Glory and Praise...

Philippians 1:9-11

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation - the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ - 

for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Beautiful Masterpiece, may this be your prayer today not only for yourself, but for your sisters. It is easy to lose focus and get off course. The daily grind and subsequent challenges can be overwhelming. We can succumb to survival mode and forget to thrive.

Let’s make the choice today to remember this important truth; 

He created us and called us to live a life that brings Him glory and praise. 

May we recommit to loving lavishing. To growth. To pausing to reflect on and live out what really matters. To a purity of heart and mind that reflects the presence of our Savior. To consistently assessing whether our thoughts and actions depict the character of Christ. And to meditating on what that all really means.

As His beautiful daughters, we have a vital role in His world. Because of who He is, we have value and purpose for being. We are His Masterpieces. He delights in shaping our lives to reflect more of Him. 

And so today, dearest Masterpiece, before family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, classmates...let Him use you for His glory and praise...

Choosing to Flourish...

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11, an often used Scriptural encouragement, is only relevant and meaningful if you read and grapple with the context of this promise. This encouraging promise was written for a people struggling within a season of suffering...hardship...a time of displacement and uncertainty. God's people were living in captivity; a place difficult to call "home". 

God told the children of Israel that it would be 70 years...yes seventy years, before He would, in essence, rescue them out of captivity and bring them back to their true place of residence. Ugh…what a long season. Yet in the midst of their captivity, God invited them to flourish. He instructed them to eat from their gardens, marry, build homes, have children and grandchildren, and to pray for their community. During their season of waiting...during this time of sitting within hardship...He invited them to keep living...to participate in things that are life giving. He knew that this was only possible if they prepared their hearts to settle in...to stay. 

We often miss the wonder of today's pain because our focus is on anticipated future release. While we long for dancing...we forget that the sweet and jubilant steps of dancing are birthed after a season of mourning. Yet in His faithfulness, God reminds us of what it is to thrive through each moment. 

There is a significant difference between "making the best of it" and "flourishing". Making the best of it tends to have negative connotations; as if one must endure almost needlessly. Flourishing infuses purpose within waiting and difficulty. It breaths life over difficulty as it invites us to bloom where we are planted and become beautiful amidst the trials we face.

While we sit in these hard places, we can choose to hold our hands open wide in sweet release and focus our thoughts on the God who understands our pain…the One who is acquainted with suffering…the One who Himself wished for things to be different. As we listen to His words, as recorded in Mark 14:36, may we find strength in similar verbiage. “Abba, Father,” He cried out, “everything is possible for You. Please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” 

Beautiful Masterpieces…Choose life. Bloom where you’re planted. It’s not just about surviving…it’s about thriving! It’s about fiercely flourishing!! And we can choose it!

The Framed Masterpiece...

On the pane of this door frame I've written out "I am God's Masterpiece" Eph 2:10. Elizabeth and I pause here to remind ourselves of this truth. It is an important truth that I seek to let guide my language at home and out in the community. When we, as women, say things such as, "I hate my hair." or "I need to lose about 10 pounds...look at my hips." or "I wish my eyes were a different color." or "I don't like my nose." or "Seriously...I'd kill for HER hair." or any other comment that degrades the beautiful creation that God fashioned us to be, we need to remember that there are people listening...people who are effected by our words. Some of those people are young...very young...and they are impressionable. They will learn to view themselves through our lens...the lens that says "I'm not good enough...unless." There are also our beloved sisters...women who really struggle with the image they have of themselves...and when we put ourselves down it makes it even more difficult for them to believe that they are beautiful...

As I encourage myself to embrace the beauty that God has given me, may you also attempt to live a life of contentment who you are. Instead of spending our time finding our flaws...which is the road of least resistance...let's spend our time celebrating the amazing creations that God has fashioned in His image...uniquely designed with our looks, gifts, talents and personality...that we might shine like stars and fulfill His purpose for our lives...

Pity Party Fashion...

     Let me just be brutally honest about the shallowness of my soul at times. The other day I was having a serious fashion feel sorry for myself party…sorry you weren’t invited! After all, about 6 months before graduating from Fuller I partook of a Cam and Cate Wardrobe edit (think “What Not to Wear”) that I’d won at an anti-sex trafficking auction.

     Why talk about this? Because as most of you know I am a new Mom…and not just a new Mom, but a new Mom with a severely sprained ankle who has been house bound for nearly 3 months. You can imagine my wardrobe…work out pants (the ones you don’t mind getting pee all over), old t-shirts (or should I call them drool bibs), an ugly black boot for the injured foot complimented by a boring tennis shoe for the good foot. 

     As I lay there with my pity party hat on, tooting my feeling blue horn, God graced the party with His presence. Have you ever noticed that rarely can you stay in a posture of pity when you belong to God? I incredibly appreciate that the Lord is quick to speak to my sinfulness and give me a glorious new perspective that allows me to move out of a negative place. 

     What is also so beautiful is when He takes a verse of Scripture that you know well, and gives it fresh meaning for the current situation. This is just what He did with Colossians 3:12…

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, 

holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with

 compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

I began to imagine how beautiful I would look if I took seriously the invitation to awake daily and pray myself into the Col 3:12 wardrobe. Even the drooliest of drool shirts would compliment it well! 

     As I meditated on this verse, God refocused my perspective. Someday I will be out of bed and on my feet. And months from now, when Elizabeth is no longer drooling, I may even be able to wear some of those fashionable clothes. But now…right now…I can dress my heart in a way that shapes me internally and therefore externally. 

     So, I am committing to being a woman who clothes herself in a Colossians 3:12 wardrobe because it honors God. But also because I am a Mom now. I want Elizabeth to grow up and dress just like me…and Col 3:12 will ensure that she is always beautifully in style!

If You'd Have Just Been There...

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ~ John 11:32

In John 11, we read the story of Lazarus. It is one I return to when the only words I can seem to muster in prayer are “Lord, if you had only been there”. Have you ever felt that way? Emotions are raw, feelings seem overwhelming and Jesus seems to be….nowhere near.

I think the hardest part of the story for me is that Mary and Martha really counted on Jesus’ feelings for and close relationship with their brother to compel Him to action… “So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick”. Yet, Jesus did not come near when He got word.

As I’ve thought and prayed for Bailey and her tremendous loss and grief in being separated from her birth child, Elizabeth, or Katie and the sorrow she endures having a second parent diagnosed with cancer, or the many of you who have written me telling of burdens that feel completely overbearing, I’ve wondered… “Lord, when will you really come near?” I pray for peace, for strength, for courage, for joy, for hope…and apparently nothing changes. Sometimes it can be incredibly discouraging and even frustrating. It is difficult when God seems to wait.

I can visualize Mary and Martha praying and waiting, praying and waiting…and waiting…and waiting. We are no different then these women of God. Every day we are confronted with the reality of praying, and waiting, and wondering, “when will Jesus come near?” We know He answers prayer, and that He promises that He is with us always. We know that the truth is that He loves us and has a good plan for our lives. Knowing these truths, I believe I am left with this challenge and ultimate invitation from the Lord; to whole heartedly trust Him and His timing even when it does not make sense. I can only imagine that when Lazarus died, Mary and Martha wondered about Jesus’ timing!

Know this…I do not wonder hypothetically. I currently reside in a very difficult season of life. I hold a precious little girl in my arms every day that someone is fighting to take away. I have to go to court appearance after court appearance and pay an excessive amount of money to wage a battle that seems completely unjust. Yet I know I am not alone. I know most of you can understand. So, what is your difficult season? What are you praying about and feeling as if you are waiting, and waiting, and waiting…?

During my difficult season of waiting, I have learned to trust the God who comes near…according to His perfect timing. He has answered prayer and shown up just when He would receive the most glory. Just when He knew I would be able to recognize and celebrate that it was Him, despite all of the chaos going on around me. It has been truly faith building for me, as well as others who are walking this difficult road with me.

So like Mary and Martha I need to feel the freedom to say, “Lord this one (me) whom you love is (hurting, discouraged, living in hopelessness, feeling alone, struggling with depression, feeling betrayed, struggling within a relationship…” and trust that He will come near…according to when He will receive the most glory. Imagine the difference and diminished power within the Lazarus story if Jesus had arrived quickly, healed him of his fever and moved on!

Our earthly life stories are beautifully woven together by the God of Heaven Who knows us by name and has every hair on our heads numbered. He may not choose to answer, in a way we understand, the moment our prayer is uttered. However, that does not mean that He is not working or that He is not near. He is waiting for us to trust…to trust that He will act in a way that will show Him to be the God who we need to understand more deeply and the God who uses our lives and difficult circumstances to bring Him glory.

Our God knows that we will struggle to live in “If You had only been here…”. Today, let’s choose to believe that when we send for Him through our heart felt prayers, that He not only hears us, but that He can be trusted to work in and for us so that our lives are a glorious testimony of His perfect will in the lives of “the ones whom He loves”.  

Hiding from my past...

If they really knew me they wouldn’t like me...

How many times have I thought that to myself...too many to count I’m sorry to admit. Over the years I’ve often wondered, “if people really knew all of me would they still like me?” 

I am inspired by people who don’t seem to mind what others think about them. It is especially encouraging to watch someone transform from being dishonest about who they are to being genuine and raw. I think vulnerability with those God calls us to impact is necessary...and exciting....even if it does make me a tad bit nervous!!

I know of an amazing woman whose encounter with Jesus gave her the ability to be genuine for the first time. In reading her story I was inspired by her willingness to be vulnerable and real...for the work of the Kingdom.

Who is she....? She’s the woman at the well in John 4. The one we know the story about oh so well. Sometimes when I know a story well I try to see it from a different angle. Her story has an edge that I had not seen before. I hope maybe a fresh peek into her transformation will encourage you on your journey toward embracing your story, being genuine, and letting God use you for His Kingdom work.

It all begins with her encounter with Jesus right? We clearly see she is not honest. When He asks her to go call her husband she says, “I don’t have a husband”...really..end of story? oh no...she chooses to omit a fairly important part of the answer... “but I am shacking up with a guy”. Jesus so calls her out on it doesn’t He? We know Jesus...He wasn’t cruel or demeaning, but He certainly was all about getting the truth right out in the open! He knew she could not experience true freedom while hiding behind that half truth.

So how do we know that her encounter with Him made any difference? It’s one of the main reasons I admire this woman; she is willing to tell her story....and it’s not a pretty one. Think about it, she leaves her water jar and goes into the village and starts announcing, “come see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done.” Really? Everything? Apparently so! I’m sure those villagers knew or had a fairly good idea about just how “immoral” this woman was. They would have seen the men coming and going. Yet somehow she wasn’t afraid to talk about her past. Somehow she knew that entrusting herself to the community who had known her only from a distance would help others see Jesus.

But it doesn’t just stop there. Her vulnerability and willingness to be real allowed Jesus to speak into the lives of many of those villagers. What does the text say? After they believed what the woman shared, the Samaritans came to Jesus and asked Him to hang with them for a few days. Then, the people shared that they didn’t just believe because of what the woman had said, but because of what Jesus had said. 

So, let’s not get hung up on covering up our failures. Let’s not worry so much about people not liking us because we are not perfect. The next time you are concerned that your mess ups will ruin any chances of being used for God’s Kingdom...remember this powerful story. He takes it all...even the vilest sins we commit...and makes them a part of His beautiful story of forgiveness and restoration. The people in her community listened to her initially because she was willing to embrace her sordid story...and be genuine. Through her act of vulnerability she peaked other people’s interest in Jesus. She opened the door for Him to speak!

You are beautifully broken...and oh so usable by the shepherd of your soul. He is the potter and you are His clay. You are likable...lovable...on every step of your transformational journey with Jesus.

Make it personal:

• What part of your past do you hide from?
• What are you afraid to face or take an honest look at?
• Do you honestly believe that your past mistakes keep you from being used by God?
• Are you willing to find some friends and be real about your struggles?
• Will you start to believe and have hope for the wondrous future God has in store for you?

One Thought Method...

I learned something so helpful in one of my classes. If you're like me, sometimes I feel "so busy" that having a time with God gets pushed aside. I learned the One Thought Method and it has been fabulous for helping me be consistent. I have also learned a lot b/c you don't have to DO a lot and you get to share with someone else what you learned and that helps what you've learned stick with you!! Check out my sample journal entry.

1st you pray that God would give you ONE thought about what you read (pick a paragraph) My teacher suggested starting with the book of Philippians.

2nd you read the paragraph until you hear God give you one thought about it.

3rd you write out a prayer off of that thought.

So here was mine for today!

Php 1:1 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus (that is as far as I got and God gave me my thought!!)

Thought: Are you really a servant? Remember what David Jeremiah said yesterday, "'You will know if you are truly a servant by the way you react when someone treats you like one.' How do you react, Evie?"

Prayer: Father - I am not the kind of servant that Timothy was. I am so much more comfortable being in charge and giving orders. I know I have been willing to serve, but somehow I feel like my serving is not because I myself am walking in a posture of a servant. I need You to transform my heart and create in me an attitude of a true servant. Show me what it looks like. Convict me when I serve out of a desire to be recognized or seen as a good Christian servant. Continue to form my character so I am truly Your servant, an empty vessel useful for Your perfect plan.

If this helps just ONE of you in your time with God it will bring such joy to my heart! I love you all and so want to see each one of us become the women that God has created us to be! <3

If you try this, let me know what one of your journal entries looked like!

Happy New Year...

            Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead ~ Php 3:13

As we head into 2011, I want to encourage you oh beautiful masterpiece of God. So often when we look back over the previous year we have regrets. I’ll admit, there are definitely things I would do differently if given the opportunity. In those moments when I feel the *sigh* deep within, God reminds me of a few simple, yet beautiful truths. I hope that you will embrace these truths and allow them to encourage your heart.

He was not caught off guard by your choices in 2010! Ps 139:16 - “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

You are already forgiven – Acts 10:43 – “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

His love for you is constant and unshakable! - Ro 8:38-39 -“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You are wonderfully in process - Php 1:6 – “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” God began something good within you and He has promised to finish it!

He has an amazing plan for your future – My ministry foundation is built on this very important truth…You are God’s masterpiece. Eph 2:10 – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Beautiful one, your future is something to continually look forward to. You don’t need to let regrets overwhelm or discourage you. When you look back, you should not feel the weight of needless shame. You are not defined by your behaviors; you are defined by whose you are. We are the beloved children of God…His beautiful masterpieces. This year, may you look with hope to the future and hold tightly to the truth that you belong to the One who firmly holds you in the palm of His hand as you journey into the New Year.

When My Heart Cries...

Mark 5:25-34 is a passage that needs to fill our souls with gratitude as we catch a glimpse of the heart of God for women. He shows His love in a very profound way. If you relish the care Jesus displays in this story, you may be moved deeply enough to rest more securely in the knowledge of how valuable you are to Him. Remember, in Jesus’ day, women were not even acknowledged as people. Simply put, they didn’t count.  

Refresh yourself with the story. It’s the one about the woman with the 12 year bleeding (ugh...just imagine having your period for TWELVE straight years)!! Now imagine that because of this gynecological problem your family had spent all the money they had and were totally broke (forget having gas money, seeing a movie, getting that prom dress, new school clothes, and did I mention no hopes for ever going to college)! Also think about how you’d feel if after spending every bit of savings that you had, you found yourself worse off then when you first started visiting your doctor. Simply put, this was the sad state that this woman found herself within in Mark 5. Can you say...desperate!!??

Here is what I don’t want you to miss when you look at this passage...the healing occurred amidst a throng of clamoring people. Imagine being at a Taylor Swift concert! People are screaming and pushing and trying desperately to see, right? The Bible tells us that people were pressing in on Jesus. It is safe to assume that there was shoving and audible crying out as people sought to get His attention.

Now get this...in the midst of this chaos, the heart of a hurting woman cried out to Jesus. The Scriptures state that Jesus is able to know a man’s thoughts (Matt 9:4; Luke 9:47) and therefore the heart cry of this woman would not have escaped His notice. When she touched His cloak, He felt the healing power go out from Him immediately!! He could have let it go. He could have moved on. But that was not His choice. He says some amazingly life giving words....“Who touched me?"

The beauty of the passage rests in Jesus’ intentional pursuit of this woman. He heard her heart cry for hope and healing and He desired to connect with her. Although the crowds continued to throng about Him and press in on Him, and the disciples encouraged Him to focus and keep moving, He would not let the faith of the woman nor her heart cry toward Him escape His notice. His desire was to seek her out and speak words of hope and healing into her life.

The depth of grace within this story rests in the simple yet profound truth; the compassionate heart of God stopped to connect with a scared, hurting and desperate woman. He took the time to look into her face, listen to her story, call her daughter, and thus affirm her worth, value and dignity. He wanted to know “who touched Me?”... “who is crying out to Me?”...and He is still asking those questions today. Be encouraged... reach out to Him... He hears your heart cry oh woman of God and He will stop and listen to your story.

Sidewalk Prophets

These are the words I would say if I could sit with you face to face right now. When you listen to the song you should hear me singing to you. Yes YOU! Whenever this song comes on the radio I see you...in all of your wonder and beauty...the amazing young woman that God has made you!

It always brings tears to my eyes when I sing to you. I can't imagine you giving up on yourself. It saddens me to think that you may not feel loved or valued. It's hard to believe that you would ever walk away because you felt as if God just did not listen or care about the deepest hurts or joys in your life.

My Life as an Avocado video

My Life as an Avocado

Enjoy my first ever video devotional! You are a masterpiece!! Your story is awesome!!

A Star Fell from the Sky...

Channel surfing is fun when you haven’t had a TV in over 5 years. I feel like I’m entering another world where the people all know each other and I’m the new kid on the block. I’ll admit I am usually pretty impressed with myself when I actually recognize an actor in one of the movies…and when I know their name without having to Google the show….I definitely have to tell someone.

Today, however, I did not feel that same “yea me” attitude as I surfed past a movie with a beautiful blonde actress, giggling and fighting with her handsome new husband…Ashton Kutcher. I’m sure you know the movie…Just Married. And it seems like only yesterday I enjoyed seeing the movie Uptown Girls. Brittany did a fabulous job drawing you into her screwed up life, as well as highlighting the lonely  life of that poor little rich girl.

All of my reminiscing about Brittany reminded me of the sadness I felt the day I heard the news…Brittany Murphy is dead at aged 32. I am sad whenever I hear of someone dying needlessly or young. But the more profound sadness I felt over Brittany’s death came because of what I heard friends and media personalities say about her.

Of course, everyone spoke of her beauty and talent. Naturally, the media highlighted her age and let the world know that she died so young. Yet, in all of the hype, what caught my attention were the many comments about her insecurity. People talked about Brittany being a wonderful and caring person, but in the same breath talked of her insecurity and belief that she was not very talented. The comment that pierced my heart was that Brittany “felt like she had not reached her potential and had not done with her life what she hoped.” Remember…she made that comment while still alive!

So today, I thought of you…beautiful Ephesians 2:10 masterpieces of God…and I wanted to remind you that life is a journey and you are still in process. You are beautiful and talented, and sometimes or a lot of times, struggle with insecurity. And yes…you are young. But, unlike Brittany, there is one thing you are not…you are not without hope for an amazing future. No matter how you feel, what mistakes you make, how badly you struggle to see yourself as the beautiful and special young woman you are, God deeply loves you and is shaping your awesome future! As long as you have breath, don’t ever give up. You are exactly who you are supposed to be…a child of God! God is walking alongside of you, helping you discover the wonder of who you are in Him and the fabulous plan He has for your future.

Someday in Heaven…when the books are opened and your name is called…I will listen intently to what is said about you! I am confident that the news I hear will make my heart very happy.

Philippians 1:6

And I am certain (confident) that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Killer Garage Sale...

Mark 10:17-27 – The Rich Young Ruler

We’ve all heard the story of the Rich Young Ruler a million times right? And normally the moral of the story is: if you’re not willing to give up everything to follow Jesus, then you’re not getting into the Kingdom of Heaven. I mean, it sure seems like that is the main point of the story, right. I can accept this difficult truth knowing that God’s kindness is what leads us to repentance (Ro 2:4). That said, since the Bible never tells us what happens to that rich young man, I am holding out hope that eventually he held a killer garage sale and there were some pretty sic looking poor people back in the day. Yes, I’m optimistic that I just might see him in heaven…can you wear Prada in Heaven? Ah…I digress…

Let's journey together through the narrative from a different vantage point. I want us to focus on something that I bet most of us overlook. We miss it because we tend to look at this Scripture with sad faces…with the doom and gloom eyes of….poor guy…he’s going to burn! 

I want us to see two really important things and focus on them for just a moment. Look at verse 21… “Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.” I really paused and thought; how cool is that? Picture the scene…a very well dressed man kneeling before the Lord asking one of the most important questions a person could possible ask; “how can I obtain eternal life?” It’s obvious he knows he’s missing something. I think Jesus looks intently into his eyes and lets this young ruler see this genuine love inviting him to draw close. Who knows, this rich young ruler possibly came expecting Jesus to pat him on the back and say, "well done, that’s it!" However, we do know this, Jesus’ look of love comes BEFORE this young ruler has the opportunity to respond correctly to Jesus. Did you catch that…Jesus doesn’t look at him with genuine love AFTER he gives Him the right answer to the all-important question. This young man was still in the middle of questioning and searching! Jesus loves him in the middle of the search, and He doesn’t stop loving him when he walks away…when he doesn’t make the best decision. Wow…can you see that? Jesus’ love is solid and unmovable!

Why is it so important that we really understand this kind of unmovable and solid love? Jesus made it pretty clear that doing the right thing (making the right choice) isn’t possible for man, but it is possible for God (vs. 27). God knows we can’t live this life on our own. He knows we need Him. So, if God created us to need Him, and making good decisions apart from Him is impossible, then why would He stop loving us when we walk away…when we don’t make the right choice? We are totally dependant on His love! Seriously, this young ruler made a real “dude…no way!” choice. He looked like he was saying “no thanks” to the offer of a pretty sweet life with Jesus. For us it is no different. We walk away from the sweet life all the time, don’t we? And I know for me, I need to see those genuine eyes of love looking at me while I search, when I walk away, when I’m struggling or when doing the right thing isn’t even on my list of options for the moment. I’m thankful he didn’t shame the rich young ruler or make him feel like donkey dung…even though He knew he would walk away. He looked at him with genuine love…let that soak in…genuine love!

So today, I’m reminding us to focus on His love. He loves you no matter what. He loves you while you search, through your bad choices, when you turn your back, when you question, or when you feel like giving up. He knows that life without Him is impossible. He knows that making wise choices without His power is impossible. So, bask in His love for you today…and let Him fill you up to overflowing. He loves you…and He will live the impossible life through you every day!

Remember, you are His masterpiece…and nothing you do will ever change that! (Eph 2:10)

A New Thanksgiving Tradition...

My pastor recently gave a sermon on being thankful. He talked about people with a critical and negative spirit who didn’t give thanks unless circumstances were going in their favor. I could have crawled under my chair. I thought for sure he’d been peeking in my window for the past several weeks. I knew that God had some important things He wanted to teach me about thankfulness, so I pulled up a chair next to His throne and listened intently.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, he spoke something so profound, 1 Thes 5:18, “give thanks in everything”. Really? I actually did say that to God. I mean, really? Obviously I had not yet grasped His profound words of wisdom, because all I could think about was how Elijah got to watch winds whipping through mountains and earthquakes rumbling under his feet before God passed by in a gentle wind with ultimate words of wisdom.

After refocusing on the word God graciously spoke to me, I decided to give this thankful lifestyle a shot. How hard could it be to follow one verse every day? Armed with my phone and twitter as my medium, I forged ahead to broadcast my thankfulness in everything!

Sometimes I twitter things because I know that eventually I’ll find them funny and be thankful I survived. This is especially true when I’m getting aggravated with my surroundings or circumstances. For instance, if I’m in a hurry and get stuck behind a slow driver and hit every red light, I twitter how thankful I am for slow drivers and red lights. Although I may not be thankful at that very moment, I know that eventually I will laugh over my ludicrous behavior (i.e. talking to drivers who can’t hear me) and laughter is something I can be thankful for right? And honestly…I am thankful that I have a car, that there are traffic signals that protect me from crazy drivers, and that there are those people in the world who actually enjoy being Sunday drivers during the other 6 days of the week.

So my new thanksgiving tradition has nothing to do with turkey or stuffing or mashed potatoes or even pumpkin pie…although I would rather not give any of that up! My new thanksgiving tradition is to be thankful in everything. I want to see if I can actually live out the real reason for one of my favorite holidays every day of the year! I think if I invited God to that kind of holiday banquet, He’d come! 

Cruise Ship "Chaos"

 Remember the story in Mark 4: where Jesus and the disciples are in the boat and it starts raining...okay...it starts outrageously storming...killer winds...waves so high they are nearly capsizing the boat? I know...kind of makes you want to got on a cruise for your next vacation! I love how afraid the disciples get! Personally, I’m thinking...normal, sane response! And then one of my favorite words appears... “rebuke”. How often do you get to use that word...okay not counting when you’re joking around with a friend who needs to stop acting like an idiot? Seriously, is that not a great word? I looked it up in the dictionary. Check out what it said... to express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand. Those waves and that wind got a serious verbal whooping! Why does this matter?

  In the 1st century, when this story was taking place, the Jews believed that “chaos” (think high winds and crashing waves) was evil. So, every time a major thunderstorm happened, fear arose because the thought was that it was an evil manifestation. Think about it; whenever you’ve heard this story taught, hasn’t the “life lesson” been “and Jesus shows His power over nature, thus proving He is God”? Now that is an amazing application, but what if we looked at that story in light of the context and the history we know now? If the disciples were sitting in that boat feeling like the “chaos” (of evil) was overtaking them, doesn’t their fear make a whole lot more sense? I mean, it’s not just about dying in a storm anymore, it’s about living through chaotic evil until death eventually happens! I’m thinking...pick me, pick me...not! Right?

  The text does not tell us how long the “chaos” lasted. It only tells us that Jesus eventually rebuked the “chaos” (evil). For me...that’s comforting. Sometimes we forget that Jesus gave us a heads up... “in this world you will have many troubles” (Jn 16:33) and we get overwhelmed with feeling that life is unbearable unfair, and stinks (to put it nicely). How easily we forget about the last part of that verse, “but take heart I have overcome the world.” Yes, while we are here we will endure many hurtful and difficult things. Sin is alive and well and it effects our lives. Sometimes people do and say things that make us feel incredibly devalued, disrespected, unsafe, and downright abandoned! It can be lonely and frustrating! 

  This is especially real to me right now b/c I recently received a FB note from a high school student living in the middle of a serious thunderstorm. The “chaos” (evil) is clearly evident. And, as many of us can understand, she just wants to quit. It all feels too overwhelming. I want her to stay in the boat and believe. I want her to know that Jesus has power over evil...that one day all things will be made right. But none of us knows how long we have to live in the “chaos”. So if your parents are fighting or divorcing, your friends are being cruel, or that guy who said he “loved” you just thoughtlessly walked away, hold on to the truth that Jesus has the power to “rebuke” that “chaos”...and He will. He brought calm to the lives of those fearful grown men, and He will do the same for us if we wait and hope in Him.

Journey through it:

• Is there something going on right now that feels like “chaos” in your life? Do you feel like you are in the middle of a thunderstorm w/out an umbrella? : ( Hold on to this truth...

• Psalm 34:19 - The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

• If yes, then find a time to pour out your heart to God. Let Him know how bad it hurts. Give yourself the gift of tears! And be honest...if you want to give up, if you’re mad at Him...let Him know! His love is unconditional and He can take it (read the Psalms...David is pretty expressive)! Try praying some of these...

• Psalm 10:17 - Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their (my) cries and comfort them (me).
• Psalm 13:3 - Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
• Psalm 23:4 - Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

• Then, write down some truth. This is so important b/c when we are in the middle of tough stuff it is so easy to lose perspective and focus. I’ll give you some “perspective” verses, you can search the Scriptures for some warm and fuzzy verses about God. : ) If you want specific ones for your situation let me know!

• 1 Peter 5:8-10
• James 1:2-4
• James 5:13
• Romans 8:28-29