My son and I went to see “Oz: The Great and Powerful” yesterday. He had seen it before but I had not. It was a rainy afternoon, a perfect opportunity to take in a movie at the cheap seat theater.

Oz was a fake. He wasn’t a real wizard. One of my favorite parts of the film was when he recognizes that even though he wasn’t the real thing, he could still stay and help the people of Oz defeat the wicked witch simply by using his gifts and his imperfect skills for good.

This scene reminded me of what God is capable of doing in our lives.  Actions that were meant to harm, God can turn around and use for His glory and His good. I thought about the story of Joseph and the horrible path of misfortune God allowed him to travel down before it led him to the place of serving Pharaoh, the King of Egypt.

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50: 19-21

I think about my own weaknesses and rejoice because God figured out (and continues to figure out) a way to redeem them for His glory.  It still amazes me that God wants to take the struggles we once worked so hard at trying to hide from the world and shine His spotlight of grace on them so the world can hopefully see His great and powerful hand at work in our lives.

Today, I am thankful for God: The Great and Powerful.

As many of you know, for the past few weeks, my family and I have been living in my brother-in-law’s basement until we can find a house to buy.  Last night, as I left the driveway to take my dog, Bisbee, for her evening walk, my in-law’s 120lb horse-dog, Jack, ran up the driveway to go too.

When I have a walking partner, I don’t hesitate taking him for a walk too. However last night it was just me. I was hoping to sneak off up the the road without horse-dog seeing us leave. I’m a sensitive pet owner and I hate hurting the feelings of other dogs. Heck, I would take every dog in the neighborhood with me for a nightly stroll if I had the hands to do it.

Anyway, horse-dog has an invisible electrical fence that keeps him contained.  But last night, without hesitation, horse-dog bounded joyfully through the barrier as if it didn’t even exist.

I ran back to the house to grab his leash and then ran over to the neighbor’s house where horse-dog was making friends with the UPS driver who was delivering a package.

After the collection, Bisbee and I, along with horse-dog, headed down the road to see what we could find to sniff.  My reasoning was this:  Any dog who is willing to endure a brief moment of pain to find freedom and joy should get a walk too. So we walked…or rather horse-dog pulled me along…tail in the air, nose to the ground.

As we journeyed along, I thought about Jack’s decision to face the pain for the joy he saw waiting on the other side.  It was worth it, don’t you think?  Jack’s decision reminded me again today that life is often very similar.  Sometimes we must choose to go through the hard too.  Because, just like Jack, we know what waits for us.

I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to, once again, guest post for my fellow writer friend Tor Constantino. I’ve enjoyed following Tor via Twitter and by subscribing to his blog The Daily Retort.  If you haven’t met Tor yet, now’s a peachy time to do so!

My family and I recently moved from North Carolina to Georgia. It’s a coming home sort of move for my husband who was born and raised in North Georgia.  For me, it still feels like I’m on vacation visiting my in-laws.

Today, I plan on facing a fear…

CONTINUE READING

It fascinates me how the creative process works. It’s like I’m walking down a path and my eyes catch sight of a single breadcrumb. I follow it to see where it leads. Then, because I keep walking, I spot another one on the path and then another one.

This morning I’m on Day 23 of the Hillsong 40 Days Revival devotional.  Our key verses for the day were found in 1 Thessalonians 5:

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (16-18)

In the commentary about the verses, I was reminded that “the Spirit-led life shapes us into someone who is genuinely grateful and doesn’t take life for granted”

This brought to mind some words I once wrote about my friend, Spirit. I went back to read that post again. I originally wrote it two years ago this month.

sometimes i forget

i want to introduce you
to my friend, Spirit

you might know him too

he’s been my friend
for years and years

he’s with me
wherever I go
the valleys
the mountains
everywhere in between

but sometimes
i forget

sometimes
i ignore him

sometimes
i don’t confide in him

i forget
his wisdom
his sound advice
his perfect solutions

sometimes
i feel like an outcast
i run around the playground
searching

i forget

i forget
to look

i forget
my need

i forget
HIS love

then
i cry out

and
he reminds me

my friend
my constant
companion
Spirit

“If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!
(John 14:17 Message)

I love the reminder that wherever we are, Spirit makes his home inside of us. All we are required to do is open the door and invite him in. Then, (and this is a big then) we must decide to not lock him away in a closest when life gets hard or when we get scared.

As someone who is in between homes right now, it’s comforting to know Spirit is with me.  This morning it reminded me of the following lyrics from a song by Jason Mraz.

Every road is a slippery slope
There is always a hand that you can hold on to.
Looking deeper through the telescope
You can see that your home’s inside of you.
Just know, that wherever you go, no you’re never alone, you will always get back home

A verse stood out to me this morning as I was reading Acts 4.

“But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say.” (14)

You can’t dispute a changed life. When the blind see, the lame walk, and the sick are made well, that’s the only proof you need.

But what about the times in our lives when people are not healed?  What about the times when you pray and the sickness or the trial doesn’t go away?

Could it be that in our Creator’s upside down plan, death has always been a part of the healing process. When the Lord allows us to suffer for a little while, perhaps it’s the road we must walk down in order to discover the ultimate healing our lives need.  Perhaps death is the pathway to complete and unending freedom, peace, and joy. Perhaps it’s the sorrowful road that leads us to more beauty than our little minds can comprehend right now.

I think about Jesus in the garden the night before He was arrested.  He prayed that if at all possible that the path He was about to take to the cross would be diverted. There was the human side of him that didn’t want to die.

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”  And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will….Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” Matthew 26: 36-39, 42

Jesus prayed for a plan B.  The disciples couldn’t understand why the One they loved had to be taken away.  We don’t understand why the ones we love have to be taken away.  And yet, it’s that process of death that leads our loved ones back home where they belong.  Back to the place where tears of sorrow and pain will no longer exist.

Today I attend my mother-in-law’s funeral.  It’s going to be a hard day for the family. But, I plan on keeping one eye on eternity.  Because, I know, it’s in those moments I will catch glimpses of Mrs. Knowles completely healed and walking hand in hand with her Savior.

I was thinking about how easily my mind can wander off the path of what’s truly important. No wonder we read accounts in Scripture of those who came before us who all seemed to have some sort of attention deficit disorder.

I look at the account of the Israelites and their constant forgetfulness and think, how could they get so distracted and thrown off course.  And then I think, that’s me too Lord.

I look at the account of the disciples falling asleep the night before their Savior was crucified and think…how could they fall asleep during a time like that.  And then I think, that’s me too Lord.

My mother-in-law passed away last night. She was a beautiful woman who raised four beautiful boys. I love how God orchestrated the plans in my family’s life to move us to Georgia for such a time as this. I think that is one of the reasons I find myself able to rejoice during a time of sadness. Our Creator is certainly in the details. My husband has been able to be close by. He’s been able to say goodbye to his mom.  What a blessing.

There is nothing quite like the death of a loved one to bring your eyes and your heart back to the path of what’s important in this life.  This morning my Scripture reading brought me to Colossians 3.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” v 1-4

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” v14

This is what matters, Lord.  Help me to not get distracted.  Help me to not forget. Help me to stay awake.  Help me to remember this. 

It’s Friday and time for another link up with Lisa Jo for Five Minute Friday. Friday is a time when we “write for five minutes not worrying if everything is just right.” You can join in HERE.

Prompt: Fall

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16

We’ve been by her side, watching the slipping away process. The nurses say it wont be long now, maybe just a couple more days. When we visit her I think of my mom. I can’t help but do that. I think of that final day by her side. My heart breaks for my husband’s family. I know that feeling of ache and the power you feel to do nothing but watch it unfold.

Last night as we visited, I prayed again. Give her peace, give her comfort, ease her pain, wrap Your arms around this family.

As things fall apart in front of our eyes, it’s hard to see the truth that even in the midst of this, God is preparing something new, something better, something beautiful, something glorious.

There’s a party being planned in heaven right now, a celebration especially for her. I think of the welcoming committee who will be there waiting with arms wide open. I think of Jesus. And, yes, I think of my mom.

“He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31

As a writer, and a lover of words and stories, I deeply appreciate the instances in my life when I can pick out the theme of the story I am currently living. I’m talking about those times when you seem to be learning or hearing the same lesson being repeated over and over.  I might not always know the whole reason behind the lesson…but I can see it.

If I pause long enough to think about the moments I’m living, the events of the day, the sights that I’ve seen, and the conversations I’ve had…there’s often a common thread being woven through it all. It’s like reading a book and stopping long enough to soak in the chapter I’ve just read.

Sometimes the lesson I’m currently learning whispers to me and I have a hard time picking it out or putting it into words.  And the other times, the lesson is wielding a megaphone and it’s shouting at me.

Live hopeful in expectation

My family and I went to a new church on Sunday.  It’s the same church my brother-in-law and his family attend. It’s the same church we visited on Easter Sunday when we came to Georgia for my husband’s job interview.  (That’s a God moment too, but it’s a story for another time.)

Anyways, during the service this Sunday the worship leader was about to sing a new song and two seconds before the words came out of his mouth I somehow sensed it was going to be THE song. I’m talking about the one that I heard at my last church service living in North Carolina.

I sat there singing this beautiful song and the words I wrote in that post came to mind. “And, even though I can’t pack up my friend, Michelle, and take her with me,  I am thankful that I can pack up 12 years of God’s grace and goodness and carry that with me.”

I woke up this morning with this line of the song washing over me… Jesus I sing for all that you’ve done for me.

Yesterday, after writing about some houses my husband and I looked at the night before, I was prompted to revisit a post I wrote a couple of years ago about my desire to live expectantly without expectation.  A few hours later, I read this Twitter comment on Facebook:

RT @joshua_becker: Expect less. Appreciate more. #ExpectancyWithoutExpectation #AttitudeOfGratitute

This morning, I open up my YouVersion Bible reading plan.  I’m currently doing the Hillsong: 40 Days of Revival plan.  Today’s verse was Hebrews 4: 12-13

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”  

I smiled… first because the message at church on Sunday morning was the beginning of a new series called “The Bible: More Than a Good Book” and second because of the words written in the sidebar:

The great preacher Charles H. Spurgeon explained Psalm 119 and his Treasury of David saying, ‘God’s Word is His witness or testimony to grand and important truths which concern Himself and our relation to Him. If we keep God’s testimonies they will keep us right in opinion, comfortable in spirit, holy in conversation and hopeful in expectation.’

Hopeful in expectation…

I don’t claim to know where this next chapter is going.  Remember:  I live expectantly without expectations. All I know today is that there is a definite theme being written on each page of our lives. I am eager to flip the page and keep reading!

Yesterday evening I finally had the opportunity to take a look inside some of the houses my husband found when he began the The Great House Search of 2013 a month ago. We looked at three. I really liked number three. I could picture us living there.

The realtor has sent us the seller’s disclosure information and we are doing research on the quality of the neighborhood and the school. I have found myself getting hopeful and then getting fearful. What if someone else puts in an offer and we miss our chance?

Then, I take a deep breath and remind myself of what matters most. God, put us where we belong. If this one isn’t the one…then shut the door and lead us to the right one.

All this thinking and dreaming prompted me to think of a post I wrote a couple of years ago about living expectantly.  I thought I would post it again.  A reminder for you and for me.

*********

I’ve discovered that real life requires me to live expectantly without expectations.

Can you recall a vacation or a holiday where you were all excited and you could hardly wait for the big event to arrive. You envisioned it playing out one way and when the time arrived it was nothing like you imagined.

In real life things often don’t turn out the way we expect them to.
When I was younger, this used to really bother me. It used to leave me feeling empty and discouraged when my expectations were not met. Now, I live expectantly without expectations. I don’t get my hopes up anymore for a certain situation or a certain person to act the way I think they should.

Today, my desire is to live in the moment, the real life moment in front of me, and to not waste time worrying about why that moment doesn’t always look like the perceived one I had rolling around in my head.

Lower your expectations of earth. This isn’t heaven, so don’t expect it to be. ~ Max Lucado

In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

This is guest post from my friend Chris Vonada. You can get to know a little bit more about Chris by visiting his blog I’m Just Thinkin’ I think you will discover what I’ve discovered over the past several months…he’s a happy dude.

A view from Royal Island to the land of hope

I like to read a lot. I read some material that isn’t all that Christian. Why? Well, I want to hear the voice. I’ve found that I can listen to anyone’s point of view and respect (most of) them for what they believe. My opinion is just one of many, and you will find that even most Christians don’t agree on everything, or believe the same thing for that matter.

I read an interesting article recently about religion and happiness. I’m going to spare you many deets here as I didn’t agree with some of what was written. I did discover that some of the happiest people who live in our world today are those in the countries of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Interestingly, these 3 countries also rank at the top as the least religious.

I found it quite interesting how the writer and the UN, the ranking agency, determined happiness. They say it’s a function of health, wealth and education, the end result stated not only as being more happy but also enjoying a better quality of life. The writer also compared and contrasted different parts of the world where people latch onto the hope offered through Jesus and the cross. I’m pretty sure the writer was an unbeliever as he tried to sell the idea that religion seems to find its place where people are desperate, needy and less fortunate.

I can agree with the writer of the article and his claim that some of the happiest people in our world today live in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. I’m totally cool with that. Shiver me timbers kind of cool, and not just because they’re the chilly Scandinavian countries. I had a college roommate that was Norwegian. He was an incredibly laid back dude who was remarkably happy! These folks seem to have the formula down on how to be happy in this world.

But then what happens? Well, you know, we’re all going to pass from this world to one of two places, right? Well, you may say that when we die it’s really the end. That option sounds pretty rotten (pardon the pun) to me too! Whatever you believe, maybe just humor me for another minute or two…

Please follow me to Matthew Chapter 25, verses 31 through 46. Jesus tells of judgment day, when God will separate the believers from the pretenders and the unbelievers. Through a parable, He suggests to the chosen few, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus points out that there is more life to come beyond our earthly life. There’s a bigger picture…a picture that is much more generous than happiness. It’s called hope. Our hope is a function of how we resemble Jesus. It’s pretty simple: Believe, repent and follow Him. That gives us hope, and eternal life. Jesus assured us that our journey here in this world wouldn’t be an easy walk through the rose garden every day.

I try to maintain happiness more as an attitude than a mood that sways with the wind, and I believe we can achieve this through hope. Hope is acquired through simple acts freely given and received and doesn’t depend on wealth, intellect or even ability. This opportunity is open to everyone. Everywhere.

One of the greatest examples that I ever saw of achieving happiness through hope was while working in a local community in Northern Eleuthera, The Bahamas. This was a very remote area, far different from the experience that many Americans find when they hop off a cruise ship in Freeport or Nassau, or when visiting Atlantis. On this trip I was working on a new development project called Royal Island and was housed in the guest quarters of an enterprising family that lived in a settlement called The Bluff. I was there for the better part of a week and enjoyed my stay. This area was so remote I found it closer to a third-world type setting than Paradise Island.

The most striking part of my visit there was the people – they were very happy and upbeat. On Wednesday, a few of the guys were taking the afternoon off to go fishing and to gather some conch. I could see their love for the environment around them, and appreciated their simplistic and carefree lifestyle. When I realized what it centered on I found their hope – that point of gyrations was the universal truth. Faith in Jesus and knowing the end of the story.

I’m happy FOR the Scandinavians and their glee. Why? Well, I’m a happy dude. The closer that I stay to God the less moody I feel, too. Being tight with Him also has implications for anxiety, if you happen to be bound up in a knot with that one. Plus, we’ve got hope as we know the end of the story. The Bahamians inspired me, through them I get a glimpse of the bigger picture of hope. That was my takeaway, and how I feel like I’m able to rise from the heap.

Where do you see the vision of hope in our world today?

This is a guest post from Chris Vonada. Chris is an author
and geologist, and also enjoys reading, running, anything outdoors,
travel, family, friends, music and life! He writes about his passions
at I’m Just Thinkin’. You can also follow him on Twitter