2010: My.... what a year it's been. It's been a year where there have been alot of questions, alot of seeking direction, alot of finding direction, alot of facing the fears in the midst of that direction and taking the next step in the journey.

Not alot of health issues this year thankfully.

I am so thankful to know what God's voice sounds like and to be brave enough to take a step even though the step seems so insurmountable and frightening. I don't regret it. If one never takes a step, one remains where they were. I want to move forward to the next phase of life.

So, what does 2011 have in store? I really believe it is a year where God's Sheep need to really know His Voice and to believe and follow. I really believe it is a time to prepare our hearts and minds and souls for the next step of the journey.

Don't despise where you have been because you could never be where you are today had it not been for where you have been.

Take a hold of His Hand. Let Him take the first step and stay in line with Him.

Love God.

Love People.

Love yourself.

Allow yourself to meet new people.

The end of the year has brought on a new thing for me in the line of work. I am thankful for it. I pray for favor in the midst of it.

Love life.

Love conquers all.

Many blessings to all who read this and Happy New Year.

God, Life, and New Testament Thinking

God doesn't want to be just a part of your life......He wants to BE your Life.

I find this to be a vital statement. I look back on my life and realize just how much He has been my life. He wasn't just a part of what I've done....He was the reason I did what I did.

I love what this statement entails. In the midst of what I call nothingness, God was there. God was hovering, moving, breathing, having His way. He was creating.

He wants to be the center of our Universe. Our World. Our reality.

God wants to be and is bigger than our issues. We are an issue oriented creation. For whatever reason, we have a hard time to let things go. I think part of the reason is that we have been taught to be issue oriented. We have centered ourselves rather than centering God in ourselves.

Grace, love, mercy....these are idealogies of New Testament thinking.

Judgement, condemnation, fear.... these are idealogies of Old Testament thinking.

So many times I have been an Old Testament follower rather than a New Testament believer. When I forget that the nature of God is love...then I truly forget my own beginning. I was created out of love. Out of love was I formed. My beginning was from love.

God is more love than He is judgmental. God doesn't want to execute judgment? He has to sometimes but I don't think it makes Him pleased to do so. I believe judgment is the last resort.

Remember mercy.....

Remember love....

Remember....

Biography, Scars, and Referring: One Doesn't Close Chapters in Theirs Lives Without Referring Back

As chapters to life close and open, we must always remember to refer back to some of those chapters. Remember the powerful times, the glorious hours, the friendships, the lessons learned from living life. We all are authors of our biographies. People read them every day. People partake of our lives everyday.

There have been times I have closed chapters of my life and haven't referred back to them because some were very painful. Yet those chapters in life are very important. As I talked about in the last blog, some of those chapters have scarred my heart. That is part of my biography. But people read those scars and can identify with my biography.

I identify with other biographers scars and lessons learned.

The greatest sign of healing is when one can refer back to previous chapters, feel a bit of the pain but not allow that pain to control them. I'm not there yet. I'm on my way there...I think that this is a lifelong experience.

Less Like Scars: The Journey of Character

Less Like Scars: The Journey of Character

Introduction:

I want to begin by sharing two pieces of literature that has spoke so deeply to my heart over the years. I can identify with what the authors are saying and I truly think there are many others who can as well.

Less Like Scars- song by Sara Groves

It's been a hard year
But I'm climbing out of the rubble
These lessons are hard
Healing changes are subtle But every day it's

Less like tearing, more like building
Less like captive, more like willing
Less like breakdown, more like surrender
Less like haunting, more like remember

And I feel you here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars and more like Character

Less like a prison, more like my room
It's less like a casket, more like a womb
Less like dying, more like transcending
Less like fear, less like an ending

And I feel you here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars

Just a little while ago
I couldn't feel the power or the hope I couldn't cope,
I couldn't feel a thing
Just a little while back I was desperate, broken, laid out, hoping You would come
And I need you And I want you here And I feel you

And I know you're here
And you're picking up the pieces
Forever faithful
It seemed out of my hands, a bad, bad situation
But you are able
And in your hands the pain and hurt
Look less like scars
And more like Character

“When I say I’ve learned to be content with my disfigurement, I don’t mean to be flip or make trite statements such as Beauty lies within and Beauty is on skin deep. How I look is who I am. And I’m content with that. It brings me a real sense of joy when people approach me after they hear me speak, and they say, “When you stand up and start talking, I don’t see scars. They just seem to fade away.” I understand and appreciate what they are saying. But at the same time, there is part of me that wants to explain, If you can’t see my scars, then you don’t really see me. Because those scars are a big part of who I am.” – Joel Sonnenberg

These two writings are the basis of what I sense to share with you. We spend so much time trying to hide our scars. We put the masks on and hide behind what we think people want to see. We spend so much time trying to define our image apart from that which we know we want to be.

We know the talk. We know all about identity. We know all about being made into the image of God. We know we are children of God. We know so much yet we don’t understand how to apply that which we know.

Life happens. This has been a statement that has been on my mind and heart for a few years now. Life isn’t always neatly wrapped up in a nice package.

We find this throughout history: both biblical and natural proportions. We find life happening to people. You can’t avoid it no matter how many times you wish to. Life is what it is.

We find men and women of vulnerability. We find honest people who had to fight, to struggle, to face fear, to believe, to trust and to love. There is something to be said for vulnerability. I believe it is a great testimony of the grace of God in operation in our lives. There is strength in vulnerability and honesty although many view vulnerability as weakness.

His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Weakness isn’t something we should shy away from.

So what does this have to do with scars?

I truly believe that as we are honest with ourselves and others, we will come to a greater understanding of our scars.

Christ didn’t deny the scars. He embraced them. We don’t shy away from His scars. We embrace them.

When Peter tried to tell Him that He didn’t need to go through this, Jesus rebuked him.
Scars serve a purpose. They testify of where we’ve been. They tell a story. They tell of our history. They are there as a reminder.

I love the line in the song: Less like scars and more like character.

Character is developed from the lessons we learn through our pain. There are things we can learn that go deep to the depths of our spirit. There are things I can honestly say, “I don’t ever want to go through that again, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Like Joel said, “The scars have become a part of who I am.”

Jesus would say the same thing. There would have never been salvation, redemption, healing, deliverance, freedom without those scars.

We truly cannot know who we are without the identification of those scars. Those scars become more than scars. Those scars have birthed and are birthing something significant in our lives: character.

Character isn’t something that just is imparted. Character is developed. The word develop insinuates process, growth, change. Development means stretching.

We are all characters for sure but God is shaping those characters into something that He is pleased with.

Talent without the character to handle those talents is usually disastrous. Without character, life tends to bring more scars.

Twists and Turns - Part 3

In the journey of twists and turns on the road of life we find ourselves a part of the history of God. The thought came to mind the other day: boy, history would look a whole lot different without God in it.

I see God in the history of my life.

* being a christian from the age of 6 years old
* living a prophetic life
* going to Bible College
* becoming a teacher at the Bible College
* working at Day & Ross

God has been in the midst of it all.

I can't deny that God has led me every step of the journey. No, the journey hasn't been easy. There has been alot of change that has happened over the years and yet God has been in the midst of Change. God is Change.

I look back on my life and understand that God has opened my heart and poured it out. I hope that my life has somehow influenced someone else's history. I would like to think that somehow my history and story has influenced someone else's history and story.

I pray that my life is an open book and will help others with their twists and turns in their own journey.

My journey and history has been influenced by someone else's journey and history.

So on my journey, the question I have is this: When I move on to the next step of the journey will anyone notice?

Not that this really matters.

It's not like I'm leaving on bad terms. Far from that. I need to move forward in the journey. It's not like I won't return back to where I came from.

So the journey continues....

I find that in the midst of the twists and turns on the journey intriguing to be a part of. There is a word that has been on my mind the past few days. When I looked up the definition of it I thought it was very interesting and possibly prophetic for as to where I am right now in my journey. The word is proceed:

Proceed: Move forward, esp. after reaching a certain point

It is imperative for us to pay attention to the proceeding Word that comes from the heart and mind of the World where we came from. This is the way Jesus lived His life on earth. This was the whole reason as to why He came in the first place: to show us the way Adam was meant to live before he took a detour and ended up outside of where he was to live.

In the temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness, Jesus made a statement that I admire. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that PROCEEDS from the mouth of God."

As long as I rely on that which I can see, I am missing the whole point. The proceeding word governs our lives. Or at least it should.

I'm taking the turn in the road cause if I don't I might end up in a river and drown. The journey is meant to be lived knowing the Voice, following the Voice, being led by the Voice. Listen to the ever proceeding word that comes from His Heart.

We have been taught to be led by the Spirit. We need to take the opportunity when the Spirit leads. Life rarely looks the way we think it should. That's okay. As long as He's leading and speaking, follow the Voice.

Jesus said, "My sheep KNOW the Voice of the Shepherd. They know My Voice." If you know His Voice, then it be best to follow the Voice. It may not be understood by others but as long as you know in your heart that the Voice has spoke and is ever leading, that is what matters.

The Turn in the Road - Part II

Change is a good thing. If we don't change then we're not growing. We need to grow and mature. I am not the same person I was 16 years ago. I don't even remotely want to be that same person. I look back and wonder, "Who was that guy?"

Over the course of those 16 years, the road was not straight. There have been many turns that have presented themselves. Some I took with great trepidation, while others I whipped around cause I knew that I knew where I'd end up.

I wish I could say that I have always gracefully handled every twist and turn that has come my way....but I haven't always done that. Sometimes rather than take the turn, I have kept going straight and ended up in the ditch for a while. Thankfully God has been there for me. That's the amazing thing about God. He is there when I take the turn as well as when I end up in the ditch.

That's what is amazing about love.

The only way to learn is to actually get out there and be a part of life. The only way to learn is actually get your hands dirty. Most people actually have to do the job themselves in order to grasp the concept.

I can be shown how to do it but it's not until I actually do it that I learn. I don't learn by someone telling me what to do. We learn by experience.

So as difficult change is to our minds, take the turn in the road. Be where God wants you to be. Listen to His Voice. Follow His leading. Look into His eyes and let His eyes do the talking.