On Discipleship

"We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labour, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me."
Colossians 1:28-29

"Discipleship is personally transferring the full dimensions of your relationship with Christ to the person you are walking with. IT IS NOT imparting spiritual disciplines as much as it is acquainting another with a person that you love." ~Blackaby

So I ask myself, when I talk about what it is to be a Christian do I share with others the relationship that I have with Jesus, instead of a method of doing. Don't get me wrong, doing is a natural outpouring of our relationship, but it is not the relationship.
Is takes courage and vulnerability to walk with someone and share the heart of God with them. To share what it sounds like when Jesus corrects you as opposed to the other condemning places these things can come from. What does it feel / like, look like to walk in relationship with God moment by moment? In that moment with them? What does Jesus tell you about them? I know there is a strong fear that in sharing these things we could put the Bible by the waste side, or manipulate the other person in some way... But I'm asking that the Bible always be the power by which you are lead, in the Spirit.

I can only think of one person that shared their actual intimate relationship with me word for word, the heart of where they were at, the heart of where they felt God was at, and told me that is what it was. People know the truth when they hear it. I was only a child and I resonated with the truth of what I heard.

Would you take that risk today? Share the heart of God and what he is doing in your life personally with someone, and tell them it is through your relationship with God that you know this. Yes, have a Biblical basis always for what you speak... but give their spirit a chance to respond to the truth God has planted in you. If it is an affirmation of who they are to Jesus, or a personal experience... Be that living example of what it looks like to walk daily with the Lord, to have full joy in it, and pass it to someone else.

On Unity...

"...and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." John 10:16

"How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!"
Psalm 133:1

"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 22-23

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Eph. 4:13-16

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Eph.4:3

"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Col.3:14

Do I promote unity? When people grumble about the church, the Body of Jesus, do I agree, do I argue? Is there a better way? My heart aches when I hear someone grumble. I apologise, I am humble to hear the heart of God, the heart of that person, and respond. What people are really saying when they grumble is that "Gods people failed me or are failing" me in some way. They are hurt. Enter into their pain, do not get defensive. Build that relationship, God is big enough to defend His church, his body, his bride.

Do our churches promote unity? Do others know when they look at our "small part of the body" that we are for other places of worship much like our own. Each church has its own giftings, corporately. When people say, they do this better, or that better, why can we not agree, cheer them on and see it from an eternal perspective? Are we living from that eternal perspective within our churches?

Times are becoming clear cut in society where faith matters are concerned. Know the basics of your faith, your salvation your freedom, your place in the kingdom. Know how to recognise the Holy Spirit so you don't shoo it away. Know how to see the love of Christ though other peoples eyes, so you can know their spirit as you know Christ. Know Gods hand in things so you can become part of what he is already doing.

Father today, please help us to know you to the fullest. As we come to know you, unify us, bring us closer together into your body. Strengthen us through this unity. Help us love one another within the body so that you love is contagious for the world to see. Thank you for including us in your grand plan. Our love is for you is only because you first loved us, we are humble and honoured.

"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3

"Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one."
John 17:11b

"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world."
John 17:14

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
John 14:20-21

Can you hear Jesus heart as he prays this? I can almost feel his anticipation for the future of his influence as it grows and meets us in this time, today. I wonder what it looks like for us as believers to be one. Gods heart for the unity of his people. To act as mediators rather than team leaders against other teams.

Today I am deeply convicted and compassionate about what Gods heart is in the unity of believers. He has left us every possible means by what he has prayed for us to thrive in this world. What does it mean to live in unity with one another? Seek him out with me on this one.

Father, today my prayer is for your people. The ones you have called to be your own. Give us grace to love one another the way Jesus has shown us. Help us put off any past issues and pick up this cross of unity to bear up under it with one another. Break us so that we are not proud, build us up so that we are no longer our own, and send us forward as your body a powerful blazing torch for your glory. Thank you for this honour, i am humbled you would call us by name to be your children. Our hope and all we are is in you. Amen.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 1 Cor. 4:16-18

"If you encounter a problem with no immediate solution, your response to that situation will take you either up or down. You can lash out at the difficulty. resenting it and feeling sorry for yourself. This will take you down into a pit of self pity. Alternately, the problem can be a ladder, enabling you to climb up and see your life from my perspective. Viewed from above, the obstacle that frustrated you only a light and momentary trouble. Once your perspective has been heightened, you can look away from the problem altogether. Turn toward Me, and see the light of MY presence shining upon you." Sara Young (Jesus Calling)

When we focus on the problem is always gets worse. Watch the lies that are planted in a problem... You are no good, this always happens to you, you'll never get past this one, its all your fault..etc. Satan is the master accuser. Those words do not come from God. God will comfort, He will wrap around you, nurture you, and bring you to a place of love, confidence in him, and action. Sometimes if feels like you cant hear God through the storm of lies. Refocus. Think of where God has brought you, what from, and begin to thank him. Lay it all out in front of him. Beg him for his touch, for his complete hand to guide you to the point where your trust is ONLY in him, not in yourself.

You have done this alone for long enough. We are called to carry one another's burdens, through Christ. Will today be the day you get rid of the things that have been dragging you down, or will you go off for awhile again just to see if you can do it all on your own? With every drop of blood you have been bought, purchased, made whole, made perfect before God. Please go before the throne and give him your ALL. Then move aside and see "what great things he has for those who trust in Him."

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:1-5

Notice this passage says, "bear fruit". Not make it, produce it... bear it. In the dictionary one of the meanings is: "to produce by natural growth." So if bearing fruit for the Lord is to be natural, why do we strive so hard to do it? Is it possible that we think that the bearing is more important than the abiding? I am certain that if it is difficult to "bear" fruit for God, chances are you are merely producing it, and not doing it with your branches firmly attached to the vine.

"apart from me you can do nothing"

Jesus has said that it is not our activity that produces fruit, but our relationship with him... If we stay attached to the vine, a great harvest will be the natural outcome. If you are finding yourself weighed down with activity, and you feel far from the Father, stop. Take the precious time you need for Him to affirm you, give you new vision, set you back on that narrow path that will produce such a great harvest it will explode through the gates of heaven. Regroup today, your relationship with Him is constant, and will remain forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uW9xYbH2WU

As I watch boatloads of people trying to get out of their countries to escape the brutality of persecution, 

as we and other places that have the means to protect and keep them safe, turn them away, I am so 

overwhelmed with sorrow. We are living through a time that I am sure we will look back and be filled with 

remorse over. What can I do you ask? There are brothers and sisters in Christ, being persecuted, 

starved, slaughtered. Some of this we cannot help, much of it we can. Missionaries should Not have to 

starve with their children as they bring the good new to the ends of the earth. When we, as one of the 

richest nations turn a blind eye to the starvation and persecution of MILLIONS of our brothers in Christ, 

don't think that you will not be held responsible. The Saints are given the right to judge, people killed 

because of the good news. Look for a reputable organization. Give. Love, they are part of our family. You 

are no more loved than they are.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtQbzRmmMfk

When we are hungry, we eat. If our spirit is starving, we often try to fill our hunger with things in the physical world that wont satisfy. That spiritual desire has been put there by God. There are days when we feel like we are lacking. Know your vice. Know the things you start to do (or start to think) when you are feeling spiritually hungry. Treat them as triggers to get you closer to God. As hunger pangs are a prompt to eat, so the path to filling your spirit by physical means can be a trigger back to filling your soul with Jesus.

A very tangible example of this for me is internet shopping. As soon as I find myself surfing for new shoes, clothes, accessories, I immediately ask myself, what am I avoiding with God, or why am I trying to fill my spirit with on-line shopping. On-line shopping is not a sin... but when it becomes an automatic go to in a stress time, instead of God, then it is.

Anything that attempts to fill my spiritual needs other than God is sin.

Today bring into your awareness the things that you go to instead of feasting at the table prepared for you by our Lord. Ask God for forgiveness for substituting those things instead of going to Him first. Your spirit does not need to starve. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35) Choose to believe this today.

When your spirit is satisfied, the rest of your world will fall into place as a secondary need, as it should.

" If you are lacking something spiritually, it is not because Go does not have an abundance of resources prepared and available for you. It is you that have not come to Him in faith as He invites." ~Blackaby

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pum11nM5MrU

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Psalm 23:5

(PART 2)

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."
Proverbs 19:21

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
John 10:27

I know I looked at these verses yesterday, but I needed to look at them again today, from a different perspective.

Have you ever done what God has asked you in mans way to please man, thinking that as long as you were doing what God asked you, He would be pleased? I wonder if How we do things for God is more important that what we do for Him. Trailing in an not so obvious second is listening to the popularity and perceived needs of man vs. waiting and doing it How God has asked you and when he has asked you to do it. I can depend and look to the wisdom and experience of man, but much of that is based in a fallen and sin ridden world. What if God is hoping to renew the how through you? If something has not worked for someone else, do we then not try? EVEN when you have felt God prompting to do the what the same, but change drastically in the How?

We need to stop caring what others would do, and instead do God has asked us to do. Sometimes that can look messy, sometimes it can look like more work. Sometimes you might loose the popularity of man, get the disapproval of man, but in the end what you have done is an eternal act of obedience that will echo far beyond the reaches of the here and now. There are reasons that God asked us to do things a certain way, and a lot of the time it is not about YOU. It must be about the kingdom. Suck it up, allow yourself to have a drop "in the polls" and watch Him be glorified.

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."
Proverbs 19:21

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
John 10:27

"A mind preoccupied with planning pays homage to the idol of control."
(Sara Young, Jesus Calling)

This was so timely for me as I have trying to do Strategic planning for YFC. I had been struggling for awhile on details to come from some sort of "plan" I was suppose to have. Yesterday God reminded me of something I had not been obedient in, that I repented of, corrected and moved on. Last night I tapped out five pages of planning that literally came to me like God had poured a bucket of water over my head. (it also helped because I sent out a letter to the prayer team)

This verse:
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matt. 7:13-14) is what has latched onto my soul the last 6 months. Even in my time this morning I am reminded of how tight the path God has chosen for me is. (For all of us, really.) Please know that its not a rules thing, but a calling and love, respect and obedience thing. Being reigned in is a joy for me. Doing things outside of Gods will, does not glorify Him, so why would we do them?

Sometimes hearing his voice takes work, work. Sometimes hearing him takes time, take the time. Sometimes it takes obedience, obey. Know his voice. Hear it as clearly as the light from the sun warms the earth. As water quenches thirst. How will you know it is His voice? Human words will not be enough to describe your encounter. You will not leave the same. You will be renewed in your spirit, blinded by the piercing truth of His light, humbled that he takes the time to speak to you in such a way that allows you to experience his love. Seek after it until you hear, nothing is greater on earth.

He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” Ex.17:16

The Amalekites were a relentless enemy of Gods chosen people. When Gods people were closed to the Promised Land, Amalekites stood in their way. They continuously sought to hinder the progress of God's people.

As you move forward in your relationship with God, there will be Amalekites that will seek to pick at you, distract you and bring you away from your true calling. I was just reminded of something God had asked me to "clean up" yesterday that I had put on the back burner for a better time. "God in determined to remove anything the keeps you from experiencing HIM to the fullest...There is nothing so precious to you that God will not be its avowed enemy if it keeps you from His will for your life." (~Blackaby) We can do this the hard way, or Gods way.

God never gives me the next step until I have been obedient in the step I am currently on. I am looking for the next step, and today I will be obedient in doing what he has asked.

Is there something holding you back from being in full submission to God? Is there something he has asked you to do, or something he is trying to wean you off of so that you can move forward for HIS glory? Join me today in choosing to be obedient.

Something really resonated with me in a way I had never really known yesterday in the sermon. #3 was "I recharge my SOUL with BEAUTY". the context was Psalm 23:2-3 :

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.

What I understood from what our Pastor said was that to refresh our soul, God gives us beauty. Overwhelming beauty to see, beauty to hear, wonderful things to smell. God has given us senses not only to Help us in life, but also to experience a small glimpse of HIS beauty, and be recharged by it.

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Cor. 13:12)

What we see here is but a shadow of what is to come. HOPE for what is to come.

Have you ever woken up to the sound of the birds celebrating the rain on a spring morning? Have you ever been warmed and then taken over by a sunrise? Have you ever smelled a lush forest in the middle of the summer as it nourishes itself into the dry season? Have you had your being recharged by the beauty that the creator, (the one who sent his son to rescue you) has given you to get and keep your attention? He gives us these things to recharge our soul. Allow your soul to be recharged today, and don't forget to lay yourself out before your maker to thank and praise Him for giving us not just beauty, but the senses to be overwhelmed by it all.

"When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from 

heaven to destroy them?” Luke 9:54

"People will benefit far more from what God wants to give them than from your best plans. Have you 

been short changing people around you by merely giving them your plans instead of God's?" ~ Blackaby

There are area's and sometimes people that I want to give up on. Let them go, move on without them. 

God doesn't ask us to think that way. It isn't up to us who we leave in the dust, and whom or what we 

come along side. Our opinion in the matter is simply not needed. We need to ask God what he has for 

the situation. I have found that God asks me to wait... and wait, and wait. When it is go time, it is quick, 

and everything locks into place... but it is in the waiting that we need to be faithful. Once again, it is not 

asking what is best for us, but what is best for others.

Its interesting in the verse above when Jesus and the and the disciples were rejected by a Samaritan 

village... James and John were ready to destroy. In Acts 8:14, the same village had responded to the 

gospel, and the same two were sent on their way to teach them.

There are a few things I have wanted to give up on in the last while. I will no more actively engage or 

back off, but ask God and see where he would have me stand in them. I dont want my best for people or 

situations, I want Gods best... Dont you?

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8

(Also see Acts 5:1-11 ~ Story of Ananias and Sapphira, Joshua 6 ~ Israel's march and defeat of Jericho, 1 Sam. 16:11 ~ God choosing a shepherd boy to be king (but a man after God's own heart)

All of these examples are of God doing things HIS way, when it seems that they don't make sense, are not efficient or will not produce the results WE would expect. We like to put things in a cookie cutter system, and watch the same results come out. We like things to be predictable, controlled, reproducible...

My question is: if God has called you to do something, is planning it and processing it the way the world wants you to process it the way to do it? If it is, then I would challenge you that you need to look at if the calling is from God. If you don't need every step from God to make the outcome for God, then is the calling from God? God calls us to do things for Him by Him, not for Him, by the world.

How can we do this? The ONLY way we can be doing things for HIM by HIM, is to know what he wants from us. Can you hear him? Is your relationship with Him in a place where you trust his voice over the worlds voices? Be sure you are in a place where you can hear HIM. If your relationship is in a place of complete confidence in Him, not even the sky will be your limit. You will know when he has asked you do something when you can't do it yourself, but need Him to do it. THEN it will last to eternity...

Invitation vs. force then grace

Been thinking on Invitation vs. Force. Being invited to become a child of God vs. Being forced to believe 

in God. Interacting with one another with invitation rather than force... There is an assumed gentleness 

and grace with invitation. Grace not meaning tolerance. Grace not meaning no expectations. Grace 

being "an allowance of time after a debt or bill has become payable granted to the debtor before suit can 

be brought against him or her or a penalty applied".

Just thinking, chewing... meditating, seeing what it all means and how I can live with more invitation / 

more grace for others. What needs to be taken off so that grace can be put on... take off judgement? 

Take off assuming? Take off predisposed thinking into moment by moment, person to person grace??? 

Listening, hearing, Understanding through the eyes of Jesus in the highest progression or process of 

love? Gifting grace, being surprised at grace, never expecting grace, grace unending, being full of grace 

AND TRUTH? Grace in increasing measure, "just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign 

through righteousness... Rom. 5:21 righteousness and grace, not an entirely expected match...

"Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”

1 Cor. 15:55

God is outside of time and therefore sees it all from a vantage point none of us ever will. Jesus has gone 

through death, separation with God, what we would have had to go through but because he rose from 

the dead we have his spirit to be there with us in the end... in death. Jesus death was dreaded because 

he had a horrible thing before him~ we can be filled with him who had already taken on the wrath of God, 

our sin, Hell... we can be confident in death as our soul sheds this earthly clothing for a heavenly one 

that he will be with us, showing us the way as he can / does here on earth. Death should not be a 

dreaded word among Christians, it is a passage to your true self, your true home, where you will see him 

with unveiled eyes, where you will be greeted as a precious child of the most High... "For now we see 

only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, 

even as I am fully known." 1 Cor. 13:12

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to 

prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with 

me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said 

to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”Jesus answered, “I am 

the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, 

you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:2-7

Why you slummin' it when your Father is the King?

Why do you go back when he has has washed you clean?

Why can't you see past the lies you have believed?

Why sit in this darkness when you could be dancing?

Can you live past this moment,

Can you see past these years?

These things that keep you trapped

entangled in your fears?

Overwhelmed by your beauty,

God's told me about you...

How he carried you from the gates of Hell,

and now he waits for you.

Waits on your waking hour

for you to speak His name

for you to draw in close to him,

look to the heavens with no shame.

But you choose to slum it,

you choose to play the game

His love is always waiting,

and again you walk away...

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Ex. 33:14

In the verses before this Moses says to God, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you."  If you are a believer or a follower of Jesus, God's presence is always with you. What is our part in "I will give you rest?" Moses asks God to teach him HIS way so that he may know God.  It is in our desire to know God that therein lies the key.  If I pray for problems to go away, think on them, obsessively make plans for them, where is my focus?  If I use that same energy to focus on who God is, what he has done, and what future hope I have because of him, those problems look pretty small in comparison.  Train your mind to be active, not passive.  Do not shift into neutral in your thoughts.  

Father today help my focus to be on you.  May I be aware of your constant presence, and picture you as the focus of every conversation and every forward movement I make in this day.

mmm... Obedience and Trust

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much..." Luke 16:10

Your faith and experiencing God are directly linked... God will not lead you beyond your present level of trust and obedience to Him. He will return you to your area of unfaithfulness until you are prepared to trust Him... - Blackaby

Here we are back to the word... obedience. Obedience that takes faith feels different to me than everyday obedience. Everyday obedience draws me in closer to God, tucking me under his protection, and helps me to not have to experience unpleasant consequences to things I know are wrong. Obedience that takes faith feels more like a calling, something you must do or you know your faith would be stifled. Being faithful in everyday obedience has lead me to Obedience that takes faith. When i look at the above verse, this all makes sense. If you can be obedient in the small things, God will give you the faith to be obedient in the the bigger things. It grows, as does the trust God puts in you to do those things.

Father it is in you we put our trust. Help us to be faithful in whatever way you have asked us to be.

A counter cultural jar...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God 

and not from us...." 2 Cor.4:7

"Paul was comparing the our lives with the clay pot commonly used in his day. The 

CONTENTS of the earthen vessels , not the containers themselves were of great value...." -

Blackaby

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we 

are being renewed day by day..." 2 Cor.4:16

"Your relationship with God places immeasurable value on your life... Don't focus on 

outward appearances and physical strength, for these deteriorate. Rather, allow the Holy 

Spirit to convince you of the infinite treasure that is within you because of God's presence." - Blackaby

It is no secret that I have struggled with eating issues and excessive exercise issues for the 

better half of my short lived life. These verses this morning were so real to me, both as an 

internal poke and an external revelation. The word of God is almost always countercultural 

in what it values. The WORLD values a young, beautifully fit body - the WORD values what 

is filling that body. I think of how much time, energy and money I have spent in the past 

striving to make my body something that it no longer is, so that people would notice me, 

think I was beautiful, but in the end it is all temporary, and a huge waste of resources, time 

energy and money. We strive for this perfection that society tells us we want, all to find out 

we can never have it, and it does not make a difference anyways. (I am NOT talking about 

a healthy lifestyle, which is something totally different...) When I think of the people I look 

up to, the people I love with the better half of my being, I am stuck at the truth of the matter. 

I am attracted to those that have that light streaming from their eyes... love without 

question, know wisdom beyond a lifetime... THESE are not temporary, what you give to 

others as an outpouring of these things is not temporary. You cannot gain this 

"wisdom/light/love in a week from a pill/diet/shake. It is gained over a lifetime of being 

focused on the eternal, on a lifetime being engaged in a relationship with God.

I dont want to be ruled by what the world tells me my clay pot is suppose to look like. 

I want to be recognised by my Lord, and what He has poured into it.

Unknowningly known Wisdom

"Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the 

peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding 

people.’" Deut. 4:6

When I was in my 20's I had an older friend (not a believer) who was going through a really rough time. 

We would sit and discuss her situation(s) for hours. A few times in conversation she was stunned by the 

wisdom that would come out of me. She would say, Jo, You are only 20 something, and you are so wise, 

how did you get that way? Now I would have liked to take credit, but the problem is that I didn't know 

why, in fact I was as surprised as her with what came out of my mouth sometimes. This question made 

me search to understand how such a simple minded young woman could have any understanding of the 

life of a 60 something year old. It hit me the third time she asked, and has humbled me ever since.

This wisdom is not mine. It comes from a childhood of reading the world of God, learning and obeying 

the concepts and having a relationship with the creator of the universe. Ah, me again...simple. Wisdom is 

timeless. It never changes. If you know God, and he has given us the opportunity to know him, then 

wisdom will spill over from out of the depths of your soul. "God's purpose in creating a nation for himself 

was to demonstrate his wisdom to the world through the obedience of His people." (Henry T Blackaby)

Father, let our desire be YOU, let a byproduct of that be wisdom in which to bless others so YOU may be 

glorified.

"In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."
Prov. 3:6

"pray without ceasing..."
1 Thes. 5:17

Weakness... Jean Vanier

"Weakness carries within it a secret power. The cry and trust 

that flow from weakness can open up hearts. The one who is 

weaker can call forth the powers of love in the one who is 

stronger. Do those who are stronger respond with love 

because of an unconscious way they identify with the one 

who is weak? Do they, in some way know that one day they 

too will be weak and will cry out for help, recognition and 

love?" Jean Vanier, Becoming Human

On Prayer and the "how to's"

I'm not always sure how to pray, or what exactly to pray for, especially when we live in such a protected 

bubble, with limited true news entering our news waves. We pray thy will be done, and then wonder what 

is happening on earth and in heaven. If I allow the realness of what is happening not only to Christians 

but many people in the world today, I know my soul is overwhelmed for God's kingdom come. My soul is 

overwhelmed with the need to have a steady heart, fixed eyes, and a longing for heaven that only comes 

from a daily indwelling of Jesus himself. I am continually asking what can I do for the body of Christ in 

other places that are seeing their families put to death, their homes taken away, their children used, 

raped, slaughtered. What can we do for those that are not in the body, suffering the same consequences 

of evil in this world?

As we embrace loved ones, enjoy a meal and celebrate a risen Lord this weekend, do not ignore that the 

reality that Heaven is right in front of some of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray they stay strong till 

the end, that they know their reward, and be aware that they know beyond a shadow of a doubt who will 

be greeting them when their severed bodies are left here, and they enter into His glory.. You will see 

them again..."I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I 

saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of 

the word of God." Revelation 20:4

"...this Holy Week we are calling upon Christians to also reflect upon the crucifixion, beheading, stoning, 

enforced slavery, sexual abuse, human trafficking, harassment, bombing and displacement of hundreds 

of thousands of Christians -- and others -- whose faith alone has made them a target of religious 

extremists...."

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/03/living/last-easter-iraq/

Meanderings on Interactions with God...

Blessed is the one...

whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

Ps. 1:1-2

"You can reject a doctrine, or ignore a concept, or challenge a principle, but it is much more difficult 

to ignore a person.... You cannot have scripture fill your heart and continue to sin against God..." 

-Blackaby

I have been learning to understand what it is to "walk a narrow path" in the last while. There is this 

"thing" that seems to guard my conscience. Actions and thoughts which I would not have ever 

considered to be wrong 6 months ago, have entered my "sin radar" and become warning beacons as I 

go about my daily business. They have come from some place I was not yet aware of, into the light. 

Exposed for what they really are, reminders of where my dependency needs to be every moment of 

every day. It is not a set of rules; (which I had previously believed was the case in the process of 

becoming more Christlike) but more like clouds before the potential storm. I do not feel stifled in 

any way, but am relieved to avoid anything that could otherwise divert my attention from places they 

otherwise have no business being.

How did this begin? Real interactions with God. I know that might sound crazy to some, but that is

exactly where it's at. In conversing with Jesus/ God/ the Holy Spirit, all else becomes secondary.

ALL ELSE. Early mornings of disciplined time alone in scripture, meditating, asking God His heart 

instead of always going on about my own. Interactions that have brought me to such a lovingly lowly 

place that it is only He that could have pulled me back out. The loss of such an intimate relationship 

would be devastating. SO... if ever you pray for someone let it be for their relationship with God. 

ALL ELSE stems from this. ‪#‎Jesusisalive‬