I heard a young man talking about our lives and that God asks us to be "all in" with Him. Then, as we grow in our lives and in our relationship with God, God will come back and ask for more...and more...of us. God asks us what we are holding in our hands...and if we are willing to trade it in for what He is holding in His hand.
When we give God our lives and trade in what we have, we receive much better things in return. You trade in your fear, He hands you calm. You trade in your anger, He hands you forgiveness. You trade in your plans for your life, He hands you peace...and possibly much more! I have something I am holding in my hand and God is asking me for a trade.
In the last few months, God has asked Dennis and I to make yet another change in our lives. God is asking me for my comfort. I have a comfortable life. I enjoy living in Michigan (at least during our short summer!) Our family is close enough to us that we can enjoy time with them. We have an amazing church full of beautiful people. I have friends to hang out and laugh with. I have fun driving my little Volkswagen Beetle convertible - especially during the 8 weeks of summer we have here in Michigan! I am holding onto these things...but God is asking me to let it go and trade it in for what He has planned.
Some of you may already know of this new plan that has unfolded in our lives and it requires us to move. Not move down the street or to a city we are familiar with. In the last few months, our lives have been flipped around and now Dennis and I are planning to become Missionary Church Planters in...New Zealand. Yes, the country - not the city in Michigan. I know. It is a crazy thing. It is definitely nothing that we would have thought of on our own.
In January, we were approached by a friend to see if we would be interested in this idea. We both felt something that encouraged us to continue to pursue a future in New Zealand. We had meetings, we prayed, we talked to our family and trusted advisers. We could not get New Zealand out of our heads! Everything we thought about brought us back to the idea of New Zealand - God had many verses, blogs, books and sermons come into our path that showed us we were on the right track with this crazy idea. Then, at the beginning of April, we took a trip to New Zealand to meet people and see the country. It is a beautiful place - with amazing people. We felt as if we fit right in with the Pastors and leaders there (seems there are crazy people in New Zealand too!) We feel that this move is the right thing for us to do. It is hard to think of leaving our family, friends and church here. It is almost as if God is asking us if we trust Him with everything...do we trust Him that He can take care of not only us, but those we care about here?
God knows me so well. The weekend after we were first approached about the idea of moving to New Zealand, I went to church with my daughter who attends Indiana Wesleyan University. The pastor at her church stood up and began the service with the words, "are you willing to give up everything you have to follow Jesus?" He ended the service with communion. Communion is a tradition where we remember what Christ did for us on the cross. It is a moment in time to not only remember, but to take that time to give God back what we have been holding back for ourselves - to give him all of us because He gave us all of Him. That moment was very meaningful to me. Then, while we were visiting New Zealand, the first Sunday service we attended ended with communion. This is what God was asking me in that moment..."am I enough for you? will you give me what is in your hand?"
This is what I am holding in my hand - my comfortable life. Here. God is asking if I am willing to open my hand to Him - to hand it over to the one who created me and knows what is best for me. Will I trust Him with my life - yet again. Will I trust Him...there.
So, here we go...on a journey of a lifetime. An adventure that we never would have dreamed. Opening up my hand, trading in what I have in my hand, what I have planned for my life, for what God has planned for me...New Zealand!
If you feel lead to be a part of our adventure in New Zealand and help us reach those who are looking for God to trade in their hurts and fears, here is a link for donations - Hope New Zealand
Life is going along and your life is going good...then, God says - I think you need a change!
That is where I am again in my life. It seems that I have run into a lot of changes throughout my life. I was getting burned out with my job, so God brought along a new one for me. Now, God is changing that once again.
It's funny that just when I think that I have God all figured out, He decides to change things on me just so that I know that He has a better plan that I do! I would have never added another turn, or detour, as my husband may say, into my life at this time, but maybe God knew that a full time job during prime beach season here in Michigan would not work out well for me. I think I agree with Him on this one!
Dennis and I have run into a lot of twists and turns during our 22 years of marriage. I am so thankful that God brought along a man for me to walk along this journey with. We have had losses and celebrated victories!
Dennis proposed to me as we were riding up to the top of a large hill on a roller coaster (the Magnum - it was new that year) at Cedar Point! It was such an amazing time in my life. I was so excited for this fun filled life of marriage with the man I love!
God sure knows that the roller coaster was the perfect place for us to be engaged. It was a metaphor for what our life has been. Through all the twists and turns, God has been there - even when we didn't think He was. Dennis has always been a wonderful husband and father. I know God put us together so that we could walk this road - or shall I say, ride this coaster - together!
We had two amazing girls. It is pretty fun to watch them grow up into beautiful young women who love God and others. Earlier in our marriage, we lost a baby due to a ruptured tubal pregnancy which resulted in emergency surgery for me. I had lost a lot of blood and the doctors told Dennis that a few more hours and I may have not made it. Ups and Downs.
God allowed us to begin a few new churches, in which we have had to move five times. Our girls ended up to be the "new kids" in a few schools along the way. That was very difficult for us, but I always told my mom that I knew my kids would be safer and better off if we moved them and stayed in God's Will than if we stayed and did not follow the will of God for our lives. We always felt as if it was God who showed us where to move and we always had a peace that it was the right thing to do. This does not mean that my days did not have fears and my nights were not mixed with tears. Sometimes following God is not easy. It comes with a cost. Our cost was having to watch our little girls begin again. Make new friends...again. What is encouraging is that the girls have friends from each place that we have lived. We have met many amazing and wonderful people. God has blessed us with friends in Indiana and all over Michigan! (and now, as our friends move...around the country and world) Ups and Downs.
I am in another turn, yet again. My "new job" of 8 months has ended and I am looking at going back to working with students in the schools. God gave me a break to catch my breath and find my laugh. He helped me find a job for this year so that I would be able to go back to my job in the schools again with a new joy and with new students. And...to have time at my beach this summer! Ups and Downs.
Dennis and I just had our 22nd Anniversary. I can't believe it has been that long. Sometimes it seems like we have just begun this journey...then we look back and see the iron turns and hills and valleys. We have not taken off our seat belts yet because we know that God has a lot more in store for us in the years to come. I am just very happy that I can ride this coaster with a man who loves God and loves me. Dennis is willing to follow the twists and turns as long as God is setting up the path for us. Ups and Downs.
We are still in that coaster, seat belts on...laughing and screaming together. I can't wait to see what the next turn holds for us and I am thankful, Dennis, that we can hold hands through the rest of this ride!
Who do you say I am? That was a question that Jesus asked his disciples. It seems that people all around him were talking about him. Some said he was a Prophet, others said a nice guy...and others said he was a good teacher. What he really wanted to know, was what his followers said about him. What did his best friends think of him? Who was he in their eyes?
This is the question I think most of us women seem to ask. Who do you say I am? We ask the magazines, and they usually tell us that we are too fat, too pale, too short, too tall, too normal...
We ask those around us and usually end up with answers about themselves. People too engrossed in their own failures and flaws that they can't even look at us to answer who they think we are.
We ask our family. Sometimes we are a daughter, sometimes a mother or wife. We feel the pressure of expectations that go with those words. We look at what we feel we should be to fill the titles. We feel the need to be someone we are not. Someone who can do a better job of being a sister or daughter. Someone who can cook for their family better or decorate for Christmas like Martha Stewart would. Pinterest shows us what other daughters do or mothers make and we keep pinning up the ideas we know we will never do but wish we were that person who would. When we ask our family who they think we are, we don't even wait for them to answer us because we already have the answer. We are not enough. We are not what they need. We are just...
We ask the mirror. It reflects back at us what we tend to always see. We see what needs to improve. We see that we don't look as good as the stranger who passed us on the street today. We see that we look older and have wrinkles or freckles that we did not notice before.
Who do you say I am?
We forget. We forget to ask the only One who really matters. Our creator! The one who made us to be who we are. We forget that we are not just another person. Not just a sister. Not just a mom who fails.Not just a co-worker trying to make a way. We forget about who asked this question so many years ago! Jesus asked this question to his disciples. He wanted to know what his friends thought of him - not so he could fill their expectations, but so he could fill THEM!
Jesus is our savior. He is waiting for us to ask him that question. Who do you say I am?
He would answer...you are my beloved. You are beautiful. You are God's creation. You are exactly who you need to be. You are worth dying for.
So, let us try to begin to ask the question to the right person. Ask Jesus today, who do you say I am? Let him tell you who you are. All this time, we may have been asking the right question, but we have wasted our time by asking all the wrong people. Don't be afraid! Ask away...Jesus is waiting to give you his answer, his hope, his future. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to give you hope and a future..."
I have been thinking about my Grandma lately. There are two things I remember most about my Grandma. My Grandma always prayed for me and she had a loud laugh that was contagious (some may have considered it more of a cackle). As I grow older, my laugh is becoming a tad louder and reminds me of my Grandma's laugh. Many people comment on my laugh. I feel self conscious at times when someone brings it up - my laugh can tend to embarrass my daughters when it can be heard on the other side of the restaurant! Then, I remember my Grandma. She had a smile and a laugh even when things didn't seem like they were going quite right. She enjoyed being around us and others. Whenever my Grandma was around people, you could always hear her laugh from across the room. She loved God and she loved people. Her Joy of life would cause those around her to laugh right along with her.
I want to always remember to laugh. I just read an article about the things that people regret while on their death bed. One of the regrets was, "I wish I had let myself be happier". Many don't think they deserve to be happy or feel as adults, that we should not be silly or laugh too much.
Why don't we let go of our reservations and make a choice to enjoy those around us! Make time to meet people you haven't seen in a while. Reach out, create new relationships and laugh with them. We can learn different things from each person we meet or take time to have coffee with. I have many wonderful people in my life that bring out a different aspect of my personality. Friends to shop with, friends to drink coffee and chat, friends who challenge me to improve, friends to knit with and friends I work with. One thing I like to do with all of them is to laugh! Laughter brings people together and can even bridge a gap with those from other cultures. It is something we love to hear from a baby. It brings tears to our eyes and a lightness to our hearts.
So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead - enjoy life! Drink some coffee. Meet new friends. Share your heart. Give a smile. Thank God for each day you have to share with those around you...and don't forget to laugh!
It is so funny to me that I look around, see life and the things around me and think I have it all figured out. I have been a sign language interpreter for twenty years, then I was laid off this year. I knew I would be laid off, and I began to seek a part time job even before the end of my job in the school district. I asked a few friends to keep an eye out for me for a part time job that would "fit" me. I almost immediately had a friend tell me that there was a job opening in her salon she works for. It was for a part time receptionist. I love hair and makeup - yes, I'm a girly girl. My idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn Express. I knew it was a perfect fit for me and was very excited to begin working there even before my career in interpreting ended.
Working at this salon was an amazing experience. I not only learned new things about hair, hair color and how a salon works, I met some women that became a part of my life. They were easy to talk to, fun to laugh with and I enjoyed going to work - for the first time in quite a while! I knew that God had given me this job, that I was "set up" by God, but I really never "saw" what God was doing by bringing me into this place. Do we ever really know what God is up to? Do we just go about our lives and forget that there is another aspect of what we do - not just the things we do, but how God can use it. Our life is not just physical. It is spiritual. God is always working and moving in our lives even when we don't see it!
Right after being laid off from my full time position, my family and I were able to go on a vacation in Florida, thanks to some friends who loaned us their place to stay! Before leaving Michigan for our trip, my husband ran into an acquaintance that he knows from different groups around our town. This man found out that we were heading to Florida and He and his wife just so happened to be going to the same city in Florida on the same week that we were. They owned a home there and invited us for a boat ride when we arrived. Of course, our daughter did not let us forget this "plan"! She had brought along a friend to hang out with while on our vacation and she was very excited about the idea of a boat ride! Did I say that she did not let us forget this idea? She made sure her dad made the call when we arrived in Florida!
When we met up with this couple to take them up on their hospitality and boat ride, I met this man's wife, who owned a Paul Mitchell School. We began to chat about my new career change and that I was looking for something full time. It is fun to see how God works. I live in Michigan. I met this woman while on vacation in Florida. She owns a Paul Mitchell School in Florida AND in the town I live back home in Michigan. She began to talk to me about working for her at her school back in Michigan. I was "set up" by God.
I have been working for her now for about three months. I love this new job. It amazes me that God would set up an event for me - a vacation to Florida in June (not a prime time to go on vacation in Florida!) in order for me to spend time with someone who lives in my own hometown in Michigan! I am amazed that God would orchestrate the events of our life in order for us to see him working - almost so that we can not take the credit for the things "we" do - because it is so random, you know it must have been God!
I had to give up my part time job at the salon I loved in order to work full time at this new job. I was only there for part of the year, but I can look back now and see a few of the things that God was working on. I now understand that there were other reasons that I was working there other than just to learn about hair and how a salon works.
During a bible study on Esther, Beth Moore said, "Just to know we are significant to Him and He's willing to orchestrate a holy set-up to speak to us is monumental to every woman who ever feared she was invisible or unremarkable". God "set up" the events in Esther's life - I would recommend you to read the book of Esther in the bible! It is one of my favorite books of the Bible because you can see how God orchestrates life events in order to accomplish His work! We need to realize that God did not stop doing this in the Old Testament and he does not only do this for Queens. He moves in our lives every day, each year. If we choose to follow his direction, he will "set up" events in our lives in order for him to do his work. Take time this week to be sure you are open to God's plan, offer your life to be used by God, to follow his plan and you will be able to look back and see his work in your everyday steps.
Happy New Year! This can be the year that God "sets up" events in your life in order to work through you. Isn't that exciting?? Now, go read Esther and learn how to be ready to be "set up" by God!
You know what I have come to realize through the years? That it's ok to not be ok. I know you are reading this and are now amazed at just how wise I am. You are probably wondering how I come up with these miraculous quotes all on my own. It does make you wonder how I do it - doesn't it?
Really, though. I think sometimes, especially those of us who are raised in a church, believe we must be ok all of the time. If our life is going bad and things are falling apart all around us, we feel that if we say anything to anyone, it will reflect badly on our God - who is able to do anything. We believe that if God is able to do anything, that he would surely not want us to go through a hard time or to suffer. That is where the confusion lies.
We all go through difficult times in our lives. Some, it seems, have a life full of trouble. When we look around, a few things are caused by our poor choices, and many we have no control over. So, what can we do during these times of hardship? How do we cope knowing God can do anything, and yet - it seems He is not.
In my own life trials and learnings, I feel that we just don't get it. Life. We think this life and our daily living is set up for us. For us to be happy and have all the fun toys to create an enjoyable time while we are here.We think this life is set up for us to be happy and if we are not having fun or we are not happy, then something is wrong. I am not against having fun, being happy or having toys. I love sitting at the beach on my day off and tuning out the world around me for a while. I do think God loves us and wants us to enjoy life, but I don't think that is what this is all about.
If you look back into the Bible, many of the disciples who walked with Jesus had a difficult time.Paul was shipwrecked, beaten and put in prison. If he was supposed to be on earth to be happy, I don't think he was doing such a great job of it!
God uses good and bad in our lives. It says in the Bible, "and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but the title of this section of the Bible - in my own Bible, is "Present Suffering and Future Glory". I think the future glory is speaking about Heaven. So, where does that leave us? God is working all things out for our good. Yes. I believe that is true! Here is the problem...I think the idea we have of "good" in our life and God's idea of "good" are two different things.
My husband walked through a dark time in his life. It was heartbreaking to stand by and watch as God allowed him to not see the light. To cry and feel abandoned by his God. I became angry at God for a time. I remember taking a walk and yelling at the sky. Asking God why he took away my best friend...he was not really there. It was an empty shell of who he had been. It took a few years to get my husband and best friend fully back. I remember about a year and a half after it began, I heard him laugh. I knew that it was the start of true healing in his life. He began to heal, slowly. When he came out of this dark hour in his life, he was different. He would never again be the same. This, I believe is what that verse is talking about. God brought good from this. This darkness changed my husband to be more like his God. Pain took out what was in the way, so that God could better use him to reach others. Now, those who my husband can relate to are those who are broken by life - or those who are walking in the dark. God allowed this "not happy" time in our lives. This pain was made to work for good in the people's lives that my husband ministers to. God wanted more for his life. He also knew that my husband could not get there without his help - without the darkness.
Because of this experience, my husband wrote a book called, "Pouring Ketchup". This book has many short stories that show how God is walking with us in the small moments of our lives. He is in the dark moments. He is using these moments to create something amazing with our lives - to create lives that will ultimately change those who walk around us and point them to our Creator and Lord. This experience in our family, I believe, was "good" in God's eyes. It was bitterly painful to walk through, but God's definition of "good" is different than ours. He wants us to depend on him, to find who we really are as his creation. He wants us to look to Heaven as something exciting - something in our future that is so much better than we have here! His good is not our good, but it is always for our good.
Ordinary.
I feel ordinary most of the time. Not too special, not too pretty, not too popular - just plain ole ordinary. Do you ever feel ordinary? Do you feel you live just an ordinary life? I think most of us feel this way some, or most of the time. Even if we feel we are all alone in our "ordinary" world - I really believe most people would agree that their life is "just ordinary".
It seems we are under the assumption that ordinary is not good enough. We look around and see all of the things we would love to do, yet, how could we - just an ordinary person - accomplish a dream like that? God doesn't use ordinary, normal people - does he? I mean, sometimes its hard to even dream about something amazing happening in my life. I'm just ordinary, so it doesn't seem like that dream would actually happen, you know? Why waste my time dreaming about God using my life when I am just ordinary me. I really don't have much to offer anyway. I should just pray for other people who already have all the gifts. That could be my thing. I could be the person who encourages other people to have a dream. My life is pretty ordinary. I'm not as smart or talented as some of those who can plan big events and reach a lot of people. Not really sure what God can do with an ordinary person living a normal, everyday life.
Have you felt that way before, that you are "just plain ordinary"? Did you ever wonder if God could use you in your normal, ordinary life? I have good news for you! God uses Ordinary!! The disciples of Jesus were called "ordinary". When people began to notice their preaching and teaching, this is what they said, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13
What was the factor in their lives that made someone take notice of their ordinary? The factor was Jesus. It says, "They took note that these men had been with Jesus." The time they spent with Jesus changed their ordinary lives into something that caused others to take notice. God uses Ordinary.
When we take time to be with Jesus, our ordinary will be noticed by those around us. The light of Christ shines through ordinary. God can use ordinary people to change the world! All you have to do is give Jesus the "wheel" (as Carrie Underwood would say). If you give your dreams to God, he will use your ordinary to change those around you and that is how the world is changed. One person at a time. Yes, you may be walking in ordinary, but when you walk with Christ, He can turn your ordinary into ORDINARY.
