Is God's Grace Enough For You?

     I remember when I became a Christian during the song “I Surrender all”. I remember rededicating my life at Youth Camp (Falls Creek) as a teenager to the then new song “The Savior Is Waiting”. These two events in my life are the beginning milestones to my journey as a follower of Jesus Christ and they are associated with two special songs in my memory. However there is another special song associated with my first real struggle in this journey that dealt with my burden of guilt. When I was in my mid-twenties, I was consumed with guilt from a past sin. I was having a really hard time conquering it. I was blaming the things that were happening to me as punishment from God for my sin. Praise the Lord, I overcame that struggle. As I was learning to grasp the fact that Christ paid for all my sin--past, present, and future, I heard a song that turned on the light switch in my heart. It was a song I had heard before, but not really heard. It was the hymn ‘Grace Greater Than My Sin’. The title is enough. My sin can never outreach God’s grace. My sin can never be too big and His Grace will never be too small. Grace is unmerited favor, which means there is nothing I can do to earn it, deserve it, or receive it. God’s grace is not just for salvation, but for every day of my life. When we accept the burden of guilt in our life we become stuck. We cannot move forward with our walk with Christ. Not until we let go of the guilt and realize that Christ was enough to pay for every sin we commit. When we hold on to guilt we are saying that Christ wasn’t enough to pay for it. If you have any guilt, I encourage you to let go of it. The burden is too great to carry and you don’t have to. Living without it is such a relief and a blessing. Let the following words minister to your soul as you pray over the words.


Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
Grace, Grace, God’s Grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace. Grace, God’s Grace
Grace that is greater than all our sins.
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything me have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace (it would be meaningless).

Romans 11:6 (Amplified)

God Wants to Care for You!

     There are times in life that I don’t see or feel connected to my husband. This usually happens due to three reasons. One reason is we find ourselves coming and going with crazy schedules. Weeks can go by were we are gone every night after working every day. We see each other in the car or at the activity but we are too busy to spend time connecting. Then there are times when we just don’t want to deal with an issue so we avoid each other until we are ready to wade through it. Lastly, there are times we are separated due to travel and our schedules do not allow us to communicate other than a quick ‘hello’. After a time of disconnect, I find myself missing him. I want to be with him, cuddle with him, connect with him, and focus on him.

     We treat our relationship with Jesus the same way. We can get so busy doing we really do not connect with Him, even when we are busy doing ministry or church. Though we are at church (serving, learning, worshipping, and fellowshipping) we can avoid having an intimate communication with Jesus. Many times we don’t want to hear what we know He is trying to tell us so we ignore Him. Sometimes our quilt keeps us from being real with Jesus. Other times, we aren’t in church or around the body and we can start to feel separated from the body and from Him. We often think a quick ‘hello’ with Jesus is enough to make Him happy.
     Let me tell you it is not! He wants to consume our life. He wants us to have intimate conversations and to have an intimate relationship. People who are not Christians say their quick ‘hello’’ to Him but they do not have a relationship with Him.
     How is your time with Jesus? Isn’t it time to connect? Isn’t it time to cuddle up with Jesus and hear what He wants to tell you? He longs for you! Don’t keep Him waiting.

“Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murder of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me.

Matthew 23:37

God Is Faithful

As you know my daughter Brittne has endured a few testing months.  However, she has let God carry you in an amazing way.  I wanted to share her words with you.  Enjoy!

     There are countless words I could use to describe this past month but I choose to use sum it up using the word faithful. It’s a word we associate with God because we know it to be true yet it’s a word that we are consistently learning the true definition of. Maybe we are constantly learning of His faithfulness because we are constantly forgetting it. All I know is that God is faithful and He has proved that to me in several ways this past month. Allow me to share.

     First of all God is faithful in the work He is doing in Pamplona. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Our work in Pamplona is not for nothing. God is moving in the hearts of some of the women there. It seems as though each week we are able to sit down and read the bible with women more consistently than the week before. They are hungry and they are searching. Some are searching to deepen their relationship and others searching how to begin that relationship. For example, Nila has been a believer since a young girl but has drifted from God. Seeing her recent desire to study the Word every time we come to her house has been astounding. In the beginning she always put us off but after we shared with her the parable of the farmer scattering the seed (Luke 8) and how in order to grow we must water our root to make it strong, we have seen a strong desire in her to make her root strong. Not only is she soaking in the Word but she is sharing it with her neighbors. Another example is a woman named Celia. She is not a believer but has quickly become one of the women we are closest to due to her hospitality for us. The fact that she recognizes she has not yet accepted Christ in her life but needs Him tells me it is only a matter of time. Another woman named Yolanda has had a rough life. Several times that we have visited with her she has been led to tears as she pours out her heart to us. She desires to change her life and have her sins erased. I believe she is on the verge of professing Christ as her Savior. Praise God for taking us to Pamplona to share with them what they hungering for. Soon, very soon, I trust we will see several women come to profess Him as their Savior and when that day comes there will be a party in heaven and amongst us. God is faithful in producing fruit from our labor.

     Pamplona is about an hour bus ride from my house, sometimes more. Some days I spend a total of 3 hours traveling back and forth from Pamplona. Three hours that could be used spending time with the people and not traveling. Let me preface all of this by saying that it has been incredibly difficult for me to share “half” of my life with these people. Sharing my life with them throughout the day but then when night comes I return to my fancy apartment (“fancy” in comparison), take a shower, use the internet, cook dinner, wash my dishes in an actual sink with running water and then turn on my fan to feel a breeze as I crawl into my bed that in many places would sleep four children. I am not saying anything is wrong with the small blessings that God gives us although most of us take them for granted. The issue for me is that because I have been called to minister to these people I want to share my life with them, not just part of it. Pamplona is by no means the safest, cleanest and easiest place to live and I did not want to be a burden on a family who already struggles to survive nor could I claim land and build my own “shanty”. This led to the question “How will this work?” Within a day of fervently praying for this, a sister-in-Christ who lives alone with her daughter opened her home to me. She would not see me as a burden to come into her home (which is the size of the bedroom I am living in now) but she would see it as a “blessing”. At the end of this month I will be moving to Pamplona. God is faithful.
    My life took an unexpected turn this past month. This personal issue that took place could have easily destroyed me. Satan could have attacked me in a countless number of ways. He could have devoured my heart, my mind and my ministry. At one point I even questioned giving up and coming home. But what Satan could have used for his “good”, God used for His. God’s faithfulness throughout this past month has been beyond anything I ever could have imagined. Why? Because I don’t think any of us realize or give credit for just how big God is and sometimes it takes trials for Him to show us and/or remind of that. No matter what life throws at us Psalms 73:23-26 tells us “I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destination. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on this earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” God has reminded me He is all I need. He is enough. I am His child and He will work all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28) which is already playing itself out. Praise God for His faithfulness during the storms and that when we are weak He is strong.
    We never know what today is going to bring. Our plans don’t always come together as we hope. Life brings us trials and what we see as “detours”. I don’t claim to have it all figured out (God knows there is so much for me to learn) but the one and only thing that I find to be true and eternal is the love and faithfulness of God. When we trust in Him and His faithfulness, His peace will guard our hearts and minds as well as exceed anything we can understand (Philippians 4:7).

Resurrect Your Life

     Today is Good Friday. I really hate calling it Good Friday when today is the day that our Savior died because of our sins. I guess the good part comes from it being a good thing that our sins we paid for because of His death. We spend a lot of time during Easter considering the cross. However, let us never forget the importance of the resurrections. Though He had to live a perfect life to be able to pay for our sins, and though it was Him dying on the cross that paid for our sin, it is the resurrection that proves that through His perfect life and His sacrificial death He was enough! If He had sinned once, he would not be able to pay for our sins and He would not have risen from the dead. If He had not stayed on the cross to let men abuse and kill Him, we would not have any other way to God but to be perfect our self and we know there is no way to pull that off.
     The resurrection shows us that we have a new life through Jesus. Have you let Jesus resurrect the hurt, the sin, the apathy, etc. in your life? He wants to give you a new life. The best thing you can do this Easter is to start a new whole life in Christ? What will that take for you? Are you ready to do it considering all Jesus did for you?

I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

Philippians 3:10

Day Mourning

     One thing that always overwhelms me is how fast life can change in a day! I have known spouses who thought they were happily married one day; and the next day find out their spouse is leaving them for someone else. I have known parents, who enjoyed life with a child one day; and the next day endures the loss of the child by accidental death or suicide. I have known people who thought they were healthy one day; and the next day find out they have cancer. I have known couples who are enjoying one another one day; and the next day one unexpectedly had a heart attack and dies. And I will also never forget the story of the Biggest Loser contestant from last season. She had a beautiful family one day, and the next day; her husband, 3 month old baby, and 3 year old girl were killed in a car wreck a mile from home. One day can make a huge difference in one's life.
     Thousands of years ago, 12 disciples and followers of Jesus from Nazareth, had their Lord, Master, Teacher, Savior, and King with them one day; and the next day He lay dead in a tomb. Everything they had, everything they had put their hope and trust in was gone. They were devastated! What were they to do now?
We often are hard on these followers. Why were they so distraught? Why didn’t they know He would rise in a few days? Really stop and ponder how you would feel. What if you awoke today and found out that Jesus is not returning to get His people, nor is there a Heaven? Wouldn’t you be numb! Wouldn’t you start processing all you had learned; trying to figure out how you misinterpreted things? Maybe after some time, you would conclude that things don’t match up. That what you were seeing or hearing can’t be true, but it would take time to let the shock wear off and the processing to occur. We need to remember that these followers did not have the rest of the story like we do. We often overlook the Saturday of the holy week. It was a day of mourning for those who were there. We remember the crucifixion and we celebrate the resurrection, but the day in between, we seldom think of. We focus on Sunday, the day He is raised from the dead and is alive! But for the followers, they couldn’t see past their Saturday; past their mourning.
     We do the same thing many times when we are enduring a crisis. The crisis hits and we mourn. We don’t see the end result, we can’t see past our mourning. Though Scripture tells us that God will provide, that He heals, and that He causes bad to become good; our mourning keeps us to wrapped up in our hurt to see past it!
     Thank God for Sunday! The mourning is turned into dancing! Sorrow turned into joy! Their lives weren’t over, they had only now begun! What mourning are you not seeing past? Trust God for Sunday! When we celebrate the resurrection of Christ tomorrow, it is the joy of our salvation! Without the resurrection, we would have no opportunity to have eternal life with Jesus! Celebrate how God has resurrected your hurt and your mourning. Remember how He proved Himself faithful and His Word true after those days of doubt and wondering in your life. Because He is alive, He has made us alive! We have been delivered from spiritual death! Throughout your Easter Day, keep telling yourself, “I am now alive!” and celebrate that life!

You did it: you changed wild lament into swirling dance; You ripped of my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers.  I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you.  God, my God, I can't thank you enough.

Psalm 30: 11-12

     Easter is a time we focus on the sacrifice Jesus paid on the cross. It is amazing to think of the pain and suffering Jesus went through for me! I want to cringe at the idea of the nails going into his wrist and feet. The pain is unimaginable for me. That Jesus endured this horrendous act demonstrates His love for each of us. After all, He could have called Himself up and never experience the cross. It was love that led Him to the cross and it was love that kept Him on the cross! It was not the nails that kept Him there: it was nothing but His love for us. Man thought they had to nail Him to keep him hanging but He could have gotten off that cross at anytime. He chose to stay.

      Spend time today focusing on the crucifixion love that Jesus showed for you! It should knock you straight to your knees in humbleness, thankfulness, and gratefulness.

But first he must suffer many things and be disapproved and repudiated

and rejected by this age and generation.

 Luke 17:25

Unconditional Praise

     Sunday was Palm Sunday. It was the day that Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. He was met with a massive crowd that waved palm branches and proclaimed praise to their new king. Palm branches were something that was done to honor the kings. The people publically announced their exhortation of Jesus. They expected him to become their ruling king and they wanted to show their support. However, those feeling quickly faded when they realized He was not going to show His power like they wanted. Their cheers turned to scorn. They did not get that He was about eternal needs not about their present wants.
     How many times do we criticize these so called followers of Christ? Do we act any different? Do we praise the Lord publically but when He doesn’t perform for us the way we want, we complain. Our praises fade!
     Do you give Jesus your unconditional praise? If you do then wave you palm branch loudly and publically and proclaim to this world the glory of our Lord and Savior.

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed in the king of Israel”

John 12:13

Enjoy the Sunrise!

     Every morning I sleep as late as possible. The light coming through my West windows wakes me from my deep sleep and I stagger out of bed. I get dressed, put my make-up on, gather my things, kiss my husband goodbye and try to make it to my car by 7:00 so I can hear the chapters for the day from the book that is currently being read from the Audio Book channel on my satellite radio. I start my 45 minute drive by heading west. This morning I had a ‘light bulb’ moment. As I was pulling onto the highway, I looked to my left to see if there was any traffic approaching. When I did, I saw a beautiful and amazingly pink and purple sunrise! Then it hit me. I never look to the East in the mornings. There are no East facing windows in the rooms I get ready in. I do not drive Eastward in the mornings. As a result, I miss the beauty and grandeur of morning sunrises.

     Some people make an effort to get up early, drink a cup of coffee, and enjoy the sunrise. I have never been one who is willing to give up my sleep for the enjoyment of nature. However, when I had a glimpse of the sky this morning, I regretted that decision. Though I reap the benefit of sunlight each day; I am missing the awe, the enjoyment, and the wonder of the appearance of that light.
     It made me think of the relationship between Jesus and his children. Many people walk in the light of Christ each day. They are aware of the light of this world. However, they do not want to sacrifice to experience His awe, His joy, and His wonder! They are missing the beauty of their Christian walk because though they know He is present in their life, they do not look His way. Their focus is the opposite direction and they do not take time to gaze in amazement at His beauty.
   Are you enjoying the spiritual sunrise of our Lord?

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

Romans 15:18

What Drives You Crazy?

     Last week, I talked about how God speaks to me through a sign over the highway on the way to work each morning. Also, He has been giving me a message through a song. Every morning, I hear the new song “This is the Stuff”. At first I loved it because I felt it was written for me. The first few lines are, “I’ve lost my keys in the great unknown, please call me cause I have lost my phone, this is the stuff that drives me crazy!” Those are words I say everyday! It is my life. I started leaving my keys in my office door so I can find them when it is time for me to leave. I still hunt for them because I forget that I am leaving them in my door! I can’t count the times God has had to help me find my things. It is the part of my life that does drive me CRAZY!!!

     However, it is the words that come next in the song that God is using to change my attitude about the things that drive me crazy. The phrase is, “In my littleness I forget how big I am blessed!” Too many times I focus on my littleness; my blunders, my mistakes, my stress, my problems, etc. Too many times I don’t focus on how much I am blessed and how big God is. Why do I let myself go crazy over car keys instead of realizing how minor these things are in the big purpose of life?
     What drives you crazy? Are you focusing on your littleness or are you focusing on how big your blessed and how big God is? If anything drives us crazy let it be the Greatness of God!

I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.

Psalm 145:2-3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqqdA8LHN7I

Let the Light Shine!

     I got to catch up with some of my CSI shows this weekend. One thing I think is interesting is how they always use little lights to scope out a crime scene. It doesn’t matter if it in the daylight, inside, or at night; the little light reveals the smallest clues like fingerprints, buttons, hair, or threads. Today, I got to use a little CSI light. I was crawled on the floor with my little CSI light to look for some sunglasses that a friend dropped in a hole in the floor of the sound booth at church. Playing with the light fascinated me. I not only found the sunglasses but I saw all the dirt on the floor, on my keyboard, and on the counters. This little light revealed things that my eyes would not usually focus on.

     Jesus is the light of the world. I have always considered that light to be as a flood light; illuminating everything in it presence. However, in my personal life, Jesus works like a little CSI light. He focuses on the things in my life that I usually do not see. His light of perfection reveals the dirt in my life no matter how tiny it is. When I get proud of my clean life there comes the little light showing me that I am so far from righteous. His light keeps me dependent on Him because it is and never will be about me and my righteousness it is all about Him and His righteousness.
     To surrender to Jesus, is letting Him shine His light on you and letting every little speck be revealed. Do you want the light on Christ on your life?

Keep your life well-lighted as your best-lighted room.

Luke 11:36

Focus!

     Each morning this week as I drive to work, I pass one of those new electron signs that cross over the road; the ones that run the Amber alert and traffic issues. I rarely pay too much attention to them but this week it has had an interesting message. It says, “Set aside distractions!” I know they are talking about driving and cell phones but it felt like a sign from God. Every morning it feels that God is blinking the sign at me telling me to set aside all things that are distracting my focus off of him. I wish I had my private electronic sign that God could send messages to me like this all the time. Not sure I would always like them but they are thinks I need to hear.

     Do you need to set aside distractions? What is distracting you? Is it work, family, relationships, finances, stress, busyness, a never ending to do list, hobbies, church work, or an unsettled mind. Whatever it is let me challenge you as God has challenged me, set aside your distractions and focus on Him!

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, who is the Leader and the Source of our faith and is also its Finisher. He, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 (Amplified)

Does Your Life Need Order

     The reason I had to work in my flower beds last weekend was due to the fact that nothing was in order. Over the last few years all of my perennials grew. Some were crowded. Some had grown out of control. Some were in the shade and needed sun and some were in the sun and needed shade. There were a few ugly bushes I had held on to for too long but wanted to wait to eliminate them until the other plants grew more. So, roots of the bushes were so deep that we had to put a chain on each of them and use the truck to pull them out of the ground. The peonies got moved to more sunlight, the hydrangea got moved to more shade, and the out of control knock out rose bush got cut way down to keep in better control.
     While I was moving the plants, I realized that life is like the flower bed. At times the order of it needs to be reevaluated. Some things need to be cut back because they have become totally out of control. Some things need more attention, some things need less, and some things just need to be pulled out by the roots.
     How is your garden of life? How long has it been since you stepped back and evaluated your life? Is there things you need to eliminate? Are there things that need more attention? Are there things that are out of control and need to be cut back on? An out of control life cannot enjoy the blessings of God to the fullest. If you need help figuring out how to rearrange your life; just ask God to show you. Let his Word be your blueprint.

By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order. Everything’s falling apart on me, God; put me together again with your Word.

Psalm 119:105-107

Avoid Danger

     This week I spent time doing something that has become a threat to my health. It is something I don’t love doing but I have to do every Spring. I had to clean out my flower bed. I don’t know if you all remember but a little over a year ago I had a severe allergic reaction to what we believe was Virgina Creeper. My face swelled and my eyes were almost impossible to open. I got blisters that moved across my body for six weeks. My body reacted to the strong steroids I had to take and I ended up taking high blood pressure medicine and anti depressants to counteract the steroids. I was told that if I get into Virginia Creeper again, my reaction will be severe even possible hospitalization. As I type this out, I think to myself, “Why do you keep risking it?” I only know that when my flower beds are overtaken with neglect and the weeds and plants are out of control, I can’t take it and enter the danger zone. However, for the first time I entered with care. I wore long sleeve and gloves. I showered immediately after I finished and lathered up my body with my steroid cream. I am happy to report that I haven’t experienced an explosive reaction.

     Do you know the things that can attack you spiritually? Do you know those things that can threaten your spiritual health? What do you do to protect yourself or do you protect yourself? Whatever your strongholds are they will grow in strength when they are not kept under control. You need to avoid the temptations that trip you up. Memorize scripture to help you stand. Cloth yourself with the armor of God and cover yourself with the Holy Spirit.
     It is better to avoid the dangers of sin that to deal with their effects.

I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil so I can spend all my time keeping your Word.

Psalm 119:101

Love Spring!

     It seems like Spring has sprung all around us. Though it is cold outside this week the grass is turning green and the flowers are budding. My tulips are budding and I am excited to see my blooms. Spring is a sign of encouragement to us. It tells us that the hard, cold, barren winter is coming to a close and new life is in the air. Spring is a time of new things. New green grass, new buds on the trees, and new flower blossoms. We enjoy the sunshine and warmth when we get it and we breathe it all in. A new beginning is in the air

     Not only do I love the season of Spring, I love Spring in the ‘Seasons of Life’. After we experience a Winter of trials and testing’s, or hurt and loneliness; Spring brings us encouragement. It is a time of new beginnings. A time we experience the warmth of the Son and the nourishment of the Living Water! It is a time when we enter into fellowship with others after being cooped up in our season of winter.
     I am thankful that life is full of Seasons both physically and spiritually. Everything has its season. What season are you in?

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 4