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)

Giving Gifts That Liberate - A New Perspective on Christmas...

Hearing a story of injustice from a far away place can lead to reactions of awe, astonishment and curiosity. Yet, when this wonderment does not carry over into action, we have neglected to comprehend the reason why God implanted those emotions deep within us.

Tears and anger are gifts from God…gifts to be shared through advocacy.

On Saturday morning, October 24, I attended a Global Trade Event that Fuller hosted at Jameson Brown Coffee Roasters. I was excited about taking a study break that included hearing music, drinking coffee, mingling with other students, and looking at what I thought were simply a few Fair Trade items. When I arrived at the coffee shop the atmosphere was serene and inviting. I stood with some friends and listened to a friend play his guitar and sing. After soaking in the music I decided to go outside and wander through the tables. What I encountered was completely unexpected.

I can only explain it as raw emotion….the pictures, the stories, the knowledgeable and caring students behind each table. Photographs could not have adequately captured the scene. One table after the other described a story…a story of injustice perpetrated on “the least of these”…the poor, uneducated women and children living in the 3rd world. As I looked at the jewelry, scarves, purses, and t-shirts for sale, they were no longer “items” to purchase, but “people” to liberate. With tears streaming down my face, I pulled out my wallet and began the investment in the one’s that Jesus longs for our hearts to remember (Matt 25:31-46).

As I purchased each item, a beautiful thought crossed my mind; although I may never get to meet these women and children, when I see them in the Kingdom, I will remember that I played a part in their story. I had the privilege of helping them stay off the streets by supporting their cottage industry. To choose action meant that I became part of the solution, providing them the opportunity to live in a safe place and make items to support themselves.

So often it feels overwhelming when we hear stories of injustice. We quickly seek to bring homeostasis to our emotions by walking away and trying to forget. We know that the task of helping seems too large to do alone. So for me, simply purchasing some of these beautiful hand made items allowed me to turn my anger at injustice and tears of anguish, into something beautiful and productive…the liberation and freedom of a soul in captivity.

The Christmas season is an optimal time to reflect on how, without Christ, we would all be souls held in captivity. My heart overflows with thankfulness because He willingly purchased my freedom. I know like me, that if you think about what you need this Christmas, your list will not include: a place to live, basic food, or the assurance of safety and respect. Simply buying from organizations that minister to the oppressed ensures that women and children around the world receive these basic gifts. Please use your resources and join me in being an advocate for the “least of these”. Imagine the joy in Heaven when Christmas day is filled with packages unwrapping justice for the glory of God.

Proverbs 31:8-9

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Consider purchasing items from one of these ministries or give yourself the gift of Compassion.

nightlightinternational.com

stopthetraffik.org

timbalicrafts.org

corridorofhope.org
discoverthejourney.org
amaniafrica.org

Compassion International…

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children – Nelson Mandela

Consider sponsoring a child as your gift to your family this year or give a one-time gift toward an unsponsored child, or the leadership project or AIDS ministry.

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

Hippo + Zebra = Luv?

Genesis 2: 19-20

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. : ( (sad face my emphasis)

As I listened to the radio preacher talk about Adam and the animals, it made me pause and think. Can you even imagine what this would be like...God, who is right there with Adam, tells him that He is going to give him someone to share his life with, and then parades a bunch of animals in front of him. Okay, so maybe that does make more sense than we actually want to admit! Maybe it seems sometimes like the guys out there are a bunch of circus animals...and none of them fit well into our lives. Or maybe, we are trying to fit an "animal" into our life, who is just not of our species!! Can you imagine what we'd get if we put a hippopotamus with a zebra? Just the thought of it makes me cringe?

Although it can be hard to wait for God's best, it is always worth it. If Adam was able to survive a parade of animals in the midst of that great promise from God, surely we can let the "wild things" pass by that are not God's best for us. I know...we are all looking for that companion...but if you don't want to end up with a hippozebra relationship...wait for God's still small voice. I don't know how long Adam had to wait between the animals and Eve, but I'm sure if we asked him, he'd say he was glad he didn't settle for the hippo. The same promise God made to Adam, He makes to you...there is a suitable companion for you out there..and he is so worth waiting for!

Think about it? Start with these 2 questions, and be honest!

1) Is he a believer?

2 Co 6:13-15 - Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?

2) If he says "yes", then, go one step further, find out his commitment level to the Lord? Remember, he will lead you either closer to or further from God!

Mk 12:30 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Those are 2 really important first questions to ask before even considering a relationship with a guy. Remember, you are priceless, beautiful, valuable, so worth respecting and being cherished. Do not settle for anyone that does not honor your belovedness before our Lord. You are someone's future wife...never lose site of that glorious truth.

*Please note: I am not saying that God is against interracial dating! God does not put us together in neat boxes according to skin color or ethnicity.