I was reminded today how so often our faith is like that of Thomas, in John 20:24-27, who wouldn’t believe unless he saw and felt Jesus’ nail wound scars. I know in my own life, there are times when it seems as though I have great faith, faith to move mountains, faith that doesn’t doubt, faith that is not shaken by life’s challenges. Many times, God grows my faith by showing me something, by lighting my path and by affirming in different ways. I was reminded once again about the silence and what it takes to believe when we don’t see and hear God. There are many times in life where God doesn’t show us the next step, and we are trying to trust the best we know how, but often think it would be nice to have a back plan, a plan B. He reminded me today that He alone is plan A and in being that, we don’t need a plan B because we know that His plan A is perfect. It reminded me to not just go to the trophy room and remember all that God has done, but it also reminded me that I need to have a right view of my Abba Father, the one who dearly loves me and who has placed plans and dreams deep inside me. He is good, He is loving, and that Never Changes, no matter what comes my way. In verse 27 Jesus invites Thomas to reach in and touch his scars; he then says to him, “be believing, not unbelieving.” We all face that same choice when we don’t see the “proofs” of God working on our behalf. I often have to ask myself “am I willing to sit with the unanswered questions?”, “am I willing to trust even when I don’t see”. Do I remember that His character never changes, that He is good, that He is love, and that more than any other, he’s got my whole life in the palm of his hands? I think of Peter too in Matthew 14:29-31, getting out of the boat, he starts to sink; Jesus grabs him and says “Peter why did you doubt?” After all Jesus was right there, less than an arm’s length away; He’s even closer to us, dwelling within each of us. We all have our Peter moments in life when we wonder if God is going to come through. Is he going to catch us? Does he really know what He’s doing with my future? Looking back now at my own life, I can see where Jesus asks that question “why did you doubt Robin?”. Have I not always come through for you? Am I not God, the creator of the universe? Did I not form everything about you in your mother’s womb? Remember how far you have come and all that you have overcome; that was me helping you. Remember that my love does not change. Trust me when you don’t see because you know I am good and you are secure in my love. Do you really think I am going to let you drown? Believe when you do not see, believe when you are at the end of your rope. Fear is just gonna paralyze you, and Satan is just going to lie to you; you know better than that! Be strong and courageous, I know what I am doing. I have come to make all things new, even your bad choices that you think are too far for me to reach, I got those too. After me and God had this little discussion today, he spoke to me as He often does; He gave me a song on the radio. I’ve never heard it, but I know it was him speaking to me; he was reminding me that we all have these doubting moments, even great worship leaders like Chris Tomlin. Sure, who wants to admit that, but blessed are the humble I think. Do I wish I never doubted, yes, especially looking back at all the times God has come through. I’m Ok with doubt b/c I see Peter and I see Thomas, and I find I’m in pretty good company. Heck, if those who walked with him, watching him perform miracles had doubts, I guess my doubts are OK too. I know they build my faith, I know they draw me closer to my Abba Father, and my beloved Savior Jesus, I have peace, joy, and righteousness in the Holy Spirt, even in the middle of my silent times with God. It’s in those silent times, that I choose to trust that He is working on things. Results don’t always happens in an instant as we would like, but it takes faith to wait and trust in what we cannot see. So as I wrestled today with what I cannot see, God reminded me of his love and goodness. So Father today, as Chris Tomlin Sings, “I lift my hands to believe again…” I do believe, and I thank you for reminding me of your great and uneding and unfailing love for me today and forever. Forgive me for doubting you when I do not see, and grow me now I pray that my faith would arise, that I would be still and know that you are God in every part of my llife. I love you and pray all this in your beautiful name, Jesus. Amen.
Category: Blogging
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.
Crunchy numbers
A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 5,400 times in 2010. That’s about 13 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 17 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 131 posts. There were 15 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 32kb. That’s about a picture per month.
The busiest day of the year was June 7th with 77 views. The most popular post that day was I knew these feelings would come.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, blogsurfer.us, highcallingblogs.com, search.aol.com, and christianity.alltop.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for 2nd commandment, fully devoted follower of christ, not my will but yours be done, it’s in the valleys we grow, and robin richards.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
I knew these feelings would come June 2010
3 comments
6 Characteristics of a fully devoted follower of Christ. Are You Transparent For Christ??? April 2009
2 comments
2nd Commandment August 2009
7 comments
Being Busy-It’s the devil’s favorite tactic December 2009
3 comments
It’s in the valley’s that we grow July 2009
1 comment
It’s so funny when God fits things together like pieces of a puzzle. This week I’ve been reading a leadership book for seminary called “The Starfish and the Spider”, where in the fifth chapter begins the discussion and definitions of a catalyst; here are a few of their characteristic: Catalysts are all about letting go and trusting the community, they have a genuine interest in others they have a desire to help people, they depend on emotional intelligence, they meet people where they are, they inspire others to work toward a goal that doesn’t involve personal gain, they make things work when they empower people then get out of the way, they have loose connections that allow them to thrive on meeting new people, then mapping those people together who can then help each other or link together to meet a greater need, and they have a great tolerance and preference for ambiguity, knowing that if they are too much in the center or at the top of what is going on they will just end up getting in the way. To me when I look at these characteristics, I can’t help but see Jesus. I think it describes him very well. And I find it interesting how it ties in so much to the roles of good leaders, which got me thinking of how God is teaching me this same principle when it comes to worship. Some, who know me, know that I had struggled for a long time to express myself through worship. It’s not that I couldn’t, it’s just that I always felt that I was under a certain protocol, if you will. Now as I journey on, and as I sat in Mid-week service last night at my new church, I was given my worship rights back. Pastor shared how as true worshippers we are to set the temperature for the house of God. Anyone can stand there all day with hands raised, but if it isn’t done with the right heart, then you are just going through the motions. Even more important, is that we can’t wait for our feelings to engage in worship; we must come and give all for the one who gave all for us. What’s more, is that there are people walking in the doors who are broken, looking for hope, longing to worship in spirit and in truth but may feel unsure if they have that right. As true worshippers, like catalysts, we must have a genuine interest in others and lead by example, setting the temperature, giving them the green light to meet with God however they need to. We must empower them to meet with Jesus and find healing and wholeness. What’s most important I think is the piece on ambiguity. We must not only lead and empower by example, setting the thermostat of worship for others, but we must always remain humble and worship alone to God. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in wondering how many people around me have raised hands, as well as wondering if in tune with what is happening around me, but I am learning to constantly strip that off of me, and focus on him alone. I find it no small coincidence then this morning, that God would have me read John 4: 21-24 “21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” So today my prayer is one of Thanks to God for tying all these truths together for me, and teaching me to keep my focus on him; reminding me too, that worship is not just about our songs of praise, but it is a way of life, a way of sacrificial living toward others, and as we come to worship in the house of God, we give such thanks and adoration for all that He allows us to do and be a part of for his kingdom. May we all be catalysts of worship in every area of our lives. In Jesus’ Holy Name, I Pray, Amen.
I’ve been blogging for over 2 years now. I have changed blogs and hosts a few times, and just registered my own domain name. I was presently surprised that my latest blog stat is over the 10,000 mark. But really, does it matter? I remember when I first started blogging, I researched and joined all sort of sites and communities to get more traffic to my blog; it’s just one of those things we do in the blogosphere. I remember there were times when I’d see days slip away b/c I was so sucked into what I was doing. I had to post daily, I had to try and keep up with my blogroll, I had to read my favorites and then make sure to comment in hopes that they would come and do the same on my blog. “I had, I had, I had” What started out with the intention of glorifying God through me learning and sharing my life lessons was about to turn right on me and teach me something; for the one thing that I enjoyed was now causing me to become a slave to it. I am sure I’ve blogged this at some point, but perhaps not in the same way. We all know to put our confidence in Christ, and when we do, he will grow us in some really big ways. Recently I have been on myself to blog more. There was this nagging feeling that if I didn’t do it, people would lose interest and stop coming by; I’ve already noticed my comments have gone down. Work, Work, Work. That is what it was becoming. The joy was lost b/c I was trying once again to put my confidence in the response of others instead of trusting God was leading people to my blog to get some encouragement. How often we do this with so many areas of our lives; especially with our relationship to God. We forget, and get back in the driver’ seat “No worries Jesus, I got this”. How easily we deceive ourselves, even if it’s with something as simple as a blog. It’s a very good lesson for me to learn, and one of surrender. I am worshiping God through my writing and I am trusting that who needs a word will be lead here for that. I hope to no longer whoop and holler about blog stats, but I just might, when I let the human side of me out; and if I never receive another comment on my blog that would be fine with me, b/c it’s so often not was is said, but how what is said changes a person and then allows that person to live a different life. I hope and pray that I can be God-honoring with this little declaration of mine, and I hope that all who come to find my blog will not only be blessed, but will grow in the characteristics of Christ; because that is the point. Yes, Lord, may my confidence always be in you alone. Thank you for reminding me of this once again today.
I recently wrote this for my church’s prayer team newsletter and thought it would be good to share on my blog, since I’ve seen to be absent for some time now. Blogging takes a certain discipline at times and I must admit, it hasn’t been on the top of my list this new year, but I am trying to find a way back into it. So here we go with another attempt. May you be blessed and encouraged.
I just got done reading a fantastic book on over-coming your fears and reaching your God given potential called “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day” by Pastor Mark Batterson. It was one of those divinely chosen books that God led me to; you know the kind that you can’t put down and you find yourself highlighting something on every page? I guess you can say it did quite the spiritual work in me. In the seventh chapter he says “that if we want to make the most out of every opportunity, we have to devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful. People who live in prayer mode are watchman. They see further than others see. They see things before others see them. And they see things that other people don’t see. People who live in prayer mode see opportunities that other people don’t even notice.” I can testify to this myself, and saw it again with another prayer warrior this past week as they shared what God was showing them. He goes on to say “that there are only two ways to live your life: survival mode or prayer mode. Survival mode is simply reacting to the circumstances around you. It is a pinball existence; predictable, monotonous and boring. Prayer mode is the exact opposite. Your spiritual antenna is up and your radar is on. Prayer puts you in a proactive posture to catch the opportunities God throws our ways. Living in prayer mode is the difference between seeing coincidences and providences.” Prayer has a way of helping us recognize that what we might dismiss as human accidents are really divine appointments.” So let me ask you; are you pursuing a lifestyle of being in prayer mode? Do you find that your “antenna” is always up and that you are hearing and seeing God move in and through your prayers? Are you seizing those opportunities that God puts in front of you by tuning into the voice of the Holy Spirit? Many of the greatest breakthroughs in our lives happen when we are in prayer mode. Prayer is an opportunity incubator that is birthed out of not just good ideas, but of God ideas. At the end of our lives we won’t regret the mistakes we’ve made but the opportunities that we missed, being haunted with the questions of “what if?” Lord I pray that we are all seeking a lifestyle of prayer; and that we would do whatever it takes to not only protect that but to allow you to ignite more of it in each our lives. May we be eager to see you move in our lives and through all of our circumstances. Yes Lord, we grow in the valleys, and are strengthened on the mountain tops. Through it all, may we be constantly asking what you want to teach us and see it all as opportunities for you to strengthen us and grow us. As we seek to become more like you through our prayer lives, may we continually love you more, love people more and live surrendered to your perfect will for each of our lives. May your consuming fire grab a hold of each of us and do a new and deeper work in us that will leave us radically changed. May we experience and long for more of you as we walk in obedience and becoming shining beacons of light for you that would reflect your glory and love. We pray this in Jesus Holy Name, Amen!
This poem was shared with me from a friend at cafemom. I guess its pretty widely known, but I had never seen it until I started posting it myself. It is a beautiful reminder that this life is not about us, or what we want when we call ourselves Christians. I know for myself, when I fell away, I had a huge wake up call from God. It was the hardest thing to walk back into church after I disobeyed God. Thankfully, after some time, I allowed God to start removing my guilt and shame. I pray that when people see me, they don’t see someone who calls themself a Christian just for name sake, but I hope they see Jesus, and desire to know Him too.
When I Say “I Am A Christian”
by Carol Wimmer
When I say…”I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting “I am saved”
I’m whispering “I get lost!”
“That is why I chose this way.”
When I say…”I am a Christian”
don’t speak of this with pride.
I’m confessing that I stumble
and need someone to be my guide.
When I say…”I am a Christian”
I’m not trying to be strong.
I’m professing that I’m weak
and pray for strength to carry on.
When I say…”I am a Christian”
I’m not bragging of success.
I’m admitting I have failed
and cannot ever pay the debt.
When I say…”I am a Christian”
I’m not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are too visible
but God believes I’m worth it.
When I say…”I am a Christian”
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
which is why I seek His name.
When I say…”I am a Christian”
I do not wish to judge.
I have no authority.
I only know I’m loved.
I found this on the internet, and I remember probably getting it in my email at one time or another. Its a great reminder of Gods love for us and why we need to sometimes struggle with difficult things in our lives. I know for myself, its very true, looking back on some of the really hard times in my life; the only thing I could do was to cry out to God to help me make sense out of what I was going through and to teach me what I was suppose to learn from it all. I always tell God, “hey, if your gonna put me through some junk in this life, you’d better let me learn a thing or two from it”. That’s not always an easy conversation to have, but I have come to find that it is the best one to have when you are in the middle of a mess. God loves us, and he never lets go. I hope this poem will remind you that we need to struggle to become closer to God and his will for our lives.
IT’S IN THE VALLEYS I GROW
Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It’s then I have to remember
That it’s in the valleys I grow.
If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God’s love
And would be living in vain.
I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it’s in the valleys I grow.
I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.
My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan’s loss.
Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I’m feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it’s in the valleys I grow.
Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.
Thank you for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it’s in the valleys I grow!
Have a blessed day!
Desperate For More of Him! I remember months ago, when I had 3 blogs going over on the blogspot server, I was being grown by God in some amazing ways. I soon began to follow hard after Him and felt it time to figure out a way to get my heart onto one blog once and for all. Long story short, I decided to focus my blogging strictly on my walk with God; since I felt that is really what I was trying to do, but in 3 different parts of who I was; part mom, part single mom, and part Rocker for Jesus! As I’ve blogged and added and deleted blogs from my blog roll for different reasons, I’ve really started to take notice of why people name their blogs the way they do. Sometimes there is no significance, but many times there is. It got me thinking of how I named this blog; and so I thought I’d share with you. I’d love to sit here and say it was because of some great song that really spoke to my heart, and perhaps there was a song or 2 or 3 or… (I love my music); but if I remember correctly it came out of a sermon from Church.; (which of course I can’t locate at the moment), but I am pretty sure remembering this was mentioned: ” Our desperation flows out of our needs”; our need for love, acceptance, fellowship, our need for understanding, compassion and love; our need for Christ! Hungry people are desperate for food. Drug addicts are desperate for another high; and I rremember sitting in church and thinking how desperate I was for God. Yes I was saved, yes I was serving, but I was desperate for More of Him. I needed more; I wanted more of the Bible in Me, transforming me, not just so I could say I read through this book or that chapter, or I can recall this or that story, but that the Living Word would begin to live and dwell within me. I began to ask God for this, and like a water faucet; he just started pouring in and out of me in every way. I began to “see” and “hear” everything that seems like it was unattainable before. There where parts and pieces of who I thought I was in Christ that started to really sink in deep. Yes, our desperation reveals our need! Our Hunger, Our thirst, Our desire to get closer to Him; to be in an intimate relationship with Him. For Him to completely take over, to truly become the lover of our soul, and be able to love Him back in that same way; incredible!! So I ask you.. What are you desperate for? Are you desperate for a job? , a relationship with a mate? Are you desperately trying to repair a relationship in your personal and/or professional life? Sooner or later all of these needs run dry. Human relationships, no matter how close and important will fall short for the simple fact that they are just that; human. You may be hungry and get food, but you will be hungry again, same with a fix on a drug or a bottle; sooner or later, it’s gonna come back around to get some more of you. But the fulfillment of God will always be enough! He will always be with us, and never leave us! When all else in your life fails God will be there to pick you up and hold you close. Life is hard, but with God, we can make it! We can over come and become all that He wants us to; but we have to be desperate for Him to change us. We have to lay it all down at the foot of the cross and leave it there; trusting that He will never let us go. I know it’s scary to trust in what we can’t see, but this is the faith that God calls us to have. We can do this b/c He lives in us. So I hope you will find that all your needs will only and always be filled by God. He’s our creator and the author and finisher of our life. He has a good plan for us, but we need to be willing to trust and obey where ever He leads, even when we don’t understand and can’t see the next step ahead of us; we know that He can! My prayer for you today dear reader is that you may become Desperate for More of Him and begin to truly walk in faith and obedience to His will. This is my prayer Lord Jesus, please move in the hearts of everyone who reads this, that they would become desperate for you and be willing to trust in you in All areas of their life. Lord help them and do a mighty work in them! I pray all this in Jesus’ preciouse name, Amen. May God Bless You!
As I have sat here, I look over at some of my drafts, and I have about 3 or 4 at this point. It seems at the moment The Spirit is just flooding my head with stuff; scripture, sermons, application, biblical references and bible help website, commentaries…. One thing that I am so happy about is that with all this information, God’s Spirit does move! Thank God I am not just filled with head knowledge. Really, I’ve always been one who has struggled with stuff like most of the Old Testament, lineages, and the like, but when I stop and just take it one passage at a time I do much better. I am slowly learning to not try and know it all, but to read and listen as God’s Spirit leads me to. I know it is God’s Spirit who will give me understanding, and I know that He will reveal to me what He wants me to know and when he wants me to know it; I just need to remember this and obey His leading. So what if I don’t know every account that ever occurred, or if I get my facts mixed up, the point is, or maybe the question we should be aksing is “is their growth?”. I mean this not just in a clearer understanding of the Bible, but in every area of my Christian walk. It’s not just the renewing of our minds, but more of our hearts! Becomming more like Christ in every way is the purpose and the pilgrimage of the Christina Walk. So I challenge you to ask yourself some fundamental questions: Am I being transformed? Am I Going deeper? Am I experiencing continued intimacy and closeness with God? Am I being changed in ways that others takes notice of? Is my prayer life integrated into every area of my life? Do I even have a prayer life? and if not why not? Are there areas in my life that I need to cut out to be able to spend more time with God in prayer and in HIs Word so to be able to grow my relationship with Him the way He wants. These are just a few basic questions, but they are not to be taken lightly for the Christian who is truly serious about their life in Christ. May we constantly strive to become more like Christ in every area of our lives and living a life that brings Him Glory and honor by the way that we live out our lives. Be blessed and May you grow closer to our awesome Lord and Savior who has formed you in His image and desirs a strong, healthy, and continual relationship with His chosen. May I challenge you once again to truly put on the ring of commitment and not mearly “play house” with God. For he died to set us free that we would bear much fruit for His kingdom. Lord, today I ask that you not only renew our minds, but our whole beings. Draw us into a new level of love with you Father God and let us experience more of you. Let us always take our commitment to you seriously and blatantly show us what we need to do or not be doing so to always put you above all else in this world. We Love you Lord and we Thank you . Help us to become more like Jesus in everything we do and say; and let us truly Reflect The Son! Amen!!
I had such peace today as I sat at the throne of God this morning. God has been working in my life in some amazing ways. It reminds me of how different the economy of God is from this world. God’s ways are not ours and they are so very higher than one would ever expect and sometimes even grasp. One very important and very fundamental area of the Christian life is the bearing of fruit for the Kingdom of God. As we grow in grace and knowledge our lives need to start lining up in accordance to the ways of God; becoming more Christlike in every area of our lives. Growth is constant, and our human conditions don’t take away the issue of sin in our lives, but God does not save us just for fun of it. He saves to we can become more like Jesus in every area of our lives; and reaching out to others with His love and compassion. Thus, barring fruit for the kingdom by the way we conduct ourselves and live out our lives is essential. Today, I challenge us all to re-evaluate where we are, and see where the fruit has shown up, or where it is lacking; remembering too that our time on this earth is very short and we have work to do. Prayer and time in The Word of God is essential and needs to be at the core of all we do. Humility comes from a life that is Spirit led and obedient to the will of God. May we all be challenged to become all that God has intended us to be on this earth for the sole purpose of bringing Him glory and honor alone.
Luke 13:6-9 (New Living Translation)
Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ 8 “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. 9 If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
13:6-9 This parable of the barren fig-tree is intended to enforce the warning given just before: the barren tree, except it brings forth fruit, will be cut down. This parable in the first place refers to the nation and people of the Jews. Yet it is, without doubt, for awakening all that enjoy the means of grace, and the privileges of the visible church. When God has borne long, we may hope that he will bear with us yet a little longer, but we cannot expect that he will bear always.
