I Am His Basket-Case...

Everything about Jesus is free – absolutely free. Still to know Him intimately – will cost us everything...

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years...came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?"...Peter...said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You...”  Luke 8:43-45

The Lord spoke the opening phrase above to me many years ago. I heard His words around the time I started to get really serious about my walk with the Master. I mean, really. I had been in pastoral ministry for decades, but it wasn’t until I started pressing through the crush of my life’s busyness and my bondages – to touch the hem of His garment – did I experience breakthrough.

Nope. I didn’t have it together – I was still a basket-case. Yet somehow His presence was worth more than my to-do and wanna-do lists. His Word became more healing and restorative than any form of media I could have indulged in. I honestly had to plunge headfirst into the rowdy crowd of my schedule to reach Jesus. Time with Him wasn’t laying around – I had to make it, carve it out, and contend for it. I still do.

However, I have found that the hem of His garment is worth it all.

At the Start of This Week...

At the start of this week...

Should your dog eat your slippers, your favorite team bite the dust, or you just plain feel like the stuff of your life is insurmountable, look to the One who holds all the answers. He never promised life would be easy in this broken, evil world, but He did promise that you are more than a conqueror when you abide in Him. He delivers on His promises.

Should your relationships be frayed and worn, and impatience and frustration are tempting you, look at yourself first. Don’t place blame. It takes two-to-tango, as the saying goes. Jesus always tells us to take the splinter out of our own eye first before even attempting to point out the log in another’s eye. Let Jesus deal with your issues. That’s what He is asking of you in this moment.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to 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 He Who is in you is greater than anything!
1 John 4:4

Feast for My Soul...

I be needing me some of His manna today...

"Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.”"
Exodus 16:19

We are creatures of habit, comfort, and fear. Really and truly. When you think about it, mankind as a whole is a hot mess, as in today’s vernacular! God had brought Israel out of slavery and bondage and, in Exodus 16, we find them wanting to go back. Really? Yet we enact the same type of nonsense. At least I do.

Let’s apply this passage to ourselves: everything in Jesus is fresh and new as each day dawns upon our lives. He has a fresh word for us personally. He has a fresh experience in His love for each of us daily. And He has a fresh anointing upon our individual lives to minister to others each time the sun comes up. Yet, we tend to rest in what He did for us in the past – to remember the glory days and not have faith for our lives now. Like the manna of old, our lives become stale, moldy, and literally unusable. Yikes!

Instead, let’s seek God’s new manna every time our alarm clocks noisily roust us out of slumber. Let’s contend for His thrilling freshness. Let’s expect, receive, and experience His miracle manna for our lives – today.

His Invitation...

Jesus throws the best come-as-you-are party ever.

“Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into his family Through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in panning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His beloved Son.”
Ephesians 1:6

This is the truth and anything else you are listening to in your thoughts is quite simply a lie.

My oh my. How our adversary the devil, can trip us up. First, he tells us we are not truly and fully accepted by the Father. We think we must earn God’s love and favor. And when we most certainly fail at getting our act together, the enemy tells us the Father works in everyone else’s life but not ours.

The third lie we bite into is that although Jesus wants us whole, free, refreshed, and restored from all the deep pain of life – it’s not really possible. Christianity is great in theory however it is not reality. We would never say that out loud, however, we reveal that we believe this lie by living defeated, anxious, worried, joyless, and heartbroken. Do any of these words resemble your life?

No condemnation here. I lived this way for years. Decades. But not anymore. I decided to join the come-as-you-are party and let Him heal me up. Fill me up. And free me up.

This party keeps getting better and better. I am living proof. Your invitation is still waiting for your RSVP. Accept the open door and come as you are.

Be Still...

Honestly. It is about the hardest thing in the world to do...

“Be still, and know that I am God...”
Psalm 46:10a

I mean really, now. It is tough sledding -- to be still.

Take if from one who can have a million thoughts a minute, who tends to overschedule, double and triple book herself, and is pretty-darn selfish.

I mean -- still – can be hard. But I had to start somewhere. Jesus was calling about fourteen years ago and this time, He wouldn’t take no for answer. Out of my crazy-busy life – can anyone relate? – He called me to come and sit with for a while. He called me to come and feast. He called me to come and get healed. remember, I once had Stage 4 terminal cancer? He called me to come and have peace for my tornado of thoughts.

It is not rocket science. You don’t have to be spiritual. Bring your addictions and your habits, He has a trade-in for you. You don’t have to be perfect – who is? Just come. Get Quiet. Don’t talk, let Him do the talking. And let His presence meet your every need.

He IS God.

River of His Pleasures...

There is something about watching a river that is mesmerizing, refreshing, calming, yet exhilarating, all at the same time...

"... And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

Psalms 36:8

God calls us to drink deeply from His River, the third Person of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit John 7:39. And what a river He is. Ever in motion, removing obstacles, surmounting circumstances, and quenching thirsty souls. He is the beverage of life, pure delight, and extreme pleasure. His healing waters extend to anyone who will ask.

The Holy Spirit never stops moving on our behalf. Even when we sleep, turn away, or even leave the River altogether, He never stops his forward motion. The Spirit of the Living God never stops, no matter what our state of mind or heart. He is there.

Needing some refreshment just now? Simply ask for His presence and His help. He promises to come Luke 11:13. He will refresh, renew, and quench your thirst. So dive in and drink deeply.

My Lamp....

What a wonderfully well-worn and beloved Bible passage…

"Your word is a lamp to my feet, 
And a light to my path."
Psalm 119:105

Here we find His promise to give all the guidance we need, one footfall at a time. And, the great treasure is knowing each footstep we purpose in Him is one in front of the other for the long-range path of our lives.

Jesus’ light is right here, right now, for what we face in this moment. Still, He gives glimpses of our destiny in Him. The trouble is, we want to jump from point A to point Q, missing out on all of the light-guided steps in between! We may try to hurry the path, jump the path, or even skip the path, but to what avail? We will miss the glory and power of the Holy Spirit and hearing His voice every single day of our lives.

So, it may be time to turn the light on. Let’s spend some time basking in His presence today and drinking up His living, written Word.

And His gracious gift to us? The mundane will become extraordinary, the routine will become wonder-filled, and His light will dazzle our eyes and illuminate our steps.

Something Big...

You know, Jesus started something...big...

"The former account I made, O Theophilus, 
of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,"
Acts 1:1

I am feeling led to binge read the Book of Acts. By that I mean, in my morning time with Jesus, I have been impressed by the Holy Spirit to read this amazing portion of God’s Word, over and over, and over again.

I am using different Bible versions. I am reading every note of my Spirit Filled Life Bible. I am reading commentaries. But mostly, I am simply soaking in these amazing passages about this rag-tag group of misfits and average type folks – just like me, I might add – who turned the world upside down in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus began His kingdom work of saving, healing, and delivering His wayward children, but He didn’t finish there. After the resurrection, He empowered His kids, and sent them to the ends of the earth. It was just the beginning. And He calls me to continue in the miraculous, too. To believe big, battle hard in prayer, lay hands on the sick, cast out demons, and bring many to salvation. Yep. Just the beginning.

Sign me up, Lord. Here I am.

My Heart...

What is your heart set on?

Our hearts can be set upon so many things: a new home, a job, a good education, finding the right person, a baby. So many good and wonderful things. Nevertheless, we need our hearts to be set first on the One and Only...

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, 
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage."
Psalm 84:5

The author of this passage knows that having our hearts set on God is a journey, not a one-time event. Trusting Jesus is a process of one step in front of the other. Every minute of every day. A pilgrimage, a continual looking up. Lifting and setting our eyes and hearts on Him alone. And…

As the next verses will tell us Psalm 84:6-7, when we travel through the Valley of Baca, the valley of barrenness or weeping, we will find springs of living water. The rain and reign of the Holy Spirit creating pools of refreshment. We will journey from strength to strength. What promises!

So what is your heart set on? Make it only Him.

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So Much More...

Honestly. The gospel in a nutshell...

“...to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, 
and from the power of Satan to God, 
that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”
Acts 26:18

If I lived full-out in just one of these phrases, well, it would rock my world, literally, and the world around me.

Encapsulated here, we see that salvation is not merely entre to heaven’s gates, but the entrance of light dispelling our darkness, authority rather than being a victim to our circumstances, and absolute lavish, scandalous grace to beat down any guilt we still labor under.

The gospel is not only the forgiveness of our sins but the supernatural power to be free from them as Jesus scoops up and works out our stuff and replaces it with Himself. An inheritance beyond compare. Beyond anything the world could ever offer.

Read the verse again slowly. What phrase is the Holy Spirit whispering into your heart? Let’s let Him rock our world.

A Future Glimpse...

Has the Lord given you a glimpse of your future, but not many details of how to get there?

"Now it happened, on a certain day, 
that He got into a boat with His disciples. 
And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." 
And they launched out."
Luke 8:22

I have come to realize that this is usually Lord Jesus’ MO – His modus operandi. We often question His will for our lives because we only receive a glimpse, but the how-to’s and success rate aren’t often something He clues us in on. You too?

Nevertheless, how often do we let those very things keep us from all that He has for us? Often, I am afraid.

For King Jesus, it is all about the journey and not so much the destination. He wants us to cling closely to Him for the where’s and what’s of His adventure – to use the word “plan” here is too tame – so He keeps the details we long for close to His heart. He simply wants us to launch out and trust Him for the rest. Yes, really.

Inevitably, when the disciples drew closer to the other side of the lake, everything started coming into focus. One row of their oars at a time, their vision became clearer. But first, they had to step foot in the boat with the Lord and trust Him completely. They DID make it to the other side and oh what an amazing time they had!

What keeps you from launching out? Don’t let it any longer. Jesus is waiting for you to set sail with Him and you won’t be disappointed.

Comfort...

Honestly. Comfort is highly overrated...

"Have I not commanded you? 
Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, 
nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is
with you wherever you go.""
Joshua 1:9

As many of you know, my husband, Randy, and I recently “retired” from being pastors of a much younger, vibrant, multi-ethnic – though predominantly Asian – church. We have LOVED what the Lord has done in our lives these – gulp – past forty years of pastoring four different churches. But I am tellin’ ya, the best is yet to come!

We didn’t retire for comfort, to enjoy our golden years, or slow down. Instead, you can’t stop us, shut us up, or keep us at home – we just have too much to do for King Jesus yet.

Comfort is boring. There I said it. Book of Acts living isn’t. And I be wanting more and more of that open heaven, Holy Spirit filled way of life. Our calendar hasn’t lessened, it has increased. Nope, not bragging, I just think He wanted our “yes” to open doors that we could never have opened.

So, what is your story? Whatever it is, don’t make comfort your goal. You will be gravely disappointed. Joshua saw big things and lived a large life for His Creator. I want to do that too, and I will bet that you do as well.
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At the Start of this Week...

At the start of this week...

Should you be feeling forlorn, forgotten, or you are in a fog of confusion – it is time to break free and have a breakthrough with Jesus. Your portion in Christ is fullness of joy, hope, life, and a future. Spend some time with the Savior in fresh surrender, lay down your plans for His, and get a brand new word from His Word. Jesus is faithful. He is Truth. He is Alive!

Should you be exhausted, edgy, eating too much, spending too much, or you are just plainly in a downward spiral, it is time to look up! Your Redeemer is closer than your next breath. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your tank to overflowing and remember His gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. Don’t leave home without them.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to 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 He Who is in you is greater than anything! 
1 John 4:4

The Empty Grave...

The resurrection is the insurrection of all fear.

"and what is the exceeding greatness of His power
toward us who believe, 
according to the working of His mighty power
which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead
and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,"
Ephesians 1:19-20

Whenever fear, anxiety, or worry arise in your heart and mind, Lord Jesus’ resurrection is your weapon in hand. The same Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead:

Lives. In. You.

If you have received Christ’s atoning sacrifice for your sins by faith, you are His child. Nope, I know. You and I are so far from perfect that it isn’t funny. Still, His shed bled, that we will remember this Good Friday, was enough. It is still enough.

And now, the Third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, lives in you. And when fear comes calling, you have Holy Spirit help in the Name of Jesus, to reject it. You may stumble and fall a few times at first, but keeping standing in the truth of His Word. His resurrection power is all you need and you already have it.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
2 Timothy 1:7

Healer of Hearts...

I just heard about someone’s great loss.

"The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit."
Psalm 34:18

In this life, on this broken planet, we will all suffer some type of loss: a miscarriage, a child, a dear sister or brother, parents, maybe a most beloved spouse, or a dear friend. As you read this, I am sure a name has entered your mind.

In these times we have to cling to the One and Only. We have to bury our snotty nose in His robes and not let go. He doesn’t mind. His arms are open and they close around us. Nevertheless, we have to come to Him and not run away.

The Hebrew word used for contrite in the verse above literally means someone crushed to dust. Some of us stay in that crushed place, but we don’t have to. We need to take all the dust and ashes of loss and let Him sort it out. It will take time, but time is in His hands. He will walk you out of the valley of the shadow of death and sadness.

Let the great Healer of Hearts begin to heal your broken heart – today.

At the Start of This Week...

At the start of this week...

If you should lose your kid’s homework, lose his or her new jacket, or should you seemingly lose your kid to addictions or behaviors that are robbing them of life, remember it is never too late. It is never too late to get on your knees and ask God for His battle plan for their lives. Yes, ask Him for His plan and not yours. Take it from one who has fought these battles and seen the Lord come through time and again. Jesus did it all, in His timing, and His outcomes – all glorious by the way. The battle is against the enemy of their souls and not the child himself. And the enemy is defeated in Jesus’ Name.

Should the dog bark all night, a neighbor’s car alarm keeps going off for no reason, or it is simply that the world seems to be falling apart that is robbing you of peace, head to the shelter of Jesus’ wings. This is the only place where true calm, quiet, and well-being for your soul can be found. Let Him do the heavy lifting of worry or distress because you were never meant to carry these burdens!

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes to 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 He Who is in you is greater than anything!  1 John 4:4

Ducks in a Row...

Are you a ducks-in-a-row kind of person?

"And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Acts 16:9

I kind of think Paul was that type of person. You know, someone who likes to know what the next step in their life is. The kind of person who likes almost every detail in place before moving forward. Someone who wants to know an outcome before making a decision. Is that you?

In the context of this verse, Paul and his crew were trying to move forward in their missionary venture. Yet, the doors kept closing. Their plans were coming undone. Their "ducks" were going every which way instead of lining up nicely. The Holy Spirit had other ducks for them.

I believe God is a God of order. However, HIS order isn't necessarily our order. HIS ducks are not our ducks. Get my point? It will always, always, always be about faith in Jesus' leading and our not trying to figure things out. His ways, His thoughts, and His adventures are not ours.

Someone needs to hear this: Wait on Him. Let Him position your ducks. And trust Him fully. You won't be disappointed.

Hearing His Heart...

You know, it really is important to do what the Lord is saying...

"...Then they began to cleanse the Temple of the LORD, just as the king had commanded. They were careful to follow all the LORD’s instructions in their work."
2 Chronicles 29:15 NLT

Duh. We all know we need to listen to the Lord’s voice. But honestly, so often I get a directive or a sense of what the He is leading me to, then I try to come up with the best way to get there – without following His instructions. You too?

When King Hezekiah was restoring the temple from all the abuse his father had done to it, the Scriptures tell us here that King H was careful to follow all the Lord’s instructions. How often I try to take matters into my own hands, when a huge part of our Journey in Jesus is drawing close to Him daily, for His daily instructions to us.

Trying to clean up your life, just like that old Temple we read about? Don’t even attempt it on your own. Follow Jesus. Hear His heart day by day regarding your life. Do not follow your own advice or what the world is saying. Follow carefully His instructions. Walk in His abundance.

Simple Reminder...

Because sometimes we just need to be reminded...

"The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying:
"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."
Jeremiah 31:3

That's it and that's enough.

Heart Transplant...

Is there anyone besides me that could use a daily heart transplant?

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." 
Ezekiel 36:26

He is doing it in each and every one of us:

Every time we put His will before ours.
Put someone else’s heart before ours.
Lay down our life for another.
Forgive.
Resist the temptation to take offense.
Walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh.
Exude His love in the face tension
Rejoice in the midst of trial.
Believe Him against the odds.

The list goes on and on, but each step forward is His heart being transplanted into ours.

And I be wanting a whole lot more of that in my life. How about You?