4th of July

As my hubby and I sit on our deck watching the birds and deer and taking in the beauty of this morning, I was thinking about what the 4th of July really means to me.

Momma and babies

The freedom we enjoy every single day is unbelievable, perhaps unequaled in the entire world?
That means I got to get up this morning and totally decide what I wanted to do first, how I want to spend my day, who I want to talk to or not to talk to, totally free of anyone telling me what to do next.

Our media is full of 'dooms day' forecasts and bad endings for America but that's up to the Lord. On the day he created me, He knew how and when he'd take me home.  To give up any portion of my life worrying is disrespect for His sovereignty.

So today I choose to breath deeply, taking in every detail I can notice that comes as a result of the great sacrifice of those that came before me.

I can only imagine the horror they witnessed as they watched their best friends fall in battle so that future generations, people totally unknown to them, could sit on their decks like I am - loving my hubby of 39 years and drinking coffee while we freely plan our day.

Thank you to all who had any involvement in giving me this day covered in the celebration of freedom!  Those in the military and those serving honestly in our government - thank you!

Happy 4th of July!

sanctity of life

I've spent a part of my day beginning to lay out our Sanctity of Life weekend.

I'm completely overwhelmed as I watch video after video, trying to find something that conveys the complete fallenness this act encompasses.

I've only told a couple of people in the past 6 months or so, how completely sure I am that God wants me to be involved in this somehow, and I just can't figure out how.

Maybe just planning an amazing service that speaks of forgiveness and alternative choices?

Maybe physically volunteering at RPS?

That just doesn't feel like it's enough.

An unborn baby is killed every 20 seconds in America.

I don't know how God stands to look at us....

am I free

I had aspirations of sleeping until at least 9:00 this morning - my cold had other ideas.  When I lay down I cough.  With laundry in and coffee by my side, I sit down to write.  To write about anything my heart desires, to write about what the Lord may lay on my heart, to write about what pleases me and what displeases me, this is freedom.

The definition of freedom is super interesting!

Freedom

the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

That is a powerful statement!  But then I kept reading and the definition seemed to be much more focused.

the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.

This made me realize that freedom can be huge or small.  Circumstantial or inclusive.  Defined based perhaps on each individual circumstance.

It challenged me to decide what freedom means to me - am I free?  

In light of recent government decisions I have been feeling 'less free'.  It's easy to believe we are on a landslide toward less and less individual freedom if you consider that important issues are being decided without taking a vote by the citizens or at least elected officials.

But I've also been feeling more drawn toward my Savior.  

So guess what?  Adversity always makes us look to the only one who offers true freedom - it doesn't take a genius to realize why He allows us to experience problems!

It's interesting how much we long to look to a fellow human being to change bad things, to save the world, to save America. Nothing, not even a single word, is happening outside of God's permission here in America today.  

As I think of brothers and sisters across the world suffering just because they love Jesus, I realize their physical definition of freedom would definitely be the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. Still, no power on earth can take away their complete belief in and reliance on Christ.

So the question I ask myself is, should I have the power to act, speak, or think as I want to without hindrance or restraint AND the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved?  Am I free?

I will never understand why I've been one of God's chosen to live in this amazing country, but I'm also learning to take it less and less for granted and that's a good thing.  They (whomever they are), always say "you don't know what you have until it's gone"...I pray for all of us - that we wake up and take advantage of our freedoms right away.  Share the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone He gives you opportunity to do life with.  That's the freedom they're searching for and they don't realize all of these other 'feel good now things' are a complete waste of time and in the end destructive.

This is the time perhaps like never before in my life-time, to embrace the freedom we have and love those around us despite our differences and maybe we'll taste of a freedom beyond the dictionaries definitions.

I am free and I pray for safety across our amazing country today to express our thankfulness and to be together in our freedom!

what I learned today

This is actually still churning within me as a result of my study on vacation.  

There is so much - where to begin...

Growing up in the church, so many of the 'believers' I knew seemed sad - as if being a follower of Christ meant they had to be constantly serious and on task to obey every rule known to mankind.  They said they believed in eternal security and yet lived an outwardly terrified life as if their salvation might at anytime be revoked.  It didn't make sense to me as a kid.

What I'm beginning to discover is that what Christ desires for us, what we were created to be and what attracts the lost more than perhaps any other single thing - is when they see our Joy in Christ.

The old song "What the World needs now is love sweet love" really translates into a universal desire to be loved and cherished and what the worldly love never finds is lasting satisfaction which we know is found only through relationship with the creator of love.  And only through that relationship do we find true joy.  For when we have hope in Christ - we're sure in our eternal destination there is truly no room for paralyzing fear. or loneliness.  The world cannot make us sad unless our focus turns toward the world and the temporary stuff it offers us instead of keeping our eyes eternally focused.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord

I'm sure this has no circumstantial boundary - no limitation of any kind that would justify a believer to ever be less than delighted with the Lord.

The Bible talks about how Paul was sorrowful yet always rejoicing and we know of many missionaries who have given all yet felt they never made a sacrifice.    How can this be?   Can this type of focused delight even happen in America where we all have too much?

John Piper's book  -  Desiring God has strengthened my resolve to find out how to live this way.

I have made the statement  - "He or she steals my joy",  about people I was struggling with.    I have to wonder if that deeply hurt my Savior!  It is a choice to allow my joy in Him to be stolen, no one can take it.   It is only when my relationship with Christ is as it should be that I can experience any lasting joy.

Piper says God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him...

Is it possible as an American to be satisfied - ever?  I've said it before and I still believe it may be true - perhaps America is the most deceived of all nations?  The nations where people are persecuted for their faith - there is no doubt who truly loves and knows Him and who does not.   Here - it's become kind of gray...if asked most people would probably still say they believe there is a God, but sadly their life, their lack of joy and constant striving for more says otherwise.

I'm beginning to believe that everything God created me to be, to accomplish, to strive for is contained in - Delighting In Him - so much so that everyone can see Him and not just all the stuff I accomplish.

Are you joyful?  Does the world wonder what you have that they don't?  Is there a peace deep within you that leaks out when everyone else seems to live in a state of stress and panic and deep dissatisfaction?

Let's all take a step toward an eternal Delight that no man, no event, no trial can ever extinguish!  Let's be filled with joy found only in our Savior!

freedom IS free

Funny how the world's version is completely opposite from God's....

As I was happily preparing for an amazing evening with friends and family - regardless of what the weather does, I was thanking the Lord that I was born in America and thanking Him for the ridiculous abundance in every sense of the word that I daily experience.   I was also thinking of the countless brave men and women who have given their lives and in some cases parts of their bodies and even their emotional health in the fight for my freedom.

Our freedom in America was definitely NOT free.  As I thought on these things I realized the exact opposite was true in Christ.  My freedom in Him was completely free TO ME.

He calls us to Him and all we have to do is accept Him.

He took care of the cost, mankind had to do nothing, in fact there is nothing we could do to earn our eternity.  He gives it.

Will we always enjoy such abundant freedom here?  I have no idea - it does feel like freedom is being challenged as never before, as if their's a slow leak dripping - seemingly unnoticed by most.

There should be no fear of this in Christ - prayer is what our response should be!   Today we just need to be fully focused on the privilege of another free day.  We should live thankful and serve Him on this beautiful, day that God has granted us!  I pray you'll have an amazing day of celebration!

hard to recognize

Our country is becoming hard to recognize.

We are used to seeing everything easy, ridiculous wealth even among those considered needy in comparison to other countries and in relative safety.  Now people are raising up demanding to be cared for by our government, instead of caring for one another.  Even some of the sweet elderly friends I love feel 'entitled' to receive an unsustainable amount of government care.  This is frightening.

As I watch Greece rise up and strike out at anyone they think has more than they do, I wonder how far behind we can be here in the US from becoming just like them.  Not far.

Don't get me wrong, I am  not scared to die in any manner God has planned for me, but, what is troubling is that even the believers are becoming deceived, dwelling in constant fearful conversations.

I have a Greek friend whose family is still in Greece who said a month ago he sees America moving exactly in the same direction his beloved country did right before all of the violence broke out.  Tears come to his eyes as he realizes we too could be experiencing this type of violence very soon.

Friends, we should be on our knees for America, we should be the comfort those who have no hope in the Lord come running to for assurance.  This could be the greatest time in our Christian lives to be an American.

BUT, if we join in the complaining and fear then there is no difference between our faith and the hopeless around us.  There is NOTHING to fear!  God could stop this downward spiral at any time if He chose to, so we have to understand that He may allow this for America.  We should not give up praying on her behalf, but we need to seek His will - what kind of amazing opportunities will we each get as a result of potential trouble?

Now the real Christians will appear, it may not be the 'easy' to which we have become so accustomed, but it just may be a time where revival rocks the land as never before in our life time.  Remember, you were placed exactly where you are, born exactly when God planned and prepared for your life in Him - now it's time to live authentically in our troubled country!!  Charge!

my day off

I feel so blessed. Blessed in so many ways!

I just got off the phone with Rick Muchow's travel agent, Jim. You may know that Rick Muchow is the Saddleback Church's Worship Pastor in California. We were deeply blessed by Rick's first visit back in November of last year.

Now, that is just plain ridiculous - so obviously a God thing that we would get the privilege to host Rick twice!! Rick's next visit to Crossroads is scheduled for May 16 & 17!! It is the understatement of the year to say that I am crazy excited to have him back!!

His teaching affected our Magnification Teams deeply the first time he visited us and I cannot wait to serve with him again in May. God is so, so good!

I then had a completely unexpected conversation with a pastor in San Diego via. email. I would love to cultivate a relationship between Crossroads and his ministry as well. Total surprise that I'll elaborate on at a later time.

You know, God never intended for churches across America to do life alone, separately. It's not a competition! We need to help one another and encourage one another. I think the churches of America are going to come together in more ways than we have ever before witnessed. I believe with all my heart that Crossroads is going to begin to have more and more chances to connect with other ministries as well as amazing world changing mission opportunities! We truly are a blessed congregation and there is no where I would rather be!