"Gray Skies"
We are full into the Christmas season, with all of it's shopping, wrappying, writting and entertaining. We are also full into winter. Although I enjoy the Christmas season, I do not enjoy the cold of Chicago. Perhaps this is why the Lord gave me this picture...
Picture…I was driving to church on autopilot, which is obviously not a good thing. I don’t really know where my mind was, probably off solving some type of problem when the sun suddenly broke through the clouds on the horizon to recapture my attention. The cloud backdrop helped to showcase the rays of the sun as they illuminated the earth. It was so beautiful…it was absolutely breathtaking. It was a marvelous display of God’s splendor and His Grace. I said out loud, “Ah, there you are God.” I think without realizing it, the gray skies and road, the brown and dead looking trees and grass had me focusing on my problems. I really don’t like winter in Chicago. It’s so cold and barren, especially when there is not snow. It looks so dead and bleak. Unintentionally, I had allowed my dismal surroundings to direct my thoughts to the negative. But God, in His marvelous grace, allowed the sun to shine down for a moment, making me aware of His presence. In the midst of all that was gray, brown and lifeless, He made His presence known.
Hear…the Lord say, “Just as I broke through the clouds for you, I am going to break through the darkness in my children’s lives. I am going to break through like the morning sun. I am going to radiate through the gloom, despair, despondency, hopelessness, discouragement, frustration and anguish to touch them with new life.”
Consider: I really do not know what you are going through at this present moment. But I do know that God wants to bring new life to you and to your situation. He is not going wave His magic wand and zap your life to change it, any more than the scenery changed while I was driving. I wasn’t suddenly transported to Hawaii or anywhere with flowering trees and gentle warm breezes. I was still looking at the same dead grass, dead trees, and dirty streets. It’s just that the light broke through for a moment and then was gone. Everything still looked dreary, but there was awareness, and with that awareness, everything had changed. What God wants you to do right now is stop and examine your thinking. Upon what have you been focusing? He wants to illuminate the landscape of your personal self talk right now. I don’t want you to take offense with His next words, but He said, “Some of my children have some stinkin’ thinkin’ going on. “ Does it shock you that God is so plain? He really doesn’t speak 16th Century English you know. He uses phrases that we understand and will capture our attention. In this case I know when I have stinkin’ thinkin’ and that is when I focus my thoughts on my problems, the negative stuff that is going on around me, the difficulties that have hit me head on, what I don’t have, what “so-and-so” has said and what “so-and-so” did or didn’t do. That’s stinkin’ thinkin’. What He wants you and I to do right now is to stop and become aware of His presence in the midst of all that is going wrong and then to allow that awareness to begin changing our thoughts. It’s not the landscape that needs to change. Chicago in the winter is Chicago in the winter. It’s our thoughts that need to change. I’m not advocating that you and I get ourselves some rose-colored glasses, or learn how to be an ostrich and ignore what is happening around us. But I do believe that we need to be more careful in monitoring our thoughts so that we can track where they are leading us. If they are taking us down a path that will only lead to further harm, we need to recognize the source of those kinds of thoughts and refuse them outright. The enemy cannot force you to do anything…he merely suggests. It is your job to resist those suggestions that come camouflaged as your own thoughts.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor 10:4-5 NIV
Remember, the battleground is our minds. God wants to break through in your thought life. He wants you to develop an awareness of His presence in the midst of all that is confusing and frustrating. God wants you to be aware that He is right there beside you, so you will shift your thinking to focus on Him rather than people and circumstances. God is with you right now to break through your time of sorrow, gloom, sadness, defeat, frustration, pain, or whatever has overshadowed your day, week or year. God’s presence is with you, and He wants to touch you, revive you, change you, and help you.
Pray: “Lord thank you for breaking through my gloomy negative thoughts today to make me aware that you are in this with me. You have not sent me out and said, “Go, have a good time.” You are with me, walking through every difficulty and every victory. I am not alone. This awareness of your presence has the ability to break the pattern of my thoughts so that they can shift back to you. It is not my circumstances that make like so unbearable at times…it is how I am thinking during those times. Thank you for reminding me. Help me to monitor my thoughts for any stinkin’ thinkin’ that may be going on. Make me aware of your presence so that your light can shine into the dark recesses of my mind to my thought patterns. I love you. I love being with you. I love hearing your voice. There is nothing better in this whole world.”
I created a Slide Show! Check it out! Jump in
We have been home from the Philippines for a couple of weeks but trying to adjust to the jet lag and a sinus inflection has had me dragging. Thankfully I am sleeping through the night now and I know that my healing is on the way. I just wanted all of you to know that the Philippine trip was probably the best TEAM ministry I have ever had the privilege to lead. The women who came with me from CLC were the best. They stepped up to do whatever needed to be done and they did it with humor, joy and anointing...yes and a bit of fear. But they overcame their fear to minister in ways they never dreamed possible. I could not be more proud of these ladies. The majority of the slide slow is pictures not of the Pastoral Conference or Women's Conference of which we were such a part. We were so busy ministering, that the camera's stayed in their bags. But after the conferences we were privileged to help with Family Circus in Davao which ministers to over 3,000 children a weekend. It was amazing. The ministry is amazing. They were so well organized and ministered in such an effective manner. We helped passout rolls and drink as the children arrived by jeepneys and balloon animals as they left. The pictures are not flattering, but then it is hard to have a glamour shot when sweat is pouring. Yes...sweat. It definitely wasn't glistening. But the bottom line for all of us is that it was an amazing trip, full of laughter, anointing and overcoming fear. I miss my sisters...we only see each other at church now. But our hearts are connected forever. I hope that you enjoy the pictures...and are blessed by the word. It is appropriate that the word is titled, Jump In...because that is what Terrilyn Franklin, Courtney Franklin, Judy Fiala, Regina Williams, Connie Schmaedeke, and Pat Johnson did.
“Jump In”
Picture…an Olympic size swimming pool. It is a public pool with people of all ages and backgrounds sitting around in chairs at the sides. It’s a beautiful day, without a cloud in the sky; a perfect day for a swim. You can hear the P.A. system come to life with a crackling sound just before you hear, “Come, refresh yourself. Bask in my glory. Jump in for the adventure of a lifetime.” It is amazing, but there are people who manage to briefly glance at the pool before continuing with their socializing. They are holding tropical drinks in their hands, and comparing tote bags, towels and swimsuits. They looked totally uninterested in getting those swimsuits wet. There are others who gingerly approach the steps at the shallow end of the pool. They tentatively walked down the steps until they are waste deep in the water. They look at each other and simultaneous say, “That’s good enough. Let’s get out now.” But there is a man who runs to the pool’s edge yelling, “Look out” and without breaking stride does a cannon ball, sending up waves that splashed everyone. When he surfaced, he played around in the water, simply reveling in the water.
Hear…the Lord say, “It’s up to you. It’s your choice. You can stand on the sidelines and observe, or you can jump in and swim. I give freely of my spirit according to the level of your desire. So it really is up to you. How much of my presence do you want? How far will you go to pursue my purposes for your life?”
Consider: We were saved not so that we could sit safely on the sidelines; he wants us to jump into his purposes, for the adventure of a lifetime. I’m an introvert by nature, and as a teenager I was very insecure and fearful. I would not even drive up to the corner store by myself. But I loved Jesus more than my very life. So when God presented me with opportunities, with his help, I took them. The Lord took that frightened, insecure girl to the Philippines, South Korea, Brazil, Uganda, Mexico, Kenya, England, Nepal, Croatia, Senegal, China, Mongolia, Romania, Turkey, and Bulgaria. I have seen the sun rise over the Himalayan Mountains and fished for piranha in the Amazon. I have seen God’s miraculous power at work. And he isn’t finished with me yet. I can’t wait for the next adventure. When I hear the call, I will jump right in.
Well, how much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.
The adventure vacations and extreme sporting events of today look like small potatoes compared to the events of these great men and women of faith. God intended the Christian life be the greatest adventure of all. Consider the original disciples. John was boiled in oil, then exiled, Peter was crucified upside-down, Paul was beheaded after establishing churches covering the “then known world.” Hebrew 11 goes on to tell us…
But others trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free. They placed their hope in the resurrection to a better life. Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in dungeons. Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world. They wandered over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All of these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their faith, Heb 11:32-39 NLT
Would you like to join this elite group of risk takers? Probably not; I admit that some adventures are more dangerous than others. But consider with me the words of John Shedd, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
Jesus never intended that His church play it safe…that’s not why He gave His life. Jesus did not save you to sit you comfortably on the sidelines. He created you for an adventure.
Has He ever projected a great adventure onto the screen of your heart?
Is there a seed of a Holy Spirit inspired plan in your soul?
Are you living the adventure designed specifically with you in mind?
I once heard someone say, “If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space.” I love that! But please understand I am not talking about risking money on the stock market or your safety on a crazy stunt. I’m talking about stepping out in faith into the purposes of God. What are you afraid of? If you want the glory of God without measure, jump right in when HE calls.
