I am broke! What about your bank account?

The Lord is teaching me a brand new concept. Well, at least it is brand new to me but it is has been around for 1,000s of years. The heart of it comes from the very first beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." (Matthew 5:6) While in Canada, I picked up Barbara Henry's (http://barbarahenry.wordpress.com/) Renewing the Heart for Women: Life Principles from the Beatitudes and it is already rocking my world.  Let me share a bit from Day Four Week One.

Galatians 2:16, 3:2-7 (New American Standard Bible) …nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified...This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?  So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?  Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.

These verse show that my works bring about nothing.  My justification and sanctification are works of Christ and the Holy Spirit through me.  (Check it out in The Message as well (http://bit.ly/4yxmDV).  Barbara draws a wonderful picture of what this looks like:

Think of spiritual wealth in terms of a bank account in heaven. Since we are spiritually bankrupt in and of ourselves, Christ made the deposit for our “savings” account (justification), and the Holy Spirit makes all the deposits in our “checking” account (sanctification). By faith we make withdrawals from both accounts. Our good works are the fruit of those withdrawals but can never be considered part of the deposit because we are poor in spirit. We have nothing to deposit.

WOW! This is such a paradigm shift for me.  I thought my good works - especially in relation to my prayer times, Bible reading, Bible studying, etc. - were making deposits into my spiritual bank but in reality I am making withdrawals.  The Spirit of God is rising up in me to go to my prayer spot and seek His face so that I can be empowered to do His good works. I come broke - empty - needy.  To be honest with you, it flies into the face of my pride!!  What do you mean I have NOTHING to offer?  Surely, there is something I can bring to the table.  But, alas, I bring nothing. Nada. Zilch.

However, the great news is that my spiritual bank account will never fall below the limit.  There will never be any insufficient funds fees.  As a daughter of the King, I have a sweet Daddy who ALWAYS keeps my bank balance full and passionately calls me to spend freely.  May I be found making lots of withdrawals throughout the day!

I've Heard It said, "The world is going to hell in a hand basket..."

Not too long ago, a friend and I were sitting around bemoaning the state of affairs in our country today and if we said it once we said it 100 times, "The world is going to hell in a hand basket."  Crime is up.  Jobs are down. Retirement accounts are disappearing.  Fidelity in marriage is blase.  Integrity in business is naive.  And the list went on and on!! Then it (I think it was the Holy Spirit) hit me that all that might be true but it is not true at 5800 Lumberdale #37 - my little corner of the world.  It is not true at the two homes in S. Houston called LifeHouse.  Yes, the world is a mess and the list is long that points out the social ills in our land.  But it is not the WHOLE world and if more of us (beginning with me), lived out a different way of life then the world just might change.

What if instead of always looking out for ourselves, we started to defer to others, how different would it be?  What if instead of demanding our rights, we started living up to our responsibilities?  What if instead of spending more on things that will never satisfy, we started giving to those who have nothing?

And to those of us who claim to be Christian - what if instead of bowing to idols, we started destroying those idols?  What if instead of treating the Word of God as a Sunday only thing, we started reading it daily?  What if instead of being self-followers, we started being a Christ follower?  What if instead of trying to find our satisfaction in things that will never remain, we sought satisfaction in eternal things?

What if...?  Oh God, let it begin in me.

Are you willing to ride your horse hard?

One of the devotions I read from is The One Year Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten where each day tells of an event that happened that day in Christian history.  Today's reading was a writing by Nathan Cole, a farmer and carpenter, that told of his journey to hear the legendary preacher, George Whitefield.  Here is just a portion: ...one morning all on a Sudden, about 8 or 9 o’clock there came a messenger and said Mr. Whitefield preached at Hartford and Weathersfield yesterday and is to preach at Middletown this morning [October 23, 1740] at ten of the Clock. I was in my field at Work. I dropt my tool that I had in my hand and ran home and run through my house and bade my wife get ready...and run to my pasture for my horse with all my might fearing that I should be too late to hear him. I brought my horse home and soon mounted and took my wife up and went forward as fast as I thought the horse could bear, and when my horse began to be out of breath, I would get down and put my wife on the Saddle and bid her ride as fast as she could and not Stop or Slack for me except I bad her, and so I would run until I was much out of breath, and then mount my horse again, and so I did several times to favour my horse, we improved every moment to get along as if we were fleeing for our lives, all the while fearing we should be too late to hear the Sermon..

And when we came within about half a mile of the road that comes down from Hartford Weathersfield and Stepney to Middletown; on high land I saw before me a Cloud or fog rising. I first thought it came from the great river, but as I came nearer the Road, I heard a noise something like a low rumbling thunder and presently found it was the noise of horses feet coming down the road and this Cloud was a Cloud of dust made by the Horses feet. It arose some Rods (rod = 16.5 feet) into the air over the tops of the hills and trees and when I came within about 20 rods of the Road, I could see men and horses Sliping along in the Cloud like shadows, and as I drew nearer it seemed like a steady stream of horses and their riders, scarcely a horse more than his length behind another, all of a lather and foam with sweat, their breath rolling out of their nostrils in the cloud of dust every jump; every horse seemed to go with all his might to carry his rider to hear news from heaven for the saving of Souls...

Mr. Cole made it in time to hear Rev. Whitefield and according to him, "My hearing him preach gave me a heart wound."  I'm afraid to say that in my world of great preaching on a weekly - and even daily - basis I am not quick to throw my tool to the ground and mount my horse to get a heart wound.  Oh, I make excuses...I am too busy.  Too tired. Too whatever. But the truth is I am just spoiled.

Thank you, Lord, that I live in a nation that the Word can freely be taught.  Thank you, Lord, that I live in a city where I have countless opportunities to hear - live - anointed preachers of God.  Forgive me, Lord, that I have taken this all for granted.  May I be quick to drop the things of this world (and my flesh) and ride hard after the things of God.

How about you?  What are you riding hard after?

Jer. 29:11 is true now as it was in 33 AD!

God has a plan for me (and for you). This plan is not my plan because His ways are not my ways nor are His thoughts my thoughts. But I do know that the plan will prosper me (especially as my soul prospers) and will not harm me and will give me hope and a future. I believe these things are for today. After coming back after a fantastic time with my Atlanta and Charleston friends, I was a little down one morning when I awoke so I really needed to be reminded of the Truth of Jeremiah 29:11. Here is how He did just that...

As I sought the Lord in December for my yearly focus, He said, "Don't be a fool." Well, if I am not foolish woman than I must be a wise woman (see Proverbs). So some of my goals included studying the Proverbs and doing a comparison of foolishness vs. wisdom. Also, since all of my foolish behavior begins in the mind I committed to a deeper level of scripture memorization and Bible reading.

Now this is where the plan comes in... for Christmas Carole Lewis gave me our church's devotional and as I read the introduction that morning this paragraph jumped out at me. "As you read these wisdom devotionals BTW - the entire devotional is all about gaining wisdom! How cool is that?), remember that the Word of God expresses the mind of God. His thoughts are available to us. Let these devotionals help you dig deeper into His revelation. Let His Spirit change your thinking. Most of all, let your mind be renewed and your life be transformed."

He has a plan for me and He has already provided my daily direction through this devotional!! What He has asked of me is not too difficult (see Deuteronomy 30:11) and He has already made a way. Now, it is just up to me - this living sacrifice - to do the next right step. May I be a wiser woman in the coming months!

Doing the Hard Thing

That I may proclaim it fully and make it clear [speak boldly and unfold that mystery], as is my duty. - Colossians 4:4 (Amplified Bible)

This is Paul’s prayer request to the church at Colossae. God’s chosen evangelist to the Gentiles is asking the saints to pray that he would have boldness! I don’t know about you but this gives me great hope. This says to me (and I am no theologian) that sharing Christ did not come naturally to Paul and he needed prayer to not only do it but to do it well. It was not an easy thing for Paul but hard.

Recently at LifeHouse, we have been able to do the right things even though they have been difficult. There was the call telling a homeless woman that LifeHouse is not a fit for her at this time. Or the time our housedad maintained self control when a resident was yelling and cussing at him. Or the tragedies of watching a resident walk away and choose to live on the streets rather than submit to the guidelines.

Hard things but, oh the fruit that comes from doing it. Paul’s obedience in the hard things is still bearing fruit today. We have seen fruit already from these difficult things, too. Residents making wiser choices. Seeing self control modeled. However, in God’s economy, we don’t always see the fruit the next day. The mark of spiritual maturity is how long one is willing to wait between obedience and blessing. It says in Galatians  that if we do not grow weary in doing good, in the proper season (and this could be a long season), we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

As always, the future will bring more hard things for us to do but we know that much more fruit will come from it. Please pray that we will have the wisdom to do the hard things at the correct time and that we would do them well.  What hard things are you having to obey the Lord in?

Questions at Night

Are we turning the crisis of an unplanned pregnancy into an opportunity for growth for the pregnant woman? Are we really making a difference? The needs are so great!! How can two homes for 11 mothers and their unborn babies make a dent in the chaos and craziness that we see all around us? These are questions that can keep me up at night… questions that roll around in my head after hearing some of the stories from those in need. One was from the friend of a pregnant 16 year old Spanish only speaking girl who already has a 2 year old and is in a domestic violence situation. Another came from Houston Independent School District administrator concerning a homeless16 year old with her 3 year old and she is pregnant again. Or another call from Star of Hope shelter (who are already busting at the seams) concerning 3 pregnant women aged 20, 21 and 30!!

When I begin questioning, the Lord is so quick to cause me to remember His faithfulness in the past and His equipping for the future. He reminds me of the residents who still call houseparents months and even years after leaving LifeHouse to “just check in.” He reminds me that some of Jesus’ most impactful ministry opportunities were done one on one (see the woman at the well or Nicodemus.) He reminds me that He has given us a vision to reach beyond our current services and provide a greater level of post-partum support.

These are exciting, and to be honest, scary times at LifeHouse but I often hear the words that the Lord spoke to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.” My translation is "do it afraid!" He will never leave us or forsake us. I don’t know what questions roll through your mind at the end of the day but I pray you will be encouraged to remember Him! If you get the chance, let me know what you are doing afraid.

For Wives: Things To Do As You Wait On a Miracle # 5

A dear friend of mine write this and I thought it was worth adding it to my blog. Play the Tapes to the End It often looks much greener on the other side of the fence. Don’t allow yourself to look through rose colored glasses. If you’re struggling with the desire to leave your husband, take a long, hard look at what that really looks like. The enemy is the master of lies. Would life really be easier? Are you sure that you really want to be single? What do children of divorced parents really feel? Are you so sure that your marriage is the one thing that is impossible for God?

Can You Stay for Today? Spending your time looking at the next 5 years or the rest of your life in a difficult marriage can make you run the other way. The Lord tells us not to worry about tomorrow because it has enough worries of its own. He wants us to live in today. Tomorrow is filled with what if’s. These things are not true yet and chances are they will never become reality. As you sit with the Lord and listen to His leading for the day, ask yourself, by the grace of God can you stay and do the right thing for today… Deuteronomy 30:11 says, “Now what I’m commanding today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.” You are not trapped. You can always choose differently tomorrow though I am confident that the Lord will amaze you with His grace as you choose obedience today.

Don’t Let Anything Keep You From Quiet Time with the Lord There is no way to live as a godly life apart from the Lord. You need to hear how deeply He loves you. You need to express your love for Him. You need His Wisdom. You need His Counselor. You need everything that He’s got and willingly extending to you. He IS your peace. He is your Shield. He is the Truth and the Way. He’s freedom and He’s your Deliverer! Occasional moments grabbed throughout the day will never reveal the God that you need to know. He is your very Life! Large chunks of devoted time early in the morning are your recharging. Take the Lord at His Word. “Those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up on wings as eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:11) “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.” (Isaiah 41:10)

If you have little children, get up earlier than them. I know of a woman who had her quiet time in the middle of the night and then went back to bed. Yes, rest is important but the Lord will supply all of your needs, even rest, when we put Him first in all things. Try Him. Let Him prove it to you.

Ensure that you are reading God’s Word and not just about God’s Word. There are many useful tools and resources out there but they need to be supplements to a healthy diet of the Word of God. Ask Him to “Open your eyes to see wondrous things in His law.” He will not disappoint you!

The Lord knows that what He asks of us is not always easy. Sometimes, it may feel like it’s never easy but He is the Rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him. I can testify to a God who is WAY bigger than I ever knew – and I’m just seeing the tip of the iceberg! I can testify that I have come to know the Creator God for He created love where there was none left. He truly healed my broken heart and has made beauty where there was only ashes. For that I am eternally grateful!

For Wives: Things To Do As You Wait On a Miracle # 4

A dear friend of mine write this and I thought it was worth adding it to my blog. Become Your Husband’s Cheerleader I’m confident that somewhere inside every man is a doubt or anxiety of “can I really do this?” Be a good husband, provide for a family, be a good lover. Become his cheerleader. Make a conscious point of looking for things that you can praise him for. I understand that at first, it may take some looking. We are in the habit of seeing the bad. Genuinely thank him for every good thing you see. Tell him that he’s doing a good job of … I have been stunned by how much my husband has appreciated this. These are pleasant words that are sweet to the soul and bring healing to his bones like Proverbs 16:24 talks about.

Allow Yourself to Be Dependent on Your Husband Depending on how badly you’ve been hurt, this can be very difficult. Even if you’ve never said it consciously, our tendency is to build walls so that we won’t be hurt again. 1 Peter 3:1 tells us to “be submissive to your own husbands [subordinate yourselves as being secondary to and dependent on them, and adapt yourselves to them]…” Chances are you rebel against things that you would consider bad decisions on their part. The enemy tells us not to let ourselves “go down” with that sinking ship. A friend of mine taught me to say, “whatever you think is best, dear.” Rather than argue your side, if, after simply and calmly stating your opinion, you are of differing minds, winsomely say “whatever you think is best.” Be mindful not to be patronizing. Your husband will know the difference.

It is safe for you to submit to your husband even if you are positive that he is making the wrong decision because Jesus is the Lord of lords. You are not responsible for your husband’s decision but you are responsible for your response to him. That same wise friend reminded me that submission only occurs when we disagree. If I’m not of a differing mind, it’s called agreement. Submission is difficult and it goes against everything the world (and our unbelieving friends) tell us but it is richly rewarded by our Heavenly Father. It is even safe for you to submit to an unbelieving husband or one that is not walking with the Lord as long as what he asks of you is not immoral or illegal. That same verse in 1 Peter 3 continues to say “so that even if any (husbands) do not obey the Word [of God], they may be won over not by discussion but by the [godly] lives of their wives.” I had to quit preaching and arguing my point and start living out my role as God intended.

We are to live as godly wives in “like manner” to how Jesus conducted Himself. “When He was reviled and insulted, He did not revile or offer insult in return; [when] He was abused and suffered, He made no threats [of vengeance]; but He trusted [Himself and everything] to Him Who judges fairly.” 1 Peter 2:23. Trust yourself to the One Who is faithful!

For Wives: Things To Do As You Wait On a Miracle # 3

A dear friend of mine write this and I thought it was worth adding it to my blog. Make an 80/20 List – or a 60/40! Make a list of things that attracted you to your husband in the first place. Make a list of good qualities that he has exhibited. Everyone has them. In fact, I believe we do have more good qualities than bad. It’s just easier to see the things we wish were different. Keep the list handy! Mine is in the back of my Bible and I purposely added to it whenever something would come to mind. Review the list often and thank the Lord for each quality.

Make Some Things Right, Seek Forgiveness Perhaps your parents didn’t bless your marriage or you were engaging in pre-marital sex. Seek forgiveness. You can seek forgiveness for not honoring your parents or seek forgiveness from your husband for not waiting to have sex with the Lord’s blessing. These things are not easy nor do many people think they are necessary but once they’ve been dealt with Biblically, when the enemy throws out lies like “you should have listened to your mother” you can stand on the Truth of no condemnation!

Learn the Lesson “But if Not…” I have found that in every major lesson life change/lesson that the Lord has taken me through there has come a point where I had to come to grips with the fact “but if not…” I’m still going to choose to follow the Lord in obedience. When I struggled with infertility and thought that the Lord was robbing me of a blessing, I had to come to the point where if He never gave me children, He was still Good. When my father was dying of cancer, if the Lord never healed him, He was still Good. If your husband never changes, God is still Good and it is the right thing to walk out your life in obedience. The other thing that I’ve found is that God is so gracious and generous!! He rewards our feeble steps in His direction!

My grandfather always used to say that if the Lord never did anything else for him but save his soul, it was worth serving Him forever. It’s the truth!

For Wives: Things To Do As You Wait On a Miracle # 2

A dear friend of mine write this and I thought it was worth adding it to my blog. Everyone Needs a Day 17 Ruth Myers, in her book “31 Days of Praise” has written an awesome scripture prayer about being thankful for the place in life that we are currently in. The whole book is about praising the Lord when things are difficult. It’s put out by Multnomah and is worth purchasing for anyone – crisis or not.

Surround Yourself with Positive Accountability Partners and Prayer Warriors If you are like me, it is easy to see the negative side of situations. You need people who will help you to see the positives. I needed someone who would stop me in mid-conversation if I was about to rant and complain about my husband. My friend would simply say, “have you taken this to the Throne?” or “have you tattled to Jesus?” Your friends and family don’t need to know all of the details. Whatever you spend the most time concentrating on is what is going to grow bigger. Surround yourself with friends that will say, “remember when…” and remind you of those good things that your husband has done. You may need to make a list. It makes it easier to remember when you aren’t seeing those qualities in the moment! If your friends aren’t currently operating in this way – ask them to! Tell them that it is what you need from them. It really is what you need from them. A word of caution – your accountability partners MUST not be of the opposite sex! That’s never appropriate and can lead down paths of destruction.

For Wives: Things To Do As You Wait On a Miracle # 1

A dear friend of mine write this and I thought it was worth adding it to my blog. Pray Less For Your Husband and More for Yourself This may sound totally selfish and inappropriate but sometimes, when a relationship is strained, it’s difficult to pray for your spouse without giving the Lord a long prescription of everything that you’d like to see changed in your spouse. Praying for your spouse can easily become a complaining session with the Lord and since the Lord knows better than us what is going on and what needs to be done, prayer sessions like that serve only to discourage us and remind us of everything that is frustrating or hurtful.

In a great little book “Get the Junk Out of Your Trunk: Let Go of the Past to Live Your Best Life” (by Duane Vander Klok) I learned that when we need to forgive someone who has hurt us, we need to pray blessing over their lives – with NO prescription! When we are praying blessing and not telling the Lord how He should do it, we are brought to the point of forgiveness and wanting to see good things happen in their lives rather than retribution. Prayer is something everyone says and even assumes but we do entirely too little of it and even less effectively. God’s Word is sharper than any double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Praying His Word, convicts us where we’ve fallen short. When we come into agreement with what He says and repent, it accomplishes His purposes within us (Isaiah 55:11). Our lives (and marriages) will be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Some great scriptures to pray daily for yourself are: • 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 12-13 • 1 Peter 2:18-25 (like the term or not, as married women we are “household servants” and we are the only one in our home with that job description) • 1 Peter 3:1-6, 8-9 • Proverbs 16:24

I liked the way these verses were worded in the Amplified Bible. It put some teeth to some of the words that were either too familiar or vague. I prayed these daily for many months. The words became ingrained in my mind and the Spirit would call them to mind – often – when I would be tempted to insist on my own rights or add something to a mental tally sheet of what my husband was doing “wrong” (1 Cor. 13:5).

I printed my prayers out on recipe cards and keep them in a photo album that fits into my purse. I recorded audios of them and put them on my I-pod. Keep them handy and commit to doing what they say. It’s not enough to just read them or highlight them and visit them occasionally. You must do what it says (James 1:22).

The Next Right Thing

For those of you who do not know me, I am the consummate planner! Making to-do lists is a joy to me which is only surpassed by checking off a completed task on these lists. As LifeHouse moves forward into its third decade of ministry, there is not a specific plan to follow or clear action steps to take. There is not a book at Barnes and Noble entitled “Running Maternity Homes for Dummies!” I am definitely in a place where I must constantly be on my knees asking God for directions. Can anyone else relate? What I continue to hear from Him is, “Just do the next right thing.” One step, one decision, one day at a time. I believe this is not just a word for me but a word for the residents that live at LifeHouse. Just do the next right thing.

Through the teaching of our Houseparents, the advice of our professional counselor and much prayer, the teens and young women of LifeHouse will realize what is the next right step. Proverbs 4:18 says, “...the path of the just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until...the perfect day.” (Amp.) As I take the next right step… as the residents take the next right step, the path becomes clearer and clearer. Of course the opposite is true also. If we do not stay on the path of justice and righteousness, the path becomes darker and darker.

Would you please pray for all of us to remain on the path of Truth? Would you pray that together we can do the next right thing?

May you, too, do the next right thing.

What is Success?

Many people have described me as a bottom line person. As the Executive Director, one of the hardest parts of my job is defining the success of the ministry. Is it babies saved? Is it decisions to follow Jesus Christ? Is it number of residents ministered to? Is it the number of residents who remain until the end of their pregnancy? Of course, all of these are great indicators of success but stories like the following about just one resident throws a wrench in my “bottom-line-ness.” Sidney* had already experienced too many struggles in her first 19 years of life. Her mother had sent Sidney back and forth between relatives here in the states and in Africa most of her life. At 17, Sidney was kicked out by her mother and moved in with a friend, Sally*, and her family. When Sally’s mother found out Sidney was pregnant, she gave her a proposition:  leave the house or have an abortion. For Sidney, although this is not how she wanted her life to be, being pregnant was a blessing because she was told that she would never have any children due to a botched female circumcision that had occurred during her time in Africa.

Sidney thought on this for almost two months before returning to Sally’s mother with the decision to give her baby life. Sally’s mother found LifeHouse on the internet and brought Sidney for her interview. Sidney with her bubbly personality was a natural leader around LifeHouse. She had grown up eating fast food and using paper plates, so she did not know how to cook, wash dishes, or even how to use a dishwasher. By the time she left, she had a notebook full of recipes she enjoyed cooking. It had become fun to her! Her confidence began to grow.

Another area where Sidney grew in her confidence was in completing goals. She came to us feeling as if she had never finished a single thing that she had started. She had failed her senior year by just two credits so we enrolled her at Tegeler Career Center and learned she could complete her high school degree in just a couple of months. Sidney set high goals for herself and worked hard and completed her classes in under two months. She was excited to receive her high school diploma and see that she can finish things that she starts.

Lastly, but most importantly, Sidney accepted Christ while here at LifeHouse. During devotions at night, Sidney listened intently to every word the houseparents said and asked many questions later. One night, she decided to follow Christ and was baptized after church by one of her housedads.

Although Sidney left the LifeHouse before the end of her pregnancy, she was a completely different woman than when she stepped through those doors. She left on good terms and with dreams that she never thought could be possible before.

I may not be able to quantify in a neat little formula the “success” of Sidney but I do know that Sidney is just one of many lives that have been significantly impacted by LifeHouse. What a joy to be a part of a ministry were we are able to have not only eternal influence on women’s lives but we are affecting their day to day lives. May we all continue to find this type of “success.”

*Name changed for confidentiality.

Counting It All Joy

During the aftermath of a major storm in Houston, the Lord really spoke to me from James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that  the testing of your faith  produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” These trials are all a part of my sanctification process. They come my way not to show God my level of faith but to show me how much I trust Him. He was so faithful to me but I still whined and complained to Him because things did not happen the way I wanted them to happen.  Talk about being immature. Talk about not persevering. God, through the difficulties of life following the storm, showed me that I was lacking something and I needed to be willing to persevere to gain those things and be complete.

How about you?  How does your “structure” hold during the storms of life? The storms will always show our weaknesses – whether that is in our families, homes or churches. Those little cracks that we thought were fixed are just painted over and as the tension mounts the paint crackles and the weakness is exposed.

But the good news is that if we are willing to do the work, the once weak spot can be repaired even stronger than before. The question is are we willing to do the work? We can keep the blue tarps on our roofs for a long time and just go up and add more nails or more tarp during each storm. Or we can be willing to have the entire roof exposed for a short season so that a deep repair can be made and the leaks will stop.

Many of our residents come covered in blue tarps with a desire to be healed but just like you and just like me – they must do the work. We can lead, guide and direct – even plead – but they are the ones who have to make it happen.  Sometimes the residents will do just that and it is wonderful to see. Other times residents choose painful and unwise paths. When this happens we have to let them go and not enable them in that process. Knowing where that fine line is takes much discernment, wisdom and prayer.

May we continue to be faithful when trials come our way so that when trials come to others we can be there with the wisdom necessary to walk alongside them and teach them to count it all joy!

The Lord’s Pleasure

Many of you may recognize the name, Eric Liddell, from Chariots of Fire. Liddell, in the 1924 Olympics, was a 22-year-old Scottish athlete who said no to self and yes to God. He dropped out of his best event—the 100 yard dash—because the qualifying heats were held on a Sunday. He entered the 400 yard dash. Even though he hadn’t trained for it, he won the gold medal. When asked about his running, in his heavy Scottish brogue, he says, “When I run I feel the Lord’s pleasure.” Upon reflecting back over the last three years, this line continually comes to mind. As I watched almost 100 volunteers from First Presbyterian Church re-sod our yard, I felt the Lord’s pleasure. As I watched the Board discern the future of the ministry – to add services or not add services, I felt the Lord’s pleasure. As I take phone call after phone call from young women needing assistance, I feel the Lord’s pleasure.

Did I have to say no to self and say yes to God through this time? Absolutely. Was I fearful at times? Anxious? Overwhelmed?  Weary? For sure. But whenever I stopped long enough to look to the hills to see from where my Help comes from (Psalm 121:1-3), the anxiousness dissipated, my strength was renewed and I was able to do it afraid.

God desires for all to feel His pleasure – for all to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” The “little” things for our residents are their babies. For our staff it is the five or six residents under their care and instruction. For me it is the operations of the ministry. What is the “little” thing in your life that brings the Lord pleasure and will cause you to one day hear “Well done”?

Thinking Too Small

Not too long ago, Anthony, LifeHouse’s operations director asked me about the possibility of getting a piano for the ministry. His wife, Jessica, is a trained and extremely gifted pianist and ministry would be greatly impacted as we experienced “live” worship. I thought this was a wonderful idea but did not see it happening anytime soon. A few weeks passed and I thought I would just call William Taylor, Mission Pastor at Houston’s First Baptist Church and see if he knew of anyone who might want to donate a piano. “Actually, Becky, I just received an email 10 seconds ago from our Deaf Church that they have a piano they would like to donate.” Well, that sounded a little bit like God might be in on this. Anthony contacted Pastor Arthur Craig of the Deaf Church and as he explained a little bit about the piano, Anthony asked, “How big is it?”  “It is a baby grand!” So after lots of lifting by the staff and some wonderful volunteers, the piano arrived at the LifeHouse campus! The favor of the Lord is still upon us!!!

However, that is not the heart of what I want to share. Not too much later after the piano’s arrival, I went to Galveston for a few days to seek the Lord about the future and vision that He has for LifeHouse. As I prayed the Lord so gently spoke to me about the future and that I needed to believe Him for BIG things. He said, “I don’t just want to give you a nice upright piano. I want to give you a baby grand!” Oh how often have I settled for less when God has so much more for me.

As C.S. Lewis says, “...it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are halfhearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

My friends, may we not settle for mud pies but be obedient to Him, ask Him for HUGE things and believe Him to fulfill it in due time. What HUGE things are you believing God for?

Applying the Word – Day to Day

Recently, I was finishing up a Bible study on Colossians and the last couple of days the teacher had us rewrite the entire book of Colossians by hand. It has been a great experience!! During the final day this is a portion of what I wrote: Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

Three little verses in a tiny book at the end of the Bible. A quick little command from Paul through the power of the Holy Spirit. 54 words that we have all read and maybe even memorized. Four sentences that if we applied to our moment by moment living would transform every relationship in our lives.

How does this look in day to day living?

1. When giving criticism, we need to show compassion, kindness and gentleness. 2. If someone uses a tone or words that seem demeaning, we need to bear with him or her and forgive as we have been forgiven. 3. But above all that put on love. Remember that our spouse loves us; our children love us; our friends love us; we love our spouses, children and friends. If this is not true then we need to start praying for it and acting like it is true.

The writer of the study said this, “The ultimate witness to the world is how members of the body of Christ love one another.” May we be amazing witnesses!

But before we think that this is just some big love fest – look what Paul said just one verse later:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (v. 16)

The Word of God has to be in us deeply! (How are you doing in your quiet times, my friends?)

As the Word dwells richly, we will need to teach (to hold discourse with others in order to instruct them, to impart instruction, instill doctrine into one) and we will need to admonish (to caution, advise, or counsel against something; to reprove or scold, especially in a mild and good-willed manner; or to urge to a duty, remind) one another. But then we wrap it all up with the singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts to God. This is why church fellowship and family devotions are so important.  It gives us the chance to enter into that sanctuary where all that really matters is the Father’s amazing love for all of His kids.

My prayer is that we all may walk out this Christian life in such a way as to draw others to Him. May our humility, love, forgiveness and correction of one another be so different that others will want us to give a reason for our hope.

Sticking to the Mission

It had been a busy day and I was starved!  Normally I would order out at Cafe Express or run through the drive thru at Jack in the Box but since I was trying to be a good steward I decided to go home and fix something.  There was no meat thawed but I did have  a frozen dinner...a Weight Watchers Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla.  Understand that I purchase the dinner for conveninece way more than to watch my waist line.  This was a new product so I had to read the cooking instructions much more carefully and that is when I busted out laughing. No more than 4 times is it indicated on the box that the dinner is TWO servings and not one.  Even in the cooking instructions area it says "Place 2nd quesadilla back into the freezer."  As a self proclaimed food addict, I know exactly where they were coming from.  It reminds me of something Horatio from CSI: Miami would say with his gun drawn, "Place your hands in the air and slowly back away from the freezer" or my friend's refrigerator magnet that says, "What you are looking for is not in here!"

But once I started cooking both quesadilla  (remember convenience not waist line), I realized that Weight Watchers is sticking to their mission.  Stouffer's mission is to sell more TV dinners to produce more profits but Weight Watchers' mission is not to sell frozen food but to help people lose weight.  How easy would it have been to rationalize not putting all the extra "warnings" on the package?  If we sell more TV dinners, we will have more revenue to reach more people.  If we sell more TV dinners, more people will know about us and will want to join.

With 90 seconds still left on my dinner, I wondered how I was doing with my own mission.  Was I regularly influenincg people for Jesus or was I just busy?  Was I spending quality time with those I love or catching up on missed reality shows?  Was I investing in the here and now or in the future?  I realized that it was time for some course corrections in a few areas of my life.

What about you, moms?  Is a clean house the mission or is it making great memories for your kids?

What about you, dads?  Is providing a new car when Junior is 16 the mission or is it supporting him at his 8th grade band concert?

What about you, employees?  Is getting a paycheck the mission or is it doing all things as unto the Lord?

Would love to hear about your mission and how you are doing sticking to it!

Words are Optional

One of the most amazing statistics from the LifeHouse ministry is the number of unbelieving residents who accept Christ. Over half of our residents who do not know Christ accept Him while living at LifeHouse!! What is interesting is that evangelism is not a major “push” of the ministry. There is no plan to share Christ after so many days or the third Thursday of each month is revival Thursday. We simply try to do what Christ would do and the residents usually come to a staff member and ask how to be saved. Recently, a resident, Michelle, turned to a staff member during the church service and asked if he would walk down front with her to receive salvation. Later he said, “I felt like I was walking her down the wedding aisle.” In many ways, he was—at that moment, Michelle became a part of the bride of Christ and will be eternally changed.

The quote by St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words” aptly describes the LifeHouse ministry. The Gospel is preached through a hot meal, a listening ear, a clean bed, a ride to the doctor’s office and even discipline as the resident realizes that there are consequences to choices made. May I live a life that both demonstrates the Gospel and at times speaks the Gospel. Have you had a chance, recently, to preach the Gospel and not use words?

Legacy Part 4

Finally, the last part of this blog series concerning the impact abortion has on our great country.  In closing, let’s consider two quotes:

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”
- Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

“Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen.”
- Peter Marshall, Chaplain to the US Senate in the 1940’s

I believe we are at a watershed moment in our country and I desire to give my all to make it happen. Do I have the extra time? No. Do I have the extra money? No. Do I have the extra energy? No. But as I look down the corridor of time into the eyes of future generations of spiritual children and grandchildren, these excuses do not hold water. I am determined and will get in the arena and fight for a worthy cause and whether in victory or defeat I can say I gave it my all.

Would love to hear your thoughts?