Waiting in Expectation

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
psalm 5.3

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
psalm 37.7

If you remain in Me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
john 15.7

i want some answers. i want to see some things change. i want some direction. i want to know this "energy, which so powerfully works in me" (col. 1:29). i want to see people come to know Jesus as their savior, life coach, redeemer, and friend. i want children in foreign countries to have enough food and water to sustain them. i want our ad council to be on fire for Jesus, and to take risks - to move from worrying about if we have enough money to challenging God to move on behalf of the poor and needy in pickens county. i want many things.

so what sacrifice am i willing to make in order for these things to come to pass? that is the question in my heart these days. what am i willing to do in order for others to know Jesus? when will i tell others of the life God has breathed into me? am i willing to give up food? am i willing to reach out to the needy, offering my time, talents and money? am i willing to find someone who needs to be loved? am i willing to speak up in a crowd? am i giving all i have to give on behalf of others? am i storing up things for myself on earth or in heaven? am i still enough to hear Jesus calling me from ordinary living into a life which takes risks? are my requests to God self-centered? am i living out purpose or lacking purpose? how is it that a precious flower can give me so much joy and a heart filled with gratitude?

Father,
i'm seeking You. You hold time in Your hand. You allow flowers to spring from the earth to give You glory and praise. let me do the same; let my heart resound with 'amens' and 'hallelujahs'. for my brother, i ask for redemption. for my parents, i request peace. for denise, humility. for shottie, wisdom. for brandon, compassion. for steven, self-control. for jerry, strenght. for tricia, truth. for juanita, patience. for patsy, gentleness. for amanda, hope. for kevin, perseverance. for cindy, love. for becca, knowledge. for glenn, will-power. for valerie, kindness.
Thru Jesus my requests are made known ~ Amen.
*Derrick *Marcus *Derek

where's hope?

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
lam. 3.21-26

last sunday's message was about hope. what i got from it was about how our hope lies in Jesus Christ, and that hope gives us strength to persevere. and this perseverance isn't only for our benefit, but for the benefit of others who should to know Hope. last night i attended 7:22. (go there and watch it!) the message was about being light to the world which will cause others to desire to know the Light. seems to be a connection: to know this Hope and Light.

Louie Giglio is a gifted, godly speaker. it's amazing how God uses Louie to speak truth into a thristy generation. and it's even more amazing how those who are thristy are filled when God moves. last night was a perfect example. louie began with the scripture, lev. 19.1-2, "The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy." somehow from there he launched into eph. 5:8-9, "Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)." from an illustration of being whole to a lamp shining in the darkness, God moved thru the Church last night.

after the service, shottie and i had a good conversation. it was refreshing to re-connnect with her. i chalk the credit to Jesus for this refreshment. it's good to have friends, especially those who can relay their thoughts of what God is doing in their lives. that encourages my heart, along with my drive to shine more light.

Jesus
my thought are all over this place today. thanks for giving me these few minutes to focus on You. You are holy, and i desire that holiness. show me where i'm messing up. guide me into a deeper whole-ness. let my life be light in the darkness, just like the lamp on the stand. help me to get away from the bowl. You are the hope of glory and the light that shines in the darkness. in You there is no darkness, for darkness is as light to You. expose the deeds of darkness in my life - help me to confess to my friends for support. as i wait for Your salvation, have me always remember that You are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.
in Jesus' holy Name ~ Amen
*Philip *Donna *Louie

Letter to Tim

I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
1 tim. 5:21

The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.
1 tim. 5:24-25

i wonder what type of person timothy was. when paul wrote him this letter, he must have been under some pretty stong pressure to change the ways of those around him. these commands from paul drive a nail directly into the heart.

if someone were to say, 'i charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism,' i think i may feel pretty intimidated. that type of confrontation normally doesn't sit well with me. there's just something about someone commanding me to do something. i'm ok when asked to do something, but when someone commands me to do something - normally my defenses go up and i'm up for a fight. i suppose that's a confession about failing to be submissive and to keep quiet (as also commanded in the book of first timothy.)

to do nothing out of favoritism... what does that mean? we all have favorite friends and we treat them differently than we do strangers. before this passage paul was referring to young widows who should be encouraged to marry should they feel the impulse. after this the passage speaks about drinking wine, instead of plain water. so this verse about partiality and favoritism sort of seems out of place. but it is out of place enough that it caught my attention. and made me think about how i treat certain people, and how i don't treat certain people whom i don't know as well. 'be fair' may be a way a saying what paul is trying to relay.

then comes this verse about sins and good and bad deeds. when i see this verse played out in my minds eye, i envision people either pushing or pulling a large, black box. their sins are either in front of them or behind them. either way, every person has sin - not one person is without his or her box.

denise and i had the priviledge of moving some furniture this morning. sometimes i was leading backwards, sometimes i was on the backside. one particular upright closet was difficult to move because of the height. so as we moved this large closet, we would only go as far as my legs could extent. without me pushing, denise couldn't pull it. also, without her pulling it, i could barely move it an inch. together we could move the closet, but apart we couldn't succeed. sometimes we push; sometimes we pull.

so which way do you see yourself right now? the one who has their sin ahead of them, or the type who carry their sin behind? and what can we do for others to help them to move their sin? perhaps that could be a good question to ask someone who desires to mentor someone. it's not just a matter of bringing to light the sin, it's a matter of guiding that person along the journey, away from the sin. and how many of us are willing to take the time to do that?

Jesus,
this post went in a completely different direction than i first intended. guess You had a different plan for me. so as i think about the illustration of pushing or pulling my sin, which way do i come across to others? do i have a good front, but the darkness eventually shows it's ugly face? Your word says that we should confess our sin to one another and pray together. that's the kicker. finding that someone willing to guide us away from the sin which entangles our souls. may You help me to be trusting of the friends You've given me - those who would be willing to guide me and stand by my side thru good, the bad, and the ugly of life. may You receive the praise for the friends whom You've blessed upon me. may Your truth expel the darkness, my black box. help me to be open with You about what's going on within me. forgive me for having a quick tongue and an anal retentive, critical spirit at times. may You open my eyes to see when this sin is shining thru so we can deal with it. with Your help, i know the box will move.
in Jesus Name ~ amen.
*mom *kimberly *robin

Holy Living

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
1 thes. 4:3-7

I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.
lev. 11:44

during my lunch hour today i began to think about holiness. and how if we truly realized how holy we are expected to be, we would probably take more effort to clean up our thoughts lives, mouths, and the way our body language speaks volumes of what's going on within our souls. holy from webster.com has some pretty standard definitions. strong's #38 speaks of consecration, purification, and sanctification of heart and life. so now we all know what is involved in being holy.

but to dig deeper, sanctification of heart and life seems like a might extensive overhaul. seems like that reaches the depths of who we are, or perhaps maybe even deeper than who we are. perhaps it reaches to who we are in Christ and where we are going. that's the part i'm looking forward to, because getting there is often painful, annoying, and exhausting.

Jesus,
in my limited understanding, i believe that You've called me to live a holy life. and only thru Your Holy Spirit am i capable of calling myself holy and worthy to enter into Your presence. thanks for rescuing me from the darkness and unrighteousness. You are the source of my strength and holiness. so i fall before You and beg to be filled with Your Presence. i want to live a holy life. i want to be transformed from my ordinary thinking, into thoughts which glorify You. cleanse me with hyssop, and i will be clean. do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. You do not delight in sacrifice, or i would bring it. i am all i have to offer. i am the sacrifice, a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. thanks for accepting me just the way i am. and thanks for not allowing me to remain the same.
in Jesus' Name ~ Amen
*Gail *Mike *Flora

Binding the Word

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
deut. 11.18-19

back on the bandwagon... of memorizing the Word. this is one of those disciplines which comes and goes for me. for awhile, i'll be very disciplined and memorize each day. but then something comes along which looks more entertaining, perhaps less challenging and i'll fall away. and then like an alarm clock, i'll be reminded of how i miss it, and how i love it when my thoughts focus on the words of life. so i'm currently at the point where my heart is longing to memorize again. so i'm going to begin by refreshing the verses and chapters which are already in my mind and heart: Psalm 139, 19, and 51. then i'll move on. i would really like to one day memorize colossians, but that's a ways down the trail.

Jesus,
again my heart is missing something; missing the closeness of having Your truth run thru my mind. i confess that i've fallen from this discipline. thanks for drawing this to my attention, and for giving me the perseverance to open my mind and heart to listen intently to Your Word. i can hear my professor from college say there are ways get into Your Word: hear, read, study, memorize, meditate. forgive me for falling away. i long to be near again. i trust that Your grace is sufficient, and You'll be my stamina to draw from the well, even when my feelings do not desire it. Your death on the cross made a way for us to connect intimately, and i want to be close with You. thanks for loving me enough to take my place.
thru Jesus'
*Denise *kevin *Philip

God, Our Sanctuary

Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.'
ezek. 11.16

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.
ezek. 44.9

Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts.
1 cor. 7.19

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

gal 5.6

sometimes the Bible confuses me. more specifically, Jesus confuses me. He changed things up, but did not do away with the old. He fulfilled the Law, but did not abolish it. (matt. 5.17) so that means the old law is still in effect, along with the new transformation thru the Spirit. sometimes that feels like a war in my soul.

i love reading and studying the bible. it amazes me how Jesus came to rescue us from the rule of satan. and Jesus's life is proof of God's immense love for us. and i believe that Jesus was all God and all man. and He changed up the thinking of the disciples and some of the rulers of the temple and government. and He still changes the thinking of those who seek Him.

the mental picture of God being our sanctuary comforts me. but my definition of sanctuary is probably different than the israelites definition. so these foreigners who were living within the community of the chosen people could not enter into the sacred temple. but then Jesus comes - and states the He is the new high priest. so does that eliminate the heirachy of the church. over and over we read about the different members having equally important positions. and several times in the new testament, we can find verses referring to circumcision having no meaning, except for circumcision of heart. and even in the old testament, some verses comment about that. again, it's coming back to the condition of our hearts.

i've been calling myself a Christian for 18 years. some of those early years tested my faith in pretty strong ways. along the journey, i've fallen into some pretty serious sin. and today i still deal with those actions. my mind often refers back to that life. and growing up in the household which i grew up wasn't always the easiest life. perhaps from an outside view it looked like the good life, but within the walls our our house was some tremendous dissension. through all those struggles, God had a way of offering His hand of grace. i've learned first hand that His grace is sufficient for all sin: past, present and future.

Amazing God,
tho my understanding is limited, i know You are great. i'm not sure if you are changing, but i do know that You have been the same yesterday, today and forever. and tho i don't understand the culture of the israelites and their understanding of 'sanctuary', i grasp the concept of You being my sanctuary. and i understand why it matters most to express ourselves by loving You and others. help me to love the way You love - and to be rid of this critical spirit. help me to pray for those who are different than me. give me a heart of compassion to see past their petty facade, and see their hearts. may You, Holy Spirit, open a way for me to speak Your love at my workplace.
in Jesus' Holy Name ~ Amen
*mom + dad *sam *emma