Embracing The Heart

My first “real” boyfriend was diagnosed with cancer two years into our relationship. It was a hard-fought year of surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and sadness. It was a heart-breaking year of loss, let down and bittersweet love.

I remember--months after his hair had fallen out, months after his first chemo treatment, months after he lost all his body weight, months after I first locked eyes with a 5 year old hooked up to machines just to stay alive, months after our lives were rocked for the worst -- going out to dinner for the first time.

We went to our favorite restaurant, all dressed up.

He was wearing a hat because he had lost all of his hair and as we waited for our food to arrive, a mother sitting a few tables away began to make a fuss over John’s rude hat wearing skills at our dinner table.

She hemmed and hawed and yelled across the restaurant that her sons would NEVER wear their hats in public --in a fancy restaurant at that -- while others were eating. It was a mannerless act better suited for McDonald’s than the Inn we sat in.

She didn’t know John knew the owner of the restaurant personally.

She didn’t know that this was our first outing since his diagnosis.

She didn’t know that we had to wait for weeks for the doctors to okay this date.

She didn’t know that his life was upside down.

She didn’t know what he was living through, what we were witnessing on a daily basis, how sick he really was.

You see, she only knew what she judged.

She didn’t know what was underneath.

We left that restaurant as quickly as possible, so as not to start a commotion. As we walked past her table, her boys staring at John’s hat, it took everything in me not to tell her off, honestly.

John, embarrassed beyond belief, stopped at her table, took off his hat and said, “I sure hope your boys never have to wear their hats in public, Ma’am. Especially if it is to cover up their cancer.”

Her eyes popped open, her face turned red and she stammered an un-intelligible sentence.

I was so letdown that day.

Letdown we are capable of such ignorant ugliness.

I’ve made it a point since then to ask myself: do I see what is underneath? Do I notice those around me and treat them as creations of God? Or do I judge them by their outward appearance, instantly writing them off?

1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

I wonder today: is it the heart you and I have been looking at?

Walk out a radical faith today and follow our Father’s lead.

The woman collecting cans, she is loved by Him.
The teenager with baggy pants, God knows his name.
The store clerk who messes up your order, God holds her desires in the palm of His hand.

What will we do today?

I pray we embrace the heart and do the God thing.



***
Kristen Schiffman writes at Exemplify Magazine. She welcomes you to check it out today!

I Would Have Missed It...

Let's be honest.

Things haven't changed THAT much in 2,010 years. Women are women, always have been. We are busy, we have to watch out for gossip and did I mention, we're busy?

If I had been alive THEN it likely would have looked a bit like this:

I imagine that if I would have been up before the cock crowed and I would have gone about the chores of the day.

I would have fetched the water, I would have fed the baby, I would have swept out the barn, (even though it was supposed to be somebody else's chore.)

I would have fed the animals.

I would have made the bread. (Wondering outloud, how in the world can these people of mine eat so much?)

I would have pressed some olives and drawn some water from the well.

I would have mended somebody's tunic that had gotten mysteriously ripped. (Time for the "play tunics" talk again.)

I would have made my way to the market.

I would have conversed with the women in the market, always trying to stop short of gossiping.

I would have 'heard' the rumors, everyone heard the rumors

I would have returned home, put the fire on; I would have made dinner and I would have put the babies to bed, and I would have taken one last look around our home before turning in for the night.

I would have looked up in the night sky, and simply not noticed that THIS night was different.

So we fast~forward 2,010 years, welcome to my world!

I get up before the alarm goes off, and I begin my day. I spend some time in quietly praying before my feet hit the floor.

Then it's off the bathroom for a shower and make~up, so as not to terrify the UPS man.

I would complete the never ending pile of laundry, and find myself mending the jeans that have mysteriously gotten ripped; need to have the "play" clothes talk again.

I would move on to emptying the dishwasher, (even though it was supposed to be somebody else's chore.)

The list of daily tasks would go on and on, you know it, you live it. Addressing the cards, calling a friend, responding to emails, braving the mall traffic, wrapping the gifts, waiting in the endless post office line, going to the grocery, going back to the grocery to get what I forgot the first time, chauffeuring my people to dance and basketball, remembering the teacher gifts!

The list continues and I find myself unloading the groceries, (wondering how these people of mine can eat so much) making dinner, tucking everyone in, unplugging the tree and the outdoor lights, and finally pausing to look up at the stars in the night sky.

Our lives with all their modern conveniences really haven't changed that much.



She missed it 2,000 years ago, not because she intended to. Sure she had heard the rumors swirling all about the town. Rumors of a baby born in a manger. She MEANT to be there, but she was just too BUSY.





The truth is, I am her. I am that same woman in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.





Simply too busy to notice WHAT was going on around her.


The blessing in hindsight is that I can learn from her, the lesson of a lifetime. The heavenly hosts will announce it, the shepherds will find their way, the Kings will bring gifts, and as every woman who has ever walked before me, I have an opportunity to notice the significance of this night, the opportunity to notice the significance of the life of Jesus.

I silently vow that I will not be immersed in my own busyness that I miss it. I WILL see that star in sky; the star of HOPE, the star of LOVE, the star who welcomed GOD, coming to dwell with us. The star that whispers still today, "Be still and KNOW that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)






join Lori daily at her personal website,all you have to give, where she is listening for the whisper this season....

The Air That I Breathe

Under an almost leafless tree, you will find me parked in my car at lunch.


On most days.


Today was one of those days.



As I was sitting there, mulling over the fact that I could not enjoy the sunshine and breeze that was evidently going on by the stirring of the grass and limbs of the tree---because I had to "work" inside all day, it hit me. Like the sunshine beaming down.





Why not? Why can't you, for just this moment in time, roll down your window and feel the breeze blowing and feel the sun's warmth?






Well, duh! I can roll my window down! How simple would that be! And for just these few moments, enjoy the weather provided.



With not another minute to lose in my mully-grubbing heart, I rolled down all four windows and the breeze instantly rushed in, carrying with it the sweet promise from heaven--His love.


His love can be felt anytime we make ourselves open to Him. Available to Him.


How often do we sit inside our lives with the windows of our soul rolled up tight--refusing to breathe the freshness of the Holy Spirit? I have found myself in such condition. Breathing in only the stale -stagnate air of flesh. The air that depresses and even kills the spirit man.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7 NIV

I believe that the enemy of our lives wants us to keep the windows of our heart rolled up tightly against the love that HE so lavishly affords us! Through the gift of His grace, we are heirs in Christ Jesus! All the reason in the world to keep those windows rolled down and breathe in His gifts! Life eternal! Life divine!

Are your windows open?

Are you breathing in His Holy Spirit?

What are some things that block the Holy Spirit from penetrating our lives?

© The Knightly News 2009. All rights reserved.

Girlfriend, Don't Eat the Cake!

For a couple of years now I have been on this health kick. We have been taught over and over again that we must watch what we eat. The bad stuff may taste ever so sweet when you’re savoring it on your tongue but when you are carrying that weight around afterwards it just doesn’t seem worth it, does it?

Well, on Saturday my sister and I went shopping at the health foods store. I had a simple list: bread, chocolate milk, honey, chicken, and pineapple. Yes, chocolate milk. A girl has to have her daily intake of calcium and flavanoids. I’m sure I read that somewhere. So we perused through the store admiring the organic, non-harmful nail polish and body lotion all the while gathering my groceries. I even brought my reusable grocery totes to enhance the experience. There were goodies everywhere and the word "organic" seemed to make the calories disappear but I knew better. We were almost done browsing and shopping when we got to the bakery department and I turned around and noticed my sister was missing. Knowing someone wouldn't mistake her for a dessert, I looked all over to find her.

I went back to the cracker aisle, down the freezer section, looked again in the dairy department and finally got back to the baked goods. Then a really big guy moved on with his cart, cleared the view, and there she was, all 4 foot 11 inches of her. She was staring intently into the case that held the cakes and pies.

"What is she doing?" I thought. “I am trying to change my lifestyle and she is looking at calories, and lots of them! I have avoided temptation for the last hour and she is caving in?” So, I took a deep breath and started making my way towards her. She was going to get a piece of my mind if she was thinking about buying a piece of that cake! I wasn't going to stand for this. I even thought of lots of clever and witty things to say while en route to that dessert case. A bit of anger began to swell up inside of me and I was going to let her know it.

I got to the case, stopped my cart, looked her in the eye, opened my mouth, and said it....

"How much is it?"

It was Chocolate Eruption Cake, folks! And it was labeled organic so it must have some nutritional value, right? Two pieces and one full glass of chocolate milk later I can tell you that the word organic means nothing when they are placed in front of ingredients like butter, whipping cream, and sugar. It turns out that cake has more calories than a boxed non-organic cake. Oh the deception!

Weeks later as I strolled on into to a local book store to have coffee with some friends this cake came back to haunt me.

We sat down and began laughing and discussing the latest stories of our life. I got so caught up in hanging out and having fun with my girls that I never even saw it coming.

“While we are on that subject we need to pray for Kara’s marriage.”

Immediately I became concerned and curious. Then I said it, “Well what should we specifically pray for?”

The door was opened and I invited that gossip in. The tongue was loosed and assumptions were made. Everyone was completely tuned in to get the latest dish on what this seemingly perfect family in our church was going through. I had sworn that I would never get sucked into that again and that any friend of mine who dared speak that way in front of me would get a piece of my mind but the word “prayer” made it all seem fine. We had been spoon fed gossip and every juicy bite was savored.

Proverbs 18:8 – “The words of gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.” (NIV)

On the way home I thought about that organic cake. I thought about how sick it made me and how many extra minutes I had to spend on the treadmill to get rid of it. This gossip made me sick too and the weight of that conversation haunted me. I knew I'd have to spend some time on my knees in repentance. Just because something is given a fancy and “good” label doesn’t mean that it is beneficial to us. We have to be prepared at all times and consistently walk in the spirit so that we can recognize the tactics of the enemy. The Holy Spirit and I now have an inside joke. When I am about to encounter a similar situation I hear him whisper to my heart, “don’t eat the cake!” It works!

I'd love for you to visit me at my personal blog: AmyBayliss.com

Deactivate the Hyperdrive

I’m at the stage of parenting where silence is a hidden treasure. If I’m able to dig some up, it’s priceless. Let me just say that my kids are, um, a bit hyper…

Hyper-happy, hyper-angry, hyper-debating, hyper-complaining, hyper-planning, hyper-eating, (inhale) hyper-primping, hyper-snuggling, hyper-pretending, hyper-begging, hyper-back-seat-driving. (exhale). It’s loud, it’s active, it’s busy, it’s sometimes fun, sometimes draining. Always an adventure.

I’ll admit that this is a difficult season with the way I’m wired. But I’ve got it all figured out. What I need is a special robot that can painlessly deactivate the hyperdrive on my kids. You know, kind of like in Star Wars? Just a few hours a day, and BAM! I’ll be good as new. ;)

*******************

All joking aside, my kids get it honest. Not only was I JUST LIKE THEM growing up, I’m also the Lord’s hyper child now. So often I am hyper-sensitive, hyper-active, hyper-anxious, hyper-distracted, hyper-emotional, hyper-irritable, and a slew of other hypers.

And the amazing thing is: He still loves me. At the same time, He constantly reminds me to let go of anything else I’m runnin’ round in circles for other than Himself. The bottom line is focus—He truly longs to be the object of it.

I’m not alone here. All around me right now are those hyped-up about the economy, hyped-up about politics, about ministry, the news and weather, the traffic, the environment—a cause, a feeling, a rule, a relationship, a standard, an entitlement...and on and on.

And it all serves to distract us. It distracts me. All of a sudden I’m issue- and circumstance-driven. Dare I say, LauraLee-driven. When I landed on this passage in The Message, it reminded me to re-group. Though the Lord loves me just the way I am, His desire is for me to grow steadfastly focused upon Him.

Matthew 6:6

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place

so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God.

Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.

The focus will shift from you to God,

and you will begin to sense His grace."

All of a sudden I’m not feeling so hyper. This passage “deactivated my hyperdrive.” Will you allow Him to do the same in you?

Your life may be busy, you may be runnin’ in circles or drowning in your circumstances. Maybe pain overwhelms you or loneliness envelops you. Some of you may be disappointed with a relationship, some of you may be concerned about what the future holds. Are you frustrated with politics? Have you been hurt by someone you loved deeply? Hate your job? Fed up with your children? Locked into a sin struggle? Taking care of everyone but yourself?

What is it that keeps you hyper-focused on something other than the absolute sovereignty and love of the Father? Because of this, that or the other, you don’t have time or you don’t want the time, or it’s seems too difficult to arrange the time to slow down and let the focus shift from you to God.

But if you do…

If you will…

…You will find Him at that place ready to fill your heart with His grace. You will sense His peace. He will make your burden light. He yearns to do this work in us today, friends.

“Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you,

because I am humble and gentle at heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy to bear,

and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:29-30 (NLT)

Father, Thank You for showing us Your Truth through the lives of children. Thank You for being sovereign and completely in control of whatever gets us hyped-up or off-track in our focus of You. You are, and have always been the One person who encompasses everything we need for fulfillment, for Godly living, for love and peace and self-control. I cannot thank You enough. Help us to get this message today, Lord. Open our hearts, our logic, our understanding up to fall completely in line with Yours. It’s in Your name I pray, Amen.

Selah~ Pause. Ponder. Praise.

Runnin' on Empty

Remember the old Jackson Browne song “Runnin’ On Empty”? It was brought back into my recent memory during the last election campaign of John McCain. As I revisited those lyrics, I realized that this could be the theme song for a good many of our lives.

“Running on – running on empty

Running on – running blind

Running on – running into the sun

But I’m running behind.” *

Even as Christians, we can be “runnin’ on empty” and “runnin’ blind.” Do you realize that? We have the race marked out for us, with Christ’s help to run it unwaveringly, but so often we train our own way and race with our own resources.

As I’ve grown in my faith over the past five years, this is a topic I’ve had to wrestle with and allow the Lord to win. It came to a point where, until I dealt with this issue specifically, I’d have to take a water break from the race God had designed for me.

My poor training started in my childhood. With no one to show me how to cope with the horrible realities I faced, I ran. Between choir and theatre and cheerleading and track and student council and color guard and friends’ houses and church events and softball and running blind into wherever I thought the sun was shining, you can bet I was empty. To fill up, I’d watch my regular television programs, all with families I wished were my own. I’d stuff my face with junk food at the same time, knowing that my taste palette would be satisfied eventually. It never was, but I kept swallowing anyway.

“But you were just a kid and weren’t taught any better,” you might say. “Besides, you coped the best you could.” This is true, but I was long into my adulthood before I realized I was still running the same way I had begun many years before. Only now I had my driver’s license.

“Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels,

I don’t know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels.

I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through.

Looking into their eyes, I see them running too.” *

All of a sudden, it occurred to me that I wasn’t the only one wearing the tread down on my tires. Surprisingly enough, I was in a great deal of traffic, with people just like me. Probably all for different reasons, but pedals to the metal, just the same.

On the race the Lord has marked out for us, sometimes we have to sprint, and sometimes hurdles are a part of our endurance training. Some seasons are busier than others, and we have no control over it. But I’m not necessarily talking about being too busy. I’m talking about running with the wrong source of energy. About becoming distracted with the audience on the sidelines. About taking shortcuts when the path marked before us gets too rocky. About going just because we’ve always gone.

Featuring Browne’s album, Rolling Stone magazine** wrote, “The title track was actually written when Browne was driving back and forth to the studio each day to make The Pretender. ‘I was always driving around with no gas in the car,’ he said. ‘I just never bothered to fill up the tank because -- how far was it anyway? Just a few blocks.’”

Wow. What a description of my life for so many years. Does this apply to you? Are you running on fumes, thinking that your fill-up is only a few blocks away?

The Lord desires that we run our races with a full tank of Him, my friends. For our own good, and also for the sake of those witnessing the race.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

No matter if we are on a city road or a country one, a road under construction or one fully paved—God designed us to live with our eyes fixed on Him and our hearts full of Him. Otherwise, we’ll keep “running behind, running on empty—running blind.” With the joy of Heaven set before us, let’s allow the One who ran the race before us to retrain us, perfect us. Let’s keep running on—running on full.”

*Running On Empty—lyrics by Jackson Browne

**Rollingstone.com—Dec. 9^th, 2004

Selah~ Pause. Ponder. Praise.

Second Cup ~ Makeover of the Heart

A BRAND NEW SECOND CUP
Hosted by Tracy Berta @ Thirsty for Him

In this age of extreme make-overs, we transform everything from our appearance to our homes. Join Tracy for a 5 week bible study to explore a different kind of make-over- A Make-Over of the Heart. Come experience a complete heart transplant, allowing God to take out your old heart full of its selfish desires and replace it with a new heart....

A Delightful Heart

A Healed Heart

A Committed Heart

A Prayerful Heart

Our make-over begins with our hearts delighting in Him. Take a glimpse into the hearts of Jabez and King David, and learn what it means to truly “delight yourself in the Lord.”

So many hearts today are crying out for love and are carrying wounds of the past that so desperately need to be healed. Allow God to reveal your hidden pain, to heal your broken heart, and replace sorrow with joy by trusting Him.

God wants our hearts to be fully devoted to Him. Learn how He has given us power, through the Holy Spirit, over sin, temptation, and the desires of the world to live as free women completely committed to Christ.

God wants a natural, living, breathing relationship with you and prayer is the way to that relationship. He also wants us to slow our lives down so that we can be still and listen! Allow Him to transform your heart into a prayerful heart.

Join us on March 1st for this in-depth, Word-filled journey into a renewed and transformed HEART for God. You may choose to download the study in its entirety and do at your own pace, or join Tracy at Thirsty for HIM on Tuesdays and Thursdays in March to fellowship and learn together.

The PDF version of the study is here for download.

Blessings,
Tracy

Living With Me

My house has all the normal things, living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, office. There's nothing fancy, no extreme bells and whistles. There's five people who live here and often times there is (as Brennan Manning calls her) my Impostor walking right next to me.

She will follow me from room to room doing many a mischievous thing: a critique, a nag, a reminder of what I don't have or what I think I need, a jab, an applause, a telling of an old story of what I used to do. She's not my friend. She's my Impostor, but I live with her and she with me. We cannot be separated...or can we?

I wonder, do you ever struggle with the voice of yourself? Do you ever find that you want more than you have? Do you ever struggle with wondering why you're not noticed? Do you find that you crave the applause of those around you even if it's just a small golf clap? Do you struggle with feeling significant? Beautiful? Pleasing? Pure?

I do. I have.

And so, what do we do with all these things? Are they supposed to be of people who claim to follow Christ? On the one hand, I am to be pure and humble, self-sacrificing and meek, and yet I want to scream "NOTICE ME!", but not too loudly because we don't want to be First when the First with be Last.

Aren't we to be holy as God is holy? What happens if I think really poorly of someone or consider that that other man might be better than mine? What if I really like her house or her figure?

Bad me.

Bad, bad me.

I'm a Christ follower! I'm not supposed to think all this! Feel all this! Shame. Shame on me.

And so the chastisement goes. Your thoughts might be different. Your chastisement of who you should be might be a whole other set of lines. What are they? Can you identify them? Do you even know you're doing it?

How do you live with the other "Me" in your life? Do we all struggle with "But I died in Christ...why do I still feel like this?"

If so, then I have someone I'd like you to meet. Her name is Natalie, and she's my Impostor, she...is me.

Like it or not (and we clearly don't like it) we are who we so hate being. Our Impostor IS us. My Impostor IS me, but we have

...taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator...Christ is all and is in all.

Col. 2:9, 10

It's time to do something about, and with, and for our Impostor. The enemy has lied to us long enough that we are either not worthy of the blood and forgiveness, or we would be desperately better off with the ways of the world. It's time to get REAL.

R-Recognize that you have "Me" to live with. Just be strong enough to say, Yes, this is me.
E- Examine what things, ways, attitude and lies are set up against the Truth.
A- Accept that, yes, this is me. This, Lord, is me.
L- Love yourself enough and trust Christ enough to be transformed. He did not free us so that we would walk ourselves into more bondage.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Man, this is hard for me. I have such an appetite for applause and such a fear of being over-looked that I forget that my full identity, peace, and satisfaction is found in Christ! He set me free from what would hold me captive to this world and I chose to burden myself with it!

Oh, people, we have got to get REAL. If we aren't, then we are fooling only ourselves.
He knows the struggles.
He knows the lies.
He sees the hypocrisy.
He hears the foolishness.
He feels the pain.
He understands the doubt.

But, He cannot transform what we do not bring to His feet. He cannot heal what we do not let Him touch. He cannot free us from what we hold so dear. Think about what is in the deepest places of who you are and then...tell Him. Get real with Him. Lay it all out there. He is your best friend, your greatest lover, your biggest fan, your softest teacher, your Most Honorable King. Tell Him. He is not surprised and welcomes your honesty.

Whatever is denied cannot be healed. Do not deny yourself the opportunity of complete healing, freedom and finding the Real You. Watch as your Impostor bows to the King and His authority.

Watch as You find yourself in Him and He in You.

In Him,
Natalie

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For more Living With Me visit:


And my personal blog:

Wholly Holy

I am a visual worshipper, so a trip to somewhere grandeous is all it takes for me to get perspective of how awesome God is. It is truly amazing after being a Christian for all these years that I can make GOD such a casual name in my vocabulary. As if He were the mailman delivering Good News…..or the maintenance man, making repairs in my life….an entertainer, performing music inside my heart and mind.

I was convicted as I sat, hiked and biked in the beautiful mountains of Colorado last summer that His name had become too ordinary to me. Don’t get me wrong, I uttered His name as "holy" in my prayers and in my worship, but in everyday living, I had not exalted Him to His proper place. I've been grappling with this ever since. Even today, I struggle with finding the balance between reverence and relevance, though I know it is His desire that I am both at the same time. This culture is full of Twittering "omg"s and variants of His name as an interjection to the most common of subjects. Yes, even among Christians. I've done it myself. But ever since the Holy of Holies opened my eyes to His view, I've wholly reconsidered.

Will you now consider God's position in your life? Is He your "Main Man?” The contemporary human on the movie screen? Has He become an exclamatory clause to your conversations? Or is He your ALL? Your everything? The only name worthy of total respect. How do you use His name? Is it “Oh, my God, You are so holy and good.” Or could it possibly be “Oh my (bleep), I love your new shoes!”

My heart is to challenge all of us as believers who long to grow up in our faith to be different from the rest of the mainstream in regards to God’s position. I’m not talking about non-Christians, I’m not referring to young Christians, and I’m not suggesting we judge others who don’t know any better. I'm also not saying that we stop being edgy or relevant in our modern day culture. 

I’m exhorting us to think about our God who is wholly holy, research it in the Scripture, pray about it, and see what an incredible adjustment He does in our minds as a result. Personally. Individually.

The following are just some of the Scriptures that convicted me on the subject:

Isaiah 8:13a:

“The Lord Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy.”

Isaiah 26:8b:

“…Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”

Exodus 20:7 (The Message):

"No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; GOD won't put up with the irreverent use of His name."

1 Timothy 6:15b-16:

“…God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen.”

Hundreds more verses exist throughout the Bible about God’s name and His holiness, greatness, etc. The good news is that as New Testament believers, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, thanks to Jesus. And we can call Him "Friend" as well (John 15:15).

 But may we never lose sight that God is wholly holy, resplendent with light and worthy to receive our most humble praise. May He increase in our minds as we walk in the light of His presence today. It won't just change the way we talk about Him. It will change the way we live for Him too.

Abba, Father, You are Holy. You are the Lord God Almighty. You are high above any other god or any living creature. We're so sorry for misusing Your name. We exalt You and will treat You with the utmost respect. Make Your name and renown the desire of our hearts and be glorified in our words, thoughts and actions today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In the Key of HE,

Please visit LauraLee at her ministry blog,


or sign up to receive her edevos at her ministry website:

Out Of Order

Recently, I began to feel pretty flat spiritually. Okay, really flat. With little inspiration to write, to read or even to pray, it was all I could do to keep from sinking into depression. When the Lord led me to search my soul about it, an unsuspecting thought surfaced.

No, THAT is not the problem. Next thought, Lord.

No matter how much I tried to deny it, the Holy Spirit kept bringing the same subject up in my heart and mind--through devotions I would read, sermons I would hear, songs that left a thick lump in my throat, and through conversations with my friends and family.

You haven’t been putting Me first.

That’s the thought that kept coming. I asked Him to show me what I was doing out of order, and He began the process of revealing it to me. I feel led to share one moment in particular with you.

That morning I was sitting in “my chair” (the one I sit in to read my Bible). I had just checked my email and commented on a few blogs, when I got up to get my second cup of coffee. As I looked over at the side table, the image I saw froze in my mind:

It was my laptop sitting on top of my open Bible. You see, when I first sat down that morning, I had opened my Bible up to the Psalms, which is how I’d jumpstarted my morning for several years. Then I thought I would take juuuuust a second to check my email before the kids got up. After all, I’d rather them see my face in the Bible instead of my computer first thing in the morning, I concluded.

While my rationale seemed justifiable at the time, the Holy Spirit put a check in my heart, pointing out that I’d been doing this more and more lately….the end result being less and less time with the Lord. I was getting into a habit of coming before Him distracted and half-heartedly.

I hadn’t been putting Him first. (Gulp)

Embarrassingly, I had become more excited about checking my email and my blog in the mornings than I had about checking what He had to say to me through His Word. No wonder I was to the point of depleted. I was pouring myself out to things that couldn’t fill me back up.

It wasn’t that I had been intentionally walking in a life of sin or anything, but I hadn’t been intentionally guarding my time with Him either.

His Word reminds me:

Romans 12:11 (NIV)
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

I like the parallel that can be drawn from this OT passage:

Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (The Message)
“But be vigilant, lest you be seduced away and end up serving and worshiping other gods and God erupts in anger and shuts down Heaven so there's no rain and nothing grows in the fields, and in no time at all you're starved out—not a trace of you left on the good land that God is giving you.”

Friends, this applies to all of us. When we let the “things,” good, bad or in-between, woo us away from our One and Only, then our spiritual growth stops. He’s a jealous God, and He simply won’t stand for it. If we don’t stop and repent, turning our face to Jesus, we’ll waste away to nothingness spiritually speaking, bearing little fruit to offer anyone.

Is there something sitting on top of your Bible? Is there anything sapping the life right out of you? Are you being honest with yourself about this issue?

The reason I ask that last question about being honest with yourself is because I wasn’t. My husband asked me several weeks ago if I was becoming overly dependent on my laptop, and I gave him the most defensive “NO” I’ve given him in a very long time. That should’ve been the first clue.

Psalm 119:58-60 (NIV)
“I have sought Your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise. I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to Your statutes. I will hasten and not delay to obey Your commands.”

So sisters, in Spirit and in Truth, let’s repent and turn, moving forward in His order and seeking His face more than any other. It is only with Him in full view that we can experience His life in full measure.


Lord, I’m so sorry for putting You out of order. You have made the choice so simple for me, yet so often I seek other pleasures to give me abundant life. Thank You for Your forgiveness and mercy and for putting me face forward in the right direction again. Help keep my wandering heart focused solely on You, Father. I pray for my sisters in Christ who also struggle with getting their priorities out of whack, and help them to seek You, accepting Your perfect correction and direction for their paths in the meantime. You are so good, Lord, and I thank You for being a God of perfect order. Help me to follow Your example, I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

In the Key of HE,

Please visit LauraLee at her ministry blog,


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Heart To Heart

In a few days from now my son Jordan and I will board a plane headed to Memphis. We're going up to St. Jude for his regular 6-month check up. In case any of you reading this don't know, my son was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 16. .

As we prepare for our trip, I begin to recall the many times I've sat in some waiting room while Jordan was having an MRI and CT. I continue to pray each time, “Lord, please don't let them discover any new spots, or change to his tumor.” Just thinking about how closely they exam every structure of his brain and spine causes butterflies and sweaty palms each time.

Examinations...

Gosh, I was never one that liked to take a test. Just the thought of missing an answer or forgetting something brought on anxiety. It would be nice if we didn't have to be tested!

Yet, in each moment of our lives God exams of our hearts. Although we don't make appointments, or have to climb into some strange machine, God is able to look past what man sees and probes deeply into our hearts.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote:

"I the Lord search the heart; I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." (Jeremiah 17:10)

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for heart means:

The seat of the senses, affections, and emotions of the mind, the mode of thinking and acting; the seat of the will.

Did you know that the word heart is used over 830 times in the bible? God has much to say on that subject. Today I'd like to look at a few conditions that might afflict our hearts, and understand what God has promised if we turn our lives over to Him.

In the book of Hebrews we are warned about a very serious heart condition:

1. A Hardened heart:

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7)

Have you ever felt like your heart has become cold and hard? I sure have. Often because of disappointment, betrayal, or sin our spiritual hearts can lose their sensitivity and ability to function as God intended for them to. But Praise God, He is our Wonderful Physician who is able to repair every heart that has become hard.

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart…, and I will give you a heart of flesh”. (Ezekiel 36:26)

Another condition we must carefully watch for is a heart that has become:

2. An Unclean heart

Jesus said:

‘‘What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly”. (Mark 7:20-23)

We must continually stand watch for these kinds of afflictions that can plague our hearts and corrupt our lives. Satan is lurking and waiting for the chance to draw us back into our old ways. Be diligent and watchful so that your heart will always be pure before Him.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23)

And finally, one last problem of the heart is:

3. An Anxious heart

David offered up this pray to God:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”(Psalm 139: 23-24)

It’s so easy to allow our mind, will, and emotions to take over. Anxiety can not only cause havoc to our physical bodies, but to our spiritual hearts as well. How it must break the heart of God when He sees us struggle in our own strength rather than allowing His Spirit to rule in our hearts.

Ladies, Jesus is that great and wonderful Physician that can heal every disease and all of the wounds that afflict our hearts. May He touch your heart today...

Some things to ponder:

When is the last time God revealed a heart condition that you were not aware of?

When others around you are struggling do you see it as an opportunity to encourage them?

"Lord, I pray for that we would learn to trust you with our whole heart. Please show us any area that needs cleansing and healing. Give us a heart that follows hard after you. Thank you for being faithful to reach deep within to heal and restore our hearts. In Jesus name, Amen."

Join Susan daily at her personal blog,

The Lying Truth

About a year ago, I had gone to my dr. for a checkup on my thyroid. I was so excited to get on the scale (for once), because all that working out and healthy eating was SURELY going to reap for me the joy of good numbers. You can imagine the huge load of disappointment as I saw that my load had not lightened at all—there was actually a gain. I ranted emotionally to my doc about how hard I had been working and how healthy I had been eating as she looked at me with pure skepticism.

She didn’t believe me!

A few days later, I found the humility to mention this scenario to my close, no-nonsense friend, who also happens to be a nurse. She always has a way of getting me to look at myself honestly without hurting my feelings. (It’s a gift!) She suggested that I try an online fitness diary to track what I was eating and what activity I was doing. That way, I would have something to take to the Dr. and show her so that we could get to the bottom of it. I mulled it over for a few weeks, then decided to try it. After just a few days of tracking, I realized that I had not been doing as well on my calorie intake OR burning as I had previously thought.

Was I mistaken before, or had I just convinced myself that I was doing it all right?

OUCH! The truth hurts sometimes, doesn’t it? It hurts, but it can help as well. The Lord took this one scenario and reminded me to apply it spiritually.

Psalm 119:29a (NLT) says: “Keep me from lying to myself.”

What wisdom this Psalm writer was given to pray for this! Many lies told outwardly start with believing them in the first place, don’t they? It may be to cope, or to hold on to pride, or to stay comfortable with our routine. Regardless, the Lord wants us to examine this regularly. Every time I do, He shows me the little extra calories of falsehood I’ve put into my mouth, and I’m so thankful He loves me enough to do so.

Here’s the challenge:

Let’s take some time today and ask if we have been honest with ourselves about where we are with the Lord. Do we think we are closer to the Savior than we actually are? Do we think we are living by the Word, when in fact, we've hardly been meditating upon it? Are we open to examine suggestions from others and align it with God’s Truth?

Or in the opposite case, have you allowed someone who loves you to make you believe untruths about yourself? Do you repeat over and over that you're nothing, when in fact, in Jesus you are a capital "S" Something?

When we allow lies to become truth to us, then we begin to tell lies to others, and maybe even to God. When the lying truth becomes comfortable to us, life itself can begin to weigh us down… Check out in Psalm 119 how many times truth is mentioned. A LOT! Notice as you read your Bible, how often the subject comes up as well. A TON!!!! Jesus is the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life, right? The TRUE truth matters, so let’s read it, think it and live by it as His Spirit has the ability to do through us. Let’s weigh ourselves in the light of His truth today.

Jeremiah 17:9b-10 (The Message)

"But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be."

Father God, All-Knowing, All-Seeing Mighty One, I am in awe of Your awesomeness. The fact that You know how pitiful I am, yet You love me anyway. I can fool others. I can even fool myself. But I can never ever never fool You. Thank You. Thank You for loving me in spite of myself. Thank You for knowing just how to handle this fleshly daughter. Thank You for setting me free from so many things. Lord, please help me to live and walk in Your Truth, to know how much You desire it from me. Strengthen me, I pray, in the name of Jesus, my Redeemer, Amen.

In the Key of HE,

Please visit LauraLee at her ministry blog,


or sign up to receive her edevos at her ministry website:

Sometimes I Wonder....

What is going on in the world today? Have we forgotten the heart of the Father? Have we forgotten about the love Jesus showed?

Lord, help me to not be so caught up in the technicalities that I miss the heart of the person.

Help me to see the situation through your eyes; from your perspective.

Show me how to love in spite of my fears and bullheaded thinking.

Remind me of the time when I was in a similar situation and how evident your hand was in my life.

Forgive me for being self-righteous and hypocritical for pride's sake.

Teach me the difference between judgment and discernment and cover my mouth so that I may not gossip about either.

Reveal yourself to me in your word so that I may stand firmly on that foundation. I'll drop to my knees when I can no longer stand.

Sustain me until my prayers are answered or until you have given me grace to live without them.

Bring to remembrance that even though I am now wearing these adult shoes that I am still your child in need or training and molding.

Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you, Father.

I just want to praise you for all of my days and bless your heart in so many ways.

You are loving, amazing, kind, giving, patient, strong, good, encouraging, comforting, mighty, and inspiring.

And because you are.... I Am.

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 3:3

I'd love for you to visit me at my personal blog: In Pursuit of Proverbs 31

Pulling the Weeds

"And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.”
Luke 8:14

Isn’t it amazing that weeds can grow with no attention at all? They can come in all different shapes and colors, and some even look harmless. They don’t have to be watered or cared for in the least and yet they can overtake a lawn in no time at all. On the other hand, if you want your grass or flowers to grow, they have to be cultivated. You must water, fertilize, and diligently care for them. It takes work to have a beautiful lawn or garden of any kind. The same is true of our lives as believers. It takes work to cultivate an intimate relationship with Christ that bears fruit.

Luke 8:14 tells us that the seed, which is referring to the Word of God, fell in the weeds. The truth of God was crowded out by the cares of the world. The Word was clearly given, but it had no room to grow because of the weeds of worry and the pursuit of success, money, and pleasure.

I could give you a beautiful plant or flower bush to plant in your yard, but unless you take it, prepare the soil, plant it, water it, and nurture it, it will never grow. It will eventually wither and die if it isn’t transplanted into deep soil and diligently cared for. The same is true of God’s Word. We can hear the truth Sunday after Sunday and even read it day after day, but unless we rid ourselves of the weeds that distract us, we will never give the Truth adequate place in our hearts to take root and grow. It doesn’t take work on our part to have the weeds of worry, the pursuits of money and pleasure, and the many cares of this world to take root and crowd our lives. Left unattended, they will grow and take over every area of our lives, leaving no room at all for the fruit and beauty that Christ offers.

When was the last time you walked through the lawn of your heart and pulled the weeds? What are the things that are distracting you? Is it a desire for more materially, the pursuit of pleasure, or worry about what is to come? Do you sit down to read His Word in the mornings, only to be distracted by your emails, your upcoming agenda for the day, or the piles of laundry and dishes that await you? We must take the time to clear our hearts and minds of every distraction in order to really hear and grasp the amazing truth God has for us. The Son is shining bright and it is a great day for some gardening. So, take the time today to pull the weeds from around your heart and mind and give Christ the room He not only requires, but deserves, and let Him fill the lawn of your life with His beauty for all those around you to enjoy!

Lord, help me today to exert the energy and discipline necessary to rid my life of every weed of distraction that is keeping me from cultivating Your truth in my heart. Enable me to keep the soil of my heart watered daily with your Holy Spirit and enriched by the Fertilizer of Faith that comes from your Word. Thank you for the beautiful work you desire to do in my life if I will only yield myself to it and take the time to cultivate a deep relationship with You!



You can read more from Tammy by visiting her on her personal blog at Steps In Our Journey

Image Bearer

"This is the heart of our enemy. He is determined to hinder and harm and ruin God's image bearer. To steal and kill and destroy. So, let me say this again: the story of our life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who KNOWS what you could be . . . and FEARS it!"
(Walking the Dead by John Eldredge)

OK . . . A show of hands . . . who among us is certain that - today - you are adequately bearing the image of God for all to see? . . . anyone? . . .

No? . . . A little? . . . maybe on a good day? . . . sometimes?

In Genesis 1:26 God says: "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness . . ." And here's the thing I've learned about God: He has never spoken a single syllable that He doesn't mean. He has never, not once, been careless with His word.

And He has not changed His mind about us - His image bearers.

We are made in His image. We are His image bearers on this mess of a planet. Our problem is that we look in the mirror with our natural eyes and we trust what they see. And what they see, most often, is not all that 'Godly looking'.

Yet, in the beginning, God decided (without any arm-twisting on our part) to create a people unto Himself and He decided to make them in His own image. In His own image . . . God wanted his children to look like Him - not on the outside, but on the inside.

If you ever run into any one of my five children, you'd have trouble believing that they belong to me - they don't look like me. (My sissy-girl Cajun French genetics were no match for hubby's pure Italian genes) But if you were ever to have a conversation with any of my 5, your doubts would disappear. Deep down, under all the layers of dark Italian skin and dark eyes, are traces of my heart. Some of the things I love, they love. Some of the things that break my heart - also hurt them. Certain traditions that are important to me have become important to them. On any given day they could tell you how I'd react to almost any situation.

The (hidden) genetic contribution is there, and, by living in close proximity to them for years, so also is the spiritual and emotional contribution. It's simply not visible to natural eyes.

It is much the same with God the Father. He has made us in His image. We are eternal, spiritual beings - like our Father. We have an eternal destiny that most Christ followers struggle to believe about themselves. God looks at His blood-bought children, and has this to say about us:


I have made them a kingdom, a royal race, and priests . . . and they shall reign as kings.


I know, I know . . . I don't "see" it either! But our enemy does! He knows that we are God's image bearers here on this earth but he doesn't want US to really grasp that. He knows that we are part of a royal race of priests and kings. He doesn't want us to understand that as a daughter (or son) of the kingdom, that the power that raised Christ from the dead is at our disposal. He doesn't want us to really believe that moving mountains is part of our birthright. He doesn't want us to discover that as a child of the King, an image bearer of the Creator of all the universe, that he - the enemy - is subject to US and not vice versa.

And so begins the "long and brutal assault on your heart" as John Eldredge writes. In an effort to keep us from fully walking in all of the power and glory and victory and peace that is ours in Jesus, our enemy, Satan, delivers 'cheap shots' to our hearts from every possible direction. In order to assure that we never truly grasp the enormity of being made in the image of our Creator, he peppers all of life with difficult people and situations. And all of this is an effort to distract us from the truth - that our enemy KNOWS and FEARS what we would become if we were ever to agree with the Father about our lineage and begin to walk in it.

It's time to claim what has been bought for us, with a price. Our Father has provided for peace and joy and freedom and victory in the midst of what appears to be our very ordinary lives. But image bearers of the KING do not have to live ordinary lives. Our enemy understands that. Do we?

Eye has not seen nor ear heard all the good things God has made ready and stored up for those who serve Him wholeheartedly! (1 Cor. 2:9)

Now to HIM who by the power that is at work WITHIN US, is able to do super-abundantly far over and above all that we (dare) ask or think (infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams) . . . (Ephesians 3:20)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Father, open our eyes to the truth that we, your children, bear your image upon our lives. Show us, Lord, what it means to display Your image to a lost and dying world. Help us to live and work and love one another in a way that brings glory to Your Name.

In Him...



Visit Darnelle at her personal blog: All Things Work Together...