The Lenten Journey

Day 13:   Count It All Joy

What a weekend!  What a surprise!  What confusion!  I “conflicted” with another person.  My spin was that I was trying to make things better!  But after the weekend was over, what really happened is:

·         I learned that all is not as it appears.

·         Grace and Love are stronger than being right.

·         You must have friends to help you – Like a Heron and Owl.

·         My best friend is my man, K Larry – He’s so smart.

·         My scrawny butte was saved!  I was getting ready to go somewhere He didn’t want me to go!

·         I had every opportunity to be angry, hurt, vengeful and un-Christ like.

·         I passed the test and am Rejoicing!

To top it off when I woke this morning, I heard the sweet voice of my Abba - that I absolutely love - saying: 

Count it all Joy, Baby doll – I saved you! 

How many times He has tried to save me I’ll never know until I get to heaven, but for today I have been saved from going somewhere I didn’t need to go.  Today He is asking me to bask in Joy – not because of what I did but what I allowed Him to do - that is profound. 

James 1:2-4 – Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and show its true colors.  So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

And by the way, Abba – thank you for K Larry, the wise owl and the focused great heron, and yes the pelican too!  You are teaching me so much on this Lenten Journey – and definitely not what I thought I would learn – but BETTER!

I Love You God !!

The Lenten Journey

Day 12:         Acceptance of What God Has Provided

This Lenten Adventure is amazing me.  I began by asking the question:  “What can I give up for Lent?”  I then moved to: “What Does God Want Me to give Him or do for Lent?”  This is definitely not going in the direction I “presumed.”  Oh my, I am starting to taste “new wine.”  When I thought of giving up chocolate or wine, I wasn’t prepared for such  positive requests.  Would/Could/Should God say to me:  “My sweet girl, your little mindset is so negative.  You think I’m going to take something away, make you sacrifice, make you. . . blah blah blah!” – yes that is what it sounds like in my brain.  However, what He is showing me is that I don’t even begin to understand what He wants me to receive, how He wants me to receive it and what He wants me to do with it – if I choose to receive it.  I can put the Gift up on the shelf and tell everyone – “Look what God has given me!”  I can make it “religious” and not touch it, smell it, handle it OR I can unwrap the things He is showing me, touch them, taste them, smell them, listen for His real thoughts – Oh man, just Enjoy the gracious, wonderful, magnificent, phenomenal God that loved me first, chose me and sent His Son so that I could be loved to wholeness.  I choose to take this gift and grapple with II Peter 1:3 – Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.  The best invitation we ever received!  We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you – your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned you back on a world corrupted by lust.  He has shown me what Lust is:  Living   Under  Self  Trust.  (The Message Translation)
 I am going to do more than gaze at this Gift.  I am going to allow God to expand my little brain as to the enormity of what is included in this Gift.

The Lenten Journey

Day 11:  Acquitted of all Wrong Doing

I delved into John 3 this morning.  I wasn’t sensing where I would be led today because I am dealing with Island “Junk” that has my brain scattered and me questioning my motives and desires.  I wanted to ask God if He thought I could choose what I want to give Him today!   The answer was “no baby doll, I have a better idea than you.”  It was then that the light bulb went off in my head regarding all the mistakes and sins - intentional and unintentional - that I have  made,  which hang around in my head and rob me of the abundant life.  I have so many regrets wishing that I had been a better wife, a better mom and could/would be more understanding with my aging parents.  The old swirl of what ifs surfaced.  What if I had learned God’s assignment for my marriage earlier and handled the differences between Ken and me in a different way.  What if I had acknowledged that my kids weren’t mine to turn into little me’s – which I am comfortable with – instead of all the turmoil and trauma that I created by not understanding so many things about parenthood?  Well, I did the best I knew how but learning over the long haul that I cannot be perfect or “do it” perfect as there is only one Person who can claim that?  Well, for today I heard my Abba say:  “How would your life be different today if you truly believed that all your sins and the messes they have created are “Forgiven” or are only a prayer away from being Forgiven?   How would it be if He touched me with a magic wand and I turned into Snow White?  Oh my, I did take a bite out of the apple of “self will or ignorance or disobedience,” but God has and can take care of that completely and has or will pronounce:  Snow White – you are mine.  I am your Prince and I have come to rescue you and have brought you into a glorious life if You will accept this Gift.  Will you accept my kiss of Forgiveness?  Oh my, can it be as simple as choosing to live in the belief of I John 1:9 – If I confess my sin, He is faithful and just to forgive me All my iniquities and to cleanse me  of All unrighteousness!  Voila:  Snow White.  Yes I bit many apples but my Prince is ready and willing to give me the Kiss of New Life each day!  Now back to His desire for me today: “ Baby Doll will you live in Forgiveness – period!?”  OK, I’m no dummy!  I know a wonderful gift  when it is given and He is not asking me to do anything but accept a present from Him.  Oh Yes.  Signing off –

The Lenten Journey

Day 10:  A God Guide’s Day

Today is an Adventure.  Four of us ladies are exploring a whole day with God.  We are meeting for coffee and are then going to spend the whole day focused on allowing Jesus to lead us and be four little sheep in His flock.  I am so excited I can hardly stand it.  We have planned this for months and God is blessing us with a glorious day to Listen to Him.  My personality feels the need to “herd” everyone and keep us on track.  But I have heard my Abba tell me this morning that I am to listen and “flow with His Spirit”.  My mind wants to start orchestrating the day – where we will go, what we will do, yes!! I am a control freak but not for today.  Today I will focus on the joy that I feel by being with the “flock” and seeing where the Shepherd leads us.  I have my Bible, prayer journal, art tablet and pens, but most importantly – dumm dumm da dumm dum – a Quiet Spirit, A Listening Ear and Three Friends to go have a God Adventure with.  I am focused on my Shepherd – Jesus Christ.  Oh, have I told you I AM SOOO EXCITED

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l144/matts40/jesus_smiling.jpg

The Lenten Journey

Day 9:  Live Like You Believe ME

A Question Reverberated through my head last night.  “Do I really believe that the blood of Jesus does what I sing and read it does?  All during the night I would wake up with a different song going through my mind:

There is Power, Power, wonder working Power, in the Blood of the Lamb!

What Can Wash Away my Sin, NOTHING but the Blood of Jesus!

With his blood he has saved me; With his power he has raised me; To God be the glory for the things he has done.

By faith for my cleansing, I see thy blood flow—Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

I look up scriptures in The Message translation of the Bible on the blood of Jesus:

John 6:53 – But Jesus didn't give an inch. "Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you.

Ephesians 2:13 - Now because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.

 Hebrew 10:19 -21 - So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body.

Hebrew 13:12 - He was crucified outside the city gates—that is where he poured out the sacrificial blood that was brought to God's altar to cleanse his people.

I Peter 1:2 - God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice (blood) of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours!

I John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.

I remember there was a controversy a few years back with references to Jesus’ blood being taken out of certain hymnals.  Today God is asking me to meditate on what He says the blood of His Son accomplishes in my life and to live like I believe it.  Again God is revealing a heart attitude in me that wants to believe there is something that I do that causes me to merit being His child, being part of His family.  Can it be that in the competitiveness of my culture, I am being robbed because it is so hard to give all the credit to where credit is due – to Jesus Christ for shedding His precious blood for me?  What attitude and actions will I exhibit today that reveal  I truly accept Jesus’ sacrifice for me – a blood sacrifice?

The Lenten Journey

Day 8:       How about

        “Your Life?”         

I woke up this morning and this is what was going off in my head full force:

Take My Life and Let It Be | Frances R. Havergal

1. Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.                                       Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move At the impulse of Thy love.
   Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing, Always, only for my King.
   Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold.
   Take my intellect and use Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it Thine, It shall be no longer mine.
   Take my heart, it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne.
6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store.
   Take myself and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.

Somehow I thought  (hmm, why do I think I’m going to figure this out?) this might be Day 40 Request!   Our Bible Study group is studying 24 Hours That Changed The World  for Lent and we were challenged to get up each morning and recite the Covenant Prayer of John Wesley:

 Covenant Prayer

From John Wesley's Covenant Service , 1780

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things

to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

Let it be ratified in heaven.  Amen

II don’t think I need to add anything else today.  I have lots to meditate on and lots of decisions to make.  Like:  Am I ready for a “Radical Life Change” – Romans 2?  I need prayer and I am comforted that the Bible tells me Jesus is in heaven interceding for me.

Amen and Amen

I am reminded of the Dead Sea.  Maybe what God has in mind is to boot me out of any resemblance to "Dead Sea Living"

The Season of Lent

Day 7:      Extend a Little Grace

I wrote a beautiful article and was ready to publish it and my computer ate it.  It disappeared – Could it be because my last line was about the “sneaky snake’s” voice going off in my head telling me to forget this Lenten Adventure.  Ohhh, my antennae are up because it is taking discipline to stay focused on this Gift.  There are habits in my life that I feed, and hold and play with and refuse to boot them out.  I say I have but you let me get bumped the wrong way and “low and behold,” they reappear.  One is extending Judgment instead of Grace.  Walking down the beach yesterday, eyes taking in the bigness of God’s creation, I pondered what I want most but it seems to elude me.  Grace!  Grace when I make a mistake;  Grace when I don’t engage the brain before opening the mouth;  Grace when I get wrapped up in me;  GRACE !  I want GRACE.  What is Grace?  God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense – Getting something I don’t deserve.  I extend Grace to people I may want to impress –the ones I only have to be around for a little bit.  But, day in and day out, I find it hard to extend Grace to those I love the most.  There are old hurts, wounds, words, looks that can blind me to extending Grace.  I knew before I went to bed last night that this was what my ABBA was going to ask me to give to others in His Name today.  I struggled during the night and was awakened way before I wanted to be to get on my knees and ask Him to help me.  I have paraphrased Romans and Chapter 2 roars into my head:  Every time I criticize someone, I condemn myself.  Pointing my finger at others doesn’t divert God from all my misdoings.  God’s Goal is to take me by the hand and lead me into a RADICAL LIFE CHANGE!  Merely hearing God’s word is a waste of time if you don’t do what He commands.  It’s God’s vote that counts not mine.  Doing, not hearing, is what makes a difference with God!  It’s the mark of God on my heart that matters.  Make sure while I’m trying to teach others that I’m living what I’m teaching not just giving legalistic answers.  As I think about extending Grace today – In His Name and as a Gift to Him – for others,  I am reminded of an old Amy Grant song:

What About the Love?I went to see my sister. She was staying with a friend Who had turned into a preacher To save the world from sin. He said, "First deny your body, And then learn to submit. Pray to be made worthy, And tithe your ten percent." I said, "Is this all there is, Just the letter of the law?" Something's wrong.

I went to see my brother On the 32nd floor Of a building down on Wall Street; You could hear the future's roar. He said, "Here we make decisions, And we trade commodities; If you tell me where there's famine, I can make you guarantees." I said, "Is this all there is, Power to the strong?" Something's wrong.

Something's wrong in heaven tonight. You can almost hear them cry. Angels to the left and the right,
Saying, "What about the love? What about the love? What about the love?"

I went to see my neighbor. He'd been taken to a home For the weak and the discarded Who have no place to go. He said, "Here I lack for nothing; I am fed and I am clothed. But at times I miss the freedom I used to know." I said, "Is this all there is, When your usefulness is gone?"Something's wrong.

I looked into the mirror, Proud as I could be,  And I saw my pointing finger Pointing back at me,
Saying, "Who named you accuser? Who gave you the scales?" I hung my head in sorrow;  I could almost feel the nails. I said, "This is how it is To be crucified and judged Without love."  Written by Kye Fleming, and Janis Ian: Sung by Amy Grant

God, help me be a Grace Filled Woman today – because I asked you to tell me what you want each day of Lent – and for today You said "Give Em Grace Baby Doll."