This morning, I woke up with the update on the TV that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had reached land and they were estimating the ‘worst ecological damage in US history’ ... Somehow, I except we’ll start hearing that benchmark continue to be breached. [sidebar ... please pray for those families who lost loved ones in the rig explosion.] What caught my attention in the coverage was that they said that the Gulf represents 1/3 of the seafood industry ... I’ve heard that fraction before ... Isn’t it in Revelation 8 that says a 1/3 of the sea life will die in the end times? That scripture is related to a ‘great mountain falling into the sea’, but it caught my attention and my first thought was maybe I should go to Red Lobster this weekend for the Shrimp Festival before it’s all gone :) Just kidding (kind of) ... also made me wonder how often we’ll hear that fraction ... 1/3 ... In the coming months/years.
On the same note, I read the other day an ‘assessment’ of this volcano in Iceland and how most experts think it’s just the beginning. There is another volcano 12 miles away that historically erupts in tandem, and is 10 times stronger. What caught my attention in that article was when they listed 5 other volcanoes ‘that could shut down the world’, some showing activity for the first time in decades ... Number 2, especially stood out ...
2. CUMBRE VIEJA (La Palma, Canary Islands)
Last erupted: 1971
Effects of a major eruption: In 2001, U.S. and British scientists warned that a major eruption of Cumbre Vieja could cause the enire western flank of the volcano to fall into the sea, creating a "mega-tsunami" in the Atlantic. Traveling at 500 miles per hour, it would wipe out Florida, coastal Brazil, and parts of Europe with waves up to 160-feet high. Likelihood: The scientists say the "year to year probability" of a major eruption is low, but preparations should be taken anyway given the potentially cataclysmic damages.
Could this be the ‘great mountain falling into the sea’ from the 2nd Trumpet, detailed in Revelation 8? Only time will tell, but aside from all of this in my head and on my TV, I woke up with such an excitement in my Spirit this morning, and a song in my heart. I always love when God wakes me with a song because I know it’s Him wanting to say something to me ...
In all of the chaos and unknowns ... Even in my desire and almost desperation for Him to come soon, He is asking me to lift my eyes to Him. The Maker of the mountains, the Calmer of the oceans, the Healer of the hurt ... The great I AM!
I Will Lift My Eyes lyrics
God My God, I cry out
your beloved needs you now
God be near, calm my fear
and take my doubt
your kindness is what pulls me up,
your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the maker,
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to calmer,
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the healer,
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to you
God my God let mercy sing
her melody over me
God right here all I bring is all of me
Your kindness is what pulls me up,
your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the maker
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to calmer,
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the healer,
of the hurt I hold inside
Cause you are and you were
and you will be forever
The lover I need to save me
Cause you fashioned the earth
and Hold it together
God so hold me now
I will lift my eyes to the maker,
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to calmer,
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the healer,
of the hurt I hold inside
God My God, I cry out
your beloved needs you now
[sung by: bebo norman]
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y05gZvKdAqY
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Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Let not your heart be troubled ...
I’ve been wanting to update this blog for a while now and it has been a real lesson for me in waiting for God to give me Words. I’ve often come to the computer expectant to share, only to stare blankly at the screen before just shutting down and going to bed. He has been active in me over the last several weeks ... with both truth and revelation ... and I feel like some of my questions are being answered, like puzzle pieces starting to fit together. I can’t say I can make out the big picture yet, but I feel like I’m finding some edge pieces, or maybe even a corner, or two. I have so much I want to share, but I think He’s also teaching me what things are meant for sharing and what things have been meant for me alone. Frustrating at times, but I’ve moved residence into His ‘Opposite World’, and with that comes mandatory dependence on His direction :)
Kids & I are doing well, thank you for your continued prayers. As we near the one year anniversary of when David left for God’s service, continued prayers are very much appreciated. Last year, we let him go on Palm Sunday and I do not believe it’s a coincidence that the date falls on Easter Sunday this year ... It should go without saying that our eyes are constantly watching the clouds! It’s hard to believe a year has gone by, but praise God for His mercy in making the time go past quickly. As I take inventory of God’s goodness, another miracle I have realized is that we (kids & family too) are feeling less and less separated from David ... I know that has to sound odd ... 'opposite', to say the least ... I often feel like we are just two magnets on opposite sides of a board and for that I am very, very thankful. Another friend of mine who also lost her husband last year has recently been placed on anti-depressants, so I am fully aware of God’s grace over us and it is why I ask for you to continue to pray for us as He leads you, whenever He leads you. God is good.
What is on my heart tonight is the reality of hopelessness and how satan uses it to steal and destroy ... As I watched the news updates on the healthcare vote this evening, it was a heavy ending to a tough week on the prayer front as my prayer list seems to be growing and growing with each phone call and text that comes through. It seems like each day this past week brought multiple new needs to take before God ... many of them very serious. I think it was on Friday that I gave up naming each one and just went to the floor, crying out ‘God! Seriously! I can’t even name them all!’ And those are just the needs of immediate family/friends, not even to mention the recent elevation of national tensions between Israel/US and the healthcare vote, etc, etc ... On all fronts, chaos seems to be taking over the show. This evening, one radio talk show host reported that his voicemail was full of desperate, heart-broken callers who were distraught over what this healthcare vote would mean to the country and it would seem that on many fronts, hopelessness is starting to set in.
Friends, I want to caution you against hopelessness that is sure to come, if it has not already reared itself in your home ... As I’ve been very open about, I believe we are in the End Times and hopelessness is sure to be a part of it ... it is satan’s bait to harden your heart, which is what the Bible often refers to when God can no longer work in a life. My most immediate prayer request after David left for God’s service was ‘please pray that my heart does not get hard’, as I could feel the effects of confusion and fear and desperation starting to take over ... It’s what I most often pray for others, too, when their unthinkable circumstances come. Jesus Himself talked about such unthinkable circumstances when He referred to the End Times and gave us signs to watch for ... about these signs, He says ‘do not be alarmed, for such things MUST HAPPEN ...’(Matthew 24:6-8) He calls these signs ‘birth pains’ of what is to come but then warns ‘You must be on your guard ... on account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.’ This verse is what lead me to call my Congressmen, as I know we are being asked to maintain our witness of Him ... Some day, it WILL matter.
I don’t know what you know about this subject of ‘End Times’ (the Bible calls it End of the Age), but it should not be scary or troublesome to those who know the Word ... if you are afraid or confused, I encourage you to READ!!! ... The ‘End of the Age’ is referring to an end of a sinful, troubled, broken world AND THE BEGINNING of a world FULLY restored, as God originally intended it to be for those who have asked Jesus into their hearts and whose sins have been covered by His forgiving blood ... Imagine a world where we will walk and talk with God and Jesus, along with all the other Believers in Christ ... An Earth fully restored ... relationships fully restored ... bodies fully restored ... I'm beginning to wonder if that is what God was speaking to me when He kept saying to me 'fully restored' all through David's illness ... Revelation 21 describes it as having, 'no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away!' Can you imagine!! Oh, how my heart says 'YES!' For the sake of time (we don’t have much!), skip the multiple commentaries available out there on End Times and just go directly to what Jesus has to say about it in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) ... If we would just read Jesus’ words, the ultimate source for truth, we will find the HOPE and the PEACE I know that many of us are seeking in these times of chaos and unknowns ... Regardless of where you stand in the healthcare debate, did you ever think that you would see a day when the elected officials in our free America would blatantly force a piece of legislation through, regardless of public opinion? Jesus did. These times are not a surprise to God and I have to chuckle as I picture the chaos in the halls of Congress, throughout their offices and in those ‘back rooms’ where deals were being made, compared to God sitting quietly, peacefully on His throne! Not only does this not surprise Him, but He knows that such things must happen.
Hopelessness is a disease of the heart and something that even we Believers need to be cautious about, especially in these times when many things will be stolen from us ... please know that everything is just a distraction to what satan is really after ... Our hope and belief in a God that saves! In Matthew, Jesus warns us in verse 10, ‘at that time [when signs of the end of age start to appear] many will TURN AWAY FROM THEIR FAITH and will betray and hate each other (does that sound like any of this healthcare drama to anyone else?!) ... because of the increase of wickedness, the love of MOST will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.’ He even goes as far to say that ‘if these days had not been cut short [inferring that they will be cut short, Come Jesus COME!], NO ONE would survive, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be numbered.’ That is how intense the times ahead are going to be ... Only because of God’s mercy on us, will we even survive this! THAT is the truth we need to be focusing on!
Friends, these verses are speaking to Believers, not unbelievers ... those WITH faith will turn away ... in these times, MANY will turn from their faith and I believe it’s because of hopelessness. Please guard your faith, as being more precious than gold!! I believe that more chaos is on the horizon and many will start questioning God’s goodness and/or His ability/power to intervene ... remember, it is satan’s ultimate goal. Personally, I know many Christians struggling with what’s going on in their lives and in the nation and are VERY close to turning away from their faith ... even use me as an example ... I considered myself a solid believer in Christ and I can personally testify of how hopelessness played a huge role in my questions and nearly turning away from my God. It is only by the grace of God that He has shown me that my circumstances do not define Him and are merely a distraction to what is really going on ... that satan was attempting to steal my faith and belief in a good God that loves and saves ... Hopelessness is a tool of the devil and you must be aware! It often starts with questions and doubts that we are too afraid to take to God, as if He does not know we are already thinking them! Satan jumps right in with his tools of fear, shame, control, offense, anger ... or maybe we just grow so tired of fighting that we turn apathetic and/or complacent, which is almost as bad because we actually think we’re ok ... If we are not careful, before long our hearts have grown hard and we turn away altogether ... Guard yourself!! Take all your concerns and fears directly to the Throne as soon as they surface and just lay it all out for Him ... As ugly as that can be! God wants purity, not perfection! Ask Him to show Himself! Call out to Him! Those who hope in the Lord will not be disappointed! (Isaiah 49:23)
Wherever you are, whatever your circumstance, know that satan intends to use it to destroy you and if he can't destroy you, he wants to destroy your faith and belief that God is real, that He is good, that He loves you and that He is coming again for those who believe!
For those out there already on this ‘cuckoo bus’ with me, please join me in keeping fellow Believers focused on the truths of the Word. The world can be consuming and distracting!! Let’s be careful of what we speak out of our own fear or doubt, as it could lead someone from their walk with the Lord, or discourage a relationship with Jesus all together. We must be constantly seeking the truths in the Word so that we can always be pointing to all the promises intended for us ... pointing to Christ and keeping our eyes upward ... there is so much to look forward to!!!!!!!!
After this day of chaos, this evening my sister and I were ‘signing off’ our text to each other and what she said was a perfect example of the Hope Christ offers ... She said, ‘How great is our God! I praise Him that I can go to sleep in peace despite what things look like.’ Amen! Amen! If you do not know this Peace that passes all understanding ... The Peace that comes from a Hope eternal ... The Peace that comes from knowing a BIG God ... that crazy Peace which is Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7) ... maybe the promise of a much needed good night's sleep (for tonight and through eternity) will be what tempts you to ask ... whatever it takes, PLEASE ask Him for it, Friend ... while the richest of kings can not afford the current price of peace in this world, it is free and abundant in God’s Opposite World!
JOIN ME! In the Opposite World, rest is AMAZING ... in the arms of my Lord!
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Kids & I are doing well, thank you for your continued prayers. As we near the one year anniversary of when David left for God’s service, continued prayers are very much appreciated. Last year, we let him go on Palm Sunday and I do not believe it’s a coincidence that the date falls on Easter Sunday this year ... It should go without saying that our eyes are constantly watching the clouds! It’s hard to believe a year has gone by, but praise God for His mercy in making the time go past quickly. As I take inventory of God’s goodness, another miracle I have realized is that we (kids & family too) are feeling less and less separated from David ... I know that has to sound odd ... 'opposite', to say the least ... I often feel like we are just two magnets on opposite sides of a board and for that I am very, very thankful. Another friend of mine who also lost her husband last year has recently been placed on anti-depressants, so I am fully aware of God’s grace over us and it is why I ask for you to continue to pray for us as He leads you, whenever He leads you. God is good.
What is on my heart tonight is the reality of hopelessness and how satan uses it to steal and destroy ... As I watched the news updates on the healthcare vote this evening, it was a heavy ending to a tough week on the prayer front as my prayer list seems to be growing and growing with each phone call and text that comes through. It seems like each day this past week brought multiple new needs to take before God ... many of them very serious. I think it was on Friday that I gave up naming each one and just went to the floor, crying out ‘God! Seriously! I can’t even name them all!’ And those are just the needs of immediate family/friends, not even to mention the recent elevation of national tensions between Israel/US and the healthcare vote, etc, etc ... On all fronts, chaos seems to be taking over the show. This evening, one radio talk show host reported that his voicemail was full of desperate, heart-broken callers who were distraught over what this healthcare vote would mean to the country and it would seem that on many fronts, hopelessness is starting to set in.
Friends, I want to caution you against hopelessness that is sure to come, if it has not already reared itself in your home ... As I’ve been very open about, I believe we are in the End Times and hopelessness is sure to be a part of it ... it is satan’s bait to harden your heart, which is what the Bible often refers to when God can no longer work in a life. My most immediate prayer request after David left for God’s service was ‘please pray that my heart does not get hard’, as I could feel the effects of confusion and fear and desperation starting to take over ... It’s what I most often pray for others, too, when their unthinkable circumstances come. Jesus Himself talked about such unthinkable circumstances when He referred to the End Times and gave us signs to watch for ... about these signs, He says ‘do not be alarmed, for such things MUST HAPPEN ...’(Matthew 24:6-8) He calls these signs ‘birth pains’ of what is to come but then warns ‘You must be on your guard ... on account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.’ This verse is what lead me to call my Congressmen, as I know we are being asked to maintain our witness of Him ... Some day, it WILL matter.
I don’t know what you know about this subject of ‘End Times’ (the Bible calls it End of the Age), but it should not be scary or troublesome to those who know the Word ... if you are afraid or confused, I encourage you to READ!!! ... The ‘End of the Age’ is referring to an end of a sinful, troubled, broken world AND THE BEGINNING of a world FULLY restored, as God originally intended it to be for those who have asked Jesus into their hearts and whose sins have been covered by His forgiving blood ... Imagine a world where we will walk and talk with God and Jesus, along with all the other Believers in Christ ... An Earth fully restored ... relationships fully restored ... bodies fully restored ... I'm beginning to wonder if that is what God was speaking to me when He kept saying to me 'fully restored' all through David's illness ... Revelation 21 describes it as having, 'no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away!' Can you imagine!! Oh, how my heart says 'YES!' For the sake of time (we don’t have much!), skip the multiple commentaries available out there on End Times and just go directly to what Jesus has to say about it in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) ... If we would just read Jesus’ words, the ultimate source for truth, we will find the HOPE and the PEACE I know that many of us are seeking in these times of chaos and unknowns ... Regardless of where you stand in the healthcare debate, did you ever think that you would see a day when the elected officials in our free America would blatantly force a piece of legislation through, regardless of public opinion? Jesus did. These times are not a surprise to God and I have to chuckle as I picture the chaos in the halls of Congress, throughout their offices and in those ‘back rooms’ where deals were being made, compared to God sitting quietly, peacefully on His throne! Not only does this not surprise Him, but He knows that such things must happen.
Hopelessness is a disease of the heart and something that even we Believers need to be cautious about, especially in these times when many things will be stolen from us ... please know that everything is just a distraction to what satan is really after ... Our hope and belief in a God that saves! In Matthew, Jesus warns us in verse 10, ‘at that time [when signs of the end of age start to appear] many will TURN AWAY FROM THEIR FAITH and will betray and hate each other (does that sound like any of this healthcare drama to anyone else?!) ... because of the increase of wickedness, the love of MOST will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.’ He even goes as far to say that ‘if these days had not been cut short [inferring that they will be cut short, Come Jesus COME!], NO ONE would survive, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be numbered.’ That is how intense the times ahead are going to be ... Only because of God’s mercy on us, will we even survive this! THAT is the truth we need to be focusing on!
Friends, these verses are speaking to Believers, not unbelievers ... those WITH faith will turn away ... in these times, MANY will turn from their faith and I believe it’s because of hopelessness. Please guard your faith, as being more precious than gold!! I believe that more chaos is on the horizon and many will start questioning God’s goodness and/or His ability/power to intervene ... remember, it is satan’s ultimate goal. Personally, I know many Christians struggling with what’s going on in their lives and in the nation and are VERY close to turning away from their faith ... even use me as an example ... I considered myself a solid believer in Christ and I can personally testify of how hopelessness played a huge role in my questions and nearly turning away from my God. It is only by the grace of God that He has shown me that my circumstances do not define Him and are merely a distraction to what is really going on ... that satan was attempting to steal my faith and belief in a good God that loves and saves ... Hopelessness is a tool of the devil and you must be aware! It often starts with questions and doubts that we are too afraid to take to God, as if He does not know we are already thinking them! Satan jumps right in with his tools of fear, shame, control, offense, anger ... or maybe we just grow so tired of fighting that we turn apathetic and/or complacent, which is almost as bad because we actually think we’re ok ... If we are not careful, before long our hearts have grown hard and we turn away altogether ... Guard yourself!! Take all your concerns and fears directly to the Throne as soon as they surface and just lay it all out for Him ... As ugly as that can be! God wants purity, not perfection! Ask Him to show Himself! Call out to Him! Those who hope in the Lord will not be disappointed! (Isaiah 49:23)
Wherever you are, whatever your circumstance, know that satan intends to use it to destroy you and if he can't destroy you, he wants to destroy your faith and belief that God is real, that He is good, that He loves you and that He is coming again for those who believe!
For those out there already on this ‘cuckoo bus’ with me, please join me in keeping fellow Believers focused on the truths of the Word. The world can be consuming and distracting!! Let’s be careful of what we speak out of our own fear or doubt, as it could lead someone from their walk with the Lord, or discourage a relationship with Jesus all together. We must be constantly seeking the truths in the Word so that we can always be pointing to all the promises intended for us ... pointing to Christ and keeping our eyes upward ... there is so much to look forward to!!!!!!!!
After this day of chaos, this evening my sister and I were ‘signing off’ our text to each other and what she said was a perfect example of the Hope Christ offers ... She said, ‘How great is our God! I praise Him that I can go to sleep in peace despite what things look like.’ Amen! Amen! If you do not know this Peace that passes all understanding ... The Peace that comes from a Hope eternal ... The Peace that comes from knowing a BIG God ... that crazy Peace which is Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7) ... maybe the promise of a much needed good night's sleep (for tonight and through eternity) will be what tempts you to ask ... whatever it takes, PLEASE ask Him for it, Friend ... while the richest of kings can not afford the current price of peace in this world, it is free and abundant in God’s Opposite World!
JOIN ME! In the Opposite World, rest is AMAZING ... in the arms of my Lord!
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Friday, January 29, 2010
Quest for the 'Opposite World'
This afternoon, I happened upon the movie ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ ... Do you remember that movie? I didn’t remember the reason why Tom Hanks was ‘looking for a new wife’, but even as the details filled in and it hit so close to home, for some reason I couldn’t turn it off. The overall premise is that a man suddenly looses his wife to cancer and is left with just his young son to raise. At some point in the movie, though, his little boy asks him if he believes in Heaven and his Dad answers ‘I don’t know. I never really thought about it before now. I’m not sure what I believe.’
I just can not imagine going through all that we have been through without God and His promise of Heaven ... not KNOWING that Jesus defeated death so that we can live in the promise of some day being with David again, in His presence ... Not knowing how to answer the kids questions and tearful moments with that promise ... Not having hope ... Not knowing truth. I can not imagine it. The thought just puts a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat. How much more intense would the pain be without that promise ... Without knowing ... I can almost feel the panic behind the thought ... the anger that would be there ... the confusion ... the frustration ... the fear. The darkness in the thought is so overwhelming that I had to put Praise music on just to keep it from taking it over my head and drawing me down.
But then the thought turned a different direction ... I started to cry out for all of the people out there that truly never give Heaven a thought, or maybe who are only faced with the question when it’s too late for their loved one or when they are too angry to care. Occasionally some situation may pop up that makes them stop to ask the surface question, but then all too quickly it’s whisked away in confusion or maybe in offense or in the busyness of life that makes it seem like an irrelevant ‘what if’.
How often do you visit your ‘what ifs’? ... Do you know what you think? Have you ever thought about it? What DO you believe or WHY do you believe it? If your kids/grandkids/neighbors/co-workers/spouse were to ask about Heaven, do you know what you would say? I have found that satan likes to hide in those ‘what ifs’, which should be our sign that there's something of value there ... he has a lot to gain or lose at those vulnerable moments that are often crossroads in our faith walk ... as we decide in which direction to continue. But the ‘what ifs’ are important to visit as we can actually learn a lot about our hearts at those intersections ... our priorities ... our fears ... how big we think our God is.
I recently started reading Randy Alcorn’s book ‘Heaven’ ... Just needed to. He points out how little is taught about Heaven and how much satan works to keep it that way. After all, imagine what would happen if we were all to start thinking about it ... looking forward to it ... or heaven-forbid (pun intended) we actually started to live as if there will be a Heaven like the Bible teaches, with rewards and blessings to be handed out ... how much would that change the way we live? Imagine what such thinking would do to the kingdom of darkness!?!? What if we viewed Heaven at the same level as our work and maybe even considered it our chance for the ultimate, eternal ‘promotion’, being decided of course by our love for Jesus, His Word and His people ... How much would that change where we invest our time and money here and now? (This used to stress me out until I realized the good news that there’s a higher position for EVERYONE WHO WANTS ONE!!!)
The question that begs to be asked is ‘If we do believe what we believe, why don’t we live like we believe it?’
Do we live like we believe God is who He says He is or that God can do what He says He can do? Do we believe that God is the same God now as the God who raised Jesus from the dead? Do we live like Jesus was even raised from the dead, in the victory of a Risen Savior!?! Even though satan has done a good job of making it all so irrelevant in our busy world of ‘self’, what if we were to start living in God’s ‘opposite’ world NOW, instead of just visiting it from time-to-time on those ‘good days’.
2 Peter 1:4 says ‘He has given us His very great and precious promises [the Word] so that through them you may participate in the DIVINE NATURE [God’s opposite world] and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil doers’ ... Did you know we can ESCAPE this crazy world NOW, if we would just READ AND FOLLOW his promises outlined in His Word!! That may seem like a ‘dah’ moment, but let it sink in a minute ... it’s the last thing satan wants us to get, so he does his best to throw in a lot of confusion on things that should really matter to us. For example, what if we really did value faith as being more precious than gold (1Peter 1:7)? I’m actually thinking about buying gold right now, so I'm finding out how expensive it really is. People steal gold ... they guard and insure gold ... people have been KILLED over gold ... If we valued our faith as being MORE precious than gold, what would we do to seek it? Would we value the trials that the Bible says increase our faith?
What if we really did consider the Words of Jesus as our bread and water (John 6:35) ... I’m not saying in place of food, as God created our bodies in this world to obviously need physical food (PRAISE GOD!), but what if we went to His Word as MUCH as we eat or drink, or held it in as high of a PRIORITY as what we put into our mouth?! (hey, when I want a Dew, nothing much keeps me from it!) Can you imagine being as determined to get into the Word three times a day (or more) as we are about eating?
As we seek our eternal promotion, what if we really believed the words ‘the least will become the greatest’ and worked as hard to be ‘the least’ in our families, our friendships, or our work places ... putting other’s needs before our own knowing that in Heaven that heart is rewarded ... What if? It doesn’t have to be something as big as giving up that big sale to a co-worker who needs the money more than you, but it could start with letting your spouse have the last word in a decision ... or letting someone pull into that parking space before you rush to it ... or opening the door for the person running into post office after you, even though you are in a hurry to get through the line, too. Have you ever done that ... the speed walk to beat someone in line? Guilty! What if we were to open the door for them instead and give God the glory when they look at you quizzically when they pass you by :)
I’m finding that God’s ‘opposite’ world has it’s own currency, it’s own nourishment, it’s own rules, it’s own goals and it’s own rewards ... and you know what ... they never change on you!! My big frustration with this world is that I’m always investing my time and/or money in something short-lived or unfulfilling ... everything is always changing and as soon as I invest in something, it looses value and/or I’m left being disappointed. Tell me I'm not the only one who is tired of investing in things that lose value! Jesus taught using the lilies of the field as an example of how God takes perfect care of His creation in His opposite world ... He then warns us by saying ‘do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the PAGAN WORLD [this world] runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom [His opposite world], and these things will be given to you as well.’ (Luke 12:29-31)
Now that’s my kind of world!
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I just can not imagine going through all that we have been through without God and His promise of Heaven ... not KNOWING that Jesus defeated death so that we can live in the promise of some day being with David again, in His presence ... Not knowing how to answer the kids questions and tearful moments with that promise ... Not having hope ... Not knowing truth. I can not imagine it. The thought just puts a knot in my stomach and a lump in my throat. How much more intense would the pain be without that promise ... Without knowing ... I can almost feel the panic behind the thought ... the anger that would be there ... the confusion ... the frustration ... the fear. The darkness in the thought is so overwhelming that I had to put Praise music on just to keep it from taking it over my head and drawing me down.
But then the thought turned a different direction ... I started to cry out for all of the people out there that truly never give Heaven a thought, or maybe who are only faced with the question when it’s too late for their loved one or when they are too angry to care. Occasionally some situation may pop up that makes them stop to ask the surface question, but then all too quickly it’s whisked away in confusion or maybe in offense or in the busyness of life that makes it seem like an irrelevant ‘what if’.
How often do you visit your ‘what ifs’? ... Do you know what you think? Have you ever thought about it? What DO you believe or WHY do you believe it? If your kids/grandkids/neighbors/co-workers/spouse were to ask about Heaven, do you know what you would say? I have found that satan likes to hide in those ‘what ifs’, which should be our sign that there's something of value there ... he has a lot to gain or lose at those vulnerable moments that are often crossroads in our faith walk ... as we decide in which direction to continue. But the ‘what ifs’ are important to visit as we can actually learn a lot about our hearts at those intersections ... our priorities ... our fears ... how big we think our God is.
I recently started reading Randy Alcorn’s book ‘Heaven’ ... Just needed to. He points out how little is taught about Heaven and how much satan works to keep it that way. After all, imagine what would happen if we were all to start thinking about it ... looking forward to it ... or heaven-forbid (pun intended) we actually started to live as if there will be a Heaven like the Bible teaches, with rewards and blessings to be handed out ... how much would that change the way we live? Imagine what such thinking would do to the kingdom of darkness!?!? What if we viewed Heaven at the same level as our work and maybe even considered it our chance for the ultimate, eternal ‘promotion’, being decided of course by our love for Jesus, His Word and His people ... How much would that change where we invest our time and money here and now? (This used to stress me out until I realized the good news that there’s a higher position for EVERYONE WHO WANTS ONE!!!)
The question that begs to be asked is ‘If we do believe what we believe, why don’t we live like we believe it?’
Do we live like we believe God is who He says He is or that God can do what He says He can do? Do we believe that God is the same God now as the God who raised Jesus from the dead? Do we live like Jesus was even raised from the dead, in the victory of a Risen Savior!?! Even though satan has done a good job of making it all so irrelevant in our busy world of ‘self’, what if we were to start living in God’s ‘opposite’ world NOW, instead of just visiting it from time-to-time on those ‘good days’.
2 Peter 1:4 says ‘He has given us His very great and precious promises [the Word] so that through them you may participate in the DIVINE NATURE [God’s opposite world] and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil doers’ ... Did you know we can ESCAPE this crazy world NOW, if we would just READ AND FOLLOW his promises outlined in His Word!! That may seem like a ‘dah’ moment, but let it sink in a minute ... it’s the last thing satan wants us to get, so he does his best to throw in a lot of confusion on things that should really matter to us. For example, what if we really did value faith as being more precious than gold (1Peter 1:7)? I’m actually thinking about buying gold right now, so I'm finding out how expensive it really is. People steal gold ... they guard and insure gold ... people have been KILLED over gold ... If we valued our faith as being MORE precious than gold, what would we do to seek it? Would we value the trials that the Bible says increase our faith?
What if we really did consider the Words of Jesus as our bread and water (John 6:35) ... I’m not saying in place of food, as God created our bodies in this world to obviously need physical food (PRAISE GOD!), but what if we went to His Word as MUCH as we eat or drink, or held it in as high of a PRIORITY as what we put into our mouth?! (hey, when I want a Dew, nothing much keeps me from it!) Can you imagine being as determined to get into the Word three times a day (or more) as we are about eating?
As we seek our eternal promotion, what if we really believed the words ‘the least will become the greatest’ and worked as hard to be ‘the least’ in our families, our friendships, or our work places ... putting other’s needs before our own knowing that in Heaven that heart is rewarded ... What if? It doesn’t have to be something as big as giving up that big sale to a co-worker who needs the money more than you, but it could start with letting your spouse have the last word in a decision ... or letting someone pull into that parking space before you rush to it ... or opening the door for the person running into post office after you, even though you are in a hurry to get through the line, too. Have you ever done that ... the speed walk to beat someone in line? Guilty! What if we were to open the door for them instead and give God the glory when they look at you quizzically when they pass you by :)
I’m finding that God’s ‘opposite’ world has it’s own currency, it’s own nourishment, it’s own rules, it’s own goals and it’s own rewards ... and you know what ... they never change on you!! My big frustration with this world is that I’m always investing my time and/or money in something short-lived or unfulfilling ... everything is always changing and as soon as I invest in something, it looses value and/or I’m left being disappointed. Tell me I'm not the only one who is tired of investing in things that lose value! Jesus taught using the lilies of the field as an example of how God takes perfect care of His creation in His opposite world ... He then warns us by saying ‘do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the PAGAN WORLD [this world] runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom [His opposite world], and these things will be given to you as well.’ (Luke 12:29-31)
Now that’s my kind of world!
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Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tis the season ...
If I had a dollar for every time I heard the phrase ‘tis the season’ ... and not always in the intended positive way! Kids throwing up, ‘tis the season’ ... Crazy weekends, ‘tis the season’ ... Early mornings, late nights, ‘tis the season’ ... So many bills to pay, ‘tis the season’ ... Cranky kids, ‘tis the season’ ... Crankier mom, ‘tis the season’ ...
This year, this season has brought about a whole new batch of challenges, many of which I’ve been dreading for several months now. Even Christmas cards, which I normally can’t wait to tear open, are set aside for days as I dread the sentiments that are written in complete love for us, but are still hard to open as they remind me of the ultimate challenge of the season this year ... a loss of what used to make it all fun ... worth the chaos.
Today, when I got the mail, almost out of habit I just started to open the cards, rather than set them aside ... the first one was from one of David's friends, which I would definitely have set aside for another day if it wasn’t for the sheer appreciation for how hard it had to be for them to send it, too. Opening it, I found the kindest hand-written note ... May God bless you with a peace that passes all understanding and a joy that can not be taken from you.
A peace that passes understanding ... A joy that can not be taken from you ...
While it is rare for my peace to be stolen, I really am guilty of not allowing it to go beyond my understanding very often. I’m pretty good about thinking things through or having a plan and as I’ve shared many times, my sin of ‘need to know’ often keeps me searching for the understanding behind things, until I find it ... Why, when, how, who ... All good questions, in my book ... I’m working on it, though. In spite of myself, I am thankful that I have often experienced the peace that just doesn’t make sense, especially with the kids. I recently asked them how they were doing without their Dad, and they joyfully answered ‘Good!’ ... Sometimes it makes me mad :) It certainly passes ANY understanding, but I’m growing more and more comfortable with not having to know the how or the why behind it.
Joy is another issue ... I’ll be honest, it’s just hard to be joyful. I want to be ... or at least I THINK I want to be ... It’s one of those things that I think God is revealing to me ‘the way’, but I’m not sure I’m ready to be well, yet. I know that sounds crazy, but Jesus does sometimes ask first, ‘do you want to be well.’ Sometimes it is our choice and God has been revealing to me how selfishness plays a role on this path ... It is an ‘ouchy’ road, and not one that I am yet ready to share, but I believe there is a great deal of truth in understanding that ‘woes is me’ is as selfish as ‘look at me’ and satan is doing all he can to keep me without joy.
And yet I know that ‘a joy that can not be taken’ is the real promise of this season ... It is the hidden truth swaddled in that manger ... It is the power of a King who came as a defenseless baby into a dark, cold world. I stood on those hills that overlook Bethlehem ... On those hills where shepherds watched their sheep ... It was not night, but as I overlooked the little town, I did look to the sky and imagined how bright the star must have been to be seen so far, shining down on the promise of ‘a Joy that could not be taken’ from us. The same hills are still there and I know that the promise is, too.
While babies make it easy to be joyful, we can not forget that Christ’s birth is really the beginning of His road to the Cross, where He ultimately invites all of us to go ... And so I am reminded that ‘a joy that can not be taken’ must first go by way of the cross where Joy had to first be killed and buried. If I stop there, joylessness would be the result, but a grave can certainly not contain a ‘Joy that can not be taken’ ... Only a risen Joy fulfills the definition and a Savior who is coming again is our ultimate ‘joy that can not be taken’ ... A Savior who came first to rescue us from our sin, but will come again to rescue us from our hopelessness ... Our joylessness ... It is in the role of His awaiting Bride where we find our ‘joy that can not be taken’ ... It is the promise of no more tears ... No more mourning ... A promise of everything being made right and a celebration that never ends!!
I received that powerful blessing sent by way of a thoughtful Christmas greeting and in the Spirit of the season, I’m willing to share :) May God bless you with a peace that passes understanding and a Joy that can not be taken away ... it is a gift that I pray you will receive.
Tis the season ...
HOSANNA! HOSANNA! HOSANNA!
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This year, this season has brought about a whole new batch of challenges, many of which I’ve been dreading for several months now. Even Christmas cards, which I normally can’t wait to tear open, are set aside for days as I dread the sentiments that are written in complete love for us, but are still hard to open as they remind me of the ultimate challenge of the season this year ... a loss of what used to make it all fun ... worth the chaos.
Today, when I got the mail, almost out of habit I just started to open the cards, rather than set them aside ... the first one was from one of David's friends, which I would definitely have set aside for another day if it wasn’t for the sheer appreciation for how hard it had to be for them to send it, too. Opening it, I found the kindest hand-written note ... May God bless you with a peace that passes all understanding and a joy that can not be taken from you.
A peace that passes understanding ... A joy that can not be taken from you ...
While it is rare for my peace to be stolen, I really am guilty of not allowing it to go beyond my understanding very often. I’m pretty good about thinking things through or having a plan and as I’ve shared many times, my sin of ‘need to know’ often keeps me searching for the understanding behind things, until I find it ... Why, when, how, who ... All good questions, in my book ... I’m working on it, though. In spite of myself, I am thankful that I have often experienced the peace that just doesn’t make sense, especially with the kids. I recently asked them how they were doing without their Dad, and they joyfully answered ‘Good!’ ... Sometimes it makes me mad :) It certainly passes ANY understanding, but I’m growing more and more comfortable with not having to know the how or the why behind it.
Joy is another issue ... I’ll be honest, it’s just hard to be joyful. I want to be ... or at least I THINK I want to be ... It’s one of those things that I think God is revealing to me ‘the way’, but I’m not sure I’m ready to be well, yet. I know that sounds crazy, but Jesus does sometimes ask first, ‘do you want to be well.’ Sometimes it is our choice and God has been revealing to me how selfishness plays a role on this path ... It is an ‘ouchy’ road, and not one that I am yet ready to share, but I believe there is a great deal of truth in understanding that ‘woes is me’ is as selfish as ‘look at me’ and satan is doing all he can to keep me without joy.
And yet I know that ‘a joy that can not be taken’ is the real promise of this season ... It is the hidden truth swaddled in that manger ... It is the power of a King who came as a defenseless baby into a dark, cold world. I stood on those hills that overlook Bethlehem ... On those hills where shepherds watched their sheep ... It was not night, but as I overlooked the little town, I did look to the sky and imagined how bright the star must have been to be seen so far, shining down on the promise of ‘a Joy that could not be taken’ from us. The same hills are still there and I know that the promise is, too.
While babies make it easy to be joyful, we can not forget that Christ’s birth is really the beginning of His road to the Cross, where He ultimately invites all of us to go ... And so I am reminded that ‘a joy that can not be taken’ must first go by way of the cross where Joy had to first be killed and buried. If I stop there, joylessness would be the result, but a grave can certainly not contain a ‘Joy that can not be taken’ ... Only a risen Joy fulfills the definition and a Savior who is coming again is our ultimate ‘joy that can not be taken’ ... A Savior who came first to rescue us from our sin, but will come again to rescue us from our hopelessness ... Our joylessness ... It is in the role of His awaiting Bride where we find our ‘joy that can not be taken’ ... It is the promise of no more tears ... No more mourning ... A promise of everything being made right and a celebration that never ends!!
I received that powerful blessing sent by way of a thoughtful Christmas greeting and in the Spirit of the season, I’m willing to share :) May God bless you with a peace that passes understanding and a Joy that can not be taken away ... it is a gift that I pray you will receive.
Tis the season ...
HOSANNA! HOSANNA! HOSANNA!
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Monday, November 23, 2009
He was, He is, He is to come ...
I’ve been praying about how to summarize our trip to Israel, without just using the word ‘amazing’ over and over ... I think I’ve had a revelation that the reason I’m having such a hard time ‘summarizing’ is because to summarize implies a finished event and I believe that what I experienced in Israel is far from being completed within me.
He was ...
How do you describe the experience of walking where Jesus walked ... overlooking the same seas and the same mountains that Jesus looked over ... sitting on the very Temple steps where Jesus taught ... praying in the Garden where Jesus prayed ... standing in the tomb where Jesus stood on that third and glorious day ... Where do you start? So many things were so different than what I expected ... I really thought His presence would feel ‘victorious’, ‘majestic’ or ‘holy’ ... I’ve been at some pretty incredible sights in my life and I’m thankful that I’m not a stranger to the presence of the Lord that feels ‘victorious’ ... in the Galilee region, where 90% of Jesus’ ministry took place, the Spirit wasn’t victorious at all, but sweet! So, so sweet ... As we took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, it was peaceful and calm and so sweet ... It even smelled ‘sweet’ (except for that whole fish we were served for lunch that day! ... Literally head, eyeballs, fins, scales and all!). When we took communion near the Garden Tomb, it wasn’t sad or heavy at all, but actually very light and peaceful ... almost ‘joyful’, if you can imagine ... But then again, He is risen!! Standing on the Mt. of Beatitudes (where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount), we had a incredible view of the whole area and it was easy to see the Bible come to life! When it was written ‘He said to His disciples, ‘Let us go to the other side (of the Sea)’, we could see the ‘other side’ ... when Jesus went up on a mountainside to pray and watched the disciples boat be tossed by the waves before walking out to them, we stood on a mountainside overlooking the sea and it was so easy to imagine how easy it would have been for Him to see from that vantage point ... Or to imagine how the crowds would be able to see Jesus get on a boat at one side and make their way to meet Him at the other side ... that mountainside was also filled with mustard seed plants, making it very easy to imagine how Jesus might have simply reached out to gather a handful of mustard seeds in His hand as He encouraged our little faith. Each site was filled with confirmations of scenes from the Bible that I had only read (and many that I had not quite gotten to yet :) Every site had an incredible story of God’s love and provision for His people ... how do you put into words what it was like to see and experience first hand that He indeed was ...
He is ...
Every day, we heard the most amazing stories of miracles in the Land ... whether it was passing the creek where David picked up those five smooth stones that defeated Goliath ... or overlooking a valley where God brought victory to modern day Israel whose tanks were outnumbered 4 to 1 in the Yom Kippur War ... or meeting a gal near Gaza who had experienced the horror of Hamas rockets, and yet God was teaching English to her in her dreams ... There is no question that miracles are abundant in the Land! I will even go as far as claiming one for myself, as my computer turned up missing when we transferred from our Tel Aviv hotel to the one in Galilee ... it took three days, but God did return it to me safe and sound, PRAISE THE LORD ... there must be something special about 'three days' in the Land :)
Much of every day referenced the Bible in some way ... just amazing to be immersed in the Word like that! You would think so much reference to the Word would cause us to grow tired of it, but in fact the exact opposite happened as it was like pouring water on parched ground ... We sucked it up as quickly as it could be given to us and thirsted for more ... We didn’t realize how thirsty we really were as we found ourselves in awe and amazement of how much of the Bible refers to His love for His Land and for His people!
One of our very first days included a worship service with a congregation of fellow ‘followers of Jesus’ at the top of Mt. Carmel, where God answered Elijah’s prayer for fire from heaven to defeat the prophets of Baal ... It was a Hebrew service and where we first learned the Hebrew name for Jesus, which is Yeshua (Yu-shoe-wa) ... As we sang His name over and over, someone commented about how for a while in the land, Jesus' name was actually CHANGED and it wasn't until recently that His name was restored to the region ... how pleased Jesus must be to hear His name, in His native tongue, after waiting so long to hear it called out in His land ... All we have to do is call on His name, friends ... Yeshua ... Yeshua ... Yeshua! How do I explain what it was like to praise His name a top such a place, asking for His return to the Land while IN the Land! His presence was overwhelming and emotional and too much to take in, let alone put into words. Somewhere between the Biblical sites and stories and the miraculous testimonies from people in our group and from the Land, I was reminded again that He indeed is ...
He is to come ...
One of my initial draws to going to Israel with this particular tour was that it was being lead by Joel Rosenberg, who is a Bible teacher of End Times prophecy. If you don’t know who he is, I could go on and on about him, especially after meeting him and his family and getting to know his heart behind his love for Israel and her neighbors. I encourage you to check into his books at your local library, or drop me an email and I’d be happy to expound further on who he is, what he believes and why I believe in what he’s doing.
The question we must first ask ourselves is do we believe that any of this is true? Elijah calling down fire from the top of Mt. Carmel ... Moses being saved in a basket sent downstream .. David killing a giant with a slingshot and a stone ... God parting the Red Sea ... a Virgin giving birth to a baby boy ... Jesus walking on water, feeding 5000 people with a couple loaves of bread and fishes, or casting out demons into a herd of pigs and casting them into the sea (I saw that mountain slope) ... Do we believe any of it? The question is do we believe the Bible for what it is, the very breath of God, sent to instruct and encourage us with truth? Do we believe Jesus to be God’s one and only son, sent to fulfill the original law, for which the wage of sin was death ... Do we believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sin, even before we were sinners ... Do we believe He was innocent of all charges, yet brutally crucified on a cross and buried ... Do we believe He arose from the dead and joined our Father in heaven ... Do we actually believe that? Do we believe Jesus went away to prepare a place for us in Heaven and intends to return one day so that we can join Him in His reign forever ... Do we believe it? Some of it? Any of it?
I just finished another great book by David Jeremiah, called ‘What in the World is Going On’ ... In it, he states an amazing fact ... did you know that Scripture references the Second Coming of Jesus Christ EIGHT TIMES MORE than it refers to His First Coming? EIGHT TIMES MORE! If we believe any of what I’ve been sharing about these amazing sites throughout Israel, and truly believe them to be accurately represented in the Bible and true to world history ... true to our heritage ... How much more should we believe and expect that Jesus is coming again, especially if His Second Coming is taught EIGHT TIMES MORE in the Bible than any other reference!?! Think about that.
Friends, He is coming ... and I’m not the only one who believes that He’s coming very soon ... in the Land, it was encouraging and overwhelming to talk to so many who believe He’s coming soon ... How do I put into words the experience of hearing a teaching on End Times prophecy as we looked out upon the Mt. of Olives (where Jesus is believed to return) and imagine His triumphant entrance into the city ... Or while looking out upon the hills of Syria and Lebanon, which Joel taught is the direction that enemies are prophesied to come during the prophetic war detailed in Ezekiel 38-39 ... Or sitting a top Mt Megiddo (Armageddon) looking over the Jezreel Valley where Scripture prophesizes the final battle between good and evil will take place, when satan will finally receive his destiny in the lake of fire. It all seems so ‘out there’ ... until you see actual signs of other prophecy already fulfilled, and then it’s not so crazy.
Many may not know that when Israel became it’s own state in 1948, that was a fulfillment of prophecy in Ezekiel 37 ... I had no idea how much of a miracle becoming its own state was until we visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum and saw the degree to which the Jews had been scattered and persecuted throughout the world, or when hearing the history of the Land of how many different people have possessed the Land from the time of Jesus, until now. Some archeological sites show 27-some different types of settlements of the Land over the last 2000 years! Why so much argument over the Land? I was joking that the real reason for so much tension in the Middle East was obvious to me as soon as I stepped foot in the Land ... No Mt. Dew!! Seriously. No wonder they’re cranky!!!! But most likely it has to do with 2 Chronicles 6:6 when God declares 'I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name might be there'. And what God declares for Himself, satan wants.
More evidence of prophecy fulfilled ... when we went to the Gaza area to do our outreach project, we passed through deserts that were literally blooming with crops of all kinds (fulfillment of Isaiah 35). Desserts blooming! This is in stark contrast to Mark Twain’s infamous synopsis of the Land when he called it ‘desolate country’ in the 1800s. Ezekiel 47 also refers to the Dead Sea being ‘healed and made fresh’ from a river that flows into it, which many think is either ‘symbolic prophecy’, or just plain ‘crazy’ ... while we were at the Dead Sea we heard plans about bringing water up from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea because so much evaporation has taken place and they are concerned about it drying up ‘unless something is done’. Maybe the remnant of people who have joked about opening up bass shops on the shores of the Dead Sea should take that prompting from the Holy Spirit a little more seriously :) With regard to that prophecy in Ezekiel 38-39, which refers to a war against Israel in the End times, no one comes to her aid, except God ... the enemy named is a coalition of forces which include Iran, Russia, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and more ... If you follow any geopolitical news, you have heard that such a coalition is already forming. Right before we left on the trip, a resolution was passed within the UN to file war crime charges against Israel for their recent fighting in Gaza ... Just a reminder, the only reason Israel went into Gaza was to defend themselves against some 4000 Hamas rockets that were being fired upon them and before entering, Israel warned Hamas numerous times to stop or face military action ... That resolution to press charges against Israel passed with a vote of 118 to 14 ... Only 14 countries supported Israel’s right to defend itself (thank God, the US was one of them!) ... Only 14 ... most of which were very tiny countries ... France and Britain abstained from the vote altogether ... the US was the only one with any kind of ‘weight’, and it’s no secret how the US’s support of Israel isn’t as definite as it used to be ... Less than 4% of Israelis even consider the current administration favorable to Israel! Less than 4%! ... Does that sound like ‘no allies to defend Israel, except God Himself’? When we discussed ANY of these injustices with Israelis, their overwhelming consistent response was ‘it does not surprise us ... it is written.’
Something else is also written ... Genesis 12:2-3, God says this of Israel ... "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." While Israel’s political allies may be dwindling and we may feel as if we have little to no control over that, we CAN step up as their spiritual and financial allies ... we can continue to pray for peace and blessing upon Israel and their neighbors and ask God what He wants us to do to bless His people and His Land.
Whew ... apparently I DID have a lot to share and I haven't even broke out my pictures and videos yet!!! Can you see now why it is taking me some time to process all that we saw, and heard, and learned, and experienced ... There are so many layers to it ... Historical (both Biblical and modern day history), social, geopolitical, spiritual, emotional ... I think I got a little sense of what God is talking about in Habakkuk when He says ‘for I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.’ I certainly KNOW now that I don’t have the capacity to get it all ... so I praise Him for calling me to go ... for meeting us while we were there ... for showing us His love for His people and His Land ... for bringing us home safely ... and for allowing me to just marinate in all of it, trusting that He will continue to show me what He wants me to see, when it is time to see it.
So, how was the trip?
Amazing ...
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He was ...
How do you describe the experience of walking where Jesus walked ... overlooking the same seas and the same mountains that Jesus looked over ... sitting on the very Temple steps where Jesus taught ... praying in the Garden where Jesus prayed ... standing in the tomb where Jesus stood on that third and glorious day ... Where do you start? So many things were so different than what I expected ... I really thought His presence would feel ‘victorious’, ‘majestic’ or ‘holy’ ... I’ve been at some pretty incredible sights in my life and I’m thankful that I’m not a stranger to the presence of the Lord that feels ‘victorious’ ... in the Galilee region, where 90% of Jesus’ ministry took place, the Spirit wasn’t victorious at all, but sweet! So, so sweet ... As we took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, it was peaceful and calm and so sweet ... It even smelled ‘sweet’ (except for that whole fish we were served for lunch that day! ... Literally head, eyeballs, fins, scales and all!). When we took communion near the Garden Tomb, it wasn’t sad or heavy at all, but actually very light and peaceful ... almost ‘joyful’, if you can imagine ... But then again, He is risen!! Standing on the Mt. of Beatitudes (where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount), we had a incredible view of the whole area and it was easy to see the Bible come to life! When it was written ‘He said to His disciples, ‘Let us go to the other side (of the Sea)’, we could see the ‘other side’ ... when Jesus went up on a mountainside to pray and watched the disciples boat be tossed by the waves before walking out to them, we stood on a mountainside overlooking the sea and it was so easy to imagine how easy it would have been for Him to see from that vantage point ... Or to imagine how the crowds would be able to see Jesus get on a boat at one side and make their way to meet Him at the other side ... that mountainside was also filled with mustard seed plants, making it very easy to imagine how Jesus might have simply reached out to gather a handful of mustard seeds in His hand as He encouraged our little faith. Each site was filled with confirmations of scenes from the Bible that I had only read (and many that I had not quite gotten to yet :) Every site had an incredible story of God’s love and provision for His people ... how do you put into words what it was like to see and experience first hand that He indeed was ...
He is ...
Every day, we heard the most amazing stories of miracles in the Land ... whether it was passing the creek where David picked up those five smooth stones that defeated Goliath ... or overlooking a valley where God brought victory to modern day Israel whose tanks were outnumbered 4 to 1 in the Yom Kippur War ... or meeting a gal near Gaza who had experienced the horror of Hamas rockets, and yet God was teaching English to her in her dreams ... There is no question that miracles are abundant in the Land! I will even go as far as claiming one for myself, as my computer turned up missing when we transferred from our Tel Aviv hotel to the one in Galilee ... it took three days, but God did return it to me safe and sound, PRAISE THE LORD ... there must be something special about 'three days' in the Land :)
Much of every day referenced the Bible in some way ... just amazing to be immersed in the Word like that! You would think so much reference to the Word would cause us to grow tired of it, but in fact the exact opposite happened as it was like pouring water on parched ground ... We sucked it up as quickly as it could be given to us and thirsted for more ... We didn’t realize how thirsty we really were as we found ourselves in awe and amazement of how much of the Bible refers to His love for His Land and for His people!
One of our very first days included a worship service with a congregation of fellow ‘followers of Jesus’ at the top of Mt. Carmel, where God answered Elijah’s prayer for fire from heaven to defeat the prophets of Baal ... It was a Hebrew service and where we first learned the Hebrew name for Jesus, which is Yeshua (Yu-shoe-wa) ... As we sang His name over and over, someone commented about how for a while in the land, Jesus' name was actually CHANGED and it wasn't until recently that His name was restored to the region ... how pleased Jesus must be to hear His name, in His native tongue, after waiting so long to hear it called out in His land ... All we have to do is call on His name, friends ... Yeshua ... Yeshua ... Yeshua! How do I explain what it was like to praise His name a top such a place, asking for His return to the Land while IN the Land! His presence was overwhelming and emotional and too much to take in, let alone put into words. Somewhere between the Biblical sites and stories and the miraculous testimonies from people in our group and from the Land, I was reminded again that He indeed is ...
He is to come ...
One of my initial draws to going to Israel with this particular tour was that it was being lead by Joel Rosenberg, who is a Bible teacher of End Times prophecy. If you don’t know who he is, I could go on and on about him, especially after meeting him and his family and getting to know his heart behind his love for Israel and her neighbors. I encourage you to check into his books at your local library, or drop me an email and I’d be happy to expound further on who he is, what he believes and why I believe in what he’s doing.
The question we must first ask ourselves is do we believe that any of this is true? Elijah calling down fire from the top of Mt. Carmel ... Moses being saved in a basket sent downstream .. David killing a giant with a slingshot and a stone ... God parting the Red Sea ... a Virgin giving birth to a baby boy ... Jesus walking on water, feeding 5000 people with a couple loaves of bread and fishes, or casting out demons into a herd of pigs and casting them into the sea (I saw that mountain slope) ... Do we believe any of it? The question is do we believe the Bible for what it is, the very breath of God, sent to instruct and encourage us with truth? Do we believe Jesus to be God’s one and only son, sent to fulfill the original law, for which the wage of sin was death ... Do we believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sin, even before we were sinners ... Do we believe He was innocent of all charges, yet brutally crucified on a cross and buried ... Do we believe He arose from the dead and joined our Father in heaven ... Do we actually believe that? Do we believe Jesus went away to prepare a place for us in Heaven and intends to return one day so that we can join Him in His reign forever ... Do we believe it? Some of it? Any of it?
I just finished another great book by David Jeremiah, called ‘What in the World is Going On’ ... In it, he states an amazing fact ... did you know that Scripture references the Second Coming of Jesus Christ EIGHT TIMES MORE than it refers to His First Coming? EIGHT TIMES MORE! If we believe any of what I’ve been sharing about these amazing sites throughout Israel, and truly believe them to be accurately represented in the Bible and true to world history ... true to our heritage ... How much more should we believe and expect that Jesus is coming again, especially if His Second Coming is taught EIGHT TIMES MORE in the Bible than any other reference!?! Think about that.
Friends, He is coming ... and I’m not the only one who believes that He’s coming very soon ... in the Land, it was encouraging and overwhelming to talk to so many who believe He’s coming soon ... How do I put into words the experience of hearing a teaching on End Times prophecy as we looked out upon the Mt. of Olives (where Jesus is believed to return) and imagine His triumphant entrance into the city ... Or while looking out upon the hills of Syria and Lebanon, which Joel taught is the direction that enemies are prophesied to come during the prophetic war detailed in Ezekiel 38-39 ... Or sitting a top Mt Megiddo (Armageddon) looking over the Jezreel Valley where Scripture prophesizes the final battle between good and evil will take place, when satan will finally receive his destiny in the lake of fire. It all seems so ‘out there’ ... until you see actual signs of other prophecy already fulfilled, and then it’s not so crazy.
Many may not know that when Israel became it’s own state in 1948, that was a fulfillment of prophecy in Ezekiel 37 ... I had no idea how much of a miracle becoming its own state was until we visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum and saw the degree to which the Jews had been scattered and persecuted throughout the world, or when hearing the history of the Land of how many different people have possessed the Land from the time of Jesus, until now. Some archeological sites show 27-some different types of settlements of the Land over the last 2000 years! Why so much argument over the Land? I was joking that the real reason for so much tension in the Middle East was obvious to me as soon as I stepped foot in the Land ... No Mt. Dew!! Seriously. No wonder they’re cranky!!!! But most likely it has to do with 2 Chronicles 6:6 when God declares 'I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name might be there'. And what God declares for Himself, satan wants.
More evidence of prophecy fulfilled ... when we went to the Gaza area to do our outreach project, we passed through deserts that were literally blooming with crops of all kinds (fulfillment of Isaiah 35). Desserts blooming! This is in stark contrast to Mark Twain’s infamous synopsis of the Land when he called it ‘desolate country’ in the 1800s. Ezekiel 47 also refers to the Dead Sea being ‘healed and made fresh’ from a river that flows into it, which many think is either ‘symbolic prophecy’, or just plain ‘crazy’ ... while we were at the Dead Sea we heard plans about bringing water up from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea because so much evaporation has taken place and they are concerned about it drying up ‘unless something is done’. Maybe the remnant of people who have joked about opening up bass shops on the shores of the Dead Sea should take that prompting from the Holy Spirit a little more seriously :) With regard to that prophecy in Ezekiel 38-39, which refers to a war against Israel in the End times, no one comes to her aid, except God ... the enemy named is a coalition of forces which include Iran, Russia, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and more ... If you follow any geopolitical news, you have heard that such a coalition is already forming. Right before we left on the trip, a resolution was passed within the UN to file war crime charges against Israel for their recent fighting in Gaza ... Just a reminder, the only reason Israel went into Gaza was to defend themselves against some 4000 Hamas rockets that were being fired upon them and before entering, Israel warned Hamas numerous times to stop or face military action ... That resolution to press charges against Israel passed with a vote of 118 to 14 ... Only 14 countries supported Israel’s right to defend itself (thank God, the US was one of them!) ... Only 14 ... most of which were very tiny countries ... France and Britain abstained from the vote altogether ... the US was the only one with any kind of ‘weight’, and it’s no secret how the US’s support of Israel isn’t as definite as it used to be ... Less than 4% of Israelis even consider the current administration favorable to Israel! Less than 4%! ... Does that sound like ‘no allies to defend Israel, except God Himself’? When we discussed ANY of these injustices with Israelis, their overwhelming consistent response was ‘it does not surprise us ... it is written.’
Something else is also written ... Genesis 12:2-3, God says this of Israel ... "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." While Israel’s political allies may be dwindling and we may feel as if we have little to no control over that, we CAN step up as their spiritual and financial allies ... we can continue to pray for peace and blessing upon Israel and their neighbors and ask God what He wants us to do to bless His people and His Land.
Whew ... apparently I DID have a lot to share and I haven't even broke out my pictures and videos yet!!! Can you see now why it is taking me some time to process all that we saw, and heard, and learned, and experienced ... There are so many layers to it ... Historical (both Biblical and modern day history), social, geopolitical, spiritual, emotional ... I think I got a little sense of what God is talking about in Habakkuk when He says ‘for I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.’ I certainly KNOW now that I don’t have the capacity to get it all ... so I praise Him for calling me to go ... for meeting us while we were there ... for showing us His love for His people and His Land ... for bringing us home safely ... and for allowing me to just marinate in all of it, trusting that He will continue to show me what He wants me to see, when it is time to see it.
So, how was the trip?
Amazing ...
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Monday, November 9, 2009
Shalom!
A quick update to let you know that we are safe and having a great time in Israel ... We’ve had quite the adventure thus far, but God has been gracious in so many ways ... We can not wait until we get a chance to share with you all that we have experienced ... Just today, we had an End Times teaching while at the top of one of highest mountains in the Golan Heights ... From that military vantage point, we could see the Lebanon border, the Syrian border and while looking over those valleys, we read and discussed the War of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39) and how that very prophecy will be fulfilled right there ... RIGHT THERE!!! ... I just can’t describe to you how incredible it is to be in the Land ... One of the most incredible experiences thus far! (I can’t believe we’ve only been here 3 days!) Another overwhelming experience was a chance to worship with a Messianic Jewish congregation (Jews who believe in Jesus) at the very top of Mt. Carmel ... Mt. Carmel is where Elijah called fire down from heaven to prove the prophets of Baal to be false ... We were there ... Praising the Lord ... singing in Hebrew ... Calling out for our Saviour, Yeshua to come! In the Land that He WILL COME! ... I don’t know what to say or how to put that experience into words ... humbling ... emotional ... overwhelming ... incredible.
Tomorrow, we make our ‘ascent’ to Jerusalem ... We will enter the city by walking down the Mount of Olives, just as Jesus is expected to return. KEEP PRAYING! Specifically, thank you to those who are praying for all of the ‘little distractions’ that have popped up on the trip (broken camera, missing computer) ... I am thankful for a prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God! Keep praying for us and for all that God has!
Just one more quick note to settle your concerns ... Until today, we had not seen ONE soldier or even security guard!! We were shocked to walk into the airport with no security AT ALL! Even the customs was so relaxed, it was unreal. Today, as drove through the countryside, we did see several who were doing military maneuvers in the fields, but other than that there has been no security issues at all, or even concern for safety. It is a beautiful, peaceful land, despite the news and despite the threats just over the mountain ridges ... I can not explain the sweet, sweet presence of the Lord. I’ve been to many places that make me want to just shout His name at the top of my lungs at the sight of His majesty ... But here ... The emotion is more of just sweet peace ... Complete love ... I just feel held.
It’s a wonderful Land.
More stories and details later ... Keep praying ... GOD IS ON THE MOVE, Friends! He IS coming! PRAY FOR ISRAEL!
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Tomorrow, we make our ‘ascent’ to Jerusalem ... We will enter the city by walking down the Mount of Olives, just as Jesus is expected to return. KEEP PRAYING! Specifically, thank you to those who are praying for all of the ‘little distractions’ that have popped up on the trip (broken camera, missing computer) ... I am thankful for a prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God! Keep praying for us and for all that God has!
Just one more quick note to settle your concerns ... Until today, we had not seen ONE soldier or even security guard!! We were shocked to walk into the airport with no security AT ALL! Even the customs was so relaxed, it was unreal. Today, as drove through the countryside, we did see several who were doing military maneuvers in the fields, but other than that there has been no security issues at all, or even concern for safety. It is a beautiful, peaceful land, despite the news and despite the threats just over the mountain ridges ... I can not explain the sweet, sweet presence of the Lord. I’ve been to many places that make me want to just shout His name at the top of my lungs at the sight of His majesty ... But here ... The emotion is more of just sweet peace ... Complete love ... I just feel held.
It’s a wonderful Land.
More stories and details later ... Keep praying ... GOD IS ON THE MOVE, Friends! He IS coming! PRAY FOR ISRAEL!
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Thursday, November 5, 2009
More . . .
Hi Friends ... I’m going to try to keep this post short, as it’s late AGAIN and I really need to get to bed ... I want to ask if you would remember to pray for our trip to Israel ... We leave today (Thurs)! Our flight leaves at 1pm EST and lands around 2:30am EST (9:30am next day, their time). We return very late on 11/17. I’m hoping to get the chance to update this blog while over there, but I have no idea what to expect in the way of free time. Thank you for praying as God prompts you!!! The kids are doing really well and even tonight as I was tucking Emma into bed she said, 'Mama, I am REALLY excited for you ... I really am! It will be wonderful for you to walk where Jesus walked ... can you bring us back a camel?' ... Do you think God's heart swells like ours? If it does, there's no doubt that it did tonight!
This week has been at the top of the crazy meter with arranging last minute details for the kids, their school, my work, packing ... In it all, I’ve been really trying to take time each night to listen to what God wants me to hear about the trip. It’s amazing the noise that satan can create when you’re trying to make room for God to speak! I’ve been reading lots of literature, looking at many maps, researching many Bible stories, trying to soak in as much as I can, as quickly as I can ... Nothing like trying to absorb 3500 years of history into just a few short weeks! I’ve often resorted to laying my head down on the books, praying for some kind of spiritual osmosis, asking God for help in retaining it all. As I’ve prayed over the trip, I keep getting an overwhelming feeling that He has something special He wants me to see ... The word ‘Home’ brings me to tears and the thought of eating the food of His Land and seeing things that Jesus saw is just overwhelming ... my prayer is that I don’t miss what God wants me to see because I’m too busy trying to see what I want to see. My prayer is that INSPITE OF MYSELF, His presence refreshes me ... that His Land inspires me and His voice restores me ... I know He is able ... and more.
SHALOM!
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This week has been at the top of the crazy meter with arranging last minute details for the kids, their school, my work, packing ... In it all, I’ve been really trying to take time each night to listen to what God wants me to hear about the trip. It’s amazing the noise that satan can create when you’re trying to make room for God to speak! I’ve been reading lots of literature, looking at many maps, researching many Bible stories, trying to soak in as much as I can, as quickly as I can ... Nothing like trying to absorb 3500 years of history into just a few short weeks! I’ve often resorted to laying my head down on the books, praying for some kind of spiritual osmosis, asking God for help in retaining it all. As I’ve prayed over the trip, I keep getting an overwhelming feeling that He has something special He wants me to see ... The word ‘Home’ brings me to tears and the thought of eating the food of His Land and seeing things that Jesus saw is just overwhelming ... my prayer is that I don’t miss what God wants me to see because I’m too busy trying to see what I want to see. My prayer is that INSPITE OF MYSELF, His presence refreshes me ... that His Land inspires me and His voice restores me ... I know He is able ... and more.
SHALOM!
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