The Bridal Shop

My daughter and I went shopping today for her prom dress. What a fun afternoon that was! I love to shop with her and this was such a special occasion to shop for. Kate is a senior, so her last prom. We have done many "lasts" this year. As the school year winds down, one of those lasts is the big night of prom.

The first place we started for the perfect dress was a bridal shop (how things have changed since I was shopping for a prom dress)! :) The electricity in the atmosphere of a bridal shop is contagious. Girls looking for the dress for her wedding day...mothers and daughters and friends and sisters...I was excited for everyone in the place! I complimented the girls, who were gazing into the large mirrors, looking to see how the dress looked from the front, back, and side view. How's the neckline? What about the color? Too white, not white enough? Too much lace? Not enough lace? Camera phones were snapping pictures all over this open platform, mirrored area! How beautiful they looked. Dress after dress filled the fitting room area, which is out in the open for all to behold.

Just then, all the moms & daughters & sisters & friends turned their gaze to a flower girl, who was dressed in the most adorable princess dress. She flowed as she walked, with the "poofy" bodice of the dress and the glitter that shone in the light. This little one (around 6 years old) walked to the mirror with total confidence of who she was and how beautiful she looked. Her mother informed me that she was a "pro"~ she has done this once before! :) She walked past me and I said "Every girl needs a princess dress like that." Her mom smiled and said, "Oh yes". I was immediately thinking of how Jesus was seeing that little one...interceding on her behalf before the Father, that she would always know herself as His bride, His princess.

There were several young men in this area, waiting to see the dresses of their brides. They looked a little awkward, but smiles were on their faces....waiting to see...or maybe not even to see, but to anticipate which dress his bride may have chosen. I did think & actually say out loud, "I think this is the happiest place in this city"! I could have stayed there all day, admiring all the beautiful girls, who were planning for the most important day of all their lives. What else did they have on the list for today? Invitations, bridesmaid dresses, flowers, etc....all the details of planning a wedding.

So, I asked myself while I waited for my daughter to emerge from the fitting room:
"How am I planning for my wedding day~ the wedding supper of the Lamb?"
"Would others see the beauty of anticipation in my eyes?"
"Am I being prepared for my wedding day?"
"Do I realize how much my groom (the Messiah, Jesus) loves me?"
"Am I happy as a bride?"

I am so thankful for this experience today at the bridal shop. It has spurred in me a joy & excitement & anticipation for my wedding day...."Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready." Revelation 19:7

Kate chose a gorgeous dress to wear to her senior prom. We may be having many "lasts" this year, but so many more "firsts" are to come!

The Sunshine Country

The Sunshine Country~ The title of a story found in Jon's reading text book a couple weeks ago. From reading the title, Jon and I concluded that this story was either about a country that had much sunshine :) or it was about heaven (the place we will go that will have the brightest sun possible--Jesus Christ himself)! We began to read the story and didn't need to read to far to discover that this title was referring to heaven, the sunshine country. Revelation 21:23 says, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."

As the story goes, a boy hears of a country called the "sunshine Country" where the sun never, never went down. The boy goes in search of this country~ which he believes is over the range of mountains near his home. He climbs higher and higher up the mountain, arrives at the top and looks down into a beautiful valley enclosed by mountains on all sides and flooded with May sunshine. As he begins to climb downward into the valley, he comes across a little cave dwelling. He enters it, needing some rest and shade and when he goes inside, he sees a little table with a book sitting upon it. Opening it, the boy read the words that were written on the first page:

"Whoever you are~ you who take this sacred volume in your hand~ read it with perseverance and attention, line after line. It shall teach you the Way that leads from this vale of tears to the country where there is no night and where the sun never goes down, the land of light and happiness eternal."

The young boy returns to this little cave week after week to read the words of this sacred volume. When he is away from the cave these words repeat in his head, "Line by line." And you can figure out the ending....he gives his life to the Lord Jesus and surrenders all to Him, obeying Him, longing to be in the sunshine country.

May we hear the Word, read it for ourselves with perseverance and attention, line after line, obey it that we may long to be in the sunshine country with our Glorious, Magnificent, Perfect, Lamb of God, who is the light!

Silent, Still, Surrendered

Revelation 1 describes the beauty and majesty of Jesus. He is dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet (the dress of a high priest) with a golden sash around his chest (the dress of a King). His head and hair white like wool (wisdom, eternity), his eyes like blazing fire (all seeing, all consuming, refining). His feet like bronze glowing in a furnace (he will return in judgment) and his voice like the sound of rushing water (commands authority, drowns out all other voices). He holds the pastors & leaders in His right hand (protection & sustaining power) and out of his mouth is a double-edged sword (the Word of God). His face like the sun shining in all its brilliance (He is light). When John turns to see the voice who was speaking to him, the Word reads, "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his hand on me and said..." (Revelation 1:17)

John turns and fell at Jesus' feet, as though dead. What are characteristics of a dead man? Silent, still, surrendered. These words have been a revelation to me this week. To be silent, still and surrendered to Jesus Christ.

• Silent~ no argueing, no justifying, no whining or complaining, no asking, no speaking, quiet
• Still ~ not moving, quiet, without movement
• Surrendered ~ Your will, not mine; Your way, not mine; All for Your glory, body & mind given to you; handed over to You; submitted to You; yielded to You

This week I wrote those 3 words in permanent marker on my hand....to remind myself that I was one who desired to live silent, still and surrendered to Jesus. I made the decision to be silent with my mouth, so does no voice=silence? Not this week. My mind went talking for me! I had many thoughts & ideas & words rambling through my mind. What a lesson the Lord taught me through my vocal silence.....it is not only my voice that needed to be silent before Him. I had to practice quieting my mind (the place of the attitudes, will & emotions). My mind had to be commanded to be silent, still and surrendered to the Lord. I need to be a "like a dead man" inside & out, so that I can feel Jesus place his right hand on me and speak....

Mission Possible

I have to admit it~ I love goals/resolutions/writing a mission statement. I know there aren't many of us who thrive on it, but I do! Each year (over Christmas vacation), my husband & I grab the kids and begin to discuss what each persons' goals are for the next year. We have been writing a "mission statement" and goal setting as a family for 10+ years now. At this stage in the game, my kids are armed & ready with their goals for the following year...and as they get older, the goals are more thought-provoking and life-changing. For example: My middle child (Katelyn) is graduating from high school this year, so one of her goals this year is to press into the Lord to see what He has for her next fall. (She feels that she has heard from Him in this area, but she is going to continue to listen to her Shepherd's voice.) My oldest child (Lindsay) has a goal "seeking what the Lord has next for her--the next season He may have her walk into". (Of course my prayer in this goal of Lindsay's would be that God would provide a loving man to be her husband & best friend.) Then our youngest child (Jonathan, who is 11 years old) has set a goal to get faster in swimming (he wants to keep taking seconds off his times) and to "eat the scroll" (a term from the book of Ezekiel)--to get into the Word of God & meditate & memorize it. It is a joy to watch God work in my children as they seek Him for goals for the following year.

As we approach each year, my husband & I begin asking the Lord to give us a statement or scripture to guide our life for that year. This year (2009), God gave me the words "Do the right thing". I first heard those words in a commercial on tv in November 2008. I didn't pay much attention to it, but then in the next week, I heard the same words four different times. That got may attention. So I began asking the Lord, "Is this what you have for us in 2009--to do the right thing." I discussed it with Greg (my hubby) and we prayed into it. Nothing else was taking the place of those words, so that became our Mission Statement for 2009~"Do the right thing". I place the mission statement on our fridge with everyone's goals. We can be reminded daily of the mission and our individual goals--it serves as our "focus" for the year.


Think of a puzzle. If you put all the pieces of a puzzle on the table and begin to put the pieces together, it is helpful to have the picture of the finished product in front of you, so you know where to put all the pieces. If you didn't have the picture, it would make the puzzle a lot more difficult to put together--if you don't even know what it is suppose to be! We did this experiment during the "Mission Possible" night. Women gathered to write a mission statement and set goals for the new year and celebrate what God did in 2008! We divided into groups; some groups had a puzzle in the box, so they could see the picture. Others got the puzzle pieces in a lunch sack. They had to try to figure out what the picture was suppose to be....I explained how this activity is much like living life without the direction/guidance of goals or a mission statement. It helps to keep life focused. Even with a mission statement, there are times during the year where I am totally off! But, the mission brings me back in check. The goal when writing a mission statement is this: stay on course 80% of the time!


As you begin to think through some goals for this new year or if you want to write a mission statement, I have a ten tips:
1) Get alone with God~ sit before Him quietly; thanking Him for all His faithfulness in the previous year; ask Him what He might have for you in the new year
2) Ask the Lord to make a statement or scripture or idea jump off the page or stand out among all others or repeat it over and over
3) Be realistic. Don't write your "dreams for life" in the mission for the year. Make this year a stepping stone to fulfilling those dreams that God has placed in your heart.
4) The goal for 2009~ stay on course 80% of the time
5) You may need to change your goals as the year goes on; stay flexible
6) Write out your mission statement and keep it in a prominent place where you will see it daily
7) Don't have too many goals. 2-3 realistic goals are great! You may want to have a goal in 3 different areas of your life or you may want to focus on 1 area this year. (Work, relationships, physical body, spiritual life, heart--mind/will/emotions)
8) This exercise is not for everyone! Achievers will love it! Spontaneous people will not!
9) The reason for mission statements and goal setting (according to me): "Be very careful then, how you live~ not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16)
10) Have fun with it!

Women's Retreat

We never got this put up on the blog (I suppose it just never occurred to us), but here is a short slideshow from the Women's Retreat we went this last September.

The theme of the retreat was "Come Away With Me" and I think all who went would agree that it was a sweet time of doing that with the Lord!

A Healthy Heart: Part 3

In order to have a healthy heart in this new year, we need to ask ourselves a couple of questions: 1) Do I see any warning signs of an unhealthy heart? For example: pride,anger,bitterness,selfishness,sin,distracted with the things of the world, greed, a spiritual deadness, jealousy, desire to please the flesh--these are all "flesh woman" characteristics. 2) Am I ready to change my "heart condition"?

Part 2 shared the diet changes that are required for a healthy heart. Today, I will share the importance of exercise & stress reduction. This is as crucial for physical heart changes as spiritual heart changes. I Timothy 4:7b-8 says, "...train yourselves to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding the promise for both the present life and the life to come." We need to train ourselves to be godly--this is a discipline. Here are some inner exercises (or disciplines) that will begin our journey of a healthy heart:

1) Sabbath Keeping~ it is important that we take the Sabbath seriously. God instilled a day that we worship Him and not do any work...it is a day of rest. Rest is good for the soul! We are a culture that does not rest well.

2) Obedience~ Obey God's Word! Read Psalm 119 and hear the love of the law that the psalmist writes about. God has your best in mind. "His boundaries lie in pleasant places." (Ps. 16:6)

3) Confession~ Examine your conscience daily. Invite God to move upon your heart and show any areas that need His forgiveness and healing (there are 2 main categories of sin: sins of the heart and sins of the flesh)
*Sins of the heart--pride, arrogance, fear, anger, bitterness, etc.
*Sins of the flesh--laziness, overeating, adultery, overspending, etc.
Confession brings relief, freedom, joy and peace!

4) Meditating on the Word~ This is a time of reflection on a portion of scripture; maybe just one verse. Chew on the Word!

5) Worship~ A focused time on Jesus; to adore Him; to pour your love over Him. Develop a habit of worship...in the car, while your doing chores around the house, when kids are napping...Jesus will fill you to overflowing and pour His love over you as you minister to Him!

6) Prayer~ "To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us," (David Foster). Prayer is a conversation, which means there is talking and LISTENING. We do much too much talking. Spend some time with a "prayer journal" & listen to what God is saying to you. Worship first, so your mind is clear of the clutter of the world. Then be still and hear what God is saying to you. Train your ear to hear His quiet voice.


Six disciplines or inner exercises that will transform your soul, which will bring health to your heart. Keep diligent in these matters and a desire will follow. What you feed on, you will crave. So begin feeding on the disciplines of the heart and you will begin to crave them. God's Word is alive and active and will transform you from the inside out. You will be amazed at the healthy heart that the Lord will develop in you~ what is on the inside of us, eventually is produced on the outside. Others will see the change in you too! What a great year it will be as you apply the diet changes, and exercise to reduce stress inwardly~ to have a healthy spiritual heart~ refreshed & renewed in 2009!

Sanctuary - Kari Jobe

A Healthy Heart -- Part 2

DIET CHANGES:

The soul (our mind, will & emotions) operates as a computer. It needs to be reprogrammed in order to be spiritually fit! This post will be about the "new diet plan" that we need for our soul, in order to keep our spirit-man (heart) healthy.

The old computer runs tapes that spin round and round in our mind. These tapes are controlled by the FLESH (Following Long Established Selfish Habits). Paul tells us, in the New Testament that we need to crucify the flesh. Flesh should not reign any longer. But we have lived so long following the FLESH and gratifying the selfish desires of the flesh, that there is work to be done in the diet. We need to STARVE the flesh! Where are you? Take this flesh test (from the book, Having a Mary Spirit by JoAnna Weaver):

1. A prideful spirit~ Do you have an exalted feeling because of success or
Position, good training or appearance, or natural gifts & abilities? An
Independent spirit?
2. A love of praise~Do you like to be noticed? Do you draw attention to
Yourself in conversation? Do you like to hear you are good at
Something?
3. A touchy temper~Do you have a touchy spirit? Do you throw sharp
Words at others? Do you make excuses for your impatience or
Irritability?
4. A willful attitude~Do you show a stubborn, unteachable heart? Do you
Like to argue? Are you harsh? Demanding? Driving? Headstrong? Do
You tend to criticize?
5. A fearful heart~Does fear of what others think control what you do or
Say?
6. A jealous heart~Do you hide envy in your heart? When someone is
More talented than you, are you tempted to speak of his faults rather
Than his virtues?
7. A dishonest disposition~Do you evade or cover up the truth? Do you
Minimize your real faults and attempt to leave a better impression of
Yourself than is really true? Do you show one face to one person & the
Opposite to another person?
8. A wandering eye~Do you entertain lustful stirrings? Do you dwell on
Romantic fantasies?
9. A spiritual deadness~Are you complacent about the lost? Is your
Relationship with God characterized by indifference? Does your life
Lack spiritual power? Do you regularly meet with God?
10. A love of self~Do you cater to your fleshly appetites & desires? Does
Your joy in life fluctuate around your personal interests & contentment?
Do you yearn for money and earthly possessions?

We all struggle with the flesh. Galations 5:16 says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." And Romans 8:4 tells us, "Walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." We have a choice. Walk by the Spirit and His Spirit will change and transform us from the inside out. Any of us can, for a little while, make some behavior changes. God is looking for heart change and when it is heart change, it is Christ doing it in me.

The re-programmed computer of the heart is one which is controlled by the SPIRIT (Spirit-Producing Inside~ Renewed Intentions & Thoughts). The more we surrender ourselves to Jesus, the more we are transformed into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18). And we know with confidence, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6). As you look at the "Flesh test" questions, commit to live out the opposite. :)

Diet changes for a physical heart include: watching cholestrol, sodium levels, saying "no" to certain foods (not feeding the flesh)! Change is hard and a new habit takes awhile to develop. But the longer you remain faithful to the changes, the easier it is. Spiritually, "flesh woman" had gone unchallenged for MANY years, so it will take time to begin new routines and new patterns of thoughts and behaviors~ getting your flesh under the Spirit's control. We begin by STARVING THE FLESH! How do we feed the Spirit and starve the flesh?

1) Get in God's Word~ renew your soul with God's Word. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart." In 2009, make a "diet change" to be in the Word daily.

• Ask God to increase your spiritual appetite. Ask the Lord to give you "hunger pains" for HIM! "Hunger is what causes us to empty ourselves of compromise and creates a holy dissatisfaction that drives us to our knees and makes us depend on God." Rhonda Hughey (Desperate For His Presence)

2) Memorize & Meditate & Chew on God's Word~ The challenge from Mike Bickle at the One Thing Conference this year is "EAT THE SCROLL". I love that! I have been "chewing" on the Word for many years now. So, it is time to eat the scroll. Dig deep, looking for the treasures in the Word.

3) Take every thought captive~ This takes practice. When you catch yourself thinking something that is not true about you or someone else:

• RECOGNIZE it as untruth
• REFUSE to accept the thought as your own
• REPLACE it with what is true

4) WRITE OUT A CONFESSIONS LIST~ Statements from God's Word that are true about who you are in Christ. Use a notebook and record the verses. Read them over and over as a way to transform your heart. Make the verses personal declarations of the reality of who you are as a daughter of the King! Example: "I have the mind of Christ." 2 Corinthians 2:16

5) CLOTHE YOURSELF~ with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, forgiveness (Colossians 3:10,12-14). Deny "flesh woman" of her rights! Respond in the opposite spirit as you naturally would. Keep doing it until the feelings follow!!!!!

As you begin feeding on the Spirit, you will become transformed and conformed into the image of Christ~releasing the flow of His life through you.

Holy Spirit, have Your way in us; that we would die to ourselves and allow Your life-giving Spirit to reign in us. Change us, transform us, shape us and mold us to live a life that pleases our Father in heaven.

Next post: A Healthy Heart Part 3 (Exercise and stress reduction)! Who doesn't need that?

A Heart Healthy 2009

A Heart Healthy 2009: Part 1

A new year means new resolutions to be healthier. That is on the top of most "resolution lists" for any new year. What about a spiritually healthier 2009? In order to be spiritually fit, the heart needs a makeover. Physically, we know that the arteries carry blood from the heart to the whole body. As long as the heart is able to receive the blood and send it along, our physical life continues on. Physical blockage will stop the flow of blood that brings life to the whole body. There are usually warning signs that occur in the body--telling you something is wrong. Some of these signs are: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pain in the chest or arm, difficulty breathing when performing simple tasks. When those signs are experienced, a doctor will prescribe medicine, a diet & exercise regimen, stress reduction plan, or even heart surgery to correct the problem. Without intervention, the result could be a loss of life.

There is a spiritual principle here. Our heart, our inner man is renewed & made right with God the moment we trust Jesus to be our Savior & Lord. This is our spirit-man. However, the soul, the place of our mind, will, emotions needs to be renewed. Our spirit man can be affected by the soul, when their is a spiritual blockage. The streams of living water (like the blood) carry life to the rest of the body. When there is blockage spiritually, the life of Christ is stopped from flowing freely. Sometimes we have lived with the blockage for so long that we don't even recognize there is a problem. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Watch over your heart with all diligence; for from it flow the springs of life," (New American Standard version). To watch over means to "protect or stand guard". How well have you protected your heart? Do you stand guard to keep your mind, will and emotions protected from the signs of corruption? Leading up to verse 23 in Proverbs, we see the key to keeping our heart guarded. Verses 20-22 says, "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their whole body." To keep the heart guarded, we need to keep God's Word within the heart. That is the gate keeper. If something enters the heart that doesn't line up with what God says, then it will produce corruption in my spiritual body. The Truth of God's Words bring life and health to the whole body!

So, how do you know if your heart is healthy or if it is sickly? Take a heart check from the characteristics I have listed of a healthy heart. A healthy heart is:

• Prepared to seek God (Exra 7:10)
• Fixed on God (Psalm 112:7)
• Joyful in God (I Samuel 2:1)
• Pure (Psalms 24:4)
• Tender (2 Kings 22:19)
• Single and sincere (Acts 2:46)
• Honest and good (Luke 8:15)
• Broken and contrite (Psalm 51:17)
• Obedient (Psalm 119:112)
• Filled with the law of God (Psalm 119:11)
• Awed by the Word of God (Psalm 119:161)
• Filled with the fear of God (Jeremiah 32:40)
• Meditative (Psalm 4:4)
• Prayerful (Psalm 27:8)
• Trusts in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5)
• Desires God (Psalm 84:2)
• Wise (Matthew 12:35)
• Steadfast (Psalm 108:1)

How did you do? Based on your responses, would you say you have a spiritually healthy heart? The desire of all who are committed to Jesus Christ is to have our hearts reflecting these qualities. With the beginning of the new year, take time to process any issues that are keeping your heart blocked. Invite Jesus, the great physician to do "heart surgery". He is trustworthy and faithful. He is the Divine Healer. Give Him access to your heart.

All heart patients need a new diet and exercise plan, along with some stress management techniques. A spiritual heart patient needs these as well. We will examine these changes in the coming posts.

DIVINE DESIGN

When I get the opportunity, I love to watch the show "Divine Design" on HGTV. Candice Olson is an extravagant designer and can turn a drab & dull space into an exquisite showplace. The colors and textures she chooses, along with the crew she uses (who are all masters of their crafts) transform the "normal" into something extraordinary. I cannot take my eyes off the transformation~there is a walk-through of the "old", then the "magic" happens. Candice has a vision for what it will look like and she puts it on paper; sketching & then adding colors to begin the charge. I see it on the paper and I can't believe that it will truly look that beautiful. Setting to work are the crew members~tearing down the old & replacing with new walls, fixtures, cabinets, furniture--everything is replaced....I watch the transformation in a 30-minute show. The homeowners are introduced to their new "divine design" and each time eyes are wide in disbelief! "I can't believe that this is the same space." "It's so beautiful..."--always a similar a response. We, the viewing audience are shown the pictures of the old again & then snapshots of the transformation--to the finished product--a truly divine design--thanks to Candice!

Several weeks ago as I was watching Candice Olson's "Divine Design", the Lord spoke to me saying, "That is what you are. You are a DIVINE DESIGN." All who surrender their lives to Jesus are divine designs. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." The word workmanship is the Greek word "poiema" which means "artfully crafted; one who has the ability to write or create a literary masterpiece". WE ARE HIS MASTERPIECE!

When we give Jesus lordship of our lives, He has divine design for a transformation~a total makeover! God has the plan for each of us--a complete makeover--getting rid of the old and becoming something new. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new ("kainos"--something that is brand new) creation, the old has gone, the new has come."

We truly are a DIVINE DESIGN! He sends His Holy Spirit to transform us, so there is no remnant to the old "me". He does a complete, extravagant make-over. God says over each one of us, "What a Divine Design."