.  
Yes, it’s pretty cool.  
And yes, I’m SO thankful for it.  
But over the past 6 months,
I’ve come to realize it’s just one more case of “temporary housing”.  

My real home after all… the one I truly long for deep in my soul… isn’t in Holland.  

Not in Michigan either.  

Not even in our beloved US of A.

It’s back in Eden. 

And it’s what I was created for.

 

(More later).

Keep Pedaling

The Tour de France has been on for the past several weeks and I will admit to finding it quite fascinating… in a boring sort of way.   Yet what other sport has a single competition that lasts for 3 weeks!!  Truly it is a physical feat to be respected even though it doesn’t hold the popularity of the NFL, NBA or even yes…. Nascar. 

Both of my boys have taken up biking in the past couple of years and more recently, my husband and daughter-in-law.  Through their stories, I have become somewhat familiar with what’s involved.   While watching one of the final legs of the tour this week, there was a spectacular finish (or at least as spectacular as biking gets).   The leader had broken away and was “going it” on his own for some time.   He looked good and really strong for quite a while, but as the finish approached another biker was creeping up on him.  Again, a solo.  They were neck-in-neck… bikes and bodies thrashing… giving it their all…  when out of nowhere came a rider that literally just FLEW right past them.  Blew them away.  “Slingshot” was the official term the media used.  He crossed the finish line, hands in the air in victory. 

I was talking to my husband about what that was all about.   He said he was drafting with another member of his team.  Drafting is when you tuck in behind the person in front of you – your front wheel riding in very close proximity to their rear wheel.  So close, that two bikes virtually become one.  The result is a force that literally pulls you along, making your use of energy more efficient.  Giving you a chance to rest a bit, recoup, and get ready for a dash to the finish.  I’ve seen the benefits of this time and time again in both bike and car racing.

As our conversation ended, I got up from the sofa to get a glass of wine and asked my husband “And are you drafting Christ”???  He looked at me and smiled.  He had never thought of it that way.

In life we face many hills.

Some headwinds seem too strong to bear.

As we look into the horizon, some roads (while flat) simply seem endless. 

BUT, my friends, WE WERE NEVER MEANT to travel this road alone.

Tuck in behind Christ. 

He WANTS to carry you to the finish… to victory… through HIM.  

Aaawwww..... NUTS!!! (Renovation #3)

When we started this renovation project, we knew we were bound to run into unexpected “issues”.  The unseen.  But little did I know the unexpected would come in the form of… nuts!!  Acorns, to be exact.  Typically, I like squirrels and chipmunks.  The nervous nature of those cute, furry little creatures really cracks me up.  Lord knows I’ve watched enough of them during my years in my hunting blind.  Even named a few.  But when a carpenter cuts a chunk of drywall out of your ceiling and down comes an avalanche of nuts, well… NOT SO CUTE!!  And when the electrician finds an area of chewed up, exposed electrical wiring in a wall cavity along with (you guessed it) more acorns… NOT SO CUTE!!  They (the carpenters) chuckled at my moment of panic.  They told me that they rarely ever tear into an existing home without finding SOME sort of hidden “treasures”.  

Honestly??  I’m tired of the tear down phase.  I’m ready to rebuild.  I think mentally, I know that when they start hanging that drywall… they’ve found all they believe there is to find.  All the issues have been exposed.  All the issues have been addressed.  And the experts are comfortable with zipping the place back up.  It’s a turn from the negative (tear down)… to the positive (rebuild).  Like I said, I am READY.

We had decisions to make along the way on HOW these issues would be addressed.  Choices needed to be made.  Settle for the less expensive band-aid fix and hope for the best??  Or do the permanent solution that will take time… and many more dollars.  The end result would cosmetically look the same.  

If you’ve been following my blog, you know my life, as of late, has been a time of renovation.  A time of asking God to reveal any and all areas in me that need to be exposed, that need to be addressed, that need to be repaired.  I expected to come across some things, since as scripture says “we ALL fall short”.  But just like with the house, at times I’ve wanted to scream “enough already!!”  I’m tired. 

And just like with the house again, I’ve been faced with choices on how to repair what God exposed.  I can apply a quick fix to these areas of my life and hope for the best.  Be a better person, give more, attend church more regularly, DO more for Christ.  Outwardly, I’m sure it’d look just fine.  Or, I can take the painful route and ask the Holy Spirit to show me more.  Dig deeper.  Expose the root of the problem.  And then allow Him to HEAL… and rebuild. 

We re-wired the entire house. 

We re-did the flashing around the atrium.

We tore down more drywall and foamed the walls, permanently sealing off access for those cute, furry little creatures.

With anything that really mattered, we chose the permanent, more costly solution.  Why?? Because when we live in our house, we don’t want it to look all pretty on the outside, yet still question what’s lurking behind the walls.

I will do NO LESS with my life. 

p.s.  Drywall starts tomorrow.    

PILLOW TALK

I was up at 2 a.m. last night.  Couldn’t sleep again.  Read a couple chapters in my awesome book “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan… and was starting to get drowsy.  As I rolled over in an effort to wrap my arms around my husband – a simple act of intimacy – something was in the way.  A pillow.  Not just a little one either… a king-size pillow that he had his standard tight grip on.   I could hardly see him under it.

I tried wrapping my arms around the pillow AND him, but you know what?? There is ZERO intimacy in that.  I tried wedging my arms between him and the pillow, but there really wasn’t room for me.    

I lay there and grinned as God nudged me on this.

How often is God longing for intimacy with ME… but I have a death grip on something I’m holding on to??  There’s a difference between simply knowing He’s there – and truly experiencing the intimacy of His presence.   For TRUE intimacy, we need to surrender all that we’re hanging on to.  Nothing can stand in the way between us and our God.  Nothing.

Think about your own relationship with God.  Do you feel Him at an intimate level?? Be honest with yourself here.  Does it feel like something’s in the way??  Something so big you can hardly see yourself behind it - or maybe a few small things you clumsily hang on to??  Ask His Holy Spirit to reveal it to you.  And when He does, release it – lay it down – and open your arms wide to freely embrace Him. 

Stop whatever you’re doing and just ponder this for one minute.  Ponder the fact that the God of this amazing universe wants INTIMACY with YOU!!!  He wants MORE than just you knowing He’s "there for you".  He wants MORE than just church on Sunday and quiet times during the week.  He wants more than random acts of kindness.  He wants INTIMACY… in the purest sense of the word. 

Do you really want to miss out on that??  On ANY part of what that means??

I don’t…

EXPOSED (Renovation #2)

It was demo week last week.  

Floors have been ripped up exposing what lies beneath. 

Drywall has been removed revealing wiring, ductwork, and piping. 

Supporting walls have been clearly identified. 

We now can see potential problems that will need to be addressed. 

A few things that looked good on the surface, proved to be handyman-fix-it-jobs underneath. 

As the layers were peeled back, our new home took on a new look.  It felt “exposed”.  Exposed down to its bare bones.  Exposed for both it’s strengths and weaknesses.   By doing this, however, we are able to get a more accurate quote as to what this renovation is truly going to cost.   Oh, we had a rough idea, of course… but we had to get down to the basic structure before we could find out if our dreams for this house would be worth it.  Worth the work.  Worth the cost.     

As expected, the demo was messy.  One could even argue whether it looks more like we gutted the place rather than a little renovation.  A stranger passing by, however, would never know.  The basic structure still looks the same.  Strong.  Solid.  The only giveaway at this point is the sign in the front yard identifying who the carpenter is.  

Not everyone will look at this house and see it’s beauty - it’s worth.  Eyeballs already have rolled.  Sure, it has its quirks.  Sure, it’s not the same as everyone else’s.  It even has an interesting history.   But we love it and feel it’s worth.  We believe it has potential.  Most of all, we feel God led us here.  

With demo finished this week, the rebuild begins.  It won’t be neat, clean and tidy either… but seeing our dreams and visions unfold for what this house could be has us filled with anticipation.  Even in its current state, we love sitting still behind this house – our new home – listening to the birds, dreaming of what could be, and taking time to just BE.

The Holy Spirit has been doing the same in my life.  I’ve asked Him to expose my problem areas, help me make sense of how I’m wired, show me where my strengths are… and reveal my weak points.  There are days when I feel like His work in me is more like gutting than renovating, but I’m filled with anticipation at what His dreams are for me.  What His vision is.  I know my basic structure is solid because I AM a child of God.  I know I am unique and beautiful in his eyes.  I am worthwhile to Him.  Worth His life.  

So how about you?? Are your walls down?? Have you spent time sitting STILL with the Holy Spirit, listening for HIS movement - HIS song - HIS guidance - HIS plan for you??  Have you asked Him to show you which areas in your life He wants to renovate??  Are you open to the possibility that some areas may need to be gutted??  Depending how much work needs to be done, demo may leave you feeling downright exposed.  Be ready for that.  But oh, my friends, what beauty awaits… your dreams come true… when left to the master carpenter.  

And He is that, isn't He.  

     

It's Friday, BUT....

Yes, I'm well aware that it's Saturday.  But I heard a reference to this on the radio yesterday, looked it up this morning and feel it's worth sharing.

Easter has always been such a reason for celebration.  It's the foundation of our faith:  Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins and rose again from the dead to defeat the grave and offer us eternal LIFE with Him.  Hallelujah!!!  Rejoice with me!!!  I am SO thankful; so humbled.  But hearing these 5 simple words on the radio yesterday impacted me.

5 simple words of Easter.  

5 simple words of Easter for our every day lives.  

5 simple words of Easter that offer hope.  Endurance.  Promise.  

5 simple words of Easter that meet you where you are.  

5 simple words of Easter that will carry you through the valley's of life.

5 simple words:

It's Friday....

BUT SUNDAY'S COMIN'

I hope you'll take 3-1/2 minutes to watch this clip.  Maybe there's a message in it for your life too.  

http://www.rpmministries.org/2011/04/its-friday-but-sundays-coming/

Happy Easter. 

Taking... and Giving... POSSESSION (Renovation #1)

We recently purchased a new home.  Much to our surprise, it was an existing structure.  Our previous two homes were new builds - starting from the ground up - and that’s what we expected to happen this time as well.  But after searching and praying for a piece of land to build on, God clearly had something different in mind.  HE chose… a renovation.

We had closed on the house some time ago, but it was still occupied.  So when we finally got possession this week, it was a big deal.  FINALLY, we can get into the house freely.  FINALLY, the contractor can begin to tear into it and see what’s behind the walls… what stays; what goes.  FINALLY, we can lay the blueprint out on the counter and dream.    

FINALLY… real work can begin. 

As I pondered this sense of relief at finally taking possession of our new house, it occurred to me that God must feel much the same way about me.  How long have there been barriers to His work in my life?   How long has He been wanting to bust into the walls I'd constructed to reveal what should stay and what needs to go?   How long as He just been itchin’ to show me the blueprint of His dreams for my life?  

FINALLY… He has full possession of me.  

FINALLY… He holds the sole set of keys to my heart.

FINALLY… real work can begin.   

There’s a lot of renovating to be done in this house.  But it has a good solid structure and the setting offers the peace we've been longing for.   I’m ready to dig in.  I'll let you in on a little secret though - I don't think this house is the only thing being renovated.   

Join me on the journey.  A journey of renovation.

Born Again

There was a storm in Northern Lower Michigan a couple weeks ago in the area of my family’s cottage.  Can you imagine 2-3 FEET of wet snow accumulating within 2 hours??  It was said you could hear an orchestra of tree branches cracking off in the hills that surround the lake.  While up there checking things out this past weekend, a waitress told the frightening story of her 2-1/2 hour journey from the restaurant to her home…. a mere 6 miles up the road.  Branches and trees were fallen every direction you turned.  Some locals were just having their power restored.  And much to my personal dismay, two of the trees that held some of my most cherished childhood memories were cracked off, uprooted, and lying in the water.  


But then came the unexpected.  What had seemed like winter at it's very worst was replaced with  unseasonable warmth. Humidity.  Sunshine.  Spring.... a month or two early.  Destruction was replaced with growth.  Fields were blushing green.  Trees had buds just aching to unfold.  Daffodils were showing their faces.  Ferns on the forest floor were the most vivid color you could imagine.    


LIFE.


Yes... LIFE.  


New LIFE.  


In the midst of destruction.


It reminded me of a book I really enjoyed by an author I so admire.  The book is "Bittersweet" by Shauna Niequist.  Allow me to share part of the prologue:

bittersweet

"The idea of bittersweet is changing the way I live, 

unraveling and re-weaving the way I understand life. 

Bittersweet is the idea that in all things there is both

something broken and something beautiful, that there is a 

sliver of lightness on even the darkest of nights, a shadow of 

hope in every heartbreak, and that rejoicing is no less rich

when it contains a splinter of sadness.

Bittersweet is the practice of believing that we really

do need both the bitter and the sweet, and that a life of

nothing but sweetness rots both your teeth and your soul.

Bitter is what makes us strong, what forces us to push

through, what helps us earn the lines on our faces and the 

calluses on our hands.  Sweet is nice enough, but bittersweet

is beautiful, nuanced, full of depth and complexity.

Bittersweet is courageous, gutsy, earthy.

Nearly ten years ago, my friend Doug told me that the 

central image of the Christian faith is death and rebirth, that 

the core of it all, over and over again, is death and rebirth.  I'm 

sure I'd heard that before, but when he told me, for whatever

reason, I really thought about if for the first time.  And at

the time, I didn't agree."

I'm thankful Spring came early this year.  I'm not sure what April and May will bring, but for now I'm praising God at every turn... for every flower in bloom... for every drop of sweat on my brow...  every ray of warmth on my skin... every field of lush green I pass.  

I'm praising HIM for new growth after destruction.  

For rebirth after death.  

For LIFE.   

"Behold... I make all things new again".      

SING TO ME

I slept with the windows open last night.  Certainly rare for a mid-March evening.   Record setting temps allowed that special treat.

As my sleepy senses woke this morning, I heard the tree frogs singing their song.  It has to be one of the most soothing sounds in nature to me.  I can get absorbed into it.  Bask in it.  I love just lying still and listening to them... their song quiets my soul and brings my heart peace.  I beckon the sun not to rise just yet so I can listen a little longer before the day begins.


What's that I hear, though?? Oh yeah, highway noise in the distance.  Man, that's certainly loud today.  Lots of trucks on the highway this morning.  Certainly is loud.  Someone's blaring their horn.  Wheels spinning.  Mufflers blaring.  Heavy metal cutting through wind.  Seems extra loud today.  There's no peace in sound pollution.

It didn't take long - or much effort - for the paradigm to switch.  Soon all I heard was highway noise.  The frog's gentle song had faded to the background as I focused on the sound of the trucks.  The peace I felt was replaced with the sounds of chaos.  Quiet broken by noise.  Yet they were both there all the time weren't they??  Of course they were... my focus had just shifted.   When I was focused on the frog's song, I didn't even acknowledge the pollution in the background.

It's the same for me with God's voice.  At times I am SO focused on hearing Him that it overwhelms me with peace.  I want to sit and bask in His presence.  He feels so close.  So real.  But then, what's that??  The voice of the evil one begins to creep in disguised as worry, anxiety, doubt, busyness, fear... distraction.  Things he likes us to simply label as "life".  Before long, the paradigm switches and My Jesus' voice fades to the background.  My focus shifts to what the evil one wants me to focus on instead.  Peace is broken... heaviness sets in. 

I read a simple sentence in a book awhile back that stayed with me.  It said "If God feels far away... it isn't Him who moved".  I'm learning - sometimes the hard way - that HIS voice IS always there.  HE is always present.  It all depends on what I CHOOSE to focus on.  Who's voice I choose to hear. 

Zechariah 3:17 says "For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs".

Today, he delighted over me with the songs of tree frogs.

Thank you God, I love you too. 

FOLLOW

This is something I wrote in the fall of 2010.  The first thing I ever wrote actually.  So, yes, it's out of season... but still wanted to share.

I am a hunter.  Some people think hunters must not care about deer… but quite the opposite.  Hunters typically are nature lovers who have a respect for animals.  Of course, there are certain people who will shoot anything that moves and not care, but those people are “killers”… not hunters.  So, that’s why when I shot an 8-point this week and couldn’t find it… it was very upsetting to me.  Seemed like a beautiful buck wasted… at my hand.

ANYWAY… brother Jon came out to help me track (thanks, Jon!! You’re awesome…), seeing how the rest of my “home team” was out of town in one place or another.  At first, the blood was very light (typical as they bolt) and we were searching hard for each spot.  Then it became very heavy… to the point of just walking along at a good pace next to the blood trail.  At that point, our spirits became optimistic and our conversation was something like “yeah!! This is what we’re looking for!!”… but when the trail got sparse again, I was getting frustrated and Jon told me that the tracking… the search…  was his favorite part.  Me??  I want to go straight from the shot to the prize.  We kept following and the trail got heavier again… then down to just a few small spots… and then it stopped.  We stood there with our flashlights… searching intently in the dark in every possible direction for a clue as to which way the trail led.  After a long search, brother Jon said “getting kinda quiet out here…” and I told him I was very discouraged.  We had followed the blood trail for 2 hours… and then it stopped.  We couldn’t find any more blood to tell us what direction this buck had gone… so we called it a night at 10:30. 

I went back yesterday and re-walked our toilet-paper-marked-trail… looking for any pattern in the trail that would give me a clue what direction he was heading.   As I was literally down on my hands and knees looking for the next drop of blood… searching every leaf and blade of grass for any clue as to which way the blood trail led to my “prize”… a thought crossed my mind very clearly that I want to share with you.  I asked myself how often I search THIS HARD for the path God wants me on in my life.  Do I put as much effort, intensity and passion into finding God’s will as I have in finding this deer??  Do I take time periodically to look back and re-evaluate the path I’ve been on thus far??  How often do I dig into His word… pray… study… keep my ears and eyes open to where he wants to lead me to the ultimate prize of hearing Him say “well done good and faithful servant”??  Life can be like tracking deer.  Sometimes the trail is very obvious and easy to follow… and other times, it’s less clear.  At times, it may appear to have no direction whatsoever and it can be very discouraging.  But during those times, do we get down on our hands and knees before God?? Do we search desperately for any sign of which direction He wants us to take??Are we willing to walk through the briars, the thick stuff, to crawl under, over and around anything in our way to find His direction??  Do we treasure the search?? Or just want to head straight for the prize.

9 hours later, utterly exhausted, scratched up, and bruised… I never did find that deer.  Breaks my heart.  Seems like this buck’s life was wasted then… but maybe not totally after all.   God works in mysterious ways, they say… I guess it’s true.

"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