I am indebted to my home group for this word. 

Love you, guys!

Friday evening . . .

anticipation all week . . .

beautiful home,

warm, inviting . . .

candles glowing . . .

hugs, laughter, stories . . . 

something wonderful in the kitchen -

cake, goodies, 

coffee from a fancy machine . . .

one table, seven chairs . . .

sweet communion of saints . . .

more laughter, stories, even a little joking around . . .

and then . . .

everything, everyone stills for a moment,

settles . . .

two words,

red-letter words,

simple words from a not-so-simple man,

a not-so-simple life plan,

not a suggestion but maybe a command - 

Don't worry.

"I'm only human . . .

Everyone worries."

Yes, we are human.

Yes, everyone worries.

But . . . should we?

We've read, we've studied, we've quoted the red words,

but have we HEARD the red words?

Do we believe, live the red words?

Do they dwell in our heart?

Worry has many traveling companions.

Alongside worry stands fear.

Close by stands lack of faith.

Behind lack of faith stands unbelief,

Doubt holds unbelief's hand.

All of these come with questions.

Why, God?

Is God?

Will God?

Where are You?

My ways are not your ways.

Seek ye first . . .

I've got this.

I've got you.

Nothing - NO THING - surprises me.

Trust . . . obey . . . believe . . . rest . . .

Boils down to trust, perspective.

I see the whole picture.

I have a plan.

Have to somehow tame our thoughts and imaginations . . .

When they get to spinning like whirlybirds in a hurricane,

we get lost and lose perspective.

Like a two year old forced to sit for an hour on his mother's lap,

we get antsy . . .

impatient . . .

whimpery.

Like the newly liberated Israelites,

we grumble . . .

complain . . .

cry out for Egypt . . .

wonder if God knows what He's doing.

Wondering makes us wander.

Somewhere we have to stop the madness . . 

put down our foot . . .

say . . . and believe -

"In the great hand of God, I stand."

He's got this . . 

and everything else . . .

the "whatevers" of a lifetime.

Whatevers are inevitable.

Instead of driving us into worry,

they should lead us to the "what-so-evers" of God:

things that are true,

honorable,

right . . . 

things that are pure,

lovely,

admirable . . .

things that are excellent and worthy of praise -

the only thing worthy of our praise is God.

Think on these.

When the whatevers come,

turn our thoughts on Him . . .

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus . . . 

and the things of earth (even our worries)

will grow strangely dim

in the light of His glory and love."

The what-so-evers change our perspective

and calm our wanderings.

This was our little group's word for this year . . .

for life.

"Come, thou Fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace . . .

Praise the mount.  I'm fixed upon it . . .

Hither by Thy help I come . . .

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart, O, take and seal it.

Seal it for Thy courts above."

Worry . . . wandering . . . leaving the God I love . . .

maybe not this day, this week, this month, this year . . .

the rest of our days.

I want to enjoy the good, 

see the beautiful,

rest in Your arms,

dwell upon Your lap.

Still, my wandering heart . . . and mind.

Wednesday's musings . . .

Ten lepers sitting at a distance crying out for mercy.

"Go show yourselves to the priests."

They left.

As they went, they were healed.

One and ONLY one returned to give thanks. 

"Where are the others?"    (Luke 17)

Satan's sin . . . ingratitude and a quest for MORE.

Adam and Eve's sin . . . MORE.

Liberated Israel's sin . . . ingratitude and a quest for MORE.

King David's sin, the man after God's heart . . . MORE.

Ingratitude and discontent are ALWAYS the catalyst for sin.

Communion almost every Saturday evening

over the holidays at Vineyard ReCovery.

Powerful moments.

Come-and-go Communion on Christmas Eve.

Powerful moment.

Communion . . . The Lord's Supper . . . the Eucharist.

Jesus "gave thanks" at the Passover table.

The original language reads eucharisteo.

The root charis, "grace."

Chara also means "joy." 

Thanksgiving . . . Grace . . . Joy

He gave thanks and broke bread . . .

His body . . .

He gave thanks and offered the cup . . 

His blood of the covenant . . .

Broken bread and poured out wine . . . 

His sacred act . . .

Our call

At the beginning of His literal broken moments,

the King of Brokenness gave thanks.

THE King . . .

Gave . . .

THANKS . . .

Who for the JOY set before Him . . . 

The next few moments of His short life would be anything but joyful.

Joy awaited on the other side of brokenness.

Joy awaits us too.

Must keep our eyes on the prize, not the brokenness.

Must find contentment, rest . . .

Satisfaction with what we do have

instead of questing for MORE,

unless that quest is for MORE of God's presence.

Whether we are aware or not, we are all broken.

Brokenness is part of Life.

The question is not if or when.

It's "what will we do with the brokenness?"

Is our God good always?

Do we really trust Him?

Does He really transform all things into good?

Has He ceased taking all the ugly and making it into beautiful

in His time,

in His way,

for His glory?

Is Eternity really in our hearts?

Is today really transient and tomorrow forever?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes!

I am loved . . . ALWAYS IN EVERYTHING.

God is good . . . ALWAYS IN EVERYWAY.

Jesus gave us a holy example for how to live fully

and die gracefully (full of grace).

He gave thanks and was broken.

He gave thanks BEFORE the brokenness.

We give thanks always,

especially IN the brokenness.

That's the only way to survive those moments.

Thankfulness opens the door for the transforming power of God.

Thankfulness releases grace and joy and peace . . .

all things necessary to do what needs to be done in those moments.

Thankfulness allows me to rest in His arms, to lean into Him.

Tired of squirming around, fidgeting,

getting up and down on His lap.

The Eucharist . . .

Thanksgiving . . . Grace . . . Joy . . . Brokenness . . .

Ten broken men healed,

given all they could have dreamed of.

One heart full of thanksgiving.

"Where are the others?"

His eyes still search for the "others" today.

Of Bubbles and Worship

Sang a Michael Bynum original last night at Vineyard ReCovery. 

The Lord is worthy to be worshipped.

Every day, every way, all the time.

Every day, not just a few moments on Sunday morning.

EVERY way, not just with song.

ALL THE TIME - 86,400 seconds a day.

How?

Psalm 111 shares the secret.

How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!

All who delight in Him should ponder them. (Recovery Bible NLT)

ALL WHO DELIGHT IN HIM SHOULD PONDER THEM, his amazing deeds . . . HIM.

To ponder means to think about something - to STOP what I'm doing, put everything on HOLD for a moment, and think about something more than just a second.  In order to ponder, I have to be looking at whatever is around me  EXPECTING to see something - gazing at life, getting out of bed in the morning KNOWING that I WILL SEE GOD somewhere throughout day, hopefully multiple times throughout the day.  Living like this requires being PRESENT in the moments of the day - not reliving yesterday or fretting over tomorrow, content in today.

So worship is not just singing.  I confess that I have gone to church and sung words I've sung a gazillion times and not touched God because I wasn't present, and I wasn't expecting, and I wasn't gazing or pondering.  Familiar songs are dangerous because we sing them without THINKNG.  (Not knocking singing here)

What does Psalm 111 say we should ponder?

• EVERYTHING He does reveals His glory and majesty.
• His righteousness NEVER fails.
• How gracious and merciful He is. [I AM - Emanuel - is WITH us.]
• He gives food (spiritual bread too) to those who FEAR Him. [fear as in reverence as well as standing in awe of His power]
• He ALWAYS remembers His covenant.  [His original promises and those He's made to each of us individually]
• He reveals His great power to His people.
• ALL He does is just and good. [regardless of the difficulty or the pain]
• ALL His commandments are trustworthy. [We can cash them in at the bank.]
• His words are FOREVER true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity [good character, godly character]
• He has pain a FULL ransom for His people.  [the complete, full price.  God first paid the price by sending deliverers like Joseph and Moses.  Then He sent the Law which made provision for sacrifices to ransom us.  Finally, Jesus came and became THE ultimate ransom for us.  His blood once and for all paid the price for our reconciliation with Father God and for the chance at living a godly, joyful life.]
•  He has guaranteed His covenant promises FOREVER.

That's quite a list.  There is sooooooooooooooo much more!

Now, what does all of this have to do with bubbles?

THERE IS HOLINESS AND MAJESTY IN THE MUNDANE IF IF IF IF IF IF WE PAUSE A MOMENT AND HAVE THE EYES TO SEE!

The holiest moments I have had were not in church and did not involve singing.

Standing at the sink doing dishes . . . I do not like doing dishes, especially pots and pans.  So, standing at the sink . . . Suddenly, light meets water.  Mini rainbow appears.  I SEE.  I THINK.  I SMILE.  

Behind my smile is "knowing."  THE God of the universe engineered this MIRACLE, this moment, and the greatest miracle of all - I SEE. 

How many times have these bubble, this rainbow happened before? Gazillions - I cook a lot. This time, though, I SEE AND I SMILE.  The smile becomes worship for there is a "knowing" this time and a pondering and an acknowledging.  I WORSHIP!  No singing, no scripture, just smiling . . . and wrinkled flesh. 

A holy moment . . . God Almighty, Elohim, sees me, and I see Him in all His beauty, mystery, and majesty . . . WORSHIP.  Five seconds maybe.  That's all it took.  Gazing . . . expectancy . . . pondering . . . worship . . . the HOLY right there in my kitchen in the  middle of Mundane - ville.

Worship = really seeing and pondering and acknowledging.

Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty. (Psalm 111)  

"DO NOT BURY ME IN EGYPT."

The above quote is from Genesis 47. It's one of the last things Jacob said before he died.

I've always considered "Egypt" to be symbolic of the world and all its allures and ways. So often I feel as if I am buried in the world, in Egypt.  I don't want to be, but . . .

One of the mystics of old, Theresa of Avila, was at one time buried in Egypt.

She was born in 1515 in southern Spain at a time when the world was rapidly changing - a newly secularized church, gravity, autopsies and the beginnings of modern medicine, new observations about the solar system, expansion, trade, etc.  Science was beginning to replace eternity mindsets. The church itself was undergoing changes fueled by names like Martin Luther, Calvin, Henry VIII, John Knox, the Council of Trent, etc.

Theresa's dad was a devout believer; however, her mom was interested in other pursuits like reading the popular novels of the day - their version of soap operas. 

Theresa was pretty and like her mother loved all that glittered, parties, and the affections of young men.

Around the age of twenty, that changed. She fell ill and remained in pain and suffering the rest of her life.  In the midst of all of this, she met "His Majesty" - her name for our Lord - and nothing was the same for her.  Gone were her worldly affections replaced by an intense burning love for her Lord.

Her main desire was to be as much like her Lord as was possible.  She wanted to "walk the path of her Lord's humility."  Her desire was oneness with Him, letting Him live in her and seeing Him glorified through her life. She separated herself unto God in heart and suffered and was persecuted by the church for it.

As believers, we too face similar questions.  Just how much of God do we want in our lives?  [even though we know He wants everything]

How much of the world are we willing to let into our souls?  How many good deeds are we willing to do for Him - tithes, offerings, devotions, prayer, benevolence, church membership?  If we're honest, most of us have drawn a line where we say, "Okay. Come into this room, but respectfully, please no further.  Not that."

According to my studies, we cannot have both - God and the world.  We "gotta serve somebody."

Near the end of her life, Theresa set out in the freezing rain to establish a new mission.  Suffering under heart failure and in great pain, she and her followers came across a cold, rushing creek.  She plunged in and was swiftly taken downstream.  Her followers thought all was lost until they heard her goading them from the opposite side somewhere down the creek.

While she was struggling in the water, she thought about complaining until she heard her Lord say, "This is how I treat the ones who want to be my close friends."  She understood what being a "Friend of God" meant:  depending on Him alone in the midst of all the whatevers so that He can do His thing and in "power and majesty" be glorified in their weaknesses.

She laughed and replied to Him, "Ah, my Lord. Then it's no wonder you have so few."

Yes, the road to "Zion" is narrow and fraught with dangers and difficulties, but He has walked it before and asks that we follow in His steps.  He calls us to Himself and asks that our identity be found in Him and nothing else.

Tripped this morning over some clutter in my house.  Reminded me of the world's clutter in my own soul.  Think it's time for housecleaning.  Don't want to be buried in Egypt.

[Facts and story from a devotional entitled How Majestic Is Your Name.]

For the past year, I have consistently been drawn to John 13 - 17 particularly

John 17: 21 -  " . . . that they will be one just as you and I are one - as you are in me, Father, and I am in you."

This article is NOT another plea for unity in the church.  It's about relationship and life and all the messy areas that come with living.

The last fifteen years of my life have been filled with "messy" life events, more than I bargained for, from a cancer diagnosis in 2002 to a near-death moment in 2015.  Even beyond 2015, life has held major challenges for me and my family. 

Through all the mess, God has been faithful and loving and good, and He has seasoned all the messes with great grace and mercy and healing.  I have truly been blessed. 

My heart has been able to sing amidst the rocks in the stream  - most of the time, and I've been able to place my broken pieces into His hands.  (You do know that it's the rocks in the stream that create the beautiful bubbling, musical sounds we hear and love.  No rocks, no music.)

Back to John.  These chapters contain Jesus' prayers for His friends which includes us.  These are His desires for us.  His desires were God's desires because they were one.

I firmly believe that ALL that comes our way is to bring us into oneness with our 

Father - that He would be in us and we would be in Him.  Our journey is a journey toward oneness with God.

This journey in not an emotional journey, not what we "feel."  It's a character journey all about who we are and aren't, who God is, and who we are to be.

I have found that as long as I am focused on myself and my experiences whether good or bad and focused on analyzing myself and my experiences, then my face is turned away from Him and my journey pauses.  I'm tired of hitting the pause button or getting stuck in the buffering zone.

I don't know what 2018 holds for me and my family.  However, I DO know that however great our needs and difficulties may be this year, there is an ENDLESS supply of love and grace and strength that is immeasurably more than I can even ask for or imagine.  

"JUST BECAUSE HE IS, JUST BECAUSE WE ARE HIS, ALL MUST GO RIGHT FOR US" even when it goes so very, very wrong. [Hannah W. Smith]  God's children know that God is enough.  He's enough for today.  He's enough for tomorrow.  He's enough for eternity.  

GOD loves me.

God LOVES me.

God loves ME.

Psalm 139: 17 says, "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!"  For years I would read or quote this verse down to the thoughts part totally missing the emphasis of the verse.  Of course, His thoughts are precious, but this verse says how precious are His thoughts about me . . . about you.  THEY CANNOT BE NUMBERED.  Wow.  A - mazing.

Today, Father, 

I say, "YES!"

Yes to Your life lived in me,

to Your mind,

to Your interests, 

to Your riches,

to Your joys,

to Your sorrows,

to Your rest,

to Your character.

Yes to showing others Your likeness,

to walking, talking, thinking, feeling, and acting as You did and do.

Yes to all Your prayers for me, for us,

to oneness with You.

Yes to living by faith and not by feelings.

Yes to being

and contentment,

to Your being enough.

Yes, Father,

more of You,

more of Your love,

more of Your life,

more of Your legacy.