Five Minute Friday: Worship

“Blessed are they that put their trust in him.”—Psalms 2:12b

Somewhere between the yesterday and tomorrow, the minutes exist where I breath prayerfully upward and ask the Lord to help me trust Him. Before I went into my long list of "If it be Your will, Father, please do this, fill this, heal this," and so on, I decided to name what Jesus is to me.

He is:

The Great I Am

He's the Master of the universe

He's the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End

He's my Savior

He's your Savior

He's my Rock, my Strong Tower

My Help in my time of need

He's my Creator

And the Master Designer of every living thing

He's my Destiny

He's my Forever

He's my very precious Friend.

He's so much more than all this, but in reading over my finite list of who He is to me, I am humbled by Him. I wonder at myself for doubting Him … for those strange little thoughts that creep in and question who He is and all He's doing in my life and in the lives of those I love.

I am Jairus asking Jesus to heal his daughter and I'm the demoniac's father, telling God I believe, but to increase my faith.

I am His. And in this, I worship.*

(*This post needed a more solid end, in my mind, so I wrote this part after the five minutes.)

The Black Sea
Mangalia, Romania (August 2005)

Job's Surrender

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; 
blessed be the name of the Lord.”—Job 1:20-21

The Bible is a mirror to my heart, and in reading this passage, I find my heart to be shamefully fearful of experiencing the tribulations of Job. I am apprehensive of giving my life so completely to God, to say unto Him, Lord, whatever You need to do in my life to make it the witness, the light, the testimony, etc., it needs to be, it’s Yours to do with what You wish. Only You know what needs to happen in my life to make it complete in You, and I give it to You.

I do believe I did just that in my early twenties, as my first step in faith to truly follow Jesus, and it was the best decision I have ever made. But as I mature in the Lord, and time keeps ticking by, I know that sentiment is not often true for me in my daily surrenders to God.

I want my life to be a bed of roses. I want to walk among pillowy beds of ease. I want to have pleasing things to happen to me. I want.

Ironically, when I am in this self-centered frame of mind, my spirit enjoys no peace and no rest.

So often, I am fearful of each step, thinking that the next one may be the one that shakes my foundations, and not in a good way, at least to the eyes of flesh.

I find that I am too selfish to let go of what comforts I have in the present, and thereby neglect the blessings and riches of God that I would have otherwise experienced had I just given Him my worries, my fears, my joys, my successes ... my present and my future.

Really, into whose hands is it better to give my life to? 

Oh, Lord, Jesus, help me surrender my all to You in the big and little things, without fear and with complete trust, even if that trust may be timid at first.

Originally written on October 4, 2002, when I was studying the book of Job.

Barsanesti, Romania (August 2005)

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MY FIRST CONTEST-REMINDER-ENDS TODAY!

In celebration of receiving "50 Likes" on my facebook page and having 50 posts written on my blog as of today, I want to give away one of the pictures on my blog, as well as try and get more readers!

So, how are we going to do this?

I will enter you in my contest to receive a free photo (assuming you want a matted 3x5/4x6 photo of your choice from my blog AND mailed to you free of charge, ANYWHERE in the world!) if you:

1. Like my page on Facebook (and haven't already) or if you follow my blog via Google+;
2. Sign up to receive emails when I put out a new post (you will need to subscribe to “Receive Emails” on the blog itself and then you will get an email in which you will need to verify you want to receive emails); OR
3. Recommend a friend and they like my page, which was the original goal of the contest. Somehow you or your friend will need to let me know they've signed up via a message on my page or some other way. 

It's possible to enter more than once, if you do more than one of the above.

The contest began yesterday (Tuesday, August 20th), and it will end next Tuesday, on August 27^th at midnight (the midnight where you are located in the world!).

This is my first contest, so it may be a work in progress. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions.

Again, the prize will be a matted 3x5 or 4x6 picture of your choosing, mailed to you at no cost, anywhere in the world.

So, here we go. Happy contesting. And God bless you today!  

Five Minute Friday: Small … & My First Contest!

First, Five Minute Friday … almost a week late!

The word for this week was “Small,” written in five minutes, with no edits.

******

READY, SET, GO!

Down deep in the crevices of my mind, are memories upon memories that seem sometimes inaccessible. I look for the past, and try to reach far back there, and I get what amounts to a blank screen. A kind of feeling that the files have been erased.

But sometimes, there are small bits that I do remember. The happy, joyful bits of my past that help me appreciate the life I have been given. It's when I reflect on a series of small moments, a smile creeps to my face and I think, yes, I have a good life. I was able to travel, speak another language, learn about the Kings and Queens of Britannia, which was most certainly a foretaste of my current love of BBC and Masterpiece Theater, and all things British in the form of mysteries and mini-series.

There is also a small part of me … actually it may not be quite so small in which I don't remember things. Perhaps the shadows of those memories are too dark to dwell in, and I prefer living in the moment and creating new memories, joyful memories, as I build a life with a husband and child.

I don't do backwards, is what I'll say when the memories are too hard to digest.

STOP

(Note: Well, the idea of writing short stories with the weekly Five Minute Friday word prompt has fallen flat and after only two weeks of doing it. (Part one, here, and part two, here, if you're interested.) It seemed a good idea in theory but very difficult for me in practice. So, I just wrote what came to my mind this week.)

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And now, the CONTEST!

In celebration of receiving "50 Likes" on my facebook page and having 50 posts written on my blog as of today, I want to give away one of the pictures on my blog, as well as try and get more readers!

So, how are we going to do this?

I will enter you in my contest to receive a free photo (assuming you want a matted 3x5/4x6 photo of your choice from my blog AND mailed to you free of charge, ANYWHERE in the world!) if you:

1. Like my page on Facebook (and haven't already) or if you follow my blog via Google+;
2. Sign up to receive emails when I put out a new post (you will need to subscribe to “Receive Emails” on the blog itself and then you will get an email in which you will need to verify you want to receive emails); OR
3. Recommend a friend and they like my page, which was the original goal of the contest. Somehow you or your friend will need to let me know they've signed up via a message on my page or some other way. 

It's possible to enter more than once, if you do more than one of the above.

The contest began yesterday (Tuesday, August 20th), and it will end next Tuesday, on August 27^th at midnight (the midnight where you are located in the world!).

This is my first contest, so it may be a work in progress. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions.

Again, the prize will be a matted 3x5 or 4x6 picture of your choosing, mailed to you at no cost, anywhere in the world.

So, here we go. Happy contesting. And God bless you today!  

Refraining My Lips

“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”

Proverbs 10:19

The book of Proverbs helps my walk with the Lord so much. I try to read one chapter every day, and despite the fact I’ve read this book over and over, God’s wisdom found in these pages of Scripture always teaches me something. Whether a proverb grounds me for the day’s events, whether a verse brings me to conviction, or whether a truth enlightens my understanding of circumstances that make my heart heavy, I often walk away from reading Proverbs with a word from the Lord that is just for me.

Today’s verse is such an example. I read it a few days ago and have been trying to commit it to memory ever since. Why? Because it has been a recurring theme in my dealings with others lately. I often get this sense of pride when sharing my “wisdom” with loved ones in which I think I have the answers to their problems. Without their request for advice, I happily pour forth all the wisdom I think fits their particular situation with such a self-righteous and judgmental countenance. Afterward, when I really take a good look at myself, I get so discouraged (disgusted more like it) because here was another instance I did not keep my mouth shut when I should have.

Now, I do not mean to imply that we should always be silent. For the Bible says, “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20)

On the one hand, some situations call for boldness, but a speaking-the-truth-in-love boldness—a God’s-clear-direction-to-speak kind of boldness that is free from self-righteous and prideful judgment. (Ephesians 4:15)

On the other hand, some situations call for our silence, perhaps because that person is not ready to hear the truth. They have not yet come to the end of themselves, which is precisely the place God wants them to get to so He can begin to heal them.

Perhaps it’s because we are not the vessel God will choose to use to bring a person to Himself and His will for their lives. I don’t know. But there are times I can feel a catch in my spirit that leads me to not speak God’s wisdom and counsel to an individual. It’s when I know it’s not my place to speak and do so anyway, that I know I have a lot to learn myself about the wisdom of learning to keep my mouth shut.

In the end, I know the one thing I can do for those I want to “help” is to pray for them. While I refrain my lips toward them, I do not have to keep quiet before God on their behalf.

“There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword:

but the tongue of the wise is health.”

Proverbs 12:18

Stehekin, WA (August 2008)

Five Minute Friday: Lonely (Part II)

This is the second part of my Five Minute Friday "Story." So far I'd say last week's and this week's writing loosely fit together. Maybe by next week's post, it will have more of a story feel. We'll see. I hope you enjoy reading it anyway.

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There is a certain timidity, she thought, when she would venture forth to put words together in some kind of sentence, story or novel. She thought often that what if the words were few and were nonsensical when put together. One word, after the other, and then what? Sometimes, she felt it was all a sham. Sometimes, she would have to muster the faith it took to simply put those words together. As she thought about it, the feeling kind of reminded her of those terrible blind dates, one in particular that felt like two walls meeting, when she walked past the threshold of the door, placed her vision upon one man in particular, and wondered if he was the one she was supposed to meet. He was, and when they shook hands, she felt like the Great Wall of China meeting the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Two large edifices of personalities that could not find the doorway into each others heart. That was for the best, in the long run. But without that initial meeting, there wouldn't be another meeting of the next person, and then the next person, to hopefully, you know, “the one.”

But we're talking about her words here. She wondered if she would leave out thoughts, grammar and words, perhaps making the story a bit more lonely in its attempt to tell a tale.

The Abundant Life

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: 
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
—John 10:10

I believe any objective observation of a person’s life could be said to conclude in two ways—that the individual has had an abundant life in Christ or that an individual has had a life that has been destroyed by years and years of poor choices. The broad strokes of one’s existence may not clearly illustrate one or the other kind of life at first, but if we look closely into that person’s canvas, we can see the details of his or her life as the paint dries. We begin to understand what those details say about the kind of life that person has lived.

In the verse above, we see Jesus offers not only life, but life "more abundantly." The thief, however—that great counterfeiter of God, the father of lies, and enemy of our souls—steals away the blessings of God on a person’s life, kills a person's joy, and I believe the Bible says, brings them sooner to physical death. (Romans 6:16)

As I have meditated on John 10:10 over the years, I feel so very blessed by what God has bestowed upon me despite the past destruction I have allowed in my life. When I gave my life to the Lord in my early twenties, I believe that was precisely when God began to grant me His abundant life or at least when I began to recognize it. I felt this life in my soul as I praised the Lord for the big and little experiences He gave me as I learned more and more about Him. I often sung songs of praise to Him as I walked to school or other destinations. I called these my prayer-and-praise walks with Jesus. Witnessing was effortless because I was just so full of my Savior and His love. Earthy blessings were many, as well, but I believe that was just a small part of the abundant life He gave me. The abundant life is a full life in Him, as we learn our place in His divine plan and yield ourselves to it.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying there aren't times of discouragement, sadness, and temptation in an abundant life, but I am saying the overall impression of such a life is full of beautiful colors and gorgeous textures on a canvas of His design.

Then, there is the destroyed life, which results as a consequence of our not only choosing sin, but remaining in it. When we feed our flesh and let our lives be full of the sinful parts of our natures, it only leads to our destruction. This is the kind of life Satan wants to keep us in bondage to, so that we don’t experience the wonderful truth and reality of God’s abundant life.

Over the years, as I've meditated on this verse, my heart hurts for those who have tasted God, who are born again, but who are seduced back into bondage to the elements of this world Satan then uses to destroy them. (2 Peter 2:19) I am very sad for those who choose over and over again to follow the philosophies of the thief toward their destruction, rather than follow their merciful Savior, Who healed and released them from this bondage upon their salvation.

Now, I realize a person’s life is not this black and white. My life, for example, has many gray areas, the shadows of a painting, let’s say, that are just as much a part of my overall experience in Christ. There may be periods of quiet, when I really don’t feel this abundance of God. I also choose to get under bondage again to those sins that easily tempt me. I believe, however, that living an abundant life before God is experienced again when I repent of my sins before Him, including any lukewarmness toward Him, and ask His forgiveness.

I know my canvas has moments of both abundance and destruction in it. But, I believe, when one looks at the overall painting of my life, they will observe a person who has and is experiencing the abundant life God promises His children. This is not because of me, but only because of Him and His grace and His mercy.

And I love Him for it.

I pray that we will not be Revelation 2:4 Christians who leave their first love. Jesus wants so much more for us. Let’s let Him take our lives and paint wonderfully abundant pictures of His love upon them.

Two Romanian Women
Onesti, Romania (May 2005)

Five Minute Friday: Story (Part I)

I thought I'd try something a little different for my Five Minute Friday writing exercises. Using this week's prompt and another fellow blogger's idea, I am going to use these five minutes a week to craft out a story, which may be a little like creative nonfiction in places, as part of it will reflect a little of me, albeit creatively. I hope you join me to watch the story unfold. 

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The word, the time, the day. It seemed so far away from her at the moment. All she could do was look out the window and imagine the what if. What if he never came for her. What if she was waiting in vain for a man that was a figment of her imagination. The air was so still outside. The leaves barely made movements from the wind. The sun's rays were harsh and unyielding. They were like her desire for marriage … yearnings of the heart that were unrelenting in their merry-go-round like pulls on her heart. Is he there? How about here? Is he the one ringing up my groceries, Lord? How about him? He has a good job, good morals, and good looks. Surely it's him.

Silence. Like the breeze outside. She heard nothing. She prayed for guidance, for wisdom, for any noticeable direction. The paths she should walk. The careers she should choose. And the prerequisites she should have. Sometimes, depending on the day, the prerequisite was that he would simply be available.

So, she rounded the corner … entering a new street. A new chapter. And another hope.