Extreme Home Makeover

Today, we went sledding on the golf course in our 8+ inches of snow. It was incredible. And cold.

But, for this installment of my "Everyday God" project, I am going to talk about Extreme Makeover Home Edition. This past fall, the Extreme Makeover team came to Lexington to build a house. It aired on ABC tonight. The coolest thing was that I knew quite a few people who worked on the house. Mid South Irrigation, owned by Bryan and Tina Parker, did all of the landscaping and Rodney and Cheryl Rickard put up wallpaper. Students from Forsyth Country Day volunteered, and I'm sure Lexington BBQ sent over some food.



I'm proud to say that of everyone I know who put their blood, sweat and tears into that project, they also prayed over the house. Because they were there the family will reap blessing. I know they prayed for healing for the mom (who has cancer). I know they prayed God would bless the kids and the father and their jobs. I know they prayed for favor for the family. I know they stood in the gap for this family. I know they did because I know those people. And I'm proud to call them my friends. The family will probably never know the ways they are protected because these people worked on their house. That's the cool thing. God does that. He puts people in our paths that change us and we don't even know it. He puts in front of us people and situations because he knows they will pray for us and they will sharpen us. He really does have it all under control and he really does know what he's doing.

ABC, Ty Pennington and even Jewel can come in, tear down a house, and build a new one in one week, but only Jesus Christ can restore brokenness, bring healing and save souls.

I pray they know Jesus. And I pray she receives healing. But most of all I pray they would use their testimony to affect the people around them. And that's how I saw God today.

Snow :)

I think God moves in nature. And I absolutely love the fact that he outsmarts us. In a culture where the theory of Global Warming is talked about often, NC got 6 inches of snow in December (which I missed because I was in France) and 8ish inches this weekend. Talk about outsmarting the Global Warming cult.

I had so much to get done this weekend, but none of it is getting done now. I haven't even gotten out of my pajamas yet today. We will probably be snowed in until Monday or Tuesday. The teachers in the Lower School think we might not be going back until Wednesday. Everything I had planned for this weekend was out and about - errands to run, fast food to consume, but I've been really productive on school work and church work. It's been really nice. I think it's God's way of saying, "Here you go. Try to get ahead."

And there is something so refreshing about something so much bigger than us causing us to stop what we're doing and to take a day off.

Eight inches of pure, beautiful, powdery snow on the ground is how I saw God today.

Blind Faith

So far I have managed to write 5 of these, but 3 of them not on the day they are supposed to be on. I promise that I do think about it and even write a draft in my brain. Maybe there is an App on my BlackBerry where I can just upload a passage and it will make it here... hmm.

Actually, my day 5 was an incredible one. First things first, my amazing (last year) roommate, Angela Lauten got into her dream school, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for PT school. Though she technically has not made her final decision, she will go there. I am beyond proud of her and know she will go on to do incredible things and will impact many people in many ways. And thankfully she has impacted me in ways she will never know. I, however, will miss her dearly when she moves an hour and a half away. Thankfully, she is still on my speed dial :)

Next, I had a wonderful opportunity at school yesterday morning. Without divulging too many personal details, I will put it this way: A woman who I don't know well, but like a lot, is going through something where she needs people to surround her with love. When she was describing her situation to me, very clearly in my spirit, I heard, "Pray for her." I asked, she accepted, and what ensued, I cannot put into words without tears in my eyes.

It has nothing to do with what I said. All I know is I started with "Jesus we need you" and ended with "Jesus we need you". There comes a point when you have so much blind faith that everyone you come into contact with gets some of it. This was one of those instances.

She looked at me with a tear stained face, wiping the mascara off her cheeks and thanked me (a random kindergarten shadow) for tearing a few walls down. I thanked her for being bold enough to accept prayers from an almost stranger, and for being so bold and raw about such a tough issue. I walked away energized, pumped and pissed at the devil.

I can't get her face out of my brain and I pray it stays that way. I pray I will remember and fight wars for her in the spiritual unlike fighting anyone else has ever done for her.

Then I got to thinking... that is what the body of Christ is supposed to be. And that's what I want to be. I would have forsaken all others to pray for her because that meanst she felt a little bit of God's love for her. Those 15 minutes might be the only 15 minutes of peace she's felt over the past month of this trial.

Some blind faith plus a little boldness led to a torn down wall and an open door to healing.

He's living. He's active. He's real. And he wants to use us. That's how I saw God today.

Deeper

I went to Imago Dei Bible study tonight. It is led by a dear friend of mine, Tina Parker. Tina has poured her life into tons of women and out of it has come a ministry she has started and semester long Bible studies. (I only pray I can have the kind of influence Tina has had on this world.)

This semester we are reading Deeper by Debbie Alsdorf. Though I have not read anything in the book except for the Introduction, I am struck at how she begins the book. She starts the Intro. with this quote from Charles Swindoll: "You know there has to be more; you're just not sure how to get there. One thing is certain; you just don't want to stay where you are."

There is so much more of Him. I want it.

She closes it with this quote, "When we know the reality of God's love and faithfulness and learn to live in the truth of that love daily, we will discover something deeper - his pulse in the ordinary places of our everyday lives."

I want to live everyday like this is real. I want my everyday, ordinary life to be a reflection of the reality of God's love and power.

"they were healed as they went"

I just started this and I'm already a day late! But I haven't forgotten!

So, for yesterday, this is where I saw God:

I Bible studied with my friend, Ashlee, and we looked at the passage in Luke 17:11-17 where Jesus heals 10 lepers. Beth Moore makes a bunch of great points in her "Jesus" Bible study about this passage, but the one that hit me the most is the one about verse 14, which reads:

"When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed."

Did you catch that last part? And as they went, they were cleansed. Beth Moore states, "the lepers were cleansed during their faith walk to the priest. They went on a faith walk to get their healing. So often we are asked to walk by faith to get our healing, but the point of the matter is that they had to move to get to their healing. Their participation was needed for their healing.

So often in our lives, we have to get away from whatever pain we are experiencing. God doesn't want us complacent. He wants us healthy; therefore, he wants us active. He wants us to participate in our own healing.

He wants us to pursue His face knowing everything from His hand will fall into place.

Continue on your faith walk with Christ, for they were healed as they went.

the Eye Doctor

I noticed this morning that my eye was red. I've worn contacts for almost 13 years, so over that time period I have trudged through many a red eye. I noticed it briefly for the past few days, but didn't give it a second chance, thinking it would go away on it's own.

But after 3 people mentioned the state of my eye to me at school today, I made an appointment.

I waited unpatiently because, on the way, I had honked at people, wanted to pass a school bus (I didn't have the guts) and gone over the speed limit to make it to my appointment 15 minutes late. Then I waited for 25 minutes. (this will only get worse with Universal Healthcare!).

When I finally saw my eye doctor - the same eye doctor my mom has seen for almost 30 years and the one I've seen for the past 14 years - he checked out my eye. It turns out, I have a minor eye infection and a small abrasion, probably from a small particle under my contacts. He put some iodine into it to turn it yellow, made it burn, and shined some lights into it. I have a couple of days of prescription eye drops. No big deal.

Good thing I'll live. Too bad I have to wear my glasses for a few days.

I had a small moment of fear when I remembered I had changed insurance companies. And since I'm paying for it, I went with the high deductible, low monthly payment format. My last insurance company (when I could still be on my mom's) only made me pay like $10 for eye appointments. Surely, this new one would cost me more.

As I headed to the front, checkbook in hand, Dr. Ramsay motioned me over. He whispered, "I'm not going to charge you, just head on out."

God knows what we need. That's where I saw God today.

Everyday God: Day 1

I've been wanting to do this for some time now, so since my life is about to get crazier and crazier with student teaching... now's the time!

For the next 30 days I will (do my best) to write down at least 1 thing I've seen God do that day, or a place where I've seen God. It might be a sunrise when I'm working out (or the fact that I'm working out at all), driving myself to work, the smile on a child's face or even bigger things like the birth of a baby, praying for a person who receives breakthrough or just life lived another day. It might be simple, it might be complex. It might be one sentence, it might be book length.

So, here's day 1:

On my walk into work today, I had this thought: "I'm so glad that I am at a place where I can finally minister to other people again."

You see, I just recently got out of a very tough season. I'm glad to say that only on this side of it can I make the distinction between how painful it was and how much better it is to be on this side of things.

I walked through a season where I had to stand up for my beliefs. I had to defy people whom I loved deeply because I disagreed with their choices. I had to choose what the Bible says, not what society calls right and wrong. (They're two very different things). I lost sleep. I lost weight because of stress. And I lost relationships with people I loved. Honestly, it sucked. And it lasted what felt life forever. On the flip side, it was a little over a year. I was so spent that my body was crashing and my soul was dry. But it has required a lot of time to recover and a lot of time to heal.

For months I felt like I didn't have anything to give anybody. I felt like there were many people who were pouring into me, but I didn't have anything to pour back out. I was always on the verge of tears. It was like Psalm 42:3 says, "my tears have been my food day and night." Today, I'm really glad to know that season has broken and I have the ability to pour into people again.

So, this morning when I was walking into work, I was thankful to think to myself: "I know I'm filled to be emptied again, the seed I've received I will sow." - from The Desert Song by Hillsong.

I got into a conversation with a woman at school who was looking for a church for herself and her children. She wanted a church that was alive. Turns out, I go to a church that is alive - one where you actually meet Jesus when you're there, not just go through the religious motions. One where worship affects your life and infects your soul, not just words on the page of a hymnal published in the 19th century.

They came. The kids loved children's ministry. She loved the service and wants to come back. She met new people. We had great conversation. But even if they never come back, they felt loved.

I can give again when, at one time, I didn't have anything to give. That's God, isn't it? That's me growing. That's me using what I've been given to become a stronger person. That's me changing and becoming more and more of the woman God is calling me to be. And it's an answer to prayer - I just want to be used.

That is how I saw God today.

ps... one of her sons sat in my lap for lunch yesterday and kept telling his mom that he wanted to go home with me. "To win the affection of a child is to have truly lived."

A Year of Overflow.

Every year my church does a service we call "The Blessing Service". It's always the first or second weekend of the year and has become a favorite of many - including people who don't go to church there or have left the church. Somehow, they always find their way back, which I love.

This year, Pastor Alan brought a word from Psalm 23. When he started, I was a little sad. I've read Psalm 23 before. I was hoping for a word from some obscure story in a corner of the Bible I hadn't read before... but he went to, probably, the most well known chapter in the whole Bible. When he began to talk about Psalm 23, I saw it with new eyes (how cool is that?).

Take a look:

Psalm 23:5-6
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever."

Those are the two verses that became 2010's blessing. Here are a few things that struck me:

1. The "You" is referring to God - I do nothing. He does it all.
2. "In the presence of my enemies" - in Bible times, they would conquer and then celebrate, and lots of times it would be in the literal presence of the enemies. It was a way to show you had conquered them. It was a way to show celebration for winning a battle.
3. Table imagery - I like to eat. I like to eat with friends. The enemy cannot steal away the banquet - so celebrate on.
4. "anoint my head with oil" - this was a sign of favor for the guest. Kings were anointed, priests were anointed, and it was used for medicine. Again, He anoints, I do nothing.
5. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
6. "my cup overflows" - in Bible times, a guest would have his cup filled over the brim, so the liquid was spilling out onto the table. That was a sign that the guest was welcome and was another way of saying "we have more than enough for you to be here." Isn't that what God wants us to hear? He has more than enough for me.
7. "goodness and mercy will follow me" - Will. Not might. Will. Again, I don't have to do anything. Goodness and mercy follow me.
8. "all the days of my life" - that's a long time
9. "I will dwell in the House of the Lord" - I bet it's a big house. And again, will. Not might.
10. "Forever" - That's a really long time to live with anyone. At least it's God :)

We belong in the presence of God. He wants us. He wants us to live in the overflow of life. He wants to bless us. He wants to give us food to eat and a place to live. Blessing chases us down.

He is good.

Be blessed :)

2010

After spending some time reading, praying, listening (and of course, going to church), this is what I've decided are Words for my 2010.

I hope they encourage you :)

God is good. Regardless of circumstances, He is good. Relentlessly good. Recklessly good. Unstoppably good. He is good.

Do NOT quit - forgive the offenses, keep praying, keep pressing in and keep releasing Heaven on other people's behalf.

Matthew 6:33 - Seek FIRST the Kingdom of Heaven. What does it mean to seek His kingdom first? What does that look like? What else has to lay down, so I can seek His Kingdom first?

I want a greater depth in God's Word. It comes with power.
I want to be completely free. Why be comfortable?
I want to find the relationships that will make me who I am supposed to be. They are Jesus with skin on.

And I want to understand a sliver of how much He loves me.

When I think about Christmas.

I've been thinking about Christmas and what it even means to have Christmas.

How many other births changed the course of eternity? How many other births literally changed the world? None. The answer is none. So for Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ. But, do we? In the middle of buying presents, going to parties, and baking cookies, do we actually celebrate the birth of Christ?

Would we do what the Kings did?
Would we do what the shepherds did?
Would we do what Mary did?
Or what Joseph did?

Would I leave the comfort of my home and follow a star - for months probably - to find something I wasn't 100% sure was there? Would I lay down my rod, staff and leave my flock on the hillside to see what a Heavenly being just told me had happened? Would I endure the scorn and the shame of those who didn't understand God and the fact that I was pregnant, without a husband, having conceived who I was calling the Son of God? Would I have done that? With beauty and with grace like Mary? Or would I have loved and brought up and cherished and called my own and adopted into my family a son, who was not mine?

As I think about Christmas, I think about gift giving and the ways that we, as Americans, or we as the world, celebrate this thing called Christmas - we've forgotten why we even have it. We have truly, to bring forth a cliche', we truly have forgotten the "Christ" in Christmas.

I want to be like those Kings - and do anything to get to Him. And fall on my face with the one thing, the most expensive thing I have, becauase it's the one way, the only way I know how to show the gratitude I have. I want to be like those shepherds and lave my livlihood behind because the Treasure is so great. I want to be like Mary and I want to endure the scorn and the shame of the world because they don't understhand what God is doing inside of me. And I want to be like Joseph - I want to accept, not only into my hosue, but also into my family a King. A King who I don't rightfully deserve. A King whom I have not earned.

A Kingdom and an eternity that is not righteously mine.

So when I think about Christmas, that's what I think about. Not presents, not trees, not cookies, not gift giving or receiving.

I think about Christ.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given..." - Isaiah 9:6