Yesterday I wrote about Abraham (http://missyscud.blogspot.com/2012/02/oh-to-be-like-abraham.html) and his obedience to God, even at the possible cost of his dear son's life. IF only- I could and would obey God at all times- my life would undoubtedly be much more peaceful. Abraham's life challenges me to be the person God envisions me to be. One who looks more Christ like.
Today in Genesis 27, I read the story of Jacob, the younger of Isaac's twin sons, receiving the blessing that is intended for the first born.
There are just so many things wrong with this story.
Earlier in Genesis 25 we are told that Isaac favors Esau the first born, while his wife Rebekah favors Jacob, the younger twin.
OK this is the first thing wrong. You just can't play favorites among your children. It causes too many hard feelings. Yes, there are times when one child usurps the favored child in a family, but hopefully this doesn't last.
For years I have endured the remarks of my daughters that one brother is the favorite child of mine and never gets in trouble. So I know this is NOT TRUE, but what did I do that made them feel that way?? I know for awhile that this particular son received more of my prayers than the other children (but trust me, he needed them!). But I truly have no favorite. I love each of my kids with abandon.
But back to Genesis 27.
So Isaac is old and we are told he can't see anymore. He has a conversation with Esau and tells him to go hunt some wild game, make a tasty meal and bring it back to his father and then Isaac promises to give Esau the blessing due him. Off goes Esau to do what his father asked.
Meanwhile, Rebekah overhears the conversation (this too could be very wrong). Maybe she was just passing by and heard but maybe too, she was eavesdropping.
Regardless, she then begins to take things in her own hands.
She tells Jacob to hurry and fetch some goats so that she can prepare a meal for Isaac just the way he likes it. Then she proceeds to dress Jacob in Esau's clothing so that he can fool his father into thinking that he is the first born, and then he will receive the blessing.
Way too many wrong things here:
The deception is rampant. Dressing Jacob in Esau's clothes to pursuade the blind man from seeing the reality of the situation.
The lies Jacob tells his father . Twice he tells his father that he is Esau.
The manipulation of Rebekah of the situation scares me.
So the ending of the story is that Isaac is indeed deceived. Jacob receives the blessing intended for Esau. Esau is devestated and wants another blessing but from then on is intent on paying his brother back by planning to kill him after his father dies. Again Rebekah gets wind of this and tells Isaac they need to send Jacob back to her family to find a wife for him so that he won't marry Canaanite women as his brother did. Another deception.
In Rebekah's manipulation of the event, she doesn't trust God from what He told her while she was pregnant with the twins in Genesis 24- that the older would serve the younger. She did what she thought needed to happen, instead of believing God.
Makes me wonder how many times I have done the same thing? Manipulated circumstances to get what I think God would want, without trusting Him to work out His will in His timing. How much do I manipulate to get what I want?
Then there is the deception and lying: Jacob pretending to be Esau, dressed in his brothers clothes to make him smell like his brother. And then lying, repeatedly to get the blessing.
Do I lie and deceive to get what I want? Unfortunately, I have to admit that I have. Probably too many times and that makes me cringe.
Have my lies caused or encouraged my children, both those physically born to me, and those that have become my "spiritual children", to be deceptive as well?
Do I really believe God's promises to me? Will I wait on them to prove true? Or will I manipulate the situation?
Oh the implications of just this one chapter of Genesis 27.
One thought that struck me today is: when i realize that I am being manipulative, deceptive and lying, will I confess those sins immediately and ask the LORD to cleanse me of ALL the unrighteousnss in my life?
My prayer is that I will do that immediately.
And that you too, will do likewise.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
OH to be like Abraham
The story is just not fair. It is not right at all. How can God ask that of anyone?
Imagine the day-going about your everyday life, working , being with family, enjoying what God has given you...and THEN, God visits you and tells you to go offer Him what is Most dear and precious to you.
This is the story of Genesis 22.
Aside from the story of the Crucifixion, no other chapter in the bible affects me more.
It is in this story, that the LORD tells Abraham to go sacrifice his son, Isaac as a burnt offering. You know, the son that Abraham waited for 100 years for. The son that God had promised him would be his heir.
And the Bible tells us "that early the next morning" Abraham left on the mission God had commanded him.
Talk about a restless night. Abe , I am sure , did not sleep that night.
What is God asking me to do? Why is He telling me to offer Isaac? And what in the world do I tell Sarah?
But Abraham went and the story tells us that when he found the exact place God had told him on Moriah, that he built an altar, arranged the wood, bound Isaac and laid him on the altar, and just as his knife was about to slay his son,an angel of the LORD stopped him.
And people say the BIBLE is boring??
God, in the bushes, had provided a ram to be the sacrificial lamb.
And because of Abraham's obedience all the nations of the world would be blessed.
That means us. Thru Abraham's offspring, we all are blessed; because of one man's complete trust and obedience to God.
As a parent of four, nothing scares me more than losing one of my children.
I have some dear dear friends who have lost their precious daughter recently, and my heart still aches daily for them.
I love Kristi, Todd, Katie and Ryan with ALL that is within me. I would do anything for them. I would do anything to save their lives-even if it meant forgoing mine. A parents love for a child, cannot be adequately explained. Words can't express the deep deep love I have for my kids.
And i know Abraham felt the same about Isaac. And yet he was willing to sacrifice him in order to obey God.
To be honest, I don't know if I could.
That could be troubling.
And yet, this morning I am reminded again, that this is exactly what God the Father did for us.
He sacrificed His only begotten son for us. JESUS CHRIST became the sacrificial Lamb for my sins. God could have saved Him. He could have done it another way. Jesus could have called on legions of angels to stop His death. But neither did.
Because this was the ONLY way we could be saved.
I know that God the Father loves so much more than me. His capacity for love outweighs more than my mind could completely comprehend. He loved His Only Son with all that was within Him. And yet He sacrificed Him for us...for all mankind.
Genesis 22 is an amazing story of obedience.
One that challenges me and causes me to pray for that kind of obedience. One that challenges me to believe God and Trust Him, when everything in life tells me not to.
But Genesis 22 is a love story too.
A love of a man for his God. A love that trusted God enough to provide another lamb to offer. And a tremendous fortelling of the greatest love story of ALL time.
Yes, I want to be like Abraham.
I want to obey God even when it seems illogical, impractical.
When everyone around me might think I am crazy.
I want to obey God like Abraham. Because GOD loved me (and you) enough, to sacrifice His Most Precious Son, so that we might know and enjoy His love to us.
Imagine the day-going about your everyday life, working , being with family, enjoying what God has given you...and THEN, God visits you and tells you to go offer Him what is Most dear and precious to you.
This is the story of Genesis 22.
Aside from the story of the Crucifixion, no other chapter in the bible affects me more.
It is in this story, that the LORD tells Abraham to go sacrifice his son, Isaac as a burnt offering. You know, the son that Abraham waited for 100 years for. The son that God had promised him would be his heir.
And the Bible tells us "that early the next morning" Abraham left on the mission God had commanded him.
Talk about a restless night. Abe , I am sure , did not sleep that night.
What is God asking me to do? Why is He telling me to offer Isaac? And what in the world do I tell Sarah?
But Abraham went and the story tells us that when he found the exact place God had told him on Moriah, that he built an altar, arranged the wood, bound Isaac and laid him on the altar, and just as his knife was about to slay his son,an angel of the LORD stopped him.
And people say the BIBLE is boring??
God, in the bushes, had provided a ram to be the sacrificial lamb.
And because of Abraham's obedience all the nations of the world would be blessed.
That means us. Thru Abraham's offspring, we all are blessed; because of one man's complete trust and obedience to God.
As a parent of four, nothing scares me more than losing one of my children.
I have some dear dear friends who have lost their precious daughter recently, and my heart still aches daily for them.
I love Kristi, Todd, Katie and Ryan with ALL that is within me. I would do anything for them. I would do anything to save their lives-even if it meant forgoing mine. A parents love for a child, cannot be adequately explained. Words can't express the deep deep love I have for my kids.
And i know Abraham felt the same about Isaac. And yet he was willing to sacrifice him in order to obey God.
To be honest, I don't know if I could.
That could be troubling.
And yet, this morning I am reminded again, that this is exactly what God the Father did for us.
He sacrificed His only begotten son for us. JESUS CHRIST became the sacrificial Lamb for my sins. God could have saved Him. He could have done it another way. Jesus could have called on legions of angels to stop His death. But neither did.
Because this was the ONLY way we could be saved.
I know that God the Father loves so much more than me. His capacity for love outweighs more than my mind could completely comprehend. He loved His Only Son with all that was within Him. And yet He sacrificed Him for us...for all mankind.
Genesis 22 is an amazing story of obedience.
One that challenges me and causes me to pray for that kind of obedience. One that challenges me to believe God and Trust Him, when everything in life tells me not to.
But Genesis 22 is a love story too.
A love of a man for his God. A love that trusted God enough to provide another lamb to offer. And a tremendous fortelling of the greatest love story of ALL time.
Yes, I want to be like Abraham.
I want to obey God even when it seems illogical, impractical.
When everyone around me might think I am crazy.
I want to obey God like Abraham. Because GOD loved me (and you) enough, to sacrifice His Most Precious Son, so that we might know and enjoy His love to us.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
The Beginning
Mornings are my favorite time of the day. Yes, I am a morning person.
Living at Woodleaf in the winter (even this winter when it doesn't feel or resemble any winter that I have spent here...way too warm) means waking up and starting a fire in the woodburning stove, turning the coffee on and getting ready to sit on our loveseat couch with my 2 favorite pups, Riley and Cody, and having time with JESUS. I love this time each and every day.
If you know me, or have read any of my blog posts, you will know that I LOVE the WORD OF GOD. As a newlywed 36 years ago, I was privileged to be mentored by two women who have greatly impacted my life: June Hoch Clodius and Recie Raley.
Recie challenged me to ask God to give me a love for His Word. After about 10 years, I realized how much I loved His Word. Today, even 25 plus years later, I love it more. For it allows me to know my God. Or rather to scratch the surface of knowing Him.
I'm not sure exactly how long its been, but somewhere between 15 and 20 yrs ago, I began reading thru the Bible each year. Its not a "religious or legalistic" thing. For me, I just know that I want to know more of God. So to do that, I have to be in His Word. Even in the dry periods, even in the most pain staking times of my life, I need to hear and remember God's promises to me. I don't follow a plan, I don't read thru from Genesis to Revelation. I just start where I believe the LORD has led me.
This year I started in Psalms, probably because I started the year grieving the loss of a dear man and wanted to hear from those who knew and had experienced the same type of feelligs I had. That asked God the "why" questions that i was asking.
This week I began Genesis. Oh how I love this book.
Genesis means beginning. And Genesis is the beginning of God's story with mankind.
Everyday I am reminded of God's truth and His promises to us. Somedays His Spirit reveals something new to me, othertimes I am reminded of truths that I need to always remember.
Notes in my journal from this week include:
Genesis 1-We were made in the image of God, in His likeness. WOW what God intended for us!
Genesis 2- After the creation, God rested from His work. If God needed to rest and HE is GOD, why do we not do the same?
Genesis 3-the Fall of mankind. Eve was deceived because she didn't remember exactly what God had said. That is why it is so important for us to know God's Word. To be in it daily, to let His Spirit speak to us;to take time to meditate on it and let it sink deep into our hearts and minds. Because when we do that, we won't be deceived by the enemy's lies and half truths or by others who mistakenly not speak His truth.
Genesis 4- God tells Cain that sin is crouching at the door, desiring to have you, but that he must master it. Do I let sin crouch at my door? Do you? Do we realize how letting sin into our life for even an inch, moves us a little bit farther from God? And that one sin often leads us easily into another? Oh Father, that we would not let sin take us, but that we would turn to You for help.
Genesis 5-10 tells the story of Noah and his descendants.
"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclusion of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that He had made man on the earth and His heart was filled with pain."
That, for me, is one of the saddest verses in all of Scripture. That God was grieved that He had made man and His heart was filled with pain. And that he was going to put an end to all the people. I look at the wickedness and evil that permeates our world today, and my heart is in pain. I wonder how God's must feel.
Thankfully there was Noah. "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD..Noah was a righteous man, blameless among all the people of his time, and he walked with God.
Because of Noah, we are still here. Mankind continues. Do you realize that if there had not been this one righteous man who followed God, none of us would be here. Even one righteous man can save the world. Amazing.
Can you imagine Noah obeying God and building this massive ark, all the while, people around him being so evil and wicked and most likely making fun of this man building this monstrosity of a thing? The years of humiliation he endured while obeying His God? And yet, because of His obedience, mankind endured. Kind of humbles me when I think of how some may make fun of me for following Christ.
But God did not destroy mankind and the earth, and everytime we see a rainbow, we should be reminded of His Promise that he will never destroy the earth again with a flood.
Then chapter 11 of Genesis tells us the story of the tower of Babel.
In Genesis 9:1 God tells Noah and his sons "to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth". Well Noah's descendants didn't do that. They settled in what was ancient Babylon and decided to build a tower " so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
Ummm guys, that is not what God said to do. So He came down and completely confused their speech so as they wouldn't understand each other and their plans were thwarted, and now they had to separate and go off in different directions (and fill the earth).
Why, oh why, do I (we) think we can go against God's commands or His will and believe that nothing will happen to us. How foolish we can be. Does His word not say that He will get the last laugh (Ps 59). God's will and His plans can never be thwarted by our disobedience. When we disobey, God can do crazy things to get our attention!!
And next comes Abraham!!
I could write blogs on this man, the friend of God (james 2:23).
So for now, I will pause and be thankful that God's word is fresh each day, that His mercies are new every morning and Great is His Faithfulness to us.
How about you beginning to ask God to give you a love for His Word, starting today?
Living at Woodleaf in the winter (even this winter when it doesn't feel or resemble any winter that I have spent here...way too warm) means waking up and starting a fire in the woodburning stove, turning the coffee on and getting ready to sit on our loveseat couch with my 2 favorite pups, Riley and Cody, and having time with JESUS. I love this time each and every day.
If you know me, or have read any of my blog posts, you will know that I LOVE the WORD OF GOD. As a newlywed 36 years ago, I was privileged to be mentored by two women who have greatly impacted my life: June Hoch Clodius and Recie Raley.
Recie challenged me to ask God to give me a love for His Word. After about 10 years, I realized how much I loved His Word. Today, even 25 plus years later, I love it more. For it allows me to know my God. Or rather to scratch the surface of knowing Him.
I'm not sure exactly how long its been, but somewhere between 15 and 20 yrs ago, I began reading thru the Bible each year. Its not a "religious or legalistic" thing. For me, I just know that I want to know more of God. So to do that, I have to be in His Word. Even in the dry periods, even in the most pain staking times of my life, I need to hear and remember God's promises to me. I don't follow a plan, I don't read thru from Genesis to Revelation. I just start where I believe the LORD has led me.
This year I started in Psalms, probably because I started the year grieving the loss of a dear man and wanted to hear from those who knew and had experienced the same type of feelligs I had. That asked God the "why" questions that i was asking.
This week I began Genesis. Oh how I love this book.
Genesis means beginning. And Genesis is the beginning of God's story with mankind.
Everyday I am reminded of God's truth and His promises to us. Somedays His Spirit reveals something new to me, othertimes I am reminded of truths that I need to always remember.
Notes in my journal from this week include:
Genesis 1-We were made in the image of God, in His likeness. WOW what God intended for us!
Genesis 2- After the creation, God rested from His work. If God needed to rest and HE is GOD, why do we not do the same?
Genesis 3-the Fall of mankind. Eve was deceived because she didn't remember exactly what God had said. That is why it is so important for us to know God's Word. To be in it daily, to let His Spirit speak to us;to take time to meditate on it and let it sink deep into our hearts and minds. Because when we do that, we won't be deceived by the enemy's lies and half truths or by others who mistakenly not speak His truth.
Genesis 4- God tells Cain that sin is crouching at the door, desiring to have you, but that he must master it. Do I let sin crouch at my door? Do you? Do we realize how letting sin into our life for even an inch, moves us a little bit farther from God? And that one sin often leads us easily into another? Oh Father, that we would not let sin take us, but that we would turn to You for help.
Genesis 5-10 tells the story of Noah and his descendants.
"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclusion of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that He had made man on the earth and His heart was filled with pain."
That, for me, is one of the saddest verses in all of Scripture. That God was grieved that He had made man and His heart was filled with pain. And that he was going to put an end to all the people. I look at the wickedness and evil that permeates our world today, and my heart is in pain. I wonder how God's must feel.
Thankfully there was Noah. "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD..Noah was a righteous man, blameless among all the people of his time, and he walked with God.
Because of Noah, we are still here. Mankind continues. Do you realize that if there had not been this one righteous man who followed God, none of us would be here. Even one righteous man can save the world. Amazing.
Can you imagine Noah obeying God and building this massive ark, all the while, people around him being so evil and wicked and most likely making fun of this man building this monstrosity of a thing? The years of humiliation he endured while obeying His God? And yet, because of His obedience, mankind endured. Kind of humbles me when I think of how some may make fun of me for following Christ.
But God did not destroy mankind and the earth, and everytime we see a rainbow, we should be reminded of His Promise that he will never destroy the earth again with a flood.
Then chapter 11 of Genesis tells us the story of the tower of Babel.
In Genesis 9:1 God tells Noah and his sons "to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth". Well Noah's descendants didn't do that. They settled in what was ancient Babylon and decided to build a tower " so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
Ummm guys, that is not what God said to do. So He came down and completely confused their speech so as they wouldn't understand each other and their plans were thwarted, and now they had to separate and go off in different directions (and fill the earth).
Why, oh why, do I (we) think we can go against God's commands or His will and believe that nothing will happen to us. How foolish we can be. Does His word not say that He will get the last laugh (Ps 59). God's will and His plans can never be thwarted by our disobedience. When we disobey, God can do crazy things to get our attention!!
And next comes Abraham!!
I could write blogs on this man, the friend of God (james 2:23).
So for now, I will pause and be thankful that God's word is fresh each day, that His mercies are new every morning and Great is His Faithfulness to us.
How about you beginning to ask God to give you a love for His Word, starting today?
Monday, January 30, 2012
RICH AND FULL; reflections from our YLASC2012.
RICH AND FULL.
That is how I feel right now after spending 8 days in Orlando, Florida at the every 4 year All Staff CELEBRATION of Young Life.
How grateful and blessed Scud and I both feel that we are part of this Mission.
Can I do the celebration justice by trying to recap my highlights? Probably not, but i will give it a try.
Spiritually I am incredibly blessed. With our speakers of Tim Keller and Francis Chan, how could you NOT be?
Tim challenged us to remember, reflect and live by allowing the Gospel to change us.
How can we as followers of Christ have any racial bias? That we should hang out with people who are not like us at times. And how grateful I am that Young Life is now in 77 countries around the world, with another 20-30 targeted. I'm sure Jim Rayburn never envisioned this, but thankfully this is how the LORD led us. I'm grateful for Bob Reeverts to starting this along with Bob Mitchell. And for how Marty Caldwell has pursued this so actively.
And Francis Chan?? Well he changed his whole message backstage by the Holy Spirits' leading and talked about how we must know and be into God's word. This has been something on my heart for years now. WE as a mission MUST promote the Word of God. Too many of us have never read the Bible. I have been aghast at how few of our younger staff and volunteers have not even read the New Testament in its entirety.
How blessed and grateful I am to Recie Raley and June Hoch, who taught me and challenged me to love God's word as a young bride and mother. I know this is a word that God wants us as a mission to know, to take to heart.
And our prayer time was incredible. Led by my dear friend, Donna Hatasaki, she brought us into the Lord's presence and gave us a word picture of coming to the table where Our Father, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit sat and welcomed us, told us how they loved us and we dropped our burdens onto them. We aren't meant to carry such heavy loads and they are. I cried as I left burden after burden with the Trinity, knowing how capable they are to sort thru them.
And I believe with every fabric of my being that we exalted and lifted up the NAME of Our God. We had an incredible worship band who brought us to the throne of grace each session. OH GOD, may we continue to Praise and Worship YOU.
And 2 of the testimonies of kids that Young Life reaches brought me to tears. Michael, a Capernaum kid shared the Gospel in the most real way ever. This is his words of what the Gospel is:
Jesus suffered.
He died for you.
On the third day He rose.
He wants to be in your heart.
He touched all of us in ways only he could.
And there was Sierra, a almost 20 yr old single mom from our Young Lives division, who gripped us with the story of abuse, abandonment and promiscuity, but whose life was transformed and redeemed when she encountered Jesus Christ.
Whether its with middle schoolers, high schoolers, college friends, teen moms or the special needs kids, we as a mission are reaching out to lost, the marginalized all over the world and I am so thankful to be part of this mission.
And if that wasn't enough...we had fun. I mean we had LOADS OF FUN.
Can you believe that YL rented out Sea World just for us?? it was CRAZY and unbelievable. And food was free!! And in case we got chilled, we were all given jackets to wear!! And then we had a rocking good time with a concert by the CASH family and entertained by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, and then an incredible fireworks display!! PLUS the funnest (is that a word) roller coaster ride I have ever been on: face down the entire ride and you had no idea what was coming!!
AND then...we got to have time with friends we never get to see enough of. Wishing i had more time with Rick and Beckie, Bob and Shannon,Mike and Michelle, Susan, Donna, Amy, Gary and Jeanne, Mike and Shari, Alan and Sharon, Dave and Kaitlin,-just to name a few. But the sweet real conversations I did have warm my heart and thankful for even brief times with those I love so much. And made new friends too.
I started my time with a pre conference with Young Life College that challenged me and made me so grateful that God has blessed me by allowing me to impact the lives of kids in college. And how extremely proud I was of 2 of my girls, Kendra and Sarah for giving of their time to volunteer and serve the YL staff.
I am extremely grateful to the YL planning team. You guys R.O.C.K. OUTSTANDING JOB.THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
ALL PRAISE AND GLORY TO GOD OUR FATHER, JESUS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT who lives in each of us, trying to get us to be who the Father envisions us to be!! May we continue to lift up high the Name of Jesus, so that adolescents everywhere might hear , know and experience the LOVE OF OUR GOD.
That is how I feel right now after spending 8 days in Orlando, Florida at the every 4 year All Staff CELEBRATION of Young Life.
How grateful and blessed Scud and I both feel that we are part of this Mission.
Can I do the celebration justice by trying to recap my highlights? Probably not, but i will give it a try.
Spiritually I am incredibly blessed. With our speakers of Tim Keller and Francis Chan, how could you NOT be?
Tim challenged us to remember, reflect and live by allowing the Gospel to change us.
How can we as followers of Christ have any racial bias? That we should hang out with people who are not like us at times. And how grateful I am that Young Life is now in 77 countries around the world, with another 20-30 targeted. I'm sure Jim Rayburn never envisioned this, but thankfully this is how the LORD led us. I'm grateful for Bob Reeverts to starting this along with Bob Mitchell. And for how Marty Caldwell has pursued this so actively.
And Francis Chan?? Well he changed his whole message backstage by the Holy Spirits' leading and talked about how we must know and be into God's word. This has been something on my heart for years now. WE as a mission MUST promote the Word of God. Too many of us have never read the Bible. I have been aghast at how few of our younger staff and volunteers have not even read the New Testament in its entirety.
How blessed and grateful I am to Recie Raley and June Hoch, who taught me and challenged me to love God's word as a young bride and mother. I know this is a word that God wants us as a mission to know, to take to heart.
And our prayer time was incredible. Led by my dear friend, Donna Hatasaki, she brought us into the Lord's presence and gave us a word picture of coming to the table where Our Father, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit sat and welcomed us, told us how they loved us and we dropped our burdens onto them. We aren't meant to carry such heavy loads and they are. I cried as I left burden after burden with the Trinity, knowing how capable they are to sort thru them.
And I believe with every fabric of my being that we exalted and lifted up the NAME of Our God. We had an incredible worship band who brought us to the throne of grace each session. OH GOD, may we continue to Praise and Worship YOU.
And 2 of the testimonies of kids that Young Life reaches brought me to tears. Michael, a Capernaum kid shared the Gospel in the most real way ever. This is his words of what the Gospel is:
Jesus suffered.
He died for you.
On the third day He rose.
He wants to be in your heart.
He touched all of us in ways only he could.
And there was Sierra, a almost 20 yr old single mom from our Young Lives division, who gripped us with the story of abuse, abandonment and promiscuity, but whose life was transformed and redeemed when she encountered Jesus Christ.
Whether its with middle schoolers, high schoolers, college friends, teen moms or the special needs kids, we as a mission are reaching out to lost, the marginalized all over the world and I am so thankful to be part of this mission.
And if that wasn't enough...we had fun. I mean we had LOADS OF FUN.
Can you believe that YL rented out Sea World just for us?? it was CRAZY and unbelievable. And food was free!! And in case we got chilled, we were all given jackets to wear!! And then we had a rocking good time with a concert by the CASH family and entertained by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, and then an incredible fireworks display!! PLUS the funnest (is that a word) roller coaster ride I have ever been on: face down the entire ride and you had no idea what was coming!!
AND then...we got to have time with friends we never get to see enough of. Wishing i had more time with Rick and Beckie, Bob and Shannon,Mike and Michelle, Susan, Donna, Amy, Gary and Jeanne, Mike and Shari, Alan and Sharon, Dave and Kaitlin,-just to name a few. But the sweet real conversations I did have warm my heart and thankful for even brief times with those I love so much. And made new friends too.
I started my time with a pre conference with Young Life College that challenged me and made me so grateful that God has blessed me by allowing me to impact the lives of kids in college. And how extremely proud I was of 2 of my girls, Kendra and Sarah for giving of their time to volunteer and serve the YL staff.
I am extremely grateful to the YL planning team. You guys R.O.C.K. OUTSTANDING JOB.THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
ALL PRAISE AND GLORY TO GOD OUR FATHER, JESUS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT who lives in each of us, trying to get us to be who the Father envisions us to be!! May we continue to lift up high the Name of Jesus, so that adolescents everywhere might hear , know and experience the LOVE OF OUR GOD.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
AGAIN...BE STILL
It has been awhile since I last wrote anything, one month ago I wrote on "Be still and know that I am God"
Psalm 46:10 has long been one of my favorite verses. Mainly because so many things happen in life that I don't understand. My human finite mind cannot comprehend why God allows certain events to take place.
I realize that today, it has been one month exactly that GOD took Troy Gray home to be with HIM. Only a month?? IT seems longer. And Katie May? this weekend will mark 6 months since she entered eternity with her Savior and LORD.
And my friend Amy and her family has now been without Wade for 5 1/2 months. And there are others that have entered heaven seemingly all too soon for us left behind.
And now, just recently, our friend and co-worker at Woodleaf , in an accident that is too hard to fathom or comprehend, went to heaven, to spend eternity with the GOD he served so well.
Guy Gresham too, was one taken too soon for us.
My mind can't wrap itself around all these heart wrenching deaths.
And then I remember GOD.
He alone is GOD. He knows things I never will.
He has plans I might never comprehend.
BUT one thing I do know is that HE IS GOD.
And I need to trust Him.
I need to be still. I need to cease striving to understand.
I need to believe that He can always work something good out of a tragedy.
I do believe this with all that is within me.
After forty years now of walking with Jesus Christ, I am more certain than ever, that HE always has a plan. That He is always good. That He never has stopped loving us. That even in the midst of tragedy and heartache, He has never abandoned us.
Ironically, today is the 2 year anniversary of the "natural disaster" that rocked Haiti, the poorest nation on earth.
Was God not there? Did He not care?
Oh YES, He was there and He still is.
He has used this and is using this still in countless ways.
Do I understand why this happened? Absolutely not. Did God make this happen? I certainly don't think so.
Again, its one of those things that I will never understand. So much destruction, so many lost lives, such utter devestation.
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
YES, HE IS STILL IN CONTROL. Even if it doesn't look like it.
And yet another tragedy has hit our YL family.
As Anthony lays in a coma, on life support, with not alot of brain activity, I choose again to trust GOD.
Because, where would i be if I didn't? what hell would i be going thru if I didn't believe He was present in every situation.
I seriously do not understand all this. I can't possibly.
What i do know, is that this was NEVER part of God's plan.
When sin entered the world, so did death.
Death was never a part of God's plan. Which is also totally incomprehensible to this small mind.
I just finished Beth Moore's bible study on Daniel on New Years Day.
Do you know what Revelations 21:4 says?
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of hings has passed away."
Satan and his demons are thrown into the lake of fire, and THEN Christ defests death.
The last enemy of God to be defeated is death.
HE never intended that, and in the end, HE gets the FINAL say, and death is no more.
So altho, I don't understand so much of what has happened in the past 6 months, I choose to believe that God has never been out of control. Crazy that my last post from 2011 and my first post in 2012 are on the same thing:
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
Psalm 46:10 has long been one of my favorite verses. Mainly because so many things happen in life that I don't understand. My human finite mind cannot comprehend why God allows certain events to take place.
I realize that today, it has been one month exactly that GOD took Troy Gray home to be with HIM. Only a month?? IT seems longer. And Katie May? this weekend will mark 6 months since she entered eternity with her Savior and LORD.
And my friend Amy and her family has now been without Wade for 5 1/2 months. And there are others that have entered heaven seemingly all too soon for us left behind.
And now, just recently, our friend and co-worker at Woodleaf , in an accident that is too hard to fathom or comprehend, went to heaven, to spend eternity with the GOD he served so well.
Guy Gresham too, was one taken too soon for us.
My mind can't wrap itself around all these heart wrenching deaths.
And then I remember GOD.
He alone is GOD. He knows things I never will.
He has plans I might never comprehend.
BUT one thing I do know is that HE IS GOD.
And I need to trust Him.
I need to be still. I need to cease striving to understand.
I need to believe that He can always work something good out of a tragedy.
I do believe this with all that is within me.
After forty years now of walking with Jesus Christ, I am more certain than ever, that HE always has a plan. That He is always good. That He never has stopped loving us. That even in the midst of tragedy and heartache, He has never abandoned us.
Ironically, today is the 2 year anniversary of the "natural disaster" that rocked Haiti, the poorest nation on earth.
Was God not there? Did He not care?
Oh YES, He was there and He still is.
He has used this and is using this still in countless ways.
Do I understand why this happened? Absolutely not. Did God make this happen? I certainly don't think so.
Again, its one of those things that I will never understand. So much destruction, so many lost lives, such utter devestation.
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
YES, HE IS STILL IN CONTROL. Even if it doesn't look like it.
And yet another tragedy has hit our YL family.
As Anthony lays in a coma, on life support, with not alot of brain activity, I choose again to trust GOD.
Because, where would i be if I didn't? what hell would i be going thru if I didn't believe He was present in every situation.
I seriously do not understand all this. I can't possibly.
What i do know, is that this was NEVER part of God's plan.
When sin entered the world, so did death.
Death was never a part of God's plan. Which is also totally incomprehensible to this small mind.
I just finished Beth Moore's bible study on Daniel on New Years Day.
Do you know what Revelations 21:4 says?
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of hings has passed away."
Satan and his demons are thrown into the lake of fire, and THEN Christ defests death.
The last enemy of God to be defeated is death.
HE never intended that, and in the end, HE gets the FINAL say, and death is no more.
So altho, I don't understand so much of what has happened in the past 6 months, I choose to believe that God has never been out of control. Crazy that my last post from 2011 and my first post in 2012 are on the same thing:
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
BE STILL
I don't understand the ways of God so much of the time.
Maybe I am not supposed to understand.
If I did, would I need Him?
Psalm 46:10 says:
BE STILL and KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
BE STILL. BE QUIET. LISTEN.
Is that what it means to be still? The dictionary says that still is to remain stationary, or to remain at rest. It also says to remain calm and tranquil; free from turbulence or commotion.
But today its hard to be still.
Its hard to be at rest.
Because I just don't understand.
I don't understand why GOD you took Troy Gray home to You.
He was only 29. He had Kelly and their two sweet children who are 4 and still an infant.
Why not take me Lord? I have lived. I have had my children and watched them to grow into adults who love you. I have been married for a long time to such a wonderful man. I had 31 years of a nursing career, and the last 4 encouraging college kids to spend a lifetime walking, running and experiencing life with YOU.
I have had the joy of my grandsons.
I have had lifelong dear dear friends. I have lived.
Troy? He was in the prime of his life. YOU were using him for Your forever Kingdom purposes. And yet, YOU decided to bring him home to You.
Of course I don't understand that.
I don't understand either why You also took sweet Katie Parsons May home in July. WE all had prayed so much for her to get her lung transplant.
Maybe, like I said earlier, its not for me to understand.
The second part of the verse is easier for me to comprehend:
AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
That part I get. YOU ARE GOD.
I believe You.
I trust You.
I know YOU have our best in mind.
I know YOU want us to have an abundant life-the kind only You can give.
So even tho I don't understand YOUR ways LORD, once again, I choose to trust you.
You even tell us in Your precious WORD: Who has known the mind of the LORD? Who has been His Counselor?
And in the 55th chapter of Isaiah you again remind us:
My ways are not your ways...My thoughts are not your thoughts.
So today , in a day where my heart is way too sad, I choose to believe you.
And I thank you for Troy's life. I thank You for sweet Katie's life.
Please tell them I will see them soon.
And I really am trying to be still.
Maybe I am not supposed to understand.
If I did, would I need Him?
Psalm 46:10 says:
BE STILL and KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
BE STILL. BE QUIET. LISTEN.
Is that what it means to be still? The dictionary says that still is to remain stationary, or to remain at rest. It also says to remain calm and tranquil; free from turbulence or commotion.
But today its hard to be still.
Its hard to be at rest.
Because I just don't understand.
I don't understand why GOD you took Troy Gray home to You.
He was only 29. He had Kelly and their two sweet children who are 4 and still an infant.
Why not take me Lord? I have lived. I have had my children and watched them to grow into adults who love you. I have been married for a long time to such a wonderful man. I had 31 years of a nursing career, and the last 4 encouraging college kids to spend a lifetime walking, running and experiencing life with YOU.
I have had the joy of my grandsons.
I have had lifelong dear dear friends. I have lived.
Troy? He was in the prime of his life. YOU were using him for Your forever Kingdom purposes. And yet, YOU decided to bring him home to You.
Of course I don't understand that.
I don't understand either why You also took sweet Katie Parsons May home in July. WE all had prayed so much for her to get her lung transplant.
Maybe, like I said earlier, its not for me to understand.
The second part of the verse is easier for me to comprehend:
AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
That part I get. YOU ARE GOD.
I believe You.
I trust You.
I know YOU have our best in mind.
I know YOU want us to have an abundant life-the kind only You can give.
So even tho I don't understand YOUR ways LORD, once again, I choose to trust you.
You even tell us in Your precious WORD: Who has known the mind of the LORD? Who has been His Counselor?
And in the 55th chapter of Isaiah you again remind us:
My ways are not your ways...My thoughts are not your thoughts.
So today , in a day where my heart is way too sad, I choose to believe you.
And I thank you for Troy's life. I thank You for sweet Katie's life.
Please tell them I will see them soon.
And I really am trying to be still.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The GIVING OF GIFTS
This is the time of year, when we spend so much time figuring out what to give people we love dearly, for Christmas.
My problem is: Christmas has become so over commercialized. Its become a way for the Retail in America to stay afloat. We are bombarded with ads thinking we need this, we need that.
Kids change their minds hourly to what they might want depending on what they see advertised on TV.
My email box is overflowing with "SALES". My mailbox brims with catalogs.
I love giving gifts. I always have.
But I am so concerned that we have really lost the true meaning of Christmas.
I vividly recall years ago, taking our children to see "Christmas in the Park" in downtown San Jose. We walked by the large Nativity scene and I overheard a woman say loudly, "What does that have to do with Christmas?".
WHAT?
IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH CHRISTMAS.
Do you see the "CHRIST" in Christmas?
JESUS was the ULTIMATE GIFT and GOD THE FATHER is the ULTIMATE GIFT GIVER.
I do love Christmas. It is my favorite time of the year. I put up decorations and leave them up for a month. Although up in the mountains where we now live, the folks keep them up for 2 months!!
I love to give gifts. I love to bake goodies. I love the fact that I can be with the people I love the most.
I have had my 2 grandsons gifts for months now. Kellen is getting a San Francisco GIANTS bed comforter. I think he will LOVE this, and he certainly needs no more toys.
Jax is getting a wagon-because I think all kids need a wagon and somehow I forgot that with Kellen.
I have bought some other gifts for my kids. But they are small.
Instead, the past few years, I have given them gifts from World Vision.
All of us can really buy what we need. We have all that we need.
But giving them gifts that help others has such more meaning to me. In time, I hope they see why I choose to do this.
This morning I literally shed tears as I looked at the possibilities of the gifts online. I chose carefully and prayerfully. You can be sure that every year someone will get something to do with medicines that are needed. I spent 31 years being a nurse and my heartstrings break when I read the stories.
Instead of wishing I had more money to give material things to my loved ones, I wish I had tons of money to give to all the items listed.
I would love to encourage you to give to World Vision.Or to Heifer. Or to Samaritan's Purse. Or to Advent Conspiracy.
These are the gifts that are life giving and life changing, that won't be forgotten a month after the decorations are put away.
This morning I read in a devotional: "I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly" (John 10:10). To me, to live abundantly, means to give generously.
Christmas is for giving.
Let's just make sure we give gifts that are worthy of the money we spend.
My problem is: Christmas has become so over commercialized. Its become a way for the Retail in America to stay afloat. We are bombarded with ads thinking we need this, we need that.
Kids change their minds hourly to what they might want depending on what they see advertised on TV.
My email box is overflowing with "SALES". My mailbox brims with catalogs.
I love giving gifts. I always have.
But I am so concerned that we have really lost the true meaning of Christmas.
I vividly recall years ago, taking our children to see "Christmas in the Park" in downtown San Jose. We walked by the large Nativity scene and I overheard a woman say loudly, "What does that have to do with Christmas?".
WHAT?
IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH CHRISTMAS.
Do you see the "CHRIST" in Christmas?
JESUS was the ULTIMATE GIFT and GOD THE FATHER is the ULTIMATE GIFT GIVER.
I do love Christmas. It is my favorite time of the year. I put up decorations and leave them up for a month. Although up in the mountains where we now live, the folks keep them up for 2 months!!
I love to give gifts. I love to bake goodies. I love the fact that I can be with the people I love the most.
I have had my 2 grandsons gifts for months now. Kellen is getting a San Francisco GIANTS bed comforter. I think he will LOVE this, and he certainly needs no more toys.
Jax is getting a wagon-because I think all kids need a wagon and somehow I forgot that with Kellen.
I have bought some other gifts for my kids. But they are small.
Instead, the past few years, I have given them gifts from World Vision.
All of us can really buy what we need. We have all that we need.
But giving them gifts that help others has such more meaning to me. In time, I hope they see why I choose to do this.
This morning I literally shed tears as I looked at the possibilities of the gifts online. I chose carefully and prayerfully. You can be sure that every year someone will get something to do with medicines that are needed. I spent 31 years being a nurse and my heartstrings break when I read the stories.
Instead of wishing I had more money to give material things to my loved ones, I wish I had tons of money to give to all the items listed.
I would love to encourage you to give to World Vision.Or to Heifer. Or to Samaritan's Purse. Or to Advent Conspiracy.
These are the gifts that are life giving and life changing, that won't be forgotten a month after the decorations are put away.
This morning I read in a devotional: "I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly" (John 10:10). To me, to live abundantly, means to give generously.
Christmas is for giving.
Let's just make sure we give gifts that are worthy of the money we spend.
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