Category: Ministry

Time For Beth Moore and Dog Allergies

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Some of TLC goes to see Beth Moore

I’ve missed writing this past week! April 1 saw some of the women of TLC head to Fresno, CA to see Beth Moore at the Save Mart Center. What a blessing for us. We stood in a stadium of 6,500 women and worshiped to the music of Travis Cottrell and then heard a powerful word from Beth Moore. At one point, during the worship, I looked around the stadium and just shut my mouth. I watched in awe as the daughters of the Most High King praised him with song. It was just beautiful. Tears filled my eyes as I stood on holy ground and watched women from all denominations, all colors, all sizes and shapes, all ages including babies come together for one common purpose. To praise and learn about our Father.

The Save Mart Center became holy territory the moment our feet entered that space together in one mind and one accord. With all debate between denominations and all the Christian voices we hear battling one another it was pure honor to be one voice among many that sang in unison, that laughed in unison and that talked non-stop during break! There were so many of us, honestly I saw about four men there, that we not only used all the women’s restrooms but the men’s as well.

Of course the women of TLC who went to the conference, spent the night in a local hotel, and I spare you the details of that, but suffice it to say that we all slept about 3 hours or so and then went back to the conference. I can tell you that our ride home in the church van was MUCH quieter than our ride up!

I wasn’t able to catch up on my sleep that night or for many nights. Lulu, the wonder dog, began to scratch like crazy. I thought she had fleas so I pulled the flea comb out and began to brush her out but there was not a single flea. A trip to the vet told us that she has an environmental allergy. What the heck does that mean? Well, she allergic to either her food, her treats, flowers or grass. So guess what? Lulu and I are on prednisone, my seasonal allergies and her whatever allergy. There’s a problem though. We decided to eliminate one thing at a time to see what she’s allergic to. So we had to eliminate all snacks and put her on a special diet. Lulu, is not used to getting told no she doesn’t get people food, so she’s not happy. Plus swallowing a pill without a treat afterward is not her idea of fair.

So life’s been rolling along and my writing has lapsed but I’ve got so much to share. So many things on my heart, so many things I am learning. I can’t wait to get back to time writing. For now, I have to give my dog her next dose of meds!

Prophesy

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In the Christian world, prophesy is a word that is spoken over a human being based on the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Yet I see so many people, myself included, that have prophetic words over our lives and yet, they haven’t manifested (at least not the WAY in which I interpreted or the person spoke it). I also know many people, myself included, where many prophetic words have come to pass exactly as they have been spoken.

My prayer for quite awhile has been to get a deeper understanding of why some prophetic words come to pass and some don’t. Was it because the person giving them was excited in the moment and spoke without the prompting of the Holy Spirit? Was it merely wishful thinking? Was it that I did something to blow it? Was I not worthy, as in God said, “On second thought…..”.

I’ve come to some conclusions, over the last while, that two of the above scenarios are correct. I believe that yes, sometimes people have wishful thinking and they say things that make them feel good, without the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think it’s intentional for most people, in fact, I think they mean well but don’t know better or maybe misinterpreted what they were seeing. I remember once when a friend was in critical condition in the hospital and I received a call from another friend who said in prayer the Lord said, “Don’t worry, this isn’t death.” We were all excited knowing this friend would pull through but within hours, they died. I realized then that to God, it wasn’t death, my friend was saved and secure in their salvation. It could have been a reassurance from the Lord that we heard through our own understanding of life. The second thing I believe is that sometimes, we ourselves, blow it.

Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.NIV

Hebrews 10:23 Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word.The Message

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. NKJV

Hebrews 10:23 So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word. Amplified

I make reference to a few different versions of the same verse because I want this word to get into your heart as it did mine and while one version may speak to me, another will speak to you. Could it be that the prophesy is not the problem but the confession and the faith it takes for it to manifest is the key?

For as a man thinks so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)

Does it take some action on our part for a prophesy to be manifested in the earth?

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Do we believe the report of our friends at work or our buddies on the golf course? If so, then sometimes we drown out the word of the Lord. Listening to naysayers when the Lord has already issued his stamp of approval is self-defeating. Not confessing the promise that the Lord has given us limits it’s power. If life and death are in the power of the tongue then we must hold fast to the confession of our faith. So often I hear those who know better speak as if nothing that God has promised is true because their Aunt told them it could never happen.

What could we accomplish on the earth if we believed the word of the Lord? What could be manifested in our lives if we believed the prophesy and moved in the direction of it? What could be had if we believed that with God all things are possible. Maybe it’s time to believe that if God gave the glimpse into the future then we only need to walk towards it, speaking it out loud and living it to the fullest. Maybe we need to quit being ashamed of big impossible possibilities and just accept that it can happen to us! Then, what if we’re like Abraham who sees his promise from afar?

Put On The Lord Jesus

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My husband was watching a documentary of how shepherds handle sheep during lambing season. As the ewe goes into labor, inevitably one will give birth to a lamb who dies. The shepherd quickly pulls the lamb aside because the opposite is true as well, and a ewe may die during the birthing process.

The logical thing in a human’s way of thinking is to put the baby lamb, whose mother has died, to nurse with the ewe who has lost her lamb, only the ewe will kill the lamb as it is not hers biologically. So the shepherd will skin the lamb who died and tie the skin to the lamb whose mother has died. The ewe who lost her baby during birth smells the skin of “her” lamb and allows the lamb to nurse. Thus the lamb is adopted into the family.

So it is with us. We come to the Lord our God putting on the sweet fragrance of Jesus,
Romans 13:14 Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ,
so that the Father smells the scent of his son on our lives and not the stench of the flesh. We pray in the name of Jesus because no one comes to the Father except through Jesus
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
We are taught to pray in the name of Jesus by Jesus himself, and there are many, many scriptures but here are a couple:
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 16:25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

How comforting to know that the Lord covered us in our nakedness and shame even when we had failed him so miserably because he loves us even when we behave so terribly towards him.
Genesis 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

How good it is to know that even today he’s made provision for us through His Son. Thank you dear heavenly Father for adoption and for the skin that hides our humanity and frailty. May we never take it for granted and may we recognize all that you have done for us.

Life

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Sitting here this morning drinking a cup of coffee and praying over situations in my life. Japan has had a devastating earthquake and the pictures shook me. I woke up just after midnight California time and watched the reports off and on the entire night. The effect of the earthquake will be years in the making. The immediate result is a tsunami which is about to hit our coast, just miles from my home. Fortunately, we are safely far enough away and over a hill but what about those who live near the coast? What about them Lord?

On a personal note, I have my own devastations. I have a friend who is sitting on pins and needles over a situation that has us both agreeing in prayer, another friend who miscarried last night, suffering her own life shaking event, a friend whose brother we buried on Monday after a bout with kidney cancer, my uncle has just been diagnosed with kidney cancer, a good friend who died two months ago of kidney cancer, a friend who is caring for his father who has kidney cancer, Lord, what is up with kidney cancer?

I began to write this blog this morning. In the middle of writing it we got a message that the evacuees who were fleeing the California coastline, were assembling in our city parks and parking lots. You see, we’re the first city over the hill, we’re the refuge. My husband and I got into our truck and went to assess the situation. Sure enough there were people everywhere and they told a story of even more people on the top of the hill that separates our city from the coast.

We moved into action. We printed a flyer, opened the church doors and called everyone who answered their phone for help. We got sandwiches made, chocolate milk for children, water for adults, and offered a refuge for refugees. Many people were weary. What did we want from them? You see, they had blankets and precious belongings in their car. They had their animals. They were scared, they were worried. What happens if a tsunami hits and your home and livelihood are destroyed? What happens if you lose the little bit you walked away from? When they didn’t arrive at the church, we went to plan B and delivered food and water to the people. Children had sunburn on their cheeks, but they waited patiently to get some food and water. So many people just thankful that we were out there.

Leadership at its best!
The church being the church!

So the day started out with a pity party. I sat with my cup of coffee asking God WHY? Then he put me to work. We had church all day long outside the walls of the church. We SERVED. It’s a blessing to serve and I thank God for his lesson to me this day. There is a saying that I hang onto when the day goes incredibly wrong. This day started out totally wrong and ended up with service, yet the saying still stands.

“When you realize that life is just life, then nothing ever goes wrong.”

Fussing

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Luke 12:22″Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. 23 There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.

Luke 6:25 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.

Did you ever notice that these two passages of scripture have Jesus saying, “quit fussing”.

Fuss- noun – an excessive display of anxious attention or activity

So what’s all the fuss about? Why do we worry so much about things that are so insignificant? Today I am taking a day off of work to clean my house. I am making a nice dinner for my family, and I am going to watch some television or maybe a video. Really, what else is more important than that today? Tomorrow, I go back to work and I spend some time working at the office, we have practice for the Easter musical in the evening, and the next day will hold it’s own set of directions but why complicate it?

Jesus said there was far more to our inner life. Yet that statement becomes sort of a catch-22 when it comes to our inner life. It’s hard to discover the inner life when the widow is given anti-anxiety pills and sleeping pills to not feel those things she MUST feel to grow and heal and learn. It’s hard to talk about the inner life when the teenager is giving anti-depressant medication to not feel the angst of being caught between becoming an adult and a leaving childhood behind. It’s easy to ignore the inner life when we give a boy who can’t sit still in his seat medication to settle his soul.

There are three aspects to our lives, body, mind, and spirit. If we neglect any one of these, suddenly we have a problem with our inner life, yet we seem to focus on the body and forget that if our mind isn’t transformed then the body remains the same. Just ask the woman who is trying to kick a food addiction and we can easily see the three interconnections.

So what’s all the fuss about? Well, honestly it’s easier to fuss about the outward things. It’s easier to make a meal for our family then to sit and discuss real problems. It’s easier to buy a new dress then deal with the self-esteem issues going on. The fuss is about the excessive activity that keeps us away from the true realization of who we are and what God is trying to do in our lives.

Is It My Problem?

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As I am reading through the Old Testament I see that the prophets of old would repent for the people even when they themselves were walking in the ways of the Lord. I read about Moses who throws himself before the mercy of the Lord and begs for mercy for the people and tells the Lord that if he is going to kill the people then to kill him, Moses, as well. 

This past week there was an issue that was happening in our church that was waking me up at night. I was worried about the people who were being caught up and because I am female or maybe just because I am me, I was over-thinking the situation. I felt helpless. 

Then I remembered the prophets of the old testament and their love for God as well as their love for the people. They would repent to the Lord for other’s sin. So I began to pray on their behalf. Isn’t that what intercession is about? Sure, I could say it’s not my problem, but my prayer is that in those areas where I am weak there are people who are praying for me as well. 

Often, I think we come to the Lord with our personal petitions and the petitions of our family and close friends. We throw in some prayers for our internet friends and we move on about our day. Only our maturity in Christ should lead us to pray for the well being of our nation and the nations of our world. It should be prompting us to pray for injustice and also for mercy. I believe that often our own selfishness shines through in the moments of our daily prayer and we miss the opportunity to intercede.

I was reading in Jeremiah where at one point the Lord’s anger is so incensed upon his people that he says to Jeremiah;

Jeremiah 7:16 “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

I thought wow, first off, I never want to be “those people” with the Lord. There was something there that struck me as well. The fact that the relationship with Jeremiah and the Lord was so close that the Lord is venting to His friend about what is going on. Notice, that Jeremiah was pestering the Lord not for his own petition, but in the Lord’s own words, Jeremiah was weeping, praying, and begging the Lord to help them. Jeremiah was in good standing with God, yet he took on the problems of his people.

Let’s begin to take on the problems of our people. Not in a personal way as I sometimes do. Sometimes I try to go and fix problems that are none of my business in my own human understanding. Rather, let’s take on the problems in a way that beseeches the Lord for an answer. After all, if we are the body, the right response is not it’s not my problem but rather, I can take it to the Lord in prayer.

We Are Women

Greeting my uncle who is in his 80’s, we began talking and somewhere in our conversation I referred to myself as a girl. He scolded me saying, “I hate when women refer to themselves as girls. You go through so much to become a woman and then you refer to yourself as girl.” I laughed […]

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Greeting my uncle who is in his 80’s, we began talking and somewhere in our conversation I referred to myself as a girl. He scolded me saying, “I hate when women refer to themselves as girls. You go through so much to become a woman and then you refer to yourself as girl.” I laughed and brushed it off in the moment but later I realized that he had a valid point. I’d been mulling it over off and on when I gathered with a group of women for tea yesterday.

I looked around the room. This tea brought 30 women together. We began to speak about the topic at hand that day which was the privilege of being adopted into the family of Christ and what responsibility that carried with it. The women began their stories slowly and softly as is always the case. They began to tell of where the Lord had brought them from and where they thought they were going. These were women who had earned the privilege of being called a WOMAN. Two hours later and a few cups of tea, there were women who were laughing, crying, comforting, counseling and you began to feel the camaraderie of women who had made their way through some STUFF! I realized I was in the company of some strong women, some women who had, as my uncle said, “gone through so much”.

The things that were discussed in that room, stay in that room. Suffice it say that there was breakthrough and prayer and that when women get together and pray SOMETHING HAPPENS. The next day at church, I saw a sparkle in the eyes of those who attended. I saw a look of acceptance and love and knowing, we had opened up our hearts to each other and the payoff was love. One thing I know about women is we can be each other’s biggest enemy but also each other’s biggest ally.

Although we may not have walked in the footsteps of the other, we had walked through things which had hurt us deeply and we had come through. We understood the pain, the trial of overcoming and the triumph. We also understand the gift our God has given us of redemption and restoration and future and a hope.

My uncle is right. We aren’t girls, we’ve come through a lot to be women. Now we need to own it.

Groundhog Day

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Today is Groundhog’s Day. We wait in anticipation of whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not. If he does, we have six more weeks of Winter, if he doesn’t we can hope for Spring.

Do you remember the movie Groundhog’s Day? It was about a man whose life repeated the same day over and over again until he learned the lessons he was supposed to learn.

For many of us, our lives have resembled that movie, we seem to be going around the same mountain day after day. Today I want to propose that we focus on those unhealthy habits or situations that keep repeating themselves in our lives. For many of us, we made vision statements or New Year’s Resolutions that are already waning. What needs to change? What is the same old thing we’ve been doing that benefits us none whatsoever?

Today on groundhogs day, let’s remember the movie as we watch for the shadow and let’s resolve that 2011 will be different than any other year to date.

Then let’s go further and say that 2011 will be different and better and more productive to our advancement than any other year to date.

Then let’s really stretch out our faith and say 2011 will be different, better, more productive to our advancement AND the advancement of the Kingdom not only in our lives but in the lives we encounter this year!