After...the One...

Going after…the…one…

“What do you think?
If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, 
does he not leave the ninety-nine and 
go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?
Matthew 18:12

I was that…one. Both before coming to Jesus…and after. Yes…I have strayed a few times in my life…and…I imagine that you may have too. Maybe you are lost on the mountain even now as you read this.

I am told that sheep really aren’t dumb…however…they are defenseless. This causes them to do some pretty dumb things to protect themselves. And…one thing I do know about walking with the Lord is when we try to…secure our own future or try to make our own way in life…we do some pretty dumb things…having strayed from the One who holds our breath in our hands.

Well….He is calling. 

What are you trying to accomplish in your own strength? It is putting distance between yourself and the One who loves you beyond reason. I think it is time to stop and listen for His voice. Yes, He has been calling out your name…will you answer and be found?

It is that simple to come home.

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photo: Shop Style

His Present Presence...

I never tire writing about it…

“God our refuge and strength.
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we shall not fear…”
Psalm 46:1-2a

His presence…is always…present.

Some years ago…I decided I wouldn’t live another day without…His presence. Come hell or high water…I was choosing to nurture, not only a devotional time with Jesus (praying requests, reading the Word, journaling)…but a frequent waiting…basking…in the Holy Spirit who reveals the Savior within us and to us (John 16)….so…

Believe me…my family and the church we pastor have experienced some…CRAZY…stuff during these years…yet…His presence…has ALWAYS…been present. I can tell you story after ridiculously loving story…of Jesus in our midst. Now…

What used to be mere theory…has become reality. He is the real deal and He wants you to draw close…and really know Him…not just about Him. So…

Is it time to prime the pump, as it were? Time to allow the Holy Spirit to nurture His present presence in…your life…now? I can promise you…the next big (or little) storm won’t rock your world as much as it would like to. King Jesus wants to walk you through your struggles…and…fear can be a thing of the past. Really.

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photo: Sarah Keiffer via Flickr
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Oh...To be Like Anna...

I have a heroine found on the pages of the New Testament...

"Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day."
Luke 2:36-37

Because I want to "grow-up" and be like Anna, I am trying (feebly, but purposefully) to emulate her life-style, now (emphasis on: feebly).

There is much to say about her and this account, however, all that I really want to say is that she could have missed her divine appointment with the Christ child.

She could have decided to sleep in, chit-chat with Hannah down the road, or linger at the market for fresh donuts(?)...I don't know...Or, she could have done all the above. Bottom line: in the three short Bible verses on Anna's life...

She lived "sold out" for and totally in love with God, she was faithful to the ministry He had called her to (even when no one probably noticed or knew her name), and it sure sounds like she knew Him intimately, letting Him direct her path throughout the day

So...let's be like Anna...

Because if we are faithful and obedient to the Lord in the "little things," we will be in the right place at the right time for His "big things."

(If this post or any post during this week encourages your heart...please be sure to share on your Facebook page! Blessings, Sue Bee)

 

photo: Umla

At the Start of This Week...

At the start of this week…

Even if your team didn’t with the Big Game…you are still on the winning side. Whatever you face this week, big or little, tiny or looming, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has your back! He also has your front, and under and above you, too. Lean hard into Him. He is the best defensive line you could ever have!

If you have been hesitant to step out in a new direction in your life…and you are uncertain as to what you should do, slowly start moving forward in what you think you are hearing the Lord say to you. It is much easier to guide something that is in motion than something that is at a dead stop. Don’t let the enemy paralyze you, telling you that you will make a mistake. Carefully lay everything before the Lord, then start moving forward.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes that will be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because Who is in you is greater than anything!  (1 John 4:4)

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Shalom...

Shalom...

"... And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, PRINCE of PEACE."
Isaiah 9:6b 

Shalom is...Jesus' Name...it is Who He is...it is what He is Prince of...it is what He came to give...and...it is what He does...

SHALOM (Hebrew) Meaning: Completeness, wholeness, peace, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony; the absence of agitation or discord.. To be complete, perfect, and full.

This is the peace...the wholeness...the entire human race seeks. 

It was for Shalom that Jesus suffered for us on the cross (Is.53:5), it is His promised future for those who chose Him instead of their own will (Jer.29:11)....it is the very heart of the Gospel (Luke 2:14).

What words do you need...right now....from the definition of Shalom? 

This is for someone...the Spirit is prompting me to tell you that you are looking to a person to bring you Shalom...it will never happen. Instead...pause and ask the Prince of Shalom to reign in your life...your circumstances. Because...

Wrapped up in Him is everything you could ever long for.

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photo: The Kind Life

Not Lacking Any Good Thing...(or how to get over your Macy's account)

I was just looking at Macy’s online.

Yeah…I am a big Macy’s fan. Truly. Ask my family.

For a long season…shall we say…many…many years. Really. I mean decades. I looked for outside stuff to satisfy. More likely…I was looking for stuff to fill the deep insecurities about myself. We shop to feel good. At least some of us do. You know who you are…and if this isn’t you…well…may I ask…what do you look to…to find fulfillment?

“…But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.”
Psalm 34:10b

Short and simple, to the point. Only Jesus can fill those places in our souls that stay so hungry. Only the Holy Spirit can thrill…those ravenous places in our hearts and minds with His Presence.

Take it from one who knows…take it from one who…as the Lord was driving the above point home to her very being…and whose Macy’s card was demoted by the company (glory to God!) as He became more real to her.

When you have Jesus…you have Everything.

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photo: Riches to Rags

Who...is in Control...

Who is in control?

Well…as I have said to myself and others many a time…if you are in control…Who (yes, capital “W”) isn’t?

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
Romans 12:1

Whatever you want to call it…surrender, abandonment, letting go…a living sacrifice, this is where life in the Lord Jesus begins. Nevertheless…

He is a Gentleman, through and through. He won’t go where He is not invited. He is not asking for a graved invitation, stamped in pure gold, nope…He only wants all of us. Not just one compartment of our lives, but all them…

However…He knows us. If we can seem to only give Him one little section…He will take it. He knows full well, that once we taste the miraculous in one area of our lives from His touch…we will want to give Him more…until nothing is left.

What are you holding in reserve? Your being in control of it…has that worked for you? I mean…really? Come on…hand it over to the One and Only. You will be so glad you did.

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photo: Beth Kirby via Flickr

Being a...Foodie...

I think King Jesus might be a foodie.

I mean, really. We find Him in the scriptures always eating with someone. In all four Gospels…we find Him feeding thousands. We see Him break bread with a tax collector. He took great care in the preparations for His final meal before the cross…and…after He rose from the dead…He even cooked up breakfast for the guys.

I just looked up the definition of “foodie.” Webster’s states that it someone who and enjoys and cares about food very much. Hmmmm…

Well…on second thought. Maybe…it is not so much the meal where He finds enjoyment and care…it is the company He invites…

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Revelation 3:20

This verse wrecks me every time.

He is after…me…and…you. It is the pleasure of our company He is after. It is our care…He seeks to provide. He is knocking in this moment…

I think it is time to open the door.

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photo: Marjorie Taylor

Listen...

Can there be such a thing as … “The Best Bible Story?”

Well…the story of one of Israel's battles ('cause they had quite a few...kinda like we do) certainly ranks among the top Bible accounts.

Nutshell:  Israel was about to be annihilated by her enemies. King Jehoshaphat called a fast (yes, fasting often precedes spiritual advancement for God’s Kingdom) and calls the nation to no-holds-barred prayer.  The Spirit speaks through a prophet who tells the people, 

“And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.”
2 Chronicles 20:15

Israel defeats her enemy by…singing….yes, singing.  Singing God’s praises.  (Kind of out-of-the-box warfare…don’t you think?)

There is much, much, much to receive from 2 Chronicles 20...however...I sense the Lord wanting me to only direct your attention to one aspect of the story…one word… “Listen.”

Whatever it is we are facing, or someone we love is facing…the first and best thing we can do after pouring our hearts out to God is to listen for...His voice. For as surely as He spoke to Israel…He will speak to our hearts…He calls us to listen.  Listen first…then obey…

Then stand back as He moves on our behalf. 

 

photo: Once Wed

 

 

 

Living Hope...

What are you hoping for?  

Or, possibly the better thought is…WHO is your hope? Yes…that is definitely the better question.

There are a lot of hopeless people out there…and I think maybe sometimes…we are just hoping for…the wrong thing. And, that just may be the issue. ‘Cause…you know…things…even good things…can easily turn to ash in our hands, blown away by the wind. 

“Praise (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
1 Peter 1:3 AMP

So if you are reading this and some of your hopes have been dashed by life’s storms, take inventory. Get honest. Get real with yourself. Let the Holy Spirit speak deeply to you…let Him breathe new Life into your hope.

No…we are not to put our hope in stuff, the future, our plans, our dreams…you name it. Our hope is…Someone.  Please notice: I didn’t say our hope is IN Someone…our hope actually is…Someone.

Yes…Jesus is our living hope.


photo: Pringo

At the Start of This Week...

At the start of this week…
As we celebrate…or have just celebrated Father’s Day…

If the sadness of having a not-so-great-dad…still messes with your life…it is time to look up. Your heavenly Father has been and continues to be completely here for you. Quit running from and turn…make a mad dash to His outstretched, can-heal-the-past arms…and let Him embrace you this week.

If you have made some (or many) mistakes as a daddy (or mommy)…Run to Father. Let His cleansing love and lavish grace wash over you. You will never be the dad (or mom) you want to be as long as guilt and regret are worn around life. Grace alone cleanses and the Holy Spirit alone empowers you to change.

If joy has been distant…for whatever the reason…take some time. Get alone with the One and Only. Those that wait in His presence are lifted up on eagle’s wings. Let Him lift you up, twirl you around, and restore your laughter. He will you know. He is the bestest Papa ever!

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes that will be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because Who is in you is greater than anything! 1 John 4:4

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photo: Heather Mosher Photography

His Goodness...

Psalm 16 is one of my all-time favorite passages from the Bible. Every verse of this song of David has deep personal meaning for me...but today...verse 2...well, you'll see what I mean...

"O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You."    Psalm 16:2

I have long known this be true about myself.  I have NO goodness apart from Jesus (probably my husband, kids, and close friends know this best!).  

And, yes, the Holy Spirit is working out His fruit of goodness in my life...by healing me of deep insecurities (isn't most evil driven by insecurity?). Nevertheless, when it is time for me to breath my last, there still be only ONE who is good.

 I then re-read the verse in the Amplified Version:

"I say to the Lord, You are my Lord; I have no good beside or beyond You."

The "buck" stops with God.  There is no value to looking to anything to come close to Him ("looking for good beside Him").  He stands alone in the "good" category.  Nor, is there any reason to look "beyond" Him for the inestimable, incomparable, matchless goodness of life, love, hope, joy, happiness, healing, wholeness...what else could we add to this list...And yet...

My wandering heart...will...try...to look...beyond.  What folly.

So what the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart...is simply...God is all I need, all the time, and for all of my life.  Hmmmm...no need to wander any more...

And, if I simmer in this for awhile...my portion will be walking on the path of life lived to the full, in His presence I will experience joy unspeakable and full of glory, and His satisfying pleasure will more than quench, saturate, and overwhelm my hungry soul. (verse 11)

Yes, God's goodness is enough.

 

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Sweetest and Most Loved...

One of the sweetest and most loved Bible verses….

“Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 37:4

The deal is…Jesus gently draws us into this promise and draws us to Himself …KNOWING…we will fall head over heels in love with Him… And, He knows…that the things, people, positions…you know…all that we think we desire…can often be…

…so less than…His desires for us.

In our broken state, we would often never even dream His dreams for us.  He has an over-the-top, beyond-reason destiny for us to experience and fulfill. And yet…through the messed-up lens of our lives…before His transforming work…the desires of our heart are often so miserably pitiful compared to what He has in store.
 
For instance…a person has to be set free from fear and insecurity…before dreaming big dreams. Only Jesus can truly set free. A person has to become safe in His love…before they will dare to love with abandon. Someone needs liberty from the oppression of guilt…before they can raise their head to walk in all the Holy Spirit has….you get the idea…so…

Fall...for Him

His desires for are so much greater… far beyond what we could imagine or think.
Is. 64:4 

 

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photo: Smitten Studios

A Photograph....

One of my favorite "photographs" of King Jesus from all four of the Gospels…

"So they all ate and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish."
Mark 6:42-43

The fact that Jesus took so LITTLE and made so much speaks to us. Where do we feel small and insufficient? Is it our lives, our resources, our future…ourselves? Let’s put whatever it is squarely and completely in His hands, stand back and watch the wonder...yes, just like the bread, He may need to "break" somethings up in our lives to bring multiplication...but, let’s not fear His tender touch.

I love that…everyone was FILLED. I spent so much of my life unsatisfied and frustrated. Ministry was more chore than overflow; lack of knowing God's will for my life was the norm; and struggling with habitual behaviors almost destroyed me…until Jesus cornered me and I found that in HIM ALONE was I satisfied, significant, and complete.

Last of all...Jesus doesn't WASTE a thing. There is nothing in our lives…even the months and years we regret…that He won't use for His glory...His grace not only extends to our present and our future, but His grace rolls up all the waste of our past…and He causes it to become part of our glorious story. No, nothing is wasted in Him. Truly.

How does this story speak to you? Why not take a few moments and talk to Lord Jesus about it...He's ready to begin a miracle…

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photo: Felicity via Flickr

Oh My...

I have often heard in many Christian circles...shoot...I've even said it myself, "I am going through the wilderness period right now." Or, I am going through a "dry time" in my life or in my walk with the Lord...

Nevertheless, though that may genuinely be the case...it doesn't mean that what we are experiencing is from God.

I have lived most of my life in a "dry season." Dry as in not sensing the presence of the Holy Spirit. Dry as in not hearing the Lord's voice. Dry as in bored. Anyone relate to this?

"The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose...For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.
The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water..."
Isaiah 35:1,6,7 

I've come to learn over these past ten years, that...well...the wilderness is our own choosing. This has nothing to do with circumstances...I'm a testimony of that. In the past ten years, my immediate family has faced death, stage-four cancer, divorce, separation, miscarriage, a major move, job changes, and apostasy. Still, these have been the ten most joyous, happy, exhilarating, Spirit drenched years of my life! 

What is the difference? All Jesus, all the time. Making His Presence in my life priority and hearing from His written Word daily. Did this happen overnight...well...not counting the forty years prior...the answer is yes. One simple decision to not let anything deter me from "secret place" time with the Lord (Matthew 6:6, Psalm 91:1 NKJV).

What are you going through right now? Be encouraged by reading all of Psalm 35. Underline what speaks to you and meditate on HIS words to you from the Psalm. Facing fear? Try Psalm 91. Drink it in. Ask the Holy Spirit to let His streams flow fresh again in your parched and weary soul.

He will, you know. He never disappoints...you just have to take the time...and come.

 

photo: Hemingway & Hepburn

Doing Church...

You know…sometimes “doing” church isn’t easy…because church is family. And…what family is ever perfect?  Is yours?  (LOL?)

I have a wonderful family…we laugh, we cry, we have amazing times together…but do we always agree? Do we ever have personality clashes?  Tough times and struggles?  You bet!

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:24-25

Just a word of encouragement for any who might need it.  

Yes, you may have been hurt by folks from the church. Yes, you may have been disappointed by the church.  Well…God is the only One who will never disappoint, people always will…that is why He calls us to an intimate relationship with Himself.  Still…we can’t get around it…

We need each other…desperately.

We can’t become more conformed into His image without each other’s chafing, rubbing the wrong way, and all the marvelous experiences a true family has.  Truly…the marvelous outweighs the difficult.  So…

If you are currently out of fellowship with a local church body…reconsider.  There IS a church family out there for you.  Ask the Holy Spirit to lead the way…and no…it won’t be perfect, but it WILL be family and HE will be there.

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photo: Girl's Scene

A Little Lavender...

Some time ago at my workplace...someone gave me a bouquet of dried lavender. 

How rich was the fragrance! Everyone who walked through our department commented on the beautiful perfume of these dried...not so attractive stems. I rubbed some of the pods on my wrists. People stopped me in the hallways to know what I was wearing and where they could buy it!

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."
2 Corinthians 2:14

Oh my! I had to stop and think. Is the fragrance of my life as appealing? Do I cause heads to turn, not because of outward beauty (LOL...I'm looking more like the dried up lavender every day!)...but because I give the Holy Spirit full permission to pour through me to bring others delight? Because of what they see and sense about me, will those who don't know Jesus yet, want to know where they can find Him? 

Hmmmm...this is my new prayer...

I want to wear the perfume named "The Triumph of His love in Me...is For You, Too!"

 

(If this encouraged your heart...possibly...would you consider sharing it on your Facebook Page? You should be able to on a link on your screen! Blessings!)


photo: The Bride's Cafe