A friend recently shared this photo with me. The quality of it greatly impressed me because it looked like a picture postcard or a photo taken right out of a magazine.
There is something about such a natural setting that really touches me deeply and this photograph was no exception. It must have been snapped at just the right second to have captured the young fawn looking directly into the camera lens.
As I spent some time admiring it, I imagined the young deer innocently looking at the photographer and thinking, "You wouldn't want to hurt me, would you?" But then as it continues to linger, it's as if the deer is saying "No matter how much I may fear you, I want this birdseed a great deal more, and I am willing to risk whatever danger you may present to me, in order to have what I want at this very moment."
Then I thought about how often we as humans are just like that little deer. We often find something that we think we want, but in reality only compares to birdseed. We look for fulfillment in so many things, but find that it doesn't last long and certainly doesn't bring real satisfaction. And yet, even in the face of danger, we often ignore the warning signs and continue doing and seeking the things that we think will bring us happiness and fulfillment in life.
That leads me to ask myself these questions ... How many times in my life have I settled for birdseed? and .... How much longer will I continue to settle for things that will never satisfy?
Psalm 145:15- 19 says, "The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him."
Driving home from work today the cloud patterns and colors I saw just blew me away. I was reminded of something I heard at church about God revealing himself to us in nature. Many times we say we can see God in creation, but the truth is that the world we live in today is corrupt and has drastically changed from the world that God originally created. All creation is in the process of dying and decaying as a result of sin's entrance into this world. I thought to myself, if this is what the world looks like to us now, imagine what it looked like in the beginning as God spoke it all into existence. And then imagine what God must look like. We can't even begin to fathom the majesty of God and his creative power. Just think about it .... Indescribable!
I have recorded my notes below from the Deeper Still Conference. This conference had a huge impact on the ladies who attended. As for me, what I experienced at the conference was nothing short of a personal close encounter with God. Session Three Spiritual Discernment - Beth Moore
Key Scriptures - John 14:15-26; I Cor. 2:6-16
Beth began by sharing the fact that she had recently met a woman who was a holocaust survivor who had a tremendous testimony and had even written a book about her experience. Beth befriended her and even used her as an illustration many times in her messages. The lady wanted Beth to baptize her but being a Baptist, Beth would not agree but did agree to go down in the baptismal waters with the woman. Later Beth discovered that the woman's story was all a hoax! She had made up the whole thing! When they learned of the truth, one of her staff commented "We've been punked!!!" which illicited roaring laughter from the audience. So Beth posed the question to us "Have you ever been punked?" and "How do you know when you have been lied to?" She asked "When was the last time you believed something you shouldn't have or accepted something as the truth that was not?"
She went on to state the fact that spiritual discernment can save you from bad relationships and the importance of keeping our friendships free from entanglement. She said we need to learn to "go with our spiritual gut" and provided 4 questions to ask yourself so you can know when to go with your spiritual gut. If you can truthfully answer "no" to each of these questions, then you need to say "yes" to what your spiritual gut is telling you. II Timothy 3:1-5 1. Am I a critical or suspicious person by nature? Do I have trust issues anyway? Can I trust what I am sensing? 2. Am I jealous or do I feel threatened? A person who is jealous finds something wrong with a person right off the bat. 3. Do I have anything selfish to gain from this? from being right? from the outcome? People with the gift of discernment can be the most critical people ever. They need to be right about someone else's wrong. 4. Are my emotions clouding my discernment? We get emotionally entangled and we can't see truth from a lie. God is not calling us to love blindly.
Beth said, speaking to women, that we get emotionally entangled in relationships with women and men. She said "some of you have been best friends with someone for 15 years and you don't even like this person!" Then she made a very bold statement when she said that "someone sitting in this room is in a romantic relationship where someone is lying to you." She went on to state that we would rather be lied to than to be alone and that we are too busy to stop and listen to God. II Timothy 3:13
Next Beth shared 4 steps to take if we discern something is not what it seems. 1. Run - II Tim. 3:5 - Have nothing to do with them. Nothing is more dangerous than someone who has some form of godliness but no power. We were made for relationship and are meant to be connected to a local body of believers. She mentioned that she doesn't like "hyper-spiritual" people who don't go to church. She went on to say that in any relationship that takes on strong sexual overtones, besides your spouse, RUN. 2. Take a step back. Watch over your heart with all diligence. 3. Ask questions. Possibly confront the person, but don't do it over the phone or by email or text. Look them in the eye. Make sure they know you are on to them. Love them, but speak the truth. 4. Learn to love with your eyes wide open. The Holy Spirit may be saying "Get back, get back, get back!" We must learn to listen to our spiritual gut. You may not be able to explain it, you just may have to accept it. Humbly accept when God is telling you to retreat. Priscilla Shirer
Session Two -
Key Scripture - Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. " 1. The Timing - Now is the time to consider the greatness of God. Now is the time to connect God's ability with your immpossibility. Paul's "now" was less than he would like for it to be. He was in prison. This was a "prison doxology". He worshipped God in the midst of an impossible situation. 2. The Turning - We become discouraged and we stop praying. We need to shift our attention to God. In Numbers 13, there were 12 spies that went into the promised land, but only 2 spies were willing to see God through the difficulties. 3. The Truth - God is able to do it! He does not change. The original word here is "dunamis" where we get our word "dynomite". God has dynamite power. Dynamite changes the structure of things. Power is not something that God has but is who he is! God is able to do FOR you. The disciples walked and talked with Jesus but yet still did not trust him. 4. The Transcendency - God does way beyond what we can imagine. "Hyper" is a super-superlative word and makes another word like a word on steriods. Paul says "hyper" twice - meaning "beyond beyond". Here Priscilla gave the illustration of a woman who was hoping just to get a card from her husband on her birthday. She was not expecting much, and was pleased that he gave a card and an umbrella. Then he tells her that she is going to need the umbrella because he hears it rains alot in Paris!!! He went "beyond beyond" what she was expecting. That is how God is with us. He goes "beyond beyond" all that we could ask or even think.
Here Priscilla provided another illustration of how we should not limit God to only what our mind can concieve. She gave an example of some boxes and had 2 women come up and hold the boxes in front of them. She said that there are things that we tend to put in our boxes such as: what our denomination has taught us, what our parents believe about God, the testimonies of others, and our past experiences. Then we put the lid on the box. We assume that anything outside the box is not of God. But God wants us to allow him to build on our box. He has so much more in store for us that goes "beyond beyond" our imagination. 5. The Totality - This means all. What concerns me, concerns Him. Why do we waste time going to everyone else, when God is the only one who can do something about it? 6. The Turbo Power - Because of the Holy Spirit, the greatness of God lives inside of me. We have to yield ourselves to or cooperate with the Holy Spirit in order to see God's turbo power at work in our lives. The power is available but is not being used. 7. Our Tribute - To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, forever! Summary I went to this conference seeking some answers to another issue I was struggling with in my life. I initially thought that God failed to provide the answer but instead directed my attention to another area that He felt needed some intense work. After reviewing my notes from all 3 speakers (Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer, and Beth Moore), I now understand that woven throughout the conference He was trying to remind me of some very important Biblical truths for my life. Here is what I discovered: 1. I need to listen to Jesus and His word. 2. I need to pay more careful attention to what I have heard so that I do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1 3. I need to fear the face of God and not the face of man. (God's face represents his favor.) 4. I need to shift my attention to God and consider His greatness and power. 5. I need to let him build on my box and recognize that he wants to do "beyond beyond" all that I can imagine. 6. I need to learn to listen to my "spiritual gut" and not let emotions cloud my judgement. 7. I need to learn to love with my eyes wide open.
Every morning on my way to work, around 7:30 a.m. I travel over the Rainbow Bridge that extends from Bridge City to Pt. Arthur. Every afternoon, I return the same way and travel over the Veteran's Memorial Bridge which extends from Pt. Arthur to Bridge City. People driving around me are usually either on their way to work or on their way home as well. As you can imagine, they drive fast and furious to get home or wherever they are going. Sometimes I wonder as we travel over the same bridge if they see the same view I see or if they miss it altogether.
Every morning there is a gorgeous view of the sunrise and every afternoon a beautiful sunset that greets me as I travel over the bridge. The sun shining and reflecting its rays across the water makes it even more wonderful to see. Many times the view is so spectacular that I thank God for painting the sky in the way that he does. It is never the same. It makes me want to stop, get out of my car, and pause to take a picture, which of course is quite impossible. If I stopped on the bridge someone would think I was getting ready to jump off the bridge and traffic would be backed up for miles. Yes, it happens on rare occasions, I am sad to say.
This morning as I was driving in to work, I thought about my view from the bridge. It's a constant daily reminder to me of God's presence in my life. He greets me each morning with the sunrise and he welcomes me home at night with the sunset. Even when there are clouds, the sun breaking through with that silver lining effect is a glorious reminder of what is waiting for me one day when I leave this earth.
I think the view from the bridge is wonderful because of the height of the bridge itself. The bridges are the largest and highest bridges in our area which helps me to get a different perspective on the world I live in. This reminds me of the importance of seeing life from God's point of view. Seeing my life and circumstances from His point of view changes my perspective and gives me renewed hope at just the time I need it.
When I am traveling across the bridge, it is only for a short piece, it's a temporary state of being. In the same way, my travels through this life are also temporary, just a short while and I will reach my final destination.
I love my view from the bridge. Knowing that I have something to look forward to makes the long drive to and from work every day a little easier. The view from the bridge gives me peace in the knowledge that God is still in control as he daily continues to paint the sky with wondrous beauty as only he can do. Thanks God for my view from the bridge.
Twice in the last couple of weeks I have had people tell me that when they tried to read the Bible they just opened it randomly and started reading wherever their eyes landed. They both reported that what they read either did not make sense to them or they didn't like what it said. I have heard this type of Bible reading referred to as the "lucky dip" method and there was a great story behind it which illustrated why using this method is not always the best idea. So I began to research online to see if could find the illustration. The following text is quoted from a website from the Middletown Bible Church, Middletown, Connecticut.
Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
You know if someone would have told me a year ago that by the fall of 2009 I would be going back to school, I never would have believed it. Today I received my pre-acceptance letter to the Master's program at Lamar University. It has been a dream of mine ever since we moved to Bridge City, to return to school and further my education. About 14 years ago, I was a stay at home mom (for a brief time) and I remember going over to Lamar and talking to someone about going back to school. At the time I was not really sure what I wanted to do, but I remember coming away very discouraged because basically I was told I would have to either get a second Bachelor's degree or take another year's worth of courses before I could move forward toward a Master's. So since I still had 4 kids in school, I gave up the idea, thinking well maybe some day.
Well, now it looks like "some day" is well within my reach. Just goes to show you should never give up pursuing your dreams. In fact, as I reflect on the past year I have seen so many dreams come true in my life. Looking back it is easy to focus on the many losses that I have experienced, but in reality, I have been so blessed beyond imagination.
During the past year, I have lost some very close relationships. In August of last year I lost my job. In September we lost our house to the storm, as well as our church. In January, we totally lost our home to the fire. But when you think about it all from God's perpective, and He always sees the beginning and the end at the same time, then you see how He has made my dreams come true.
First, my relationship with God is closer today than it was a year ago and I have found so many friends I never knew I had. I have made many new friends. We have also had several new families join our church.
He gave me a dream job at Lamar. I am now doing the very thing I always dreamed of doing "when I grew up". Counseling and working with children. Yes, the students I work with are children. Most of them are young and in need of direction and guidance. Many of them didn't have parents that attended or completed college. I actually get to be creative at work, which is something that can only be appreciated when you have been put in a situation where all creativity is stifled.
Of course, then there's my house. Every little girl dreams of one day having her "dream house". One of my friends came over and walked into our new master bedroom and said "Don't you just feel like a princess every time you walk in here?" She knows exactly how it feels, to feel like you have found your dream house. A place you feel comfortable to call home.
I've always dreamed of visiting New York City. I'm going in less than 2 weeks. And what's so amazing about that is, my work is sending me. It's not costing me to go there. Amazing!
And then to have the opportunity to go back to school. Well, again it's another dream come true. I used to have an "agenda". I felt the need to succeed and to get ahead in life. That dream is gone. I no longer feel driven to make my dreams happen. Because now I understand that God knows the desires of my heart and He has a way of making all my dreams come true. Psalm 37:4 says "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." He knows better than I do what is best for me and in His own time, he will pour out His blessings if I will simply remain faithful and committed to Him.
Ephesians 3:20-21 says "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."
Don't stop working in me Lord, and thank you for giving me the desires of my heart.
Want to hear something truly amazing! We have a volunteer group that arrived yesterday,(Tuesday) from Shelbyville, Tennessee to work at the church. When we requested the group to come we did not know, and they did not know, what tasks would need to be completed once they arrived on site. On Monday Jack went to pick up the kitchen cabinets from Silsbee. This is one of the last things to be completed in our Family Life Center. The amazing thing is, on Tuesday, Jack found out that these volunteers are experts at installing cabinets, having done this many times on church work projects in the U.S. and in foreign countries. God knew exactly what we needed and then provided. God is SO good!
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:19
It's been a great week! I am finding that I am becoming more and more at peace all the time with God's overall plan for our family. I think the older we get the more difficult it becomes to accept changes in our lives, especially when they are sudden unexpected changes, such as losing a job, a loved one, or losing anything that is precious to you. But the past few months have taught me that I need to be more willing and ready to embrace the changes in my life and trust God to get me through it. Everyone will tell you that "this happened for a reason" and that "God has something better for you", but it's really tough to believe that when you are right in the midst of it all. But once again, I find myself looking back at the events of my life and marveling at God's faithfulness and provision.
Today was a day I have looked forward to for months. I didn't realize that it would occur on Valentine's Day though. Today I had the privelege of shopping for furniture for our new house. My husband said I looked like I had suddenly developed an extreme case of A.D.D. We went to Lake Charles to shop and the drive over there seemed endless. Once we finally arrived at the store, I was so excited and overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin. We ended up shopping for about 2 hours. The fact that there was NO TAX and 15% off didn't help.
My dream for this day actually began about 5 mos. ago, about a week after Hurricane Ike wreaked it's havoc on our house. The day we went in to clean out the house of all the furniture, carpets, etc. That day as we piled everything on our lawn, I began to look forward to the day when I would get to begin replacing the old "stuff" with the new. That's not to say I wasn't mourning our losses, but I knew that it was only "stuff", much of which could eventually be replaced by the "new and improved model".
So as you can imagine, I have really been looking forward to this day.
As we began to drive to Lake Charles, I was thinking "Only God could orchestrate in perfect harmony, the timing of this day, especially for us, as his children." You see, who would have thought 5 months ago in September, that on Valentine's Day, a day when love is celebrated, that I would be holding the keys to a new house and getting to shop for new furniture. It was as if God said to me "Happy Valentine's Day! See I still love you after all. Why do you ever doubt my love for you? This was my plan all along. Only I could arrange such a special Valentine's Day gift just for you." And me? All I could say was "Awesome, you are an awesome God, and I love you too!" Happy Valentine's Day!
In the days and weeks following Hurricane Ike the Lord reminded me how thankful I was to have my daughter Lawren still living at home with us. Losing all her cherished momentos from her schooldays and her bedroom furniture that she picked out the previous Christmas was a real challenge for her as well as the rest of us. She was so patient and ready to help out in any way during those tough times and I really saw her grow and mature tremendously.
After we got settled in our new temporary "home", Lawren seemed to become somewhat withdrawn. We were all beginning to think about building our home again, we had something to look forward to and to hope for better days ahead. I realized that Lawren needed to have something to look forward to as well. So.... since Lawren had never flown before we decided to send her somewhere. Her birthday is in Dec. so combining her birthday and Christmas seemed like a good plan. So ..... where do you want to go, Lawren? New York!!! All right, so we get online and start trying to find out about making a trip to NY. The only way she could possibly go would be if a friend went with her and she had a friend who had made the trip on several occasions so it was decided that the 2 girls would go.
Later, as the actual trip to the airport drew near, I thought "I must have been crazy to ever think she could do this on her own." But this trip was about so much more, it was about achieveing independence, and it was about living out your dreams. And it was about giving a gift to our only daughter who brings so much happiness to our family. Well, now to the sense of humor part...... As Lawren was packing to get ready to leave, she marched in the kitchen and announced "Just so you know ..... if I happen to see Mario Lopez, AND IF he asks me to marry him...... then I am not coming back home ..... just to let you know." We all had a good laugh and off she went to New York. That was on Friday.
On Saturday was Lawren's 22nd birthday. We were at a Lamar basketball game when I get a text message at the same time her dad gets a phone call. It was Lawren. She was at a restaurant in NY and guess who was sitting 4 chairs in front of her? You guessed it! MARIO LOPEZ Needless to say she was beside herself. She was texting me like crazy and saying "OMG, I think I'm about to throw up .... I can't believe it, he's sitting right in front of me." Despite all my encouragement, insisting, coaxing, pleading, she refused to go over to him and ask for a picture. She didn't want him to think she was one of those crazy stalker people. Her friend ordered dessert just so they could stay longer, but Lawren was so mesmerized by Mario that she was glued to her chair. She said "Mom, this is absolutely the best birthday I've ever had!"
Jack and I laughed so much that it made the gift all the more worth it for us. What is funny is the fact that the whole weekend they were in NY they did not see one other celebrity. Only Mario.
You know I think God has a wonderful sense of humor. I would have liked to have taken credit for the Mario sighting, and said, Yes, we planned that for your birthday, but you know I think our heavenly Father should get all the credit for this amazing, funny, memorable, birthday gift to a very special young lady. I am reminded of the verse that says that if we as earthly parents know how to give good gifts to our children, HOW MUCH MORE does our heavenly Father know how to give good gifts to us. We are so blessed.
