CRAZY love challenge week ONE: prayer!!!

my husband timmy and i have been greatly enjoying a small group bible study the past several months. we have been reading and reviewing what we've read on a weekly basis about, "crazy love" by francis chan...now, please understand me when i state VERY vocally that this is truly a challenge, a very humbling challenge...i figure it's a good thing when we are asked to look at our lives, especially as followers of Christ, and ask ourselves, "what exactly are we doing to make a difference??"...some of us have jobs where, on a daily basis, we have great opportunity to share Jesus' love by our attitude and actions and possibly even our words:)... others of us may have to create more opportunities to make a difference maybe through volunteerism, quiet acts of service, putting our time or money where our mouths are... but talking about these concepts in the real world? being the Jesus that others may not encounter because they have either never heard of him? or maybe their examples might be through the lens of assumed hypocrisy because words and actions (through humanity) did not match and, frankly, disappointed others, can be more than a bit fearsome (i would compare this with oh, let's say, a lion's den or jumping off a cliff...anything that requires true bravery)...whether you proclaim to the world that you are crazy in love with our Lord Jesus Christ and want to follow him at all costs, or whether you are crazy in love with Jesus but a secret admirer and don't know how to express this in a world that is pretty much...crazy...we all need, guidance... yes, there are questions, concerns, fears and doubts? hopes, dreams and gifts:) so if we're looking for guidance and wisdom from the very one that created us, who knows us better than we know ourselves? then maybe we should really try to make the time to HEAR Him... soooooo this is my proposal, my "challenge"...

for the next week? would you commit with me to get up 10 minutes earlier each day and simply ask God what He would have you do with all that "stuff" He has given you?? (time, talents, finances...you probably already have something in mind)... let's try it for a week, 10 minutes EVERY day, on our knees (or whatever position allows you to be comfortable with God...) and then be accountable to each other that we have completed this first challenge??

WILL YOU STAND WITH ME IN THIS CHALLENGE?
Raise your hand and let's support others that are crazy:)

Philippians 4:6
New King James Version (NKJV)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

G.P.S.

recently i have been finding that there are many forms of G.P.S. in our lives... there is the obvious vocal coach that you drive around and have them issue many directions (oftentimes with the voice of your choosing...how pleasant)... the directions are repeated in a very persistent, calm voice, and it is difficult to deviate from someone insisting that you "turn right in 500 ft, turn right in 500 ft, TURN RIGHT IN 500 FT!", no they don't yell at you (thank heavens) but it does seem to be a form of automated nagging...

when we were in virginia beach this past summer...four very hot, sweaty, yet exciting and memorable weeks... we used the GPS on timmy's phone (free app, by the way...), we found ourselves in a variety of situations and places that didn't quite make sense and the GPS would actually make sense of it... how princess anne intersects princess anne i have NO idea, (and yes chad, this was for you...)....but something else i found fascinating about this little innovative directional gem is that when we DIDN'T follow the voice? it would say "re-routing, re-routing..." it would take a moment, re-calibrate what we had actually done, and then start us over in the right direction.

yes, many of us see where this is heading (and i'm sure you don't need GPS to get there...) but in each of our lives we are seeking direction! we have an initial path that we begin and then we just "head out"... maybe we need to be more purposeful? maybe we need to actually plug into our God Positioning Service and "assume the position" of prayer where we literally bow our heads and ask our Creator God where He wants us to go.... and that interesting little feature of the worldly GPS where it "re-routes" you? is not by any means lost in this analogy... no matter what we do, no matter where we go, if we are asking God to lead us, guide us and even re-route, He will speak to us in whatever "voice" He chooses to use; time (aka waiting...), prayer, people, His word, His work... if we're following His plan we'll never be lost we'll just find ourselves re-routed...

jeremiah 29:11 "for i know the plans that i have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

the tongue...

now some may take note of the title of this particular blog and wonder, "what in heaven's name is she writing about..."... ahem! i am writing about the beauty of our little dog, "sweet-pea" this fuzzy puppy (seriously, she is SO soft) has stolen our hearts (to the point of ridiculous obsession and even MORE ridiculous tolerance of her quirkiness, can you say, "lack of sleep"??) but what i find even more intriguing in our adoption of "her highness", is that she has actually changed us with this odd little tongue that never goes inside her mouth (no exaggeration here...)....she is a constant source of entertainment, she is a master manipulator of her cuteness factor, and yet the unconditional love exhibited by a 10 pound, hanging tongue, 3 toothed hound is a bit overwhelming...

the recent lessons we have learned from this little warm body have been many and irrefutable:

1. cute can take you very far in this world, especially if you're cute AND funny looking...

2. looking at someone as if they are the only one in the world that they love and depend on can probably turn the hardest of hearts to soft-serve ice cream...

3. when you put #1 & #2 together? it is amazing how tolerant of 1 a.m. romps and pouncing on your face your "people" will endure just to be able to enjoy some chuckles even at the expense of some sleep (although it does catch-up occasionally)

4. it is mind boggling that this bundle of warmth seems to realize which one of her people she will wake up...she literally takes turns with the two of us...i find this truly wondrous, perceptive and a little bit mysterious as well...

5. surprise quirks springing up on us are an endless source of entertainment; the way that she loves to be blow-dried after her bath, that the sound of velcro ripping (this is her leash/halter) will send her into a frenzy to go out, a ride in the car is the BEST thing ever, and certain bodily function sounds (insert noise here), will send her running from a room and looking over her shoulder at her "person" with great disdain and superiority...( sorry, but this one really cracked us up and HAD to be shared...)

6. last and definitely not least, it is an utter impossibility to not laugh, giggle, grin, smirk, snort or any other form of mirth to emerge from our lips when we look at this dog with the perpetual tongue...it's just that much of a quirk to draw you into the rest of the little package, and you just keep on smiling....

waiting room...again:)

a long time ago i came up with a visual regarding that dreaded four-letter word "wait"...i had been told, (or maybe i daydreamed it during a sermon??) that God has 3 answers to prayer..."yes, no and WAIT"... notice that the word "yes" has 3 letters, the word "no" has only two (although those two little tiny letters can pack a powerful smack on the chin when you feel God's impact of uttering them...) and then there is the dire whisper of the word "wait"... it's usually pretty distinctive because it resembles a verbal strait-jacket... no matter how you try to wiggle your way around it? if God really wants you in the "waiting room" He reeeeeeaaaalllllllyy wants you in the waiting room:)....

i find it interesting that we can choose to attempt to be uncomfortable in our strait-jacket waiting room (and this probably is coughing up an image of a psychiatric ward)...or we can trust God, not resist this time of waiting and look around at the pictures on the walls, the other patients, and in particular the magazines displayed on the coffee table in front of you... what do you see? can you learn something from these surroundings? for me, i've recently been fighting and wiggling in my job strait-jacket...i'm doing something i enjoy, but yet i'm not comfortable and feel like i need to pursue something different...but at this moment in time, i simply cannot be looking for another job or even a change of assignment within the constraints of my current employment...i am completely aware that God, the great Physician in every respect, is having me wait in this room so i can learn...learn from others that are in the same room? learn from the pictures on the walls? learn from the various magazines that are all there for a reason, either to distract me or to teach me a lesson...and that is completely up to me... how i wait, whether it be with struggle or with grace, this is all part of His answer, it's all part of the process...just like waiting for a doctors appointment, you eventually get there...but sometimes it takes longer than others to hear what the doctor has to say AND when the doctor finally does see you and give his prescription? it's up to the individual to listen and follow His advice...

prayer fingerprint...

recently our pastor began a new series very aptly entitled "prayer"...he joked about his creative genius in coming up with the title, yes amusing in it's simplicity, but dead on regarding a integral component of any relationship...communication...and who could possibly be more important to communicate with in an authentic manner? but God, our Father, Lord, Savior and Friend...

"what a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer"...not just some things, but ...talking to God, what does that look, feel, taste like? how do we as individual's communicate with the very being that created us? very simply...we communicate with Him in the manner in which we feel the most comfortable, whatever is innate within us...this will be very individual...we may be face-down, prone and vulnerable... we may be on our knees, hands folded head bowed in humility...we may be standing with arms open wide and uplifted toward the heavens that He created...we may even dance openly in His presence as physically we express grief, love and joy...all these and more are ways to share with our Lord, to exchange thoughts, ideas, dreams, hopes, and concerns... no one way is right, no one way is wrong... it is as unique as a snowflake, as individual as our DNA, it is our "prayer fingerprint", our direct line to God, our spiritual tether, connecting us to our Creator God...when we discover this fingerprint, when we feel that direct-line of conversation? we need to hone, practice and celebrate!...

i've got the joy, joy, joy, joy...:)

welllll, i have discovered the beauty of maintaining my "joy" as opposed to thinking that fleeting happiness IS my joy... i greatly appreciate the peace of mind that living a life that is being straight with God and laying it all out to Him is rather freeing... this, of course, is a daily maintenance plan, and i must admit some days are much more successful than others as a carry on my conversations with God... but for the most part? even days like today, where you feel kind of sad or things didn't exactly go the way you wanted them to at work (we love extenuating circumstances, don't we??) or maybe you just feel like there's a lot on your brain, but then there's "joy"... plain and simple... "joy"... my joy is not contingent on things, people, places, circumstances, my joy is in the Lord and i'm very grateful that He is always with me and opens my eyes to Him when i need a reminder that HE is my joy... the end:)

the REAL world...

for the past month i have been in a magical vacation bubble...get up when i want...play all day...do the daily chores when i want (IF i want)...everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy the vacation bubble...you don't need to go away to do it, you don't even have to spend money to do it, just change your routine and get refreshed... take off your watch and see how it really doesn't matter what time you do anything, time continues to tick away just fine without constantly looking at the clock... this also serves to make you appreciate when you finally do slap that wristwatch back on, because you are actually ready to have a schedule again...

one of the most memorized and beloved bible passages is the 23rd psalm and it talks about rest...

^1-3 God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.

being tired, rundown, overwhelmed by life and problems or challenges basically creates a spiritual mononucleosis, we're exhausted and ineffective and can barely put one foot in front of the other...yes, God uses our weakness? but He wants us to be strong through Him, the only way we can do that is to be refreshed BY Him, we need rest...yes, it's wonderful if that rest can be literal and if He allows physical and emotional as well as spiritual renewal... but i truly believe that God shows us the most amazing times of rest, regrouping and re-energizing in order for us to enter the "real world" with a heart for Him..."True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction"...doesn't get much better than that:)