Category Archives: God Stuff

November 1, 2010 · 7:44 am

Wonder What He Thinks?

I drove up to the school entrance like I do most every morning.  I prayed over my big kids and gave them my usual, “Be the light of Jesus” instruction.  They always laugh when I say this.  I do say it in a very funny voice.  Well, funny to little ears, anyway.  They exited the car with their backpacks in tow, and I pulled away with tears streaming. 

I was overwhelmed with the thought of how much I love John Henry and Anna.  I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I love them.  All the way back home. 

Pulling into my driveway, I felt God say, “I think about how much I love you, too.”

At that moment, I became overwhelmed with the thought of how much He loves me.

He not only loves you.  He thinks about how much He loves you.

And, with the knowledge of that love for us, how can we not trust Him with our lives?  How can we not trust in His faithfulness?  1 John 4:16 says, “We know how much God loves us, and we have to put our trust in His love.” 

How do we respond to that kind of love?

We love Him right back.  We love His word.  We love His presence.  We love His people. 

I want to be as obsessed with Him as He is with me.  My dad reminded me yesterday, “If He can put His body on a cross, I can put my heart and soul there.” 

May I be mindful daily to do just that. 

And, may I never stop being overwhelmed by how relentless He truly is.

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August 27, 2010 · 7:14 am

No Matter Your Circumstances.

My friend, Lynn, sent this video to me.  I wept watching this very brave, young man worship God in his difficult circumstances.  May we all learn to worship God no matter where we are in our  journey.  I’m grateful for people like Steve Fee who paused his day for this moment in young Creed’s life. 

Today, I am praying for a young man whom I have never met. 

Have a great weekend.  And, take a moment to worship God. 

No matter your circumstances.

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August 24, 2010 · 5:00 am

My Flesh Ain’t Starvin’.

Not like it really should.  Last night, I thought about the old saying, “Feed your spirit, and your flesh will starve.”  It boils down to issues of self-control and discipline.  I do okay a lot of the time.  But, not all of the time.

No, no.  Not all.  What am I supposed to be, a saint? 

Ahem.

I will admit that one of the reasons I listen to Christian music more than any other type of music is because it sets my mind on good things.  I find myself in an attitude of worship during those times.  It not only brings awareness to who God is, but it inspires me to want to be a better person.  It’s not that I don’t like a little of the other every now and again.  I do.  And, I play it.  Heavens, why else does my daughter ask her Aunt Jenny if she has any “Shot to the Heart” in her car?  Well, actually, that’s because of her Nan.  (Thanks, Mom.)

I just know me.  And, I know that certain types of music feed my spirit.  And, others don’t.  Period.

Then, there is the Word.  In preparation for dad’s upcoming series on the bible and such….I read this scripture:

“….People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Matthew 4:4

Every word?  EVERY word?  Mercy, Pete.  I just like readin’ my favorite words.  Lord knows, I skip Leviticus every time I see the phrase “animal’s blood” show up.  That’s just gross.

But, this is not my point.

What is my point?

Oh, yeah.  I can quote scripture.  Impressed?  Sure you are.  The SAME scriptures over and over.  I don’t branch out there much. 

But, I am.  Because, y’all, my flesh wants a lot of things.  Like window treatments, a MacBook, a new pair of jeans….

Of course, those things are from the Lord.  Let’s think of better examples. 

My flesh can be envious.  It can be impatient.  I can be downright ugly.  So, I think David may have been onto something when he said, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you,” in Psalm 119. 

I’m gonna feed my spirit more.  Except Leviticus….I stand my ground on Leviticus. 

And, starve that flesh of mine.

Whew.

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August 9, 2010 · 5:00 am

It’s For Them, Too.

Jett looks like he is wondering what kind of family he’s been placed into. 

A fun one.

Seriously. 

We are all pretty hysterical.  Or, at least, that’s the world we choose to believe we live in.

I love these children.  “Well of course, you do.  You’re their mother!”  I worry about these children.  I question my parenting.  I get on my knees and seek God for their lives.  I remind myself that if I could meet their every need, they wouldn’t need a Savior. 

But, when I read scripture, I honestly forget about it applying to my children’s lives.  Is that crazy or what?

“I will never leave you or forsake you…”  (Heb. 13:5) That’s for my kids.

“I will supply your every need….” (Phil.4:19)  That’s for them, too.

“My help comes from the Lord…” (Psalm 121.2)  For them.

“You are my Portion….” (Psalm 119) Forrrrr them.

I could go on and on.  And on.  I can’t meet their every need.  But God can.  And, He wants to. 

But, I can teach them to seek first His Kingdom, so all of those things can be given to them.  I can teach them to put on the full of armor of God so they can stand up to anything.  I can teach them to chase after God’s will more than their own.  I can teach them to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

It’s in HIM and through HIM that they will have EVERYTHING they need.  They will never lack.  Because, THEY serve the Creator of the universe.

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August 5, 2010 · 5:00 am

Posers.

I spoke to a group of young people last night about posers.  We all have been a poser.  We all have pretended to be someone or something we are not.  I talked about the story of the disciple Peter.  You know the one.  Where he denied knowing Christ three times before some rooster crowed. 

I realized this story is not just about a man denying his knowledge of Christ.  It’s about a man denying who HE is.  How often we pose to please people.  We pose, because we don’t want to rock the proverbial boat.  We pose, because we fear rejection.  We pose, because we want to seem normal.

But, I’ve seen normal.

And, I really don’t think I like it.

It’s normal to gossip.  It’s normal to be selfish.  It’s normal to do the church thing on Sunday and then live a life that doesn’t please my Father.  There is a lot of “normal” that really isn’t good at all.  So, why pose? 

I know this is usually a struggle more for young people than adults….maybe.  But, we have all posed at some point in our life.  The issue at hand, however, is not the fact that we deny Christ in the process.  It’s the fact that we deny who WE are.

You are a child of the King.  The power that raised Christ from the dead is inside of you.  You aren’t who people say you are.  You are who God says you are. 

Don’t ever deny that.

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August 3, 2010 · 5:00 am

A Life of Worship

The storm knocked out our cable and wireless for a wonderful couple of hours.  I placed the iPod on the docking station, held baby boy, and listened to the big kids sing along to worship song after worship song.  I looked up and saw John Henry raising his hands and closing his eyes. 

“Mom, I’m worshipping God right now, since I wasn’t at church Sunday,” he told me.

“You can worship God any time you want,” I assured him.

And, we did just that.  Tears flooded my eyes as I worshipped the Creator with my children.  Then, we talked about worship. 

“What is worship, Anna?”

“It’s something we send to God,” she answered.

Something we send to Him.  It’s not something we just do on Sunday.  It’s a life lived.  A life lived that brings glory to Him.  A life that honors Him.

A life that gives.

That blesses.

That seeks His Kingdom first.

That chases after God.

Everybody worships something.  But, we were made to worship Him.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him.  Romans 12:1

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August 2, 2010 · 5:00 am

I Need You.

I love YouVersion.  I love that I have access to the bible and dang near any translation at the sweep of my little finger.  And, when I read Galatians 6:4-5 in The Message translation, well, I was convicted.

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others.  Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Is this translation not the awesomest?  Yes.  Awesomest.  Look it up.  It’s a word.

I’m just kiddin’.  It’s not really.

I love this.  I love that it made me take my eyes off of other people and what they are doing, or not doing, for the Kingdom.  Puh-retty judgmental of me, don’t ya think?  Yeppers.  Grrr you, Dusty Takle.  There were times I would look at others and wonder why they weren’t as passionate about something as I was.  Never mind that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made….that we were each created for a unique purpose. 

I am responsible for my own life.  And, you are responsible for yours.  I know.  My life revelations are astounding, eh?  Eh?

Here’s the deal, in case you don’t know or may have forgotten:

God created you.

You are not an accident.

He has a plan for you. 

You have a purpose in life.

You matter.

And, we all need you.

Y’all come back tomorrow.  I’ll be here.

For real.

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June 8, 2010 · 6:00 am

Raising Lion Chasers.

My dad is preaching a series this month on becoming a lion chaser.  He’s using Mark Batterson’s “In the Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day” as a foundation for this series.  Well, that and the bible, of course.  Dad and I have talked a lot about this series.  Mostly, what it means to be a lion chaser.  As a mother of three, yes THREE, children, I am thinking constantly of how to raise my own lion chasers.  Because, our greatest regrets in life will be the lions we did not chase.

Can I just pause right now and insert how much I LOVE being a mother right now?  Today.  In this world.  In this culture.  In this chaos.  In this uncertainty.  In these times labeled as scary.  Uncertain.  With echoes of “this world is going to hell in a handbasket.”  Because, I know that it’s in these times that God does His thing.  HIS thing.  He always prevails.  It IS His world, by the way.   And, I’m so pumped to be raising my children in a time where seeing the glory of God is just inevitable. 

Okay.  Close insert.

Back to chasing lions and kicking, well, kicking tail.

See this awesome kid?

He is my very cautious seven-year old.  He looks before he leaps.  He analyzes his moves long before he makes them.  So, I found it very uncanny that he would be the first kid out of six to leap off of a 25 foot drop into what’s called the “Blue Hole” on a recent vacation to Bahamas.  That right in the middle of our many talks about being a lion chaser, my very reserved son became a fearless….warrior.

So, now?  I’ll tell him the story of Benaiah. 

And, I’ll remind of him of this obscure story for the remainder of his days as long as he lives down the hall from me.  Because, I know…..

I just know. 

God has called him to be a lion chaser.  To conquer his fears.  To conquer the chaos.  And to make known once again that we do not live in uncertain times.  We live in certain times. 

Paid for over two-thousand years ago.

Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it. II Samuel 23:20

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May 24, 2010 · 9:09 pm

Who Knows What the Tide Will Bring.

Kris and I watch the movie Cast Away most every time it comes on television.  I’m not sure why.  There is practically little to no dialogue during the first half of the movie.  Come to think of it… Maybe, we like there is little to no dialogue.  Once you have three children, silence is bliss.

Anyway, we were watching recently and I heard Tom Hanks’ character say:

“I have to keep breathing.  Because, tomorrow the sun will rise, and who knows what the tide will bring.”

Many have inquired about my little surgery and biopsies and whathaveyou.  It was all good, friends.  All good.  I was never really fearful, but there is always an awareness of the fragility of life when our lives are stopped head on with major interruptions and more doctor’s appointments that we care to attend to. 

But, I am a wife.  I am a mother.  And, most importantly, I am a follower of Christ.  I have continue to walk in truth.  I have to keep pressing toward the mark no matter what is staring me in the face. 

While our current situation may look grim or seem hopeless, we have to keep breathing.  We have to keep praying.  We have to keep trusting in our Father who loves us more than we can fathom.  Because, tomorrow the sun will rise, and who knows what God will do.

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.  Psalm 30:5

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May 6, 2010 · 6:00 am

Who Am I?

My dad is in town visiting this week.  And really, his timing was certainly ordained by God.  For real.    Anyhoo, we were sitting outside on my patio a couple of nights ago watching my two oldest play, while dad held Jett.  (A job he didn’t mind being tasked with at all.)  John Henry and Anna began to sing, “I Am A Friend of God.” 

They sang these lyrics:

Who am I that you are mindful of me
That you hear me, when I call
Is it true that you are thinking of me
How you love me, it’s amazing

I turned to my father, and I said, “Isn’t it truly amazing that He really is mindful of us?  Isn’t that the most beautiful scripture?”

That the Creator of the universe thinks about me. 

He thinks about you.

How can we not fall in love with Him even more every time the sun rises?

 3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.  Psalm 8:3-5

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