Look Up

Oh, these last few weeks have been difficult. I shared recently about our decision to move on to a different ministry, and since that time we have spent countless hours processing through that decision with the people we love so dearly here. Regardless of how anyone feels about the specifics of our decision, the leaving is not easy.

One of my dearest friends here in the Northwoods has encouraged me in so many ways recently. Mostly, she has not allowed the sadness of our decision to sway her faith in God's mighty hand and faithful provision. She kept saying to me last week, "If I look at the circumstances, I become overwhelmed and discouraged. If I look at God, I remember that anything is possible."

That is the truth that can bring hope and comfort to any situation that we face in life. God. He holds the world in His hands and will never leave or forsake us. None of us, anywhere.

In some ways I am grateful that our friends and students here feel a loss at our leaving (it means that actually like us! And hopefully that they saw God work through us. . .). I keep telling them that if they weren't sad I'd be a little offended.

But I am desperately praying that they all come to the same conclusion as my dear friend; that they choose not to focus on the circumstances but on the God who formed them in their mother's womb and mapped their days before they drew their first breath. God is worthy of our trust and His plans for us are for our good.

I was meditating on the Beatitudes again this morning (I'm a little hooked), and a cross reference sent me to Isaiah 55. If you are one of my loves from the Northwoods, read this with great assurance that God is speaking these words straight to you and into your situation. It is a powerful reminder of the love, provision, and protection of a God who can do anything at any time in any one.

Invitation to the Thirsty

¹ "Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

² Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

³ Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.

⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples.

⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor."

⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁸ "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

⁹ "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

¹² You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.

¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD's renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed."

God's ways are not our ways. Sometimes the plans He has confuse us. . . we think, "How can this be for our good?" But rest assured that He can do anything. I think right now the most comforting part of this chapter in Isaiah is verse 11:

It (God's word) will not return to me (God) empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

God has a plan and a purpose in our lives, in our families, and even in our churches. He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). Take heart and know that God is good and that He is in control. He can (and will!) work good in your life when you surrender to His purpose and walk faithfully in love with Him.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

Real Love

Yesterday I told a story about a little girl who was encouraged through the sweet love of a teacher. Those kinds of stories inspire me and motivate me to be more loving. But can I be really blunt for a minute? I think sometimes its a lot harder to love others than we would like to admit.

This might seem wrong on a lot of levels, but I'm going to tamper a little with the story I shared yesterday. Imagine that before I described Mary Ann's physical deformities and struggles I informed you about her poor behavior and lack of social skills. What if Mary Ann had anger issues and yelled at other kids or acted out during class? Would your heart still have broken over her insecurities? Or would you have struggled to feel compassion for this little girl who seemed to deserve a lot of the unlove that came her way?

You see, there are people like Mary Ann in our world. Sweethearts whose disfigured faces do nothing to hide the love and beauty in their souls. And then there are people whose tragedies have made them rough. Individuals who have felt the unlove of others for so long that they become incapable of returning any love they are shown.

If we truly want to live like Jesus we have to be willing to love everyone. Anyone. No matter how rough their edges or difficult their personalities. We have to be willing to get down and dirty with our love. When Jesus heals the leper in Mark 1 he doesn't just call out from a distance, "Be healed! Now go take a shower!" No way, friends. Mark records it like this:

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. Mark 1:41

So as we walk through this week lets keep our eyes open for the people in our own spheres who desperately need our love. Lets pray that our hearts would be filled with compassion and that we would be willing to reach out and touch the unlovable, difficult people in our world. And maybe we need to take a little inventory of our own hearts and remind ourselves yet again that we can be difficult, unlovable people too.

A Story Worth Repeating

I read a story this morning that I'd love to tell you about. . . brought me to tears and reminded me of the awesome love of God.

There was a little girl named Mary Ann who was born with a cleft palate. Her jagged lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth and garbled speech made her feel completely unlovable. She would often lie about how her lip got to be that way because she thought it was better than admitting she was born with it. Can you even imagine the rejection and pain she must have felt from her classmates at school? Kids can be so cruel (well, so can full grown adults, really), alienating others for differences they had no ability to choose. One year in school Mary Ann had a pretty fabulous teacher. This teacher (Mrs. Leonard) tested the students' hearing every year using a little system through the door. Here is what my bible study author shares about it:

The routine was easy to understand. Each student was asked to stand outside the classroom, cover one ear with a hand and place the other ear against the door. Then, Mrs. Leonard would whisper something from the other side and the student would have to repeat it back. She said things like, "The sky is blue." Mary Ann took her turn, doing everything she had been instructed to do, and she waited to hear a similar phrase. Instead, she heard words that were rarely aimed at her. With her ear pressed against the door, she heard Mrs. Leonard say, "I love you, Mary Ann, and I wish you were my little girl."

Wow. How powerful is the unexpected and unwavering love of another? What a beautiful picture of the love that Christ has for us. None of us is worthy of love. . . none of us are perfectly together and without fault. And yet His love for us is deep and wide and strong.

Words are powerful. Mrs. Leonard knew that, and she used words to bring light and joy into the life of that little girl. I am praying today that my words bring light and life. . . that my speech is a good reflection of the undeserved love that I have found in Jesus.

If you need a little reminder today of the depths of His great love for you, spend a few minutes reflecting on this:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Mary Ann's story comes from:
The Preaching of Jesus, by Mark Moore & Jon Weece

Upside Down

I love being married to Matt. There are a hundred reasons why he lights up my life and brings me such joy, but one of the superficial benefits of marrying my stud is that my library of Christian literature grew by about 1,000 (or more). Yesterday as I was reading through the beatitudes I glanced over to the stack of books next to the fridge and noticed a commentary on Matthew. . . This morning I decided to read more in Matthew 5 and simply headed to the extensive collection in our basement to find another author's interpretation of the mind blowing sermon Jesus gave.

The bible study I got my hands on today brought one of my favorite truths of life in Christ to light through the message of the beatitudes. What is it?

The upside down nature of the kingdom of God.

What do I mean by that? Well, if you look at the things this world values and compare them to the things that God values, you'll find almost nothing in common. This world says that popularity, wealth, comfort, laughter and reputation are the most important ingredients to a satisfying life. Our God says that when we recognize our lowly state, when we mourn over the sin in our hearts, when in humility we long for the righteousness only God can give. . . well, that it is then that we are blessed.

Just read through Matthew 5:3-12. Does it sound in any way like something you would hear on Oprah or Dr. Phil? Not a chance, my friend. God's ways are not our ways. His thoughts are different than ours. . . and I, for one, am immensely grateful for that.

In all honesty, I think our initial reaction to God's upside down ways depends a lot on our experiences here on earth. Growing up I didn't possess a lot of the worldly values that define success. My reality was quite the opposite, actually. As a result, when I learned that my lack of popularity and wealth meant absolutely nothing to God; that my place in His kingdom is based on a completely different scale. . . well, I was thrilled!

But what if you are popular? What if you have collected great wealth, enjoy lavish comfort and high esteem? How do you feel then when God says that those things don't matter? What is your initial reaction when Jesus actually suggests that those things might be your downfall?

It isn't so easy to swallow the upside down values of God when you've got the world's values in your back pocket. And even though I find great relief in knowing that I don't have to live up to this world's standards, I am often still tempted to try.

This morning take some time and meditate on Matthew 5:3-12. Ask yourself where you're at when it comes to the standards of God's kingdom verses the standards of the world. How much are we living like the world instead of like Christ?

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Out of Control

Last Saturday we heard an amazing sermon from this crazy guy named Perry Noble. His blog is listed over on the left side as one of my faves. His passion for Jesus and his willingness to say it like it is refreshes, encourages, and challenges me. It doesn't hurt that he is also hilarious.

He was preaching through the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and challenging us to a deeper, more authentic relationship with Jesus. This morning I decided to turn back to Matthew 5 and do a little reading and reflection on my own. I am a firm believer that the same old, same old never gets old when it comes to God's word. There is always an opportunity to understand and apply what we've heard a hundred times in a new or more authentic way.

Ok, well, I guess I should admit that I do have a tendency to take this a little too far. I remember one particular evening in college when I was reading through my bible and trying to understand a familiar verse on a deeper level. The verse I was looking up was John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

I remember looking up specific words in that verse in the concordance (which is basically a bible dictionary) to try and gain a deeper understanding. It might have gotten a little out of control. Let me just assure you that the word 'so' in that verse just means, so. You probably don't need to look it up in the concordance. Sometimes there are not actually 5 levels of deeper understandings for words. They are not all onions with layers and layers of hidden treasures.

But I think sometimes its too easy to go to the other extreme. We can just read verses in the bible for a little encouragement and never look deeper or meditate personally on what they actually mean. I guess if I am going to tend to one side or the other, I'd rather spend too much time looking up the biblical definition for the word "so" than failing to grasp the depth of God's word and forgetting to apply it to my life.

(as a side note, the only reason I remember that particular evening in college and the exact verse that I was so skillfully dissecting is that my boyfriend at the time - the first boyfriend I had ever had - came over to my house in the middle of that study to break up with me. . . makes things a little more memorable, yes?)

Anyway, you're probably wondering how on earth I'm tying this back in to the Beatitudes. Don't worry, I'll get there. You see, this morning as I was reading through the first few verses in Matthew 5, I suddenly got the urge to do a little word search again. Matthew 5:6 says this in the NIV:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

I long to be filled by God, and I want to understand this hunger and thirst that must precede God's filling. . . So I opened up Bible Works 5.0 and looked up the biblical definitions for those words. I am happy to announce this morning that when the words hunger and thirst are used in Matthew 5 to express our longings for righteousness they actually mean (drum roll please), hunger and thirst.

Actually, I'm not being totally honest. There was a kind of cool description for thirst, but it was just a more metaphorical way of describing what we all know it means to be thirsty. So where do I go from here?

Well, I think sometimes I need to remember that the application of God's word is just as important as the dissection of it. Hunger and thirst might not have any hidden meanings or alternate definitions - but if I look at my life and ask myself whether or not I am hungering and thirsting after righteousness. . . well, there is my onion for dissecting.

I love being a Christian. I love finding ways to know God more and live my life more fully surrendered to Him. I hope the same old, same old never gets old for you, either. I hope that you find joy in the simplicity and the intense complexity of God's word. There is so much to learn and so much that I don't know. . . and so much to live that I know already.

praying this morning for a fresh hunger and a deep thirst for righteousness. . .

A Two-Sided Coin

Oh, I cannot tell you how difficult it has been to blog these last few weeks! If you know me at all, you know that I wear my heart on my sleeve and that I love processing through everything openly in my life. I am not a good keeper of secrets - not that I don't keep them, only that it is difficult and draining for me to do so. This morning there is a sense of relief knowing that I can finally share some of the thoughts in my heart. I am so glad that the keeping quiet part is done and the processing together part can begin. . . I'm much better at that, anyway.

This weekend Matt and I announced to our church that we will be moving on to a new ministry opportunity at a church outside of Milwaukee. As I shared this news with some of our closest friends and students the word that kept coming out of my mouth was bittersweet. I decided to look it up to be sure I was using it accurately. . .

Bittersweet:

1 : being at once bitter and sweet; especially : pleasant but including or marked by elements of suffering or regret

I would by lying if I said that this decision wasn't pleasant - if I tried to convince you that I wasn't excited and filled with thankfulness for this opportunity. But I would also be lying if I said that there was not a heavy element of suffering that comes with that joy.

The bitter part of this choice is having to walk away from a ministry that is filled with people I love. God has done so much through my relationships with friends and students here. I have a deep love and a strong connection to my girls, and the thought of that connection being severed is painful - to say the least. It is also bitter to walk away from the fruit that God is so clearly growing in our midst!! He is at work here; drawing students (and adults!) to Himself and teaching us all what it truly means to walk as Jesus walked. . .

The sweet part of this choice is walking into a ministry that is exciting and full of possibilities! I cannot wait to be a part of the team that is currently reaching students for Christ in that community. I cannot wait to experience the power of teaming with other like-minded brothers and sisters who have a passion and love for young people. I am so thrilled for my hubby to have the opportunity to be mentored by other men on staff who are passionate and gifted leaders whose love for Christ is so clearly evident! I cannot wait!!

So I think bittersweet is the perfect word. I am thrilled and torn to pieces all at once. I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have made the right decision. And I am so excited to see what God will do here and there in the coming months and years to make Jesus known! I know that He's not done in this place, and I hope that the hearts of our friends and students continue to beat after His great calling on their lives and His desire to use them for His kingdom!!

I am counting on God, trusting in His sovereign plan, and finding peace in the knowledge that He has the whole world in His hands. . . No matter where you are at I hope today you find peace in that knowledge too. After all, its HIS church, HIS body, and HIS bride anyway. . .

Bedside Meditations. . .

I got the stomach flu this week. It was a rather unpleasant experience, as you would probably assume. I am still in recovery mode (but this morning finally able to drink a cup of coffee - hallelujah!!).

I don't know what happens to you when you're sick, but my brain turns to mush. I have a hard time creating coherent thoughts and I'm certainly not capable of writing any meaningful reflections. On days like these I feel a little disconnected - from the world, my friends, and sometimes even God. Quiet times (aka reading my bible and journaling) become a little difficult when I can't think. . .

But there is one thing that I cling to in moments like these. . . worship. It takes virtually no brain power to hit play on my Ipod and simply soak in the words that others have written about my God. The other night I was blasting Shane & Shane and was so very encouraged by a reference to 2 Cor. 4:7. In that verse Paul says,

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

I laughed to myself while I was laying there - thinking that my jar of clay was looking particularly ridiculous that night. But how amazing to remember that its not about me. It doesn't matter if I have it all together or if I'm falling to pieces in my bed. God has chosen to show HIS mighty power in me and through me. . . and He doesn't mind that I'm broken - in fact, He uses that very brokenness to draw people to Himself.

And that is about as deep as it gets when this chick is sick. To tell you the truth, a lot of my most encouraging moments come from hearing the same truths I've believed for years in a context that makes them come alive in a new or different way.

So while I'm grateful the sickness is over, I'm also thankful for the opportunity to remember that God can (and will!) show His power through me no matter what sad state I'm in. . .

If you are in Christ, then you are a beautifully broken jar of clay too. . . praise Him today for the great privilege of shining His light through your brokenness!!